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

Chapter 965 Rumors and public sentiment are both terrifying (Part 1)
Although Wanyan Liang was aggressive and Lu You was eager to return home, a major battle did not break out the next day.

It wasn't that Lu You had raised the white flag of truce, but rather that a cold wind blew through the dark clouds overnight, and it started to snow at sunrise.

The snow in Kansai is different from that in Jiangnan. It doesn't feel soft and fluffy at all. The wind blows snowflakes that are like salt particles, and when they hit your face, it feels like being cut by a knife.

Around noon, the snowflakes began to connect, dancing in the wind like willow catkins, linking heaven and earth, like white clouds landing on a wall of mist, covering the earth in a snowy white in no time.

In this kind of weather, it's hard to tell friend from foe at ten paces away, and even harder to distinguish humans from ghosts at twenty paces away. Let alone forming ranks and fighting, even armed reconnaissance becomes extremely difficult.

"Your Majesty, I can see clearly that the Song rebels seem to be freezing too. They didn't take the opportunity to add more wooden fences and deer antlers, and they're still behaving the same way on the battlefield."

As Wanyan Wangxiang shook off the snowflakes covering his body, he reported to Wanyan Liang: "The gap that the men made yesterday has not been repaired. As soon as the sky clears, I am confident that I can break into the Song rebels' lines!"

Wanyan Liang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the heavy snow outside the tent, and frowned.

Wanyan Yuanyi asked at the right moment: "The only thing to worry about now is whether the Song bandits have taken advantage of the heavy snow to escape. If they manage to retreat safely back to Dasanguan, then our army will have made a wasted trip, and our morale will plummet."

Faced with his father's question, Wanyan Wangxiang naturally answered without reservation: "The Song army has a large number of troops, and they cannot hide when they retreat. Moreover... with such heavy snow, the Song army will collapse before they can march three miles."

Wanyan Liang remained silent for a long time after hearing this: "What Wang Xiang said makes some sense, but I still feel uneasy. I will go and take a look at the front myself."

Just as Wanyan Yuanyi was about to stop him, he saw Wanyan Liang leading his personal guards into the snowstorm.

At the same time, Lu You said to Zhang Zhen, "This snow is timely. I'll go check on the Jin bandit camp."

Zhang Zhen was so shocked he almost jumped up, and immediately tried to persuade him.

After all, Lu You always presented himself as a strategist who could strategize and win battles from afar, and it was common for Li Shimin to observe the enemy's lines with Yuchi Jingde. How could it be reasonable for Zhuge Liang to push a four-wheeled cart to challenge the enemy?
However, Zhang Zhen encountered the same problem as Wanyan Yuanyi.

His word doesn't count.

Soon, Lu You, escorted by more than ten Flying Tiger Armored Cavalry, rode slowly out along the passage on the side of yesterday's position.

The snow was so heavy that it was difficult to even tell which way to go, so Cao Dache could only look for landmarks as he cautiously approached the Jin army camp.

In the distance, Cao Dache seemed to see Jin troops moving through the snow curtain, but he paid no attention to it.

The visibility was so poor that those who took the initiative to attack would instantly become separated, and once the two sides started fighting, it would be a chaotic battle in which everyone would get lost.

Unless the Jin scouts are stupid, they wouldn't do that.

Just as Cao Dache had expected, the Jin scouts indeed ignored them. The two groups of more than thirty riders passed each other in perfect unison, and then their figures disappeared into the heavy snow.

Lu You slowly approached the Jin army camp. The Jin soldiers on the watchtower could not see who was outside, so they could only shout loudly to ask. Lu You did not answer and went to other small camps of the Jin army before the Jin scouts left the camp.

The Jin generals were not fools, and they quickly realized something was wrong and sent out scouts to investigate.

However, the visibility was so low that the scouts quickly became confused, and many even mistook their comrades from other small camps for enemies, resulting in numerous friendly fire incidents.

Amidst the chaos, Lu You remained calm and braved the wind and snow to probe the Jin army camps one by one.

"Lord Lu, things are getting more and more chaotic. Let's retreat now!"

After eating a mouthful of snowflakes, Cao Dache finally couldn't bear it any longer and whispered his advice.

"Wait, let's go probe that place again!" Lu You pointed to a relatively large camp: "Get your bows and arrows ready, and wait for my signal."

Cao Dache nodded, bewildered.

As they approached the camp, Lu You looked at the shadowy figures on the watchtower and shouted, "I am here on the orders of General Zhang to find Military Governor Zhang. Open the camp gates immediately!"

The figure on the watchtower visibly paused, then a shout in a thick Kansai accent carried through the heavy snow: "Which Chief Steward Zhang?! Which Military Governor Zhang?!"

Lu You didn't reply, then pointed to the watchtower and said, "Shoot him!"

Without a word, Cao Dache immediately drew his bow and released an arrow. After hearing a scream, he said to Lu You solemnly, "Run!"

Lu You nodded, and the group quickly hid in the snow before the Jin scouts could rush out. After determining their direction, Cao Dache asked, "Mr. Lu, what exactly did you find out this time?"

Lu You didn't keep them in suspense and quickly whispered, "The Jin bandits didn't divide their camps according to their troops, or rather, they didn't just divide them according to those; they divided them more according to their ethnic groups."

“The three northernmost villages are all inhabited by Tangut people, the two southern villages are inhabited by Han Chinese from Guanzhong, and the easternmost villages are inhabited by Jurchen people. The three groups have different accents and are easy to distinguish.”

Cao Dache nodded repeatedly: "Then what are these for?"

Lu You was about to explain when he was given a mouthful of snowflakes. After spitting it out twice, he could only shake his head helplessly and say, "Let's talk about this when we get back."

"Oh, oh." Cao Dache obediently led the way, and after three-quarters of an hour, they finally returned to the camp.

At the same time, Wanyan Liang returned to the central command tent and slowly revealed his discovery.

"This Song army is extraordinary; not only are their camps fortified, but their soldiers are also elite."

Wanyan Yuanyi immediately stepped forward to remove Wanyan Liang's wet cloak and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, even if the Song army is elite, how could it possibly defeat the battle-hardened troops of my Great Jin?"

Wanyan Liang took off his shawl and threw it onto the table beside him with a thud: "These Song soldiers cannot be underestimated. In such weather, they can still divide their troops to guard the perimeter of the camp, which shows their strict military discipline. Heh, this Lord Lu is a formidable enemy."

Wanyan Yuanyi still looked down on the Song army, but seeing Wanyan Liang's solemn expression, he dared not say anything more and just kept quiet, looking at the snow scene outside the window.

For a moment, only the falling snowflakes and the crackling of firewood inside the tent echoed each other.

The heavy snow lasted for two days, finally stopping on the morning of November 18th. However, by midday, the sky began to clear up, and just after noon, the sky became clear and cloudless.

"If I encountered this kind of weather in Sichuan, I, as the military governor, should visit each village to investigate casualties and clear the roads."

In the cold wind, Lu You, with his hands tucked in, spoke casually as if chatting about everyday matters.

Wu Ting looked around and, seeing that everyone else was looking at him, had no choice but to step forward and say, "Lord Lu, now is not the time to talk about this. Now that the snow has stopped, the Jin invaders will not wait any longer and will definitely start a war."

Lu You turned to Wu Ting: "Isn't that exactly your forte, Grand Commandant Wu? Go and make the arrangements!"

Wu Ting was taken aback, not expecting that he could actually take charge of the forward position. Then he was overjoyed: "This humble general will certainly live up to Lord Lu's expectations!"

Lu You nodded, looking down at the open space between the two armies' opposing camps.

The scouts there had already begun their battle, and the vanguard troops, probing the attack, left dark tracks in the snow.

Two or three quarters of an hour later, when the open space in front of both sides had become mostly black with few white figures, Lu You finally turned to Zhang Zhen and loudly asked, "How did it go with the rumors I asked you to spread among the Jin army these past two days?"

Zhang Zhen's cheek twitched slightly for a moment, then he said without any hesitation, "It's already been released. But when the rumor that the Emperor killed Minister Yu gets back, won't it backfire and shake our morale?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than General Hui Feng, the commander of the Xingzhou army and a general from Xichuan, chimed in with a laugh: "How could our men believe such a bizarre rumor?! But the key is, if we don't believe it, how will the Jin invaders believe it? And... and besides, won't we get caught for fabricating stories about the Emperor and Minister Yu?"

The generals were all somewhat uneasy, as if the last reason was the real problem causing their hesitation.

Lu You waved his hand and said, "It's alright. I will explain to the Emperor and Minister Yu myself. You are just following orders. What harm can you do?"
As for Commander Hui's concern about whether the Jin invaders would believe it, all I can say is to do our best and leave the rest to fate. After all, spreading rumors is only one part of luring the enemy. According to yesterday's military meeting, the feigned defeat is your responsibility, Commander Hui. If you don't do it well, you'll be in my shoes.

With his comrades-in-arms on either side, Hui Feng made no attempt to hide his feelings, but instead mocked himself, saying, "Don't worry, Lord Lu. I dare not say that I'm absolutely certain of winning, but what's so difficult about losing? I've suffered plenty of defeats, and I'll definitely lose decisively."

Hui Feng's words elicited a low chuckle. Although Lu You also laughed, when he turned to observe the situation, his face had turned ashen.

This heavy snow not only disrupted Wanyan Liang's attack plans, but also made Lu You's available time extremely tight.

Just as Wei Qi had told Lu You before, what happened in the court could not be kept secret. Even though Sichuan and Lin'an were far apart, local officials would eventually receive the news; it was only a matter of time.

Once the news spread in Chengdu, it was only a matter of time before it reached the front lines. Even if someone blocked the way in Fengzhou, it wouldn't work. Could they really completely cut off the flow of people between Sichuan and Guanzhong?

Therefore, Lu You could only choose a crude method, which was purely a last resort. He used rumors to challenge the truth. In addition to giving the Song army a heads-up, the more important purpose was to prepare the high-ranking generals of the Song army so that they would not be at a loss when they heard sporadic news from the rear.

However, what Lu You could not have imagined was that this very rumor would suddenly bring about the decisive battle, which was likely to be dragged on.

(End of this chapter)