Chapter 892 Land Seizing (4)
Beacon fires burned, war drums roared, and explosions sounded like thunder, shaking the city. In Tianchang County, north of Yangzhou, with the flying arrows, countless stone bullets were being thrown towards the distant city with little bits of fire.
The towers on the city wall have collapsed in the explosion. The female wall has collapsed, leaving a gap, and the flags have fallen. In front of them is the vanguard of the Jurchen attack. More than 50,000 troops gathered under the city, and hundreds of people threw stones. The weapon was throwing hollow stone bullets stuffed with gunpowder like raindrops on the city wall.
In Tianchang County, there is a 30,000-strong army led by Han Shizhong's subordinate general Jieyuan - Tianchang County is located on the front line north of Yangzhou. It is located at the first position where the Jurchens are on their way south. Although the city is small, it is easy to defend. It is difficult to attack. Thirty thousand troops are stationed, supplemented by more than two hundred iron cannons. It is already a quite adequate defensive formation. However, with the arrival of the Jurchen forwards led by Wanyan Zongbi, the first round of the launch was far more powerful than everyone else. Imagine the onslaught.
More than ten years have passed since Ning Yi implemented the method of studying things and made the artillery shine during the Jurchens' first march south. In the past ten years or so, the Huaxia Army is the originator of the method of studying things. Under Ning Yi's advancement, it has accumulated the most technology. The Wu Dynasty had Junwu, and the Jurchens had the Great Manufacturing Institute chaired by Wanyan Xiyin. Both sides conducted research and manufacturing in parallel. However, in terms of overall scale, the Jurchen side had the largest technological power.
In ten years, the Jurchens invaded the south three times and kidnapped millions of Han people in the Central Plains. Among them, the Jurchens regarded ordinary Han people as slaves and women as livestock. The most important thing was actually the various craftsmen among the Han people. After two hundred years of accumulation in the Wu Dynasty, the Central Plains was originally the most prosperous and developed. These craftsmen were taken to the North and divided among various forces. Even though they lost their creative vitality, they could still do ordinary handicrafts.
Looking back at the Wu Dynasty, although the power of the Way of Investigating Things has been partially proven, in the face of Ning Yi's regicide, various scholars and Confucian scholars still avoided it and only said that it was temporarily effective. Xiaodao, at most, turned a blind eye to Jun Wu's efforts, and there was no support from public opinion after all. Public opinion did not encourage it, and Junwu could not forcefully recruit craftsmen from all over the world to prepare for the war. Although his research vitality was higher than that of the Jin Kingdom, in terms of scale, the wealth that Junwu accumulated in Jiangning could not compare with the Jurchen Nation. power.
The Chinese army already had the crude hollow-point blasting technology a few years ago, and naturally it is also on sale. It is used in artillery. However, Wanyan Xiyin was even more radical. During the past few years, he worked with craftsmen to precisely control the burning speed of the fuse. He used hollow stone bullets with fixed fuses in bundles of ten rounds, and used slings with a longer range to throw them. Strictly calculate and control the launch distance and steps, ignite before launching, and strive to explode after landing. This type of siege stone bomb is called "Tiannu Scattered Flowers".
The first time he arrived in Tianchang, Zong Bi used the cannonball on the battlefield.
After the first three rounds of test firings for calculations were completed, half of the hundreds of catapults began to throw the "Tiannu Scattering Flowers". Thousands of stone projectiles flew down at the same time. Due to the way of controlling the fuse, It was too primitive. Half of them flamed out or exploded in the air. Only one in seventy-eight of them actually landed on the city and exploded. The power of the small stone bullets was not too great, but it still caused many defenders to die. The soldier was injured and fell to the ground immediately.
The stumps and broken legs were scattered everywhere, and the smell of blood and gunpowder smoke filled the air instantly. Zong Bi stood in the battle formation and looked at the explosion at the top of the city in front of him, which was like a flower blooming. Smoke, dust and wails enveloped the entire city wall.
The corners of his fierce eyes also opened slightly.
Among Aguda’s sons, the fourth, Wanyan Zongbi, also known as Wushu, was the most brave and radical. He was younger. When he first went into battle, the Jurchens had almost destroyed the entire Liao Kingdom. He was proficient in martial arts but lacking in strategy. In the eyes of some veterans who had spent their entire lives in military affairs, he was just an ordinary prince.
Wu Shu was unwilling to be an ordinary prince. After his second brother Zong looked at it, his third brother Zongfu was too steady and gentle to maintain the dignity of the Aguda clan, and could not compete with Zong Han who controlled the "Western Court" , Xi Yin competed with each other, and Wu Shu, who had always regarded Zong Wang as a role model, stood up without hesitation.
The Jurchens have been fighting martial arts for more than ten years, and Wushu is the most enthusiastic. He inherited the bravery of the Wanyan clan and took the lead in every battle. By the time he went south for the third time, he had become the leading person in the royal family. Throughout the search for mountains and seas, Wushu fought in all directions south of the Yangtze River, with few generals able to unite. However, Zhou Yong hid on the sea and did not dare to return. At that time, the Jurchens could attack but not defend the land to the south, and Wushu could not. Instead of withdrawing the troops and returning north, this time they suffered some setbacks in Huangtiandang and were trapped for more than forty days before they fought their way out.
Who can lead an army and win every battle? The Jurchens have been in battle for a long time. Even Aguda, Wu Qimai, Zonghan Zongwang and others occasionally had small setbacks, but no one took Huang Tiandang seriously. But the people of the Wu Dynasty were very excited about this. For several years, they always claimed that Huang Tiandang was a great victory, and that the Jurchens were not invincible. This situation has been going on for a long time, and when it spread to the north, people who knew the inside story couldn't laugh or cry. For Zong Bi, it was a bit depressed.
A great victory over your mother, a great victory! After being besieged for more than 40 days, not many people were killed. Finally, he used fire attacks to fight back and chased Han Shizhong for more than 70 miles. The southerners were so shameless that they dared to claim victory!
Zong Bi thought so in his heart, but he could not stop the Wu Dynasty people from boasting. So on this fourth trip south, he was simmering with anger, and the battle of Tianchang finally broke out. Just because Jieyuan was also a pioneer general under Han Shizhong, and with the arrival of the Jurchen army, he was still desperately promoting the so-called "accomplishment" that Huang Tiandang defeated his side, Wu Shu's anger could no longer be suppressed at that time.
In his heart, both Jieyuan and Han Shizhong on the opposite side are nothing more than local chickens and dogs. This time when going south, it is necessary to defeat this group of people as quickly as possible to deter the Jiangnan area. With nearly one million troops of the Wu Dynasty, victory is certain.
Three rounds of artillery shells hit the city wall. More than 4,000 stone bullets have been consumed in the attack on the small town. Coupled with the bombardment of half of the solid boulders, it seemed that the entire city and the earth were shaking. Zong Bi, who was on his horse, waved his flag and announced the order to attack.
In the thick smoke, the Jurchens' banners began to roll towards the city wall.
The Jurchens’ fourth military expedition was a war that determined the fate of the Jin Kingdom. The trendsetters who emerged in this era rushed to the land of the Wu Dynasty with their bravery that was still at its peak. After a while, the city With the sound of artillery shelling above their heads, Jie Yuan led his team to rush to the top of the city and began to fight back.
On the second day after the Battle of Tianchang began, under an extremely strong Jurchen offensive, Jieyuan led his army to abandon the city and retreat south. Wushu ordered the cavalry to pursue it. Han Shizhong led his army to fight out from Yangzhou to assist Jieyuan. As they entered the city, a violent fight broke out on the way. On June 27, Sun Peizhi, the former puppet general of Qi, led 100,000 men and began to besiege Gaoyou. North of the Yangtze River, fierce fighting spread across the vast land.
On June 27, Sun Peizhi besieged Gaoyou. On the same day, more than a thousand miles north of Liangshanshuibo, the attack of more than 100,000 troops also began. From this, the long and difficult battle began. The prelude to the Liangshan Defense War.
More than 1,300 miles west of Yangzhou, the Jurchen general Ali Guo who originally guarded Bianliang led 20,000 elite troops to Nanyang, preparing to cooperate with the more than 100,000 Han troops originally stationed in Nanyang, Dengzhou, and Xinye to advance towards Xiangyang. This was an order issued by Wanyan Xiyin to cooperate with the attack of the East Route Army. At this time, the main force of the West Route Army led by Zong Han had also crossed the Yellow River and was approaching Bianliang. The 60,000 forwards led by Xiyin were far away from Nanyang. The direction is not far away.
On the day when Ali Fu's army arrived in Nanyang, Yue Fei led his Wei army to march out of Xiangyang and stormed Dengzhou. That night, the Dengzhou defender sent an emergency message to the north, and Ali Fu led his army to Dengzhou to relieve the siege. On June 29, Twenty thousand Jurchen elites, including nine thousand heavy cavalry, came into contact with the Beiwei army under Yue Fei, who was waiting for reinforcements, twenty miles north of Dengzhou.
The chilling autumn is coming, and the flames of war are raging across thousands of miles of undulating land in the south of the Yangtze River and the Central Plains.
At the same time, the Northland is not peaceful either.
Yunzhong Mansion, where the Western Imperial Court of the Kingdom of Jin is located, is at the turn of summer and autumn, and the hottest weather is coming to an end.
A tragedy that not many people are aware of is brewing secretly.
At Gaoyue Teahouse, Zou Wenhu, a Han Chinese from Liaodong, dressed in fine clothes, walked up the stairs and met the person he had arranged to meet in the private room at the end of the second floor.
The person he met with was a woman. She was dressed simply, but her eyes were unruly. There was a scar like a tear mole on the left corner of her eye. The woman's surname is Xiao, the "Queen Mother Xiao" of the Liao Kingdom. "Red Lady" Xiao Shuqing is one of the famous gangsters in Yunzhong.
After the fall of the Liao Kingdom, the Jin State suppressed and enslaved the Khitan people for a period of time, and massacred them several times. However, the Khitan people were brave and brave, and the Jin people could not rely on massacre to govern such a large area, so they soon began to use gentle methods. After all, at this time, the Jin people also had someone more suitable for slavery. More than ten years after the fall of the Liao Kingdom, some Khitan people have entered the upper echelons of the Jin Dynasty, and the Khitan people at the bottom have also accepted the fact that they are ruled by Jurchens. But even if this fact is the overwhelming majority, after the disaster of national subjugation, there will always be a small number of Khitan members who still stand in a position of resistance, either not intending to escape, or unable to escape.
Xiao Shuqing was originally a descendant of the Empress Dowager Xiao clan of the Liao Kingdom. When she was young, her husband was killed by the Jin people. Later, she was humiliated and enslaved. Later, she was rescued by the remaining resistance forces of the Khitan and became a bandit. Gradually, she became a bandit. Made a name for himself. Compared with the Han people who have trouble traveling in the north, even if the Liao Kingdom is dead, there are always many survivors who miss the benefits of that time. Therefore, Xiao Shuqing and others were active near Yunzhong and were not wiped out for a long time. Some people also suspect that they were still being protected by some Khitan officials who were in high positions at this time.
Seeing Zou Wenhu coming over, the always ruthless female gangster looked coldly: "How is it? Your young master, have you thought about it?"
"My master is a little moved." Zou Wenhu moved a chair and sat down. "But this matter involves too much. Have you ever thought about the consequences? Have you ever thought about the possibility that the entire court above will be shaken?"
< br>A look of disdain flashed in Xiao Shuqing's eyes: "Humph, you are a coward, your young master is, and so are you."
"Hey, Concubine Xiao Don't say that. It's not fair to ruin people's reputations. Over the years, no one has ever said that Zou is timid, but don't provoke me like this. I'm not a fool. "The Xiao family was originally. As a mother in the world, after Xiao Shuqing became famous, she was gradually called Concubine Xiao. Faced with the other party's disdain, Zou Wenhu licked his nose and didn't care.
"I know you are not timid, but you are poor."
"Look at what you said, Concubine Xiao." Zou Wenhu looked at the other party, after a moment, he smiled and said, "... Really On the point.”
"Don't be such a mouthful." Xiao Shuqing glanced at him, "I've told you this before. The Qi family went to the Jurchens' place and made such a big splash. What kind of scholarly family is this? Who among those Jurchens has face? It doesn't matter if he is just playing around. It's not a big deal if he is unlucky. What's more, the Qi family is in the Wu Dynasty With a hundred years of savings, who wouldn’t be jealous of your family’s move to the north this time? Your son is the queen of the country, but it’s a pity that I didn’t leave anything behind, and he can’t fight. This time someone with guts went south. In the future, we will reward you based on your merits, and we will recruit a group of people. Your young master, and you, Zou Wenhu, will rely on you from now on. Just stand aside..."
As she spoke, she twiddled her fingers: "What happened this time is good for everyone. And to be honest, it would be very dangerous for those who are risking their lives to attack Qi Jia. , your young master’s is the brand of Guogong. Don’t say that we are pointing the finger at you to sell the goods, we will definitely not let you. Even if it happens, can’t you bear it? There will be no war after the war in the south! Your son, your children, and your family will live in disgrace in the future?”
Listening to her words, Zou Wenhu smiled, but gradually became fierce, Xiao Shuqing licked Licking his tongue: "Okay, I won't say any more nonsense. This matter is very big, and the Qi family is also very big. I can't eat it, and we can't eat it together. There are a lot of nods. You know the rules, you If I can nod on behalf of your young master and tell you what I can tell you, I will tell you to make sure you feel at ease. If I can’t tell you anything, then It’s to protect you. Of course, if you shake your head, that’s the end of the matter... Don’t tell anyone.”
When he said the last sentence, a real fierce light flashed in Xiao Shuqing’s eyes, and Zou Wenhu tilted his head. He pointed his fingers and considered for a moment: "This is such a big thing, are you sure everyone involved will do it?" Clean? "
"It depends on what you say." Xiao Shuqing smiled, "Anyway, I'll give you a few names, and I've already said it. If something happens to your family, everyone will only be happy to see the consequences. As for after the accident, even if it happens, your father-in-law will How big a deal can Zi Neng have? By then the Qi family has fallen, and a bunch of hungry wolves in Yunzhong Mansion will just pounce on them. The only ones who want to be caught, killed, and confessed... Zou Wenhu, people say that the older you get, the more you get older. The more timid you are, the more you act like this, I really regret inviting you over.”
The person on the other side was quiet for a moment, and then laughed: "Okay, okay... Actually, Concubine Xiao, you can guess that since I can come to see you today, before I came out, my young master had already nodded, and I will take care of it..." He spread his hands, "I can't be careful. You are right. Even if things happen, what should my young master be afraid of? But can my young master still protect me?" ?”
“Okay, the little girl understands Mr. Zou’s difficulties.” At this time, Xiao Shuqing finally laughed, “You and I are both desperadoes. Please take care of me in the future. Mr. Zou knows what he is doing. Everything is related to Yunzhong Mansion. In fact, there are many things in between that I have to ask Mr. Zou to take care of.”
Zou Wenhu also laughed.
"With all my little effort...it's no wonder that the Qi family is too showy, offending a bunch of rich young men, offending poor people like me, offending rebels like Concubine Xiao, and even Offended that lifeless black flag bandit, Who will die if he doesn't die? Anyway, if he dies, the property must belong to others. Now it belongs to you and me, which is considered a good deed, hahahaha..."
In the room, both of them laughed and passed a moment. , then another sentence came out.
"By the way, as for the person who did it, it was the life-threatening black flag, right? The emperor in the south dared to kill him, so I helped him take the blame. I think he wouldn't mind. Concubine Xiao, don't you think so? Hahahaha..."
Autumn is coming... (End of this chapter)