When the military report was sent to Tokyo, Zhao Jiu initially felt relieved, because just as he had emphasized, the Jin army had indeed arrived. But soon, as the military situation in Shanzhou was summarized, he fell into some confusion and doubt.
This confusion and doubt is twofold.
First of all, on a big level, after fighting for so long, it was common knowledge that the Jin army's field army was divided into east and west. But this time when the war broke out, he only received military intelligence from the western army, but did not receive any military reports from the eastern army... Logically speaking, the Battle of Xiaowusha should have undoubtedly hit the eastern army, but why had the eastern army been silent?
Moreover, the intelligence that continued to come from Taihang Mountain was a bit strange. That is, most of the Meng'an and Mouke who were settled by the Jin Kingdom in the central and southern parts of the Hebei Plain did not seem to have any signs of large-scale mobilization. This was the key intelligence that Zhao Jiu specifically asked Ma Kuo to convey on a daily basis... and this was very strange, because the Meng'an and Mouke on the Hebei Plain were the main force of the Eastern Route Army, and a small part of them belonged to the Western Route Army.
If it is said that the Western Route Army deliberately did not mobilize fully in order to achieve the effect of a surprise attack, but only concentrated its elite cavalry, then this is certainly understandable and consistent with the current intelligence.
But what is going on with the Eastern Army? Aren’t they planning to join the war?
Of course, it is also possible that the Eastern Army will be remobilized later, or it is possible that some elite troops are passing through the complex Yellow River waterway in eastern Hebei, preparing to bypass the east of Beijing to fight, and were delayed on the way... All of these are possible.
However, the detailed military situation of the Western Route Army is currently shrouded in doubt.
Logically speaking, Wanyan Loushi should have continued to follow the results of the previous battle and captured Fuzhou and Danzhou south of Yan'an Prefecture, but why did he go south to Tongguan?
And after taking Tongguan, where will he go?
Would they go east to attack Shanzhou, or would they go west to attack Chang'an? Logically, they should attack Chang'an in order to encircle Fuzhou and Danzhou from the south, but if so, why did they send out a separate force to clamp down on Shanzhou?
As Tongguan was cut off, communications to Chang'an had to go around Luoshui, which inevitably delayed them for a few days, which was really surprising.
In short, all kinds of doubts filled Zhao Jiu's mind, making it difficult for the Privy Council to come to a conclusion, which in turn caused doubts and indecision among the highest levels of the Song Dynasty.
However, the military situation was serious and could not be delayed at all. Therefore, the court held a meeting in the Wende Hall on the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, that is, the second day after receiving the news, despite the late hour. The four prime ministers, the military assistants of the Privy Council, the six ministers, the academicians and other close ministers, as well as the commanders of the imperial camp in Beijing and above were all present, but no one else was summoned. The court sought a decision and a quick response.
"The Jin army's military situation is unclear. Zhang Jun, Yue Fei and Zhang Rong should guard their defense zones carefully and not act rashly!" After the court meeting began, Wang Boyan, on behalf of the Privy Council, put forward a basic premise for response.
This premise was in fact recognized by the vast majority of people present.
Because these three places are directly facing the enemy-occupied areas, and behind them are the vital areas of the Song Dynasty. Behind Zhang Jun are Huainan and the southeast; behind Yue Fei and Zhang Rong are Tokyo and Nanjing, the heartland of Henan which has just shown some signs of improvement after suffering a large-scale invasion last year.
"The troops along the river in the imperial camp and the troops in Tokyo City should not be moved without permission." The discussion continued, and soon someone put forward a new opinion, which soon attracted some opposition.
"Then can we dispatch the imperial camp's rear troops to come to our aid?"
"We should send Han Shizhong to Luoyang, the Western Capital, to observe the situation and prepare for any eventuality..."
"Han Shizhong must be dispatched. His troops are recuperating in Huaixi, and they have the best supply of money, food and materials. This is to allow him to provide mobile support... But I don't think they should be dispatched to Luoyang, the Western Capital, but to Nanyang first. Once the situation is clear, we can move forward!"
"To go to Nanyang, we must naturally support Guanxi from Wuguan. However, in the evening, Guanxi has already sent an urgent message from Luoshui Road, saying that they have not yet..."
"Although Guanxi has been notified and has not been attacked, from the overall situation, Guanxi is more important. Once Guanxi is attacked, Tokyo will be out of reach. Therefore, if General Han really goes to Xijing, he may fall into the Jin people's plan of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, luring the tiger away from the mountain!"
"But if that's the case, what if Wanyan Loushi really attacks Shanzhou with all his strength? Shanzhou is so important, if it is lost, it will be truly isolated..."
"Can't we send the Eight Character Army to help? After all, Shanzhou is always closer to the Central Plains, and the transportation is convenient. If Wanyan Loushi really comes to attack Shanzhou, where can we not dispatch troops from the 200,000-strong army of the Imperial Camp to provide assistance?"
It has to be said that the court meeting was effective. At least it could help the ministers who knew nothing about military affairs to understand the situation a little.
But at the same time, we have to admit that the court discussion made some strategic choices clearly and accurately presented. For example, should the largest mobile corps, Han Shizhong's troops, go to Chang'an or Luoyang? Should the imperial camp rear army be sent to support? Can Wang Yan's eight-character army be properly dispatched to provide support to the west?
Every action has its pros and cons, but action must be taken, otherwise it will delay military opportunities. At this time, officials and ministers who have roughly understood the pros and cons need to come together to make the final decision.
Of course, after all, Zhao Guanjia had gone through two or three years of war, so he still had some experience and judgment. After a little thought, he came to a rough conclusion in his mind:
First, when disputes arise over military matters, experts should be listened to. Therefore, the opinions of Liu Ziyu, Hu Hongxiu and other military officers, and generals such as Wang Yuan, Qu Duan, Wang De and Wang Yan should be the main ones in these disputes.
Secondly, Zhao Jiu himself always felt that Wanyan Loushi's dispatch of troops this time was a bit strange and seemed confusing, but this confusing performance combined with Wanyan Loushi's reputation made people not be careless... Therefore, on the one hand, it is necessary to leave enough room for the overall strategy, and on the other hand, to go all out against Wanyan Loushi's main force that appeared first.
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