Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 482 The world is full of joy
Everyone’s struggles are different throughout life.

But in the final analysis, it is nothing more than spiritual or material pursuit, or both.

Serving the country and the people is the greatest pursuit of chivalry.

A beautiful wife and concubines, snow, moon, wind and flowers, is also a kind of pursuit.

To be remembered through the ages and left a mark in history is a pursuit.

Three acres of land, a cow, a wife, children and a warm bed are also a kind of pursuit.

As long as it is not done at the expense of others for personal gain, there is nothing wrong with it.

However, in troubled times, too many pursuits can only be achieved step by step on the bones of losers.

Li You's current pursuit is to wash away his shame with blood.

When his shame was revealed and Huanxi Ridge and Sanduzi Mountain became enemies, someone who knew the situation told him more news.

It turned out that when he first went to Huanxiling as a guest with Li Taigong, he was spotted by Morgan at first sight. It was not that his luck in love had arrived, but that he had been chosen to be a sucker from that time on.

From the day he got married, he became a joke in many people's minds.

He supported other people's wives and children, but his wife, father-in-law, and uncles did not feel the slightest bit of guilt towards him. Instead, they treated him like a big enemy.

Li You is not a spineless coward. His parents raised him not to let him live a life worse than that of a beast.

From the moment he learned the truth, all he wanted was to avenge his humiliation with blood.

Shangguan Luo gave him an idea and he accepted it.

Today, only a team of about 300 cavalrymen were sent to Huanxi Ridge, led by Yang Xuance.

Their only mission was to harass the Hesheli tribe, to make them restless, and to wait for an opportunity to burn more of their crops.

The main force of Huanxiling was used for defense.

Because they knew that the Hesheli tribe would definitely attack.

The Hesheli tribe knew that Huanxiling must have prepared defenses, so they adopted a similar strategy as Huanxiling yesterday:
Break the whole into small pieces and attack separately.

It is impossible for Huanxi Ridge to defend the entire Hubudagang, but it is still easy to break in and vent your anger and take revenge.

The largest team was composed of the two major clans, Hutabu and Morgan, with about 500 people.

These two families have the deepest hatred towards Huanxiling.

Hutab's death made his family furious.

So many villages of the Hesheli tribe were attacked and crops were burned. If the Morgan family did not take action, they would not be able to withstand the pressure.

They all had to do something.

Therefore, these five hundred people have the strongest fighting will and are the most ruthless.

They gave up the plunder of wealth and focused on killing and destruction.

Every time they captured a village, they killed everyone they saw, burned down the houses and fields, and then rushed to the next village without stopping...

Li You quickly locked onto their location.

With Shangguan Luo's advice, Li You did not chase after him and fight immediately.

He was like an extremely patient old wolf, calmly following the trail of this group of people.

When some villages were attacked, Li Youben had the opportunity to rescue them.

If he took action, he could at least minimize the damage to the village.

However, he will also "let go" of his target.

Therefore, Li You remained silent and sent fast men to inform Wu Laoer, Yu Fengxian and other Moukes to gather in the direction he predicted.

Gradually, Li You cut off the retreat route of the team led by Morgan.

In the end, the two sides fought a decisive battle in "Guanmenlazi", a tiny place that was so remote that there was not even a mark on the map.

Lazi is the local name for cliff rocks.

Guanmenlazi, as the name suggests, is sandwiched between two mountains, like a gate.

There is only a small piece of land outside the Guanmenlazi mountain pass, but some fields have been reclaimed inside the mountain.

There are only eleven farm families here, so it's not worth making this trip for them.

However, if you pass through Guanmenlazi, there is another large village.

After destroying the village, they could take a detour from the other side of the mountain and rush back to the Hesheli tribe.

Therefore, Morgan and his men rushed into the gate, and were then "locked in" by Li You.

Wu Laoer was a local. After receiving the news, he led his men through the mountain path and blocked the exit on the opposite side.

When Li You led his men into the mountains and started fighting with Morgan's troops, Yu Fengxian also arrived with his men.

Although the battle was brutal, Li You, who had an absolute numerical advantage, won the final victory.

His father-in-law, who didn't treat him as a human being, was stepped on by him, and next to him were the corpses of his uncles.

Li You was like a cat playing with a mouse, patiently torturing Morgan.

He chopped down with his sword, cutting off all of Morgan's limbs. At this time, Morgan was no longer struggling or shouting.

He had completely lost consciousness.

Finally, Li You used a knife with a rolled blade to saw off Morgan's head with great effort.

That kind of seriousness and caution is like a poor man who makes up his mind to cut two taels of pig's head just before the New Year.

Then he held up the bloody head, and the blood soaked his hair.

He threw the head away and kicked it far away, laughing crazily.

The shame has finally been avenged!

"Lord Mouke, we found a living person."

Two soldiers supported a village girl and walked out of a farmhouse on the mountainside.

The village girl was dressed in coarse cloth and her face was covered in blood. She looked even more terrifying than Li You, who also had blood on his face.

Because there were obvious knife cuts on her face, and her muscles were turned outward, it was very scary.

Li You's eyes fixed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who are you, and why... did you become like this?"

The village girl talked about her situation. She didn't cry, but her tone would pause occasionally because of the pain.

Li You understood that state. When one is extremely sad, one cannot even cry.

The village girl was called Forana (Begonia), the daughter of a farmer's family on the mountainside.

After Morgan's men rushed into Guanmen Lazi, they wanted to quickly massacre all the people in the mountains and then pass through the mountains.

But a small leader of the Hesheli tribe saw her beauty and wanted to kidnap her.

Her parents and brother were killed for trying to stop it.

Forlana was heartbroken. When she was carried onto the horse's back, she took the opportunity to bite off the little leader's ear.

The little leader was so angry that he drew his knife and slashed her face.

When he was about to kill Folana, Li You came with his troops.

The soldier who discovered Forlana said, "Master Mouke, there is indeed a person from the Hesheli tribe on the mountainside, and he is missing an ear."

After hearing this, Li You looked at the woman carefully again.

Slender figure, delicate skin on the neck...

Before she was disfigured, she was indeed a very pretty girl.

Her father and brothers must have loved her very much and never let her do much farm work.

But now, her face is so beautiful that people dare not look at it a second time after just one glance.

Li You sighed softly. Compared with his shameless wife, the village girl in front of him deserved his respect.

Li You turned around and asked his men, "Are there any survivors among the people in the valley?"

"My Lord, there are eleven families in the mountains, and now only this girl is alive."

Li You nodded and said, "Take her back to Happy Ridge."

Li You was not such a kind person, but based on the girl's chastity of preferring death to submission, Li You felt that she was worth saving.

……

Yang Yuan and Shangguan Luo went to the Puchaye tribe today.

Wanyan Hongkang did not come, although the princess really hoped that her son could be with the two talented men and gain more knowledge.

However, the most unpredictable thing in the world is the human heart. What if Puchaye detained someone?

Shangguan Luo ranked the tribal chiefs he had already contacted according to the difficulty of persuading them, with Puchaye ranked first.

According to his estimation, the Puchaye tribe was the easiest to persuade.

Although Yang Yuan was not as familiar with Puchaye as Shangguan Luo, Yang Yuan was also very confident about this trip.

In fact, if he was given enough time, he was confident that he could convince all the tribes that Shangguan Luo had contacted.

The conflicts and even hatred between forces are actually the easiest to resolve.

As long as both parties have common interests, it will only gain greater benefits by cooperating with you.

Only the hatred among common people is the most difficult to resolve.

Yang Yuan's trip to the Puchaye tribe went smoothly. He and Shangguan Luo were just like partners who had been working together for many years and had a tacit understanding.

You say the first sentence, and I have the most suitable second sentence.

If you give me some guidance, I will definitely notice it and follow your lead.

Both of them are masters of eloquence. Any one of them is enough to convince Puchaye in this situation, let alone two masters working together.

It was already dusk when we returned.

Yang Yuan and Shangguan Luo rode their horses to a high hill and stopped side by side with their reins.

The setting sun cast a golden edge on the bodies of the two knights.

The followers looked up at the two men on the high hill, feeling ashamed of themselves and reined in their horses.

In the distance, the rolling hills look particularly magnificent under the setting sun.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the mountain peaks, and below them are layers of inky forests.

Yang Yuan pondered and said, “Today’s trip went very smoothly.

But it takes almost a day to travel back and forth between these tribes..."

Shangguan Luo said: "If we set out when there are only three days left, we will need one person to ride two horses, or even three horses, and we will ride non-stop, day and night."

Yang Yuan said: "That's right. If we want to take it easy, we should leave four days in advance."

Shangguan Luo frowned and said, "If it's four days in advance, then it will be the day after tomorrow.

This means we only have tomorrow to convince at most one more tribe."

Yang Yuan said: "Leaving one day later will not help us convince one more family.

However, I think if we leave a day earlier, we can see the small and medium-sized tribes near the holy mountain."

The "Dubojilie" conference will be held at the Holy Mountain Temple in Huining County, Shangjing Hailan Road.

Changbai Mountain is a sacred mountain in the minds of the Jurchens, and a temple specially built for it is located there.

Only by holding the "Dubojilie" conference there and letting the sacred mountain serve as a witness can the Jurchens be more convinced and accepting.

Shangguan Luo thought for a moment and said, "My young prince, are you interested in the small and medium-sized tribes around the Holy Mountain?"

Yang Yuan nodded and said, "A large number of ants can kill an elephant." The Jurchen tribes were very numerous. There were more than 30 tribes living together in the Changbai Mountains alone.

Today, the "Dubojilie" conference is held on the sacred mountain of the Jurchens.

Those who come from far away are all big tribes who want to compete for a place. The small and medium-sized tribes will not go.

However, there are at least ten small and medium-sized tribes near the Holy Mountain Temple, and they will not miss such a grand event.

Although they do not have the "right to vote", the combined strength of the ten small and medium-sized tribes is a force that cannot be underestimated.

Thinking of this, Shangguan Luo thought he had understood the young prince's intention, and nodded:

"I understand. If these local small and medium-sized tribes cheer for you, my young master, this momentum will be of great use."

Yang Yuan smiled lightly and shook his head: "No, you don't understand what I mean."

He sighed softly, turned his head and said to Shangguan Luo:
"Sir, do you think that for a tribal alliance like the Jurchen Jin Kingdom, which is as scattered as it can be, the news of the 'Dubojilie' conference can be kept secret?"

Shangguan Luo was startled and shook his head, "No."

Yang Yuan added: "The Holy Mountain Temple is in Huining County (Antu County, Jilin) ​​on Hailan Road, Shangjing.

Wanyan Yan of Shangjing, Wugu Lun of Sabashan, and Wanyan Zheng who controlled Xianzhou were not much farther away from the holy mountain temple than us, and some were even much closer than some tribes.

Do you think they will sit back and watch us hold the meeting smoothly in the Holy Mountain and elect an alliance leader to compete with Wanyan Liang?
Shangguan Luo's eyes narrowed when he heard this.

Once these powerful people successfully select the leader of the alliance, the first person they will deal with is Wanyan Yan, who is defending Shangjing City.

Wanyan Yan would not fail to understand this logic, so how could he not take action?

As for Wanyan Zheng of Xianzhou, he was Wanyan Yong's man.

Wanyan Yong didn't know that the puppet Wanyan Yuanyun was dead, but he couldn't be sure that the puppet Wanyan Yuanyun would be able to take the throne.

So, will they make preparations for both scenarios?
I'm afraid this Holy Mountain Alliance Leader Conference may not go smoothly.

In this situation, if anyone can get the support of those local bosses, it may play an unexpected role at the critical moment.

I didn't expect the young prince's thoughts to be so profound.

Yang Yuan looked into Shangguan Luo's eyes and knew that he understood, so he smiled and said, "And that's..."

He gently turned his horse's head and looked towards the distant mountains: "Your sister may not tell these tribes that Wanyan Yuanyun is dead.

Even if we told them, they would not have any new candidates to nominate in such a short time.

In this way, when I meet them again in the Holy Mountain, I will be very confident that I can convince them.

Especially, I have your help!"

Shangguan Luo was very excited: The young prince's strategy is better than mine!

As a strategist, Shangguan Luo did not feel a sense of crisis because of this realization, but was overjoyed instead.

I really have better taste than my sister!
The man I chose is a hundred times better than the man you chose!
……

Shangjing City (Harbin) is a truly powerful city in Huining Prefecture.

It once served as the capital of the Jin Dynasty and was very spectacular and majestic.

The city has wide and flat streets, a majestic palace, and mansions built by many dignitaries.

However, the palace is now empty.

The mansions of many high-ranking officials are now empty, with only a few servants left to clean and look after them.

Some high-ranking officials have already moved to Yanjing.

They spent a lot of money to build a mansion here, but they had to abandon it here after living in it for a short time.

Another group of dignitaries were those who had been delaying and refusing to move to Yanjing.

Ever since the dignitaries who went to Yanjing for peace talks came back, they have returned to their respective tribes. Who dares to live in the city?

Isn't that like Wanyan Yan trying to catch turtles in a pond, and he's sure to catch one every time?
In fact, Wanyan Yan returned to Shangjing this time according to the original plan made by Wanyan Liang:
When the main dignitaries from Shangjing went to Yanjing to participate in the peace talks, he took the opportunity to take action and kill all of them.

Wanyan Yan was in Shangjing. He took advantage of the fact that the tribes were leaderless and quickly sent troops to suppress them one by one.

Then, all the mansions in Shangjing City were razed to the ground!

Wanyan Liang would rather completely destroy the city where the Jin Dynasty was born than move all the powerful and wealthy families in the north to Yanjing.

This was an important step for him to strengthen his imperial power, and he was willing to pay any price.

Unfortunately, something went wrong in the plan. Nothing went wrong in Shangjing, but something went wrong in Shandong.

Moreover, problems with Shandong Road directly affected the distant Shangjing.

Wanyan Yan can only defend the isolated city now.

Of course, there was no siege army outside the city.

However, all tribes have now severed ties with Shangjing City and refuse to accept its rule.

In fact, it has become an isolated city.

Government orders do not leave the city gates.

None of the powerful people in the capital had the prestige to command the support of everyone, so they became a group of scattered people.

In fact, they also know that if they continue like this, they will be defeated one by one sooner or later.

Therefore, they unanimously agreed to hold a "Du Bo Ji Lie" conference to elect a leader of the alliance.

This news did not escape Wanyan Yan's ears.

Wanyan Yan knew clearly that once the leader of the alliance appeared, even if the various tribes were still unable to control him as they wished out of selfish motives, he would still be able to unleash tremendous power.

At that time, attacking the capital city would probably be their inevitable choice.

How could Wanyan Yan just sit there and wait to die?

Long ago, he sent his confidant with his personal letter to Shuangchengzi (Yelanlu, Vladivostok) to meet Xiao Zhangce, the governor of Yelanlu.

Xiao Zhangce guards the northern border of the Jin Kingdom and has more than 36,000 soldiers under his command. He is a force that no one in the north dares to ignore.

If Wanyan Yan could get the support of General Xiao Zhangce, he could take advantage of the fact that the powerful people in the capital are still in disarray and wipe them out.

As long as they stabilized the rear area of ​​the Jin Dynasty, and then marched south from there, and attacked from both the north and the south together with the imperial court, the rebellion in Liaodong would be put down in no time.

Now, Xiao Zhangce's reply has finally arrived.

Wanyan Yan sat in the magnificent hall of the Liushou Mansion and hurriedly opened Xiao Zhangce's reply letter.

Xiao Zhangce had a beautiful handwriting, which he learned from the Slender Gold style of Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji.

The writing is free and unrestrained, sharp and unflinching, like a sharp blade that can cut jade and gold.
"Slender Gold" should actually be called "Slender Muscle"

Replacing "tendon" with "gold" is a sign of respect for the emperor's calligraphy.

Wanyan Yan had no time to appreciate his calligraphy and immediately read the content of his letter.

As he watched, Wanyan Yan's face turned gloomy.

Xiao Zhangce refused to send troops.

His reason was that the troops under his command were recruited from various ethnic groups and tribes in the north.

Now the soldiers recruited from various tribes and clans are mixed together in the military camp, and no one of them can cause any trouble, and he can still suppress it.

Once the troops are transferred away from the main camp and divided into different groups to attack from different directions, no one can guarantee what problems will arise.

Some of them deserted and returned to their home tribe.

There may be those who turn against their own side and strike back at the critical moment.

By then, the North will be even more corrupt.

In view of this, he might as well do nothing.

Having such a large army stationed there can have some deterrent effect.

Wanyan Yan was not sure whether this was Xiao Zhangce's sincere words or he just wanted to wait and see the situation and then wait for the right price.

But since Xiao Zhangce has already given this reason, let alone talking about him, even if he asked for an imperial edict, as long as Xiao Zhangce did not want to send troops, he would still have plenty of reasons to prevaricate.

I'm on my own.

Wanyan Yan sighed sadly.

Xiao Zhangce could sit back and watch the changes in the world before deciding where to go, but he couldn't.

The four garrisons set up by the Jin Dynasty in the northeastern coastal areas, namely Hesuguan Road, Posu Road, Helan Road and Yelan Road, were actually four major construction corps.

They are basically self-sufficient.

As long as you have food in your hands, there is no need to panic.

However, the garrison troops in the capital city rely on local support.

Shangjing City was one of the most important cities in the Jin Dynasty.

Normally, the grain reserves in the city can last for half a year to a year.

But what a coincidence is that this year's autumn harvest season is just around the corner.

But at this time, the tribes had already refused to pay taxes to the capital.

The city's existing food reserves can only sustain it for another three months at most.

Three months later, it was the coldest time of the year, and water would freeze into ice. By then, there would be no food...

Wanyan Yan shuddered at the thought of the consequences.

No, I can't just sit there and wait for death!
Wanyan Yan slowly clenched the letter in his hand and said in a deep voice: "Summon the chief steward Tan Jiu, Meng'an Du Mingtang to see you immediately!"

……

On the banks of Suifen River and on Saba Mountain.

The hereditary Temu (head of ten thousand households) and the son-in-law of the emperor, Ugurun'elun, read his son's letter and silently handed it to his wife, Princess Biguo.

After reading the letter, Princess Bi said, "Yuan Zhong wants us to send troops to help Wan Yanzheng go to the Holy Mountain?"

Elun nodded: "It is not necessary to fight. Yuanzhong said that it is very likely that we will have to cooperate with Wanyan Yuanyun to stage a show to facilitate his ascension to the throne."

Princess Bi was silent for a moment, then said unhappily, "The major events of the clan should naturally be decided by you and your son.

I am a woman and don't want to care about it.

However, it would have been fine if Yuanzhong had surrendered to Wanyan Yong, but now even the young and strong men in our tribe are being arbitrarily conscripted.

Have they finished eating Yan Yong’s military pay?
They are ours. Going to war, providing rewards, and providing pensions, which one of these doesn't cost money?

Wanyan Yong is a stingy person. He just asked us to send troops but didn't even give us a penny.

We are following him with our heads on the line, and we have done our utmost. What else does he want?"

Elun also felt that Wanyan Yong had gone too far this time. Seeing his wife getting angry, he hurriedly said:

"I am also hesitating about this matter. Yuan Zhong said in his letter that they might not fight, but just pretend.

In this case, I think we don't need to send too many people. We can just send some of our tribesmen over.

It would be bad to make Yuan Zhong feel awkward in front of Wan Yanyong."

Princess Bi thought about it, and suddenly burst into tears, choking with sobs:

"My Yingge was taken as a slave and suffered a lot.

She has never suffered since she was a child, and now she doesn’t know how to suffer…”

Princess Bi suddenly stood up and said in a deep voice: "Send troops, at least 1,500 strong men, and the military pay will be paid from my private money.

However, there is one thing that must be fought!"

Princess Bi's phoenix eyes, which were very similar to Yingge's, raised sternly and said:
"Bring back the man sent by the Prince of Yue to the meeting. I want to use him to exchange for my Ying Ge!"

(End of this chapter)