Volume 5 Chapter 56: Thinking Before and After

Early November, Queshu Valley.
Unlike the previous Tieling Pass, the Fen River runs through the middle of Queshu Valley, and there is even a Lingshi County between Yangliang South Pass in the south and Yangliang North Pass in the north, which means that this place is destined to not be a simple dangerous valley.
On this day, the early winter morning fog had just dissipated, and about a hundred Jin knights, without even raising their flags, arrived at Lingshi City from the south to the north. The leading general stopped his horse in front of the city gate, looked around the terrain around Lingshi, and couldn't help shaking his head, looking around and sighing:
"When I usually walk here, I always feel that this Queshu Valley is not smooth from north to south, but today I just feel that this valley is too smooth."
The surrounding Jin army officers and generals also looked unhappy.
The leading general, Wanyan Balisu, the commander-in-chief of the Jin army's Taiyuan march, saw this and knew that the crowd's emotions might not be the same as his own, but that they were dissatisfied and angry about the previous escape without a fight... He also sighed slightly in his heart, and then urged his horse into the city.
After entering the city and taking a short rest, in just over a quarter of an hour, they heard the sound of horse hooves from the north of the city. Sure enough, there were also more than a hundred elite cavalrymen, also without flags. They also stopped their horses at the edge of Lingshi City, looked around for a while, and then rode into the city.
The one coming from the north to the south was none other than the King of Wei of the Great Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Wushu, commonly known as the Fourth Prince.
"Meet the King of Wei!"
Balisu had been standing inside the gate waiting for someone to come in. When he saw the person entering the city, he bowed and walked forward.
"Meet the Marshal!"
The unshaven Wuzhu rolled off his horse and also bowed, which was extremely polite, and he also used a strange title.
Balisu was stunned for a moment, and then he forced a smile: "King Wei, you are joking. The Marshal's Office has been gone for several years. Where is the Marshal?"
"Yes." Wuzhu was standing in the city gate with a serious face. " The court has already issued an order. Your Majesty has issued an order, the Secretariat has discussed it publicly, and the capital and the Privy Council have signed it. It has been announced to the world, appointing you as the Grand Marshal of the Jin Army, the governor of the military affairs in Hedong and Hexi, commanding 200,000 people, and then appointing Gao Jingshan of Daming Prefecture and Erluguan of Xijing Datong Prefecture as deputy marshals... How can you say that you are the official marshal of the Great Jin Kingdom?"
In the morning sunshine, Balisu was in a trance for a moment, but it was only a trance for a moment, without any extra expression, and not even any big inner waves.
Just nodded slightly.
In other words, this matter should be discussed from three levels.
First of all, both Balisu and Wuzhu knew that having this marshal or not might just be a matter of title. After getting this marshal, Balisu would never be able to become a powerful official of the Great Jin Kingdom like Nianhan. His basic base was still the five or six thousand households of the Taiyuan Military Command. If he wanted to dispatch Datong Prefecture, Longde Prefecture, and Daming Prefecture, that is, to control the so-called 200,000 Jin troops, he still had to get the approval of Wuzhu, the King of Wei.
The practical significance of this move was more to show that the truly powerful King Wushu of Wei agreed with his overall strategy. Even this point was guessed in advance by Balisu from the previous retreat order.
But... even if he understood all this, even if he knew all these realities, he was still a marshal, the real marshal of the Great Jin Kingdom after Nianhan.
So, here we have to say, what do people seek in life? Especially for Balisu, who has been in the army since he was a child, he probably has some idea of ​​where he can go in his life.
Why did the conflict between Balisu and Loushi arise when Yin Shuke and Xi Yin went north? Wasn't it because they were unhappy and wanted to compete for the leadership of the Western Route Army?
And now, no matter what, when the central government of the Jin Kingdom made a gesture and gave him this position, whether it was real or imaginary, Balisu finally reached the peak of his life.
No matter who writes history books in the future, the fact that Wanyan Balisu was appointed as the Marshal of the Great Jin Kingdom in a time of crisis will be indispensable.
What more could I ask for?
However, the problem is that after getting the title he had dreamed of for many years, Balisu did not feel too excited, but only pressure in his heart - because behind him there were more than 100,000 main forces of the Song army pressing from the south to the north. Wushu seemed to understand this truth, and smiled when he saw it, and then he became serious: "The military situation is urgent. The marshal wrote a letter to me before, and I reported it to Yanjing with my approval. Later, I heard some of the marshal's strategies from Tai Shinu, and I still agree with them in general, but the specifics still need to be decided by the marshal in person."
Balisu sighed, but did not speak directly. Instead, he gestured with his hand, inviting the other party to come up to the city wall to talk. Seeing this, Wushu signaled Taishi Nu to guard the steps and not let others come up, while he went up first.
When they climbed up Lingshi City, they saw the Fen River flowing around the city and the mountains on both sides. Wuzhu suddenly realized something and blurted out, "Marshal, are you planning to use Lingshi City to hold back the Song army?"
"It's not Lingshi City." Balisu, who followed him up the city wall, responded solemnly, pointing north and south. "The Song army has come with all their might. Just across the Fen River is an army of more than 100,000 led by the Zhao Song government. Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Ma Kuo, Wang Yan, Wang De, Li Qiong and many other famous generals have gathered... In this situation, how can we expect a mere city to stop the trend? I plan to set up defenses from Yangliang South Pass to Taiyuan City. Even so, I only hope to delay them for a while until we return from Hebei."
Wuzhu pondered for a moment and asked seriously: "In this case, how many troops should be left behind to stop them?"
"At least three thousand households!" Balisu blurted out. "First, use the terrain to block the enemy in Queshu Valley. If the northern pass of Yangliang is breached, disperse immediately... On the one hand, we need to have troops dispersed along the way to defend the cities in the south of Taiyuan to delay the enemy; on the other hand, we need to have a part of the troops to take charge of the cities in the east of Taiyuan and block Jingxing to protect the passage to Zhending Prefecture and Longde Prefecture... Then, we need to have a proper garrison in the main city of Taiyuan Prefecture."
Wuzhu held the whip tightly and continued to ask seriously: "Which three Wanhu will use?"
"Tuhesu is a fighting general and will go with us to Daming Prefecture." Balisu replied seriously. "Of course, Zhehe, Salihe and Mawu will stay behind ."
"Who among the three will guard Taiyuan?"
"Wanyan Zhehe is a resilient veteran. I feel most at ease leaving the task to him."
"Sa Li He..."
"Sa Lihe is getting more and more frustrated and has lost his spirit. If I wasn't afraid that killing 10,000 households on the battlefield would make the central government doubt my loyalty, I would have killed him as a warning to others after the previous defeat."
“…”
“…”
"Then where is Salihe used? Will he be used to guard the eastern passage of Taiyuan?"
"This matter is related to the success or failure of the future, how can we use him? Yelu Mawu is loyal and reliable, and can take on this responsibility. As for Salihe, just let him divide his troops to guard Jiexiu, Xihe, Pingyao, Qixian, and other places where the Song army must pass." At this point, Balisu said sternly. "Fourth Prince... if this person dies, then he dies. His life or death, the loss or gain of his unit, are not worth mentioning in such a big situation! At this time, we can't let Yelu Mawu's subordinates go to the most dangerous place just because they are Khitans, and we can't condone Salihe again and again just because he is raised by Taizu's army... We should promote people based on their talents. If the Fourth Prince really wants to promote him, he should talk to him and let him serve the country loyally and do his best in the southern part of Taiyuan."
"I understand." Wuzhu was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Since that is the Marshal's intention, I will not refute it... Is there anything else?"
"Yes." Balisu said bluntly. "We need to transfer a Wanhu from Datong to Xinzhou to support Taiyuan in case of emergency."
Wushu tried to explain: "Now that Huo Nu has gone to Yanjing, Datong Prefecture only has four Wanhu left. Wu Jie hasn't moved yet. You said before that you would take another Wanhu with you. If you send another Wanhu south, Datong Prefecture will only have two Wanhu left, one in Shuozhou and one in Hewai. It's just barely holding on. It's a bit too weak..."
"Your Highness, if Taiyuan is lost, it can never be recovered." Balisu was still serious. "But if Taiyuan is not lost, but only Datong is lost, it can be recovered... And the key to this battle is to gather heavy troops in Hebei. Hebei cannot be reduced, otherwise how can we repel Yue Fei? In my opinion, when it really comes to the critical moment, it is not impossible to let the deputy marshal (Eluguan) abandon Datong and gather troops in Taiyuan."
Wuzhu thought about it, took a long breath, and finally nodded: "Marshal, what you said is very true... So, we will use six Wanhu to defend Hedong and Xijing, and then take three Wanhu to Hebei to gather the Eastern Route Army, and use thirteen or fourteen Wanhu to repel Yue Fei, and then return to unite with the Yanyun New Army that will arrive by then, and stop the Song Army before Taiyuan?"
"Yes." Balisu nodded heavily.
"Marshal, do you have anything else to say?" Wushu asked sincerely.
"No." Balisu shook his head repeatedly. "As long as the King of Wei acts with me from now on, any details can be ordered temporarily..."
"So be it!" Wuzhu couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
The two stood side by side on the city wall, speechless for a moment.
"But." After a while, Balisu, who had been silent, couldn't help but speak. "Your Highness, have you ever thought about this? The Song army is coming in two directions. Taihang is a natural barrier. We use the terrain to resist and delay step by step. At the same time, we use the advantage of cavalry to quickly concentrate our forces to defeat them one by one... This strategy is inevitable when the stalemate is impossible... Can't the Song army guess it?"
"Isn't this just a bet?" Wuzhu, who stood with his hands tied, didn't take it seriously when he heard this. "We bet that we can take advantage of the frozen terrain in winter and push forward to drive out the Song army in Hebei! We bet that they can't crush us in Hedong! We can't just sit there and wait for death, right?"
"Yes, we just need to seize the opportunity." Balisu thought about it and nodded. "If His Royal Highness the King of Wei has no other intentions, then let's get started! Quickly arrange and quickly gather in Hebei!"
"Just wait for the marshal's order." Wuzhu bowed in response, giving Balisu enough dignity.
Balisu was about to speak, but when he saw the slightly tired face of the other party, his heart suddenly moved, and then he slowed down his tone a little: "Your Highness... Please be sympathetic to the matter of the Third Prince. It happened by chance, it's fate."
"It's accidental, but not accidental." Wuzhu smiled bitterly. "As General Loushi said before, the people above us suffered a lot in our childhood and joined the army when we were young. Our health is not good. It's not just my third brother who has been unable to recover after the age of 40... But my third brother was really unlucky this time. He actually got sick on the front line."
Bali nodded, and was about to give up, but changed his mind and asked again: "That being said, is there no language in Yanjing?"
Wanyan Wushu finally narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, but he looked at him seriously: "Marshal, just focus on fighting the enemy. I will take care of the rear matters for you... Why bother to say more?"
Balisu felt awe in his heart and bowed.
Now that the war situation has reached a point, or in other words, in this kind of all-out war, both sides are vast countries, and the military strength, terrain, and weather are all things that are already on the table... There may still be all kinds of dramatic details, but it seems meaningless to use these clever, microscopic things to change the overall situation.
The only strategies that are truly effective, or truly effective for the decision-makers of both sides, will only be those that are overused, simple, and direct.
The Song army had spent ten years building up its forces and three years preparing for the attack. When they came, they were as powerful as a tiger, so the Jin army naturally had to avoid their attack.
Then the towering Taihang Mountains stretch for thousands of miles, naturally dividing the battlefield. The Jin Kingdom would of course want to use the mobility of its own cavalry to try to defeat the enemy one by one.
As for the ice in winter, the geographical advantage of the Hebei battlefield for cavalry is highlighted, and the terrain of the Hedong battlefield is narrow and cannot hinder the heavy advance of the Song army. In addition, the Song army in Hebei is obviously smaller and weaker. Naturally, they have to seize the weather advantage, first inflict great casualties on the Song army in Hebei, or at least repel Yue Fei in the direction of Hebei, and then unite with the mobilized new army in Yanjing to counterattack in Hedong with sufficient superior forces.
This general strategy was not only proposed by Balisu, but also by Qin Hui, Wanyan Xiyin, and even Wuzhu himself.
In addition, it was most likely a proposal from the Zhao Song government, a proposal from Wang Yan who was making a strategic preparatory plan, a proposal from Wu Jie, and a proposal from Yue Fei.
Because the Song army also believed that they could take Taiyuan first before the Jin army repelled Yue Fei, and then launch the final general offensive and decisive battle against Hebei with a strategic advantage in hand.
This is the national war. In the end, it is a model that is extremely simple.
What contributed to this model was the mountains and rivers of the main battlefield and the war strength and war potential of the two countries. What determined the final outcome was also the war strength and war potential of the two countries, and perhaps a certain amount of determination and a moment of persistence.
In November, the Jin army began to take action in full swing, and the Song army marched forward cautiously in the Linfen Basin in Hedong. At the same time, Yanjing had begun to freeze.
In the evening, Qin Hui, who had worked hard all day, returned from the Shangshu Terrace. As soon as he got home, Wang sent servants to greet him and told him that Hong Ya and Zheng Xiunian were waiting for him in the back hall.
The Prime Minister hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked into the back hall of his house after washing up.
When the three met, there was no greeting. They just sat down and drank some ginger soup to warm the porridge. Then they started talking, but their words seemed unusually direct.
"Brother-in-law, I found a suicide note from a Korean merchant yesterday. It seems that someone from the south has said something here." Zheng Xiunian put down the bowl of soup and looked at him carefully. "They want us to work hard to cooperate."
"On the one hand, they asked us to risk our lives to cooperate, and on the other hand, they listed us as war criminals, attached us to the proclamation, and published us in the official newspaper... Is this what it means to treat people with sincerity?" Qin Hui also put down the bowl of soup, but he spoke righteously and coldly. "I am afraid that in the eyes of the official in the south, all of us are just a rag... If the north and the south are unified one day in the future, those generals in the south can still give up their military power and enjoy a lot of wealth, but you and I will be killed to cover up his success!"
Zheng Xiunian was immediately panicked and hurried to look at Hong Ya again. Unexpectedly, Hong Ya was holding a bowl of ginger porridge and drinking it quickly. He didn't even look at him, which made Zheng Xiunian even more panicked.
After thinking about it, Minister Zheng could only lower his voice and continue to persuade: "Brother-in-law...what that Korean merchant said last month...don't you care?"
Qin Hui's face froze, but he finally lowered his voice and replied: "Your cousin and I have not had any children for many years. How come she had a child with a maid just a few months ago? And what a coincidence that she was raised in the home of an important official like Minister Lin? I'm afraid the South is using this to scare me..."
Zheng Xiunian was about to say something, but Qin Huizhi spoke first: "Cunqing (Zheng Xiunian's name), compare the two. The Song Dynasty has abandoned me, but the Jin Dynasty has treated you and me sincerely, treating you and me as important officials and entrusting us with state affairs... If you regard yourself as a spy just because of a few words, wouldn't that be self-deprecating, disloyal and unrighteous?"
Zheng Xiunian was stunned for a moment.
When Qin Huizhi saw this, he said nothing more, just waved his sleeves, stood up and walked out.
Zheng Xiunian had no choice but to go see Hong Ya again.
As for Hong Chengzhi and Minister Hong, he had just finished a whole bowl of ginger porridge and just laughed at the other party: "Why is Minister Zheng acting like this?"
Zheng Xiunian was as if he had been pardoned. He stamped his feet in the room and said, "How can I explain to the South how my brother-in-law didn't pay any attention to me?"
"What is there to explain?" Hong Ya shook his head. "The South doesn't really want you and me to do this or that... It's just a last-ditch effort... As for your brother-in-law, you don't have to worry. I've seen that he's a rare hypocritical person in history, and he knows more about his inner calculations than anyone else! We just follow him, and we won't suffer any loss."
Zheng Xiunian was slightly startled, and quickly bowed and asked for advice.
Hong Ya was too lazy to pretend and sneered directly: "Although the Song Dynasty is now aggressive, the Jin Dynasty has also passed the most difficult time of being caught off guard and has tried its best to mobilize. His Royal Highness the King of Wei is preparing to unite the army to defeat Yue Fei, so the outcome is still unpredictable. In this case, with your brother-in-law's selfish character, he will naturally help the Jin Dynasty win sincerely... Because only in this way can he continue to be his husband! And in order to be this husband, the son of Nan Fang is no longer a son . However, if one day, the South really wins a battle, he will certainly stand in front of you and me with his hands folded, and Chen Ken sighed, saying that he has been childless for decades, and for the sake of his bloodline, he took the initiative to ask you to express his sincerity to Nan Fang."
Zheng Xiunian was in a trance for a moment.
Outside the back hall, in the twilight, Qin Huizhi, who had not left at all, stood there expressionlessly. With the faint light from the lamp under the eaves, he looked up at the snowflakes that had fallen down without knowing when, as if he had not heard Hong Ya's ridicule at all in the hall.
Following his gaze, the tiny snowflakes fluttered and swayed lightly, and although they were very slow, they eventually moved towards the south.
October has passed and November has arrived. The weather is inevitably getting colder, and the best opportunity for war that the Jin Dynasty's top leaders instinctively seized seems to be coming.
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