Chapter 1 The Turning Point

On the third day of the second month of the tenth year of Jianyan, in the area of Huolu, the Song and Jin forces committed a total of more than 300,000 troops to a local battlefield of several hundred square kilometers, and fought a fierce, unprecedented battle to determine the victor.

The result was a great victory for the Song army and a crushing defeat for the Jin.

Although it was difficult to accurately count the specific results in a short period of time, according to later rough figures... the Jin army suffered at least 30,000 deaths from direct combat deaths, being hunted down and slaughtered after the collapse, and being trampled to death in the escape. In fact, it was probably more, because the corpses simply could not be dragged out of the gradually solidifying trench. Those captured, including a large number of wounded, numbered close to 50,000.

Considering that the sixteen *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) of the Jin army were not at full strength, and probably only had 130,000 to 140,000 troops, then the captured and dead soldiers already accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Jin army's total strength.

Of the remaining 50,000 to 60,000 troops, only the *wanhu* of Wanyan Eluguan, the sixth son of Aguda, maintained its complete structure. The rest were scattered across the vast plains south of the Hutuo River in a state of collapse. Even the routed soldiers who returned to Zhending City became negligible because the Song army had captured the pontoon bridge at the river mouth in time.

At the same time, the Song army's casualties were also very serious. No less than 8,000 were killed or missing, no less than 5,000 were seriously wounded, and other casualties due to injuries and illness directly exceeded 10,000.

Frankly speaking, this number of casualties would have directly caused the collapse of the entire army's morale in ordinary times. However, with such a great victory and such a strong contrast between the victories and defeats of both sides, the morale was instead greatly boosted.

In fact, the Song army continued to advance on a large scale the next morning.

Among them, Wu Jie took overall charge of the affairs on the other side of the Taiping River and south of the Hutuo River. With his decisive command, he divided the troops into three parts. One part stayed at the original Jin army camp in Huolu to clean up the battlefield and rest... after all, the Jin army's armor and weapons left on the battlefield were likely the most valuable treasure of this era. Another part, mainly infantry, advanced in an orderly manner towards the surrounding prefectures and towns to exert necessary strategic control. The last part, mainly cavalry, was led by Liu Qi, the commander of the Imperial Camp cavalry, who went east to try to cross the Qin River and capture Gaocheng to cut off the Jin army's escape route. The Khitan, Xi, Mongolian, and Dangxiang light cavalry, in units of a thousand, spread out in all directions, roughly eastward, wantonly searching for and hunting down the Jin army's scattered troops.

At the same time, the Imperial Camp Left Army, under the command of Han Shizhong, also made extensive use of the captured pontoon bridge to cross the river and approach Zhending City. As expected, they transferred the wounded and corpses according to Zhao Guanjia's (official's) previous instructions... The Jin army's wounded and corpses, roughly stripped of their armor, were delivered almost continuously, even including many incomplete bodies. They were neatly arranged side by side outside the city on all sides, and the wounded were mixed with the corpses.

In this situation, if Wanyan Eluguan and the garrison in Zhending had previously only had a superficial understanding of the so-called '惨败' (*canbai*, miserable defeat), a sense of shock that left their minds blank, then they were now completely shaken and their spirits crushed.

This was not the end of it. As evening approached, the Song army took the initiative to stop transporting the bodies and retreated back to their camp... Perhaps out of fear, perhaps because they feared that the city would not accept them, or perhaps simply because they could not bear the pain of their wounds, the wounded outside the city suddenly burst into uncontrolled wails, which instantly swept through the entire column of wounded soldiers. The cries of sorrow and mourning echoed throughout the area around Zhending.

Not only that, but the defending soldiers who came out of the city to meet them also began to cry in terror. As these wounded soldiers cried into the city, the family members of the officers in the city, who had failed to find their relatives, also wailed incessantly. In the end, the crying inside and outside the city merged into one, and even senior officials and generals could not withstand the pressure and cried along with the entire city.

The sound was so loud that it could be clearly heard in the Song army's newly established camp several miles away. The troops of the Imperial Camp Left Army and the two armies of Dong Xian and Shao Yun had to have dinner accompanied by the sound of crying. As they discussed it, some people felt pity.

"What does Zhao Song GuanJia (official) say?"

Leaving aside the crying in the city, as the lightly wounded Jin soldiers were allowed to enter the city, an unexpected person received a direct summons from Eluguan and was publicly questioned by Hong Ya, the vice minister of the Ministry of War leading the Secretariat Council temporarily in charge of Zhending affairs, in the hall filled with Jin high-ranking officials.

This person was none other than Taishi Nu, who had been simply released back to Zhending City because he did not know where Wushu was. As the envoy who had gone to see Zhao Guanjia (official) before the battle, it was only natural that he was summoned for questioning now that he had returned successfully.

"To let Minister Hong know, I have not seen Zhao Song Guanjia (official) since yesterday." Taishi Nu lowered his head in shame, clearly ashamed and indignant. "Even if I had seen Zhao Song Guanjia (official) yesterday, and said many words, he probably would not have paid any attention to or heeded them, let alone given any relevant instructions... The fact that I returned unscathed is probably only because of my status as an envoy, and because that official killed too many people yesterday and was too lazy to kill again, so I was lucky enough to survive."

Hong Ya was slightly disappointed. He looked directly back at Wanyan Eluguan, who was sitting in the center, but saw that Eluguan's face was stiff and he did not seem to be listening at all. So he looked at the expressions of the people in the hall, and as he expected, most of the civil and military officials in the hall were also disappointed, with only a few showing a slight sense of relief.

After roughly noting down these few people, Hong Ya nodded directly to Taishi Nu: "Since you have returned, it is Heaven's will. There is no need to think too much about it. Just settle down and wait for news from Prince Wei!"

Taishi Nu had roughly guessed that his master was not here since he had not seen Wushu since he came in. However, the superiors were clearly discussing important military and state affairs at this time, and the Fourth Prince was not here, so what qualifications did he, a guard leader, have to interrupt, no matter how respected he was in ordinary times? So he bowed directly to Eluguan and Hong Ya in turn to thank them, and then went back to rest first, preparing to secretly ask Hong Ya about Wushu's situation later.

As soon as Taishi Nu left, the hall became noisy again... Clearly, as mentioned earlier, the wounded and dead bodies that almost blocked the four gates made everyone in Zhending City completely recognize the reality. Now the whole city was crying, and the morale of the garrison troops from top to bottom had collapsed... Even with an entire *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) and countless stores, it was necessary to discuss a way out.

However, in this situation of collapse, where was it so easy to discuss a way out?

"Can we lead the army to evacuate at night?"

"Where to evacuate to?"

"Wuji to the east and Xinle to the north are both possible... Of course, it's just a temporary foothold. What I mean is, since we were defeated so miserably yesterday, the *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) in the city is even more important. If we can bring it back to Yanjing, it will be a reliable support."

"Even if there is a place to evacuate to, how can we evacuate? How can an entire *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) in the city, half infantry and half cavalry, evacuate under Han Shizhong's nose? Doesn't the so-called Imperial Camp Left Army of the Song army have cavalry? It's the spring flood season. What if we encounter a small river or path on the way and are hindered, and then are caught up? We all know that this *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) is the last support. How can the Song people not know? As for Yanjing... Taiyuan... let's not even talk about it!"

"You ask me these questions, who should I ask? But what else can we do if we don't evacuate now? The whole city is crying, morale has collapsed, and no one dares to fight. As for saying that there is Taiyuan, of course I know, but the more this is the case, the more it shows that Zhending cannot be defended!"

"What are you all talking about? Even if it cannot be defended, we must defend it to the death! Because once we leave the city, it will be a dead end. Staying in the city, we can last a few more days..."

"Lasting those few days will result in everyone in this hall being wiped out! But if we escape at night, even if we are defeated, everyone can gamble on their fate!"

"Have you thought about it? If we leave, the Song army will drive straight in from the north bank of the Hutuo River. At that time, they won't even need to chase us. The Fourth Prince and tens of thousands of defeated soldiers on the other side of the river will not be able to return north on horseback!"

"Is the Fourth Prince's life a life, but the Sixth Prince's life is not a life?"

"Please stop arguing... Are you not concerned about the corpses and wounded soldiers outside the city? They are all our own men! Especially the wounded soldiers... Are their lives not lives?"

"This..."

"And the treasury... The warehouses of Zhending Prefecture are the general warehouse for military supplies built with the strength of the entire country. It is where the Third Prince and Fourth Prince usually inspect and station troops. There are countless armors, food, arrows, swords, leather, and gold, silver, copper, and iron ingots in the city... Are we going to throw them to the Song people?"

"..."

"..."

Hong Ya watched coldly and saw clearly... All these people were discussing was that the situation was very bad. They could not defend, and it was not easy to escape, so they were in a dilemma, almost forced into a corner... This was natural. In the battle yesterday, the Song army had decided the fate of the world in one battle. Whether the Great Jin Dynasty could survive depended on the timing of Heaven, the advantages of the terrain, and the support of the people. There was no glorious path to take in the small Zhending Prefecture.

However, having said that, if they had to leave, it was still possible to seek survival through some extreme small paths.

For example, the entire city, starting with the Sixth Prince Eluguan, could lead the countless civil and military officials who had retreated here, an entire *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households), and countless treasuries to surrender directly... This was what Hong Ya most wanted to see. Now, he desperately needed this Zhending City to gain merit and a way out in front of that official. At the same time, everyone surrendering together could effectively protect his family members in Yanjing.

Of course, this was too idealistic. Hong Ya was currently just thinking about it in his heart and did not have much hope of implementing it directly... No one in the hall dared to say the word "surrender" out loud... He needed to observe and seize the opportunity.

Besides this, there was another path, which was to abandon the wounded soldiers now, throw away the corpses, set fire to the treasury, and also abandon Wushu and the defeated army south of the Hutuo River. Then, using the large force of the *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) in the city as a bait and cover, they could flee in different directions. In that case, the high-ranking officials in the hall might have a considerable chance of escaping alive.

But this was even more extreme... How did that saying go?

The majestic Great Jin Dynasty had its own national conditions. Although it had been defeated miserably, it still had to maintain face. Didn't Gao Qingyi know to walk a few steps into the river, and then wait until he was gone before coming ashore? So probably no one in this hall could grit their teeth and say such words.

"If you ask me, why can't we abandon those corpses and wounded soldiers, then set fire to the treasury in the city? Then, using the entire *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) as a bait to shield us, we can go to Wuji, while we concentrate our personal guards and elites to protect the Sixth Prince to Xinle?" At this moment, a Han general suddenly stepped forward and said something that stunned the entire hall. Even Hong Ya was stunned.

While everyone was still in a daze, someone suddenly flushed red and stepped forward to scold him in public. Surprisingly, it was another red-robed Han Chinese civil official:

"Liu E! You are shameless and unworthy of being a descendant of the Liu King! If we take this strategy, kill me first!"

"If we don't take this strategy, what should we do?" The Han general called Liu E also became furious when he saw the person who jumped out. "Cheng Cai, you tell me, how should we respond now?"

"We should defend Zhending to the death, for as long as we can. If the city is breached, we should set fire to the city to uphold our integrity as officials!" The civil official called Cheng Cai did not hesitate and immediately replied, but his opinion was almost the opposite extreme of Liu E's.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Liu E was completely beside himself after hearing this.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Cheng Cai did not give in at all. "How can there be a reason to abandon the army and steal one's life?! I still say the same thing, if you want to do such a thing, you must kill me first!"

"Do you think I don't dare to kill you?" Liu E became even more furious and simply reached for his sword.

"I am an envoy, will I kill you or will you kill me?" Cheng Cai was not afraid and also reached for his sword to confront him.

The two disagreed and immediately shouted to fight and kill. The civil and military officials around them neither tried to persuade them nor scolded them, but just watched coldly.

Zhending Prefecture, as the actual headquarters of the Jin Dynasty's front command, had gathered many important people of the Jin Dynasty because of the war. There were not only princes, *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households), *meng'an* (a military unit of a hundred households), and *mouke* (a military unit of ten households), but also many other types of people... For example, Hong Ya was an envoy from Yanjing. Liu E was previously the defense commissioner of Enzhou. Because Enzhou had been captured by Tian Shizhong early on, he had retreated all the way to Zhending. Cheng Cai was a member of the Hanlin Academy of the Great Jin Dynasty, and was a member of the army visiting envoy sent from Yanjing half a month ago when he did not know that Taiyuan was lost.

But these were not the point.

The point was that Liu E's identity was a bit special. He was the youngest of the three direct brothers who were currently in charge of the Liu clan, a prominent family in Yanyun.

The so-called Liu clan was descended from Liu Peng, the *Jiedushi* (military governor) of Lulong during the late Tang Dynasty. Their family had served as ministers for generations in the Liao Dynasty. Liu E's father, Liu Yanzong, was even more favored after surrendering to the Jin Dynasty and was even entrusted with the administration of Yanyun. However, this family had too strong a presence in Yanyun, so they were always feared by the upper echelons of the Jin Dynasty. In addition, Liu Yanzong had relied on Nianhan after Aguda's death and was suspected of switching sides, which led to unanimous rejection from the upper echelons. Therefore, he was raised high and died in depression. The Liu clan's position in the upper echelons of the Jin Dynasty and their leading position among the prominent families in Yanyun had long been deliberately replaced by the Han clan, which was deliberately supported by the upper echelons of the Jin Dynasty.

But no matter what, this family's family background and foundation were there. Therefore, in the previous conferment of kings, Liu E's father, Liu Yanzong, was still the only Han Chinese in the Great Jin Dynasty who was posthumously granted the title of king. The Liu clan's energy and Liu E himself could not be ignored in the current situation.

But the interesting thing was that Cheng Cai was also a representative figure of a prominent Han Chinese family in Yanyun.

Cheng Cai's grandfather, like the father of the famous Song Dynasty minister Lin Jingmo, had a domineering nickname. Lin Jingmo's father was nicknamed Lin Nine Shepherds, while Cheng Cai's grandfather was nicknamed Cheng One Stroke. Lin Jingmo had nine brothers, and Cheng Cai's father had six brothers. Including their respective fathers, they were all *jinshi* (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), but one was in the Song Dynasty and the other was in the Liao Dynasty.

In addition, just as two of Lin Jingmo's brothers were particularly outstanding, called Grand Lin Scholar and Little Lin Scholar... Cheng Mu, Cheng Cai's father, was already a *jiedushi* (military governor) when he surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, and he continued to serve as *jiedushi* (military governor) and was currently in charge of the defense of Jingzhou. When Cheng Cai rose to prominence, the father and son served in the same court and were usually called Old Cheng *Jiedushi* (military governor) and Young Cheng Scholar.

Who would dare to ignore such a family?

However, the Jin army had collapsed almost all the military forces south of Yanshan, and the Jurchens themselves had not yet caused a stir. Yet, the descendants of the two prominent families in Yanyun had erupted into such an almost irreconcilable dispute, which made people feel particularly amused.

In short, it was impossible to reach a conclusion through discussion when the dispute had reached this point. Therefore, everyone's eyes gradually converged on one person in the hall: the Sixth Prince, Eluguan.

Wanyan Eluguan was the sixth son of Emperor Taizu Aguda. He was already of noble status and had previously served as the guardian of Datong, commanding one side. The *wanhu* (a military unit of ten thousand households) in the city this time was precisely brought back by Eluguan from Datong. In addition, the Third Prince had died of a sudden illness, and the Fourth Prince had been defeated and his life or death was unknown. The Second Prince and Fifth Prince (the current emperor's biological father) had died early. He was probably one of the most important figures in the entire Great Jin Dynasty, not to mention in this Zhending City.

Therefore, as long as this Sixth Prince spoke, no one in this Zhending City could resist him.

However, under everyone's attention, Eluguan was confused and at a loss, unable to make a decision at all. He was clearly affected by the tragic situation outside the city... This was understandable. The Fourth Prince Wushu was the youngest member of the imperial family who had participated in the founding battles of the Jin Dynasty. The young Eluguan was the dividing line. By the time Eluguan participated in military activities, the Great Jin Dynasty had already taken shape. Basically, they were all smooth battles, and his military experience and combat experience were much less.

Helpless, everyone looked at Hong Ya, the newly dispatched envoy from Yanjing. He had the reputation of being shrewd and capable, and he also had the Fourth Prince Wushu's name entrusted to him for military affairs. Even the Fourth Prince's own gold medal was in his hands. If he spoke at this time to make a decision, perhaps everyone below would support him, and the Sixth Prince Eluguan above would also go along with the flow.

However, Hong Ya, the ever shrewd and capable Minister Hong, surveyed the hall at this time. Although he was determined in his heart, his face was instead full of embarrassment. He then spread out his hands: "Everyone, although I am an envoy and have the Fourth Prince entrusting me with military affairs before the battle, how dare I easily make a decision in this situation?"

His words were quite sincere, and everyone was helpless. So, after arguing for a while, they finally dispersed.

However, many of the capable people among them knew that they had reached the point where they were being roasted over a fire, and their lives were uncertain. They did not want to delay at all... That night, people privately went to seek out the Sixth Prince Eluguan and the Hong Ya who leading the Secretariat Council, so many that Taishi Nu had to wait until the second watch (9-11pm) to see Minister Hong.

"The Fourth Prince is in this situation..."

Under the lamplight, accompanied by the still faintly audible cries, Hong Ya introduced the situation with a slightly helpless expression. "In short, the Song army only sent the Imperial Camp Left Army and two armies of the Imperial Camp Middle Army to the north of the Hutuo River. I'm afraid they will be chasing closely on the other side of the river. We can only leave it to fate."

"If that's the case, I will set off tomorrow and risk my life to cross the river to find the Fourth Prince..." Taishi Nu was momentarily solemn.

"That's not allowed." Hong Ya also became solemn immediately. "In this situation in Zhending City, no one can easily leave alone and retreat, otherwise it will be a scene of stampeding... Everyone will have a reason to leave!"

Taishi Nu was slightly stunned and could not refute it. So he turned around and asked seriously: "Then what should we do here in Zhending?"

"What else can we do?" Hong Ya spread out his hands in response. "We can't fight now, and if we can't fight, we have to defend. If we can't defend, we have to leave. If we can't leave, we have to either surrender or die... What else can we do?"

"Defend..."

"Defending is actually impossible. We're just suffering... I know what you mean... Leaving is only for a very small number of people, relying on luck." Hong Ya interjected. "The overall situation is like this. The real path for the entire city actually lies in surrendering or dying."

Under the lamplight, Taishi Nu was silent for a moment before asking again: "Even with these two options, what does Minister Hong think we should do? Just talk about the pros and cons for the Great Jin Dynasty."

"For the Great Jin Dynasty, there are no pros and cons to speak of." Hong Ya sighed in response. "Defending to the death and being completely wiped out is of course good. At least it can make that official on the other side of the river open his eyes slightly and see that the Great Jin Dynasty still has loyal and righteous men. In the future, when things go downhill, they won't underestimate the Great Jin Dynasty too much... But can we really have everyone in the city, from top to bottom, be of one mind and go to their deaths? When it really comes to blowing up the city or attacking the city, I'm afraid that eight or nine out of ten will surrender."

Taishi Nu smiled bitterly upon hearing this.

"But if we surrender, and we show our sincerity, and we let someone with the status of the Sixth Prince speak to Zhao Guanjia (official) in person, we might be able to leave a few more points of leeway in the peace talks. When we can really negotiate peace, those few points of leeway will be an incredibly huge world!" Hong Ya said to this point and could not help but stare at the other party's expression. "But I still say the same thing, there will always be one or two bastards who have never seen the power of yesterday's battle formation and still think that they can defy the general trend, so they will ruin things for nothing!"

"That's right." Taishi Nu saw that the other party was vaguely revealing their attitude and finally sighed. "Saying a thousand words and ten thousand words, anyone who experienced that battle yesterday, how could they not understand what it means to have the general trend gone? At this point, what is life and what is death, what is surrender and what is peace, what is Zhending and what is Yanjing, are all just things that Zhao Guanjia (official) swept away after yesterday's victory. There is not much point. The key is to find a way out, for you and me, and also for the Fourth Prince and the Great Jin Dynasty."

"That's exactly what I mean!" Hong Ya finally looked up and closed his eyes and sighed. "Listen to the crying in the city and you'll know what it means to have the building about to collapse. Yesterday, after you left, I watched with the Fourth Prince from the battle line, and when I saw an iron curtain slowly sweeping over, I only felt utterly discouraged. I hated that I couldn't bring you back and put that feigned surrender into practice... To be honest, if you allow me to say something unpleasant today, we can forget everything south of Yanshan after yesterday's battle! There is no point in struggling any further. We might as well abandon Yanyun early and return to beyond the Great Wall."

These words went straight to Taishi Nu's heart... However, how clever was this person? Otherwise, how could he have been able to switch back and forth so easily between Yelu Yudu, Yelu Mawu, Wanyan Balisu, and Wanyan Wushu? Therefore, after a slight expression of grief, he suddenly realized:

"Minister Hong means... to let me go again, to ask for surrender for the Sixth Prince, and then to promote the peace talks?"

"That's right." Hong Ya responded directly.

What responded to Hong Ya was a long silence.

However, Hong Ya was also very patient.

Sure enough, after waiting for a long time, Taishi Nu still spoke with difficulty: "Didn't Minister Hong just say that there are some bastards in the city hindering this matter?"

"A few second-generation heirs from prominent Yanyun families are of course the most afraid of that official attacking... But what can a few second-generation heirs who violate the will of the people accomplish? I can wipe them out with a wave of my hand." As he spoke, Hong Ya really waved his hand.

"The Sixth Prince...?"

"The Sixth Prince has long been beside himself, and he clearly already intends to surrender, but because of his status... We will take care of the matter, and give him a push, and he will naturally nod in agreement."

"But Minister Hong himself is also a surrenderer, so aren't you afraid...?"

"It is precisely because I am a surrenderer that I must hide in this overall situation... I can't do things alone, otherwise I will be courting death."

"..."

"..."

"In that case... I have one last question." After several exchanges, Taishi Nu could not help but feel parched. "If we surrender now, will it be detrimental to the Fourth Prince? He is still on the other side of the river, and his whereabouts are unknown."

"What harm will there be?" Hong Ya smiled bitterly for a moment. "It may be said that losing Zhending will allow the Song army to drive straight in, but in reality, if the Song army wants to attack any place at this time, why would they need to worry about Zhending? Furthermore, even if this matter goes smoothly, we will have to wait until we see Zhao Song Guanjia (official) tomorrow to finalize it, and then it will take at least the day after tomorrow to succeed... As for the Fourth Prince, he will be at the edge of the Qin River at the latest tomorrow, and his life or death will no longer concern us."

Taishi Nu became even more disheartened.

"However," Hong Ya knew that he had said too much, so he quickly added, "If the Fourth Prince can return, I'm afraid he will also agree to the peace talks... It is really impossible to continue fighting... Peace talks are the general trend!"

Taishi Nu nodded and finally nodded: "In that case, I will wait for Minister Hong's instructions tomorrow."

Hong Ya nodded: "No need for tomorrow, just go back and wait for news, and watch for my signal."

In this way, Taishi Nu did not say anything more and directly took his leave. Hong Ya did not move at all, but summoned a servant and asked them to invite two more people... After a short while, Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu arrived together.

Hong Ya was too lazy to even test these two people... Because they had been on the battlefield yesterday, and they must have felt it more deeply than he did.

"Surrender the entire city, and then we take the opportunity to escape and return to Yanjing?"

Jiagu Wulibu frowned.

"Yes," Hong Ya responded honestly. "After yesterday's battle, the overall situation has collapsed. South of Yanshan, there are only a few tens of thousands of new soldiers in Yanjing. In addition, the lessons of Taiyuan City and Yuancheng are there. I'm afraid we can't stop the Song people from sweeping up the remnants after they have rested and reorganized their troops. At this time, someone must hurry back to meet the Grand Prince and the emperor, to inform them of the dangerous situation in the front lines. Yanjing must quickly decide on important matters, try their best to help gather the defeated soldiers, and pull back those new soldiers who are recklessly sent south, to try to preserve our capital... There is no one more suitable for this task than the two of you."

"Then Zhending will directly surrender?" Jiagu Wulibu frowned slightly. "Are you really going to negotiate peace?"

"Forget it!" Elubu suddenly interjected. "At this point, do we still have any military hopes? Even if we do, they won't be from Zhending. The Sixth Prince and Minister Hong have their own plans. It's good enough that the two of us can go back... Minister Hong, just tell us what you want us to do!"

Jiagu Wulibu also shook his head and sighed and said no more.

"Kill Liu E and Cheng Cai," Hong Ya said even more straightforwardly.

Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu exchanged glances and did not have any doubts... They were also in the hall today. How could they not understand?

"It's easy to kill these two people. Not to mention killing these two for our own sake to return to Yanjing, even for the sake of Minister Hong's companionship yesterday, we will kill them... But Minister Hong, you must know that after this battle, the strength of the prominent families in Yanyun will be revealed. Moreover, there are no obstacles south of Yanshan, so they are destined to act fiercely. After killing the two of them, how should we prevent the news from reaching the ears of their clansmen?" Elubu immediately asked.

"How would I let the two of you bear this responsibility?" Under the lamplight, Hong Ya became slightly impatient. "As long as the two of you agree, I will immediately let Gao Qingyi go to inform Cheng Cai, saying that Liu E is gathering private soldiers, gathering some greedy people, preparing to burn the treasury first, and then take the opportunity to kidnap the Sixth Prince and escape... When the two sides collide, the two of you will send troops to help deal with them. At that time, they will naturally die from their own infighting! And when Zhending City is stabilized inside and out, we should surrender and leave... I will negotiate peace with the Sixth Prince, and the two of you will return to Yanjing to be the pillars of the country. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?!"

Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu exchanged glances again and still did not object.

Hong Ya did not hesitate and immediately got up, went out to summon a trusted servant, and asked them to call Gao Qingyi again... If he had been cautious and tentative at the beginning with Taishi Nu, then after this wave, this Minister Hong had already seen that as long as they had experienced yesterday's bloody battle, no one was not desperate about the situation.

What the hell was Zhending, what the hell was the Sixth Prince, what the hell were the prominent Yanyun families... What did they all amount to in the face of yesterday's battle?

At least one thing was clear, it was difficult to protect everything south of Yanshan, okay? The Great Jin Dynasty was about to perish, okay?!

In this situation, why shouldn't they be allowed to run? Why couldn't they kill two bastards who were ruining things? Why couldn't they save the country by indirect means?!

Of course, there might still be many Great Jin Dynasty ministers with the integrity and the desire to persevere, but those people were definitely not Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu and others who had abandoned Shiyi, lost their subordinates, and fled here lightly.

At midnight, chaos suddenly broke out in the city.

"Minister Hong, what's going on?"

The Jin Dynasty's Sixth Prince Eluguan had not fallen asleep, and he was even more frightened at this time. When he hurriedly put on his armor and led his guards out of the Zhending Prefectural Yamen, he happened to meet Hong Ya and a group of high-ranking officials in the city at the steps. He immediately asked.

"The Sixth Prince doesn't need to worry," Hong Ya quickly led the crowd to greet him and seriously informed him. "This official just sent someone to inquire, and it is said that Enzhou Defense Commissioner Liu E was preparing to burn the treasury and kidnap the Sixth Prince to escape. As a result, Hanlin Academician Cheng Cai received the news, so he led troops to stop him... Reinforcements have already been sent."

Eluguan was stunned for a moment, first thinking of what had happened in the evening, and nodding slightly. But he quickly noticed that something seemed wrong.

As the news of the rapid end of the chaos and the deaths of the two parties involved in the chaos came, this feeling of wrongness became even stronger.

"Minister Hong?" In the darkness, Eluguan could not help but discuss it again with the person with the highest status by his side. "Is there something to this matter... Which place are the reinforcements from? Shouldn't they have gone to rescue Cheng Academician? Why did the two of them die so easily?"

"Sixth Prince," Hong Ya looked back at the many civil and military officials under the torches around him, whose faces were uncertain. Then he looked back at Eluguan, but responded frankly in public. "I don't think there's any need to ask so clearly about this matter."

"What do you mean?" Eluguan's hair stood on end for a moment.

"The matter itself is very obvious... Yesterday's great defeat caused people to be restless. We can't fight, and we can't defend. Escaping is also a slim chance of survival, and death is even more a difficult matter since antiquity... At this time, it is normal for people to think about surrendering and thinking about survival." Hong Ya spread out his hands helplessly to explain. "Liu E and Cheng Cai may have fought for public affairs, or they may have fought privately, but in any case, their deaths together were undoubtedly a way for the people in the city who wanted to surrender to go with the flow! At this time, wouldn't pursuing the matter be forcing the entire city to rebel?"

Eluguan was stunned on the spot and could not help but want to find other people to verify this statement. But when he looked around, he saw that beside the flickering torchlight, accompanied by the still faintly audible sobs, almost everyone was standing silently, just staring at him blankly. He was completely horrified and not only did not dare to ask anyone, but instead could not help but burst into tears in public.

After looking around with tears in his eyes for a long time, this Jin Dynasty's Sixth Prince, who was stationed in Zhending, finally walked down the steps. Then, as if he had come back to his senses, he looked at Hong Ya again and cupped his hands to him: "Minister Hong... Please teach me, in this situation, with