These days, the most miserable people are probably not Xie Dahai and Li Gang, who are working tirelessly behind the scenes for logistics, but people like Sima Junru, who are constantly running around the vast Hedong area every day.

About two and a half months ago, Sima Junru received an ironclad order from the emperor himself, demanding that a solid and reliable intelligence network be established in the Yanyun area of ​​the two rivers region, or all of them would be beheaded!

Although the Song Dynasty's intelligence system had greatly weakened after the death of Emperor Taizu, it had still been operating in the Lianghe Road area for over a hundred years, so there was a foundation. Thus, Sima Junru rode his horse and personally traveled between Hedong and Hebei. It could be said that he even ate on horseback. He used almost one horse a day and changed horses every two post stations, otherwise even the horses could not handle such a high-intensity job.

As fate would have it, in addition to opening up access to the Han family in Yanjing, they also established hidden outposts at the two gateways from Yanyun into the Taihang Mountains, which the Jin army could not detect at all.

Although many preparations were incomplete due to the short timeframe, they were still able to obtain some important information about the Yan-Yun region through the Han family.

When Zhao Huan received news that a Jin army had arrived in Yanjing from Liaoyang Prefecture outside the pass, he couldn't help but marvel at the Jin army's strong execution capabilities. If the Song Dynasty had such strong execution capabilities, what would it have to fear from the Jin invaders? With the Song Dynasty's financial resources, it could wipe out all the enemies in the north in no time.

It seems that the historical records say the rumor that it only took the Jurchens three days to travel from the Northeast to Bianjing is true!

The Jin army's greatest advantage was its cavalry, which was highly mobile. Moreover, the Jin army's main elite troops all came from the harsh and cold lands beyond the Great Wall. In the words of Zhao Huan, a modern person, they all came from the Harbin area of ​​Heilongjiang.

It's worth noting that the people of Harbin during the Northern Song Dynasty were even more resilient than people today. Without modern equipment, they relied on their own strength to overcome the harsh winter conditions.

In his previous life, Zhao Huan once went to Harbin in winter. The most common temperature was minus 20 degrees Celsius, and it could drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius when it was cold. Which ancient person who could survive there did not endure the most brutal baptism?

On this day, the emperor arrived in Taiyuan Prefecture. Good news came from the left flank army: Zhe Keqiu had sent 30,000 reinforcements and had defeated Wanyan Pujianu, leaving him routed and in complete disarray.

At this moment, the main force of the Song Dynasty truly clashed with the main force of the Jin army, and a large-scale frontal war was about to break out.

At this time, Zhao Huan brought a key figure from Bianjing. This person was Liu Yanzong, who was almost killed by Zhao Huan.

Liu Yanzong knelt before the emperor like a loyal dog and said, "Your Majesty, Sun Tzu's Art of War, Chapter 13, 'The Art of War, Chapter 13, 'The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; next best is to disrupt their alliances; next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities. The method of besieging cities is a last resort."

Get to the point!

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! I believe that there is a fatal flaw in the current Jin Dynasty court, which Your Majesty needs to address."

"What fatal weakness?"

Liu Yanzong hesitated for a moment, but still said, "The current emperor of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Sheng, is the younger brother of Emperor Taizu of Jin, Wanyan Aguda. The throne of the Jurchen people is passed down from brother to brother, but Wanyan Sheng obviously does not want Wanyan Gao to succeed him after his death, nor does he want to return power to Wanyan Aguda's line. Instead, he hopes to pass it on to his own son."

When Liu Yanzong said this, his tone was somewhat ambiguous, clearly indicating that he was avoiding mentioning certain events that occurred at the beginning of the Song Dynasty.

Such a thing also happened at the beginning of the Song Dynasty. Zhao Guangyi, that fellow, had a drink with Emperor Taizu one night and then miraculously succeeded to the throne. He even created a rule of succession by younger brother after the death of an elder brother. But later he still gradually exiled or killed his younger brothers.

As a normal person, one would naturally prefer to pass the throne to one's own son.

Wanyan Sheng is facing the same problem as Zhao Guangyi did back then, or rather, he will face it sooner or later.

At present, in the Jin court, the strong pro-war faction led by Wanyan Gao has gained the upper hand. His two fierce generals, Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, are fighting fiercely in the Song territory, while Wanyan Gao himself is becoming increasingly powerful in the Jin state.

This is extremely dangerous for Wanyan Sheng. Once Wanyan Gao's power has fully grown, it will no longer be up to Wanyan Sheng to decide who to pass the throne to.

Moreover, Wanyan Sheng's enemies are not only Wanyan Gao, but also Wanyan Zonggan and Wanyan Zongwang, who are Wanyan Aguda's own sons. It's just that they are currently fighting against the Song Dynasty together, so the conflict has not yet erupted.

Or rather, Wanyan Sheng was simply looking for an opportunity to cause trouble for Wanyan Gao.

However, this trouble cannot be brought to Wanyan Sheng; it needs to be handed over to Wanyan Chang, another powerful minister in the Jin court!

Wanyan Chang was neither a member of Wanyan Aguda's lineage nor Wanyan Sheng's lineage, but he was close to Wanyan Sheng's son, Wanyan Zongpan, and was therefore considered to be part of Wanyan Zongpan's faction.

After explaining the matters concerning the Jin court, Zhao Huan paused and nodded.

Zhao Huan asked, "How can we get Wanyan Chang to cause trouble for Wanyan Gao?"

"That's easy, Your Majesty has already done more than half of it!"

Zhao Huan was completely bewildered. "Damn it, Liu Yanzong, you bastard, how dare you act so arrogantly in front of me! Be careful, I'll chop you up in a heartbeat!"

Liu Yanzong also noticed that the emperor seemed not to understand, so he didn't want to put on too much of a show of force, lest this murderous emperor get angry and behead him.

He quickly replied, "Your Majesty's great victory at Licheng and the capture of Wanyan Loushi has shaken the Jin Kingdom. The pro-peace faction in the court has long been restless, all because of Your Majesty's actions!"

Zhao Huan nodded, indicating that it seemed to be true.

"But this time the Jin army still sent reinforcements south!"

"Your Majesty, Wanyan Chang is fond of money and women, while Wanyan Zongpan is ambitious but lacks talent. He longs to make a name for himself, but he will have to step aside from the campaign against the Song Dynasty. However, governing the country is also an option. The Jurchens have only recently established their state and have swallowed up too much of the Liao Dynasty's territory. They face significant problems in both governance and the economy, especially the economy, which requires external support! As the eldest son of the Jin emperor, Wanyan Zongpan needs a strategic plan for governing the country. Your Majesty can provide him with such a plan!"

Zhao Huan looked at Liu Yanzong and thought it was a good thing that this guy went to Bianjing to solicit prostitutes back then, otherwise it would have been such a pity and terrible if they hadn't caught him and let the Jurchens go back!

Zhao Huan nodded thoughtfully, and Liu Yanzong continued, "Those who wield military power throughout history have always been the most vocal. Wanyan Zongpan and Wanyan Chang may not be able to stop Wanyan Gao from attacking Song, but they can increase the pressure on him. After defeating the enemy's plan, the best strategy in military strategy is to attack their alliances!"

"Oh? Tell me, Liu Qing."

Zhao Huan's attitude towards Liu Yanzong had clearly changed a lot, and Liu Yanzong could also clearly feel it. He cursed Zhao Huan in his heart for being such a bastard, treating you well when you're useful and beheading you when you're not.

Zhao Huan thought to himself: It seems I need to intimidate Liu Yanzong properly, then reward him handsomely, and completely subdue him! This guy is full of knowledge and skills; he'll be of great use in the future!

Although Liu Yanzong was dissatisfied with the emperor's sudden change of attitude, he still pretended to be very loyal and said, "It's too cold at Yelü Dashi's place. Liaoyang Prefecture is much more comfortable!"