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

Chapter 31: Not Competing for Superiority

Liu Huai didn't know that Wei Sheng's early Northern Expedition due to his killing of Zhang Yu had caused another small deviation in history.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

The war has already begun, and no one knows how many people will die next. Liu Huai is just a low-level general, responsible for the lives of many people. Why would he care about the thoughts of an old angry young man?

At this time, the county government office had become the central base of the Northern Expedition Army. The original owner, County Magistrate Li Ya, was locked up in the backyard and became a prisoner. In the lobby, the Song army, who were originally regarded as bandits by County Magistrate Li, were divided into two rows for a banquet. Although the scene was joyful, the intention of competing with each other was too obvious.

"Liu Dalang is back. What took you so long? Let's drink!"

As soon as Liu Huai stepped into the lobby, the first person he greeted was not Wei Sheng, who was sitting at the upper right, but Zhang Rong, who was sitting opposite him.

At this time, Zhang Rong's face was already flushed, as if he had drunk a lot of wine, but his eyes were still clear, and he was obviously not drunk.

Liu Huai picked up the wine bowl and drank it all, then bowed and said, "Daddy, Uncle Zhang."

These days, most of the alcoholic beverages are rice wine and fruit wine, which are not as strong as beer, so it’s okay to drink a few more glasses.

"Why, Liu Dalang seems to have gained something, and has won the hearts of all the soldiers in such a short time?" Zhang Rong laughed and spoke lightly. Although he was talking to Liu Huai, his eyes were looking at Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng shook his head indifferently.

Zhang Rong naturally had reason to be sarcastic.

Mainly because in his opinion, what Liu Huai did was a struggle for power.

He was fighting for the initiative of the Northern Expedition for his adoptive father Wei Sheng.

But this method is a bit too crude and too obvious.

Zhang Rong asked himself that his competition with Wei Sheng for the position of commander was not about who was superior or inferior, but whether he was really suitable to be the commander of the Northern Expedition Army.

In terms of seniority, when Zhang Rong won the great victory at Suotoutan, Wei Sheng was still a small soldier; in terms of status, Zhang Rong was a serious Right Wu doctor and the prefect of Taizhou before he retired; in terms of the situation, this time when they were fighting in Shandong, Zhang Rong was from Dongping Prefecture, and Wei Sheng was from Suqian. How could they be as familiar with the mountains and terrain as Wei Sheng?
It’s not that Zhang Rong cannot tolerate factions. His own subordinates are all factions. But Liu Huai didn’t even attend the banquet after the victory, but tried to win over the hearts of the soldiers. Isn’t that a bit too hasty?

The seat below Wei Sheng was always empty, which made people feel awkward, and many things could not be discussed.

This morning, everyone saw Liu Huai's heroic figure riding alone into the battle. Those present asked themselves whether few would dare to be so reckless even in a surprise attack. What if the deal is settled here, but Liu Huai comes back and disagrees, and even acts like a scoundrel and overturns the table?
"Uncle Zhang, you're joking. How can we convince these Shandong men to return to their faith in just one hour? All we can do is give them a little peace of mind and gain some insights into Shandong's strengths and weaknesses."

Liu Huai did not sit down, but stood in the lobby and talked to a group of generals.

"Oh? What can you find out in just one hour?"

Zhang Rong asked curiously.

Not only him, but even Hu Yanchuo, Xiao En, Zhang Xiaoyi, Dong Cheng and others who had been toasting each other lowered their voices and listened carefully.

"First, the Jin bandits' Meng'an Mouke households did migrate inland on a large scale, encroaching on farmland, and the scale was enormous."

Zhang Rong shook his head and laughed, "That's an old saying."

Liu Huai didn't take it seriously and continued, "There are tens of millions of penniless farmers in Shandong and Hebei. The Jin thieves have already regarded them as worn-out shoes. This is our opportunity."

Zhang Rong sneered and nodded. The other generals were also somewhat disappointed.

I originally thought that Liu Huai must have some profound ideas, but who would have thought that these things that Wei Sheng had already said so many times were nothing more than the soldiers' actual actions to prove the point again.

If the Jin Dynasty had been peaceful and prosperous, this Northern Expedition would not have been a life-or-death struggle, but a hopeless one.

"Secondly, we must clearly distinguish who is our mortal enemy and who is our friend. The Meng'an Mouke households that migrated south but rebelled there might not be incompatible with us, and the righteous strongholds that resisted the Jin bandits might not be our enemies."

Wei Sheng, who was sitting at the top, stroked his beard and said nothing.

Zhang Rong also became a little more serious.

Among the other generals, only Zhang Xiaoyi looked pleased.

He was a man who fled south after his uprising in the north failed. As a defeated general, Zhang Xiaoyi had been wondering for the past two years where he was defeated. It was not that he could not accept the failure, but he just couldn't understand why the situation became hopeless so quickly after being defeated by 700 Jin thieves' navy, and ended up with the whole family wiped out?

Hearing what Liu Huai said at this time, Zhang Xiaoyi seemed to have vaguely grasped something, but was not quite clear. He immediately put down his wine cup and listened carefully.

Liu Huai continued, "Third, we need to be clear about what we are going to do."

He looked around, his voice gradually rising: "We are the most righteous army in the world, punishing criminals and avenging the people. We should also do the most righteous things in the world. The Jin bandits don't care about the refugees, so we should care; the Jin bandits don't quell the rebellion, so we should quell it; the Jin bandits robbed the good farmland, so we should share it. If we can't drive out the Jin bandits and replace them, we, the thousand or so people who march north, will sooner or later die without a burial place!"

At this time, the surroundings were completely silent. Liu Huai, with all his might, spoke loudly, "In a nutshell, what we need to do is to drive out the barbarians, restore China, establish laws and regulations, and save the people!"

"Cheers!" Zhang Xiaoyi shouted and was about to applaud, but he saw that the other generals were just frowning in thought, so he immediately shut up.

In Liu Huai's opinion, everything Zhang Rong argued with his adoptive father today was a waste of time.

The basis of Wei's victory lies in the armored cavalry and soldiers.

Zhang Rong's foundation lies in his naval fleet.

Once they start marching north, Wei Sheng's navy, such as Li Gongzuo, must be under the command of Zhang Rong; correspondingly, Zhang Rong's infantry, such as Zhang Qing, must be commanded by Wei Sheng.

This is a natural geographical division, and you can't fight for it.

Even if they were divided into upper and lower forces, would Wei Sheng be allowed to command the navy on land when the battle came? Or would Zhang Rong be allowed to command the infantry on the ship?
Instead of spending this time, it would be better to quickly determine the political program and clarify what kind of team the Northern Expedition Army is.

An army without a political program can only fight randomly. Even if it can win, it will never be able to gain a foothold and will be driven back sooner or later.

This was the case with Wei Sheng in history. He won victory after victory in Shandong, but was almost forced back to Jiankang by an airborne official. Finally, when the Song and Jin dynasties negotiated peace again, the small Southern Song court completely abandoned Shandong with a simple document, and Wei Sheng's efforts were wasted.

Since Liu Huai has risked his life to participate in this Northern Expedition, he will definitely not let such a thing happen again. Proposing a political program is only the first step.

If the Southern Song Dynasty wants to give up Shandong in the future, it will have to ask the millions of farmers who have received land whether they agree.

Zhang Rong frowned and said, "Liu Dalang, I understand your point. However, driving out the Jin officials and thieves is the right thing to do, but to claim this as the new government is outrageous. Furthermore, the issue of land acreage is a matter for the court to decide, and the government to decide. It's not our place to overstep our bounds."

(End of this chapter)