As the wind rose on the Huai River, small waves lapped against the thin ice along the edge. In the early hours of the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month of Jianyan's first year, Emperor Zhao finally led the last contingent of civil and military officials across the Huai River and arrived at Mount Bagong.

On that same day, at noon, while personally supervising the construction of a defensive camp on Mount Bagong for Zhang Jun and Liu Guangshi to use during their retreat, Emperor Zhao witnessed, under a clear and boundless sky overlooking the hills of Linhuai, the routed troops of Liu Guangshi's command surging from the northeast towards the city of Xiacaicheng!

They swarmed like a dense mass, uncountable in number, their banners in disarray, their cavalry and infantry mixed without order, scattered across the plains east of Xiacaicheng and north of the Huai River, yet all converging on Xiacaicheng, like a chaotic swarm of ants that had caught the scent of honey.

Zhao Jiu sat on Mount Bagong and observed for half a day, his mood growing increasingly grim. He turned to an expert for insight. "Zhengfu, though I lack military knowledge, isn't this number a bit excessive? How many men are in Liu Guangshi's command?"

"Your Majesty," Yang Yizhong answered cautiously, "According to previous estimates, Grand Commandant Liu's force, though the largest of the armies, numbered only twelve or thirteen thousand. The current number is no less than twenty thousand, which likely includes local militia and archers from the six prefectures of southern Shandong who have followed them south..."

"So you're saying..." Zhao Jiu chuckled derisively. "Grand Commandant Liu, despite his limited battlefield experience, still possesses some ability. Even in such dire straits, he can still inspire so many local troops to abandon their homes and follow him?"

Yang Yizhong grew even more cautious, lowering his voice to reply, "Your Majesty, Grand Commandant Liu's troops have been cultivated by him and his father for decades, ever since they were in Hebei. Many Western Army clans have traditions of inheritance and are skilled at bestowing favor..."

"I understand what you mean," Zhao Jiu interrupted, clearly annoyed. "Did I express any intention to assign blame? If blame is to be assigned, am I not also fleeing in disarray? Whether it's ten thousand or fifty thousand, the Jin forces are overwhelming. Liu Guangshi is not entirely at fault."

Yang Yizhong immediately fell silent.

Zhao Jiu, however, continued to observe for half a day. Seeing the soldiers struggling at the city gates, he turned and ordered Wang Boyan to draft an edict, instructing Zhao Ding to find Wang Yuan and send them across the river to Xiacaicheng to reassure Liu Guangshi. Liu Guangshi was to reorganize his defeated troops. Those who could still fight would remain to defend the city alongside Zhang Jun. Those who were unfit for service would be sent back to the south bank under Wang Yuan's supervision for rest and rehabilitation.

Once the edict was dispatched, Zhao Jiu had no idea how things were developing on the other side of the river. He remained seated on Mount Bagong throughout the afternoon, lost in thought. The others stood by his side, watching as the once-prosperous city of Xiacaicheng visibly swelled with a sense of chaos...evidently, as the defeated soldiers streamed into the city, they couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Of course, Zhao Jiu also breathed a sigh of relief, but he still showed no sign of moving.

The other civil and military officials, understanding his intentions, remained by his side, straining their eyes to observe and await news.

Finally, as dusk approached and the light began to fade, Yang Yizhong, with his keen eyes, suddenly pointed towards a certain direction in the northeast, uttering words that seemed to bring a sense of release to everyone:

"Your Majesty, look! The Jin troops are here!"

Zhao Jiu, dressed in a round-collared red robe, sat on a grand armchair in the center of the hillside, and looked up slightly. In the setting sun, he indeed saw a small contingent of cavalry, well-equipped and maintaining formation, galloping from afar towards the city.

As this group of cavalry approached, the scattered and defeated soldiers outside the city instantly exploded in panic, scattering like headless flies, some even jumping into the Huai River, despite the extreme distance between them and the Jin troops...

Zhao Jiu stared at this scene, utterly dumbfounded.

One must understand that in this weather, unless one was a strong man born and raised by the Huai River, jumping into the river was practically suicide. Yet these Song soldiers, not yet facing imminent danger, were so terrified.

Moreover, in a sense, their willingness to jump into the Huai River in winter indicated that they were not afraid of death. If they were not afraid of death, then why were they so frightened as to jump into the river?

Even more absurd, this Jin cavalry force, numbering only five or six hundred, completely ignored the terrified and defeated soldiers, charging straight towards the east gate of Xiacaicheng, which was bristling with banners and archers, seemingly attempting to seize the great city of Xiacaicheng, garrisoned by tens of thousands of troops... Fortunately, the events could be observed from Mount Bagong across the river, and naturally, they had also been seen from the walls of Xiacaicheng on the other side. In a moment of panic, after raising the drawbridge over the moat, countless arrows rained down from the city, finally forcing the Jin troops to retreat.

After being forced back, the Jin troops seemed somewhat annoyed. They turned around and scattered, wantonly slaughtering the defeated soldiers of Liu Guangshi's command who had failed to enter the city, as a means of venting their anger.

Watching this 'battle,' Zhao Jiu felt an immense sense of frustration... Even though both sides were using cold weapons, it felt as though there was a generational gap in technology. Even Chiang Kai-shek's worst troops would not have fared this poorly against the Japanese army, would they?

What was even more disheartening was that the civil and military officials around him, all of whom had fled from Hebei and Dongjing, showed little surprise, as if they had grown accustomed to it!

"Your Majesty, please rest!"

As darkness fell, the Jin troops withdrew on their own, seemingly to find lodging in a nearby empty market town. Seeing the Emperor sitting still, his expression unhappy, his condition poor, Lü Haowen hesitated for a moment, but ultimately fulfilled the responsibility of a Chancellor. "Grand Commandants Zhang and Liu have joined forces, their troops are plentiful, and they have the fortified city of Xiacaicheng. We also control the river crossings on the Huai, and can supply them with resources from Huaian... Before the main Jin forces arrive, Xiacaicheng will surely be able to hold."

Zhao Jiu forced a smile and did not decline, finally preparing to leave. However, as he stood up, he heard a commotion erupting on the other side of the river, the noise carrying across!

Everyone turned back to look, but because it was already dark, they could not discern the specific situation. They only vaguely sensed that something was amiss in a certain direction within Xiacaicheng, which only made them feel more perplexed and uneasy.

Zhao Jiu almost instinctively looked at Yang Yizhong.

"It is likely that Grand Commandant Liu's troops, newly arrived, are unwilling to submit to Grand Commandant Zhang's command, and are quarreling over matters such as nighttime lodging and food," Yang Yizhong said after a moment of thought, offering a highly plausible explanation. "This is a common occurrence in the military, especially since Grand Commandant Liu's forces already lack discipline..."

The others sighed a few times, seemingly accepting this as a natural occurrence, and then fell silent, dispersing to find clean places to rest in the camps on and around the mountain.

And for some reason, perhaps because what he had seen and heard throughout the day had exceeded his past experiences, and he could only act like a puppet, echoing everything from beginning to end, accumulating too much emotion, Emperor Zhao, after camping on the mountain that night, actually fell asleep quickly.

ps: Happy New Year, everyone.