Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 177 Using Fiery Eyes to Explore the Fog

At this time, the camp for the wounded had not been set up yet, so the seriously injured and unconscious Jurchen was simply placed in an ordinary tent next to the central army tent.

Liu Huai walked in and looked carefully at the Jurchen man named Ximao Zhanggu.

The man was in his early twenties, thin and handsome, with thick joints. He looked like a warrior who practiced martial arts. He had a braid, a common Jurchen style, but unlike other Jurchens, he did not shave the hair around the braid. Instead, he braided his long hair into two braids.

The level of perfunctoriness is comparable to TVB's Qing Dynasty dramas of later generations.

Because Zhang Gu of Xiemao was seriously injured and unconscious, the armored cavalry who had some medical skills stripped him naked, both to search him and to treat him.

This man had no letters or documents, not even anything with words on it. However, Liu Huai was still surprised to find that he had too many new and old wounds on his body, including knife wounds, arrow wounds, whip marks, and stick marks. It was almost like new wounds overlapping old wounds. I don't know how he could survive until now.

The appearance of Xiemao Zhanggu and the words he brought made the already chaotic situation even more chaotic.

Unfortunately, this guy had already fallen into a deep coma at this time, and it was not even known whether he could wake up, so there was no way to ask him anything.

What the hell is going on? What kind of bullshit is going on?
Liu Huai grumbled inwardly. What's the difference between this and Nancy Ren's deathbed line, "The one who killed me is Shi"? Creating difficulties when there aren't any, right?
Liu Huaifu went to see the horse that the Jurchen had ridden and found that although the horse was a little thin, it had a big skeleton. He thought that if it was well raised, it could become a majestic war horse.

While observing the warhorse, Liu Huai discovered a black, burnt mark on the horse's butt, and he couldn't help but pinch his chin again.

Even ordinary farmers would brand their livestock's buttocks, but this was essentially a means of marking ownership, so this black, burnt mark had no meaning.

This only means that this warhorse came from an illegal background and someone unknown had used layers of branding to cover up the original brand.

Could it be that this guy Xiemao Zhanggu is a thief?

A thief who can steal war horses?
Liu Huai became even more confused.

Now it is no longer a question of whether Zhu Tianshou is trustworthy.

Rather, it was that there was something strange everywhere in Yishui County, as if something had started to happen, but Liu Huai had no idea.

So will the Loyal Army still gather here, or will they risk going to Yishui County to see what the situation is there?
Liu Huai thought about it and could only use the old method.

Give full play to military democracy and hold military meetings.

Of course, at this time, only Zhang Baiyu and two hundred armored cavalrymen came, so other commanders could not participate.

In addition, none of the Yizhou tyrants were left, so only Liu Huai, Zhang Baiyu and Guan Chongyan came to discuss with each other.

"...This is the situation. I wonder if I have made myself clear."

Liu Huai succinctly recounted his previous experiences, thoughts, and ideas, then took a long sip from the water bag before asking, "What do you think?"

Zhang Baiyu frowned and said, "It's indeed troublesome. There are simply too many things to deal with. Whether Zhu Tianshou truly surrendered or was just pretending. Whether that Jurchen woman really filed a complaint or was trying to disrupt the morale of the army, either is possible, and there are explanations and explanations."

Liu Huai helplessly spread his hands and said, "That's the truth. That's why we can't advance or retreat. If we advance now, we have 300 armored cavalry and can always fight a battle. But if the Jin bandits set up an ambush, then this official road with dozens of miles of mountains and rivers and earthen mounds everywhere is enough to wipe out our entire army.
But if things continue as they always have, not only will the fervor of the Han warriors falter, but we'll also be unable to win back the hearts of the people. If, as Zhu Tianshou says, the Wuxing Army has 20,000 troops, marching south in two directions along the Yishui and Shuhe Rivers, we should be prepared to meet the enemy, but we're completely unprepared. Wouldn't that be a huge joke?" Zhang Baiyu thought for a moment, his head lowered. "If, as Zhu Tianshou says, 20,000 troops will march south in two directions, then we should report this to General Wei immediately, abandon the land distribution plan, quickly stabilize the rear, and bring the entire army in for a decisive battle."

Liu Huaifu sighed again, "But if we lie about military intelligence, it would be like digging up the roots of the Loyalty Army. This would be equivalent to the Loyalty Army's first large-scale violation of military law on rewards and punishments. What does this mean?"

The two smart guys were still struggling with their thoughts, while Guan Chongyan, who was more straightforward, had already frowned and asked curiously, "Why don't you go and investigate?"

Liu Huai shook his head: "I did send cavalry there, but I'm in such a dilemma because they didn't find anything."

Guan Chongyan still frowned. "The Commander-in-Chief often teaches us that commanders must be diligent and not lazy. What I mean is, why don't you go there in person? Take a look at the situation in Yishui County yourself. With your ability, you will definitely be able to see through things that the cavalry can't discover!"

When Guan Chongyan was halfway through his words, Liu Huai and Zhang Baiyu suddenly understood.

At the end of the conversation, the two couldn't help but look at each other and laugh awkwardly.

It's simple, both of them are stuck in a dead end.

One person believes that there are only two options now: send troops or not, while the other person thinks that in wartime, commanders cannot leave their posts, so they will subconsciously leave the army to conduct personal reconnaissance.

But is now really the most urgent moment to engage in battle?
Or does it mean that if the front army of the Loyal Army really leaves Liu Huai, the entire army will collapse?
Wouldn’t that mean all the military system construction done by the Loyal Army along the way would be in vain?
In fact, even if Liu Huai and Zhang Baiyu left at the same time, there would be a deputy commander to preside over the armored cavalry. Even if the deputy commander left, there would be team commanders and generals to control the army. Although the combat effectiveness would definitely decline, it would never reach the point of everyone scattering.

Not to mention that in a day or two, the commanders of the various front-line armies will arrive and take charge of the camp.

And there won't be any fighting in these two days.

So if Liu Huai wants to go out and explore in person, it would be best to set off within one or two days.

"Guan Qilang, I never thought you were so smart. You really can't judge a person by his appearance."

Zhang Baiyu also said in surprise.

Guan Chongyan's cheeks twitched a few times, and he seemed to be a little annoyed by the words "Don't judge a book by its cover". Especially when Zhang Baiyu said this with a pretty face like a woman, it was almost mocking.

Of course, Guan Chongyan was no pushover. He immediately advised Liu Huai, "Commander-in-Chief, I think we shouldn't have too many people when scouting the enemy. Too many people would make the target too large, and that would be dangerous. So, you should only bring three or four people, wear chain mail under your clothes, prepare short weapons, spears, bows and arrows, and conduct a quiet scouting operation.

But even in this world, three or four strong men setting out together would still be too conspicuous, so it would be better if there was a female companion among them."

Liu Huai waved his hand: "Guan Qilang, you are joking. How can there be women in the army? And even if there are female relatives, how can a man like us do such a tragic thing... huh?"

Liu Huai saw Guan Chongyan staring straight at Zhang Baiyu, and he reacted decisively. He also turned his head and looked up and down at the armored cavalry commander who was as pretty as a woman.

Zhang Baiyu saw the two men's thoughtful eyes, and the hair on his body stood on end. He immediately refused: "Don't even think about it. I, Zhang Baiyu, would rather starve to death or jump into the Yi River than wear women's clothes!"

(End of this chapter)