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

Chapter 207: Loyalty and Treachery

On August 30, when Wendun Hunyu led five cavalrymen through Luogu Mountain on the northernmost side of Yishui County and arrived at this small plain area, he was almost instantly shocked by the situation before him.

It's so desolate.

Although there were farmhouses, fields, and cities, there was almost no one there, and the houses along the way were empty.

This is the heart of the Central Plains. Even if the refugees ran away, could they run to this extent?
"Tell the Commander-in-Chief that something is wrong." Wen Dunhunyu turned around and said to the military envoy, "Hui Lancheng, take your Mouke and spread out to explore the area. First, find out what's going on in Yishui County."

"General!"

Wen Dunhunyu was about to give more orders when he saw a scout coming back with a wooden barrel in his hand.

"General, we've found the three missing military envoys from Meng'an! They're hanging on a tree beside the official road." The scout handed over the wooden barrel with both hands. "Only their heads are left."

Wen Dunhunyu frowned and looked, only to see three human heads pickled in lime lying quietly in the barrel.

Hui Lancheng was shocked and angry: "This must be the bandits demonstrating to our army. What a bold son of a bitch! How dare they bare their teeth at us!"

Wen Dunhunyu glanced at Lan Cheng and said, "They're not just showing their teeth."

"Come back!" Wen Dunhunyu called back the envoy who had just mounted his horse. "Tell the commander-in-chief that Tu Shanzhang might be dead. There might be an ambush of bandits in Yishui County. Tell the commander-in-chief to prepare early!"

Before the other marching officers could react and figure out what Wendun Hunyu's guess meant, they saw Wendun Hunyu wave his hand.

Hui Lancheng led his troops to charge forward suddenly, and the other four teams of 100 people scattered, forming units of ten people and moving forward like a big net.

Wen Dunhunyu was surrounded by his personal guards. As he moved forward, he squinted his eyes and looked left and right, looking for places where the enemy might be ambushing.

The first thing he noticed was the extremely large manor.

This must be the manor of Zhu Laosan who defected to the Wuxing Army that Tu Danzhang mentioned when he was still able to send letters.

what do you say that is?

Dazhuzhuang?
Wen Dunhunyu thought so and tilted his head towards the guard beside him.

The guards understood and rode to the gate of Dazhu Manor, shouting, "Listen up, you bunch of Han slaves! We are now in the presence of General Wendun, the second general of the Wuxing Army. The general is kind and will give you three seconds to open the gate and let the manager out.

After three seconds, the army attacked, leaving no one alive!"

The threatening words had just been spoken for the second time when the gate was already opened. One of the men cried with snot and tears mixed together, and rushed out of the gate, crawling and rolling.

Originally, this man wanted to grab Wen Dunhunyu's horse legs, but how could the Jurchen cavalry let him, a man who was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe, get close to their general? They crossed their spears early and stopped him five steps away.

The man hugged his spear and burst into tears, "General Wendun!!! I, Zhu San, have finally had you here!"

Wen Dunhunyu looked the man in front of him up and down. "Zhu San? Zhu Tianshou? Are you the kind person Tu Shanzhang mentioned in the military intelligence?"

Zhu Tianshou kowtowed heavily, and soon the tears and snot on his face mixed with the yellow earth on the ground, making his whole face look like a big tabby cat.

"General Tushan...ahhh...General Tushan..." Zhu Tianshou burst into tears, as if he was extremely sad just hearing this name.

Wen Dunhunyu took the spear from the victory hook, swung it lightly, and knocked Zhu Tianshou's hat off, causing his hair to fly down.

Zhu Tianshou covered his hair and his crying stopped suddenly.

Wen Dunhunyu responded coldly, "Don't be hypocritical. Just answer what I ask you. Don't exaggerate. Do you understand? Where is Tu Danzhang? Where is he? Where are his troops?"

Zhu Tianshou stopped crying and answered honestly, "Three days ago, General Tushan led his army in a decisive battle with the loyal and righteous bandits. We were defeated in the south and our entire army was annihilated. Not a single corpse was left."

Wen Dunhunyu's expression remained unchanged: "So has Yishui County now fallen into the hands of the loyal thieves?"

Zhu Tianshou shook his head: "No, no, Yishui County has not fallen."

Wen Dunhunyu's expression turned grim at this point. "So, have all the people in the county been relocated by the Loyal Bandits? Are they still holding out in the south?"

Zhu Tianshou hadn't expected the person in front of him to be so perceptive, so he could only nod repeatedly: "Yes, yes..."

Wen Dunhunyu continued, "Is the place where the loyal bandits are stationed near Yinan Town?"

Zhu Tianshou could only continue to nod: "Indeed, two or three miles north of Yinan Town is the mountain pass where the hills are gently sloping."

Every time Wen Dunhun Yu asked a question, a personal guard would lead several cavalrymen to ride away. In the end, there were only seven or eight personal guards left by Wen Dunhun Yu's side.

By this time, Wen Dun Hunyu had almost figured out the cause and effect.

Because he was not asking about the process of what happened, but only about the current result. The result is reality and can be seen with one's own eyes. Even if Zhu Tianshou wanted to lie, the scouts could find out at a glance.

Watching his trusted general leading his troops around the county town and heading north towards Zhuangzi, Wen Dunhunyu turned around, supported Zhu Tianshou's chin with the tip of his gun, and lifted his face up.

"Zhu San, Tu Danzhang praised you more than once in his letters. Now he's dead, but you're still alive. Regardless, your status as landlord is your responsibility." Wen Dunhunyu said calmly, "Now, if you still have anything you can't get rid of, hand it over. If you don't do it right, I'll skin you alive."

Although the tone was soothing, the meaning of the words was indeed extremely fierce.

Zhu Tianshou shuddered all over and quickly took out the letter from his arms.

Originally, he wanted to wait until he met Meng Tian, the commander-in-chief of the Wuxing Army, before taking it out in public so that Meng Tian could recognize his achievements. But now it seems that the second general of the Wuxing Army in front of him is not easy to fool. If he doesn't take it out, he might be beaten to death on the spot.

A personal guard dismounted, took the letter, and presented it to his commander with both hands.

Wen Dunhunyu checked the ink and envelope carefully. After seeing that it was indeed Tudan Zhang's seal, he tore open the envelope, scanned it from top to bottom, and said with a sneer, "Zhu San, do you know what is written in this letter?"

Zhu Tianshou answered honestly, "I didn't dare to read the specific content, but when the military clerk wrote down the order while Tushan Taiwei dictated it, I listened. He said that I was a good family and asked me to replace that guy Dapingzheng as the county magistrate."

Wen Dunhunyu shook his head. "Tu Danzhang lied to you. The letter actually said that he acted according to your plan. If he lives, he will report your achievements. If he dies, it must be you who reported to that loyal thief, instructing the commander-in-chief to kill your entire family to avenge him."

Zhu Tianshou knelt down again, and under the gaze of the surrounding Jin cavalry, he trembled like a sieve.

(End of this chapter)