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

Chapter 758 Staying Single-Minded Amidst Change
As the saying goes, "ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring."

Once the Han army began to exert its efforts, the first to feel the impact were the Yuancheng garrison.

"boom!"

"boom!"

Amidst the booming of cannons, Heshilie Zhining arrived at the south of the city. He paused briefly at the foot of the city wall, and before his calm gaze, a watchtower built on the wall slowly collapsed, eliciting gasps of surprise from both the city walls and the surrounding area.

He Shilie Zhining had lost a lot of weight, his beard was unshaven, and he had dark circles under his eyes. The only thing that remained unchanged was that he was still tall, imposing, and dignified. He didn't seem to be trapped in the city at all; on the contrary, he seemed to be the victor.

This can certainly soothe the subordinates' tense emotions, but it's just wishful thinking.

Given that Yuancheng is well-supplied with resources, is located near a river with ample water, and has several calm and composed generals, the morale of the army should be quite high.

However, as the Han army continued to encircle the city and the camps outside the city were eliminated one by one, the area swept by the cavalry that went out of the city became smaller and smaller, and the morale of the army in the city inevitably continued to decline.

Yesterday, in particular, the fortress guarded by Zhao Yunqian, a famous figure from Hebei who rose from humble beginnings to become the military commander of Daming Prefecture, was blasted to pieces by the Han army's four iron pipes. Even Zhao Yunqian was dragged out by the Han army and beheaded on the spot. After that, the morale of the local garrison in Yuancheng plummeted.

The morale of the main Jin army forces also became low this morning.

"Marshal, this is the iron lump that crashed in." Just moments after the watchtower collapsed, a guard found the shell among the fallen wreckage, placed it in a basket, and brought it to Heshi Liezhining.

He Shilie Zhining took the bamboo basket and felt a slight weight in his hand.

His heart sank instantly.

It's no wonder the watchtower couldn't withstand such a heavy iron lump falling down.

No... Not only could the makeshift watchtowers not hold up, but even the gate towers and arrow towers made of brick and stone couldn't withstand it.

He Shilie Zhining looked up at the city wall, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Pass on my order: all soldiers should come down from the high place and wait on the city wall stairs."

Wanyan Shoudao reached out and touched the still-hot cannonball. As he withdrew his hand, he heard Heshi Liezhining's military order, and his brows furrowed: "Marshal, what if the Shandong bandits take advantage of the situation to attack, or come close to dig tunnels?"

He Shilie Zhining sighed and pointed to the city wall: "If we continue to force the soldiers to stay on the city wall, their morale will be completely gone in a couple of days. Just leave a few alert soldiers on the city wall to give signals when they see the Shandong bandits attacking the city."

Even with ladders and well curbs, the Shandong bandits can't possibly be faster than us.

As for the trenches and tunnels that were dug over, those could only be dealt with at night.

Wanyan Shoudao also sighed, but only three-tenths of it was because of the current situation; the rest was because the war had become something he couldn't understand.

"Marshal, let's break out now. The disaster of the three armies begins with hesitation. You have hesitated too many times."

Only Wanyan Shoudao could say these words now, but all he received in response was silence.

"Marshal... Zhi Ning, do you still think about protecting Daming Prefecture?"

"Given the Shandong bandits' current momentum and their newly developed gunpowder weapons, how many more days can we hold out?"

"To put it bluntly, Zhi Ning, since you didn't send out those 20,000 cavalrymen that day, then this was destined to happen today."

After a long silence, He Shi Lie Zhi Ning spoke amidst the renewed cannon fire: "Shou Dao, do you know that the Shandong bandits have already laid layers of ambushes outside the city? Even in the seemingly most secure north of the city, there is an elite cavalry waiting for us? Moreover, the places we can't see are probably already covered with deer antlers and crisscrossed with ravines."

Wanyan Shoudao finally lost his patience: "This is the reason I wanted to tell you. If we had returned north that day, even if we had suffered heavy losses, at least 10,000 elite troops could have escaped."

A few days ago, before the Shandong bandits' main cavalry force arrived, our army broke through the encirclement and was able to take several thousand cavalry with us.

But what about now? You must understand, the situation is getting worse every day. I don't know what you're waiting for, Zhining. If you keep waiting, your only way out will be gone.

At this point, Wanyan Shoudao's expression changed slightly: "You wouldn't be waiting for reinforcements, would you? Wanyan Sijing and Wanyan Guying? Forgive my bluntness, but I suspect the Shandong bandits have already laid a trap. Their arrival here is nothing short of walking into a snare and courting death!"

He Shilie Zhining nodded: "Of course I know about this. That's why the military order I sent through Zouma Langjun was to have them keep the Shandong bandits at bay on the periphery and absolutely not to directly participate in the battle."

Wanyan Shoudao breathed a sigh of relief, but then heard Heshilie Zhining continue, "Now, the gains and losses of each city and place in Daming Prefecture are no longer just a matter of the fate of the Great Jin Dynasty, but are related to the future of the entire Jurchen people."

What I'm waiting for isn't actually anything special about His Majesty's side. The military strength is limited, and the Khitans and Mongols also need to be guarded against. His Majesty is already powerless at this point.

"I am waiting for news from Prime Minister Liangbi and Wu Zhe."

While Wanyan Shoudao was somewhat enlightened, even more questions arose in his mind.

He Shilie Zhining continued to explain: "Now Wu Zhe and Liang Bi should already know that Daming Prefecture has been defeated. They are too far away to come and participate in the battle."

However, they will inevitably try to attack Xuzhou. If we cannot hold out in Daming Prefecture, and our army suffers heavy losses in a hasty breakout, then the main force of the Shandong bandits can easily move south to deal with Prime Minister Liangbi. "At that time, the last chance of the Great Jin Kingdom will be lost."

"If our army can hold out in Daming Prefecture, allowing Prime Minister Liangbi to calmly break through Xuzhou, we can then penetrate into the heart of Shandong, and the Shandong bandits will inevitably be thrown into chaos. When the Shandong bandits retreat, our army can then find a way to ambush and kill them, and we may be able to turn defeat into victory."

Wanyan Shoudao's cheeks twitched a few times.

The current situation is that it depends on whether Daming Prefecture or Xuzhou will be unable to hold out first.

The side that cannot withstand the pressure will lose not only military victory, but also the fate of its nation.

"But there are still Song troops in the Central Plains..."

He Shilie Zhining waved his hand and said, "The Song traitors are just a bunch of chickens and dogs. Perhaps Liangbi and Wuzhe have already easily dealt with them by now."

After a moment's thought, Wanyan Shoudao nodded in agreement. However, upon hearing the rumbling of the city walls once again, he couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder how long we can hold out here."

He Shi Lie Zhi Ning comforted him, "Shou Dao, I will not lie to you. I will also keep an eye on the battle situation. If it really doesn't work, the whole army will break out immediately."

Wanyan Shoudao nodded again: "It's good that Zhining is prepared. After all, you are the marshal and have a comprehensive view. I have nothing to say. However, our Jurchen men are alright, but the Han and Khitan people are all unstable. Zhining should also keep that in mind."

Heshilie Zhining looked at another watchtower that was already on the verge of collapse, and pulled Wanyan Shoudao away before saying, "I believe that the Han people are not stable, but what trouble can the Khitans cause?"
Not only is his fighting ability lacking, but his family is still in Linhuang Prefecture. Furthermore, that scoundrel Yelü Wowo acted like a villain during the previous Khitan rebellion. Now, besides the Great Jin, who can trust him, who can tolerate him?

At that very moment, Yelü Wowo, whom the two mentioned, also felt the vastness of the world, yet had nowhere to belong.

In fact, Yelü Wowo was not a particularly outstanding person. He was greedy, lustful, and shallow in his knowledge. In real history, he even did the foolish thing of declaring himself emperor.

His current position is due, besides his martial prowess, to the prevailing circumstances. The world is ever-changing, and those who make a few relatively correct choices will naturally rise to the top.

Naturally, when Yelü Wowo realized his incompetence, he felt a deep-seated remorse for the attack on Yelü Saba that day, and only by drinking to drown his sorrows could he numb himself.

"Brother, brother, why are you drinking again?" Yelü Chenjia hurriedly entered the courtyard and saw Yelü Wowo drinking heartily from a wine jar. He was anxious and quickly went to stop him.

Yelü Wowo pushed away the hand that Yelü Chenjia extended and continued drinking.

Yelü Chenjia gritted his teeth, took the scabbard from his waist, and with a powerful swing, smashed the wine jar in Yelü Wowo's hand to pieces.

Yelü Wowo was splashed with wine, which soaked his entire upper body. He instantly flew into a rage: "Chen family! You're courting death!"

Yelü Chenjia shoved the knife into Yelü Wowo's hand: "Brother, then kill me now!"

Yelü Wowo took the knife, tossed it aside, wiped his face, took off his soaking wet outer garment, and sat down in the chair with his upper body bare and imposing: "What military situation is there now? Is something unstable again?"

Seeing this, Yelü Chenjia didn't waste any words and sat down to the side as well: "The firearms that the Shandong bandits used to attack Zhao Yunqian's camp yesterday are being used to bombard the city today. The men are quite frightened."

Yelü Wowo said with a wry smile, "Yesterday I was so frightened that I almost jumped off the city wall, let alone the men. It's really no wonder they're like this; these Shandong bandits are quite skilled."

Yelü Chenjia leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother, do you think the Great Jin can still defeat Liu Dalang from Shandong?"

Yelü Wowo shook his head and chuckled: "Chen family, your roundabout way of saying this is simply because you want to pledge allegiance to them. You can just say it directly."

Yelü Chenjia also shook his head: "Brother, it's not that I have such thoughts. The old monk and Zha Ba are currently serving under Liu Dalang, and they have already sent letters urging us to surrender. The news can't be kept secret, and it's normal for the men to be unsettled. Brother, do you think we can seek refuge with Shandong?"

Yelü Wowo remained noncommittal, but brought up another matter: "You said that I betrayed King Saba back then so that our Khitan people could live a better life. Now that I have brought you to this deadly land in Hebei, even if you do not resent me, I have still failed King Saba."

Just as Yelü Chenjia was about to say something, Yelü Wowo waved his hand and said, "Chenjia, do whatever you want. I promised King Saba that I would lead the tribe to a way out. Now that way out isn't with the Great Jin, it might be with Liu Dalang."

“However…” Yelü Wowo looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, “However, I have made a brotherhood pact with His Majesty and am willing to live and die with him. When the time comes, I can just take my confidants with me.”

Yelü Chenjia was extremely anxious: "Brother, no one wants to kill you! Even if you go to other places, you will still be our chieftain!"

Yelü Wowo shook his head and laughed: "Don't say any more. I won't harm the Khitan tribe. It's just that I've already betrayed one sworn brother and cut off his head with my own hands. If I betray another one, I won't even be a human being."

"Moreover, I have a blood feud with the old monk and his followers. If you want to make a name for yourselves, you should stay away from me."

Having said that, without regard for the reaction of the Yelü Chen family, Yelü Wowo got up and went to the inner courtyard.

Yelü Chenjia stamped his feet repeatedly, but he couldn't do anything about this Khitan leader.

Yelü Wowo seemed to have lost all his courage and ambition in the battle a few days ago, and now all that remained was an empty shell.

(End of this chapter)