Chapter 163: Balancing Left and Right (Part 1)

As it happened, Han Chang persuaded by the river, finally making Wanyan Wushu change his decision. Once the army decided to abandon its baggage and race westward toward the Western Capital, it became impossible to restrain.

Of course, under these circumstances, it also meant that the Jin army had completely abandoned any intention of fighting the Song army. Abandoning baggage and conducting a pure forced march inherently meant that the rate of horse fatalities and non-combat casualties among soldiers would greatly increase.

Seeing this, Yue Fei dared not delay. He sent part of his forces across the river to seize the abandoned baggage of the Jin army, while rapidly pursuing along the river. He did not forget to hastily report to Zhao Jiu and Han Shizhong. After learning of Wang De's movements, he also contacted Wang De, agreeing to pursue together along the river.

But everything was already too late. The Jin army raced forward under immense pressure of casualties. By the time they reached Dengfeng, they encountered Yelu Ma Wu's relief force and successfully entered the Luoyang basin.

At this point, Han Shizhong's ambush plan was completely defeated.

This was not because Han Shizhong had not done his utmost, nor because Yue Fei had not diligently executed Han Shizhong's strategy.

In fact, neither man had done anything wrong. Han Shizhong had not forgotten the gap at the Western Capital; he had already contacted Li Yanxian, trying to completely drive out Yelu Ma Wu and seal the gap in the Western Capital area. But in the end, it was one step too late.

Yue Fei's execution was beyond reproach. He even resisted the temptation to annihilate the four Meng'an at the Ru River.

Where was the problem?

Very simple: the Song army underestimated the significance of the Battle of Yanling-Changshe. They underestimated both the Jin army's shock at this battle and the battle's inspiring effect on their own side.

Or rather, Zhao Jiu, Han Shizhong, and Yue Fei were all somewhat exceptional, somewhat detached from the masses. When preparing this ambush, they had not put themselves in others' shoes, nor had they understood what it meant for the Song Emperor to appear personally on the battlefield and win, and for fifteen Meng'an to be annihilated as a formation—what did this mean for both the Jin and Song armies?

This was the first time the Jin army, having reached ten thousand men, had been annihilated as a formation!

When something happens for the first time, it always makes people panic. The Jin army itself was afraid. Da Lan, having personally experienced this battle, was panicked and troubled, simply leaving and never returning. And although Wushu and the others were not afraid to that extent, their inner anxiety and unease were real. This anxiety made them, when facing Yue Fei's textbook-style delaying and luring tactics, not only fail to fall for the trap but become even more vigilant.

After all, the Song army had not been like this before.

And the direct trigger that caused the Jin commander Wushu to completely change his strategy—the active pursuit from the Nanyang side—was beyond the expectations of Zhao Jiu, Han Shizhong, and Yue Fei. They truly had not thought that Wang De and Hu Yantong could pursue.

Of course, thinking about it in reverse, it seemed that Wang De and Hu Yantong not pursuing would also have been unreasonable. Although they did not know the specific reaction in Nanyang, when they saw the Jin army suddenly vanish, and then learned of the Song Emperor's somewhat frightening but apparently genuine actions at Yanling-Changshe, how could Lord Lu Xiang in Nanyang have no reaction?

Indeed, the imperial expedition had been Lu Yihao's suggestion in the first place.

Of course, Han Chang's excellent judgment and the vigilance of Ba Lisu and others were also important reasons. One had to admit that during the Jin's rise, a large number of outstanding military talents had risen with the tide. Their combat effectiveness was not without foundation. In a word, they could be momentarily panicked by this battle and the current predicament, but expecting their combat effectiveness and judgment to collapse rapidly was not realistic.

But regardless, as the main Jin force, after suffering nearly a thousand non-combat casualties and losing an even greater number of warhorses, Wanyan Wushu finally succeeded in retreating to the Western Capital and joining forces with Yelu Ma Wu.

However, even so, the war could not end there. Because almost at the same time that Wushu arrived in Luoyang, Li Yanxian's forces, the forces of Han Shizhong and Yue Fei sent by Wang Yan to protect the Song Emperor in the Eastern Capital, and even Wang De's and Lu Qing's forces, successively gathered around the Sishui Pass east of Luoyang, Dengfeng to the south, and Mianchi to the west—the periphery of the traditional Luoyang basin.

The combined forces, numbering at least seventy to eighty thousand, communicated constantly. Under the leadership of Han Shizhong, who had the triple authority of an imperial edict, a golden tablet, and a jade belt, they basically surrounded Luoyang from three sides and continuously tightened the encirclement, clearly eyeing the main Jin cavalry force of over forty thousand.

This was not because Han Shizhong had grown bold, nor because he had lost his reason in a thirst for revenge. Rather, these generals, and even the Song Emperor far away in the Eastern Capital, all knew that Wanyan Wushu, having abandoned his baggage and arrived in Luoyang, would surely learn of Da Lan's northward flight. And since Da Lan had fled, no matter how furious this Fourth Prince, who held so many cavalry but lacked supplies, might be, he had only one choice: to gather boats as quickly as possible and rapidly cross the Yellow River, because he could no longer hold his ground south of the river!

When the Jin army split its forces to cross the river and left a rearguard, that would be the best opportunity for the Song army to close in and take a fierce bite!

The first month was ending, the second month approaching. Limited by the speed of information, other Jin and Song forces elsewhere might still be in a world of ice and fire. But as the view put forward in *On War* states, the main battle decides everything on the military level. With the battle personally launched and won by the Song Emperor over ten days ago, and the subsequent expansion of that battle's results by the Song army in the following days, by now, at least the combatants on both sides around Luoyang knew that in this battle, the Song army had held, and the Jin army had been defeated.

Moreover, this battle would soon be over.

Thus, Wanyan Wushu, in his rage, adopted the most decisive approach. He unhesitatingly chose Yelu Ma Wu as the rearguard and then had the entire army cross the river in time.

There was nothing to say. The Song army was waiting for this rearguard force. As the main Jin army began crossing the river using boats, tens of thousands of Song troops began advancing into Luoyang from three sides simultaneously. There were no tricks, no desperate resistance. By the time the Song army calculated the timing and finally concentrated its forces to charge toward the ferry north of Mount Mang, the Jin army had only Yelu Ma Wu leading less than ten thousand men as a rearguard on the south bank.

The two sides clashed, replaying the scenario of the earlier Battle of Zhengzhou. Yelu Ma Wu was victorious at first but then defeated, losing nearly three thousand men before his entire force scattered in defeat.

But the continuation of the story's replay made Han Shizhong extremely displeased. Yelu Ma Wu fled westward, and relying on his horses, he successfully rendezvoused with a relief fleet from the opposite bank at Changquan Ferry on the upper Yellow River, then escaped.

The reason for Yelu Ma Wu's successful breakout was simple: Li Yanxian had failed to arrive on time.

Moreover, this regional commander, highly valued by the Song Emperor and whose actual status was probably on par with Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun, had not only failed to arrive but had directly withdrawn his forces.

Of course, Li Yanxian was not engaging in the foul traditions of the Western Army. There was a reason: the part of Shanzhou on the north bank of the Yellow River had come under strong attack from the Jin Western Route Army. In this attack, the banner of Wanyan Huonu, son of Wanyan Loushi, had also appeared in the Hedong region.

Li Yanxian had to immediately organize support for his forces on the north bank of the Yellow River to prevent their total annihilation.

After all, with the appearance of the Western Route Army and the northward withdrawal of the main Eastern Route Army, the main Jin force around Mount Zhongtiao had reached an alarming number.

Upon learning the news, Han Shizhong dared not complain further. On the contrary, understanding the seriousness of the matter and knowing that the Song Emperor was watching from behind, Han Liangchen sent forces to assist Li Yanxian's withdrawal while personally commanding the entire Song army, immediately deploying along the Yellow River.

In early February, for a time, from Tongguan to Huazhou, on both banks of the Yellow River, the main forces of Song and Jin gathered. The total number of troops on both sides facing each other across the river reached an astonishing three hundred thousand.

At this point, even the Song Emperor was a bit panicked.

Of course, while deploying the defensive line, Han Shizhong immediately submitted a memorial.

He believed that the weather had already warmed. The Jin army, which disliked the warm climate of the south, had no desire to advance south again, nor could it quickly gather enough grain for two hundred thousand troops to move south. This joint movement of the Eastern and Western Route armies was clearly the Supreme Commander Wanyan Zonghan, upon learning of Da Lan's defeat and retreat to Hebei, coordinating the two routes in his capacity as Supreme Commander to cover the withdrawal of the forces south of the river.

And now, with Wanyan Wushu's main force having withdrawn and the Hedong territory previously recovered by Li Yanxian having been retaken, as long as the Jin forces at Nanjing and Huazhou withdrew safely, this terrifying standoff would immediately disappear.

At that point, this fourth major Jin invasion, which had lasted from the second year of Jianyan to the third year of Jianyan, spanning half a year and stretching thousands of li, would officially end.

A few days later, the Jin army withdrew from Nanjing, and the siege of Huazhou was lifted. Han Shizhong's words were formally confirmed.

Immediately afterward, the main Jin force in Hebei withdrew across the entire front. The war was over.

On the fifteenth of the second month, as Zhang Jun, having recovered Nanjing, personally led his troops to the Eastern Capital to "protect the Emperor," the Song Emperor issued a new decree.

First, each army and unit was to distribute military grain that could be used as seed, as well as some eliminated military livestock, to local government offices. These offices would then distribute them to the people returning to their homes after fleeing the war, to seize the last opportunity for spring plowing.

Second, the old, weak, sick, and disabled in each army were to be settled locally for military farming.

Third, the officials from Nanyang and Xiangyang who had advanced to the Wuhe region were to change course together with the various lords to Heyin in Zhengzhou. The goods, grain, and silk being escorted from Xiangyang were also to be redirected to Heyin. After each army was properly settled and ensured to be safe, they were also to gather at Heyin as much as possible. This Emperor would reward the six armies there and confer merits and rewards.

PS: If you turn further back, you can see Xiao Jiu saying goodnight to everyone on my behalf.