It was the end of August, the end of autumn. The weather had gradually turned cold, and large patches of fallen trees had turned yellow. In the endless autumn wind, the mountains and rivers had changed color.
The mountains and rivers of the Wu dynasty were indeed changing color.
This was a time of heroes. On both sides of the Yellow River, countless armies of the imperial court and the Wu dynasty's volunteer army took part in the battle against the Jurchen invasion. Zong Ze, the Red Scarf Army, the Eight Division Army, the Five Horse Mountain Volunteer Army, the Great Radiant Sect … People, forces, heroes, and chivalrous warriors made their own resistance and sacrifices in this chaotic tide.
After Zong Fu and Zong Bi's armies broke through Yingtian, the ancient city was massacred like a ghost city. Not long after Zong Ze passed away, Bianliang was broken again. The volunteer armies north and south of the Yellow River lost control and chose to resist in their own ways. Across the Central Plains, although rebels continued to emerge, the area ruled by the Jurchen continued to expand.
More and more civilians chose to flee to the south. On the main road from the north to the south, every big city gradually began to become overcrowded. This wave of refugees was not the same thing as the famine that occasionally broke out in winter. The number of people and the scale were indescribable. One or two cities could not be digested, so people continued to head south. Jiangnan and other places that had been peaceful for a long time finally clearly felt the shadow of war and the trembling of the world.
Yangzhou City was the temporary residence of the Jianshuo Emperor, Zhou Yong. As the saying goes, fireworks fall on Yangzhou in March. At this time, Yangzhou City was the most prosperous place in Jiangnan. Famous families gathered, rich merchants gathered, and brothels could be found everywhere. The only regret was that Yangzhou was the Jiangnan of culture, not the Jiangnan of geography. In reality, it was still located on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
When Zhou Yong left Yingtian, he originally wanted to cross the river to return to Jiangning. However, the people around him strongly discouraged him. It was fine if the Emperor left Yingtian, but if he crossed the Yangtze River again, his morale would be greatly reduced. Although Zhou Yong scoffed, he could not overcome these obstructions and chose Yangzhou, which was located on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
Although this place was not the Jiangning he was familiar with, it was not unacceptable to Zhou Yong. In Jiangning, he was an idle prince. When he ascended the throne to Yingtian, the emperor's position made him bored to death. Every day, he played with new concubines in the harem and was protested by the people in the city. He ordered the killing of Chen Dong and Ouyang Che who stirred up public opinion. After coming to Yangzhou, no one dared to speak and he could enjoy the city's brothels every day.
At the end of August, Zhou Yong who had been elected to the throne sought pleasure in the palace every day. He also had a lot of fun in of the palace. of of of of of the palace. of of the palace. "." of the eighth of of of. Zhou of of of of the eighth. of the of the year, and of the palace. of of of of of the emperor of the of the Dynasty..
You are now the Crown Prince and I am the Emperor. It is easier said than done to go back to Jiangning. You are now the Crown Prince and I am the Emperor. It is easier said than done to go back after crossing the river. How about this, help me think of an idea how to persuade those ministers … "
"Father, you just want to go back and avoid war!" Jun Wu stared at his father in the yellow robe in front of him with red eyes. "I want to go back and continue my research! Yingtian has not been defended, my things are all in Jiangning! I am about to research that hot air balloon. Now that the world is in danger, I don't have time to wait! And Father, you, you … you only know how to drink and have fun every day. Do you know what has become of the outside world? "
"How could I not know? I want to personally lead the army. What do you think, Jun Wu? " Zhou Yong's eyes became serious. His fat body, dressed in a dragon robe, narrowed his eyes, and vaguely there was an air of majesty. But the next moment, that majesty collapsed. "But in fact, I can't beat them. Jun Wu, you said that I only know how to avoid war. If I don't avoid war and bring people out, they will immediately be taken away! Do you think I don't know what those soldiers and ministers are like? Compared to them, do I know how to fight a war? Do I know how to play games with them? "
"…"
"I, your father! When I was in Jiangning, I smashed people's heads with a hammer, and it was very scary. I don't want to do it a second time. I don't know anything about the affairs of the court. I don't want to get involved because one day, when things get messy, I can pick up a hammer and smash their heads! Jun Wu, you've always been smart. If you can beat them, then just do it. I will support you, and your sister will help you. You … you know what to do? "
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 fat emperor sat down like a bear, his hands drooping.
"Your father has been an idle prince since he was a child. The teachers in the school taught him, and the family counted on him to be a prince who knew how to eat, drink, and have fun. Suddenly, one day, he said he wanted to be an emperor. Is that good? I … I don't want to get involved. Let them and you, Jun Wu, do it. What else can I do? "
He spread out his hands. "I know what the world is like. The Perfected Lady is so powerful that no one can stop her. If we can't stop her, the Wu dynasty will be finished. Jun Wu, if they attack like this, I … am afraid. You want me to go to the front, but I don't know how to lead an army. If the two armies fight and the ministers run away, I won't know when to run. I think that since I can't stop them, I can only run back. If they come after me, I'll run south. The Wu dynasty is weak now, but we have two hundred years of history. Who knows when a hero will show up … there should be one. "
Jun Wu lowered his head. "There are too many people outside. I've been distributing food every day, and I don't feel comfortable seeing them. The Perfected Lady has already occupied the front line of the Yellow River. If we can't defeat them, they will come here sooner or later. "
"Yes." Zhou Yong nodded.
"I'm anxious. Now I know how Grandpa Qin and the others felt when they were in Bianliang …"
"Yes …" Zhou Yong nodded again. "Your shifu even killed Zhou Zhe because of this …"
"He …"
"Sigh, I'm just thinking that I might not be able to be a good emperor. Will there be a day when someone like that comes and kills me too?" Zhou Yong patted his son on the shoulder. "Junwu, if you meet someone like that, try to rope him in and put him in an important position. You've been smart since you were young, and so has your sister. I used to think that it's useless for you to be smart. You'll still be an idle prince in the future. I wanted you to be a bit more stupid, but after thinking about it, I let you and your sister be. I haven't been controlling you all these years, but I think you can be a good emperor in the future. That's what I thought when I ascended to the throne. "
The father and son had never interacted much. Hearing Zhou Yong's heartfelt words, Jun Wu couldn't help but feel angry. After a while, Zhou Yong asked, "Is Hanwei getting better?"
Jun Wu shook his head. "Not yet." The legal wife he married was called Li Hanwei. She was the daughter of a prominent family in Jiangning. She was beautiful and well-educated. After the two of them got married, they treated each other with respect. However, following Jun Wu all the way to the capital and then hurriedly returning to Yangzhou, this kind of journey caused the woman to fall ill. Until now, she had not recovered. A large part of Jun Wu's vexation came from this.
"Women are like clothes. You don't have to be too sad."
The emperor waved his hand and comforted him, but he was a bastard.
After this conversation, Jun Wu couldn't say anything else to his father. He left the palace and returned to the mansion. A group of monks, witch doctors and the others were burning incense and lighting candles, dancing like demons. Thinking of his wife who was so skinny that she was just skin and bones, Jun Wu felt more and more annoyed. He ordered the carriage to go out again, passing through the still bustling streets of Yangzhou. The autumn wind was blowing, the passersby were hurrying. When they arrived at the city wall, they began to see refugees.
Climbing up the city gate tower, the outside of the city was densely packed with refugees. The sun was setting. The city and the mountains looked magnificent, but Jun Wu felt even more upset.
He had seen more and more things these days. When his father ascended to the throne, he was in high spirits. But now, many of his ideas had been shattered. Just as his father said, he knew what the officials and the army were like. However, even if he was here, he wouldn't be able to do better than them.
After all, he was just a young man who had just seen this world. If he was a little more foolish, he might be able to blindly command in high spirits. It was precisely because he could more or less understand that he knew how complicated the intertwined relationships were when he really took over things. He could support Yue Fei and the other generals in training the soldiers. But if they went one step further, they would have to involve the entire system. If they did one thing, they might have to mess up three or four things. Even if he was the Crown Prince, he didn't dare to mess around.
A few years ago, when Grandpa Qin and his teacher were in Bianliang, they might have encountered something like this. This seemingly peaceful city was actually on the verge of collapse. The sky was about to fall and the earth was about to collapse. This land was like a wife lying on the bed, all skin and bones. It wanted to stop the sky but was powerless to do so. It could only watch the arrival of misfortune. He stood on top of the city wall and suddenly shed tears.
Not long after, the Female Zhenren broke through the last line of defense between Xuzhou and Yangzhou.
At this time, they still didn't know. In the northwest, the battle between the Huaxia army and the Female Zhenren Western Army was still going on.
Fan Hongji rode a horse and galloped on the rugged mountain road. Although he was travel-worn, his official robe was not too messy.
After the war between the Huaxia army and the Female Zhenren, this was the last time he would represent the Jin Kingdom in Little Canghe.
Although the war had already started, the humility of the strong was not shameful. Of course, on the other hand, it also meant that the Huaxia army had indeed displayed astonishing strength.
Going back to the evening of the 25th of August, the Black Flag Army of Huaxia and the Female Zhenren cavalry personally led by Wanyan Loushi engaged in battle. Under the frontal charge of over ten thousand Female Zhenren cavalry, the same number of Black Flag Infantry were drowned. However, they were not directly defeated. A large number of troops still maintained their formation in the intense collision. A portion of the defensive formation was pushed aside. However, after a moment, the Black Flag Army soldiers began to draw closer to their companions amidst their shouts and fighting. Using battalions and companies as their organizational structure, they once again formed a firm defensive formation.
When the sound of cannons began to ring out, the defensive formation even began to push forward, actively cutting and suppressing the path of the Female Zhenren cavalry. Meanwhile, the Female Zhenren — or rather, Wanyan Loushi — revealed his acute perception of the battlefield. Three cavalry units were practically sticking to the Black Flag Army, using them as the background as they charged straight at the Black Flag Army with cannons. Under the command of Qin Shaoqian, the middle formation put up a tenacious resistance. The Female Zhenren cavalry broke through the weak points, but they were eventually patched up.
The Female Zhenren cavalry that had failed in their first attack began to rapidly charge and leave the battlefield. Under the command of Wanyan Loushi, an extremely intense battle occurred on the eastern side of the battlefield. It was like the collision of two huge grinders. However, before the artillery troops could advance, Wanyan Loushi had already gathered the charging Female Zhenren cavalry into a single line. While maintaining the deterrent power of the huge arrows, they left the battlefield. Soon after, they circled around the battlefield and threw a rain of arrows. After forcing Han Jing back, they charged toward the northern side of Yanzhou City.
This was just a single round of fighting, but the ferocity of the clash and the intensity of the battle left one speechless. In this short amount of time, the Black Flag Army displayed a peak level of formation coordination ability. Meanwhile, the Female Zhenren side displayed Wanyan Loushi's acute perception of the battlefield as well as his ability to control cavalry. When they were about to fall into a quagmire, they quickly gathered their troops. While suppressing the Black Flag Army, they also ordered the entire army to retreat from the sticky area. When the Black Flag Army's cannons dealt with this seemingly scattered but actually unified cavalry, they weren't even able to cause large scale casualties. At the very least, the casualties were much less than the number of casualties during the clash.
What truly affected the Female Zhenren cavalry was naturally the frontal clash. The second was the mass production of powerful crossbows supported by the assembly line. When the Black Flag Army began to maintain their formation and fire at close range at the cavalry with crossbows, the results of this battle definitely made Wanyan Loushi's flesh ache.
After this intense clash that didn't last long, the Female Zhenren cavalry, who originally assumed the attitude of destroying the Black Flag Army in one battle, didn't linger in the slightest and charged straight for Yanzhou City. At this time, northwest of Yanzhou City, the infantry and supply troops that Wanyan Loushi had arranged to withdraw a long time ago had already begun to attack the city in the chaos.
Not long after, the army led by Hong Ti also arrived. Five thousand people entered the battlefield and cut off the Female Zhenren infantry's retreat. After Wanyan Loushi's cavalry arrived, they engaged in close combat with Hong Ti's army to cover the infantry's escape. The cavalry led by Han Jing gave chase. Not long after, the Hua Xia army also arrived and joined up with Hong Ti's army.
The elite Female Zhenren cavalry that had merged with the infantry were unable to quickly retreat. The Hua Xia army's pursuit wasn't slow at all. This night, the chase and bite that lasted for most of the night unfolded. On the thirty li long rugged road, the two sides continuously chased and fled. The Female Zhenren cavalry constantly scattered, using their speed to harass the Hua Xia army. Meanwhile, the Hua Xia army's formation efficiency left people speechless. The cavalry protruded, attempting to use any method to drag the Female Zhenren cavalry or infantry into the quagmire.
Marching and fighting in this kind of dark night, both sides had accidents occur. Wanyan Loushi's use of troops was bold and unconstrained. Occasionally, he would use a few cavalry units to tear apart the Black Flag Army's troops from a distance, causing small casualties on this side. However, the Black Flag Army's aggressiveness and the coordination of the infantry and cavalry also caused the Female Zhenren's side to be in a difficult situation. A few small scale battles always left the Female Zhenren with dozens of corpses.
After chasing like this for most of the night, both sides were utterly exhausted. They set up camp and rested in a place two to three li away from Huangguoling in the northwest of Yanzhou. On the morning of the second day, before they could sleep well, they saw the Black Flag Army push the cannon formation forward again. When the Female Zhenren got into formation, the Black Flag Army's troops had already pushed forward again. Wanyan Loushi commanded the army to go around and then used a large number of cavalry to fight the other side.
In the following two days, the two sides entered into friction and conflict without end. One possessed astonishing discipline and cooperation while the other possessed acute control over the battlefield and almost reached perfection in commanding troops. The two troops madly collided on this piece of land like a heavy hammer and an iron felt. Both sides viciously wanted to swallow the other in one gulp.
Facing the world's number one army, the world's number one general, the Black Flag Army's response was so fierce. This was something that no one had expected.
Thinking back to his experiences on the diplomatic missions to Little Cang River, Fan Hongji had never thought of this point. After all, that was Wanyan Loushi.
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