[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-150":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558316,2024,"Chapter 150: Questions and Answers","shao-song-chapter-150",150,"\u003Cp>The Baihe River, which flows southward past the eastern side of Nanyang City and then turns southeast at the foot of Yushan, was very likely the Yu River of the Three Kingdoms period, or at least closely related to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the centuries, this river, together with Nanyang City, had witnessed too many cycles of rise and fall and the clash of arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, on this day, when yet another unremarkable military operation unfolded around the river, it simply could not be bothered to react, greeting everything with a silent posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the sky was still dark, the Song army began crossing the river at the three large pontoon bridges due south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the Baihe River surrounds Nanyang on two sides, and Nanyang itself is a famous great city of the realm, with a large population, well-developed handicrafts and agriculture, and serving as the main thoroughfare from the Jingxiang region to the Central Plains. Therefore, it normally saw a dense flow of people, a hub of commerce and travel, and there was a tradition of seasonal or even permanent pontoon bridges south and east of Nanyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also a key reliance for Zhao Jiu's departure from the city tonight. He knew that before the river ice melted, crossing the river itself was unlikely to be a problem—neither the Jin army, nor Zhang Yu's troops, nor the arriving reinforcements under Zhang Jing had any reason to deliberately dismantle the pontoons during the freezing period; on the contrary, they would only use the ice layer to lay pontoons early during the thaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back to the present, the Song army began crossing the river in an orderly fashion, and the appearance of Yang Yizhong leading more than half of the Imperial Personal Guard in the ranks convinced most of the main Song forces, except for Wang De and Zhang Jing, that the Zhao official was with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, even some of the Imperial Personal Guard who had followed the Zhao official out of the city in a daze during the night firmly believed that the official was in the army, only that the chaotic march and the darkness had prevented them from meeting him for the time being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the so-called trick of fooling the enemy by first fooling oneself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough, just as the Song army had safely crossed half its force south of the city, in the shadows due east of Nanyang City, about twenty li away in a straight line, behind Yushan and before the old Yushan camp, the Zhao official and several hundred cavalry of the Red Heart Company, waiting in silence, heard a rumbling sound that was not very loud at first but had a wide vibration, like deliberately suppressed thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Needless to say, the Zhao official and most of the military elites in the city had guessed correctly and gambled correctly—the ten thousand Jin cavalry that had withdrawn north yesterday were not going to support Talan at all, but were instead executing an encirclement! They had even been sleeping in their armor, ready for battle, otherwise they would not have arrived so quickly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten thousand horses thundered, but to avoid alerting the enemy, they had clearly chosen to complete the encirclement from a slightly farther distance. As the thunder of hooves drew closer from afar, amidst the howling wind, the neighing of horses was faintly carried over, showing the great momentum of the cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, even though everyone knew that a river and who knew how many li separated the two sides, and that the winter morning sun rose very late, with the remaining night darkness enough to conceal most people's figures, everyone instinctively chose to hold their breath, lower their flags, silence their drums, and quietly wait for the main Jin force to surge past due east.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, it was hard to say how nervous others were or what they were thinking, but Zhao Jiu, clad in armor and with a bow on his back, stood with his hands clasped behind his back against a rock, in exactly the same posture as when he had stood beneath the city wall during that cannon battle... only his mood was completely different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at this moment, whether out of boldness or reckless abandon, Zhao Jiu actually continued pondering the question he had not finished thinking about amidst the sound of hooves. He kept thinking, kept thinking, why had it come to this situation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jin army's current actions had not at all exceeded the imagination and expectations of the Great Song military elites; the Jin army's siege intensity, though great, had been utterly defeated by the higher-level defensive techniques of Great Song; and even from an overall perspective, the Jin army's strategic planning could not be said to be particularly outstanding, nor the Song army's response particularly failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the end, the situation had step by step come to this—a Son of Heaven placing himself at the side of ten thousand enemy cavalry, desperately seeking a thread of life!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this reasonable?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this the same as that time he left the city at Ruyang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That time, he had been in a commanding position, going to see Zhai Chong with a certain air of complete readiness, and the ministers had even complained that he was lowering himself. This time, he had to endure over ten thousand Jin iron cavalry in the wilds outside the city, using the lives of over ten thousand soldiers as bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he himself not know his own measure, even if others did not? He was neither Li Shimin nor Zhao Kuangyin. With eight hundred cavalry hiding here, once discovered by the Jin, it would be a dead end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, at this moment, what else could he do but this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this not a desperate situation? If he sat still and did nothing, wouldn't Han Shizhong and the tens of thousands of men between the Five Rivers all be finished? And wouldn't the Eastern Capital Field Command also risk total collapse, causing two-thirds of the entire nation's military strength to vanish into thin air!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been forced onto Mount Liang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chong had the blizzard at the Mountain Spirit Temple; he had the dark night by the Baihe River. But both were about the killing intent in the cold air and the bitter wind piercing to the bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered whether Lin Chong was actually among Song Jiang's thirty-six bandits, and whether he really had been from the Imperial Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this far, there was nothing left to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, the rumbling thunder continued, but had shifted from the northeast to the southeast. By now, the sky was about to lighten but not yet fully. It could be imagined that after dawn, the Jin army would inevitably engage in fierce battle with the Song army, which had completely crossed the river, as planned... And just then, the Zhao official suddenly rose, stepped forward to take his war horse, turned, and headed toward the Baihe pontoon bridge, paying no heed to the fact that the main Jin force had not yet moved far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those around him fell into sudden panic. Some instinctively led their horses to follow, others hurriedly tried to block him, and still others attempted to remonstrate, but dared not speak aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After crossing the river,\" Zhao Jiu said, ignoring the commotion and looking seriously at Liu Yan, \"the Jin vanguard will surely have already engaged. At that time, order the entire Red Heart Company not to conceal themselves too much. Ride straight east at full speed away from the battlefield. If you encounter small Jin cavalry units, actively shout at them to make way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The few men behind him understood instantly and no longer tried to dissuade him. Instead, they admired the Zhao official's thoughtfulness even in haste—it must be known that Liu Yan and the Red Heart Company were all from Liaodong, their accents indistinguishable from the Jin cavalry. This was probably why Yang Yizhong, who was of higher status and more reliable, was sent to lure the enemy, while Liu Yan led the Red Heart Company to accompany him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, the eight hundred cavalry carefully crossed the Baihe River, then mounted their horses, placed the Zhao official and a few ministers in the center, and galloped eastward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facts proved that Zhao Jiu's decision to cross the river before the Jin army had completely passed and while the sky was still dark was entirely correct. The Jin army's entire attention was on the south. Although they encountered a few scattered cavalry units along the way, they were all intent on marching and paid no attention to the slightly different attire of the Red Heart Company cavalry in the faint morning light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By late morning, the entire force had safely arrived at Qingtai Town, several dozen li due east of Nanyang, and crossed the Mishui River there via a stone bridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the entire force rested briefly, drank water and ate rations, removed their armor and fed the horses, then, without any sparing of the precious war horses, set off again in haste—this was nothing unusual, for the reason they normally treasured war horses was precisely for situations like this!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was that the Zhao official, taking the lead, galloped directly east! Not south along the Mishui River!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, leaving aside the common soldiers, the second-in-command of the column, the Censor-in-Chief Hu Yin, who had scrambled to keep up, finally had a sudden realization. The Zhao official was not going to Xiangyang! He was heading east... going east, it could not be to see Zhang Jun; it was almost certainly to turn toward Yanling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, by this time, among the few accompanying officials, only Hu Zhongcheng, who was an absolute utter fool when it came to military matters, had just realized this!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But conversely, once military matters were set aside, this Hu Mingzhong immediately became that supremely clever man who had once handled Han Shizhong like a child!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, once he understood, Hu Yin, clinging to his horse's neck and following dazedly behind the Zhao official, immediately felt both joy and worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he rejoiced in was that the official had not lost his spirit, had not chosen to give up the initiative and go to Xiangyang to evade, but was still the same Zhao official who had crossed the river in the snow on the Huai to see Zhang Jun. What worried him was that, combined with his many previous disputes with Liu Ziyu, Li Guang, and others, Hu Yin began to suspect the reason the official had insisted on bringing him along this time... Could it be that he, Hu Mingzhong, was worried that staying in Nanyang would ruin the military situation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the official's eyes, was he, Hu Mingzhong, merely a person who would ruin things?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, the Censor-in-Chief felt both shame and indignation, but could only grit his teeth and say nothing, because saying or thinking anything at this moment was meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By afternoon, the eight hundred cavalry reached the Zhongyang Mountain area, the easternmost part of the old Tangzhou, now Nanyang Prefecture. The entire force slowed to pass through the mountainous area, then the Zhao official ordered a second stop for water and rations. When they set off again, he ordered half the soldiers to dismount and head to Biyang on foot, while the remaining four hundred, with two horses each, continued marching without stopping!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, while the Zhao official was rushing to Yanling at all costs, the outcome at Nanyang had already been decided. Facts proved that in the open field against a large Jin cavalry force, the Song army was virtually helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the three generals, Wang De, Yang Yizhong, and Zhang Jing, had been instructed early on that once they succeeded in luring the enemy, they should immediately turn back to the city, and so they did at dawn when they detected the main Jin force approaching; even though the three generals deliberately slowed their crossing, leaving heavy baggage on the inner side of the Baihe River for lighter movement; even though they had set up anti-cavalry defenses on the eastern side of the outer Baihe River early on... facing the great flanking attack personally led by Wanyan Balisu with ten thousand iron cavalry, the Song army still proved so vulnerable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After barely half an hour of engagement, the entire Song army had already entered a rout. The three generals had no choice but to lead whatever troops they could control, trying to guide part of the force to turn back north.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Song army's misfortune was not yet over. After dawn, in addition to the well-prepared Wanyan Balisu attacking swiftly from outside the Baihe River, Wanyan Wushu, upon learning the news, did not give up blocking and encircling on the inner side of the Baihe River. By late morning, Han Chang led an equally large cavalry force, swarming in to join the battle, clearly intending to pincer the Song army across the river with Wanyan Balisu! To completely crush this force they had been waiting for so long!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, for the Song army, fighting was meaningless. The entire force was essentially every man for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the walls of Nanyang City, countless officials, who had fallen into chaos and argument over the official's sudden departure south to Xiangyang, looked at such a tragic scene and basically lost all desire to argue—this scene was too reminiscent of the defeated relief troops outside Dongjing City during the Jingkang Incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the current situation seemed even worse than during Jingkang, because no one knew the fate of the Zhao official amidst such a disastrous defeat. If the Zhao official died, then everything would be over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the two Lu Xianggong at this time displayed great calm and execution. Under their handling, one lenient and one strict, order was maintained within the city. The cannon positions were activated in time, and troops inside the city were immediately deployed along the sheep-and-horse wall, effectively curbing the actions of the Jin cavalry outside the city while also allowing a large number of Song army stragglers to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this \"large number\" was only relative to the tragic scene of the day. When the defeated troops were counted at night, it was found that of the combined ten thousand men of Wang De's, Yang Yizhong's, and Zhang Jing's forces, only four thousand had entered the city. The eastern camp had been retaken by the Jin army. All three generals had returned alive, but aside from Wang De, who was unharmed, the other two were wounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this point, these things truly did not matter. To have returned alive was a great fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, when the people inside and outside the city learned that the official had \"used ten thousand troops as bait to detour to Xiangyang,\" although they were stunned and increasingly felt that someone was cold-hearted, they at least realized that Great Song had not yet fallen, the city could still be defended, and order within the city gradually calmed down... only morale could never return to its previous high state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, trouble arose that very night—some officers from Fu Qing's unit, believing that the Zhao official was inherently cold-hearted and had used over ten thousand men as bait to escape, tried to take advantage of the chaos to abandon the city and surrender to the Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter was discovered by Yang Yizhong, who was working despite his injuries. He captured these men within the military quarters. For this, Fu Qing personally went to find Lu Yihao to apologize and plead for mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response, Military Commissioner Lu Yihao not only granted the plea but also publicly rebuked Yang Yizhong for disregarding the overall situation and convicting innocent soldiers based on rumors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter had a sequel. The next day, these men indeed escaped when rotating onto the wall. Fu Qing personally tried to stop them but only killed half, letting a few slip away. After Fu Qing came again to apologize, Lu Yihao greatly praised Fu Qing's stance and immediately appointed him on the spot as Deputy Defense Commissioner of the Four Walls of Nanyang Prefecture. As for the few deserters who escaped, they met no good end... When the Jin army, failing to find any trace of the Zhao Song official, learned from these escapees that the Zhao official had secretly crossed the river and might have already fled to Xiangyang, they could not help but be filled with rage and resentment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emotionally agitated Wanyan Wushu personally ordered these men to be sliced alive before his tent. Then he fell into the very dilemma that many officials in Nanyang City had hoped for... He did not know whether to immediately dispatch a force south to besiege Xiangyang! Or to leave a force to watch Nanyang and send the main army to Xiangyang? Pursuit... was certainly impossible now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, two days passed in this chaotic manner… No one knew where the Zhao Emperor was, nor whether he was safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, one more thing must be said: the Yanling-Changshe battlefield was northeast of Nanyang, precisely at the northeastern exit of the Nanyang Basin. The straight-line distance from Nanyang to Yanling was roughly over three hundred li, and the terrain along the way was extremely flat. When elite cavalry served as messengers, with one man and two horses, if they avoided combat and entanglement, constantly swapping mounts, they could cover the distance in a day and a half at a gallop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that road was too dangerous. Eight hundred cavalry, once they ran into the Jin Army, would be dead for sure. So the route Zhao Jiu chose was the one Du Yan had taken—first heading east through Mount Zhongyang, exiting the Nanyang Basin, then using Xiping as a pivot point to bypass the battlefield where the Jin Army might be, and finally circling north past Yancheng before heading toward Yanling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this detour, the actual distance expanded to over four hundred li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over four hundred li, converted to Han li, was about five hundred li. Xiahou Yuan once said, \"Five hundred in three days,\" but that referred to the extreme forced march while maintaining unit organization and combat effectiveness. In fact, Du Yan, a civil official, had ridden recklessly and covered this road in just two and a half days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following this same route, Zhao Jiu, on the afternoon of the first day, dismissed half his soldiers, switching to one man and two horses. On the morning of the second day, after bypassing Xiping and reaching the main road, he abandoned more soldiers and carefully selected horses, managing to be slightly faster than both Xiahou Yuan and Du Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, not by much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the morning of the twelfth day of the first month, the Zhao Emperor, whose thighs had grown soft from inactivity, now with both thighs chafed raw, led a few barely conscious attendants and fewer than two hundred cavalry who had fallen behind, arriving before the Song Army camp outside Yanling city. By then, it was indeed two and a half days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon reaching this point, with the situation ahead unclear, Zhao Jiu did not rush into the camp. Instead, he ordered the entire force to dismount and rest on the open ground south of the main camp, using the last of their dry rations and stream water they had filled along the way for replenishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This move left some of the accompanying cavalry slightly puzzled. The Song Army's own camp was right in front of them—why not enter the camp to enjoy hot water and hot food?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but this strange action also drew the attention of scattered units nearby and some officers inside the main camp. Soon, a mixed force of four to five hundred cavalry and infantry surged out from the southernmost section of the main camp to investigate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a hundred cavalry circled far to the west, while the infantry deployed face-to-face. Then a general reined in his horse and stepped forward to observe, clearly in a defensive, encircling posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, the Red Heart Troop, which was actually part of the Imperial Guard system, would never have tolerated this. But now, men and horses were exhausted, lacking even the strength to shout curses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, the leading pale-faced general, perhaps sensing the fatigue of the Red Heart Troop cavalry with their many horses, relaxed slightly. He leveled his spear, reined in his horse, and shouted forward:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which army are you from? Where have you come from so far away?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We are the Imperial Guard, come from Nanyang city.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu swallowed a mouthful of water, washing down the dry fried flour in his throat, and, under the watchful eyes of Liu Yan and the others, forced himself to raise his voice in reply… After two days and nights of continuous riding, even though he had tried hard to hide his fatigue, he could hardly conceal the fact that his voice was slightly hoarse. \"I am Fan Zongyin, Imperial Secretariat Drafter. Beside me is Feng Daguan, Director of the Inner Palace Service. We bear an imperial decree to deliver in Yanling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the general first noticed Lan Gui at Zhao Jiu's side, then saw the unit's treatment of one man with multiple horses, the fine armor and weapons carried on the warhorses, and then looked at the several civil officials who, though clearly exhausted, could not hide their air of authority. He immediately believed it by sixty percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this man was always meticulous, so he could not help asking further: \"Since you are imperial envoys from the court, why not directly present your credentials and enter the camp, rest a while, and then enter Yanling city? Why eat dry rations here instead?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this, Zhao Jiu replied half-truthfully and succinctly: \"We have been traveling day and night, covered in dust. We thought to rest a bit, change into our official robes, and then enter, so as not to diminish the imperial majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the general was now eighty percent convinced. He dismounted, stepped forward, clasped his hands in salute, first addressing Zhao Jiu as \"Drafter,\" then Lan Gui as \"Director.\" Just as he was about to continue, Zhao Jiu interrupted and asked back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And who are you? What office do you hold? Under whose command?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pale-faced general dared not be negligent and immediately bowed his head in reply: \"Li Kui of Jingdong, currently serving as Commander under Yue Zhenfu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu was slightly startled: \"I remember your name… Vaguely, I recall you were from Yishui, once a bandit soldier in Mizhou? Now under Yue Fei?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly so.\" Hearing this, the man had no more doubts and immediately bowed his head in response. \"Let me inform the Drafter and the Director: Mizhou was taken by Li Cheng. I lost my base and, unwilling to surrender to the Jin, first went to Zhang Zhenfu…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough of that.\" Hearing that it was Yue Fei's subordinate, and because he had taken note of this man due to his name, Zhao Jiu no longer hesitated. He immediately stood up and cut him off. \"I will enter your camp to rest. You go find Yue Fei at once. One of the decrees is for him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Kui, hearing this, could not have been more eager… If this truly was the imperial envoy from Nanyang, and he knew his name, then letting him into his camp would earn him favor. And if, by some chance, something was amiss, two hundred cavalry entering his camp would be unable to cause any trouble… So he agreed without delay, not even bothering to check the documents and credentials, and directly escorted Zhao Jiu and his party into the southernmost camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, Li Kui vacated his central command tent, made some arrangements and gave instructions, then went to summon people. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiu and his men immediately began donning armor, washing their faces, and changing clothes within the camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, Liu Yan and the others had finished donning their armor, Hu Yin, Lin Jingmo, and the rest had washed up, and the Zhao Emperor had put on the red robe and golden belt that Lan Gui had painstakingly brought along the entire journey, donned the hard-winged hat, and seated himself behind the desk with the tent flaps wide open. He simply did not let Mo Qixie hang the Golden Wu Banner outside the tent… It was fortunate that the hard-winged hat had not broken during the bumpy ride, or he would have had to meet the arriving visitors bareheaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At noon, as the sound of hooves stopped outside the camp gate, a general led several dozen personal guard cavalry quickly inside. When he reached the central command tent, he first stared in shock at Liu Yan, who stood silently by the tent entrance, hand on his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering, he took one look at the man behind the desk and immediately bowed without hesitation, calling out \"Your Majesty,\" startling Li Kui and the others accompanying him into hurried prostrations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, Zhao Jiu, somewhat caught off guard behind the desk, finally realized: \"Did Minister Yue see me in Nanjing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to Your Majesty, that is correct.\" The leading general below, without raising his head, answered immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this exchange, Li Kui and the others, now fully understanding, were almost frightened to death. Instinctively wanting to look up and see for themselves, they instead buried their heads even deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rise and lift your heads.\" But by now, who cared about Li Kui? Zhao Jiu took a deep breath and spoke directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Fei, hearing this, said nothing more. He immediately led those who had prostrated themselves in the tent to rise, then turned to face the man behind the desk, standing with hands clasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, when the other man stood up, Zhao Jiu instead calmed down, but he still remained silent for a moment… Seeing the real person, after sizing him up, Zhao Jiu suddenly realized that the person he had been jealous of all along was not this man before him. Because the object of his long-standing jealousy, or rather the strange obsession that had always existed in his heart, was not a person at all! It was a statue that, in this time and space, was destined never to appear again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the man before him, completely different from that statue, of rather ordinary appearance, was a living person—a top-tier general of this era, just like Han Shizhong, who could become his pillar of support. He had no reason to be jealous of him. On the contrary, only by working closely with this man could he hope to turn the tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's best that Pengju recognizes me.\" With his mind suddenly clear, Zhao Jiu, seated behind the desk, replied calmly in a tone so flat that even he found it hard to believe. \"I only came to ask you a few things… How has Du Chong been these past few days? Has he looked for Du Yan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Four days ago, Vice Commissioner Du sent men out of the city to the various camps looking for Du Jiyi. For two days straight, after finding nothing, he stopped searching and instead shut himself in completely, seeing no one…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you get into the city?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Yes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many troops do you directly command?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Twenty thousand!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many troops in the entire army?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over eighty thousand!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How long can the provisions last?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ten days…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to win this battle. Is it possible?\" Zhao Jiu remained seated, his tone unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Fei paused for a moment, squinted, and stopped for a beat before replying solemnly: \"Yes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lead your troops and follow me into the city!\" Zhao Jiu did not hesitate for a moment, rising decisively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to Bald Monk for the 58th sponsorship and An Miao Mei Zi for the re-sponsorship… I am unworthy of such kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>",4690,"2026-06-06T07:45:46.639Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","7befd877ec2542a35a23effd2105a1b703e7277f3e32a7a049e1bd9d22c7926f","shao-song-chapter-151","shao-song-chapter-149",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]