Chapter 1 A Rotten Battle

A sudden spring thunderstorm announced its authority and turned what should have been a large-scale battle between the two armies into a messy affair.

That night is not worth mentioning, and for the next three days, the spring rain continued to fall, making the plains muddy.

For a time, both armies suffered unspeakably, yet they were wary of each other, and neither dared to retreat easily.

Among them, the Song army quickly seized Huolu County, and then built a large number of forts along the county. The laborers and soldiers braved the rain to cut wood from the mountains and fields behind, dismantled old camps, transported supplies, and built new forts, working hard... The Jin army was not to be outdone. In order to prevent losing tactical control of that high ground, they also began to move their camps forward on a large scale. The camps originally evenly distributed around Shiyi were dismantled, and a large number of conscripted soldiers from the rear also labored in the rain, continuously building camps from Shiyi towards Huolu County.

Due to the objective fact of the huge forces on both sides, coupled with the necessary auxiliary soldiers and laborers, the camps of the two armies on both sides of the Taiping River presented a horrifyingly vast appearance.

The Song army's camps, not to mention those scattered outposts and rear guards, even the newest core camp was almost ten times the size of the original Huolu County. The Jin army's camps, in order to facilitate cavalry attacks and support, and to advance towards the Taiping River, presented a bizarre human-shaped layout stretching twenty or thirty *li*... Its head was only a few *li* away from the Taiping River, one foot was on Shiyi, and the other extended to a few *li* before the Hutuo River, facing the Zhen Ding city logistics base camp across the river.

However, it was not only the grassroots laborers who were suffering. These days, the soldiers also had to patrol the river in the rain to guard against attacks, the officers had to scramble to ensure battle readiness, and the high-level commanders above the *tongzhi* (military commissioner) had to make military plans for a full-scale battle that could break out at any time, even including discussions beyond military matters.

Just as Wu Jie said, both sides had no room for maneuver. At present, hundreds of thousands of troops were relying on the Taiping River, which did not even need to be drawn on the map, and this rain as the final buffer, and the rain could stop at any time... Under full pressure, no one could stay out of it, and no one could escape responsibility and pressure.

Not only that, as the rain continued to fall, and the two armies built camps on a large scale, approaching each other step by step, some other things were also confirmed.

First, the battle losses that day.

There was nothing to say about this. It was a messy battle, the engagement time was not long, and neither side could effectively inflict casualties. A thousand or so losses were scattered among the various units, and were not even as many as the losses caused by the rain in the past few days... Because they needed to build camps in the rain, many people caught colds, and there were also many who slipped and fell.

Secondly, the handling of Huyan Tong.

This time, there was no doubt that Huyan Tong had violated the rough order to build camps on the riverbank and had crossed the river to attack without authorization... In theory, military discipline should be the most important before a major battle, and he should have been severely punished... But in fact, not only did Han Shizhong defend his subordinate, but Wu Jie, Li Yanxian, and even Wang Yan, several commanders almost unanimously believed that Huyan Tong should be given a chance to redeem himself.

The reasons were abundant, and Wu Jie, who was in charge of daily affairs in the camp, gave the reason that the Zhao emperor had once issued an edict that anyone in the Imperial Army who dared to fight, even if they were defeated, could be pardoned, not to mention that Huyan Tong had not caused huge losses to his unit yesterday.

This was very intriguing.

And the preoccupied Zhao emperor did not want to make trouble with the several commanders over this matter... Therefore, the final result was that Huyan Tong was demoted four grades, fined a year's salary, but still acted as *tongzhi*.

Considering the two most important privileges of the *tongzhi*, one was to lead troops independently, and the other was to submit secret reports, neither of which were deprived, Huyan Tong's punishment was basically equivalent to raising it high and gently dropping it.

However, all of this did not matter, because just as this spring rain continued to the third day, that is, early in the morning of the first day of the second month of the tenth year of Jianyan, Qu Duan and Liu Qi led the remaining part of the Imperial Army cavalry and Zhang Xian and Zhang Zigai's units to arrive at Huolu County.

The Song army was both surprised and delighted by this.

They were delighted that Qu Duan had brought reinforcements of sixteen or seventeen thousand, and that both the ten thousand Imperial Army cavalry and the two *Beiwei* (Elite Vanguard) armies were the top combat forces on the Song side. Their timely arrival naturally boosted morale. But they were worried that because the entire western Hebei region had encountered rain, and Qu Duan, in order to prevent being raided by the Jin army and arrive safely, chose to march relying on the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, this had instead caused these reinforcements to encounter various floods and mountain torrents in the past few days, so that this elite force was extremely exhausted when it arrived at Huolu, and suffered heavy losses along the way.

It should be known that according to Qu Duan, when he separated from Yue Fei in Daming Prefecture, he, Yue Fei, Zhang Rong, and Tian Shizhong discussed and felt that the infantry of the Hebei Army might not be able to make it in time for the decisive battle. Therefore, Yue Fei made temporary and full replenishment to the three cavalry units following the Jin army... For example, the *Changfu Zhongbu Beiwei Jun* (Long Axe Heavy Infantry Elite Vanguard Army) of the Imperial Army's Right Army was fully staffed with four thousand men. After several fierce battles in Daming Prefecture, including deaths and injuries, it was once only three thousand men capable of fighting, but in order to ensure that this northern expedition could provide Zhao emperor with enough support, Yue Fei directly transferred troops from his headquarters and reassembled four thousand men, and then sent them as mounted infantry.

However, three days ago, they encountered rain, and along the way they encountered floods, small units lost their way, night camps collapsed, and injuries and illnesses harassed them. When they arrived at Huolu, Zhang Zigai's command had only three thousand men left. Moreover, because a large number of livestock carrying equipment were lost, nearly half of the people became unarmed.

The remaining more than ten thousand people were roughly the same.

It was precisely because of this that as soon as Qu Duan arrived, he and Liu Qi and Zhang Zigai explicitly proposed to the emperor that the troops must rest properly before starting the battle.

But without a doubt, their three proposals were unanimously opposed by Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, Wang Yan, Wang De, and Li Qiong... These six people agreed that as soon as the rain stopped, they should start the battle.

The Zhao emperor seemed to be noncommittal about this.

Even in the middle of the day, after the dispute lasted for a while, he directly withdrew from the hall of the Huolu County Government Office and disappeared.

However, the dispute was still adjudicated, because in addition to the Zhao emperor, there was also someone in Huolu City whose status was obviously higher than the generals and could easily shut everyone up.

Lu Yihao, the Grand Commander of Hebei, disregarded his previous relapse of a cold from falling into the water, and rushed to the scene with the civil officials of the Imperial Court in the rain on the second day of the Zhao emperor's move to Huolu.

Not long after the Zhao emperor left, this Chancellor of the Central Secretariat and Grand Commander arrived in the hall supported by Academician Mei Xue, and with just a reprimand, Han Shizhong and the others retreated in embarrassment... There was no way, the basic law was there. The *Xiang Gong* (Chancellor) of the Great Song Dynasty was the *Xiang Gong*, even if it was 'When the world is at peace, pay attention to the Chancellor, when the world is in danger, pay attention to the generals', and the status of the military men had increased sharply in the tenth year of Jianyan, the political tradition was there, and the *Xiang Gong* was still the *Xiang Gong*.

The most obvious manifestation was that military achievements reached the position of Han Shizhong, and he could only obtain the title of Prince of a Commandery, and it was the only one in the world. However, as long as the *Xiang Gong* retired peacefully, they would generally have the title of Prince, and even the *Gong Xiang* (Duke Chancellor) and Prime Minister would be the one-word Prince of that level.

Of course, Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian were by no means afraid of trouble. At this time, they kept silent, probably for other reasons.

"Chancellor Lu!"

The two great generals Han and Li left directly, and Qu Duan was so tired that he was powerless, and they dispersed in a mess. Wang Yan, Wang De and others really did not know how to deal with a well-known Chancellor, and they left in a low voice. Only Wu Jie waited for everyone to disperse before chasing out alone in a hurry. "Please stop, this subordinate has something important to say."

The rain was pouring, dripping from the eaves in strings. Lu Yihao, at the end of the corridor of the back hall of the county government, looked back and paused, leaning on his cane. Mei Li, who was next to him, quickly held up an umbrella and wisely hid in the rain on the side.

"Chancellor Lu." Seeing this, Wu Jie immediately stepped forward, and then bowed sincerely. "Please listen to this subordinate's words."

"Speak." Although Lu Yihao had fallen into the water before and caught a cold again, his face was pale, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

"Can you please persuade the emperor again?" Wu Jie stood up straight and said sincerely.

"Persuade what?" Lu Yihao asked solemnly. "Why persuade?"

"This subordinate is worried that the emperor will not be able to decide to go to war because of this rain." Wu Jie became more and more sincere. "Before in Taiyuan, the emperor was a little hesitant, and now this rain is even more obvious... The Taiping River has swelled, bows and crossbows cannot be used, logistics are difficult, and the condition of Commander Qu and his troops is indeed not good..."

Lu Yihao nodded slightly, but only leaned on his cane and did not speak, not knowing whether he agreed with the other party's worries or agreed with the other party's description.

"Chancellor... At this time, if the emperor, because of the words of Commander Qu and others, decides to take advantage of the water to rest for a while, and then start the battle, or even wait for Marshal Yue to go down the river and attack from both sides, then he will miss the opportunity." Speaking of this, Wu Jie could not help but take a long breath.

Lu Yihao also became a little interested: "How do you say that?"

"Chancellor Lu, think about it." Wu Jie said seriously. "Heaven has sent down rain, bows and crossbows cannot be used. Our army has lost its crossbows, which is indeed a disadvantage, but hasn't the Jin army also lost its hard bows? Moreover, the plains are soft and muddy, which is not conducive to cavalry. The Jin army has slightly more cavalry, and is even more at a disadvantage in this regard."

Lu Yihao immediately nodded again.

"As for waiting for Marshal Yue by taking advantage of the rain, it is even more inappropriate, because if it rains like this, Marshal Yue has already sent the elite troops of the army to support us, and the remaining infantry will only come slower. On the contrary, the more it rains, the more we should abandon the idea of waiting for large reinforcements." Wu Jie continued to explain.

Lu Yihao also continued to nod non-stop.

"However, these are not the key, the key is that our army cannot lose its momentum because of the rain." Wu Jie quickly pointed out the key point.

"Oh?" Lu Yihao spoke again.

"Please think about it... Don't think from the perspective of us decision-makers, and don't think from the perspective of the Jin army's decision-makers, just think from the perspective of the soldiers below... Since the start of the war, have we been winning battles and advancing non-stop, without any setbacks? And from the perspective of the soldiers on the Jin army's side, have they been repeatedly frustrated, overwhelmed, and even retreated on a large scale?" Speaking of this, Wu Jie paused slightly before continuing to explain. "At this time, if we stop advancing because of the rain, and do not launch an attack on the Jin army in front of us, it will be our army's first obvious act of shrinking back and stopping the war since the start of the war... The so-called theory of rest is only beneficial to Commander Qu and the reinforcements he brought, but it will inevitably be a setback for the 150,000 main force brought by the Hedong side, and may even stimulate the morale of the Jin army... It is more harmful than beneficial to sacrifice the morale of 150,000 people for the combat power of 10,000 people."

"This old man understands a little... A surge of energy, then a decline." Lu Yihao seemed to be completely persuaded by the other party, but he leaned on his cane with one hand and stroked his beard with the other. "Wu *Jiedushi* (Military Governor), what you said is very reasonable."

Wu Jie was relieved for a moment.

"But Wu *Dutong* (Commander)..." Lu Yihao put down the hand stroking his beard and sighed slightly. "Why didn't you explain these reasons directly to the emperor? Why did you want this old man to convey them on your behalf?"

Wu Jie was speechless for a moment.

"Are you afraid that speaking frankly will displease the emperor, or are you afraid of offending Qu Duan to death in public? And then people will bring up old things and say that you are an ungrateful person?" Lu Yihao asked urgently.

Wu Jie could only look around in embarrassment... Fortunately, Mei Li was sensible and retreated very far away.

"Wu *Jiedushi*!" Lu Yihao supported his crutches with both hands, his tone heavier. "I will ask you one more thing."

"Please speak, Chancellor." Wu Jie heard that the tone was not right, and immediately bowed his head, not daring to neglect.

"These reasons you said, do Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wang Yan, Qu Duan... do they know them?" Lu Yihao looked up and asked slowly.

The tall Wu Jie thought for a while and said seriously: "Let the Chancellor know, this subordinate roughly guessed... Commander Qu's march was hard, and his troops did suffer heavy losses. At this time, I am afraid that he has no time to think too much... And this subordinate will say something inappropriate, Commander Qu's nature is there, although he has talent, but it is always difficult to get rid of his own system, even if he later understands in his heart, he is afraid that he will be entangled."

Lu Yihao was noncommittal: "What about Wang Yan?"

"Commander Wang... Commander Wang has just been given the position of commander of the entire army's elite, and is proud of it. Although he probably understands this reason in his heart, he may not be willing to think so thoroughly, and will inevitably fall into verbal arguments." Wu Jie answered fluently.

"Then Wang De, Li Qiong, Liu Qi, etc., let's not mention them for the time being." Lu Yihao was still calm. "But what about the two Han and Li? Don't these two understand?"

Wu Jie finally fell silent.

"Are you trying to say that they clearly understand, but they are acting flatteringly and are unwilling to publicly sing a different tune from the emperor?" Lu Yihao suddenly turned his head and looked at the rain outside the corridor and laughed. "Is that what you mean?"

Wu Jie quickly shook his head: "This subordinate is only entrusted by the emperor to take charge of the entire army. Since I bear this responsibility, I dare not have any侥幸 (jiao xing -侥幸 means "lucky" or "by chance," but it often carries a negative connotation of relying on luck rather than genuine effort or competence) in my heart."

"It is of course very good that Wu *Jiedushi* has this heart." Lu Yihao finally turned his head and said solemnly. "But you have made a fundamental mistake..."

"Please enlighten me, Chancellor."

"That is... Although the emperor's mind is shaken, since he has already promised in Taiyuan, he will never waver again on such a major matter as sending troops." Lu Yihao looked up at the other party and explained seriously. "And the two Han and Li, one followed the emperor as his confidant when he was wandering in the south, and the other was alone in Shaanxi, entrusting each other for ten years... In their hearts, they are willing to trust the emperor. On the contrary, you, Wu *Jiedushi*, in the old man's view, are probably taking charge of such a large army for the first time, and you have a heavy burden on your shoulders, so that you are somewhat distracted, and you become impetuous when you see some situations."

Wu Jie was in a trance for a moment... Was it actually himself who was wavering?

"But Wu *Jiedushi*, please rest assured." Lu Yihao continued to look up at the other party and said calmly. "Yao Mountain is like this, and the Northern Expedition is like this. The emperor has entrusted you with the important task of the Central Army, and without hesitation. Even the two Han and Li have not complained, which shows that the emperor's special appointment and trust in you is also unique... So if you have any words, tell the emperor directly, and if you have any concerns, express them all without any doubt. There is no need to go through this old man."

Wu Jie quickly cupped his hands: "Chancellor Lu's teachings are correct."

"Of course, since we have already talked about it here, this old man will convey it for you. There are tens of thousands of soldiers in the army, and there are many chores. Go back!" Lu Yihao turned his head unhurriedly.

Wu Jie wisely responded, quickly bowed his hands and took his leave.

After Wu Jie left, Lu Yihao paused in place. After Mei Li walked over silently to help hold the umbrella, the two of them slowly turned out of the corridor together, and then calmly walked out of the county government office. In the misty rain, they slowly crossed the street, and carefully climbed the slippery South City wall. When they reached the city, the *Chixin Dui* (Loyal Heart Brigade) guards immediately rushed up to protect them, and led Lu Yihao and Mei Li to the Zhao emperor who was looking into the distance under a wooden shed on the city wall.

When the Chancellor came to visit the emperor, the surrounding people naturally wisely dispersed slightly. However, the ground was slippery, and the Chancellor Lu was leaning on his crutches, so Liu Yan, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and Shao Chengzhang, the administrator of the Inner Attendants, did not dare to leave, and still stood on both sides under the wooden shed. Even Mei Li and others only retreated with a few guards to another wooden shed a dozen steps away, and did not dare to go far.

"Since you are suffering from a cold, there is no need to brave the rain to climb the city." Zhao Jiu looked back.

"Firstly, a mere cold will not take this old man's life immediately; secondly, I am old and weak, and my foundation is damaged, so I will not be able to last for a long time... Since this is the case, it is better to be willful." Lu Yihao leaned on his crutches and laughed. "Moreover, a great war is coming, and I don't know how many people will live and die. A mere old man's life is not worth mentioning, so the emperor doesn't need to worry about me!"

Zhao Jiu also laughed: "The Chancellor is broad-minded."

"Although the rain is light, it is misty and blurry. I don't know what the emperor has been looking at every time he climbs the city these days?" Lu Yihao gently skipped over this topic, curiously opened his eyes, but gained nothing, and could not help but feel a little puzzled.

"First of all, I am looking at the water level." Zhao Jiu did not need to pretend to be mysterious. "I have noticed it from the first day. As soon as the spring rain falls, the Taiping River becomes turbid, and the rain cannot cover the river channel under the surge of water level."

"The spring rain rises in slight waves, reaching Pengcheng overnight. Passing under my Yellow Tower, the vermilion railing shines on the flying ridge." Lu Yihao slowly recited, and then sighed. "The Taiping River was originally a small river, but unexpectedly a spring rain has become the dividing line between the two armies..."

"That's empty talk." Zhao Jiu disapproved. "Once the rain stops, as long as the river channel is unobstructed, the water level can drop a lot in a day or two. And I personally asked several local elders, and they all said that spring rain is not as good as autumn rain, and it is impossible to last too long. Even if the water level does not drop, this kind of rain-flooded water that is dozens of steps wide, rafts and long logs can be turned into pontoon bridges in an instant, which is still useless... Therefore, in the end, as Wu Jinqing said, what can stop hundreds of thousands of troops is only hundreds of thousands of troops, neither the Yellow River, nor the Mianman River, and even less this mere Taiping River."

"In this case, the emperor's decision is made?" Lu Yihao smiled slightly again.

"That's right." Zhao Jiu replied calmly. "To be honest from the bottom of my heart, this battle is too hasty... However, how can the situation reach the present be controlled by human power? Even if I am the emperor and hesitate in my heart, how can I go against the general trend?"

"That's indeed the case." Lu Yihao was thoughtful. "After the emperor blew up Taiyuan City, this battle was inevitable."

Zhao Jiu slowly shook his head, not knowing what he was thinking.

Lu Yihao also leaned on his crutches and was silent for a while.

But a moment later, he looked at the misty spring rain in front of him, and slightly realized: "The emperor said earlier that he 'first looked at the water level', then what did he look at secondly? The Jin army's camp cannot be seen, is it perhaps this vast expanse of green?"

"The Chancellor has good eyesight." Zhao Jiu looked at the front and said frankly. "I still noticed it from the first day. After the rain, the spring green cannot be concealed, and the green has actually become thicker to the naked eye in these few days of continuous rain..."

"Looking south from Huolu City, you can only see a few corners of the Taihang Mountains. Such spring green is mostly wild seedlings and weeds in unmanaged wasteland." Lu Yihao was thoughtful. "The entire area south and east of Huolu is good farmland."

"Yes, good farmland." Zhao Jiu calmly interjected. "And it is already February, and it should be spring plowing and sprouting seedlings. At this time of spring rain, the farmers should also be wearing raincoats and clearing the inner floods, but at this time most of the local farmers have actually been rounded up in the opposite military camp to be conscripted soldiers... The remaining old, weak, women and children have also fled into the Taihang Mountains."

"A mere Taiping River, a yellow belt only, at this time full of verdant green, it is indeed that the general trend is unstoppable." Lu Yihao sighed for a moment. "No wonder the emperor's decision is so firm, even Commander Qu's arrival in such a disheveled state has not hindered the emperor's intentions in the slightest."

"Although that's the case, we still have to talk about military matters." Zhao Jiu shook his head and explained. "From the fact that Han, Li, Wu, and Wang all tried their best to protect Huyan Tong, I know that they are trying to remind me that our army's morale is still there, and the war must not be delayed. Today's dispute between Qu Duan and them is even more obvious... If it were not for their firm attitude, how could I, a mere emperor who does not know military affairs, dare to be so firm?"

Lu Yihao nodded, and then suddenly laughed.

Zhao Jiu looked back in confusion, but was met with the other party's slightly strange gaze.

"This minister is rude." Lu Yihao retracted his gaze, slightly emotional. "I just thought of the situation during the Zhenzong period... Before the Chanyuan Treaty, the emperor of the dignified Chinese nation actually did not dare to cross the river, so that Kou Zhun, that Chancellor, had to coax and deceive him to cross the river. Even so, after thinking about it afterwards, he actually resented Kou Zhun... From the Spring and Autumn Period onwards, where was there such an emperor? But..."

"But the Great Song Dynasty has a bunch of such emperors." Zhao Jiu took over the words, and could not help but smile. "And yet, today you and I, the emperor and his minister, have actually come to a small city under the jurisdiction of Zhending Prefecture, only a dozen *li* away from the Jin army's hundreds of thousands?"

"That's right." Lu Yihao said solemnly. "That is what this minister meant."

Zhao Jiu smiled slightly and nodded, and then paused slightly. The emperor and his minister were speechless for a moment, and the rain also seemed to ease with the two's slight pause.

A moment later, the Zhao emperor, who had been watching the rain for a while, was about to speak again, but unexpectedly Lu Yihao took the lead and directly spoke in a shocking manner:

"Emperor, as the saying goes, people are kind when they are about to die... This minister has two words to say to the emperor. Please listen carefully to the emperor in view of the fact that this minister is the incumbent Chief Minister, and if anyone has any doubts about anything in the future, the emperor can push it all on this minister."

Zhao Jiu did not say a word, but just stared at the other party.

Lu Yihao leaned on his crutches and looked at the increasingly weak rain in front of him: "Emperor, that day outside Taiyuan City, this minister has been thinking about the emperor's words every day these days. With this minister's experience and ability, after thinking about it, in addition to advising the emperor to continue to keep his promise that night, there is only one more way... That is, the Emperor should be first!"

"Be first?"

"Be first." Lu Yihao replied affirmatively. "The Emperor once said in Jiangnan that everything must have a beginning, but this minister's lifelong method is in the word 'be first'."

"I would like to hear the details."

"It is not some profound knowledge, it is not comparable to Lu Gongxiang's transformation of family learning into original learning... It is just a little experience, and it is extremely superficial, it is just the literal meaning." Lu Yihao sighed. "Placed in the present and the future, there are two specific suggestions, which are also the two words that this minister wants to say."

"Please teach me, Chancellor."

"Firstly, in the great battle a few days later, when necessary, the Emperor can be the first in the army." Lu Yihao patiently persuaded. "In this minister's opinion, this is not dangerous, because the elite of the entire nation are here. When the troops on the opposite side of the river exceed this side, the Emperor leading the crowd to be the first is actually in the safest place in the world. Hiding behind, but being separated from the army, will instead bring danger and misfortune."

"That makes sense." Zhao Jiu replied with an answer that everyone present had expected.

"Secondly, after this Northern Expedition, there will be thousands of threads and thousands of threads. The difficulties north of the Yellow River, the Emperor has already said very clearly before, and after thinking about it for a long time, if you want to handle it properly, there is also a way to be the first in the country!" Speaking of this, Lu Yihao turned his head and said seriously. "Emperor, this minister was once in Yanshan Road, and saw that Yanjing (Beijing) had a great geographical advantage, controlling Hebei and leading the outside of the pass. If this Northern Expedition can take all five routes in the north, why not move the capital to Yanjing and reset the world?"

Hearing the last eight words, Liu Yan and Shao Chengzhang, who had been motionless all along, trembled in unison, and then could not help but look at each other behind the Zhao emperor and Chancellor Lu, and could not hide the shock in their eyes. Not far away, the only civil official present was also awakened in addition to being mentally shaken. This was likely to be a huge political gift given to him by Chancellor Lu, who had been kind enough to promote him, in return for his careful service in the past few days.

However, contrary to the expectations of these people and Lu Yihao, the Zhao emperor did not have any surprise at all, but just nodded lightly: "Chancellor Lu is right, Yanjing has the aura of a king!"

It was as if this emperor had once again coincided with this highly compatible Chancellor.

In fact, Lu Yihao was only slightly surprised, and then immediately calmed down, as if he had not said anything that would affect the overall situation of the world's fate.

In this way, the rain stopped that afternoon, and the spring sunshine also appeared.

The Zhao emperor personally issued an order, requesting the entire army to clear the sewage to prevent epidemics. That evening, he summoned the generals and qualified *tongzhi* (military commissioner) to inquire about Wu Jie's rough plan after the start of the war.

Wu Jie was also quite calm, and told the temporary strategy that had been worked out in the past few days one by one.

"Roughly speaking, it is to have the 20,000 troops of the Imperial Army's Left Army as the vanguard to cross the river from the west side of the Jin army's camp in the slightly distant upstream to gain a foothold." Zhao Jiu, sitting on one side of the hall, summarized expressionlessly. "Then the Imperial Army's cavalry and the Khitan and Mongolian light cavalry, a total of 40,000 light cavalry, will cross the river on a large scale under the cover of the Imperial Army's Left Army, and the 60,000 troops will move towards the highlands to compete?"

"Yes." Wu Jie was concise.

"And after the cavalry moves, *Jiedushi* (Military Governor) Li will command the Shaanxi and Luoyang parts of the Imperial Army's Central Army, plus the 40,000 troops of the Imperial Army's Rear Army to cross the river from the front to compete for that high ground. With the high ground in hand, he will use 100,000 infantry and cavalry to compete with the Jin army, forcing the Jin army to use all their strength first?"

"Yes."

"If that doesn't work, then send Wang De and Li Qiong, two generals with 25,000 troops, to cross the river, pretending to be the decisive force, to lure the Jin army to use all their strength?"

"Yes."

"If that still doesn't work, then send Qu Duan's Imperial Army cavalry and Zhang Xian's Imperial Army's *Qian Jun Beiwei Jun* (Vanguard Elite Vanguard Army), a total of more than 10,000, to lure and act as a trump card... At that time, if the Jin army does not use its backhand, this unit will be the trump card, and this battle will be fought with 140,000 troops; and if the Jin army's backhand is sent out, this unit will be the bait, and I will send Wang *Zongtong* (Commander), Yang Yizhong, Zhang Zigai leading the entire army's elite long axe heavy infantry and part of the powerful crossbows with more than 20,000 to 30,000, to cross the river together, to make a decisive bet... Is that right?"

"Yes." Wu Jie was still concise.

"Then it is settled like this." Zhao Jiu was equally concise. "After drying it for a day tomorrow, the mud can be slightly dried. Early the day after tomorrow, the entire army will be sent to cross the river for a decisive battle... What about the pontoon bridge?"

"The Taiping River is not a rapid and deep water. It is easy to build temporarily as long as you prepare long logs and large rafts in advance. On the contrary, it is easy to catch them by surprise." Wu Jie blurted out.

"Okay, I won't ask about the remaining details." Zhao Jiu nodded, and then looked around. "Does anyone have different opinions on this plan?"

Qu Duan wanted to get up in a low voice, and wanted to speak for a moment.

"I will ask again, does anyone have any objections?" Zhao Jiu's eyes swept over the other party, and then asked again, raising his voice and his tone becoming stern.

This time, Qu Duan completely fell silent, and as for Liu Qi and Zhang Zigai, the two of them were even more silent at this time, with no expression on their faces.

Finally, seeing that no one refuted, the Zhao emperor sitting there made a final decision: "That's it... If there is no major change in the situation, this matter will be settled like this."

Han Shizhong took the lead to get up, and the other generals also got up one after another, and then under the leadership of this first general in the army, they roared in agreement.

The next day during the day, the sun was indeed bright. With a day of exposure, the originally slightly muddy ground also quickly dried up. Although it could not be said that the ground was solid, it was not impossible to gallop lightly on horseback.

At the same time, possibly due to the influence of the spring rain, on this day, people realized that the Taiping River was surrounded by lush green on both sides, and the air was refreshing.

It was in this situation that the Song army began to dry and wipe their weapons on a large scale, preparing rations and clean water for the next day.

Obviously, the Song army did not hide it, and there was no need to hide it at all... Correspondingly, the Jin army was unwilling to show weakness, and they also began to dry their weapons and prepare rations and water for the next day's battle.

The most amazing thing was that in the afternoon of that day... I don't know if it was laborers disguised as real reinforcements, or if elite troops had secretly sneaked to the north bank of the Hutuo River in advance during the rain, or if they were really reinforcements... Anyway, in broad daylight, about 10,000 cavalry, that is, a full 100 *mouke* (a military unit in the Jin dynasty) of elite armored cavalry, crossed the river from the north bank of the Hutuo River and entered the camp under the eyes of the Song army.

Of course, the Song army remained unmoved. Because, as the Zhao emperor said, if there is no major change in the situation, this battle has already been decided.

But... so to speak, but in the second half of the night of that day, or rather in the early morning of the third day of the second month of the original scheduled decisive battle, just as the entire army of laborers were still working overtime, preparing to provide hot food for the entire army early in the morning, the spring rain as fine as ox hair fell again, causing the entire army to change color.

"Prince Wei." On the opposite bank of the river, in the Jin army's camp, which was like a monster with three hands, specifically in the camp at the junction, Gao Qingyi was covered in water, not knowing whether it was sweat or rainwater, but he was extremely flustered. "It's raining again... Will the Song army attack today?"

Under the torch that was not greatly affected, Wanyan Wushu, who had taken off his hat, looked up at the sky, felt the rain for a moment, and then turned around and roared fiercely:

"At this time, can you guess that Zhao Jiu will not come?! Go find Hong Chengzhi, tell him not to talk to those Song army prisoners anymore! After I and all the Meng'an (a military unit in the Jin dynasty) officers above have finished the military meeting, we will cut them down to sacrifice to the flag!"

Gao Qingyi staggered away.

ps: Two things, first thank the new leader blackmoon