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

Chapter 641 Finding Wealth in Danger

Zhang Baiyu's feelings at this moment were probably very similar to Cheng Feng's.

They were all the same. Their bold words before setting out to fight were still ringing in their ears, but they were caught off guard by a series of unexpected events. As a result, by this time, Zhang Baiyu had arrived at Lüliang Town, which was only forty miles away from Pengcheng. When he heard that the Jin army had chosen to retreat quickly without hesitation, he was completely dumbfounded.

Zhang Baiyu had considered that the Jin army might retreat. After all, Xuzhou was currently surrounded on three sides, and leaving a regular army there would be like sending lambs to the slaughter.

Besides, Heshilie Liangbi has already fled. Why would you, a military governor, be so idle as to be loyal to the Jin Dynasty?
But Zhang Baiyu never expected that the Jin army would flee so resolutely, risking the disintegration of their troops and the loss of all their horses and mules in order to escape.

Could it be that after experiencing several major battles, his reputation could finally stop children from crying at night?

Zhang Baiyu's mind was in turmoil. After thinking about it for a while, he said to his deputy Liang Pan, "Third Brother Liang, quickly go and invite Mr. Liang."

"No need, I'm already here." Liang Su rode a mule, slightly out of breath. When he arrived, Li Zhongqing, who had come to deliver the message, was almost finished.

But with his intelligence, he quickly understood the situation and immediately came up with three ideas: "Zhang Silang, I now have three plans, upper, middle, and lower..."

Zhang Baiyu pulled on the reins and said, "Mr. Liang, just tell me the best strategy. I'm not afraid of difficulties and dangers!"

As a general who had read historical novels and participated in numerous battles, Zhang Baiyu naturally knew the meaning of the three strategies of strategists: superior, middle, and inferior.

The best strategy carries high risk but high potential reward; the worst strategy carries low risk but low potential reward.

Therefore, unless it is a life-or-death moment where "the dead face the birds, the living live for ten thousand years," political leaders will not risk choosing the best option, nor will they choose the worst option. Instead, they will choose the safest middle option.

The goal is to maximize political gains while ensuring the security of profits.

This is the reason why Liu Huai did not pursue Heshi Lieliangbi and take advantage of the situation to attack Hebei.

As a political leader, Liu Huai had to do more than just achieve military victories; he also had to be responsible for everyone in Shandong. He couldn't afford to act rashly and sacrifice the future of millions of people in Shandong for the sake of the so-called unification cause.

But Zhang Baiyu was just a general, and he didn't care about any of that.

My goal is to eat my fill! As for risks, I'm fighting on the battlefield, not managing political factions. Where is there no risk? And where is the risk small?
Seeing this, Liang Su did not hesitate: "General Zhang will lead the Flying Tiger Army directly to pursue the Wu Jie Army. They have many warhorses, but the Flying Tiger Army also has a lot of warhorses! I don't believe we can't catch up with them!"

"If the Wujie Army can maintain its formation and turn to fight, then Commander Zhang can try to hold them off for a while. If they can't maintain it and their morale collapses, then the whole army should charge in!"

"The Flying Tigers have two thousand men. If Commander Zhang can achieve a thousand kills, that will be enough to make this battle a great success!"

Zhang Baiyu nodded repeatedly.

Liang Su continued, "Zhang Silang, you and I will jointly sign this document. I will issue a document in the name of the Military Advisor General of the Jingnan Army, ordering Xin Wulang to lead all the cavalry that can come from the north to follow up with the Flying Tiger Army. I have calculated that there will be about a thousand proper cavalrymen and more than two thousand infantrymen on horseback and mules."

Give me another five hundred Dongping soldiers, and I will station myself in Xuzhou to mobilize the local populace to support the main army!

Liang Su's plan was simple in some ways, but difficult in others. It was a piecemeal tactic: a large army advancing layer by layer, stalling the retreat of Wu Jie's army before launching a decisive battle.

Because the Wujie Army abandoned all its baggage, it marched at a very fast pace, but this inevitably affected morale. Moreover, maintaining discipline was difficult during such a rapid march.

This is no longer the time when the Jin Dynasty was founded; the war is about securing existing resources, not increasing them.

The Jin army's disadvantages were naturally the Han army's advantages.

The difficulty lies in the need for seamless coordination among the various units of the Han army. Not only must there be no subjective fear of war such as "unmoved when friendly forces are in trouble," but there must also be no objective problems such as "the army missing its deadline."

If any of the following elements—the vanguard, the central army, or the supply train—makes a mistake, the Jin army could launch a counterattack, turning a victory into a defeat.

However, war is a chaotic model, especially when tens of thousands of people are risking their lives. How can everything be perfect?
"Let's take it one step at a time." Zhang Baiyu hesitated only slightly before making up his mind: "What in this world can be perfectly prepared?!"

"Uncle Li," Zhang Baiyu said to Li Jun, "You will escort Mr. Liang to Xuzhou and obey his military orders along the way. But I also have another order for you: no matter what, you must protect Mr. Liang."

Li Jun nodded, then said with some worry, "Fourth Master, if I am not here, who will lead the Dongping Army and succeed you?"

Zhang Baiyu continued to give orders: "Liang Pan, you will command the infantry!" Liang Pan had been Zhang Baiyu's deputy since he was Liu Huai's personal guard, so now he was rising in rank.

"Mr. Liang, I have another question. If the Jin traitors only want to run, what is the maximum distance they can be chased to?"

A map appeared in Liang Su's mind. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't know where the Wujie Army is headed, but judging from the direction they are heading, they will eventually cross the Jushui, Bianshui and Huanshui rivers in turn."

"We must pursue them across the Ju River, but we must be careful when crossing the Bian River. It is absolutely impossible to cross the Huan River. Once we reach that point, it will be difficult for the follow-up troops to provide support."

The Ju River, Bian River, and Huan River are all tributaries of the Huai River, and they all flow from northwest to southeast.

The Jushui River is only a hundred miles from Xuzhou, so there is no point in pursuing it if they do not cross the Jushui River.

The situation with the Bian River was more complicated. Due to the flooding of the Yellow River, the original Bian River channel was contaminated by the Yellow River. Later, it breached its banks near Guide Prefecture and joined the main stream of the Yellow River, which had taken over the Si River channel, near Mangdang Mountain.

This resulted in a decrease in the flow of the Bian River south of Guide Prefecture, making crossing the Bian River relatively easier.

That's why Liang Su said the Bian River could be crossed, because there were still some ways to retreat.

However, crossing the Bian River still carries some danger, as there is another important town on it: Fuli.

This is the place where Li Xianzong suffered a crushing defeat during the Longxing Northern Expedition in history.

As long as Wu Jiejun leaves behind more than a thousand regular troops here, the Han army that tries to cross the Bian River will risk having its retreat cut off.

If crossing the Bian River was only somewhat dangerous, then crossing the Huan River was completely impossible.

First of all, this place is more than 200 li away from Xuzhou in a straight line, making it difficult for reinforcements to arrive immediately.

Secondly, the Huan River has not stopped flowing and can reach Bianliang directly. When the time comes, Wanyan Liang can send an army downstream to cut off the Han army's retreat. No matter how many people cross the river, they are doomed.

Finally, no one knows where Wu Jie's army is headed. If they follow the Huan River all the way back to Bianliang, then there will be no way to catch them.

Zhang Baiyu nodded emphatically upon hearing this, and then said to Guan Chongyan, the commander of the Flying Tiger Army, "Guan Qilang, did you hear me clearly? I am going to lead the Flying Tiger Army into dangerous territory. Do you have any other explanation?"

Guan Chongyan said with a stern face, "Since we are fighting for the eldest son, then the Flying Tiger Army will naturally follow without hesitation!"

Those present basically only recognized Liu Huai and not the other lawless individuals, so his words did not cause a huge reaction. Instead, Liang Su spoke up, adding fuel to the fire.

"Guan Qilang, if we can keep the Wujie Army here, then the entire area south of Bianliang in the Jin Kingdom will be at your disposal, and this is the foundation of an emperor!"

Guan Chongyan became even more excited upon hearing this.

Liang Su was truly saying one thing to one person and another to another. If Lu You were here, he would say that if the Wu Jie Army were annihilated, the Song Dynasty could easily seize the vulnerable Henan region with a simple northern expedition!

Regardless of the circumstances, after determining their direction of travel, Zhang Baiyu also abandoned his baggage and led two thousand Flying Tiger soldiers away from the main force, turning south to attack.

The Dongping Army's infantry also split into two groups, with the main force protecting the supply wagons and closely following the Flying Tiger Army as they sped up their march.

Liang Su, leading five hundred Dongping soldiers, raised their flags, donned their armor, and struck a heroic pose as they headed towards Pengcheng.

Along the way, Liang Su felt inexplicably excited and nervous.

In his view, Shandong was a large funnel, leaking from all sides, without even a pass. Only by fighting its way out could it have a chance to contend for the world; it was impossible to live a peaceful life farming.

Now that we have the abundant resources of Xuzhou, it's like we've secured the Yellow River defense line. With this as our foundation, the eldest son can truly contend for the world.

Thinking this, even with the biting cold wind blowing, Liang Su still felt warm all over.

(End of this chapter)