You have truly caused me great suffering!

The sound of arrows whistling through the air was like a knife cutting across the mountains.

Wanyan Xiyin was unwilling, but he could only flee for his life.

He knew he was finished.

He shattered the Jurchen Jin dynasty's grand dream of rising to power during the Spring and Autumn period.

The Jurchen Tartars, who always valued their horses, not only discarded all the armor on their Liaodong horses, but also their own leather armor.

They even threw away most of their weapons, just to escape as quickly as possible.

Ali Hai, the trusted commander of the Moke who was protecting Xi Yin, was killed halfway there.

More than half of the personal guards were killed or wounded.

Wanyan Xiyin had never been so embarrassed. He even briefly thought of someone on horseback: Yelü Yanxi, who was imprisoned in Huining Prefecture.

He used to look down on this person, but now his mindset is different. He's actually thinking that Yelü Yanxi must have felt the same way when he was being pursued.
But he managed to keep running, refusing to surrender even at the cost of his life, and never gave up; he even considered launching a counterattack.

I didn't take this seriously before, and whenever it came up, it was mostly met with ridicule and mockery.

Only when he himself fell to this point did he realize that it also required courage and perseverance.

Before they even reached Yizhou, they saw that the area was in chaos and raging fires everywhere.

Wanyan Xiyin immediately judged that it was Guo Yaoshi who was causing trouble. He gritted his teeth and ordered his troops to cross the two prefectures of Zhuo and Yi and head straight for Yanjing City.

Zhuozhou and Yizhou have been Guo Yaoshi's territory since the time of Yelü Chun.

Wanyan Xiyin dared not take any risks and headed straight for Yanjing City.

He abandoned almost all of his troops, as well as the mountain of supplies piled up on Wuhui Ridge.

This time, he was unlikely to escape death unless he could redeem himself. Xi Yin, the Jurchen Tartar with a heart as hard as iron, suddenly had large tears welling up in his eyes.

I don't know why it's flowing.

Guo Yaoshi's methods in sweeping through Zhuo and Yi prefectures showed that he was definitely not acting on a whim.

The Ever Victorious Army beat drums and gongs, inciting the people, saying that the Jurchen Tartars were going to massacre the city, and that the Song people would also massacre the city if they invaded.

Those who want to live have the best option but to go with him.

This tactic worked very well. Thanks to Liu Yanqing and Tong Guan, the people here felt the same disgust and hatred for the Jurchens as they did for the Song Dynasty.

Everyone knows that the Jurchen Tartars were ruthless, but they don't know that the Song people committed atrocities in Yan (present-day Beijing) no less than the Tartars.

In the darkness, countless people hastily packed their things and prepared to flee.

Just as they were deceiving and driving away the people in Yizhou, they heard hundreds of leather drums being struck at the same time, along with the sound of horses' hooves. The drumbeats were like thunder, sweeping over them.

It seemed as if the walls of Yizhou were about to be completely flattened in the darkness of the night!

Guo Yaoshi jumped up, pressed his hand against the battlements, and stared intently at the opposite side. He saw a chaotic scene of lights outside the city, with squads of Dingnan soldiers carrying torches charging towards them.

This group is really troublesome; they chased after us before we had even completely taken over Wuhui Ridge.

Shouldn't your target be the Tartars?

Shouldn't we first completely occupy Wuhui Ridge and open up this passage between Yunzhong and Youyan?
Our Ever Victorious Army will not fight you for the two prefectures of Zhuo and Yi. We will withdraw immediately. Why can't you even give us this little bit of time?

Little did he know the Dingnan Army's thirst for military merit. They had already captured Wuhui Ridge; what merit could they possibly gain by continuing to fight there?
Opportunities abound in the land of Youyan.

Almost instantly, the Dingnan Army and the Changsheng Army clashed.

Guo Yaoshi saw countless torches being lit at the same time, illuminating Han Shizhong's banner, which fluttered in the darkness.

He sighed and immediately ordered Zhen Wuchen to cover the rear while the others continued to retreat eastward.

When the Ever Victorious Army retreated, they lit bonfires all over the mountains and plains in the area of ​​Yizhou, which was more than 30 miles away.

Although, based on the Dingnan Army's rich experience in battle, it was not impossible for them not to see that there was a feint from behind the campfire.

But they ignored this and were single-mindedly focused on capturing several large cities to secure this tangible achievement.

In the dead of night, the Dingnan Army, being less familiar with the terrain of Zhuoyi and Yizhou than the Changsheng Army, took a rather long time to cross the Lai River.

This gave Pharmacist Guo the opportunity to retreat calmly.

In fact, the Dingnan Army did not have the idea of ​​preserving its strength and letting the Changsheng Army leave.

Every enemy they saw was a moving opportunity for military merit.

Early the next morning, Dingnan soldiers entered the undefended Yizhou one after another.

In Han Shizhong and Zhu Lingling's estimation, Yizhou should be a tough nut to crack. After Wanyan Xiyin's defeat at Wuhuiling, he would most likely gather his defeated troops here to organize a counterattack.

However, they did not anticipate Guo Yaoshi's ambition.

This is tantamount to Guo Yaoshi handing over Yizhou to the authorities.
-
News of the Dingnan Army's capture of Wuhui Ridge did not spread quickly.

Hebei, which is closer to the river, received the news later than Hedong.

Because roads were impassable throughout Hebei, every place was a battlefield.

Meanwhile, in Hedong, celebrations have already begun.

The streets were bustling and lively, like during the Chinese New Year, filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Chen Shao, inside the Taiyuan Prefectural Government Office, finally received an urgent report from the front lines.

The messenger may have done it on purpose, shouting "Good news!" from afar. Chen Shao was overjoyed and suddenly felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

Like him were the officials in Hedong.

People offered their congratulations, and Chen Shao smiled, unable to contain his joy as he said to those around him, "Congratulations! This victory is all thanks to everyone's hard work and the bravery of the soldiers on the front lines."

The officials in Hedong, at least in this battle, absolutely deserve this praise.

They truly spared no effort in supporting the front lines.

The road from Fenzhou to Yanmen Pass was completed in less than six months, which was simply unimaginable during the Song Dynasty's rule over Hedong. The initial preparations alone would probably have taken six months, but the people of Hedong simply started working and then gradually made preparations.

Not a single day was wasted.

After a long period of tension, the situation suddenly became clear.

Given the current situation, the best course of action for the Tartars is to withdraw their troops quickly; otherwise, once they are surrounded, it will be difficult for them to escape.

No matter how many armies you have combined!

Moreover, even if they were to withdraw their troops, they could not do so too quickly; instead, they had to rely on the existing cities for defense.

Because the Dingnan Army was different from the Song Dynasty, which had very few cavalry, there was no way to pursue them.

Even if we win, we can only watch them retreat.

The Dingnan army's horse ownership rate was much higher than that of the Jurchens.

If you keep retreating, it could easily lead to a complete collapse, and the Dingnan army could easily catch up to your base.

Zonghan's original plan was to force the Dingnan Army into open battle on the plains, and now they may actually have that opportunity.

However, the situation was different from what he had expected. The Dingnan Army did not come out of the Taihang Mountains, but rather attacked from Youyan.

They are about to be surrounded.

The Hebei region is predominantly flat, and with the decisive battle imminent, this fierce fight is indeed relatively "fair."

Chen Shao did not feign nonchalance, but instead laughed heartily with the other officials.

They were practically ready to hold each other's shoulders and start dancing on the spot.

Fortunately, the officials in Hedong were quite cultured and did not join Chen Shao, a soldier from the Western Army, in their reckless behavior.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaochun coughed lightly, stepped forward, and said, "Gentlemen, do not be complacent. The real battle is not yet over. As the sage said, 'He who travels a hundred li is only halfway there at ninety.' There is still a tough battle ahead. It seems that this is not the time to celebrate recklessly!"

Looking at his eyebrows and eyes, Chen Shao saw that he didn't seem like someone who didn't want to celebrate, but what he said made sense.

“Yongxi is right, and his thoughts coincide with mine. We may have a few drinks tonight to celebrate, but we must not neglect our official business tomorrow.”

The officials burst into laughter, gathered together, and began discussing the upcoming battle.

Even as dusk approached and darkness fell, the festivities still lingered.

It wasn't until Chen Shao gave the order to leave that the group gradually got up and made plans to continue their conversation in small groups.

The current war is closely related to everyone's future, so it's no wonder they are so enthusiastic about it.

Back in his private quarters, Chen Shao couldn't resist sharing his joy with others.

He arrived at Li Shishi's courtyard, where the two sisters were about to have their meal. When Chen Shao lifted the curtain and came in, Chun Tao smiled and made room for him, asking him to sit between the two of them.

A maid brought over a porcelain basin and had Chen Shao wash his hands.

He didn't say anything, but grabbed Shishi's hand with one hand and looked her up and down with a smile.

"What good news is there for you, my lord?"

"We have won the battle on the front lines."

Although the two didn't quite understand, they were extremely happy. They only knew that Chen Shao had been busy with the front lines these past few days, and they didn't expect the fighting to start so soon.

Chen Shao stared intently at Shishi. She was wearing a light gray shirt. Since becoming pregnant, Shishi had grown to prefer simple clothes, but they still couldn't hide her fair and beautiful face, as well as the wonderful silhouette hidden beneath her robes.

Chen Shao gently stroked her lower abdomen, his movements very tender.

Li Shishi also gazed at him intently for a long time, her cheeks gradually turning red. Her slender almond-shaped eyes, framed by trembling eyelashes, appeared even more alluring.

Chun Tao stood to the side, pursing her lips, secretly delighted.

You've stirred up your brother-in-law's fire, but in the end, it'll be me, Xiao Chuntao, who will enjoy it. Thinking of this, she ate a few more bites of food and then picked up a cup of tea to moisten her throat.
-
Huining Prefecture.

Upon learning of the loss of Wuhui Ridge, Wanyan Wuqimai summoned Bolieji of the Jin Kingdom for an emergency meeting.

Finally, it was decided that Wanyan Zonggan, the eldest son of Emperor Taizu, would lead troops to provide rapid assistance.

He ordered Wanyan Xiyin to hold Yanjing at all costs, to distract the Dingnan Army, and to create an opportunity for the two armies to return.

He sent Wanyan Dan, the grandson of Emperor Taizu, back to his ancestral homeland to conscript Jurchen men over the age of fourteen to accompany the army south and protect their army's retreat route.

Wanyan Wugumai personally met with the Bohai and Shiwei tribes, made promises to them, and gained their support.

Emperor Wanyan Wugumai was ready to lead the Bohai troops south at any time.

Finally, an imperial edict was issued to Guo Yaoshi, pardoning all his crimes, bestowing upon him gold, silver, and jade, and urging him to stop the expansion of the Dingnan Army.

The Jin Kingdom, which was originally plagued by internal strife, suddenly united again due to the emergence of a powerful external enemy.

The Jin Dynasty was only recently established, and Wanyan Wugumai had fought alongside the old Khan Aguda to conquer the country.

They are different from the Song Dynasty.

Inside Wanyan Wuqimai's tent in Huining Prefecture, the imperial city.

At this time, Huining Prefecture was already covered in ice and snow, but his tent was very warm.

Several women from the Liao royal family stood respectfully to one side.

Wu Qimai looked at the map calmly.

The current situation is not good, but it is not hopeless either.

When Zonghan went south, he said he would bring out the Dingnan Army for a battle.

There is still a chance for a war.
This is the most important battle; whoever wins will become the strongest power on this land.

Their original battlefield was supposed to be near Bianliang.

But now it seems the battle line has been pushed infinitely northward, and perhaps Wanyan Wugumai will turn his attention to that place—the Baigou River. (End of Chapter)