Volume 6 Chapter 4: Under the Willow Tree (Part 2)
With the recovery of Datong Prefecture, which had not belonged to the Han Dynasty for more than a hundred years, the entire Taihang-Yellow River scenic area has completely fallen into the hands of the Song army. At the same time, a total of about 40,000 Khitan and Eastern and Western Mongolian reinforcements arrived in Datong, and the remaining troops of the Imperial Camp Rear Army will also be completely liberated, and then march eastward in a large scale to join the main force.
This situation is, of course, very good. Not just good, but very good.
But at the same time, some hidden worries began to emerge. The army gradually became restless, underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, and suffered successive defeats.
The Jin army did not completely lose its morale because of the sudden loss of Taiyuan. Yelu Mawu still defended Jingxing, the main passage from Taiyuan to Hebei, and Xihe City, the capital of Fenzhou in the southwest of Taiyuan Basin, was still firmly held in the hands of Wanyan Salihe.
But these seem to be minor details. In fact, compared with the record of the Song army and the performance of the Jin army before the fall of Taiyuan City, the current situation did not exceed expectations. It was just that the miraculous fall of Taiyuan City gave the Song army a higher sense of expectation for the war, which made it more unbearable to suffer a small defeat under the wave of great victory.
And this is only true for the civil officials who know nothing about military affairs and the lower-level military personnel.
As for the top leaders of the Song army, what really made them worried and nervous at this time was the successful escape of the Datong defenders and the stance of the two Mongolian reinforcements, especially the Eastern Mongolian reinforcements... The account was easy to calculate. If two Wanhu escaped, there would be a difference of 40,000 inside and outside. If the stance of the 15,000 light cavalry Eastern Mongolian reinforcements was reversed, there would be a difference of 30,000 inside and outside, which added up to a difference of 70,000.
No one dares to underestimate this
The sun was getting lower and lower in the west. Under the willow trees by the Fen River, Emperor Zhao had already put down his newspaper and started fishing.
As for the main planner of the Datong war, he was also the direct superior of one of the main attacking forces in the Datong direction (Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Rear Army Guo Hao was directly in charge of one of the routes), and he was also the temporary chief of the Taiyuan base camp after the New Year's Day, that is, Wu Jie Wu Jinqing. After receiving the news in the city, he immediately fell into a state of intense anxiety and even panic.
After just a moment's hesitation, he realized that he should better explain things to the officials - he didn't want to lose this last stage because of this kind of thing.
"Is that so?"
Zhao Jiu put down the fishing rod in his hand, turned around and looked at each other, his face looked a little bad, which made Yang Yizhong under the tree next to him also change color a little.
"Yes." Wu Jie, who was standing in front, saw this scene and was glad that he did not delay and came directly to report.
"Jin Qing." Zhao Jiu was silent for a long time before speaking, but he did not directly discuss the issue of Eastern Mongolia. "Do you know why I am so confident in entrusting all matters in Taiyuan to you?"
"I am ashamed." Wu Jie's heart tightened.
"That's not what I meant." Zhao Jiu shook his head, then simply stood up with his hands on his knees, and then paced back and forth under the willow tree with his hands behind his back. "I think that people like you are much better than me in handling some military affairs, organizing military arrangements, and understanding the geography of Hedong... I just sit here and be a good official who stabilizes the morale of the army... But even I have my own considerations that I cannot relax... What do you think I, as an official, should be concerned about while staying in Taiyuan now?"
Wu Jie waited for the official to finish speaking, then calmly but helplessly responded: "It should be logistics and manpower."
"Yes, that's the two points!" Zhao Jiu stopped and looked at him with a little emotion. "Jin Qing, you are indeed a handsome talent..."
Wu Jie sighed softly.
Besides, the logic is not that complicated.
After Taiyuan, anyone with a little knowledge of military strategy knew that there was bound to be a decisive battle, and it would be a battle in the wild. Because if you put yourself in their shoes, after witnessing the power of gunpowder, the Jin Dynasty's top leaders would not take any more risks. They simply could not afford the serious consequences of the sequential explosions of Zhending Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, and Yanjing City.
Therefore, the main force of the Jin army was forced into a dead end by the Song army. The only thing they could do was to seek a decisive battle in the field when the main force of the Song army left Hedong and marched into Hebei.
As for the decisive battle in the field, when the morale was already high, the Song army's main considerations were of course manpower and logistics. The more manpower, the better, and the more logistics, the better. Therefore, after Zhao Guanjia handed over all the general affairs, he could consider nothing else, but he had to pay attention to the amount of logistics supplies and manpower in Taiyuan.
In comparison, the gains and losses of a city, the victory or defeat of a part, how to sweep the Hedong region, and how to advance to Datong are not worth worrying about.
However, this was also the important reason why Wu Jie came to apologize this time, because compared with other things, this matter had touched upon the most core issue of troop strength comparison during the decisive battle.
"I... am ashamed." Thinking of this, Wu Jie felt even more ashamed.
"Don't be ashamed." Zhao Jiu shook his head slowly. "Mr. Jin, since this has happened, we have to have a pair of thoughts and ideas today... because we, the monarch and his subjects, must not have differences in understanding and thinking."
Wu Jie quickly bowed.
"First of all, I have said before that the army does not have enough gunpowder." Zhao Jiu started from a message that both sides have confirmed. "I have accumulated gunpowder for several years, hundreds of thousands of pounds, and divided it into two parts that day. In order to ensure that Taiyuan can be taken, Hedong has used it all in one go. The tens of thousands of pounds allocated to the Prince of Yan'an were also used by him directly that day... Maybe there is still some, but that is with Yue Pengju. I really don't have any here."
In the setting sun of early spring, Wu Jie's expression remained unchanged, but as soon as Emperor Zhao finished speaking, he immediately shook his head: "I think it's okay... because the Jurchens don't dare to gamble! Even if someone told Wanyan Wushu and Wanyan Balisu in person that we were out of gunpowder, they wouldn't dare to gamble! Even if they saw us using artillery carts to destroy the city bit by bit, they wouldn't dare to gamble. They would only think that we were preparing to use the gunpowder in the most critical place just like before."
"That's true, but it's gone, and we have to understand that." Zhao Jiu nodded and continued to look at the other party. "The second thing is that I think this decisive battle in the field will come very quickly... so fast that we will be caught off guard... It is very likely that we will have to fight head-on as soon as we leave Hedong! Because the Jin army is now vaguely in a state of mourning, and will not necessarily resist a decisive battle."
"That's true. Now we have the strategic location of Hedong and are in a commanding position. If we wait and see, the longer the Jin army delays, the more likely they will be shaken and confused." Wu Jie thought for a moment and nodded heavily, "But we also have to consider the issue of reinforcements from Yanjing... So, for the Jin army, the best time to fight a decisive battle is right after the reinforcements from Yanjing arrive... But on the other hand, Your Majesty has unexpectedly captured Taiyuan, and the initiative is still in our hands. As long as we advance towards Hebei, they will have to fight. But our logistics are insufficient, and we can't delay too long, so it's best to advance towards Hebei before the reinforcements from Yanjing arrive."
Zhao Jiu nodded again and again, and finally talked about what happened today: "So, the matter between Hebule and Eastern Mongolia is very serious... It must be dealt with as soon as possible and cannot be delayed."
"I am willing to go to Datong in person..." Wu Jie gritted his teeth and replied, "Your Majesty, this is what I am going to do. I will go and take a look... If the Eastern Mongols can be used, I will immediately bring them to Taiyuan to join us. If they cannot be used, I will immediately have Guo Hao and Wang De, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, the Khitan Yelu Yudu tribe, and the Western Mongolian tribe deal with the Eastern Mongols in Datong... We must not let them have the opportunity to rebel on the battlefield."
"Okay..." Zhao Jiu nodded. "And it's the most appropriate time for you to go now, because Guo Hao is your subordinate. But have you thought about one thing? If you quickly deal with the Eastern Mongols, what will the Western Mongols, who originally had no intention of rebelling, think? Will they lose trust in us, harbor resentment, and then rebel in the middle of the battle? They are all Mongolians, and many of the tribal leaders know them. They are so-called 'andas' like sworn brothers, and there are also connections between the tribes. What's more terrible is that although the Western Mongols did not cause any major trouble, they just looted Datong, which led to a conflict between Wang De and Guo Hao and them."
Wu Jie was stunned on the spot.
"If we deal with the Western Mongols, will the Khitans also be frightened?" Zhao Jiu turned around and wandered under the willow tree. "The Khitans are not afraid to rebel, but Yelu Yudu is not Yelu Dashi, and the generals below do not have the political vision of the superiors. Once they are frightened and become defensive, what should they do? This is the so-called "afraid of harming the enemy". The decisive battle is imminent, and risks must be avoided, but this fear of harming the enemy cannot be revealed, otherwise those people will take advantage of the situation and cause trouble for no reason."
"I would like to ask for your advice, Your Majesty." Wu Jie asked quickly.
"No instructions." Zhao Jiu responded seriously. "If the situation is obvious, you should take action, and solve it in advance if possible... But if you take action against the Eastern Mongols, you must isolate the Western Mongols north of Yanmen Pass and not let them affect the decisive battle! And if the situation is chaotic and the risk of taking action is too great, you should ignore Hebula and Eastern Mongolia, and immediately lead the Khitan and Western Mongols south to isolate the Eastern Mongols north of Yanmen Pass... Of course, it is best to take all the reinforcements south together!"
"I understand." Wu Jie was relieved. "I am willing to leave immediately."
"There's one more thing..." Zhao Jiu looked back under the tree. "We haven't finished talking yet!"
"Yes." Wu Jie quickly bowed again.
"In this battle, from me to you, from Wang Sheng to Chen Yanzhang, from Datong to Dongjing City, from top to bottom, from front to back, everyone and everything, no matter how big the leak is, it is natural." Zhao Jiu stopped there, stared at the other party and said seriously. "Don't have any worries."
Wu Jie raised his head without saying a word, but was finally shocked from the bottom of his heart.
"Since ancient times, there has never been a war of this scale." Zhao Jiu continued to answer seriously. "We are all groping in the dark... We have accumulated three years of logistics, thinking that we can conquer for a year, but in the end it is only enough for half a year. The Ministry of Revenue, from Minister Lin Jingmo to Minister Lin, has worked diligently for three years. Do they all have to resign and apologize? A ruling prince of the Jin Kingdom died. It was obviously our advantage to launch a surprise attack, but as soon as the war started, there was a riot in Tokyo, almost causing a riot. Do we need Chen Gui and Yan Xiaozhong to resign and take responsibility? And Li Yanxian rushed forward to compete for merit, and was defeated at Tieling Pass. Do we need to hand over the banner of the mainstay to set things right? Of course, there is also the matter of Guo Zhen in your department, and the matter of Datong today... Jin Qing..."
"I am here."
"It's not that you don't want to take responsibility, but that the big things have not been done yet. If you are too harsh on some things, you will only lose the big picture. Besides, if you are to be responsible, then all of you were appointed by me. Shouldn't I take responsibility first?" Zhao Jiu frowned as he looked at the other party. "Since the war began, you, Wu Jinqing, like Han Liangchen, Li Shaoyan, Ma Zichong, and even Qu Da, have all made contributions without any faults!"
Wu Jie wanted to express his gratitude on the spot.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Zhao directly waved his sleeves and said, "Go! Take Mei Xueshi, Ren Sheren, and Tuoli with you... Mei Li is responsible for dealing with the Khitans who admire Wenhua, Ren Baozhong is responsible for mediating the conflicts among the various tribes in Datong, Tuoli is responsible for controlling Western Mongolia, and you have to make the decision whether to deal with Eastern Mongolia... Go quickly and come back quickly, don't delay!"
Wu Jie stepped back and walked away in a hurry.
But after a while, after watching Wu Jie disappear, Emperor Zhao became a little depressed, but sat back on the stool under the willow tree. Yang Yizhong did not dare to neglect it, and immediately stepped forward a few steps, ready to support the emperor.
But Emperor Zhao just waved his hand and turned back to look: "If we follow what we said before, after we sweep Taiyuan and Longde, we gather all the troops and march out of Jingxing immediately, how many soldiers will we have at most? How many soldiers will we have at least?"
"Theoretically, there should be at least 200,000, and at most 240,000." Yang Yizhong blurted out. "But in reality, there are definitely not that many. A lot of casualties have been made, and we need to leave troops along the way... In addition, we also need to consider whether we should leave some decent troops in Longde Prefecture and Taiyuan Prefecture, just in case."
"Taiyuan and Longde Prefecture must be kept... so that means 160,000 to 200,000?"
"Yes." Yang Yizhong answered carefully. "But this doesn't actually include Yue Fei's troops... They are infantry, and it's uncertain how many people will come."
"Yue Fei's army still has some cavalry and livestock, so there should be several thousand to ten thousand troops following the Jin army." Zhao Jiu quickly replied. "That means 170,000 to 200,000?"
"yes."
"Where are the Jin troops?"
"It's easy to calculate... 20 Wanhu, Wang Bolong's, Gao Jingshan's, Wanyan Zhehe's, Wendun Sizhong's, plus Wanyan Salihe who is bound to escape, and Huo Nu and Wulin Dataiyu's two Wanhu in Yanjing... The Jin army should still have 12 or 13 Wanhu." Yang Yizhong still blurted out. "But this is the result of the Yanjing reinforcements not coming."
"How could they not come?" Zhao Jiu rubbed his left eye. "We have come to this critical juncture. Even if the main force of the new army from Yanjing cannot arrive in time, Huo Nu, Wulin Dataiyu, and even Hezhameng'an from Yanjing will all come... So, if a quick battle is fought, and the main forces of the reinforcements from both sides do not arrive, then it is very likely that there will be 170,000 to 210,000 or 150,000 or 260,000? The key is still to see what Datong is doing?"
"yes."
"If both sides' reinforcements arrive in sufficient numbers, then it will be 300,000 versus 200,000?"
"yes."
Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly: "It won't be so smooth ... I just told Wu Jie that this is the first time to fight a war of this scale, so there are bound to be all kinds of mistakes... To put it bluntly, it's just a half-cooked meal."
"But we have it, and the Jurchens must . The military advantage is always with the Song Dynasty and in the hands of the government." Yang Yi Zhong consoled earnestly.
"That's true." Zhao Jiu nodded slightly.
At this moment, when Emperor Zhao, who had just felt somewhat comforted, was about to say something, suddenly, another rider came galloping over. Zhao Jiu saw it from afar and immediately kept silent. He even almost felt like shrinking back, but he still didn't show it.
"Official, great victory!"
The rider fell off his horse and shouted from afar, "Dong Xian and Niu Gao, the two commanders, have captured Xihe and captured Wanhu Salihe alive!"
Zhao Jiu's spirits suddenly lifted, but it was only a lift for a moment, and he became nervous again... because this meant that his and Wu Jie's guesses had been verified, and the decisive battle might come sooner than imagined.
