In August, the weather in Lin 'an began to turn cold, but the warm and tense atmosphere in the city never subsided.
The cries for the peace of the country, the rise of Dawu, and the pledge to go on a northern expedition had never subsided. The students of the Imperial College would preach on the streets several times a month. The storytellers in the restaurants and teahouses in the city were all narrating tragic and stirring stories of bloodshed. The women in the brothels were mostly singing patriotic poems. Because of this kind of propaganda, the once fierce battle between the north and the south gradually softened and was replaced by the people's common enemy mentality. Throwing away a brush and joining the army became a trend among scholars. There were also some famous rich merchants and landowners who donated their family property to contribute to the resistance against the enemy. For a time, it became a popular story.
After July, the warm atmosphere was still heating up. Time was already pressing down on them with a terrifying aura. In the past month, under His Highness the Crown Prince's appeal, several armies of the Wu Dynasty had arrived at the frontlines one after another, ready to fight to the death against the Female Daoist. News of the departure of Zong Fu and Zong Bi's armies came soon after, and soon after, the war in the southwest and the banks of the Yellow River finally began.
Qin Hui did not feel excited about these things finally coming. What pressed down on his back was an incomparably heavy pressure. Compared to his active activities half a year ago and in recent months, now everything was out of control.
As the current director of the Privy Council, Qin Hui had the highest military authority in NMAU in name. However, under the suppression of the Zhou imperial power and the "righteousness" of resisting the Jin, what Qin Hui could do was limited. A few months ago, taking advantage of the anger and fear caused by the Black Flag Army capturing Liu Yu and throwing the blame to the Wu dynasty, Qin Hui tried his best to implement the plan he had been planning for years: destroy the Black Flag Army with all his strength and use the Black Flag Army's sharpened sword to control the Jurchens. If the situation was good, he might be able to fight his way out.
Frightened by the Black Flag Army's actions, Jianshuo Emperor Zhou Yong agreed to this plan for a time. Eldest Princess Zhou Pei also stood on his side for a time. However, not long after, the entire plan was obstructed in the process of being implemented. The lobbying of some of the armies that had secretly cooperated with the Black Flag Army was not a big deal. Zhou Yong's sudden hesitation made Qin Hui feel powerless. In the end, the one hundred thousand Wuxiang soldiers were ordered to attack the southwest. The result stunned Qin Hui. During this period, he had mobilized almost all the power of the court, but Zhou Yong's hesitant attitude had caused him to fall short of success.
In the northwest, the Black Flag Army resisted the repeated attacks of over a million soldiers, and even defeated the million Great Qi army. What was the use of 100,000 people? If he couldn't do his best, he might as well not do it!
He was puzzled by the change in Zhou Yong's attitude. Although Zhou Yong had always been an indecisive person, he initially thought that Crown Prince Jun Wu had secretly persuaded him. Later, he realized that the crux of the matter was Princess Royal's residence. Zhou Pei, who was furious with Black Flag, finally gave her father an extremely cold speech.
"… Ning Yi killed the former Emperor Zhou Zhe in Bianliang, and later captured Liu Yu in the palace. If Ning Yi really disregarded the threat of the Jin and went all out, what would happen to Father's safety when he staked everything on one throw? "
In a three-way struggle, the Wu Dynasty wanted to first destroy Black Flag, then subdue the Nüzhen. This was an extremely controversial strategy. Disregarding other opinions, what the Eldest Princess had truly moved Zhou Yong was probably these words. If you pushed Ning Yi too far, would the palace in Lin 'an really be safe? Zhou Yong, who was timid and afraid of trouble, actually thought so. On the one hand, he didn't dare to push Black Flag to the extreme. On the other hand, he wanted to separate the armies that had originally cooperated privately with Black Flag. In the end, the entire strategy fell on Lu Qiaoshan of the Wuxiang army.
The plan to establish a relationship with Black Flag turned into a warning to the many armies. As it was implemented, Qin Hui also pushed forward the order to clean up the army's discipline. However, this was better than nothing. In the past few months, Qin Hui had always wanted to add bricks and tiles to the war in the southwest. For example, he mobilized two more armies and added at least 300,000 men in an attempt to suppress Black Flag. However, Crown Prince Jun Wu strongly promoted the defense of the north against the Jin and refused excessive internal friction in the southwest. At the end of July, when the news of the war in the southwest came, Qin Hui knew that the opportunity had been missed.
During this period of time, the imperial court's actions were not without results. By cutting off the southwest and beating down the various armies, they increased the authority of the central government. The Crown Prince and Eldest Princess, under the pressure of the approaching Nuzhen, worked hard to ease the increasingly tense conflict between the north and the south. At least in the Jiangnan area, they played a huge role. Eldest Princess Zhou Pei and Crown Prince Jun Wu were doing their best to strengthen the Wu dynasty. For this matter, Qin Hui had negotiated with Zhou Pei several times, but there was not much progress.
This was also the clash of ideas between the Wu dynasty and the Nuzhen people after more than a decade of war, humiliation, and self-reflection. The Wu dynasty had a flourishing style of writing, and there was a time when it was overly focused on strategy and flexibility. After more than a decade of being beaten, more and more people realized that the only thing that mattered was their own strength. These people looked forward to the miracles that could be created by unyielding strength. Until the last moment, they should try not to rely on external forces as much as possible.
Crown Prince Jun Wu was young and energetic, and this was the most obvious. Compared to excessive use of strategy against the outside world, he valued internal unity more and more. He valued the strength of the people of the north and south gathered together under the banner of the Wu dynasty. Therefore, he hated the strategy of using the black flag first and then the Nuzhen people. At first, Eldest Princess Zhou Pei could understand reality. She was not a staunch supporter of the integration of the north and the south. Most of the time, she was cleaning up the mess left by her younger brother. Most of the time, it was easier to coordinate with people who understood reality. But after the incident with Liu Yu, she seemed to have changed in this direction.
Although taking the black flag first and then the Nuzhen people could be considered as cutting off all means of retreat, Zhou Pei had already begun to subconsciously reject such a decision when she was not strong enough. After several discussions, Qin Hui realized that she also hated the black flag in the southwest, but what she hated even more was the weakness and disunity within the Wu dynasty. Therefore, she reduced the strategy in the southwest to beating and purging the army. She used all her strength to put pressure on the Nuzhen people to pacify the internal conflict between the north and the south. In the past, Qin Hui would have nodded in agreement with her.
But time was running out.
In a few months, half of Qin Hui's hair had turned white, and he had suddenly lost weight. On the one hand, he was worried, and on the other hand, the political struggle in the court was not peaceful. After the southwest strategy was dragged into a mess, impeachments against Qin Hui and his people appeared one after another in the court. There were people who came up with all kinds of ideas to oppose Qin Hui's strategy in the southwest. Although Qin Hui had a place in Zhou Yong's heart, he could not compare to Cai Jing and Tong Guan in the past. When news arrived that the Wuxiang army had entered Liang Mountain, he wrote a memorial admitting his guilt and asked for his resignation.
Zhou Yong did not accept his resignation and immediately rejected it. As a father, he trusted and supported his son in all matters. But at the same time, as the Son of Heaven, Zhou Yong also trusted Qin Hui's dependable character. If his son wanted to fight the enemy on the front lines, he needed a trusted minister to hold the fort. Thus, as soon as Qin Hui submitted his memorial, Zhou Yong rebuked him and rejected him.
Qin Hui then asked for his resignation for the second time. Although there had been some changes to the southwest strategy, he had been the one to propose it in the first place. Now it seemed that Luqiaoshan was bound to lose and the situation in the southwest was about to deteriorate. He had to bear the responsibility. Zhou Yong was furious at Qin Hui's discouraging words in court, but he privately comforted Qin Hui for a while. This was because news from the southwest arrived at the same time that Qin Hui's resignation was submitted. On the 26th, Luqiaoshan's army was attacked by tens of thousands of black flag soldiers at the mountain pass of Liang Mountain's Xiufeng. Chen Yuguang's 30,000 men were routed and scattered into Liang Mountain. After that, Luqiaoshan's 70,000 men were attacked by the black flag soldiers and separated. Luqiaoshan occupied each mountain to defend, dragging the war into a stalemate.
On the fourth day, the situation in the southwest took a turn for the worse. Qin Hui's foresight had saved him a lot of face. On this day, many of his colleagues came over to comfort him and urge him to stay. Some said that Luqiaoshan was smart and skilled in military strategy. After being caught off guard by the black flag attack, they managed to stabilize their position. As long as they adjusted their strategy in time, the situation in Liang Mountain might turn for the better. Qin Hui could only shake his head and sigh.
After sending off his colleagues, his wife, Madam Wang, came over to comfort him. Qin Hui sighed, "Ten years ago, the late Right Prime Minister, Duke Yuan's feelings were probably similar to mine today. There are many things in the world that do not go according to one's wishes. Even if one has the heart to fight, how can one overcome the vicissitudes of one's will? "
Madam Wang was silent for a while before saying, "My brothers and children are all outside. If you want to retire, you should let them know."
"Retreating is easier said than done. Eighty one years ago, I had no home for three thousand miles. My flesh and blood were scattered all over the world. Tears fell from my eyes as I gazed into the distance … "Qin Hui smiled and shook his head. He was reciting a poem written by a powerful minister, Cai Jing." Five times in the Golden Hall, ten times in the Jade Hall. Recalling the prosperous days of the past, it became a dream talk … Madam, it became a dream talk. Cai Yuanzhang ruled the court for decades and was second only to the emperor. But in the end, he starved to death. "
When the Jurchens invaded the south for the second time, Cai Jing was demoted to the south. For decades, he was the number one official in the court. When the Wu dynasty collapsed, most of the blame was placed on him. At the age of eighty, Cai Jing traveled all the way to the south. He could not even buy rice with money. In the end, he starved to death in the Chongjiao Temple in Tan Zhou. For more than ten years, the outside world said that he had done many evil things, which caused the people to dislike him. Therefore, even if they had money, they could not buy food. In reality, how could the people have such sharp eyes?
Back when Cai Jing and Tong Guan were at the forefront, the two of them had participated in most of the political struggles in the court. Although Qin Hui had always been stable, he was not the one who stood out. Now, he was the leader of a faction. His clansmen, students, and court officials all had to rely on him for a living. If he really retreated, who knew how many people would follow Cai Jing's old path?
"But, Madam, there is no need to worry." After a moment of silence, Qin Hui waved his hand. "At least this time, there is no need to worry. His Majesty feels guilty toward me. This time in the southwest, I took drastic measures to stabilize the situation and will not follow in Cai Jing's footsteps. But I still have to bear the responsibility. This responsibility is for His Majesty. Suffering a loss is taking advantage of him. There is no need to pay attention to those people outside. This old man accepts the punishment and lets them suffer a little. The affairs of the world … "
He paused for a moment. "… It's all because of some brats who don't know their place!"
That night, the capital, Lin 'an, was brightly lit. The surging undercurrent was hidden in the bustling scene, but it still seemed ambiguous and blurry.
On the sixth day after the war in Liang Mountain in the southwest, explosions rang out in the valley after nightfall. In the foothills in the distance, there were layers upon layers of tents set up by the Wuxiang Army. There were not many torches on the perimeter of the tents. The godly archers of the garrison hid behind the wooden walls, not daring to make a sound.
The forest opposite the tents was pitch-black. Unbeknownst to them, a soft voice came from the darkness, "Cripple, how is it?"
"Don't worry, I see a big one …" The young man on the tree was holding a long flintlock that was even taller than him. He was patrolling the campsite in the distance through his binoculars. It was Yuwen Feidu, who had been following Ning Yi around with a broken leg. Ever since his leg was injured, he had been practicing archery hard. Later, he made a breakthrough in his flintlock technique. Under Ning Yi's recommendation, a group of people from the Huaxia army were selected to practice with flintlocks. Yuwen Feidu was one of them.
In the research and development department of the three southwestern counties, although flintlocks could already be manufactured, the requirements for steel were still very high. On the other hand, machine tools and rifling had only just begun. At this time, Ning Yi gathered the research and development capabilities of the entire Huaxia army and created a small number of long-range flintlocks and binoculars. Although these flintlocks could shoot from a long distance, their performance was still different. Even the effect of shooting was slightly different due to the difference in the special bullets. However, even if the accuracy of long-distance shooting was not high, it was still a strategic advantage to rely on smart archers like Yuwen Feidu in many situations.
"Don't shoot randomly." Little Hei, who was hiding under the tree and laying mines, raised a binocular and said in a low voice, "In my opinion, cripple, it's a bit of a waste to take out this gun now. Every time you use it to hit a few minions, it's not very accurate, and it will make people wary. If you take it to the north and kill Wanyan Zonghan with one shot, how exciting would that be? "
"It's better to have a long-term view … My teacher said that fighting will promote technological progress. Now, this thing only hits one out of three shots from a thousand feet away, and each shot can't be used for too long. It's good to get familiar with this place, so I can go back and think about how to improve it. Hehe, in the future, whoever I point at within three thousand feet will have to call me father. Catch one. "
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuwen Feidu pulled the trigger. Suddenly, there was a burst of fire in the night, and even the trunk of the tree moved. Yuwen Feidu carried the long spear and climbed down the tree like a monkey. There was a commotion in the opposite camp. Little Hei scolded in a low voice under the tree, "F * ck you, f * ck you. I told you to be careful. Are you sure it's the big boss?"
"It looks like it. I've been waiting all night."
"Did you hit it?"
"I don't know. I didn't see it clearly. Let's go."
"Go that way, go that way. You cripple, do you want to be blown up?"
"You are black-hearted. You have nothing better to do than to shoot mines. Sooner or later, there will be retribution."
The two men ridiculed each other and left in a hurry along the dark foothills. They had not run far when there was a sudden boom in the place where they had been hiding. Light bloomed in the woods. Probably the scouts on the opposite side had touched the mines left by Little Hei. The two men smiled at each other and walked toward the camp of the Huaxia Army on the other side of the mountain.
On the second day of August, the sixth day of the battle in Xiaoliang Mountain, the battle was still going on. It was a stalemate, but it was more like the restraint of the Huaxia Army to avoid losses. On the 26th and 27th of July, the Huaxia Army fiercely divided and devoured the entire Wuxiang Army. When Luqiao Mountain retracted the army and began a comprehensive defense, the offensive of the Huaxia Army became restrained and orderly.
The so-called restraint meant that the Huaxia Army used their superior forces to set up camp on the top of the mountain, attack at night, and bury mines on the mountain roads. They did not launch a large-scale attack.
In the past ten or even twenty years, the Wu dynasty and the Liao Army had already gone into a state of sunset. Starting from Chudian, Wanyan Aguda led three thousand and seven hundred men to defeat the Liao army of one hundred thousand, and then to Hubu Dagang, where twenty thousand men chased and killed seven hundred thousand men. The legend of defeating many with few had never stopped. In the Jurchens' first expedition to the south, they used tens of thousands of troops to defeat a million troops under Bianliang. In the second expedition, they broke through Bianliang. In the third expedition, they killed their way to Jiangnan. In order to capture Zhou Yong and search the mountains and seas, they defeated all the armies of the Wu dynasty. And Black Flag had also defeated millions of Daqi soldiers at Xiaocang River. It looked like he was doing it with ease. Using superior forces to defeat many with fewer troops seemed to have become a routine.
But it had to be admitted that when the quality of the soldiers reached a certain level, the defeat on the battlefield could be adjusted in time. When the bead curtains could not be rolled up, the situation of the war was not as simple as solving problems in one go. In the past few years, the Wuxiang Army had been strict with military law. After the defeat on the first day, Luqiao Mountain quickly changed tactics. He ordered the army to constantly build fortifications, and the various divisions of the army coordinated with each other. Finally, the intensity of the Huaxia attack was reduced. At this time, the 30,000 men led by Chen Yuguang and the others were defeated. Luqiao Mountain only had 60,000 left.
Over the past few days, the Huaxia Army had spotted the weakness of the Wuxiang Army's defense. Every day, they would set up a camp of a few thousand men. Luqiao Mountain worked hard to manage the defense and constantly gathered the defeated soldiers. Only then did the situation slightly stabilize. But Luqiao Mountain also understood that the Huaxia Army did not attack by force. It did not mean that they did not have the ability to do so. It was just that the Huaxia Army was constantly destroying the will of the Wuxiang Army and reducing the resistance to the minimum. After managing the army in the southwest for many years, Luqiao Mountain thought that he had done his best. The Wuxiang Army today was completely different from the previous batch of soldiers. It was also because of this that he could have the confidence to lead the army to Liang Mountain.
In his original imagination, even if the Wuxiang Army could not defeat Black Flag, they could at least let the other party see the Wu Dynasty's determination to build up the country and learn from the pain. This would cause enough trouble for the other party. But he did not expect that on the 26th of the seventh month, the Huaxia Army's first attack would be so fierce. Chen Yuguang's 30,000 men maintained the most resolute defense, but they were beaten and defeated by the 15,000 Huaxia Army in front of Luqiao Mountain. The 70,000 men counterattacked with all their might. Under the obstruction of the less than 10,000 men of the other party, for the entire afternoon, until the opposite forest was filled with smoke and blood flowed like a river, they were not able to take half a step past Xiufeng Pass.
This was a real warning. After that, the restraint of the Huaxia Army was only due to Ning Liheng's coldness and stinginess. When the 100,000 men entered the mountain, it was like they were thrown into the mouth of a giant beast. They were swallowed step by step. Even if they wanted to turn back now, it was difficult to do so.
It was already midnight. The fire in the central tent had not died down. Lu Qiao Mountain, with a bandage on his forehead, was writing furiously under the light, recording what he had discovered in this battle and the military situation of Huaxia.
"The Black Flag Iron Cannons are fierce. It can be seen that in the past transactions, selling us iron cannons was not the best choice. In this battle, the cannons used by the Black Flag Army have a range of about 10 to 20 steps better than ours. I attacked with my elite troops and seized two of the enemy's useless cannons. I hope that the people at the back can restore them … "
"Their soldiers have great teamwork and high fighting spirit. They are far better than ours and are difficult to resist. Perhaps the ones we are facing this time are the veterans of the Northwest War. Now that the iron cannons have appeared, many of the tactics in the past are no longer reliable. It is difficult for the infantry to form a formation in the front. The soldiers who cannot coordinate well with each other may be forced to retreat from the battle at the back … "
"There are also the muskets used by the Black Flag Army on the battlefield. They appear and disappear unpredictably and are difficult to resist. According to the reports of some of the soldiers, there are suspected to be a few muskets. On the battlefield, they can reach a distance of a thousand feet. We have to investigate carefully … "
"What we have seen now is that the method of investigating objects is used in the battle formation. It really has supernatural effects. From now on, there will be more new things appearing on the battlefield. The one who is full of changes will be able to gain the upper hand." "Our side should find the reason and work hard to catch up …"
In the night, there were sounds of mosquitoes chirping. The fire was burning, making continuous soft sounds. Lu Qiao Mountain had not rested for several days. His face was pale but his eyes were writing. He did not have the slightest bit of carelessness. He was trying to preserve and pass on the experience of Wuxiang army's defeat to others. Not long after, a soldier came over to report that the leader of Mang Mountain tribe, Brother Lang, was brought back injured. This highly skilled leader of Mang Mountain tribe was leading the scouts to kill the Black Flag Army's scouts outside. Unfortunately, he was struck by lightning and his injuries were not light. After Lu Qiao Mountain heard this, he continued to write and did not pay attention to him.
Tens of thousands of people were camped in Xiao Liang mountain. Campfires were lit one after another. The campfires were vast and mighty. From afar, it looked like the fire of the setting sun, about to be extinguished in this huge mountain.
After daybreak, a messenger from the Hua Xia army came to the front of Wuxiang army's camp and requested to meet Lu Qiao Mountain. Hearing that there was a Black Flag messenger, Brother Lang, who was covered in injuries, also came to the camp with bandages. He looked like he was gritting his teeth.
The messenger was over thirty years old. He was gritting his teeth even more than Brother Lang, "I am Su Wenfang's cousin, Su Wenyu. This time, I am here to represent Mister Ning to show you a way out. Of course, you can capture me and torture me before letting me go. This way, when you die … I will have a better conscience. "
As a messenger, his words were unkind and his face was filled with displeasure. He had an expression that said 'you better not talk to me'. It was clearly a clumsy blackmail tactic in negotiations. This made Lu Qiao Mountain's face turn gloomy for a moment. Brother Lang was the most fierce. He held in his anger and said, "You … cough cough, go back and tell Ning Yi … cough …"
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