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The sixth day of the month.

The right battalion of infantry, led by Yang Shengzu, a guerrilla sergeant of the Yongyi Army, and part of the infantry under Yang Mingqi of the central battalion, entered the territory of Yanzhou from Dongming County, Daming Prefecture. After passing Shuanghekou, they advanced along the river.

We have now arrived in Jinxiang County, which is only a little over 100 miles from Jining City. It will take at most three days to reach Jining.

However, after nightfall on the sixth day, some activity occurred at the Jurchen army camp located outside the western and northern city walls of Jining. It seemed that some Jurchen cavalry had left the camp under cover of night, and their destination was unknown.

…………

Just as the Jurchens and Luo Rucai were locked in a standoff in Jining Prefecture, the other Jurchen armies made new moves.

On the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, at the hour of Si (9-11 AM), the Jurchens who had captured Xincheng County suddenly rushed to the city of Gaoyuan County. Before the Jurchens could even set up camp, they began to besiege the city from all sides.

Gaoyuan County was a small county with few people and little strength, and it was completely unable to withstand the Jurchens' offensive. In just over an hour, the Jurchens attacked and climbed the city wall of Gaoyuan County from the southwest corner.

After the Jurchens entered the city, the county magistrate Zhou Qiyuan was captured by them. He cursed them incessantly and was beheaded by the Jurchens in the main hall of the county government. The county instructor Sun Shilin was also captured. He was also steadfast and unyielding and was beheaded outside the north gate of the county. In addition, Professor Zhang Wendou and Juren Wang Daotai were also killed by the Jurchens.

After being captured, Shi Bishi, the county clerk, was originally imprisoned in the Jurchen camp, but he managed to escape and his whereabouts are unknown.

At the hour of You (5-7 PM), after the Jurchens had plundered the area, they broke camp and fled eastward.

On the fourth day, at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), approximately 800 Jurchen cavalrymen arrived at Boxing County and set up camp about one mile west of the city. Shu Wanhua, the magistrate of Boxing, ordered the city gates to be closed and organized gentry, officials, and civilians to defend the city.

However, on the fifth day, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), another group of Jurchens rushed in and immediately began to besiege Boxing County.

Magistrate Shu Wanhua personally climbed the city wall and led the officials and civilians in a fierce resistance. However, the disparity in strength was too great. At dawn, the Jurchens erected a cloud ladder from the northeast corner of the city and dismounted to provide cover with foot archers. The Jurchens swarmed up the city wall.

County Magistrate Shu Wanhua was killed by the Jurchens in the second hall of the county government office; Clerk Shen Jizuo was killed at the east gate of the county town; Instructor Zhang Suoxing was killed at the entrance of the academy in the city; Instructors Wang Xiangyi and Guo Chun were killed inside the academy; and other officials such as Juren Zhang Yuxuan, Qianhu Gu Siyuan, and Prefectural Judge Kou Hongxun were also killed by the Jurchens.

The sixth day, at Chen hour (7-9 AM).

The bandits who were originally attacking Zouping County suddenly rushed to Linzi. Without resting, they immediately began to besiege and attack the city.

When Wen Changshi, the magistrate of Linzi, personally led the officials, gentry and civilians in the city to defend the city, they were able to hold off the Jurchens for only half a day. The gunpowder in the city was used up. The Jurchens used strong bows to cover the enemy from below the city and shot more than ten local soldiers on the west side of the city wall. Seeing this, the rest of the soldiers were terrified and fled. The Jurchens then climbed the ladder to the city wall and Linzi fell.

County Magistrate Wen Changshi was killed by the Tartars who scaled the city walls at the west gate tower. Clerk Yang Louming was shot to death on the east city wall. Instructor Shen Zhoufu, Instructor Xu Yue, former County Magistrate Qi Yinglin, tribute student Xu Jiasi, Ding Wenbing, and others were all killed by the Jurchens on the city walls.

…………

December 4th, Dezhou.

Since the 27th day of the intercalary eleventh month, Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, had already stationed himself in Dezhou, but he had been lingering there. Apart from sending Cao Bianjiao and Lin Dengyou to lead troops to aid Qihe and Jinan, he dared not advance any further to avoid the enemy's sharp edge.

He even received a letter from Wang Yongji, the governor of Shandong, on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Wang Yongji stated, "The Jurchen barbarians have already passed Jinan Prefecture and are continuing their eastward advance, threatening to invade Qingzhou Prefecture. The situation is critical. I request the Governor of Jizhou to quickly send troops to Qingzhou Prefecture to set up defenses and intercept the Jurchens."

However, Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, remained hesitant and dared not easily send troops to provide assistance. It wasn't until the sixth day that Feng Yuanbiao, the governor of Jin, led his troops to Dezhou to join him. It was Feng Yuanbiao's arrival that deprived Zhao Guangbian of his pretext for preventing the enemy from returning to Hejian.

Left with no other choice, Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, led his troops to Pingyuan County on the sixth day of the month, ceding Dezhou to Feng Yuanbiao, the governor of Jin, who had just arrived.

The seventh day of the month.

Ji Governor Zhao Guangbian dispatched General Xue Minzhong with 3,000 troops to Yucheng to support Cao Bianjiao and Lin Dengyou on the Qihe defense line in their battle against the Jurchens and to defend Qihe.

All of this was done to protect Jinan and prevent the Prince of De's fiefdom from being disturbed again, as it had been in the eleventh year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

In addition, Zhao Guangbian dispatched Zhou Yuji, the general in charge of suppressing bandits in Huaibei, to lead his elite cavalry to rush to the aid of Qingzhou Prefecture day and night. He also sent General Zhang Dengke as the rear guard, leading infantry to follow Zhou Yuji and advance on Qingzhou Prefecture.

At the same time, Liu Zhaoji, the general of Jizhou, was dispatched with more than 3,000 troops to advance towards Zouping, also to reinforce Qingzhou Prefecture.

On the other hand, having learned that a large Jurchen force was wreaking havoc in Yanzhou, and that Yanzhou was a crucial fiefdom for the Prince of Lu's lineage, Zhao Guangbian did not forget to write a letter to Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, urging him to rush to Yanzhou's aid and ensure the safety of the Prince of Lu's fiefdom from the Jurchen disturbance.

On the eighth day, Zhao Guangbian received another letter from Lu Fu Wang Yongji, saying that "Yanzhou is under siege and Lu is in dire need of help," and asked Ji Governor Zhao Guangbian to quickly send troops to relieve Yanzhou.

According to the imperial court's plan, Yanzhou Prefecture was the temporary post of Zhang Cheng, the Western Route Commander and Earl of Yongning; while he was mainly responsible for the defense of northern Shandong Province and the security of the De family in Jinan.

Although protecting the safety of the Lu vassal state was not Zhao Guangbian's responsibility, a seasoned official like him knew how to shirk responsibility and how to claim credit.

On that day, Zhao Guangbian dispatched Xiong Tingrui, the military commander of Xuanzhen, with two thousand troops to rush to Yanzhou to relieve the crisis of the Lu vassal state.

Zhao Guangbian's move was ruthless!

If the Prince of Lu was unharmed, Zhao Guangbian would certainly be credited for his rescue; and even if the Prince of Lu was in trouble, Zhao Guangbian promptly dispatched reinforcements to his aid after receiving the alarm, so he would bear no responsibility whatsoever.

Moreover, Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, had previously complained that Lin Dengyou and Xiong Tingrui were originally soldiers of the Xuanzhen Loyal Army, but were assigned to the Eastern Route under the command of Zhao Guangbian. Now, he could take this opportunity to send Xiong Tingrui's Xuanzhen Loyal Army back, so that the Earl of Yongning could no longer use this excuse to shirk responsibility.

In fact, Xiong Tingrui's force only had two thousand soldiers, and they were not particularly elite or skilled in battle. Even if they remained under Zhao Guangbian's command, they would not have been of much use.

Now that he can achieve three goals with one action through Xiong Tingrui, why wouldn't Zhao Guangbian be happy to do so?

…………

On the other side, in the Jining Prefecture battlefield, the scene was quite different.

On the sixth day, the Jurchens continued to gather troops and rushed to make siege equipment, showing that they were determined to break through the city of Jining. However, that night, several groups of Jurchens secretly moved away and their whereabouts were unknown.

Both Luo Rucai and Prefect Han Guangcang were completely unaware of this.

On the seventh day, the Jurchens launched attacks on the west and north sides of Jining City, focusing their efforts on the western city wall. However, their offensive was not as fierce as it had been on the fifth day.

Although the battle lasted all day, the casualties on both sides were not significant... (End of Chapter)