son-in-law

Chapter 905 Boiling the Sea (5)

Chapter 905 Cooking the Sea ([-])

In January, when the green forest people in twos and threes were heading north toward the Yangtze River, more people were heading west and south, fleeing the war zone.

The triangular area from Jiangning to the east for more than 450 miles to Zhenjiang and south to Lin'an for more than [-] miles is gradually falling into the flames of war.This is the most prosperous place in the world since the Wu Dynasty moved south. It includes the most affluent towns in the south of the Yangtze River near Taihu Lake, radiating Changzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing and other big cities, with a total population of tens of millions.

After the Jurchen came, there were prosperous and important places to be guarded everywhere. However, even with the manpower of the Wu Dynasty, it was impossible to put a heavy army on every city to protect it. In fact, Jianshuo was killed in the second year In the battle called Soshan Jianhai, Wu Shu led the army, and in fact, he had already walked through many towns in the south of the Yangtze River.

Fortunately, the situation this time is different from the past. The Jurchens did not have the capital to delay the fourth Southern Expedition aimed at defeating Nanwu.After Wushu's army arrived in Lin'an, the Wu Dynasty mobilized about 17 troops previously stationed in Jiaxing, Suzhou and other places to come to King Anqin. a core of .

The other core is naturally the Yangtze River battle circle with Jiangning and Zhenjiang as the center. After crossing the river, the main attack point of the Eastern Route Army led by Zongfu was in Jiangning, and then spread towards Zhenjiang and the cities in the south.In the north, Liu Chengzong's army attacked Xuzhou and took away the attention of some Jurchen troops. The main force of Zongfu's army, excluding the attrition, was less than 20. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of Han troops from the Central Plains, they attacked Jiangning on the one hand. On the one hand, elite soldiers were dispatched to push the front as far south as possible.

The distance between Jiangning and Lin'an is more than [-] miles. If you go at full speed, it will only take more than ten days.For Jurchen, there are two strategic directions at the moment.Either defeat the resistance group led by Prince Junwu along the Yangtze River, or gradually move south to pull the city, and together with Wushu's elite cavalry, threaten Lin'an and force the Wu Dynasty to surrender.

These two strategic directions can be carried out simultaneously.In mid-January, among the main forces of Zongfu, more than [-] men led by the generals Tsaopao and Alubao respectively marched to the south and southeast, while more than [-] men led by the Central Plains warlords Lin Baoyue and Li Yangzong The army has pushed the front line to the south of Taiping Prefecture (later Ma'anshan), Danyang, and Changning. During this period, several small towns were knocked open, and a group of Han troops looted and burned them wantonly, and the casualties were not counted.

On the side of the Wu Dynasty, it is naturally impossible to allow the troops of Zongfu and others to continue to go south at this time. In addition to the 30 military battalion originally stationed in Jiangning, Han Shizhong also led the main force of the [-]-town navy to sit in Jiangning, and another [-]-town navy pushed forward. Now Ning, together with another nearly [-] Huaiyang troops and reinforcements, firmly blocked the way for Zongfu's troops to go south.

In the middle to late January, Yue Fei's Beiwei Army, Xi Yin and Yin Shuke's Tu Shanwei arrived at the battlefield, and the Jurchen general Alubao, who had gone to Changning, falsified a shot, and turned northeast to Zhenjiang. When the Xiyin troops launched a raid on the Zhenjiang area, the entire Jiangnan was already in a chaotic situation where you are in me and you are in me.

The situation in Lin'an is more complicated.

Wushu's cavalry had not launched an attack on Lin'an since early January. The army wandered around Lin'an, burned and killed, and occasionally clashed with the troops of Shen Cheng and Xu Liejun who came to King Qin from the Wu Dynasty.From a rational point of view, it is not easy for a 5-strong army to break through a large city guarded by 20 troops-although the Jurchens have had more brilliant records in the past-the complicated people's surge in Lin'an City is more like the stock market changes in later generations, As the news from the outside world came in again and again, the trend of the news in the city also had strange fluctuations. In addition to the anti-gold cries and slogans of death on the bright side, various thoughts were intertwined and connected in private, and the dark tide surged. It keeps going up and down with the news of every victory or defeat.

Of course, in the more than two hundred years of the Wu Dynasty, the words about surrendering gold or collaborating with the enemy would not be talked about by everyone. Over the past month, the changes of various news in Lin'an have become more complicated.There are several kinds of information about Zhou Yong's falling out with a group of officials, such as the news that Zhou Yong wanted to reconcile with Hei Qi and was later placed under house arrest by hundreds of officials.

In addition, since the Huaxia Army sent out a troop of traitors, there has been a lot of discussion in the capital about who is a traitor and who has surrendered to the enemy. The Beijing tabloid opened later, in order to sell, began to privately produce and sell pamphlets about the family background and personal relationship of the court and military members for everyone's reference.Among them, there are also literati who have been in the office for many times to participate in it, expressing high opinions and attracting people's attention.

As for the trend of the world's war situation, the possible judgment of future victory and defeat, and the many discussions on how to turn defeat into victory, since the beginning of the war, it has never been cut off.Those who are concerned about the country and the people are running in private, and there are books such as "Three Strategies to Defeat the Enemy and the Old Country", "Ten Treatises on Retiring the Nuzhen to Revitalize" and so on. fly around.

On the fourth day of the second lunar month, there was even a [-]-year-old scholar named "Old Man Qiulu" who went to a tabloid workshop to print a large number of pages with his "good strategies for governing the country".After the patrolling army arrested him, the old man shouted that he wanted to see the governor of Lin'an, the prime minister, the privy envoy, and the eldest princess.

Luo Shuwen, the prefect of Lin'an, had to meet him and ask him about his best strategy, but he was only asking the emperor to reuse a great sage like him, and immediately kill many court officials who he thought were problematic. As for how he judged There are problems with the officials of the court, and the news mostly comes from the gossip in Beijing.The old man worked hard for fame and fame all his life, but in fact some of them were only a scholar. In the end, the family wealth was gone. Only one old wife went to the street market every day to pick up some vegetables and even beg to survive. When he printed leaflets, he even put some coffin books on it. .The governor of the government, Luo Shuwen, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In the end, he had to give the old man two taels of silver and put the old man home.

More treacherous people are hidden under this mighty and chaotic public opinion.

On the eighth day of the second month, there was a poetry party in the west of Lin'an City. The venue used was an old yard called Baopu Garden. The trees were sprouting, the peach blossoms were budding, and the breath of spring had just arrived. , The middle-aged scholar with a goatee was surrounded by a lot of people. This person brought a map of the whole territory of the Wu Dynasty, and was pointing and gesturing on it. His arguments were clear and convincing, which shocked the four.

"...Looking at the situation of our Wu Dynasty, everyone in the world thinks that the center is trapped in the south of the Yangtze River, which naturally makes sense. If nothing happens in Lin'an, the Yangtze River line can finally be defended, and the Jurchen two-way army will be held back, and the siege of the Wu Dynasty will be resolved. Honestly. If you can do it, you don't need to think about the rest... But if you just look at it, there is still a little core in today's world, in the west - the land of Xiangyang..."

He tapped his finger on the location of Xiangyang on the map, and then took it further west.

"...You may disagree. Xiangyang is an important town, but it is more than [-] miles away from Lin'an. Whether Xiangyang is defended or conquered, it has nothing to do with the overall situation of Lin'an. But here, I want to talk about a trite The theory is the so-called Jurchen dispute between the Eastern and Western courts. In the past, we talked about the Eastern and Western courts and sowing discord, but the scholar's theory was only on paper. But today, the Jurchen has come, and the theory of the past is different. …”

"...For you and me, if the entire Jin Kingdom is regarded as one, then the purpose of this southern expedition is to destroy my Wu Dynasty, but after the destruction, what will they do next?" The scholar pointed his finger. He moved to the west, further west, and knocked, "Destroy the black flag!"

"Everyone, it's a bad thing to say, now for the Jurchens, the real confidant's trouble is not our Wu Dynasty, but the black army that rose from the southwest and once killed Lou Shi, resigned and other Jurchen generals. The flag army. At present, the two armies of the Jurchen have different emphasis on the black flag... Judging from the previous situation, Zong Han and Xi Yin's subordinates really regarded the black flag army as the enemy, Zongfu , Wushu and others are more focused on destroying our Wu Dynasty and defeating Lin'an... The two armies merge, first break the Wu Dynasty, and then invade the world to destroy the southwest, which is naturally the best. But here, we should see, What if you fall back and ask for the next best thing?"

"...In the past years, we said that there was a conflict between the Jurchen and the imperial court, and that it was possible to provoke them. It was just a rhetoric that could not be achieved. Zong Han and others are so domineering in the world, how could it be because of some private provocation, Just fight with Agu directly? But now, let's think about it, if there is such a choice in front of Zong Han and others: we can stay in Lin'an for a lot of time, delay Wushu, and even let Jurchen East The Route Army's southern expedition was unsuccessful, but for the West Route Army, they were able to take a big advantage, and even went straight to the southwest to confront the Black Flag Army, destroy this army, and kill the Ning Demon, Zong Hanxi. Yin Yifang, could it be that you really won't be tempted?"

"...What I said next may be inappropriate, but it's just an idea, if so..."

The middle-aged man lowered his voice, and everyone listened to it. After a while, some people at the Wenhui pondered, some praised, and some people came up with ideas to refute... The new shoots of the trees in the courtyard shook, the figures and various opinions, Soon they were drowned in this cold spring.

When the poetry session ended, it was already afternoon. The crowd dispersed in twos and threes. The middle-aged man who spoke earlier said goodbye to a group of scribes, and then turned to the streets of Lin'an City.The military disaster was imminent, the atmosphere in the city was chill, and there were not many pedestrians. The middle-aged man turned a few streets and alleys and realized that something seemed wrong behind him. He quickened his pace in the next alley and turned into an empty alley. Taking advantage of the strength, he climbed up the courtyard wall next to him, but then fell down because of insufficient strength.

When he got up from the muddy water, there were already several figures coming towards him.

The figure was covered with a sack, dragged out of the alleyway, and then thrown into the carriage.The carriage crossed several long streets and entered the prison of Lin'an Mansion. Soon, Tie Tianying came in from the outside, and someone led him into the prison. The middle-aged man in his 30s was already tied up in the torture room. inside.

The middle-aged man woke up leisurely and saw the old catcher who was burning the soldering iron. He struggled a few times on the shelf: "You, you, who are you!? Who are you? Juren identity! What are you doing!?"

Tie Tianying raised his head to look at him: "If you don't know where you are, what kind of identity do you talk about, and if you are kidnapped by bandits, can your identity save you?"

"I-I-I-I... I can guess that there are rules in the country, so the doctor can't be punished, you can't kill people who talk about things, you..."

"Who told you to say these things? Who taught you to say it?"

"No one! No one! The rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of everyone! I am a citizen of the Wu Dynasty, I am a citizen, and the country is in great trouble, and I share the worry for the country! Didn't do anything else—"

The middle-aged man struggled on the wooden shelf and shouted in a panic. Tie Tianying looked at him quietly. After a while, he untied his bloated robe and put it aside, then picked up the torture tool.

"It's not for one or two days to stare at you, and each has his own way, then he will be offended."

……

The early spring sun sets, and day turns into night.

In the early morning of the ninth day of the second lunar month, Zhou Pei got up with his clothes on, got into the carriage after washing, and crossed the city.

Just over an hour after midnight, the city still seemed peaceful, but the further north you went, the more you could hear a humming sound resounding in the air. The sound of crowd activity.

On the afternoon of the eighth day of the lunar new year, 3 men under Xu Liejun's command were defeated by [-] fine cavalry sent by Wushu during the transfer, causing thousands of casualties. delivery.

After the wounded were transported into the Wengcheng, a screening was carried out. Some doctors went in to give emergency treatment to the seriously wounded. Zhou Pei climbed the city wall and watched the groans and screams in the Wengcheng.Chengzhouhai is already here, come to salute.

"It's another defeat, I don't know how many people are going to spread the word in private." Zhou Pei whispered.

"It's just that, whenever there is a war, someone has to think carefully." Chengzhou Haidao.

"More than ten years ago, the world did not know that Wu Chao would really lose the Central Plains. Even if he thought about it in private, he could not help but feel that Wu Chao would be able to survive. Now everyone is talking about 'the worst plan'. , In the 'worst plan', they all hope they have a good life..." Zhou Pei said in a low voice, leaning his head and looking into the darkness outside the city wall, "Mr. Cheng, the city wall of Bianliang is also Is it so tall and thick? I sometimes stand down and look up, thinking that such a majestic city wall must be difficult in all life, but things over the years have taught me that it is not necessarily difficult to knock it open. "

Cheng Zhouhai was silent for a moment: "...Yesterday, His Majesty called His Highness into the palace, what did you say?"

Zhou Pei smiled, then looked solemn, looked around, and then spoke to Cheng Zhouhai in a low voice: "My father asked me sideways, if the situation in the capital is critical, can the new army of Zhenhai led by General Han Shizhong be withdrawn to Lin'an in time? , to switch defenses with the Imperial Army... Father Huang knows that the people below are fluctuating, but he does not trust the Imperial Army, and even wants to... remove General Yu Huayu from the Imperial Army."

"Withdrawing the town navy, this is due to a serious illness. As for General Yu..." Cheng Zhouhai frowned: "General Yu... rose from Wulie Camp, but he is His Majesty's confidant."

Zhou Pei hesitated for a moment, remembering what his father said yesterday, with a sarcastic smile on his face: "...Yes, the Wulie Camp was stationed in Jiangning back then, and Yu Zihua and his father had known each other in the old days, so they were able to lead the forbidden army, but in At this moment...Mr. Cheng, the royal father knows exactly what the people who played with him back then were. He was just unusable, bullying people and drinking flowers, and the royal father trusted him more than anyone else. They are going to fight, but the emperor can't trust them more than anyone else..."

"However, General Yu has really changed his mind over the years and is extremely strict with himself."

"Father doesn't believe this, so I can only... try my best to dissuade me." Zhou Pei rubbed his forehead, "You can't ask the Navy to move, and General Yu can't take it lightly. Sigh, I hope Father can hold on. Qin Hui often summons Lord Qin to the palace for inquiries. Lord Qin is old and seeking for the country. It seems that he has played a dissuasive role in the mind of the father. The father wants to call the Navy back to Beijing, and Lord Qin also persuaded... These few days , I want to visit Master Qin in person and talk to him candidly..."

The two watched on the city tower for a while, then turned and left, the carriage drove away from the city wall, drove through the dark streets, and when they reached the vicinity of the Delin'an Mansion Prison, Zhou Pei, who was rubbing his forehead, remembered something: "Yesterday, Tie Zhu It seems that some people have been caught over there, let's go to the prison and see."

Cheng Zhouhai nodded yes.

The group came to the prison, and the deputy next to him had already reported what Tie Tianying was doing. When he approached the execution room, the smell of blood came out. Tie Tianying probably washed his face and hands a little, and came out from the inside. With a lot of blood.He held a stack of inquiring transcripts in his hand, and led Zhou Pei and Cheng Zhouhai to look inside the torture chamber. The middle-aged scholar tied to the wooden shelf was no longer in human form.

"Are you a trick?" Cheng Zhouhai asked with a frown.

"No." Tie Tianying shook his head, "The connection between this person and the Jurchen side has been confirmed, and the letters, correctors, and the guards of the Imperial Guard who came in for him have all been confirmed. Of course, he only thinks that he is a member of the great clan. Instructing, just lobbying and speaking for the interests of some big family in the south, but he has participated in the spread of news related to Jurchen several times before... Now it seems that Jurchen has begun to have a new mind."

"The ones you reported earlier?" Cheng Zhouhai asked.

Tie Tianying nodded, then looked at Zhou Pei together with Cheng Zhouhai: "This matter is up to the report, Your Highness wants..." Tie Tianying pointed to the torture room and the relatively clean small room on the other side, and asked briefly. Zhou Pei looked at the bloody man with his nails pulled out in the cell, turned his head and went to the small room.

Tie Tianying and Cheng Zhouhai followed, and spread out the map on the table in the small room: "Someone was talking about this on a small scale a few days ago. This kind of idea, its general direction is this..."

Tie Tianying paused, cut his palm on the position of Xiangyang on the map, and then swept to the west area marked on the map: "If the war in the capital is urgent, there is no way to retreat... to Marshal Zonghan of the Jurchen West Road Army, cede Xiangfan and all areas west of Xiangfan and north of the Yangtze River."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Pei's arm was pressed on the table, and the whole face was gloomy.

Cheng Zhouhai whispered from the side: "I have said in private that this is a request secretly made by the Jurchen general Wanyan Xiyin near Zhenjiang now. For the matter of borrowing, Jiange is the main way to go out of Sichuan, and this matter is obviously Ning Yi’s deterrence and pressure on Jurchen, and the decision made by Jurchen is obviously a counterattack against the Black Flag Army.”

He pointed to the area on the map: "Xiangfan goes to Jiange, a thousand miles away, and it controls Sichuan and Shu. Once this area is ceded, the Jurchen West Road Army's record is enough, and there is no reason to go south to attack Wu, even on the East Road. They are more pleased to see the army's return without success. Once they control this area, Zong Han and Xi Yin will enter Chengdu with strong troops, and Zong Han and Ning Yi will face each other in advance. It's not impossible..."

"Cede away a thousand miles of land? Can you tell that?" Zhou Pei's voice was dry.

"If Lin'an is in danger, then it's easy to say..." Chengzhou Haidao said, "Moreover, if you look at the general direction, Jurchen... At least Zong Hanxiyin's fear of the Black Flag Army is even more serious. In the Wu Dynasty, it would be best if they could swallow the Wu Dynasty and then destroy the black flag, but if they were to take the next step, I sometimes felt that they would rather destroy the black flag this time..."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Pei quietly, Zhou Pei's body swayed.Some things may sound like a fantasy at first, but if it really happens, Zong Han leads the army into the southwest, and Ning Yi leads the Huaxia army, and they will definitely not retreat. If the two strongest armies in the world are killed together, then The situation will definitely not be as embarrassing as the Jiangnan War of the Wu Dynasty...

Zhou Pei thought for a while, and finally shook his head and left: "This is the word of cholera, find them out, and kill them all on another day!"

Cheng Zhouhai showed a slight smile, and after leaving the prison, he just said with a serious face: "No matter how beautifully these things are said now, their purpose is only to disturb the heart of our army. Wanyan Xiyin is worthy of the name of the god of grain, and his yin and yang strategy, Not to lose to the Ning Rentu in the southwest. However, although I can understand this matter, many people in the city may be tempted, and your Majesty's side... I hope Your Highness is cautious..."

Zhou Pei nodded, and soon, he went in a carriage.

A few days later, similar news began to spread and ferment in the city. The Jurchen West Route Army put forward a request: cede the west of Xiangfan and the north of the Yangtze River, and then retreat.

Among them, it is said that the Jurchen East Road Army also put forward a request: the Wu Dynasty recognized Dajin as his father, forever as a vassal, paid tribute every year to the dynasty, and at the same time——

——Kill Han Shizhong to comfort the heart of the people!

……

In Zhenjiang in February, there was frost and mud in the camps where the soldiers were stationed. When Jun Wu walked out of the camp, he could see the scene of the troops changing defenses and moving materials. Occasionally, the wounded came in with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

The war is more about blood and slaughter. For half a year, Jun Wu has almost adapted to this rhythm. In front of him is the attack of many famous Jurchen generals, and behind him, he has also experienced Hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of military and civilian casualties were tragic.

Towards the east and south of Zhenjiang, the troops of the Jurchen generals Xiyin, Yinshuke, Alubao, etc. have conquered several small cities, and are cautiously extending the front to the south, and in a larger area, belonging to the Wu Dynasty The troops are blocking the roads on the southern line.There will be one or two frictions every few days.

The most elite Tu Shanwei under the Jurchen Zonghan Han led by Xi Yin, even today's Beiwei Army, can hardly stop its offensive in frontal combat.However, the troops of the Wu Dynasty gathered around it were wearing away its spirit, and even if it could not stop its advance in one or two battles, it would definitely block his back path, making it impossible for him to go south for a long time.

Compared with the bloody fighting of the front-line soldiers and the general's strategizing, the identity of the prince is more like a backbone and a mascot here. He only needs to exist and firmly implement the belief of resistance to complete the task.Jun Wu was not frustrated by this. No matter how tired he was every day, he tried his best to dress up, keep some beards, and keep his appearance upright, so that he looked more mature and determined, and it could also boost the morale of the soldiers.

Occasionally, all kinds of intrigue and complicated hearts floated over from Lin'an, which made him laugh and sigh. Occasionally, some behaviors of anti-Jin fighters from the outside world in front of Jin people also made him feel encouraged. , Most of these news are heroic and tragic, but if everyone in the world can do this, how could the Wu Dynasty lose the Central Plains?

On the twelfth day of the second month, an envoy of the Jin people came to the army in Zhenjiang and demanded to persuade the prince Junwu and the entire court of the Wu Dynasty to surrender. The conditions included being a minister, ceding the area west of Xiangfan and north of the Yangtze River, and severely punishing the generals who resisted Jin. After waiting for the conditions for many lions to open their mouths, Jun Wu threw it out after seeing the beginning.

"Xi Yin and the others are now besieged by my army of millions. Let's go back and talk about it! Push him out and kill him—"

The envoy was dragged out and shouted: "The two armies will not be killed when the two armies are fighting! The two armies will not be killed when they are fighting! You can talk! You can talk about it, Your Highness the Prince—" He was then dragged to the school ground and slashed with a knife brain.

Soon after, Wanyan Xiyin, who was stationed in the southeast of Zhenjiang, received the head of the envoy in the barracks, smiled slightly, and said to the people around him: "This little prince has a strong heart, and he is a little different from everyone in the Wu Dynasty... "

"It's a pity..." he sighed.

　Well, I would like to thank the book friends "Fate", "Knife Cubs are Factory Breakers" and "Loshu", the leader of the reward. This chapter has [-] words.

(End of this chapter)