When it was getting westward, on the head of the city of Taiyuan, I saw the spreading soldiers retreating from the field of vision to the rear.

Far and near, there was black smoke rising into the sky, and the flames were still burning at the top of the city, and people pushed the corpses down the city, hung the wolf fangs and other objects on the wall again, and piled sandbags inside the female wall.

In the field below, dark red blood and corpses are intertwined into a tragic picture, most of the corpses belong to the civilians of the Wu Dynasty who were driven to besiege the city, the dead and the undead are mixed together, the painful groans are still continuing, but most of the moans have become weak, countless corpses and people who are not dead lie on the field, and in the distance, although not dead but almost desperate civilian captives and Jurchen troops with murderous intent and ambition.

Qin Shaohe stood at the head of the wall, looking at the Jin army camp on that side, during the battle, he also participated in the battle on the city wall as the chief officer, and killed two Jin soldiers with his own hands, at this time, the mottled blood stains on his body, and the corner of the official uniform had been burned black.

After a day and a night of fierce battles, when I saw the countless tragic situations above and below the city wall, people's feelings were no longer compassion. The numbness and trembling of the body resonated with the whole world, the buzzing sound filled the air around them, every inch of heaven and earth, the consciousness of death and the fear that lurked behind it, the bloodthirsty impulse and the palpitations of the heart after injury, all mixed together.

In the same way as these things, there is a certain greater feeling that overrides these, expanding in front of the eyes - of course, perhaps only in the hearts of Qin Shao and this kind of Confucian general will appear such a feeling—the collision and life and death, pain and hope of more than 100,000 people. The past of countless people extends to this point, and many of them will come to an abrupt end in this wave of anger.

"It's not that hard to keep." Looking at the direction that might be where Wanyan Zonghan was, Qin Shaohe muttered in a hoarse voice, but his words were not recognized by the generals behind him.

Because the previous Jurchens' record was too brilliant, when the opponent's troops extended to Taiyuan, everyone defending the city did not know whether they could hold the city under the first wave of offensive. It was also because of the worry and consciousness in his heart that Qin Shaohe, as one of the chief officials, would personally rush to the city wall to fight at the first time. At this time, although after a day and a night, they finally waited for the Jurchens to retreat, and everyone did not feel relaxed at all. Because of such a mood, when Qin Shaohe said words to boost morale. Several generals in the rear did not immediately express their agreement.

Of course. This also proves that under Qin Shaohe's deployment, the generals are not lazy in the rear, and they are already in this first collision. I firmly felt the pressure brought by the Jurchens.

After a brief look at each other. The time to say yes has passed. One of them pointed forward and said in a low voice, "Lord Prefect, the first attempt by the Jin people to attack the city failed. They failed to make a move, but also because they came here in a hurry, the siege equipment was not ready, they collected their troops at this time, and they would never retreat, but it would take time to prepare the equipment, and then they would attack again, it would definitely be more violent, and we should not take it lightly. ”

"General Han is right." Qin Shaohe nodded, "By now, we already know how fierce the Jurchens have been. Look at those who are under the walls, from this day forward, there is only one way before us. But the good thing is that they have never fought before, and everyone is speculating about the strength of the Jurchens in their hearts, and after a hard encounter at this time, they can always know that although the Jurchens are powerful, they are not three-headed and six-armed ghosts, and there is a limit. Ladies and gentlemen, since then, hundreds of thousands of lives in Taiyuan have been handed over to us...... Go for it. ”

He arched his hand, and the rest of the generals arched their hands heavily. Qin Shaohe said with a smile: "But it's okay, it is said that Yan Agu fell into Beijing, and it only took three hours, and we have already guarded it well." So saying, he stepped aside, took a pair of bows and arrows, and went to the wall. Looking at the groans below, he aimed for a moment and fired an arrow.

Among the corpses below, a Wu Dynasty civilian who had broken his hands and feet but was not yet dead was shot in the heart and finally died.

Qin Shaohe took the bow and stood there looking at the corpses below in a daze for a long time, before finally taking a step back and waving his hand: "Pass my order, let the Divine Bow Team and the Military Law Team choose the civilians below who are seriously injured and can be determined to be helpless, if it is too painful, just give them a ride......"

He walked down the city wall, and not far away, a man named Cheng Zhouhai walked towards him, although he was neatly dressed and meticulous, whether it was the dust on his robe or the complexion on his face, he could see that the other party had been tired for days. When he walked in front of him, Cheng Zhouhai waved his hand: "Lord Qin, since the war is over, it is time for the young men and women I organized to take turns to go to the city to take a look." ”

Qin Shaohe nodded: "Send it up, it's time for them to see what the people outside the city are like, tell them, if the city is broken, they will be like this...... It's just that although the Jurchens retreated, it is difficult to say whether they feinted or not, and when the people were sent up, they should not be too much, beware of the Jurchens' meticulous work mixed in, and in addition, if the Jurchens attack the city again, they must be withdrawn immediately......"

After babbling for a while, and then feeling that it seemed to be too verbose, Qin Shaohe's expression froze, and then he smiled bitterly and patted Cheng Zhouhai's shoulder. has done things in the prime minister's mansion for so long, if it is said that the plan is delicate and rigorous, Cheng Zhouhai will be better than him. Smiling slightly, Cheng Zhouhai only replied: "Yes." Then he looked at his deputy, who nodded.

Cheng Zhouhai looked at the city wall, patted Qin Shaohe on the shoulder, and looked ahead, the outer houses of Taiyuan close to the city wall were being demolished, the soldiers and people were busy in the field of vision, running around, and farther away, the rows of houses in Taiyuan City stretched out, the war had started, and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people still had to continue in a tense form.

In the wilderness outside the city, the autumn wind of August howls through the wilderness full of blood and smoke, and the corpses, the wounded, and the assembled, restless army stretch all the way, and the fate that awaits them is also unknown.

This was the beginning of the Battle of Taiyuan......

Soon, Qin Shaoqian led the Wurui battalion to meet the enemy in Shouzhang, and they were met by the army led by Wanyan Zongwang and Guo Yaoshi. The two armies fought back and forth for a day near Shouzhang, where the walls were clear, and the field had become a scorched earth. Qin Shaoqian did not let the Wurui battalion confront the other party head-on, he divided the Wurui battalion into five teams of nearly 10,000 people, and took advantage of the geographical advantage to make it maneuver with Guo Yaoshi near Shouzhang, and always put on a posture of feint attack. A large number of scouts and detachments broke out in skirmishes around the area.

In this kind of back-and-forth battle, Pharmacist Guo chose a relatively conservative advance to determine the state of affairs. In such a feint and small-scale offensive situation, the most elite group led by Qin Shaoqian turned the void into reality and attacked the troops led by Zhang Linghui, and the two sides broke out in a fierce battle near Xizhi Village north of Shouzhang, and he tried to swallow the weaker Zhang Linghui in the first attack. But it only has a partial upper hand.

And Guo Yaoshi was already fighting on the other side with a 10,000-strong enemy who was responsible for containment. The 10,000-man squad was routed half an hour later.

The defeated team fled in all directions, and then the many liaison officers who had already been arranged by Qin Shaoqian gathered again, and then, the entire Shouzhang battlefield seemed to turn into a huge scattered sand. It seems to be full of opponents all around. The fight became fierce. But it's not the main force anywhere. Qin Shaoqian led the 10,000-strong team of 10,000 people who were good at fighting to lurk around, and at the same time maintained the operation of the battlefield with the greatest strength, waiting for the opportunity to give the most fierce blow to Guo Yaoshi and the others. And Guo Yaoshi began to gather troops. Pounced on Shouzhang County, which was guarded by 10,000 people.

This chaotic battle situation lasted for a day, with dozens of small-scale battles breaking out and large-scale battles taking place twice, but it also made it impossible for Guo Yaoshi and the others to concentrate on attacking the city. A day later, Wanyan Zongwang's main force arrived, and eighty or ninety thousand people met in Shouzhang, and after colliding with Wurui Ying, they ran over Shouzhang County......

The two armies of Wuwei and Wusheng, which were supposed to be in a three-way flank posture to snipe Zongwang's troops, were stationed in Jinan and Daimyo, but they did not appear from beginning to end. And the Wurui battalion, which took the initiative to intercept the Jurchen army, had little to mention in this battle except for Qin Shaoqian's superb army reorganization skills that came out of the scattered sand-like deployment......

After this battle, Wanyan Zongwang entered the Central Plains!

****************

A large number of wounded, routed soldiers, and civilians near Shouzhang retreated from the front. Chaotic sounds filled the sky.

Ning Yi and Wen Ren stood on the side of the road, watching this scene of defeat.

"Although I have long known that General Qin will be defeated, but in this way, there is really no time."

Wen Ren Fuji took a breath and sighed in a low voice. After a while, they greeted a wounded general who had withdrawn: "General Qin! What about you General Qin!? ”

The general glanced at Wen Ren Fuji and Ning Yi, and then shook his head: "I don't know!" I don't know! Just an order to let us withdraw to Dongping! You ask others! ”

The general mixed in the crowd and walked away, Wen Ren glanced at Ning Yi, who was stern but calm, Ning Yi tilted his head and looked at the crowd: "Do you think this is a calm transfer?" ”

"What?"

"Look at these people, the withdrawal of civilians means that they didn't leave in a hurry, didn't it?"

“…… Right. Wen Ren hesitated for a moment, and then said, "But the Jurchens have also passed too quickly, and the original plan of Jianbi Qingye will definitely not be able to keep up with ......."

"If you can't keep up, you have to do it." Ning Yi closed his eyes and opened them after a while, "After all, this is a game of chess, you can't expect others to follow your pace......"

After he said this, he walked into the crowd and grabbed a defeated general, the other party reached out and was about to draw his knife, but Ning Yi held down his wrist: "This general, where is General Qin?" Where are you General Qin? ”

The other party was shocked, and after looking Ning Yi up and down, he waved his hand violently: "How does Lao Tzu know!" ”

There was an ominous smell in the sky, far and near, and it was just a corner of chaos. And the Jurchens' long-term drive means that the entire plan of the Jianbi Qingye will fall behind at the beginning.

On the seventh day of the eighth month of the thirteenth year of Jinghan, the emperor Zhou Zhe Qiangang dictated, and the imperial court issued an order to clear the five roads of Hedongdong, Hedongxi, Jingdongdong, Jingxi, and Hebei. However, the public opinion in the entire court and society is actually still in a very delicate state.

The Jurchens came too quickly, and the whole society was not yet enveloped by the fear of war. At the same time that Ning Yi and the others were executing the strong wall and clearing the wilderness with the Prime Minister's side, the impeachment excerpts of the entire court were flying towards Zhou Zhe's imperial case like snowflakes.

In a war, the use of such a method as a strong wall to clear the wilderness is too decisive a measure. The benefits involved in the relocation and destruction of tens of millions of people are astronomical, not to mention that it is still around the autumn harvest. Anyway, the majority of the people in the fortified wall and clear the field basically hold two attitudes, one is out of interest, they want to fortify the wall and clear the wilderness, and they want to relocate the population and burn the fields and houses, and the big landlords and gentry in the north are the most affected, and the other relatively rational attitude that can support their position is that the strong wall and the clear field will not help at all, and he will only let a large number of civilians die at the hands of our own people.

This argument is very tenable, at the most intuitive level, all the troops of the Jurchens going south are only 200,000, how many places can they sweep along the way? How many people were killed? More places will not be affected by the disaster of war, and it is possible for these people to survive in the cracks of war. And even if it is really strong, when these 200,000 people want food, they can easily meet their needs when they build a place, and on the land where tens of millions of people live, what can you clear the wilderness to make all the food disappear?

"Even if the court can't stop the Jurchens, the people should be left with a way to live!"

In the remarks of the Confucian scholars, the backlash caused by this measure is indescribable, but what really supports the operation of this measure is the attitude of Emperor Zhou Zhe. In a sense, Zhou Zhe is synonymous with courage, and only his support can make this matter stand still in so many verbal and written criticisms. As the upper echelons of the Wu Dynasty, whether it is Cai Jing, Tong Guan, or Li Gang, Qin Siyuan and others, they may have faintly seen the severity of this situation, and the middle and lower echelons quarreled fiercely, and the attitude of these real power factions was still surprisingly consistent, they just watched this matter in silence, which is also an indefensible thing for Li Gang and Qin Siyuan after all.

Under the operation of the low-level officials north of the Yellow River, huge and astonishing results were achieved in the early days of the Jianbi Qingye, but the real focus of the work of Ning Yi and others was actually placed south of the Yellow River from the beginning. They led a large number of refugees southward, exaggerating the atmosphere of war, propagating the necessity of fortifying the walls and clearing the wilderness, and the atmosphere of terror quickly accumulated, but as everyone said, the Jurchens came really quickly.

The impeachment war was still going on in chaos, and the scholars and scribes were talking about the impassioned war and the heroic bravery in front of them in the restaurant and the green building. On August 20, Wanyan Zongwang's troops began to cross the Yellow River, and Zhou Zhe shouted from the Jinluan Palace: "Why hasn't the cleanup begun near the capital!" ”

Just before this day, the troops near Gyeonggi had been transporting a large amount of grain from the vicinity to the city, and then finally began to drive out civilians and loot food, and a huge and chaotic civil unrest began to break out. A county magistrate was stoned to death by angry civilians while demanding that people evacuate, and clashes between the army and the people began. In this rapid situation, the controversy over the fortified wall came to an abrupt end in the capital, and an atmosphere of panic began to envelop every part of the city, and a large number of people poured into the capital, and a large number of people poured out to the south.

On August 23, the Yellow River defense line collapsed, and the Jurchen Eastern Route Army crossed the Yellow River in its entirety.

The previous planning of Ning Yi and others created certain rules and conveniences for the transportation of grain and the migration of people near Kaifeng, but a large number of people were still swept up in the war. For the first time in more than 200 years, the war extended to the south bank of the Yellow River, and no one expected that the beginning of the entire war would extend so quickly.

On August 28, just over a month before the Jurchens began the war, Wanyan Zongwang crossed a distance of thousands of miles, began to besiege the city of Tokyo, and then launched an attack.

The defense force of the capital of the Wu Dynasty has been shrunk to the city, and at the same time as the defense of Tokyo began, Zhou Zhe's order has been issued, and more than 300,000 Qinwang troops from all over the country began to gather in Tokyo, including the two armies of Wuwei and Wusheng that did not move in the Battle of Shouzhang. An even larger and more chaotic war is about to unfold outside Tokyo.

While Ning Yi came south with the army, Taiyuan City had been resisted for nearly half a month in the frantic attack of Wanyan Zonghan...... (To be continued......)