Three days later, at the north gate of Luzhou.
Luo Bu Tuo and the prefect knelt side-by-side on the city wall, while Yue Yun, holding a stack of confession statements, read them aloud to the citizens within the city.
"In the eighth year of Shaoxing, during the battle at Shunchang Prefecture, the Commander Luo Bu Tuo, fearing battle, fled, causing countless soldiers to die in vain!"
"In the tenth year of Shaoxing, during the army's retreat south, he privately withheld grain and fodder, allowed his soldiers to plunder the populace, and committed countless bloody debts!"
"Execute immediately!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Niu Gao, holding a golden gourd bronze hammer, swung it violently towards Luo Bu Tuo's head.
"Puff~~"
It burst open like a watermelon, splashing red and white everywhere, a gruesome sight.
But the citizens below the city did not find it terrifying; they had seen too much of this during the Jurchen invasion.
"The prefect of Luzhou, Jian Guang Si, served one term and brought disaster to the region, and had frequent correspondence with the Jurchens."
"Trafficking border defense intelligence for personal gain, the crime of colluding with the enemy is confirmed without doubt."
"Execute immediately!"
The next moment, the prefect of Luzhou's head was also smashed to smithereens.
Niu Gao wiped the blood off the golden gourd bronze hammer on the corpse, feeling very satisfied with his newly acquired weapon.
The citizens below the city cheered, and some even knelt on the ground, covering their faces with tears.
"Good! Excellent!"
"We've known this fellow was no good, he deserved it!"
"General Niu's hammer is a bit too fierce, there's only minced meat left, otherwise I would have snatched a head to feed to the dogs~"
Yue Fei stood on the city wall, ignoring the two corpses beside him, and issued the final order to the army.
"Pass the order, march north, kill the enemy!"
"Kill the enemy!"
"Kill the enemy!"
The seventy thousand Yue Family Army, thirty thousand Han Family Army, along with the Iron Palm Gang and Beggar Gang forces, all shouted in unison. Some packed up, others pushed carts.
Li Shimin, still not satisfied, nudged Hua Mulan with his arm, "Sister Mulan, this fellow is a bit soft-handed~"
"If it were up to me, I'd have these two cut into a thousand pieces!"
Hua Mulan lightly smiled and pointed north, "Your Majesty, slow slicing can take three to five days. The army is marching, and the grain supply can't afford such consumption~"
Li Shimin said nonchalantly, "Heh heh, you wouldn't know about this. With my son-in-law, let alone these hundred thousand troops, even ten thousand more wouldn't go hungry~"
But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Li Xiuning frowning and staring at him, "Your calculations are quite brilliant. Are you itching for a spanking again?"
This look made Li Shimin shiver, "Big Sister, don't make a move. I was just joking~"
If he delayed any longer, that two-finger pinch would have grabbed his ear.
This scene made Hua Mulan, Qin Liangyu, Tang Saier, and others cover their mouths and chuckle.
The emperor before them was the least pretentious emperor they knew.
The seventy thousand Yue Family Army was divided into a four-thousand-strong center and a three-thousand-strong right flank, with the Han Family Army serving as the left wing. The Iron Palm Gang and Beggar Gang protected the supply lines.
The army slowly marched, heading northwest.
Yingzhou was the southernmost Central Plains city occupied by the Jurchens.
Wu Jiba Nan, a general under Wu Shu, led thirty thousand elite soldiers to defend the place. He was currently sitting in the prefectural office, enjoying music and dancing, with his generals seated around him, eating and drinking merrily.
"Hahahaha, Han women are still so delicate. After fighting for so long, I don't want to go back and see that stinky, dirty old hag!"
A general, flushed with wine and swaying unsteadily, walked up to a dancing girl and reached out to stroke her chin.
A flicker of disgust and hatred flashed in the dancing girl's eyes. She was just a weak woman, and even the court was fawning over these Jurchens. What could she do?
"Mmm~~ Brother Bo Yi Tian, that one is yours, but this one belongs to me~~"
Another general, seeing this, was not to be outdone and walked over as well.
This situation had been happening almost every day since Yingzhou was captured.
Wu Jiba Nan, in the main seat, not only did not reprimand them but raised his wine cup and smiled.
"Bo Yi Tian, Pu She Lian, whoever lasts until the end today, I will reward him with four Han women and ten houses!"
"General, such a good thing, count me in!"
Another general rose and walked towards the dancing girls.
The dancing girls' faces changed drastically, and they huddled together in panic, trying to resist the impending humiliation.
Just then, a scout rushed in from outside the door.
"Report~~~~~"
"Reporting to the General, disaster has struck! The Song army has passed Bali Slope and will be at the city gates within half a day at most!"
"Crack!"
Wu Jiba Nan was furious upon hearing this. He smashed the fine Jingdezhen porcelain cup, stood up abruptly, pointed at the messenger, and shouted.
"Audacious!"
"Why was this military intelligence only reported now!"
The Song people had appeared weak, and the Jurchen scouts had almost reached the outskirts of Luzhou city. Normally, he would have received this intelligence three days in advance.
This period would have been enough for him to make thorough preparations, whether it was to defend the city or to engage in battle outside the city, he would have had enough confidence.
In war, it was all about knowing the enemy's intentions in advance. With the Song army about to attack in just half a day, he felt caught off guard.
"General, the Song army is coming with great force. Of the brothers who went out with me, barely one in a hundred returned!"
The scout explained with a bitter face.
Wu Jiba Nan glared at him and roared, "Did you ascertain who is commanding the Song army!"
"I do not know~"
"How many troops do the Song army have!"
"I do not know~"
"Take him out and execute him!"
"I do not know~~~ No, General, spare my life, General, spare my life~~~"
In the chilly spring air, the scout's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he continuously prostrated himself, begging for mercy.
But his answer was the fierce gazes of two guards and their rough hands.
"All of you, get out!"
Wu Jiba Nan no longer had the mood to watch the dance. He waved the dancing girls away and then turned to his generals to discuss countermeasures.
"Yue Fei has been imprisoned and should be executed by now."
"Han Shizhong and Liu Guangshi have both been stripped of their military power."
"With Qin Hui in the Southern Dynasty, Zhang Jun is not to be feared!"
"All of you, tell me, who will be leading the troops this time?"
The generals looked at each other, speechless. They were good at brute force, but when it came to marching, arraying troops, and guessing the enemy's thoughts, they were completely lost.
However, were there any capable fighters left in the Southern Dynasty?
"General, whoever it is, just kill them. Why think so much!"
Bo Yi Tian said nonchalantly, while pulling up his pants.
Pu She Lian stepped forward and knelt on one knee, "General, I volunteer to be the vanguard and scout the enemy's situation outside the city!"
Wu Jiba Nan pondered for a moment and then nodded, "Approved. You will have five thousand elite cavalry. Go out of the city immediately. Report back quickly after ascertaining the enemy's situation, and do not engage in prolonged combat!"
"Your subordinate accepts the order!"
Soon, the south gate of Yingzhou opened wide, and five thousand elite cavalry galloped out of the city, charging towards Yue Fei and his men.
Twenty miles away.
Yue Yun, leading the elites of the Bei Wei Army, was ahead of the main force, covering their movements.
They held telescopes, with walkie-talkies hanging from their chests, and communicated intelligence in groups of three at any time.
"Young General, there's enemy activity ahead!"
A man lowered his telescope and pointed in a direction for Yue Yun.
"Judging by the banners, there are three to five thousand men. They must have sensed something. Retreat!"
Yue Yun took a look and quickly made his decision.
"We'll wait for them at Old Niu Ridge behind us!"