Chapter 34: The Eastern Route Reports Victory (Part 2)

  Kaifeng Yuewangfu

  King Yue's face was gloomy, holding the letter sent by Wanyan Zongwang for a long time without speaking. The fact that Zhao Yan could stop the Jin army's invasion in Yanshan Prefecture was shocking to him. He deeply felt the strength of the Jin army. Although the letter only mentioned getting rid of Zhao Yan, King Yue was certain that at this time, the Jin army's attack on Yanshan Prefecture must have been stuck in a stalemate. The Jin people would not use Han people if they did not suffer losses.

  For Wanyan Zongwang's order, Yue Wang was somewhat embarrassed. Recently, he secretly learned that the reason for his father's death was quite suspicious and not as the Jurchen people said. Moreover, he had some appreciation for Zhao Jin, having watched him grow up since childhood. Zhao Jin's cleverness and kindness made him very fond of him, and over time, there was indeed a bond between them. Unfortunately, now he was no longer in control of himself.

  He had already helped Jin Ren do many things, and at this time he couldn't bear to stop him. The king of Yue sighed, stood up, rubbed his sore neck with his palm, took a deep breath, walked into the study, opened the memorial, pondered for a moment, and began to draft a petition to impeach Zhao Jian.

  At this time, Bianjing had already become a mess, the Yan Mountain Mansion was breached, and the news of the annihilation of more than 100,000 imperial guards spread like wildfire, shocking the court and the people. Merchants fled Bianjing with their families, and the once bustling streets were now deserted, with only scattered pedestrians hurrying by. Many wine houses and tea shops closed their doors, and for a time, the streets of Bianjing became desolate.

  Emperor Huizong of Song has been attending court every day for the past few days, moving the old ministers to tears. Emperor Huizong is also getting anxious, as there is no news from Yan Mountain Prefecture and the scouts he sent out have not returned with any information. Perhaps in a few days, the Jin army will be at the city gates.

  "Everyone, the situation in Yan Mountain Prefecture is unclear, and Tong Guan of Pingzhou is also seeking help. What should we do?" Emperor Huizong said urgently.

  Li Gang stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, the siege of Bianzhou is nothing to be feared. General Tong's military strength is sufficient, and with Taiyuan being easy to defend and hard to attack, it won't be easy for the Jin army to advance. The situation in Yanshan Prefecture is still unclear, I hope Your Majesty will issue an order to assemble the loyalist troops from various places to come and defend the capital, so as to ensure the safety of Bianjing."

  Cai Jing stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, don't you know about the troubles Dong Zhuo caused when he entered the capital during the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period? Li Gang's intentions are also unknown, who knows what kind of heart he has."

  "Chancellor, I, Li Gang, may be insignificant, but I am wholeheartedly devoted to sharing the Emperor's worries and contributing to our great Song Dynasty. Please take my words seriously." Li Gang said with neither arrogance nor humility.

  "Hmph, anyone can say pretty words. What if the King's troops suddenly riot in the capital, can Lord Li take responsibility?" Cai Jing said with a sinister tone.

  "With my life as guarantee, if the loyalist troops cause any trouble, you can take my life first." Li Gang replied in a deep voice.

  "All right, all right. Cai Ai Qing, you'd better think of a solution." Song Huizong impatiently interrupted the argument between Cai Jing and Li Gang.

  Cai Jing's eyes rolled over and he said with a thoughtful expression: "In my humble opinion, Your Majesty should immediately move the capital to Luoyang."

  "Absolutely not! If so, the soldiers guarding Bianjing will inevitably lose their morale and be unable to fight." Li Gang angrily retorted.

  "You're a good one, Li Gang! You actually think of putting the Emperor in danger, you must be harboring evil intentions. The Emperor cannot tolerate this person!" Cai Jing said with a stern expression and tone.

  "Li Gang was so angry that his whole body trembled with rage, and he could hardly refrain from drawing his sword to cut down Cai Jing."

  A fully armored imperial guard walked in and knelt down saying: "Your Majesty, the King of Yue requests an audience."

  Song Huizong was taken aback. This King Yue had not attended court for a long time and rarely inquired about government affairs. Today, he came without warning, but Song Huizong still said: "Please."

  The forbidden army retreated with their backs turned, and didn't turn around until they reached the gate.

  Before long, the King of Yue arrived at the imperial court and first paid homage to Emperor Huizong of Song with a kneeling bow. Emperor Huizong said calmly, "Grant the King of Yue a seat."

  King Yue said solemnly: "Thank you Your Majesty, but today's matter is of great importance, it's better for me to speak standing up."

  The King of Yue finished speaking and took out a memorial written in gold, an eunuch stepped forward, respectfully received the memorial with both hands, and handed it to Emperor Song Huizong. Emperor Song Huizong opened the memorial and had only read two lines when his face suddenly turned gloomy.

  "This time, the fall of Yanshan Prefecture was all due to Zhao Kan's fault. Originally, the entire army of Yanshan Prefecture was actively preparing for battle and ready to defend to the death. However, Zhao Kan privately led a thousand soldiers to arrive at Yanshan Prefecture, forcibly taking over military command. Guo Yao and other generals refused to surrender even in death, but were beheaded by Zhao Kan on charges of disobeying military orders. Prince Zhao He was killed by Zhao Kan for wanting to defend Yanshan Prefecture. Cai Jing and other officials dared not speak out against him, and could only submit to his tyranny. Zhao Kan did not understand military affairs and was greedy for merit, so he fell into the Jin army's ambush at Baihe River, causing the defeat of the Yanshan Prefecture garrison. The Jin army took advantage of the situation and attacked, breaking through the city walls of Yanshan Prefecture. Meanwhile, Zhao Kan abandoned the civilians and fled in fear, disappearing without a trace until now."

  "How did Zhao Yan control the army?" Emperor Song Huizong angrily asked. "Don't local officials know what their duties are?"

  "Zhaobian as a prince, his status is prominent, no one dares to offend him, but most importantly, the minister does not dare to speak." The King of Yue said with great difficulty.

  "Speak quickly, and I will pardon your crime." Emperor Huizong of Song said impatiently.

  "I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers the tiger tally bestowed upon Zhao Yun."

  Emperor Huizong of Song was extremely angry in his heart, and Zhao Dan actually dared to privately control the garrison troops of Yanshan Prefecture. That was 110,000 imperial guards, especially with the invincible army like Changsheng Army, while Bianjing had only 50,000 imperial guards. Did Zhao Dan receive someone's instruction and want to take down Bianjing? The more Emperor Huizong thought about it, the more afraid he became. When a person is in fear and anger, they will always think of how to explode and comfort their fearful heart.

  "Bring in his family members and issue a nationwide arrest warrant for Zhao Dan." Song Huizong ordered coldly.

  Li Gang's heart skipped a beat as he reported: "Your Majesty, please reconsider this matter. There is still no conclusion, and besides, the news of the King of Yue is unknown from where it came from. If not, people will be in a state of panic, which would be detrimental to the imperial court."

  King Yue said faintly: "I had a supervisor in Yanshan Prefecture, and this is the message he sent me by carrier pigeon before his death."

  Emperor Song Huizong looked at Li Gang's face with a bad expression, and said lightly: "Li Gang, go and put Zhao Dun's family under surveillance, remember not to let one escape."

  "Yes, Your Majesty." Li Gang sighed inwardly and took his leave.

  Yanshan Prefecture Medical Bureau

  At this time, Zhao Kun was working hard to rescue the wounded soldiers. Soldiers kept dying one after another. Zhao Kun's heart had long been numb. One died and he immediately took care of another, without any time to grieve.

  Since the day of the Jin army's defeat, Hou Yi led three thousand cavalrymen to follow behind the Jin army, constantly ambushing them. If the Jin army turned back to counterattack, they would immediately retreat. As soon as the Jin army retreated, they would pursue and mercilessly harvest lives, accumulating small victories into big ones, continuously consuming the Jin army's living strength.

  Wanyan Zongwang was furious at this group of pursuing Song troops, but for now retreat was urgent, and the soldiers behind him were unlucky.

  When the Golden Army arrived at a place not far from Jizhou City after many days of rapid march, Wanyan Zongwang finally heard some good news that Gubeikou had not been lost. Wanyan Zongwang had hardly closed his eyes for several days, with a haggard face, which was quite different from the arrogant appearance when he attacked Yanshan Prefecture. Fang Yue followed at a distance, thinking to himself.

  Hou Yi's three thousand cavalry had stopped pursuing and returned to Yanshan Prefecture, their military achievements were quite good, hundreds of Jin soldiers were killed, while only a few dozen of Hou Yi's cavalry died in battle.

  Fang Yue made up his mind and walked to the front of Wanyan Zongwang, saying: "General, things have come to this point. We might as well break our cauldrons and sink our boats, committing all our more than 30,000 troops to a full-scale attack on Ji Zhou. When the time comes, Yan Shan Fu will surely come to its rescue. We'll surround and ambush them, and we can certainly inflict heavy casualties on the Song army."

  "Fang Yue, have you gone mad? Are you trying to make the blood of my Jin country's sons and daughters flow even more, daring to speak such nonsense? I'll kill you right now if you utter another reckless word." Wanyan Zongwang was already feeling depressed due to the defeat in the Yanshan Prefecture war, and his hatred for the Han people had reached a boiling point.

  "You!... are really impossible to scheme with." Fang Yue sighed and turned away.

  At this moment, ten thousand Song troops suddenly emerged from the forest, carrying the momentum of heaven and earth, the spirit of wind and cloud, and fiercely pierced into the scattered Jin army formation like a sharp cone. Many Jin soldiers had not even had time to mount their horses before being beheaded by the charging Song troops. The Jin army formation was instantly thrown into chaos, with cold weapons repeatedly piercing the bodies of nearby Jin soldiers, blood gushing out, and life rapidly slipping away. Many scattered Jin soldiers were trampled together by the Song army's warhorses, instantly shattering their bones, damaging their internal organs, and spewing out blood before quickly meeting a tragic end.

  Many Jurchen soldiers guarded by the perfect general Wanyan Zongwang, blocking the nearby Song army. The Song cavalry was originally at an advantage with their well-rested troops attacking the exhausted Jurchen soldiers. The cavalry repeatedly charged forward, regrouping and charging again, reaping the lives of the Jurchen soldiers.

  Wanyan Zongwang's heart was bleeding at this time, many Jin soldiers were killed by the Song army in a state of panic and confusion. Such scenes had often appeared before, only that the roles of those who were killed in terror were the Song army. Today, the roles of hunter and prey were reversed for a while, making it unacceptable to the Jin army.

  It wasn't until the Jin army's cavalry was organized that they were able to resist the Song army's wanton slaughter, the Song army's horses were no match for those of the Jin army, and as a nomadic people, the Jin were extremely skilled in mounted warfare, temporarily suppressing the Song army's cavalry.

  However, the Golden Army was exhausted and could not re-create the Song army for a while. An Yi Qi stood in the distance, coldly watching the battlefield. Since Huang Cheng Fu's death, he had not smiled again, his heart only had flames of revenge.

  "Sound the golden drum and retreat." An Yiqi said calmly.

  The Song army cavalry, who were in the midst of a fierce battle, quickly retreated from the battlefield after hearing the sound of the golden drums. The Jin soldiers did not pursue recklessly, and within a short period of time, several thousand Jin soldiers had died. Wanyan Zongwang was really afraid to continue fighting, so he ordered his cavalry to cover the rear while the rest of the troops retreated hastily, in great disarray.

  "General, the enemy has retreated and our army has won a great victory. I don't know why you didn't pursue them," Qin Hui reported. An Yiqi looked indifferently at the retreating Jin soldiers in the distance, but did not answer why he didn't pursue them. Instead, he asked: "How did the prince obtain military power over Yan Mountain Prefecture?"

  Qin Hui was taken aback, but still replied: "Of course it's relying on the emperor's bestowed tiger tally and imperial sword that one can control the Yan Mountain Prefecture army. General, are you saying...? That's impossible." Qin Hui's face was full of incredulity.

  "That's right, it's false. 'Private' led the border defense troops to kill their own brothers with fake imperial swords. What would the emperor in Bianjing think? Now there is only one way to let Jinbing go far away and wait for them to come back again, and then Your Highness will have a chance to survive."

  "But General, if we do this, the Jin army will again ravage our Great Song's rivers and mountains." Qin Hui felt somewhat disheartened.

  "If I can help Your Highness succeed, even if it means being nailed to the pillar of shame in history and being spat upon by future generations, order our entire army to march towards Yanshan Prefecture."

  "Yes, sir."

  In 1126, Zhao Ding led the army to block the Jin army's eastern route in Yanshan Prefecture. An Yi set up an ambush in Jizhou and defeated the Jin army, killing more than 30,000 soldiers, and they retreated in disarray. This battle is known as the Battle of Yanshan.