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

Chapter 688 The Mantis Trying to Stalk the Cicada

Wanyan Liang did an excellent job of keeping secrets, so much so that even though the Battle of Guanzhong had already begun, neither Wu Lin nor Ren Dejing knew that the Jin emperor had disguised himself and come to Guanzhong to become the de facto supreme commander.

This is also related to the ulterior motives of Tu Danhexi and Zhang Zhongyan.

Whether Wanyan Liang could single-handedly command 100,000 soldiers, they didn't know.

But what they knew was that they couldn't allow Wanyan Liang's influence to expand further.

If Wanyan Liang were to use the emperor's prestige to completely control the Jin army in Guanzhong, then these two would truly have no room for negotiation.

However, even if he didn't want to, he couldn't stop Wanyan Liang from being the legitimate emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Although he could only act in secret, he was still able to gather a group of people and become the de facto commander of this army.

"My envoy has not returned, yet Ren Dejing has come to attack. Ha, what audacity!" Wanyan Liang looked at the military report and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, do you have a plan to defeat the enemy?"

Both Tu Danhexi and Zhang Zhongyan remained silent.

Wanyan Yuanyi sneered, "The Western Xia army is weak, and now, with a usurper leading the army, their morale is bound to be unstable. If the Song people are afraid of these scoundrels, why would the Great Jin army be afraid?"

The Jin army and the Western Xia army belonged to a higher level within the same ecological niche, so Wanyan Yuanyi naturally had no fear of them.

Tu Danhexi curled his lip in disapproval.

Even if the Western Xia army is weak, it is still an army of 100,000. Even if they are all cannon fodder like your son, they are not to be underestimated.

Even 100,000 pigs can kill one or two people, let alone 100,000?

Zhang Zhongyan then chimed in, saying, "What you say makes some sense, but even if the Jin army can sit idly by while the Western invaders invade, the Song army cannot stand idly by. They will definitely make some moves, and then we will have an opportunity to take advantage of them."

This is true.

This is why Yiladao used every means to force the Western Xia to move south as soon as possible.

Currently, the Song and Jin dynasties are locked in a stalemate in Guanzhong, maintaining a delicate balance. Any attack by an external force would inevitably disrupt this balance and cause both sides to move against each other.

As for which side the Western Xia would attack, or which side the Song and Jin sides would counterattack first, the Eastern Jin did not care.

Compared to the Jin Dynasty, Wu Lin's major weakness was that he was truly a native of Guanzhong, genuinely cared about the people of Guanzhong, and many of his soldiers were indeed from Guanzhong.

This meant that Wu Lin couldn't possibly stand by and watch Guanzhong fall into the hands of their sworn enemy, Western Xia.

He must be the one who is more anxious.

After clarifying the situation, Wanyan Liang immediately ordered the mobilization of the Jin army in the six 10,000-household units in Guanzhong, each to guard a place and prepare for a defensive counterattack.

“Indeed, this is an opportunity.” Wanyan Liang nodded in front of the sand table and said, “Zhang Qing, the powerful families in Guanzhong have all been won over. You have made a great contribution. With their support, I think we have a 70% chance of winning.”

Zhang Zhongyan bowed respectfully, his smile somewhat bitter: "Your Majesty flatters me."

In recent days, Wanyan Yuanyi and Zhang Zhongyan have visited almost all the well-known and prominent families in Guanzhong.

These were all rather crude attempts to win over the enemy, but the most crucial point was summed up in one sentence: the Jin dynasty would reward the meritorious officials with everything from the Longyou region, including official positions, land, and population.

Anyone who contributes will be rewarded.

Of course, given the Jin dynasty's dubious political credibility, the vast majority of powerful clans in Guanzhong initially did not believe it.

Only a small number of people who had connections with the Jin state and whose families had fallen on hard times wanted to try their luck joined the army with a small amount of money and supplies.

In the course of two months, Wanyan Liang launched several small battles and actually rewarded the powerful clans who had followed him with a portion of the counties and prefectures he had recaptured.

These people, who were originally impoverished small landlords, were transformed. The more powerful ones became county magistrates, and even those who only did not work hard were allocated hundreds of acres of farmland. The original gentry and commoners of Longyou were all demoted to serfs and given as rewards to meritorious officials.

This can be described as the Jin Dynasty's version of "establishing trust by setting up a log" and "buying bones with a thousand pieces of gold".

Moreover, the effect was very significant, and it directly caused several consequences.

First, the people of Longyou felt a sense of shared grief and hatred towards the enemy, and were determined to fight the Jin army to the bitter end.

Secondly, the people of Guanzhong, who were still under the rule of the Jin Dynasty, were filled with fear and anger because they also had relatives in Longyou, whose families had all been destroyed and whose relatives had died.

Third, and most naturally, some powerful figures in Kansai realized that this was an opportunity to redefine social hierarchy and engage in rampant annexation, and that the next such opportunity might not come for decades.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not to be missed.

They sent their sons who were skilled in martial arts or literature to join the Jin army.

Including the ruffians who rushed to join the fray, the Jin army recruited nearly 20,000 soldiers in just one month, among whom the most elite 1,500 cavalrymen were now under the command of Wanyan Wangxiang.

This news naturally couldn't escape Wu Lin's notice. This was also the closest Wanyan Liang ever came to being exposed.

If Wu Lin had ever worked in the central government, he would have quickly realized that it was absolutely not his subject, Dan Hexi, to make such a decisive decision as to bestow a place upon someone.

Only the emperor could issue such an order.

Unfortunately, Wu Lin was politically astute, but since joining the army, he had always spent his time on the frontier and had never served in the central government. As a result, he was not vigilant in this regard and simply regarded it as a means for the Jin army to boost morale and win people's hearts.

As the person in charge, Zhang Zhongyan naturally reaped some benefits as well; at the very least, the major households in Guanzhong were all grateful to him.

However, by using his elder brother's and his own prestige in Kansai as a backing, he actually caused a confrontation between Longyou and Guanzhong, and the whole of Kansai became divided.

This is not what Zhang Zhongyan wanted to see.

The people of Guanzhong are the elders of Guanxi, but aren't the people of Longyou also family? They are both flesh and blood, how can Zhang Zhongyan face them with equanimity?

However, Zhang Zhongyan himself knew that this matter was far from over.

During this period, apart from meeting with powerful families in Guanzhong accompanied by Wanyan Yuanyi, Zhang Zhongyan had no free time to move around.

It's equivalent to being placed under house arrest.

Moreover, his official seal was taken away by Wanyan Liang and temporarily kept in custody. During this period, countless letters have been sent out through military orders.

Even though they were in the midst of a military council, Zhang Zhongyan could only sigh inwardly: "Wu Er, it's not that I intended to deceive you, but I was powerless to do so!"

"At this point, we can only hope that Zhang Congjin will be quick-witted and not drag the Zhang family down with him."

"Zhang Qing? Zhang Qing?"

"Huh?" Zhang Zhongyan came to his senses and realized that all the generals were looking at him. He blushed and said, "Your Majesty, I have lost my composure."

Wanyan Liang smiled and said, "It's alright... We were just talking about military matters. The army will still be assigned as before. What do you think, Zhang Qing?"

Zhang Zhongyan glanced at the sand table.

It was discovered that the flags representing the armies on the sand table had hardly changed; the Mighty Army was still stationed in Fengxiang Prefecture, three armies were stationed in Yuanzhou, and one army was stationed in Jingzhou.

The five armies lined up in a long, serpentine formation from north to south to counter Wu Lin's attack.

From the perspective of troop deployment, there was nothing wrong with it, but it made Zhang Zhongyan panic.

Since Wanyan Liang was clearly wary of him at this time, why did he still allow Zhang Congjin to lead the Weiyong Army to garrison Fengxiang Prefecture?

Aren't you afraid that Zhang Congjin will open the road to Fengxiang Prefecture and allow Wu Lin to rush directly to Chang'an?
If their retreat is cut off, the 50,000 Jin troops in Guanzhong will be completely helpless.

Was Wanyan Liang an idiot?
No, that's not true.

Is Tudan Hexi blindly loyal?

That's not true either.

For them to formulate such a military strategy, they must have a backup plan.

As for where the backup plan lies, Zhang Zhongyan truly had no idea.

Maybe Hezha Meng'an has already reached Chang'an!
After the military meeting ended, Zhang Zhongyan wanted to return to his own tent to rest, but as soon as he stepped out of the command tent, he was called back again.

Wanyan Liang feigned sincerity: "Zhang Qing, I know you harbor resentment."

Zhang Zhongyan hurriedly tried to express his loyalty, but Wanyan Liang waved his hand and said, "Zhang Qing, we are speaking frankly, so don't be hypocritical. If I were in your shoes, I would probably be even more resentful."

As he spoke, Wanyan Liang took Zhang Zhongyan's hands and said earnestly, "Zhang Qing, you have suffered these past few days, but I promise you here that if we can protect Guanzhong in this battle, I will grant you a fiefdom and a kingship as a reward."

"Zhang Qing has traveled to many countries, how could he not know what kind of person the Song Dynasty is? When your brother, Prince Chong, returned to the Song Dynasty after the peace negotiations in Tianjuan, he preferred to be suspected by the Song court rather than be appointed as a military governor. Wasn't that the reason?"

"Even if Zhang Qing doesn't trust the Great Jin, he should trust himself. The people of Guanzhong live much better lives under Zhang Qing's rule than in the Song Dynasty. For the sake of the people of Guanzhong, Zhang Qing should strive to improve himself!"

Hearing Wanyan Liang's heartfelt words, Zhang Zhongyan remained calm, but his face showed a look of deep gratitude: "Your Majesty's kindness in recognizing and recognizing my talent is something I would gladly die for!"

Wanyan Liang nodded with satisfaction.

It truly was a scene of harmonious coexistence between the ruler and his ministers.

(End of this chapter)