Chapter 1 Spring Rain

The spring rain reappeared unexpectedly, even just a drizzle was enough to unsettle people, because the weather had a huge impact on the war. Therefore, both the Song and Jin armies simultaneously convened pre-war military conferences ahead of schedule, holding a final discussion before dawn.

Prior to this, just as the officers on both sides were gathering according to military orders, Gao Qingyi and Grand Tutor Nu of the Jin camp took the lead in finding a secluded tent... This was the camp of Hong Ya, a comfort envoy from the direction of Yanjing and a vice-minister of the Privy Council. The latter had arrived with Jia Guli Wulibu, accompanied by a cavalry *wanhu* (ten-thousand household) hastily assembled from outside the pass and the Yanjing area, which was the hundred *mouke* (military households) the Song army had seen yesterday afternoon.

However, Gao Qingyi and Grand Tutor Nu had not come to find Hong Ya today, but to take away two prisoners that Hong Ya had been preparing to take back to Yanjing.

"Why does the Prince of Wei want them at this time?" Hong Ya, who couldn't have been asleep, frowned instinctively upon hearing Gao Qingyi's words.

"The Prince of Wei wants to kill them as a sacrifice to the flag," Grand Tutor Nu replied before Gao Qingyi could speak, blunt and direct.

Hong Ya was stunned for a moment, looking at Gao Qingyi as if seeking confirmation. The latter nodded slightly.

After being verified, the vice-minister and attendant was silent for a moment, surprisingly without any movement.

Seeing this, Grand Tutor Nu couldn't help but urge, "Vice-Minister Hong, this is a direct order from the Prince of Wei! If you are unwilling to lead the way, just say so, and I will go get them myself."

Hearing this, Hong Ya sighed, turned, and led the two to his rear tent. Then, he went directly to a small camp in front of which armored soldiers stood guard on all sides... Clearly, these two had not been resting either.

The soldiers, upon receiving instructions, entered the tent. In just a moment, they dragged out two prisoners, one tall and one short, one young and one middle-aged, and stood them next to the torches in front of the tent...

Grand Tutor Nu nodded, about to signal the soldiers to take the men with him.

"Wait," Hong Ya suddenly interjected as the soldiers dragged the two men. "The Prince of Wei is muddleheaded... Regardless of victory or defeat in this battle, these two men are useful for communication... Leave them here, and I will take responsibility for everything."

Grand Tutor Nu was slightly stunned. Before he could speak, Gao Qingyi, now somewhat awake, immediately echoed, "Vice-Minister Hong is right... I will explain the unnecessary things to the Prince of Wei."

However, although both of them wanted to protect these two prisoners, and both were far more important figures than himself, Grand Tutor Nu shook his head after a moment's thought. "Now is the time to fight for a breath, not to worry about gains and losses... Besides, the Prince of Wei explicitly said he wanted to behead the prisoners as a sacrifice to the flag. When we return, will the Prince of Wei directly call someone to the stage for execution? Are you and I supposed to explain in front of a hundred-plus *mengan* (military commanders)? If things go wrong, you and I might be stuffed up there as sacrifices ourselves!"

Gao Qingyi was helpless.

The two men, held by the soldiers, stiffened upon realizing they were about to be sacrificed... But soon, the tall young man tried hard to stand straight and maintain his composure, while the short middle-aged man seemed momentarily dazed and disoriented.

"If that's the case, just take one person... Cutting off one head is enough of an explanation!" Seeing the different reactions of the two prisoners, Hong Ya shook his head, inspired by a flash of inspiration, and tried his best to object. "This Yu Yunwen is the son-in-law of Zhang Rong, a close aide to the Zhao Song emperor, and he is extremely useful to keep... The *mengan* don't know who is who!"

Gao Qingyi awoke again and echoed his sentiments.

Grand Tutor Nu clearly didn't want to argue with these two, so after a moment's thought, he nodded and ordered the short middle-aged man to be dragged away.

However, just as the tall young man, Yu Yunwen, was being held down firmly because he was trying to struggle, the middle-aged man, who had been dragged seven or eight steps away, suddenly seemed to regain his senses and turned his head to shout with all his might: "Yu *Tanhua* (title for those who ranked highly in the imperial exam)!"

"Commander Bei wants to talk about his wife and children?" Yu Yunwen, who had been struggling, instantly burst into tears.

"Why would Commander Bei need Yu *Tanhua* to worry about his wife and children?" The short middle-aged prisoner, Bei Yan, the battalion commander who had been captured by Ali's unit after the hot air balloon crashed, was now pale-faced. As he was dragged, he tried to shout. "I want you not to fall for the Song traitors' inducements, thinking that you can collude with them if you have the situation under control... In this world, a single wrong step can make you either a hero or a coward. You are destined to be a *Xiang Gong* (Prime Minister), don't leave yourself with the stain of disloyalty!"

Hong Ya's expression changed on the spot, and Yu Yunwen could only weep.

Grand Tutor Nu, being astute, had the man dragged far away before finding ropes and burlap to tie him up securely and gag his mouth. Only then did he dare to continue taking the man to the front of the general's platform.

"Your Majesty, I believe that we should deploy troops as usual!"

In the open space in front of the Yulu County Government office hall, lit by multiple torches, the crowd was dense. No one knew about the Jin camp's affairs, or if they did, they wouldn't dare to be distracted by them. In fact, as soon as the Zhao emperor and Prime Minister Lu arrived, the leading figure stepped forward without waiting for greetings. Surprisingly, it was Han Shizhong, who had seemed somewhat silent since Wu Jie's arrival. "Even if it's just a light drizzle, it might not affect the overall strategy. Even if it continues to rain and the rain gets heavier, and by noon the bowstrings become damp and soft and cannot shoot accurately, and by the afternoon the ground becomes muddy again, making it difficult for warhorses and armored soldiers to advance, our army will absolutely not suffer! There is no reason to retract our fist after the entire army has built up momentum to this point... Your Majesty, in the end, our army has more morale and more troops. I am willing to guarantee victory in this battle with my life and family fortune!"

Han Shizhong had not publicly stated his position for a long time. Now, he spoke first, with direct words, and guaranteed the political and military aspects as the leading figure in the army... From the Zhao emperor and Prime Minister Lu down, none of the hundred-plus senior officers in the drizzle and torchlight, including Li Yanxian and Wu Jie, dared to argue, resulting in an awkward silence.

Even Zhao Jiu and Lu Yihao were stunned for a moment, not even sitting down on the chairs in front of the hall door.

"Everyone."

After a moment, Emperor Zhao himself broke the silence. He sat on the chair in the center of the hall, expressionless, pointing his hand at Han Shizhong and looking around. "Now you know why Han Liangchen (Han Shizhong's courtesy name) is the foremost in the world, and why he is my courage and support?!"

Hearing this, Han Shizhong stood up without hesitation, supporting himself on his jade belt in front of the throne, and looked back at the generals in the hall.

In the dimly lit courtyard, there was a sudden uproar... This was not only because Han Shizhong's aura was imposing, but more importantly, the Prince of Han's words and Emperor Zhao's response had clearly stated their attitude and directly made the most important and crucial decision of this pre-war military conference.

That was to deploy troops as planned!

At almost the same time, in the central camp of the Jin army across the river, due to the military system, the number of *mengan* participating in the military conference far exceeded the number of commanders in the Song army across the Taiping River, so the scene was even more grand, but it was inevitably somewhat lengthy. After waiting for a long time, they finally gathered properly in the open space, illuminated by dense torches. Then, as the surrounding soldiers uniformly patted their armor, it quieted down.

With the scene stabilized, Ba Lisu prepared to ascend a temporary wooden platform to preside over the military conference.

Before serving as marshal, Ba Lisu had harbored resentment for a long time due to the personnel appointments in the direction of Yanjing and certain arrangements to guard against him. After serving as marshal, he had been intentionally or unintentionally releasing his resentment, while striving for authority and suppressing the direct descendants of the ruling princes, seeking to make his marshal title truly worthy of the name.

During the previous months of the war, several *langjun* (sons of high-ranking officials) raised in the tent of Emperor Aguda Taizu had indeed proved that these so-called direct descendants of the central government were not as good as the veteran generals of the eastern and western routes. At the same time, the situation was gradually deteriorating, and Ba Lisu and his veteran generals were needed to provide strong support. Therefore, not to mention the rear, at least here on the front lines, Wushu was increasingly respectful of Ba Lisu in terms of etiquette, and Ba Lisu's power and authority was increasing day by day.

But at this great battle, the first to jump onto the platform was Prince of Wei, Wushu. As for Ba Lisu, although he was shocked, he remained silent in the dim light and did not rush to the stage.

"Everyone be quiet, I am Wushu, Prince of Wei, and I have something to say!"

In the drizzle, illuminated by the torches, as Wushu loudly announced from the stage, the sound of armor-patting immediately stopped, and for a moment only Wushu's voice echoed around.

"Why did I call you here so early? Because it's raining again, and some people have begun to harbor wishful thinking, thinking that the Song army might not come today... Then I naturally have to tell you early on that this battle is unavoidable! Even if the Song army doesn't come today, that's because they can choose not to come, but can we prepare as if they won't come?!"

"Besides, no one in the world understands that Zhao emperor on the opposite side better than I do. If you want me to believe he won't come, I can't convince myself... I can't convince myself! So today, he will definitely come! And he will bring his *jinyu daimao* (large flag with feathers), bringing his hundreds of thousands of troops!"

"Today, you must all follow the previous arrangements, obey Marshal Ba Lisu's command, and prepare for battle early! There must be no negligence! Do you understand?!"

At the end of his speech, Wushu shouted sharply, and the crowd below fell silent. A few people wanted to echo his words, but they were extinguished by the drizzle after only two sounds.

At this time, although it was still drizzling, the sunlight behind the clouds had gradually appeared, and within the slightly brighter field of vision, Wanyan Ba Lisu finally ascended the platform with a dark face. He scanned the dark heads in front of him, and his words were surprisingly calm compared to Wushu:

"The battle arrangements have been explained clearly, so I won't say much, and we are all people who have fought countless battles, so we understand some things... Hundreds of thousands of people mixed together, spread out over dozens of miles, once the battle starts, it will inevitably be chaotic. No one can command it properly, and no one can take care of everything. We can't do it, and neither can the Song army. At that time, it will be everyone for themselves, with layers upon layers..."

"If I have to say something important, in my opinion, it's nothing more than everyone following the pre-war arrangements, adhering to military orders, and then trying to help each other..."

"Don't expect any reinforcements. The last troops in the camp are used to determine the outcome. When to attack will only depend on the overall situation, and it is impossible to dispatch troops to rescue one *wanhu* or one *mengan*! Life is life, and death is death! You have to rely on yourselves!"

Sure enough, by the end, the atmosphere on and off the stage gradually became serious... Some things cannot be avoided.

"Thirdly, after each unit crosses the river, unless the commander-in-chief has other direct military orders, they should immediately launch an attack without any delay or evasion..."

The sky was slightly bright, and under the drizzle, many people's hair had been slightly dampened. In Yulu County, the Song army also began to emphasize the relevant military discipline for this battle in the name of the imperial edict. The drafter of this battlefield military order was of course Wu Jie, but the announcer was not the eunuch Shao Chengzhang, but the Grand Councilor and Commander-in-Chief Lu Yihao. His words were equally calm and serious, and the effect was equally outstanding.

"Fourthly, no unit shall request reinforcements or retreat without reason in the name of casualties, but those who have gained an advantage should automatically go to the aid of those at a disadvantage."

"Fifthly, if anyone violates the above articles and wavers on the battlefield, or even delays the battle, from the commander-in-chief down to the various commanders, they should all take the initiative to enforce military discipline strictly and without leniency... If anyone escapes or scatters across the river without serious injury, regardless of the number of people or the reason, they will be executed without fail!"

Reading to here, Lu Yihao, sitting in his seat, put away the edict and looked at the generals in front of him, asking coldly: "Has everyone heard clearly? If you haven't, this Prime Minister will explain it simply... That is, once the battle starts, no one can take care of you, and due to the magnitude and chaos of this battle, any unit may, and can, be completely annihilated, because even if any unit is completely annihilated, as long as we are the victors in the end, the remaining troops will be enough to sweep through Hebei and destroy the Jin Dynasty. And those who dare to escape or scatter in this battle will be more miserable than dead... Therefore, this Prime Minister will repeat the words His Majesty said the night before regarding the arrangements, and ask again, does anyone have anything to say? If you have no objections now, you will not be allowed to change your mind."

Hearing this, many people focused their attention on the Khitan general Yelu Yudu and the West Mongolian King Huer Zhahusi, who were wearing golden crowns and were positioned near the front. But seeing that they were pale-faced and silent, everyone immediately looked at Qu Duan.

Moreover, everyone knew very well that compared to other troops, including the Khitan reinforcements and the West Mongolian reinforcements, the reinforcements composed of the elite troops of the Imperial Army that arrived later were in the worst condition. And in this great battle, especially with the Song army having an advantage, but the Jin army's combat power still being affirmed and verified, this unit that had arrived later and was undertaking key tasks might encounter very tragic casualties, and it would be a kind of 'unnecessary' casualties.

So if anyone were to try to make a final struggle before the Emperor, it should be them.

But again, Emperor Zhao had been on the throne for ten years, and his control over the Imperial Army was tight. Moreover, in this serious battle, not everyone had the courage to stand up and discuss things.

This was not the time of Huai Shang, nor the time of Yao Mountain. Wu Jie could formulate such strict articles, and Lu Yihao could threaten so nakedly, because they had the confidence to do so.

And sure enough, under the gaze of the crowd, Qu Duan was also pale-faced, but he also just clenched his fist and said nothing.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say!"

Just as everyone's attention was on Qu Duan, a tall general from the front row of generals suddenly turned around, stepped forward, and knelt on one knee before the Emperor, startling everyone... Because the person who came forward was actually Wang De, Wang Yecha (Night Yaksha).

"General Wang, please speak," Zhao Jiu said calmly, his expression unchanged.

"Your Majesty!" Wang De said breathlessly on the ground. "I am not talking about battlefield military discipline, but I am somewhat dissatisfied with the battle arrangements... When we determined the military strategy the other day, we only planned for a sunny day, and it was fine to have me attack as the third-to-last formation... But today there is rain, and the battle will inevitably be slow. If I still attack as the third-to-last formation, wouldn't I be going to fight a messy battle?"

"Then what does General Wang want?" Zhao Jiu asked in return. "Hundreds of thousands of troops are fighting, and you, Wang De, are leading tens of thousands of troops. You can't change the order on the fly, can you?"

"I would like Your Majesty to know that I have no intention of disrupting the overall situation. Hundreds of thousands of people are fighting, and it is impossible to rush up all at once. What I mean is that Li Qiong is good at deployment, so let him command the troops of Tokyo as before, and send troops according to the original plan." Wang De said, pointing to Li Qiong, who was stunned for a moment beside him. "Only I and my unit, please be the vanguard! I am willing to cross Xiaoshi Bridge first, lead the way for Li *Jiedushi* (military governor), and echo the Prince of Han!"

"How can there be a *Jiedushi* of a dignified town acting as the vanguard?" Zhao Jiu was also stunned, but then shook his head.

However, hearing this, Wang De simply punched the ground with his fist, then stared at Emperor Zhao with his eyes wide open, and his words became intense:

"Your Majesty, I was originally just a brave man. If I hadn't met Your Majesty, how could I have attained the rank of *Chijie* (holding a staff of authority)?! Even the Imperial Army says that I was able to get to this position today simply because I joined the Emperor early in Huaishang and relied on my qualifications. This time in the Northern Expedition, I had long thought of being the vanguard for Your Majesty, to suppress the rebels and repay your kindness and to vindicate myself! And before in Taiyuan, after I made meritorious service, I asked for the pardon of my second son, Wang Shun, to return to the army. Everyone above and below laughed at me, saying that I had a low ambition and was concerned with only a child. In fact, I asked for my rebellious son to return to the army because I wanted all three of us, father and sons, to do our best for the imperial cause, to live and die together! Please, Your Majesty, be sure to allow the three of us, father and sons, to be the vanguard of this battle!"

After saying that, Wang De simply ignored his status and kowtowed repeatedly... The surrounding generals were all solemn, and Liu Qi even mumbled, not knowing what he was thinking.

Zhao Jiu pondered for a moment, then no longer hesitated: "General Wang is so heroic, if I don't allow it, I would be petty. I hereby grant you the privilege of being the first to set out, as the vanguard of the entire army!"

Wang De was overjoyed and quickly got up and returned to his position, even glancing slightly at Han Shizhong, who was standing with his hands on his waist.

Han Shizhong just shook his head and smiled.

"Jiedushi Wang's heroism is commendable, but in a large-scale battle, it is inevitable to fight for key areas across the river in layers. This kind of thing can only be done once, otherwise it will inevitably disrupt the progress of the army. No one else can imitate or request to fight." Zhao Jiu said seriously after the other party returned to his place. "Besides that, does anyone else have anything to say?"

The crowd looked at each other. Huyan Tong, who had once stepped forward, also silently retracted his foot, not daring to say anything.

Seeing that the crowd was silent, Emperor Zhao, in the increasingly brighter hall, couldn't help but sigh: "Since you have nothing to say, I have one more thing. Just now Prime Minister Lu played the role of the stern official to emphasize military discipline and military law. Now I must say something about promising rewards, otherwise why would anyone risk their lives? Only I dare to ask myself that the words I have said and the promises I have made in my ten years of reign are still worth something... You just need to listen."

The crowd's spirits lifted.

"Huer Zhahusi?" Unexpectedly, but also reasonably, Zhao Jiu called the name of a person in front of him first.

"This little king is here." Huer Zhahusi shuddered and, with the urging of his son, quickly bowed and stepped forward, his tone strange but his posture extremely humble.

"I have two things to say to you." Zhao Jiu said calmly. "First, your troops account for about one-tenth of the entire army in this battle. After this battle, you will receive eleven-tenths of the spoils of war, whether it is the armor and weapons collected on the battlefield or the Jin army's inventory after taking Zhen Ding Prefecture; secondly, as long as your West Mongolian troops do not fall behind, I guarantee to you that as long as the Great Song still has the strength, it will ensure that the West Mongolian kings will always come from the Kerait tribe, with sons succeeding fathers and brothers succeeding brothers. You do not have to worry about your descendants not being able to keep the family business."

Huer Zhahusi didn't know if he had thought through the pros and cons, or if he had had time to weigh them properly, but at this time, what else could he say? Naturally, he bowed and thanked the Emperor.

On the other hand, Tuoli, his eldest son behind him, heard this and knew how weighty such a public political promise made by the Emperor was. Moreover, with the previous private promises between the Emperor and his subjects, they echoed each other, and he couldn't help but step forward and thank the Emperor on the spot as a sign of his loyalty.

Zhao Jiu passed over the father and son and looked at Yelu Yudu: "General Yelu!"

"This foreign minister is here." Yelu Yudu's expression was much calmer.

"I will not say anything redundant... After this battle, your troops will receive the same treatment as the Imperial Army... As for General Yelu himself, if you return to the Western Liao, I will definitely personally recommend you to be the Northern Court Chancellor, to take charge of the Hexi region; if you do not want to return to the Western Liao, the title of Prince is still available. After the Jurchens are destroyed, you can return to your hometown if you wish, and I will definitely not let you have any regrets."

Yelu Yudu bowed slightly and thanked the Emperor calmly, as if he had thought about it beforehand.

"After the two reinforcement armies, I will not explain the rest one by one." Emperor Zhao turned his head in his seat and stared at the remaining Imperial Army officers in the courtyard, still calm. "There are roughly two layers of meaning, and after you go back, you can tell the entire army before crossing the river today..."

In the drizzle, the courtyard was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop.

"The bottom layer, which is also the most basic layer, is that if this Northern Expedition is successful, in addition to the basic military merits, I will uniformly grant land in the Hedong Road, Hebei West Road, Hebei East Road, Yanshan Road, and Datong Road based on military merits. Where will the land come from? In all five roads, we will uniformly survey the land, uniformly measure the population, and grant land equally regardless of whether they are poor or rich! And the Imperial Army soldiers will naturally receive double the amount of land... They can continue to receive pay as soldiers while renting out the land... The injured will receive four shares, and the dead will receive six shares. Military merits will be calculated separately, and officers will also have a rank bonus. Even if a commoner wants to stay in Hebei, they can receive an extra half a share. In other words, the Emperor's son-in-law of the Plum Blossom Han family will have more land than a commoner in the army when he returns to Xiangzhou, and Prime Minister Zhao himself will have more land than a commoner in the army when he returns to Wenxi."

From Lu Yihao down, everyone didn't say a word... Those who understood didn't dare to say a word, and those who didn't understand just took it as a reward and didn't need to say a word.

"The top layer is for the officers... After the Northern Expedition, all commanders above the commander level will be promoted one rank in title; all commanders above the commander level can enter the public cabinet upon retirement; all actual commanding deputy commanders, but with military merits, can be considered for promotion; all commanders and those who already hold a staff of authority can be discussed based on military merits to be granted the title of Prince!" Speaking of this, Zhao Jiu glanced at Qu Duan amidst the commotion, but then turned his attention to Han Shizhong. "Of course, those who have made special contributions can be promoted to Prince... Others may not know, but I have already decided on Han Shizhong as the Prince of Qin, Yue Fei as the Prince of Wei, Li Yanxian as the Prince of Jin, Wu Jie as the Prince of Han, Zhang Jun as the Prince of Qi, Zhang Rong as the Prince of Lu, and Ma Kuo as the Prince of Xing. It doesn't hurt to say it directly at this time."

Han Shizhong and the other three panicked for a moment and hurriedly wanted to thank the Emperor. Han and Li were fine, but Wu Jie was almost dazed.

Zhao Jiu didn't pay any attention to the three people's kneeling. He turned his head and signaled, and after receiving the signal, Shao Chengzhang, the eunuch of the Inner Attendants Bureau, immediately led two palace guards forward and came to Wu Jie, who was becoming more and more caught off guard. Then, the two palace guards tore open the thing in their hands, and it was indeed a large flag similar in size and design to the other five.

The words 'Commanding with Certainty' were written on it.

"This is for Qing, take it." Zhao Jiu said calmly. "I prepared it for you before this Northern Expedition... It seems a little unfair to give it to you so late."

"I am deeply grateful..." Wu Jie was almost crying.

"Don't be like this, or I'll be embarrassed to continue." Zhao Jiu looked at the few people and sighed. "I am rewarding and promising you things at this time for two reasons. The first is that your merits are here, and you will get them anyway; the second is that I want to remind you that there have already been many surrendered princes in the Song Dynasty, so don't have any more... If something unexpected happens, please set an example and die on the battlefield."

The generals became solemn again.

Moreover, although there was still a drizzle, the sky was obviously brighter. Wushu, whose head was already wet, knew that he couldn't delay any longer, so he directly called out to Grand Tutor Nu to come up and sacrifice the prisoners to the flag. The latter didn't dare to delay and hurriedly pushed Bei Yan up.

Wushu saw that there was only one person and that he was tied up and gagged. He knew that something was wrong, but he couldn't say anything, so he just kept urging him.

Grand Tutor Nu also wanted to deal with it quickly, so he ordered four soldiers to hold Bei Yan down tightly. Then, he personally picked up a large axe and cut off the other's head with just one axe, and blood splattered three feet.

With Bei Yan dead, they should have sent out troops, but for some reason, Wushu, standing in the pool of blood, still had some words in his stomach that he had to spit out.

"One last word!"

As Ba Lisu looked over tentatively, Wanyan Wushu closed his eyes slightly, but then suddenly opened his eyes and roared loudly. "I know that some of you still can't help but be timid and confused. You always feel that the Great Jin Dynasty is vast and has many retreats. Why must we fight here? Why must we fight?!"

"Can't we avoid it, hide for a while, and wait it out? Can't we go to Hejian or Yanjing?"

"Actually, what reason can there be? It's nothing more than the deep-seated hatred since the Jingkang Incident. The Song people won't let us go! After Zhen Ding is Hejian, after Hejian is Yanjing, after Yanjing is Liaoyang, and after Liaoyang is Huanglong Prefecture. Do you think it's just empty talk that they will attack Huanglong? When has the Zhao Song Emperor across the way ever said empty words?! They will definitely chase us all the way to the White Mountains and Black Water!"

"Therefore, although the Jin Dynasty is large, it no longer has a retreat! And if we retreat today, if we avoid the battle, we will never be able to recover!"

At the end of his speech, Wushu was almost roaring to the sky, and the Jin generals were completely silent.

"Quickly return to camp and prepare to deploy troops!" Ba Lisu ordered, gritting his teeth, seizing the opportunity.

"At this time, I shouldn't waste any more words, but I know very well that there are some truths that everyone should know, but in reality, if you don't say them, some people will still be confused or pretend to be confused." In front of the Yulu County Hall, in the drizzle, Zhao Jiu actually recalled the past. "Years ago, when I met Zhang Jun, Zhang Boying, at Yingkou on the Huai River, I told him that if I didn't have him, I would have been bait for the Jin soldiers long ago, and if he didn't have me, he would just be a stray dog on the roadside. We share honor and disgrace together... Ten years later, there is no essential difference, except that the Imperial Army is larger, there are more soldiers, and there are more generals, but we still share honor and disgrace together... Without you, even if I had all kinds of ambitions, I would just be meat on a chopping block. Without me, even if you were born heroes, you would just be wild wolves in the fields... I hope that our ruler and subjects can truly accomplish a great cause together and not waste ten years of hard work!"

Speaking to this point, in the silent courtyard, with the Emperor Zhao, whose sleeves had already been wet, waving his hand, Shao Chengzhang, the eunuch of the Inner Attendants Bureau, actually brought a tray from the back hall, with a pot of 'Blue Bridge Wind and Moon' on it, but only one empty cup.

"This wine is not for you."

Zhao Jiu took the pot and cup from Shao Chengzhang, poured himself a cup in his seat, and drank it all in one gulp before speaking. "It's for my own use, because from now on, I am just an idle person... How much of the results of ten years of effort will be shown is no longer up to me, but up to you! Today, I will hold this wine and watch you determine the rise and fall of the country! Deploy the troops!"

Han Shizhong and the others immediately responded loudly, and then dispersed.

Just like that, as the sky was about to dawn, under the light drizzle that could be completely ignored, the various units of the two armies, having eaten a hot meal, began to deploy their formations according to the original plan.

Among them, the Jin army indeed heavily deployed around the high ground southwest of Yulu County, on the opposite side of the Taiping River. From across the river, the banners of several *wanhu* could be seen faintly fluttering on the high ground, including the *dutong* (regional commander) Wanyan Bendo. In front of the high ground, on the small slope next to the stone bridge, and on the left and right sides, there were also dense deployments. As for the Song army, while Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, and Li Qiong heavily deployed opposite the high ground and stone bridge, Han Shizhong also quickly led his Imperial Army's Left Army to advance towards the upper reaches of the Taiping River in the southwest, under the cover of the Tangut, Khitan, and Mongolian light cavalry along the river.

The scouts released by both sides at night could no longer stand as the armies were deployed along the river. Immediately, both the Song and Jin armies tried to launch hot air balloons, but at this time, the seemingly insignificant rain showed its power. The hot air balloons of both sides barely ignited, but quickly became heavy and unable to rise as the rain wet them.

In this situation, the Jin army, occupying the high ground, obviously had a better advantage in terms of visibility. Whether it was Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, or Li Qiong directly behind the high ground and stone bridge, or Zhao Jiu, Lu Yihao, Wang Yan, or Yang Yizhong, who were waiting for orders inside and outside the Yulu County camp downstream of the high ground and stone bridge, they could only use telescopes to observe, but it was impossible to see the Jin army's deployment in the low-lying area behind the high ground, which was protected by the camp on the side and blocked by the high ground... From this perspective alone, the high ground at the stone bridge had to be controlled.

About a full hour after leaving the camp, Han Shizhong's troops finally passed the cover of the light cavalry, revealed the 'Unrivaled in the World' banner, and erected pontoon bridges on a large scale in the predetermined place after yesterday's reconnaissance. They also quickly used flags to send signals to the stone bridge. Tens of thousands of light cavalry also began to lay pontoon bridges for necessary use.

Almost as soon as the Song army moved, the Jin army on the southeast side of the Taiping River immediately noticed the movement.

At this time, the battle had not yet started, and the command was clear. The Jin army's high-ranking officers on the high ground and around it clearly gathered and discussed. There was also a relative reaction on the flanks near the upper reaches, seemingly preparing to divide off corresponding troops to block Han Shizhong's Imperial Army's Left Army by the river.

But at this time, under the brand-new 'Commanding with Certainty' banner, a long bugle suddenly sounded, and immediately after, the sound of drums began in the vanguard Li Yanxian's position.

Wang De, who was waiting for orders in front of the stone bridge, while ordering his subordinates to build simple pontoon bridges on both sides, used his second son, Wang Shun, as the vanguard and his eldest son, Wang Qi, to lead dozens of riders as the rearguard, and then, in the literal sense, took the lead, personally riding his horse across the stone bridge.

The Jin army on the opposite bank of the Taiping River was countless. Seeing Wang's banner taking the lead in crossing the river in the drizzle from afar, they initially thought that the rain was affecting their vision and that they had misread the size and writing of the banner. Even the Jin army veteran Ali, who was leading several thousand infantry and cavalry in the unit under his command on the small slope next to the stone bridge that Huyan Tong was guarding in front of the high ground, was hesitant and disbelieving.

But soon, they had no choice but to believe it.

Since Wang De and his three sons only led dozens of riders across the bridge, they stopped their horses briefly in front of the small slope, and Wang De personally shouted loudly: "Wang Yecha is here! This old man has been fighting you for more than ten years since the Jingkang Incident, and you are all like sifting chaff and grinding wheat. Are there still one or two Jin dogs who are not afraid of death today?"

Realizing that it was a *Jiedushi* and Deputy Commander who had almost come to the front alone, the Jin army on the small slope responsible for blocking the stone bridge was not only not frightened, but also overjoyed from top to bottom. The nearest *mengan*, without waiting for anyone to order or even greeting the other *mengan*, clearly intending to seize the credit, directly led his personal guards and rode out to meet him.

The two sides quickly approached to a distance of dozens of steps, but Wang De did not ride his horse to meet him. Instead, he took out a Jurchen-style hard bow from under the oilcloth on the side of his horse, and just raised his hand and shot, hitting the other side's mask eye socket, knocking the *mengan* off his horse.

Immediately, amidst the rumbling drums, he put away his bow on the saddle, held his spear, urged his horse forward, and