Thirty-Nine Loyalty to the Country Nine Yellow Dragon Prefecture

  The night was as black as ink, and the grassland had few cloudy days. The stars were like diamonds scattered across the clear night sky. Zong Bi skillfully observed the stars to determine their direction, leading the deer herd to head northeast.

  Riding a deer is not as convenient as riding a horse, but at least it's easier than climbing mountains. Xiao Wu found a trick, placing the iron spear horizontally between the branches of the deer's antlers, just hanging on, and then putting both hands flat on top, feeling much more comfortable.

  Although I'm walking on a night road, the vast grassland stretches out in all directions with no obstacles, so there's no need to worry about bumps or potholes, it's like flying freely and galloping unrestrained.

  Zong Bi's two long braids floated behind his head, and he was quite spirited: "This time the Khitan dog emperor is lucky to have escaped with his life, next time I'll make sure he can't get away!"

  Xiao Wu also had the same feeling and regretfully said: "I'm afraid that next time there won't be such a good opportunity."

  Yue Fei's brother, you could have killed all those Khitan dogs, why didn't you shoot?

  "It's natural for a poor thief to be spared, why must you pursue and kill them all?"

  Zong Bi disagreed: "Hit the snake without killing it, and you'll be bitten by the snake instead. If I were in charge, not a single one of them would return!"

  Young people are fond of arguing, Xiao Wu was deeply influenced by ancient military books, and thus quoted: "To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

  Zong Bi retorted, "That Sunzi is really misleading people. What's this 'the method of using troops values the whole country'? When two countries are at war, if you don't destroy the enemy completely, it's like harming yourself. Think about it, the heroic Xiang Yu, king of Western Chu, was defeated by that mediocre Liu Bang, wasn't it because of his soft-heartedness towards women?"

  Xiao Wu couldn't believe that a young girl was well-versed in the Art of War by Sunzi, and felt quite surprised. Although she thought that Zong Bi's words were unreasonable, she found it hard to refute them. She thought to herself that after all, she hadn't read many books, and if only Han Jiu'er were awake, things would be better. So she could only speak in general terms: "In short, war is not auspicious. If you kill 10,000 of the enemy, you will lose 3,000 of your own men. When two countries go to war, it's a matter of national survival."

  Zong Bi burst out laughing: "I said you Song people have a lot of money and a lot of men, how can't you beat the Khitan dogs? It turns out that it's all because of these old and young masters who are harming us. If both armies think about 'killing 10,000 enemies and losing 3,000 of our own' on the battlefield, how can we fight this battle? To want to live, one must be ruthless; thinking too much will lead to a miserable death! We Jurchen people treat every battle as if we have died once, and living is just a bonus..."

  Xiao Wu was speechless for a moment, and felt that Zong Bi's words were rough but reasonable, hitting the nail on the head. The Great Song army could be said to be the culmination of the military strategies of all dynasties, with many soldiers and generals, yet they couldn't recover the land of Yan and Yun, and even when fighting against Western Xia, they couldn't gain an advantage. The reason for this was something that someone as young as Xiao Wu couldn't understand.

  But little did they know, the Great Song was founded by warriors, yet it also led to suspicion of warriors and the establishment of a national policy of "restraining military power with civil power". Before the Song Dynasty, men of virtue would abandon their writing brushes to take up arms, "A strong man should die in battle, a hero is ashamed to be a scholar!" From the Song Dynasty onwards, scholars became the most respected class, "The entire court is filled with nobles and high-ranking officials, all of whom are scholars"!

  The Song Dynasty's precautions against the military can be said to have reached an extreme, using "soldiers do not know their commanders, and commanders do not know their soldiers" to make soldiers and generals unaware of each other. They also used "generals follow orders from within" to appoint only officials who were good at talking on paper, even eunuchs, to command troops, resulting in low combat effectiveness among soldiers and poor command abilities among generals. This led to the tradition of using strong troops to defend against weak enemies, defending internally while being empty externally, and passive defense, which transformed a prosperous Han and Tang Empire into a concubine state that catered to barbarians. These principles were something that people like Zong Bi could not understand.

  Xiao Wu thought for a moment and changed the subject to something he liked: "Zongbi brother, your spear technique in killing Khitan soldiers is truly amazing. Who did you learn from?"

  Zong Bi was quite pleased with himself and boasted, "My marksmanship is self-taught and unparalleled. To this day, I have yet to meet my match. If not for the fact that I had to hide under the deer's body and couldn't carry my gun, that dog emperor would have been dead several times over."

  Xiao Wu didn't believe it and felt a bit resentful: "You're so young, no one taught you, how can you use a gun? And what's this nonsense about not having met a worthy opponent? You should know that there are people outside of people, and skies beyond the sky."

  Zong Bi said frankly: "If you don't count the master, do you count the head beast? My Jurchen people love to hunt and surround, hunting bears, killing tigers, capturing geese, and shooting deer. The four seasons are uninterrupted. I have liked to use a gun to hunt alone since childhood, even if I encounter a pack of wolves, I don't need help. The head beast is not like a human, when injured it becomes frantic, either one shot kills it or if the shot doesn't kill it, then my own family will die. I also don't know how many head beasts I've killed. Later, competing with my tribesmen in martial arts, indeed no one can beat me."

  Xiao Wu was shocked in his heart, wanting to say that hunting wild beasts is best done with a bow, the shooter is far away from the target, and even if he doesn't hit it, it's no big deal. But if you use a spear to hunt beasts, you're putting yourself in danger, and if you've fought bears and tigers, and rolled over wolf packs like this Zong Bi, then your spear technique naturally has no rules, but it's more deadly than any rule. If all the Jurchen people were like this Zong Bi, they could really ride horses and roam the world freely.

  Xiao Wu's heart grew more and more frightened, suddenly feeling a sense of oppression in front of him. He raised his head abruptly, only to see that on the originally flat grassland, a tall, conical black shadow was standing upright, piercing into the starry sky, with no idea what it was.

  "Hush, ahead is the Khitan dog's beacon tower!" Zongbi reminded in a low voice and stopped speaking.

  Is this the beacon tower written in ancient books as "one big mound every ten miles, one small mound every five miles"? Xiao Wu's heart was stirred with excitement, thinking of the Han and Tang dynasties, when the territory extended beyond the Great Wall to the north, soldiers guarding the beacon towers, whenever they encountered enemy situations, smoke signals were sent thousands of miles away, and troops were dispatched, those who offended us would be punished no matter how far away, how thrilling, how majestic...

  In Xiao Wu's astral projection, a herd of deer swept past the foot of the beacon tower and disappeared into the depths of the vast grassland.

  Thus the two men drove the deer on, day and night without distinction. When they were hungry or thirsty, one of them would free up a hand to eat and drink. When they were tired, they would hug the deer's neck and grab its horns to take a nap, but always keeping watch so that the other wouldn't fall asleep and tumble off the deer. The only inconvenience was when nature called; they could only relieve themselves when the deer herd stopped at a spring or a waterhole to eat grass and drink water.

  All the way, two young men of different ethnic groups talked freely. Not only did Zhong Yu's Chinese become more fluent, but Xiao Wu also learned a few Jurchen phrases.

  On the third day, on the boundless grassland, suddenly a distant mountain appeared, winding and undulating, stretching across the sky. Zong Bi's spirit lifted: "We're almost there!"

  "Good!" Xiao Wu was overjoyed, and he glanced at Han Jiu'er on Zong Bi's back, thinking that if she opened her eyes to see such an unfamiliar beautiful scene, she would be in a state of indescribable joy.

  As the distant mountains draw near, the originally monotonous grassland scenery is also changing step by step. Occasionally, you can see poplar and willow trees, yellow sheep fleeing in surprise, and sometimes a lake appears with ripples, wild ducks flying around, and even a large river meandering into view. Although it's still far away, the sound of rushing water can be faintly heard...

  At last, there were signs of human habitation, but all that could be seen on the vast plain were dozens of round felt tents scattered about in a disorderly manner, with their doors all facing away from the sun. Zong Bi called them "yurts", which could be loaded onto carts and moved along with the water and grass, making it convenient for herding.

  Further ahead, there gradually appeared village roads, with wooden fence-enclosed courtyards and thatched cottages standing by the roadside and waterside, which Zongbi called "Nage Li", a place of settlement.

  Deer herds naturally dare not approach human settlements, so Zong Bi had to take a detour and avoid the village, traveling for over ten miles. In the distance, he saw a city with a tower that pierced the sky, standing out distinctly.

  "Is it here?" Xiao Wu's eyes were filled with eagerness, thinking that Han Jiu'er would wake up soon was the happiest thing in the world.

  "Yes." Zongbi slowed down the deer group and turned to Xiao Wu, "Yue Fei brother, my camp is in the city, but I have one request for you."

  "What's wrong?" Little Wu's heart skipped a beat, fearing something was amiss.

  "This... " Zong Bi rubbed his head, seemingly somewhat reluctant to speak, "When you see my clansmen, absolutely don't mention the matter of me attempting to assassinate the Emperor, just say we met while hunting in the mountains."

  "Whatever!" Xiao Wu didn't understand but nodded anyway, as long as it didn't affect saving Han Jiu'er, anything was fine.

  The grey city walls are getting closer and closer, soon arriving at the foot of the city, with a clear and beautiful appearance, what a magnificent city, with stone as its foundation, green bricks as its wall, with battlements, female walls, and corner towers all complete, towering like a mountain, Xiao Wu is shocked beyond measure, never expecting to see such a city outside the Great Wall!

  Xiao Wu was surprised because after following the Song Dynasty's envoy team through the Juyong Pass, the cities of Liao State they saw along the way were only about ten miles of earthen walls, with a hundred households, and a few government offices, not even comparable to a small town in the Central Plains.

  "General Yue Fei, this Huanglong Mansion is situated on both banks of the Duck River, controlling the western grasslands and eastern mountains. It's a strategic location that can attack both north and south, only one or two days' horse ride away from our Great Jin Dynasty's birthplace - Anchu Tiger Water... Occupying it would be like inserting a sharp knife into the heart of our Great Jin Empire..." Zong Bi introduced his home with the same calm and composed demeanor as a host showing off his courtyard, without any pretentiousness.

  For some reason, Xiao Wu firmly remembered Zong Bi's words and the city called Huanglong Fu. He also had doubts about Zong Bi's origins. It can be said that his vision far exceeded what he should have at this age, and he was not an ordinary assassin. But if you say he has a special identity, how could he risk assassinating Emperor Liao?

  It's time to bid farewell to the deer group that has accompanied them for several days. Xiao Wu jumps off the deer's back and takes over Han Jiuer, seeing her face already pale with a hint of darkness, her mood also becoming gloomy.

  Zong Bi patted the large antlers of the leading deer, whispering a few words in its ear as if speaking to a person. The deer let out a few "yu yu" sounds, seemingly reluctant to part ways, before Zong Bi led the herd away with a burst of speed.

  Two people walked along the moat, turned around the city corner, and the city gate was in front of them. The noise suddenly rose, and they saw that the stone road leading into the city was crowded with all kinds of people. In Xiao Wu's eyes, they were all dressed in strange clothes and had weird hairstyles. Some walked, some drove carts, some rode camels or horses, and some even drove cattle and sheep. There was even a small sedan chair pulled by deer.

  "Haha, we've arrived at the market. Those camel-like creatures are mostly from the grasslands - Tartars, Khitans, Tanguts and Wuhuan tribes, selling furs and livestock. The pedestrians are mostly Koreans and Tiele people from the mountains, selling ginseng, deer antlers and lynx fur. Those carrying geese and fish are from the Duck River, the Uralic people. The ones transporting grains and domestic animals are the Xianbei, Bohai and you Han people. We Jurchen people mostly sell honey, roe deer..." Zongbi led Xiaowu through the crowds, introducing them to all sorts of goods.

  Xiao Wu felt as if he had entered the legendary World Expo, and his eyes were dazzled by the sights. All sorts of smells from men, women, and animals rushed into his nostrils, filling him with a sense of familiarity and hometown flavor. What was most astonishing was what he heard - people of all nationalities communicating with each other in stiff Mandarin, far beyond the northern and southern accents that could be imitated... This kind of extraordinary and spectacular scene was truly once-in-a-lifetime, and he wished he could immediately wake up Hanjiu'er who was tied to his back to witness it together.

  In front of the archway, the crowd queuing to enter the city became increasingly congested, making every step difficult. Suddenly, amidst the colorful attire of various ethnic groups, a black flash seemed to split the air and pierce Xiao Wu's eyes. His body tensed up, and the gunhead quivering in his hand entered a state of alertness.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a row of cavalrymen wrapped in black leather, wearing black armor, holding giant spears about three people long, hanging from their shoulders with belts, sternly inspecting those entering the city. The armor was very thick and far exceeded the Song army's specifications. What impressed Xiao Wu the most was the iron helmet worn by the cavalrymen on their heads, which was completely different from the Song army's helmets, covering their necks and faces, only revealing their eyes, making people tremble with fear.

  A cavalryman apparently noticed Xiao Wu's uniqueness and shot out two sharp glances from under his helmet, driving his horse to push through the crowd and approach.

  Xiao Wu stopped in his tracks, fearlessly facing the cavalry. Although he was born into a humble family, he had an innate quality that made him unafraid of power and authority. What could make him bow his head and yield was not strong pressure, but gentle breeze and soft rain of weak and tender feelings.

  The cavalry saw that the Han boy did not retreat, nor did he look like a market vendor, and he was carrying long and short weapons, with someone on his back, his behavior was very suspicious. He pointed the spear at his face and interrogated him in a stern tone: "You Han boy, why are you entering the city?"

  Xiao Wu faced the sharp gun tip that was only a finger's distance from his eyes, unmoving and calm: "I'm looking for a doctor, asking about medicine!"

  Zong Bi, who was walking ahead, turned back upon hearing the sound, his expression extremely annoyed. Without inquiring into the circumstances, he grabbed the halberd threatening Xiao Wu with a swift motion and pulled it downwards. The heavily armored cavalryman immediately lost his balance and fell off his horse with a loud thud, hitting his head on the ground and fainting away. Xiao Wu's face changed color as Han Jiu'er's life or death was uncertain, and this was not the time for trivial matters.

  The remaining cavalry saw that the civilians had eaten bear gall and dared to be unfavorable to the "same fate" brothers, suddenly surrounded them, on horseback, with a circle of spears forcing Zong Bi and Xiao Wu into the middle, as long as the two made any slight movement, they would be stabbed like a beehive. The surrounding civilians who were entering the city were in great chaos and scattered in all directions to avoid disaster.

  Xiao Wu's palms were sweating as he gripped the iron spear, these cavalrymen wore heavy armor but it didn't affect their speed of action, they surrounded them like an iron barrel, without any gaps, Xiao Wu and Zong Bi were like trapped beasts, only waiting to be captured.

  Among the cavalry, there was one who held a black and white triangular flag with a red sun on it, looking like the leader, staring at the two of them and shouting loudly. Zongbi, dressed in hunting attire, looked around proudly and retorted with a few sharp words. The Jurchen language Xiao Wu had learned over the past few days was not wasted, as he could make out that Zongbi was telling the other side to recognize who he was.

  The flag bearer was taken aback, looked at Zong Bi carefully, and his expression changed greatly. He hung the flag in his hand, turned over and dismounted, bowed his head and retreated, knelt on his left knee, clasped his hands and shook his elbow, wiped his shoulder with his sleeve four times, and finally pressed his right knee with both hands, shouting a sentence of Jurchen language that Xiao Wu did not understand.

  The rest of the cavalry also dismounted neatly, kneeling down to pay their respects to Zongbi. Xiao Wu was both surprised and delighted, it seemed that Zongbi's status was not low after all, as long as nothing happened, everything would be fine!

  The onlookers also recognized Zong Bi, whispering to each other, and the rumors spread in Han language. Xiao Wu heard clearly: "This is the fourth son of Lang Zhu, known as the number one brave warrior of the Jurchen people..."

  Xiao Wu already knew that the Emperor of Jin was also known as Lang Zhu, but he couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that this young Jurchen girl beside him was actually a prince, and on top of that, she wore the halo of the number one brave warrior of the Jurchens.

  In the midst of attention, the two exchanged horses and stepped into the city. Xiao Wu had not yet looked at the scenery inside Huanglongfu, but was surrounded by a large group of cavalry who had rushed to hear the news, and galloped towards the prince's account.

  At that time, the Jin state was newly established and had not yet formally designated its capital. For convenience in military campaigns, from the emperor down to the common people, there were no fixed residences; many linked wooden structures as barracks. The emperor's residence was respectfully called "Imperial Barracks", the prime minister's residence was called "State Prime Minister's Barracks", and the crown prince's residence was called "Crown Prince's Tent".

  Zong Bi set up the crown prince's account in Huanglong Prefecture, which was a camp surrounded by a fence made of halberds inserted into the ground on a highland by a lake. Xiao Wu saw it and couldn't help but praise it secretly, as the halberds were all inserted at an angle towards the outside, like the "refused horse" military formation, which could prevent cavalry attacks. If there was a battle, archers would be deployed inside to resist infantry attacks, making this camp impregnable, like a copper wall and iron fortress.

  The sun was high in the sky, shining down on the front and back of the armor, which sparkled like black lightning. The horses' hooves trampled the ground as they passed through the open gate of the camp, where rows of large and small felt tents stood like a multitude of stars surrounding the moon, encircling a tall and majestic deerskin tent.

  The cavalry dismounted in unison, forming two rows that stood as still as stone statues, creating a path to the deerskin tent for Zongbi and Xiao Wu to ride directly to the entrance.

  Growing up, I have never been treated like this before. Xiao Wu took a deep breath and dismounted his horse, intending to follow Zong Bi into the big tent. Suddenly, he heard a shout of "Hey!" and a soldier blocked his way, pointing at his iron spear and saying rudely: "Put down your weapon!"

  Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment and suddenly felt the distance between him and Zong Bi. He was the prince of the Jin State, while he was just a commoner of the Song Dynasty; no matter what, they couldn't be together.

  "How dare you!" Zhong Bi kicked down the careless subordinate who had been startled back, scolded him in Jurchen language, then pulled Xiao Wu's hand into the big tent.

  Recognizing the situation, Xiao Wu was not surprised, looking around, it was quite unexpected that there was no one else in the large tent. It was very simple and crude, with no tables or chairs, only a circle of animal hides on the earthen platform. The only thing that could reveal the owner's personality was perhaps a wooden frame with various long and short weapons inserted, this is the tent of the prince? It's really too shabby.

  "We're home, sit on the kang as you like!" Zong Bi relaxed like a child returning to his mother's arms, stretching out his limbs and rolling onto the kang with a contented sigh. He sat up, shouting towards the outside of the tent in Jurchen, "Serve the meal!"

  "Zong Bi……" Xiao Wu raised his iron spear and gently placed Han Jiu'er on the kang, for a moment he didn't know how to address Zong Bi, his tongue twisted for half a day, finally finding the right words, "Your Highness Zong Bi, I dare ask you to help Jiu'er detoxify."

  "Look at me! This is natural... General Yue Fei, stop calling me Your Highness, you have saved my life, we are brothers for life." Zong Bi patted his head roughly, without any pretence, turned around and started searching on the kang, soon found a coarse wooden box, picked up a red pill from inside and handed it to Xiao Wu, "Put this directly into her mouth, this antidote dissolves immediately upon entry, she'll be fine in half an hour."

  "Is it that easy?" Xiao Wu asked in surprise, not even waiting for the red pill to take effect, he pulled Han Jiu'er into his arms, pinched open her cheeks with his hand, and sent the antidote into that icy black small mouth.

  At this time, several shouts came from outside the account, and soon, the door of the account was lifted up. Several Jurchen girls with braids and buns, wearing left-buttoned sheepskin jackets and brocade skirts, carried in several steaming wooden basins and placed them directly on the kang, arranging them in a circle.

  "Brother Yue Fei, come and try our Jurchen delicacies! These past few days, my mouth has been so bland it's like a bird has flown out!" Zong Bi's face was filled with craving as he beckoned to Xiao Wu, then gave some instructions to the servant girls in Han Chinese, intentionally letting Xiao Wu hear and feel at ease. "Take this little Ninth Sister Ah Nuan away, and when she wakes up, attend to her bathing and changing clothes, take good care of her!"

  Xiao Wu knew that "A Nong" meant "sister" in Jurchen, just like "A Ge" was equivalent to the Chinese term for "brother". They were both terms of respect used between young men and women. Since Zong Bi had thought things through so thoroughly, Xiao Wu's heart also calmed down, and he decided to properly taste this Manchu delicacy that couldn't be found in Central Plains.