山东东平府，阳谷县。

Black plumes of smoke rose into the sky alongside the burning flames. The crackling fire consumed the golden ears of rice, filling the air with the acrid smell of scorched grains. Then came the sounds of footsteps and shouts, merging into a single cacophony. The roads were teeming with people rushing about, their steps hurried, their voices a jumble of cries.

"...Run! The Jurchen cavalry has already arrived! Get to the city quickly! Several large cities to the north have been massacred! Do you know that the people of Dizhou were all killed, not even a dog or chicken left alive?!"

The shouts of the officials ahead were lost in the crowd, becoming fragmented. A woman with a basket on her back and a sickle in hand rushed into the rice paddies, desperately harvesting, tears streaming down her face. A ragged old woman shrieked as she charged at the bailiffs by the roadside: "Beat me to death! Beat me to death! I won't leave! Let the Jurchens eat my old bones... You're all cursed!"

Someone stopped the old woman, but she struggled, eventually falling to the ground, her head striking a stone. Blood gushed from the wound. Amidst the chaos of voices, a small conflict erupted between the villagers and soldiers on the side of the road. The county magistrate ran over, shouting, "Don't fight! Don't fight!" Suddenly, a flying stone struck his forehead, and blood streamed down his face as well.

This momentary conflict triggered even greater chaos. The autumn wind howled, fanning the flames and pushing the fire across the fields, like a red-black carpet spreading across the rice paddies and grasslands towards the distant woods...

The crowd in the chaos gazed into the distance, stunned by the enormous fire.

Westward from Yanggu County, most of Hedong West Road and Hebei Road were shrouded in a gloomy autumn rain. The rain poured down from the overcast sky, and the roads leading south were crowded with pedestrians in straw cloaks carrying bundles, packhorses loaded with luggage, and large carts. The elderly succumbed to the cold rain and fell to the ground, while the children in the women's arms were drenched, wailing loudly. The post stations and taverns along the way were packed with migrating travelers.

Along the Yellow River bank in the autumn rain, all the ferry crossings were at full capacity, and every boat was constantly shuttling back and forth in the undulating waves.

In the middle of the eighth month of the Jinghan thirteenth year, a massive scorched-earth policy began.

"Ah, youth is wonderful..."

South of Dongping Prefecture, in a bustling courtyard filled with people coming and going, Ning Yi, who had only slept for a little over an hour, emerged from his room, washed his face, and uttered the above sentiment. In the distance, the clouds glowed like fire.

Horses galloped to the courtyard from time to time, delivering various messages. The current situation in nearly twenty states and over a hundred counties in the five routes from west to east – Hedong East, Hedong West, Jingdong East, Jingdong West, and Hebei – were all being collected here. The members of the Zhuji think tank moved in and out, summarizing this information, formulating countermeasures, and waiting for approval from Ning Yi or Wenren Bu'er.

Qin Shaoqian strode into the courtyard from outside. The Wu Rui Army's camp was nearby, and they had been engaged in various activities for days. Qin Shaoqian occasionally came over to visit. Ning Yi smiled: "I just woke up. I should say good morning, but it's almost dusk. Second Master, is there good news?"

"Zong Han attacked Taiyuan. It started yesterday." Qin Shaoqian held a piece of intelligence in his hand.

Ning Yi's expression faltered slightly, and then he reached out to take the intelligence. A member of the think tank passing by handed him a piece of paper and whispered, "We just received this as well."

Ning Yi took the two pieces of paper and looked at them. In fact, this was already expected, and for Ning Yi's side, the meaning of the intelligence being sent over was just to take a look. But the confirmation of the news meant that the siege of Taiyuan was set, and Qin Shaohe, Li Pin, Cheng Zhouhai, and others were already trapped inside. Because there were acquaintances involved, the news felt somewhat heavy.

"Things far away are just that, far away. It started attacking yesterday, and by now it might already be broken. I'm just bringing it over for you to see. It's not your business, Liheng, so why worry?" Seeing Ning Yi frown slightly, Qin Shaoqian's smile became broad, and he reached out to take back the intelligence.

Ning Yi glanced at him: "Taiyuan is a strong city. It shouldn't fall as quickly as you say."

"My eldest brother looks more pedantic than Father on weekdays, but he's read more books on warfare than I have, and he knows how to defend a city. He won't give foolish orders. There are people from your Zhuji in the city, and there's Cheng Zhouhai. I know him best. He's a venomous schemer. If things really get tough, he can drive the entire city's population onto the walls. I also don't think it will fall so quickly. If it still falls, then it's fate." Qin Shaoqian, with his full beard, smiled simply, "Most importantly, distant water can't quench the immediate thirst. There's nothing you or I can do to worry about Taiyuan."

"It's good that you can think clearly," Ning Yi smiled. "What about your side?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about," Qin Shaoqian said. "We're preparing to deploy."

Ning Yi looked at him, then at the distant sunset, and sighed again.

This day was the fifteenth of the eighth month.

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

In the middle of the eighth month, north of the Yellow River, chaos reigned.

After Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Loushi captured Xinzhou and Daizhou, the Jurchen Western Route Army made slight adjustments, driving tens of thousands of civilians and prisoners ahead of them as they pushed their forces towards Longcheng Taiyuan.

To the east, with Guo Yaoshi's Ever-Victorious Army as the vanguard, Wanyan Zongwang led the Western Route Army of nearly 100,000 soldiers. After intimidating Jinan, they did not attack the city. Instead, under Guo Yaoshi's leadership, they moved directly southwest, rapidly entering the central area between Jinan, Daming, and Dongping.

The Jurchen forces surged forward, sweeping all before them. After breaking through Yanjing and the three towns of Hebei, the Eastern Route Army made almost no stops along the way. The Wu Dynasty troops along the route were either quickly defeated or left behind before they could even form a defensive line. Now they had entered a delicate situation.

At present, in the surrounding area, the Xiang Army garrisoning Jinan, Daming, Dongping, and other places, as well as the Wuwei, Wusheng, and Wu Rui armies, totaling over 200,000 troops, had been mobilized as the battle began, forming a pincer movement towards the Jurchen Eastern Route Army. The atmosphere was tense, and a major battle seemed imminent. Ning Yi had only arrived in Dongping with the Wu Rui camp three days ago, and the scorched-earth policy had only just begun to operate, but the great battle was already upon them.

The pace of this battle was not determined by the Wu Dynasty but by the Jurchens. If these 200,000-plus troops hesitated any longer, Wanyan Zongwang's Eastern Route Army would break through the Daming-Dongping area and head straight into the Central Plains.

But the so-called imminence was just empty talk for those involved. From the moment Wanyan Zongwang's Eastern Route Army, with Guo Yaoshi as the vanguard, used his forward troops to intimidate Jinan without attacking, the entire situation within a radius of several hundred miles had been completely controlled by the Jurchens. There were supposedly over 200,000 Wu Dynasty troops massed in three directions, but in reality, it was hard to say who would dare to move when the fighting started. The armies in the three directions were mostly bickering. After the Dizhou massacre, no one had a solid psychological foundation for a hard fight. But the Jurchens were about to swagger right through the encirclement.

Everything was happening too fast. Even for Ning Yi, it was all too fast.

"Five thousand men to defend Shouzhang County, against Zongwang and Guo Yaoshi's 100,000 men... No matter what, Second Master, I can't bet on you winning this time."

In the red sunset, Ning Yi put aside his work, and together with Qin Shaoqian, he took some wine and meat and walked out of the courtyard. They looked at the distant military camp on a nearby grassy slope as they spoke. Qin Shaoqian took a sip of wine: "At least there are more than 200,000 on our side."

"I don't want to say what kind of people Liang Zhongshu of Daming and Zhang Youqing of Jinan are, and I don't understand warfare. But if you really believe them, I'll give you four words."

"Oh? What do you have to teach me, Liheng?"

"Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain."

"Sun Tzu's Art of War..."

"Retreat and advance as swiftly as the wind, encircle and ambush as silently as the forest. Plunder wealth and invade like fire, friendly forces in trouble, remain unmoved as a mountain..."

Qin Shaoqian was stunned for a moment on the grassy slope, then burst out laughing. He laughed for a long time before saying, "Then how am I supposed to fight?"

"...Yes," Ning Yi took a sip of wine and murmured.

Qin Shaoqian said, "But no matter what, I have to go. No matter what, I want to compete against world-renowned generals like Wanyan Zongwang and Guo Yaoshi."

The two Qin brothers, one civil and one military, usually served as officials elsewhere. But because Qin Si Yuan valued Ning Yi, they would occasionally visit when they returned, and the relationship between the two sides was quite good. Qin Shaohe and Qin Shaoqian regarded Ning Yi as one of their father's like-minded companions or even inheritors. In a sense, they were allies or even family, and their relationship was very good. But this time, the Jurchens came quickly. Ning Yi had just gone north, Qin Shaohe was trapped in Taiyuan, and Qin Shaoqian was about to go to Shouzhang to face Wanyan Zongwang directly. In any case, the feeling was ultimately complex.

Although Qin Shaoqian spoke lightly, with a sense of boldness about fighting against world-renowned generals, Ning Yi also knew that he was capable. However, the Wu Dynasty's control over generals was inherently deep. As the commander of the Wu Rui Camp, he could command troops to fight, but the highest management of the army belonged to the civil officials above him, that is, the current Pacification Commissioner of Dongping Prefecture.

Although Qin Shaohe was a civil official, he was guarding Taiyuan and therefore had the highest command of the troops in Taiyuan. Qin Shaoqian, on the other hand, not only had civil officials above him who could speak, but he had only truly commanded the Wu Rui Camp for a year. The soldiers did not know the general, and the general did not know the soldiers. He simply could not delve deeply into all aspects of the army's management. Even if the civil officials' restraint on him was slightly less due to the care of his strong father, Qin Si Yuan, no one could believe that he could lead the Wu Rui Camp to block the Jurchen army of 100,000.

Qin Shaoqian himself certainly did not necessarily have confidence. It was just that when the time came, as a soldier, he would no longer think too much about it. Ning Yi naturally understood this. After saying the previous few sentences, the two drank wine for a while. Then Qin Shaoqian asked, "What does Liheng think the outcome of this great battle will be? If we lose, how much money will we have to pay to settle things?"

"Second Master, do you think it's just a matter of paying money?"

"The Treaty of Blackwater was also about paying money. The Jurchens have 200,000 people. They can't occupy our country, right?"

"At the time of the Treaty of Blackwater, the Liao Dynasty was already declining and satisfied with just receiving the tribute. The Jurchens have just established their country and are on the path of expansion, so it's hard to say." Ning Yi hesitated for a moment, "And we've done too many things to court death in recent years."

Qin Shaoqian was silent for a long time, looking at Ning Yi: "I am a military man, only fighting. Liheng, you are a scholar, like my father, and understand the big picture. Do you really think it's come to this?"

The distant mountains were fading into the dusk. Although the two had been close friends in the past, they had only just met for a few days this time. They were busy and did not have much time to chat. But now, with the help of wine, the autumn wind blew, and they talked for quite a while.

"I'm not sure," Ning Yi handed the wine pot to Qin Shaoqian and said, "But some things are just one person's opinion, and we can chat about them. These past few days, various messages have come here, not just about where the Jurchens have attacked, nor just about the scorched-earth policy. Since the Jurchens came south, the resistance in various places has not stopped. First, Grandmaster Zhou Tong led more than seventy people to assassinate Wanyan Zonghan. Then, in the three towns of Hebei, there's a small county called Shuanghe. The county magistrate, Du Yongnian, in order to cover the retreat of more than 5,000 people, led more than 300 people to attract the Jurchens' attention. They took advantage of the terrain and fought fiercely against more than 500 Jurchen cavalry for two hours. After the entire army was wiped out, Du Yongnian was captured. When he was brought before Wanyan Zongwang, the latter saw his bravery and said a few words to him. Du Yongnian cursed Zongwang from beginning to end, and was finally beheaded and displayed to the public."

Ning Yi spoke, taking a sip of wine, "Then there's the Gushan Fortress in Hebei... It was originally a bandit stronghold, but you know, many people's families are still in the villages at the foot of the mountain. When the Jurchens came, they massacred the villages. There were more than 100 people in the stronghold. Led by the chieftain Wang Cheng, they ambushed the Jurchen army, charging straight into the main formation. They all died in one charge. After Wang Cheng, Yang Xiao, the chief镖头 of the Yangwei Escort Agency, after dismissing the镖局's employees and their families, assassinated Wanyan Zongwang alone. He was one of Zhou Tong's disciples. At the same time, He Wang, a heroic figure from the Green Forest, led more than a dozen experts to assassinate Zongwang as well... In the past few days, this kind of news has not stopped. I had my men compile them into stories and tell them. After Second Master hears them, what does he think?"

"Good, they are all heroes," Qin Shaoqian said with a solemn expression, patting his thigh to show respect. "If my Wu Dynasty has these people, there is still hope!"

"No, it is the appearance of these people that represents that the vast majority of people in this country have not done what they should have done." Ning Yi was also somewhat drunk, waving his fingers in the air, "The appearance of these heroes means that the dividends accumulated in a positive direction since the founding of the Wu Dynasty have been completely squandered by their predecessors."