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

Chapter 960 Jinbei Conquest Strategy: Busy Invasion

Legally speaking, Wanyan Fushou was only the rightful emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty at this time.

However, apart from the hundred or so remnants of his defeated army that he had gathered, the rest of the people were either unaware of his existence or even knew about him.

For example, the last stronghold of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Shangjing Huining Prefecture and Longzhou—also known as Huanglong Prefecture—have no idea that the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty has changed. Tudan Wulian, the garrison commander of Shangjing, is still struggling to hold on.

Meanwhile, the Khitans, who had been humiliated in the Yanshan Mountains for a long time, finally regained their freedom. After receiving a large amount of grain and livestock, they returned to their homeland of Linhuang Prefecture in broad daylight and swallowed up the Mongol tribes that had just moved to the grasslands of Linhuang Prefecture.

In this situation, Wanyan Fushou had nowhere to turn. After holding out in Liaoze for many days, he ordered his men to surrender with all the Jin dynasty's seals.

Wanyan Fushou, holding the nine-tassel crown that Wanyan Yong had placed on his head, smashed the ice and jumped into the pond to commit suicide.

As for Tudan Kening, he was determined to fight to the end, but his aimless wandering around Hebei was like a headless fly. The surrender of the Jin prince also made those who were secretly wavering completely give up their hopes, and the encirclement immediately tightened like an iron curtain.

It's foreseeable that this guy won't have many days left to live.

In Taiyuan Prefecture, Shi Qilang grinned broadly and laughed heartily, looking quite smug.

He couldn't be unhappy, because Liu Huai had already bestowed upon him the reward of the position of Governor of Hedong and the title of Marquis of Jinyang. At the same time, the Shengjie Army under his command, which was reorganized from the vanguard, was also increased in size to 20,000 men.

Although he did not receive the position of Grand General of Shanxi because he had not yet captured Hedong, Shi Qilang was already very satisfied.

This is the first marquis within the Han army system. Now that the King of Han is about to ascend the throne, won't he be promoted one rank, from founding marquis to founding duke?
The remaining generals who invaded Jin territory were mostly dissatisfied and resentful.

You used to be a commander, how come you got promoted so quickly?
Moreover, the main force of the Eastern Jin was eliminated by the Han army in Hebei. Shi Qilang only benefited from the weakness behind enemy lines, and his credit was highly questionable.

No matter what, why do you have it and I don't?

"The King of Han is using a trick from the history books." Chen Liang, the transport commissioner of Hedong, was not polite to the group of roughnecks: "After Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, unified the world, his soldiers were also very eager to be rewarded and given titles. But this is a major national policy, and it is not something that can be accomplished so easily."

"Zhang Liang then suggested to Emperor Gaozu that he bestow a title upon Yong Chi, who had the least merit and whom he had a grudge against. Seeing that Yong Chi also had a title, the other meritorious officials were certain that their own official ranks would not be left behind, so they waited patiently."

This is a classic example of a misinterpretation of metaphor.

Shi Qilang was the first to jump out and shout, "I have always been loyal to the eldest son and have never made any enemies. Ambassador Chen, please don't wrong me!"

Chen Liang glanced at Shi Qilang: "So you think you deserve the least credit?"

Shi Qilang was naturally unwilling to admit it, but he was even less likely to admit to having a grudge against his superior! Therefore, he could only mutter to himself for the time being.

Seeing that Shi Qilang was caught up in the situation, Wang Xiongyi quickly said, "Ambassador Chen, I never said that Chief Steward Shi had the least merit..."

Chen Liang spread his hands: "So you admit that Governor Shi's contributions are greater than yours? Then what's so strange about him being promoted and ennobled before you?"

"Uh..." Wang Xiongyi was also a little confused.

Seeing that he had successfully confused everyone, Chen Liang didn't give him time to regroup and continued, "Since there are no more problems, let's get down to business now. It would be wise to send over a few more reports of victory before the King of Han ascends the throne."

The generals looked up, still groggy, and gazed at Shi Qilang.

Shi Qilang put aside his chaotic thoughts, coughed lightly, and then said to the map: "According to the King of Han's military order, our army should take Daizhou in the second round of the winter offensive and completely recover Youyun."

Now, Fa Chi has returned to Mount Wutai and, based in his temples and monasteries, has recruited a band of refugees and successfully established himself. However, his rule is illegitimate, and with some Jin troops still stationed at Yanmen Pass, he needs our army's assistance to possibly block the northern gate of Shanxi.

"The Khitans have returned to Linhuang Prefecture, and we can't count on them. However, our army has selected elite troops and combined them into one force. Including logistics and supplies, we have about 40,000 soldiers, which is enough to recapture Daizhou."

With the air of a great general, Shi Qilang tapped the Western Capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty with a small stick: "The only thing to worry about is Wanyan Yongdao, the garrison commander of the Western Capital. He's a little wolf cub. Even Wanyan Yungong has surrendered, yet he still dares to bargain with the Prince of Han. I really don't know what he's thinking."

The western capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was Datong Prefecture. Including Xuande Prefecture to the east, it was the Xuanda Prefecture that was frequently mentioned in the Ming Dynasty.

As one of the nine important border towns in the traditional Central Plains dynasties, it was naturally a place where troops gathered. After the Jin Dynasty became the Central Plains dynasty, it also followed this tradition.

Although the main force of the Jin army was transferred to the Central Plains to fight the civil war, the Mongol migration created a huge group of refugees, which Wanyan Yongdao took the opportunity to recruit and pacify, to the point that he now claims to have an army of 100,000. Thus, Wanyan Yongdao's troops have increased rather than decreased in a nonsensical way.

However, he still retained a sliver of clarity and did not immediately declare himself emperor. Instead, he considered using these troops as bargaining chips to negotiate with Liu Huai.

That's just courting death.

When the Jin Dynasty was at its zenith, the Han army never considered negotiation, only offering the Jin Dynasty the option of unconditional surrender. Who did Wanyan Yongdao think he was?

Everyone knows that this kind of bandit-like military group is simply living off its resources and might be left with nothing but grass by next spring.

However, one thing that no one can deny is that Wanyan Yongdao does indeed control a large military force at this moment. Shi Qilang is also unsure whether Wanyan Yongdao will go crazy and attack when the Han army recovers northern Shanxi.

"If that little wolf cub dares to come, I'll chop him up!" Pang Rugui immediately shouted. "He's still a Jin bandit king, after all. If I kill this bastard in battle, wouldn't that make me a marquis?"

The generals began to clamor, but Chen Liang immediately stood up to quell the unrest: "Don't panic! And don't be arrogant. That's exactly what I'm worried about. Think about it: if you make one wrong move, let alone lose, even if that little wolf cub makes you look like a fool, who can stand that?"

Shi Qilang chimed in, "Ambassador Chen is right. Brothers, now that we've joined forces and are going to war together, we're all in the same boat. As the saying goes, 'One prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer.' If one benefits, the others will benefit too. What do you say?"

Wang Xiong looked around and, seeing that his status was decent, immediately declared, "Just as Commander Shi said, the entire army should work together with one heart!"

The generals quickly finalized the troop deployment plan, but at the end of the military council, Chen Liang pointed to a corner of the map and asked, "What about Hezhong Prefecture? Are we really just going to ignore it?"

Everyone turned their gazes in that direction, remaining silent.

As the connecting point between Guanzhong and Shanxi, the importance of Hezhong Prefecture goes without saying.

To give a simple example, during the great war between the Eastern and Western Wei dynasties, the city of Yubi, which suffered heavy casualties, was nearby.

If the Guanzhong forces occupy Hezhong Prefecture, they can direct their military might towards Taiyuan; if the Hebei forces occupy this area, they can cross the river from Puban and threaten Chang'an. It can be described as a strategically vital location.

However, the key issue now is that the Han army has swallowed such a large territory in one go and is already somewhat indigestion, so it has no spare strength to immediately attack Hezhong Prefecture.

Shi Qilang shook his head with a wry smile: "Ambassador Chen, I also want to achieve great things overnight. But since Wanyan Yongdao has ambitions, we have to get rid of him! This wolf cub may not amount to much, but he can certainly ruin things."

Our army's only support in northern Shanxi is the Wutai Mountain rebel army. If we don't provide immediate support and Wanyan Yongdao enters Daizhou, then northern Shanxi will be in complete chaos.

If the situation isn't brought under control within three or four months, and spring planting is delayed, causing people to scatter, then we cannot afford the consequences. We must understand that the population of northern Shanxi is already small, and if things continue to be chaotic, the border defense will be a major problem for the next twenty years.

As for Hezhong Prefecture…”

After thinking for a moment, Shi Qilang tentatively asked, "Should we issue more documents to recruit some traitors to buy some time?"

Chen Liang hesitated for a moment: "Let's take another look, let's take another look... The King of Han once said that some people have no merit and are recruited without being selected. The harm they cause to our army is even greater than if we had fought a battle honestly."

"As long as our army maintains enough troops in Taiyuan, that's fine. Wanyan Liang can't possibly send all his forces to attack Jin, can he?"

As it turned out, Chen Liang's considerations were entirely correct.

Upon hearing the news of the fall of the Eastern Jin dynasty, Wanyan Liang immediately organized his troops to cross the Yellow River in an attempt to capture Hezhong Prefecture.

However, just as he conquered Hedong, he received a bolt from the blue, forcing his main force to come to an abrupt halt and turn back to Guanzhong.

Lu You, the military commissioner of Sichuan under the Song Dynasty, led the Song army out of Dasanguan Pass and attacked Fengxiang Prefecture. With lightning speed, they captured Baoji, Fengxiang, Qishan, and Guoxian, and their advance was aimed directly at Fufeng.

If Fufeng were gone, the Guanzhong Plain would be flat and open, and Lu You could lead his troops straight into Chang'an.

The area around Chang'an, which had just been stabilized by the Western Jin dynasty, was shaken once again.

(End of this chapter)