"... Five years ago, I was transferred to the prefecture of Tanzhou. When I arrived in the capital, I was summoned by Duke Mei after the poetry meeting. The old man told me at the time that the Miaojiang area was very troublesome and had many problems. He told me to be cautious. At that time, the battle of Xiaocanghe ended, and the black flag was severely damaged, but the three-year battle with the Jurchen really played a tenacious game that shook the world."
"... This place in Miaojiang belongs to the Ba Dao family of the Black Flag. Earlier, he started the Yongle Rebellion with Fang La. Since then, it has been dormant. It was not until the Xiao Canghe War began that there was a big move. The main force of the tyrants moved westward to prepare for the black flag of Xiaocanghe to flee south. Except for the family members who stayed in Miaojiang, there were no more than 10,000 soldiers who could fight, but even so, I never had the slightest contempt... It's a pity that later The development of the company has never been as I expected, Ji Sun's worries are not in Zhuanyu, but in Xiaoqiang..."
Juling County. Autumn is approaching, the garden is full of golden colors, and in the most extravagant restaurant in the county, a woman is playing an elegant ditty. The general was talking, and there were occasional self-deprecations in his words, but his tone was very sincere.
"... After the brothers were transferred to Tanzhou, they cleaned up military affairs, made contacts with all parties, and inquired about Miaojiang news, and made a plan to block first and then destroy. However, in the eighth, ninth, and tenth years of Jianshuo, they sent troops five times, at least The mobilization of 80,000 people, the most is to mobilize an army of 200,000 people into the mountains, but in the end, it is the people around you who are holding back."
The middle-aged official waved his hand slowly: "Three years! Five times! Each and every time I fail to do so, here they say they want to fight, on the southwest side, all parties start to talk about business. , I took the manpower, thinking that Mr. Na Ning took a big advantage. Brother, I am bitter, brother is not lazy... In the ninth year of Jianshuo, in the summer, brother Zhu, you are sorry for me."
The brutish-looking general on the opposite side raised his glass: "Drink."
"...Stop talking, drink."
The two clink glasses, and the middle-aged official's face was red, and he poured the wine again: "I know, I, Yin Changxia, came to lobby Brother Zhu today, and because of Brother Zhu's character, he looked down on me, but, in a big way, you I am an official of the Wu Dynasty, I am the governor of Tanzhou, and you should be controlled by me. Unfortunately, the Wu Dynasty is already in its infancy, everyone has their own ideas, it doesn't matter, Yin only came here today as a friend, saying Brother Zhu can listen if he can, or if he can't."
The words of the official named Yin Changxia carried the smell of alcohol. Tanzhou in the Wu Dynasty was later Changsha City, and was also the location of Luzhi on Jingnan Road. As the prefect of Tanzhou, he was originally one of the highest officials of the provincial capital. However, the small counties near Tanzhou, in name, naturally belong to Yin Changxia. Yin Changxia said these words through the smell of alcohol, and the military attache surnamed Zhu raised her glass to apologize: "Master Yin is serious, and the child will punish himself with three glasses and three glasses on himself."
"Drink together." Yin Changxia drank three glasses of wine with the other party and clapped her hands on the table, "I just said... Brother Zhu looks down on me, it's okay, the Black Flag Army said that Yin is a traitor. What is a traitor? Oppose them. Is it a traitor? Brother Zhu, I am also a Han Chinese. I am an official of the Wu Dynasty. I am the parent official who ruled Tanzhou. But I have never entered Miaojiang once, what is the reason, no one listens, I admit it!"
He waved his hand: "After dealing with them for so many years, I underestimated their combat power! When they came out in June, they would break Changsha if they said they would break Changsha, and if they said they would attack Linxiang, they would attack Linxiang. I also agree. The world has changed, the Huaxia Army is powerful, and the Jurchens are also powerful. We are left behind, and we cannot accept it, but what will happen next? Brother Zhu?"
Yin Changxia stretched out her hand and lit the table: "In June, Chen Fan and the others came out and said they wanted to kill me to sacrifice the flag. I had no choice but to hide. Everyone in the vicinity said that they would join forces with the black flag to fight against gold. "Yu Daya from Pingjiang can't wait to go to the southwest to see Mr. Ning immediately. In Pingjiang County, he said that Mr. Ning was a saint, and Xiangxiang and other places also said that he would cast the black flag, but unfortunately, in August, it will be different."
"Brother Zhu, I lost Changsha, Linxiang and other places in June, and hid. In August, I started to come out, and the various places responded and began to fight against the black flag. Do you think that Yin has such appeal?" Yin Changxia shook her head, "Yin is insignificant. Brother Zhu, to tell the truth, Hunan people are strong in temperament and dare to be the first in the world. Yin, who is outsiders, can't move you. It's those people outside who really make you move... "
He said this, sighed slightly, and looked out the window of the restaurant.
Beyond the small yard, outside is the gray and dark county town and street market of Juling. Juling is the location of Liuyang in later generations. It is not a big city at the moment. If you look at it suddenly, it does not appear to be prosperous, but even so, there is a quiet atmosphere among pedestrians. The sun shines through the gaps in the trees, the leaves are withered and yellow, the insects chirp, the beggars rest on the roadside, the children run by...
Yin Changxia said: "In August, Jurchen Wanyan Xiyin had already given the order to attack Jinghu, Guo Baohuai, Yu Gusheng, Li Tohe... the three troops add up to nearly 200,000 people, they will The first group was killed, followed by an army of hundreds of thousands of people one after another, followed by the Jurchen general Yin Shuke. They beat Lin'an, made corrections, and now they are on their way. Brother Zhu , what's here?"
He smiled sarcastically: "Miao Jiang's batch of black flags is slightly inferior to the batch of Xiao Canghe back then. More than 10,000 people came out to occupy Changsha and Linxiang, and they made a big splash. After that, hundreds of thousands of troops will be crushed, but they can't beat them. They will go back to the mountains. Even if they have the backbone and they will die, no one who stands on their side will survive. Woolen cloth."
The general Zhu surnamed opposite nodded: "Yeah, it's not easy to handle."
"Moreover, the Jurchen Gushen Wanyan Xiyin is different from the two princes in the east." Yin Changxia drank a glass of wine, "The founding veterans are the most troublesome, they are not like Zongfu and Zongbi, who drive people away. To go to war, we set the rules for rewards and punishments early. Those who can fight and have made meritorious deeds have land, people, weapons and cannons. What are they implying? One day they will go to the north. When the time comes... Brother Zhu, to say something outrageous, everyone in the south, the Jurchen would like to see everyone split the earth and seal the king, this is the best way for them. Fighting for the Jurchen, everyone is reluctant, fighting for themselves, or for the sake of the king. Wu Chao fights... To tell the truth, everyone can still fight."
The general opposite took a sip of wine: "Is this also considered to be the Wu Dynasty?"
Yin Changxia was stunned for a while with the cup in her hand, and after a while, he took the jug, drank a few glasses, and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhu, this doesn't count, but the current situation... What do you want everyone to say... The late emperor Abandoned the city and left, Jiangnan was defeated and they all surrendered. The new emperor cheered up. It was great. The news came a few days ago that he defeated Wanyan Zongfu in Jiangning, but next, I don't know how to escape... Brother Zhu, let Everyone in the world will get up, go to Jiangning and kill the Jurchen, do you think... is it possible?"
He shook his head: "Jiangnan is all on its knees, more than one million people are surrounded by their prince, and hundreds of thousands of people have surrendered on Jiangnan West Road. In the most prosperous part of the Wu Dynasty, the autumn harvest is cheap. Occupied by Jurchen, I will go out to fight, who doesn't want it, I have been in Tanzhou for a few years, and I also want to go out and fight against Miao Jiang... This is the world. I went to Pingjiang to meet Yu Daya a few days ago, you think I persuaded him He has seen it long ago, since the Jurchens, there have been tens of thousands of people in Pingjiang, and all of them have to die, Brother Zhu, that's the common people outside."
"If it weren't for these black flags, everyone wouldn't die, and the Jurchens wouldn't take this place as a thorn in the eye. The 10,000-strong Black Flag Army, Brother Zhu, and a million people would have to be buried with them. What the hell are the people? "
Yin Changxia said this with tears in her eyes. On the opposite side, the brutish-looking commander of the Xiang army, Zhu Jing, stood up, looked at the scene outside from the window, and muttered to herself, "Yeah, ten thousand people to one million people..."
"It's not just the life and death of the 10,000 people." Yin Changxia sat at the table eating food and wiped her face with her hand, "There are also the life and death of millions of innocent people, from Pingjiang Yudaya to Miluo Louxian, to Liu Qusheng, everyone. They all decided to avoid it. Brother Zhu, Juling is left in the east. You have more than 10,000 people, plus the population of 40,000 to 50,000 people in Juling. When Guo Baohuai and the others come, they can't stop them... Of course, I'm just Chen. Speaking of it, Brother Zhu, look at the people outside and let them die for the black flag bandits? I feel unwilling."
The brutish-looking Zhu Jing put her hands on the windowsill, frowned and looked into the distance, but did not speak for a long time. Yin Changxia knew that her words had reached the other party's heart, so he pretended to eat the dishes on the table casually, suppressing the tension in his heart.
In June, when Chen Fan attacked Changsha, Linxiang and other places, Yin Changxia's first reaction was naturally to counterattack. Who knew that the Huaxia Army had passed the pass in a few days, and he had not even been able to figure out who betrayed him. Changsha, The gates of Linxiang were opened successively. It was night when Linxiang was breached. It is said that the leader of the bandit, Chen Fan, led someone to kill him and wanted to take his head. Yin Changxia fled in a panic, hiding outside for two months.
In August, Wu Qimei, who now holds a high position in the small court of Lin'an, was repairing books with him, and he dared to lobby all around. At this time, Jurchen's momentum was directly pressing Tanzhou, and because the Huaxia Army's strength here was too small to fully integrate the surrounding forces, many people were afraid of the millions of troops that might kill at any time. When Yin Changxia came out to lobby , The two sides hit it off and decided to stay out of the conflict as much as possible in this conflict between the Jurchen and the Huaxia Army.
Even if you can't stay out of it completely, at least you have to make a living for the tens of thousands of innocent people under your control.
Right now, as long as Zhu Jing was persuaded to give up Juling, the road to the east of Tanzhou was completely opened.
He has also truly fulfilled his responsibilities as the parent official of Tanzhou.
He thought so.
In the sunlight outside the window, the fallen leaves are dying.
The general named Zhu Jing looked out the window and was silent for a long, long time.
"Master Yin, did you grow up in Jiangnan?"
"Brothers are from Suzhou." Yin Changxia said.
"When the Central Plains fell, I was killing pigs in Bianliang." The general, who was so rough-looking and slightly fat, looked at the autumn colors outside, and said quietly, "Afterwards, I fled with everyone and returned to my hometown before I began to serve as a soldier. , The scene when the Central Plains fell, how millions of people died, I have seen it. Lord Yin is fortunate to have been living in the south of the Yangtze River. "
"... When I searched the mountains and the sea, I saw how people died... Therefore, they should not be allowed to die worthless."
"Yeah, you have to die properly." Zhu Jing slapped her fist in the palm of her hand, "I kill pigs in Bianliang, and when I kill pigs, I always have to be a black and white person, and sometimes I have to fight people with a knife. There is a saying on the road. The words make people not ruthless and unstable, and it makes sense... It has been ten years since the Central Plains fell. Master Yin's words today really made me understand that even if we were hiding in such a small place as Juling, the millions of people who The appearance of tragic death is finally chasing after him."
Yin Changxia's eyes twitched: "...Brother Zhu, this... can be avoided..."
"Master Yin, why do you always try to avoid the Han people?"
"You... it's a bullshit, this is not something you can do alone... "
"Two years ago, Zhu broke the Shuangqiao Village. The village is located in the mountains, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In the past two months, I have cleaned it up. If Juling can't be defended, I will bring people into the mountain. , just like Miao Jiang you said, stay up until death."
Zhu Jing turned her head, the quiet-looking but rough man's eyes were so crazy that he was scared, Yin Changxia stood up: "You, you are..."
"Yesterday, Chen Fan led an army to borrow from me. He was right. No matter how the army was before, it would never be able to defeat Jurchen. Only those who can stand in the front when the world is in a dead end can be brothers."
Zhu Jing's mouth showed dense white teeth: "General Chen is a real hero, he is crazy, and Zhu admires it very much. I, Zhu Jing, not only want to join the team, but I will guard more than 13,000 people. Returning to the training and reorganization of the Huaxia Army. Master Yin, you came here today and talked a lot about it. You are so stingy, and Zhu will let you die."
"Chen Fan, you..." Yin Changxia's mind was confused for a moment, he was able to come over in person, naturally he had trusted information and assurance, who would have thought that in such a situation, he took a deep breath to calm down the chaotic thoughts: "Chen Fan Borrowing from you... what way did he borrow, where did he go..."
"Like you said, Yu Gusheng and Guo Baohuai are coming. General Chen will greet them."
"He has more than 10,000 people, and he has not enough to defend Changsha and Linxiang. How could he send troops—"
"Haha, Master Yin is right, he has more than 10,000 people, what is he doing guarding two cities, waiting for a million troops to crush the border... Master Yin can see that the Huaxia Army is a lunatic, if it weren't for Chen Fan to borrow it from me Dao, I really can't make up my mind to catch Lord Yin, you come to sacrifice the flag..."
The sun shone through the window, and the dust in the air seemed to have an ominous aura. The music in the room had already stopped. Yin Changxia looked out the window and saw passers-by walking in the distance. He calmed down and tried his best to make his His eyes are upright and serious, and his hands are knocking on the table:
"You are crazy, don't take your own life seriously, it doesn't matter, the tens of thousands of people in Juling! The millions and millions of people in Tanzhou, this Jinghu Lake Road! How dare you bring Damn them! What right do you have—to do such a thing!"
His voice was deafening, Zhu Jing looked at him and licked his tongue.
"So, if they don't want to, they have to pick up the knife themselves and try their best to kill me - there is always no second way in this world."
****************
In the distance of the mountain stream, there is a small village with smoke rising from cooking, and red leaves falling on the top of the mountain. The big monk with a large body and a gentle face wore a cloak and walked along the path up the mountain, and said hello to a few people at the camp in the mountain.
It was Zhuo Yongqing and the injured Qu Qing who were waiting for the fat monk to arrive at the camp. When they saw each other, Zhuo Yongqing's expression was a little unpleasant: "Well, your surname is Feng, you dare to come here! I Only then did I know that Yu Daya was the one who betrayed us with your own hands—don’t discuss such a big matter in advance!?”
"Zhuo Yingxiong calms down, I heard that the eldest brother was injured, and the younger one brought the best medicine." The fat monk took out a packet of wound medicine from under the cloak and presented it to Zhuo Yongqing as a tribute. , Zhuo Yongqing took it subconsciously. After I took it, I felt that something was wrong, so it was not easy to get angry.
Since the beginning of the year, dozens of spy teams rushed out of the southwest, and Zhuo Yongqing's side has received the most attention and is the most special. A group of people led by Qu Qing and Zhuo Yongqing walked on the bright side, and at the same time, there would be one or two teams to cooperate secretly. Over the past nine months, I have secretly co-operated with Qu and Zhuo, and helped a lot of people. The relationship between the two sides is good, but of course, occasionally emergencies will occur.
That Feng Zhen smiled: "The situation is urgent, and there is no time to discuss it in detail. Yin Changxia's people have been in contact with Yu Daya many times in secret, and Yu Daya is moved. Daya sent troops to chase after you, didn't I immediately call someone to inform you, if there is no danger, I know that Brother Zhuo is there, and everything will be fine."
"It's not going to be alright. The reaction is a little slower. People put their heads around, three thousand, no... Four thousand hits two hundred! Even if we reacted, we turned back and hit more than a thousand..."
"It's only over a thousand, there's no problem, small scene, it's not the first time you've met Brother Zhuo... Listen to my explanation, listen to me explain, I can't help it, Yin Changxia is quite vigilant and timid, no Give him a little sweetness, and he won't take the bait. I matched him with Yu Daya, and then it would be much easier to organize his itinerary. Arranged him to meet Zhu Jing a few days earlier, if it's not wrong, this guy will throw himself in the net , has now been arrested."
"... Zhu Jing is reliable?"
"In the Jinghu area, he should be considered the most reliable. Deputy Commander Chen also asked Zhu Jing's situation in detail. Speaking of which, he borrowed from Zhu Jing yesterday, and it should be not far from us now..."
Feng Zhen said in a low voice, pointed to the back of the mountain, Zhuo Yongqing frowned: "Yu Gusheng and Guo Baohuai are not far from us, there are about 100,000 people in total, and Deputy Commander Chen is here. How many?"
"Seven or eight thousand." Feng Zhen said with a smile, "So I'm here to give orders, it's time to meet up as planned."
Several people bowed to each other, Zhuo Yongqing turned back, the sunset was shining in the smoke-filled mountain stream, the people living and working in peace and contentment in the village probably couldn't feel anything. He looked at Qu Qing and touched the still painful wounds on his body. For the past nine months, the two of them have been injured alternately in this way, but this time the mission has finally changed from a small-scale battle to a large-scale gathering.
"Finally, we're going to fight." He exhaled, and that's all he said.
****************
It's about to start a fight... This kind of thing, in the army that killed all the way, I haven't felt much.
The sky gradually darkened, and more than 45,000 people from the original Wufeng camp led by Yu Gusheng set up camp early in the mountains. After entering the boundary of Jingnan Road, the army began to slow down. On the one hand, it moved forward steadily, and on the other hand, it was also waiting for the arrival of Guo Baohuai and Li Touhe, who had a slower pace.
After nightfall, Yu Gusheng took his son Yu Mingzhou to patrol the camp. As they walked, the father and son discussed the military strategy this time. As the eldest son of Yu Gusheng, Yu Mingzhou, who has been determined to lead the army since he was a child, is 21 years old this year. At this time, the young general was wearing a suit of armor and carrying a long knife around his waist, while chatting with his father.
Compared with Yu Gusheng, who had fought for a lifetime in the rotten military system of the Wu Dynasty, the young Yu Mingzhou encountered the worst era and the best era. Although the world fell, his status as a warrior gradually increased. , Yu Mingzhou no longer has to look at the faces of scholars all his life like his father and do things. At this time, Yu Mingzhou's gestures are full of high-spiritedness, and what he shows is the most satisfied appearance of Yu Gusheng as a father.
"...This time we attack Tanzhou, according to my son's idea, first of all, we don't have to cross the line between Pingjiang and Juling... Although there are many people on our side in Tanzhou, and the surrounding areas have also surrendered, but we are facing the black flag. The army, the rabble of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands may still not be able to secure the victory. For the current plan, the first to arrive must not be defeated by each of them as much as possible, in order to win over the surrounding forces, stabilize the front, and slowly advance. ”
"... In order to explain to the Jurchen in the rear, the son will prepare a book for this matter, and it is best for the father to hand it over to the God of Gu. The God of Gu was a hero at that time, and he will definitely understand the necessity of this strategy, of course. On the surface, he would definitely urge him, but at that time, our team with Master Guo and Master Li had already formed a line, and the troops in the surrounding areas had also been assembled..."
"...Actually, there are some other considerations. Although the world has fallen, there are still many people who care about the Wu Dynasty. Although we have to fight the black flag, according to my son's consideration, it is best not to be the first. Army that sees blood, don't appear that we are in a hurry to work for the Jurchen, so many things in the future will be much easier to talk about..."
The autumn wind was pleasant and the bonfire was burning. Yu Mingzhou’s words made Yu Gusheng nod from time to time. When the general visited the camp, he praised his son’s steady style of presiding over the camp. Although it is still far from Tanzhou at this time, as a general, he should always be cautious about what he should do. He has a son like this. Although the world is falling and declining, he has some comfort in his heart.
…
Just when Gu Sheng was inspecting the peaceful military camp, Chen Fan was taking a rest in the dark mountains for a while. He was in the depression of the mountain wall, holding the fire book, and carefully looking at the piece of information he had just received.
Ji Qian'er came in from outside, holding a small bag with dry food: "How is it? Are you really planning to go tonight? Are you in a hurry?"
"Since I was a child, my master told me that if you know yourself and your enemy, you will never be in danger in a hundred battles." Chen Fan handed over the intelligence and Huozhezi to his wife in exchange for a bag of dry food.
"This is the first time I have encountered... such detailed enemy information..."