Chapter 219: Retreat in Defeat

On the twenty-second day of the first month, Han Shizhong led the twenty-five thousand troops of the Imperial Guard Left Army to arrive at Chang'an.

The reason it was slightly later than the expected date was not because Han Shizhong was busy bullying Xin Xingzong at Wuguan, nor was it due to rain—there was no rain on that road through Wuguan—but because, after exiting Wuguan, this universally acknowledged greatest general of the Song Army quickly discovered through scout cavalry, local officials, and Yuwen Xuzhong's early warnings that something was amiss with the Jin Army.

A full twenty thousand elite cavalry, led by Wanyan Loushi's eldest son Huonu, were stationed motionless in Huazhou, located between Shanzhou and Jingzhaofu (Chang'an), as if they were waiting specifically for him.

Therefore, Han Shizhong immediately responded.

He ordered a division of his forces, sending part of his troops to seize cities along the route one by one as strategic strongpoints, while simultaneously ordering the main force to slow its pace and advance cautiously, ensuring the army was never exposed to the direct threat of the Jin cavalry.

Only when his troops reached Lantian, a key point connecting both the main road from Wuguan and the small path along the Luo River, and the Jin Army in Huazhou still showed no intention of blocking him head-on, did he make up his mind. He left the Black Dragon King Wang Sheng with five thousand troops to assist the defending general sent by Yuwen Xuzhong in holding Lantian, then suddenly accelerated with his main force of over twenty thousand and rushed to Chang'an.

And so he arrived safely beneath the walls of Chang'an.

Incidentally, the Chang'an of the Song Dynasty was certainly not the Tang Dynasty Chang'an that covered nearly a hundred square kilometers, but it was still one of the great cities of the world. Thus, Han Shizhong calmly led his men into the city and immediately ordered the hasty establishment of small camps in front of each gate to serve as cover.

But that was all. As Han Shizhong's army entered Chang'an, the Jin Army, which had been still as a maiden, suddenly stirred. The power of cavalry was fully displayed on the plain. Connections between cities were instantly severed, villages were set ablaze, bridge strongpoints were seized, and any small unit caught in the open faced utter annihilation.

The twenty thousand iron cavalry swept across both banks of the Wei River, and their vanguard even burst forth like a violent storm right up to the walls of Chang'an.

Many cities along the way, cowed by the Jin Army's ferocity and the fearsome reputation of Wanyan Loushi and his son, surrendered directly out of terror. Those that did not surrender trembled like withered leaves after autumn, even though it was spring.

Almost in one fell swoop, Wanyan Huonu's main force advanced directly to the Ba Bridge and established a camp at this key point.

To be honest, if Han Shizhong hadn't come, facing such momentum, the people of Chang'an would have been panic-stricken. Especially in this vast capital of Jingzhao, this ancient capital of a thousand years, part of which had collapsed in an earthquake years ago and, though subsequently repaired, was not particularly sturdy... it was hard to say whether the city could have been held.

But hadn't this so-called "Backbone of His Majesty," the reckless Han Wu who dared to be the first under heaven, returned to Guanzhong? Hadn't the twenty-five thousand troops of the Imperial Guard Left Army arrived in Chang'an?

Han Shizhong, who had just set up camp beneath the city walls, took advantage of the fact that the main Jin force hadn't fully massed before the city. After briefly understanding the city's defensive structure, he actually relied on the advantages of the city walls, camps, and superior numbers to take the initiative and sally forth to meet the enemy:

On that day, he first ordered Cheng Min, who had been promoted to Controller-General, to lead only three thousand Beiwei cavalry out of the city to harass the enemy. Relying on the support of the city walls and the small camps before the gates, they skirmished back and forth with the Jin cavalry. Then, taking advantage of the Jin Army's diverted attention, he suddenly ordered Xie Yuan to lead the Cuipian Army out to attack...

Four thousand Cuipian troops surged out together from the small camps before the various city gates, and some even descended directly from a section of the city wall. Their goal was to assemble and form ranks at a specific location in the shortest possible time, creating a cohesive formation.

By the time the Jin Army realized what was happening and came to respond, the crossbow formation had already successfully formed with its back to the city. The Jin Army, fearing casualties, hesitated for a moment.

At this moment, Controller-General Wang Quan led several thousand men pouring out from the city, each carrying a bag of earth. They dropped their loads before the Cuipian Army's crossbow formation and then withdrew... By then, several of the Jin Army's frontline marching Meng'an commanders dared hesitate no longer. After a quick council of war, five thousand cavalry began to spur their horses forward in attack, but it was already somewhat late.

The Song crossbowmen, using their simple fortifications, fought the Jin Army calmly. Han Shizhong also suddenly led his troops out in person, coming to their aid from the flank. Nearly ten thousand troops from both sides engaged in fierce combat within the narrow range of one to three li before the city walls. In just two quarters of an hour, several hundred corpses were left on the field. But no matter what, the Jin Army could not dislodge this elite crossbow unit arrayed before the city. They watched helplessly as the fortifications in this area grew increasingly complex, rendering their cavalry more and more ineffective.

In the end, lacking a senior general to take charge, several Meng'an commanders, unable to bear the casualties, gathered together and simply withdrew. The Song Army successfully established a camp at this location.

The next day, the Jin Army belatedly realized the true purpose of Han Shizhong's sortie—the section of the city wall behind the Cuipian Army's new camp was precisely the part that had been rebuilt after collapsing in the earthquake just before Wanyan Loushi had breached Chang'an.

In other words, immediately upon his arrival, Han Shizhong had taken the initiative to plug this greatest vulnerability in the city's defenses.

That afternoon, Wanyan Huonu, who had just returned to the Ba Bridge camp from Weibei, came straight to Chang'an without pausing. He rode around the city once, saw the towering walls of Chang'an, the high morale and excellent equipment of the Song Army, and, just like those marching Meng'an commanders, found himself with a massive headache. In desperation, this Jin Army Commander-in-Chief simply ordered all frontline troops to return with him to the Ba Bridge camp. Then he wrote a letter to his father to complain.

Of course, calling it a complaint might be somewhat inaccurate, as Huonu was not afraid of a hard fight.

But the problem was, under the current circumstances, attacking the city was clearly unwise. Especially with tens of thousands of cavalry, not seeking a field battle but instead dividing forces to attack two cities simultaneously was a tactical decision only a fool would make... Huonu didn't think Li Yanxian would be any easier to deal with over there.

However, the only problem was that this "fool" was a world-renowned general undefeated across East Asia, the father Huonu most admired and respected. So this man would not be so foolish!

Therefore, Huonu gradually realized that his father had other plans, and he needed to ask his father clearly what those plans were.

He was willing to fight to the death, willing to throw his army against solid city walls regardless of casualties, even willing to give his own life. But he needed his father to state it plainly.

If his father would just say it, he would go through fire and water for him, and he could guarantee that the hundred thousand men of the Western Route Army would follow him through fire and water as well!

In the latter part of the first month, just two days after Wanyan Huonu sent his personal letter, having made some kind of resolute psychological preparation, Wanyan Loushi personally arrived at the Ba Bridge... After all, there was no need for him to be overly mysterious with his own son, especially this eldest son who had already become a Commander-in-Chief.

"Earlier, I sent you to investigate the troops of the Jingyuan Circuit and the Yanfu Circuit north of the Wei River. Where are Hu Yin and Wu Jie now? How many troops do they have?"

The weather was clear. Wanyan Loushi, having regained his usual vigor, rode his horse to the Ba Bridge. Seeing the willows along the river sprouting tender green buds, he felt his heart lighten, no longer suffering as he had in the rainy weather. He decided not to enter the camp but stopped under a willow tree by the Ba River, summoned his son from the camp, and began his inquiries.

"Reporting to Father," Huonu hurried out of the camp. Seeing his father in good spirits, his own mood eased somewhat. He dismounted, stepped forward to embrace his father's leg, and answered directly by the riverside. "I have personally investigated Hu Yin's situation clearly... After we moved south through Tongguan, they divided their forces. The younger of the Wu brothers, Wu Lin, the Military Supervisor of the Yanfu Circuit, remains stationed at Luojiao, guarding against the Yan'an direction. Hu Yin himself, along with Wu Jie, led about ten thousand men from the Jingyuan Circuit south. They arrived in the Fuping area about four or five days ago. Perhaps because Han Shizhong had already entered the pass by then, and news came from Chang'an, they stopped."

"Just as I thought. After Qu Duan was transferred away, at least no one in the Western Army dares to hold onto their troops for personal power anymore... Last time I was here, I didn't see such beautiful scenery." Loushi looked around, nodding repeatedly, his tone casual. "What about the reinforcements from Bashu and the rest of the Western Army?"

"I'm not entirely sure about Bashu, but the troops from the Qinfeng Circuit gathered in the Wugong and Meixian area seven or eight days ago, also about ten thousand men. It should be that Yuwen Xuzhong, knowing Han Shizhong's army was coming, kept them in the rear as support... But I suspect it might also be that they are waiting for Zhang Jun to gather the reinforcements from Bashu and the Xihai Circuit to form a general reserve. However, without specific intelligence, it's hard to be certain." Huonu suppressed his inner doubts and replied patiently.

In any case, this was his basic duty as a subordinate.

"In other words," Loushi said, pondering from his horse. "After we moved south, the Jingyuan, Yanfu, and Qinfeng Circuits all responded without any delay, coming to the rescue in the shortest possible time, just like in the east?"

"Correct," Huonu answered seriously. "After a year of recuperation, the Song Army has regained some spirit."

"Excluding the Xihai Circuit, just these three circuits and the Western Army in Jingzhao, roughly how many men? What is their combat effectiveness?"

"The exact number is unclear, probably around thirty to forty thousand at most," Huonu gave a definite answer. "As for combat effectiveness, aside from the Jingyuan Circuit—the ten thousand or so men formerly led by Qu Duan and now by the Wu Jie brothers, who are considered elite—the rest of the troops are far inferior to the Imperial Guard troops in both quality and equipment..."

"I have also questioned the local surrendered officials carefully these past few days," Loushi nodded repeatedly. "The Western Army uses Bashu's money and grain, but they have only been rebuilt for half a year, which is why they seem so inadequate... However, if the supplies continue to flow, given the tenacity of the Song people in Shaanxi and the attention of that Song Emperor in Dongjing, this force will eventually become elite. I estimate their numbers could reach fifty thousand. Don't you agree?"

"Yes," Huonu replied curtly, but in his heart, he was calculating how to reveal his true feelings to his father.

"Then let's wait a little longer," Loushi said after a period of contemplation. "I want to see if Zhang Jun comes, and how many men he brings."

Huonu wanted to speak but stopped.

"I know," Loushi glanced at his son from his horse and instructed calmly. "Let this month be the deadline. If Zhang Jun comes, we withdraw. If Zhang Jun doesn't come, we also withdraw!"

However, upon hearing the word "withdraw," Huonu was stunned.

Seeing this, Loushi laughed instead: "You wrote to me demanding an explanation. I came here today specifically to give you one. Why are you surprised instead?"

Huonu's mind was a tangled mess. It took him half a day to piece together the beginning and end of this campaign—the surprise attack on New Year's Eve, then the entire army being delayed at Tongguan for over ten days, waiting until the Song reinforcements arrived before attacking on two fronts. The attack failed, and now they were waiting for all the Song reinforcements to arrive before withdrawing.

From a strategic standpoint, this was correct... Since neither Chang'an nor Shanzhou could be taken, simply withdrawing was the right move. But the problem was, if this was the case, what was the point of bringing fifty to sixty thousand elite troops south in the first place?

If they had known this would happen, why bother in the first place?

"Father," Huonu forced himself to compose his thoughts, still holding his father's leg as he asked. "If we go back like this, won't we be laughed at by Boli Su?"

"Let him dare to laugh in my face!" Loushi laughed heartily from his horse. "Before, I told him to wait for reinforcements before attacking Shanzhou. He didn't even have the guts to tell me to my face and had to send the second son. Does he have the guts now?"

Huonu grew even more bewildered.

"This is all good land," Loushi suddenly turned his head and pointed his horsewhip at the surrounding wilderness. "Tell the Han people in the nearby villages not to miss the farming season. They should come out and sow their seeds... In these last few days, you must also restrain your troops. No looting, no random killing, no trampling on the fertile fields."

"Why?"

Huonu hadn't even heard the last part clearly. He was still asking this question out of his incomprehension of the withdrawal and this entire campaign.

"Because such fertile fields will be ours come autumn!" Loushi threw his head back and laughed, his helmet shaking back and forth, brushing aside the willow branches. "As for you, if you feel this campaign has cost you face, then act as the rearguard during the withdrawal. See if you can hit the Western Army and give them a taste of hardship."

Having said this, Loushi stretched out his leg and gently kicked his son away. Then he took the reins and rode along the Ba River, admiring the willows, paying no further attention to military matters.

At the end of the first month, there was still no news of Zhang Jun. Wanyan Loushi hesitated no longer. He ordered the entire army to withdraw along the same route they had come. Tens of thousands of elite cavalry, moving as one, converged instantly between Tongguan and Huayin, then marched north in an orderly fashion.

Seeing this situation, Li Yanxian immediately dispatched troops, carefully recovering lost territory, and sent Li Qiong across the river to Pinglu; while Han Shizhong, without any hesitation, promptly led tens of thousands of troops forward in an orderly advance; seeing this, Wu Jie also persuaded Hu Yin, and in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief personally led five thousand troops from the Jingyuan Army and five thousand reinforcements from the Qinfeng Circuit, totaling ten thousand men, to pursue eastward.

However, Wu Jie, the Commander-in-Chief of the Jingyuan Circuit, eager to distinguish himself, led his troops across the North Luoshui River at Changle Town in Huazhou, only to encounter head-on Wanyan Huonü and his ten thousand iron cavalry.

Ten thousand against ten thousand, but it was infantry against cavalry, unprepared against prepared. After a single engagement, the Western Army suffered a great defeat, the rout unstoppable. By the time Wu Jie fled back to the west bank of the North Luoshui and mustered his troops, the entire army had lost nearly half.

Of course, there was good news too. When Wanyan Saba from the Shanzhou direction tried to withdraw, he encountered Li Qiong's pursuit and Zhao Cheng's ambush from Mount Zhongtiao. Suffering a great defeat at the foot of the mountain, this Jin Army Myriad Commander barely escaped with his own life.

But regardless, this kind of closing victory or defeat had absolutely no impact on the overall situation.

This was because the February spring wind was like scissors; it not only brought the Guanzhong Plain a full expanse of green, but also definitively saw off the Jin Army's Western Route Army of tens of thousands of iron cavalry... Under the watchful eyes of all, unmistakably, the main Jin force directly crossed the Pujin Floating Bridge and entered the core ruling area of the Jin state, Hezhong Prefecture.

And at this time, due to the muddy spring rains, Zhang Jun and the reinforcements he led from Xingyuan Prefecture (Hanzhong) and the Xihe Circuit had only just arrived in Fengxiang.

All kinds of news, jumbled together, gathered in Luoyang and then spread to Dongjing.

Among it, the entire city of Dongjing was naturally overjoyed... because no matter how one discussed the details, no matter the specific victories and defeats, the result was that the main Jin force had returned without success, and this meant the Henan region was as solid as iron, meaning the Great Song court was growing increasingly stable in the Yellow River basin.

So, it was certainly no problem for Dongjing, this increasingly lively city, to feel elated about this.

But in Luoyang, perhaps because this city had been a dead city just a year ago, it did not stir up much commotion.

On the contrary, specifically regarding the Zhao Sovereign who had stayed in this city for nearly a month, at this very moment, this man felt an unprecedented sense of confusion and fear.

It must be known that before this "campaign" began, the Zhao Sovereign had judged that Song and Jin would have a decisive battle determining the fate of both sides. For the Great Song, success or failure in this battle was crucial to whether they could firmly establish themselves in the Yellow River basin. So when Wanyan Loushi moved south, he felt a considerable sense of relief.

Moreover, he had already made up his mind to sell everything, throw everything in, to win this battle.

But as the campaign progressed, Wanyan Loushi's procrastination and inaction made everyone, including Zhao Jiu, suspicious and uneasy. However, as the various reinforcements took their positions, and as Zhao Jiu advanced to Luoyang, personally seeing and judging their own absolute strategic advantage, he gradually gained confidence and a sense of security.

However, this sense of security came to an abrupt halt when Wanyan Loushi suddenly withdrew his forces.

It wasn't just Zhao Jiu who found it absurd; everyone found it hard to believe... To put it crudely, we've already dropped our pants, and you, Loushi, the renowned number one general of the Jin state, give the Great Song this?

But nonetheless, once Wanyan Loushi's withdrawal was completely beyond doubt, the accompanying officials from the Bureau of Military Affairs and military officers of various ranks had to actively find reasons for the other side.

Some thought there was a major upheaval within the Jin state, and Loushi had to go back to contend for power; others thought Wanyan Loushi was old and frail, no longer possessing the courage of his youth, and his physical condition had severely affected his command ability; others believed this southern campaign was merely the Jin Army displaying its military might, with no real strategic intent, so once the Song Army fully assembled, they would naturally withdraw.

Of course, as a time traveler, as someone who had once been accustomed to looking at world maps, and firmly believing there would be a great battle, the Zhao Sovereign naturally had his own unique conjecture... Sometimes he wondered if Wanyan Loushi's inexplicable and fruitless "great invasion" was like conducting large-scale strategic reconnaissance for a real great invasion?

And if so, suppose it is.

Then does a military plan requiring five or six thousand cavalry spending a month on reconnaissance even exist? If it does, how large is its scale? When will it be launched?

And what exactly did Wanyan Loushi reconnoiter?

But in the end, abundant engineering dog rationality and a hint of deep-seated fear suppressed this thought in Zhao Jiu... After hesitating for half an afternoon, he finally ordered Han Shizhong, relying on the approaching army, to destroy the thousand-year-old floating bridge at Pujin, and then come directly to catch up with him, returning to Dongjing in "triumph" together with him and Li Yanxian.

The day Zhao Jiu returned to Dongjing was the thirteenth of the second month, and on the same day, Wanyan Loushi also arrived at Taiyuan City.

On this day, Zhao Jiu, having "returned in triumph," temporarily forgot the doubts and fears in his heart. With Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan, his two trusted men, clearing the way, he wore a full set of fine steel lamellar armor, rode the Iron Elephant temporarily lent by Qu Duan, and beneath the golden standard banner, together with the campaign's heroes Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian, carrying a bow and bearing a sword, he detoured south of the city and led over ten thousand elite Imperial Guard troops into the city via the Imperial Way.

The common people along the way numbered in the hundreds of thousands, all lining the road to welcome him.

On this day, Wanyan Loushi, the actual commander of the Jin Army's Western Route who had "returned without success," disbanded the various units along the way, sending them back to their respective posts. When he entered Taiyuan City, he was accompanied by only a hundred or so personal guards and his two sons.

On this day, Zhao Jiu held a banquet to honor the meritorious officials. In the evening, he returned to the rear palace heavily drunk, and Lady Wu expended great effort to help him remove his lamellar armor.

Still on this same day, Wanyan Loushi only had a simple meal in the city at noon, then summoned his second son Mouyan and his personal guards, donned his full armor once more, and directly left the city heading east.

After another six or seven days of travel, in the latter part of the second month, Wanyan Loushi arrived beneath Yanjing City.

This man did not go to visit his old comrade Wanyan Yinshuke, who had just been promoted from Taiyuan Garrison Commander to Yanjing Garrison Commander, nor did he go to visit his old leader, the now all-powerful Wanyan Nianhan, nor did he go to visit the several Crown Princes... He only rested for one night in the large compound of an acquaintance who was a Myriad Commander outside the city, ate some beef, and the next day, revealing his identity, he went straight to the surviving former Liao Ministry of State Affairs within Yanjing City.

Loushi had inquired very clearly: since the death of the Imperial Younger Brother Wanyan Xieye the previous year, which subsequently triggered much chaos in the central government, this place and the imperial palace in Huining Prefecture had effectively become the locations where the central nobles vied for power and profit.

When the weather was hot, they were in Huining Prefecture; when it was cold, they came to Yanjing City... But most of the time, it was Yanjing City, because it was too prosperous here.

And at this moment, because the weather had not yet fully turned warm, the state ruler Wuqimai, the state chancellor Wanyan Nianhan, and several of the Taizu Emperor's flesh and blood, that is, the several Crown Princes, were all here.

If he came a few days later, they would be heading north again.

Inside the Ministry of State Affairs, when the several central nobles heard that Loushi had arrived alone, including Nianhan, they were all stunned, but quickly opened the doors wide to welcome this famous general of the current dynasty, who should have just withdrawn his troops and be stationed in Shanxi.

Loushi, fully armored, went directly into the hall and first performed a grand ritual to pay respects to the state ruler Wuqimai.

Wuqimai, dressed in a thin brocade jacket with a forehead full of wrinkles, hurriedly went down, personally helped Loushi up, and holding both of his hands in the hall, spoke earnestly: "Woliyan (Loushi's original name, childhood name), you have worked hard and achieved great merit in Shanxi. If there is anything, you only need to send someone to tell us; we would certainly not refuse. Even though this southern campaign returned without success, no one blames you. What matter is so important that you had to come in person?"

Loushi, with both hands held by Wuqimai, first swept his gaze over the various central nobles in the hall, striving to recognize everyone clearly, then sighed and spoke loudly to the Jin state ruler before him:

"Woliyan heard that the state ruler was about to die, so he specifically came running from Shanxi, wishing to see the state ruler one last time... If I came too late, I fear it would be hard to see you again in this life."

Wuqimai did not know how to reply for a moment, because he himself did not know he was about to die.

PS: No chapter comments, about to die... once considered asking for leave.