Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 367: Zhong Shimin’s choice!

Zhong Shimin stood on the city wall and looked into the distance.

The rammed earth walls of Mizhizhai glowed pale in the twilight, and the smoke of the Western Xia army rolled up to the top of the city with the wind from the Wuding River.

Mizhizhai, this northwestern frontier fortress, is now shrouded in a heavy haze.

The Western Xia army was like a surging black tide, crossing the Wuding River and surrounding the village. The Western Xia army flags fluttered in the wind.

Tents were densely spread across the wilderness, and countless swords, spears, and halberds were flashing cold light in the sun.

It was like a group of ferocious beasts ready to pounce on this crumbling village at any time.

The defending general Zhong Shimin clutched the Privy Council's decree to withdraw troops, and his knuckles almost tore the yellowed silk apart - the four cinnabar characters "abandon the camp and return south" made his eyes hurt.

"General! There is only three days' worth of brown rice left in the East Gate granary!"

Before the personal guard finished speaking, cries and shouts suddenly broke out from under the city wall.

Zhong Shimin rushed to the parapet and saw the white-haired old woman clinging to the shaft of the grain cart. Two soldiers were poking her skinny hands with their guns. "The imperial court doesn't want this damn place anymore, so why are you still defending it?"

This short sentence was like a heavy hammer hitting Zhong Shimin's heart.

The village had long been short of food and fodder, the soldiers were starving, and the people were also suffering from hunger and fear.

But as a soldier, he was well aware of the strategic significance of Mizhi Village. Once he gave it up, it would be difficult to recover the land where his ancestors had lived.

The people are even more reluctant to leave their homeland. Their roots are here, their homes are here. It is not easy for them to give up everything and go far away.

The torches on the city wall suddenly shook.

A scholar in blue robes walked out from the shadows, his sleeves stained with mud from climbing over the city wall.

The guards around Zhong Shimin drew their swords to stop the scholar in blue. Zhong Shimin looked at the scholar and asked, "Who are you?"

The scholar in green shirt smiled softly and said, "Su learned from Yang Shi and met General Zhong."

As soon as these words came out, Zhong Shimin's pupils suddenly contracted.

He is not an ordinary guard general. His surname is Zhong, and he is from the northwest. Although he is not taken seriously in the family, he is well-informed. The Su Society...that is a traitor!
"What are you... doing here?" Zhong Shimin said after a moment of hesitation.

Yang Shi's expression suddenly became serious, and he said earnestly: "General Zhong, Mizhi Village is the gateway to the northwest. Once it falls into the hands of the Xixia people, the northwest will be in danger!
We should rise up to resist, protect this land, and protect the peace of the Northwest! "

Zhong Shimin's black iron armor hit the arrow stack with a clanging sound.

As a member of the Zhong family, how could he not realize the importance of Mizhi Village.

Mizhi Village is located in the core area of ​​the Hengshan Defense Line on the border between the Song and Xia Dynasties. It was a key barrier for the Northern Song Dynasty to resist the southward advance of the Western Xia Dynasty.

The area controls the Wuding River Valley. Once the Western Xia cavalry breaks through here, they can go straight to Suide and Yan'an and threaten the hinterland of Guanzhong.

Not only that, this Zhizhai is an important achievement of the "Five-Way Expedition to Xia" during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, and it embodies the bloody battle achievements of generals such as Uncle Zhong and Su Yun.

If the imperial court abandoned the defense, it would be tantamount to negating the military achievements of the Yuanfeng Frontier Expansion, and would greatly undermine the morale of the military and civilians in the northwest!
Zhong Shimin frowned, faced with a difficult decision.

On one hand, there is the imperial edict. If you disobey it, you will be regarded as a traitor, your family will be disgraced, and you will also bear the infamy for all eternity.
On the other side are the people of Mizhi Village, this is the land that gave birth to him and raised him. If he gives it up, he will become a sinner of the nation.

The atmosphere on the wall was so oppressive that it was suffocating. Zhong Shimin clenched his hands tightly behind his back, and his knuckles turned white from squeezing too hard.

Yang Shi suddenly sighed and said, "Mr. Su asked me to ask General Zhong if he still remembers the saying, 'The borders of China are not on the map, but on the land under the feet of the people.'"

Zhong Shimin was a little dazed. It was a winter night in the fifth year of Yuanfeng. Su Yun led him to attack Yinzhou City in a snowstorm.

The governor who always loved fishing pointed to the frozen Yellow River and said: "The border of China is not on the map, but in the warm soil under the feet of the people."

Yes, Zhong Shimin was also one of the young generals at that time, but he was not considered a Jingsai soldier.

Zhong Shimin felt his mouth dry and asked, "Su Jinglie... do you still remember me?"

Yang Shi smiled slightly and said: “Mr. Su said that among the young people of the Zhong family, Shi Min’s talent is not inferior to Shi Daoshi.”

Hearing the admirable man's comments, Zhong Shimin, who was often neglected in the family, suddenly felt some warmth in his eyes. His voice became choked up as he asked, "Is the old man Jingli... okay?"

Yang Shi nodded and said, "Mr. Su is very good, but he is unwilling to stand in the court with the insects in the court, so he came to the northwest to guard the border.

General Zhong, you are a military man. It is indeed a difficult decision for you to go against the imperial order and resist the Xixia people.

But if we give up Mizhi Village today, and if there is a record of this in history books in the future, then..."

Yang Shi did not continue to say the following words, but this sentence was like a heavy hammer hitting Zhong Shimin's chest.

If it is recorded in history, then Zhong Shimin will be infamous for thousands of years!

Suddenly, there was a sound of metal clashing from the south gate.

Zhao Polu, the former captain of the Jingsai Army, cut the iron chain of the suspension bridge with one sword. Five hundred heavily armored infantrymen lined up on the top of the city, and their iron shields reflected the beacon fire to form a red Great Wall.

Zhao Bolu turned around and looked at Zhong Shimin, shouting, "When Su Jinglie led us to drink water from the Wuding River, he never taught us to turn our backs to the Tanguts and run for our lives!"

His roar shook off the frost on the wall.

At this time, the noise downstairs was deafening.

Zhong Shimin turned around abruptly, and the scene downstairs made his pupils shrink suddenly - thousands of people holding rakes and axes rushed to the horse path.

The blind old stonemason at the front was beating his chest with the help of his grandson: "My old bones can be exchanged for the lives of three Xixia dogs!"

A faded "Jingsai" battle flag was suddenly raised in the crowd, and the broken word "Su" looked like a phoenix rising from the flames.

Zhong Shimin suddenly felt that his chest and throat were blocked by something and he couldn't say anything.

At this time, he did not know that the old members of the Jingsai Army in the army had begun to take action.

These veterans who have experienced countless battles are well aware of the importance of Mizhi Village.

They spread the word in the army and told the soldiers the significance of protecting their homeland.

In the military camp, the captain Ma Laoliu had one foot on the wheel of the grain cart, a half piece of wheat straw in his mouth, and his leather armor hanging crookedly.

"Brothers, take a look at this crappy edict!"

He shook open the silk, and his saliva splashed on the red-ink words "abandon the camp and return south".

"My ancestors' graves are still buried in the east of the village. The imperial court wants us to feed our ancestors' bones to the Tangut dogs?
Bah! Yesterday, the widow Wang from Xishi stuffed the last half bag of millet to the wounded soldiers’ camp, and her son died on my right hand side—you want to be cowards and get out of here, leaving your wife and children to be ruined by the Xixia dogs? "He suddenly drew out his notched waist knife, and picked up a wine gourd with the tip of the knife: "Three years ago when we fought in Yinzhou, I drank the beheading wine with Su Jinglie!"

The wine splashed on the blade, causing blood to appear.

"The swords of the Jingsai Army only move forward! Those Bianjing masters are eating mutton soup steamed buns, but they want us to give the Mizhi ravine to the bald barbarians?"

The sound of horse hooves came from outside the village wall. He kicked the grain cart fiercely: "The damn Xixia vanguard is digging up our ancestral graves! The Su Xuehui brothers robbed them of 3,000 stones of grain, enough to eat for three months!"

Suddenly, he lowered his voice and winked: "Do you know why Lao Zhao cut the iron rope of the suspension bridge? Mr. Yang gave me this last night-"

He pulled out a bloody bronze medal from his crotch, which turned out to be the centurion badge of the Western Xia "Capture Life Army"!

"Su Jinglue robbed the Tangut baggage train outside Yinzhou City!"

He threw the badge into the crowd.

"If you want to be a deserter, get out of here now! If you have the guts, come to me and I'll chop the hell out of you!"

The bonfire cast dancing shadows on the iron helmets, and dozens of pairs of eyes ignited sparks in the night.

The man holding the spear on the left had a rolling Adam's apple, his eyes were wide open under his thick eyebrows, his knuckles were white from gripping the handle of the knife, and his coarse leggings were stained with undried mud.

Others called him Hutou. He was usually very honest, but he was very excited at this moment because he knew the son of the widow Wang of Xishi and they had a pretty good relationship.

Tiger Head gritted his teeth and said, "Captain! I know that the people above hate those who come from the Jingsai Army, but I admire you very much, I admire the people of the Jingsai Army, and I admire Su Jinglie's great achievements. I will fight you, even if I die, I will accept it!"

Ma Laoliu cursed upon hearing this: "What does this have to do with me being from the Jingsai Army? No, it does have something to do with it. We in the Jingsai Army want to resist the Tanguts and protect Mizhi. Su Jinglie is here too. The Jingsai Army will defeat the Western Xia right here in front of this city, just like before!"

The young man leaning against the wooden shield beside him suddenly straightened his back. His sword-like eyebrows raised, pulling the newly formed scabs on his forehead, and his eyes were like torches that penetrated the drifting ashes.

He straightened his back and asked, "Boss, can I join the Jingsai Army?"

Ma Laoliu looked at him and said with a smile, "Zhang Tong, I have made it clear that Su Jinglie has already rebelled against the imperial court. If he joins the Jingsai Army now, he will be considered a traitor to the imperial court. You must think carefully!"

Zhang Tong raised his sword-like eyebrows and said with a chuckle, "Then let's rebel. Those bastards in the court are doing inhuman things!

As soon as the temple emperor died, the old party came back and immediately abolished our military farming system. After that, they stopped sending us food.

Now we have to return the land we fought so hard for to the Tanguts. How can we do things this way? I will never forgive these sons of bitches!"

There was the sound of armor colliding next to the weapon rack. The bearded man threw the wine bag onto the rammed earth. Leaping flames were reflected in the leopard-headed man's eyes, and a few drops of saliva flew out from his nostrils.

Ma Laoliu heard the noise, looked at the bearded man, and said, "Li Gui, do you have something to say?"

The bearded man was yelled at by Ma Laoliu, and his tall body suddenly shrank. He smiled, and his smile was quite obscene, and said: "I was angry for a moment, and I lost my temper."

Ma Laoliu was somewhat speechless and said, "Li Gui, why do you look so burly and domineering? Can't you act like a man?"

Li Gui said shyly, "I have been like this since I was a child. It is not my wish to look like this. What can I do?"

Ma Laoliu: “…”

Someone in the dark knocked the ground with a scabbard. The pair of phoenix eyes under the willow-shaped eyebrows flickered, and the right hand wrapped in a bandage unconsciously stroked the quiver.

Ma Laoliu looked at the man, a young man. Without waiting for Ma Laoliu to ask, the young man smiled and said, "Captain, add me in. My life is nothing to be regretted. Su Jinglie is a great hero in the world. What he wants to do must have his reasons."

The night wind swept through the tent, and dozens of gazes met in the smell of rust and sweat. Someone's low response rolled out of his throat, like thunder rolling over a cracked riverbed.

The tall and thin man in the front row suddenly knelt on one knee, the flames dancing on his sharp jaw, and bloodshot eyes appeared in his sword-like and phoenix eyes: "This hot blood should have been burned out long ago!"

Before he finished speaking, several ring-handled swords were unsheathed, and the cold light startled the old crows perched on the gate.

Ma Laoliu's beard trembled, and he caught a glimpse of the cook who always kept his head down in the dark, wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. There were two clusters of faint blue flames burning in his watery almond eyes.

More and more soldiers gathered together, and the light flashing in their eyes became more and more determined.

And this happened everywhere in the barracks.

In the city, there were dozens of young men dressed in scholar's clothes. They gathered spontaneously in the streets and alleys, picked up their loads, and began to repair the city walls.

The common people noticed them and gathered around to watch. Some of them saw that the young scholars were not working efficiently and some of them started to laugh at them.

"Young man, this is not the way to do the job. You need to be smart to lift such a heavy stone. Hey! Wrong again! Never mind, I'll help you!"

The person who was speaking simply went over to help, and filled the gap with the stone in no time.

Although the young scholars looked clumsy, they did not stop and worked until they were sweating all over.

The onlookers finally couldn't bear it anymore and joined in.

They expressed their determination to fight against the Western Xia army in their own way.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "We want to protect Mizhi Village. Together with Mr. Su, we will never become slaves of a conquered nation!"

The cry was like thunder, echoing throughout the village.

Zhong Shimin stood on the city wall, looking at the soldiers' neat ranks and the busy figures of the people, and the balance in his heart finally tilted.

He took a deep breath, drew the sword from his waist, raised it high, and shouted, "Mr. Yang! I have decided to live and die with Mizhi Village!
Please tell Mr. Su that I, Zhong Shimin, will not be a slave of a conquered nation!"

In an instant, cheers rang out in Mizhi Village, like rolling spring thunder, breaking the depressing haze.

The soldiers' morale was greatly boosted and the people's confidence increased.

"Open the armory!" Zhong Shimin tore off the imperial edict and threw it off the city wall. The silk fragments were blown to the Xixia camp by the north wind. "Mr. Yang, please tell Mr. Su that all the 97 beacon towers in Mizhi should light up the signal fire tonight!"

When Yang Shi heard this, his whole face lit up and he said happily, "Great! General Zhong, I will write down today's events in person, so that your name will go down in history!"

Zhong Shimin smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it. Just don't write me off as a deserter who abandoned the city. I don't dare to hope to leave my name in history."

Yang Shi smiled and said, "General Zhong, you are the first person to do this. This feat should be recorded for later use... Hehe, that's a testament to your qualifications."

Zhong Shimin's brows twitched when he heard this. He understood the meaning in Yang Shi's eyes, and his heart trembled for a moment, but he couldn't help but feel some anticipation.

Maybe... Hey! Let's just survive first.

Outside the city, the Western Xia army had flags everywhere.

(End of this chapter)