Thirty-two hates new pine

  But he said that Zongbi drove all his subordinates out of the Dayu Hall, and he himself stayed behind, calling two old servants, with a smile, using fluent Mandarin in the northern accent to ask: "Old sir, dare to ask if the ninth lady of your mansion is married?"

  "General, sir, Ninth Miss Han is still waiting in the boudoir." The two old servants were both startled and suspicious, stuttering as they replied. This Tartar general looked somewhat reasonable, but he couldn't understand how he knew about Han Jiuer's...

  "Oh? Then, where is her boudoir? Would you kindly show the way?" Zong Bi's cunning eyes lit up, and he even stuttered a bit.

  Two old servants did not dare to bring the way, let alone Ninth Miss was not in the mansion, and there was no disadvantage to her. Led by Zong Yi, they walked through the deep courtyard, surrounded by bamboo forests, and came to a small hut. The two stopped their steps, pointed with their hands, indicating that this was Han Jiuer's boudoir. Although the young master was not present, the servants did not dare to enter rashly.

  Zong Bi held his breath and quietly moved forward, first glancing at the newly pasted large red peach symbol on the door, which was a spring couplet in later generations, written in elegant and beautiful Su-style black characters: "New pine trees are not high for thousands of feet, evil bamboo should be cut down for millions of poles."

  Since parting with Xiao Wu and Han Jiu'er eight years ago, Zong Bi has developed a strong interest in Han culture. He recognized that the two sentences on the peach symbol were from Du Fu's poetry, but he didn't know what deeper meaning Han Jiu'er had written them here for.

  He slowly pushed open the door, but didn't enter, just standing dazedly at the threshold, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the people inside. The room was tidy and clean, with no dust to speak of, except for a single wilted flower in a vase, indicating that the owner had been away for several days. Unlike the usual boudoir of a Song dynasty woman filled with cosmetics, this one had an additional bookshelf, filled with books, emitting a faint scent of ink.

  Zong Bi took a deep breath, clearly smelling the unique fragrance of Qing Xiang that had been lingering in his mind for a long time amidst the book-filled room. His eyes softened: "Eight years have passed since we last met, Xiao Jiu Ah Nuan, San Mei, I've fulfilled my promise back then and come to visit you. But where are you? Why haven't you married yet, is it because of him?"

  As soon as he thought of "him", Zongbi's eyes narrowed, his spirit lifted, and with a flick of his sleeves, he turned and left, leaving behind two bewildered old servants.

  Zong Bi led the vanguard troops to cross the Yellow River on the third day of the first month. When crossing the river by boat, Zong Bi stood at the bow of the leading boat, looking at the southern shore with no soldiers guarding it, shaking his head and sighing: "The Southern Dynasty can be said to have no one, if they had 1,000 or 2,000 men defending this natural barrier, how could we cross?"

  As the news of Jin army crossing the Yellow River reached the capital of Song Dynasty, the court was in an uproar. Emperor Zhao Ji, who had become a Taishang Huang (Retired Emperor), took several trusted officials and fled in panic.

  On the seventh day of the first month, Zong Bi's troops arrived under the city of Kaifeng. At this time, the news of the Southern Song Emperor's escape to the south was spreading everywhere. Zong Bi made a decisive decision and dispatched a cavalry team of 100 elite soldiers to pursue and attack.

  It was destined that Zong Bi would be a born killer of emperors, and he seemed to have descended from the stars. In his early years, he first attempted to assassinate Emperor Liao, and now he is pursuing the Supreme Emperor Song. Later, he even forced a certain Zhao dynasty's emperor to flee to the mountains and seas, and escape to the ends of the earth. This is a story for later.

  Jin Jun's expedition this time can be said to have been as smooth as a hot knife through butter, and the mighty Zhao Song dynasty was defeated without even having a chance to fight back. This cannot help but bring up a great contributor - Guo Yao Shi.

  After Guo Ziyi's surrender, he followed the Second Prince Ashina Duoluo closely and actively provided advice and strategies, revealing all the strengths and weaknesses of the Song Dynasty. Originally, Emperor Taizong of Tang had abdicated in favor of Crown Prince Zhao Huan, but Ashina Duoluo was worried that the Song army would be greatly boosted by this and intentionally retreated. Unexpectedly, Guo Ziyi advised that the Southern Dynasty might not have prepared for it, and used the wealth and prosperity of the Eastern Capital and the splendor of the Imperial Palace to persuade him, causing the Second Prince to make up his mind to attack to the end.

  Guo Yao-shi, who served as a guide, was also placed in the vanguard. However, Zong-bi did not think much of this surrendered general. In order to win the favor of the fourth son of the Jin emperor, Guo Yao-shi made extra efforts. As soon as they arrived at the foot of Bianjing, he led the Jin army to occupy Ma'anshan in the northwest of the city. It turned out that Guo Yao-shi had fought a battle here before and knew that the Song dynasty had set up a horse ranch here, raising 20,000 fine horses with fodder piled up like mountains.

  The Jurchen people have always regarded horses as their lives, and now they have obtained so many fine steeds, which is more delightful than occupying the golden and silver mountains. Zongbi was overjoyed, but he became even more contemptuous of Guo Xiaoshi. Moreover, having already reached the heart of Song, Guo Xiaoshi's role as a guide had come to an end, and from then on, he paid no further attention to him.

  Zong Bi built a merit with one heart, that night, he ordered the Jin army to use dozens of fire ships to go down the Bian River and attack the West Water Gate. Unexpectedly, they encountered unprecedented strong resistance. The Song army arranged 2,000 "dare-to-die soldiers" under the city wall, placed wooden stakes in the river to block the enemy ships, assisted by long hooks to hook the ships, and used stone-throwing machines to hit the ships, killing the Jin army and making it difficult for them to advance.

  The city's defender, Zong Bi, took advantage of the two armies' bright firelight to clearly see the Song army's commander standing on the city wall, wearing a tight silk battle robe, holding a golden shield in one hand and a steel mace in the other, with a calm demeanor and extraordinary bearing. He was deeply impressed and shouted to an attendant: "Who is this person?"

  "This is Li Gang, the Vice Minister of War!" The Han officer in charge recognized the commander-in-chief of the Song army at a glance. In the Jin army, the officer in charge was responsible for multiple tasks including strategy, translation and messaging, often held by Han people, who inevitably earned the reputation of being traitors to the Han.

  "It's Li Gang, the Minister of War!" At almost the same time and place, several dark shadows lurked on the shaded side of the Bian River bank, taking in the entire battle scene. One of the slender black shadows whispered to a companion at his side.

  Actually, both sides are only half right. The commander on the city wall is indeed Li Gang, but his official position has been promoted to Shangshu You Cheng, or Vice Prime Minister, which was just three days ago, and it's no wonder that people outside Kaifeng didn't know.

  When the Taishang Emperor fled on that day, the new emperor Zhao Huan also wanted to follow him south. Li Gang wept and persuaded him in court, and only then did Zhao Huan agree to stay behind. He appointed Li Gang as Shangshu You Cheng (a high-ranking official) and Dongjing Liushou (the military governor of the eastern capital), putting him in charge of defending the capital.

  Who would have thought that Zhao Huan changed his mind again in the middle of the night and prepared to leave the capital at dawn. Li Gang stepped forward again, hastily rushing to the imperial palace, seeing that the Imperial Guards were already armored and ready to depart, and the Emperor and Empress were about to board their carriage. He immediately sternly questioned the Imperial Guards: "Do you wish to die defending the imperial family? Do you wish to follow the Emperor on his tour?" The Imperial Guards all shouted: "We wish to die defending the imperial family!"

  Li Gang again explained the advantages and disadvantages to Zhao Huan, pointing out that the wives and children of the soldiers were all in the capital, and they did not want to leave. If they were to disperse halfway and return, the emperor's carriage would have no one to guard it. And if the Jin army heard the news and sent troops to pursue them, the consequences would be unbearable. Thus, Zhao Huan gave up his idea of fleeing south, and appointed Li Gang as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, fully in charge of the military power in the capital. The minds of the soldiers and civilians in Kaifeng were thus calmed down.

  Li Gang, who took office in an emergency, from the 5th to the 7th of the first month, organized soldiers and civilians to repair Loujiao, set up cannon platforms, transport bricks and stones, set up crossbow beds, prepare fire oil, and also brought out samples and drawings of top-notch weapons such as Shenbi bow, Sanbow mother crossbow, etc. from the deeply locked armory, ordering craftsmen to rush to manufacture a batch, which can be said to be preparing for war in detail; at the same time, 12,000 forbidden troops were deployed on the four sides and water surface of the capital's outer ring, assisted by auxiliary armies and Baojia militia to assist in defense; another 40,000 cavalry and infantry were divided into five armies: front, rear, left, right, and center. The front army was stationed outside Tongjin Gate, protecting Yanfeng Warehouse which stored 400,000 dan of grain, the rear army was stationed outside Chaoyang Gate, defending the shallowest and narrowest part of the city moat at Fanjia Gang, to prevent the Jin army from attacking the city gate from here. The left, right, and center three armies remained in the city as a mobile response force.

  The so-called trend creates heroes. Li Gang, who was born into a family of imperial scholars, was just an official who didn't know the military only ten or more days ago. He became the Minister of War only because he supported the new emperor's ascension to the throne. Originally, the Ministry of War in the Song Dynasty only handled ceremonial matters, martial arts, and recruitment of new soldiers. The national army and military power were controlled by the Imperial Secretariat and the Three Garrisons. Because the Jin army was besieging the city, he fought hard to defend the capital and finally gained real military power. With his inner heart, he was cautious and fearful, but relying on his righteous spirit and the support of the soldiers and civilians, he achieved a transformation that others could not achieve in their lifetime, becoming a famous general and national hero who was admired by countless warriors of his time. This is a miracle unique to this dynasty, and such miracles will continue to unfold in this dynasty, but it cannot be said that it is not a tragedy for this nation.

  And the only one who can break through the giant net of literary and historical figures since the Song Dynasty with a warrior's body and finally reach the top of the national hall is now under Li Gang's eyelids, gazing at him with an extremely admiring gaze.

  "Brother Zhang Si, the Tartars have been defeated. Why don't we also launch a surprise attack?" One of the dark shadows on the banks of the Bian River whispered.

  "What Xu Er said is right, my hands are also itching." Another dark shadow was also stirring.

  "Xu Xian-di, Zhang Xian-di, our purpose for this trip is twofold: first, to scout out the enemy's strengths and weaknesses; second, to escort Ninth Miss. We did not come here to kill enemies, so do not indulge in temporary pleasures." A large black shadow nodded its head, its voice steady.

  "Big Brother Wu, have you thought of a way to get into the city?" It was still that petite black figure, with a soft and pleasant voice, clearly a young woman.

  These four black shadows were Xiao Wu, Zhang Xian, Xu Qing and Han Jiu'er, but they were a bit strange. How could they meet in one place? And how did the three brothers appear under the city of Kaifeng from thousands of miles away in Pingdingjun?

  It's a long story, but it happened in a short time. On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, an old man with a hunchback braved the cold wind to find the military camp and asked to see Commander Qi with a note.

  The guard saw the visiting card and didn't dare to be slow, quickly passing it in. When Commander Qi saw the card, he stood up solemnly and personally went out to greet him with his wife. The guard thought to himself, "This visitor must be a senior of Commander Qi's. Fortunately, I didn't treat him slowly."

  But when they arrived at the camp gate, the old man was nowhere to be seen, and only a young girl in men's clothing stood there. Although she wore coarse clothes with blue trim, her natural beauty was hard to conceal, leaving the guard stunned. With a look of surprise and doubt, he asked his fellow soldiers who were guarding the camp gate, all of whom stared blankly, looking bewildered.

  Ji Tuanlian met the young woman, and respectfully paid his respects. His wife then lovingly went forward, took the young woman's hand, and directly entered the camp. The doubts about this were only cleared up when Xiao Wu was summoned in the middle of the night.

  It turned out that the young lady was the daughter of the Han family in Xiangzhou - Han Jiuer. Her grandfather, the late Han Zhihan, had been an official all his life and was deeply loved by his students and subordinates. Qi Tuanlian had been greatly supported by him when he was young, so he considered himself a member of the Han family. Whenever he passed through Xiangzhou, he would always visit their home, so Han Jiuer had known him since she was a child.

  As for why Han Jiu'er ended up in Pingding Army, according to her own account, it was because the Han family had moved south to Jing Shi to avoid war, but encountered a group of defeated Song soldiers who robbed and looted them. She became separated from her family, a weak and helpless young woman, alone and adrift. Seeing that the Jin army had not yet arrived, while the number of fleeing soldiers and scattered warriors on the southern road was increasing, making it even more unsafe, she decided to disguise herself as a man and head north, seeking refuge with this powerful outsider uncle and asking him to send someone to escort her to Dongjing.

  The young master is in trouble, and those who are not in charge cannot be ignored. The Ji Tuanlian faction sent a few subordinates without any problems, but they were surprised to hear her mention the name of Yue Fei from the Guang Rui army. Only after asking did they learn that Yue Fei had been a tenant of the Han Mansion and was considered to be from the same school as themselves, and their minds were put at ease. It also happened to be an opportunity to send Yue Fei to contact the superior official who had lost contact, while probing into enemy information along the way.

  Xiao Wu never thought that in the midst of war and chaos, he would see Ming Xin again. Although he felt that her excuses were somewhat evasive, he didn't have the heart to investigate further, only wanting to use his broad chest to protect and defend her. He led the way out, bringing Zhang Xian and Xu Qing along with him, but left Wang Gui in the military camp as a precaution against any unexpected changes, also so that someone could take care of everyone's family.

  Due to the severe military situation, the five of them set out on the second day of the Lunar New Year, fortunately, Han Jiu'er could also ride a horse. They avoided the Jin army's main force along the way and drove straight down to the outskirts of the capital. Hearing that the vanguard of the Jin army had arrived, all four gates of Kaifeng were closed, they left their horses in a secluded temple and walked to the foot of the city wall, just in time for Zong Bian's first wave of attack under the cover of night.

  It just so happened that three sworn siblings from different ethnic groups in the northern country had no idea that their sworn brother was not far away, although they missed this opportunity to meet, but the wheel of fate has already arranged for him and his next collision - a shocking collision that will be remembered by history and passed down by the people!

  In a sense, it was precisely because of him and his peak duel that this magnificent and bloody history has been passed down for thousands of years and is still widely talked about by countless people.

  Four men took advantage of the Jin army's retreat and shouted across the moat to the "dare-to-die" troops on the other side, telling them truthfully that they came from the Pingding Army Camp and were ordered to contact their superiors.

  At that time, the direct commander of the various armies in the north route of the Great Song was Tong Guan, who led the Imperial Secretariat and served as the Proclamation Envoy for Shaanxi, Hedong, and Hebei. The proclamation envoy's office was originally stationed in Taiyuan, and it can be said that nearly half of the country's military strength and elite troops were under his command. However, this Tong Taishi abandoned his post and fled back to the capital as soon as the Jin army launched its attack, directly resulting in tens of thousands of Song soldiers losing their unified command, defeated troops flooding everywhere, and losing territory for a thousand miles.

  Tong Guan returned to the capital, just as the old emperor was replaced by a new one. He and other powerful officials who had been favored by Emperor Huizong of Song, including Cai Jing's father and son, Wang Fu, Liang Shi-cheng, Zhu Mian and others, all fell out of favor. If not for the Jin army's fierce attack which kept the new court busy, Tong Guan would have been investigated for his dereliction of duty long ago.

  However, this could not escape the eyes of the people. Student Chen Dong and others repeatedly submitted memorials to the throne, with strong language: "Today's affair, Cai Jing caused chaos in front, Liang Shi Cheng plotted behind. Li Yan harbored resentment in the northwest, Zhu Mian harbored resentment in the southeast, Wang Hu and Tong Guan also harbored resentment towards Liao and Jin, opening up gaps on the borders. It is advisable to execute the six villains, display their heads in all directions, and apologize to the world."

  The new court made a compromise between the face of the Taishang Emperor and public opinion, abolishing the six thieves' jobs, including Tong Guan's Xuanfu Envoy, but it was a pity. In any case, Tong Guan had been in charge of the border army for 20 years, and no one could match his understanding of the enemy and our military situation. If he was allowed to wear his crimes and make merits, history might have been different.

  Up to this point, the various Song armies that were divided and conquered by the Jin army only had jurisdiction over the Imperial Secretariat and the three Guards: "the Palace Guard, the Imperial Bodyguard, and the Imperial Infantry Guard". The Imperial Secretariat and the three Guards also mutually restrained each other. The Imperial Secretariat had the power to deploy troops but did not have a single soldier, while the three Guards controlled the army but did not have the power to mobilize them, resulting in this evil consequence of having an army with no use. This was the "precious legacy" left by the two founding emperors of the Song Dynasty, Taizu and Taizong, for their descendants.

  An officer of the "Dare-to-Die" corps, seeing that the four men conversed fluently, was convinced they were his own comrades and immediately released a bamboo raft to ferry them across the moat. They followed the troops into the city on a pulley car. After passing through the strict inspection by the Director of the Military School, they finally entered the iron-barrel-like capital.

  Eight years later, Xiao Wu returned to Dongjing Kaifeng Prefecture. The scenery remained the same, but people and things were vastly different. It was now the eighth day of the first month, a morning that should have been filled with New Year's joy and celebration, yet he only felt an aura colder than the cold wind. Everywhere on the streets, soldiers holding knives and swords could be seen, while officials and civilians hurried to and fro in a state of panic. The originally clean bluestone street was now dirty and disordered, and shops that opened their doors to welcome customers were few and far between. The only bustling place was the Bian River, where large and small boats sailed continuously, loaded with boxes and chests, and the people on board mostly wore servant attire. However, the direction of the boats' movement was surprisingly uniform - all heading southeast.

  "Brother Five, this is the officials and nobles transferring their wealth, leaving a way out for themselves." A Song dynasty soldier dressed Han Jiu'er sneered from the corner of his mouth.

  "Hmm..." Xiaowu also saw it, his heart heavy with foreboding. The majestic capital of the Song Dynasty had not yet been breached by the Jin army, but had the defensive lines in the hearts of the Song people already been broken?

  "Wow, Tokyo is amazing! I'm here for the first time, Zhang Si, have you been here before?" Xu Qing, who grew up in a small town, looked around with wide eyes.

  "Xu Er, I've naturally been here before, probably about 20 years ago." Zhang Xian proudly glanced at Xu Qing with a hint of arrogance, the two being roughly the same age and always referring to each other by their respective rankings.

  "Zhang Sige, how old were you at that time?" Han Jiu'er, however, detected something amiss. Zhang Xian was at most only three or four years older than Yue Fei twenty years ago, so how could he have remembered anything?

  "Jiuer sister, why must you dig to the bottom? I... heard it from Father and Mother." Zhang Xian scratched his head awkwardly, answering honestly.

  It's strange to say, but Zhang Xian was not restrained and rarely obeyed others, yet he showed great respect for this little girl who was several years younger than him. The reason for this was not due to Han Jiuer's identity or background, but because there was an inexplicable closeness between her and his brother Yue Fei that couldn't be put into words.

  "You stinky little brat, you're fooling me again! Ninth sister, come with me to beat him up!" Xu Qingfang suddenly understood and his red face turned even redder as he pretended to hit Zhang Xian.

  Xu Qing is a straightforward person without any ulterior motives, unlike Zhang Xian's sharp eyesight. Along the way, he has increasingly good impressions of Han Jiu'er, who is both beautiful and kind, and truly regards her as his younger sister.

  "Two younger brothers, stop making trouble. Ninth Sister, how do we proceed?" Xiao Wu still didn't smile or speak, on this journey, although she had been with Han Jiu'er day and night, because the two brothers were by their side, she didn't dare reveal a single thread of emotion.

  "Three brothers, just two more streets and we'll be there." Han Jiuer said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She was in the safe capital, and unconsciously revealed her feminine side, which under the contrast of her military uniform, showed a unique charm that stunned the three brothers.