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

Chapter 707 An impregnable fortress

April 20th, Daming Prefecture.

On this day, Yuancheng, which had been incredibly noisy due to the gathering of a large army, became completely quiet.

Those arrogant generals also lowered their heads, straightened their armor and robes, and respectfully went three miles outside the city to greet the emperor.

Before noon, Wanyan Yong's imperial carriage slowly arrived, and all the civil and military officials of the Jin Dynasty knelt down and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Wanyan Yong stepped out of the huge carriage, exchanged a few pleasantries with the leader, Heshilie Zhining, and then mounted his imperial horse, heading towards Yuancheng.

After the civil and military officials arrived at what was originally the prefectural government office, now the imperial palace, they took their seats and began discussing official business.

But it was Heshi Liezhining who first launched an attack, glaring directly at Li Shi: "Prime Minister Li, is this how you act as prime ministers? How dare you let His Majesty come to Yuancheng!"

This place is only a hundred li from Liu Dalang, the bandit from Shandong, and only three hundred li from Pusan ​​Zhongyi of Bianliang. At such a distance, the cavalry can arrive in a day or two! If anything happens to His Majesty, you will not be able to atone for your sins even with a hundred deaths!

Li Shi remained silent.

Wanyan Yong was, after all, an emperor, and a powerful one at that. If he was determined to do something, how could Li Shi possibly stop him?!

At this moment, Heshilie Zhining was clearly using the attack on Li Shi as a means to show his loyalty to Wanyan Yong, forcing Li Shi to cooperate with Heshilie Zhining's performance.

However, he was also angry.

Although Heshi Lie Liangbi had also accompanied the emperor, Heshi Lie Zhi Ning did not dare to cause him any trouble, but instead made himself the target.

They really are bullies who prey on the weak!

"Zhining, don't blame your uncle." Wanyan Yong laughed and waved his hand to skip the topic: "My elite army is all here. Yuancheng is clearly the safest place in the world. With so many troops under your command, can't you even protect my life?"

Heshilie Zhining proudly cupped his hands and said, "The most elite 70,000 troops of the Great Jin have already assembled here. Let alone the Shandong bandit Liu Dalang, even if the Song Kingdom were to attack with its entire army, this humble general could still devour him for Your Majesty!"

The 70,000 troops mentioned by Heshilie Zhining were the main force. If we include the large number of auxiliary troops and laborers transporting grain, the Jin army at this time was likely already over 200,000.

This change occurred after the Jin state studied Liu Huai's past battles.

Because the Han army's fighting spirit was so strong, the conscripted soldiers were of no use other than wasting food.

Sending 10,000 conscripts to the battlefield would definitely intimidate the Song army and tie down their troops.

However, the Han army would often detach several hundred troops to defeat the conscripted soldiers from the front.

At that time, signing troops will not only fail to disrupt the enemy's formation, but will also disrupt one's own formation.

Hearing Heshilie Zhining's boastful words, Wanyan Yong waved his hand again and said, "If it were the Song army launching a northern expedition, let alone a general as gifted as Zhining, even I, who know nothing about military affairs, could handle it. But these are bandits from Shandong, and we need to use every means at our disposal to deal with them. Is Zhining confident?"

He Shilie Zhining nodded emphatically: "I am absolutely confident. The Shandong bandits' formation is full of loopholes. As long as we charge through and capture one or two towns, we can open up a gap. Then, whether we encircle Jinan Prefecture to the east or attack Xuzhou to the south, we can cut off the Shandong bandits' heavy troops in Bozhou from their retreat. At that time, the Shandong bandits will collapse without a fight."

Wanyan Yong laughed heartily, looking at Yelü Wowo, Jiagu Qingchen and other generals in the palace: "With your elite troops and fierce generals here, what is there to worry about in achieving great things?"

Upon the emperor's arrival, he naturally couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing.

After Wanyan Yong spoke about some military strategies and personally encouraged the generals, the banquet was ready.

Although there was no wine, the guests and hosts still enjoyed themselves immensely.

After the generals returned to their respective camps with their rewards, Wanyan Yong kept Heshilie Zhining and Heshilie Liangbi behind for a private discussion.

The saying goes that large meetings decide small matters, while small meetings decide big matters; now is the time to formally discuss major strategies.

Wanyan Yong rubbed his temples, his previous relaxed demeanor gone: "Zhining, now you need to tell me the truth, how long are you confident you can wipe out the Shandong bandits?"

After pondering for a moment, He Shilie Zhining gave a wry smile and said, "Ten months."

"Ten months?" Wanyan Yong was somewhat surprised.

Although Heshilie Zhining knew it would take a long time, he did not expect Wanyan Yong to act this way.

These days, it's common for it to take a year or two to conquer a city.

Now, the western part of Bozhou and Dongping Prefecture has become a cluster of fortified cities. No matter how fast the Jin army attacks, it will take some time to slowly dismantle the fortified cities.

Ten months is not just not enough time, it's extremely tight.

Heshi Lieliangbi said, "Zhining, the army is going on an expedition, and the money is flowing like water. The amount of grain and fodder is countless. Even if we can harvest some grain and fodder after the autumn harvest, if we cannot deal with the Shandong bandits within five months, we will have to temporarily withdraw our troops and make further plans."

He Shilie Zhining clenched his fists somewhat unwillingly: "However, if we lose this opportunity and allow the Song people and the Shandong bandits to join forces to sweep away the Central Plains, it will be even more difficult to fight next. At that time, Xuzhou will no longer be involved, and the Shandong bandits' troops will all come to Hebei."

Not only would it be more difficult to fight, but if the Song army were to push the battle line to the edge of the old course of the Yellow River, then the next battlefield would very likely be in Hebei.

After a long silence, Wanyan Yong finally said, "Couldn't it be faster?"

He Shilie Zhining shook his head and smiled bitterly: "There are some things I couldn't say during the general's meeting just now. The Shandong bandits have set up too large a formation. The entire northern part of Shandong is already impenetrable, with dense fortifications. It's not something that can be dealt with properly by just capturing one or two cities."

These words are quite different from what was said in the previous military council.

But these are all true. Liu Huai has now piled up his troops at the front line, clearly intending to fight a strategic decisive battle, which has left Shandong's rear vulnerable.

In theory, as long as we can break through these layers of fortifications and execute a strategic detour, we can wipe out the heavily armed Shandong group.

However, theory is theory, and practice is practice.

In recent days, Heshilie Zhining personally led his personal guards as scouts and even sent small-scale troops to conduct surprise attacks and probes.

He truly watched as Shandong's defense system gradually took shape and troops gradually gathered.

He Shilie Zhining was well aware of just how powerful this defense system was.

In short, the Jin state must adopt the momentum of a strategic decisive battle when dealing with the Shandong Han army, otherwise it can forget about winning.

"Does Lord Liangbi have anything else to say?" Seeing that Heshilie Zhining had nothing further to say, Wanyan Yong turned to Heshilie Liangbi and asked, "Is it about issuing a petition?"

Heshi Lieliangbi shook his head: "The local people's livelihood has just recovered a little, and it is already difficult to maintain the transportation of laborers. If we conscript soldiers again, we will not be able to supply the grain after the autumn harvest."

To be honest, whenever a foreign tribe invades the Central Plains, they always use the Han people as cannon fodder.

However, the Jin Dynasty had been established for so many years, yet it still regarded the signing of petitions as a system, which was truly unique.

Even if Heshi Lieliangbi wanted to set things right, he could only make changes gradually.

Heshi Lieliangbi placed his hand on the map and drew a line eastward along the Ji River: "Since General Zhining says that the Shandong bandits in the front are strong, what if we go east, through Jinan Prefecture, or even Dizhou and Binzhou, to bypass the main force of the Shandong bandits?"

He Shilie Zhining chuckled: "That means it's all or nothing. The logistics and supplies will be difficult to transport. Unless we directly conquer several famous cities and towns, we are very likely to run out of food."

"My lord, this is precisely why I hesitated to use this strategy before. This is a national war; we cannot act based on wishful thinking and hearsay."

He Shilie Zhining's words make sense.

The area where Hebei and eastern Shandong meet is called Cangzhou. It was the place where the Yellow River, like a dragon's tail, waded into the sea during the Song Dynasty. At that time, it was a large area of ​​saline-alkali land and swamps, with a sparse population, making it difficult to transport grain and fodder.

It was difficult for the Jin army to attack Shandong from this point, and it was also difficult for Shandong to attack the Jin state from this point; they were on equal footing.

“Since Your Majesty and Zhi Ning have no other options,” He Shi Lie Liangbi said solemnly, “then I will present my plan.”

As he spoke, Heshi Lieliangbi gestured southward with his hand.

“Since the Shandong bandits have amassed a large force in Bozhou, and Liu Dalang has also appeared here, then there must not be many troops in Xuzhou. I will personally lead the elite troops to look for opportunities there.”

Wanyan Yong fell silent.

To be honest, if this suggestion hadn't come from Heshilie Liangbi, Wanyan Yong would definitely have thought that this person wanted to defect to the enemy.

However, Heshi Lieliangbi's political stance is beyond question.

Even if some people had doubts, they all acknowledged this point after watching He Shi Lie Liang Bi's actions all along.

Heshilie Liangbi truly intended to dedicate himself to the Jin Dynasty until his dying breath.

He Shilie Zhining frowned and said, "Even if the Shandong bandits are incompetent, they can't possibly leave no troops in Xuzhou. How many elite troops will Prime Minister Liangbi take south to shake up the situation in Shandong?"

Heshi Lieliangbi: "It's not me who's shaking the situation, it's you. Didn't Zhining just say that Bozhou is hard to conquer? As long as I make some noise in Henan and mobilize Liu's troops, wouldn't Zhining have an opportunity to take advantage of the situation?"

Heshilie Zhining was unmoved by these words and pressed on again: "Lord Liangbi, how many troops do you need to march south?"

"Liu is not a Song person. If Lord Liangbi takes away a lot of troops, he might concentrate his forces and attack Daming Prefecture first."

"Daming Prefecture is far from Hejian Prefecture. I don't have the time or money to build it up like Bozhou. Yuancheng is impossible to hold. It might end up repeating the mistakes of Jinan Prefecture."

Heshi Lieliangbi held up one finger: "Ten thousand regular soldiers, but I want Jia Gu Qingchen to command them."

As he spoke, Heshi Lieliangbi cupped his hands to Wanyan Yong and said, "Prime Minister Shi Ju has been in Henan for over a year. Judging from the correspondence, he has already won over the hearts of Henan. If I could lead an army there now, then Henan would belong to Your Majesty. It would be a win-win situation."

Wanyan Yong was initially hesitant, but upon hearing this, his heart stirred slightly. He then hesitated before saying, "In that case, how about letting Qingchen make the trip? Liangbi is a pillar of the state and should not risk his life personally."

He Shilie Liangbi's tone became increasingly sincere: "Your Majesty, as early as last year, I made a pact with Prime Minister Shi that we would personally lead troops to Henan to participate in the war. In addition, the situation in Henan is complicated, with Song people, Shandong bandits, Pusan ​​Zhongyi, and our army. Only a senior minister can handle it properly. Although Jia Gu Qingchen is loyal and brave, he still needs time to hone his skills."

Wanyan Yong remained silent for a long while before leaning forward and grasping Heshi Lie Liangbi's hands: "Don't worry, Liangbi, I will definitely not let you fight alone. I will make appropriate decisions on the spot!"

Heshi Lieliangbi looked at the hands that were being held and said in a deep voice, "This is the second matter. Your Majesty should not stay in Daming Prefecture any longer. This place is truly dangerous. Liu Dalang of Shandong is unpredictable in his military tactics and may launch a direct attack at any time."

However, His Majesty cannot return to Daxing Prefecture; instead, he must remain in Hejian Prefecture to coordinate and support the troops at the front.

Wanyan Yong remained silent for a long while, then nodded emphatically: "What Prime Minister Liangbi said makes sense. This place will be handed over to Zhining."

He Shilie Zhining immediately stood up, cupped his hands in agreement.

Wanyan Yong also got up, seemingly ready to depart immediately.

However, before setting off, Wanyan Yong turned back to Heshilie Zhining and solemnly promised: "After this battle is over and Shandong and Henan are pacified, Zhining will be appointed as the Grand Marshal!"

(End of this chapter)