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

Chapter 993 A Mixed Bag of Good and Bad, Human Hearts in Turmoil (Part 1)

Zhang Anguo's betrayal was not a grand, sweeping rebellion, but rather the failure and misconduct of someone in a key position at a crucial moment.

Of course, the harm caused by the latter situation is also terrifying, but it is ultimately not as chaotic as the former.

In fact, it was impossible for Zhang Anguo to lead the entire city of Pizhou to surrender to the Song Dynasty. He could only deceive and mislead, saying that Xin Qiji had a brilliant plan that if Xiapi and Suqian could hold out, the Song army could be blocked directly between Pengcheng and Xiapi.

If a few more days pass, the prefect, the county magistrate, and the officials and generals will all eventually discover something is amiss, and there might even be a scene of correcting the wrongs.

But the Song army was defeated too quickly, and Xin Qiji arrived too quickly, so much so that the people of Pizhou were overjoyed and praised Commander Xin for his brilliant strategies and unstoppable bravery.

Zongxiong and the others' posture at the city gate was genuine and not feigned.

However, things are bound to happen eventually.

After Xin Qiji recounted the atrocities committed by Zhang Anguo, almost all the prominent figures in Xiapi City turned pale and began to breathe rapidly, showing signs of an impending stroke.

Li Jinyan, the prefect of Pizhou, was almost in tears: "Grand Commander, we really didn't know Zhang Qianxia's plan, and we really had no intention of betraying the King of Han and surrendering to the Song Kingdom."

Zong Xiong was also at a loss: "Yes, Grand Commander, there was indeed some conflict between Brother Zhang Qi and Lao Dan that day. We thought it was a conflict of plans, but who would have thought that Brother Zhang Qi wanted to become a traitor?!"

Even now, these people were still in shock, so they continued to address Zhang Anguo as before.

Xin Qiji sat in the main seat, munching on a flatbread while surveying the civil and military officials of Pizhou with his hawk-like gaze.

The noise in the lobby gradually subsided, and after a short while, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After swallowing the last bite of his flatbread with hot tea, Xin Qiji stood up, supporting himself with his sword: "Let me make things clear now. Since you were ordered by Zhang Anguo to stay in Xiapi City and allowed the Song army to march to Pengcheng, then no one is too suspicious! Even if there is no suspicion of treason, there is still the crime of knowing but not reporting!"

The crowd in the hall was momentarily panicked, but Xin Qiji spoke up before the commotion could rise again: "However, there is now an opportunity to make amends. You will all immediately follow me to pursue the Song army. I will make it clear to you again that this is called making amends for mistakes rather than making merits!"

Li Jinyan immediately stood up and said, "The Grand Commander has taken responsibility by giving us this opportunity. How could we be ungrateful? Please give your instructions, Grand Commander!"

Everyone immediately stood up and bowed to Xin Qiji.

This was truly a show of respect from Xin Qiji, because the Song army had already suffered heavy losses and was in the process of retreating. Even if the troops gathered in Xiapi were just a group of agricultural settlers, they could still put up a fight against such a Song army.

To put it bluntly, Xin Qiji had already weathered the most difficult period, and the Han army was destined to win no matter how you looked at it; it was just a matter of how much they would win.

Seeing that no one objected, Xin Qiji pointed directly at Li Jinyan: "Prefect Li, I remember you were a former official of the Jin Dynasty's Water Conservancy Bureau who defected here. You are skilled in ship handling and shipbuilding?"

Li Jinyan respectfully replied, "That's right."

"Very well, gather all the ships you can find and send them down the Yellow River into the Huai River. I want to cut off the Song army's retreat!"

"Yes, sir!" Li Jinyan bowed in agreement, then hesitated before asking, "Should we summon the navy?"

Xin Qiji shook his head: "It's too late. Most of the inland waterway forces and the navy have followed Zhang Shu on his northern expedition. The remaining navy has to keep an eye on Xia Cai and cooperate with Zhang Shu. As for the rest of the navy, we still have to guard against the Zhejiang and Jiangsu naval forces harassing the Shandong coast."

"Prefect Li, the Song army advances and retreats like the wind; now we can only rely on ourselves!"

Li Jinyan nodded repeatedly.

Xin Qiji then pointed to another person: "Zong Xiong!"

"The general is here!"

"You are hereby appointed as the acting military commander of Pizhou, in command of 6,000 garrison troops. Set off immediately to pursue the Song army."

"Order!"

Zong Xiong was about to sit down when he noticed Xin Qiji still staring at him. He immediately realized what was happening, turned around, and strode away to take command of the army.

Xin Qiji, sword in hand, surveyed the surroundings: "The rest of the troops, those in power should maintain stability in their respective regions and ensure sufficient food and labor; those in the army should fight bravely to defeat the enemy and repay the country's kindness!"

Xin Qiji's eyes turned fierce: "If there is any further oversight this time, and I fail to achieve my goal, I guarantee that I will show no mercy and punish all crimes together. Those who deserve to have their homes confiscated will have their homes confiscated, and those who deserve to be beheaded will be beheaded. When you get down there, don't blame me!"

More than half an hour later, the gates of Xiapi City were suddenly flung open, and more than 6,000 soldiers advanced by land and water, pursuing southward.

After resolving the issue of troop strength, Xin Qiji finally relaxed a little. However, just as he came to inspect the two rows of soldiers marching to the garrison, he unexpectedly saw a familiar face.

"Commander Hao, what are you doing here?" Xin Qiji dismounted from his horse, leading it as he smiled at Hao Donglai, "Aren't you already the town head?"

Hao Donglai's wrinkled face crinkled with laughter. He enjoyed the courtesy shown to him by Grand Commander Xin Qiji, yet felt somewhat apprehensive: "Grand Commander, you're wearing such heavy armor, you should mount your horse." Xin Qiji waved his arm: "It's alright, consider it a workout. Commander Hao... no, now it should be Supervisor Hao, the troops conscripted from Pizhou, could they have been transferred to Haizhou?"

Hao Donglai handed the small flag in his hand to a companion, rubbing his hands together and said, "What kind of town is this? It's just a former civilian settlement that has become under local jurisdiction. They added a civil official, gathered some people, and then it became a town."

I'm still the same village head as before.

“Our town is located between Haizhou and Pizhou. Over the years, it has attracted many refugees, and several settlements have been established, extending into Pizhou territory. Therefore, the transfer orders from Pizhou have all been issued to them.”

When I saw this, I thought, "This won't do. Although they participate in the archery club, the polo club, and have participated in training to prevent thieves and robbers, they are still just a group of farmers. If they go to the battlefield, won't there be a lot of casualties?"

I had no choice but to bring them along.

"Grand Commander, how should we fight this battle?"

When Xin Qiji saw Hao Donglai's somewhat nervous appearance, he immediately realized what was going on and then laughed, "Don't worry, the Song army has actually already collapsed. I only called you out because I couldn't capture that many people."

Does Hao Jianzhen know that each laborer in Pengcheng is required to guard five Song soldiers?

Hao Donglai breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and shouted, "Did you all hear that?! We're going to make a fortune! The Grand Commander said there will be rewards and merits. It's almost New Year's, let's use the reward money to buy new clothes for our wives!"

Only a few dozen people in the marching column heard Hao Donglai's words, but that didn't stop everyone from laughing, and the atmosphere eased a little.

Xin Qiji didn't care about the reward Hao Donglai promised him, as it was to be expected. But then he saw Hao Donglai, after shouting, huddle closer with his head bowed and look embarrassed: "Grand Commander, I know there are some things I shouldn't ask, but my dog ​​hasn't written to me for months. Does the Grand Commander have any news from the north?"

Xin Qiji reached out and patted Hao Donglai on the shoulder: "Governor Hao, although I do not know your son's specific duties, I do know the current situation in Youyan."

Now that the Jin dynasty has been destroyed and the war has ended, the King of Han is about to ascend the throne. Your son will surely return with rewards and high office; there is no need to worry.

After receiving Xin Qiji's assurance in person, Hao Donglai seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, patting his chest and saying, "That's good, that's good. I don't expect Gou'er to become famous. As long as there's no more fighting, it's good that he's safe and sound."

Xin Qiji nodded repeatedly, then sighed and said, "Yes, it's good that there's no more war."

Of course, just as Cao Cao chanted "Only one in a hundred survives, the thought of it breaks one's heart" while slaughtering the inhabitants of Xuzhou until the Si River stopped flowing.

As a person with high literary cultivation, Xin Qiji certainly felt sorrow for the war, but that did not stop him from urging his army to pursue and drive back the Song army.

Correspondingly, the Song army's situation became extremely difficult.

While both involve marching, attacking and retreating are completely different things.

Especially after a well-organized army appeared behind them during the retreat, panic spread among the Song army and became completely uncontrollable.

Just as Xin Qiji had the troops of Xiapi under his control and launched a full-scale attack, Li Xianzong led his army to the walls of Suqian, joining forces with the nearly 10,000 troops besieging the city.

When Wang Fang, the Song general in charge of the siege, saw his army in such a miserable state, he was completely dumbfounded.

Shao Hongyuan's imposing and confident demeanor still seems so vivid in my mind. How could the Lianghuai army have been defeated so badly in just a few days?
It feels like a lifetime ago!
Wang Fang welcomed Li Xianzong into the camp and said anxiously, "Grand Commandant Li, wasn't it said that the elite troops of the Jingnan Army were all in Youyan and Hebei, leaving the Central Plains vulnerable? Why were tens of thousands of our soldiers wiped out in one day?"

Li Xianzong simply waved his hand: "What's the situation in Suqian city?"

Wang Fang suppressed his temper and said in a low voice, "That Shan is definitely not someone to be trifled with. He has been sending troops to harass us these past few days, but fortunately, his forces are insufficient and our army has easily driven them back."

But with the army in such disarray, it's obvious from the city walls that they won't ignore it.

Li Xianzong looked up wearily at the city wall and saw some Han soldiers shouting excitedly among several huge Chinese character banners.

As the Song soldiers entered the camp and witnessed firsthand the extent of the army's devastation, Wang Fang narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, saying, "Grand Commandant, the situation is now very difficult to control. While it is still early, deploy my four thousand fresh troops in the northwest of the city to deal with the pursuers and to block Shan Ding."

Li Xianzong was also in a state of turmoil at this time. Upon hearing that Wang Fang had performed such a loyal act, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Truly, a strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, and turbulent times reveal the loyalty of a minister. Then I will trouble General Wang."

Wang Fang immediately returned to his own army, summoned his confidants for a discussion, and then led his four thousand still capable soldiers to the northwest of the besieged camp to set up camp.

The entire afternoon was spent on the front lines of gathering troops, and every move he made was extremely appropriate, making people marvel at his demeanor, which truly resembled that of Zhou Yafu.

However, as the last rays of the winter sun faded, and the sky grew dark and people panicked, Wang Fang took off his robes and armor, threw the banner on the spot, and fled with a few trusted men without looking back.

The night was so deep that no one noticed for a time.

(End of this chapter)