On the twenty-second day of the first month, Han Shizhong led his Imperial Guard Left Army of twenty-five thousand men and arrived in Chang'an.

The reason for the slight delay compared to the expected date was not because Han Shizhong was only concerned with bullying Xin Xingzong at Wu Pass, nor was it due to rainfall... there was no rain on the road to Wu Pass... but because this generally acknowledged foremost general of the Song army, upon exiting Wu Pass, quickly discovered the issues with the Jin army through scouts, local officials, and Yuwen Xuzhong's warnings:

A full twenty thousand elite cavalry, led by Wan Yan Lou Shi's eldest son, Huo Nv, were stationed motionless in Huazhou, located between Shanzhou and Jingzhao Prefecture (Chang'an), as if waiting specifically for him.

Therefore, Han Shizhong immediately took countermeasures.

On one hand, he ordered his troops to divide and seize the cities along the route in order to create strategic strongholds. On the other hand, he slowed down the main force, proceeding cautiously to ensure that the army was not exposed to the direct threat of the Jin cavalry.

When the troops advanced to Lantian, a crucial point connecting both the main road of Wu Pass and the smaller path of the Luo River, and the Jin army in Huazhou still showed no intention of confronting him, he made a firm decision. He left Hei Long Wang Sheng with five thousand men to assist the garrison commander sent by Yuwen Xuzhong in defending Lantian, and then he and the main force of over twenty thousand men suddenly accelerated, rushing towards Chang'an.

And so, they arrived safely beneath the walls of Chang'an.

Now, the Chang'an of the Song dynasty was certainly not the Tang Chang'an, which had covered nearly a hundred square kilometers, but it was still a giant city of the realm. Therefore, Han Shizhong calmly led his troops into the city and immediately ordered the urgent establishment of small camps in front of each gate to provide cover.

But that was all he could do for now. As Han Shizhong's army entered Chang'an, the Jin army, which had been as still as a virgin, suddenly mobilized. The power of the cavalry was fully displayed on the plains. The connections between the cities were instantly severed. Villages were set ablaze. Bridges and strongholds were occupied. Small groups of soldiers, once exposed, faced utter annihilation.

The twenty thousand iron cavalry swept across both banks of the Wei River. The vanguard charged like a torrential storm right up to the gates of Chang'an.

Many cities along the way, awed by the Jin army's might and the prestige of Wan Yan Lou Shi and his son, surrendered directly out of fear. Those who did not surrender trembled like withered leaves in autumn, even though it was springtime.

And almost in one fell swoop, Wan Yan Huo Nv's main force advanced directly to Ba Bridge and established a camp at this vital location.

To be honest, if Han Shizhong hadn't come, Chang'an would have been in a state of panic in the face of this momentum, especially given that a significant portion of the capital of Jingzhao and this ancient millennium city, had collapsed in the earthquake years ago. Although there had been some rebuilding, it still didn’t seem that solid… It was hard to say whether the city could have been held.

But wasn't this the redoubtable Han Wu, known as the official’s backbone and daring to be the first in the world, returning to Guanzhong? Hadn’t the twenty-five thousand Imperial Guard Left Army arrived in Chang'an?

Having just established camps beneath the city, and after gaining a slight understanding of the city defense structure, Han Shizhong, taking advantage of the city's fortifications, and his numerical superiority, actually took the initiative to sally forth and meet the enemy:

On this day, he first had Cheng Min, now promoted to commander, lead only three thousand Beiwei cavalry out of the city to attack. The Beiwei cavalry relied on the support of the city walls and the small camps in front of the gates, engaging the Jin cavalry in constant skirmishes. Then, taking advantage of the Jin army's divided attention, he suddenly sent Xie Yuan to launch an attack with the Cuipian Army...

Four thousand Cuipian soldiers poured out from the small camps in front of several city gates simultaneously, with some even hanging down from sections of the city wall, seeking to quickly assemble in a specific location to form a scale.

By the time the Jin army realized what was happening and came to respond, the strong crossbow formation had already been successfully set up with their backs to the city. The Jin army, fearing casualties, hesitated for a moment.

At this time, Commander Wang Quan led several thousand men out of the city, each carrying a bag of earth, which they dropped in front of the Cuipian Army's crossbow formation and then left... At this point, several Meng'an commanders at the front of the Jin army dared not hesitate any longer. They immediately reached a consensus in their war council and ordered five thousand cavalry to charge forward, but it was already too late.

The Song army crossbowmen, using simple fortifications, fought calmly against the Jin army. Han Shizhong also suddenly led his troops out to provide support from the flank. Nearly ten thousand troops from both sides engaged in fierce combat within a narrow range of one to three *li* in front of the city. Hundreds were killed in just two quarters of an hour, but in any case, the Jin army was unable to dislodge this elite crossbow unit from its position in front of the city, and they watched as the fortifications in the area became increasingly complex, rendering the cavalry more and more ineffective.

Finally, lacking a top-level commander to take responsibility, several Meng'an commanders, unable to bear the casualties, gathered again and simply withdrew. The Song army successfully established a camp in this area.

And on the second day, the Jin army realized Han Shizhong's true purpose in this attack – the city wall behind the Cuipian Army's new camp was the section that had collapsed due to an earthquake before Wan Yan Lou Shi captured Chang'an that day and was later rebuilt.

In other words, Han Shizhong, as soon as he arrived, had taken the initiative to address the biggest hidden danger in the city's defenses.

That afternoon, Wan Yan Huo Nv, who had just returned to the Ba Bridge camp from north of the Wei River, came to Chang'an without stopping. He circled the city, seeing the high walls of Chang'an, the Song army's strong morale, and the well-equipped soldiers. Like the Meng'an commanders, he was overwhelmed. Helplessly, this Jin army commander simply ordered the frontline troops to retreat with him to the Ba Bridge camp and then wrote a letter to his father, complaining.

Of course, calling it complaining might not be accurate, because Huo Nv was not afraid of hard fighting.

But the problem was that in the current situation, attacking the city was clearly unwise, especially with tens of thousands of cavalry. Not seeking a field battle, but instead dividing the forces to attack the city from two sides, would be a tactical decision only a fool would make… Huo Nv didn't think Li Yanxian was any easier to deal with.

However, the only problem was that this fool was a world-renowned general who had fought all over East Asia and was undefeated, Huo Nv's most admired and respected father, so he wouldn’t be so foolish!

Therefore, Huo Nv gradually realized that his father had other plans, and he wanted to ask his father clearly, what exactly were those plans?

He could fight to the death, throw the troops under the walls of a fortified city without regard for casualties, even give Wan Yan Huo Nv's life, but he needed his father to explain it clearly.

As long as he explained it, he would be willing to go through fire and water for his father, and he could guarantee that the hundred thousand men of the Western Route Army would also be willing to follow him through fire and water!

In the last ten days of the first month, just as Wan Yan Huo Nv had sent out his personal letter and prepared himself for some kind of fateful decision, Wan Yan Lou Shi personally arrived at Ba Bridge in just two days... After all, to his own son, especially his eldest son who had already become a commander, Wan Yan Lou Shi didn't need to be too mysterious.

"The troops of the Jingyuan Road and Yanfu Road that I asked you to scout north of the Wei River, where are Hu Yin and Wu Jie now? How many troops do they have?"

The weather was clear, and the usually robust Wan Yan Lou Shi rode to Ba Bridge. Seeing the willows budding along the river, a tender green, he couldn't help but feel refreshed, no longer suffering the torment of the previous rainy days. He simply didn't enter the military camp, but instead stopped under the willows on the banks of the Ba River and called his son out of the camp, then asked a few questions.

"Reporting to Father." Huo Nv hurried out of the camp. Seeing his father refreshed, his mood also eased slightly, so he simply dismounted, stepped forward, grabbed one of his father's legs, and answered directly on the riverbank. "I have personally investigated Hu Yin's side... After we went south to Tong Pass, they directly divided their forces. Wu's brother, the military commander of Yanfu Road, Wu Lin, is still stationed in Luojiao, guarding against the direction of Yan'an, while Hu Yin personally led Wu Jie, with about ten thousand men from Jingyuan Road, south to the Fuping area about four or five days ago. He probably stopped because Han Shizhong had already entered Guanzhong at that time, and Chang'an sent a message."

"That's about what I thought. After Qu Duan was replaced, at least no one in the Western Army dares to hold their troops and act on their own anymore... I didn't see such beautiful scenery here last time." Lou Shi looked around, nodding repeatedly, speaking casually. "What about the reinforcements from Ba Shu and the rest of the Western Army?"

"I'm not very clear about Ba Shu, but the troops from Qin Feng Road concentrated in the Wugong and Mei County area seven or eight days ago. There are also about ten thousand men. It should be that Yuwen Xuzhong knew that Han Shizhong's army was coming, so he left them behind to provide support... But I guess he may also want to wait for Zhang Jun to lead reinforcements from Ba Shu and Xihe Road to gather there, as a general reserve, but there is no specific intelligence right now, so it's hard to say." Huo Nv suppressed the doubts in his heart, still patiently replying.

In any case, this was his basic duty as a subordinate.

"In other words," Lou Shi said thoughtfully from his horse. "When we went south, Jingyuan Road, Yanfu Road, and Qin Feng Road didn't delay at all, and came to support in time like in the east?"

"Correct." Huo Nv answered seriously. "After a year of recuperation, the Song army has regained some spirit."

"Not counting Xihe Road, about how many troops are there from these three roads and the Western Army in Jingzhao? What is their combat power?"

"I'm not sure about the number, but it's probably less than thirty or forty thousand." Huo Nv gave a definite answer. "In terms of combat power, except for Jingyuan Road, which is the ten thousand men led by Qu Duan in the past and now by the Wu brothers, the rest of the troops are far inferior to the Imperial Guard troops in terms of elite status, and their equipment is far worse..."

"I've also carefully questioned the local surrendered officials these days," Lou Shi nodded repeatedly. "The Western Army uses the money and grain of Ba Shu, but it has only been rebuilt for half a year, so it seems so unbearable... However, if the money and grain continue to be supplied, with the resilience of the Song people in Shaanxi and the care of the Song emperor in Tokyo, these troops will become elite sooner or later, and I estimate that the number can also reach fifty thousand... Do you agree?"

"Yes," Huo Nv responded simply, but he was planning to reveal his true feelings to his father.

"Then let's wait a little longer," Lou Shi pondered for a while, then spoke again. "I want to see if Zhang Jun will come, and how many men he can bring?"

Huo Nv hesitated.

"I know," Lou Shi glanced at his son on horseback, and ordered calmly. "We'll retreat by the end of this month, whether Zhang Jun comes or not!"

However, hearing the words "retreat," Huo Nv was already dumbfounded.

Seeing this, Lou Shi smiled instead: "You sent a letter seeking an explanation from me. I came here today specifically to give you an explanation. Why are you surprised instead?"

Huo Nv's mind was in chaos. It took him a long time to understand the whole course of this battle: a surprise attack on New Year's Eve, then the whole army lingered at Tong Pass for more than ten days, waiting for the Song reinforcements to arrive before attacking from two sides. Now that the attacks had failed, they would wait for all the Song reinforcements to arrive before retreating.

From a strategic point of view, this was correct... Since Chang'an and Shanzhou could not be captured, then it would be better to retreat. But the problem was, what was the point of sending five or six thousand elite troops south this time?

If he had known this would happen, why had he started?

"Father," Huo Nv tried hard to calm himself and continued to hold his father's leg, asking, "If we go back like this, won't we be laughed at by Ba Lisu?"

"Dare he try to laugh in my face?" Lou Shi couldn't help laughing loudly on his horse. "I told him before to wait for the reinforcements to arrive before attacking Shanzhou. He didn't even have the courage to tell me that to my face, he could only send the second son to speak. Does he have it now?"

Huo Nv was even more confused.

"It's all good land," Lou Shi suddenly turned his head and pointed to the surrounding wilderness with his horsewhip. "Tell the Han Chinese in the surrounding villages not to delay the farming season, they should come out and plant... In the last few days, you must also restrain your troops, do not allow them to loot privately, do not allow them to kill people indiscriminately, and do not allow them to trample on good farmland."

"Why?"

Huo Nv didn't even hear the last words clearly. He still asked this question with an incomprehensible attitude toward the retreat and this campaign.

"Because such good farmland will be ours in the autumn!" Lou Shi laughed loudly, his helmet shaking back and forth, directly sweeping aside the willow branches. "As for you, if you feel that you have lost face in this battle, then be the rearguard when you retreat and see if you can hit the Western Army hard, so they can taste some bitterness."

Having said that, Lou Shi directly stretched out his leg and lightly kicked his son over, then held the reins and walked along the Ba River, admiring the willows, no longer paying attention to military affairs.

At the end of the first month, Zhang Jun still had no news. Wan Yan Lou Shi no longer hesitated, and ordered the entire army to retreat by the original route. Tens of thousands of elite cavalry, as easy as manipulating an arm, instantly gathered between Tong Pass and Huayin, and then marched north in an orderly manner.

Seeing this situation, Li Yanxian immediately sent troops, carefully recovering lost territory, and divided his forces to send Li Qiong across the river to Pinglu; and Han Shizhong did not hesitate, immediately supervising tens of thousands of troops to advance forward in an orderly manner; seeing this, Wu Jie also persuaded Hu Yin, and personally led five thousand Jingyuan troops and five thousand Qin Feng Road reinforcements, totaling ten thousand troops, eastward in pursuit in his capacity as commander.

However, Wu Jie, the Jingyuan Road commander who was eager to make contributions, led his troops across the North Luo River at Changle Town in Huazhou, but unexpectedly encountered Wan Yan Huo Nv and his ten thousand iron cavalry.

The two sides were ten thousand against ten thousand, but it was infantry against cavalry, unprepared against prepared. After a battle, the Western Army suffered a major defeat, and the rout could not be stopped. By the time Wu Jie escaped back to the west bank of the North Luo River and checked his troops, the entire army had lost nearly half.

Of course, there was also good news. When Wan Yan Sa Ba in the direction of Shanzhou tried to retreat, he was attacked by Li Qiong's pursuit and the ambush of Zhao Cheng's troops in the Zhongtiao Mountains. He suffered a great defeat at the foot of the mountain, and this Jin army commander barely escaped with his life.

But in any case, this kind of victory or defeat at the end had no impact on the overall situation.

This was because the spring breeze in the second month was like scissors, not only bringing a full eye of green to the Guanzhong Plain, but also surely carrying away tens of thousands of Jin army troops from the Western Route Army... In full view of everyone, undeniably, the main force of the Jin army directly crossed the Puzin pontoon bridge and entered the territory of Hezhong Prefecture, the core area of Jin rule.

At this time, because of the muddy spring rain, Zhang Jun and the reinforcements he led from Xingyuan Prefecture (Hanzhong) and Xihe Road had just arrived in Fengxiang.

All kinds of news, a jumble, gathered in Luoyang and then spread to Tokyo.

Among them, Tokyo was naturally in an uproar of jubilation... because no matter what the details, no matter how many specific victories or defeats there were, the result was that the main force of the Jin army had returned without success, and this meant that the Henan region was impregnable, and that the Song Dynasty was becoming increasingly stable in the Yellow River basin.

So, there was no problem with Tokyo, this increasingly lively city, feeling excited about it.

But Luoyang, perhaps because the city had been a dead city a year ago, didn't stir up too many waves.

On the contrary, specifically speaking about Zhao Guan, who had been in this city for nearly a month, at this moment, this person had an unprecedented sense of incomprehension and fear.

It must be known that before this 'battle' began, Zhao Guan had judged that the Song and Jin would have a decisive battle concerning the fate of both sides. For the Song Dynasty, the success or failure of this battle was related to whether it could establish itself completely in the Yellow River basin. Therefore, when Wan Yan Lou Shi went south, he felt somewhat relieved.

Moreover, he had made up his mind to sell everything and throw everything out to win this battle.

However, as the campaign progressed, Wan Yan Lou Shi's procrastination and inaction, like everyone else, made Zhao Jiu feel suspicious and uneasy. However, as the reinforcements took their positions, and as Zhao Jiu moved forward to Luoyang, he saw with his own eyes and judged that his side had an absolute strategic advantage, and gradually gained confidence and a sense of security.

However, this sense of security came to an abrupt end after Wan Yan Lou Shi suddenly retreated.

It wasn't just Zhao Jiu who felt absurd. Everyone felt it was unbelievable... To put it bluntly, you Lou Shi, a dignified first-class general of the Jin Kingdom, had pulled down his pants, just to show the Song Dynasty this?

However, as Wan Yan Lou Shi's retreat became undoubtedly confirmed, the accompanying officials of the Privy Council and officers of all levels had no choice but to actively find reasons for him.

Some believed that there was a major upheaval within the Jin Kingdom, and Lou Shi had to return to fight for power; others believed that Wan Yan Lou Shi was old and physically weak, no longer as brave as he had been, and even that his physical condition had seriously affected his command ability; others believed that this southward journey was just the Jin army flaunting its military power, and that it had no real strategic intention, so once the Song army had fully gathered, they would naturally retreat.

Of course, as a time-traveler, as someone who had seen world maps, and who firmly believed that there would be a great battle, Zhao Guan also had his own unique guess... He sometimes wondered if Wan Yan Lou Shi's inexplicable and fruitless 'great invasion' was like a large-scale strategic reconnaissance for a real great invasion?

And if so, assuming it was.

Then, did a military plan that required the use of fifty to sixty thousand cavalry and took a month to reconnoiter actually exist? If it did exist, what was its scale? When would it be launched?

Moreover, what did Wan Yan Lou Shi actually reconnoiter?

But in the end, the abundant rational spirit of a engineering dog and a faint sense of fear from the bottom of his heart made Zhao Jiu suppress this idea... After hesitating for half an afternoon, he finally ordered Han Shizhong to take advantage of the approaching army, destroy the thousand-year pontoon bridge at Puzin, and then come directly to catch up with him, and accompany him and Li Yanxian to 'triumphantly return' to Tokyo.

Zhao Jiu returned to Tokyo on the thirteenth day of the second month, and on the same day, Wan Yan Lou Shi also arrived in Taiyuan City.

On this day, Zhao Jiu, who had 'returned triumphantly,' temporarily forgot the doubts and fears in his heart. Under the guidance of his two confidants, Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan, wearing a full set of refined steel armor, riding the Iron Elephant temporarily borrowed from Qu Duan, under the Jin Wu standard, together with the heroes of this battle, Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian, carrying bows and swords, detoured south of the city, and led more than ten thousand elite troops of the Imperial Guard into the city via the Imperial Road.

And hundreds of thousands of people along the way all lined the streets to welcome them.

On this day, Wan Yan Lou Shi, the actual commander of the Jin Kingdom's Western Route Army, who had 'returned without success,' disbanded his troops along the way, letting them return to their respective places. When he entered Taiyuan City, he was accompanied by only a hundred personal guards and two sons.

On this day, Zhao Jiu hosted a banquet to entertain the meritorious officials. In the evening, he returned to the harem drunk, and Madam Wu spent a great deal of effort to help him take off his armor.

On the same day, Wan Yan Lou Shi only ate a simple meal in the city at noon, then recalled his second son, Mou Yan, and his personal guards, continued to wear his armor, and went directly out of the city to the east.

After traveling for another six or seven days, in the last ten days of the second month, Wan Yan Lou Shi arrived under the walls of Yanjing City.

This person did not visit Wan Yan Yinshu, his old comrade-in-arms who had just been promoted from garrison commander of Taiyuan to garrison commander of Yanjing, nor did he visit his old leader, Wan Yan Zonghan, who now held great power in the court, nor did he visit the several princes... He just rested in the mansion of a familiar Meng'an outside the city for one night, ate a meal of beef, and the next day, he revealed his identity and went directly to the Shangshu Province in Yanjing City, which had been left over from the former Liao Kingdom.

Lou Shi had inquired very clearly that since the death of the Imperial Younger Brother Wan Yan Xiye last year, which led to many chaotic events in the central government, this place and the palace in Huining Prefecture had in fact become the places where the central nobles competed for power and profit.

When the weather was hot, they were in Huining Prefecture, and when the weather was cold, they came to Yanjing City... However, most of the time they were in Yanjing City, because it was too prosperous here.

And at this moment, because the weather had not completely warmed up, the emperor Wu Qimai, the prime minister Wan Yan Zonghan, and the flesh and blood of several Emperor Taizu, that is, those princes, were all here.

If he had come a few days later, they would have gone to the north again.

Inside the Shangshu Province, several central nobles were stunned when they heard that Lou Shi had arrived alone, including Zonghan, but they quickly opened the door to welcome this famous general of the dynasty who should have just retreated and was stationed in Shanxi.

Lou Shi, in full armor, went directly to the hall. He first paid a great courtesy to the emperor Wu Qimai in the hall.

Wu Qimai, wearing a brocade jacket and with wrinkles all over his forehead, hurriedly stepped down, personally helped Lou Shi up, and held his hands in the hall, sincerely facing each other: "Oliyan (Lou Shi's original name, nickname), you have worked hard and made great contributions in Shanxi. If you have anything to say, just send someone to say it, and we will never refuse. Even if you returned without success this time, no one blames you. Why did you have to come here in person?"

Lou Shi's hands were held by Wu Qimai. He first looked around at the central nobles in the hall, trying to recognize everyone, and then sighed and said loudly to the Jin emperor in front of him:

"Oliyan heard that the emperor is going to die, so he specially ran from Shanxi, just wanting to see the emperor's last face... I'm late, I'm afraid it will be difficult to meet again in this life."

Wu Qimai didn't know how to reply for a moment, because he didn't even know that he was about to die.

ps: No chapter comments, about to die... once wanted to ask for leave.