In the fourth year of Song Jianwu, at the end of August, outside Xuzhou, on both sides of the Yellow River.

It was an early autumn morning, the glow shone on the earth, the reeds on both sides of the bank swayed with the half-yellow weeds, and the white tidbits flew all over the sky, floating everywhere, some of them sprinkled onto the dusk of the river, and some fell into the ridges and wastelands on both banks.

For the people of Henan under the rule of the Jin Dynasty, the years were not good, especially every time the Mongol army went south, Henan was poisoned once, which made it even worse for the people of Henan who were flooded by the Yellow River. With barren fields, a plummeting population, and a lack of food and clothing, the bitter life of the people of Henan seems to have no end in sight, and there is no hope in sight.

The people take food as their sky, even if there are many wars and disasters, even if natural disasters continue, the people can only work in the fields, tending to the land, planting vegetables, beans and melons, in the hope of getting even a little bit of harvest.

There are also some people who hold on to broken boats and cast fishing nets to catch fish in the water of the Yellow River and salvage hope.

"The steamship is coming!"

On the embankment, among a group of children who were playing, someone suddenly pointed to the south and shouted loudly.

On the river, on the embankment, on the field, the people of the Jin country looked to the south one after another, only to see the river in the distance, countless Song army warships went north, "suddenly" emitting black smoke, large and small warships covered the river, waving flags, magnificent.

"Row!"

The fishing boats on the river rowed to both sides of the river, so as not to be caught up by the Song warships and harm the pond fish.

The Song warships moved forward quickly, ignoring the fishing boats and fishermen who had left the river, and did not stop, all the way north.

Feeling that the Song army had no malicious intentions, the fishermen on the fishing boats on the shore no longer panicked and went ashore, so they became spectators on the boat, watching the Song army's warships pass by.

On the banks of the Yellow River, among the fields, countless people of the Jin Kingdom also stopped to watch, many of them had never seen a steamship emitting black smoke, and their eyes were full of surprise.

"The southerners' warships are really different, you can move without rowing!"

"It's called a steam ship, it's also called a fire boat, you don't need to be rowed, just burn coal!"

"These Song troops are really majestic, much stronger than our official army!"

In the midst of the people's emotion, some people became worried.

"The Nanren won't be beating us, will they?"

"Who knows? Anyway, don't harm us! ”

"But we must not fight!"

The people of Jin pointed at Song Jun and talked a lot, they didn't seem to be afraid, but their worries were real.

The feud between Song and Jin, it is impossible for the Song people to forget. But no matter how Song Jin fights, the people have to eat.

After decades of war, life is too miserable and hopeless, and the people are used to it and numb.

Du Shu stood on the deck of a warship, looking at the barren land on both sides of the strait, and the sparse beggar-like people, shaking his head secretly, and almost scolding the sentence "I'll go" in his mouth.

After decades of war between Jinmeng and Mongolia, the people of Jin were poor, the population was greatly reduced, the fertile land was barren, and corpses could be seen everywhere, and the land of fish and rice became a paradise for wild dogs to roam. The corrupt monarchs and ministers of the Jin Kingdom, the Tartar iron horsemen who killed them, and the crimes they committed were outraged by people and gods.

Fortunately, the Great Song Dynasty King Shi came.

The Middle Route Army went north, and the two roads went together, all the way along the water through Suqian to Xuzhou and then all the way north to Liangshanbo, and then landed on the shore, captured Dongping Mansion in Shandong, occupied important towns such as Damingfu and Handan in Hebei, and joined forces with the East Route Army in Zhending Mansion.

This is the most economical and labor-saving way, and it is precisely because of the steam ships that the soldiers were spared the pain of a long journey of eight or nine hundred miles.

The other road is to go upstream, until the Bianjing River, and the West Route Army Cao Youwen Division will join the division, and the soldiers will come to Bianjing City.

"Brother Song Jun, you don't want to attack the Jin Kingdom, do you? The people of Jin Country are about to die! ”

On the embankment, a young man was bold and shouted at the Song soldiers on the boat.

"Soldiers of the Song Army, don't hurt the people!"

"Song Jun's brothers, we have suffered enough! Spare us poor people! ”

Several men shouted a few times, and the Song army on the ship seemed to have received a military order, so he replied loudly:

"Don't ask! Live well! The Northern Expedition of the Great Song Dynasty King Division, there was no crime in the autumn, and it did not harm the common people, so rest assured that it would be cultivated! ”

Song Jun's words emboldened several men, and they chased them all the way along the shore, asking loudly.

"Song Jin is a feud, and it is impossible not to take revenge. Do you really not kill the people of Dajin Kingdom? ”

"Song Jin has been fighting for so many years, how can you not fight? You're a liar, aren't you? ”

The people of Jin asked, and the generals of the Song Army on a warship behind them were answered.

"It's all the truth, there's no need to lie to you! Your Dajin Kingdom is about to come to an end, you must know that you are a Han Chinese, an upright Han Chinese! ”

"Never forget, you are Han Chinese, you are the descendants of Yan and Huang!"

The Song army's soldiers answered loudly and clearly, causing several chasing men to stop. In fact, they were out of breath and could not keep up with the speed of the steamer.

"Han Chinese? We are Han Chinese! ”

Several young men looked at each other, ignorant, as if their hearts were a little brighter, and they seemed to be confused.

"Rest assured, everyone! The generals of the Song people said, don't harm the people, don't worry! ”

"The soldiers of the Song Army made it clear, we are all Han Chinese! Han people don't kill Han people! Rest assured! ”

A few men shouted loudly, and the people seemed to be relieved a lot, chattering, and scattered one after another. Only those children were still running along the river embankment, chasing the Song warships.

"General, why didn't Your Majesty destroy the Jin Kingdom by the way and restore the entire Central Plains in one fell swoop?"

Xin Su, the commander of the artillery battalion, looked at the direction of the southwest bank of the Yellow River, and was a little unwilling.

If the country is governed like this, it should have died a long time ago.

In fact, what he wanted to ask was whether the emperor had an affair with the princess of Jinguo, and the crystallization of love.

"First restore the two rivers and seize the sixteen states of Yanyun. That's the right thing! As for the country of gold, the land of projectiles, it is not challenging at all! ”

Du Shu came up with a mantra that Zhao Hong was talking about martial arts in Jinling.

"Your Majesty and the princess of the Jin Kingdom, is there really a ......?"

Xin Su was mysterious and lowered his voice.

"Don't inquire if you shouldn't! You and I are both soldiers, and it is our duty to obey orders. Have you forgotten the precepts of Jinling's martial arts hall? ”

Du Shu interrupted Xin Su's words, ending the other party's curiosity.

In fact, he himself also wanted to know if the emperor and the princess of the Jin Kingdom really had a bad relationship.

On the west bank of the Yellow River, a group of hundreds of Jin cavalry marched forward, as if walking with the Song army on the warship, and seemed to see off the Song army.

"What do these guys want to do?"

Xin Su looked at the Jin army following on the shore in surprise, wondering if the artillery could hit the other party.

"What else can I do? It must be the Jin army in Xuzhou, because they are afraid that we will attack them. ”

Du Shu didn't look at it, and looked at the end of the Yellow River in the distance. Ahead, it should be Xuzhou City.

Xuzhou iron smelting is famous all over the world, the Song Dynasty once placed the state prison here, and the craftsmen amounted to more than 4,000 people. When the emperor was attending a class in the Jinling Lecture Hall, he deeply regretted that he could not obtain the four major iron mines in the north, including Xuzhou iron smelting.

More importantly, the military choke point in the north and south of Xuzhou, the golden people are stuck here, which makes people always feel like a fish in the throat.

"General, in front of you is Xuzhou, the key to the south, and the important town in the north. Xuzhou is stuck in our waist eyes from the north to the south. You just watched Jin Bing staring at him, can you rest assured? ”

As if he had a soul in his heart, Xin Su's words made Du Shu's heart move, but he hesitated for a while.

"However, in this Northern Expedition, His Majesty aimed at the restoration of the two rivers, and did not say that he would send troops against the Jin State, but only besieged the city. Military orders are like a mountain, and some are difficult to do. ”

Xuzhou is a traffic artery from south to north, and it is guarded by Jin soldiers, and I always feel uneasy. But how could the emperor's will be violated?

"Your Majesty's will, the Northern Expedition must be foolproof. If the grain roads are not passable, how can the Northern Expedition be successful? Not to mention ......"

Xin Su smiled secretly, which made Du Shu creepy.

"What's more?"

Du Shu had already vaguely guessed what Xin Su wanted to say.

"General, the lord humiliates the ministers to death. It is incumbent upon you and me to share the principal's worries. There are some things that are difficult for the principal to do, so we have to do them for the principal. It's a big deal to cut off the head and be exiled, I confessed to it. What's more, the soldiers surrounded Bianjing, and they couldn't be stuck by Xuzhou. ”

Sure enough, Xin Su said it directly.

It seems that he has heard about the emperor and the princess of the Jin Kingdom, and he has dug deeply, at least not as ignorant as he seems to be.

"you! If something happens, I don't want you to bear it alone, and I will be counted as a share. ”

Du Shu said angrily, and then asked in a low voice:

"Xin Su, then in your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

"General, why don't you Chen soldiers outside Xuzhou City tonight, under the artillery, see how they choose?"

Xin Su whispered in Du Shu's ear, mysteriously and secretly.

Du Shu was taken aback for a while, then shook his head and laughed.

"Xin Su, your grandfather Jiaxuan Weng Hero I, but he would never have thought that there would be such a despicable and shameless grandson as you!"

"How can it be called despicable and shameless? This is called a stratagem, a real conspiracy! ”

Xin Su straightened his face and said seriously.

When night fell, the torches at the head of the city of Xuzhou were blazing, the golden soldiers at the head of the city were like facing a great enemy, and the Song soldiers outside the city were crowded, and they couldn't see how much.

"Listen, more than a dozen craftsmen of our army are missing, two artillery pieces, and several shells. Someone saw them enter Xuzhou City, either open the city gate, and our army entered the city to search. Either hand them over, or the army will attack the city and the jade will be burned! ”

The generals of the Song army shouted outside the city, and Ma Yi, the general of the Jin army on the city wall, blushed with anger.

"Song Gou, if you want to take the city, you will come to fight, what kind of conspiracy and tricks are you playing?"

Ma Yi shouted loudly outside the city, encouraging the golden soldiers on the city wall by the way

"Brothers, Song Dog is about to attack the city, brothers work together to defend the city, violators will be killed!"

Outside the city, the Song army stopped talking nonsense and retreated, and soon dozens of artillery carts pushed up, pointing to the city wall and the city gate tower together. The Song artillery began to reload ammunition and was busy without stopping.

"Attention!"

Ma Yi shouted loudly.

Earth-shattering thunder rang out, puffs of smoke erupted from the muzzles of the cannons, and huge cannonballs whistled out and flew straight towards the city gates and walls.

Some shells flew into the city, causing walls to collapse, earth and rocks to fly, and huge smoke and dust to rise; Several cannonballs flew up to the city and exploded on the city wall, iron pieces and iron pellets flew all over the sky, dozens of golden soldiers were stoned to death and injured, the flesh and blood were blurred, and a piece of the city wall was planted.

A few shells just landed up and down the city gate tower, and the shells exploded, and the city gate tower was blown up and collapsed, and dozens of gold soldiers were buried inside.

"Open the city gate immediately, otherwise the army will attack the city, and the chickens and dogs will not be left!"

The sound of artillery stopped for a while, and the generals of the Song army held a loudspeaker and shouted loudly outside the city.

"Artillery, give Lao Tzu a ...... to kill these dogs"

The angry shouting on the city wall stopped abruptly, and Ma Yi's bloody body was thrown down.

"Don't fire! Open the gates and surrender now! ”

At the head of Xuzhou City, the white flag was quickly raised, and the huge gate of Xuzhou City slowly opened, and the Xuzhou officials knelt outside the city.

"Wang Yishen, the governor of Xuzhou, and Yang Guoguo, the deputy commander, led the officials of the government and the defenders of the city to welcome the Great Song Dynasty into the city!"

Du Shu and Xin Su glanced at each other, both relieved.

The range of truth is only within the range of artillery. In the simplest and rude way, the Great Song Dynasty officials and soldiers captured Xuzhou in this way.

"Xuzhou is a dry person, listen up! My Great Song Dynasty Wang Shiqiu has not committed any crimes, and he will not harm a single army and a single person in the city! From now on, you are the people of my Great Song Dynasty! ”

Du Shu shouted loudly and secretly exhaled.

With Xuzhou in hand, the military mobilization of the Northern Expedition in the middle route, the transportation of grain and grass, and the siege of Bianjing City can all rest easy.