Night fell in Linzhou. Xu Chunyi led his men through the streets, occasionally guarded by soldiers, toward the southwest gate of the city. As a general once relied upon by Tian Shi, Xu Chunyi, born into a prominent family, was known for his upright character and courageous combat. On the battlefield, he was a trustworthy comrade.

During the day's Jurchen siege, although the main pressure was borne by the Huaxia Army, Xu Chunyi's soldiers still repelled a considerable number of attacks. Especially at several weak points on the west and south sides, the Jurchens launched surprise attacks to scale the city walls. Xu Chunyi personally led his elite troops to recapture the walls. His bravery in rushing about on the walls earned him the respect of many Huaxia Army soldiers.

Throughout the day, the Jurchens launched repeated attacks. The Huaxia Army, with just over eight thousand men, had tried to conserve some strength, but every soldier had been on the walls for one or two shifts. By nightfall, the surviving members of Xu's troops were better suited to guard the city. Thus, while Huaxia Army sentries were stationed at most key points on the walls, Xu's troops took responsibility for some sections of the wall.

Now was the time when everyone was most exhausted. Xu Chunyi's concern for the city's defenses, lest the Jurchens exploit a weakness, was not surprising. The soldiers he encountered along the way mostly roused themselves to salute him, proud to be following such a responsible general.

Approaching the city gate, Xu Chunyi glanced at the tower above and then turned into a nearby courtyard with his confidants…

Yan Qing lurked in the darkness. Behind him, more people arrived in succession. After a while, from the side of the courtyard that Xu Chunyi and his men had entered, a black figure peeked out and made a gesture.

Beside Yan Qing, someone sighed softly…

…

Outside the city, the vast military camp had begun to rest. In the Han army camp gathered at the rear, however, soldiers were quietly gathering in the darkness.

In the main camp, Shen Wenjin, clad in armor, picked up his steel saber and told his confidants in the tent everything.

"...Wolves eat meat, dogs eat shit. Although we follow the Jurchens, I think we all want more than just survival. This fortune is at hand. If we seize it, we'll eat meat. If we don't, the Jurchens will look down on us!"

The others nodded. In this chaotic world, if they were only seeking survival, they wouldn't have been fighting for their lives during the day. The Wu Dynasty's fate was sealed, and they had no choice. For the sake of their loved ones' survival, they had to follow the Jurchens and conquer this land. Each armed with weapons, they filed out of the tent.

When the night was at its darkest, Shen Wenjin led his elite troops quietly out of the camp. They circled around, then passed through the battlefield shielded by small hills, arriving at the southwest gate of Linzhou.

A small team went ahead. Then, the city gate quietly opened. The small team went inside to check the situation and then waved, summoning the remaining two thousand men to enter the city. Under the cover of darkness, these soldiers entered the city in succession. With the cooperation of Xu Chunyi's soldiers, they quickly occupied the city gate and then moved into the city.

In the main Jurchen camp, a messenger passed through the camp and delivered the message about the surprise entry into the city to Shulie Su. Shulie Su read it in silence, without a word.

The campfires were dim. All the soldiers seemed to be asleep, with only the shadows of patrolling figures passing by.

Occasionally, a few figures silently passed through the southwestern end of the camp, entering a tent and leaving quietly after a moment.

The Jurchen soldiers in the tent opened their eyes. During the intense attacks from daybreak to midnight, over thirty thousand Jurchen elites took turns attacking, but several thousand of their strongest fighters had been kept in reserve. Now, they put on their armor, their swords never leaving their sides. They were ready for battle.

…

The stars in the sky were dim. Several miles from Linzhou, in the thickets of miscellaneous trees, Zhu Biao gnawed on the dry rations in his hand, almost frozen solid. He walked among the soldiers who were crouching there, taking their last rest.

"Eat something. We won't rest after this… Eat something. We won't rest after this…"

He whispered these words to each soldier. Among the crowd, several leather sacks were passed from one to another. These contained strong liquor, heated up by the scouts who had arrived nearby, taking care not to alert anyone.

There wasn't much liquor, but everyone took a couple of sips.

Then, they began to depart…

…

Inside Linzhou City.

Forming a cautious formation, Shen Wenjin walked through the dim streets and saw the general waving to them cautiously from the street corner ahead.

Xu Chunyi.

A sigh arose in Shen Wenjin's heart. He and Xu Chunyi had met several times before. If Tian Shi hadn't suddenly died, Xu Chunyi and the Xu family behind him probably wouldn't have surrendered to the Jurchens in this great battle.

And within that sigh, what he truly felt was the Jurchens' power, and the prowess of Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiyin behind them. Last year's war seemed unremarkable, but as the Jurchens pushed the front lines south, Prince Jin, Tian Shi, solidified his prestige.

Who would have known that an assassination at the start of the year would instantly destroy that solidified prestige, leading to the division of Jin.

Through combined attacks and attrition, Shulie Su moved south to seize the Black Flag Army. With thirty thousand Jurchens against ten thousand Black Flags, and with Xu Chunyi's prearranged surrender orchestrated by Gu Shen, the entire situation was interconnected, aiming for a decisive victory.

In detail, the entire Jin region had a million rebel troops and nearly ten million civilians, with many rugged mountain roads. To conquer it head-on would take at least half a year or a year. But the current solution would take only half a month. With the failure of the Jin resistance, and with Che Jian as a warning, it would probably be difficult for the Central Plains to mount such a large-scale resistance again.

As a Han, he saw the sunset of the Han people.

He could only make this choice.

Shen Wenjin maintained caution, letting the vanguard of the formation move towards Xu Chunyi. He walked slowly behind. At one moment, perhaps due to a loose blue brick on the road, he stumbled and took two steps before realizing what had happened. He looked back.

In the darkness, he couldn't see the ground clearly, but the confidant general beside him noticed his confusion and began to examine the road. After a moment, the confidant general said, "The ground is wrong… It's been turned over…"

Shen Wenjin took a step back. From the darkness on the side, voices were heard.

"Don't move!" The voice said, "If you move… there will be a big disturbance…"

Ahead on the street, Xu Chunyi looked helplessly at them. Behind and beside him, cannons were being pushed out. There was movement in the courtyards around the street. A figure climbed onto a rooftop and planted a flag. The flag was black.

Shen Wenjin touched his helmet, knowing he had fallen into an ambush. But there was nothing he could do. If the Jurchens were blessed by fate and were the true rulers destined to reign over the world, this black flag was a great demon that could put everyone in a dilemma of life and death.

For a moment, he didn't know what choice to make.

…

On the southwest city wall, Chen Qi stood in the cold wind, his hand on the hilt of his saber, looking with a murderous expression at the line of soldiers not far away, huddled under the crenellations to keep warm.

He was Shen Wenjin's confidant, highly skilled in martial arts and ruthless. Originally in Prince Jin's army, various interests were intertwined, and he couldn't get ahead. Since surrendering to the Jurchens, Shen Wenjin had wanted to distinguish himself in front of the Jurchens. The atmosphere in the army had changed, and ruthless people like Chen Qi were highly valued.

Originally, under Prince Jin, Shen Wenjin's army had low morale and an unremarkable reputation. After surrendering to the Jurchens, everyone was focused on performance. In recent days, they had achieved some remarkable successes, and everyone felt like a strong army. "Heroes" like Chen Qi had subconsciously begun to despise those lazy soldiers.

The soldiers not far away, afraid of the wind and cold, were naturally Xu Chunyi's men. When Shen Wenjin entered the city, he left nearly half of his men at the city gate to help with the defense. Xu Chunyi's men had not left either—mainly for fear that such movements would alarm the Black Flag Army in the city—so now, they were all mixed together at the city gate and on the city walls, monitoring each other, waiting for the signal to attack from inside and outside the city.

The general under Xu Chunyi responsible for guarding the city wall came over, and those soldiers huddled together stood up. The general exchanged glances with Chen Qi. "Get ready, it'll be soon." Chen Qi glanced at him, too lazy to respond. The general left awkwardly. Those soldiers shivering in the cold didn't know what they were saying to each other, but they came over.

Chen Qi had his hand on the hilt of his saber. The approaching men hesitated a bit. Only the leader, with an oily manner like a hoodlum, raised his chin. "What's your name, brother? You've got some guts."

"What do you want?" Chen Qi's expression was unfriendly.

"Nothing." Seeing Chen Qi's aloofness, the man took a step back. "Just reminding you, our boss holds grudges."

"Humph!"

"I know you're not afraid." These soldiers, probably trying to make friends, saw Chen Qi's unfriendly attitude. The leader put his hand on the crenellations and began to look at the scenery, muttering, "Damn it, standing here during the day, afraid to stick your head out. Now it's finally over… Well, anyway, it'll be the Jurchens' world in the future, once and for all… Alright, we're all brothers. When the Jurchens take over the world, we Han people will have to stick together. I know you're good at martial arts, killed a lot of people. I used to follow a master from the Imperial Boxing Gym…"

Chen Qi turned his head to look at the oily soldier. Although his manner was slick, his physique suggested that he had practiced martial arts. "Oh, Imperial Boxing Gym? Who?"

"Who are you?" The man replied.

"Hmph, my name is Chen, Chen Qi." He said, "Tell me about you."

"I…" The man had just opened his mouth when the change happened suddenly!

Within his field of vision, inside the city, explosions erupted, and fireworks shot into the night sky -

…

In the Jurchen camp, Shulie Su put down his telescope.

…

The earth began to tremble.

…

In the dim streets, Shen Wenjin shouted and ran, the flames rising from the ground behind him!

…

Chen Qi turned back, looking towards the changes within the city. He had only taken one step when he suddenly realized that several of Xu Chunyi's soldiers beside him were too close. His companions grabbed the hilts of their sabers, and blades slashed down in front of them.

Warm, viscous blood splattered on Chen Qi's face.

He roared violently, his saber rising against the wind, then slashing down.

With a bang, the blade was blocked, his hand aching.

In front of him, the soldier's oily look vanished in an instant. It was as if, in the blink of an eye, he had been replaced by someone else, with only the severe cold of winter in his eyes.

Two shields were thrust toward his face. Chen Qi's hands were trapped above, and he staggered backward. Someone rushed out from the side, a long saber aimed at his feet. A short spear was thrown into the air, whistling past Chen Qi's face and embedding itself in the neck of a companion behind him.

Shields, blades, spears… The few people in front, in the blink of an eye, seemed to have transformed into a giant advancing wall. Chen Qi and the others fell quickly, staggering backward. Chen Qi fought desperately, slashing wildly, but only hitting the shields. Finally, the shields were suddenly withdrawn, and in front of him was still the same oily soldier he had spoken to earlier. Their eyes met, and the man's blade had already slashed. Chen Qi raised his arm to meet it, and his arm was severed in half. Another soldier's steel blade cleaved his neck.

As blood spurted out, Chen Qi seemed still confused by the fact that his arm was gone. Throughout his vision, the city was now a sea of slaughter.

…

In the night, the trembling of the earth was vaguely transmitted, and signal arrows exploded in the sky. On Shulie Su's face, there was no expression. He stood up, surrounded by Jurchen generals who had gathered.

"Shen Wenjin's three thousand men have fallen into the city and, to survive, will fight to the death." His voice rang out, "How can we miss such a good opportunity!"

From the beginning to the end, the only goal of the thirty thousand Jurchen elite attacking the eight thousand Black Flag troops was a quick victory. Yesterday's intense attacks had actually utilized all of Shulie Su's attacking capabilities. If they could break the city, that would be best. Even if they couldn't, they still had the option of a night attack.

If the surprise attack failed, there was still Xu Chunyi's cooperation.

Even if Xu Chunyi turned out to be a trap set by the Black Flag Army, Shen Wenjin, in order to protect himself after entering the city, would inevitably cause great damage to the city's defenses.

"Transmit my order, launch a general offensive!"

Shulie Su put on his helmet and mounted his horse with a blade in hand.

"The breaking of Linzhou will be today!"

…

The night was deep, but the sky was not yet bright.

On the north city tower of Linzhou, Staff Officer Li Nian raised his telescope, looking towards the explosions that had risen in the city. Not long before, Xu Chunyi's surrender to the Jurchens had been confirmed. The entire staff department had begun to act according to plan, and the initial placement of cannons, landmines, and various explosives in the city was his responsibility.

Finally got one over on Wanyan Xiyin…

He took a breath and turned the telescope to the other side of the city wall. At that moment, in the Jurchen camp, countless lights were being lit.

Fireballs thrown by catapults streaked across the deepest night, like an early dawn. The Jurchen army, carrying ladders, roared and howled as they surged toward the city walls. These were the surviving forces the Jurchens had reserved from the beginning, and now they were thrown into the battle at the first moment.

On the city walls, cannons roared.

Bugle calls echoed one after another, stretching along the massive city walls to the distant sides.

On the east side of the city, there seemed to be an unexpected battle breaking out. Perhaps others who were preparing to surrender to the Jurchens could no longer restrain themselves and had begun their risky strike.

At this time, it was just a little past three quarters into Yin hour (3:45 AM). In the deepest part of the night, the entire city of Linzhou had been suddenly awakened. This sudden awakening almost surpassed the noise of the daytime.

Huaxia Army, Jurchens, anti-Jurchen fighters, Jurchen collaborators… Ordinary siege battles, unless the strength was too different, usually took a long time. But this battle of Linzhou had only been going on for two days, and everyone involved had put all their strength into this black night before dawn. There was fighting within the city, and then outside the city, people had gradually woken up, gathered, and were fiercely rushing towards the exhausted city defenses.

In the fields still covered with snow, Zhu Biao, holding a long spear, was quickly moving forward. Behind him, the figures of three thousand Huaxia Army soldiers spread out in the darkness and cold of the night. Ahead of them, they could already vaguely see the flickering flames of Linzhou…