At the head of Bianliang City, Zhao Kai wore the emperor's robe and stood with his hands behind his back.
His gaze was as blazing as the sun as he looked down at the hundred miles of Lian Camp below the city.
Unlike the snowy evening many days ago, the camps outside the city were not the camps of the Jin army. Instead, they were all fluttering the flags of the Great Song!
Hai Province Zhizhou Zhang Shuye's twenty thousand soldiers, Xiang Province Zhizhou Zong Ze's twenty thousand soldiers, the Western Army's old marshal Zhong Shidao's fifty thousand Western Army, and the twenty thousand Bianliang Imperial Army soldiers that Zhao Kai had trained for many days.
At this moment, inside and outside Bianliang City, there were a total of 110,000 troops!
If a person exceeds ten thousand, there is no end to it.
The camp of the 110,000-strong army stretched for hundreds of miles!
"Your Majesty, the provisions and armaments have been prepared!”
Li Gang came to Zhao Kai's side and bowed.
Li Gang was a capable official. Zhao Kai had appointed him as the prime minister of the Song Dynasty. Zhao Kai was very satisfied with his efficiency.
Zhao Kai was about to lead the army to the north and recover the lost land. With capable ministers like Li Gang and Li Ruoshui to arrange the logistics for the army, Zhao Kai would not have to worry about anything.
"Pass down my decree. Leave 10,000 people to guard Bianliang. The remaining 100,000 troops will immediately break camp and follow me to the northern expedition!”
Zhao Kai waved his hand and ordered Zhong Shidao, Zong Ze, Zhang Shuye, and the other generals.
Zhao Kai didn't plan to wait any longer. A large area of land and people north of the Yellow River were still suffering under the iron hooves of the Jin army.
Furthermore, other than Zhong Shidao and a few other troops who followed Zhao Kai's orders to Bianliang, most of the other troops wouldn't come.
For example, King Kang Zhao Gou, who had nearly 200,000 troops in Yingtian Prefecture, and Wu Min, Geng Nanzhong, who had been killed by Zhao Kai, as well as the accomplices of the surrender faction, Jinan Prefecture Magistrate Liu Yu.
These people were either ambitious or afraid of the golden man. They were all unreliable people.
When Zhao Kai conquered the lost land in the north, he would definitely not let them off.
"We obey your orders. Your Majesty is wise!"
Following Zhao Kai's order, Zhong Shidao, Zong Ze, and Zhang Shuye immediately stepped forward to receive the decree with trembling voices.
Their eyes were filled with hot tears. They were tears of excitement!
These three generals were all old officials with white hair and beard. They were also loyal officials who had the Great Song in their hearts and were concerned about the lost land in the north.
That was why they were so excited when they heard Zhao Kai's order to go north.
They knew very well that if it wasn't for Zhao Kai, a wise ruler who would resort to extreme measures during extreme times, Great Song would be finished!
If it was another Zhao family member who became the Emperor of Great Song, not only would Great Song not be able to recover the lost land in the north, but the territory south of the Yellow River might also not be able to be preserved!
For example, the 16 prefectures of Yanyun that had been taken away by the Liao Kingdom had not been taken back even after the Great Song had been established for more than 100 years!
The Liao Kingdom was finally destroyed, and the Great Song bought Yanyun from the Jin Kingdom. In the blink of an eye, the Jin army went south and took more land from the Great Song!
If it wasn't for Zhao Kai, the mighty and powerful ruler of the Great Song, then the land north of the Yellow River would have been completely lost!
Zhong Shidao was in his seventies, Zhang Shuye was in his sixties, and even Zong Ze was in his fifties. In this era where life expectancy was low, these old ministers did not have much time left.
They were not afraid of death. They were afraid of dying with regret. They were afraid that the mountains and rivers would be lost and there would be no hope of recovering the lost land!
They were glad that they had met Zhao Kai, and that Great Song had met Zhao Kai, so they could see the hope of conquering the rivers and mountains in their lifetime!
At this moment, looking at the three old officials whose bodies were slightly hunched, Zhao Kai's eyes could not help but be moved.
Although the old ministers were old and stooped, their integrity was indomitable!
In the original history, Zhong Shidao died due to the Song Emperor's humiliating peace negotiations with the Jin people. Zhang Shuye committed suicide after Bianliang City was destroyed!
Zong Ze, on the other hand, used the rest of his life to call for the Northern Expedition. In the end, under the suppression of Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, his ambition could not be fulfilled. On his deathbed, he shouted "cross the river" three times and passed away regretfully!
It could be said that these old men were all tragic characters in the original history.
However, in Zhao Kai's era, such a tragedy would never happen again!
He wanted to lead these loyal men, with a sword in their waists and a spear in their hands, to recover the lost land and rebuild the rivers and mountains!
"His Majesty has decreed that the army be sent to the north!"
Soon, the orders of several generals sounded in the military camp outside the city. In an instant, the Hundred Lane Company Camp quickly moved.
Other than the ten thousand Bianliang soldiers who helped Li Gang stay behind, the one hundred thousand soldiers, including the Red Flame Army, quickly gathered.
Zhao Kai put on his armor and mounted his horse. The Imperial Dao Sword, Scarlet Heaven, hung at his waist, and he held the Overlord Spear. The red cloak behind him fluttered in the wind of early spring.
"What a heavenly emperor!
This time, with His Majesty's northern expedition, we will definitely recover the rivers and mountains and return triumphantly!”
Zhong Shidao, Zhang Shuye, and the rest of the 100,000 soldiers were all in high spirits when they saw this.
"Let's go!"
Zhao Kai's gaze swept across the 100,000 soldiers as he gave the order.
There was no need for any pre-war mobilization or oath.
Since these soldiers had gathered at Bianliang, they knew clearly why they had come!
For the blood in his chest, for the land of ten thousand miles, for the land left behind by his ancestors!
On this day, the 100,000-strong army followed Zhao Kai's figure and headed toward the north.
Wherever their spears pointed, the world would collapse!
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]