came out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, ran to the two stores in Zhuji, and returned home, it was still early, so Ning Yi walked around the front and back of the courtyard.

Since Jing Han came to live in the capital for ten years, in the blink of an eye, it has been a hurried and long three years, and in the three years that are not long or short, a big family has moved two places in a row, all because of the increase in the number of households in the family.

Fortunately, firstly, young people are more able to adapt to the environment, and secondly, the people in the prime minister's house help to buy houses, and most of the original residents have some background. The house was carefully furnished and cared for in the hands of the original owner, and when it was bought and moved in, it was soon able to be considered a home.

At this time, the compound where everyone lived, originally belonged to a Confucian scholar who was good at calligraphy and painting, and the layout of the houses and courtyards was very exquisite, and there was a spiritual atmosphere that belonged to elegance and grace in it.

Autumn has arrived, and the leaves of the plane trees in the courtyard have begun to turn yellow, and the sunshine and falling shade also have a warm atmosphere. Wen Fang Wending and others were mostly indifferent to such a scene, but Ning Yi liked this atmosphere very much. Walking all the way back to the inner courtyard, he nodded slightly with some family members, because he knew the recent tension in the north and also knew that Ning Yi was doing things in the prime minister's mansion, these family maids, or relatives such as younger brothers and sisters, did not dare to disturb him too much.

Back in the room where she lives with Tan'er, as the mistress of the house, Tan'er is looking through some account books or business records. Seeing him come back, he greeted him with a smile, and at the same time asked Juan'er to pour tea: "Has the war in the north improved?" Why did the Prime Minister let you back so early today. ”

Ning Yi said with a smile: "There are some things to tell you, sit down first." ”

"Hmm." Tan'er sat down on the edge of the bed. Ning Yi took the tea, looked outside, and then went to close the door, and the room was slightly darkened.

"The news just came, and it went directly to Qin Xiang, so you haven't seen it yet, the war in the north has collapsed." Ning Yi gulped down the tea. "Pharmacist Guo is defeated. The Yisheng army of Yanmen Pass surrendered and opened the city gates, and the Jurchens had already killed the first line of defense. ”

After Ning Yi took over the affairs of the Secret Investigation Division, in order to let Tan'er's strength be brought into play. It is also for the sake of having one more backbone in the family. A lot of information was reaching him at the same time. It will also be passed on to Tan'er. At the moment, this information is really too shocking and has not yet been released, so Ning Yi can only say it again. Listen to him. Tan'er also frowned: "So, what should I do?" Does the imperial court have a countermeasure? ”

"From Yanmen Pass to the south, there are still hundreds of thousands of troops, and it cannot be said that there are no countermeasures. But there is one thing that has to be done, Tan'er, you have to take your family to retreat south, you can go back to Jiangning, you can go back to Jiangning, you can not go back to Jiangning, we have money, go to the place where there is our house and live first, but ...... It is hoped that the south of the Yangtze River will be withdrawn as much as possible. I keep the stuff here, and I can come back when it's over. ”

Tan'er's gaze was already stern, she looked at Ning Yi and thought for a moment: "You guys...... Expected ...... of the Prime Minister's Office So bad? ”

"In the worst possible estimate." Ning Yi lowered his voice, "It's not that the capital is not without the possibility of being breached. ”

"Okay." Tan'er took a breath, "I see." What about you? And Wending Wenfang them? Let's go? If you stay in the capital, will there be a chance to run out at that time? ”

"I'm going north."

The room was quiet.

“…… What the? ”

"Two sides." Ning Yi pulled a stool and sat in front of Tan'er, leaning forward slightly, "I'm in charge of the plan for the northern fortified wall Qingye." It's a hassle, but it has to be done. According to current expectations, on the front line of Yanmen Pass and Taiyuan, the Jurchens still have infantry and baggage teams, and their cavalry is too powerful, but the infantry is our key target. ”

“…… While striking the infantry and slowing them down, the nearby residents retreated into the cities or mountains to cooperate with the army to fight against the Jurchens in these places, but there were too many people in the north, and the effect of clearing the fields was limited, and it was almost impossible to completely defeat their supplies. However, if only the cavalry were to be considered, if they were to fight on the move, they would only have a few days' rations at most, and they would have to plunder constantly. It is impossible for them to fight a war of attrition with us in the north, so we must consider the possibility that they will fight quickly and directly enter the capital. ”

Ning Yi waved his hand and gestured: "If the cavalry team really arrives here, they can start stationing again, and the food they loot can also start preparing for the siege and hoarding it, so the most important thing is that they can't be robbed of enough rations to support the siege under Bianliang City." The clear field of the fortified wall in the north was ultimately to increase the efficiency of their advance and buy time for the clearing of the area around Bianliang City. ”

"I told Qin Xiang that in order not to be passive in politics, I will consider the order from north to south, but in fact, it must be a two-pronged approach, and Qin Xiang also understands this. The north is racing against time, and the surroundings of Bianliang City are not moving, but all the preparations must be made immediately. The whole thing is very big, and I want to stay in the middle so that I have the fastest reaction time and the highest efficiency. Tan'er, you can get the idea. ”

The two have been husband and wife for many years, and since they have gained mutual understanding, many things have been discussed together. Ning Yi's words are both an explanation and an inquiry, and when doing such a big thing, he hopes to get the support of his family. However, when he raised his head at this time, Tan'er had already straightened up, looked at him, and after a moment, shook his head abruptly.

Ning Yi rubbed his fingers a few times: "Tan'er, this is ...... It has to be done. ”

"But it's a war." Tan'er said hurriedly. Since the two became husband and wife, in the initial period of time, Tan'er did have a strong side, but since the Huangshang incident passed, at least in front of Ning Yi, Tan'er no longer showed the posture of a strong woman, and just sat there, just listening with the demeanor of a wife, until this time, blinking her eyes and looking anxious, she showed some of her former looks, "I don't agree this time." You can't ...... At least stay in the capital? ”

"It's not necessarily any different from Fang La and Liangshan."

"Of course it's different, that's the Jurchens, and the Liao Kingdom has been beaten by them."

"How do you ......"

In Ning Yi's heart, there was really no difference between many things that he had been experienced, but he didn't expect Tan'er to oppose it at this time, so he stood up. Tan'er beside the bed also stood up almost excitedly at the same time, grabbing Ning Yi's sleeves with both hands, as if subconsciously grabbing him. Don't let him go.

Outside the window, there was a faint sound of people walking around. In the room, Ning Yi sighed: "The matter has been decided." His right hand was grabbed by Tan'er, and he stretched out his left hand and hugged her body. Tan'er took two steps. Hugged by him. The eyes blinked, but they were already moist.

"I'm not going to send it to death, the Jurchens invaded the south this time. The number of troops is at most more than 100,000 or 200,000, and they pay attention to speed, and there are definitely not many places that can sweep through. I'm so well-informed, and I have a lot of room to maneuver outside the city, and it's safe. ”

Tan'er just shook her head in his arms.

"Also, the matter of clearing the wilderness may not be able to achieve much effect, the scale is too large. But there must be a part of the effect, and it will not be completely meaningless. The battlefield is on the one hand, on the other hand, there are hundreds or thousands of people in Zhuji who can participate in this operation, and they have received preliminary training in following rules and regulations, and I have simplified the steps and set the rules for them. You can think about it, as long as these people participate in promoting a large-scale migration of millions or even millions of people under the scheduling, no matter what the result is, there will be a large number of talents who can be used in the hands of Zhuji, and I will know the household registration, terrain, and crowd situation in the north, with them, let alone doing business, we can do anything in the future, and no family power in the north can suppress us...... Our enemy is not only the Jurchens this time, it is not enough to defeat them, compared to the seriousness of the Jurchens to defeat the Liao State, their attitude this time is just a joke......"

When he said the second half, Ning Yi had already lowered his voice, and he put his arms around his wife while comforting, while pulling out his right hand and going up along her body. Holding her tightly, rubbing her back, and then gradually kneading it to her chest, and then unbuttoning her clothes, Tan'er naturally did not resist his movements, just listened to him, and occasionally shook his head silently. After most of his shirt was unbuttoned and his chest was reached in by her husband for a while, she struggled suddenly, retreated a few steps to the side, and broke away from Ning Yi's embrace.

"But this time I still don't agree." Tan'er's eyes were filled with tears, just like when Ning Yi was going out to do dangerous things in the past, but although she was also worried in the past, she didn't stop her, but this time she had a different attitude, "I'm your woman, you can obviously not go to the battlefield, you must go, what do you want me to nod to?" ”

"I'm not going to war."

"You are going to the north, don't lie to me, the efficiency is almost a little worse, the more people die, the more people die, I know you can stay in the capital." If you want to do something, I will support you, there is such a big danger in vain, I don't want you to go. ”

As she said this, she suddenly ran towards the door, buttoned her coat and opened the door at the same time, and shouted outside: "Yunzhu, Jin'er, Xiaochan, come on, Xianggong is going to the battlefield-"

Ning Yi didn't expect this hand at all, he also walked over there, Tan'er turned around, looked at him, wiped his tears with his left hand and right hand, watched Ning Yi come over, and suddenly knelt in front of Ning Yi, at this time Ning Xi was also staggering to appear on the side of the courtyard, Ning Yi picked up Tan'er easily: "What are you doing." ”

"I'll stay with you in the capital to do things, I don't want you to go."

Between his wife's choked words, Ning Yi looked outside, and the entire courtyard and outside had begun to be chaotic, and Yunzhu and the others had already been alarmed and ran over.

Before going north, there was such a scene. This was definitely something he didn't expect......

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

North.

From Yanmen Pass to Taiyuan, a huge chaos is spreading.

After the Yanmen Pass was broken, the scattered Wu Dynasty troops scattered and fled, and along the way, groups of soldiers and generals began to form a formation again, either stationed and waiting for orders, or concentrated in the nearby big cities. And the Jurchens did not stop, and the edge of the army quickly expanded to the surrounding counties, towns, and cities. On the third day of the eighth month, Xinzhou City, which is twenty miles away from Yanmen Pass, has just been broken.

The carnage spread through the city like a tidal wave that covered the past. The defeated army and some of the city's inhabitants put up sporadic resistance, and were crushed to pieces.

This is a big city after the Yanmen Pass - of course, if you compare it to a city like Taiyuan Fu, it can only be regarded as a small and medium-sized city. Due to its proximity to Yanmen Pass, its city defense is still relatively tight, and the commerce from south to north has prospered here, making it a permanent population of tens of thousands, in any case, it can be regarded as a big piece of fat.

At the north gate, Wanyan Xiyin pressed the hilt of the sword. Led the team of pro-soldiers into the streets of Xinzhou. The sound of murder and arson around was endless, spreading.

A pair of eyes were staring at him quietly in a collapsed two-story building on the side of the road......

……

South of Xinzhou City. Soldiers and civilians crowded the city roads. Rushing out of the city in a frenzy. The street market in the rear. The Jurchens had already advanced in, fighting in the streets and alleys, in an alleyway full of people. Three Jurchen knights blocked the back road, armed with spears, and stabbed frantically forward.

Blood spilled out, the cries of men, women, and children merged, some tried to hide below, and then their arms and heads were crushed by the horses' hooves, and some were crawling on the other side of the wall by the bodies of others, among them there were also defeated soldiers, holding steel knives, seeing that the crowd was too slow to squeeze through, raised steel knives and began to kill, but the spears from the rear stabbed them and pierced them through their bodies.

When the corpse and blood stretched for half of the alley, a figure suddenly descended from the wall, slammed the head of one of the Jurchens, and the reaction of a Jurchen cavalryman next to him was also extremely fast, the spear swept over for the first time, and the man who lowered it waved his hand, and the spear fell on his hand with a bang, and turned around, and then it was a simple brush of two shots, and the heads of the two cavalrymen were pierced instantly, and the brains and blood were shot on the wall.

When everyone in the alleyway saw clearly that the person who came was an old man, the old man was already holding a spear, pulling the reins, and rushed to the other end of the alleyway, and a small group of Jurchen soldiers appeared at the fork in the road.

On the other side of the long street, the crowd rushed forward even more frantically, and in the adjacent streets and alleys, the Jurchens had caught up, and in some places, occasionally, small resistance was formed, but with the exception of the old man, who could fight, kill and escape, the resistance was usually crushed after a short time, and the corpses of the people were either lying on the side of the road or pierced on the spears......

……

Shi Jin and a few younger brothers sat in the restaurant, watching the occasional strange pedestrians and carts passing through the county, or the residents in the county to pack up and leave in twos and threes to go to big cities such as Taiyuan.

There are more and more people who have dispersed from north to south, and there are also soldiers from the original Wusheng Army, bringing bad news. The Jurchens broke the Yanmen Pass and slaughtered the city of Shuozhou, and now Xinzhou is probably gone, and the Yisheng army surrendered to the Jurchens, and these original Liao people, together with the Jurchens, fought together. None of the surrounding Wu Dynasty troops can fight, Wu Shengjun, Dong Pang'er are all unreliable, it is said that the prince of Chu is in Taiyuan, so everyone is fleeing towards Taiyuan.

The restaurant is no longer open, and the boss is also packing up and planning to leave, Shi Jin doesn't care, so he won't be afraid. When looking at this qiē in the restaurant, someone came up from below, wearing clothes dressed in rivers and lakes, wearing hats, a total of three, it seems that they are all from the green forest.

"There's no alcohol for sale here, and the boss is closed." The younger brother said to the three of them.

The three of them looked at this side, and then arched their hands: "Brother only knows here, make an appointment to meet someone, borrow a place to rest." ”

The younger brother glanced at Shi Jin, Shi Jin turned his head to look below, he didn't care, and the younger brother stopped talking. After a while, two more people from the green forest came over and greeted the other three, and after a while, another person came.

The six people whispered and spoke in a low voice, and the last person who came was obviously a well-informed bag on the rivers and lakes, with a light figure and good kung fu, probably specifically to spread the news, and told the other five about the situation of the war in the north, Shi Jin pretended not to care, but his ears were listening.

After a few moments, a piece of content caught his attention.

“…… The Jin people were menacing, and they broke through Shuozhou City without much effort...... When Tushuo Prefecture was slaughtered, the old man was there...... Gather all the hero helpers...... Grandmaster Zhou is already eighty years old, and he can still do this, and I will wait for a good year......"

The rest of the people asked, "Where is Grandmaster Zhou now......

"Being able to contribute by Grandmaster Zhou's side is a blessing for my life......"

Shi Jin stood up, and several junior brothers also stood up, so Shi Jin waved his hand and motioned for them to sit down. He walked towards the six people and arched his hand: "Brothers, it's about Grandmaster Zhou Dong Zhou, who is known as the Iron Arm. ”

The six people looked at him, and then they also got up and arched their hands: "This brother is ......"

"It's insulting to listen to a cheap name, but if a few of you want to go north to help Sect Master Zhou, can you bring it with you?"

Several people looked at each other, and one of them said: "Brother, I will wait to go north, but I will die, and I can't go with a brain fever." ”

"Let's take a hand."

Shi Jin stretched out his right hand, and the person on the other side also stretched out his hand, the two touched their hands together, the man exerted his force suddenly, and with a twist of his wrist, the eagle's claws grabbed Shi Jin's vein, Shi Jin also turned his palm over, and let him catch it, but the sleeves went out, covering everyone's vision. After a moment, the man's hand retracted: "This brother is a master, and the one who can be called Grandmaster Zhou in the world is naturally Zhou Dong Zhou's senior, but the brother's martial arts are so strong, and he doesn't want to tell his identity, is he the enemy of Grandmaster Zhou?" ”

"I'm also Han." Shi Jin arched his hand and said for a moment, "I am a guilty person below, but a close brother in the next is a personal disciple of Sect Master Zhou, and his mentor is here, so I can go down." ”

Several people laughed: "It is difficult to have an innocent body if you are mixed on the road." ”

The light man next to him said: "There is a brother, this sentence is Han, it is enough." ”

The seven people said a few more words here, and after a while, the sky was close to dusk, and the seven figures left the small county town and rode their horses all the way to the north, and on the nearby official road, there were many pedestrians who fled from the south to escape the military disaster, and their expressions were sad and endless...... (To be continued......)