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

Chapter 857 Hu Ge Has Returned to the City (Part 2)
Intelligence gathering in this era can be both difficult and easy.

It's difficult because it's a purely acquaintance-based society, making it hard for any stranger to join a conspiracy, and the absence of eavesdropping devices makes secrecy extremely easy.

It's simple because once it starts, with so much manpower and resources involved, nothing can be concealed.

Some people don't even have the awareness to hide it.

For example, when the Jin Dynasty sent envoys to the grasslands, they were worried about the reaction of the Khitans and carried it out in secret.

However, the Mongol nobles did not follow any formalities when negotiating with the Jin Dynasty in Linhuang Prefecture. They made a grand show of it, bringing troops to escort the caravan.

If the Linhuang Prefecture is heavily guarded, then we should proceed with the transaction honestly.

If this place truly becomes lax or shows weakness, the Mongols wouldn't mind playing the role of bandits.

At this time, the Mongols were still in the early stages of a tribal clan alliance. They didn't have many rules. They killed and looted as they pleased, regardless of the consequences.
Therefore, just two days after Manager Cui handed over the money to the border market, the entire Blackwater Shop had already learned of the news. Cao Wance, the Khitan chieftain in charge here, became extremely vigilant and informed the newly appointed Governor of Shangjing and Prefect of Linhuang, Wanyan Zonghao, of the news.

Wanyan Zonghao was the biological son of Wanyan Bendu. According to historical development, he should have been in Henan at this time, cooperating with Pusan ​​Zhongyi and Heshilie Zhining to attack the Song Dynasty. However, under the current situation, not to mention Henan, even Hebei was about to fall. Therefore, Wanyan Zonghao could only come to the newly established Shangjing Garrison to make use of his abilities.

However, to Cao Wance's surprise and even fear, Wanyan Zonghao did not react at all after hearing the report. Instead, he directly issued an order saying that this was an ordinary business activity and that Cao Wance should treat the guests well.

Cao Wance looked at the military orders from the garrison headquarters and immediately became confused.

Heishuipu is located southwest of Linhuang. This means that the Mongols led a group of troops through Dayanluo Musi, crossed the low Great Wall, passed through Qingzhou and even half of Linhuang Prefecture, and arrived here.

What's the difference between this and being directly breached?
However, considering that Wanyan Zonghao only had two thousand Jurchen soldiers and five thousand Jurchen soldiers, he ultimately had no way to launch a large-scale military operation.

In recent years, the strength of the Jin army has declined too rapidly.

Helpless, Cao Wance could only write to Cao Zhuowo, the current military governor of the Six Courts, asking him to come up with a solution.

In order to control the Khitan people, Cao Zhuowo has now established his capital in Zuzhou, west of Linhuang.

The two were only a hundred miles apart, so Cao Wance quickly received news of Cao Zhuowo.

knew……

Yes, only those three words.

Cao Wance stared blankly at the letter for a long time, flipping it over several times. Then he opened the envelope, carefully examined it, and found that there were no other documents included. Finally, he was furious and tore the letter to shreds.

Now even Cao Zhuwo is ignoring the Khitan tribes?
Who else in this world can I rely on?

After being furious for half a day, Cao Wance still had to grit his teeth and organize his troops to take precautions.

As the head of a trading post, Cao Wance wielded considerable power and was qualified to assemble guards for merchant caravans to defend against captives and thieves.

If he were to exert more initiative, he could easily bring over the surrounding Khitan and even Mongol tribes, and gather three thousand troops.

Whether these troops can actually fight is another matter, but they can certainly intimidate people.

As the atmosphere in the Blackwater Shop gradually became tense, specific information was also conveyed.

The Mongol nobleman who came to Linhuang Prefecture this time was Dalitai, the fourth brother of Yesugei Khan. He brought a large caravan and two thousand Mongol cavalrymen to this place, wanting to exchange furs and livestock for grain, ironware and other goods.

This made Cao Wance even more frightened. He even wanted to forcibly gather the caravan guards and organize them into an army to guard Heishuipu.

However, the merchants were not fools. Seeing that the Mongols had brought two thousand soldiers to the territory of their sworn enemies, the Khitans, even a fool could tell that things would not end well. Most of them left with their goods.

After half a day of fussing, Cao Wance only managed to recruit five or six hundred people, most of whom were just for show.

Among them were a group of guards who had lost a great deal and were ashamed to return home. These twenty-odd men were all skilled Han Chinese knights, proficient in archery and horsemanship, and could shoot arrows with both hands without missing their mark. The leader, Hou Anyuan, was particularly strong and skilled in mounted combat.

Cao Wance did not create any distance because of the ethnicity, but immediately regarded him as a confidant.

The fact that the area outside the Great Wall is a melting pot of ethnicities is one aspect, but more importantly, Cao Wance no longer has the luxury of being picky. If he doesn't want to resign and leave, he has to bite the bullet and swallow this half-cooked meal.

On September 10th, Cao Wance organized a large-scale military exercise, combining his original 500-plus soldiers who were maintaining order with newly recruited troops into a thousand-strong army. This was both to familiarize them with each other and to reassure the local merchants of Heishuipu.

After the martial arts demonstration ended, Cao Wance summoned Hou Anyuan into the main tent, personally poured him a bowl of wine, and then said with a smile, "Hou Dalang, judging from your skills, you must have had military experience before."

Hou Anyuan took the wine, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, but did not shy away from the question: "In response to your question, sir, the Central Plains are in such a state of chaos that only a minority of the young and strong who have not experienced combat in the past few years have been able to survive."

Cao Wance looked Hou Anyuan up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement: "A few years ago? You look quite young. A few years ago, weren't you just a little kid?"

Hou Anyuan sighed, "Children from poor families, whose parents died early, grew up cheating and swindling, relying on the charity of others. Those who didn't learn to fight early would already be bones by now." Cao Wance recalled the great chaos in Khitan a couple of years ago and couldn't help but sigh, "This world is not easy for anyone."

That's the end of the probing.

As Hou Anyuan said, the Central Plains, Hebei, and Shandong were in such a chaotic state a few years ago, with warlords changing hands frequently. As for which warlord Hou Anyuan was aligned with, it really depended on what he said.

Even if Cao Wance was well-informed, how could he possibly find out the truth?

"I've heard that a great hero has risen among your Han people, nicknamed the Flying Insect. Is that true?"

Hou Anyuan was slightly taken aback, but after realizing what he meant, he couldn't help but chuckle: "You're talking about the Flying Tiger Gentleman, right? He's the current Prince of Han. It's true, he's a great hero."

Cao Wance stroked his beard and said, "We Khitans went to Hebei to fight for the Jin Dynasty. Seven or eight out of ten of them did not return from the Battle of Daming Prefecture. We don't know what happened to them."

Hou Anyuan waved his hand: "The Prince of Han is benevolent. The Khitans have suffered greatly after being captured, but it is impossible to kill them all."

"Does my lord know that even the Prince of Han did not completely exterminate the Jurchens, let alone the Khitans?"

Cao Wance nodded and asked curiously, "Hou Dalang, if that's the case, why don't you serve under the Flying Tiger General and instead come to the grasslands to make a living? With your abilities, you'll become a general in a few years."

Hou Anyuan shrugged and replied, "It's not that simple. The King of Han also had his own followers. If I start from scratch and climb up, it will take me several more years."

But if I were to be given land and live a peaceful life, I would be so miserable that I would die. So I decided to join a merchant caravan and go out of the pass to see the world.

Just as Cao Wance was about to ask something more, a Khitan knight rushed to the front of the tent and shouted, "Commander, troops are coming from the north!"

Cao Wance was shocked: "How could it be so fast? Could Dalitai really fly over with so many goods? Could it be..."

Did Dalitai bring no goods at all? Was he just here to rob Linhuang Prefecture?
The knight quickly shook his head: "There are two armies, each with more than a thousand men. One of them is carrying the banner of General Xiao Ping, and should be troops sent by Commander Cao."

Another group was flying the banner of the Wanyan clan, but it was unclear which Jin nobleman had personally come.

After hearing this, Cao Wance breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated again.

You should have told me earlier that you were sending reinforcements!

If I had known, I wouldn't have spent all the money I had painstakingly saved to organize an army.

However, now that the army has already been organized, there is no time for regrets.

A moment later, Cao Wance led Hou Anyuan and more than ten knights out of Heishuipu and went forward to meet them.

The grasslands were gradually turning yellow in autumn. After leaving Heishuipu, the population dwindled rapidly, with only a few dozen herders scattered along the riverbank.

With everything laid out before him, Hou Anyuan quickly noticed something strange.

These two cavalry units, which were about to arrive, did not send out scouts to investigate, but instead marched straight in.

Is this really just due to confidence in doing things on one's own turf?

Or is it that the Jin army's quality has declined drastically after suffering heavy losses, to the point where it is now?
Before Hou Anyuan could figure it out, he heard the thunder of hooves from the north. First, a large banner with the character "Xiao" came towards him, stopping slowly when it saw Cao Wance. A general stepped forward and shouted, "Old Cao! I've come to bother you again! You... uh..."

Halfway through his sentence, Xiao Ping spotted a familiar face next to Cao Wance and immediately stopped speaking.

How did this general under the King of Han end up working for Cao Wance?
Has Cao Wanze also submitted to the King of Han?

Or is it that the King of Han is going to exert his influence on a mere trade fair manager?
However, Xiao Ping was a man of experience, and he quickly laughed it off: "Cough cough, ptooey, this northern wind is really damn strong! Old Cao! I've come to your aid on the orders of Commander Cao!"

Cao Wance did not notice Xiao Ping's unusual behavior and laughed loudly, saying, "Ah Ping, you alone are worth a million soldiers!"

Before Xiao Ping could even curse "nonsense," he heard a horn sound behind him, and another group of cavalrymen arrived, kicking up dust.

No one dared to be negligent and immediately stood at attention to greet them.

The Jin army slowly came to a stop, and the leading armored cavalry split up, revealing a young man in his twenties as if surrounded by stars.

"Wanyan Xiang, the Prefect of Zizhou, the Defense Commissioner of Bozhou, and the Left Guard General of the Great Jin Dynasty, has arrived!"

Upon hearing this name, Hou Anyuan used all his strength to suppress the twitching corners of his mouth.

(End of this chapter)