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

Chapter 972 Rumors in the Military Are Hard to Stop

The great battle that took place in Guanzhong on November 19th was undoubtedly a great victory for the Song army.

Due to the terrain limitations, the Jin army suffered heavy casualties. More than 10,000 were killed or captured. If we also count those who escaped or fell into the icy holes of the Wei River, it was already a miracle that Wanyan Liang was able to gather 20,000 troops in Chang'an.

As for the casualties of the Song army, apart from the two thousand men under Hui Feng who covered the rear and blocked the enemy, the casualties of the other units were negligible.

Military victory naturally brings immense prestige, and after this battle, the entire Sichuan army immediately treated Lu You with utmost respect.

At least no one dares to regard Lu You as someone who is ignorant of military affairs anymore.

Some veterans initially thought that Lu You's series of battles at Huangniubao and Dasanguan last year were purely due to his cleverness, but now everyone has shut up.

The Song army realized an important fact.

The Jin army divided its forces and deployed them in the east and west. The main force in Chang'an consisted of only tens of thousands of men. After this battle, the Jin army was severely weakened. Wouldn't it be possible to recapture Chang'an?

What is this called?
This is called restoring the Han Dynasty and returning the old capital!
This is a story that every person from Sichuan knows.

Lu You accomplished what Zhuge Liang couldn't do back then, doesn't that mean Lu You actually has the potential of Zhuge Liang?
If Prime Minister Yu were to exert his strength in Nanyang again, break through Yique Pass, and besiege Luoyang, wouldn't the Western Jin Dynasty be doomed?!

Moreover, this battle not only killed many Jurchens, but also decimated many Tangut light cavalry. If the advance is carried out properly, the former territory of Western Xia will be within easy reach.

This is the feat of destroying two countries in one battle! How glorious and triumphant this must be! It deserves its own page in the family genealogy!
However, to the surprise of all the Song army, Lu You did not take the opportunity to win over the powerful and wealthy people of Guanzhong and launch a surprise attack on Chang'an. Instead, he continued to set up camp at Fufengkou, as if he was waiting for something.

Meanwhile, some unpleasant rumors began to circulate in the army, making the Song army somewhat uneasy.

"Old Zhang, have you heard?"

"Wu Wulang," Zhang Zhen frowned and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Wu Ting's breathing was a little heavy. After looking around to make sure no one was there, he pulled Zhang Zhen to a corner of the camp and asked in a low voice, "Old Zhang, you mustn't pretend to be confused! I don't believe you haven't heard the rumor that the Emperor went mad, the retired Emperor was restored to the throne, and that he beat Prime Minister Yu to death."

Zhang Zhen raised an eyebrow, and his cheek twitched involuntarily.

Wu Ting was staring intently at Zhang Zhen's expression when he immediately sensed something was wrong and his heart skipped a beat: "Old Zhang, you really do know the inside story."

Zhang Zhen quickly composed himself, shaking his head and chuckling, "Isn't this just the rumor that was spread to the Jin bandits a while ago? How come you're confused now that it's been changed and embellished?"

Wu Ting immediately stamped his foot: "Old Zhang, don't joke around. This news wasn't just pried out of the mouths of the Jin prisoners; similar news has also come from people in Chengdu Prefecture."

At first, I didn't believe it either, thinking that my men were just delirious. But soon, a trusted confidant swore to me that it was a message from his trusted family member and that it couldn't possibly be wrong.

I've heard this kind of news so many times, what can I do? I have to come up with some explanation to get by!

Zhang Zhen stroked the wooden railing beside him, his fingers unconsciously digging into the mottled bark, but he still forced a smile and said, "Then why did you come looking for me instead of Master Lu?"

Wu Ting shivered and shook his head repeatedly in the cold wind: "Old Zhang, think about it. It was clearly Prime Minister Yu who ordered our army to launch a feigned attack first, and then he attacked Luoyang. Now our army has already pulled out all the teeth of the Jin invaders, and Prime Minister Yu has still not made a move. This is obviously something bad. Otherwise, what else could it be? Could it be that Prime Minister Yu is afraid of battle?"

Zhang Zhen was clearly impatient: "I'm not asking why you don't go to find Minister Yu, but why you don't go to find Minister Lu."

Wu Ting lost his temper again, stamping his foot: "It's precisely because Minister Yu and Minister Lu are the same kind of people that I dare not go looking for them. If this news is false, so be it, I'll go back and tear those long-tongued gossips to shreds; but what if it's true?! If it's true... wouldn't all this great battle have been for nothing? My father... wouldn't he be..."

In the end, Wu Ting clearly lost his composure even more.

To put it in a rather cheesy way, the meaning of the sacrifices made by our predecessors is given to us by our successors.

If Wu Ting could follow Lu You in recovering Guanzhong and openly place the memorial tablets of his uncle and father back in the ancestral hall, then Wu Jie and Wu Lin would still have a share in the merit of recovering the lost territory and returning the old capital.

But if Guanzhong is no longer under the control of the nation from now on, then all the Song soldiers who fought for their country on the battlefield from the Battle of Fuping to the recently concluded Battle of Fufeng, including Wu Lin, will have died in vain. Zhang Zhen understood Wu Ting's feelings, and after hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go and sound out their intentions for you."

After saying this, Zhang Zhen walked towards the commander's tent without looking back.

Of course, as one of the few people in the army who had access to accurate information from the court, Zhang Zhen didn't need to test Lu You. Instead, he bowed directly to Lu You behind the desk and said, "Lord Lu, the situation in the army is getting a bit off. News from the court has already reached us. Even Wu Ting, a deeply entrenched son of a high-ranking official, is panicking. Needless to say, the others are even more worried."

Lu You paused slightly in his writing, then looked up at Zhang Zhen: "What do you want to say?"

Zhang Zhen said earnestly, "It's not that I want to say anything, but whatever you want to do, Lord Lu, you should do it as soon as possible, otherwise things will change. You must know that if the morale of the army is unstable, nothing can be accomplished."

Lu You nodded, then continued writing furiously on the document, saying, "It's alright, the person I'm waiting for will be here soon."

Lu You was certainly not exaggerating.

On November 22, the third day after the great battle, when the rumors in the army were becoming increasingly bizarre and the atmosphere in the camp was somewhat strange, two generals came from Longyou. As soon as they entered the command tent, they knelt down in full view of everyone and called him their benefactor.

"Your Excellency's might is unparalleled; your military tactics are as swift as a celestial horse galloping across the sky, as graceful as a gazelle hanging its horns. The mere Jin invaders can be wiped out with a flick of the wrist. It is only regrettable that we realized the opportunity too late and did not come to our aid. We beg Your Excellency's forgiveness!"

Zhang Congjin immediately launched into a barrage of sycophantic flattery, making Li Shiyan, who was standing beside him, extremely smug.

It was as if it wasn't Zhang Congjin who wanted to sit back and watch the tigers fight, but rather Li Shiyan.

Despite inwardly complaining, Li Shiyan couldn't let the atmosphere become awkward, so he immediately said, "Prime Minister Lu is truly the Prime Minister of Shu. His northern expedition into Guanzhong was like entering an empty land. We arrived a step late, and we hope Prime Minister Lu will punish us!"

With a broad smile, Lu You personally stood up and, amidst the strange gazes of the generals, stepped forward to help Zhang Congjin and Li Shiyan to their feet, holding their arms on either side: "How can you punish them? If you ask me, you two are not only without fault, but have actually made great contributions, and great ones at that!"

"You two were the ones who stayed in Longyou to maintain the situation when the royal army retreated last year. I can imagine how dangerous the situation was back then. If it weren't for the two generals' insistence in Longyou, wouldn't I have been attacked from both sides by the Jin invaders if I had gone out through Chencang Road? At that time, let alone a great victory, I, a scholar-official who knows nothing about military affairs, would have died directly."

Only then did Zhang Congjin feel relieved.

After the Battle of Fufeng, at least in Zhang Congjin's view, Lu You was far more formidable than Wu Jie, Wu Lin, and his uncle Zhang Zhongyan.

Having experienced the Battle of Fuping, most of the Song generals in Guanzhong were defeated by the Jin army. Wu Jie and Wu Lin could only defend and counterattack by taking advantage of the terrain. In open field battles, they could at most hold their own against the Jin army.

But Lu You was different.

This military commissioner of Sichuan of the Song Dynasty directly defeated the Jin army in open battle, and he only led a small number of elite troops and a group of defeated soldiers.

With such military leadership and command abilities, who would dare to regard him as a scholar-official who knows nothing about military affairs?

Zhang Congjin's obedient arrival and solo entry into the camp evoked a sense of dread, reminiscent of Xiang Yu's victory over the Qin army, where "all the feudal lords who entered the camp crawled on their knees, none daring to look up at him."

Could it be that Lord Lu is angry because I have become ambitious and have been slow to arrive for this great battle, and wants to kill me?
After praising Zhang Congjin a few more times, Lu You turned to Li Shiyan, his tone becoming even more sincere: "General Li, you've had a tough year."

Even though Li Shiyan was already old and had a full head of white hair, and was much older than Lu You, his eyes reddened and he almost shed tears when he heard these words in person.

After suffering a major defeat last year, Li Shiyan led his troops to retreat to Longyou. With a slim chance, he managed to hold off Zhang Congjin and maintain the situation in Longyou, preventing Wanyan Liang from taking advantage of the situation to attack Dasanguan after conquering Western Xia.

From this perspective, Li Shiyan truly lived up to the saying that a skilled warrior has no illustrious achievements; even without directly participating in the battle, he was still among the top three in terms of merit.

"But General Li, rest assured, now that I am here, Guanzhong will be at peace!" Lu You surveyed the command tent and said confidently, "Now that great merit is within reach, who can conquer Chang'an for me?"

Amidst the surprised yet intrigued gazes of the crowd, Zhang Zhen, who had already received the instructions, took a deep breath, stood up, and said, "Lord Lu, this humble general believes that now is not the time to attack Chang'an."

(End of this chapter)