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

Chapter 858 The Wind and Sand Beyond the Great Wall Still Feel Cold (Part 1)
Wanyan Xiang was a legitimate Jurchen noblewoman, belonging to the direct bloodline of the Wanyan clan.

In actual history, Wanyan Xiang started fighting against the Khitans with Wanyan Mouyan and Pusan ​​Zhongyi when he was in his early twenties. Later, he fought against the Song Dynasty with Heshilie Zhining. In his later years, he also led troops to suppress the Khitan rebellion and to conquer the Mongol tribes that had risen to power.

Because Wanyan Xiang participated in every battle and displayed exceptional bravery, his career rose rapidly, from local officials to central government officials, eventually becoming the prime minister of the Jin Dynasty.

However, nowadays, because of the fierce tiger of Shandong who is dominating the world, Wanyan Xiang only showed his skills when he was fighting against the Khitans, and then he had to endure hardship on the northern border.

However, this can be considered a good thing, at least this guy managed to avoid two devastating defeats in Daming Prefecture and Huaibei.

And that's why Hou Anyuan almost lost his composure.

Leaving aside the fact that Wanyan Xiang's title of Left Guard General was a military rank, Zizhou, the prefect of Zizhou, is now located in the eastern part of Shandong, while Bozhou, the defense commissioner of Bozhou, is now located in the heart of the Central Plains.

Now it can be considered the main base of the Han army.

For the Jin state, both honorary titles and actual positions had become mere names, but Wanyan Xiang's entourage still called them out with great discipline, which shows that they often used these two titles to boast.

They weren't even ashamed.

"General Xiao, Steward Cao, are you two here specifically to welcome me?"

Wanyan Xiang cracked his horsewhip while looking at Xiao and Cao with amusement: "They are indeed pillars of the nation."

Xiao Ping simply cupped his hands in greeting and remained silent with a cold expression.

Cao Wance, a minor official, naturally wouldn't give Wanyan Xiang a hard time. He quickly and politely welcomed the thousand-strong army into Heishuipu and settled them in the camp on the east side.

Cao Wance knew Xiao Ping's past and dared not let him lead the Khitan troops to garrison with the Jin army. Therefore, he simply placed him in an open area on the west side to set up a camp.

Although there was still a slight possibility of unrest, Cao Wance's sense of security had greatly increased. He smiled so broadly at the banquet that his back teeth were visible, and he repeatedly praised Wanyan Xiang, as if he were flattering him as the greatest man in the world.

Wanyan Xiang was naturally quite pleased with this and immediately gave Cao Wance ten gold ingots as a reward.

That night, after returning to his house, Hou Anyuan climbed over the wall and bypassed two chaotic blocks to reach an inconspicuous shack.

Liu Ba and the Yelü Chen family had been waiting there for a long time.

"...That's the way it is."

After Hou Anyuan finished speaking, he gulped down a large ladle of cold water before asking, "What's your opinion?"

Yelü Chenjia scratched his scalp, which was already covered in spiky hair, and muttered, "I know Wanyan Xiang. He was the one who charged our left flank with Jiagu Qingchen that day. He was truly unstoppable."

Later, I heard that Wanyan Xiang stayed in Linhuang Prefecture, serving as Wanyan Zonghao's deputy.

Liu Ba was speechless. He glanced at the Yelü Chen family and directly scolded, "What's there to ponder?"
This fellow is of royal lineage, and his arrival at Linhuang Prefecture at this time must mean he has something to say to the Mongols.

Who knows, this person might even be carrying an imperial edict from a powerful patron!

Despite being rebuked, Yelü Chenjia showed no anger. Instead, he said thoughtfully, "One is the fourth brother of Yesugei, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, and the other is a close relative of the Wanyan clan. Their status is neither high nor low. Their words carry weight, but they don't really. What kind of agreement can these two reach?"

Hou Anyuan coughed a few times to attract their attention before saying with some pride, "When I was studying political strategy at Wei Academy, I heard the head teacher tell a story about the relationship between the Song and Jin dynasties."

"Oh, so you've heard the story of the Song and Jin dynasties agreeing to destroy your Liao dynasty?"

The two Khitans were somewhat embarrassed, but because of their low rank, they had never heard of this story before, and could only shake their heads in unison.

Hou Anyuan, somewhat smug, downed another ladle of water before recounting the story of the 'Alliance at Sea' and finally drawing his conclusion.

"The Jin traitors and the Mongols are definitely going to make some big moves this time, and they will be very secretive. Just making it public would cause a huge uproar. That's why they sent such a high-ranking person, and that's why there's so much cover-up."

The two illiterate Khitans nodded, but then lowered their heads to ponder what kind of agreement they wanted to reach.

Upon seeing this, Hou Anyuan immediately interrupted: "I came here to speak with you not to make you think about what kind of business the Jin traitors and the Mongols are up to."

Instead, whatever their schemes, we must find a way to disrupt them.

Liu Ba's spirits lifted: "Commander Hou, I know you're quick-witted, do you have any ideas?"

Hou Anyuan immediately grinned and said, "I only have one way to guarantee success. There was a famous general named Huo Qubing in ancient times who said, 'You can't catch a wolf without entering the tiger's den,' which is exactly what this situation is about."

When that Dalitai arrives, everyone grabs their knives, throws things into chaos, and then sends those two bastards, Wanyan Xiang and Dalitai, to their graves!

"If the Jurchen traitors and the Mongols can still reach an alliance under such circumstances, then I have nothing to say." Although Hou Anyuan's conclusion was correct, the allusions he cited were a mess, and his knowledge was mixed up. Unfortunately, the two illiterate Khitans were not learned people either, and they were also led astray, only feeling that the history and culture of the Han people were indeed profound and impressive.

A moment later, while the Yelü Chen family was still hesitating, Liu Ba slapped his thigh and said, "Damn it, let's do it! We have more than a hundred cavalrymen who can charge into battle. As long as we don't leak any information beforehand, we can definitely catch them off guard and kill these two bastards!"

Now that Liu Ba had made his stance clear, Hou Anyuan turned his attention to the Yelü Chen family.

The man, however, avoided eye contact and hesitated for a long time before agreeing.

“Zha Ba, Commandant Hou, I am heading north to save the Khitan men.”

If we use your strategy, the few thousand men mining in Xuzhou might escape, but wouldn't the Khitan tribe in Linhuang Prefecture suffer?
I...am I harming people or saving them...?

Yelü Chenjia spoke sincerely, and in the end, caught in a dilemma, he burst into tears, eventually sobbing uncontrollably.

Hou Anyuan was somewhat helpless, but he could only explain: "The Chen family, killing is the last resort. If you have any other ideas, you can tell me now."

For example, if you find a reliable inside agent who can administer poison, that's fine too.

Liu Ba stood up and said irritably, "Commander Hou is from Shandong. It is quite unusual for him not to know the virtues of the Mongols. What kind of fool are you, a person born in Linhuang Prefecture and raised on the grasslands?"
"Captain Hou, you should go back now. Don't worry about this fool. Just do as you said, and treat killing those two bastards as a last resort. Let's both make some preparations."

Although he didn't understand why Liu Ba suddenly cursed the Yelü Chen family, Hou Anyuan was too lazy to argue and simply got up and left.

This was just a minor matter, so Hou Anyuan put it out of his mind and took the opportunity of following Cao Wance to find out what kind of agreement the Jin Kingdom was going to reach with Mengwu, and also to see if there was a chance to kill Wanyan Xiang.

Five or six more days passed, and in mid-September, the Mongols finally arrived.

To demonstrate their military might, Wanyan Xiang, Xiao Ping, and even Cao Wance, who had gathered less than a thousand soldiers, all marched five miles north and formed ranks, both to welcome them and to show their strength.

Hou Anyuan, wearing an iron-clad tunic and a helmet with an arrow hole in the forehead, stood solemnly in front of Cao Wance, holding a spear. Looking at the ever-growing cloud of dust ahead, he couldn't help but whisper, "My lord, something's not right. Wasn't it said that the Mongols only brought about two thousand soldiers and a caravan? This cloud of dust probably means there are more than five thousand people."

Although Cao Wance also sensed that something was wrong, he still forced himself to say, "It's alright. General Wanyan and Aping are both veteran generals. Since they haven't made any moves, we shouldn't make any rash moves either."

Hou Anyuan glanced at his comrades on the left and right, nodded slightly to each other, and became more vigilant. Two of them even turned around and went to the back of the group to fetch their horses.

Just then, Khitan cavalrymen rushed up from the front, their faces full of anger. They pointed in the direction from which the Mongols were coming and shouted a few words at Xiao Ping and Wanyan Xiang.

Because of the distance, Hou Anyuan could not hear clearly at all, but he could see from afar that Xiao Ping and Wanyan Xiang were both stunned. Then Xiao Ping and several Khitan guards behind him roared angrily to the sky, while Wanyan Xiang had a gloomy face.

Xiao Ping then exchanged a few words with Wanyan Xiang. After a brief argument, Xiao Ping simply put on his helmet and ordered his personal guards to sound the battle horn.

This is the posture the Khitans were taking as they prepared for battle.

Cao Wance was still unaware of what was happening and was in a state of panic. However, Wanyan Xiang did not urge his troops to move as well. Instead, he led a few guards to block Xiao Ping, who had already run more than ten steps.

The two men actually started fighting right there on horseback.

Wanyan Xiang was quite skilled on horseback, and in no time he knocked Xiao Ping's long weapon away. He then reprimanded Xiao Ping, ordering him to gather his Khitan troops and not to make any rash moves.

In the short time that was wasted, the Mongols were already close at hand, but what first reached the ears of everyone present was not the sound of horses' hooves or shouts.

Instead, there was a chorus of cries and screams.

Hou Anyuan could no longer bear it and stood directly on the back of the warhorse that had just been brought over, shading his eyes with his hand as he gazed into the distance.

But all they saw were countless men, women, and children being driven towards the Mongol cavalry, crying and wailing.

Long swords and spears flew from the ranks of the Mongol cavalry, killing those who had fallen behind on the spot.

A burly Mongol man arrived at the front of the battle line with a banner and dozens of guards. Without even glancing at Yan Xiang, he shouted loudly at Cao Wance, "Local official, I don't just sell furs, I also sell slaves. Do you want some? Hahahaha!"

Cao Wance's face turned ashen.

Standing on his horse, Hou Anyuan suddenly recalled the words Liu Ba had used to berate the Yelü Chen family a few nights ago.

"It's quite common for Shandong people not to know the virtues of the Mongols, but what kind of foolishness do you, a person born in Linhuang Prefecture and raised on the grasslands, have?"

Seeing it today, I can see that it truly lives up to its reputation.

(End of this chapter)