Live History Broadcast: Opening Ceremony Spoilers - Our Ancestor Was Enraged

Chapter 431 After the Northern Expedition

But Lin Ke's voice instantly shattered his rebuttal!

When the news reached Zhao Gou, who was far away in Lin'an, he was really happy. Even without Yue Fei, they still won. However, he was the first to disagree with the others' suggestion to continue attacking the Jin people and expand the war.

"In his view, since they had already defeated the Jurchens, why continue the attack? What if they displeased his beloved Jurchen father? It would be better not to expand the battle lines and just drive them away!"

"Therefore, his edict to Zhang Jun also made it clear: for now, defeating the Jurchens is enough; don't even think about advancing further!!!"

"It can only be said that Zhang Jun and Zhao Gou were birds of a feather, and they reached a consensus on the point of returning the troops after the war."

"Since the big boss has spoken, Zhang Jun didn't say much. He would just do whatever the leader decided. So he prepared to discuss the withdrawal with Liu Qi, Yang Yizhong and others."

"But at this critical moment, someone suddenly reported that the Jurchens had crossed the Huai River and retreated, and the siege of Haozhou had been lifted. This news was a disaster, because Zhang Jun had become arrogant. He thought that the Jurchens were no match for him, and he had to go and see them flee in such a sorry state!"

Zhang Jun: ???? A little golden statue... I'm in the bag!

"However, speaking of the Battle of Zhegao, its most notable feature is that the Song army decisively defeated the Jin cavalry in open field battles, a battle in which they were not particularly skilled. Isn't that something Zhang Jun can boast about?"

"So, this guy plans to go to Haozhou with Yang Yizhong to show off their military might, appease the people of Haozhou, and even thinks this battle achievement is incredibly great!!"

"How could he allow such insignificant people to take credit for his work? Therefore, Liu Qi, whom he regarded as an insignificant person, should return to Taiping Prefecture and continue guarding his army."

"Of course, that's not what I said. I just told Liu Qi to be understanding of their hard work in this battle, and that they could go home first! They need to go and see the Jurchens!"

"But in reality, Zhao Gou didn't trust his military generals, so he specifically ordered Zhang Jun, Yang Yizhong, and Liu Qi to each form their own army."

"However, who could have imagined that Zhang Jun, based on a piece of information of dubious veracity and taking advantage of his seniority in the army, would sideline Liu Qi and try to claim all the credit for himself?"

"Zhang Jun did indeed want to claim all the credit, as can be seen from what he did to Yue Fei. If this hadn't happened, Yue Fei would have arrived by now, and perhaps his plan would have been feasible."

"I never expected that Zhang Jun would use the excuse of insufficient supplies at the front to order Yue Fei to retreat. Doesn't that mean you're not getting any? Are you trying to kick him out?"

"What could Yue Fei do? He could only listen to him, retreat to Shuzhou, and report to Zhao Gou. Neither of them expected Zhang Jun to be so bold, daring to drive away others and flaunt his military might based on hearsay."

"This should have been a time for the Song army to rest and recuperate. If they had joined forces with Yue Fei's army, which arrived later, and Liu Qi's troops, who had been sidelined, then Wanyan Zongbi might have suffered another major blow!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin and the others were utterly speechless. Could he please not give Zhang Jun this authority?

It's happening again. How strange! Every time the Song army wins, someone has to get carried away and then suffer a defeat!

Why can't we learn from Yue Fei and his army, achieving victory after victory?!

……

The live broadcast continues.

"With things having come to this point, Zhang Jun's mind was made up. On the sixth day, news arrived from Haozhou that the Jin army was in dire need of help. Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun was completely bewildered."

"To think that he ordered Liu Qi's troops to retreat within just these two days, and the Jin army moved so quickly, must have scared him to death!"

"Zhang Jun then urged Liu Qi, who was still on the road, to turn back to embolden him. What could Liu Qi do upon receiving the news? He could only hurry back! He ordered the soldiers to carry ten days' worth of rations and follow the vanguard."

"But who knew that on the ninth day, when the two armies arrived at Huanglianbu, sixty li outside Haozhou, they found it was already too late!!!"

"Haozhou City has fallen, and scouts have learned that the Jurchens have already looted and left. What should have been a sure victory has turned into an extremely passive situation because of Zhang Jun's actions!"

"Luckily, he hadn't arrived when the fighting started, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble would have occurred!"

"At this time, the soldiers of the three armies saw the ruins of Haozhou City and their morale was low. The food they brought could not last long. However, among the commanders of the three armies, I think only Liu Qi is a steady person. The other two shine when they see merit!"

"Liu Qi's idea is that we should play it safe and not go in yet. This place is in the wilderness, which is dangerous. We should set up camp in a strategic location and then decide what to do next!"

"In fact, Liu Qi's suggestion can be summed up in four words: 'Take it slow and steady.' The whole army agreed on this point, except for Yang Yizhong, who wanted to claim credit and pursue the Jin people into Haozhou City."

"If he really goes in, then we're truly finished!!!"

"Zhang Jun just won't stop causing trouble. When the Song army set up camp, he sent people out to investigate, only to find out that there were no Jurchens in Haozhou City!"

"This hits Zhang Jun where it hurts! He thinks there are no Jurchens here, and it's his home turf, so Liu Qi's advice goes in one ear and out the other!"

"Or rather, he simply didn't realize this was another of the Jurchens' treacherous schemes. He was so focused on what was in front of him that he was burning with anxiety if he didn't go in!"

People in Wanchaozhong: ╮(??? ????)╭ I'm impressed! I'm truly impressed!!

Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: ...He's not finished until he's greedy for credit and acts rashly, right?! He might as well just return home as soon as possible!

Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Having a general like this is quite a headache!