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

Chapter 994 A Mixed Bag of Good and Bad, Human Hearts in Turmoil (Part 2)

Wang Fang's choice is actually quite easy to understand.

Even when Xin Qiji had lost all his troops and had only a thousand or so cavalrymen left, he was still able to defeat the Song army's main force of 40,000 and make them flee in disarray.

Now that Xin Qiji is calmly gathering his troops and pursuing the fleeing enemy, how can my four thousand soldiers possibly stop him?
Stop dreaming!

Of course, logically speaking, after fighting such a fierce battle, Xin Qiji's troops would be exhausted. When thousands of Song soldiers went to meet them, it was still uncertain who would win.

Wang Fang, of course, scoffed at this claim.

Logically speaking, how could a large Song army, arriving with such imposing force, be so easily defeated by a mere thousand cavalry?!
According to Wang Fang's common sense at this time, the situation should be one where the father is dead, the mother is remarried, and everyone should look after themselves.

As one of the main generals, Wang Fang's escape had very serious consequences. At the very least, his four thousand troops immediately became chaotic. Some commanders wanted to continue to stabilize their troops, while others followed suit and fled under the cover of night.

With the river beside me as a reference point, I'm unlikely to get lost.

Less than an hour after nightfall, the Song army camp was on the verge of collapse.

Dan Ding was overjoyed. He immediately led more than a hundred elite troops down the city wall in bamboo baskets to the outside of the city. After a hasty assembly, they launched a raid on the camp.

The Song army's siege camp south of Suqian quickly descended into chaos, with thousands of Song soldiers scattering and fleeing among the civilians.

Just as Shan Ding was preparing to press on and send the entire Song army to meet Zhao Kuangyin that very night, Hou Gaolang led more than two thousand rearguard troops to the city and began to quell the situation.

Even with a single order, one should only stop while things are going well.

After a night of searching, Hou Gaolang, his eyes bloodshot, finally found Li Xianzong.

"Grand Commandant, the Great Blue Rhinoceros is leading nearly 10,000 troops in pursuit by both land and water. He intends to cut off our army's retreat so that not a single soldier can cross the Huai River!"

Li Xianzong was equally exhausted: "I'm sorry for the trouble, young lord. It is my incompetence that I failed to stabilize the army this time."

Hou Gaolang shook his head repeatedly: "Grand Commandant, I have already found out everything. If it weren't for that coward Wang Fang abandoning his troops and running away, how could things have come to this?"

Li Xianzong sighed and replied, "It's not his fault. The situation has collapsed, and everyone is just trying to save their own lives. It's nothing. Now that the army has fallen into such a state, I, as the deputy commander, cannot shirk my responsibility."

After a long silence, Hou Gaolang stared intently at Li Xianzong: "Grand Commandant, what do you want to do?"

“You can’t hide it from Xiao Hou.” Li Xianzong said frankly, “I intend to lead a small force here to stop the Great Blue Rhinoceros. As for the rest of us, we should abandon our supplies and flee as much as we can. We must cross the Huai River before the Great Blue Rhinoceros’s navy.”

Hou Gaolang looked around at the generals in the tent: "You...you all think the same way?"

Liu Si, Wang Gang, Wu Chao, Zhang Qi, and the others, all looking disheveled, exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily unable to comprehend why Hou Gaolang would ask such a question, as if Li Xianzong's actions were instigated by these subordinates.

Seeing this, Hou Gaolang shook his head and sighed, "Then I'll just say it directly. Is the Grand Commandant trying to preserve the army as much as possible?"

Li Xianzong responded frankly: "That's exactly right."

Hou Gaolang sighed, trying to find his friend Li Ziyuan among the generals, but found that the other party was not there. He was momentarily dazed before sighing again: "Grand Commandant Li, Li Huozi is either dead or captured, so I will say these unpleasant things myself."

"If the Grand Commandant wanted to save more men from Lianghuai, he should have ordered them to surrender now," Hou Gaolang said earnestly amidst the complicated gazes of many people. "On the way back, it will be freezing cold, and there will be no food or water. Who knows how many more people will die."

If the Grand Commandant does not wish to pledge allegiance to Liu Dalang, he may ride back to Huaidong at full speed; no matter how fast the Great Blue Rhinoceros's ships are, they cannot catch up.

The civilian house, which had been used as the central command post, erupted in a commotion for a moment, but after a short while, the voices of the generals all lowered, and they all turned to look at Li Xianzong.

To be honest, all the generals in Lianghuai have the same thought in their minds right now.

Could it be that Flying Tiger really has a destiny?

After all, the Song army in Lianghuai did not actually participate in the destruction of the Jin dynasty, nor did they share the experience.

However, the Battle of Lüliang was a real defeat for the Han army, with a thousand cavalrymen being routed head-on. Although there were various reasons, it is hard not to think of it as a matter of destiny.

If that's the case, that's it.

The recent political turmoil in the State of Song, with its ruler and subjects acting in a disrespectful manner, created a stark contrast.

It wasn't that no one wanted to surrender and defect, but since their families were still in Jiangnan, they couldn't be the ones to take the lead. Plus, there was a ingrained mindset, so they ultimately wanted someone to lead the charge.

It would be even better if Li Xianzong were the one leading this.

Faced with the intense gazes of the crowd, Li Xianzong turned his head away and remained silent.

They neither agreed nor disagreed.

At this point, the more foolish ones were still wondering if Li Xianzong was just trying to save face and wanted to stir things up again.

But a clever man like Hou Gaolang suddenly realized: "Grand Commandant, I understand now. You don't want to save the young men as much as possible, but rather to save the army as much as possible, don't you think?"

Liu Si and the others were somewhat confused, because they really couldn't figure out the difference between the two.

When soldiers are grouped together, isn't that a large army?

However, these two should not be confused. The former refers to individual lives, while the latter refers to organized military units.

To put it bluntly, if they wanted to save the lives of their soldiers, they could have ordered the entire army to surrender right now. The Han army system is what it is; they didn't even treat the Jurchens harshly, so why would they massacre the Song army?

Regardless of anything else, there will still be a roof over one's head and a bowl of hot porridge.

However, this would mean the complete annihilation of the Lianghuai army, and the complete collapse of the Song Dynasty's Lianghuai defense line.

Li Xianzong, on the other hand, wanted to send as many organized troops as possible back to Huaidong to defend the area and prepare for the coming storms.

Hou Gaolang wanted to find a way to survive for the soldiers of Lianghuai, while Li Xianzong wanted to stabilize the defense line of the Song Dynasty. The two were fundamentally different.

Li Xianzong hesitated for a long time before nodding: "That's right, Xiao Hou. I know what you mean, and I also know what you all think."

But I must say, those who eat the king's food must serve the king; the state has raised an army for a hundred years, and we warriors must ultimately repay our country with our lives.

Hou Gaolang sighed again and remained silent.

Just as the room fell silent, Liu Si took off his iron turban and slammed it to the ground with a thud.

"Grand Commandant Li, you keep saying that the country's support of its soldiers is as heavy as a mountain, but when have we ever slacked off in our battles for the country? And how has the country treated us?"

As he spoke, Liu Si simply stood up, supporting himself on his arm: "I won't talk about Yue Pengju anymore."

Li Taiwei was also present at the Battle of Chaoxian. In that battle, my uncle was shot in the chest with an arrow, and I, along with Wang Fang (who has since fled), fought fiercely and were seriously wounded.

But how did the court treat us? After we returned to Jiankang, we were supposed to be paraded through the streets and have our names announced, to celebrate our great achievements. The court only sent two minor officials to appease us, and in the end, they even made us live in a latrine!

My uncle died of anger after his arrow wound reopened following the humiliation he suffered that day.

Liu Si's face flushed red as he looked around at the Song army generals: "Wang Datou has escaped. I'm angry too, and I think he's disloyal, but is it really his fault?"
He was wounded eight times in the battle of Chaoxian, yet the authorities only allowed him to sleep in a latrine! Why is he risking his life for the country today?!

Liu Si turned around with difficulty again, facing Li Xianzong directly: "Grand Commandant Li! Now that Prime Minister Yu has been killed, what hope do you have left? Do you really think the Song Dynasty won't kill another Grand Commandant?"

Li Xianzong shook his head repeatedly, but ultimately could not refute it.

Liu Qi was loyal and devoted to his country throughout his life, and he was always cautious and prudent, yet he ended up being humiliated and dying of anger. Who wouldn't feel heartbroken?

He fought desperately for the Song state despite his illness, but in the end he became a victim of the peace faction suppressing the war faction. It would be abnormal for Liu Si not to harbor resentment.

Seeing that Li Xianzong still wouldn't budge, Liu Si was about to press the matter further when he heard Hou Gaolang grit his teeth and say, "Old Liu! Stop talking! The Grand Commandant has made his decision. Are you going to disobey?!"

Liu Si's momentum immediately faltered. He then turned to look at Hou Gaolang, somewhat dumbfounded, but ultimately there was nothing he could do but sit down dejectedly.

There was no other way; Hou Gaolang was the only one still maintaining several thousand organized troops. Therefore, his voice carried the most weight.

Since Hou Gaolang is firmly standing with Li Xianzong, then any decision Li Xianzong makes can be carried through to the end.

This hastily convened military meeting also ended quickly, and its effect was visibly poor.

People's hearts are growing weeds.

Putting others aside, Liu Si immediately began making connections after leaving the command tent.

To be honest, when he started making connections, Liu Si hadn't made up his mind whether to surrender to the Han Dynasty or abandon his army and flee back to the Song Dynasty. He was just trying to build relationships and preserve himself in the ensuing chaos.

"If you ask me, let's just surrender. Henan and Shandong are so vulnerable now, how could Fei Huzi not give us an important position after he establishes his kingdom?"

"I would have believed you if you had said that three days ago, but now that the Great Blue Rhinoceros has defeated our army so easily, who will still consider us heroes?"

"South of the Huai River, there is a dense network of waterways, hence the saying 'northern horses and southern boats,' meaning there will always be a need for boatmen..."

"Give me a break! Does Flying Tiger have few naval forces? If they weren't also in Youyan right now, do you think we could have crossed the Huai River so easily?"

"If you ask me, we should go back to Huaidong..."

"The Han army is so elite... even if we go back, we can't stop them."

"We cannot surrender, my parents and family are all in Jiangnan..."

Although it was a private conversation, no one lowered their voices, nor was there any need to.

Although the atmosphere was lively, nothing useful was ultimately discussed.

Liu Si leaned against several bags of rice and grain, closing his eyes to rest.

"You bunch of useless trash, you wouldn't come to a conclusion even after a year of deliberation." Hou Gaolang lifted the tent flap, strode inside, his bloodshot eyes filled with disdain: "I'll have to do it!"

Liu Si looked up in surprise, but after a moment he nodded in conviction.

(End of this chapter)