Zhang Han, a pure Han Chinese in his past and present life, was naturally infected by the surrounding atmosphere. The strong national sentiment in his body quickly occupied the ideological high ground, and he couldn't help but shout loudly along with the crowd.
"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"
…
Meng Gong looked at the group of soldiers under his command in the audience, who had been incited by his words and became very emotional, and couldn't help but nodded with satisfaction.
Then he ordered several subordinates around him to quickly go to various units to inform:
Tonight we will kill chickens and sheep, and we will have enough wine and meat. Let everyone eat and drink well, and then prepare for tomorrow's battle.
The top soldiers who got the news cheered again, and they all praised their commander-in-chief!
After the meeting was over and the generals on the high platform gradually retreated, except for the troops who needed to guard the city, the other soldiers were organized and returned to the camp in an orderly manner.
After waiting for half an hour, it was Zhang Han's team's turn.
"Get into formation! Return to camp!"
"Tap! Tread! Tread!..."
After receiving the order from the superior, Zhang Han, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately called for his ten subordinates to line up in order and followed his superior back to the camp.
...
Because they were fighting outside the city, although the Song army built several military camps, the soldiers still mainly lived in tents and rested in the military camps. Basically, a team of more than a dozen people share a tent.
"哐～哐～哐..."
After Zhang Han led his men into the tent, he quickly said;
"Brothers! After everyone has a short rest, today everyone must check the crossbow equipment, wipe what needs to be wiped, and replace what needs to be replaced. Don't let me lose the chain tomorrow~~ Otherwise... don't blame me for not making it clear in advance, military law No personal relationships allowed!"
"promise!"
"Don't worry, Captain, who dares to make fun of his own life and military law?"
"That's right, that's right!"
After the soldiers agreed, they dispersed. Everyone quickly ran to their beds, lay down and covered themselves with quilts.
They began to rub their frozen hands and feet vigorously while chatting with each other to rest.
Zhang Han did not control them. Life in the military camp was quite boring. The only relaxation is probably taking advantage of the rest time to chat and kick each other.
After taking off the heavy armor from his body, he neatly placed it on the shelf next to the bed.
Zhang Han did not go directly to the bunk to rest like his men, but turned around and left the tent.
When Zhang Han came back after a while, he already had a few pieces of dark charcoal in his hand. After getting the brazier from the corner, Zhang Han threw the charcoal into the brazier and started to light a fire to keep warm.
The weather in winter is still very cold, with temperatures around 10 degrees. If you don't light a fire at night and rely on the thin quilt on the soldier's body, you will be sick in a few days.
Zhang Han carefully pulled the charcoal, blowing gently on the red charcoal from time to time. The flames dancing slightly on the charcoal gradually turned his face red.
At this time.
The noise in the tent suddenly stopped, as if time had pressed the pause button. Zhang Han looked up doubtfully;
The subordinates had stopped talking at this time, and were all watching him in a daze as he lit the fire, with everyone's eyes shining brightly.
"Why are you looking at me? Why, my face is dusty?" Zhang Han asked confused when he saw this.
After speaking, he reached out and touched his face twice. Continue to ask;
"any left?"
"..."
"Ha ha!……"
Unexpectedly, what greeted him was not the reminder from his men, but the roar of laughter from everyone.
"Captain, the brothers were very moved when they saw you helping them keep warm. How could you ruin the atmosphere like this!"
Qi Xiu, as his deputy, not only did not come to his rescue, he even looked at him with a joking face and said.
Li Xiaohu next to him was not to be outdone, his eyes turned back to the sparkling look before and shouted;
'Lao Qi is right! When I saw the captain just now, I thought of my brother from my hometown. I didn't expect you, captain, to disturb my beautiful fantasy with just one word. It's so unethical...'
"Who should I call Lao Qi? I want to call him the deputy captain. Do you understand that Captain Zhang personally appointed him?"
Li Xiaohu just finished speaking, before Zhang Han could speak. Qi Xiu was not happy with Li Xiaohu's name for him at first. His bell-like eyes were wide open and his tone of voice was very unkind.
"Yes, yes, Lao Qi is right. Xiaohu! If you ask me, you are a typical person who has no military discipline and no respect!"
The fat man shook his head and agreed with Qi Xiu, while looking at the latter with a flattering expression.
Qi Xiu's face turned completely dark when he heard this, he turned around and roared at the fat man;
"Fat Zhang Yun, you little bastard is no better!"
...
Seeing that the topic had been diverted away from him, Zhang Han simply stopped getting involved.
As a captain, it is not a good thing to play with soldiers every day. This is also the way he has summarized the way to lead troops these days. He must maintain a certain sense of mystery in front of the soldiers.
In this day and age, if you usually laugh and curse with soldiers, it's just a waste of time. If no one listens to you on the battlefield, you will be defeated.
But as a commander, you have to worry about the soldiers' food, clothing, housing and transportation. You have to think ahead of the soldiers in everything, make them feel cared about, and only follow you to risk their lives when they are in danger.
The two complement each other and do not conflict. The degree needs to be understood and grasped by the parties concerned.
…
It was winter at this time.
On the eve of the Song and Mongolian coalition forces where Zhang Han was sharpening their swords outside the city, preparing for a large-scale attack. The city of Caizhou is already in a state of turmoil.
Because of the massacre of Jin people by the Mongolian army, most of the Jin people in Caizhou City gave up the idea of abandoning the city and escaping for their lives. Many people began to stay and help the Jin Dynasty's army fight with the allied forces outside the city.
The soldiers and civilians in the city united to resist the enemy, and it did have good results at first. The desperate resistance of the Jin soldiers and civilians thwarted the coalition's tentative attacks several times, allowing Caizhou City to survive in a short period of time.
However, under the continuous siege of Caizhou by the coalition forces for several months, the city's huge population gradually became a burden.
To maintain the operation of this huge military fortress, a large amount of food and grass must be consumed every day. But unfortunately, the small land in the city cannot produce any food.
So when the Song army arrived, the people in the entire city were completely in a dilemma of running out of ammunition and food. By this time, on the eve of the coalition's attack, the city was already in a miserable state of starvation and death everywhere.
Although the Emperor of Jin also implemented various measures before, such as;
The city was built into an impregnable city, and all the men in the city were used as laborers. The woman put on armor and went up to the city wall to frighten the opponent. Go to the city wall in person to boost morale, etc...
Even some time ago, in order not to starve to death, Jin Aizong reluctantly ordered that the corpses be used as military rations. But after all, the corpse is difficult to swallow, and it will easily smell and deteriorate if left for a long time. What is the long-term solution?
The old city still cannot solve the food supply problem.
Jin Aizong has tried his best, but unfortunately the Jin Army is currently exhausted and has lost all its energy. Even if he has the power to reach heaven, under such a general situation, there is no possibility of a comeback.
The dilemma faced by the Jin Kingdom at this moment is very similar to that of the Northern Song Dynasty a hundred years ago, and it can even be said to be even more miserable!
The Northern Song Dynasty at least still controlled the southern region and could break out and escape. But now the Jin Kingdom has only a straight line distance of 400 kilometers except Caizhou, and Gongzhou in Gansu is still under control.
The straight-line distance of 400 kilometers was an impossible distance to cross in ancient times when transportation was inconvenient. Moreover, the Song and Mongolian troops were watching eagerly outside the city. They just want to escape, but where can they escape to?
To be honest, although Jin Aizong was not a talented and strategic monarch, he was by no means a mediocre person. However, all his efforts were still ineffective under the general trend of history, and all his measures seemed so small and futile.
In fact, he had long understood that the Jin Dynasty was about to fall, and he had also lamented to the sky;
"I served as Doctor Jin Ziguanglu for ten years, as the crown prince for ten years, and finally as the emperor for another ten years. I believe that I have done nothing harmful to nature, and I will have no regrets even after I die."
"It's a pity that the empire of my ancestors was cut off in my hands. Let me become the king of the country's subjugation together with those debauched, cruel and mediocre kings. This is what I can't let go of the most."
Hence the opening scene. After some thought, Jin Aizong prepared to find Wanyan Chenglin and let him succeed to the throne in his place.
Wanyan Chenglin was not a direct relative of Jin Aizong, but at this moment, Jin Aizong could not find a more suitable successor than Wanyan Chenglin.
Therefore, since he did not want to bear the responsibility of being the king of a subjugated country and carrying the infamy, it would eventually fall on Wanyan Chenglin.
…
Caizhou, the residence of Jin Aizong.
Jin Aizong ordered people to call Wanyan Chenglin to him. In order to ease Wanyan Chenglin's heart, let him accept this hot potato obediently. After meeting this scapegoat whom I was optimistic about.
Regardless of the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers, Jin Aizong held the other person's hand with a smile on his face and said emotionally;
"Come on, come on... Chenglin is a member of the family, so there is no need to be formal. I have something to discuss with you!"
Wanyan Chenglin was shocked by Jin Aizong's abnormal attitude. Because the other party always talks to me in a condescending manner, how could he ever be so kind as today?
But due to the difference between the monarch and his subjects, he still had a bit of panic on his face. uneasy way;
"I thank you for your kindness. Your Majesty summoned me in a hurry, but something serious happened?"
After Jin Aizong finished speaking to Wanyan Chenglin just now, he watched the other person's expression intently. Therefore, he had expected the other party to ask this question.
Emperor Jin Ai immediately showed a grief-stricken expression and squeezed out two tears from the corners of his eyes. His tone of voice also became choked, and he said sadly;
'Chenglin! You are a descendant of my clan, and I don’t want to deceive you. Sheji has now reached the stage of laying eggs, and there is no way to save it!
Since I came to the throne, I have thought that I have never slacked off in my work, but... alas! God bless you! '
Wanyan Chenglin felt very uncomfortable when he saw the emperor looking sad and lonely. But there is nothing he can do in the situation like this in the Kingdom of Jin!
He is a human, not a god!
He had no choice but to comfort him and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. As the saying goes: There is no perfect path for everyone, and good luck will have its own destiny. I believe in the blessing of our ancestors, everything will be fine."
Although he said so, Wanyan Chenglin himself didn't believe it. Jin Aizong naturally didn't believe it, and knew that the other party was speaking of comfort.
The expression on his face changed rapidly in an instant, making the other party see that he seemed to have made a great decision. Then he stared into the other person's eyes with burning eyes and spoke with a solemn expression;
"After much thought, I finally decided to entrust the country and the country to you. You must shoulder this important responsibility!"
After hearing this, Wanyan Chenglin was immediately shocked.
"No! No..." Subconsciously, he shook his head like a rattle.
He guessed it before he came. At this point in time, the emperor would definitely be in trouble with him. But he never expected that the emperor actually had this idea.
He is a smart man, otherwise he would not be where he is now. Naturally, he understood that the emperor asked him to be the scapegoat for the subjugation of the country, so he quickly refused in a hurry.
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the emperor beside him extending his hand.
Jin Aizong still pretended to be sad and continued;
"My dear, don't be too busy refusing. Of course I know how embarrassing this kind of thing is for you at this time, but I also have my own difficulties!"
After saying that, he stretched out his wide sleeves and wiped away the tears that had just been squeezed out. When his sleeves were put down, his eyes were already red;
"Jiangshan Sheji is entrusted to you not because I don't want to take responsibility. It's because I am fat and cannot ride my horse to go on an expedition. If the city falls, it will be difficult to break through.
I have also taken into consideration that, my dear, you are usually strong and strong, and you have generals and strategies. If you succeed to the throne and are lucky enough to escape, you can continue to rule the country. This is what I want..."
After listening to the emperor's confession, Wanyan Chenglin thought about it carefully and felt that what the other party said was reasonable.
As a descendant of Wanyan Aguda, although he knew that the emperor's purpose in doing so was not pure, the reasons given by the other party made him unable to refuse.
Could he really just watch his ancestor's foundation be destroyed in one fell swoop? A voice deep inside told him.
He can't do it!
Now that the emperor had spoken to this extent, Wanyan Chenglin had to reluctantly nod in agreement after struggling for a while.
Jin Aizong was overjoyed when he saw it.
