The war in the woods, which has already begun in full swing, is also too tragic.

In the vast forest, man became a rare animal. 50,000 horses and horses are not many in the woods.

Yue Fei's strategy is actually very simple, that is, to find the settlement of this Jurchen, large and small settlements, many such as villages and towns, and small ones are only a few households.

One thing these settlements have in common is shelter from the wind, so they can survive the winter.

Two hundred musketeers and three hundred ironclad soldiers formed a battalion and searched in the designated direction. The battalion commander Fang Shi is now more and more experienced in finding the Jurchens.

First, when I looked up in the air, the sky was blue, the earth was snow-white, and the wisps of light smoke in the air were particularly conspicuous. It is more than 20 degrees below zero, and without burning firewood for warmth, it is impossible for the Jurchens to survive the winter safely.

These firewoods, like guiding lights, can allow these soldiers to quickly find the Jurchens.

When they were lucky, the soldiers found a place where the Jurchens lived, and there were two or three hundred people in a village, most of whom were at home. No matter how brave the Jurchen man is, in this case, it can't change the ending.

If they were unlucky, the Jurchens discovered the danger early, and the building was empty. Fang Shi was not discouraged, and after finding some food to bring, he burned down the wooden house and burned all the reserves for the winter, and left.

Without reserves for the winter, and without shelter from the wind and snow, it is impossible to survive in such a winter.

After freeing some of the slaves of other tribes, things went even better, and the guides in the woods really started to work.

The Bohai Jurchens, the mature Jurchens under the command of the Liao people in the past, were the biggest resistance to the rise of the Jurchens at the beginning, and now most of them have become slaves of the Jurchens.

With the help of these slaves, Fang Shi became more and more familiar with the way, and went all the way from the place into the forest to the northeast, searching for tribes one by one.

The Jurchens obviously hadn't really reacted yet, and they didn't expect the Han people to enter the forest in such a cold and biting season.

All the Jurchens subconsciously thought that this kind of thing would not happen, and that the Han people entering the forest were just killing themselves.

Even before the separation, I thought so. In winter, even the Jurchens can only survive by the campfire, not to mention those Han people who don't even have a few furs?

After all, fur is a precious thing, and cotton is something that the Jurchens have never seen since ancient times.

After the heavy losses, the Jurchens finally reacted, and countless Jurchen men ran quickly in the snow, contacting the young men of the surrounding tribes, villages and towns to assemble in the center of the Wanyan Department, which was already the last resort of the Jurchens.

Obviously, the Jurchens in the forest could not live in large numbers, which is also related to the Jurchens' mode of production. Only by scattering in every part of the forest can we get enough supplies for survival.

After the Jurchens reacted, the battle situation had already developed in a tragic direction.

Fang Shi is no longer as relaxed as before, that is, in the middle of the night, there will be cold arrows shot out of the forest. After everyone woke up, they searched in the direction of archery, but most of them found nothing.

Even after staying up all night, at dawn, when the number of students is counted, there will always be one or two people missing. If you go to look for someone again, in the ice and snow, you can also find a soldier lying naked and frozen into a popsicle not far away. Even the warm clothes on his body were taken away by the Jurchens.

This is also the talent of the Jurchens in the woods. Frontal combat is unrealistic, and this method of sneak attack can also work.

The Jurchens began to retreat northward, old and weak, women and children, slaves, and the like, carrying everything they could with them, heading north.

Leaving behind a wooden house with no one in place, it will also be a cloud of ashes.

The whole forest was full of Jurchens with bows and crossbows and sharp blades, and they couldn't see a single one during the day, but they all came out at night.

Fang Shi, as the vanguard, also received Yue Fei's order to stop advancing and wait for the army. Fang Shi received the order, but he was a little reluctant, because in front of Fang Shi's eyes, there were footprints all over the ground going north, and looking for these footprints, he would definitely be able to catch up with the Jurchens going north.

If you don't chase at this time, when you have a heavy snowfall, these footprints will no longer be found.

It's just that Fang Shi didn't dare to disobey the order, so he could only wait anxiously for Yue Dashuai behind, and hoped that the heavens would be beautiful and not snow in the next few days.

The snow is still coming, after all. Fang Shi frowned and hid next to the camp fire, in a very bad mood. It won't take a few hours for those footprints to be submerged in the heavy snow, and this group of Jurchens, with at least three or four thousand footprints, is already the largest group of Jurchens they have encountered since entering the forest, and they are probably going to disappear in front of them like this.

Yue Fei finally came in the snow.

Fang Shi came to see him with an unhappy face, and bowed his hand, and his attitude was naturally not good.

Yue Fei looked at Fang Shishi's appearance and said with a smile: "General Fang, why are you so unhappy? ”

Fang Shi was obviously not the one who was waiting to hide it, so he opened his mouth and said: "The marshal gave a military order, and the three or four thousand Jurchens in front of him let him go." ”

Yue Fei understood, so he said, "General Fang, rest assured, this group of Jurchens can't run, and they won't survive a few." ”

Fang Shi only said when he heard this: "Dashuai, the footprints in the snow have already been covered by heavy snow at this time, and it is so difficult to track them again." This team of Jurchens, nine times out of ten, will not be found. ”

Fang Shi is arguing with reason.

But he heard Yue Fei laugh and said: "At this harsh winter, the Jurchens left home and entered the forest. In a hurry, he did not dare to make a fire, he could not bring much food, and he lost his house to protect him from the wind and snow. How many can you live? I'll just go north in a step-by-step manner, and as soon as the snow stops, there will be footprints all over the ground. Now the Jurchens do not dare to fight head-on, and the logistical pressure on us is huge, and the grain road has been attacked several times. Therefore, it is necessary to slow down a little to ensure that the grain road is not lost. I can't allow you to bury your head and rush forward. ”

Yue Fei had the patience to slowly explain these truths to Fang Shi. also said the problem of logistics, although the road was opened, after the supply line was long, the Jurchens also set their eyes on this supply line, and the battle on the supply line was really tragic and suffered heavy losses. Yue Fei also had to slow down, waiting for supplies, and also sent thousands of men and horses to turn back to the supply line, escort grain and grass, and patrol the supply line.

Even so, the Jurchens did not have the slightest intention of stopping the attack on the supply line, and they still fought one after another, when the Jurchens were few, there were more than 100 people, and when there were more, three or four thousand people, in the face of muskets, they were also one after another. These things are naturally unknown to Fang Shi at the forefront.

When Fang Shi heard this, he also listened to it, and knew this truth, but he said again: "Don't worry, the brothers under the command of the last general are all good soldiers, go forward to chase the Jurchens, and kill as many as they can, the brothers have been looking forward to military achievements for a long time, and they are all a little unhappy when they see these merits passing by." Please also ask the handsome to let me wait to chase the Jurchens in front of the head. With such heavy snowfall, the Jurchens will inevitably not be able to go fast, and the last general should still have a chance to catch up with them. ”

When Yue Fei heard this, he shook his head again and again, and only said: "Now that the Jurchens have reacted, it is not a good strategy to go deep alone. The proper way is to chase after the Jurchens like this, and after a few days, there will be corpses along the road, and the Jurchens will suffer heavy losses without fighting. ”

Yue Fei is so good at fighting and strategizing. As long as you follow behind the Jurchens like this, you will keep your baggage supplies intact. Where the Jurchens can't even make a fire, the cold can kill people. The Jurchens are so bloated, and they wrap everything they can wear and tie to keep out the cold, where to go fast.

Even the Jurchens who haunt the mountains and forests night and night can't last long. There have been changes in the past few days, and in the battle reports summarized by Yue Fei here, the number of Jurchen touches has slowly decreased. This is the trend of big data.

In a few days' time, that number will only plummet. Driving the Jurchens out of their homes is already the biggest killing.

Fang Shishi knew that what Yue Fei said was reasonable, but he still had some other thoughts in his heart. It was by virtue of his military exploits that Fang Shi went from a peasant prodigal to the position he is in today, and this position has not been promoted for several years. That's why Fang Shi cares so much about military exploits. The benefits brought by military merit, not to mention the rise of status, but also the reward and land. This is also the foundation of military bravery.

In the face of Yue Dashuai's plan, Fang Shi, who had been to the martial arts school, had nothing to say.

"The big boss said that if there is a fire in the forest, we must pay attention to it in every possible way and not let the fire spread. The last general didn't think of some things before the head, and when the girl was in the real house, he also paid great attention to it. Later, the general suddenly thought of a plan, instead of chasing the Jurchens like this, it was better to set a big fire and burn all the Jurchens in the forest, so that it would be a hundred. Fang Shi thought of this before, but he was reluctant to say it, because the Jurchens were burned to death, and their military exploits were in vain.

At this time, he said it again, because waiting for the Jurchens to freeze to death and starve to death, there was not much military merit. Fang just said this strategy.

Yue Fei was stunned when he heard this, and then laughed and said, "Fang Shi, you have such a strategy, Wu Xianggong came up with it more than ten years ago. If His Majesty had nodded and agreed, this forest would have been burned to the ground by this time. ”

When Fang Shi heard this, he was quite embarrassed, he originally thought that he was extremely smart, and he came up with a good way that others hadn't thought of. At this time, I heard that Wu Xianggong thought it out more than ten years ago, his face turned slightly red, and he only said: "What Your Majesty thinks is naturally reasonable." It seems that this forest really can't be burned. ”

Fang Shi heard that Zheng Zhi didn't agree, so he didn't say more. This original His Royal Highness the King of Yan, and now His Majesty the Emperor, in Fang Shi's heart, is that god-like figure. His Majesty decided, and that was naturally the right one.

Yue Fei smiled lightly when he heard this, what was going on with this stone, Yue Fei couldn't guess it. Even if you don't care, it's a good thing that the generals want to make meritorious contributions. Nowadays, the style of bravery is prevalent in the army, and this system of rewarding military merits has actually played a great role. At this point, Yue Fei also admired this His Majesty Shengming.

I heard Yue Fei laugh and say, "You go first and gather all the heads under your command to ascend the throne, and go to the chief of staff to do an enthronement." ”

When Fang Shi heard this, he smiled, nodded and said, "Eh, I'll go here at the end." ”

After speaking, Fang Shi hurriedly walked out of the big tent, thinking that he had seven or eight hundred heads in his hands, so he also laughed, that is, he knew that with these heads, he was probably qualified to be promoted to another level, and it should be no problem to be promoted to the rank of deputy commander of the army.

It's just that the deputy commander of this army obviously can't satisfy Fang Shi's thoughts at this time, and Fang Shi, who is only thirty years old, is also the time to fight.

There is also a stipulation in the military that commanders of front-line operations, below the rank of commander of the army, must be discharged from the army at the age of 40. It is hoped that with the development of the times and the improvement of people's life expectancy and physical condition, this prescribed age will be postponed a little.

However, at this time, this regulation is extremely in line with the situation in the army, and most of the front-line commanders at the grassroots level have to go into battle in person, and when they are old and their physical condition is not good, it is naturally difficult for them to be competent.

It is also this regulation that Fang Shi must cross the level of military command before the age of forty, otherwise Fang Shi will have to retire from the army and go home. For some people, it doesn't hurt to retire from the army and go home to be a rich man, but for Fang Shi, it is unacceptable.

From being a soldier in Cangzhou as a teenager, to now, Fang Shi doesn't know anything, and he is even rusty with farming. Fang Shi has long been accustomed to life in the army, and he doesn't know what to do when he goes home.

Fang Shi still had a small thought in his heart, that is, he wanted to be able to walk in front of Zheng Zhi to really meet His Majesty, this sense of worship is difficult to explain the reason, but it is more and more wanted to realize it day by day.

Back then in Cangzhou, when Fang Shi was in the army, he only saw Yan Wang Zheng Zhi from afar in the military array. When he arrived at the martial arts school, he also glanced at Zheng Zhi from a distance behind the queue. At that time, Zheng Zhi's prestige made this peasant boy who had not yet seen the world yearn for it.

In the future, there will be no chance to see Zheng Zhi again, and it will be even more difficult to see Zheng Zhi after he ascends the throne. The only way to see it is that Fang Shi is also mixed into a high-ranking officer, which is also a longing and expectation.

The Great Xia Dynasty, which was strong and rich in the people, fought all over the world without invincible opponents, sailors through the four seas, and the army would win thousands of miles. No matter how privately some scholars criticize the belligerent and the perverse, and so on. In the hearts of these military men and peasant men, Zheng Zhi is like a god descending from heaven to earth.

Fang Shi married a Han woman in Yanjing a few years ago and returned to Cangzhou, and also gave birth to a big fat boy. Since he was more than two years old, the boy had to bow three times every morning to the portrait of His Majesty the Emperor at home, saying long live. This is also what Fang Shi requested, and that is the portrait, which was also obtained by Fang Shi several times.

In the past two years, the portrait of His Majesty the Emperor has been easy to get, and it has to be sold everywhere in the city.

A peasant man who can't eat enough to live like this now, how grateful he is. This is the simplicity of people in this era. It's so simple that it seems strange.

Riverhouse, and even more ridiculous things happen.

A caravan of camels from the Western Regions came to Hejian Mansion with spices and other goods to sell them at a good price. There are also many Khorezmian people in the caravan, and now the Khorezmian people are flattered on both sides, Khorezm is the junction of the Western Liao and the Turks, and they claim to be the citizens of the Western Liao to the east, and they call themselves Turkic nationals to the west. Whether it is the Turks or the Western Liao, they do not have a strong ability to control places like Khorezm.

Therefore, it is really smooth sailing for the two sides of the Khorezm people to do business. Along the way, it is unimpeded to cross the Western Liao to Daxia, and since Yelu Dashi and Zheng Kai made peace, the Western Liao people have entered Daxia, and there are some basic preferential treatments.

But after this group of Khorezmian people paid taxes and entered the city, there were several soldiers on the street who were not wearing armor and only wore red and gray military uniforms.

These military men were drunk, and they were still laughing with Xiao Er who sent a few people out, looking amiable.

As soon as he turned his head and saw the foreigners wearing turbans, he was interested, and after a few steps forward, one of them opened his mouth and asked, "Where are you from?" But the Western Liao? Or Turkic? ”

The leader of the caravan knew that the people in front of him were military men, so he didn't dare to slack off, and after learning the Han people's appearance, after listening to the translated words, he hurriedly said: "We are Western Liao people, Khitan people. ”

Most businessmen are so exquisite, they are also helpless when they go out.

When a military man heard the words, he looked at it carefully a few times, and then laughed, and after laughing, his face turned straight and he said: "You are a Khitan?" Lao Tzu has seen a lot of Khitan people, and the Khitan people are like Elder, where is your big nose? You will climb your ancestors. Why don't you say you're Han? ”

The leading merchant could only smile when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "We are Western Liao people, and all of them are Khitans. ”

Even this merchant also knows that the Khitan people have a good relationship with the Han people now, and he should not suffer much if he is a Western Liao person.

When the military man heard this, he looked at his companion left and right, but he didn't really mean to embarrass the merchant, but said: "It doesn't matter where you are from, you don't see this road, six miles ahead, there is the palace." ”

When the leading merchant heard this, he looked at the soldier in front of him with a flattering and inquiring look.

Seeing that these foreigners didn't understand, the military man opened his mouth and shouted: "Kneel down for Lao Tzu, worship His Majesty the Emperor of my family, worship well, and shout long live!" ”

The leading businessman hesitated, and hurriedly knelt on the spot and went to see the translator he had hired.

The translator hurriedly taught the phrase "Long live Your Majesty".

The whole caravan stopped in the middle of the street, and two or three hundred people knelt on the ground, long live.

A few soldiers were satisfied, and walked away with their shoulders on their backs.

But this kind of thing also made the people on the street look strange. Some people think it's weird, some people think it's ridiculous, and some people think it's supposed to be done.

Perhaps every era has something unique to that era, and perhaps future generations will seem ridiculous or childish. But it is not possible to look at the events of that time from the perspective of future generations.