The rebellions in Jingxi Road and Jingdong Road in the first year of the Jingkang era have been controversial among historians. Some say that the war could have been avoided. In fact, the Imperial City Guard had already obtained evidence and reported it to the emperor before the rebels gathered their troops. If the emperor had acted in time, there would have been no need for the situation to develop into what it is today.

This historian practically pointed his finger at Zhao Huan and called him stupid.

However, some people vehemently criticized some brain-dead scholars in academia who only know how to read books to death, and who still want to show off their stupidity. They argued that the emperor was obviously doing this on purpose. The emperor's goal was not to quell the rebellion, but to lure out all the rebellious forces in the Jingxi Road and Jingdong Road and eradicate them completely.

The implementation of the new policies encountered enormous resistance. If it were delayed for a few more months, the entire court would lose confidence and enthusiasm for the implementation of the new policies, which the emperor was determined not to allow. Only war could quickly and thoroughly eliminate those deeply entrenched diehards, while also warning the wait-and-see faction in the court.

If prevented in advance, the die-hard conservatives will definitely hide and continue to obstruct the government's implementation of new policies in various ways in the localities!

Therefore! War is inevitable!

Some people pointed their fingers at those foolish scholars and cursed them: "The emperor's unspoken words are the true intentions. Just like when the emperor kills the prime minister in court, the real purpose is not to kill, but to express his determination to the people. Most of the things said in politics are just to achieve a certain goal. But some stupid pigs only listen to what is said and don't look for what the emperor didn't say."

Having defeated 70,000 troops from Huaiyang, Han Shizhong's reputation had spread throughout Jingdong Road.

As evening fell, wisps of clouds drifted across the sky, and the autumn wind swept across the vast Jingdong Road. The chill of the north gradually crept in, and the grass on the plains and the trees in the mountains began to burn with gold.

Han Shizhong led his new army into Yanzhou. Zhou Shuyun, the prefect of Yanzhou, was tied up and forced to kneel at the city gate, awaiting the arrival of the imperial army.

When Han Shizhong's army entered Yanzhou, the crowds of people who came to welcome them on both sides of the street were like a tide, almost scattering the new army. The people brought whatever they could to give to the imperial army.

According to the emperor's instructions, the imperial army must not take even a single penny from the people; otherwise, they will be punished according to military law.

Han Shizhong's army also adhered to this principle. This time, the new imperial army made its first appearance in Jingxi Road and Jingdong Road, which can be said to have overturned the impression of the army among the people and truly demonstrated the qualities that a professional army should have.

Previously, the imperial gazette of the Song Dynasty had published reports praising the military's achievements, which left many people with doubts. Now, having witnessed it firsthand, at least the people of Jingdong Road and Jingxi Road have truly begun to believe that the imperial army is different from what it used to be.

The current emperor is truly fulfilling his promise: the emperor possesses an army to protect the people!

Therefore, when Han Shizhong's army was stationed in Yanzhou, many young women in the city chatted with the soldiers without any shame, and some even talked about their beds. Many soldiers who could not find wives found their other half here.

Han Shizhong stayed in Yanzhou for five days. During those five days, he sent all the captured generals of the Imperial Guards, from captains to military commanders, as long as they were alive, back to the capital.

These people are to be dealt with by the Emperor himself.

Han Shizhong, who was stationed in Yanzhou, was training his soldiers every day. In reality, he was waiting for Cao Sheng to arrive. Scouts reported that Cao Sheng had set off from Jizhou and was conscripting men in various prefectures and counties along the way, bringing his forces to 200,000.

Wherever the Huaiyang Army passed, all men aged 15 to 50 were required to enlist. At first, some resisted and refused to enlist, but after several massacres, the people became afraid.

Therefore, many people suggested that Han Shizhong should take the initiative and stop Cao Sheng's behavior in time to save the people of Jingdong Road this morning.

However, Han Shizhong remained inactive. Once, a commander couldn't resist leading his men out of the city to attack Cao Sheng, but Han Shizhong ordered them to be intercepted, flogged fifty times, and dismissed from his post and sent back to the capital.

In addition to conscripting men from various places, Cao Sheng also began to spread rumors that Han Shizhong was cowardly and did not want to fight, disregarding the lives of the people in Jingdong Road, and was all show and no substance.

After recruiting 200,000 men, Cao Sheng felt it wasn't enough. He believed that he was destined to be followed by many more people, so he sent people to continue conscripting men. Whether they were from the city, the surrounding towns or markets, or even the villages, as long as they were alive, able to walk, and able to carry things, they were all forcibly taken by him.

In this way, the number of troops in Huaiyang Army on Jingdong Road quickly swelled to 400,000!

This number is more than the total troop strength of the Yan-Yun war zone combined. In Zhao Huan's words, "Holy crap! That sounds terrifying! I'm so scared! Damn it! If you dare to forcibly conscript my people into the army, I'll skin you alive! I'll pull out your tendons! I'll drink your blood!"

The Huaiyang army is currently expanding like a monster, and Han Shizhong's generals are getting restless. The imperial army only has 10,000 men; how can they possibly deal with Cao Sheng's 400,000? At this critical moment, Han Shizhong should request reinforcements from the capital.

However, Han Shizhong overruled the objections of others and said to his generals, "In military campaigns, the strength of an army lies in courage rather than numbers. Favorable timing is not as important as favorable terrain, and favorable terrain is not as important as popular support. A victorious army is always united from top to bottom. Even if Cao Sheng has a million troops, he will not win the hearts of the people. If his soldiers do not support him, he will collapse without a fight."

Just as Han Shizhong had predicted, within a few days, scouts reported that the Huaiyang army was in chaos, with the forcibly conscripted men rising up in droves and beginning to attack the Huaiyang army.

Han Shizhong immediately led a cavalry force of 1,000 men and ordered Huyan Tong to lead 3,000 infantrymen on a rapid march to attack the main force of the Huaiyang army.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!