The desolate autumn wind blew across the fields, the black smoke pillars of burned corpses rose into the sky, and the stench of corpses spread everywhere.
After the war, Jiangning was shrouded in a gray atmosphere of death.
The lights and gongs and drums in the city could not hide the sadness in the fields outside the city. Not long ago, millions of troops clashed and dispersed here, and many people died in the roar of artillery and fighting.
, the surviving soldiers had various directions.
Some generals led their soldiers to surrender again to the new king of the Wu Dynasty.
Some generals or leaders took their brothers from the same place with them to relatively wealthy but remote places.
Some soldiers had already lost their courage in this war. After losing their ranks, they dragged their hungry and exhausted bodies on the long road home alone.
The dispersion of the crowd was more like a symbol of troubled times. Within a few days, it spread on hundreds of miles of roads outside Jiangning City and in the mountains, they were all deserters.
While being held in captivity by the Jurchens, the soldiers had already lost their daily necessities, and after a bloody battle in Jiangning, the fleeing soldiers could neither trust the Wu Dynasty nor fear the Jurchens.
A fight for food quickly ensued.
People with obsessions fell on the road. Hungry soldiers with extraordinary skills hid in the hills and hunted their fellow soldiers. Some groups of soldiers who wanted to leave the war zone quickly began to devour the surrounding skirmishers. I don’t know how many things happened in the meantime.
A tragic, outrageous thing.
Most of the soldiers who surrendered to the new emperor were not properly resettled for a while. The city was besieged for several months and the autumn harvest was missed. The food in Jiangning City was almost at the bottom. Jun Wu, Yue Fei and others resorted to burning cauldrons and sinking boats.
The ambition to fight was actually a desperate counterattack. At this time, the joy of victory had not yet completely settled in my heart, and new problems had already hit me head-on.
The number of soldiers from the Yuanwu Dynasty, which exceeds 400,000 and is still increasing, defected to this side. The first thing they asked for was a large amount of food, military supplies, and medicine. However, in a short period of time, the Junwu side did not even have the accommodation for so many people.
It's impossible to get it all together.
After nine months of fierce fighting in the eleventh year of Jian Shuo, corpses piled up outside Jiangning City, and the epidemic was actually spreading. In the camp where people had gathered before, the Jurchens even massacred the entire camp of wounded soldiers several times, and then set fire to them all.
.After the previous battle, even the collection and burning of corpses was a problem in the following days. The reserves used for epidemic prevention in Jiangning City, such as lime and other materials, were quickly seen within two or three days after the end of the war.
end.
These are all trivial matters. On a truly harsh reality level, the biggest problem lies in Wanyan Zongfu's army that fled to Taiping Prefecture after being defeated.
Although in the mutiny and counterattack of millions of people, the Jurchen army, which was attacked head-on by Zhenhai and Beiwei armies, suffered heavy losses and fled in embarrassment, Wanyan Zongfu did not die and the core of the Jurchen army was not attacked.
Collapse. Once Zong Fu, Zong Bi and others regroup and attack, and no longer treat the surrendered troops of the Wu Dynasty with inhuman high-pressure policies, Jiangning City, once again bitten, will probably never have the opportunity to coerce millions of people to break out of the siege.
.
Even the hundreds of thousands of troops who have surrendered will become a serious burden on the Junwu side - it is difficult for these soldiers to generate any combat power in a short period of time, and even bringing them into Jiangning City is a risk.
I have been starving outside the city for two months, and I am not a native of Jiangning. Once I enter the city and suffer from hunger, I am afraid that it will not be long before there will be internal strife in the city again, and the city will be sold in order to have a bite to eat.
The black smoke continues, the sun rises and the moon sets, hundreds of thousands of people are working endlessly on the remains of the battlefield, camps made of old tents and shacks are built again, Jun Wu wears a white scarf on his forehead, going in and out of the city In addition, there are short breaks for several days, and the officials at all levels under his command are even more busy.
Immediately after the victory of the war, envoys were sent out to lobby in various parts of the Wu Dynasty. After that, there were various matters such as treatment, comfort, recruitment, distribution... to encourage and even celebrate the people in the city. In addition, the daily expenses for porridge, rice, and medicine are all in a running account.
Three days after the victory of this battle, the staff who had begun to look towards the future summarized their various opinions. Jun Wu's eyes were red and bloodshot. On the evening of September 11th, Shen Ruxin went to the tower. I went to deliver food to Junwu and saw him standing silently in the red sunset, looking into the distance.
Shen Ruxin stepped forward to say hello, and Jun Wu was silent for a long time before he reacted. The official moved the table on the tower, Shen Ruxin put some simple food on the table, and Jun Wu sat in the sun, staring blankly at the bowls, chopsticks, and dishes in his hands. There were several side dishes on the table, his eyes became bloodier and redder, and he gritted his teeth and was speechless.
There was a faint sound of celebratory gongs in the city.
Shen Ruxin said: "Your Majesty, we have won the battle after all. You are about to succeed the emperor and take the title of emperor. Why..."
Jun Wu waved the hand holding the chopsticks: "Succession, succession, succession! How can there be an emperor like me! How can I have the face to be an emperor!"
His reaction startled Shen Ruxin, she quickly stood up, picked up the chopsticks, and whispered: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Two days before the victory, Jun Wu was tired but happy, but now, he finally felt like It was as if he was overwhelmed by something.
"...We are going to abandon the city and leave." Jun Wu was silent for a long time, and then he put down his job and said such a sentence. He stood up unsteadily and walked to the door of the tower room, speaking as loudly as possible. Calm: "Not enough to eat."
"... After defeating the Jurchens, you didn't gain anything at all?" Shen Ruxin asked in a low voice.
"Hundreds of thousands of people were killed like hungry ghosts. Those who could be snatched were either divided or burned by the Jurchens... Even if Zongfu's logistics could be retained, it would be of little use. There were more than 400,000 people outside the city. It's just a burden. If the Jurchens come again, we won't be able to go there. To the southwest is Taiping Prefecture occupied by Zongfu. To the east, Zhenjiang is already in ruins. To the south, we will only run into the Jurchens head-on. To the north, we can't even cross the Yangtze River. There are not even enough boats..."
Jun Wu said: "We are three months late. The power of the Wu Dynasty has been destroyed. The Jiangnan area has the most surrenders. Even if there are loyal people, we cannot stay here for long. The Jurchens have taken advantage of the autumn harvest, and the general trend is It was done. General Yue and others also said that I could only escape and never be besieged by the Jurchens again. Otherwise, no matter where I defended, I would have no choice but to wait for the Jurchens' power to rise higher and higher... I risked my life and fought. I won the battle, but I can only run. Ruxin, do you know what will happen to the people of Jiangning after I run away?"
He walked out of the door. From the high tower lookout, he could see the city wall below, as well as the row upon row of houses and residences in Jiangning City. The city wall that had experienced a year of bloody battles became extraordinarily majestic in the setting sun. Standing at the top of the city The soldiers' armor is old, but they seem to have an aura of incomparable vicissitudes and determination.
"I grew up in Jiangning since I was a child. During the ten years I was the prince, I lived in Jiangning most of the time. I defended Jiangning to the death. The people here regard me as one of their own - some of them trust me as if they were They trust their children, so in the past few months, no matter how difficult it was in the city, they didn't say a word about the hardships. We were desperate and fighting to this extent, but next... I'm going to succeed in front of their eyes... and then run away? "
When he said this, his eyes were sad. Shen Ruxin had completely understood that she could not weigh these things. Such things were also a nightmare for her that she could not make a choice: "Can you really...can't hold on?"
"There is no food in the city, and we may be able to survive for a year and a half by relying on cannibalism. In the past, it was said that if Wu Qibuy died, he might have a chance of survival. But when the war reaches this level, once Jiangning is surrounded, even if Wu Qibuy dies, , they will not go back easily." Jun Wu closed his eyes, "...I can only collect as many boats as possible, send people across the Yangtze River, and escape for their lives..."
He stood on the observation deck for a while, as the setting sun slowly faded away, gradually leaving a little residual fire. The lights above and below the city lit up, illuminating the outline of the city, the cold light on the iron clothing on the city wall, and the antique houses that entered the city. , the flowing water and small bridges on the Qinhuai River, places where he had lived since childhood, and which Ning Yi had also seen with novel eyes.
"I know... what is right, and I also know what to do..." Jun Wu's voice came out from his throat, slightly hoarse, "Back then... the teacher was talking to his soldiers in Xia Village and said, you guys It’s very difficult to fight for your life and win once, but don’t think that you can win this way. You have to win ten times, win a hundred times, and go through hundreds of difficulties before these things will end... On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year , I thought it would be over if I risked my life, but now I understand, Ruxin, if you win the most difficult battle, there will be hundreds of thousands of difficulties ahead... I can figure it out... "
"But even if I can figure it out..." he gritted his teeth, "...they are really suffering."
Jun Wu thought of the arrow that flew from outside Zhenjiang City and was shot into his stomach. He thought, "That's it." He thought that he would not be afraid or sad going forward, but of course that was not the case. After overcoming one difficulty, he finally saw hundreds of dangers ahead. This evening, it was probably the first time that he shed tears as an emperor.
That night, he remembered the existence of his master, summoned Wenren Buer, and asked him about the progress of searching for members of the Chinese Army - in the surrender camp outside Jiangning City, the personnel responsible for secretly linking and inciting were clearly aware of the other party's As a result of the activities of one force, when the war began, a large number of unknown people participated in instigating rebellion against the surrendering generals and soldiers.
After the war, Junwu arranged for someone to be responsible for communicating with the other party. He originally thought that he had succeeded to the throne at this time, many things were different from before, and the communication would definitely go smoothly. But the strange thing is that after these few days, he has not yet Contact Master's "Bamboo Records" members.
On the night of September 13th, Jun Wucai saw a skinny man attracted by Wenren Buer in his mansion. This man's name was Jiang Yuan, who was originally a middle-level member of the Chinese army here.
During the conversation with the other party, Jun Wu realized that the collapse of the Wu Dynasty was too fast and too hasty. In order to protect some people, Zhu Ji had already risked exposing his identity, especially during the Jiangning battle. Among them, Ling Zhiguang, the leader who was originally sent by Ning Yi to take charge of the situation in Lin'an, has passed away. At this time, another responsible responder from Jiangning was also seriously injured and fell into a coma. It is not known whether he can wake up at this time. Some of the remaining personnel After getting in touch one after another, we decided to meet with Jun Wu.
Jun Wu nodded. From the other party's seemingly simple statement, he could guess how many things happened.
"...Originally, Mr. Ning issued the anti-corruption order at the beginning of the year and sent us here in the hope of strengthening the will of everyone in the Wu Dynasty to fight against the Jin Dynasty. But now it seems that we have failed to fulfill our responsibilities, and instead we have done something for Wanyan Xi
The ride taken by Yin and others..."
As Jiang Yuan spoke, Jun Wu waved his hand: "This is none of your business. Your dispatch at the beginning of the year and the dispatch of the old hero Fulu helped us a lot. The morale of the army has been greatly boosted. This is not a lie. It is just a matter of success.
We need to unite as one, and only a few mice can do bad things. The Wu Dynasty made its own mistakes, and I can't blame you."
"Your Majesty is reasonable and reasonable, which is a blessing to the Wu Dynasty." Na Jiang Yuan showed no expression as he cupped his hands and thanked him.
"... Mr. Nanning, you have taught me many things earlier. Now... I am about to ascend the throne. There are many things we can talk about. I have just sent people to get medicine. I don’t know how many of you are here.
, if there is anyone else who needs help, just ask. I know you sent many people out earlier, if you need food, we still have some..."
"...There's enough to eat." Jiang Yuan held his hand and his eyes trembled, "There are not many people left."
His words were short and cruel. Jun Wu opened his mouth but could not speak. However, Jiang Yuanqiang, who was originally expressionless, smiled and explained: "Actually... most people have gone there by the end of May."
Go to Changsha and prepare for the battle. The two groups who stay here to support His Majesty's actions... have enough food."
Jun Wu nodded. The Wu Dynasty had already seen its decline at the end of May and began to collapse in June. After that, Chen Fan made a surprise attack on Changsha. The Chinese Army was ready for a full-scale war with the Jurchens. He made an appointment with everyone in the Chinese Army, and originally had some thoughts in his heart.
Hope, hope that the teacher has left some backup here, maybe he does not need to choose to leave Jiangning, there are other ways to take... But at this time, Jun Wu pressed his fists tightly on his knees and opened his mouth
My thoughts were depressed.
The depression in my heart was relieved a lot.
When the world is in ruins, who can have any spare time? Among the Chinese soldiers in front of us and the teachers in Southwest China, which man has not come through the desperate situation?
"I ascended the throne on the fifteenth day... but Jiangning has become a dead place. I will work with General Yue and others to block the Jurchens and try to evacuate all the people in the city. You guys are helping me too much. When the time comes... please take care of yourself. If possible, I will
I’ll arrange for you to leave by car and boat, don’t refuse.”
On September 15th, Jun Wu ascended the throne as emperor in Jiangning City and named his reign "Zhenxing".
After the new king succeeded to the throne, Jiangning City was crowded with people and lanterns were like dragons. Jun Wu sat in a dragon chariot and passed through the streets he was already familiar with. Looking at the cheering crowds on the roadside, he stretched out his hand to grab the dragon robe. Under the sun, his heart
I only feel sadness in my heart, like a knife being twisted...
At the same time, in the large and small cities near Changsha, the first round of fighting had already flowed into rivers of blood.