Zhan Du and Chen Gou walked out of Yao Gu's military camp, their hearts heavy.
Zhan Du was somewhat agitated: "Damn it! That Liu Bingyu is a complete scoundrel! That bastard Wanyan Zonggan now has 60,000 troops in the Xiaoshui area, and the marshal hasn't arrived yet. Are we just asking for death by rashly advancing?!"
Chen Gou gave him a look, signaling him to stop talking so that Liu Bingyu wouldn't overhear.
Liu Bingyu was Yao Gu's military advisor. He was originally a civilian official, but because he was good at being a sycophant, he was highly valued by Yao Gu and now has great power in the military.
It is difficult to gain the respect of the people if a civil official who has never served on the front lines is appointed as a commander, especially if he comes from a humble background.
Liu Bingyu himself knew this, so of course he had to pretend to know everything.
The less you understand, the more you pretend to understand, and you even try to force others to follow your ideas.
Zhan Du followed Chen Gou back to the military camp. The soldiers brought beef and fine wine, but the two of them had no appetite at all.
The war between Song and Jin has lasted only a month since it began, and news of Yang Zaixing's western route army annihilating the Jin general Han Chang has spread among the Song army.
This is certainly an exciting thing.
But for some people it's a thrill, like Yao Gu.
Yao Gu harbored a deep resentment; the Yao family, once a prominent military family in the Song Dynasty, had now fallen into decline.
Although he was the deputy military commissioner of the Yan-Yun war zone, and his adopted son Yao Pingzhong was the deputy military commissioner of the Northern Army, the Song Dynasty of today was very different from that of the past.
The rising stars of the Song Dynasty are truly dazzling.
Whether it was Zhang Jun in the southwest, or Yue Fei, Wu Jie, and Liu Qi in the northwest, Li Bao who conquered the South China Sea, or Han Shizhong who was still lurking in the capital city of Tokyo, they were all like dazzling stars, shining brightly in the sky of the Song Dynasty.
The Yao family, once a gathering place for brilliant generals in the Northwest, has now faded into obscurity.
Yao Gu was already 78 years old. He knew that his days were numbered. Once he died, Yao Pingzhong would be the only one to support the Yao family. In the current strategic landscape of the Song Dynasty, Yao Pingzhong would be alone and would inevitably be squeezed out.
He wanted to find a way out for the Yao family.
This time, he took a risk and promoted Yao Xiong, a rising star in the Yao family.
Yao Xiong can be said to be the most outstanding backbone of the Yao family in this generation. He was very brave in battle and was a brave general in the Yanyun War Zone.
He was simply unlucky, or rather, he never had the opportunity to achieve great military exploits in battles large and small.
But until last year, he was only a Du Yuhou (都虞侯) position.
This year, when the Song-Jin War broke out, Yao Gu privately promoted him to the position of military commander and transferred the armies of Zhan Du and Chen Gou to his command.
Zhan Du and Chen Gou are both at the level of military commanders, but Yao Gu is now forcibly merging them to benefit Yao Xiong.
The intention was to have Zhan Du and Chen Gou cooperate with Yao Xiong to eliminate Xiao Shui's Wanyan Zonggan.
This was entirely Yao Gu's doing. Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong's orders were also very clear: the main army should advance steadily, and Yao Gu's vanguard should proceed cautiously and not venture too far into enemy territory alone.
Moreover, Wanyan Zonggan was a renowned and fierce general of the Jin Dynasty, and he was the eldest son of Wanyan Aguda.
Zhan Du and Chen Gou were naturally extremely frustrated. According to Yao Gu's orders, they were to reorganize their troops the next day and set out with Yao Xiong. They would start from this place, split into two groups, and attack Wanyan Zonggan.
Zhan Du said, "Why don't we report this matter to Commander Zhong (Zhong Shizhong) and let him make a decision?"
Chen Gou said, "We are both under Commander Yao's command. If we do this, it will break the rules of the army. It's not appropriate."
"To hell with the rules! Yao Gu is sending us to our deaths! If our forwards collapse, the front line that our men have worked so hard to build will crumble completely!"
Chen Gou's expression changed, and he rebuked, "Brother Zhan, don't talk nonsense!"
He gave Zhan Du a look, wary that someone might be overheard.
If these words, which sow discord among the troops, were to reach Yao Gu, he would surely have Zhan Du beheaded before the entire army.
In fact, the central army has not been entirely inactive over the past month.
He Zhandu had engaged in no fewer than five battles with the Jin army, but these were all small-scale engagements, with both sides trying to lure the other into an ambush with their rear armies.
Neither side is easy to deal with, and they have been in a delicate situation.
To put it more vividly and accurately, it's like saying, "What are you looking at?"
"What are you looking at!"
"Try looking at another one!"
"Let's give it a try!"
What are you looking at!
"..."
In this stalemate, the Song army advanced its battle line by nearly a hundred miles, putting it in a relatively proactive position.
Just as Zhan Du and Chen Gou were feeling down, the guard outside said, "Commander Chen, Yao Duyu requests an audience."
Chen Gou and Zhan Du looked at each other, and Chen Gou quickly realized what was happening: "Come in."
The imposing young man who entered was named Yao Gan, the second son of Yao Xiong and the grandson of Yao Gu.
The twenty-year-old commander of the capital!
Zhan Du glanced at Yao Gan and looked down on him from the bottom of his heart.
Back then, Wang Bing was in his thirties when he accumulated enough merit under Tong Guan before being promoted to the position of Commander of the Capital Garrison.
This Yao Gan had never participated in any major wars, nor had he made any significant contributions, yet he rose to the position of Commander-in-Chief, commanding a battalion of 2,500 men.
Zhan Du's nose almost reached the sky.
"This humble general pays his respects to Commander Zhan and Commander Chen!"
"What does Yao Duyu want with us?"
"Yao Jundu invited the two of you over to discuss important matters."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Du almost jumped up.
Does Yao Xiong really think he's the commander of the garrison?
Chen Gou quickly interjected, "If that's the case, then prepare with my Commander Zhan and we'll be there soon."
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