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

Chapter 670 Laughing at the Wasted Farming Man (Part 1)
On the fourth day of the third month, Heshi Lieliangbi led his army back north.

To be fair, although this battle forced Geng Jing to commit suicide on the spot and severely damaged the Tianping Army, leaving Shandong West Road in a mess, the Jin army ultimately made a mistake and could only retreat in disarray.

In fact, the Jin army suffered a complete and utter defeat.

After all, apart from three Jurchen Meng'an, almost the entire Shenwei Army was surrounded and annihilated on the banks of the Ji River. Even the chief commander Xiao Qi was beheaded and his head displayed to the public. It didn't look like a victory at all.

But Heshi Lieliangbi understood one principle well.

The Jin army was victorious in every battle because it was victorious in every battle.

This statement may sound convoluted, but its core idea is: as long as you can win, you will have morale; and as long as you have morale, you can continue to win.

Therefore, even though Heshi Lieliangbi had already tacitly acknowledged defeat, he could not admit it.

When he led his army back to Youyan, he ordered his soldiers to beat drums and gongs and cheer loudly to show that our army had won a great victory.

Originally, all three commanders would have been beaten to death by the Shandong rebels in Xuzhou. Now, not only have two commanders escaped, but the Shandong rebels have also been dealt a heavy blow. How can this not be considered a great victory?

He was a master of Winning Theory in the 12th century.

Of course, although Heshi Lieliangbi claimed it was a great victory, and local officials along the way also believed it was a great victory, the three Meng'an soldiers of Wu'an Army and Shenwei Army, who were the parties involved, did not think so.

The Wu'an Army was in a better position, but many of the Shenwei Army's main forces, the Meng'an, had already moved to Shandong and were now under the control of the Han army.

Although they were returning to their hometown in Liaodong, they had no relatives there.

Therefore, many of these Jurchen soldiers were in a daze, and their morale was extremely low.

Heshi Lieliangbi was naturally aware of this, but he was no god. Since he couldn't lead three commanders to destroy the Loyal Army, this was the best outcome.

Moreover, the Jurchen people were relatively few in number, and Heshilie Liangbi could not simply discard them like worn-out shoes.

Now, the only option is to return to Youyan and Liaodong and then slowly reorganize the troops to boost morale.

Traveling north along the Yongji Canal, Heshi Lieliangbi saw only a desolate landscape, but upon arriving at Hejian Prefecture, the scenery changed dramatically, revealing a bustling scene of spring plowing.

"Pass down the order: no one is allowed to trample on farmland or stray from the official road. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

After giving the order, Heshi Lieliangbi summoned his confidant: "Go and ask who is the current prefect of Hejian. Have him come to see me."

In fact, Heshi Lieliangbi didn't even need to give the order. Right outside the city of Hejian Prefecture, Heshi Lieliangbi saw an old acquaintance.

"Master Shi Ju, it's been a long time. How are you doing?"

In response to He Shilie Liangbi's smiling inquiry, Shi Ju replied with a smile: "I dare not trouble you, Lord He Shilie, my health is still alright."

Heshi Lieliangbi chuckled a few times, dismounted, and came to Shi Ju. He grasped the other's hand and said sincerely, "I heard that Prime Minister Shi has become a Vice Chancellor. Why are you not serving in the central government but instead coming to this place?"

Shi Ju responded just as sincerely: "Although I have made some contributions and Your Majesty has appointed me, as a prime minister, I must naturally prioritize the affairs of the country. Since stabilizing the local areas is of utmost importance, then as a subject, I naturally need to come to the localities to take charge."

"Lord Shi is truly a man of great talent for the nation." Heshi Lieliangbi sighed, then looked at the army that was setting up camp: "It's just a pity that Lord Shi is not of the Jurchen ethnicity, otherwise he could have shouldered an even greater responsibility."

Shi Ju's smile froze.

This is certainly a reasonable statement. After all, the Jin Dynasty was conquered by the Jurchens, so it is only natural that the Jurchens were considered the first class.

But isn't it too disrespectful to say it to his face?
What does it mean?
Even if you are a minister, as long as you are a Han Chinese, you are still a Jurchen and a slave of the Wanyan clan.
Although it was a private discussion with no one else around, Heshi Lieliangbi's attitude still annoyed Shi Ju.

Heshi Lieliangbi smiled at Shi Ju and said, "Lord Shi, although I said those words, that's not what I really meant. But Lord Shi, have you ever considered that even if I don't think that way, others might think the same way?"

Of course he would think that way. Given the character of those Jurchen peoples, coupled with his status as an old nobleman and a foreigner, it would be extremely difficult for Shi Ju to continue to make contributions and rise in the ranks.

Shi Ju smiled again and said slowly, "We are all serving the country, so why talk about who is superior and who is inferior? Let the others say what they want, I won't care." He Shi Lie Liangbi nodded, then took a step back and bowed, "However, I still want to thank Minister Shi on behalf of the people of Hebei. If it weren't for Minister Shi's efforts to restore people's livelihood, Hebei might have been filled with starving people this year."

Shi Ju hurriedly stepped forward, helped him up, and repeatedly said he dared not.

The two resumed their previous harmonious atmosphere and walked arm in arm.

Shi Ju introduced his series of plans to restore people's livelihood to He Shi Lie Liangbi, and introduced several capable officials to He Shi Lie Liangbi.

Heshi Lieliangbi then brought Shi Ju to the military camp and pointed to the various troops, recounting the course of the great battle.

It wasn't until evening, after all the meat for the troops had been delivered to the camp, that Shi Ju finally excused himself from his busy schedule and left the camp to return to his office to handle official business.

However, this Hebei man, who possessed the talent of a prime minister and had contributed greatly to Wanyan Yong's ascension to the throne, couldn't help but be distracted by Heshi Lie Liangbi's words.

Yes, although Shi Ju was extremely annoyed by He Shi Lie Liangbi's words about the Jurchen nation, he had to admit that He Shi Lie Liangbi was indeed telling the truth.

Just like the profound truth that Wen Yanbo of the Former Song Dynasty said, "The Great Song Dynasty does not share the world with the common people, but with the scholar-officials," He Shilie Liangbi's meaning was also very simple.

"The Wanyan clan shares the world with the Jurchen people, not with the Han people."

Angry? Of course I'm angry.

Is it true? Of course it is.

Shi Ju's feelings over the past two years have become even more profound.

In terms of merit, when Wanyan Fushou and others hesitated, Shi Ju decisively persuaded Wanyan Fushou to lead a light cavalry to join Wanyan Yong, which indirectly led to the surrender of the Khitan rebels to the Jin Dynasty.

In terms of ability, Shi Ju personally persuaded Liu E to lead his massive Han army to submit to Wanyan Yong, even after Wanyan Liang had returned to Bianliang.

Wanyan Yong naturally rewarded him handsomely, but compared to the merits Shi Ju had made, what was a mere Vice Chancellor?

At the very least, one should have the title of Minister, be in charge of affairs in a region, and have a higher rank, preferably the position of Left or Right Vice Minister.
However, Wanyan Yong did not do so.

This time, Shi Ju came to the region with the title of Vice Minister of State Affairs to oversee spring plowing and restore the livelihood of people in northern Hebei. This was not only because he was a native of Hebei and wanted to care for his fellow villagers, but also because he wanted to make greater contributions and become a legitimate prime minister. In addition, he may also have been using this opportunity to vent his dissatisfaction.

After taking charge of local affairs, Shi Ju felt even more acutely the inconvenience of being a Han Chinese.

Unlike the Central Plains, northern Hebei, which was incorporated into the Jin Dynasty's rule early on, had long been a place where Jurchen nobles had established interests.

To be precise, this place was already a mix of Han Chinese, Jurchens, Xi people, Bohai people, and Khitans.

With just the title of Vice Minister of State Affairs, Shi Ju could easily deal with everyone else, but he was humiliated by the Jurchens.

Whether it was the Meng'an Moukehu or the Jurchen nobles, they would simply ignore you without any room for negotiation. As a result, some government decrees were simply impossible to implement.

"Master Shi? Is Master Shi feeling unwell?" The prefect, seeing Shi Ju seemingly lost in thought, stopped reporting documents and spoke up to remind him.

"Oh." Shi Ju shook his head and said with a smile, "Let's stay here for today. I'm fine, just a little distracted after running around all day."

"Here!"

After the officials had all left the main hall of the government office, Shi Ju got up and paced back and forth in the empty office, pondering his future.

After a moment, Shi Ju stopped and suddenly recalled He Shi Lie Liangbi's words from earlier that day, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

"Someone, come with me out of the city!"

(End of this chapter)