Zhao Huan also gave some consideration to the arrangements for the new army.

The current supreme commander of the new army is Zong Ze. Before the Northern Expedition, when Tong Guan was in charge of military and political affairs, Zong Ze had no prestige and no reputation.

The fact that a talent like Zong Ze was buried also reflects the flaws in the political system of the Song Dynasty.

Many people in later generations commented that Tong Guan nearly destroyed the Western Xia dynasty, so he had considerable military talent.

This assessment is not due to the amateurishness of keyboard warriors. In fact, among the high-ranking officials in the late Northern Song Dynasty, there was no one more capable than Tong Guan. However, this does not mean that Tong Guan was a military genius.

Just like the best player in the Chinese national football team, you can't say that he is really the best player in all of China.

It can only be said that the high-ranking officials during Emperor Huizong's reign were all rubbish, and Tong Guan was just the more outstanding rubbish among them.

The conquest of a small state like Western Xia was entirely due to the success of previous attempts. Western Xia itself was small and lacked resources. The Song Dynasty had been at odds with Western Xia for many years, and the war had almost reached its limit. Anyone with a bit of military talent would have been able to defeat Western Xia much better.

For example, if Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) had dared to let Zhong Yao handle things, the situation of the Song Dynasty in official history might have been completely different.

But it doesn't matter, at least Tong Guan fought fairly well. The Song army was useless before, and it was useless in his hands. He relied on resources and manpower to crush the Western Xia.

However, Tong Guan's failure to promote talented individuals for the Song Dynasty as the head of the military and political system was his dereliction of duty.

His ability to fight against the Western Xia and crush Fang La internally were basic battles; what truly proved his capabilities were the wars against the Liao and Jin dynasties.

In fact, he quickly backed down, believing that the Song army could not withstand the Jin army, or even the Liao army, head-on.

Zhao Huan did not need this kind of commander, nor was this kind of person suitable to be a commander.

Cowards usually won't admit they're cowards, and they'll suppress those who are braver than them. Their methods are simple, such as not rewarding those who have done good deeds or criticizing others for being reckless.

From the perspective of his overall personal qualities, Zong Ze was the most suitable commander of the new army.

However, the new army could not be composed of only one force. Yue Fei was half Zong Ze's man and half the emperor's man, and Zong Ze had a great influence on Yue Fei.

Therefore, Zhao Huan arranged for Han Shizhong to join the army. Han Shizhong was considered one of Zhong Shidao's men, which actually created a balance of power between two forces in the new army.

Han Shizhong was a very unique person. He was ruthless in battle and willing to lead the charge. Unlike Yue Fei, who was upright, Han Shizhong was both righteous and wicked at heart. In his early years, he was a notorious troublemaker in the village.

This time, he led his army eastward, and his opponent was Cao Sheng, the commander of the Huaiyang army.

As the commander of the Imperial Guard, Han Shizhong was practically on par with someone like Zhe Keqiu. In fact, because they were both members of the Imperial Guard, Zhe Keqiu had to show him some respect. Naturally, Cao Sheng didn't take Han Shizhong seriously at all.

Han Shizhong had neither a powerful background nor any prestige. Although he was granted the title of Marquis of Valor by the emperor during the Northern Expedition, the Imperial Guards basically did not recognize his title.

Hearing that his opponent was Han Shizhong, Cao Sheng did not take him seriously at all. Cao Sheng had stationed troops in Jizhou, also known as a 100,000-strong army to support the emperor. However, he was a little more cautious than Fu Min. At least the soldiers guarding the city were well-behaved, and scouts had been sent out. He knew very well where Han Shizhong was.

However, his subordinates made a foolish mistake. The commanders of the Huaiyang Army, eager to claim the credit, reported to Cao Sheng that they should lead their troops to intercept and kill Han Shizhong, catching Han Shizhong off guard.

Cao Sheng was naturally pleased to see his subordinates so enthusiastic, and he immediately agreed. Thus, the military commander Qu Gaoyang led ten armies, equivalent to a platoon, to advance towards Han Shizhong's army.

Upon hearing that 25,000 rebels were rushing towards him, Han Shizhong immediately ordered his entire army to meet them head-on without hesitation. Hu Yantong suggested that Han Shizhong divide his forces to encircle and kill the rebels from the left and right flanks, but Han Shizhong rejected the suggestion.

Let's confront them head-on!

Han Shizhong wanted to prove himself to the Song Dynasty's imperial guards, who came from military families, in the simplest way possible. His blood was boiling. He felt that the luckiest thing in his life was meeting the current emperor, and only the current emperor was willing to give him, a lowly subordinate general, the opportunity to prove himself.

When Han Shizhong was granted a marquisate during the Northern Expedition, the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guard did not recognize it, because that was based on personal martial prowess and did not mean he could command an army in battle.

But this time it will be completely different. If Han Shizhong can wipe out the rebels in Jingdong Road this time, his prestige will soar and he will surely become a famous general of the Song Dynasty in the future.

The two armies met fifty miles outside Yunzhou. An excited Qu Gaoyang immediately ordered the entire army to launch an attack. Qu Gaoyang had already imagined sending Han Shizhong's head to Cao Sheng. Once the mission to defend the emperor was successful, Cao Sheng would be stationed in the Privy Council, and he himself would surely be able to enter the Western Palace, the power center of the Song Dynasty, and rise to prominence. He had even thought about how many concubines he would take after his rise to prominence and in what order they would be chosen.

Unfortunately, the Huaiyang army had just clashed with Han Shizhong's new army, and the outcome was no longer in doubt; the new army immediately crushed the rebels.

The New Army's neat formations and methodical attacks, along with their brave and powerful military might, were like tanks on the ground, while the rebel army was like paper, with many soldiers still drunk.

In this situation, the Huaiyang army collapsed completely in less than half an hour. The new army slaughtered the Huaiyang army without leaving a single survivor and captured Qu Gaoyang alive.

The Huaiyang army's defeat in its first battle was unprecedented in terms of time. When news of this reached Jizhou, Cao Sheng was furious and immediately began to mobilize troops.

To this day, he still believes that Han Shizhong is not qualified for him to take action personally, so he sent two military commanders with two garrisons, totaling 50,000 troops, to press on Han Shizhong.

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