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

Chapter 777 The Siege Resounds Like Heavy Weapons

July 4th, early morning.

Hebei, Daming Prefecture.

“Old Liu, now that you’ve decided to switch sides, don’t be indecisive, and you need to change your temperament. At the very least, you can’t be like you were in the Jin Kingdom, having seventy or eighty maids serving you a meal. What kind of image is that?”

“Old Guo, our two families are old acquaintances. I know that the Commander-in-Chief likes simplicity, but to what extent? He can’t be wearing tattered clothes, can he?”

"Old Liu, how could you be so confused? The Commander-in-Chief has already clearly stated what he wants. The so-called 'Expel the Tartars, restore China, establish order and discipline, and save the people,' do you really think it's just empty talk?"

"As long as you do everything according to these four sentences, you will never go wrong. For example, how did your Liu family come to live such a luxurious life in Youyan? It's simply because your family is large and powerful, and your land and trade routes all belong to your family."

"But you've become rich, while the common people have become your tenants and servants. Those maids who serve you are the very people the Commander-in-Chief is trying to save. If you don't die, who will?!"

"Yes, yes, Brother Guo, you're right..."

Inside the carriage, Liu E, supporting her right leg which was still in a splint, appeared somewhat submissive in front of Guo Anguo, though inwardly she was rather dismissive.

What's so great about you? You only surrendered a few months earlier than me.

After being captured by the Han army in the battle at the beginning of last year, Guo Anguo was not treated well. After experiencing a brutal beating along with the captured soldiers, he was sent to the mines in Xuzhou to break stones.

Guo Anguo originally wanted to show off his arrogance and display his indomitable spirit, but Liu Huai didn't care about that. Captured in battle, this enemy general, who wasn't even considered a rebel, obediently went to undergo labor reform.

After smashing stones for several months, Guo Anguo could no longer bear it and wrote a letter requesting an opportunity to perform meritorious service.

Fortunately, the Han regime was in its early stages, and the people were harmonious and everything was being rebuilt, so no official took it lightly. A memorial was passed up through the ranks and finally reached Liu Huai.

What Guo Anguo wanted to demonstrate was not his ability to lead an army. What kind of bravery could a defeated general, who was being chased by the Han army to the point of having nowhere to go, possibly show?

What he offered was an absolutely reliable network of connections in Youyan, Liaodong and other places.

Guo Anguo was still somewhat confident about this, because in his view, no matter how far Liu Huai's reach was, it couldn't extend to Youyan. What he offered up were scarce resources, which could be considered a major achievement.

Then Guo Anguo eagerly awaited being commended and promoted three ranks to enter the central government. However, after waiting and waiting, he only received the result of "medium meritorious service, exempt from labor reform, and absorbed into the garrison as a staff officer".

This puzzled Guo Anguo greatly, but he had no choice but to come to this strange garrison called the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, a few days later, Guo Anguo suddenly realized the truth.

Damn those guards! This Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) is clearly the personal guard of the commander-in-chief who is in charge of all matters. Staying in them would give you a bright future!
This rekindled Guo Anguo's ambitions.

However, as he stayed longer, he discovered some other strange things.

His original intention in offering up the Youyan network was that when the Han army attacked, he could mobilize his relatives and friends to switch sides and surrender the city.

But to everyone's surprise, Shen Longzi, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, seemed to care nothing about these things. He simply asked him to record in detail the personalities and preferences of nobles and powerful figures in various parts of Youyan, as well as the terrain and culture of the north.

When Guo Anguo couldn't contain himself and offered to persuade one or two influential local figures in Youyan to surrender on Liu Huai's behalf, Shen Longzi simply shook his head with a strange expression and refused.

This matter made Guo Anguo hesitate for a long time, until after the Battle of Daming Prefecture, when he finally realized the truth.

The military and political group led by Liu Huai could achieve its goals without compromising with any enemy, so why should it negotiate and compromise with the powerful clans of Youyan?

Upon further reflection, Guo Anguo was even more astonished to discover that the reason why the Han army, this military and political group, was so powerful was that by winning battles, it accumulated political advantages through military superiority. This gave it sufficient political deterrence to purge the Meng'an and Mouke households and large landowners and powerful families in various regions, and to use the land and wealth seized from them to reward meritorious officials, thus enabling the scale of small landowners and self-cultivating farmers to expand rapidly.

Can the powerful and influential families of Youyan escape this fate?
To put it bluntly, even if they manage to defect and perform meritorious service, they will ultimately not escape being dismembered and scattered.

For example, Liu E's family was a family business passed down from Liu Peng, the military governor of Lulong during the Five Dynasties period. If they are not uprooted, which official can govern Youyan well?
Thinking of this, Guo Anguo suddenly remembered his identity.

Guo the pharmacist's son.

Although the Guo clan of Youyan also has a long history, Guo Yaoshi was a branch within a branch. However, he followed the pace of the times, from a resentful army to an ever-victorious army, and jumped between the Liao, Song and Jin kingdoms, which is why he gained a certain status and was also killed by Wanyan Nianhan.

In reality, Guo Anguo was a marginal figure outside the powerful clans of Youyan.

Conversely, if he hadn't lacked any real background, he wouldn't have been chosen as a confidant by Wanyan Liang and given command of the personal guard, the Wujie Army.

Therefore, it is quite clear what Liu Huai wanted Guo Anguo to do.

He is the knife that will one day dismember the powerful clans of Youyan!

Guo Anguo simply couldn't refuse!

Making a knife is too dangerous; a slight misstep could result in cutting into hard bone and breaking the blade. Therefore, he needs to recruit some people.

It was only natural that Liu E was being targeted.

Liu E's mental journey was similar to Guo Anguo's. After the Battle of Daming Prefecture, he also wanted to put on a show and play the role of three invitations and three refusals in a play. However, Liu Huai ignored him and was waiting to deal with him after the battle.

After being imprisoned for more than ten days, Liu E was in a state of utter panic. Guo Anguo appeared like a savior, and Liu E only hesitated for a moment before readily complying. At this time, Guo Anguo, under the pretext of reporting military intelligence, persuaded Shen Longzi to bring Liu E to the front lines to speak with Liu Huai, which could be considered a carefully planned scheme.

Guo Anguo could tell from Liu E's expression that he didn't believe him, so he sighed and said, "Old Liu, all of you have been blinded by the words 'Expel the Tartars and restore China.'"

They have no idea that the key lies in the parallel structure of all four lines, and that the Commander-in-Chief has never omitted a single one, which is why he has achieved such great success. How could he possibly ruin his own reputation for just one person?

Liu E also became serious, nodding repeatedly, but then lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.

We are now close to the siege camp.

From afar, rows of counterweight catapults could be seen standing tall. The once tall and irregularly shaped Yuancheng looked as if it had been shaved flat, and the buildings on the city were smashed to pieces.

Liu E first looked at Yuancheng, then at the rows of counterweight catapults, and felt a sense of fear.

Doesn't this scene show that the Jin army was not only incompetent in open field battles, but also utterly defeated in artillery battles?

What the hell is the point of fighting?

The sight of armored cavalry and soldiers all around, and young and strong warriors everywhere, made Liu E question the manpower reserves and resources of the Han army.

A moment later, amidst the whispers of the two surrendered generals from Youyan, the carriage slowly arrived near the huge Chinese character flag. Liu E, leaning on his cane, limped off the carriage and, with Guo Anguo's help, slowly walked towards the most crowded area.

After their identities were verified, armored soldiers led the two to a large elm tree. They could clearly see that under the shade of the tree, Liu Huai, fully armored, was reading a letter sent by Shen Longzi.

Liu E instinctively felt something was off.
As the commander-in-chief, even if he wants to boost morale by being ready for battle, at most he can only wear an iron-clad suit.

This is not to say that the head coach has the right to shirk his duties, but rather that falling ill due to the heat would be a case of penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Thinking of this, Liu E's heart stirred, and he looked at Yuan Cheng again.

Could it be that the Jin army can no longer hold out and wants to break out, with the decisive battle just around the corner?

Liu Huai didn't care what the two surrendered generals thought; he just carefully looked at the document in his hand.

This is intelligence sent by Liu Yung-gu.

"So, of the 20,000 Jin troops who set out from Youyan, 10,000 turned back as soon as they arrived in Hejian Prefecture?" Liu Huai frowned and asked, "Is this information reliable?"

Shen Longzi nodded: "I'm about 80% sure, because Lao Liu is currently a merchant accompanying the Loyal and Filial Army. The Loyal and Filial Army's whereabouts can't be hidden from him. He can find out by asking around among them."

What is the General Staff's statement?

"Mr. Liang means that it is because of the actions of He Zizhen and Li Gongzuo in Liaodong that Wanyan Yong dared not send all his troops south. Commander, the Jin army of 10,000 has been tied down and sent back."

Liu Huai flipped through the documents signed by Liang Su, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Crossing the sea to attack Liaodong and open up a second front was indeed a brilliant move to contain the Jin army, but no one could have predicted it, and no one expected it to come in handy at such a time.

At this time, the Han army had already laid a trap on the north side of Daming Prefecture, and the local militias had also made arrangements. They were just waiting for the 20,000 Jin troops to break through all the obstacles and come to meet Heshilie Zhining, so that they could wipe out the last of the Jin army's elite troops in one fell swoop.

Who would have thought that this kind of mishap would occur again.

Twenty thousand Jin soldiers might dare to fight against the Han army and take advantage of the Han army's smaller number of cavalry, but if it were ten thousand Jin soldiers, whether they would dare to march south is a big question mark.

Xin Qiji, listening from the side, said helplessly, "Brother, should we still besiege the city and attack the reinforcements? The gunpowder has already been buried under the city walls, and it has rained these past few days. I am worried that if we delay any longer, the gunpowder will get damp."

Liu Huai hesitated for a moment, then fell silent amidst the renewed roar of cannons, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

If they could also swallow up the Jin army that came to their aid, then there would be no need to say anything else. It would be a miracle if the Eastern Jin could maintain its rule over the area north of Youyan. After that, the entire Hebei region, and even the Jin region, would be at the mercy of the Han army.

Especially in Shanxi, a strategically important region, it was difficult to attack from Hebei. Now that Wanyan Guying has finally managed to break out of that turtle shell, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

However, considering the overall situation, firstly, the autumn harvest is imminent; secondly, the war situation in Henan is chaotic; and thirdly, He Shilie Zhining is not someone to be trifled with. If he were to seize an opportunity to escape, it would be better to let the cooked duck fly away.

As for the Khitans in the city and the Han soldiers guarding the city making a date for surrender, that was just a farce of unknown authenticity and not worth mentioning.

Just as Liu Huai was hesitating, he heard a commotion beside him. Turning around, he saw Guo Anguo jumping and shouting, but he was blocked by several armored soldiers and could not go forward.

Seeing this, Liu Huai ordered, "Have those two come over here."

Soon, Guo Anguo helped Liu E walk over quickly, seemingly very anxious. Liu E even threw his cane aside. Upon seeing Liu Huai, he did not even greet him, but instead pointed in the direction of the artillery position, panting heavily, and said, "Commander-in-Chief, I heard that voice when I was in Yanjing!"

Liu Huai's face immediately turned ashen.

Xin Qiji and the others were initially puzzled, but then their faces turned horrified.

(End of this chapter)