[Thirty-Four] Ninety-Five Oracle

  In an instant, about ten steps away from Xiao Wu, a series of shouts and clashing sounds erupted, clearly indicating that the scar-faced bandit had breached the city gate. Elsewhere, comrades were responding in kind, but Xiao Wu's attention was already focused on what was right in front of him - a Jin soldier's helmet was emerging. He didn't have time to grab his iron shield, so he swiftly turned his divine arm bow downwards and fired, prompting a blood-curdling scream that seemed to pierce through several "ku ku" sounds. Xiao Wu couldn't help but think of food, and his throat moved involuntarily.

  The pressure eased slightly, and Xiao Wu quickly took a glance at the situation on the side. His eyebrows furrowed instantly as he saw that the scar-faced bandit had already stood firm on the city wall, waving his long knife with one hand and using a Song dynasty soldier's corpse as a shield with the other to cover the Jin soldiers climbing up behind him. The Jin army below, seeing this, was excited and noisy at the same time, intensifying their attack. The Song army's position on the city wall was about to be breached.

  "Zhang Xian, Xu Qing, hold your positions!" Xiao Wu gave a low order and grabbed an iron hook spear from the ground, charging towards the critical point. The iron hook spear had a blade and hook that was one foot long, with a total length of one zhang two feet, which could be used for both thrusting and hooking, and was a useful weapon for defending the city. However, it wasn't as handy as Xiao Wu's own iron spear. The three brothers' long weapons were all stored in the temple with their horses, so he just grabbed whatever he could at the moment.

  Time was pressing, and before anyone could react, a man had already rushed forward to confront the scar-faced thug. This man was a rural militiaman, wearing a black warrior's robe, with a sturdy build and a face as dark as a pot bottom, his beard resembling needles, looking exactly like a lump of coal. He wielded a pair of iron gauntlets, striking the scar-faced thug wildly on the head and face while letting out strange wails of "Wah ya ya". Even the strong and fierce scar-faced thug was somewhat at a disadvantage, stumbling backward step by step as he desperately parried the blows.

  It was clear that the Black Carbon Head had gained the upper hand, and Xiao Wu's heart widened slightly, but before he could catch his breath, a loud rumbling sound like thunder came from outside the city. Almost simultaneously, the shadows of the Golden Army emerged from all parts of the city wall, while the formation of the Song Army was already in disarray. On the battlefield, Li Gang held up the command flag to direct the counterattack, but the momentum of the Golden Army had already risen, and the deciding power of the battle had shifted from the commander's hands to the soldiers on both sides who were engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat on the city wall!

  "Kill!" Xiaowu's mouth exhaled white air, his eyes bulged red with blood, one shot pierced a Jin soldier climbing the city wall, and he was thrown down from the city head. He himself was also brought to the front of the rampart by the weight of the enemy corpse, and suddenly inhaled a cold breath. Suddenly, outside the moat, a dense black iron cavalry of the Jin army appeared, like a dark cloud covering the sky, with countless horses and men, and the sound of thunder was the sound of countless horseshoes trampling the frozen hard ground, as if they wanted to flatten Kaifeng City. No wonder the morale of the Jin soldiers was greatly boosted.

  At this time, more and more Jin soldiers rushed to the top of the city wall. The iron shield team of the Song army suffered heavy casualties. Due to the chaos of the enemy and our troops, the bow and crossbow teams also lost their suppressive effect. The acid jujube gate was in danger at dawn. Little Wu, who participated in the defense battle for the first time, had no power to save the overall situation, not even thinking about it. After all, he was just a poor scholar who didn't have the right to speak.

  "Fire the cloud ladder, fire the cloud ladder!" A clear and melodious voice suddenly rang out among the Song army, surprisingly it was that Khitan youth named Yelü Hamihe, his brother Yelü Lügui standing beside him had already raised a torch, under the sunlight the smoke and flames swirled, looking on with trepidation.

  "This plan is excellent, but how to get out of the city?" Some insightful people in the Song army had the same idea. In preparation for a night battle, there were many torches stored in the armory, but to burn the enemy's cloud ladders, one had to go down from the city. The fire needed to start from below and rise up, but how could you slowly descend the gallows to burn their cloud ladders with the dense Tartars at the foot of the city?

  But then the two Khitan brothers were seen running towards a city gate still under Song control, each of them holding a bundle of thick ropes. Yelü Haoming took the lead, using his foot to push against the base of the wall, leaning back with his body, while Yelü Chucai followed closely behind, soaring into the air, one hand holding a torch and the other pulling on the rope, swooping down along the city wall like an eagle.

  A shout of surprise rose from the Song army, and then someone suddenly realized that they could descend into the city in this way. The thick rope was originally used to suspend the wooden boards, but it had been put to use in such a situation, with the knife cutting off the boards during battle.

  Just as this thought occurred, black smoke had already risen from the city below. The cloud ladders used by the Jin army were about three zhang long bamboo flying ladders with folding hinges that could be connected to form a bridge across the moat during an attack, known as a flying bridge, which was light and easy to carry, but the bamboo was brittle and had to be coated with tung oil to prevent cracking, so they feared fire the most.

  The sacrifice of the two Khitan brothers became a turning point in the battle, and immediately hundreds of Song soldiers rushed out to emulate them, with two men forming a group, carrying torches and ropes, and rushing down the city wall, instantly filling the air with black smoke...

  “……a fierce battle, killing until the sun and moon were obscured, and the blood stained the Dragon River! No matter how strong the enemy was, with the city ladder destroyed, they had no plan for a while. Our Song army and civilians fought more bravely, using wooden boards, hand-thrown stones, and other projectiles to annihilate the remaining enemies below the city; again using divine arm bows, bed crossbows, and stone-throwing machines, arrows and stones rained down, blocking the enemy's reinforcements…… This battle lasted until evening, with countless casualties on the Jin army side, but they could no longer set foot on our capital city wall. They had to retreat ten miles, gather their strength, and wait for another opportunity to fight…… Gentlemen, this victory was largely due to Li Gou and Li Shangshu! But the second greatest contribution was made by those two Khitan brothers, truly admirable! The speaker paused, took a sip of tea, and let the audience ponder and discuss among themselves before continuing. “But what's lamentable is that just as Li Shangshu was commanding the army and civilians to fight bravely against the enemy, the court secretly sent Zheng Wangzhi down from the city wall to negotiate with the enemy. The enemy had already been weakened by us, but the court's request for peace at this time clearly showed weakness, boosted the enemy's morale, and destroyed our own momentum. That enemy commander, the second prince, regained his confidence and proposed that the two countries divide their territories along the Yellow River, clearly intending to destroy our Great Song dynasty, a wolfish ambition that outraged both men and gods!”

  "It's outrageous! It's outrageous! Let's fight the Tartars to the end!" The whole audience was filled with indignation, some hot-blooded men had already stood up, clenching their fists and rolling up their sleeves.

  This is a humble tea house located among the residential houses of Kaifeng, relying on the speaker to attract customers, selling some cheap and good tea, wine and snacks. More than 100 old and young farmers and merchants sit around the tables, among which one table has two soldiers sitting, one with a white face and the other with a red face. Although there are only two people, they have put out three tea cups, as if someone else has not arrived yet.

  The scene was in an uproar, and the speaker slammed his hand on the wooden table, making a crisp sound that silenced everyone: "As for Zheng Wanjun's dealings with the Tartars, they had been fruitless after several attempts. The Tartars demanded that the imperial court send a high-ranking official or a prince to negotiate peace at their camp. Secretary Li volunteered to go, but the Emperor said, 'You are too straightforward and cannot go.' Instead, he sent Li ? and Li Zhong to secretly proceed with the negotiations. The two princes presented conditions: they wanted our Great Song Dynasty to pay 5 million taels of gold, 50 million taels of silver, 1 million bolts of silk, and 10,000 horses and cattle each, as well as cede the three towns of Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian. They also demanded that we provide a prince and a prime minister as hostages in exchange for their withdrawal. This was truly an outrageous demand! The imperial court actually agreed to this humiliating proposal. As for what happened next, everyone knows: the eunuchs led the palace guards in searching for gold and silver within the city walls, confiscating everything from the entertainers' households. Anyone who dared to hide or transfer their wealth would be punished by military law. Even before they had collected enough gold and silver, the people's homes had been thoroughly ransacked! Alas, the people of Kaifeng had never suffered such hardships since the reigns of Taizu and Taizong. The complaints were endless, and the suffering was unbearable!"

  "Not at all! These eunuchs...” As soon as the topic of eunuchs was brought up, the audience became agitated, each family having suffered at their hands. The Song people often cursed others using "bird men and women", but only used "eunuchs" to refer to those serving the emperor, a vivid description indeed.

  The speaker paused to let the audience vent their emotions, then continued: "His Majesty also issued an edict to surrender the three towns of Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian, along with their subordinate counties, to the Jin. Prime Minister Li strongly opposed this and advocated sending envoys to negotiate with the Tartars, stalling for time until the loyalist troops from various regions arrived. However, most of the officials in court were spineless and no one supported him. Just recently, while Prime Minister Li was out inspecting the city walls, His Majesty issued a proclamation accepting the Tartars' terms, and at the same time sent Prince Kang and Grand Councilor Zhang Bangchang to the Jin camp as hostages. This is truly a humiliation unprecedented in our great Song dynasty since its founding! How shameful! How hateful!

  Today is the fifteenth day of the first month, and I recall that in past years, when the empire was at peace, this was a time for grand festivities, with lanterns hung high and rewards given out to celebrate the Lantern Festival. My capital city was once so prosperous and joyful, my people so happy and content. Now, it's all so desolate and miserable! How detestable! How hateful!"

  The speaker had hardly finished speaking when a loud "crack" was heard from the seats, and the guests turned around in shock to see a square table split into several pieces, shattered between two soldiers.

  "It's enough to kill a man! We're sacrificing our lives at the front, while they're selling out their country behind our backs!" The red-faced soldier's hand remained in the pose of slamming his fist on the table, gritting his teeth.

  "Evil ministers are in power! The foolish ruler is ruining the country!" The white-faced scholar's eyebrows were also furrowed, his fists clenched tightly.

  The crowd of guests were both shocked and admiring, shocked by the two soldiers' unbridled words, and admiring that they spoke the minds of the common people. At once, there was a chorus of agreement, with some cursing the treacherous ministers and others rebuking the foolish ruler.

  "Two younger brothers, don't be rash!" Just then someone rushed in, also a soldier, with a robust head and square face, not an impressive appearance.

  "Brother, brother!" The two fearless soldiers were intimidated by this man and each called out once before falling silent. Could these three soldiers be anyone other than Xiaowu, Zhang Xian, and Xu Qing, the three brothers?

  "My two brothers are being rude, disturbing everyone, please continue, sir!" The newly arrived Xiao Wu glared at Zhang Xian and Xu Qing, bowed to the audience, took out a piece of silver, handed it to Tea Doctor, as compensation. Tea Doctor was naturally pleased, quickly changed a table for the three brothers, and re-poured tea.

  The speaker smiled slightly and skipped over the small episode: "As for King Kang of Jingjin, he was the ninth son of the Taishang Emperor and the ninth younger brother of the current emperor, also known as the Ninth Great King. Among the thirty-two sons of the Taishang Emperor, King Kang was the most outstanding, with piercing eyes and a majestic demeanor, and he was also intelligent and had a good memory, able to recite over a thousand words a day. He was also fond of martial arts from a young age and had mastered the Thirty-Two Movement Long Fist of the Taizu Emperor, becoming unbeatable in the imperial court. Later, he became a disciple of Zhang Sanfeng, a Taoist master of Wudang. This Zhang Sanfeng was quite extraordinary, having been summoned by the Taishang Emperor and receiving a divine revelation from the True Martial Great Emperor on his way there, which allowed him to defeat over a hundred bandits single-handedly. After arriving in the capital, he combined the Long Fist with the internal fist method of the Taizu Emperor, creating the Internal Family Fist Method. Originally, all martial arts came from Shaolin, and the Taizu Emperor had also hidden the secret manual of his fist technique in Shaolin Temple. However, Shaolin Fist emphasized bravery and strength, often revealing weaknesses. Zhang Sanfeng's Internal Family Fist, on the other hand, used stillness to control movement and counterattack, making it a higher level of martial arts. King Kang had mastered Zhang Sanfeng's true transmission and was also skilled in archery and horseback riding, just like the Taizu Emperor in his youth. One day, while practicing his skills, he held two bags of rice weighing over one dan each in his hands and walked on the roof of the palace as if it were flat ground, leaving everyone who saw him in awe. This time, the Tartars proposed using a prince as a hostage, and the emperor summoned all his younger brothers to ask: 'Who is willing to go?' King Kang stepped forward and replied: 'If the country is in danger, I will not avoid death!' He went with determination. There was once a diviner who predicted the fate of our Great Song Dynasty, leaving behind eight characters: 'Nine nine returns to one, ninety-five reaches the highest honor.' Neither sentence revealed the number nine, but today King Kang stepped forward, perhaps fulfilling this prophecy..."

  "Heaven blesses the Great Song, heaven blesses Kang Wang..." The crowd was shaken by this, and they all took the Ninth King as their savior.

  In the midst of the crowd's chatter, the three brothers quietly exited the tea house and arrived on the main street. Xu Qing looked at Xiao Wu with a smile and said: "Brother, you are ranked fifth, could it be that the five characters 'Jiu Wu Zhi Zun' (meaning 'the most respected') were meant for you?"

  "Fourth Brother Xu, don't joke around! Even if it's true that the Duke of Kang is not the most revered one, as an older brother with a humble position and low rank, how can I undertake the great responsibility of assisting him? Moreover, His Majesty has just ascended to the throne, and such rumors from the streets are not auspicious at all. Let's not mention it again!" Little Wu said seriously.

  "Brother, what arrangements does the government have for us scattered soldiers?" Zhang Xian asked about the proper matter.

  "The current situation is quite good, the loyalist armies led by Ma Zhong in the west of Beijing and Fan Qiong in the east of Beijing have arrived at the outskirts of the capital. The elite Western Army led by General Lao Chong has also set out on its journey. Loyalist troops from all over are flocking to the capital. The imperial court has re-established the Pacification Commission, appointing General Lao Chong as the Pacification Commissioner. We scattered soldiers will be under his command, and only after the siege of Beijing is lifted can we return to our respective garrisons." Xiao Wu's expression was quite spirited, after all, General Shi Dao was a renowned general of his generation, more charismatic than Li Gang, who came from a literary background.

  The three brothers chatted and laughed as they walked towards the temporary inn. At that time, the situation in Kaifeng had stabilized, and the flow of people on the streets was gradually returning to normal. Occasionally, there were children who didn't know what was going on running around and playing, and sometimes you could even hear the sound of firecrackers, which faintly had a festive atmosphere.

  Suddenly, a commotion broke out in front, and in the chilly weather, a tall, dark-haired man with his upper body exposed, his hair disheveled, holding a bundle of clothes, running barefoot, looking extremely disheveled. Behind him was a middle-aged woman with a flower-adorned headdress, her small feet moving swiftly, not falling behind the dark-haired man at all.

  The scene was a bit awkward, and the crowd on the street didn't know what was going on, so they dispersed to both sides, watching the commotion.

  "That black rascal, he slept with my daughter and didn't even give her any money, now he's trying to slip away!" The middle-aged woman shouted while chasing after him. It turned out she was a madam, and she had already spotted the three brothers ahead, so she cried out for help, "Hey, you soldiers up ahead, please stop that black rascal for me!"

  It turned out to be a tyrant of the brothel, and the three brothers couldn't help but burst out laughing. Xiao Wu didn't want to get involved in such trivial matters, so he slipped aside. Zhang Xian and Xu Qing were the ones who loved trouble the most, taking a step forward to intercept the big black man. Xiao Wu furrowed his brow, but didn't stop them, after all, the two kids weren't doing anything bad.

  "Hey, big guy in front, don't block my way! Master's fists and feet aren't just for show!" The large black man also noticed someone blocking the path and spoke out to warn him.

  As they spoke, the big black man had already approached, Xu Qing stretched out his right foot to make a sneak attack, but unexpectedly the big black man's head was very large, and his movements were agile, with a quick movement, he dodged Xu Qing's sneak attack.

  "What a fine man, yet how he has become the laughing stock of women!" Zhang Xian gave a shout of praise and stretched out his hand, making a claw-like gesture to grab Hei Da Han's shoulder.

  "What's it to you?" The big black man cursed, and at the same time, he swung his elbow back and struck Zhang Xian's chest. As soon as the opponent retreated, he would charge forward. Unexpectedly, Xu Qing had already rushed over from behind and kicked his crotch with one foot.

  Zhang Xian and Xu Qing cooperated seamlessly, immediately transforming their claws into fists, sealing off the black giant's upper body. As the saying goes, "two fists can't defeat four hands," under the pincer attack from both front and back, the black giant rolled over lazily, barely avoiding it, his clothes scattering all over the ground, suddenly revealing the black warrior robes worn by the rural soldiers; next, with a "clang" sound, two hidden weapons also fell out of the robes.

  The little wok beside him clearly saw the two weapons, and his eyes lit up. The big black man, although in a sorry state, still had nimble hands and feet, picked up the two weapons, flipped over and got up, shouting: "Bird men and women, don't force the second master to use his trump card!"

  Seeing the big black man with a bright weapon, Zhang Xian and Xu Qing did not dare to be careless, and they also drew out their weapons, facing each other. Their eyes fell on each other's weapons, revealing surprise. It turned out that the three people's weapons were exactly the same, all of which were four-edged iron shields. This kind of shield was only available to generals who had participated in the Battle of Kaifeng.

  The old procuress also rushed over, panting, and seeing the three men with their weapons drawn, she became somewhat fearful, retreated and shouted: "Gentlemen soldiers, don't take anyone's life, I don't want this little example money."

  "This mother, how much money does that rascal owe you? I'll give it to him!" Little Wu knew he couldn't fight anymore and stepped forward to mediate.

  "Hey, little brother, don't bother with this woman. She originally promised to reward us soldiers who fought in the war, but now she wants to charge us money!" The big black man knew that Little Five and the two horizontal rod-bearing soldiers were together, but his tone softened, seeing that they were easy to bully.

  "The old lady is rewarding her daughter's body, but you, Niuer, are eating and drinking like a cow. Those wine and meat were bought with real gold and silver, so you have to pay for them. Since this military officer wants to help you, the old lady will take half of the price..." The madam was sharp-eyed and saw someone taking the lead, so she quickly reported a number.

  The three brothers and the onlookers all understood and burst out laughing. It turned out that this Cow Second Master not only slept for free, but also ate and drank for free. The old procuress said she would collect half of the debt, which was no small amount, and had even emptied Xiao Wu's pockets of silver coins, and still had to borrow some from Zhang Xian to make up the difference.

  Now that the matter has been settled, the onlookers dispersed on their own. Niu Er Ye, who was also feeling chilly, hastily put on his clothes and, with a red face, rushed to Xiao Wu and made a fist: "Thank you, young man! We'll meet again!"

  "Hold on, good fellow!" Little Wu hastily blocked his way.

  "What? You want me to return the money? That's impossible!" Old Cow Two glared with a pair of copper bell-like eyes, his face as flat as a pot bottom, and his hair stood on end, ready to turn hostile.

  "Hero, you've got it wrong! On the day of the battle at Suān jiǎng mén, your bravery was truly admirable to us brothers. I've long wanted to make friends with you, and now that we've met today, how could I let this opportunity pass?" Xiao Wu said with a smile, while Zhang Xian and Xu Qing also came to their senses, realizing that this black giant was actually the Black Charcoal Head who had fought against the Tartar's Scar-faced General at Suān jiǎng mén.

  "Oh, you're here too?" Niu Er Ye thought of the iron rake in his opponent's hand and felt relieved, bursting into loud laughter. "I didn't expect that I, Niu Gao, could also make people admire me, how refreshing!"