The massacre in Yunzhong on the fifth day of the seventh month caused great waves in the vast and mighty war situation. On the battlefields of Yangzhou and Xiangyang, it became a catalyst for the Jurchen army to attack. In the following months, it more or less led to the appearance of several inhuman massacres.
But war was like this. Even if the massacre in Yunzhong hadn't happened, no one could say for sure what would have happened after that. The Qi clan, which had once stirred up a storm in the Wu dynasty, died in obscurity in Yunzhong Manor that night. At least, after Shi Yuanji's corpse appeared, their existence became insignificant.
A portion of the Qi clan, led by Qi Yan, was trapped in a wooden building in the manor. After the chaos spread, the wooden building was set ablaze. Regardless of whether it was the elderly, the young, the women, the children, or the adults, they were all incinerated by this fire. The great Confucian Qi Yan, who had shaken the Central Plains his entire life, hid in a water jar in the building with his two great-grandsons. But the fire was too strong, and the wooden building collapsed. They suffocated to death in the water jar. It was similar to saying that their deaths would be cooked in five cauldrons, but it was unknown how much suffering they had suffered before they died.
The conclusion of the massacre in Yunzhong in the outside world was soon clear. Compared to the great destruction caused by the Wu dynasty's spies, people were more inclined to believe that the Black Flag Army had plotted and caused trouble behind the scenes. In the outside world, the two worked side by side. It was defined as the collaboration between the Wu dynasty and the Black Flag Army. The grand Wu dynasty had already knelt in front of the southwest devil and so on.
But there were undercurrents surging inside.
On the night of the ninth day of the seventh month, Yunzhong Manor delivered the last manuscript left behind by Dai Mo to Shi Liai's desk. After reading it, Shi Liai burned the manuscript and ordered that this was a plot by a scoundrel to sow discord and not to investigate further. But the entire news gradually spread among the upper echelons of the Jurchen people. Regardless of whether it was true or false, the murder of Shi Liai's grandson was pointed at Wanyan Zongfu. This matter was complicated, strange, and thought-provoking.
For a long time, the Jurchen Eastern and Western Imperial courts had checked and balanced each other and also depended on each other. Aguda had unquestionable authority when he was here. Everything was safe and sound when Wu Qimai was in good health. But, in general, after the establishment of the dynasty, Aguda's direct relatives formed a faction of power. And, the core of this power was in the Eastern Imperial Court. At first, it was led by Aguda's second son, Wanyan Zongwang. Zongwang was followed by his third son, Zongfu, and his fourth son, Zongbi (Wu Shu). However, their prestige and power couldn't be compared to Zongwang, who had been groomed as the Crown Prince.
In the west, the War God Wanyan Zonghan (Ni Han), Wanyan Xiyin, and even the Invincible War God Wanyan Loushi and other important generals gathered together to forge the majesty of the Western Imperial Court. The reason why the Jurchen Nation was divided into the East and the West was not because there was a big conflict of interests, but because Liao's territory was too large. It was easier for the two cores to govern each other if they trusted each other. In the previous years, fantasizing about the collision between the two imperial courts of the East and the West, reaping the benefits without doing anything, was nothing more than a bunch of scholars of the Wu dynasty 'gauging the heart of a gentleman with the yardstick of a petty man'.
Zong Wang's death increased the possibility of friction. Aguda's third son, Zong Fu, was relatively honest and sincere. He didn't have the domineering aura of his elder brother. Zong Bi was domineering but lacked in strategy. Due to his overly arrogant and unyielding personality, he was often beaten by Wanyan Xiyin when he was a child. When Zong Fu was instigated by Zong Bi to take over his elder brother's position, the friction between the East and the West gradually began to appear. But at this time, Wanyan Zonghan, who had been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Aguda, only regarded Zong Fu and Zong Bi as ignorant juniors.
After Wu Qimai's fall, the Jurchen Nation launched the Fourth Punitive Expedition to the South. This was an extremely restrained release of internal contradictions. Everyone understood that the overall situation was the most important. Moreover, they could already see the choice of their superiors. At this time, even if they instigated a war between the two sides, such as Zong Fu attacking Xiyin and Xiyin attacking Zong Fu, people could easily see that the ones who really benefited were the people of the South.
In the final analysis, the degree of suspicion in the Jurchen Nation hadn't reached the level of the Southern Imperial Court of the Wu dynasty. The group of people who truly sat at the top of the Imperial Court were still the group of people who could ride on horseback and drink wine with each other.
Shi Liai's identity was the most special.
He was from a Han family with a deep foundation. He lived in Yunzhong and guarded the Western Imperial Court. His official position in the Jin Kingdom was Pingzhangshi under the Hall of Governmental Affairs, which was equivalent to the Prime Minister in charge of state affairs and the Privy Envoy in charge of military affairs. But at the same time, he was also the commander of the Han army. If one didn't completely understand the crux of this, they would think that he was the confidant of Zonghan, the leader of the Western Imperial Court. But in fact, Shi Liai was the military counselor of Aguda's second son, Zong Wang.
Zong Wang's military counselor stayed in the Western Imperial Court all year round. Wanyan Xiyin regarded him as a friend and Wanyan Zonghan relied heavily on him. He also had his own family power. In a sense, he was a figure with the most complicated identity who was used to balance the North and the South. On the surface, he was loyal to the Eastern Imperial Court. After Zong Wang's death, he was naturally loyal to Zong Fu. But Zong Fu killed his grandson?
On the surface, of course, this matter was fake. But if it was fake, who benefited? Black Flag and the Wu dynasty couldn't benefit. And if it was true, it was too thought-provoking.
Knowing that all the clues pointed to Zong Fu at the moment when the dagger was revealed. Chen Wenjun, who was in the Residence of the Goddess of Grains, was in a trance. She frowned and thought for a long time. It was the night of the ninth day of the seventh month. The next day, she did not make a move. The entire Residence of the Clouds was silent. On the eleventh day of the seventh month, the sun was shining brightly. Chen Wenjun found Tang Minjie in the backyard of the vegetable shop. Her appearance seemed to have shocked Tang Minjie. "Wah!" He covered his injured face with his hands, and his eyes darted around in all directions.
Chen Wenjun walked up to him and asked, "Why did you frame Zong Fu?"
"What? What? What?"
"Don't play dumb. I admit that I underestimated you. But why Zong Fu? You know that Shi Liai is Zong Fu's man."
Tang Minjie touched his chin and opened his hands. He was stunned for a long time and said, "Uh … Yes … Ah … Why?"
"What are you hinting at? What other tricks are you hiding? "Chen Wenjun frowned." Shi Liai betrayed the Eastern Imperial Court? Zong Fu wants to teach him a lesson? Gu Han is preparing to seize power and deliberately provoke Zong Fu and Shi Liai? Or are you trying to point the finger at someone else … "
Chen Wenjun whispered her inference. Tang Minjie looked at her innocently. When Chen Wenjun looked at him sternly, he shouted, "This is not a child's play! Don't play dumb here! "Tang Minjie pursed his lips and nodded his head.
"Actually … It's like this." Tang Minjie deliberated for a moment. "Madame Wanyan, you see, Dai Mo is an official of the Wu Dynasty. He has been imprisoned for almost ten years. His wife is dead and his daughter has been defiled. He has a grudge in his heart, is this a problem? I found him who has a grudge and taught Wanyan Wenqin the wrong way. Hehe … This is not a problem. It's all my plot. Dai Mo has a daughter. She was just arrested and she was put under Wanyan Zong Fu's name … "
He gestured with his hands and said, "Then … What can I do? I want to put her under Zong Han's name, but how long have I been here? I didn't think that much. I just wanted to play some tricks and kill a few Jin Kingdom's young masters. You smart people think too much. That's not good. Look at your white hair. I heard from Boss Lu that you're beautiful and spirited … "
Chen Wenjun was unmoved. "Even if Miss Dai is indeed under Zong Fu's name, you are the one who chooses who to kill on the fifth night of the New Year. It shows that you deliberately chose Shi Liai's eldest grandson. This is your deliberate manipulation. You didn't choose Zong Han's nephew, nor did you choose my child. You chose the Shi family … I want to know what you have in mind. Provoke Zong Fu and Shi Liai to fight? Make people think that Shi Liai has chosen a side? Has Zong Fu broken up with him? Or are you going to drag someone down with you? "
"There's nothing else!" Tang Minjie emphasized in a low voice. He then moved a box of vegetables and put it down. "Smart people like you are so difficult to deal with. You talk too much. I'm not a god. I just kill people to vent my anger. Do you think Shi Liai's grandson is easy to follow? How long have you been watching him? Of course it's him. Ugh … again …"
As he talked, the steel knife was placed on his neck again. Tang Minjie was so angry that he closed his eyes. After a while, he opened his eyes and changed his expression. "Hehe, what's the benefit of killing people from the Zong Han family? What's the benefit of killing two of your children? Lady Wanyan and the Lady Zhenren chose the southern expedition instead of internal strife. This shows that they have unified their thinking. The scholars of the Wu dynasty think it's interesting to sow discord. So, even if I catch your two children and kill them, all the evidence points to Wanyan Zong Fu. Will you and the Goddess of Grains seek revenge on Wanyan Zong Fu? "
He opened his hands. "How is that possible? It must be done by the Huaxia army. It must be done by the Wu dynasty! Let me put it another way. Even if it was really done by Zong Fu, you know it clearly. Will both sides fight? Madam, you can't fight, Lady Goddess of Grains. The servants will hold you and your husband back. This matter must be done by a bad person. Even if the Goddess of Grains wants to seek revenge, this matter will not be blown out of proportion. However, Shi Liai's grandson is dead. Zong Fu did it. Hehehe, this is really strange … "
As Tang Minjie spoke, he looked at the blade-wielding female guard with a strange gaze. The fact that the woman was able to follow Chen Wenjun here meant that she was a person of great ability and a firm temperament. However, at this moment, she could not help but move her blade away. Tang Minjie then went to move the things. He lowered his voice.
"What will everyone think? Didn't you see it just now, Lady Wanyan? Smart people are the most troublesome. They like to ponder. But my teacher once said, everything … "He leaned close to Chen Wenjun's ear with an exaggerated expression." … is afraid of pondering. "
"Are you satisfied with this answer? Go ahead and ponder. Actually, there aren't so many things. It's all a coincidence. The wind was so strong on the fifth day of the New Year. I can't predict it, right? " Tang Minjie started working. He then added, "Don't come here anymore. It's dangerous. I've said that someone is watching me. Who knows when they will find me and see you. Lady Wanyan, you won't be able to wash yourself clean even if you jump into the soup pot … Oh, the soup pot … Uh, you won't be able to wash yourself clean. Hahahaha …"
He said in a low voice. He seemed to have sensed something funny and laughed uncontrollably.
Chen Wenjun looked at him and frowned. Finally, she said, "Shi Liai was originally in between the two factions. He has been hiding his strength for a long time. He won't let go of any possibility. On the surface, he has suppressed the investigation. But secretly, he will definitely find all the possible enemies in the Residence of Yun. You will have a hard time in the future. Be careful."
After saying this, she turned and left. Behind her, Tang Minjie was moving the things indifferently.
It was already autumn. The golden leaves fell. In the ruins of the Qi residence, the bailiffs were clearing the area. Man Dudalu stood beside the burnt courtyard, deep in thought.
The deputy came from the side. "Your Excellency, what's wrong?"
"What happened that night was too chaotic. There are some things that we haven't figured out." Mandudaru pointed at the ruins in front of them. "Some of the Qi family members, including that old man, were burned to death here in the end. Too few of them managed to escape … I found the burnt door plank. Look, someone knocked on the door … Who locked the door in the end?"
"Uh, Your Excellency …" The deputy hesitated slightly. "Old Master Shi has already spoken about this matter. Should we … Moreover, there were all kinds of people that night. Our own people, the people from the east, the south, and the southwest … I'm afraid that none of them were idle. It's fine if we find the people from the south. But if we really dig out the radish with mud, Your Excellency …"
"Yes, let's not investigate." Man Dudalu frowned.
The deputy followed from the side. "Moreover, I've always felt that it's a little strange to frame the Third Prince for the matter of Old Master Shi. It's too strange. It doesn't seem to be done by the Wu dynasty or the Black Flag … I always feel that there's something else …"
The scattered speculations disappeared in the autumn wind. In the middle of July, Shi Liai appeared and guarded the many belongings of the Qi family. She returned them to the survivors of the Yunzhong massacre. At this time, Qi Yan was already dead. The few middle-aged people who could be the backbone of the family were either dead or injured on the night of the fire. The descendants of the Qi family trembled with fear. They tried to send a large number of treasures, land deeds, and cultural relics to the Shi family for protection. On the other hand, they wanted to apologize for the death of the eldest grandson of the Shi family in their own home.
Shi Liai did not accept a single cent. She only represented the Jin imperial court and apologized to the Qi family that was attacked in the massacre. At the same time, she said, "From now on, who dares to touch the Qi family in the Jin Empire! Even if it's a relative of the emperor, the Jin Empire will not let them off! "
The Yunzhong massacre was set in stone. Other than the condemnation of the Wu dynasty and the Black Flag Army, no one dared to make any unnecessary comments. During this period of time, the news had also reached the frontlines. Xi Yin, who was guarding Nanyang, punched the table after reading all the information. She only ordered someone to inform the Zong Han army at the back to speed up their advance.
As long as they could win this battle, no matter how many clowns there were, they would not be afraid. Naturally, they could deal with them slowly. However, if this battle did not go well, the enemy at the back would already be prying open the foundation of the Jin Empire. The contradictions that the east and west had previously suppressed during the southern expedition would probably explode …
In August, the situation in the Jin Empire began to become strange. However, this strange atmosphere did not enter the eyes of the people of the world, especially the people of the Wu dynasty, in a short period of time. Other than the central command of the Hua Xia army who had been closely watching the situation in the north, more people only noticed the change in the hearts of the people of the Jin Empire after a few years.
Although many of the Jurchen nobles had already begun to prepare for the future after Wu Qimai fell ill, the large-scale southern expedition suppressed many contradictions. From the looks of it, the gradual deterioration of the internal situation of the Jin Empire started from the Yunzhong massacre.
During this period of time, Shi Liai, who was guarding Yunzhong, cleaned up the suspicious local Han slaves on a large scale, killing people in the entire city. On one hand, no one dared to offend this old man because he was expanding the power of the Shi family and had to respond to the invasion. On the other hand, this old man, who had been in the political circles of Liao and Jin for a lifetime, seemed to have vaguely sensed the danger behind the conspiracy.
According to the manuscripts he had left behind in the final days of his life, Shi Liai's ruthless methods against the Han people of Yunzhong Manor during this period of time were precisely to uncover the power that was suspected to be the "heart demon" hidden in the shadows of the southwest. However, the shadow behind Yun Zhong Manor became quiet. He didn't make any further moves related to this matter. Instead, he drew a question mark to draw a clear line between himself and the matter, allowing it to ferment in people's hearts.
This was a story to be told later.
In the autumn of the tenth year of Wu Jianshuo, our eyes left Yunzhong and looked to the south. It seemed that the news of the Yunzhong massacre had encouraged the Jurchen to attack to a certain extent. In July, Yangzhou and Xiangyang were caught in the white-hot flames of war.
In Yangzhou City, Han Shizhong put up a defensive position and used the city's geographical advantage to defend. However, the Jurchen's attacks were fierce. At this time, many of the old Jin soldiers still had the fierceness of the past. The Khitans, Xi people, and Liaodong people who joined the army to the south all held their breath and tried to make contributions in this war. The whole army's attacks were unusually fierce.
In August, Han Shizhong pretended to abandon Yangzhou and fled south. The Jin Wushu was wild with joy and led the army to chase after him, wanting to cut off Han Shizhong's head to show the world. Then, he was ambushed and counterattacked by Han Shizhong's troops. On the walls of Yangzhou, the Jin Wushu used a large number of siege weapons to indiscriminately bombard the city and secretly gained the upper hand. In this battle, he was surrounded by Han Shizhong and killed more than three thousand Jurchen soldiers. The Jin Wushu himself was hit by the cannons and fell off his horse, narrowly escaping capture.
This battle became the most eye-catching battle result on the entire eastern front. At the same time, on the battlefield near Yangzhou, there were more than one and a half million soldiers in total. Among them, the Wu dynasty accounted for 900,000, divided into 12 different troops. About half of them were defeated in the first battle. After the defeat, these troops complained to the Zhenjiang Barracks with different reasons. Some said that their military resources were embezzled, some said that their allies were incompetent, and some said that they didn't have enough weapons … It gave Jun Wu a headache and he repeatedly cursed.
But compared to the first battle to defend Bianliang more than ten years ago, when the 100,000 Jurchen troops routed more than a million Wu dynasty reinforcements outside Bianliang, the current situation north of the Yangtze River where quite a few troops could still fight was much better.
The defeated troops were gathered and reorganized. The soldiers who had already experienced the flames of war were slowly selected into elite units. Based on the battle reports from the front, Jun Wu in Zhenjiang was dismissing and promoting officers every day, feeding soldiers who could fight into the ranks of Han Shizhong and the other generals. Many of the soldiers on the battlefield in Jiangnan had never experienced a major bloody battle, so they could only constantly filter and purify themselves under these circumstances.
In September, the defensive line in Yangzhou finally collapsed. The front line was gradually pushed to the edge of the Yangtze River and then retreated across it, with the navy and the Zhenjiang Barracks as the core of the defense.
In October, the parts of Jiangbei that hadn't experienced the Jurchen attack were still stubbornly resisting, but the majority of the army led by Han Shizhong had already retreated to the south of the Yangtze River. From Jiangning to Zhenjiang, and from Zhenjiang to Jiangyin, the 100,000 ships of the navy were ready to go, observing the movements of the Jurchen army at any time and waiting for the enemy to attack.
One day, in the city of Lin 'an, Zhou Yong summoned his daughter to the palace and asked her about the situation on the battlefield. Questions such as where were the Jurchen troops, when were they going to fight, Jun Wu should be retreating from Zhenjiang, and how confident he was, and so on.
Zhou Pei once again explained the situation on the northern battlefield. Although the situation in Jiangbei wasn't ideal and the army had finally retreated across the Yangtze River, this was something that they had been mentally prepared for. After all, the Wu dynasty army wasn't as experienced as the Jurchen army. In the beginning, they fought against the Liao and Wu armies, and then they fought against the Black Flag armies. Although some of the old soldiers have retired, there are still a considerable number of elites who can support the army. Our Wu dynasty army has been through a certain amount of fighting, and we've given them a lot of preferential treatment and strict training. Compared to Jing Hanchao, their situation is already much better. The next step is to be quenched and sharpened, and it will be watered with blood.
In the three months of war in Jiangbei, there were victories and defeats, but a considerable number of soldiers who had truly seen blood still survived. The Jurchen wanted to cross the river and fight, but they didn't have the geographical advantage. Jun Wu and the others had thought that if the Jurchen's first attack was swift and fierce, they would use Jiangbei to train their troops and Jiangnan to fight the decisive battle. As for the Zhenjiang camp, it was surrounded by layers of defenses, and the water and land routes were accessible in all directions. Jun Wu would naturally be safe there.
Zhou Yong nodded repeatedly. "Oh, it's good that you know what to do about this matter. But … but … "
The recently haggard emperor paced back and forth in the room. There was something in his throat, but he hesitated for a long time. "But …"
"Imperial Father, there's no harm in saying what's on your mind. In this battle with the Jurchen, there's no retreat. Your daughter and your family will definitely stand together."
She emphasized that there was no room for retreat in her words, attempting to remind her father of certain matters. A smile appeared on Zhou Yong's face, and he nodded repeatedly as he looked at her. "En, there is indeed a matter that Imperial Father has heard from others. Daughter, don't think too much about it. This is also a good thing, but, but …"
"…" Zhou Pei politely tilted her head and stared at him with bright eyes.
"Imperial Father heard that Daughter sent people to the southwest …" After Zhou Yong said this, he waved his hands. "Daughter, don't be angry. Imperial Father doesn't mean anything else. This is good … uh, whatever Daughter does, Imperial Father won't interfere, definitely not interfere. It's just that Imperial Father has been thinking recently, if there's something … that Imperial Father needs Imperial Father's cooperation, just say it … Imperial Father will know what to do. Daughter, you …"
With a smile, Zhou Yong gestured to her carefully and with trepidation. Zhou Pei stood there, looking at the middle-aged man in front of her. After being the Emperor for ten years, his white hair was uneven, and he looked old. He was her father, but he was not qualified to be the Emperor. Most of the time, he was more like a loving father. In fact, in the past, he was neither an Emperor nor a loving father. In Jiangning City, he was more like a prodigal prince without any manners or restraint. When did this change come to him?
In the second year of Jianshuo, the Jurchen came to the south and he was chased to the sea. He drifted for half a year and gradually became a loving father after he came back. Perhaps it was because of the guilt he felt towards Jun Wu, or perhaps he finally understood the value of family. Zhou Pei and Jun Wu gradually became satisfied with this kind of father. Even if he became Emperor, what else could you ask of him?
But for some reason, at this moment, Zhou Pei suddenly felt a sense of disgust. This was an emotion she had never felt before. No matter how unbearable her father was on the throne, he was at least a loving father.
But at this moment, the war had been going on for almost four months.
Lin 'an still seemed peaceful, and the Jurchen had not yet crossed the Yangtze River. But only Zhou Pei knew that these days, from the bank of the Yangtze River to the south, many people had set foot on the road to wander and migrate with their families. North of the Yangtze River, many people had lost their families and even lost their lives. South of the Yangtze River, what kind of anxious and solemn atmosphere was there.
And at this moment, Zhou Pei suddenly saw the two words in the eyes of her loving father with a smile in front of her. For many years, the meaning of these two words had been hanging in her father's eyes, but she only felt that it was ordinary. Only at this moment, she suddenly realized all the meaning of these two words. In the blink of an eye, she felt a chill on her back and all the hair on her body stood up.
Those two words were …
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