Chapter 412: Beneath the Willow

Several more days had passed since the imperial lord halted his horse by the Fen River to indulge in sentimental sighs. As the weather clearly began to warm, the river ice on the Fen grew thinner and thinner, no longer reliable. Laborers had also begun constructing temporary pontoon bridges on a large scale, or even building semi-permanent ones outright.

At the same time, within those few days, the scale of the great camp below Taiyuan City had not diminished but instead increased.

Ten thousand troops had been dispatched, yet from the rear, several thousand more soldiers had converged after the pacification of some other city. More importantly, with the fall of Taiyuan City, the powerful supply-line logistics network built along the Fen River had finally been extended north of the Que-Shu Valley, into the Taiyuan Basin itself. More laborers and logistical supplies began to flow continuously from the Hezhong and Linfen basins south of the Que-Shu Valley, following the Fen River northward.

Not only that, with the news that Yue Fei's forces had beheaded Wang Bolong, breached Yuancheng, and that the main Jin army had united and withdrawn north en masse, it could be imagined that the heavily sealed-off Henan and Hezhong regions from the previous winter would reopen. After the brief spring ice run on the Yellow River, even more supplies would flow continuously along this supply line.

In the short term, Taiyuan would remain a massive military camp, command post, and logistics base, as well as the headquarters for the next major campaign.

However, as Zhao Jiu and many of his senior commanders had already realized, amidst the stimulation of great victories and the near-frenzied elation both at the front and in the rear, discordant battle reports began to trickle in from various locations.

A few days earlier, it was just news like an attack being repulsed at Jingxing, or a failed attempt to induce surrender somewhere in Taiyuan Prefecture or Longde Prefecture. These were buried among congratulatory memorials from all sides and amidst the more widespread victory reports of sweeping and pacifying strongholds—hardly worth worrying about.

However, on the eighth day of the first month, the day the center of the Fen River first thawed, someone finally stirred up the first major news of the new year.

At Wenshui County, one of the nearest major Jin strongholds to Taiyuan, it was unclear whether it was due to a competitive mindset fearing more reinforcements would steal the credit, sheer underestimation of the enemy, a desire to put on a show for the imperial lord given the location's proximity to Taiyuan, or most likely, seeing smooth progress at other strongholds while this one, one of the closest counties to Taiyuan, remained stubbornly difficult to take, causing impatience…

In any case, Chen Yanzhang, the Commanding Officer of the Imperial Camp Left Army, who was in charge of directing the siege from various units on site, abandoned the step of setting up artillery to bombard the city walls just as the siege positions were nearly complete. Instead, he heeded intelligence from Han Chinese troops inside the city and personally led a night assault, scaling the walls for a surprise attack. The result was that a dignified Commanding Officer, having fallen for a ruse as clichéd as they came—a feigned surrender—was shot dead by random arrows from the Jin army within the barbican.

Now, since the war began, the Song army had already lost several high-ranking generals at the Commanding Officer level.

For example, Guo Zhen of the Imperial Camp Rear Army, who was beheaded as a public example; Lü Monk and Zhao Cheng of the Imperial Camp Central Army, who were dismissed or demoted for lax discipline, defeat, or injury; and Wang Gang of the Imperial Camp Vanguard Army, who suffered the Song army's first defeat in the northern expedition and then died… but even Wang Gang was demoted before he died in battle.

In other words, Chen Yanzhang was only the second Song Commanding Officer to die in active service since the war began, and the only one to die in battle on the Hedong front. Worse still, unlike Hu Qing of the Imperial Camp Right Army, who died in the thick of combat from a stray arrow as reported in the military dispatches, Chen Yanzhang's death was far too ignominious. It directly sent shockwaves through the entire Taiyuan headquarters… the previous arrogance and impatience were reined in considerably.

Fortunately, although Chen Yanzhang died rather easily, Yang Congyi, the Commanding Officer of the Imperial Camp Rear Army, and the reinforcements he brought were already outside Wenshui City, so there was no loss of the main pillar.

Next, realizing that even killing the enemy general had not broken the siege, the Jin Battalion Commander inside the city lost patience and mobilized his elite troops to attempt a breakout. This time, however, there were no surprises or miracles. Under a heavy encirclement, especially with Li Master's Tangut light cavalry patrolling the vicinity, this Jin force was completely annihilated outside the city.

When the news arrived, Wu Jie, who was in charge of the daily operations at headquarters, breathed a sigh of relief. He ordered the Jin commander's head to be displayed as a warning, but made no further comment regarding Chen Yanzhang… clearly mindful of the prestige of the army's foremost figure, Han Shizhong, the Prince of Yan'an Commandery.

The imperial lord also remained silent… This left many senior commanders and officers relieved, yet also slightly tense… One could only say it was fortunate that the matter came suddenly and ended quickly.

But the news was not over yet.

On the twelfth day of the first month, just three days before the Lantern Festival, the Fen River had completely thawed. An extra edition of the official gazette, filled with effusive praise for the victories at Taiyuan and Great Ming Prefecture, was delivered to Taiyuan by urgent dispatch. The messenger also brought good news: parts of the upper Yellow River were experiencing ice runs, while other sections had already thawed and opened for navigation.

This was certainly good news. So the imperial lord, for once, took the gazette and a small folding stool to the banks of the Fen River. There, he found a willow tree whose branches were beginning to soften, and sat beneath it to read the gazette… accompanied by no more than Yang Yizhong and seventy or eighty Imperial Guards.

However, just as the imperial lord was reading a congratulatory poem written by a certain Imperial Academy student, a single rider galloped out from Taiyuan City behind him, specifically seeking him out.

"Your Majesty!"

Ping Qingsheng, who was on duty in the city that day, rode up and tumbled directly off his horse, blurting out a piece of terrible news. "Deputy Commander-in-Chief Wang Sheng suffered a major defeat at Pingxing Stockade! Over a thousand dead or wounded!"

"I understand." The imperial lord, seated on his stool, was not angry, nor did he even look up. "A defeat that severe—what were the circumstances?"

"For Your Majesty's information, according to the military report, Yelu Ma Wu was well prepared. He must have detached troops from the Hebei side to that location early on. First, he feigned defeat and abandoned the stockade, luring our forces deep. Deputy Commander Wang Sheng, eager to engage the enemy, let his units become strung out. Unexpectedly, the Jin army had set an ambush beforehand at the bottleneck outside the stockade. They held back, waiting until Deputy Commander Wang Sheng's main force had passed, then dismounted for infantry combat, struck from both sides, burned our logistics convoy, and killed nearly a thousand of our rearguard…" Ping Qingsheng on the ground grew more cautious as he spoke, pausing to gauge the imperial lord's expression before continuing. "Deputy Commander Wang Sheng sensed something amiss at the front, quickly abandoned the feigning Jin force, and turned back toward Pingxing Stockade… The Jin army, not daring to fight further, fled directly… But without supplies, Deputy Commander Wang Sheng dared not advance further. He could only halt briefly at Pingxing Stockade and submit a memorial confessing his fault."

"Our main force was lured past Pingxing Stockade, the rearguard was wiped out by the Jin army at the bottleneck, all supplies were lost, and then Wang Sheng turned back, only for the Jin army to scatter." Zhao Jiu finally looked up from the gazette, glancing around at the close attendants and guards nearby, before settling his gaze on Yang Yizhong. "I find this a bit strange, Zhengfu. You're from Daizhou—you know Pingxing Stockade best. What do you make of it?"

Yang Yizhong's military experience was vast; he naturally understood the situation. Moreover, with no key figures present that day, he made no pretense and directly cupped his hands in reply:

"I venture to say… the Jin army itself was likely in the midst of retreat, so their preparations were hasty, or their numbers were few. In short, their combat strength was extremely weak… After a hasty ambush, a single successful strike was the full extent of their effort. That's why they dared not linger and simply scattered. Otherwise, if they had any strength left to fight, as long as the Jin army held Pingxing Stockade, Deputy Commander Wang Sheng, having lost his supplies, would likely have been starved to death inside the Puyin Trail."

"That makes sense." Zhao Jiu nodded slowly, lost in thought.

Perhaps because his identity as a man from Daizhou was plain to see, Yang Yizhong paused briefly but couldn't help adding a few more words: "Your Majesty, if my guess is correct, even if Yelu Ma Wu had the intention, he might not have been able to reach that far or that fast… This battle was more likely a desperate parting shot by the Daizhou garrison troops as they fled in haste. As for why Deputy Commander Wang Sheng attributed it to Yelu Ma Wu—first, because Yelu Ma Wu is after all a Wanhu, a famous general who fought at Nanyang and Yaoshan; losing to him wouldn't be too disgraceful. Second, because Daizhou was taken by another Deputy Commander Wang (Wang De), and that Deputy Commander Wang (Wang De) previously reported a victory, claiming to have annihilated the entire garrison in the prefectural city. If this matter were pressed, it would likely end up before Your Majesty for arbitration."

"You're right on all counts." Zhao Jiu sighed in response. "A parting shot, yet it killed nearly a thousand… Two Deputy Commanders Wang—one reckless and overeager, the other exaggerating his victory report… Do they think I wouldn't know about these things?"

"Everyone harbors wishful thinking." Yang Yizhong replied helplessly, half-explaining, half-consoling. "Besides, when Wang De reported his victory, a few scattered remnants fleeing—by common sense, they should have simply dispersed. Even if some stragglers later regrouped, it wouldn't detract from his overall achievement of pacifying Xinzhou, Daizhou, and Ninghuajun—three commanderies—in just over ten days, threatening Yanmen Pass. As for Wang Sheng's defeat and confession of fault, he concealed nothing about the losses or the course of the battle, only fudging the attribution of the enemy force for the sake of face and narrative flow… Even if Your Majesty knows, what of it? Would you impose extraordinary punishment for such minor details? Besides, Your Majesty has already issued a clear decree temporarily placing military correspondence under Commander Wu Jie's authority, with all matters to be discussed with the several Military Governors. You must consider their prestige."

Zhao Jiu glanced at him but said nothing.

Yang Yizhong suddenly understood and immediately fell silent… The imperial lord's meaning was clear: those were precisely the words he intended to say.

On the other side, Ping Qingsheng waited on the ground for a while. Seeing that the imperial lord was silent and Yang Yizhong only gestured dismissively, he took the hint and turned to go report back.

But as Ping Qingsheng turned to leave, he ran into another fellow officer from the Red Heart Company—none other than the Western Mongol prince, Tuoli. Under the afternoon spring sunlight, the man's face was as dark as a pot bottom. Ping Qingsheng was baffled but didn't dare ask too many questions. He simply nodded and hurried past on his horse.

Tuoli arrived before the willow tree, bowed low just as Ping Qingsheng had, and informed the imperial lord of several messages that Wu Jie had handled on his behalf and had just been filed with the Inner Palace Service.

"The Jin army at Datong Prefecture voluntarily withdrew, Yanmen Pass has fallen… Then your father, as the vanguard advancing from the northern route, first plundered Dezhou below the Jinhe Mountains, then tried to plunder Datong Prefecture. But midway through the plundering, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Rear Army, Guo Hao, and Wang De arrived together along the Sanggan River, and the two sides started quarreling over the matter… Is that the gist of it?" Zhao Jiu sat on his stool, pinching the gazette as he pondered for a moment, then looked at Tuoli with a calm expression.

"Yes." Tuoli's face grew even darker… Wu Jie had sent him to deliver the message, clearly with ill intent.

"This is good news." Zhao Jiu scoffed in response. "When all is said and done, the Jin army at Datong has withdrawn, the north is stabilized, and the Puyin and Jundu Trails are both in our hands… What are such minor details?"

Tuoli felt his scalp crawl.

He, a Western Mongol prince who had been with the imperial lord for three or four years, was no longer the wild man of the steppes who only knew how to ride horses, drink, and chase women… He understood perfectly: if the earlier matter with Wang De and Wang Sheng could be called minor details, perhaps that was acceptable, but this was now a major and serious military-political issue.

Especially since, as a member of the Red Heart Company serving this imperial lord, he knew the man could never tolerate such things.

As for the gain or loss of Datong Prefecture, to put it bluntly, even the stupidest person would realize after Taiyuan's fall that the Song army's complete control of the region west of the Taihang Mountains was merely a matter of time, not a military problem.

"Tuoli…" Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, still holding the gazette, but let one hand drop to his side. He leaned forward to address him.

"Your servant is here." Tuoli quickly responded, lowering his head.

"Lift your head." The imperial lord's tone was slightly impatient.

Tuoli didn't hesitate for a moment. He raised his head again to meet the imperial lord's gaze.

"I am actually furious inside." Zhao Jiu spoke calmly. "But I know that you Mongols came south with the intention of plundering for wealth… And there's a major battle ahead; I have great use for the Western Mongol cavalry. So I cannot lose my temper now. And you, Tuoli, have been by my side for a long time and know my taboos well… If I insist I'm not angry, it will only make you suspicious and fearful… Isn't that so?"

Tuoli opened his mouth to speak but found nothing to say. Instead, in the chill of early spring, his forehead began to sweat faintly… as if he had been running too hard.

"How about this." Zhao Jiu sat up straight, expressionless, speaking in a measured, guiding tone. "You take my decree, along with Academician Mei and Secretariat Drafter Ren (Ren Baozhong), and go north to mediate. Once there, don't come back. Just assist your father in commanding the troops and fighting. At the same time, you must reassure your father, make him serve me loyally, join forces with me, and participate wholeheartedly in the campaign… After this war, your father will come with me to the Eastern Capital to enjoy his retirement, and you will become the king of the Western Mongols… I will personally crown you! Once you go to the Western Mongol lands, can you still be as reckless as your father? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Tuoli listened in a daze, stunned for a moment, then suddenly kowtowed to the ground and swore, pointing to heaven: "If your servant receives such fortune, I dare not speak for the various tribes of the Western Mongols, but the Kereyid tribe will be the vanguard of the Imperial Song for generations to come!"

"No matter." Zhao Jiu picked up the gazette again. "I don't need generations to come, nor can I control generations to come. As long as I live and you live, and we don't make mistakes, that will be enough for our bond as lord and subject… Go back and report to Military Governor Wu, Chief Eunuch Shao, and Academician Fan. But mention the matter of the post-war coronation only to Military Governor Wu alone… Don't mention it to Academician Mei or Secretariat Drafter Ren."

Tuoli kowtowed heavily again, then staggered away.

As soon as Tuoli left, Yang Yizhong, for some reason, broke the silence again, speaking hesitantly: "Your Majesty… can Tuoli be trusted?"

"First, Tuoli has been with me for three years, has gained some education, has seen the vastness of the Great Song with his own eyes, and knows the true state of the Imperial Camp. He may not be more trustworthy than Huerzhahusi, but he is more sensible." Zhao Jiu replied unhurriedly, still reading the gazette under the willow. "Second, the Mongol customs are mixed—sometimes the younger brother inherits, sometimes the eldest son, sometimes the youngest son stays home and inherits. Although Tuoli is Huerzhahusi's eldest son, he has never been the heir to the Kereyid tribe or the Western Mongols… Without me, this kingship—I won't say nine or ten out of ten, but seven or eight out of ten—he wouldn't get. Third, even if father and son are deeply affectionate, is there anything wrong with me letting his father enjoy retirement in the Eastern Capital? Finally… is there a better way right now? Should I kill or imprison this Tuoli? What about Huerzhahusi? And the fifteen thousand Western Mongol cavalry reinforcements? Before a major battle, I cannot take overly risky actions. I must endure one last time."

Yang Yizhong said no more, but felt a slight unease… However, he soon realized that his unease was not about the plan for Tuoli. Even if the plan for Tuoli carried some risk, it was ultimately insignificant.

The key point was that he had already realized that before the major battle, more similar incidents would inevitably arise. This would be yet another burden for the imperial lord, who had already borne immense pressure since the start of this northern expedition.

The imperial lord appeared calm, seemingly unruffled, but in truth, he was already somewhat overwhelmed.

Leaving aside Yang Yizhong's thoughts and the imperial lord's continued reading under the willow, let us turn to the other side. As Tuoli, barely able to contain his intense shock and excitement, arrived back at the government office in the inner city of Taiyuan in a daze, he was intercepted before he could speak by Ping Qingsheng, who had returned a step earlier and blocked him in front of the main hall.

Toli initially wanted to rebuke him, but then thought that in a few months he himself would be a prince, so it was not worth arguing with him.

"Something huge has happened." Taira no Kiyomori, of course, had no idea what Toli was thinking, but lowered his voice and kindly informed him in the corridor. "Before your Western Mongol affairs are even settled, the Eastern Mongols have stirred up a monstrous mess... Datong's garrison commander, the Jin puppet prince Wanyan Eluguan, and Wanhu Pucha Huzhan led two wanhu along the Yang River (a tributary of the Sanggan River), and fled via Guihua Prefecture (Zhangjiakou)! Khabul Khan sent a letter to Datong saying he arrived one step too late... Governor Wu's military strategy has been wrecked, and he is rarely so distraught."

Toli was stunned once again. He naturally knew that all the previous events—including the various defeats of the Imperial Camp Army and the troubles caused by his own father—were nothing compared to this matter.

Because of this incident, first, it ruined Wu Jie's most important plan, allowing two wanhu to cut their losses and escape from Datong, which also meant that in the subsequent decisive battle, the Jin army might gain two additional wanhu. Second, an equally significant aspect was that no one knew whether Khabul Khan had truly arrived too late to intercept them, or had deliberately failed to stop them. The latter directly concerned whether the fifteen thousand Eastern Mongol cavalry could be trusted and used in the decisive battle.

But conversely, if he truly could not make it in time, and Taiyuan stirred up some unnecessary trouble that pushed the Eastern Mongols over to the enemy side, what would that amount to?

So, this matter was truly the huge trouble that would affect the entire subsequent situation.

"You know a person's face but not their heart." With this thought, Toli sighed deeply. "The hardest thing in this world is to see through a person's heart!"

These words were penetrating, and Taira no Kiyomori nodded repeatedly as he listened.

And the next moment, Toli continued his lament, and his voice even grew louder: "Unlike me, Toli Lukhan, who has always had only one sun in the sky, and only His Majesty as that single sun in my heart?"

Taira no Kiyomori was dumbfounded, as if meeting this colleague with poor drinking manners for the first time.

PS: Thanks to classmate Xiao Guo for becoming a patron again.

Continuing to offer two books—"Handbook for Conquering Another World" and "Revitalizing Shu Han: Starting from the Tian Shui Qilin Boy."