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

Chapter 889 Meeting or not

By evening that day, the Han army had completely crossed the river and set up camps on several high grounds.

At this point, the main force of the Han army had undoubtedly entered the territory of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Although it had extraordinary political significance, news traveled too slowly in those days, and at most only the local people knew about it, without causing a sensation throughout Kaifeng Prefecture.

Of course, even if only the local people heard the news, it was enough to attract wealthy and powerful people from far and wide to welcome the king's army with food and drink.

Many Henan people had secretly surrendered to the Han army before and after the Battle of Daming Prefecture. Seeing the might of the Han army at this time, they were moved to tears, feeling as if their suffering had finally come to an end.

Liu Huai naturally treated these people with the utmost courtesy.

Although the newly recruited personnel received worse treatment, they were still able to be entertained and encouraged by a court official or military advisor.

The Han army camp immediately became a scene of prosperity and flourishing.

Amidst this joyous atmosphere, Liang Su, the military advisor and general of the Han army, who was equivalent to the chief of staff, crossed the river after handling the affairs of Hebei with unexpected speed.

“Sailing at night is far too dangerous, Mr. Liang. Please do not do this again.”

During the military council, in the face of Liu Huai's gentle persuasion, Liang Su unusually turned his face away, silently went to the first seat on the right, poured himself a cup of tea, and then said: "If the eldest son is not afraid of danger and death, how can we, as subjects, dare to be afraid of the night?"

Few people participated in this military council. The highest-ranking person was Wang Youzhi, the general commander of the Tianxiong Army. However, even a general commander of an army is inferior to the chief of staff of the central government. Therefore, everyone just lowered their heads and drank their wine, pretending not to hear.

Liu Huai spread his hands and said, "Mr. Liang, you have misunderstood me. I did not charge into the enemy lines. This is something that the entire army has witnessed."

Liang Su shook his head slightly: "Young Master, don't deceive yourself like this. Today, it was only because Pusan ​​Zhongyi saw that things were hopeless that he turned around and left. What if he really mobilized the entire army to kill recklessly?"

Liu Huai: "Mr. Liang is overthinking it. Let alone whether Pu Sanzhongyi dares to gamble all of Xijin's troops on a big gamble, how many troops can be deployed on this riverbank?"

If the Jin invaders were to advance with infantry, they would inevitably suffer prolonged artillery bombardment; but if the Jin army were to attack with cavalry, they would be even less able to maneuver and would face our strong defensive formation directly.

It can be said that as long as you accept the challenge, you are guaranteed to make a profit no matter what.

Alas, it's a pity that Pusan ​​Zhongyi, a man of great talent and ability to bend and stretch, didn't take the bait and instead withdrew his troops.

Upon hearing Liu Huai admit to using himself as bait, Liang Su became even angrier, but he couldn't vent his anger, so he could only keep drinking tea.

Seeing this, Liu Huai was afraid that his chief of staff might get sick from anger, so he quickly changed the subject: "Mr. Liang, do you have any advice for me regarding the situation going forward?"

Liang Su was still sulking: "I am in a state of utter confusion. Please allow me to think about this for now."

Liu Huai did not wait any longer, but said directly, "Then let me speak first, and I hope Mr. Liang can fill in any gaps in my knowledge."

"The key to this battle lies in the Yellow River behind us."

"Today is the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. According to the weather in previous years, the river will freeze over within half a month at the latest."

"After the ice was frozen, apart from the fact that the navy had to stay in the port and could not be mobilized, travel between the north and south became much simpler."

“During this period, Pusan ​​Zhongyi will definitely be very conservative.”

"In another month, when the ice jams on the Yellow River will separate the north and south, that will be the time for the Jin invaders to fight desperately."

"In other words, we only have this one month to take the initiative."

What Liu Huai said was a conclusion that had been emphasized many times in previous military discussions, so it was not unexpected.

"Our army will definitely take advantage of the Jin army's defensive posture this month to launch a proactive attack."

Wang Youzhi immediately clapped his hands and said, "Young Master, then let's fight! Our Tianxiong Army will still be the vanguard! With the support of cannons, even if the Tianxiong Army is outnumbered, what do we have to fear from the Jin invaders?"

Liu Huai explained in detail: "General Wang, the attack should also be divided into two layers, which I call military attack and political attack."

The Henan Plain was advantageous for the Jin cavalry to operate, so launching a military offensive was essentially using one's own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths.

A political offensive, on the other hand, can achieve a disproportionately large effect with minimal effort.

Once the serious business was discussed, Liang Su stopped being temperamental. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Then let's follow the previous approach: let heroes persuade heroes, and let good men persuade good men?"

After thinking for a moment, Liu Huai added another offer: "Bianliang City is only fifty or sixty miles away from here. Let someone spread rumors and send a letter on an arrow, saying that anyone who comes to surrender within twenty days will have their official rank and title unchanged, and I will accept it."
Those who surrender within 20 to 40 days will be selected at the military governor's office, their official rank will be reduced by one grade, and they will be reappointed.

Those who surrender within forty to sixty days will be stripped of all official positions and reduced to commoners, but can continue to serve as officials in a region through selection by the military governor's office.

Beyond sixty days, unless there are significant meritorious deeds, all others will be dealt with according to wartime regulations. Those who do not surrender but instead draw their swords against us will be executed without mercy!

The generals responded with a resounding roar, and then, disregarding the darkness of night, threw themselves into their intense work.

Even if Liang Su was still a little upset, he couldn't possibly let this delay his important business, and immediately threw himself into his busy work. The saying that heroes should persuade heroes, and good men should persuade good men, was just a joke. To be precise, there were many Meng'an and Mouke households in Kaifeng Prefecture, which was a good opportunity for the Jurchen people who had been naturalized in the Han army to persuade them to surrender.

Dressed in plain clothes, Gu Qingchen led a mule and slowly walked out of the military camp, giving off a feeling of being in another world.

This former Eastern Jin general, who was captured by the Han army last year and changed his surname to Han after surrendering, was released after only eight months of labor reform because of his great merit in persuading the Jin army in Mengcheng to surrender.

Although Gu Qingchen regained his freedom, he was too ashamed to return to the Jin Kingdom.

Moreover, given the current state of affairs, what can one do after returning?

Will we die with our country?
If you didn't dare to die that day, would you dare to die tomorrow?
Therefore, Gu Qingchen could only associate with his former subordinates and try to find a job in the auxiliary troops camp.

The Han army could not allow the naturalized Jurchens to continue to stick together, so they were quickly scattered again. Some were conscripted to military and civilian settlements, some were recruited into the regular army, and others settled down in the auxiliary troops.

Nowadays, apart from having shorter hair and a stronger Liaodong accent, Gu Qingchen is no different from a Han Chinese.

Around Gu Qingchen were a dozen or so naturalized Jurchens. One of them asked tremblingly, "General, aren't you...aren't you afraid that we won't come back?"

Chen Zhongkan yawned and said, "You can leave if you want, but I must also warn you that since you have joined the military, whether you are auxiliary soldiers or garrison troops, you are all soldiers and should obey orders in battle."

"If you desert, you will be punished as a deserter, your family will be implicated, and your land will be taken back."

Not everyone's family members were within the Han army's territory, so even though Chen Zhongkan's words were harsh, some people still harbored some thoughts.

Seeing this, Gu Qingchen slowly shook his head and said in a deep voice, "The current situation in the world is that the King of Han will unify the world. Even if you try to escape, where can you escape to?"
Do you really think the King of Han won't unify Liaodong and beyond? With careful planning, things will eventually turn out well.

After saying this, Gu Qingchen didn't care whether the others listened or not. He mounted the mule, called over a few familiar companions, and headed south under the cover of night.

Chen Zhongkan watched as Gu Qingchen's figure disappeared into the night, and then he just sneered twice.

This person may be genuinely loyal, or he may be putting on an act in an attempt to find a chance to escape.

But it doesn't matter.

The Han army has no shortage of prisoners or fools who can't see the situation clearly. Since some people are looking for death, let them go.

As for whether the Han army's military intelligence would be leaked, that was even less of a problem.

Gu Qingchen was unaware of the confidential matter.

The Han army's major political and military decisions were meant to be announced to the world. Even if Gu Qingchen spread the word, it would only make the wise men of the Jin Kingdom more desperate.

This is the overwhelming trend, this is the wheel of history, how could the Jurchens stop it?
Gu Qingchen rode his mule slowly forward.

He had served as an official in Bianliang during the reign of Wanyan Liang, so he was quite familiar with the area. In just a short while, he discerned the road in the cold wind and the darkness of night, and then headed towards Mutuo Hill with a few companions.

At dawn, when Tudanli saw Jia Gu Qingchen, even though he was old and knowledgeable, he was still startled.

“You are…you are a Qing official…you are not…” Tudanli opened his mouth wide, his beard trembling: “No…have you sided with Liu Dalang?”

A fleeting look of shame crossed Gu Qingchen's face, but he could only nod: "That's exactly right."

A handsome young man standing beside Tu Danli was stunned for a long time upon hearing this: "Jia Gu Qingchen, I've heard of you. You...aren't you a famous general of the country? How could you...uh, how could you surrender to Liu Dalang?"

Gu Qingchen covered his face and shook his head, but he knew that this was a critical moment for the lives of nearly 10,000 Jurchen households in Guanzhong, so he answered in a muffled voice: "To Master Dan, it's nothing more than losing heart and courage after several major defeats in battle."

Upon hearing this, Tudanli and the young man beside him found themselves speechless.

Should we scold Gu Qingchen here?
It's as if Xijin never lost his will or courage.

Tudanli paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you come here this time to persuade me to surrender?"

Gu Qingchen forced a straight face and said sincerely, "I know that Tudan Gong is a veteran of the country, but... but... alas... Tudan Gong, to tell you the truth, if we can really fight to the death to defeat the Han King, why should I hesitate to die?"
"Now there's nothing we can do. Tudan Gong, even if our entire Jurchen tribe were to risk our lives, it would only earn us a glance from the Han King and a mention in history; it would be utterly useless."

Tu Danli was stunned for an unusually long time today. After a while, he could only look at the young man beside him with a wry smile: "I know Qingchen's abilities. He is also a fierce general who has fought Liu Dalang head-on. Since he said so, it is probably true."

"However, since His Highness the Crown Prince is here in person, I have nothing to say and will leave the decision to the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingchen suddenly looked up and carefully examined the young man.

This time, it was his turn to be stunned.

After a moment, Gu Qingchen slowly nodded: "It's been many years since we last met. I didn't expect His Highness the Crown Prince to have grown so much."

(End of this chapter)