You have truly caused me great suffering!

In Bianliang, at the residence of Tang Ke, the Junior Chancellor and concurrently the Vice Minister of the Chancellery.

Several high-ranking officials of the current dynasty sat in the pavilion in the courtyard, with the thin curtains rolled up to allow for ventilation.

The host, Tang Ke, was about thirty or forty years old at the time. He had a large face, a slightly protruding belly, wore a Dongpo scarf, and had very sparse hair at his temples and few whiskers.
There were a few others, all dressed similarly, namely Xu Churen and Bai Shizhong.

These two gentlemen were impeached by Li Gang last year for advocating peace.

Later, during the palace coup, Li Gang's faction gained the upper hand and dismissed them one by one.

Despite his cowardice and incompetence, Zhao Huan was a staunch advocate of war.
At least initially.

They only panicked when they later discovered that those civil and military officials were truly no match for them.

They've made so many laughingstocks.

In a pavilion not far away, there were singers and dancers, all dressed in thin, light red dresses, their waists slender and graceful, playing music and dancing.

They danced with great effort and played their instruments with even greater dedication, all for the sake of bringing a fleeting moment of pleasure to those high-ranking officials and gentlemen who would occasionally glance at them.

The lives of the high-ranking officials in the Song Dynasty were so comfortable, though this has decreased somewhat in recent years.

Because the Song Dynasty had an official who was too extravagant in spending money, and a prime minister who was exceptionally good at accumulating wealth, they siphoned all the money and profits from their hands into the emperor's pocket.

Emperor Huizong, who finally had the opportunity to spend money, was overthrown, but the current court is even more outrageous.

Cai Jing tightly controlled the finances and sent them all to the front lines. But was it really necessary to spend so much money on a war?

The Western Army was already spending a fortune on war, but they didn't say they needed this much money.

These three were still high and mighty figures in the eyes of the singers, figures they dared not look directly at.

But to those familiar with the political situation at court, they were just three down-on-their-luck individuals.

Now that they've gathered together, all they do is criticize the government's policies and berate those in power.

Tang Ke was in a better position than the other two, because he had not yet been dismissed from his post.

"Du Gongmei died unjustly!" Xu Churen sighed and said, "A Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Shaosheng era! He was actually killed by a military man and framed with such an absurd crime!"

"The world today is indeed in a state of moral decay and social disorder!"

Bai Shizhong sighed and said, "Emperors Taizu and Taizong, in view of the calamities caused by war and the rampant military men during the Five Dynasties, greatly promoted education and culture."

The Emperor Emeritus did not think so. Back when he was Prince Duan, he had been misled by Tong Guan. Later, he relied on Tong Guan for military affairs and Liang Shicheng for civil affairs, and he trusted and relied heavily on eunuchs.

As a result, the eunuchs gradually became a powerful force. This force wielded considerable influence in the court and the army, but it was not to be ignored in the palace. Consequently, corrupt scholar-officials like Cai Jing colluded with them, seeking power by associating with the eunuchs.

"In the current court, the henchmen of Chen Shao in the Northwest, the treacherous officials of the Hedong faction, the remnants of the eunuch clique, Cai Jing's faction, and the warmongering factions like Li Gang are constantly fighting amongst themselves, which is why the court is now in such a chaotic and corrupt state."

"That's right, Du Chong was killed because of this, and we also suffered because of it."

While the three were discussing politics, the steward of the Tang family suddenly walked in and whispered something in Tang Ke's ear.

Tang Ke immediately stood up, his eyes wide, "Really?"

"How dare I, a lowly person, deceive you, sir?"

Bai Shizhong and Xu Churen exchanged a glance and asked, "What is it?"

Tang Ke clicked his tongue and pondered for a moment before saying, "The Emperor Emeritus requests that we come to see him."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately backed down.

At this time, going to the Emperor Emeritus would be a serious matter if it got out.

But Tang Ke's next sentence made them hesitate again: "Wu Min will lead the way."

Wu Min now wields a portion of power, including overseeing the Genyue Garden.

Because he was a trusted confidant of the emperor and had contributed to the enthronement, Zhao Huan entrusted him with this task.

After all, Li Gang was often away commanding troops, and Yuwen Xuzhong was frequently traveling to various places, so only Wu Min stayed in Bianliang among the trio.

The three of them exchanged a glance, all of them able to see that the other was attracted to them.

Who wants to continue sitting on the sidelines?

Moreover, even if the Song Dynasty chose the wrong side, it would never be completely destroyed. It could just wait and see, and sooner or later it would be able to turn things around.
-
The fighting on the front lines was very intense.

However, due to better support from the rear and more troops, the Dingnan Army's battle lines continued to advance.

The Jurchens did not want to admit defeat, but while battle records could be faked, the battle lines could not be lied about.

Rongcheng was under fierce attack for three days, but none of the Jurchen soldiers who attacked Rongcheng returned.

The two sides are now locked in a stalemate at Xuhe, and the battle line has moved more than 300 li south.

If we retreat any further, we will reach Baozhou.

Inside Wanyan Zonghan's tent, he had come to a complete understanding that drawing out the Dingnan Army for a decisive battle was not actually a good plan.

Although both of his strategic objectives were achieved:

Transfer the Dingnan Army out;
Zongwang's eastern army was also allowed to participate in the battle against Dingnan Army.

But in the end, wars are judged by their results.

After both of these intentions were achieved, Zonghan had anticipated that the main Jurchen forces should have joined together to completely defeat the Jin Dynasty's greatest enemy.

But it was they themselves who were repeatedly defeated.

Having learned from past lessons, Zong Ze knew that they were not yet able to confront the Jurchen army, so he set up defensive formations and strengthened the defenses in the area from Qizhou to Wangdu to prevent them from fleeing south again.

Inside Ansu City, Wanyan Zonghan ordered a halt to the manufacture of all siege equipment.

He had now abandoned the idea of ​​capturing the city and had switched to a full-scale breakout strategy.

After much painful reflection, he put aside his pride in the Jurchens' decade-long invincibility and finally began to face reality.

It is now impossible to defeat the Dingnan Army; the most important thing now is to fight our way out.

Even if they successfully break through the encirclement and return to the Jin Kingdom, the status of Zonghan and the generals of the Western Route Army will plummet.

As for how low they will fall, that depends on how much strength they can preserve.

It's already quite remarkable that Zonghan has managed to achieve this.

For an ordinary person, the experience of being invincible for ten years would make him extremely arrogant and unable to accept any defeat.

Faced with such a situation, most people would think of fighting to the death and making a desperate gamble.

However, Wanyan Zonghan summarized all his battle experiences from the first invasion of the Song Dynasty and finally calmly concluded that they could not win.

From any perspective, the hope of defeating this Dingnan Army is very slim; the only chance is that they will make a mistake on their own initiative.

It was a big mistake.

However, despite the current momentum of the Dingnan Army, their leaders remain extremely cautious.

Their dedication is in no way inferior to that of the group in its early stages. How can we expect such a group to make any major mistakes?

The only thing that reassured Zonghan was that the Dingnan Army did not yet have the strength to directly defeat the Jurchen armored soldiers.

After ten years of fighting, the Jurchen army still possessed considerable fighting power, largely thanks to Yelü Yanxi's tenacity.

If he hadn't refused to surrender and hadn't been so adept at escaping, the entire Jurchen army would have pursued him for over a decade.

Given the speed at which the Liao Empire collapsed, the Jurchens might have already been enjoying themselves in the vast Khitan territory.
-
In Taiyuan Prefecture, Chen Shao was taking a break from his busy schedule to watch two cats fight under the shade of a tree.

He stared blankly at the lively scene before him for a while.

It seems like it's been a long time since I've experienced such a leisurely time.

Chen Shao chuckled and shook his head.

This Song Dynasty is no longer what it used to be. Amidst the raging flames of war in northern China, no one knows what the world will look like in the next few years.

But a glimmer of hope has appeared.

After great chaos, great order often follows, and Chen Shao hoped that this great order would be brought about by his own efforts.

Otherwise, what will become of the people who are now tied to him?

At this moment, Prince Chen Shao of Dai, being the most powerful and possessing immense military achievements, naturally became the focus of attention throughout the land.

Everyone knows that if Prince Chen Shao of Dai wins this war against the Jurchens, even if it's just driving them out of Hebei...

Then the momentum of the Dingnan Army will be unstoppable, and it will easily sweep across the world.

Even if Chen Shao patiently and slowly influences the situation, at most a decade or so later, the imperial surname will change from Zhao to Chen.

It is unknown how many people did not want to see Chen Shao win the war against the Jurchens, even though he himself was Han Chinese.

Even some scholar-officials who were terrified when the Jurchen army was at the city gates did not want Chen Shao to win at this time.

Some people hoped that he could fight the Jurchens to a standstill, so that the Song Dynasty's central government could break free from this military man's control and return to its original structure. Others, with more ruthless hearts, even hoped that Chen Shao would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Jurchens, as long as the Jurchens could eliminate this military man's power.

Even if we cede the land north of the Yellow River to the Jurchens, what difference would it make?

Even if we contribute some tribute every year, what does it matter? We have been giving tribute to the Western Xia and Khitan for a hundred years, and it has not hindered the prosperity and flourishing of the Song Dynasty.

And indeed, the war initially entered a very difficult situation, just as they had hoped.

However, the Dingnan army fought with increasing ferocity, showing no fear of casualties, and everyone was eager to be the first to fight.

As a result, the less afraid they were of death, the lower their casualty rate became.

The Jurchen western army was trapped on the Hebei border, and Wanyan Zonghan personally took command at the front line to stabilize the situation.

Meanwhile, Wanyan Zongwang, who was surging south along the Hebei East Road, did not have a smooth journey either.

Han Shizhong and Zhu Lingling's forces have already established a foothold on the west side of the Baigou River.

In the past, the Battle of Baigou River was fought with the two sides facing each other from the north and south, separated by the Baigou River.

Now, things are really messy; you're to the east and I'm to the west. Without the wide river to divide us, the war is bound to be even more brutal.

Regardless of external reactions, Chen Shao's will has always been firm. From the moment he enlisted in the Western Army, he harbored a grand ambition to stop the Jin army.

Having witnessed firsthand the brutality of the Jurchen Tartars, this resolve only strengthened. This land had given him birth, and Chen Shao, in both his lifetimes, was proud of the civilization nurtured by this land beneath his feet.

How can we allow a group of barbarians to trample on us?

The vicious words and filthy thoughts of those despicable people could not change his mind, much less alter the course of the battle.

Even if they curse a thousand times in their hearts, it's not as deadly as a single arrow from the front lines.

Because Chen Shao had taken away what they depended on for survival—power.

Even in their home turf, in the Song Dynasty court, Chen Shao now holds a pivotal position.

The entire northern China was holding its breath, watching the development of the war and waiting for the outcome after this temporary stalemate was broken!
At this moment, a report suddenly appeared on Chen Shao's desk.

It was sent by Guangyuantang's branch in Bianjing.

The content was simple, only saying that Zhao Ji was secretly meeting with disgraced ministers in the court, and that there might be some conspiracy involved.

Guangyuantang had already informed Cai Jing about this matter, and obtained some analysis from Cai Jing, which was also written down for Chen Shao.

Chen Shao, who had been somewhat relaxed and in a good mood, gave a cold laugh after seeing the report upon returning from outside.

Zhao Ji, I haven't even come to you yet because I'm too busy. You're already getting impatient?

In Chen Shao's view, Zhao Ji's behavior was hard to understand; why was he still causing trouble at this time?

However, Cai Jing, who understood Zhao Ji very well, immediately realized that the reason why the emperor was like this was simply because he was short of money.

The Song Dynasty is now wealthy, but all that great wealth has been spent on a bunch of ordinary soldiers.

Emperor Huizong's heart felt as if it were bleeding.

He was itching to do it, but he was trapped in Genyue and could only watch longingly.

Add to that Wu Min, that wicked seed, who goes around telling him every day how great financial management is these days, how high his income is, and how wonderful it would be to have such financial management in the Da Guan era.
This caused Zhao Ji immense torment.

To be honest, the reason why the court's finances were so good was that several palace coups and reorganizations of the power structure allowed Cai Jing to take the opportunity to eliminate many interest groups.

For example, at least half of the Song Dynasty's revenue was previously controlled by people like Liang Shicheng, Tong Guan, Wang Fu, and Cai You.

Now that some of them are dead or have been sent to labor camps, Cai Jing, with his keen insight and skill, immediately filled these gaps with relevant laws and regulations.

The Maritime Trade Office, which was previously controlled by Liang Shicheng, contributed a large amount of revenue.

Cai Jing was going all out, completely unafraid of offending people. He was convinced that the dynasty would change, and those he offended now would become his future heroes.

At his age, he has nothing to fear but dying too soon, which would render all his achievements futile.

Therefore, when Chen Shao brought his grandson along to participate in confidential decision-making, Cai Jing understood Chen Shao's meaning.

From then on, they became even more reckless.

The first reason for the improved finances was that Cai Jing was given more freedom to act, and the second reason was that Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) had become the retired emperor and was confined to Genyue, where he could no longer cause trouble.

Otherwise, no matter how much income he has, it won't be enough for him to spend.

Looking at the people in the hall, who had endured countless hardships and worked together with one heart, fighting for the future of the nation and civilization.

These scoundrels are still causing trouble behind the scenes. Chen Shao frowned, threw the report aside, and strode out.

Upon arriving at Wang Yin's yamen, which was not far away, a group of guards from Guangyuan Hall quickly stood up.

Where is Wang Yin?

"We caught a Jurchen spy, and Wang Gan went to interrogate him."

Chen Shao sat in a chair and said, "Call him here."

Soon, Wang Yin rushed over, still smelling of blood on him.

"Prince Dai, you wanted to see me?"

Chen Shao said, "Pack your things, take some men to Bianliang, find Cai Jing, and tell him that some people are colluding with Zhao Ji, and this matter needs to be dealt with."

Wang Yin nodded without speaking, waiting for Chen Shao to continue giving instructions.

Chen Shao thought for a moment and said, "I think we need to kill a few, otherwise we won't be able to control them."

The killing of scholar-officials was considered a major incident by other people in the Song Dynasty.

But Wang Yin didn't take it seriously.

If the King of Dai were to speak up, it wouldn't be difficult to kill Zhao Ji.

The report from Guangyuantang was passed on from Wang Yin. After reading it, he had already predicted that the Prince of Dai would take action.

But I didn't expect them to send me there personally. It seems they're going to take drastic measures and punish these corrupt officials.

Wang Yin joined Fang La's uprising and hated the officials of the Song Dynasty the most, wishing he could kill them all.

When he stormed into Hangzhou, he showed no mercy and was quite ruthless.

In Fang La's gang, the others were more or less corrupted, unable to resist the allure of Hangzhou's prosperity and wealth.

Only Fang La and Wang Yin truly hated corrupt officials; they wished they could skin them alive.

Chen Shao removed the restraints from this weapon and threw it into Bianliang.

The intention was to stir up a bloodbath in Bianliang, so that they wouldn't dare to lose their minds and use any underhanded tactics to harm him during his final battle.
-
In Hebei and Youyan, which are adjacent to each other, there is a Rongcheng.

The Khitan camp in Rongcheng to the north has now become Li Xiaozhong's garrison.

The original camp had expanded two or three times, and all the stored logistical supplies had been transferred to other locations.

Inside the main camp, almost all the main generals of the Xiazhou army were present, with banners flying everywhere and soldiers in full armor.

They have already locked onto Wanyan Zonghan, and even if Zonghan wanted to go east to join Wanyan Zongwang, he would not dare to retreat easily.

Because their mobility is not as good as that of the Xiazhou soldiers; to put it bluntly, they have fewer horses than the Xiazhou soldiers.

In fact, after the Jurchen Tartars destroyed the Khitan, they obtained a lot of warhorses, but they only cared about killing and destruction and did not pay much attention to production.

Warhorses require excellent care, including feed, veterinary care, breeding, and raising.
These Khitan chains, which were originally complete, were almost entirely wiped out by the Jurchen Tartars. Although they were later discovered, they began to pay more attention to them.

However, there was also a period of growing pains.

This caused major problems for the iteration and maintenance of their warhorses.

From the very beginning, the Dingnan Army attached great importance to this, and the horse farms and pastures were protected and developed.

In the early days of the Dingnan Army, Zhu Lingling even personally went to Xiazhou and Xizhou to find good horses for breeding in order to cultivate superior breeds.

The strengths and weaknesses of a force that only cares about destruction and killing versus a force that focuses on production and development will gradually become apparent over time, and the gap will widen.

Since crossing the Five Ridges, Li Xiaozhong's fighting style has gradually developed in the wild direction of Han Shizhong and Zhu Lingling, preparing to launch a counterattack towards Ansu as soon as possible.

Although the two prefectures of Zhuo and Yi are now in the hands of the Dingnan Army, the Jurchen army still holds a stronghold in the northern city of Yanjing.

To avoid complications, launching an offensive and ending the war as soon as possible would be advantageous for the Dingnan Army.

He himself was also actively contacting Liu Yanzong's troops in the Jurchen camp, hoping to persuade the leader of this Han Chinese military family to surrender.

Li Xiaozhong had benefited from this before and knew how many lives could be saved by persuading a military commander to surrender.
Persuading Meng Nuan to surrender and helping them obtain Yingzhou was arguably the most important step in the early stages of the battle.

Later, during the stalemate at Wuhuiling, Guo Yaoshi's betrayal of the Jin dynasty dealt another heavy blow to the Jurchens.

If Liu Yanzong could be persuaded to surrender at this time, and the Han army under his command in the former Liaoyun region would defect, Wanyan Zonghan would be in dire straits.

Therefore, Li Xiaozhong was stationed in Rongcheng, constantly sending people to persuade Liu Yanzong to surrender while launching relentless attacks to help him make a decision. (End of Chapter)