Bloodshed and a sense of grimness permeated the air. The frigid wind howled outside the tents, mingled with the sounds of people running through the camp. Inside the main tent, several Jurchen generals, led by Zong Wang, were discussing the war. Below them, the fierce general Sai La, who had led the army to attack the city, still bore bloodstains on his body. Not long before, he had personally led elite troops to scale the city walls, but the battle was short-lived, and they were forced back by the overwhelming Wu reinforcements.

After scouts reported the situation outside the defense of Bianliang, silence fell within the tent for a moment. Zong Wang frowned, and after a long while, he waved his hand.

"So, there are capable fighters among the Wu Dynasty? Xia Village... why did they suffer such defeats before?"

The barely suppressed anger in his voice made everyone hesitant to respond. After a moment, Dumu, who had recently arrived from Tuotuo Ridge, spoke, "In my opinion, the Wu Dynasty may have gathered the elite from all the defeated soldiers, determined to burn their boats and make a desperate gamble."

"The Wu Dynasty's elite are only around their generals. Even if they could gather those three hundred thousand-plus defeated soldiers, they couldn't use them effectively... But the general in this valley is said to be the son of that Right Chancellor of the Wu Dynasty in the city, so it's not impossible." Zong Wang looked grimly at the battle map in the center of the tent. "Bianliang is stubbornly defended, forcing me to fight quickly, the policy of clearing the fields is cutting off my supply lines, and they will breach the Yellow River in spring. I suspected all along that this was a coordinated scheme, and now it seems I was not mistaken. And those firearms..."

Having received that letter earlier, he suspected that the person behind it was closely linked to the ongoing policy of clearing the fields. Guo Yaoshi was targeting the Western Army, but in secret, many clues about the scorched earth policy should be connected to this Xia Village. Of course, as the commander-in-chief, Zong Wang only had an impression of this matter; he wouldn't devote too much attention to it. However, during the early morning defeat of over two hundred thousand Wu Dynasty troops on September 25th, the Wu Rui Camp exploded more than twenty large carts, which caught the attention of some generals attacking in that direction.

The Jurchens originated from a barbaric land, yet they rose to prominence and established a nation in a short period. The first generation of generals were not bound by tradition, and they were particularly sharp in their awareness of various things on the battlefield, including siege weaponry and Wu Dynasty firearms. However, compared to most siege weapons, the Wu Dynasty's firearms were currently flashy but impractical. Although there were explosions that night, they ultimately did not cause significant casualties, so the matter was not pursued at the time. However, what appeared in Xia Village this time seemed different.

"Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren have been defeated. Guo Yaoshi must know. This is his affair. Order him to take that place. The only thing I care about is this Bianliang City!" Zong Wang said, slamming his fist on the table. "We've been attacking the city for days, and our casualties are already over ten thousand. The Wu Dynasty's casualties are more than five times ours. Their combat power is so weak that we've broken through the city defenses several times, yet in the end, we still can't breach the city? Have you encountered anything like this before!?"

Zong Wang's gaze was stern, and everyone lowered their heads. The current siege and defense were equally incomprehensible to them. The Wu Dynasty's army wasn't without elites, but as Zong Wang said, most of their combat awareness and skills were not impressive. In the process of the Jurchen army's elite troops coordinating with siege machinery to launch a strong attack over these past few days, they had repeatedly achieved results. In direct combat, even if the enemy mustered their will, they were no match for the Jurchen elite soldiers. Moreover, many Wu Dynasty soldiers didn't even have that will. Once small-scale defeats occurred, the Jurchen soldiers would slaughter them like cutting melons and vegetables, a situation that had happened several times.

However, this situation couldn't be expanded. On the battlefield, the Jurchen troops had encountered instances of the front lines collapsing and engulfing the rear troops in an avalanche-like retreat more than once, but this time, small-scale defeats were always contained within small areas.

On the walls of Bianliang, after small-scale defeats and massacres, Wu Dynasty soldiers and civilians would swarm to reinforce them. They swarmed in, only to be met with defeat under the fierce attacks of the Jurchens. However, a third and fourth wave of troops would still surge forward. The reinforcements from the rear were like a vast ocean, eventually creating psychological pressure on the Jurchen soldiers.

What supported these people was certainly not true bravery. They had not experienced this high-intensity combat. Even if they were spurred on by valor, their reactions would slow down, their vision would narrow, and their heartbeats would accelerate when faced with blood and corpses. Their pain tolerance was also definitely inferior to that of the Jurchen soldiers. For the true Jurchen elite, even if their stomachs were cut open or their legs were severed, they would roar and slash at the enemy. Minor injuries wouldn't affect their combat power, but these people might lie on the ground and be slaughtered after taking a single blade wound. Even in direct combat, it would take five or six of them to exchange for the life of one Jurchen soldier. Such defense should have been vulnerable.

But as of now, the Jurchen troops' deaths had exceeded five thousand, and adding the soldiers whose combat power was affected by injuries, the casualties had exceeded ten thousand. In the current city of Bianliang, it was unknown how many people had died. Several sections of their city defenses had been breached, blood had been poured over them repeatedly, and they had been scorched black by flames, section by section. Amid the heavy snow, the soldiers on the city walls were cowardly and fearful, but even the Jurchen generals before them had no confidence in when they could break through this city.

It was certain that they could break through, but... did they really have to throw all their soldiers into it? What was their bottom line? What was driving them to put up such a desperate defense? It was baffling to even think about. And the news of the battle at Xia Village that had just arrived made them feel even more frustrated.

"As the capital of a country, I admit that I underestimated it before if I wanted a quick victory. However, the Wu Dynasty people are using the residents of the city as defenders. A moment of valor might be useful, but over time, panic will inevitably arise within the city. If that really happens, I will flatten this city! Ten days of unsheathed blades!"

There were millions of residents in Bianliang City. If they really had to exhaust the will of everyone in the city in such a confrontation, the number of people to be killed on these city walls would probably exceed two hundred thousand. It was conceivable that if they were forced to this point, his own troops would have suffered heavy casualties as well. But regardless, the city before them had become a place that must be taken! Zong Wang's fist rested on the table. After a moment, he punched it and made a decision...

*****************

Just as Zong Wang and the others were wondering about the tenacity of this city, inside Bianliang City, some people were also surprised by the same thing. In fact, whether they were involved or not, no one had expected these days' developments.

Zhou Zhe had prepared to flee several times. News of breakthroughs in the city's defenses came one after another, and news of the Jurchens being driven out came one after another. He no longer paid attention to the city's defenses. That's how strange the world is. When he was mentally prepared for Bianliang to be captured, he sometimes felt strange and disappointed when he heard "it was defended again". However, under the Jurchens' all-out attack, the city walls had been able to hold out for so long, which also gave him a sense of excitement.

So, the citizens of this city are so loyal. If not for the wide spread of the Wang's Virtue, how could the hearts of the people be so useful?

In the past two days, he also felt a surge of enthusiasm in his heart when he saw some of the messages that came about courageous citizens defending the city and perishing with the Jurchen wolves.

——It's not impossible to fight!

His mentality at this time could be regarded as the mentality of many residents in the city today. At least in the propaganda of the propaganda agencies in front of him, in the battles over the past few days, everyone had seen that the Jurchens were not truly invincible, and brave men emerged from the city one after another, repeatedly blocking the Jurchen army outside the city, and it seemed that there would be no exceptions in the future.

However, another piece of news that came this afternoon made Zhou Zhe's mood somewhat complicated.

He casually smashed the brush washer in front of the desk on the ground. But then he felt that he shouldn't have done this, after all, the news that came could be considered good.

Over at Xia Village, Qin Shaoqian and the others had been surrounded by the Ever Victorious Army, but it seemed... they had won a small victory.

Zhou Zhe felt that victories should still be celebrated, but... the name Qin Shaoqian made him very uncomfortable.

Relying on the power of the Prime Minister's mansion, he began to pull all the elite soldiers to his command. How blatant and treacherous!

The chief eunuch Du Chengxi heard the sound of the brush washer breaking and rushed in. Zhou Zhe walked out from behind the desk, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the door of the study. Snow was falling in the courtyard.

"Du Chengxi, war is dangerous and chaotic. Only in times of trouble can we know people's hearts. Tell me, are the people's hearts still on our side?"

He looked at the snow for a while before slowly speaking. Du Chengxi quickly came over and carefully replied, "Your Majesty, these past few days, the soldiers have fought valiantly, and the citizens have defended the city, bravely killing the enemy. This is the result of our Wu Dynasty's centuries of education. Although barbarians are temporarily fierce, they are ultimately no match for the depth of our Wu Dynasty's education and inner strength. This servant heard the ministers in the court discussing that as long as we can survive this battle, the revival of our dynasty is just around the corner."

Zhou Zhe was silent for a moment. "I know what you said. But... tell me, are the hearts of the people with me, or with those old folks..."

Du Chengxi opened his mouth and hesitated for a moment. "Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, the Supreme Being. The citizens of the city are fighting so bravely, naturally because Your Majesty is sitting here. Otherwise, look at other cities, which one can withstand such a strong attack from the Jurchens? The ministers in the court are only acting on behalf of Your Majesty's will."

"You know how to talk," Zhou Zhe said. After a moment, he smiled. "However, what you said makes sense. Du Chengxi, if there is an opportunity, I want to go out and take a walk, to the north, to see the city defenses."

"Your Majesty, it's dangerous outside..."

"No need to say more." Zhou Zhe waved his hand. "I know what I'm doing, it's not today, don't be so noisy. Maybe in a while... they are fighting bravely on the city walls, I can't stop worrying about them. If possible, I just want to take a look, just to have a number in my mind."

He didn't want to say more to the other party, then waved his hand: "You go down."

In the northeast of the city, in the falling snow, Qin Si Yuan was seeing a different scene.

It was rows and rows of corpses laid out on the square in front of him, covered with cloths, stretching from the front of his vision to the distance.

More than thirty thousand corpses were displayed here, and the number was still increasing.

Even in such snowy weather, the stench of blood and the gradually emerging rotting smell were still permeating the surroundings. Qin Si Yuan walked by with a cane, and the monk Jueming followed him.

"Do you know how many Jurchens have been killed or wounded?"

"One tenth? Or a little more?"

Qin Si Yuan held the cane in his right hand and almost said through his teeth: "This is defending the city!"

"After all, they are not good at fighting." The monk's face was calm. "A little bit of valor can't make up for morale. It's good enough that they can go up."

The two stood in front of the corpses. After a moment, Qin Si Yuan slowly opened his mouth: "The Jurchens' food supplies are reduced by seven tenths, but the remaining can still be used for twenty days to a month."

"Shaoqian and Li Heng have also tried their best. If Xia Village can win, there may be a glimmer of hope."

"A glimmer of hope... If the Jurchens don't win the policy of clearing the fields within two or three hundred miles, they can still break out hundreds of miles away and roam freely..." Qin Si Yuan walked forward. After a moment, he said, "Monk, we can't wait here anymore."

Jueming followed, wearing a plain white monk's robe and still expressionless. The two knew each other very well. At this time, the conversation was not a negotiation between superiors and subordinates. Many things were just to be done, and the numbers had to be counted in their minds.

"...In the past few days, the families of the dead outside all want to take the bodies back. Their sons and husbands have already sacrificed themselves, and they want a belonging. There are more and more of them..."

"...Take them back, where will they be buried?"

"Sigh..."

"...We can't wait... Let's burn them."

The snow that day seemed calm.

In the Xia Village Valley, after the first victory, the lively atmosphere in the valley had not calmed down from morning to evening. This was also because after the defeat in the morning, the Zhang and Liu troops outside did not dare to launch a strong attack again.

Piles of bonfires were lit, and the aroma of meat floated out. People were still enthusiastically talking about the battle in the morning, and some soldiers who had bravely killed the enemy were recommended to talk about their experiences with their companions. In the wounded soldier camp, people came in and out, and familiar soldiers came to visit their companions, encouraging each other and saying: "The Rebel Army is nothing great!"

"This victory was a bit easy. I'm afraid they will be proud and impetuous." In the room, Ning Yi was cutting the roasted meat into pieces and dividing it into the plates next to him, which Hongti took out and distributed to the generals such as Qin Shaoqian in the outer room. Hongti did not participate in the battle today, and she was clean and tidy. When she was by Ning Yi's side, she did not look murderous at all. She was unhappy that Ning Yi was a cook and she was his assistant. The reason was naturally that she felt it did not match Ning Yi's identity, but Ning Yi didn't mind.

"Half of the stored meat will be used this time."

"It's okay, we can have a good meal after a battle. If we keep it to the end, I'm afraid many of them won't be able to eat it."

Ning Yi explained this way. After a moment, he and Hongti took the large plate out together. At this time, by the big bonfire outside the room, many of the soldiers who had bravely killed the enemy today were invited over. Ning Yi held the plate and distributed the meat one by one: "I grilled it! I grilled it! Everyone has it! Everyone takes a piece! Two pieces are fine, take more... Hey, can you eat with an injury on your body - forget it, forget it, take it quickly!"

Since the formation of the Xia Village camp, Ning Yi has always been seen as a strict workaholic and an unfathomable strategist. At this time, he seemed kind, but the warriors by the bonfire who had stained their hands with a lot of blood today did not dare to be too presumptuous. After a while, Yue Fei came up from below: "The camp defense is okay, I have already told them to cheer up. But Zhang Linghui and the others probably don't plan to attack again today."

"It's meaningless to launch a strong attack in the morning and then a sneak attack at night." Qin Shaoqian came over from the side and reached out to take a piece of roasted meat. "Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren are also famous generals who have experienced many battles. If they want to attack again, they must be prepared."

"Is one day enough time?" Ning Yi handed the plate to Yue Fei. Yue Fei cupped his fists and took a piece of meat with the least fat.

"The equipment preparation is not enough, but the attack preparation must be enough."

"That's tomorrow then." Ning Yi nodded.

"It must be tomorrow." Qin Shaoqian finished the meat and looked into the distance, sighing.

Snow was falling outside the valley, and the firelight extended along the slopes on both sides of the valley. Outside the camp, the soldiers on duty were still concentrating on watching the distance. When the wind blew through the mountains and snowfields, it felt cold and bleak. Outside the valley, there was still a continuous firelight. Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren were still making preparations for the attack in full swing.

The next day was December 2nd. In Bianliang City, the Jurchens continued to launch attacks on the city's defenses. They slightly changed their offensive strategy. Most of the time, they no longer focused on breaking the city, but on killing people. By this evening, the defending generals discovered that the number of casualties had increased, and the pressure, which was greater than ever before, was still constantly building up on this line of defense. And at this moment when Bianliang was on the verge of collapse, the battle of Xia Village had only just begun.

Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren continued to launch attacks on the Xia Village camp defenses.

This time, they no longer used saturated large-scale attacks, but mainly used feigned attacks and flexible skirmish attacks. On the circular snow slopes around the Xia Village camp defenses, large-scale attacks constantly appeared, and then quickly retreated. What really caused damage was the large-scale volley of arrows, including the rockets that were shot in. In such weather, rockets were not easy to ignite the surrounding and internal wood, and Ning Yi and others had basically made fire prevention preparations. But in such weather and environment, once hit by a rocket, the arrow wound plus the burn would quickly make a normal person lose combat power.

Of course, the casualty rate between the two sides in such an archery duel was not high. Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren had already shown their keen side as generals. Although the attacking soldiers advanced and then retreated, they always maintained a possible attack posture. During this day, they only launched real attacks on a few non-critical points of the camp defense, and then retreated completely. Since large-scale battle results were impossible, the Xia Village side did not launch elm wood cannons again. Both sides were testing each other's nerves and resilience.

"It's nothing, let them run back and forth, we will wait for work, and see who can outlast whom!"

Wearing shields, several senior generals from Xia Village were running in the occasional arrows, cheering for the people in charge of the barracks: "But no one can take it lightly, be ready to go up and fight them hard at any time!"

By this evening, although the casualties caused by the archery duel were not high, the mental pressure accumulated among the soldiers in Xia Village was generally not small. They already had a certain subjective initiative and no longer muddled along. Correspondingly, it was a sense of responsibility for the battlefield. In this case, everyone maintained a sense of tension, and by the evening, they had generally spent a lot of effort because the Rebel Army had not launched an attack.

Of course, this was also something they had to bear.

By December 3rd, the situation was still the same, but by this afternoon, near dusk, the Rebel Army launched a frontal attack like a tide. After a few rounds of archery duels that were no different from before, suddenly, the shouts of killing came surging from all over the mountains and fields! Under the gray sky, in an instant, the people who rushed out of the forest were all figures. They carried wooden ladders and held shields, rushing madly towards the surrounding camp defenses. In the front of the camp, several large carts decorated with thick shields were pushed by soldiers, rolling towards the front full of chevaux-de-frise and trenches.

Behind the crazy rushing army, the flags written with "Ever Victorious Army" and "Guo" were waving in the wind. This was the evening of the third day, Guo Yaoshi had arrived!

The shouts of killing shook the mountains, arrows rained down, and the soldiers' blades stretched out. In the valley, countless people were running into position amidst the shouts.

The real test was finally unfolding at this moment...

Support (Complete God Station) share this site with those who need it! Please leave a message if you can't find a book!