LRAB Chapter 39 Wanyan Honglie's Struggle
Chapter 39 Wanyan Honglie's Struggle
While Muqali was busy meeting with various northern lords in Yanjing to discuss how to guard against Yang Kang.
A farcical and ultimately disastrous northern expedition by Daming Prefecture quietly unfolded beneath the city walls of Daming Prefecture.
Even Muqali had not expected that the Jurchens would be so naive and foolish.
From the moment Genghis Khan first marched south, the Jin Dynasty suffered defeat after defeat against the Mongols. Yet, a considerable number of them believed that the Mongols were simply lucky, and no one reflected on their own problems.
In July, Wanyan Honglie, with Zhu Hu Gaoqi as the commander-in-chief, led an army of 80,000 from Bianjing through Weizhou towards Daming Prefecture.
When the army set off, the slogan of a northern expedition to avenge the fallen resounded throughout the land, which greatly inspired the entire Jin state.
Many people believe that ZTE has a chance.
However, within just seven days of setting out, countless Han men who had been forcibly conscripted into the army deserted, causing great anxiety throughout the army.
In mid-July, the Jin army arrived in Daming Prefecture and engaged in a major battle with Muqali's 20,000-strong garrison.
Twenty thousand Mongol troops faced eighty thousand Jin troops, but the Mongol army consisted of only five thousand Mongol cavalry, with the remaining fifteen thousand being servants of various ethnic groups.
The Jin army's advantage was evident, but despite such a disparity in troop strength, the Jin army was routed in a single battle.
The 80,000-strong army was reduced to dust and dirt by the Mongol cavalry charge, and Zhu Hu Gaoqi even nearly died in the first wave of Mongol cavalry charges.
Within half a day of fighting, more than 10,000 of the 80,000-strong army had been killed or wounded, and the morale of the Jin army collapsed.
Shuhu Gaoqi ordered a retreat, but the Jin army was gripped by fear, and the retreat quickly turned into a rout.
Pursued by the Mongol cavalry, it turned into a one-sided massacre.
The war began in late June and ended in early September, lasting only two months.
When the Jin army returned to Bianjing, it had less than 30,000 men left, of whom less than 10,000 were still capable of fighting.
When news of the defeat reached Yanjing and Shandong, both Muqali and Yang Kang fell silent.
Muqali was astonished that the Jin Dynasty had become so weak.
He suddenly felt that he could simultaneously suppress Yang Kang in Shandong and possibly destroy the Jin Dynasty.
Yang Kang could only sigh softly; Wanyan Honglie had actually gone mad to this extent.
"Wanyan Honglie is not an emotional person except when it comes to matters involving me and my mother. I never expected him to be so ignorant."
Yang Kang handed the letter to Yang Miaozhen, Yelü Chucai, and others, who then read and discussed it amongst themselves.
"It has been about a year since Wanyan Honglie imprisoned Emperor Wanyan Xun of Jin after the Bianjing Incident."
"Although Wanyan Honglie had the ambition to govern well, he had neither a strong military base nor the ability to thoroughly cleanse the court and integrate the Jin state into a unified whole."
"Under pressure from all sides, the Northern Expedition was his only option."
"Whether he wins or loses, he will get what he wants."
"If he wins, he will naturally be the restorer of the dynasty."
Yang Kang put down the letter and analyzed in a deep voice.
"No matter what his reasons are, he cannot change the fact that the Jin Dynasty is in decline."
"Originally, Muqali might only have been thinking about stabilizing the situation in the Central Plains, but after his disturbance, I'm afraid Muqali has developed the intention to destroy the Jin dynasty."
Yang Kang spoke in a deep voice, and everyone's expressions immediately turned solemn upon hearing this.
Everyone present was a seasoned veteran or someone with a global perspective, so they naturally understood what the consequences would be if Muqali were determined to destroy the Jin dynasty.
"Muqali's main Mongol army numbered only 30,000 to 40,000, while the remaining 100,000 were servants from various ethnic groups who served in the army."
"With just a few hundred thousand men, he thinks he can destroy the Jin dynasty? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?"
Wanyan Chen asked with a hint of doubt.
"When Genghis Khan first marched south to attack Zhongdu, he only brought 100,000 Mongol troops."
"With his 150,000 troops, Muqali could not possibly compare to Genghis Khan's Mongol army at that time."
"But the Jin Dynasty of today is not the same as the Jin Dynasty of that time."
Yang Kang narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering what benefits he could gain from this turmoil.
"With the leader in charge, the World Society is in Shandong. Will Muqali still feel at ease heading south to destroy the Jin dynasty?"
Shi Tianze asked first.
"One person's strength cannot change the course of the war."
"Muqali will certainly not leave me alone. I expect he will send a part of his troops to defend against me, but he will still send the main force south to destroy Jin."
"What do you all think we should do?"
Yang Kang tapped the table with his finger and asked his core subordinates with a smile.
"Such a golden opportunity! Why don't we join forces with the Jin Dynasty to crush Muqali and seize Yanjing and Zhongdu?"
"At that time, our World Society will control over more than forty prefectures in Shandong and Hebei, with a population exceeding ten million. We will be able to control the Jin Dynasty in the south and resist the Mongols in the north, and then we can plot to conquer the world!"
Zhang Rou stepped forward, cupped her hands in a gesture of respect, and offered her advice with a fierce expression.
"Monk Chen, what do you think?"
Yang Kang looked at Wanyan Chenheshang.
"At the time of Wild Fox Ridge, the Jin Dynasty was still able to compete with the Mongols, and with the young prince also present, there was even a chance to turn the tide."
"I never imagined that in just two or three years, even Muqali's detachment would be unable to defeat us?"
"In my opinion, the Great Jin Dynasty has lost its vitality and is beyond saving."
"It's best if we don't get involved in their mess."
"Join forces with the Jin Dynasty to strangle Muqali? The Jin Dynasty certainly doesn't have that capability now!"
"Just as the Mongols allied with the Song to destroy the Jin, and the Jin allied with the Song to destroy the Liao, the Jin people no longer pose a threat to the Mongols on the battlefield."
"Working with a group of terrified people will only result in us having to face the Mongol army alone."
"Muqali is not to be underestimated. Even with only a detachment, he cannot be easily defeated in a short time."
"Even if we manage to conquer Shandong, the survival of my Tianxia Society will be destroyed."
"In my opinion, we should neither help the Mongols nor the Jin Dynasty."
After pondering for a moment, Wanyan Chenheshang finally gave his answer.
Yang Kang nodded in satisfaction without saying a word. Wanyan Chenheshang, his comrade-in-arms from his youth, followed firmly beside him.
"The gang leader rejected Mu Huali's invitation to the Zhongdu Alliance. With Mu Huali's cunning, he probably already knows that the gang leader has ambitions to conquer the world."
"We will inevitably have a battle with him sooner or later."
"Therefore, we should make the war between the Jin Dynasty and Muqali last longer, and let Muqali waste a few more years in Hebei and Shanxi."
"Every year he spends in Hebei gives us an extra year to develop."
Yelü Chucai said in a deep voice from the side.
"So we're just going to do nothing? We can't just stay here in Shandong forever, can we?"
Yang Miaozhen held her son Yang Qian, but her eyes suddenly gleamed with a fighting spirit.
"No rush."
"What the World Society needs to do now is to recuperate and build up its strength."
Yang Kang said softly.
As night fell, the crowd dispersed.
Yang Kang and his wife took their son back to their room. Yang Miaozhen coaxed Yang Qian to sleep, and the two sat side by side on the couch.
The faint milky scent emanating from their son was reassuring, and even the two who had just been filled with murderous intent and worried about the affairs of the world finally calmed down.
"Wanyan Honglie sent someone again yesterday to invite you to meet in Bianliang."
"As he said, the Jin state needs you, and he needs you too."
"Are you really not going to see him?"
While breastfeeding the baby, Yang Miaozhen asked Yang Kang a question.
"Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings?"
"It's better not to meet."
"After all, I'm also worried that I might not really have the courage to watch him die in front of me."
Yang Kang sighed softly and embraced his wife and children.
But he couldn't help getting up and writing a letter by candlelight to Wanyan Honglie.
Inside the Prime Minister's residence in Bianliang.
When Wanyan Honglie learned that Yang Kang had finally replied to his letter, he was overjoyed.
He had not received any news from Yang Kang and Bao Xiruo for several years, and all the letters he had sent had gone unanswered.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kang replied to him this winter.
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries in his letter, Yang Kang explained the situation where Muqali might launch a large-scale attack southward at any time, and suggested that he should train an army that could be easily deployed as soon as possible.
The more Wanyan Honglie looked, the more solemn his expression became.
After reading the letter, he sat down in the seat of honor with an embarrassed expression.
In just one or two years, Wanyan Honglie's hair had turned mostly white, and his body had gradually become hunched.