Even if a big rebel like Yang An'er surrenders, no one inside or outside the court will really regard him as one of his family members. At that time, he organized his basic troops into the Tiewagang Army, and then moved them out of Shandong and to the front line behind the Monan Mountains. The emperor even personally issued a handwritten order to Yang An'er to use them to cushion the Mongols' swords.
Later, Yehuling was defeated, the boundary trench defense line collapsed, and Yang An'er retreated to Zhuozhou. But in addition to Tang and Kuo fighting together, the imperial court also had surveillance from all sides. Only around Dingxing County, there were the Zhuozhou Yongtai Army, Yizhou Gaoyang Army, Xiongzhou Yongding Army, and Baozhou Shuntian Army. They all stationed heavy troops, like a dragnet, covering Yang An'er in the center.
But no one expected that the imperial court would suffer another defeat at Migukou in Xijing the following year. The army, which was said to be worth one million, was defeated. The troops in Jieduzhou on Xijing Road, Hebei East-West Road, and Zhongdu Road were almost completely drained. These four Jiedu states have become like paper.
At that time, if the imperial court mobilized additional troops from the Central Plains, it could still restore these heavy troops. But firstly, the threat from the Mongols was much greater after all, and secondly, Yang Aner remained passive and was extremely respectful and polite to her superiors. Even though the defeated troops across Hebei were fighting against each other, Yang An'er never showed any signs of expanding his power.
This situation finally made the court feel a little relieved, and Yang An'er took action!
In just half a day, he captured the county seat of Dingxing, killed Tang Kuo and his troops, dispersed the treasury and property to the people, and then headed south along the Laishui River with great fanfare toward Rongcheng County.
Yang An'er originally only had more than a thousand troops, but later he made a forced landing of hundreds of defeated troops in southern Zhuozhou, and then took the native soldiers and men from Dingxing County with him. The total number exceeded three thousand, and his momentum was very majestic.
They also seized nearly a hundred fine horses from Tang Kuo's mansion. During the march, generals such as Yang You, Guo Yao'er, Zhan Hui, and Wang Min personally mobilized their light cavalry to send out sentries, defeating several groups with intent. All the soldiers who blocked him had their heads cut off and hung them in front of their horses.
That night, Yang An'er's troops broke into Rongcheng and plundered them. The front team even captured many boats in Rongcheng County. The torches were held high, like a fire dragon with teeth and claws, crossing the pond and approaching the Xiongzhou government office.
When Zhang Nu, Bode, who was also serving as the governor of the Yongding Army in Xiongzhou, saw this situation, he was so frightened that his legs went weak. He immediately summoned all the good and humble people in the city, and all the young and old went to the city to defend it. Then he sent envoys overnight to urgently inform those around him, pleading for help.
There was still debate over whether there would be reinforcements. Since Xiongzhou was the first to be unlucky, the chief officers of several other military towns breathed a sigh of relief.
Bode Zhangnu went to the city for several days to visit, but he saw dozens of large boats walking on the water. There were forests of spears and spears on the boats, approaching from time to time.
He, a Jurchen, started his career by reading the books of sages, and was a serious Jinshi in Beixuan Cifu. At the moment, he did not dare to lead people out for reconnaissance, and only wrote colorful details about the battle situation on the documents.
He thought hard all night and came up with a good line, which he called "I praise the new warriors, who knows the old scholars." After repeated chanting, he added several other lines to complete the poem. He carefully recorded it in the battle report and ordered the envoy to take it with him. War reports continue to go out and complain.
However, at this time, there were not many people on the boat at all, and the spears and spears were all made of reeds.
Yang An'er gathered troops from Rongcheng County and turned back to the north, and sent Liu Quan to lead an elite detachment, all using small boats, passing through the lake area between Liuli River and Laishui, upstream, and directly taking Fanyang of Zhuozhou.
In the direction of Yijin Pass in Bazhou, a capital commander came with his troops to challenge on the east bank of the Liuli River. Yang An'er faced off across the river with his main army, and crossed the river in small boats to outflank him. He defeated them in just half an hour, captured 20 horses, and expanded his army by 400 men.
On that day, the two groups of troops marched quickly and responded to each other. They marched sixty miles in one day, which put great pressure on Zhuozhou governor Nian Gezhen.
Nian Gezhen was also a famous scribe among the Jurchens. He served as professor, chief registrar, magistrate of punishment, and judge of household transfer. Later, he served as the governor of Dexing Prefecture and the governor of Xuandezhou. After the defeat at Yehuling, Nian Gezhen followed the defeated troops into Hebei. Because of his reputation, he was transferred to the governor of Zhuozhou and was appointed to the mountain tomb for sacrifice at Shuowang.
And because the imperial mausoleum is in Zhuozhou, Zhuozhou restored the Yongtai Army's organization from the year before last, with Niangegezhen as the military envoy.
There is an interesting phenomenon. With the successive defeats of Dai Jin in the war with Mongolia in recent years, the military equipment of the imperial court has gradually become stretched. However, the subordinate military attachés and military establishments of various Jiedu, Zhenzhou and even Cizhou have become more and more important. More and more complex, more and more.
For example, when Nian Kaizhen first arrived in Zhuozhou, the officers under his command only had one officer who was also a patrol officer, and two officers. Later, a capital army department was established, with hundreds of soldiers and horses under the command of the capital commander; later, there were archers under the county captain, native soldiers under the patrol, soldiers organized in Baojia, and the military force directly under the Jiedushi. etc.
This is a matter of course. Facing the increasingly heavy military pressure in the north, the role of Zhuo, Yi and other states has changed from second-line support to front-line direct support of the Mongolian troops. Therefore, the military status of these states was improving every few months. The imperial court tried its best to maintain the military strength of each state, and the number of officers and soldiers under the Jiedushi's account became larger and larger.
The only problem is that the officers are all jumping around in front of Nikawara Sada, but the soldiers are all active in paperwork and paper. In reality, the number is only a little less than before.
Local officials such as Nian Kezhen, Tu Shanhang, Bode Zhangnu, Mei Zhiqinu, Gao Xi, etc. all faced the same situation. They repeatedly wrote to the imperial court asking for reinforcements, weapons and equipment, and food and supplies, but the imperial court could not provide them with anything. I was only given some military pay, but it was like paying money like waste paper.
Although Nian Kaizhen was in Zhuozhou, he had heard that the situation on the border was so critical, and the political disputes in the DPRK were intensifying. The current emperor and the Jurchen nobles did not trust each other, and the fight between them was getting out of hand.
This kind of fighting also affected the army, leaving generals everywhere at a loss as to what to do. Some people saw the weakness of the imperial court and became more arrogant and domineering. They relied on their own troops outside the imperial court system and became warlords.
Nian Kaizhen was a scholar and could see things clearly, but he had no solution, let alone the courage to confront others. In short, as a military governor, he had neither prestige nor strength. The only thing he could do well was sweep the imperial mausoleum.
Sadly, even where the imperial mausoleum in Dafang Mountain is located, there are also active Jing'an Civilian troops with unknown enemies and friends around it. Nian Gezhen had to take people to sweep the house and offer sacrifices, and he also had to say hello to the people of Jing'an. The country has become so corrupt, what else is there to say? When things come to an end, there is nothing more than death!
In fact, since the defeat at Yehuling, Nian Kaezhen's confidence in Daikin has been shaken. At that time, the Mongols' overwhelming cavalry, their agile and changeable offensive and defensive advances, those tough and brave warriors who were like a pack of wolves, and even the mountains of corpses and seas of blood wherever they passed, all left a deep impression on Nian Kaezhen. , which made him heartbroken.
He sometimes wondered whether that powerful army that was said to be invincible when the Jin Dynasty first came to power, that powerful army that destroyed 700,000 Liao troops in the Battle of Hubu Dagang, could compare with the Mongols. What?
Maybe... maybe something like that.
So, how many Mongolians are there now?
I heard that Temujin had 10,000 guards and 95 thousand households... That's a terrifying power of more than 100,000!
Such an enemy is simply impossible to fight on the battlefield. What's more, within Daikin, there is a traitor like Yang An'er who will never be redeemed by death?
Yang An'er's unit has the fierce and cunning thieves from Shandong as its backbone, and the refugees and poor people from all over Zhuozhou as its wings. They are well-equipped and experienced, and they are absolutely unable to withstand it.
Now that most of Zhuozhou has been swept away, what can I, a short-term military envoy, do?
Nian Jiezhen is not afraid of Yang An'er. Although Yang An'er was powerful, twenty years ago, even ten hundred Yang An'er's would have been wiped out by Da Jin. When the Jin Dynasty first entered the Central Plains, the southerners rebelled one after another. Weren't they trampled under the iron hooves of the Jurchen heroes and turned into layers of flesh?
What frightened and discouraged him was Daikin's weakness and his own problems, which made him helpless against these enemies!
That’s it! That’s it!
Nian Kaizhen was very calm. Even if the scouts stationed outside the city repeatedly reported bad news, his composure could not be shaken.
"Yang An'er is only ten miles away from the city!"
"Yang An'er's command sent two wings to threaten the east and west gates!"
"Inspector Bao led a hundred people from the ravine to the west for a sneak attack, but was surrounded and killed by bandits. Half of the hundred people fled back, and Inspector Bao died!"
"On three sides of the city, people are cutting down trees and making ladders!"
"The people in the city are beginning to become restless. Some people are rumoring that you, the governor of Nianjie, have run away with your followers. Others are saying that they will obey Yang An'er and loot the big houses in the city!"
"Yang An'er is here in person! Here! These guys are approaching the city! This bandit is really powerful! The power of the bandit army is terrifying!"
"The thieves are attacking the city! They are attacking the city! Master Governor, listen, the sound of killing is loud! Those are all thugs! What should we do?"
Nian Kaizhen sneered, ate a plate of cheese and flour in two or three bites, and then deep-fried the food into a large soft fat, and then drank tea: "Who else is on top of the city? Is it the county captain scolding Li Ningta? Alas, let him come back. At this time, there is no use in dying, so why bother?
"What? Li Ningta was hit by an arrow in the face and died? So, where are the soldiers of the Jiefie Army? Are they leading the resistance? Have they repelled a wave of attacks? Let them hold on, and I will immediately mobilize the soldiers and horses of the Military Division. ...What? The people from the Department of Military Affairs were afraid that they would not be able to withstand the enemy, so they ran away from the north gate first, right?"
"There are still some people running away one after another, who can't be suppressed? Hey, they are indeed no match for Yang An'er, so just run away!"
Nian Kaezhen's house was right next to the north gate, but he was too lazy to stop the rebels. Just as he was talking so lightly, there was a rapid sound of footsteps outside, and someone broke in regardless.
what happened? Could it be that Yang An'er is entering the city now?
Nian Kaizhen was taken aback and quickly got up and went out to take a look.
As soon as he took a step out of the door, someone bumped into him from outside and fell squarely on Nian Kaezhen. Nian Kaezhen fell back, and the two of them rolled back into the house like gourds rolling on the ground.
It was Su Lingtong, the commander of the Zhuozhou capital, who knocked down Nian Gezhen. Nian Kezhen grabbed Su Lingtong's beard, pulled his sweaty head away from him, and said angrily: "What are you doing back here?"
In addition to sweat, Su Lingtong's face was stained with snot and tears, and was dark with dust. He wiped it violently and sneezed: "Jiedu, listen! Listen!"
Nian cutzhen listened for a long time, but there was no sound.
"What are you listening to?" he asked with a frown.
Su Lingtong suddenly grabbed Nian Jiezhen's arm and pulled him out: "Jiedu, let's go to the city to see! The imperial army is coming to rescue! Just now I saw the kidnap horses on both wings! They were all fighting fiercely. The elite troops of An Mooke's army are like tigers and horses are like dragons! At Jiedu, there are elite troops from the imperial court, coming to rescue Zhuozhou!"
