The collapse of the building was sudden.

In April of the 11th year of Wu Jianshuo, one of the most critical time periods that determined the situation in the entire world. The battle of Jiangning was in full swing, and hundreds of thousands of defenders were still struggling to support the onslaught of Wanyan Zonghan in the land of Xiangfan, which was more than a thousand miles away.

Since the two sides began to engage in short-handed combat in the second half of last year, the Wu Dynasty still showed its strong national strength and profound heritage under the fierce offensive of the Jurchen's fourth southern expedition.

Nearly ten years of forbearance and preparation, even if the Central Plains were lost, but in the south of the Yangtze River to establish a more prosperous economic system, supported a relatively strong giant-like body, in the next nearly a year of the war situation, although the Wu Dynasty was defeated from time to time, often at a disadvantage, but the rich heritage and a steady stream of soldiers made up for the loss of the defeat, even though the Yangtze River defense line has been broken, but several important fulcrums supporting the skeleton of the south of the Yangtze River have been stubbornly defending, in some places even formed a situation of you coming and going, The desperate Jurchen army was dragged near the Yangtze River and could not move south for a long time.

If such a situation proves that the Wu Dynasty still has great strength in terms of total volume, the Zhenjiang incident at the end of April may profoundly illustrate the various hidden wounds and contradictions hidden in the body of the giant of the Wu Dynasty.

Compared with the first time the Jurchens went south more than ten years ago, although the millions of troops of the Wu Dynasty were defeated in one blow before the powerful combat power of the Jurchens, many people in the world still maintained the dignity that once belonged to the kingdom, and they could flee if they were defeated, but there were not many people who defected to the enemy.

However, after more than ten years of brewing and changes, the heroism of the anti-Jin has turned more to the tragedy of the tongue and the scholar on paper, although for the ordinary people, what happened during the Jingping period has always been a great shame, and the anti-Jin wave in the society has been higher than a wave, but among the middle and upper echelons of the Wu Dynasty, the proportion of those who are connected with the Jurchens and even those who defect to the enemy has greatly increased.

For more than ten years, you have been in a state of antagonism, and on the other hand, the two sides are constantly deepening their contact. When the balance of power on the table becomes apparent, most smart people will have their own calculations. The battle in Zhenjiang at the end of April was not so much a contrast between offense and defense, but more of a fierce collision of the comprehensive strength of the two sides.

This is a battle that is not quite the same as the previous situation, even if it is only a successful use and rebellion of Wanyan Xiyin, but the layout of the normal battle has already begun purposefully last year, the penetration of the Jurchens into the Wu Dynasty, and the panic of the people in the Lin'an court, making all this more like a large-scale remake of Ning Yi's Liangshan incident.

Compared with the rapid transmission of information, the movement of tens of thousands or even more than 100,000 troops, every major movement, seems to be very slow. In mid-April, Yan Xiyin's army turned to Zhenjiang, and all parties had already smelled unusual signs of his desperate behavior, but to keep up with his movements, the various armies on the Wu Dynasty side also needed long enough, and in the process, everyone had to guard against the possibility of the other party's false shot.

By April 19, Xi Yin began to make siege preparations, and the surrounding troops were able to determine the truth of the whole movement and surrounded the Zhenjiang direction.

On the twenty-second, Xi Yin sent a messenger of discord to Junwu and others in Zhenjiang City, and on the same day, he sent a large number of leaflets to Zhenjiang City, spreading the information that the nine clans who participated in the city defense were not pardoned, and the first to sacrifice the city to make meritorious contributions to the city was sealed Wanhu Hou, and at the same time, the news that a certain member of the imperial court had surrendered to Jurchen was also spread as evidence. In such an atmosphere, in the afternoon of the same day, the Jurchen army launched an all-out siege of the city.

Wanyan Xiyin's onslaught on Zhenjiang was also desperate, and almost all the powerful flowering bombs were thrown on the city head desperately, and Tu Shanwei launched a desperate attack on the wall in the interval between the bombing. At this time, more than 200,000 troops in the southeast and south of Zhenjiang had set out to arrive, and in Zhenjiang City, Jun Wu and others intensified the law enforcement of the military law team, and at the same time adopted a one-to-one strategy of guarding the generals in the army, and even changed the garrison area of each team before the siege began.

If Xi Yin's siege of the city is fruitless, the tens of thousands of people led by Tushanwei, Yinshuke, Alubao and others led by him are very likely to be surrounded by the army and eventually buried under Zhenjiang City, and even if they break through the siege tragically, after paying a heavy price, the morale of the people of the Wu Dynasty will be high, and the fourth southern expedition of the Jurchens can only end dismal so far.

The frenzied attack of the Jurchens, coupled with the defenders' declaration of forgiveness from the nine clans, put tremendous pressure on the city's army, but at the same time made the resistance of the defenders more resolute. However, compared to the besiegers, it is not the longboard with the highest fighting spirit that determines the victory or defeat of the city, but only one key flaw is enough.

On April 25, in the early morning, a flaw appeared, a young general named Geng Changzhong led a small number of his personal guards to launch a rebellion, after contacting the Jurchens, tried to open the Shuangjiao Gate on the east side of the Zhenjiang River, his rebellion was not completely successful, but the Jurchens launched a fierce attack on the Shuangjiao Gate through civil strife, occupied the city wall and opened the door, so far, the Jurchen army surged in from the east of the Zhenjiang River.

The Jurchen soldiers entered the city with high morale as the flames raged through the explosion and the fighting spread through the city, but they were soon greeted by the onslaught and resistance of the defending army. Jun Wu led his troops out of the camp and mobilized the soldiers of the whole city to fight against the Jurchens, and at the same time organized the people of the city to flee from the docks and roads on the other sides.

I'm afraid not many people can understand Jun Wu's mood at that time, the resistance of hundreds of thousands of people was ruined by one person's weakness - of course, if this person can carry it longer, there may be other weak people. But in the darkness of the early hours of the morning, Jun Wu did not fall in this head-on blow, he rode a silver-armored war horse, brandished his sword, and constantly issued orders to boost the morale of the soldiers and guide the fleeing people.

Officials from the Prince's Palace, including Wen Yuren, tried to persuade Jun Wu to get on board and escape from the already hopeless Zhenjiang River, but Jun Wu refused to do so, and ordered the sailors to carry the people across the canal so that the people could flee, and ordered the defenders south of the city to open a road for the people.

Zhenjiang is the hub of the canal and the Yangtze River, to last year, the people living in the area of Zhenjiang have reached as many as one million, after the war, the people in the vicinity are scattered, the people living in the city are still more than 400,000, this night, the slaughter and flames spread in the city, the fleeing team is mighty, the whole city is in a boiling fight.

Defeating Zhenjiang is the most critical step in Xi Yin's entire war plan, and when the goal of breaking the city is realized, even he will enter a state of excitement. Soon after Tu Shanwei and a group of Jurchen elites entered the city, the defenders of the city came back to meet them. At this time, Zhenjiang has been broken, and according to Xi Yin, all the soldiers of the Wu Dynasty will face the fate of the Zhujiu clan after the Jin State rules this place, and the resistance of the entire city will enter a white-hot state in a blink of an eye.

At this time in Zhenjiang, Xi Yin led Tu Shanwei, plus Yinshuke, Alubao part of the army, the number of Jin soldiers was close to 70,000, and the Wu Dynasty army in Zhenjiang City was only more than 100,000, but on the twenty-fifth day after the city was broken, Zhenjiang resisted the battle of the Jin people, and played the most tragic climax, some generals led the soldiers to charge wildly, and they never retreated.

In the early morning of the 25th, a small half of the city fell into flames, and a large number of people were still fleeing outside the city, at this time battles began to break out near the escape road outside the south of the city, Arubao's army tried to block the south road, but was fiercely blocked by the Wu Dynasty army arranged by Jun Wu on this side, and the Wu Dynasty general Zou Tianchi, who led 20,000 Wu Dynasty troops to guard this side, was nearly sixty years old, and was arranged here by Jun Wu and never retreated, and his army was defeated or killed in the next two days, and there were also people who surrendered, Two days later, in the face of Arubao's onslaught, the old general was blown away by a cannonball, and when he got up, his right arm was already bloody and bloody, and the old general led the crowd to charge with a knife in one hand, and finally fell on the way to stagger.

This is just a small episode in the whole battle of Zhenjiang, on the morning of the 25th, Jun Wu, who had been running all night, was able to breathe a little, he drank the rice porridge brought by his wife in the house on the street, wiped the tears that could not help flowing from his eyes where no one was, and then stepped on horseback and ran around the battlefield to boost morale. During this period, countless people persuaded him to leave Zhenjiang immediately, and even some people who had not had time to flee saw the fatigue of the prince's running, and also opened their mouths to persuade the prince to get on the boat and leave, Jun Wu shook his head and refused, shouting in a hoarse voice.

"The defenders of the city will risk their lives, how can I go first! If I am gone, you will have no way to live! ”

He said this to the people, and when he went to the edge of the battlefield, he kept encouraging the soldiers defending the city: "The Jurchens will not give me a way to live!" It won't give our people a way to live! I am with you, and until the people withdraw, you will not retreat, and I will not retreat—"

Zhenjiang City is not small, but in this day's time, there are even soldiers and people who have seen the prince running by twice or three times, his robe is gradually dirty, the voice of the shouting is gradually hoarse, and the movements are gradually weak, but the words and actions of the screaming have become more and more resolute, and some of the originally timid soldiers have embarked on the road to rush to the Jurchens.

On the evening of the twenty-fifth day, Jun Wu fell off his horse, and Wen Ren, who followed him, came to persuade him to leave, but Jun Wu refused: "I can't go, the military heart is available, the people's heart is available, I see it, we still have hope!" ”

Wen Renfu shook his head: "Zhenjiang has fallen, and it has been a trivial matter since then, and the Wu Dynasty can't do without His Highness!" His Royal Highness transferred to Lin'an, but there is still a glimmer of life, Your Highness ......"

Jun Wu kept shaking his head, his face was already gray, and even mixed with a little blood, and at this time tears flowed out: "It's not a trivial matter!" The lives of hundreds of thousands of troops and 100,000 troops are not trivial! Brother Wenren, I know what you think! But do you see that? People's hearts are available, they can fight, dare to fight, Zhenjiang is not defeated! They came in, we defeated them, there were hundreds of thousands of people coming nearby, and we would stay here! There is still hope! ”

In Jun Wu's eyes, he saw the determination and fanaticism of the last hope, perhaps because he saw the resoluteness and heroism of the resistance on the 25th day, and he was sad when he heard it, but he no longer persuaded him. On the twenty-sixth, the Jurchen troops entering the city had begun to persuade them to surrender, and the resistance was still fierce, but it had begun to decline.

Twenty-seven, half of Zhenjiang City fell into a sea of fire, at this time there were still more than 100,000 people who could not escape, the defense line on the southern outskirts of Zhenjiang City had begun to rush under the onslaught of Arubao, when Junwu led the army to support, the old general Zou Tianchi had died on the way to the super Arubao charge.

On the road leaving Zhenjiang in the south, on the side of the Grand Canal, at this time, the mountains and valleys were full of fleeing people, Junwu gathered the routed troops, organized the defense line, and at the same time urged the soldiers and civilians in Zhenjiang City to move quickly. At this time, the situation of the entire Zhenjiang was already precarious. A cavalry of Tushanwei found the direction of Jun Wu and killed this side, and the surrounding generals and staff persuaded again and again, Jun Wu stood on the top of the hill and looked at the fleeing people below: "Can't you defeat them?" ”

The guards who followed Jun Wu opened a defensive formation, and the soldiers also urged the people to leave as quickly as possible, when the cavalry on the opposite side appeared, it was the afternoon of this day, the sun reflected the water flow on the Grand Canal, there were wild flowers and green grass on the bank, Jun Wu stood on the hillside, watching the guards force back the cavalry's charge, the cavalry approached the crowd in a roundabout way, and fired arrows into the crowd, and the cavalry of the guards chased after them, fighting in the chaos.

In a few moments, the Jurchen cavalry turned into several strands and killed this side, the people around persuaded Jun Wu to stay away, Jun Wu, who had not closed his eyes for three days, just subconsciously shook his head, there was a gun forest formed by the forbidden army in front of him, and there were guards around, he was not afraid. He left his wife under the royal flag and walked forward, wanting to see the Jurchens more realistically—and to remember their deaths more vividly.

Arrows rained down.

Someone raised the shield, someone grabbed Jun Wu, Jun Wu subconsciously struggled, several shields were already covered above his body, something shot on his armor bounced off, Jun Wu's body shook, it felt like he was hit hard by some blunt object, and when he reacted, an arrow was embedded in the gap in the armor - shot into his stomach.

He felt uncomfortable, but there was no pain, and the next moment, someone around him came in a panic, and Jun Wu held the shaft of the arrow with his left hand and pressed it against the armor.

It turned out to be like this.

It hurts......

He thought to himself.

But it was also at this time that his hands, which had been trembling with fear for days, no longer trembled.

- That's just how it feels.

Jun Wu stretched out his right hand, slowly and firmly pulled out the long sword he was carrying, pointed in the direction of the Jurchens, and said in his mouth: "...... Fight the enemy. But his throat hurt so badly that he couldn't scream anymore.

There are people around: "The prince is injured......"

Such a voice gradually spread, and tears flowed from someone's eyes, these days, the surrounding soldiers, and even some ordinary people, have seen Jun Wu running around. Jun Wu was still drawing his sword and moving forward, there was a general in front of him shouting and leading the troops to rush towards the Jurchens, and the cavalry in the guards was also killing, they braved the arrows to charge, approached the galloping horses, and then crashed over, after a while, there was a commotion among the fleeing people, some cried, some shouted, gradually, there were men in the crowd who put down their belongings, one, two, three...... Gradually, it became a group, surging towards the battlefield on this side of the hill.

The sun was dazzling and dizzying, and Jun Wu, who was moving forward, fell down in Wen Ren's arms, and the place where the arrow hit seemed to be painful, but it didn't matter.

That's just how it feels.

He was no longer afraid.

Jun Wu's pale face smiled slightly.

“…… Fight the enemy. ”

He said hoarsely, softly.

More Jurchens were still besieging and killing, Shen Shi, after determining Xi Yin's intentions, he rushed all the way to the fastest speed of the cavalry of the Beiwei Army under the leadership of Yue Fei obliquely inserted into the battlefield, he rushed into the main force of Arubao, and in less than half an hour, with the most ferocious posture to behead the Jurchen general Arubao.

At this time, the main cavalry of the Beiwei army was reduced to about 5,000 after a long period of fighting, Yue Fei personally served as the commander, and came into battle. In the evening of this day, this cavalry crossed the battlefield, and before Xi Yin led the Tushan Guard to kill Xiang Junwu, he made a life-threatening blow to the main force of the Jurchen general's handsome camp-