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"As ordered."
Wu Yong left in a hurry to contact his friend who had taken the imperial examination with him but failed.
"However, this certainly won't succeed in the short term. I will personally go and talk to those wealthy landlords! Tell them that Liangshan now controls Shandong, and we're not here to wipe them out. Past grievances can be put aside for now. As long as they are willing to behave themselves, stop oppressing the villagers, and send literate members of their clans or their hired accountants to help the government and maintain local stability... then Liangshan can recognize their land and houses and guarantee their safety. Past events will be forgiven!"
Liu Hong carefully considered his second decision.
"As for their land and their serfs, we can buy them back at the normal market price. So, Song Jiang, you go and have the heads of these local powerful clans come to Yidu. Tell them that Prince Qi is hosting a banquet for them. Let's make things clear at the banquet."
"As ordered."
Song Jiang also left in haste to gather the powerful figures of Shandong.
Things went smoothly for Wu Yong; he gathered a group of down-on-their-luck scholars to serve as teachers for Liangshan.
Meanwhile, Song Jiang handled things well. Although the powerful figures in Shandong were very unhappy with Liangshan, they accepted it because they couldn't defeat Prince Qi, were unwilling to abandon their family roots and leave for another place, and were also willing to accept the money. Thus, Shandong returned to its original stability.
Chapter 423: Kaifeng City in a State of Peace and Prosperity
After initially stabilizing the five prefectures of Shandong, Liu Hong began to use the 70 million strings of cash he had seized to carry out large-scale construction and reforms. His first step was to aggressively buy and sell land, forcing the powerful families in the five prefectures to relinquish large tracts of land and serfs, and to rapidly implement the Fubing system in the five prefectures of Shandong.
These five prefectures in Shandong include Qingzhou, Zizhou, and Weizhou, all of which were the heartland of the ancient Qi state, situated on the most fertile plains.
The land is mostly mountainous and extremely rich in mineral resources, but the arable land of Dengzhou and Laizhou is small. The two prefectures combined have a population of only 500,000, which is the same as that of Jeju Island.
Each of these three states has a population of one million. At this moment, the total population of the five states of Qi alone is three and a half million, with approximately seven hundred thousand households.
However, slaves and tenant farmers were not counted in the official household register. Under Liu Hong's heavy spending of real money, the various landlords and powerful families gave up another million people and a large amount of cultivated land, bringing the registered population to 4.5 million and 900,000 households. This was much better. The power of the powerful families in the Song Dynasty was greatly weakened under Huang Chao's attack, and the population they devoured was less than a quarter.
If this were during the Tang Dynasty, or even the late Han Dynasty when powerful clans and wealthy families were at their most rampant, they would have dared to take three out of four million, leaving only a quarter for the imperial court.
At this moment, Liu Hong focused all his energy on these 900,000 households. He established interest-free loans for grain seeds and created incentive mechanisms to encourage farming, maximizing the farmers' interests so that they would not be ruined by a natural disaster and have to sell their land and become tenants again. Subsequently, he designated one-sixth of the households, or 150,000 households, as military households. They were not required to perform corvée labor, and the grain tax they paid was only half that of ordinary households.
The price was that each of these 150,000 households had to send one able-bodied young man to join the war when it broke out, and to participate in mandatory training during the winter off-season. By the time Liu Hong had spent considerable time initially pacifying the Qi region, it was after the autumn harvest. The 150,000 people left their bountiful fields and began to gather and train around the thirty-seven counties. Combined with the military household policies in Jizhou and the previously occupied territories, Liangshan's maximum mobilization force reached 200,000. However, these 150,000 people had only trained for a year, and their elite status was far inferior to the other 50,000 veterans. They were even less capable than Liangshan's Imperial Guard, who did not engage in production but trained daily.
Subsequently, the military factories in Dengzhou also began to operate at full capacity. After Laizhou was incorporated into Qi, the quantity of iron and coal in various mines doubled. Penglai was producing matchlock guns and lead bullets at an astonishing rate, attempting to arm the suddenly increased manpower of 150,000. Every day, a large number of matchlock guns were transported to various counties to arm the troops. Liu Hong also set up a large granary in Qingzhou to transfer the supplies stockpiled in Liangshan to the heart of Qi, while collecting grain and actively preparing for war!
Peace between the Song and Jin dynasties was no longer possible. Emperors Huizong and Qinzong, along with their court officials, could deceive themselves and live a life of peace and prosperity in Bianjing (Kaifeng). But even ordinary people could see that war was about to break out in full force.
After being repeatedly betrayed by the Song Dynasty, everyone in Liangshan, from Prince Qi Liu Hong down to the lowest soldier, reached a consensus: the Song emperor was unreliable, and they shouldn't fantasize about being allies with the Song Dynasty anymore; they had to rely on themselves. Liu Hong had once considered telling the court about the Jingkang Incident, but now he had given up.
This broken dynasty is better off gone; only through destruction can great things be established.
Over two years, Liu Hong actively prepared for war in Shandong, turning the five prefectures there into his base of operations. His 4.5 million people, like those of Jeju, rallied around the Prince of Qi. Meanwhile, Wanyan Aguda was doing the same thing. He realized the sheer size of the Song Dynasty; the Liao Dynasty had only ten million people, while the Song Dynasty boasted a staggering one hundred million.
Previously, the two armies that had destroyed the Liao Dynasty marched south to attack the Song Dynasty. The western army was stuck in Taiyuan and could not pass through, while the eastern army was repelled by reinforcements from Shandong. They were unable to take the city. Therefore, they also calmed down and actively prepared for war.
Previously, Dajin was nestled between the white mountains and black waters of Northeast China, with a population of no more than one million.
Now, the Great Jin has fully taken over the core territory of the Great Liao—the Five Capitals of the Great Liao, representing five core territories. The Eastern Capital is Liaodong, the Southern Capital is the Youyan and other prefectures, the Western Capital is Datong in northern Shanxi, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and its surrounding territories, the Upper Capital and the Middle Capital are the most fertile lands of the southern grasslands, and the population has soared to 15 million.
Subsequently, Wanyan Aguda immediately began to digest these territories, appointing Liao officials who had surrendered to govern Youyun, collecting taxes from millions of people as provisions for the army, and selecting strong men from Youyun to expand the army. The Jin also knew that a war between Song and Jin was inevitable. The Liao people hated the Song for breaking the Treaty of Chanyuan and causing the Liao to perish. They showed great enthusiasm for the Jin's southward invasion of Song and actively prepared for war.
The people of Youzhou were also alienated by the Song Dynasty's questionable actions. While they weren't actively seeking to attack the Song, they didn't voice any objections either. Yunzhou, on the other hand, was loyal to the Song, but its population was too small to cause any significant trouble.
Meanwhile, the various tribes on the grasslands, including the Western Xia entrenched in Liangzhou, all followed the lead of the Great Jin. At the slightest command from the Great Jin, countless grassland men immediately brought provisions and obeyed. Wanyan Aguda spent two years unifying the Youyun region, establishing his position as the Khan of the grasslands, and reforming and refining the Meng'an-Muke system. Finally, he stabilized his territory and put everything on the right track. A steady stream of Jurchens and Bohai people entered Youyun, growing stronger and stronger, and eventually, their whips pointed directly at the Central Plains!
In the past two years, Liu Hong and Wanyan Aguda have been racing against time, quickly digesting the vast territories they have swallowed, and actively preparing for war by utilizing all available resources.
In contrast, the Song Dynasty was still in a state of peace and prosperity in the capital city of Bianjing, with music and dance continuing.
Chapter 424: Aguda's Three-Pronged Attack on the Song Dynasty
In 1127 AD, the second year of the Jingkang era of the Song Dynasty, late autumn arrived. A biting wind swept across the northern lands ahead of schedule, but even colder than the wind was the soaring killing intent rising from the north! Having thoroughly absorbed the Liao Dynasty's legacy, subdued the various tribes of the steppes, and acquired astonishing wealth and experience from the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, the Jin Dynasty's war machine had undergone unprecedented integration and upgrading. Now, it was set in motion once more, its target the weakened Northern Song Dynasty, determined to swallow the world whole!
On the horizon, banners billowed like clouds, swords and spears stood like a forest, warhorses surged like a sea, and giants rose like mountains. A massive battle formation of hundreds of thousands of soldiers stood solemnly silent, save for the countless battle flags embroidered with "Great Jin" fluttering in the wind! This only amplified the suffocating oppression. Sunlight shone on countless cold armors and weapons, reflecting a chilling metallic luster.
On the command platform, Emperor Taizu of Jin, Wanyan Aguda, stood proudly in the north, clad in golden armor. His piercing gaze swept over the boundless army below, and he suddenly drew his precious sword from his waist, pointing it directly south!
"Go south! Go south! Go south!!!"
Wanyan Aguda's roar was not merely an order, but more like a thunderbolt tearing through the silent sky, a blazing torch thrown into boiling oil. The two simple words contained endless ambition, a desire for killing and conquest, and instantly exploded in the hearts of all the Jin soldiers who were ready to fight!
In an instant, the pent-up violent energy erupted like a volcano!
The battle roars squeezed from hundreds of thousands of chests converged into a massive wave of sound that tore through the clouds, almost overturning and uprooting the entire sky! The sound was no longer the shouts of humans, but the collective roar of prehistoric beasts, shaking the earth and making even the distant mountains tremble in the echo.
Following closely behind was the more primal and stirring roar of musical instruments. Hundreds upon hundreds of enormous bull horns were blown with all their might by strongmen, their cheeks puffed out, producing a desolate yet powerful and passionate sound. Hundreds upon hundreds of war drums were then pounded wildly by drumsticks. The heavy, rhythmic beats were no longer merely tempo, but transformed into the terrifying heartbeat of the Great Jin, this war behemoth, each sound striking the heart of every soldier, striking the earth, and causing a resonant tremor. This drumming was so intense and violent that it could shatter the courage of the cowardly and ignite the blood of the brave!
Banners waved wildly, swords clashed violently against shields, producing a clanging metallic sound that mingled with the horns and drums, creating a deafening sonic storm. The soldiers' eyes burned with a thirst for glory, wealth, and slaughter; their faces contorted with fervent excitement. They unleashed their fighting spirit in every way imaginable, transforming the entire plain into a boiling, clamorous ocean of savage power!
Wanyan Aguda stood on the high platform, watching with satisfaction the flames he had personally ignited below, flames that were about to engulf the south. This earth-shattering clamor was the most violent and merciless declaration of war that the Great Jin Empire had issued to the Southern Dynasty!
This time, the Jin army split into three routes and marched south.
In the central route, Wanyan Aguda personally led the expedition, commanding the Jin Dynasty's most core and elite Imperial Guards, the Heza Meng'an, and the largest infantry legion. They were the best-equipped and most morale-boosting, and were Wanyan Aguda's absolute personal guards who had followed him since he raised his army against the Liao. There were a total of thirty Meng'an, which was 30,000 elite main force troops.
Subsequently, together with 100,000 surrendered Liao troops, the 130,000 men, like an invincible giant spear, once again effortlessly pierced through the flat, indefensible Hebei Plain of the Song Dynasty. They crossed the Yellow River during its frozen period, pushed forward all the way, and for the second time besieged Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty!
Wanyan Aguda's eyes were sharp. This time, the Jin army's marching speed was even faster than Wanyan Zonghan's last time! He intended to use his overwhelming troop strength and powerful attack capabilities to crush the heart of the Song Dynasty with overwhelming force!
On the western front, the Jin general Wanyan Loushi, leading Wanyan Zongwang, one of the four great generals of the Jin, fought a major battle in Shanxi! They commanded 50,000 heavily armored Jin infantry and cavalry, clad in sharp armor, disciplined and marching like a wall, demonstrating their elite strength; 50,000 surrendered nomadic cavalry from the grasslands, skilled in archery and horsemanship, moving swiftly like the wind; and 50,000 Iron Falcon heavy cavalry and heavy infantry provided by the Western Xia, heavily armored and formidable in combat. In total, they numbered 150,000.
This 150,000-strong allied army, like a heavy warhammer, once again slammed into the fortified city of Taiyuan in Hedong. Their objective was not merely to capture the city, but to use it as a center to firmly attract and pin down the Song Dynasty's most elite Western Army, the Guan-Shaanxi troops, and the newly surrendered Tian Hu and others, preventing them from returning to reinforce the capital. If the battle went smoothly, they even intended to seize control of Guan-Shaanxi.
On the eastern route, the commanders were Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongbi, who were also known as Jin Wuzhu. They also led 50,000 heavily armored Jin infantry and cavalry, along with 150,000 newly recruited soldiers from the Sixteen Prefectures of You and Yun, and the remaining 10,000 of Guo Yaoshi's Ever Victorious Army after his defeat, totaling 210,000 men. Like a sharp scimitar, they plunged straight into Shandong!
During the last siege of Kaifeng, Shandong provided the most active resistance and support, forcing the first attack on Kaifeng to fail. In particular, Liu Hong, the King of Qi, made the Jin dynasty suffer a very humiliating defeat at the Yellow River crossing.
This eastward advance is intended for revenge, to eliminate future troubles, to destroy the Song court's important support in the east, and to threaten the Jianghuai region, making it unable to attend to both ends. This time, I will directly attack Shandong, and you will send reinforcements to Kaifeng.
With the order given, the three armies, like three awakened dragons, began to wriggle southward.
In an instant, the earth began to tremble violently. The footsteps, hooves, and wheels of hundreds of thousands of people merged into a continuous, muffled rumble of thunder, rolling in from the north and lingering for a long time. The dust raised blotted out the sky, like a moving sandstorm.
The ranks stretched endlessly, as far as the eye could see. Cavalry columns surged forward like a black tide, clearing the way; infantry squares marched with measured, heavy steps, spears and halberds like a forest, advancing with unwavering resolve; countless supply wagons groaned and creaked, loaded with enough provisions and siege equipment to sustain a protracted war. Men like tigers, horses like dragons, they moved like monkeys up mountains and like rapids down rivers, their passage causing the heavens and earth to change color and the mountains and rivers to tremble. The entire Central Plains trembled under the thunderous roar of hundreds of thousands of iron hooves as the Jin army marched south on three routes!
Chapter 425: With a massive army pressing in, Liu Yu surrenders to the Jin.
In late autumn, Kaifeng still retained a sliver of false peace, a semblance of tranquility after the catastrophe. However, this peace was shattered completely at dawn.
On the horizon, the first sound wasn't a horn, but a terrifying cacophony of roars from giant beasts, heavy footsteps shaking the earth, and some inhuman language. The defenders on the city walls watched in horror as a moving snow-capped mountain approached at an incredible speed across the distant plains!
That was not a snow mountain, but a frost giant, ten meters tall, wearing heavy armor and wielding a giant log, whose every step made the ground tremble!
The beast-like warriors, half-human and half-wolf, with bared fangs and running like the wind on all fours, let out bloodthirsty howls;
The troll, with dark green skin covered in scabies, bulging muscles, and wielding a massive club studded with iron spikes, had a cruel, eerie light gleaming in its eyes.
And the most terrifying of all, the obese ogres, with mouths full of sharp teeth and waists adorned with horrific trophies, their heavy breathing like bellows, sniffing the air for the scent of fear and flesh.
At the heart of this terrifying army, Emperor Taizu of Jin, Wanyan Aguda, rode a frost mammoth many times larger than an ordinary elephant. His figure was like a demon god, commanding this nightmarish army from the northern black forests and frozen wastelands. Like a flood breaking its banks, they instantly submerged all the outposts surrounding Kaifeng, completing the second impenetrable siege of the Northern Song capital!
"The Jin soldiers are coming again!"
"It's not Jin soldiers! It's monsters! It's a demon god!"
"The north of the city... the north of the city is full of frost giants! Good heavens!"
Countless people rushed into the streets in terror, only to find they had nowhere to escape. The thirteen gates of Kaifeng were quickly closed, and cries, screams, prayers, and chaotic running filled the air as the entire city of Kaifeng was plunged into hysterical panic!
Through the crenellations or onto the rooftops, people witnessed a scene like a painting of hell: countless enormous, twisted figures, utterly unlike any other, writhed outside the city, casting suffocating shadows. The air was thick with an unprecedented stench of wild beasts and decaying matter!
Wanyan Aguda had already developed a path dependency. When attacking Liao, the Jin people were few in number, so every time the Jin attacked, they aimed to capture the Liao emperor. And indeed, after capturing five of Liao's capitals, the entire Liao Dynasty collapsed.
Therefore, this time, facing the much larger Song Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda still adopted the decapitation tactic. He didn't care about Liu Hong or Tian Hu; as long as Kaifeng was captured and the Song Emperor was taken down, the entire Song Dynasty would collapse!
The siege has begun.
On the land, the Liao cannibals quickly began constructing artillery positions and launched a second fierce bombardment of the Kaifeng city walls. The terrifying sound of artillery fire continued incessantly, and scorching smoke rose into the sky. Thousands of shells tested again and again whether the Kaifeng city walls were as indestructible as they had been a hundred years ago.
In the sky, a large number of fierce and savage white dragons circled above the heavens. Their frost breath fell from the sky like a blizzard, mercilessly engulfing and freezing the guards on the city walls, destroying the exquisite and sturdy three-bow ballistae, and weakening Kaifeng's city defenses with aerial bombardment.
At the edge of the battle line, the giants roared, lifting huge boulders, even uprooting thick tree trunks from nearby forests, or digging them up like toy throwers and slamming them against the city walls! Each impact caused the thick bricks of the city walls to crack and shake violently, as if they were about to collapse at any moment!
With their thick skin and terrifying regenerative abilities, the trolls braved the sparse rain of arrows and charged to the city walls, smashing the gates with their massive weapons or attempting to climb the battlements with their bare hands using their incredible strength!
Even more terrifying, some frost giants used these trolls as ammunition, hurling them directly onto the walls of Kaifeng! The trolls were first smashed in the face by the immense impact, their limbs broken, some even reduced to a bloody pulp, leaving them paralyzed and unable to move. However, these wounds would heal completely within 120 seconds! If the Song army couldn't withstand the bombardment and use the White Dragon's Breath to prevent the trolls from regenerating during this time, they would face a horde of ferocious trolls wreaking havoc on the city walls!
Inside the city, every moment was agonizing. The sounds of massive impacts, the roars of monsters, the groans of the city walls, and the dying screams of their comrades echoed continuously. The sky was shrouded in dust raised by the monsters outside the city and in the smoke of panic rising from within, obscuring the sun and moon.
Despair, like the deepest ice, froze the hearts of every Song citizen. The crisis of national subjugation was once again prominent, and a primal, violent terror originating from ancient barbarity was about to completely devour and crush them, along with their prosperous capital.
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The Song emperor hurriedly summoned Liu Hong in Shandong, Tian Hu in Shanxi, and the armies from the Guanzhong and Shaanxi regions to their aid! However, Liu Hong and Tian Hu were already preoccupied with their own problems. At this moment, Taiyuan was no longer the core city of Shanxi, a mountainous city that had been meticulously repaired by successive dynasties and which even Zhao Kuangyin could not conquer.
Instead, after being conquered by Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, who deemed Taiyuan too difficult and dangerous to attack, he demolished it. It was only recently that the Western Army generals rebuilt it as a new city to resist the Jin dynasty. Even with Tian Hu's valor, he was no match for the 100,000-strong Jin army and could only rely on Taiyuan to hold out. Meanwhile, the armies of Guanzhong and Shaanxi were tied down by 50,000 Western Xia troops in Guanzhong, unable to move.
Meanwhile, in Shandong, Liu Hong also faced the first wave of attacks from the Jin army. Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongbi learned from their mistakes and this time began to advance steadily. Compared to Wanyan Aguda's lightning attack on Kaifeng, their southward march into Shandong was slower, and they began to persuade the counties and prefectures in Hebei to surrender.
The horrific devastation of Hebei last time it was completely breached, the ferocity of the Jin cavalry, and especially the terrifying rumors about giants, dragons, beastmen, ogres, and trolls, had long been etched into the hearts of every soldier and civilian in Hebei like a nightmare. When it was confirmed that the massive army, imbued with inhuman power, was marching south again, and that its main force was cutting straight through Hebei from the center, a suffocating sense of despair quickly replaced any thought of resistance.
There were no grand sieges, no fierce protracted resistance. The entire Hebei region was shrouded in a chilling silence. Often, the moment the Jin army's vanguard scouts appeared on the horizon, the defenders on the city walls would turn pale with fright. Officials, gentry, and even the commanders within the city were utterly terrified, thrown into chaos. Some even surrendered outright!
The separation of powers policy in the Song Dynasty had its most terrifying consequences: In the Tang Dynasty, a county magistrate had enough power to mobilize, coordinate, and gather the strength of the entire county to actively resist the enemy with its strong city walls. Zhang Xun alone was able to hold off An Lushan's army of 100,000 for several years with just one city and a few thousand soldiers.
However, in the Song Dynasty, if a county magistrate wanted to resist the Jin Dynasty, he would find that he only had administrative power. To lead troops to resist the Jin, he needed to persuade the military commissioner and the finance commissioner to work together to unite the forces of a county. This increased the difficulty many times over. Even if he managed to persuade them, he would still be in the awkward situation of soldiers not knowing their generals.
Moreover, to avoid three people working together against the court, the Song Dynasty, under the principle of separation of powers, often appointed the county magistrate's factional political rivals as pacification commissioners and transport commissioners. The probability of the three working together to resist the Jin was almost zero. If even one of them had the thought of surrendering, the entire county would be rendered useless, utterly powerless to resist, and unable to even organize a militia.
Ultimately, overwhelmed by fear and the shadow of giants and dragons, the cities of Hebei began to surrender. Local officials gradually lost faith in the Song Dynasty. After the complete annihilation of the Hebei army in the campaign against Liangshan, and then their full support for Guo Yaoshi, the army was truly out of manpower. Officials trembled with fear; the surrender of one city was like toppling the first domino, quickly triggering a chain reaction. Neighboring prefectures and counties followed suit, fearing that a slow surrender would invite targeted attacks and retaliation from the Jin army.
As Wanyan Zonghan traveled south, he saw groups of envoys carrying surrender documents, household registers, and keys to the treasury, bowing and scraping as they went to the Jin camp to surrender!
The surrender of various places in Hebei is not so terrible.
The most troublesome thing is that Wanyan Wuzhu's demonic whispers have begun to echo in Shandong, testing whether Liu Hong has truly managed to consolidate control over the five prefectures of Shandong into an impenetrable fortress within two years. Have the Song officials in these thirty-seven counties truly become like Liangshan bandits?
One by one, officials and powerful figures were forced to relinquish their interests, land, and large amounts of wealth to the people. They began to hesitate, wondering if they could live a better life if they surrendered to the Jin Dynasty.
The most troublesome part is that the gateway to Qi is Licheng in Qizhou, a prefecture that the Song Dynasty did not cede to Qi. The prefect of this prefecture is named Liu Yu.
Seeing the Jin army pressing in, Liu Yu was the first to lose his composure and led the entire Qi province to surrender to the Jin!
Chapter 426: With One Heart and One Mind, Liangshan Stands United
After Liangshan occupied Shandong, they implemented the policy of "acting on behalf of Heaven, seizing land from the local tyrants and distributing it to the people." For the impoverished masses, this was like rain after a long drought. This firmly secured the support of over four million people on Liangshan's side, and also generated a surge of 200,000 brave and skilled soldiers from Shandong, thus truly laying the foundation for their dominance over the land.
However, every advantage has its disadvantages. For the powerful landlords and magnates of Qi who once dominated the countryside and owned vast tracts of land, this measure was nothing short of a catastrophe.
The farmland accumulated by their ancestors was measured and distributed, the hidden tenants were liberated, the stockpiled granaries were opened for relief, and even the sons of the families were mobilized to build canals and roads. The once absolute authority of the local gentry vanished in the face of Liangshan's "fairness."
Although Liangshan did not exterminate them due to the need for governance, and even allowed some enlightened gentry sons to serve as officials, the humiliation and deep-seated pain were already deeply ingrained in their bones. Beneath the surface of obedience and cooperation lay resentment and unwillingness to endure day and night. They were like a group of trapped beasts with their claws removed, lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to retaliate, and the arrival of Jin Wuzhu seemed to be a perfect opportunity.
In the past two years, Jin Wuzhu, who had been severely defeated by Liangshan, also gritted his teeth at Liu Hong and carefully studied all the structures of Liangshan. In the end, he came up with a method that was completely opposite to Liangshan's approach: directly issue large gold green cards to the powerful families in Shandong, promise that the landlords of each village would be called Meng'an and the powerful families of each county would be called Mouke, directly granting them economic, political and military privileges, allowing them to legally annex land and take others as slaves.
It took hundreds of years for the Central Plains to barely suppress the powerful clans and reclaim power from the central government, but Wanyan Wuzhu directly redistributed power back to the central authorities.
For a time, the landlords and tycoons of Shandong fell silent. On one hand, they were loyal to the emperor and the country, but the King of Qi suppressed them. On the other hand, they were willing to betray the country for personal gain, but their lives were thriving. It was a truly difficult choice.
Some decided to follow Liu Hong and fight to the end for China. Others agreed without hesitation to become spies for the Jin Dynasty.
But many more people became fence-sitters: "You, Jin Wuzhu, fight Liu Hong first! I won't help either of them, but I'll surrender to whoever wins! Anyway, no matter who wins, isn't the grassroots bureaucracy in Shandong supported by us landlords and landowners? Without us landlords, you can't even collect taxes in Shandong!"
Hebei fell, Qi was in turmoil, Kaifeng was besieged, a large army was pressing in, Liu Yu surrendered... Wanyan Zonghan openly led his army in a whirlwind advance, while Wanyan Jinwuzhu secretly instigated powerful clans to rebel. These two, one in the open and one in the shadows, put enormous pressure on Liangshan.
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the Qi Prince's mansion was heavy, a far cry from the boisterous gatherings of the past. On the enormous sand table, the terrain of Shandong and the arrows pointing towards the Jin army's attack were a stark and alarming sight. The leaders stood on both sides, their faces solemn. At the head of the table, Liu Hong's brows were furrowed, Wu Yong's fingertips tapped unconsciously on the table, while generals such as Lu Junyi and Guan Sheng stared sharply at the sand table.
Liu Yu's surrender was fatal. Qizhou was located at an extremely pivotal and crucial position, straddling Mount Tai and the Bohai Sea, serving as the northern gateway to Shandong. Furthermore, it was bisected by the Yellow River and the Ji River. With Liu Yu's surrender, Qi's natural defenses of Mount Tai and the Yellow River and Ji River were gone! The Jin army could easily pass through Licheng and directly invade the rich Shandong heartland of Qingzhou and Zizhou!
"Shandong is our foundation and must not be lost. However, Kaifeng is the capital and the location of the emperor. If we do not save it, the country will collapse and Liangshan will be unable to hold it up alone. We are in a dilemma and need a foolproof plan."
Lu Junyi frowned and said something even more crucial—the Jin army facing Shandong was only one-third of the total force, and another third had already surrounded Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty.
Huyan Zhuo was in a dilemma at this moment.
"We must divide our forces. One elite force, relying on the advantage of our navy, will advance swiftly along the Ji and Yellow Rivers, making the appearance of a surprise attack on Kaifeng! Kaifeng must be saved. Once Kaifeng falls, the Song Dynasty will be finished. The world will be without a ruler, and people will be disaffected. They will either surrender at the first sign of trouble like those in Hebei, or establish their own independent regimes in Jiangnan. Meanwhile, the main force of Liangshan will rely on the prefectures and counties of Shandong, as well as the mountain and river strongholds, to set up defenses layer by layer, resist step by step, wear down their morale, and wait until their troops are exhausted before seeking an opportunity for a decisive battle!"
"No! We can't split our forces! We absolutely cannot split our forces!"
Guan Sheng immediately rejected Huyan Zhuo's agreement.
"We only have a little over 200,000 men at most, and more than half of them are new recruits. What's worse, the powerful clans in Shandong are not on our side! We have no chance to launch a sneak attack this time. A third of the Jin army's main force is here to kill us! Wanyan Zonghan, Guo Yaoshi, and Jin Wuzhu are all outstanding figures of their time. They cannot be fooled by us a second time! We must concentrate our efforts to fight back and cannot divide our forces to weaken our strength! Kaifeng is well-defended and will not fall anytime soon!"
"Besides, what's the use of saving Kaifeng? The emperor and treacherous officials in the court will only hinder our battle! Sister Huyan, haven't we been tricked enough by the various orders from the court? Let Gao Qiu, Cai Jing, and Tong Guan hold off Wanyan Aguda! That's the greatest contribution they can make!"