Chapter 1 A Pit

After a moderate spring rain, the fine weather characteristic of March continued to dominate the middle reaches of the Yellow River. At this time, Zhao Guan Jia (the official) was digging a pit with all his might at the easternmost end of the Guanzhong Plain, in the area of Pujin and Tongzhou.

Really digging a pit.

Five people formed a group: two digging, one filling, and two carrying the soil. The efficiency was high.

In addition to digging, there were also people piling soil, ramming earth, and driving piles... On the west bank of the Yellow River, construction was underway not just in Pujin, but along the most dangerous sections of the river around Pujin.

And Zhao Guan Jia was one of those responsible for digging.

In all fairness, Zhao Jiu's actions were not necessarily correct. From a purely utilitarian point of view, the exemplary role of the Son of Heaven working on the ground was perhaps less effective in inspiring the laborers than maintaining a sense of mystery. Moreover, his actions caused inconvenience to many officials… If the Guan Jia was digging, what were they to do?

The bureaucratic system was disrupted, which would greatly reduce efficiency.

Fortunately, Hu Yin, who was in charge, was accustomed to Zhao Guan Jia and knew that he was probably just bored... So he obtained a clear order early on, instructing everyone to proceed step by step and not to imitate him without authorization.

Of course, the accompanying Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) would certainly record this behavior, and in a few days, the Dibao (official gazette) in Dongjing would publish how Zhao Guan Jia ‘inspired the fighting spirit in the hearts of his people’.

But back to the present, after Zhao Jiu had been digging pits for several days, Hu Yin considered it and finally decided to try to dissuade the Guan Jia again.

"It's not that I have nothing to do, but that I have thought about it and feel that what I, as the Son of Heaven, can do at this time is to dig pits and pile up earth." Zhao Jiu leaned on a shovel, standing in the pit opposite Hu Yin, the Shaanxi Five Route Transport Commissioner, who was standing at the edge of the pit with his hands clasped.

This action did not cause too much chaos, because at the same time, Yang Yizhong, the Imperial Bodyguard Commander, was Zhao Guan Jia's partner in digging, Liu Yan was filling the soil, and Zhai Biao and Wang Zhongfu were carrying it... The surrounding work team was also composed of Imperial Bodyguards.

Hu Yin turned his head to look at the Stork Tower on the opposite bank, intending to use the awkwardness of literary officials like Lü Benzhong and Zheng Zhichang at this moment as a form of persuasion, but for some reason, he once again chose silence and bowed to retreat.

The reason was simple: Hu Mingzhong was very clear that what the Guan Jia said was absolutely correct.

This plan, first and foremost, was a surprising strategy... The Jurchens and Tanguts, unaware of Yelu Dashi's existence, no matter how clever, cautious, or serious they were, would fall into the big pit dug by Zhao Guan Jia.

It was a bit of an unfair victory, but it could also be called a higher-level strategy, even more helpless than a yang mou (open plot).

Secondly, in this plan, most people had only been playing a certain role and fulfilling a certain function until now. Unless the situation changed drastically, it would be difficult to have a breakthrough performance... Zhao Guan Jia, the Son of Heaven, and the 100,000 laborers recruited from both sides of the Wei River after spring plowing were responsible for bluffing; Wu Jie and his Imperial Guard Rear Army, and Han Shizhong, were responsible for holding Hengshan and Yan'an; Li Yanxian was even more self-explanatory... In theory, these people could all improvise freely, but in order to ensure the stability of the plan, most people still maintained restraint according to Zhao Guan Jia's requirements.

Even Zhao Jiu himself was like this.

After this Guan Jia successfully deterred the Jin army on the opposite side with 100,000 laborers and several thousand Imperial Bodyguards, the only action that could have some practical effect was to dig pits here... to keep digging pits... This was a necessary measure for the sake of prevention, and also the most powerful supplement to the 20,000 Imperial Guard Left Army and several thousand Imperial Bodyguards in Tongzhou, in addition to the Solidarity Society, archers, and laborers.

Even Zhao Jiu and Hu Yin both knew very well that the plan of Jiang Gan stealing the book, previously carried out by Zheng Zhichang, was somewhat superfluous. There was no way around it; when the real front-line information was limited by geography, they, who were anxiously waiting for the results, always felt uneasy if they didn't do something.

Just like now, Zhao Guan Jia felt uncomfortable if he didn't dig pits, and Hu Yin was clearly aware of this.

Moreover, they also knew that at this moment, the one who could truly determine the overall situation was Yue Fei... Everyone was a tool, but there were different kinds of tools. Yue Fei and the 30,000 troops on the westernmost line had the widest range of choices and the greatest power of decision, and he was the most important figure in determining the direction of the overall situation.

In comparison, even Pingle, the vital point of Shaanxi Prefecture isolated to the north of the Yellow River, Zhao Jiu was prepared to abandon, and had given Li Yanxian clear instructions when passing through Shaanxi Prefecture on the way into the pass.

"Guan Jia."

Only a moment later, Hu Yin returned. "There is an urgent military report to the central army..."

Zhao Jiu stopped digging and looked at Hu Mingzhong, who was standing on the edge of the pit again, puzzled.

Even Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan stopped their movements... because this was very strange. Military intelligence, whether internal or external, should have been faster through the Imperial Guard channels.

Unless it was a large-scale battle result that could not be concealed at all, and there was no need to avoid or conceal it.

"Li Jiedu (military commissioner) of Shaanxi Prefecture has submitted a victory report." Of course, Hu Yin would not engage in any mystification. "His subordinates, Commanders Niu Gao and Dong Xian, in conjunction with the subordinates of Ma Kuo, the Northern Route General Manager, ambushed between Zhongtiao Mountain and Wulong Mountain, defeating the Jin army Wanhu (ten thousand households) Wanyan Tuhesu, beheading more than a thousand... Tuhesu was defeated and fled to Jiexian."

Zhao Jiu was slightly shaken. Beheading more than a thousand was certainly not a major victory. Even as the only Imperial Guard army group that had not been completely reorganized, and with the obvious participation of the more complex Taihang Volunteer Army, the number of heads in this battle was probably inflated. But in any case, Tuhesu's advance being blocked was undeniable.

And this also meant... Zhao Jiu probably had nothing to do except dig pits.

"Order commendations to be given." Zhao Jiu leaned on the shovel and thought for a moment. "Give grand commendations, write a letter to the opposite side, mocking Wanyan Wushu... Tomorrow morning, hang Qu Duan's banner behind the camp. He is a cavalryman and should have arrived first. In ten days, hang Yue Fei's banner."

Hu Yin immediately clasped his hands and then took his leave again.

In the end, things still depended on the western front.

Speaking of which, considering the speed of information transmission, the distance from Tongzhou to Yue Fei's actual station in Deshun Army at this time, the two-thousand-mile-long Hexi Corridor, and the return message from the Khitan delegation, which had already started in late February and early March, some things, although not yet known, were clearly already a foregone conclusion.

But without a doubt, Zhao Guan Jia would definitely not be the first to know.

"Yue Jiedu."

Within Deshun Army territory, south of Haoshui River, inside Zhong'an Fort, after being urged by the gazes of several generals present, Imperial Guard Cavalry Vice Commander Liu Qi finally opened his mouth to the general with the mismatched eyes at the head of the table. "This subordinate believes that we can move!"

"How so?" Yue Fei sat upright at the head of the table, his expression unchanged, his body unmoved, and directly asked in return.

"Judging from the time, Yelu Dashi should have dispatched troops for at least half a month."

Liu Qi replied seriously, in a well-organized manner: "The Hexi Corridor has a total of six prefectures: Shazhou, Guazhou, Ganzhou, Suzhou, Liangzhou, and Zhuoluo and the Southern Army Division (north of Lanzhou, where the Song and Western Xia were separated by the Yellow River). It is two thousand miles long. According to intelligence, most of Yelu Dashi's 30,000 troops are cavalry, and even the logistics have a large number of camels. If the progress is appropriate... and there is no reason why it should not be... it is enough to travel nine hundred to a thousand miles by now, and then capture Suzhou at least, so as to approach Ganzhou."

"And Ganzhou is the location of the Western Xia's military division in Hexi, and also the place where the main Western Xia troops in Hexi are stationed... This subordinate dares to guess that Yelu Dashi should be in Ganzhou at this time... either he has already won, or he is still fighting, but how could the troops in Ganzhou suddenly attacked be a match for the 30,000 Khitan troops? Eight or nine times out of ten, Yelu Dashi should be close to success."

"And once Ganzhou is won, crossing Rouge Mountain will be Liangzhou... Yue Jiedu, of our 30,000 troops, only half are cavalry, and the speed is simply not as fast as the Khitans. If we don't move now, I'm afraid we won't be able to take Zhuoluo City, so as to secure Lanzhou. If we can't secure Lanzhou, how can we ensure that the Khitans go north rather than east? It must be known that the Khitans are ambitious and not easy to get along with."

Yue Fei finally nodded slightly, but still didn't say a word.

"It's not only about guarding against the Khitans, but also about helping the Khitans." Zhang Jing, a veteran of the Western Army and Commander of the Imperial Guard Central Army, also spoke in a timely manner. "According to the secret order transmitted by the Jiedu and Commanders Qu, Vice Commanders Liu, and Vice Commanders Wang five days ago, our primary task is still to open up Hexi and connect with the Khitans... In any case, helping Yelu Dashi to win Hexi is the only way to consider other matters... Going to attack Zhuoluo City at this time also means blocking Western Xia reinforcements from going west."

Listening to his words, Yue, Qu, Wang, and Liu only conveyed their intentions to the commander-level officers five days ago.

After listening to Zhang Jing's words, Yue Fei turned his head to look at a person standing by the window and finally spoke: "What does Commander Qu think?"

Qu Duan, who was standing with his hands behind his back and looking out the window, turned his head back and sneered, "What do you want me to look at, Yue Jiedu?"

"Naturally, the words of Generals Liu and Zhang, whether they are pertinent." Yue Fei replied sincerely. "Although I am the commander of this battle, I am not from Guanxi. The geography, customs, and folk customs here are not as good as yours, so I want to hear Commander Qu's judgment."

"There's nothing to judge." Qu Duan still sneered with his hands behind his back. "What Liu Er and Lao Zhang said, of course there is reason in it, but the Guanxi soldiers are eager for success and full of selfishness. Liu Er is single-mindedly trying to get his boss back, Lao Zhang has a large family and wants to accumulate merit to promote his descendants, so that his family will have two more commanders... How can these things be hidden from the Jiedu? In the end, the situation is like this, if the Jiedu wants to send troops, he can send troops, there is no need for me to give the Jiedu a drum; if you have a plan in mind and don't want to send troops, just say it, I will scold a few words for the Jiedu."

Liu Qi and Zhang Jing looked at each other and habitually fell silent.

Yue Fei was also silent for a moment before asking again: "If we start from here now and the whole army goes to Zhuoluo City (north of Lanzhou), how long will it take?"

"With the cavalry as the vanguard, bypassing the Qinzhou Road, it will take seven days to reach Lanzhou..." Qu Duan blurted out.

"I said the whole army." Yue Fei reminded him.

"If the cavalry and infantry are separated, the cavalry bypassing the Qinzhou Road and the infantry crossing Quwu Mountain and walking to Huizhou, naturally it will be based on the slower infantry... About ten days, we can join forces to attack Zhuoluo City." Qu Duan replied seriously.

"The cavalry and infantry cannot be separated." Yue Fei reminded the other party again. "If the cavalry and infantry are consistent, how long will it take?"

"Naturally, it is also ten days." Qu Duan finally said awkwardly. "Just cross Quwu Mountain and walk to Huizhou."

"What if we go directly north from Huizhou?" Yue Fei asked again.

"Take the Xishou Baotai Military Division?" Qu Da became completely serious, and the other generals in the castle also became solemn.

"That's right."

"It will take seven or eight days." Qu Duan replied seriously. "But Yue Jiedu, I have to tell you the truth, the location of the Xishou Baotai Military Division is special... Although this place is the southwest gateway of Xingqing Prefecture, it is geographically complex. Not to mention that the north and west sides are the Yellow River, the four corners of the military division are also surrounded by mountains, Northwest Lingbo Mountain, Southwest Roulang Mountain, Northeast Weijing Mountain, and Southeast Shaniu Ridge. You are not from Guanxi and don't know the advantages and disadvantages here... If the Western Xia people put three thousand troops here, it would be enough to block our 30,000 elite soldiers. This is also the reason why the Western Xia people specifically set up a military division here."

"But if we can take advantage of this opportunity to take it." Yue Fei narrowed his eyes and said. "We can grasp a gateway to Xingqing Prefecture. When Yelu Dashi arrives at Hexi, we can come out from here and join the Khitans across the river to the north, then Xingqing Prefecture will have no worries..."

"The reasoning is right." Qu Duan nodded frankly. "But what if we can't take it for a while? Yue Jiedu, I'm not saying we can't take it. Not only that, I won't hide it from you, I have also had this idea for a while these few days, but I'm afraid we can't take it quickly, and instead do a wedding dress for the Khitans in vain... If I were Yelu Dashi, coming to this Hexi territory, seeing Jiedu using troops hard on the other side of the Yellow River, why not simply take advantage of the opportunity to pounce directly on Xingqing Prefecture along Hexi? We can't let the Khitans take all the advantages in this battle. Therefore, it is best to go and take Zhuoluo City and occupy a piece of Hexi land."

Yue Fei shook his head slowly: "Commander Qu, I ask you, if we arrive at Zhuoluo City in ten days, and the flag on the city is the Khitan flag, what should we do?"

Qu Duan was finally stunned.

Moreover, in the entire military discussion, only two people had real power to discuss matters... one was Yue Fei, and the other was Qu Duan.

Yue Fei's authority came from his official position and status, from the imperial court and the Guan Jia. Qu Duan's authority came from his twenty years of experience in the Western Army and his status as Commander... All other things, including Wang De, Liu Qi, and Li Shifu, were simply not enough to look at in front of these two.

Therefore, once Yue Fei stopped Qu Duan, things finally became simple.

"Is Yelu Dashi so powerful?" Qu Duan was stunned for a long time before asking in return. "He will have reached Lanzhou in ten days? He will have broken through two thousand miles in less than thirty days?"

"I don't know." Yue Fei replied frankly. "But as Commander Qu said before, whatever you say now makes sense... We must keep everything in mind, the fast, the slow; the good, the bad... The Guan Jia has entrusted the situation here to us and allowed us to make decisions on the spot, so we must have a clear understanding in our hearts."

Saying that, Yue Fei finally stood up: "To be honest, I have made up my mind to send troops immediately. But in this battle, I have three theories, and I hope you will keep them in mind... First, the cavalry and infantry cannot be separated. The whole army must be one, and orders must be obeyed and prohibitions enforced, and we must not be afraid of sacrifice. Only in this way can we avoid revealing military flaws when facing the Dangxiang people or even the Khitans, so as to prevent others from taking advantage of us and losing the overall situation. Only in this way can we grasp the military opportunity and hit with one blow; second, we should go to Huizhou and send out scouts constantly. If Yelu Dashi's advance is frustrated, we should attack Zhuoluo City or even Liangzhou to ensure that we open up the Hexi passage and live up to the Guan Jia's original intention; third, if Yelu Dashi's advance is extremely fast, we must also have the courage to not be afraid of difficulties and seize the opportunity... Commander Qu, do you have anything else to say?"

Qu Duan and the other generals were silent for a long time, but in the end, Qu Duan nodded heavily: "Let's do as Yue Jiedu says!"

This time, Yue Fei just nodded and stopped speaking.

Since the matter was decided here, the Song army had no more doubts. At noon that day, at Desheng Village north of Haoshui River, Imperial Guard Cavalry Vice Commander Li Shifu led 3,000 Fan cavalry to go ahead, almost completely spread out, as guides and scouts; in the afternoon, Qu Duan and Liu Qi led the remaining Imperial Guard cavalry to set out from the north, Yue Fei personally raised the Imperial Banner of 'Serving the Country with Utmost Loyalty', and led the central army to advance northwest under the cover of the cavalry. This force consisted of about 18,000 soldiers and 6,000 laborers; at the same time, Imperial Guard Central Army Vice Commander Wang De also led 6,000 infantry to set out from Jingbian Village in the south, deliberately deviating from the central army by nearly forty miles, as a rearguard support.

However, as the army marched west, after passing through the Quwu Mountain Pass for three days, one day, the Fan cavalry of Li Shifu's unit captured a person who claimed to be a subordinate of Hu Hongxiu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War of the Great Song, with important military information to deliver.

The army did not dare to neglect, and that night, they directly sent this person to Li Shifu in a hurry. Li Shifu, seeing this person, was shocked and did not dare to neglect, but personally escorted this person to Qu Duan's tent that night.

Qu Duan, seeing this person, was still shocked, and then led several guards overnight to personally bring this person to the central army's station to see the commander-in-chief Yue Fei.

Even Yue Fei, seeing this person, was equally solemn, and directly clasped his hands and saluted in the tent, calling him Minister:

"Minister Hu! Why are you here, Minister Hu?"

"I guessed that the imperial army must be coming here, so I specifically crossed the mountains to get here." Hu Hongxiu, with a face full of dust and having shaved his head, and even smeared his head with fishy sheep oil, saw Yue Fei and no longer hesitated, but directly said: "Yue Jiedu, don't go to Zhuoluo City, and don't go to the Xishou Baotai Military Division in the north..."

"What do you mean?" Yue Fei asked solemnly.

"Yelu Dashi is really extraordinary. At the same time that I returned east, he sent his general Yelu Yanshan to return to Katun City at great speed. He used Katun City as collateral, promised many treasures, and contacted the Mongolian tribes south of the desert to come from Yinshan as a feint. Li Gan Shun first did not consider the Mongols, but when Yelu Dashi's army launched, it went all the way east from Shazhou as if entering an uninhabited land. Yelu Yanshan also showed his flag in the north, and Li Gan Shun finally lost his composure..."

"Minister Hu means that he is afraid that Yelu Dashi's advance is too fast and it is too late for us to go to Zhuoluo City now?" Qu Duan hurriedly asked.

"Not only that." Hu Hongxiu quickly said the most important military information. "After the Khitans sent out the news, I hid in Xiakou, which is the only way for the Western Xia people to send troops to Hexi. Then I personally saw that the Western Xia army, about 20,000 strong, passed through Xiakou in a hurry to the west. I followed behind all the way, but found that five days ago, this army split into two, with several thousand people heading to the Xishou Baotai Military Division, and the remaining ten thousand or so heading west to aid Liangzhou."

Qu Duan, who was beside him, slapped the table in anger: "Li Gan Shun's actions have completely blocked us! If the Xishou Baotai Military Division adds several thousand more troops, how can we take it?"

"If that's the case," Yue Fei narrowed his eyes slightly after hearing this. "Why did Minister Hu say that Li Gan Shun lost his composure? Aren't these actions appropriate?"

"Because when I went to Xingqing Prefecture with the Khitans before, I advised the Khitans to bribe the witches in the city with Western Region treasures, and then I got a message... The Western Xia people happened to have 20,000 field troops left, but they were placed in Lingzhou!" Hu Hongxiu, with his head full of sheep oil, replied earnestly. "The army passed through Xiakou, I peeped at it from afar for an afternoon, and it was about 20,000, it can't be such a coincidence."

Qu Duan and Yue Fei's expressions changed at the same time. They had been studying the Western Xia military situation for several months, and they were already familiar with the Western Xia geography. When they heard these words, they immediately understood what Hu Hongxiu meant.

"Since the Lingzhou troops have been dispatched, then no matter whether they are transferred from Yinshan in the north, or recalled from Hengshan, or temporarily recruited locally... a huge flaw has been exposed!" Hu Hongxiu vigorously persuaded. "Yue Jiedu, Commander Qu, while the Western Xia people haven't discovered us, immediately turn east! Turn back to Quwu Mountain, return to Pingxia City, and then go all the way north, taking advantage of the emptiness of Lingzhou, go directly to Xingqing Prefecture along the Hulu River! I will be the guide!"

Qu Duan opened his mouth to speak, but felt his chest pounding wildly and could not make a decision at all.

On the other hand, Yue Fei thought for a moment, then narrowed his eyes directly and ordered to gather the generals.

That night, the central army hastily gathered and argued for only two quarters of an hour. Qu and Yue Fei made up their minds, and then the Song army turned back from Quwu Mountain with all their forces. The next day, they passed Xi'an Prefecture without entering, and went straight to the Hulu River... On the last day of March, the army reassembled on the banks of the Hulu River and turned to the north.

By the second day of April, Imperial Guard Cavalry Vice Commander Li Shifu personally led 300 Fan cavalry to seize Douling Shangyi Pass and officially entered the territory of Western Xia... Up to this point, Yue Fei, who was most able to determine the direction of the war, finally rolled the dice!

"What is it?" On the same day, Zhao Guan Jia was digging pits as usual, but that night, he received military intelligence again, but this time, it was finally Liu Yan who woke him up.

"Commander Wu sent a quick horse from Hengshan... saying that the Western Xia Xia Prefecture Commander Weiming Heda took the initiative to contact him and asked to be an internal respondent." Liu Yan knelt in front of the couch, bowed his head and presented the secret letter.

"Weiming Heda asked himself?" Zhao Jiu frowned, turned over, took the secret letter without reading it, and directly asked in return. "Is Yelu Dashi so fast? Isn't it easy for Xingqing Prefecture to block the news of the Hexi war? Could it be that Wu Jie, this guy, is acting on his own and trying to fool me again?"

"It's not Hexi, it's Yinshan." Liu Yan replied solemnly. "According to what Commander Wu relayed from Weiming Heda, the Mongols had long been harassing the north of Western Xia. Originally, they only thought it was taking advantage of the fire, but more than ten days ago, they suddenly raised the banner of Yelu Dashi and publicized the situation of Yelu Dashi allying with us and advancing from Hexi. He is in Xia Prefecture, so he naturally knows quickly."

Zhao Jiu was stunned on the spot, temporarily astonished by Yelu Dashi's methods, but only a moment later, his heart began to beat wildly... Moreover, this Zhao Song Guan Jia, although a waste, had been fighting for several years, so how could he not know that with Yelu Dashi's feint to the east, coupled with the special geographical conditions of Western Xia, at this moment, everyone was caught in the information gap.

From Great Song to Great Jin, from Western Xia to Western Liao, from the internal of Western Xia to the internal of the Song army and then to the internal of the Jin Kingdom, even the information obtained by the two armies of Western Liao was completely different.

The so-called global chaos was the present, and taking advantage of the chaos was the right time.

"Immediately reply to Wu Jinqing, you personally take it there on a fast horse!" After reading the secret letter, and thinking for about an incense stick of time, Zhao Jiu, who was still sitting on the couch, finally made up his mind. "Tell him that I still don't know the art of war, so today I can only imitate the story of Yaoshan again and give him the power to act independently... The eastern line here is still under his command, and I am still listening to him, and I hope he will still let go and do it!"