Chapter 1 The Northwest Campaign

The Filature of the Song reaped the benefits of the initial stage of the northwest campaign launched in the spring of the sixth year of Jianyan (1132).

Virtually all the fortresses and lands seized by Western Xia after the Jingkang Incident (1127) were methodically recovered. Yan'an was gradually encircled from two sides... This was to be expected, as Western Xia was unable to mount an effective defense outside of its traditional fortifications. Meanwhile, the Jurchens, who held the real military chips, were slow to assume a significant role in the war.

What was going on with the Western Xia? And what about the Jurchens? The explanation was simple: it all came down to the medieval military problem of offense versus defense.

More precisely, it was about the cost of attacking versus defending.

In a situation where both sides possessed mature artillery technology, it would be laughable to use ancient maxims like "surround the enemy tenfold" as a standard. However, the problem remained that even with such technology, an attacker still needed to amass several times the defender's strength in manpower, resources, and logistical reserves before launching an assault.

Under such circumstances, when the combat capabilities of the two sides were relatively equal, the attacker was generally more likely to suffer setbacks, while the defender was more likely to succeed. This naturally led to a strategic stalemate. And if there were natural geographical barriers that further increased the cost of military operations between the opposing sides, such as the Yellow River, the Yellow River, and yet again, the Yellow River, this stalemate would be further reinforced.

Therefore, the key was not Wanyan Wushu's (完顏兀术) speed of judgment, nor Li Ganshun's (李乾顺) decision-making direction, nor the fighting strength of the Jin army, nor the number of Western Xia troops, nor the Song army's meticulous planning, nor the lack of coordination between Jin and Western Xia after being forced to respond. Instead, the key was that as the war progressed into this year, a new strategic balance had been reached between the Song and Jin-Western Xia.

At this point, abandoning defense to launch an attack would, in theory, always seem like a losing proposition.

Of course, this also raised an obvious question, one that Li Ganshun kept testing, and that Wanyan Wushu continually pondered: if this was the case, how was the Song army capable of launching an offensive? Even in Yan'an, across the Yellow River? How had the Song people managed to stockpile so much grain, provisions, and military equipment within a year? Why was the Zhao Song emperor so determined?

Had the easy pacification of the South and the effortless recapture of Jingdong after Yaoshan made him arrogant, causing him to lose his true judgment?

If so, that would naturally be good news. But even then, the same sentiment prevailed: no one dared to gamble!

"We don't have the ability to attack. At least, we can't really fight a decisive battle on the Hengshan-Yan'an battlefield." Standing before the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum on Qiaoshan (桥山) north of Fang Prefecture, Zhao Jiu listened to the military intelligence summaries and recommendations from his two commanders, then directly gave his answer. "Because if we really attack, it will be a battle involving at least 100,000 soldiers. A battle of 100,000 men, where the enemy only needs to hold out for two months without engaging, would be enough to cripple our logistics and defeat us without a fight... Therefore, without orders, do not arbitrarily expand the scale of the war."

Han Shizhong and Wu Jie, who had returned specifically from the east and north to report on the war situation, exchanged glances, then simply bowed in agreement.

This was the advantage of having an emperor in charge, or rather, this was why Zhao Jiu, though not on the front lines, insisted on monitoring from behind the lines... Don't think of these 'famous generals of antiquity' as innocent sheep. In reality, if he weren't here, Wu Jie and Han Shizhong would likely have directly attacked Yan'an based on the momentum of the war. Yuwen Xuzhong (宇文虚中) wouldn't have been able to stop them at all. Hu Yin (胡寅) might have been able to rein them in, but it wouldn't have been easy.

In fact, if they had anticipated Hu Yin's attitude, these warlords might even have launched the attack while seeking his opinion, creating a *fait accompli*, forcing Yuwen Xuzhong and Hu Yin to clean up the mess.

But with the emperor present, they didn't dare to do so. They could only come to seek his instructions first, and even had to come together... However, the emperor needed only a single sentence to make them abandon their previous eagerness.

"But we can't not fight... The only crucial point in this battle is to ensure that Western Xia's main field army behind Hengshan cannot retreat," Zhao Jiu turned around and spoke on the steps in front of the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum.

"Nor can we allow Western Xia to be alarmed to the point of mobilizing the entire country." Hu Yin took half a step forward, interjecting before Han Shizhong could respond. "Normally, we would be thrilled if the Western Xia mobilized their entire country, as we could drag them down several times... But now, according to the information sent by Vice Minister Hu, the Khitans sent people back to Western Liao in early March to inform Yelu Dashi (耶律大石) to send troops. We don't know when those 30,000 Khitan troops will arrive. That is the real key."

"Indeed," Zhao Jiu nodded in agreement, his back to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum. "Western Liao is the key."

Western Liao… Now that they knew Yelu Dashi's core area of control had shifted to the Western Regions and that he still commanded over 30,000 troops, the civil and military officials of the Great Song had unconsciously changed their way of addressing them. It was no longer Northern Liao, nor was it "remnants." Instead, they used a fitting name: Western Liao.

"Your subject understands," Han Shizhong immediately replied. "We only need to make a show of force..."

"Indeed, a show of force is precisely what's needed," Zhao Jiu nodded again.

"But, Your Majesty," the sallow-faced Wu Jie suddenly frowned and interrupted. "Is Western Liao truly reliable?"

"I'm not expecting to wipe out Western Xia in one battle," Zhao Jiu frowned in response. "Success will be achieved as long as we open up the Hexi Corridor. Once the Hexi Corridor is opened, we can sever Western Xia's arm, draw Western Liao into the game to suppress Western Xia, and connect with the Western Regions, so the nation will no longer lack horses... And Yelu Dashi has repeatedly risen from defeat, growing stronger with each setback over the past decade. With such a person calculating with intent against the unprepared, leading 30,000 troops in a pincer attack with Pengju's (岳鹏举) 30,000 men, how is it possible that they can't even take the six empty prefectures of Hexi?"

"That's not what I meant," Wu Jie respectfully responded.

On Fangshan Mountain, Zhao Jiu, Hu Yin, and Han Shizhong were all momentarily stunned. Yang Yizhong (杨沂中), who was standing nearby, and the civil and military officials of the close guard, such as Lü Benzhong (吕本中), who had just arrived from the capital to report information, were also slightly taken aback... Clearly, everyone instantly understood Wu Jie's implication.

Of course, in this situation, there was no need for implication.

"Your Majesty," Wu Jie said, seeing that the Zhao emperor had realized what he was saying, and immediately stepped forward, earnestly reminding, "The Liao people are not easy to deal with... I have no doubts about Yelu Dashi's talent, nor am I worried about the Khitan's combat strength, nor am I concerned about the mere six prefectures of Hexi. Because neither the Jin nor the Western Xia people, even if they possessed the wisdom of Zhuge Liang (诸葛武侯), would have initially factored in the Khitans in the Western Regions. This scheme is like we holding a heavenly secret. As long as we flex our military muscle and make a show of force in northern Shaanxi, we can reap the benefits without effort... But I fear that Yelu Dashi and Western Liao will succeed *too* well!"

"If they succeed too well, what will happen?" Zhao Jiu asked, his expression becoming serious in the mild March breeze.

"What I mean is, Li Ganshun is almost fifty years old and has been the ruler for forty-seven or forty-eight years. How much shrewdness and competence does he still possess? What if he doesn't react in time and the Liao cavalry cuts through the Hexi Corridor and straight to Xingqing Prefecture?" Wu Jie's expression grew even more solemn. "Moreover, the Liao and Western Xia have been linked by marriage for generations. Before the Jin's great victory at Yinshan, Li Ganshun relied entirely on the Khitans. His queen is a Yelu princess, and his heir apparent is a Yelu grandson. Therefore, within Western Xia, not only do many of the Tanguts have good feelings toward the Khitans, but there are even attendants who came with the Yelu princess who still hold high positions to this day. If the time comes..."

"If the time comes, will Yelu Dashi occupy Xingqing Prefecture and become too powerful to control?" Zhao Jiu continued along his line of thought. "Will he imitate the story of Yanjing (燕京) back then and bite us hard? Will he seize Xingling (兴灵) and become a second Li Yuanhao (李元昊)?"

"I believe that won't happen." Just as Wu Jie was about to speak, Hu Yin preemptively responded again. "For Western Liao and Yelu Dashi, the Jurchens are the sworn enemy, the immediate threat. As long as those twenty Jurchen *mingan* are still there, Yelu Dashi won't rashly provoke a conflict, provided he has even half a brain..."

"And if he does provoke one?" Unexpectedly, Zhao Jiu chose to support Wu Jie this time. "For the Great Song and for me, the Jurchens are also the sworn enemy, the immediate threat. As long as those twenty Jurchen *mingan* are still across the river, I won't launch a full-scale war with Western Liao over a little territory or some minor friction, provided I have even half a brain... Because the Khitans are not the Tanguts. The Tanguts will ultimately choose to follow the Jin and oppose us, while the Khitans will ultimately choose to follow us and oppose the Jurchens."

Hu Yin was momentarily stunned.

"A full-scale war is unlikely, but friction and probing are probably unavoidable," Zhao Jiu sighed for once. "The key is not to show weakness or give in... I think a slight reminder to Pengju will suffice. He will handle it properly... The key is the Xingling area, we must be wary."

"Your Majesty previously promised the six prefectures and four offices of Hexi, not Xingling..." Lü Benzhong hastily interjected.

"This matter has nothing to do with whether or not I promised. It will be decided on the battlefield. After the Alliance on the Sea, how can we trust verbal agreements?" Zhao Jiu impatiently shook his head, then stepped past the very obedient Han Shizhong and directly addressed Wu Jie. "What do you say, Wu Qing?"

"Your subject still holds to the same idea as in my previous secret memorial." Wu Jie's spirits were greatly lifted, and he quickly presented the plan he had prepared. "We can contact Weiming Heda (嵬名合达), the Xia Prefecture Commander of Western Xia in advance. His original name was Xiao Heda (萧合达), and he was an attendant of the deceased Western Xia Queen, Princess Yelu Nanxian (耶律南仙). He has long held military power in Xia Prefecture. After the fall of Liao, many Khitans from both sides of the river also sought refuge with him, but Li Ganshun stopped them... Your Majesty, in my opinion, the reason why the Khitans within Western Xia can tolerate the death of Princess Nanxian and the heir apparent is only because of Li Ganshun's prestige after ruling for over forty years. Once Yelu Dashi appears in the heartland of Western Xia, they might not be able to resist doing something. After the death of the Khitan bloodline queen and heir apparent, these Khitans are now mostly in Xia Prefecture, the important town behind Hengshan."

It was important to know that Wu Jie, as the actual person in charge of the front lines in northern Shaanxi, had been mingling on the Western Xia border for nearly twenty years and had long known Weiming Heda's background. He had also reported this matter to the Zhao emperor as soon as the Yelu Dashi plan came out and had even made some plans... His idea was to, counting on Yelu Dashi's deployment of troops, incite Weiming Heda's rebellion before Yelu Dashi crossed the Hexi Corridor. This would leave the Tanguts unable to attend to both ends, and might even give the Great Song a chance to directly seize the Hengshan defense line.

But Zhao Jiu had not agreed before.

This time, after hesitating slightly, the emperor still slowly shook his head: "I still hold to the same idea. We still cannot prematurely reveal Yelu Dashi's existence... Wu Qing also said that Li Ganshun has been emperor for nearly fifty years and has great prestige in the country. Since he can confidently employ Weiming Heda after killing his wife and son, it shows that he has some courage. If it backfires, we will lose everything."

"But what about the Xingling area?" Wu Jie seemed somewhat uneasy. "If Yelu Dashi goes to the Xingling area and Weiming Heda responds in Xia Prefecture, and the heavy troops and state troops in the Hengshan area all surrender to Yelu Dashi, what will we do?"

"Let Yue Pengju make his own decisions as circumstances dictate," Zhao Jiu thought for a moment and gave a decision that made Wu Jie slightly stunned. "Send the discussions and intelligence here to him and let him decide how to deploy his troops, when to deploy his troops, and where to deploy his troops... There's no need to say too much across hundreds of miles. I trust him."

Wu Jie opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately fell silent. Han Shizhong also wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

"Wu Qing," Zhao Jiu said, then suddenly asked with his hands behind his back, "Have you heard any rumors?"

As soon as these words came out, Han Shizhong, Lü Benzhong, and others were all startled. Yang Yizhong remained expressionless, while Hu Yin narrowed his eyes slightly.

As for Wu Jie, he finally began to panic.

"Wu Qing is different from the other commanders," Zhao Jiu sighed upon seeing this, then walked down from in front of the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum with his hands behind his back, startling the others who quickly followed. "Han Qing of the Left Army and Zhang Qing of the Right Army have been through thick and thin with me. Yue Qing of the Vanguard Army, Li Qing of the Central Army, and Zhang Qing of the Naval Army have a tacit understanding with me. Qu Qing of the Cavalry Army was also honed in front of me for a whole year... Only Wu Qing, although he cooperated well with me at Yaoshan, is essentially just a typical encounter between a ruler and a minister who appreciates talent. It's not as profound as with the others, who know me inside and out."

"Your subject's accomplishments are indeed shallow and my qualifications are insufficient," Wu Jie quickly responded from behind. "I can't compare to the other commanders."

"So you want to seek some military merit?" Zhao Jiu asked back as he walked. "To stabilize your position? Or to prove that the Imperial Guard Rear Army is combat-ready?"

Wu Jie was silent for a moment, then honestly replied: "Reporting to Your Majesty, both."

"Then you must have really sensed some rumors and movements," Zhao Jiu candidly stated the facts in a calm tone. "I knew as soon as I arrived in Chang'an that many people in your Imperial Guard Rear Army and Han Shizhong's Imperial Guard Left Army were guilty of corruption and embezzlement... Hu Qing reported it, but I had heard about many of these things before. Did you think that the things in your armies could be hidden from me, or from Hu Qing, who has served as a Censorate Vice Director?"

"Your subject has failed to manage his army properly," Wu Jie's sallow face finally turned pale. "But precisely because I know that Finance Commissioner Hu is an impartial person, I want to earn some military merit to compensate and prove myself."

"Do you know that when Hu Qing reported these things, he repeatedly pleaded with me to deal with them leniently and postpone the response, because national affairs are at hand?" Zhao Jiu asked emotionlessly as he continued to walk.

Wu and Han both looked back at Hu Yin, who had a dark face, but then felt relieved.

"But does Wu Qing know?" Zhao Jiu continued, but couldn't help but sneer. "I hesitated for a long time before agreeing, and there are some things that I will not waver on because of military merit or time... For example, your beloved general Yang Zheng (杨政) was only in his thirties when he became the prefect of Huan Prefecture, but he enjoys torturing and killing concubines and likes to flay people like Fan Qiong (范琼). Do you think I can tolerate such a person? Even if he performs earth-shattering deeds in this battle, I will definitely kill him after this battle. If I were you, for his own good, I would find a way for him to die on the front lines."

Wu Jie's face turned deathly pale again, startled: "Your subject really didn't know about this."

"Whether you knew or not, Yang Zheng is only a criminal case after all, but I don't believe that you don't have a clue," Zhao Jiu said with emotion. "Because I have a clue. Think about it. In the chaos of the previous years, how many people dared to do anything just because they had a knife in their hands? Cutting out hearts, tearing open abdomens, severing limbs, slaughtering cities, exterminating clans. We all came out of that kind of mess. Who hasn't seen it? And now that times have changed, some people have developed bad habits that they can't change, and others don't care because they've seen too much... I've long known that such people and things are inevitable. But Commander Wu, you must remember that I can't tolerate such things at all! Because I must be an upright man, and the Great Song, even if it used to be filthy, must now be an upright great nation. How can we tolerate such unconscionable things?"

"Your subject will remember!" Wu Jie responded repeatedly, not knowing exactly what he had remembered.

"In addition, I can't tolerate matters involving land at all," Zhao Jiu's tone became colder as he walked further down. "Land allocation is the foundation of stability in Guanzhong. It's only been a year and a half, and military officers are already encroaching on allocated land on a large scale? When local officials investigate, the military even protects them. If you don't know about this, then you are completely deceiving me... I don't know if you read the court gazettes or if you know what I said to those nobles and powerful officials during the sacrifice at Yuetai. In my eyes, those who dare to tamper with the land are no different from rebels... If I don't thoroughly deal with these people after this battle, I won't be named Zhao! Wu Qing!"

"Your subject is here."

"Do you now know my heart?" Zhao Jiu suddenly stopped and turned around, startling Wu Jinqing (吴晋卿) who immediately stopped and did not dare to move lightly. "Are you still afraid? Are you still in doubt?"

"Your subject..."

"If I were you, I wouldn't think about these chaotic things, because you shouldn't be thinking about things outside of military matters, and there's no need to think about them... At its root, I, the emperor of the Great Song, will never let my Imperial Guard soldiers be wronged, but I will also not allow my Imperial Guard soldiers to degenerate so quickly."

"Yes," Wu Jie stepped down and bowed.

"Go!" Dressed in plain cotton robes, Zhao Jiu looked down and patted the other person's shoulder. "Don't have too many thoughts. Put military strategy first in all matters, put the front lines first... And if it's a military matter, if you have any ideas, whether they are allowed or not, still speak them out boldly, and I will definitely consider them carefully."

"Yes," Wu Jinqing bowed again and hurried down the mountain.

Throughout the entire process, Han Shizhong, who had originally been invited over by Wu Jie, remained obediently silent, without assuming the posture of an elder brother.

"Your Majesty," However, if Han Shizhong didn't speak, someone else would. Seeing Wu Jie leave in haste, his figure still on the mountain road being surrounded by the Imperial Guards, Hu Yin directly said in a serious tone, "The two major Imperial Guards in Guanzhong can't be said to be degenerate, but they just find it hard to change old habits. Compared to the past, they have actually been improving in the past two years... There's no need to belittle ourselves."

This time, Han Shizhong finally nodded repeatedly, expressing his agreement.

Zhao Jiu also nodded, but quickly shook his head again: "Like the messy affairs of government, it's a long road ahead!"

This time, Hu Yin, Han Shizhong, Yang Yizhong, and Lü Benzhong were all silent.

A moment later, just as Zhao Jiu was hesitating whether to stay on the mountainside to admire the flowers, Liu Yan (刘晏), the second-in-command of the Imperial Guard, suddenly appeared on the mountain road and presented an urgent report.

"Summon Wu Jie back," Zhao Jiu simply ordered after taking one look. The urgent report was then passed to Han Shizhong and the others.

"What does it say?" After a moment, Wu Jie hurriedly returned, climbing back to the mountainside. Surprisingly, there were not a few drops of sweat on his face. Seeing this, Zhao Jiu didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly.

"The Jurchens are also making a show of force!" Wu Jie immediately gave the same judgment as Han Shizhong after roughly reading it. "In the end, the Jurchens still don't dare to cross the river, so they can only focus on the Heshong Prefecture area, a vital point in Guanzhong... They are actually afraid to cross the river. At most, they will cross the Zhongtiao Mountains and fight at Pinglu."

This time, Zhao Jiu also nodded directly: "Han Qing and I see it the same way. So how do you think we should respond, Jinqing?"

"So that Your Majesty knows, we should naturally also make a show of force," Wu Jie said immediately, holding the secret document. "Why not ask the Prince of Yan'an to lead his troops back to Tong Prefecture? But that still seems somewhat insufficient, because we don't know how many troops the Jurchens will gather. Should we let my younger brother Wu Lin (吴璘) lead a portion of the Imperial Guard Rear Army to Tong Prefecture as well and be dispatched by the Prince of Yan'an?"

"But if that's the case," Hu Yin suddenly interjected, "Will the Tanguts who are being drawn in behind Hengshan relax and instead divide their troops to protect Xingqing Prefecture?"

"Correct," Han Shizhong, who had been keeping quiet in front of the emperor and Hu Yin for almost the entire day, finally spoke decisively. "In my opinion, not only should we not reduce the front line at Hengshan-Yan'an, but we should even apply a little pressure there... Using a show of force against a show of force is right, but we must consider the overall situation. We must make a show of force in all the places where it is appropriate to do so, instead of just focusing on the two sides of Pujin (蒲津)."

"This is simple," Zhao Jiu only thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled in the warm spring breeze. "Wu Qing will not move, and Han Qing's troops in Dan Prefecture will not move. We can even launch a moderate attack on Yan'an. As for Pujin... I will personally go to Tong Prefecture with Yue Qing to confront Wushu across the river... You must know that no one in the world knows the meaning of the words 'make a show of force' better than I do!"

The people around him were each stunned, but it was actually Lü Benzhong who was the first to react. "Excellent!"

ps: Sorry, my mood collapsed yesterday and the day before... When you reach thirty, without a house, car, or wife, you inevitably start nagging with your family... It's my fault for not asking for leave. Apologies to everyone.