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

Chapter 784 The Han Dynasty Still Has Flames of War

Looking at the armored soldiers who had retreated again, Heshi Lieliangbi, disregarding that he was in the very center of the army, exclaimed, "Truly, they are the bravest men in the world."

“None of these Shandong bandit leaders who took advantage of the chaos in the north to rise up are easy to deal with.”

"Not to mention Wei Sheng, even Geng Jing, who was forced to enter the Ji River and died, was no ordinary person. Not to mention heroes like Liu Huai, they are all unparalleled figures in history books."

"When fighting against someone like this, one must be extremely careful."

Faced with Heshi Lie Liangbi's sigh, Jia Gu Qingchen said somewhat helplessly, "Lord Liangbi, now is not the time to boost the enemy's morale. We have suffered another defeat. Are we still going to attack?"

Heshi Lieliangbi countered, "Have Wanyan Cong's five thousand troops already crossed the river upstream?"

Jia Gu Qingchen nodded: "A message just came that Wanyan Cong has built a simple pontoon bridge, and the current is a bit slower upstream, so it is not impossible to cross the river by floating horses."

Heshi Lieliangbi: "Then it's alright. Our army can continue attacking this camp. We must not let the loyal traitors react. Moreover..."

As he spoke, Heshi Lieliangbi pointed to the Wei banner that had just charged out of the camp and was now withdrawing: "That must be the banner of Wei Sheng, the leader of the Shandong bandits. As long as we take care of him, we will have won half the battle."

"I have just received a report that Wei Sheng's troops are all armed with longswords and armor. Even if they are exceptionally brave and strong, they cannot last long. Let us continue to send troops to attack the camp!"

After receiving the accurate military orders, Kiyotomi Kagaya breathed a slight sigh of relief and then bowed and left.

Although the Jin army's offensive was continuous, there were still some gaps in the middle.

Taking advantage of the lull in the Jin army's attack, not only did Yu Yuan's troops successfully cross the Huan River, but Li Huo'er's troops also stepped onto the pontoon bridge.

After repelling two Jin army attacks, Wei Sheng did not insist on guarding the breach in the camp. Instead, he ordered his personal guards to set fires everywhere while leading his personal troops to retreat.

When Jia Gu Qingchen saw the fire in the camp, he realized that the Zhongyi Army had retreated. He hurriedly ordered an advance, but was stopped by the fire. He could only watch helplessly as the entire Zhongyi Army crossed the pontoon bridge and returned to Qixian City. Then he set the pontoon bridge on fire and destroyed it completely.

Kiyotomi Kagaya was momentarily rendered powerless and enraged.

However, Heshilie Liangbi seemed to have anticipated this situation, or rather, this left prime minister of the Jin Dynasty had always prepared a backup plan.

After the entire Loyal Army crossed the river and had just finished setting up the city's defenses, Wanyan Cong, who had crossed the river upstream, led 5,000 armored cavalry to attack. He first dispersed the scouts who had come out of the city to gather information, and then swept through the surrounding villages and towns, surrounding Qixian County in a siege-like manner and setting up camp.

At the same time, Heshilie Liangbi led his main force, abandoning the still-burning Zhongyi Army camp, and turned upstream to cross the river along the pontoon bridge opened by Wanyan Cong.

Wei Sheng wanted to lead his troops to intercept them, but due to the two-day and one-night battle, coupled with repeated retreats, the loyal army was extremely exhausted and its morale was somewhat low. Therefore, he could only continue to reorganize his troops in Qixian.

As darkness fell, the entire Jin army of 15,000 crossed the river and completely besieged Qixian County, trapping the loyal and righteous army within its walls. The situation quickly deteriorated to an extreme degree.

However, since Qixian County was built right next to the Huan River, there was a waterway there. Although large-scale military marches were not possible, no one could stop the transmission of messages.

Soon, the specific military situation in Suzhou was transmitted to all directions through military envoys.

Of course, information transmission was incredibly slow in this era, so neither Xia Cai nor Daming Prefecture could obtain accurate intelligence immediately.

However, this does not prevent astute individuals from making judgments about the overall situation of the world based on limited information.

The main hall of the government office in Daming Prefecture.

Originally the command post of the Jin army, it has now been occupied by the Han army. The Han banner and the Jingnan banner stand side by side, clearly showing who owns this place.

Wenren Ziqi, the commander of the Wulu Army, walked triumphantly along the official road, proudly introducing the situation of the Han army to a group of surrendered generals.

"Although you have made some contributions and saved Yuancheng, it can barely be considered a rebellion in the face of battle. You have saved your lives, but it is not entirely appropriate."

"Only by continuing to make meritorious contributions, great contributions, and extraordinary contributions can we stand firmly on our own feet."

"The Commander-in-Chief is a straightforward man who cannot tolerate any wrongdoing. He rewards merit and punishes wrongdoing. You must not try to use any tricks to get away with it, or you will die without even knowing how you died."

"Now is the time for Commander-in-Chief to change the world, so you must keep up. Whether you can become a duke or a marquis depends on this one step."

Wenren Ziqi remained as roguish as ever, speaking in a boisterous manner until they reached the entrance of the government office, at which point he became serious and exchanged greetings with the other generals who had rushed over to attend the military council.

Most people were quite polite to Wenren Ziqi, who had come to surrender as soon as the Han army entered Hebei and had fully participated in the Battle of Daming Prefecture.

However, only one person didn't even return the gift; he rolled his eyes and walked into the government office.

However, Wenren Ziqi was not angry; he simply smiled and bowed again.

"Boss Wenren, who is that person?"

Wenren Ziqi waved his hand and said, "Who else could it be? It's Wang Jiu from Bozhou! I don't have any great grudge against him, but this guy always treats me as the leader of the Hebei martial arts community and puts on airs in front of me."

"Actually, it's fine if it's just a matter of words. After all, we're new here, so it's only right that we be humble and unassuming."

"However, although the Commander-in-Chief has the momentum to sweep across the world, he only has Shandong, half of Hebei, and half of the Central Plains. What does he want to do if he wants to become the leader of all the military men in Hebei? I dare not get close to him, or I will bring trouble upon myself sooner or later."

Wenren Ziqi made no attempt to lower his voice; not only the surrounding generals and military advisors heard him clearly, but even Wang Youzhi, who had already walked several steps away, heard everything. Wang Youzhi turned around, his face turning pale and uncertain, but in the end, he coldly snorted and left.

Wenren Ziqi pretended not to see it.

The surrendered generals looked at each other in bewilderment. One of them, quick-witted, hurriedly tried to smooth things over and abruptly changed the subject: "Brother Wenren, Daming Prefecture has a patron's palace. Since the Commander-in-Chief has come, why did you choose to stay at the prefectural office instead of the palace?"
The place is spacious, the palace is grand, and it was just renovated two years ago by laborers mobilized from the surrounding area. It is now in high demand and can also be used to garrison troops.

Wenren Ziqi, holding his belt, said as he walked, "Old Ma, I always tell you to read more books, but you always pretend to be stupid. Are you confused now?"

When Emperor Gaozu of Han entered Guanzhong, why didn't he simply sleep in the Epang Palace and take all the women and wealth for himself? Why did he leave without taking any wealth and without having any women? It was simply because his ambitions were far from insignificant.

"If the Commander-in-Chief were to move into the imperial palace today, wouldn't that be showing the world that his ambitions are limited to this?"

Ma Laowu nodded repeatedly, but inwardly he harbored some resentment.

Isn't this just a line from the play "The Feast at Hongmen"? Anyone who didn't know better would really think you, Wenren Ziqi, were a well-read scholar.

At this time, the only people present were civil and military officials who had come to the government office to participate in the military council. Many of them were truly well-read, especially those who had thoroughly read the "Records of the Grand Historian," a masterpiece of historical writing and a lament without rhyme.

They immediately realized that this was Fan Zeng's half-sentence evaluation of Liu Bang before the Feast at Hongmen.

Then, the second half of the sentence popped into their minds.

It was indeed said: "I ordered someone to observe its aura, and it was all dragons and tigers, forming five colors; this is the aura of an emperor."

Thinking of this, many people simply stopped and looked beyond the walls of the government office towards the setting sun and evening glow in the west, feeling inexplicably excited.

Yes, when Emperor Gao conquered Guanzhong, he made a three-point agreement with the elders, and thus established his imperial dynasty. Now, Liu Huai is in charge of Hebei and Shandong. How can he not have the aura of an emperor?

Of course, in this era, the Confucianism had basically abandoned the prophecies and the Five Virtues of the Han Dynasty, so people only thought about it and no one immediately took action based on the prophecies.

The emperor's army is strong and powerful, and the struggle for the world ultimately depends on the size of the territory, the number of troops, the loyalty of the scholars, and the bravery of the generals.

But no one can say that self-motivation is a mistake.

Just as everyone entered the government office with a strange sense of excitement, ready to participate in the military council, they suddenly discovered that the atmosphere inside was frighteningly gloomy, not at all like someone who had just won a battle.

The source of the gloomy atmosphere is self-evident.

Sitting at the head of the table, Liu Huai flipped through the documents stained with blood on the edges, his face ashen.

Meanwhile, Liang Su, Xin Qiji, and other high-ranking civil and military officials sitting in the front row seemed to know the inside story as well, their faces equally gloomy.

It wasn't that no one wanted to inquire, but Li Tieqiang, who was sitting at the lower end of the table, had just approached Xin Qiji to ask something when Xin Qiji immediately reprimanded him and told him to leave.

Li Tieqiang didn't dare utter a sound and immediately obediently sat back down in his seat.

"Mr. Liang, almost everyone has arrived. Let's start by reporting on today's results."

After Liu Huai spoke, the atmosphere in the hall finally eased slightly. At the same time, Liang Su stood up and pointed to the documents beside the table, saying, "The reports from various military units are all here. The General Staff has done a rough count: 2,412 heads were taken, more than 7,200 people were captured, and more than 36,000 warhorses were seized. The armor, weapons, provisions, and other military supplies are still being tallied. This battle was indeed a great victory and a truly substantial gain!"

After Liang Su made his assessment, all the generals were greatly encouraged, and the previously oppressive atmosphere was completely dispelled.

As a strategic stronghold of the Jin Dynasty in southern Hebei, Daming Prefecture could not simply be a place where troops were stationed, or even where military supplies such as food and weapons were stockpiled.

Cloth, leather, beef tendons, ox horns, armor plates, arrowheads, eagle feathers, and even the most basic items, such as dried plums that can relieve summer heat, are all stored in large quantities.

As for the Jin army's regular auxiliary troops, there were many, including military doctors, blacksmiths, grooms, veterinarians, engineers, and other professionals, whose combined numbers exceeded ten thousand.

All of these were abandoned by Heshi Liezhining in Yuancheng. It can be said that even if all 20,000 of his regular troops escaped, these losses alone would severely damage Dongjin's strength and prevent it from launching a major battle in the short term.

Many things are simply non-renewable resources, such as arrow tail feathers, which are feathers from large birds. Where are they so easy to collect?
Moreover, none of the 20,000 Jin soldiers escaped.

Liang Su continued, patting the note beside him, "However, I still have a few words of advice: the General Staff will conduct on-site inspections of captured items and heads. Anyone who dares to falsify military intelligence will be punished. Is there anyone who wants to change their mind, or who is unsure?"

This is also a routine inquiry.

After all, the military staff and judges of each army are dispatched by the central government and will not collude with the general in command. However, military matters should be handled with caution, so it is still necessary to confirm one thing.

Seeing that no one spoke, Liang Su simply let his military advisor come in and sealed all the documents and letters.

This is just a rough estimate. To truly determine the outcome of this battle, we will have to wait until all the fleeing soldiers in the surrounding area have been cleared away, which will take at least ten days.

The generals understood this principle, or rather, it was precisely because they understood this principle that they were somewhat surprised as to why a military council had to be convened so urgently at this time.

At this moment, Liu Huai spoke up: "Wenren Dalang, those people you brought, are they the heroes who rebelled this time?"

Wenren Ziqi, who was somewhat nervous due to the atmosphere in the hall, immediately shuddered.

(End of this chapter)