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

Chapter 440: Attacking the Heart Before Attacking the Army

After Ye Yiwen and Liu Qi made up their minds, various military orders, reports of military intelligence, and communication documents were sent out in all directions, and the various units of the Huaidong army also took action quickly and secretly.

The coercion and inducement of Wu Chengjun has also reached the final stage.

On the night of December 9th, the legendary diplomat Jin Wenyan brought Lu You to Zhenzhou City again quietly. However, this time, Jin Wenyan did not go to find Xu Wen first, but took Lu You directly to find the commander Zeng Ji.

It is said that the Wucheng Army originally had a full force of 10,000 people, including one general manager, one deputy general manager, and four chief and deputy commanders.

Later, after a series of changes, an internal conflict and a split, the position of deputy general manager is still vacant, and there are only three commanders left. The deputy commanders have been replaced, but the troops have not been replenished.

Excluding the troops taken away by Huyan Nanxian, and taking into account combat and non-combat casualties along the way, the Wucheng Army now had only 6,300 soldiers left.

Logically speaking, with so many casualties, Wu Chengjun should have dispersed long ago. However, this was within the territory of the Song Dynasty after all, and the main force of the Song army was not far away at Guazhou Ferry. Wu Chengjun was not about to collapse on the battlefield, so it could still hold on.

Of course, panic is inevitable.

However, what is rather paradoxical is that because the Song army was the enemy and the Jin army was unreliable, the internal psychology of Wu Chengjun was actually strengthened.

Come to think of it, at this moment, Wu Chengjun really had nothing except each other and the weapons in his hands.

Zeng Ji was drinking one cup after another in the tent at this time, and had forgotten the prohibition of alcohol in the army. This commander who had always stood on the side of Huyan Nanxian when Su Baoheng instigated the split of Wucheng Army did not leave with Huyan Nanxian that day, but stayed in Wucheng Army.

Originally, Zeng Ji thought that the dispute between him and the three commanders, Zhang Liang, Hu Yue, and Ji Cheng, was just a dispute of personal pride. However, after seeing Zhang Liang commit suicide so decisively, Zeng Ji was completely confused.

He had no idea what Wu Chengjun was fighting for, or rather, he didn't know what position he held in Wu Chengjun.

Zeng Ji had become a stranger to his two former good friends in the army, Hu Yue and Ji Cheng, and he would just perfunctorily follow military orders. Anyway, he would never fight for the Jin Kingdom with his life.

When Jin Wenyan was brought to Zeng Ji's tent by someone he knew, Zeng Ji was still drunk. He said with sleepy eyes, "Old Jin, you're here. Let's have a drink together."

Just like the old days in the army.

The man who led Jin Wenyan into the tent was very anxious. He stepped forward and grabbed Zeng Ji's shoulders, shaking him violently: "Brother, it's Jin Erlang who's here. Clear your mind!"

Zeng Ji waved his hand and pushed his younger brother aside. "Zeng Qi, you ignorant bastard! Can't I tell that this is Jin Er?"

Lu You, wrapped in a black cloak, became impatient upon seeing this and said to the Wu Chengjun guards in the tent, "Go get a basin of water so you can sober up the master."

His tone was casual, as if he was giving orders to his own soldiers.

Zeng Qi became furious upon seeing this, and personally brought in a bucket of water and poured it on his brother's head.

Zeng Ji kicked Zeng Qi in a rage, but he finally sobered up from his drunken state and stared at Jin Wenyan in surprise, saying, "Old Jin? Didn't you leave with Big Brother?"

Jin Wenyan pulled a piece of felt from the tent and threw it to Zeng Ji: "Although I can live a happy life by following my elder brother, how can I forget the other brothers in our Wucheng Army?"

Zeng Ji was stunned and wiped his wet hair with a felt cloth. "So what if you remember us? The steward is on top, and those two bastards Hu Yue and Ji Cheng are in the middle. What can I do?"

Jin Wenyan said, "I've already met with the steward before, and he was a little hesitant. I was going to spend some more time trying to persuade him, but time is running out, so this is the only option left."

After that, Jin Wenyan briefly recounted Huyan Nanxian's development in Shandong and Xu Wen's attitude. While Zeng Ji was digesting the information, he pointed at Lu You and said, "This is Mr. Lu You, the military advisor of Zhenjiang Prefecture in the State of Song." Zeng Ji looked up at Lu You and narrowed his eyes. "A Song man? Old Jin, are you trying to get the Wucheng Army to surrender to the Song?"

Lu You took over the conversation and said coldly, "I am still the prefect of Haizhou and a military advisor to the Loyal Army. Can I speak to you as a native of Shandong?"

Zeng Ji naturally knew Haizhou and the Loyal Army. After hearing this, he thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Since they are the Loyal Army and the father and mother of Haizhou, I naturally believe what Mr. Lu says."

The implication is that he does not trust the State of Song, and Wu Chengjun will absolutely not surrender to the State of Song.

Lu You continued, "The situation is about to change. You Wucheng Army will be courting death if you stay in Zhenzhou. The Song Dynasty will then concentrate its forces to attack you."

Zeng Ji's eyes flashed with ridicule: "Come and fight if you want. Do you think my Wucheng Army is afraid of the Song Army?"

Lu You was not angry: "Then why are you fighting? To repay the Jin Kingdom for destroying your family and clan?"

Zeng Ji fell silent immediately.

Lu You continued to persuade them, "You are running out of time. If you don't want to risk your lives for the Jin, retreat north now. After reaching Yangzhou, follow the canal all the way north. Once you reach Yizhou, there will be support. Then we can kill the Jin bandits and you can escape from your suffering. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

Zeng Ji knew that there was some untruth in Lu You's words, but he had no choice.

Everyone in Wu Chengjun is desperate to go home. Now Huyan Nanxian has made a big move in Shandong. Not to mention that Lu You's plan is feasible, even if they know that there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, Wu Chengjun has to wade through it!

Zeng Ji looked at Lu You and said, "Mr. Lu, what should I do?"

Lu You breathed a sigh of relief. "Gather the commanders and other officers and tell them that you have a way to return home. Go with them and pressure Xu Wen to agree to the plan of returning north."

To put it bluntly, this is a mutiny that involves rebelling against superiors.

But after Zeng Ji thought about it, he felt that there was really no way out, so he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll go talk to that guy Ji Cheng first."

As he spoke, Zeng Ji looked at Lu You with a hesitant look on his face.

Lu You understood and found a chair in the tent to sit down. "General Zeng, I will wait here for good news."

Zeng Ji nodded, winked at his younger brother Zeng Qi, and then strode into the night.

Jin Wenyan felt a little uneasy and said to Lu You, "Mr. Lu, I hope nothing will go wrong. How about I stay here to support you, and Mr. Lu, please wait outside the camp for a while?"

Lu You shook his head, with no intention of lowering his voice. "Don't worry, I'm very safe here. Even if the gold master Wan Yanliang personally ordered my death, the Wucheng army would do their best to stop it as long as they are not stupid.

They are not fools. If they kill me, will they ever want to return to Shandong? How will they cope with the loyal army? Will Duke Wei spare them then? Will Huyan Nanxian spare them?

Lu You raised his chin towards Zeng Qi and said, "Hey, man, if I were you, I would strictly guard this tent. If any of the determined Jin thieves hurt me, you will be in the shit!"

Zeng Qi chuckled a few times, and quickly called over his personal guards to ask them to put on their armor.

(End of this chapter)