Although Zhao Fang looked down on other cronies in Shi Miyuan's curtain, he respected Xuan Zhen. He shouted twice, dismounted first, and hurried forward to greet him. He waved his hands repeatedly to signal the knights around him not to intercept.
Zhao Fang was about the same age as Xuan Zhen, but he became an official very early. When he was the magistrate of Qingyang County in Chizhou, his immediate superior was the magistrate Shi Miyuan, and most of Shi Miyuan's friends in white were fellow townsmen of Qingyuan Prefecture, including Xuan Zhen.
Therefore, the two are old acquaintances.
At that time, Zhao Fang was not happy with Shi Miyuan because of the rent-driving punishment in the state. Xuan Zhen came to mediate and said a lot of good things to both parties, so that there was no embarrassment.
Later, Zhao Fang worked in various local positions, and it took him a full twenty-five years to compile the secret pavilion, know Jiangling, be in charge of Hubei's appeasement secretary, and have the power to set up Jinghu. After Shi Miyuan returned to the dynasty, Xuan Zhen first held the examination for his doctorate in Taixue and became the secretary of the Provincial School Secretary, and then transferred to several important central positions. Now, both the power in his hands and his future prospects must override Zhao Fang is on top.
At this time, Xuan Zhen galloped his horse and rushed straight in front of Zhao Fang before jumping off the horse.
This gesture was a bit rude, but Xuan Zhen ignored the resentful expressions of the knights around him and asked directly: "Yanzhi, have you obtained the secret order from the Prime Minister?"
"The Prime Minister has various instructions. I wonder which one you know."
Xuan Zhen laughed: "I haven't seen Yan Zhi in ten years, and he still has such a stone temper. Come on, look at this."
He pulled out a slender piece of paper from the inside of his belt and handed it to Zhao Fang: "This is Xianggong Shi's handwriting! Just take a look at it...just follow it!"
Zhao Fang took the note and read it. It was indeed Shi Xianggong's calligraphy, and it was issued by Xuan Zhen, which undoubtedly represented the meaning of the imperial court. But Zhao Fang looked at it for a long time and was speechless.
The eldest son Zhao Fang, who was behind him, saw the veins on his old father's neck and forehead bursting out, and quickly came up to support him.
"How could this happen?" Zhao Fang finally took a breath and asked in disbelief.
"Yanzhi, when I first found out, I was just as surprised, but...that's it."
Xuan Zhen laughed: "Actually, Yanzhi, you have been waiting for this news. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to respond in person, right?"
"I did get a secret order to help my subordinates escape, but..." Zhao Fang's hand holding the note trembled: "But I never thought you would carry such an order with you? Isn't this ridiculous? This, this ...How can this be justified? How could the movements of those Jurchens be determined by Shi Xianggong with just a piece of paper?"
"Why is this unwarranted? We'll know as soon as we send out troops." Xuan Zhen stepped forward half a step, holding Zhao Fang's arm: "I just want to see you, Yan Zhi, are you willing to go through the hard work, and do you dare to give it a try?" .”
Zhao Fangyou was stunned, opened his mouth, and couldn't help but curse: "How dare I do this? If anything goes wrong, the lives of 20,000 soldiers will be at stake!"
Xuan Zhen took another half step forward. He held Zhao Fang's arm with his palms with full force, like an iron pincer: "Silence!"
Zhao Fang suddenly shut up.
Xuan Zhen lowered his voice: "This is not only about the lives of 20,000 soldiers? It is also about the future of Mr. Shi... Even if you don't care, it is also about the future of the Song Dynasty! If it is done, think about how big the Song Dynasty can be. The benefits! Maybe, we can..."
"Shut up!" It was Zhao Fang's turn to shout.
The two old men stared at each other, panting, and after a while, neither of them continued to speak.
On the contrary, the shouts of killing from the front suddenly became fierce. The Meng Cong rode back and shouted: "Mr. Zhizhi, let's step back! We are too close to the battlefield!"
It was indeed too close. At this moment, there was already a stream of water flying not far away.
At this time, the battle between Ding Haijun and Jin Jun became more and more intense.
Many soldiers subconsciously raised their heads and saw that the sun was blocked by arrows. Countless arrows flew over people's heads like locusts. Where the arrows fell, dozens or hundreds of people were hit by arrows in an instant. Although some The soldiers raised their shields to cover, but some people still screamed and fell to the ground. The next moment, another group of locusts changed direction and leaped over people's heads again, and so on.
A little further away from the military formation, the Jurchens trying to break through the car formation from two directions were like the arms of a giant, only making shadows in front of the Ding navy officers. The roars of tens of thousands of people were like the roar of the waves, and their queues were also like the waves, hitting the Dinghai navy's defensive formation again and again.
The Jurchen generals from lowest to highest kept urging the soldiers to move forward. Some Jurchen officers wearing fine armor and stomach were agile and were the first to meet the enemy. The soldiers on both sides took a deep breath, charged together, pushed each other, and slashed and stabbed each other at very close range. When the breath subsides, people also move away, as if the tide has stopped beating.
After each slap, a large amount of blood mist would be visible to the naked eye at the intersection of the two military formations, and tiny blood droplets flying from countless wounds would fly into the air.
The blood mist and smoke gathered together in one place, were slightly blown up by the wind, and then slowly fell down. The blood dried in the sun, so the falling dust was all black, which was different from the yellowish brown or grayish white of ordinary dust. It's more like the burnt dust in the air after a fire somewhere.
Guo Ning immediately rushed to the center of the army. When he saw the black dust falling on his robe, he reached out and brushed it away.
Contrary to what outsiders imagine, commanding on the battlefield with tens of thousands of people rushing back and forth is no more complicated than commanding a scale of tens of thousands of people. Guo Ning only needs to pay close attention to the changes in the situation and make timely deployment of troops with the help of his eyes from the hot air balloon. As for direct command on the battlefield, he trusted his subordinates who had been tempered for a long time.
Therefore, at this moment, he feels that he is more like a mascot. It is enough to maintain a calm appearance and show the style of a coach.
He saw his subordinates continue to bleed and die, and saw more of his subordinates follow each other because of the bright future he promised. In fact, he could not be completely indifferent, but at this time, he only needed to command steadily and persist until victory.
The Jurchens are just holding on for their last breath, and at a certain point in time, Ding Haijun will exert his strength. Once he exerts his strength, he will win, and he will win completely and once and for all.
Many of the guards around Guo Ning clenched their fists and shouted in low voices, cheering for the soldiers in front. Some people didn't make any loud noise, but their voices were hoarse and they were so excited that they burst into tears.
The guards are all warriors who have experienced hundreds of battles. They know that countless lives can be lost on the battlefield in an instant, and dead people are nothing to them. What excited him was that the countless previous battles were fought for the Kingdom of Jin, but after today's battle, there will no longer be Dajin. The emperor in Zhongdu is nothing, and everyone will welcome a A new dynasty, a new future.
Compared with the excitement of the soldiers, the faces of the staff further back were a little serious.
Before everyone came here with the army, their mentality was very relaxed. After all, the Kaifeng court fell into the trap and could no longer muster the strength to fight. After breaking through the border defenders, the enemies entangled by the Southern Dynasty would most likely collapse, and then it would be a matter of clearing out the fleeing enemies.
Even if the enemy army turns back, it will never be a match for our own thunderous blow. With Zhou Guogong personally leading the troops here, we will be able to quickly eliminate them, take advantage of the victory, and make a forced landing or capture Kaifeng.
Some staff are already rushing to organize troops to enter Tongguan to avoid being taken advantage of by party members.
However, what surprised everyone was that the broken army of the Jurchens who turned back in an emergency actually fought a fierce battle in front of Lincai Pass, and it was not as easy to collapse as everyone imagined.
Some people lamented: "This group of Jurchens had already been so ruthless, so how could they be swept away by the Mongols?"
Some people couldn't help but shook their heads: "Such an army fought against the Song people in Huainan, Jinghu and other places. I heard that they didn't take advantage of it and even lost a lot of money and fled? So, how powerful must the Song people be?" "
Some people also explained: "That's different. What they fought before was several times the number of troops stacked up on the border of the Song Dynasty. The Song army who dared to pursue the territory only had 20,000 people on the Zhuxian Town side. The rest of the troops , I’ve already been discouraged!”
At this moment, Yelu Chucai hurriedly arrived.
Guo Ning turned his horse around and said, "Qing Jin, didn't I ask you to go to Guide Mansion first? Why are you doing this in a dangerous place?"
Yelu Chucai was sweating on his forehead and panting as he said, "To the Duke of Qi, I had to turn back before I reached the halfway point. It's all because of a strange thing that happened at Qi County's headquarters."
"What's up?"
"Xuan Zhen ran away."
"Run away? You mean, left without saying goodbye?"
"Yes. He took twelve of his own retinues, leaving ten to cover. Two followed him and sneaked away. I arranged five Alixi for him to take care of his daily life, and also did surveillance on him... I also hid it from those Alixi people, and even..."
"What's wrong?"
"Ahem, I just checked. Since Xuanzhen is moving with the army, he has a lot of contacts with military staff and generals. Therefore, he may have stolen a gold medal. In addition, he also asked about the password for our march today. Along the way There is no obstacle."
"Ha ha……"
Yelu Chucai hesitated for a moment and then said: "My lord, Xuan Zhen may have been bribed with a large sum of money, or there may be other special means. However, the gold medal and the password are so important, but our people actually..."
"It was arranged by Lao Xu."
"What?"
Guo Ning said slowly: "The gold medal and password that Xuan Zhen received were specially arranged by the staff of the Recording Department. I knew it in advance."
Yelu Chucai looked at Guo Ning in astonishment. After a while, he took a deep breath: "...I see."
Guo Ning asked casually: "He chose this moment to leave without saying goodbye. He has to give us some explanation, right?"
"I left a letter in the tent, but the words were sincere."
"What did he say?"
"He said that the two alliances must work together to attack Kaifeng. There is no reason for one to fight and the other to sit back and watch. As Shi Miyuan's representative, he is going to see Zhao Fang and urge the troops to be sent in person to cut off the Jin army. A way out.”
"Haha, haha... It's the Song people's usual style to talk high-key. So, Jin Qing, do you think the Song army will listen to Xuan Zhen?"
"Listen to the news from Lin'an. Shi Miyuan's party has Xuan Zhen and Xue as their closest friends, Wang Yu as their eyes and ears, Sheng Zhang and Li Zhixiao as their eagles and dogs, and Feng Yu as their minions. It can be seen that Xuan Zhen is at Shi Miyuan's door. His status is extraordinary. I estimate that the reason why he was eager to see Zhao Fang was to order Zhao Fang to do something in a specific situation, relying on his status and even Shi Miyuan's authorization."
"A specific situation?"
"The Kaifeng regime of the Jin Kingdom is about to fall, and our military force can be fully exerted... The more the enemy is about to die, the stronger our power becomes. The more the Song people understand our power, the more doubtful they become. So. In this situation, the 20,000 Song troops will be of great use, and the goals of their operations cannot be determined by a simple border general. A high-ranking official like Xuan Zhen must come forward."
"So, what do you estimate is the target of the Song Army's operation?"
"The fighting has reached this level. The power of the Jurchens has almost been fully exerted. It is when the fierceness is at its peak. The Song army will probably not participate in the battle in front of Lincai Pass. Perhaps they will expect both sides to shed blood for another hour or two. , to simultaneously weaken our strength. Maybe they will use some bluffing tactics to deal with us? Then..."
Guo Ning tugged on his moustache: "Just for these reasons, why would you leave without saying goodbye? Haha, I bet they will do something special."
"What the Duke means is, where is Kaifeng?"
"What do you think?"
"We discussed before that the reason why the Kaifeng Jin army dared to fight under the city must have some special basis. Maybe the Kaifeng court's basis is probably this Song army! What do the people in Kaifeng city have with the Song people? They blended in private and promised the Song people some special benefits, so much so that they were willing to take risks and take the benefits by force in front of us!"
Hearing this, Guo Ning laughed and patted his leg with his riding crop: "Jin Qing, you have already understood. If those people in Kaifeng City really want to do this, then no wonder I am so cruel."
Yelu Chucai hesitated slightly: "In the past two years, the Duke has gradually gained a reputation for benevolence, and Ding Haijun is also recognized as a teacher of benevolence and righteousness. There are some things that even if you have to do, don't do it..."
"I'll let Li Ting go."
"this……"
"On the battlefield, I will personally watch and fight a fierce and bloody battle. Li Erlang is responsible for cleaning up Kaifeng to avoid future trouble. As for the Song people, it depends on whether they want to live or die. Jin Qing, don't worry about this."
Guo Ning's tone was very calm, but it gave people a murderous aura.
These days, he has really begun to pay attention to the reputation of the founding emperor, and he does not use harsh methods easily. However, there are always things that need to be done, and the benefit of getting higher and higher in status is that he can always find the right people to do something.
Li Ting was well-known among Ding Haijun for being cruel and easy to kill, and relying on his friendship with Guo Ning, he never acted without scruples. This time Guo Ning personally led the army to fight fiercely, but Li Ting's troops were doing nothing in the north. I am afraid that he would have jumped out of fear, and once he got Guo Ning's order, his murderous intent would be tenfold.
Yelu Chucai lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and finally bowed and said, "Yes."
After all, Guo Ning is a very independent person, and he acts vigorously and decisively. Xuan Zhen was able to escape. Since it was the result of Guo Ning's connivance, he must have made up his mind about what he was going to do next.
There were many Jurchens involved in Guo Ning's Dinghai regime; there were even more Jurchens who cooperated with them in the northeastern hinterland.
In the northeastern hinterland, Guo Ning used trade as a means, trade routes as a rope, and rich finances as a bait to make each Jurchen or other Hu people fall into a trap, and they were controlled by the Ding Navy from then on. However, this gentle method was difficult to achieve Used in Central Plains and Hebei.
Because the Jurchens in the northeastern hinterland had no profit to gain under the rule of Jin Dynasty, they ordered the navy to lure them with benefits, and they did everything they could. But many Jurchens in the Central Plains and Hebei were originally rulers and the ones who benefited the most. What Guo Ning did ultimately harmed their interests, and it was impossible to compensate them.
So Guo Ning allowed them to escape, and then allowed them to gather together for a final fierce battle. All this is to completely eliminate unstable factors and eliminate all Jurchens who are still loyal to Daikin.
On the battlefield of Lincaiguan, fighting itself is the best way. As for the remaining people in Kaifeng City, the Song people's sneaky moves will create the best excuse for Guo Ning.
At this time, a horseman flew over and knelt down to report: "My lord, in the direction of Zhuxian Town, there is a sudden movement of the Song Army."
