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

Chapter 966 Rumors and public sentiment are both terrifying (Part 2)
Inside the Jin army camp.

Wanyan Liang looked at the document in his hand with a strange expression, somewhat amused and exasperated. After a long while, he said to the generals in the tent, "The Grand Marshal has found out the exact news from Nanyang. Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty is dissatisfied with the Emperor's relocation of the capital. He plotted to have Yu Yunwen beaten to death and deposed the Emperor, making him the regent. Now it seems that he is going to negotiate peace with the Jin Dynasty."

The Jin generals and officials in the tent did not react with elation; instead, they hesitated.

Was Pusan ​​Zhongyi's head damaged by the Han army? How can anyone believe such a rumor?

Did Zhao Gou launch a coup and kill Yu Yunwen?

Why doesn't he just say that Yu Yunwen killed Zhao Shen and installed Liu Huai as emperor? That would at least be in line with the general trend of the world and allow the wheels of history to keep turning.

Upon seeing this, Wanyan Liang trembled as he read the Chinese book in his hand and laughed, "It should be true, because Cheng Min fainted upon hearing the news and half of his body is paralyzed. This happened in full view of everyone and has spread throughout Nanyang, so it can't be wrong."

The generals were even more surprised.

Putting aside Lin'an for now, the fact that rumors have spread in Nanyang that Cheng Min is paralyzed means that something serious must have happened to him!

Cheng Min is a general in command of the army, and he absolutely cannot show any signs of decline, otherwise the morale of the entire army will collapse.

If he were in good health, he should have led his personal guards to inspect the military camp as soon as the rumors appeared, in order to demonstrate his strength.

This is the same principle behind how Lian Po transformed into a great performing artist during a meal in front of the Zhao envoy.

As for Cheng Min's cunning and deception of Pu Sanzhongyi to gain some strategic advantage, the possibility is almost nonexistent.

Compared to the damage to the morale of the Song army, the slight strategic advantage was negligible.

"Then...then it's true, Zhao Gou...that fellow really is..."

Wanyan Yuanyi shook her head repeatedly, looking somewhat amused and exasperated.

As someone who was captured in the Battle of Chaoxian, Wanyan Yuanyi should have had a blood feud with Yu Yunwen, and should be overjoyed at this moment.

In reality, Wanyan Yuanyi felt as disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly. Aside from that, she only gained a deeper understanding of Zhao Gou and other such humanoid beings.

However, after a moment, Wanyan Yuanyi regained his composure and then had an idea: "Your Majesty, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We can send scouts to the Song army camp on the other side to shout that Zhao Gou is going to become emperor again and that Song and Jin are going to negotiate peace. We should tell them not to throw their lives away in vain."

Wanyan Yuanyi grinned maliciously and slashed downwards: "Then, taking advantage of the Song army's morale being thrown into chaos, our army will launch a direct attack and leave these Song traitors here!"

The generals were still stunned, processing the information, and for a moment no one echoed their sentiments. However, Liang Yuanfu, the Tangut commander, hesitated before rising and saying, "There were rumors circulating in the army a couple of days ago, seemingly heard from the Song army on the other side. They said that Emperor Zhao killed Minister Yu, causing the Song army's morale to collapse, and that the Song state had no future, and Guanzhong would not belong to Song. Some Han Chinese from Guanzhong in the Song army hope to redeem themselves by cooperating with the Jin army from within to drive the Song people back."

Wanyan Liang frowned: "The other day? Why wasn't this reported?"

Liang Yuanfu, however, spread his hands and smiled bitterly: "This... I only think this is a clumsy trick used by the Song traitors to lure the enemy. Who can believe such a thing? There are rumors like this every day, all sorts of messy news, there's no way to report them..."

Wanyan Liang immediately stood up and looked around the tent: "Which other troops have heard similar rumors? Speak up now!"

Many people hesitated to get up, and Wanyan Liang was surprised to find that among them were not only the general in charge of the army, but also his close advisors and military strategists.

Seeing this, Wanyan Yuanyi immediately stood up and said to Wanyan Liang, "Your Majesty, such rumors are simply outrageous. Not to mention the generals, even we have received the Grand Marshal's letter, and we still have our doubts. If we punish the generals for such a trivial matter, wouldn't that be..."

Wanyan Liang waved his hand impatiently: "Who said they were going to be punished? I just want to tell you that this rumor is already circulating widely in my army. What will it be like in the Song army? How will their morale be affected?"

Amidst the sudden increase in the volume of heavy breathing within the tent, Wanyan Liang reached his conclusion.

"Fighter jets are coming!"

"Your Majesty! This humble general requests permission to fight!"

"Your Majesty! We Tanguts should be the vanguard!"

"Your Majesty! We, the Han soldiers, have already..."

The calls for battle that erupted from inside the tent at that moment nearly blew the tent off its roof.

Wanyan Liang pressed his hands down slightly, his breathing a little rapid, but he still calmly gave the order: "Don't panic! Launch a fierce attack on the Song army according to the previous order, right at..."

Wanyan Liang glanced at the sky outside the tent, realizing it was already late, and said helplessly, "Let's start the decisive battle tomorrow!"

"Here!"

After the generals left, Wanyan Liang got up, filled his cup with clear wine, and slowly poured it in front of him. He sighed for a long time before slowly saying, "Back then, my fourth uncle was in charge of attacking the Song Dynasty, but he was defeated by Yue Fei of the Song Dynasty and had no choice but to return north in a hurry."

After plotting to unjustly kill Yue Fei, my fourth uncle laughed three times, then burst into tears. I initially thought he was weeping with joy, but today, hearing that yet another loyal minister had been harmed by that scoundrel Zhao Gou, my heart is filled with immense sorrow. Alas…”

After a long sigh, Wanyan Liang still said loudly, "Lord Yu, may you be put to a feast. In the next life, you shall serve me!"

Seeing this scene, Wanyan Yuanyi could only sigh, "Although he is a hero and I am his enemy, this enemy should be captured and killed by me. How can he die at the hands of a villain?" Wanyan Liang, however, immediately shook off his sorrowful mood after scattering the wine, and a ferocious look appeared on his face: "Never mind, this is an opportunity given to the Great Jin by Heaven, and it may even be the last chance. If we can take advantage of this opportunity to conquer Bashu, then the Great Jin dynasty will not perish!"

Wanyan Yuanyi looked at Wanyan Liang with some worry, fearing that his lord would repeat the mistake of hastily conquering Song. However, after hesitating for a moment, he sighed and offered no advice.

The next day, November 19th.

After a day of fierce fighting, the intensity of the war has gradually escalated.

The Song army had few cavalry and was quickly overwhelmed by the Jin scouts, so they dared not leave their camp to harass the enemy again.

However, due to the trampling of horses' hooves and boots on the snow yesterday, some areas were compacted, while others, exposed to the sun all day, showed signs of melting. After being blown by the cold wind at night, they turned into sharp icicles mixed with mud.

The presence of arrowheads and fragments of iron made the road even more treacherous; soldiers who stepped on it would suffer cuts on their feet and immediately lose their fighting ability.

However, military orders are absolute, and there is no room for negotiation.
At dawn, the Jin army prepared their meal and lined up in battle formation. More than 30,000 soldiers stood in neat rows in the cold wind, treading on the snow and ice, their morale high and ready to go.

At the same time, the Song army was equally aggressive, preparing to meet the enemy after setting up makeshift fortifications.

The subtle difference in information between the two sides at that moment directly led to the outbreak of a major war.

"Lord Lu is truly a brilliant strategist. He used only a rumor to lure the Jin invaders into attacking despite the opportune time. He is truly a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang!"

Hui Feng's incessant flattery at the front lines finally annoyed the Song generals, and even Lu You sighed helplessly: "General Hui, it's best to focus on the battle now and not let our plans get in the way."

Hui Feng loudly agreed: "Lord Lu! Watch as I, Hui, display my skills!"

Lu You was even more helpless. After nodding, he could only turn his horse and leave.

If you only listened to Hui Feng's bold words, you would think that this guy was going to lead his army to strike the Jin invaders head-on! A mission of feigned defeat was made to sound so heroic and passionate.

After Lu You left, Hui Feng finally stopped smiling and began to make plans in his mind.

As a general of Xichuan, he naturally had some interactions with Chengdu Prefecture. In fact, his wife was from a collateral branch of the Yuwen clan, so he was considered a prospective son-in-law of the Yuwen clan of Chengdu Prefecture.

Therefore, Hui Feng received the message from Chengdu Prefecture last night.

This news was so similar to the rumors spread by Lu You that Hui Feng became somewhat confused and even bewildered.

He instinctively sensed that something was wrong, but time was of the essence, and he didn't have time to figure out what was wrong. He could only follow Lu You's instructions and begin to make arrangements.

"Boss Hui, shouldn't we concentrate our elite troops to hold the line now? Weren't we supposed to hold the line for an hour?"

Faced with the question from his trusted general, Hui Feng hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding: "Let's do it this way!"

However, as the general turned his head, he heard Hui Feng ask, "How many Divine Arm Crossbows are there in total?"

"About three hundred."

“Transfer one hundred men to serve as the central army.”

The general was slightly taken aback, assuming that Hui Feng had mobilized the Divine Arm Crossbow for a great purpose, so he simply nodded indifferently and turned to prepare.

Hui Feng felt a little more at ease.

With these hundred crossbowmen by his side, even if chaos breaks out in the court and the front line collapses completely, Hui Feng will be able to escape alive.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a drumbeat. Hui Feng climbed to a high place and looked back. He saw that the Song army, under Lu You's command, had already broken camp and retreated westward.

This was a plan that had been planned long ago. Hui Feng was one of the plan's refiners during yesterday's military council. At the time, he thought it was foolproof. However, now, thinking of the news from the court brought by his family, Hui Feng felt short of breath and uneasy all over.

Could it be that Lord Lu sold out his two thousand soldiers and fled to safety?!
No, Lord Lu would not do such a thing.

Hui Feng shook his head, dispelling the distracting thoughts in his mind, turned his horse around, and looked back at the Jin army's formation.

At this moment, the Jin army seemed to have also noticed the Song army's unusual movements, and their vanguard troops had already set off, heading towards this small hill.

With a trembling emotion mixed with fear, Hui Feng drew his sword and pointed it forward: "Kill the Jin traitors!"

The drums thundered, and the battle cries of the Song soldiers shook the heavens.

The decisive battle between the Song and Jin dynasties in Guanzhong broke out abruptly.

What followed was completely unexpected.

(End of this chapter)