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

Chapter 338: I Don’t Want to Become a General or a Marquis

Around 3 p.m., more than armored cavalrymen had gathered at the Jingnan Army camp in Caishi Town.

This number was actually somewhat beyond Liu Huai's expectations.

Because he thought that the only ones who could arrive today were the Flying Tigers who had fallen behind. But who would have thought that Zhang Xiaoyi, the commander of the Jingnan Army who defeated the enemy, personally led a hundred cavalrymen and broke away from the army's marching sequence to arrive.

Originally, Liu Huai thought that there was some disagreement between Zhang Xiaoyi and Xin Qiji. After all, compared with Zhang Xiaoyi, who had transformed from the Loyal Army to the Jingnan Army, although Xin Qiji had also fought many battles with Liu Huai, he was still an outsider after all. It was normal for Zhang Xiaoyi, who had relatively more experience, to feel uncomfortable.

However, after asking indirectly, Liu Huai found that it was not the case.

"Da Lang, Ah Xiu said I was so gloomy the whole trip, my face practically covered in frost." Next to the fire in the general's tent, Zhang Xiaoyi used a wrist knife to pierce a dry, hard pancake, roasting it over the fire. He pointed at himself with his free hand, "I don't usually look in the mirror. Is that true?"

Liu Huai nodded. "Indeed, you've been like this since you made the decision to march south that day. I was thinking that day that you were really reluctant to fight. If it weren't for your sincere words and Li Sanlang's solemn promise, I would never have sent the Right Army."

Zhang Xiaoyi touched his face and gave a wry smile: "Is it really that obvious?"

Liu Huai continued to nod: "It's really that obvious."

"Alas..." Zhang Xiaoyi sighed, a smile playing on his lips. "Dalang, whether you believe it or not, I really volunteered to go south to fight the Jin thieves."

"I believe it." Liu Huai said seriously, "I believe it."

Zhang Xiaoyi was stunned, then looked at Liu Huai with surprise.

Liu Huai's tone became relaxed: "In fact, Xiaoyi brother, you believe in father, and you believe in me, and you believe in our determination to resist the Jin, and you believe in our strategic reasoning. You realize that we really can't let the Jin thieves occupy Lianghuai, otherwise the situation in Shandong will be greatly deteriorated, and the folks in Donghai will suffer disaster again.

But the fact that Song State did not help the Donghai uprising deeply hurt your heart. You hated and despised Song State. When you thought about risking your life for Song State, you felt it was not worth it and your whole body was resisting.

Brother Xiaoyi, am I right or wrong?"

Zhang Xiaoyi's smile faded, and he sighed again before he said, "The one who understands me best is Liu Dalang. Dalang, do you know Xu Zongyan, who came south with us? Every time I see that guy, I want to kill him with my sword. I even dream about it.

But every time my hand touched the knife, I would remind myself to endure for the sake of the country. Dalang, sometimes I am driven crazy by the pain.

Liu Huai shook his head and sighed softly: "So you led your cavalry to break away from the main army and advance ahead?"

"That's not the reason." Zhang Xiaoyi's expression turned into a mixture of laughter and tears. "When I was in the Loyalty Army, I was the commander of the Right Army. When the Jingnan Army was formed, I was the commander of the Defeating Army. Ah Xiu saw that I was always looking miserable and thought I was angry because Zhang Silang, Luo Dalang, Shi Qilang, and Wang Wulang, the commanders who were originally of a lower rank, were now on equal footing with me. She felt resentful and came to persuade me.

But I really didn't think so. As long as I could resist the Jin, I would be willing to be a commander, let alone a general. Even if I were asked to be a soldier, I would be willing.

After I made my feelings known, Ah Xiu advised me that since he believed this, there must be many others in the army who shared the same sentiment. He was even more worried that Da Lang might think the same thing, so he urged me to lead the cavalry ahead. As long as we joined forces with Da Lang, those rumors would be self-defeating.

Hearing this, Liu Huai was also a little amused: "How could I underestimate you so much?"

Zhang Xiaoyi also smiled: "I know."

Liu Huai thought for a moment and said, "But this is also good. I just happen to be short of a general here, but I may need you, a commander, to charge in the front."

Zhang Xiaoyi took back the hot pancakes and said with a smile, "Lord, as the commander-in-chief, you're already charging into battle. What can a mere commander-in-chief do?"

At this moment, Zhang Baiyu, his hair still damp, entered the tent, shaking his hands. Upon seeing Zhang Xiaoyi, he said happily, "Brother Xiaoyi, you're here so quickly?"

"Seeing that there are merits to be won and there are gold thieves to be killed, I can't help but be happy." Zhang Xiaoyi said with a smile.

Liu Huai waved his hand: "Stop exchanging pleasantries. Silang, how's the investigation going? Have we been discovered?"

Zhang Baiyu shook his head and said, "The Zhen family kid is exaggerating a bit. This isn't a thoroughfare. You even have to wade through shallow water for a while, so you can't wear heavy armor."

Liu Huai listened quietly to the feelings of his best sailor, and then asked, "How many people can pass through at the same time? Is the road clear?"

Zhang Baiyu lowered his head and calculated. "They're all wearing iron jackets and helmets, and armed with short weapons, about twenty of them. And they all need to know how to swim. The road is smooth, but there's a secret door at the end. To avoid alerting the enemy, I didn't go in. I heard from the Zhen family kid that if we move a large cart out of the way, we'll be in a corner of the tax office's side courtyard. After passing two more side courtyards, we'll reach the main courtyard, the heart of the Jin thieves."

Liu Huai pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Silang, as the commander-in-chief, I should be at the forefront of the army... But my swimming ability is not as good as Silang's..."

Before Zhang Baiyu could respond, Zhang Xiaoyi interrupted, "Dalang, you're wrong. Before I came, Xin Wulang repeatedly warned me that if Dalang continued to lead the troops, I must persuade him. As the commander-in-chief, Dalang is responsible for the safety of thousands of soldiers and the overall situation in Lianghuai and Shandong. How could he put himself in such a dangerous situation? You must know that this is not the time to lead hundreds of cavalrymen to fight!"

Xin Qiji's words made some sense. Although a general leading the troops would boost morale, he would often rush forward with his family, as a general caught up in the fighting would find it difficult to command the entire army.

To quote a founding marshal of later generations: I will not be at the front of the battle line, I will only be where I should be.

Liu Huai naturally knew this truth, but he laughed out loud: "Why aren't you leading hundreds of armored cavalry to fight to the death now?"

Zhang Xiaoyi and Zhang Baiyu also laughed at the same time.

Now the Jingnan army has only more than 300 armored cavalry, and the battle in the next two days is destined to be a fight between hundreds or thousands of people, and it will still be the small-scale battles that these people are best at. As one of the top combat forces, how can Liu Huai not go into battle personally?
Zhang Baiyu bowed and said, "Even if the General doesn't tell me, I will still ask for the battle. I'm the best candidate for the water route anyway. Please cover for me when the time comes!"

Liu Huai nodded. "Of course. Silang, go select twenty brave men to form an ambush in a small boat and wait for the signal."

Zhang Baiyu bowed and agreed. Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by Liu Huai: "Rest a while. The battle will start in an hour, and the Huaixi Army will have to participate."

Zhang Xiaoyi couldn't help but sneer. "What can those wimps do? Are they going to hinder us later? Why not all three hundred of us go out together and fight the Jin bandits to the death?"

Zhang Baiyu said sternly, "Brother Xiaoyi, the Song Dynasty has its heroes. Even if the Huaixi Army has become like this, it still has its heroes."

Zhang Xiaoyi was about to say more, but when he saw Liu Huai nod, he finally laughed and said, "Whatever Silang says is what it is..."

Seeing that Zhang Xiaoyi didn't believe it, Zhang Baiyu could only shake his head.

I really can't blame them. Who caused Huaixi to suffer such a disastrous defeat?

However, Zhang Xiaoyi's contempt for the Huaixi Army only lasted for half an hour.

At 4:00 p.m., 500 Huaixi soldiers, led by their respective commanders, gathered in an open space north of Caishi Town. There were more than a hundred corpses piled up there, all of whom were the deceased Caishi Town residents. They were being doused with oil and piled with firewood for burning.

Three hundred armored cavalrymen of the Jingnan Army stood with their horses, watching the scene in awe.

Although the winter temperature was low, this was Jiangnan after all, and the corpses had already begun to stink after days of decay. After discovering it was too late to bury them, Yu Yunwen ordered the soldiers to gather the corpses and burn them to prevent the spread of the plague.

The flames gradually rose, the black smoke gradually became thicker, and the corpses gradually twisted and carbonized in the flames, causing some soldiers of the Huaixi Army to lower their heads, unable to bear to watch any longer.

Yu Yunwen, wearing that tattered leather armor, sat upright on his horse and watched this scene. He wanted to say a few words to boost morale in the battle, but he didn't know what to say. He could only look at Liu Huai who was at the front of the Jingnan Army.

"Everyone, raise your heads and take a good look." Liu Huai understood and galloped back and forth in front of the Huaixi army. He said sternly, "When you fled from Huaixi, you threw the people of Huaixi into the fire pit. They are in this state now. Those of you whose families are in Huaixi, don't you want revenge?"

At this time, the Jin army cavalry has crossed the Yangtze River Delta, and the people of the Yangtze River Delta will also suffer such a tragedy. Those of you who live in the Yangtze River Delta, don’t you want to defend your hometown?
Watch this scene carefully. If we don't fight to the death today, what happens to Quarry Town today will be tomorrow for your hometown. What happens to the people of Huozhong Town today will be tomorrow for your parents, wives, and children!

Now I ask one more question: are you willing to join us today to fight against the Jin bandits?

"I am willing to go!" Shi Jun immediately bowed and agreed loudly.

"Someone is willing to go!"

"Kill the gold thief!"

Countless voices blended together. Not only the Jingnan Army and the 500 selected Huaixi soldiers, but even the two or three thousand Huaixi soldiers who spontaneously lined up to watch shouted at the same time.

In the increasingly grand flames, the voices gradually became unified.

"Kill the gold thief!"

"Kill the gold thief!"

"Go to war!" Yu Yunwen gave the order at the right time.

Afterwards, the general's drum representing the advance rumbled, and the five commanding officers turned themselves into the leaders of a hundred men, each leading about a hundred of their confidants to the East Caishi Ferry.

On November 7, the 31st year of the Shaoxing reign, at about 15:00 on the 4th hour, the Song army on the Huaixi defensive line, after their commander Wang Quan retreated and retreated, nearly 100,000 soldiers were defeated and fled like dogs, and dozens of cities and villages in their hometown were massacred, finally mustered their last bit of courage and launched the first counterattack against the Jin army in an organized manner.

(End of this chapter)