Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 457 - 257: What Is There to Fear? (10,000-Word Update Asking for Monthly Votes)_2

Chapter 457: Chapter 257: What Is There to Fear? (10,000-Word Update Asking for Monthly Votes)_2

General Han Fuyue remained as usual, either reading books or writing his own military tactics, and was quite indifferent about it.

But Wei Shun was even more anxious than General Han.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Wei Shun was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly walked to the door and opened it a crack.

But just looking out through that small gap, he was frozen in shock.

Because he had never seen such a grand spectacle!

The small path outside the manor was already packed with people, including imperial guards in uniform, other officials responsible for accompanying the imperial carriage, and a little eunuch who came to the door.

Further away, there was a gold and glittering carriage, the imperial coach that only the emperor could use.

"What... what is it?" Wei Shun’s voice trembled slightly.

The little eunuch said in a soft tone, "The Emperor has arrived! Come out and see at once!"

It was as if a thunderclap exploded in Wei Shun’s mind, and he hurriedly opened the manor’s main gate.

Inside the imperial carriage, the elegantly dressed emperor disregarded all formalities and strode forward, "I ask you, who exactly resides in this manor!"

Wei Shun was agitated and for a moment, he couldn’t speak.

But he didn’t need to answer.

Because Emperor Xiaozong of Qi, following his gaze towards the inside of the manor, saw a tall figure already advancing two steps and kneeling down before him.

"Your servant, Han Fuyue, greets Your Majesty!"

Emperor Xiaozong’s expression was as if struck by lightning; he staggered forward and with trembling hands, he helped General Han Fuyue to his feet.

"General Han... you... you’re still alive!"

...

In the first year of Longxing, the Jin soldiers invaded.

Zhao Binfu achieved a great victory at Niu Zhu Pier.

A month later, Emperor Xiaozong of Qi vindicated General Han Fuyue and immediately appointed him as the Supreme Commander of the Northern Expedition. With his old troops as the backbone, he reorganized a new army and vowed to undertake the Northern Expedition.

He also appointed Zhao Binfu to manage the logistics from the rear.

History calls this the Northern Expedition of Longxing.

The news that General Han Fuyue was not dead spread, and it shocked the world.

The citizens of the Qi Dynasty were overjoyed and wept with happiness. Upon hearing the news, the northern chieftains one after another started rebellions to support General Han Fuyue’s Northern Expedition.

Under the leadership of General Han Fuyue, the Qi Army achieved consecutive victories in Lingbi, Suzhou State, and other places, intimidating the Central Plains.

The Jin Army concentrated its superior forces in a counterattack but were defeated head-on by General Han Fuyue, achieving three major victories within a month.

Taking advantage of the momentum, General Han Fuyue led his army northward. Rebel forces in Hebei and River East automatically took cities and rose in response. The brilliant strategy of "linking He Shuo" that had been contrived ten years earlier proved effective once again.

More than 400,000 patriots of Hebei rallied under General Han Fuyue’s banner, hoping the Qi Army would cross the river soon.

The remnant Jin forces lost all morale, lacking any will to fight. The Jin country faced internal strife as the Qidan and Northern Barbarians rose in rebellion.

The Jin people, in order to replenish their army, could only draft strong men into service again, referred to as the "sign-up army." But none of the old Qi dynasty’s jurisdictions responded; from Yan Jing southward, their commands found no obedience.

Several months later, General Han Fuyue conquered the counties of Hebei and River East and advanced on Yan Jing, completely annihilating the remaining Jin forces and reclaiming Yan Yun.

The Jin faced recurrent internal troubles and external threats. Seeing the situation, Northern Barbarians, Xixia, Korea, and other forces rose in rebellion.

It was just a pity that Emperor Shizong of Jin, who succeeded Wanyan Hailing, was one of Jin’s most noted Ming Jun in history. Even in such peril, he managed to maintain the situation with great difficulty. After giving up Yan Yun and nearby counties, thus forgoing two-thirds of Jin’s territory, he barely stabilized the situation.

After recovering Yan Yun, General Han Fuyue too stopped his campaign due to the multiyear warfare, excessive military expenses, and because the territory outside Yan Yun, though captured, was hard to assimilate. Thus, he ceased the war.

Eventually, the Qi Dynasty and the Jin agreed to make peace. The Jin ceded more than ten states and counties and capitulated as vassals, paying tribute annually.

Afterward, Emperor Xiaozong of Qi, with the assistance of Zhao Binfu and Han Fuyue, regained control of the Northern Land, devoted himself to national rejuvenation, and accomplished a grand revival.

...

Chu Ge watched all of this silently from an emperor’s perspective.

Although the character he was playing, Li Hao, had already died on the ship, this trial had not immediately ended; instead, he was allowed to freely observe the subsequent events.

After seeing this scene, Chu Ge couldn’t help but feel, "It was worth it!"

The battle achievements of General Han Fuyue also truly met his expectations.

In actual history, not long after Emperor Xiaozong of Qi ascended to the throne, he vindicated General Han Fuyue. Subsequently, the Northern Expedition of Longxing began, and Qi successively restored control over Lingbi, Suzhou State, and other places, shaking the Central Plains.

But regrettably, at that time, the generals of the vanguard did not cooperate, and the military spirit disintegrated. After the Jin amassed heavy troops for encirclement, the Qi Army suffered heavy losses and was forced to reach an agreement.

Although this treaty saw some improvements, such as the Qi emperor no longer submitting as a vassal but rather acknowledging a relationship like uncle and nephew, and reducing the previous treaty’s silver and silk payments by 50,000 each, Qi still ceded six states to the Jin.

Such an outcome, naturally, was unacceptable to Emperor Xiaozong.

But he had no choice but to accept it.

At the time, the Qi Dynasty had neither troops capable of fighting nor capable generals. Even if they fought reluctantly, they would only face an even more painful defeat.

Afterward, Emperor Xiaozong heavily relied on Zhao Binfu as a chancellor to consolidate the military, but Zhao Binfu, after all, was a civil official and could not compare with General Han Fuyue, and the military preparations had decayed to a point of no return. Therefore, Zhao Binfu eventually succumbed to illness and died from overwork, and another attempt at a Northern Expedition never materialized.