You have truly caused me great suffering!

August of the first year of the Jingkang era.

In Gushan, Cizhou, Hebei, Zong Ze, who persisted in resisting the Jin invaders behind enemy lines, submitted a proposal to the imperial court.

To commend the Dingnan Army for its achievements in Yunzhong Prefecture, Zong Ze proposed that the imperial court grant Tong Guan's residences, property, and land in Daming Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, and Cangzhou Prefecture to the soldiers of the Dingnan Army.

Zhao Huan quickly granted the request, as Tong Guan had many assets that he was unable to seize.

Zhao Huan decided to do a favor, since the merits of the Dingnan Army and the rewards they received were completely disproportionate.

The imperial court was actually quite uneasy, fearing that one day they might remember this and march directly to Bianjing to explain the serious consequences.

Letting the Dingnan Army collect these rewards themselves would also prevent them from having any pretext to revolt.

To be honest, Zong Ze's move was quite ruthless. He was never a conventional scholar or a bookish person.

Upon discovering the imperial delegation seeking peace, he secretly instigated righteous men in Hebei to beat Minister Wang Yun to death, thus ending the peace negotiations.

Now that you, Du Chong, are known for your cruelty and love of killing, I'll find you someone even more ruthless. If you're so capable, then go and oppose the Dingnan Army.

When intellectuals get ruthless, they can be quite monstrous; this move is extremely lethal.

In Daming Prefecture, Du Chong was furious.

Du Chong was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and had a refined appearance. Judging from his appearance alone, it would be hard for anyone to imagine that his heart was so black.

When Du Chong received the news that Zong Ze's memorial had been approved, he was devastated.

Yang Keshi also lost his temper.

Yang Keshi was originally a fierce general in the Western Army. Because he was appreciated by Tong Guan, he was transferred to the Shengjie Army and has always been a staunch confidant of Tong Guan.

When Guo Yaoshi swept through Yanshan Prefecture, Yang Keshi was defeated again and had no choice but to lead his troops south, fleeing all the way to Daming Prefecture.

Such people were originally supposed to be punished, but then the Jurchen Tartars marched south.

When the imperial court needed capable men, his remaining 20,000 victorious troops became a main force.

After all, they were part of the Western Army and had a wealth of experience in warfare.

Yang Keshi was originally loyal to Tong Guan. He wrote letters to Tong Guan several times to inquire about his well-being and even sent many of his personal guards to serve him.

But later, when Tong Guan abandoned Hedong and Hebei and fled alone, he knew that he had to cut ties with Tong Guan.

Before Tong Guan was executed, they divided up his assets in the vicinity.

Du Chong, in particular, even sold Tong Guan's concubines for money, and then extorted a large sum of money from them by claiming they were the family members of a convicted official.

In other words, he not only ate Tong Guan, but also sucked out his marrow and bones, leaving him completely clean.

Amidst the chaos of war, they were certain that the imperial court would not investigate and that no one would care.

And indeed, things turned out much as he expected. Over the course of several months, no one from the imperial court came to investigate.

Du Chong felt he was now free from worry and was smug about having embezzled such a large sum of money.

But who knew that Zong Ze would be so mean?

All I did was withhold his rations for a few months, and he treated me like I was going to die.

"You're on good terms with Chen Shao, what's his temperament like?" Du Chong didn't know much about Chen Shao, so he asked Yang Keshi, who had worked with Chen Shao before.

Upon hearing this, Yang Keshi suddenly felt a toothache, but upon reflection, he realized that he hadn't taken much.

Du Chong, that bastard, took too much. Let him deal with Chen Shao. If all else fails, he can just give back what he took.

"Very good. This man is chivalrous, righteous, and unparalleled in loyalty and courage."

Yang Keshi chuckled, while his close subordinates all wore strange expressions.

If this were said a few years ago, especially before Chen Shao rose to prominence, there would be absolutely no problem with it.

Shao Ge'er was so beloved back then. Commander Xuan rewarded him with a thousand strings of cash, and he took out eight hundred to host a banquet for his brothers, drinking and patronizing prostitutes.

They even took some money with them before they left.

Du Chong sneered, "Zong Rulin wants to harm me, but I'm afraid he won't succeed. Chen Shaoyuan is in Hedong, and his troops can't get here at all!"

"Why should I be afraid of him!"

After saying that, perhaps to bolster his courage, Du Chong burst into laughter.

The military officers inside the hall all gave forced smiles and echoed the sentiments.

Yang Keshi thought to himself, "You fear the Jin soldiers like tigers, but you are not afraid of Chen Shao."

Just because he is Han Chinese, are you so sure he won't do anything to you?
It seems you still don't understand Brother Shao.
Let alone you, Tong Xuanshuai was incredibly kind to him, promoting him single-handedly, and what happened?
Although Du Chong was cruel and despicable, he was not stupid. He quickly sent over the intercepted military rations.

They've only held him for a few days, and Zong Ze has already come up with this ruthless scheme. If we don't give him back, who knows what he might do?

As the group was discussing, footsteps suddenly came from outside, and a guard entered, cupping his hands in greeting:
"Your Excellency, someone has come to pay their respects. They say they are from the Yinzhou Camp of the Dingnan Army."

"So fast?" Du Chong panicked a little, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that the main force of the Dingnan Army couldn't possibly arrive, so he had no reason to be afraid of them!

"Let them in." After saying this, Du Chong quickly straightened his official robes, straightened his back, and made himself appear more dignified.

A moment later, a military officer entered with four soldiers, clasped his hands, and said, "I am Zhang Peng, a brave soldier under Guo Hao, the commander of the Yinzhou cavalry. I have been ordered to take over Tong Guan's wealth. I learned that Governor Du had already taken care of it for us, so I have come to express my gratitude and take over the property."

Du Chong asked in a deep voice, "What valuables?"

Zhang Peng took out a document from his sleeve and said, "Please take a look, Your Excellency. This is an imperial edict."

Du Chong glanced at it briefly, not looking closely at all, and said, "Tong Guan's assets in Daming Prefecture have long been looted by the rioters."

Zhang Peng frowned and asked, "Why did the person left behind lie?"

"How dare you!" Du Chong said, "Who do I think I am to lie to a mere soldier like you?"

"We have already determined that Tong Guan has embezzled all of his farmland and residences in Daming Prefecture and Cangzhou Prefecture. We said that before only to give you a way out. Since you are determined to steal the assets of the Dingnan Army, then I urge Governor Du to think twice!"

Without giving him a chance to refute, she turned and left.

Du Chong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He opened his mouth, about to speak, when Zhang Peng turned around again and said, "If you've thought it through, send someone to contact us anytime. Don't say we didn't warn you."

After saying that, he turned and left. Zhang Peng felt relieved, thinking that what he had just said was really satisfying.

It's much more satisfying than yelling at him, "You dog, watch out, or I'll kill you if you don't pay me!"

No wonder Commander Zhu Ling made us read and learn to read at night; it really was useful.

After everyone left, Du Chongcai cursed viciously, "You crude brute, how dare you look down on me!"

His four words had a wide-ranging impact, and even the military officers of the Victory Army looked grim.

Du Chong didn't care about their feelings at all; these were all defeated generals, and there was nothing to be afraid of.

He had already made up his mind. Tong Guan's money was far too much; he would pocket nearly a million strings of cash.

This is an enormous fortune; I would never give it away.

The enemy is far away and the mountains and rivers are high; what can they do to me?

Besides, it's hard to say whether Chen Shao will be able to stay in Hedong after Wanyan Zongwang returns.

They'll probably be driven back to the Northwest to eat sand!
The Jurchen troops have begun a slow retreat.

In the dawn's light, the dust kicked up by their iron cavalry seemed to blot out the sky.

Wanyan Zongwang had already seen through it all; the Song court was weak and dared not refuse.

Even though they signed an alliance with the Liao people back then, they still didn't deliver the supplies on time every year.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry to collect the money. As long as he had the peace treaty in hand, he was not afraid that they would not keep their word.

If they really won't give it to me, I'll just call them back myself.

Of course, he didn't completely withdraw all at once.

Along the way, he began to clear out the strongholds of the Hebei rebels, which was extremely bloody and cruel, because Zongwang knew that when he went south again, these rebels would still be a more troublesome problem than the Song government troops.

The government troops collapsed at the first contact and fled at the first sign of trouble, while the rebel army kept harassing them, which was extremely annoying.

In Tangyin, the Jurchen cavalry, after a fierce battle, were slowly cleaning up the battlefield.

There are now many Liao doctors in their camp, so they no longer have to leave their injuries to fate.

Many people who were injured in the freezing cold of their hometowns are actually fine, as there are fewer viruses and bacteria in those places.

But things are different in the south. Sometimes, even a minor injury can lead to tetanus and death when you return home.

They rescued the wounded Jurchens, set them aside, cauterized their wounds with fire, and amidst their heart-wrenching screams, hastily applied ointment. Then they wrapped them in blankets, placed them on horseback, and continued their journey.

On the battlefield, the Hebei rebels would behead those who were severely wounded with a single blow. Those whose wounds were slightly less severe and who seemed to have a longer chance of survival would be carried by two men to the location of Zhen Wuchen of the Ever Victorious Army.

On the battlefield, the final curses of the heavily wounded rebels echoed, along with the struggling cries of less seriously injured knights being carried on stilts, and the neighing of wounded horses.

The firelight illuminated the blood-soaked battlefield, a scene of utter chaos.

These rebels were indeed of average fighting strength, as they were farmers not long ago, but they were truly tough.

Very few begged for mercy; some, after being captured, even struggled to bite the Tartars who were escorting them.

The Jurchen Tartars, during their southward campaign, behaved just as they had during the Liao Dynasty, burning, killing, and looting wherever they went.

Many of the Hebei militia members had their entire families killed and were the only ones who managed to escape. They harbored deep hatred for the Jin soldiers and were utterly fearless of death.

Amidst shouts and curses, a dozen Jurchen soldiers who were cleaning up the battlefield strode over, carrying seven wounded rebel soldiers who had fallen from their horses.

The seven men sustained injuries of varying degrees, all covered in blood, their helmets knocked off, and their hair disheveled. Some hung their heads as if unconscious, while others struggled fiercely, cursing loudly.

The Jurchen soldiers held everyone back tightly, repeatedly striking them with the backs of their swords. The harder they struck, the louder the curses grew!
Zhen Wuchen glanced coldly at the seven men, then pointed to six of them—Southern Army knights with filthy armor, disheveled beards, and faces covered in mud—and said, "Cut them all down!"

The Ever Victorious Army soldiers immediately obeyed the order, dragged the six men away, pressed them to the ground, and swung their swords to strike them down.

The six men just laughed loudly: "You dog Tartars, you dog Tartars! You can't kill all the men of Hebei!"

They didn't actually know that the people who killed them were not Tartars, but Han Chinese.

They were once soldiers of the Six Camps of the Resentful Army, Han Chinese who grew up in Liaodong. A few years ago, they even surrendered to the Song Dynasty and defended Yanshan Prefecture with the Song army.

However, they never shared the same ideals and beliefs with the Song people.

Amidst the splattering of blood, six severed heads fell to the ground, their eyes still wide open, fierce and full of life.

The Jurchen Tartars beside them looked at the Ever Victorious Army, which was slaughtering their own people, with a hint of contempt in their eyes.

This was done on purpose, precisely because they feared the Ever Victorious Army would rebel again, and they wanted to continuously deepen their hatred for the Song people.

Finally, only one volunteer remained. He looked younger than the others, and he kept his head down, unlike them who were cursing angrily.

Zhen Wuchen gave a slight signal, and a soldier from the Ever Victorious Army grabbed his hair, pulled his face up, and slapped him across the face.

The young rebel's lip was instantly split open by the slap, and blood immediately flowed out. He barely opened his eyes, his lips moved a few times, but he seemed too weak to speak.

The Ever Victorious Army soldiers roared in Han Chinese with a Liaoning accent: "Which unit are you from? Who is your leader? Which hill are you hiding on? Speak up! Tell us and we'll spare your life and let you go wherever you want!"

The young rebel stared blankly at the Ever Victorious Army soldiers, his lips twitching slightly as if he wanted to say something. The Ever Victorious Army soldiers couldn't help but lean closer.

The wounded young rebel suddenly shouted, "Dog Tartars! Dog Tartars!"

With a roar, he strained his arms, and in a flash, the two armored soldiers holding him were caught off guard and lost their grip, allowing him to break free!
In a flash, the wounded rebel soldier didn't have time to grab a weapon. He rushed forward, threw a punch with his knuckles sticking out, and slammed the punch into the throat of the Ever Victorious Army soldier in front of him!

His weakness was all an act, all for this one strike.

With a sharp crack, the armored soldier clutched his throat, unable to breathe any more.

In the blink of an eye, his face turned purple, and he was about to suffocate to death!
The other Ever-Victorious Army soldiers reacted quickly, immediately thrusting two long swords straight into the vital points of the spine, and then twisting them.

This young rebel gritted his teeth and slowly fell to the ground. From beginning to end, he never uttered a single cry of pain or scream!
But everyone could feel his overwhelming hatred.

The soldiers of the Ever Victorious Army were horrified; they knew they couldn't kill all the people from Hebei.

Do I have to keep fighting them from now on?
They don't understand warfare yet, but what about in a few years?
After these people have fought countless battles, will the remaining elite troops, under a qualified commander, still be as vulnerable as they are today?

In fact, their concerns were not unfounded. If it weren't for a man named Zhao Gou and a man named Qin Hui, these people from Hebei would have really come to take their lives a few years later.

After killing the man, Zhen Wuchen rode his horse to Guo Yaoshi's side.

Seeing that his trusted general was not in high spirits, Guo Yaoshi quickly understood what he was thinking.

But Guo the Pharmacist didn't speak; instead, he seemed rather pleased. He was used to betraying his superiors, so how could he not worry that his subordinates would follow suit and betray him as well?

Zhen Wuchen was his deputy and also his brother.

However, he was very simple-minded, and his emotions were always on his mind. You could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face, which pleased Guo Yaoshi.

"Five ministers, are you unhappy?"

"No," Zhen Wuchen said listlessly.

Guo Yaoshi chuckled, leaned back on his horse, and patted Zhen Wuchen on the shoulder.

"We Han Chinese from the northern border have been exiled to a foreign land and ruled by the Khitan for two hundred years. The Song people would never consider us as their own people. Just think of Zhang Jue!"

When Guo Yaoshi mentioned Zhang Jue, Zhen Wuchen felt much better. He sighed deeply, "Brother, when will this war finally end?"

"Soon, look at this Song Dynasty, it's no different from the Khitan. When we go back, we'll join forces with Wanyan Zonghan and wipe out the Dingnan Army. Then there will be no one in this world who can stop us. When we unify the world, we'll become kings and nobles."
-
Wanyan Zongwang began to withdraw his troops.

First, he was deep in enemy territory and worried that his retreat would be cut off.

Secondly, Wanyan Zonghan's constant requests for help made the Jin dynasty's upper echelons realize that the Dingnan Army was the real enemy.

They are the biggest threat to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty!

The Jin state would not be secure until Chen Shao was eliminated, and the Song court was now in a position to protect him.

Chen Shao did not want to see the Song court aid the enemy, and the Jin state also did not want to see Chen Shao sideline the Song dynasty.

If the Dingnan Army were to receive supplies from the Song Dynasty, that would truly be a major threat.

Therefore, Wanyan Wuqimai issued an edict ordering Zongwang to temporarily withdraw his troops and quickly assemble in Yanshan Prefecture, then join forces with the eastern route troops to support the front lines in the various prefectures of Yunnei.

Zongwang also relaxed his coercion against the Song Dynasty, allowing them to pay reparations gradually in the future, but with interest.

The burden on Zhao Huan suddenly lightened considerably.

Zhao Huan almost wanted to kowtow to him, thinking that this Grand Marshal Wanyan Zongwang, the second prince of the Jin Kingdom, was truly a great person.

He sent several more hostages and repeatedly assured them that he would definitely raise the compensation.

How stupid was Zhao Huan? Later, when Wanyan Zongwang asked him to go and negotiate peace in person, he actually went to the Jin camp.

Both sides lost many lives in Weizhou, and after testing each other's strengths and weaknesses, no further major battles broke out.

The main battlefield shifted again to the vicinity of Datong Prefecture, and Zonghan wanted to take back Datong at all times.

After returning, he reviewed the entire battle for Datong and realized that he had really been careless and lost the battle.

Datong, Yingzhou, and Taiyuan have already formed a line, making a breakthrough from Hedong impossible.

At this point, only a decisive battle remained: to either annihilate the Dingnan Army or drive them back to the Northwest.

With Wanyan Zongwang's withdrawal from Northwest Jingxi Road, the entire Jingji Province breathed a sigh of relief, and Bianliang City slowly began to recover.

At this time, no one noticed that Guo Hao's men had already stationed themselves in Pan Town, a necessary route for heading north.

Wang Bing didn't take it seriously at first, after all, a thousand cavalrymen was nothing in the vicinity of present-day Jingji Province.
-
Panzhen was originally a small town on the outskirts of Kaifeng Prefecture.

In the Song Dynasty, as long as you were near Bianliang (Kaifeng), you would never be poor.

The town was deserted at this time. The Jurchen Tartars had massacred the town, and only a few lucky people who were not there had escaped the calamity.

Guo Hao's men were stationed here. Looking at the dilapidated houses, Guo Hao was secretly astonished.

Panzhen is just a small town, yet the houses are all of this standard?

In fact, this place was a place for many powerful and wealthy people in Bianliang to relax and unwind, and many of the houses in the city were their villas.

Guo Hao was in his tent, wiping his weapons, while his personal guards read Qu Duan's letter to him.

He felt a heavy weight in his heart because the commander and the general had given him immense power.

Anything related to the peace negotiations with the Jurchen Tartars, whether it be people or objects.

Guo Hao could act first and report later.

By any means necessary, everything concerning the peace negotiations must be destroyed!
With great power comes great responsibility, and Guo Hao's heart began to race.

He picked up his spear and had his bodyguard put it back on the weapon rack.

"Tell Zhang Peng to organize three teams of ten men each, working in shifts day and night, to monitor the northward-bound groups. Any vehicles exceeding two cartloads must be investigated to determine their contents and reported back immediately!"

Having been in this place for some time now, Guo Hao knew that the military commander's worries were certainly not unfounded.

The imperial court will have to pay reparations sooner or later, and then I might have to take action.

Strictly speaking, this behavior is tantamount to rebellion.

But Guo Haoyi went ahead without hesitation.

Although he is the son of a military general of the Song Dynasty, he now also bears the responsibility of the Dingnan Army.

With me here, not a single penny will be used to fund the enemy!
Zhao Huan did not keep Guo Hao waiting for long.

Although Zongwang had withdrawn from the capital region, thus relieving his immediate crisis, he still kept his promise and sent out the first batch of reparations.

The entire cartload of gold, stacked together, was loaded into two carriages pulled by slow horses, creaking and groaning as they drove north.

After passing Chenqiao Post Station, the escorting knights sped along, surveying the surroundings.

The leader had a somber expression; although he was young, he looked much older than his age.

This man was Yang Yizhong, a captain in the Capital New Army. Although his official rank was not high, the Capital New Army was the royal guard, and each of them was extremely honored.

He cherished this identity. He came from a family of military generals on the northwestern border of the Song Dynasty. His ancestor, Yang Min, was the commander of Yongxing Army Road and died in the Western Xia campaign during the Yuanfu era.

His father, Yang Zhen, was the prefect of Linzhou. He was supposed to lead his troops to defend Linzhou when the Jurchens invaded from the south. After the city fell, he refused to surrender and was killed by the Jurchens.

However, due to the sudden emergence of Chen Shao's Dingnan Army, his father escaped this calamity and is still alive today.
Yang Yizhong originally served under Zhong Shidao. Many of the sons of the Western Army would be sent to Zhong's command for a few years of training.

Because Gao Qiu wanted to help Zhao Ji train troops, he sent people to the northwest to select talents, and selected Yang Yizhong and others to join the new army in the capital.

This time, the emperor ordered him to transport a total of 100,000 taels of gold as reparations to the Jurchen camp. It is said that there will be many more 100,000 taels in the future.

This made Yang Yizhong feel somewhat humiliated.
His ancestors were all loyal and righteous men who would die for their principles, yet he himself was tasked with transporting gold to the enemy's camp.

This time, the Tartars reached the area around Kaifeng, and the young military officers in the new army of the capital were all eager to fight.

However, they didn't even leave Bianliang. The retired emperor wouldn't let them participate in the war. Every day they heard about how the Tartars were burning, killing, and looting outside, but they could only sit and watch from inside the city.

Not long after leaving Chenqiao Post Station, Yang Yizhong suddenly felt a sense of alertness. He abruptly stood up from his horse and looked around.

On the dusty official road, a troop of cavalry suddenly appeared in the distance.

These people appeared suddenly, like ghosts, and stared coldly at them. (End of Chapter)