"If we cross it, we won't lose anything!" Zhang Jun gritted his teeth and said, "Most of the Eastern Route Army came from Hebei. If they knew that Hebei was attacked, they would be as panicked as we are..."
"No." Yuwen Xuzhong shook his head. "If Yue Fei crossed the river, Tokyo would be empty."
"Your Majesty, what exactly happened with Yue Pengju crossing the river?" Liu Ziyu also thought of the key.
"It's not that he was hasty and sent troops without authorization. It's that the last time Zhang Rong burned Xiaowusha, before Lou Shi went south, I had some discussions with him about taking the initiative to cross the river." Zhao Jiu said frankly. "Before leaving this time, I was determined to defend Guanxi to the death, and I even talked to him. At that time, I thought that if he succeeded in leaving Hebei, he could work with Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, and Ma Kuo to contain the Jin army in Hedong from three sides, and if I could gather strong troops in Guanxi, I would simply win the battle; even if Guanxi couldn't fight here, his leaving Hebei would be enough to shock the Jin army and cause the Jin army in Hedong to split up and fight... Just like the Beiwei Army, I have never told anyone about this matter. He mentioned it in the daily newspaper before, but I kept it all privately."
Liu Ziyu didn't know what to say for a moment... Because this plan certainly didn't fit his stubborn mind, and Zhao Guanjia's hiding many things from his subordinates was also unsatisfactory, but he had to admit that this was really a good plan. Because once successful, it would indeed be enough to share the pressure here in Guanxi, and it would also make the most of Zhang Rong's water advantage.
"Excuse me," said Xiaolin, who had been writing an imperial edict with his head down, suddenly standing up. "I thought General Yue might have already crossed the river."
Zhao Jiu and the others looked at each other in shock:
"How did you know?"
"Your Majesty, I would like to make a presumptuous guess." Scholar Xiaolin bowed. "After Xiaowusha, the Jin army was short of boats, and Changquan Ferry is the westernmost part of Xijing, right on the edge of the Imperial Camp Navy's patrol. I'm afraid that they were able to sneak across the river this time because General Yue was using General Zhang's boat to cross the river."
Everyone was silent for a moment, but no one could refute it.
Zhao Jiu even felt a sense of absurdity. The enemy's plan was successful because his own plan was successful. What was this? Were they just stabbing each other in the foot?
And they all hit the vital points.
Everyone gradually calmed down and focused their attention on Emperor Zhao.
"In that case, this matter cannot be considered a gain or loss. It's just that the battle situation is gradually becoming more intense and is beyond human control?" Zhao Jiu thought for a long time and could only stand up from his seat and sigh slightly, then walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back.
Several ministers who could be considered the real decision-makers in Kansai at the moment quickly followed.
Zhao Jiu walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back and walked towards the courtyard. He looked up and saw the Milky Way and stars in the night sky. The summer evening breeze was much more comfortable than indoors... He was mesmerized by the sight.
The official blew the wind for a while, looked at the Milky Way for a long time, and finally sighed at the sky after half a day: "This is Chang'an, this is Guanzhong. Since ancient times, whoever controls Guanzhong controls the Central Plains, and then controls the world! Therefore, Guanzhong cannot be lost. So after I arrived in Chang'an, although I secretly deployed troops and generals, it seemed that I was going to do this and that, but it was just a preparation for the necessary time. In fact, I really had the same idea as Yan Xiu, ready to waste time and drag on with the Jin army, to compete with each other to see who can't hold on first..."
"Your Majesty." Liu Ziyu was not happy but surprised when he heard this.
"But what happened today made me realize that this is a national war, and both sides have already put all their efforts into it. Although both sides have not yet engaged in a full-scale battle and are still being cautious, the slightest movement will inevitably lead to mutual involvement and a mess..." Zhao Jiu continued to look up at the sky and said, "My lords, some things follow a pattern, just like the falling of a seed and the changing of the sun and the moon. We can't avoid it!"
"His Majesty."
Liu Ziyu's expression became increasingly serious. At the same time, Yuwen Xuzhong, Zhang Jun, Lin Jingmo, and Yang Yizhong were all silent. They just stared at the back of the young official and listened attentively.
"I have said more than once before that if you want to defeat the Jin people, you must be prepared for a protracted war." Zhao Jiu ignored Liu Ziyu and finally turned back to look at several important officials. "I still think so today. But the problem is that time and again, the Jin army came to us, and we were never able to outlast them? Outlasting is a national strategy, not an option during a war... At this point in the war, we have some assets and some troops that dare to fight, so why do we think we should just hold on and wait it out?"
Liu Ziyu was no longer talking. He had said everything he could say. The other people had already looked serious. Only Zhao Jiu kept chattering:
"The current situation is that Luoyang, as the middle section of the defense line, may have been breached by the Jin army, and Guandong will inevitably be shaken. But Yue Pengju may have successfully crossed the river to Hebei, forming a strategic clamp on the main force of the Jin Kingdom in Hedong. And here in Guanxi, we have a temporary advantage in manpower... So if the local battlefield is advantageous, why should we waste time and passively wait? What are we waiting for? Wait until the situation becomes bad and Lou Shi actively leads the army to attack the city, or wait for Lou Shi to suddenly die like Zhuge Liang?"
At this point, Zhao Jiu laughed, but the laughter stopped immediately:
"Wang Yuan is determined to become a marshal. His words actually make sense. Yan Xiu's words also make sense. Everyone is just guessing. No one knows what the other party can do. So, as Yan Xiu has repeatedly said, field battles are a gamble on the fate of the country. I think it is absolutely correct. It is a gamble, a gamble on the fate of the country and our own lives! But the problem is, can we not afford to gamble? Or do we dare not gamble? We shouldn't gamble? What if we lose the bet, die?"
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