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

Chapter 755 The people of Hebei, living near the two borders, endured long and bitter hardships.

Just as the situation in Huaibei had become a complete mess and was heading in an even more chaotic direction, the situation in Hebei seemed to have become quite clear.

Putting aside everything else, just in terms of numbers alone, the Han army under Liu Huai's command had become extremely large at this time.

Not only did various rebel armies come to gather, but many rebel armies that had risen up in previous years and were swept away by the Jin army into the Taihang Mountains also came to Daming Prefecture to obey Liu Huai's orders.

The Han army suddenly had an abundance of manpower, so much so that Liang Su even dismissed a group of laborers from Shandong and sent them home to farm.

The reason why the number of Hebei rebels was so large was that after Wanyan Liang began to levy heavy taxes and levies on the southern expedition, the Daming Prefecture and several surrounding military prefectures had not had a good life for many days.

Since last spring's planting season, northern Hebei has at least recovered some of its vitality under the alternating rule of Shi Ju and He Shi Lie Liangbi.

However, the closer one gets to southern Hebei, the more dire the situation becomes, as it is on the front lines of military confrontation; the phrase "misery is not even an adjective" is apt.

Otherwise, where would so many Hebei migrants come from in Bortala Prefecture?
Otherwise, why would Wang Youzhi, the chief steward stationed in Bozhou, think he could become the elder brother of all the martial artists in Hebei?
When Liu Huai personally led the six armies, under the banner of "expelling the Tartars, restoring China, establishing order and discipline, and saving the people," and marched north to Hebei, it was not surprising to see scenes of people welcoming the royal army with food and drink.

Of course, many of the people who were helping the elderly and children were in abject poverty, and at most they could only bring a pot of water. Liu Huai had to solve their actual food needs.

Food is the most important thing for people, and food has always been a matter of paramount importance.

Liang Su led his staff in a concerted effort, piecing together supplies from various sources, and finally managed to fill the gap by using military rations, spoils of war, and some grain contributed by local powerful families.

The Han army could not support these people indefinitely. Taking advantage of the siege, Liu Huai simply transferred officials from the rear to work with military judges and advisors to organize the people to set up settlements. While it was still early June, they replanted crops such as radishes, turnips, and alfalfa.

In this process, measuring, dividing, and allocating land became a matter of course.

When Xiao Qi, the Shandong Provincial Governor of the Imperial Pastures, personally led five hundred horses to Hebei, he witnessed this bustling scene.

"Put in your labor to keep production going."

"Endure the sweat of summer to earn a warm and well-fed winter."

"Self-reliance in production benefits both oneself and the people."

"Pay the government taxes, set aside enough for next year's planting, and take the rest for yourself."

Xiao Qi looked at the large white characters on the earthen wall of the village she passed by, somewhat surprised: "Who wrote all of this?"

The person who came to greet Xiao Qi was a young military advisor named Shi Wang. He was a top student from the Weixue Literacy Class, had also experienced actual combat and made meritorious contributions. At this time, he was being assessed in the central command of the army, and could be considered to have a bright future.

Shi Wang glanced at it and smiled: "It was drafted by the Commander-in-Chief and written by the heads of various villages and towns. There are similar slogans in villages, markets and towns. A few days ago, I also wrote a lot with a broom dipped in lime."

Xiao Qi looked at the young man in front of him, then stroked his white beard and laughed, "How many people in Hebei can read? Even if these slogans are written everywhere, how many people will know them?"

Shi Wang said seriously, "Commander Xiao is mistaken. Even if there are few literate people in Hebei, there are still some. And even if the people were illiterate before, it is still a gain to teach them these words through these slogans."

These slogans were also promises made by the government. If they could make the people feel that literacy was a great thing from then on, it would be enough to make up for all the hard work they had done recently.

Xiao Qi was initially humiliated by a young man's rebuttal, but as a surrendered official, even if he was being used legitimately, he couldn't afford to clash with a military staff that was clearly a reserve force of generals and officials.

But when he heard the last part, Xiao Qi fell silent and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Since ancient times, the question of with whom a ruler shares the world has been a very serious one.

To put it simply, who exactly qualifies as a human being?

As for the Song state, it goes without saying that the emperor and the scholar-officials shared power.

On the Jin side, there were the Jurchens (first-class), the Xi, Bohai, Khitan, and Goryeo (second-class), and the Han people (third-class).

In other words, in this world today, only the Jurchens and the scholar-officials can be considered human beings; the rest are either half-human or simply cattle, horses, and weeds.

At this moment, Xiao Qi was surprised to find that Liu Huai had a huge number of people under his command.

Moreover, Liu Huai was even trying his best to increase the number of people.

Take the current situation, for example. To put it bluntly, a group of starving people are dying. Who would care if they died?

However, my own son not only made public political promises, but also whitewashed them everywhere, even hoping to have some literacy effect, which is really unbelievable.

As Xiao Qi thought of this, her thoughts suddenly shifted to another topic.

What matters in the struggle for power?
It was simply a matter of having a large army, abundant supplies, complete armor and weapons, and a great deal of wealth.

But soldiers are made up of people, food is grown by people, armor is forged by people, and wealth is woven by people.

In the end, it all comes down to which side has more people.

If things continue like this, which side will be able to match the numbers under Liu Dalang's rule?

Thinking of this, Xiao Qi became even more cautious in his words and pointed in another direction.

"What is Shi Canjun doing there?"

Shi Wang shaded his eyes with his hand and glanced over: "Oh, that side is simple too."

In this great battle of Daming Prefecture, the army has been moving back and forth so frequently that the fields have been trampled away. Now, the people are asking the officials to decide how to redistribute the fields for cultivation.

"Look, this will be the area for a settlement of one hundred households; it must not be divided haphazardly."

Shi Wang then pointed to another piece of land across a small river.

Xiao Qi nodded, but then asked with some doubt, "Is it just a civilian settlement?"

Shi Wang said, "Now it's just civilian settlement. I know what Governor Xiao is thinking. He's just worried about the situation of officials having 60% of the land and civilians having 40% of the land, like during the Cao Wei and Five Dynasties periods."

However, the eldest son had already made a decision: within two to three years, the civilian settlements would be gradually disbanded and brought under the jurisdiction of the local government.

There's nothing we can do about it now. The fields have been lying fallow for so long; how can ordinary people possibly cultivate new land by simply sweeping the snow in front of their own doors?

Xiao Qi nodded repeatedly.

The establishment of civilian settlements was essentially a government-organized effort to reclaim wasteland. While the initial intentions were generally good, the implementation often went awry.

In border areas, where there is a real survival crisis, the situation for civilian and military settlements is somewhat better. However, in the interior, it has become an important means for the government to exploit the people.

When Cao Wei first established military agricultural colonies, civilian colonies were taxed as military colonies. During Cao Cao's time, the tax rate for civilian colonies was already 50-60%. In the later period of Cao Wei, the tax rate for civilian colonies in some areas even reached 80%.

The common people in the settlements were no longer considered tenant farmers, but rather resembled serfs.

As a noble Khitan, Xiao Qi was deeply influenced by Sinicization and naturally knew how easily things like military settlements could be corrupted. He originally wanted to remind Liu Huai, but upon hearing that the central government had already reached a decision, he kept quiet.

Shi Wang, unaware of Xiao Qi's inner thoughts, continued to sigh, "These days, not only are the people below extremely busy, but anyone who can read, write, and do arithmetic has been sent out, and even the eldest son occasionally comes to help with paperwork."

Xiao Qi was taken aback upon hearing this, and couldn't help but look up at Yuancheng, saying with some hesitation, "Has the eldest son not attacked the city these past few days?"

Shi Wang shrugged and said, "How could there not be? It's just that we didn't use the most drastic methods."

My eldest son explained this to us a couple of days ago. Military affairs are a continuation of politics; now that our army has achieved military victory, it is time to launch a political offensive. He also said, "Don't underestimate this matter; it is also part of the war."

Xiao Qi was a little confused, but the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Combined with his own experience in the military, he suddenly realized something.

The two chatted as they arrived at the main camp, where the person in charge of logistics was already waiting. After the handover was completed, Xiao Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where is the eldest son now? I must personally report to him."

"Then please follow me, Officer Xiao."

The two rode their horses across the old course of the Yellow River, where they saw banners waving and people bustling about. Among them were not only armored soldiers and cavalry, but also many scholars in plain clothes and people who looked like local tycoons.

Xiao Qi asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

Shi Wang said in a low voice, "Isn't this a case of heroes from all directions coming to surrender on their own initiative? Including the laborers, the army once numbered over 200,000. With so many people from Hebei, naturally some people felt that they could use their numbers to negotiate with the young master."

Hmph, they really don't know anything. However, they are just stupid after all; they can still grasp the important issue of resisting the Jin, so dealing with them is still a bit troublesome.

Therefore, the eldest son will demonstrate his military might here.

Shi Wang pointed to the old course of the Yellow River that he had just crossed on the pontoon bridge behind him.

Although the area had dried up due to the Yellow River changing its course, it was still a riverbed with some elevation differences. Therefore, the Jin army set up camps here to block the Han army's attack.

The Han army dispatched its vanguard to break through the defenses and then pushed the battle line back to the Jin army's main camp.

This place is only a mile from Yuancheng, separated only by the Yongji Canal. It can be said that as long as this Jin army camp is destroyed, the Han army can establish an siege camp on the east side of Yuancheng.

However, the camp in front of the Han army was not so easy to capture, as there were still about five thousand defenders inside. Behind them, there was a pontoon bridge over the Yongji Canal, which allowed the cavalry to move quickly.

Xiao Qi could tell from the battlefield that the Jin cavalry in Yuancheng had probably already assembled and were just waiting for the Han army to storm the camp so they could strike hard from the flank and rear.

The Han army, apart from several hundred armored cavalry, consisted of only five thousand armored soldiers, whose banners appeared to be those of the Vanguard Army and the newly renamed Eastern Navy.

Although these were all elites, Xiao Qi still felt that Liu Huai was being a bit too arrogant.

Leaving aside the more than 20,000 Jin cavalry, the local Han garrison troops of Daming Prefecture were trained by Wanyan Shoudao and had fought hard battles with Wanyan Liang and Geng Jing's army.

Whether these Han soldiers were coerced, wholeheartedly devoted to serving the Jin Dynasty, or waiting for a better price, the fact is that they did not waver in the face of Liu Huai's persuasion to surrender.

If the Han army attacked the camp with the same number of troops, it wouldn't necessarily be able to win, but it would very likely lose many soldiers, which would be extremely unwise.

"Commander Xiao, the eldest son summons you."

Xiao Qi was still observing the battlefield situation, hesitating whether to offer advice, when he heard someone calling him. He dared not delay and immediately spurred his horse toward a high ground.

Upon arriving at the high ground, Xiao Qi discovered that Liu Huai was not riding a horse, but instead sitting imposingly on a stool.

Seeing Xiao Qi approach, Liu Huai turned around and smiled, "Old Xiao, you must have had a long journey."

Xiao Qi immediately dismounted, knelt on one knee, holding a document and a token in his hands, and said, "I surrender the order."

Liu Huai took the document and token and said with a smile, "Old Xiao, please sit here for a moment and watch the battle with me."

Xiao Qi quickly agreed. He carefully sat down on the stool and only then had time to look down.

From this vantage point, the view was clearly better, and he quickly spotted the four strange things in front of the armored warrior formation.

It appeared to be a pipe cast from gold and iron, about the thickness of a person's embrace, with a bronze-colored surface.

Liu Huai's gaze also fell on the four treasures, and then looked at the Jin army camp about two hundred paces away.

"Everyone's here, let's begin!"

At Liu Huai's command, several hundred cavalrymen on both flanks sprang into action, but instead of approaching the Jin army camp, they split up to the left and right, running further and further away.

Before Xiao Qi could figure out what was going on, Liu Huai pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, tore it in half, and handed it to Xiao Qi: "Old Xiao, there will be thunder in a moment, so cover your ears."

Xiao Qi immediately waved his hand in refusal. After all, a martial artist must always demonstrate his prowess. His expression was solemn: "How can a true man fear thunder? This humble general..."

Before he could finish his grand pronouncements, Xiao Qi heard several loud rumbles, felt the ground shaking, and felt a sweet taste in his throat.

He instinctively tried to stand up with his knife, but lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Even though he was in such a state of disarray, no one paid him any attention, because someone else was even more confused.

The elite troops and the soldiers of the East Navy were disciplined and only slightly agitated before quieting down under the officers' reprimands.

The Hebei scholars, powerful figures, and wealthy merchants who had been invited to watch the battle erupted in cheers and shouts, and with several startled warhorses running amok, the situation became even more chaotic.

However, an officer quickly stepped forward, swung his sword, and severed the head of the frightened horse, raising it high: "Shut up! Anyone who dares to disrupt the army again will be executed!"

Under the suppression of the soldiers, the local tyrants of Hebei quickly calmed down and began to stare intently at the Jin army camp in the distance, where a huge commotion was coming from.

Xiao Qi involuntarily stood up, breathing heavily as he watched the cannon being reloaded, and then with a loud bang, the black iron ball was launched and smashed into the Jin army camp.

Xiao Qi shuddered involuntarily. As a veteran general, he suddenly realized that this weapon, which could launch iron balls the size of a human head with almost no effort, would surely change the battlefield.

He involuntarily turned to look at Liu Huai, but immediately realized his rudeness and quickly lowered his head in response.

Among the powerful families in Hebei who have gathered together, quite a few have taken similar actions.

The Han army displayed its military might in a very direct and arrogant manner, which directly surpassed everyone's imagination.

In the eyes of these powerful families in Hebei, Liu Huai was clearly conveying a message to them: whether or not they are there, it will not stop me from sweeping through Hebei; it will just take a little more effort.

Thinking of this, many powerful figures simply bowed their heads in submission, no longer daring to look at Liu Huai under the banner of 'Han'.

Liu Huai didn't have much inner turmoil; he simply plugged his ears and watched with a pang of heartache as the iron projectiles flew out of the cannon.

You don't know the value of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household; these iron lumps are all money!
But this kind of money can't be spared; the artillery's first official performance must be very spectacular.

Each of the four cannons fired thirty shells within half an hour, turning the Jin army camp into a sieve.

"Send out the armored soldiers. Go and capture the pontoon bridge."

After Liu Huai gave the order, he stopped looking at the battlefield and turned to go back to his command tent to deal with the documents. However, when he saw that the powerful men of Hebei and Xiao Qi were all silent and trembling, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Why do you have such expressions? This is a decisive victory, and we've practically wrapped up Yuancheng. Aren't you happy?"

The powerful families in Hebei who were nearby responded immediately, cheering and laughing, but their laughter was very dry and there was no joy in it at all.

Liu Huai didn't seem to mind, but simply gestured to Xin Qiji beside him, instructing him to continue leading the attack.

Afterwards, Liu Huai simply waved to Xiao Qi and left the battlefield with a few personal guards, seemingly unconcerned about the outcome of the confrontation.

(End of this chapter)