Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 10: Flowers in the Mist and the Moon in the Water

The Huaibei area is probably an alluvial plain created by the Huaihe River system. It is also the traditional Central Plains area, but there are also many undulating low hills.

These low hills have very gentle slopes and are only two or three meters high. Their appearance is not only due to the terrain changes caused by the Yellow River taking over the Huai River over the past decades, but also a clear proof that the front line of the Song-Jin confrontation was too sparsely populated to effectively cultivate the land.

Liu Huai and Wei Chang rode side by side on the narrow road between the hills.

Wei Chang didn't know whether his elder brother was really crazy or just pretending.

He just analyzed the strategy quite well, but then asked two such simple questions.

"Go upstream along the river. After a few miles, you'll find a small ferry with seven or eight families. Uncle Liu will meet us there."

Liu Huai rode his horse forward slowly: "Uncle Liu?"

"It was arranged by Aye. Uncle Liu and his daughter live in Jiangbei, ferrying people and fishing for a living. There are many similar people. I don't know where Aye found them, and I can't possibly know them all."

Liu Huai nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.

"As for the 250,000 households of the Jin bandits, it is also known to the world." Wei Chang often listened to Wei Sheng talk about the situation in the world. Although he was too young and mostly listened to these as stories, he still remembered them clearly.

"Since Wanyan Liang usurped the throne eleven years ago, he's first conquered the Jurchens outside the Great Wall, then conquered Goryeo and the Eastern Mongols, and finally slaughtered the Central Plains rebels, training a force of 250,000 households. I heard from Aye that even if the current Jin army isn't as strong as the Eastern and Western armies of the Jin thieves at the founding of the dynasty, it's not far behind."

When Liu Huai heard this, his face turned pale, but his heart was filled with turbulent waves.

He only knew that Wanyan Liang had 32 armies when he went south to attack the Song Dynasty. What the hell was going on with the 25 thousand households that popped up at this time?

Also, I've never heard of Wanyan Liang having such impressive military prowess! If he truly was the emperor, how could he have been overthrown by a seemingly inexplicable military coup?

Liu Huai's first reaction was, could it be that Wan Yanliang had also traveled through time? But as the thought progressed, he felt that this was unlikely.

Is it reasonable for a modern person to travel back in time and become the emperor of the Jin Dynasty? Instead of working hard to govern the country and develop science, industry and commerce, he would instead indulge in war and conquer all directions? And he couldn't possibly have obsessive-compulsive disorder by marching south at a specific historical point, could he?
The second reaction was, how could the Jin Dynasty afford to support 250,000 households?

Wei Sheng was an old soldier who had experienced the Jingkang Incident. Liu Huai still trusted his vision. He said that the Jin army he saw was no worse than the one at the founding of the country, so it must be no worse.

Then the question arises. The strength of the Jin army at the founding of the Jin Dynasty was the result of its conquest of the Liao Dynasty, as well as Hebei, Shanxi, and the Central Plains. The Jin army could live a comfortable life relying solely on the wealth accumulated by the Liao and Song Dynasties.

But what did Wanyan Liang rely on?
If he had managed the economy well, would he have had to fight so many wars?

Therefore, either Wanyan Liang was a rare war genius, or these 25,000 households were not quite what Liu Huai had imagined.

The third reaction is that the Song Dynasty might be in real trouble this time.

Putting aside the question of whether Wanyan Liang, as a mounted emperor, was afraid of a military coup, historically, the Song and Jin dynasties, after Yue Fei's murder, almost simultaneously degenerated into a state of stagnation, becoming both a sluggish and a frivolous couple. While the Jin dynasty has undergone some changes, what about the small Southern Song dynasty?
"Who is the emperor now? Is it still Zhao Gou?"

"……Yes."

Liu Huai held onto a ten-thousandth of hope and asked, "Where's Marshal Yue? Is he still alive?"

Speaking of Yue Fei, Wei Chang's tone was filled with grief and indignation: "Marshal Yue was framed and unjustly killed by that old villain Qin Hui twenty years ago!"

It’s over, the Southern Song Dynasty is still the same.

Liu Huai's heart suddenly turned cold.

But thinking about it carefully, Liu Huai felt that there was also a possibility, that is, after Wanyan Yong ascended the throne, he deposed Wanyan Liang as King Hailing and smeared him. Of course, as a tyrant of a foreign race, Wanyan Liang would definitely have a lot of negative information. But who can say that Wanyan Yong did not delete historical materials?
It should be noted that almost all of Wanyan Liang's poems and essays were deleted.

Could it be that Wanyan Liang did all these things in history? They were just deleted?
"Go on and tell us about Wan Yanliang." Liu Huai pinched his chin and continued, "Just tell us what Aye told us before. Tell us as much as you remember." "Oh." Wei Chang lowered his head and thought for a moment, "I remembered a story..."

In the early days of his usurpation of the throne, Wanyan Liang led an army of 50,000 to conquer the various tribes of the Eastern Mongols. In the decisive battle, he assembled a massive cavalry of 10,000 nobles from all over the Jin Dynasty and their servants.

Wanyan Liang addressed the cavalrymen: "When the Great Jin was founded, there was a rule that if a Wanhu died in battle, Meng'an would be executed. You all have been blessed by the state for generations, holding high positions of power. Only the emperor stands above you, so normally you wouldn't be expected to fight tooth and nail. But today, the emperor is personally charging the enemy. If you show any cowardice, you will be executed without mercy!"
After saying that, Wanyan Liang personally led the three Heza Meng'ans directly under his command and rushed towards the left wing of the Eastern Mongolian coalition forces.

The first time, two thousand cavalry followed Hezhameng'an in the charge, and the remaining eight thousand cavalry were laughing at him. Wanyan Liang did not punish them.

The second time, 5,000 cavalrymen followed Hezhameng'an in the charge, while the remaining 5,000 cavalrymen waited and watched. Wanyan Liang still did not punish them.

The third time, eight thousand cavalry followed Hezhameng'an in the charge, and the remaining two thousand cavalry were stationed. Wanyan Liang still did not punish them.

The fourth time, there were 9,000 cavalrymen following Hezhameng'an to charge, but 1,000 of them were still afraid and did not move forward.

After four charges, the Eastern Mongol coalition was completely defeated. A blood-soaked Wanyan Liang led his victorious troops, surrounding the remaining 1,000 cavalrymen who remained in the fight. He declared, "For today's events, Heaven will spare you once, Earth will forgive you once, and I will pardon you once. But for the fourth time, there will be no mercy or forgiveness." With these words, he once again led the charge, wiping out over a thousand cavalrymen who represented the most corrupt elements of the Jin aristocracy and military.

After hearing this story, the only words left in Liu Huai's mind were "WTF".

The only stories about Wanyan Liang that have been passed down to later generations are a few poems, the legend of his being a tyrant, and a bunch of pornographic literature.

How could such a big thing happen?

Could it be that Wanyan Yong could delete history so cleanly?

However, considering that Wanyan Liang was portrayed as a pornographic and violent pervert in later generations... it seems possible that history was really being rewritten.

The most important thing is that Liu Huai, even if he doesn't believe anything else, has to believe that the combat effectiveness of the main force of the Jin army is indeed impressive.

Historically, the Jin army was like a fish in water in the Huaihe River area. In just over a month, they broke through the two routes of Huainan and had their horses drinking water from the Yangtze River.

Especially after that, when there was a rebellion in the rear and the emperor was assassinated on the front line, the Jin army was able to retreat in an orderly manner, making it impossible for generals Liu Qi, Cheng Min, Li Xianzhong, and Yu Yunwen to gain any advantage. This can be regarded as a military miracle of some magnitude.

Liu Huai lowered his head and thought, vaguely feeling that there seemed to be a gap between the history he had read and the real history.

If we blindly believe in history books during the subsequent Northern Expedition, something terrible would happen.

"Brother, the straps of this armor are broken and there is no one around. Can you take it off?" After Wei Chang finished telling the story, he pulled the two pieces of leather belts under his left ribs with a worried look on his face.

"No, armor is like a second life, you know? Not to mention it's not safe now, even if it is safe, you have to wear it and get used to the weight!" Liu Huai reflexively scolded, then his tone softened: "The war is about to begin, you have to be prepared, you may not be able to take off your armor for the next ten years."

"Brother?" Wei Chang was about to ask, but he saw Liu Huai frowning slightly and putting his index finger on his lips.

After listening for a moment, Liu Huai turned his head and looked behind him: "Achang, how far is it to that village?"

Wei Chang looked around and pointed to a small hill half a mile ahead and said, "Turn around there and look left and you'll see it."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of dogs barking came from afar, and the sound of horses' hooves gradually approached.

This time, not only Liu Huai, but Wei Chang's face also turned pale.

"go!"

(End of this chapter)