Volume 4 Chapter 80: Golden River
It is said that on this day, Emperor Zhao came to Houtao and met Yelu Dashi, the ruler of Western Liao, Kublai Khan, the king of Eastern Mongol Khanate, Huerzahusi, the leader of the largest Mongol tribe in Central Mongol, and even met an unexpected person - Bilege, the king of Western Uighur.
Considering that the western grasslands were still under the control of the Western Liao Dynasty, and Wuzhu was the actual military executor of the Jin Dynasty's ruling group, it can be said that except for Goryeo, the leaders of major military entities in Northeast Asia basically gathered on the narrow Houtao Plain. Even in Goryeo, there was also a faction representative who traveled here.
These people split into two, forming two distinct and opposing camps. Specifically, the remaining several families joined together to deal with the Jurchens.
This is not a coincidence. The Jurchens had been too powerful and dangerous in the previous twenty years... But from another perspective, if Zhao Jiu had not come this time, the weakest and most divided Mongols would most likely be won over by the Jurchens, including Yelu Dashi. Even if Zhao Jiu provided him with sufficient logistics, he might still collapse.
In that case, the gains and losses in the end would not be a big deal, but the most fatal thing would be missing the opportunity to form a united front and delaying the overall situation in the future.
Of course, Zhao Jiu did not break his promise on that day. He really wanted to fight the Jurchens in this excellent terrain... If they won, the Western Route Army would be basically ruined in this terrain surrounded by water, and the world's affairs might be settled. For the same reason, Yelu Dashi had no reason to miss this opportunity, and he also showed great determination and execution in the subsequent deployment of troops.
Since Zhao Jiu and Yelu Dashi have made up their minds, it seems that the others will have no choice but to make up their minds.
Therefore, on the second day, under the arrangement of Yue Fei, commander of the Song army, the Han, Khitan, Dangxiang, Mongols, Uighurs, Xi, and some people whose races could not be clearly described, all obeyed the orders and the coalition army headed eastward.
Among them, the supplies brought by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty supplied the entire army, and countless Tangut civilians were transformed into qualified auxiliary soldiers, not to mention the huge and famous imperial heavy infantry group beside this official, which undoubtedly brought a great sense of security to all comrades.
Relatively speaking, although the armored cavalry units that were urgently expanded from this battle had reached a certain size, they had obviously not yet been sufficiently proven.
Therefore, Yue Fei divided this huge army into two parts. The infantry became the central army of this march, and the cavalry became the general reserve of the entire army.
At the same time, the Khitan's complicated cavalry reinforcements also came out in full force. Except for the necessary garrison in Wulahai City , the rest of the army gathered on the north side of the Song army's formation and took on the task of the left-wing special forces. They would be responsible for the fatal flank attack after the battle.
As for the tens of thousands of Mongol light cavalry, they scattered to the southeast. Their mission was to search, harass, stick to and pursue.
Even the Uighurs' camels were incorporated into the logistics column.
To be honest, this coalition army really didn't have 200,000 troops. Zhao Jiu was just exaggerating, but there were definitely 150,000 or 60,000 troops. Moreover, the quality of this army was probably the most elite in the world, second only to the Jurchen cavalry... This is not exaggerating, but the war has lasted until today. The Jin and Liao have been fighting for eleven years, and the Song and Jin have been fighting for another seven years. Eighteen years of war is enough for everyone to know each other well.
From the beginning, the Jurchens had less than ten thousand, and they could not defeat the enemy if they had ten thousand, to later, they had twenty thousand households in the east and west; from the initial crushing defeat, to later, they slowly gathered up the remnants of the defeated army.
At this point, who doesn’t know who?
What secrets are there to war?
It's nothing more than fair rewards and punishments, adequate logistics, proper equipment, sufficient depth, suitable terrain... and then courage, training, discipline, and so on.
There is nothing mysterious about it. Everyone has the same conditions. Anyone who can do these things can do it. Otherwise, why were the Xi, Khitan, Bohai and Han people beaten by the Jurchens one moment and then organized into Meng'an and Mouke and able to turn around and beat up their compatriots the next moment?
By now, nearly twenty years of all-out war had basically worn away the mystery of everyone. Yelu Dashi fled to Khatun City and gathered 10,000 or 20,000 remnants of soldiers, and was still able to rise up. Zhao Jiu was chased to the Huai River, but he gradually regained his morale and has now come to Yinshan. If the Jurchens still have any advantages, it is nothing more than their rich war experience, psychological advantages, and some of the hard-working spirit inherited from the deep mountains and old forests before the war.
War experience can be erased, and the spirit of endurance and hard work is something the Jurchens have endured for several lifetimes. It can only be eliminated by time, but today, the psychological advantage must be broken!
"Officials, can you win?"
Under the dragon banner that had already started moving eastward, while Zheng Zhichang had not yet turned back, Lu Benzhong, who was wearing a leather shoulder armor, asked a question nervously on his horse.
The question was obviously inappropriate, but it made sense.
Emperor Zhao, wearing the dazzling golden armor he wore that day in Pu Jin, rode in front. Hearing this, he didn't take it seriously. Instead, he turned around and smiled at another attendant: "What do you think, my Lord?"
"The emperor's divine army has descended from the sky. If I were the commander-in-chief of the Jurchens, I would definitely abandon my place and flee." Ren Baozhong, wearing a full set of armor, carrying a bow and a spear, and looking energetic, responded immediately after hearing this. His voice was so loud that he seemed to be ten years younger.
"That's right." Zhao Jiu nodded slightly. "If I were Wanyan Wushu, I would most likely abandon the land and flee... Not only because I provided timely support and had a strong military force, but more importantly, in such terrain, heavy cavalry and mixed forces would suffer a disastrous outcome if they failed... Even if the Jurchens were aggrieved, as long as they had a little bit of common sense, they would not forcefully fight us in Hetao."
Lu Benzhong felt relieved, but still had some doubts.
"But you must not leave anything to chance when it comes to military strategy."
Although Zhao Jiu did not turn around, he seemed to have eyes behind his head and saw through Lu Benzhong's thoughts at once. "Everyone thinks the Jurchens will leave, but what if they don't? The more we have to show our courage and preparation for a decisive battle, if Wanyan Wushu and Wanyan Balisu dare not leave, we will really pin them to death in Hetao and take the opportunity to attack Hedong!"
When these words were spoken, Ren Baozhong puffed up his cheeks and nodded repeatedly, while Lu Benzhong nodded hurriedly, but it was unclear whether he really understood or was at a loss after hearing that a major battle might really have to be fought.
"Of course, there is another benefit to making a big show. Even if the two sides have never fought, we can make the 200,000 or 300,000 soldiers of the two armies and the people of the world believe that the Jurchens are really afraid of us and were driven out by us! Some things, if everyone in the world believes them, will become true even if they are not true!" Zhao Jiu added at the end. Perhaps this is what he really wants to achieve.
But it didn't matter. On that day, relying on the fact that the two rivers were only a hundred miles apart, and with the forts and reinforcements, the coalition army advanced 50 miles before stopping. The next morning, Zheng Zhichang, who went to look for the Jurchen camp, came back with a clear message - Wanyan Wushu and Balisu did not hesitate at all and moved their camp eastward, as if they were preparing to retreat to the former Liao Tiande Army (Baotou area in later generations) east of the Hetao. He did not see the Jurchens at all.
Judging from the speed, it is very likely that the scouts abandoned Hetao immediately after detecting the arrival of the Song army.
In other words, the Jurchens really left.
When the news spread, the army was excited. Not only did they continue their march eastward that day, Xiao Worila, the chief general under Yelu Dashi, also made a special trip to come during the march and had a quick meeting with Emperor Zhao.
"Your Majesty, what my king means is that if the Jurchens refuse to leave after crossing the river, we will lead our army to confront them across the river... Our army has been confronting the Jurchens here for half a month, and we know very well that the Jurchens' logistics are actually a little weak. If we confront them here, we can hold out until autumn, but they can't." Xiao Worila's words were straightforward.
But Zhao Jiu did not respond directly. On the contrary, he just looked at the person who came and continued to remain silent. He just continued to ride his horse forward slowly, as if he had ignored Xiao Worila's words.
"What if the Jurchens continue to retreat after crossing the river?" Ren Baozhong and Lu Benzhong, who had been observing for a long time, understood the situation, but Lu Benzhong really didn't know how to intervene in military affairs, so Ren Baozhong took the initiative and confronted them proudly.
"If the Jurchens cross the river, the coalition forces must also cross the river." Xiao Worila urged his horse to catch up. He was also a little shocked and angry, but he did not dare to look at the Zhao Song officials. He could only talk seriously with the old Dangxiang man beside him.
"But if we cross the river and pursue them, will the Jurchens lure them deep into our territory and then counterattack us?"
"There is no danger until we reach the Liao Southwest Recruiting Office (near Hohhot in later generations)!"
"What do you mean?"
“Although the terrain east of the Hetao is no longer a so-called deadly place for cavalry, west of the Liao Southwest Recruiting Office, the Liao Tiande Army and Yunnei Prefecture are still between the Yin Mountains and the river, which is a narrow and long area. The coalition forces are so powerful that they can advance properly… Therefore, if the Jurchens retreat this time and abandon the confrontation across the river, they will most likely retreat to the Southwest Recruiting Office (Hohhot) or even Xijing (Datong).”
"General Xiao." Ren Baozhong secretly glanced at the back of Emperor Zhao, and then continued to ride his horse and march while facing him sternly. "You must remember one thing. The army of 200,000 people relies entirely on the supply of food and grass from the Song Dynasty, and the main force here is also the troops of the Song Dynasty... Once we cross the river to pursue, the supply line will be lengthened, and we will recover the old territory of your Liao Kingdom, but we will have to pay out real military rations. Is there such a cheap thing in the world?"
"My king has something to say..."
"If Dashilin Ya wants to talk to my Majesty, he should be allowed to do it himself." Ren Baozhong saw that Emperor Zhao had no reaction, so he simply interrupted him. "Now it's General Xiao who is telling me some military ideas... Why do you always bring up Dashilin Ya to pressure others?"
Xiao Wulila also glanced at the back of Emperor Zhao who showed no reaction, then he looked at Ren Baozhong with a serious face:
"General Renduo, we know that the Song Dynasty is the main force, but we have only advanced to the Yunneizhou area, and the logistics line is not stretched too much, and we are not planning to go any further. As for the benefits, if the army can reach the Southwest Recruiting Office of the Liao Dynasty, not only will the Liao Dynasty recover the core states and counties, but the Mongols will also loosen the shackles on the side. Can't your country also sweep all the land outside the Yellow River?"
Ren Baozhong was about to say something else, but unexpectedly Xiao Wulila sneered: "More importantly, once this happens, the Jurchens will shrink back to Hedong and Hebei, and will no longer be able to easily touch the Xixia land that your country has conquered this time. You Song people will no longer have to worry about the half-heartedness of those Dangxiang dogs!"
Ren Baozhong was not angry when he heard this. Instead, Zhao Jiu finally turned around at this time, which startled Xiao Worila so much that he reined in his horse suddenly. The horse under his crotch neighed for a while, but he soon recovered and continued to ride along.
"General Xiao." Zhao Jiu laughed at this and confronted him. "Why didn't Dashi Lin Ya come in person for such an important matter?"
"Your Majesty." Xiao Wulila bowed his head and explained earnestly. "It's not that my king is deliberately neglecting me. It's just that it's hard to be in the army."
"I understand." Zhao Jiu said as if he didn't care. "I will tell the three commanders Yue, Wu, and Qu about what you just said. I will listen to their orders. I will not ask about the specifics of the war. But, do you really not want to take back Xijing?"
Xiao Wulila was silent for a moment before he responded, "Who wouldn't want to? But we are blessed by our ancestors to be able to march this far. If we force our way to Xijing, if something goes wrong, all our previous efforts will be wasted."
Zhao Jiu turned his head and glanced at Lu Benzhong with a smile: "I told you, Dashi Linya is a great hero and won't let me worry about messy things."
Without talking about military matters, Lu Benzhong reacted very quickly and immediately twirled his beard and nodded.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding." Xiao Worila breathed a sigh of relief and responded quickly. He seemed to be somewhat disappointed that he could not march into Xijing, and was about to leave.
"No problem." Zhao Jiu nodded in response, and then, just as Xiao Wulila turned his horse around, he suddenly spoke again. "General Xiao just called Dashilinya the king?"
Xiao Wulila's face slightly changed, but he did not dare to hesitate, and immediately turned around and said: "That's right... Before the expedition to Hexi, your majesty sent an envoy to tell us about the death of the late emperor. In order to gather people's hearts, my king offered sacrifices to heaven and earth and temporarily called himself Khan."
"Oh!" Zhao Jiu responded by looking up as the horse was shaken, looking as if he was thinking about something.
Xiao Worila was in a state of anxiety and followed for a long time. Seeing that Zhao Jiu had no intention of continuing to speak, he suppressed his complicated emotions and returned to the Khitan army.
Just like that, without further ado, a few days later, the coalition forces advanced eastward in a big way, and the Jurchens, as Yelu Dashi had predicted, retreated to Xijing (Datong) in one breath after realizing that they could not fight against the coalition forces in the narrow passage between the Yin Mountains and the Yellow River.
In this regard, Yelu Dashi, Yue Fei, Wu Jie and others all came to the same conclusion that the Jurchens did this on purpose to lure the coalition forces to continue their pursuit. Once the coalition forces fell into the trap and crossed Yunnei Prefecture and lost the protection of Yinshan Mountain, they would most likely be surrounded by the Jurchens.
These people made their judgment. Zhao Jiu would certainly not go beyond the line and directly ordered the army to advance to Yunnei Prefecture and Dongsheng Prefecture. However, the main force of the army was not allowed to cross the Jin River that flows through Yunnei, Dongsheng and other places.
However, even so, as the army continued to leave Yinshan, and the main force of the Jurchens withdrew to Datong Prefecture, the entire Hewai and Hedong were also shaken. Especially in the Hewai area where the Jurchen forces could no longer reach, the Zhe clan, who had long sent a large army to secretly cooperate with the Song army, openly changed sides. Fengzhou, Fuzhou, and Linzhou directly hung up the banner of the Song Dynasty; Heqing Army, Jinsu Army, and Ningbianzhou, three prefectures that originally belonged to the old territory of the Liao Dynasty, also had Khitan remnants and rose up to respond, but were directly attacked by the Zhe clan's troops who were anxious to make merit; as for the defenders of Yunnei Prefecture and Dongsheng Prefecture, the so-called Yunnei Jiedushi Yelu Nuoge, who was supposed to face the army directly, did not wait for the army to arrive and directly turned against them.
At this time, as the traffic at the vertical bend of the Yellow River was opened up, Zhao Jiu learned that as early as late May when he marched to Hetao, Wanyan Huonu and Wanyan Salihe had taken the initiative to cross the Yellow River and return to Hedong. Han Shizhong officially recovered Yan'an, Suide and Jinning at the end of May, and led his army northward in response.
By the second day of June, thanks to the strong suppression of Zhao Jiu and Yelu Dashi, the coalition forces stopped at Jinhe Lake, where the Jin River and the Yellow River meet under the jurisdiction of Dongsheng Prefecture, and ultimately did not cross the Yinshan safety zone.
By this point, everyone knew that after nearly half a year of chaos in the northwest caused by Yelu Yudu's escape, it was time to put an end to it with this victorious and successful march.
In fact, seeing that the coalition forces were no longer moving forward and both the Jurchens and the coalition forces were unable to hold on any longer, they quickly tacitly and tentatively disbanded and separated small groups of troops to ease the logistical pressure.
But at the same time, as the saying goes, military matters should be military matters and politics should be politics. After the military victory, before the troops are disbanded, some things should be done, especially these are high-end matters that only he, the official of the Song Dynasty, can do.
The sixth day of the sixth lunar month was the date appointed by Emperor Zhao for the Song-Liao-Mongol alliance, which was to be held at the Jinhe Lake between the Yin Mountains and the Yellow River. According to the agreement, the three parties would offer sacrifices to heaven and earth here, and then, under the witness of an army of 200,000, they would establish a formal, all-round anti-Jin alliance, including military, economic, and diplomatic aspects.
On the morning of that day, before the noon sacrificial ceremony officially began, Yelu Dashi, Hebule, Huerzahusi, Bilege and others arrived at the Song army camp on the banks of the Jinhe Lake together... They had to come, because Emperor Zhao arranged this date too urgently, and some sensitive matters had to be communicated before the alliance was signed. Otherwise, what would happen if Emperor Zhao, who led the alliance, forced his way in?
Break the contract?
In the camp where the Song army had an absolute advantage? In front of the Jurchen army, which was only a hundred or two hundred miles away and was still eyeing them covetously?
"Dashilinya wants all the prefectures and counties north of the Yellow River?" Zhao Jiu, who was sitting at the main seat at a hastily prepared banquet on the bank of the Jinhe River in the warm weather, asked with a smile. "In addition, he also wants the three prefectures of Heqing, Jinsu, and Ningbian?"
"Your Majesty, what you said is interesting." Yelu Dashi, who was sitting in the first seat on the left, raised his cup and responded. "North of the Yellow River is only the three states of Tiandejun, Yunneizhou, and Dongshengzhou, the former territories of Houtao and the Liao Dynasty. How come Your Majesty is talking about something extraordinary? And Heqing, Jinsu, and Ningbian are also the former territories of the Liao Dynasty. Therefore, what I said just now is nothing more than wanting to take over Hetao. Or is it that Your Majesty, although you have an alliance with us Khitans, is preparing to swallow up the former territories of the Liao Dynasty?"
After saying this, Yelu Dashi, who came alone in a clean cloth robe, took a drink from the cup and then laughed.
Although similar topics were anticipated at the table, the atmosphere was still a little tense after Yelu Dashi spoke directly to the point, especially when the other party laughed wildly after questioning, which immediately made a group of arrogant soldiers on Zhao Jiu's right unable to hold back.
Qu Duan sneered, "Dashi Lin Ya, if you follow your words, the Song Dynasty will give you the six states in Hexi, the four military divisions in the northwest, the Hetao area, and the six states in the former territory of the Liao Dynasty... The Song Dynasty dares to give them, do you dare to take them?"
Yelu Dashi smiled again, but suddenly became serious and looked at Qu Duan proudly: "Why not?"
It is rare for a curved edge to be stuck.
"Dashilin Ya." Lü Benzhong also frowned. "If that's the case, the Song Dynasty sent 100,000 soldiers and provided so much food and fodder to help you take Hetao and the six states of the Liao Kingdom... You should give something in return, right?"
"The Song Dynasty has fulfilled its promise and provided a lot of help. I am grateful and willing to repay this favor." Yelu Dashi immediately responded earnestly. "But my Liao Dynasty is really in trouble right now... How about this, why don't you ask Lu Sheren to calculate it clearly and make a bill, or just give me a number. No matter how much it is, I will take it directly, and then my Liao Dynasty will sell everything it has and repay it slowly in the future... I will never be a debt-breaker!"
Lu Benzhong's face turned pale and he was embarrassed for a moment.
At this time, Zhao Guanjia, who had been looking at the dazzling light on the lake beside him, finally turned around, picked up the wine glass and said: "Dashilinya... Jinhu is dazzling, the scenery is very beautiful, let's have a drink."
Yelu Dashi smiled, raised his cup, bowed, and drank it all in one gulp. Zhao Jiu also raised his cup and drank it. The rest of the people, including the two Mongolian leaders who had been watching the fun, saw the two eldest men drinking together, and everyone raised their cups to drink with them.
"A thousand miles of Yinshan and a thousand miles of sand, who can compare the green hair with the frost?"
After everyone put down their wine glasses, Zhao Jiu chanted a sentence that was either a poem or a song, then shook his head and sighed. "It's a pity to miss such a grand scene. If the alliance is completed today, Dashilin Ya will return to Gaochang from the west. The distance is 4,000 miles, and the round trip is 10,000 miles. I don't know when we will meet again. Dashilin Ya and I hit it off as soon as we met, and we called each other confidants. When I think about parting like this, and maybe never seeing each other again in this life, I really can't bear it."
Yelu Dashi was stunned when he heard this. He waited for a while before he sneered. It was unclear whether he was mocking himself or what he meant:
"Your Majesty has made a mistake in your love. I am deeply troubled... But we are both related to each other, so we should not be so sad in the middle of summer... I wonder if your Majesty has any plans for this time? I am willing to listen first."
