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

Chapter 827 Once the light shone on the ten thousand horses of Duke Wei

Yu Yunwen is gone.

After Liu Huai's blatantly anti-Chinese remarks, Yu Yunwen did not react strongly. Instead, he maintained his elegant demeanor and talked about other things, and in the end, both host and guest enjoyed themselves.

However, he ultimately disregarded the darkness of night and decisively took his leave, which could be considered a loss of composure.

There was absolutely no possibility that Yu Yunwen would become Liu Huai's chief minister; this was not merely due to the irreconcilable differences between the two military and political factions' leaders.

More importantly, although Yu Yunwen did not achieve anything in history, whether due to bad luck or lack of ability, he was ultimately a man of iron will.

In actual history, Yu Yunwen could not find an opportunity in Lianghuai, so he went to Xiangfan to reorganize military affairs.

Later, due to the defeat of the Longxing Northern Expedition, the Song and Jin dynasties negotiated peace again. Yu Yunwen was unwilling to give up the Tang and Deng prefectures that he had already acquired, which were located in the southern part of the Nanyang Basin. Tang Situi, the then prime minister and leader of the pro-peace faction, was furious and demoted him.

Several years later, Yu Yunwen was reinstated and took charge of Xichuan. He reorganized the army and sought a solution in Guanzhong.

After returning to the central government, Yu Yunwen once again became the sole prime minister, sorting out the affairs of the court and reversing the passive situation caused by the failure of the Longxing Northern Expedition. After strengthening Zhao Shen's determination to launch the Northern Expedition, he went to Xichuan again.

At that time, Zhao Shen saw Yu Yunwen off and, in order to show his determination, made a guarantee: "If the Western Army goes out and I am slow to return, then I will have failed you; if I have already set out and you are slow to return, then you will have failed me."

If the Western Army (referring to the Song army in Sichuan) sends troops and I am still hesitating, then I have failed you; if I have already taken action and you are still hesitating, then you have failed me.

The situation at the time was that the Sinicization of the Jin Dynasty was fluctuating, and the whole country was plagued by floods, droughts and locust plagues, which made it a good time for a northern expedition.

No matter how you look at it, it marks the beginning of a great era.

However, Yu Yunwen died of overwork just two years after taking charge of Xichuan.

Historical records state that he was dismissed from his post as prime minister and stationed in Shu. He was then ordered to restore the Shu Han dynasty and went there on schedule. Although his ambition was not yet fulfilled, his ability to be generous and take on heavy responsibilities was truly remarkable.
How could such an indomitable, dedicated, and selfless person possibly betray the Song Dynasty to become Liu Huai's prime minister?

However, doesn't this mean that Liu Huai has already gained significant power in the north?
If Li Tong's defection to Liu Huai was somewhat out of desperation, then Shi Ju's defection was a genuine expression of submission and compliance with the prevailing trend.

Moreover, if Liu Huai were to establish the country, his legitimacy would be second only to that of his ancestor Liu Bang.

One was to rebel against the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, driving the world into despair; the other was to expel the Tartars, causing the Jin army to flee at the mere sight of them.

They look pretty much the same, both being considered the beginnings of great dynasties.

Not to mention that Liu Huai was a Han Chinese, and both his constant assertion of his identity and the banners he raised were proof of this.

Weren't the people of the Song Dynasty also Han Chinese?

Isn't it only natural that during dynastic changes within the Han Chinese society, the losers pledge allegiance to the victors?

For example, the meritorious officials in the Lingyan Pavilion of the Tang Dynasty, such as Cheng Zhijie, Qin Shubao, Yuchi Jingde, and Xu Shiji, all served other monarchs first, but later either were impressed by the Prince of Qin or were not tolerated by their former masters, and thus chose to serve the Tang Dynasty.

This is called assessing the situation and making judgments.

This is called a good minister choosing a lord to serve, and a good bird choosing a tree to perch on.

However... so I must say "however," as the prime minister of the Song state, the future leader of the pro-war faction, and a political leader, Yu Yunwen would absolutely never side with Liu Huai.

Even disregarding his character, the last powerful prime minister of the Song state was Qin Hui, a treacherous minister whose name will be remembered for all time.

The one before that was Cai Jing. Although he wouldn't be cursed for a thousand years, it's only natural that he couldn't be exonerated in the underworld for five hundred years.

If Yu Yunwen were to betray the Song Kingdom and defect to another, then the achievements of the Song Kingdom would be far too astonishing.

How do you say that.

There should always be some stories left for future generations to read.

For this reason alone, even if the Song Dynasty were just a sinking ship, Yu Yunwen would still cling to the mast and die with it.

After the Song entourage left, Liu Huai did not linger in Suqian. Instead, he instructed local officials to take care of the Wei family's ancestral graves before leading his army northward.

During this period, the army was constantly being dispersed. The garrison soldiers returned to their hometowns to wash away the dust of battle, while the regular soldiers also had time off.

The way of both civil and military affairs is to balance tension and relaxation. Since the Jin army reinforced its troops in Daming Prefecture last winter, the Shandong troops have been in a state of high alert. Now, taking advantage of the fact that the autumn harvest is not yet over, they can take their rewards and return home to enjoy the happiness of family life.

Along the way, Liu Huai also comforted the lonely and needy, investigated official corruption, and assigned Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) to do some preliminary work for anti-corruption.

This naturally caused some chaos, but it was quickly quelled.

The victor should not be blamed; this statement is always applicable.

This applies both inside and outside.

Especially when the officials and common people along the way saw Liu Huai dressed in mourning clothes, they all realized that their commander's adoptive father had died, and they all became cautious.

Most people just lamented why such a good person was gone so early, but that didn't stop officials and ordinary people from becoming more cautious, for fear of incurring bad luck.

The vast majority of people in this world are still ordinary people.

Liu Huai naturally understood this perfectly.

He naturally had to comfort those who were truly grieved by Wei Sheng's kindness;

As for those who were crying without knowing whether it was true or not, Liu Huai spoke gently to them out of consideration for those few tears.

As for those who were clearly more fearful than sad, Liu Huai did not rebuke them, nor did he have any reason to do so.

However, when he woke up in the middle of the night and looked up at the sky, Liu Huai still felt somewhat resentful.

My father risked his life for you complete strangers, and in the end, you didn't even offer a proper farewell or a tear. Aren't you being a little too heartless?! However, just two days later, Liu Huai realized that there was a huge problem with his mentality.

On the day he summoned one of Wei Sheng's former subordinates on the banks of the Yellow River, the old soldier, who had followed his father for a long time and was now a county magistrate, remained calm and spoke slowly throughout.

Even when Liu Huai mentioned Wei Sheng, the old soldier would at most just lower his head and remain silent.

The veteran's performance inevitably dampened Liu Huai's enthusiasm, and he hastily ended the meeting.

After watching the old soldier, who had tried to mount the horse three times but failed and could only lead it away, slowly walk away, Liu Huai chased everyone away and stood alone by a ditch drawn from the Yellow River, gazing at his reflection in the water, silent.

At this point, Liu Huai's resentment had reached its peak, and he already harbored some hatred towards the old soldier.

You've been with my father for so long, why can't you even put on a show of crying in front of him now?
Even if it's just a fake cry?

Is this really that difficult?

Thinking this, Liu Huai squatted down and looked at his reflection in the water, trying to make a sad expression.

However, the shadow in the water displayed a strange expression that was a mixture of joy, anger, sorrow, and indignation, as if it had eaten an extremely sour orange.

Liu Huai was slightly taken aback, then stared at his reflection in the water for a long time before gathering some emotion, trying to make a crying expression again.

This time, however, instead of tears, the reflection in the water revealed a mocking expression, causing Liu Huai to suddenly stand up, draw his sword, and slash down with all his might.

Water splashed everywhere, and the shadows in the water scattered and then gathered again, but still had a mocking look.

Xin Qiji, Bi Zaiyu, and others immediately came to his side: "Brother, are you alright?"

Liu Huai waved his hand: "It's alright, let's go, let's set off immediately."

After saying this, he fled from the ditch as if he were escaping. Xin Qiji and the others looked at each other in bewilderment but dared not delay and immediately followed him.

Of course, such a minor incident, compared to the backdrop of the nation's military and political situation, seems as insignificant as the previous reflection in the water.

Upon arriving in Hebei, where he was loyal, Liu Huai once again found himself in a great deal of activity.

Even though Liu Huai had realized that there was something wrong with his mentality, as the autumn harvest ended and the disaster situation in various parts of Hebei was reported one by one, at the critical moment when a great famine was about to occur, and in the face of the lives of millions of people, he still had no time to pay attention to his mental problems.

Liu Huai simply killed people and saved lives with an extremely ruthless and terrifying demeanor.

Those Hebei strongmen who surrendered maintained a very humble attitude, allowing Liu Huai to do as he pleased. Some even emptied their family's grain reserves in hopes of gaining some kind of forgiveness and employment.

Subsequently, the autumn harvest and land distribution were carried out, followed by the repair of roads and water conservancy projects in Hebei. Newly appointed officials at all levels quickly used this opportunity to take control of local civil affairs.

The military rations and government granaries captured in various places were also completely opened to provide food and supplies for the various construction sites that were implementing work relief.

By mid-October, when the weather had turned completely cold, the relief work in Hebei was finally on track.

By this time, not only Xin Qiji and others, but also many newly recruited generals noticed that something was wrong with Liu Huai. However, these senior officials were still a step away from him, so they could only subtly remind the Wei siblings to take good care of him.

The Wei siblings were also helpless, and could only try their best not to mention Wei Sheng in front of Liu Huai, and try to keep their demeanor normal in order to allow Liu Huai to recover his composure.

However, this seemed to be of no use. Everyone could only watch helplessly as Liu Huai grew colder and colder, becoming more and more like a machine, but ultimately there was nothing they could do.

On the first day of the eleventh month, Liu Huai led the high-ranking officers of the Han army to inspect the defenses along the Hutuo River in the cold winter wind. However, when they approached Raoyang, they encountered the first snow in Hebei and had to stop and wait for the snow to pass.

However, even in the bad weather, the exchange of documents between the North and South remained smooth.

"Young Master, this is a document sent by Shi Qilang. It says that many refugees from Jin have come to Hebei and we need to help settle them here."

Liu Huai nodded, then flipped through the pages: "This is a good thing. The more people, the better. I hereby order Chief Secretary He to handle this matter with full authority."

The clerk nodded, then directed two guards to bring over a basket of walnuts: "The more than a thousand refugees from Jin have nothing but this basket of walnuts. They said they wanted to present it to the eldest young master in gratitude for his kindness."

Looking at the large basket of walnuts, Liu Huai finally chuckled and shook his head: "This is the heartfelt gift from the people of Jin, so I have to accept it. I'll allocate an extra portion of funds from the military governor's office to give to them, saying it's to celebrate their housewarming. As for this basket of walnuts..."

Liu Huai looked down at the document in his hand, talking non-stop, and casually said, "Send half of it to my father in Xuzhou, and say that these are the people of Jin..."

Halfway through his speech, not only were the clerks stunned, but Liu Huai himself was also speechless, his mouth agape.

In no time, tears suddenly streamed down Liu Huai's face. Holding the Chinese book in his hand and looking at the basket of walnuts, he finally broke down in tears and wailed.

It was as if only at this moment did Liu Huai finally accept the news of Wei Sheng's death.

The extraordinary man who had always sheltered him from the storm, then retreated gracefully and supported him from behind, has finally vanished completely.

I will never come back from now on.

Upon hearing the news, the accompanying officials rushed over, but upon seeing the scene, they could only disperse their subordinates, stand solemnly in front of the gate, and quietly wait for Liu Huai to vent his emotions.

The cries faded into the world, leaving only the wind and snow sweeping by, and the vastness of heaven and earth.

It is:

After singing the farewell songs,
Heroes often shed tears in their old age.

He held the imperial tablet of Yue Fei while in life.
He was given the spear to kill the traitor by the King of Han.

The proclamation of the Nine Provinces and the Chinese and Barbarians
Wind and rain from all directions converge on the great river.

Only now can we still see the clear stream and the moon.
Once, the light shone on the passing of ten thousand horses of the Duke of Wei.

(Volume 6, The Siege Remains Unresolved Despite All Efforts)
(End of this chapter)