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

Chapter 91: When will Guan Tong return to Yishui?

Wei Sheng looked at Liu Huai and felt very relieved.

I originally thought that my son was very capable, but I didn't expect him to be so capable.

Being both civil and military is one thing, but the most important thing is that he is also resourceful and decisive, like a mixture of an experienced official and a fierce general on the battlefield.

"It's time to put more burden on him."

Wei Sheng thought so, and his expression became serious.

"Da Lang, since the Northern Expedition until now, you have done everything very well. Except for one thing."

Liu Huai was stunned and quickly bowed: "Please let me know, father."

"You rely too much on surprise attacks from elite troops," Wei Sheng said pointedly. "Your military strategy relies on two key elements: speed and surprise. But these are only accomplished by elite troops."

"Two hundred armored cavalrymen cannot conquer the world, and not all the troops in the Loyalty Army are as elite as these two hundred cavalrymen. Dalang, have you ever thought about how you would fight if one day you no longer commanded these elite troops?"

As Liu Huai listened, sweat gradually broke out on his forehead.

Just as Liu Huai could secretly criticize Wei Sheng for his lack of political and historical experience, Wei Sheng, as an old revolutionary who had been a mid-level officer for most of his life, could also confidently criticize Liu Huai for his lack of combat experience.

"Da Lang, your military tactics are missing a key word: 'righteousness'. You lack the experience to defeat the Jin bandits head-on with upright troops."

"I formed the vanguard for you before. Although I gave you the elite cavalry, I actually hoped that you could lead a group of elite infantry to serve as the main force in the battle."

"As the saying goes, war is dangerous and opportunities are fleeting. I also know that the final decision needs to be made by you, the one on the battlefield. But as a father, I still want to advise you. If you have time, please give it some more thought."

Liu Huai quickly stood up and bowed again: "As you wish!"

Wei Sheng nodded with satisfaction. "One more thing. I'm thinking of you remaining as the vanguard, while the central army will be divided into teams of 100 men, rotating with the vanguard for training purposes. I don't expect everyone to be elite soldiers before we reach Linyi, but I hope they can follow orders and experience the power of battle."

Liu Huai was completely stunned.

This is not to say that Wei Sheng is causing him trouble. After all, he has to train new recruits, and one is enough to pull, and two are enough to lead. It is not even a burden.

But in this way, almost every soldier will have the experience of following Liu Huai in battle, and almost every grassroots officer will have the opportunity to follow Liu Huai to make merit. In this era when personal dependence is still common, they will almost all be labeled as Liu Huai's generals.

what is this?
This is a redistribution of power!

It can be said that if Liu Huai continues to win, his prestige in the army may surpass Wei Sheng in three or four years.

Wei Sheng's actions were no longer selfless, they could even be described as entrusting an orphan to someone else.

Wei Sheng was already old, and the road to the Northern Expedition was treacherous. He might very well die in battle one day. But he wanted to train a successor before he died.

Even if he died, he would continue the Northern Expedition to the end.
-
Just as the loyal and righteous army was advancing towards Yizhou along the Shuhe River with great momentum.

Pushan Damo, the governor of Yizhou, was standing on the city wall of Linyi, staring towards the west in a trance, not knowing what he was thinking.

The Pushan tribe was the majority of the Jurchens, with a large population. They had always followed the Wanyan clan and intermarried with them. From the beginning of the Jurchens' rise, they conquered Bohai, destroyed the Liao, and attacked the Song. The Pushan tribe had never missed a major battle, and naturally had a corresponding political status.

For example, the current Jin Dynasty Privy Councilor, Pushan Hutu (Pusan Shigong in Chinese), was raised by Wanyan Aguda's eldest son, Wanyan Zonggan, and participated in Wanyan Liang's regicide, thus rising to prominence. Of course, the current Pushan tribe leader is not Pushan Hutu, the nominally highest-ranking official, but another staunch supporter of Wanyan Liang: Pushan Zhongyi (Jurchen name: Pushan Wuzhe).

When Pushan Hutu was at the peak of his power and extremely domineering, Pushan Zhongyi once pointed at his nose and scolded him. Pushan Hutu did not dare to say a word back. In the end, Wanyan Liang felt that his confidant was bullied and sent Pushan Zhongyi to be a frontier official.

During Wanyan Liang's Southern Expedition, Pushan Zhongyi served as deputy commander of the Central Army. Historically, despite enduring turmoil such as excessive taxation, regicide on the front lines, Khitan rebellions, the establishment of a new ruler, and the Southern Song's Northern Expedition, the Jin Dynasty was able to suppress the Southern Song. This was largely due to the stability of the Song Dynasty, and Pushan Zhongyi, as the Grand Marshal, played a significant role.

It was he who put down the massive Khitan uprising in the north, and it was also he who presided over the suppression of the Southern Song Dynasty in the south.

The governor of Yizhou, Pushan Damo, was the cousin of Pushan Zhongyi who was raised by him. He learned from him and became one of the best members of the Pushan tribe.

"... Governor, my nephew has made it very clear. The Song dogs have already captured Haizhou, and their next target must be Yizhou." Gao Anren stood by for a long time, finally getting impatient: "Why don't you make any arrangements?"

Pushandharma turned the Buddhist beads in his hands without saying a word.

Buddhism was widely worshipped during the Liao and Jin dynasties. For example, Wanyan Zongmou, the second prince of the Jin Dynasty, loved to talk about Buddhist scriptures and was known as the Bodhisattva Prince.

From Pushandharma's name, we can see that not only he believed in Buddhism, but most of his paternal relatives also worshipped Buddhism.

But this does not mean that he is a great and kind person who eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist scriptures.

Pushandarmo was nearly two meters tall. Although he was over forty, his figure was not at all fat, but rather heroic. Gao Anren was a whole head shorter than him, and standing beside him looked like a schoolboy.

He did not wear a Jurchen-style braid, but instead wore his hair in a bun, a high crown, and a brocade robe, like the Han Chinese. If it were not for the murderous look between his eyebrows, he would have looked like a wealthy and idle person.

"General Gao, the situations in Yizhou and Haizhou are different." Pushandamo did not respond to Gao Anren's question. Instead, a middle-aged scholar beside him sneered, "You dare to go out and fight. It's not that we don't dare, but we have to prioritize storage and not fight for a moment."

Gao Anren knew that the other party was actually mocking him, but he kept his mouth shut and did not refute.

Not to mention that he is now a defeated general living under someone else's roof, even when his father was still alive, he would not dare to complain to Liu Fen, who came from a prominent family in Youyan and was now the magistrate of Yizhou.

This was because this person was the half-brother of Liu E, the Vice-Chancellor of the Secretariat, and his biological father was Wanyan Zongmou's deputy, Liu Yanzong, the deputy commander of the Eastern Army of the Jin Dynasty.

With such a background, not only did the Bohai people not dare to provoke him, but even the ordinary Jurchens could not say that they were higher in status than Liu Fen.

Seeing Gao Anren remained silent, Liu Fen's tone slowed down. "Gao Erlang, you must understand that it's not just Haizhou that's destitute; there's no place in Shandong that isn't destitute. Yizhou has the Yishui River as a passageway, which is a good thing on ordinary days, but now that the southern expedition is underway, it's a huge disadvantage... I can't explain this to you in detail. You just need to know that not only were the Meng'an and Mouke households in Yizhou mobilized in large numbers, but even ordinary people abandoned their soon-to-ripen crops to go to the Yishui River to pull boats."

Gao Anren was silent for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask: "So, as Liu Tongpan said, should we allow the Song army to come and go?"

"Of course not." Liu Fen shook his head: "But where will the troops come from? Where will the army go? This requires long-term planning and must not be thrown away lightly."

"So we're just going to wait like this?"

"No need." Pushandama finally spoke, his voice hoarse and faintly like the sound of metal: "My people are here."

In the distance below the city, the dust raised by dozens of galloping war horses flew up and was quickly blown away by the west wind.

When the smoke and dust cleared, a group of strong and powerful men and horses came from afar. They were as strong as tigers and their horses were as strong as dragons.

(End of this chapter)