The sudden appearance of a spring thunderstorm not only asserted its authority, but also turned what was supposed to be a large-scale melee between the two armies into a messy battle.
Not to mention that night, the spring rain continued to fall for three consecutive days, turning the plains into mud.
For a time, both armies were in great pain, yet they were wary of each other, and neither side dared to retreat easily.
Among them, the Song army quickly captured Huolu County, and then set up camps along the county. The civilians and soldiers braved the rain to cut wood from the mountains and fields in the rear, dismantle the old camp, transport supplies, and build a new camp. They worked very hard... and the Jin army was not much behind. In order to prevent losing tactical control over that piece of high ground, they also began to move their camps forward in a large number. The camps that were originally evenly distributed around Shiyi were dismantled, and a large number of signed soldiers from the rear also worked in the rain, and set up camps from Shiyi all the way to Huolu County.
Due to the objective fact that both sides had huge military forces, coupled with the necessary auxiliary troops and civilian laborers, the camps of both armies on both sides of the Taiping River appeared to be horrifyingly vast.
The Song army camp, not to mention the scattered horns and rear guards, the latest core camp alone was almost ten times larger than the original Huolu County. The Jin army camp, in order to facilitate the cavalry's support and the movement of advancing into the Taiping River, presented a strange herringbone shape that stretched for 20 to 30 miles... The head was only a few miles away from the Taiping River, one of the two feet was on Shiyi, and the other stretched to a position several miles in front of the Hutuo River, facing the Zhending City logistics base on the other side of the river.
However, it is not just the grassroots civilians who are working hard. These days, soldiers have to patrol the river in the rain for defense, officers are also busy ensuring combat readiness, and senior officials above the commander-in-chief have to make military plans for a full-scale battle that may break out at any time, and even have discussions non-military.
Just as Wu Jie said, both sides have no room for maneuver. Now hundreds of thousands of troops are relying on the Taiping River, which does not even need to be drawn on the map, and the rain for their final escape, and the rain may stop at any time... Under the comprehensive pressure, no one can stay out of it, and no one can escape responsibility and pressure.
Not only that, as the rain continued to fall and the two armies set up camp and approached each other step by step, some other things were also confirmed.
First of all, there was the battle damage that day.
There's actually not much to say about this. It was a terrible battle and the fighting didn't last long. Neither side was able to kill effective casualties. The thousands of casualties were scattered among the various tribes, which was not even as many as the casualties caused by the rain in the past few days... Because they had to set up the camp in the rain, many people caught a cold, and there were also many casualties from slips and falls.
Secondly, the issue of how to deal with Hu Yantong.
This time, there was no doubt that Huyan Tong violated the rough order to set up camp on the river bank and crossed the river to attack without authorization... Logically speaking, military discipline was the most important before a war, and he should have been severely punished... But in fact, not only Han Shizhong protected his subordinates, but also Wu Jie, Li Yanxian, and even Wang Yan, several generals almost unanimously agreed that Huyan Tong should be given a chance to redeem himself.
There were many reasons, and the reason given by Wu Jie, who was in charge of the daily affairs of the camp, was that Emperor Zhao had issued an edict in the past that anyone in the camp who dared to fight would be pardoned even if he was defeated. Moreover, Hu Yantong did not cause huge losses to the headquarters yesterday.
This is very intriguing.
Emperor Zhao, who was worried, did not intend to get upset with several generals over this matter... Therefore, the final result was that Hu Yantong was demoted four levels, fined one year's salary, and still acted as the commander.
Taking into account the two most important privileges of a commander-in-chief, one is to lead troops independently, and the other is to submit secret letters to the emperor, and neither of them has been deprived, then Huyan Tong's treatment is basically the same as lifting him up high and then dropping him lightly.
However, it didn't matter, because on the third day of the spring rain, which was the early morning of the first day of February in the tenth year of Jianyan, Qu Duan and Liu Qi led the remaining imperial cavalry and Zhang Xian and Zhang Zigai to Huolu County.
The Song army was both surprised and delighted by this.
The good news was that Qu Duan brought 16,000 to 17,000 reinforcements, and both the 10,000 imperial cavalry and the two Beiwei troops were the top fighting forces of the Song army. Their timely arrival naturally boosted the morale of the army. But the worrying thing was that the entire western Hebei region had been hit by rain before, and in order to prevent a surprise attack by the Jin army, Qu Duan chose to march along the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain. This caused the reinforcements to encounter various floods and mountain torrents in the past few days, so that when such an elite force arrived at Huolu with great difficulty, they were already exhausted to the extreme, and suffered heavy casualties along the way.
You know, according to Qu Duan, when he separated from Yue Fei in Damingfu, he discussed with Yue Fei, Zhang Rong, and Tian Shizhong, and they all felt that the infantry battalion of the Hebei Front Army might not be able to catch up with the decisive battle. So Yue Fei made temporary and sufficient reinforcements to the three troops that followed the Jin army on horseback... For example, the long-axe heavy infantry Beiwei Army of the Imperial Camp Right Army had a full complement of 4,000 people. After several hard battles in Damingfu, they were killed and injured, and there were only 3,000 soldiers left. However, in order to ensure that this trip north could provide enough support to Emperor Zhao, Yue Fei directly drew out his headquarters and gathered 4,000 people again, and then sent them in the form of mounted infantry.
However, due to the rain three days ago, floods along the way, small groups of troops lost their way, camps collapsed at night, and injuries and illnesses, Zhang Zigai had only 3,000 men left when he arrived at Huolu. Moreover, because a large number of livestock carrying equipment were lost, half of the troops were left unarmed.
The same is true for the remaining ten thousand or so people.
It was precisely because of this that, as soon as Qu Duan arrived, he, Liu Qi and Zhang Zigai clearly stated in front of the emperor that the troops must rest properly before going into battle.
But there is no doubt that the proposal of the three of them encountered unanimous opposition from Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, Wang Yan, Wang De, Li Qiong and others... These six people agreed, and they publicly proposed that as soon as the rain stopped, they should go to war.
Emperor Zhao seemed noncommittal about this.
Even at noon, after the dispute lasted for a while, he simply walked out of the lobby of Huolu County Government and disappeared.
However, the quarrel was still settled because in addition to Emperor Zhao, there was another person in Huolu City whose status was obviously higher than that of the other generals and who could easily make everyone shut up.
On the second day after Emperor Zhao moved his garrison to Huolu, Hebei Grand Commander Lu Yihao, regardless of the fact that he had fallen into the water and caught a cold again, hurriedly led the imperial officials to the scene in the rain.
Not long after Emperor Zhao left, the Prime Minister and Grand Commander arrived in the hall, supported by Scholar Mei. After just a few scoldings, Han Shizhong and others retreated in embarrassment... There was no other way. The Basic Law was there. A Prime Minister in the Song Dynasty was a Prime Minister. Even if it was "When the world is at peace, pay attention to the prime minister; when the world is in danger, pay attention to the generals", the status of military men increased dramatically in the ten years of Jianyan, but the political tradition was there, and a Prime Minister was still a Prime Minister.
The most obvious manifestation is that only a military general with merits as high as Han Shizhong can be awarded the title of a prince, and this is unique in the world. However, as long as ministers retire safely, they generally have the title of a prince, and even the chancellor and prime minister can be a prince of the same rank.
Of course, Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian were by no means cowards. They kept silent at this moment, probably for other reasons.
"Mr. Lu!"
Generals Han and Li left immediately. Qu Duan was so exhausted that he left in a panic. Wang Yan, Wang De and others didn't know how to deal with a famous man, so they left in a timid manner. Only Wu Jie waited until everyone had dispersed before he hurried out alone. "Stop for a moment. I have something to say from the bottom of my heart."
The rain was pouring down from the eaves in strings. Lu Yihao, who was standing at the end of the corridor in the back hall of the county government office, looked back and paused for a while, holding his cane. Mei Li, who was standing next to him, also quickly took shelter in the rain with an umbrella.
"Mr. Lu." Wu Jie stepped forward immediately upon seeing this, and then bowed sincerely. "Just listen to what I have to say."
"Go ahead." Although Lu Yihao had fallen into the water and caught a cold, causing his face to be pale, he seemed to be in good spirits.
"Could you please go and persuade the emperor again?" Wu Jie stood up and answered sincerely.
"What do you want to persuade?" Lu Yihao asked seriously. "Why should I persuade?"
"I am worried that the emperor will not be able to decide to go to war because of the rain." Wu Jie said more sincerely. "When we were in Taiyuan before, the emperor was a little hesitant, and now the rain is too obvious... The Taiping River is flooded, the bows and crossbows cannot be used, the logistics are difficult, and Qu Dutong and his troops are indeed in a bad condition..."
Lu Yihao nodded slightly, but just leaned on his cane and said nothing. It was unclear whether he agreed with the other party's concerns or the other party's description.
"My lord... at this moment, if the emperor decides to take advantage of the water's momentum to rest for a while before starting a war because of what Qu Dutong and others said, or even wants to wait for Marshal Yue to go down the river and attack from both sides, then he will miss the opportunity." Having said that, Wu Jie couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
And Lu Yihao also became a little interested: "What do you mean?"
"Mr. Lu, think about it." Wu Jie replied seriously. "It rained, and the bows and crossbows could not be deployed. Our army lost the powerful crossbows, which is indeed a disadvantage, but didn't the Jin army also lose the strong bows? Moreover, the plains are muddy and soft, which is not good for cavalry. The Jin army has a little more cavalry, so they are at a greater disadvantage in this area."
Lu Yihao nodded again immediately.
"As for waiting for Marshal Yue because of the rain, it is even more inappropriate. Because of the rain, Marshal Yue has sent the elite troops to help, and the remaining infantry battalions will only come slower. On the contrary, the more it rains, the more we should give up the idea of ​​waiting for large reinforcements." Wu Jie continued to explain.
Lu Yihao also continued to nod.
"However, these are not the key points. The key point is that our army cannot lose momentum because of the rain." Wu Jie quickly pointed out the key point.
"Oh?" Lu Yihao spoke again.
"Please think about it, sir... Don't think from the perspective of us decision makers, nor from the perspective of the Jin army's decision makers, but only from the perspective of the soldiers below... Since the start of the war, have we won battle after battle, and have we not stopped advancing without any setbacks? And from the perspective of the Jin army's soldiers, have they suffered setbacks one after another, and were overwhelmed, leading to a massive retreat?" At this point, Wu Jie paused for a moment before continuing his explanation. "At this time, if we stop advancing because of the rain and do not launch an attack on the Jin army right in front of us, it will be the first time since the start of the war that our army has obviously shirked its truce... The so-called rest and recuperation theory is only beneficial to Qu Dutong and the reinforcements he brought, but it will inevitably frustrate the 150,000 main forces brought by Hedong, and may even inspire the morale of the Jin army... Sacrificing the morale of 150,000 people for the combat power of more than 10,000 people will do more harm than good."
"I do understand this a little bit... the first effort will lead to the second." Lu Yihao seemed to be completely convinced by the other party, but he leaned on his crutches with one hand and twirled his beard with the other. "Wu Jiedu, what you said makes a lot of sense."
Wu Jie felt relieved for a moment.
"But General Wu..." Lu Yihao put down his hand and sighed. "Why didn't you explain these principles to the emperor directly? Instead, you asked me to convey them on your behalf?"
Wu Jie was speechless for a moment.
"Are you afraid that speaking frankly will displease the government, or are you afraid that saying this in public will offend Qu Duan to death? And then people will bring up old matters and say that you are ungrateful?" Lu Yihao couldn't ask any more.
Wu Jie could only look around awkwardly... All he could say was that fortunately Mei Li knew the opportunity and retreated very far.
"Wu Jiedu!" Lu Yihao supported his crutches with both hands, and his tone became more serious. "Let me ask you one more question."
"Sir, please speak." When Wu Jie heard the wrong tone, he immediately bowed his head, not daring to be negligent.
"Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wang Yan, Qu Duan... do they know the principles you mentioned?" Lu Yihao raised his head and asked slowly.
The tall Wu Jie thought for a moment and answered seriously: "Let me know, sir, I have a rough guess... General Qu has suffered a lot during the march, and his troops have suffered heavy losses. I'm afraid there is no time to think too much at this time... And I'm not going to say something inappropriate, General Qu's nature is there, although he has talent, he can't get rid of his own system. Even if he understands it later, I'm afraid he will be entangled."
Lu Yihao did not comment: "What about Wang Yan?"
"President Wang... President Wang has just been given the responsibility of commanding the elite troops of the entire army, and he is feeling very proud of himself. Although he probably understands this truth in his heart, he may not be willing to think about it so thoroughly, and he is bound to get caught up in verbal disputes." Wu Jie answered fluently.
"Let's not talk about Wang De, Li Qiong, Liu Qi and the like for now." Lu Yihao remained calm. "But what about Han and Li? Don't these two understand either?"
Wu Jie finally fell silent.
"Are you trying to say that they both clearly understand but are acting in a flattering manner and are unwilling to openly contradict the government?" Lu Yihao suddenly turned his head and looked at the rain outside the corridor and laughed. "Is that what you mean?"
Wu Jie quickly shook his head: "I was only entrusted by the emperor to lead the army. Since I have taken on this responsibility, I dare not hope for the slightest chance of success."
"It's great that Wu Jiedu has this intention." Lu Yihao finally turned around and said solemnly, "But you got one thing wrong..."
"Please give me some advice, sir."
"That is... although the emperor is shaken, since he has already promised in Taiyuan, he will never waver again on such a major matter as sending troops." Lu Yihao looked up at the other party and explained seriously. "As for Han and Li, one of them has been with me when I was wandering, and the other has been alone in Shaanxi and entrusted with my affairs for ten years... they are willing to trust the emperor in their hearts. But you, Wu Jiedu, in my opinion, are probably leading such a large army for the first time, and the burden on you is so heavy that you are a little distracted and become impatient when you see some situations."
Wu Jie was in a daze for a moment... Was he the one who was wavering?
"But don't worry, Wu Jiedu." Lu Yihao continued to look up at the other party and said calmly. "Yaoshan was like this, and the Northern Expedition was like this. The emperor entrusted the central army to you without hesitation. Even Han and Li did not complain. This shows that the emperor's dedication and trust in you are also unique... So if you have something to say, just tell me directly. If you have any concerns, just express them without any doubt. You don't have to go through this old man."
Wu Jie quickly cupped his hands and said, "Prince Lu is right."
"Of course, now that we have come to this, I will convey your message. With an army of more than 100,000 people, and busy with daily affairs, you should just go back!" Lu Yihao turned his head without haste.
Wu Jie understood the situation and responded, then quickly bowed and said goodbye.
After Wu Jie left, Lu Yihao stayed there for a while, waiting for Mei Li to come over silently to help hold an umbrella. Then the two of them gently turned out from the corridor together, and then walked out of the county government office calmly, but slowly crossed the street in the misty rain, and carefully climbed up the slippery top of the South City. When they got to the top of the city, the Red Heart Team came up to protect them from afar, and led Lu Yihao and Mei Li to Emperor Zhao, who was looking into the distance under the wooden shed on the top of the city.
When the minister came to pay a visit to the emperor, the people around him naturally dispersed a little. However, the ground was slippery and Minister Lu was using crutches, so Liu Yan, the commander of the imperial guards, and Shao Chengzhang, the supervisor of the eunuchs, did not dare to leave and still stood on both sides of the wooden shed. Even Mei Li and others just retreated with a few guards to another wooden shed about ten steps away and did not dare to go far.
"Since you have caught a cold, there is no need for you to climb the city wall in the rain." Zhao Jiu looked back.
"First, a mere cold won't kill me immediately; second, I'm old and weak, and my body is damaged, so I can't live long... In this case, I might as well be more reckless." Lu Yihao laughed while leaning on his cane. "Besides, the war is coming, and I don't know how many people will live or die. The life of an old man is not worth mentioning, so the government doesn't need to worry about me!"
Zhao Jiu also laughed: "My husband is open-minded."
"Although the rain is slow, the air is hazy. I wonder what the officials are looking at every time they go up to the city these days?" Lu Yihao lightly skipped the topic, opened his eyes curiously, but found nothing, and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
"First, look at the water level ." Zhao Jiu didn't need to be mysterious. "I noticed from the first day that when the spring rain fell, the Taiping River turned muddy and yellow. The rain could not cover the riverbed under the surging water level."
"The spring rain swelled the waves, reaching Pengcheng overnight. Passing by my yellow building, the red railings shone on the flying eaves." Lu Yihao recited slowly, and then sighed. "The Taiping River was originally a small river, but unexpectedly a spring rain became a dividing line between the two armies..."
"It's useless." Zhao Jiu said disapprovingly. "Once the rain stops, as long as the river is unobstructed, the water level will drop significantly in one or two days. I have personally asked several local elders, and they all said that spring rain is not like autumn rain, and it cannot last too long. Even if the water level does not drop, the flooding after the rain is dozens of steps wide. The rafts and long wood can be turned into a floating bridge in a moment, but it is still useless... So, after all, as Wu Jinqing said, the only thing that can stop an army of hundreds of thousands is an army of hundreds of thousands, not the Yellow River, nor the Mianman River, and even less this mere Taiping River."
"So, the government has made up its mind?" Lu Yihao smiled again.
"That's right." Zhao Jiu responded calmly. "From my fundamental point of view, this war is too hasty... But the situation is now beyond human control. Even if I am the emperor and I am hesitant, how can I go against the trend?"
"That's true." Lu Yihao seemed to be thinking. "Since the government blew up Taiyuan City, this battle was inevitable."
Zhao Jiu shook his head slowly, not knowing what he was thinking.
And Lu Yihao also leaned on his crutches and remained silent for a while.
But after a moment, he looked ahead at the misty spring rain and came to a realization: "The governor said before, 'First look at the water level', then what should I look at second? The Jin army camp is out of sight, so could it be that I should look at this vast expanse of green?"
"My husband has good eyesight." Zhao Jiu looked ahead and answered frankly. "I noticed it from the first day. After the rain, the spring green cannot be hidden. And with the continuous rain in the past few days, the green has become thicker and thicker visibly..."
"Looking south from Huolu City, you can only see a little bit of the Taihang Mountains. The green in spring is mostly weeds in the fields that no one has taken care of," Lv Yihao thought. "The whole Huolu to the south and east is all good farmland."
"Yes, it's good farmland." Zhao Jiu calmly replied. "It's already February, and the spring ploughing should have started. During the spring rain, the farmers should have put on straw raincoats and hats to clear the waterlogging. However, most of the local farmers are actually being confined to the opposite military camp as soldiers... The remaining elderly, weak, women and children have also fled to the Taihang Mountains."
"The Taiping River is just a yellow strip, but now it is full of green. It is indeed an unstoppable trend." Lu Yihao sighed. "No wonder the emperor is so determined. Even when General Qu arrived in such a mess, he did not stop the emperor from doing what he wanted."
"That being said, we still have to talk about military matters." Zhao Jiu shook his head and explained. "From the fact that Han, Li, Wu, and Wang all tried their best to protect Hu Yantong, I know that they want to remind me that our army's morale is still high and the war must not be delayed. Today, Qu Duan's argument with them is even more obvious... If it weren't for their firm attitude, how could I, a mere official who knows nothing about military affairs, dare to be so firm?"
Lu Yihao nodded, then suddenly laughed out loud.
Zhao Jiu turned around in confusion, only to be met with a slightly strange gaze from the other party.
"I lost my composure." Lu Yihao looked away, a little emotional. "I just thought of the situation during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong... Before the Treaty of Shanyuan, the emperor of China dared not cross the river, so he had to be tricked by Kou Zhun to cross the river. Even so, after thinking about it, he still hated Kou Zhun... Since the Spring and Autumn Period, where has there been such an emperor? But..."
"But the Song Dynasty has so many emperors like this." Zhao Jiu couldn't help but laugh. "And why, today, you and I, the emperor and his subjects, have come to a small town under Zhending Prefecture, only ten miles away from the Jin army of more than 100,000?"
"That's right." Lu Yihao looked at him solemnly. "That's exactly what I meant."
Zhao Jiu smiled and nodded, then paused for a moment. The king and his subject were speechless for a moment, and the rain seemed to ease up as they paused.
After a while, Emperor Zhao, who had watched the rain for a while, was about to speak again, but unexpectedly, Lu Yihao took the lead and said something shocking:
"Your Majesty, as the saying goes, a dying man speaks the best words... I have two things to tell you, Your Majesty. Please listen carefully to me, considering that I am the prime minister. If anyone has any doubts about anything in the future, Your Majesty can blame me."
Zhao Jiu said nothing, just stared at the other person.
Lu Yihao leaned on his cane and looked ahead at the increasingly weak rain. "Your Majesty, I have been thinking about your words outside Taiyuan City that day. With my experience and ability, I have come to think of one more way besides persuading you not to break your promise as always... that is, you should put yourself first!"
"First?"
"First." Lu Yihao answered affirmatively. "The emperor once said in Jiangnan that everything must have a beginning, and the key to my life is to put first."
"I would like to hear the details."
"It's not a profound knowledge, not as good as Lu Gongxiang's transformation of family learning into original learning... It 's just a little experience, and it's very superficial, just the literal meaning." Lu Yihao replied with a sigh. "For the present and the future, these are two specific suggestions, and they are also the two sentences I want to say."
"Please teach me, sir."
"First, there will be a big battle in a few days. If necessary, you can lead the army." Lu Yihao persuaded. "In my opinion, this is not dangerous, because the best troops of the country are here. When the troops on the other side of the river surpass this side, you will be in the safest place in the world if you lead the army. Hiding in the back, but separated from the army, will bring danger and disaster."
"That makes sense." Emperor Zhao gave a reply that everyone present had expected.
"Secondly, after this Northern Expedition, there are many things to deal with. The difficulties north of the Yellow River have been made very clear by your Majesty before, and I have thought about it for a long time. If we want to deal with it properly, there is also a way to deal with it first!" At this point, Lu Yihao turned his head and looked at me seriously. "Your Majesty, when I was in Yanshan Road, I saw that Yanjing has a great geographical advantage. It controls Hebei and also governs the areas outside the Great Wall. If this Northern Expedition can take all five routes in the north, why not move the capital to Yanjing and reset the situation?"
After hearing the last eight words, Liu Yan and Shao Chengzhang, who had been motionless, trembled together, and then couldn't help but look at each other behind Emperor Zhao and Prime Minister Lu, unable to hide the shock in their eyes. Not far away, the only civil servant present was shocked and realized that this was probably a huge political gift given to him by Prime Minister Lu, who had promoted him, in return for his careful service over the past few days.
However, contrary to the expectations of these people and Lu Yihao, Emperor Zhao did not show any surprise at all, but just nodded calmly: "Prime Minister Lu is right, Yanjing has the aura of a king!"
It was as if this official had once again coincidentally met this husband with whom he had a perfect match.
In fact, Lu Yihao was only slightly surprised, and then he became quiet, as if he had never said anything that would affect the fortune of the world.
Just like that, the rain stopped that afternoon and the spring sunshine appeared.
Emperor Zhao personally issued an order requiring the entire army to clear out sewage and prevent epidemics. That evening, he summoned all the generals and senior officers to ask Wu Jie about his general plan after the war.
Wu Jie was also quite calm, and explained the temporary strategies he had worked out over the past few days one by one.
"To put it simply, the 20,000 troops of the Imperial Camp Left Army were the vanguards who crossed the river from the west side of the upstream Jin Army camp a little further away." Zhao Jiu, who was sitting on one side of the hall, made a brief summary with a blank expression. "Then the Imperial Camp Cavalry and the Khitan and Mongolian cavalry, a total of 40,000 cavalry, crossed the river in large numbers under the protection of the Imperial Camp Left Army, and 60,000 troops went to fight for the high ground?"
"Yes." Wu Jie said briefly.
"After the cavalry set off, Li Jiedu led the Shanluo part of the imperial camp's central army, plus the imperial camp's rear army, a total of 40,000 people, to cross the river in front and fight for the high ground. With the high ground in hand, he used 100,000 infantry and cavalry to fight the Jin army, forcing the Jin army to use all its strength first?"
"yes."
"If that doesn't work, then send Generals Wang De and Li Qiong with 25,000 men across the river, pretending to be the decisive force, and lure the Jin army to use all their strength?"
"yes."
"If that still doesn't work, I will send Qu Duan's Imperial Camp Cavalry, Zhang Xian's Imperial Camp Front Army, and Beiwei Army, totaling more than 10,000, to lure them and also as a trump card... At that time, if the Jin army does not make a follow-up move, this army will be the trump card, and this battle will be a showdown with 140,000 people; and if the Jin army makes a follow-up move, this army will be the bait, and I will send the elite long-axe heavy infantry and some powerful crossbows led by President Wang, Yang Yizhong, and Zhang Zigai, more than 20,000 to 30,000 people, to cross the river together to make a decisive move... Is that right or not?"
"Yes." Wu Jie remained concise.
"Then it's settled." Zhao Jiu was equally concise. "After a day of drying tomorrow, the mud will be lessened. The day after tomorrow morning, we will send the entire army across the river for a decisive battle... How about the floating bridge?"
"The Taiping River is not a place with rapids or deep water. We can prepare a long wooden raft in advance and build it temporarily. This will make it easier to catch the enemy by surprise." Wu Jie replied without hesitation.
"Well, I won't ask about the rest of the details." Zhao Jiu nodded, then looked back. "Who has a different opinion on this strategy?"
Qu Duan nodded and was about to stand up, wanting to speak for a moment.
"I'll ask again, who has any objections?" Zhao Jiu glanced at the other person, then asked again, his voice raised and his tone stern.
This time, Qu Duan fell completely silent. As for Liu Qi and Zhang Zigai, they were silent and expressionless.
Finally, seeing that no one objected, Emperor Zhao, who was sitting there, made the final decision: "That's it... If there are no major changes in the situation, this matter will be settled like this."
Han Shizhong stood up first, and the other generals also stood up one after another, and then, led by the army's greatest general, they all said yes.
The next day, the sun was bright as expected, and after a day of exposure to the sun, the originally slightly muddy ground dried up quickly. Although it could not be said to be solid, it was solid enough for horses to run on.
At the same time, perhaps due to the influence of the spring rain, everyone discovered that day that the fields on both sides of the Taiping River were all green, and the air was refreshing.
It was under such circumstances that the Song army began to dry and wipe their weapons on a large scale and prepare dry food and clean water for the next day.
Obviously, the Song army did not hide, nor did they need to hide... In contrast, the Jin army was not to be outdone. They also began to dry their weapons and prepare food and water for the next day's battle.
The most shocking thing was what happened in the afternoon of that day... I don't know whether they were civilians disguised as real reinforcements, or whether some elite troops had sneaked to the north bank of the Hutuo River when it rained, or whether they were real reinforcements... Anyway, in broad daylight, about 10,000 cavalrymen, or a full 100 Mouke's elite armored cavalry, crossed the river from the north bank of the Hutuo River into the camp right under the noses of the Song army.
Of course, the Song army remained unmoved. Because just as Emperor Zhao said, at this point, if there is no major change in the situation, the battle is already decided.
But... so I said but, in the late night of that day, or in the early morning of the third day of February when the decisive battle was originally scheduled, when all the soldiers and civilians were still working overtime to prepare to provide hot meals for the entire army early in the morning, the spring rain as fine as cow hair fell again, causing the entire army to change color.
"King of Wei." On the other side of the river, in the Jin army camp that looked like a three-armed monster, specifically in the connecting camp, Gao Qingyi's head was full of water, and he didn't know whether it was sweat or rain, but he was extremely panicked. "It's raining again... Will the Song army attack today?"
Under the torch, which was not affected at all, Wanyan Wushu took off his hat and looked up at the sky. After feeling the rain for a while, he turned back and shouted fiercely:
"At this time, can we guess that Zhao Jiu will not come?! Go find Hong Chengzhi and tell him not to talk to those captives of the Song army! After I have finished discussing with all the officers above the rank of Meng'an in the army, I will chop them up and sacrifice them to the flag!"
Gao Qingyi staggered away.