Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 152: Pretending to be Merciful
While the loyal and righteous army was united, Pushandharma and others had already returned to Linyi in a mess.

In order to avoid the collapse of the remaining Jin army in Linyi City, these defeated soldiers did not even dare to enter the city of Linyi, which was under martial law. Instead, they went directly to Cangcheng, located in the southeast of Linyi, at the intersection of Yishui and Junhe Rivers.

It's funny to say that even though this group of people abandoned each other, in the end, they still successfully met up in the northeast of Feixian County.

This was not surprising, they were too tired and too frustrated, and the most fundamental reason was that there was Mengshan on both sides and only one main road that could pass the army. The troops were not far apart and would naturally encounter each other.

But no one blamed each other, and no one held each other accountable, because everyone was extremely tired and would rather walk a few more steps with the energy.

Especially the Jurchen cavalry, they were fast and mobile cavalry, and did not carry too much baggage. After the rations they carried were eaten, the horses could still nibble on grass to temporarily satisfy their hunger, but people really couldn't stand it.

Even though He Boqiu distributed some rations to them, there was still some horse meat in the meal just after they left Mengshan Pass.

After leaving the Mengshan Pass, the environment became wider and a large number of desertions immediately occurred in the army.

Not to mention the Jurchen cavalry who were completely at a loss, even some of the farmers in Hejiazhuang, who had a strong sense of cohesion, deserted because they were worried about their families.

These people cannot be killed, and cannot be persuaded, so we can only let them go.

This Yizhou army with a complex composition entered Cangcheng, had a hearty meal, and counted the number of people. They found that there were less than 500 people left in the two Jurchen cavalry units, more than 100 armored cavalry of Pushandamo, and the farmers of He Boqiu were relatively well preserved, with about 1,500 people.

Those casualties were not necessarily all dead, but some were stragglers, some were injured, and some were deserters. But in any case, it would be difficult for these people to voluntarily return to the team and form combat effectiveness within a few days.

"Alang, I deserve to die! I'm useless!" A one-armed old man was holding a swaddling baby. The baby in the swaddling baby had a pale gray face and had obviously been dead for a long time.

Shuhu Ali stretched out his hand and wanted to take the swaddling clothes, but the moment he touched it, he pulled back as if he had been electrocuted.

"That night, when we heard that Zhang Chou from the north had died, we knew things were going to get bad, so we immediately mobilized our men to defend the village, but... wow wow wow... but who would have thought that before the Song army arrived, the Han slaves in the village would start making trouble first."

The old man burst into tears in front of Shuhu Ali and recounted the specific scene of the night when the man rioted.

"First, Cheng Chuibing said the food we sent wasn't enough, but hasn't it been just two handfuls of old rice and half a bowl of dried vegetables every day for so many years?
The young master thought he was causing trouble for no reason and scolded him. Who knew that maybe Song Gou had come, and Cheng Chuibing felt that he had support and dared to talk back. The young master whipped him a few times and hung him up as a punishment.

In the evening, Cheng Chuibing's son, the riding slave Cheng Daniao, actually let his father down. It would have been fine if he had just let his father down, but he insisted that it was the young master who killed Cheng Chuibing. This was so unreasonable!
It was originally just a tearing motion, but Cheng Da Niao actually hid a sharp wrist-cutting knife... Wuwuwu... Young Master didn't react in time, actually..."

The old man burst into tears again.

Including Pushandama, He Boqiu and others, everyone just listened in silence with a tired look.

The old man sobbed for a moment and then continued, "After Cheng Da Niao stabbed the young master to death, I don't know how, but all of a sudden, the Han slaves rebelled. They killed any Jurchens they saw, regardless of gender, age or status, and even blocked the roads to kill them.

The Second Master, the Third Master, and several other young men and women were trapped in the main courtyard. I only had time to crawl through the dog hole to rescue the Ninth Young Master when a huge fire broke out in the main courtyard... They... they all didn't escape..."

"I originally wanted to seek refuge in another village, but all the Han slaves there had rebelled! They were killing people everywhere, anyone with a braid. I... I had no choice but to carry Jiu Lang Jun across the river to Linyi. But Jiu Lang Jun was not only frightened, but also caught a cold. He fell ill and had a high fever...

I...I...wuwuwu..."

The one-armed old man burst into tears again.

Shuhu Ali sat cross-legged on the ground, looking down, not knowing what he was thinking. When he looked up again, his face was already covered with tears: "No descendants... Ah!!! No descendants!!! Governor, I really shouldn't have abandoned you. I really have no descendants!!!"

Amid Shuhu Ali's wolf-like howling, all the Jurchens present were sobbing softly, but some still shouted and cursed, wanting to fight the Han slaves. Some of them were even more violent and simply cut their foreheads, letting the blood flow all over their faces, vowing that they would not be human beings if they did not avenge this.

He Boqiu looked at this scene tiredly, and he felt strange from the bottom of his heart.

Do these Jurchens really not know why the Han people insist on exterminating their entire families?

Don’t they really know that two handfuls of old rice and some wild vegetables are really not enough to fill your stomach?

Did they really not know that the man would be hanged and that the son was to avenge his father?
Why do you have to act like you've suffered a great injustice?
Aren’t all these things yourselves the fault of you Jurchens?

He Boqiu couldn't help but look up at the sky again.

This was a habit he developed after the death of his two Ponzi brothers. He himself had never thought about why he developed this habit.

But at this time, this wealthy man from Yishui finally understood.

He was watching to see if there was divine will, he was watching to see to what extent the evil God could tear people apart, he was watching to see if there was retribution from heaven, if there was a cycle of cause and effect.

He was hoping that if there was a spirit in heaven, he could give him a clear future so that he could escape from the brutal Jin Kingdom and the filthy Song Kingdom.
The sky is silent.

He Boqiu could only withdraw his gaze in disappointment and return to the world.

Pushandharma sat in the main seat, his upper body naked and his eyes closed, allowing Lady Wang to treat the wound under his ribs.

Although Liu Huai's attack failed to break the armor, it did fracture Pushandarmo's ribs, which were now red and swollen, and he could not even use his arms.

After the Jurchens' clamor faded into sobbing, Pushandarmo asked Liu Fen, the magistrate standing nearby, "Have the young men in Linyi been mobilized?"

Liu Fen quickly bowed, "We've mobilized approximately four thousand strong men. While they can't fight outside the city, they're more than enough to defend it. While we may not have enough rolling logs and rocks, we certainly have enough for the cauldrons of boiling gold."

Gold juice is manure. Boil it and pour it under the city walls. It can deal a double blow to the attackers' bodies and minds. Furthermore, the materials are easy to obtain and the damage is astonishing. Wang Xiongyi, with the red whip marks still visible on his face, said, "Prefect, we can't defend Linyi. Cangcheng is east of Linyi. If the Song dogs attack, Cangcheng will bear the brunt of the attack. And it's too late to transport supplies from Cangcheng."

Pushandama's face twitched. For the first time, he felt that Cangcheng was too close to Yishui.

But there is no other way around it, because the Yishui channel is used for the convenience of transporting materials. If the warehouse city is set up deep in the mountains, wouldn’t that be like taking off your pants to fart?
The others also knew that the supplies in the warehouse were of great importance and were related to the southern expedition to the Song Dynasty, so no one dared to give up.

But there is no way to defend Cangcheng. This place was not built for a military decisive battle. In order to facilitate the transportation of supplies, Cangcheng not only has many city gates, but the city walls are not built very high. It is okay to defend against ordinary thieves, but it is difficult to defend against the siege of a regular army.

Pushandarmo thought for a moment, then said helplessly: "What do you all think? Tell us."

Liu Fen opened his mouth, as if he wanted to talk about some military strategies, but when he saw the room full of defeated soldiers, he was finally speechless.

After a long silence, Wang Xiongyi finally spoke: "At this point, we have to count our costs. We still have 1,500 provincial infantrymen who have not been deployed in Linyi City, 500 cavalrymen in total, and 1,500 farmers under Mr. He Sanye.

The loyal and righteous army facing us has about 6,000 people, and we cannot compete with them.

The best thing for our army to do is to burn down Cangcheng, leaving not a single bowstring for the Song dogs, and then hold Linyi City and wait for help.

As long as Linyi City still exists, the Yishui channel will not be cut off."

Everyone was still tired, but they all looked at Wang Xiongyi with strange eyes.

Of course, this is naturally the safest way. With thousands of people defending the fortified city of Linyi together, it will be no problem to hold out for one or two months.

But the key point is that although the Yishui channel will not be cut off, the future and even life of your prefect will be cut off.

Burning Cangcheng, are you crazy?

Wang Xiongyi saw Pushandamo slowly shaking his head, which was also within his expectations: "Prefect, since this is the case, then bring out everyone you can and set up defenses along the Yishui River. If Song Gou tries to cross the river, we will attack him halfway across.

"Everyone, you must understand that while Cangcheng cannot be abandoned, it cannot be defended either. Either we are forced to the gates of Cangcheng by the Song dogs and have to fight with our backs to the city. Or we must proactively prepare at Yishui. In any case, attacking them halfway across the river is much simpler than fighting them in formation."

Wang Xiongyi said with a wry smile: "Besides, we really need to win a battle in front of the people of Linyi to boost morale."

He Boqiu finally spoke up: "Don't count me when you calculate the military strength. My farm is already unstable."

Jia Gushou shouted angrily: "How is it better than us Jurchens? We have lost all our families! Your Hejiazhuang is still doing well! I..."

As he spoke, Jia Gu Shou was already gritting his teeth.

He Boqiu responded coldly, "If your manor still exists, mine is gone. Then the farmers of Hejiazhuang will be like soldiers in distress, and will naturally fight to the death. And you will be like me right now, with weeds growing inside, unable to move forward or backward."

"you!"

Jia Gushou was about to rebuke him, but Pushandama said, "He Sanlang, I was wrong about this matter. I apologize to you."

When these words came out, everyone was stunned. Even He Boqiu was stunned for a moment: "You are too kind, sir."

He also thought that Pushandharma was apologizing for abandoning him on the banks of the Anzi River.

Pushan Damo shook his head. "He Sanlang, I truly regret this. Your Majesty once said that the Jurchens and Han Chinese are one family. My brother, Wuzhe (Pusan Zhongyi), also said that everything in Han territory is inseparable from the Han Chinese. Yet, I focused solely on the Jurchens' Meng'an Moukes, winning over some Han Chinese magnates like you. I became complacent, thinking I had learned from your Majesty and your brother's wisdom. Little did I know..."

At this point, Pushandarmo sighed, "You don't realize that the Han people are also our own people.

If I had been careful and sensible, and had paid enough money and food when conscripting labor, wouldn't Zhang Chou have felt more confident and not been so overwhelmed by the tug-of-war between the upper and lower levels?
If I can be fair and just, and prevent the Han people in the Jurchen villages from becoming slaves who can be beaten and killed at will, will the Han people not rebel?"

"He Sanlang, I was wrong, and I really know it. I hope He Sanlang can help me."

After these words were spoken, not only Jia Gu Shou and Shu Hu Ali were dejected, but even confidants like Wang Xiongyi's eyes flickered.

He Boqiu opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "Does the Emperor of the Great Jin really pity the Han people?" If so, why did he just say so, but instead relocated so many Meng'an Mouke households inland and seized the Han people's land?

Doesn't he know how many Han people have been displaced by this action alone?

Building the Nanjing Palace, conquering the Song Dynasty in the south, and even delaying the farming season to transport supplies to this warehouse city, how can this prove that your Jurchen emperor values the Han people?
But at this time, Pushandamo admitted his mistake so sincerely that He Boqiu was silent for a moment and then sighed: "With the prefect's words, I can guarantee that I can hold them for five days. If after five days, we still can't make any progress on the west bank of Yishui, then it will be difficult to say.

Governor, you must know that Hejiazhuang is on the east bank of the Yishui River."

Wang Xiongyi interjected, "Within five days, Song's scouts will be everywhere. It's impossible for them not to discover our two thousand men and see how desperate we are. The Song won't give us a break. I estimate they'll cross the river and attack us in the next two days."

Pushandama nodded silently. He first glanced at Madam Wang, then at Liu Fen. Seeing that they were both silent, he said to Wang Xiongyi, "We can defend Cangcheng if we can, but we have to make some preparations. Go and get some people and prepare fuel..."

After saying this, Pushandarmo felt a little regretful. It seemed that his words were a little cowardly, but seeing that the people in front of him all looked normal, he put it out of his mind.

"Rest well today, Liu Dapan. The mobilization of troops and supplies today depends entirely on you."

(End of this chapter)