Chapter 70: Withdrawal of Troops (4k2 Combined)

The Battle of Shouzhou was about to be won!

After the great victory at Mount Shuipoliang, this was an unquestionable certainty... because it was almost common sense—if the rear-guard relief troops were surrounded and annihilated, didn't that mean the rear route was cut off? And if the rear route was cut off, didn't that mean the front line could no longer hold? And once the front line withdrew, given the current battle situation where several thousand Jin troops had already been wiped out and the Jin army couldn't cross the Huaihe River even a step, wouldn't that be a victory?

Which official at the Bagongshan temporary headquarters hadn't read extensively through history, and which one didn't understand this principle?

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so eager to start warming up for post-war political struggles right after the great victory at Mount Shuipoliang.

"Jin Wushu's rear route hasn't been cut off?" On the fifth day of the second month, outside the imperial tent on the northern slope of Bagongshan, beside the so-called wooden shed and under the dragon banner, Zhao Jiu, His Majesty, turned back in shock.

A group of close court officials, such as academicians and secretaries, also expressed their astonishment.

"It was never cut off in the first place." Han Shizhong, ignoring the strange looks from those around him, held his jade belt, puffed out his chest, and answered loudly. "Your Majesty must not forget, Jin Wushu advanced his troops from Yishui. The Yishui passage lies east of Mount Tai, while Jizhou is west of Mount Tai... Jin Wushu stationed those five thousand troops in Jizhou only because the western route is easier to travel than the eastern one, and to guard against any trouble in the mountainous Yishui region to the east. That's why he set the relief route on the Jizhou road. But as of now, there's been no word of any trouble from Yishui."

Zhao Jiu was momentarily flustered.

"Besides, Liu... Liu Guangshi was defeated so quickly before, abandoning all the grain and supplies he'd gathered from several military prefectures. The Jin army won't run out of food anytime soon!" Han Shizhong continued. "And even if we stretch it, say the Jin army's provisions are just about to run out, with Jin Wushu's more than twenty thousand troops, what city behind him couldn't he take? Did every one of those military prefectures north of the Huaihe have tens of thousands of troops and a bunch of stone trebuchets like Xiacai?"

"Then..." Zhao Jiu finally couldn't help asking. "What was the Battle of Mount Shuipoliang all about?"

"Your Majesty need not worry." Han Shizhong quickly stated his judgment upon hearing this. "The Battle of Mount Shuipoliang was still useful. How could swallowing five thousand Jin troops be useless? It's just not as effective as Your Majesty imagined... After this battle, first, Jin Wushu has suffered losses in men and officers; second, he's caught in a dilemma—he can't cross the river ahead, he can't take Xiacai before him, and behind him, there's an army that just devoured five thousand of his troops, watching him like a hawk. Anyone would have to retreat!"

Zhao Jiu suddenly understood: "Liangchen means that the general threat has been delivered, and Jin Wushu has exhausted his options. But he still has ample troops, strong forces, an open rear route, and room to counterattack. So even if he does retreat, he'll do so with plenty of composure."

"Your Majesty is truly wise!" Han Shizhong offered a stiff flattery.

"I understand." Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly. "If not for Liangchen's reminder, I would have almost made a mistake... In that case, we'll continue to hold steady and wait for the enemy to retreat on their own. We must not let our guard down."

"That is exactly what I mean." Han Shizhong quickly bowed his head.

"Then..." Zhao Jiu then looked at Tian Shizhong, who stood behind Han Shizhong. This son-in-law of Zhang Jun and commander of the central army had been bending respectfully the whole time, his entire figure hidden by Han Shizhong's frame. "What does General Tian have to say? What do Zhang Boying and Zhao Yuanzhen think?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty!" Tian Shizhong quickly stepped out from behind Han Shizhong and performed a grand salute. "May Your Majesty know, Grand Marshal Zhang and Grand Herder Zhao were both overjoyed upon hearing the news and instructed me to congratulate Your Majesty on this great victory! However, regarding the current strength of Jin Wushu, which cannot be underestimated, both Grand Marshal Zhang and Grand Herder Zhao share the same view as Grand Marshal Han... as General Han."

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, while Han Shizhong was momentarily taken aback, then straightened his back even more, holding his belt.

"However, I also bring good news for Your Majesty on this trip!" Tian Shizhong continued, bowing his head. "The inner ferry and water gate in Xiacai have been under repair by us. As of today, they are mostly finished. We simply forgot to report it earlier because of the great victory in the artillery battle. Therefore, even if Jin Wushu stubbornly refuses to leave, with Xiacai City, the Huai River, and Bagongshan connected as one, the Jin people have absolutely no chance of breaching the city! The Huai River front is naturally as solid as iron!"

Zhao Jiu nodded with satisfaction and naturally offered some encouraging words that would likely need to be redeemed with money in the future.

Then, since the military situation was still urgent, His Majesty did not keep Han Shizhong and Tian Shizhong. One returned to the water camp at the foot of the mountain, and the other went straight back to Xiacai... A moment later, Zhao Jiu relayed these words as an oral decree, which served as a warning to the key officials at the temporary headquarters to continue working diligently and keep their minds off crooked schemes!

Or rather, to save those crooked schemes for later!

After all, although the young and impetuous Zhao Jiu was an armchair strategist, he knew full well that politics follows war, and some things were simply unavoidable:

For instance, the post-war destination of the temporary headquarters would inevitably reignite the debate over the auxiliary capital, a matter of great importance that would affect the whole situation and required careful consideration no matter what;

Then there was the unstoppable rise of military officials. Since a full-scale war of resistance had been decided upon, military affairs would be paramount in the future court structure, and the status of military officials would be difficult to suppress. Everyone was actually prepared for this, but Zhao Jiu still hadn't made up his mind on the specific arrangements;

Finally, there was Minister Li, who had deliberately avoided this battle. Li Gang, Li Boji, would inevitably return to the court after the war. At that time, Li would possess the status of a grand councilor, the name of a regent, and a fully established support network in the southeast. Meanwhile, His Majesty Zhao Jiu had his irreplaceable legitimacy, an absolute advantage in military power, and the prestige gained from his successful gamble on the battlefield. Once the two of them met, even the slightest friction or unusual move would likely cause an earthquake in the court...

Thinking of this, His Majesty really couldn't blame those people who had been jumping around at the temporary headquarters lately... Putting himself in their shoes, with the road ahead uncertain and turbulent waves crashing, who wouldn't want to prepare an umbrella in advance?

However, just as Zhao Jiu suppressed these complicated thoughts, based his stance on the advice of Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun, steadied his mindset, and prepared for a protracted war of resistance, only one day later—on the morning of the sixth day of the second month—he was stunned by a piece of new news!

"Your Majesty!"

Yang Yizhong, still in his armor, hurriedly burst into the imperial tent, knelt on one knee, and reported hastily. "Your Majesty, come quickly and see—the Jin people have actually withdrawn their troops!"

Zhao Jiu, who had told others to be careful but was himself sleeping in late on his couch, was dazed and speechless. He was stunned for a long time before rushing out of the tent, not even bothering to put on his signature round-collared red robe. The chief eunuch Lan Gui personally chased after him with the robe and helped him put it on under the dragon banner.

But these details didn't matter, because a visible fact was that Zhao Jiu, standing under the golden imperial banner on the northern slope of Bagongshan, looked far across at the Jin camp on the opposite side and indeed saw the entire Jin military camp bustling with activity—it certainly looked like a retreat!

By noon, the Jin army's retreat was beyond doubt. According to the visual observations of Yang Yizhong and several soldiers, first a light cavalry unit of four to five hundred elite troops set out to clear the way north. Then, a main force of at least seven thousand Jin cavalry, with a small amount of supply wagons, slowly moved north, leaving the camp on the banks of the Huaihe River.

However, once the seven thousand troops had left, the Jin camp immediately returned to normal order, and no more troops were seen packing up and preparing to leave.

"It should be divided into three parts..." Yang Yizhong immediately explained to the civil officials at the temporary headquarters. "The vanguard, the central army, and the rearguard... The vanguard will set out first, occupy a city to the north, or set up a camp. Only then will the central army depart, escorting the supplies out of camp. Once the central army arrives, the rearguard will strike camp and leave." He paused briefly. "This is also because the Jin army is highly skilled in field warfare, confident that their cavalry is invincible on flat ground, and has rapid support capabilities, allowing them to implement this strategy. Otherwise, dividing their forces would be a major military taboo. Conversely, precisely because their cavalry is invincible on flat ground and their support is effective, the Jin army can retreat like this while preserving their previous gains."

Zhao Jiu, along with Lü Hao wen, Wang Boyan, and a large group of others, seemed to understand only half of it.

"Then are they retreating via the eastern Yishui route or the western Jizhou route?" Zhao Jiu suddenly remembered what Han Shizhong had said the day before and asked further. "Why are they heading due north?"

"Hard to say!" This time it wasn't Yang Yizhong, but Wang Yuan, the recently revived Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, who answered first. "Reporting to Your Majesty, whether they go east or west depends on whether the Jin army crosses the Guohe River to the east. Due north from here is Mengcheng, which lies on the banks of the Guohe. Only when the Jin army reaches that point will we know..."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Zhao Jiu then pressed further: "Can we send out scout cavalry to monitor them?"

"Of course!" Wang Yuan immediately replied. "But we'll have to wait until the rearguard strikes camp."

Zhao Jiu finally stopped asking.

However, although Zhao Jiu stopped, someone couldn't help but interject: "Your Majesty, I, Secretariat Drafter Hu Yin, venture to ask. Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun only said yesterday that the great victory at Mount Shuipoliang wasn't enough to shake Jin Wushu quickly. Then why did Jin Wushu leave in such a hurry today?"

"I, Hanlin Academician Lin Jingmo, have the same question." Little Academician Lin also quickly spoke up, and he was even more direct and blunt. "Could it be that Han and Zhang, upon hearing that Yue, Zhang, and other generals had achieved such a great victory and received rewards as Pacification Commissioners, became jealous and deliberately downplayed the great victory at Mount Shuipoliang?"

Zhao Jiu's heart stirred slightly.

To be honest, His Majesty also knew that, given the old rogue nature of Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun from the Western Army, doing such a thing was entirely normal. The questions from Little Academician Lin and Drafter Hu were also reasonable. Of course, he was even more aware that Little Academician Lin and Hu Yin meant no harm; they were simply imitating Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun, advocating for the military officials they had each recommended, and trying to remind His Majesty Zhao Jiu that Jin Wushu's retreat was still directly related to the great victory at Mount Shuipoliang, and the credit should still go to Yue Fei and Zhang Rong!

But understanding was one thing. Hu Yin was manageable, but when Little Academician Lin spoke so directly, His Majesty was momentarily at a loss for how to respond... Should he admit that Han and Zhang were shameless, or deny the merits of Yue Fei and Zhang Rong?

"May Academician Lin and Drafter Hu know." At this moment, Censor-in-Chief Zhang Jun suddenly spoke up at the right time. "The reason for this misjudgment is not that Generals Han and Zhang are jealous of the worthy and capable, but that they lacked the means... You must understand, although Commander Han, who spoke on this matter yesterday, is well-versed in military affairs, he does not understand politics and human nature."

Zhao Jiu raised an eyebrow slightly, while Hu Yin and Lin Jingmo each listened quietly.

"Especially you, Academician Lin. You arrived at the temporary headquarters a bit later and may not know that Jin Wushu's campaign this time was lured here by His Majesty's personal presence at the Huai River region. It was an unauthorized campaign! From a military strategy perspective, Commander Han's judgment was not wrong. He simply forgot that although Jin Wushu is the esteemed Fourth Prince of the Jin Kingdom, he is also subject to the authority of Wanyan Talai, the current Jin ruler's direct subordinate. With such a major incident behind him, perhaps military strategy alone wouldn't force a hasty retreat, but shouldn't he consider the urging from Talai behind him? Moreover, having lost seven thousand troops in total, stalled at the Huai River region for nearly two months with no progress, shouldn't he worry about being blamed by the Jin ruler, Wanyan Zonghan, and even his two elder brothers upon returning home? Isn't he afraid of losing the military power he fought so hard to obtain?"

Zhang Jun spoke eloquently. Hu Yin remained silent. Little Academician Lin tried to refute several times but found nothing to say. The other key officials at the temporary headquarters nodded one after another, accepting Zhang Jun's reasoning for the Jin retreat, which fit their understanding well.

As for Zhao Jiu, although he had been rescued from the awkward situation, he unexpectedly said nothing more.

And so, everyone dispersed. Xiacai City, Bagongshan, and the Huai River naval forces all cheered and rejoiced at the sight of the Jin army's retreat, which goes without saying. That evening, after dinner, Zhao Jiu first went under the dragon banner to gaze at the lights of the Jin camp across the river, pondering for a long time. Then he turned back into the tent to rest. But after lying down for a full quarter of an hour, he finally couldn't suppress his doubts. He got up and, still on his couch, summoned Yang Yizhong.

"Zhengfu!" Under the lamplight, Zhao Jiu sat upright on the couch, wrapped in his outer robe, and spoke seriously. "In your opinion, regarding Jin Wushu's withdrawal of troops, whose explanation today was correct?"

"I am merely a humble attendant and should not discuss such matters..."

"This concerns military strategy. Do not delay!"

"I believe what Censor-in-Chief Zhang said was very reasonable!" Yang Yizhong finally tensed up. "Yesterday, I actually agreed wholeheartedly with Commander Han's words. And when Jin Wushu really began to withdraw today, I was also momentarily confused. It was Censor-in-Chief Zhang who made things clear to me... I simply hadn't considered matters beyond military strategy before."

Zhao Jiu nodded slowly: "So, from a military standpoint, Han Shizhong's remarks yesterday were not wrong? There was no selfish motive, no jealousy of Yue Fei and Zhang Rong's military achievements?"

Yang Yizhong quickly shook his head: "I only said that my own view happens to be similar to Commander Han's. I dare not claim he was not wrong."

Zhao Jiu hesitated for a moment, but then spoke seriously: "Summon Zhang Jun, Hu Yin, and Lin Jingmo. The four of you will accompany me to the water camp at the foot of the mountain. I want to ask Han Shizhong face to face and get to the bottom of this!"

Yang Yizhong was clearly startled: "Your Majesty, regardless, the Jin army has withdrawn. Why dwell on this matter?"

Zhao Jiu rose directly, dressing himself as he replied: "The most fearful thing in the world is the word 'earnest.' Is a retreat that could or could not happen but suddenly does the same as a retreat that must happen and therefore does?"

Yang Yizhong had no choice but to go out and summon people, while a eunuch of the attendant rank standing nearby hurried forward to help Zhao Jiu with his clothes.

In a moment, the Zhao Emperor came out of the door, directly meeting the four men at the gate of the small mountain stockade, and led them, each with different thoughts, straight down the mountain to the waterside stockade by night to see Han Shizhong.

It must be said that Han Commander bringing his wife along with the army was probably a traditional skill, and then suddenly hearing of the Emperor's arrival, stumbling out in disarray was even more helpless… Who could blame this Zhao Emperor for always going to see his high ministers in the middle of the night?

At least here was the temporary imperial residence, so the Zhao Emperor didn't have to disguise himself as an envoy and wait for Han Shizhong to come out before scaring him again.

Or rather, this time he entered the door, sat down, took a sip of tea, and then grabbed the man's hand to scare him:

"Liangchen, today the Hanlin Academician Lin Jingmo, Lin Qing, and the Secretariat Drafter Hu Yin, Hu Qing, jointly impeached you, saying that your words yesterday were merely jealousy of Yue Fei and Zhang Rong, truly a matter of selfish motives. In fact, after this battle at Liangshanpo, the Jin army's inevitable retreat is already set… Tell me the truth, stand up straight and say it! Were those words yesterday based on public judgment, or were they selfish nonsense? Is this Jin army's retreat inevitable or not?"

Han Shizhong, with his hand held by the Zhao Emperor, could only turn his head and glare hatefully at the young Lin Academician and Hu Yin. But seeing that both men were expressionless, each lost in thought, he finally had no choice but to force his back straight and speak earnestly to Zhao Jiu before him:

"Your Majesty! Let Your Majesty know, since I received this jade belt, I have long ceased to care about any official position. What is Yue Fei? A mere garrison commander, whose name I had never heard before—is he worth my, Han Wu's, jealousy? My words yesterday were truly from public duty! The Jin army's sudden withdrawal today is truly beyond my expectations!"

Zhao Jiu slowly nodded… He believed it!

PS: On the twenty-eighth, steam the dough and stick up decorations… Everyone, stay home and knead your dough properly, don't go out recklessly!