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

Chapter 18: How can there be no sigh of heroic talent leaning on the sword

In the study, Wei Sheng sat at the top, writing furiously, while Liu Huai and Li Gongzuo sat on his left and right, silent.

After a while, Wei Sheng blew the ink on the paper, put it into the envelope, raised his head and squinted his eyes at Li Gongzuo.

"Who are you to Li San?"

"It's my father."

If a younger person called Li Bao by his nickname, Li Gongzuo would have punched him, but Wei Sheng was his father's comrade-in-arms, and he could call him by his nickname even in person, so Li Gongzuo could only respond in silence.

Liu Huai's whole body trembled, and any remaining sleepiness he had felt was immediately thrown away.

Li San Li Bao is not an ordinary person.

Just the fact that he was a dual-ranking general under Yue Fei and Han Shizhong is enough to stun a lot of so-called famous generals of the Southern Song Dynasty.

In addition, Li Bao is a rare talent in the navy. In real history, later this year, he would defeat the Jin navy in a battle on Tang Island.

The victory at Tangdao was even listed as one of the thirteen military achievements of the Restoration, and was recorded in history alongside Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Wu Jie, Liu Qi and others.

Now the scene of Li Gongzuo visiting Wei Sheng is very likely the prelude to the Battle of Tang Island.

Wei Sheng nodded: "Does your father have any letters for me?"

Li Gongzuo bowed and said, "No, there is only a verbal message."

"Let's talk about it."

"Duke Wei, please ensure that we quickly capture Qushan County and seize the port of Donghai County."

Qushan County was the capital of Haizhou Prefecture, and Donghai County was near the later Lianyungang City, but the coastline at that time had not yet covered it, so Donghai County was just a small island across the sea from the land.

However, this terrain makes Donghai County an important port for sheltering from sea waves.

Seeing Wei Sheng stroking his beard in silence, Liu Huai couldn't help but ask, "Does Li Taiwei intend to attack the Jin pirates' navy on Tang Island?"

Although the Song Dynasty's navy was relatively powerful, it was still an inland fleet and could not conduct ocean-going activities, so there had to be ports of call along the way.

If there was no Haizhou as a transit point, Li Bao would have traveled thousands of miles across the ocean, and even if he had sufficient supplies, he might have deviated directly to Goryeo.

When Liu Huai asked the question, Wei Sheng did not react, while Li Gongzuo's eyelids twitched violently.

He had only mentioned that he wanted to capture the East China Sea port, but Liu Dalang was able to sort out the cause and effect in an instant. Apart from anything else, his strategic insight was simply top-notch.

If Liu Huai knew what Li Gongzuo was thinking, he would definitely laugh in his heart.

As a martial artist, how could he have any strategic qualities? They were purely acquired through reading history.

Liu Huai had always been curious about how the timing was so coincidental. Wei Sheng had just recaptured Haizhou when Li Bao went to reinforce him, and then they immediately won a great victory on Tangdao.

It turns out that the two had been in contact for a long time.

Seeing Wei Sheng still silent, Li Gongzuo could only respond to Liu Huai: "That's right, the Jin thieves' navy isn't very good on the water, but on land..."

At this point, Li Gongzuo couldn't help but shake his head. "Let me put it this way: the Jin thieves' navy totals 70,000 men, and at least 20,000 of them are willing to fight like the Jin thieves' regular army. With so many men, whether they appear on the Yangtze River or attack Lin'an directly, they can create a huge hole."

Liu Huai nodded secretly in his heart.

During the Haizhou Uprising led by Zhang Wang and Xu Yuan the previous year, Jin General Xu Wen led only 900 men to annihilate the rebels, demonstrating that the Jin navy was no mere figurative art. The military impact of 20,000 Jin regular field troops was minimal on the front lines, but once they were behind the defenses, their political significance was immense.

Apart from anything else, if the Jin navy approached Lin'an, Zhao Gou would definitely abandon his country and flee again.

However, Liu Huai still had one thing in mind: "If the Jin thieves' navy is so weak on the surface, why don't they just fight a formal battle?"

"The navy my father commanded was too small, only 3,000 men and 120 ships of all sizes. The sea is vast, unlike ordinary rivers. Even if my father could kill half of them, as long as half made it downstream, we would be a serious threat." Li Gongzuo patiently explained, "Right now, the Jin bandits' navy is concentrated on Tang Island. This is the perfect opportunity to capture them all in one fell swoop."

Liu Huai looked up at Wei Sheng, who was sitting at the top of the table. Seeing that his adoptive father remained silent, he could only continue to ask, "When is the latest time to start?"

"It should be around September. Any earlier and the sea will be very rough, making it difficult for ships to sail. Any later and a northerly wind will pick up, and the Jin fleet will sail out of the harbor and sail downwind, heading straight for Jiankang and Lin'an."

Liu Huai thought, what's the point of going straight to Jiankang and Lin'an? If the Jin navy goes south along the coast, they must first ensure the stability of Haizhou.

If Wei Sheng did not help Li Bao, even if he captured Haizhou, he would still be hit hard by the Jin navy.

Thinking of this, Liu Huai opened his mouth to respond, but Wei Sheng asked again: "Does your father have any letters for me?"

Li Gongzuo bowed respectfully: "No..."

"Then how many troops can he provide to help me capture Haizhou?"

"My nephew has brought two steamships, with two hundred warriors on board, all of whom are armored and ready to fight."

Although the Southern Song Dynasty did not have such strict supervision over military generals, sending out 200 soldiers without orders was still a huge taboo, and if it were exposed, it could cause a huge uproar.

In a sense, Li Bao has done his best.

"Two hundred soldiers is not a small number." Wei Sheng laughed, but immediately became furious: "God damn Li San! He made a good deal, but he threw his own son out, leaving me speechless."

Li Gongzuo forced a forced smile, his right hand reaching for the sharp knife at his waist. "Duke Wei, scolding your father in front of your son is disrespectful. My father specifically told me to be tolerant, but I've already tolerated two. If there's a third, there's no need to be tolerant."

Liu Huai sat up straighter, his tone turning colder: "You can try to pull the knife out."

"Alright." Wei Sheng, on the other hand, became nonchalant. He waved his hand and said to the two younger generations below him, "I've known Li Sanlang for many years. He wouldn't be annoyed even if I called him to his face. But the Li family's young master..."

"My nephew is here."

"Even if everything goes smoothly for me on this trip north, I'm still going to face a life-threatening situation. So I still want to ask, are you afraid of death?"

Li Gongzuo stood up, straightening his clothes and bowing to the sky. "My father often said that he was originally a farmer from the Cheng family, but now he is the commander-in-chief of a large army. He owes it all to the great grace of the government. Even if he died a hundred times, it would not be enough to repay even a fraction of the country's kindness. Although I, Li Gongzuo, am young and don't understand the righteousness of family and country, I still have ambition. I will protect my father's safety with my own life. How dare I say I am afraid?!"

Wei Sheng nodded. "You do have a touch of Li Sanlang's heroic spirit. Now, let me ask you another question. In two days, if I attack Lianshui County, will you dare to lead the troops in the assault?"

Before Li Gongzuo could reply, Liu Huai interrupted, saying, "If you dare not, hand over your two hundred sailors, and I will lead them in the assault."

Li Gongzuo snorted coldly: "What if I dare?"

"That's even easier." Liu Huai leaned back in his chair and said nonchalantly, "If the Jin thieves come out of the city to fight, then the two of us will be the sharp edge of the entire army. If the Jin thieves hold the city, then the two of us will be the first to climb up the ladder!"

Wei Sheng nodded again: "That's exactly what should be done."

"Today, I finally understand why my father considers Duke Wei his closest friend, and even his sole comrade in great undertakings." Li Gongzuo was stunned for a moment, but then quickly spoke, whether in agreement or sarcasm: "Perhaps it's because you two are both willing to risk everything at the crucial moment."

(End of this chapter)