Chapter Sixteen: Entering the Female True (Part 2)

  Everyone was shocked to hear that the Jurchen people were coming to raid, gathered their troops, and formed a circle around the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The generals Zhe, Di, Cao, Xiao, and Alu Man led their elite cavalry forward, deploying their formations.

  There were about two hundred female warriors. Zhao Yun thought to himself, "We have one hundred and sixty elite cavalrymen. With just these troops alone, we may not necessarily lose to them! Moreover, we have the support of the civilian army behind us!"

  There are 150 bows and crossbows in the Ministry of War, with everyone equipped with short weapons. In addition, there are 50 shields, 60 long spears, both defensive and counterattacking forces are very strong.

  The Jurchen warriors rushed forward, but upon seeing the Han army's formation, they did not dare to advance. A Jurchen man in his thirties stepped out of the ranks and shouted: "Who are you people, daring to invade our land?"

  Zhe Yan Chong originally knew some Jurchen language, and after deciding to enter the Jurchen territory, he had been practicing diligently for the past two months. Every day, he would speak in Jurchen with Aluwen, and by now, he was able to clearly express himself in Jurchen. He spoke loudly: "May I ask who are you people on the other side? Why do you say this land is yours?"

  That man wore a golden earring and his eyes were as sharp as the blue of the eastern sea. He said loudly, "I am Xianzhen, son of Saka, the prime minister of the Jurchen nation!"

  Di Yu stepped forward and said: "So you are the son of the Prime Minister of Saqai Country, no wonder you are so heroic."

  "Did you know my father?"

  Di Yu said, "The Jurchen Wanyan clan has produced many heroes and men of great talent since the time of Wu Gu Nei! Now, the leader of the Jurchens, Wanyan Wuyashu, and the State Preceptor Saka Gamu, are both men with grand ambitions who bring benefits to distant lands! Anyone who has drunk from the Hunhe River will surely have heard of them."

  The Jurchen people had long been thinking of rebelling against the Liao and establishing their own state, but they were afraid of the accumulated power of the Liao and did not dare to take action. The current Khan's father, Suaqai, was the cousin of Wuyashu, the leader of the Jurchen people, and served as the prime minister of the Jurchen country. Khitan himself was also one of the leaders of the Jurchen people. When he heard Diyu call Wuyashu "the master of the Jurchen" rather than "Jiedushi", he was already three-tenths pleased. After hearing him praise his father, he had another three-tenths of good feelings in his heart. He asked: "What kind of people are you? Are you merchants coming to trade?" This question clearly showed that his hostility had greatly decreased.

  "We are a wandering tribe who have lost our land and hometown, we just want to find a place to settle down."

  "Which tribe are you people from? Where did you come from?"

  "We are Han people!"

  "Are you Chinese?" Sticky eyes lit up and asked: "Then can you recognize characters?"

  Ouyang Shi said, "We are a group of people who can read and write. Some have even studied at university! What's the point of asking this?" His words were slightly exaggerated, but along the way, except for those few days when they were fighting, Yang Yingqi had been teaching his men constantly while on horseback, so that even the most stupid man in the army could read and write a little.

  "Is this all the people you have? If it's just these few, then this land can still accommodate you. However, you must follow our rules and also teach our tribespeople to read!"

  Zhe Yan Chong and Di Yu exchanged a glance, not expecting the unrefined and illiterate Sheng Nu to make such a request. Zhe Yan Chong said: "We are 361 people! As long as you give us a small piece of land, we can support ourselves. We don't dare to violate any of the severe taboos of the Jurchen customs! As for teaching the Jurchens to read and write..."

  "Are you unwilling?"

  Zhe Yan Chong said: "We can not only teach the Jurchen people to read and write, but we also have people who know how to make paper! With paper-making skills, we can print books. With a large number of books, we can turn the Jurchen people into a civilized nation in the mixed rivers region!"

  "Really? In that case, I'll take you to meet Toghrul!" exclaimed Jamukha with great joy.

  "Wait! We have come from afar, we can be friends with the Jurchen people, we can be kin to them, but we will not be their slaves."

  "By teaching our people to read and write, you are already our teacher. How can you be a slave?"

  "Wait, we've been cheated and harmed on this road, suffered too many losses. Are you brave enough to swear in the direction of Changbai Mountain that you will not harm us with cunning?"

  His Manchu was extremely fluent, unlike Zhao Yan's stiff tone, and he said: "Are you a Jurchen?"

  "Exactly! I am a female Jurchen from the Hushuo Temple."

  "Then how can they mix with these Han people?"

  Aru pointed at Diyu and said: "This is my Han teacher. He not only taught me to read, but also taught me martial arts!"

  "Jurchen people want Han people to come and teach martial arts? What a waste of effort!"

  Cao Guangyi angrily said: "What did you say! Do you look down on us? Dare to fight with me?" His Jurchen was the worst among several leaders, some words were not expressed clearly, but looking at his furious appearance, the Jurchens also guessed what he meant.

  A young man rushed out from behind the wall and said: "I'm here to fight you!"

  "Ha! This is my cousin Saber, a brave warrior of our tribe! If you can defeat him, then come back and challenge me anytime!"

  Cao Guangyi rode his horse into the arena, holding his spear horizontally on his horseback, but did not charge. Sa Ba swung his big knife to attack, Cao Guangyi sneered in his heart, and before the two had even exchanged blows, Di Yu said: "Guangyi has won."

  But seeing people and horses intersecting, the silver light flashing, suddenly felt a dizziness in front of his eyes, was shocked, the offensive paused, immediately left and right were defeated, suddenly a pain on his shoulder, had been knocked down by Cao Guangyue.

  Zhang Liao was shocked, and several men were about to rush up behind him, but he waved his hand to stop them! Although Xiahou Yuan was injured, Cao Guangyuan did not pursue him, letting him ride away.

  "Wait!" Di Yu said suddenly.

  "What? Do you want my life?"

  Di Yu said: "Do you know why you lost?" His female companion spoke fluently, not only better than Cao Guangyi, but also much better than Zhe Yan Chong and the Yang brothers.

  Sa Ba said: "My martial arts are not as good as his, so I lost, what's there to say?"

  Di Yu said: "Your martial arts may not be as good as his, but you shouldn't lose so quickly! Your opponent won over you so easily because you chose the wrong weapon!"

  Ba Zha hadn't reacted yet, but Jian Han had already nodded and said: "Not bad! Please continue."

  Di Yu said: "The saber-riding cavalry excels at killing people quickly, while the spear-riding cavalry is strong in defense. In terms of charging and killing power, the spear-riding cavalry is not as fast or fierce as the saber-riding cavalry, but in a one-on-one duel, the spear is long and the sword is short, so the sword is no match for the spear. One inch longer means one inch stronger! Before even engaging in battle, you have already lost in terms of weaponry!"

  The Song Dynasty valued literature over military affairs, but the founding emperor of the Song rose to power through military force. The martial achievements of the Song continued the Tang and Five Dynasties' system of martial arts, with its rigorousness and subtlety unmatched by shallow performing nations like the Jurchen. However, the military and political systems suppressed martial prowess while promoting literature, causing its strengths to be unused, resulting in a reputation for weakness! In recent years, military preparedness has been neglected, and the combat effectiveness of the army is even more deplorable! But the essence of its martial arts still survives among some military families, folk masters, as it is said: "Among the nobility, there are no heroes; in the wilderness, there are strong men."

  Xian Zhen nodded silently in his heart, thinking: "A knife and a spear have their own uses. These Han people indeed have some learning."

  Sa Ba said, "My Mongolian tribe is the most powerful in archery. If you dare to compete with me in archery..." Before he finished speaking, Cao Guangyin drew his bow and shot at the sky, a flying bird fell down with a loud noise. Sa Ba immediately shut up, thinking to himself, "Even in archery, I may not be able to win him."

  "Good work."

  "It's your turn now."

  Zhan Han shook his head and said, "No need to continue, I've seen your skills before, they're indeed formidable. I take back what I said earlier." Seeing Cao Guangyi put away his silver spear, he added, "Among this group of people, you're the most powerful one, aren't you?"

  Cao Guangyi hadn't spoken yet, when he heard Xiao Tiennu, Aluwen and Ouyang Shi respectively make a few strange noises of "hng", "hei" and "he". Cao Guangyi couldn't speak very complex Jurchen language, so he simply said in Chinese: "I also wanted to say that, but they several people didn't agree."

  Di Yu translated his words, and Zhan Han was even more surprised, saying: "I didn't expect to meet so many heroes today!"

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  Note: In the area north of the Sea of Japan and around the Kuril Islands, a type of pearl called "North Pearl" was once abundant and highly valued. There is a species of swan that feeds on shellfish and often has North Pearls in its stomach. There is also a type of eagle called "Haidongqing" that excels at hunting swans and after eating them, it would store the North Pearls from the swan's body into its crop. To obtain North Pearls, one had to hunt Haidongqing first. The Khitan people would every year force the Jurchen tribes to offer Haidongqing or send troops to capture them. Every time the Khitan army passed through, they would cause serious disturbances to the nearby tribes, and there were cases of killing. The Wuguo tribe that lived in the area where the Heilongjiang River and Songhua River meet often resisted the Khitan people's tyranny, blocking their path to the East Sea, while the Khitan people would frequently send a large army to conquer them or order the Wan Yan tribe and other powerful tribes to attack on their behalf. This was known as the "Eagle Road War".

  Moreover, the Jurchen people have had a great interest in Han culture since the founding of their country. This is quite different from the Mongols.

  Moreover, the Jurchen's ability to dominate the Central Plains had a considerable element of luck. Initially, their military system and martial arts were effective and simple. What Di Yu said was actually just the principle of mutual restraint and generation between combined arms. With the genius of Zhan Khan or those who understood it in their hearts but couldn't express it, the likes of Sa Ba were not enough to know this.