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

Chapter 818 Military Law Allows No Leniency

Three-quarters of an hour later, the gates of Mengcheng were opened wide, and nearly ten thousand Jin soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered.

Liu Huai also saw He Shilie Liangbi's explanation.

Wanyan Qige knelt on the ground, looking at the corpse in front of him and crying out in anguish: "Flying Tiger Lord, my Left Prime Minister knows that his sins are too great to be redeemed by death a hundred times. Therefore, he gouged out his own eyes, cut off his ears and tongue, and finally committed suicide by disembowelment."

As he spoke, Wanyan Qige held up a document with trembling hands: "Young Master Feihu, this is a letter of apology written by the Left Prime Minister."

Liu Huai flew into a rage upon seeing the corpse of He Shilie Liangbi, whose face was clearly visible but whose body was completely unrecognizable.

"What does Heshilie Liangbi mean by this? Does he think that this will appease my anger and make me disregard the law and show more leniency when dealing with the Jurchens in the future?!"

After saying this, Liu Huai flew into a rage, drew a long sword from the waist of his personal guard, and was about to chop down on the corpse of Heshi Lie Liangbi.

However, both Xin Qiji and Shi Ju immediately stepped forward to stop them, and Hu Yan Nanxian even knelt down and hugged Liu Huai's legs.

This is not to say that these people had received favors from Heshi Lie Liangbi, or that they admired him because of his loyalty and righteousness.

It's purely because the act of mutilating corpses is just too disgraceful. This isn't the Spring and Autumn Period anymore; who would allow their ruler to have such a stain on their reputation?

Despite the advice of many, Liu Huai threw his sword to the ground and glared at the Jin soldiers leaving the city, saying fiercely, "Since Heshi Lieliangbi is unwilling to be publicly executed by me, then let these Jin traitors suffer!"

"Pass on my order: let the Jin traitors denounce each other, and anyone with blood on their hands shall be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. If none of the ten can denounce anyone, all ten shall be beheaded!"

"After that, eleven people were conscripted and the rest were sent to Xuzhou for labor reform."

Liu Huai, still furious, pointed to Heshi Lie Liangbi's corpse and said, "I will cut off his head to offer as a sacrifice to my father's spirit in heaven."

Everyone hurriedly agreed, and Hu Yananxian, who had been the most enthusiastic in persuading them, picked up the sword on the ground and went up to cut off the head.

As long as Liu Huai doesn't do anything inappropriate, the dirty work will be handled by others.

Looking at Wanyan Qige kneeling before him and Wanyan Cong, who was prostrate on the ground and crying a little further away, Liu Huai forcibly suppressed his anger: "Give each of them a divination stick, also eleven. Don't let anyone say I didn't give them a chance."

Soon, guards brought two bamboo tubes and placed them in front of the two men, asking them to draw lots.

This is actually a way of giving them a way out. After all, they are generals who surrendered in the face of battle. If they are all killed, who will dare to surrender in the future?
To everyone's dismay, the two shakily drew lots to match, only to find that Wanyan Qige had drawn a black lot representing a way out, while Wanyan Cong had drawn a red lot representing a way out.

Even with a one in ten chance of getting it, this person is no ordinary unlucky person.

Wanyan Cong was also stunned on the spot, but before he could react, Liu Huai turned his head to look at Huyan Nanxian, whose hands were covered in blood.

Not wanting to bother two masters, Huyan Nanxian gripped his longsword and stepped forward, kicking Wanyan Cong to the ground. With a swift swing of his sword, he ended Wanyan Cong's life on the spot.

Looking at the trembling Wanyan Qige who was kowtowing, Liu Huai suppressed his anger and ordered, "Xin Wulang, deal with this man according to the rules, and immediately prepare for military affairs!"

Xin Qiji immediately and loudly agreed.

"Lord Shi, I will establish a military governor's office in Mengcheng to support you. Let's see if your governance skills are sufficient to bring peace to the Han lands!"

After saying this, Liu Huai ignored the mess on the ground and rode back to camp.

Everyone felt somewhat helpless, yet they all understood that He Shi Lie Liang Bi's move was truly disgusting.

First of all, although no one had seen Heshi Lieliangbi's letter of apology, they could all roughly guess its contents, which was nothing more than the idea that Heaven cherishes life and that the sins were his own and had nothing to do with the soldiers.

Secondly, He Shi Lie Liangbi did not just talk the talk, but took the most resolute stance of atonement.

The generals of the Han army had all been on the battlefield many times and had seen more dead people than living people. With just a glance, they knew that the wounds on Heshi Lie Liangbi's body were not faked after his death.

This means that he indeed tormented himself before dying in the most painful way.

Theoretically speaking, even if Heshi Lieliangbi had fallen into Liu Huai's hands, he couldn't have suffered any more than he has now.

But that's precisely what makes it disgusting.

What Liu Huai wanted to do was to publicly execute Heshilie Liangbi, conduct a trial, and then deal with him, in order to demonstrate military might and the power of the law, and thus deter the Jin state.

However, because of Heshi Lie Liangbi's actions, Liu Huai could no longer take further action, otherwise he would be labeled as a tyrannical person.

Didn't you see that Liu Huai's trusted subordinates were all trying to stop him from mutilating the corpse?
As for how to deal with the Jin army, the Han army already had a system in place, and with Wei Sheng's last words as a guide, they couldn't just massacre them all.

It's as if the Han army only spared them all because of Heshi Lie Liangbi's atonement.

But then again, Heshi Lieliangbi died in such a tragic state, what more do you want?

Xin Qiji, the leader of the warriors present, was also helpless. He knew that Liu Huai would not be able to speak properly today, so he could only look at Shi Ju: "Mr. Shi, is there anything I can do to cooperate with?" Shi Ju stared at the headless corpse of He Shi Lie Liangbi for a moment, then said with his hands clasped: "General Xin, please send a troop south and set up camp sixty miles north of Xia Cai City."

If any small groups of Song soldiers come to spy, do not hold back; simply drive them back.

Xin Qiji nodded slightly, but did not respond immediately. Instead, he turned to look at Lu You, who had been silent since leaving the camp: "Mr. Lu, do you have anything else to say?"

Upon hearing this, the others all looked at Lu You, seemingly waiting for his command, yet also seemingly not wanting him to speak.

Lu You stood there, somewhat lost and dejected, staring at the corpse of Heshi Lie Liangbi, but ultimately remained silent.

Liu Huai just ordered Shi Ju to take charge of civil administration, which is tantamount to abandoning Lu You, who is theoretically the highest-ranking civil official in Shandong.

Although Shi Ju was the most suitable person to oversee the civil administration of Henan from any perspective, on the other hand, wasn't this taking the Pacification Commissioner too lightly?

Regardless of whether Liu Huai acted intentionally or unintentionally, whether out of disgust or to protect, he ultimately excluded Lu You from the decision-making level at that time.

Seeing this, Xin Qiji sighed and said, "Then let's do as Mr. Shi says and take care of Qilang!"

"Dispatch eight hundred Flying Tiger Armored Cavalry to set up camp ahead and sweep through the surrounding area."

"Here!"

The Song army was naturally able to detect the unusual movements of the Han army.

After the Jin army retreated in disarray, the Song army did not immediately advance north. Instead, they remained in Xia Cai, where they reorganized their troops and sent a report of victory to Lin'an.

Naturally, some Song generals were puzzled by this, and even Zhang Jun, who had been stationed on Mount Bagong, sent a letter inquiring about it.

But Yu Yunwen withstood the pressure from above, and Li Xianzong suppressed the commotion from below, becoming fully alert.

The horror of the current situation is unknown to others, but the two people directly involved know all too well.

The arrival of Wu Chengjun's main infantry force not only subdued Chenzhou's army and intimidated the Jin army, but also gave Yu Yunwen a chill down his spine.

If this is just a small force, that's fine. But if this is the vanguard of the Shandong rebels, tens of thousands of troops will arrive one after another. What should we do then?

Don't say it's impossible.

Throughout history, there have been countless instances of people rising up in anger and launching military campaigns. You can't forget that Liu Huai is just a young man in his early twenties just because he holds a high position of power.

So-called youthful arrogance, when you're really driven to fight with all your might, what can you do?
Don't forget that the Chenzhou army, which had already submitted to Liu Huai, had a deep-seated hatred for the Jin Dynasty, but they had also fought a real war with the Song army. They might actually turn around and bite back.

Unfortunately, these worries and anxieties could not be voiced, because many people in the Song court were still watching Yu Yunwen, and the pro-peace faction never gave up attacking the pro-war faction.

However, since the Longxing Northern Expedition was initiated by Zhao Shen, the pro-peace faction has temporarily ceased its efforts.

If the Northern Expedition really produces a 'rebel,' then things will get really interesting. It would be strange if the pro-peace faction didn't immediately turn on them.

However, on July 28, the day after the Jin army in Mengcheng surrendered, Yu Yunwen finally received good news.

After news came that Cheng Min had been defeated by Pu San Zhongyi and retreated to Rangcheng, Yu Yunwen wrote a letter through official channels to Wang Che, the Vice Chancellor and Imperial Envoy of Hubei and Jingxi, urging him to resolutely send troops to achieve results in Nanyang during the Huaibei-Central Plains War.

Otherwise, not only will the Northern Expedition fail, but the current emperor's prestige will also be greatly diminished.

Because it was an official channel, the document was delivered directly to the palace through the Privy Council, specifically through the Privy Councilor Zhang Jun. It is unknown how Zhao Shen made up his mind, but soon, the palace handed over the imperial edict and the Privy Council document to Wang Che.

This is what is meant by the palace and the government being one entity. When the emperor and the prime minister agree, even if Wang Che is a vice minister, he has no choice but to obey.

The entire army of Ezhou and Jingxi was mobilized, and the two military governors, Cheng Min and Wu Gong, pressed forward together. The nearly 50,000 troops began to scatter and attack cities and seize territories.

The troops left behind by Xijin were powerless to stop them, and Wuyanpuluhun had no choice but to lead his army to retreat.

As of today, the Song army has captured Deng, Tang, and Ru prefectures, and has almost completely occupied the Nanyang Basin.

Interestingly, in the joint victory report sent by Cheng Min and Wu Gong, the credit was given to the generals of Huainan. The document clearly stated that if the Huainan army had not tied down tens of thousands of elite Jin troops, they would never have achieved such a result.

Whether these two men were in awe of Zhang Jun and Yu Yunwen, or whether they truly believed it, the final outcome was self-evident.

The influence of Minister Zhang and Minister Yu in the court was unparalleled for a time. In addition, the Jin army in Huaibei was also defeated, which instantly made the pro-war faction very powerful.

Amidst this tumultuous situation, Yu Yunwen finally received a letter from Liu Huai.

(End of this chapter)