Wanyan Zongyi said in a deep voice, "We only need one year. In just one year, we can imitate that kind of artillery. When the time comes, we will raise troops to go south and we will surely win the Song Dynasty in one fell swoop!" Wanyan Zonghan was silent for a moment and nodded, "In that case, as you said, we will temporarily withdraw our troops." Wanyan Zongyi thought for a moment and then said, "But before that, we must first capture Cizhou." Wanyan Zonghan was slightly startled, "Why take Cizhou?" Wanyan Zongyi took a deep breath and explained, "Cizhou is rich in copper and iron ore, so we need the copper and iron from Cizhou. Daming Prefecture is mostly Han people and has many skilled craftsmen. Only in this way can we imitate that kind of artillery faster. .” After hearing this, Wanyan Zonghan felt a sense of sadness well up in his heart, "Xingzhou was defeated, and I lost all my energy. Now that Cizhou is further south of Xingzhou, how can I capture it?" "We can order Wanyan Loushi to lead Taiyuan soldiers and horses to go south, capture Pingyang, go east across the Taihang Mountains, capture Cizhou, and then attack Zhao Yingluo from both sides with the general. We will definitely win a complete victory. In addition, we can order the troops stationed at Daming Mansion. Wanyan Zongfu and Daqi's tens of thousands of horses responded from the east road." Wanyan Zonghan nodded and agreed to Wanyan Zongyi's plan. However, what Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongyi did not expect was that Wanyan Loushi not only failed to win Pingyang this time, but was defeated by Wang Shan again. [Inside Wanyan Zonghan’s tent]
The atmosphere was suffocating, Wanyan Zonghan's face was full of anger. After he learned the news that Wanyan Lou's room was defeated by Wang Shan, he stamped his feet in anger, and the carpet in the tent seemed to shake. "Failed, defeated!" He roared repeatedly, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger, "Wanyan Loushi is my right-hand man, but he lost to an unknown Wang Shan! This is simply a great shame and humiliation!" Wanyan Zongyi sat aside with a solemn expression. He knew that this failure was a heavy blow to Wanyan Zonghan, but at this time, he needed to be calm and rational. Now that the troops on the east route are pale, the troops on the west route have been newly defeated, and Zhao Yingluo has led his army to station in Xingzhou in the middle route. It is no longer possible to capture Cizhou. "Commander, the matter has come to this, and anger will not help." He said in a deep voice, "We must face reality and reconsider our plans." Wanyan Zonghan's eyes widened and he looked at Wanyan Zongyi, "You mean, we want to give up Cizhou?" "Yes." Wanyan Zongyi nodded, "Wang Shan's victory will definitely boost the morale of the Song army, but our morale will be severely depressed. If we attack Cizhou at this time, it may be difficult to win. Moreover, even if we Even if we are lucky enough to win these two places, it will be difficult to hold them. Zhao Yingluo will definitely use all his strength to regain the lost ground." Wanyan Zonghan was silent for a moment, as if he was trying to digest this sudden blow and Wanyan Zongyi's suggestion. His face was gloomy and uncertain, and he was obviously experiencing a fierce struggle in his heart. "Retreat?" He finally spoke, with a hint of unwillingness and helplessness in his voice, "We have spent so much effort and time, are we going to give up like this?" "The matter has come to this, we should avoid its sharpness for the time being." Wanyan Zongyi advised, "Retreating now can preserve our strength and wait for the opportunity. Once there is a chance to make a comeback, we will definitely win the Song Dynasty in one fell swoop." The dim light reflected on Wanyan Zonghan's face, his expression was complicated and heavy. Wanyan Zongyi stood aside, his expression much calmer than his. "You advised me to retreat, and I agreed." Wanyan Zonghan spoke slowly, with a deep helplessness in his voice, "But tell me, how will we defeat the Song Dynasty in the future? Their artillery is so powerful, we How to resist?" Wanyan Zongyi smiled slightly, with a cunning light flashing in his eyes, "Maybe the coach failed twice and forgot where our advantages are. What we are good at is cavalry and bows and arrows. This is our strength. Now we and them Fighting on the ground is not about exploiting weaknesses and avoiding strengths? More importantly, to defeat the artillery of the Song Dynasty, we must master their casting technology." "Master their technology?" Wanyan Zonghan frowned, "Is this easier said than done?" "It is indeed not easy." Wanyan Zongyi nodded, "Have you forgotten, coach, that I have also obtained the artillery technology? To obtain the artillery casting technology, I only need to send spies into the foundry in Kaifeng City." A trace of shock and doubt flashed in Wanyan Zonghan's eyes, "Is this... is this possible?" "Of course." Wanyan Zongyi said with certainty, "Although the foundry in Kaifeng City is well-defended, it is not invulnerable. You can choose more clever craftsmen to sneak into the foundry to learn artillery production techniques." Wanyan Zonghan thought for a moment and said, "If we succeed, we will have a powerful weapon that can change the entire battle situation." "Indeed." Wanyan Zongyi nodded, "This will be a key step for us to defeat the Song Dynasty. As long as we master the casting technology of artillery, we can mass-produce artillery and equip our army. By then, we will not only be able to resist the Great Song Dynasty, Song’s artillery attack can also take the initiative and blast open their city gates with artillery!” Wanyan Zonghan's eyes flashed after hearing this, and he was obviously moved by this plan. After pondering for a while, he finally made up his mind, "Okay! Just follow your plan! Select the most capable spies to sneak into the Kaifeng City Foundry to steal the artillery casting technology!"
[The gate of Damingfu, the capital of the Puppet Qi Kingdom] The sky was covered with dark clouds, seeming to indicate the coming storm. At the gate of Daming Mansion, Da Qi Emperor Liu Yu burst into tears. He knelt on the ground, hugged Wanyan Zongfu's legs tightly with both hands, and begged with a trembling voice: "General, you can't withdraw your troops! Once you withdraw your troops, Daming Mansion will be destroyed." That’s it!” Wanyan Zongfu looked at Liu Yu expressionlessly and sneered in his heart. His two previous confrontations with Zhao Yingluo ended in disastrous defeats, and he developed a deep fear of that powerful army. At this moment, he just wanted to withdraw his troops as soon as possible and stay away from this dangerous place. "What does the life and death of Da Qi have to do with me?" Wanyan Zongfu said coldly, "Da Jin and Da Qi are indeed an alliance, but Da Jin will not sacrifice its army for Da Qi in vain!" When Liu Yu heard this, his face turned pale and his body trembled. He knew that he could not change Wanyan Zongfu's decision, but he still cried unwillingly: "General, you can't do this! Zhao Yingluo is in Wei County, and she may attack Daming Mansion at any time. What will we do if you leave?" Wanyan Zongfu snorted coldly and shook off Liu Yu's hand, "Bless yourself! The Kingdom of Jin will not take risks for a chess piece. Withdraw your troops!" Following Wanyan Zongfu's order, the Jin army began to slowly withdraw from Daming Mansion. Liu Yu sat paralyzed on the ground, looking at Jin Jun's retreating back, his heart filled with despair. He knew that his fate had been sealed and Daqi's demise was only a matter of time. Wanyan Zongfu led the exhausted Jin army on the road to retreat north. Although he felt a little uneasy, he was more thankful and relieved. He finally got rid of the feared Zhao Yingluo and the dangerous Daming Mansion.
