Dongping Prefecture, Shandong, Yanggu County.
Black pillars of smoke rose into the sky along with the burning flames. What was burning were the golden ears of rice, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt rice. Then, there was the sound of footsteps and shouts, mixing together into one. The road was full of people running to and fro, with hurried footsteps and all kinds of shouts.
"… Go, the cavalry of the Venerable Lady is coming. Let's go to the city quickly. Several big cities in the north have been slaughtered. Do you know that all the people in Dizhou have been killed, not even the fowls and dogs were spared … "
The shouts of the officials in front were mixed with the crowd and became intermittent. A woman carrying a basket and holding a sickle rushed to the paddy field, crying and desperately harvesting. An old woman in ragged clothes screamed and rushed to the side of the road. "Kill me, kill me, I won't go! Let the Venerable Lady come and eat my old bones … You are committing a sin … "
Someone stopped the old woman. She struggled and finally fell to the ground. Her head hit a stone, and then her head was full of blood. In the chaos and noise of the people, a small conflict broke out between the villagers and the soldiers on one side of the road. The county magistrate ran over and shouted, "Don't fight, don't fight." Suddenly, his forehead was hit by a flying stone and blood flowed from his head.
This brief moment of conflict caused even greater chaos. The autumn wind whistled past, and the fire fueled the wind, pushing the fire far away from the field. It was like a long red and black carpet, spreading through the paddy and grass towards the forest in the distance …
The people in the chaos looked from afar and were stunned by the huge flame.
From Yanggu County to the west, most places along Hedong West Road and Hebei Road were covered in a gloomy autumn rain. Rain poured down from the gloomy sky. On the road from north to south, pedestrians wearing straw raincoats and carrying bags on their backs, as well as pack horses and carts carrying luggage, crowded together as they headed south. Old people could not stand the cold rain and fell to the ground. The child in the woman's arms was soaked by the rain and cried loudly. The courier stations and restaurants along the way were crowded with migrating pedestrians.
On the banks of the Yellow River in the autumn rain, all the ferries were full. In the undulating waves, all the boats were constantly shuttling back and forth.
In the middle of August of the 13th year of Jinghan, a huge movement began.
"Phew, it's good to be young …"
To the south of East Peace Manor, a crowd came and went. In a busy and noisy courtyard, Ning Yi, who had only slept for a little more than two hours, walked out of his room. After washing his face, he sighed with emotion. In the distance were clouds that looked like fire.
From time to time, horses would gallop in from outside the courtyard, delivering all kinds of news. From the west to the east, Hedong East, Hedong West, Jingdong East, Jingdong West, and Hebei Five Roads, nearly twenty states, and nearly a hundred counties' current situations were all gathered here. Members of Takeshi's team of advisors went in and out, summarizing the information and coming up with countermeasures. At the same time, they were also waiting for Ning Yi or Wenren Bu 'er's reply.
Qin Shaoqian strode in from outside the courtyard. Wu Ruijun's military camp was nearby. Over the past few days, there had been various operations, and Qin Shaoqian would occasionally drop by. Ning Yi laughed. "I just got up. I should have said good morning, but it's getting dark. Does Second Young Master have some good news for you? "
"Zong Han's attack on Taiyuan began yesterday." Qin Shaoqian held a report in his hand.
Ning Yi's expression froze slightly. Then, he reached out to take the report. An advisor passed him a piece of paper and said in a low voice, "We received it just now."
Ning Yi took the two pieces of paper and looked at them. In reality, this was something that had already been expected. For Ning Yi, the purpose of sending the report was just to take a look. But the confirmation of the news meant that the siege of Taiyuan had been set in stone. Qin Shaohe, Li Pin, Cheng Zhouhai, and the others had already been trapped inside. Because there were acquaintances, this news was more or less a little heavy.
"It's something far away. The attack began yesterday, and it might have been broken by now. I just brought it over for you to see. It's not your business, Liheng. Why worry? "Seeing Ning Yi frown slightly, Qin Shaoqian's smile became more open, and he reached out to take the report back.
Ning Yi glanced at him. "Taiyuan is a strong city. It shouldn't be as fast as you say."
"That big brother of mine usually looks more pedantic than Father, but in reality, he's read more military books than me. He knows how to defend a city, and he won't blindly command. You, Takeshi, and Cheng Zhouhai are in the city. I know him best. He's a poison warrior. If he cooperates with your subordinates, if they really can't hold on, he can drive everyone in the city to the city walls. I also feel that it won't be broken. If it does, then it's fate. " Qin Shaoqian had a big beard on his face. He smiled simply. "Most importantly, distant water can't quench present thirst. It's useless for you and me to worry about Taiyuan."
"It's good that you can think clearly." Ning Yi smiled. "What about you?"
"I came to talk to you about this," Qin Shaoqian said. "Prepare to send troops."
Ning Yi looked at him, then at the sunset in the distance, and sighed again.
It was the fifteenth day of the eighth month.
*****
In the middle of August, the area north of the Yellow River had sunk into great chaos.
After Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Loushi attacked Xinzhou and Daizhou, the Jurchen Western Army drove tens of thousands of civilians and captives toward Dragon City's Taiyuan.
In the east, Guo Yaoshi's Victorious Army was the vanguard. After intimidating Jinan, Wanyan Zongwang's Western Army, which numbered nearly a hundred thousand, didn't attack the city. Instead, under Guo Yaoshi's leadership, they went straight southwest. The army quickly entered the central area between Jinan, Daming, and Dongping.
The Jurchen soldiers rolled in, sweeping away all obstacles in their way. After breaking through Yanjing and the three towns of Hebei, the Eastern Army didn't stop at all. The Wu dynasty troops along the way were either quickly routed or left behind by the main army before they could even form a defensive line. By now, they had entered a delicate situation.
Around them, the prefectural armies guarding Jinan, Daming, and Dongping, as well as the Wuwei, Victorious, and Wrui armies, totaling more than two hundred thousand, had already been mobilized along with the battle. They surrounded the Jurchen Eastern Army in a triangular formation. The atmosphere was somber, and it looked like a great battle was about to break out at any moment. Ning Yi had followed the Wrui Army to Dongping for no more than three days. They had only just begun to strengthen the defenses and clear the field, but the great battle was already at hand.
The tempo of this battle was not decided by the Wu dynasty, but by the Jurchen. If these two hundred thousand troops hesitated for even a moment, Wanyan Zongwang's Eastern Army would break through Daming and Dongping and go straight into the heart of the Central Plains.
But the so-called 'breaking out at any moment' was just an official lie to deceive themselves and others. Guo Yaoshi was the vanguard of Wanyan Zongwang's Eastern Army. From the moment his vanguard intimidated Jinan without moving, the situation within a radius of several hundred li was completely under the Jurchen's control. Speaking of which, there were more than two hundred thousand troops of the Wu dynasty stationed in three directions. In reality, it was hard to say who would dare to move out. Most of the troops in the three directions were wrangling. After the massacre in Dizhou, no one was ready for a hard battle, but the Jurchen was about to swagger through the encirclement.
Everything happened too quickly. Even for Ning Yi, it was the same.
"Fifty thousand people are defending Shouzhang County. You're facing Zongwang and Guo Yaoshi's one hundred thousand. No matter what, Second Young Master, I can't bet on you winning this time."
The setting sun was bright red. Ning Yi put down the things at hand and walked out of the courtyard with Qin Shaoqian with wine and meat. They stood on a nearby grassy slope and looked at the army camp in the distance as they talked. Qin Shaoqian drank a mouthful of wine. "At least two hundred thousand."
"His name is Liang Zhongshu. I can't say what Jinan's Zhang Youqing's people are like, and I don't know much about war. But if you really believe it, I'll give you four words."
"Oh? What advice does Liheng have? "
"Elements of Wind, Forest, and Fire."
"Sun Tzu's Art of War …"
"Retreat and advance as fast as the wind, outflank as slow as a forest. Plunder wealth and invasion like fire, friendly forces in trouble like a mountain … "
On the grassy slope, Qin Shaoqian was stunned for a moment, then he laughed out loud. After laughing for a while, he said, "Then how do I fight?"
"… Yes." Ning Yi drank a mouthful of wine and murmured.
Qin Shaoqian said, "But no matter what, I have to go. No matter what, I want to compete with famous generals like Wanyan Zongwang and Guo Yaoshi. "
The two brothers of the Qin family, one civil and one military, were officials in the outside world. But because Qin Siyuan valued Ning Yi, they would occasionally come back and interact with each other. Qin Shaohe and Qin Shaoqian regarded Ning Yi as their father's comrade and even one of his successors. From a certain point of view, they could be considered friends or even family, and their relationship was quite good. But this time, the Zhenren had come quickly. Ning Yi had just left for the north, Qin Shaohe was trapped in Taiyuan, and Qin Shaoqian was about to go to Shouzhang to face Wanyan Zongwang. No matter what, this feeling was somewhat complicated.
Although Qin Shaoqian spoke casually and had the heroic air of a famous general, and Ning Yi knew he was capable, the Wu dynasty's restrictions on high-ranking officers were very deep. As the commander-in-chief of the Wu Rui Battalion, he could lead the army to battle, but the highest management of the army belonged to the civil officials above him, the current Administrator and Pacifier of Dongping Prefecture.
Although Qin Shaohe was a civil official, he was stationed in Taiyuan and had the highest authority over the army there. Qin Shaoqian, on the other hand, not only had civil officials above him who could speak, but he had only been in command of the Wu Rui Battalion for a year. He didn't know the general, and the general didn't know the soldiers. His management of the army had no way of penetrating into all aspects of the army. Even if he was under the protection of his powerful father, Qin Siyuan, and the checks and balances of the civil officials on him were slightly lesser, it was still unbelievable that he could lead the Wu Rui Battalion to block the 100,000 strong army of the Jurchen people.
Qin Shaoqian himself, of course, didn't have much confidence. It was just that when things came to a head, as a soldier, he didn't think too much about it. Ning Yi naturally understood. After talking for a while, the two of them drank for a while before Qin Shaoqian asked, "Liheng, what do you think the outcome of this battle is? If we lose, how much money do we have to pay to settle this matter?"
"Second Young Master, do you think we'll just lose money?"
"The Blackwater Alliance will also lose money. The Zhenren have two hundred thousand people. They won't be able to take over our country."
"The Blackwater Alliance's Liao is past his prime. He'll be satisfied with the coins. The Zhenren have just established their country and are on the road to progress, so it's hard to say." Ning Yi hesitated for a moment. "Also, they've done too many things in the past few years."
Qin Shaoqian was silent for a while and looked at Ning Yi. "I'm a martial artist. I only fight. Liheng, you're a scholar. Just like my father, you understand the big picture. Do you really think it's come to this?"
It was past dusk in the distant mountains. Although the two of them had a good friendship in the past, they had just met for a few days. They were busy and didn't have much time to chat. But at this time, wine was good for conversation. When the autumn wind blew, they talked for a while longer.
"I'm not sure." Ning Yi handed the wine pot to Qin Shaoqian and said, "But some things are the opinions of a family, so we can talk about it. In the past few days, there had been all kinds of news. It wasn't just about where the Golden Men were fighting, nor was it about fortifying the walls and clearing the fields. Since the Zhenren started to go south, the resistance everywhere has never stopped. First, there was Grandmaster Zhou Dong who led more than seventy people to assassinate Wanyan Zonghan. Then, there was the three towns in Hebei. There was a small county called Shuanghe. In order to cover the evacuation of more than five thousand people, the county magistrate Du Yongnian took more than three hundred people with him to attract the attention of the Zhenren. Taking advantage of the terrain, they fought hard with more than five hundred Zhenren cavalry for four hours. After the whole army was wiped out, Du Yongnian was captured. When he came to Wanyan Zongwang, the other party saw his bravery and said a few words to him. Du Yongnian cursed Zongwang from beginning to end and was finally beheaded. "
As Ning Yi spoke, he took a sip of wine. "Then there was the ancient mountain village in Hebei … It was originally a bandit village, but you know, many people were still in the village at the foot of the mountain. When the Zhenren went there, the village was slaughtered. There were more than a hundred people in the village. Under the leadership of the chief of the village, Wang Cheng, they ambushed the Zhenren army and rushed straight to the main formation. In one charge, they all died. After Wang Cheng, the head of the Yangwei Escort Agency, Yang Xiao, after dismissing the workers and family of the escort agency, went alone to assassinate Wanyan Zongwang. He was one of Zhou Dong's disciples. At the same time, there was He Wang, a greenwood tycoon, who led more than ten experts to assassinate Zongwang … In the past few days, this kind of news has never stopped. I asked my subordinates to make it into a story and spread it. After Second Young Master heard it, what do you think? "
"Good, they are all heroes." Qin Shaoqian's expression was slightly solemn. He patted his thigh to show his respect. "There is still hope for my Wu dynasty to have these people!"
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