The Villain's Counterattack

"Kang'er, the Mongolian army is now at the gates of the city, and the imperial court's 400,000 troops are still unable to defeat them. Kang'er, do you have any good ideas to repel the enemy?" Yang Kang felt helpless when the Jin emperor said this. Aren't you trying to discourage yourself by saying this?

"An incompetent general can lead to the death of the entire army. A general with rich battle experience is very important. The Jin Dynasty has been at peace for a long time, and there are fewer and fewer people who can fight. I have eighteen guards under my command who have been through life and death with me and have experienced hundreds of battles. They can be evenly distributed at the four gates as deputy generals to assist in defending the city. In addition, half of the guards and servants in the homes of princes and ministers will be recruited as auxiliary troops. Their merits will be recorded according to their contributions, and half of them will belong to their masters. They will be rewarded according to their merits after the war. I will personally lead the elite troops to patrol the four gates, and reserve 10,000 to 20,000 elite cavalry in the city to recuperate, ready to follow me to sneak into the camp when the Mongolian army is tired or to pursue the enemy when they retreat." Yang Kang ordered someone to bring the city defense map, and discussed the specific matters of defending the city with the emperor and important ministers in the court.

As the saying goes, a snake cannot survive without a head. Without a unified direction, everyone will be in chaos. If the direction is unified, no matter how big or small the strength is, everyone will contribute a lot, right? From the selection of the generals defending the city, to the person in charge of the support team, logistics provision and supervision, all aspects were finalized in just half a day.

Yang Kang asked for the imperial sword in court, and the Jin emperor gave it to him generously. Then he ordered his men to go down and prepare to do their own things without any delay, leaving only Yang Kang and several princes behind.

"Kang'er, tell me, what are the chances of Zhongdu being able to hold on?" The Jin emperor was very direct and straightforward. He himself did not have much confidence. After all, the disastrous defeat of the 400,000-strong army made him overestimate the strength of the Mongolian army.

Yang Kang said firmly, "I will defend the city. With 200,000 troops and 50,000 auxiliary troops inside, it will be easy for us to remain undefeated, even if we can't completely annihilate the enemy. Before coming, I ordered the Jiaodong Navy to transport 5,000 cavalry to Liaodong. They will travel light all the way to the Mongol camp, determined to die, just to disrupt the Mongol rear and force them to return for support."

Yang Kang's words shocked everyone. He thought three steps ahead and thought three steps ahead. This boy has the talent to be a great general.

"Kang'er, is the Mongolian army really that powerful and difficult to control?" Although the Jin emperor was very unwilling, he also knew that many things would not disappear just because he didn't want to face them. He might really become the king of a fallen country, unless he abdicated as soon as possible and passed the blame on others.

"The climate of Mongolia has become what it is today. There are almost no enemies in the desert. If you want to find enemies, you can only go to farther places, such as Khwarezm in the Western Regions." Yang Kang drew a simple map directly on the table. Mongolia, Jin Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Western Xia, Tubo, and Khwarezm were all on it. Then he talked about them one by one. In the end, he found that Mongolia's geographical location was very advantageous. It could defeat anyone from a high position, but it had no advantage when facing the more remote Khwarezm.

"Zhongdu's location is convenient for ruling and advancing, but not for defense. Tongguan, Chang'an, and Guanzhong are the best places to rule and dominate. Although those ministers are timid, timidity has its advantages: it allows them to strive to find a way out in any critical moment. Moving the capital is imperative. This time, we have temporarily repelled the Mongol army. Your Majesty must immediately lead the army and all civil and military officials to Chang'an as quickly as possible to reinforce Tongguan."

Yang Kang pointed at the map and said, "Abandoning Zhongdu as the central location and encircling it on all sides, I will expand my territory from Jiaodong to control all of Shandong. Send a few trusted royal descendants to lead troops to the Liaodong Peninsula, facing Jiaodong across the sea, to form a pincer attack on Zhongdu. Then send royal descendants to occupy Hulao Pass in Luoyang. This will serve as a barrier to delay the pursuing forces and also serve as a third front."

Everyone found that Zhongdu had convenient transportation, but it was not an easy place to defend. If it was given to Mongolia, it would be throwing this hot potato away. Unless Mongolia was really willing to give it up, it would inevitably fall into the dilemma of being besieged on three sides.

"Guanzhong is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It can be used as the general logistics base, where the royal court is located. The army will be stationed in Tongguan and the surrounding fortresses. This time we have reached the final moment, and we must not make any mistakes. We need to send loyal, trustworthy and capable people. The two most important points are: first, the ability to defend it, and second, never surrender to the enemy." Yang Kang felt that such people were difficult to find, and even if he found them, they might not be willing to use them. Alas, when a country is about to perish, evildoers will appear.

"After arriving in Chang'an, we will immediately send an envoy to Khwarezm in secret and bribe the Khwarezm high-ranking officials with a large sum of money. Tell them not to stand on the side of Mongolia, otherwise our situation will become even more difficult. As for the candidate, I think Prince Zhao is the most suitable. Prince Zhao is one of the few in the entire Jin Dynasty who has both civil and military skills. He is also resourceful and can stand on his own. We can use the Khwarezmian army to deal with the Mongolian army and let them fight each other." Although Yang Kang really wanted Wanyan Honglie to follow him to Jiaodong, this was completely unrealistic. There were too few people available in the Jin Dynasty's high-ranking officials. They would definitely not let Wanyan Honglie and Yang Kang be trapped together and waste resources.

"Father, my sixth brother is now in Song State dealing with Mongolian envoys. I am willing to lead the envoys to Khwarezm." Wanyan Hongxi jumped out. This bastard who loved to show off had already felt uneasy and wanted to run away. Moreover, the mission of this mission was not important. It was just to sow discord. This was not a big deal for him at all. It was much easier than confronting the Mongolian army head-on.

Yang Kang said directly: "You can't do it. Your character flaws are too great. You are arrogant and easily offend people. Moreover, you are greedy for enjoyment and have low ability. You may not be able to incite Khwarezm to fight back against Mongolia."

In the end, the two of them had a quarrel, and Yang Kang accidentally "let it slip" that he proposed to send a capable deputy envoy as the main force, and he would serve as the facade. Wanyan Hongxi immediately seized on this point, and finally the Jin emperor also discovered Yang Kang's helplessness and little thoughts, so he took the opportunity to send him away.

The Jin emperor and Yang Kang and others discussed the candidates and quickly arranged everyone, sending at least two people to each place. Then they dismissed all the others and left only Yang Kang to talk alone.

"Kang'er, I intend to abdicate after moving the capital. Who do you think can be the emperor?" The Jin emperor's words were very direct.

Upon hearing this, Yang Kang couldn't help but despise him immensely. The country was about to be destroyed, yet he resorted to such tactics. This emperor's ability to withstand pressure was truly weak. Yang Kang paused for a moment and said, "Appoint the virtuous regardless of personal connections. Prince Wanyan Honglie of Zhao is exceptionally capable and resourceful, and he could be emperor. But abdicating at this time and allowing a new emperor to ascend the throne is a bit... "

The Jin Emperor waved his hand and said, "I am old. The Great Jin is facing a crisis of life and death. I am unable to cope with it. It is time to abdicate and let someone else take over. Liu Er is still very capable." He nodded and patted Yang Kang on the shoulder, saying, "I will hand over the foundation of the Great Jin to you and your son."

Yang Kang rolled his eyes and complained in his heart, I really don't want this leaky ship that is about to sink. Just to give the Han people enough time to migrate and retreat, I have to struggle hard to delay the time of the Mongolian army's southward advance.

Early the next morning, Yang Kang was appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Jin Army and King of Qi. The entire Shandong Province was under his jurisdiction, and all the troops in Zhongdu were under his command. After the capital was moved, the responsibility of defending Zhongdu also fell on him.

Yang Kang really wanted to throw this imperial edict in the face of the Jin Emperor. This bastard really thought highly of him. But this was actually what he wanted, wasn't it?

Yang Kang beat the drum to gather the generals, and immediately arranged the defense of four gates and a rotation system. Each gate had a main general and two deputy generals, plus four guards of Yang Kang. They took shifts three times a day to work day and night. At the same time, he arranged for 20,000 elite cavalry to undergo emergency training to prepare for night attacks and subsequent pursuits.

The Mongolian army of 150,000 surrounded the Jin capital Zhongdu, which had 200,000 soldiers, and challenged them by beating drums outside the main gate.