Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 620 The world is like a game of chess; one must resign and admit defeat.

Xiao Qi, the commander-in-chief of the Divine Might Army, was naturally shocked and furious at this result.

"That damn Kong Duanqi is the worst of the worst! What face does he have to live? Why doesn't he just find a rope and hang himself!"

Xiao Qi was furious and started cursing loudly.

It wasn't that he had any expectations of Kong Duanqi, but rather that the Dongping Prefecture rebels only held out for half an hour, and the Shenwei Army only rested for half an hour. No matter how fast they moved, they only hurriedly ate some food and watered their horses.

The fatigue has eased somewhat, but it still lingers.

But at this point, thinking about all that was useless. The Han army was already charging in, and it was pointless to argue about who was right and who was wrong, who was a hero and who was a coward. The most important thing now was to survive.

The Shenwei Army was quickly organized and deployed along several small streams and a village called Zhengjiaweizi.

At the same time, Xiao Qi dispatched a military envoy to quickly request assistance from Heshi Lieliangbi.

Left Prime Minister, for the sake of the founding emperor, lend your brother a hand!
The military envoy traveled swiftly and arrived near Guide Town after about 45 minutes.

Before he could make contact with the main army, he saw that several pontoon bridges had been built over the Beiqing River at some unknown time, and soldiers were moving on the pontoon bridges.

Upon seeing this, the military envoy felt reassured.

This must mean that reinforcements have arrived.

At this time, whoever arrives, and how many troops they have, are all vital forces that come to the rescue, enough to tip the scales of war in their favor.

However, after taking a closer look at the pontoon bridge, the military envoy felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The troops on the pontoon bridge did not travel from the north bank to the south bank, but rather crossed the river from the south bank and headed towards the north bank.

This is...this is the Left Chancellor leading his troops to flee north!
No wonder those naval forces that made great contributions yesterday haven't appeared at the front line yet; it turns out they're setting up a pontoon bridge here!
The military envoy immediately wanted to turn his horse and leave to tell Xiao Qi this crucial news, but the Wu'an Army's scouts reacted very quickly and soon spotted the military envoy and surrounded him.

"Brother, sign up!"

The military envoy took out his waist token and documents from his bosom: "By order of General Xiao of the Divine Might Army, I have come to request assistance from the Left Prime Minister!"

Following the military envoy's gaze, the cavalry commander looked at the pontoon bridge and then said with a half-smile, "Let's go, I'll take you to see the Left Prime Minister right now!"

Helpless, the military envoy was sandwiched between the Wu'an Army's cavalry and arrived together at the edge of Pingde Town, which had been burned to the ground.

On a relatively high hillside, the military envoy spotted Heshi Lieliangbi and Gao Jingshan in the distance; the two seemed to be arguing about something.

In such a situation, even personal guards would have to avoid it, so the military envoy was stopped at the foot of the hill.

However, the two important figures were arguing loudly, and the military envoy, with his keen ears, still managed to pick up some information from the wind.

Gao Jingshan said angrily, "Prime Minister, if our army retreats now and sells out the entire Divine Might Army, we will be doomed to extinction!"

He Shi Lie Liangbi looked at Bei Qinghe with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "With Chief Steward Gao's intelligence, I think he should be able to figure out why I did this, right?"

Gao Jingshan disregarded social hierarchy at this moment: "I know, I've always known. It's just that the Khitans are too powerful in the court. If we include Yiladao, the Khitans have made great contributions. However, Jurchens like Pusanhuntan have encountered setbacks. The power in the court is shifting, so it is natural to check and balance them."

Heshi Lieliangbi nodded: "Don't you know everything? Why are you still arguing with me?"

Gao Jingshan grew increasingly furious: "I agree that you want to weaken the Khitans, and I have no objection to killing that old bastard Xiao Qi. But it is absolutely impossible to sell out our soldiers so easily. Left Prime Minister, how is this any different from that scoundrel Zhao Gou? Does the Left Prime Minister also want to be that kind of scoundrel? Today you sold out the Shenwei Army, will our Bohai Wu'an Army be sold out in the future?"

There must be a bottom line in political struggle.

The bottom line is that we must not betray our soldiers who are fighting to the enemy.

Don't take twelve imperial edicts as the norm. A combination like Qin Hui and Zhao Gou is a once-in-a-millennium occurrence, okay?
Heshi Lieliangbi sighed, finally turned around, and said sincerely, "Chief Steward Gao, what do you think of the success or failure of my actions this time?"

Gao Jingshan was taken aback upon hearing this: "What?"

Heshi Lieliangbi shook his head and said, "It's about whether I've done a good job or a bad job since I arrived in Xuzhou. You can talk about anything, big or small."

Gao Jingshan forcibly suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Naturally, his methods are astonishing and his plans are flawless. His ability to manipulate people's hearts is also unparalleled in the world. Geng is such a troublesome enemy, having repeatedly escaped the encirclement and suppression of the army over the past three years, and then regrouping his troops to rise up again. After the Left Prime Minister took action, he soon split up Geng's army and then killed him. He can be called a wise man of unparalleled wisdom in the world."

Heshi Lieliangbi shook his head with a smile, but then his smile turned extremely bitter.

"Steward Gao, I can't accept such praise."

"Since the failure of the southern expedition, the Great Jin has been in a state of great defeat. The fact that I was able to force Geng Jing to his death is merely a slight victory from this great defeat, and it is nothing special."

"Chief Steward Gao, you should think about this carefully. The country has split into two and fought a great battle in Hebei. Regardless of who wins or loses, it is the Jin Dynasty that has suffered losses. In the end, the Jin Dynasty has lost."

"From the moment I arrived in Xuzhou, my only thought was to stop the decline of the Great Jin. But..."

Heshi Lieliangbi sighed and shook his head: "But it's too difficult, really too difficult."

Gao Jingshan was completely stunned. He suddenly realized that his vision was still not broad enough; he was only focusing on the political situation in the court and had not taken a broader view of the world. From the perspective of the world, the events of the past few days were already quite clear.

Ignoring Gao Jingshan's reaction, He Shilie Liangbi continued, "Chief Steward Gao, I am looking for opportunities to win in a losing situation, which is why I seem so overwhelmed. I can only adapt to the situation and deal with whatever comes my way."

"Actually, my initial target was Wei Sheng and Liu Huai. They were far too dangerous, even more dangerous than the State of Song. But after I calculated the regulations of Shandong East Circuit from various documents, I immediately gave up on that idea."

"Shandong East Road has already gained a foothold, and Wei Sheng has voluntarily relinquished his military power to Liu Huai. It is impossible for these two to be separated."

"The second target is the State of Song. As you know, I have made arrangements at the Ju River. If the State of Song really sends troops from Chuzhou to attack Xuzhou, I can directly cut off the State of Song's retreat along the Ju River. As long as I kill more than 30,000 Song soldiers, I am confident that I can force the State of Song to negotiate peace."

"However, whether it was because the Song state was too cowardly, or because Yu Yunwen, who was in charge of Lianghuai, was able to remain calm, they actually allowed the northern lands to be beaten into this state."

"I have no choice but to settle for second best and deal with the Taiping Army."

"It just so happened that Yiladao was able to make contact with the wealthy families of Dongping Prefecture. As you know, our army took advantage of the Tianping Army's campaign in Daming Prefecture to launch a surprise attack on Dongping Prefecture. We used both kindness and force to subdue the wealthy families of Dongping Prefecture. Then we came to Pingyin to ambush the returning Tianping Army."

At this point, Heshi Lieliangbi sighed again: "However, there are three prerequisites for our army to annihilate the Tianping Army and safely recover Dongping Prefecture."

The first reason is that Wanyan Shoudao was able to defend Daming Prefecture, preventing Geng Jing from advancing all the way into the heart of Hebei.

The second is that Guo Anguo and Pucha Shijie can hold out in Xuzhou, at least preventing Wei Sheng and Liu Huai from attacking from the rear.

The third one is Pusanhuntan..."

Although Pusanhuntan was probably already dead, and he had indeed done his best, Heshilie Liangbi was still somewhat annoyed when he talked about it.

“Pusanhuntan could have at least held out in Licheng until December 15th, or at least inflicted heavy casualties on the Jingnan rebels. But Pusanhuntan only held out for less than two days.”

Heshi Lieliangbi turned his head and looked into Gao Jingshan's eyes, saying, "After Licheng was captured, I was already defeated. Whether it was continuing to ambush the Tianping Army, or driving Kong Duanqi and his men to pursue the fleeing soldiers, or even attacking Liu Dalang, it was all just patching up the situation after the defeat was already decided."

"Defeat will naturally cost lives. My initial plan was simply to have the Divine Might Army force the wealthy families of Dongping Prefecture to their deaths, buying us time. Then, the Divine Might Army would naturally retreat with us. But who would have thought..."

He Shilie Liangbi's tone became complicated again: "Although Geng Jing is short-sighted and acts foolishly, he is ultimately a hero. In the midst of such a great defeat, he still dared to personally lead his troops to set up an ambush. He is truly remarkable."

"Thanks to Geng Jing's outburst, a lot of time has been wasted, and the Shenwei Army can no longer withdraw."

Gao Jingshan initially looked astonished, but eventually lowered his head and listened to He Shilie Liangbi's explanation of the strategy with the demeanor of a junior. However, at this point, he still raised his head and said, "Left Prime Minister, why can't the whole army unite and fight against Liu Bei?"

Heshi Lieliangbi waved his hand and said, "General Gao, please don't let the outcome of your words cloud your judgment of the facts. I'll just ask you one question: does General Gao really think that the Wu'an Army still has the strength to fight?"

Gao Jingshan was speechless for a moment.

How could they possibly still fight a fierce battle? People aren't made of iron. After a day and a night of fighting and chasing, although there were a few breaks in between, it would be an exaggeration to say they were exhausted, but it's only natural that they couldn't perform at half their full strength.

"Can't we save the Divine Might Army?" Gao Jingshan's tone already carried a hint of pleading: "Left Prime Minister, you are the wisest man in the world, don't you have a way to achieve the best of both worlds?"

Heshi Lieliangbi shook his head: "General Gao, as I said, since the failure of our Great Jin Dynasty in the southern expedition, we have been in a state of great defeat and have not yet reversed the decline. Our army is just a minor defeat in the midst of a great defeat, but a defeat is a defeat. Defeat means bloodshed and loss of life. This time it was the Divine Might Army, but who knows who it will be next time."

"I am just a human being, not a god who can move mountains and fill seas."

"The most urgent task now is to preserve the troops that can be preserved. Don't lose them all at once. As long as we are alive, there is hope for tomorrow and a chance to turn the tide!"

Gao Jingshan sighed deeply, but ultimately had nothing to say. He shook his head and dragged his heavy steps away.

Heshi Lieliangbi sighed again.

How could he not know the enormous blow to morale and fighting spirit of retreating and abandoning allies in the face of battle?

But what could Heshilie Liangbi do?

The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities.

Military operations that rely on reacting to each move and seizing opportunities are inherently highly uncertain.

To give a simple example, if Yiladao had not succeeded in sowing discord among the Taiping Army, then Heshilie Liangbi would very likely not have launched an offensive against the Taiping Army, let alone attempted to recapture Dongping Prefecture.

Now that the tightrope-walking military adventure has failed, Heshi Lieliangbi has no choice but to admit defeat.

However, they still managed to bring back more than 10,000 elite troops. As long as they are still alive, there is always a long way to go.

"Prime Minister, the military envoy sent by Chief Steward Xiao to request reinforcements is down below. Should we..." A guard stepped forward, pointed down the hillside, and then his tone became fierce.

Heshi Lieliangbi shook his head, put his hands behind his back and left: "Enough, enough people have died today. Let's save one more as long as we can. Let's take him with us across the river."

"Let's set off now and head back to Hebei together."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)