The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 217: Navy Submission
After reaching an agreement with the Song Dynasty, the Han army began to prepare for crossing the river.

One day, Guo Jing and Lu Guanying led soldiers to patrol the riverside. The river was sparkling with water and sky.

The cold wind was howling, and the breath of deep winter froze one to the bone marrow. The water vapor exhaled condensed into long streams of smoke in the air, which lingered for a long time.

The group arrived at a ferry. Guo Jing pointed at the boat parked at the ferry and said with a smile, "Guanying, we crossed the river from here to the north. It won't be long before we can return to the south. This time, we don't have to be sneaky anymore."

When Lu Guanying saw the ferry, a complicated expression appeared on his face. "Humph, if those scholars and officials could have made a decision earlier, why didn't they even have the land to keep and were chased around by the Jin people? Now they are eager to agree to destroy the Jin together. Aren't they afraid that we will occupy their land?"

"Don't worry, if we destroy the Jin Dynasty this time, it won't take long to destroy the Song Dynasty. We will avenge Uncle Lu, Prince Yue, and those dead people of noble character and lofty ideals. Their blood will not be shed in vain!" Guo Jing raised his head and stared towards the south. His voice was firm and filled with an indescribable determination.

It was in the Taihu Islands that he decided to embark on the journey after the incident at Lujiazhuang. It has been more than ten years now. Looking back on the journey over the years, he has never regretted it, even though too many people died on this road.

Those who achieve great things must have a tenacious heart. A woman's kindness cannot achieve great things, let alone fight for a place for her compatriots in this magnificent world. The Song Dynasty could not represent the majority of Han people, nor could it bear this responsibility. In other words, when the Southern Song Dynasty chose to live in peace in a corner, they had already lost this qualification.

If you don't take what heaven gives you, you will suffer the consequences. After the Battle of Xuzhou, Guo Jing felt the pulse of the times, as if the direction of the entire Central Plains and the world would be controlled by him. He could clearly feel his influence, and every decision he made would affect the fate of countless people.

This is the essence of rights.

It does not depend on how much wealth one has, or how many soldiers one has, but on how many people one can influence and how many resources one can mobilize. Whether one is a small official or a prime minister or even the emperor, the power they have comes from this.

At the beginning, Guo Jing wanted to lead the Han people to rise up and eventually establish a complete country. However, over the years, this goal has never changed, but has become clearer and clearer. He clearly understands how he should accomplish it, but he is a little confused about what kind of country he should build in the future.

After this battle, the Jin Dynasty was destroyed and the army returned home. By then, without the Jin Dynasty as an enemy, everything would be different.

His face was reflected on the river surface. Guo Jing's mind was in a state of confusion. Finally, he calmed down. He turned around and patted Lu Guanying on the shoulder. "Let's go back!"

……

Another person who agreed to send troops together with the Song Dynasty was Mu Huali. He was the Grand Tutor and King appointed by Genghis Khan himself. He could almost fully represent Mongolia's rule in the Central Plains, so he had to show up at such a grand event.

The two sides met and planned to send troops across the river together.

Mu Huali met Guo Jing again in Xuzhou City. As soon as they met, he approached him enthusiastically, patted him on the shoulder and praised him, "Guo Jing, you fought well. You are worthy of being the Khan's golden sword consort!"

In front of him, Guo Jing still maintained a humble attitude, "Uncle, you are too kind. If you hadn't attacked the enemy's flank fiercely and forced them to mobilize heavy troops, I wouldn't have been able to defeat them. Come on, this way!"

Seeing that he was still in the same state, Mu Huali narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled, "Let's go!"

Guo Jing looked at the people behind him again and greeted one of them, "Brother Bolu."

Behind Mu Huali, a burly young man grinned at Guo Jing, revealing his white teeth, and was very kind. This man was Mu Huali's biological son, and also a friend who grew up with Guo Jing and the others.

After Tolui followed Genghis Khan on the Western Expedition, Guo Jing gradually learned about the Khan's Western Expedition through his information channels and gained a vague understanding of the Western Regions.

In the mansion, Guo Jing pointed at the map and said, "Uncle, I plan to mobilize 70,000 troops for this battle. We will cross the river from Caishiji and Xuzhou. The Jin army has been severely damaged and is unable to defend the huge river defense. As long as we station catapults on the river bank, the enemy navy warships will not dare to approach."

"Okay, this matter can be handed over to Brother Bolu."

Mu Huali looked at him, then at his son, and laughed, "Okay, if you offer 70,000, I will also mobilize 70,000 troops, but the waterways in the south are numerous, so cavalry can't play a big role. Do you have a strategy?"

At this point, there is no need to use any strategies, just rush in. "The defeat in Xuzhou has seriously damaged the Jin Kingdom. As long as we can cross the river, we will join forces and head straight to Jiankang. As long as we take down the capital of the Jin Kingdom, everything will be settled!"

This is the grand trend in military strategy. In the past, the Sui Dynasty conquered the Southern Chen Dynasty by crushing it with the grand trend, not to mention the Jin Kingdom which was located in a corner of the south.

Mu Huali asked again, "After the Jin Kingdom is destroyed, how will their territory be divided? I think the Song Kingdom has quite an appetite." There was a lot of disdain in his words.

The Song Dynasty suffered successive defeats at the hands of the Jin Dynasty, and the Mongols looked down upon them. Even without the Song Dynasty, they could still defeat the Jin Dynasty in this battle, but with greater casualties.

"Uncle, with their limited military strength, I'm afraid they'll break their teeth. If they want to occupy the territory, they have to ask us first."

Mu Huali showed a bright smile on his face. "Well said. Back when I was in the desert, I heard that Jiangnan was prosperous. It would be fine if it was still in the hands of the Song State, but they just can't hold it. If we take it, it won't be considered a violation of the alliance."

With Guo Jing's words, the purpose of his trip was achieved. There was no other way. Guo Jing was Han Chinese, and most of his subordinates were also Han Chinese. The Song Dynasty was also a Han dynasty. If the two sides united, there would be a lot of trouble.

Mu Huali was one of the best among the many Mongolian generals, and he was not a reckless man who only knew how to fight. Otherwise, Genghis Khan would not have given him full authority to handle northern affairs.

Soon, the two sides agreed on the matter of sending troops. Mu Huali stayed in Xuzhou for three days and then returned to Xia Pi with his son and confidants.

On the city wall, Guo Jing, Hua Zheng and Huang Rong looked in the direction where Mu Huali's convoy left, with a gloomy look on their faces. "It seems that Uncle Mu Huali is suspicious of me."

A trace of nervousness flashed across Hua Zheng's beautiful eyes. "Guo Jing, does uncle really think so?"

Huang Rong was very thoughtful and explained immediately, "Sister Hua Zheng, my husband is too powerful. The King of Taishi is afraid that we are colluding with the Song Dynasty. Otherwise, why would he come here in person to discuss sending troops?"

"Humph, the Song Kingdom is weak and incompetent. It was beaten and fled in disgrace by the Jin Kingdom. Even if you are looking for allies, why do you have to look for them?" Hua Zheng wrinkled her nose as if she was a little dissatisfied, and then said angrily, "In my opinion, we might as well destroy the Song Kingdom as well. Anyway, they are so weak that they can't beat us."

Hearing this, Guo Jing couldn't help but smile knowingly, and reached out to hold Hua Zheng in his arms, "Don't worry, when I destroy the Jin Kingdom and fulfill my promise to the Khan, the Song Kingdom will not be far away. By then, I will earn you a phoenix crown to wear."

Hua Zheng fell into his arms, her body softened, and her voice was a little coquettish, "Then it's a deal, you are not allowed to lie to me!"

"Haha, don't worry, when have I ever lied to you?"

……

"My Lord, we captured a Jin soldier by the river. He claims he wants to see you and has something important to report."

On this day, Guo Jing was handling government affairs in the mansion when suddenly a personal soldier came in to report.

see me?

Guo Jing's eyes narrowed, "Who is he?"

"He won't say anything, he won't talk until he sees you." "Bring him here!"

"As ordered!"

……

"You want to see me?"

In the hall, Guo Jing sat in the upper seat, and a young man in Jin Dynasty military uniform was kneeling below with fearful eyes and anxious expression.

He bowed deeply to Guo Jing and said, "I am honored to see you, Lord."

"Who are you?"

The young man stood up and answered in a deep voice, "I am Li Tianda, the deputy admiral of the Jin Kingdom's navy. I have risked my life to come to see you because I have something important to discuss with you."

Guo Jing was slightly surprised to learn of this person's identity, but his expression remained unchanged. "What's the matter?"

"I am willing to lead the navy to surrender, and I hope you will take me in."

Guo Jing was shocked by these words. The enemy's navy surrendered before the battle even started. Is there such a good thing? Then, he became alert. Could this be a false surrender by the enemy?
Li Tianda knew what he was worried about, so he explained, "My Lord, we brothers were originally the navy of the Song Dynasty. A few years ago, the Jin Kingdom went south and attacked the Huai area. Our army could not defend the river, and Sizhou, Xuzhou and other places were lost one after another. The Jin people even took Jingkou and occupied Jiankang with a single army."

"Not long after that, the government fled south, and we brothers had no choice but to surrender to the Jin people."

At this point, his face was full of bitterness. "The Jin Kingdom is not good at naval warfare, and the navy is a special army. The Jin people can't disperse us, and they often beat and scold us, and withhold food and military pay. This time they even want us to go ashore and guard the important place of Jingkou."

"The navy is like a fish out of water when it leaves its warships, not to mention that we have to face the Han soldiers. They are deliberately sending us to death. For the sake of our brothers, we can only do this. I hope that the Marquis will forgive us."

He was originally a general of the Song Dynasty, but then he surrendered to the Jin people. Now he wants to surrender to them again. What a traitor!

Guo Jing quickly made an assessment of them in his mind. In his eyes, these navy soldiers were like the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty in the past. Their combat capability was not that great, but their eyesight was excellent. It was true that what they said was true, but after the Song Dynasty moved its capital, they were still able to go out to sea and go ashore via Liangzhe Road.

But they chose to surrender to the Jin people, so there is no need to say more about their background.

However, although he despised him in his heart, he still maintained a friendly appearance. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly stood up, walked to Li Tianda and helped him up, "General Li has abandoned the dark and joined the light, and is willing to lead the navy to surrender. I welcome you very much. Come on, serve the wine and food!"

Immediately, Guo Jing ordered people to prepare wine and food, and chatted with Li Tianda for the whole night. It was not until the early morning of the next day that he reluctantly sent Li Tianda out of Xuzhou City in person.

After he left, Guo Jing quickly changed his face to a serious and solemn one, "Come here, call all the generals to discuss the matter!"

……

In the hall, Guo Jing sat at the top, and below him sat a group of civil officials and military officers.

Chief Clerk Pei Andao spoke first, "My Lord, these servants of the three surnames can be used but cannot be trusted. Please be careful."

One general glared at him and said, "What use is there? In my opinion, this guy is just pretending to surrender and wants to be a running dog of the Jin people."

"That's it!"

……

Some generals also echoed, but important generals like Lu Guanying and Zhang Rou did not say a word.

Guo Jing glanced at the generals who spoke and found that most of them were from powerful families in the north. These people may not really think that Li Tianda was pretending to surrender, but they just didn't want anyone to snatch the military merit from them at this time.

After crossing the river, they attacked Huanglong directly, which was a feat of destroying a country. Although Guo Jing was only a marquis, he was very generous in rewarding his subordinates, giving them high positions and generous rewards. If the navy surrendered, they would have less military merits, so naturally they did not want anyone to compete with them for the credit.

Guo Jing hesitated for a moment and looked at someone in the hall, "Zhang Rou, do you think what this person said is true or false?"

As the Southern Expedition began, Guo Jing discovered another talent, Zhang Rou, who had defected from Mu Huali. Although this person did not have the political talent like Wang Shan, he was both civil and military, capable of commanding a side and ruling a place.

After the Southern Expedition, he gradually emerged, made many military achievements, and was valued by Guo Jing.

Seeing Guo Jing asking, Zhang Rou immediately stood up and said, "My Lord, I think they can be trusted but not trusted at the same time!"

He became interested and asked, "Oh? How do you say that?"

Zhang Rou replied in a deep voice, "The fact that they sent the navy's deputy commander is enough to show their sincerity. Li Tianda can be said to be the de facto commander of the navy. He took such a big risk to come here, so he must have something to say."

"But we cannot count them as combat power. We should fight them as we should!"

After hearing his words, Lu Guanying and several other important generals looked at each other, revealing a hint of agreement. Obviously, they had the same idea.

Only a foolish general would pin victory on an unknown army. Now that they have a large army and have occupied the Huai area, they can easily crush the enemy with their large army. Why should they rely on the navy?
Guo Jing nodded, "That's right. We should fight as we should. As I said before, the Jin Kingdom cannot defend the Yangtze River defense line. As long as we can send a small force to break through the defense line and join Wang Shan in Caishiji, the battle will be won."

"Whether the navy surrenders or not will not affect the overall situation. At most, it is icing on the cake."

That's right, if the navy had surrendered to him before the Battle of Xuzhou, he would have been overjoyed. But after the Battle of Xuzhou, the navy's surrender became insignificant. Without the cooperation of the infantry, the navy alone could not stop them.

With or without them, the ending is the same!
This is not only his confidence, but also the confidence of the generals under his command!
"Okay, proceed according to the original battle plan. There is no need to inform others about this matter."

"I will finally understand!"

A month later, thousands of ships set sail on the Yangtze River, and hundreds of thousands of troops began to cross the river to fight. The surface of the Yangtze River was filled with densely packed ships, blocking out the sky and the sun, and the scene was very spectacular.

From day to night, a steady stream of Han troops crossed the river. The Jin soldiers set up defensive positions along the coast, but the Han troops were too numerous and they could not stop them at all. No matter how hard they tried, they could never kill all the enemy.

As one position after another was occupied, tens of thousands of troops crossed the river safely. During this process, not a single ship of the Jin navy was dispatched.

(End of this chapter)