weaving

The eleventh day of the intercalary eleventh month, at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).

Just as he was having breakfast, Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng received a message from Wei Zhice—the city of Hejian was in dire need of help!
"Li County to Hejian is fifty li. It can be reached in a day by normal march, and in half a day by lightly armed and rapid march," Qin Sheng, who had just joined the shogunate, said, pointing to the map on the long table.

"Where are our other troops now?" the Earl of Yongning asked.

Hu Yiwen stepped forward and pointed on the map, saying, "Li Jiyu's troops are stationed in Anzhou, thirty li away from us; General Guangda has led cavalry as the vanguard and has already advanced to Anping County, Zhending Prefecture."
Wang Shuai of Datong, with Jiang Jianxun's troops, has advanced to Zhao Prefecture; Li Shuai of Shanxi, with 5,000 infantry and cavalry, has advanced to Luancheng to support Wang Shuai; Jiang Xiang of Datong, with 5,000 troops, should be arriving in Renqiu soon.

"What is the distribution of the Jurchen's troops?"

"Currently, it is known that there are over 10,000 Tatars in Xiongxian, consisting of one part of the Mongol Northern Barbarians and two parts of Han Chinese who surrendered to the Tatars; the Jurchen troops who broke through Qingxian numbered about 20,000, and later split into two groups, one going to Cangzhou and the other coming to Hejian. This Jurchen force has about 10,000 troops, half of whom are Jurchens and half of whom are Northern Barbarians. There are also traces of Jurchens in Nanpi, Jiaohe, and Wuyi, but their strength is unknown. It seems that they are heading towards Linqing."

Furthermore, there are traces of the Jurchens around the capital. They number from dozens to hundreds of riders, roaming the area. Because the location of their main camp remains unknown, and their strength is unclear, the troops guarding the capital have been hesitant to be deployed.

"What are the movements of the other government troops?"

Hu Yiwen pointed on the map again: "According to reports, Liu Zhaoji of Jizhou and Tang Tong of Mizhou have led their troops to Wen'an and Dacheng; Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Jizhou, has also led his troops south from Tongzhou and is currently in the Bazhou area; Feng Yuanbiao, the governor of Tianjin, has also led his troops to Jinghai, intending to go south to recover Qingxian."

In short, they were basically chasing after the Jurchens, claiming it was a "tail-chasing pursuit," but in reality, it was out of fear of the enemy and a desire for battle that they resorted to this tactic of avoiding combat.

Yuan Shizhong, who rarely speaks, couldn't help but say, "These damned Tartars are bullying me like this, yet these bastards are so timid and cowardly. Are they even men?"

He turned to the Earl of Yongning, cupped his fists, and said loudly, "Commander-in-Chief, I, Shizhong, request permission to lead my troops to reinforce Hejian, so that the barbarian bastards will know my strength and not think that there is no one in the Central Plains."

Looking at Yuan Shizhong's indignant face, Zhang Cheng nodded in satisfaction and secretly praised him, "What a hero!"

“Shizhong, I know your sincere heart. However, Gaoyang is too far from Hejian, and I am afraid that we are thirsty for water in the south street.”

"Commander, it's only seventy or eighty li away. I'll lead my cavalry, lightly armed and fast, and we'll arrive in a day."

“No.” Zhang Cheng waved his hand to stop him, then continued, “Although it’s only eighty li away, the enemy has already arrived, and Hejian is their home ground, while we are on foreign soil. Advancing on foreign soil means we don’t know the enemy’s situation, so we must not rush forward rashly. Otherwise, what will we do if we are ambushed?”

Yuan Shizhong seemed unwilling to give up. He got up and went to the middle of the hall, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands and asked again: "Commander, on behalf of Xiao Yuan's camp, I am willing to go to Hejian as the second echelon to reinforce, drive away the Tartars and protect the people of Hejian."

"Very well. Since you are so determined, I, the commander, grant your request!"

“Yes, sir.” Yuan Shizhong loudly accepted the order, stood up with satisfaction, and clasped his hands in a fist again, saying, “Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, Shizhong will never disgrace the Yongyi Army.”

"Good." Zhang Cheng cheered for him.

"Pass the order."

Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng looked at Liu Chengzhu and shouted, "Tell Wei Zhice that his Tengshe Battalion should immediately advance into Hejian, first occupy Suning, and then use it as a base to send the vanguard to scout out to the city of Hejian Prefecture and set up camp to hold back the enemy cavalry, so that they dare not attack the city with all their might, and wait for reinforcements to arrive before engaging the enemy cavalry in a decisive battle."

"Yes, Commander."

"Then send another order to Zhang Guangda, instructing him to lead the Vermilion Bird Battalion through Raoyang towards Xian County. The cavalry can advance to the Shangjialin area, five miles north of Xian County. Their main task is to scout the battlefield south of Hejian Prefecture, in case there are enemy ambushes there."

He was also told that if he encountered a large force of enemy cavalry, he should not panic, nor should he engage them in battle without authorization. He must strengthen his sentry duties to prevent the enemy cavalry from getting close and encircling him.

"Yes, Commander."

"Chengzu, send another message to Jiang Xiang in the direction of Renqiu, asking him to send a detachment of cavalry south to contain the enemy cavalry attacking Hejian, so that they dare not launch a full-scale attack on Wei Zhice's Tengshe Camp. Once our main army arrives, we will join forces to fight the enemy. If we successfully drive back the enemy cavalry and protect Hejian Prefecture, he will certainly receive a share of the credit."

"Yes, Commander."

"Go and prepare the token and letter."

"Yes."

"Shizhong, you should also go back to camp and prepare. At noon, we will break camp and head south, passing through Li County, and set up camp in Suning."

"Yes, Commander."

"Shizhong, let me remind you one last time: even if you do not see any trace of enemy cavalry along the way, you must not be careless. The enemy relies on their large number of horses and high speed, and they love to launch surprise attacks and ambushes along short distances. Your troops must wear armor during the journey and be on high alert at all times. Keep your whistles far away and never underestimate the enemy or advance hastily."

"Yes, Shi Zhong has noted it down. Please rest assured, Commander."

"Go."

…………

After everyone left, only Hu Yiwen, Qin Sheng, Yuan Fucheng, Sun Hao, and Sun Keng, along with two generals, Lin Fangping and Chen De, remained in the command tent, along with Zhang Mingyuan and Xiao Sanjie, who were serving in the central army.

"Gongqiao, where are Luo Rucai's Cao camp troops now?"

Hu Yiwen replied, "Luo Rucai left the Left Battalion to guard Suizhou and personally led the Standard Battalion and the Central and Right Battalions, totaling 15,000 men, to leave Guide Prefecture. On the 9th, he reported that he had left Zhangde Prefecture, and now he should be within the territory of Guangping Prefecture."

"Send out fast riders to find Luo Rucai and tell him that he must get to Linqing as soon as possible, enter the city and set up camp to assist in the defense of the city and hold Linqing." "Yes, Commander."

"Are the Yanhe, Qinglong, and Baihu battalions all ready?"

"The Third Battalion reports that they have made ample preparations, with soldiers in camp, sufficient food and supplies, and complete military equipment and weapons, ready to be dispatched to reinforce the battlefield in southern Ji.

Hu Yiwen also raised his own question: "Commander, if the three battalions leave Henan to reinforce southern Hebei, will it give the rebel Li Zicheng an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and cause the situation in the Central Plains to collapse?"

“Be prepared.”

Zhang Cheng continued, "I estimate that the enemy has at least fifty or sixty thousand troops this time, and they are all on horseback. They come and go like the wind, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing. It is difficult for us to surround them, but they can gather at any time and surround us instead."

As he spoke, he got up and walked outside. Zhang Mingyuan quickly grabbed a wool cloak and rushed forward to drape it over Zhang Cheng's shoulders. The others also grabbed their own cloaks and capes, wrapped them tightly, and followed him outside.

In the depths of winter, the wind is biting cold. Although it is already past 9 AM, the sunlight is still limited and cannot offset the biting chill brought by the wind.

Marquis Yongning, Zhang Cheng, stood in the courtyard, looked southwest, sighed, and said with a touch of sorrow, "Last time when I was defending the emperor, I followed Governor Lu to ambush the enemy, but we were suddenly surrounded by enemy cavalry at Jia Village in Julu. After several days of bitter fighting, we ran out of food and reinforcements. My uncle and Governor Lu both died in this battle, which is truly the greatest regret of my life!"

Lin Fangping was also one of the participants, and his father also died in the battle of Jiazhuang in Julu. After hearing what the Earl of Yongning said, he stepped forward to his side and said, "Commander, my father also died in this battle. Fangping hates that he cannot bear to eat the flesh and blood of the Tartars alive to relieve this hatred in this life."

Zhang Cheng looked back at Lin Fangping, Hu Yiwen, and the others, and said with a resolute expression, "It is precisely because of the lessons learned from the past that I must make full preparations this time. Even if we are surrounded by enemy cavalry again, we will not run out of food or reinforcements."

His gaze finally settled on Lin Fangping, and he began to sing loudly:

"My hair stands on end in anger, as I lean against the railing, the rain has just stopped..."

Lin Fangping immediately understood and joined in the chant:

"Raise your eyes, look up to the sky and roar, your heart is filled with heroic passion."

Hu Yiwen and the others understood at this point and joined in the singing:
"Thirty years of fame and dust, eight thousand miles of clouds and moon."

As everyone joined in, the powerful chorus instantly spread, and the soldiers on guard duty nearby were also inspired to sing along.

"Don't let your youth slip away in vain, only to regret it later."

Finally, the entire battalion of over ten thousand soldiers sang in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and echoing in every corner of Gaoyang City…

"The shame of Jingkang has yet to be avenged; the hatred of the subjects, when will it end?"

As the resounding singing gradually drifted beyond the army's encampment, many people in Gaoyang City who knew the poem also joined in the singing...

"Driving a long chariot, we will break through the Helan Mountain pass."

Aspirations hungry for the Hulu meat, and laughed and thirst for the blood of the Huns.

Let’s start from the beginning, rebuild the old mountains and rivers, and face the heavenly palace.”

Inside and outside the military camp...

Throughout the entire city of Gaoyang...

All the soldiers and civilians were chanting Yue Fei's poem "Man Jiang Hong" over and over again, seemingly without end...

"My hair stands on end in anger, as I lean against the railing, the rain has just stopped."

I raise my eyes, look up at the sky and roar, my heart filled with intense emotions.

Thirty fame, dust and soil, eight thousand miles, clouds and moon.

Don't let your youth slip away in vain, only to regret it later.

The shame of Jingkang remains unavenged; the hatred of the subjects will never be extinguished.

Drive a long car and break through the Helan Mountain Pass.

Aspirations hungry for the Hulu meat, and laughed and thirst for the blood of the Huns.

Let’s start from the beginning, rebuild the old mountains and rivers, and face the heavenly palace.”

Even years later, those who experienced it firsthand are still recounting the story...

After this city-wide chorus, there was no one in Gaoyang City who didn't know "Man Jiang Hong"...

Although no one takes pride in being able to sing "Man Jiang Hong," they are ashamed of not being able to—because there is no one in Gaoyang City who cannot sing it. Since everyone can sing it, it is naturally not something to be proud of, but not being able to is indeed a great disgrace! (End of Chapter)