Mou Tuo Mound.
The heavy snow had temporarily stopped and the wind was not strong. In the Jurchen camp surrounded by water on three sides, piles of bonfires burned vigorously in the tents. In the central tent, six iron basins were burning with charcoal. The decorations, furs, sabers, spears, and even the people in the tent all made everything look solemn and dignified. Zong Wang sat behind a long table, looking at the torn letter in his hand.
Wanyan Zhita's mother, the commander of the Han army Liu Yanzong, the general Sai La and the others were sitting nearby, occasionally exchanging glances or whispering a few words. By the time they arrived, they had already more or less understood the situation. The half-torn letter was handed to Zong Wang by Wanyan Zhita's mother. The captain of the scouts was still standing below, waiting to be questioned. Zong Wang looked at the letter for a while, his expression changing. Finally, he slapped the letter on the table.
"Humph, the southerners want to trick me!" He said immediately. When he looked at the expressions of the people below, he frowned and looked at the scout.
"Tell me what happened then. When, where, and under what circumstances did you meet that person and get this letter? "
"Yes …"
The scout captain bowed and nodded, then told him what had happened.
As the winter deepened and the snow began to seal the mountain, the number of times the Jurchen went out to patrol was actually not as much as before. Their scout team encountered the other party on a road in the mountains ten li away from the Mou Tuo Mound camp. The other party had three people, one of whom was a messenger, who seemed to be an official of the Wu dynasty. The two next to him were guards. A little further down that road would lead to the outskirts of Bianliang.
The Jurchen patrol team had a total of five people, and they were specifically responsible for this area, trying to cut off the connection between Bianliang and the outside world. Of course, such an attempt would not succeed, because Bianliang was too big. Even if the Jurchen sent out tens of thousands of people, they might not be able to surround the entire city. But even if they couldn't cut off the blockade, they could still intercept some messengers going in and out. Seeing the three people, the five scouts immediately began to chase.
Both sides were riding horses, and the other party was also very vigilant. Seeing the Jurchen coming, they turned around and ran, even shooting arrows in return. The scout on his side immediately shot back with an arrow and hit the back of the official in the middle.
The enemy's three riders ran into a rugged area in the nearby mountains while their own scouts pursued them. In the end, because he was seriously injured, the official of the Wu dynasty fell from his horse. Coincidentally, below him was a dry river. When he fell, the two guards of the Wu dynasty were already too late to save him.
The Jurchen scouts split up in pursuit while taking a slight detour into the river valley to search for the bodies of the Wu dynasty officials. There, they discovered this letter. After the Wu dynasty official fell into the river, he seemed to want to tear the letter to shreds and throw it out, but he already had no strength left. He tore the letter in two and tossed it to the side. The wind blew away a small part, and the rest was picked up by them.
It wasn't good for the scouts to read the letter, so they handed it over to their superior. After reading it, their superior felt that this was a serious matter and handed it over to Mother Buddha, who was in charge of this matter. After reading it, Mother Buddha immediately had someone summon Zong Wang.
Zong Wang looked at the scout and said, "From the time you saw the official of the Wu dynasty fall from his horse and fall into the river until you took a detour, did the corpse of the official of the Wu dynasty leave your line of sight?"
The scout said, "Because we took a detour, there was some time, but it was no more than ten breaths."
"Hmph." Zong Wang muttered to himself for a moment. "Did you bring the corpse back?"
"They brought it back," Mother Buddha said from the side. "I've already gone to check on the corpse."
Mother Buddha was Aguda's half-brother, ranked eleventh. Zong Wang's expression relaxed a little. He said, "Eleventh Imperial Uncle, what's the result?"
"Looking at his body, he was indeed a person who lived like a prince in the past. Moreover, there are no signs of him being tied up. This is a serious matter. I've checked repeatedly. He shouldn't have been forced to come. "
Since Mother Buddha said this, Zong Wang fell silent. His temperament was straightforward, but his thoughts were meticulous. After thinking for a moment, he reached out and patted the long table. "But the people of the Southern Dynasty are nothing more than jumping clowns. How could they have such boldness?"
"Our army has defeated more than three hundred thousand troops of the Wu dynasty in this area in a little more than a month. They are already at their wits' end. Cornered dogs will jump over the wall. Who knows?"
"Mm." Zong Wang nodded. "Commander Liu, pick a few people from the army who are most proficient in sinology and planning. Have them come to this tent. In addition, come! Summon Medicine Master Guo, General Guo, and his subordinates Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren to the main tent to discuss military affairs. "
Zong Wang returned to the back of the long table and flipped through the letter that was divided into several pages. He picked two of them and placed them to the side. When Medicine Master Guo, Zhang Linghui, Liu Shunren, and the others arrived, as well as several craftsmen and advisors, he handed the several pages of the letter to Medicine Master Guo. "General Guo, take a look at this first, then … pass it around."
"Yes." Medicine Master Guo nodded in response. The letter that was being passed around was divided into five pages. Four of the pages had some complicated calculations and diagrams. Each page had a small portion missing. Medicine Master Guo only read the words at first, but not long after he started, the color of his eyes changed, and his expression became solemn. He didn't say anything until he finished reading it. He passed it to Zhang Linghui, who finished reading it, then passed it to Liu Shunren, and then continued to pass it to the advisors and craftsmen. Some had puzzled expressions, while others had changed expressions. An advisor bowed to Zong Wang and requested, "Grand Marshal, please bestow a brush and paper."
A look of admiration appeared in Zong Wang's eyes. He waved his hand. "Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Also, bring a table and chair for him to sit on."
Not long after, everyone had read through the letter. It was passed around in the hands of the advisors and craftsmen. They read it repeatedly and discussed it. Zong Wang looked at everyone's expressions.
"This is a letter we intercepted from the Wu dynasty today. The matter is too important. It's hard for this marshal to determine whether it's true or false. Therefore, everyone must come together to verify and discuss. "He raised his hand." Everyone, if you have any opinions, please speak bluntly. "
Among the resentful soldiers, Zhang Linghui was somewhat ignorant and incompetent. Liu Shunren, on the other hand, had some ideas. At this moment, he cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Grand Marshal, this lowly officer feels that this matter is a false show of strength by the Wu dynasty. Martial artists are cowardly and weak, but they always like to play all kinds of tricks. Among them, there are too many to count. This letter before us is most likely a scheme by someone who thinks he's infallible. After all, it's too hard to imagine that such a thing would happen … "
"Oh? General Liu thinks it's false? "Zong Wang looked at Medicine Master Guo." General Guo, what do you think? "
"What Brother Zhang said makes sense," Guo Medicine Master said. "The Wu dynasty's Confucianism and Daoism respect the Heaven and Dharma Ancestors. Within the borders of the Wu dynasty, the importance of the Yellow River is unimaginable. If it's really as this letter says … they want to break through the Yellow River and retreat our army. Let's not talk about what will happen to us first. Among the millions of people in Bianliang, only a handful will be able to escape. Moreover, if the Yellow River bursts its dikes, the thousands of li around Bianliang will be flooded for years to come. To the Wu dynasty, this action will cause the wrath of the heavens and the resentment of the people. The person who does this will be slandered by the whole country. I'm afraid he'll be cursed for all eternity … "
The letter that was distributed to everyone was about the plan to dig through the Yellow River's dikes and divert the water to repel the Jurchen army. At the beginning of the plan, he made a generous statement, saying, "The battle can be lost, the city can be powerful, but the country can't be destroyed, and its integrity can't be compromised." After some generosity, he drew out a formal plan. He even drew up blueprints, detailed plans, and a lot of calculations. It was so meticulous and thorough that it was hard to tell the truth from the lies.
When Guo Medicine Master finished speaking, Zong Wang frowned. "General Guo also thinks it's false …"
"But … it's not." Guo Medicine Master hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Confucian scholars of the Wu dynasty are indeed good at boasting. When it comes to practical matters, it's hard for them to achieve anything. However, there are also many among them who are staunch and resolute. They believe that it's better to die in glory than to live in disgrace. When our dynasty's army goes south, it's hard to resist. However … there are small groups of people who are very resolute. The war outside Bianliang has developed to this day. If we say that there are already officials of the Wu dynasty who are in such despair that they want to do something that cannot be condemned by the whole world, to use the flood to withdraw the troops, and to bury millions of people with them. Medicine Master doesn't think … it's strange. Therefore, it's hard to tell. "
At this time, most of the advisors who were called into the tent were Jin and Liao people, but there were still some who understood Confucian knowledge. After Guo Medicine Master finished speaking, he also saluted in agreement. It was said that although the scholars of the Wu dynasty did not have the strength to truss a chicken, when it came to calculating this kind of resolute matter, there was indeed no lack of people. Moreover, for the sake of their reputation, some people especially liked this kind of matter.
But then someone else said that this kind of matter was only done by a small number of people. If they sent the plan to Bianliang, they would certainly be shouted at to stop. Perhaps there was a trick.
However, after this statement, someone else reminded him that there was a paragraph at the end of the letter. It seemed to say that before the great battle, the ships around Bianliang had already entered the city. Once the Yellow River burst its banks, the flood would come, and there would still be time to let the Emperor, high-ranking officials and the others board the ships. At that time, although the Wu dynasty also suffered heavy losses, the central government was still there. It was only the loss of one city. Although the Female Zhenren was valiant, half of the entire country's troops had already come here. This time the flood drowned half of the Jin country. The Wu dynasty had indeed done many things wrong before, but they had learned their lesson from this. It was not too late for them to work hard to build up their country, and so on.
Not long after, the teacher who had been calculating at the desk also exclaimed in admiration and reported to Zong Wang, "The Wu dynasty's study of planning and engineering is indeed exquisite. The calculations in this letter are indeed the pinnacle of their work. It's a pity that a small part of it has been torn, but for our dynasty's study of planning, it still has the effect of a stone from another mountain …" Then he expressed regret and praise, wishing that he could see the torn part.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but regarding the authenticity of the letter — most importantly, whether the other party really had the determination to do such a thing — it was difficult to come to a conclusion. Not long after, Mother Zha said, "Even if the other party really wants to carry out such a dangerous move, they still need to wait for next year's spring flood to have an effect. Our army has already made preparations to attack the city in the heavy snow. We only need to break the city this winter, and there really is no need to think too much about this matter."
Zong Wang nodded. In reality, many people in the big tent had this kind of thought, but Zong Wang was actually not an impulsive person. "What Imperial Uncle said makes sense, but everything needs to be considered for the worst outcome. Right now, the Wu dynasty's troops have all been scattered by me, and the remnants are scattered all around. Next, have the army speed up the preparations to attack the city. Within five days, I want all kinds of equipment to be completed, and we will launch a general attack. As for this aspect … have the scouts find out the situation in the surroundings, and find out which side wants to do such a thing, and then … General Guo, you will be responsible for this matter. Crush them for me! "
Everyone received the order.
"Yes!"
The big tent was shaken.
Zong Wang tapped his fingers on the table. After everyone left, he paced around the tent a few times, and then returned to the table. He picked up the last two pages that he hadn't shown to Medicine Master Guo and the others earlier, and skimmed through them.
These last two pages were mostly about persuasion. The top one was about the distant view of Zong Wang's army after it had been swallowed by the flood. The letter talked about many internal problems of the Jin Kingdom. It said that Aguda was the proud son of heaven of his generation. After the uprising, the Jin people were full of vigor, and people came forth in large numbers. However, there were also hidden dangers.
After Aguda abdicated, the successor was not Aguda's own son, but his fourth brother, Wu Qimai. Wu Qimai was a steady man, and he was more than capable of defending what he had achieved. It was indeed Aguda's painstaking choice. However, it also explained a problem. Among the Jin people, there were many outstanding people, and it was a situation of strong work and strong support. Now that Aguda was dead, it was hard to say what would happen when the third generation succeeded the throne.
Among the Female Zhenrens, General Gu Han was also talented and bold. With Wu Qimai on the throne, Zong Wang and the others could still stand up to him. However, without Wu Qimai, what would the situation be like? The Wu dynasty's policy of allying with the Jin to resist the Liao was a mistake that could not be changed. However, if the most powerful Jin prince, the second prince Zong Wang, and his tens of thousands of troops were destroyed here, the only one in the Jin Kingdom who could control the military power of the world was General Gu Han.
The Jin army from the east and west went south to invade the Wu dynasty. However, Zong Wang arrived at Bianliang first, and Gu Han was blocked by the strong city of Taiyuan. It was said that Zong Wang had issued several military orders to Gu Han's army to quickly move south. However, Gu Han clearly could have gone around Taiyuan, but Gu Han did not move. Was there no enmity between the two? At this time, the Yellow River was only a loss of land, but within a few years, the Jin Kingdom would be in chaos. The Female Zhenrens suddenly rose up and took over the world, but they had no foundation. If they could not recuperate and work hard, they would die within a few generations and would no longer be a threat to the Wu dynasty …
The last two words and sentences showed the writer's understanding of the internal affairs of the Jin Kingdom. Every word and sentence was full of criticism.
In fact, Gu Han did not move in Taiyuan out of caution. This was the first time they invaded the Wu dynasty. If they really went south with the whole army and left Taiyuan on the way, it was hard to say what would happen if the Western Army really came to block their way and more than 100,000 troops were trapped in the hinterland of the Wu dynasty. Zong Wang could naturally understand this worry, but the letter was not polite. The sentence made him feel that it was both provocative and possible. At the very least, after reading this, he first felt that the other party's plan to use the Yellow River might be true.
As for the seemingly provocative remarks, he had tried his best to normalize them. However, it was impossible not to think about what he had seen and what was said so clearly.
In this sense, whether the letter was true or false, it had at least played a certain role.
Thinking of this, Zong Wang slapped the table.
The Confucian scholars of the Wu dynasty were a bunch of clowns. However, this one not only showed his understanding of the internal affairs of the Jin Kingdom, but his tricks were also particularly infuriating.
If there was a chance to catch this person in the future, he would personally skin him!
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