The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 197: Siege of Kaifeng, the reaction of the Jin Song emperor

The commander-in-chief died, and none of the remaining elite Jin troops surrendered, and were finally overwhelmed by the advancing blades of the heavy armored infantry.

"Someone, give him a proper burial." Guo Jing pointed at Wanyan Baisa's body.

Since we have won, we should give the other party a decent show. Wanyan Baisa's ability should not be underestimated. He was able to organize a breakout even when he was trapped internally and externally and the army was demoralized. He was much stronger than the Jin army generals he had encountered before.

Guo Jing is not a tyrannical person, and giving him a decent ending is also for the sake of seeing. At his point, his words and actions in public more or less reveal some meaning.

Giving the enemy a decent treatment can also indirectly appease the surrendering Jin army, it only takes a matter of words.

……

When Wanyan Baisa's flag appeared at the other two city gates, the Jin soldiers who were still fighting understood something when they saw the flag. Their morale dropped to zero and they simply dropped their weapons and surrendered without any resistance.

Immediately, Guo Jing led 10,000 elite troops into Luoyang and officially took over the city.

He first posted a notice to reassure the people, and then sent a large army to maintain order, clear out the ruffians and hooligans in the city, and crack down on lawlessness.

In times of war, there are many lawless people who take advantage of the situation. Sometimes the damage caused by these people is greater than that caused by the army. Especially now that there is no food in Luoyang City, the chaos has been exacerbated.

In the hall of the general's mansion.

Wang Shan bowed and reported, "General, our army suffered more than 8,000 casualties in this battle, and we killed 13,782 enemy soldiers and captured more than 30,000 people. There are still some remnants wandering around the countryside."

Guo Jing nodded, his eyes swept over him, "Don't worry about these few remaining soldiers, the villagers will take care of them. Pass on my military order to transfer half of the military rations in Luokou and return Luocang to the city. We must alleviate the food shortage in the city."

He discovered that Wang Shan was not only good at military affairs, but also had a lot of experience in government affairs. It was his idea that led the army to raid the warehouse, and the warehouse was successfully captured. After that, he arranged people to transport grain and fodder and there has never been any problem.

Therefore, Guo Jing transferred him to work by his side.

Without food, there will be no stability. This has been the case since ancient times. He accepted Luoyang and read the official documents. There were about 200,000 households in the entire Heluo Plain, including more than 70,000 households in Luoyang City, and the food gap was huge.

After the autumn harvest, the people's grain was collected as military rations, and part of it was stored in two large warehouses. So if they had no food, the government would forcibly requisition it without caring about their life or death.

After resting for half a month, a rough estimate was made, and it was found that more than 10,000 people in the city had starved to death due to lack of food. Fortunately, Guo Jing implemented work-for-relief and transferred military rations, which promptly alleviated the plight in Luoyang City and took control of the city.

Then, he did not leave. The army still rushed to attack the surrounding Jin army cities, while he stayed here to stabilize the people's hearts. Now, he rarely led the troops personally, and most of the time he served as the commander-in-chief.

If he really had to go into battle himself, the situation would be critical.

The fall of Luoyang brought about a chain reaction. When the surrounding counties learned the news, they had already changed their flags to the Han army and did not even think of resisting. All the counties centered on Luoyang fell under the control of the Han army.

During this month, Mu Huali passed through Zhending Prefecture and headed straight for Henan, conquering Tang and Dengzhou. All the food and grass stored by the Jin Dynasty in Dengzhou were taken away by the Mongolian army. Then, the Mongolian troops divided into two routes, one attacking Huazhou and the other attacking Mengjin, Heyang and other places. As long as there was a breakthrough, the Mongolian army would directly cross the river and surround Kaifeng.

Nearly half of the soldiers and civilians in Kaifeng City had left in the past month. Mu Huali put too much pressure on the Jin army, forcing them to withdraw a large army to garrison in the city.

There are strategies for retreat. The most important thing for the Jin Kingdom now is not to keep Kaifeng, but to plunder as many people as possible from Henan and enrich Huainan and other places with wealth.

After learning of Mu Huali's army's movements, Guo Jing rested for half a month and then dispatched generals Lu Guanying, Shi Bingzhi, Shi Tianni, Wang Shan, Zhang Rou and others to lead 50,000 troops to capture various states in Henan, heading straight for Kaifeng, forming a pincer attack with Mu Huali.

Once the two sides join forces, Kaifeng will definitely not be able to resist.

……

As day and night change, the sky is filled with clouds.

The rain in late autumn is chilling and desolate. The Southern Song Dynasty palace is filled with a strong smell of medicine. The Song Emperor Zhao Kuo is ill.

Ever since he came back from his Taoist practice at Mount Longhu, he fell ill after learning about the evil deeds committed by the Jin army in Lin'an. However, the Song Dynasty court continued to operate in an orderly manner and continued to function without him.

In front of the dragon bed, a young man was feeding medicine to Zhao Kuo. At this time, Zhao Kuo looked very sick. His originally plump face had become thinner, his bones were faintly visible, and his skin was pale.

It seemed that the illness had opened Zhao Kuo's mind. He was unusually concerned about the situation in the north. "Xun'er, how is the war in the north going?"

The young man was the current crown prince of the Song Dynasty, Prince Rong Zhao Xun. His eyebrows and eyes were very similar to Zhao Kuo, but he looked weak. He was stunned for a moment, then he spoke, "Father, I have heard the news from the Political Affairs Hall. The Mongols in the north are fighting with the Jin people. Guanzhong has fallen. Chang'an was captured by Han Hou Guo Jing, who is currently besieging Luoyang. The Mongolian Grand Tutor Wang Mu Huali has already captured Zhending Prefecture and is fighting with the Jin people in Henan."

"According to the prime minister, it won't be long before the two Mongolian armies join forces and head straight for Kaifeng, and it will be difficult for the Jin army to defend it." The words were serious and straightforward.

Hearing the word Kaifeng, Zhao Kuo's eyes dimmed and he muttered to himself, "Kaifeng..."

Since the migration to the south, most of the emperors of the Song Dynasty were mediocre. Only Song Xiaozong was acceptable. The rest of them basically lost power, ruled the country with inaction, and were controlled by powerful ministers.

In the past, Zhao Kuo was only concerned with playing, and he didn't care about the affairs of the court. He seldom had his own opinions and will. Now, the Song Dynasty was driven from Lin'an to Nanning Prefecture by the Jin Kingdom, and he was finally shocked, but it seems too late now.

"Did they say how to deal with the Jin Kingdom?"

Zhao Xun put down the medicine bowl, wiped the corner of Zhao Kuo's mouth, and replied, "The prime ministers said that they would send an envoy to Mongolia, detour to Chang'an via Shu, meet with the northern Grand Tutor King Mu Huali, and revise the alliance between Mongolia and the Song Dynasty."

Hearing this, Zhao Kuo sighed, "Alas, the Jin Kingdom was badly damaged, but our Song Dynasty suffered defeat after defeat. We should not have violated the alliance and stopped paying tribute, which led to the Jin people's attack."

At this point, he still didn't understand why the Jin Kingdom attacked the Southern Song Dynasty, and he didn't know that the annual tribute was just an excuse.

When Zhao Xun heard this, he opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

After taking the medicine, Zhao Kuo looked much better. "The only way to stabilize the situation now is to rely on the power of Mongolia. You pass on my order. We must form an alliance with Mongolia, whether it is annual tribute or an alliance. We must stabilize the situation and prevent the Jin Kingdom from moving south again."

Zhao Xun nodded hurriedly, "I saved it, and I will inform the prime ministers tomorrow."

……

In December, heavy snow fell and Mu Huali's troops were hindered, so they had to stop attacking the city.

At this critical moment, Guo Jing sent reinforcements. Shi Tianni and his son arrived with 10,000 troops and hundreds of catapults to help Mu Huali attack the city. Five days later, Huazhou City was broken, and the Mongolian army entered the city, quickly swept the surrounding towns, and stabilized the situation.

The detachment sent by Guo Jing also captured Weizhou and took the gateway to Kaifeng.

The reason for waiting until late autumn to send out troops was to wait for the arrival of winter. The Yellow River was not a natural barrier because it would freeze in winter. By then, the surface of the Yellow River would be flat and both cavalry and infantry could pass through.

Upon learning that Weizhou had been captured, Guo Jing left 20,000 troops to garrison Luoyang and led 50,000 elite troops to Weizhou to prepare to join forces with Mu Huali.

In mid-December, Guo Jing arrived in Huazhou and joined forces with Mu Huali. The two sides combined their 300,000 troops and crossed the Yellow River together.

On the ice, the army formation that covered the sky and the sun kept moving forward, with no end in sight.

The Jin soldiers' spies saw this scene from afar and were so frightened that they quickly turned their horses around and went back to report the news.

It took the army three full days to cross the Yellow River.

During these three days, they did not launch a siege, but instead set up camp directly outside Kaifeng City. The Jin soldiers did not even dare to look at them and could only hide on the city wall and observe.

There were only 300,000 soldiers and civilians left in Kaifeng City, and the rest had all moved away. When they learned that Mongolia had captured Huazhou, they stopped migrating, fortified their cities, and gathered food and supplies.

Although the Jin court had given up Kaifeng, such a big city could not be given to the Jin people for nothing.

In the original history of time and space, the Mongols had to wait until Genghis Khan died and Ogedei came to power before they could capture Kaifeng. That was more than ten years later. The Jin army had suffered several defeats at that time and had no troops left to defend the city, so it was eventually broken.

But now this time has been advanced by more than ten years. Guo Jing has emerged as a rising star and attacked the Jin people with the help of Mongolia. He has continuously weakened the Jin Dynasty, causing most of the northern region to fall into the hands of Mongolia. The Jin Dynasty could hardly gain a foothold in Henan and had to seek survival.

Historically, the Mongolian attack on Kaifeng encountered strong resistance, but now the situation of the Jin Dynasty is not as critical as it was back then, so the strength of the resistance is naturally not that strong.

……

For people walking on this vast land, identity is always a subtle and sensitive word.

The capital of the Jin Dynasty, Jiankang.

After taking over Jiangnan, Wanyan Honglie ordered the demolition of the Song Dynasty imperial city in Lin'an and moved it to Jiankang. In history, many regimes have been established here, the most recent of which was the Southern Tang during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Hundreds of years passed, and the former imperial city of Southern Tang had become a ruin, with palaces and attics dilapidated and dilapidated. Wanyan Honglie did not start a large-scale construction at this juncture, but simply moved the imperial city of Lin'an directly over.

Anyway, the two places are very close to each other, so as long as we get the building materials, we can build a palace on the basis of the original Jiankang Imperial City, which would be very quick.

The relocation of the capital of the Jin Dynasty was proceeding in an orderly manner. Upon learning that Guo Jing had taken Luoyang, Mu Huali had taken Zhending, Tangzhou and other places, Wanyan Honglie was still shocked and felt a wave of fear.

Fortunately, we listened to that man's advice and led the army south, otherwise the situation in Kaifeng today would be the situation that the Jin Kingdom would face in the future.

Without the Three Jins and Chang'an, Henan would have no barrier to rely on and would not be able to hold on at all. Henan and Hebei are flat and compared to the Three Jins and Guanzhong, it can be said that there is no strategic location to defend.

It was only two months before the Mongolian army besieged Kaifeng.

Wanyan Honglie fell ill due to his worry. After he fell ill, he ordered the crown prince to act as regent and handle government affairs.

If you compare goods, you will have to throw them away, if you compare people with others, you will die.

In Wanyan Honglie's eyes, Yang Kang has made a lot of progress over the years, but he is still far behind Guo Jing in the north. The two are of similar age, but Guo Jing has built up such a great foundation, while Yang Kang's Prince's Eastern Palace is still not up to standard.

Wanyan Honglie treated Yang Kang completely as his own son, even though he was not his biological son.

In a Buddhist temple deep in the palace, a tall Buddha statue stood majestically. A white-haired woman was kneeling in front of the statue, twirling Buddhist beads and striking a wooden fish. The woman had kind eyes and a look full of compassion, and the beauty of her youth could be vaguely seen in her eyes.

Outside the Buddhist temple, Yang Kang walked in with steady steps. When he saw the figure inside the temple, a trace of fluctuation flashed in his eyes, "Mother, I'm here to see you."

This woman was Bao Xiruo. After returning from Mount Zhongnan, Bao Xiruo was placed under house arrest in the palace and was not allowed to go out. Even though Wanyan Honglie did not know what happened between her and Yang Tiexin, he could guess.

But in the end, he did not abandon her because of their old relationship, but she also lost her freedom.

After that, Bao Xiruo sat in front of the green lamp and ancient Buddha, closing her eyes and chanting scriptures.

After Wanyan Honglie ascended the throne, Bao Xiruo was deposed and did not even have the title of concubine.

There are all kinds of people in life, and each of them has a different identity throughout their lives. What they say and do must be consistent with their identity. Anything beyond that is a transgression.

There is no doubt that Bao Xiruo is just the daughter of a scholar. Her experience and kindness do not make her worthy of the position of queen. Wanyan Honglie did this to protect her, so she can live peacefully now.

Yang Kang's position as the crown prince was her greatest guarantee. Even if Wanyan Honglie no longer loved her and was no longer as close to her as before, the queen and concubines in the palace did not dare to do anything to her for Yang Kang's sake.

This is what is called a mother's status depends on her son.

Yang Kang looked at the woman in front of him with indescribable complexity in his eyes. He knew that his biological father was still in Mount Zhongnan, and his mother still missed that man, but now, all this was over.

From now on, they will never meet again.

After Wanyan Honglie became emperor, the identities of the two had become completely different. They were different worlds. Identity drew a circle on a person's life trajectory. The things a person did inside it might be as brilliant as fireworks, or as pleasing to the eye as blooming flowers, but there would always be people who walked out of one circle and stepped into another to do different things.

Bao Xiruo's life came to an abrupt end the moment she stepped into Wanyan Honglie's circle, and she could never get out of it.

Yang Kang came and sat down next to Bao Xiruo and talked to her for a long time, but Bao Xiruo did not respond to him from beginning to end. After half an hour, he got up and left.

After a while, a figure appeared in front of Wanyan Honglie's bed and was reporting something to him. When he heard the news, an inexplicable smile appeared on his face.

(End of this chapter)