Volume 3 Chapter 60 Thoughts
"I am sending troops against the will of heaven..."
It was late April, and it was undoubtedly summer. The weather was getting hotter and the heat was hard to hide. In Fangzhou, at the mouth of the Ju River where it meets the Beiluo River, Wanyan Loushi, who was soaked in sweat, sat under the shade of a tree not far from the river. Looking at the soldiers around him who were huddled in the shade, he couldn't help feeling emotional.
Moreover, when they went out of northern Shaanxi this time, Loushi concentrated most of the Meng'an and Mouke troops of the Western Route Army, but did not bring enough Han'er reinforcements. This significantly improved the combat effectiveness, but also made some things too obvious:
First, as the weather got hotter, it became increasingly difficult for the elite troops from Liaodong and Yanyun to adapt to the heat, not to mention that many of the elite Jurchen troops from the Western Route Army came from the Anchuhu River (now Harbin). Lou Shi could not imagine the continuous rainy scene when the battle continued into late summer and early autumn. That would not only be a disaster for the cavalry in his hands, but also for his own body.
Secondly, the northern Shaanxi region is a typical hilly plateau. This special terrain allows cavalry to fight in local battlefields, but it is difficult to exert strategic mobility advantages. This makes logistics difficult and large-scale mobile warfare almost becomes a luxury.
Therefore, in Lou Shi's view, this battle may be necessary from the perspective of national strategy and personal needs, but when it comes to the current battle level, it is a battle without the advantage of time and place... The only hope is the harmony of people. Relying on this group of core elite cavalry of the Jin army from Liaodong, Yanyun, and even from the banks of the Hushui River, and relying on his own determination, he will decide the battle in one go.
The sun was setting, and the main force of the Jin army, which had marched here with great effort, rested for a while. As their breath gradually calmed down, most of the Jin soldiers got up and went to the Beiluo River and Ju River to cool off. However, the Han army, under the scolding of Deputy Governor Wanyan Balisu, began to set up camp by the river under the scorching sun.
At this time, the army commander Lou Shi was still leaning against the big tree, closing his eyes and concentrating. No one around dared to disturb him easily... Of course, Lou Shi had already stopped thinking about anything else at this time, and focused his energy on the current battle situation.
By the way, Wanyan Loushi led the elite of the Western Route Army south this time, with a specific force of about 50,000 to 60,000. Among them, the elite combat soldiers under the pure Meng'an and Mouke systems were barely less than 40,000, and there were 10,000 to 20,000 Han'er supplementary soldiers, who were archers and auxiliary soldiers… The reason for this is that under the Meng'an and Mouke system, there are definitely ten Meng'ans for every Wanhu, but there are often only five or six or even four or five Moukes in each Meng'an. Usually, if a Wanhu wants to actually lead 10,000 soldiers, it is often four or five thousand cavalry under the Meng'an and Mouke system, plus four or five thousand Han'er supplementary soldiers.
But this time, in order to ensure a quick dispatch of troops and to ensure combat effectiveness under limited logistical conditions, Loushi did not mobilize too many Han auxiliary troops... Those troops were handed over to the nominal commander, the Third Prince Wanyan Erlido, who should be about to arrive in Hezhong Prefecture at this time.
As for the 50,000 or 60,000 people, there are only 30,000 or 40,000 left now... This is not to say that Lou Shi suffered a lot of losses, but it is a natural division of troops and consumption.
First of all, of course, there are necessary defense and garrison troops. Under such terrain conditions and supply conditions, no one dares to underestimate this aspect. However, there are too many gullies and ravines along the way, and it seems that a village should be built and some soldiers should be left everywhere... Not to mention, there are also Yan'an Prefecture, Luojiao City and other important places.
Secondly, it was Wanyan Huo Nu who led a detachment of about 10,000 troops, split up from the Yan River early, went south along the Yellow River, captured Danzhou, and eyed Tongzhou.
Needless to say, Huo Nu performed very well along the way and Danzhou was easily captured. As for being blocked in Tongzhou a few days ago... To be honest, it should have been like this, because the people stationed in Tongzhou were the first general of the Southern Dynasty, Han Shizhong, and his 30,000 to 40,000-strong Imperial Camp Left Army. Moreover, there was a real Liangshan Mountain Range between Danzhou and Tongzhou. Coupled with the weather, if 10,000 people could really break through Tongzhou, then Huo Nu could really replace his father's position.
Therefore, after arriving at the confluence of the Ju River and the Beiluo River, although Wanyan Loushi theoretically still had 70,000 households, he only had about 30,000 to 40,000 troops.
Of course, most of them were the real core combat force of "invincible even with tens of thousands of troops". There were only tens of thousands of such troops on that day, but Lou Shi was able to rely on them to defeat the 200,000-strong Western Army, so there was no mistake.
After taking stock of the troops in his mind, Lou Shi began to think about the advance route for his main force.
This main force basically marched along the Beiluo River, and the two most important defense nodes on the Beiluo River were both in the upper reaches... One was the Diaoyin Pass that Qu Duan had managed for a long time, but it lost its strategic role after being breached by Wanyan Huonu's detachment in Danzhou on the flank, and the defending general Wu Lin chose to give up retreating; the other was Luojiao City next to the main road of the Beiluo River, but it was easily breached by Lou Shi's army, and the defending generals, brothers Wu Jie and Wu Lin, were separated into two, one heading west and the other heading south, and fled in embarrassment.
Therefore, up to now, the Jin army has already taken Fuzhou and Danzhou, and has officially pressed into Fangzhou and is eyeing Tongzhou.
From here on, not to mention the Danzhou detachment, the road faced by the main force is divided into three.
One of the roads is naturally along the Beiluo River, continuing to the southeast from the east bank of the Beiluo River, and the front of this road is none other than Tongzhou where Han Shizhong is stationed... This is a relatively "royal" road. The army will go south along this road, with the Danzhou Living Women Army as support on the flanks. In addition, with Fucheng, an important town on the east bank of the Luo River in hand, they can ensure a worry-free retreat. They can calmly attack Han Shizhong with Wanyan Living Women from Danzhou. At the same time, they can also attract attention for another large main force from Hedong, including the Third Prince Wanyan Erlido and Wanyan Wushu, to facilitate their crossing of the river.
In fact, this is also the place where most people guess the decisive battle will take place.
Another route is also to go south along the Beiluo River, but to go from the west bank of the Beiluo River, take Huazhou, and then go through Fuping, Sanyuan and other places on the border of Huazhou and Yaozhou, officially turn into the Weibei Plain, and approach Jingzhao... Once here, Han Shizhong will most likely be forced to abandon Tongzhou and turn back to support Chang'an, and the Hedong army will naturally be able to cross the river smoothly.
The third route is also to reach Jingzhao, but to go southwest from here, to capture Fangzhou City, and then turn to Yaozhou in the southwest. As long as Tongguan (later Tongchuan) and Huayuan (later Yaoxian) are captured, Fuping, Sanyuan and other gateways to the north of Wei will be within sight.
There are three roads, from west to east, Yaozhou, Huazhou and Tongzhou. Any road can be taken, but one must be chosen. It is ridiculous to divide the troops into three routes... and among them, Lou Shi had already rejected Tongzhou, which most people guessed.
This is not to say that Lou Shi was really afraid of Han Shizhong, but he was worried that he would waste too much time in Tongzhou... The road in northern Shaanxi was too difficult to travel, and he had already wasted a lot of time... If he was delayed in Tongzhou any further, not to mention the possibility of exhausting himself to death, just the thought of wasting more than a month would be unbearable for Lou Shi.
Moreover, the current situation is different from the past. Lou Shi vaguely feels that even if Han Shizhong is defeated, it may not necessarily win the decisive battle. On the contrary, if he entangles with Han Shizhong in Tongzhou, will it give the Song people more time to gather? At that time, will more troops continue to gather in the Weihe River area to defend Jingzhao regardless of Han Shizhong's defeat in the front? Will the Hedong army run out of food and grass?
The place and the people have changed. With the Zhao official family who is determined to fight behind them, it is impossible to analyze and view the Song people with the previous perspective.
The idea that a victory in the front would lead to the collapse of the Song army in the rear is absolutely unacceptable.
But if the other two routes were taken, that is, directly abandoning Tongzhou and invading the Weishui River to force Han Shizhong to withdraw, it would be necessary to ensure that there were sufficient retreat routes on the west bank of the Luoshui River. In other words, whether it was Huazhou or Yaozhou, the capital of Fangzhou should be captured first.
"Is Wu Li Bu not back yet?"
With this thought in mind, Lou Shi slowly opened his eyes, first looked at the sun which was already getting yellow, and then asked his second son Wanyan Mouyan, who was standing beside him with a sword in his hand.
Wulibu means savings in the Jurchen language. There are not many Jurchen officers with this name, just like it is common for Han people to name themselves Zhang Facai or Fu.
The Wulibu that Loushi was asking about could only be Jiagu Wulibu, one of the two full-numbered Hezhameng'ans that Loushi brought with him on this expedition...
I have to say a little more here.
The so-called Hezhameng'an means the imperial guards. Before the founding of the country, only a few people such as Aguda, Wuqimai and Nianhan were qualified to have them. There were only six of them in total. After the founding of the country, many nobles kept them. It is very likely that they were the real origin of the Iron Pagoda. But in any case, these six were still the most elite. Nianhan was also very generous. This time he brought both of his Hezhan Meng'an to Loushi... One was led by Jiagu Wulibusuo, and the other was led by Pucha Huzhan.
As for why Lou Shi was asking about Wulibu now, it was because according to the Jin people's tradition of marching, once a battle was won, in order to ensure that the victory was expanded at the lowest cost, they would often send an extremely elite cavalry to follow forward, trying to scare the city into breaking, or to expand the victory with the defeated army. This time, the one who followed Wu Jie was none other than Jiagu Wulibu, who led a group of Hezhameng'an.
"I'm back... I handed over the order to Balisu, but I didn't dare to disturb my father because he was resting his eyes." Mou Yan hurried forward two steps to answer. "But according to him, Wu Jie didn't panic after fleeing to Fangzhou City. The city's defenses were still tight, so he didn't succeed. Instead, he suffered a small loss, so he simply withdrew directly."
Lou Shi's expression remained unchanged, he just nodded: "The Wu brothers are both rare generals. We can see from the fact that they were able to gather their troops and gain a foothold after several defeats. It doesn't matter if Wu Libu suffers a loss..."
Wanyan Mouyan also nodded: "Indeed, the Wu brothers are also quite capable in battle. Not to mention the time when they were ambushed by the eldest brother at the river at the beginning of the year, they were attacked by cavalry several times in the field battle, and no one could do anything about it... But a few days ago in Luojiao, they didn't lose many soldiers. Wu Jie took away four to five thousand, and Wu Lin also took away two to three thousand."
"You brothers are not as good as their brothers." Lou Shi nodded again, with no expression on his thin, yellowish face.
Mou Yan was just saying a few words casually in line with his father's words. When he heard the other party's conclusion, he naturally felt dissatisfied, but he didn't dare to say more.
"Go find Bali and come quickly." Lou Shi didn't care about his second son's thoughts at all, and just gave the order casually. "Call the Wanhu and Deli Meng'an in the army, I want to issue a military order."
Mou Yan did not dare to delay, but left in a hurry.
After a moment, hearing the commander-in-chief's call, the commander and deputy commander Wanyan Balisu, including commander Wanyan Tuhesu, commander Yelu Mawu, commander Wanyan Salihe, commander Wanyan Zhehe, two Hezhamengans Jiagu Wulibu and Pucha Huzhan, a total of more than ten people, rushed to the riverside.
There were more than ten people, almost everyone of whom had several personal guards with him, and for a moment the area around the tree was noisy.
However, when Lou Shi, who was sitting cross-legged under the tree, raised his head and looked around, the noise disappeared immediately. Even the deputy commander-in-chief Wanyan Balisu, who had inherited his brother Yin Shuke's position in the Western Army and was in charge of daily military affairs in this expedition, immediately put his hands down and stood still, as obedient as a mouse seeing a cat. There was no trace of the heroic spirit that he had shown in the past when he confronted the Fourth Prince in Wanyan Wushu's army.
"Wulibu." Lou Shi didn't say anything extra, and glanced at one of them. "How is the capital of Fangzhou? How many troops are needed to prepare for it?"
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief." Jiagu Wulibu also bowed solemnly. "The city is not big, but the surrounding terrain is difficult, with ravines everywhere. If you want to attack the city, you can only cross the river from the north. But the Song people not only diverted the Ju River around the city as a moat, but also there is a mountain on the north side of the river that stretches to the river. The nearest mountain is dozens of feet high, and the mountain is full of rocks and potholes. The Song people also prepared a stockade on it early, controlling the main road and open space in the north of the city. The open space is not big, and it can be filled with two or three thousand people... I was shot by arrows there, and it was boring, so I just took a look at the rocks on the mountain and came back."
"That means the troops cannot be deployed, and Wu Jie has already made preparations for this city. We must first capture the camp and then attack the city?" Lou Shi frowned slightly.
"That's what I mean." Wu Li Bu bowed again.
"Can we go around to the south of the city?"
"Perhaps, but we don't know the terrain. We might get lost in the ravines, and there are no people in the villages along the way... It will take time."
"Who's going?" Lou Shi nodded, not caring any more, but looking directly at the group of extremely quiet Wanhu.
"I'll go!"
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. At this moment, Wanyan Tuhesu, who was already somewhat impatient, suddenly stepped forward, but he puffed out his chest and belly, holding his waist and responded. "I, Tuhesu, am best at fighting on foot!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was a burst of laughter under the shade of the tree, and the surrounding attendants also laughed.
As a famous general of the Western Route Army, Tu Hesu had many classic battles. It was he who killed Zhong Shizhong in Taiyuan that day. However, the infantry battle he mentioned this time was referring to another battle.
Specifically, after the capture of Taiyuan, the Jin army swept across Hedong and finally reached Shizhou (now Lishi, Shanxi). The Song army successfully resisted the Jin army several times by relying on the mountain roads. The Jin army lost three generals in a row and could only ask for help from Tuhesu in Taiyuan. When Tuhesu arrived in Shizhou, he observed the terrain and thought that they should dismount and fight on foot.
As a result, the Jin army general who was in charge of the battle, either because he was afraid or trying to find excuses for his defeat, told Tuhesu that the Song people knew magic and had talismans like the God of Speed tied to their feet, so they could run faster than horses. If the Jin army abandoned their horses and fought against the Song people, it would be even more difficult.
As a result, Tuhesu sneered on the spot, then ordered the entire army to dismount and engage in a mountain infantry battle with the Song army, strangling the Song army in Shizhou to death...historical books call it "annihilating them all."
Lou Shi was actually dissatisfied with Tuhesu's arrogance and frivolity, but on the one hand, Tuhesu was indeed a brave man in battle; secondly, as the weather got hotter and the soldiers gradually became tired, he was just going to take advantage of the other party's momentum; thirdly, he really didn't want to continue dragging on the road.
So, Lou Shi smiled and said to Tuhesu under the tree: "In this case, Fangzhou City will be handed over to Tuhesu. Your ten Meng'an and forty-seven Mouke should be enough. You can also use the Haner Army at will... Rest for a day today and go again tomorrow, how about that!"
"General, please wait here for a day. I will send someone to pick you up and bring you into the city tomorrow night." Tuhesu immediately bowed and responded.
Lou Shi did not say anything. He just raised his hand slightly and pulled away from Su. Tu Hesu and the others then dispersed, leaving Lou Shi alone to continue thinking under the tree... Not long after, as the sun moved further west, the pale yellow sunlight began to shine on Lou Shi's face, which made his already sallow complexion react a little. However, he looked at the sunset that was no longer dazzling and fell into deep thought for a while without saying a word. No one knew what he was thinking about.
Without mentioning how the number one general of the Jin army attained enlightenment under the tree, let's just say that in the evening of that day, at almost the same time, in the north of Fangzhou City, which is only twenty miles away from the mouth of the Ju Luo River, there was also a sallow-faced general under a tree by the river, pondering the situation... It was none other than Wu Jie, the Wu Jinglüe, who had suffered a series of defeats in the past few months.
However, unlike Lou Shi who was extremely anxious but remained calm, Wu Jie and Wu Jinqing pondered for a long time and suddenly began to wipe their tears under the tree, and they couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
The officers who were ordered to follow around were panicked, and many soldiers who were digging horse pits on the road nearby turned back in shock, which made the accompanying officers feel even more embarrassed.
Unfortunately, at this time, Wu Gong (Wu Jie's adopted son and biological brother) escorted Hu Jinglüe to Ningzhou. In addition, the army had suffered a series of defeats before and the main force of the Jin army was just 20 miles away. More importantly, those who had followed Wu Jie for a long time knew that the newly appointed Jinglüe was well-known in the Guanxi army for his love of reading history books and for learning to do tricks from books. No one knew what the result would be if they stepped forward to take action... So, for a while, no one dared to persuade him.
However, Wu Jie cried more and more sadly, and the noise became louder and louder. The officers around him could not escape, and after a shove, a leading officer named Wang Xi, who was from the Deshun Army and was considered a trusted general of Wu Jie's hometown, was pushed out by his colleagues and was forced to bite the bullet and ask:
"Jinglüe, didn't Lord Yuwen not investigate our defeats in Danzhou and Fuzhou? Instead, he just promoted you to Jinglüe Envoy. Why are you still crying?"
"That's because I, Wu Da, still know what is shame!" Wu Jie immediately stopped talking and turned around, then shouted at him, but he regained his usual calm and stern demeanor. "At the beginning, when Qu Da resigned, there was no one available in northern Shaanxi, so the court and the government valued me, but now I have been defeated again and again, and many generals have gathered in Guanxi, but the government and the court still treat me like this, how can I be shameless?! You should also know shame! We must defend this Fangzhou City this time!"
The officers knew that the other party had cried so much just to say these words to motivate them. Moreover, when they retreated to the city, they found that a military camp had been built outside the city, military supplies piled up like mountains, and even dozens of crossbows were placed in the military camp on the hill outside the city and on the city wall... If they had known that the other party wanted to hold on here, they would have responded one after another, saying that they wanted to learn from Wu Jinglie to be ashamed.
"Shame on you!" Wu Jie looked at them coldly for a long time, his tears wiped away by the yellow dust on the road, and then he stood up and continued to curse his subordinates. "Do you think I don't know what you think? You all just think I am pretending to be nice and forcing you to work hard... Of course I want to force you to work hard... But do I lack rewards for you or do I treat you unfairly?"
Hearing these seemingly realistic words, Wang Xi, Wang Wu and other trusted generals who were born as soldiers of De Shun immediately felt overwhelmed and stepped forward to request a battle, saying that they wanted to defend the military camp on the hill outside the city.
However, the two leading generals had just opened their mouths, but before they could finish their words, a gust of wind blew up the yellow soil dug out from the road construction project. Their mouths were filled with sand and dust, which was a little unbearable, so they had to keep silent, and Wu Jie burst into tears again.
The governor had no choice but to turn his back and cover his face with his hands, then continued to scold: "I just want to ask you, how do you know that I am not ashamed from the bottom of my heart today? You usually don't read books, but do you know that the deep mountain in the north is the tomb of our ancestor Huangdi? And is the court's favor fake? Is the government's generosity fake? Even a scum like Qu Da came back alive and became a governor, can you still say that the government treats us warriors fake? Under the ancestor's tomb, the court has shown me such favor. If I retreat and fail again, how can I live in this world with my face?"
These words were quite serious. Generals Wang Xi and Wang Wu took the lead, and all the generals knelt down together, swore and vowed that they would never retreat again, otherwise they would be struck by lightning.
Wu Jinglie wiped his face clean for the second time, but asked coldly: "If we retreat again, what if there is no thunder in the sky?"
The generals were all confused. Finally, Wang Xi drew his sword and faced Wu Jie, saying, "Then please punish me according to military law."
"Of course I can punish you by military law." Wu Jie stepped forward to take the knife and stroked the blade with his hand. "But if you want to punish me by military law, I know you won't be truly convinced... Because I, Wu Jie, was defeated several times, too. If I want to punish you, shouldn't I be punished first?"
At this point, the generals were really at their wits' end, so no one said a word this time.
"How about this." Wu Jie returned the knife to Wang Xi, and then said coldly, "Let's write off the previous things... From today on, let's learn from the official's old days on Huaishang and set a new rule. Anyone who dares to retreat behind me without permission during a battle will be killed without mercy!"
The generals felt that today's mess could finally be put to an end, and they all breathed a sigh of relief, and they began to swear again... This time, at least there was no sandstorm... And when the generals finished swearing and swearing, Wang Xi and others took the opportunity to invite Wu Jie to enter the city from the suspension bridge. It was said that the officers in the city had contributed money to hold a banquet to celebrate the new Wu Jinglüe.
When Wu Jie heard this, his face darkened, but he headed towards the northern mountain stronghold. After walking a few steps, he turned back in front of the stunned generals and continued coldly: "I know that no matter how much I say from my heart today, even if I cut out my heart and liver for you Western Army bastards to see, you bastards may not believe it. Only I, Wu Da, can lead by example to convince you... More than 4,000 soldiers, divide them into two, pick out some good archers and give them to me, Wu Da, I will lead them to guard the mountain, and you go to guard the city. This city can be broken, but to break it, I, the general, must be killed first, that's all."
Having said that, Wu Jie did not look back, but walked past the busy road construction and went straight to the military camp on the opposite mountain.
When he reached the camp on the top of the mountain, he held onto a strange rock and looked up in all directions. To the east was the main force of tens of thousands of elite Jin people. To the south was Chang'an, where the government had secretly arrived according to the people who conveyed the imperial edict. To the west was Ningzhou, where Hu Jinglüe, who had been extremely kind to his brothers, was staying. And deep in the mountains to the north was the tomb of their ancestor Huangdi... He stared for a long time, lowered his head, and walked towards the camp, but he couldn't help shedding tears three times.
As for the officers who had been following him, they naturally hurried to catch up.
