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

Chapter 964 The Western Jin Dynasty was in turmoil

Meanwhile, a military council was being held in the Jin army camp.

Although the military council was chaired by Wanyan Liang, the atmosphere was still somewhat strange.

To be precise, the Han Chinese and Tanguts present all stood tall and proud, while the Jurchens, who clearly held the dominant position, all frowned and looked dejected.

The direct cause is quite clear.

The Eastern Jin Dynasty is gone.

Even though traitors are more hateful than enemies, and the two Jurchens accuse each other of being traitors, they are still of the same origin and race. They cannot be called two "Jurchens" by the same pen. Even if they were to perish, they should perish at the hands of their own people. How can it be that they are now being killed by the Han people?

Moreover, many Jurchen generals and officials had relatives and even families living in Youyan and Hebei. The reason they fought for Wanyan Liang was because he promised to help them return to their hometowns. But now their hometowns were gone, what hope was left?
The secondary reasons are even simpler.

This battle has been going on for far too long.

If we start counting from Wanyan Liang's southern expedition, the Jin army in Guanzhong fought for a full six years. Moreover, unlike the Han army, which had alternating periods of tension and relaxation, they fought every day. After defeating the Song army, they fought the Eastern Jin, then the Eastern Jin, then the Han army, and after defeating the Han army, they had to fight the Song army again.

The Song army, in particular, is like a persistent leech, fighting endlessly. Just last year, they defeated the main force of the Sichuan army and even killed Wu Lin. Everyone thought the Song army would quiet down for a while, but who would have thought that just one year later, the Song army would break out from northern Sichuan again.

It gives the impression that the Jurchens are one less to die, while the Han Chinese are endless.

But this inadvertently struck a nerve with the Jurchens.

For the Jurchens to compete with the Han people in terms of manpower was like a beggar trying to compete with the Dragon King for treasures—a humiliation for themselves.

The Song army could wipe out the Jurchens by trading three for one.

Indeed, after several years of fierce battles, the Jurchens suffered heavy casualties, to the point that they gradually lost the voice of the Han people in the army, and Zhang Zhongyan's superior position is proof of this.

Now, after the recapture of Western Xia, the Tanguts have gotten involved, making the situation even more chaotic.

In order to appease the Tanguts and encourage them to send troops to fight in Guanzhong, Wanyan Liang naturally distributed official titles and ranks, and the Tangut generals were able to gain political status.

The Jurchens even complained privately that the Jin dynasty now seemed to have been conquered by the Jurchens for the Tanguts.

At the same time, the Han Chinese and the Tanguts in Guanzhong were sworn enemies. Whenever they met, they were always at odds with each other. Not to mention cooperating in battle, they were prone to fighting each other even on ordinary days.

This is still divided into three major groups based on ethnicity. If it is divided according to the smaller forces within them, it would be an even bigger mess.

For example, among the surrendered people of Western Xia, there were both Tanguts and Han Chinese. They were probably united, but there were also the factions of Li Renxiao and Ren Dejing, and the two sides were irreconcilable on the issue of who should be held responsible for the fall of Western Xia.

Inside Xijin, there is a vibrant scene of life and everything thriving.

Paradoxically, these factions, though irreconcilably opposed, remained firmly united around Wanyan Liang.

Because they knew all too well that while the West Gold was indeed a dilapidated ship riddled with holes, the surrounding seas were teeming with sharks, ready to tear anyone who fell into the water to pieces at any moment.

The Eastern Jin dynasty is already dead. Neither the Han army nor the Song state would let them off the hook.
Wanyan Liang, also looking exhausted, forced himself to preside over the military meeting.

"Now that the Song army has entered Guanzhong, the main force of the Song army in Nanyang is also eager to make a move. Let's discuss how to deal with the current situation."

While everyone was still pondering, Jiao Jingyan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of Xijin, spoke first: "Your Majesty, now that the Grand Marshal is stationed in Luoyang, the eastern front can be considered safe and sound. As long as we swallow up the Song army's troops in Xichuan, it will be enough to quell this war."

The Song army's forced entry into battle in Sichuan must have been a desperate measure; if successful, they could then seize Chengdu and expand their influence further!

Jiao Jingyan uttered a seemingly pointless statement, which earned him a roll of eyes from the officials and generals participating in the military council.

This has nothing to do with whether this guy is a Tangut or not, but because it concerns the difference between progressiveness and conservatism, and there are many different opinions on the matter.

Of course, this doesn't mean that conservative people want to shut themselves off and live a quiet life.

Although Guanzhong is a strategically important region, if it wants to compete with Hebei and the Central Plains, it must control both Sichuan and Shanxi.

But the key point is that the army is indeed exhausted. Wouldn't it be better to rest and recuperate for two years after driving away the Song army?

Moreover, as the saying goes, "having gained Longyou, one desires Shu," but the land of Longyou is still occupied by that scoundrel Zhang Congjin!
Seeing this, Wanyan Liang was not annoyed: "If we attack Sichuan, who can be the commander?"

Jiao Jingyan seemed to have been waiting for Wanyan Liang's question, and immediately answered loudly, "Naturally, the Crown Prince will be in charge!"

Upon hearing this, the generals in the tent were first taken aback, and then they all burst into laughter, saying all sorts of things.

No one present was a fool; they immediately realized that the Tanguts were trying to demonstrate their loyalty by supporting the crown prince!
It doesn't matter if Wanyan Liang doesn't have enough positions around him; investing in the Crown Prince now will eventually pay off. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince's loyalists have already suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Bianliang and are currently managing Luoyang with Pusan ​​Zhongyi—a perfect opportunity for the Guanzhong people to exploit this weakness!

Amid the noise, Wanyan Yuanyi frowned.

We were just talking about military issues, how did we switch to political struggle so quickly?
These Tanguts weren't very good at fighting, but they were masters of political maneuvering!
Wanyan Liang also noticed this and frowned, saying, "We are discussing military matters now, Jiao Qing, please do not discuss anything else."

Jiao Jingyan: "What I'm referring to is indeed military strategy. The Song army initially intended to attack from both the east and west, but for some reason, there has been no movement from Nanyang until now. This is the best opportunity!"
Lu You is likely commanding the last remaining forces of the Song Dynasty's Sichuan army. If we kill them all, Sichuan will be at our mercy!

As he spoke, Jiao Jingyan looked around the tent: "Of course I know the army is exhausted, but this is Sichuan! It is the land of abundance! It is a place where we can build a career! It is worth risking our lives for!"

After catching his breath, Jiao Jingyan uttered the crucial words: "If none of you dare, then my Tangut troops can lead the charge!"

A sudden roar erupted inside the tent.

This statement was tantamount to a direct slap in the face, and soon a Jurchen general declared that he wanted to kill this man.

Wanyan Liang was taken aback upon hearing this, then stared at Jiao Jingyan and slowly said, "Did you want to say this, or did Wodao Chong ask you to say it?"

Jiao Jingyan felt a cold sweat break out on her back at that moment.

Although he had long known that Wanyan Liang was a clever man who could use words to cover up his mistakes and wisdom to reject advice, he was still somewhat apprehensive when his thoughts were exposed by a single sentence.

Wodaochong was also a Tangut, but he was more skilled in literature. In history, he became the prime minister of Western Xia and assisted Li Renxiao for more than ten years.

Now that Wanyan Liang has destroyed Western Xia, talented people like Wodaochong are naturally recruited into his ranks. He is currently serving as the Vice Minister of Rites in Chang'an, which can be considered as entering the probationary period.

Because Wodaochong was indeed talented, many surrendered Dangxiang people gathered around him and banded together, which is why Wanyan Liang asked this question.

Jiao Jingyan immediately bowed deeply and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I am truly considering the interests of the Great Jin Dynasty and Your Majesty's future generations. This is a perfectly legitimate matter. Even if I have some private conversations with Minister Wo, what harm is there?"

Wanyan nodded, waved for Jiao Jingyan to stand up, and then looked around the tent: "Is that what you all think too?"

The generals, who had been arguing, were now emboldened by the Tanguts and began to echo each other.

Wanyan Yuanyi felt somewhat annoyed, thinking that complicating a simple military issue was inappropriate.

Wanyan Liang keenly sensed Wanyan Yuanyi's emotions and asked directly, "Yitenian, what do you want to say?"

After hesitating for a moment, Wanyan Yuanyi changed his approach to a more tactful one: "Your Majesty, I believe that whether we attack Shu, subdue Longyou, or fight for Jin, we must ultimately defeat Lu You's forces. Your Majesty should not overthink this; the right thing to do is to fight honestly!"

Wanyan Liang immediately slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly: "Yitian is right!"

Wanyan Liang finally showed some anger: "You people think too much and too far ahead! You're always eating what's in your bowl while eyeing what's in the pot, and thinking about when the pigs and sheep at the door will be slaughtered. How can you enjoy this meal? Wang Xiang!"

Wanyan Wangxiang immediately bowed in respect.

"When we withdrew from Hezhong Prefecture that day, you were full of resentment and dissatisfaction. You felt that you had lost a huge profit by not swallowing Taiyuan. But you didn't think that the Song bandits had already attacked Fufeng Pass. If they didn't come to deal with it, wouldn't Chang'an fall?!"
I ask you, when we attacked the enemy lines today, were you half-hearted and not focused?!

Sweat beaded on Wanyan Wangxiang's forehead as he immediately swore an oath: "This humble general will naturally fight to the death, but the Song army's formation is exceptionally strong, and they occupy a dangerous position. Our army's uphill attack is extremely difficult. If Your Majesty does not believe me, I am willing to personally lead the vanguard and fight to the death tomorrow!"

Wanyan Liang sneered, then looked at Jiao Jingyan: "Minister Jiao, you keep saying it's for the Great Jin, for the Crown Prince, but have you harbored ill intentions towards the Grand Marshal, wanting to transfer the Crown Prince away from him and then frame him? If you haven't, then has Wodao Chong done so?!"

Faced with such blatantly malicious words, Jiao Jingyan could only remain silent.

Wanyan Liang continued, his gaze sweeping across the tent: "And you Han people, at first you thought of preserving your strength, but after hearing that you could enter Shu, you were all tempted. Have you forgotten Zhang Congjin of Longyou? Are you trying to contact him to cut off our army's retreat?!"

Silence reigned in the tent, and an atmosphere of fear and unease permeated the air.

Even though Wanyan Liang's temper had changed a lot after he was captured, everyone still remembered him as a tyrant who could kill his own stepmother!
But after a moment, Wanyan Liang smiled and said, "And me, the emperor, have been scolding all the loyal ministers of the Great Jin on trumped-up charges. Is it because I am completely incompetent in dealing with the situation and no longer worthy of being followed?"

The generals were stunned.

Under the gaze of everyone, Wanyan Liang slowly said, "Now that Wanyan Yong is dead, the land where the Great Jin Dynasty rose to power is gone. No matter how many grudges we had before, they have all vanished with the wind. I can only bear the fate of the Great Jin Dynasty and continue to move forward."

I know you all have your own thoughts and concerns, but I still hope that you can all work together with one heart and one mind. Otherwise, no matter how vast the world is, where will we find a place to belong?!

Wanyan Liang knew how loose the military and political groups in the Western Jin were, so after he launched into a tirade of criticism, he still offered some gentle advice.

But at the very end, he drew his sword and slashed downwards: "No matter what, the Song traitor still dares to come to Guanzhong, he really doesn't take me seriously. Tomorrow, I swear to defeat the Lu traitor!"

(End of this chapter)