The soldiers at Juyongguan never expected that they would be captured by Yue's army so easily, so they had to throw away their weapons.
This was not a war, nor was it a true mutiny. So some people escaped and went to Feihukou, where there were soldiers led by Sun Wu from the Jingxi Army.
The commander of Feihukou was shocked to hear about the mutiny at Juyongguan Pass. He led several soldiers to sneak outside Juyongguan Pass. Seeing from afar that Yue's army had already occupied Juyongguan Pass, he was frightened and crawled back to Feihukou. He quickly sent troops back to Beijing to report.
Zhao Huan looked at everyone in the Purple Palace and asked, "The reports from Juyongguan and Feihukou say Yue Fei is plotting a rebellion. What are your thoughts?"
Prime Minister Zhang Bangchang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the immediate plan is to organize a defense. Deploy troops near the capital to prevent the rebel Yue Fei from invading."
Zheng Zhonghe, a member of the Privy Council, said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should contact Xixia as soon as possible and join forces to eliminate the rebels."
He Li, standing nearby, said, "Your Majesty, I think it's premature to say Yue Fei is plotting a rebellion. He didn't announce it to the world, nor did he march south to capture cities. Instead, he led part of his Yue Family Army north."
Zhao Huan was overjoyed: "You mean Yue Fei didn't rebel?"
He Li said proudly, "Your Majesty, if Yue Fei was rebelling, why did he go north? To surrender to the Jin? In my opinion, Yue Fei's character is not one for surrendering to the Jin. Besides, he is already the Grand Marshal of the Army, and the Jin have no capital to win him over."
Zhao Huan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. It wasn't that he was brainless. He was simply frightened by Yue Fei's rebellion. How could he not be frightened when he heard that his most trusted general, a general with a large army, was rebelling?
"But even if Yue Fei didn't rebel, what was his purpose in going north? If he wanted to attack the Jin, the Jin cavalry would be eyeing them covetously. Wouldn't he be courting death if he went deep into the enemy's territory alone?" said Li Gang, who had been silent all this time.
He Li shook his head: "I don't know, but I think it's too arbitrary to say Yue Fei is plotting a rebellion at this time."
Zhang Bangchang said angrily: "Regardless of whether it is a rebellion or not, he dispatched troops without the order of the Privy Council, which is tantamount to treason."
Zhao Huan felt relieved. If Yue Fei really rebelled, even if he could crush him, the Song Dynasty would be in turmoil and suffer heavy losses. Besides, he might not be Yue Fei's opponent.
"Report! Your Majesty, urgent news from Ruzhou!" The eunuch in charge brought up the urgent report from the Ministry of War.
Cao Dongsheng hurriedly took it and presented it.
Zhao Huan opened the urgent message and saw that it was from Yue Fei. Zhao Huan's face changed from surprise to joy, and finally he laughed out loud.
The ministers below were shocked and didn't know what was going on.
"Hahaha, Yue Fei, ah Yue Fei. You are really a genius in leading an army! But you are also a fool as an official! Throughout history, which emperor could tolerate your insolence!" Zhao Huan slammed the urgent report on the table.
"My dear ministers, there is no need to discuss this matter any further. Yue Fei has gone north to attack the Jin Dynasty." Zhao Huan said calmly.
The ministers looked at each other in confusion.
"Your Majesty, even if Yue Fei goes north, the Song-Jin Huining Alliance is still in place. Song, Xia and Mongolia have not yet sent troops to start a war. If we do this, won't we give them an advantage?" Zhang Bangchang said.
"Hmm," Zhao Huan pondered for a moment. "A general on the battlefield is not immune to military orders. I cannot punish him at this moment, and that would only discourage the soldiers on the front lines. Let's put this matter aside for another discussion."
In fact, Yue Fei's letter arrived a little late. In the letter, he introduced in detail the strategic importance of the three places of Dading, Zhongjing and Xingzhong in the Jin Dynasty.
Zhao Huan also knew that if these three places were captured, the Three Kingdoms coalition would be the biggest winner in the war against Jin and Song. But Yue Fei was so bold as to mobilize troops without authorization. He must be guarded against.
Which emperor, ancient or modern, was not suspicious? Countless military geniuses have died because their achievements frightened the emperor. Yue Fei knew this, but he repeatedly crossed the line. It would be strange if Zhao Gou didn't kill Yue Fei.
Zhao Huan was the same, also worried that Yue Fei was too powerful to control, so he had to select several other armies to be able to compete with him.
"The Privy Council has issued a transfer order. Zong Ze's troops will take over the garrison duties at Yue Fei's Yanyun Prefecture. The remaining five prefectures will be guarded by Sun Wulai of the Jingxi Army and Zhou Guitong of the Huainan Army."
…
Ruzhou, Yue Fei's camp.
Xia Dechao looked at the imperial edict delivered by the troops and said, "General Yue, His Majesty has become suspicious. He's afraid that your achievements will overthrow the emperor and he will revoke our defense of the Yanyun provinces, forcing us to march north."
Yue Fei frowned slightly. "Your Majesty, it's a good thing I haven't been punished. Order all the troops to assemble quickly, march north through Juyong Pass, and capture Dading, Zhongjing, and Xingzhong!"
In the Jin Dynasty's Dading City, the defending general Yelu Butu was a surrendered general of the Liao Dynasty.
The Jin people treated Yelu Butu quite well and gave him the position of commander of the Dading Army.
Yelu Butu was the strongest among the three armies. His weapons were two large iron hammers weighing eighty pounds.
"Report! General, there's enemy activity in the direction of Bailu Bay. The Song army has been spotted attacking from the direction of Dading."
"What?" Yelu Butu was shocked when he heard the spy's urgent report. "How is it possible that the Song army has invaded the Great Jin?"
The spy said, "It's absolutely true. I saw it clearly. Thousands of Song army vanguards are rushing towards Dading, with a large "Yue" character on their flags."
"Yue Family Army!" Yelu Butu was shocked. He had heard about how powerful Yue Family Army was.
Since the founding of the Jin Dynasty, no one dared to invade its borders. Consequently, the Jin capital was ill-prepared, as they were all offensive. This was the first time they had been attacked right on their doorstep.
"What should I do? What should I do?" Yelu Butu rubbed his hands together anxiously. He grabbed the spy like a chicken and said, "Go to Zhongjing and ask for help!"
The spy nodded hurriedly. Yelu Butu threw away the soldier and said, "Give me my weapons!"
Yelu Butu threw the spy aside like garbage. He hurriedly got up and went outside the tent to take the messenger's token, then mounted his horse and rushed towards Zhongjing.
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