The Battle of Shouzhou is about to be won!
This was a matter of course after the victory at Liangshan Lake… because it was almost common sense. If the rear support troops were surrounded and annihilated, wouldn’t that mean the rear route was cut off? And if the rear route was cut off, wouldn’t it mean that the front line could no longer hold out? And once the front line withdrew its troops, wouldn’t it be a victory given that they had already annihilated thousands of Jin troops and prevented them from crossing the Huai River?
Which of the officials in Baguashan is not well-read in history books and does not understand this principle?
Otherwise, they would not have been so impatient to start warming up for the post-war political struggle after the great victory at Liangshanpo.
"Jin Wushu's future path has not been blocked?" On the fifth day of February, outside the imperial tent on the northern ridge of Bagua Mountain, next to the so-called wooden shed and under the dragon flag, Emperor Zhao Jiu looked back in surprise.
A group of close officials in the imperial court, such as scholars and attendants, also expressed their astonishment.
"It has never been cut off." Han Shizhong ignored the strange looks from the people around him, held his jade belt, and answered loudly with his chest and belly sticking out. "Your Majesty, don't forget that Jin Wushu's troops entered from Yishui. The Yishui passage is east of Mount Tai, and Jeju is west of Mount Tai... Jin Wushu deployed 5,000 troops in Jeju only because the west route is easier to travel than the east route, and he was afraid that there would be rebellion in the Yishui mountainous area on the east route, so he decided to set the route to Jeju. But now there has been no rebellion in Yishui."
Zhao Jiu was actually a little flustered for a moment.
"Besides, Liu Tai... Liu Guangshi was defeated so quickly before, and all the food and supplies from the several military states he had gathered were abandoned, so the Jin army would not be short of food for a while!" Han Shizhong continued. "Even if we take a step back, the Jin army's food and supplies are just about to run out. With more than 20,000 Jin troops under Jin Wushu, what city can't they take down? Could it be that there are so many military states in Huaibei, and each city has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses stationed like Rucai, and a bunch of stone cannons?"
"Then..." Zhao Jiu finally couldn't help but speak. "What's the battle of Liangshanpo?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Han Shizhong quickly expressed his own judgment after hearing this. "The battle of Liangshan Lake was still useful. How could it be that swallowing up 5,000 Jin soldiers was useless? It's just that it was not as effective as Your Majesty thought... After this battle, Jin Wushu suffered heavy casualties and was in a dilemma. He couldn't cross the river in front of him, couldn't defeat Xiacai in front of him, and there was an army behind him that could swallow up his 5,000-strong army, staring at him covetously. Anyone should retreat!"
Zhao Jiu suddenly realized: "What Liang Chen meant is that the general threat has arrived. Jin Wushu is exhausted, but he has sufficient troops, strong strength, and a clear retreat. He still has room for counterattack, so even if he really retreats, he should be able to do so calmly."
"Your Majesty is truly wise!" Han Shizhong flattered him forcefully.
"I understand." Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly. "If it weren't for the good minister's reminder, I would have almost made a mistake... In this case, we should continue to hold steady and wait for the enemy to retreat. Don't let your guard down."
"That's exactly what I meant." Han Shizhong nodded quickly.
"Then..." Zhao Jiufu looked at Tian Shizhong who was standing behind Han Shizhong. This son-in-law of Zhang Jun and the general of the central army had been bowing respectfully, and his whole body was covered by Han Shizhong's figure. "What did General Tian say? What did Zhang Boying and Zhao Yuanzhen mean?"
"Reporting to the emperor!" Tian Shizhong quickly walked out from behind Han Shizhong and bowed with great respect. "Good instructor, the emperor knows that when General Zhang and General Zhao heard the news, they were extremely happy and asked me to congratulate the emperor on this great victory! However, Jin Wushu is powerful and should not be underestimated. General Zhang and General Zhao are in agreement with General Han... and General Han."
Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, and Han Shizhong was slightly startled, but he held his belt and straightened his waist.
"However, I have good news for you!" Tian Shizhong continued to bow his head. "The inner ferry and water gates in Xiacai City have been repaired by me and others. As of today, they have been repaired almost completely. It's just that we forgot to report the victory in the previous artillery battle. Therefore, even if Jin Wushu insists on not leaving, Xiacai City is connected to Huaishang and Bagong Mountain, and the Jin people will never be able to break the city! Huaishang is naturally as solid as a rock!"
Zhao Jiu nodded with satisfaction, and naturally encouraged the other party with some good words that seemed to have to be exchanged for money in the future.
Afterwards, since the military situation was still very urgent, Emperor Zhao did not keep Han Shizhong and Tian Shizhong. One of them returned to the water stronghold at the foot of the mountain, and the other went directly back to Xiacai. After a while, Zhao Jiufu conveyed these words as an oral order, which was actually a warning to the important officials in the palace, asking them to continue to work diligently and have fewer messy thoughts!
Or, come back to those messy thoughts later!
After all, although Emperor Zhao was young and impetuous, and only talked about war on paper, he knew very well that after the war came politics, and some things could not be avoided at all:
For example, the whereabouts of the emperor after the war would inevitably lead to the re-emergence of the dispute over the temporary capital at that time. This matter was of great importance and would affect the entire situation. It must be handled with caution no matter what.
Then there was the unstoppable rise of military officials. Since the decision had been made to launch an all-out war, military affairs would be the most important issue in the future court structure, and the status of military officials would no longer be suppressed. In fact, everyone was prepared for this, but Zhao Jiu still had not made up his mind on the specific arrangements.
Finally, there is Li Xianggong, who had deliberately avoided this battle before. Li Gang and Li Boji will definitely return to the court after the war. By then, Li will be the prime minister, the orphan's guardian, and the southeastern wing. And Zhao Guanjia will also have irreplaceable legitimacy, absolute superiority in military power, and prestige after the successful battle on the battlefield. Once the two of them meet, even the slightest friction and unusual movement will probably cause an earthquake in the court...
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