Chapter 192: Where to Go

"The one who fled was Li Cheng! The one who defeated Li Cheng was the Imperial Commandant, Yang Yizhong, who oversees the Imperial City Bureau!"

Under the sunlight after a summer rain, as Zhai Biao, lying on the ground, mustered his strength to shout once more like before, the midday offensive of the Qi puppet army came to an end.

Of course, the actual situation had little to do with Zhai Biao's roar, because those long-bladed armored soldiers were themselves Li Cheng's confidants, bound to him like bone and sinew. They didn't need to be responsible for victory or defeat in battle; they only needed to do their utmost for Li Cheng. So, seeing Li Cheng flee, this group's desire to fight was drained almost instantly, and they withdrew from the Song army camp like a tide.

And judging by the shape of their retreat, they clearly hadn't lost their combat effectiveness... in this, they were no different from their Grand Commander.

That said, seeing this, Yang Yizhong, who had narrowly forced back his opponent with a single move, kept his expression unchanged but felt a dark gloom in his heart. For him, failing to kill Li Cheng and end this battle was always unsatisfactory... the twin blades on the ground had already identified the previous man without a doubt.

Of course, being in the midst of the situation, Yang Yizhong, who had to think in terms of worst-case scenarios, could hardly imagine that his life-risking slash had not only forced back Li Cheng, captured a pair of blades, and ended the enemy's current push, but also directly marked an unbelievable conclusion to the entire battle that had erupted suddenly that summer.

But certainly, Yang Yizhong couldn't be blamed for not seeing this, nor could Li Cheng be mocked for putting on airs... because they were both caught in the midst of it.

In truth, think back to the Jingkang Rebellion. Li Cheng, leading a few brothers, roamed north and south, from Hebei to the Huai River, then to Shandong, fighting in the underworld and clashing with bandit armies—when had he ever begrudged his life?

And after the Song-Jin eastern front gradually stabilized in the Jingdong region, when he began commanding troops and formally establishing his own foundation, he would not eat if his soldiers didn't eat, not sleep if his soldiers didn't sleep, never shied from rain, snow, wind, or frost, maintained strict military discipline while privately doing his utmost to favor and nurture his officers and men, and quickly expanded to three prefectures in the Jingdong region where bandit armies were entrenched... he seemed every inch a figure of note.

But such a figure seemed somewhat born at the wrong time.

After all, although the world had been chaotic these past few years, overall, those messy affairs had never shaken the foundations of the two great states, Song and Jin:

The Great Song had indeed nearly perished, but it had caught its breath, and still firmly controlled core regions like the Southeast, Jingxiang, Bashu, and the Two Huai. No matter how difficult, it had preserved over half the realm's population and territory... so-called existence is everything, everything for existence. With such mass, anything was possible.

At the same time, although the Great Jin state also faced various internal and external messy contradictions and setbacks, causing many insightful people to harbor doubts, to date, no one could question their absolute military superiority... the great victory at Yanling-Changshe earlier this year was so shocking precisely because it illustrated from another angle the Jin military's ferocity—so ferocious that losing a mere fifteen *meng'an* and having one invasion return empty-handed was enough to astonish people. Wasn't that enough to make the point?

Think of the troops the Song army had lost since Jingkang, the defeats they had suffered—it was simply shameful to compare.

So, back to the present, under these circumstances, it was no wonder that even a bold figure like Li Cheng had to accept the Jin army's amnesty and become the Grand Commander of the Qi puppet state... to gain a sliver of political footing to stand on.

Yet even that sliver of political footing was absurd, unclear, and shaky.

Everyone knew what this Great Qi state was really about. They themselves knew, but they still had to jump in, and then today put on this ridiculous combat performance.

In fact, this was also a major reason why the Zhao official in Dongjing had treated the Qi puppet state so lightly before... his calm upon hearing the military news at Dengfeng back then was certainly due to his boundless confidence in Yue Fei, but given the Zhao official's experiences and political growth over the past two years, he could also recognize the fragility and absurdity of the Qi puppet regime itself.

The sky cleared, and the day passed without incident. The defeated Li Cheng launched no further attacks but began setting up camp around a nearby settlement. As for that Minister Hong, he did not press further... the two of them truly seemed to be "wasting time" here, just as they had said before.

Not only that, but that night, something even more absurd occurred.

A small force of troops stealthily approached from the west, reaching the battlefield. However, although Li Cheng's scout cavalry had spotted this unit's trail during the day, captured prisoners to learn they were local reinforcements from Yangguxian County to the west, knew they numbered only a few hundred, and even knew the leader was a county magistrate named Xiao En, they still chose to turn a blind eye, watching this unit successfully "stealth" into the Imperial Guard camp, effectively bolstering its defenses.

The next day, there was no fighting on the north bank of the Jishui River.

On the third day, there was still no fighting between the two sides, but the leaders of both armies grew fearful... because at Beixinqiao here, they had only received a thousand reinforcements from Zhang Rong, with no trace of Yue Fei's forces.

And sure enough, that afternoon, the Grand Chancellor of the Great Qi state, Hong Ya, suddenly received an invitation from Li Cheng to come to a civilian house in the settlement, ostensibly to discuss important military matters face to face.

"Minister Hong."

Somewhat unexpectedly, Li Cheng, who had been restless in his quarters all morning and noon, immediately put on a composed demeanor upon seeing the visitor. Although he got straight to the point, his words were not particularly hurried or panicked. "Zhang Rong's reinforcements have arrived, but there's no sign of Yue Fei's troops. I wonder if Minister Hong has any insight?"

Hong Ya, who had just entered the house and was hit with this question, was momentarily stunned, then felt a slight panic inside... He claimed to have scouted the enemy's banner with a hundred riders, to have turned the tide, to have organized an orderly retreat for Wanyan Dan... but others might not know—how could he himself not know the truth?

He understood military affairs, but only a little about logistics and grain allocation; he had courage, but only a fraction, and all of it was used for posturing; he knew strategy, but mostly in guessing people's hearts and speculating on secrets; he also understood governance, but only from his temporary experience in Xinzheng County back then.

And now, with Dongping Prefecture as the core, drawing a circle around it, two major camps, four or five mutually unaffiliated armies, over a hundred thousand men—where was he supposed to gain insight from? And what exactly was he supposed to see?

Of course, not knowing was not knowing, but Minister Hong still put on airs as before. He first stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then sighed softly:

"If the Zhao Song official were in overall command of this battle, I could naturally make some guesses. But I'm not as familiar with Yue Fei as the Grand Commander is. Why are you asking me instead?"

Seeing this, Li Cheng felt slightly relieved but also sighed softly: "To be honest with you, Minister Hong, I've been thinking all day, and I feel there's really not much to say... If Yue Fei doesn't come in force to the Jishui to rescue Yang Yizhong, there are only two possibilities."

"Do tell." Hong Ya looked earnest.

"First, he is a man of caliber. It's possible he has seen through our intentions, knowing that you and I are just wasting time here on the Jishui. So he can't be bothered to come to the rescue, and instead continues to sit quietly in the south, waiting for the front line at Pingyin to tire, before striking like thunder." Inside the simple civilian house, Li Cheng answered sincerely. "Second, upon receiving the news, he felt it was too late to come to the rescue, so he resolved to stake everything on a single throw, and has already acted by now."

"What do you mean by staking everything on a single throw?" Hong Ya automatically ignored the first possibility.

"Naturally, he would select elite troops, cross the Wenshui River, and launch a surprise attack on the front line at Pingyin!" Li Cheng said with a serious expression.

Hong Ya's heart stirred slightly, but he instinctively nodded, seemingly acknowledging this possibility.

Yet, for some reason, after mentioning this possibility, the two men in the house fell silent, each lost in thought for a moment, with only the croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas from not far away making a constant din.

After who knows how long, Hong Ya finally snapped out of it and spoke cautiously: "If Yue Fei does this, what does the Grand Commander plan to do?"

"Actually, regardless of which course Yue Fei takes, there is precisely a proper countermeasure at this moment." Saying this, Li Cheng clasped his hands behind his back, turned his head to look out the door, and then sighed softly with his back to Hong Ya. "In my view, we can't keep wasting time here. It would be better to take the safest course... I will lead the Qingzhou and Weizhou troops immediately down the Jishui River. Instead of trying to outflank Pingyin, I'll honestly go to Fujia'an, further downstream from Pingyin, to join up with the Crown Prince and the Grand Marshal... As for you, Minister Hong, I'll leave you with a few thousand Mizhou troops. Why not go to Yanggu, hold the strong city with your back to the Yellow River, and secure our rear on the north bank of the Jishui?"

Li Cheng's words came out haltingly, and speaking with his back to his listener made it seem somewhat odd.

However, the information in these words was too much. Hong Ya's mind was instinctively churning with thoughts, leaving him no time to consider other matters. And, you know, the more he thought about it, the more feasible Minister Hong found this plan.

Because, first of all, whether Yue Fei continued to sit like a crouching tiger, watching for an opportunity, or had already marched to the front line to stake everything, Li Cheng abandoning the Jishui defense line, which was temporarily difficult to cross, and honestly going downstream to join Liu Lin and Kong Yanzhou, would be beneficial to the overall situation. At the very least, it was better than wasting time here.

Secondly, letting him, Minister Hong, lead a few thousand Mizhou troops to the strong city of Yanggu would not only create a feint to keep Yang Yizhong and his Imperial Guard from acting rashly, but also, in the event of a major defeat at Pingyin, provide the Qi army with an extra escape route back to Hebei. At the same time, it would serve to monitor the west and prevent Dongjing from sending reinforcements from that direction.

Of course, these were all considerations from an official perspective. After these few days of contact, Hong Ya firmly believed that the other man would not be solely devoted to the public good.

In fact, Minister Hong had also guessed Li Cheng's private motives.

This Grand Commander's private motive was actually quite simple... once he reached the downstream, he might not cross the Jishui to join the battle. He would likely set up camp across the river from Kong Yanzhou and Liu Lin at Fujia'an and continue his wait-and-see approach.

But this kind of wait-and-see downstream had one huge advantage over wasting time here: the Jin side wouldn't be able to find a handle to punish him! If he stayed here too long, and Pingyin suffered a major defeat, it would inevitably provoke the wrath of the Jin forces in Hebei afterwards, and he might become a target for their displaced anger.

But so what?

You must understand, Grand Commander Li giving him, Minister Hong, a few thousand troops and letting him enter a strong city to leisurely escape the heat probably had a bit of bribery to keep his mouth shut.

So why not go along with it?

With this thought, Minister Hong finally nodded heavily under Grand Commander Li's gaze, and Grand Commander Li, sweating profusely, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he immediately gave the order, commanding the entire army to hastily move out that very day.

And so, in the sweltering heat of the afternoon, Li Cheng, who had failed in his sneak attack from across the river in Hebei, suddenly divided his forces. The main body followed the Jishui River northeastward downstream, while at the same time, four or five thousand Mizhou troops, now leaderless, moved westward under the banner of "Qi Grand Chancellor Hong," leisurely heading to take the apparently vacant Yangguxian County town.

In response, the anxious Yang Yizhong dared not delay. He again wrote down the military situation here clearly and sent it to Zhang Rong at Pingyin and Yue Fei at Zhongdu... However, this was also somewhat for show, because he didn't dare tell his subordinates or that County Magistrate Xiao, who had come to the rescue out of righteousness and was equally anxious, that the messenger sent to Zhongdu last time had vanished like a clay ox entering the sea, never to return.

And this situation seemed to have only one possible explanation: the messenger had been detained for some reason!

To be honest, there were some things and some people that he, Yang Yizhong, was willing to believe in. After all, that was someone the official had never stopped thinking about just days after falling into the well. But others might not be so willing... because in the current situation, believing in someone meant entrusting one's life to them.

Why? Because Yue Fei had a nice name?

"Who does Minister Li impeach?"

On the same day, inside the palace of Dongjing, at the Chuigong Hall, the Zhao official, who had attended a rare imperial lecture and learned quite a bit, was about to leave and return to practice calligraphy... In recent days, although the Zhao official rarely shot at "moving targets" anymore, he still maintained the habits he had kept for years: archery in the morning and calligraphy practice in the evening... Just then, a newly appointed Censor, Li Jing, suddenly stepped forward and publicly impeached someone, causing Zhao Jiu to turn back curiously.

"I impeach Yue Fei, Commander of the Imperial Camp Forward Army." Li Jing replied with a stern face and fierce words. "This man appears solid on the outside but is shallow within; his incompetence has harmed the state!"

Zhao Jiu looked at this younger brother of Li Gang and couldn't help but laugh... Thinking back to when Yue Fei impeached Li Gang as a capitulationist, now it was Li Gang's brother's turn to impeach Yue Fei for incompetence.

Truly, fortunes reverse in turn.