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

Chapter 509: White Fish Flag Enters Dongping

In the central military tent of the Dongping Army.

Ever since Xiao En was forced out, Li Yunzhen felt that her life was extremely comfortable.

As a subordinate and confidant of Huaidong General Liu Bao, this guy came to take over the Dongping Army with hundreds of soldiers and the military order of the new Huaidong Recruiting Envoy Zhang Zigai.

Yes, Zhang Zigai got promoted.

Although Zhang Zigai made almost no contribution in this war, in the eyes of the emperor and the prime ministers, he was stationed in Jiankang and effectively ensured the safety of the small court in Lin'an. He was a man of great merit and much more loyal than those governors, generals, and stewards who would often lead the main army to fight a decisive battle.

Therefore, Zhang Zigai was rewarded before the grand court meeting that day and was named one of the three great generals together with the newly appointed Jingxi Recruiting Envoy Cheng Min and Huaixi Recruiting Envoy Li Xianzhong, and was indeed a powerful general.

Compared with them, Liu Huai, the Jingdong Recruiting Envoy, seemed to have a rather low status.

After all, Shandong not only has Geng Jing and Wei Sheng, but also Li Bao, the new Jingdong Recruiting Envoy.

Geng Jing had the great merit of sending troops south to lead the war. In addition to his position as the governor of Dongping Prefecture, he was also responsible for controlling the loyal and righteous troops in Shandong and Hebei.

At this time, Wei Sheng, the leader of the Shandong rebel army, became the person with the lowest position. It was outrageous that the Song State had no intention of rewarding him for his contribution in capturing Pizhou.

In Shandong alone, the four theoretical top leaders, Wei Sheng, Liu Huai, Li Bao and Geng Jing, all emerged at the same time, which is quite a political spectacle.

As to whether the emperor and the prime minister had any intention of checking and restraining each other, it was really not something outsiders could know.

Of course, although Zhang Zigai held a higher official position than Liu Huai, if Zhang Zigai wanted to use this method on the Jingnan Army, he would be overthinking it.

Even if the commander-in-chief and the controlling officer were not there, each captain would spontaneously expel people like Li Yunzhen.

But the Dongping Army failed.

This is an army with a strong Song Dynasty background from top to bottom, from the general Zhang Rong to the grassroots soldiers.

In theory, Zhang Rong's highest military position was not the commander-in-chief of the Dongping army, but the deputy commander-in-chief of Huaidong. Therefore, the Dongping army had to obey the orders of Zhang Zigai, the Huaidong pacification envoy.

As I said, as long as you are within the system of the Song State, your superiors will have ten thousand ways to deal with you.

Why did Xiao En go to find Liu Huai? Could it be that he really had no way to deal with a mere Li Yunzhen and a few hundred Song soldiers?

What a joke! Although the Dongping Army was not as good as the Zhongyi Army and the Jingnan Army, they were also tough guys who fought hard all the way from Shandong. How could they be compared with Zhang Zigai and his group?

If you make up your mind, even if you attack head-on, it would be easy to kill hundreds of soldiers.

However, Xiao En was unable to resist because there was a clear distinction between superiors and subordinates, because it was a military order, and because it was oppression from within the system, so he could only seek help within the system.

But on the other hand, as long as they dare to break the rules of the Song State, people like Zhang Zigai will have to compete with the hardness of their knife if they want to take action.

At this time, Li Yunzhen was sleeping soundly in the tent when he suddenly heard a commotion outside. He thought that the soldiers who had been eliminated and withdrawn from the army were going to make trouble again, so he immediately became furious and jumped off the bed.

It seems that there is no way to resolve this matter peacefully unless a few people are killed and hung.

Just as Li Yunzhen was putting on his clothes while cursing, the horn indicating an enemy attack suddenly sounded, causing his face to change.

It seems that they are not causing trouble, but that there are thieves coming to kill them.

enter!
Why are there still Jin thieves in Huaidong now?!

"General, this is bad!" A guard rushed in hurriedly, shouting, "Armored cavalry have charged into the camp!"

Li Yunzhen cursed as she fastened her belt: "How did he get in when the fortress was so strong?"

"Yes...it was the Dongping Army that let this armored cavalry in."

"Traitors! Didn't we give them a reward yesterday? What banner are these thieves flying?"

"I don't quite understand it, it seems to be a white fish symbol."

"White Fish Talisman? White Fish, White Fish, Zhang Baiyu!" Li Yunzhen became even more anxious and simply called for his personal guards to put on armor for him. "It's Zhang Rong's son of a bitch! Why are you here?! Are you here to fight me?"

The guards had just picked up their coats and had no time to say anything when they heard the rumbling of horses' hooves approaching rapidly from afar. Some guards wanted to shout to stop them, but after a few screams, there was no sound.

Then the sound of horse hooves echoed endlessly around the general's tent, and dust continued to pour in from the cracks in the tent. Soon, the sound of horse hooves gradually stopped, and someone shouted, "Li Yunzhen! Get out here!"

Li Yunzhen silenced the guards around him, then slowly drew his sword. "Zhang Baiyu, Zhang Silang? You and I are comrades in the army, why bother making such a fuss? Why not come to my tent and talk it over in detail?"

As he spoke, Li Yunzhen winked at his personal guard, asking him to wait at the door of the tent and kidnap Zhang Baiyu as soon as he came in.

However, the voice outside the tent paused, and then two cold laughs were uttered.

The next moment, countless grappling hooks fell on the general's tent, followed by the shouts of the knights and the kicks of the war horses. The tent was torn into several pieces almost instantly, exposing Li Yunzhen and his personal guards in broad daylight.

Zhang Baiyu looked at Xiao En, and only after seeing him nod did he say, "Are you Li Yunzhen? I'm here under the orders of Liu Gong, the commander-in-chief of the Jingnan Army and the Jingdong Recruiting Envoy, to take charge of the Dongping Army. Take your men and get out."

Li Yunzhen held his sword in his hand and said with a sinister grin, "What Lord Liu? I have here the military orders from Lord Zhang, the Huaidong Recruiting Envoy. Can your Lord Liu really control the affairs of Huaidong?"

Zhang Baiyu displayed Liu Huai's military order in full. After completing the procedures, he was too lazy to waste time talking to this guy. He said to his guards, "Brother Liang San, strip this guy of his armor! Bring him to the training ground!"

Liang Pan had been furious about his comrades being expelled from the camp. When he heard the military order, he did not hesitate at all. He led three soldiers forward, first knocking the knife out of Li Yunzhen's hand, and then rushed forward and stripped him naked.

Dongping Army General Li Jun and Chen Wenben arrived at the commander's tent together. They saluted excitedly and said, "Lord Silang, the three hundred armored soldiers this thief brought with him have all been disarmed."

Zhang Baiyu nodded, then said to Xiao En beside him, "Commander Xiao, go and reorganize the camp. Everything should be done according to the old rules. The wounded should be properly accommodated, and those who were expelled should be recalled. In addition, give the men who were planted by this fellow ten lashes and expel them all. If anyone refuses to obey, let them come to me."

"Yes!" Xiao En agreed excitedly.

"Commander Li." Zhang Baiyu looked at Li Jun again. "All troops, assemble in the training grounds. Bring this fellow's three hundred personal soldiers with you. I will execute him on the spot!"

Li Yunzhen was furious when she heard that. She ignored the fact that her arms were being pressed down and directly scolded: "You white woman, how dare you... wuwuwu..." Before she could finish her sentence, a handful of horse manure was stuffed into her mouth, choking all her words back.

Zhang Baiyu glanced at Li Yunzhen coldly, then drove his horse to the parade ground.

Soon, all 4,000 Dongping troops gathered and formed into square formations on the parade ground.

Then they saw Li Yunzhen, who had been showing off his power these days, being tied up tightly and pressed on the platform.

The three hundred armored soldiers who followed Li Yunzhen in his tyranny were all naked and knelt dejectedly under the platform, surrounded by armored soldiers guarding them.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived and the military messenger who was supposed to deliver the message was already waiting below, Zhang Baiyu strode onto the stage and said, "I am Zhang Baiyu, the fourth son of Zhang Rong, the general of the Dongping Army, and the former commander of the Flying Tiger Army of the Jingnan Army!"

The military envoy ran quickly and shouted loudly so that the whole army could know what Zhang Baiyu said.

Zhang Baiyu waited for the military envoy to finish speaking before speaking, "Today, I am ordered by the commander-in-chief of the Jingnan Army, Mr. Liu, the Flying Tiger, to lead the Dongping Army. Is there anyone who would not obey?"

How could anyone not accept this?
The Dongping Army has been in a lot of trouble these days, and they are looking forward to someone to take charge of them day and night. In addition, the Dongping Army also has some of Zhang Rong's family business, so it is appropriate for Zhang Rong's son to take over.

What's more, with Liu Huai's endorsement, it is even less likely that the soldiers from Shandong will disobey.

Soon, cheers and shouts came from everywhere, and finally merged into one sentence.

"I am willing to die for Chief Steward Zhang!"

"I am willing to die for Chief Steward Zhang!"

Zhang Baiyu waved his hand, and the Flying Tiger soldiers banged their shields to suppress the cheers.

"The injustices you have suffered these days are primarily my fault, and I deserve to be whipped."

After saying that, Zhang Baiyu unbuttoned his robe to everyone's astonishment, revealing his fair and strong back.

The personal guards who had been instructed in advance stepped forward with whips in hand, and without hesitation, they whipped Zhang Baiyu ten times in full view of everyone.

After showing his bloody back, Zhang Baiyu remained expressionless. He turned around and looked at the still-astonished Dongping Army soldiers. Without even a shirt on, he said with his bare chests, "Secondly, the fault lies with you. You are all brave men who fight to the death. How could you let these villains bully you? Do you still have that string in your crotch? Why didn't you stop the wounded from being expelled from the army? Are you going to die like this if I don't show up?"

The generals of the Dongping Army bowed their heads in shame.

If Zhang Baiyu scolded the Dongping Army as soon as he arrived, these people might even develop a rebellious mentality.

But Zhang Baiyu came up and gave them ten lashes, so they had nothing to say.

Even Zhang Baiyu, who followed Liu Huai to fight in Huaixi, was wrong. Aren’t they wrong?

What's more, there were people who secretly defected to Zhang Zigai and were won over by Li Yunzhen. They were even more frightened at this time and claimed to be guilty.

"I am the commander-in-chief of the Dongping Army. Considering this is your first offense, I will pardon you once. If you disregard your comrades and stand by and watch again, you will be executed without mercy!"

After Zhang Baiyu revealed the incident, he pointed a knife at Li Yunzhen and said, "This man is not the culprit, but an accomplice. He deserves fifty lashes!"

Li Jun personally held the long whip, walked up to the platform with a grim smile, and then swung the whip, hitting Li Yunzhen hard on the back.

Although his mouth was full of horse manure, the severe pain of his skin being torn apart still made Li Yunzhen scream. In the end, he simply rolled his eyes and fainted completely.

After the fifty lashes, Xiao En, accompanied by a dozen men dressed as scholars, came to the stage and said, "General Manager, these thieves are the ones who withheld rewards and provisions! They withheld half of the food and wine!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Dongping Army was in an uproar.

Zhang Baiyu sneered and said, "You are so bold."

The leading scholar trembled all over, sweat pouring down his face. "You...you can't kill me. I'm...I'm an official prosecutor of the imperial court. Even if I'm guilty, I'll be punished according to the imperial law. You can't..."

Zhang Baiyu was too lazy to listen to these nonsense. He took the document handed to him by Xiao En, read out loud the money and grain that these people had embezzled, and quickly promised to reissue them. After informing the entire army, he directly ordered the soldiers to come on stage and behead these dozen clerks on the spot.

Li Yunzhen, who had just woken up, looked up and saw the head of the prosecutor with his eyes open. He immediately swallowed the curses mixed with horse manure.

Zhang Baiyu went crazy and even dared to kill the court official.

Seeing Li Yunzhen awake, Zhang Baiyu smiled and stepped forward to pat the guy on the face. Then he pointed at the three hundred soldiers and shouted, "Give each of them five lashes and throw them out of the barracks!"

The three hundred naked men were all shocked when they heard this. They wanted to resist, but they were unable to withstand the three hundred Flying Tiger soldiers. After several of them were beheaded, they just accepted the beating.

Afterwards, these three hundred people were driven out of the Dongping Army camp naked without even taking their clothes, armor or weapons.

Zhang Baiyu went to bandage his wounds himself and dealt with military affairs without mentioning it.

Three hundred naked men took Li Yunzhen and fled two or three miles away. Just when they were about to rob one or two villages, or at least find some clothes, they heard the rumbling sound of horse hooves again.

Li Yunzhen was furious but also felt a little powerless.

This white fish is endless, right?

However, the sound of horse hooves got closer, and Li Yunzhen raised his head with difficulty, only to find that dozens of armored cavalrymen wearing the Jin army's standard gourd helmets were galloping past.

After seeing this wonderful sight, the Jin army pulled the reins of their horses.

The leader took off his helmet, revealing his signature Jurchen braids. He laughed a few times before speaking in a Liaodong accent, "I know you southerners love to have sex, but I never expected to see three hundred strong men having sex together."

The Jurchen cavalry burst into laughter.

Li Yunzhen looked at the Jurchen cavalry's unsheathed swords and arrows on their bows, and his heart, which was as big as a bucket, slowly sank into the abyss.

(End of this chapter)