You have truly caused me great suffering!

The cannons relentlessly poured out explosives, which exploded right on the city wall.

Songliao did not have any formidable passes or major cities like those in the Central Plains, and its city walls were quickly riddled with holes by bombing.

Then dozens of drums began to beat loudly.

Countless infantrymen pushed various siege weapons and began to advance towards the city.

Having lost their commander, the Jurchens could only grip their weapons and await the final battle.

Very few people tried to escape, and even if they did, no one cared.

But everyone knows there's nowhere to escape.

The surrounding plains were vast and flat, while the Jing soldiers opposite each other all had horses.

Every Jing soldier wore a heavy helmet, and the arrows that struck the helmets sparked and bounced away.

Siege equipment also included features to defend against arrows.

Qu Duan even had people drape the utensils with canvas soaked in fire-retardant material, but the Jin soldiers opposite him had no idea how to use fire.

They were only concerned with burning, killing, and looting.

Ten years have passed, and they haven't learned how to attack cities; they still use the same barbaric method of driving people to fill the cities.

It's not really their fault; things just went too smoothly.

If you can make a living with just one trick, who would bother to improve it?

They don't learn the siege tactics they use every day, and they certainly won't study the siege defense methods that they never need.

In Jing Jun's eyes, the only thing they still have to be wary of is their rich field experience and their fearless, suicidal attack power.

However, it's highly unlikely they can do so today, as the area around them is completely blocked, and they can't get out.

The artillery battalion was still advancing, and Qu Duan had more than fifty cannons, the most of all the troops.

The Jing Army is currently only missing muskets. Otherwise, after a barrage of artillery fire, followed by a burst of musket fire and a final cavalry charge, it would be as if Napoleon's signature move had been brought forward by several centuries.

The Jing army, having bypassed the fortifications, surged forward like a giant wave. Everywhere one looked, there were surging heads and all sorts of tall and terrifying siege weapons.

On the city wall, a Jurchen man named Puliyan threw down his bow, grabbed a long spear, and roared, "Stab these western barbarians down!"

The Jurchen warriors took up their weapons and waited on the city wall, as if the city wall had grown rows of sharp fangs!
Qu Duan, who was in the distance, sneered and raised his arm.

Immediately, the command flag was waved, and the artillery battalion stopped and resumed bombardment.

After a volley of fire, the black smoke had not yet dissipated and still shrouded the city walls.

At this moment, Jing Jun below had already rushed up to them.

Jing Jun's offensive was like a series of giant waves crashing against the Jurchen's defensive line.

Both the outer walls and moat, and the inner side of the military camp defense line, have fallen one after another.

Thousands of armored riders with fiery red helmet plumes stood silently behind the lines, awaiting the moment to strike.

They were there to prevent the Tartars from escaping and fleeing north.

However, Qu Duan was wrong this time. These were the people left behind by the Jurchens to guard Aguda's tomb, and none of them chose to run away.

At the breach in the city wall, a group of burly Tartars dragged several fences from below the city and blocked the gap.

Soon Jing Jun arrived, and the two sides roared, cursed, and stabbed at each other across the fence, their eyes bloodshot.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from the Jing army. At a section of the stockade, after the two sides had been stabbing each other for a while, several Jurchen soldiers fell to the ground and could not get up. There was no time for replacements to arrive!
A group of soldiers roared and climbed onto the stockade, leaping over it. After landing, they cut down two Jurchen armored soldiers who came to reinforce the defense.

More Jingjun infantrymen scaled the stockade, hoping to seize a larger foothold.

Puliyan, who was fighting fiercely nearby and covered in blood, noticed that a corner of the defense line had been breached. He immediately shouted and led several armored soldiers to meet the attack.

Four or five spears rushed forward, and in the blink of an eye, they pierced through two Jing soldiers who had climbed into the stockade. Even though the two soldiers were pierced through the heart by the spears, they still kept their eyes wide open and clung tightly to the spears, preventing the Jurchen Tartars from pulling them out.

Under Puliyan's leadership, more armored soldiers, spears in hand, pressed forward. Forming a semi-circle, they unleashed a flurry of indiscriminate spear thrusts, attempting to wipe out the advancing Jing army.

The Jing soldiers who scaled the stockade fell screaming under the barricade of spears, yet the tide of people continued to surge over the stockade. Wherever those who fell landed, there were only limp corpses!
Finally, the people behind smashed open the stockade completely, and more and more people rushed forward, risking their lives.

Seeing that someone had opened a breach, Qu Duan once again commanded a surprise attack, and countless people rushed in through the various gaps.

Puliyan, who was originally in charge in place of the deceased Wanyan Ang, was swallowed up by countless weapons.

With a breach opened in Xinzhou City, nothing could stop Qu Duan's army anymore.

Jingjun's infantrymen cheered and swarmed in, while Puliyan, who was guarding the camp, was killed in battle and had no command left.

The Jurchen king's flag on the enemy tower north of the city was kicked open, and the city gate was opened by the Jing army that had stormed in. The sound of drums resounded throughout the battlefield!
After wiping out the last of the elite troops in Xinzhou City, the army barely stopped and immediately launched a surprise attack on Huining Prefecture.

At this moment, all the Jurchens, and the Jurchen generals scattered throughout the land and at various strategic passes, were powerless to do anything.

They conquered too much territory, their forces were too scattered, and their size was too small.

Their initial ferocity and ruthlessness instilled fear in everyone, making them seem like demons. Under these circumstances, only by consistently winning could they maintain their authoritarian rule.

If we lose, it's all over.
Like an avalanche or a breach in a dam, it was unstoppable.

Qu Duan led his troops on a day-and-night raid and arrived outside Huining Prefecture.

After Aguda raised his army, he immediately slaughtered the Liao people, leaving Huining Prefecture virtually free from external threats.

The newly built city wall is a rammed earth structure and is not very sturdy. The newly built corner towers, ramparts and other defensive facilities around it are all designed to deal with this surprise attack by Qu Duan.

At this time, Emperor Wanyan Wugumai and others in the city had already moved south to join the Jurchen army.

Some soldiers were left in the city to defend it.

Wuqimai's courage in abandoning the westward relocation of Aguda's tomb was indeed remarkable, but it also dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Jurchens.

Moreover, it undermined Wu Qimai's authority.

In July, Huining Prefecture enjoys a refreshing and pleasant climate.

The midday sun is warm, the mountain breeze rustles through the forest, and the surrounding area is rich in vegetation and wild animals, making it a great place for hunting and recreation.

However, the countless armies and their camps added a sense of grimness to the air.

Qu Duan ordered the central army headquarters to be set up in preparation for the siege of the city.

All the soldiers were eager and excited.

You Jurchens were originally a fishing and hunting people, so why did you build a mausoleum for your ancestor? Now you know what it means to be able to run away but not to hide.

Given the current situation, there was no chance of turning defeat into victory, but the defending troops in the city clearly wanted to make a final effort.

They sent messengers to Quduan's military camp.

Qu Duan waited in the camp. After a while, several men entered the main tent. The first man was short and stocky with bow legs. He wore a shaved head, but the scalp underneath was shaved clean and shiny. From the side, you could see two or three tufts of hair the size of copper coins on the back of their heads. The long hair behind the tufts was braided into small braids and hung down.

His other clothes weren't as bright as his, but his hairstyles were all pretty much the same.

Although they had ventured into the enemy camp alone, they showed no fear. The leader, who spoke Chinese, said, "My lord said that you Han people have a saying: 'Recognize heroes and value heroes.' The Great Jing Emperor is a hero, and our Great Jin Emperor is also a hero. In war between two nations, the victor should be decided, and our old Khan should not be insulted!"

"If you can guarantee that you will not damage the old Khan's tomb, we will open the city gates after our lord commits suicide!"

Inside the tent, the Jing army generals all sneered, their eyes filled with hatred.

Are you going to commit suicide and surrender the city?
Then our military achievements would be greatly diminished!

Qu Duan rested his hands on his knees, showing no arrogance after gaining power, but remaining as calm and expressionless as ever.

“Since your Lord knows the ancient saying of the Han people, then he should know that ‘even after nine generations, one can still avenge a wrong. Even after a hundred generations, it is possible!’ When your Jin army marched south, burning, killing, and looting, you should have known that this day would come.”

The Jurchen envoy, named Wuling Simou, was quite knowledgeable about Han affairs. He stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "Are you willing to disregard the deaths and injuries of your soldiers for the sake of a tomb?"

"Hahahaha!"

Inside the tent, everyone laughed. Li Yanqi pointed outside the tent and said, "Go ask around and see if anyone is afraid of attacking the city!"

Qu Duan did not laugh; his expression remained unchanged. Only after the laughter subsided did he ask, "What do you think of the Liao tomb?"

Wu Lingsi lowered his head and remained silent.

After the Jurchens destroyed the Liao dynasty, they carried out large-scale destruction and desecration of the Liao tombs. The most notable examples were the ancestral tomb of Emperor Taizu of Liao, Yelü Abaoji, and the Qianling Mausoleum, where Emperor Jingzong of Liao and Empress Dowager Xiao are buried together.

The Jin army opened the underground palace and exposed Yelü Abaoji's remains in the wild, letting the dogs eat them.

They burned portraits, jade books, and sacrificial vessels, and leveled the mausoleum buildings.

Furthermore, the hereditary guardianship of the Liaoling Mausoleums was abolished. The mausoleum area, which was originally guarded by the Khitan tribes, was forcibly disbanded, and the guardians were reduced to slaves or relocated.

The surname "Yelü" was banned: surviving members of the royal family were forced to change their surname to "Yila" (a derogatory term in Jurchen), and those who violated this rule were subject to the extermination of their entire clan.

Destroying ritual symbols: Many of the stone carvings and inscriptions along the spirit path of the Liaoling Mausoleum were pushed over, smashed, or repurposed.

Historically, they initially wanted to claim themselves as the "inheritors of the Central Plains orthodoxy" and were somewhat wary of the Han dynasty imperial tombs.

However, as the Southern Song Dynasty intensified its resistance against the Jin Dynasty, the Jin people could no longer restrain themselves and began to destroy the Song imperial tombs.

That's just the kind of people they are; they might be able to suppress that savagery temporarily at times, but they can't change it.

Qu Duan said, "When two countries are at war, envoys are not to be killed. You should return to the city quickly and not take any chances. After we break through the city, we will not only destroy the tomb, but also grind his bones to dust to avenge our two invasions to the south."

Li Yanqi shouted from the side, "On the day the city falls, we will spare neither the dead nor the living!"

"Hmph!" The Jin men turned around, their faces full of anger, and stormed off.

After everyone left, Qu Duan immediately gave the order:
"Send troops to surround Aguda's tomb on the outskirts of the city, and do not excavate it for the time being."

“Send cavalry to sweep through the surrounding villages, disperse the herdsmen, burn the granaries, and cut off contact with the city.”

“Throwing rotting corpses, animal entrails, poisonous plants and drugs into the upstream river.”

"The artillery battalion will fire poison smoke balls into the city day and night until they are all used up!"
-
Qu Duan has surrounded Huining City, but has not yet launched an attack.

The Jurchens were not fooled by this obvious baiting tactic; after all, they were still barbarians and did not value such things as much as the people of the Central Plains.

No one will actually send troops to rescue Aguda's tomb.

The news spread throughout Kim and Kyung.

The people of the Jin Kingdom were naturally indignant and filled with sorrow, while the Jing Dynasty was in an uproar, with the news spreading everywhere.

They were just waiting for Qu Duan to dig up the graves of the Jin people's ancestors.

In the imperial city, Chen Shao looked at the map and understood that the Jin Kingdom had reached its end.

It's finally going to be wiped out.
What he and Zong Ze said back then was not a lie. On that drunken evening, after he had just figured out his situation, he began to plan how to deal with the Jurchens.

At that time, the word "Jurchen" was a heavy weight on my heart, but it also motivated me to keep moving forward.

Chen Shao did not interfere with Qu Duan's command; he had his own things to do and simply waited quietly for the demise of his first anticipated major enemy.

The hegemon that should have dominated East Asia in this era has finally met its end.

At the end of July, seeing that no one was coming to his rescue, Qu Duan ordered the tomb of Aguda to be dug up and his body hung outside the city.

The siege engines, carrying the remains of Wanyan Aguda, were used to attack Huining City.

The soldiers guarding the city wept bitterly, their anger uncontrollable, and many jumped off the city walls.

The army attacked the city and massacred Huining Prefecture. The Wanyan tribe in the city was almost completely wiped out, and the Han people and Khitan generals and officials who surrendered were escorted to Jinling.

Then, in the southern suburbs of Huining Prefecture, he held an alliance with the Shiwei, Khitan, Bohai and other tribes. All the tribes submitted to His Majesty the Great Jing Emperor and sent people to Jinling to request investiture.

Wanyan Wuqimai was devastated, but before he could grieve too much, Quduan's army had already begun marching towards Shangjing, the former capital of the Liao Dynasty.
-
When Chen Shao received the news, he was at the port with officials, watching the newly arrived silver ships.

Upon hearing the battle report from the front, the surroundings fell silent for a moment, then burst into loud applause and cheers.

This is what it means to move the capital. If it were still in Bianliang in the north at this time, I don't know how lively it would be.

Chen Shao said with a smile, "Today we are holding a banquet. I invite all my beloved ministers to drink!"

At this moment, at the port, stevedores unloaded boxes filled with silver.

Chen Shao looked at the boxes of silver and felt even better, since they were all transported back from Goryeo.

The real big fish is Japan, which is why Chen Shao has always refused to personally go to Japan to fight.

Once you get bogged down in a quagmire, the plundering of silver will slow down considerably and become fraught with danger.

It's better to let them beg us to dig.

Chen Shao said to Li Tangchen, "There is a kind of 'war merit voucher' that is very popular on the market now. This can be seen as a trial for us to issue scenic vouchers."

The so-called war merit coupons should actually be called war spoil coupons. These were coupons issued to the soldiers after the Jing army had captured items on battlefields in various places and the goods were purchased by merchant caravans.

This stuff wasn't just for the soldiers; many soldiers exchanged it for money locally, and the local people and merchants were happy to accept it as payment.

Because this thing is really useful, you can exchange it at the storefront of every caravan, and it's fair and honest.

In many places, these war merit certificates are already being used as currency.

This also illustrates the necessity of paper money.

Chen Shao and his officials have named the new paper money: Jingxing Tongbao Certificate.

Abbreviation: Scenic Ticket
The initial plan was to issue three denominations: one string, five strings, and ten strings, corresponding to one tael of silver, five taels of silver, and ten taels of silver, respectively.

The first issuance was 200 million strings of cash, with a corresponding reserve of 200 million taels of silver.

These tickets are temporarily only issued in Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and Mingzhou. Every day, the silver exchange shops of the caravan must publish the silver inventory on time.

You are guaranteed to be able to redeem your currency at any time.

The rules are mostly finalized; now we just wait for the first release and see how it goes. (End of Chapter)