vstars Chapter 144 The Jin Army's Attack on Zhenzhou Prefecture Suffers Setback
Chapter 144 The Jin Army's Attack on Zhenzhou Prefecture Suffers Setback
The capital city of Jin was unusually lively, with people buying New Year's goods all over the streets. Various vendors were hawking their wares to passersby, hoping to sell their goods during the New Year so that their families could have a good holiday.
At first, the Jurchens did not celebrate the New Year, but after they annexed a large number of Song people, they were gradually Sinicized. Whether it was the upper-class nobles or the poor people at the bottom of the Jurchens, they all began to get used to celebrating the New Year.
Unlike the bustling scene outside the imperial city, Emperor Wanyan Liang of the Jin Dynasty was embroiled in a heated argument with his ministers. The recent large-scale invasion of the Jin Dynasty by the Ongud Mongols had resulted in the fall of both Taiyuan and Zhengding prefectures. The Jin ministers' suggestion was to redeploy the Jin army currently engaged in a standoff with the Southern Song forces to focus their efforts on eliminating the Mongol army.
Wanyan Liang, however, did not want to give up the land he had seized from the Song Dynasty in the south. He wanted to transfer 100,000 Jin troops stationed in Xianping Road and Dongjing Road. However, this would mean losing the ability to suppress Goryeo in Liaodong, causing the Jin Dynasty's early blockade policy against Goryeo to fail.
An old Jin official knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty, the troops in Dongjing Road must not be withdrawn! We have prepared for five years to successfully blockade Goryeo. If we withdraw suddenly, we don't know when we will have such an opportunity again. Moreover, Liaodong is the place where our Jurchen people started. No matter how turbulent things are in other places, Liaodong must not be in chaos."
Wanyan Liang frowned and asked the Minister of War, "How is the situation at the front? Where is my son's army?"
The Minister of War wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "The army of Datong Prefecture has been assembled, but the Mongols have set up many obstacles around them, and they will not be able to break through the Mongol army's defenses for the time being. As for the young prince's army, they are still fighting against the Mongols of Zhengding Prefecture. However, these Mongols have acquired a large amount of military equipment in Weizhou, which has greatly improved their combat effectiveness."
Wanyan Liang: "Immediately send someone to urge Wanyan Liang to take Zhen Ding Prefecture within three days. These Mongols are like locusts; if left too long, they will wreak havoc there. Also, recruit soldiers from Da Ding Prefecture and Shandong Road. It has been so long; it's time to expand our army."
Wanyan Liang glanced at the Jin minister who had just persuaded him, sighed, and said, "Here's what we'll do. I won't move the troops from Dongjing Road, but we must transfer troops from Xianping Prefecture. The Mongols are coming in strong this time. If they manage to reach Zhongdu, all the hard work we've put in over the years will be for nothing."
Seeing that the emperor had taken the initiative to concede, what else could the old ministers say? Thus, the court, which had been arguing for most of the day, finally returned to normal.
To strengthen and develop the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Liang encouraged open communication and welcomed advice from both civil and military officials. This attitude led to a flourishing of the Jin court, and unlike his predecessor, Wanyan Liang now displayed the qualities of a wise and benevolent ruler.
Outside the city of Zhen Ding, Wanyan Ping sat in his tent handling various military affairs, as countless supplies were being continuously transported there.
Cui Da was brought over by a Jin soldier. He knelt down, bowed to Wanyan Pingxing, and stood respectfully to one side, waiting for the Prince of Zhennan to ask him questions.
Without looking up, Wanyan Ping wrote something on a military order. He slowly asked, "How much military rations have been transported this time?"
Upon hearing Wanyan Ping's question, Cui Dake replied with a fawning smile, "Hehehe... In response to the Prince of Zhennan, I escorted a total of 150,000 dan of military rations this time, all of which were top-quality rice. In addition, I also collected and purchased 30,000 sheep, which were slaughtered, cleaned, and transported over as well."
Upon hearing these words, Wanyan Ping put down his brush and finally looked up at Cui Dake.
"Old Cui, our retreat from Huainan this time was rather hasty, so we brought almost no provisions. Right now, the Great Jin is at war with the Mongols, and this war won't end anytime soon. When you get back, try to get more food. Besides rice, see if you can get some wheat flour, since most of our troops are northerners who like to eat wheat-based foods. Of course, don't worry about the money; your expenses for this trip will be paid by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Because Cui Dake had been cooperating with the Jin army, he was basically responsible for supplying the military provisions for the area around Daming Prefecture. He wasn't worried about the money, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to procure so much military provisions in such a short time.
However, he had to carry out the orders of the Prince of Zhennan. It seemed that after returning, he would have to personally find Li Zhen to see if he could get more grain from him.
As soon as Cui Dake left, a messenger from Zhongdu ran in.
"Your Majesty, I have just arrived from Zhongdu. This is a personal letter from His Majesty."
Wanyan Ping calmly accepted the secret letter, carefully opened it, and read its contents. The letter essentially stated that the Jin dynasty had mobilized 50,000 troops from Xianping Road to provide support, and that Wanyan Ping must capture Zhengding Prefecture as quickly as possible, then advance north to clear out the Mongol forces east of the Taihang Mountains.
The latter part of the letter praised Wanyan Ping's achievements over the past six months, saying he had set an excellent example for the princes. Compared to the earlier parts, Wanyan Ping finally felt some comfort upon reading the latter. He had been away from the capital for more than half a year, spending almost all of that time in the military camp, marching and fighting. In this war where the Jin army marched south to conquer Song territory, under his brilliant leadership, the Jin army suffered almost no casualties. Such achievements could probably only be accomplished by Jin Wuzhu, the Jin war god, but now, with his advanced age, Jin Wuzhu had long lost the courage and ferocity he once possessed on the battlefield.
After reading the letter, Wanyan Ping personally wrote a reply to his father, Emperor Wanyan Liang. After doing this, he got up and went out, saying to the guards, "Prepare the horses; come with me to the workshop."
During this era, the Jin army would bring along artisans, mostly blacksmiths, when they went to war. Besides repairing weapons damaged in battle, they would also manufacture siege equipment on-site according to the needs of the war. Most of these artisans were Han Chinese, but they willingly served the Jin army because, despite being artisans, they enjoyed better social treatment in the Jin state than in the Song state. In the Song state, artisans were considered a lowly class, even lower than ordinary farmers, essentially on par with prostitutes in brothels.
Wanyan Ping arrived at the workshop in the military camp and found the person in charge of the craftsmen.
"How many carpenters do you have here? Call them all over here."
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, thirty or forty carpenters stood neatly before Wanyan Ping. Among them were old and young, and most were related by blood. Although craftsmen had a low social status in this era, their skills were their livelihood, so except in special circumstances, their skills were passed down through families.