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

Chapter 667 Many Divergent Routes for the Northern Expedition

On the second day of the third month, the army held a meeting.

In fact, many people privately referred to this meeting as the Grand Court Assembly, and in reality, it was not much different. Not only military officers participated, but also local officials with influence in Shandong and central civil officials also joined in.

Of course, this couldn't be heard by Mr. Lu You, otherwise, if he got into trouble, no one could save him.

The participants were generally aware of the main points of this military meeting.

It's nothing more than rewards and punishments, promotions and demotions.

There is no airtight wall in the world.

The list of promotions and demotions cannot be finalized by Liu Huai on a whim.

At the very least, I need to discuss things with my confidants, compile reports of merit, collect various materials, and communicate with representatives from different factions, just like my heart-to-heart talk with Xin Qiji yesterday.

These faction leaders, much like Xin Qiji, would confide in their confidants, asking for or making guarantees in order to maintain the stability of their respective factions.

This is not surprising. There are no factions in the military, but there are all sorts of people with different political demands. It is inevitable that people will form factions.

High-ranking civil servants with certain personnel recommendation powers will naturally have some confidants to do things for them. When their goals are aligned, political alliances will naturally form, and leaders of various factions will emerge.

Of course, the Han army factions were still in a very basic and chaotic stage, and there was a tendency for them to become even more chaotic.

For example, the original conflict between the host and the guest was roughly between the people of northern Shandong and the people of Song who were on a northern expedition. However, after Wang Youzhi got involved, the power of the people of Hebei gradually emerged.

It is foreseeable that as the Northern Expedition progresses, the power of the Hebei and Henan groups will grow stronger.

Even more naturally, these new recruits to the Han army were in no way loyal to the Song state.

The person most desperate in this situation must be Lu You. Although his official position had risen like a rocket, and he was now a sure thing to become the Pacification Commissioner of the two routes in Jingdong, he simply couldn't win over any people.

As a result, Lu You and Yu Yunwen have engaged in several rounds of verbal battles through letters.

To sum it up.

Lu You: The Great Song Dynasty has achieved a northern expedition.

Yu Yunwen: You should first win over the Han generals, and then cooperate with the Song Dynasty to launch a northern expedition.

Lu You: If you don't launch a northern expedition to the Central Plains, how can I win over the people of Shandong?
Yu Yunwen: If you don't win over the people of Shandong, how can I focus all my efforts on the Northern Expedition?
...In short, it's a complex yet simple frame.

The truth hidden behind their anxiety is that the voice of the Song state in Shandong has been drastically diluted.

If, before heading south to the Huai River region, the independent faction and the loyalist faction could be considered evenly matched...

With Zhang Rong's death in battle, the Dongping army has become increasingly disloyal to the Song Dynasty; and with Geng Jing's death, the Tianping army has collectively joined the Han army. Today, Wei Sheng can only barely keep the people's hearts at bay, but he has no way to control the fact that the people's hearts are already restless.

In addition, many people who traveled north from the State of Song also acted improperly.

Leaving aside Zhu Xi, who devoted himself to perfecting Confucianism, and Chen Liang, who was a radical radical, even Zhang Xiaoxiang was completely immersed in the Northern Expedition and forgot his duty to win people's hearts.

As for Yuan Qi, the most outstanding and valiant general in the Song army, after making great contributions this time, he devoted himself to military training, working together with Zhang Xiaoxiang, preparing to leave some reputation in the Northern Expedition.

Human energy is limited. Once an ambition is set, people often devote themselves to it wholeheartedly, especially when there are like-minded people on the same path. It is easy to get caught up in it and find it difficult to extricate oneself.

At this moment, although Lu You was in the first position to Wei Sheng's right, he gradually felt a chill in his heart as he looked around the Shandong civil and military officials in the Marshal's Mansion.

If this continues, Shandong will truly cease to belong to the state.

Liu Huai stood to Wei Sheng's left, holding a document in his hand, his hands behind his back, silently watching everyone. Only after everyone was seated did he cough twice and then look at Wei Sheng.

The hall, which had been filled with whispers, fell silent instantly after those two soft coughs; you could hear a pin drop.

Seeing this, Wei Sheng felt gratified. He stroked his long beard and said, "Everyone has had a long journey. This time, it will be the eldest son who will preside over the meeting."

Lu You was somewhat disappointed to see Wei Sheng's statement, but many people in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

Dual politics is far too unstable. Even if they are godfather and godson, they may be happy together today, but it is not impossible for them to turn against each other tomorrow.

Examples are readily available, such as King Wuling of Zhao, who adopted the nomadic dress and cavalry tactics, and his beloved son. No matter how close the two were, when one was in charge of the government and the other in charge of the army, they gradually became estranged. As a result, King Wuling of Zhao starved to death in the Shaqiu Palace.

But in retrospect, Wei Sheng and Liu Huai, father and son, were ultimately a good match.

Liu Huai bowed to Wei Sheng, then opened the document in his hand and said, "This military meeting was presided over by Wei Gong, the Marshal of the Shandong Righteous Army and the Military Governor of the Loyal and Righteous Army. There were 65 people who should have attended, and 63 people actually attended."

"The specific attendees were Lu You, the acting Pacification Commissioner of the Two Routes of Jingdong, and He Boqiu, the Chief Secretary of the Military Governor's Office of the Jingnan Army..."

After reading through the list of personnel, Liu Huai took a few deep breaths before continuing, "The first priority of this military meeting is to determine the agenda for the Northern Expedition and unify our thinking; the second is to appoint and dismiss high-ranking civil and military officials, and to clearly define military ranks; the third is to establish military regulations; and the fourth, and most importantly..."

After looking around, Liu Huai said, "How can we restore the livelihood of the people in the North?"

"Let's start with the first thing. Everyone is free to speak their mind."

The issues raised by Liu Huai are indeed very important, and they are all issues that everyone is vaguely aware of.

Especially the first and second points, everyone has basically heard the rumors.

But the third point makes one hesitate.

Isn't military affairs a one-man show by Liu Huai? Especially the matter of establishing military laws and regulations, why bring it up for discussion?
If this discussion leads to the conclusion that the military is being privatized, would you, Liu Dalang, accept it?

Of course, in reality, no one would actually be so suicidal.

The fourth point, however, surprised some intelligent people even more.

The discussion wasn't about how to improve people's livelihoods in Shandong, but rather about improving people's livelihoods in the north.

The difference between the two is too great. The North includes everything north of the Huai River. Did Liu Dalang misspoke, or is he really so ambitious?

While everyone was lost in thought, one person stood up and said, "Of course we must launch a northern expedition. The people of Hebei are still suffering terribly. How can we abandon them?"

As everyone looked over, sure enough, it was Wang Youzhi who spoke first.

As a native of Hebei in the traditional sense, Wang Youzhi had already determined his political position when he was still in the Taiping Army.

That was the elder brother of the Hebei warriors and their guide in the Han army.

Therefore, only by attacking Hebei can its value be demonstrated.

Although Wang Youzhi knew that Shandong needed to continue accumulating resources in the next two years, it would be difficult to immediately launch a northern expedition and engage the Jin army in a decisive battle in Hebei.

But he had to make a gesture.

This is what they mean by not necessarily knowing how to do the questions, but making sure you flip through the test paper makes a loud noise.

"That's right!" The person who responded was another person who was expected, namely Liu Huai's 'military advisor general' Liang Su.

This fellow was from Fengsheng Prefecture in Hebei, which is near Zhuolu in later generations. It was only natural that he would come out to speak up for Wang Youzhi at this time.

Even later, Liang Su was practically the leader of the Hebei faction in the central government.

But when Liang Su spoke, Wang Youzhi did not follow up with the dog-beating stick. Instead, he had an expression as if he had eaten shit, and then turned his head away and remained silent.

Although both men were from Hebei, one was a surrendered Jin dynasty official and the other was a rebel leader. Their hatred for each other was as high as the sky and their resentment as deep as the sea. Although Wang Youzhi could not say he hated Liang Su, he was inevitably annoyed by him, even though they had never fought side by side.

Seeing that the two men, one a scholar and the other a military man, had almost laid their conflict on the table, Li Tong stood up and smoothed things over, saying, "Our army naturally intends to launch a northern expedition to Hebei, but we need to plan this carefully."

"Indeed."

"When Wanyan Yong and Wanyan Liang are both exhausted, we will accumulate our strength and then march north together to take over Hebei in one fell swoop."

"That makes sense, but what if Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong don't actually fight?"

"Ha! If the Jurchen traitors had the heart to endure for the sake of their country, I'd eat all the horse manure at the gate!"

"I dare not say about Wanyan Yong, but Wanyan Liang will definitely cause trouble. That's just how he is. You can see it from the fact that he still wants to conquer the south even when the world is exhausted. He's just someone who only wants to live a comfortable life."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, and Lu You grew increasingly uneasy.

The plan to launch a northern expedition from Shandong to Hebei wasn't entirely wrong, but what role would the Song state play then?
If things develop to that point, Liu Huai will attack Hebei, and the Song Dynasty will launch a northern expedition against the Central Plains. The two forces will fight their own battles while working together to deal with the two Jin emperors.

However, Lu You had served in both the Shandong rebel army and the Song army for a period of time, and had even served as a military advisor in Zhenjiang Prefecture, becoming Ye Yiwen's de facto deputy. He was well aware of the differences in combat strength between the Song army and the Han army.

In short: expecting the Song army to independently launch a northern expedition into the Central Plains is just wishful thinking.

It wasn't that the Song army lacked capable soldiers, but all the brave and combat-ready Song soldiers from Xiangfan and Lianghuai were crammed into the Chaoxian meat grinder, and they simply couldn't recover in a few years.

This embodies a paradox in a sense.

Those who dare to fight are already few and far between, but it is always the brave who are required to make sacrifices in times of adversity. In the end, those who rise to high positions are often cowards, and the number of those who dare to fight will become even smaller.

This is a vicious cycle where bad money drives out good money.

Take, for example, the most brilliant and capable person among the five commanders of Caishi. Yet, it was precisely he who had to shoulder great responsibilities and take the greatest risks in the Battle of Chaoxian, which led to his most heroic death.

Now, besides Li Xianzong, the only ones who can shoulder the main responsibility in the Huaixi army are Zhang Zhen and Dai Gao, two defeated generals who have repeatedly lost their battles.

Could they really have succeeded in a northern expedition on their own?
Therefore, if the Song state wanted to recover the Central Plains and return to its old capital, it would definitely need the support of the Shandong militia to launch a pincer attack.

"Gentlemen," Lu You knew he had no choice but to step forward, so he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Wei Sheng, and then went to the map: "Please hear me out."

Lu You still held considerable prestige, and the crowd immediately ceased their discussion.

Lu You pointed to the map with his sword sheath and said, "I've heard that everyone wants to launch a northern expedition against Hebei, and I do too, but there is a significant risk involved."

"Hebei is flat and open, but Shanxi is strategically important and has a commanding position. If our army marches north from Shanxi, our flanks and rear will be almost completely exposed. If a force were to march east from Shanxi and cut off our supply lines, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"After much thought, I believe that if we want to take Hebei directly, we must meet the following three conditions."

As he spoke, Lu You pointed to the Taihang Mountains with his sword sheath: "Firstly, we cannot ignore the Eight Passes of Taihang; at the very least, we must send troops to block the Bai Pass..."

Lu You pointed to the southernmost point of the Taihang Mountains, near Luoyang, and then pointed his sword sheath north: "Several places, including Fukou Pass, Jingxing Pass, and Puyin Pass. This will block the troops from Jin from coming to Hebei to join the battle."

"Secondly, we need a large number of cavalry, not the kind of infantry that can only ride horses, but those who are skilled in archery and horsemanship, to spread out in Hebei and protect the grain supply lines."

"Thirdly..." Lu You drew a circle on the Hebei Plain with his sword sheath, then headed north, pointing straight at the Yanshan Mountains: "The main force of the army must not stop for a moment, the faster the better, and directly attack Youzhou, capture Youzhou City, and block Duxing and Yuguan Passes to cut off the communication between Guanzhong and Liaodong. Only in this way can we wipe out the Jin army in Hebei."

Yuguan is Shanhaiguan, and Juyongguan is located on Jundu Pass. Both are strategically important locations.

"This...this would require so many troops..." Among those present were many exceptionally talented strategists, who murmured upon hearing this, "And so many cavalry..."

Lu You said loudly, "I've done the calculations, and it will take at least 80,000 regular soldiers and 100,000 civilian laborers."

Liu Huai glanced at Lu You and gradually understood.

After serving in the army for a long time, Lu You had honed his strategic and tactical abilities, and this plan was quite remarkable and had some merit.

Historically, when the Southern Dynasties launched their northern expeditions to Hebei, they often encountered setbacks and food shortages, ultimately failing to achieve their goals.

The only successful Northern Expedition of the Ming Dynasty was when Xu Da, just as Lu You had planned, marched directly to Yanshan, captured Dadu (Beijing), and finally pacified Hebei.

Even so, Liu Huai was still certain that Lu You had played a trick, because he discovered that Lu You, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had overlooked two points.

Firstly, the Shandong navy was very strong. If it developed for a few more years, whether by transporting grain and supplies via the canals in Hebei or by direct sea transport, the threat posed by the Jin cavalry could be greatly reduced.

Secondly, given that the premise is that the Eastern Jin and Western Jin were exhausted from their war, where would Wanyan Yong have many troops left in Jin? He would have sent them out long ago to fight Wanyan Liang to the death!

Lu You was definitely going to speak up for the Song Dynasty and stop the Han army from launching a northern expedition against Hebei.

Sure enough, Lu You continued, "With so many soldiers, even if you plundered the entire Shandong province, you still couldn't afford to support them."

The other plan, however, was much easier.

Lu You pointed his sword sheath at Baijing, one of the eight passes of Taihang.

"Since we have to block Baijing no matter what, why not head west to recover the Central Plains, attack Luoyang, and then join forces with the Song Dynasty to sweep away the Henan region?"

Lu You first pointed to Luoyang, then the sword sheath pointed to Xiangfan, then towards the Nanyang Basin, and finally pointed to Bianliang to indicate the Song Dynasty's northern expedition route.

This route of the Northern Expedition is a classic one, which is the "ordering a top general to lead the Jingzhou army towards Wanluo" in the Longzhong Plan. It is also the route of Yue Fei's fourth Northern Expedition.

Guan Yu's awe-inspiring power throughout China and Yue Fei's great victory at Yancheng are sufficient proof of the feasibility of this northern expedition route.

That wasn't the end of it. Lu You then pointed to the Huai River region of the Song Dynasty, and then traveled north along the Bian River all the way to Bianliang.

After the two armies of the Song Dynasty's Northern Expedition met on the map, Lu You seemed to have already seen this bright prospect and said with a smile, "In this way, the Central Plains can be recovered."

"After that, the army joined forces and crossed the Fen River from Luoyang, heading north all the way to Taiyuan and recapturing Yanmen Pass! With that, the Jin territory was pacified!"

At this point, even the most politically naive person would realize that something was amiss.

The room fell silent for a moment, everyone looking at each other, unsure of what to say.

This plan is highly feasible, but it is contingent on Shandong truly belonging to the Song Dynasty. By encircling and suppressing the Jin invaders in the Central Plains in a semi-encircling manner, it can be described as an unstoppable force.

However, if the Shandong rebels are considered an independent force, then this scene becomes the Shandong rebels risking Wanyan Yong's raid on their homeland in Hebei to launch a hard-fought attack on the Central Plains to the west, and then marching north to fight against the Jin army's heavy infantry in the rugged terrain of Shanxi.

Despite suffering such heavy casualties, all of this was for the sake of the Song state, which ended up gaining nothing in return.

While theoretically they could gain the upper hand over the Song Dynasty and seize control of the Central Plains, this would be tantamount to breaking ties with the Song. Given the Song's political integrity, it's not impossible that they would then engage in a "coalition with the enemy to destroy the enemy" strategy with the Jin Dynasty.

Liu Huai looked at Lu You with a half-smile, too lazy to refute.

It wasn't that he could tolerate being a pawn for the State of Song, but rather that some of those present were even more unwilling to tolerate it.

"Snapped."

A large hand slammed heavily on the table, and then someone said sternly, "Mr. Lu, if you want to serve the Song Kingdom, you may do so, but don't waste the lives of us Shandong men."

Everyone looked over and saw that it was none other than He Boqiu.

All I can say is that you can always believe in Uncle He's revolutionary enthusiasm.

Liu Huai simply found a stool, sat down, and watched the show.

He Boqiu, his hair and beard practically standing on end, rose and slammed his fist on the table, angrily demanding of Lu You, “What have we in Shandong done to wrong your Song state? When Song was in trouble, we went to its aid; when Song needed merit, we sent it to it; but now, you actually want the men of Shandong to die for Song, on what grounds? Just for those two coins? Mr. Lu, I ask you again today, what kindness has Song shown us?!”

Lu You's face was ashen, but seeing that everyone in the hall was indignant, and that the few people from the Song state were either silent with their heads down or somewhat panicked, he could only look at Wei Sheng for a moment.

“He Sanlang, this is a military council,” Wei Sheng said slowly. “Regardless of right or wrong, a military council always needs people to speak. Otherwise, why would we make such a big fuss? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just send orders by letter?”

He Boqiu took a few heavy breaths before bowing to Wei Sheng and saying, "Marshal, I was in a fit of anger and spoke without thinking. Please forgive me."

After saying this, He Boqiu didn't even look at Lu You and took his seat.

Lu You was equally angry, but he couldn't bring himself to say something like, "The Song Dynasty has been incredibly kind to you all." He could only return to his seat and sulk in silence.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit stiff, Liu Huai finally stood up to smooth things over, saying, "This military meeting is just a general outline and will not discuss specific details, because these are things that need to be adapted to the situation."

At this point, Liu Huai chuckled, "Perhaps the Song Kingdom will launch a northern expedition tomorrow."

This witty remark, which wasn't exactly a joke, ultimately had some effect, eliciting a burst of laughter.

After this interlude, the military council got back on track, and then central or local officials such as Li Tong, Luo Guzi, and Zhang Xiaoxiang all stood up and made speeches.

Finally, Liu Huai summarized the opinions from all parties.

Over the next two years, Shandong will sit back and observe the struggle between the two sides, while vigorously developing people's livelihoods, building schools and medical institutions, developing commerce and trade, encouraging agriculture, and accumulating grain, cloth, and other valuables.

The army also needs to strengthen its training, and the various units of the Han army should take this opportunity to reorganize.

There can be no slackening. After several Jin envoys were killed, the Jin state will no longer negotiate peace with the Shandong rebels. Therefore, the war between the two sides will continue until one side is completely annihilated.

The Northern Expedition is the foundation of our existence and the basis for our survival. The entire Shandong province must carry the Northern Expedition through to the end.

"Now let's talk about the second thing..." Liu Huai's gaze slowly moved: "Many places have been liberated, and the defensive posture also needs to be prepared. Now, announce the personnel appointments for each department."

The people in the hall had different expressions; some clenched their fists secretly, thinking that it was finally coming.

(End of this chapter)