You have truly caused me great suffering!

In the northwestern regions, thousands of miles are frozen and thousands of miles are covered in snow.

A group of people came from the west and headed east.

They were all dressed in thick coats and cloaks, which were both warm and lightweight, and rode tall horses, with another horse beside them.

The empty horse's back was loaded with iron armor; in this kind of weather, the iron armor was the best way to dissipate body heat.

During the march, the cold wind felt like tiny knives cutting relentlessly in our faces.

In the wind and snow, only their eyes were visible, and the horses were covered with thick blankets for warmth.

Finally, a low watchtower appeared ahead, and Han Shizhong was overjoyed.

There are usually fortified villages near such watchtowers.

Sure enough, after walking a few steps, someone came out from the watchtower.

"You are?"

The leading cavalryman didn't want to say a word more, only growling, "From Helan Mountain."

The sentry in the watchtower hurriedly went back to report.

When Han Shizhong's army arrived at the fortress, hot soup had already been prepared inside.

The soldiers on guard duty on the stockade wall had already spotted them and hurriedly sent people down to greet them, leading them directly to the top of the stockade wall and into the fortress to warm themselves by the fire. Each of them was also served a large bowl of hot ginger soup.

In such weather, most armies would have been full of complaints long ago, and might even have mutinied.

But these people were all very energetic.

They broke through Xiping Prefecture, trampled the Helan Mountains, and captured countless members of the Western Xia royal family. Their achievements were so numerous that they were all being held by the military governor.

The merit of conquering a country should have produced several dukes and marquises, but the military commander himself was only a third-rank official.

How should rewards be bestowed?

Only by conquering more territory and elevating the commanders to higher positions can they be rewarded.

Now the opportunity has arrived.

Vast tracts of land in the various states of Yunnei now await their arrival.

Han Shizhong held a bowl of hot soup and chatted and laughed with the people in the fortress. His face and hands were covered with cracks from the cold mountain wind and chilblains, which had burst open and were oozing yellow fluid.

I hastily applied some herbal medicine and wrapped it with a white cloth. I don't know how many days it hadn't been changed, because the white cloth had turned a bit black.

But he didn't care at all; his eyes gleamed, and he spoke with a strong voice!
Upon learning that the fortress was close to Xia Prefecture, Han Shizhong laughed heartily and said to those around him, "What did I tell you? In three days at most, we'll be able to reunite with the military governor!"

No matter what kind of suffering a person is enduring, as long as the future is bright, their spirit and energy will be different.

Han Shizhong is a prime example; he is now riding high. The hardships of his early years have now been transformed into experience and nourishment, making him stand there like a piece of refined steel, and even hinting at the presence of a pillar.

A renowned general has emerged from his cocoon, transformed like a butterfly. With the changing winds and a wise ruler by his side, he rode swiftly to victory, capturing the Xiongnu chieftain on a snowy night. All of this seems perfectly natural for this general with his astonishing military achievements.

As Chen Shao's top henchman, Han Shizhong's achievements are beyond recognition.

No one would have imagined that just a few years ago, Chen Shao spent a hundred strings of cash to buy Han Shizhong from the Western Army, which was considered a losing proposition.
Chen Shao knew then that he was priceless.

Great generals are hard to come by, and in the last hundred years, those who can serve as the backbone of the nation are even rarer.

No matter how many history books you look through, it's always the same few names that shine in the section on military generals.

Bai Qi, the Skeleton King, completely shattered the military balance between Qin and the six states, laying the military foundation for Qin's unification of the world at Changping.

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing rose to prominence in response to the times, leading large armies and setting the once-powerful and invincible Xiongnu on the road to destruction.

In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Dou Xian led a large army northward, completely ending the centuries-long war between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu.

Li Jing, who founded the Tang Dynasty; Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, who served in the mid-Tang Dynasty; or Cao Bin, who served in the early Song Dynasty; or Xu Da, who defeated the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and restored the Han Dynasty.

These are the true heroes! Once they appear on the battlefield and are given the opportunity, they will unleash boundless power.

Such a person cannot be made through hard work; they are a born leader.

Such figures, once they appear on the battlefield, can win the hearts of soldiers and boost morale to new heights.

Countless proud and fierce soldiers were happy to serve them, and generals who dared not turn back even when facing death a hundred times on the battlefield were truly treasures of an era.

Han Shizhong was a famous general.

But in this era, there is someone even more formidable than him.
That guy was just kicked out of the house by his wife because he wasn't making enough money.

At this moment, he was standing guard with a sword in Wang Bing's tent.
-
Xia Prefecture, Wuyang Ridge.

At this time, the Jurchens probably didn't know that they were eyeing the Song Dynasty's territory with covetous intent.

Someone is watching them from behind.

Outside Xiazhou City, camps and fortresses stretched out in a continuous line.

People and horses moved back and forth, and smoke rose from the chimneys everywhere.

There were Han Chinese military tents as well as nomadic felt tents.

Among them were Khitans, Tatars, and Bohai people.
The most surreal thing is that Chen Shao had a Jurchen battalion of more than 400 men under his command.

This is a proper Jurchen camp; apart from the camp leader being a Han Chinese, all the soldiers under his command are Jurchen armored warriors.

The Jurchens rose to power, but not all Jurchens submitted to the Wanyan tribe.

Not to mention the early internal strife among the Jurchens, which was so fierce that it was like the Mongolian steppe before unification.

Even when Wanyan Aguda rose to power and became so ruthless that he overthrew the Liao Dynasty, many tribes still rebelled.

Their hatred for the Wanyan tribe was even greater than their hatred for the Khitans.

Just three years ago, when Wanyan Aguda had won every battle, he colluded with the Liao general Yelü Yudu in the Jurchen Wuyan tribe in the rear, attempting to create turmoil in the rear of the Jin army.

Yan Loushi led his army in a surprise attack on the Wuyan tribe's camp, killing its leader Xie Ye, and his followers were reduced to slaves.

Two years ago, Xiebo of the Tudan tribe of the Jurchen rebelled in Liaodong. He was wiped out by Wanyan Zongxiong, his head was displayed to the public, and his tribe was enslaved.

Four years ago, Liu Ke, the leader of the Wugulun tribe, rebelled and his entire clan was massacred by Wanyan Zonghan.
After becoming slaves, these people followed the Jurchen army into the Western Capital of the Liao Dynasty, where they were sold to Chen Shao as Han Chinese.

During the population census, Li Xiaozhong discovered these Jurchens and formed an army, intending to claim the title of Jurchen leader and wipe out the traitor Wanyan.

These Jurchen people harbored a greater hatred for the Jin dynasty than any other ethnic group.

I can't wait to go back to my hometown in the Northeast.

Because Chen Shaolian bought things on credit and accepted refugees who had fled there, the number of people was no less than one million.

At that time, the Khitan territory was vast, with nearly sixty ethnic groups and a population of one million, which was also very diverse.

However, these people had one thing in common: they had all been slaughtered and enslaved by the Jurchens and carried a deep-seated hatred. Therefore, the Jurchen, Khitan, Tatar, and Bohai camps formed a large army, with the Tangut Weiming Litong as the commander-in-chief and the Han Yang Guang as the deputy commander-in-chief.

This can be considered a genuine Avengers team.
While Chen Shaozheng was in the central command tent, simulating battles with Li Xiaozhong, someone outside reported that Han Shizhong of the Helan Mountain Army had arrived.

Chen Shao put down the wooden pole in his hand and said with a smile, "My loyal minister has arrived."
-
In February of the sixth year of the Xuanhe era, Yelü Yanxi crossed the desert via the Tiande army and fled westward. He ran out of water and food along the way and could only eat ice and snow to quench his hunger and thirst. He was eventually caught up and captured by the Jin general Wanyan Loushi.

The Jin army, in both the eastern and western routes, began to return to their respective territories, with Wanyan Zonghan leading his troops back to Datong Prefecture.

The eastern route troops are preparing to retreat to Pingzhou to join Wanyan Zongwang.

Yin Shuke, who had made great contributions in the campaign against Liao, was ordered by the emperor to launch a raid on Yingzhou in the early winter. However, due to Meng Nuan's early preparations and fierce resistance, the raid made no progress and was forced to stop in the rolling mountains near Yingzhou.

In March, the Song Dynasty court rejected the unreasonable demand to cede Hedong and Hebei.

The Jin state brazenly declared that the Song dynasty had broken the maritime alliance and taken in Zhang Jue, thus ending the alliance between the two countries and officially entering a state of war.

Even the Jin dynasty knew that they had a legitimate reason to fight.

After the declaration of war, both sides began preparations for war. The return of the two armies and the preparation of food and supplies all required time.

Both the Jin and Song dynasties almost universally believed that the war would begin in July or August.

As a result, in the second month after the declaration of war, a light cavalry army of no less than 50,000 men suddenly emerged from Nuanquan Peak and marched eastward.

Shuozhou was poorly defended, and the city was almost entirely occupied by local powerful families. Faced with such an elite army, it had no power to resist.

This army was highly mobile, divided into four routes, and swept through Shuozhou, quickly occupying Ningbian, Wuzhou, Shanyang, and Mayi.

However, the matter was not over yet. Han Shizhong led his troops out of Nuanquan Peak, westward to occupy Heqing, Jinsu and Yulin, and along the Yellow River to block Yunnei.

Soon, Meng Nuan of Yingzhou surrendered to the Song Dynasty and became a battalion of the Dingnan Army.

In an instant, the situation in the north underwent a dramatic change. No one expected that such a large force would suddenly emerge and alter the course of the battle.

Because Yingzhou is located directly south of Datong, in the heart of the Jurchen army's advance, Chen Shao requested permission to send troops to support Meng Nuan in Yingzhou via the Hedong region.

Before the imperial court could reply, the 30,000 Lingwu troops who had been preparing in Yinzhou followed Chen Shao out of Yinzhou and into Yan'an Prefecture, officially stepping onto the former land of the Great Song Dynasty.
-
Hedong, in the city of Taiyuan.

The panic caused by Tong Guan's escape without a fight had not yet subsided when it was overwhelmed by news of the Northwest Army's eastward advance.

It was late spring, and Taiyuan was full of peddlers carrying their homemade Tusu wine.

They gave out small change to the people who came to buy wine.

The air was filled with the aroma of wine, a mixture of rhubarb and Sichuan peppercorns.

The people of Taiyuan have not had a good life in recent years. The war against Yan has been a complete disaster, and the Hedong region has also been affected.

In particular, Hedong received a significant portion of the money used to redeem Yanjing.

It turns out that the Khitans were like wolves that had been fed, and they had lost their claws and teeth. They were even more greedy for comfort than the Song Dynasty. Since they were adjacent to each other, they had been relatively peaceful in recent years.

Until the Jurchen Tartars rose to power, everyone knew they were a hungry wolf, and they were even more fearful after the Jurchens declared war.

Fortunately, this is the Song Dynasty, and the people of the Song Dynasty, from the emperor to the common people, all admire the ostrich mentality.

Since the future outlook isn't too promising, there's no point in worrying all the time. We might as well make the most of this last bit of peace and have a good time.

Because once war breaks out, the Jurchen Tartars will inevitably move south from the prefectures and counties on the northern slopes of Mount Wutai and then surround Taiyuan.

If the Khitan's vast territory could be overthrown in just a few years, how long can Taiyuan hold out?
Tong Guan's dismal record during the campaign against Liao, and his subsequent retreat without a fight, have dealt a significant blow to everyone's confidence.

There was a rumor circulating in Taiyuan that people felt they were about to give up.

Everyone seized the last peaceful spring to eat, drink, and spend, which ironically led to a kind of unhealthy prosperity in Taiyuan at the turn of the year.

All of this changed after a single message.

The Northwest Pacification Army—who knows exactly how many people they have? It's said that more than half of their troops are still within their territory.

According to some well-meaning people, the Dingnan Army that has set out to fight this time numbers no less than 100,000.

The Song Dynasty had always concealed Chen Shao's achievements in many ways because it did not want to give him too high a title or official position.

In addition, Chen Shao deliberately concealed the fact that everyone knew there was a man named Chen Shao who assisted Tan Zhen in quelling the civil unrest in Jiangnan and, under the leadership of Commander Tong Xuan, destroyed the Western Xia.

As for his reconquest of the Hexi Corridor, the destruction of the Gaochang Khanate, and the acquisition of Jurchen prisoners with large sums of money, these events were strictly controlled and not allowed to be disseminated.

Now, it can no longer be hidden, because Chen Shaozhen is coming.

He set off from Yan'an Prefecture and estimated that it would take him at most a month and a half to reach Taiyuan Prefecture in Hedong.

By then, we will know who Chen Shao really is, what his troops are like, and whether he can protect Taiyuan from the Tartar invasion.

At this time, Taiyuan Prefecture was no longer the great prefecture with numerous counties, heavy military garrisons, and complex affairs that it had been from the prosperous Tang Dynasty to the founding of the Song Dynasty.

Although the geographical location remains extremely important, funds and supplies are scarce, and manpower are also limited. Wang Bing wants to train a new army, but he is struggling due to a lack of funds; recruitment is difficult, let alone paying salaries.

The office of the Hedong Pacification Commissioner was located on Tangming Street in the center of the city.

At the beginning of the year, Zhang Xiaochun, the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong and concurrently the Prefect of Taiyuan, reprimanded Tong Guan for trying to retain him.

Tong Guan had already fled, and his position as Pacification Commissioner was a hundred times less powerful than Tong Guan's. Although he was still in charge of Taiyuan Prefecture, he didn't have much official business to attend to. Every day when he arrived here, he didn't do much. He just met with his subordinates and took a cursory look at some nearby places. The weather was too cold, and he wasn't in the mood to explore any scenic spots.

These days he simply stays in the government office, acting as if he doesn't exist.

Even more surprisingly, the absence of this highest-ranking civil official in Taiyuan Prefecture had absolutely no impact.
At this very moment, in a small building in the backyard of the Pacification Commissioner's office, Zhang Xiaochun was holding a grand banquet, chatting and drinking with several trusted advisors he had brought to Taiyuan.

A warm curtain was hung up on the small building, and a charcoal brazier was set up. The interior was cozy and warm. Several maids stood with their heads bowed.

The scenery of late spring has its own unique charm.

But the thought that either the Jurchen Tartars or Chen Shao, the military leader from the Northwest, would arrive soon dampened the spirits of those present.

Even though his staff tried to say something amusing, Zhang Xiaochun seemed rather listless.

No matter who comes, they don't seem to have a good time. Chen Shao is so arrogant that before the court could even approve his report, he took it upon himself to lead his troops eastward on the grounds of an urgent military situation.

From the moment the Western Army withdrew to Shaanxi, the authority of the imperial court declined day by day, setting a very bad precedent, which greatly displeased the civil officials.

Zhang Xiaochun was a traditional scholar, so naturally he was also dissatisfied.

After drinking a cup of Tusu wine, Zhang Xiaochun opened a corner of the warm curtain, letting in a gust of cold wind that invigorated him. Looking around, he couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity this place is no longer the magnificent city it once was!"

This statement is correct. Hedong Road is the backbone of the Central Plains, and Taiyuan controls the entire Hedong Road.

As long as Taiyuan is held, the Central Plains will be safe. Bianliang is in danger because Hebei does not have the terrain of Hedong.

Crossing the river westward from this point would lead directly into Guanzhong, where Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty. Heading south would directly target the Central Plains, and with the center of Chinese rule gradually shifting eastward, it would have a commanding advantage.

Liu Zhiyuan then used this opportunity to establish the Later Han Dynasty, and from the Later Zhou Dynasty to the founding of the Song Dynasty, he occupied Taiyuan.

The mere Northern Han, which relied on the Liao people for aid, became a huge threat to the Song Dynasty.

At that time, the Song Dynasty and the Northern Han Dynasty were vastly different in strength. Even so, Emperors Taizong and Taizu personally led the expedition and exerted all their strength to conquer this mighty city.

It was precisely for this reason that, after conquering Taiyuan, Zhao Guangyi sought to maintain the ancestral system of a strong central government and weak local administration.

Having suffered greatly in Taiyuan, the Song Dynasty not only set fire to the city but also completely razed the old city of Taiyuan.

Unfortunately, I acted rashly at the time and didn't consider the consequences. I also thought I could immediately recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Three years later, in order to prepare for the defense against the Liao, the Song Dynasty had no choice but to restore Taiyuan.

However, the new city was built thirty miles northeast of the old city, separated by the Fen River.

The magnificent city that once had a circumference of forty-two li, twenty-four gates, and walls several zhang high, encased in massive stones, now exists only in memory.

At this moment, the new city of Taiyuan was no more than ten feet high, and it was entirely made of rammed earth without any bricks. The city wall was only eleven li in circumference, and it had only four gates.

This is more than just a stripped-down version of Taiyuan; it doesn't even deserve to be called Taiyuan.

If Taiyuan were still the mighty city it once was, the people of Taiyuan, and even the people of Hedong, probably wouldn't be so dejected.

While Zhang Xiaochun and his companions were drinking and wallowing in despair, Wang Bing was directing the repair work from the city wall.

In the original history, it was in this devastated Taiyuan that Wang Bing stubbornly resisted for nearly nine months, 260 days, until finally he ran out of ammunition and food, the city fell, and his people perished.

When the battle reached its end and supplies were exhausted, Wang Bing carried a portrait of Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, which was enshrined in Taiyuan City, and jumped into the Fen River to commit suicide for his country.

Food supplies in the city were extremely scarce. "The soldiers and civilians first ate cattle, horses, and mules, then cooked bows, crossbows, and leather armor, and finally even cut up corpses to eat." Countless people starved to death, and the few thousand soldiers who survived were extremely weak.

Even when the city fell, they continued to fight street battles with the Jin army.

As a result, Wanyan Zonghan of the Western Route Army was blocked here during the first Jurchen invasion of the Song Dynasty.

This also led to Wanyan Zonghan, who held the most powerful military aristocratic group of the Jurchens, being defeated by Wanyan Zongwang. This became a handle for him in his later internal struggles, and he was constantly attacked by other high-ranking members of the Jurchens.

Zhang Xiaochun suddenly picked up his wine cup, looked at the spring scenery in the distance, and said, "Whether it's the Xiongnu or Dong Zhuo coming, it's all a calamity for our Great Song Dynasty!"

None of the advisors responded. Having been immersed in officialdom for a long time, they could still discern the strengths and weaknesses in the current situation.

Chen Shao suddenly displayed such formidable strength, and crucially, he had a perfectly legitimate reason for everything he did, and he was about to achieve unparalleled feats.

They must be bored to follow Zhang Xiaochun and speak ill of him behind his back. Maybe they can even defy fate and change their destiny with him in the future.

Before the Dingnan army even arrived, Meng Nuan, the governor of Yingzhou, had already surrendered. This was truly terrifying.

More importantly, some of the officials present had families who had connections with the Northwest Caravan.

Either they lent money to the Northwest caravan, or they had business dealings with them.

At this moment, Wang Bing stood on the city wall of Taiyuan, his expression somewhat bewildered.

It seems that the huge weight that had been pressing on his heart for so long has been lifted.
Did they really move away?
He had long heard of Meng Nuan, the governor of Yingzhou, who was a powerful and influential figure among the Han people of Liaodong.

After the Jurchens destroyed the Liao dynasty, he took advantage of the chaos to occupy Yingzhou. He had been keeping a low profile all along, but it turned out that he had secretly made a deal with Chen Shao.

Unlike Zhang Xiaochun, Wang Bing knew Chen Shao; they had served together under Tong Guan in the past.

At first, in his eyes, Chen Shao was a complete scoundrel.

He befriended Tong Guan's bodyguards, solicited bribes from local gentry, and fawned over them.

But soon, he was ashamed to discover that Chen Shao, whom he had looked down upon, had led several thousand defeated soldiers and civilians to hold off Richard's army for seven days in Hengshan.

They were nearby at the time, but because of the power struggle between Commander Xuan and the generals of the Western Army, they did not go to provide support.

Wang Bing thought Chen Shao was surely dead, but he held out for seven days. So when Commander Xuan promoted him to attack Youzhou and Yanzhou, Wang Bing had no resentment at all.

After holding out at Hengshan for seven days, everyone felt that he deserved it.

However, as he subdued the Qiang people in Yinxia, ​​things seemed to get out of control. At that time, all the troops in the northwest were mobilized to fight against Liao, and the court could no longer restrain him.

Chen Shao only had one chance to gain a foothold in Western Xia, and the conditions were extremely demanding, requiring the simultaneous fulfillment of the following: the Song Dynasty's failure to conquer Liao, the swift capture of Yinxia, ​​and maintaining good relations with the Western Army.
He still managed to seize the opportunity.

In recent years, Wang Bing and his colleagues have been exhausted in Hebei and Yan, and have almost forgotten about the Northwest.

Chen Shao once again appeared before the world in a way that was completely unexpected.

This time, the world was shocked.
-
From the moment the Dingnan Army set out, it had already engaged in battle with the Jurchen Tartars.

As spring ends, a hint of warmth finally emerges in the once frozen and snow-covered land of Yunnei.

As warmth emerges and snow melts and ice thaws, the roads begin to churn and become muddy, making it far from a good time for cavalry to engage in battle.

Even if the army could pass through, it would be more than ten times more difficult than the roads that had been frozen solid, let alone the fighting.

Therefore, on the plains and mountains north of Wuzhou, the two armies of the Song and Jurchen forces, who were probing each other with small-scale attacks and defenses and engaging in one-on-one battles, also stopped as the roads became increasingly muddy.

The Jurchen Tartars, who had defeated the Khitans and were unable to defend even one city, were locked in a stalemate with the Dingnan Army, shaking the world once again.

People's understanding of the strength of the Dingnan Army has been refreshed; it was not a weak force.

The change brought about by the road frost was good news for the Dingnan Army, which was temporarily maintaining its front line in the Shuozhou area.

The Jurchen light cavalry scouts were still able to move around with difficulty, and the two sides were locked in a search battle with light cavalry, which happened to be the strength of the Hengshan Qiang soldiers.

The Yinzhou forces, mainly composed of Qiang soldiers from Hengshan, are very skilled at fighting this kind of battle.

However, if the Jurchen western army were to launch a large-scale offensive, it would need a large amount of supplies to accompany the army, and the current dirt roads simply do not meet this requirement.

This indicates that before the frost season ended, it would be difficult for large Jurchen armies to break through the continuous mountains near Yingzhou.

If there is a major battle, it will have to be postponed to late spring or early summer.

This gave Chen Shao enough time to make up for the disadvantage of his territory being too far from the main battlefield.

Chen Shao's forces were deployed in the Gansu, Ningxia, and Xinjiang regions in later generations, while the main battlefields of the Song and Jin dynasties were in Hebei and Shanxi.

It almost spans the entire map of China.
-
After passing through Yan'an Prefecture, Chen Shao went to visit Lao Zhong.

To be honest, it's not as serious as the outside world is making it out to be.

People in the Northwest say he's dying, barely clinging to life, while others say he's already dead.

The Western Army kept their deaths a secret because they feared the court would take the opportunity to disband them.

These rumors are so simplistic that any discerning person would know they are false, yet some people still choose to believe them.

Old Zhong sat in the yard, looking fairly energetic, with a blanket covering him.

When Chen Shao entered, he raised his head slightly but did not speak.

The old man is angry.

Chen Shao chuckled to himself, reminding himself not to mention Zhe Ningxiang, and preferably not even Huanhuan.

He turned to Wu Lin, who was accompanying him, and said, "Those scoundrels outside are spreading rumors that Grand Commandant Zhong is in poor health and that they should all be given a hundred lashes. This is completely fabricated."

"Look at the Grand Commandant, he looks so healthy, even more rosy than me."

Wu Lin gave a dry laugh, not daring to reply. He came from the Western Army and had some respect for this totem of the Western Army.

Big Tiger, on the other hand, just chuckled sheepishly.

Zhong Shidao gave him a disapproving look and asked, "How many days are you going to stay here?"

"A few days?" Chen Shao said, "The military situation is urgent. I came to see the Grand Commandant and will leave immediately. There's no need to prepare dinner. I'll come back to toast the Grand Commandant after I drive out the Tartars."

Zhong Shidao stood up. "Then I must go see your Lingwu Army, the legendary new army that supposedly destroyed a country within a year of its formation."

"Hey! You can stand up!"

"Enough with the nonsense!" Zhong Shidao said impatiently, "Lead the way."

Zhong Shidao walked quite fast, and Chen Shao suspected that he could not only stand up, but might even be able to ride a horse.

After all, he had been recuperating since leaving Hebei and had been living a secluded life.

Historically, he even led troops to defend the emperor.

Outside Yan'an city, all around, there were shouts of people and neighing of horses.

The soldiers of the Zhong family army were all thrilled to see Old Zhong. It turned out that Old Zhong's illness wasn't as serious as rumored; he was even able to walk around now.

Zhong Shidao and Chen Shao stood on the city tower, looking down at the army.

Their armor was gleaming, their banners fluttering; Old Zhong, a man of military knowledge, could tell at a glance that they were a strong army.

Moreover, everyone was fully armored, which warmed the heart of the veteran general.

Those soldiers in the Western Army, wearing dog-skin coats, were considered to be wearing the heaviest armor among the troops.

Only the sons of the Western Army had a good set of armor to wear.

An army with good armor has a very high potential, and no one knows this better than Old Zhong.

The second impression that Lingwu Army gave Lao Zhong was that they had a lot of horses.

Since this trip is to the Central Plains, the baggage doesn't need to be carried by them personally; the caravan will handle that.

They didn't bring packhorses, only warhorses; it was common for a cavalryman to have two horses.

Having fought with the Western Xia soldiers for so long, Lao Zhong naturally knew that the Western Xia soldiers often carried two horses or even three horses.

This is something he can only dream of.

In the small territory of the Dingnan Army, there are five high-quality pastures and countless herders.

There are four breeds alone: ​​Hengshan horse, Xiazhou horse, Hexi horse, and Tubo horse.

And the Western Army?
It's a miracle that we survived.

In fact, Chen Shao also had something to say: Although the lower ranks of your Western Army are poor, the families of generals are known for their extravagance.

My Dingnan Army is the exact opposite. Envy me? You are not worthy.

The main military families of the Western Army were four: the Zhong family, the Zhe family, the Liu family, and the Yao family.

Most of them were families with a history spanning centuries, who had accumulated enormous wealth through long-term border trade, military achievements, and corruption, and lived extremely luxurious lives.

Lack of money, food, and pay are problems for lowly soldiers; what do they have to do with us generals?

The generals were arrogant, extravagant, and lazy; discipline was lax; and training was neglected. Corruption flourished within the army, and embezzlement of soldiers' pay led to poverty and low morale.

Historical records state that "during the famine in Shaanxi, soldiers' clothes and shoes were torn and they looked like beggars."

The sons of military families, on the other hand, were arrogant, extravagant, and dissolute, indulging in the most luxurious aspects of their lives, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

First and foremost was housing. They built grand and ornate mansions and gardens in the capital and important border towns, far exceeding the standards for ordinary officials.

The Liu Yanqing family's mansion in Kaifeng was magnificent and attracted much attention.

Their daily meals were elaborate, featuring the finest delicacies; their clothing and accessories were adorned with gold and silver jewels, displaying extreme extravagance. They also kept numerous concubines: wealthy young men often maintained large numbers of beautiful women and lived a life of luxury.

A multitude of servants: employing a large number of servants and private soldiers, displaying a grand and extravagant lifestyle. A collection of rare antiques and valuable calligraphy and paintings.

Given this contrast, it's no wonder their combat effectiveness is so poor.

Looking into Lao Zhong's eyes, Chen Shao shook his head inwardly. In the end, the Western Army was a product of a century, and it was stagnant and lifeless.

The Dingnan Army was in its early stages, with a bright future ahead, and everyone was eager to take the lead, full of vitality.

“The troops are good, but can you afford to support them?” Zhong Shidao asked worriedly. “The roads are difficult to travel this time, and the administrative centers along the way don’t have much food or military supplies. The grain stored in Hedong is only enough for their own consumption.”

Chen Shao laughed and said, "Isn't there still grain to be transported? The ice is about to thaw, and the grain will arrive when the canal opens."

Zhong Shidao frowned, turned his head, looked at Chen Shao, and thought to himself, "Are you crazy?"

Will you get a share of the grain tribute?

But upon closer reflection, he felt a chill run down his spine. Was Chen Shao really going to challenge the imperial court?
What if he tries to rob it?
Chen Shao recalled a famous saying from his past life: "My neighbor stores grain, I store guns; my neighbor is my granary."
The Song Dynasty was wealthy, with many grain-producing areas, but its military strength was currently insufficient.
With its own elite troops, fierce generals, and formidable fighting power, isn't this just a coincidence?
Most of the Song Dynasty's grain ended up in the hands of those who had no shortage of food; it was time for a change.

"Are you really going to Hedong?" Zhong Shidao suddenly asked.

“Absolutely true,” Chen Shao said. “Taiyuan cannot fall, and Mengnuan cannot be destroyed.”

"That Meng Nuan, in Yingzhou, can he really stop the Jurchen Western Route Army?" Zhong Shidao was somewhat skeptical, even though the Western Route Army was temporarily unable to march south due to road problems.

But how many men does Meng Nuan have?
The Jurchen Tartars only need to send out a vanguard to capture the city!
Zhong Shidao had studied the Jin-Liao war and had a general idea of ​​the Jurchens' fighting strength.

In contrast, Meng Nuan was merely a powerful figure in Yingzhou, with only three to five thousand rabble under his command.

"Go ahead and fight. You'll know after you've fought."

Chen Shao was too lazy to say more. While Tong Guan was afraid of the Jurchens and only dared to redeem Yanjing, Chen Shao had already begun to infiltrate Yingzhou and Shuozhou.

He understood Meng Nuan, and was even more aware of the defensive capabilities of Yingzhou's capital. (End of Chapter)