Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 789: Stand on the Right Side

Yang Yuan, along with Yang Wanli, Yang Shou, Xu Cheng and a total of about 100 people, stood on the steep hillside, looking up at the dangerous Jianxu Pass.

The arrowhead is the tip of the arrow, the part that rests on the bowstring when the arrow is pulled.

As the name suggests, Jianxu Pass is located on a high cliff with a slight depression in the middle, like the part where the tail of an arrow hits the bowstring.

The two sides are like straight arrow feathers, standing upright.

The construction of the pass was not very solid and majestic, but most of the siege equipment of that era could not be maneuvered in such a steep place. Relying solely on manpower would indeed require a large number of lives.

The so-called one man guarding the pass means this kind of dangerous situation.

but……

Yang Yuan narrowed his eyes. As long as a heavy artillery could be transported up, he could bombard the pass for half a day.

Take the pass wall, which was not very solid, and the large stones exposed without gaps between them were bound to collapse.

With the solid heavy artillery shells he used specifically to break into cities, it was not difficult to destroy the pass.

It just takes a lot of effort to transport the heavy artillery up the mountain.

"Let's go down the mountain."

Yang Yuan smiled slightly: "Immediately level the mountain road and transport the artillery upwards. With only two cannons, this Jianxu Pass will have to open its legs and let me drive straight in!"

After hanging out with the soldiers for a long time, Yang Yuan would occasionally utter a few swear words.

Xu Cheng and the crazy soldiers around him all laughed knowingly, even the great talent Yang Wanli was no exception.

He is not a stupid and corrupt person who only knows how to study hard.

Suddenly, Yang Shou's face changed: "Quick, protect my uncle... Fu Shuai down the mountain!"

When everyone heard the sound, they looked and saw that the gate at the distant pass was opened with a creaking sound and the drawbridge was lowered.

The two sides were still less than two arrows' distance apart, but the mountain road was difficult to travel on and horses were almost useless. They could run now without fear of being caught up.

The crazy soldier has already taken out his bow and drawn his arrow.

"Wait a moment!"

Yang Yuan was pulled by Yang Wanli and was about to turn around and go down the mountain, but when he saw the gate of Jianxu Pass open and the first thing that appeared, Yang Yuan was stunned and immediately stopped the people around him.

There are always some things in this world that most people, who have no connection with each other, can make basically the same choices about.

For example, the distinction between beauty and ugliness.

For example, different ethnic groups and regions have similar pronunciations for the word "mother" (ma).
For example...raising the white flag.

It is said that the custom of waving a white flag in the east to show surrender originated from King Ziying of the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Empire preferred black, so when Ziying surrendered to Liu Bang, he wore white clothes, led a white horse, held the seal and knelt down to surrender.

From then on, the white flag became a symbol of surrender.

In the West, it is said that since ancient Roman times, the white flag has also become a symbol of surrender, because they believe that white means nothing and failure.

The gate of Jianxu Pass opened and two white flags appeared at the foot of the pass.

Two people, one in a blue robe, the other in a green robe, each holding a white flag, walked over waving it.

"Put down the arrow!"

At Yang Yuan's command, the archer pointed the arrow at the ground and released the bowstring.

The crossbowman took the same action, but did not remove the loaded crossbow arrow.

Since only two people walked out of the pass, Yang Yuan was not nervous. He just stood there and watched the two people waving white flags getting closer and closer.

Yang Yuan frowned slightly. He looked at the two men waving the white flag and felt a sense of déjà vu.

First of all, these are two girls who have changed their hairpins into hats.

Secondly, this is my first time in Jianxu Pass, um...it’s also my first time in Shaanxi, and I don’t have any acquaintances here.

and so……

Who are they?
Girls change a lot when they grow up. Although we have only not seen each other for three or four years, the change from a girl of twelve or thirteen or even eleven or twelve to a girl of sixteen or seventeen is really huge.

Just like... a tender yellow willow branch, which sprouted, grew into a jade-like willow tree swaying in the water.

Their temperament, appearance and figure have changed so much.

One is petite and sweet with a natural baby face, the other is tall and slender, elegant and refined.

In Yang Yuan's impression, there is absolutely no one who fits the description.

But in the eyes of Wanyan Ping and Li Qinglu, Yang Yuan had not changed at all from his original appearance.

Perhaps the only difference is his temperament.

After all, he had been a local official for a long time, and even if he just stood there casually, he would have a completely different feeling from the people around him.

"teacher!"

Wanyan Ping cried with joy, threw away the white flag and rushed towards Yang Yuan.

Without saying a word, Yang Shou opened his eyes wide in anger, raised the melon-sized hammer, and with a "whoosh" sound, smashed it towards Wanyan Ping's head.

These Jin soldiers are so despicable. They pretended to surrender and they want to assassinate my uncle!

What the hell!

Yang Yuan was so frightened that his soul almost flew away.

When Wanyan Ping called her "Teacher", Yang Yuan quickly associated her with a little girl.

Little class monitor?
Yang Yuan came later but arrived first and passed by Yang Shou.

Wanyan Ping suddenly saw a big man with eyes wide open, and a sledgehammer smashed down on her head. She was so scared that she closed her eyes and stood there for a moment.

It seemed that when she closed her eyes and couldn't see, the hammer no longer existed.

Immediately afterwards, her slender waist tightened and Yang Yuan grabbed her and rushed out.

Yang Shou's hammer hit nothing, and because he used too much force, he staggered forward.

"Uncle?"

"I told you it's called a job!"

Yang Yuan was still frightened and glared at him unhappily.

Wanyan Ping snuggled in Yang Yuan's arms, looking up at him eagerly with her little face raised.

"teacher!"

Wanyan Ping took off her fu hat and pulled out her hairpin, and her beautiful hair immediately spread out like a waterfall.

Her hair is black, her complexion is as white as jade, and her lips are painted red.

"Teacher, I'm Ping'er."

The little princess of the New Jin Empire smiled sweetly at Yang Yuan.

Li Qinglu stopped not far away.

She was much more reserved than Wanyan Ping. With slightly red eyes, she said to Yang Yuan, "Teacher, I am Qinglu."

Teacher Yang took his class monitor and study committee member to the side for a chat.

Yang Shou was holding two sledgehammers and peered over to see his young uncle talking to two little girls not far away. They had taken off their hats, thrown up white flags, and were crying, laughing, and wiping their tears.

From time to time, they would hug each other, pat his back, touch his head, etc. Yang Shou was a little confused for a moment.

Yang Yuan listened to Li Qinglu and Wanyan Ping's statements and finally understood why they appeared here and what they did.

At present, the New Jin and the Great Song are indeed allies.

The common enemy of the two countries was the Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, it was normal for the intelligence personnel of the New Jin Empire to pass on the intelligence they had to Yang Yuan, and even help the Song Kingdom to do some rebellion work when there was an opportunity. If the Song Kingdom opened up the situation in Shaanxi, it would be equivalent to supporting the stalemate between the New Jin and the Jin Kingdom in the northeast, and leaning towards the New Jin.

However, looking at the two beautiful girls expressing their true feelings, Yang Yuan knew very well that the reason they did these things for him was probably not just because the two countries were allies.

However, Yang Yuan really couldn't say that once the Jin Dynasty no longer existed, the Song Dynasty and the New Jin Dynasty would one day confront each other.

Moreover, he also didn't believe that Wanyan Ping and Li Qinglu had never considered this possibility.

Perhaps, they felt that day was still far away, and even in their lifetime, the Jin Dynasty would not be destroyed and the Song Dynasty and the New Jin Dynasty would not directly confront each other.

But..., who knows.

There was a Hundred Years' War.
But it only took Liu Bang seven years to go from a small pavilion chief to the founder of the Han Empire.
It took Liu Xiu only three years to rise from a commoner to an emperor.

It took Zhu Yuanzhang only seventeen years to go from a beggar to an emperor.
Do Song and Xin Jin really need to spend their entire lives never facing each other directly?
If there are too many ties and disappointments now, how will we get along with each other when the time comes?

"You... aren't you afraid that I will arrest you and never let you go back to Xinjin?"

Yang Yuan could not express his worries out loud, so he could only express them in a tactful way by joking.

"really?"

Wanyan Ping raised her little face and asked happily.

It’s over, this squad leader has no brains.

Yang Yuan glanced at Li Qinglu. The study committee member was smarter. She just smiled gently.

It seems that he didn't understand.

Or maybe she's playing dumb.

Forget it, this is my student, I will spoil him.

As for the future...

There must be a way when the car reaches the mountain. If there is no way, I can't stop.
We’ll talk about it another day.

……

Pucha Alibu surrendered.

Conquering the enemy without fighting is a major victory.

Yang Yuan had already sent the battle report of the capture of Qinzhou (Tianshui) to Lin'an.

The news that Pucha Alibu, the defender of Jianxu Pass, surrendered to the Song Dynasty was also immediately sent out by him as the second battle report.

At the same time, they accepted the surrender, took over the pass, and settled the garrison at Jianxu Pass.

Yang Wanli made very detailed statistics. The next day, he compiled the results based on the roster of the Jin troops guarding the pass and reported it to Yang Yuan.

The age composition, native place composition, military composition, etc. of the Jin army guarding the pass are all clearly visible using the decimal table method promoted by Yang Yuan in the Song Dynasty.

From this table, we can clearly see the significant impact that the loss of the Northeast and the defeat in Lingbi had on the Jin Dynasty.

The Jin army guarding such an important pass had less than one-third of its total Jurchen officers and soldiers.

Moreover, they are generally older and hold the positions of generals and colonels.

It can be imagined that this composition of the military roster, and the way in which the Jurchen soldiers, regardless of their quality, occupied the upper positions, were arrangements that the Jin Dynasty had to make.

But this would also cause low morale and even alienation among ordinary Han soldiers.

The reason why Pucha Alibuken agreed to surrender so readily was partly due to the persuasion of Wanyan Ping and Li Qinglu and partly due to his disappointment with Wanyan Liang. The current situation of the Jin army guarding the pass must have been an important factor that influenced his decision.

Yang Yuan did not settle these Jin troops guarding the pass separately, but directly disbanded them and incorporated them into his army.

The difference in the number of troops on both sides was huge, so this kind of dispersal had limited impact on the Song army, but it could wipe out this independent armed force in the fastest and most efficient way.

Yang Yuan settled Pucha Alibu and Guaerjia's family in their original residence in Jianxu Pass.

He told Pucha Alibu that as a captain of a thousand households in the Jin Dynasty, his initiative to change the flag was something the Song Dynasty court was very happy to see.

The Emperor of Song Dynasty will definitely reward him handsomely.

As for Li Qinglu and Wanyan Ping, Yang Yuan temporarily settled them together with Pucha Alibu's family and transferred A'man over to accompany them.

When Ah Man was at Huanxi Ridge in the Jin Kingdom, she was Ugulun Yingge's personal maid and knew Li Qinglu and Wanyan Ping.

The Ugun family is now an important force in the New Jin Empire.

With Ah Man around, many things can be easily arranged.

Yang Yuan had no plans to let Li Qinglu and Wanyan Ping leave for the time being.

His cannons were unable to demonstrate their power at the Arrow Pass.

But this cannon should be useful when we attack Baoji City next time.

Fire the cannon and blast his mother~
He planned to bring his class monitor and student committee member with him to let these two good students see the power of his teacher Yang.

He had to let these two girls know that even without their help and persuasion, it would not be difficult for him to seize Jianxu Pass.

At most, it would just take a little more effort to move the cannon up the mountain.

It seemed that by doing so, he could offset the efforts made by Wanyan Ping and Li Qinglu for him.

Otherwise, if he really came into conflict with Xin Jin one day, he was worried that he would not be able to be ruthless.

However, that was a goal he could never give up.

Fei Tianlu, Yu Jiguang and others have successfully infiltrated Xinjin and occupy important positions in both the military and political aspects.

Through the Jiuliancheng and Shangjing maritime trade channels, the State of Song also developed many people in Xinjin.

The "Six Thousand Society", which was originally just a smuggling gang in Jinan, has expanded into a huge underground organization throughout Shandong with his secret support and funding. Xin Qiji is about to perform the "coming-of-age ceremony" and take over the "Six Thousand Society" in place of his grandfather.

Everything was arranged long ago.

There was no way he would give up the plan he had been planning for so long just because he was soft-hearted towards Wanyan Ping and Li Qinglu.

Therefore, he could only strive to owe them less.

……

When Yang Yuan moved into Jianxu Pass, he did not deliberately keep the news secret.

Therefore, the Jin army in Baoji City soon learned about it.

Tang Kuo Wuye, who was commanding his troops to repeatedly attack the pass at Dasan Pass, was shocked.

Jianxu Pass was captured, and the Song army was coming from the direction of Qinzhou?
The capture of Jianxu Pass cut off the connection between Baoji and Fengxiang.

Tang Kuo and Wuye left behind a pile of corpses at Dasan Pass and retreated to Baoji City in panic.

As soon as the Jin soldiers retreated at Dasan Pass, Shi Han, Guo Di and others at the pass immediately knew that Yang Yuan had successfully marched from Qinzhou to the vicinity of Baoji City.

At this time, he didn't know that Yang Yuan had already captured Jianxu Pass without bloodshed.

But he knew that Yang Yuan's army must be in the north of Baoji.

In order to prevent Tang Kuo and Wu Ye from breaking out and escaping to Fengxiang through Jianxu Pass, Shi Han and Guo Di immediately opened the pass and sent troops to chase Tang Kuo and Wu Ye's hastily retreating troops and attacked towards Baoji City.

At the same time, they sent scouts to find Yang Yuan's main force and get in touch with Yang Yuan.

It took Yang Yuan only two days to take over Jianxu Pass and recruit the defenders there. On the third day, he personally led the army and marched towards Baoji in a mighty force.

The two armies, one in the south and one in the north, trapped the city of Baoji.

Yang Yuan brought Pucha Alibu with him, and he tried to persuade Tangku Wuye to surrender.

If this Jin general could surrender, the effect and significance would be even greater.

At the same time, he also brought Wanyan Ping and Li Qinglu.

If “first courtesy” doesn’t work, he’ll use his cannons to fire!

Of course his two good students would bear witness to this!
(End of this chapter)