Volume 3 Chapter 26: Easy and Difficult
Yue Fei's strategy could not be considered brilliant.
Yang Yi Zhong initially entered the battle from the north bank of the Jishui River, while Li Cheng on the opposite side came around from the other side of the Yellow River. In essence, they were doing the same thing, which was to encircle and attack from the side, and was one of the most common military tactics.
Only these two's "encirclement" failed, but Yue Pengju's encirclement succeeded, and it was a double-sided encirclement and double-sided attack, and the distance was farther, the road was more difficult, the troops were more, the speed was faster, and finally the results were more...that's all.
Of course, one thing that has to be admitted is that even though Yue Fei and his imperial camp vanguard finally completed this strategic encirclement, the contributions of others, such as Zhang Rong's real fighting on the front line, Yang Yi Zhong's bloody blocking of the enemy at the Jishui River, and even Xiao En's desperate and blind support as a mere county magistrate, cannot be regarded as useless.
On the contrary, there is never any useless effort in war. Without these people's seemingly unprovoked consumption and blood and bravery, it would be impossible to achieve the so-called fatal blow that seems magical in the end.
For example, in the previous round of Jin invasion, Zhao Jiu ranked Han Shizhong and Chen Gui first in military merit, followed by Li Yanxian and Zhang Jun, and finally Wang Yan and Yue Fei, who played a miraculous role… This is not just a political balancing act, but if it were not for these people’s counterattacks, perseverance, consumption, and even defeat in the early stages, it would be a fantasy to expect to drive the Jin people back in one battle in the later stages.
These people also made great contributions in the Battle of Changsha.
However, now is not the time to discuss these issues because the war is not over yet.
According to the latest intelligence, Li Cheng should have successfully escaped into Jinan Prefecture. He is currently defending Changqing, an important city in Jinan Prefecture. He has escaped from the encirclement one step ahead and occupied a good defensive position... This time, Hong Ya's guess was absolutely correct.
Dudu Li Cheng, the Double-Sword Master, understands Yue Fei very well.
At the same time, Kong Yanzhou and Liu Lin's nearly 30,000 troops were surrounded by Yue Fei and Zhang Rong who were heading west from Mount Tai in the narrow plain between the Ji River and Mount Tai, north of Pingyin and south of Changqing. They were helpless and almost desperate... The reason why I say "almost" rather than "directly desperate" is that theoretically there is still the possibility of reinforcements for them.
Maybe General Li will suddenly make a desperate move and come to help?
Maybe the Jin army across the Jishui River and the Yellow River will fly over?
Maybe Emperor Liu Yu would just be like an old man who is still as passionate as he was in his youth, and rush over from Jinan in one breath with a thousand horses galloping across the plain?
In comparison, the Prime Minister Hong Ya of the Great Qi and the thousands of soldiers from Mizhou who were trapped in Yanggu City theoretically have more reason to speak of.
First of all, Yanggu County is the only county in Dongping Prefecture north of the Jishui River. It connects the north, south, east and west, and is a famous rich and large county. The county seat is also very tall and magnificent...
That’s right, unlike Gong and Liu who were in despair in the wilderness, Lord Hong had a strong city to defend. Kong Yanzhou and Liu Lin would be envious to death if it were him.
Secondly, although the Song army outside Yanggu City gathered many generals from various parties, the total number was not large, only about six or seven thousand people in total, and Hong Ya also had four or five thousand people. Considering the offensive and defensive issues, his military strength was actually not at a disadvantage.
The last and most important point is that the Yellow River is not far behind Yanggu County. If the Jin people really come to help, Yanggu will be the first place to be rescued.
If you think about it this way, the place that Li Cheng arranged for Prime Minister Hong doesn't seem to be a bad one. If Prime Minister Hong really has extraordinary talent, he can turn Yanggu into a jade wall, and then drag tens of thousands of Song troops to death under the city of Yanggu for several months. Maybe the Jin people will directly make him the prime minister of Jin!
"He wants to surrender, just to save his life?"
Due to his special status, Yang Yizhong naturally became the commander of this joint force. However, upon hearing this, he could not help but sneer in the central army tent. "He is the prime minister of the pseudo-Qi, a so-called important official who surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, and a national scum. The government has already made a conclusion about such people. How can we let him go? If we let him go, wouldn't Zhang Yu have been stabbed to pieces in vain?"
Speaking of which, when Yang Yi Zhong was not in front of Emperor Zhao, he usually seldom spoke, and basically maintained a dignified and calm demeanor. But when he made a rare sarcastic remark at this moment, no one thought it was wrong… After all, this confidant of the Emperor had been under tremendous pressure in the past few days, and with the situation changing today, he naturally felt a little relieved and vented.
It's human nature.
In fact, not only the many people in the tent, but even the messenger, who was usually good at observing people's words and expressions, secretly groaned in his heart when he heard these words and saw these expressions.
That’s not all. After Commander Yang rebuked Hong Ya for his wild ideas, he actually didn’t forget about the envoy:
"Zhang Maode, Zhang Erguan, how come you are now an envoy of the Pseudo-Qi? Is it okay to play both sides, do you think?"
Zhang Maode was such a smart man that he knelt on the ground in public and said earnestly: "General Yang, County Magistrate Xiao abandoned us, and thousands of soldiers from the pseudo-Qi army suddenly came in. How can I, an ordinary citizen, resist? Even now he forced me to come out as an envoy, how can I refute it for my family? However, of course I yearn for the royal army of the court. As long as General Yang has the say, I will go back today and let all the hundreds of people in my family fight to the death for the country and must welcome the royal army in..."
This is what Yang Yizhong said, but this person was extremely dishonest, so he had to threaten him a few more times in order to get the upper hand.
However, before Yang Yizhong could speak, and Li Kui, the two Li Baos and the three commanders were too late to join in the fun, someone spoke first, and it was none other than the 'Yanggu County Magistrate' Xiao En.
"Commander Yang, please don't push me too much." Xiao En stood up and bowed his head in the tent. "If we have to fight, I am willing to lead the charge and climb the wall, but I don't need Zhang Erguan to risk the efforts of his family... After all, I am to blame for the current situation. If I hadn't easily taken the troops from the county and left, how could the Hong bandits easily occupy the city? Besides, I am the magistrate of Yanggu County, and I have the responsibility to defend the land. How can I let the people below go to the battlefield before me?"
Yang Yizhong was stunned on the spot.
Moreover, not to mention Yang Yi's success, even the generals below were all stunned. The more meticulous Li Kui was secretly moved in his heart, not knowing whether to praise Xiao En for his loyalty or scold him for being too honest...
You have to know that Zhang Erguan is a typical tyrant and a wealthy businessman. On the one hand, he has a huge influence and can be called a ruthless local snake. On the other hand, he has the temperament of a rogue in the market and is as slippery as a loach. How could he be fooled by his words? At first, I thought that the sentence "Xiao Zhixian abandoned us" was just a random statement, but now I know that this guy took advantage of Xiao En's personality and did it on purpose.
To put it bluntly, based on this behavior, if Li Kui were the county magistrate, he would probably have wiped out the Zhang family right away. How could he have allowed this guy to have the best of both worlds?
But on second thought, Xiao En is, after all, a loyal and reasonable man. In this kind of world, people respect him. It's a pity that he didn't make any friends with him when he was working under Zhang Rong.
In fact, Li Kui was not the only one who thought so. The reason why there was silence in the tent for a while was that everyone from Yang Yi Zhong to Bing Guan Suo Li Bao and Po Li San Li Bao felt that this man was irritating and ridiculous, but at the same time they secretly respected him and were unwilling to say anything serious.
However, if there is obviously someone who can act as an insider, why bother to climb the wall at the risk of one's life?
Since ancient times, the first to climb the mountain is considered brave. Why?
Die quickly!
When he thought of this, Li Kui couldn't help but want to pull Xiao En out of the tent and tell him everything in private.
Of course, it must be said that Zhang Maode was a meticulous man after all. Seeing that the situation was at a stalemate and the officers above and on his left looked at him coldly, he knew that he had to "step forward" to share the worries of the royal army and save the commanders from being embarrassed.
However, at this awkward moment, someone suddenly spoke out from the door outside the tent:
"What County Magistrate Xiao said is right. I agree with him... Not only that, the government has always put the people under its rule first. If the people of Yanggu County can be saved, even if there are a few inappropriate things, I think the government will be relieved."
Zhang Maode and County Magistrate Xiao were still at a loss, but Yang Yizhong, Li Kui, and the two Li Baos all stood up. Yang Yizhong, who was in the lead, changed his previous sullen expression and smiled slightly:
"Why is Yushi Wanqi here?"
"Commander Yang, the three Commanders Li, and Magistrate Xiao." The Imperial Censor Wanqi Xie flashed out from outside the tent and smiled at them. "I was originally with General Yue in Pingyin, and then went to Zhang Zhenfu's place in Pingyin. Then I heard that there was a man here, so I couldn't help but come here specially..."
The rest of the people were fine, but Yang Yizhong was slightly moved when he heard the words. He took a step forward, dragged the other party out of the tent, and did not come back until a full incense stick of time had passed.
After returning, several commanders knew that the two important figures who would be used in the presence of the emperor had made a decision, so they stood in silence. Zhang Maode also knew how serious the situation was, so he knelt on the ground and did not dare to look up. However, Xiao En was still a little confused.
"County Magistrate Xiao, I'm the Attending Censor of the Palace, commonly known as the Censor. I'm now inspecting the front troops of General Yue's imperial camp, also known as the so-called military supervisor. I just came from the chieftain Zhang, and got his promise to handle the affairs north of the Ji River. I hope you will be considerate." Wanqi Xie returned to the tent and was not in a hurry to talk to Zhang Maode. Instead, he introduced him to Xiao En first.
Although Xiao En didn't understand those messy tricks, he couldn't resist the other party's easy-to-understand explanation. He was an imperial censor and a military supervisor, and he had the permission of his own leader. How could he dare to be so arrogant? He quickly bowed and saluted:
"If that's the case, I'm willing to follow the censor's orders."
Wanqi Xie nodded slightly, then looked at the person on the ground, but he was not in a hurry, and calmly ordered: "Zhang Erguan, right? Go back and tell that Hong Xianggong that Wanqi Xie, the Palace Censor who was appointed with him in the past, is here. For the sake of our past relationship, I am not incapable of persuading General Yang to give him a way to survive, but he must see the situation clearly and not have unreasonable expectations... If he really wants to survive, he can personally climb over the city wall from your herbal medicine shop at three o'clock tonight and come to see me at the west wall of the city. Only he and you, the middleman, can do this... Apart from this, there is no other way, and if he hesitates, I will not talk to him again."
When Zhang Maode heard this, he knew that he had met another powerful person, so he just kowtowed hurriedly, said nothing, and hurried back to the city with his head down.
It was a hot day as usual. At three o'clock in the night, the summer breeze was blowing, the moon was half risen, and the Milky Way was half visible. Wanqi Xie, who had slept in advance, got up calmly, washed his face and drank water. He waited for a long time before he took Zhai Biao and several other members of the neat squad arranged by Yang Yizhong and headed straight for West City.
When they arrived at the area of the city wall facing Zhang's herbal medicine shop, they saw that there were no patrolling soldiers on the wall, but two people were standing cowering .
When the two saw Wanqi Xie coming, they stepped forward cautiously and revealed their figures. They were none other than the Prime Minister of Great Qi, Hong Ya, and the tyrant of Yanggu, Zhang Maode, Zhang Erguan.
When Wanqi Xie saw the two of them, he ignored Zhang Maode and just smiled proudly at Hong Ya with his hands behind his back: "Mr. Hong, we were appointed in the same palace. You were appointed as the magistrate and I stayed in the Privy Council. Who would have thought that in just one year, I was promoted to the position of Imperial Censor in the Palace, while you were already appointed as the Prime Minister... According to what the emperor said, a person's achievement depends not only on his talent and learning, but also on his luck!"
"Brother Wanqi, please don't... don't laugh at me!" Hong Ya gritted his teeth when he saw his acquaintance coming. He spoke directly, but also stuttered a little. He didn't know whether he was nervous or afraid. "Li Kui was originally the leader of Mizhou. After Du Yan and Wu Shun died, his prestige among the soldiers of Mizhou was unparalleled. He should be immediately escorted into the city by his old subordinates, right? I ignored the army and now abandoned the city defense and came here alone. This shows my sincerity, right?"
When Wanqi Xie heard the other party reveal the secret of Li Kui and the insider, he did not take it seriously. Instead, he nodded seriously: "It shows sincerity and courage!"
"Then quickly give me paper and pen, and send me across the river as soon as I write my biography!" Hong Ya was relieved when he heard this. He took a step forward and grabbed the corner of the clothes of Wanqi Xie, who was his comrade in the same palace, but still looked a little pleading. "Brother Wanqi, please tell the emperor that no one in the world knows Wanyan Talan better than me! When I go north this time, whether I go to Jinan, Damingfu, or Yanjing, I will definitely be able to accomplish great deeds for the emperor!"
When talking to such a person who knows everything, you just have to be straightforward, so Wanqi Xie didn't pretend. Instead, he took the other person's hand and walked north. They exchanged feelings, shook hands and said, "You did it for the difficult part, and I did it for the easy part. I hope that one day when the world is clear and bright, I can drink with my wise brother in front of the emperor..."
In response to this, Hong Ya could only smile bitterly: "The government has issued a clear order not to allow surrendered people to change their minds. Even if that day really comes in the future, I only hope to spend my old age in peace. How dare I ask for anything else?"
Wanqi Xie chuckled and nodded again: "Brother, you are so clear-headed, it seems that I am a bit fussy... Then let's go now. I will make the decision on the deeds, so there is no need to write it down. We can just keep it to ourselves."
Hong Ya was finally stunned.
"You are such a perceptive person, and you have experienced this. If the Song Dynasty is prosperous, then you will know it. But if the Song Dynasty has an uncertain future, then what is the point of having a record?" Wanqi Xie didn't care. "It's better to be straightforward and let each of us be free and easy... But don't forget the dignity of the government and what happened today."
Hong Ya just felt relieved all over.
But just as the two of them were enjoying each other's company, a sharp scream suddenly sounded from behind, startling Hong Xianggong so much that he turned around in panic: "What happened?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Wan Qixie quickly pulled the other person back and told him frankly. "I'm just helping Mr. Hong to share his worries."
Hong Ya suddenly came to his senses and stopped looking behind him. Instead, he followed the other person and headed north... After the two of them disappeared into the night, just a moment later, a fire suddenly lit on the south wall of the city, illuminating the night sky like daylight. Then, with a burst of clamor, the south gate of Yanggu County was opened.
Next, Li Kui, the commander of the front army of the imperial camp, took the lead and rushed into the city. Countless people outside the city shouted together, calling out the name of Li Kui of Mizhou. His former subordinates saw the flag from afar and heard the voice, so they turned against their allies and scrambled to surrender.
In this way, Yanggu, which occupied a strong city and had thousands of soldiers and horses, was captured in just over a day and a night, leaving the situation in Dongping with no room for maneuver.
It was a pity that the fake Hong Ya took advantage of the chaos to disguise himself and escape.
