Chapter 122: Military Strength

Now, Censor-in-Chief Hu Yin took the initiative to volunteer, insisting that the Censorate not go to Xiangyang. While this displayed his loyalty, it inevitably left everyone else in an awkward position... Oh, so only your Censorate is loyal, willing to share the Emperor's fortunes and misfortunes?

Moreover, everyone knew this fellow was a hothead. If not for the fact that the Zhao Emperor remembered he had accompanied him through all the hardships, considering him a close confidant, and that former Censor-in-Chief Zhang Jun had set aside personal grudges to specifically recommend him before leaving office, along with his seniority within the Censorate, how could he have attained such a prominent position?

Of course, fortunately, the Emperor was sensible and neither approved nor disapproved, merely smiling and walking away, thus sparing everyone from having to volunteer for the front lines themselves.

However, it was also fortunate that Hu Yin had made this stance, which extinguished any hope anyone had of persuading the Emperor to reconsider. And this was precisely what the Zhao Emperor appreciated about Hu Yin.

Returning to the present, at the end of June, the Jin Emperor issued an edict. By early July, this public decree had reached Nanyang via the hands of the Hebei volunteer armies. By mid-July, the Zhao Emperor had switched his temporary court back to wartime mode.

It was only at this point that the Zhao Emperor truly began to understand the extent of his own resources.

"There's no need to worry about grain and fodder. Although Minister Liu's stockpiles in Nanyang have already been sent to the various cities in Jingxi, the Jin forces haven't crossed the river yet, so it shouldn't affect the autumn harvest and transport. Jinghu's own grain supplies should be sufficient," said Minister of Revenue Lin Qi, who had followed under the pretext of reporting military matters, continuing his report that evening inside the Yushan camp barracks. He conspicuously avoided mentioning the earlier matter of Zhong Xiang. "So military supplies are adequate. The fear is that once the war starts, the front lines might collapse quickly, and then countless routed soldiers and civilians will flee south..."

"There's no need to consider that," Zhao Jiu interrupted, shaking his head as he sat sideways in the center of the barracks. On either side of the Emperor stood Chief Eunuch Lan Gui and Imperial Guard Commander Yang Yizhong. As for Liu Yan, he was currently inspecting and supervising the two thousand Imperial Guards who had just entered the camp and had not yet come inside. "If it really comes to that, the central government will be powerless to help. We can only hold out in Nanyang and Xiangyang. Saying more is useless..."

"Yes," Lin Qi replied. Perhaps because they had moved into the military camp, even within the cramped barracks, his speech was noticeably more cautious. "Then the Ministry of Revenue can directly submit its report to Your Majesty and the Privy Council. The grain and fodder are sufficient for use."

"True. Unless reinforcements fail to arrive for over two hundred days, our dynasty rarely hears of running out of arrows or food. That's at least some good news."

The Zhao Emperor clasped his hands and sighed, then bypassed Minister of War Chen Gui (whose knowledge of weapons and city defense was no less than Chen Gui's own) and turned to ask another person, "What about the number of troops?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty," said Wang Yuan, the Imperial Camp Commander-in-Chief, who pretended not to understand the Emperor's sarcastic tone. Since the barracks were crowded, he didn't need to step forward but simply advanced one pace. "According to the Imperial Camp roster, the Imperial Right Army in Huaidong, the Imperial Left Army in Huaixi, the Imperial Central Army in Nanyang, and the Imperial Rear Army in the southeast total approximately one hundred and twenty thousand men. As for the forces under the Deputy Magistrate Zong in Dongjing, the Military Commissioner Zhang (Zhang Suo) in Nanjing, the Grand Coordinator Li (Li Yanxian) in Shanzhou, the various Western Army units, the two Zhais in the Western Capital, and the Hebei volunteer armies, the situation is less clear. Rough estimates put the combined forces in Henan and Shaanxi at no less than three hundred thousand, with countless more in the Hebei volunteer armies."

"That means the central government has no less than four hundred thousand troops," Censor-in-Chief Hu Yin said, somewhat surprised.

"Unless the Hebei volunteer armies can cross the river to reinforce us, their numbers are meaningless," Vice Privy Councilor Lü Yihao said bluntly, giving the young Hu Yin a cold stare. "As for Li Yanxian in Shanzhou and the various Western Army units in Guanzhong, no matter how many they have, they can only serve to pin down the Jin Western Route Army. The question is how many they can tie up and for how long. As for Zhang Suo's forces, they are mostly bandits from Jingdong and newly surrendered routed soldiers. These people are duplicitous and have little combat effectiveness. It's very likely that as soon as the Jin forces arrive, they will simply flee..."

"I trust Yue Fei where Zhang Suo is concerned," Zhao Jiu suddenly interjected. "Yue Fei should have over ten thousand men by now."

"Then Zhang Suo has at most twenty thousand usable troops," Lü Yihao immediately countered, then paused briefly before continuing, "Moreover, the Imperial Rear Army under Li Boji can't be relied upon either."

Not only Lin Qi and Li Guang, but the other ministers crowded into the barracks also looked up, fixing their gaze on this new Privy Councilor who had only taken office a few days ago—or rather, who had only arrived in Nanyang a few days ago—and then turned to look at the Zhao Emperor, whose expression remained calm in the lamplight.

However, the Zhao Emperor showed no sign of surprise or shock.

"Is it because they need to guard the Empress Dowager?" Wang Boyan asked, forcing himself. "Or is the Rear Army's combat strength insufficient to withstand a long march to support the front lines?"

"Neither," Lü Yihao said bluntly. "It's because Li Boji is incompetent in leading troops. Once the war starts, we don't know if Zhong Xiang will rebel, but disaster will surely strike the southeast."

The atmosphere in the tent froze, and many people drew in sharp breaths.

Lü Yihao, however, turned and bowed to the Emperor, who was about to speak, and continued:

"Let Your Majesty know, I came from the southeast and have seen clearly the situation there and Minister Li's conduct. I have long known that his political strategy, personnel management, and logistics are all well-organized. But for years, despite the lessons of Dongjing and Taiyuan, and the new example of Fan Qiong, he remains woefully negligent in military affairs... Previously, when unrest broke out in the southeast—military mutinies in Jianzhou, Hangzhou, Tanzhou, and Mingzhou—he seemed to suppress them easily. But in reality, he only held onto his troops while desperately seeking a quick return to stability in the southeast. So he pardoned countless mutineers and bandits, continued to treat them favorably, and incorporated them into the Imperial Rear Army... These are all serious hidden dangers... Therefore, I dare to assert that once the Jin forces arrive, military unrest will surely erupt again in the southeast. Even the Imperial Rear Army itself will face internal rebellion. How can it support the front lines?"

Everyone fell silent. But when they saw the Zhao Emperor, lost in thought, actually nod slightly, Minister of Revenue Lin Qi, who was no longer directly involved with the camp, had no choice but to speak up in protest:

"Privy Councilor Lü's words are absurd! Minister Li's conduct is exactly the same as Deputy Magistrate Zong's. Didn't Deputy Magistrate Zong also favor leniency in Dongjing? And didn't he use recruited mutineers and routed soldiers to hold Huazhou?"

"That's precisely why I say Li Gang is negligent," Lü Yihao replied coldly, not even looking at him. "Zong Ze was magnanimous, yes, but he also knew he had to pick out a few chickens to kill as a warning to others. Li Gang only indulges the military men. How can they be compared? Not to mention, Zong Ze always knew his generals. The men he appointed were all loyal and willing to die for him. What about Li Gang?"

"Let Minister Lü know, Minister Li also has a keen eye for talent."

Li Guang, as a Palace Censor, really didn't want to confront a Councilor over trivial matters unless absolutely necessary, lest he lose his deterrent power over the Councilors. But when it came to his benefactor Li Boji, how could he hold back?

"Of course I know. This man first gained great fame during the Jingkang Incident. Your Majesty then bestowed such favor and authority upon him. Coupled with his own reputation for treating scholars with courtesy, many talented men in the southeast were happy to follow him. His staff was indeed a gathering of worthies. And once he had a grip on personnel, all administrative affairs naturally opened up... But are civil officials and military men the same thing? I'm talking about knowing generals, not knowing men!"

At this point, seeing that Lin Qi and Li Guang were about to argue further, Lü Yihao, apparently tired of sparring with Li Gang's protégés, simply bowed to Zhao Jiu again: "Your Majesty, I am willing to stake my head on it. The southeast will surely fall into chaos. The Imperial Rear Army is completely unreliable. Do not, under any circumstances, base any plans on the southeast or the Imperial Rear Army, lest the situation deteriorate disastrously!"

These words sent a chill down the spines of countless people in the barracks. Even Lin Qi and Li Guang turned pale and dared not speak again, for they suddenly realized that they were now in a time of war, discussing matters that involved countless lives, including their own.

Lin Qi even recalled the evaluation of this man in his benefactor's letter when Lü Yihao first arrived in Nanyang: 'This man is extremely crude and violent. He may be useful for a time, but he is not worth mentioning. My only worry is that he will align with the Emperor, and then neither will be controllable!'

"A dignified Privy Councilor, talking about staking his head? As for the southeast, I never had any expectations anyway. However, this isn't entirely Li Boji's fault for being negligent. It's just that no one else can learn from Deputy Magistrate Zong," the Zhao Emperor suddenly said with a wry smile amidst the general alarm. "You must understand, just as Minister Li is good at using people, and once personnel matters are settled, administrative affairs naturally go smoothly—he is a born Prime Minister—Deputy Magistrate Zong was a born Commander-in-Chief... As far as I know, in the army, he never cared about his status or age. Whenever he marched, he would wear coarse cloth, carry a black pot, ride a plank cart, and sleep on straw, sharing the hardships of the campaign. Everyone in the army, whether routed soldiers or bandits, could see at a glance where he was and would be won over by him. Once he could do that, both favor and authority naturally came easily."

Everyone relaxed a little, and many were lost in thought... This was probably why the Zhao Emperor insisted on coming to the army.

"In short, the Rear Army is unreliable. What we have should be Zhang Jun's Imperial Right Army, Han Shizhong's Imperial Left Army, the Imperial Central Army in Nanyang, the two Zhais in the Western Capital, and Yue Fei and Zhang Rong under Zhang Suo—totaling over one hundred thousand men. Plus Deputy Magistrate Zong's forces," the Zhao Emperor smoothly glossed over the fact that he had treated the southeast and the Imperial Rear Army as a dumping ground, and returned to the main topic. "The problem now is that everyone says Zhang Suo's forces have only a few usable troops. So how many usable troops does Deputy Magistrate Zong actually have? And among the remaining one hundred thousand, what is their actual combat effectiveness?"

"Deputy Magistrate Zong should have about one hundred thousand men, and they are troops who have fought in rotation with the Jin forces in Huazhou," Wang Yuan said, speaking a fair and honest word amidst the gloom. "As for overall combat effectiveness, I believe they can be useful for defending cities. But as for field battles outside the city... Not to mention whether even half of them would dare to fight in the open field, there is one thing: the terrain of the Central Plains is flat. From Dongjing to Nanyang, enemy cavalry can move like the wind. If they now come in force, with one hundred thousand men heading straight for Nanyang, forcing a field battle on the open plains would be asking too much."

Zhao Jiu slowly nodded. Wang Yuan's words were very much in line with his own thinking.

In other words, if the Jin forces didn't change their grand strategy, it would probably be: on the western front, leave it to fate, hold out as long as possible; on the eastern and central fronts, it would be two hundred thousand against one hundred thousand... There might be some discrepancies, but not too large, because, firstly, the Zhao Emperor kept a tight watch on Nanyang, so there weren't many vacancies on the roster; secondly, Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun probably didn't have time to embezzle pay for phantom soldiers... That was one advantage of the Jin forces coming so quickly.

Among them, the troop disposition of these one hundred thousand Jin soldiers was even clearer due to their Meng'an Mouke system. It was nothing more than fifty to sixty thousand Jurchen, Khitan, Xi, and Bohai cavalry, and forty to fifty thousand Han soldiers from the north (both cavalry and infantry).

Even the specific generals could be guessed with reasonable accuracy after Wang Yuan had compiled that official roster of translated names. Having fought for three or four years, everyone was familiar with the names of those Wanhu commanders; they just tended to mix them up.

However, the more everyone understood the balance of power between the enemy and themselves, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. And this gloom grew even more pronounced as Liu Ziyu from the Bureau of Military Personnel began to outline their approximate strategy.

In fact, after Liu Ziyu finished speaking and the Zhao Emperor casually asked a few questions, Censor-in-Chief Hu Yin, who had roughly understood, couldn't help but ask directly: "If we follow the Privy Council's arrangement, wouldn't that mean our two hundred thousand troops are just waiting to die? The Jin forces, one hundred thousand strong, are coming south like a mudslide. Those who can withstand them will, those who cannot will collapse on their own. Are we just leaving them to their fate?"

"In the initial phase, it has to be this way," Liu Ziyu replied solemnly. "With one hundred thousand Jin troops pressing down on us, we can only rely on our cities to resist step by step, peeling away their forces layer by layer, exhausting their strength. After the Jin forces are spent, when it gets hot next year, we can then send out our troops to confront them steadily..."

"You mean send out troops to steadily escort the Jin forces out of our territory, don't you?" Hu Yin burst out in anger. "During the Jingkang Incident, the imperial army disintegrated exactly like this."

"With two hundred thousand troops, can't we both resist step by step and gather a main force to seek an opportunity to annihilate one or two enemy units?" Lü Yihao was also extremely dissatisfied with the Bureau of Military Personnel's general plan.

"Censor-in-Chief, you do not understand military affairs and should not discuss them. Please do not speak rashly," Liu Yanxiu (Liu Ziyu's courtesy name) said, raising his head. He first addressed Hu Yin, then turned and bowed to Lü Yihao. "As for you, Privy Councilor, as Vice Privy Councilor, this is precisely the question you should ask. But the Bureau of Military Personnel and I can only offer this strategy at present... Forgive my bluntness, but until the enemy is exhausted, we should not seek battle. To do so would be to invite defeat! That is my final word!"

Hu Yin, having been rebuffed, could only fall silent. Lü Yihao, however, turned pale with anger and seemed ready to explode on the spot.

"Ziyu is absolutely right," Zhao Jiu suddenly said. "You just mentioned that the Western Capital, Luoyang, is in ruins and is a major vulnerability. Should we order the two Zhais to withdraw to Ruzhou if necessary?"

"The Privy Council had that intention," Liu Ziyu bowed to the Emperor again, seemingly unaware that if the Zhao Emperor hadn't backed him up just now, his current composure would have been crushed by the true heavyweights. "But the two Zhais sent a document to the Privy Council a few days ago, saying that a Red Turban Army has recently risen in Hedong. It is quite numerous and has contacted them, willing to be under their command. The Bureau of Military Personnel believes that Grand Coordinator Li's position in Shanzhou is still too thin, and we intend to have them cross the river to take command of this force, thereby providing some assistance to Grand Coordinator Li... However, this matter requires Your Majesty's decision!"

"Then let the two Zhais go to Hedong to organize the Red Turban Army as Li Yanxian's flank," Zhao Jiu decided decisively. "Have Lü Qing withdraw to Ruzhou with Niu Gao, who is from Ruzhou."

Liu Ziyu immediately bowed his head. Lü Yihao, Wang Boyan, and Wang Yuan all seemed to want to say something but could only bow in acquiescence.

"Urge Deputy Magistrate Zong to immediately finalize the personnel to be stationed in those cities north of Yingchang Prefecture... There's no time to wait now," Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, then finally had nothing more to say. "Other than that, besides waiting for the Jin attack, is there any other essential major matter?"

Once again, Liu Ziyu bowed.

"Speak."

"Your Majesty," Liu Ziyu said seriously. "The Bureau of Military Personnel has actually been worried about one thing. If the Jin forces come in full strength, and in addition to their military might, they also offer inducements to surrender, what then? You must understand, our army, from east to west, from south to north, has two hundred thousand troops stationed at various strategic points. While this is intended for step-by-step resistance, it also entrusts the safety of each city entirely to the generals... Should we send Army Supervisors to each city and each army to prevent a repeat of the Jinan Prefecture incident?"

"No!" Zhao Jiu answered decisively, cutting off Hu Yin, who seemed tempted. "This battle is, by its very nature, a great sifting of sand. We lack the strength. Don't do things that can only backfire. Aren't Army Supervisors afraid of death? Let them sit tight in Nanyang and wait for the enemy situation to become clear... It won't be long now!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then they all bowed in acknowledgment.