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

Chapter 764 Everyone's Thoughts Are Unpredictable
Shi Ju is indeed a truth-teller, possessing a remarkable ability to make his words carry true meaning.

Just as Zhang Shu was dismissed, another person entered by calling out their name.

However, the person who arrived was not Xie Fuyao, but Shawei Shaerlang, who had just been unusually excited.

"Lord Shi, I just returned to camp and discussed it with my confidants. They all think I was reckless." Shawei said with a forced smile and a deep bow, "I am not capable enough, and I have little ability. I should not have been the one to take the lead."

Shi Ju smiled and shook his head: "Sha Erlang is too modest. Who doesn't know that you are brave, diligent, and skilled in military affairs? In my opinion, you are the next military governor."

Sha Wei was somewhat pleased, but he still forced himself to hold it in: "Lord Shi, I am, after all, a native of Dengzhou, and I am somewhat unreliable. I am worried that I might offend my comrades in the army and lose my loyalty for no reason, which would make my position as military governor less appealing."

Shi Ju sighed: "Sha Erlang, you know what's going on. Our Chenzhou army comes from diverse backgrounds, but most of them are soldiers from Henan, or even from good families. They will definitely find it hard to accept being conscripted in their hometown. In any case, once this happens, there will definitely be some complaints. I can only try to mediate between them."

Such things cannot be concealed at all. Previously, Pucha Shijie used the conscription to threaten the Han army to move their camp, and the effect was outstanding.

At that time, Sha Wei had witnessed the reactions of Xie Fuyao, Du Wuji, and others.

Shawei said somewhat nonchalantly, "I know, it's nothing more than Lao Xie and his group. If you ask me, they're just too soft-hearted. This is a chaotic world; how can they achieve great things with such indecisiveness?"

Shi Ju smiled but remained silent.

Shawei, feeling rebuffed, continued, "Lord Shi, the document that Lord Liangbi threw into the military camp also said that he would bestow a royal title upon you in Henan. Is that true?"

Shi Ju stroked his beard and said, "Today, Prime Minister Liangbi did mention it, but it was mostly in jest."

Javert immediately perked up: "How is this considered mockery? If Lord Stone doesn't become king, I, Javert, will be the first to object!"

Shi Ju secretly shook his head, feeling that it was really boring to play mind games with a warrior like Javert. In just a few words, Javert had revealed all his little schemes.

This fellow was clearly blinded by the position of military governor, but after discussing with those ambitious individuals who had hastily formed political alliances, he suddenly realized that his strength was insufficient and he was simply unable to conquer Xia Cai.

Ultimately, only by acting together with the Chenzhou army can they have a chance of winning.

However, given that the soldiers from Henan were clearly unwilling to risk their lives for the Jurchens, how could they get Xie Fuyao and his men to join them in fighting Xia Cai to the death?

Of course, we should restrain Shi Ju and let him suppress the others!
To be fair, this is indeed a good idea.

Du Wuji and others were angered by the Jin Dynasty's large-scale conscription in Henan, but equally furious about the Song army's invasion of Henan.

The people of Henan treat both sides with equal hatred.

To put it bluntly, the sooner we drive the Song army back, the sooner we can stop the conscription and restore people's livelihoods.

However, what Sha Wei did not expect was that the person most furious about the Jin Dynasty's indiscriminate conscription and destruction of the people's livelihood in Henan was not Du Wuji, but his own son, Shi Ju.

Shi Ju's anger stemmed not only from the disillusionment of his political ideals, but also from the trampling of his life's ambitions and the destruction of his very foundation.

In addition, there was a raging fury over Heshi Lie Liangbi's political betrayal.

On that day, Shi Ju was doing very well in Hebei, but he came to Henan to rectify the Han lands after listening to the nonsense of He Shi Lie Liangbi.

Looking back now, it seems that Heshi Lieliangbi was hiding something, because the main force of the Shandong Han army did not come to the Central Plains to participate in the war, but went directly to Hebei.

Without hesitation, the main force of Dongjin directly engaged the Han army in a head-on battle.

It is likely that in Heshi Lieliangbi's plan, the troops in the entire Henan region were all part of a detachment, with the aim of diverting the Shandong Han army and creating an opportunity for the main Jin army to annihilate them in open field battles.

However, the final result was that the Jin army suffered a great defeat!
Now, Heshi Lieliangbi actually wants to completely sacrifice Henan to achieve his military objectives, which is a complete violation of his political promise to Shi Ju.

If Shi Ju had known this outcome earlier, he might not have come to Henan at all; he would likely have already defected to Liu Huai!
Shawei's attempt to win over Shi Ju and get the Han army to fight desperately for the Jin Dynasty was a futile endeavor, like trying to find fish in a tree or asking a blind man for directions.

Shi Ju picked up a palm-leaf fan, fanned himself a few times, and then said, "I appreciate Sha Erlang's kindness. You don't need to worry about our Chenzhou army splitting up. Driving away the Song bandits is a matter of mutual benefit, and everyone will contribute."

That was exactly what Javert wanted to hear. He breathed a sigh of relief and immediately beamed with joy: "In that case, we just need to wait for the conscripted soldiers to arrive so we can attack the Song traitors!"

Shi Ju paused slightly in the palm-leaf fan in his hand: "That's right, Sha Erlang. You should go back and conserve your energy for the battle!"

After Shawei left happily with profuse thanks, the third group of people who came to pay their respects were two marching warriors from the Wujie Army and the Han'er Army, Guo Qingzhi and Lu Henian.

The identities of these two people are rather awkward.

They were all generals of the Wujie Army, with extensive experience, and some had even served as Wanyan Liang's personal guards for a period of time.

Given this relationship, they would never get involved with Shi Ju.

However, firstly, due to the circumstances, the conflict between the Jurchen and Han people was severe and had reached the point of bloodshed. Secondly, although most of the Han soldiers under these two men were from Liaodong and Youyan, they had moved their families to Hebei and even the Central Plains because Wanyan Liang kept moving the capital south.

In short, these two men and their men were also seeking a future.

Shi Ju knew their positions, so he didn't waste any words and immediately ordered, "You two prepare to fight. Obey my orders, and I will not let you suffer any injustice."

Lu Henian breathed a sigh of relief, while Guo Qingzhi, still shaken by his brother's death, burst into tears upon hearing this and bowed deeply to him: "Lord Shi, we are like stray dogs, and we have only survived until now thanks to your great kindness. My life is not worth losing, but the lives of the two thousand soldiers in the army are all good men, and they should not be lost like this."

Shi Ju nodded repeatedly: "Guo Erlang, please rest assured. We are all fellow villagers. How could I, a man from Dingzhou, possibly harm a young man from Youyan? Go back and wait!"

The mention of the term "fellow villager" indeed calmed Guo Qingzhi, who came from the Guo family of Youyan, down to his knees, and he kowtowed deeply once more.

After dealing with the two men, Shi Ju had just settled down behind the desk and hadn't even had a chance to write or draw on the documents when Xie Fuyao burst in.

"So rash and unruly, what kind of behavior is this?" Facing this powerful figure whom he had promoted from humble beginnings, Shi Ju showed no politeness and rebuked him.

Xie Fuyao, panting heavily, said, "Lord Shi, how can you sit still? Henan is about to be plunged into misery, and those scoundrels Shawei are ignorant and want to take advantage of the chaos to rise up. Are you just going to stand by and watch?"

After listening to Xie Fuyao's complaints, Shi Ju simply pointed to the seat to the side and said, "Sit down first, Du Dalang. Come out when you've had enough!"

Du Wuji touched his nose and somewhat awkwardly lifted the curtain behind the tent and walked in.

Xie Fuyao was not surprised, and the two sat on opposite sides of each other.

Shi Ju continued writing fluently on the document, while muttering to himself, "The two of you are the people I trust most right now. Do you know why?"

Before the two could answer, Shi Ju continued, "Because even if Henan is in chaos, people like Zhang Shu from Hebei can still return to their hometowns in Hebei and live as wealthy men."

Lu Henian and Guo Qingzhi were able to attract a group of northern men, giving them a chance to advance their careers in front of Liu Dalang.

As for Jawi and his ilk, they were simply plotting to either be fed in the nine cauldrons or cooked in the nine cauldrons.

These people eventually have some way out.

And you two..."

Shi Ju first pointed at Xie Fuyao: "A person who values ​​their family and hometown too much is like a guard dog..."

As he spoke, he pointed at Du Wuji: "The other one is a stray dog ​​who has lost all his comrades and confidants..."

As he said this, Shi Ju pointed to himself again: "I am a perfect match for this disheartened old dog like me. We are both stuck with no way out."

Xie Fuyao and Du Wuji were initially annoyed by Shi Ju's words, but when they heard that Shi Ju had also compared them to an old dog, they were both taken aback.

Ignoring their reactions, Shi Ju continued, "If I were truly manipulated by Heshi Lieliangbi and Pusan ​​Zhongyi and assisted them in this matter, ruining the livelihood of the people of Henan, who would believe my words or help me afterward? Without the support of the people of Han lands, how could I stand in the world?"

Du Wuji was still somewhat dazed, but the much more reserved Xie Fuyao had already reacted.

If Shi Ju had calmly weathered this storm and hadn't turned against Heshi Lieliangbi, his political team would have completely collapsed, his political reputation would have crumbled immediately, and his political life would have ended.

For Shi Ju, who aspired to rule the world and bring peace to the Han lands since his youth, being politically incompetent was more unacceptable than being killed.

Having figured this out, Xie Fuyao became even more worried: "Lord Shi, are we going to resort to arms now?"

The fighting mentioned here does not refer to a direct confrontation with the main Jin army, but rather to the principle of securing internal stability before dealing with external threats. The goal is to first eliminate Shawei and his forces before confronting the Jurchen army.

To be honest, Xie Fuyao absolutely did not want to come to this point. It is true that Sha Wei and the others are rascals and scoundrels with huge ambitions, but they are also comrades who have fought side by side several times. How could she just kill them?
How many people will die then? Will Heshi Lieliangbi take the opportunity to lead his troops and wipe out the Chenzhou army?
Not to mention that there are still tens of thousands of Song soldiers entrenched in Xia Cai!

Shi Ju slowly shook his head: "We cannot use any drastic measures now. In any case, our Chenzhou army cannot be in chaos. I also look down on Sha Wei, but I cannot kill him now. Otherwise, our army will fall into internal strife."

Du Wuji clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "Are we just going to stand by and watch that scoundrel Heshi Lie Liangbi recruit people in Henan?"

Shi Ju held up two fingers: "This is the second point I want to make. The decision to conscript was not made by the tens of thousands of Jurchen soldiers across the Fei River, but by the entire Jin Dynasty court in Henan. It was countersigned by the Chancellor and the Prime Minister, and it was a national decree. All regions will take action. How do you plan to stop it?"

Du Wuji pounded his knee hard, but ultimately remained silent.

Shi Ju took a sip of tea, and after his two trusted confidants had calmed down, he said solemnly, "The only solution to this matter is twofold: first, to end this war as soon as possible; and second, to prevent the Jin court's edicts from being transmitted in Henan!"

Seeing that the main event had finally arrived, both of them perked up and leaned forward to listen attentively to their master's instructions.

(End of this chapter)