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

Chapter 885 You Kewei, the Emperor of the South

"So, the Song court is going to take action against Mr. Lu?"

"I don't know... This is just an initial assessment, but if the intelligence is true and Chen Junqing and Shi Hao are both involved, the political turmoil in Song will definitely be significant."

"Mr. Liang is right."

Liu Huai flipped through the documents in his hands, ignoring the deafening cheers around him.

"Sigh, the State of Song is really a headache. Can't they just calm down and do things peacefully?"

Liu Huai scoffed: "If the Song Kingdom were truly united, it would have recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun long ago, and we would be wealthy officials by now. Why would we be stuck here in the cold wind?"

Liang Su also smiled.

Liu Huai thought for a moment, stroked his short beard, and chuckled, "Do you think if the Song Kingdom really persecutes Mr. Lu, he might come back in a fit of anger?"

Liang Su's smile froze, and then he was left speechless by Liu Huai's rambling words: "Mr. Lu is a man of great ambition and perseverance. How could he come back because of a little setback?"

If he were so easily swayed, then Lord Lu wouldn't have left in the first place.

Liu Huai could only sigh, "Indeed, things are beyond our control. What advice does Mr. Liang have for me?"

Liang Su nodded emphatically: "Yes, the ultimate target of the political upheaval in the Song Dynasty is definitely Prime Minister Yu Yunwen. Once he gets involved, the result will inevitably be that the Song army will be unable to launch a northern expedition, and even the pro-war faction may lose power."

"Now that the Western Jin have lost the constraint of the Song Dynasty, they can concentrate their forces to deal with us."

"Young Master, it's not that we're afraid of these Jin bandits, but if that happens, we'll inevitably have to reinforce our troops, which could very well affect spring planting."

"Therefore, my opinion is that we should take advantage of the fact that the Song state is still relatively stable and immediately send troops across the Yellow River to put pressure on Kaifeng Prefecture."

Looking at the stadium, which was now somewhat agitated by the goal, Liu Huai asked in a low voice, "Are we trying to alert them?"

Liang Su nodded emphatically: "This is precisely what we need to do to alert the enemy."

Just as the Han army crossed the old course of the Yellow River from Shandong, it was as if the Han people had returned to Hebei after decades of decline.

At that time, the people of Hebei flocked to the army with grain and followed the call, and the Wulu Army, mainly composed of Hebei people, was immediately established.

If Liu Huai were to head south and cross the Yellow River now, bringing his troops to Kaifeng, the political significance alone would be immense.

Looking at the intense game on the field, Liu Huai pondered for a long time before slowly shaking his head: "We cannot be blinded by small gains. Since we have made a complete military strategy, we should carry it out to the end."

Moreover, Pusan ​​Zhongyi won't be able to hold out in Bianliang for much longer. If he doesn't relocate his troops and civilians to Luoyang before December, they won't be able to start spring planting. Then, the Jin army won't even need to fight; they'll all starve to death.

Liang Su nodded slightly, about to say something, but was drawn to another cheer from the audience.

He looked up and saw Bi Zaiyu break through the opponent's encirclement, use his mallet to lift the polo ball, and swing it in mid-air to send it straight into the goal.

"color!"

"it is good!"

Amidst cheers and applause, Bi Zaiyu carried his golf club around the court, waving his hands frequently, just like a big star.

Liu Huai and Liang Su applauded for a moment before continuing their exchange of military intelligence.

“My lord, we can’t delay any longer. I’m worried that once the Yellow River freezes over in winter, Pusan ​​Zhongyi will gather a large force to defend the Yellow River and then immediately move the capital.” Liang Su reiterated his argument from the staff meeting: “If he can hold out for two months, the ice jam will arrive, and our army will have no choice but to retreat or risk having our retreat cut off and fight the Jin invaders.”

Liu Huai nodded slightly: "Now it seems that this is exactly what Pu Sanzhongyi was planning."

"Then let's do it this way. Notify the General Staff that within ten days, no matter what moves the Jin invaders make, we will send troops to Henan according to the plan!"

Amid cheers, Liu Huai issued a stern military order, and Liang Su was also invigorated: "I will go and inform Commander Xin and Chief Steward Zhang right now."

Liang Su had only taken a dozen steps when he turned back and said earnestly, "Young Master, if we win this battle, how about you declare yourself emperor?"

Liang Su did not lower his voice, but the polo field was not very intense at the moment, so the scene was relatively quiet. As soon as he said this, he immediately attracted the attention of several officials around him.

Hearing Liang Su repeat the same old rhetoric, Liu Huai also sensed that he couldn't go against the will of the people.

He still believed that building high walls, storing up grain, and delaying the declaration of kingship was the right path, but he couldn't resist the fact that the people under him were thinking about fame, fortune, and blessings for generations to come.

Everyone has selfish desires, and ultimately we cannot expect everyone who does things to be a saint.

Was Liu Huai's ascension to the throne a one-man affair?

How can I make progress if you don’t?

If you won't even be called a king, then I won't even be able to become a military governor!
So please, King Han, ascend the throne as soon as possible! We can also benefit from this.

Liu Huai could only shake his head at this, as if being an emperor was the most arduous job in the world, making outsiders think that this guy was really too pretentious.

“Mr. Liang, it is said that extraordinary people are capable of extraordinary things, but I have not yet accomplished anything worthy of being recorded in history books, so how can I be considered an extraordinary person?”

Liang Su looked around and saw that all the civil and military officials around him had bright eyes and were listening intently. He couldn't help but feel a little bolder: "We all believe that the eldest son's recovery of Shandong, Hebei and the Central Plains is a great achievement that is worthy of being recorded in history."

However, since the eldest son has a superior vision and looks down on such achievements, I have nothing to say. But the eldest son should at least tell his subjects the truth: what truly constitutes an extraordinary achievement?

Surely we can't wait until the world is unified and the nine provinces are one before the eldest son decides to declare himself emperor?

Liu Huai already had a plan in mind: "That won't be the case, but no matter what, we must recover Yan and Yun and destroy the Jin Kingdom, right? Yan and Yun have left our Han homeland..."

Liang Su slapped his thigh heavily: "Alright, young master, then it's a deal!" After saying that, as if afraid that Liu Huai would go back on his word, Liang Su got up rudely and ran away without waiting for his master to finish speaking, leaving Liu Huai and several officials looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Never mind, let's keep watching the game."

After stuffing the scroll of documents into his pocket, Liu Huai put the matter out of his mind.

However, Liu Huai still thought it was too simple.

This was, after all, a political promise. Although only a few officials were present, it was still a political promise from the military and political leaders to the Chief of Staff.

When Liu Huai returned to his military camp after the awards ceremony, high-ranking civil and military officials gradually learned of this crucial news.

Most people were still somewhat excited, but they remained calm and channeled their excitement into official business, which enabled the Han army, this war machine, to start up quickly and fiercely.

As the first unlucky ones to bear the brunt, the Jin army in Kaifeng Prefecture instantly felt a hundred times the pressure.

"What do you mean by saying that the King of Han ordered that the people not be disturbed, so you came back?"

Looking at the several Han Chinese generals who were tightly bound, Jing Sihui, the Privy Councilor of Xijin, asked incredulously, "Which side are you from? And whose orders should you take?"

The generals were extremely dejected, but after hesitating, one of them spoke up: "Lord Jing, do you think the Great Jin can still maintain its position in Kaifeng?"

Jing Sihui looked at the Han army commander he had personally promoted, stepped forward and kicked him to the ground, and shouted angrily in a low voice: "What nonsense are you talking about?! It's only because I'm here that I've killed you. If it were the Grand Marshal, he would have already beheaded you."

The general rolled on the ground, trying to stand up, but slumped back down: "Lord Jing, it is precisely because you are here that I dare to say these words."

The Jin dynasty has lost the support of the people in Kaifeng. For example, before, we were ordered to go to the Yellow River to carry out a scorched-earth policy, burning down the villages and sinking the boats. We often did this kind of work before.

The young men were willing to do it, because there was always some profit to be made.

However, only a dozen or so of the Han King's troops crossed the river from the north. After shouting at us from afar, our men became hesitant and dared not attack again.

“Yes!” Another Han general, who was also tightly bound, shouted his grievances: “Not only ordinary soldiers dare not, but even generals such as captains and commanders are afraid.”

"Lord Jing, they truly do own land and have families in Kaifeng Prefecture; they wouldn't dare offend the Prince of Han."

"And today, actually none of the King of Han's troops crossed the river. It was just that some old people in the villages near the Yellow River cursed a few times, saying that if even one of the King of Han came, he would not spare us, so we had no choice but to retreat."

Jing Sihui was so angry that he was fuming. He leaned on the table and gasped for breath before he finally said, "You...you are really still the brave and fierce generals you were back then? Liang Jiu, I remember when you were in chaos in Bianliang City, you led a dozen men against more than a hundred bandits and did not lose the battle. How did you become like this?"

The man called Liang Jiu, who was also the first general to speak, was somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this: "Prime Minister Jing, this matter is both different and the same. The difference is that when dealing with bandits, we should fight with all our might; but today, when facing the army of the King of Han, we simply cannot win."

What they all shared was the desire to survive—not just their own lives, but also the lives of their families and children.

Jing Sihui listened quietly, his expression growing increasingly complex: "Kaifeng Prefecture is impregnable!"

Liang Jiu was somewhat amused and exasperated. He crawled forward a few steps on his knees, kowtowed, and said, "Master Jing, please don't joke. Who in Kaifeng Prefecture doesn't know that the Great Jin is going to move its capital to Luoyang?"

Now that they intend to leave, who can truly hold out here to the death? If they cannot fight to the death together, how can they possibly contend with the Han King's battle-hardened army?

Jing Sihui's breathing became slightly rapid: "So, you don't want to go to Luoyang?"

Liang Jiu exchanged glances with the Han soldiers around him, then steeled his resolve: "Lord Jing, it's not that we are unwilling, but people are cheap when they leave their homes, and the men under us are unwilling to abandon their families and homes."

Even though Jing Sihui knew nothing about military affairs, he knew that Liang Jiu's words were largely perfunctory.

Those who can become generals are all capable people. As long as they can use strong measures, how could they not mobilize the army?

Unless the high-ranking generals of the Han army are also unwilling to leave.

"How are you doing?"

"Lord Jing, we have risked our lives for the Great Jin. Since things are beyond saving, why not part ways and go our separate ways?"

Liang Jiu said sincerely, "Furthermore, I would like to advise Lord Jing that we are different from those barbarians. We are all descendants of the Han people, so there is no need for us to cling to the Jin dynasty."

Jing Sihui closed his eyes for a long time before saying, "So, you're all unwilling to obey the orders of the Great Jin army?"

Liang Jiu continued through gritted teeth, "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's that I can't!"

Jing Sihui nodded: "Alright then."

"Drag them away and execute them all!"

Liang Jiu and the others did not expect this outcome. They instinctively tried to struggle, but were held down by the armored soldiers.

"Prime Minister Jing! Don't make a mistake! Minister Liang Qiu, who helped you rescue the Crown Prince that day, has long since pledged allegiance to the Prince of Han. Why do you insist on doing so?!"

"Does Lord Jing really think the Jurchen army is so secure?! They're terrified too!"

"If Kaifeng cannot be defended, does that mean Luoyang can be defended?! Ah!"

Before their incoherent shouts could even finish, the Jin soldiers beheaded them at the gate.

When the severed head was presented to Jing Sihui, the exhausted Xijin Privy Councilor did not look up, but covered his eyes with his hands, not daring to look closely.

It's as if they dare not take a closer look at the current situation.

(End of this chapter)