Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 363 From now on, I am the Tang Dynasty, and you are still the Khitan!

Inside the Jin army camp, smoke and fire were already everywhere.

The scattered vassal servants were running all over the mountains and fields. There were forests to the southeast and forests to the northeast. They just wanted to go into those forests first to hide, and then see what would happen next...

Wanyan Zongbi was dismounting to fight to the death. Before him stood six or seven thousand Song soldiers, their armor like a forest, and he was fighting a very tough battle. Beneath his feet lay mountains of corpses and seas of blood...

North of Linhuang Prefecture.

To the south, Su Wu was heading towards the shore, and the tide was surging in like a vast, overwhelming force...

Su Wu requests battle!

Around Wanyan Zongwang, calls for battle rose and fell.

Wanyan Zongwang remained silent, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

Su Wu was overjoyed. The Jurchens hadn't moved or left, so they were probably really going to fight!

Su Wu even quickened his pace slightly, but he was still not at the point of charge. It would definitely be a tough battle, and horsepower was too important, so he had to conserve it.

Su Wu even sensed an indescribable restlessness among the Jurchen cavalry in the north, as if they were really about to charge over. Even though there were only more than 20,000 Jurchen cavalrymen, they still had an oppressive aura in front of them.

Su Wu thought it was time to fight to the death again. Although he seemed to be used to it rationally, his heart was pounding uncontrollably. He couldn't shake off the tension. Su Wu kept trying to regulate his breathing, knowing that once the fight started, he would just have to endure it...

He squeezed the long armor-piercing spike in his hand, his palms sweating. Su Wu looked around and saw that all the cavalrymen around him had stern faces.

Humans are such creatures; when adrenaline surges, our hearts pound uncontrollably, we sweat profusely, and our muscles tremble slightly.

But humanity doesn't retreat; it keeps moving forward.

That's human courage!

They're here; it's time for battle!

Everyone seemed to know that war was imminent!
suddenly!

The Jurchens began to move; the leading group of knights began...

They began to turn east, and Su Wu stared intently, as if...

They were indeed heading east. As soon as the Jurchens at the front moved, the rest of the troops followed suit, making a large-scale turn and heading east.

Su Wu suddenly felt disappointed and dejected. Why aren't they fighting again? Aren't they going to fight?

Just how conservative could Wanyan Zongwang be?

"Your Majesty, the Jurchens are likely to flee!" This was Liu Zhengyan's cry.

Su Wu said nothing, only one word: "Chase!"

Su Wu was the first to spur his horse on, heading east and north to catch up as quickly as possible. Now that things had come to this, Su Wu was determined to start this decisive battle!

Su Wu knew at this moment that although the morale of his troops had been declining in recent days, the morale of the Jurchen troops was also declining. He had to fight. If he could win today's battle, the great affairs of the world would be resolved.

If this battle doesn't start today, there will be countless troubles to come. The next large-scale attack won't be a matter of a short time. We must maintain a defensive posture, guarding the border for thousands of miles, and guarding against thieves every day.

The Jurchens were indeed heading east. As soon as Su Wu's horse started moving, the Jurchen horses started moving as well, and the two armies were already running back and forth.

Surrounding Wanyan Zongwang, there were countless disappointed and disheartened people. Their eyes kept looking at Wanyan Zongwang, filled not only with resentment but also with a hint of indignation!
Wanyan Zongwang rode off, determined to check on the situation at the eastern camp...

Whether the camp can still be saved depends on whether Wanyan Zongbi has achieved a great victory. If the camp is still intact, and there are still provisions and supplies, and the servants and vassals can still be gathered, then we can enter the camp and start a stalemate again, allowing Su Wu to cross the trenches and walls to attack.

Wanyan Zongwang looked at the disappointed and dejected people around him. He had so many things to say that he couldn't explain them all at once.

This defeat is perhaps acceptable, at least much more acceptable than the complete loss of our elite troops.

The Song people will not be able to stay here for long. Once they take Linhuang Prefecture, they can make a comeback in the future.

The Great Jin Jurchens now possess vast territory, stretching from mountains and forests to plains, with abundant resources. Although their population has decreased, the Great Jin still has hundreds of thousands of people in many prefectures outside the Great Wall.

Within the mountains and forests, there are countless tribes, some known and some unknown, that can be plundered and captured. To the east, there are grassland tribes to raid; to the west, there are Goryeo tribes to plunder; and to the south, there are Song people—opportunities to plunder them as well…

There is still room for development, room for further development. The newly acquired territory can be further digested, and the war potential can be further squeezed out.

There's still a chance!
So, this time, we can be patient and put it off a little longer...

Even if it's a decisive battle, we should prepare further, utilize all available resources, and then gamble on the future of the Jurchen people...

Wanyan Zongwang's mind was filled with many thoughts...

Anyway, he made up his mind. Not now. It would be too risky now. Whether he won or lost, the situation would be even more difficult.

Head east, run fast, from east to west, take a look around the entire camp from the side...

Upon seeing it, Wanyan Zongwang's expression grew even more solemn. Everywhere he looked, everything was shrouded in smoke and fire; it seemed this camp was truly inaccessible...

Wanyan Zongwang made a quick decision at this moment, spurring his horse northward, heading straight north, intending to take Su Wu's main force away from the battlefield.

They hoped that Wanyan Zongbi could retreat safely and leave behind more troops.

Su Wu chased after him, and as he chased, he suddenly said, "Did they really escape?"

Su Wu rationally understood why Wanyan Zongwang had made this choice, but emotionally he was still surprised. Why would the powerful Jurchens do this?
Su Wu shouted loudly, "Liu Zhengyan, lead your troops and the various tribes of the grasslands to break away from the flank and turn back to support Lu Da and Yue Fei!"

"Understood!" Liu Zhengyan replied immediately, then began to turn slightly to the side, and also began to have the soldiers behind him quickly break away, spreading the military orders along the side of the formation.

Su Wu continued the pursuit; he had to keep chasing Wanyan Zongwang far away. Since that was the case, he had to drive him far away to prevent any unforeseen events.

On Wanyan Zongwang's side, a troop of fast cavalry had already sped away, also sending orders to Wanyan Zongbi to leave, not to linger in the battle, and to find a way to escape.

In fact, Wanyan Zongbi was paying attention. He could see Wanyan Zongwang heading straight north, and he could even feel the thunderous sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground, indicating which way the battle was going. He knew perfectly well that the war was about to end.

Wanyan Zongbi, who was still fighting in the battle, was already feeling extremely depressed. The Great Jin Jurchen had been fighting for ten years since Wanyan Aguda started his rebellion. When had they ever experienced such a crushing defeat and loss?

These ten years were the decade in which Wanyan Zongbi grew from a child into a strong and upright man. During these ten years, he felt extremely honored, and these honors shaped his worldview, moral values, and outlook on life...

In a short time, many of them collapsed.

Gritting his teeth, Wanyan Zongbi put away the hammer that had already knocked down countless Song soldiers. He paused slightly and began to retreat, disappearing into the crowd. He needed to find someone to take charge and command the rearguard. He had to lead more of his brothers to retreat.

His herd of horses was crowding around the rear camp tents. He had to mount his horse, rush out of the rear camp gate, and head into the open field to go home!

If we don't leave now, it will be too late. Once the main force of the Song army turns back, there will be no way to escape...

The more one person leaves, the more fighting power and hope the Great Jin will have in the future.

Wanyan Zongbi also looked up at the city to the west, the former capital and ancestral home of the Khitan people, which had now become the gate to the prison of the Jin Dynasty...

go!
Wanyan Zongbi was shouting everywhere, which was also issuing military orders!
Even after Wanyan Zongbi issued his military orders, the Jurchens did not collapse or scatter; in fact, they remained quite orderly, truly a fine army!
He turned back, mounted his horse, straightened it, and charged toward the rear gate of the camp.

The moment they charged out, Song cavalrymen in the distance to the north turned back, seemingly to intercept Wanyan Zongbi.

Wanyan Zongbi was not flustered. Instead, he looked back to see if the troops behind him had successfully left the camp.

As the cavalry filed out, Wanyan Zongbi turned his head to look north, seemingly subconsciously trying to find a familiar figure among them.

I wonder if it's him, His Highness Prince Yan of the Great Song Dynasty, Privy Councilor, Su Wu, Su Ziqing!
Wanyan Zongbi, whose Jurchen name was "Wuzhu," was overwhelmed with complex emotions, a mixture of feelings that were difficult to describe...

Let’s go and walk…

Wanyan Zongbi suddenly spurred his horse, and behind him, at least a thousand soldiers were still fighting to the death to cover the rear...

Wanyan Zongbi didn't want to see Su Wu again. He didn't know what kind of fear he felt, but he never wanted to see him again in his life.

On the city wall of Linhuang Prefecture, the Khan of the Shiwei, King Morgen of the Shiwei, was jumping for joy, tears streaming down his face, shouting repeatedly, "Victory! Victory! Linhuang Prefecture is back!"

Countless Khitans were everywhere in the city, running and searching for Jurchens, men and women, young and old...

We have to find them all!
The Jurchens killed the Khitans in the past, and the Khitans will kill the Jurchens in the same way today!

Although there weren't many Jurchens within the city, such hatred meant that even the most thoroughly dead Jurchens deserved to be torn to pieces again, otherwise it wouldn't be enough to quell their anger.

How could the Khitans not be a proud people? They were proud for at least two or three hundred years, so why did they suffer such humiliation?

Historically, even when they had already suffered a crushing defeat, the Khitans could still raise their arms and call upon 50,000 Khitan men to rise up in unison and fight the Jurchens to the last drop of blood.

Just like today, the base of the city wall is piled with the corpses of Khitans who died while climbing it, and the inner and outer city walls of Linhuang Prefecture have finally been breached.

How could the Khitans not be overjoyed?

Every brick and piece of wood in Linhuang Prefecture represents the foundation laid by their ancestors. Through arduous pioneering efforts, they emerged from the mountains and forests, interacted with numerous nomadic tribes, served on the front lines of the former Tang Dynasty, shared glory with the Tang, and eventually established the vast Liao Empire...

They're back!
Running around the streets of Linhuangfu is an unparalleled happiness!

Every Jurchen woman dragged from that luxurious mansion was taken to the street to be hacked and killed, their blood drained to wash away the humiliation of this city!

The Khitans in history did accomplish this. Although almost all 50,000 Khitans were killed or wounded in the end, they did capture the city and do this!

Although the name of the Khitan people eventually disappeared into the long river of history, their descendants are actually among the Han people.

Historically, after the Mongol Yuan dynasty unified the world, they directly classified the Khitans as Han Chinese. In the eyes of the Mongols, the Khitans and Han Chinese were no different; their customs, architecture, household items, clothing styles, and even the scripts they used and the words they spoke were largely the same.

Therefore, under Mongol rule, people were divided into different classes, and the Khitans were directly classified as Han Chinese.

The war is coming to an end...

It was the excited footsteps and cries of the people in Linhuang Prefecture, who were searching everywhere for the last Jurchen.

It was the last time a hammer struck iron armor and sparks flew in the Jin army camp.

It was the last few crackling sounds from the burning wooden pole amidst the fireworks.

It was still Su Wu's slow footsteps returning...

They were also the slaves of countless Jurchens who rushed out of the mountains and forests, weeping with joy...

The war has ended...

A young Khitan nobleman named Saba emerged from the mountains and ran across the wilderness. His steps were swift, and after a few steps he would jump up and swing his fists a few times... He was not dead!
He was rushing toward the Jin army camp where the smoke was slowly dying down. He wanted to find Yelü Yudu and tell him that he was a hero of the Khitan!

He wanted to tell him face to face, to say it loudly: "I knew it! The commander-in-chief is definitely not a traitor to the Khitan!"

Yelü Yudu saw him, and they embraced and left. Xiao Saba called out, and Yelü Yudu was also shedding tears...

"Let's go and pay our respects to the Prince of Yan of the Great Song Dynasty!" Yelü Yudu knew what to do.

Where is the Prince of Yan?
He had just entered the city of Linhuang Prefecture, and he was curious and wanted to see what was going on...

This city was unremarkable; in fact, it seemed quite familiar, no different from the city of the Prince of Yan, and no different from the city of the Song Dynasty.

In schools, Confucius is worshipped; in temples, Buddha is enshrined; and in Taoist temples, the Three Pure Ones are revered.

It's really no different...

But Su Wu was very pleased to see this!
The Prince of Yan rode through the city on horseback, and everywhere there were Khitan warriors kneeling in submission. Most of them didn't know how to address him, but they knew that the Prince of Yan of the Great Song Dynasty had arrived, so they had to kneel down beside him!

No matter how vicious the behavior or expression was just now.

At this moment, everyone looked on with reverence!
Su Wu raised his hand: "Get up, everyone, and go about your business!"

He has said this countless times along the way!
Many Khitans could not understand the language, but there were also a great many who could understand Chinese.

Many people started to rise up, and many more followed suit.

Then, all I saw were smiling faces...

Su Wu smiled, nodded, looked around, and slightly raised his hand in greeting.

There was also the imperial palace, the imperial palace in the Linhuang Prefecture of Shangjing. Su Wu rode in, but the imperial palace was not large, far smaller than the one in Yanjing City.

After Su Wu went inside, he inexplicably dismounted and wandered around looking at the place. There was not much damage. The Jurchens had not really destroyed the place, and the Khitans would not destroy it again when they returned.

However, there were many corpses and bloodstains along the way, especially many women's corpses. It was clear that when the city fell, many women of the Jurchen noble family gathered here to hide.

Xu Zhen had not committed any adultery; he had only committed murder. At least, according to Su Wu, the women's corpses were still neatly dressed...

As you continue onward, the ruins of a dilapidated palace come into view, with collapsed buildings and traces of a fire.

Su Wu guessed that this was the true ancestral temple of the Khitan, and it must have been burned down like this by the Jurchens!
At this moment, Yelü Yanxi, the emperor of the Khitan, was kneeling and crawling in front of Wanyan Aguda's tomb.

For a moment, Su Wu stood there, feeling a mix of emotions. There was someone who should have climbed the mountain with his son and Yelü Yanxi!
That man, however, still sits upright in Tokyo, acting arrogantly and feeling that he is about to achieve a great victory.

Su Wu was not angry; he merely sighed slightly and shook his head…

They arrived, Yelü Yudu and Xiao Saba rode in on horseback, galloping from outside the palace into the palace.

He bowed deeply before Su Wu!
Su Wu remained silent, only gazing at the Khitan ancestral temple.

Yelü Yudu watched, and Xiao Saba watched; both of them shed tears.

Yelü Yudu, who was well-versed in human relationships, said, "Your Highness, I thank you for avenging our Khitan!"

Su Wu waved his hand, turned his gaze away, looked at the two men bowing before him, and said succinctly, "From now on, I am the Tang Dynasty, and you are still the Khitan!"

Xiao Saba didn't understand for a moment, but Yelü Yudu certainly did, and he knelt on one knee: "My Khitan people swear to serve the Great King from this day forward!"

He could speak, and Yelü Yudu truly understood.

Saba followed suit, kneeling on one knee and saying, "I am willing to serve the King!"

Su Wu nodded: "Go, tidy up this ancestral temple. How glorious the Khitan were in the past! In the future, we should continue to be glorious. We still need a temple to worship our ancestors... In the past, you and I were brothers. From now on, the Khitan and the Han are one. The Khitan is the Han!"

Yelü Yudu knelt on one knee and bowed his head with his hands clasped in a gesture of respect. This gesture originated in the Tang Dynasty, was also used in the Song Dynasty, and was further extended to the Liao Dynasty.

The Liao dynasty claimed legitimacy by recognizing the Tang dynasty as its legitimate successor. Although this might be seen as self-aggrandizement, they genuinely considered themselves the heirs of the Tang dynasty.

May we be born in China for generations to come!

My work on cultural relics is no different from that of the Chinese.

This was the Liao Dynasty of the Khitan! Even thousands of miles away in Central Asia, people truly regarded the Liao Dynasty as China.

Today, Su Wu is resolving this matter; it's truly his last hurdle.

Yelü Yudu, with his hands clasped in prayer, seemed to say, "If Your Majesty does not abandon us, our Khitan will naturally become one family with the Han!"

Xiao Sa was too young at eight years old and still somewhat confused, so he just kept repeating, "Now, thanks to the King's great kindness, we will definitely be one family from now on, without distinction between us!"

Su Wu nodded and smiled, saying, "Now that you've won back this city, your homeland, you can't afford to lose it again!"

While Yelü Yudu was still organizing his thoughts, Saba excitedly exclaimed, "We will definitely not lose it again! This place will be the home of the Khitan people for generations to come, and also the home of the Han people!"

"Haha..." Su Wu took two steps forward, reached out and touched Sa Ba's head, patting it lightly twice: "You did well this time, you deserve a great merit. I'll give you an official position, the Deputy Commander of the Linhuang Prefecture's Army, and I'll also find you a teacher, that Wu Yuhou. From now on, you will study under him. Are you willing?"

"I am willing, thank you, Your Majesty!" Xiao Sa Ba was extremely excited, feeling honored, and looked at Su Wu with eager eyes.

Su Wu gently rubbed the back of Sa Ba's head a few more times, then withdrew his hand and looked at Yelü Yudu, saying in one sentence: "You have more than 20,000 men under your command. Leave 10,000 here and take more than 10,000 of them with you. They will be under my command. You will not lack money, food, military pay, weapons, or armor..."

"Yes, sir!" Yelü Yudu said, clasping his hands in agreement.

Su Wu stepped forward, helped Yelü Yudu up, and slowly said, "We must fight again, we must come again, we must completely defeat the Jurchens, only then can the world be unified and peace be shared!"

Yelü Yudu nodded, clearly also looking forward to it. If the Jurchens were not all killed, the humiliation of the Khitan people would never be washed away...

"I'm leaving, you guys pack up..." Su Wu turned around and headed out of the imperial city, then out of the city, back to camp.

There are still many things to do in the camp. This time, there have been countless deaths and injuries. As for the compensation and rewards, we must do a good job.

Wu Yong and the others were also busy. One task was to count the merits of the meritorious officials. They also had to register and manage the numerous female servants and vassals who had come to join them.

Who was the military commander of Linhuang Prefecture? Needless to say, it was Wu Jie. Wu Jie was skilled in both fierce battles and defense; this is a settled matter.

This city should be defended by Wu Jie, and it will be besieged by the Jurchen army in the future. It will be difficult to conquer in a long battle.

To the north lies the former Northwest Pacification Commission of the Liao Dynasty, now the Northern Protectorate of the Song Dynasty. Su Wu had long ago said that Yue Fei was the first Protector-General of the Northern Protectorate.

If the Jurchens come from the west and war breaks out again, Yue Fei will lead 10,000 Song cavalry, along with troops from various tribes, to go east first to support Wu Jie.

Normally, Yue Fei should be stationed in the very center of the grasslands to intimidate the various tribes and prevent any tribe from becoming too powerful.

These were all things that Su Wu had already planned out.

Transporting money, food, and supplies to these 10,000 people from Datong should not be a huge burden, given the help from the tribes along the way. They can also use the money to buy supplies from the surrounding tribes as a supplement.

We also need to formally do business with the various tribes of the grasslands. Apart from ironware, we can supply all other materials, at least for the time being.

We must also be vigilant in preventing smuggling. As long as the state apparatus does not malfunction, smuggling can be controlled.

There's no need to control it for too long. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, or even twenty or thirty years, the nomadic tribes of the grasslands will no longer be a major threat to the Central Plains.

It refers to firearms.

I wonder how Ling Zhen is doing with his job...

Su Wu's mind was racing, his thoughts seemingly never stopping...

Upon entering the camp, the weary soldiers, who were resting everywhere, rose to greet Su Wu as soon as his horse arrived.

Their smiling faces conveyed a sense of honesty and kindness.

A thunderous roar erupted: "The King of Yan is mighty!"

"The Prince of Yan is mighty!"

Su Wu walked along the way, looking around and constantly paying his respects, until he reached the central command tent. Even after entering the tent, the shouts continued.

Inside the main tent, everyone was busy, extremely busy...

Su Wu didn't interrupt. Only one person wasn't in a hurry. He excitedly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Highness is truly a war god descended to earth, invincible in battle and unconquerable in attack!"

The speaker was Xuanzan, who had come from Tokyo for the second time. He still had the emperor's edict ordering the second withdrawal of troops tied to his waist.

"Sit down..." Su Wu nodded, also looking quite exhausted.

Xuan Zan brought over a folding chair, which was actually a small stool, and sat down not far in front of Su Wu. He took the imperial edict off his waist and presented it to Su Wu with both hands.

Su Wu took it, opened it himself, and read it. The contents were nothing special, but the tone was extremely stern, even accusing Su Wu of disobeying the imperial decree, which was a rebellious act, disloyal and unjust!
Su Wu sighed and placed the imperial edict on the small table in front of him.

Xuan Zan said, "Your Highness, I will return immediately and report this great victory to Tokyo. This will allow the Emperor and all the ministers to know that Your Highness's military strategy was flawless! The Jurchen army numbers in the hundreds of thousands. Only by suffering another defeat can we deter them. With Linhuang Prefecture in hand, we can better control the Jurchens! Your Highness's strategy is the best possible one! This great victory is commendable!"

Su Wu waved his hand: "Then you may go!"

This news needs to be taken back by Xuanzan so that it will become a topic of discussion in Tokyo again...

Xuan Zan was unaware of the affairs of the court, let alone the emperor's plans, and at this moment, he was only thinking of Su Wu's best interests...

Xuan Zan was extremely excited, rose and bowed, saying, "This humble official is leaving now!"

After Xuan Zan finished speaking, he turned around excitedly and hurried away. He was not tired at all and was not afraid at all. The ugly prince was overwhelmed with emotion and felt honored!
At the gate, the Shiwei King, Morgen, arrived again, and he was extremely excited...

With the arrival of Morgen, came Qidaili, Tielali, Dunbinai, Hulubazeng...

Upon entering, he immediately clutched his chest, bowed deeply, and even knelt down on the spot, saying, "I am guilty, I am guilty! Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

He is guilty; he had even cursed Su Wu before…

And Tie Lali also said, "Even a villain like me is guilty..."

He wasn't really guilty, because while he didn't dare to say it aloud, he was thinking a lot.

Su Wu chuckled: "Get up and speak! Everyone, find a chair and come sit down!"

(Brothers, 6500, goodnight! See you tomorrow... Next, let's reorganize the land!)

(End of this chapter)