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

Chapter 204: Following the Clues to the Military Intelligence

To be fair, what Wang Xiongyi raised is a good question.

This is a question that only a general who has a thorough understanding of the surrounding geographical situation would ask.

Although the terrain in the northern part of Tai'an Prefecture seems complex, there is a road that goes along the Mouwen River through Laiwu and reaches Yiyuan Town.

Moreover, this official road is far away from the Yellow River system and is protected by Mount Tai in the north, so it has never experienced flooding of the Yellow River and is extremely smooth and convenient.

But, I still have to say but.

No matter how wide the road in the hilly area is, it can never be compared with the road on the plain.

The route from Dongping Prefecture to Yizhou via Yanzhou is extremely easy to travel. Not only is the official road accessible directly, but there are also large counties and towns along the way, making it very convenient to requisition food and laborers.

Moreover, the Jin army's main force is cavalry, and the tactical advantages of cavalry should be better utilized in plains.

If we take this route, as long as we destroy the Tianping Army stationed in Fei County, we can go directly along the Jun River and kill all the way to the city of Linyi.

"The explanation given by the commander of the march, Meng An Tu Shan Zhang, is that the Wuxing Army is running low on food and supplies. If they go through Yanzhou, they'll have to transport food from Jizhou to the west. However, all the food in Jizhou is reserved for the southern expeditionary army, so they won't be able to get it." Liu Huai explained, "So they have to go through Tai'an Prefecture to Juzhou, thereby establishing a logistical connection with Yidu Prefecture in the north. Because Yidu Prefecture is the Jin Kingdom's garrison in Shandong, with the Shandong Military Command at the helm, it can largely meet the Wuxing Army's needs within a certain range."

Wang Xiongyi listened to the explanation but still frowned. "Could it be that the Shandong Military Command has sent troops from Yidu Prefecture to assist the Wuxing Army? ... No, Juzhou is full of hills and mountains. Even if more troops come, the route will be blocked. It would be better to send them from Yanzhou."

After mumbling a few words, Wang Xiongyi looked up and said, "Can I meet Tu Danzhang and see if he's lying?"

Liu Huai pointed at the prisoner-of-war camp behind him and said, "They're all dead. The one who was chopped the most was that guy. That bastard was really stubborn. He only uttered a few words of truth at the very end."

Zhang Baiyu was moved when he heard this, and said seriously, "Dalang, this guy is probably telling a big lie."

Liu Huai also responded seriously: "What do you mean?"

"Da Lang, you've never been around the underworld, so you don't know the ins and outs of it." Zhang Baiyu narrowed his eyes. "When the government catches a thief, they ask him to confess his crime. Often, by verifying each other's confessions, they can figure out the truth.

But all the experienced thieves know one thing: if neither their accomplices nor the government know about a case, then it is an unsolved case. Even if they committed it themselves, they have to pretend that it has nothing to do with them.

Because there is no way to verify this.”

Liu Huai understood halfway through: "Silang, what you're saying is that Tu Danzhang knew he was doomed, yet he remained a tough cookie. He kept silent at first, but only spoke the truth after being tortured, all just to reassure us, to convince us of a piece of information that only he knew, unknown to the rest of the Jin army."

Zhang Baiyu nodded heavily: "That's right!"

Liu Huai looked at the stack of documents in his hand, his eyes unfocused. He pinched his chin and muttered, "What is the number and combat strength of the Wuxing Army? No, these will be known to the rank of squad leader.

Does the Wuxing Army have any reinforcements? No, even someone at Puliyan's level would know.

Was the Wuxing Army making a feint to the east and attacking in the west? Did the march actually originate from Yanzhou? Was Tu Danzhang merely a decoy in Yishui County? No, this information would also be known to the marching army.

This does not mean that the Wuxing Army is also practicing military democracy, but some military information must be reported to grassroots officers, which is absolutely impossible.

For example, it was supposed to be a decoy. The marching general thought it was going to be a fight to the death. When the battle started, he led a hundred armored cavalrymen to start a desperate charge. Wasn't that a waste?

The marching route... the marching route... why do we have to take this route..."

Thinking of this, Liu Huaifu quickly looked through the documents again and found that only Tu Danzhang gave a definite answer to this question, while the others either didn't know or started talking nonsense.

What Tu Danzhang wanted to hide was the reason why Wu Xingjun chose this marching route.

Only he knew the reason, so he could say whatever he wanted, as long as he had a decent reason.

But why?

Is there any key to this?

Liu Huai stood up and paced back and forth, but he kept talking and told the others his thoughts.

This made Wang Xiongyi and Zhang Baiyu fall into deep thought.

At this moment, Liu Huai saw Wang Xiongyi's sword-drawn map from the corner of his eye. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he drew his sword and quickly stepped forward, using his later knowledge and current intelligence to complete the map. He then drew on it the known distribution of forces from each side.

The two men stared at Liu Huai's movements closely. When the distribution of troops was clearly displayed on the map, not only the other two, but even Liu Huai himself suddenly realized it.

“After eliminating all impossibilities, whatever remains, no matter how bizarre, is the correct answer.

It seems that the Jin navy is about to take action. They are going to attack the Dongping Army. They will also take advantage of the situation to attack Haizhou in order to cut off the retreat routes of the Zhongyi Army and the Dongping Army.

The Wuxing Army needs to coordinate with the navy. If they come from Yanzhou, they will be too far away, making it difficult for the two sides to move in sync."

Liu Huai said in a deep voice, but then shook his head slightly: "But why wasn't the entire army informed when it was clearly a friendly force? It would definitely boost morale."

Zhang Baiyu's face turned pale, and he said anxiously, "Dalang, since we now have some guesses, regardless of whether they are accurate or not, we need to inform the Dongping Army first so that they can prepare for the contingency."

That's where his father and uncles are. How can he not be anxious?

Liu Huai nodded and said, "Go find the clerk and have him transcribe the Jin army's confession twice overnight. One copy will be sent to the commander-in-chief, and the other to the Dongping army."

"Silang, you need to find a confidant to deliver a letter to the Dongping Army. Tell General Zhang the whole story and our speculation in detail. Don't let him misjudge the situation."

The two nodded in agreement, and Liu Huai continued, "This matter has come to an end, but there is one thing left. It is now certain that the entire Wuxing Army will arrive in Yishui County on August 30th. We must be prepared."

"Today is August 27th... No, that's not right..." Wang Xiongyi looked up at the moon that was already setting in the west. "It's already August 28th. Does that mean the Wuxing Army will arrive the day after tomorrow?"

Zhang Baiyu interrupted and said, "You can't calculate the time like that. If the Jin thieves know about this, they might send a vanguard tomorrow."

Wang Xiongyi sighed and stamped his feet, saying, "I originally thought that after yesterday's great victory, I could make some progress today, at least to seize Yishui County, but today and tomorrow there is nothing I can do.

Not to mention that the vanguard of the Jin army may arrive tomorrow. Without further ado, if they only need seven or eight hundred armored cavalry like the ones we have today, we may be defeated.

Even if we take a step back, even if we capture the county town, we won’t have time to strengthen the city defenses and build a camp.”

Zhang Baiyu lowered his head to think for a moment, then looked up and sighed, "It's really too late. There's no time to transport the baggage. All the baggage and food are currently stored south of the front army camp. There's simply no way we can transport so much food to Yishui County in such a short time.

It's just that the people of Yishui County have suffered so much. Without our loyal army, I don't know who else can save them."

Liu Huai lowered his head in silence for a moment, then raised his head and looked at the second general: "Silang, what you said is right. If it weren't for our Loyal Army, who else could have saved them? On the other hand, if I don't save them now, I'm killing them!"

When these words were spoken, the two were stunned and immediately wanted to persuade him at the same time.

War is a matter of vital importance to a nation, a matter of survival and destruction, a matter of life and death. How could a general, in a fit of rage, lead his entire army into danger?
To put it bluntly, the lives of the people of Yishui County are lives, but the lives of the soldiers of the Loyal Army are not lives?

Of course, Liu Huai could not tell a group of feudal officers that the safety of people's lives was above everything else. In this era, those who had not undergone a complete ideological transformation would only think that Liu Dalang was bragging when they heard such words.

If you want to get things done, you have to find the right method.

Liu Huai simply waved his hand to stop the two men's advice: "Of course, I don't want to lead the entire army into danger, but I mean that if I can save every household, every person, it counts as one.

We have more than a day to spare now, are we going to sit on the dry shore and watch the people of Yishui County fall into the fire pit?

The two were silent for a moment, and it was Zhang Baiyu who spoke first: "Dalang, I'm convinced by you all the way north. You decide what to do, and I won't hesitate!"

Wang Xiongyi didn't say anything else, but nodded repeatedly to show his agreement.

Liu Huai also nodded. "Okay, Zhang Silang, tomorrow we'll prepare two hundred armored cavalrymen capable of fighting. Tell them that the Jin bandits' main army has been destroyed by us, and the remaining local soldiers and archers in Yishui County are nothing but dirt. We're going there to show off our strength."

After saying this, Liu Huai looked at Wang Xiongyi again and said, "Second Brother Wang, you need to organize three hundred light soldiers who can ride horses to maintain order on this fifty-mile mountain road."

"Second Brother Wang, you still have to manage the affairs of the main camp. After returning to the front camp with the captives and spoils, you must prepare to receive the incoming refugees from Yishui County. I will send a message to my father later to ask for food and tents, and to send a pro-civilian official to arrange for their resettlement. Hasn't Mr. Lu been complaining about a shortage of manpower for land reclamation and canal construction? Bring him some more today."

Without waiting for Wang Xiongyi to bow, Liu Huai stepped forward, shook his hands, and instructed, "Second Brother Wang, your affairs are the most important, for you are responsible for connecting the past and the future. Whether those people who have crossed the fifty miles of mountain roads feel at home or flee in all directions depends entirely on your ability."

Wang Xiongyi was somewhat touched and also held Liu Huai's hands: "I am grateful for your kindness, Lord Commander. I, Wang Er, have some talent and will definitely do everything properly!"

(End of this chapter)