On the night of the fourth day of the eighth month, Shi Jin and the others returned to Xinzhou, crossing mountains and ridges. In the early hours of the morning, the number of Jurchen scouts passing by in the mountains gradually increased, which meant that they had passed the mountain ridge where the tens of thousands of Jurchen troops were temporarily stationed. It was a mountain pass near the official road from Dai County to Xinzhou. Across the mountain ridge that obscured their vision, they could vaguely see the light of the bonfires rising into the sky. Bending down on the ground, they could feel the buzzing sound of tens of thousands of troops at night.
There was even a faint sound of crying in the air.
In the early hours of the fifth day, they had arrived at Xinzhou. At this time, the north gate of Xinzhou was closed, and the south gate was open. The soldiers entered and the civilians were released. The news that the Jurchen army was coming south had also reached Xinzhou. Shi Jin and the others entered Xinzhou almost at the last moment before the city was closed. At this time, the city was already in chaos.
The sudden movement of the Jin Kingdom's army to the south had caused a huge uproar in the entire Wu Dynasty. However, the information that the ordinary people could obtain was of all sorts and varieties. Even though the Jurchen people had broken through Yanmen Pass and gone south, most people still could not accurately understand the meaning. Some were willing to leave, but more people could not make the decision to flee with their families in a short time. They were anxiously waiting for the development of the situation. Due to the influx of a large number of refugees and tens of thousands of troops, as well as the panic caused by the departure of some of the original residents, a large number of the ecology in the city was rapidly tilting in the direction of disorder.
The refugees poured into the city and began to ask the government for food. Seeing that the residents in the city had fled, some people began to occupy the vacant houses. The friction in the panic led to a large number of fights, and the secret contradictions of several gangs in the city began to intensify. The army only cared about the city not being in chaos, but did not care about the details. They requisitioned a large number of houses in the north of the city and began to demolish the houses near the city wall to make rolling logs and stones. Many hot-blooded people also participated in this, hoarding supplies on the city wall.
Tang Zuhan had some connections in the nearby area. He quickly found an acquaintance in the government and arranged for Shi Jin and Chen Xiuqing to be among the civilian workers guarding the city. As for the two "Hebei Heroes", because Chen Xian's right hand was broken, they could not move quickly. Tang Zuhan had to take care of his companions, so the two separated from Shi Jin and the others. The people of Jianghu gathered and dispersed like duckweed. After this departure, it would be very difficult for everyone to meet again.
There was no time to do too many things. Shi Jin and the others helped the civilian laborers demolish the houses and consolidate the defenses. On the sixth day of the new year, the first batch of Jurchen troops arrived at the mountain slope in the northwest of Xinzhou Province. After that, the cavalry, infantry, and groups of Victorious Volunteers with civilian captives gathered toward Xinzhou City from all directions in the north.
Looking over from the city walls of Xinzhou, on the opposite plains, on the hillsides, groups of people gradually gathered to the scale of tens of thousands of people, stretching as far as the eye could see. In front of the Jurchen army, a large number of Wu dynasty civilians were gathered. From time to time, a team of guards on horseback would pass through the crowd, brandishing whips and even brandishing steel sabers, cutting off the flesh and blood of the men and women in the crowd. As they wept, the black mass resembled a huge flock of cattle and sheep.
Staggering old men, pale children, women carrying swaddling clothes, young men covered in blood, and even corpses of people who had already died, were all tied up by ropes one by one. Rich merchants, officials, soldiers, and commoners, in that dense crowd, all of them were sobbing in ragged clothes. Due to the scolding and killing of the Female Daoists, not many people dared to cry loudly. Occasionally, one or two of them would be shot to death by a nearby Female Daoist archer. Even so, the large waves of sobbing still converged into an incomparably mournful sound wave, spreading to the Xin Province city wall.
The guards on the city walls could only silently watch all of this. In the afternoon, there was also a moment of chaos in the outer city. A young general wanted to lead the troops to attack, but he was scolded by the commanding general of the city. Shi Jin, who was preparing to roll logs in a corner of the city walls, also silently watched all of this.
The Jurchen army and the Liao people who had originally formed the Victorious Army were still gathering, and the number of civilians who had been captured and driven over was increasing. That night, the Jurchen army outside the city did not even set up tents on a large scale. They were preparing scaling ladders to attack the city in the wilderness behind the army formation, and also waiting for the follow-up army to transport the equipment. A large number of Jurchen Zhenrens were sleeping in the wilderness and on the hillsides, waiting for the dawn.
That night, the Jurchen army did not stop gathering in batches. The cavalry scouts held torches and walked around the city, simply guarding against the attack of the Wu dynasty army. The next morning, when the air was still rippling with mist, Wanyan Zonghan looked at the situation around him from the hillside and then waved his hand.
"Attack," he said.
The Jurchen Zhenren blew the horn.
*****
The intense pain seemed to have gradually become numb. When the chill descended on his body, it seemed that he could no longer feel it. When the noise rang out, he was dragged to his feet and pushed forward. The air was rippling with mist. In the distance was the city wall of Xinzhou, and the voice of the Jurchen Zhenren came from behind.
His name was Wu Cheng, and he was thirty-five years old, a farmer near Dai County. Not long ago, he had a wife and a daughter who was about to grow up and get married, but now they were gone.
He … had always felt that everything that was happening in front of him was an illusion. Perhaps at some point, he would wake up …
Two days ago, a group of Victorious Army had rushed into his village, and they had been captured. He had seen a group of people rape his wife and daughter, then kill them, break one of his hands, and hit him on the head with a stone.
When he woke up, he had already been tied up in the group. When his broken right hand was pulled, it brought unspeakable pain. He staggered forward, trembling all over. The scene of his wife and daughter dying flashed before his eyes. He kept thinking back to that moment, regretting that he hadn't found a hoe or a rake, or … there had been a kitchen knife not far from him, but he didn't know why he hadn't taken it.
In front of him was a fat woman whose clothes were torn to shreds. She was about forty or fifty years old, and she was crying all the time. His broken hand was pulled, and the pain caused him to continuously fall down. Because his clothes weren't very good, the belt of his trousers broke, and when his trousers fell, he tripped and fell to the ground. The Jurchen Zhenren came over and gave him a beating. The group walking in front and behind him dragged him in the mud. From then on, he didn't even have his pants, and just like that, he was dragged along with the group.
A middle-aged man being dragged along without his pants. What did it mean? He couldn't think clearly. They continued forward without stopping. Many people in the group had urinated in their pants, and as they walked, they emitted a foul smell. There was nothing to eat, and they were only allowed to drink water when they passed by a stream. After walking for two days, they were gathered at the city of Xinzhou. Then, this night, Wu Cheng was dragged along.
Why didn't they fight with their lives on the line … he thought in his heart. But all around him were people who were weeping and had no choice but to walk forward. It seemed like someone had been killed at the back, and the Jurchen Zhenren's voice became increasingly fierce. In his muddled vision, Wu Cheng knew that the Jurchen Zhenren was driving them in the direction of Xinzhou. There were flags of the Wu dynasty on the city walls, and there were densely packed soldiers. Wu Cheng thought that perhaps they would come down to save them. But in his heart, some kind of understanding and fear grew deeper and deeper. Strangely, he knew in his heart that there was going to be a war.
The pulling force made him stagger forward a few steps. The Jurchen Zhenren's voice was getting closer and closer, and then someone passed by him, brandishing a knife to cut the rope. It was also those strangely dressed Jurchen soldiers. They were mixed in the crowd, and they raised their bows and arrows towards the city walls.
Amidst the noise, someone shouted from the back, "Go! Run! If you don't go, you'll die! " Occasionally there were screams. The rope that bound Wu Cheng's arm was still there, but it was no longer connected to the people in front and behind him. But Wu Cheng was still being pushed and squeezed forward. In front of him was the Jurchen Zhenren, who had already lowered her body and was walking forward with her bow. Wu Cheng wanted to go up and bite her, but there seemed to be some kind of repulsive force that prevented him from doing so. The image of his wife and daughter being humiliated flashed before his eyes again, and his daughter's clothes being torn off, screaming in the crowd …
With a swish, the Jurchen soldiers in front released their bowstrings. Front, back, left, and right, arrows flew towards the city walls of Xinzhou. Not far from the side, there was a long ladder walking.
The advancing formation suddenly became even more chaotic. Countless noises entered Wu Cheng's ears. He was pushed and rolled on the ground, and someone stepped over him. When his vision recovered, not far away was the fat woman who used to walk in front of him. She was crawling on the ground, half of her body was covered in blood, and she was crying crazily. One of her calves had been stepped on, and it was twisted badly. Blood gushed out, revealing the white broken bone. When a Jurchen Zhenren rushed over, she desperately used her hands to support herself on the ground, trying to crawl to the side to avoid the other party.
Why didn't she fight with her life on the line … This thought appeared in Wu Cheng's mind again. But his whole body was in pain, and his arm was broken. But he thought, he could still use his body to knock someone to death and bite them to death. With this thought, he tried to stand up with difficulty. Suddenly, an even greater force pushed him to the ground, and an arrow flew from the city wall and shot into his neck.
Wu Cheng was nailed to the ground, and died forever.
Around the corpse, countless people were screaming, running, and shouting. The Jurchen Zhenren drove the civilian captives, shot arrows, carried ladders, and rushed towards the three feet high city wall of Xinzhou City …
*****
Shi Jin poured a pot of boiling oil and stood there, watching the madly charging Jurchen Zhenren.
He had studied under Wang Jin, the instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards, and later joined Liangshan. He had also fought with soldiers and had seen some of the world, so he roughly understood what it was like to besiege and defend a city. At this time, although he didn't know how many soldiers the Wu dynasty had prepared in Xinzhou, he roughly estimated that the defensive preparations should be quite adequate.
On the other hand, the Female Zhenren did not have much preparation for the siege weapons. They only spent one day to gather at the foot of Xinzhou City. The weapons that could be transported from places like Yanmen Pass and Dai County, or made from local materials, were only simple items like scaling ladders. They didn't have a single large weapon like catapults. But they still launched an attack.
Arrows covered the top of the city wall, and the Wu dynasty's defending troops immediately returned the favor. In the surging tide of people below, most of them were civilians who originally belonged to the Wu dynasty. But at this moment, no one had the right to choose. When the Jurchen Zhenren drove them over, their fate was almost already decided.
Then, ladders were set up, followed by flying hooks.
The Jurchen Zhenren held the ladders, pulled the ropes, and climbed up valiantly and crazily. The defending troops above put down rolling logs and stones, as well as barbed iron spikes and wolf fang bats to defend. In Shi Jin's eyes, the Jurchen Zhenren was climbing at lightning speed, and there were even obvious dodging movements.
"What are you doing! You don't want to live! Go down! "
The moment Shi Jin stood there, the Wu dynasty officer next to him suddenly rushed over and pulled Shi Jin. It was a young minor official. Shi Jin hurriedly hid to the back and was called down to move the stones. Then, the minor official took out a small iron wok shaped heart-protecting mirror and threw it to Shi Jin.
The other party shrank behind the parapet wall and shouted, "Put it on your head! Put it on your head! "Perhaps he thought Shi Jin was a silly big man.
Shi Jin rushed down the wall. The second time he came up, he saw that the minor officer had an arrow stuck in his head and was lying motionless in a pool of blood. He took off the bow and arrows on the minor officer's back and shot a few arrows down the wall. An arrow brushed past his cheek. In the surging crowd, a Jurchen archer saw him, and Shi Jin returned an arrow. This arrow did not hit the other party, but killed a civilian slightly ahead. The other party shot another arrow, and Shi Jin dodged it. When he pulled the bow with all his strength, the small bow broke with a bang.
On the entire stretch of the city wall, the Jurchen Zhenren was frantically climbing up. They avoided the sweeping of wolf fang bats, yaksha rings, and other objects, and even cut the ropes of these defensive equipment. Farther away, the Jurchen Zhenren's horse caravan was quickly spreading out in two directions. Most of the knights on these caravans were carrying bows, arrows, and hooks to threaten the walls in other directions of Xinzhou.
In the past, Shi Jin had heard of the Jin sieges. In the most shocking news, Wanyan Aguda had led an army to capture Liao's Shangjing in only six hours. This was an almost inconceivable thing. However, the moment he witnessed the offensive of these Jurchen Zhenren, he suddenly understood that this saying might not be strange.
When the arrows covered the city wall, the defenders of the Wu dynasty almost didn't dare to raise their heads. However, below the city wall, the tall and fierce Jurchen Zhenren quickly climbed up along ladders and ropes. The ropes of some people were cut and fell into the moat. However, the moat had long been filled with the blood and corpses of the Wu dynasty civilians. If these people hadn't died, they rushed out and began a second round of climbing. With the city wall as the boundary, amidst the huge conflict and chaos, the first female Daoist soldier charged up the city wall in less than an hour. After being killed by the soldiers of the Wu Dynasty, the Daoists of Xin Province's city wall were repeatedly stepped on by the female Daoists.
Shi Jin gritted his teeth, ran down the city wall, and rushed to a nearby blacksmith shop that had been demolished. The blacksmith had been called by the army to forge weapons, but there was also something that the army did not want. It was an iron rod that was hidden in the ruins. Shi Jin pulled it out and rushed up the city wall again. Huge chaos rang out on the other side of the city wall. On Shi Jin's side, a Jurchen Zhenren climbed up the wall and was hit on the head by Shi Jin's rod. Her entire head exploded like a watermelon and fell down.
Around him, there were flying arrows and countless roars of fighting. Shi Jin hid beside the parapet wall. When another Jurchen soldier rushed up, he rushed over and killed him. Not far away, on the other side, the sound of fighting rang out. A tall Jurchen man rushed up and brandished his steel saber, killing two Wu dynasty soldiers as if she was cutting melons and vegetables. Shi Jin rushed over and swung his iron rod, breaking the knee of the man. The Jurchen man fell to the ground and swung his steel saber horizontally, cutting off another soldier's calf, and then he was stabbed to death on the ground.
More Jurchen Zhenren rushed up the city wall …
*****
First one, two, three, then five, six, seven, eight, nine … When he killed the fifth person, 'Iron Hook' Chen Xiuqing also rushed up and signaled to Shi Jin. When he killed the seventh person, Shi Jin changed the iron rod into a spear.
The Qi and blood in his body surged, and his palms had already become boiling hot. On such a battlefield, a person's essence, qi, and spirit had already been condensed to the peak. The flying arrows could take his life at any moment, and under such circumstances, he still needed to kill the enemy without any mistakes. The power contained in each strike had already reached the limit, and many of his previous combat experiences were not applicable here.
In the martial arts competition in the Greenwood Forest, there was a distinction between real and fake moves. The reason why there was a distinction between real and fake moves was because when you attacked your opponent, the opponent would see that you were powerful and dodge. In the past, many of the moves in martial arts had to be calculated in advance. You would make a feint and pretend to attack your opponent's vitals. When he dodged, you would greet him with an even more powerful move. But here, there was no distinction between real and fake moves. Every move had to be executed with full force, and the opponent would hardly care about your feint moves. When he lunged over with his saber, if you couldn't kill him, you would die.
In the past, when Shi Jin faced enemies, whether they were soldiers or mountain bandits, he would wave his iron rod and beat them until their hands and feet were broken. The enemy would fall to the ground and wail in pain, losing the ability to fight. Even more people would be scared away by his valiance. And at this moment, if you broke the opponent's knee, the opponent might chop you with an even more deadly saber. It was like if you stabbed someone in the stomach with a saber and didn't twist it hard enough to crush his intestines, he might chop you in the head. This kind of life and death situation happened every moment on the city wall …
After two hours of fighting, the battle line on the city wall was like a violently fluctuating waterline. The Female Enlightened Masters' attacks were simple and direct. Their strong fighting will and personal combat skills turned into a solid substance and directly pushed up the city wall. Shi Jin had never seen such a solid battle. Even in the heyday of Liangshan, it was impossible to fight like this.
He could only use a spear or a steel saber, each strike aimed at the opponent's vital points. After killing about ten people, Chen Xiuqing was killed by the Female Enlightened Masters in a pool of blood. Shi Jin's shoulder was hit by an arrow and his body suffered two sabers. Fortunately, he was highly skilled in martial arts, so these were only minor injuries. However, the pressure brought about by the fierce and crazy battle was directly reflected on everyone on the city wall. Every time Shi Jin killed someone, he could feel the fierce consumption of his mental strength. The Female Enlightened Masters' attacks were almost endless, constantly slamming into the reef. From time to time, people would rush up the city wall and even break through the obstacles. Then, the defending generals of the Wu dynasty would mobilize soldiers to forcibly suppress them down the city wall. But the whole situation was still collapsing at a speed almost visible to the naked eye.
For the generals of the Wu dynasty, whether it was Yanmen Pass, Shuozhou, Daixian, or Xinzhou, each batch of defending generals might have heard rumors about the Female Enlightened Masters, but for most of them, this was the first time they had directly confronted the Jins. In the battle of defending the city, they had more or less possessed reason and self-confidence at the beginning, but perhaps each time, their self-confidence would quickly crumble under the madness of the Female Enlightened Masters.
In the battle of Xinzhou, the Wu dynasty had gathered 48,000 defending soldiers to face off against the 32,000 Female Enlightened Masters and the 10,000 Victorious Army under Wanyan Zonghan's command. The Female Enlightened Masters began to drive the commoners into battle in the early morning. Around noon, the first place to be broken through was the southern gate of Xinzhou.
In this battle, the true place to suffer the Female Enlightened Masters' frenzied attacks was the northwestern wall of Xinzhou. More than 10,000 Female Enlightened Masters and the Liao people of the Victorious Army drove a similar number of commoners to launch a nearly continuous attack. At the same time, two groups of Female Enlightened Masters circled the city.
The Female Enlightened Masters' cavalry was extremely fast, but the defending soldiers on the city wall might not be as fast. Around noon, they assumed a feint attack on the eastern wall. Then, they rapidly concentrated near the southern gate and launched an incomparably fierce attack with bows, arrows, and hooks. The entire city was broken in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea. The Female Enlightened Masters who rushed into the city opened the gate, and the southern side of Xinzhou fell into an urban battle. At the same time, they cut off the possibility of the Wu dynasty's defending soldiers and commoners escaping.
About an hour later, the northern gate was forcefully broken through, and the defenses of Xinzhou were forcibly destroyed. A frenzied and tragic urban battle began in the city …
*****
The setting sun scattered in the sky, and columns of smoke rose along with the flames. Countless screams and screams rang in the ears. When the warhorse charged over, the man pressed the end of his spear against the ground and lowered his footsteps.
Suddenly, with a crash, the corpse of the warhorse pushed him and the Jurchen rider to the end of the alley. Then, they crashed into a wooden frame. Amidst the dust, the Female Enlightened Master staggered to his feet. He tried to identify what was in the dust, and then the tip of the spear pierced through his neck. After he fell, another swaying figure came out of the dust with the help of the wall.
Half of his body was already covered in blood. His ragged clothes revealed his bruised chest and back, and the dragon tattoo on his body was clearly visible.
It's over … it's all over …
This thought flashed across Shi Jin's mind as he gazed at the restless city in the midst of destruction. On this day, he had participated in the entire process of the battle, and had truly witnessed what it meant to be overwhelmingly powerful. In the face of the Jin soldiers, even if they defended the city, they could only fight to this extent, not to mention what it would be like to fight in the wilderness.
In the end … he had forgotten why he had come up here …
When he saw the people fleeing from the county, he had originally wanted to run away, but after hearing Qian Fei and the others' discussion, he wanted to come up and take a look. But now, the few of them were either dead or scattered, and now he was probably going to die too …
He took out a piece of dry rations and ate only a small mouthful. He tried his best to breathe evenly and recover his strength. When he heard the footsteps of another group of soldiers, he leaped over the wall and ran in a direction.
It was said that several key places out of the city were already under the control of the Female Enlightened Beings. At this time, tens of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians were separated in this city. The resistance and killing were still fierce, but most of the resistance and killing occurred in a state of collapse. Sooner or later, they would all be annihilated. Xin Province was truly finished, and he didn't know if he could survive. In this way, he rushed into a courtyard and leaped over the wall, only to find the ground covered in blood. He suddenly came face to face with five Female Enlightened Beings who had just finished killing people.
Both sides were stunned for a moment, and the other side raised their sabers to attack. Shi Jin turned around and ran, passing through the halls and rooms. When he reached the front, he collided with another Female Enlightened Being. The other party slashed at him with a saber, but Shi Jin slammed into the wall with a Mountain Lean. Shi Jin pulled out his saber and slashed, cutting open that person's throat. Blood spurted out, and the others had already surrounded him.
Amidst the saber light, Shi Jin slashed open a person's throat, and his arm was also slashed. At this time, the sound of wind whistling could be heard. Another person rushed into the room and slashed at the remaining four Female Enlightened Beings with a large saber. Shi Jin took the opportunity to kill one person, and the large saber killed another. The other two Female Enlightened Beings were hit in the back by a dart and fell.
The one wielding the large saber was a tall and sturdy man, and the one throwing the dart was a middle-aged woman. Both of them had also experienced fierce fighting and were covered in blood. The three of them looked at each other for a moment, and the burly man said, "Are you brothers from the underworld? Your skills aren't bad. Do you want to come with us? "
Shi Jin just looked at them. The woman raised her head and said, "Your martial arts aren't bad. If you want to come, then come with us." She turned around and left. The tall and sturdy man waved his hand and said, "Let's go. It's better than you going alone."
Shi Jin nodded and followed suspiciously. The woman in front of him was extremely fast, and the burly man also quickly followed. Shi Jin exerted strength in his feet, but his speed wasn't any slower than the other two. The woman's martial arts were obviously very high, probably not inferior to Shi Jin's. Moreover, her Qi Meridians were long, and she still had strength to spare. Every time she moved forward, she would notice that there were Female Enlightened Beings in front of her, and she would quickly change her path. The burly man holding the saber saw that Shi Jin's martial arts were indeed high, and he cupped his hands and said in a low voice, "I'm Peng Dahu of Shuanglian Mountain. Brother, what's your background?"
"I'm from the mountains, Shi Jin." At this time, there was no need for him to hide his identity. As he ran, he cupped his hands and said, "Where are you going?"
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