Lin Jue's bottom line was to protect Bianliang. Therefore, when the Jurchens arrived at the city and the Northwest Army was still blocked by the Liao people in Taiyuan Prefecture, Lin Jue and Guo Kun decided to send troops after discussion. One hundred thousand Luoyan troops followed.
Setting off from Funiu Mountain, they encountered almost no obstacles along the way. The garrison in the prefectures around Gyeonggi had long been evacuated, and there were only a small number of soldiers left in the prefecture and county cities to maintain public order. The Luoyan Army did not launch attacks on these cities, and only quickly advanced towards Bian.
Liang Zuojin.
On the second day of the march, when they had just entered Weishi County in the capital, news came that the Jurchens were attacking Bianliang. This place was still two or three days away from the capital. If the horse infantry and the Luoyan Army, which were mixed with baggage and troops, were to march as a whole,
It was too late. So Lin Jue made the decision to divide his troops. He, Shen Tan, Ma Changqing and others led 50,000 cavalry to rush to the rescue first. Guo Kunliang and others led 50,000 infantry to escort the heavy troops and horses and followed later. This way, they could reach the rescue in time.
Arrive at the battlefield in the capital.
However, just as Lin Jue led his cavalry troops to rush to the capital for reinforcements, in Xianping County, less than 70 miles away from the capital, he received news that the Northwest Army's rescue had arrived and that the Jurchens' siege plan had failed. Lin Jue immediately
An urgent order was given to stop the march, and everyone was summoned in Xianping County to discuss where to go.
In fact, the current situation is a bit embarrassing. I originally thought that the Northwest Army would not be able to reach the battlefield, so Lin Jue decided to send troops to rescue. But now that the Northwest Army of the Great Zhou Dynasty has arrived, and more than 200,000 Northwest troops are reinforcing the capital, it is probably wishful thinking for the Jurchens to capture the capital again.
. So there is actually no need for reinforcements. Now that we have reached the capital, we may become the target of attack by the officers and soldiers and fall into an embarrassing situation. So, should we continue to advance troops, or should we retreat to Funiu Mountain and wait
Opportunity became a topic of discussion.
Shen Tan advocated playing it safe and withdrawing the troops first. Follow the previous strategy and sit still and watch the battle between the officers and soldiers and the Jurchens without getting involved. Sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight only has advantages and no disadvantages. Some generals also agreed with this statement and felt that it was not necessary.
To blend.
However, Lin Jue believed that since the army had already joined the battle, if they retreated again, it would be a waste of troops and morale. Moreover, under the current situation, the Jurchens were in an extremely embarrassing situation. They could not attack the city now, so they would inevitably turn around.
Attack other state capitals. If they stay in the capital, they may be attacked by the officers and soldiers who have superior strength after joining forces. Although Lin Jue believes that the officers and soldiers should not do this, after all, it is unwise to engage in a head-on battle with the Jurchens.
If the officers and soldiers only defend but not attack, it would be meaningless for the Jurchens to stay under the city. They will definitely attack elsewhere. Lin Jue judged that their target must be the Jingdong area and gain a foothold in the Jingdong area. It is more likely to go south to invade the Jianghuai area.
Seize the strategic initiative. And once they do this, it will cause great catastrophe, kill more people, and destroy more homes of the people of the Zhou Dynasty. This is something Lin Jue never wants to see.
Therefore, Lin Jue's suggestion was to march into the favorable terrain of Jingdong and engage in an ambush and interception battle against the Jurchen army. If the officers and soldiers dared to attack and chase after the Jurchen soldiers and horses. If they attacked, they could even defeat the Jurchens back to their original shape in one fell swoop.
, completely annihilate them.
Shen Tan and others did not understand Lin Jue's proposal. On the one hand, he agreed with Lin Jue's judgment and believed that once the Jurchens moved eastward, it would cause a huge disaster. But on the other hand, he also believed that the Luoyan Army and the Jurchens
Although fighting is necessary, it is actually not the best choice for the overall situation. It should be the imperial court's business to prevent the Jurchens from advancing eastward. To do so by the Luoyan Army is a bit overreaching and does not consider itself.
After all, the Jurchens have a huge number of soldiers and horses. If the imperial soldiers and horses do not assist in the battle, the Luoyan Army will be in trouble and may suffer a huge blow.
Lin Jue certainly understood the concerns of Shen Tan and others, but he insisted on his own opinion. Even if there were huge potential risks, Lin Jue could not ignore the destruction caused by the Jurchens' eastward march. He could not ignore the devastation of countless people. The fate of the Luoyan Army. The meaning of the existence of the Luoyan Army may be a little different for Lin Jue from others. In the past, it was to protect himself and the people around him, but later, it became a soldier to do justice for heaven. Lin Jue cannot view it from a utilitarian perspective. To use this army, it is necessary to preserve strength and preserve oneself. However, Lin Jue cannot do anything but ignore the invasion of foreign enemies and act like a coward.
Lin Jue is the coach. He doesn't have to explain anything to Shen Tan and the others. He only needs to give orders. But he still hopes that the top and bottom can work together and have the same goal, so as not to fight with incomprehension or even resentment.
Lin Jue told everyone that if an army cannot protect the people and rescue them in danger, it will lose the meaning of existence and the foundation for survival. The reason why the Luoyan Army flourishes and the reason why Funiu Mountain is prosperous is that Because the Luoyan Army is different from the imperial officers and soldiers. The officers and soldiers can disregard the life and death of the people, but the Luoyan Army cannot remain indifferent. Just as the words of his mentor Fang Dunru taught him in his last letter before his death, if you stand between heaven and earth, If you are always for yourself, you will lose the meaning of existence. You should think of thousands of people and the country. By extension, the meaning of an army's existence lies in this, otherwise it will really become the soldiers of bandits and bandits in others' mouths. .
There is another meaning that Lin Jue did not say clearly, that is, this kind of chaos is a good opportunity for the Luoyan Army to harvest people's hearts. The Luoyan Army has not yet been universally recognized by the people of the Zhou Dynasty, and can only stand up to save them in times of crisis. Only with the support of the people can the Luoyan Army grow stronger in the battle and become the final winner. This is a It is a big game of chess, and the outcome is uncertain, but this move must be made to lay the groundwork.
Shen Tan and others actually only looked at the problem from a utilitarian perspective. What they focused on was the Luoyan Army itself. It took everyone a huge effort to build this army, and they cherished the Luoyan Army very much. Therefore, when looking at it, The issue was limited to immediate interests. After Lin Jue's explanation, everyone had nothing to say. The Luoyan Army held high the banner of morality and raised troops, shouting the slogan of not opposing Zhou Dynasty but only opposing Guo Xu. Naturally, they wanted to fight for The country of the Great Zhou Dynasty is responsible for the country. Otherwise, it will become an empty slogan and will disappoint many people. Moreover, since the establishment of the Luoyan Army, it has repeatedly encountered strong enemies and has never flinched. It is unjustifiable to retreat without success this time. No matter how much grievances you have against the imperial court, you should not worry about gains and losses when foreign enemies invade. It is the most basic principle to reject foreign enemies first and then settle accounts with the imperial court.
So that night, the cavalry of the Luoyan Army marched overnight, detoured a hundred miles east, and arrived in Yongqiu County, seventy miles east of the capital, in the afternoon of the next day. They were ready to meet the enemy on the bank of the Dongbian River. If the Jurchens wanted Turning to the east, we must attack Yingtian Mansion, and this is the only way to pass. At the same time, we ordered people to inform Guo Kunliang and the seven infantrymen to come directly around, without going to the capital.
However, Lin Jue's arrangements all came to nothing. That night, when the Luoyan Army was still building simple fortifications overnight, an explosive news reached Lin Jue, that is, what happened outside the capital during the day That scene where Yuan
News about the battle between Zhengan and the Northwest Army against the Jurchens.
It was not surprising that the officers and soldiers attacked. What was surprising was that only the 150,000 cavalry of the Northwest Army attacked, while the Imperial Guards in the capital stood still and watched the Northwest Army disappear into thin air. Lin Jue was surprised and realized that something big must have happened. How could Lu Zhongtian and Guo Xu be so stupid, sitting back and watching the defeat of the Northwest Army without doing anything? No matter how stupid Guo Xu was, he would not understand that doing so would be suicidal. No matter how stupid Lu Zhongtian was, he would not not know that this would lead to the collapse of the Zhou Dynasty. Once again, they were in crisis of destruction. The originally good situation was reversed in an instant, and Lin Jue's ambush plan came to nothing. After the Jurchens' victory, how could they go elsewhere? They must continue to attack the city.
Lin Jue was eager to know what happened. He knew that Ma Bin would definitely send news. But he couldn't wait any longer. In order not to expose the location and information of the army, he decided to lead the cavalry battalion to the capital to fully spy on the news. , find out what the big deal happened.
Lin Juehe's former personal guard firearms battalion cavalry troops hid in the valley of Xiaolong Mountain, twenty miles east of the capital. Although the valley is small, it is more than enough to hide a thousand cavalry. After waiting for a day, Ma Bin failed to arrive. Any news sent out. Lin Jue couldn't wait any longer. That night, he and Bai Bing and Sun Dayong quietly climbed over the city wall from the weak point of the southeast corner of the defenders with a grappling hook and sneaked into the city. At the contact point of Yuelai Inn in the West Outer City, Ma Bin told Lin Jue with a face full of shame that he had indeed found out the news, but failed to send people out of the city several times. Xuanyi Guards lost three brothers, who were all intercepted when leaving the city. The city has tightened its security, and he is thinking of a way Send a message out of town.
Ma Bin told the news he knew, which was that Guo Xu reprimanded Lu Zhongtian at the top of the city when the Northwest Army was fighting the Jurchens, and was imprisoned in the palace by Lu Zhongtian. Officials were present that day, and afterwards Ma Bin learned about the situation from their mouths. Lin Jue carefully analyzed the conversation between Guo Xu and Lu Zhongtian that day and came to the conclusion. Guo Xu and Lu Zhongtian had broken up. At the critical moment, Lu Zhongtian exposed his true purpose. This person I am afraid that I will take advantage of the chaos to seize power.
But Lin Jue couldn't figure out how Lu Zhongtian could protect himself in this situation. Once the Northwest Army was defeated and Bianliang City was in danger, what would it be like if he succeeded in seizing power? He didn't dare to kill Guo Xu. What was he doing this for? Lin Jue decided to stay and observe for a few days before talking.
In the next three days, Lin Jue and others stayed in the capital to look for news. They could hear the buzz in the city that the Jurchens were going to attack and massacre the city. Finally, when Lin Jue saw the scene at the intersection of Bianhe Street After Zhang's edict was announced, he couldn't help but be surprised, admired and extremely funny at the same time. It turned out that Lu Zhongzhen really wanted to be the emperor, and he took advantage of the fire in such an exaggerated and incredible way. He actually wanted to give Guo Xu to The Jurchens were extremely sinister and shameless. The Great Zhou Dynasty was not destroyed by the Jurchens, but by Lu Zhongtian. What a great irony.
Lin Jue had no intention of witnessing Lu Zhongtian's acting and farce. He took advantage of the chaos in the city and jumped out of the city with Bai Bing and others. He quickly returned to the valley and gathered his own guards. He was going to rob
Che rescued people. Although Guo Xu was hateful, it was not the Jurchens' turn to torture him. After all, he was the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was a shame for the entire Zhou people to be detained by the Jurchens in this way. Lin Jue didn't go to save him.
Guo Xu, what he wants to save is the dignity of the Zhou people, and at the same time tell everyone that he, Lin Jue, is back. With the situation like this, he and the Luoyan Army no longer need to hide.
