Wuzhe's judgment was absolutely correct. Wanyan Huonv, operating within Danzhou territory on the battlefield's flank, indeed received his father Loushi's military order at the first possible moment. He immediately led his ten thousand troops westward, then joined forces with Wanyan Salihu's two generals before Wu Lin and Li Yongqi could reach Fangzhou.

It can be said that Wuzhe's previous strategy of attacking the tail to pressure the head, preventing them from coordinating, was immediately seen through and calmly resolved by Loushi.

Zhao Jiu was not too disappointed by this, nor was Wu Zhe... because as the battlefield became increasingly compressed, the decisive battle point was basically anchored, so the space that could be leveraged around the core battlefield of Yaoshan-Wulong Mountain was limited.

Outside the main battlefield, directly north was Fangzhou and the Jin army's northern Luo River estuary camp, southwest was the Song army's Jingyao town logistics camp, northeast was the Longmen Ferry, and southeast was the Pujin Ferry, heavily guarded by Han Shizhong's main force.

Just these few points, this much space, these few tricks. If Wu Zhe could think of it, there was no reason why Loushi couldn't.

Conversely, what the Jin army could do, the Song army had no reason not to anticipate.

Thus, three days later, the appointed date arrived, and the Jin army didn't move at all. Correspondingly, the Song army didn't foolishly leave their camp to form ranks either... however, Wu Zhe specifically sent an envoy to Loushi to accuse him of breaking the agreement and presented him with a set of women's clothing.

Loushi calmly accepted it and declared that he would send the clothes beyond the pass so that the deposed Emperor Zhao Ji would not have to freeze this winter.

The news spread back, and Wu Zhe lost face, but he still publicly listed the Jin army generals' crimes of slaughtering civilians and killing the innocent, according to the Jin army's western route army order. Then, in the name of Yuwen Xuzhong, he publicly offered rewards... from Marshal Nikan down to the youngest Jin army Wanhu, Salihu, more than a dozen people each had varying rewards and specific words attached.

For example, Wanyan Loushi himself had a reward of Jiedushi title, ten thousand bolts of silk, and ten thousand taels of silver; or Wanyan Xiyin (Gushen), whose actual status in the western route army was no less than Loushi's, and whose official position was even higher, was only rewarded with a thousand bolts of silk because he rarely committed killings; as for Yelu Yudu, the Khitan general who had long been idle and deprived of military power, it was publicly said that he was a Song internal response who was imprisoned, and a reward of three thousand bolts of silk and three thousand taels of silver would be given to anyone who rescued him; and Yelu Mawu, who was leading the Khitan main force in the opposing military camp, was not even mentioned.

Wanyan Loushi once again chose to respond lightly, offering a donkey as a reward for Wu Zhe.

For a time, the two sides communicated constantly, engaging in endless verbal sparring, but each knew that these meaningless tricks were basically probes. However, because this probing was unequal... at this time, the Song army was actively pressing forward to Yaoshan, and their desire for battle was very obvious, while the Jin army's defensive mentality was temporarily chaotic... therefore, it seemed that Wu Zhe was losing out in everything.

In fact, in those few days, countless people complained to Zhao Jiu, listing Wu Zhe's ridiculousness, but they were all forcibly suppressed by Zhao Jiu.

How to say it?

In Zhao Jiu's view, the upper hand or lower hand in this kind of verbal sparring was really meaningless. It still depended on the final battle. If the Jin army won, Wu Zhe's posture would be clownish; but if the Song army won, then Wu Zhe would have successfully paralyzed the opponent.

Moreover, stepping back and observing the situation of the past few days from a higher perspective, Zhao Jiu vaguely felt that Wu Zhe had more, more practical considerations. The real attention of both him and Loushi was not on these verbal skills. Both sides were making estimates and exercising restraint in some other more practical and straightforward areas.

Of course, Zhao Jiu was just seeing flowers in the fog, separated by a layer. If you asked him to think about it, not to mention the conditions for the decisive battle, he couldn't even understand Wanyan Loushi's intentions. He couldn't figure out whether the famous Jin general on the opposite side wanted to fight or avoid battle.

If he wanted to fight, why had he been holding back since so long ago?

If he wanted to avoid battle, what was he waiting for? Was he really waiting for the Hedong army to complete a decisive breakthrough? Waiting for the outcome there to affect Guanzhong?

Frankly speaking, this wasn't Loushi's personality. This kind of person wouldn't leave the victory or defeat of the battle to others. This was something that both the Song army, which had been beaten by Loushi countless times, and the Jin army's western route army itself were certain of.

Zhao Jiu was also certain of it.

So, what were he and Wu Zhe waiting for?

"Commander, can you let me lead a light cavalry unit to go around the other side of Yaoshan and tap Jingyao?"

While the Song army's high command was complaining all day long, the Jin army's high command also had their own activities. For example, Loushi really liked to hunt on Jin Suo Mountain, where he could observe the entire Song army camp and its surroundings. On this day, Wanyan Balisu, the deputy commander who had once again accompanied Loushi, frowned rarely as he looked at the Song army's huge but increasingly perfect camp system, and offered a tactical suggestion to Loushi. "The Jingyao camp is the Song army's logistics hub. Once it's broken, the front army will be in chaos!"

Under a tree, Loushi, sitting on his horse, kept looking towards the direction of the Song army's military camp. The surrounding area, which was previously white, gradually returned to the way it looked before the rainstorm. At this time, there was only a little bit of white light rising... Hearing Balisu speak, Loushi didn't even turn around and directly shook his head.

"Why?" Balisu earnestly asked.

Hearing this, Loushi finally turned his head, but still didn't say anything.

Balisu finally felt helpless, but laughed at himself with a sneer: "Indeed, Jingyao is protected by four cities on all sides, and the terrain is no different from here. It looks like a sweet melon, but it's actually like a trap... If we go to attack Jingyao, how many troops would we have to bring? If we bring too few, how can we guarantee a successful strike? If we bring too many, how can we guarantee that Wu Zhe won't abandon the main camp and counterattack, trapping our mobile troops in Jingyao, which is surrounded by cities on all sides? And if we go around further, what if the Song army, upon hearing the news, simply rushes towards our main camp? In the end, we don't have enough troops..."

"Balisu," Loushi finally couldn't listen anymore, and was forced to speak. "What exactly do you want to say?"

Balisu glanced back at the entourage behind him. A group of officers and soldiers understood and withdrew, leaving only Loushi's second son, Mouyan, standing not far away with his hand on his sword. Balisu originally wanted to tell Mouyan to get lost too, but he didn't dare to say it.

"I want to ask the commander, how exactly do you plan to solve the problem of insufficient troops?" Recovering his gaze from Mouyan, Balisu turned to Loushi, being extremely frank. "Qu Duan and Wu Lin led 20,000 troops to Fangzhou, and you sent Huonv to the He Kou Da Ying (River Estuary Main Camp). That response was certainly correct, but right now we only have 30,000 troops here, and 10,000 of them are Han'er (Han Chinese) troops... What are we going to use to fight a decisive battle against a Song army of this scale?"

Loushi was just about to answer, but Balisu kept talking:

"The troop strength you calculated for us after you returned from Tong Pass at the beginning of the year wasn't like this! When we set out, everyone was afraid of the summer heat, but you said that our route would be 50,000 to 60,000 against the Song army's 80,000, and it wouldn't matter if there was summer heat. But in reality, the Song army we encountered on this route adds up to definitely more than 100,000! The decisive battle you calculated at that time, even if reinforcements didn't arrive, could be 40,000 against 60,000, with plenty of leeway, but now it's obviously 30,000 against 80,000!"

"Of course, there are deviations in marching and fighting," Loushi waited until the other person finished speaking before finally speaking, but he didn't take it seriously at all. "The matter of troop strength has indeed gone wrong, but I have already considered it. It's not a key issue, so you don't need to worry... Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Balisu was temporarily speechless, but forcibly suppressed his anger and responded, "Loushi, I have always respected you, but you should be a little more honest with me. Do you really think I don't know the situation in Hedong? Ari and Elubu crossed the river and broke Luoyang, which was a clever move, but they can't break through Si Shui Pass for a while, and they can't get past Shaanzhou either. Is that fake? On the contrary, tens of thousands of Song troops landed from Hebei, and Hebei is the foundation of the various Meng'an Moukes of the Eastern Route Army. The Eastern Route Army is in an uproar, and the Third Prince dispatched 40,000 troops a few days ago, which was basically to let the Fourth Prince lead them back north and then turn to Hu Pass to aid Hebei!"

"So what?" Loushi was unhurried.

"What can it do?" Balisu was momentarily anxious. "The Hedong troops were originally mostly Han'er troops, and their combat strength is swollen and false. Some went to Luoyang, some went to Hebei, and some stayed in Taiyuan. Faced with Li Yanxian and Han Shizhong, two veteran generals, they don't dare to draw any more strength to come over... Where did you 'consider' the matter of troop strength from?"

Loushi's expression was as usual, not taking it seriously: "Balisu, you must understand that you are only a deputy commander. There are some major events that you don't know."

"I don't know? What don't I know?" Hearing this, Balisu finally became exasperated: "You told Marshal Nikan and the Emperor that you were seriously injured and about to die, and that's how you got this summer expedition. Don't I know that? You suffer from old injuries, and you're almost in unbearable pain whenever it's cloudy or rainy. You've ruined several opportunities because of this, don't I know that? Before in Fangzhou, you were negligent and careless towards Wu Zhe, causing Tu Heshu to be injured and Salihu to suffer defeat. You also made a huge mistake in this expedition's route and troop strength, to the point of being flustered and almost ridiculously challenging Wu Zhe to a duel... Don't I know that? Or are you currently struggling with the heat, troop strength, and terrain, but still trying to remain calm... Don't I know that?!"

Speaking to the end, Balisu was emotionally agitated, and the warhorse under his crotch also neighed for a moment.

"I almost forgot, you are Yinshuke's younger brother, you know everything." Loushi turned his head to look at Balisu's outburst, his expression slightly complicated. "But Balisu, do you still know that I am the commander here, the commander of the army?"

"So what?" Balisu sneered and was about to turn his head away.

But as soon as the words fell, the Jin army's deputy commander was shocked, because he was directly lifted off his horse by Loushi at his side like he was a child, and then easily thrown to the ground.

Mouyan behind him quickly drew his sword and tried to step forward to restrain Balisu, but Loushi raised his hand to stop him.

"Balisu, if Yinshuke was here in person, he would never ask these useless questions. He would only sharpen his spear, maintain his great bow, and quietly wait to charge with me." Loushi stood high above and coldly confronted his deputy commander.

"I am indeed not as good as my brother!" Balisu gasped repeatedly on the ground. After a little calming down, he actually sneered again.

"This isn't about whether or not you're as good as your brother," Loushi continued, coldly confronting the person on the ground while holding the reins. "Balisu, I know what you're thinking. Your brother and Xiyin (Wanyan Gushen) went to Yanjing together, and the Marshal is in power in the central government. And I am gradually finding it difficult physically. You are in this position, claiming seniority, fame, and status, and it is normal to have the intention of succeeding as the Taiyuan regional commander, or even the commander of the Western Route Army. But you shouldn't be so anxious. You can't bear to suffer here for even half a month, to the point that you are acting out of personal feelings, complaining everywhere!"

Hearing the last sentence, Balisu's expression finally changed.

"Actually, if I kill you today, it would be like killing a dog. The reason why I don't kill you isn't because you are Yinshuke's younger brother, but because the war is about to start and you are still useful..." Loushi said a few more words and felt bored, so he simply waved his hand. "Go back! Since you know my physical condition, you should know that I can't wait for the autumn rains. The decisive battle will come sooner or later. Just go back and prepare properly!"

Balisu got up from the ground with a blank expression, with neither anger nor obedience. He just climbed back on his horse, then turned his horse around and tried to go down the mountain.

However, after walking a few steps, this person turned back to look at Mouyan when he came behind him: "Commander! I don't know what your calculations are, but as the deputy commander, the person you said will take over the entire Western Route Army after you die, I must remind you of one thing... Do you want to listen or not?"

"If it's serious, why wouldn't I listen?" Loushi was still calm.

"Don't let Huonv temporarily go south to provide support!" Balisu suddenly became serious. "You must know that our army is all cavalry. If we unfortunately lose this battle, we will only be defeated. There is no major problem in essence. At worst, we will lose some weak troops and return without success. But if we lose and also lose the He Kou Da Ying (River Estuary Main Camp) and Fucheng behind us, then we will be in eternal doom! You are betting your own life for the future of your children and grandchildren, and we, as subordinates, have no problem being ordered to die in battle with you. But if you are acting out of your family's desires and cutting off our retreat, causing tens of thousands of people to become ghosts here, not to mention anything else, after you die, Huonv and Mouyan will never have a good ending!"

"I know," Loushi said calmly.

Seeing this, Balisu sneered repeatedly, then shook his head and rode away.

Let's say that in the midsummer heat, for several days, the sun was scorching during the day and the breeze brushed the post at night. The Song and Jin armies continued to confront each other in a strange and tense state for a few days. Seeing that the end of the month was near, on this day, the summer heat slightly subsided. Wu Zhe, who had previously been told 'not to report everything,' suddenly came directly to the mountain camp in the evening and requested to see the 'deputy marshal.'

"Your Majesty."

Under the starry river, the military camp had gradually quieted down, and even the cicada chirping had resumed around the camp. Therefore, Wu Zhe, who followed the Little Bachelor all the way to the target practice area next to the 'deputy marshal's' tent, directly changed his address under the starry sky. "The battle will begin in the next day or two!"

Zhao Jiu, who was sitting on a small stool in the target practice area to catch the breeze, nodded and didn't react much. The surrounding attendants, Wang Yuan, Yang Yizhong, and Liu Yan, had already changed their expressions, but the Little Bachelor who went to greet Wu Zhe maintained his composure.

"Is there anything to be said?" Concerned about the seriousness of the matter, Wang Yuan, who had been relegated to a useless position here, asked seriously.

"Commander Wang," Wu Zhe was also polite to Wang Yuan, because he knew that he was actually saying these words to His Majesty Zhao, and he actually aimed at Zhao Jiu, who seemed a little absent-minded. "Your Majesty, I have fought against Loushi for many years, and I dare to say that no one understands Loushi better than I do... So I thought from the beginning that the reason why Loushi hasn't fought for so long isn't that he doesn't dare to fight, or that he doesn't want to fight, but that they do have some disadvantages in terms of time, weather, and terrain in this battle, so they want to find a proper opportunity to fight."

"So, the Jin army's opportunity has arrived?" Under the starlight and torches, Zhao Jiu finally became a little more serious.

"No, the Jin army's opportunity is almost gone," Wu Zhe answered seriously.

Zhao Jiu finally showed some interest: "How do you mean?"

"For the Jin army, among the so-called disturbances of time, weather, and terrain, what can be changed is one, the summer heat, and two, the marsh," Wu Zhe quickly explained. "In these few days, although the sun has been scorching during the day, fortunately the wind has been clear and the air has been fresh, so we can only say it's hot, but it's not the so-called summer heat... For the Jin army, what they fear most is actually that kind of stuffy heat..."

"So, the good weather is going to be gone, and it's going to get stuffy soon?" Zhao Jiu understood almost immediately. Battle should be that pragmatic, where's the complication. "And the marsh, although it hasn't completely dried up, they can't wait any longer?"

"It's not just going to be stuffy, I'm afraid it's going to rain again," Wu Zhe finally smiled. "When I knew that Loushi often went hunting on Jin Suo Mountain, I guessed Loushi's intentions, and I have been observing the marsh and paying attention to the weather these days... Today, several old soldiers in the camp with hidden injuries came to me together and said that although they haven't reached the point where their whole bodies ache, they have already vaguely felt that their wounds are a little swollen. In another two or three days, there will definitely be rain!"

Zhao Jiu slowly nodded: "The Jin army also has many battle-hardened people, and they also know how to use this method to estimate rainfall... So, if Loushi really has the will to fight, he can't wait any longer! It's either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Don't say these words anymore. What do you want Us to do?" Zhao Jiu faced him seriously, his eyes shining in the darkness.

"I don't need Your Majesty to do anything... I have already urgently sent a message to Qu Da and my younger brother, telling them to carefully observe Huonv's movements and seize the opportunity to attack the He Kou Da Ying (River Estuary Main Camp), no matter what the cost." Wu Zhe was silent for a moment before facing him. "And I came here this time because I wanted to persuade Your Majesty to go to Jingyao to avoid the battle tonight, leaving behind a Dragon Banner is enough..."

"Us will not leave," Zhao Jiu sighed calmly. "Us's army is here, and Us's land is here. You can do your best... Moreover, if Us leaves, those people will definitely cause trouble. The closer we get to the battle, the more Us must sit here and support you."

Wu Zhe didn't say a word, clasped his fist and retreated.

After Wu Da had left for a long time, Zhao Jiu pondered for a while before calling out to someone from the small stool: "Pingfu!"

Liu Yan quickly stepped forward: "Your Majesty."

"Us wants you to do something." Amidst the mutual glances of Yang Yizhong and others, Zhao Jiu sighed softly. "Go now, go to Jingyao and find a way to transfer our last three thousand five hundred troops there to me! You can directly transfer them from the army, or pretend to be laborers waiting on the road to the north and seize the opportunity to participate in the battle... You figure it out!"

Liu Yan was silent for a moment, clasped his fist, and left.

On the same night, when the moon was dark and the wind was high, a Jin army messenger team, a hundred miles away in a straight line, at the northernmost end of Tongzhou, Longmen Ferry behind Liang Mountain, was crossing the river from here as usual at night... This was a matter of course and commonplace. The Jin army on both sides of the river naturally wanted to contact each other from here.

However, what was interesting was that after this Jin army team crossed the river, they did not rush south along the river to see the nominal commander-in-chief of this time, the Third Prince Wanyan Eliduo, in Hezhong Prefecture. Instead, they turned north past Longmen Mountain and entered a large camp in the middle of the night.

"Crossing the river?" Wanyan Wushu, who got up in a hurry, looked at Wanyan Mouyan in front of him, and before the other party could speak, he instinctively showed a solemn expression. "Crossing the river now, fighting tomorrow? If we fight tomorrow, why didn't you come earlier? Is it too late?"

"We are crossing the river tonight, and fighting the day after tomorrow," Mouyan quickly bowed his head and corrected. "My father asks the Fourth Prince to immediately abandon the camp and supplies and cross the river with General Han. Then, before sunset tomorrow, you must cross the northern Luo River and settle down on the west bank of the northern Luo River. My brother Huonv will provide supplies there. And the day after tomorrow morning, you must rush south at all costs and join me in going around to the southern end of the Song army camp from the west side of Yaoshan by noon, forming a pincer attack from the north and south!"

Hearing this, Wushu finally let out a long breath: "I almost became estranged from the Eastern Route Army because of your father's words. I barely managed to keep these 20,000 people, and then I have to rush a hundred miles every day for two consecutive days, and then use the exhausted force to fight a decisive battle with the Song army... I hope your father doesn't let Us down!"

"My father has never let anyone down in his life!" Mouyan raised his head, regardless of the fact that the person in front of him was a direct descendant of the founder of the Jin Dynasty, the Fourth Prince of the Jin Dynasty, and his expression became ferocious on the spot.

Wanyan Wushu, who was bare-chested, was not angry but happy when he saw this: "That's exactly what I mean!"

ps: Book recommendation, 《Three Kingdoms From Saving Cao Cao's Father》 is a very popular Three Kingdoms novel recently. If you are interested, you may want to check it out.