The collapse of the building was sudden.
In April of Wu Jianshuo's eleventh year, it was one of the most critical time periods in determining the situation in the entire world. The battle in Jiangning is in full swing, and the hundreds of thousands of defenders are still struggling under the onslaught of Wanyan Zonghan.
Since the close combat between the two sides in the second half of last year, the Wu Dynasty has still demonstrated its strong national strength and profound heritage under the fierce offensive of Jurchen's fourth southern expedition.
After nearly ten years of forbearance and preparation, even if the Central Plains were lost, the more prosperous economic system established in Jiangnan supported a relatively powerful giant-like body. Although the dynasty has lost battles from time to time and is often at a disadvantage, its rich heritage and a steady stream of soldiers have made up for the losses of the defeated battles. In some places, there is even a situation where you come and go, so that the Jurchen army, who had come with a desperate shot, was dragged near the Yangtze River and could not go south for a long time.
If such a situation proves that the Wu Dynasty still possesses enormous strength in total, the Zhenjiang incident at the end of April may have profoundly explained the hidden wounds and contradictions hidden in the body of the giant Wu Dynasty.
Compared with the first time the Jurchen went south for the first time more than ten years ago, although the millions of troops of the Wu Dynasty were defeated in one blow before the powerful fighting force of the Jurchen, many people in this world still maintain the dignity that once belonged to the upper country. If you are defeated, you can run away, but there are not many people who go to the enemy. Even if the combat power is not good, the resistance of the entire Central Plains region is endless.
However, after more than ten years of deliberation and changes, the heroic anti-gold turned more to the tragic and heroic on paper of actors and scholars. Although for ordinary people, what happened during the Jingping period has always been a great shame and shame. Jin's voice has risen from wave to wave, but among the upper-middle and upper-level real powers and noble families of the Wu Dynasty, the proportion of those who have connections with the Jurchens and even those who defect to the enemy has greatly increased.
For more than ten years, you and I have come and gone. On the one hand, we are in a state of opposition, and on the other hand, Jin Wu and Jin Wu are constantly deepening their relationship. When the power contrast on the table becomes obvious, most smart people will have their own calculations. The battle in Zhenjiang at the end of April was not so much a comparison between offense and defense, but more of a fierce collision of the comprehensive strengths of the two sides.
This is a battle that is different from the previous situation. Even if the appearance is only a successful use of time and countermeasures by Wanyan Xiyin, the layout of the normal battle started with a purpose last year. Jurchen The infiltration of the Wu Dynasty and the panic of the Lin'an court made all this more like a large-scale replica of the incident of Ning Yi breaking Liangshan.
Compared with the speed of information transmission, the movement of tens of thousands or even more than 100,000 troops, every major movement, seems very slow. In mid-April, Wanyan Xiyin's army turned to Zhenjiang. For his desperate behavior, all parties have smelled unusual clues. Just to keep up with his actions, the various armies of the Wu Dynasty will also need enough time. , and in the process, everyone had to guard against the possibility of the other side swiping a shot.
On April 19th, Xi Yin began to prepare for the siege, and the surrounding army could determine the truth of the whole action and move towards Zhenjiang.
Twenty-two, Xiyin sent messengers of alienation to Junwu and others in Zhenjiang City, and sent out a large number of leaflets to Zhenjiang City on the same day, and the nine clans who participated in the defense of the city would not be forgiven, and the first person who made contributions to the city was sealed Wanhu Hou information spread At the same time, the news and evidence that a certain high-ranking member of the imperial court has surrendered to the Jurchen is also constantly spreading. In such an atmosphere, the Jurchen army launched a full-scale siege that afternoon.
Wanyan Xiyin's onslaught on Zhenjiang was already a desperate attempt. Almost all the powerful bombs were thrown on the city head desperately. In the interval of the bombing, Tu Shanwei launched a desperate attack on the wall. At this time, more than 200,000 troops from the southeast and south of Zhenjiang have arrived. In Zhenjiang City, Jun Wu and others have increased the law enforcement efforts of the military law team, and at the same time, they have adopted a one-to-one guard against the generals of the army. strategy, and even changed the garrison area of each team before the siege began.
If Xi Yin's siege is unsuccessful, Tu Shanwei led by him, tens of thousands of people led by Yin Shuke, Alubao and others are likely to be surrounded by the army and eventually buried under Zhenjiang City. After paying the price, the morale of the people of the Wu Dynasty will be soaring, and the fourth southern expedition of the Jurchen can only be a bleak end so far.
Jurchen's frantic attack, coupled with the city defenders' declaration that the nine tribes would not be forgiven, brought enormous pressure to the army in the city, but at the same time made the defenders' resistance more resolute. However, compared to the siege, it is not the longboard with the most fighting spirit that determines the victory or defeat of the defending city, but only one key flaw is enough.
In the early morning of April 25th, a flaw appeared. A young general named Geng Changzhong led a small number of his personal guards to launch a rebellion. After contacting Jurchen, he tried to open the double-corner gate on the east side of Zhenjiang. His rebellion was not completely successful. However, the Jurchen launched a fierce attack on the Shuangjiaomen through the civil strife, occupied the city wall and opened the door. At this point, the Jurchen army rushed in from the east of Zhenjiang.
The flames and explosions raged in the city, and the battle spread and advanced in the city. The morale of the Jurchen soldiers was high after entering the city. Jun Wu led the troops out of the camp, mobilized the soldiers of the whole city to fight against the Jurchen, and at the same time organized the people in the city to flee from the other piers and roads.
I am afraid that not many people can understand Jun Wu's mood at that time. The resistance of hundreds of thousands of people was destroyed by the weakness of one person. Of course, if this person can bear it longer, there may be other weak people. But in the darkness of the early morning, Jun Wu did not fall down in this head-on. He rode a silver-armored warhorse, wielded his sword and ran around, constantly issuing orders to boost the morale of the soldiers and guide the fleeing people.
There are still naval troop transport ships and merchant ships docked on the dock near Zhenjiang. The officials of the Prince’s Mansion, including Wen Renbuer, tried to persuade Jun Wu to board the ship and escape from the hopeless Zhenjiang, but Jun Wu directly refused such persuasion. , he ordered the navy to carry the people across the canal so that the people in the city could escape, and at the same time ordered the defenders in the south of the city to open a way for the people.
Zhenjiang is the intersection of the canal and the Yangtze River. As of last year, the number of people living in Zhenjiang has reached as many as one million. After the war, the nearby people scattered, and there are still more than 400,000 people living in the city. This night, massacres and flames Spreading in the city, the fleeing team was mighty and mighty, and the entire city was plunged into boiling slaughter.
Destroying Zhenjiang is the most critical step in Xi Yin's entire war plan. When the goal of breaking the city is realized, even he is in a state of excitement. Soon after Tu Shanwei and a group of Jurchen elites entered the city, the city defenders counterattacked. At this time, Zhenjiang was broken. According to Xi Yin, all the soldiers of the Wu Dynasty would face the fate of killing the nine tribes after the Jin Kingdom ruled here.
At this time in Zhenjiang, Xi Yin led Tu Shanwei, and some troops from Yinshuke and Alubao, the number of Jin soldiers was close to 70,000, and the army of Wu Dynasty in Zhenjiang City was only in the early 100,000, but it was broken in the city. On the next twenty-five days, Zhenjiang's battle against the Jinmen was the most tragic climax. Some generals led the soldiers to charge frantically. The violent counterattack was stunned, and he retreated again and again.
In the early morning of the twenty-fifth day, a small half of the city was caught in flames, and a large number of people were still fleeing outside the city. At this time, fighting broke out near the escape road outside the city to the south. The army of Alubao tried to block the road to the south. He died, but was fiercely blocked by the Wu Dynasty army arranged here by Jun Wu. The Wu Dynasty general Zou Tianchi, who led 20,000 Wu Dynasty troops to guard here, was nearly sixty years old. Backing back, the army under his command was either collapsed or killed in the next two days, and there were also people who surrendered. After two days, they faced the onslaught of Arubo. , covered in blood, the old general led the charge with a knife in one hand, and finally fell on the way staggering forward.
This is just a small episode in the whole Zhenjiang battle. On the morning of the 25th, Jun Wu, who had been running all night, was able to breathe a little. He drank the rice porridge brought by his wife in the house on the street, and Yu Wu Renzhi wiped the tears from his eyes, and then got on his horse and ran around the battlefield to boost his morale. During this period, countless people persuaded him to leave Zhenjiang immediately, and even some people who had not yet escaped, seeing the prince's exhaustion, also persuaded the prince to get on the boat and leave. Jun Wu shook his head and refused, shouting hoarsely.
"The defenders will risk their lives, how can I leave first! If I leave, you will have no way to survive!"
He said this to the people, and when he got to the edge of the battlefield, he continued to encourage the soldiers defending the city: "The Jurchen will not give me a way to live! It will not give us a way of life for the people of the Wu Dynasty! I am with all the lords, before the people evacuate, If you don’t retreat, neither will I.”
The town of Zhenjiang is not small, but during this day, soldiers and civilians even saw the prince who was running by twice or three times. His robes were gradually dirty and gray, his shouting voice was gradually hoarse, and his movements were gradually weak, but his hoarseness. The words and actions of the shouts have become more determined, and some soldiers who were originally timid have embarked on the road to rush to the Jurchen.
On the evening of the twenty-fifth day, Jun Wu fell off his horse, and Wen Ren Buer, who followed him, came to persuade him to leave, but Jun Wu refused again: "I can't go, the military will be available, the people's heart will be available, I see, we still have hope!"
Wen Ren Buer shook his head: "Zhenjiang has been trapped, and it has become a trivial matter since then. The Wu Dynasty cannot live without His Highness! His Highness is transferred to Lin'an, but there is still a chance of life, Your Highness..."
Jun Wu kept shaking his head, his face was already gray and black, and even a little blood stains were mixed, and tears came out at this time: "It's not a trivial matter! How can the lives of hundreds of thousands of troops be a trivial matter! Senior Brother Wenren, I know what you think! But have you seen it? People are available, they can fight, they dare to fight, and Zhenjiang has not yet been defeated! When they attacked, we defeated them. Yin stay here! We still have hope!"
In Jun Wu's eyes, he saw the determination and enthusiasm of the last hope, and perhaps it was also because he saw the determination and heroism of resistance on the 25th day. Twenty-six, the Jurchen troops who entered the city had already begun to persuade them to surrender, and the resistance was still fierce, but they had already begun to decline.
On the twenty-seventh, half of Zhenjiang City was in flames. At this time, there were still hundreds of thousands of people who could not escape. The defense line in the southern suburbs of Zhenjiang City had already begun to panic under the onslaught of Alubao. When Jun Wu led the army to support, the old general Zou Tianchi had already died on the way to Super Alubao's charge.
On the road leaving Zhenjiang in the south, on the side of the Grand Canal, the mountains and valleys were full of fleeing people. Jun Wu gathered the defeated troops and organized a line of defense. At the same time, he was also urging the soldiers and civilians in Zhenjiang to move quickly. At this time, the situation of the entire Zhenjiang is already in jeopardy. One of Tu Shanwei's cavalry found Jun Wu's direction and came to kill him. The surrounding generals and aides persuaded him again and again. Jun Wu stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the fleeing people below: "You can't defeat them. ?"
The guards who followed Jun Wu set up a defensive formation. The soldiers also urged the people to leave as quickly as possible. When the cavalry on the opposite side appeared, it was the afternoon of this day. The sun was shining on the water on the Grand Canal. There were wild flowers and green grass on the side, and the military commander Wang Qi stood on the hillside and watched the guards push back the charge of the cavalry. fight in the middle.
A few moments later, the Jurchen cavalry turned into several strands and came to kill them. The people around persuaded Jun Wu to stay away. Jun Wu, who had not closed his eyes for three days, just shook his head subconsciously. In front of him was the formation of the forbidden army. With a forest of guns and guards around, he was not afraid. He left his wife under the king's banner and walked forward, wanting to see the Jurchens more clearly and remember their deaths more clearly.
A rain of arrows came.
Someone raised a shield, someone pulled Jun Wu, Jun Wu struggled subconsciously, several shields had been covered above his body, something shot on his armor and bounced off, Jun Wu's body shook, feeling He was hit hard by some blunt object, and when he reacted, an arrow embedded in the gap in his armor and shot to his stomach.
He felt uncomfortable, but there was no pain. The next moment, people around him rushed over in a panic. Jun Wu held the arrow shaft with his left hand and pressed it on the armor.
That's how it felt.
It hurts…
he thought to himself.
But it was also at this time that his hands that had been trembling with fear for days were no longer trembling.
It's just that feeling.
Jun Wu stretched out his right hand, slowly and firmly pulled out his long sword, pointing in the direction of Jurchen.
Someone around said: "Prince is injured..."
This kind of voice gradually spread, and tears flowed from some people's eyes. These days, the surrounding soldiers and even some people have seen Jun Wu running around. Jun Wu was still drawing his sword and moving forward. There was a general in front shouting and leading the troops to charge towards Jurchen. The cavalry team in the guards were also killing them. They charged with arrows, approached the galloping horses, and then collided with them. In the past, after a while, a commotion sounded among the fleeing people, some were crying, some were shouting, and gradually, some men in the crowd put down their belongings, one, two, three... gradually became a group. , the battlefield surging towards the side of the hillside.
The sun was dazzling and dizzying. Jun Wu, who was walking forward, fell down in Wenren Buer's arms. The place where the arrow was hit seemed to hurt, but it didn't matter.
It's just that feeling.
He was no longer afraid.
Jun Wu smiled slightly on his pale face.
"...kill the enemy."
He said hoarsely and softly.
More Jurchens were still besieging, but Shen Shi, after confirming Xi Yin’s intentions, rushed the Beiwei Army cavalry at the fastest speed all the way into the battlefield under the leadership of Yue Fei, and he rushed into Alubao. The main force of her, in less than half an hour, killed the Jurchen general Alubao in the most ferocious manner.
At this time, the main cavalry of the Beiwei Army was reduced to about 5,000 after a long period of slaughter. Yue Fei personally served as the commander and came to the battle. After beheading Alubao, he was able to kill. blood. To this evening, this cavalry crossed the battlefield, and before Xi Yin led Tu Shanwei to kill Xiang Junwu, they made a fatal blow like a white rainbow against the main force of this famous Jurchen general's handsome battalion.