Chapter 61: Guangji

So, on the sixteenth day of the first month, Yue Fei consolidated his subordinates, received the weapons, and then set out with Ma Kuo. After leaving the Dongjing area, he naturally followed the Bianhe Avenue southeast, vaguely heading in the direction of Nanjing (present-day Shangqiu).

However, after traveling for no more than three days, just as he entered the Nanjing area, he suddenly received a military order that came from neither Shouzhou nor Dongjing. Yet, following the order without error, he headed directly northeast toward Guangjijun (the later Dingtao area). Even Ma Kuo, who was eager to see the Son of Heaven as soon as possible, had no complaints, because the issuer of this military order was no ordinary person, but actually Yang Weizhong, who had withdrawn from Hebei!

So, who was Yang Weizhong?

This man was the patriarch of the Western Army in this era... or, more elegantly, he was the most senior, highest-ranking, and most famous living figure within the Western Army system, a veritable living legend.

Yang Weizhong's ancestry was sometimes mistakenly attributed to the Kang family, a founding meritorious clan of the Song Dynasty. There were even rumors that he was a descendant of a Kang general captured by the Liao and a Liao princess. But in reality, this was only because he hailed from the Huanqing Circuit and was likely some kind of foreigner... either a Tangut or a Tibetan compatriot... so most people knew his name was a pseudonym. Once his official rank rose high, such baseless rumors were inevitable.

But regardless, the man changed his name to Yang Weizhong, enlisted to serve the country, and spent his entire life in the Western Army. As early as the reign of Song Zhezong, he was a general second only to the Grand Commandants, reaching the position of Vice Grand Coordinator. However, because he submitted a memorial upon Song Huizong's ascension, arguing that the son of Song Zhezong should be established instead of that frivolous one, he caused great trouble for himself. Consequently, during the later era of Tong Guan, he could never get ahead. Yet even so, he was still powerful enough to throw his weight around within the Western Army system. At this moment, among the three generals Zhao Jiu had stationed separately, Zhang Jun aside, Han Shizhong was personally promoted by Grand Commandant Yang, and even Liu Zhengyan, as the son of Liu Fa, had been stuck in a mediocre position, partly because the faction of Liu Fa had its territory encroached upon by this man.

Returning to the present, after the Jingkang Incident, Yang Weizhong had long since found Zhao Jiu. He immediately became the Commander-in-Chief of the then Marshal's Office. Later, when Zhao Jiu ascended the throne as Emperor, he kept him in Hebei, making him the Northern Circuit Grand Commander... but wasn't it at this time that the Jin had resolved to sweep through Hebei?

When the Fourth Prince of Jin, Wanyan Wushu, marched south, he did not forget to order the general Han Chang to lead twenty thousand troops to complete the established task of swallowing Great Ming Prefecture. Meanwhile, the Third Prince of Jin, Wanyan Eliduo, after his younger brother's rampage, personally led the central army slightly south from Yanyun to mop up.

Correspondingly, Du Chong, the garrison commander of Great Ming Prefecture, had abandoned the city and fled from the start. Under immense pressure, there was no longer a proper battlefield in Hebei. Yang Weizhong, retreating in defeat, could only gather scattered troops as best he could while crossing south of the Yellow River through the gaps between Han Chang and Eliduo. He happened to arrive in the Guangjijun area when he received Zhao Jiu's decrees. However, after learning the general military situation in the Central Plains, this old general developed a different idea.

"Grand Commandant means, not going to Shouzhou, but first breaking the enemy in Jizhou, to cut off Jin Wushu's retreat?"

"There are only five thousand Jin troops in Jizhou, isolated on all sides?"

Inside the city of Dingtao in Guangjijun, various troops of routed soldiers, righteous armies, and bandits had gathered. When Yue Fei arrived with his troops, he and Ma Kuo went to the government hall in the city to pay respects to Yang Weizhong. As soon as they entered the hall, before even seeing Yang Weizhong himself, they roughly learned of Yang Weizhong's intention from the various righteous army leaders, and their hearts were stirred, exchanging glances with intent!

This was only natural, because Yang Weizhong's strategy was absolutely correct... In fact, after arriving in the Jingdong West Circuit area, the enemy situation was basically clear. Wanyan Talan and Wanyan Eliduo's minds were on Hebei. Jin Wushu's thirty thousand troops at this time were essentially an isolated, reckless advance. But even so, the more than twenty thousand Jin troops arrayed before Shouzhou were not something any Song army could eliminate in a field battle.

Everyone present was a veteran of the military, and those who could persist until now and gather under Yang Weizhong's banner had a clear understanding of military accounts:

In the current situation, if the Jin and Song armies each fielded a hundred men, the outcome was truly uncertain. The Jin army had nearly invincible war gods like Wanyan Loushi, but the reputations of Han Shizhong, Wang De, and others in the Song army were not just for show. Even Yue Fei, asking himself if he led his hundred most trusted brothers on horseback, would not fear any hundred Jin troops.

Even speaking broadly, one could still find some decent men of valor everywhere. If rewards were sufficient, armor donned, spears wielded, arrows shot, one life against another, who was afraid of whom?

But what about a thousand against a thousand?

To be fair, it was hard to say for the Song army. Or, to put it bluntly, the odds of victory were not great... If the Jin army casually formed a standard fierce cavalry unit with supplementary troops to make a thousand men, the Song army's capable forces would probably need a general of Zhang Jun or Han Shizhong's caliber to pull out their core troops for a desperate fight.

But at this point, the Song army could still fight. At worst, they could leverage numerical and terrain advantages. If you have a thousand men, I'll use ten thousand, trap you in a mountain valley, and still be able to overwhelm you with numbers.

What about when it reached twenty thousand?

Everyone knew that at this level of Jin army, the Song army basically had no room to resolve the enemy in field battles. They could only passively defend. This was no longer a mathematical game; at this level of combat, the simple addition of numbers was meaningless.

This was the consequence of the Great Song's national collapse and the complete breakdown of its military system. It had nothing to do with individual bravery or the talent of generals. The courage to stand against ten thousand could not command a true army of ten thousand... Did Yue Fei in Xiangzhou, Han Shizhong at Baigou, or Zhang Jun in Taiyuan make any difference within the great armies?

Now, with over twenty thousand Jin troops arrayed on the flatlands of Shouzhou, even if the Imperial Camp's troops under the Son of Heaven were doubled, it would be useless. And if they were truly doubled, it might not be more effective than the current defense system of Xiacai-Huaihe-Bagongshan set up by Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, and Zhao Jiu.

In fact, after Yue Fei and the others entered the Jingdong West Circuit area and learned of the situation at Shouzhou, they discussed it with Ma Kuo and others, all feeling that going to the rescue might not be truly effective. At most, they could find a city near the Huai River to serve as a pivot point.

As for the five thousand Jin troops in Jizhou, Yue Fei had thought about them, but with insufficient troops, he could only think about it. Unexpectedly, Grand Commandant Yang Weizhong happened to arrive here, and the Son of Heaven's documents had stirred up countless righteous armies, enough to gather strength in this Guangjijun. Naturally, it sparked some ideas... Breaking the enemy's rear and forcing Jin Wushu to withdraw—this was the only correct path to resolve this battle!

And this, precisely, should also be what the Son of Heaven was diligently seeking.

"Pengju, do you think it's feasible?"

After discussing for a while, seeing the chaotic mix of various troop leaders in the hall, from all walks of life, each speaking more absurdly than the last, Ma Kuo couldn't help but privately ask Yue Fei for his opinion... In the past few days, traveling with Yue Fei's army, he had seen that this foremost general under Zong Ze was indeed strict in military discipline and enforced orders, and he had long since come to respect him.

"If there are twenty thousand troops willing to follow orders, it is feasible!" Yue Fei answered bluntly. "But I don't know how many troops are in Dingtao city at the moment..."

"In the prosperous Jingdong region, there must be twenty thousand troops." Even though Ma Kuo had come to respect the other, he still shook his head repeatedly. "But Pengju, those are five thousand Jin troops, and they have a city to rely on..."

"How could the Jin army abandon field battles to rely on a city?" Yue Fei replied calmly, his expression unchanged.

"That's true." Ma Kuo nodded, but then shook his head again. "But it's still not right... As you said, the Jin army is naturally suited for field battles. Five thousand cavalry would never hold a city. But in the open wilderness, how could our twenty thousand troops withstand their charge?"

"Why must we fight in the open wilderness?" Yue Fei remained composed. "From Dingtao, following the Jishui River downstream, within Jizhou territory, there happens to be a battlefield that can restrain cavalry. Send a detachment to lure the enemy. Given the Jin army's current arrogance, they will surely follow. We can set an ambush there..."

Ma Kuo's heart stirred slightly. He was about to speak again when he heard a commotion in the hall. Soon, an old general with a flushed face, graying hair and beard, around fifty or sixty years old, entered the hall with seven or eight fully armed military officers. It was Yang Weizhong. Beside this Grand Commandant Yang, a red-robed civil official walked at the same level but only acted obsequiously... It turned out that all the civil and military officials of Guangjijun had long since fled when the Jin army occupied Jizhou earlier. The one who followed now was a Vice Prefect from some place in Hebei, whom Yang Weizhong had fished out along the way. He was temporarily putting on a show, so naturally, he had no real authority.

But regardless, the civil and military officials sitting down first, representing the authority of the Great Song for a hundred or two hundred years, caused the various righteous army, bandit, and routed troop leaders in the hall to become somewhat more solemn.

"You all know the Son of Heaven's decree."

After sitting down, Yang Weizhong didn't waste words. He directly rolled up his sleeves, slapped his hand on the table, startling the Vice Prefect beside him. "You should also understand my intention. And I understand your intentions... Those among you who have served in the military should know me, Yang Weizhong, and know that I am the Northern Circuit Grand Commander appointed by the Son of Heaven. Even the locals should recognize me, because at this time last year, before the Son of Heaven ascended the throne, I led troops and was stationed here... So, no more idle talk. I'll tell you straight: if this matter succeeds, those without status will naturally gain a good status, and those with status will have a good future! Those who want to stay home, I can immediately appoint you as a proper Commander, letting you stay home with a proper official position to protect your families. Those who want to bring glory to their ancestors, afterwards I can take you to the Imperial Presence to see the Son of Heaven—that's no problem either! What do you say?!"

The various heroes in the hall looked at each other, their minds stirred, yet none were willing to be the first to stick their necks out. But since everyone had come this far, who wasn't here for the status and future that Old Grand Commandant Yang had mentioned?

And so, in the end, some shallow person stood up, made a loud bow in the hall, and began to speak.

And since someone had spoken, the scene became chaotic. One said, "I have fought the Jin; I need so many troops." Another said, "We must first establish ranks, who is above and who is below, before we can send out troops," and so on. Someone else volunteered, saying, "Give me so many troops." Yet another, indignant, immediately argued to be the Grand Commandant's deputy, taking charge of the entire battle... The proper government hall of Dingtao had turned into a gathering hall of forest outlaws!

To this, Yang Weizhong neither stopped nor encouraged it. He just watched coldly from the sidelines.

However, after half a day of talk, two people eventually gained the upper hand in the hall. One was Zhang Rong, a hero from the Shuibo Liangshan area, who had tens of thousands of half-bandit, half-fisherman fishermen from the eight-hundred-li marsh behind him, making him powerful. The other was Li Cheng, a bandit leader who had escaped from the battle of Zichuan. Originally from Hebei, after the Jin occupied Hebei, he fled to Shandong and occupied Zichuan as a bandit. A few months ago, he had also gathered a righteous army and fought a battle against Jin Wushu's main force, earning him considerable respect from the Shandong heroes.

One was a local snake, the other a river-crossing dragon. Their strength was nearly equal, their prestige similar. Both wanted to be the leader of this righteous army, the deputy to Grand Commandant Yang, and they nearly came to drawing blades on each other.

After the two argued for a long time, Li Cheng turned his head and saw Yue Fei and Ma Kuo sitting upright at the table closest to Yang Weizhong, staring at him. He became furious, drew his blade in public, and pointed it at Yue Fei, cursing:

"What do you mean, you wretch? How dare you give me the white eye? Do you look down on me, Li Cheng of Xiongzhou?"

PS: Sorry everyone, I really didn't notice the time. I looked up and saw it was 0:00, and my heart sank immediately... It's also my fault; I couldn't resist playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV when I got back tonight.

I bow to you all! Fortunately, the investment has passed...