The warmth of the hibiscus tent and the spring night are simply wonderful beyond words.
On the other hand, Zong Ze, Li Gang, Mei Zhili and their group left the Daqing Palace and went straight to the Marshal's Mansion of the old Marshal Zong Ze.
Soldiers have strong muscles and bones and are not afraid of the cold.
Zong Ze called his servants, placed a low table in the martial arts arena, set up three large iron pots around the table, and slaughtered two sheep and ten chickens.
He also called his eldest son Zongfang and second son Zongying, took out all the fine wines in the house and had them serve him.
"Zongfang, pour some wine for the uncles!"
"Okay!"
Twenty-seven or twenty-eight bowls were lined up in a row. Zong Fang lifted a large wine jar weighing more than 100 pounds with one hand and poured wine into the bowls. He really had great strength.
Zong Ze picked up a bowl of wine, glanced at the twenty-three people present, and said loudly, "Everyone, please drink this bowl to the full."
"Huh! Heh! Ha!"
"I'm really happy today!"
Zong Ze put down his wine bowl and continued, "Your Majesty has a clear stance and a firm attitude, and is strongly advocating for resistance against the Jin. This is a great blessing for us generals who have great ambitions but no way to fulfill them and serve our country."
"Marshal Zong Lao is right. Fighting against the Jin means that our strategies and martial arts will have a place to be put to good use. We can gallop on the battlefield, bravely kill the enemy, and defend our country."
"Yes, we don't seek promotions, we just want to be able to use our martial arts skills so that we don't die in bed in the future."
At this time, the servants came with mutton and chicken cut into large pieces, and threw them all into the big iron pot that was burning hot. According to the rules of the army, today they had to stew the meat in an iron pot.
"Shutan, today we are going to eat meat with big mouthfuls, drink wine with big bowls, and talk about the great cause of resisting the Jin army until we are drunk."
As the cups were passed around, the atmosphere became more and more lively as people drank more and more. The topic of conversation kept revolving around resisting the Jin army.
"Marshal Zonglao, in your opinion, how should we resist the Jin?"
Li Gang raised a glass of wine and asked the old marshal.
"Everyone present is trustworthy. I'll just talk. Zong Ying, get the map."
"This time, the Jin Kingdom came with great force, attacking our Song Kingdom in two directions. The western route, led by Wanyan Zonghan, attacked Taiyuan from Xijing (now Datong, Shanxi). The eastern route, led by Wanyan Zongwang, attacked Yanshan Prefecture from Nanjing."
Zong Ze drew two routes on the map and said confidently, "Don't worry about the western route!"
"Taiyuan City has high walls and thick grain reserves. The prefect, Zhang Chunxiao, is a renowned general. After Tong Guan fled back to Bianliang, no one could stop him. It would be foolish for Wanyan Zonghan's 60,000 men to capture Taiyuan."
As he spoke, Zong Ze pointed to the area west of Taiyuan, between Linfu and Fuyan Road, and said, "Shaanxi still has Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi's 40,000 elite troops. If they work together internally and externally to attack Taiyuan from both sides, it's unclear who will be victorious."
"There's no need to say much about Liu Guangshi. This Zhe Keqiu is also extraordinary. The famous General of the Yang Family, Zhe Lao Taijun, is a member of this Zhe family."
Zong Ze sighed, then sighed, the situation on the eastern front was quite serious.
"If it weren't for the betrayal of that bastard Guo Yaoshi, the Song Dynasty could have deployed its troops with relative ease."
"Although the prefect of Yanshan Prefecture, Cai Jing, is a distant relative of the treacherous Cai Jing, he is upright, shrewd, and capable. During his tenure, he repeatedly warned the retired emperor to be wary of Pharmacist Guo, but the retired emperor insisted on having his own way."
"Now, Pharmacist Guo has betrayed his country and betrayed his country. Cai Jing has also been dragged into the Jin Kingdom by him. I wonder if he is dead or alive now?"
Zong Ze pointed at the Taihang Mountains and said with a wry smile, "With Pharmacist Guo leading the sneak attack, the three cities of Zhending, Zhongshan, and Hejian were caught off guard and dispersed by the Jin soldiers. Only a small number of troops remained, engaging in guerrilla warfare in the Taihang Mountains. They posed no threat to the Jin army."
"Pharmacist Guo knows our Great Song Dynasty very well. When the new emperor ascends the throne, he will definitely persuade Wanyan Zongwang to gallop straight to Tokyo."
"Liang Fangping, who was guarding the Yellow River Bridge, is a coward. That's why the Yellow River defense line can't be held. To deal with Wanyan Zongwang, our best chance is right here—Moutuogang!"
"The Jin army's wars often lack food and fodder, and they've always relied on fighting to support the war. Pharmacist Guo knows that Moutuogang is the largest food and fodder supply base near the Song Dynasty's capital, so he'll definitely advise Wanyan Zongwang to attack Moutuogang and establish a presence there ahead of time. This is our opportunity."
"I know Moutuogang, but the terrain there isn't very good. How can this be an opportunity?"
Mei Zhili asked, as he had been there to check on the horses before. This Moutuogang was once an old riverbed, but after the river silted up, it became a place with lush grass and water, providing natural conditions for grazing.
But precisely because of this, the terrain was open all around and there were no natural defenses, making it very easy for the Jin cavalry to charge and kill.
"He Sheng, you only know one side of the story."
Zong Ze continued Mei Zhili's words, "Although Moutuogang has no natural defenses, there is a hilly area to the north called Sand Ridge."
"Because of the sulfur production in Shaling, there is a secret arsenal underground with a large number of firearms."
"The Jin army knows that the terrain of Moutuogang is suitable for cavalry charges, so they must be complacent and careless. We will feign a retreat, and the Jin army will surely relax. When the Jin army attempts to obtain food and fodder, we will detonate the gunpowder buried in the food and fodder, startling their horses. Then, we can ambush the troops and attack them together. This battle will surely be successful."
"What a plan, old Marshal!"
Zong Ze shook his head. "Everyone, don't be too optimistic. Even if Wanyan Zongwang followed Pharmacist Guo's advice and headed for Moutuogang, he would only be sending 5,000 cavalry. The real Jin army would have to rely on the city of Tokyo Bianliang to withstand the pressure."
"Old Marshal, there's no need to be so modest. Wanyan Zongwang has 60,000 men, but only 20,000 of them are cavalry. If we can wipe out a quarter of them in one fell swoop, it will be a huge help in defending Tokyo."
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