You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 150: Man can conquer nature
August of the fifth year of Xuanhe.

Good news is everywhere.

Wanyan Aguda fell seriously ill, Zhang Jue of Liaodong defeated the Jurchens, and Wu Lin's invasion of Xizhou was unstoppable.
Even Yelü Yanxi has begun to reclaim lost territory.

It's almost too surreal.

Chen Shao, however, could not be happy, because he was aware of the general trend of the world.

Apart from his own military campaign in the Western Regions, which was a truly great victory, all other victories were temporary.

Sure enough, news came from the front lines that after Yelü Yanxi took control of Yunnei, he began a large-scale purge, killing people everywhere.

The Liao people, who had been forced to surrender, were so frightened by him that they actually surrendered to the Jin and were determined to kill him.

Yelü Yanxi hated traitors the most. When he was chased like a stray dog ​​by Wanyan Aguda, he was so angry when he heard that Prince Yan Yelü Chun had ascended the throne in Nanjing that he sent a proclamation to Xijing and Nanjing, calling on all Liao people to attack Northern Liao together.

When Xiao Puxian's female soldiers were defeated and surrendered, he killed them without a second thought.

You used to be the emperor of the Liao Dynasty, and it was one thing to like killing traitors, but now you're in a terrible situation. Don't you know what you're going through?
Chen Shao quickly sent someone into Yunnei to persuade him to grant a general amnesty and win back the hearts of the people. He believed that the Liao people, who had been persecuted by the Jurchens, would surely come to their senses and follow him again as the most legitimate emperor of the Liao Dynasty.

Yelü Yanxi was in Yunnei City, embracing several beautiful women with large breasts. This place was originally the Yunnei Prefecture government office.

On both sides of the hall, some people with their hands tied behind their backs were kneeling. Some of them had their heads cut off, and the rest had been tortured beyond recognition.

Looking at the messenger from the Dingnan Army who had come to deliver the message, Yelü Yanxi sneered, "A few days ago, I ordered Chen Shao to send troops to jointly attack the Jurchen rebels. Chen Shao was afraid of the Jurchens' military strength and dared not send troops, while I conquered cities and seized territories. What right does he have to point fingers?"

"However, I am not an ungrateful person. When I was besieged in Black Mountain, Chen Shao helped me by sending a lot of supplies and provisions. Here's what I'll do: you take these two beauties back with you and say it's my way of returning the favor."

After saying this, Yelü Yanxi reached out and pushed, startling the two beauties so much that they lay on the ground, too afraid to move.

The messenger was a military officer from the Yinzhou army. Upon hearing this, his face turned ashen, and he clasped his hands in a fist and left.

Behind him came Yelü Yanxi's slightly lewd laughter.

The military officer spat, muttered something under his breath, and then rode off on horseback.

He did not return to Yinzhou, but went straight to Yingzhou.

Chen Shao has already contacted Meng Nuan. Yingzhou is suffering from food and clothing shortages, and Chen Shao has promised to secretly provide financial assistance. He has already stationed a team of men in Yingzhou.

There were only thirteen people, who were responsible for receiving supplies from the Dingnan Army. Meng Nuan was too poor to object.

Another point is that the Jurchens are too brutal, especially this time when they led their auxiliary troops to besiege Yelü Yanxi. In their eyes, those prisoners were not even as good as dogs.

Over the years, Meng Nuan had worked as a military officer and a bandit in the Liao Dynasty. He had seen all sorts of ruthless people, but only the Jurchen Tartars treated human life so lightly and took pleasure in torturing and killing.

In Yingzhou, these people instantly became a hideout for the Dingnan Army's scouts and spies in the vicinity. Meng Nuanming knew they were collecting intelligence here, but he pretended not to see it.

Anyway, he has limited ability and no great ambition, so why should he care about these big shots? As long as he has a way out when the time comes, that's fine.

In Xiping Prefecture, Chen Shao looked at the message that had been sent back, his expression one of utter helplessness.

"Damn it!" Chen Shao was both angry and amused. He turned his head back and forth, but couldn't help but curse, "What the hell!"

This man is truly remarkable. When he fled to Black Mountain, he sent someone to write a letter to Chen Shao, and the words were extremely earnest.

Chen Shao thought this was a pragmatic move, but he didn't expect that after taking advantage of the emptiness in Yunnei and capturing a few empty cities, he couldn't help but reveal his true colors.

This kind of person is quite peculiar; he only behaves when someone disciplines him.

No wonder he squandered such a large fortune.

As Chen Shao entered the courtyard, a sudden cracking sound rang out, and a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, which was filled with dark clouds.

"Is this never going to end?" Chen Shao felt extremely irritated when he saw that it was about to rain again.

These past few years have truly been out of season.

What Chen Shao didn't know was that during the years Zhao Ji was emperor, torrential rains had been incessant:
In the first year of the Daguan era, "continuous rains fell in the capital region, and the wheat crop almost completely rotted."
In the fifth year of the Zhenghe reign of the Kaifeng Prefecture, "Hebei suffered from torrential rains, the Yellow River overflowed, and millions of people drowned."
"The plum rains in western Zhejiang lasted for more than a month, and the lakes and marshes in Suzhou and Huzhou collapsed, with coffins of the drowned covering the river."
In the first year of the Jingkang era in Liangzhe Road, "Bianjing (Kaifeng) was hit by snow and rain for forty days, and the city collapsed and could not be defended."

According to records alone, between 1115 and 1125, torrential rains directly caused the deaths of 230 million people!

Meanwhile, Emperor Huizong of Song was still enjoying himself in the Genyue Pavilion and building an "artificial rain scene".

He commissioned a Northern Song Dynasty craftsman to design a siphon copper kettle that automatically switched between different rain modes each hour: light rain at Chen hour, sudden rain at Wu hour, and clearing rain at Shen hour.

A bamboo wind tower with an internal fan wheel is constructed and propelled by the explosion of gunpowder, thereby creating an artificial hurricane in conjunction with a torrential rain.

Historical records state: "Before Wanzhu Pavilion, the wind and rain were as dark and gloomy as the sea and mountains."

This is both a masterpiece of landscape engineering and a microcosm of the extravagance of the late Song Dynasty.

Chen Shao stopped to look. On the roof of the Marshal's Mansion, the carved dove tails pointed towards the sky, as if they were about to take off at any moment. They were even more magnificent amidst the natural power of lightning, thunder, and rolling dark clouds.

Chen Shao seemed to sense a kind of pressure, as if there was a mysterious force manipulating everything in the world within this boundless, misty temple.

He recalled that in August, these seemingly favorable circumstances would soon be shattered one by one by the Jurchen Tartars.

Neither Zhang Jue nor Yelü Yanxi were able to turn the tide in history.

Their situation seems unchanged this time, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will likely still suffer defeat.

The current favorable situation seems more like a cruel twist of fate, mocking the powerlessness of the world's heroes.

After watching for a while, Chen Shao thought to himself, "You're nothing special. You think you can control everything? I'll show you what it means for man to conquer nature."
-
In Yan'an Prefecture, Zhong Shidao sat in his residence.

Below stood a group of captains and soldiers, who had never had the opportunity to come to the hall of Grand Commandant Zhong before.

After several orders were issued, the military officers who could obey Old Zhong's orders were estimated to be seven or eight ranks higher than them.

“You’ve all fought in the Zhong family army for so many years and made a lot of military achievements, but you haven’t been promoted.” Old Zhong said calmly, “I know you all have grievances in your hearts, and perhaps you’ve cursed this old man a lot behind my back.”

These veterans were indeed cunning; upon hearing this, not one of them offered a way out.

Old Zhong continued, "Actually, I have no choice. We have basically all the problems of the Imperial Guard's military families. The only difference is that they don't have to fight, while we have to fight the Xia bandits to the death. So we are better at fighting than the Imperial Guard."

"This trip to Hebei, even if we can type those two characters, it doesn't really concern us much."

"The imperial court has issued an edict ordering the Western Army to reduce its troop numbers, and the reasoning behind this is quite reasonable: the Xia bandits are gone."

At this moment, the group of silent veterans began to sneer.

Good things don't go to us, but troop reductions naturally start with us.

Old Zhong showed no anger on his face, and was also calm in his heart, because he knew that these people were indeed victims.

He didn't realize before that as long as they could win the war, his subordinates would practice nepotism and promote their own sons. As the commander-in-chief, was Old Zhong really completely unaware of this?
He's just used to it.

Everyone has been doing this for over a hundred years, and he has been influenced by it since childhood.

Until Chen Shao rose to power, he carefully analyzed Chen Shao's victory, and found that the use of people was an important aspect.

The Dingnan Army rewarded those who made meritorious contributions. Han Shizhong had served in the Western Army for more than ten years without even becoming a captain. After joining the Dingnan Army, he became Chen Shao's deputy.

Chen Shao's success in becoming an official was due to his bribery of Han Shizhong, as he knew Han was a capable fighter.

Chen Shao succeeded.

He promoted countless military officers from humble beginnings.

Old Zhong didn't beat around the bush with these people and said directly, "After all, we've been friends for a while, so I can send you to Yinzhou."

With a whoosh, the veterans, who had been sneering, widened their eyes, and one of them stepped forward and asked, "Old Zhong, is this really true?"

Who wouldn't want to join the Dingnan Army!
We're all hardened warriors who crawled out of piles of corpses; who's afraid of war?

If fighting could lead to promotions, they would be eager to fight every day.

Looking at their excited expressions, Lao Zhong sighed inwardly, as if he understood why Chen Shao had destroyed Western Xia in such a short time.

"Really? Don't worry."

"If we can be allowed to go to Dingnan Army, then following the Zhong family will not have been in vain." The crowd below whispered among themselves, their words excited and their spirits high.

Zhong Shidao was relieved at this point; the discontent of the lower-ranking soldiers had accumulated to a certain extent.

Even if such an army were driven into battle, it would be difficult for them to achieve victory.

People's hearts have already fallen.

In fact, historically, the Western Army's combat effectiveness was indeed mediocre after it retreated from Hebei.

Fighting one battle means annihilation; fighting one battle means total destruction.
Where is the bravery of those who fought to the death with the Western Xia people in Hengshan?
-
The imperial court issued an edict ordering the Western Army to reduce its own personnel and quotas.

After the news spread, some people cooperated fully, while others refused to reduce the number of soldiers.

The Song Dynasty ignored all of this and from then on only distributed grain and salaries according to the prescribed quotas, thus immediately seizing control of the Western Army's lifeline.

They dared not rebel, and in the end, they could only reluctantly reduce their troops.

Many Western Army generals, especially Yao Gu, were very confused.

Does the imperial court no longer need them to guard against Chen Shao?

Qin Fengjun, Central Army Camp, Commander's Tent.

Yao Gu's face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Old Zhong is senile!"

He also hoped that Lao Zhong would use his prestige to represent the Western Army against the imperial court and persuade the court to rescind the order to reduce troops.

As a result, the old soldier was the first to be laid off.

The Zhong family remains a leader in the hearts of many Western Army generals, especially Zhong Shidao, who is highly respected.

The civil and military officials in the tent all looked grim; their Qin Feng Army had performed very well in this campaign against Liao.

Moreover, now is the time when our army is strong and well-equipped.

At that time, which military general didn't rely on drinking the blood of his soldiers to make a living?

Reducing quotas has a direct impact on everyone; each person receives less money.

“After the Zhong family and that Chen Shao got married, they took our Western Army’s affairs less and less seriously!” Jiao Anjie chimed in.

Although Yao Gu was furious, he still waved his hand to stop his subordinate from saying such things.

The Western Army must unite; this time, we cannot afford internal strife. "I am going to Yan'an Prefecture to personally ask Old Master Zhong if he truly intends to abandon our Western Army."

Yao Gu stood up and strode out of the tent, followed closely by a group of personal guards.
-
Chen Shao also received an official document from the imperial court requesting the disbandment of the border troops.

This is an official document from the Privy Council.

Chen Shao treated it as a piece of waste paper.

The reason the Western Army cared so much was because they needed to receive military pay from Bianliang.

He couldn't get a single grain of food from Bianliang, so he was told to reduce his army; he should just ignore that.

However, the Song Dynasty was indeed gradually moving towards a more normal state, and the dynasty's ability to self-correct was quite strong.

Since they could no longer be commanded, the Western Army had become a burden.

The most urgent task is indeed to train the new Beijing garrison, and the Privy Council's decision was not wrong.

Chen Shao knew that the Zhong family had sent over some veterans who had been laid off.

Old Zhong's move was a gesture of goodwill, but for Chen Shao, it really didn't matter.

After the Western Army was disbanded, it was highly likely that they would come to our side to make a living.

Wei Li sat in Chen Shao's study, in his usual chair, holding a cup of tea made from roasted green tea leaves, and leisurely sipped it.

News came from Xizhou that Wu Lin had captured Gaochang, and Khan Bilege was captured by cavalry while fleeing.

Prince Anyue Chuke, who was guarding Beiting, led his troops to the rescue, but they were defeated by the Lingwu army halfway and Anyue Chuke was killed in battle.

Wei Li and Xu Jin looked at the battle report with the same leisurely ease as reading a leisurely book.

Just as the two of them were about to discuss how to deal with the Khan of Gaochang and the royal family, the door creaked open and Chen Shao stepped in.

"General, a great victory has been achieved in Xizhou."

Chen Shao nodded; he had already received the news when he arrived.

After Chen Shao sat down, he asked, "What do you think we should do with these Uyghur royals?"

"Send it to Bianliang," Wei Li said with a smile, "to make our emperor happy again."

Chen Shao hesitated. Sending him to Bianliang had both advantages and disadvantages, and he needed to consider it carefully.

First, send him to Bianliang so that we can give Bianliang an explanation: I, Chen Shao, am still a subject of the Great Song Dynasty.

However, deep down, they might actually be more wary of themselves.

The thought that the Song Dynasty was already disbanding the Western Army and reorganizing the new army of the capital garrison, while the day when the Jurchens would march south was drawing ever closer, was all too clear.

After considering the matter in his mind, Chen Shao decided that whether the Song Dynasty was wary or not was no longer important.

He nodded and said, "Then send it to Bianliang!"

By this time, the Dingnan Army no longer needed to hide their claws and endure.

"I think the governance of Xizhou should be handed over to the caravans and Buddhist academies. Let the Zhai family take over the local temples first and replace them with their own people. After the situation stabilizes, we can gradually change their tribal system."

Chen Shao had quite a few Uyghurs under his command at this time, but most of them had migrated to the Yin-Xia area.

Seeing that the commander was no longer moving the Uyghurs eastward, Xu Jin was somewhat puzzled. "Commander, aren't you going to move them to the east?"

Chen Shao shook his head. He didn't think much of these Uyghurs from Xizhou. They were no match for the people he had sent from the Hexi Buddhist Academy.

With a little provocation, public opinion could be controlled; the royal family was weak and incompetent; and the local nobles were a disorganized mess.

The most powerful forces were actually the monasteries and the caravans.

The Samarkand merchant group and the abbot of the Dayun Temple in Gaochang held more than half of the land and wealth in Xizhou.

All he had to do was send a Buddhist academy to take over Dayun Temple and let the caravan absorb the Samarkand merchant group; that would be like a cuckoo taking over a magpie's nest.

With the powerful military force of the Lingwu Army as their backing, it wouldn't be difficult for the Xiao and Zhai families to annex them.

If all else fails, just kill them all. There aren't many people. Under the Xiao family, Guangyuantang is very aggressive and ruthless.

In this campaign against Xizhou, Guangyuantang's caravan first defeated the Samarkand merchant protection group, and then defeated the Yutian Jade Gang's cavalry.

Although they were just a caravan, their fighting strength allowed them to do whatever they wanted in the west.

Watching the scribe pick up his pen and write a few lines, he decided the fate of a kingdom's Khan.

Chen Shao breathed a long sigh of relief, once again feeling that his strength was still considerable.

As for whether it's simply a case of stomping noobs or having enough skill, that remains to be seen.

Jurchen Tartars, it's up to you to test their true colors!
-
Yin Shuke led his troops through Weizhou, wading through mud and water, and outpaced all the Jurchens.

This further fueled the discontent of many Jurchen people.

If you, Yinshu, were to lead a group of Tatars and steal the greatest credit, what would become of everyone's reputation? Just as he had once again used his sense of smell to raid a hidden fortress and was about to return to his own messy and shabby camp...

A group of Jurchen soldiers, numbering several dozen, came shouting as they approached. In addition to these armored cavalrymen, there were also over a hundred auxiliary soldiers, dressed in tattered clothes, following them at a distance of about one hundred paces.

Yin Shuke looked around and recognized the leader of the team; he was Puliyan, a subordinate of Wanyan Xiyin.

Puliyan was a military unit of the Jurchens, with each Puliyan comprising 50 households and 20 armored soldiers during wartime.

After stopping Yin Shuke and the others, Na Puliyan gave Yin Shuke a cold laugh and loudly announced to himself, "Hand over all the grain, fodder and livestock!"

Yin Shuke was originally a general under Zong Han, but after he fell on hard times, a mere Pu Liyan dared to bully him.

The Jurchen people truly lacked any compassion; they were purely driven by the law of the jungle.

Before Yinshu could speak, his mixed-race men were taken aback, and then each of them showed anger on their faces.

When we came back from harvesting grain a few days ago, we could always save some. Although we weren't full, we managed to fill our stomachs and not starve to death.

In addition, these miscellaneous people were born to struggle in the worst environments, and they were naturally able to endure hardship and make a living.

As the torrential rain made the roads increasingly muddy, it became harder and harder to gather provisions. With the army's food supplies dwindling and the number of strongholds to plunder dwindling, they had only managed to gather this little bit after such a arduous journey.

Silver Arts had already bypassed the main army and had no intention of handing over the spoils.

Unfortunately, Wanyan Xiyin's troops, who were in charge of the central command and managed the transportation of the army's food and supplies, had a nose as sharp as a hyena's. They sent men to catch up and intercept them!
Yin Shuke glanced at his men. He regarded these barbarians as less important than grass, and deep down he still had the Jurchen nature of not treating outsiders as human beings.

But these mixed-race barbarians were his only subordinates, and Yinshu was counting on them to turn the tide and reclaim his Jurchen tribes.

If all the grain from this trip is handed over, everyone will starve to death in a few days.

The Hu people were rough and unruly, each gripping their weapons tightly. If this were on their own grasslands, they would have already started fighting.

But looking at the dozens of Jurchen warriors clad in armor, wielding sharp weapons, and exuding a fierce aura, and then at their own crude weapons, the Hu people could only lower their heads.

All their eyes were on Yin Shuke, waiting for him to give orders.

Yin Shuke, who had been silent all along, could only step forward now, bow slightly to Puliyan, and say in a deep voice, "Let's stick to the old rules and leave us 30%. Otherwise, if we all starve to death, who will help Zonghan?"

Napuliyan sneered: "I didn't expect you, Yinshuke, to think of yourself as one of these people! What does it matter if they all die and disperse? Those lowly people on the grassland are like grass, they can be cut down and they will grow back."

The Jurchen Tartars did not value the lives of the Mongols from the very beginning until the rise of the Mongols. After establishing their state, the Jurchens used simple and brutal methods to guard against the rise of the Mongols.

Every three years, a cavalry unit is sent to the grasslands to "reduce the population".
They slaughtered Mongol men, abducted women and children to be enslaved, and burned down the tents of pregnant women on the grasslands.

"You think starving them is unacceptable? Would you be happy if we Jurchens starved? You might as well give up the surname Wanyan altogether, lest you disgrace this noble name!"

Yin Shuke also had the surname Wanyan, but he belonged to a very small tribal branch, and was not considered noble in the Jin Kingdom according to bloodline.

Yin Shu knew why this man was pressing him so aggressively; he had once been a general under Zong Han.

During the attack on Datong Prefecture, Yin Shuke, in the name of Zong Han, forced Wanyan Xiyin's men to participate in a fierce battle to capture the city, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries.

Everyone in Wanyan Xiyin's tribe hated Yin Shu to the core. He had been Zong Han's favorite general before, but had no chance to avenge himself. Now that they had the opportunity, how could they possibly be polite to Yin Shu?

They specifically led a group to chase after him, just to force him to his death.

With a wave of his hand, Napuliyan's servants and auxiliary soldiers rushed forward to seize the rations on horseback and the livestock being led away.

The Jurchen cavalrymen lazily stepped forward, looked at what those mixed-breed robes were carrying, and snatched it away.

If he liked something, he would casually put it in his pocket; if he didn't, he would throw it into the mud and urge his horse to trample it over.

Some Jurchen cavalrymen even took a fancy to the mounts ridden by the mixed Hu people, and they pointed their weapons at the horses from their own horses, demanding that the Hu people give up their horses.

Immediately, servants stepped forward to lead the Jurchen master's horse, and he swaggered around among the mixed Hu people.

It seemed as if they shared in the glory of their Jurchen masters' tyranny, completely forgetting how these people had killed their fathers and brothers, seized and abused their wives and daughters, and arbitrarily enslaved and whipped them.

The group of barbarians were so angry that their beards stood on end, but they dared not resist, for they had long since experienced the brutality of the Jurchens.

These people came from more than thirty tribes. They were all able-bodied men from their tribes who were forced to follow the Jurchens south. Most of the able-bodied men were here.

There were only three thousand cavalry in total, which was a huge disparity in strength compared to the Jurchen military power at its peak!
If they dared to resist, even the slightest resistance, the Jurchens would absolutely slaughter them without mercy.

The battles and killings between the tribes of the grasslands were extremely brutal. If all the able-bodied men were killed, what would happen to the old and weak of the tribe?
They will definitely be devoured and wiped out by other tribes.

All the Hu people looked at Yin Shuke. We all obeyed your orders, went out to scout, desperately gathered supplies, and chased after them at breakneck speed.

Now that we can't keep this food, we're going to lose our lives. You have to come up with a solution, otherwise see who will still listen to your orders. Even if they manage to cope, they will never put in the same effort as before!

After a long silence, Yin Shuke suddenly spurred his horse toward Puliyan. He sat on his horse, leaned forward, and said something, which seemed to be some words of pleading.

Meanwhile, Puliyan watched coldly as Yinshuke pleaded with him, only to be rejected without hesitation.

Yin Shu was a great general of the Jurchen people. It was already quite remarkable that he would plead for mercy from a mere Puliyan after falling into disgrace.

What's even more outrageous is that Puliyan really didn't give them any face.
Suddenly, Yin Shuke, who was pleading for mercy, moved closer and abruptly reached out, pulling him off his mount!

Puliyan was completely unprepared, merely lazily tapping the stirrups on his horse. Yin Shuke acted suddenly, instantly subduing him.

With a clang, Yin Shuke drew his sword from his waist, hoisted Puliyan onto his horse, and pressed the cold, sharp blade against his neck, coldly saying, "Tell them to stop! I won't give them a single grain of this grain; let my men go!"

The incident happened so suddenly that all the Jurchen armored cavalrymen cried out in surprise and turned to look at Yinshuke.

They had all drawn their weapons, but for a moment they didn't know what to do!

Yin Shu was a great general of the Jurchen people. Although he was temporarily down on his luck, his former reputation remained.

It's fine to come and bully him for revenge, but no one dares to actually pull a knife and kill him. Who knows what Zonghan is thinking?

Yin Shuke's usually calm face suddenly contorted into a ferocious expression. He sat on his horse, looked around, and roared, "Where were you when I followed the old emperor and charged into the Khitan formation at Hubudagang? Where were you when I followed Zonghan and chased the Khitan emperor for thousands of miles? Where were you when I captured Mingcheng and broke through the army?"
Now, because Yelü Yanxi took advantage of the weakened defenses to capture several cities, several generals and marshals are vying for power, and I've been pushed forward to take the blame. I accept Zonghan's punishment willingly. But who do you think you are, daring to bully me? Let them take their provisions and leave! Otherwise, killing you will be as easy as slaughtering a chicken! Killing a dog!

When a general like this falls from grace, he seems suddenly vulnerable and easily bullied. Yet, once he unleashes his power, he still possesses an awe-inspiring and unassailable aura!
Napuyan had fought his way up, and had fought many fierce battles. Although he was not as good as Yinshu, he was definitely not a coward.

However, upon seeing Yin Shuke's sudden change in expression, he didn't dare to entertain even the slightest thought of resistance! In the end, he was only thinking about going back and telling Xi Yin what had happened here, to see how Xi Yin would deal with him!
Puliyan forced himself to muster some courage and hissed, "Go! Go! Let these mud-like bastards go! Yinshuke, do you dare come with me to see Xiyin?"

He gave the order, and the Jurchen armored cavalry all dispersed. At this time, the Jurchen military discipline was very strict.

The Mongol and Hunnic knights were still looking at Yin Shuke's figure. Yin Shuke waved his hand without turning his head, telling them to leave quickly. These men bowed and patted their chests on their horses, took back their horses and food, and galloped away.

Yin Shuke watched their retreating figures, knowing that he only had one chance. If he couldn't retake the city and kill or capture Yelü Yanxi alive, he would basically be a dead man.

Even after being captured, Puliyan was still shouting hoarsely, "Yinshuke, do you dare to go see Xiyin?"

Yin Shuke laughed and thrust his knife forward. Puliyan closed his eyes, but the pain he had imagined did not come.

He opened his eyes and saw that Yin Shuke had put the knife back into the scabbard at his waist.

Yin Shuke pushed Puliyan, who was on horseback, into the mud at his feet and laughed, "What kind of bird is Xiyin? I wouldn't dare to see him. But I have more important things to do now!"

He abandoned the man and was about to chase after his subordinates, but when he saw that after Yin Shuke released Puliyan, dozens of Jurchen armored cavalrymen surrounded him, pointing various weapons at Yin Shuke. Some even wanted to capture Yin Shuke, tie him up, and send him to Xiyin.

Let's see how long this down-on-his-luck general from a small, impoverished background can hold on.

Just then, a deep voice rang out from afar: "You are all brothers of the Western Route Army, why are you killing each other here? Disperse immediately, or Zong Han will not spare you if he finds out!"

As everyone turned to look, they saw rows of black flags waving, and dozens of Jurchen guards escorting a tall Jurchen general on horseback.

Everyone recognized him; he was a highly decorated and exceptionally brave soldier in the Jurchen western army, none other than Wanyan Loushi.

Among Zong Han's two generals, Lou Shi and Yin Shuke, Zong Han was most fond of them.

Lou Shi was even more highly regarded, and he certainly lived up to expectations, daring to overcome even the toughest challenges.

Upon hearing Wanyan Loushi's words, the Jurchen armored cavalrymen all lowered their weapons and sheathed them.

Puliyan, who had just gotten up from the mud, wanted to say something, but Wanyan Loushi simply waved his hand and said, "Go! Go! I'll talk to Xiyin myself!"

Since Wanyan Loushi was protecting Yin Shuke, there was no point in complaining to Xi Yin. Puliyan had no choice but to get up and leave with his men in a dejected manner.

Upon seeing Wanyan Loushi arrive, Yin Shuke bowed from horseback and said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry you had to see this."

Wanyan Loushi's dozens of personal guards spread out to stand guard. He rode alone to Yin Shuke's side and frowned, saying, "Xi Yin has gone too far. Zong Han often says that he may not be of one mind with us. If you have any trouble in the future, just come to me."

Yin Shuke shook his head: "I never want to get involved in these things, I only think about fighting!"

Wanyan Loushi smiled and said, "You can't avoid it even if you don't want to get involved. We're all in the same boat! Here's what I'll do: I'll get you some weapons and armor to equip your light cavalry, and I'll also assign you two or three commanders."

"Yin Shuke, your chances of turning things around depend on this! You are a general under Zong Han, and we will never give up on you easily!"

Yin Shuke suddenly looked up at Lou Shi and immediately understood. Since being demoted, although Yin Shuke rarely spoke, she was actually quite resentful and frustrated.

He had also resented Zonghan for not saving him, when it could have been done with just a word.

It turns out he had his own ulterior motives. This time, it seemed that Lou Shi was looking out for him, allocating armor and weapons, and even sending his trusted confidant, Mou Ke.

Actually, Zonghan hoped that he could achieve something great and turn his life around to return to his side!

Once he returns to Zonghan's side with his merits, he will be of great benefit to Zonghan...

This damned struggle is nothing compared to the thrill of fighting on the battlefield. Silver Arts was caught up in it against his will, and had no choice but to struggle to break free.

Wanyan Loushi waved his hand, and the Jurchen moke, who had been prepared in advance, followed Yin Shuke with sufficient supplies and weapons.

As dusk fell, a thunderous cheer erupted from the scattered camps of the Mongol and non-Han knights under Yin Shuke's command!

Today, Yin Shuke and Xi Yin's subordinates have broken off relations and even used knives. Although these Mongol barbarians have returned, they are all quite terrified.

They were terrified that the Jurchen army would suddenly attack and wipe them out; the Jurchens were truly capable of such a thing.

Although everyone knows that begging for mercy is useless when facing the Jurchen Tartars, what else can you do but kneel down and beg for your life?
Some tribal leaders have begun to discuss whether to send some able-bodied men from each tribe to secretly leave their posts and return to the grasslands, leaving some seeds for their respective tribes.

After this "death march" in the Jurchen army, the mixed nomadic tribes of the grasslands, who were originally at odds with each other and had a long history of enmity, began to slowly move towards unity.

As they were discussing things, Yin Keshu suddenly returned, completely unharmed.

Instead of Xi Yin's troops who came to kill him, he was surrounded by a large number of weapons and armor, a large amount of military supplies and equipment, and even food and livestock!

What a surprise!

From now on, these people not only no longer need to worry about being killed by the Jurchen Tartars, but also have enough food and supplies.

They no longer needed to travel around gathering grass and grain, plundering villages, and searching for a little something to eat to save their lives.

Yin Keshu explained his plan: to lead them to defeat the emperor of the Liao Dynasty. The Mongol tribesmen were not afraid at all; on the contrary, they were extremely excited.

The various nomadic tribes were all too familiar with fighting the Liao people. Although they were nominally subjects of the Liao Dynasty, once they could no longer survive, they would go to Liao towns in droves to raid their treasuries and loot their granaries.

These Mongol and other non-Han tribes followed the Jurchen army in battle, not only because they were intimidated by the Jurchen's military might, but also because they coveted the wealth of the Liao Dynasty and wanted to take advantage of the Jurchen's military might to carry out a good killing and plundering campaign.

Currently, most of them are not afraid of fighting and dying. On the grasslands, there are both white and black disasters, and tribes fight each other, with people dying all the time.

As long as we can rob, kill, and plunder, what's so terrible about risking our lives?
So they were overjoyed to see Silver Magic return, and were even more delighted to receive armor and weapons.

All of this was thanks to Yinshuke. Fortunately, they had such a Jurchen general leading them, who not only did his best to protect them, but also provided them with weapons, armor, military supplies, and equipment, and even led them to raid Yunnei first!
Under the firelight in the camp, countless kafasuo leaders and fierce-looking grassland men cheered and encouraged Yinshuke. Some even knelt down and drew their swords to draw blood at Yinshuke to show their determination.

"By the Eternal Heaven above, we humble servants are willing to follow General Wanyan, even at the cost of our lives, and obey his orders!"

The Jurchens under Lou Shi's command watched all of this with indifference.

Amid their cheers, Yin Shuke's face remained gloomy, his teeth clenched tightly as he gazed intently at the dark night sky.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
-
On a clear autumn day, the Xingling Plain was bustling with activity.

Everywhere, people were bending over to harvest.

Chen Shao was in high spirits. He had gritted his teeth and persevered for a year, and finally reaped the rewards.

millet, wheat, hemp
The pressure on caravans to purchase grain this year has been greatly reduced.

With the Song Dynasty's several questionable actions, especially its endless and indiscriminate distribution of imperial decrees, the price of grain in the Song Dynasty has collapsed.

Looking at the busy crowd, Chen Shao took a deep breath.

Mozang Pangge said from the side, "General, news has come from Liangzhou that the grain transport army has already repelled the Tibetans three times this year."

Speaking of this, Chen Shao was speechless.

Those Tibetans are really desperate to survive; they come to rob us every autumn harvest.

Even knowing they couldn't win, they still came to steal it.

If you manage to grab something, you can survive for a while; if you don't, a large number of people will die.

In the Hexi Corridor, the Western Xia would organize an autumn grain protection army every year to guard against the Tibetans.

The Tibetans knew they would die, but they still wanted to try.

What they were defending with their lives was not only food, but also the hope for the survival of their races.

Unfortunately, this land has lost the 'warm period' it experienced during the Tang Dynasty.

During the Tang Dynasty, the greatest fortune in three thousand years fell upon the Tubo Dynasty—with the arrival of the Sui-Tang warm period, temperatures rose and precipitation increased, leading to unprecedented development of agriculture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The planting area, yield per acre, and even the size of the horses on the plateau have all increased dramatically.

During the Tubo Dynasty, the Tibetan population reached approximately 300 million, almost equivalent to the total population of the Tibet region today.

Economic development and population growth provided the Tibetan Dynasty with ample resources and manpower, contributing to its strength. This enabled Tibet to expand southward into Nepal and northward against the Tang Dynasty.

However, this warm period did not last long. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, with the deterioration of climate conditions, the cultivated land area alone had decreased by nearly half.

From then on, the already bloated Tibetans were forced to face a sharp decline in population.

Moreover, they gradually balanced the surge that had occurred over the past three thousand years by starving people to death in the most cruel way.

So they started raiding the Hexi Corridor every autumn harvest.

Given the nature of the Tangut people, the fact that I didn't rob you is already considered a great act of mercy.

If you try to take my place, I certainly won't just defend.

Every year, grain escort teams would also raid Tibetan territory and rob livestock.

Chen Shao was well aware of these matters and did not give any special instructions this year.

The grain protection team was the same as in previous years, and even had more personnel.

"General, we've already conquered Xizhou, why don't we send men to take Tibet directly?"

Wu Lin achieved great merit in Xizhou, destroying the country and capturing the Khan, which made Meicang Pangge somewhat envious.

There are not many enemies left for Dingnan Army. These Tibetans may be their opportunity.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "That place is not easy to fight. If we really manage to get there, I don't know how many brothers will be unable to breathe due to the high altitude."

Moreover, they are facing population decline due to natural selection.

If I go myself, it might make the already meager grain supply even more strained.

"Let the grain protection team fight fiercely!"

(End of this chapter)