Chapter 256: Seeking the Skin of a Tiger, Watching Dogs Eat Dogs
This man's name was Xiao Sanbaonu. He was one of the many Khitan rebels in the late period of Aguda's conquest of Liao.

Because of his eloquence, Xiao Sanbaonu was recommended by Wuliebu's adviser Liu Yanzong. He was also sent as an envoy to the Song Dynasty to meet Huizong, and also met Zhao Gou several times in secret on behalf of Wuliebu.

At this time, Wuliebu had passed away. Zhao Gou had gained power through collusion with the enemy. He was no longer respectful to the Jin envoy as before and made Xiao Sanbao wait for two days before summoning him to the Marshal's Mansion to meet him.

As the messenger, Xiao Sanbao was very clear about the deal between Zhao Gou and the Jin people, so he did not give face to Prince Kang when they met, and started with a teasing remark: "It's really hard to see your Highness Prince Kang. Don't forget where you got everything you have today. According to what you Han people say, you should never forget your roots."

"Envoy Xiao, please don't misunderstand."

Zhao Gou saw that the words were getting more and more unpleasant, so he interrupted and explained: "I was delayed by important matters, and I didn't mean to neglect you. Moreover, Marshal Olib died, and I cooperated with you as agreed and gave up the entire Hebei defense line. You call this sincerity ungrateful?"

"is it?"

Xiao Sanbaonu's sneer finally made the young Zhao Gou angry.

I am humble in front of Wuliebu, so don't take it too seriously as a mere Khitan surrendered general.

Zhao Gou frowned slightly and reminded him in a deep voice: "When your Marshal was alive, he and I were brothers. If it weren't for our old friendship, would I allow you to be so presumptuous? Don't forget your status. Without Marshal Wuliebu, you have no right to see me!"

"Oh? Your Highness is very imposing."

Xiao Sanbao Nu said with a playful smile: "The old marshal has passed away, but there is still a new marshal. I came to Daming Mansion on behalf of Marshal Erliduo to express his goodwill to His Royal Highness Prince Kang, hoping to continue cooperation in the future."

"Marshal Erlido? I see."

Zhao Gou was surprised at first, then nodded in affirmation.

When he went to the Jin camp as a prisoner, his attention was all on Wuliebu. He vaguely remembered that Erlido was not talkative, so he did not have a very deep impression of him.

When Xiao Sanbaonu saw Zhao Gou's attitude change, he stroked his beard with an expression that showed that he was a teachable child.

"Last year, Marshal Olib suddenly passed away, causing the army to return home in defeat. In the near future, our Jin Kingdom will have military actions. If Your Highness wants to replace the one in Bianliang City, it would be best if you can cooperate with us."

"This"

When Zhao Gou heard that Jin was going to sell out his country again, he hesitated at first, but then he thought of the Western Army that had just left the capital. He thought that he had to rely on Jin to eliminate the threat. It would be best if both sides were defeated, so that he could reap the benefits.

"That's no problem. When will Marshal Erlido send his troops? How do you want me to cooperate?"

"Many places in Hebei are still resisting. The Marshal should first take full control of Hebei, and then go south to slowly deal with Yang Chang. This guy is a problem in Shanxi, making it difficult for the Western Route Army to move south."

"Yang Chang? He has few soldiers, and Shanxi is not a rich place. It would be a waste of effort to attack it. Why not go straight to Dongjing? It is the richest place in the Song Dynasty. Marshal Wuliebu reaped a lot of harvest last year."

"But we can't guarantee food and fodder when we're marching thousands of miles away."

Xiao Sanbao's expression was awkward, and Zhao Gou interrupted and reminded him: "I'll find a way."

"Your Highness is so sincere, your wish will surely come true. Let me go back and report to the Marshal first, and we will discuss the specific matters next time."

"Envoy Xiao, you'd better hurry up. My unfilial brother is mobilizing a large force to the north, perhaps to deal with you. If you delay, something bad may happen."

"Really? I understand."

How could Xiao Sanbao not know who Qinzong's army was targeting?
He didn't bother with Zhao Gou's polite words and hurriedly left the Marshal's Mansion.

During the past year since the war against Song, the younger generation of Wulie did not perform well. Instead, the Jin army's top general Nianhan was blocked by Yang Chang on the Taiyue Mountain line, and generals such as Lou Shi and Yin Shuke were killed, and his prestige was seriously threatened.

At the end of last year, Nianhan proposed that the two Jin armies launch a joint attack. Although the two armies successfully captured the strategic city of Zhending Prefecture, Olib was assassinated in his own camp in Luzhou.

The conspiracy theory of infighting between the two marshals was widely circulated in the Jin army camps on the front line.

Although the various Jin tribes fought each other, they were united in the face of major issues, and Emperor Wuqimai did not believe that Nianhan was buying murderers.

Even so, Nianhan decisively returned to Shangjing.

During the funeral of Wuliebu, Nianhan made many political concessions before he reached a new strategy with Wuqimai, namely, the Western Army would bypass the powerful enemy Yang Chang and go south through Hebei together with the Eastern Army.

When he returned to Taiyuan from Shangjing, he learned that Wushi not only secretly attacked Liaozhou, but also suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Yang Chang.

Nianhan was not angry. He believed that the reason why Yang Chang was able to win several times, in addition to his personal bravery and military skills, was mainly because he took advantage of the terrain.

If they continue to fight on the Weisheng line, it will seriously affect the morale of the Jin army in the west.

According to the new tactics, Nianhan left 50,000 soldiers to Wushi to guard Taiyuan, and he took the remaining western troops to Zhending to assemble and join forces with the eastern Jin army to march south.

Taiyuan Prefecture is vast, and if 50,000 soldiers are dispersed for defense, they will definitely be defeated by Yang Chang one by one.

Nianhan ordered Wushi to shrink the defense line and take the initiative to withdraw the garrisons in Fenzhou, Qixian, Taigu and other places that bordered the defense zone under Yang Chang's jurisdiction, and forcibly relocated these people to the north of Taiyuan, leaving a large strategic buffer zone.

Wushi's 50,000 Jin troops were concentrated near the capital Yangqu, switching from strategic offense to strategic defense. Nianhan wanted him to withstand the pressure.

In this way, if Yang Chang occupied the buffer zone, he would have to send troops to garrison them separately. If he went straight to the government seat Yangqu, the states under his jurisdiction would inevitably be empty.

Even if Yang Chang remained unmoved, Nianhan could use the excuse of marching into Bianliang with Erlido and change the target at any time along the way.

Apart from the Yellow River, there are no strategic locations that can be used around Bianliang, but it is the capital of the Song Dynasty after all, the most prosperous and largest city in the world. Even if Zhao Gou's split has an impact, there are still troops loyal to the emperor, and subsequent troops to support the emperor will continue to flow in.

Even if Yang Chang was a good fighter, he only had three or four states under his jurisdiction, and the total number of troops was less than 100,000. As long as he could find a weakness to break through, it should be easier than taking Bianliang.

Taking these into consideration, even if Nianhan led his troops out of Hebei, his target would still be Shanxi. Only by breaking through Shanxi, the main route of advance, would the Jin army in the west not have to go through Hebei. Only by completely eliminating Yang Chang could Nianhan's attack surface be opened.

Once Shanxi is successfully occupied, an army can be sent south to Jiangzhou to threaten Guanzhong and block the Song soldiers in Guanzhong from flowing to the Central Plains. Then we can talk about taking over the capital Bianliang.

The Song army in Hebei was defeated by the Jin army from the east. Although Nianhan's western army could cross the border and move south, they could not reach into Erlido's pocket because that was the spoils of the eastern army.

In addition, in order to show his sincerity, Nianhan took the initiative to propose that the Western Route Army attack the front.

Last year, Olibu raided Bianliang and made a fortune from Emperor Qinzong. He also developed a top-level internal supporter, Zhao Gou. The strategic goal of the Eastern Army has been achieved.

But the Jin people always admired the strong, and Erlido was a new official, so he should show his abilities to others. So even if he had no interest in Bianliang, he was willing to cooperate with Nianhan.

During the period when Nianhan was dispatching troops to Zhending, Erliduo sent Xiao Sanbaonu to Damingfu to contact Zhao Gou for cooperation. After running errands twice, Xiao Sanbaonu negotiated the final action plan with Zhao Gou.

That is, Erlido continued to move south from Yanjing and threatened Hejian, Cangzhou and other prefectures in Hebei Province militarily. Most of the garrisons and officials left behind in these prefectures had already defected to Zhao Gou. They would take advantage of the situation to withdraw to Daming Prefecture and give the agreed land to the Jin people.

In addition, after occupying these places, the Jin army in the east will continue to move south to find a place to cross the Yellow River and prepare to attack Shandong.

Zhao Gou was able to use this as an excuse to transfer Zong Ze and others from Cizhou and other places, clearing the way for Nianhan to move south in advance and using his power to eliminate Wang Zongchu.

In mid-May, Erlido took action as planned.

The Eastern Jin Army in the Yanjing area came out in full force from Ansu, Xiong, Ba, Guangxin, Baozhou and other places, and all parts of Hebei that had not fallen were in a state of emergency.

At this time, Zhao Gou's two deputies, Wang Boyan, were actively deploying defenses in Xiangzhou, preparing to resist Wang Zongchu's army heading north. Zong Ze was naturally sent to reinforce Dezhou and Dizhou.

Although Zong Ze had doubts about Zhao Gou, he still chose to accept the order because if the Jin army successfully invaded Shandong, both Daming Prefecture where King Kang was located and the capital area where the imperial court was located would be seriously threatened in their flanks.

Zhao Gou transferred the main force of Cizhou. There were few garrisons in the states south of Zhending Prefecture, and the wheat in various places could be harvested soon, which was equivalent to arranging a one-stop service for the Jin army.

Unfortunately, Erlido's attention was on Hebei, and he failed to communicate with Nianhan, who was preparing food and fodder, in time, resulting in a delay in the dispatch of the Jin army in the west. It was this time difference that was accidentally seized by Wang Zongchu, who was suppressing the rebellion.

Wang Zongchu's subordinates were all powerful generals of the Western Army. When they learned that Wang Boyan was waiting in Xiangzhou, they suggested bypassing Xiangzhou and attacking Damingfu directly.

If Wang Boyan led the Xiangzhou troops to rescue, the army could intercept and kill them halfway; if they did not rescue, this step could be saved. So the army of more than 100,000 arrived in Liyang, suddenly turned east and entered Kaide Prefecture, and then advanced north along the Yellow River by land and water.

Since food and supplies could be transported by water, the speed of the rebel suppression army was incredibly fast. Before Wang Boyan could react, Wang Zongchu had already arrived in Nanle County, less than 60 miles away from Daming Prefecture.

In order to transfer the garrisons in various states and win the trust of ministers like Zong Ze who had not yet returned to their loyalty, Zhao Gou sent several troops under the command of the Marshal's Office to the northern part of Shandong to defend the province. He also announced to the outside world that Prince Kang would do his utmost to protect Shandong and would not surrender like Zhao Huan did.

At this time, there were only the last 40,000 Liangshan troops stationed in Daming Prefecture. In order to show his loyalty to Zhao Gou, Song Jiang got the intelligence and went to the Marshal's Mansion with Wu Yong to volunteer. As soon as they met, they knelt on the ground with their buttocks raised high.

Although it was difficult for Song Jiang to fight the Jin army, he was confident that he could deal with the imperial army. He still remembered how he defeated Tong Guan and Gao Qiu in Liangshan, so he did not take Wang Zongchu seriously.

After hearing this, Zhao Gou nodded happily, but twirled his beard lightly without answering.

Erliduo had promised the Jin army that they would take action, so wouldn't it be a waste to use his own strength? That was the capital for the future struggle for the world.

Seeing this, Song Jiang was curious and thought that Zhao Gou had no confidence in him. He stood up and clasped his fists and added: "Your Highness, don't worry. Although my troops are small, they are all experienced warriors. We also have generals who are proficient in naval forces. I will make sure that Wang Zongchu will not return."

"Everyone, please get up."

Zhao Gou waved his hand, then frowned and explained: "I am not questioning your ability, but I have been sleeping on straw and tasting gall. Although I have been pretending to be friendly with the Jin people, there will always be a battle between the two sides. I should not get too entangled with Wang Zongchu. He should fight the Jin army."

"This"

When Song Jiang and Wu Yong looked at each other, Zhao Gou's confidant Gao Shize suddenly entered the hall and whispered something in his ear.

After hearing this, King Kang was delighted and could not help sharing with Song Jiang and Wu Yong, "Nianhan's 100,000 troops have arrived in Xingzhou, and Erliduo's 50,000 main forces have arrived in Jizhou. They are Wang Zongchu's opponents."

"hiss"

Song Jiang took a deep breath and thought that the two Jin armies were so close, but Wang Zongchu was still unaware of it. It seemed that he would have to die in Daming Prefecture.

While Heisabalang was feeling emotional, Zhao Gou said to Gao Shize as if they were two people: "Send an order to Wang Boyan immediately, and let him lead his troops into Kaide Prefecture to cut off Wang Zongchu's retreat!"

"Yes."

"Song Qing, and you too."

Zhao Gou stopped Song Jiang and continued, "We must find a way to hold Wang Zongchu back, and then we can sit back and watch the dogs fight each other!"

"end"

Song Jiang was about to clasp his fists in response, but Wu Yong suddenly stopped him and whispered something in his ear, so he quickly changed his words and said, "Your Highness, the fire at the city gate will affect everyone in the pond. If the Jin army fights Wang Zongchu in Damingfu, we will be affected to some extent. It is better to withdraw from here and move elsewhere."

"Withdraw from Damingfu?"

Zhao Gou stared at Song Jiang and repeated, then his eyes fell on Wu Yong, and asked with a smile: "It is said that when you were in the martial arts world, people gave you the nickname Zhi Duo Xing, which means a wise man with chief plans. What is your strategy? Can you tell me the reason?"

"Yes."

Wu Yong bowed and saluted, then stood up and replied: "Wang Zongchu fell into a trap. If we stay here and don't help, we may be attacked by outsiders. But if we are not here for some reason, the situation will be completely different. Moreover, Your Highness has great ambitions, so he should not be confined to the gains and losses of one place. As the saying goes, if you save the people but lose the land, both the people and the land will be saved; if you save the land but lose the people, both the people and the land will be lost."

"How could I not know that we have saved people and lost land? But if we abandon Daming Prefecture, where can we go to find shelter? What if Wang Zongchu chases after us?" Zhao Gou was quick-witted and frowned with a worried look on his face.

Wu Yong bowed again and added, "Of course we will go to Shandong. There are still counties in Shandong that do not obey your orders. You are actively resisting the Jin soldiers this time. It is a good opportunity to win the hearts of the people. We are all from Shandong and are familiar with all aspects of the place. As for retaining Wang Zongchu, it is very simple. All we need to do is send our generals to feint and attack, which will surely delay them for a few days."

"Wonderful."

Zhao Gou's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself that Song Jiang was indeed worthy of his reputation as a wise man. Then he looked at Song Jiang with anticipation.

Song Jiang hurriedly clasped his fists and responded, "What Wu Chengxuan said is correct. I suggest that Your Highness go to Jeju. We had no way to serve our country at that time, so we stayed in Liangshan Marsh. If we can revisit the old place this time, we will definitely help Your Highness rally the people. In addition, keeping Wang Zongchu is a piece of cake."

"Very good!"

Zhao Gou happily stood up and clapped his hands, then ordered Song Jiang to arrange the transfer.

Not long after, shocking news came from the Marshal's Office, saying that the Jin army was very powerful in northern Shandong, and King Kang wanted to go to supervise the battle in person to defend his country, and was praised by the people on the street.

In a private house in the south of Daming Prefecture, Sun Xin and his wife gathered with Le He to discuss what to do next.

"The Jin army is heading south again, and King Kang is going to Shandong now. There is no point in you staying in Daming Prefecture. Why don't you just go back to Weisheng with me?"

"Song Jiang has always been jealous of General Yang, and Wu Yong has a lot of bad intentions. They are in cahoots with King Kang and will harm the general sooner or later. We should stay here, at least until the hotel is open, and then we can return to Weisheng to report."

"Ok."

(End of this chapter)