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

Chapter 700 Urgent Discussions in the Eastern Jin Court (Part 1)
Faced with Wen Dunqi's question, Liu Yunggu just chuckled and personally got up to pour him a cup of hot wine: "Eat it while it's hot, eat it while it's hot, warm yourself up first."

Wen Dunqizhi downed his wine in one gulp and looked at Liu Yunggu in silence.

Liu Yungu chuckled and spread his hands, saying, "General Wendun, where there's a buyer, there's a seller. Even if we don't sell, someone else will. Why don't we make that money?"

Wen Dunqi shook his head and said, "Lord Liu, I am not a pedantic person, but so many hides, tendons, cattle and sheep can be used as military supplies. Wouldn't doing this be aiding the enemy?"

Liu Yungu laughed even louder: "Haha, General Wendun, these are very common in the north, but they're in high demand in the south. Who would turn down money?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Dunqizhi finally became somewhat annoyed: "Sir Liu, what I'm talking about now isn't about the amount of money. This is a job that could cost you your head!"

Seeing Wen Dunqi's stubbornness, Liu Yunggu lowered his voice and made his point more clearly: "General Wen Dun, do you know how many illegal ferry crossings there are on the Lugou River in front of Daxing Prefecture?"

"Twenty-eight! A full twenty-eight!" Liu Yunggu gestured with his hand to indicate the large number.

Wen Dunqi was also taken aback: "So many?"

Liu Yunggu lowered his voice again: "This is what I know, and that's just from Daxing Prefecture. Starting from the Sanggan River section in the north, I don't know how many there are!"

“Brother Wendun, do you really think the officials don’t know the ins and outs of this? But who dares to interfere? Do you know who’s involved? If you cut off their source of income, they’ll cut off yours.”

"Let me tell you, even if the master intervenes, there's nothing he can do. The master also needs soldiers and yamen runners to do the work, and they will naturally have money to pay him off. Everyone will take a cut from this deal."

"Unless you can ban river transport altogether, this business won't stop!"

After saying all that, Wen Dunqizhi was completely deflated.

This is a very complicated matter, not something a manager should or should be in charge of.

Seeing the atmosphere was somewhat silent, Liu Yunggu immediately said, "Brother Wendun, look at my mouth, once I start talking I can't stop. Let's drink, let's drink."

The two drank a few more cups, and Wen Dunqi hesitated before speaking, "I just don't know who has a stake in Master Liu's business..."

Seeing that Liu Yung-gu remained silent, Wen Dunqi-zhi immediately realized he had misspoke: "I didn't mean to inquire about the person behind Master Liu, it's just that..."

Liu Yung-ku nodded: "I'm just worried that all the spoils of war will go to waste. Brother Wen-dun, you can rest assured about this. I can only mention two people: Han Duo, the current Defense Commissioner of Hezhou, and Li Shi, the current Prime Minister."

The Han family accepts the drafts I gave you. Even if you don't trust me, don't you trust the Han family too?

Li Shi, needless to say, is the maternal uncle of the current emperor, Wanyan Yong.

Han Duo's identity was also not simple. He was the second son of Han Qixian, a founding hero of the Jin Dynasty, and one of the leading figures of the Youyan Han clan.

Wen Dunqi wished he could plug his ears.

If Liu Yung-gu hadn't been there, Wen Dunqi would have slapped himself twice right now.

Serves you right for being so talkative! What good does it do to know so much about this kind of thing?!

"Drink! Drink!" Wen Dunqizhi interrupted Liu Yunggu, shouting loudly, and began to stuff delicacies into his mouth with his chopsticks and chew them heartily.

Liu Yung-gu naturally didn't say much, and the two chatted idly. Just as they were getting drunk and Liu Yung-gu was about to call in the singing girl, Wen Dunqi-zhi brought up serious business again.

"Wait, wait, I have no shortage of young ladies, and you don't need to fawn over me here." Wen Dunqi sighed with a burp, "Many of my old subordinates have moved their families to Shandong, and now they've lost all contact with them. If you, Master Liu, have any connections, you might as well try to find them and bring them a few letters home."

Liu Yung-gu narrowed his eyes, but did not immediately agree. Instead, he hesitated and asked, "Brother Wen-dun knows a thing or two about the situation in Shandong. If we exchange letters, wouldn't that be too much of a blow to morale?"

Wen Dunqi raised his wine cup and gave a bitter smile: "What is there to worry about affecting morale now? Families are scattered all over the place, and even the situation is divided between friend and foe. A letter can alleviate the pain of missing them, which is a good thing in the end."

Liu Yung-gu thought for a moment, then clapped his hands: "Alright."

A man dressed in blue entered from outside the door and bowed to Liu Yung-gu: "What are your orders, my lord?"

Liu Yung-ku pointed at the man in blue and said to Wen Dunqi, "This is my servant son, Hao Nan. He will be the one to speak with the general from now on."

Wen Dunqi looked Hao Nan up and down before saying, "Master Liu's forces are indeed full of talented people."

That was all.

After Wen Dunqi left, Hao Nan whispered to Liu Yunggu, "Uncle Liu, do you think this guy has noticed something?"

Liu Yung-ku shook his head: "Although Wen Dunqi is a spy who can be developed, and there are letters being sent from his home, I don't want to recruit him. I only want to have some cooperative relationship with him and subtly probe through him. Do you know why?"

Hao Nan shook his head.

“Because this person has his own achievements, he will not easily change his mind because of his family.” Liu Yungu revealed a playful smile: “This kind of person can only be suppressed by the general trend. We must clearly tell him with the general trend that his achievements will vanish into thin air, and then add the persuasion of his family, so that he can turn back to the right path.”

Hao Nan nodded thoughtfully.

“These past few days, you’ve cultivated good relationships with the generals of the Loyal and Filial Army. It wouldn’t hurt to give them a few more benefits. By the way, how’s the matter I asked you to investigate going?” Hao Nan quickly replied, “I’ve found out. It is indeed He Shi Lie Zhi Ning. Our men followed him to the vicinity of the capital and then withdrew. He should be meeting with the Jin Emperor right now.”

Liu Yung-ku frowned: "He Shi-lie Zhi-ning, why didn't he even bring a ceremonial guard? And why is he in such a hurry?"

This question also lingered in the minds of Li Shi and other Jin officials.

Wasn't Heshi Liezhining leading his army to southern Hebei to deal with the potential winter offensive launched by the Shandong rebels, and also to see if he could take the opportunity to attack Bianliang?
Why did you personally return on light cavalry now?
Moreover, Wanyan Yong is about to hold a grand court assembly. Has something major happened?
With many questions in mind, the courtiers of Dongjin gathered in the main hall.

Although the Jin Dynasty had largely become Sinicized by this time, it still retained some tribal customs. Therefore, people did not observe any formalities and simply found seats in the main hall.

Wanyan Yong's dark circles under his eyes looked even more pronounced. It was unclear whether it was due to the heavy burden of state affairs or the recent acquisition of several new Mongol-Khitan concubines. His voice even sounded somewhat weak: "Now that everyone is here, Zhining, tell everyone what's going on."

He Shilie Zhining stood up and said, "My trip south this time is for two reasons: first, to test Bianliang, and second, to test the mettle of Shandong."

Li Shi frowned and asked, "What was the result?"

He Shilie Zhining: "Let's talk about the Shandong bandits first. They are naturally extraordinary. Before my army even entered Daming Prefecture, King Jiu of Bozhou had already reacted and the Tianxiong Army immediately assembled to guard the city."

"On the third day after I arrived in Daming Prefecture, the banner of Liu Dalang from Shandong had already appeared in Dong'e."

"On the fifth day, Zhang Baiyu and the Flying Tiger Army's banners were also in Dong'e."

"At the same time, the Tianping Army in Dongping Prefecture was also gathering. Scouts said they saw Xin Qiji gathering troops in Xucheng."

Those present all knew more or less about military affairs and had been on the battlefield. They immediately understood just how elite the troops were that could be assembled so quickly.

Wanyan Mouyan stood up and asked, "So, in other words, the Shandong bandits were able to assemble an army of over ten thousand men in the Bozhou area in less than five days and make moves to provide support from both the front and rear?"

He Shilie Zhining nodded and said, "That's right. If we launch a surprise attack with light troops, we won't be able to gain an advantage against more than 10,000 soldiers. If the whole army marches south together, the speed will be slow. Then the Shandong bandits will take the opportunity to gather their troops, and then it will inevitably be a decisive battle."

"The cities of Shandong are layered upon one another, and the bandits in Shandong have already gained momentum. They cannot be completely dealt with simply by capturing one or two cities."

Wanyan Mouyan was about to ask more questions when Wanyan Yong stopped him, saying, "Marshal Mouyan, let's hear what Zhining has to say about Bianliang first."

"Here!"

"As for Bianliang... sigh..." He Shilie Zhining sighed and glanced at Wu Gulun Yuanzhong, who was silent beside him: "That Wu Zhe has a stone brain. He said he wanted to repay the kindness of the rebel Liang and fight against everyone in the world to the end."

Upon hearing this, some in the hall were angry, some were disdainful, but most shook their heads and sighed, their regret evident in their words.

Pusan ​​Zhongyi was a general who had been active on the battlefield since the time of the fall of Song. Although he was the young chief of the Pusan ​​tribe at that time, he actually started from the position of centurion and gradually became the current marshal of Xijin.

It can be said that Pu Sanzhongyi is a testament to the saying that great generals must rise from the ranks.

Moreover, he was warm-hearted and kind, and had an upright character. Back then, Pusanshi Gong had immense power and influence due to Wanyan Liang's favor, but Pusan ​​Zhongyi dared to rebuke him on the spot.

He had countless friends in the court, such as Pucha Shijie, who was now in charge of military affairs in southern Henan, and Pusan ​​Zhongyi, a young man.

What a wonderful thing it would be if we could win over such a talented person!

Now that Pusan ​​Zhongyi holds military power alone in Bianliang and no one can hinder him, if he still wants to repay Wanyan Liang's kindness, then he is truly determined to fight to the death for Wanyan Liang.

Bianliang was a place where all directions could be reached, and therefore, Pusan ​​Zhongyi had to face attacks from all sides.

Liu Huai from Shandong, Lie Zhining from Hebei, Wanyan Guying from Shanxi, Yu Yunwen from Lianghuai, and Cheng Min from Xiangfan were all likely to march towards Bianliang.

Even if Pu Sanzhongyi were made of iron, how many nails could he drive in?
"So, should our army take advantage of Liang's arrival in Guanzhong and attack Bianliang first?"

Wanyan Fushou wasn't close to Pusan ​​Zhongyi, and seeing that everyone around him was caught up in some kind of emotion, he forced himself to speak up, saying, "Pusan ​​Zhongyi's forces are small right now, so we can still deal with him recklessly. We might even spare his life later..."

Heshilie Zhining interrupted Wanyan Fushou directly: "General Fushou, you must not! I know Wu Zhe well. He is definitely preparing a fierce attack and is just waiting for whoever attacks first."

"If that happens, our army might actually have to fight the Henan army to the death, wouldn't that just let the Song state and the Shandong bandits get away with it?"

This is also why Dongjin has been exercising restraint.

If it weren't for concerns about the power of the Han people, Wanyan Yong would have personally led his army to tear Wanyan Liang to pieces long ago, based solely on the grudge of having his wife taken away.

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Fushou helplessly spread his hands: "Are we supposed to continue recuperating?"

"Of course not!"

At the crucial moment, Heshi Lieliangbi, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, and the spirits of the senior officials in the hall were lifted.

(End of this chapter)