Let's talk about two things separately. Outside the city of Bianliang, Wanyan Zongmou sounded the retreat, and both the Jin and Song sides temporarily ceased fighting and collected the corpses.
Inside the central army tent, the top brass of the Eastern Army sat there, and there were many talented people.
The commander of the Eastern Army, Wanyan Zongmou, had a solemn expression on his face. The result of tonight's exploratory attack was not very good. The resistance attitude of the Song State from top to bottom was very tough. This would be a tough battle.
On both sides of Wanyan Zongmou were the two deputy commanders of the Eastern Army, Wanyan Chang and Wanyan Zongbing. These two were very powerful.
Let’s talk about Wanyan Chang first. He is the cousin of Jin Taizu Wanyan Aguda. According to seniority, Wanyan Zongmou has to call him uncle.
Wanyan Chang was a brave and skilled warrior. He assisted Jin Taizu in the war against the Liao. In 1122, the fourth year of the Xuanhe reign of the Song Dynasty, he captured Xiao Delidi, the Liao privy councilor. He was promoted to commander of the six Xi armies, commanding the Xixi region and subduing the Xi tribe. In 1125, he led troops to attack the Song Dynasty. He served as commander-in-chief of the six armies and commander-in-chief of the left military supervisor of the Marshal.
As for Wanyan Zongbing, his Jurchen name was Jin Wushu. He was young but had distinguished himself in battle. During the campaign to annihilate the Liao Dynasty, he pursued Emperor Tianzuo of the Liao Dynasty, Yelü Yanxi, to Yuanyang Luo. During his attack on the Song Dynasty, he led 3,000 iron floats and crushed the enemy all the way. He had recently conquered Tangyin County in Xiangzhou, and had just joined forces with Wanyan Zongwang this morning.
[By the way, Wanyan Zongbing was a top-tier general of the Jin Dynasty. He also had a resounding reputation as the Touchstone of Southern Song Dynasty Generals. Only those who could defeat Wanyan Zongbing could be considered Southern Song generals, like Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, and Wu Jie. It's roughly like the Diamond Goalkeeper in League of Legends.]
As mentioned earlier, Yue Fei's hometown was Xiaoti Village, Yonghe Township, Tangyin County, Xiangzhou. When Jin Wushu conquered Tangyin County, Xiangzhou, Yue Fei's mother-in-law left her hometown with Yue Fan, Yue Yun, daughter-in-law Liu (daughter of Liu Guangshi), and the families of Yue Fei's brothers Tang Huai, Zhang Xian, and Wang Gui, and fled to Gong County, Anhui.
[A bit of nonsense from the author: In ancient times, there was a saying that a true man never had to worry about not having a wife. This meant that in ancient times, if you were truly capable, you would have countless mentors offering you daughters along the way. This has been proven countless times throughout history, with Liu Bei, Li Bai, Yue Fei, and others all sharing this experience. These were probably the earliest angel investors.]
[By the way, in history, Wanyan Zongbing later killed his uncle Wanyan Chang.]
Under the two deputy commanders were more than ten generals including Nari Zahan, Falcon-eyed Langjun, Qiwowen Temujin, Zhang Conglong (the son-in-law of the Jin Dynasty), Wanmutuoze, Wanmutuochi, and Wanyan Jindanzi.
Next were some generals who surrendered during the Jin Dynasty's conquest of the Liao Dynasty and attack on the Song Dynasty. Yelu Wushi, Guo Yaoshi, Wang Linghui and others were among them. Because they were more familiar with the Song Dynasty, they were also allowed to discuss the major event of attacking the Song Dynasty.
Wanyan Zongwang, one of the few literate Jurchens, opened his mouth immediately: "What do you think is the plan?"
[This is nonsense from the author: The Jurchen people have always had a special fondness for the Three Kingdoms. This was true for Wanyan Zonghan, and even hundreds of years later during the Qing Dynasty, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty all loved to read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." I don't know why.]
"I have a plan!"
Everyone looked sideways and saw that the person who spoke was Pharmacist Guo.
"Pharmacist, please speak."
"It's well known that our Great Jin's advantage lies in frontal assaults and agile mobility. Bianliang City boasts towering walls and a deep, wide moat. The Song Dynasty's defensive weapons are diverse and varied, including the Divine Arm Crossbow, Thunderbolt Cannon, Crossbow, Catapult, and so on, all present obstacles to our Jin army's siege. Right now, the Song Emperor is adamant and has the support of the city's citizens. The timing, location, and people are all favorable to the Song Dynasty. If we storm, we'll likely suffer heavy casualties."
Everyone in the room nodded. They were all generals or marshals, and none of them were reckless men who only knew how to fight and kill. So they all looked at Pharmacist Guo, waiting for him to continue.
"According to the information previously relayed by secret agents, Tong Guan, Wang Fu, Liang Shicheng, Zhu Jie, and others rebelled and were killed. Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, and others resigned and moved away from the center of power. Most of the important officials in the court were likely to cause a major chaos."
"It just so happened that the Great Jin was attacking the Song at this very moment. The Great Jin was too powerful, so powerful that even the civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty might not be able to overcome the difficulties even if they worked together. This, in turn, ignited their resolve to unite against the enemy. Based on this premise, it became much simpler to consider a solution."
"What does the pharmacist mean?"
"I have five strategies here. You might as well listen to them."
"First, we will surround Bianliang without attacking it. As long as our Great Jin's 30,000 cavalry and 30,000 elite infantry are here, the Song State will not dare to act rashly. It's like a battle between two masters. The most intimidating moment is when they don't attack, because neither side knows when you will suddenly launch a fatal blow."
"Second, launch a heavy attack on the villages surrounding Bianliang City. Our Great Jin cavalry swept south like a whirlwind. The Great Song Dynasty was certainly not fully prepared, and their efforts to fortify their defenses and clear the countryside were not thorough. We only need to send a small cavalry squad of about a hundred men to sweep through them, bringing back a large amount of food and supplies to support the war. If we are even more ruthless, we can capture all the men and women in the villages and use them as cannon fodder. When we attack Bianliang City, they will be in the front line. They will definitely feel uncomfortable with the cannons pointed at their own people."
"Third, they ignored Luoyang, the Western Capital. I heard that two days ago, Zong Ze sent Emperor Huizong Zhao Ji and Crown Prince Zhao Chen back to Luoyang. Luoyang has a strategic location, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Song State has been under their control for many years, with sufficient food and grass, and high city walls, so it will be difficult to break through in a short period of time. This is both a retreat for them and a strategy to divide their forces. Think about it, if we want to destroy the Song State and Bianliang is hiding, will we send some troops to pursue Zong Ze? After all, they have only been gone for two days. If we divide our forces, the pressure on Bianliang will be reduced."
"Fourth, spread the news of the peace talks. Anti-Jin sentiment is currently high in Bianliang City, but this is only temporary. No matter how ruthless the young emperor is, he can't really kill all those who seek peace. Once the external pressure on the Song Dynasty decreases, some will jump out to oppose it. But the Grand Marshal must remember that the terms of peace talks must not be too harsh."
"Also, if we can contact the secret agents in Bianliang, we might as well have them interact with some of the aristocratic families. Since Wang Anshi's reforms, their interests have suffered greatly, and they are very dissatisfied with the current Zhao court. If we promise them something, they will definitely do things we dare not even think about. After all, for the aristocratic families, the emperor is temporary; only their aristocratic family, which has been passed down for thousands of years, is eternal."
"Fifth, attack Moutuogang. This is a Northern Song horse farm with over 20,000 horses and mountains of hay and beans (fodder for horses and cattle). If we capture this place, it will be enough to feed our 30,000 Great Jin cavalry for more than half a year, more than enough to sustain this war. Most importantly, Moutuogang is a plain with no defenses on any side, which is equivalent to giving it away for free."
After Pharmacist Guo finished speaking, no one spoke in the tent for a long time.
Pharmacist Guo complained inwardly, "There should be applause here. This situation is not right."
After a few minutes of silence, Wanyan Zongmou suddenly spoke up: "God bless the Great Jin, for it has such a talent as Guo Yaoshi."
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