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

Chapter 665 Troop Reorganization: A Difficult Journey (Part 1)
A young person's thoughts are important to them personally, but in the grand scheme of things, they are just a trivial matter.

Even if a medical school professor were to encounter danger on the banks of the Xiaoyi River, which might be a momentous event of revenge and life-or-death separation for the person involved, for the whole of Shandong, it would be nothing more than a file sent to the local officials and the military governor's office.

By late February, with the spring plowing in full swing, news that Wei Gong and Liu Dalang would be offering sacrifices to the soldiers who died in this great battle at Beiqinghe, also known as the Jishui River, spread throughout Shandong through official and folk channels.

Moreover, during the sacrificial ceremony, the meritorious soldiers of the battle would be rewarded on the spot, and the rewards would be distributed immediately. This was called "deciding on the spot".

Upon hearing the news, Bi Zaiyu and Luo Huaiyan had no reaction yet when Gao Chang, the prefect of Yanzhou, quickly finished writing the official report and ordered two young men to escort the medical school professor back to Jinan Prefecture immediately.

Theoretically speaking, there are still some loose ends in the matter of Yanzhou, but for Gao Chang, his official system is on the right track and can handle the next tasks independently without the assistance of Bi and Luo.

Gao Chang made it very clear that this kind of meeting, similar to a 'gathering of heroes,' was indispensable for Bi and Luo.

Even if you can't be the main character, and you have to stand in the corner like a lackey, you still have to stand in the venue and become a familiar face.

This is an important qualification.

As for Yang Tan... he's a guy who's desperate to make a name for himself in history. He simply couldn't possibly miss such an opportunity. Almost the instant the news arrived, he was immediately and frantically excited.

And so, the group quickly reached an agreement. Bi Zaiyu, leading the Flying Tiger Cavalry, escorted the rest of the group as they headed towards Jinan Prefecture.

This was not an army march, so the pace was relatively slow. By the time they arrived in Jinan Prefecture, it was already the first day of the third month.

Bi Zaiyu and Luo Huaiyan were respectively a minor guard in the Jiedushi's mansion and a confidential clerk in the Jiedushi's mansion, so they naturally had no obstacles in their movements within the Jiedushi's mansion.

In a short while, the two entered the governor's mansion and met Liu Huai, who was struggling with documents at his desk.

"You two lads, you've done a good job," Liu Huai said with a smile. "Prefect Gao has already reported your achievements to me. You two have finally lived up to my expectations after all these days of guidance."

Bi Zaiyu and Luo Huaiyan bowed deeply and said they dared not accept such a gesture.

Liu Huai took out a document from among the papers: "However, there are still some shortcomings. Bi Dalang, when you were suppressing bandits, you should have thought about the possibility of the mountain bandits uniting and made preparations in advance. This is a summary of the bandit suppression experience written by Luo Erlang's elder brother. Take a look at it first."

Bi Zaiyu took the document and opened it on the spot.

Upon hearing that his elder brother Luo Shenyan was also involved, Luo Huaiyan quickly stuck his head out.

The two of them glanced at it briefly before giving each other a wry smile.

Luo Shenyan's document was very detailed, including methods for surveying the terrain, specific procedures for identifying bandits' informants, and even some insidious schemes to sow discord among the bandits.

However, these methods take at least several months to be effective, and only a general like Luo Shenyan, who spent half a year sitting in Lianshui last year, has the patience to endure such painstaking effort.

To put it nicely, Bi Zaiyu and Luo Huaiyan were there to test their learning outcomes and pass Liu Huai's test; to put it bluntly, they were there to gain political capital. They had no intention of staying in Yanzhou for long, so these methods were hardly useful to them.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the two teenagers, Liu Huai understood the situation. He then picked up another book and said, "When the medical school professors encountered danger, I heard that a young soldier from the garrison named Hou Anyuan made a great contribution. I saw in Yang Tan's report that he was listed before Bi Dalang."

Bi Zaiyu nodded: "That's exactly right."

Seeing that the other party had no objections, Liu Huai simply said, "I have some impression of Hou Anyuan. He was a meritorious official who killed Gao Wenfu, the prefect of Haizhou in the Jin Kingdom. However, at that time, the Loyal Army was still in its infancy and it was difficult to reward him. Now that he has joined the army and become a member of the garrison, let him start accumulating merit from the moment he killed Gao Wenfu."

The two naturally had no objection to this, but Luo Huaiyan hesitated and asked, "Young Master, should we reorganize the troops again this time?"

Liu Huai hadn't expected Luo Huaiyan to be so perceptive. He smiled and asked, "Who told you that?"

Luo Huaiyan: "I guessed. It is only natural to reorganize troops after a great battle. However, it would be strange if the eldest son did not explain why such a large-scale sacrificial ceremony was held and so many generals were gathered."

Liu Huai pointed at Luo Huaiyan and laughed, "You lad, you're really clever. So tell me, how do I plan to reorganize the troops?"

Luo Huaiyan never expected that this question would be directed at him, and a bead of cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

Seeing his companion Bi Zaiyu move two steps to the side without any sense of loyalty, Luo Huaiyan knew that he couldn't avoid it this time, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "Shouldn't there be a distinction between the regular army and the garrison army? The generals should also be differentiated, and their ranks should be confirmed."

Liu Huai laughed twice: "Luo Erlang, you are really too clever. Tell me, how did you come up with this idea?" Luo Huaiyan was silent for a moment before saying: "I came up with it from my elder brother."

"Oh?"

"My elder brother leads the left wing of the Jingnan Army, a regular force in our Han army, but he has been sitting idle for a year because he has to guard against the Song state."

"These troops are meant for decisive battles in the field. Defending a city is not only a waste, but it will also completely erode the morale of the troops. Once morale begins to slacken, it will be difficult to raise it again."

"On the other hand, defending a city doesn't require such elite troops. Ordinary garrison troops, plus able-bodied laborers from the city, along with qualified generals and a resolute and capable civil administrator, are enough to make the city impregnable."

"Especially since the Song army is weak, a few thousand men can hold out in the city for a month, which is enough to wait for reinforcements to arrive."

At this point, Luo Huaiyan fell silent again, and after a long while, he continued, "Moreover, in my humble opinion, my elder brother is indeed a first-rate man, but some of his generals are not up to par. Our army is bound to have a battle with the Jin Kingdom... and the Song Kingdom. It will be a decisive battle that will shake the heavens and the earth. Sending these incompetent generals into battle will not only endanger the entire army, but also harm them."

Liu Huai smiled and pointed at Luo Huaiyan: "Luo Erlang, do you know how much discussion your words will cause if they get out? Your brother will not be in a good position in the army then."

Luo Huaiyan wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "I was dragged out of the reeds by the eldest young master. Having followed him for so long, how could I not know his character? If the eldest young master had not always been loyal to people, where would so many heroes have sworn to follow him to the death?"

"When did you pick up this sycophantic habit?" Liu Huai's smile remained unchanged as he waved his hand and said, "Go on, go back and rest for a while. Bi Dalang, don't tell anyone what you said today."

Knowing the matter was of great importance, Bi Zaiyu immediately agreed, putting on an air of confidence that he could handle the situation without worry.

Luo Huaiyan did not leave immediately, but instead bowed respectfully to Liu Huai and said, "Young Master, I still believe that as long as it is beneficial to the world, you can act openly and honestly without worrying about what others say. If anyone harbors resentment because of this, it is because they do not understand the bigger picture and should be punished."

After the two boys left, Liu Huai picked up another scroll and gave a wry smile.

Luo Huaiyan's words do make some sense.

In feudal times, the political and military leader was basically the emperor.

Although Shandong was still a corner of the country, it could be considered a local tyrant.

The emperor's enjoyment of power and authority was a common practice in this era. Zhu Xi was still refining his doctrines, and his philosophy of mind was still in its infancy. His idea of ​​limiting imperial power through thought was still a pipe dream, and even the theory was not yet complete.

In this era, emperors often did not prioritize the overall situation, but instead demanded that others do so.

why?
Because the emperor is the entire situation itself.

Take, for example, Emperor Huizong of Song and his son Emperor Gou.

One man used the tribute of rare stones and the western city to satisfy his personal desires, causing even a prosperous place like Jiangnan to rebel.

One person, seeking temporary peace for himself, killed or demoted those who advocated war, allowing the former Han territories to fall to the barbarians.

But so what?

After Zhao Ji was captured by the Jin state and taken to Wuguo City to enjoy a life of leisure, didn't the Song state still have to hold its nose and shout the slogan of "welcoming back the two emperors"?
Zhao Gou killed a group of pro-war officials and colluded with the surrender faction in the court. The ministers of Song also thought that he should abdicate to settle the matter. Did they really have to carry out a purge?
This is the emperor, this is imperial power.

But then again, Liu Huai was, after all, a good young man born in the new era and raised under the red flag, and deep down he was willing to treat people as human beings.

He wouldn't fall into the same misconception as Yuan Shu, thinking, "I am the emperor, so you are loyal to me; rather, I am the emperor because you are loyal to me."

Therefore, Liu Huai was sometimes overly cautious when handling these matters.

The key issue is that military matters are related to the outcome of the Northern Expedition, and even the life and death of Shandong, so they had no choice but to abandon the plan.

"Sigh." Liu Huai frowned, picked up another list from his desk, and began to ponder.

(End of this chapter)