Chapter 26: The Retribution of a Hundred Thousand

As it happened, in mid-December, the commoners of Jinan Prefecture rose up in revolt against the Jin. The surrendered Prefect of Jinan, Liu Yu, sent a rider flying for reinforcements, delivering the military intelligence to Da-lan on the sixteenth. In response, though eager to make his mark, Jin Wushu nonetheless maintained basic military discipline. After a brief deliberation, he detached another five thousand cavalry as a secondary force, intending to follow Da-lan in sweeping through Jinan Prefecture, then take advantage of the momentum to advance south along Mount Shuipo, seizing Jizhou on the western side of Mount Tai to secure a rear supply route… This move was made with the treacherous roads of the Yimeng Mountain region east of Mount Tai in mind, to prevent the surging anti-Jin forces from easily cutting off his rear along the line of advance.

However, no sooner had he divided his forces than Jin Wushu, unable to contain his impatience, set out southward that very day through the snow, ready to follow hot on Liu Guangshi's heels straight for the Huai River region.

And just one day later, on the eighteenth of December, His Majesty Zhao Jiu, who was still at Xiacaicheng on the northern bank of the Huai River awaiting news alongside Zhang Jun, received a thunderbolt of a report—the Military Governor of Fengguo Army, Superintendent of the Imperial Camp Command Office, and Military Commissioner of the Six Prefectures of Jingdong East Circuit, that is, Grand Commandant Liu Guangshi, sent rider after rider reporting that all six military prefectures under his defense had simultaneously come under heavy assault by the main Jin army, and that no fewer than one hundred thousand Jin troops were about to cross south!

The few remaining high ministers in the temporary court nearly jumped into the Huai River in panic—a hundred thousand Jin troops arriving now, was this meant to be the final blow?

Even Zhao Jiu, who had previously thrown all caution to the wind and resolved to make a stand, was instantly plunged into despair!

A hundred thousand Jin troops—even if the Dao Ancestor opened a teleportation gate for him, he couldn't hold! He'd have to beg the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to descend to earth, and only by relying on that monkey's iron staff to roll a few rounds along the Huai River could there be any hope of holding.

Was Liu Guangshi falsifying the military intelligence?

There was no need for that!

After all, as soon as Zhao Jiu arrived at Xiacaicheng, he had specifically sent a fast rider to Liu Guangshi with a military order: once the Jin invaded south, after confirming their numbers, he could swiftly withdraw south and regroup along the Huai River!

In other words, Zhao Jiu had permitted Grand Commandant Liu to retreat immediately after ascertaining the enemy situation.

Even if he had been completely stunned and, in a moment of panic, falsified the report, at the very worst, cut it in half—fifty thousand was still a given, wasn't it? Otherwise, why would six military prefectures be attacked simultaneously and then collapse simultaneously?

In fact, after Zhao Jiu calmed down and discussed the matter through the night with Zhang Jun, combining various objective conditions and Liu Guangshi's character, the conclusion they reached was—it was probably still Wushu's main force of fifty thousand that had come south.

But even fifty thousand was utterly despairing, wasn't it?!

As it happened, the rough plan that Zhao Jiu had previously worked out with Han Shizhong, including Yang Yizhong, on the bank of the Yingshui River outside Shunchang Prefecture, though hastily made, was no empty fantasy. Details such as the defensive positions and the three-thousand-man red line had all been the subject of serious, practical discussion.

The defensive position aside—Shouchun and Xiacaicheng had been strategic military choke points since ancient times, easy to defend. As for the thirty-thousand-man force, it wasn't just a calculation of the Imperial Camp's combat strength; it was also a very plausible military estimate based on intelligence brought by officials fleeing south from the two Jingdong circuits, regarding the troop distribution of the Jin's eastern route army…

You see, the Jin were barbaric—wherever they went, they burned, killed, and plundered without restraint. So, following the experience in the Hebei region, righteous armies and ambitious men were bound to rise up in the two Jingdong circuits. The Jin might not be able to hold Jingdong East Circuit this time!

Therefore, Da-lan, as the deputy commander and army supervisor, first needed to ensure the Jin army's control over the Qi-Lu region, so he naturally wouldn't support Wushu's plan. Once Jin Wushu came south, he would at most have only his own five wanhu to command.

But could he bring all five wanhu with him?

He'd have to leave some troops to secure his rear, wouldn't he?

There was so much loot in Jingdong—he'd have to assign some troops to guard his spoils there, wouldn't he?

And along the way, he'd have to capture the cities held by Liu Guangshi, and he'd have to leave troops to garrison them, wouldn't he?

So, the figure of thirty thousand was a workable and indeed achievable number! It wasn't made up out of thin air!

But now, at least fifty thousand, at most a hundred thousand—what the hell was that?

Could it be that Jin Wushu only intended to swallow up Jingdong West Circuit south of Mount Tai, and had no intention of coming after His Majesty Zhao Jiu? But that didn't make sense either! Because given the time and the season, the only strategic target that could justify the Jin army marching south through the snow was His Majesty Zhao Jiu, who was lying low in the Huai River region, wasn't it?

In short, whether it was His Majesty Zhao Jiu, Grand Commandant Zhang Jun, or the accompanying civil and military officials of the temporary court, they were all utterly driven to despair by these military reports from Grand Commandant Liu Guangshi—the kind of despair that left them dumbfounded… And these reports, mixed with the series of reports that Zong Ze had just sent from Dongjing saying "No war on the northern front, Dongjing is safe to return to," now seemed especially dramatic and absurd! As if, oddly enough, they even had a certain plausibility!

"Regardless, Your Majesty should cross the Huai River first!"

After thinking for a long time, Grand Commandant Zhang Jun fell to his knees with a thud, becoming the second person after Zhao Jiu had emerged from the well to kneel before him. "Since it may be fifty thousand of the main Jin army, I truly cannot hold! What's more, Liu Zhengyan's march is slow, and Liu Guangshi is bound to suffer heavy losses—the originally planned troop disposition is already insufficient!"

Zhao Jiu remained silent and grim, clearly unwilling to accept it… Of course he was unwilling!

He had finally mustered the courage, prepared to burn his boats, ready to give an account to himself and to everyone else, and had done so much for it, made such a great resolve, as if he were about to accomplish something great—only to have it easily shattered by such a straightforward show of overwhelming force… For a moment, without anyone's mockery, Zhao Jiu felt nothing but a fool.

But what could he do about it?

If you can't fight, you can't fight. Han Shizhong, perhaps the most outstanding, most upright, and most reliable Song general of this time, had said that with more than thirty thousand, it was impossible to hold! And then Zhang Jun, probably the second most capable fighter, had just told him that with fifty thousand Jin troops, he simply couldn't hold out!

At this point, one could only say that Zhao Jiu's actions this time were purely driven by wishful thinking, and he had brought it upon himself.

"Your Majesty, please cross the Huai River!"

When Grand Commandant Zhang Jun spoke, the civil officials present in the temporary court wisely kept silent. It wasn't that they didn't want to speak, but they understood that at this moment, one word from Zhang Jun was worth ten from them.

"After crossing the Huai, Your Majesty may go to Yangzhou and wait a while, but I must ask Your Majesty to leave enough boats for me and to conscript able-bodied men from Shouzhou and Haozhou in Huainan beforehand. I will try my best to hold the line for Your Majesty here at Xiacaicheng. If it truly becomes untenable, I will withdraw to Huainan and resist step by step, ensuring that Your Majesty has ample room to maneuver…" Zhang Jun's words grew increasingly earnest.

"Can't we cross the river together and then defend behind the Huai?" Zhao Jiu finally couldn't help asking. "I see that the Bagongshan terrain on the opposite side is strategically formidable!"

"No!"

Zhang Jun, still kneeling, answered with absolute finality. "Your Majesty must understand that our army is currently incapable of field battles. To defend the Huai, we must rely on a stronghold like Xiacaicheng to establish a salient north of the Huai, forcing the Jin army to tie down a large force at the city walls. Only then can we leverage our naval strength to cut off the river, and draw on manpower and resources from south of the Huai to support the north. That is the principle of a tenable defense! And that is where Han Wu's plan had merit! Otherwise, along a thousand li of the Huai River, the Jin army, even if it takes some time, can find an opportunity to cross at will!"

Zhao Jiu had nothing more to say… Because he had heard these principles repeatedly over the past few days, and though he was no military expert, he could see that Zhang Jun's words conformed to basic logic.

Beyond that, he also knew what the other party was about to say next—nothing more than that with sufficient Jin troops arriving so swiftly, the existence of Xiacaicheng might no longer be enough to hinder their crossing of the Huai. If one part of their plan collapsed, the whole thing would fall apart!

"Then prepare to cross the Huai!" Zhao Jiu forcibly suppressed the last breath of spirit within him, almost grinding his teeth as he agreed. "Get as many of the Shouzhou people across as we can!"

Hearing His Majesty's words, for some reason, the civil and military officials in the hall all felt a sense of relief, yet also carried a faint, hidden air of dejection.

After all, with the realm in such turmoil, even though they knew it was mere fantasy, who among them could help but hope that this His Majesty Zhao Jiu, who faintly bore the heroic air of a Han or Tang emperor, might truly be a figure like Han Wudi or Tang Taizong?

Did they really think Li Boji had been completely incapacitated by illness back then? Did they really think the great Song elites whom His Majesty had diverted to Huainan at Yingkou were fools? Did they really think everyone under heaven was the type to meekly submit?

But what of it?

PS: Thanks to the new alliance leader, Master Ze! Speaking of which, Master Ze is an associate professor now!

And a word about updates for newcomers—you might not know yet, but I'm a part-time writer with no backlog, so updates have always been a struggle. However, during this new book period, I'll do my best to ensure everyone's investment doesn't go down the drain… That's the bottom line. And I'll give it my all to aim for two updates a day… I'll do my utmost, and I hope for your understanding.