On February 27th, the weather had begun to get warmer, and the fields near Zhending were filled with flowers of various colors.
The earth seemed quiet, and crows flew down, pecking at the corpses among the wild flowers. The spreading blood had begun to condense. It had been one day since the end of the war in Zhending Mansion. The iron cavalry spread across the land, heading towards
Within a radius of tens of miles to the south, more than 100,000 troops were being routed and fled.
In mid-February of the second year of Wu Jianshuo's reign, the Jurchens swore to send troops, which kicked off the third conquest of force. On February 23, the Jurchen Middle Route Army, led by Nianhan, shortly after crossing Yanmen Pass, encountered the Wu Dynasty general Hou Xin.
led an army of 150,000 to intercept.
Since the Jurchen army broke through Bianliang and returned north last year, the number of troops nominally affiliated to the Wu Dynasty in the area north of the Yellow River and south of Yanmen Pass has been expanding. On the one hand, the number of those who fell into disgrace and became bandits in order to survive has increased sharply.
On the other hand, several armies previously stationed here have been expanding their armies in an expedient manner in order to prepare for future wars and stabilize their own territory.
After King Dekang came to power and the Yuan Dynasty was changed to Jianshuo, Zongze, who was in charge of the northern garrison, worked tirelessly back and forth to integrate several civilian forces north of the Yellow River, numbering tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, into the regular military system of the Wu Dynasty. At this time,
On the land north of the Yellow River, groups of bandits and military forces were divided into various parties, forming the first line of defense against the Jurchens.
Hou Xinhou Wenjing was originally the commander-in-chief of Wu Shengjun. This time when the Jurchens went south, he did not choose to retreat. He told his subordinates: "The family and the country are in danger, and a man has no choice but to face the difficulties." He then swore an oath to come. When the battle began, Zong Han
Seeing that the morale of this army was high, they did not fight with it. The two sides tested it back and forth for two days. In the early morning of February 26, they launched an attack on Hou Xin's troops with iron cavalry.
At this time, Wu Sheng's army had already been defeated by the Jurchens in their first two southern expeditions. At this time, the army was hastily expanded to 150,000, and it was itself a mixed bag. Zong Han attacked at night. Hou Xin was somewhat prepared at first.
However, after engaging the enemy, more than 100,000 people still mutinied. The Jurchen cavalry penetrated Wu Shengjun's defense line like a torrent. That night, the corpses of the soldiers killed by the Jurchens piled up like mountains and blood flowed into rivers. On the 26th, Yin
The technique can take advantage of the situation and capture Zhending Mansion.
On the morning of the 27th, broken soldiers crowded the roads and mountains south of Zhending. These soldiers, good and bad, fled south wildly. Some of them were originally bandits. After being recruited and absorbed by the regular army, they were controlled by military law and were also controlled by military law.
It aroused the first bloody wave of fighting against the Jurchens, but in the process of escaping, these things finally disappeared.
Yuanchang County, sixty miles away from Zhending, was crowded with the first wave of soldiers who fled. The order had begun to become chaotic. A group of hundreds of people drove away the people in the county, telling them that the Jurchens were killing
The news came, urging everyone to flee here. During this drive, they also began to rob the county's little wealth, grain and rice, and raped women. The county magistrate Liu Dongxiu tried to stop this chaos.
That afternoon, he was killed in the conflict, and his body was displayed in the county government hall. Soon after, the marauding soldiers dispersed like birds and beasts.
Yuanchang County is not the only place where this phenomenon occurs. Zhending, Taiyuan and other places have already suffered from wars in previous wars. In a sense, they are almost abandoned places. Soldiers are disintegrating
On the way, it became clear that the general situation in this area was over. There were still passionate and concerned people running towards the south and defecting to other armies and rebels. More than half of them began to think about themselves. They either fled into the mountains or dispersed into distant places. During this period, looking for
There are not a few people who plunder the nearby villagers and enjoy themselves in a merry way.
During the pacification, the bandits who were recruited became soldiers. After the defeat, the soldiers turned into bandits again.
The rout of 100,000 people caused more people to flee, and scouts and spies from various places fled in different directions at a faster speed. In this way, the menacing messages from the Jurchens came like a tidal wave.
to the whole world.
More troops gathered north of the Yellow River. However, after seeing the military power of the Jurchen war god Wanyan Zonghan again, everyone began to adopt a more cautious attitude and did not dare to make any more aggressive moves.
On the Yellow River defense line, Zongze quickly assembled the limited troops at hand and strengthened defenses along the Yellow River in Bianliang. While writing letters to stabilize the morale of several rebel armies north of the Yellow River, he also sent a message to Yingtian, hoping that this would
At that time, His Majesty was able to resist resolutely to enhance the morale of the army.
In Yingtian, more messages and arguments filled the Jinluan Palace. Emperor Zhou Yong was completely confused. He had only been on the throne for half a year, but the invincible Jurchen army was already heading south. This time, Wanyan Zonghan led the middle route army to attack directly.
Coming, there was no danger to defend in the direction of Taiyuan, and the East Route Army led by the Jurchen princes Wanyan Zongfu, Wanyan Zongbi and others rushed towards Shandong, with the slogan of destroying the Wu Dynasty and capturing Zhou Yong alive. At this time, although the defense line in the north was
The number of troops was at its peak, but it was too large and inadequate. No one in the court was sure whether they could stop the Jurchens.
During this period, Li Gang, the left prime minister, still advocated strict defense and insisted on keeping the Jurchens away from the Yellow River, waiting for King Qin's army to destroy the Jurchen army. In Yingtian City, in order to resist the Jurchens, the crowd was furious. Imperial students Chen Dong, Ouyang Che and others
Running every day, calling for resistance.
However, the first two attempts to resist the Jurchens failed. At this time, the voices of the peace faction in the court had also risen. This was different from the situation in which Tang Ke and others were reprimanded for fear of fighting. At this time, with the Right Prime Minister Huang Qianshan and the Privy Council envoy
The voices led by Wang Boyan and others advocating to escape south have also gained market share. Many people believe that if the Jurchens are really powerful and difficult to control, they may have to hunt south first, trading space for time, and using the terrain of the southern waterways to contain them.
The advantage of the Jurchens in horse fighting.
After all, it had only been a year since Emperor Jingping was kidnapped to the north, and it was still the biggest shame for the entire Wu Dynasty. If the newly ascended Emperor Jianshuo was also kidnapped, the Wu Dynasty might really be over.
Rationally speaking, in the next few years, this Jurchen army, which has risen rapidly and has not even declined at this time, looks like it is invincible and unstoppable - although there seemed to be one,
But for the princes in the court at this time, they were a little reluctant to consider it. After all, the leader of the army once said to them disdainfully in the Jinluan Palace: "A bunch of trash."
If that person just beat Tong Guan to death, killed Zhou Zhe, or that was it. However, such a sentence actually shows that in the eyes of the other party, other people are not as good as the corrupt officials and traitorous ministers they call them.
There is no difference. This is something that Li Gang and others cannot tolerate.
Now, the situation in the northwest where that man is located has become completely unpredictable.
Xiaocanghe also suddenly became nervous.
The training of soldiers is carried out every day. A large amount of materials that can be scavenged from the outside world are also constantly coming in and out of the mountains - this also includes transactions with Qingmuzhai.
By the river beach, a training session had just ended. Luo Ye left behind the soldiers who were almost paralyzed by exhaustion. He washed his face in a hurry in the river water, then walked quickly to the barracks, took out a small notebook and charcoal, and walked towards the mountainside.
When they were in a group of buildings, they met two soldiers who were running in a hurry with serious expressions. Both of them were members of the Secret Investigation Department of the Zhuji System. Luo Ye also knew them, so he grabbed one of them and said, "What's wrong?"
When the news of the Jurchen's southern invasion came, the atmosphere in the entire Xiaocang River Valley began to become tense and solemn. Those in charge of intelligence would probably be questioned many times every day, hoping to find out the specific news from the outside first. That person and Luo Ye were also extremely worried.
He is familiar with me and is a member of the Huayan Society. He looked around and felt a little embarrassed: "It's not an external matter. I may be punished this time."
"What's going on?" Luo Ye frowned. "Did you commit a crime?"
"Beimong, you also know what happened to Shopkeeper Lu. Someone told his family. Today, Mingfang's mother went to Mr. Ning to cry and complain, hoping to get accurate information."
He spoke very quickly. When talking about this matter, Luo Ye nodded. He also knew the news. Originally, during the Wu Dynasty, the Right Prime Minister's Office had a secret reconnaissance department, part of which had been integrated into the Bamboo Records. After Ning Yi's rebellion,
, the intelligence system in Bamboo Records is still in the name of secret investigation, and one of the three people in charge is Lu Yannian, Shopkeeper Lu. Last year, Shopkeeper Lu was the first to go through the trade route to the Jin Kingdom in the north, and redeemed some people who were captured by the Jurchens.
The craftsman who went there, his son Lu Mingfang liked to talk and laugh, and he had some friendship with Luo Ye. He was not yet twenty years old. He always worked with Lu Yannian.
This time before the Jurchens went south, the north suddenly began to purge the southern spies. After a few days of silence, members of the Bamboo Records who escaped from the north brought back the news. The intelligence team led by Lu Yannian was the first to bear the brunt and was ambushed in the clouds. Shopkeeper Lu Yannian
I'm afraid they are dead, and the rest are also in danger. This time, the Jurchen high-level officials acted very fiercely. In order to cooperate with the army's march south, a terrible bloody storm was set off in the Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, and any Han people who had the slightest suspicion were massacred.
.
Although everyone in Zhuji had plans in advance when facing this kind of thing, in this atmosphere of massacre where the Han people were not treated as human beings, they also suffered heavy losses. Only then did the news of the Jurchen army's large-scale march south spread.
Luo Ye thought for a moment: "Aunt Huo is actually a sensible person, so she shouldn't cause too much trouble to Mr. Ning."
"It's not for this..." The man sighed, and saw another companion waving and urging him from a distance, and waved his hand, "Oh, you will know after a while. Don't spread this matter to anyone else.
Don’t even mention it again.”
He walked away, and Luo Ye reacted: "I understand."
In the courtyard halfway up the mountain, Su Tan'er accompanied the crying wife of the Lu family and was consoling her carefully - in fact, for any woman, comforting her husband and son might be dead.
All are powerless.
In another meeting room, the middle and senior management of the Zhuji Intelligence Department had gathered. Ning Yi looked at them coldly: "...You think there is no problem with the people in the valley. You think the friends around you
They are all loyal and reliable. You yourself think that something is a big thing and something is a trivial matter, so you can take trivial matters lightly. Do you know that you are engaged in intelligence?"
"You may not be able to see your own importance now, even though I have told you repeatedly! You are the most important part of life and death in war! Predict the enemy's opportunity! Predict the enemy's opportunity! What is the concept! What are you facing?
What kind of enemy is that!"
"Jurchens, they have started to move south. No one can stop them! Neither can we! The Xiaocanghe Qingmuzhai has less than 50,000 people in total, and we are not even qualified to put a gap in their teeth. You think everyone around you is reliable?
, maybe some time someone who is greedy for life and afraid of death will join them! Your trust is meaningless, your taking it for granted is meaningless, discipline is meaningful! If you have one less oversight and one more result, your companions may be
Hundreds of thousands more people have survived. Since you think they are trustworthy and reliable, you should be responsible for them with the strictest discipline."
"Aunt Huo is a reasonable woman, but regardless of whether she is reasonable or not, Shopkeeper Lu may still not be able to come back. If you are better, you may be able to detect the Jurchens' actions before they take action. Is there any room for improvement?
I think we can start with our own weaknesses. This time, anyone who discusses unpublished information with those around them will be punished! Do you think there is a problem?"
After he said this, there was a loud voice in the room: "No."
Ning Yi knocked on the table a few times: "The Jurchens are coming. It's hard to say whether we will be affected, but it is very likely. No matter how much preparation we make, it may not be enough. Defeating Xixia is not a good thing. We have already gone through it."
Entering other people's sight early, this is actually the worst case scenario, you..."
Before he finished speaking, someone reported outside the door, but it was Xiao Hei who was responsible for interrogating him. He walked over and said a few words. Ning Yi paused. Then he looked at everyone in the room:
The worst is still coming.
On this day, few people in the room heard the content of that sentence. Even if they heard it, it was never spread. However, that night, most people in the valley still learned what happened. The Jurchen army sent
The messenger has arrived in the valley to convey the last ultimatum to Xiaocanghe.
After hearing the news, some people in the valley were indignant, some were excited, and some were worried. Without any organization from above, Luo Ye and others spontaneously summoned soldiers and held a meeting to encourage them and strengthen their fighting spirit. But of course,
The real decision-making still has to be made by Ning Yi.
That night, not many people knew what Ning Yi had talked about with the envoy. The next day, after training, Luo Ye and others went to class as scheduled and gathered together to discuss the situation of the Jurchen army going south.
At this time, the news of the mobilization of the Jurchen army was already clear in the river valley. Zong Han of the Central Route Army, Zong Fu of the East Route Army, and Zong Bi all rushed towards Yingtian without thinking about it. But the real threat to the northwest was the female
The Zhenren's Western Route Army only had 10,000 Jin soldiers in this army, but its leader should not be ignored. He was Wanyan Loushi, one of the most outstanding generals in the Jurchen army.
This man had great military exploits in the Jurchen army. He was the one who captured Emperor Tianzuo of Liao and Yelu Dashi alive. During the two Jurchen campaigns, he achieved numerous victories in Taiyuan, Guan, Shaanxi and other places. He was best at using the Golden Army as the core.
, supplemented by lowering soldiers and fake soldiers to expand his own fighting style. He often fights more and more soldiers under his command. He is very skillful in politics, military, strategy and tactics. Even among the Jurchens who have numerous generals at this time, he is probably the best.
The one who is the strongest at the tactical level.
As Ning Yi said, when Xixia was defeated, Xiaocanghe had also fallen into the eyes of the Jurchens in advance. If the arrival of the Jurchen envoys meant that the Jin Kingdom’s high-level officials were planning on this, Xiaocanghe’s army would be very likely to succeed.
They may have to face off against this invincible Jurchen general. Although the Black Flag Army has 7,000 men and has defeated the 100,000-strong Xixia army, the number of enemies they have defeated one after another on the other side is probably in the millions.
Battles with a disparity of more than one to ten are common.
A group of people were discussing in the room, and voices gradually came from outside the door. Among the voices was Ning Yi, and there were also some slightly strange Chinese words. Everyone stopped to discuss, and on the other side of the door, Ning Yi and a man in Jinguo official uniforms
The figure appeared.
With a sound of "wow", everyone looked at the door and stood up together. The envoy from the Kingdom of Jin was obviously stunned for a moment. Ning Yi looked around at the people inside: "This is the envoy from the Kingdom of Jin, Envoy Fan Hongji, Fan Hongji."
Sir, this is a son of our army." He spread his hands and said, "Let's go."
Fan Hongji looked around and laughed: "He is indeed a hero. No wonder he can achieve such a great result. Oh, by the way, Fan remembered something."
"oh?"
"When leaving Yunzhong, Master Gushen and Master Shi asked Fan to bring two things to Mr. Ning for a look. There are so many people here at this time, so we might as well take a look at them together."
As Fan Hongji said, the two guards following him had already come over. They took out the two big boxes that had been hanging beside them and walked into the room. Chen Fan came over with a smile, and Ning Yi also spread his hands.
, smiled: "Is it a gift? Let's go aside and take a look."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."
The two men were tall, and they must have been warriors in the Jurchen army. They were immediately held down by Chen Fan, and with a simple push, one of the boxes was squeezed open. Fan Hongji opened the box, and some lime shook.
Coming out, Fan Hongji copied the contents in his hand. Ning Yi's eyes froze slightly and his smile did not change, but many people inside had already seen it.
That's a human head.
There was silence for a moment inside and outside the room. There seemed to be a faint sound of someone's fist clenching, and Ning Yi's voice rang out: "What do you mean by bringing this kind of thing over?" His words had become calmer and no longer loud.
To stop the other party, the envoy named Fan Hongji smiled, took the pickled human head, walked into the door, and placed the head on the table. The other guard also went in with the wooden box, put it down, and opened the box.
.
Everyone in the room looked here calmly. Fan Hongji's eyes met theirs and he glanced over with a smile.
"Nothing. Not long ago, some people made trouble in Yunzhong Mansion, and these are two of them. They want to buy Han slaves in Yunzhong and send them back to the Central Plains. This kind of thing is not allowed in our Kingdom of Jin, but these two
They were warriors. After they were captured, they refused to tell their origins no matter how hard they were tortured, and finally committed suicide. Master Gushen was impressed by their bravery and admired them very much. He said, these may be your people. He asked Fan to bring them
I will admit it to you, and if it is true, I can let them rest in peace."
Fan Hongji smiled with calm eyes. Ning Yi also had calm eyes with a smile. The eyes of a group of people in the room were also calm. Some people slightly pulled out a smile at the corners of their mouths. This is extremely weird.
It was quiet, and murderous intent seemed to be brewing and spreading. However, Fan Hongji was not afraid of anyone. He was the envoy of the most powerful army in the world. He did not have to be afraid of anyone or anything.
On the table, Lu Yannian's eyes were opened, staring quietly ahead, empty and dead.
Just as the Jurchen army rushed towards the entire world, time briefly froze in this corner of the northwest.