You have truly caused me great suffering!

"I know that those civil officials in the court who have passed the imperial examinations like to give advice on battles."

Liu Guangshi sighed, raised his voice considerably, and said:

"When our Western Army went on the last expedition, it was agreed that my father would lead the army, but those gentlemen in Bianliang directly interfered with the command."

They dismissed my family's generals and military officers, replacing them with sons of powerful nobles from Bianliang. As soon as the drums sounded, they abandoned their troops and fled.

My father's military orders were difficult to pass down, leading to the first defeat at Gaoliang River and then at Yanjing. Tong Guan bought Yanjing with money, only to have it taken back in the blink of an eye, clearly showing that he was completely played by the Jurchens.

Afterwards, all the officials in Bianliang were promoted, while my father was imprisoned. Tong Guan, to this day, hasn't been punished for anything; it seems the court doesn't treat us military men like human beings!

Bianliang is currently besieged! Which army can be easily mobilized? It's my Fuyan Army that acts immediately upon receiving orders. And Zong Ze, with his big turban, is here again, pontificating about the country. Fine! Fine! Or should I replace all my battalions and detachments with your military officers?
The supplies, weapons, and lives lost in this battle were all the personal assets of the Fuyan Army! How much resources does the Fuyan Road have to support a protracted war of attrition?

Although Liu Guangshi was not good at leading troops, he did find a good angle. This series of interrogations not only made his own men in the tent cheer, but even Yue Fei could not refute it.

His face flushed red, and after a long pause, he could only manage to utter a meaningless sentence: "Commander Zong is different!"

"Hahahaha"

All the generals of Fuyan in the tent burst into laughter, their beards trembling with laughter, and some even spitting out wine.

"Different?" Liu Guangshi stood up, holding his wine glass, a playful look on his face. "Then tell me, how should our Fuyan Army manage?"

Yue Fei was still very young at this time. If you let him take command of the army and arrange troops according to the situation, he might actually be able to do it.

However, if you ask him to casually talk about the deployment and turnover of tens of thousands of troops that he is not familiar with, even if he is highly talented, it is difficult for him to say anything.

Of course, someone who is eloquent and persuasive might be able to do it, but he is the kind of person who is straightforward and doesn't speak carelessly.

What made Yue Xiaojiang even more desperate was that, sitting opposite him was Liu Xiangong, the eldest son of a military family, who was eloquent and persuasive.

Even Zhao Kuo had to keep a low profile when he met him.

Seeing the young general from Hebei speechless, Liu Guangshi became even more emboldened. Taking advantage of the rising alcohol, he shouted, "The Jurchen Eastern Route Army has the prestige of destroying Yan in half a month. The entire army is marching south, and its momentum is already established! In such a situation, the longer we remain in a stalemate, the more disadvantageous it will be."

The only correct course of action is to advance decisively with a strong army, forcing the Jurchen Tartars to turn back north! Our Western Army is a renowned force of the Great Song Dynasty, far superior to your Hebei troops.

Those inside the tent erupted in cheers and clapped their hands enthusiastically.

The young man from Hebei was even better than the military prostitutes performing a dance.

At this moment, Liu Guangshi was completely in the zone, feeling as if he were possessed by Sun Tzu, possessing abilities no less than Wu Qi.

Fueled by the alcohol, he paced back and forth, continuing his rambling monologue.

No matter what, Xiao Liu was a scion of a military family. Although he indulged in excessive pleasures, his voice was still full of energy, which echoed in the tent.

Especially now that the Song Dynasty has lost all its authority, he speaks with more confidence, and with a hint of dissatisfaction towards the court, he seems to be fearless of power and speaks out for justice, which adds to his charm.

"The so-called Jin army is nothing but barbarian barbarians, no different from the Xia traitors! You Hebei people have made peace with the Khitan for generations and have never fought since childhood."

Completely unaware of the nature of these barbarians, who are solely driven by plunder. Here I am commanding tens of thousands of formidable troops from the Fuyan Army. Even if they were to defeat my army, countless Western armies would be waiting to relieve the siege of the nation and guard the capital.

Previously in Datong Prefecture, the Dingnan Army already showed you how to fight. That Dingnan Army was merely a newly established force; how could it compare to the Western Army, an elite force nurtured by the Song Dynasty over decades? They were able to defeat the enemy in a single battle and recapture Yunzhong.”

"Has the Dingnan Army made any progress? Was it charging forward without hesitation, attacking every Tartar it encountered? Now Zong Ze has ordered my elite troops to follow his orders, maneuvering around here without engaging in battle!"

Liu Guangshi stared intently at Yue Fei, his gaze sharp. Yue Fei, who was not known for his eloquence, had a lot to say but didn't know where to begin.

He tried to organize his thoughts, wanting to continue persuading Liu Guangshi to calm down.

Liu Guangshi didn't give him a chance to refute. Seeing that the young general from Hebei was about to speak, he immediately waved his hand and continued to speak loudly on his own.

"The Jurchen Tartars have committed many cardinal sins in their southward advance this time. They failed to establish a rearguard and crashed into Hebei like a log. If we don't seize this opportunity to advance quickly, when will we?"

"We must take Wu'an and Linyi in one fell swoop to cut off the Jurchen Tartars' route back north. Only then can we talk about establishing strongholds, preparing our troops, and training the entire army!"

As he spoke, he approached Liu Anshi, a senior general of the Fuyan Army who was nodding, and said, "After the entire army has rested and recuperated, and the Jurchens are blocked in the capital region, they will be in a dilemma."

"Our Fuyan army will strike again in a flash and decisively settle the war situation in Hebei. Then, we will reclaim the land of the Song Dynasty, restore Yanshan Prefecture, and go to Bianliang to pay homage to the two emperors. Only then will you know who is the true pillar of the Song Dynasty who can turn the tide!"

"You have followed me and made such great contributions. In the future, you will all become high-ranking officials and ministers, with your beds full of officials' tablets! Some people advise us to be timid and hesitant. Wouldn't that be a mistake for ourselves?"

Liu Guangshi's words were of a very high standard; the opening was excellent, and the closing was even more powerful.

In addition, his imposing appearance, standing proudly with his hands behind his back at the head of the table, made him look like the number one general in heaven and earth.

The trusted generals of Fuyan Road, all his confidants, stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Guangshi, saying, "We dare not fail to serve our lord to the death!"

Standing inside the main tent, Yue Fei looked at Liu Guangshi, who was full of passion and had the air of a great general, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

He fought against the Jurchen Tartars in Hebei many times. If they were really that easy to defeat, that would be good.

Your troops are right here. Yue Fei discovered this when you arrived. Morale is low, while the generals are drinking and making merry in the central command tent. It's nothing like what he boasted about.

No matter how eloquently he spoke, in the eyes of someone like Yue Fei, it was nothing but empty talk.

Seeing is believing, so Yue Fei was even more worried: wouldn't this commander, who was all show and no substance, ruin the last remaining strong army of the Song Dynasty?
The Jurchen Tartars are now advancing with unstoppable momentum. Not to mention Wanyan Zongwang's main force, even if Guo Yaoshi came to the Song Dynasty, he would sweep through everything in his path.

It wasn't until they encountered Zong Ze that they felt some pressure from the resistance army.

Further south lies my hometown, Xiangzhou!
Emerging from the main tent, Yue Fei was filled with worry. He now understood that the Western Army's defeat in the campaign against Liao could not be solely blamed on the imperial court.

They themselves had many problems. Liu Guangshi was not unreasonable, nor was his knowledge absurd. At least, his plan was quite logical.

But the key is that you're not cut out for it. If you really had the talent you claim to have, then those boasts might actually come true.

Looking at your barracks, your morale, and your actions in the central command tent, you clearly lack the ability to command a large army.

His insight was correct, but his ability was far from sufficient! A commander with great ambition but little talent was paired with such a demoralized, exhausted, and disorganized army.

Even if there are many men and horses, who can they scare?
Moreover, Liu Guangshi had just taken command of the Fuyan Army and had not achieved any major victories before.

How could he be so confident, completely mistaking his own imagination for reality?

Even the Jurchen Tartars had to follow his plan and act accordingly, completely rejecting any other possibilities.

Yue Fei was a very pragmatic person. He felt that this young Liu, who was in charge of the Fuyan Army at such a young age, would never understand this principle unless he experienced painful setbacks: the enemy also has his own plans!

No one will fight a war exactly as you want.

There may be those in this world who can command the enemy, but they are true heroes who come along only once in a thousand years.

Given Liu Guangshi's current state, let alone my poor speaking skills, even if I were Su Zhang Fusheng and spoke until my mouth bled, I still wouldn't be able to change Liu Guangshi's mind!
As Yue Fei walked out of the Fuyan Army's barracks, he looked at the strong and capable Fuyan soldiers and the imposing aura they had cultivated through countless battles.

This is undoubtedly a strong army, but what about its generals and commanders?
Looking at the central command tent reeking of alcohol, Yue Fei couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Upon returning to Gushan, Yue Fei entered Zong Ze's tent alone, where Zong Ze was bending over to read a military report.

He raised his head, then lowered it again. "Pengju is back."

Yue Fei clasped his hands in a fist salute, crossed his arms, and recounted everything he had seen and heard.

Zong Ze looked up abruptly, gasped, and exclaimed in annoyance, "This is terrible! This is terrible! I should have gone myself!"

Zong Ze had been eagerly awaiting the support from Fuyan Army, as he was having a very difficult time fighting in Cizhou.

Although Li Gang was preparing supplies for him on the front lines in the capital region, and the pro-war faction gained the upper hand, the grain transported from Jiangnan was also able to be supplied.

However, the Jurchen army was too large, and they fought too smoothly in Yanshan Prefecture.

Although the Hebei rebels were determined to take revenge, they were, after all, newly formed and had not long ago been farmers.

Whether it was Guo Yaoshi's ever-victorious army or the Jurchen Tartars on the other side, they were soldiers who had been fighting for more than ten years.

Looking at Zong Ze's appearance, Yue Fei felt a pang of pity and advised, "Even if Commander Zong goes in person, Liu Anshi may not heed your wise advice."

Zong Ze said, “This dynasty values ​​civil officials over military ones. As a civil official who passed the imperial examination, I often gave orders haphazardly when I was supervising the army in the Northwest. Therefore, the Western Army does not trust civil officials. I should have expected this.”

"Now that I haven't personally tried to persuade him, he must think I look down on him, and he might even harbor some resentment."

When Yue Fei recalled Liu Anshi's words, he realized that Liu Anshi did indeed harbor resentment, especially regarding the court's handling of his father, Liu Yanqing.

In fact, while Liu Yanqing was guilty, Tong Guan, whose crimes were far greater, escaped punishment.

This is wrong in itself.

However, the current battle situation is the most important thing.

Zong Ze hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let me go again."

He had been unwell these past few days, and everyone in the tent was worried: "There are many Jurchen scouts along the way in Cizhou. If we send out too few men, it will be difficult to protect the commander. But if we send out too many men, it will be easy to attract the Jurchen army."

"The Jurchen cavalry are faster than us."

"General Zong must not go in person!"

After careful consideration, Zong Ze realized the danger was indeed too great. He was not a strong and robust military general, and had become increasingly weak due to his demotion in recent years.

During the Song Dynasty, traveling a long distance was a very arduous experience for someone his age.

The roads back then were not as smooth as they are in later years.

With Liu Guangshi newly arrived, the Jurchens must have dispatched countless scouts to secretly monitor his movements.

Going there rashly would most likely result in death.

It wasn't that Zong Ze was afraid of death, but that he couldn't afford to die now.

The righteous soldiers of Cizhou almost exclusively obeyed Zong Ze. If he were gone, these righteous soldiers might not still obey the orders of the Song Dynasty.

Zong Ze was a man of great personal charisma. After he recovered Tokyo, most of the bandits, rebels, and leaders of refugees in the surrounding area came to join him and were extremely loyal.

After Zong Ze's death, it was doubtful that the Song Dynasty would continue to supply this army. He sighed deeply, helplessly sat back down in his chair, his heart sinking to the bottom.

Life is full of hardships, and the fate of the nation is fraught with difficulties.
At this moment, his son Zongying suddenly said, "I heard that the Dingnan Army has moved again, this time heading east!"

Zong Ze nodded, but his expression did not soften; he was aware of the Dingnan Army's actions.

The so-called eastward attack refers to the attack on Weizhou in the northeast, not to the southeast to deal with Wanyan Zongwang and Guo Yaoshi.

This shows that, for Chen Shao, relieving the siege of Tokyo was never the most important thing.

This is actually a great sin, but who dares to question it now?

If he were angered and rebelled, then the Song Dynasty would be completely without any hope whatsoever.

Upon hearing the words "Dingnan Army," the people in the tent finally perked up somewhat; without the Dingnan Army, they would have been even more desperate.

To this day, only the Dingnan Army has fairly defeated the Jurchen army on the main battlefield. They shattered the myth of the Jurchen's invincibility. It should be noted that they did not fight against small Jurchen squads, but against a full-strength Jurchen Western Route Army.

A small portion of the military forces of the Jin Dynasty.

When Zong Ze heard about the Dingnan Army, he was not excited at all; instead, he became even more worried.

The most difficult part of the current situation is that even if everyone unites and defeats the Jurchen Tartars, and even recovers the Yanshan Mountains in Hebei, the situation will remain difficult.

But
There's also the Dingnan Army.

The territory they now occupy is not something the imperial court can take back at all, because they have already arranged for officials to take up their posts on their own.

They would be like the regional military governors after the An Lushan Rebellion, breaking away from the control of the imperial court, and their strength would be far greater than that of the regional military governors at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

Zong Ze also knew that now was not the time to consider Chen Shao's matter; at least he was still outwardly subservient to the court.

Moreover, the Dingnan Army is different from the Jurchen Tartars; they do not harm the common people.

"Liu Anshi did not heed my advice, and I foresaw his defeat. I only hope that, as a descendant of a military family, he can quickly gather his troops and retreat after a minor setback, so as not to suffer a complete defeat."
-
Chen Shao returned to Taiyuan, inevitably leading to another round of social engagements.

He couldn't very well not go, because Hedong wasn't entirely loyal to the Dingnan Army, unlike their other territories.

If you don't socialize and don't build good relationships with others, people will inevitably start to have doubts.

Is the coach unhappy with us this quarter?
Over time, suspicion will inevitably arise. To avoid such internal strife, Chen Shao will try his best to give face to the local bullies in Hedong.

And it's nothing more than eating, drinking, listening to music and watching dances. To say that you prefer fighting is just showing off.

The host today is Li Tangchen from Taiyuan. He is a local gentry and a professor at the Taiyuan Prefectural School.

When Chen Shao came and lifted the siege of Taiyuan, he donated 5,000 shi of grain to thank Chen Shao for saving the people of Taiyuan.

This man was wealthy, had grain, and held official titles. Moreover, he controlled the Taiyuan Prefectural School, and many scholars from Hedong were his students.

Even Chen Shao had to give him face.

After the banquet ended, Chen Shao had someone arrange a room for him in the same house where Xiao Shi had stayed when she last visited, intending to rest quietly for a while.

People's emotions are greatly affected by external things. After attending a lively banquet, when you come back and calm down, it still feels like there is a lot of noise in your ears, and your mind is restless. It is even difficult to fall asleep.

After taking a bath, Chen Shao picked up a book to read. He had gradually gotten used to reading books like this.

Even though these books were printed vertically from right to left, entirely in traditional Chinese characters, Chen Shao had no trouble at all.

The most important thing for a person is a habit. Once he has accepted that all the books at this time are like this, there is nothing he cannot accept.

Chen Shao enjoyed the process of slowly understanding the meaning of each sentence, which was calming and a good way to pass the time and cultivate one's character.

When you're free from the pressure of exams and truly delve into reading these ancient Chinese texts, you'll find endless enjoyment in them.

Not long after, someone knocked on the door. Chen Shao was a little surprised, because Da Hu was right outside.

In typical mansions like these, the master's bedroom is divided into inner and outer sections; the inner section is for the master, and the outer section is for his personal maid.

Chen Shao's situation is rather special; he is an overly cautious person, and Da Hu lives outside.

Da Hu never knocks; he just walks in if he needs anything.

Chen Shao put down his book and went outside. It was indeed Da Hu knocking on the door, but there were also two guests inside.

The one in the lead was Li Tangchen, who was hosting the event today. The other was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat familiar; he might also be a guest at the banquet.

Li Tangchen clasped his hands and said, "I apologize for my unauthorized visit and for disturbing the general's rest."

"Please don't be shy, have a seat."

Chen Shao asked with a smile, "And who is this?"

The middle-aged man quickly stood up and said, "My name is Liu Jizu."

"Oh, so you are Master Liu. Please have a seat."

He had some impression of Liu Jizu, who was the top grain merchant in Hedong and seemed to be even richer than Li Tangchen.

In fact, these two people have also made a name for themselves in history. It was their strong support that enabled Wang Bing to hold the isolated city for three hundred days.

The History of Jin, Biography of Wanyan Zonghan, records: "After capturing Taiyuan, he killed... powerful figures such as Li Tangchen and Liu Jizu."

Chen Shao asked, "You two must have come here to offer some guidance."

"Don't dare!"

Li Tangchen smiled. He felt that it was already quite rare for Chen Shao, as a regional military commander with troops and horses and such a large territory, to treat them with such courtesy.

Such a person is bound to achieve great things.

If we don't join this effort soon, once he breaks out of Hedong, it might be difficult to even see him again like we are today.

So he stopped hiding his intentions and said to Chen Shao, "Brother Liu has a lot of surplus wealth and connections to buy grain. He is now willing to join the merchant caravan of General Dingnan's army."

Chen Shao clapped his hands and said, "How can I ever repay such kindness from you two?"

"How about this, you select a few members of your clan to help me manage the caravan?"

Liu Jizu stood up, bowed deeply, and said with a smile, "We are deeply grateful for the General's kindness. From now on, we will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Chen Shao then took a closer look at the two local bullies from Hedong. They were both good-looking, around forty years old, the prime of their careers.

This can be considered as them bringing their own capital to invest.

To be honest, at this time, some courage is still needed.

Liu Jizu, in particular, had given away all his wealth to join Chen Shao. His goal was clear: to shed his merchant identity and achieve upward social mobility.

Regardless of whose glove he originally belonged to, with Chen Shao's troops as his backing, his assets could be smoothly transferred to the Guangyuantang caravan.

Seeing that Chen Shao was dressed in casual clothes, the two knew that he was originally going to rest. Now that he had explained his purpose, they did not linger and happily got up to take their leave.

After they left, Chen Shao returned to his room, feeling quite pleased.

My tireless efforts to attend banquets every day were indeed worthwhile.

If one is arrogant and haughty towards those below, then the wealthy and powerful people of Hedong will not come to seek refuge so easily.

They showed great sincerity this time, and now they have another way to obtain grain. Moreover, the grain in Liu Jizu's hands is also very important.

He must have been under the protection of some powerful figure in the past; we can cut ties with him directly from now on.

In the current situation, no matter how powerful that person is, he is powerless to retaliate unless he can defeat Chen Shao's army.

Chen Shao returned to bed and looked at the "Annals of Emperor Gaozu" that he had just been reading, and couldn't help but nod.

Winning people's hearts is always the most important thing in times of chaos.

Stepping out of the house, the two boarded the same carriage. Liu Jizu said with a smile, "I never expected the General to be so humble and treat us with such courtesy. He is truly a wise ruler!"

Li Tangchen nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, in my view, the world has reached the point of dynastic change. The court is so incompetent, with a foolish emperor and treacherous ministers. How are they any different from the Khitans? I dare not say about the south, but the north can only fall into the hands of the Jin or the military governors."

"We are both from Hedong. We can only hope that the general will win. Otherwise, if foreign tribes attack, even if we are reluctant to leave our homeland, we may have to cross the river to seek refuge."

Liu Jizu shook his head and said, "If the day of crossing south really comes, it will be nothing more than a replay of the old story at the end of the Jin Dynasty. After crossing south, where will we find a place to stay? We have money but no power, no soldiers or horses, and we are destined to be hunted by others."

"Today I'm joining the general's cause. Even if we're defeated and retreat back to Xiping Prefecture with him, this act of offering grain today is enough to establish a foothold in Western Xia!"

In their view, the biggest advantage of joining Chen Shao was that they had a way out. At worst, even if Chen Shao was defeated and forced to retreat, they could still become the King of Western Xia.

Another point that Liu Jizu did not make clear was that most of the assets he held were managed on behalf of Liang Shicheng.

Even if you don't give it away, it will eventually be taken back, so you might as well use it all to do favors.

Given his stature, without a powerful figure protecting him in the court, how could he have survived until now?

Putting aside other people, on the very first day Tong Guan arrived in Taiyuan, they had to kill him to get food.

Tong Guan had done this before; whenever he was short of money or food, he would target large merchants, slaughter them, and eat their meat.

Moreover, the methods were extremely simple and brutal; they would fabricate a crime and start confiscating property and exterminating entire families.

There were no fewer than dozens of wealthy merchants whose names were recorded in history books and whose homes were confiscated by Tong Guan.

This was also a routine practice among Zhao Ji's close advisors; basically, any wealthy merchant who could stand firm in the Song Dynasty was someone who amassed wealth for them.

When Zhu Mian went to Jiangnan, the wealthy merchants and households there reacted as if they had met a living Yama.

Speaking of which, Chen Shao was indeed the most honest and kind. (End of Chapter)