Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 840: The Proud Young Master
Sizhou is the border between Song and Jin.

A small-scale conflict broke out between the Song army in the eastern route of Huainan and the Jin army stationed in Hong County.

Due to the current situation between the Song and Jin countries, the Song and Jin armies were in a tense confrontation, and small-scale battles often broke out between the two sides.

However, battles of this scale are controllable, and are basically based on disgusting people and small-scale destruction, and will not lead to a full-scale conflict.

October is the golden autumn and it is the harvest season.

However, due to a series of previous battles between the two sides, the junction area between the two sides has become a ruin.

The villages and towns were in ruins, the people were displaced, the land was left idle and there was no harvest to speak of.

Therefore, the conflict between the two sides seemed to be a deliberate act of retaliation by the local military.

Both sides often engage in such small conflicts.

The active party attacks and conflicts, while the passive party retreats back to the city.

Wait for an opportunity and the attacked party will seek justice, and repeat this process over and over again.

However, this time, the Jin army that retreated back to Hong County did not expect that after a conflict, when they closed the city gates and allowed the Song army outside the city to shout and curse, a 3,000-strong Song cavalry was quietly entering the heart of the Jin Kingdom.

In this small-scale conflict, the highest commander of both sides should be at most a general, or even just a general.

But in fact, the person on the front line in Sizhou at this time was Li Xianzhong, the commander-in-chief of all the imperial armies stationed in the East Huainan Road.

Li Xianzhong looked at Yang Yuan, who was dressed like an ordinary Song army cavalryman, with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, the Shandong Volunteer Army should be rescued. However, Your Majesty, it is really too dangerous for you to take the risk yourself..."

Yang Yuan is currently the highest-ranking king of a different surname in the Song State. If he died in the Jin State, the shock would be too great.

Although it is unfair to say this, the fact is that even if the Shandong volunteer army, which still has tens of thousands of people, is completely wiped out, the sensation it will cause is indeed not as great as that caused by Yang Yuan alone.

Yang Yuan smiled faintly.

The government did not want to send troops. In the government's eyes, the Shandong rebels were gone.

To the government, the Shandong rebels were like a rag that had been wiped with dirt. There was no need to wash it and they could just be thrown away.

With the emperor's attitude like this, how could the Song Dynasty possibly provide rescue unless he insisted on his own opinion and volunteered?

Because he volunteered, the government had no choice but to approve the rescue plan.

However, he didn't want to complain about these things in front of Li Xianzhong.

Li Xianzhong thought for a moment and said, "I know some news about the Jin Kingdom. Some of it is outdated, but some is still useful."

Li Xianzhong told Yang Yuan what he knew.

Li Xianzhong's experience is also legendary. He was originally a general of the Song Dynasty, but was later forced to surrender to the Jin Dynasty. After surrendering to the Jin Dynasty, he kidnapped the commander-in-chief and fled south to the Song Dynasty.

He was robbed on the way and had no choice but to flee to Western Xia, where he was taken in and reused. Later, he found an opportunity and returned to Song.

During this process, they also fought a fierce battle with the Xixia people, severely damaging the Xixia's ace Iron Harriers. Miss Shui Fu's father died in this battle.

General Li not only had a good understanding of the geography of the Jin Dynasty and the Jin army's combat methods, but he also had rich experience in guerrilla warfare, where his troops marched back and forth across enemy territory and avoided the strong and attacked the weak.

Yang Yuan listened carefully to Li Xianzhong's unreserved guerrilla experience in the enemy country, and bowed to him: "General Li, see you later."

Li Xianzhong clasped his fists and said, "I wish the King of Yan a safe journey and a great victory."

Yang Yuan mounted his horse, and Yang Shou, who had two hammers hanging from his victory hook, waved his big hand forward and shouted in a deep voice, "Go!"

Three thousand light cavalry, the sound of their hooves was like thunder.

The geese fly south, and people go north.

Li Xianzhong stood on his horse for a long time before returning.

……

Qufu, a tavern.

Although Shandong was now in the midst of war, the sage's hometown was still peaceful.

After all, it is the home of saints, and it is not a strategic location. No party is willing to provoke it easily, so this place has become a peaceful paradise in troubled times.

"Shopkeeper, please give me one dish of smoked tofu, one dish of mandarin duck chicken, one dish of home-roasted Yellow River carp, four bowls of donkey meat soup, and eight sesame cakes."

Just after noon, four customers came into the store.

A tall, handsome young man.

A pretty and charming lady, obviously the young lady.

One of them is petite and is a maid.

There was also a young man who looked sturdy and a little silly, and was obviously the young master's personal attendant.

They also had a carriage and servants, so they went to the lobby to eat.

The young master and his wife, accompanied by two personal attendants, entered the private room.

When all the dishes were served, the maid went to close the door. The young master stood up and pushed open the window facing the street.

Thinking of Kong Zheng who was now left in Shangjing City, Yang Yuan couldn't help laughing as he stood by the window.

"This is the hometown of the saint. I suddenly thought of Kong Zheng. The Kong family today is really divided into three families: South Kong, Middle Kong, and North Kong."

Originally, Zhao Gou fled south to rebuild the Song Dynasty, and the Southern Confucius faction followed him to the south, carrying the wooden statues of Confucius and his wife.

From then on, there were South Kong and North Kong in the Kong family.

However, Yang Yuan had instigated Wanyan Luti and Wanyan Dari to rebel, and abducted Kong Zheng, who was visiting Jinan Prefecture at the time, to the northeast, and established another Yansheng Duke.

As a result, the name of the North Hole was no longer consistent with its actual condition, so it became the Middle Hole.

Yang Yuan did not lead the three thousand light cavalry north.

The target was too big. Although they had concealed it from the Jin army in Hong County at the time, it was impossible for them to go all the way north without being noticed by the Jin Kingdom.

By then, his three thousand light cavalry will be a greater temptation to the Jin people than the tens of thousands of rebels.

Now, there are heavy troops gathered in the Central Plains. If we become the target of public criticism, the consequences will be obvious.

Therefore, after sneaking into the Jin Kingdom, Yang Yuan "will not obey the orders of the king when he is away from home."

Yang Yuan had already made second-hand arrangements and had begun to act.

He arranged three thousand light cavalry to harass the border areas of the Jin Kingdom along the Lianghuai route using the cavalry advantage, but did not go deep into the border areas.

It seems that the three thousand light cavalry did not dare to advance deep into the territory easily because the Jin Kingdom's defenses were too strict.

While near the Song Dynasty's border defense line, their 3,000 light cavalry could charge back and forth without having to worry about being trapped or having their retreat cut off.

Once they find something wrong, they can break out of the siege and return to the Song Dynasty at any time.

Yang Yuan, on the other hand, traveled light, bringing only Wu Youyao, Chunwu Xiaonai, and Yang Shou. The four of them disguised themselves and entered the heartland of the Jin Kingdom.

The people accompanying them in their carriages were all secret spies who were in the same boat and were all skilled in disguise.

The target of Yang Yuan and his group was relatively obvious, so the work of gathering information along the way was done by those seemingly inconspicuous coachmen, attendants and secret companions.

Halfway through the meal, news arrived.

"The latest news we received is that the main force of the Shandong rebels is now active in the Qingzhou area, and some of the remnants are scattered in other prefectures..."

As the scout reported, Tsubakiya Konai had taken off the gold bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet was hollow, and a silk map was hidden inside.

Xiao Nai spread it on the table. Yang Yuan carefully looked at the city and route map on it and instructed:
"Keep on getting the news. The more detailed the better. After dinner, we'll go to Confucius Mansion first, and then set off. We'll go to Tai'an first, then to Laiwu, bypass Jinan Prefecture, and go to Zibo..."

Xiaonai carefully wrote down the route, then rolled up the map again and put it back into the bracelet. When scholars come to Qufu, there is no reason not to go to the Confucius Temple to pay homage.

The Confucius Mansion, Confucius Temple and Confucius Cemetery are known as the "Three Confucius Temples" and are holy places in the hearts of scholars.

Yang Yuan is now pretending to be a scholar. If he goes to Qufu but does not go to the Confucius Temple, it would be very suspicious.

But in fact, Yang Yuan and his group have already attracted the attention of some people.

The situation in Shandong is not peaceful now, especially the Shandong rebel army, which is centered around the "Six Thousand Society" and quickly launched an uprising, igniting the war in Shandong, Henan and Hebei.

This incident had a great impact on Wanyan Liang, so the Jin Kingdom also strengthened the power of its secret spy system.

Originally, the Jin Dynasty's intelligence organization only had one department called "Xuefutu".

The Xuefutu was also responsible for the guarding of the Jin emperor and assassination missions in foreign countries.

Tang Daosheng would naturally not give up his power, but relying solely on the intelligence organization within "Xuefutu" was indeed a bit weak.

Therefore, the Jin Kingdom has now established three intelligence organizations, namely the "Neiyinchu", "Wanjisi" and "Fengsuiju", which are independent of each other and all report to the "Xuefutu".

The Internal Affairs Department is responsible for intelligence affairs within the Jin Dynasty.

After the Jin general Pucha Alibu, the defender of Jianxu Pass, surrendered to the Song Dynasty, Yang Yuan attacked Shaanxi again from Western Xia and successively instigated many Jin generals to rebel, especially the Han generals.

Therefore, the Jin Dynasty's "Inner Hidden Department" was mainly responsible for monitoring whether the Jin Dynasty's civil and military officials and even the gentry showed signs of disloyalty or rebellion.

The "Wanji Bureau" does not seem like an intelligence organization, although it has many intelligence personnel who specialize in stealing military and technical intelligence from the Song army.

Especially the firearms technology that has shined in the wars between the two countries in recent years.

However, it was also the Jin Dynasty's firearms research and development and manufacturing institution.

Because the Jin Dynasty attached great importance to this technology, it set it up in the secret spy agency.

The Jin Kingdom had previously captured a large number of firearms craftsmen from the Song Kingdom, and also seized the Song Dynasty's cannons and muskets on the battlefield in Shaanxi.

The Jin people were overjoyed and sent all these craftsmen and firearms to the "Wanji Bureau". Its current development efficiency and speed were not inferior to that of the Military Equipment Bureau in Lin'an of the Song Dynasty.

The "Fengsui Bureau" is responsible for gathering internal and external military intelligence and is an intelligence organization that specifically serves the military system.

Although the names are different, they lead to the same goal. The refinement of the three major intelligence systems of the Jin Dynasty and the three major intelligence systems of the Song Dynasty are surprisingly similar.

The one who noticed the behavior of Yang Yuan and his group was Su Bo Nian, a Pu Nian Chang from the "Inner Hidden Department" of the Jin Kingdom.

Pu Nian Chang was actually an official position borrowed from the Meng'an Mouke system, which was one level lower than Mouke (Bai Hu), with fifty people under his command, equivalent to a Du Tou of the Imperial City Administration of the Great Song Dynasty.

Su Bolunian discovered that Yang Yuan and his companions were traveling around as traveling scholars.

His name is Fucha Zongqing and his ancestral home is Yehe.

The upper class of the Jin Dynasty worshipped Han culture and imitated the habits of Han scholars in everything. This Fu Cha Zongqing had the financial strength and the pretense to go on so-called study tours everywhere.

However, now is a time of turmoil everywhere. Does this Master Fucha still have the leisure to travel around and study?

However, the other party was a member of a prominent Jurchen family and a nobleman. Su Bolunian was unsure of his identity, so he just watched him secretly and did not dare to act rashly.

After lunch, Yang Yuan changed into a dark brown Confucian robe, put on a Confucian cap, and drove to the Confucius Temple.

Su Bolunian, who was following and monitoring secretly, curled his lips in disdain.

Han scholars have to fast for several days before visiting the Confucius Temple, but this Master Fucha was enjoying a feast of meat and fish just now.

Isn't he too dishonest?
No, this car... this car is shaking a lot, there's something wrong.

Suddenly thinking of the beautiful young woman and the charming little maid beside Master Fucha, Su Bolunian seemed to understand something.

It's really... really insulting!

Although Lao Tzu is not a Confucian.

As a result, Su Bolunian was much less suspicious of Master Fucha.

It's so absurd, but it really has the style of a noble Jurchen man!

When Yang Yuan arrived at the Confucius Temple by car and got out of the car alone, he looked very solemn and dignified.

The Confucius Temple is managed by the Kong family and receives pilgrims from all over the country.

The world has been in turmoil recently, and fewer scholars have come to Qufu. When Yang Yuan entered the Confucius Temple, there were not many scholars there.

Under the guidance of others, Yang Yuan entered the temple from the main gate, passed through the Lingxing Gate, Dacheng Gate, etc., and finally went to the Dacheng Hall to burn incense.

Yang Yuan, the culprit who personally awakened Wanyan Luti and kidnapped Kong Zheng from Jinan to the northeast, thus creating a family of three Kongs, was extremely pious when he burned incense, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times.

Finally, Yang Yuan read out a ridiculous sacrificial oration that was written by Yang Shou. After finishing reading it, he threw it into the burning incense burner, then walked out of the Confucius Temple with a solemn expression and staggering steps.

After leaving the Confucius Temple, Yang Yuan got on a car and headed towards Tai'an.

He had been doing well before, but it was this step that aroused Su Bolunian's suspicion.

“From Qufu to Tai’an, if we set out in the morning and ride fast, we should arrive that evening.

This Master Fucha was riding in a horse-drawn carriage with his female relatives, and the speed was slower.

If we set out now, we won't even be halfway there. If we're just going on a study tour, why are you in such a hurry?"

"He is a Jurchen noble. If he goes to the Kong residence to ask for an audience, the Kong family will definitely give him face.

If the gift is more generous, maybe you can even be received by Duke Yansheng and have a cup of tea from the Confucius Mansion.

If he is so pretentious, why is he not interested in entering the Confucius Mansion?"

Su Bo Nian thought about it and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

A spy from the "Inner Hidden Department" couldn't help but ask, "Captain Pu Nian, should we stop them and interrogate them?"

Another spy objected: "That's a member of the Fucha clan. These noble sons are always arrogant. If they offend someone..."

"But if he is really a spy from the Song Dynasty, then this is a great achievement!"

"Don't make any noise!"

Su Bo Nian frowned and said, "Pucha Alibu defected to the Song Dynasty in Shaanxi, which set a bad example. Your Majesty is very dissatisfied with this.

Now that we are investigating him according to the rules, he may not necessarily cause trouble."

As his suspicion grew, Su Bolunya became bolder.

The Pucha clan is the Fucha clan, the second largest surname among the Jurchens in the Jin Dynasty.

It’s just a matter of pronunciation in different dialects, so the names may be slightly different.

So Pucha Alibu, or Fucha Alibu, surrendered to the Song Dynasty, but it did not affect the entire clan.

But this incident had some impact on Fucha.

While Su Bo Nian was still hesitating, a secret agent suddenly said with bright eyes: "Captain Pu Nian, I just remembered that there is a Fu Cha Ali Tai in Tai'an, who is the 'Xiang Wen' of Tai'an Prefecture.

Since Master Fucha is going to Tai'an, why don't we go with him to Tai'an and pay a visit to Lord Xianwen first.

We explained our doubts to him and asked him to come forward to confirm the identity of this Master Fucha.

If there is no doubt about Mr. Fucha's identity, and someone from the Fucha family comes forward to confirm it, they will not blame us.

If there is any doubt about the identity, the Fucha family helped us confirm the identity of the spy, which is also a merit, and the Fucha family should thank us. "

Su Bo'nian's eyes lit up and he patted his shoulder heavily: "Good boy, good idea. Let's go to Tai'an.

If this person is really a spy from the Song State, his status must be quite high. Then, we will have accomplished a great feat!"

(End of this chapter)