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

Chapter 891 The wind started at the end of Qingping

Instead of joining Tudanli in cursing, Wanyan Guangying went directly to find the Grand Marshal Pusan ​​Zhongyi, wanting to understand why he allowed morale to decline.

"Alas... how come this is my idea again?"

Pu Sanzhongyi said with a bitter expression, "Liu the traitor is really too cunning. They did not send the wounded soldiers together, but rather they were carried by knights, arriving in twos and threes, one after another, from all directions."

"At first, some soldiers knew the danger and went to stop them, but as more and more wounded soldiers arrived, it was impossible to stop them."

"If I were to order an attack on Liu's cavalry, morale would be at its peak. You must know that these men are here under the guise of escorting our wounded soldiers."

Wanyan Guangying immediately understood Pusan ​​Zhongyi's helplessness, but there was nothing he could do.

We can't just turn these wounded soldiers away, can we?
Setting up a separate camp and isolating oneself from information is not an option.

The Han army didn't care what Pusan ​​Zhongyi thought; their orders were to send the wounded to the walls of Bianliang. They were clearly prepared and came specifically to demoralize the Jin army.

Pusan ​​Zhongyi, after all, possessed the bearing of a great general. Seeing that Wanyan Guangying was somewhat dejected, he immediately comforted him, saying, "Your Highness, although our army has suffered a defeat and our morale is somewhat low, our strength remains. With some reorganization, we may well be able to turn the tide and become a desperate army."

However, this has also brought one advantage: Liu Dalang has finally been lured to the south bank of the Yellow River. Unless that scoundrel Wulu is a fool, he will surely raise an army in Hebei.

Wanyan Guangying sighed: "In other words, we have no choice now but to set problems for others to solve."

"The situation is unfavorable, so this is the only way."

At this moment, neither Wanyan Guangying nor Pusan ​​Zhongyi expected that this was just an appetizer.

The Han army's truly fierce political offensive was yet to come.

The news of yesterday's battle results, coupled with the complete annihilation of the Jin army's hastily assembled fleet downstream, shook Kaifeng Prefecture.

Taking advantage of this opportune moment, the Han army's persuasion squad dispersed to spread the Han king's order.

The situation has now become quite clear.

The key lies in population and food.

If Pusan ​​Zhongyi could relocate the entire Kaifeng Prefecture to Luoyang Prefecture, the problems of manpower and military supplies could be temporarily solved, and the Western Jin Dynasty could survive for a few more years.

If Liu Huai were to capture the majority of the population, then the Western Jin might not even be able to defend Luoyang.

The two sides engaged in numerous covert maneuvers surrounding population migration.

Pusan ​​Zhongyi hoped to launch another attack after defeating the Song army, while the Han army was preoccupied with the Jin territory.

Liu Huai, on the other hand, hoped to take advantage of the chaos during the migration of people from Xijin to launch a major operation.

Of course, neither Dongjin nor Song were pushovers; they each had their own agendas. As a result, when it came to actual action, everyone's military actions were distorted. Liu Huai had no choice but to take the initiative to attack after receiving intelligence that there might be changes in Song.

After successfully crossing the river, the Han army had already achieved half the victory. How could they not make those who were on the fence uneasy?
Meanwhile, the other Han army units were not idle either. Xin Qiji led the Chenzhou army from south to north, and Zhang Baiyu led the Dongping army from east to west. In just a few days, they recovered dozens of villages, towns, markets and ferry crossings. The Jin army could only retreat into the county town for defense.

Thanks to Liu Huai's good political credibility—to be precise, he meant whoever he said he would kill, and he meant he wouldn't pursue the matter—everyone doubted the political promises he made.

Even so, very few people make up their minds from the very beginning.

If the Han army has already won the decisive battle against the Jin army on the battlefield, then needless to say, the entire Kaifeng Prefecture will definitely follow the lead of the Han army.

However, at this time, Pu Sanzhongyi was still alive and had tens of thousands of regular troops under his command. If he were to betray the country first, he might be the first to face a merciless attack.

Of course, on the other hand, if the Han army had truly defeated the Jin army completely, why would Liu Huai have needed to recruit and accept defectors? He would have already stationed a large army there and dispatched administrative officials to manage the local areas.

Fortunately, the Han army was not in a hurry. Even if they were to deplete each other's supplies, the Han army would still have the advantage.

Meanwhile, the global situation gradually changed during this waiting period.

First, in Nanyang, Yu Yunwen was caught off guard by Pu Sankui's aggressive attack.

On one hand, he had to deal with the Jin army that had broken out of Luoyang, and on the other hand, he had to figure out what was happening in Guanzhong.

If a major problem arises in Guanzhong, wouldn't Wanyan Liang be able to break through Wuguan Pass along the Funiu Mountains?

At this critical moment, Yu Yunwen's ally in the court, Grand Councilor Chen Junqing, sent him a letter that instantly made him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

Shi Hao has completely positioned himself on the opposite side of the pro-war faction. Whether he advocates peace, defense, or is simply vying for power, he is destined to become the biggest political enemy of the Left Prime Minister.

Unfortunately, this matter was kept secret, and was even just Chen Junqing's deduction, so Yu Yunwen was unable to mobilize his followers to impeach him for the time being.

The letter contained more than that; Chen Junqing told Yu Yunwen that the Emperor intended to withdraw his troops from Guanzhong.

Although Chen Junqing has temporarily persuaded Zhao Shen, it is unknown how long he can hold out. Either Yu Yunwen should immediately abandon the situation in Nanyang and return to the court to stabilize the situation, or Prime Minister Yu should achieve a victory that is enough to intimidate the court and the public.

Yu Yunwen had served as a military commander for many years. Although he could not become a famous general by observing and learning more, he still understood military affairs.

Chen Junqing, theoretically the highest military commander of the Song state, made such ignorant remarks about military affairs that Yu Yunwen was instantly amused and annoyed. Right now, intelligence on both sides was completely unclear.

What is Shi Hao planning to do? Is Zhao Shen still determined? Why did Pu San Kui dare to leave Luoyang? What is the military situation in Guanzhong?

Yu Yunwen knew nothing about these things. If he were to take action now, wouldn't he be throwing himself into chaos?
And is Chen Junqing's deduction necessarily accurate?

As the saying goes, it's better to stay put than to act. After Cheng Min withdrew, Yu Yunwen ordered Wu Gong to garrison Dengzhou to deal with the enemy in the Guanzhong and Luoyang directions.

There's nothing we can do about it; in this day and age, news travels incredibly slowly.

"Hurry up! We'll be in Lizhou soon! The city has already prepared steamed buns and stewed a hundred sheep as a reward for us! We're here today, so we can eat them today!"

On the rugged mountain roads of northern Sichuan, Zhang Zhen walked back and forth to encourage himself.

Although his five thousand soldiers were somewhat tired and had some complaints, they endured it because they saw that their general was also walking.

Leading by example has always been the best way to quell grievances in the army.

Since leaving Jianmen Pass and entering the traditional Jinniu Road, the road has become increasingly difficult to travel.

According to the original plan, these 5,000 Lianghuai soldiers were to serve as reinforcements, marching north all the way to Fengzhou, passing through Dasanguan, and attacking Chencang to open the gate to the Guanzhong Plain.

Guangyuan, the capital of Lizhou, was likely to be the last place where they could rest freely. Therefore, Lu You sent official documents to the prefect and vice-prefect of Lizhou early on, in the name of the military commissioner, instructing them to treat the troops well.

Lizhou, being right next to the Sichuan Basin, had easy access to information and thus knew about Lu You's ruthless methods long ago. They dared not be negligent in the slightest, and there were no vulgar scenes of civil officials looking down on them.

Zhang Zhen inspected the camp until midnight. After taking off his boots and letting them air out, he lay down on his cot and immediately fell asleep.

In his dream, Zhang Zhen dreamed that he and his jealous wife had eight sons, and his wife was also understanding and helped him take three concubines. In the end, he had many children and grandchildren.

It's just that I don't know if his family is extremely male-dominated, as there are only males for three generations and not a single girl.

When he was over eighty years old, Zhang Zhen had nearly a hundred children and grandchildren. Finally, one of his grandsons had a great-granddaughter. He was so excited that he ran to hug his great-granddaughter without even taking his cane.

After happily taking the swaddling clothes, Zhang Zhen carefully examined his great-granddaughter's face. He noticed that she had a long beard, a thin face, and several wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She said to Zhang Zhen, "Steward Zhang, wake up."

"I entered him..."

Zhang Zhen was immediately awakened, but before he could even utter a curse, he saw a person sitting beside the bed. It was none other than Lu You, the Sichuan Military Commissioner, whom he had bid farewell to in Chengdu Prefecture.

At this moment, Zhang Zhen still felt as if he were in a dream.

"Lord Lu... Lord Lu... Why have you come here? This is against the rules of the state!"

As the highest-ranking civilian official in Sichuan, Lu You was constantly engaged in paperwork and meetings. How could he leave Chengdu Prefecture without permission?

How is this any different from a general deserting his post in the face of battle?
Lu You looked exhausted and waved his hand, saying, "This is nothing serious."

"Chief Steward Zhang, listen to me! The court may very well be considering withdrawing its troops from Guanzhong!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhen jumped up from the bed, completely disregarding the fact that he was only wearing trousers: "Now we're just one step away from victory. The Jin invaders are finding it increasingly difficult to hold out. How can we possibly withdraw our troops from Guanzhong?!"

Lu You remained silent.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Zhen understood that Lu You, being in Sichuan, could only communicate through letters at most, and it was impossible for him to be fully aware of what was happening in Lin'an.

"Lord Lu, such a major matter, how could the Emperor, the Chancellor, and the Privy Council have approved it so quickly..." Zhang Zhen's face was somewhat pale: "Could it be that Guanzhong has already suffered a major defeat?"

Even imperial edicts had to go through several procedures, especially important matters like the strategic advance and retreat of the army, which could be blocked by the emperor, the prime minister, and even the imperial secretaries.

Lu You shook his head slightly: "Chief Steward Zhang, don't be confused. If there is a major defeat in Guanzhong, how could the imperial court know about it before us?"

At this point, Lu You sighed heavily and revealed the answer: "It is an imperial edict, an imperial edict from His Majesty."

The imperial edict was considered an illegal imperial edict, and in theory, local officials and military commanders had the right to return it.

However, not all imperial edicts are the same. Zhao Shen used an imperial edict to urge the Longxing Northern Expedition last year, which gave him some prestige among the generals. As for whether Wu Lin would obey the edict and withdraw his troops, that was another matter.

Zhang Zhen stared in disbelief: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty doesn't support the Northern Expedition anymore? Your Majesty... also..."

In the end, this renowned general trembled all over, tears welling in his eyes.

So many lives lost, so much blood shed, and this is the result?

With a new administration, is there really no desire to reclaim lost territory?

What about those comrades who died on the battlefield before?
Lu You, however, pressed down on Zhang Zhen's shoulder and said, "Now is not the time to talk about these things. What the court plans is their business. We need to get to Dasanguan immediately!"

"Regardless of whether the troops in Guanzhong withdraw or not, morale will surely be low. Don't forget, Wanyan Liang is right here in Guanzhong! He won't let this opportunity slip by!"

(End of this chapter)