After Han Ningshuang finished handling the desk papers, she personally inspected the Iron Mountain Fort, and when she returned to the mansion, she always felt that there was still something to do. She thought about it carefully, it turned out that a few days ago, every time at this time, either she went to visit Li Ruoxue, or Li Ruoxue came, and the two got along, and there was a rare feeling of leisure. In the huge Han army marshal's mansion, there was only one person who could say some boudoir language with Han Ningshuang. Thinking of this, Han Ningshuang didn't feel strange. She didn't want to think about these annoying things, so she simply stood up. Standing in front of the window and looking out by the railing, the vast world is in full view, and the heart is smooth.

The hills and wilderness of Guannan in Suzhou are still a scene of the apocalypse, the air is filled with the smell of gunsmoke, and the originally white snow has been trampled all over the ground. According to Zhao Xingde, if the Liao army uses tricks such as wooden shield cannons, only one Nanshan city will be in danger of holding the isthmus. If a few more walled forts were built after Nanshan City and each other was supported by artillery cross-fire, the difficulty for the Liao army to enter Guannan would be doubled. Therefore, while reinforcing Nanshan City, the Han army was also preparing to build a new fortress.

Compared with before the winter, the population structure of Suzhou Guannan will change dramatically, there will be no people here, and the garrison will be Han generals, plus a small number of dependents. Most of the people settled in the far north of the Bohai Kingdom. From Shenzhou, Liaoyang, where Liao State was stationed with heavy troops, to the land of Han Min's reclamation, there is a distance of more than 2,000 miles. If the Liao army really wanted to go on an expedition, this long supply line through the deep mountains and dense forests would be an excellent target for the Han army's light cavalry attack. Because of war and vendetta, this 2,000-mile radius has become a deserted land. The Han army would not reclaim these places, let alone allow others to reclaim them. Hermes-Epitek, who had settled down in the north, tried to take advantage of the short spring and summer months to plant hardy farms, because of the relationship between soil and water, and the climate, it is still unknown whether the seeds sown in the first year will be harvested in the autumn, but there is always hope. More young people left the farming industry with an uncertain future, and did things like cutting wood, burning charcoal, and making iron. The Ordnance Division of the Xia Kingdom had a great demand for firewood and iron. The weapons hoarded by the Fang Layu Party in the Southern Dynasty were gradually replaced by those made in Liaodong. Liaodong's furs, timber and iron were all transported to the south to exchange for food, and the Han army itself was also in short supply.

Around the ruins of the Guannan camp, some soldiers were carefully rummaging through the baggage left by the Liao army. In the past few days, the battlefield was cleaned, and the bones of the sacrificed Han soldiers were transported to the outer islands for burial, while the bones of the Liao army were burned. The clothes of the Liao army were important trophies for the Han army, and they were stripped off and washed in the pulp, and the battalions rushed to ask for them, and the corpses of the fallen war horses were collected and made into jerky, and the leather was made into an arsenal for preservation. Swords, bows, arrows, harnesses, etc., were to be distributed immediately if they were intact, repaired if they were damaged, and dismantled iron, ox tendons, wood, and other things that could not be repaired, and put them in the arsenal.

Throughout the winter, the Liao army successively lost 20,000 or 30,000 horses under Nanshan City. Now that the sea ice is melting, Nanshan City has endless backups, and it is even more difficult to expel the Han army from Suzhou Guannan. In recent days, the Liao army in Guanbei has begun to build a wall, and it seems that they want to change to the strategy of besieging and besieging for a long time. The Liao army built warships in Fuzhou and Zhenhaifu respectively, and built iron barrel artillery forts on the docks to guard against the Han army's naval divisions.

The news of Yelu Dashi's withdrawal also came, which was unexpectedly expected by Han Ningshuang. After this conscription, the elite soldiers of the Jin State will be seven or eight out of ten. As the Liao army continued to burn and loot throughout the winter, the population of the Jin Kingdom was reduced by more than half. Huining Mansion, which was besieged by the Liao State throughout the winter, was so embarrassed that the army was in a situation where women were asked to go to the city to help defend it. In addition, Wanyan Xian and Wanyan Zongbi were respectively crowned the Jurchen kings of the north and south, and for the Liao court, the future trouble of Wanyan Jin Guo is no longer a concern. Yelu Dashi even relieved Wan Yan Xian to stay in the Huanglong Mansion, and under the supervision of Xiao Lira, the commander of the Liao army, he used his name to surrender and pacify the Jurchen tribe. The Southern Jurchen King Wanyan Zongbi was still taken by Yelu Dashi with him. Nearly 30,000 surrendered soldiers, along with more than 200,000 Jurchens, were moved south to nearby prefectures and counties in Shenzhou, Liaoyang. The Jurchen tribe and the Bohai people lived together, the old and weak women and children cultivated the cultivated land abandoned by the Han people, and the able-bodied men were all conscripted as soldiers. The Jurchen Battalion of Tokyo Province was nominally a subordinate of the Jurchen kings of the north and south, but in fact it was broken up and used as a supplement to the Xi army's foot soldiers, and was dispatched to various parts of Nanjing Province, Zhongjing Province, and Xijing Province to defend them, and very few remained in Tokyo Province.

"The Song State and the Xia State were tense in Xijing Road, and the Xia State mobilized the Guanzhong group to practice, and it is impossible for Yelu Dashi to turn a blind eye." Han Ningshuang pondered, "The military strength and national strength of Liao, Song and Xia are extremely strong, and once the war starts, it is bound to last for a long time. It is impossible for Yelu Dashi to give up the opportunity to chase the Central Plains, so Liaodong has a rare respite. ”

At this time, the soldiers reported that there was a messenger from Xia Guo asking to see him, Han Ningshuang was slightly surprised, generally speaking, even if the Protectorate wanted the Han Army to do something, it was through Li Sihai or Zhao Xingde, and then the two of them conveyed the meaning of the Protectorate to themselves. The messenger of Xia Guo came directly to meet him, what is the matter?

The messenger walked in, Han Ningshuang's eyes widened in surprise, and she fell silently: "Chen Kang? ”

Chen Kang was wearing an ordinary narrow-sleeved military robe, and his face was full of weather. His eyes were scorching, and he said in a trembling voice, "Ningshuang, I thought I would never see you again." Seeing Han Ningshuang's face full of surprise, he took a step forward, and only stopped when he arrived in front of Han Ningshuang, and said in a low voice: "When I heard that the Liao army had captured the Marshal Mansion of Tieshan Fort, I thought that I would be separated from you forever, and I almost jumped into the sea. Later, I thought that even if I wanted to die, I should be closer to you, or I would like to avenge you. When I arrived in Liaodong, I realized that the Shuai Mansion had already moved to Tieshan Island, which is really ,......, great, Ningshuang, I see you again. ”

Chen Kang was originally a calm, witty, and well-behaved person, otherwise the king of Kang would not have given up many noble children surnamed Kang, but he wanted Chen Kang to be his son. However, because he disguised the identity of the messenger, the Chengying Battalion naturally would not report to him in detail about the situation in Liaodong, and he heard about it along the way, but he couldn't ask more, so he mistakenly thought that Han Ningshuang had been martyred, and his heart was suddenly like ashes. After arriving in Liaodong, when I heard people talk about the arrangement of the Liao army camp in Guannan at night, I learned that Han Ningshuang was still alive, and I was immediately ecstatic. At this moment, when he finally saw Han Ningshuang with his own eyes, Chen Kang was a little uncontrollable. His expression was very sad at first, but then he was so happy that he danced with his hands.

Han Ningshuang looked at Chen Kang and said in a low voice: "You shouldn't have come, as the prince of the vassal king, the guilt of leaving the fiefdom without permission is not small." She was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I've bothered you." Ominous person, King Kang still forgets. ”

"What crazy words, this is impossible," Chen Kang looked at her and said with great certainty: "I can't forget." As he spoke, he stepped forward to shake Han Ningshuang's hands. Han Ningshuang took a step back and leaned against the window, the wind on the mountain was strong, blowing her sideburns slightly messy. Seeing this, Chen Kang hurriedly stopped his steps and said in a deep voice: "I won't sit in the position of King Kang." As long as you are in Liaodong, I will stay in Liaodong. ”

His words were sincere, but Han Ningshuang just looked at him, her eyes were a little moved, but more refusal, she bit her lip, and was about to say some more decisive words, when a noise suddenly sounded at the door. I only heard the pro-soldier say loudly: "Captain Li, Marshal Han is meeting guests, you can't go in!" Li Sihai said in a louder voice: "I'm looking for this guest, let me in." It seemed to push the soldiers, and then the door opened.

Li Sihai stood at the door, saw Chen Kang at a glance, he looked at Han Ningshuang again, a trace of apology flashed in his eyes, and he said in a low voice: "Chen Kang, the Protector Mansion has a life, and when I see you, I will immediately detain you and escort you back to Kangguo for disposal." He leaned to the side, so that Chen Kang could see clearly that there were four soldiers of the Chengying Battalion behind him, and said in a deep voice, "Chen Kang, friend, don't embarrass me." ”