You have truly caused me great suffering!

June.

The weather has become hot, and fluffy white clouds drift in the sweltering morning air.

The ancient city gates, pavilions, and pagodas of Baima Town blend seamlessly with the beautiful natural scenery, seemingly without any trace of artificiality.

This small town, which prospered during the Tang Dynasty, is shrouded in such splendor.

Just like such landscapes, they naturally deserve to be paired with such classical Eastern architecture and culture.

The city gates, which were already under martial law, slowly opened amidst the heavy, unpleasant creaking of the wood.

The people felt a little more at ease looking at the defenses outside the city.

Qu Duan arrived at the riverbank early. His scouts had sent word last night that a Jurchen army was heading south and would soon be nearby.

When Qu Duan rushed out from Nuanquan Peak, he did not catch up with the main Jurchen army, but only fought some powerful local strongmen in Yunnei.

Then he marched to Shuozhou, where he was left to guard the city, and from then on he never had the chance to fight the Jurchens again.

After the destruction of the Xia dynasty, to accumulate military merit, one had to defeat the Jurchen Tartars.

Otherwise, when it comes to rewards and honors in the future, one's own record of merits will be too meager.

Moreover, Qu Duan himself knew that he had always said that others did not know how to fight, and that if he had not defeated the Jurchen Tartars, he would not be able to command respect.

Everyone just thinks you're all talk and no action.

Therefore, he attached great importance to this battle and was determined to fight it cleanly and decisively.

These days, he has also withstood considerable pressure, receiving letters from all over the country, all from prominent figures.

Some people even contacted his clan and had his elders write to him urging him to head north as soon as possible.

Only the order from the Prince of Taiyuan allowed Qu Duan to act independently without interference from others.

"My lord, the Tartars are most likely just spying on our camp."

Qu Duan, holding the reins, sneered from his horse, “I followed Grand Commandant Liu and was defeated at Tong’an City. Fortunately, I was taken in by the Prince of Dai. After Hengshan, I always strived to be first and refused to fall behind others. Now, in the Dingnan army, there are countless people with great merit, but we are heading south from the north, getting further and further away from the Tartars.”

"Now the opportunity has come, it is time for us to rise up. Even if the barbarian horses sneak up on our camp, we must not let them go, so that Wanyan Zongwang knows our determination to fight him to the death."

Since last night, Qu Duan has deployed several hundred light cavalrymen on the opposite bank.

He had no intention of letting any of the scouts or sentries escape.

Sure enough, a short while later, seven Jurchen knights arrived from the other side.

Having just gained a foothold, they looked at the banners on the water fortress at the ferry crossing, where several Tartars were pointing and whispering.

They didn't take the Southern army seriously at all.

Despite guarding such a vast and powerful prefecture, no one dared to come out and attack. This time, their attempt to spy on our camp is extremely arrogant.

In fact, it also served to intimidate the Song people, making them like those in Daming Prefecture, afraid to fight.

In their eyes, Qu Duan, who was stationed at Baima and dared not go to support Daming Prefecture, was just as cowardly and timid as Du Chong, and there was nothing to be afraid of.

Before they could even draw up the water fortress, a hundred or so light cavalrymen charged out from all directions.

"Finally, we've met the Jurchen Tartars!"

Someone shouted and spurred his horse forward, afraid of being beaten to it.

There was no other way; they were all from Yinxia. The brothers in Yunnei were promoted and ennobled, but this was the first time they had ever seen the Jurchen Tartars.

In the Dingnan Army, where military merit was valued above all else, these seven Tartars were considered the first to be killed by Qu Duan.

By the time these Jurchen Tartars realized what was happening and tried to escape, it was too late.

At this time, in Neihuang Town, thousands of troops gathered in a state of turmoil.

Most of the soldiers were righteous men who had spontaneously gathered in Hebei to resist the Jin dynasty.

Later, it was incorporated into Zong Ze's army and came under the control of the Song Dynasty.

They came with Zong Ze to relieve the siege of Daming Prefecture, but there was no support or assistance from within the city.

Zong Ze had no choice but to take up residence in a military camp outside Neihuang Town, but the camp was subsequently breached.

A true defense system must involve mutual support and protection; otherwise, it is merely a fortress and does not deserve to be called a system.

The defense system of Daming Prefecture was very strong in terms of hardware; it was a fortress built by human hands within the territory of the Song Dynasty.

This solved the hidden danger of having no natural defenses on the vast plains.

But even the best defense system needs people to control it. Du Chong was terrified of the Jurchens, so he stayed in the city and dared not leave.

Other supporting military camps and various defense lines suddenly lost the connection of this central hub and could not perform at their original level.

Without the support and protection of Daming Prefecture, Zong Ze was defeated without any doubt and retreated to Neihuang Town.

Zong Ze didn't have many warhorses, not because Li Gang didn't take care of him, but because the Song Dynasty was short of warhorses.

Chen Shao was very generous in giving them some, but they couldn't properly raise the warhorses.

The money allocated for buying fodder was skimmed off at each level, leaving less than a tenth or a twelfth. It could only be used to buy inferior fodder to pass it off as high-quality fodder, and even then, the amount was not much.

It's easy to imagine how arduous the journey must have been for the infantrymen being pursued by cavalry.

Several warhorses were left haphazardly by the water source to drink, and the soldiers were so exhausted that they collapsed and fell fast asleep in their armor.

One or two thousand armored soldiers, covered in dust, mud, blood, and sweat, lay sprawled in various positions on the roadside, amidst the dust and mud or on the rocks, snoring loudly.

With a loud neigh, gasps of surprise rang out from the surroundings, and the horse collapsed into the dust.

It was Zong Ze who was on the horse. He was old, and when his mount suddenly fell to the ground, it really startled his personal guards.

Everyone dismounted and came to help him up, as Zong Ze, being an old man, couldn't withstand such a fall.

After he was helped up, he looked at the fallen warhorse.

The horse from Hexi, which was only six or seven years old, was lying on its side by the roadside, its mouth and nose spitting out snot, its belly struggling desperately, but it could no longer struggle.

Heaven have mercy, when he came from Hexi, he was still plump and strong.

This is just like the soldiers of the Song Dynasty today, who also came from the Western Army, and were often in dire straits in the Song army.

Those who entered the Dingnan Army were all in high spirits and displayed great prowess.

This horse, chosen by Zong Ze, must have been extremely strong, but it had never eaten the garbage fodder specially supplied by the Song Dynasty when it was in the Northwest.

Because the Song Dynasty had not raised warhorses for many years, it did not produce its own fodder, and the fodder it bought was all of inferior quality.

The imperial court's allocation is actually sufficient, but even if it were doubled, the amount actually spent on fodder would probably still be the same.

The fat one can't be a horse; it can only be an official.

It didn't gain much weight throughout the entire winter, and was put to use in battle as soon as spring arrived.

Zong Ze's horse was not used for battle, but only for daily transportation.

When it first arrived, Zong Ze remembered that it was strong and healthy, and walked quickly and steadily.

Now it has become like this, lying by the roadside, its wet eyes only looking at its master.

Looking at the dull-coated, emaciated, and silent horse, having exhausted its last bit of strength, Zong Ze, who was not a horse lover, still went forward to stroke the horse's mane and felt its breathing gradually weaken.

Behind him, dozens of soldiers also stopped, dismounted, and quietly watched what was happening before their eyes.

I wonder if they were thinking of horses or people at that moment.
Wang Shan cursed a couple of times, drew his sword, and plunged it into his mount's neck, sparing the warhorse some of its dying agony.

Looking at Zong Ze, fortunately, he wasn't hurt too badly, and he himself, like the warhorse, was extremely thin.

Everyone around felt terrible; they all knew how difficult things were for Commander Zong.

what else can we do?

This Du Chong is someone people hate to the core, and this isn't the first or second time he's done this; this time, he's caused the deaths of countless people.

But can you refuse to save them?

What if Daming Prefecture is lost!
Zong Ze endured the pain and chuckled, "What a pity for such a fine horse; even my old bones can't carry it anymore."

Seeing the blood splattered, a captain sighed, "Another horse has fallen. We men are exhausted, and the horses are exhausted too. What sins have our Song soldiers committed!"

This sentence is filled with resentment.

This army came from Xiangzhou. Along the way, they saw the people near Daming Prefecture desperately fleeing towards Taiyuan Prefecture.

Along the way, the fortified villages either had their gates tightly closed or there were hardly any soldiers guarding the walls, and it was unclear where the garrison had fled to.

Everyone knows that the Song army cannot be trusted, and only Taiyuan is safe.

Even the Tartars couldn't penetrate Taiyuan; they could only detour to attack Hebei.

Are people from Hebei less capable fighters than those from Hedong?
I doubt any man from Hebei would accept that.

Someone sighed and sat down on the ground, ignoring the smell of blood and gore, looking utterly devastated.

Admittedly, they came from a righteous army and suffered repeated defeats, but they believed they were not afraid of death and were willing to fight tough battles.

The Tartars have ravaged our homeland to this state, and everyone is willing to risk their lives to avenge them.

But once they got to the battlefield, they discovered that things were far more complicated than they thought.

The ferocious Jurchen Tartars were not the strongest enemy they faced.

Du Chong, that scoundrel, killed more brothers than the Tartars.

The Jurchen Tartars couldn't break through our Commander Yue's Zhen Ding Prefecture, so they detoured through Daming Prefecture.

What kind of defense line did Daming Prefecture have? And what kind of defense line did Zhending Prefecture have?
When Zong Ze's troops came to help in the battle, the sound of their horses' hooves in the distance was enough to scare away the refugees and civilians who were blocking the road, causing them to flee all over the mountains and fields!

This is just the outer perimeter, and it's already so chaotic and fearful. Who knows what the situation is like around Daming Prefecture, where the Tartar troops are stationed!
Seeing the army's low morale, Zong Ze was startled and knew he had to boost their spirits.

These people are utterly disappointed with the Song Dynasty, and we must not allow them to direct their resentment at the court.

If all else fails, let Du Chong take the lead.

Zong Ze shouted, "All of this is the fault of that villain Du Chong! I will petition the court to have him executed!"

As expected, the people around were temporarily distracted by this sound.

If Du Chong could really be killed, allowing everyone to vent their anger, then everyone would grit their teeth and bear it.

Wang Shan wiped his knife and shouted from the side, "Now the court wouldn't dare to punish him, they're just afraid he'll open the city gates and surrender!"

It's not impossible that Du Chong surrendered to the Jin dynasty. Judging from his fear of the Jin, he didn't think anyone could defeat the Jurchen Tartars.

He glanced around and cursed angrily, "It seems Qu Duan was right. This is indeed the fate of those who come to help. No wonder they don't come!"

The surrounding generals, perhaps realizing the gap between the Dingnan Army and themselves, became increasingly dejected.

Zong Ze quickly said, "Don't worry, everyone. After this battle is over, I will personally go to the imperial court to file a complaint. If the court still refuses to punish me, I will kill myself in the imperial court!"

Hearing him say this, everyone sighed inwardly and stopped complaining.

Zong Ze felt a sweet taste in his throat, knowing it was blood, but he swallowed it back forcefully, afraid of affecting the morale of the troops again.

“Let’s all grit our teeth and build fortifications here, so that we won’t be caught off guard when the Tartars charge in.”
-
Heavy rain was falling in Taiyuan.

The outbreak of a major war at the turn of spring and summer is rare in the past.

Historically, border troubles have often broken out in the autumn. It is said that the horses on the grasslands grow fat by eating the grass that has borne seeds in the autumn, and when they are fat and strong, they can take on the burden of war.
Now that the fighting is taking place on the mainland, this factor is not important, because the mainland focuses on attacking cities, and the horses can also be fed.

Within the Dingnan Army, a set of procedures has been established for supplying the front lines, with clearly defined responsibilities for officials at all levels.

This is the biggest difference from the Song Dynasty; here, the bureaucratic system is highly efficient.

The bureaucracy in the Song Dynasty was so corrupt that it was beyond redemption. Only Cai Jing and Wei Li managed to slightly improve the officialdom in Bianliang.

Locally, things remain the same.

This has resulted in the fact that almost none of the capable soldiers on all fronts today are soldiers who were originally paid by the Song Dynasty.

After discussing the military situation, just as everyone was about to disperse, Chen Shao suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, please wait a moment."

Everyone looked at him.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "Grand Tutor Cai sent a letter asking me to choose an opportune time to go to the capital. What do you all think?"

Li Tangchen was the first to object, almost blurting out, "Absolutely not!"

What a joke! The Prince of Dai must remain in Hedong.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Chen Shao and, without the slightest hesitation, immediately gave his reason: "Your Majesty, the situation in all places is now stable and improving. At this critical moment, it is not appropriate to create any unnecessary complications."

Zhang Xiaochun chimed in, "That's right. Since the situation is so favorable, it should be the enemy who wants change. If the enemy doesn't move, and we don't move, then everything will go smoothly. No one can say for sure what changes such a big decision will cause at this time."

"The reason why Grand Tutor Cai wants Your Majesty to come to the capital is probably because he is really too old. From his perspective, it is necessary for Your Majesty to come to the capital and settle the situation as soon as possible."

But we're not in a hurry.

Zhang Xiaochun, having been involved in the officialdom of Bianliang, was very familiar with the thoughts of these people. Cai Jing was an impeccable man; his only weakness was his age.

He's so old now, he must be wondering if he can outlive Chen Shaocheng.

If I am no longer here, even if I have made great achievements, I am afraid I will not be able to pass them on to my children and grandchildren.

Therefore, his desire for Chen Shao to enter the capital was purely for his own benefit, and he wanted the Dingnan Army to take risks with him.

Chen Shao nodded. He was a man who always sought stability and was unwilling to take risks at such a critical juncture.

However, Cai Jing is a very important pawn, and I can't completely ignore what he says. Since Cai Jing has this concern, I will take some actions to put his mind at ease.

It is not necessary to go to Beijing in person.

Cai Jing himself is too old, so we can only start with his children and grandchildren.

Chen Shao asked, "What is the extent of Cai Tiao's injuries, and why hasn't he come to Taiyuan yet?"

The man from the Northwest, Brother Pang, frowned and said, "This man has a very strange personality. I heard that he often cried for no reason in Xiping Prefecture. He was originally making a fuss about returning to Bianliang, but now that he's here, he's been reluctant to leave."

Chen Shao frowned and said, "Grand Tutor Cai was shrewd all his life, but the sons he raised were all strange!"

If all else fails, I'll have to select a few of his grandsons to promote.

Fortunately, some of his grandchildren are actually quite agreeable. (End of Chapter)