The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 2002 Only there could the Song Dynasty's hand not reach in.
Pang Shiwu frowned when he saw the five fast horses suddenly stop in front of him and block his way.
The passengers on horseback were all wearing short sheepskin coats and long cowhide boots. They had dark skin, curved knives at their waists, and long beards. They had rugged appearances and sharp eyes. It was hard to tell whether they were Tibetans or Qiang people!
"What do you want?" Pang Shiwu asked coldly and irritably! He had just been scolded by Chili and was seething with anger with nowhere to vent it!
One of the five men looked Pang Shiwu up and down, then chuckled dryly, "Is the person in your car a woman?"

Pang Shiwu answered with unusual decisiveness: "Yes! And she's so beautiful she could shame the flowers and eclipse the moon, and make fish sink and geese fall from the sky!"

The burly man chuckled. "Young man, is your surname Wang or the compound surname Duanmu?"

Pang Shiwu was stunned for a moment!
Wang Sheng? Duanmu Yan?

He frowned and asked, "Brother, are you looking for Wang Sheng and Duanmu Yan?"

The burly man's eyes lit up immediately. "Which one are you?" The other burly men beside him were also extremely excited, as if they had accomplished a great mission!
Pang Shiwu's eyes flickered: "Could it be... that the woman you're looking for is named Xiong Mengyan?"

The burly man immediately nodded, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Pang Shiwu said, "Then you've come to the wrong person! Wang Sheng has a sword on his back, and Duanmu Yan has a bow on her back, but I neither know Wang Sheng's Shushan Flying Sword nor Duanmu Yan's Yedi Divine Skill! And this carriage is not filled with Xiong Mengyan either!"

The burly man was immediately taken aback. After looking at Pang Shiwu and comparing his description with those of others, he was immediately convinced that the black-clad youth's words made sense. He immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I'm sorry, young brother, I've disturbed you!"

Pang Shiwu said, "It's alright. May I ask if you've also traveled this route, Brother? Is Xiong Mengyan, whom you're looking for?"

The burly man said, "That's right! I'm sure they've taken this route. We've been chasing them all this way, and so far we haven't found any evidence that they changed their course."

Pang Shiwu asked, "Do you know where their final destination is?"

The burly man immediately gave a sly smile, "Young brother, I'm sorry I can't tell you!"

"Did Xiong Mengyan offend you?"

"Hehe, young brother, don't try to trick me, we still have a long way to go!" With that, he turned his horses around, and with a "Giddy up!" the five swift horses galloped away in an instant!

Inside the car, Yuan Zishan said, "Fifteen, those people should be Tibetans!"

Pang Shiwu said, "I didn't expect Xiong Mengyan and the others to be ahead of us! I thought she had already returned to the Demon Island!"

Yuan Zishan frowned slightly, lost in thought!
Xiong Mengyan's father, Xiong Qiangu, died in battle in Shanghai. Xiong Mengyan should be on her way to escort her father's coffin back to Qunmo Island. Why would she appear on this only road leading to Haixin Mountain?
Could it be that she's also after the Heavenly Roc Egg? Most likely! She has every reason; only by increasing her combat power can she defeat the Demon Lord and avenge her father! Of course, she doesn't know that the Demon Lord has already been annihilated! Pang Shiwu then wondered, could there be another possibility? Perhaps Xiong Mengyan knew that Feng Jiuxiao was also going to Haixin Mountain, so she decided to go there as well? His sister-in-law must have already heard Xiong Mengyan's name; would she be angry with his brother?

In the third carriage, Bigwolf whispered, "Hey, did you hear that? Someone's looking for Xiong Mengyan!"

Inside the car, Feng Jiuxiao said lazily, "I heard you. Let them look for me, what does it have to do with me?"

Bigwolf chuckled: "Then guess what Miss Yuan is thinking right now?"

Feng Jiuxiao immediately opened his eyes and perked up, sitting up instantly!

"Don't scare me!"

"Hehe, I didn't scare you at all. You're just a coward!"

Feng Jiuxiao muttered to himself, "When we get to the place to eat, Zishan will definitely give me a hard time again!" He touched his ear, "I hope she doesn't pinch it until it's swollen!"

Three carriages moved slowly under the blazing sun, followed by six riders who kept a respectful distance. These riders were none other than the mantises of the Mantis Sect.

Outside Jinyang City, inside the Song army's main tent, Zhao Guangyi, Lin Yongpeng, Cui Yanjin, Li Hanqiong, Cao Han, Liu Yu, and even Wei Qiansui were gathered around a table, discussing the next battle plan. General Pan Mei lay reclining on a stretcher nearby, ostensibly resting with his eyes closed, but actually listening intently to the discussion.

On the table was a map of Jinyang drawn on kraft paper, which roughly outlined the distribution of all the passes, roads, rivers, mountains and other features within dozens of miles of Jinyang City.

Zhao Guangyi said, "General Lin, you speak."

"As you command!" Lin Yongpeng pointed to the Fen River, glanced at the generals, and said, "Generals, I have decided to divert the Fen River to flood Jinyang!"

Li Hanqiong was taken aback: "General Lin is planning to divert the Fen River into Jinyang City? This project is enormous!" Just imagine how many people and how many days it would take to dig the river channel?
The generals all echoed, "Yes, digging a canal is a huge project! It's a waste of manpower, money, time, and effort! Before the day comes that Jinyang is flooded, the Han army will probably have already outflanked us!"

Lin Yongpeng said, "It's not about digging a river channel, but about building a long, continuous fortress outside Jinyang City to block the Fen River and the Jin River. This will create a reservoir and raise the water level..."

Li Hanqiong was taken aback: "Raise the water level?"

Lin Yongpeng said, "That's right!"

Liu Yu said, "When the water level rises, it forms a high lake. Then, if we suddenly release the sluice gates... the Fen River will rush down like a mountain torrent, unstoppable... Brilliant!"

Li Hanqiong looked at everyone and saw that they were all deep in thought, staring at the map. He thought for a moment and said, "Building a city is slightly easier than digging a canal, but it is still quite troublesome!"

Lin Yongpeng said expressionlessly, "Then General Li, tell me, how do we capture Jinyang?"

Wei Qiansui interjected, "I received a secret report this morning that the entire city of Jinyang is now united in purpose and its defenses are virtually impenetrable! Trying to sabotage Jinyang from within is as difficult as climbing to heaven! Furthermore, they are currently focusing on developing triple-bow crossbows and armor-piercing arrows, and the quantity and quality of their weapons far exceed our expectations! If we were to launch a forced attack, even if we managed to breach the city gates, we would likely be overwhelmed by the vast sea of ​​militia composed of nearly a million Jinyang citizens!"

Militia? This term is quite worthy of study! Soldiers are civilians, and civilians are soldiers! One million civilians can transform into one million soldiers ready to charge into battle at any time. How terrifying is that fighting power?
All the generals were filled with trepidation!

Emperor Taizu attacked Jinyang three times in the past, but was defeated each time! This shows that Jinyang's defenses were exceptionally strong! Although not every general present personally experienced the war against Han, everyone is familiar with the details of the battle!

The people of Jinyang City are truly amazing! Brave, fearless, and united...

One call and a hundred responses; the entire nation becomes a soldier!

Li Hanqiong fell into deep thought: Lin Yongpeng's words seemed to make a lot of sense! Even if the siege was won and the Song army entered the city, by then the Song army would definitely be exhausted. How many troops would they have left? Even if they had 100,000 troops left, what could they do? A weary army, at the end of its rope, how long could the Song army hold out against the overwhelming offensive of a million militiamen? The final result would be nothing more than total annihilation!

As she thought about it, Li Hanqiong frowned!

Wei Qiansui said, "Generals, it seems that flooding is the best strategy at present! Only by using water to attack the city can we indiscriminately eliminate the Northern Han's manpower!"

Cao Han frowned and said, "But if we launch an indiscriminate attack, won't the people of Jinyang suffer heavy casualties? Out of a million people, how many will survive? Won't we be branded as cruel and heartless? If Jinyang is destroyed like this, how will we rule here in the future?" He glanced at Lin Yongpeng, while secretly observing Zhao Guangyi's expression!
Everyone was secretly observing Zhao Guangyi, trying to figure out the emperor's intentions!
Lin Yongpeng thought to himself: This is His Majesty's intention. Are you all staring at him like this, putting him on the hot seat? What a bunch of fools!
His face immediately darkened: "Can the people here be called people? Real people should be farming and weaving, living their own lives, not fighting bare-chested! If you still naively regard these people who are armed with deadly weapons and could rush up and kill you at any time as people, then it is our soldiers who will suffer!"
If our soldiers are still naively trying to distinguish between soldiers and civilians, and are still hesitating about who to attack and who not to attack, then our soldiers are already standing on the edge of death!

Our soldiers may hesitate, but the enemy will not! They will take your life while you hesitate!

Let me bear this reputation for cruelty and inhumanity! My reputation isn't good anyway! Don't they all call me a madman? Isn't it normal for a madman to do whatever crazy thing?

No matter how crazy a madman is, he is still considered normal!
Damn! That makes a lot of sense, leaving me speechless!

Wei Qiansui said, "General Lin is right. Only by launching indiscriminate attacks can we reduce the casualties of our Song soldiers and accelerate the pace of unifying the world!"

When the generals saw that Zhao Guangyi was staring at the map without saying a word, they immediately understood!
So it turns out that flooding Jinyang was the emperor's idea, but General Lin ended up bearing the blame for "indiscriminate killing"!
Since General Lin is taking the lead in playing the bad cop and the emperor is only half-open, what is there for me to worry about?
Generals Cui Yanjin, Li Hanqiong, Cao Han, and Liu Yu all said, "This humble general agrees with General Lin's opinion!"

"This humble general also agrees!"

"This subordinate agrees!"

Lin Yongpeng looked at Pan Mei, who was dozing with her eyes half-closed, and smiled, "General Pan, what do you think?"

Pan Mei slowly opened his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said firmly, "I agree!" He naturally saw at a glance that flooding Jincheng was Zhao Guangyi's idea, so how could he possibly stop it?

Lin Yongpeng said, "Then let's start construction now! In order to speed up the progress, everyone in the army must go to the front line to transport soil and build dikes. I and you all will also participate in person!"

Zhao Guangyi said, "I will go too!" Lin Yongpeng said, "Alright!"

The generals were all secretly shocked, thinking to themselves that General Lin was really bold. The emperor was probably just being polite, and you should at least show some courtesy, but you actually shut the matter down with a single word! Now, should the emperor go or not?
Zhao Guangyi glanced around and said calmly, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry back and make arrangements! Tell all the soldiers that I will personally go to the site and work alongside them to transport earth and build the dike!"

The generals immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

After the generals left, Eunuch Li, who had been hiding in the corner, revealed himself.

Zhao Guangyi said, "These guys are indeed not as smart as Lin Yongpeng!"

Eunuch Li said with a fawning smile, "They are all ministers who followed the late emperor. Having achieved great success, it's inevitable that they will become a little complacent. General Lin is at the height of his power, so it's normal for him to be a little sensitive."

Zhao Guangyi laughed and scolded, "You old dog, always trying to please both sides!" He tapped the table lightly with his right index finger, "I just wanted to learn from Wu Qi sucking sores, and these fools actually doubted that I could do it! What does that mean? It means they think I'm a pleasure-seeking emperor who only seeks comfort!"

Eunuch Li laughed and said, "In fact, this just proves that they are truly subservient to His Majesty!"

Zhao Guangyi was taken aback. "Oh?"

Eunuch Li said, "If it were the late emperor who said these words, why wouldn't they find it strange? Because they felt that the late emperor was their brother, a brother who could share joys and sorrows! The advantage is naturally that there are many brothers and great strength! But the disadvantage is... Why did the late emperor release his generals from their military power over a cup of wine? Wasn't it because these arrogant and fierce generals were taking advantage of his favor? Some of them would even repeat the scene of being forced to wear the yellow robe..." He looked at Zhao Guangyi's expression and then paused.

Zhao Guangyi laughed and said, "Continue!"

Eunuch Li said, "Although these military officers may seem a bit foolish now, they are all quite loyal! In their hearts, His Majesty is a high and mighty god who should not have contact with ordinary soldiers."

"Why are you afraid of me interacting with the soldiers? Are you afraid I'll lose my mystique? Or are you afraid the soldiers will steal their thunder?"

"I reckon they're not worried about soldiers stealing their thunder. Since ancient times, no soldier has ever risen through the ranks and overshadowed his superior just by meeting the emperor once! Our Song generals are promoted based on military merit! Besides, these rough men don't have that many schemes! I reckon they're simply worried about His Majesty suffering!"

Zhao Guangyi was somewhat displeased: "It's not like I haven't suffered before!"

Eunuch Li laughed and said, "That's why I say they're stupid. Anyway, His Majesty's decree has already been issued. As long as His Majesty appears on the scene, the soldiers will be full of energy, and His Majesty's goal will be achieved."

Liu Yu followed behind Lin Yongpeng and asked, "General Lin, why do you think the Emperor insists on personally going to the front lines?"

Lin Yongpeng asked, "Would you be at the forefront of the battle?"

Liu Yu said awkwardly, "I am already a military officer of a considerable rank, how could I be charging at the forefront?"

Lin Yongpeng remained expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Yes, now that you've achieved fame and success, you no longer care to fight for achievements like capturing generals and seizing flags." He suddenly looked at Liu Yu, "Do you know the story of Wu Qi sucking his sore?"

Liu Yu gave an awkward smile, "Never."

Lin Yongpeng said, "General Liu started his military career from the ranks of boxers. Although he did not pursue formal education, he was single-minded and dedicated to achieving merit!"

Liu Yu was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Lin Yongpeng said, "This is how others describe you. They say that although you don't like studying, you are brave and very loyal."

Liu Yu laughed, "Who gave me that assessment?" Then his expression turned serious. "Is he not good at learning?" But he quickly recovered and laughed, "Although I am a roughneck, I am willing to listen since General Lin is willing to teach me!"

Lin Yongpeng said, "Then I'll tell you a story. Maybe you've heard it before, maybe you haven't. I'll just pretend you haven't. You must know Wu Qi, right?"

"Of course, Wu Qi was a famous general during the Warring States period!"

"As the commander-in-chief, he wore the same clothes and ate the same food as the lowest-ranking soldiers. He slept without a mattress and marched without riding in a vehicle or on horseback. He personally carried bundles of grain and shared the hardships with his soldiers."

Liu Yu seemed to be deep in thought, "Eat and live together, and treat the soldiers as one!"

Lin Yongpeng continued, "A soldier developed a malignant carbuncle, and Wu Qi sucked out the pus for him. When the soldier's mother heard about it, she burst into tears!"

Some people say: Your son is just a nobody, yet the general personally sucked out the pus from his wound. Why are you still crying?
The mother replied, "What do men know? In previous years, General Wu sucked the poison from my husband's sores, and he charged into battle with his life until he died! Now General Wu is sucking the poison from my son's sores, and I don't know when or where he will die this time, which is why I'm crying."

After a long silence, Liu Yu said, "I understand."

"I believe you've understood this principle for a long time, but you've been in a high position for so long that you've overlooked it!"

“Yes,” Liu Yu said, somewhat lost in thought, “I’m not really stupid; of course I know the importance of winning people’s hearts. I just didn’t expect His Majesty to be so humble…”

"His Majesty's talent and ambition are beyond our comprehension. From now on, you'd better follow my lead! I'm not forcing you, but kindly reminding you, because I am now the one who understands His Majesty's intentions best!"

Liu Yu immediately bowed and smiled, "Thank you for your guidance, General Lin. From now on, I will follow your lead!"

"Easy to say!"

Inside Jinyang City, Liu Miezhou was discussing defense plans with the generals of Northern Han in the palace. Yelü Xiezhen and Li Deming were not present; they had both returned to their respective camps to continue resting. The wounded cavalry and warhorses needed treatment, the deformed and damaged armor needed repair, and the lost cavalry and warhorses needed replacement.

Today, the court was filled with civil and military officials!

Liu Miezhou asked, "Has the Song army made any moves these past few days?"

Before Yang Ye could speak, Chancellor Guo Wuwei interjected, "Your Majesty, the Song army has been holed up in Erlong Mountain, waiting for reinforcements!"

Liu Miezhou raised an eyebrow: "Why is Prime Minister Guo also concerned about the war?"

Guo Wuwei laughed and said, "The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen, let alone me, the prime minister of a country. How could I not care!"

Liu Miezhou looked at his slanted eyebrows and hooked nose and immediately thought he was a cunning and treacherous man, which he found extremely repulsive! But as an emperor, how could he judge a person by their appearance?
He said calmly, "Minister Yang, you must keep a close eye on this matter and not let your guard down! How is the city's defense now?"

Yang Ye said, "To prevent Song spies from infiltrating, border checkpoints have been set up to strictly check 'registration records' and 'signatures,' and the 'collective punishment for treason' system has been implemented, imitating the Qin system, with a heavy reward for those who report secrets! It is almost impossible for the Song people to infiltrate! In addition, nearly a hundred scout cavalry have been added to spy on the enemy situation within a hundred miles around day and night for twelve hours a day, and the movements of the Song army are under our control! So far, we have not found anything suspicious, except that many people in the suburbs outside the city have started building walls along the Fen River, saying that they are diverting water for irrigation."

Liu Miezhou said, "Food is the most important thing for the people. The farmers outside the city are already living in poverty. Many of them have no land and can only farm in abandoned riverbeds. From now on, we should stop collecting rent from these people!"

Yang Ye immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Prime Minister Guo Wuwei, Military Commander Zhao Sui, Vanguard General Liu Xiong, Deputy Vanguard General Huang Jun, and a host of civil and military officials bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Liu Miezhou said, "Since the Song army is not making any moves for the time being, we should hurry up and prepare for war, and make more weapons. If we can hold out for a while longer, the Song army will starve to death, even if they don't freeze to death! Court adjourned!"

On the official road leading to Xia Prefecture, several carriages moved slowly forward. In the middle carriage, Zhu Wu sat with Jian Nu on his left and Xiang Nu on his right.

The swordsman asked, "Young master, where are we going?"

Zhu Wu said, "Let's go to Xia Prefecture!"

The sword slave asked, "Why do we need to go there?"

Zhu Wu's eyes flashed: "Only there can the Song Dynasty's hand not reach in!"

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