Volume 3 Chapter 72: Rush to Help
Wanyan Wushu and Han Chang abandoned their baggage and crossed Longmen at night. It was dawn when they crossed the river. That day was May 27th, the fourth year of Jianyan in the Song Dynasty/the eighth year of Tianhui in the Jin Dynasty.
At noon that day, not to mention how Wuzhu led 20,000 people to travel 100 miles a day and 200 miles for two consecutive days, the news of his crossing the river had already been continuously transmitted by scouts and sent along the banks of the Yellow River to the commander-in-chief of this expedition, Wanyan Erlido of Hezhong Prefecture.
The weather was hot. Erlido, who had been living in a temple somewhere in the city, was discussing Buddhist issues with a monk under the shade of a tree. When he saw the Jin officer coming towards him seriously with a sword in hand, the monk took the initiative to stand up and salute, and said goodbye to avoid suspicion.
"Cross the river?" Erlido, who was dressed in cloth, stood up absentmindedly to see the monk off, turned around and said something.
"Yes." The officer was caught off guard and could only nod his head. "That's all the scout said."
“Just cross the river, just cross the river!” For some reason, even though he knew that the decisive battle was about to begin, Erlido felt his whole body relax. He then sat down on a stone bench under the shade of a tree, sighing for a moment.
In the final analysis, this battle was truly difficult...or rather, this battle truly made the Jin army feel anew the kind of hardship they had not experienced for a long time.
Moreover, since the Jingkang Incident, the Zhao Song Dynasty was like a beheaded country, almost on the verge of national destruction, and the Jin army completely regarded the Song army as nothing.
At that time, they abandoned the Central Plains and Guanzhong which they had already conquered and turned back. It was not because they did not want to take over this colorful world, but because they were already too full and had not yet swallowed up the fertile land of Hebei. There must be a first come first served, right?
However, who would have thought that after more than half a year, it was true that Hebei was easily swallowed up, but the Zhao Song Dynasty had revived, and there were resistance forces everywhere. Huazhou was difficult to cross, Shaanxi was lost again, and Huai was blocked. A group of refugees, defeated soldiers, and fugitive officials brought the Zhao Song Dynasty back to life.
Therefore, a year later, the Jin Kingdom learned its lesson and only wanted to destroy the Zhao Song central government and then support its vassal states along the Yellow River. Knowing that their appetite was limited, they took it slow and took their time. However, this time they suffered an unimaginable defeat on the front battlefield. Talan fled in embarrassment and the eastern and western armies failed.
More than a year passed, and this time, due to Lou Shi's strong instigation, the Jin army concentrated its forces and came again in a fierce manner, but the Song army was no longer the same as before... For four years, the emperor was recognized by both inside and outside the country that he was sleeping on straw and tasting gall, and the ministers did not dare to talk about peace. The political structure was maintained as stable as possible. Then, with these and the money and food from the southeast, Lianghuai, Jingxiang, and Bashu, he exchanged for the resurgence of 200,000 imperial camp troops and tens of thousands of Western troops.
From the East China Sea to Longshang, the battle line stretched for thousands of miles. The two sides fought back and forth across the Yellow River, advancing and retreating against each other... The Jin army had not fought such a formal war for a long time.
Although all the high-ranking officers of the Jin army knew that the quality of the soldiers and armor of the opposing Song army was inferior to theirs, and the number of cavalry was ridiculously small, and everyone had confidence in Loushi and the Western Army, this huge battle situation and the momentum of mutual exchanges still made Wanyan Erlido, who originally thought he was just here to receive credit, feel tremendous pressure.
In fact, from the beginning of this military expedition, from the very beginning of mobilization, Erlido and his brother Wuzhu talked about many things in the army... They talked about the political situation in Huining Prefecture and Yanjing, the situation in Song and Jin, the great migration of people in Shanxi, the conflict between Meng'an and Mouke in Hebei and the local Han people, and the young Zhao Song official in the south.
After the war broke out in Hezhong Prefecture, they talked about Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Lou Shi and Yin Shuke. As they talked, they learned that the raid on Luoyang was successful, but what happened next was difficult for Erlido to understand.
Luoyang City was broken, and under the dragon flag there was only an empty city and a prime minister left behind. This was nothing. The key was that this successful surprise attack did not cause huge ripples in the war situation. Sishui Pass could not be taken for a long time, and the ancient road of Xiaomian was blocked tightly... It seemed that the fall of Luoyang City was just the fall of Luoyang City, and the previous situation of the whole line being broken due to the break of one point had completely disappeared.
Then, there was the information that Yue Fei led 40,000 Song troops to appear in Hebei.
At this time, Erliduo didn't know whether the calmness of the Song army on the south bank was fake, but he was sure that the East Route Army was really panicking! Every Meng'an, every Mouke, and every Puliyan was worried about their family's property, men and women, and houses. Even though Damingfu still had tens of thousands of troops led by Talai, Gao Jingshan and others, they were still worried.
With no other options, Erlido could only agree to the collective petition of these officers and send 40,000 troops back north to force back the Song army through Huguan... This move was almost equivalent to giving up the plan of forcing a crossing from Shanzhou or Tongzhou.
Yue Pengju's actual strategic goal of crossing the north this time was achieved from the very beginning.
However, from the moment he responded, the Third Prince directly agreed in his heart with many of his fourth brother Wanyan Wushu's views, and also approved the latter's plan to lead 20,000 troops to Longmen Ferry for support... Because Erlido was fully aware that no matter what, the relationship between Song and Jin was no longer the simple relationship of crushing each other as before.
Even if they win this time and take Guanzhong, it will still be the same... unless the Zhao Song official, who is regarded by his fourth brother as the root of the Song army's attitude, is eliminated in this battle along with the main force of the Song army.
"Third Prince..."
Seeing the commander in chief was distracted, the officer who came to report was a little hesitant. "Since the Fourth Prince has crossed the river, should we do something here?"
Erliduo suddenly came to his senses and nodded immediately. He also felt that it was a bit too much to push all the things and responsibilities to the fourth prince alone. However, although the third prince felt that he had to do something, he had little experience in battle... After all, since the time of Aguda, the four older princes had their own division of labor. The eldest, Wanyan Wuben, was often Aguda's personal guard; the second, Wulibu, was often the commander-in-chief; the fourth was young at that time and was often the vanguard; and the third, Erliduo, was often stationed in the camp.
To put it nicely, this job is called planning and strategizing, but to put it bluntly, it is watching over the house and supervising the battle, so Erlido had no idea how to share the burden with Wuzhu.
"We can concentrate our troops and attack Pinglu, so that the Song army will focus on this area!" The officer said cautiously . "Our current strength is not appropriate. If we force a crossing of Puzhou, I'm afraid it will backfire. On the contrary, Pinglu is an isolated city that has not been conquered for days. It's okay to hesitate a little before in order to sneak across to Luoyang, but there is no need to be cautious now..."
Erlido nodded immediately.
It turned out that Pinglu had not yet been captured by the Jin army.
A day passed, and peace came on May 28th... Early in the morning of that day, the Hedong Jin army, which had already laid siege to the city, launched a massive attack on Pinglu. Li Yanxian personally commanded the troops to cross the river from Shanzhou City to provide support. The battle was fierce for a while. As the two closest war zones, they were also the two war zones with the highest degree of relevance to the actual war. Li Yanxian did not forget to immediately send a battle report to Han Shizhong, asking the latter to be prepared.
At noon, Han Shizhong received the notice, but he was hesitant... because the sea at Puzhou Ferry was calm.
Moreover, Han Liangchen, as a general of the highest rank, was one of the few people who, like Li Yanxian, had a thorough understanding of the entire battle situation. In fact, he and Li Yanxian were probably the two people who knew the battle situation best on the entire battlefield… He knew very well the fall of Luoyang, and Zhao Jiu did not hide from him the fact that Yue Fei crossed the river to the north. He also knew that the Beiwei Army had secretly crossed to Chang'an. Even though others did not know that the Jin army had separated large forces to head north, it was impossible for him to be unaware of it with a river between them.
Moreover, just yesterday, he had received a handwritten document from the government stating that a decisive battle might take place in the next two days, asking him to be careful in the directions of Puzhen and Longmen.
But now, Puzhindu was too peaceful, and it was the already unimportant Pinglu City that was under siege.
In just a moment, Han Shizhong, who was stationed on the bank of the Yellow River, smelled a scent that made him nervous, fearful, yet excited. He immediately sent a messenger to order the troops stationed in the Liangshan area to cross the Liangshan area, divided into several groups of thousands of people, and conduct forward reconnaissance... The battlefield was so large that Han Shizhong had no reason not to think of Longmen Ferry.
Of course, it would not matter much if Han Shizhong smelled these things at this time, because according to Lou Shi's arrangement, this day should be the moment of the decisive battle.
It should be too late for everything.
However, until the day Han Shizhong sent his messenger northward on horseback, the entire Yaoshan-Wulongshan-Baishui area was as peaceful as ever.
Until noon, Lou Shi did not send out any troops, and the entire Jin army camp was the same as in the previous few days.
If there is any difference, it is that the weather is a little dull, but it still doesn't rain.
By the afternoon, Lou Shi still had not sent out troops, while Han Shizhong's troops deployed on the south side of Liangshan, such as Dong Min's 3,000 troops, had already begun to hurriedly scout northward.
At this time, Song army commander Wu Jie fell into great self-doubt... Ordinary people had already noticed the gloomy weather, but the Jin army did not attack, which made him waver and hesitate, and then he began to doubt all his judgments.
Although Emperor Zhao on the hillside behind did not say anything, Wu Da still felt a distinct sense of shame.
He was defeated again and again, but his position became higher and higher. He finally won once and got unprecedented opportunities, but he lost again and again. No strategy or response, whether overt or covert, was effective.
By the evening, seeing that the Jin army was still motionless, Wu Jie thought for a long time, but finally, just like yesterday, with the assistance of Scholar Kobayashi, he summoned the generals of various departments and signed a formal military order again, requiring the entire army to cook in the early morning of the next day and each camp to check weapons and supplies... It seemed that he continued to prepare for war and insisted on his own judgment.
He couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong.
However, after the military order was issued and before the sun set, Wu Jie locked himself in the central army tent, holding his head and refusing to come out, not even eating a bite of the melon... There were a hundred thousand troops, six routes in Guanxi, and the safety of the emperor. Although he should not hesitate to accept the emperor's kindness, who could have known the pressure he was under?
"The battle will begin tomorrow."
After sunset, just after dinner in the Jin army camp, Lou Shi summoned all the senior officers and calmly announced a fact. "It was supposed to be today, but the Fourth Prince and his 20,000 reinforcements had a hard time marching and missed the deadline... Don't blame the Fourth Prince, it's my fault. I estimated the speed of our march along the Beiluo River, but I underestimated the difficulty of marching a large army. I also didn't expect that the Eastern Route Army had never marched on such a plateau before."
The Jin army generals, including Balisu, were not worried but happy, because 20,000 reinforcements, even if they were just a rush, were enough to change the overall situation.
"But we must also be careful of the extra reinforcements from the Song army." Lou Shi sat in his tent and continued to calmly explain the situation. "The Fourth Prince was originally scheduled to reach the Beiluo River last night, and then lead the cavalry to attack south today, but in fact, he only ran into Fangzhou this morning, and the location was quite a bit to the north, and there were many lost soldiers... Fangzhou City can't accommodate many soldiers, and Qu Duan must be stationed in the Yijun area to the south. The two sides are separated by a mountainous area, and he might notice something. If he notices something, he may rush south to support tomorrow."
"It is also possible that he will rush north and join forces with Wu Lin in Fangzhou City to attack the Hekou camp and cut off our retreat." Balisu interrupted with a blank expression. "It is also possible that he did not notice it, but the unusual movement of the living woman might alarm him!"
Lou Shi glanced at Balisu and nodded slightly: "I know, so Huo Nu will stay at the river mouth camp tomorrow and will not take any risks..."
Ba Lisu immediately shut up.
"Everyone!" Having said this, Lou Shi stood up suddenly, holding the knife at his waist and looking around. "If Qu Duan doesn't come to help tomorrow, it will be 50,000 against 80,000. If Qu Duan comes to help, it will be just a spent force. Except for a few cavalry, it will be useless... But no matter what, the opportunity for battle has appeared, don't hesitate... If any of you have anything to say, I will allow you to speak now!"
The generals looked at each other, of course speechless.
"Are you sure?" It was late at night. Han Shizhong, who had taken the initiative to lead his Beiwei Army to Siqian Town in the central part of Tongzhou because of his suspicion during the day, was awakened by his subordinates, and then received a piece of news that was not unexpected to him.
"It's absolutely true!" The subordinate who reported the news panted and repeated again. "Three thousand of us went north, and before we separated, we discovered the military situation. A large group of Jin troops passed by the north of Liangshan yesterday, and they kept going all day. The local mountain people saw it clearly and said that there were many more people than us... Commander Dong asked his subordinates to report this matter as soon as possible without any hesitation."
The troops that are much larger than 3,000 people are tens of thousands of troops, and from what we saw yesterday, they may have already arrived at Beiluoshui or even Baishui.
In response to this, Han Shizhong, who had made an instant judgment in his mind, remained silent. He could only remain silent... because he had no one to discuss with. His troops and his capable subordinates were now distributed in several cities and several riverside positions.
Moreover, he didn't need to think of any extra words. At this moment, there were only two choices: to help, or not to help.
Once the reinforcements were sent, the troops in the riverside positions and Puzhou Ferry could not move, and there was no time to move. As for some cities, such as Chengcheng in the northwest, which was used to guard against Loushi's invasion of Tongzhou, they would be detected by the Jin army immediately once they were deployed, and the situation would backfire because they were within the detection range of the Loushi camp's scouts.
Therefore, at this moment, the only troops Han Shizhong could dispatch and ensure would arrive at the Yaoshan battlefield within the next day were the Beiwei Army and the Changle Xu Shi'an troops, totaling only seven or eight thousand people.
Seven or eight thousand people rushing to the battlefield may not be able to make it in time for the decisive battle, and it is unknown how much combat power will remain even if they do make it. This is definitely not cost-effective.
But after only a few breaths of silence, Han Shizhong had already made a decision... After all, the emperor had been so kind to him, how could he not help Han Wu? In other words, during these few breaths, Han Shizhong had not considered the issue of whether to help or not, he was only thinking about the issue of military strength.
After all, the one who splashed water on Han Wu wasn’t a bastard like Qu Da!
It was early morning, and the delay of one day, which was destined to have a huge and unknown impact on the war situation, still followed Wushu and Han Chang to the south along the Beiluo River despite the huge pressure of non-combat casualties. However, it must be said that this time, because of the river, the speed of the Jin army was much faster than the previous two days.
At almost the same time, Han Shizhong of Tongzhou, after making some preparations, officially led his troops westward. At the same time, his messenger went to Changle Town, which was on the banks of the Beiluo River, early to inform Xu Shi'an who was stationed there.
Almost at the same time, extremely conspicuous smoke rose from the Jin army camp.
Immediately afterwards, Wanyan Loushi, the commander-in-chief of the Shanxi Military Command and the actual commander of this expedition to Guanxi, issued the first military order of the day - all the 30,000 soldiers, except for the two Hezhameng'ans, were required to receive a bag filled with mud before they could get their meals.
Just like that, after daybreak, the Jin army, which had had a full meal, led their war horses, protected the carts, and used almost every possible means to carry their own bag of soil, and then came out in full force.
The scouts reported hastily, and the Song army camp got the news and was shaken across the board, as if facing a powerful enemy.
But then, the scouts came again to report that although the Jin army consisted mostly of cavalry, they moved slowly. And judging from the direction of their movement, they were not heading straight for the Song army camp, but instead were heading towards Jinsulu Mountain, which was due east of the Song army camp and due south of the Jin army camp.
By this time, it was already broad daylight, and the commander of the Song army, Wu Jie, hesitated for a moment and sent out only a small force of two thousand people, who marched rapidly towards Jinsuluo Mountain in a symbolic gesture of seizing it.
No matter what, at this point, the Song and Jin armies have officially set out, and even Zhao Jiu has already started to put on armor and carry a bow with the assistance of Yang Yizhong.
That day was the twenty-ninth day of the fifth month of the fourth year of Jianyan. The weather was a little gloomy, but there were no rain clouds. It was auspicious for offering sacrifices but not for breaking ground.
