In the evening, we arrived at a small mountain village and had not yet caught up with the Jin army.
The village was slaughtered by the Jin army, dead bodies were everywhere, and the chickens and dogs were silent. Seeing Jiang Min and others arriving, seeing that they were government troops, the remaining villagers surrounded them.
Jiang Min saw that there were about a dozen villagers gathered around. Most of them are women and children, and few are strong men. Some people still have wounds on their bodies, which are wrapped haphazardly with unknown cloth. They looked at Jiang Min and others timidly, but no one came forward.
Jiang Min coughed. Said: "Where is your Li Zheng here?"
Someone said: "Are you talking about Song Yuanwai? His whole family was killed by the Jin people, and the bodies haven't been collected yet!"
Jiang Min couldn't help but frown after hearing this: "The whole family was killed? Why is the Jin man so cruel?"
Someone said: "In our village, his house is the only one with better quality, and it was occupied by the Jin people. I heard that the woman was raped, and the two children in the family were kidnapped by the Jin people, and they are missing. By the way, the Jin people kidnapped them." There are five or six children in the village who don’t know what to do.”
Jiang Min said: "It only takes a day or two to pass Yangjiao Mountain and reach Yicheng County. Why did the Jin people kidnap the children? Aren't they afraid that the children will drag them down and make them walk fast on the road? Strange!"
After that, he ordered the whole family to stay in this small mountain village and continue to pursue the Jin army tomorrow morning.
These people led by Jiang Min were all carefully selected from Dengzhou's army as seeds for establishing a base area. The training they received was different from other Imperial Guards. The general assigned the soldiers to each household, and they began to tidy up the house. Those who carry water carry water, those who sweep the courtyard sweep the courtyard, they are busy inside and outside. Where have the villagers seen this kind of thing? Follow around and watch for surprises.
After tidying up the room a little, Jiang Min just sat down to take a breath when a soldier came to report that the spy was back.
When we arrived at the hall, two soldiers came up. Crosshand said: "We have discovered the traces of the Jin army and came back to report to the commander."
Jiang Min said: "Where is the Jin Army now? How far is it from us?"
A soldier said: "Back to Tongzhi, the Jin army is now stationed in the mountains in the south, less than twenty miles away from us. They should have set off from this village at noon and marched all afternoon. Early tomorrow morning, if our army is in a hurry , should be able to catch up with them. However, the Jin army is very accustomed to marching in mountainous areas. If they leave early, it will be difficult to catch up."
Jiang Min frowned after hearing this: "Zhi Niang thief, I have been chasing them for several days and I still can't catch them. Damn it! No matter what, I will bite them tomorrow! If not, let them go out of Yangjiao Mountain and into the Wing." Isn’t the city and county a joke? These Jurchens are ruthless. They massacred the city once when they conquered Shenshan County, and they massacred this small mountain village again! I don’t know how many people died along the way!"
A soldier said: "This village makes a living by hunting and there is very little land for farming. When the Jin army came, the old and the weak took food and hid in the mountains. The Jin people did not get much food. They had been in the mountains for several days and were hungry. After a full meal, I think it won’t be the same as when I first opened it.”
Jiang Min nodded: "That should be the case. But these Jurchens walk very fast, so I really can't be sure about them!"
After thinking for a while, Jiang Min said: "You guys rest in the village for the night. Don't wait until dawn tomorrow to catch up! Wherever the Jin people run, you have to chase them. Don't lose their traces! No matter what, we must annihilate them all. them!"
The soldiers agreed and left.
Jiang Min sat down alone and was in a daze.
The establishment of a base in Shenshan County was not smooth this time. Not long after arriving and before he could figure out the surrounding situation, the Jin army captured the county seat. Although they were quickly recaptured, it was not easy to capture the remaining twenty or so Jin troops. After chasing for several days, they were still wandering in the mountains.
Wanyan Yinshu could guard the east of the river and left most of the prefectures and counties alone. The Jin army was only stationed in the Fen River Valley and a few important cities. Although the place was abandoned, the Jin army's strength was not dispersed. Every autumn and winter, troops would be organized to suppress the rebels. It was not easy to resist the Jin rebels.
In the mountains east of the river, except for a few valleys, most of the places are covered with rolling hills and barren land. The rebels were driven into the mountains and were often surrounded and suppressed, making life difficult. If there is no external support, it will be wiped out by the Jin army sooner or later.
Choosing Shenshan County first, Jiang Min wanted to have Jiangzhou at his back and get support from Wang Xiaolie across the river. Although it is located in the mountains, it is not far from the Fen River Valley. If the power develops, troops can be sent to threaten the Jin army at any time. But now it seems that this matter is not easy.
At this moment, there was a lot of noise outside.
Jiang Min called the soldiers and asked, "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"
The soldier said: "An old man came and said he could be our guide tomorrow. But I heard from the villagers that this old man is an idler and is not familiar with the roads around the village, let alone the mountain roads. It's just that this old man stayed at the door. They just refused to leave, so they were making a lot of noise."
After hearing this, Jiang Min stood up and said, "I'm going out to take a look. I'm going to be on my way early tomorrow morning. I can't delay my rest."
When he walked out of the door, he saw an old man in ragged clothes standing there, smiling and talking to the guards. The guard scowled and just ignored him.
Jiang Min stepped forward and said, "It's dark at night. The soldiers have to go to bed early after eating. Why are you making so much noise?"
The old man's eyes lit up when he saw that Jiang seemed to be an official. After straightening his clothes, he stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "This official, this little old man is from this village. His name is Du Wulang, and he is also known as Du Wu with flower arms. I heard that you are an official army and want to fight with the Jin army. We villagers Who wouldn’t be happy! It’s just that in the mountainous and rugged area around here, it’s hard to live without someone to lead the way. I’m so young, but I’m willing to lead the way for the army!”
Jiang Min looked Du Wulang up and down and said solemnly: "No need, we have our own guides in the army."
"It won't happen, it won't happen." Du Wulang waved his hands repeatedly. "The road in this mountain is different from his, it's not how people in this village recognize it!"
The guard came up and whispered: "Controller, people in the village have said that this Du Wulang has been idle since he was a child. How can he know the way? He wants to blackmail us because he sees us carrying knives and guns. If we really take him with us, I don't know what will happen. What's going on!"
Jiang Min nodded. Looking at Du Wulang, I saw that his clothes were in tatters, but he was clean. The thin skin and tender meat make it look like it's not an ordinary farmer's dish. There was hope in the smile, but also a bit false, which made people uncomfortable.
Jiang Min said: "Fighting with a large army is not a child's play! We have a guide in the army, and we are very familiar with the surrounding area. My father-in-law has understood what I mean! It's better to go back and rest early, we have to be on the road tomorrow."
Du Wulang just waved his hand: "It won't happen, it won't happen, how can anyone on the mountain roads here recognize——"
At this point, he suddenly started coughing violently. Du Wulang hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands, and blood flowed from his fingers.
Jiang Min was startled and said hurriedly: "What's wrong with you? Why is there blood flowing out of your mouth? Could it be that you are injured?"
Du Wulang said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. I just cough a few times and it will be fine. It doesn't matter."
A villager was delivering firewood to the courtyard. When he saw Du Wulang's appearance, he said, "This morning a Jurchen came into Du Wu's house. He took away all his good clothes and beat him. I think the injuries were from that time. "
Jiang Min nodded. Asked: "Do you know why this Du Wu wants to be our guide?"
The villager said: "Du Wu has been idle since he was a child and only made a living by gambling, so he got the nickname "Hunter". He can't even recognize the roads outside our village, how can he know the roads in the mountains? His son and daughter-in-law have been there in the past few years. He only left the child to depend on him. The child was captured by the Jin army. I guess he couldn't let go of the child, so he wanted to follow you."
"I see." Jiang Min nodded, finally knowing the origin of Du Wu.
When the Jin army left the village, they took four or five children with them. Other people believed in the officers and soldiers and did not come to cause trouble. Du Wulang was the only one who didn't know what was going on. He relied on Jiang Min's army and insisted on following him.
