You have truly caused me great suffering!

Zhao Huan held a memorial in his hand and repeatedly struck his left palm with it.

His face looked a little ugly.

Seeing that he remained motionless, Shao Chengzhang asked, "Your Majesty, shall we invite Minister Lü in?"

Zhao Huan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it."

Even Zhao Huan noticed something was wrong; Qu Duan had actually killed Du Chong and seized control of Daming Prefecture.

Daming Prefecture was no other place than Beijing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, a vital transportation hub encompassing half of the country.

The joy and relief brought by the retreat of the Jurchen Tartars were completely ruined by this memorial.

If the Tartars couldn't take Bianliang, they had to withdraw. But once the Dingnan Army established a foothold in Daming Prefecture, they wouldn't leave.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huan was filled with fear and dread, afraid that he might one day have his head chopped off, just like the monarchs of the Five Dynasties period.

Dingnan Army.
He's starting to resemble those military leaders and strongmen more and more.

His transformation was not without reason; Wu Min had been frequently visiting him to discuss various matters recently.

Most of them were about the actions of the Dingnan Army, and they were analyzed one by one with great patience.

Li Gang and Yuwen Xuzhong had told Zhao Huan about the power of the Dingnan Army a long time ago.

However, the purpose of these people is to make Zhao Huan more vigilant.

Wu Min, that wicked girl, was only there to scare him, so he was exceptionally patient and worked exceptionally hard.

His relentless efforts made Zhao Huan, who was already timid, even more frightened and unable to sleep well for several days in a row.

In truth, Wu Min was successful; he successfully instilled fear in Zhao Huan.

However, despite his meticulous planning, he overlooked one crucial factor: Zhao Huan's cowardice.
Realizing how terrifying the Dingnan Army had become, Zhao Huan actually felt that the Song Dynasty was definitely doomed.

So instead of thinking about how to weaken the Dingnan Army or how to trip them up, he was thinking about how to please Chen Shao.

If he really rebels in the future, he might remember this and treat himself better.

Even if it's just like the Chai family of the previous dynasty, becoming a wealthy man.

Lu Yihao submitted a memorial today, saying that Qu Duan killed Du Chong in order to seize Daming Prefecture.

After much deliberation, Zhao Huan finally stood up and began to approve the reply.

He only said that Du Chong was afraid of the enemy and refused to fight, and that he sat idly by while Yang Keshi defected, so he deserved to die for his crimes.

It's probably true that he wanted to defect, especially since the military officers of Daming Prefecture collectively submitted a memorial listing Du Chong's crimes.

Therefore, Qu Duan was not only innocent, but Zhao Huan also took the opportunity to appoint him as the Prefect of Daming and the Governor of Daming Prefecture, giving him control over military and political affairs.

After finishing writing, Zhao Huan wrote another letter by hand to Chen Shao in Taiyuan.

The letter repeatedly stated that he believed in Chen Shao, and then proceeded to shower Chen Shao with praise.
-
Taiyuan Prefecture.

Chen Shao personally oversaw the affairs of the Pacification Commissioner's office every day, dispatching messengers to all directions.

Meanwhile, the North urged Han and Li's forces to stabilize the front line and quickly transfer their main forces to the Hebei direction.

Now is not the time to conquer Youyan. It would be better to hold off the main force of the Jurchens in a decisive battle in Hebei.

This will make their resupply even more difficult.

If we continue to conquer and seize territory in Youyan, the Jurchen army may take the opportunity to escape.

If they return to the Jin Dynasty, it will be difficult to fight them again, especially since Yanjing City and Gubeikou are still in the hands of the Jurchen Tartars.

Dong sent messengers to urge the Song Dynasty to concentrate its forces and prepare for a decisive battle with the Jurchen army!

They should also participate in this battle; they shouldn't be afraid to move forward just because they've suffered repeated defeats in the pursuit.

Like the Jurchen Tartars, the Dingnan Army was a battle-hardened elite force, and its intelligence transmission and command system was unmatched by the Song Dynasty.

The Jurchen people gradually developed their system over the course of more than a decade after destroying the Liao dynasty.

The Dingnan Army was formed during the process of destroying the Xia dynasty.

In terms of the duration of the war, the Dingnan Army's war actually lasted longer, as the war between the Song and Xia dynasties in the northwest lasted for over a hundred years without stopping.

Most of the soldiers in Chen Shao's Dingnan Army were participants in the Song-Xia War.

This military intelligence transmission and command system must cover both the Youyan and Hebei battlefields.

The situation in Hebei is relatively close, and we have some control over it. But in the Yan region, have we established a defensive line? Can we ensure smooth logistics? And have our forces penetrated deep into Youyan?
Originally, these military reports were sent directly to Chen Shao's desk and processed as daily military reports.

However, given the current situation, it's clear that the intelligence system can't keep up. There's just too much intelligence to transmit, especially for distant locations.

For this reason, Chen Shao did not hesitate to send a large number of spies from Guangyuantang to Hebei and Youyan. These were intelligence agents that he valued highly, but at this time they were thrown away as if they were worthless.

As for life and death, safety and danger, that's up to fate. A qualified commander is one who loves his soldiers like his own children and uses them like mud.

Chen Shao sat at a huge table, which was covered with various documents.

Jin Ye'er, the second of the three Zhu sisters, stood in front of the desk with her back to the door and her head slightly lowered, tidying up the documents that he had already processed. Her smooth, jade-like neck was as graceful and elegant as a swan's.

She got the job because she had a huge advantage – she was illiterate.

The eldest daughter, Jin Mo'er, enjoys reading and can even write poetry. Although her skill level isn't high, it's passable.

The third son, Jin Le'er, was Chen Shao's darling. He would hold her in his arms whenever he saw her, and he especially enjoyed teaching her to read and write in his spare time.

Only the second son, Jin Ye'er, would fall asleep as soon as he started reading.

After reading the letter from the Bianliang official, Chen Shao began to ponder, suddenly feeling that these matters seemed rather strange.

At this time, is sending such a letter an attempt to numb oneself?

Is Zhao Huan plotting something?
However, he had never received any warning from Wei Li. Could Zhao Huan, with his abilities, possibly deceive those two old foxes, Wei Li and Cai Jing?

Chen Shao didn't quite believe that he had such cunning and shrewdness.

However, just to be on the safe side, Chen Shao still wrote a letter to ask Cai Jing and Wei Li for their opinions.

Tell them to reply as soon as possible, so as not to delay important matters.

Chen Shao did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble, but the matter in Bianliang was also related to whether the entire Dingnan Army had sufficient supplies.

The sound of cannons brings in a fortune; wars are often a contest of national strength.

There are many instances of a battle being decided by clever schemes and tricks, but it is extremely rare for a war to be decided by them.

When the news of Du Chong's swift and decisive execution by Qu Duan reached Taiyuan, Chen Shao had no idea what the officials in the capital, who were temporarily holding back, would think next.

They would probably feel a sense of shared sorrow, since Du Chong, like them, was a typical scholar-official.

However, Chen Shao didn't care at this point.

The most important thing is to win this national war!
Strictly speaking, this cannot be called a war between nations, but rather a clash between two civilizations.

While it's true that Chen Shao rose to power in the Northwest, he was undoubtedly a representative of Central Plains civilization, embodying the principles of benevolent rule in every aspect. The Jurchen Tartars, on the other hand, were like demons, synonymous with violence and slaughter, prepared to suppress all dissent and forces through cruelty before achieving hegemony.

These two approaches have a hierarchy, but neither is guaranteed to win.

There are examples of China sinking into the abyss and barbarism ruling over civilization.

After writing the letter, Chen Shao asked Jin Mo'er to take it to dry, and then someone would collect it and send it out.

After dealing with the matter of Emperor Zhao Huan, Chen Shao then turned his attention to the situation of the various military forces of the Song Dynasty.

Strictly speaking, there is no qualified one.
But the progress has indeed been significant.

This shows that the Song Dynasty was not lacking in talented people.

The commanders of the various armies were all quite capable.

In particular, Zong Ze impressed Chen Shao greatly. Indeed, those who leave a great name in history are unlikely to be mere pretty faces.

Chen Shao had to admit he was impressed by Old Man Zong's abilities.

Regardless of his military prowess, Chen Shao genuinely wanted to recruit him into his ranks because of his ability to gather and train troops and win people's hearts.

But that's just wishful thinking.

First of all, this person's loyalty to the Song Dynasty remains unchanged, and he would never be of one mind with Chen Shao. Chen Shao would not try to recruit him for this reason alone.

Secondly, Zong Ze was getting old and his health was extremely poor, especially in the past year or two after he went to Hebei, which exhausted his last bit of energy.

Although it was a great pity, Chen Shao knew that he didn't have many years left to live.

He was so exhausted that he gave his all.

As for the other groups, Wang Bing had not yet made contact with the Jin army because of the distance between Lianghuai and other places.

Both Zhang Suo and Zhang Shuye were defeated.

With few people able to help, this decisive battle can be considered a one-on-one fight between the Dingnan Army and the Jurchen Tartars.
-
A large contingent of troops surged through the Yi River valley.

It was as if even the heavens were setting the stage for this decisive battle, resulting in a dry climate and no rain in Hebei during this period. Whenever the army's horses swept across the land, they left behind clouds of yellow dust.

Without rain, there would be no frost heave period, and the clash between the two cavalry forces would be even more magnificent and tragic.

On both sides of the official road, groups of cavalrymen crossed the Five Ridges and stormed into the two prefectures of Zhuo and Yi.

The refugees, young and old, hid on both sides of the official road as the army passed by, standing blankly in the dust and smoke, watching the army pass through.

During this period, the two prefectures of Zhuo and Yi in Yanshan Prefecture have changed hands more than a dozen times in less than ten years.

Each time they were slaughtered and looted, including the Ever Victorious Army that withdrew recently; they were not treated with any courtesy.

Meanwhile, the Dingnan Army was driving them into the city, not allowing anyone to remain outside.

They said it was a scorched-earth policy, and the people didn't know whether to believe them or not. Since they had no way to resist, they could only obey and enter the city.

They watched as the large army galloped swiftly, kicking up dust, with shouts of men and neighing of horses, each soldier fighting bravely.

Everyone was covered in dust and exhausted, but every soldier was in high spirits. Even just a glance from the side showed that this army, from top to bottom, couldn't wait to rush to the most brutal battlefield and fight to their heart's content!
The people of Zhuoyi and Yizhou had not seen this kind of Song army for a long time. They heard that these people were not actually Song soldiers, but rather the "Western barbarians" that the Jurchen Tartars often cursed.

The people of Zhuoyi and Yizhou, having experienced the reigns of Liu Yanqing and Guo Yaoshi, already had their goodwill towards the Song army at its lowest point.

Seeing such a spirited army, everyone genuinely wished they weren't Song soldiers.

The "royal army" that poets spoke of was, in the eyes of the people of Yan, even worse than foreign tribes.

Meanwhile, the equally exhausted laborers and Yunnei auxiliary troops were organizing and guarding the people as they entered the city. Seeing the state of the people of Yan, they explained from the sidelines with a sense of pride.

"This is the Dingnan Army! The Dingnan Army that destroyed Xia, they have completely blocked the Tartars in Yunnei."

"They are the nemesis of the Jurchen Tartars!"

"They're the ones who recaptured Yunnei!"

The people of Zhuoyi and Yizhou felt more at ease after hearing their boasts.

Whether they were auxiliary soldiers or civilian laborers, they were all people of the Liao Dynasty, just like those in Youyan.

For the people of Yan, the group of people in Yunnei felt closer to them.

This troop was personally led by Han Shizhong.

After breaking through Wuhui Ridge, the morale of the three main forces of the Dingnan Army had reached its peak.

In the past few days, Han Shizhong has been running around, making every effort to arrange and deploy troops, in order to realize the Prince of Dai's strategy here and annihilate the main force of the Jurchen Tartars as much as possible.

Kill as many as you can!
Ideally, none should be left!
With the war having progressed to this point, there are no other possibilities; the two sides are bound to fight to the death.

Han Shizhong knew very well that even if they escaped and recovered the entire Youyan region, they would still have to fight in the future.

Until one side is completely destroyed.

Both sides have powerful armies; neither side can feel at ease until the other is completely crushed.

Han Shizhong breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his troops march south in an orderly fashion.

A few days ago, they launched a frenzied attack on the surrounding towns, showing a clear intention to continue northward.

When morale is high, everyone is thinking about expanding their territory.

Forcibly gathering troops to march south required a high level of prestige, and fortunately, these people all respected him.

I've heard that the Tartars are gathering troops in their stronghold, preparing to march south to support their two main forces. Meanwhile, further east, Guo Yaoshi, that fickle man, has once again betrayed his master and is planning to establish a separatist regime in Liaodong.

Regardless of what they thought, Han Shizhong was determined to help the Prince of Dai win this battle; the Prince of Dai's will was the most important thing.

Eliminating the main force of the Tartars is far more useful than capturing cities. Once this only army that can threaten us is destroyed, all the cities in the world will be at our disposal!

Amidst billowing dust and thunderous hooves, several more riders suddenly galloped in from the south, their backs bearing banners in the style of urgent messengers from the Dingnan army.

Seeing this, Han Shizhong didn't wait for his guards to announce his arrival and personally rode forward to meet them. The knights, who had also seen the massive southward march of the army from afar, slowed their horses.

Upon seeing Han Shizhong approach, the messenger dismounted and bowed.

Han Shizhong reined in his horse in front of them and said impatiently, "The military situation is urgent, why all this nonsense? How is Old Zhu doing?"

The knight looked up, his face covered in sweat and dust, but filled with excitement.

"Reporting to Commander Han, Commander Jin has already captured Bazhou. He said the final battle will probably take place at Baigou River."

"Just as I thought." Han Shizhong nodded and asked, "Where are the Jurchen Tartars?"

"The two Tartar armies have already joined forces in Hejian Prefecture!"

"Good!" Han Shizhong chuckled. "It's good that they've reunited. If they had broken up and tried to break through on their own, it would have been a bit troublesome. But they're not happy that they're all together."

While some might manage to escape by dispersing, both Jurchen forces, including their commanders Zonghan and Zongwang, were extremely arrogant.

They must have come with the intention of defeating the Dingnan Army and turning the tide of the battle; how could they possibly scatter and break out? (End of Chapter)