Chapter 11 Sparrow Mouse Valley

Early November, Sparrow Mouse Valley.

Unlike the choked pass of Tieling, Sparrow Mouse Valley has the Fen River running through it, and even has Lingshi County between Yangliang South Pass in the south and Yangliang North Pass in the north. This makes this place destined to not be a simple dangerous valley.

On this day, the fog of the early winter morning had just dissipated, and about a hundred Jin cavalrymen, without even their flags, arrived under Lingshi City from the south. The leading general reined in his horse in front of the city gate, looked around the terrain around Lingshi, and couldn't help shaking his head, sighing to those around him:

"When I usually pass through here, I always feel that the north and south of this Sparrow Mouse Valley are not smooth, but today I only feel that this valley is too smooth."

The faces of the surrounding Jin generals were also not good.

The leading general, who was also the Jin army's Taiyuan military commander, Wanyan Balisu, saw this and knew that the emotions of the people were not necessarily empathetic to him, but were dissatisfied and indignant at the previous escape without a fight... He also sighed slightly in his heart, and then directly urged his horse into the city.

After entering the city and resting for a while, in just over a quarter of an hour, he heard the sound of horseshoes from the north of the city. Sure enough, it was also a hundred elite cavalry, also without flags, who also stopped their horses on the edge of Lingshi City and looked around for a moment, then rode into the city.

And the one who came from north to south was none other than the Great Jin Prince of Wei, commonly known as the Fourth Prince, Wanyan Wushu.

"Greetings, Prince of Wei!"

Balisu had been standing inside the gate waiting early. When he saw the man enter the city, he directly bowed his hands forward.

"Greetings, Marshal!"

Wushu, with a stubbly beard, rolled off his horse and also bowed his hands, which was considered extremely polite, and also used a strange title.

Balisu was stunned for a moment, and smiled reluctantly: "Prince of Wei is joking, the Grand Marshal's Mansion has been gone for several years, where is there a Marshal?"

"There is." Wushu faced each other solemnly inside the city gate. "The imperial court has already issued an edict, His Majesty issued an edict, Shangshutai deliberated, and the Duzhong Province and the Privy Council co-signed and issued it to the world, appointing you as the Grand Marshal of the Jin Kingdom's armed forces, supervising the military affairs of Hedong and Hexi, commanding 200,000 troops, and then appointing Gao Jingshan of Daming Prefecture and Elu Guan of Xijing Datong Prefecture as deputy marshals... No matter how you say it, you are the proper marshal of the Great Jin Kingdom."

Under the morning sun, Balisu恍惚了一下 (huǎnghū le yīxià - seemed to be in a trance), but it was only a trance, and there was no extra expression, or even much inner turmoil.

He just nodded slightly.

Speaking of which, this matter has to be explained from three levels.

First of all, both Balisu and Wushu knew that having this marshal or not having this marshal might just be a matter of name. After Balisu took this marshal position, it was impossible to become a powerful minister of the Great Jin Kingdom like Nianhan. The base was still the five or six ten thousand households of the Taiyuan Army Division. If he wanted to dispatch Datong Prefecture, Longde Prefecture, and Daming Prefecture, that is, to control the so-called 200,000 Jin troops, he still had to get the approval of His Highness Wushu, the Prince of Wei.

The practical significance of this move is more to show that Wushu, the Prince of Wei who really has great power, agreed with his overall strategy, and even this point, Balisu had already guessed in advance from the previous retreat order.

But... even if he understood these things, even if he knew all these realities, that was still the Marshal, the proper Grand Marshal of the Great Jin Kingdom after Nianhan.

So, here we have to bring the words back, what are people living in this world seeking? Especially for Balisu, who has spent his entire life in the military since he was a child, he probably has some idea in his mind as to what position he can reach in this life.

What was the disharmony between Balisu and Lou Shi after Yin Shuke and Xi Yin went north for? Wasn't it just because he was unhappy and wanted to fight for the leading position of the West Route Army?

And now, in any case, when the central government of the Jin Kingdom made a gesture and gave him this position, then whether it was real or virtual, Balisu had finally stepped onto the peak of his life.

In the future, no matter who writes history books, there will be a line about Wanyan Balisu being appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Great Jin Kingdom in the face of danger.

What more could he ask for?

However, the problem is that after really obtaining the title that he had dreamed of for many years, Balisu could not feel too much excitement, and there was only pressure in his heart—because behind him, hundreds of thousands of Song troops were pressing from south to north without stopping. Wushu seemed to understand this truth, and smiled when he saw this, then became serious: "The military situation is urgent. The Marshal and I wrote documents before, and I reported them to Yanjing with the meaning of approval. Later, I heard Taishi Nu talk about some of the Marshal's strategies. I largely agree with them, but how specifically to implement, in the end, still needs the Marshal to make a decision in person."

Balisu sighed and did not speak directly, but gestured with his hand, inviting the other party to go up to the city to talk. When Wushu saw this, he signaled Taishi Nu to guard the steps, not allowing anyone else to come up, but he himself went up first.

And when he ascended Lingshi City and saw the Fen River绕城而走 (ràochéng érzǒu - winding around the city), and the mountains gathering on both sides, Wushu couldn't help but suddenly understand, and then blurted out: "Is the Marshal planning to use Lingshi City to hold back the Song army?"

"Not Lingshi City." Balisu, who followed closely behind and ascended the city, replied solemnly, pointing to the north and south. "The Song army is pouring in from the whole country, and just across the Fen River is His Majesty Zhao, personally supervising hundreds of thousands of troops. Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Ma Kuo, Wang Yan, Wang De, Li Qiong, and many other fierce ministers and famous generals are gathered... In this situation, how can we expect a mere city to stop the general trend? I am preparing to set up defenses layer by layer from Yangliang South Pass to Taiyuan City. And even so, I only hope to delay them for a while, so that we can return from Hebei."

Wushu pondered for a moment and asked seriously: "In this case, how many troops need to be left behind to resist?"

"At least three ten thousand households!" Balisu blurted out. "First use the terrain to intercept layer by layer in Sparrow Mouse Valley. If Yangliang North Pass is breached, immediately disperse... On the one hand, there must be troops scattered along the way to defend the cities in southern Taiyuan, to delay; on the other hand, a part of the troops must take charge of the cities in eastern Taiyuan, block Jingxing, to protect the passage of Zhending Prefecture and Longde Prefecture... Then, there must also be a proper garrison in Taiyuan Prefecture itself."

Wushu pinched his horse whip and continued to ask seriously: "Which three ten thousand households is the Marshal planning to use?"

"Tu He Su is a fighting general and will go to Daming Prefecture with us." Balisu replied seriously. "Naturally, it will be Zhe He, Sa Li He, and Ma Wu who will stay behind."

"Which of the three will guard Taiyuan?"

"Wanyan Zhe He is a resilient veteran. I am most relieved to give it to him."

"Sa Li He..."

"Sa Li He愈挫愈涣 (yùcuòyùhuàn - becomes more and more disorganized with each setback), his spirit has been lost. If it wasn't for the fear that killing a ten thousand household on the eve of battle would make the central government suspect my loyalty, I would have killed him after the previous defeat to warn others."

"..."

"..."

"Then where is Sa Li He used, to guard the eastern passage of Taiyuan?"

"This matter is related to the success or failure of the follow-up, how can he be used? Yelu Ma Wu is loyal and reliable and can take this responsibility. As for Sa Li He, just let him divide his troops to guard Jiexiu, Xihe, Pingyao, and Qi County, these necessary roads for the Song army." Speaking of this, Balisu告 (zhèng sè yǐ gào - reported in a serious manner). "Fourth Prince... If this person dies, then so be it. His life and death, and the gains and losses of his department, are not worth mentioning in front of such a big picture! At this time, we cannot let Yelu Ma Wu's subordinates go to the most dangerous place just because they are Khitans, nor can we condone Sa Li He again and again because he was raised in Taizu's army... We should only promote based on talent. If the Fourth Prince really wants to support him, he should speak to him and let him be loyal and do his best for the country here in southern Taiyuan."

"I know." Wushu was silent for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Since it is the Marshal's intention, I will not refute it... Anything else?"

"Yes." Balisu said without hesitation. "We need to transfer a ten thousand household from Datong to Xinzhou, to support Taiyuan, in case of emergency."

Wushu tried hard to explain: "Huo Nu has gone to Yanjing, and there are only four ten thousand households in Datong Prefecture. Wu Jie hasn't moved yet. You said before that you would take one ten thousand household away. If another ten thousand household is sent south, Datong Prefecture will only have two ten thousand households left, one in Shuozhou and one outside the river, barely supporting. It is a little too虚 (xū - weak)..."

"Your Highness, if Taiyuan is lost, it cannot be recovered." Balisu was still serious. "But if Taiyuan is not lost, and only Datong is lost, it can be recovered... Moreover, the key to this battle lies in combining heavy troops in Hebei. There can be no fewer troops on the Hebei side, otherwise, how can we defeat Yue Fei? According to me, when it comes to a critical moment, it may not be possible to let the deputy marshal (Elu Guan) abandon Datong and join forces in Taiyuan."

Wushu thought for a while, let out a long breath, and finally nodded: "What the Marshal said is very true... In this case, we will use six ten thousand households to defend Hedong and Xijing, and then bring three ten thousand households to Hebei, gather the East Route Army, and use thirteen or fourteen ten thousand households to defeat Yue Fei, and then join forces with the Yanyun New Army that can arrive at that time, to block the Song army before Taiyuan?"

"Yes." Balisu nodded heavily.

"Does the Marshal have anything else to say?" Wushu asked sincerely.

"No." Balisu shook his head repeatedly. "As long as the Prince of Wei acts with me from now on, all the details can be ordered temporarily..."

"Then let's do that!" Wushu couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

The two stood side by side on the city, speechless for a while.

"However." After a while, Balisu, who said there was nothing to say, couldn't help but speak. "Has Your Highness ever thought about it, the Song army is coming in two routes, the Taihang Mountains naturally block each other, we resist and retreat with the geography, and at the same time use the advantage of cavalry to quickly concentrate our forces to defeat them one by one... This kind of strategy is inevitable when the stalemate cannot be broken... Can't the Song army guess this?"

"Isn't this kind of thing just a bet on one一口气 (yī kǒu qì - breath)?" Wushu, who was standing with his hands tied, didn't take it seriously when he heard this. "Bet that on the Hebei side we can desperately press up by taking advantage of the frozen ground in winter and drive out the Song army! Bet that they can't crush us on the Hedong side! We can't just sit and wait for death, can we?"

"That's right, we have to seize一口气 (yī kǒu qì - that breath)." Balisu thought for a while, and finally could only nod his head. "If the Prince of Wei has no other intention, then let's move! Quickly arrange it, and quickly gather towards Hebei!"

"Just waiting for the Marshal's order." Wushu bowed his hands in response, giving Balisu enough face after all.

Balisu was about to speak, but when his eyes swept over the other party's slightly tired face, his heart suddenly moved slightly, and then he slowed down his tone slightly: "Your Highness... Please mourn the Third Prince, the incident happened suddenly, and the timing was such."

"It was accidental, but it wasn't accidental." Wushu smiled bitterly when he heard this. "As General Lou Shi said before, those of us who go up, suffered too much when we were young, and joined the army and fought when we were young, so our bodies are not good. After forty years old, it is not just the Third Brother who has declined... Only the Third Brother was really unlucky this time, and he actually fell ill on the front line."

Balisu nodded, intending to let it go, but after a second thought, he asked again: "Although that's the case, doesn't Yanjing have anything to say?"

Wanyan Wushu finally眯 (mī - narrowed) his eyes when he heard this, but replied solemnly: "The Marshal should rest assured to resist the enemy, I will take care of the affairs of the rear for you... Why say more?"

Balisu's heart trembled, and he bowed in response.

Let's say, when the war situation has reached the present, or rather, under this kind of full-scale war, both sides are great countries with thousands of miles, and the military strength, terrain, and timing are all things that are placed in the open... There may still be various dramatic details in it, but wanting to use these clever, micro-level things to change the general situation seems a bit meaningless.

What is truly effective, or rather, what is truly effective for the decision-making levels of both sides, will only be those rotten, simple, and direct strategies.

The Song army has ten years of功 (gōng - effort) and three years of accumulation, and it has come in one朝 (zhāo - morning), its momentum is like a tiger, and the Jin army will naturally avoid its锋芒 (fēngmáng - sharp edge).

Then the Taihang Mountains stand巍然 (wēirán - towering) and connect for thousands of miles, naturally dividing the battlefield, and the Jin Kingdom will of course want to use its own cavalry mobility to defeat each one.

As for the winter ice, the terrain advantage of the Hebei battlefield for cavalry is凸显 (tūxiǎn - prominent), the Hedong battlefield is narrow and cannot hinder the Song army's heavy troops, and the Song army in Hebei is obviously smaller and weaker, so naturally we must seize the weather advantage, first cause great damage to the Song army in Hebei, and at the very least defeat Yue Fei in the Hebei direction, and then join forces with the mobilized Yanjing New Army to counterattack in Hedong with sufficient superior forces.

This general strategy is not only Balisu's proposal, but also Qin Hui's proposal, Wanyan Xiyin's proposal, and even Wushu himself's proposal.

In addition to this, it is likely to be Zhao Song Guanjia's proposal, Wang Yan's proposal for making strategic contingency plans, Wu Jie's proposal, and Yue Fei's proposal.

Because the Song army can also believe that they can take Taiyuan before the Jin army defeats Yue Fei, and then start the final general offensive and decisive battle against Hebei with a strategic advantage in hand.

This is a national war, and in the end, it is a simple to the extreme model.

What promotes this model is the mountains and rivers of the main battlefield, the war strength and war potential of the two countries, and what determines the final result is also the war strength and war potential of these two countries, which may also be added with a certain determination and a moment of persistence.

In November, the Jin army began to act intensely, and the Song army marched forward boldly and cautiously in the Linfen Basin of Hedong. At the same time, Yanjing had already begun to freeze.

In the evening, Qin Hui, who had worked hard all day, returned from Shangshutai. As soon as he returned home, Wang Shi had sent a servant to greet him early and informed him that Hong Ya and Zheng Xiunian were waiting in the back hall.

This Great Jin Chancellor hesitated for a moment before slowly walking into his back hall after washing up.

The three met, and there was no greeting, just each took a seat, used some ginger soup to warm up, and then began to speak, but it seemed unusually direct.

"Brother-in-law, yesterday a Goryeo merchant left a letter with me, probably some words from the South have reached here." Zheng Xiunian put down the soup bowl and said carefully. "Asking us to focus on cooperation."

"On the one hand, asking us to risk our lives to cooperate, and on the other hand, listing us as war criminals, attaching them to the檄文 (xíwén - battle proclamation) and publishing them in the邸报 (dǐbào - official gazette)... Is this the meaning of treating people with sincerity?" Qin Hui also put down the soup bowl, but asked righteously and coldly. "I'm afraid that those of us are just rags in the eyes of the official in the South... If there is a day when the North and South are unified, those marshals in the South can still释兵权 (shìbīngquán - relinquish military power) with a cup of wine and enjoy a lot of wealth, but you and I will be killed to cover up their success!"

Zheng Xiunian was immediately惶然 (huángrán - alarmed) and quickly looked at Hong Ya, but unexpectedly, Hong Ya was holding a bowl of ginger porridge at this time, drinking it eagerly, and didn't even look at him, making Zheng Xiunian even more惶然 (huángrán - alarmed).

After thinking about it, this Zheng Shilang could only lower his voice and continue to persuade: "Brother-in-law... You don't care about what the Goryeo merchant said last month...?"

Qin Hui's face froze, but he finally lowered his voice and replied: "I and your elder sister have not had any children for so many years, how could there be results in just a few months with a maidservant? And so coincidentally, she was raised in the home of a senior official like Minister Lin? I'm afraid it's the South using it to唬 (hǔ - bluff) me..."

Zheng Xiunian quickly wanted to say something else, but Qin Hui preemptively continued: "Cunqing (Zheng Xiunian's courtesy name), you compare the two, the Great Song abandons us like old shoes, but the Great Jin treats you and me sincerely, listing you and me as senior officials and entrusting us with national affairs... If you treat yourself as a spy because of one or two words, wouldn't that be belittling yourself and being disloyal and unjust?"

Zheng Xiunian was stunned for a moment.

When Qin Hui saw this, he didn't say anything more, but stood up with a flick of his sleeve and walked straight out.

Zheng Xiunian was helpless, and could only look at Hong Ya again.

As for Hong Chengchou and Hong Shilang, he just finished a whole bowl of ginger porridge before smiling at each other: "Why is Zheng Shilang in such a state?"

Zheng Xiunian was relieved and stomped his feet in his seat: "My brother-in-law doesn't pay attention at all, how should I explain to the South?"

"What's there to explain?" Hong Ya shook his head repeatedly. "The South doesn't really want you and me to do anything... It's just treating a dead horse as a living horse... As for your brother-in-law, you don't need to worry, I've already seen that he's a千古难得 (qiāngǔnándé -rare throughout the ages)道貌岸然之徒 (dàomào ànrán zhī tú - hypocrite), and he calculates more clearly than anyone else! We just need to follow him, and we will never suffer."

Zheng Xiunian was slightly stunned, and quickly bowed his hands in his seat, calling for guidance.

Hong Ya was too lazy to act, and directly嗤笑 (chīxiào - sneered): "Although the Great Song is aggressive now, the Great Jin has also passed the most difficult time of being caught off guard, and has mobilized with great effort. His Highness the Prince of Wei is preparing to join the army to break Yue Fei, so it is still difficult to predict the outcome. In this case, with your brother-in-law's表里比兴 (biǎolǐ bǐxìng - double-faced) nature and selfishness first, he will naturally sincerely help the Great Jin to win... Because only in this way can he continue to be his chancellor! And in order to be this chancellor, the son in the South is no longer his son. However, if one day, the South really wins a battle, he will definitely stand in front of you and me with his hands tied, sincerely lamenting that he has no children in his decades of life, and wants to think about his bloodline, and actively ask you to express his sincerity to the South."

Zheng Xiunian was in a trance for a moment.

Outside the back hall, in the twilight, Qin Hui, who had not left at all, stood there expressionlessly, looking up at the snowflakes that had fallen不知何时 (bùzhīhéshí - without knowing when), taking advantage of a trace of light from the eaves灯火 (dēnghuǒ - lamplight), as if he had not heard Hong Ya's mockery of him in the hall at all.

Following his gaze, the碎 (suì - fragmented) snowflakes轻飘摇摆 (qīngpiāoyáobǎi - fluttering lightly) kept swaying, although extremely slow, but eventually撒 (sǎ - scattered) towards the South.

October had passed, November had arrived, and the weather inevitably became colder, and the best opportunity that the Jin high-level officials instinctively grasped seemed to be coming.