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

Chapter 614 The landscape is like a painting, how many heroes have emerged in this era?

Even though Tudan Kening is 42 years old this year, he was still furious after hearing Geng Jing's foul language.

Tudan Kening was born into the Tudan tribe of the Jurchen people. He was a natural-born Jurchen nobleman. When he was a teenager, he was recommended by Wanyan Xiyin to become a seal-bearer, in charge of various seals.

Although he was of Jurchen origin, the Jin dynasty had already risen to power during the years he grew up, so he had very little of the rough and uncultured air about him. In addition, Tudan Kening's maternal uncle was Wanyan Xiyin, a pioneer of the Sinicization of the Jurchens, so he naturally had learned scholars among his friends and no commoners among his acquaintances.

At that time, the emperor of the Jin Dynasty was Emperor Xizong Wanyan Dan, and Empress Pei Man was extremely powerful. However, Tudan Kening dared to beat up the empress's younger brother, Pei Man Hutu, and even made Empress Pei Man swallow this humiliation, which shows that he had a powerful background.

Wanyan Liang had always disliked Tudan Kening's elder brother, Tudan Pujia. After he usurped the throne, he directly executed Tudan Pujia, who was then the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan.

Given this relationship, it's no surprise that Tudan Kening wouldn't be entrusted with important tasks during Wanyan Liang's era; he would either be stuck in the snow on Hesuguan Road or in the sand on Huligai Road.

However, it was even more natural that after Wanyan Yong ascended the throne, based on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Tudan Kening was immediately given an important position.

History took a turn here.

In the original history, Tudan Kening should have been in Liaodong at this time, working with Heshilie Zhining and Pusan ​​Zhongyi to deal with Yelü Wowo.

After quelling the Khitan rebellion, Tudan Kening, a man skilled in both literature and military affairs, quickly became the Jin dynasty's troubleshooter, arguably the best free agent.

Tudan Hexi was on the verge of collapse in Guanzhong due to Wu Lin's attacks and sought help from Wanyan Yong. Wanyan Yong believed that Tudan Kening was worth ten thousand men, so he gave Tudan Kening only a small number of troops and stationed him in Pingliang. Within a few months, he had completely pacified the surrounding area.

After the Shandong rebels were divided and wiped out, Tudan Kening came to Shandong again, serving as the Prefect of Yidu and concurrently the Commander-in-Chief of the Shandong Road Army. He immediately put an end to the chaos in Shandong.

Tudan Kening was also on Liu Huai's radar.

Historically, Wei Sheng died at the hands of this man during the Song-Jin War following the Longxing Northern Expedition.

Of course, due to the time traveler's alteration of history, Tudan Kening did not have time to participate in suppressing the Khitan uprising. His first mission was to follow Heshi Lieliangbi to Shandong to quell the chaos.

Both of them were key members of the Jin Dynasty's founding Western Route Army, and they worked together quite well.

As in history, Wanyan Yong had a blind trust in Tudan Kening, only giving him a few dozen personal guards, who were of no use in the battles involving tens of thousands of people.

Moreover, Heshilie Liangbi was essentially a larger version of Tudankening, and he was both in name and in reality. Therefore, Tudankening spent most of his time as a deputy and had no opportunity to use his abilities.

At this moment, Tudan Kening was finally able to take to the field. Although it was only a small-scale battle, it still made him extremely excited.

In small-scale conflicts, especially in the fierce fighting between heavy cavalry, the role of a valiant general is extremely important. This was the case when Geng Jing was advancing with unstoppable momentum, and it was also the case when Tudan Kening stopped Geng Jing, causing the entire Taiping Army's armored cavalry that had charged into the formation to be completely halted.

Geng Jing and Tudan Kening exchanged blows with swords and spears, exchanging a few moves on horseback. Then, the soldiers on both sides began fighting each other, and the battle quickly descended into chaos. Geng Jing took advantage of the confusion to escape the battle.

After recovering, Geng Jing did not attempt to surround and kill Tu Dankening. Instead, he laughed a few times and then turned his horse to charge in other directions.

After killing several Taiping knights who were blocking his way, Tudankening immediately led his armored cavalry in pursuit.

But he soon discovered that Geng Jing had not abandoned the decapitation tactic, but had simply changed his approach.

The Taiping cavalry charged towards the Jin infantry, quickly tearing the already unstable Jin formation to shreds. Even though the Shenwei Army's discipline and combat strength were still decent, the chaos tonight was too much for the Jin generals to maintain order. Once the Jin army was in disarray and collapsed, the officers were unable to gather the fleeing soldiers.

Even the Jin army officers themselves became part of the routed soldiers.

This was still the relatively well-defended central position. Further back and forth, the Jin army, while still maintaining their marching ranks, encountered the onslaught of fleeing soldiers. They couldn't even regroup and scattered in all directions in a confused manner.

Tudan Kening was anxious. He still had several dozen elite cavalrymen under his command, enough to compete with Geng Jing, but he couldn't catch up with Geng Jing at all.

Geng Jing could run rampant in the Jin army's ranks, but he couldn't do the same. As a result, even though Geng Jing was clearly the one on the front lines, Tudan Kening was always a step behind Geng Jing and couldn't even catch Geng Jing's tail.

If this continues, the three Meng'an troops will be completely and utterly defeated under the onslaught of Geng Jing's hundred or so men.

However, Tudankening was quick-witted. After sending Geng Jing into the infantry formation again, only to arrive a step too late, he simply reined in his horse, took off his helmet, and looked at the surrounding situation.

Soon, Tudankening pointed to the shadows several hundred paces behind him: "What's that?"

One of the guards took a look and then said, "It should be the dock of Pingde Town. This town is on the Beiqing River, and there are quite a few ships and goods coming and going..."

Tudan Kening nodded and said, "Take ten men with you and take as many people as you can along the way. Tell them that I will make all the decisions. Let them burn and kill in the town as they please. Just set the docks on fire!"

"Here!"

After giving the order, Tudan Kening continued his pursuit of Geng Jing without pause.

The Jin army acted swiftly. It should be said that most armies of that era, regardless of their fighting ability, were certainly adept at looting.

If we can't beat the regular army, can't we at least beat the common people?

Upon receiving official military orders, the Jin army swiftly sprang into action, and the routed soldiers also joined in the feast of burning, killing, and looting.

Perhaps because there was still a lot of oil and straw stored at the dock, a few torches were thrown out, and the flames quickly rose and spread into the town.

Amidst countless gasps and cries of alarm, the once bustling town of Pingde gradually transformed into a giant torch.

Regardless of whether Tu Dankening's move was too underhanded, the fact remains that it was surprisingly effective.

The Jin army was already in a situation where soldiers couldn't find their generals and generals couldn't find their soldiers. Now, with such a bright light source, the Jin generals who wanted to rally their troops found a way to do so. Many of their strategists simply waved their flags in the firelight to stop the fleeing soldiers.

On the other side, the Wu'an Army had already discovered the chaos ahead, but they hadn't expected it to be so chaotic that even the military commander couldn't find the main culprit.

After receiving the military envoy's report but still not knowing the exact number of people involved in the night raid, Gao Jingshan felt he could not stand idly by and watch Heshi Lieliangbi perish. He then sent Gao Anren with five strategists to provide support.

When Gao Anren arrived near the central army, he was somewhat surprised to see such a chaotic situation. However, he did not rush in but instead stood on the periphery, looking for an opportunity.

this is correct.

Geng Jing and Tudan Kening were chasing and fleeing through the Jin army's ranks, already throwing the entire Jin army formation into chaos. If these five strategists were to get involved as well, the army would have no chance of restoring order tonight.

After Pingde Town was set ablaze, Gao Anren finally managed to make sense of the battlefield by the firelight.

Just as he was about to give the order, he heard a shout from his side: "General Gao! Wait a minute!"

Wen Dunqi arrived with several dozen cavalrymen: "General Gao, the most urgent task now is not to kill the bandits, but to help the army restore order!"

Gao Anren didn't answer, but frowned and asked, "General Wendun, why aren't you leading the troops here?"

Wen Dunqi was momentarily speechless.

He can't exactly say that he wanted to sit back and watch the outcome, and only step in to do something now that the result is pretty much decided, can he?

Therefore, Wen Dunqizhi could only shake his head helplessly and pointed to the army that was still in chaos: "General Gao, in the current situation, I can't even find my own banner, let alone organize troops. Just now I could only gather the defeated soldiers on the outside."

Gao Anren nodded in understanding, then his tone became sincere: "General Wendun, what do you want to teach me?"

Wen Dunqizhi repeatedly said he dared not, and then pointed to Heshilie's banner: "General Gao, although the enemy is rampant at this time, they are exhausted from a long battle. As long as we can gather a few hundred infantry and a few hundred cavalry, we can lock down the enemy."

Now we should join forces, arrange our cavalry in a large horizontal line, and press forward to consolidate our strength!

Gao Anren thought for a moment and immediately nodded: "Okay!"

After saying this, the more than four hundred cavalrymen, under the command of their officers, barely managed to form a huge horizontal formation and slowly advanced.

The Jin cavalry had not undergone wall charge training, but their horsemanship was superb. As they advanced slowly, their horizontal formation, though somewhat crooked, was still quite orderly.

The originally chaotic Jin army finally began to be organized under the combined effect of fire and the pressure of cavalry.

Most of the Jin army left the battlefield, while a small portion converged on Heshilie's banner and formed a solid formation on the spot.

As the Jin army was organized, Geng Jing's room for maneuver decreased dramatically.

But Geng Jing showed no sign of retreating. Leading his dwindling personal guards, he charged left and right, feigning a breakout to the northeast. After drawing the attention of over a hundred Jin soldiers to the outer perimeter, he turned and charged once more towards Heshilie's banner. "Jin traitors! Your Grandpa Geng is here!"

"Geng the traitor!" Once the Jin army became orderly, Tudan Kening finally ended his extremely frustrating journey of being eaten in the dust and, with a dozen or so personal guards, blocked Geng Jing's path.

Seeing this, Gao Anren quickly changed his formation and led more than a dozen personal guards to attack from the rear.

Under the combined attack of two fierce generals, Geng Jing gradually lost his strength. His personal guards dwindled, and his wounds multiplied, forcing him to retreat northwards towards Qinghe.

By the time the first light of dawn appeared in the east, Geng Jing had been completely forced back to the banks of the Beiqing River, and he was all alone. Nearly two hundred of the Tianping Army's personal guards had been completely swallowed up by the Jin army's massive formation.

Geng Jing's warhorse had also been shot dead. He stood on the mudflats of the Beiqing River, sweat and blood mingling and rolling down his forehead, causing a burning pain as they passed over the wounds on his cheeks.

He held his long sword and looked at the Jin soldiers who were gradually surrounding him. He wanted to burst into laughter, but because of his heavy breathing, he could only make a few strange gurgling sounds.

After a few heavy breaths, Geng Jing raised his nicked longsword, took a deep breath of the chilly morning air, and roared, "Come on! Jin traitors! Come on!"

"You scoundrel Geng! Today I will..." With that, Tudan Kening spurred his horse forward, thrusting his eighteen-foot steel spear, intending to knock Geng Jing to the spearhead in one move.

Tudankening was also panting heavily, but not just from exhaustion; he was burning with rage and extremely angry.

What kind of battle was this that lasted all night?

The three Meng'an soldiers were disturbed by more than a hundred cavalry, and Tudan Kening was walked around like a dog for half the night. How could this general in his prime not be angry?

Upon seeing this, Geng Jing grinned and laughed, a hint of peasant cunning in his eyes.

He first took two steps back until his feet felt soft, then he stood firm and waited quietly for Tudankening to charge at him.

The warhorse felt the soft ground beneath its feet and slowed down on its own without its master's command.

Only after feeling his warhorse slow down did Tudan Kening realize something was wrong. Just as he was about to adjust his stance with his spear, Geng Jing suddenly charged forward, his long, saw-like blade slashing fiercely at the horse's leg.

The warhorse crashed to the ground, and at the last second, Tudan Kening kicked off the stirrups and used his eighteen-foot steel spear to barely steady himself on the ground. Before he could even catch his breath, a long sword full of nicks and chips suddenly loomed larger in his field of vision.

Tudan Kening was terrified and quickly raised his steel spear to block the attack. However, due to the incorrect force, he staggered back two steps, his boots sank into the mud, and he fell to the ground.

Geng Jing laughed loudly and swung his long sword, like a demon god descending to earth, slashing down on someone's head.

"when!"

The blow ultimately missed Tudan Kening; it was blocked by another longsword.

Gao Anren stepped forward, bracing his arms and his eyes bloodshot as he received the attack: "General Tudan! Rise! Drink!"

After a loud shout, Gao Anren raised his long sword, intending to push Geng Jing away.

At this moment, three Jin army guards who had broken away rushed up on foot, trying to rescue their commander.

Using the force of Gao Anren's upward slash with his longsword, Geng Jing twisted his body, turned around, and came to Gao Anren's side. He first used the hilt of his longsword to smash Gao Anren's back, causing him to stagger. Then, he raised the tip of his longsword high and swung it forcefully.

"mob!"

Amidst Geng Jing's furious shouts, three Jin soldiers who had not lowered their helmets to protect their necks suffered heavy losses.

The two were beheaded, and the third was swung at the shoulder with a long sword and sent flying.

Taking advantage of the time that his guards had desperately bought, Gao Anren bent down and pulled Tudan Kening to a safe place. The Jin soldiers who had surrounded them were also extremely shocked. For a moment, they looked at each other and dared not go forward.

Tu Dankening stood up, still somewhat shaken, gripping his eighteen-foot steel spear: "After fighting all night, I've exhausted a lot of my strength. How can this guy still fight?"

Gao Anren leaned his long sword on the ground, looking at Geng Jing, who was fighting like a cornered beast, and sighed, "This is just like the Hegemon-King of Chu reborn. When Emperor Gaozu saw the Hegemon-King of Chu break through the Han army's formation with only twenty-eight riders, it must have been a similar scene."

Tudan Kening finally broke free from his anger and shame, and his mind gradually calmed down: "Gather the archers! He wants to show off his tyranny, but I won't let him succeed!"

"Wait a minute." Gao Anren waved his hand to stop him: "General Tudan, now that we've cornered Geng, the Left Chancellor should make the final decision!"

After pondering for a moment, Tudankening nodded resentfully.

However, a short while later, Heshi Lieliangbi arrived at the place in the morning light. He did not waste any words, but directly sent people to persuade him to surrender.

Geng Jing looked at the layers upon layers of the Jin army formation, chuckled softly twice, and then responded loudly.

"Geng Jing! A man from Shandong! I will not become a general who surrenders!"

The sound shook the surrounding area, causing not only the Jin army, who were closing in with bows, crossbows, and spears, to pause in their tracks, but also causing Tudan Kening and Gao Anren's expressions to change once again.

As if he had expected this, Heshi Lieliangbi nodded and said, "In that case, cut off the head of the traitor Geng."

Heshi Lieliangbi's voice wasn't loud, and only a few people nearby could hear it. However, Geng Jing seemed to hear him as well, and loudly responded: "You Jurchen traitors! You want to capture me! Dream on! Hahahaha!"

Amidst laughter, Geng Jing, clad in heavy armor and bearing numerous wounds, slowly turned and walked towards the Beiqing River, surrounded by the Jin army.

No one stopped him, and no one cursed him. In the entire world, it seemed that only Geng Jing's figure remained, and only his singing voice was heard.

It is:

"The great river flows eastward, its waves sweeping away countless heroes of the past."

West of the old fortress, people say, lies the Red Cliff of Zhou Yu of the Three Kingdoms period.

Jagged rocks pierce the sky, and surging waves crash against the shore, churning up thousands of piles of snow.

The landscape is like a painting, and countless heroes have emerged from it.

Thinking back to Gong Jin's time, Xiao Qiao had just married him.

He was a man of great stature and heroic bearing, wielding a feather fan and wearing a silk turban.

While talking and laughing, the boats and oars disappeared into ashes.

My thoughts wander to my homeland; those who are sentimental should laugh at me, for my hair has turned white so early…

As the song ended, Geng Jing had already stepped into the depths of the Beiqing River. A wave crashed in and swept him into the river, where he disappeared after only a few bubbles appeared.

Geng Jing died in battle at the age of forty-one.

In the silence, Heshi Lieliangbi continued to hum: "Life is like a dream, let us offer a cup to the moon over the river."

Then, gazing at the rosy dawn and the golden-red hues covering the Beiqing River, he sighed softly, "Truly, the landscape is like a painting, and how many heroes have emerged in this era."

The trusted clerk, not having heard clearly, stepped forward and asked, "What are your orders, Left Chancellor?"

Heshi Lieliangbi broke free from his inexplicable emotions and repeatedly ordered, "Summon the naval commander to come and receive my orders."

"Send an order to Gao Jingshan to stop on the spot and reorganize his troops."

"Send the captured Geng bandit banner, drums, and all the heads to Xiao Qi, and have him push those powerful figures from Dongping Prefecture without stopping for a moment, so that the Tianping Army can be completely wiped out."

Having said this, Heshi Lieliangbi sighed, his brow furrowed with unspeakable sorrow. But instead of looking towards the northeast where the Taiping army had fled, he reined in his horse, turned around, and looked south.

The trusted clerk could see clearly that that direction should be towards Dongping Prefecture.

Is there still some trouble in Dongping Prefecture?

(End of this chapter)