In the early spring when orioles were flying and grass was growing, the land was in chaos.
It was now the thirteenth year since the Enlightened Lady's first trip south, and the eleventh year since the Wu Dynasty's invasion to the south. The Wu Dynasty, which had once been glorious and glorious in history for more than two hundred years, had ceased to exist in name.
The troops that maintained the last bloodline of the Wu dynasty named this year the first year of rejuvenation. In these years of war, the new Emperor of the Wu dynasty, Zhou Junwu, who carried the ambition of rejuvenation, temporarily did not become the focus of attention.
In the first month, the Eldest Princess's troops docked in Fujian and, with the help of Cheng Zhouhai and the others, easily captured the strategic town of Fuzhou. In the middle of the first month, the majestic fleet of dragon boats sailed north along the coast to pick up the main force of the Junwu troops and assist them in rushing south. At one point, the fleet entered the Qiantang estuary and approached and intimidated Lin 'an.
Considering that the plan to pursue and kill Zhou Junwu could not be realized in the short term, Zong Fu and Zong Bi announced the victory of the southern expedition when the snow melted at the beginning of the second month. After leaving part of the troops to hold the fort in Lin 'an, they led the majestic army north.
Considering the goal of this southern expedition, as the eastern army, Zong Fu and Zong Bi could already return triumphantly. At this time, the Wu dynasty, under the operation of the small court in Lin 'an and the Jurchens for more than half a year, had already fallen apart. Not being able to capture Zhou Junwu and completely destroy the Zhou bloodline was only a small flaw. It was a bit of a pity to abandon them, but if they continued to eat them, they would no longer have much taste.
On the other hand, the aggressive western army preparing to destroy the southwest had sunk into the quagmire of war. For Zong Fu and Zong Bi, this could also be considered good news. It was true that as fellow clansmen, Zong Fu and Zong Bi still hoped that Zong Han and the others could win — and they would certainly win — but before they won, the worse they fought, the better.
At this point, the war in the southwest had become the focus of the entire world's attention. Some people rejoiced in other people's misfortune, while others were anxious. During this period of time, the corresponding battle of Changsha also attracted the attention of many people. Considering the difference in battle power between the two sides near Changsha, when it first came to an end at the end of the second month of this year, many people were stunned by the results of the battle.
There were hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the Jin Kingdom's side in the battle of Changsha. Among them, there were more than 30,000 elite troops led by Yin Shuke, an old Jurchen general. Half of them were cavalry troops that Xi Yin asked for from Zong Bi. Apart from Yin Jue's troops, there were also over 300,000 surrendered Han soldiers that rushed over.
In the Huaxia army, Chen Fan's Miaojiang army only had a little more than ten thousand people. Even with the addition of the two thousand strong Special Forces and the miscellaneous troops and village warriors led by Zhu Jing and other hot-blooded generals, the total number was less than forty thousand.
At the beginning of the war last year, Chen Fan had led seven thousand elite soldiers in a long-distance raid. In less than a month, they had quickly defeated more than a hundred thousand Han soldiers led by Li Toouhe and Yu Gusheng. But with the arrival of Yin Shuke's main force, the Battle of Changsha, which lasted about half a year, was extremely difficult for the Chinese army.
Chen Fan abandoned Changsha at one point, then returned to attack Changsha, then abandoned Changsha again … Throughout the course of the battle, Chen Fan's troops had always relied on the terrain to fight. Zhu Jing's Ju Ling was once attacked by the Jurchen and then slaughtered. After that, she kept fleeing and moving.
Looking at the overall situation of the battle of Changsha, even within the Huaxia army, the overall situation of the battle of Changsha was not optimistic. Chen Fan's combat principle was to rely on Yin Shuke, but he was not familiar with the mountains in the south. He constantly used guerrilla tactics and seized an opportunity to quickly defeat the opponent's troops. His art of war and leadership ability were taught by Fang Qifo back then. Coupled with his own accumulation of so many years, his combat style was stable and resolute. It showed that he was unusually fast when he ran, extremely sensitive when he seized opportunities, and extremely fierce when he attacked. Once he failed, he would not hesitate when he retreated.
Even under the pressure of Yin Shuke's pursuit, Chen Fan still won several brilliant victories in the gaps of the hundreds of thousands of troops surrounding him. One of them even defeated Yin Shuke's division and swallowed nearly six hundred elite Jin soldiers before swaggering away.
But no matter how good a commander was, he could only do so much. If he was facing all the troops of the Wu dynasty who had surrendered, Chen Fan might be able to lead ten thousand people in and out of Jiangnan. But when facing an old Jurchen general like Yin Shuke, being able to occasionally gain an advantage was already the limit of the art of war.
Within the Huaxia army, the overall trend was predicted that Chen Fan would gradually enter the deep mountains of Miao Jiang to resist after constantly fighting. If he was not annihilated, it would be a great victory.
No one had expected that the battle of Changsha would end with Yin Shuke's defeat and death.
No one had expected that in the army of the Wu dynasty, there would also be a resolute and fierce "anomaly" like Yu Mingzhou.
*****
The battle of Changsha ended on the 24th of February of that year.
Wanyan Qingjue was captured on the evening of the 21st of February. He remembered the smoke of gunpowder and the red sunset. In the southeast of Changsha, near Liuyang County, a big battle had actually started. This was an encirclement of the troops led by Zhu Jing. The basic goal was to swallow up Chen Fan's troops who had come to help.
In that sunset, that ruthless young general of the Wu dynasty, who had a good impression of him, suddenly punched him off his horse.
Wanyan Qingjue wasn't even mentally prepared. He fainted for a moment. When the buzzing in his head became clear, he turned his head and reacted. In front of him was a scene of slaughter. Yu Mingzhou on the warhorse looked down from above, his face bloody and ferocious. Then he pulled out his sword.
This was Wanyan Qingjue's last memory of that day. Later, someone knocked him out completely and stuffed him into a sack.
This was the second time Wanyan Qingjue had been captured by the Huaxia army.
When he woke up, he was locked up in a simple and crude camp. Everything around him was still in chaos. At that time, it was still in the middle of a war. Someone was watching over him, but it didn't seem like they were paying attention. This "not paying attention" referred to the fact that if he escaped from prison, the other party would choose to kill him instead of knocking him out.
Wanyan Qingjue didn't find a chance to escape. For a short period of time, he didn't know what was going on in the outside world. On the evening of the 24th of February, he heard someone cheering outside, "Victory." On the 25th of February, he was escorted to Changsha City. Before he fainted, Changsha City was still under his control. But apparently, the Huaxia army had returned and taken Changsha City for the third time.
On the way, the soldiers escorting the prisoners seemed to have forgotten about the threat of the Jin army. It was as if they had won completely. This shouldn't have happened. Even if the Huaxia army had won again, the elite troops led by Marshal Yinshuche couldn't have been wiped out. After all, victory and defeat were common in war.
He kept silent along the way and didn't ask about it. On the twenty-fifth day, when the sun was setting, he approached Changsha City. The setting sun was like orange blood splashing down in his field of vision. He saw the armor of Marshal Silver hanging on the flagpole in Changsha City. Next to the armor hung a hideous head of Yinshuche.
There were other pedestrians and soldiers on the road. Wanyan Qingjue staggered and knelt down by the side of the road. "What, what happened …"
He asked in a hoarse and weak voice, but the handle of the knife hit his back and urged him to move forward. Wanyan Qingjue's eyes were red. He pointed at the head on the flagpole and looked back at the soldiers who were guarding him. His expression was hideous and scary. The soldiers raised their feet and kicked him hard in the face, causing him to fall into the mud.
No one explained anything to him. He was detained in the prison of Changsha. The victors and losers changed, and the regime changed. Even in the prison, one could occasionally sense the turmoil in the outside world. From the prison guards who walked by, from the shouts of the prisoners who were escorted, and from the murmurs of the injured … But it was impossible to piece together the whole picture. Until the afternoon of the 27th of February, he was escorted out.
He left the prison and passed through a long corridor. Then, he came to a courtyard at the back of the prison. Many soldiers could be seen here. It was possible that the prisoners who were being guarded were digging the ground. Two men who should be members of the Huaxia Army were talking in the corridor. The one in military uniform was a middle-aged man. The one in a long robe was a young man with oily hair and powdered face. Both of them had serious expressions. The young man with oily hair and powdered face cupped his fists slightly towards the other. He glanced over. Wanyan Qingjue felt that he looked familiar. But then, he was escorted to an empty room at the side.
The empty room was simple and spacious. The windows were open, and he could see the scene of soldiers standing guard in front and back. After a while, the slightly familiar-looking young man walked in. Wanyan Qingjue narrowed his eyes and then remembered. This was one of the followers of that scoundrel Yu Mingzhou. He was not Yu Mingzhou's most trusted right-hand man. Because of this, Wanyan Qingjue had only vaguely seen him once or twice in the past.
The young man looked good, like an actor. Recalling his past impressions, he would even think that this person was Yu Mingzhou's pet. Yu Mingzhou was impatient, ruthless, and had the habits of an aristocratic family's son who loved to have fun. Even so, it was not strange. But at this moment, Wanyan Qingjue could not see too many things from the young man's face. The young man's gaze was calm and somewhat gloomy. After opening the door, he closed it again.
He walked over. Wanyan Qingjue's hands were tied to the table and he could not move. He raised his head and struggled slightly. Then, he gritted his teeth and said, "Where is Little Dog Yu? It's rude to send a subordinate to support me at this time. He … "
At this moment of confrontation, considering Yin Shuke's death and the great defeat in the Changsha battle, Wanyan Qingjue, who had been proud of being a disciple of Xi Yin for half his life, had completely thrown caution to the wind. He was about to say a few sarcastic vulgarities when a fierce light flashed in the eyes of the young man who stood in front of him and looked down at him.
A fierce punch landed on Wanyan Qingjue's face.
With a hum, Wanyan Qingjue's entire brain rang out, and his body twisted to the side. By the time he reacted, his mouth was already full of blood, and two of his teeth had been knocked out, falling out of his mouth. Half of his mouth was loose. Wanyan Qingjue spat out the blood in his mouth with difficulty.
"Ugh … you …"
"Yu Mingzhou said a long time ago that sooner or later, he would personally punch your complacent face so that you would never be able to smile again."
"Cough … let him come …" Wanyan Qingjue said with difficulty.
"He can't come. So, after finishing the matter, I came to see you."
"Bastard!" Wanyan Qingjue raised his head. "He even sold his own father …"
"He only sold all his belongings. Uncle Yu did not die …" The young man sat opposite. "These things were also forced by you."
"Let him come see me and tell me face to face. He is now a big shot, amazing … In front of me, he is a dog, "Wanyan Qingjue said." He doesn't have the face to see me. He is afraid of being lifted up by me. He is a dog! "
The young man placed his hands on the table and slowly rolled up his sleeves. He did not look at Wanyan Qingjue. "He is not a dog …" He was silent for a moment. "You have seen me before, but you do not know who I am. Let me introduce myself. My name is Zuo Wenhuai. Do you have any impression of this surname, Young Master Wanyan?"
"Go! You! Mother! You! Kill me! "Wanyan Qingjue struggled with all his might.
A sorrowful look flashed in the eyes of the young man called Zuo Wenhuai. "Compared to your teacher, Wanyan Xiyin, you are indeed a useless playboy. Compared to Mingzhou, you are far inferior. Zuo Jiyun is my uncle. One of the granduncles in the Zuo family is called Zuo Duanyou. In order to kill him back then, you also offered a large reward. "
Wanyan Qingjue reacted.
The Zuo family of the Wu dynasty followed the Jianshuo imperial court to Jiangnan after the Wu dynasty moved south. The great Confucian Zuo Duanyou was said to have been to Little Cang River several times and argued with Ning Yi. Later, although they established themselves in Jiangnan during the Wu dynasty, the Zuo family always had a good impression of the Huaxia army at Little Cang River. There was even a rumor that the Zuo family had colluded with the Huaxia army.
Such a rumor might be true, but it had never been confirmed. First, Zuo Duanyou was famous in the circle of Confucians in the Wu dynasty. His family had deep roots. Second, after the Jianshuo army moved south, the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess also had a good impression of the Huaxia army. Thus, the call to avenge Zhou Zhe had gradually decreased. Some families even started trading with the Huaxia army, hoping to "learn from the foreigners to control the Jurchen". As for who had a good relationship with the Huaxia army, it had always been a rumor.
Only the Jurchen had offered a bounty for Zuo Duanyou's head. It was not only because he had been to Little Cang River and received a courteous reception from Ning Yi, but also because Zuo Duanyou had a good relationship with Qin Siyuan. These two reasons added together gave them a reason to kill him.
In the end, Zuo Duanyou did not die in the hands of the Jurchen. He naturally died in Jiangnan. However, throughout the process, the Zuo family had indeed established a close relationship with the Huaxia army. Of course, it was still unclear how deep the relationship was.
After Zong Fu and Zong Bi worked together with Xi Yin to break through the defense line in Jiangnan, Xi Yin had once paid attention to the Zuo family. However, at that time, the entire Zuo family had quietly disappeared before people's eyes. Xi Yin had only thought that this was the wisdom of a large family to avoid trouble. But now, there was such a disciple of the Zuo family walking in front of Wanyan Qingjue.
Wanyan Qingjue thought for a moment and said, "The winner takes all. I was one move behind. Now, you can say whatever you want …"
He was referring to Zuo Wenhuai's evaluation of him as a "playboy." Zuo Wenhuai looked at him for a moment and said, "I am a soldier of the Huaxia army."
"… You dogs are naturally soldiers of the Huaxia army. Hehe, you know what Yu Mingzhou has done … "
Zuo Wenhuai shook his head. "I came to see you today to tell you this. I am a soldier of the Huaxia army. I once studied in Little Cang River and was taught by Mister Ning. But Yu Mingzhou, who gave you this crushing defeat, was never a soldier of the Huaxia army. From the beginning to the end, he was a soldier of the Wu dynasty. His heart was in the Wu dynasty, and he was loyal to the millions of people of the Wu dynasty. He was heartbroken by the situation of the Wu dynasty … "
Zuo Wenhuai stared at him and said word by word, "Remember — you and Yinshu were defeated by such a person."
Wanyan Qingjue tilted his head. The previous punch had made his thinking extremely slow. But at this moment, from the other's words, he finally realized something …
"Haha … Yu Mingzhou … how is it?"
What flashed through his mind was the ruthless gaze of Yu Mingzhou when he looked down from his warhorse on the evening of the 21st of February.
Smoke filled the air, and the setting sun was like fire. Some years, some hatred, people would never be able to avenge.
Therefore, certain feelings would become clearer in such emotions ….
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