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

Chapter 797 Raising the Flag of Rebellion

Wei Chang's entry into Shi Ju's camp proceeded smoothly.

After leading his warhorse across the river and landing, he did not enter the camps of Dai Gao and Zhang Zhen's armies at all. Instead, he carried his pack, raised a white flag, and went directly to the vicinity of the Jin army's camp. When he encountered a scout, he immediately asked to see the military judge Du Wuji.

The scouts dared not delay and immediately led Wei Chang into the main camp, where they then found Du Wuji in a smaller camp.

Upon hearing Wei Chang reveal his identity, Du Wuji was greatly shocked but also dared not delay, and immediately personally led him to the central command tent.

This process was quite time-consuming. Even though everything went smoothly along the way, it was already past midnight when Wei Chang carried his bundle into the commander's tent and met Shi Ju.

Exhausted and tired from the past few days, Wei Chang was too lazy to exchange pleasantries with Shi Ju, and even less inclined to wait for the other party to summon his confidants.

Reaching out of the large urn beside the command tent, Wei Chang scooped up a ladle of water and poured it over his head to clear his head. Then, he presented a letter with both hands and said loudly to Shi Ju, who was sitting at the head of the table, "Lord Shi, I am Wei Chang. My father is Lord Wei, whose given name is Sheng."

I have traveled a thousand miles from Daming Prefecture in Hebei Province, and today I have come on the orders of my elder brother, the military governor of the Jingnan Army, to discuss the matter of ruler and subject with Prime Minister Shi. I wonder what Prime Minister Shi's opinion is?"

Shi Ju squinted, stroked his beard, and remained silent. After a moment, he took Liu Huai's handwritten letter, pointed to the chair next to him, indicating that Wei Chang should sit down, and then opened the envelope and read it carefully.

Wei Chang sat in the chair, drinking tea continuously, struggling to resist the urge to sleep.

Shi Ju read it very carefully, almost memorizing the entire few pages. Only when his trusted confidants were summoned did Shi Ju sigh and say, "Young Master Wei, you came straight here like this, aren't you afraid we'll kill you?"

Wei Changqiang opened his eyes, looked around at Du Wuji, Xie Fuyao and the others, shook his head and laughed: "I had already gone to Lord Yu's army and borrowed a small boat from him before I was able to cross the river."

In short, many people knew that I had come to Shi Xiangong's army.

Whether I choke to death while eating, drown while drinking, or am struck dead by lightning, it will likely all be attributed to Master Shi. And naturally, my elder brother will come and explain the situation to you all then.”

The generals of the Han army all changed color, but Shi Ju just shook his head and laughed: "In the past few years, the north has been in great chaos, and countless heroes have risen up. Those who can still speak for themselves now are truly heroes. Even a little kid like you should not be underestimated."

"Alright, alright, if we keep testing the waters, people will say I'm bullying the weak. Shall we get straight to the point?"

Wei Chang forced his red eyes open and nodded, saying, "Of course, I'm about to die of sleep. Surely you all don't want to talk in your sleep with someone who's passed out."

Xie Fuyao, quick-witted, immediately tensed up.

Just as Wei Chang just said, politicians need to take full responsibility for everything that happens within their sphere of influence. If Wei Chang really dies from exhaustion in the Chenzhou army camp, then it would truly be a case of mud falling down his pants, even if it wasn't excrement, it would still look like excrement.

Xie Fuyao had seen people collapse and die from exhaustion after long marches before.

Shi Ju seemed to share this concern and immediately nodded, asking, "What is the situation with the Hebei army? Is there any information?"

"Naturally, it was a great victory. The 60,000-strong Jin army was completely annihilated, Daming Prefecture was restored, and the rest of the Jin bandits in Hebei fled at the mere sight of them."

Although the words were not much different from those spoken to Yu Yunwen, Wei Chang still took off the package on his back, opened it, took out some things, and showed them to everyone: "This is the seal of the Left Deputy Marshal of Heshi Liezhining, and this is Heshi Liezhining's banner. Originally, my brother wanted to use these things to intimidate the Jin army in Henan, but he heard on the way that Lord Shi had the intention of switching sides, so he asked me to bring them to Lord Shi to see first, so as to show that the situation in Hebei is not false."

Shi Ju let the others pass around the flags, then reached out and took the large seal, examining it carefully.

Seals are very difficult to forge because they have many artificial defects or additions to prevent counterfeiting, which laymen cannot detect, while experts can tell the difference between genuine and fake seals at a glance.

After confirming that it was indeed the seal of the Left Deputy Marshal, Shi Ju finally sighed softly: "How is Zhi Ning?"

The imperial seal is different from the military flag; the imperial seal was carried by the general on his person.

When defeated, the flag is likely to be discarded, but unless the general is captured or killed, it is difficult to seize the seal.

Since the seal of the Left Deputy Marshal is here, then He Shilie Zhining's fate will not be too good.

Sure enough, the next moment, Wei Chang proudly declared, "Heshilie Zhining has been personally killed by my brother, and the Jin generals Wanyan Zhang, Wanyan Mouyan, Wuyan Chala, Liu E, and others have been captured by our army. If not for this, how can we call it a great victory?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the generals from Henan were alright, but the generals from Hebei who had actually heard the results of the battle all looked horrified.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow; some people are so renowned that their very name is enough to inspire awe and respect.

Liu Huai, who had suppressed and captured so many renowned figures, became a demon king at this moment.

Looking at everyone's expressions, Shi Ju understood: "Now that Young Master Wei has come, Young Master Liu must have already agreed to our conditions, but I wonder..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Chang sensed something was amiss and immediately raised his hand, saying, "Stop, Lord Shi. When I set off from the army that day, I didn't know what conditions were involved, and I didn't even see Lord Shi's military envoy."

Xie Fuyao immediately spoke up: "Young Master Wei, the one who went to Daming Prefecture was my own brother Xie Jiuzhong. Didn't the eldest young master see him?"

Wei Chang shook his head and said, "My brother has already gone south, so naturally he won't have met the military envoy of Daming Prefecture. He only learned of Lord Shi's intention to defect after receiving a letter from my father halfway there."

These words caused an uproar, and even Shi Ju stood up in astonishment.

Isn't Liu Huai in Hebei?

How did you end up in the Central Plains?
Who is he trying to eat?
It's no wonder Shi Ju and the others were nervous; how could a tiger thousands of miles away be the same as one right in front of them?
Seeing this, Wei Chang, following Liu Huai's instructions, told him everything, except for the gunpowder: "...That's how it is. The Jin invaders, with 15,000 men, attacked Suzhou. Now my father is besieged, and my brother has traveled a thousand miles to fight against the Jin invaders in Henan."

This military intelligence was even more alarming. What surprised the generals of Chenzhou was not that Wei Sheng was besieged, but that 15,000 regular soldiers were missing from the camp on the opposite bank of the Fei River, and they had been kept in the dark until now.

It was Wei Chang who told them.

It's utterly absurd that something happening in Henan needs to be told to us by someone from Hebei.

How could this not surprise these local Henan tycoons who prided themselves on their extensive connections?
"What is Hou Yuanliang good for?!" Zhang Shu immediately gripped his sword and said angrily, "He's right on the other side of the river, and he couldn't even find out such important military intelligence?! How many things have he ruined?"

Du Wuji shook his head and said, "Old Hou has it tough too. We're all on the west bank, and he's the only one on the east. How can the Jin bandits not keep a close eye on him?"

At this point, Du Wuji stamped his foot heavily and sighed: "In the end, it was the barbarians who went too far. They used the conscription to disrupt the situation. All our informants and confidants among the people were either arrested or fled. In such a chaotic situation, it is normal that we cannot find out the military situation clearly."

Zhang Shu could only sigh upon hearing this.

Shi Ju hesitated for only a moment before thinking about another important question.

Now that we know the military situation, what should we do next?!

Of course, Shi Ju is not the only intelligent person.

Soon, a man stepped forward and shouted to Shi Ju, "Lord Shi, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Our troops can be the vanguard, cross the river, and overthrow the barbarian camp to achieve unparalleled glory!"

Everyone turned around at the same time, and after seeing that it was Guo Qingzhi, they all understood.

"This humble general seconds it!" Lu Henian immediately stepped forward as well: "This humble general can also serve as the vanguard!"

Everyone felt somewhat helpless, yet also somewhat eager to try.

Especially people from Hebei like Zhang Shu.

Shi Ju knew in his heart that Guo Qingzhi and Lu Henian, these two brave men from the Wujie Army, had been cornered.

Having betrayed Pucha Shijie, they are almost certainly doomed if the Jin army wins.

Guo Taichu is a cautionary tale!
Moreover, Guo and Lu differed significantly from others not only because their families were both from Hebei, but also because they had actually been brutally beaten by the Han army.

More than a year ago, when the Han army was not yet fully formed, it was able to chase the Wujie Army from Xuzhou to Shouzhou, leaving them with nowhere to run or hide. Let alone now.

Let whoever wants to fight this ruthless guy do it; Guo and Lu just want to stand with Liu Huai in the same trench as soon as possible.

Just as the argument was reigniting, Wei Chang continued, "Wait, I haven't finished speaking yet..."

After the generals recounted the military situation in Bozhou, they were no longer surprised, but rather became somewhat hesitant.

The idea that a county magistrate could lead a ragtag army to cut off the Jin army's rear route seems like a complete fantasy.

Unexpectedly, Guo Qingzhi, who had just volunteered for the mission, spoke up again, but this time he was even more excited and almost jumped up.

"Who? Who did you say that county magistrate was? Xiao Zhongda? Is it Xiao Zhongda, the number one general of the Divine Might Army?"

Wei Chang thought for a moment and said, "It is this man. After being captured by our army in Chaoxian, he surrendered to our army and is now the magistrate of Linhuan County."

Guo Qingzhi opened his mouth in a daze, then immediately cupped his hands to Shi Ju and said, "Since it is that scoundrel Xiao Zhongda, the military intelligence must be correct. My lord, Bozhou is already in your pocket."

Shi Ju's heart suddenly stirred.

Given the landscape and geography, there's no reason why Shi Ju couldn't think of what Yu Yunwen could.

Chenzhou!

As long as Chenzhou is sealed off, the Jin army's 35,000 elite troops will be completely wiped out!
However, Shi Ju managed to calm himself down and said to Wei Chang, who was extremely exhausted, "Young Master Wei, the Song army is attacking very aggressively. If we cannot repel the Song army, our army will not be able to cross the river."

Wei Changqiang opened his eyes and said, "Master Shi, don't worry, we'll see tomorrow."

Shi Ju nodded in response: "Does Young Master Wei have any further military intelligence? If not, let's rest for now."

Wei Chang nodded, leaned on the table to get up, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked around at the generals of Chenzhou Army and said loudly, "My brother once said that what is hard to obtain but easy to lose is opportunity."

Life and death, honor and disgrace, success and failure, nobility and lowliness, often hinge on a single crucial moment, on just a few decisive decisions. You must not hesitate, and you must not jeopardize your own future!

From Shi Ju onwards, this has happened countless times, yet they all still change color.

Being warned to your face by a young boy who is not even twenty years old would be unpleasant for anyone.

However, since this person was backed by the Flying Tiger and represented the interests of the vast military and political group of the Han army as an envoy, there was ultimately nothing more to say about him.

(End of this chapter)