Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 239 A stark contrast: The Song Dynasty framing Meng Gong, Zhao Shuo taking in Wang Jian!

Meanwhile, in Wei Liaoweng's government office.

"How audacious! How audacious Cao Shixiong! How audacious Meng Gong! How audacious the Jinghu Army! Do they even respect the imperial court or the emperor?"

After receiving the report from his confidant, Wei Liaoweng not only showed no remorse but was also furious.

What did he do wrong?

Over the past two or three years, countless amounts of money, grain, and supplies from the Song Dynasty have poured into the Jinghu defense line. The ensuing major battle between the Jinghu defenders and Zhao Shuo will involve even more vast sums of money and supplies.

As the prime minister of the current dynasty, shouldn't he have investigated the accounts in Xiangyang to plug the loopholes and curb the trend of corruption?
Who can say he did something wrong?

Cao Shixiong defied him, and he didn't kill Cao Shixiong, but only severely punished him with dozens of lashes. Wasn't that merciful enough? If it were those famous ministers of the Song Dynasty a hundred years ago, they would have executed Cao Shixiong to uphold military law.

That's not wrong either!
But how did Cao Shixiong die? And why is the Jinghu army in such a state of panic?
Without a doubt, it was Cao Shixiong's fault, the Jinghu army's doing, and the mastermind might even be Meng Gong!
They didn't want Wei Liaoweng to investigate their accounts, so they ordered Cao Shixiong's death to prevent the investigation from proceeding.

That must be the case!
Otherwise, why did Cao Shixiong die?

Yue Fei said that if civil officials are not greedy for money and military generals are not afraid to die, then the world can be at peace. He certainly didn't say that military generals shouldn't be greedy for money either!
Even if Wei Liaoweng hadn't caught Cao Shixiong of corruption, wouldn't it have been enough for Cao Shixiong to atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service?
Why commit suicide?

It must be said that Wei Liaoweng seriously underestimated Cao Shixiong's integrity and loyalty to the Song Dynasty, judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person.

Indeed, if it were only for his own sake, even if he had suffered some injustice, a man of Cao Shixiong's stature would not have committed suicide.

According to historical records, after Möngke's death, Kublai Khan wanted to compete with Ariq Böke for the throne and led his troops north. Jia Sidao took the opportunity to relieve the siege of Ezhou.

Then, Jia Sidao believed that there would be no more war in the short term, so he used the "calculation method" to investigate the military accounts and took the opportunity to seize power. Many meritorious generals, such as Liu Zheng, Wang Jian, Du Shu, Cao Shixiong, and Xiang Shibi, were implicated.

The two famous generals, Cao Shixiong and Xiang Shibi, were even imprisoned because of this.

Even so, Cao Shixiong did not commit suicide; he was simply killed by Jia Sidao.

However, isn't it Zhao Shuo leading an army of 300,000 to press on the border now, and the situation of the Song state is extremely critical? The entire Henan region of the Song state has surrendered without a fight.
Cao Shixiong believes that the accounts really cannot be investigated any further.

Wei Liaoweng's plan was to use his mistakes to redeem his generals, rather than reward their merits. But which of those who rose to the rank of general was easy to deal with? Why should they put up with this?
Even if he did embezzle, it was the money of the Zhao family in the south that he embezzled. What does it have to do with the Zhao family in the north?

Wouldn't it be even more satisfying to lead the army to surrender to Zhao Shuo?

After much deliberation, Cao Shixiong decided to sacrifice himself for his country to stop Wei Liaoweng from continuing the investigation. If the court was enraged and transferred Wei Liaoweng back, replacing him with Shi Songzhi to oversee the army, that would be even better.

As for the claim that his suicide caused unrest in the Jinghu army, it can only be said that he chose the lesser of two evils.

In any case, Wei Liaoweng has completely misunderstood Cao Shixiong and the Jinghu Army. He is furious and believes that the Jinghu Army is becoming too powerful to control and that this major threat must be eliminated in its infancy.

Just then, someone reported that Meng Gong, the ambassador of Jinghu, was requesting an audience.

"What? Cao Shixiong is dead? Has General Meng come to question me?" Wei Liaoweng's tone was unfriendly as soon as he saw Meng Gong.

Meng Gong is absolutely fed up with this now.

Firstly, Cao Shixiong committed suicide, and he lost one of his most important generals.

Secondly, with Cao Shixiong dead, the morale of the Jinghu army plummeted, and it would take him a great deal of effort to restore it.

Thirdly, and most importantly, Meng Gong could guess some of Cao Shixiong's thoughts, but he deeply disagreed with them.

The wariness of Song Dynasty civil officials towards military generals was almost instinctive and reactive.

With Cao Shixiong dead, Wei Liaoweng stopped checking the accounts? How could that be? To prove he was right, Wei Liaoweng would probably intensify his investigations!

As for the idea that the court would replace Wei Liaoweng with Shi Songzhi because of this, that's pure fantasy. The death of a mere commander affecting the prime minister? Would that still be the Song Dynasty?
At this point, Meng Gong could only swallow his anger and reassure Wei Liaoweng, saying, "Not at all. Cao Shixiong committed suicide out of fear of punishment; he deserved it. What does it have to do with you, Prime Minister Wei? Rest assured, I have already ordered that this matter be strictly forbidden to be discussed in the army. I have also sent some money to Cao Shixiong's family to prevent them from being ignorant and making a fuss, which would damage Prime Minister Wei's reputation."

Wei Liaoweng then softened his tone and asked, "So, General Meng, what brings you to see me?"

"Actually, something has been on my mind for a long time. I believe that with Zhao Shuo's 300,000-strong army coming in with great momentum, it is not the best strategy to defend Xiangyang to the death."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Our Jinghu region has a total of 70,000 soldiers, but 40,000 of them are concentrated near Xiangyang, which is far too many. It is unnecessary for the two of us to stay in Xiangyang. I think it is enough to leave Zhang Jun to guard Xiangyang and Gao Da to guard Fancheng, leaving them with a total of 20,000 soldiers. Both of them are loyal to our Great Song Dynasty. If Zhao Shuo wants to take Xiangyang and Fancheng, he will definitely suffer great losses."

"Then where shall we two go?"

"Go to Jiangling! Make Jiangling the new headquarters of the Jinghu Military Commission!"

Jiangling, as it is known today, is Jingzhou in Hubei Province.

As he spoke, Meng Gong pointed to the map hanging in the hall and said, "Prime Minister Wei, you see, Zhao Shuo's troops are elite and his generals are brave, making him difficult to defeat. The greatest honor of our Great Song Dynasty is actually the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River is not only a natural barrier, but also an important channel for transporting troops and supplies."

"If our Great Song Dynasty wants to defeat Zhao Shuo's 300,000-strong army, it is absolutely impossible to do so with the strong cities and troops in the Jinghu region alone. Therefore, we must concentrate the best troops in the country and wait for an opportunity to fight him on the banks of the Yangtze River."

"We will leave 20,000 troops in Xiangyang to wear down a portion of Zhao Shuo's forces. Then, we will eliminate another portion of Zhao Shuo's forces in the cities along the Yangtze River. Finally, relying on the power of the Yangtze River, we will gather the elite troops from the Huai River region, Sichuan, and the Jinghu region, and even the imperial guards from Lin'an, to fight him to the death. Even if we cannot win, we can still inflict heavy losses on him, and he will have no intention of advancing south for at least ten years!"

This is the strategic vision of Meng Gong, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Meng Gong was known in later generations as the "Master of Mobile Defense," not the "Master of City Defense."

Historical records show that Meng Gong abandoned Xiangyang twice and recaptured it twice, without arguing about the gain or loss of a single city or place.

However, after Meng Gong's death, the Southern Song Dynasty no longer had such outstanding military talent as Meng Gong, and instead sent heavy troops to defend Xiangyang, which was constantly besieged and attacked by the Mongols.

Finally, the Song Dynasty's elite forces were almost wiped out by the Mongols near Xiangyang. After the fall of Xiangyang, the country was destroyed not long after.

Throughout history, during the division of China into North and South, the Southern Dynasties lost Xiangyang many times. As long as their main field forces were still intact, they could hold on.

However, to be fair, the reason Meng Gong could fight however he wanted at that time was because Shi Songzhi controlled the court and cooperated closely with him.

Shi Songzhi is still not fully capable, and Wei Liaoweng, who is in charge of the Jinghu region, is completely ignorant of military affairs.

"Abandon Xiangyang and defend the Yangtze River line?" Wei Liaoweng frowned and asked, "How confident are you?"

Meng Gong said solemnly, "Fifty percent!"

This was certainly not what Meng Gong truly thought.

Historically, Meng Gong dealt with Mongol detachments such as Prince Kowenbuhua and General Zhang Rou, which he easily controlled.

Now, however, they have to deal with Zhao Shuo's army of 300,000.

In Meng Gong's mind, even if they were to defend the Yangtze River, the chances of success were only one or two out of ten, no more.

However, this was the strategy with the highest probability of success that Meng Gong could come up with. Defending Xiangyang to the death, waging a war for the fate of the nation against Zhao Shuo in Xiangyang, was something Meng Gong had absolutely no chance of winning.

In order to persuade Wei Liaoweng and the Song Dynasty court to agree to his strategy, Meng Gong could only exaggerate the likelihood of success.

However, Wei Liaoweng still thought the chances of success were too low. He even suspected that Meng Gong was unwilling to trap his main army in the two cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng, and intended to preserve his main force and maintain his own power.

Wei Liaoweng shook his head and said, "Leaving only 20,000 troops in Xiangyang and essentially abandoning it is absolutely not feasible. I just don't understand. Xiangyang has a fortified city to rely on, the Han River to pass through, and high mountains to defend it. Looking at the whole country, which city can be as strong as Xiangyang? Why don't we defend Xiangyang to the death and wait for an opportunity to gather the strength of the whole country to fight a decisive battle with Zhao Shuo?"

"Lord Wei, please forgive me, but Xiangyang is not easy to defend, but it is difficult to save!"

Meng Gong explained carefully, “North of my Jinghu region lies Henan, a vast plain with abundant grain supplies. If Zhao Shuo's 300,000-strong army comes, not only will they be backed by four provinces, but the surplus grain of Henan itself will likely be enough to feed them. Therefore, Zhao Shuo is not in a hurry; he has enough patience to besiege Xiangyang and use the opportunity to eliminate our Song reinforcements.” “On the other hand, while we are indeed connected to Xiangyang by the Han River, making it difficult for Zhao Shuo to block reinforcements from the outside, the Han River is much narrower and shallower than the Yangtze River. Zhao Shuo will only find it difficult to stop the reinforcements, not entirely impossible.”

"With the balance of power shifting, Xiangyang is by no means a suitable place for a decisive battle for our army."

This was the result of Meng Gong's careful consideration.

However, let alone Wei Liaoweng being ignorant of military affairs, even those who were knowledgeable in military affairs, unless they reached Meng Gong's level, could not calculate which was more advantageous: defending Xiangyang or defending the Yangtze River defense line.

Not to mention, Wei Liaoweng had always suspected that Meng Gong had ulterior motives.

Wei Liaoweng shook his head again and said, "Xiangyang is an important town of our Great Song Dynasty and the capital of the Jinghu region. How can we abandon it lightly? Besides, the decisive battle on the Yangtze River may not be better than the decisive battle on Xiangyang. I do not agree with what General Meng said. If you are afraid of Zhao Shuo, you can go to Jiangling yourself. I will lead the army to defend Xiangyang to the death."

"It is my duty to protect Lord Wei, how can I abandon you? However..."

When it came to the survival of the Song Dynasty, Meng Gong could only argue his case, saying, "I will submit our differences to the court and ask His Majesty and the ministers to make a decision."

A flash of anger crossed Wei Liaoweng's eyes. He snorted and said, "I will also submit a memorial to the court."

That afternoon, the two men's envoys left Xiangyang almost simultaneously, traveling by urgent courier to Lin'an.

"I hope the court will approve my strategy! Otherwise, my Great Song Dynasty will truly be... doomed!"

Meng Gong stood on the city wall of Xiangyang, watching the envoy's departing figure, lost in thought.

……

……

Half a month later, in Dengzhou City, Henan Province.

This place has become Zhao Shuo's central command post. Countless grain and supplies from Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei, and Henan converge here and are successively sent to the front lines.

"Good! The State of Song has decided to defend Xiangyang to the death!"

Zhao Shuo was truly pleased after reading the intelligence sent by Xin You.

This intelligence was provided by an important eunuch of the Song Dynasty who had actively aligned himself with the Black Ice Guard, so it is absolutely reliable. Even though Zhao Shuo already knows the Song Dynasty's strategy, Meng Gong probably hasn't received any orders from the Song court yet.

Meng Gong is known as a master of mobile defense, not only for his victories, but also for his strategic vision. He proposed the "three-layered defense" strategy, extending the strategic planning of the Song Dynasty to Guizhou. He was a military strategist who transcended his era.

If the State of Song were to truly allow Meng Gong to act as he sees fit, it would likely take Zhao Shuo ten years to conquer the entire Song Dynasty, resulting in the deaths and injuries of countless soldiers and civilians.

However, the Song rulers and ministers, as they had done countless times before, used their own loyal ministers and generals to their advantage, keeping Meng Gong firmly in Xiangyang.

In Zhao Shuo's eyes, Meng Gong was now completely trapped.

The entire Southern Song Dynasty was now in his grasp.

Zhao Shuo was in a good mood and said, "Someone come here!"

"exist!"

"Bring Wang Jian to me!"

"Yes."

Wang Jian is the national hero recorded in history for his fierce defense of Diaoyu City, in which he killed the Mongol Khan Möngke. Historically, he distinguished himself in battle under Meng Gong's command, and only after fifteen years did he lead troops to rescue Sichuan, gradually becoming a pillar of Sichuan's defense.

Wang Jian is not yet forty years old, but he is merely Liu Zheng's subordinate, with a hundred cavalrymen under his command.

This time, Liu Zheng was defeated by Zhang Jin, and Wang Jian also became Zhao Shuo's prisoner.

Zhao Shuo certainly wanted to win over someone like Wang Jian. However, the more he wanted to win him over, the less he could rush things.

It's easy to die generously, but difficult to face death calmly.

It's been almost a month since Wang Jian was last seen; it's time to meet him.

"The guilty general Wang Jian pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Wang Jian, who had been listed on the Five-Flower List, knelt down in front of Zhao Shuo.

Zhao Shuo said, "Wang Jian, it's been a month since you were defeated and captured. What are your plans for the future?"

“Since I have fallen into Your Majesty’s hands, I am at Your Majesty’s mercy. If Your Majesty kills me, it is my fault for being unskilled and my soldiers for being cowardly, and I will have no complaints. If Your Majesty does not kill me, I would like to ask Your Majesty to have mercy and let me retire from the army and return to my hometown.”

"What? You're unwilling to continue serving in the army and serve me?"

"The Song Dynasty is, after all, a criminal and a former ruler, and I really do not want to be its enemy."

Even so, Wang Jian's tone wasn't entirely resolute.

To put it bluntly, if Wang Jian were truly so loyal to the Song Dynasty, he wouldn't have been captured in battle; he would have died on the spot.

Historically, because the Mongols were a foreign race, they burned, killed, and looted the Chinese people, so Wang Jian naturally had to resolutely resist them.

But now that both the northern and southern governments are surnamed Zhao, Wang Jian is unwilling to risk his life to serve the Song Dynasty.

He was far more flexible than Zhao Shuo had imagined.

Zhao Shuo smiled slightly and said, "Back then, in order to make Yelü Chucai pledge allegiance to me, I spared hundreds of thousands of people in Zhongdu. Now, if you, Wang Jian, are willing to pledge allegiance to me and attack the Song Dynasty, I can also grant you a favor."

"Those six hundred-plus captured loyal soldiers, according to my 'Decree to Annihilate the Song Dynasty,' are to be selected two out of ten to be killed. If you are willing to serve me, I will spare them from being killed, how about it?"

Pfft!
Wang Jian immediately kowtowed heavily to the ground, saying, "What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve such high regard from Your Majesty? How dare I not serve Your Majesty to the death?"

This is what he thinks.

He was currently only in charge of a hundred cavalrymen in the Song Dynasty. What kind of extraordinary person was he? Zhao Shuo's personal audience with him was already far beyond his expectations.

Now, he has personally bestowed such an important favor upon him. If he still refuses, he will not be a loyal minister and filial son of the Song Dynasty, but a shameless clown.

"No gift!"

Zhao Shuo gave a slight signal, and naturally, some armored soldiers untied Wang Jian's bonds.

Then, he exclaimed from his high position, "Guards!"

"exist!"

"Order all units to advance at full speed and surround Xiangyang! Furthermore, send a message to the city walls of Xiangyang: If Meng Gong surrenders, I will follow the example of Wang Jian and spare all the captured soldiers!"

Great minds think alike. Zhao Shuo's goal in this battle was not to capture Xiangyang, but to besiege the city and annihilate the Song army's forces.

He's not in a hurry to attack Xiangyang right now; he wants to unsettle the Xiangyang garrison first!

(End of this chapter)