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

Chapter 705 North Attacks, South Defenses: Each Fighting Their Own Battle
"...That's what happened."

On March 10th, Wei Sheng stood on the watchtower of the Tangyi camp in Bozhou, listening to the intelligence report compiled by Liu Huai, his expression extremely complicated.

After a moment, Wei Sheng sighed and said, "Now that I think about it, it's truly regrettable that I only corresponded with Minister Ye and never got to meet him."

Liu Huai also sighed.

Historically, Ye Yiwen was supposed to have a few more years to live, but he passed away this year due to his weakened health caused by his travels in Lianghuai. This was truly unexpected.

Regardless, Ye Yiwen is now one of the leading figures of the pro-war faction, and he did indeed stabilize the situation in the Huai River region after Wanyan Liang's southern expedition, making him a truly meritorious figure.

"Now that the position of Pacification Commissioner of Jianghuai is vacant, in your opinion, who will take charge of the two Huai regions? Will it be Minister Yu?"

Liu Huai shook his head: "Prime Minister Yu is too inexperienced and too capable; he has no chance of becoming the Pacification Commissioner. The one who can govern Lianghuai is definitely that scoundrel Zhang Jun!"

This is a top-tier talent among the 'diligent idiots' type, but he's all talk and no action; he's bound to cause trouble.

Wei Sheng nodded in agreement: "So, the Northern Expedition of the Great Song Dynasty is now unstoppable?"

Liu Huai nodded in agreement: "It's already unstoppable. At the latest, after the spring planting season ends this year, the Song Kingdom will launch a northern expedition."

Wei Sheng turned to Liu Huai: "Brother, we can't delay any longer. Who's in the south and who's in the north? Have you made a decision, Brother?"

Even though he had known for a while that this question would come up, and had discussed it with many trusted advisors, Liu Huai still hesitated at this moment.

Both Shandong and the Song Dynasty had previously planned to test their strategic resolve against the Jin Dynasty, waiting until the two Jin states had engaged in a bloodbath before launching a northern expedition.

However, the current situation is that the two Jin states have stronger strategic resolve than the Song state. Wanyan Yong, facing his enemies who had oppressed him for more than a decade and forced his wife to commit suicide, actually refrained from taking action.

However, the State of Song could no longer contain itself due to the chain reaction caused by the Guanzhong War.

Ye Yiwen is important, yet not so important. He is merely the fuse; the powder keg of the Song Kingdom will explode sooner or later.

A new round of chaos and war is about to erupt across the land.

Shandong's terrain is shaped like a large funnel, so the Shandong rebels would face both the Central Plains and Hebei.

Indeed, the Song state's first phase of its northern expedition would never have pushed the battle line to the Yellow River, but judging from the posture that Wanyan Yong had adopted in Daming Prefecture, it did not seem like he intended to give up easily.

The Northern Expedition of the Song Dynasty turned into a mess in the Central Plains. Even if the Han Army in Shandong wanted to sit back and watch the tigers fight, they still had to leave some troops in Xuzhou to deal with any contingencies.

At that time, it would be a miracle if Wanyan Yong didn't seize the opportunity to send the Eastern Jin army south to attack Shandong.

Therefore, the northern front of the Han army was destined to be extremely difficult, because it was the main force of the Eastern Jin, which had also been resting and recuperating for a long time, was in high spirits, and was well-trained.

But their ally on the southern front was the Song army.

In a sense, the Song army, as an ally, was actually more dangerous, because you never knew when those high-ranking officials and generals would suddenly have a brain fart and betray you.

At this time, Shandong was a dual political system, so Liu Huai and Wei Sheng naturally needed to fight their own battles, one in the south and one in the north.

Liu Huai didn't care; whether it was scheming against the Song Dynasty or fighting head-on against the main force of the Jin army, it was nothing to him.

He finds endless joy in fighting with others and is not afraid at all.

However, Wei Sheng had to go to another direction to take charge of military affairs.

Wei Sheng would either face the overwhelming force of the Jin army or fight alongside the Song army, encountering unpredictable dangers.

Therefore, Liu Huai hesitated for many days and ultimately could not make up his mind.

He worried that no matter what choice he made, he would eventually regret it.

Seeing the hesitation and struggle on his adopted son's face, Wei Sheng couldn't help but laugh and pat Liu Huai on the shoulder: "Brother, do you really think I'm a sick man? Why won't you even let me command a detachment?"

Liu Huai was silent for a moment before finally saying, "If Father were ten years younger, I would never hesitate. But... Father, old age is no longer about physical strength, and you have suffered serious injuries and are only just recovering."

Wei Sheng said with a smile, "Since you think I am not up to the task, how about I stay and oversee Xuzhou?"

Liu Huai knew he had to make a choice no matter what, so he could only nod with difficulty: "However, I must also remind you that Father is on the southern front. He must not go into battle lightly. He should just stay in Xuzhou and rest."

After I have dealt with the Jin bandits in Hebei, I will go to Xuzhou to provide support and wipe out the Central Plains in one fell swoop!

Upon hearing this, Wei Sheng waved his hand and said, "Brother, we must not be hasty in military matters. This is very likely to be the decisive battle against the Jin invaders. If we make the slightest mistake, we will lose everything."

This is indeed the truth.

The side that is impatient in war is more likely to reveal its weaknesses. What has Shandong been doing for so long, conserving its strength?
Isn't it so that we can be more at ease when facing battle and not be troubled by issues such as supplies?
Liu Huai did not agree to Wei Sheng's request on the spot, but instead asked, "Father, if you were to be stationed in Xuzhou, how many troops would you need?"

Wei Sheng had already planned ahead: "I will lead the Loyal Army under Li Huo'er, Yu Yuan, and Yuchi Mingyue, totaling 8,000 regular troops, plus the local garrison troops, and defend without attacking. This will be enough to deal with the situation in the Central Plains."

Liu Huai thought it over carefully and said seriously, "It's still not enough. Father, you need to agree to a few more conditions. Otherwise, I would rather have Xin Qiji stationed in Xuzhou than have Father go to war."

Wei Sheng shook his head with a smile: "Sure enough, once a son grows up, he's no longer under his father's control, and he's even starting to boss around this old man. Oh well, since you're the one in charge, tell me."

Liu Huai smiled and said, "Father, you flatter me. A great battle is about to begin, and military matters will ultimately take precedence. I am not speaking to my father as a son, but as the military governor of the Jingnan Army to the marshal of the Shandong rebel army. I ask that the marshal must agree to my request and keep his word."

Wei Sheng said helplessly, "Brother, don't be so serious. Just say what you have to say."

Liu Huai held up one finger: "First, no matter what orders the Song state issues, the marshal must not rashly participate in the war, otherwise he will become a stepping stone for the Song generals."

Seeing that Wei Sheng seemed to want to refute, Liu Huai interrupted him directly: "It's not impossible. I had a falling out with Liu Bao, a general of the Song State. This cowardly villain didn't dare to retaliate against me, so how could he not dare to use dirty tricks against my father? You should know that a gentleman can be deceived by his principles."

Wei Sheng smiled and shook his head: "I've actually become a gentleman, but if we follow what you say, wouldn't I be forced to remain a bystander in this battle? Wouldn't that be a breach of my duty as a subject?"

Liu Huai was afraid that Wei Sheng would be too stubborn on this point, so he quickly said, "There is only one situation in which the Marshal can go into battle. That is when Prime Minister Yu Yunwen comes to the army in person and marches with the Marshal. Only then will it be feasible."

"When the time comes, Lord Yu will take care of Song's dirty deeds. Marshal, you only need to focus on fighting."

Liu Huai trusted Yu Yunwen, not because he had confidence in Yu's political integrity, but because if Yu Yunwen still wanted to check Liu Huai and control Shandong, he would not allow Wei Sheng to get into trouble.

It can be said that, at this point, Wei Sheng's political significance far outweighs his military capabilities.

"Furthermore, Marshal, there is no need to worry that Prime Minister Yu will be defeated in this political upheaval, because Prime Minister Yu is still the Emperor's confidant. The Emperor still needs such a knowledgeable military commander to check Zhang Jun in the army. His position is as stable as Mount Tai."

After pondering for a moment, seeing that Liu Huai's words could not be swayed, Wei Sheng could only stroke his beard and nod helplessly: "Then let's do as you say, young master. However, I am not one to fear war. I will write this matter into an official document and submit it to Prime Minister Yu."

Liu Huai retorted to Wei Sheng again: "No, Marshal, I should be the one to write this document."

Wei Sheng was even more helpless: "Whatever you say."

Liu Huai breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued, "Secondly, I have Guan Chongyan lead three thousand Flying Tiger Army soldiers and Xiao Pennu lead three thousand White Horse Army soldiers to garrison Jizhou, giving them the authority to march independently, in order to connect the north and the south."

Wei Sheng frowned and did not agree immediately.

The Flying Tigers, as the elite of the Shandong rebels, had grown to three thousand men after several rounds of expansion, and each man had four horses, including two main warhorses.

These three thousand armored cavalrymen were all brave warriors equipped with three sets of armor. Not only were they fully armored, but a thousand of them also had leather or iron half-body armor, making them the Han army's version of the Iron Pagoda.

The Flying Tigers rarely went into battle alone; they were always accompanied by a light cavalry force of about three thousand men, who served as auxiliary troops in peacetime and as scouts in wartime.

This light cavalry unit was called the White Horse Army. It was led by Xiao Pennu, Yelü Xingge's former deputy general. The knights were all naturalized Khitans, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and had a ruthless fighting style.

Liu Huai's arrangement at this time was equivalent to placing six thousand cavalry in Jizhou as the general reserve force.

Moreover, since Liu Huai had made this arrangement, he would definitely have secretly instructed Guan Chongyan to closely observe the situation in Xuzhou. This was equivalent to providing Wei Sheng with a sense of security without hurting his pride.

Even if they suffer a crushing defeat, having an elite cavalry force like the Flying Tigers at their disposal would greatly increase their chances of survival.

The key point is that Liu Huai is a renowned cavalry general. Without these six thousand cavalrymen, the chances of victory on the battlefield will be greatly reduced, and the danger will be much greater.

Wei Sheng shook his head decisively: "I cannot do as you say. The Huaibei region has a dense network of waterways, and the Flying Tiger Army would be of no use there. They are much more useful in Hebei."

Liu Huai also spread his hands and said, "Then Father should stay in Yizhou and keep watch. I'll go and call Xin Wulang."

As he spoke, Liu Huai made a move to leave.

Wei Sheng quickly grabbed Liu Huai and said through gritted teeth, "Then it's your way!"

Only then did Liu Huai nod in satisfaction.

With the fortified city of Xuzhou to defend and elite cavalry to provide support from the outside, he believed that even if the city were besieged, Wei Sheng could hold out for several months without any problem.

With these few months, Liu Huai was confident he could find an opportunity to wipe out Wanyan Yong's main force under the walls of Yuancheng!
Seeing Liu Huai's confident appearance, Wei Sheng frowned and said, "Eldest son, this marriage will have to be postponed again. I will try to appease A-Jun for you, but after this battle, you must get married no matter what. Keep it simple, it's really not right for the two of you to keep dragging it out like this."

Liu Huai nodded emphatically upon hearing this: "Father is right. After this great battle is over, I will go back to Yizhou to get married."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Huai was slightly taken aback.

Isn't it a bit too ominous to say this before a major battle?
(End of this chapter)