In late May, midsummer season, the Song army of 80,000, led by Wu Jie, advanced to Yao Mountain and established camp thirty miles away from the Jin army. Perhaps due to the oppressive summer heat, the Jin army chose to set up their camp near the wetlands, while the Song army, to maintain visibility against cavalry raids, chose to establish their camp at the foot of the mountain.

Of course, with both sides confined between Yao Mountain and Five Dragon Mountain, on a plateau terrain merely thirty-odd miles long and ten-odd miles wide, those close to the wetlands were not far from the mountain, and those relying on the gentle slopes at the foot of the mountain were also quite near the wetlands.

And this terrain, which combined plateau, wetlands, hills, and gullies, made the routine probing by small units after setting up camp difficult and complicated.

After all, as the saying goes, "a plateau can exhaust a horse, and shallow water can drown a person." This kind of terrain, with a satellite view and the light green of summer, might look like a smooth road, but actually running or walking on it was a different story. For scouts and small units, a shallow puddle, a dirt ditch two or three zhang wide, a small forest, or a low hill could all be potentially fatal environments.

In fact, only two days passed before the Song army's main camp was gradually completed, and both the Song and Jin armies had a rough idea of each other's camps. After a sudden summer rain, both sides tacitly ceased the attrition warfare with small units.

But this did not mean that the commanders of both sides would stop probing.

On the afternoon of the day after the sudden rain ended, Wu Jie took the initiative to send an envoy to visit Wanyan Loushi, requesting that he complete the single combat program that had failed to materialize in Fang Prefecture. Loushi calmly replied that he was the commander of the Jin army, and if there was to be a duel, it could only be between Chancellor Yuwen and himself. As for Wu Taiwei wanting to come, his second son, Mouyan, would take his place.

Wu Jie was not angry at all. The next morning, he wrote another letter, saying that since Marshal Loushi was unwilling to duel, why not agree that in three days, both sides would line up their formations beneath Yao Mountain, in the center of the two armies' camps, and then combine their forces to fight to the death.

The letter was sent out quickly again, and this time, Loushi replied equally quickly, directly agreeing.

The news spread, and the entire Song army was shaken.

"So, they're arguing up front?"

Inside a spacious camp on the foothills of Yao Mountain, Zhao Jiu was sitting on a small stool, eating a melon with his head down.

"Yes." Yang Yizhong stood with his hands clasped, looking somewhat helpless.

"It's Liu Xi and Wu Jie again?" Zhao Jiu continued to eat.

"No, this time it's Vice Commander Wang De and Pacification Commissioner Liu Qi," Yang Yizhong quickly explained. "Vice Commander Wang said that he should be the vanguard in three days, and that all the cavalry should be handed over to him, and he also said..."

"Also said that the troops of the Western Third Route are incompetent, can't fight, and are useless?" Zhao Jiu swallowed a mouthful of sweet melon and casually finished the sentence.

"No, Vice Commander Wang said that the troops of the Western Third Route are all poor scholars, and that giving the cavalry to the Liu Qi and Liu Xi brothers would be useless," Yang Yizhong immediately corrected.

"Poor scholars is too much."

Zhao Jiu symbolically condemned the statement, then threw down the melon rind, stood up, walked to the side of the open space, and took several deep breaths, gazing at the green Yao Mountain.

The air was fresh after the rain, and even more so at the foot of Yao Mountain, making it even more refreshing.

Why? Of course, it was because plants produce oxygen through photosynthesis.

However, at this thought, Zhao Jiu became absent-minded again.

It's been three full years since Zhao Jiu became the Emperor, and some things had become blurred. Initially, the notebooks in his tent mostly recorded 'Song Dynasty figures, knowledge, experiences' that he thought of and encountered. But now, they were gradually recording the knowledge from later generations that suddenly came to mind.

This wasn't some deliberate consideration, nor was it about self-定位... like whether he was that ordinary college student, or this ordinary Emperor Zhao... etc. Who am I, where do I come from, where am I going? philosophical reflections.

In fact, not only the things in his notebooks, but many of his actions and remarks were, in the end, only out of a kind of survival instinct.

Because for these three years, Zhao Jiu was very clear about what state he was in... In the first year, his life could be lost at any time, his identity as Emperor could disappear at any time, the small refugee court around him could be destroyed at any time, and the Song Dynasty could be destroyed at any time; In the second year, things seemed to be a little better, but he was still being suffocated by the Jin army; In the third year, things were much better again, but in fact, the existence of 200,000 Jin soldiers still made this country and him personally seem precarious.

In this state, many times, Zhao Jiu deeply hid his emotions, deep thoughts, and those specific ideas that only a time-traveler would have.

For these three years, he did not dare to enjoy life, did not dare to stop the phenomena he disliked, and, except for the initial period, he did not even dare to peek into the lives of ordinary people... because he was afraid that he would waver in his determination to resist the Jin.

Resist the Jin, resist the Jin!

Everything was for resisting the Jin, and resisting the Jin was for everything, because the Jin state and the Jin army were always like a tiger prowling around you, and you didn't even have a fence.

Before the expedition, Zhang Jun held his hand and shed tears, saying that everyone would endure for the sake of the country for three years, and that this time they would surely win... Not to mention the second half of the emotional conclusion, the first half was indeed the truth, but Zhang Deyuan could not know that what others were enduring was mostly profit, while what he, Emperor Zhao Jiu, was enduring was his personality and sensibility.

After pretending to be a Psyduck for a long time, sometimes you wonder if you're really just a Psyduck.

Of course, outsiders certainly didn't see it that way... This was not only because he, the Emperor, had withstood the pressure to some extent, preserved the Central Plains and Lianghuai, and returned to the old capital, but also because he always abandoned rationality at the final moment, using the most radical means to promote national affairs.

These behaviors, no matter how you look at them, seemed more like sensibility than rationality, and seemed like he was just rushing in with a hot head.

In fact, sometimes Zhao Jiu himself didn't know whether his words and actions when facing those civil and military officials were acting or whether there was some sincerity in them? Whether he made those decisions out of rationality or sensibility each time? Whether the decisions he made when he was forced to the point of no return were reckless and ignorant, or a strong release of sensibility?

At least this time, Zhao Jiu was really confused about all the incidents and decisions after Consort Pan became pregnant.

Of course, whether it was releasing sensibility or following rationality, there was nothing to say now. Or rather, it was precisely because there was nothing to say or think about that he would empty himself and let these strange thoughts, which were almost like raising flags, rise in his heart.

As for raising flags, Zhao Jiu had too many lice to worry about the debt.

"The melons here are good, there's plenty of sunshine, so they're big and fragrant," Zhao Jiu came back to his senses, but suddenly turned around and gave an order to Yang Yizhong, who was looking astonished. "Don't write letters, tell the envoys who are going back and forth to Chang'an to report on the military situation to take a message along the way to Jing Yao, Zhang Jun, Chancellor Yuwen in Chang'an, and Wu Consort in Chang'an, saying that after this battle, I'll invite them to come to Yao Mountain to eat melons... As for these melons, distribute them to the guards below."

Yang Yizhong listened blankly, but after taking two steps, he turned around and stared motionlessly at Emperor Zhao.

"What is it?" Zhao Jiu put his hands behind his back, unconcerned. "Does Zhengfu think the melons here aren't good?"

"That's not what I meant," Yang Yizhong finally couldn't help but say. "Your Majesty, a decisive battle may be fought in three days..."

"No such thing," Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly. "Loushi and Wu Da are not Confucian scholars, Wu Da's repeated actions are just probing something, and if I were Loushi, I would just use this reply to tease us, and still keep the camp closed in three days, making us futile and impetuous." At this point, Zhao Jiu laughed again. "Actually, even if we really fight in three days, would it delay us from delivering messages and eating melons?"

Yang Yizhong was silent for a moment, nodded, and turned to prepare to dispatch messengers and distribute melons. But before he could walk a few steps, he saw Wu Jie with a yellow face walking over with Scholar Xiao Lin, and quickly bowed in salute.

"Vice Commander," Wu Jie quickly cupped his hands to Yang Yizhong, then rushed to Zhao Jiu and cupped his hands again, his expression grave. "I presume presumptuously... I'm afraid that Huonv has already gone to the Beiluoshui River mouth camp in Fang Prefecture, and I'm afraid my brother and Qu Da will be frustrated there, and the strategy of attacking from both ends will fail."

Zhao Jiu nodded, but then laughed: "Actually, it's not a loss... Two ten thousands against one ten thousands, just consider it even, we still have the advantage in troop strength, and the smaller the scale of the local battlefield, the more we can command properly."

Wu Jie immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression was still grave: "That's true, after all, if Huonv doesn't arrive, Loushi will only have 30,000 troops here, and 10,000 of them are Han troops, how can they match our 80,000? I'm afraid he will avoid fighting and wait for reinforcements from Longmen, and if so, with our army's strength, it will be difficult to attack proactively..."

Zhao Jiu nodded, but then shook his head: "Jingqing, I'm not as good as you at fighting... In the future, you don't have to report everything about military affairs, you can make your own decisions... In this battle, just treat me as a Dragon Banner."

Wu Jie bowed, but came and went in a hurry, and Yang Yizhong then followed Wu Jie down the mountain at a slow pace.

ps: Agreed to 150k, but actually coded 132k including this chapter... I won't say any more nonsense about starting a new life from today... Let's keep the books! Owed 18k from last month.

But seriously... I always feel that keeping the books is a more degenerate start, people!