You have truly caused me great suffering!

At night, Panlong Mountain is pitch black.

The distant booming of artillery drowned out the voices of the climbing soldiers.

They gritted their teeth and used iron claws, hemp ropes, and wooden wedges to advance step by step.

They have been training for more than a year in preparation for tonight's surprise attack.

As long as we burn down the Tartars' supply lines, they will fall into chaos, just like Wuchao back then.

At this point, no instructions are needed. Just close your eyes and climb upwards. If you fall, you will be smashed to pieces and there will be absolutely no chance of survival.

Just like Deng Ai's conquest of Shu, to carry out such a strategy, one must be ruthless enough to surprise the enemy.

Like the Dingnan Army, the Jurchen Tartars particularly liked to send out scouts and spies, and the scouts were all ridiculously strong.

Therefore, we must be extremely careful. Even if we manage to climb up, we must be prepared for a quick battle if we encounter sentries.

Zhang Xian could picture the scene before him as soon as he closed his eyes, listening to the cannon fire in front of the mountain pass.

This pass has stood in the way of the brothers for three years.

Finally, we are about to break through this barrier and fight the Jurchens.

Under the cover of night, fierce fighting raged on the front lines as Jurchen knights, vying for control of the cannons, battled relentlessly against the Jing army.

By this time, these troops were already capable of engaging the Jin army in open battle. With the balance of power shifting, they were no longer the righteous army that could easily lose the entire Hebei province with a mere bump.

If Zong Ze could see their current fighting strength, he would probably feel gratified.

Yue Fei wasn't really covering for Zhang Xian; he was focused on breaking through the pass. As for the troops at Panlong Mountain, they were just a hidden move in the grand scheme of this battle to break through the pass.

Seeing the power of the cannons, the fortifications set up by the Tartars were completely useless.

As for the barbican and military camp, they were even less vulnerable to a single cannon shot.

He thought to himself that in future offensive and defensive battles, all the experience in fortifications and fortresses that had been passed down from the past and summarized from actual battles during the Five Dynasties period would probably have to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch.

As night fell, Jing's reinforcements, carrying torches, poured in from Tanzhou City.

After the imperial court issued the decree for the Northern Expedition, this enormous war machine began to run again.

Especially in the Youyan area, most of the troops were withdrawn after Chen Shao declared himself emperor.

However, the institutions that maintained them were not abolished, and the war supplies in the treasury were not touched.

The Jin Kingdom remains a formidable enemy of the Great Jing Dynasty, but the two countries are now on completely different levels in terms of national strength.

At this time, the Jin army's rear camp was in a state of disarray, with almost everyone covered in wounds.

Above the pass, on a small hill, a banner was raised.

Beneath the banner, Wanyan Zonghan stood alone, looking even more haggard.

Almost all of the generals who used to be by my side have died in battle, and the younger generation is not up to the task.

Looking at the battlefield before him, Zong Han's face was ashen, and the torchlight reflected in his eyes, making it seem as if his eyes were about to spit fire.

Just a few years ago, on the battlefield in Yunnei, the initiative was still in our hands.

Even at Wuhui Ridge, the two sides remained deadlocked, with each side having its share of victories and defeats.

Now, even a narrow victory is hard to come by.

During his time guarding Gubeikou, Zonghan reflected on the battles he had fought and felt deep regret.

If we hadn't competed with the Eastern Route Army, but instead worked together with a single purpose, advancing south with swift and decisive action, leaving no opportunity for the Western barbarians, perhaps the situation would have been different.

After all, everyone had spent too much time vying for the credit of capturing Yelü Yanxi!
At that time, the Song Dynasty was on high alert, and the Western barbarians had not yet completely destroyed the Western Xia, so they had no chance to enter Hedong.

Without the east bank of the river, they wouldn't have developed so quickly and so solidly.

It should be noted that Zonghan had always wanted to keep the territory in Hedong for himself.

Yelü Yanxi was truly a runner, even harder to capture than his ancestor Yelü Deguang! For him alone, the entire Jin Dynasty wasted many years, with almost all its troops devoted to this massive manhunt.

As a result, they missed the best opportunity to head south.

At this time, Wanyan Zonghan was unaware that a master was hidden in the Great Jing Kingdom in the Central Plains, a divine being whom they could not capture even after searching high and low.

Whether it was Yelü Deguang riding a camel for three hundred miles, Zhao Guangyi, the war god with a donkey cart, or Wang Baobao crossing the Yellow River with a single log, they were all one-time feats.

Yelü Yanxi and Zhao Gou, however, were the ones who fled the longest river and the highest mountain.

Countless torches rushed toward the battlefield from afar, and Wanyan Zonghan closed his eyes in despair.

He no longer wanted to estimate how many enemy reinforcements were approaching.

At that moment, from the direction of Panlong Mountain, the sounds of fighting suddenly came, thick smoke billowed, and flames engulfed the sky.

The granary was burned down!

Wanyan Zonghan turned his head sharply, his heart filled with despair. He was like a sick man standing in a dilapidated house that was leaking everywhere on a rainy day.

You can try to fix one or two leaks, but if it really leaks like this, even an iron man wouldn't have the willpower.

The only thing that the Jin Dynasty isn't in the worst situation is that it has plundered a lot of things from the Liao and Song Dynasties over the years, and Tong Guan also sent a lot of grain when he redeemed Yanjing.

Wanyan Xiyin abandoned Yanjing City and transported all the important supplies back to Gubeikou, giving them the resources to hold out.

The fire at Panlong Mountain quickly triggered a chain reaction, throwing the defending troops into chaos and boosting the morale of the Jing army.

Even the usually composed Yue Fei could not contain the surging emotions within him at this moment, and roared, "Kill!"

From the road in front of the pass, three huge siege engines, almost level with the pass itself, were pushed forward. Once they were close, a wooden plank was lowered from the top.

The soldiers could use this plank to rush to the top of the wall.

Because the surrounding fortified walls had all been destroyed, there were no troops available to launch an attack, making it impossible to destroy these massive siege weapons.

One by one, Jing soldiers, brandishing their weapons, leaped onto the city wall.

Following the markings on the map, Zhang Xian set fire to the area around Panlong Mountain and then began charging around.

They encountered mostly wounded soldiers, and ambushed and killed many of them under the cover of night.

They were hiding in the valley. Before Yue Fei left, he gave them dried plums, instructing them to keep them in their mouths during battle to avoid making a sound and giving themselves away.

But at this point, not a single one listened.

They held knives, lay prone by the roadside, and gasped for breath.

Forget about the panting; some were even shouting and cursing, and the injured were wailing.

The fighting was extremely chaotic.

Zhang Xian looked into the distance and heard the sound of horses' hooves before ordering them to keep their voices down.

The crowd hurriedly gripped their weapons, and as the approaching figure drew near, they pulled on the tripwire.

The horses in front immediately threw the riders off, and the riders behind couldn't stop themselves, collided with each other, and in an instant, people and horses fell over.

Jing Jun came out laughing and started slashing with his sword. Zhang Xian saw a group of people surrounding a rider. By the dim light of the torches, he couldn't make out the person's face, but the mount was truly magnificent.

Zhang Xian, a horse enthusiast, immediately recognized it as a top-quality Hequ horse.

A group of people surrounded the small group and began hacking and slashing at them. Before long, few of them were able to stand up.

However, they resisted fiercely, but Zhang Xian didn't take it seriously. Although the Jurchen Tartars were not strong now, most of them were not afraid of death.

A soldier trampled on what appeared to be the leader of their squad, his boots stained with blood and mud, reeking of a foul stench. Wanyan Zonghan's face was distorted by the trampling, his heart filled with boundless sorrow. In his heyday, he had led his troops to sweep across Xijing Prefecture, and no one in the world could stop him.

Now, however, it is being trampled by some lowly soldiers, utterly powerless to resist.

Jing Jun raised his knife and stabbed the man in the side. Only after killing him did he realize that the man's clothes seemed a little different.

Wanyan Zonghan's consciousness gradually faded, and before he died, he only heard the soldier seemingly shouting something.

Although the pass was breached, the Battle of Gubeikou lasted for more than three days.

The remnants of the Jin army hid in the foothills, constantly fighting with the Jing army searching the mountains.
-
At the same time as Gubeikou, the Dingnan Army of Datong Prefecture was also on the move.

As the only one of the three main forces of the Dingnan Army still fighting in the northern border, this force is unparalleled in its high morale and eagerness for battle.

There was no need for any official titles or promises; the title of king bestowed upon the commander-in-chief, Li Xiaozhong, was the best incentive.

On the ancient Canhe Pass, the army marched forward, with a map hanging by the roadside.

Li Xiaozhong, dressed in light armor, pointed to a place on the map with his riding whip and said, "From Daibei, one must pass through Baidao to cross the border. This time, to prevent the Tartars from escaping north, we must first seize Baidao City."

He took off the warm fur wristbands on his hands and felt the temperature.

"In a few more days, the battle will be impossible to continue. We must occupy Baidao immediately."

While annihilating the Jurchen Tartars, Li Xiaozhong also wanted to take the opportunity to occupy all three strategic passes in the Yinshan Mountains, thus controlling the passage from southern to northern Mongolia.

The northern nomadic tribes, as one of the last auxiliary forces of the Jurchen Tartars, were also the target of this northern expedition.

Li Xiaozhong had a long-term vision. He believed that once the Jurchen Tartars, who were the de facto rulers of the northern border, were destroyed, new barbarian tribes would inevitably rise to power.

This is not a good thing for Da Jing.

The generals nearby were puzzled and asked, "Aren't we going to attack Zhongjing?"

“Qu Duan has already gone. Datong is too far from Zhongjing, and the roads are difficult to travel. Even if the troops arrive in Zhongjing, they will only witness Qu Duan’s success.” Li Xiaozhong said, “Now, the various barbarian tribes in the desert and grasslands are showing a tendency to form an alliance and rise up. Once they gain momentum, they will become a major threat to the Central Plains.”

“I have already reported this to His Majesty, and His Majesty has no objection.”

Once they heard that the emperor had agreed, everyone stopped caring. As long as the emperor nodded, the military merits were guaranteed.

The desert battlefield is even larger, and the enemies are even more numerous.

Looking at the endless stream of banners along the winding road, Li Xiaozhong sighed inwardly.

What means does Your Majesty possess to generate wealth and sustain one war after another?

The scariest thing is that you can eat your fill at every meal!

There are also countless fertile fields that can be used as rewards and to honor military merits.

The word "destiny" was on his head; at this point, no one would disagree.

Once productivity is developed, the war against the northern deserts will no longer be primarily defensive.
-
The army recaptured Fubeikou and reclaimed the fortress.

When the news reached Nanjing, the whole city was overjoyed.

On his way to Yanshan, Wanyan Zonghan was intercepted by Zhang Xian's troops. Because it was dark and they could not communicate, he was immediately beheaded.

Later I learned that it was Wanyan Zonghan.

With this, the last gate of the northern bulwark was completely recaptured.

While the people of the city were overjoyed by the great victory at Gubeikou, Chen Shao and a group of civil and military officials in the Chuigong Hall of the Imperial City were looking at another place on the map with boundless delight.

Li Xiaozhong led his troops out of Datong, seized Baidao City, and stationed his troops at Junzijin, completely blocking the Jin people's escape route to the southern and northern deserts.

Moreover, they took the opportunity to cut off the southern grasslands.

Wanyan Wugumai sent troops to break through the encirclement, trying to create an opening, but they couldn't break through at all.

Left with no other choice, he could only lead the rest of the Jin people south.

Everyone knew that heading south was a dead end, nothing more than a replay of the events of the time when King Xiao Gan of Xi was in charge.

When Yelü Chun of the Northern Liao Dynasty died in battle, his two pillars, Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi, chose different escape routes.

Yelü Dashi went west and eventually established the Western Liao, which still exists today and is becoming increasingly powerful; Xiao Gan went east and established the Great Xi Kingdom, which was killed after only a few years.

The paths to the east and west are completely different. If you are in the east, you have no way to escape.

Given the current resources of the Jurchens, if they were to actually break out and head west, who knows what might happen to them?

Or they could flee north and storm Moscow, like a dragon crossing a river. These Tartars, accustomed to sleeping on ice and snow, are not afraid of the harsh Moscow cold.

However, Li Xiaozhong and Qu Duan had already blocked their path, leaving them with no other choice.

The strongest generation of the Jurchens had become weak and plagued by all sorts of diseases after three years of bloodletting.

Chen Shao did not choose to launch a fierce attack when they had just been defeated and withdrawn, but instead calmly developed the country's strength for three years.

The Great Jing possesses vast territory, a stable rear, and the highest productivity in the world.

Who can compare to it?

As a result, the gap between the two sides widened, and when Qu Duan crossed the sea to recover Liaodong, he completely sealed the fate of the Jin Dynasty.

The fall of the Jin dynasty and the pacification of the north were only a matter of time.

It's just a matter of sooner or later.

Zhong Shidao and others were filled with emotion.

The enemy, once so powerful and inspiring despair, has finally been defeated.

Chen Shao was naturally very happy. He said with a smile in the hall, "A century of border troubles have been quelled in a single day. Since the An Lushan Rebellion, the gap between the Han and the non-Han peoples has never been so vast."

"It seems I still have a chance to completely resolve the border troubles in the north."

We must strike while the iron is hot; the grasslands have never been so weak, and the Central Plains have never been so prosperous.

To deal with this situation, Chen Shao once again resorted to his trump card: when in doubt, build fortifications first.

In fact, the demand for horses, cattle, sheep, furs, and minerals produced on the grasslands in the Central Plains region is enormous.

As long as there is a relatively peaceful trade agreement, both sides can get what they need. The grasslands will get food, and half of the people won't starve to death every winter.
However, the tribal chieftain system, which resembled slavery, was still too backward in these grassland tribes.

When tribal chiefs make decisions on a whim, ordinary people have no right to refuse. This was also the case in the Hengshan area, where chiefs could decide the life or death of the entire tribe based on their own preferences and interests.

Until the fortress appeared.

The collective nature of fortified villages gives its inhabitants the opportunity to speak out for themselves.

Moreover, because it belongs to the Great Jing, it has the opportunity to exchange goods with the Central Plains of the Great Jing. Now that the trade routes are so developed, they live a more stable life.

No race is born warlike; survival is the first priority.

If you can have enough to eat, who would want to risk their life every day to fight a war?

Zhong Shidao, leading the assembled officials, bowed to Chen Shao once more and said, "Congratulations to Your Majesty!"

Chen Shao smiled and raised his arm, pressing it down slightly. "Congratulations, my dear ministers! After this victory, we will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices to Heaven and our ancestors."

"Even if we destroy the Jin Kingdom, we must not slacken our efforts and must continue to work hard."

"Your Majesty, we obey!" (End of Chapter)