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

Chapter 855 The Shrike Flies East and the Swallow Flies West

As the saying goes, an elder sister is like a mother, and Cheng Ada was still young, so he truly only had feelings of filial piety towards Xu Erya.

Therefore, he, as the person involved, was most concerned about whether his sister could get married.

The next day, as dawn broke, Cheng Ada couldn't wait to get dressed and head towards the Jinan Garrison in the early morning light.

Hou Anyuan has accumulated many merits since he killed Gao Wenfu, the prefect of Haizhou of the Jin Kingdom, with a stone. At only twenty years old, he has already made it to the position of deputy commander of the Flying Tiger Army and captain of the Jinan Guard, which is a promising prospect.

This is why Cheng Ada is so concerned.

Xu Erya is now a professor at the medical school, a position of considerable standing, but there are truly few men who are a good match for her.

The younger ones were either just starting their official careers, or had wives and concubines at a young age, or were talented young men from wealthy and powerful families who found it difficult to balance their careers after marrying into the family.

Xu Erya is now a leading figure in the medical field, especially in surgery, and is the darling of the medical school. Dean Cao Zhe and Vice Dean Yang Tan both value her highly. If Xu Erya were to be confined to being a wife and mother, the two men would probably cause a scene at the governor's mansion.

After much deliberation, Cheng Ada concluded that only Hou Anyuan, that scoundrel, was worthy of his elder sister.

Moreover, from Cheng Ada's secret observation, Xu Erya also had a good impression of Hou Anyuan. If it weren't for her fiancé, the two might have already become a couple.

However, when Cheng Ada arrived at the garrison with his short legs, he ran into Shi Wang, the military advisor of the Jiedushi's office.

Because Cheng A'da was a student of the Imperial Guard Academy, somewhat similar to the orphans of the Imperial Guard during the Han Dynasty, he was considered one of their own. Therefore, the soldiers guarding the gate were also familiar with each other.

After exchanging greetings, Cheng Ada tugged at Shi Wang's sleeve and said, "Brother Shi, I've come to find Brother Hou."

Shi Wang shook his head with a smile: "Then you're a step too late. A Yuan has official business to attend to and has already left, but he has a letter for you... uh, and for your older sister too."

As he spoke, Shi Wang handed a letter to Cheng Ada.

After Cheng Ada took the letter, he was disappointed, but then he noticed that the envelope was open. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who has read this letter?"

Shi Wang patted Cheng Ada's head: "Don't overthink it. A Yuan went to carry out the military orders of the General Staff. Naturally, the letters he sent out were reviewed to prevent leaks. Only I have seen this letter, and there is nothing wrong with it. Go and take it to your sister."

Cheng Ada was only seven years old. Although he was precocious, he couldn't possibly understand the intricacies of military and political affairs. He could only helplessly take the letter home.

Xu Erya, who had already gotten up and was anxiously waiting, did not expect this result. She took the letter with some disappointment, but after reading only two lines, her face turned slightly red.

"Sister, what did the letter say?"

Faced with Cheng Ada's question, Xu Erya could only adopt the demeanor of an elder sister who acts like a mother, and said with a stern face, "It's none of your business. Hurry up and prepare your books. Classes are about to start, so hurry up and make the most of your time."

Cheng Ada pouted, muttered a few words, but ultimately didn't dare to argue with his older sister, and immediately packed his schoolbag.

At that moment, Hou Anyuan, unaware that his love life had taken a turn for the better, suddenly sneezed a few times. Liu Ba, who was walking alongside him, shouted, "Little Hou, have you caught a cold?"

Hou Anyuan rubbed his nose and replied in a loud voice, "It's nothing, just a flying insect got in my nose."

The two men, accompanied by several knights, galloped along the official road and soon met up with a merchant caravan. Only then did Hou Anyuan have time to exchange a few words with Liu Ba: "Old Liu, can the Chen family be trusted?"

Liu Ba glanced at the Yelü Chen family from afar, then slowly shook his head: "We still need to be extra careful. This fellow is Yelü Wowo's confidant. Who knows, he might turn against us as soon as he gets to Linhuang Prefecture."

Hou Anyuan grinned and said, "Then wouldn't it be like throwing meat buns to a dog, a one-way trip for us with no chance of returning?"

Liu Ba replied with a smile: "Of course not. Don't forget, the King of Han still has several thousand able-bodied Khitans in his hands. These are the pillars of several thousand households. No matter who is in charge, they would never risk the lives of these people to kill a few of us."

We Khitans… the Khitans aren't a large clan like us Han Chinese. If we lose even a few thousand able-bodied men, we're truly on the verge of collapse.

Hou Anyuan had only asked casually, and upon hearing this, he nodded haphazardly, then crossed his arms and leaned against the cart, waiting for the caravan to prepare.

This caravan was indeed a trading group, smuggling contraband such as refined salt and ironware.

This line of communication relied on the connections made by Wanyan Yongdao, the garrison commander of Xijing. Liu Yunggu, a very energetic man in Youyan, acted as a middleman but did not get too deeply involved.

Therefore, this trade route was only for Wanyan Yongdao to make money; it was not feasible to smuggle warhorses on a large scale. However, it could still be used to transmit information to the grasslands and transport some manpower.

This is how it happened. More than half of the hundred-plus guards were replaced by the Flying Tiger Army, and the other half were replaced by Khitans who had been naturalized. This small force entered Jin territory without anyone noticing. After arriving in Taiyuan, they headed north and reached Heihepu in Linhuang Prefecture in early September.

This place is one of the largest trading hubs outside the Great Wall. Because it is close to the Huanghe River, it can reach Liaoyang Prefecture directly. Therefore, furs and livestock from outside the Great Wall often travel along this route.

Over time, even the Mongols from the grasslands came to trade, and the place naturally became a market town.

Of course, expecting the Khitans or Jurchens to have any ability to plan commercial districts is absurd.

This city, situated on the edge of the grassland, resembles a stack of building blocks, a vast expanse of illegal structures. The rammed earth houses stand shoulder to shoulder, just like the grassland itself, overgrown with weeds, ready to be burned down at any moment, yet also ready to be rebuilt at any time.

After the caravan was settled, the lead merchant naturally went to hand over the goods, while Liu Ba, Yelü Chenjia, and Hou Anyuan went to a small stall, ordered some mutton, and then broke open the flatbread they carried with them and soaked it in the mutton.

As the saying goes, "Snow flies in the eighth month of the lunar calendar in the northern regions," meaning that by early September, the weather outside the Great Wall was already quite cold. The three of them rubbed their hands together and drank the soup in front of them, only then feeling somewhat alive again. "Damn it, the area outside the Great Wall is truly a hellish place for humans," Hou Anyuan said to Yelü Chenjia, rubbing his red nose. "If you have any means of contacting the Khitan tribes, you can use them now."

Yelü Chenjia didn't reply, but turned to look at Liu Ba: "Zha Ba, what are your thoughts?"

Liu Ba slowly and deliberately wiped his long beard like a Confucian scholar before saying, "There's no particular explanation. The key is to see who's in charge outside the pass right now. Has Yelü Wowo returned or not?"

"Hey, but I don't think the Jin ruler will be so kind as to let Yelü Wowo continue to rule Linhuang Prefecture. If the Khitan tribes rebel again, the Jin ruler won't be able to quell it easily."

Yelü Chenjia felt disgusted by Liu Ba's behavior, but he knew it was the inevitable trend and dared not complain. He could only say in a deep voice, "Zha Ba, tell me something I don't know."

Liu Ba shook his head and chuckled: "Why don't you go find your former trusted generals and see if they'll just take you as their concubine?"

Yelü Chenjia: "Stop talking nonsense. My trusted men all followed me south. Now they're either dead in Daming Prefecture or still mining in the mountains of Xuzhou."

Otherwise, why would I work so hard?

Upon hearing this, Liu Ba didn't continue to persuade him, but instead sneered, "Don't you know you should fight to the death? What are you afraid of?"

Hou Anyuan called the shopkeeper over and asked him to bring another bowl of meat soup. He watched with great interest as a naturalized Khitan and another legitimate Khitan argued in hushed tones.

All plans are not made only when things come to a head.

However, due to the long distance, the orders given by both the General Staff and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were simple and clear: incite the Khitans to rebel against the Jin, and if possible, prevent the Jin from forming an alliance with the Mongols.

The General Staff only wants this result; they can use any means necessary.

This naturally gave Hou Anyuan and his group a great deal of freedom, but it also led to a violent conflict between the two Khitans whose identities and statuses were somewhat different.

Liu Ba possessed a fanatical devotion to the faith, and ever since he changed his surname and customs, he identified himself as a Han Chinese.

Would Han Chinese care about the lives of non-Han people?
Of course not.

If you want to incite the Khitans to rebel against the Jin, you have to do it openly and boldly. If that doesn't work, just raise the blue ox and white horse flag and rebel, dragging all the Khitan tribes into it.

When the Jin army came to quell the rebellion, the Khitans had no choice but to rebel.

Furthermore, even if he were to shed his Han identity, Liu Ba believed that indecisiveness was the path to disaster, as it would inevitably alienate both sides, and neither side would be happy to accept the outcome.

However, the Yelü Chen family was furious at these words and accused Liu Ba of disgracing their ancestor Yelü Abaoji more than once.

When Liu Ba pointed out that Yelü Abaoji's name in Han China was now Liu Yi, the Yelü Chen family was almost driven mad with anger.

Everyone knows that resisting the brutal rule of the Jin army is the right thing to do, but shouldn't we at least be realistic about the facts?

If they could defeat the Jin army, why would Yelü Wowo have bothered to kill his own sworn brother and lord, Yelü Saba, and surrender to the Jin?

With just a few words, Liu Ba could easily incite the Khitans to rebel, and even attract the attention of the Jin Dynasty for the Han King. But what about the Khitan elders?
You, Liu Ba, have become a Han Chinese and have a Han official position, but the elders in Linhuang Prefecture do not!
This is also the root of their argument.

It's simply a matter of one being radical and the other conservative.

After another fruitless, low-key argument, just as Hou Anyuan had finished his second bowl of mutton soup, the two finally reached a conclusion.

First, secretly investigate the situation, at the very least to find out who is in charge of the Khitan tribe now.

Then, we will respond to each situation as it arises.

After the three finished their discussion, they were about to get up and leave the small shop with few customers when they saw another person, accompanied by a gust of cold wind, lift the straw curtain at the door and shout loudly: "Where is the shopkeeper? Where the hell have you been?! Give me two stewed lamb legs and two steamed buns. If you miss a hoof, I'll chop off your dog's head!"

The newcomer seemed to know the shopkeeper very well, so the shopkeeper wasn't intimidated after hearing this, and simply called out in a loud voice, "Alright, please wait a moment, sir."

"Hurry up, I...uh..."

The newcomer turned his head and came face to face with the three people who had already stood up. With just one glance, his gaze froze.

The expressions of Yelü Chenjia and Liu Ba changed instantly.

"List……"

Hou Anyuan was quick-witted and reacted immediately upon seeing this. He went directly behind the newcomer, poked him on the back with his finger, and then laughed and said, "Isn't this the master? It's been a long time since we've seen you patronize our weapons business. What brings you here for some mutton soup?"

The Khitan man was sweating profusely, but he just stared intently at the Yelü Chen family. After a moment, he said, "Shopkeeper, I'll save my two lamb legs for later."

Yelü Chen forced a smile that was more like a grimace: "Truly, life is full of unexpected encounters, Xiao Ping..."

(End of this chapter)