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

Chapter 961 The Shu Prime Minister Drives the Masses West (Part 1)

November 15th.

The Kansai region is bitterly cold.

Meanwhile, the generals of the Song army felt a vortex colder than the north wind around Lu You.

This time, the Song army mobilized 20,000 regular troops, and immediately captured more than a dozen military fortresses. At the height of their momentum, the Song generals could not understand why Lu You would make such a move.

Could it be that something has happened at the front lines or in the imperial court?
"Nothing has changed. It's just that this is the second time our army has tried to recapture Guanzhong. The last withdrawal was hasty and lost the hearts of many people. As a result, we can't even find the location of the Jin army. It's really worrying."

Faced with his subordinates' questions, Lu You's face was ashen, but he still gave an explanation.

This was at least one explanation, and Zhang Zhen and the others dared not ask any further questions. They simply assumed that Lord Lu was in a bad mood and was also a little tired, which was why he acted this way.

However, as time went by, not only did the imperial court's order for a general offensive fail to arrive, but there was also no news from Nanyang, which eventually made the generals somewhat uneasy.

According to the plan reported by Yu Yunwen, the generals of Sichuan were to launch a feint attack in Guanzhong as soon as possible to draw the main force of the Western Jin army there, so that Yu Yunwen could lead his army to occupy Luoyang and carry out the next step of the plan.

But now the Xiangfan army stationed in Nanyang has not made any move. What if they really attract all the main forces of the Jin army here?
It should be understood that the reason why the Sichuan army only had the task of feigning an attack in this battle was because it suffered heavy losses during the withdrawal last year and had only just recovered some strength. How could it possibly fight a head-on battle with the main force of the Jin army?
Just as the generals were becoming somewhat panicked, the main vanguard of the Jin army appeared near Fufeng. Six thousand soldiers led by Wanyan Wangxiang launched the first attack on the Song army, while the Jin army's follow-up troops continued to approach.

The Song army had no choice but to respond first, and the two sides engaged in a major battle at Fufeng Pass.

The Jin army relied on cavalry, but in the mountainous region of Longyou, the advantage of cavalry was reduced to the extreme. The Jin army had to abandon cavalry and use infantry to launch large-scale attacks on the Song army's formation.

The Song army was equally determined, sending Wu Ting's troops as the vanguard of the battle, and the two sides clashed on the spot.

"Prime Minister Lu! Prime Minister Lu! There is an imperial decree!"

Cao Dache, who had been guarding Huangniu Fort, rode up quickly and came straight to Lu You's side before lowering his voice: "The matter can no longer be kept secret. Minister Wang has also learned of the news. At least in Chengdu Prefecture, people are in a state of panic."

Wang Xianggong was Wang Yan, the Sichuan Transport Commissioner. Since last year, Lu You had been working to stabilize the situation in northern Sichuan, so Wang Yan was the actual leader of Sichuan's civil and political affairs.

Since Wang Yan said he couldn't control the news, then he really really couldn't control it.

Lu You's cheek twitched a few times: "Is Zeng Di still at Huangniu Fort?"

Cao Dache nodded: "He's still here, but he curses Mr. Lu every day... uh..."

Lu You waved his hand: "Don't worry about him. This fellow is still a clueless fool who knows nothing about military affairs. It would be pointless for me to argue with him. Who came to deliver the imperial edict this time? And whose edict was it?"

"It was a man named Wei Qi. I only heard that he was once the prefect of Jiankang. He came to deliver an imperial edict from that scoundrel Zhao Gou."

"Prefect of Jiankang... Hmph, Wei Qi..."

Lu You scoffed.

Because Zhao Shen wanted to move the capital to Jiankang, the governor of Jiankang had to be one of his trusted confidants, such as his teacher Shi Hao, who was in charge of the Jiankang garrison.

It now appears that Shi Hao and Wei Qi, these two trusted confidants, betrayed Zhao Shen one after the other, eagerly throwing themselves into Zhao Gou's arms.

Seeing that Lu You was just looking at the battlefield and sneering, Cao Dache waited a moment before asking in a low voice, "Mr. Lu, Wei Qi is at Dasanguan now. Would you like to go and see him?"

Lu You shook his head: "How could I take the initiative to meet such a despicable person and make him come to see me!"

Cao Dache nodded immediately and, without any hesitation, turned his horse and left.

In less than two hours, he returned to the military camp outside Dasanguan Pass, and, supporting his waist belt, went to Wei Qi, who was leaning on his staff.

“You treacherous scoundrel, Lord Lu said he is too busy to see you, but you can go to the front lines to see Lord Lu. This is Lord Lu’s favor, so don’t be ungrateful.”

Wei Qi was both shocked and furious.

After arriving in Chengdu, before he could even show off his status as an angel, Wang Yan tricked and coaxed him into going to northern Sichuan.

It didn't matter that things had come to this point. Originally, Wei Qi's plan was to stay in Fengzhou, display the royal decree flag, and then directly intercept the Song army's supplies and provisions to blackmail Lu You.

However, Lu You had already received Zeng Di's notification and had made preparations in advance.

Wei Qi had just entered Fengzhou territory in a grand manner when he was immediately stopped by Cao Dache and taken to Huangniubao.

An angel of such dignity was treated like this. Did Lu You no longer respect the Song Dynasty?
"How dare you! This is the Emperor's decree! Is Lu You really going to rebel?" A general in the Imperial Guard shouted angrily.

If an ordinary Song general were suddenly accused of such a serious crime, his heart would tremble. But Cao Dache's roots were in Shandong, so he simply scratched his ear, took a step back, and waved to the dozen or so Flying Tiger Army soldiers beside him.

"Except for that scholar in the very middle, beat the rest of them!"

Several imperial guards were terrified and tried to draw their swords, but their swords were no match for the Flying Tiger Army soldiers' fists.
In no time, cries of agony filled the air. The foul-mouthed general suffered the most, being dragged around and slapped across the face, his teeth flying out with the blood.

Wei Qi trembled with rage: "You...you scoundrels, aren't you afraid of the Emperor's might?" Cao Dache chuckled: "Old fool, let me tell you, I'm a magnanimous man. You can insult me ​​a couple of times, I don't care. But if you insult Mr. Lu, even if I wanted to spare you, my mighty fists will not let you off!"

"Good! Good! You're all very good. Take me to see Lu You!"

Wei Qi spoke harshly, but his body became extremely flexible. He was sandwiched between Cao Dache and the others, riding at full speed. Two more hours passed before they finally arrived near Fufeng in the afternoon.

As the shouts of battle grew clearer, Wei Qi's expression gradually changed from anger to fear.

"Where is...where is Lord Lu?"

Cao Dache replied impatiently, "Naturally it's the central command, but you never know, they might have gone to the front to observe the battle... Stop talking nonsense, you bunch of ignorant old men are truly useless..."

Just as Wei Qi was about to retort, Cao Dache's expression changed, and he reached out and pulled him off his horse.

"Ouch!" Wei Qi landed on his bottom, feeling as if his internal organs were churning. Then he heard the whooshing sound of arrows, and one of them landed right in front of him, making him stare wide-eyed.

"Take this!" Cao Dache, with several arrows still hanging from his armor, immediately threw a small round shield in front of Wei Qi, then whistled, "Kill all these bandits!"

More than ten Flying Tiger soldiers responded with a roar, and then, in twos and threes, they charged off in all directions.

Wei Qi hid behind his warhorse, holding the small shield above his head, and peeked out from behind the saddle.

About thirty Jin scouts bypassed the main formation from the flank, intending to investigate the rear.

The Song army had relatively few cavalry, so these Jin scouts made their way through the enemy lines smoothly and gradually became bolder, launching raids.

However, they did not expect that after firing a volley of arrows from afar, they would encounter such a madman who charged out with a spear, braving the arrows.

The Jin light cavalry were scattered in an instant. Cao Dache, as if to vent his anger, swung his spear and slashed and punched, and in a short while, he knocked three Jin light cavalrymen away.

"Pah, you bunch of fucking trash!"

Cao Da dismounted, gathered the spoils of war, cut off the heads of Jin soldiers, tied them around his waist, and swaggered back to Wei Qi: "Headscarf, hurry up and get on your horse! Didn't you have an imperial edict for Mr. Lu? Damn, you didn't wet yourself, did you?"

When Wei Qi saw the group of fierce-looking men who had just beaten up the Imperial Guards, with human heads on their waists and trophies on their spears, slowly riding back, he felt his legs go weak.

But he still handed the small shield back, forcing a straight face as he said, "How...how could this be? This is simply..."

Cao Dache lifted Wei Qi onto his horse, his face full of impatience, and said, "Stop bragging. All the big-headed people in your Song Kingdom are the same; their mouths are better than their songs..."

Wei Qi immediately shut his mouth, and then, amidst the heavy smell of blood, he arrived at the central army camp with a heart full of fear.

Facing the astonished and suspicious gazes of the Song army generals, Wei Qi mustered his courage and shouted loudly, "Where is Lu You, the Sichuan Military Commissioner? There is an imperial decree!"

The expressions of the Song army generals changed almost simultaneously.

The reason is simple: this scene is all too familiar. Last year, Zeng Di swaggered into Wu Lin's command tent in the same way and read out the order to withdraw the troops.

In the end, the Sichuan army suffered heavy losses, and the military commissioner Wu Lin was killed.

The timing is even worse than it was back then!
Although the troops were withdrawn rapidly that day, it was not a retreat in the face of battle.

With fierce fighting raging at the front, if Wei Qi were to shout for a retreat, the Song army would surely be annihilated under the relentless pursuit of the Jin army!
Several Song generals simply put their hands on the hilts of their swords, while others quietly concealed themselves, searching for arrows shot by the Jin soldiers while stringing their bows.

At the critical moment, Zhang Zhen, who was in charge of the central army, stepped forward and said loudly, "Lord Lu is at the front. If the envoy has anything to say, he can speak to this humble general first!"

Zhang Zhen's face was contorted with rage as he spoke, cracking his knuckles as he clenched them.

Under the intense gaze of the crowd, Wei Qi's legs trembled slightly, but he still forced himself to say, "Then I'll go to the front to find Master Lu!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a commotion was heard several miles ahead. Two hundred-man squads of the Song army had broken apart, which in turn caused nearly a thousand people around them to become unstable.

Zhang Zhen immediately waved the flag: "Replenish the right wing with 500 men, and have the military judges carry out military law. If those two captains are still alive, behead them immediately and display their heads to the public!"

After giving the order, Zhang Zhen finally had a moment to spare. He pointed ahead and said, "Angel! Lord Lu is in the middle of the front line. If you wish to see Lord Lu, have Commander Cao take you there now!"

Wei Qi swallowed hard again, already regretting why he had rushed to deliver the imperial decree, and even more regretting why he had said he was going to the front lines.

On the battlefield, life and death are unpredictable, and swords will not spare Wei Qi just because of his noble status.

But just like before, this matter is not up to Wei Qi to make a decision.

Cao Dache immediately let out two strange laughs: "Hehe, my lads, it's rare for an angel to be in such a good mood! Let's put on the angel's armor!"

(End of this chapter)