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

Chapter 679 Rumors Spread Throughout the Southern Dynasty

This is a document written by Yu Yunwen, which can be summarized as follows: the pro-war faction in the Song state has expanded rapidly, and many of its members have become members of the quick-victory faction.

These quick-win faction members felt that the Jin state had split into two, and even if it still had troops, it would be impossible to use its only trump card in Henan, which was half-surrounded.

Therefore, the entire army should launch a simultaneous attack from Lianghuai, Xiangfan, and Shandong, in coordination with Wu Lin in Shaanxi, to launch an offensive similar to the Longzhong Plan.

In one fell swoop, they drove the entire Jin army back north of the Yellow River.

Yu Yunwen could have been evasive at first, but now that Pu Chashijie was preparing for war on the border and Shi Ju was restoring people's livelihoods in Henan, the quick-victory faction felt that if the situation continued to develop like this, the chance to recover the Central Plains might very well disappear.

Representatives of these quick-win factions included Zeng Di and Long Dayuan, among others, from the Xingjin group.

These people, who have suddenly risen to high positions, are very unstable in their mindset.

Their power was granted by the emperor and was essentially an illusion. At the same time, they represented the interests of the palace and were locked in a fierce struggle with the outer court.

Political struggles are fraught with danger, often involving bloodshed, which is why the Xingjin Group treads on thin ice with constant vigilance.

Under these circumstances, it was only natural that Long Dayuan and others wanted to quickly gain real power through military achievements.

Xingjin Group wielded considerable influence over Zhao Shen. After repeated requests, Zhao Shen finally relented and gave his signal.

This signal was to appoint Zhang Jun as the Privy Councilor.

Liu Huai was speechless upon seeing this.

Damn it, has the State of Song gone mad, launching a war in this hot weather?
Such large-scale wars should either take place after spring planting or after autumn harvest; in any case, the large-scale conscription of laborers should not affect agriculture.

But what about June?
The autumn harvest is less than two months away. Will we still be able to fight then?
However, this was not the reason why Lu You looked so unwell, or rather, not the main reason.

What left Liu Huai speechless was yet to come.

At the end of his letter, Yu Yunwen emphasized a rumor that had suddenly spread in Lin'an.

Wei Sheng is going to declare himself king.

Yes, it's Wei Sheng, not Liu Huai.

The rumor explicitly stated that if Shandong was not to be taken from the state, Wei Sheng should be recalled to the court.

If Wei Sheng dares not return, then he must have ulterior motives and should be killed immediately!

This rumor was brought up at the court meeting a few days ago by the censor.

Although the emperor and his officials still trusted the loyalty of the Shandong rebels, if the rumors continued to spread, sooner or later some people would become suspicious and test them.

Of course, to discerning people, this rumor was clearly a carefully crafted deliberate design.

At this time, Wei Sheng was the link between Shandong and the State of Song. If he really left Shandong, it would be hard to say how the situation in the north would develop.

However, if Wei Sheng does not leave Shandong and refuses to return to the court to take up his post, then no matter what excuse he has, his status as a traitor will be confirmed, and this loyal old general will be condemned.

Moreover, it is much easier to spread rumors about Wei Sheng than about Liu Huai.

If rumors were spread about Liu Huai, they would trigger a series of reactions from people like Yu Yunwen and Ye Yiwen as soon as the rumors started, prompting them to mobilize all their resources to suppress them immediately.

The reason is simple: Liu Huai was indeed capable of rebelling.

In response, Liu Huai could only sigh that he had just tried to deal with Heshi Lieliangbi by spreading rumors, but now the Jin state had taken the initiative to strike with the same method.

Moreover, the person who actually carried out the surgery was very likely He Shilie Liangbi.

"Brother Liu, what should we do now?" Lu You asked anxiously when he saw Liu Huai's expression change several times.

Liu Huai had calmed down by now and asked calmly, "Mr. Lu, have you shown this letter to my father?" Lu You shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I'm worried that Lord Wei will go to court directly to prove himself."

Given Wei Sheng's straightforward personality, this is not impossible.

As for the Song state's reaction, it is undoubtedly very uncertain.

It is possible that they would take the opportunity to give Wei Sheng a force of troops, allowing him to continue serving as a general in Lianghuai.

It is also possible that he will remain in the capital to live out his retirement.
It is also possible that after witnessing Wei Sheng's loyalty and righteousness, he would promote him to higher ranks and allow him to return to Shandong to counterbalance Liu Huai.

Any normal court would probably choose the third option.

But the Song Dynasty was no ordinary country; its unconventional actions were numerous and could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Lu You was also afraid.

Liu Huai handed the document to Liang Su, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Mr. Lu, give me a definite answer: can Prime Minister Yu still organize the Northern Expedition step by step?"

War is not about shouting slogans or getting carried away with bloodshed and swinging knives at each other. It requires carefully accumulating money and supplies, patiently training the army, boosting morale, and finally having a complete strategic and tactical plan.

Even with thorough preparation, unexpected events can still occur, causing chaos and confusion. What's more, if one underestimates the enemy and heads north directly?

The inevitable result of a hasty Northern Expedition was that the Yuanjia Emperor hastily achieved his goal of sealing the wolf's lair and then hastily retreated northward.

Lu You remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Liang Su was somewhat exasperated and threw the document on the table: "Last year, I gave Prime Minister Yu such a great achievement, and he became the chief minister as he wished. Can't he even stop this little thing?"

Liu Huai stopped the argument that was about to erupt between the two and said to Liang Su, "Mr. Lu is not saying that Prime Minister Yu will not be able to withstand the pressure and send troops across the Huai River, but he is worried that someone will receive a promise from someone in the court and send troops without authorization."

Liang Su was taken aback and turned to look at Lu You: "Can your Song generals really be this bold?"

As soon as he asked the question, Liang Su knew he had made a mistake.

Sure enough, the next moment Liu Huai laughed and said, "Most of the generals of the Song Dynasty don't have the guts to lead troops on a northern expedition and confront the Jin army head-on. But they not only have the guts to plunder and take advantage of others, they have a great deal of guts."

"Moreover, the Song army is subject to checks and balances at every level. Even if Prime Minister Yu could not obtain command of all the troops in Lianghuai, it would not be surprising if one or two thousand-strong troops acted on their own under the command of the commander-in-chief."

At this point, Liu Huai shook his head again.

"If they launch an attack without authorization and are defeated, it will only damage the Emperor Zhao's confidence and delay the Northern Expedition for a few years."

"I'm afraid that if they win, it will encourage the others, and then Prime Minister Yu will be completely unable to control them."

"The weather is hot and marching is difficult. The Jin army is well-rested and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. If we are not careful, we will suffer a great defeat."

"Losing soldiers and generals is a minor matter. If the Song state rekindles its desire for peace and the pro-peace faction regains power, then we will be in big trouble."

After Liu Huai finished speaking, he lowered his head again and began to write furiously on the paper.

Seeing this, Lu You said anxiously, "Liu Dalang, how can you still be so calm?"

While writing a letter to Shi Ju, Liu Huai said, "You have to eat one bite at a time, do one thing at a time, and kill one person at a time. When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. What's the rush? Let me finish writing this letter to Master Shi Ju first."

"Shi Ju? What are you going to do?" Lu You's mood, which had been calmed down by Liu Huai's words, fluctuated again, and he couldn't help but look at Liu Huai with a strange look.

Lu You had heard of Shi Ju, though he did not know that this man was now in charge of southern Henan, he did know that he was a high-ranking official of the Jin Dynasty.

Was Liu Huai writing a letter to remind the Jin state to deal with the Song state's overreach?
Upon hearing this, Liu Huai rolled his eyes and said, "Mr. Lu, am I really that worthless in your eyes? Would I really do something like allying with the barbarians to destroy the Song Dynasty? Forget it, I know you don't believe me either. From now on, you can read through all the documents I write to Master Shi Ju first and help me proofread them, okay?"

Although Lu You was thin-skinned, he was, after all, a seasoned feudalist warrior. Upon hearing this, he not only did not leave in shame, but instead turned around and sat on the side seat. He poured himself a cup of tea and then waited there.

(End of this chapter)