Chapter 140: Divergence (Part 1)

Bolisu did not speak, but that did not mean he agreed with Wanyan Wushu and Han Chang's new strategy... In his view, this strategy was far too wishful, because whether it would work, and in which direction it would work, depended entirely on the decision of that young Zhao Song Emperor inside Nanyang City.

How do you know the other side will be scared off?

What if they don't run?

And right now, the Jin Army has suffered repeated setbacks, with a considerable portion of the thirty-five thousand main force already lost, and morale severely damaged. What if, by some carelessness, things backfire, and the Song Emperor actually breaks out and reaches Xiangyang? Then what?

Who takes the blame?

Of course, to be fair, with Chizhan Hui suddenly dead, Wanyan Wushu was completely unchecked in the army. In a council of three, with one being the Fourth Prince, what was there for Bolisu to say?

For him, once Wanyan Wushu and Han Chang had shown they were willing to tear things apart to fight to the finish at Nanyang, the council had lost all meaning. That they were now willing to offer a plausible explanation, a strategy that still seemed feasible, a plan with enough room for later adjustments, was already a face-saving gesture... What more could he ask for?

And so, with Bolisu's silence, and with the arrival of the twelfth month—ultimately, because Nanyang City had suddenly displayed overwhelming cannon power—the siege of Nanyang, which had lasted twenty days, skipped the expected stage of flying stones and cannonballs and entered a relatively relaxed phase of stalemate and blockade.

The reason it was called a blockade rather than a siege was that after that cannon battle, the Jin Army not only stopped assaulting the city but also pulled back somewhat... The emptiness south of the city and the vacancy east of the city led the Song Army to unconsciously attempt some moves, only to discover in astonishment that their connection to the outside world had been reopened.

This was, of course, a good thing, because it was precisely the situation most hoped for inside Nanyang City—the Bureau of Military Affairs had raised so many staff officers precisely to have a comprehensive plan with various contingencies.

In this plan, there was a solution widely accepted by the civil official system, or rather by the entire central government of the Great Song: when the Jin Army suffered a severe setback at the city walls and the city itself was on the verge of collapse, His Majesty the Emperor should decisively head south to Xiangyang, causing the Jin Army to completely lose their target... This might both revive the ailing Nanyang and utterly crush the Jin Army's desire to advance.

But the problem was that this day had come too quickly, so quickly that it caught Nanyang City, and even Xiangyang City to the south, somewhat off guard.

It was entirely understandable that the Jin Army's will to fight had been shattered by the ferocity of Nanyang's catapults—the city's catapults were indeed so formidable that even the Song Army found them baffling. But correspondingly, no one could guarantee that the Jin Army had also lost a certain amount of combat effectiveness at the same time.

If His Majesty followed the plan to Xiangyang and was intercepted by Jin cavalry on the way, who would take the blame?

And so, during the twelfth month, a kind of sit-down war mode began inside and outside Nanyang City... There were no major clashes—Song messengers were often blocked by Jin cavalry, and the Jin Army would occasionally be hit by a couple of cannon shots from the city walls if they weren't careful—but compared to the first half-month of the battle, it was insignificant.

"Can we take the opportunity to clear the inner moat and repair the Sheep-and-Horse Wall?"

On this day in early December, the entire city was unusually refreshed. The long-weary people had also changed into official robes and gathered in the palace hall. After Minister of War Chen Gui, who was in charge of city defense, had roughly reported on the defense situation, His Majesty, seated above, suddenly raised a question.

"Your servant believes it is worth a try." Chen Gui paused briefly before immediately responding. "This can also be used to test and lure the Jin Army, to see if they truly are in a state of fear... If they sit by and let us finish repairing the inner moat and Sheep-and-Mouse Wall, it will confirm that the Jin Army has given up on assaulting the city."

"Yan Qing." Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, unconcerned, then turned to Yan Xiaozhong and casually instructed. "You are to conscript laborers and assist Minister Chen."

Yan Xiaozhong, the acting Prefect of Nanyang, immediately acknowledged the order.

After this exchange, for some reason, the hall fell silent for a moment. After a while, someone spoke up at the right time: "Your servant, Censor-in-Chief Hu Yin, wishes to speak."

"Speak." His Majesty, clearly somewhat distracted, stared at Hu Yin and responded casually.

"Your servant believes that if the Sheep-and-Mouse Wall and inner moat are repaired and the Jin still dare not harass us, it will prove that our catapults are indeed formidable and the Jin have truly lost their nerve. If so, why not have the Bureau of Military Affairs draw up some plans early..." Hu Yin blurted out.

Upon hearing this, many of the civil and military officials in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, clearly feeling that Censor-in-Chief Hu Mingzhong had said what everyone wanted to say.

"What plans?" Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged.

"Could we imitate the Battle of Xia Cai on the Huai River, break the enemy's main camp, leave the Jin Army with no foothold, and force them to flee north in panic?" Censor Hu replied seriously.

"..."

"..."

"No." After a moment of silence throughout the hall, His Majesty also replied seriously.

"Rather than breaking the enemy's main camp, the previous plan is more stable." As one of the few seasoned elders in the hall, and still the Chief Councilor, Lu Haowen had no choice but to steel himself and speak up. "If the Jin Army truly sits by and lets the Sheep-and-Mouse Wall be repaired, then Nanyang will be safe at least in the short term. Why doesn't Your Majesty take the opportunity to head south to Xiangyang?"

This was the established plan, and after Nanyang reestablished communication with the outside, the first news received was from Xiangyang. Xu Jingheng, Wang Boyan, and Liu Ji had jointly sent a letter to Nanyang City, urging His Majesty to seize the chance to go to Xiangyang.

In other words, even if only Lu Haowen had spoken, this course of action was supported from the start by four high-ranking ministers of the Councilor level, and could not be taken lightly.

Moreover, going to Xiangyang did have its reasons... First, it was the original plan, so why complicate things? Second, Xiangyang was different from Nanyang. Although Nanyang's city walls were larger, that was due to its prosperous economy and large population. Before Liu Ji and Chen Gui's renovations, it was not considered a strong fortress. Xiangyang, on the other hand, stood across the Han River, a natural stronghold and a formidable city since ancient times.

To this, Zhao Jiu said nothing... This was only natural; a good emperor should fully listen to opinions before making a decision.

Unexpectedly, however, despite the strong support of four Councilors and the fact that it was the established plan, after Lu Haowen finished speaking, no one uttered a word of agreement. Even Palace Censor Li Guang and Hanlin Academician Li Ruopu, who had privately expressed concern that His Majesty might not go to Xiangyang, acted as if they hadn't heard.

This left Councilor Lu somewhat flustered.

PS: Everyone go to sleep first... I'll write another chapter on Friday.

On my way home from work today, I saw a newly opened barbershop. I got a haircut, and on the way back, I felt like the most handsome guy on Zhichun Road. When I got home, my cat didn't even recognize me.