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

Chapter 740 My Ambition Remains Undiminished by Age

On May 25th, the exact results of the Battle of Daming Prefecture finally reached even more distant places.

Wanyan Yong was the first to receive a detailed military report.

His reaction remained calm, and he commanded with composure in front of the accompanying civil and military officials. He immediately announced that Wanyan Guying should mobilize troops to cross the Fukou Pass and threaten the Han army from a superior position.

Subsequently, Wanyan Yong ordered Marshal Wanyan Sijing, Right Vice Commander, to lead 20,000 Jin troops, including Wanyan Suge and Wanyan Zongning, south from Youyan to reinforce the troops along the Hejian Prefecture line.

Five thousand of the more than ten thousand troops accompanying the emperor from Hejian Prefecture were dispersed to gather the fleeing soldiers who had fled north.

Despite the crushing defeat suffered by Heshilie Zhining, Wanyan Yong still trusted him implicitly. Despite opposition, he prioritized the preservation of Daming Prefecture and the heavy casualties inflicted on the Shandong bandits, and rewarded Heshilie Zhining handsomely.

Although Heshilie Zhining's official rank was not promoted, Wanyan Yong immediately elevated his title to Duke of Dingguo and granted his wife and children special privileges as encouragement.

However, after Wanyan Yong finished the court meeting in a seemingly relaxed manner and left his seat, Wanyan Fushou, who was standing behind Wanyan Yong, clearly saw that the hardcover document on the table was almost crushed.

Wanyan Yong was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.

It makes sense. After a day of fighting, only 20,000 of the 60,000 troops remained in formation. The rest either fled, died, or surrendered. Who could bear that?
It can only be said that Wanyan Yong's restraint in not spitting blood and roaring, "Heshilie Zhining, give me back my legion!" is already quite remarkable.

The reason why Wanyan Yong still trusted Heshilie Zhining was twofold: firstly, Daming Prefecture still had 20,000 elite troops, which could not be ignored; secondly, and most importantly.

Wanyan Yong deduced from military reports received through various channels that, apart from Heshilie Zhining, who did not commit all his resources at the last moment, all other Jin troops were truly fighting desperately.

Neither side employed any fancy tactics or ingenious strategies on the main battlefield; instead, they engaged in fierce, head-on clashes, and the Han army relentlessly crushed the Jin army.

Who can we blame for this?

All Wanyan Yong could do at this time was to try his best to maintain morale and save the 20,000 troops in Daming Prefecture.

However, no matter how good Wanyan Yong's plan was, it still had to be executed by people. With so many people involved, some would naturally have other ideas.

That very night, the local people of Hejian Prefecture, who had received the news long ago and were waiting for Wanyan Yong to make a move, raised the Han flag and started an uprising on the spot after the Jin army set off. They besieged the palace, hoping to capture Wanyan Yong directly and make an unparalleled contribution.

Of course, the outcome of this uprising was predictable.

The main Jin army could not defeat the Han army, but that was only because they could not defeat the Han army. They were more than capable of dealing with some militia. Soon, the imperial guards launched an attack and directly repelled the rebel army.

The rebel army had no political program, and they gathered quickly but also dispersed just as fast, soon scattering and fleeing in all directions.

Although it may seem like a false alarm, this is not just a military issue, but also a serious political one.

Wanyan Yong was eager to know why the people of Hejian Prefecture would take such a desperate gamble, even daring to storm the imperial palace.

Has the main force of the Han army already moved in?

Under interrogation, Wanyan Yong got the answer he wanted.

The reason why Hejian Prefecture was in turmoil at this time was very simple: it was because the main forces of the Han and Jin armies were engaged in a decisive battle, and the Han army had completely crushed the Jin army in a fierce head-on attack.

Such strength is enough to entice the powerful officials and wealthy families of Hejian Prefecture to take a gamble.

Wanyan Yong immediately realized that after news of the Battle of Daming Prefecture spread, the people's hearts in various places became unstable, and at least in Hejian Prefecture, the people's hearts were also in turmoil.

At the urging of his ministers, Wanyan Yong left Wanyan Fushou to continue guarding Hejian Prefecture, and then led three thousand soldiers to retreat again.

Wanyan Yong's actions triggered a chain reaction, and even places that were originally relatively stable began to fall into chaos.

However, the Jin state was helpless, since the Jin army had truly suffered a defeat.

Around the same time, news of the victory spread throughout Shandong with the announcement of the triumph. The people of Shandong were overjoyed, and the complete official document was delivered to Wei Sheng.

"Good! Good! Good!" Wei Sheng exclaimed three times, beaming with joy.

Li Huo'er, Yu Yuan, Yu Chi Mingyue, and Zhou Xinglie, the military commander of Xuzhou, were all old brothers of Wei Sheng. After reading the victory report, they were all overjoyed.

"So... so, we old folks, in our lifetime, will actually see a unified nation and a harmonious country?" Li Huo'er read the document over and over, her heart overflowing with emotion, tears welling in her eyes, her voice trembling with emotion. Yu Yuan stretched out his legs and patted Li Huo'er's shoulder forcefully, laughing heartily, "On such a joyous day, why is Second Brother Li acting like a child?"

Li Huo'er simply shook her head, stroking the document: "I never expected, I really never expected, that the eldest son would be so efficient, taking care of the Jin bandits so easily, he's practically a reincarnation of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. Brother, when you found the eldest son that day, was there really nothing extraordinary about it?"

Wei Sheng was stroking his long beard and sighing, but he didn't expect Li Huo'er to steer the conversation to this point, leaving him somewhat amused and exasperated.

However, before Wei Sheng could refute, Yu Yuan loudly proclaimed, "Hasn't our elder brother told us about what happened that day several times? The farewell on the Huai River in winter, with white fish leaping from the boat—isn't that miraculous enough? If you ask me, the river god or dragon king was probably protecting our young master on that day!"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, but after a moment, they all began to hesitate.

Even Wei Sheng stroked his long beard, squinted, and wondered if there were any gods or Buddhas he hadn't noticed that day.

However, firstly, it had indeed taken quite a long time, and secondly, Wei Sheng was just a junior officer at the time, so how could he have thought so much?
Wei Sheng shook his head, banishing the chaotic thoughts from his mind. He then took the military report back from Li Huo'er and read it carefully again. After a long while, he said, "It's a pity that we couldn't achieve complete success! We actually let 20,000 Jin cavalrymen return to Daming Prefecture."

Zhou Xinglie, who had been silent all along, shook his head and sighed, "There's nothing we can do. The eldest son's cavalry is already few in number. If the Jin bandits are determined to escape, how can we stop them?"

Wei Sheng nodded: "A Lie saw the crux of the problem at a glance. Da Lang's cavalry is a bit lacking."

The other four were not fools either, and they immediately knew what Wei Sheng was planning to do.

Naturally, the Flying Tiger Army, based in Jeju, was to be mobilized to head north to Daming Prefecture to assist Liu Huai in besieging the city.

However, Li Huo'er and the others did not immediately speak up to stop them, but instead weighed the pros and cons in their minds.

To be honest, it's really going too far to just let an elite force sit and watch the show during a major battle.

Although the Shandong rebels are powerful now, they are still in the early stages of their development. They are using all their strength and leaving two elite cavalry units idle is a wasteful and profligate act.

After Heshi Lieliangbi led 10,000 troops south, he initially aroused Wei Sheng's vigilance. However, it seemed that he was really there to contain the Han army. After setting up camp in Bozhou, he refused to move an inch.

Bozhou was caught in a pincer movement between Jizhou, Suzhou, and Xuzhou. If it weren't for the rainy season, which put the Song army in a difficult situation and prevented Wei Sheng from coordinating with them, Wei Sheng might have already taken action to eliminate Heshi Lie Liangbi.

Of course, the prior agreement with Liu Huai not to take the initiative was also the reason why Wei Sheng remained restrained.

However, times have changed. Back then, Xuzhou had to defend and adapt to changing circumstances because Liu Huai wanted to fight a decisive battle in Hebei. But should we still be so conservative now?

Li Huo'er remained silent for a moment before saying, "Brother, even if the Flying Tiger Army goes to Hebei, Xuzhou and Suzhou will still be in a pincer movement. Zhang Anguo, the military commander of Suzhou, is a fierce general of the Tianping Army. With our army of more than 10,000 men, how could we be afraid of Heshi Lie Liangbi?"

Wei Sheng nodded: "So, you also think that the Flying Tiger Army and the White Horse Army should be sent to assist Dalang?"

Li Huo'er shook her head vigorously: "The Flying Tiger Army's stationing in Jizhou was decided by the eldest son to protect you, elder brother. If I were to offer any advice, wouldn't I offend the eldest son? The big decision must be made by you, elder brother."

For a military leader, there is no means to increase prestige faster than winning battles. At this time, Liu Huai's prestige was already established, and even veteran generals like Li Huo'er had to be afraid of him.

Upon hearing this, Wei Sheng was both amused and exasperated, shaking his head repeatedly: "You lot..."

After laughing a few times, Wei Sheng pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Those 20,000 cavalrymen in Daming Prefecture are all elite troops of the Jin Kingdom. If we cannot take advantage of their low morale after the great defeat, coupled with the Jin bandits' blunder in besieging Daming Prefecture, to annihilate them in one fell swoop, who knows how many more will have to die to wipe them out after they return to the rear and rest."

Furthermore, although the Jin bandits suffered heavy losses, they were not completely wiped out and still had some reinforcements. Da Lang besieged Yuan City, and if he wasn't careful...

As for us here, unless the main force of the Jin army attacks Xuzhou, the Flying Tiger Army will be stuck in Jizhou, completely useless. In my opinion, this risk is worth taking.”

Seeing the solemn expressions on the faces of the others, Wei Sheng smiled and said, "Why do you all look like this? Fuli is a fortified city, and Pengcheng is an even more fortified city, and it is also in a pincer movement. Even if Heshi Lieliangbi and that Pusan ​​Zhongyi join forces, how can they take it without a siege of several months? That much time is enough for Dalang to resolve the affairs of Hebei and support Xuzhou."

Li Huo'er and the others pondered for a while, then nodded repeatedly.

Xuzhou is indeed foolproof; there's no way the Jin invaders could gain any advantage here.

"However, Guan Chongyan, also known as Guan Qilang, is a confidant of the eldest son. The eldest son probably has other instructions. I am worried that after receiving the eldest brother's military order, he will stay in Jizhou and dare not make any rash moves."

Wei Sheng smiled and shook his head, then unfolded a blank document: "Even if I am incompetent, I still hold the title of Marshal of Shandong. In addition, I am in charge of the southern battlefield. How could I not be able to mobilize an army?"

(End of this chapter)