Inheriting the Song Dynasty

In 1127 AD, the Northern Song Dynasty fell. Immediately, the ninth imperial prince, Zhao Gou, ascended the throne in Shangqiu amidst widespread anticipation, inheriting the Song imperial line and r...

Chapter 55: One Step Forward and One Step Back

"Let's get down to business." After watching the cavalry crossing the river for half a day, Han Shizhong suddenly spoke again. "The army will not move overnight... Li Jiedu, did you leave something unfinished?"

"I'm done talking." Li Yanxian was puzzled. "I was just trying to say that Wushu and Balisu from the Jurchens must have communicated with each other. We can't expect to get an advantage by using small tricks..."

"You forgot to mention the word 'Zhengshuai'." Han Liangchen turned his head and smiled. "Yes and no?"

Li Shaoyan was slightly stunned, but nodded slowly.

"Who is the commander-in-chief? Yue Pengju?" Han Shizhong looked disdainful.

"He looks like him, but he may not be." Li Yanxian replied solemnly. "Because handsomeness is something that cannot be seen by humans. It has to be determined after the fact."

"How do you mean?"

"Let's not talk about anything else. Since ancient times, how many people have had the opportunity to be a general?" Li Yanxian sighed. "And how many generals can be trusted by their superiors and not be envied by their subordinates, and get a proper opportunity to display their talents? Just like what Han Junwang lamented in that poem... Poor white hair... Since ancient times, famous generals are like beauties, and they are most afraid of white hair. Their lives pass by in a flash, and they can't even get the position of a general. Even if they get it, there is no place to display their talents. How could it be such a coincidence that a person with the talent of a true general became a general and caught up with a time of earth-shaking changes? Before Jiang Taigong Muye, before Bai Qi Changping, before Han Xin dominated Qi, before Wei Huo chased the north and south of the desert, before Zhou Lang Chibi, before Wei Hu Zhongli, before Emperor Taizong of Tang Hulao Pass, before Li Yaoshi went to the Turks on a snowy night, which one of them didn't have a good reputation? But which one of them can be called a general? They all got this name after a battle."

"Yes." Han Shizhong narrowed his eyes. "I understand what you mean. Yue Fei is young after all. He may be a general or a fool. But for now, he has only got this opportunity to lead 90,000 people to fight on his own... We have to fight in Hebei this time to determine the outcome. We can't make a blind judgment from thousands of miles away."

"That's what I meant." Li Yanxian nodded, but after a slight hesitation, he was still sad. "In fact, when I was in Shanzhou, I also wanted to achieve great success, but now that things have come to this, I have given up the idea."

"You are only 40 years old this year, why do you have to do this?" Han Shizhong actually tried to comfort him. "It's just a temporary gain or loss. The Jin Kingdom is also a vast country, and we can't take it all at once... There will still be opportunities for a northern expedition in the future."

"Maybe." Li Yanxian shook his head. "But I'm so anxious, not just because I've been depressed for too long in Shanzhou... I've been feeling vaguely for a few years now that the armor is getting thicker every year, the logistics and training of the troops are getting more rigorous every year, and the artillery carts, gunpowder, and hot air balloons, the scenes where a prince can overturn the situation of a war with his own outstanding ability will probably become less and less... I'm afraid that after our generation, there will be no more famous generals and generals, and we will really have to rely on temple strategists to decide the outcome."

Han Shizhong thought about it and nodded: "That's a little bit of the idea."

However, the man laughed again: "If that's the case, then haven't we made a big profit? There have been no famous generals in the world since Han, Li, Yue, and Zhang! And I, Han Shizhong, will be the first to go!"

Li Yanxian was in a trance.

But it was not over yet. Seeing that the cavalry under Li Shifu had almost crossed the Huishui River and Li Shifu himself was about to cross, Han Liangchen, who was under the banner of Tianxia Wushu, immediately let out a sigh on his horse and shouted from afar:

"Li Shifu, come here!"

Li Shifu was puzzled when he heard the voice, but how could he refuse? It would not delay anything anyway, so he immediately rode over again, bowed and greeted him, calling him the Prince.

The next moment, Han Shizhong could not help but look down on everyone: "Before crossing the river at Pujin, I wrote a poem. There was a chaotic battle in the river for a month, and I couldn't get the last few lines. But just now, I was standing here with Li Jiedu to discuss military situation and make plans. Thinking about the main force of the Jin army fleeing at the sight of the enemy, I finally felt like writing a poem... I will recite it, and you can tell the frontline commanders for me!"

Li Yanxian felt his scalp tingling for a moment, and Li Shifu was so frightened that he reined in his horse and took two steps back.

Only Prince Han remained calm and heroic. He reined in his horse with one hand, pointed north with the other, and chanted on the spot:

"You have fought in many battles in the desert, and the Red Land has been filled with many difficulties.

The kingdom has always belonged to the Han Dynasty. How can we share it with the enemy?

The warm sunshine melts the frost on thousands of trees, and the cold wind blows away the clouds in the sky.

There are still many places where foxes and rats have fled, and every household in Hebei is looking forward to the Six Armies. "

After finishing the poem, Han Shizhong became solemn again and instructed them sternly without waiting for the two Li brothers to recover or say anything, "Tell them! This battle is a great victory, and the enemy fled in panic! Don't let your imagination run wild! But this victory is the result of three years of hard work and planning by the government and the central government. You must not be complacent! Moreover, the country has lost the two rivers for a long time, and millions of people have long been looking forward to the royal army. As the main force of the imperial camp, you must not fight today, but you must fight tomorrow. You must strictly enforce military discipline and sharpen your sword! Don't slack off!"

Li Shifu nodded and left.

As for Li Yanxian, after this incident, he would never dare to ask about the "eight hundred miles" again even if he was beaten to death.

PS: Thanks to Tell Xiaoguo for joining us again. This is really the leader I met on Zhihu.

Then I will continue to offer a new book, "I Can Modify Black Technology"

I still have to explain to everyone... An unexpected situation occurred when I took leave... Probably a mobile phone was stuck in another place, and I had to do nucleic acid testing overnight... Then I felt sleepy and tired after I came back, and I haven't recovered yet. If there are any problems with this chapter, I hope you can point them out directly.

This is my personal mistake, which has delayed me much longer than I expected. I apologize to everyone.