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

Chapter 702 A Letter from the Prime Minister of Jianghuai

Of course, Wanyan Yong's words were a classic example of misinterpreting a metaphor.

In terms of the outcome, the non-royal princes who were enfeoffed by Liu Bang in Guandong did not fare very well in the end.

However, the high-ranking officials of the Jin Dynasty did not have the bad habit of pedantic scholars who insisted on writing the character "茴" in six different ways. Since Wanyan Yong had made a promise in public, they agreed to it first.

Wu Gulun Yuanzhong had no objection to this.

He married a princess and became Wanyan Yong's beloved son-in-law. His son was Wanyan Yong's grandson. After making meritorious contributions, what was wrong with being enfeoffed as a king in the Central Plains? Who dared to have any objections?
Therefore, Wugu Lun Yuanzhong mustered all his strength, quickly moved the coffins of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan, and led several elderly Song princesses, galloping towards Jiangnan at full speed.

This road is naturally very difficult to travel.

Because along the way, they not only had to pass through Wanyan Liang's sphere of influence, but also had to face scouts and patrols from the Shandong rebel army.

Pusan ​​Zhongyi was relatively easy to talk to. After he learned that Wugulun Yuanzhong was an envoy sent by Wanyan Yong to the Song Dynasty to congratulate the emperor, he let him pass.

Of course, at this time, Pu Sanzhongyi did not know that this fellow was going to make an agreement with the Song state to attack Henan from both the north and the south.

According to Pu Sanzhongyi, the main sphere of influence of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was in Hebei, Shanxi, and Liaodong, which was a long way from Jiangnan. Even if war was declared, it would only be a war of words from afar.

Let's negotiate peace then. In any case, the Western Jin will have to face the Northern Expedition of the Song Dynasty alone.

As for the Shandong rebels...

Pu Sanzhongyi had long seen through Liu Huai's true nature; he was not one to be easily subdued. He even believed that Liu Huai would decisively appear when the Song-Jin war was at its most intense and wipe out the main forces of both sides.

Of course, this is a case of the servant Sanzhong judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person.

Even if Liu Huai wanted to conquer the Song Dynasty, he had to wage war in a fair and square manner. If he helped the Jin Dynasty attack the Song Dynasty, even if he benefited from it, it would still contradict the highest political program of the Shandong rebels: "Expel the Tartars and restore China."

Gossip less.

By the time Wugulun Yuanzhong and Shi Ju made contact, it was already the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Just when everyone thought that Dongjin had calmed down, Dongjin once again reinforced its troops in Daming Prefecture.

The banners of Wanyan Zhang, Wanyan Shoudao, Yelü Wowo, and Jiagu Qingchen even appeared on the walls of Yuancheng. It can be said that, apart from Wanyan Guying who remained in Jin, the banners of all the major generals of the Eastern Jin appeared.

Just as he was relaxing, Liu Huai, who was preparing for his wedding, suddenly became nervous and went to Dong'e again to oversee things.

And then...and then Dongjin remained silent again.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year in the second year of the Longxing era, Liu Huai stood on the city wall of Dong'e, celebrating the New Year with a group of soldiers, when he felt inexplicably angry.

Damn it, why don't we just call them directly!

It's not sustainable to let Dongjin lead us by the nose all the time; we need to take the initiative and do something proactive.

However, sending troops is a major undertaking, and it should be decided after the spring planting season.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, just as the situation in Hebei was like a powder keg, with the confrontation between the two Jin states and Shandong about to solidify, Liu Huai, who was supervising the construction of the Tangyi camp in Bozhou, finally received a message from Yu Yunwen.

When Liu Huai was surprised to learn that the news was brought by Dai Gao, a general from Huaidong, he was even more astonished.

Lu You and He Boqiu, who were supervising the transport of supplies and provisions at the scene, also rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Commander Liu, Lord Lu, Lord He." Dai Gao was drenched in sweat as if he were in a sauna. Despite the cold weather, he was still sweating profusely, whether from anxiety or exhaustion, it was hard to tell.

Inside the main tent, Liu Huai and the other two looked at each other, wondering what had happened to make Yu Yunwen so anxious.

Liu Huai picked up a cup of hot tea and handed it to Dai Gao, saying, "Take your time."

Dai Gao put the teacup aside, then took out a thick oil paper package from his pocket, bowed and said, "Commander Liu, please drink your tea slowly. We need to talk about official business first."

Liu Huai took the oil paper package, tore it open, and found several thick documents inside.

Upon closer inspection of the signatures, he realized that these were not only Yu Yunwen's private letters, but also documents from Ye Yiwen.

“What does Prime Minister Yu have to say? Speak as you go, and I will listen.”

Dai Gao nodded quickly.

"The first thing is that Master Ye is seriously ill and unable to get out of bed. When I arrived, he had already fainted several times..."

Indeed, a message delivered by Dai Gao in person must be extraordinary. His first words left Liu Huai and the others in awe and deep thought.

This has nothing to do with whether Ye Yiwen is a good-for-nothing or not. Rather, since he is seriously ill, the position of Jianghuai Pacification Commissioner will inevitably become vacant, which will inevitably lead to a struggle among the other ministers.

At this critical juncture when political stability is needed, this is a huge destabilizing factor.

"Has the court already learned of Prime Minister Ye's serious illness?" Liu Huai immediately asked the crucial question: "And what has the court's reaction been?"

Dai Gao glanced at Lu You, then lowered his voice and said, "Prime Minister Yu has kept this news under wraps; besides the three of you, only a few others know about it..."

Lu You's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Minister Yu has the audacity to isolate the inside from the outside world!"

Liu Huai waved his hand, signaling Lu You not to make such disuniting remarks at this time: "General Dai, I have another question. How did Prime Minister Yu manage to keep it a secret? You should know that Prime Minister Ye also has subordinates."

Dai Gao hesitated for a moment before saying, "Firstly, in the end, it is still Minister Yu who is in charge of Lianghuai; secondly, Minister Ye has been suffering from a cold since last year, and his health has been fluctuating. We have gotten used to it, but he has finally collapsed recently, which caught us off guard."

Liu Huai pulled out two letters from a pile of letters and handed them to Lu You: "Mr. Lu, these are letters from Minister Ye to you."

Lu You silently accepted it without tearing open the seal, remaining silent for a moment. Dai Gao continued, "The second matter is the dispute in the court."

"Dongjin sent envoys to return the coffins of the Supreme Emperor and Yuansheng. The Emperor and the Supreme Emperor granted a general amnesty. In a few days, the messenger will arrive in Shandong."

Liu Huai chuckled: "Wanyan Yong has found a good opportunity. If he hadn't used this excuse, the Jin envoy would have been turned away in Lianghuai. I guess the Jin envoy won't let this opportunity pass and will take the chance to propose peace talks, right?"

Dai Gao nodded: "No one is more wise than Commander Liu. The Jin envoy agreed with the Song Dynasty to cede the land in Henan. From then on, the Jin and Song Dynasties will be brother countries, with the old course of the Yellow River as the boundary between them."

Liu Huai asked with a half-smile, "Has the Emperor agreed?"

Dai Gao shook his head: "As soon as the Jin envoy finished speaking, Zhang Jun, the prime minister, smashed him over the head with his scepter. The New Year's Day court assembly was in complete chaos. The Jin envoy and the court officials who advocated war and peace were arguing fiercely, but in the end, they managed to barely stop the peace talks."

Liu Huai laughed again: "Although Minister Zhang is neither good at literature nor martial arts, he still has some principles and would not go so far as to make peace with the Jin invaders."

Dai Gao dared not respond to this, and pretended not to hear it: "But after the Grand Court Assembly, the Emperor summoned Minister Yu to the palace and asked if the preparations for the Northern Expedition were complete. This time, Minister Yu used almost every means possible, and used the matter of spring plowing as an excuse, before he finally stopped the Emperor from launching the Northern Expedition immediately."

At this point, Dai Gao took a deep breath for no apparent reason and said solemnly, "The day after Prime Minister Yu left the palace, rumors began to circulate in Lin'an that Prime Minister Yu had secretly made peace with the Jin invaders and was supporting them for his own benefit."

“Everyone in the Song Kingdom is getting impatient.” Liu Huai held the letter and sighed, “That’s right. Prime Minister Yu has been holding back for two years, preparing for two years, and spending countless amounts of money and grain. In the end, he has to give the court an explanation.”

Dai Gao nodded in agreement, but showed no sign of frustration or fear. Instead, he said solemnly, "Commander Liu is right. We have been conserving our strength for two years. We must report to the Emperor and the people."

Faced with such bold words, Liu Huai simply smiled and shook his head: "Go on."

Dai Gao: "There is another matter. Zhang Jun seems to be very close to the retired emperor and has married one of his grandsons to Yang Yizhong's grandson."

Liu Huai was once again amazed.

After the Huaixi Mutiny, Zhao Gou was so angry that he vowed that he would rather lose the country than use Zhang Jun again. Why are the two of them now working together again?
However, upon further reflection, Zhang Jun had served under Zhao Gou for decades, and Zhao Gou was an extremely intelligent man; he couldn't possibly be unaware of Zhang Jun's true character.

But at this point, Zhao Gou was no longer the emperor; the emperor was Zhao Shen. Could it be that Zhao Gou wanted to sabotage the Northern Expedition by promoting Zhang Jun as the leader of the pro-war faction?
After thinking about it for a moment, Liu Huai still felt that it was a bit too much of a conspiracy theory.

"continue."

"The fourth thing is that Wu Lin, the Grand Commandant of Guanzhong, sent good news on New Year's Day. He has recovered Fengxiang Prefecture. Zhang Congjin, the General Commander of the Weiyong Army, has defected. The Jin bandits are no longer easy to defeat. We hope that Xiangfan and Lianghuai can send troops to cooperate."

Upon hearing this news, Liu Huai and the others finally realized why Yu Yunwen had suddenly lost control of the pro-war faction in the court.

Because Wu Lin said that the Jin state was easily defeated.

Because Wanyan Yong clearly intended to sell out Wanyan Liang, and Henan was indeed vulnerable.

Because the position of Jianghuai Pacification Commissioner is about to become vacant, Yu Yunwen is unsure whether he can continue to control the military and political affairs of the two Huai regions.

Because Zhang Jun is very likely to rise to power soon.

Several factors combined to create a political upheaval that swept in like a raging storm. Yu Yunwen, not being the sole prime minister, simply could not suppress it.

“That’s not right,” Lu You frowned and asked, “If Grand Commandant Wu said that the Jin bandits in Guanzhong are no match for him, then why is he urging Lianghuai and Xiangfan to send troops?”

Liu Huai smiled and shook his head: "Naturally, it's because the Jin bandits are not so easily defeated. Otherwise, Chencang had already been captured, so why didn't Grand Commandant Wu sweep through Guanzhong? But Grand Commandant Wu couldn't help but claim that he was winning one victory after another, because he was afraid that the court would order the withdrawal of troops from Guanzhong."

Upon hearing this, Lu You could only sigh repeatedly.

Liu Huai then looked at Dai Gao: "General Dai, is there anything else you would like to say?"

Dai Gao shook his head: "No more."

“Very well, but I have a question.” Liu Huai said seriously, “When the troops from Lianghuai go out to fight the Jin invaders, it will ultimately be you generals who will fight them. Are you afraid or apprehensive?”

Dai Gao remained silent for a moment, but did not answer directly. Instead, he asked about something else: "Commander Liu, do you still remember Commander Sheng Xin, who died in battle to destroy the Caishiji pontoon bridge?"

"Naturally remember."

“A few days ago, in order to attend the grand court assembly, I followed Minister Yu down the river and had a dream on the boat.”

"I dreamt of Lao Sheng."

Liu Huai remained silent for a moment before saying, "I remember you said that before the Battle of Caishi, the five of you were just nodding acquaintances. And in those days of panic, no one was in the mood for a deeper friendship."

Dai Gao nodded: "That's right. I'm not afraid to tell you, Commander Liu, but I've forgotten what that guy looks like. He's a blur in my dreams, but I know he's Old Sheng."

“I told him that we had won a great victory in Lianghuai, that his death was not in vain, and that we had finally defeated the Jin invaders.”

"But he asked me, 'Have we truly and completely defeated the Jin invaders?'"

"I still couldn't answer this question even after I woke up from the dream."

"Commander Liu, I don't know about the others, but the battle in Lianghuai was so fierce that many of our brothers, comrades, and close friends were killed or wounded. I was determined to fight the Jin invaders to the death."

"For the past two years, we have been preparing for war and have not dared to relax for a single day, all for the day when we can avenge ourselves against the Jin invaders, capture their chieftain alive, and bring them to justice."

Liu Huai listened quietly, and after a moment he smiled and said, "Now I finally understand why Lord Yu sent you to deliver this message."

Immediately, Liu Huai said solemnly, "Go back and tell Prime Minister Yu that since this is a northern expedition by the Han people, I will absolutely not sit idly by and watch the tigers fight. Even if we cannot join forces with the Song army, we will fight the Jin invaders with all our might. Tell Prime Minister Yu to rest assured."

Dai Gao nodded emphatically: "With these words from the Commander-in-Chief, the Northern Expedition is within our grasp!"

After saying this, Dai Gao drank the already cold tea in one gulp, then stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and left without even eating a bite of food.

(End of this chapter)