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

Chapter 816 The Sword Qi of the Ox-Sweeping Sword Washes Away the Military Might (Part 2)
Of course, Xie Fuyao would never hide anything from her comrades.

This guy was genuinely hesitant before, and now that he's made up his mind, he's truly made up his mind.

This is exactly what military might and military might mean: by displaying the most direct violence in a way that everyone can understand, people will naturally be in awe and respect.

Moreover, Xie Fuyao's mind worked quickly, and he suddenly realized that this was only Wu Chengjun.

Just how elite was Liu Huai's core force, the Jingnan Army that had once captured the Jin ruler Wanyan Liang?
Of course, the formidable military might of the Han army could not have intimidated only the generals in Henan.

When the Jin army in Mengcheng saw that another reinforcement had arrived to fill their siege camp, they quickly fell into despair.

Mengcheng was already a ghost town with almost no food. When nearly 10,000 Jin soldiers arrived here in a panic, they immediately found themselves in dire straits.

A few days ago, they still had their own provisions and the government treasury to rely on, but these past two days they've started eating horse meat.

The soldiers all said it was a wounded horse that was killed, but only those involved knew the truth.

Wanyan Qige limped to the top of the city wall and met Heshilie Liangbi, who had lost weight, under Heshilie's banner: "Left Prime Minister, this cannot go on."

Heshi Lieliangbi nodded in response: "I know."

When Wanyan Qige saw Heshi Lie Liangbi's indifferent demeanor, he finally lost his temper and roared, "Left Prime Minister, there are no reinforcements! Our army has been surrounded and is about to die. Thousands of our brave men are about to perish. Does the Left Prime Minister have nothing to say about this?"

Heshi Lieliangbi remained silent for a long time in the breeze before finally saying, "It was indeed my fault for dragging you all here to your deaths..."

Wanyan Qige immediately shook his head, dragged his injured leg forward one step, and was immediately stopped by Heshi Lieliangbi's personal guards.

"No, no, no... That's not what I meant." Wanyan Qige was still agitated: "The Left Prime Minister's plan was excellent. Whether it was the surprise attack on the Shandong bandits, the use of gunpowder to blow up the city, or the final desperate attempt to scale the city walls, it was all excellent."

"Our failure is due to the incompetence of us military men, and also to Liu Dalang's superior strategy, which allowed him to lead his army south in just a few days. Ultimately, we cannot blame the Left Prime Minister."

At this point, Wanyan Qige's words became even more intense: "This humble general only has one question: why is the Left Prime Minister wasting his time here? Why not take the initiative to do something?"

The young men are all slaughtering horses now; in a while, they won't even have time to do anything else."

Looking at the army outside the city, Heshi Lieliangbi crossed his arms and slowly said, "Brother Qi, what do you want me to do?"

Wanyan Qige opened his mouth as if to speak, but then fell silent.

Heshi Lieliangbi chuckled a few times: "There are five principles of warfare: fight if you can, defend if you can't, and retreat if you can't defend. The only other options are surrender or death."

Our army is now incapable of fighting or defending. Some time ago, we tried to retreat, but were forced back by the Shandong bandits' armored cavalry. Now, the Shandong bandits and the Chenzhou army have joined forces, with tens of thousands of troops besieging the city, making retreat impossible.

Next, it's either surrender or death.

Wanyan Qige nodded with difficulty, then said solemnly, "That's right, it's nothing more than surrender or death."

Neither of them said whether they wanted to surrender or die, but since Wanyan Qige brought it up himself, he probably wanted to surrender.

However, as the prime minister of the country, Heshi Lieliangbi had his own principles, and even for the sake of posthumous fame, he was willing to uphold his integrity for the country.

Both knew what the other was thinking, but neither of them spoke out. After a moment of silence, He Shi Lie Liangbi said, "Brother Qi, don't worry, things will become clear in the next two days."

"what?"

Heshi Lieliangbi explained, "Have you noticed that the Shandong bandits are not leaving one side open when they surround us, but instead are trying to block our army?"

Wanyan Qige nodded, but seemed somewhat puzzled: "That's true, but so what?"

Heshi Lieliangbi shook his head and chuckled, losing interest in explaining. He simply waved his hand and said, "Go back and tell the boys that it will be about time in two more days."

Wanyan Qige was puzzled by what he heard, but he immediately believed the words of this famous wise man from the Jin Kingdom. He accepted the man's words as true and then turned and left.

As it turns out, Heshi Lieliangbi's judgment was not overshadowed by the failure; it remained among the best in the world.

On the morning of July 27th, the second day after Wu Cheng's army arrived, the army marched out of the camp and lined up in battle formation.

Jia Gu Qingchen was dragged out of the tent, bound hand and foot. His right leg had been broken by a warhorse in the previous battle, and although a military doctor had set his bones and put a splint on him, he was still unable to stand up. He was dragged along like a dead dog by two Han soldiers.

Along the way, the Han soldiers all looked at Jia Gu Qingchen with eyes full of deep hatred, making him feel ashamed and afraid, and he only wanted to die.

He never knew that a gaze could kill.

However, Jia Gu Qingchen was quickly dragged to Liu Huai's horse and pushed to the ground.

After rolling on the ground and struggling to sit up, Jia Gu Qingchen finally saw Liu Huai dressed in white mourning clothes. His mind exploded as if it were resounding.

Wei Sheng is dead?

Is Wei Sheng really dead?

Yes, only with Wei Sheng dead would the Han army be so enraged.

Since being captured, Jia Gu Qingchen had been under strict guard and had no news from the outside world. It was only at this time that he learned of Wei Sheng's death.

Just as Jia Gu Qingchen's mind was in turmoil, Liu Huai coldly spoke: "Jia Gu Qingchen, do you know how I originally planned to deal with you people?"

Jia Gu Qingchen originally wanted to be tougher and say that he was free to kill or torture Liu Huai, but when he saw Liu Huai's cold expression, his teeth started chattering and he couldn't utter a single tough word.

Indomitable spirit is just an adjective. Even among the heroes of the world, how many can maintain their will after being repeatedly defeated and forced to flee in disarray, and now even captured?
Liu Huai didn't seem to be asking Jia Gu Qingchen for an answer; he simply said, "I can tell you clearly now that I originally wanted to surround this place for three months."

Anyone leaving the city, whether to surrender or to recklessly attempt a breakout, will be executed under the pretext of strict defense.

Kiyotomi Kagaya's jaw clenched even louder.

He led his army out of Mengcheng, and he knew all too well what the situation was like there.

To put it bluntly, while the other generals were trapped in their isolated cities without food, at least they had civilians to eat. But in Mengcheng, there were no civilians at all; they had all been conscripted into the army and sent to the front lines.

If the Jin army were trapped in Mengcheng for three months, they would likely hunt each other down. Everyone in the city would be both hunter and prey. Would anyone who survived even be considered human?
Sure enough, the next moment Liu Huai said, "Three months later, the Jin bandits inside will no longer be considered human. I will kill them all in the name of killing man-eating beasts, and then... Henan will be peaceful."

"Then, regarding you Jurchens..." Liu Huai gave a sinister smile: "I read in the history books that when King Li of Zhou destroyed the E Kingdom, he ordered the execution of E Hou Yu Fang, and that no one should be spared, even the young and old."

Back then, I only thought he was a ruthless ruler, befitting the fate of a fallen kingdom. Now, however, I realize that those not of my kind are bound to have different hearts; otherwise, how could the Zhou dynasty have lasted for eight hundred years?!

Jia Gu Qingchen finally couldn't hold on any longer and kept kowtowing, but because he was so afraid, he couldn't say anything.

Due to his leg injury and his arms being tightly bound, Kagaya Kiyoshi could only kowtow a few times before collapsing to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Originally, Jia Gu Qingchen thought that destroying the culture and history of the Jurchens was already an extremely severe punishment. Now, after hearing that Liu Huai wanted to carry out the erasure of everything from the body to the culture, Jia Gu Qingchen was completely terrified.

The generals of the Han army all watched coldly. Several officers who came from the Loyal Army wanted to mock and curse, but they couldn't go over Liu Huai's name. They could only mutter a few curses under their breath.

Now you're scared? Where were you before?!

Liu Huai stared intently at Jia Gu Qingchen until the latter nearly fainted from crying before continuing, "However, before my father died, he said that he died in battle and had no one to blame, and he forbade me to change my policy toward the Jurchens because of this, which I agreed to in person."

At this point, Liu Huai gritted his teeth and stared at Jia Gu Qingchen, saying, "I will only give He Shilie Liangbi one chance: the entire army will surrender unconditionally and be at my disposal. This is my last act of goodwill."

"Men, untie him, give him a stick, and tell him to go down to the city gate and knock on the door."

The ropes binding Jia Gu Qingchen were cut, and before he could even stretch his arms, he was forcibly dragged up by the armored soldiers, a piece of spear shaft was stuffed into his hand, and he was pushed and shoved toward Mengcheng.

"Jia Gu Qingchen, tell He Shilie Liangbi that I especially hope he will rather die than surrender, so please don't disappoint me!"

Hearing the sounds behind him, Jia Gu Qingchen felt excruciating pain in his right leg, but he dared not stop. Instead, he leaned on his spear and quickened his pace toward Mengcheng.

Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of soldiers on and below the city walls, Kiyotomi Kagaya struggled across a moat and arrived at the city gate, where he began to smash it with all his might.

(End of this chapter)