Volume 6 Chapter 3: Under the Willow (Part 1)
Several days had passed since Emperor Zhao's pretentious expression of emotion when he stationed his horse on the Fen River. As the weather began to warm up significantly, the ice on the Fen River became thinner and thinner and could no longer be relied upon. The laborers began to build temporary floating bridges on a large scale, or simply built some semi-permanent floating bridges.
At the same time, within a few days, the size of the camp under Taiyuan city increased instead of decreased.
Ten thousand troops were sent out, but thousands of troops gathered in the rear to clear a certain city. More importantly, with the fall of Taiyuan City, the strong military station-style logistics line built along the Fen River was finally built in the north of Queshu Valley, that is, in the Taiyuan Basin. More civilians and logistics materials began to be transported from the river south of Queshu Valley and the Linfen Basin along the Fen River.
Moreover, with the news that Yue Fei's troops killed Wang Bolun and broke through Yuancheng, and the main force of the Jin army gathered together and marched northward, it can be imagined that the Henan and Hezhong areas that had been under martial law during the previous winter would be reopened, and more supplies would continue to be delivered along this supply line after the short Yellow River ice flood.
In the short term, Taiyuan will still be a huge military camp, command post and logistics base, as well as the headquarters before the next battle.
However, just as Zhao Jiu and many generals had already realized, under the stimulation of the huge victory and the almost crazy excitement at the front and back that could be imagined, some discordant battle reports began to be gathered from various places.
A few days ago, there were only news such as the thwarted attack on Jingxing and the failure of surrender in some places of Taiyuan Prefecture and Longde Prefecture. These news were sandwiched between the congratulatory messages from all sides and the more extensive military reports on the victory of the stronghold sweep. They were not worth worrying about at all.
However, on the eighth day of the first lunar month, the day when the center of Fenshui River thawed for the first time, someone finally made the first big news after the New Year.
Wenshui County is the closest Jin army stronghold to Taiyuan. I don’t know if they are worried about the increasing number of reinforcements and are eager to take credit, or if they are simply underestimating the enemy, or if they think this place is too close to Taiyuan and want to show it to Emperor Zhao. The most likely reason is that they saw that the other strongholds were progressing smoothly, but this place is obviously one of the counties closest to Taiyuan, but it has been difficult to take down. It’s a bit unbearable...
In short, Chen Yanzhang, the commander of the left army of the imperial camp who was in charge of commanding various troops to besiege the city, gave up the step of firing cannons to smash the city when the siege position was about to be completed. Instead, he believed the intelligence from the Han army in the city and personally led his team to climb the city wall and launch a surprise attack at night. As a result, a dignified commander was shot to death in the city wall by arrows from the Jin army after falling for an outdated strategy of feigning surrender.
Moreover, since the war began, many senior generals at the commander-in-chief level of the Song army have disappeared.
For example, Guo Zhen, who was beheaded in public in the rear army of the Imperial Camp; Lu Heshang and Zhao Cheng, who were dismissed and demoted because of lax military discipline, defeat and injuries in the central army of the Imperial Camp; and Wang Gang, who was in the front army of the Imperial Camp and was the first to cause the Song army's defeat in the Northern Expedition and then died... But even Wang Gang was demoted first and then died in battle.
In other words, Chen Yanzhang was one of the only two Song army commanders who died in battle since the war began, and the only commander in Hedong who died in battle. What's more, unlike the military report that said Hu Qing of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp died in a fierce battle, Chen Yanzhang's death was too pathetic, and it directly caused a shock to the entire army in the Taiyuan base camp... The previous arrogance and impatience were also restrained for a while.
Fortunately, although Chen Yanzhang died easily, Yang Congyi, the commander of the imperial camp army, and the reinforcements he brought were already outside Wenshui City, so the city did not lose its backbone.
Next, after realizing that even killing or wounding the enemy general would not break the siege, the Meng'an in the city lost his patience and immediately mobilized elite troops to try to break out. However, this time there were no surprises or miracles. Under heavy siege, especially with Li Shifu's Dangxiang light cavalry nearby, the Jin army was wiped out outside the city.
When the news came, Wu Jie, who was in charge of the daily operation of the base camp, felt relieved. He ordered the heads of the Jin army generals to be displayed to the public, but he did not say much about Chen Yanzhang... It seemed that he was concerned about the brilliance of the belt of Han Shizhong, the number one man in the army and the Prince of Yan'an.
Emperor Zhao remained silent about this... This made many generals and officers feel relieved, but also a little nervous... All we can say is that fortunately this incident came suddenly and ended quickly.
But the news is not over yet.
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, only three days before the Lantern Festival, the Fen River had completely melted. An additional edition of the official report full of praise for the victory of Taiyuan and Daming Prefecture was urgently delivered to Taiyuan. The messenger also brought the good news that some sections of the upper reaches of the Yellow River had been frozen over, while other sections had thawed and were passable.
This was certainly good news, so Emperor Zhao took the rare court report with him and a small stool to the bank of the Fen River. He found a willow tree with tender branches and read the newspaper under it... The only people accompanying him were Yang Yi Zhong and seventy or eighty imperial guards.
However, just as Emperor Zhao was reading the congratulatory message written by a certain student, a rider suddenly appeared behind him from Taiyuan City, looking for him.
"Officials!"
Taira no Kiyomori, who was on duty in the city today, rode over on horseback, rolled off his horse, and spoke out some terrible news. "Vice-Governor Wang was badly defeated in Pingxing Village, with over a thousand casualties!"
"I know." Emperor Zhao, who was sitting on a stool, was not angry at all, and did not even look up. "We lost so badly, how did it go?"
"So that the emperor knows, according to the military report, Yelu Mawu was well prepared, and should have sent troops there from Hebei a long time ago, pretending to be defeated and abandoning the camp to lure our army deeper. Deputy General Wang was eager to kill the enemy, and the front and back were out of touch. Unexpectedly, the Jin army set up an ambush at the bottle mouth outside the camp in advance, and waited for Deputy General Wang's main force to pass first, then abandoned the cavalry and fought on foot, and attacked from both sides, burning our army's logistics convoy and killing nearly a thousand of our rear guards..." Ping Qingsheng on the ground spoke more and more carefully, and in the middle he looked at Emperor Zhao's face before continuing. "Deputy General Wang realized something was wrong in front, and quickly abandoned the fake defeat of the Jin army and turned back to the bottle-shaped camp... As a result, the Jin army did not dare to fight again and fled directly... But without the baggage, Deputy General Wang did not dare to go in again, so he could only stay in the bottle-shaped camp for a while and write a letter to apologize."
"The main force of our army was lured to pass through the Pingxing Village, and the rear guard was killed by the Jin army at the mouth of the Ping. All the baggage was lost. As a result, Wang Sheng turned back, and the Jin army was in chaos again." Zhao Jiu finally raised his head from the official report, but he looked around at the close ministers and guards who were accompanying him, and finally fell on Yang Yizhong. "Why do I feel a little strange? Zhengfu, you are from Daizhou, and you are most familiar with Pingxing Village. What do you think is going on?"
Yang Yizhong had a lot of military experience, so he certainly knew the situation. In addition, there were no important people around today, so he did not hide anything and directly responded with his hands clasped:
"I'm sorry... the Jin army was in retreat, so they were hasty in preparing for battle, or they had few soldiers, so their fighting power was extremely weak... After the hasty ambush, they succeeded in one attack, which meant they had already used all their strength, so they didn't dare to fight and just fled. Otherwise, if they still had the strength to fight, the Jin army would have locked up the Pingxing Village, and Deputy Commander Wang, who had lost his baggage, would have been suffocated to death in Puyin Pass."
"That's the truth." Zhao Jiu nodded slowly, as if thinking about something.
Perhaps because of his identity as a Daizhou native, Yang Yizhong paused for a moment, but he couldn't help but say a few more words: "Your Majesty, if my guess is correct, even if Yelu Mawu is willing, he may not be able to reach out so far and so quickly... This battle is more like the Daizhou defenders were forced into a desperate situation when they fled in a hurry, so they just turned back. And the reason why Deputy Governor Wang said that it was Yelu Mawu who did it is, firstly, because Yelu Mawu is a Wanhu, a famous general who has experienced Nanyang and Yaoshan, and it is not too embarrassing to lose to him; secondly, it is because Daizhou was conquered by another Deputy Governor Wang (Wang De), and the other Deputy Governor Wang (Wang De) reported a victory before, but said that he wiped out the defenders in the city... If I force this matter, I am afraid it will come to your Majesty to judge again."
"You are right." Zhao Jiu replied with a sigh. "A sudden counterattack killed nearly a thousand people... Two deputy governors, one underestimated the enemy and rushed forward rashly, and the other exaggerated the victory... Did they think I would not know these things?"
"Everyone has a lucky heart." Yang Yizhong was helpless to answer, half explaining, half persuading. "Moreover, when Wang De reported the victory, the few remaining soldiers fled. According to common sense, they should have been defeated directly. Even if the defeated soldiers organized themselves later, it would not have delayed his overall achievement of pacifying Xinzhou, Daizhou, and Ninghuajun within ten days and threatening Yanmen Pass. For example, when Wang Sheng apologized for his defeat, he did not dare to cover up the losses and the process of defeat. He just made a note of the attribution of the enemy army to save face and smoothness... What if the emperor knew about it? Would he punish him beyond the limit for such a small matter? Besides, didn't the emperor order Wu Dutong to temporarily take charge of the imperial military affairs and discuss everything with the governors? He always has to consider the faces of the governors."
Zhao Jiu glanced at the other person and said nothing.
Yang Yizhong suddenly realized and stopped talking... The official's meaning was very clear, and those words were exactly what he wanted to say.
On the other side, Ping Qingsheng waited on the ground for a while. Seeing that Emperor Zhao didn't say anything and Yang Yizhong just waved his hand, he finally came to his senses and went back to report.
However, when Taira no Kiyomori turned around to leave, he met another fellow officer from the Red Heart Team. It was Prince Toli of Western Mongolia. In the afternoon light, his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. Taira no Kiyomori was puzzled, but he didn't ask any more questions. He just nodded and rode away in a hurry.
Tuoli came to the willow tree, bowed his head, and just like Taira no Kiyomori, informed Emperor Zhao of several matters that Wu Jie had handled on his behalf, and then received a message that had just been filed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"The Jin army in Datong Prefecture retreated voluntarily, and Yanmen Pass was breached... Then your father marched from the north as the vanguard, and first plundered Dezhou under the Jinhe Mountain, and then wanted to plunder Datong Prefecture. Unexpectedly, when they were halfway through the looting, Guo Hao, the deputy commander of the rear army of the imperial camp, and Wang De led the army along the Sanggan River. The two sides quarreled over this matter... Is this what you mean?" Zhao Jiu thought for a while while holding the official report on his stool, and looked at Tuoli with a normal expression.
"Yes." Tuoli's face turned even darker... Wu Jie asked him to come and deliver the message, which clearly showed that he had bad intentions.
"This is a good thing." Zhao Jiu sneered. "After all, the Jin army in Datong has withdrawn, the north is stable, and the Puyin Xing army is in my hands... What do these small details matter?"
Tuoli just felt his scalp tingling.
He was a prince of Western Mongolia and had been with Emperor Zhao for three or four years. He was no longer the wild man who only knew how to ride horses, drink and find women on the grassland... He understood that if the previous incident between Wang De and Wang Sheng was called a minor matter, it might be okay, but the current issue was a major and serious military and political issue.
Especially since he was a squad leader of the Red Heart Team and had always served this official, he knew that the other party would never tolerate such a thing.
As for the gains and losses of Datong Prefecture, to put it bluntly, even the dumbest person would realize after the fall of Taiyuan City that it was only a matter of time before the entire area west of Taihang Mountain fell into the hands of the Song Army, and it was not a military issue.
"Touli..." Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, still holding the official report, but with one hand hanging down to one side. Then he leaned forward to call the other party.
"I'm here." Tuoli responded quickly and lowered his head.
"Raise your head." Emperor Zhao seemed a little impatient.
Tuoli did not hesitate at all and looked up again to meet Emperor Zhao's gaze.
"I am actually furious." Zhao Jiu responded calmly. "But I know that you Mongolians came south with the intention of plundering and making money... and there will be a war soon, and I will use the cavalry of Western Mongolia... so I can't lose my temper at this time. And you, Toli, have been by my side for a long time, and you know my taboos... If I say I am not angry, it will make you suspicious... right or not?"
Tuoli opened his mouth to speak, but had nothing to say. Instead, his forehead was slightly sweating in the chilly spring air...it seemed as if he had run too fast before.
"How about this." Zhao Jiu sat up straight, expressionless, and patiently persuaded. "Take my order, go to the north with Mei Xueshi and Ren Sheren (Ren Baozhong) to mediate. Once you go, don't come back. Just assist your father in the army to lead the army and fight. At the same time, you must appease your father, let him be loyal to me, join me, and participate in the war wholeheartedly... After this battle, your father will go to Tokyo with me to enjoy life, and you will be the king of Western Mongolia... Or I will crown you personally! When you go to Western Mongolia, can you still be as ignorant as your father? In this way, isn't it the best of both worlds?"
Tuoli listened in a daze, then suddenly knelt on the ground and swore to the sky: "If I have such an opportunity, the various tribes in Western Mongolia are complicated, and I dare not say anything, but the Kerait tribe will be the pioneers of the Song Dynasty from generation to generation!"
"That's fine." Zhao Jiu picked up the newspaper again. "I don't care about generations, and I can't care about generations. As long as I'm alive and you're alive, and we don't make any mistakes, it won't be in vain for the monarch and his subjects... Go back and report to Wu Jiedu, Shao Yaban, and Fan Xueshi, but only tell Wu Jiedu about the coronation after the war... Don't mention Mei Xueshi and Ren Sheren either."
Tuoli kowtowed heavily again and then staggered away.
As soon as Tuoli left, Yang Yizhong, for some reason, broke the silence again and said hesitantly: "Sir... can Tuoli be trusted?"
"First, Toli has been with me for three years, and he has become a little more civilized. He has also seen the vastness of the Song Dynasty with his own eyes, and knows the strengths and weaknesses of the imperial camp. He may not be more trustworthy than Huerzahusi, but he knows more about things than him." Zhao Jiu was not in a hurry, and continued to read the newspaper under the willow tree to answer. "Second, the Mongolian rules are mixed. Sometimes the eldest brother succeeds to the throne, sometimes the eldest son succeeds to the throne, and sometimes the youngest son succeeds to the throne. Although Toli is the eldest son of Huerzahusi, he has never been the heir of the Kerait tribe and Western Mongolia... Without me, I dare not say that there is a 70% to 80% chance that he will not get this throne. Third, even if the father and son are deeply in love, is it a difference if I let his father come to Tokyo to enjoy the good life? Finally... Is there a better way now? Should Toli be killed or imprisoned? What about Huerzahusi? What about the 15,000 cavalry reinforcements from Western Mongolia? Before the war, we can't do anything too risky, and we have to be patient for the last time."
Yang Yizhong said no more, but he felt a little uneasy in his heart ... However, he soon realized that his uneasiness was not because of Tuoli's disposal plan. Even if Tuoli's disposal plan had some risks, it was insignificant.
The key point is that he has realized that before the war, there will inevitably be more similar incidents. This will be another burden for Emperor Zhao, who has been under tremendous pressure since the beginning of the Northern Expedition.
The government seems calm and unperturbed, but in fact it is already overwhelmed.
Not to mention what Yang Yizhong was thinking, and how Emperor Zhao continued to read the newspaper under the willow tree, on the other side, just as Tuoli could not hide the intense shock and excitement in his heart, he returned to the government office in the inner city of Taiyuan in a daze. Before he could say a word, he was stopped in front of the lobby of the government office by Taira no Kiyomori who had returned earlier.
Tuoli wanted to scold him, but when he thought that he would become a prince in a few months, he decided not to argue with him.
"Something big has happened." Taira no Kiyomori, of course, didn't know what Toli was thinking, so he just lowered his voice and told him kindly in the corridor. " You haven't figured out the matter in Western Mongolia yet, but Eastern Mongolia has caused a huge mess... The governor of Datong, the fake king of Jin, Wanyan Erluguan, and Wanhu Pucha Huzan led two Wanhu to escape along the Yanghe River (a tributary of the Sanggan River) and went to Guihuazhou (Zhangjiakou)! Kublai Khan sent a letter to Datong saying that he was a step late... Wu Jiedu's military strategy was destroyed, and he rarely lost his composure."
Tuoli was stunned again. Of course he knew that all the previous things, including the various defeats of the imperial army and the trouble caused by his own father, were nothing worth mentioning compared to this incident.
Because of this incident, Wu Jie's main plan was ruined, and two Wanhu were cut off and escaped from Datong, which also meant that the Jin army was likely to have two more Wanhu in the subsequent decisive battle; secondly, the impact of this incident was equally significant because no one knew whether Hebule was really late and failed to intercept them, or deliberately failed to intercept them? The latter was directly related to whether the 15,000 cavalry of Eastern Mongolia could be trusted and used in the decisive battle?
But on the other hand, if we really can't make it in time, and something unnecessary happens in Taiyuan that forces Eastern Mongolia to the other side, what will happen?
Therefore, this matter is the huge trouble that will truly affect the subsequent overall situation.
“You can know a person’s face but not his heart.” Thinking of this, Tuoli sighed. “The most difficult thing in this world is to see through people’s hearts!”
These words were insightful, and Taira nods repeatedly as he hears them.
But the next moment, Toli continued to sigh, and his voice even got louder: "How can you be like me, Toli Luhan, who has only one sun in the sky and only the emperor's sun in my heart?"
Taira no Kiyomori was stunned, as if he was meeting this colleague with a bad drinking habit for the first time.
