Volume 1 Chapter 25: A General's Theory
"Why don't we need to fight for Daming Prefecture? It's the most famous city in Hebei!" Wanyan Talan pretended not to know.
"The governor of Damingfu, Du Chong, heard about the military situation here a few days ago and abandoned Damingfu and fled from us. He may have already gone to Bianliang. Damingfu is basically an empty city. We can just send someone to take it. Why do we need to turn back?" Wuzhu became more and more impatient. "But what about going south to take the emperor of Song? Uncle knows that there is only one Zhao family in Song. If we kill him, the Song people will have the whole world in our hands."
"You sound nice!" Talai was getting impatient. "Is the climate in the south the same as in the north? Besides, the people of Song are not all useless. Lou Shi in Shanzhou has great military strategy. A hundred thousand troops have been unable to capture the city for months. What if you encounter a similar city that can only fight with a big city? Do you think Lou Shi is incompetent?"
"I'm not being arrogant, but I'm saying that Shanzhou is difficult to deal with because the Emperor of Song has no control over it. Huaidian is under the control of the Emperor of Song himself, so how can they be compared? Besides, it's precisely because we have to guard against the rise of Han heroes like those in Shanzhou that we have to get rid of the Emperor of Song as soon as possible!"
"You are just not satisfied. You want to take advantage of the glamorous world of the Central Plains for your own use. You say you are doing this for Shanzhou's sake. Doesn't that seem hypocritical?"
"So what? Can't I?!" Wanyan Wushu finally got angry. "Don't think I don't know that Nianhan took Hebei and occupied Hedong. The king even promised you the east route to Jingdong in private, and also gave you the position of the king of Lu! Since he can give you the land of Lu, why can't he allow me to take the Central Plains for my own use?! I dare to ask the king about this in person when I get to Shangdu! The king and the Bojilie have no intention of not allowing me!"
Talai's eyes opened wide, he twirled his beard and said nothing for a while, as if Wuzhu had hit upon the key point.
The leading figures of the Jurchen, Xi, Khitan, and Han ethnic groups in the Jin Kingdom's Eastern Army in the hall were all thoughtful when they heard this, and they all knew the huge internal divisions of the Jurchen top leadership... However, no one had much to say, because human nature has been like this since ancient times.
Young people have grown up, but they have no official position, no territory, and no honor, so they will naturally become radical young people; while the older people already have a foundation, and they are lazy and unwilling to make trouble again... Before the expedition, Talai and Wushu had no foundation compared to the Western Army, so the uncle and nephew cooperated smoothly. But this time, the East Road of Jingdong has been conquered, and the King of Jin has already made a promise, so Talai is naturally willing to focus on the surrounding areas of his "Lu State". Correspondingly, Wushu is naturally more eager to continue to go south.
"I only want to say one thing." Wanyan Talan thought for a long time, but he insisted on one thing. "The king's will is here, and there is absolutely no such thing as disobeying the will. Otherwise, if you want to go south, why should I go against you in vain? If I were to say, Wushu, you can go back to take Daming Prefecture, and by the way, ride to Zhongdu to ask for a letter from your elder brother, and then go south. What's the harm? You can also march west from Liangshanpo and avoid Liu Guangshi in southern Shandong!"
Jin Wushu picked up the strong liquor on the table and drank it all, but he sneered at Talai more and more: "Generals have the right to make their own decisions when they are away from home. Obviously, as long as uncle, the deputy commander of the military supervisor, nods, I can go south, but uncle is crowded with those Song people all day long. He has not learned any knowledge, but only learned the unpleasantness of the Song people. He just treats me like a pig... Uncle, I only have one thing to say today. If I don't use your six thousand households, and send two of my own households to let General Han lead them to capture Daming Prefecture, and only take the remaining three households to go south, do you allow it or not?"
Talai was tempted, but hesitant. The Jurchens were sincere at this time. After thinking for a while, the deputy commander simply responded:
"Wu Shu! I do have some doubts. Give me some time to talk to a trusted advisor in private!"
Wuzhu naturally had no objection and just let the other party leave. Then he raised his cup and drank himself, then picked up the wine pot and invited the Jin army generals in the hall to drink and eat meat, and urged a group of Song Dynasty women who had been driven out to freeze to come back and dance to liven up the atmosphere.
Without mentioning his unbridled joy before, let's just say that Wanyan Talan, wrapped in a brocade jacket, went to the back hall of this huge mansion. After he sat down, he asked the Song servant here to call someone... In just a moment, a Song scholar dressed in blue silk and with nimble hands and feet came hurriedly.
When this person came in front of Wanyan Talan and bowed his head to pay his respects, he looked up and saw that he was a handsome man about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old.
"I knew that the young scholar Qin was quick on his feet!" Talai saw this man and didn't say anything. "Today I'm not forcing you to go to the hall and drink with those filthy people, but I have something I want you to discuss for me... After many military states surrendered, the military situation in the front is clear. Your new emperor of Song is stationed in Huaishang, only five or six hundred miles away from here, and there is only one Liu Guangshi in the middle. Wuzhu wants to lead his troops south to directly capture the emperor of Song, but he is too lazy to turn around and ask for his permission, so he just lets me, the deputy commander of the military supervisor, facilitate it for him... What do you think?"
The young scholar Qin was stunned when he heard this, but he almost blurted out: "The Fourth Prince is Taizu's biological son. If we talk about the future, he has a bright future. There is no need to offend him for this. However, if there is a slight obstruction in the southward march, the fault will be attributed to the deputy commander!"
"That's very clear!" Talai pointed a finger at him and said sternly. "That's why Marshal Nianhan and I both admire you... But today we are not asking Scholar Qin to be our advisor, but Wuzhu is pressing us hard, please make a decision for me!"
The young scholar Qin was stunned for a moment: "How can a mere surrendered person like me make such a big decision for the deputy commander?"
"It's not like that. Young Master Qin is smarter than me. I do understand... You don't have to take the responsibility. Just say a word!" Talan was quite generous.
Scholar Qin was helpless, but felt it was ridiculous, so he bowed his head and said, "Please forgive me, Deputy General. After all, I am a surrendered person from the Song court. I am confused at the moment. Please give me half an incense stick of time. I will go back and think about it and then give you a reply immediately!"
"You go now." Talan didn't care. "I know that Scholar Qin is fast and always keeps his word. I'll wait for you to say something here..."
The young scholar Qin, who was the representative of the pro-war faction during the Jing Kang period of the Song Dynasty and the Chief Censor Qin Hui, thanked Talai for his understanding and left in a hurry, but he did not go far at all.
On the contrary, as soon as he stepped out of the door into the snow, he stopped immediately, looked up at the sky and sighed, but no one knew what he remembered, and then he turned around and saluted:
"Deputy Commander!"
"Tell me!" Talan twirled his beard with satisfaction.
"Just blame it on Liu Guangshi!" Qin Hui bowed on the threshold. "Set a deadline and requirements for the Fourth Prince. In addition to sending troops to capture Daming Prefecture, he must break through the defense line of the six military states south of Mount Tai led by Liu Guangshi before the end of the year. If he can do it, he can go; if not, he will not be allowed to go!"
"Great!" Wanyan Talan stood up and twirled his beard, very excited. "It's really the young scholar Qin!"
"Let the deputy commander know that I was once a minister of Song Dynasty. I am just leaving it to fate and making an appointment with myself when I say this." Qin Hui argued in a low voice, but Talai had already stood up and left, and could not listen to him at all.
Qin Hui had no choice but to lower his head and hurried back to the courtyard.
Not to mention how complicated Qin Huizhi's thoughts were, at the same time, Wanyan Talan also turned into the hall , but found that for some reason, the hall was still as quiet as before. He thought that everyone was waiting for his result, so he sat down and calmly told them the strategy he had obtained.
"That's the truth." Talan sat there stroking his beard, looking unusually relaxed. "How about it, Wushu, do you dare to accept it?"
When Jin Wushu heard this, he looked around and exchanged glances with the other people in the hall. They exchanged glances but remained silent for a long time until Talai gradually became impatient. He then asked, "Uncle, may I ask which soldier in your house came up with this idea?"
"Xiao Qin Scholar." Talan did not hide it. "It was given to me by the king when I came here... Don't think of bullying him, I want to keep him for important use."
Jin Wushu nodded repeatedly, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "It's not that we want to bully him, but we want to wait until we return from the expedition to specially entertain him, and by the way, give him a few princesses, tens of thousands of pieces of cloth, and tens of thousands of strings of money!"
Talan was bewildered.
At this time, Jin Wushu raised his head and laughed, causing all the Jin generals to laugh so hard that the laughter shook the roof tiles and the snow on the tiles collapsed.
Talan became increasingly confused.
Jin Wushu finally stopped keeping the secret: "Let your uncle know. Just now, a cavalryman reported that Liu Guangshi took advantage of the snow and abandoned six military states. The whole army fled south together! This is God's will to destroy the Song Dynasty!"
Talai was stunned for a moment, but suddenly stood up, holding the cup and smiling: "In this case, I wish you success, Wushu, and great achievements... However, you don't have to give little Qin scholar any imperial princess, because everyone in my house knows that little Qin scholar is most afraid of his wife!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Wushu laughed even harder, and tears came out of his eyes.
