In August of the fourth year of Jianwu in the Song Dynasty, Zhigu Village, Hebei Province.
Zhigu Village, also known as Tianjin in later generations, is located at the strategic point of Sanchakou Road. It goes north to the Bei Canal and goes directly to Yanjing, the central capital, via canal. It goes south to Yuhe and Yongji Canal, passing through several towns in Hebei to reach Liyang; to the southwest and The Zhangshui River and Hutuo River are connected and connect to the sea in the east. It is a transportation fortress along the Haihe River.
The opening of the Grand Canal in the Sui Dynasty made Tianjin, which has convenient river and sea transportation, become increasingly important. The canal and the Haihe River met at the mouth of the Sancha River, and Tianjin was named "Sanhui Haikou" in history. After the middle of the Tang Dynasty, Tianjin became a land and water terminal for the transportation of grain and silk from the south to the north.
Logically speaking, Zhigu Village is located at the intersection of three waterways: the Canal, the Juma River and the Hailu. Ships gather in Zhigu Village, with rafts and oars adjacent to each other. There are many shops on the shore and busy traffic, giving it a bustling and lively scene. But looking around, the river was deserted, with ruins on both sides, desolate and withered, weeds as tall as a person, and corpses everywhere. Wild dogs can be seen on the windblown grass, and the endless green reed forest is spectacular.
With a "whoosh" sound, an arrow flew quickly, and a wild dog was shot over, making a shrill cry. The other hunting dogs that snatched the carrion dispersed in a rush, and fled into the boundless grass.
More than ten cavalry came galloping towards them. The leader was wearing a white narrow-sleeved arrow jacket and a white dress on a black horse. He was no older than a weakling. He had a face with Chinese characters and bright eyes. He was fierce and brave, and his back was straight. He seemed to be a general in the army.
He glanced at the wailing wild dog, curled his lips, and shook his head slightly.
"I thought it was a wolf, but it turned out to be a wild dog. What a disappointment!"
He was followed by a man who caught up with him. He looked similar to him and was about the same age, but his complexion was much fairer. He had a book stuck in his waist, white clothes fluttering, and he was suave, adding a bit more elegance.
"Second brother, it seems I have disappointed you."
The elegant young man smiled slightly, easy-going and open-minded.
The dozen or so knights around them were all warriors in short clothes and strong attire, with weathered faces, holding bows and swords, and they looked quite imposing.
"Brother, you are becoming more and more like daddy!"
After looking at his brother, the fierce young officer blurted out.
Mentioning his father, the elegant eldest brother Shi Yi's expression suddenly dimmed.
"Brother, I said the wrong thing again!"
The fierce second brother Shi Quan regretted it and sighed.
"Second brother, don't blame yourself. This is my father's fate. You can't blame others."
Shi Yi comforted his younger brother.
Brothers Shi Yi and Shi Quan both came from the wealthy Shi family in Hebei. Their father, Shi Tianni, was the marshal of the Hebei West Route Army and Horse Department of the Great Mongol Kingdom and guarded Zhending. He was later killed by a rebel general in the army.
"Brother, you are right. When it comes to killing people, none of our historians have killed hundreds or even thousands of people. However, compared with the Mongolian army massacring the city at every turn, it pales in comparison."
Shi Quan quickly found psychological comfort and complained self-deprecatingly.
"My uncle just felt that he had killed too many people. Now he started to read more and read "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" during the battle. When attacking Hedong, my uncle warned his subordinates not to kill anyone indiscriminately. None of his subordinates dared to kill civilians."
Talking about his uncle, Shi Yi's eyes showed fascination.
"My uncle appoints Confucian scholars to appease the people, build water conservancy projects, and benefit the local area. Of course he cannot compare with those Mongolian officials!"
Shi Quan was also in awe of his uncle.
The uncle mentioned by the Shi Yi brothers was their third uncle Shi Tianze, the younger brother of their father Shi Tianni. After Shi Tianni's death, Shi Tianze took over Shi Tianni's post and became one of the three major Han armies in the Central Plains, garrisoning Zhending Mansion.
In the second year of Jianwu of the Song Dynasty (1231), the Mongolian army divided into three groups to attack the Jin Dynasty, and planned to encircle Bianjing in the spring of the following year. However, due to the heavy casualties of the Torre Division of the West Route Army, they failed to break through the Shu territory and fell short of success. Wokuotai had to retreat to the grassland, and Shi Tianze returned to Zhending Mansion in Hebei Province to wait for orders.
The terrain of Zhigu Village is dangerous, so Shi Tianze asked his young nephew Shi Quan to guard it. As for Shi Quan's brother Shi Yi, he came to relax on official business.
The historian came from a wealthy family in Hebei Province, and he was well-read in poetry and books. Although there was no imperial examination in Mongolia, he relied on his father's influence to serve as a local tax collector, and this time he was also on routine inspection.
"Brother, look at it. There are only a few merchant ships on this canal. How can we collect taxes? Does Hebei have a million people? How many people are farming? In my opinion, it's better to save some effort and wait until the last one. It’s not too late to come back in five or six years.”
Shi Quan pointed to the rolling canal and said casually.
The Mongolian army occupied most of the two rivers, but the civil administration was abandoned and the two rivers were dilapidated. It was not until the second year of Jianwu in the Song Dynasty that Mongolia sent Nie Zhongshan and Yelu Chucai to the two rivers to establish civil administration and collect taxes, and the two rivers recovered a little.
But in just one or two years, it is difficult to talk about recovery. The two rivers are still sparsely populated and devastated, and it is far from enough to restore everything. As for collecting taxes, it can only be done in some reclamation areas and large cities.
"Second brother, you must have heard that a few years ago, Chagatai's son Badar once suggested to Ogedai that the Han people were of no use to the Great Mongolia. He wanted to kill all the Han people and turn the land of the two rivers into a Make it a pasture for sheep and horses.”
Shi Yi looked at the rolling river water and smiled slightly.
"Is there still such a thing? What happens next?"
Shi Quan was shocked and asked immediately.
Once Wokuotai adopts the crazy suggestion of "emptying the land of two rivers for pasture", will the Han people in the north still have a way to survive?
"Later, thanks to Yelu Chucai, he persuaded Wo Kuotai that there were local taxes, commercial taxes, wine, vinegar, salt, iron, and mountains and rivers. He could get 500,000 taels of silver, 80,000 pieces of silk, and 400,000 grains a year. Stone is enough to supply the army's needs. Only then did Wo Kuotai agree to Yelu Chucai's request."
His brother's words made Shi Quan nod, feeling relieved and saying angrily.
"Why didn't you blow up this bitch?"
Yelu Chucai contributed a lot to the succession of the Mongol Khan in Wokuotai, and it can even be said that he made great contributions. With him coming to dissuade him, Badar's ridiculous argument must have failed.
"Brother, do you think Wo Kuotai is a great hero?"
Speaking of Wokuotai, Shi Quan subconsciously asked.
"Second brother, why do you think of asking this?"
Shi Yi looked at his younger brother and asked in surprise.
My brother doesn't talk nonsense. It seemed that he had something on his mind.
"Brother, last year Tuo Lei led the Western Army into the Song Dynasty. I heard that half of the people were killed or injured, including Tuo Lei and Kuo Duan. If you want to compete with God, you must have a clear day. I am thinking about the Song Dynasty in the south. Emperor, what kind of person is he, and why can he defeat even the elite of the Mongolian cavalry?"
Shi Quan finally said it, and his face suddenly lit up.
The hearts of young people are always full of reverence and yearning for heroes.
"Heroes save the people from fire and water, and save the people from hanging upside down. The Mongol army passed through ruins, thousands of miles of uninhabited places, corpses littered the fields, and blood flowed into rivers. Do you think Ogedai is a hero?"
After all, Shi Yi was two or three years older, well read in poetry and books, and well-informed. He patiently helped his younger brother answer his questions.
"My uncle killed Peng Yibin, the Northern Manager of the Song Dynasty. The hatred between my historian and the Song Dynasty is probably too strong to be resolved."
Unconsciously, Shi Yi looked sad.
Their father, Shi Tianni, was the marshal of Mongolia's Hebei West Road Military and Horse Department, guarding Zhending. The Jin Kingdom demoted Wu Xian as deputy marshal. Wuxian rebelled and killed Shi Tianni. Shi Tianze avenged his brother, defeated Wuxian, and killed Peng Yibin, the manager of the Southern Song Dynasty Daming Mansion who had allied with Wuxian.
As a result, it was inevitable that there would be a rift between historians and the Song Dynasty court.
"Brother, when the soldiers come to block us, and when the water comes and the soil comes to cover us, are we still afraid of the Song Dynasty people? Both sides are fighting, each is his own master, and he can't blame others."
Shi Quan glanced at his brother and shook his head.
"Brother, I think you have been deceived by the southern newspapers. You have to know that although my uncle is a member of the Han army, he also has Daruhuachi Gesar. If he is offended, it will not be good. manage."
I don’t know since when, newspapers from the South poured into the Northland, causing great repercussions among the scholars and young people in Lianghe. Not to mention Shi Yi, a scholar, even a young officer like Shi Quan is not immune to the customs.
"Gesar'er went to Yanjing to guard the Tongzhou Fortress. What are you afraid of?"
Shi Yi was angry at book business and couldn't stand his younger brother's caution.
"Second brother, don't forget that you and I are upright Han people. No matter how you deny it, you and I read the Four Books and Five Classics, practice the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period, and benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and trust are the foundation of our lives. You can't deny that Hebei is It is the Bilu Lanlv, my ancestor of the Han family, and it is the place where Wei Qing and Huo Qubing once rode."
"Brother, stop talking! Be careful that the walls have ears!"
Shi Quan was frightened and quickly stopped his brother's words.
It is better not to say as much as possible about these treacherous and unethical words such as Chinese doctrine, the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties, etc.
Mongolia has not yet established a stable civil administration in the two rivers. Once the local government is established, crimes based on words will definitely be adopted by the government. There will definitely be heads rolling in again, which will be shocking.
"Yelu Chucai came back from Hebei and told his uncle in private that the people of Song Dynasty were using steam boats in the river, and they were still building trains and railways, all without manpower, just burning charcoal. The road was as flat as the river surface, and there were sewers, public toilets and so on. Yes. He said that people in Song Dynasty are rich and we are like beggars. My uncle is half-convinced and doesn’t know whether it’s true or not?”
Shi Yi chattered endlessly, with longing in his eyes.
"It should be true. Song people are not good at fighting, but they have a good way of governing the people."
Shi Quan said, suddenly pricking up his ears and listening carefully.
"Brother, listen, there seems to be some noise?"
"Second brother, are you doing this again?"
Shi Yi smiled and shook his head, but couldn't help but listen.
Because he seemed to have really heard something.
"Go and see!"
Shi Quan looked around and rode towards a high ground. Shi Yi and the guards followed closely.
Several people climbed to the high ground and looked eastward. Everyone was stunned.
On the warships that filled the river, there were helmets moving everywhere. Groups of war horses disembarked from the huge ships at the entrance of the sea, and soon the shore was packed with people, at least thousands of them. Countless soldiers lined up on the shore. In a short period of time, there were five or six huge square formations, each containing thousands of soldiers.
On land and water, there was a sea of banners, with swords and guns like a forest, countless artillery carriages, cavalry like dragons, overwhelming black clouds, and cold light and iron clothes. The army was heading west, which seemed to be the direction of Zhigu.
"Song...jun!"
Looking at the big banner with the word "Song" in the wind, Shi Quan screamed in a low voice.
It is said that the Song army's Northern Expedition will directly take the two rivers. Unexpectedly, the Song army moved north so quickly.
