The Song army's activities on the night of the twelfth day of the first month, or rather, in the early hours of the thirteenth, were almost immediately noticed by the Jin army, perhaps due to the waxing moon.

This was unavoidable. The two sides were too close. A surprise attack would only take an hour. So, even though there had been no fighting between the two sides for the past half month, and there was a strong 'atmosphere of peace,' the Jin army simply couldn't ignore the large-scale troop movements so close at hand.

However, Wanyan Talan, the Jin army's commander, learned of the reason even earlier than these people, because that very night, someone defected to the Jin army camp and, before the Jin scouts could return with information, informed Talan of the 'drastic changes' that had taken place in Yanling.

"So, the one in charge of Yanling now isn't your garrison commander?" That morning, north of the dilapidated Changshe city, between the Yi River, Talan, with a hint of morning grumpiness, frowned as he listened to the man's words. Even in a bad mood, he couldn't help but take it seriously. "An envoy from Nanyang seized his power?"

"And there's even a faint hint of house arrest!" A Song general, looking disheveled, stood below the tent, his face full of worry and his hands carefully folded. "This humble officer has come specifically to inform the marshal of this matter..."

"Tell me the details." Wanyan Talan frowned even more at the words. "Who is this person? How could he easily seize your garrison commander's military power?"

"It's the Censor-in-Chief, Hu Yin!"

"What kind of official is that?"

"Second only to the Prime Minister, half a grade higher than other officials..."

Talan immediately looked at the several Jingxi defectors sitting beside him. These men quickly nodded, and some even wanted to get up and explain, but Talan had no interest in learning. He waved his hand, told the man to sit down, and continued to ask:

"I see. No wonder. But when did this Hu arrive in Yanling?"

"Just yesterday." The man answered every question eagerly.

Wanyan Talan nodded slightly. This matched the situation in Nanyang that he had learned of yesterday morning.

However, even at this point, Talan still didn't ask about military matters. Instead, he suddenly asked something else: "You say your name is Li Kui? A commander under the Tokyo Garrison Command?"

"Yes!" The man below, Li Kui, quickly responded.

"Where are you from?"

"Yishui."

"From Jingdong?"

"Marshal has keen insight..."

"Keen insight, my ass. I personally raided Jingdong last year, do you think I wouldn't know?" Talan retorted impatiently. "Since you're from Jingdong, why are you working under the Tokyo Garrison Command? And according to your words, you seem to be highly trusted by your garrison commander, which is why you fear Hu Yin's control, leading you to flee here... How did you climb up?"

"Allow me to inform the marshal." Li Kui said somewhat awkwardly below. "This humble officer is originally from Yishui. After the marshal and the Fourth Prince's campaign last year, I took the opportunity to occupy Mizhou with several brothers..."

"But was later wiped out by Li Cheng from the neighboring Qingzhou. Helpless, I had to lead the remnants to wander aimlessly around Mount Tai. First, I settled down with Zhang Rong in Dongping Prefecture, but Zhang Rong had his own band of Liangshan brothers who couldn't tolerate me, so I had to continue searching for Yue Fei in Jizhou. But Yue Fei had strict military discipline, and I couldn't bear it, so I had to leave again and went to Tokyo..."

"Later, when I arrived in Tokyo, I was also ostracized because I was from Jingdong. I had been wandering for so long and was too ashamed to go back. It wasn't until my garrison commander rose to power this time that I gained his trust because I was a nobody..."

"This time, it's not just that I'm worried about the Censor-in-Chief's control, but also about Yue Fei's control... I had to escape from Yue Fei's hands once..."

Li Kui babbled on and on, irritating the surrounding scholars and generals, but Talan listened with great interest, occasionally interrupting him to ask several relevant people for verification before letting him continue.

That was Talan's strength. Although he was crude, he was, after all, an older man and was considered meticulous in his crudeness. At this point, listening to the man's words, the routes, times, and causes and effects almost all matched his own knowledge, and he was slightly relieved.

"Alright, alright..." After listening for a long time and gradually relaxing, Talan smiled. "Let's talk about military matters!"

"Allow me to inform the marshal." Li Kui couldn't help but cup his hands and step forward half a step, but stopped abruptly under the gaze of several armored soldiers beside Talan. "After Hu Yin came and conveyed the decree, he took over military power and ordered all army commanders and independent troop leaders to enter the city. Then, he urged us to go to battle to relieve the siege of Changshe..."

"So, the Song army will be attacking me soon?" Talan frowned slightly, seeming quite worried.

Li Kui shook his head repeatedly: "Hu Yin is indeed urging us, but he's new and young. How could the generals and officers dare to come here and fight the marshal's twenty thousand Jurchen main forces just because of his few words? Therefore, after much discussion yesterday, the army argued with him for a long time, but they compromised by deciding to set off immediately, dividing into two routes. One route will go north along the Wei River to attack Changge, luring the marshal's troops to rescue it, but it's just a feint. The other route will cross the Yi River to the south, taking advantage of the time difference to attack Linying. After capturing Linying and crossing the Ying River again, they can relieve the siege of either Yancheng or Xiangcheng to account for it... This route is the main force, and the commander is Yue Fei, who has a solid twenty thousand troops under his command!"

Talan pondered while nodding slowly.

You should know that right now, between the Five Rivers (Ying River, Wei River, Yi River, Shang River, Ru River), the situation is already very critical for the Song army, and many key locations have already fallen... For example, Changge, which connects Zhongmou and Changshe, is also a key location for the Jin army's main force to return north, and it was lost at the beginning because of Han Shizhong's defeat; Linying, which controls the upper reaches of the Ying River and is separated from Changshe by the Yi River, was also lost due to Zhang Yu's surrender; and Wuyang, one of the two front teeth that directly control the Nanyang Basin, and Xiping, has also been lost... So, the remaining strongholds of the Song army in this area are nothing more than Changshe where Han Shizhong is located, Xiangcheng where Lü Qin is located, Yancheng where Xu Shian is located, and Xiping where Zhai Chong is located, only four places.

Correspondingly, Wanyan Talan's forty thousand troops, excluding Yelu Ma Wu's ten thousand, the remaining thirty thousand main force were originally mainly distributed under these four cities to continue the siege.

With this arrangement, it was fine when the rivers were frozen in winter, and the cavalry could move back and forth with ease, gathering and dispersing at will. But as the first month arrived and the weather turned slightly warmer, the south gradually thawed, revealing a huge flaw in the Jin army's strategy - the four cities were far apart, and these five rivers (Ying River, Wei River, Yi River, Shang River, Ru River) began to greatly inhibit the Jin army's mobility.

However, Wanyan Talan had not failed to notice this. In fact, after the fall of Wuyang, he adopted and implemented an extremely steady tactic - he personally led ten thousand men under Changshe, while the other cities were only besieged by a few thousand men led by several Meng'an. Then, he had his son-in-law, Puchacha Hubalu, who was freed up, personally lead seven or eight thousand elite troops to support various places and concentrate laborers and equipment, preparing to pull out each place one by one.

But didn't Du Chong suddenly come to the opposite side with seventy or eighty thousand troops?

Therefore, Wanyan Talan stopped this strategy, having his son-in-law Puchacha Hubalu lead troops to accompany him under Changshe, while also reducing the troops in the other three places, as well as Yelu Ma Wu's, and concentrating support troops here. He also didn't forget to ask Wanyan Wushu for support, but Wanyan Wushu ignored him... And right now, there were as many as twenty-five thousand troops here, including surrendered scattered Han soldiers and temporarily captured laborers, a total of twenty-five Meng'an of the Jin army's main force.

According to the Jin army's combat power, with such strength, they would not make mistakes against the seventy or eighty thousand troops of the Tokyo Garrison Command of the Song army in the wilderness. In addition, Changshe had a special situation this year, which was that the Yi River came from the north, but split into two north of Changshe, one clear and one turbid, bypassing the city and rejoining in the south, forming a large river island.

Of course, the term river island is unscientific, because it was not caused by alluvium.

However, this area was also extremely large and wide, twenty li long and seven or eight li wide, enveloping Changshe and Wanyan Talan's main force together, which was also a fact... Han Shizhong had been able to hold out until now, partly because of this terrain; and this terrain also naturally provided a layer of natural protection for Wanyan Talan, giving the Jin army a huge sense of security.

All in all, the Song army's decision to abandon attacking Changshe and attack the weak points on the upper and lower routes was reasonable, even in line with military strategy, and could be considered an excellent choice.

Therefore, after thinking for a long time and not detecting any flaws, Wanyan Talan finally nodded heavily and continued to ask seriously, "Who came up with this idea?"

"It was precisely Yue Fei, the Pacification Commissioner of Jizhou!" After waiting for a long time, Li Kui, who was feeling apprehensive, quickly replied again.

"As expected, it's him. No wonder, after all, he's a figure from the Liangshanpo battle, and shouldn't be underestimated!" Talan sighed, but shook his head again and looked at the guards in front of him. "Go to my back tent, open the innermost box next to the couch, and bring ten catties of pearls to reward this Commander Li!"

The guards didn't say a word and quickly brought a large bag of pearls amidst the sighs and exclamations of many people in the tent, handing them to Li Kui in front of him.

"Commander Li has worked hard." Talan reclined on the main seat, squinting at him. "A little bit of vulgar stuff, it's what you deserve... Take it back!"

Li Kui didn't dare to neglect and immediately bowed to thank him with the pearls in his arms. After getting up, he turned to leave... But after taking only two steps, he smiled wryly and turned back, bowing to the ground again: "Marshal! I don't want the pearls. I only ask the marshal to give me a way out. Now that I'm here, how dare I go back to Yanling? These pearls are good, but I have to live to enjoy them, right?"

Talan finally pointed at him and laughed: "Such words are befitting of a true informant... Do you know, if you had dared to walk straight out of the tent just now, I would have dared to have someone chop you down with a knife... Keep the pearls. Find a job in the labor camp, and after this is over, I'll let you go back to Jingdong to enjoy wealth!"

Li Kui broke out in a cold sweat and naturally thanked him repeatedly before hurrying away.

After Li Kui left, Talan neither allowed the civil and military officials in the tent to discuss the matter, nor did he summon the two Wanyan's, Da Tao, from the Bohai clan, and his son-in-law Puchacha Hubalu, to see him. Instead, he calmly had people prepare breakfast.

After he had eaten more than half of his breakfast, a scout entered the tent according to the rules, explaining that smoke had been rising from the direction of Yanling since dawn. Only then did he put down his bowl, dismiss the idlers in the tent, and summon only his son-in-law, Puchacha Hubalu, to see him.

Father-in-law and son-in-law met, and Talan told his son-in-law about Li Kui and the scout's report... Clearly, this Jin army Deputy Commander was even more excessive than Wanyan Wushu, simply ignoring Da Tao and letting the two, father-in-law and son-in-law, make the decision.

Puchacha Hubalu was in his thirties this year, the golden age for a Jurchen nobleman. Hearing his father-in-law's words, he naturally didn't decline. After walking back and forth in the empty tent for a while, the Jurchen Wanhu had a plan in mind, but he didn't say it directly, instead asking his father-in-law's attitude first:

"Does Father-in-law have a decision?"

Not to mention that Little Qin Scholar wasn't here, even if he was, this son-in-law was his most trusted person, and Talan naturally had no qualms: "I think this matter is true, that Li Kui didn't lie..."

"Of course it's true." Hubalu quickly approached his father-in-law, nodding repeatedly. "The military situation and the routes all match... The key is that what this person said wasn't top-secret military intelligence. Our scouts can also discern it clearly, just a little later. So, even if he's a spy, he's just selling these simple military situations to seek future benefits."

Talan nodded repeatedly: "That's what I think too, so there's no need to worry too much about whether this person is genuine or not. Just say how we should respond right now..."

"This child has three strategies." Puchacha Hubalu immediately responded.

"Tell me."

"The best strategy is to ignore Changge in the north and Linying in the south. Whether the enemy divides his troops up and down or left and right, Father-in-law, abandon Han Shizhong and lead all the troops here straight to Yanling! At that time, not only can we expect a great victory, but Father-in-law can also surpass the Fourth Prince and become the number one contributor to this southward campaign!"

"You don't know anything!" Talan shook his head repeatedly after hearing this. "I won't even say that your strategy is too rash and that we may not be able to take Yanling for a while, nor will I say that Han Shizhong is like a tiger, and we can't relax for a moment as long as he's alive... I'll just ask you, what military merit does your father-in-law need at this time? Having reached the position of Deputy Commander of the Chief Military Headquarters, second only to the several Bojilie, do you really think I can step over the descendants of Emperor Taizu with some military merit? If I want to go one step further in the future, I can only rely on the grace of the ruler."

Puchacha Hubalu was slightly stunned, but he still understood something, and then nodded slightly: "Father-in-law is right... This child is young and doesn't understand... Then what about the middle strategy?"

"How do you explain the middle strategy?"

"Naturally, it's to proceed step by step, calling Yelu Ma Wu south to protect Changge, and then notifying Linying to be prepared. And this child will now lead ten elite Meng'an across the turbid Yi River to the west bank... Calculating the timing, we can directly launch an iron cavalry and crush the Song army's most daring main force alive under Linying! After this battle, although the Song army will still have scale, they will inevitably lose their courage and can only sit back and watch us wear down the four cities, and things will go back to the way they were."

Talan hesitated for a moment and continued to ask, "What about the worst strategy?"

"The worst strategy is actually simpler... Ignore Linying, this child will now cross the clear Yi River and wait for orders. When the enemy moves, we can directly rely on the advantage of the cavalry to rush to Changge and set up an ambush, and then hit the Song army that set off first head-on in the north."

"What is that?" Talan was puzzled for a moment. "What's the point?"

"Father-in-law, think about it... Where is the key to this battle? Is it Xiping, Xiangcheng, or Yancheng? None of them. For us, the most important thing is still Changshe, still Han Shizhong."

"That's very appropriate." Talan suddenly woke up. "I understand what you mean... Changshe is the foundation, Changge is the rear, so it must be rescued; while the gain or loss of Linying doesn't matter, the key is that the road is still long and we have to cross the river. The Song army set off late, so if we can quickly defeat the enemy army that is feinting at Changge, then the Song army may not dare to attack Linying anymore?"

"Father-in-law has said it thoroughly." Hubalu praised repeatedly, but then said seriously again: "So, Father-in-law, please make a decision, and then just sit here. This child will go and defeat the enemy!"

Talan hesitated for a moment, but slowly said, "I think the worst strategy is the best!"

Puchacha Hubalu nodded immediately... He didn't think it was necessary to choose any particular strategy. His father-in-law was getting lazier and lazier, and it was good enough that he could make a decision.

However, Talan himself couldn't help but explain a few more words: "Hubalu, I've already rejected your best strategy, so I won't say more. In fact, according to my wishes, the safest middle strategy should be the best... But I've also used troops and hunted with Emperor Taizu, and I also have some thoughts on military strategy... The simpler military matters are, the better! The more plans and ideas you have, the more you do, the more likely things are to go wrong! And don't delay! The Song people have a saying: 'Delay breeds change!' So, I chose your worst strategy!"

"Father-in-law is absolutely right!" Puchacha Hubalu sat up straight and responded immediately. "Then this child will now gather the troops and cross the river first to wait for orders, and then directly take action when the military situation is reported from the front?"

"Go!" Talan nodded readily, but gave one more instruction. "When you go out, let Wang Canjun from the labor camp, who is waiting at the door, keep an eye on that Li Kui these few days..."

"Yes!" Hubalu didn't hesitate any longer, got up and left immediately.

After watching his son-in-law leave the tent, Wanyan Talan continued to eat his breakfast, but after taking a sip of porridge, he realized it was already cold. He slapped the table and shouted, startling countless scholars, soldiers, and attendants outside the tent to rush in and quickly replace the cold food with hot food for the Jin kingdom's Right Deputy Commander.

After finishing breakfast, Talan summoned the remaining officers and sat quietly in the central tent. Countless Jin scouts were also constantly coming and going, constantly sending messages about the Song army from Yanling.

With excellent warhorses galloping at full speed, they could travel dozens of li in an hour in a short period. Therefore, the movements of the Song army were basically only half an hour behind the Jin army's central tent.

Sure enough, in the morning, a rider galloped up to the tent, dismounted, and directly brought a crucial military situation, saying that after the morning, the Song army suddenly had a unit set off north along the Wei River, and the flags seemed to belong to Ma Gao, a Commander of the Tokyo Garrison Command...

This was the Song army's sudden action after several days of 'peaceful coexistence'. Ma Gao was a famous Commander of the Tokyo Garrison Command, and many unaware people in the tent were naturally shocked by it. But Talan knew the truth and didn't care, even issuing a military order to let his son-in-law, who was already fully formed on the east bank of the clear Yi River, be patient and wait a little longer.

Next, messages were constantly transmitted, saying that after Ma Gao, the units of Liu Wenshun, Ma You, and Xu Yan of the Tokyo Garrison Command, a total of at least four Commanders, marched north. Not only that, but on the opposite bank of the Wei River, there were also similarly sized troops with clear flags marching north.

Talan didn't hesitate at this time... Not to mention how many Song troops there were on the opposite bank of the Wei River, these four Commanders alone were enough to be worthy of the word 'feint'. He immediately ordered the scouts to rely on their numerical advantage to hunt down the Song army scouts to ensure that the Song army's vision was insufficient and they couldn't discover his son-in-law; on the other hand, he simply let his son-in-law lead ten thousand cavalry to set up an ambush under Changge.

After another hour, estimating that his son-in-law had already gone far, the scouts reported again, saying that there was suddenly movement under Yanling, a unit with Yue's flags had begun to move, heading diagonally towards the southwest... The reason why they said coming instead of going was because Changshe was directly west of Yanling, and for the time being, the linear distance between the two sides was slightly shrinking... Then the scouts also said that although this unit was deliberately keeping a low profile, judging from its quantity and quality, it was by no means ordinary.

Talan was even more certain that he was correct and naturally still didn't care.

After noon, the scouts reported that Yue Fei's Song army had arrived at the lower reaches of the Yi River, paused slightly, and should be trying to rest and then cross the river. At this time, it was unnecessary to say that, considering the time difference and the speed of the warhorses, Puchacha Hubalu should have already arrived at Changge, which was further away.

Everything was under control. The key was that Talan hadn't encountered anything to be alarmed about this time, so the Right Deputy Commander couldn't help but feel a little bored, and was just waiting for Yue Fei to cross the river before preparing to dismiss the military council and go to catch up on sleep.

But the next moment, a rider galloped to the gate of the military tent, covered in sweat, and went straight into the central military tent, announcing a matter: "Marshal! Yue Fei suddenly changed direction and led twenty thousand troops straight towards here!"

The tent was silent. Talan didn't react immediately. He took a sip of tea, then looked up and saw countless people from Da Tao downwards staring at him. He was stunned again before suddenly realizing:

"Oh, Yue Fei is charging at me?"

From his tone, he obviously didn't take it seriously.

ps: Thanks to the reward of 150,000 points from the big boss xuetutu, also the 60th moe of this book!

A buzzer beater!