Chapter 1 The Beginning

At the beginning, Zhao Guan Jia was unwilling to cross the river so early. In fact, after arriving in Luoyang and establishing a large camp at Beimang Mountain, he acted somewhat strangely, basically maintaining a conservative posture rarely seen in the past.

No one knew exactly why.

But there was no shortage of reasons, such as worrying about the chaos caused by mobilization behind him, or worrying about the Luoyang-Hedong logistics transportation blockage formed by the Shanzhou waterway, or perhaps it was purely because this Guan Jia over-trusted the moral character and abilities of several commanders, as well as the combat effectiveness of his own Imperial Army.

However, after Han Shizhong demonstrated his might three times and actually seized the Hedong Basin (Yuncheng Basin), Grand Chancellor Lü Yihão and President Wang Yan, the two highest-ranking civil and military officials accompanying the emperor, simultaneously expressed their concerns about the Hedong battlefield, and then simultaneously suggested that Zhao Guan Jia personally cross the river to rectify the situation and restrain the generals.

According to Lü Yihão, the current situation, although the Hedong Basin had actually been seized, broadly speaking, it was nothing more than a sudden surprise attack taking advantage of the sudden death of the Jin Kingdom's front-line commander, the Third Prince Eliduo.

Attacking the unprepared with preparation should have resulted in this level of victory, and it was not something to be proud of.

However, in this process, the commanders, for their own selfish motives, either advanced rashly to compete for merit, or suppressed others with their power, or were perfunctory and timid. And among the commanding officers, there were even people like Guo Zhen, whose death was not enough to appease the world... It can be seen that although the 300,000 Imperial Army soldiers have gradually gained combat effectiveness due to the court's favor and have shown the confidence to launch the Northern Expedition in confrontations with the Jin army, they still cannot escape the old ways from top to bottom.

And this required Zhao Guan Jia to step forward, combining benevolence and power.

Once Zhao Guan Jia crossed the river, it was impossible to say what would happen quickly, but according to this Guan Jia's usual control over the various commanders and his grasp of the commanding officers, at the very least, he would still have considerable deterrence over the senior Imperial Army officers.

In addition to this, there was the overall situation.

It was still Lü Yihão who summarized and explained it beautifully – in the current situation, now that Hedong had actually seized the Hedong Basin, the benefits brought by the death of the Jin Kingdom's Third Prince had also come to an end, and what followed would be hard and bitter battles.

At this time, the two sides were like countries vying for strength, nothing more than one advancing and the other retreating.

At this time, they should do their best. The rear was ‘men should fight, women should transport’, and the front should of course just imitate Zhao Lie's advance into Hanzhong, ‘why doubt sending troops’?

This analysis was reasonable and well-founded. Zhao Jiu, who was originally just hesitant, was immediately persuaded by Lü Yihão and immediately summoned civil and military officials to publicly issue the decree to cross the river.

This was the scene where the monks were given opportunities by the Buddha.

However, although he had decided to cross the river, Zhao Jiu could not simply hang up a hot air balloon and cross the river in a small boat after seeing that the other side of the river was safe and sound... Because as the Zhao Song Guan Jia and the current emperor, once he crossed the north, its political and military significance would be so powerful that it could not be overstated.

This was mutually exclusive with the tens of thousands of troops who had already crossed the river.

Therefore, it was necessary to make thorough preparations and take the opportunity to carry out political propaganda.

To this end, no matter what, they had to first put together a Northern Expedition Proclamation.

The reason why it was said to be put together was because this thing was simple in some ways, but also difficult in others... It was simple in that it was just an article, and the Great Song Dynasty had no shortage of people who could write articles. If it really didn't work, they could let the Imperial Cavalry Army put something together. At that time, if he, Zhao Jiu, added a few sentences such as ‘drive out the Tartars, restore China, establish laws and regulations, and save the people’, it might be remembered by later generations as a magnificent article.

But the difficulty lay in the fact that the proclamation was not just a simple formal declaration of war, but also related to genuine political strategies.

For example, once this proclamation was written, the people of the world would read it.

When the rear looked at it, it had to tell the rear in the proclamation why they had to launch the Northern Expedition? What price could be paid for the Northern Expedition?

For the soldiers on the front line, it had to tell the soldiers on the front line in the proclamation how many soldiers they had? What was the strategic goal? What military discipline and principles should be followed?

For the Jin Kingdom, it also had to state in the proclamation who the enemy of this campaign was? Who could not be pardoned under any circumstances? Who could be accepted to a limited extent? Should the common people of the Khitan, Jurchen, be recognized?

What's more, these specific issues had to be divided into whether they were abstract or practical... Or simply whether to tell the truth?

Therefore, Zhao Guan Jia had to carefully consider and answer these questions one by one in order to make this proclamation, which was destined to appear in the Dibao (official gazette) and on the wooden boards in front of the various military camps, worthy of its name.

"Tell the civil and military officials to speak frankly."

That afternoon, the generals and soldiers in the camp had already gone to pack their luggage, but Zhao Jiu was still sitting in the central military camp, guiding Fan Zongyin, Academician Fan, to write this proclamation, which was not known to be too late or too early. "If the Shame of Jingkang cannot be avenged, if the two rivers cannot be recovered, then the country has no qualification to claim the Mandate of Heaven, it is just a partial security situation, and the court is just a small court. At that time, I will not be worthy to be called the Son of Heaven, and they will not be qualified to be called Han ministers... The Northern Expedition is a matter of national legitimacy. If even the two rivers and Yanyun cannot be pacified, what qualifications do they have to claim to be the successors of the Han and Tang Dynasties? What's more, from a personal point of view, since I have sworn an oath to Lord Zong, it is impossible for me to pretend that I did not say those words."

Fan Zongyin, who had just started writing, paused for a moment.

To be honest, if he were to write about the necessity of the Northern Expedition, he, Academician San Zhao, could write 10,000 words without breathing in front of a mirror, because these were all things that had been discussed to death.

But even so, this Guan Jia could always bring him surprises.

Glancing at Grand Chancellor Lü Yihão, who was standing motionless beside him, and seeing that this Grand Chancellor had no objections, Academician Fan had no choice but to pick up his pen and start a new paragraph in the already started *Northern Expedition Proclamation*:

"Marquis Wu's *Later Memorial on the Expedition* described Zhao Lie's ambition, saying: 'The Han and the rebels cannot coexist, and the royal cause cannot be partially secured.' If the Shame of Jingkang is not avenged, I feel ashamed when I call myself the Son of Heaven; if the two rivers are not returned, it is ridiculous for you gentlemen to call yourselves Han ministers. Therefore, the Northern Expedition is a matter of national importance. How dare you claim to be descendants of the Three Kings without establishing a peaceful world? If we do not inherit the territory of the Han and Tang Dynasties, how can we continue the rule of the Chinese people?

Moreover, the sage said: A man cannot stand without faith, let alone a monarch? I swore an oath to the world in the past that I would destroy Jin! There is no reason to abandon it."

After writing this paragraph, he read it again. Anyway, it was a hasty write, and it would probably be revised by dozens of bigwigs in the capital when it was later published in the Dibao, so everyone didn't care much about the details. They just discussed whether or not to write Zong Ze's name specifically, and then immediately skipped it and continued to wait for Zhao Guan Jia to speak.

"Tell the truth. This kind of national war will not change because you say a few big words. Just say how many soldiers you have." Zhao Jiu continued to speak from his seat. "Don't forget to use the sixteen characters I said before."

Fan Zongyin immediately nodded and then immediately wrote:

"The Jianyan reign title has been established for nine years. The monarch and his ministers are united, enduring for the sake of the country. The cycle of Heaven's fortune, sharpening each other. Now the national power of the Emperor Song Dynasty has been restored, and the armor is精足. Well governed Royal camp left, right, front, back, middle, cavalry, water, sea various armies, a total of 300,000 people. It also raised the gentry of the Central Plains and Guanxi, a total of 500,000 bodies. Trusted ministers and elite soldiers, shouted and followed, this is a grand occasion unprecedented in ancient times! We should be brave and vigorous, and try our best to recover the old land, drive out the 胡虏, restore China, establish laws and regulations, and save the people."

"Also, since it is to comfort the people and punish the guilty, and recover the old land, it is necessary to enforce strict military discipline... For the common people, whether they are the surviving people of the two rivers, or the Han people of Yanyun, or the Jurchen, Khitan, Xi, Bohai, Mongolian, Goryeo, Tubo, Dangxiang, Dali, they should all be treated equally and accepted. It is strictly forbidden for soldiers to burn, kill, and loot..."

"Since I have sent troops to the north to expel the 胡虏 and save the people from misery, and restore the majesty of the Han officials, I am concerned that the people do not know this and turn against me, causing their families to flee north and sink even deeper. Therefore, I first announce: When the army arrives, the people must not flee. I issue strict orders, without the slightest violation. Those who return to me will be forever at peace in China, and those who turn their backs on me will flee overseas.

It is also said that the Khitan, Xi, Bohai, Mongolian, Goryeo, Tubo, Dangxiang, and Dali are all remnants of Yan Huang, received the mao fiefs of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and jointly supported China, and should be discussed together. As for the Jurchen, although they suddenly rose from the White Mountains and Black Waters, and it is impossible to get to the root of them for a while, they were born between heaven and earth. Those who know etiquette and are willing to be subjects and people are also blameless and are raised no differently from the people of China.

Therefore, if soldiers commit crimes, violate the law, loot, and disturb the people, I will strictly enforce the law, pursue the responsibility of superiors and subordinates, and will never tolerate it."

"For middle-level officials and military officers, calculated by age, those under the age of thirty were under the jurisdiction of the Jin Kingdom as soon as they reached adulthood. As long as they do not resist, they can be pardoned for their crimes; for middle-level officials and military officers over the age of thirty, it depends on whether they have made meritorious service to grant appropriate pardons; and for those Jin Kingdom high-ranking officials and generals, especially those famous generals who participated in the Jingkang Incident in their early years, and those Han traitors who surrendered and held high positions, none of them shall be pardoned..." Speaking of this, Zhao Jiu tapped on the table. "Later, I will work with Grand Chancellor Lü to draw up a list of war criminals and attach it separately to the Dibao."

Fan Zongyin understood and continued to write broadly:

"But the hatred of nine generations cannot be forgotten, let alone the new grievances of ten years?

Now there are those employed by the pseudo-Jin barbarians. If they are over thirty years old and have clearly received the favor of the Han, but still act ugly with the barbarians, even to the point of forgetting the surnames of their Chinese ancestors, they must not be pardoned!

There are also enemy chiefs who show off their power for a while and brutally massacre the masses. Even if they are as noble as princes and marquises, they should still be killed and their corpses displayed to pay tribute to China and abroad.

I am now personally leading the six armies, and I will first take Hedong, then recover Hebei, decide the victory in Yanyun, and destroy the country in Liaodong. I will examine the roots of all the groups along the way, and investigate the beginning and end of the whole crowd, either comforting the people and punishing the guilty, or clearly enacting criminal laws. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Your Majesty."

After writing this in one breath, even Academician San Zhao, who had a relaxed attitude at the beginning, now showed a state of panting and unease... There was no way, as he wrote later, he had already noticed Zhao Guan Jia's seriousness from this proclamation and realized Zhao Guan Jia's determination. "Please allow Your Majesty to review it."

"I won't read it." Zhao Jiu gestured with his mouth, his expression as usual. "Grand Chancellor Lü, take a look. If there are no problems, send it out and keep a copy for tomorrow's use."

Lü Yihão took it, glanced at it roughly, and directly gestured to another person: "I won't read it either, Academician Mei... You come and take a look, polish it up. If there are no omissions, then it will be considered that the two academicians of the Yutang Academy have reviewed it together and send it out directly!"

Mei Li was flattered, but how could he let go of this opportunity? He quickly stepped forward, pretended to take a look, and then directly returned it to Fan Zongyin, and then cupped his hands and bowed to Zhao Guan Jia, Grand Chancellor Lü, and Academician Fan:

"The Guan Jia's determination is like iron, the Grand Chancellor is as calm as a mountain, and the Academician's writing is as thick as a beam. This article can be worth 100,000 soldiers!"

Moreover, as things stand now, everyone from top to bottom has long seen that everyone below the emperor is actually impatient. Although the proclamation is good and important, it cannot suppress the eagerness.

Therefore, the process was gone through once, and no one was willing to waste time.

And since this necessary proclamation issue was resolved, Zhao Guan Jia personally issued an order to let everyone arrange everything properly, return to their positions, and wait quietly for the next day.

Speaking of returning to their positions and waiting quietly for the next day, in fact, that afternoon, Li Shifu first led several units of the Imperial Cavalry Army to board ships and go upstream, in order to land overnight at the western end of Wangwu Mountain, the eastern side of Pinglu, the easternmost end of the so-called Hedong Basin (Yuncheng Basin), to serve as a vanguard and support.

Since half of the Imperial Cavalry Army had set out, the large camp at Beimang Mountain was still working all night... Because everyone knew that Zhao Guan Jia would cross the river tomorrow, and this also meant that most of the people in this camp, except for a few defense troops, would follow one after another, cross the Yellow River, and go to Hedong on the other side of the river.

It was nothing more than a matter of sooner or later.

And since they were going to cross the river, then this trip was really going to be a gamble, so many people tossed and turned that night and couldn't sleep.

However, this did not seem to include Zhao Guan Jia. Early the next morning, Zhao Guan Jia put on a light armor, covered with a cotton military uniform, and came out with a sword, obviously in high spirits.

Grand Chancellor Lü, President Wang, followed by Fan Zongyin, Ren Baozhong, Yu Yunwen, Mei Li, plus the hundreds of scholars from the southeast ‘for consultation’, Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan, plus the generals of the Imperial Central Army and Cavalry Army, and the Imperial Guards surrounded him.

But this group of people did not rush to board the ship, but first came to the rammed earth general's platform in the camp, and asked Academician Fan to read the proclamation, Grand Chancellor Lü to assist, and Zhao Guan Jia personally sacrificed to Zong Ze, Wang Boyan, Zhang Shuye, Zhang Suo, Liu Ge and other fallen prime ministers and other important ministers, as a declaration.

After the ceremony, Zhao Guan Jia originally wanted to speak, but for some reason, he was unusually calm. He simply snatched the proclamation, burned it in public, and then turned around and went down to board the ship in person.

The Dragon Banner and the two black and white yaks immediately followed, and the crowd swarmed around.

Zhao Guan Jia, Lü Yihão, and Wang Yan boarded three large paddle-wheel boats separately. Zhao Guan Jia was in the middle, with the Dragon Banner erected on the boat, while Lü Yihão was on the left, with the captured White Bull Banner erected on the boat, and Wang Yan was on the right, with the Black Bull Banner naturally erected on the boat.

The close ministers, ‘for consultation’, and guards also followed in three parts.

The Imperial Central Army Wang De's headquarters, Zhang Jing's headquarters, and Qiao Zhongfu's headquarters surrounded them, either setting out first or following later. On the contrary, Qu Duan, Xiahou Yuan, and the others who were most eager before fell behind.

Speaking of which, there was of course a reason for this arrangement – the area of Mengzhou and Huaizhou opposite Luoyang was the southward gateway of the heavily garrisoned Longde Prefecture of the Jin army, and also the eastern exit of Zhiguanxing.

Previously, the Song army had once intended to land directly here and attack the Jin army at Zhiguanxing from both sides. However, considering the number of Jin troops in Longde Prefecture, in order to prevent being surrounded after just landing, Zhao Guan Jia, who had become conservative in Luoyang, naturally rejected this suggestion.

However, now that Zhao Guan Jia had crossed the north and the Jin army at Zhiguanxing should immediately withdraw from this place, it was very necessary to send a part of the Eight Character Army who were familiar with the local terrain to advance along Zhiguanxing and meet with some of the Henan Song army here, and then simultaneously block Zhiguanxing and further protect Luoyang in winter.

This task fell on Fu Qing, Fan Yihong, and Meng De, but Qu Duan and Liu Qi needed to lead the cavalry to stay behind to cover them and ensure that the three would meet and establish a good defense line before they could go to Hedong to gather the main force.

Of course, now was not the time to talk about these scattered deployments on the flanks. It was only said that since Zhao Guan Jia had boarded the ship in a hurry and went upstream along the river, he finally didn't have to pretend to be as calm and composed as before. All kinds of thoughts surged up for a while.

However, at this time, he still had no intention of shouting loudly about crossing the river. Instead, he directly thought about various things in the north.

For example, before the war, he was worried that Han Shizhong would lack the will to fight and hoped that he could cheer up. As a result, although this guy did cheer up, this posture of a dignified prince and marshal directly charging forward made Zhao Jiu feel a little scared.

When he arrived at the place, he would definitely reprimand him severely.

There was also Li Yanxian.

Before the war, Zhao Jiu undoubtedly had great expectations for this commander, who was considered one of the top three in the world, but this person's rash advance directly led to his unit becoming one of the most heavily damaged since the start of the war, and some of the good and bad people in his unit lost control north of Tieling Pass, and even caused looting and infighting with the volunteer army.

This was something Zhao Jiu especially could not accept.

Considering that Li Yanxian had guarded Shanzhou for nine years, Zhao Jiu did not intend to be harsh on the other party's rash advance, but prepared to severely punish the army's disciplinary violations in Guanbei... Comforting the people and punishing the guilty, without violating anything, was this how it was done?

What was the Northern Expedition for?

Even Ma Kuo and Wu Jie, to be honest, both had performances that exceeded Zhao Guan Jia's expectations, but one was good and the other was bad.

Of course, Zhao Jiu was prepared to punish Guo Zhen, the somewhat memorable person under Wu Jie, but he was hesitant about the reward for Ma Kuo... He really wanted to give Ma Kuo a large banner, but Wu Jie, who had a higher status and greater military exploits, did not have one. At this time, giving it to Ma Kuo over Wu Jie seemed a bit inappropriate.

However, what was really important was not the specific handling ideas of these things, but these things made Zhao Jiu directly realize that these commanders he relied on were not gods. They would all have emotional fluctuations and would all be prone to mistakes. He had to use the emperor's authority to integrate them according to Lü Yihão and Wang Yan's reminders, form a miao suan (detailed plan), and then use the miao suan to replace these commanders' individual combat.

Han Shizhong's personal super-performance and Ma Kuo's diligence should be guided to the decisive battle. Wu Jie's mistakes in employing people and Li Yanxian's rash advance and greed for merit should be eliminated and covered up from the very beginning.

Promoting strengths and compensating for weaknesses, something like that.

And once he thought of this, Zhao Jiu thought of those two people again... Little Brother Liang and Zhang Heng. He had known these two people early on, but for some reason, he had a slight liking for Little Brother Liang, who dared to fight and charge, and a trace of suspicion for Zhang Heng.

But what was the result?

Although Little Brother Liang dared to fight and charge, and his headquarters was strong, according to Ma Kuo's memorial, this person was also too daring to fight and charge. When he heard that the Northern Expedition had begun and Yue Fei had been appointed as the marshal of Hebei Road, he actually abandoned Ma Kuo's restraint and went to Daming Prefecture to find his old master. As a result, he met the Jin army's veteran general Elubu's myriarchy on a narrow road and was directly defeated miserably.

On the contrary, Zhang Heng, who had moved to Guji Mountain (Lüliang Mountain) before the war, not only provided a lot of information about the Taiyuan direction for the Imperial Army's main force, but also did not fail at the critical moment. Although he was weak in troops, he still dared to cross the river and guard the road, which was really outstanding.

In addition, with this person's connections in Taiyuan, he was afraid that he would continue to make contributions in the upcoming conquest of Linfen and Taiyuan.

This was really a matter of time and fate.

"Your Majesty!"

Just as Zhao Jiu was standing on the paddle-wheel boat with a light yellow cloak and his thoughts were jumping, suddenly, Hei Kiyomori, Tuo Li, and others next to him spoke up directly, then rushed to the front and blocked on the right side of this Guan Jia... that is, the north.

Zhao Jiu frowned for a moment, but he quickly realized the situation from the flag signals of the other ships – there were Jin troops on the river embankment in the Mengzhou area north of the Yellow River.

It had been said before that the area north of the Yellow River was enemy-occupied territory, and it was the southern gateway of the Jin army in Longde Prefecture and the eastern gate of Zhiguanxing. It was common for there to be Jin troops.

However, considering that Mengjin Port, which had hot air balloons hanging behind it, had not had any signals before, the sudden appearance of these Jin troops seemed a bit strange.

But soon, as more and more Jin troops涌现 on the river embankment, Yang Yizhong took the lead in waking up and reporting: "It's Elubu... It must be Elubu who withdrew from Zhiguanxing! It's a pity, I didn't know he was withdrawing so slowly, otherwise, how about blocking him?!"

Everyone immediately looked again and realized that the Jin army on the opposite side was also somewhat panicked and hasty, the military appearance was extremely unorganized, and the direction was also from west to east.

I'm afraid they really just came out of the Wangwu Mountain and Taihang Mountain, and then happened to bump into a large Song army fleet at this time. They were also caught off guard, so that after occupying the river embankment, they maintained a strange silence and were now stopping on the river embankment one after another, watching the Song army flags and paddle-wheel boats by the river.

And realizing that the Jin army did not intentionally set an ambush and could not prepare destructive weapons such as catapults, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. In turn, like the Jin army, they observed each other in amazement from a distance.

"So, is it a chance encounter on the road?" Zhao Jiu was behind the crowd and noticed that many Jin army officers looked登河堤遥望. After a pause, he smiled noncommittally. "Elubu is also an old acquaintance... We discussed war criminals before, saying that he was on the Huai River, massacred the city after breaking Nanjing (Shangqiu), forced Zhang Suo and killed Xin Daozong, and Zong Xiang Gong was forced into exhaustion because of him. He also forced Wang Xiang Gong across the Luoyang River and killed Commander Zhai before the battle of Yaoshan... Right?"

"Yes."

Yang Yizhong swallowed. Obviously, crossing the river also had some psychological impact on him. "It is this thief."

"Since he is an old friend, let's make a fleeting acquaintance!"

Zhao Jiu laughed even colder in response. "He must be looking for my figure... Everyone get out of the way, let him see with his own eyes where I am and where I am going?!"

Yang Yizhong and others estimated the distance from the center of the river to the river embankment on the opposite bank, carefully avoided it, but at the same time signaled to the ships on the right north side to make an appropriate acceleration and deceleration together with the paddle-wheel boats under their feet to try to cover and protect as much as possible.

Of course, the Jin army on the opposite bank did not try to attack.

In fact, after the soldiers beside Zhao Jiu dispersed slightly, almost all the Jin army quickly realized who the person who was surrounded by people, wearing a cloak, and looking this way was on the large paddle-wheel boat with the Dragon Banner.

Thousands of Jin troops, with weariness and confusion, stared blankly at the Dragon Banner on the boat and the figure under the Dragon Banner, without saying a word.

Of course, Elubu was also among them. He once raised his hand and bent his bow, wanting to try his luck, but in the end, he smiled mockingly and chose to give up. Finally, this veteran Jin army general, just like all his subordinates, watched the huge fleet go upstream and eventually disappear from his sight with a trace of weariness and an unspeakable expression.

In this way, that evening, Zhao Jiu landed in Hedong without any surprises in Yuanqu, on the other side of Wangwu Mountain, with Li Shifu welcoming him.

This day was the eighteenth day of the tenth month of winter in the ninth year of Jianyan.

ps: Thanks to the new leader hlatar1983, this is the 184th萌 of this book. Thanks to Qin Wangpo Zhenle Neon Clothes Feather Dress Song, this is the 185th 萌 of this book. Thanks to Stuka Ruifeng, this is the 186th 萌 of this book!

Also thanks to Xiahou for the fourth萌, and Crow_13 for the second萌.

Finally, special thanks to Big Boss Liuliqin for the fourth silver alliance... The Big Boss has given this book 40 or 50 leaders cumulatively, I am extremely ashamed.

By the way, today is Zhao Jiu's birthday event. In theory, there should be corresponding activities, but I am confused about how Qidian specifically does it.

But I hope everyone participates enthusiastically!

Lastly, thanks to several big bosses for correcting and guiding this proclamation. Happy everyone!