Volume 3 Chapter 48: Doubts
When the military report was sent to Tokyo, Zhao Jiu initially felt relieved, because just as he had emphasized, the Jin army had indeed arrived. But soon, as the military situation in Shanzhou was summarized, he fell into some confusion and doubt.
This confusion and doubt is twofold.
First of all, on a big level, after fighting for so long, it was common knowledge that the Jin army's field army was divided into east and west. But this time when the war broke out, he only received military intelligence from the western army, but did not receive any military reports from the eastern army... Logically speaking, the Battle of Xiaowusha should have undoubtedly hit the eastern army, but why had the eastern army been silent?
Moreover, the intelligence that continued to come from Taihang Mountain was a bit strange. That is, most of the Meng'an and Mouke who were settled by the Jin Kingdom in the central and southern parts of the Hebei Plain did not seem to have any signs of large-scale mobilization. This was the key intelligence that Zhao Jiu specifically asked Ma Kuo to convey on a daily basis... and this was very strange, because the Meng'an and Mouke on the Hebei Plain were the main force of the Eastern Route Army, and a small part of them belonged to the Western Route Army.
If it is said that the Western Route Army deliberately did not mobilize fully in order to achieve the effect of a surprise attack, but only concentrated its elite cavalry, then this is certainly understandable and consistent with the current intelligence.
But what is going on with the Eastern Army? Aren’t they planning to join the war?
Of course, it is also possible that the Eastern Army will be remobilized later, or it is possible that some elite troops are passing through the complex Yellow River waterway in eastern Hebei, preparing to bypass the east of Beijing to fight, and were delayed on the way... All of these are possible.
However, the detailed military situation of the Western Route Army is currently shrouded in doubt.
Logically speaking, Wanyan Loushi should have continued to follow the results of the previous battle and captured Fuzhou and Danzhou south of Yan'an Prefecture, but why did he go south to Tongguan?
And after taking Tongguan, where will he go?
Would they go east to attack Shanzhou, or would they go west to attack Chang'an? Logically, they should attack Chang'an in order to encircle Fuzhou and Danzhou from the south, but if so, why did they send out a separate force to clamp down on Shanzhou?
As Tongguan was cut off, communications to Chang'an had to go around Luoshui, which inevitably delayed them for a few days, which was really surprising.
In short, all kinds of doubts filled Zhao Jiu's mind, making it difficult for the Privy Council to come to a conclusion, which in turn caused doubts and indecision among the highest levels of the Song Dynasty.
However, the military situation was serious and could not be delayed at all. Therefore, the court held a meeting in the Wende Hall on the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, that is, the second day after receiving the news, despite the late hour. The four prime ministers, the military assistants of the Privy Council, the six ministers, the academicians and other close ministers, as well as the commanders of the imperial camp in Beijing and above were all present, but no one else was summoned. The court sought a decision and a quick response.
"The Jin army's military situation is unclear. Zhang Jun, Yue Fei and Zhang Rong should guard their defense zones carefully and not act rashly!" After the court meeting began, Wang Boyan, on behalf of the Privy Council, put forward a basic premise for response.
This premise was in fact recognized by the vast majority of people present.
Because these three places are directly facing the enemy-occupied areas, and behind them are the vital areas of the Song Dynasty. Behind Zhang Jun are Huainan and the southeast; behind Yue Fei and Zhang Rong are Tokyo and Nanjing, the heartland of Henan which has just shown some signs of improvement after suffering a large-scale invasion last year.
"The troops along the river in the imperial camp and the troops in Tokyo City should not be moved without permission." The discussion continued, and soon someone put forward a new opinion, which soon attracted some opposition.
"Then can we dispatch the imperial camp's rear troops to come to our aid?"
"We should send Han Shizhong to Luoyang, the Western Capital, to observe the situation and prepare for any eventuality..."
"Han Shizhong must be dispatched. His troops are recuperating in Huaixi, and they have the best supply of money, food and materials. This is to allow him to provide mobile support... But I don't think they should be dispatched to Luoyang, the Western Capital, but to Nanyang first. Once the situation is clear, we can move forward!"
"To go to Nanyang, we must naturally support Guanxi from Wuguan. However, in the evening, Guanxi has already sent an urgent message from Luoshui Road, saying that they have not yet..."
"Although Guanxi has been notified and has not been attacked, from the overall situation, Guanxi is more important. Once Guanxi is attacked, Tokyo will be out of reach. Therefore, if General Han really goes to Xijing, he may fall into the Jin people's plan of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, luring the tiger away from the mountain!"
"But if that's the case, what if Wanyan Loushi really attacks Shanzhou with all his strength? Shanzhou is so important, if it is lost, it will be truly isolated..."
"Can't we send the Eight Character Army to help? After all, Shanzhou is always closer to the Central Plains, and the transportation is convenient. If Wanyan Loushi really comes to attack Shanzhou, where can we not dispatch troops from the 200,000-strong army of the Imperial Camp to provide assistance?"
It has to be said that the court meeting was effective. At least it could help the ministers who knew nothing about military affairs to understand the situation a little.
But at the same time, we have to admit that the court discussion made some strategic choices clearly and accurately presented. For example, should the largest mobile corps, Han Shizhong's troops, go to Chang'an or Luoyang? Should the imperial camp rear army be sent to support? Can Wang Yan's eight-character army be properly dispatched to provide support to the west?
Every action has its pros and cons, but action must be taken, otherwise it will delay military opportunities. At this time, officials and ministers who have roughly understood the pros and cons need to come together to make the final decision.
Of course, after all, Zhao Guanjia had gone through two or three years of war, so he still had some experience and judgment. After a little thought, he came to a rough conclusion in his mind:
First, when disputes arise over military matters, experts should be listened to. Therefore, the opinions of Liu Ziyu, Hu Hongxiu and other military officers, and generals such as Wang Yuan, Qu Duan, Wang De and Wang Yan should be the main ones in these disputes.
Secondly, Zhao Jiu himself always felt that Wanyan Loushi's dispatch of troops this time was a bit strange and seemed confusing, but this confusing performance combined with Wanyan Loushi's reputation made people not be careless... Therefore, on the one hand, it is necessary to leave enough room for the overall strategy, and on the other hand, to go all out against Wanyan Loushi's main force that appeared first.
"I have made up my mind."
After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Jiu spoke sternly from his throne.
As the candlelight flickered, twenty or thirty people in the hall listened in solemn silence.
"Han Shizhong left Nanyang, went through Wuguan, and went to Chang'an." Zhao Jiu spoke first.
"I second the motion." Lu Haowen, standing at the steps in the hall, answered first. The other three ministers also bowed in unison to show that they seconded the motion.
Of course I second the motion! Do you still want to object?
This was originally a matter of choosing one between two options. The pros and cons had been made very clear. Emperor Zhao was supposed to choose one on the spot , and then the ministers would second the proposal to reach a central decision.
Therefore, once this was said, no one argued about the matter anymore. The close ministers, such as Mr. Kobayashi, who were waiting nearby, had already started drafting the decree on the spot according to the old practice of the Bagua Mountain on the Huai River.
The government makes the decision, the ministers agree, the imperial edict is issued, and once it is completed, it becomes an unquestionable military and national order that represents the highest authority of the empire.
"Officials."
Emperor Zhao made a strategic decision first. Just as he was about to continue, the commander of the imperial camp, Wang Yuan, suddenly stepped out and reminded everyone of a small matter: "Everyone knows that Xin Xingzong, the commander of Wuguan, and Han Shizhong have a grudge against each other. We must be on guard against important military and national affairs and avoid any unprovoked changes."
Zhao Jiu suddenly realized something, but he turned around and ordered the minister who was writing the imperial edict: "Hanlin scholar Lin Jingmo."
"I'm here!" Lin Jingmo's heart skipped a beat, but his body moved neither hurriedly nor slowly.
"Once the decree is complete, you will deliver it in person. Then I will give you a golden medal. You must follow Han Shizhong to Chang'an and ensure that no trouble occurs along the way."
Lin Jingmo calmly bowed his head and accepted the order, then continued to write the decree with his head down.
"It's not just that." After being reminded, Zhao Jiufu gave another order. "Let the Imperial Academy scholar Li Ruopu go to the army of Li Yanxian in Shanzhou, the Imperial Censor Wanqi Xie go to Jezhou to look for Yue Fei, the Secretary Fan Zongyin go to Xuzhou to look for Zhang Jun... The Attendant Yu Yunwen go to Baimajin to look for Zhang Rong... All of you who go to the army have my authority on gold medals, but you are not allowed to interfere in military affairs. I want you to coordinate the conflicts between the armies and ease the inappropriateness between the local and the army."
Those whose names were called out included Lee Ruo-puk and Beom Jong-yin, who were present and took their place at the time.
However, the Minister of Revenue Lin Qifu suggested that since Yu Yunwen was Zhang Rong's son-in-law, he should avoid suspicion, and that he was too inexperienced to be qualified for the position... The key point was that the situation at Zhang Rong's place was normal right now, and there was no need to send his son-in-law over to show sincerity. Doing so would not only make the situation seem too tense, but also show that he did not trust Zhang Rong and his son-in-law enough.
Zhao Jiu, who had been hesitant about the appointment, came to his senses immediately and changed the candidate again. He asked a censor named Li Ruoxu, who was another brother of Li Ruoshui and Li Ruopu, to go to Baimajin to coordinate... and this was the purpose of the court meeting. If the decision really required flipping a coin, it would naturally be made by Emperor Zhao, but it would not delay the ministers from filling the vacancies.
After this matter was settled, Zhao Jiu made another decision. The rear army of the imperial camp would not be dispatched and would remain in the southeast... Although this matter had some twists and turns, it was still passed calmly with the support of the prime ministers.
"As for Shanzhou..."
Finally, Zhao Jiu calmed down a little when he came to the last key question. "For Shanzhou, we should send the left and right deputy commanders of the imperial camp (Wang Yan and Wang De) to the west to provide support."
"If the central army of the imperial camp provides support from the west, what about Tokyo?" Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei could not help but ask.
"Let Yue Fei send some troops to assist in the defense first." Zhao Jiu responded calmly. "In fact, even if a large group of Jin troops really came to take Dongjing, they couldn't just drop from the sky... They would either cross the river from the north, or go around Jingdong from the east, or come from Shanzhou in the west... But no matter where they come from, as long as we make proper arrangements, we will always be able to dispatch troops in time to deal with them based on the current deployment of the imperial camp. On the contrary, if Wanyan Loushi suddenly went south and we lost our composure, we wouldn't dare to do this, and we couldn't do that, which would probably play into the Jin's hands."
Zhu Shengfei remained silent immediately.
"And I've thought about it." Zhao Jiu became calmer as he spoke. "Although Wanyan Loushi's southward march was very strange, his forces were there before he increased his troops. According to Li Yanxian's report, they were about 40,000 to 50,000. According to the intelligence from Taihang Mountain in Hebei, the various fierce and powerful men in Hebei have not moved. His Western Route Army also has to guard important towns such as Taiyuan, Yan'an, and Hezhong Prefecture. So the number of troops he can mobilize at the moment is only 40,000 to 50,000... And with this kind of force, against our current military deployment that took a year, if he attacks Chang'an, he can't take care of Shanzhou; if he attacks Shanzhou, he can't take care of Chang'an; if he takes both sides, he can't take both sides!"
The atmosphere in the hall relaxed for a moment, and even Liu Ziyu, Hu Hongxiu, Wang Yuan and other people who knew about military affairs in the hall nodded slowly to show their agreement.
"And it's not just that," Zhao Jiu continued. "In my opinion, no matter where he takes, as long as he can't succeed in one strike... it doesn't matter if he can succeed in one strike... because our troops are there, as long as we arrange them properly, let the armies on the east and west calmly work together, properly rescue, and attack together... I can't say we will win, but we should be able to force him back."
The atmosphere in the hall became more relaxed, and several generals who had not had the right to speak took the opportunity to shout, in order to show their loyalty and recklessness.
Of course, in the midst of relaxation, some people could not help but express some objections: "Sir, although the various armies are now all imperial troops, and most of them also have the title of imperial camp, because the commanders have great power, they are responsible for the promotion of money, food, soldiers and horses, and in fact they are independent factions. For example, privately, Li Yanxian's army is simply called the Li Family Army or the Shanzhou Army, Han Shizhong's army is called the Han Family Army or the Huaixi Army, and Yue Fei's army and Zhang Jun's army are naturally the Yue Family Army and the Zhang Family Army. Although the Western Army is a little weak at the moment, , but they have been an independent army for hundreds of years, and they have their own elite and confidence. Why would the court let them obey orders, make proper arrangements, and then willingly spend their own troops and money to properly attack and rescue others? Once the court has an order, they may not dare to openly disobey it, but what if they just don't go? Just because the court sent a few scholars and servants who can only write, can it force tens of thousands of troops to go head-on with a famous general like Wanyan Loushi? "
The person who spoke was Qu Duan, but unexpectedly, after this statement was made, many people nodded, and no one blamed him for despising those close ministers and showing some malice towards the generals... Because what Qu Da said was the truth, the Song army had always been so unbearable, and watching the friendly army destroyed was a traditional art. As for the current generals and ministers with great power, it was correct for the people to call them that.
Zhao Jiu seemed to have expected this, so he simply expressed his final thoughts on the throne: "So, I plan to leave the prime minister in Tokyo, and I will go to Luoyang, the Western Capital, to take charge... Because without me, no one can control Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, the Western Army, and the Imperial Camp Central Army to work together... What do you think?"
