Chapter 55: Zong Han, that's right, everything is unfolding exactly as I predicted.

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Although Zhang Jun also had military experience, he was utterly powerless when facing Yue Fei. The men Zhang Jun brought along were equally terrified, not daring to utter a sound. Yue Fei escorted Zhang Jun outside. Zhang Jun shouted after him, “Zong Ze, how dare you treat me like this? The Great Marshal will not let you off!” Zhang Jun was driven out of Huazhou.

Zong Ze then turned to the returning Yue Fei and said, “Yue Fei, do you know why I drove him away?”

“Commander Zong, this subordinate does not know. Please enlighten me.”

“Zhang Jun was sent by the Great Marshal to order us to hold our positions, because they heard rumors that the Emperor had already negotiated peace with the Jin. Yue Fei, if you were in my place, what would you do?”

Yue Fei thought for a moment and replied, “Commander Zong, I would not believe that the Emperor has made peace with the Jin.”

“Why not?”

“The Jin would never make peace! They are treacherous and intend to destroy our Great Song! Even if the Jin agreed to peace, it would be a deceit!”

The young Yue Fei’s eyes burned with determination.

At this time, Yue Fei had not yet grown into the renowned general known throughout the realm. He had only just become a subordinate of Zong Ze.

Historically, at this moment, Zong Ze’s influence on Yue Fei was significant; their relationship was both mentor and friend.

Zong Ze smiled and said, “What does this have to do with why I drove Zhang Jun away?”

“The Great Marshal wants to make a statement to the army: anyone who dares to speak of not fighting will be severely punished!”

“Good! Well said, Yue Fei! But it does not mean we must confront the Jin directly. Containing them is also a form of battle! I drove him out to strengthen the morale of our troops. At this time, no one must shake the resolve of our soldiers!”

Zong Ze greatly favored the young man before him. He truly saw the spirit of his own youth—a heart ablaze with ideals.

“Yue Fei, let me remind you.”

“Please instruct, Commander.”

“You cannot only fight in the field. Your field tactics are excellent, but you must also learn to defend cities, divide your forces, deploy troops, command effectively, wield life and death authority, govern by virtue, and maintain discipline through authority. Understand?”

“Thank you for your instruction, Commander. I will remember it well!”

Zong Ze patted Yue Fei on the shoulder.

On February 4th, scouts reported that a Jin force had crossed the Yellow River and was advancing toward Huazhou, reportedly with a substantial cavalry contingent.

Liu Hao suggested, “Commander Zong, why not take advantage of our recent victory and engage the Jin again?”

“No! Those coming from south of the Yellow River must be elite Jin troops, possibly heavy cavalry. Our army has been fighting for over two weeks, exhausted and wounded. It is unwise to linger here.”

“Then what shall we do?”

“Order all troops to withdraw from Huazhou immediately.”

“But… we just won a battle, and now we must retreat?”

“Withdraw! That is the order!”

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“Yes!”

Wanyan Wushu had originally intended to go to Huazhou to persuade Zong Ze to surrender, but upon arrival, both the man and his troops had vanished.

Wanyan Wushu said, “It seems this old General Zong refuses to surrender and is playing hide-and-seek with us. I’ll play along.”

February 5th, heavy snow.

While marching, Liu Hao asked, “Commander, must we always avoid the enemy’s spearhead?”

“No. Reinforcements have written to me; many will arrive soon.”

Hearing of the reinforcements, Liu Hao was overjoyed.

Time flew swiftly; by late February, Wanyan Zonghan asked, “Any news from Wushu?”

“Commander, none has been received.”

Wanyan Zonghan grew anxious; it was already late February.

“Have the provisions been gathered?”

“Just received news today that there is enough for just over a month.”

“Only one month?”

Shi Li’ai responded, “Zhengzhou and Luoyang have no grain left to requisition.”

“So, our supplies will last only until mid-April at most?”

“That’s correct.”

“What if we forcibly seize from nearby villagers?”

“Commander, there is nowhere left to go. Many villagers have fled south or turned bandit. The grain that could be hidden has been stashed away. No one is farming the fields this spring.”

“Send someone to assess conditions inside Bianjing.”

“Yes, I will arrange that immediately.”

After Shi Li’ai left, Wanyan Zonghan fell into deep thought.

Retreating meant losing this battle, and upon returning, someone at court would surely criticize him.

His mood soured.

He believed the current situation was already grim; his own position could hardly worsen. It was a matter of who between him and the “Dog Emperor” was in the worse situation.

He thought Zhao Ning would be the first to falter.

But what he did not anticipate was that just after Shi Li’ai departed, another piece of news arrived that made him furious.

What news?

Wanyan Wushu’s attempt to persuade Zong Ze failed; half a month later, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians suddenly gathered under Zong Ze’s command in Hebei.

They assembled around Huazhou and Kaide Prefecture, forming a formidable force.

From noon that day until three days later, similar reports kept coming.

The Song forces were rallying in Hebei!

Had this been two months prior, Wanyan Zonghan would not have worried.

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But now, with no progress in capturing Bianjing and supplies dwindling, the sudden surge of Song troops demanded serious attention.

This Zong Ze was a concern.

Wanyan Zonghan was a valiant and strong leader but not blindly arrogant.

On the contrary, he excelled in marching, warfare, strategy, and personnel management, having followed Wanyan Aguda in campaigns across the south and north, learning much along the way.

Why had so many Song troops suddenly gathered in Hebei?

In fact, they were not regular Song soldiers but militia—people hastily organized from the civilian population, mostly unarmored, similar to the common folk in the capital, fighting to defend their homes.

Zong Ze had routed the Jin forces throughout Hebei, his reputation spreading far and wide. Now, his calls for recruitment were met with overwhelming response.

However, Zong Ze was no longer seeking a direct confrontation with the Jin. Instead, his tactics aimed at side threats, forcing the Jin to hesitate.

He clearly understood the Jin’s vulnerabilities.

As the saying goes, “No battle formation remains constant, like water’s ever-changing form.” War is not won by a single tactic.

On the second day of the third lunar month, Wanyan Zonghan asked, “Have they found Zong Ze?”

Shi Li’ai replied wryly, “He suddenly avoided battle.”

“And inside Bianjing?”

“No response at all.”

“I refuse to believe the ‘Dog Emperor’ can’t finish his supplies!”

All the while, Wanyan Zongwang watched coldly.

Shi Li’ai said, “Commander, it is already March. We must make some objective decisions.”

“You mean retreat?”

“I mean we must prepare in advance. There are many Song troops gathering in Hebei now. If we withdraw in haste, it will be detrimental to our forces.”

Wanyan Zonghan fell silent, lost in sober reflection.

The March snows were melting. By April, the lunar calendar’s early summer would arrive.

People like Wanyan Zonghan, from the northeast Jurchen lands, were extremely averse to heat.

Shi Li’ai added, “Commander need not be overly stubborn. This southern campaign has had its gains: we have taken Taiyuan and three key towns in Hebei and Hedong. They have lost their shield. We can strike whenever we choose.”

Wanyan Zonghan sighed, “It’s not that I don’t want to retreat. I only…”

He stopped himself.

Shi Li’ai understood what he wanted to say.

He wanted to say he was reminded of that article by the ‘Dog Emperor’ titled ‘On the Early Stages of the Song-Jin War.’

The past few months’ developments had all unfolded exactly as that article predicted.