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

Chapter 876 The Flames of War Enter Bianliang (Part 1)
Cheng Min was no fool. Now he understood that the Jin crown prince Wanyan Guangying was a bait. His purpose in marching south from Bianliang to Yancheng was not to launch an attack on Henan, but to lure the Song or Han army to attack.

What awaited the Song army ahead was very likely a well-prepared and elite Jin army.

Of course, the number of these elite Jin troops could not be too large, because large-scale military mobilization is very slow and cannot be kept secret from the Song army. In that case, Cheng Min could simply leave, leaving Pu Sanzhongyi empty-handed.

Cheng Min chose to continue the advance primarily because military operations cannot be changed arbitrarily.

The morale fluctuations are a minor issue; more importantly, in this era where messages can only be relayed by military messengers on horseback, there is a high chance of delays. If we also factor in the time it takes for lower-ranking officers to change their minds and regroup their troops, the delay could easily add up to one or two days.

These two days are the weakest time for the Song army. Some continue to advance, some stand still, and some want to retreat. The battle-hardened troops will immediately turn into a rabble.

At that point, even a desperate fight won't be possible!
The saying "the calamities of the three armies arise from hesitation" illustrates this point.

The Song army's actions naturally did not escape the notice of the Jin army.

Thirty li north of Changge County, Wanyan Guangying listened to his subordinate's report and nodded slightly: "Understood."

However, the young crown prince was still somewhat dejected after the military envoy left.

"Your Highness, there are still people watching around. Do not make such a gesture, as it will undermine the morale of the army."

Wanyan Guangying's expression turned serious, and he nodded, saying, "What Tudan Gong said makes sense. I was out of line."

Tu Danli's beard and hair were all white, and he wore only an iron tunic. His withered hands gripped a long spear tightly, yet his aura was still very imposing.

Wanyan Guangying gestured for his attendants to move away before speaking in a heavy tone, "Lord Tudan, after paying such a high price, you still managed to keep the Song traitors from falling for your tricks. I... don't know what to say..."

Since most of the able-bodied men were already serving in the army, the troops that followed Wanyan Guangying to Yancheng were mostly old and weak, essentially squeezing out the last scraps of the Jin dynasty's resources.

Upon hearing this, Tudanli shook his head repeatedly, speaking with utmost sincerity: "If it weren't for the Crown Prince leading the army, we would never have reached this dangerous place. But now that the Crown Prince is traveling with the army, what do we have to complain about?"
The young men are still young, and the crown prince is not much older either. Even nobles like them have to risk their lives. No one will harbor resentment.

Wanyan Guangying sighed repeatedly, his once youthful face now bearing the marks of hardship: "So what should we do now? Turn around and fight?"

Tu Danli shook his head repeatedly: "Continue to retreat north and return to Bianliang. The Grand Marshal has already explained that Liu's troops are eyeing Bianliang from the northeast, south and all sides. He cannot lead his army out of Kaifeng, but he can fight around Bianliang."

"If we keep heading north, we'll run into Marshal Du sooner or later."

Wanyan Guangying nodded emphatically, then mounted his warhorse and led the hundreds of people around him to continue the retreat.

The Song army gradually slowed down its march while regrouping its troops, and only stopped completely after reaching the north of Changge.

At this moment, Cheng Min fell into a deep self-doubt for the first time.

Is the Jin army truly beyond saving?
Otherwise, why would they have given up Xuzhou so easily? They didn't even bother to ambush them, let alone launch an ambush.

Cheng Min hesitated for only a quarter of an hour before ordering the advance to continue, while simultaneously sending out scouts at will to gain control of the entire battlefield.

Now that things have come to this, the Jin crown prince is a minor matter. As a general who has established his authority and the Grand Commandant of the Song state's Jingxiang military group, Cheng Min must find out just how capable the Jin army really is.

If, by some chance, the Western Jin army had already collapsed and was as easily broken as a pig's bladder, surrendering immediately when Liu Huai led the main force of the Han army to arrive, allowing the Han army to advance along the south bank of the Yellow River all the way into Shanzhou and even Guanzhong, then things would be in serious trouble.

Cheng Min knew that Yu Yunwen was planning everything. If Liu Huai really occupied the entire northern region, it would be a huge disaster for the Song Kingdom.

With this in mind, after the four thousand elite Song soldiers were commended, Cheng Min ordered the killing of all the Jin prisoners and, lightly armed, entered Kaifeng Prefecture.

Upon learning that they had left Xuzhou and entered Yanling County, which was under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture, the Song army was greatly encouraged, and their morale soared instantly, while Cheng Min was momentarily dazed.

Returning to the old capital, that is what returning to the old capital means.

As the saying goes, "Thirty years of fame and fortune are but dust and dirt, eight thousand miles of road are but clouds and moon."

Decades after the Jingkang Incident, the Song people finally returned to their own capital city.

The first to achieve this great feat was not Yue Fei, not Han Shizhong, nor Liu Huai, who now has a great reputation and raises the red banner of the Northern Expedition, but Cheng Min!
However, this good mood vanished three hours after entering Kaifeng Prefecture.

"What did you just say? Where did Shi Mengde go?" Cheng Min couldn't believe his ears. "Didn't I order him to meet up with me?"

The military envoy was somewhat embarrassed, but still managed to say, "Those Jin bandits, Meng'an and Mouke, have a lot of wealth in their households, but they are completely unprepared. They almost swept through in one fell swoop, which made it impossible for Commander Shi not to be tempted."

Cheng Min was extremely angry, yet there was a sense of helplessness in his expression.

Shi Mengde was a general under Wu Gong, and came from a family of generals in the Western Army. He was also the commander of the Cui Pian Army who was fighting alongside Cheng Min at this time.

According to the system of the State of Song, even though Cheng Min had been granted the title of General, he could not do anything to a general in another system, especially since Shi Mengde's military actions were justified and could be dealt with.

The key point is that the specific situation of the Jin army is still unclear. Isn't it a bit too outrageous for Shi Mengde to rush off to plunder? They are still trapped in enemy territory!
Thinking of this, Cheng Min's expression twisted, as if he was barely suppressing his anger. He said sternly to the military envoy, "Tell Shi Mengde that it is my order not to kill those Jurchens. Any village could be an ambush by the Jin invaders! Tell him to come and join me immediately, or he will be executed without mercy!"

The military envoy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, said "I obey" and left.

After the military envoy left, Cheng Min's expression quickly returned to calm, as if his anger just now was all an act.

Cheng Bofeng, watching from the side, felt his scalp tingle, but still forced himself to bow and say, "Grand Commandant, I will go and persuade Shi Mengde to come back."

Cheng Min glanced at his most promising nephew and shook his head with a cold snort: "Just treat Wu Taiwei's detachment of troops as dead men!"

Hmph, Wu Taiwei is just like his brother. He manages to maintain harmony in the army and is very good at uniting people. How can he train elite troops?

Since they've picked up the unruly habits of the Western Army, let them experience the true nature of the Jurchen invaders. We've done everything we can."

Cheng Bofeng thought for a moment, then felt that Shi Mengde was too disappointing, so he could only sigh and order his personal guards to prepare to go and provide support at any time.

However, Cheng Min still wronged Shi Mengde and the Cui Pian Army.

As Wu Gong's trusted general, he knew what was important and what was urgent.

However, the extent to which the Western Army's influence had permeated the Cui Pian Army was far greater than Cheng Min had imagined.

Especially after they had just killed the captured prisoners and discarded the looted wealth, and were now lightly armed, the resentment of the guerrilla army was simply impossible to suppress.

Those young Jurchens were all top-quality stable boys. After being castrated, they could be sold back to Jiangnan for a large sum of money, not to mention the money and silk they had plundered.

Throwing it away like that is equivalent to throwing away dozens of acres of prime paddy fields. Who could bear that?
Today, the Cui Pian Army was marching on the right flank of the Beiwei Army. When they passed a manor that was clearly belonging to the Meng'an Mouke people, they were attracted by the money and silk scattered on the road and immediately launched an attack on the more than 1,000 Jurchen households.

The morale of the Cui Pian Army was very high. Although there were only a thousand men, the Jurchens had no soldiers. Even with the advantage of terrain, they were still unable to resist the Song army's elite troops. The manor-style fortress located at a key transportation point quickly fell.

After storming the manor, the Song army immediately began their traditional tactics of burning, killing, and looting.

Maintaining order in an army during burning, killing, and looting is a skill in itself, and the Cui Pian Army, as the elite of the Song army, kept order in perfect order, making them a highly efficient killing machine.

Within two hours, all the Jurchens in the village, except for the young women, were executed on the spot, leaving no one alive, from the oldest to the youngest.

When Shi Mengde received Cheng Min's message, he had already done most of the work, and some Song soldiers had already begun to indulge in debauchery with women. He was not angry with the military envoy, but shook his head and sighed: "Go back and tell Grand Commandant Cheng that I am not hiding anything from him. The men have worked extremely hard on the way, but have not gained much. Now that they can finally have a good meal, I can't stop them."

"I also have troops to lead, so please forgive me, Grand Commandant Cheng. This will not happen again. I will hold a banquet for Grand Commandant Cheng to apologize when I return."

Left with no other option, the military envoy had to turn back immediately.

The Song army was on high alert that night, but nothing happened.

The next day, the Song army continued to march towards Bianliang with utmost vigilance.

Meanwhile, under Shi Mengde's strict orders, the Cui Pian Army killed all the young women left behind the previous night, abandoned heavy valuables such as copper coins, and set off with gold, silver and other valuables.

However, after traveling only about five miles, the scouts of the Cui Pian Army brought back intelligence.

There was a lot of gold and silver on the official road to the northeast, which seemed to have been left behind by the Jurchens when they hastily retreated to their estate.

The news had barely arrived when the marching routes of two capitals shifted to that direction.

Shi Mengde wanted to reprimand the troops sternly to win them back. However, the entire army had already tasted the sweetness of victory yesterday, and the various commanders came to persuade their own leaders to make another fortune.

The reasons given were also high-sounding and plausible.

Firstly, the marching route was not significantly deviated, and they could still support each other with the Beiwei Army.

Secondly, the soldiers are in high spirits and are more willing to die for their general.

Thirdly, and most importantly, this campaign is a lightly armed cavalry advance, and we must seize any opportunity to forage for food from the enemy, otherwise we may face the risk of running out of food in the enemy's territory during winter.

The first two points are nonsense, but the third point is barely plausible.

With a legitimate reason, Shi Mengde could not ultimately confront so many officers, so he could only slightly change the direction of his advance and launch another attack on a Jurchen garrison.

But things quietly changed at this time.

(End of this chapter)