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

Chapter 321: Poverty is not only due to old age and illness
Upon hearing such bold words, except for Liu Huai and others, the rest of the civil and military officials were eclipsed.

This was not just a verbal statement, but also a political declaration made by Liu Qi. Given his status and position, if he abandoned Guazhou and fled in the end, it would be recorded in history books and he would be scolded.

Considering Liu Qi's past military achievements and character, such a thing is almost impossible to happen.

He really wanted to fight to the death at Guazhou Ferry.

He would also inevitably drag all the Lianghuai troops into a desperate battle at Guazhou Ferry.

Liu Qi is over 60 years old and is in poor health. He no longer cares about political traditions. If anyone dares to retreat again, he might really kill them.

Ye Yiwen was also sitting solemnly at the top. Even though he knew nothing about military affairs, he probably understood that this was Liu Qi warning the generals of the Lianghuai Army. He also wanted to express his opinion, but he really lacked military knowledge and was a little worried that he would make a fool of himself if he spoke, so he just pretended to be angry to increase his momentum.

This cannot go on. Although Ye Yiwen has some self-awareness and will not participate in military affairs, he can't even open his mouth when holding military meetings. If this continues for a long time, who will still regard him as the Privy Councilor?

Thinking of this, Ye Yiwen looked around the tent and suddenly saw Lu You and Lu Wuguan, whom he had met today, and his heart was moved.

This man was the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, but he went to Shandong and mixed with a group of rebels. Although he was not a famous general in the world, he still knew something and was much better than his own staff.

More importantly, one of Ye Yiwen's uncles was once a close confidant of Lu You's grandfather Lu Dian. With this relationship, they could still reminisce about the past and win over each other.

Just as Ye Yiwen was pondering, another Song general, Shao Hongyuan, the commander of the right army of the Imperial Guard Infantry Division, stood up and said, "The commander-in-chief is right. The Yangtze River is the lifeline of the Song Dynasty. We absolutely cannot retreat. I swear on my life that I will defend the river to the death."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did there not be thunderous cheers and applause in the tent, but everyone was disgusted.

Liu Huai also held a wine cup and looked up and down at this waste who had left his name in history with great interest.

This man has a strong build and a ferocious look. His beard stands up like steel needles, and he has the demeanor of a valiant warrior. At first glance, he really looks like a hero who can be entrusted with important tasks.

But in fact, it was Shao Hongyuan who lost Zhenzhou today, and he almost escaped without a fight.

In the original history, Li Xianzhong did not participate in the Battle of Zhenzhou because he was south of the Yangtze River. Shao Hongyuan still resisted in Zhenzhou for a while, and thanks to the battle at Xupu Bridge in Zhenzhou, he became a famous general with one of the Thirteen Military Achievements of the Restoration.

However, as the Jin army became more mobile, Li Xianzhong was afraid that Liu Qi's retreat would be cut off, so he went to Zhenzhou to join the battle. Shao Hongyuan saw someone was putting a knife in his way and without saying a word, he abandoned the city and fled. He was so fast that neither Li Xianzhong nor Liu Qi could react.

Now Li Xianzhong is still leading the cavalry to deal with the Jin army in the eastern part of Zhenzhou, while Shao Hongyuan has actually participated in the celebration banquet at Guazhou Ferry.

It is really disgusting that this guy is still making such shameless and bold statements at this time.

But it just so happens that no matter whether they are civil or military, all those who arrived at Guazhou Ferry in Lianghuai were people who abandoned their land and fled. Big brother, don't laugh at second brother. How can you have the right to laugh at others?

Liu Huai, the only one who could make a sarcastic remark, just watched the scene with a smile and was too lazy to pour cold water on this guy.

Seeing that no one in the tent was speaking, Shao Hongyuan immediately picked up the wine cup on the table and said loudly, "Everyone, this is a celebration of our great victory, and it's for Lord Ye's birthday and Lord Liu's birthday."

Everyone will say this auspicious phrase and raise their glasses at the same time.

Ye Yiwen drank the wine in his cup and finally couldn't help but sigh, "Time and again, news of great victories reaches Lin'an. This is indeed a good thing. But the battle line is getting closer and closer. What can we do?"

It is said that a whole day of playing around is not as good as a sincere word from a talented player.

Ye Yiwen's words to the Privy Councilor, who was generally known to be ignorant of military affairs, were more effective than any sarcasm, and all the people in the room who knew about military affairs blushed.

Liu Huai simply laughed out loud and nudged Lu You in the waist with his elbow: "Mr. Lu, you see, there are still some sensible people in the Song Dynasty court."

Lu You resisted the urge to roll his eyes, picked up the wine cup, and drank the water in it.

If you continue to be squeezed like this, you will be suffocated to death sooner or later.

The celebration banquet ended hastily, and Liu Huai and four others were left behind as representatives of the Shandong volunteer army for exploratory investigation.

The so-called value of united front work is fought for. After making meritorious service today, Liu Huai's treatment can be said to have risen sharply. His tent was directly arranged next to the general's tent. The two big flags of Jingnan and Tianping were simply placed side by side next to Liu Qi's flag, showing the utmost respect.

"Today's battle was too hasty." Upon entering the general's tent, Liu Huai saw Liu Qi sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Although he still looked sick, he forced himself to be alert. He apologized first, then looked at him carefully several times before saying, "You are all heroes. You are all from the Shandong Volunteer Army. Do you know the situation in Shandong?"

Liu Huai said solemnly, "We, the Shandong righteous army, have been ordered by the commander-in-chief of the Loyal Army, Duke Wei Huisheng, to come and assist in the battle. We have two armies: the Jingnan Army, 3,000 men, and the Tianping Army, 2,000 men. In addition, Duke Zhang Di's 13,000 Dongping troops have joined forces with Duke Li's Zhejiang naval forces and are stationed at Dajiang."

At this point, Liu Huai couldn't help but frown. "The whole story should have been reported to the court in writing months ago. Why is General Liu asking this question now?" Liu Qi and Ye Yiwen exchanged a glance, then shook their heads solemnly. "I truly don't know the situation of the Shandong rebels, and I'm sure the court doesn't know either. Since I'm in charge of the war in Lianghuai, there's no reason for the court to hide it from me."

Liu Huai glanced at Lu You beside him and was completely speechless.

If I had known earlier, why would I bother arguing about this document? The Song court doesn't take you seriously at all.

Even though Liu Huai was mentally prepared for the Song State's decline in all aspects, he was still shocked.

These were tens of thousands of troops surrendering to the Song Dynasty! This was half of Shandong's territory! This was a sharp blade stabbed into the back of the Jin army during the Song-Jin War! What did the high-ranking officials in the Song Dynasty court take the affairs of state for granted?!
Lu You was also in a trance.

He had already consulted with Xu Zongyan, the Tongpan of Chuzhou, and had confirmed that this document must have been sent to the central government through official channels with great care, and there was no possibility of it being lost along the way.

However, now not only the Minister of State, but also the Minister of Privy Council is unaware of this matter. Who the hell is suppressing this?!
Liu Huai thought for a moment, then put the matter behind him. He said to Liu Qi sincerely, "We are isolated in enemy territory, relying solely on our own courage to go south to fight against the Jin. I just don't know how the war is going."

Liu Qi coughed lightly twice and said helplessly, "Liu Dalang is a wise man, so I won't lie. Lianghuai has been completely lost, and the Jin army has established a firm foothold. They can't be defeated hastily. If I were twenty years younger, I might still be able to fight the enemy, but now... I can only hold my ground and wait for the right time."

Liu Huai nodded in response.

This was not just a problem of Liu Qi being old and sick, but the result of the decline of people from the north who migrated south during the Jing Kang period.

These people who crossed the river to the north were all far away from their hometowns and had a blood feud with the Jurchens. They had the strongest desire to fight and revenge, and they never forgot to fight back to their hometowns.

For example, the troops that Liu Qi used when he won the great victory in Shunchang were the Eight Character Army that was taken over from Wang Yan. They were the Taihang Mountain Volunteer Army, and they were Han people who had escaped all the way from the Jin area of Hebei to the Lianghuai area. They were desperate to go home, and they were not afraid to confront the Iron Pagoda head-on. They were determined to fight the Jin thieves to the end.

But now, the most magnificent twenty years of these elite soldiers' lives have been completely wasted. For their children and grandchildren, the foreign land has become their hometown, and the hometown their fathers talked about has become an unreachable story. How can they maintain their combat effectiveness?
Liu Qi’s helplessness was not because he was incompetent, but because the trend of the entire era had abandoned him.

When luck arrives, heaven and earth are on your side; when luck is gone, even heroes are helpless. This is the truth.

"General Liu, I'm a few years older than you, and since we share the same surname, I'll be taking the liberty of calling you nephew." Seeing that Liu Huai was still lost in thought, Liu Qi couldn't help but ask, "Nephew, where are you, these five thousand elite soldiers, going to join the battle?"

Liu Huai cupped his hands and said, "I am willing to obey the commander-in-chief's orders."

Liu Qi smiled and waved his hand, then coughed twice again: "My dear nephew, I have also been fighting in the battlefield since I was a young man. From the battle with the Western bandits in Hetao to now being trapped in the Yangtze River, I have seen both good and bad guys.

Logically speaking, since you are a Han man and have come to Lianghuai to fight against the Jin, you should obey my military orders.

But the moment I saw you, I knew you were just like those two, Daxiaoyan and Han Powu, a man with his own ideas. You're not someone who shys away from a fight, but you have your own ideas and won't easily trust your life and future to others.

Even if I wanted to order you, if it doesn't suit your wishes, you would definitely find a way to disobey. Why don't we speak frankly? My dear nephew, what exactly do you want to do in this situation?"

Liu Huai's smile faded. After a moment's thought, he said sternly, "Our army does need a place to go. Enough troops have already gathered on both sides of Zhenjiang Prefecture. However, this place is just as the commander-in-chief said. It's good enough for self-protection, but not enough for advancement. Moreover, I have been watching from the sidelines today. Except for one or two people, the rest are all mediocre. I will never hand over our flank to them!"

After a pause, Liu Huai continued, "But the final outcome depends on the capabilities of Lord Li and Lord Zhang's navy. Alas, they ultimately failed to completely annihilate the Jin navy in Shandong, allowing them to enter the Yangtze River. This presents a significant risk."

Liu Qi sighed inexplicably and muttered to himself, "Yes, the Jin army actually has a navy. That Zhang Guang... oh, he's ruined my plans!"

If Zhang Guang had not abandoned Zhenzhou and fled back to Jiankang, he might have been able to attack the Jin navy from the front and back together with Li Bao and Zhang Rong, and kill all of them on the river.

"My dear nephew, it's getting late. Get some rest today. We can discuss the rest tomorrow." A trace of fatigue appeared on Liu Qi's face. "I also hope that Lu Sizhi can explain the Shandong situation to me tomorrow."

Lu You bowed and said yes.

After greeting each other and saying goodbye, the few of them had just returned to the military tent prepared for them. Before they could say a few words to each other, a servant came over and said that Prime Minister Ye wanted to have a chat with Lu Sizhi.

"Old Lu." He Boqiu, who hadn't said much today but had been victorious, finally sneered, "Use your brains when you speak later. Don't sell us out."

Lu You was filled with rage, and just as he was about to vent his anger, Liu Huai quickly stepped in front of them and said, "Mr. Lu, he's the Privy Councilor of Song. Even if he doesn't know anything about military affairs, he can still mobilize some troops and supplies. Whether our Shandong volunteers will have to eat coarse food or enjoy a good meal depends on whether you can make him happy."

Upon hearing this, Lu You sighed again, shook his head and left.

However, when he reached the tent door, Lu You suddenly turned around and said solemnly: "You must believe me, I am loyal to the great cause of the Northern Expedition."

The first person to respond to him was He Boqiu, who had always been at odds with him: "Of course, go quickly and don't keep Mr. Ye waiting!"

(End of this chapter)