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

Chapter 825 Two Battles in the North

As September drew to a close and the great battle came to an end, the army gradually disbanded. Liu Huai also finished dealing with the internal affairs of the Chenzhou army and led the army back to Suzhou.

Meanwhile, news from all corners of the country was also being transmitted through the newly established post stations.

The most important task, of course, is the wrap-up of the Hebei battle.

Because Liu Huai took a large number of cavalry with him when he marched south, He Boqiu initially maintained an extremely conservative strategy, which was to advance slowly with infantry and gradually reduce the Jin army's living space.

Generally speaking, the Jin army could use its cavalry advantage at this point to harass and cut off the Han army's supply lines, thereby forcing the Han army to withdraw.

Despite the complete annihilation of Dongjin's army, they can still muster ten or twenty thousand cavalry.

In particular, Wanyan Guying, who had been guarding against the Western Jin, Western Xia, and Mongols in Shanxi and had not directly participated in the war, was quite confident in using the strategic location of Shanxi to subdue Hebei.

I know I can't beat you, but isn't harassing you enough?

However, in practice, the difficulties exceeded Wanyan Guying's imagination.

Firstly, because the Jin army of 60,000 men was completely wiped out, and the commander-in-chief Heshilie Zhining and the main generals were almost all killed, the Han army had gained a psychological advantage, while the Jin army feared the Han army like a tiger.

In terms of specific tactics, this meant that even a few hundred Han infantrymen dared to act alone to sweep through the surrounding villages and towns.

The Jin army needed to gather seven or eight hundred men before daring to launch an attack.

Moreover, when the Jin army attempted to ambush small Han troops, they were surprised to find that the Han army was not afraid at all. Even with a huge disparity in troop strength, they dared to form formations to protect themselves by taking advantage of the terrain.

Upon seeing the warning fireworks, the Han troops marching in the surrounding area would not care about their own strength and would immediately join the battle.

This eagerness to fight made the Jin army very uncomfortable.

Despite having a clear advantage in mobility and being able to frequently achieve local numerical superiority, after fighting for dozens of days, they still hadn't managed to eliminate a single organized Han army unit.

The second reason put Wanyan Guying in an even more difficult position.

The Jin dynasty had a large number of Meng'an and Mouke households in Hebei. Even after several major uprisings by the Hebei rebels, many of them still survived.

These Meng'an and Mouke households were among the first tribes to migrate to Han areas after the Jingkang Incident. The reason they were able to be the first to enjoy the fertile lands of Hebei was naturally because they had powerful backers, military achievements, and abilities.

Most of them were Jurchens, with very few Xi or Khitans.

Conversely, these same people were the first to fall into depravity and corruption. By the time Wanyan Wushu came to power, they were no longer able to ride warhorses or draw strong bows.

Although Wanyan Liang had made some progress in the Meng'an-Muke households after several years of reorganization, after several more years of chaotic warfare, many young and strong men died on the battlefield, and most of the survivors were in the army. Only the strong women and the old and weak remained among these Meng'an-Muke households.

Wanyan Guying had no way to abandon them, otherwise the morale of the army would be completely destroyed.

But how fast can a group of women, children, the elderly, and the infirm migrate? If they are caught up by the Han army on the way, then there is truly no hope.

Therefore, Wanyan Guying ordered all Meng'an Mouke households to flee to nearby cities, taking with them what they could and burning what they couldn't.

This order cannot be said to be absolutely correct, but in such a terrible situation, it can only be said that even the most absurd order is better than no order at all.

Soon, the first consequence of this order came.

It was autumn, and the harvest was just around the corner. After several days of being exposed to the scorching sun, the crops had lost their moisture and were beginning to turn a golden yellow.

The vast plains of Hebei stretch as far as the eye can see, a scene of abundant harvest.

It was no big deal for the Jurchens to set fire to their own crops when they left, but fires are not so easy to control, especially in paddy fields near the river, where every inch of land is precious and there are large, adjacent fields. Even with ridges, how could they withstand the raging fire?
Moreover, since the Jurchens had made up their minds to leave, how could they possibly only burn their own fields?

Soon, a vigorous self-rescue movement to "protect the autumn harvest and safeguard grain" began.

Not only did local powerful families spontaneously organize their own forces to resist the enemy, but even ordinary villages and towns organized patrol teams and similar groups to warn others if they saw any Jurchen stragglers setting fires.

Southern Hebei suddenly burst into a vibrant and thriving state, leaving Wanyan Guying completely bewildered.

The Jurchens were practically engulfed in a people's war. Not only did small groups of scouts disappear after being sent out, but several groups of the Meng'an-Muke people who migrated north also vanished. Half of the cities in various regions launched mutinies, closing their gates to the Jin army and refusing to admit them. Large banners with Chinese characters were raised on the city walls, awaiting the arrival of the heavenly army.

At this point, Wanyan Guying was actually unable to continue the fight.

The Han army was also extremely busy, as they needed to quickly harvest grain, distribute land, and establish garrisons.

Both sides are basically about to reach a tacit agreement to withdraw their troops.

But at this very moment, news of Wei Sheng's death in battle reached Hebei.

As old friends of several decades, He Boqiu was naturally filled with shock, anger, grief, and indignation, and the entire Han army was furious. In particular, people like Pang Rugui, who had received great kindness from Wei Sheng, burst into tears on the spot. Some even drew their swords and cut their foreheads, pointing to the sky and swearing revenge.

Under these circumstances, 20,000 Han infantrymen, along with several thousand light cavalry and a small number of armored cavalry, led by the Wulu Army, marched straight towards Handan, where Wanyan Guying was located.

Wanyan Guying was startled. He had no idea why the Han army was preparing for a decisive battle, but he dared not retreat without permission. He could only gather the scattered troops while sending a message to Yanjing for reinforcements.

In the short span of two or three days, the vanguard of the Han army had already captured several cities, including Cheng'an, Feixiang, and Xin'an, and arrived in Handan at almost the speed of a forced march.

Wanyan Guying could only lead more than 7,000 cavalry out of the city to meet the enemy, hoping to take advantage of the different marching speeds of the Han army.

Needless to say, the Wulu Army fought desperately, and the main force of the Jingnan Army in the rear was also filled with resentment. From the moment the battle began, it was the Han infantry who took the initiative to attack the cavalry.

The two sides fought fiercely for only an hour before a small but elite Han cavalry force joined the battle, delivering the decisive blow and causing the Jin army to collapse.

At this moment, the White Horse Army and the Liao Cavalry Battalion, two light cavalry units, went into battle, chasing and killing Wanyan Guying's routed troops all the way.

The two sides pursued each other, eventually reaching Fukou Pass. Dian Lun, leading the Liao cavalry, captured Wu'an and Shexian in succession, and seized Fukou Pass.

It can be said that based solely on this achievement, Dian Lun is already considered to have made the greatest contribution.

This battle took place on August 25th.

After receiving the news of the victory, Liu Huai issued an order that the autumn harvest should be the priority. After replenishing the defenses of Shexian County, the entire army should cross the Zhang River and organize defenses with the Hutuo River as the boundary.

Liu Huai estimated that this was the limit that the Eastern Jin could withstand. If they attacked further north or west, it would likely trigger a stress response from the Jin state, causing them to abandon their northern and western border defenses and send their entire army south for a decisive battle.

The second message came from Admiral He Zizhen, the maritime commander.

At this time, he had already made contact with He Zizheng and Li Gongzuo, who were fighting on the Liaodong Peninsula.

He Zizhen originally thought that his brothers were having a very difficult time in Liaodong, but who would have thought that the two of them were living a very comfortable life.

At this time, the navy had completely occupied Fuzhou and was advancing the battle line northward along the border between the Liaodong Hills and the Bohai Sea, reaching Jian'an, which is the vicinity of Gaizhou in later times.

This place is only about 200 li away from Liaoyang Prefecture, the capital of the Jin Dynasty.

Zheng Fasan, who was originally a figurehead civil official, had now appointed himself as the Liaodong Military Commissioner, thus fulfilling his long-cherished wish to return to his hometown.

By using the slogan of "overthrowing the local tyrants and distributing the land," he gathered many Han Chinese and even Meng'an and Mouke households to fight against the Jin dynasty. His momentum grew stronger and stronger, and his army now numbered over 10,000.

The Jin state would not allow such a surprise force from the peninsula to cause trouble behind them. Soon, a general gathered local troops to attack, but they were utterly defeated.

Left with no other choice, Wanyan Yong transferred a portion of the troops originally sent to Hebei from Youyan, along with local troops from Liaoyang, to form an army of 30,000, determined to drive He Zizheng into the sea.

He Zizheng also worked hard to prepare for war, building Jian'an City almost day and night, hoping to use it to block the Jin army's offensive.

But at this critical moment, an unbelievable black swan event occurred.

On the seventh day of the eighth lunar month, after several days of torrential rain, the water levels of several major rivers in Liaoyang, including the Hunhe River, Shahe River, and Liaohe River, rose sharply, eventually leading to widespread flooding.

This great flood, recorded in historical texts, with water reaching several feet high on flat land, destroying houses and drowning people, completely disrupted the Jin army's offensive plans.

Originally, the area from Guangning (now Beizhen) to Yifeng (now Liaozhong) was a large area of ​​marshland, which was the Liaoze area from ancient times until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

After Liaoze is thoroughly flooded again, it would be a blessing from Wanyan Aguda if the army could march there by this time next year.

And by next year, the Han army's cannons will be able to be mounted on the walls of Jian'an!

He Zizheng inexplicably survived the most dangerous moment, which makes him a truly lucky man.

After Liu Huai instructed that supplies be transported to the Liaodong Peninsula as soon as possible, he reviewed the remaining intelligence. Even after seeing the good news that the Mongols were making unusual moves and seemed to want to attack Linhuang Prefecture again, he was not too excited.

He felt a strange sense of irritation wash over him, making it impossible for him to calm down for a moment.

Soon, Liu Huai came out of the house, looked at the starry sky, and pondered what was making him so restless.

After a moment, Liu Huai finally detached himself from his identity as a political machine and returned to being a human being. He stared blankly at the white paper lantern in front of him, and his heart was suddenly filled with sorrow.

My father's body has been lying in state for forty-nine days, and the next two days will be the official burial days.

Thinking of this, Liu Huai wanted to step into the main hall, but for some reason, he stopped and sat down on the threshold of the second courtyard, staring blankly at the sky. For a moment, he even lost the strength to think.

(End of this chapter)