The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 216: The Song Dynasty, a rare and tough dynasty, agreed to destroy the Jin Dynasty
After conquering the city, the Han army officially entered Xuzhou, and Guo Jing moved the seat of government from Sizhou to Xuzhou.

Inside the city, he listened to his subordinates' report and his face turned pale. "After so many years, Jin Gou is still like this, behaving like a beast."

Lu Guanying's face was not looking good either. "My Lord, we checked the household registration in the city and found that the civilians suffered heavy casualties, 80% of them were missing. After the defeat that day, the Jin army actually massacred the city, causing civil unrest in the city."

He had only seen such things among the Mongolian cavalry a few years ago when he started an uprising with Guo Jing. But that was a few years ago. Later, Mu Huali came to power and had already issued a clear order prohibiting the massacre in the city.

Guo Jing sighed, "After this battle, I don't know how long it will take for Xuzhou to recover. Let's exempt taxes for three years to see the effect. How many casualties have we suffered? How long will it take to rest?"

Lu Guanying thought for a moment and replied, "My Lord, in the previous battle, we killed 80,000 enemies and captured 30,000. Our army suffered 50,000 casualties. After half a month of rest, we expect to recover more than 10,000 people. The King of Taishi killed the most ruthlessly, but the casualties were heavy. We estimate that we may have lost more than half of our troops."

Guo Jing was a little surprised, "So much loss?"

Lu Guanying nodded and explained, "The troops sent by the Jin army this time were all elite troops. The cavalry of the Grand Tutor King charged too fiercely, but failed to break through the Jin army's line and fell into a bitter battle, so they suffered heavy losses."

Guo Jing's eyes flashed with emotion, "The Jin people are really different now. When we destroyed their army of 100,000, the losses were not as great as they are now. Fortunately, we went south. If we waited another half a year, the Jin army would have fought with the Song Dynasty and trained a group of strong troops, and the losses would have been even more tragic."

"I wanted to respect Wanyan Saibu and give him a dignified burial. He was the marshal of the Jin Dynasty and deserved this respect. However, he allowed his men to massacre the city. If he was given a dignified burial, it would surely cause resentment among the people. Pass on my order to hang Wanyan Saibu's body on the city gate and expose it for three days!"

When Guo Jing conquered the Three Jins, most of his men were new recruits and he suffered tens of thousands of losses. But now, most of his soldiers are veterans who have experienced the battlefield and are well-trained. They are not top-notch elite, but they are also a capable army.

But in just two years, the strength of the Jin Dynasty recovered to this point, which made him secretly shocked. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that he listened to his teacher's advice and sent troops south, otherwise, the outcome of this battle would be unpredictable.

"As ordered!"

On that day, the body of Wanyan Saibu, who committed suicide, was hung on the city wall. The people in the city rushed out, throwing filth and cursing.

At the same time, after Guo Jing's army garrisoned the city, they launched a large-scale purge in the city. The Jin army hiding in the city had nowhere to hide under the army's dragnet search. In particular, the local people were very hostile to them. With the cooperation of the local people, most of the Jin soldiers were found and executed.

When the city was broken, Guo Jing learned of the tragic situation inside the city. Rarely did he keep any prisoners, but directly ordered their execution.

At this point, the Jin army that fought against Mongolia was almost wiped out, and only a few remnants escaped across the river.

……

Xiapi.

Mu Huali was sitting on a chair, shirtless. A doctor was cleaning his wounds. The room was filled with the smell of blood.

He let the doctor operate on him without even frowning. He stared blankly at the tiger head on the carpet beneath him with a serious expression. After an unknown amount of time, the doctor finally said, "Your Highness, it's done."

"Go down and claim your reward!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After the doctor left, the maid came forward to help him put on his clothes. He stood up, his tall and mighty figure was like a tiger, and there was no sign of injury. "Huolimu, come here!"

"Your Highness." The figure guarding the door walked in.

"How are the brothers?"

The dark and strong figure showed a trace of grief on his face, "Your Highness, we suffered heavy losses this time. Many of our old brothers are dying. They may not survive this."

Mu Huali was stunned, and a trace of sadness appeared on his resolute face. "Hey, you better keep an eye on it, don't let anyone interfere, I'll chop anyone who dares to move."

"As ordered!"

Then, he casually asked, "How is Guo Jing doing? Did they take Xuzhou?"

Huo Limu replied in a deep voice, "Your Highness, Wanyan Saibu fled into Xuzhou City with his remaining troops. Guo Jing sent people to attack fiercely and took Xuzhou City in just seven days. But in my estimation, they suffered heavy losses this time."

Mu Huali narrowed his eyes slightly and his expression seemed to have relaxed. After the battle, he left Xuzhou to Guo Jing, not only because he guessed that his troops had suffered heavy losses, but also because the power of both sides had become unbalanced and he had to give up the idea of ​​dominating the battle.

Before the war, he was full of confidence, thinking that his 100,000 infantry and cavalry were enough to match Guo Jing's 150,000 troops. If the two sides fought head-on, he would definitely be able to defeat him. This was the pride of being a veteran Mongolian general.

However, this battle woke him up from his pride. The cavalry he was so proud of was unable to break through the Jin army's line, and the combat effectiveness of his infantry was far inferior to that of Guo Jing's infantry.

There are many reasons for this result. The transformation of the Jin army's strength and improved combat effectiveness is one reason, and the insufficient number of Mongolian cavalry under his command is another reason. However, he cannot tolerate himself being inferior to a junior.

Siege is not his strong point, but if he cannot even compare with Guo Jing in field battles, then he would not be worthy of the title of Grand Tutor and King. This is not jealousy, but a sense of crisis caused by subconscious comparison.

As a veteran general on the battlefield, he has his own pride, but this time on the battlefield, Mu Huali realized that the Jin Kingdom after crossing the river was no longer the Mongolia that had no ability to fight back against Mongolia before, and the army under his command was not the Mongolian cavalry that the Khan had defeated in every battle.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but begin to miss Genghis Khan, "Great Khan, you have been on the Western Expedition for several years, when will you come back?"

……

The Battle of Xuzhou was the center of the war between the North and the South. At the beginning of the war, people from all over the country focused their attention here, because it was related to the future of the country.

The Jin Kingdom suffered a defeat in the first battle, and the news soon spread to Nanchang Prefecture.

The Political Affairs Hall of the Song Dynasty.

Zhen Dexiu looked at the secret letter in his hand and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "God bless our Song Dynasty, God bless our Song Dynasty! Lord Qiao, look!" Then he handed the battle report to Qiao Xingjian.

However, after reading it, Qiao Xingjian couldn't help but become deeply worried, "Guo Jing is such a terrifying kid. He will definitely be a strong enemy of the Song Dynasty in the future!"

Zhen Dexiu naturally thought of this, but he was not worried. He glanced at the people present, his eyes bursting with a fascinating light, "Whether it is a strong enemy or not, the Jin Kingdom has been defeated, and the crisis of our Song Dynasty has been resolved. Next, we should move!"

"Liangzhe Road and Jiangnan Road should also be taken back."

"Is the Jin envoy still in the embassy?" "Yes."

"Send them a letter of challenge and declare war on the Jin Kingdom!"

"What?" Several people in the Council of State were shocked. Declaring war on the Jin Kingdom at this time?
"Mr. Prime Minister, please be careful about this matter."

Zhen Dexiu's eyes suddenly became sharp. "Why? The Jin Kingdom lost 250,000 troops, which is no different from the disastrous defeat at Yehuling. If we don't send troops at this time, do we have to wait until Mongolia conquers Jiangnan Road and redeem it from them?"

Hearing this, several people felt a little embarrassed, because he was talking about the old things that happened during the Jing Kang period.

He looked at everyone with a sneer on his face, and his sharp words stabbed into their hearts like a knife. "Only if we take back Jiangnan Road as soon as possible can we fight against the Mongols who are heading south. In this world of great strife, we cannot retreat. The Jin Kingdom is already a dead body in a grave. If we don't show our strength, the next enemy of the Mongols will be us. When the time comes, you can figure it out for yourself!"

After he finished speaking, Zhen Dexiu flicked his sleeves and walked away, leaving several important officials looking at each other in bewilderment.

After several days of debate, the Song Dynasty finally made up its mind and took a tough stance. It ignored the pleas of the Jin envoy, drove him out of Nanchang, and threw him a declaration of war!
After the defeat in the Battle of Xuzhou, the Jin Kingdom sent envoys to explain the pros and cons to the Song Dynasty, attempting to stop the fighting and even ask for help. For this purpose, they did not hesitate to give up the Liangzhe Road that they had just obtained.

Wanyan Honglie originally thought that the Song Dynasty would not forget the past and would cease fire with them so that both sides could fight against Mongolia together. However, he forgot that in the past few years, the Jin Kingdom had marched south and brazenly tore up the alliance, which had caused great trauma to the Song Dynasty, caused many people to be displaced, and even caused the Song Emperor to hunt south for the second time, which was an unprecedented humiliation.

In the end, the Jin Dynasty paid the price for its own arrogance. Although breaking the alliance was a relief, the consequences were extremely serious. The fragile trust between the two sides collapsed, making the possibility of the two sides joining forces to fight against Mongolia zero.

The fall of the Jin Dynasty also gave the Song Dynasty an opportunity to try to tear a piece of meat from them.

……

Jiankang, the imperial city.

In the main hall, Wanyan Honglei was reviewing memorials. Even though there was a sign of impending storm in Jiankang City, he remained as steady as a rock and remained calm.

Suddenly, he saw a memorial on the table. His yellowish face suddenly turned pale, and then an unhealthy blush appeared on his face. "Poof!"

A mouthful of blood splattered on the dragon table, which was horrifying. He then fainted and lost consciousness.

The palace servants who were waiting beside him were horrified and shouted, "Someone come!"

The cries of the palace servants soon alerted Yang Kang. He hurried into the palace and saw Wanyan Honglie lying on the sickbed. As soon as he entered the room, he smelled the strong smell of medicine in the air. He felt something was wrong and knelt down on the ground as soon as he came to the bedside. "Father, I am late. Please forgive me!"

"Cough, cough, Kang'er, get up!" Wanyan Honglie coughed twice, his voice weak.

Two tears squeezed out of Yang Kang's eyes, his expression was full of sorrow, he stood up and sat down in front of the dragon couch.

At this time, Wanyan Honglie opened his eyes, his gaze wandering. Yang Kang understood and ordered the people serving nearby, "All of you step back, and no one is allowed to approach."

After all the palace maids had left, Wanyan Honglie let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with endless sadness and regret.

This time, Yang Kang was able to see Wanyan Honglie's face clearly, but he was shocked. It turned out that Wanyan Honglie, who originally looked energetic, had become dying. His face was gray and yellow, full of wrinkles, and his wise eyes disappeared, turning cloudy, as if he was on his deathbed.

"Kang'er, father was wrong after all this time." He grabbed Yang Kang's robe, his eyes full of regret.

"Father..." Yang Kang was about to say something, but was interrupted again, "Listen to what I have to say..."

"Father was too impatient. He was eager to break the alliance and attack the Song Dynasty after only two years of recuperation. However, he attracted the Mongols. He thought our army could stop them and both sides would suffer losses."

"Who would have thought that this war would be so brutal. I wanted to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty, eliminate the uncle-nephew countries, return the Liangzhe Road to the Song Dynasty, and negotiate with them on an equal footing, but they refused." When he said this, Wanyan Honglie's voice was full of regret.

"Breaking the alliance has caused the Jin Dynasty to lose its credibility. The two sides no longer trust each other. We lost the Battle of Xuzhou, and the Song Dynasty even issued a declaration of war against us. Now, we have to face a joint attack from Mongolia and the Song Dynasty."

"I regret it!" After saying this, he couldn't help but burst into tears and sob.

As proud as he was when he tore up the alliance, he regretted it now. He wanted to annex the Song Dynasty as quickly as possible to restore his strength, but he didn't expect that Guo Jing did not sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers, but instead sent troops quickly and broke his plan.

In the Battle of Xuzhou, he thought that even if the Jin Dynasty could not win, the Mongols would not necessarily end up well. At most, they would win a miserable victory and would be unable to attack the south of the Yangtze River.

But reality slapped him hard in the face. Bad news came one after another, and he became so angry that he collapsed.

Yang Kang noticed that his voice was weak, and hurriedly comforted him, "Father, don't talk about this for now. You should take good care of yourself. With your son and minister here, there will be no trouble."

Wanyan Honglie let out a long breath, "Don't worry, father can still hold on, but the current situation is too difficult. The most urgent task now is to abandon other routes, defend Jingkou, and block the river with the navy."

"The Mongols are not good at naval warfare. They lost all their warships before. Even if they need to transfer ships, it cannot be completed in a short time." Even though she was sick, her mind was still clear. She slowly explained his deployment to Yang Kang: "Withdraw all the troops deployed in Liangzhe Road, and withdraw all the troops confronting the Song Dynasty and concentrate in Jiangnan Road. As long as we can hold on for this period, we have a chance."

"Do you remember it?"

"My son, I will remember it."

"Go!" After saying that, Wanyan Honglie closed his eyes and said no more.

Yang Kang glanced at him, bowed deeply to him, then turned and left.

……

The news of the Song Dynasty's declaration of war quickly spread throughout the south. The long-lost passion once again flowed in the hearts of the Song Dynasty's military and civilians, and morale was high. At the same time, the Song Dynasty also sent envoys to Mongolia, delivering information about the Jin Dynasty's navy and warships, and handing over defense maps along the Yangtze River to Mongolia, instructing them on how to fight a naval battle with the Jin Dynasty.

The Jin navy was originally formed by the surrender of the Song navy. Now that the Song envoys have sent complete information, the Jin navy no longer has any secrets in the eyes of Guo Jing and others, which saves them a lot of trouble.

It had only been a few years since the Song Dynasty lost the south of the Yangtze River, and it was difficult for the Jin Dynasty to change its defenses along the Yangtze River, because it was already a mature system and difficult to change. Just like the Northern War, many battle examples could be used and the routes were fixed.

Because the terrain is there, there are only a few roads going back and forth, and the battle examples will naturally not change. The same is true for garrisoning on the Yangtze River. There are only a few areas suitable for the army to cross the river.

With this sincerity in mind, both sides sat down at the negotiation table and agreed to send troops together to destroy Jin!
(End of this chapter)