It's the end of August, the end of autumn, and the weather has gradually turned cooler. The deciduous trees have turned yellow in large areas, and the mountains and rivers have changed colors in the long and deserted autumn wind.
The rivers and mountains of the Wu Dynasty were indeed changing colors.
This is the age of heroes. On both sides of the Yellow River, countless imperial troops and Wu Dynasty rebels participated in the battle against the Jurchen invasion. Zongze, the Red Scarf Army, the Eight-Character Army, the Wuma Mountain Rebel Army, the Great Light Sect...
Individual people, forces, heroes and knights made their own struggles and sacrifices in this chaotic tide.
In Zongfu, after Zongbi's army captured Yingtian, the ancient city was slaughtered like a ghost town. Shortly after Zongze's death, Bianliang was broken again. The rebels in the north and south of the Yellow River lost control and chose to fight in their own ways. All parts of the Central Plains
, although rebels continue to emerge, the area ruled by the Jurchens is still expanding.
More civilians chose to flee south. On the main roads from north to south, every big city gradually began to become overcrowded. This kind of fleeing wave is not the same as the famine that occasionally breaks out in winter. The number of people and the scale of
It was so huge that it was difficult to describe. One or two cities could not digest it, so people continued to travel south. Jiangnan and other places that had been at peace for a long time finally clearly felt the shadow of the war and the trembling of the turmoil of the world.
Yangzhou City was the temporary residence of Emperor Jian Shuo Zhou Yong at this time. As the saying goes, fireworks set off Yangzhou in March. At this time, Yangzhou City was the most prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River, with famous families gathered, wealthy businessmen gathered, brothels and Chu pavilions
, everywhere. The only regret is that Yangzhou is the Jiangnan of culture, not the region of Jiangnan. It is actually located on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
When Zhou Yong left Yingtian, he originally wanted to cross the river and return to Jiangning, but the manpower around him blocked it. Emperor Dao just left Yingtian. If he crossed the Yangtze River again, his morale would be lost. Although Zhou Yong scoffed, he could not overcome these obstacles in the end.
, we chose Yangzhou, which is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, to settle down.
Although this place is not the Jiangning that he is already familiar with, it is not unacceptable to Zhou Yong. He was a idle prince in Jiangning. When he ascended the throne and went to Yingtian, his position as emperor was boring to death. He spent every day in Jiangning.
The harem was toying with the new concubine. The people in the city had to protest, so he ordered the killing of Chen Dong and Ouyang Che, who were inciting public opinion. After arriving in Yangzhou, no one dared to say more, and he could fully experience this every day.
The brothels in this city are prosperous.
By the end of August, Zhou Yong, who had been elected to the throne, was having fun in the palace every day, and had a great time asking the petty officials outside the palace to pay tribute to some folk women. As for political affairs, most of them were left to the officials in the court.
Huang Qianshan, Wang Boyan, Qin Hui and others have contributed to this, euphemistically calling it rule by inaction. That day Junwu came to the palace to make a fuss. He wanted to go back to Jiangning in a hurry. He drove away a group of people around Zhou Yong with red eyes.
All the women, including Zhou Yong, were helpless and retreated, taking his son aside to complain.
"Of course I know that you want to go back to Jiangning. Why don't you want to go back to Jiangning as a father? You are the prince now and I am the emperor. You crossed the river and now you want to go back. It is not easy. In this way, you can help me think of an idea on how to convince those people.
Minister..."
"Father, you just want to go back to avoid the war!" Jun Wu's eyes turned red and he glared at his father who was wearing a yellow robe in front of him. "I want to go back and continue my research on objects! If Yingtian doesn't hold on, all my things are in Jiangning! That hot air balloon
I'm about to find out. Now that the world is in danger, I don't have time to wait! And you, my father, you... you only know how to drink and have fun every day, do you know what's happening outside?"
"How could I not know? I want to lead a military expedition in person, Junwu, what do you think?" Zhou Yong's eyes became serious. His fat body was wearing a dragon robe, and when he narrowed his eyes, he seemed to have a vague air of majesty.
, But the next moment, the majesty collapsed, "But in fact, we can't defeat it. Jun Wu, you said that I only know how to avoid fighting, but I don't avoid fighting. If I take people out, I will be captured immediately! What are those soldiers like?
What about those ministers? Do you think my father doesn’t know about them? But compared to them, my father knows how to fight? How can he play with them in all the twists and turns? "
"..."
"Your father and I! When we were in Jiangning, we hit people on the head with a hammer. The smashing was very scary. I don't want to hit it again. I don't understand the affairs of the court. I don't interfere because I want to have peace of mind."
One day when things get messy, you can pick up a hammer and smash their heads! Junwu, you have been smart since you were a child, and you have outplayed them, so just go ahead and do it. Your father will support you, your imperial sister will also help you, you...
Do you know how to do it?"
Jun Wu's eyes were red and he didn't speak. Zhou Yong patted him on the shoulder and pulled him to sit by the lake on the side of the garden. The emperor was chubby and looked like a bear when he sat down, with his hands drooped.
"Your father has been an idle prince since he was a child. He was taught by the master at school and the family expected him to be a prince who knew how to eat, drink and have fun. Suddenly one day, he said that he wanted to be the emperor. Is this a good thing? I...I don't
If you are willing to intervene in anything, let them do it, let Junwu do it, otherwise what else can you do?"
He spread his hands: "I know what the world is like. The Jurchens are so powerful that no one can stop them. If they can't be stopped, the Wu Dynasty will be over. Jun Wu, if they fight like this, it will be very difficult for their father...
I'm afraid. You want me to go forward for my father, and my father doesn't know how to lead troops. If the two armies fight, and all these ministers run away, I don't know when to run. I think for my father, I can't stop you anyway.
, I can only run back, they chase me, and I will go south as a father. My Wu Dynasty is weak now, but after all, with two hundred years of foundation, maybe a hero will come out sometime... There should be some."
Junwu lowered his head: "The outside is already overcrowded. I go out to provide disaster relief and distribute food every day. When I see them, I feel uncomfortable. The Jurchens have already occupied the front line of the Yellow River. They cannot be defeated. Sooner or later, they will come over."
"Yeah." Zhou Yong nodded.
"I'm anxious. Now I know how Grandpa Qin and the others felt when they were in Bianliang..."
"Well..." Zhou Yong nodded again, "Your master even killed Zhou Zhe for this matter..."
"he……"
"Oh, my father is just thinking. My father may not be a good emperor. One day, someone like that will come and kill my father too." Zhou Yong patted his son on the shoulder again.
"Jun Wu, if you see such a person, you should win over him first. You have been smart since childhood, and so is your sister. I originally thought, what is the use of your being smart? Isn't it the fate of an idle prince in the future?
I wanted to call you stupid, but then I thought about it and let you two siblings go. These years, my father has not taken care of you. But in the future, you may be a good emperor. When I ascend the throne, that is
I think so."
The father and son had not communicated much until now. After listening to Zhou Yong's heart-wrenching words, Jun Wu could no longer get angry. After a while, Zhou Yong asked: "Is Han Wei's illness okay?
.”
Jun Wu shook his head: "It's not good yet." The wife he married was named Li Hanwei. She was a daughter of a prominent family in Jiangning. She was beautiful and well-educated. After the two got married, they treated each other as if they were guests. But as Jun Wu
All the way to Beijing and back to Yangzhou in a hurry, this kind of journey made the woman fall ill, and she is still not getting better now. A large part of Jun Wu's troubles came from this.
"Women are like clothes, you don't have to be too sad."
The emperor waved his hand and said some comforting words, but he was extremely stupid.
After these conversations, Jun Wu could no longer say anything to his father. He left the palace all the way, and when he returned to the mansion, a group of monks, witch doctors and others were mooing in the mansion, burning incense and lighting candles, and the demons were dancing wildly.
, thinking of his skinny wife, Jun Wu became more and more upset, so he ordered the driver to go out again. He passed through the streets of Yangzhou, which still looked prosperous and exquisite. The autumn wind was rustling and passers-by were in a hurry. When he arrived at the city wall, he started.
Refugees can be seen.
Climbing the city tower, people outside the city were densely packed with refugees. As the sun set, the city, rivers and mountains looked magnificent, but Jun Wu felt increasingly uncomfortable in his heart.
Over the past few days, he has seen more and more things. If he was still very high-spirited when his father took over the throne, many of his thoughts have been shattered now. As his father said, what are those ministers and the army?
He knew what it looked like. However, even if he did it himself, he might not be able to do better than these people.
After all, I am just a young man who has just seen this world. If I were a little stupider, I might be able to give random directions with high spirits. It is precisely because I can understand more or less that I know how intricate the relationship is when I really take matters into my hands.
It's complicated. He can support Yue Fei and other generals to train troops, but if he goes further, he will touch the entire huge system. If he does one thing, he may mess up three or four things. Even if he is the prince, he does not dare to mess around.
Perhaps this is what Grandpa Qin and his teacher encountered in Bianliang a few years ago. This seemingly peaceful city was actually crumbling. The sky was about to fall and the earth was about to collapse. This piece of land was like lying on a bed.
The skinny wife tried to save the day but was unable to do so. Seeing the approaching misfortune, he stood at the top of the city and suddenly shed tears.
Soon after, the Jurchens broke through Xuzhou, the last line of defense leading to Yangzhou, and crushed them towards Yangzhou.
At this time, they did not know that in the northwest, the battle between the Chinese Army and the Jurchen West Route Army was still going on fiercely.
Fan Hongji rode his horse on the rugged mountain road. Although it was dusty, the official uniform of the envoy on his body was not too messy.
After the Chinese army went to war with the Jurchens, this was his last mission to Xiaocanghe on behalf of the Jin Kingdom.
Although the war has begun, the humility of the strong is not shameful. Of course, on the other hand, it also means that the Chinese army has indeed shown surprising strength in its actions.
Back on the night of August 25th, the Chinese Black Flag Army fought against the Jurchen elite cavalry led by Wanyan Loushi. Under the frontal impact of tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalry, the same number of black flag infantry were overwhelmed.
However, they were not pushed down from the front. A large number of military formations still maintained their formations despite the intense confrontation, and part of the defensive formations were pushed away. However, after a moment, the soldiers of the Black Flag Army began to shout and fight.
Move closer to the companions next to you, organize the battalion and company, and form a solid defensive formation again.
When the gunfire started to sound one after another, the defensive formation even began to advance, actively cutting and squeezing the Jurchen cavalry's advance route. The Jurchens - or Wanyan Loushi - were keen on the battlefield at this time.
Coming out, the three cavalry detachments were almost stuck to the ranks of the Black Flag Army. Using them as a background, they rushed straight into the Black Flag center array with cannons. The center array formed under the command of Qin Shaoqian and put up a tenacious resistance.
The hole was once dug open by Jurchen cavalry, but it was finally patched up.
The Jurchen cavalry, who failed to succeed in one blow, began to charge quickly and leave the battlefield. Under the command of Wanyan Loushi, an extremely fierce fight broke out on the east side of the battlefield, like the collision of two huge stone mills. However, under the advance of the artillery,
Up to this point, Wanyan Loushi had also twisted the Jurchen cavalry into one force as much as possible, and left the battlefield while maintaining the deterrent power of the huge arrows. Then he circled the battlefield and rained arrows, forcing Han Jing back, and headed towards Yanzhou.
The north side of the city rushed over.
This was just a round of fighting. The confrontation was so dangerous and fierce, and the intensity of the battle was staggering. In a short period of time, the Black Flag Army demonstrated peak-level formation coordination capabilities, while the Jurchen side
This shows Wanyan Loushi's high acumen for the battlefield and his ability to control the cavalry. When he was about to fall into the quagmire, he quickly gathered the brigade, suppressed the Black Flag Army, and ordered the entire army to withdraw from the sticking area during the charge.
When the Black Flag Army's artillery array dealt with these cavalry who seemed to be loose but actually had the same goal, they were not even able to cause large-scale casualties - at least, the casualties were much less than the casualties during the confrontation.
What really affected the Jurchen cavalry was, first of all, the head-on conflict, and secondly, the large-scale equipment of powerful crossbows in the army with the support of the assembly line. When the Black Flag Army began to hold the formation and fired at the cavalry with crossbows at close range, the results of the battle were
It definitely made Wanyan Loushi feel painful.
After this fierce collision that lasted for a short period of time, the Jurchen cavalry, which had originally assumed the attitude of destroying the Black Flag Army in one battle, showed no interest in fighting and rushed straight towards Yanzhou City. At this time, northwest of Yanzhou City,
The infantry and heavy baggage troops arranged by Wanyan Lou's room had already evacuated, and they had begun to take advantage of the chaos to attack the city.
Soon after, the army led by Hongti also arrived. Five thousand people entered the battlefield and intercepted the Jurchen infantry's retreat. After Wanyan Loushi's cavalry arrived, they fought with Hongti's army and covered the escape of the infantry. Han Jing led the army
The cavalry chased them one after another, and soon the Chinese army group also chased them and joined the Hongti army.
The Jurchen cavalry, which had joined the infantry, could not evacuate quickly, and the Chinese army pursued them step by step. That night, the chasing and biting began for most of the night. On the rugged journey of more than thirty miles, the two sides used force to
The Jurchens' cavalry continued to disperse, using their speed to harass the Chinese army. However, the Chinese army's formation efficiency was staggering, and the cavalry stood out, trying to defeat the Jurchens' cavalry or infantry in any form.
Pulled into the quagmire of fierce fighting.
Marching and fighting in such a dark night, accidents occurred on both sides. Wanyan Lou's troops were unscrupulous, and occasionally used several cavalry to tear apart the Black Flag Army's team from a distance, causing casualties little by little, but Black Flag
The aggressiveness of the army and the cooperation of the infantry and cavalry also caused the Jurchens to be in a situation where they were left to their own devices. Several small-scale battles resulted in the Jurchens leaving dozens or dozens of corpses.
After chasing like this for most of the night, both sides were exhausted and set up fortifications two or three miles apart in the northwest of Yanzhou. On the morning of the next day, before they had slept well, they saw the Black Flag Army pushing the artillery array towards the enemy again.
In the front, when the Jurchens formed a formation, the Black Flag Army had already pushed forward again. Wanyan Loushi commanded the army to detour, and then fought a battle with the opponent with a large-scale cavalry.
In the next two days, friction and conflicts continued between them. One had amazing discipline and coordination capabilities, while the other had keen control of the battlefield and the ability to command troops to the highest level. The two troops were in this area.
The ground collided crazily, like a heavy hammer and an iron felt, each ferociously trying to swallow the other up.
Facing the most powerful army and the most powerful general in the world, the Black Flag Army's response was so ferocious. This was something that no one had expected.
Recalling his several missions to Xiaocanghe, Fan Hongji had never thought of this. After all, it was Wanyan Lou's room.
When we were about to reach Xiaocang River, it started to rain in the sky... (To be continued.) xh:.218.204.13