In the Song Dynasty in recent years, because of the prime minister's insistence on appeasement, there were very few important ministers who could train troops and fight. Zhao Fang can be regarded as one of the few people. He has resisted the Jin army in Jinghu for the past six months and has forcibly earned the name "Grandpa Zhao". He is by no means a man who talks on paper.
When Zhao Fan saw the worried look on his father's face, his heart suddenly tightened.
It was Zhao Fang who suggested that a group of people arrive at this woodland, and Zhao Fan actually felt that it was a bit dangerous.
He thought that he had arranged too few cavalry to accompany him. Zhao Fang was worried about running into the Jurchens' cavalry, so he quickly said: "Father, the people around here are all our capable manpower, and they are heavily guarded. Ahem...it will never be possible." Let the Jurchens come closer."
Zhao Fang nodded.
Of course, the people accompanying him on this trip are all capable people. In addition to a small number of Zhao Fang's own bodyguards, most of the more than one hundred cavalry were warriors selected by Meng Zongzheng from the Shenjin, Baojie, and Zhongyi armies. The leader was Meng Zongzheng's son, named Meng Gong.
The young man was around 20 years old, of medium height, and was meticulously dressed in armor. At this time, he was patrolling the edge of the forest with his sword, and his movements and eyes were very alert and sharp.
Zhao Fang liked this young man very much. During the march these days, he often called him by his side to teach him some knowledge.
The Meng family in Suizhou was a general who followed Yue Fei to the south and lived in Suizhou in his early years. He had been established in the local area for decades and was considered deeply rooted. It was time to switch from martial arts to civil service. Zhao Fang was a Jinshi and a disciple of Mr. Nan Xuan, a master of Neo-Confucianism. If Meng Gong could be supported by Zhao Fang, his career would be smooth in the future. Therefore, Meng Zongzheng was very happy about this and specially recruited elite men for Meng Gong to lead under Zhao Fang. Serve by your side.
[In view of the general environment,
Zhao Fang naturally trusted the talents of the Meng Cong, not to mention the Jin army in front of him. He wanted to squeeze out the last bit of family resources and throw himself into the decisive battle, and he couldn't care about the small Song army in a corner of the battlefield.
What Zhao Fang was worried about was not his own safety at all.
He wasn't even worried, but rather had an uncontrollable panic. It was just that this panic was covered up by his Qi-nurturing skills and could not be clearly discerned by outsiders.
Zhao Fang has been serving as a border guard for more than ten years. Over the years, he has been paying attention to the performance of the Jin Army, and also to the increasing number of Yi people in the Jin Army's sequence. As time passed, the details he understood gradually became more complete, and he could even tell the different origins of the Naiman, Wanggu, Qiang, Kele, and Uighur people.
After the barbarians began to be sinicized, they would inevitably lose the ferocious wildness in their blood. In order to maintain their own combat effectiveness, they had to drive the more barbaric foreign races that had not yet been sinicized.
At that time, Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty frightened the Xuyi garrison of the Liu and Song Dynasties in the Southern Dynasty, saying that all the fighting soldiers sent by him were not from our country. In the northeast of the city were Ding Ling and Hu, and in the south were the Di Qiang. What the Jurchens are doing now can be said to have been a common practice since ancient times, using the barbaric energy of these alien races.
Generally speaking, the more you use barbaric aliens to fill your military force, your own military force will inevitably weaken. The Jurchens' increasingly weakened moral character over the years has long been no secret.
But at this moment, in Zhao Fang's eyes, the Jin army's attack on the naval array was huge. It was obvious that not only the foreign soldiers, but also the Jurchens showed a barbarism and bloodthirst that had not been inspired for a long time.
In such an unfavorable situation, they can still inspire such fighting spirit and then forcefully seize the initiative on the battlefield. It can be seen that the commander of the Jin Army is not trivial. The Kaifeng court of the Jin Army has indeed been attentive to running the army in the past period.
At this time, the Jurchens' main team received another order. As the cavalry carrying the order ran around, tens of millions of foreign warriors roared like beasts.
Zhao Fan looked pale and couldn't help but said: "With such momentum, the Jurchens' blood is still there!"
However, the blood energy is still there, it is simply gushing out.
A few miles away, the huge area within Zhao Fang's sight was almost completely occupied by the Jurchens. They were shouting, the cavalry were running like lightning, the flags were waving like a storm, and the spears and thrusts were like alien beasts shaking their scales and horns. Urged by shouts, they pushed forward layer by layer, constantly entangled with the enemy. The huge momentum was unimaginable without being there.
People in this environment simply cannot understand it.
But this is not what Zhao Fang is afraid of.
The Song Dynasty founded its country based on culture and education, and always regarded the surrounding nations as barbarians. The barbarians have their limits after all, and on the one hand, the more barbaric they are, the more ferocious they are; but on the other hand, the more barbaric they are, the more susceptible they are to the impression of Han dress, etiquette, and music, and they will eventually become Weak, he became just like the people of Song Dynasty.
Once you become weak, you can never reverse it.
In the past few decades, Dajin did not really threaten the survival of the Song Dynasty. Instead, it was beaten by the Black Tartars on the northern grasslands. This is the reason.
In Zhao Fang's eyes, the so-called Thirteen Captains' Army they created in Kaifeng was not much different from the Song Army. Those captains were essentially the same as the border tycoons who had served in the army for generations in the Song Dynasty, such as Meng Zongzheng, Hu Zaixing and others.
Therefore, Zhao Fang can conclude that although the Jurchens are ferocious at the moment, they will not last long.
This frightening ferocity is not so much derived from blood as it is derived from despair. It is just the last struggle of capable people before the country's collapse, stimulating the last remaining things in the blood.
Ding Haijun is different.
They were very calm in dealing with the Jin Army. This was not due to indolence, but rather the fact that the entire army was confident of defeating and attacking. This army is not the barbaric style of the foreign army, nor is it the style of the Song Dynasty army that has been decadent and loose for a long time, relying only on the occasional famous ministers and generals to forcibly boost their morale.
In the past few days, the closer Zhao Fang got to Kaifeng, the more times he came into contact with Ding Navy officers. He had seen the scouting horses of the Ding Navy, and he had also seen the small team that separated troops to capture a certain village. The high spirits of those soldiers could not be hidden from his eyes at all.
After seeing the battle today, Zhao Fang was even more convinced that the members of this army were indeed, as rumored, truly taking the military as their profession, and had received adequate treatment, and had the confidence to do their best in this profession. They also have gunpowder weapons with a range of hundreds of steps, and hot air balloons that fly high in the sky to explore the situation. These piles are all weapons on the battlefield.
This army is an army with perseverance and perseverance. Each of them stands on their own vital interests and identifies with the team they belong to, so they are essentially a level higher than the Jin Army or the Song Army!
This army itself is the most terrifying war machine!
If the momentum of the Jin army weakens even slightly, the balanced momentum that the two armies have barely maintained will collapse, and the navy's counterattack will be fierce beyond imagination.
Zhao Fang was still a little skeptical about the information that had been sent privately from Kaifeng earlier, and the rumors that had gradually leaked out from Lin'an. Now that he has witnessed the fighting state of Dinghai navy with his own eyes, he knows that those are all correct.
At that time, Duke Guo Ning of Zhou Dynasty went to Shandong and the north to purge the nobles and scholar-bureaucrats, plundered their wealth and land, and distributed them all to the soldiers, turning the soldiers into military aristocrats. This was not enough, he also relegated millions of people to the status of shadowy households and made them work for the warriors as cattle and horses!
A political regime composed of Han warriors is terrifying enough. These Han warriors have also consolidated their foundation, gained the loyal support of tens or hundreds of thousands of ferocious beasts, and used force to enslave the people of the world... By the way. , this regime’s economic source still relies on colluding with smugglers!
What's the matter? Isn't that the resurrection of those destructive demons from the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties?
Where will the rise of such a regime put the people of the world, and where will it put Zhao and Song Dynasties?
Why was Shi Xiang so crazy that he chose to cooperate with such a terrible enemy?
Even if he has some difficulties... a temporary victory or defeat in the court is of no consequence. Even if he suffers a loss, there may not be a possibility of a comeback. But the current situation between the two parties is really about seeking skin from a tiger!
I heard that several close officials under Prime Minister Shi's family are happily joining forces with Ding Haijun to do maritime trade business. If this continues, the country will be in trouble, who knows who is responsible for it!
I, Zhao Fang, and the 20,000 soldiers under my command have worked hard to reach Zhuxian Town. Are we going to leave a name of humiliation in the history books?
At this time, Meng Gong in the distance pursed his lips and whistled, signaling to his team.
Zhao Fanxi said:
"Father, it's the messenger from Dinghai Navy who is here! But I don't know who is here today?"
Ever since 20,000 Song troops penetrated Nanjing Road, coordination with Ding Haijun has never stopped. Ding Haijun would send people to visit Song's military camp every day to report recent military developments. The person who came a few days ago was a general, and the day before yesterday and yesterday, the person who came was Qianjia.
The cronies around Zhao Fang didn't know Zhao Fang's worries. They were quite satisfied with the situation where the coalition forces were dispatched and the fighting was left to the allies, so they were generally in a good mood. Last night, several people joked privately that today's war was crucial, and in order to show attention, a military envoy had to be sent to show up.
On the battlefield in the distance, the sound of killing was still loud and the smoke was confusing. Under the smoke and dust, several people rushed over on horseback. The leader was not very good at riding. He was swaying on his horse so much that his beard was fluttering. Taking a closer look, this gentleman is not young, and he is wearing the official uniform of the Song Dynasty.
When several riders approached, Zhao Fang recognized him.
"Xuan Zhen? Isn't this Xuan Zhen? Why is he here? What is he here for?"
