Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 919 The Han Banner Unfurls, the Old Territory Regains

Another day of fierce battle!

On the city wall of Kaifeng's southern city...

The broken battlements, the pebbles that shattered the stone ground on the city walls, the severed limbs and broken arms, the arrows stuck at an angle... all were bathed in the bleak sunset.

It's snowing again.

Soon, all of this will be enveloped in a vast expanse of white.

Yang Tang stood on the city wall, looking at the endless Song army camps in the distance, his brows furrowed.

His armor was covered in dust and dried blood, and his right thumb unconsciously rubbed the hilt of his sword, a habitual gesture when he was thinking.

He knew that a very special "snow" had fallen in the wind last night; it was the flying edicts of the Song people that filled the city.

At this moment, countless people throughout Kaifeng must be pondering or secretly discussing the contents of that leaflet.

We can't catch them all, and we can't confiscate everything.

Do you know who picked up the flyer?

Moreover, as the Nanjing Prefecture of the Jin Dynasty, Kaifeng had too many high-ranking officials and nobles. How could you possibly investigate any of them?
Yang Tang couldn't help but recall what Yang Yuan had said in his letter.

"Kaifeng is the capital of our Great Song Dynasty."

My brother doesn't want Kaifeng to become a ruin.

Therefore, if the cousin realizes the error of his ways in time and surrenders the city, it will be a tremendous achievement.

My cousin's official position and power will be no less than they are now.

If you wish to be granted the title of king, I am willing to petition the emperor on your behalf.

However, if my cousin remains obstinate, once my army captures Kaifeng, the responsibility for the destruction of the Song Dynasty's capital will lie entirely with him.

Although my brother and cousin are relatives, I dare not show favoritism. I will certainly punish him severely to give the world an explanation.

Thinking of this, Yang Tang couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"General, Lord Lan Shuofeng has arrived."

Yang Tang turned his head and saw Nalan Shuofeng, dressed in iron armor, coming through the wind and snow.

Although Nalan Shuofeng was the garrison commander of Kaifeng and a civil official, his demeanor was no different from that of a military general, and he was even more like a military general than Yang Tang.

"General Yang, with such heavy snow, you're still patrolling the city walls? In my opinion, the Song army won't attack tonight, so you can get some rest."

Yang Tang smiled faintly: "I am observing the cooking fires in the Song army camp. If the Song army cannot be supplied in time, the siege of Kaifeng may be lifted."

Lazy Wind raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? In General Yang's opinion, is the Song army's food supply about to run out?"

Yang Tang smiled bitterly: "Our army has no one to cut off the Song army's supply lines, and the commander is the most powerful person in the Song state right now. The officials in the rear also dare not deliberately delay the supply of provisions..."

He shook his head.

"Yes, Kaifeng is isolated and helpless, and we can only rely on ourselves to defend it."

Lazy Shuofeng sighed, walked to Yang Tang's side, and looked outside as well.

"The city still has enough food and provisions, but if the imperial court cannot send reinforcements, the city will eventually fall."

"Chief Steward Yang, do you think the imperial court can still send reinforcements?"

Yang Tang frowned: "The Song dynasty's urgent dispatches say that the new Jin dynasty has already sent troops, and the Shandong coast has been occupied by the new Jin army. Yanjing is already too busy to take care of itself."

If this is true, then... it seems... it's impossible to wait for His Majesty's reinforcements."

"Yes!"

Lazy Shuofeng also smiled bitterly: "We actually have to rely on the Song people's urgent dispatches to find out what the situation is like in Yanjing now."

It seems the situation in Yanjing is really dire…

He sighed and stroked his long beard.

Suddenly, something appeared in his sleeve and flew out with a gust of wind.

Yang Tang was quick-witted and grabbed it in his hand. Just as he was about to return it to Lazy Wind, he suddenly stopped.

This thing looks familiar.

Upon closer inspection, Yang Tang discovered it was a letter of surrender.

Yang Tang's eyes flashed: "The Prefect has also received the Song Dynasty's urgent dispatch?"

Lazy Shuofeng naturally accepted the surrender document and put it back into his sleeve.

"Yes, it's not just me, many soldiers received it."

This afternoon, another strategist, along with several of his trusted men, plotted to rope themselves out of the city and surrender to the Song people.

"Oh? They dared to undermine morale and contemplate desertion. How did the prefect deal with them?"

"I have them imprisoned!"

Lazy Wind said fiercely, "They eat the pay of my Great Jin army, yet they show cowardice in the face of battle. They must be severely punished!"

Yang Tang's heart skipped a beat. Did the so-called severe punishment mean being thrown into jail?
Why did that lazy north wind come to my place today?

Yang Tang tentatively asked, "Shouldn't someone who undermines morale and plots rebellion be executed on the spot?"

Lazy North Wind frowned and sighed heavily: "Can we kill them all?"
"Now the whole city is filled with these flying proclamations. Countless people are spouting nonsense after reading them. How can we kill them? It will incite a mutiny."

"Oh?"

Yang Tang vaguely sensed that he seemed to have guessed the purpose of Lazy North Wind's arrival.

Could it be that, as a genuine Jurchen, he also had the idea of ​​surrendering?
Yang Tang thought for a moment and said cautiously, "The people's hearts are not at peace. This is the biggest hidden danger for us to defend the city."

Lazy Wind shook his head and said, "It's not a hidden danger, but a question of how long our city can hold out."

Yang Tang stared at the lazy north wind: "Then... does the Prefect have a good plan?"

"I was just about to discuss this with Chief Steward Yang. In Kaifeng, I am the official in charge, but in the entire Nanjing Road, Chief Steward Yang is the most powerful."

"I wonder if Steward Yang has any ideas? My lazy Shuofeng is now in the same boat as Steward Yang, so naturally he'll obey without question."

Yang Tang chuckled and said in a half-joking tone, "You don't mean to surrender the city, do you? That's a capital offense."

His Majesty will not be as magnanimous as you, merely imprisoning those who plotted rebellion.

"Is Chief Steward Yang joking with me? If we open the city gates and surrender, then we will be Song people."

"Your Majesty the Emperor of Jin, how will you punish us?"

The lazy north wind spoke with a smile, but the smile didn't reach its eyes; instead, it carried a chill. The two stared at each other for a long time, the wind and snow sweeping past them, yet their eyes, which were peering at each other, grew brighter and brighter.

Suddenly, Yang Tang asked, "Prefect, do you think we should surrender the city?"

The lazy north wind turned its head to look at Kaifeng City.

Kaifeng Iron Pagoda, Xiangguo Temple, Imperial Street, the remnants of the Song Dynasty imperial palace...

Lazy Wind sighed, "I have served as the garrison commander of Nanjing for many years, and I truly cannot bear to see all of this destroyed in the chaos of war..."

Yang Tang said slowly, "The city's garrison commanders may not all be willing to surrender, right?"

When Lan Shuofeng heard this, he laughed. Having tested Yang Tang to this extent, he had already figured out Yang Tang's feelings.

Lazy Wind turned to Yang Tang and said, "Chief Steward Yang, if we are to fight, who dares to surrender?"

If you or I surrender, who dares to fight... just kill them!

Right there on the city wall, amidst the wind and snow, the two Kaifeng garrison commanders began discussing the details of surrendering the city.

If this matter is announced to subordinates, how should those who strongly oppose it be dealt with? What conditions can be proposed to Prime Minister Yang?

Soon, it looked like a pair of snowmen had appeared on the city wall, and they even looked like a married couple.

That night, three letters were shot into the Song army camp.

It's impossible to shoot arrows into the military camp from the city wall.

This was clearly a message shot by arrows fired by Jin soldiers who had ensnared people in baskets on the city wall and fled to the Song army camp under cover of night.

One of the three letters was picked up on the spot by a patrolling Song soldier, while the other was not discovered until the sun rose the next morning.

As for the third arrow, it struck the top of a tent and was not discovered until the tent was dismantled.

Yang Yuan's face lit up with a bright smile when he saw the arrow-shaped letter.

In just nine days it will be New Year's Day, and the Great Song Dynasty will soon reclaim its long-lost capital!

……

Six days before New Year's Day, Yang Tang and Na Lan Shuofeng surrendered the city, and Yang Yuan took over Bianliang City.

Three days of preparation time was a bit rushed, but Yang Yuan had done his best to ensure that the Song army's armor was shiny and their military appearance was neat and orderly.

Compared to when he held the ceremony of presenting prisoners in front of Zongyang Palace after the Battle of Lingbi, the ranks of this army were slightly less orderly, but their soaring killing intent was in no way inferior.

Twelve cannons served as ceremonial cannons, and amidst the booming cannon fire and fluttering banners, the army entered the city.

On the city wall, the Jin flag was torn down, and the Song dragon flag was slowly raised.

In fact, the flag could have been changed three days ago when Yang Tang and Na Lan Shuofeng decided to surrender and eventually took control of the entire city.

However, Yang Yuan is a person who values ​​rituals.

His sense of ritual was not for his own satisfaction, but for the soldiers entering the city and for the people in the city to see.

Sure enough, even though the people in the city already knew a day earlier that the Jin army defending the city was going to surrender and that the Song Dynasty would restore Bianliang, they were still moved to tears by the solemn and grand ceremony.

More than 30 years ago, Bianliang fell to the Japanese.

Even today, the middle-aged and older residents of Bianliang still vividly remember this history, and how could they not shed tears?

Warhorses neighed, armor clanged, and Song soldiers marched into Kaifeng in neat formations.

The Jin army has surrendered in formation as requested.

Their swords and spears were piled up together, forming a small mountain on the Imperial Street.

Yang Yuan wore black lacquered armor with mountain and water patterns, a long sword at his waist, and rode a black horse, looking like a war god cast in iron.

When his banner fluttered into the view of the endless crowd on both sides of the Imperial Street, the crowd knelt down in a rush.

"Prime Minister Yang! Prime Minister Yang, the royal army has returned!"

The sounds of wailing and cheering mingled together.

At this time, the convoy of Cai Gui, the special envoy of the Jin Dynasty, had already arrived in Huazhou (Hua County).

They traveled for more than half a month through the snow and ice, and when they arrived in Huazhou, the ice on the Yellow River in Huazhou had just cracked, making it too unsafe to cross the river.

If, while they were walking along, those carts full of treasures and three beauties fell into an ice hole, then they would truly be left without anyone to help them.

Therefore, Cai Gui decided to stay overnight here and set off the next day, taking a detour and choosing a safer route to continue to Kaifeng.

At this time, Huazhou was still in the hands of the Jurchens. Cai Gui was unaware that Yang Tang and Nalan Shuofeng had surrendered the city, and that Yang Yuan had already recovered Kaifeng.

The next morning, Cai Gui's convoy continued its journey, but this detour added another day and a half to the trip.

That evening, Cai Gui's convoy arrived at Chenqiao.

When the postmaster of Chenqiao Post Station heard that a caravan carrying the flag of the Jin Dynasty was coming from the north, he was greatly surprised.

He hurriedly went out to greet him at the inn, and the guards of Cai Gui's entourage said imperiously, "His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Jin Kingdom has sent a special envoy, Lord Cai. Immediately prepare a room and a meal for him."

The postmaster exclaimed in surprise, "His Majesty the Emperor's special envoy? What brings you here?"

Don't you know? Kaifeng has already been captured by the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty.

"What?" The guard was stunned.

The postmaster dared not say that they had received a message from Lazy Wind, saying that he would send someone to take over the area soon.

He was afraid that saying this would anger the Jin envoy and cause him to be killed.

The postmaster said, "You'd better hurry back the way you came. If the Song army sees you, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

"This envoy is here on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor to request an audience with the Prime Minister of the Great Song Dynasty."

Cai Gui got out of the carriage. Although he was surprised by the news that the Song army had recaptured Kaifeng, he was not flustered.

Anyway, he came here specifically for Yang Yuan.

"Arrange rooms and meals. Tomorrow morning, I will travel to Kaifeng to pay my respects to the Prime Minister of the Great Song Dynasty."

Cai Gui glanced back at the three light carriages with their curtains hanging low, and then hurriedly instructed the postmaster:

"Oh, and also prepare hot water, more than enough. There are three women among the guests staying tonight who need to take a shower."

Tomorrow I will be paying my respects to the Prime Minister of the Great Song Dynasty.

This gift, of course, needs to be thoroughly cleaned and scented, lest it fail to meet the approval of the Prime Minister of the Great Song Dynasty.

It is said that although that fellow is extremely lecherous, he has very high standards.

(End of this chapter)