The night wind in Beijing in February is still chilly, but this does not stop the night market from being bustling.

The restaurants and teahouses during the day have closed their doors, but the lights are on at night. The whole street is filled with the aroma of wine, cosmetics and powder, and the charming smiles of women are faintly visible.

The streets were lined with stalls, with roaring fires and bright, flickering lanterns, which attracted many people to linger even at midnight.

The drunk people who had eaten in the restaurant sat under the mutton soup stall on the street, drinking the hot mutton soup while letting the night breeze sober them up, which was very comfortable.

"Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao." Someone passed by him, thought of something, stopped and asked, "How is the war in the north going?"

The war in the north that started in the first month of the year was no longer the most concerning issue for the people in the capital after more than a month had passed. Sometimes they even forgot that the war was still going on. The official who was called "Brother Zhao" just said "oh" and seemed to have thought about it seriously before remembering it.

"Nothing, just a stalemate with the Jin people on the border." He said, with a look of indifference, "I think this is the end of the Great Jin and the Great Zhou. No one can do anything to the other. Just a little commotion on the border every year."

A diner nearby came over with a bowl of mutton soup and nodded.

"That's right." He said, "Although the Jin people once invaded the Central Plains, our Great Zhou is different from the Great Qi. It's not surprising that a small and barbaric country like the Great Qi was destroyed when it was on par with the Great Jin. Our Great Zhou is such a big country, even if we were caught off guard for a while, we are not without the ability to fight back."

"That's right. We have raised these soldiers for more than ten years. They are not eating for nothing." Many people nodded with a relaxed look. "When Duke Cheng brought them to the capital, we saw with our own eyes that they are indeed good soldiers."

The mention of Duke Cheng made the atmosphere tense.

It is said that Duke Chengguo has defected to the Jin territory and may have led the Jin troops to attack.

If we exaggerate that Duke Cheng is powerful, doesn't that mean we are exaggerating the power of the Jin people?

This is really unsettling.

"Soldiers are soldiers, and generals are generals." The clerk surnamed Zhao said slowly with a smile that looked like he didn't understand anything, "The reason why Duke Cheng was so famous was because of his bravery. He ran away, but the soldiers didn't. Without the soldiers, he is nothing."

That’s right, everyone nodded quickly.

"Besides, there is also the Lord of Qinghe." The owner of the mutton soup shop said as he stirred the pot with a spoon, "You are young and only know the Duke of Cheng. Don't forget that the Lord of Qinghe was also very famous in the past, but he was stationed in the south, so people didn't pay much attention to him."

This makes everyone feel more at ease.

"Don't worry about those things. We don't need to worry about them." Someone said with a smile, grabbing the bowl of mutton soup drunkenly. "The adults are here. If the emperor is not anxious, why should we be anxious? We are under the feet of the emperor. This is the safest place."

As for other places, they have no control over them.

Everyone started laughing, and suddenly there was a noise nearby.

"Come and see, Sister Xiao is taking a night cruise on the river."

Xiao Jie'er is now the most popular girl in the newly-minted Jiaofangsi. Countless young masters spend a fortune to win her smile. It is very difficult for ordinary people like them to see her.

When people heard that she was taking a night cruise on a flower boat, the streets suddenly became boiling like water in a boiling pot, and people flocked to both sides of the river.

There were many colorful boats in the river, with women wearing pearls and jade, singing and dancing to bamboo strings as if in heaven. There was a bustling crowd by the river, and from time to time someone was squeezed and fell into the river, causing laughter. Some people even threw silk flowers and fragrant fruits onto the colorful boats.

Finally, some wealthy man simply threw a basket of money into the river, which attracted countless people to jump into the river to grab the money. The money was almost blocked from the flower boats. The boats were filled with coquettish screams and cries, making people intoxicated and not knowing what day it was.

Compared with the outer city night market, the inner city where the imperial palace is located has fallen into the silence of the night, like two completely different worlds.

But at this time, the lights in the Qinzheng Hall were still bright.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

An official trotted in.

Inside the hall, Huang Cheng and five other important ministers of the inner cabinet could not help but walk over a few steps, and the emperor on the throne also stood up.

"How is it? Any news?" he asked anxiously.

The officials were sweating profusely in this cold night, and it was unclear whether it was because they were running too fast or because they were too anxious.

"Yes, yes." He panted and said, "Five reinforcements have arrived in Puyin, nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses."

Huang Cheng and others breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good."

"Very timely, very timely."

"It's enough to fight against. It's enough to fight against."

Everyone was talking, and the emperor breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair.

"Where is Qinghe Bo?" he asked again, thinking of something.

The official hesitated.

"There is no new news from Qinghebo for the time being," he said.

The previous old news was that there was no news, which meant that no one knew whether to live or die.

No new news? Does that mean you still don't know whether you are alive or dead?

Everyone present looked unhappy.

"But your majesty, don't worry." The official said hurriedly, "When Qinghebo issued the order to mobilize troops, he also arranged for everyone to assist in the attack. At this time, all the troops are in place."

That's good, that's good. Even if we fail to rescue Qinghe Bo, this battle will be enough for the Jin people to deal with.

The Jin people's Tartars were greedy and timid. They could be dealt with by beating them to scare them and giving them some benefits.

The emperor looked at Huang Cheng.

"Have we been able to contact the Jin envoy?" he asked.

Huang Cheng leaned over and answered yes.

"I've been contacted and am waiting for a reply." He said without hesitation.

The emperor nodded.

"No matter what they say, just come down first and talk later," he said.

No matter what conditions are demanded, they will agree to it? This is too damaging to the national prestige. An official frowned.

"Your Majesty." He couldn't help but speak.

The emperor interrupted him impatiently.

"Not everyone agrees. Let's deceive them first to prevent the people from suffering," he said.

Perhaps because he was frightened and anxious by the sudden war, the emperor became more autocratic than before and was very rude to officials who raised objections, punishing them at will.

Forget it, let’s first see how Qinghebo’s siege goes, the official leaned over and answered yes.

The emperor looked at several important officials in the palace.

"Also, the fact that Qinghebo was besieged must be kept secret," he said. "Only a few of you know about it, and you must not spread it."

The officials looked at each other.

Should we keep such a big thing secret?

"This news must not be spread now, so as not to affect morale and disturb the people's hearts. The unrest will make it easier for the Jin people to take advantage of the opportunity." said the emperor.

What's more important is that he was the one who appointed Qinghebo. If he is trapped in such a battle, he will definitely be exhausted and also be scolded as a waste.

"Yes." He sighed, "I feel guilty for letting the people suffer such a fright in the first month of the new year."

There is some truth in this, but sometimes being frightened is also a warning.

Several court officials had complicated expressions, but Huang Cheng had already bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty is wise." He said, and then subconsciously glanced at the young man standing next to him.

People who shouldn't have been present at such an important occasion were still there, but this time he didn't say anything to praise His Majesty's wisdom. He just stood aside and listened and recorded carefully and attentively.

However, the emperor was not in the mood to care about whether he was wise or not. It was not a glorious thing and no one was stupid. How could he be wise at this time?

He glared at Huang Cheng with a little annoyance.

"There is no other way to solve this problem," he said.

The other officials didn't know what to say, so they just leaned forward and said yes.

Ning Yunzhao stopped writing and lowered his head slightly, hiding the sarcasm and heaviness in his eyes.

…

The land near the capital is much warmer than in the north. Small grasses are tentatively poking out in the hazy morning light, cautiously spreading their tender green bodies.

The strong horse hooves trampled through the ground, leaving a pit, stirring up dust, and crushing the green grass.

The man on the horse reined in his horse suddenly, and stopped with a neigh, and the armor on his body collided with each other with a rustling sound.

These were two soldiers dressed as scouts, looking ahead with surprise.

This is a country road. In the morning mist, a man is lying on the ground with a basket on his back.

They were very familiar with this place. Luojia Village was not far away. The people on the ground were curled up, and although their faces could not be seen, they had already recognized the basket and the broken fork that fell to the side.

"Isn't this Luo Quezi?" a scout said, with a hint of joking, "Why is he lying on the ground? Could it be that what he picked up this time was not cow dung, but gold?"

He raised his voice as he spoke this, but the man on the ground remained motionless, as if he had fallen asleep.

Something was wrong, and the two scouts rushed forward.

"Luo Cuizi, are you sick?" they asked, and just as they got closer, they reined in their horses again and let out a low cry.

The person lying on the ground was not curled up, but had no head at all.

What's going on?

The two sentries jumped off their horses, looking horrified.

"Boss." A sentry shouted, pointing to a big tree nearby.

There was a head stuck on a dry branch, and it looked like it had been thrown there casually.

This method is too cruel.

Who would have such a deep grudge against a useless villager who picks cow dung?

"Incision made by a sickle." A sentry half-knelt on the ground and looked at Luo Quezi's neck and whispered, then swallowed his saliva and raised his head, "One cut, this kind of force and this kind of sharp sickle are not common..."

Yes, even their army doesn’t use this kind of thing, but they have seen this kind of sickle before.

The two sentries turned pale.

Jin cavalry.

…

The village ahead was sleeping in the mist, extremely quiet.

The sound of horse hooves was particularly loud.

"Wait." A sentry stopped his horse, "Something is wrong."

He jumped off his horse, took off various weapons from the horse's back and hung them on his body.

Yes, villages are different from towns. Villagers get up early to work and it is impossible for them to sleep until noon. What's more, there is not even the crowing of chickens or barking of dogs.

The two sentries swallowed their saliva, dismounted from their horses, tightly grasped their spears, and slowly walked towards the village.

The village was dead silent.

The door of the nearest house was wide open and two sentries walked in.

"Luo Laoqi." They shouted, subconsciously lowering their voices.

Even if you lower your voice, you can still hear it in the house.

But no one responded. The two sentries exchanged glances, groped their way to the door, one stood at the door, and the other kicked it.

The door opened as soon as he touched it, and the sentry almost fell down. Fortunately, he immediately steadied himself and stood in the room, and saw the person lying on the ground.

Bloodstained.

Not only on the floor but also on the bed, a woman was holding two children stacked up on top of each other, and the mattress was stained with blood.

Something happened!

Footsteps echoed in the village, doors were opened one after another, and without exception, all that were seen were dead bodies.

Some were in the yard, some were in the house, and they were everywhere.

The entire village was massacred overnight.

Two sentries stood in the village, their legs trembling slightly and their faces pale.

It's not like they haven't seen dead people before, but this is the first time they have seen such a horrific scene.

What is going on?

"Are they bandits?" muttered a sentry.

The other turned around.

"No matter what, go and report to the adults," he said.

This kind of massacre of an entire village could no longer be reported to the authorities alone; the local garrison had to intervene as well.

As soon as he turned around, a person appeared in his sight.

The sentry couldn't help but scream.

Anyone who had just seen half of the dead people in the village would be frightened by the sudden appearance of a living person.

This is a person walking out of an alley.

Are there any survivors?

The sentry breathed a sigh of relief.

"My fellow countryman, what happened..." he shouted hurriedly.

As soon as he said this, the sentry next to him grabbed his arm, and he could hear the sound of his companions' teeth clashing.

“Gold…Gold…”

Gold what?

The sentry also had a clear view of the person standing in front of him.

The man was short and stout, wearing cotton armor with copper studs, holding a fine iron sickle in his hand, and a strange smile appeared on his face, which was covered by an iron shield.

Jin soldiers!

Is he dreaming?

How come the Jin soldiers appeared here?

The sentry's eyes widened, and he subconsciously tried to pull out the bow and arrow behind him, but he was still a step too late. A cold light flashed before his eyes, and the Jin soldier had already pounced over, slashing straight at him with the long sickle.

Blood splattered everywhere.