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

Chapter 913: The Unresolved Feelings

The tenth day of the fourth month of the fourth year of the Longxing era.

Fengzhou, in northern Sichuan.

Lu You coldly addressed the general named Li Shisui before him: "What are you saying? What do you mean your elder brother Li Shiyan won't be coming back? Does he want to surrender to the Jin Dynasty, or does he want to go with the Western Xia to meet the King of Youdu?!"

Li Shisui was sweating profusely.

When he returned from Dasanguan by stealth, the first thing he did was to find his former comrades in the Western Army and inquire in detail about the personality and hobbies of this Lord Lu.

However, the result given by his fellow soldiers in the Western Army surprised Li Shisui.

There are many aspects to their personality: they hate evil, are arrogant towards superiors but compassionate towards inferiors, are upright and incorruptible, and dare to take on responsibilities, and so on.

In short, this Prime Minister Lu possessed all the virtues of famous ministers of ancient times.

As for hobbies, those are outrageous.

Lu Xiangong has no hobbies...

He abstained from all vices, including wine, women, wealth, and power.

There were no singing and dancing girls, or even a single woman, in the mansion; only a few old servants and guards were present.

Lu Xiangong had no interest in even composing poems, painting, or traveling.

He either stayed in the military camp training troops or in the government office handling political affairs. He went out quite often, but more often he went to check the terrain, visit local customs, and study hydrology and geography.

In addition, Lu Xiangong was also a skilled military strategist! And he was quite good at it. If he hadn't annihilated the Jin army that had invaded Chencang Road in one battle, the Song army would probably be fighting desperately at Jiange.

If we calculate it this way, this Lord Lu is actually Zhuge Liang reincarnated!

Li Shisui didn't think his comrades were lying to him, but Zhuge Liang's praise was so outrageous that he didn't quite believe it.

However, due to preconceived notions, Li Shisui naturally felt inferior when facing a somewhat annoyed Lu You, and even his voice trembled slightly.

"Lord Lu...Lord Lu, my elder brother would never betray the Song Dynasty, much less surrender to the Western bandits...The Western bandits are almost gone now..."

Wu Ting, growing impatient, finally spoke up and asked, "Why the hell isn't Old Li coming back? Just say something, you bastard! Stop rambling!"

Li Shisui trembled all over, and under the intense gaze of many officers, he finally said, "My elder brother retreated to Longyou and gathered a lot of troops, more than 6,000 of whom were recruited from Guanzhong. They will definitely not follow my brother back."

"So, in other words, Old Li is going to disobey orders for the sake of these six thousand people?!"

Li Shisui dared not take the blame for his brother, and quickly explained to Lu You, "Lord Lu, it's not like that. My brother is not after military power, but after Guanzhong!"

Lu You nodded, signaling Li Shisui to continue.

"Actually, before my brother came, he asked me to ask Lord Lu in person whether he still had the will to recover the lost territories."

If not, he will do his best to gather his troops and return to Sichuan.

If so, my brother will continue to hold out in Longyou for another year or two.

In short, my elder brother said he was just a mere contestant; the real decisions still had to be made by Lord Lu.

Lu You: "Oh? If that's the case, why don't you ask?"

Li Shisui cupped his hands, speaking with utmost sincerity: "Because I inquired with my comrades, and they said that Lord Lu looks just like Zhuge Liang."

If that's the case, then there's no need to ask further; why wouldn't Zhuge Liang launch a northern expedition?

Lu You pressed on, "Aren't you afraid that those people are just flattering me, and that I actually lack the talent of Zhuge Liang, nor the ambition to restore the dynasty?"

Li Shisui said firmly, "They wouldn't dare! If anyone dares to talk nonsense about Marquis Wu, their ancestors in the underworld will not let them off!"

Zhuge Liang's prestige in Shu goes without saying. Since people from Bashu use the Marquis of Wu as an example, it's almost like they're using their ancestors for eighteen generations to vouch for him.

Lu You nodded slightly: "So, Li Shiyan also has the ambition to recover lost territory?"

Unexpectedly, Li Shisui shook his head heavily: "My elder brother has no ambition, but as a general of the country, he is obligated to serve the emperor. If the country is to recover Guanzhong, my elder brother will definitely fight to the death."

Lu You smiled: "You are quite frank."

Li Shisui's attitude became even more respectful: "With Lord Lu in person, I dare not hide anything."

"Then tell me, what are General Li's plans?"

"Here!"

Seeing that they had finally gotten to the point, Li Shisui breathed a sigh of relief and came to the map: "My elder brother's idea is that we must stop Zhang Congjin and prevent him from surrendering the gold."

If our entire army were to retreat to Sichuan, even if Zhang Congjin were loyal to our dynasty, the hearts of the people below would not be at peace.

Conversely, if the Song Dynasty had a force nearby to show that it would never abandon Guanzhong, those men from Guanzhong would be more inclined to submit.

If the world changes, then Lord Lu will lead the main army out of Dasanguan, attack Chencang, and enter Guanzhong.

My elder brother, together with Zhang Congjin, will launch an attack from Longyou to draw away the Jin forces. At that time, we will surely be able to resolve this century-old national crisis and reclaim the former territories of Western Xia!

Li Shiyan truly lived up to his reputation as a veteran general, and he was also worthy of being recognized by Yu Yunwen in history as the second most important general in the Western Army in terms of status and ability, second only to Wu Lin.

His proposed plan can be considered a smaller version of the Longzhong Plan, both employing the principle of combining orthodox and unorthodox tactics to achieve victory, forming a massive pincer movement across the entire Kansai region.

If the attack is successful, it's hard to say whether it will destroy the Jin Dynasty, but it's certain that it will leave Wanyan Liang unable to defend himself on both fronts.

The key point is that the Song army's fundamental nature is that they are fundamentally incapable of faithfully executing plans and launching campaigns; they always seem to pull off inexplicable mishaps in strange and unusual ways. Lu You was naturally aware of this, and instead of responding immediately, he continued to ask, "General Li, how confident are you that you can hold Zhang Congjin back?"

Li Shisui: "If we rely solely on my elder brother, we can't hold on for long; a year would be the limit."

“That’s enough.” Lu You immediately made the decision: “After we go back, we will make a detailed list and request the court to grant them official titles and ranks.”

Tell General Li and Zhang Congjin that officers of the rank of commander or above are guaranteed at least a military officer position.

In addition, I will also try to transport some grain and goods over there.

I will be staying in Fengzhou for some time. You must send me a message within a month.

Li Shisui was overjoyed to see Lu You so capable: "This humble general will obey Your Excellency's orders!"

Lu You thought for a moment before sighing, "The only thing to worry about now is that General Li is over seventy years old. If he has health problems, the Guanzhong matter may be ruined."

Li Shisui immediately patted his chest and assured him: "Although my elder brother is old, he is very healthy and can eat two pounds of meat in one meal!"

Lu You felt a strange sensation, somewhat like the old general Lian Po, wondering if he could still eat. He was also afraid that Li Shisui would make a joke about defecating three times after a meal, so he changed the subject: "Wu Wulang!"

Wu Ting immediately stepped forward: "Your subordinate is here!"

"You should personally write a letter to General Li and Zhang Congjin, explaining everything that has happened here. Tell them that the Great Song will definitely return to Guanzhong, and that they must remain loyal to their country and not waver!"

"Here!"

Just as Wu Ting was about to return to his desk and start writing furiously, he saw Cao Dache enter carrying a wooden box, his face beaming with joy as he called out names.

All the generals in the tent knew that Cao Dache was the leader of Lu You's personal guards who had come to the Song state from Shandong, so no one stopped him.

Cao Dache did not disturb the military discussion. After placing the wooden box he was carrying on the table in front of Lu You, he whispered a few words in Lu You's ear and then stood by with his sword at his side.

The generals all looked up, eager to see what was inside the box.

To everyone's surprise, Lu You, who had always presented himself as composed and confident, was stunned on the spot, simply stroking the wooden box, his face showing astonishment, and remaining silent.

Lu You's actions, however, caused some panic among the generals in the tent.

After a moment, Lu You came to his senses and turned to Cao Dache, asking, "Where is the messenger?"

"I'm eating now."

"Have him bring his rice bowl to the tent. Also, find him some meat and wine; I want to question him in person."

"As ordered."

Soon, a young man covered in dust entered the military tent with a grin. Upon seeing Lu You sitting at the head of the table, his joy grew even more. He bowed deeply and said, "Mr. Lu, it's been a long time. You are as dashing as ever."

Lu You smiled as well: "I recognize you, you are Gao Yu, the second son of the Gao family. So, are you still reading the Spring and Autumn Annals?"

Gao Yu took the basket of meat buns handed to him by Cao Dache, sat down directly on the ground, and mumbled while chewing, "Of course I read them, but without Mr. Lu's guidance, I can't understand some of the sentences."

The literacy campaign in the Han army began during the Battle of Haizhou. At that time, there were relatively few literate people in the Han army, so Lu You often served as a tutor.

The Han army envoy in front of me had studied and practiced calligraphy under Lu You, and could be considered Lu You's half-disciple.

Lu You opened the wooden box, took out a letter, and read it quickly. After reading it at a glance, he sighed to Gao Yu, "So, Liu Dalang has already recaptured Bianliang?"

The Song generals, who were initially confused by the two men's cryptic conversation, were all taken aback, and some even stood up in surprise.

Gao Yu, no longer in his previous jovial manner, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "So that Mr. Lu may know, on February 15th, the Prince of Han entered Bianliang City and recaptured Kaifeng Prefecture. Thus, Henan was liberated!"

The generals were all in awe.

Amidst the commotion, Wu Ting could no longer contain himself and drew his sword, shouting, "Explain yourself! Where did this Prince of Han come from in the Great Song Dynasty?!"

Knowing that with Lu You and Cao Dache present, Gao Yu knew he was in no danger, so he retorted, "The title of King of Han is an honor bestowed upon me by all the people of the North. How could it be granted by the mere Song Kingdom?"

Wu Ting angrily retorted, "You dare to be so bold!"

Lu You immediately shouted, "Silence!"

The Song generals immediately fell silent and returned to their seats.

Lu You slowly took out a large flag from the box and unfurled it in front of everyone.

After everyone saw clearly that the character above was '陆', they all hesitated.

Gao Yu, however, did not wait for Lu You to ask before taking the initiative to explain: "Mr. Lu, when we entered Bianliang City that day, the banner of Duke Wei came first, followed by the two deceased Grand Commandants Han and Yue. The banners of Prime Minister Yu and Mr. Lu entered the city gate together with the ceremonial guard of the Prince of Han."

The banner belonging to Minister Yu has also been delivered to Nanyang.

Although Lu You had already read the details in the letter, hearing Gao Yu recount it again made him feel somewhat shaken.

The Song army generals were in an even worse state; almost all of them were filled with mixed feelings, staring at the Lu banner, speechless.

Having spent many years in Sichuan and Chongqing, how could they not know the significance of "restoring the Han dynasty and returning to the old capital"?

Now that someone has actually returned to the old capital, it's not one of them, a general of the Song army. How can they bear this?
Lu You held the banner in his hands and examined it carefully for a long time before sighing, "Liu Dalang is so thoughtful. Knowing that I couldn't make it there for the time being, he specially sent this over."

When you return, please take something with you, and also tell Liu Dalang that when I conquer Chang'an, I will certainly bring him a large banner as well.

(End of this chapter)