pjbooks Chapter 402 Battle of Niuti Mountain
Chapter 402 Battle of Niuti Mountain
"Yue Fei crossed the river to pursue them, and then drove the puppet Qi army to Niuti Mountain. By this time, they were exhausted, having already run dozens of miles."
"So the group decided to eat something to replenish their strength. Just as they were eating, Yue Fei seized the opportunity to launch an attack from all sides."
"Because it appeared so suddenly and they were not prepared, the puppet Qi army was in a panic for a time. Countless people were pushed into the ravine and died. The corpses alone could fill the valley."
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: Another great victory without a doubt! The Song Dynasty's military has finally been completely shaken up!
A Han Dynasty official: A series of victories! Is this still the same Song Dynasty with its terrible military?!?
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: This is awesome! Our Song Dynasty has finally had a day of such a winning streak!
Zhu Yuanzhang, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty: Even the God of War is useless! The greatest enemy is the Emperor himself!
……
The live stream is still ongoing:
"During Yue Fei's third Northern Expedition, Yue Fei's army eventually captured dozens of generals and thousands of soldiers of the puppet Qi regime, and also seized three thousand warhorses."
"After the Battle of Niuti, Yue Fei ordered the captured officers of the puppet Qi regime to be escorted to Pingjiang Prefecture, the temporary capital."
He then ordered the release of all the soldiers of the puppet Qi regime, distributed copper coins to them, and then admonished them:
You are all citizens of the Central Plains, children of the nation, unfortunately driven here by Liu Yu. Today I release you because of the imperial court's benevolence..."
"After that, these people left happily, and this marked Yue Fei's third Northern Expedition."
"After the victory, rewards were given according to merit. For example, Wang Gui, a general under Yue Fei, was rewarded for his numerous meritorious deeds, such as killing the traitor Liu Fu."
"He was promoted to Defense Commissioner of Dizhou; Niu Gao was promoted to Commander of the Four Guards of the Dragon and Divine Guards and Military Commissioner of Jianzhou, etc."
"In general, Yue Fei's counterattack against the Jin-Qi allied forces did not take long, especially considering the outstanding performance of Yue Family Army in this battle."
"Moreover, Liu Yu repeatedly sent troops to attack the Southern Song Dynasty, but failed time and time again. Even if the Jin people wanted to support him, they were already furious, so the possibility of him being deposed as emperor greatly increased."
"On the other hand, at this time, Liu Yu, or rather the pseudo-Qi regime, was actually like a grasshopper in autumn—it wouldn't last much longer."
"Because his powerful backers, the ministers Wanyan Zonghan and Gao Qingyi, have both kicked the bucket."
"Within the Jin state, Emperor Xizong and Wanyan Zongbi, among others, began to fight amongst themselves. In addition, Liu Yu's performance was so poor that they temporarily ignored him."
"Therefore, for both the Jin and the Song dynasties, the smoke of war temporarily dissipated."
"The whole country has entered a brief period of peace. As the saying goes, when you're full and have nothing better to do, you'll find something to do even if you're just bored!"
"We also know that the Song Dynasty's national policy was to emphasize civil officials and suppress military ones. However, times have changed. The more critical the situation, the less the Song court should rely on military generals."
"After a hard-won victory in the war against the puppet Qi state and the Jin dynasty during the Shaoxing era, Zhao Gou began to miss his ancestor, Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin. He declared that the ancestral teachings of his forefathers must not be forgotten!"
"In particular, Zhao Gou was very annoyed by Liu Guangshi's exaggeration of battle achievements and his tendency to run away. He even had to be careful about Liu Guangshi's behavior."
"However, let me just say, you've already abandoned the ancestral tablets of Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, and now you're thinking of him and want to do things your own way? What kind of nonsense is this?!"
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: Haha, so filial! Absolutely filial to the extreme!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: The person Zhao Gou wants to get rid of this time is Liu Guangshi!
An official from the Han Dynasty: But this kind of general will eventually be held accountable!
A minor official in the Qin Dynasty: They haven't even recovered the lost territory, and they're already pulling this stunt? That's just his nature!
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In another timeline, the courtiers during Zhao Gou's reign all focused their attention on their emperor, never expecting that His Majesty would pull such a stunt!
Zhao Gou: Why are you looking at me! Watch the live stream!
"Zhao Gou had this idea, and Zhang Jun, the Right Chancellor at the time, also sensed something was amiss. He had indeed commanded the front lines during the Huaihe River campaign and had a proven track record."
"Therefore, generals like Han Shizhong and Yue Fei were more inclined to listen to Zhang Jun."
"At the same time, he believed that they should have pressed their advantage and captured Liu Yu and his son, but Liu Guangshi was arrogant and extravagant and refused to fight, so he was not fit to be a great general."
"Therefore, he wrote another memorial impeaching him, saying that he was indulging in wine and women, neglecting state affairs, and so on."
"Zhang Jun was a proponent of war and naturally wanted to launch a northern expedition. Liu Guangshi's actions angered him."
"If an army continues to be under his command, will the Southern Song Dynasty ever be able to launch a northern expedition?"
"Therefore, Zhang Jun's request to dismiss Liu Guangshi from his post coincided with Zhao Gou's thinking."
Zhao Gou: ?????＞v＜)? You really are my little darling!
"As for whether or not to dismiss Liu Guangshi, he himself may not have much of an opinion, but there are quite a few people arguing about him in the government and the public, that is, they are divided into two factions: those who oppose him and those who agree to him."
"For example, Chancellor Zhao Ding believed that Liu Guangshi, being from a military family, had many soldiers under his command."
"If he were dismissed without cause, the people's hearts would be unsettled. The reason he raised this point was because he saw Zhao Gou's own thoughts."
"Their emperor genuinely dislikes Liu Guangshi, or rather, distrusts military generals and wants to gradually reclaim military power; he's playing the game of ruler and subject."
"But what is Zhang Jun playing at? He's playing the Northern Expedition game, preparing for the future army. The scenarios are completely different. They may seem to have the same idea now, but there are fundamental differences!"
"So Zhao Ding wanted to smooth things over and have everyone back down, to postpone Liu Guangshi's dismissal. Besides, who would replace Liu Guangshi was also a problem."
"However, Zhang Jun could not empathize with Zhao Ding's good intentions. He was hot-blooded and could not listen to advice."
Emperor Zhao Zhen, arguably the most benevolent ruler of all time: Isn't it a bit too early to strip the military of their power now?!
General Judy: What's the big deal? They definitely never even considered a northern expedition to recover lost territory!
Fang Xuanling of the Tang Dynasty: It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "It seems like Zhao Gou didn't have much time on his hands before he started thinking about getting rid of him!"
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Northern Song Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu became furious, his hands clenched into fists, seemingly itching to punch Zhao Gou!
At this moment, Zhao Xu felt disgusted that he still wanted to praise Zhao Gou!
I'd rather praise myself than him! What terrible things did I do to deserve these three ancestors?!
Although Liu Guangshi sounds like a fool, Zhao Gou's desire to take back military power is obvious!
Only Zhang Jun, being caught up in the situation, didn't understand, yet still hoped that he would achieve the great cause of the Northern Expedition in the future!
Haha! We might as well rely on others!
Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and others, who were watching from the side, exchanged glances as they saw the Emperor's face turn into a palette of colors: Your Majesty, he's angry again!
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