It rained in February.
Ice floes flowed in the upper reaches of the river. The snow in Jiangnan began to melt.
In Jindi, the snow-covered mountain roads were still rugged and difficult to travel, but the outside world had gradually awakened from the harsh winter. The conspirators had already braved the cold for a long time. When spring came, the land that had yet to be decided would eventually return to the battlefield of slaughter.
Lou Shuwan could deal with all of this calmly.
After inspecting the storehouse where the seedlings were stored, she got on the carriage and went in the direction of Yu Yulin's main camp. It was still drizzling outside the carriage. The driver of the carriage was "Eight-Arm Dragon King" Shi Jin, who was holding a copper rod. This made Lou Shuwan not have to worry too much about the danger of being assassinated. She could focus on reading the information that had been gathered in the carriage.
After the end of the year, she had gained a little weight, or maybe she had also grown a little prettier. The clothes that she used to wear could finally support her body again. Of course, in front of outsiders, Lou Shuwan was used to doing things in a serious manner, which could increase her prestige. Occasionally, when there was no one around, she would show her fragile side.
One day, after flipping through a few pages of the report, her face fell into a daze for a moment.
The information she received from the Gui Zhe was both big and small. There were only a few lines of information that stunned her for a moment. It reported the number of people who died of cold and hunger in a small county in the direction of Jinning in winter. The name of a squire who died of illness was also recorded in the report.
That name was Zeng Yuhuai.
Lou Shuwan held the information, her thoughts a little confused. She didn't know who sent this information and what the other party's purpose was. When did she tell anyone to pay attention to this person? Why did he deliberately add this name? Because he participated in the battle against the Woman Zhenren and later left home to save food for the refugees? So he died of his injuries. Did the people below think that she would be interested in knowing such a person?
Why did this name appear here?
Her thoughts turned around for a moment. She turned the information to a page, read a few lines, and then turned back to confirm the contents of these lines.
Zeng Yuhuai.
Before the war began, he reprimanded her for not paying attention to her reputation in the General's house. Then he told her in all seriousness that he had participated in the battle against Liao Yiren and the Female Zhenren, and that he had lost his legs on the battlefield soon after. She once saw the unconscious middle-aged man on the stretcher among the retreating crowd, but she was too busy to pay further attention.
Time was connected. After he returned to his home in the rear, the injuries of his broken legs were sometimes good and sometimes bad. He used the food he had stored at home to help the refugees near Jinning during the winter. On a normal day in the first month of the lunar calendar, his injuries worsened and he finally died.
Lou Shuwan's gaze was cold as she tightly pursed her lips. She clenched her fists and hammered the walls of the carriage.
In front, the driver of the carriage and Shi Jin turned around. Shi Jin greeted, "Lord Lou."
"… I'm fine."
Lou Shuwan flipped a page of the report in her hand.
If she had been in Hangzhou more than ten years ago, such a story would have made her burst into tears. But after experiencing so many things, strong emotions would be diluted. Perhaps it was more like being pressed down by something as heavy as a mountain. Before people could react, they would have to throw themselves into other things.
Flipping another page of the report, there was news about the war in the southwest. This was the core of all the battles in the world. The life and death conflicts of hundreds of thousands of people were currently erupting. Since the middle of the first month, the entire southwest battlefield had been blazing and chaotic. Many details, such as the preparations and exchanges between the two sides, could not be clearly distinguished from the collected intelligence reports that were thousands of li away.
Because of this, Lou Shuwan could only look at these reports and feel the heat of the conflict before the outcome of the matter was decided. That man and that army in the southwest were putting up a fierce resistance that made everyone gasp in admiration. In the face of the Jurchen army that had been unstoppable in the Liao Kingdom, the Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains, and Jiangnan over the past two to three years, only this Black Flag Army was indeed putting up a fierce counterattack. It could no longer be called a resistance; it was truly a head-on clash with an evenly matched enemy.
She had once admired and liked that man.
Although it was only a secret infatuation, a twisted emotion … she was infatuated and admired the mysteriousness, calmness, and strength that this man displayed. But to be honest, no matter what standard she used to judge him, in those past days, she had never regarded Ning Yi as an existence that could wrestle with the entire Great Jin army.
Perhaps the relatively close distance had obliterated the sense of mystery to a certain extent. Ning Yi's schemes and strategies made one's scalp tingle and gasp in amazement. Even now, when Lou Shuwan put herself in the position of the enemy, she still felt powerless. But no matter what, these were all things that could be traced. Using schemes meant that his own strength was not strong and that there were always flaws. That was why he had taken such an unconventional path. Many people thought that his regicide because of Qin Siyuan's matter was a hasty and thoughtless action.
In the end, his strength had many limitations. If he was strong enough, he would not have been trapped in Hangzhou back then. If he was strong enough, half of the Su family would not have been massacred by Liangshan. If he was strong enough, he could have protected Qin Siyuan and not watched Qin Siyuan die. It was precisely because of this lack of strength that Ning Yi could only move to the northwest in a hurry after his regicide. In the end, he had to endure three years of fighting and fleeing in Little Canghe.
At the end of the day, there were concrete traces of his strength. But the strength of the Female Zhenren was a strength that could crush the whole world. Because of this, in the past, people always felt that the Hua Xia army was inferior to the Female Zhenren. But this time, many people, at least on Lou Shuwan's side, could see clearly that in this war in the southwest, the Black Flag Army was an opponent of the same level as the Jin Kingdom's Western Army, or even stronger. They were swinging a heavy fist at the enemy that was difficult to resist.
If such an attack were to fall on them, their side … might not be able to withstand it.
From the intelligence reports that came in, only a rough outline of the war from the second half of January to the first half of February could be seen.
Originally, in everyone's predictions and calculations, the Hua Xia army, who was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, would adopt a defensive stance in this war and use the addition of fortifications to make up for the lack of manpower. The obstruction of Huang Ming County and Yu Yu River had once confirmed this speculation. If this strategy continued, after Huang Ming County was broken through, the Hua Xia army would pin the possibility of victory on the city defense of Zizhou. As the Female Zhenren advanced, a small number of elites would constantly attack and take advantage of the enemy, steadily attacking and retreating would be the best strategy.
But there shouldn't be a large-scale battle in the wild. Because even if the Hua Xia army had a slight advantage because of the terrain, the outcome of a battle in the wild was sometimes not as easy to control as a defensive battle. During the few attacks, once the enemy found an opening and ruthlessly took a bite, it would be an unbearable loss for the Hua Xia army.
But according to the intelligence reports, since the middle of January, the Hua Xia army had chosen to take the initiative in battle. The road from Huang Ming County and Yu Yu River to Zizhou was still 50 kilometers away. When the Female Zhenren army crossed the 15 kilometer line, the first wave of attack had already appeared. After crossing 20 kilometers, the Hua Xia army's Yu Yu River army retreated while the fog disappeared and began to attack Balisuo's troops on the road.
The more the Female Zhenren army stretched forward, the greater the distance between each army. The troops at the front tried to attack steadily, clearing and familiarizing themselves with the nearby mountain roads. The troops at the back were still rushing over, but the Hua Xia army began to attack the troops that were slightly alone in the mountains.
At this time, the road network between Huang Ming County and Yu Yu River began to merge, and the number of forks in the surrounding mountains began to increase. In the late January, the Hua Xia army took advantage of the fog and the forks in the mountains to launch an attack. In ten days, six battles involving more than 8,000 Female Zhenren soldiers broke out in succession. Three times, the Hua Xia army successfully defeated the Female Zhenren's troops and killed more than 6,000 of them. One time, they couldn't retreat in time, and the two sides almost engaged in a large-scale positional battle.
On the 27th day of the first month, the three divisions of the Hua Xia army even showed the intention of surrounding and attacking the Yan Mountain Guards. But because of Balisuo's quick reaction, the Hua Xia army, which had been exposed for a while, chose to retreat dejectedly. Although the information in the intelligence report downplayed it, it could be imagined that if Balisuo's actions had been slightly slower, for example, giving the Hua Xia army more than half a day's time, they would probably have launched a local decisive battle against the army of indignant soldiers commanded by Wanyan Xibao.
Lou Shuwan couldn't figure out why the Hua Xia army showed such confidence.
At the beginning of the second month, the Female Zhenren army passed the central line 25 kilometers away from Zizhou. At this time, the Female Zhenren army was divided into three groups, advancing forward. The 30,000 soldiers coming from the Yu Yu River side were led by Dalai and Saba. The middle and lower routes were led by Balisuo, and the Yan Mountain Guards were led by Wanyan Xibao as the core of the Revenge Army, which was led by the Yan Mountain Guards. More and more troops were still chasing after them.
The mountain path ahead divided the Female Zhenren's army to a certain extent. Although the three groups cooperated with each other, they still chose to set up camp and defend, advancing step by step. With the camp as the core, they sent out troops and scouts to familiarize themselves with and grasp the terrain of the surrounding forest. However, once the slightly larger army broke camp and advanced, it would be difficult for them to move forward. From here, the troops that first probed forward were almost unable to gain a firm foothold on the further road.
When the intelligence from the southwest was sent to Jindi, it was still the beginning of the second month. However, on the seventh day of the new month, two Female Zhenren vanguards were ambushed by the Hua Xia army while advancing. They had no choice but to retreat with their tails between their legs. When the intelligence was sent, there was still a Female Zhenren army with more than 3,000 soldiers who had their retreat blocked by the Hua Xia army on the mountain path. They were besieged and waiting for reinforcements …
The situation was intense, but it was also a stalemate. Lou Shuwan couldn't predict the direction of the situation. Even if the Hua Xia army was brave and skillful in fighting, how long could they last if they used this method to slap the Female Zhenren in the face? What was Ning Yi thinking? Was he that simple? What about Zong Han who was in front of him?
"… Pretending to be mysterious … I don't know how much of it is true."
After holding the intelligence report in silence for a long time, Lou Shuwan muttered to herself in a low voice.
Her thoughts could remain on the war in the southwest, but she couldn't put too much energy aside to investigate the development of the battle situation thousands of li away. After thinking for a while, Lou Shuwan roused herself and read through the other reports one by one. In Jindi, there were matters that belonged to her that needed to be dealt with.
Near evening, the advancing carriage arrived at Yu Yulin's camp. The atmosphere in the camp was somewhat solemn. Lou Shuwan and the others walked into the camp and saw Yu Yulin, who had just finished listening to a report.
This general who had the authority of the Jindi army and could be considered a veteran of hundreds of battles was currently frowning, an ominous aura emanating from his eyes. Lou Shuwan walked forward. "What's going on in Qi District? Has Li Guotang been found? Has he rebelled again? "
"Qi District has been slaughtered …"
"…"
Lou Shuwan's eyes widened for a moment, then gradually narrowed. "Liao Yiren … is his entire family really tired of living? What about Li Guotang? He has more than three thousand men under him. Did the things I gave him all feed the dogs? "
"Li Guotang is dead. His head has also been chopped off and hung in the county. Also, they said that it wasn't Liao Yiren who did it. "
"His head has been chopped off. Perhaps he's a cicada casting off its carapace." Lou Shuwan frowned. Compared to other matters, at this moment, she was more concerned about the possibility of betrayal. Of course, after a moment, she calmed down. "What exactly happened?"
"… I found some lucky survivors. They said that there was a group of merchants from out of town who had a batch of seedlings and contacted Li Guotang. Li Guotang had people enter the county. There were about a dozen of them. After entering the city, they suddenly attacked and killed Li Guotang on the spot. They beat back his personal guards and opened the city gates … I don't know how many people entered afterward. I only know that Qi District has been slaughtered for three days and the person who reported the news didn't come out. " At this point, Yu Yulin paused. "Those who survived said that from the way those people were dressed, they looked like northern barbarians … like people from the plains."
Lou Shuwan thought for a moment. "Dozens of people seized the city … Ban Dingyuan?"
Yu Yulin said, "There's no such person among Liao Yiren's subordinates. Moreover, I think General Li opened the door because he was sure that the other party wasn't Liao Yiren's subordinate. That's why he wanted to do business with us — he knew that we were short of seedlings."
"… Continue to investigate." Lou Shuwan said, "Even if the Female Zhenren really sent him reinforcements, there wouldn't be too many of them. Or maybe he found helpers during the winter … If he can afford them, we can defeat him."
The hostility in her eyes gradually calmed down. "As long as Li Guotang doesn't betray us, we must avenge him."
It was still drizzling outside the tent. The sky was gloomy and the wind was slightly cold. Almost at the same time, Liao Yiren, who was hundreds of miles away, saw Li Guotang's head.
This was the beginning of the year in the Land of Jin.
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