Explosions echoed through the woods, faintly reaching the ear. Near the small county town, a scene of chaotic activity unfolded.

Soldiers led warhorses and pushed carts loaded with supplies towards the dilapidated town. In the distance, soldiers repaired the earthen walls with stones, while scouts on horseback galloped back, shouting, "Golden Dogs from all four directions..."

Qi Xinhan stood on the city wall, observing the scene.

The abandoned county town with its crumbling walls was called Chuanlinpu, nestled in the mountains east of Xicheng County. In earlier years, it had been inhabited, but with the southward advance of the Jurchens and the rampant banditry, Xicheng County, under the administration of Dai Mengwei, opened its gates to absorb the surrounding residents, leading to the abandonment of this place.

Although Dai Mengwei showed great sincerity in allowing passage to Fancheng, as some Han soldiers who were against the Jurchens began to gather after Qi Xinhan made a call to arms, Qi's troop did not rush to join them immediately. Putting all eggs in one basket was an experience learned from past tragic lessons.

Earlier, Qi Xinhan led three thousand men, constantly pursued. Wang Zhai'nan's team was among the first to arrive for rescue and support, which were not strong in combat but had a good number of people. However, events proved that under Dai Mengwei's machinations, the intelligence system of the Huaxia Army was also partly misled and interfered with. This time, the Jurchens were aggressive, and the surrounding Han armies had already encircled them on a large scale. Qi Xinhan withdrew his troops to Chuanlinpu, uncertain whether to escape or risk a breakout.

Without broad intelligence, a rash breakout with three thousand men would likely lead to an ambush. Once bogged down, the entire army would probably be wiped out in frustration.

This long-distance raid on Xiangfan was inherently risky. However, according to intelligence from the Zhuji, Dai and Wang's actions had a degree of credibility. Furthermore, even if the attack on Xiangfan failed, the strike launched in conjunction with Dai and Wang could awaken many who were still watching. Who knew that Dai Mengwei's betrayal would come without warning? His change in stance trapped everyone in this deadly place. After the massacre of Han soldiers who had intended to defect, the Hanshui area was fraught with danger.

Those active in this area, including the Green Forest heroes and Zhuji intelligence personnel, were likely facing ruthless hunting at this moment.

A troop was approaching in the distance. As they neared, they were stopped by soldiers under Qi Xinhan's command. Qi Xinhan waved and went to meet them. "General Wang, what's the situation?"

Wang Zhai'nan, a fierce-looking middle-aged general with a square face covered in pockmarks, looked at Qi Xinhan and said, "I've received news that Xicheng County has been almost completely wiped out." He gritted his teeth, his lips trembling. "That old dog Dai has betrayed everyone."

Qi Xinhan was silent for a moment. "Does General Wang know why Dai Mengwei would have such thoughts? He should have realized that he wouldn't live long after the Jurchens left."

"I don't know... If I get the chance, I will tear him to pieces!" Wang Zhai'nan hissed, then looked at Qi Xinhan and said, "What does General Qi plan to do next? Have you thought clearly about how to handle us?"

"We're all fighting side by side. There's no question of handling anything."

"It was Dai Mengwei who lured you here with me. You don't suspect me!?" Wang Zhai'nan stared at Qi Xinhan, his eyes wide.

Qi Xinhan also looked at him. "Previous intelligence indicated that Dai and General Wang were not subordinate. Betraying so many people at once, the biggest fear is that the plot won't be kept secret. Now, I'm betting that General Wang didn't know about this beforehand and was also used by Dai Mengwei... Although the previous gamble was lost, I hope the general won't let me down this time."

The setting sun was sinking below the mountains. The distant sounds of battle and the nearby clamor of voices merged together. Wang Zhai'nan looked at Qi Xinhan with a fierce expression for a long time, then raised his hand and heavily struck his chest. "With those words from you, from now on, Wang and his twelve thousand men have sold their lives to the Huaxia Army! You call the shots."

Qi Xinhan nodded. "Does General Wang know Xia Village?"

Wang Zhai'nan nodded.

Qi Xinhan said, "Then let's discuss how to fight this defensive battle..."

People spread out a map on the city wall. The sun had set, and the last rays of light illuminated the small town in the mountains. Everyone understood that this was a desperate situation. Wanyan Xiyin had already arrived, and with Dai Mengwei's betrayal, potential allies within hundreds of miles had been wiped out. Without the foundation of allies, long-distance escape and maneuverability were difficult to achieve.

There was no way to heaven, no door to hell.

But after so many years, people had come to understand that even wailing wouldn't help the situation. Therefore, they could only face reality and build up defenses in this desperate situation. They understood that, hundreds of miles away, someone was launching offensives against the Jurchens non-stop, and someone was trying their best to rescue them.

And they believed that, further away, the Southwestern armies would surely rush towards Jianmen Pass like subterranean fire. Once they broke through that solid barrier, erupting from the ground like lava, the Jurchen Western Route Army wouldn't have much time left.

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

Evening glow lingered.

Crossing the vast sky and hundreds of miles, at this moment, the Jin Kingdom's Western Route Army was spreading from the Jiange mountain pass towards Zhaohua. The vanguard of the force was extending towards Hanzhong.

This army was extremely battered, but out of a desire to return home and an awareness of the consequences of defeat, they still maintained a certain level of morale under Zong Han's leadership. Some soldiers, after more than a month of suffering, had become even more brutal, fighting with hysteria and savagery on the battlefield. This didn't increase the overall strength of the army, but it at least prevented it from falling below a certain standard.

In a sense, this was the last stand of the Jin people's pride, which had lasted for decades.

The Jin soldiers withdrawing from the Jiange area had gradually reached nearly 60,000. Near Zhaohua, the main force originally led by Xiyin had been reduced by more than 10,000 when he was transferred, leaving only 10,000 elite Tushan Guards who were once again handed over to Zong Han. In addition to these 70,000-plus men, more than 200,000 Han soldiers were arranged nearby as cannon fodder. These Han soldiers had spent the past year slaughtering cities, looting, and amassing wealth, and after being stained with blood, they had become relatively steadfast supporters of the Jin.

On their flank, Qin Shaoqian led the Huaxia Seventh Army, launching several offensives in April. One was an attempt to directly attack Zong Han head-on, another was an attack on Jiange, and the third was in the direction of Hanzhong. During this time, the Tushan Guards had fought against them once and showed signs of being unable to resist. However, because Zong Han still had a numerical advantage, Qin Shaoqian's offensives, although causing some damage and were incredibly intimidating, were ultimately resolved relatively calmly by Zong Han.

Traveling from Zhaohua to Jiange, from afar, one could see plumes of smoke rising from the mountains within the strategic pass. At this time, a force of several thousand men had already left Jiange under the leadership of She Yema. He was the second-to-last Jin general to leave Jianmen Pass, leaving only Ba Lisu as the Jin high-ranking general stationed in the pass.

On the retreat from the southwest, She Yema was often active on the battlefields that required rearguard action. His valiant efforts boosted the morale of the Jin people and, to a large extent, provided him with tremendous training.

After the army left Huangming County, the intensity of the pursuit had decreased. Only the defense of the Jiange Pass would be a key part of this great battle. She Yema had originally volunteered to lead the army to guard Jiange, blocking the exit of the Huaxia Fifth Army. However, this time, neither his father nor Ba Lisu agreed with his idea. His father even sent a strict order, instructing him to catch up with the main force as soon as possible, which made She Yema feel a slight regret.

Judging from the situation in the latter half of the army's retreat, the Huaxia Army had begun to stop using that powerful firearm. This perhaps meant that the quantity of this firearm had reached the bottom as expected. On the other hand, according to She Yema's observation and calculation during this period, the Huaxia Army in the southwest was likely facing other more complex situations. On the day he left Jiange, Ba Lisu's words also confirmed that She Yema's idea had a high probability of being true.

"...After fighting for almost half a year, this Huaxia Army in the southwest has suffered considerable casualties...Ning Yi's manpower was already running low, and in the past month or so, tens of thousands of prisoners have been trapped in the mountains and cannot be transported out. The current Huaxia Army is like a giant python swallowing an elephant. If it moves slightly, its belly will burst...In fact, if there is an opportunity, I would rather advance again and gamble on it. Perhaps this army will collapse on its own, and no one knows..."

Ba Lisu's thoughts completed She Yema's speculation and indeed illustrated the saying that old ginger is spicier. She Yema only thought that by cutting off Jiange, the rear army could gather in one place and calmly deal with Qin Shaoqian's bold lone army. Maybe he could cut off an arm of the Huaxia Army in front of Ning Yi, making him sigh at Jiange. However, he did not expect that Ba Lisu still had the idea of attacking the southwest again.

Such behavior was a desperate gamble, a slim chance of survival, but at the moment when the Huaxia Army had relaxed its vigilance, if it really succeeded, what a great achievement it would be. Unfortunately, in the situation after Xie Bao's death, he also knew that his father and the army would not allow him to take such a risk again.

Then he could only go to the camp and ask his father to participate in the encirclement and annihilation of the Huaxia Seventh Army led by Qin Shaoqian.

The setting sun was burning, and the army's banners stretched forward along the dirt road. The army's disastrous defeat and the tragic deaths of brothers and compatriots were still stirring in his heart. At this moment, he was fearless of anything.

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

Let's extend our vision further southwest.

Beyond Jiange, the originally winding roads were now piled with various supplies and materials used to block the way. Some places had been blown up, and some roads had been deliberately dug up. On the rugged mountains on both sides of the mountain road, one could occasionally see the black remains after the fires spread. In some mountains, the flames were still burning.

Fifty miles forward from Jiange, near Huangming County and Yushui Stream, camps began to appear in the mountains. The Huaxia Army's black Lone Star flag fluttered in the mountains. The camps were built along the road, and a large number of prisoners were being held here. On the winding mountain road, teams of prisoners were being escorted to the rear. The crowds were crowded in the mountains, and the speed was not fast.

Even though it was already an area controlled by the Huaxia Army, one could still occasionally see rising smoke columns in the nearby mountains. Every day, small-scale battles took place in various parts of this wilderness.

When the Jin people fled in a panic, a large number of Jin soldiers had been captured, but there were still thousands of ferocious Jin soldiers who escaped into the nearby dense forests. At this moment, seeing that they could not return home, they also chose to start one fire after another after encountering battle. The flames spread, and in many cases, they burned themselves to death, but they also caused a lot of trouble for the Huaxia Army. Several fires even affected the prisoner camps on the side of the mountain road. The Huaxia Army ordered the prisoners to cut down trees to build isolation zones, and there were also one or two times when the prisoners tried to escape during the fire, and many were burned to death in the spreading flames.

At this moment when dusk fell, looking out from the wooden shed on the hillside west of Huangming County, one could still see the black smoke rising from the distant mountains. Below the hillside was a long and narrow camp built along the road. Thousands of Jin prisoners were held here, mixed with the Huaxia Army's troops, extending for several miles in the valley.

The large shed on the hillside was the command post of the military camp at present. At this time, Huaxia Army soldiers were going back and forth in the shed, and the busy sounds were forming a whole. In front of the wooden table near the window, several newly reported young people were sitting with Ning Xi, who was managing some affairs here, listening to him talking about the problems he had encountered recently.

"...The usable troops have already bottomed out." Ning Xi leaned against the long table and said, "There are still nearly 30,000 prisoners being held in the mountains, nearly half of them are wounded. The broken mountain road is not easy to walk, and the prisoners are not very obedient. They are asked to line up and walk outwards, and they cannot walk more than ten miles a day. The road is often blocked, some people want to escape, some pretend to be sick, some want to die, and there are some desperate people in the forest who fight at every turn..."

"...When the forest is fighting, put a fire on it, and the prisoners on the road are about to move again. They walk slowly and have to supply food and drink. Medicines and food are transported in from outside the mountain. The broken road is occupied by half again. If you walk and stop like this, you can't withdraw in a month...In addition, the patrol of the fifty-mile mountain road requires a lot of manpower, and the patrol team has to transfer manpower, and occasionally there are losses, which is stretched."

"...The most troublesome thing is epidemic prevention. It is already summer, and the corpses of people who die in the mountains are rotten. If one is not good, there will be a plague. If a plague really breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous. I now know why Lord Wu'an Bai Qi killed more than 400,000 people in a pit. We can't engage in killing in a pit. You look outside. I wouldn't be surprised if those prisoners rebelled and rushed over..."

Ning Xi rubbed his forehead, and then smiled: "...Fortunately, you are here, and none of them can escape. This time, you have to help me."

"I'm here to help you." Someone responded.

The families of several young people present were also from the military. If Yuwen Feidu, Xiao Hei and others were the first batch of young people trained by Ning Yi through Zhuji and the Huaxia Army, then Hou Yuangong, Peng Yueyun, Zuo Wenhuai and others were the second generation. By the time of Ning Xi, Min Chuyi and the group in front of them, they could be regarded as the third generation.

Everyone had known each other for a long time. At the beginning of the war, these young people who had just reached adulthood were arranged in various parts of the army to familiarize themselves with different jobs. Now that the war was about to end, they were sent to Ning Xi to organize a small team. The leader of this matter was not Ning Yi, but Su Tan'er, who was far away in Chengdu, and some old ministers of the Su family headed by Su Wenfang and Su Wending. Of course, Ning Yi did not have much opinion on this.

At the moment, it was the distribution and arrangement of work. The young people present were all ambitious about the battlefield. At the moment, when asked about the situation of Jiange in front, Ning Xi was slightly silent: "The mountain road is difficult to walk, and the obstacles and destruction left by the Jurchens can be crossed, but without using the Dijang, it is difficult to break through the rearguard army. Ba Lisu's will to break the rearguard is very firm. He has arranged some 'death squads' on the road, asking them to defend the road to the death, even if Master Qu leads the team forward, there will be no small casualties."

Everyone looked at each other: "The Jurchens are still wild, and besides, many people in the north have their own families. If Ba Lisu threatens with this, it is indeed difficult to easily reach the gate of Jiange."

"...The Jurchens cannot defend Jiange forever. Once their forward army withdraws, the pass will always be ours."

"But in this way, their main force outside the pass has expanded to nearly 100,000. General Qin is carrying more than 20,000 people. He can't defeat the joint forces of Zong Han and Xiyin, and may even be eaten by Zong Han. Only by opening Jiange at the fastest speed can we take back the strategic initiative."

Everyone discussed for a while. At this time, Ning Ji came in from outside the shed and looked at the people here. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Brother, Sister Chuyi asked me to ask you, are you eating rice or steamed buns tonight?"

Ning Xi was talking to everyone. At this time, he heard the question and blushed slightly. He never did anything special in the army, but today it may be that Min Chuyi came with everyone and wanted to get food for him, so he asked this question. At the moment, he said with a blushing face: "I eat whatever you eat. What's so good to ask?"

Ning Ji was impatient: "The cooking class made rice and steamed buns tonight!"

Ning Xi waved his hand: "Okay, okay, I eat whatever you eat."

Ning Ji looked at him: "...I eat shit."

The wooden shed was quiet for a moment, and then someone who was drinking water couldn't help but spit it out. A group of young people were laughing, and the people in the headquarters in the distance were also holding back their laughter. Ning Xi took a deep breath: "...You tell Chuyi, whatever."

"Sister Chuyi wants to help you get food, but you take her kindness as donkey's liver and lungs."

Ning Ji said this blankly, turned around and went out. Everyone in the room laughed, and someone asked: "What's wrong with Xiao Ji? Is he in a bad mood?"

Ning Xi covered his forehead: "He wants to go to the front line as a military doctor, but the old man won't let him. He asked me to watch him and gave him a title, saying that he would protect me closely. How can he be in a good mood...I'm really unlucky..."

Everyone talked about it and laughed for a while. In the sunset, someone saw another smoke column rising in the distance. Everyone got up to watch, knowing that there must have been another encounter on the other side of the mountain. The atmosphere in the camp also became strange, and many prisoners under the mountain were looking at the smoke and dust.

Even though there had been some laughter just now, the atmosphere inside and outside the mountain was actually tense. Everyone understood that in such tension, there was always the possibility of such and such accidents. Defeat was not easy to bear, and what they faced after victory was still a thinner and thinner steel wire. Everyone felt more and more the harshness of this world. Ning Xi looked at the smoke column for a while, and then looked at the northeast, and said to everyone in a low voice:

"The attack on Jiange is in these few days..."

……

Not far from Jiange, Shili Village.

The troops who had occupied this place and had been repairing for half a day were bathing in the sunset in a ruin.

Mao Yishan, who had just cremated the body of his companion, let the military doctor treat the wound again. Someone brought dinner. When he was chewing food with the iron box, there was still a bloody smell in his mouth.

Every survival was worth celebrating, but every survival was bound to be accompanied by the sacrifice of familiar companions, so he didn't have much joy in his heart.

Quietly eating something, he looked to the northeast. On the side of the field of vision, he saw Qu Zhengyan walking over with the other two regiment commanders who were good at attacking fortifications. When he got close, he asked about his situation: "Are you okay?"

"I can still fight."

"I just received news from outside the mountain, I'll tell you first." Qu Zhengyan said, "On the Hanshui River, Dai Mengwei, who had joined forces with us before, has betrayed..."

In the sunset, Qu Zhengyan calmly told a few people about what was happening thousands of miles away, and told about the connection between the two sides, and then pointed his finger at Jiange: "From here, there are still ten miles. Within three days, I will capture Jiange from Ba Lisu. There will be no small casualties in this battle, you be prepared."

Mao Yishan stood at attention and saluted.

……

On the city head of Jiange, at this moment, Ba Lisu was also watching the burning sunset spread from the other side of the mountain.

What She Yema said was just a reserved language.

He was a veteran of the Jurchens. He had been fighting in wars all his life. Therefore, at this moment, he was especially clear about the importance of the Jiange pass. If the Huaxia Army captured Jiange, it would connect the response and connection between the Fifth Army and the Seventh Army, and gain the strategic initiative. If it could not capture Jiange, the Huaxia Army's victory in the southwest might suffer a sharp and heavy blow.

After five months of war, the Huaxia Army's troops were indeed stretched, but with Ning Yi's ability and vision, especially the style of never retreating in a narrow road, after killing Xie Bao in front of Zong Han, no matter what the cost, he would definitely try to capture Jiange as quickly as possible and in the most violent way.

After seeing the result of the Battle of Wangyuan Bridge, Ba Lisu understood in his heart that the pass in front of him would be one of the most difficult battles he had ever encountered in his life. If he failed, he would die here. If he succeeded, he would save the fate of the Great Jin with the posture of a hero.

What was gratifying was that this choice was not difficult. The results to be faced were also very clear.

He would defend this strategic pass and not let the Huaxia Army take a step forward.

……

At this moment, from the bank of the Hanshui River to Jiange, and then to Zizhou, the long road of thousands of miles, the entire earth was stretched into a thin string. While Dai Mengwei beheaded tens of thousands of people in Xicheng County, Qi Xinhan was defending Chuanlinpu to the death. Qin Shaoqian and Zong Han's army were maneuvering against each other west of Hanzhong. The Huaxia Fifth Army, which had reached its limit, was trying its best to stabilize the rear while also trying its best to break through the Jiange pass. The war was coming to an end, and people seemed to be burning the sky and the earth with willpower.

The fire was about to surge——

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