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

Chapter 767 Acting as an Accomplice to the Tiger to Save the Elders (Part 2)
To be fair, the poem "The Ballad of the War Chariots" by Du Fu that suddenly came to Hou Yuanliang's mind was somewhat out of place.

This famous line by Du Fu describes the scene of a large army setting off, with soldiers' parents, wives, and children bidding them farewell, reluctant to let their fathers, brothers, and sons go to the battlefield.

The current scene is that men, women, and children are all being swept up by the Jin army and driven over as conscripts.

The Jin army didn't bother to distinguish between the young and old, and simply drove the people of a village or town over. They used cavalry to circle around the area, and anyone who fell behind was killed on the spot. Those selected in this way, while not all of them were young and strong, were at least capable of running to the ditch and jumping in.

However, this scene was like hell to Hou Yuanliang.

After a moment of mental blankness, Hou Yuanliang regained his senses on horseback. He then wiped the dust and sweat from his face and forced himself to calm down.

"General, what are we doing now..." A guard, panting heavily, had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Meanwhile, several Jin knights spotted Hou Yuanliang and his group in the distance. Some of them even recognized them as members of the Han Chinese army and showed mocking expressions on their faces.

Hou Yuanliang took a deep breath and shouted, "What are you doing? There are nearly a thousand Jurchen cavalrymen here, and there are only five of us. What are you trying to do? Come with me!"

As he spoke, Hou Yuanliang composed himself, maintaining a strange expression that mixed seriousness and flattery after several failures, and spurred his horse toward the banner of Heshilie.

Heshi Lieliangbi listened to the report from his personal guards, nodded expressionlessly, and then summoned Hou Yuanliang to come closer.

"Hou Sanlang, are you perhaps here to offer some advice?" Before Hou Yuanliang could speak, Heshi Lieliangbi slowly said, "Then you'd better not waste your breath. The matter that was discussed a few days ago cannot be changed."

Hou Yuanliang dismounted and kowtowed heavily: "It's not that I'm trying to stop you, but that I want to share your burdens."

Heshi Lieliangbi's expression finally became lively: "Oh?"

Hou Yuanliang lowered his head, almost burying his forehead in the yellow earth: "Lord Liangbi, the key to this battle is to wear down the morale of the Song rebels. Therefore, we need a large number of conscripted soldiers to fill the ditches."

The Jurchen people came from the north and were unfamiliar with the customs and practices of the Central Plains, which made their efforts less effective.

"I have grown up in Shouzhou and am well aware of the ways of the world. The people around me also respect me, Hou San. I hope the Left Chancellor can give me a chance."

Ignoring the mocking expressions on the faces of those around him, Heshi Lieliangbi spoke frankly: "Hou Sanlang, I won't hide it from you. As the commander of the Han army and a native of Shouzhou, what if you run away with these conscripted soldiers?"

Hou Yuanliang seemed to have anticipated this question and replied loudly, "Left Prime Minister! The conscription camp is located at the very front of the main army, sandwiched between the Song army and the imperial troops. Once the battle begins, the main army will be supervising from the rear, while the Song rebels will be pressing from the front. How can we escape?"

He Shilie Liangbi nodded slowly: "That's one way to put it, but Hou Sanlang, aren't you afraid of being disgraced in the eyes of the villagers?"

Hou Yuanliang raised his head, his face covered in yellow dust and full of flattery: "What the Left Prime Minister said before was to establish a military governorship in Henan and select eight military governors. I believe I have some ability, and at the very least, I will definitely not fall behind that scoundrel Du Wuji!"
I am willing to serve the Great Jin Dynasty and achieve fame through my efforts!

Upon hearing Hou Yuanliang's explanation, some Jin generals' faces showed even deeper mockery, but a few others became serious, and one even grabbed his sword.

Heshi Lieliangbi nodded directly: "It is rare to find loyal and righteous men in the Han army. So let's do it this way. Set up camp at the forefront of the army. Your two thousand Han soldiers will be responsible for guarding the conscripted soldiers. If there is any discord, you will be held responsible! As for the finances, make sure to hand them over to Hou Sanlang."

Hou Yuanliang was overjoyed upon hearing this, kowtowed deeply again, and then left, expressing his gratitude profusely.

Watching Hou Yuanliang's retreating figure, Xingjun Meng'an, who had just been frowning while holding his sword, spurred his horse forward and came to Heshi Lie Liangbi: "Left Prime Minister, this man is not sincere, and his ambitions are not small. We should be worried that he will cause trouble."

The speaker was Wanyan Qige, a military commander under Pusan ​​Zhongyi. He had also participated in the great invasion of the Song Dynasty and had served in the Hezha Meng'an, so he was quite senior.

He was wounded by Liu Huai in Wujiang County and removed from the battle, but this misfortune turned into a blessing, as he returned to the north to recuperate early and did not participate in the fierce Battle of Chaoxian.

Although the Jin forces from both the east and west were now united, Wanyan Qige still respected Heshi Lieliangbi, who had been the prime minister of the Jin state for many years.

However, while he was convinced, there were still two opposing factions, and there were some things he had to clarify.

For the same reason, Heshi Lieliangbi also had to explain this matter clearly in order to give an account to Pusan ​​Zhongyi.

"Actually, it doesn't matter what this guy is thinking, just as it doesn't matter what Master Shi on the west side of Feishui is thinking."

Heshi Lieliangbi slowly said, "As long as we are certain that they will never submit to the Song Dynasty, this matter is mostly settled. As for the rest, we shouldn't think about it now, nor do we have the energy to think about it."

Wanyan Qige seemed to realize something, but seeing that Heshi Lieliangbi didn't want to say anything more, he didn't continue the conversation and stood by with his sword at the side like a guard.

Meanwhile, Hou Yuanliang had already run back to his own camp and met with his three trusted confidants. Ignoring the dust covering his face, he got straight to the point and said, "I've made up my mind, I'm not leaving!" Under the surprised and doubtful eyes of the three men, Hou Yuanliang succinctly recounted what had happened: "...That's how it is, I accepted the job of recruiting soldiers."

Hou Wulang reacted quickly, now completely panicked: "Brother, this is absolutely unacceptable! We are local tycoons of Shouzhou, how can we oppress our fellow villagers for the sake of the Jin army? How will you ever be able to stand in Shouzhou again?"

Hou Yuanliang gritted his teeth and said, "How could I not know this principle? But if I hadn't done this, not one out of ten elders would have survived. With me in charge, although there will still be casualties, six or seven out of ten will survive."

Hou Wulang stamped his foot: "Brother, that's what I'm worried about. If the Jin bandits torture the last man to death, and you save him, you'll be his second father, and he'll be eternally grateful to you."

But if you, elder brother, take over this matter, the six or seven survivors will all see you as their mortal enemy! They'll consider you a traitor working for the Jin invaders, and no one will think well of you!

Upon hearing this, the remaining two also panicked. However, this is human nature, and it is very realistic.

Those who survived did not think that Hou Yuanliang had his own helplessness; they only thought that this fellow drove the elders to the front lines to die, and that he was a first-rate villain.

In the long run, not only will Hou Yuanliang be unable to establish himself in his hometown, but even the more than two thousand soldiers from Mengcheng will not be able to stay put.

Hou Yuanliang suddenly lost his composure, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot: "Then tell me what I can do? I'm just a country bumpkin, what can I do in this situation?"

"Could it be...could it really be that we just have to watch our elders die, with less than one in ten surviving?!"

In the end, Hou Yuanliang roared in a low voice, "What can I do?"

The three trusted confidants looked at each other, speechless.

After a moment of silence, Hou Yuanliang calmed himself down and slowly said, "Wulang, you should take your men to the front-line conscription camp, properly settle the elders, and select able-bodied men from among them to prepare for battle."

Hou Wulang was pale, sweat pouring down his forehead, but he could only force himself to bow and agree.

"Aqi, you're a good swimmer. Take a few trustworthy people and tell Lord Shi what's going on here. Tell him that even if I, Hou Yuanliang, am disgraced, I will never betray my hometown folks. But we're all fools and can't think of a proper solution. I hope Lord Shi will have pity on us for our past bravery in battle and make a plan soon!"

The officer named Feng Qi also seemed somewhat overwhelmed and repeatedly agreed.

Hou Yuanliang finally finished arranging everything, but suddenly felt weak all over. He plopped down in front of his own command tent, looked at the surging Fei River beside him, and suddenly felt an urge to cry.

Why is life so difficult?
Of course, the most difficult situation was not for Hou Yuanliang.

He was, after all, a general in charge of an army. No matter how much inner turmoil or mental turmoil he suffered, he ultimately did not meet a tragic end in terms of material possessions.

As the first batch of recruits were driven over, the banks of the Fei River quickly became abuzz with activity.

First, there was a large-scale exodus of refugees and displaced people, with countless people abandoning their soon-to-be-harvested grain and fleeing in all directions.

With so many refugees, the government couldn't gather them all or manage them all. They could only occupy major transportation routes, roughly stop some people, stuff them into the ranks of laborers, and send them to the front lines to serve as conscripts.

Those refugees still needed to eat. Some went to the mountains to seek refuge with bandits, while those who could swim went to water villages to find this king or that chieftain to serve and seek a way to survive.

As the order to conscript people from several prefectures in Henan spread, government officials and local tyrants quickly joined in, and it immediately became a frenzy of plundering the people's wealth.

The Jin dynasty officials demanded the conscription of one thousand soldiers from the county. Fine, your family is the one to be conscripted. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, must go. This has absolutely nothing to do with your hundred acres of prime paddy fields, nor with your ancestral mansion, which such wealthy families have coveted but could never obtain.

If they don't obey, the yamen runners and soldiers will all come and confiscate their property!
This is not just one person's malice, but a large-scale merger caused by the collapse of local administration.

The final result was that not much conscripted soldiers and goods were sent to the front lines in Shouzhou, but countless families were destroyed and wiped out in several prefectures of Henan.

Shi Ju had put in a lot of effort to help Henan recover some of its vitality, but the Jin state used just one decree to wipe out all of Shi Ju's hard work.

On June 25, as the chaos in Henan continued to escalate, the Jin army finally made some moves.

Thirty-five thousand regular troops from the Jin state, plus twenty thousand troops from Chenzhou, and another fifty thousand conscripted soldiers, marched south along the Fei River to attack Xia Cai.

The decisive battle between the Song and Jin dynasties had inevitably begun.

(End of this chapter)