On the third day of the second lunar month of the 10th year of Jianyan's reign, the deer was harvested. Within one day, the Song and Jin sides invested a total of more than 300,000 troops in a local battlefield covering hundreds of square kilometers, and through an unprecedented fierce frontal battle,

Decide the winner.

The result was a great victory for the Song army and a great defeat for the Jin army.

Although it is difficult to verify the specific results of the battle in a short period of time, judging from the rough figures later...the Jin army died directly in battle, was hunted down and slaughtered after collapse, and trampled on each other while fleeing. The cumulative number of deaths was at least 30,000.

In fact, there may be more, because the bodies in the gradually solidifying trench cannot be dragged clean; and the number of captives, including a large number of wounded, is close to 50,000.

Considering that the 160,000 households of the Jin Army were not at full strength, and probably only had 1,340,000 troops, the number of captured and dead tribesmen had already reached less than two-thirds of the total strength of the Jin Army.

Even among the remaining 50,000 to 60,000 people, only one Aguda Liuzi Wanyan Zhenluguan's 10,000 households remained intact. The rest were scattered in a state of collapse on the vast plains on the south bank of the Hutuo River, even back to Zhending City.

The defeat of the army became negligible because the Song army captured the pontoon bridge at the mouth of the river in time.

At the same time, the casualties of the Song army were actually very serious. No less than 8,000 people died in battle, no less than 5,000 people were seriously injured, and no less than 5,000 people were seriously injured. The number of casualties and casualties was over 10,000.

To be fair, this number of casualties would have directly caused the morale of the entire army to collapse. However, when this opportunity for a big victory came and the contrast between the victory and defeat of the two sides was so strong, the morale was actually boosted.

In fact, early the next morning, the Song army continued to advance in large numbers.

Among them, Wu Jie was in charge of matters on the other side of the Taiping River and Hutuo Henan. His command was determined and he divided the army into three. One part stayed at the original Jin Army camp in Huolu to clean the battlefield and also for rest... After all, the remains of the battlefield

The armor and weapons of the Jin Army are probably the most valuable treasure of this era; the other part is mainly infantry, marching to surrounding states, counties and towns in an appropriate and orderly manner to perform necessary strategic control; the last part is based on

The cavalry was the main force, and the imperial cavalry of Liu Qi, the governor of Liu Qi, went all the way east, trying to cross the river and go to Fetch City to block the Jin army's escape route, while the Khitan, Xi, Mongolia, and Dangxiang Qingqi were based on a thousand people.

, spread out in all directions, roughly heading east, wantonly hunting down and chasing down the Jin army's fleeing tribesmen.

In addition, under the command of Han Shizhong, the left army of the imperial camp also used the pontoon bridge they obtained to cross the river in large numbers and approached Zhending City. As expected, they carried out the wounded and corpses according to Zhao Guanjia's previous orders... The Jin army was roughly stripped of its armor.

The wounded and corpses were delivered almost continuously, including many broken bodies, and they were neatly placed in all directions outside the city, and the wounded and corpses were mixed together.

In this situation, if Wanyan Zuluguan and Zhending's left-behind troops had only had a so-called literal feeling about the so-called 'tragic defeat' before, with a so-called shock that their minds were filled with blanks, then now they are all shocked.

It's like losing your liver and gallbladder.

This was not over yet. As the evening wore on, the Song Army took the initiative to stop moving and retreated to the camp...perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of fear that the city would not accept them, or perhaps simply because they could not bear the pain of their wounds. The wounded outside the city suddenly lost control.

Weeping began, and instantly swept through the entire queue of wounded soldiers outside the city, and the sound of wailing and wailing suddenly echoed around Zhending.

Not only that, the defenders in the city came out to respond. They were so frightened that they actually cried with them. As the wounded entered the city crying, the families of the military officers in the city continued to cry incessantly, but failed to find their relatives. Finally, there was a continuous cry inside and outside the city.

The regiment, and even senior officials and generals could not withstand the pressure and cried with the whole city.

The sound was so loud that it could be clearly heard in the newly established camp of the Song Army several miles away. The left army of the imperial camp and Dong Xian and Shao Yun's two tribes also had to come to dinner accompanied by crying, and there was so much discussion that

Some people feel compassion.

"What did the official Zhao Song family say?"

Not to mention the cries that filled the city, just that as the slightly injured Jin Army was able to enter the city, an unexpected person was directly summoned by Zhenlu Guan, and was temporarily in charge of Zhending affairs in a lobby full of senior Jin Army officials.

The Privy Council of the Kingdom of Jin accepted the order and led Hong Ya, the Minister of War, to inquire in public.

This person is none other than the Taishi slave who was simply released back to Zhending City because he didn't know where Wu Shu was. As an envoy who went to see Zhao Guan's family before the battle, he came back smoothly this time. The person who was summoned

It's natural to ask.

"So that Mr. Hong will know that I have never seen the official family of Zhao Song again since yesterday." The Taishinu bowed his head in shame, obviously angry. "Even though I met the official family of Zhao Song yesterday and said a lot of words, he probably didn't care at all about it.

Pay attention to it, not to mention that there are related words to explain... The reason why I came back in full body this time is probably just because of my identity as an envoy, plus the fact that the official killed too many people yesterday and was too lazy to kill more, so I had a lucky escape. "

Hong Ya felt a little disappointed in his heart and turned back to look at Wanyan Zhenlu Guan sitting in the middle. He saw that Zhenlu Guan's face was stiff and he didn't seem to be listening at all. He then looked at the expressions of everyone in the hall. As he thought, there were many people in the hall.

Most of the civil and military officials were disappointed, and only a few were slightly relieved.

After roughly jotting down these people, Hong Ya nodded directly to the Taishi Nu: "Since it is God's will to come back, there is no need to think too much, just settle down and wait for the news from King Wei!"

The Grand Master's slave had not seen Wu Shu since he came in, so he roughly guessed that his master was not here. However, at this time, the superiors were obviously discussing military affairs, and the fourth prince was not here. He, the leader of the bodyguard, was not a decent person at all.

Are you qualified to interrupt? So he bowed his head directly to look at Wu Lu. Hong Ya thanked him in turn, and then went back to rest, preparing to privately ask Hong Ya about Wu Shu's situation later.

As soon as the Grand Master's slave left, the hall became noisy again... Obviously, as mentioned before, the wounded and dead bodies that almost blocked the four doors made everyone in Zhending City completely understand the reality. Now everyone

The city burst into tears, and the morale of the troops left behind collapsed from top to bottom... Even if there were ten thousand households and countless inventories, a way out must be discussed.

But in this devastating situation, where is the way out so easy to discuss?

"Can you lead the army to withdraw at night?"

"Evacuate to where?"

"Wuji in the north, Xinle in the east... Of course, it's just a temporary stay. What I mean is that since yesterday's defeat was so tragic, the tens of thousands of households in the city have become even more important. If we can bring them back to Yanjing, it will be a great success.

Reliable."

"If there is a place to evacuate, how should we evacuate? There are ten thousand households in the city, half on foot and half on cavalry. How can we evacuate under Han Shizhong's nose? Does the Song Army's so-called imperial camp left army have no cavalry? It is the spring flood.

What should I do if I encounter a small river or trail on the road and get caught up in the slightest obstruction? You and I both know that Ten Thousand Households is our last resort, how could the people of Song Dynasty not know this? As for Yanjing...Taiyuan...it's okay not to mention it!"

"You ask me this, who am I to ask? What if I don't withdraw now? The whole city is crying, morale is shattered, and no one dares to fight. As for Taiyuan, of course I know it, but the more it is like this, the more it shows that this It’s really impossible to keep it!”

"What are you talking about? Even if you can't defend, you have to defend! Because once you leave the city, you will be dead. But if you stay in the city, you can survive for a few more days..."

"After a few days, all the people in today's hall will be caught in one fell swoop! And if they escape at night, they will lose, and everyone can bet on their destiny!"

"Have you ever thought about it? If we leave, the Song army will march straight in from the north bank of the Hutuo River. Then there will be no need to chase. The fourth prince and tens of thousands of defeated troops on the other side of the river will be unable to return north!"

"The fourth prince's life is life, but the sixth prince's life is not life?"

"Are you guys staying here...don't you care about the corpses and wounded outside the city? Those are all your own sons! Especially the wounded...doesn't their life matter?"

"Well..."

"There is also the treasury... The warehouse of Zhending Mansion is the general warehouse of military supplies built by the whole country. The third prince and the fourth prince usually patrol the place where they are stationed. In the city, there are armor, grain and grass, arrows, swords, leather, gold, silver, copper and iron. There are countless ingots... Do you want to throw them to the Song Dynasty people?"

"..."

"..."

Besides, Hong Ya watched with cold eyes and had already seen it clearly... These people were talking about it, and it was nothing more than that the situation was very bad. It was impossible to defend, and it was difficult to escape, so they were in a dilemma and were almost forced into a corner... This is of course, yesterday's battle, the Song Army's battle will determine the world. Whether the Great Jin Kingdom can survive depends on the weather, the location, and the people. A mere Zhending Mansion cannot have any grand roads. Walkable.

But having said that, if you have to go, it is still possible to survive by taking some extreme trail.

For example, the whole city, starting with the sixth prince, Zhen Luguan, brought countless civil and military personnel who had evacuated here, an entire ten thousand households and countless treasuries to surrender directly... This is what Hong Ya wants to see the most. Now, he really needs this Zhending City to gain merit and livelihood in front of that official. At the same time, everyone surrendering together can also effectively protect his family members in Yanjing.

Of course, this is too idealistic. Hong Ya is just thinking about it in his heart, and he doesn't have much hope... At the moment, no one in the hall dares to actually say the word surrender.

In addition, there is another way, which is to abandon the wounded, throw down the corpses, burn the treasury, and at the same time abandon the Wushu and the disintegrated army in Hutuo Henan, and then use this large army of ten thousand households in the city as a Using bait and cover, and escaping in different ways, the dignitaries in the hall may be able to escape alive with a high probability.

But this is even more extreme... How do you say that sentence?

The great Jin Kingdom has its own national conditions here. Although it suffered a complete defeat, it still wanted to lose face. Gao Qingyi knew how to walk a few steps into the river without you seeing him, and then wait for him to leave before going ashore, so I am afraid that no one in this room can bite his tongue. He said such words.

"Let me tell you, why can't we abandon those corpses and wounded, then set fire to the city's treasury, and then use the entire army of ten thousand households as bait to shield Xiang Wuji, and let's gather the elite personal guards to protect the Sixth Prince to Xinle? "At this moment, a Han general suddenly came out of the queue and said something that made the whole hall stunned. Even Hong Ya was stunned.

Everyone was still in a daze when suddenly, someone's face turned red and he came out to scold them in front of everyone, but it turned out to be another Han official in red robes:

"Liu E! You are shameless and unworthy of being the queen of King Liu! If you do this, kill me first!"

"If we can't do this, what should we do?" The so-called Han general called Liu E was furious when he saw the man jumping out. "Cheng Cai, tell me, how should we deal with it now?"

"If you stick to your true determination, you can win day by day. If the city is defeated, you will burn the city with fire to show the integrity of the ministers!" The civil servant who called Cheng Cai did not hesitate and responded immediately, but his opinion was almost different from Liu E's. The opposite extreme.

"What nonsense did you say?" Liu E stopped and completely lost his composure.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Cheng Cai didn't give in at all. "How can there be any reason to abandon the army and live in secret?! I still say the same thing, if you want to do such a thing, you must kill me first!"

"Do you think I don't dare to kill you?" Liu E became even more furious and simply moved the knife forward.

"I am an angel. Should I kill you or you kill me?" Cheng Cai was not afraid and also held the knife in front of him.

The two of them had a disagreement and started shouting to fight and kill. When the civil and military officials around them saw this, no one tried to persuade or scold them, they just watched indifferently.

Let's say that Zhending Mansion is the actual headquarters of the Jin Kingdom's frontline commander. Because of the war, many Jin Kingdom dignitaries gathered together, not only princes, Wanhu, Meng'an, and Mou Ke, but also many other types of people. ...For example, Hong Ya was the envoy from Yanjing; Liu E, for example, was the former defense envoy of Enzhou. Because Enzhou was captured by Tian Shizhong early, he withdrew all the way to Zhending; another example is this Cheng Cai was a dignified scholar of the Jin Dynasty. Half a month ago, it was not known that the labor envoy sent by Yanjing when Taiyuan was lost was Hong Ya's predecessor.

But these are not the point yet.

The key point is that Liu E's identity is somewhat special. He is the last of the three direct brothers who are currently the head of the Liu clan of the Yanyun clan.

The so-called Liu family refers to the former Lulong Jiedu envoy Liu Bang in the late Tang Dynasty. His family was the prime minister in the Liao Dynasty. Liu E's father Liu Yanzong was even more favored after the money was paid, and was even appointed to the Yanyun government for a time. Only However, this family has a strong sense of presence in Yanyun, so they have always been feared by the top brass of the Jin Kingdom. In addition, Liu Yanzong was attached to Nianhan after Aguda died and was suspected of changing the family, which attracted unanimous rejection from the top brass, so he came early After being promoted high and dying in depression, the Liu family's status among the top brass of the Jin Kingdom and the leadership position among the Yanyun clan were long replaced by the Han family, who was deliberately supported by the top brass of the Jin Kingdom.

But no matter what, the family background and foundation are there, so among the previous great kings, Liu E's father Liu Yanzong still became the only Han nationality in the Great Jin Kingdom to be posthumously granted a king's title. Liu's energy and Liu's Calyx himself cannot be ignored in this situation.

But here’s where things get interesting: Cheng Cai is also a representative figure of the Han people in Yanyun.

Cheng Cai's grandfather, like the famous Song Dynasty official Lin Jingmo's father, both had domineering nicknames. Lin Jingmo's father was nicknamed Lin Jiumu, while Cheng Cai's grandfather was nicknamed Cheng Yiyi; Lin Jingmo's nine brothers, Cheng Cai's father and six brothers, plus Both of their fathers were Jinshi, but one side was from the Song Dynasty and the other was from the Liao Kingdom.

In addition, just as two of the Lin Jingmo brothers are particularly outstanding, they are called Bachelors Dalin and Bachelors Xiaolin... Cheng Cai and his father Cheng Mu were the military governors of the party when they paid the gold, and they have been serving as military governors ever since, and now He was still in charge of the defense of Jingzhou, and when Cheng Cai gained momentum, the father and son became officials in the same court, and they were always known as the old Cheng Jiedu and the young Cheng Bachelor.

Who dares to ignore this kind of family?

However, the Jin army defeated almost all the military forces south of Yanshan in the first battle, and the Jurchens themselves had not even started to cause trouble. However, two descendants of the Yanyun family broke out in such an almost incompatible dispute, which was particularly disturbing.

Have fun.

Let's stop talking. The dispute has reached such an extent that it is destined to be impossible to reach a conclusion through discussion, so everyone's eyes gradually focused on a person in the hall. The Sixth Prince Jian Lu Guan.

Wanyan Zhenluguan was the sixth son of Taizu Aguda. He was already of high status. He had also served as a stay-at-home officer in Datong before and took charge of the affairs. This time, the ten thousand households in the city were brought back from Datong by Wanyan Luguan. In addition,

The third prince died of a sudden illness, the fourth prince was completely defeated, and his life or death was unknown. The second prince, and the fifth prince (the father of the current king) died early. They are probably famous not only in Zhending City, but also in the entire Kingdom of Jin.

.

Therefore, as long as the sixth prince opens his mouth, no one in Zhending City can resist.

However, under the spotlight of everyone, Zhenlu Guan was just confused and confused. He could not make any conclusion at all. He seemed to be affected by the tragic situation outside the city... It is no wonder that the fourth prince Wushu was the most important person who participated in the founding war of the Jin Kingdom.

The young clan is here, and the young Xunlu Guan is here, which is exactly the dividing line. After Xunlu Guan participates in military activities, the Kingdom of Jin has already taken shape. Basically, it is a smooth battle, and there is little military experience and combat experience.

too much.

In desperation, everyone went to see Hong Ya again. This was the new angel sent by Yanjing, and in the name of the military entrusted by the Fourth Prince Wushu. Even the Fourth Prince's own gold medal was in this person's hands. At this time, he asked to get one.

Maybe everyone below will support this idea, and the Sixth Prince above will also go along with it.

However, Minister Hong Yahong, who was always known for his shrewdness and ability, actually looked embarrassed at this time, and then spread his hands: "Everyone, although I am an angel, and I have the fourth prince to entrust military affairs, but in this situation, how can I dare to do so easily?

Call the shots?"

This was said quite sincerely, and everyone was helpless. So, after arguing again for a while, they finally broke up.
To be continued...