Volume 5 Chapter 58: Ups and Downs
This light snow in early November of the lunar calendar in the ninth year of Jianyan was really insignificant compared to the natural changes in nature, and it did not bring any direct change to the war situation that had already unfolded.
However, no matter whether they were civil or military, Eastern or Western, Song or Jin, almost all knowledgeable people had realized that this snow was enough to be a sign.
A crisis is brewing.
However, before the crisis came, in the gloomy winter weather, on this snowy afternoon, Daming City in Daming Prefecture was the first to welcome hundreds of elite Song cavalrymen from the east. The leading rider held a flag with a "田" character high, and there was another flag with a "张" character behind him. They came to the front of the city to talk, and the people of Daming City did not dare to neglect their identities after checking their identities, so they opened the city gates and immediately let the hundred riders in.
The two leading figures among the visitors were none other than Tian Shizhong, deputy commander of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp, and Zhang Zigai, who had previously served in the front army of the Imperial Camp but was pushed back to the Right Army of the Imperial Camp by Yue Fei and now led the Beiwei Army.
When the two men entered Daming City, they were greeted by Wang Gui, deputy commander of the front army of the imperial camp, and Tang Huai, commander of the central army, who had come to greet them after hearing the news.
"General Tian." Tang Huai was not good at speaking, so Wang Gui greeted him. "Did the journey go smoothly?"
"I am the deputy governor, and the governor is my family's governor." Tian Shizhong immediately corrected coldly. "It was fine on the way, but when we got close to here, we encountered some troubles... Why are there so many logging teams, almost blocking the road?"
"The marshal gave the order directly, and the operation started the day after we captured the city. It has not stopped since then, and we didn't ask. Anyway, the more fortifications and planks, the better." Wang Guiqing knew that the other party liked to pretend to be indifferent, so he didn't care about his tone and just explained casually.
"That's true." Tian Shizhong asked casually, and then pointed to two large banners that could be seen in the distance somewhere in the west of the city. "Has Commander Zhang arrived?"
"We're here. He's meeting my marshal near the water gate on the west side of the city. He said that once Deputy Commander-in-Chief Tian arrives, we'll invite you over directly." Since they were just greetings, Wang Gui didn't say anything more and just led the way.
Hearing this, Tian Shizhong frowned even more, but he did not ask any more questions. He just asked Zhang Zigai to take his subordinates and Tang Huai to have some hot soup, while he and Wang Gui hurried to meet Yue and Zhang.
After passing the two large banners and arriving near the water gate in the west of the city, they did not see many flags or senior officers. There was only a hot air balloon painted with a tiger face that had already been inflated and was swaying slightly on , as if ready. Yue and Zhang, dressed in casual clothes, were also standing next to the hot air balloon, and when they saw Tian Shizhong and Wang Gui coming over, they waved and immediately jumped into the big basket.
Nowadays, there are many people who dare to fly around in hot air balloons, let alone this tethered hot air balloon. Master Tian understood and had nothing to be shy about. In order to prevent overheating, he quickly took off his outer armor and followed Wang Gui into the basket.
Then, the soldiers below, under the command of the famous commander Bei Yanbei, carefully helped to remove the counterweight and release the ropes with hinges, but they only dared to let the hot air balloon rise another four or five feet high. Moreover, the ropes on all four sides were also tied properly to the corner towers and trees on the four sides of the platform... It seemed that they were still worried about something happening. If the balloon fell, four generals from Hebei would be killed, and the luck of the Northern Expedition would be lost.
However, this height is enough.
After all, this safe and spacious elevated observation deck is simply incomparable to the narrow and cramped wooden frame observation deck. The four of them took out the imperial crystal telescopes from the basket and looked around. The surrounding military camps, roads, rivers, markets, and trees were clearly visible, especially the layout of Yuan City opposite Daming City. Without the protection of the four-meter-high city wall, the interior layout was almost visible at a glance.
They could even clearly see through the telescope that the Jin army in Yuancheng were pointing and talking at the hot air balloons rising here, as if they were used to it.
That's right, I have to say one more thing here. The Daming City, which gave Daming Prefecture its name, is not the capital of Daming Prefecture today. The Yuan City, separated by a river, is the capital of Daming Prefecture today, which is the so-called 'Beijing City' in the traditional sense of the Song Dynasty.
The reasons for this change are unknown.
However, judging from the geographical situation from which Tian Shizhong and others were looking down at the time, the migration of the main body of the city seemed to be natural - Yuancheng on the other side of the river was located in the narrowest area in the middle of the fork of the northern Yellow River. It was directly adjacent to the Yellow River fork in the east and only ten miles away from another fork in the west. Together with the Yongji Canal that passed through the western river and turned north in Damingfu, the three waterways passing through Damingfu almost ran through the entire Hebei region.
This made this place a natural transportation hub in the Hebei region under the territorial conditions before the Song Dynasty.
In comparison, the famous city at their feet, which the Song army had occupied just over ten days ago, was more like some kind of functional accompanying city on the opposite side, because it only guarded a waterway to the east of Yuancheng.
There is even an ancient town about ten miles east of Daming City, next to another fork of the Yellow River. Some people say that that was the original location of the main city of Daming Prefecture.
Without further ado, Tian Shizhong looked through the basket for a while, then suddenly put away the telescope and pointed at a place opposite in astonishment: "Are those counterweight artillery vehicles?!"
"Yes!" Yue Fei knew where the other party was pointing without even looking. "Twenty of them. It's been eight years since the Battle of Nanyang. How could they hide it? The other side not only has counterweight artillery vehicles, but also hot air balloons..."
"How come I didn't see it?" Tian Shizhong just came back to his senses and asked in surprise.
"The Jin people knew how to make artillery vehicles, and they understood the principle of counterweight artillery vehicles at a glance, but hot air balloons are different." Wang Gui, who added a shovel of coal to the furnace in the middle of the hot air balloon, laughed. "The Jin people's hot air balloons are tight and can't burn. We have been in Daming City for about ten days. We launched them here, and Yuan City opposite also launched them at the beginning. They launched them three times and burned twice. It seems that there is still one left, but they are reluctant to release it again. I guess they will save it for the siege."
"I see." Tian Shizhong nodded, then shook his head as if he had suddenly realized something. "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that the two cities are separated by a river, just five or six hundred steps. What if they switch to mud bullets, or wooden bullets coated with gunpowder or oil? General Wang, how dare you let the two governors take this risk?"
"No." Wang Gui quickly explained with a smile. "Let's not talk about whether they have that kind of wooden bullet. Tian Dutong saw clearly that the artillery positions on the opposite side were fixed, and they were all aimed at the river... Besides, this hot air balloon flies up every day to see the military situation in the opposite city, and they have seen everything long ago. They don't know that there is an important person in the hot air balloon. Do they have to build a new artillery vehicle specifically for sniping?"
Tian Shizhong was stunned for a moment, then he picked up the telescope to look carefully. As Wang Gui said, the artillery position in Yuancheng, near the eastern port, was completely motionless, as if it had been fixed in advance, and it was estimated that it had been aimed at the river outside the city.
However, after seeing it clearly, Tian Shizhong did not relax, but became more serious. Because in his opinion, Gao Jingshan's arrangement was the right one... blocking the river to prevent Zhang Rong's navy from attacking the city from here, and also to prevent Zhang Rong from repeating the old trick of occupying the river to lead the main force of the imperial camp to cross the river... This is a strategic arrangement, and it is absolutely useful.
Moreover, after the gun position is fixed, manpower can be freed up and it can be used with only a few supervisory troops to supervise the civilians.
On the contrary, it would be unreasonable to point the artillery carriage towards this side, hoping to fire a few shots at the Daimyo Castle which is out of effective range, hoping for good luck.
"How?" Yue Fei spoke again, as if continuing what Wang Gui had just said.
"Difficult!" Tian Shizhong replied with a sigh, but for some reason, he changed the topic directly. "Marshal... I will tell you one thing first. The day before yesterday, after the snow, in a place called Sunsheng Town in the northeast of Xiajin County, 3,000 of my troops swept northward and encountered a large group of Jin troops. We were defeated and lost more than half of our troops... According to the description of the defeated soldiers, it should be the headquarters of Wang Bolong, the Wanhu of the Jin Kingdom. Counting Wang Gang's defeat in Liaocheng before, Li Baoshui's rash landing after the battle, we won first and then lost. Although we have made some progress, we have already lost three battles."
Upon hearing this, Yue Fei frowned slightly, without any extra expression, and just nodded in response.
Zhang Rong, on the other hand, finally stopped observing the area around the river. While carefully putting away his telescope, he couldn't help but ask, "I've heard of this Wang Bolong's name a long time ago. I only know that he is the commander of the Eastern Army... Should he be a Han Chinese? What's his origin?"
"Although Wang Bolong is a Han Chinese, he has always lived outside the Great Wall." Yue Fei saw that it was Zhang Rong who spoke, so he explained briefly, but he spoke like a treasure, as if he knew it by heart. "In the second year after the founding of the Jin Dynasty, tens of thousands of people surrendered to Aguda, and he immediately became a hereditary Meng'an... However, there were many bandits in Liao who surrendered to the Jin Dynasty at that time, including Han, Khitan, Xi, and Bohai people, so it was not a big deal... But later, the Jin Dynasty fought for 20 years, Aguda died, and these bandits had long been confused and had no end. Only Wang Bolong participated in the destruction of Liao throughout the process, and was awarded Wanhu and Jiedushi. In the Jingkang period, he served as the vanguard of the Eastern Route Army, fighting all the way from Baihe to Dongjing City. His troops were treated, dared to fight, and were brave, just like the Jurchens. He also stood out and became the pillar of the Jin Army... In recent years, he has been stationed in the Hejian Prefecture area, and because he often personally took the lead, he was known as the first fierce general of the Eastern Route Army, and his reputation was still higher than that of Erlubu."
Zhang Rong suddenly realized, and then he also sighed: "With such a person and troops, it is normal for them to be defeated in the wild... and Hejian is directly north... Given the current situation, it is just right for Tian Dutong's subordinates to run into each other in the north of Xiajin."
"My two governors, I am not asking for favors." Tian Shizhong still looked unhappy. "Victory and defeat are common in the military. If we lose, we lose... The key is that Wang Bolong did not go south before, but he is going south now. Isn't it consistent with the military intelligence reported to the Marshal before? The Jin army has made a big decision and is going out in large numbers, preparing to surround us from all sides."
"Yes." Yue Fei held the thick rope of the hot air balloon and looked at it seriously. "A few days ago, the imperial cavalry in the upper reaches of the Yellow River sent a messenger saying that the Jin army in Longde Prefecture suddenly sent a cavalry of several thousand people to block Taihang Pass and suppress Huaizhou, apparently worried about the reinforcements from the east of the river; the scouts also recently learned that the other side of the river is recruiting soldiers on a large scale... It is said that they want to recruit 300,000 people... From this point of view, plus you ran into Wang Bolong in the northeast of Xiajin the day before yesterday, we basically know that the Jin army will attack in a large scale, and it is possible that there will be 130,000 or 140,000 households!"
Even though Master Tian had anticipated this, he couldn't help but change color at this moment.
"What's there to ramble about?" Zhang Rong was a little impatient. "Didn't the government and the court make a lot of plans in the past few years? According to those calculations, eight out of ten times will have the same result... It is indeed the case... Pengju, you called us here to come up with a response strategy, not to scare people."
"According to your humble servant, there is nothing to discuss about the countermeasures." Tian Shizhong shook his head. "I know all the previous discussions of the military academy and the Privy Council. Now the Jin army has dispatched two routes from the east and west to join forces. They have almost twice as many troops as us, and the cavalry has been regrouped. We are almost powerless in the field. We can only find a line of defense to hold out until the winter when the river dries up and freezes, and then plan for the future..."
"That's right." Yue Fei answered calmly. "We can't win a field battle with our strength. A reckless fight will only ruin the overall situation... But how to defend? Where to defend? This is exactly why I called Tian Dutong here today."
Tian Shizhong was relieved at this, but then he seemed a little hesitant: "Marshal, forgive me for being blunt, if we want to maintain the situation at the moment, we have to occupy the city, and if we want to do something after the winter, we have to occupy the river..."
"good."
"Here in Hebei, the Yellow River is divided into two branches and five forks. Counting from south to north, Daming Prefecture is located right between the third and fourth branches... We are equivalent to taking the two branches of the east road, which is located between the second and third branches..."
"Why are you guys talking nonsense?" Zhang Rong couldn't stand it any longer. "Just tell us how to defend after the ice forms."
"General Zhang, what I mean is that we are now in the middle of the Yellow River's east and north roads. The fork is only about ten miles wide around Daming City, but the further we go, the wider the gap becomes, especially after passing Xiajin, where it suddenly widens. When we reach the seashore, it is the entire Cangzhou, a gap of nearly three hundred miles from north to south... These days, the two of you have been advancing at the fork in the river, while my Imperial Camp Right Army is responsible for finishing off the downstream. Our troops are spread across several states and are really weak... This time, the defeat of Sun Sheng is a clear proof... The area between the second and third forks is really too vast. Without reinforcements, I'm afraid we can't even defend Xiajin."
"You mean, we have to retreat?" Zhang Rong couldn't help but frown. "Where to retreat?"
Tian Shizhong held the long rope beside the basket and went to look at Yue Fei, but Yue Fei just let go of his hands and stood with his arms folded, as if thinking about something, and did not say a word.
Helplessly, Tian Shizhong was too lazy to make these empty moves and spoke directly from the heart: "Where to retreat is up to the two governors, but the troops of the right army of the imperial camp are too spread out. After the winter ice, there is no river to hinder us. Not to mention continuing to advance, we can't even maintain the current posture... Otherwise, we may be divided and swept by the Jin army! According to your humble opinion, if we withdraw to the front line ten days ago and rely on the defense along the second fork road, we can at least explain it to the court... We should just give up the half of Daming Prefecture we just got!"
Zhang Rong shook his head repeatedly: "We must not abandon Daming Prefecture!"
Tian Shizhong was extremely speechless. What happened was that the other party's official position was much higher than his, and it was normal for a navy general to not understand things on land. However, he was too lazy to argue with the other party and just stared at Yue Fei.
Yue Fei leaned against the chest-high basket, hugged his arms and remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke calmly, but he first said to Zhang Rong: "Let me say a few things... First of all, the Right Army of the Imperial Camp has few soldiers. Now it is guarding Binzhou, Dizhou, Dezhou, Bozhou, plus the newly acquired half of Daming Prefecture, more than ten cities. It is really a disadvantage that the troops are dispersed. Once the ice freezes and the river loses its obstruction, the Jin army will gather in large numbers. First, it will be impossible to defend it. Second, even if the Jin army ignores it, the Right Army can only shrink in the city and can't play any delaying or blocking role... It is indeed necessary to abandon some places, and abandon them early, so that we can free up our hands to exert our strength in the key places. This difficulty of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp is well known to me, and I agree with it."
"That's exactly what I meant." Tian Shizhong looked at him earnestly, but only Wang Gui in the big basket smiled at him.
Zhang Rong just kept shaking his head.
"Secondly." Yue Fei turned his head and pointed at Tian Shizhong again. "I also know what General Zhang means. He is not trying to make things difficult for your right army. What he wants is to find some cities with water ports to protect the fleet during the freezing of the river... Right now, the best places are actually the nearby Gucheng Town, Hanzhang Town upstream, and Shanghusha... To protect these places, it doesn't matter whether there is a famous city or not."
"It's not just our fleet." Zhang Rong also interrupted and explained seriously. "The key is that the Jin army would be cautious with the fleet, and would not dare to cross the river in large numbers, so that our navy would block their retreat... So, roughly speaking, from Shaoxing (Baima) to Puzhou, and then to the fork in Daming City under our feet, we must seize as much as possible before the ice freezes."
Tian Shizhong also sighed.
In fact, he came to his senses when he was halfway through listening to Yue Fei's words... He just blamed Zhang Rong, a rough man, for ignoring the difficulties of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp, but he forgot that the Imperial Camp Navy also had its own difficulties.
If the Jin army took advantage of the frost and burned or destroyed the ships, not to mention how the Song army would find a way to advance to Daming Prefecture in the spring, even Tokyo would be in real danger.
You must know that the Jin army not only blocked the river channel on the east side of Damingfu, but also the west river channel, which was dozens of miles behind Xiaowusha that day. There has always been a fleet .
Without ships, no matter how capable the navy is, wouldn't it have to switch between offense and defense? By then, not to mention the danger to Tokyo, I'm afraid that my people will also be cut off from logistics and locked in Hebei as an isolated army... No matter how we fight, we will collapse.
From this perspective, the Imperial Camp Right Army can be sacrificed and lost, but the Navy cannot be lost... Thinking of this, Tian Shizhong's face turned ugly again. Because if he were in Yue Fei's position, or the positions of the several ministers in Tokyo behind him, he would definitely agree with Zhang Rong's opinion first.
However, he still tried to find a reason: "If we are talking about defending Dongjing...what if the Jin army takes advantage of the frost and bypasses this side, directly from the empty east, through Jinan, to attack Dongjing? It can be seen that the lower reaches must also be defended."
He himself was embarrassed to say this... How many days can the freezing period last? As long as the navy is preserved, will the Jin army withdraw or not?
"That's right." Unexpectedly, Yue Fei did not pursue the reluctance in this statement, but nodded in response. "That's something to consider as well."
However, this statement made Tian Shizhong more alert, because he knew that Yue Fei was not such a confused person.
Zhang Rong stamped his feet even more: "He is right, I am right, and everyone is right, but can we all work together to win a war? Especially this war is of great importance. According to the court report, the fate of the country for the first 100 years and the next 200 years is on the line. How can we be ambiguous? You, Yue Pengju, called us here today, so there must be an explanation and assignment!"
"I do have to have an explanation."
Upon hearing this, Yue Fei stood in the basket with his arms folded, and laughed. "Brother Zhang, Brother Tian, in fact, not only your two families have difficulties and ideas, but I, Yue Fei, also have..."
Seeing Yue Fei acting so strangely, the two men couldn't help but look at each other, and then they became stern... Tian Shizhong grabbed the thick rope beside him, while Zhang Rong untied the exquisite cotton jacket given by the emperor, put it on, and stood with his hands on his waist.
"I am only thirty-three years old this year, and I have been appointed as the Marshal of Hebei. People all over the world say that I have met a wise ruler, but there are also people who secretly say that I am lucky and a lucky minister, but the emperor usually lets me do simple and meritorious things, so I can achieve this achievement? There are also some flatterers who say that I have a gloomy character and naturally have the talent to lead." Yue Fei ignored the two people's small movements, but continued to smile and sigh. "But no matter what outsiders think, anyway, for me, since the emperor promised me the position of marshal on the spot that day, although I didn't show it on my face, I was determined in my heart to avenge the Jingkang humiliation and repay the emperor's kindness; I also made up my mind a long time ago to fight this battle well and make great contributions so that people in the world will not underestimate me... Of course, I definitely want to take back Hebei and bring my brothers home... The national hatred and family hatred, fame and long-cherished wish, all depend on this battle."
Wang Gui sighed quietly but said nothing.
"The Marshal's loyalty to his country is known to the world." Tian Shizhong laughed dryly while holding the rope.
"Of course, I saw you for the first time eight or nine years ago. You are cold on the outside but warm on the inside." Zhang Rong added something else. "You like to drink. When you drink too much, you get angry. When you are wronged, you cry. When you talk to someone, you can't stop talking... Last time I went to your house to see your mother, she told me all this."
"That's not what I meant." Yue Fei was embarrassed. "I meant to say that although I want to repay the emperor's kindness, succeed in my career, and fulfill my long-cherished wish, but from the day I received the order, I have never felt at ease for a single day..."
"Like Wang Gang's defeat, although I know that it was just ordinary arrogance, underestimating the enemy and greed for credit, I didn't show it on my face, but I still couldn't help but worry about my own combat effectiveness..."
"Li Bao won a battle at sea. I just reported the victory to him, but I was so happy that I couldn't sleep at night. Later, he lost another battle on land, and I was worried and couldn't sleep again..."
"Then it was Gao Jingshan. He was a veteran after all, and he arranged Yuancheng across the street like an iron barrel, without any mistakes or omissions. I didn't show it on my face, but I was getting more and more uneasy inside, and I felt like I was walking on thin ice all day..."
"I've been in this Daming City for only ten days, and I've already boarded the hot air balloon nine times... Each time, after hearing the news from the battlefield, I realized that the situation was becoming increasingly oppressive. I didn't know how to break the situation, nor did I know how to deal with those people in the army. I couldn't help but hide on it, and chased the others off. I was the only one here to observe the terrain, think about the situation, brew plans, and even make decisions in secret."
"I am the same, actually." Zhang Rong said, relieved. "Fortunately, I don't have to pretend. If I get annoyed, I just put on a cotton jacket and walk around on the riverbank..."
Tian Shizhong swallowed his saliva. He wanted to say that he was the same... Before, he always thought that he was a responsible person, but this time when he led the Right Army of the Imperial Camp alone, he liked to pinch things for no reason. Many things were broken and crushed... But in the end, he was too embarrassed to say it.
"In a nutshell!" Yue Fei sighed. "You have your own difficulties and thoughts in your positions, I understand, but as the Marshal of Hebei, I also have my own difficulties and thoughts... I think about it, it's nothing more than two points, one is preservation, the other is advancement... Preservation means preserving the three armies, ensuring that under the massive siege of the Jin army, we will not ruin the overall situation because of any omissions here; advancement means that if we can capture Daming Prefecture, the situation in front of us will be completely open, and the Jin army will be forced to the point of being helpless, then we still have to try our best to capture it!"
"marshal!"
Tian Shizhong tightly grasped the thick rope, finally feeling helpless, even pleading. "I was worried from the beginning that you would have this idea, because according to your usual military thinking, as long as there is a plan, no matter how unbelievable it is, you have to do it! But General Zhang just said it clearly... This is related to the fate of the country for 200 years... Even if there is a way, we should make a conservative decision! Let's preserve it, okay?!"
Yue Fei shook his head and replied: "I am not taking risks casually. I looked at the terrain and thought about many possibilities. I started preparing from the beginning. I already have the materials and plans in place. That's why I asked you to come here! And I think the timing is just right... The main force of the Jin army is about to arrive, and they are slack. The small rivers have frozen, and the big rivers have not been sealed. They can't run rampant, and there is no absolute danger... This is a fighting opportunity!"
"I know what the Marshal is thinking of, using gunpowder to blow up the city!" Tian Shizhong was almost furious. "The people below don't know, but don't we? The gunpowder blasting rock demonstration we watched with the emperor on Wushan that day, who wouldn't be tempted? The emperor saved so much gunpowder and was reluctant to use it elsewhere, and his meaning is very clear! But that plan is just a plan, how could he bet 90,000 elite soldiers of the imperial camp and 200 years of national destiny on a city bombing? What if it snows and wets the gunpowder, and it doesn't explode? If it explodes, Gao Jingshan is a ruthless man, what if he grits his teeth to block the hole? Now with such a strict arrangement, if we rashly attack the city, if we can't capture it quickly, we will have to worry about being blocked by the Jin cavalry waiting in the north, and the whole army will be choked! How can you and I face the emperor then? It's nothing more than slitting our throats under the city!"
"You are absolutely right."
Yue Fei nodded in response. "Gunpowder is a surprising method, but we must not put the lives of our three armies on a gunpowder explosion... It is just a surprising initiation, and there must be a perfect countermeasure to follow it up... I really have a complete siege plan! Even if the gunpowder fails, we can still safely attack the city and properly repel the enemy at the same time!"
Tian Shizhong was completely helpless.
Zhang Rong also hesitated to speak.
"That's what I think." Yue Fei ignored the two's reactions and returned to his usual self, speaking calmly. "If we can capture Yuancheng, the regulations of these two cities will be enough to store the ships safely... Zhang Jiedu, is that right or not? You don't have to worry about where to store the warships in the winter, or whether to sail the ships back to Henan."
Zhang Rong glanced at the river sandwiched between the two cities and the artillery vehicles on the other side of the river, and nodded helplessly.
"If we want to break the city before it freezes, we must have enough troops to ensure that we can attack the city with all our strength, and at the same time we must work together to resist the reinforcements from the north... Is this right or wrong, General Tian?" Yue Fei looked at Tian Shizhong again.
Master Tian took a long breath, suppressed his dissatisfaction, and said with all his strength: "Yes."
"Then can you personally bring 15,000 people here to help me reinforce the Jin army in the north?" Yue Fei continued to ask seriously. "Only in this way can I have enough spare strength to attack the city..."
Although he was standing by the stove, Tian Shizhong felt his scalp tingling and his whole body was cold. "My army is already short of soldiers... How can we bring more than 10,000 people here? Are we going to give up more than ten cities in three states?"
"No." Yue Fei responded calmly. "My foolproof countermeasure is very simple on your side. You have too few soldiers to defend so many places, right? I will make the decision and abandon the three states and more than ten cities... Only guard the two cities of Xiajin and Gaotang where the river is the narrowest, and connect Jinan and Qingzhou as a line of defense... Can't we defend it?"
Tian Shizhong was stunned for a moment, he couldn't believe his ears, and immediately asked: "If we abandon the three states, how will the Marshal explain to the emperor and Tokyo? Do you know that if we abandon the three states, those officials, scholars, and people in the rear will not know how to fight, and I'm afraid they will cause chaos!"
"But at least this will ensure that in case of defeat, the defense line can be preserved." Yue Fei replied simply. "As for the rear... First, according to the emperor's order before leaving, the officials in Tokyo can only question us, but cannot interfere with us; second, this war is related to the fate of the country. How can we waste troops at the end for the sake of face and the turmoil in the rear? If we lose the overall situation, it will cause disasters for a hundred years; third, this matter really has a beginning and an end, and I will bear it myself! Just tell me if you come to defend like this, can you gather 15,000 soldiers from the right army of the imperial camp for me?"
Tian Shizhong stared at the person in front of him with an extremely complicated look, but he actually shook his head and confirmed:
"Yes! But how can 15,000 people help you block the three Wanhu of Ali, Shaohe, and Wang Bolong who have already appeared in the north on flat ground? Especially the two Wanhu of Ali and Shaohe are stationed in Guantao, north of Yuancheng, only 20 to 30 miles away."
"I have a way!" Yue Fei blurts out.
Tian Shizhong almost cursed, but suddenly he remembered something, and his heart moved slightly, but he didn't ask any more questions. He just suppressed his speculation and anxiety, and shook his head slowly: "The people on the other side of the river are not blind. How can we quickly get the main force to cross the river and set up a defense line?"
Yue Fei turned his head and looked at Zhang Rong, who had not spoken for a long time.
Zhang Rong was stunned for a moment, then reacted. Regardless of the fact that he was in a basket in mid-air, he lowered his voice and pointed to the river in the east, saying, "Pengju! I, Zhang, trust you... but in this situation, how can you expect my fleet to get through? There are artillery vehicles pressing down on us! The water is much shallower!"
"This is the key." Yue Fei finally said with a slightly difficult tone. "Brother Zhang, don't be too aggressive... Just go over with a dozen ships and two or three thousand people to seize a position... If you can do it, I will let you do it, if you can't, then we will just retreat and set up a defense line... How do you think?"
Zhang Rong stared at the other person without saying anything for a long time.
Master Tian was holding a thick hemp rope beside him, his fingers bent almost to a dangerous degree, but he didn't dare to make a sound.
Wang Gui, who had been silent for most of the day, wanted to say something but stopped himself. After a while, he simply picked up the shovel and prepared to add coal to the hot air balloon's furnace.
However, Yue Fei stopped this action with his hand.
"This is courtesy before force, right? If I don't agree, will you issue a military order after this basket is put down?" Zhang Rong's tone was trembling. "Don't allow me to speak?"
"Brother Zhang!" Yue Fei replied in mid-air. "We are soldiers and we eat food... Is it just soldiers and we eat food? Why do we eat food? After three or five years of peace, have you forgotten the thoughts and people of the past?"
Zhang Rong also sighed, then gritted his teeth and said, "Since you're talking about the past, then well, just like you trusted me so much back then and almost led the Jin army to Suotou Beach all by yourself, I should trust your character and ability today... Three thousand men and twenty small ships, I'll let Xiao En lead the team!"
After saying this, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Camp Navy simply turned his face to the east and avoided the waterway to the west.
Tian Shizhong wanted to speak, but he didn't know how to start, so he could only hold the hemp rope harder. However, soon, the commander below, Bei, began to drag the hot air balloon down at Wang Gui's signal. The hemp rope tightened, but he didn't even have a place to hold anything. He was at a loss for a moment, so he simply squatted in the basket and held his head.
Then, still silence.
As for Yue Pengju, he took a deep breath and tried to go over his plan again, which had actually been conceived since the first day he arrived and was already well known by heart. However, he just couldn't calm down.
After a while, the hot air balloon was slowly pulled down, and Marshal Yue, a governor and two deputy governors-general jumped out of the basket one after another. Then they all looked calm and walked briskly, and left proudly, which made low-ranking officers like Bei Yan secretly respect them.
A moment later, drums began to be beaten in Daming City to gather the generals. When all the generals in the city gathered, Hebei Army Marshal Yue Fei sat at the top in full armor, Zhang Rong sat at his side in a cotton-padded jacket, and the two deputy governors Tian and Wang also sat at the upper left and right positions, each of them with a blank expression and a stern look, quite impressive.
"I have a perfect plan. We will definitely break through Yuancheng and take Damingfu within this month." Yue Fei ordered calmly, looking down on them. "All of you follow the military order and speed up your preparations!"
There was an uproar in the tent including Zhang Zigai, Tang Huai, Zhang Xian and others. Only the four highest-ranking generals sat still, as if they had already made an agreement and were confident about it. They did not want to argue with these ordinary generals.
So, very quickly, all the generals gradually became solemn and courageous.
