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

Chapter 811 I and the Spring Breeze are both passersby

As Wei Sheng's biological son, could Wei Chang have accepted money from the Jin state and then used Wei Sheng's health as a pretext to trick Liu Huai into withdrawing his troops, thus allowing the remnants of the Jin army to escape?
It is naturally impossible.

But to be honest, at this time and in this place, every Han general who heard the news hoped that Wei Chang had truly lost his mind and committed a rebellious act.

If what Wei Chang said is true, then it means that Wei Sheng is truly doomed.

How could this be?
When they met in the afternoon, Wei Sheng was still full of energy, issuing orders loudly from the city wall. How come he suddenly became so weak as soon as night fell?
However, after confirming that Wei Chang, whose upper body was covered in mud, was not hysterical, all the generals present were completely panicked. Liu Huai pinched his thigh and forced himself to calm down. He then ordered Huyan Nanxian to take command and continue to pursue the Jin army. Afterward, he strictly blocked the news and ordered all the battalion commanders to return to Qixian.

The sun had already set, and although the rain was no longer heavy, the sky was still overcast. The group of over a hundred people, carrying torches, returned along the original route, arriving in Qixian County two hours later.

Upon entering the city, Dong Cheng, who had been waiting at the city gate, could only bow and weep uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word.

Upon seeing this, Liu Huai panicked even more. Without even asking any questions, he spurred his horse and galloped wildly towards the government office on the long street.

"The eldest son has arrived!"

"The eldest son is back!"

“Make way! Make way!”

Along the way, people kept reporting that after Liu Huai dismounted, he ran wildly towards the back hall of the government office.

The crowd hurriedly made way for Liu Huai and his group to enter the innermost room.

Upon seeing Wei Sheng lying on the bed, barely breathing and with a face as pale as paper, Liu Huai felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and his two strong thighs felt weak.

At this moment, Wei Sheng's clothes were torn open, and although the several bloody wounds on his abdomen had been stitched up and bandaged, they were still bleeding, so much so that the entire bed was stained with blood.

"Father……"

Hearing the familiar voice, Wei Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and said slowly, "Big Brother, you're here. I can finally die in peace."

Upon hearing this, not only were the three siblings of the Wei family in tears, but the Han army generals on the periphery also shed tears.

Liu Huai stepped forward, knelt before the bed, and grasped Wei Sheng's outstretched left hand. He gritted his teeth and roared at the man beside him, "Old Tong! How much money and grain have I allocated to you all these years?! Why... why can't you even treat a minor external injury?!"

Doctor Tong was also in tears, but he simply shook his head slowly and did not utter a word of rebuttal.

Wei Sheng gripped Liu Huai's hand tightly, shaking his head with difficulty, and said, "No...it's not Physician Tong's fault. After being shot by the arrow, I didn't remove...the arrowhead, and forced myself to fight...my internal organs were torn apart by the arrowhead, and there was no saving me...it's not his fault, it's not his fault..."

Although Wei Sheng didn't know anything about medicine, he had been through countless battles and bloodshed, and he had seen far too many dead people. He had seen at least eighty or a hundred people like him who died from internal bleeding.

Upon hearing this, Liu Huai realized that even with the current capabilities of Shandong Medical College, it was impossible to treat such an injury. Overwhelmed with grief, he finally broke down in tears.

Wei Sheng, barely holding on, whispered a rebuke: "Dalang, anyone can cry, but you can't... you can't cry anymore. After I'm gone, everyone will depend on you... you... you're not allowed to cry anymore..."

Liu Huai nodded repeatedly, but how could he possibly hold back?
Wei Sheng sighed, enduring the pain in his chest and abdomen, and took a few deep breaths to clear his mind: "I...I have three important things to tell you..."

Liu Huai wiped his tears with his sleeve, which was covered in mud and blood, and gritted his teeth to hold back his sobs: "Father, please speak."

Wei Sheng forcefully tilted his head, released Liu Huai with his right hand, and reached out to Wei Rujun: "Ajun, come here..."

Wei Rujun quickly stepped forward and grasped Wei Sheng's hand.

However, Wei Sheng placed Wei Rujun's hands in Liu Huai's hands, and then wrapped their clasped hands together with his large hand: "Big brother, Rujun. These years of busy military campaigns have really... really delayed you both."

After I die, you...you only need to observe a month of mourning...and then you must get married immediately. Ah Jiao, Ah Chang..."

Wei Jiao and Wei Chang immediately approached.

"Kneel down...kneel down and kowtow to your brother..."

Although the two did not know the reason, they did so immediately.

However, there were still some clever people among the Han army generals and officials. At least Xin Qiji reacted immediately. Although he was fully armored and could not perform the full salute, he still immediately knelt down on one knee before Liu Huai.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Anguo and the others also dared not be negligent. Some suddenly realized what was happening, while others were still in a daze, but they all knelt down before Liu Huai.

But then Wei Sheng slowly said, "As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father. You two... from now on, you must treat Dalang with the respect due to a father, understand?"

The Wei brothers finally understood and immediately kowtowed deeply to Liu Huai.

Wei Sheng's move was to personally exclude the Wei brothers from inheriting his political legacy, so that after his death, no one would be able to use their identities to cause trouble.

His ultimate goal was to hand over all his political and military legacy to Liu Huai intact.

Seeing Liu Huai unable to hold back his tears and bursting into sobs again, Wei Sheng could only sigh and say, "The second matter is that I died in battle... I have no one to blame but myself. After my death... there must be no extravagance or waste. Cloth is a precious thing that can keep people alive in winter... Keep people alive. Do not have the entire army dressed in mourning. Just bury me in my hometown of Suqian..."

"Elder brother, you have been in charge of military and political affairs in Shandong... Do not change course or abandon the project halfway because of my death. I think the policy towards the Jurchens is very good... Do not... Do not change it because of me alone."

At this point, Wei Sheng stared intently at Liu Huai, who could only grit his teeth and nod.

Wei Sheng wasn't actually talking about wasting resources, but rather he was worried that Liu Huai's personality would change drastically because of his death, and that he might develop the idea of ​​killing all the Jurchens.

It's not that this is impossible, but rather that the overall military and political strategy cannot be easily changed, especially such a major shift, as a slight misstep could trigger a full-blown political crisis.

Putting aside other matters, those Meng'an Mouke households that have already been dispersed and registered as commoners are very likely to cause trouble again.

But in terms of the outcome, Wei Sheng was pleading for the Jurchens at this time, so how could Liu Huai not feel grief and indignation?
After Liu Huai nodded with difficulty, Wei Sheng did not mention the third matter. Instead, he closed his eyes, and after breathing heavily for a long time, he took Liu Huai's hand and said, "I once heard a story about a loyal minister in the Han Dynasty who was framed by a eunuch and was about to be executed. He said to his son, 'I want you to be a good person, but that's what I did. I want you to be a bad person, but what kind of father would ask his son to be bad?'"

"I only glanced at this story back then, but today I finally understand his dilemma."

"I wanted you to be a loyal and virtuous minister, but I was a loyal and virtuous minister, yet I ended up like this; but what father would want his son to become a traitor?"

Wei Sheng seemed to have a sudden burst of energy before death, and his voice became louder, just like Xin Qiji and other generals from Shandong who were filled with indignation; while Dong Cheng, Zhou Xinglie and others were simply overwhelmed with grief and anger, to the point that they slammed their fists hard against the floor tiles.

Although Wei Sheng was seriously wounded under the fierce attack of the Jin army, the fact that the Song army did not send reinforcements was also an important factor.

If the Song army had sent five or six thousand soldiers, tying down three or four thousand Jin soldiers, how could the battle in Qixian have been so difficult?

More importantly, the Jin army was the enemy, and any means they used were justified. But the Song state was to which Wei Sheng was loyal, and Wei Sheng had never failed in his duty as a subject. Why did the Song army stand by and watch him die?!

These generals, who originally belonged to the Song army and were part of the Northern Expeditionary Army, all felt a sense of betrayal.

Throughout history, traitors have always been more hateful than enemies.

"My son, I can't control what happens after that... I know you have hatred in your heart, but can you give me a promise that unless it's absolutely necessary, you should still reserve some favors for the Song Dynasty? Is that alright?"

Wei Sheng held Liu Huai's hand, his words filled with pleading.

Liu Huai wanted to say no, but looking into Wei Sheng's eyes, he choked on his words and finally nodded with tears in his eyes.

Wei Sheng seemed to have a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, letting out a long sigh of relief before pointing to the long sword leaning against the wall.

Liu Huai understood and immediately took it and presented it to Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng stroked the longsword, his spirits gradually waning. He murmured, "Brother, I have nothing to give you but this sword. And..."

As he spoke, Wei Sheng's lips curled into a sly smile: "Besides, this knife wasn't a gift from the King of Han."

"This is a long sword that the King of Han damaged and abandoned after a great battle. I found it on the battlefield... After I repaired it... I told everyone I met that it was a gift from the King of Han, in order to... to win over the hearts of the people for the Northern Expedition..."

"Now it seems... I... I am ultimately unworthy of it... King Han..."

Liu Huai shook his head repeatedly, wanting to say something, but because his throat was choked with emotion, he couldn't utter a word.

Now that things have come to this, who dares to say that Wei Sheng was not Han Shizhong's successor? And who dares to say that Wei Sheng cannot be compared with famous generals throughout history?

Wei Sheng put aside all his thoughts, stroking his long sword as if he had returned to the glorious days of the past: "King Han... that was the eleventh year of Shaoxing... we gathered in Chuzhou... King Han led us... on a northern expedition..."

Wei Sheng's eyes shone with hope as he stretched his hand toward the sky, as if trying to grasp something, and his voice suddenly rose in pitch: "Northern Expedition!"

In his final moments, the old man confused reality with hope.

However, this is the end.

Wei Sheng's outstretched hand fell limply to the ground. His eyes were open as he murmured to himself, "...The Northern Expedition..."

Amidst the sudden burst of crying, Liu Huai's mind went blank, and he collapsed to the ground.

He suddenly thought of that ordinary sunny day several years ago, on July 18th of the thirty-first year of Shaoxing.

On the city wall of Lianshui, Wei Sheng turned around and said with a smile, "I am going to bring peace to the world."

Then he disappeared into the bright sunshine.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the second year of Longxing, Wei Sheng, the initiator of the Northern Expedition, the one with the greatest achievements in the Northern Expedition since Yue Fei, the marshal of the righteous armies of Shandong and Hebei, the commander-in-chief of the loyal and righteous army, and a loyal minister and good general of the Song Dynasty, died in battle.

He was forty-five years old at the time.

(End of this chapter)