The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 116: Life and Death

The man that Jin Yuji deeply loved led the Han men in a bloody battle on the south bank of the Hunhe River. The soldiers piled up mountains of corpses and seas of blood under the city of Shenyang, and finally defeated the Jiannu and killed tens of thousands of Tartars.

Finally, the official climbed to the top of the city wall, and amid the cheers of the mountains and the sea, he personally swung his sword and killed the slave chief, avenging Jin Yuji and tens of millions of Liao people.

The great victory at Hunhe shocked the Ming Dynasty. The emperor was very pleased and gave her a piece of land and a title of nobility, allowing her to guard Liaodong. The title she awarded was higher than that of Li Chengliang.

The official rewarded the three armies and waited for her to recover from her wounds and lead the troops back in triumph.

After returning to Kaiyuan, the official held a grand banquet and formally married Jin Yuji.

In order to marry her, he, who had always lived a simple life, spent a fortune, decorated the city of Kaiyuan with lanterns and colors, and the military and civilians celebrated together.

That day was the Waking of Insects, and the sky was full of flower petals.

Jin Yuji, wearing a phoenix crown and a red robe, was held hand by the official as they walked through the falling petals. Everyone gave them their blessings, and even the lady of the imperial court smiled and looked at her in the crowd.

After marriage, she rode south with her husband, saw the prosperity of the south of the Yangtze River, passed through the ten miles of spring breeze, and admired the houses on the Twenty-Four Bridges.

One day, Jin Yuji and Liu Zhaosun were walking down the streets of Hangzhou. They saw people in gorgeous attire and attired in the bustling city. In a streetside teahouse, a story was being told by Feng Menglong, "The White Snake Imprisoned in Leifeng Pagoda Forever."

When Jin Yuji was in Korea, she loved reading these Ming Dynasty storytelling novels and vernacular novels. After arriving in Kaiyuan, she read many novels. However, the vernacular novels in Liaodong were not updated as quickly as those in Jiangnan. When she finally arrived in Jiangnan, she pestered her husband to go in and listen to the story of White Snake.

The two of them went upstairs and found a seat, while they ate some tea and snacks. The storyteller talked about how Bai Suzhen and Xu Xuan fell in love at first sight while taking shelter from the rain in the same boat, and went on to talk about how Fahai imprisoned Xu Xuan and how the Green and White Snakes flooded the Jinshan Temple. The teahouse was filled with cheers from the guests.

Jin Yuji listened with great interest and reached out to take some tea and fruit for the official to eat, when she was suddenly patted from behind.

A sharp pain in the shoulder.

The teahouse in front of me collapsed and turned into nothingness.

Jin Yuji woke up from her dream in pain.

The late autumn sunshine shines around the tent, giving people a rare sense of warmth.

In the distance, there are golden rice fields, with the breeze blowing and the rice waves rolling.

There were two tear marks at the corners of Jin Yuji's eyes.

"If that's the case, it would be great."

She was lying on the general's bed, covered with a warm quilt. The bloodstained mandarin duck jacket was gone, replaced by a clean skirt and jacket.

The bedding was filled with the scent of the official. Jin Yuji felt as if she was being embraced by the official, and flower petals were falling on them from the sky.

Although she and her husband had never had physical contact, she was very familiar with his aura. He was a hero in her heart. In his dying moments, she faintly heard him say that he would never leave her.

Jin Yuji smiled knowingly, and the severe pain in her shoulder seemed to be relieved a lot. At this moment, a chaotic noise suddenly came from her ears.

The sound of bamboo whistles and the neighing of war horses drifted over the camp.

She suddenly woke up and reflexively grabbed the plum blossom dagger under her pillow.

The official didn't know what was wrong. She was about to get up, but as soon as she put her arm on the bed, a sharp pain of tearing flesh and bones engulfed her whole body.

She groaned through gritted teeth.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside the tent.

She quickly gripped the dagger.

An old soldier with a white beard came in, holding a steaming bowl of soup in his hand.

Jin Yuji put down the dagger. She knew the old soldier. He was a military medical doctor and everyone called him Old Songtou.

Old Song was originally a doctor in Fushun. He was taciturn, kind and generous, and often provided free medical treatment to the poor around him.

In the 46th year of Wanli's reign, Fushun fell.

Hearing that the Song family had quite a bit of savings, a group of thugs broke down the door and robbed them of everything.

Not a single one of the thirteen members of the family survived. Old Song's fifteen-year-old daughter was raped by the mob and thrown into a well to die.

Old Song happened to be preparing medicine for a patient outside the city that day. When he returned home, he saw with his own eyes a scarred thug raping his daughter...
All his family members died, and Old Song went crazy and became a crazy traveling doctor.

He wandered all the way in Liaodong, walked along the Hunhe River, and finally came to Kaiyuan, where he met General Liu.

Liu Zhaosun took him in to live in the military camp, gave him two taels of silver every month, and asked him to make medicine for the wounded soldiers.

Old Song lived in Kaiyuan for half a year, and his madness gradually improved. However, his temper remained strange, and he refused to accept Liu Zhaosun's salary. He always claimed to be a miracle doctor who could save everyone.

"It's not easy to survive two arrow wounds! Fortunately, you met me and I healed you."

"It was Master Liu who changed your skirt and jacket. He carried you back here."

Old Song put down the medicine, turned around and was about to leave without even looking at Jin Yu Ji.

Hearing that he was carried back by the official, Jin Yuji felt warm in her heart. She loosened the blanket covering her chest slightly, looked at Old Song's back, and asked anxiously:

"He was hacked by the Tartars! How's he now?!"

Old Song curled his lips, looked at the soldiers running outside the tent, and said with some displeasure:
"It didn't penetrate any internal organs, it's just a superficial wound. If I can't cure it, I won't be worthy of the title of Liaodong's number one doctor."

Jin Yuji finally felt relieved. Seeing Old Song about to leave, she asked again:

"Where is General Liu now?"

Old Song said impatiently:
"My lord has led his troops across the river. He is going to destroy the Jiannu today and avenge the Liao people! You should drink your medicine quickly. The auxiliary troops have followed you across the river. We are short of manpower here, and many wounded soldiers are waiting for my treatment!"

Old Song left after saying this, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned his back to Jin Yuji, and muttered in a mysterious voice:
"I seem to have had a daughter before, but I also don't think so. She was about your age."

"Korean girl, remember, don't move. You need to rest and recover from the arrow wound."

"Losing your life is a small matter. If the wound bursts, Lord Liu will blame me for my poor medical skills! I am the best doctor in Liaodong!"

Old Song walked out of the tent still nagging.

Jin Yuji was worried, but her husband had already made plans and should be able to defeat the Jiannu.

Feeling a little relieved, thinking that she had to recover quickly so that she could go and protect her master, she picked up the medicine, gritted her teeth, and drank it all in one gulp.

~~~~~~
Three miles away from Jin Yu Ji.

Huang Taiji, leader of the Plain White Banner, stood on a ridge on his horse, and used his left eye to carefully observe the Hunhe battlefield littered with corpses.

"Master, you are wise. Liu Zhaosun has indeed come to Shenyang. Fortunately, we abandoned the siege of Kaiyuan in time, otherwise we would have fallen into this traitor's trap again!"

A horseman came out from beside Huang Taiji. The rider was a general who looked like a Han Chinese. He already had a scar on his face, and now he had a new scar.

Seeing the flag owner remained silent, the scarred man said again:
"Thinking that the Tiger Dun Rabbit can stop the White Banner is truly underestimating us. Master, I, your servant, will lead the warriors of the Niulu to rush down the mountain and kill Liu Zhaosun in battle to avenge you!"

Huang Taiji had a black cloth wrapped around his right eye and squinted his left eye as he looked at the Kaiyuan army position.

In fact, he also wanted to see the Later Jin camp on the south bank of the Hun River. However, his one eye was unable to do so and he could only see a white mist on the surface of the Hun River.

He turned his gaze back to the north bank position and murmured:

"There were no flags, drums, or trenches, and no cavalry was deployed. It looked like an empty camp."

Huang Taiji stroked his chin with his hand, thought for a moment, then turned to the Han man and said:

"Cao Zhongqing, lead a team of scouts and carefully scout to see if there are any soldiers in the camp. If you encounter a small group of Ming soldiers, kill them all and leave no one alive. Do not let them inform Liu Zhaosun!"

Cao Zhongqing, the Niulu Ezhen of the Plain White Banner, immediately dismounted and half-knelt to kowtow to his new master.

The scar on his face trembled, and he smiled charmingly:
"Yes! Master, don't worry. I have never failed in killing Nikan!"

~~~~~~~~
The south bank of the Hunhe River, which was in chaos in Huang Taiji's eyes, had actually been filled with shouts of killing. The decisive battle between Liu Zhaosun and Nurhaci had turned the south bank into a sea of blood and corpses.

The surprise that Liu Zhaosun left for the Eighth Prince has not been completely erased. Huang Taiji's eyes and ears are not working well now, so he can't see or hear clearly.

However, Rong Touqiang could hear it clearly.

He heard the shouts and cries of killing getting farther and farther away from the north gate, and guessed that the Zhan soldiers would soon join the Zhejiang soldiers. He looked at the child huddled in the corner, then turned to Peng Yong, who was still killing people outside the alley, and said angrily:

"Chuan boy, have you finished cutting the sugarcane? Don't look for trouble! You'll get your brothers into trouble! Just save this kid!"

The wolf soldier started talking about sugarcane, which made Peng Yong annoyed. He thought it sounded like the sugarcane was delicious.

The white-pole soldier ignored Rong Touqiang. He held down the drunk Yehe man with one hand and raised the dagger with the other.

Next to them, several Yehe people who were shot by crossbows were howling on the ground. At the entrance of the alley, a group of thugs who had just slaughtered their neighbors lay lying there, their heads cut off.

Under the panicked gaze of the Jizhou young man, Peng Yong raised his knife and cut off the Yehe man's neck like killing a chicken.

"What are you looking at? You bastard! You are worse than the Tartars!"

After Peng Yong finished speaking, he swung his knife fiercely, and the young man's neck was immediately cut off. He fell over holding his neck.

The group of Yehe warriors who had just robbed the wealthy businessman were now lying on the ground, making gurgling sounds from their throats, looking in horror at the killing god who suddenly appeared.

Peng Yong angrily shouted at the wolf soldiers in the alley:

"If you guys are too slow and don't help me, I'll kill them all by myself. What the hell are you doing? I'm just waiting for Ding Bi to come over and fight him!"

After Peng Yong finished speaking, he glanced around the street warily.

At the intersection of North-South Street, more than a hundred steps south of him, a hundred or so Liao people, including some strong young men, looked towards the north in fear like rabbits.

They saw Peng Yong killing people from afar, and probably mistook him for a Jurchen, so they didn't dare to flee in this direction.

People kept pouring into the street corner, craning their necks to look over here, neither moving back nor forward.

"Run for your life, what a bunch of cowards!"

Peng Yong spat and went to kill another Yehe man like killing a chicken.

He had just raised the dagger in his hand when he suddenly heard the whizzing sound of an arrow breaking through the air from the north.

Peng Yong quickly threw himself forward, and without even looking up, he rolled forward twice before finally avoiding the two cold arrows from behind.

He was originally a sword and shield soldier, and was extremely skilled at this kind of rolling and charging movement, which had almost become a conditioned reflex.

Two heavy arrows flew one after the other, grazed the white-pole soldiers' neck guards and backs, and headed towards the southern intersection.

The heavy arrow sank with great force and directly hit the group of Liao people who were still watching, knocking the person in front away.

The remaining Liao people screamed and scattered.

Peng Yong's heart was pounding, and he suddenly picked up a chair discarded on the roadside and held it in front of him.

He crouched down, holding the dagger tightly in his right hand, staring intently at the street to the south.

About thirty steps in front of Peng Yong, on the street near the north gate, a large group of people who looked like servants suddenly appeared, each holding a large club or a heavy knife, and looking at him fiercely.

A burly man in full armor slowly put down the bow in his hand and looked up at Peng Yong.

Peng Yong clearly saw a piece of flesh disappear from the man's cheek, and could see the tooth socket moving underneath. Peng Yong stared at the monster, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

He threw away the chair, picked up a mace, and stabbed its owner in the neck.

"Ding Bi, you're here to die! You've killed so many of our brothers! Today, I'm going to kill you!"

Ding Bi looked coldly at the short Kaiyuan spy opposite him, with a look of disdain on his face. His teeth slightly parted as he uttered three words through his leaky mouth:

"kill him!"

The four servants immediately rushed towards the south, brandishing heavy swords.

Peng Yong yelled and rushed towards the four servants with his mace.

The teeth of the mace made a clinking sound on the bluestone street, and the sound became more and more frequent. Ding Bi sneered and reached out to take a heavy arrow from the quiver.

Whizzing!

Suddenly, more than a dozen poisonous arrows shot out from an alley between the servants and Peng Yong. The four servants were caught off guard and each of them was hit by two or three poisonous arrows. They fell to the ground with a groan.

Ding Bi put down his bow and looked at the alleyway from which the arrow came with great interest. He shouted to the person behind him:
"Have Tong Yangxing bring people to the north gate and tell him that the wolf soldiers have been found and are all here at the north gate."

"Give me a shield."

After saying this, he raised his rattan shield, held a heavy sword, roared, and rushed towards Peng Yong who was rushing towards him.

Dozens of servants behind him roared and rushed towards the alley entrance. Another burst of arrows was shot out from the alley. The servants raised their rattan shields to block them. The short arrows hit the shields and bounced off, causing no casualties.

These men were Ding Bi's most elite retainers, many of whom had flown under the banner of the Later Jin. For the past two days, they had followed Lieutenant General Ding in hunting down Liu Zhaosun's spies. Several fierce battles had broken out between the two sides, resulting in casualties on both sides. The retainers, with their greater numbers, held the advantage, having already killed a dozen Wolf Soldiers and White Spear Soldiers.

When the servant was ten steps away from the alley entrance, Rong Touqiang roared loudly, threw away the crossbow, pulled out the half-broken scorpion tail hook, and rushed out of the alley first.

More than thirty servants were blocking the alley entrance. They threw down their rattan shields and brandished their heavy swords and clubs to attack the wolf soldiers rushing towards them.

From the alley near the north gate, there was a sound of weapons clashing, and soon someone fell in a pool of blood.

Peng Yong looked at the wolf soldiers who had fallen at the alley entrance, and felt a little regretful that he had gone out to rescue people just now. He guessed that all the brothers of the Kaiyuan Mountain Special Forces Battalion would die here today.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He roared, swung his mace, and smashed it hard at Ding Bi, who was a head taller than him.

Peng Yong knew that Ding Bi was a martial arts expert. Five or six wolf soldiers had died at his hands in the past two days, but he felt that he could kill this beast.

Ding Bi's bear-like strong body tilted slightly, and the heavy mace carried Peng Yong forward a step.

Peng Yong thought he was in trouble and quickly turned around to block the attack, but a heavy knife was already coming towards his waist.

In a hurry, Peng Yong quickly raised the mace to block the heavy sword. He was short in stature, so choosing the mace was a bit of a disadvantage.

But I didn't have any other weapons with me at the time, and I couldn't fight the bear with a dagger.

Fortunately, Peng Yong was a sword and shield soldier and was very agile. At the critical moment, his mace just blocked the opponent's fatal blow.

However, he soon discovered that something even more troublesome was happening. The blade of the heavy sword was stuck on the wolf's fang and could not be pulled away.

Ding Bi, who was as tall as a bear, roared and kicked Peng Yong in the neck. This spinning kick was also a deadly move. As long as he was kicked, the neck would be broken.

Peng Yong was kicked on the side of his body and his shoulder was hit. His body flew five or six steps into the air as if hit by a wild bull and fell heavily on the bluestone slab.

Twenty steps behind Peng Yong was the intersection of North-South Street.

At this time, a hundred or so fleeing Liao people gathered at the street corner. They were shocked by the close combat happening before their eyes. The bear-like Lieutenant General Ding was walking towards them. They didn't know where to escape and stared blankly at the injured Peng Yong.

Peng Yong sat slumped on the bluestone slab, laughing at the group of Liao people.

"I was sent by Lord Liu to rescue you. More than thirty of my brothers killed two hundred Tartars. You are a bunch of useless people. Tens of thousands of men were chased and chopped by thousands of Tartars!"

Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. He turned and looked at Ding Bi who was walking towards him, and said angrily:

"Ding Bi, I'm going to kill you!"

He suddenly took out a short crossbow from his arms and shot it towards the opposite side without aiming.

There were two crisp sounds, and the short arrow splashed two sparks on the blade.

Ding Bi's bear-like body faltered for a moment, then suddenly accelerated and rushed in front of the injured white-pole soldier. Peng Yong threw a dagger, but he easily dodged it. He stepped on the other's chest, staring at the dying Peng Yong, then at the wolf soldiers falling one after another in the distance, his broken cheek twisted into a terrifying shape:

"You all must die today. You and those wolf soldiers, none of you will survive! You bunch of ants, why are you working for Liu Zhaosun? What benefit did he give you? You've destroyed my family business for generations! I'm going to skin you alive!"

Peng Yong spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground and cursed in a low voice:
"You bastard, you are not worthy enough to compete with General Liu!"

Ding Bi didn't hear what he said clearly, and leaned forward slightly, stepping hard on Peng Yong.

Peng Yong stared at Ding Bipo's face and motioned him to come closer.

Ding Bi leaned over, put the heavy knife against Peng Yong's neck, and looked at him as if he were a dead man.

"If you have something to say, say it quickly. I'll kill you all and then I'll kill Liu Zhaosun."

Peng Yong's dim eyes suddenly brightened:
"Commander Ding, General Liu prepared a gift for you and asked me to pass it on to you."

Ding Bi looked at the white-pole soldier with a puzzled look until a stone shaped like a teapot hissed and smoked and slipped out of his sleeve.

~~~~~~
On the general's desk, there was a curled-up vernacular novel.

That was the new book Liu Zhaosun bought for Jin Yu Ji when he went to Beijing to present prisoners last time. She had read it countless times. The story told the story of a female general of the Southern Song Dynasty who helped her husband fight against the Jin army.

Jin Yuji was extremely anxious. She walked to the camp gate and looked towards the large formation on the south bank.

From the south bank, shouts of killing shook the sky and drums beat rapidly.

Five or six hundred steps east of the pontoon bridge, a touch of red was surrounded by an endless expanse of yellow. Two yellow flags blocked the Kaiyuan soldiers advancing eastward.

Five hundred steps to their east, they could vaguely see a dancing red crowd surrounding a chariot camp. The camp had been breached, and countless soldiers like red dots were pouring out from the middle.

Jin Yuji knew that it was the two red flags fighting with the Zhejiang soldiers.

I don’t know how the official is doing now.

She looked for a while, then resolutely returned to her tent and took out her clothes from a wooden box.

A bright red robe with long sleeves and a Qilin pattern, a leather belt, an official green skirt, a red hood, riding boots, and golden armor with arrow sleeves.

Three hours ago, Liu Zhaosun carried Jin Yuji through a sea of blood and corpses, murmuring to her that he would never leave her in this life.

Jin Yu Ji gritted her teeth and put on her armor and cloak. At this moment, she heard the sound of a bowstring vibrating outside. She quickly grabbed her dagger and hid behind the tent.

Two auxiliary soldiers fell outside the tent. A scarred man put down his bow and searched around the empty camp, followed by two Later Jin soldiers.

All the soldiers rushed to the south bank to fight. Even the night soldiers and scouts were withdrawn to attack the two yellow flags. Only the wounded and a few auxiliary soldiers were left in the camp.

Scarface looked around with a fierce smile, then suddenly turned around. A wounded soldier with a broken arm rushed towards him, shouting and holding a waist knife in his hand.

"court death!"

Scarface cut off his other arm with one blow, then chopped off his head.

Jin Yu Ji hid in the shadows, and through the gap in the tent, she saw Scarface and two Later Jin soldiers walking towards her.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Jin Yuji's forehead. Even if she was not injured, she was not sure whether she could deal with the scarred man in front of her. If the official was here, he could kill this thief.

The heavy footsteps of three people rang in her ears, and Jin Yuji could already hear their breathing.

A cold voice sounded a few steps outside the tent.

"Kill them all, I'll stay and set the fire! Go back and tell the Eighth Prince that Liu Zhaosun is at the end of his rope, and tell the master to lead his troops across the river immediately! Send these southern barbarians on their way!"

Hiding in the tent, Jin Yu Ji shook her head in pain, a wave of sadness surged in her heart, and the arrow wound began to hurt again.

The Zhengbai Banner finally arrived. If they were allowed to cross the river, the Kaiyuan army would be attacked from both sides and would surely be destroyed.

The door curtain was suddenly pulled open by a strong arm, and a heavy knife stained with human blood was inserted in.

Jin Yuji clenched the dagger and stabbed towards the tent door regardless of the pain in her shoulder.

Whoosh!
Then there was the clinking sound of arrows hitting armor, and Scarface, who had most of his body already stepped into the tent, immediately retreated.

Then Jin Yu Ji heard a loud roar, and she hurried out of the tent. Scarface chased after an auxiliary soldier with a bow who was more than fifty steps away.

Jin Yuji looked around and caught a glimpse of a few miscellaneous horses tied by the river. They were helping the auxiliary troops transport supplies and had not yet crossed the river.

She was wearing a bright red long-sleeved Qilin robe, with a leather belt tied around her waist, and was walking quickly towards the river.

Shouts of killing were heard behind him, and the auxiliary soldier who was shooting arrows was quickly killed by Scarface.

"stop!"

Cao Zhongqing roared and chased after the flowing red robe more than fifty steps away, dragging his heavy sword.

"Stop, or I'll shoot!"

Cao Zhongqing had heard when he was in the Bordered Blue Banner that Liu Zhaosun was accompanied by a beautiful Korean girl who fought with him in all directions. She must be the woman in front of him.

He was filled with ecstasy. If he could catch this woman, it would be a great achievement. He would bring her back to Hetuala and hand her over to his masters, torture her, and then execute her by slow slicing!
Cao Zhongqing soon discovered that the Korean woman seemed to be injured and was walking very slowly. He sneered, dropped his heavy sword, quickened his pace, and prepared to capture the woman alive.

As he got closer to the red-robed woman, he could even hear her breathing.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard from behind, followed by a bang, and Cao Zhongqing was hit hard on the back.

Fortunately, the opponent was not very strong. The strong ox-like Niulu Ezhen of the Zhengbai Banner just staggered a few steps, fell to the ground, and looked back blankly.

An old soldier with a white beard holding a mace was looking at him fiercely like a devil.

"Cao Lao Er! You bastard, you're now a packaged meat!"

Cao Zhongqing turned over and stood up. He had just thrown his heavy sword ten steps away and it was too late to pick it up. He pulled out a dagger from his chain mail, looked up at the old man in front of him, and felt that he looked familiar.

"When you were a thug, I treated your injuries, but you killed my daughter. After Fushun fell, you became a dog for the Tartars! You are not a human!"

At this time, the beautiful Korean girl rode onto the floating bridge on horseback, and the horse walked slowly and leisurely towards the south bank as if taking a stroll.

Cao Zhongqing sneered, turned around and looked at the old man, and thought for a long time before he remembered.

"Oh, Shopkeeper Song, I remember now. It's been a while since we last met. You're still alive. Being a bondservant gives you fields, women, and money to spend. I'm now a Niulu Ezhen of the Plain White Banner, in charge of hundreds of people. It's much better than my hard life before. If I weren't a bondservant, would I have these?"

Cao Zhongqing seemed to be recalling something very distant, his expression changing constantly. Finally, he patted his forehead and grinned grimly:
"I only spared you back then, and instead of repaying my kindness, you want to kill me? Shopkeeper Song, do you have a conscience?"

Old Song rushed towards Cao Zhongqing dragging his mace.

Cao Zhongqing looked back at the red-robed woman who had fled not far away, and said to the rushing Shopkeeper Song:
"Shopkeeper Song, many people have died in Fushun in the past two years. Everyone we know is dead. I wanted to catch up with you, but unfortunately, there's Liu Zhaosun Meiji on the bridge. This woman must die today, so I won't waste any more time talking to you. Let's send you off together!"

~~~~~
ps: In the next chapter, the Kaiyuan Army and the Eight Banners will have a decisive battle to decide the outcome, life or death.

(End of this chapter)