The winter between the tenth and eleventh years of Wu Jianshuo's reign was not cold, with only a few light snowfalls in Jiangnan. But in the second month of the eleventh year, a rare cold wave suddenly arrived as if to make up for the absence of winter, descending upon the Central Plains and most places of the Wu dynasty. It was only a few days in the middle of the second month. The night passed, and by dawn, thick frost had formed under the eaves and trees.
Many of the flower buds and tree buds froze to death overnight.
This rare cold lasted for several days, but the pace of the war did not slow down in Jiangnan. On the eighteenth of the second month, near Danyang, southeast of Zhenjiang, the Wu dynasty general Lu Haifeng gathered more than 200,000 troops to besiege the 50,000 Jurchen elites led by Xi Yin and Yin Shuke, and then they were defeated and fled.
In the years since the popularization of cannons, the pattern of war began to change. In the past, the infantry formed phalanxes so that the soldiers could not escape during a charge. When the cannons could attack in groups, this method of fighting was curbed, and the importance of small elite troops began to be highlighted. In the army of the Wu dynasty, except for Han Shizhong's Subduing Sea Branch and Yue Fei's Beiwei Army, there were not many soldiers who could break into the field under the fire of cannons. Most of the troops could only use part of their fighting strength when they were on the defensive.
However, the troops under Lu Haifeng's command were not so weak. The troops under his command were also one of the new troops trained under the care of Jun Wu after the move to the south. Lu Haifeng's army was strict, and he trained them in all kinds of harsh weather and terrain, such as heavy snow and heavy rain, letting the soldiers advance and fight in the mud of Jiangnan. Compared to the old soldiers of the Wu dynasty, the soldiers under his command were also very different.
Since the arrival of the Jurchen elites led by Xi Yin and Yin Shuke, the situation on the battlefield in Jiangnan became more intense and tense. In the capital, as well as all over the world, there were rumors of the determination of the Eastern and Western armies to put aside their former enmity and destroy the Wu dynasty in one fell swoop. This display of firm will, coupled with Xi Yin and various spies stirring up trouble in the capital, made the situation of the Wu dynasty extremely tense.
Before this, there might have been some people who hoped to use the conflict between the Jurchen and the Eastern and Western courts to make some fuss. But at this time, in the capital, there were many people who were lobbying all sides or looking for a way out for themselves. Under such circumstances, Lu Haifeng launched an attack on Xi Yin's and Yin Shuke's troops out of confidence in his own army.
This large-scale attack was also carried out with the approval of Jun Wu. Compared to the long and arduous task of defeating Zong Fu's army head-on, if they could defeat the elite troops of the former Western Army, who had traveled a long distance, had some logistical problems, and were likely to have a grudge against Zong Fu and Zong Bi, the crisis in the capital would be easily resolved.
Of course, it would not be easy to defeat the elite troops led by Xi Yin and Yin Shuke. But if they did not even dare to attack, the so-called ten years of training would be a joke at this point. On the other hand, even if they could not repel Xi Yin and Yinshu in one go, with two, three … three hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, or even a million troops, they would definitely be able to grind them to death like a millstone. But before that, the entire Jiangnan army must have the determination to fight.
The attack was carried out on a rainy day. The cold of late spring was still ongoing. The 200,000 troops challenged the other side in the bone-chilling rain. Such weather wiped out the power of all firearms. Lu Haifeng led the 60,000 troops as the vanguard to meet the 30,000 Mountain-slaughtering Guards.
In the pouring rain, even the arrows lost their power. The two armies were pulled back into the simplest fighting rules. The phalanx of spears and shields spread like a tide under the dark sky. The 200,000 troops of the Wu dynasty seemed to cover the entire earth, their shouts even drowning out the thunder in the sky. The Mountain-slaughtering Guards led by Xi Yin faced them head-on, and the two sides collided in the muddy water.
In a sense, if the Wu dynasty army had the determination and quality of Lu Haifeng's army ten years ago, the battle of Bianliang would have been different. But even so, it did not mean that the current Wu dynasty army had the quality of the world's first class soldiers. The Mountain-slaughtering Guards, who had been following Zong Han for years, still possessed the heroic morale of the Jurchen "undefeatable by ten thousand".
After confronting and fighting for two hours, Lu Haifeng's army was defeated. Half a day later, the entire battlefield was like a bead curtain being rolled up. The Mountain-slaughtering Guards and Yinshu's troops chased after the Wu dynasty's defeated army for more than ten miles, and there were countless casualties. Lu Haifeng was unwilling to retreat in the battle. In the end, he led the charge and had one of his hands chopped off. He only survived because his personal guards risked their lives to save him.
If one were to say that in this tragic battle, what Xi Yin's side had displayed was still not inferior to the bravery of the past, but the Wu Dynasty's people's death battle had brought about many things.
On the nineteenth day, as the casualty figures came out, Yinshu's expression did not look good. When he saw Xi Yin, he said, "As the Goddess of Grains said, this little crown prince's determination is not light. If the Wu dynasty army is so determined every time, we will really have to go back before long."
Xi Yin's gaze was solemn and calm. "Even a dying rabbit will bite. In the vast Wu dynasty, there will always be some people like this. With this battle, it is already very convenient for others to make a fuss. "
On the twentieth day, Jun Wu, who was at the Zhenjiang Barracks, gave affirmation and encouragement to Lu Haifeng's desperate battle. He also requested the imperial court to confer Lu Haifeng a nobility and a promotion.
"In front of us is the world's strongest and fiercest army. It is not shameful to lose to them! I am not afraid! They destroyed Liao and swallowed the Central Plains. Our Wu dynasty's land and land fell into their hands, and our people were enslaved by them! Now he dares to come to Jiangnan with fifty thousand men! I am not afraid of losing, and I am not afraid of you losing the battle! From today onwards, I want you to fight with everything you have! If it is necessary, we will fight every day. I want to kill them. I want none of these fifty thousand men to return to the Jin Kingdom. All of you who fought, I will ask for credit on your behalf … "
Jun Wu's declaration would soon spread throughout Jiangnan. At the same time, Yue Fei defeated the one hundred and thirty thousand Han soldiers led by Li Yangzong near Taiping Prefecture and captured more than sixty thousand of them. In addition to killing some of the "main evildoers" who had committed numerous bloody crimes, Yue Fei proposed to the imperial court to recruit the Han army to surrender, only killing the main evildoers and letting bygones be bygones.
When the two sides fought fiercely, some of the Han soldiers in the Central Plains who had committed numerous bloody crimes in Jiangnan made such a proposal, which immediately caused a complicated internal discussion. In Lin 'an, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, Liu Yan, and others directly submitted a petition to impeach Yue Fei. Although these Han soldiers from the Central Plains were extremely vicious after arriving in Jiangnan, in reality, they were not determined to fight. In recent years, the people of the Central Plains had been plunged into misery and suffering. Even the soldiers' lives were extremely poor. If the Jiangnan side could let bygones be bygones and even give them a full meal, it was conceivable that most of the Han soldiers would surrender at the mere sight of them.
Not long after, Jun Wu accepted Yue Fei's proposal and expressed his stance. On the battlefield, the Han soldiers who were willing to surrender to the south could be forgiven as long as they did not commit any bloody crimes in the past.
At the same time, in response to Xi Yin's' peace negotiation 'request to the Wu Dynasty, before the end of the second month, there was a corresponding piece of news from the southwest. It was deliberately pushed, and in Jiangnan, it joined the boiling voices …
In Jiangning, the sky was shrouded in layers of leaden clouds. Wu Qilong and the magistrate's advisor, Liu Jing, sat down in a noisy teahouse. Not long after, they heard the discussions beside them.
"… Speaking of the current situation outside, our Crown Prince is really unyielding. Everyone has to give him a thumbs up … Although that General Lu was defeated, our people are not afraid. I heard that Changzhou has mobilized more than a hundred thousand people to encircle Xi Yin with the army from Zhenjiang … We're not afraid of defeat, but we're afraid that those golden dogs will return alive …"
"… The killing in the forest is also fierce. You don't know this, but the golden men have taken advantage of the chaos and killed many people in secret. I heard that half a month ago, there were several fights in Xuanzhou and hundreds of people died. The local tyrant, Song Dakun, was slaughtered and left behind an extermination letter. But in reality, this matter was done by the lackeys of the Female Enlightened Master … Later, Old Man Fulu led people to intercept the golden dogs. This matter is absolutely true. Many people have died in Xuanzhou in the past few days …"
"… Actually, if you want to talk about the people who should be killed, you have to look at the southwest. I heard that at the end of January, the southwest issued a name list which clearly pointed out who committed evil and who should be killed. Changsha's Huang family used to have a Huang Shichu who was the Minister of Personnel for two years. Taking advantage of his position, he fished as much as he could. Later, although he was dismissed, he took advantage of those few years to make countless henchmen. These years, he even passed information to the Female Enlightened Master and privately persuaded everyone to surrender. Motherf * cker, his whole family is a bastard … "
"… He has countless fertile lands in Changsha and more than a thousand servants. He is indeed a local tyrant. When the extermination order was issued in the southwest, he knew something was wrong. I heard that he set up an inescapable net at home and was on tenterhooks day and night. But at the end of January, the Black Flag Army came, more than a hundred people … Let me tell you, that night, when the extermination order was issued, everything was in chaos. They couldn't even hold on until the army arrived …"
The people in the teahouse gathered together. The speaker lowered his voice, as if he was talking about some big secret. Everyone also used the same voice to discuss spiritedly.
"… Speaking of which, although that person in the southwest is treacherous, but in these matters, he really is a hero. You all know, that bastard Xi Yin previously persuaded us to surrender. He wanted us to cede all the land from the west of Xiangyang to Sichuan for Ni Han to go to Chengdu to fight against the Black Flag Army. Hehe, not long after, the southwest found out. I heard that a few days ago, that Mister Ning directly wrote a letter to Ni Han. It said: Wait for you to come, you will be buried here in the future. Tsk tsk … "
"… If these two sides were to fight, I really don't know how strong it would be …"
Amidst the discussion, Liu Jing smiled at Wu Qilong. "Say, among them, is there anyone from the Black Flag Army?"
"It's hard to say." Wu Qilong held his teacup and smiled as he shook his head.
Jiangning was the birthplace of the inner demon, Ning Yi. It was also the former residence of the Prince of Kang, Zhou Yong. In the past, the people of Jiangning had always treated the demon in the southwest as a taboo. But at the beginning of this year, Zong Fu had crossed the river to attack Jiangning. It had been nearly two months since then, and the citizens of the city had a different view of this great rebel. They often heard people talk about him. After all, in this world, those who could truly stand in front of the Female Zhenren were probably the vicious and evil bandits in the southwest. Ning Yi, who was born in Jiangning, along with a few other heroic people, were often brought up to boost morale.
Also mentioned were Princess Cheng and her husband, Kang Xian, who had sacrificed themselves in the fall of Jiangning.
"I heard that Brother Wu was old friends with that Ning Yi? Is there any discrepancy between what these people are saying and what they are saying? " Advisor Liu Jing came from outside. In the past, mentioning Ning Yi was somewhat taboo. Only now did he ask about it. Wu Qilong was silent for a moment. He looked at the table and chair by the window.
"If you were targeted by him, it's true that you would be skinned alive."
"Oh? Brother Wu has been targeted before? "
"He married into a cloth merchant, and I am also a cloth merchant. We had a conflict, but fortunately, it wasn't to the extent of killing each other." Wu Qilong smiled. "He lost more than half of his family property."
As he said this, Liu Jing, who was sitting opposite him, frowned and became interested. He asked again and again. Wu Qilong recalled and at the same time talked about the incident with the imperial merchant. At that time, because of the dispute between the two families, he found the ambitious shopkeeper of the Su family, Xi Junyu, to cooperate with him. Later, the assassination of Su Boyong broke out. Thinking about it now, he couldn't help but sigh. But in the context of this world-shaking war, these things also became interesting.
"In fact, now that I think about it, that Xi Junyu was too ambitious. Some of the things he did were beyond my imagination. If it wasn't for the fact that my family only wanted money and didn't participate in it, I'm afraid it wouldn't have ended with just losing half of our family property …"
"Then … why did he lose half of his family property?" Liu Jing asked with a face full of expectation.
Wu Qilong continued to talk about the incident with the imperial merchant. He took the formula and seized the imperial merchant. He even made Ning Liheng so angry that he wrote a poem, 'The White Prime Minister still presses his sword when he knows, the vermillion family is the first to arrive with a smile.' "… Then one day, the cloth faded.
When he said this, Liu Jing was slightly stunned. Then, he suddenly understood. "… Ruthless. Then what happened after that? How did he deal with you?"
"… Then one day, in this teahouse, over there, he was reading a book. I went over to greet him and tested his reaction. He was absent-minded. Then, as if he suddenly realized something, he looked at me and said, 'Oh, the color of the cloth faded …' At that time … Yes, Brother Liu could imagine … I wanted to kill him … "
The two looked at the window over there. The sky was gloomy, and it looked like it was going to rain soon. Sitting there were two thin men drinking tea. Wu Qilong, who already had uneven white hair and a refined bearing, seemed to be able to see that afternoon more than ten years ago. Outside the window was bright and beautiful, and Ning Yi was flipping through the pages of a book. After that, the Wu Family's flesh was cut off.
At that time, Wu Qilong was in his early thirties. He encountered the biggest setback in his life. The Wu Family was stripped of their position as the number one cloth merchant in Jiangning. They were almost unable to recover from this setback. But not long after, Ning Yi, who was also heading north, united the merchants of Jiangning and began to develop in the capital. Later, because of the disaster relief, he came into contact with the power of the Qin Family. Later, he was recognized by Princess Cheng and Prince Consort Kang. After all, they were all from Jiangning, so Kang Xian took good care of the Wu Family.
At the beginning of the third year of Jianshuo, Wu Shu conquered Jiangning. That old man was unwilling to abandon Jiangning, where he had lived for almost his entire life. When the army entered the city, he died, and Princess Cheng's residence was burned to the ground. Not long after, Wu Qilong brought his family back to Jiangning and rebuilt the Wu Family. Later on, he led the Wu Family to take over the majority of the imperial court's military uniform business. When the Jurchens marched south, he donated most of his family's wealth to support the army. Even now, the Wu Family's wealth was still several times greater than it had been in the past.
There was naturally no need for him to tell Liu Jing about many of these things. But now that he thought about it, time seemed to flow by in the vast expanse of time. Compared to the present, it was more peaceful than it had been in the past.
Even now, in the southwest, Ning Yi, who could contend against the world, would probably still miss the time when he read books here.
Wu Qilong thought to himself.
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