I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 413 The Son-in-Law Pays Homage to His Father-in-Law
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The two great powers of Song and Jin were about to engage in a decisive battle, especially since one side had mobilized more than 500,000 troops (not counting the troops scattered in the northeast occupying a number of passes and fortified cities), while the other side had mobilized more than 600,000 troops. It was not an easy battle to start.

—At the call of Khabul, the Naiman, Kereit, Merkit, and other steppe tribes also realized the principle of mutual dependence. In the end, these tribes sent about 200,000 reinforcements to the Jin Dynasty, which were 200,000 light cavalrymen from the steppes. Together with the Jin army and the army of the Mongol Empire (mainland), the total Jin army force in Shangjing was already greater than that of the Song army.

The reason why this decisive battle has never taken place is...
It wasn't just because the Jin state kept stalling for time, slippery as an eel, relying on the fact that most of their army consisted of cavalry, which were highly mobile, and they didn't give the Song army any chance to catch them.

Furthermore, a decisive battle like this, in which one country defeats the enemy and changes its own destiny, is inherently difficult to wage—both sides must deploy their troops according to the opportune moment, the favorable terrain, and the popular support, and neither dares to easily engage in this decisive battle that could lead to their annihilation and complete defeat.

This led to both the Song and Jin armies arriving at the Jin capital, Shangjing, in early September, but the two sides did not actually engage in combat until the end of September.

Of course, during this period, the Song and Jin armies must have launched many probing attacks.

In addition, both sides have considered trying to counter the other's unstable factors.

For example, the Song Dynasty once tried to persuade Yelü Yudu to defect, hoping that Yelü Yudu would lead the Khitan army to switch sides on the battlefield and help the Song army win this crucial battle.

However, Wanyan Aguda had anticipated this. He not only kept Yelü Yudu's two sons by his side, but also kept the children and grandchildren of other key figures in the Khitan army as hostages, so that Yelü Yudu and his men would not dare to rebel.

At the same time, Wanyan Aguda also sent people to persuade Yelü Mawu, saying that as long as Yelü Mawu was willing to turn against the Jin army and help the Jin army defeat the Song army, the Jin state would grant Yelü Mawu the title of King of the Other Side, and reward him with 10,000 taels of gold, 100,000 taels of silver, 100 women, and 1,000 cattle, horses and sheep.

To say that Yelü Mawu was unmoved would be a lie.

The problem is that the current situation is clearly reminiscent of 1949. Only a fool would defect to the Nationalist army. Moreover, it is now obvious that the Song Dynasty is aiming to unify the entire north. If Yelü Mawu chooses to defect to the Jin Dynasty, he and his Liao people will likely be forced to live a life of constant displacement. On the other hand, if they help the Song Dynasty win this final battle, they are very likely to be able to land immediately.

After so many years of turmoil and wandering, Yelü Mawu and most of his Liao people really didn't want to go through any more trouble.

The key point is that no matter how much they struggle, the Liao Kingdom can never be restored, and their deaths will be in vain.

More importantly, even Wanyan Aguda knew to guard against Yelü Yudu, an unstable factor, before the decisive battle. How could Zhao Yu not know that "a bodhisattva lowers his brows, while a vajra glares angrily"?
Before the battle, Zhao Yu issued an edict that, in order to allow everyone to focus on the decisive battle without distraction, all the elderly, women, and children should enter the Jin capital city of Shangjing to avoid the flames of war.

Rebels like Yelü Mawu, as well as the elderly, women, and children of nomadic and hunting tribes who came to their aid, had to obey unconditionally.

To put it bluntly, what Zhao Yu was actually guarding against were these opportunists.

Before the war began, Liu Fa and others made meticulous tactical plans based on the weaknesses of the Jin army, the characteristics of the Song army, and the strategic goals of the Song Dynasty.

This time, Liu Fa and his men abandoned their previous tactic of using firearms to clear the way.

The Jin army consisted mostly of highly mobile cavalry. If the Song army relied primarily on firearms, the Jin army would certainly not engage in full-scale combat, and the war would inevitably degenerate into a protracted conflict.

This would likely prolong the war into the winter, which would be advantageous to the Jin army, and would also greatly increase the Song army's losses.

—Although the Song Dynasty had recovered Jidi and Yongming City, and possessed unprecedentedly powerful ships and navigation technology, as well as relatively advanced trains and motorized and non-motorized vehicles, making the transportation of grain and supplies much more convenient than before, the consumption of more than 500,000 troops, one or two million laborers, and hundreds of thousands of warhorses was still an extremely heavy burden.

It is no exaggeration to say that the distance from Yongming City to Jin Shangjing was inaccessible by sea and there was no railway. The only way to transport grain and supplies was by motor vehicles, non-motor vehicles, and manpower. Transporting one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain often cost more than ten shi of grain.

Fortunately, the distance was not long, and the Song Dynasty under Zhao Yu's rule was particularly wealthy.

This way, the impact on the Song Dynasty wouldn't be too great.

However, the Song Dynasty still hoped to achieve a swift victory and completely annihilate the Jin Dynasty through this decisive battle.

Marxist views on war hold that, regardless of how the form of war evolves, war is always a means and tool for achieving political goals.

Therefore, Liu Fa and others devised the following strategy for this battle:
First, most of the firearms were hidden, and hundreds of thousands of troops were deployed in a three-tiered formation of front, middle and rear armies to consolidate the strategic defensive depth and ensure that there were enough reserves to support the front army if it suffered a defeat. Furthermore, a second-line support force mainly composed of firearms was deployed behind the lines of each group.

They were determined to annihilate the Jin army in one battle, but they also adhered to the bottom line that "the Song Dynasty must not lose this battle," meaning they would never risk the fate of the Song Dynasty.

Secondly, Zhao Yu personally appointed Yue Fei and Liu Qi to lead their troops as the vanguard, specifically to deal with the Jin army's "Iron Pagoda" and "Hooked Horses".

These two units were the elite armies of the Jin Dynasty established by Wanyan Aguda with the help of Wuzhu, and they were also the core source of the Jin army's confidence in fighting the Song army.

At the same time, Liu Fa and others strictly ordered Wu Jie to lead his troops to closely monitor the movements of the Jin army's cavalry on both flanks, and secretly ordered Han Shizhong to lead his troops and the Jingse Army to ambush the rear of the central army, and to attack and annihilate the Jin light cavalry when they were flanked.

In this battle, Zhao Yu adhered to the principle of "if you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them," and handed over all command authority to the general in charge. The supervising officer was only responsible for assisting the general in commanding the army and was not allowed to move troops at will. Zhao Yu even issued a clear imperial edict that if the general and the supervising officer disagreed during the battle, the supervising officer should unconditionally obey the general's orders.

In other words, Zhao Yu handed over the initiative to military generals in this battle.

Many civil officials were actually dissatisfied with this, and even discussed it privately, their words full of concern about the "military's monopoly of power".

"Emperor Taizu established the ancestral system of 'emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs' not to allow military generals to monopolize power on the battlefield!" said an old minister of the Censorate with deep concern.

“In the past, the emperor released military power over a cup of wine precisely to prevent military men from becoming too powerful. Now, the emperor has given all the power to decide battles to military generals, and the supervising officers have no control over them. If the generals have disloyal intentions, won’t the Song Dynasty’s rule be shaken?” someone echoed.

“Now that the Jin invaders have not been defeated, it is not good for the country to allow military men to wield power. In ancient times, the emperor's orders were sometimes disobeyed, but a military supervisor was still required to oversee the army and prevent unforeseen events. Now the military supervisor is just a figurehead, and the general acts on his own. Have you not heard the warning that ‘merit can overshadow the emperor’?” Someone else chimed in.

Even some civil officials who usually seemed reasonable felt that Zhao Yu's move was "too rash".

Even Lü Haowen, a trusted minister of Zhao Yu, once said to his colleagues in private:

"Your Majesty's actions seem to have forgotten the reason for the long-term stability of our dynasty. Civil officials hold power while military generals command troops and are subject to constraints. This is the fundamental reason why the Great Song Dynasty has been free from internal strife for over a hundred years. Now, hundreds of thousands of troops are under the command of military generals. If, after the war, the generals' prestige rises, who will be able to control them?"

These civil officials were not unaware of the importance of this battle, nor were they deliberately trying to hinder the front lines. It was simply that in their minds, the concept of "civil officials being superior to military officials" was deeply ingrained. In their view, even if military generals could win battles, they were ultimately "weapons of mass destruction," and it was necessary to have civil officials by their side to check and balance them, in order to ensure that they did not deviate from the right path.

This is similar to the time when Di Qing defeated Nong Zhigao, and even though he made an unparalleled contribution, he died in depression due to the suspicion of civil officials—this was the "rule" tacitly accepted by the civil official group of the Song Dynasty.

Now that Zhao Yu has broken this rule, allowing military generals to "have the final say" in the decisive battle, it has naturally touched a nerve with the civil official group. Although they dare not openly confront Zhao Yu in court, after all, Zhao Yu is an emperor whose word is law, and no one dares to bring up the matter of Zhao Yu's death sentence, and this battle concerns the fate of the nation, no one dares to risk the country and its people, their private discussions have never stopped, and some are even already planning how to tighten the constraints on military generals again after the war, so that the tradition of "civilians respecting military officers" can be firmly established again.

Zhao Yu was not unaware of the thoughts of these civil officials. However, he was even more aware at this moment that in the face of the final battle with the Jin Dynasty, the Song Dynasty had to go all out, and any harm that might result could be dealt with after the war.

Once the Song Dynasty is ready for the decisive battle, Wu Yong makes his dazzling debut.

Wu Yong did not release Wanyan Yinshu and Nalan Ang back. He did not even send the Jurchens back, but instead sent Zhang Guo, a Han Chinese, back to deliver Zhao Yu's challenge to Wanyan Aguda.

The challenge is as follows:

Emperor Zhao Yu of the Song Dynasty wrote to Emperor Wanyan Aguda of the Jin Dynasty:
It is said that the way of Heaven is clear and manifest; those who follow it prosper, and those who oppose it perish.

Since their rise to power, the Jurchens have invaded Liao and Song, and their crimes are unforgivable.

Today, the mighty army of our Great Song Dynasty has assembled, its armor gleaming, vowing to punish the chief culprit and cleanse the world.

Tomorrow, I and you shall settle this once and for all. You are hereby given the order to personally lead your entire army to my battlefield before noon tomorrow for a decisive battle.

If you dare to fail to arrive on time, I will execute one hundred members of your royal family, clan, nobles, and officials on the battlefield.

If you do not come for a day, I will kill a hundred people.

If you do not come within two days, I will execute two hundred men.

They will not stop until they have wiped out everyone.

If you still have a shred of courage, or even a trace of concern for the fate of the Jurchen state, then quickly lead your troops to fight.

If you shrink back from battle, caring only for your own life and disregarding the fate of your clan, then don't blame me for being ruthless.

At that time, the blood of the Jin clan will flow like a river, all caused by you alone.

I always keep my word and never speak falsely. Think carefully, lest you bring about your own destruction!
Emperor Zhao Yu of the Great Song Dynasty bows his head.
Zhang Guo returned to the Jin camp and delivered Zhao Yu's challenge to Wanyan Aguda.

After reading it, Wanyan Aguda slammed the challenge letter onto the table. The golden cup crashed to the ground, and the wine splashed onto his dragon robe, but he was completely unaware.

"How dare you, Zhu Zi!"

Wanyan Aguda's eyes widened in fury, his bushy beard bristling, and he drew half of his sword from his waist, its cold gleam causing the candlelight in the hall to tremble. "That treacherous Zhao Yu, that despicable and shameless scoundrel, actually dared to threaten me with the lives of my relatives and nobles, forcing me into a decisive battle!!!"

The generals under the command were all startled upon hearing this, and they all stood up and bowed their heads: "Your Majesty, please calm down. May we ask what the Song Emperor means?"

Wanyan Aguda did not speak, but instead had someone pass down the challenge letter that Zhao Yu had given him.

The Jin royal family, clan members, nobles, and officials were shocked and furious upon reading Zhao Yu's challenge! They never expected that Zhao Yu and his ministers would be so shameless, threatening to kill their relatives in order to force them into a decisive battle.

Wanyan Zongbi (also known as Jin Wuzhu) roared, “Your Majesty! The Song traitors have gone too far! How can we, the members of the imperial family, be slaughtered? Your subject is willing to lead the Iron Pagoda Cavalry and the 'Hooked Cavalry' to storm the Song camp before noon tomorrow, and eat Zhao Yu's flesh alive to avenge this humiliation!”

Wanyan Zongfu frowned and shook his head: "The Song traitors devised this vicious plan to force our Great Jin into a decisive battle. If they succeed, I'm afraid our Great Jin will be in grave danger."

Wanyan Chang said leisurely, "The Song traitors have made it clear that they will keep their word. If we do not fight tomorrow, a hundred lives will be in danger! At that time, all of our army's leaders will have lost their loved ones and will not be able to avenge them. Their morale will be low. Even if we drag it out until winter, how can we possibly defeat them?"

Wanyan Loushi stepped forward and advised, “Your Majesty! I am willing to die to remonstrate with you! The Song rebels are trying to provoke our army and force us into a decisive battle. We must not fall into their trap and risk the destruction of our Great Jin! The only way now is to delay this battle until winter, at all costs. At that time, we will have the advantage of timing, terrain, and popular support. We can send light cavalry to cut off their supply lines, leaving them with nothing to attack and nowhere to retreat. Once their morale is low, we can defeat them in one fell swoop!”

With Wanyan Aguda's intelligence, how could he not know that Wanyan Loushi's suggestion was correct?

As the emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the leader of the Jurchens, Wanyan Aguda could not stand idly by and watch the Song Dynasty massacre their Jurchens.

Moreover, don't forget that many of Wanyan Aguda's sons and grandsons are still on the list of those to be slaughtered.

Therefore, Wanyan Aguda gritted his teeth and said, "Issue my order: the three armies shall immediately break camp and rush to the Song camp front line tonight! We will fight the Song traitors tomorrow..."

Before Wanyan Aguda could utter the word "war," a strong voice rang out from outside the tent: "Wait!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man led a group of tribal leaders from the grasslands into Wanyan Aguda's tent.

Upon seeing this man, Wanyan Aguda immediately stood up, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Your son-in-law greets your father-in-law."

The visitor was none other than Khabul, the grandfather of Temujin in history.

Now, because Zhao Yu and other time travelers changed history, Khabulle married his daughter to Wanyan Aguda, making Khabulle Wanyan Aguda's father-in-law.

Thanks to this connection, the Jin army was able to obtain the assistance of three to four hundred thousand nomadic cavalrymen from the grasslands.

That is why, despite being more than ten years older than Khabul, Wanyan Aguda treated Khabul with utmost respect.

Wanyan Aguda invited Hebule to the seat of honor, and the other leaders of the grassland tribes were also settled by the Jin people.

At this moment, Wanyan Aguda took the initiative to hand over Zhao Yu's challenge to Khabul.

Khabul refused, stating bluntly, "We are already aware of this matter. We have discussed it among ourselves, and if your family intends to engage in battle with the Song Dynasty tomorrow, instead of waiting until winter, then we will not participate..."

……

(End of this chapter)