Burning granary
The Jin army's offensive slowed down slightly, but Liang Hongyu's heart was burning with anger.
She found Wu Jie and said in a firm tone: "Although the Jin army was defeated, they still have no intention of retreating. I will set out tonight to burn their food and supplies!" Then she took out the sheepskin map.
Wu Jie was shocked at first, but then he thought, she was Mu Yunxiao's friend, and even the emperor was wary of him. It was natural that he could get his hands on confidential military information like the Jin granary. So he said to her, "If we can burn the granary, the Jin army will lose their will to fight and will retreat. However, this trip is extremely dangerous, so General Liang must be careful."
Liang Hongyu nodded, then turned and walked out of the tent, her back firm and resolute.
Wu Jie looked at her back and sighed in his heart: If all the men in the Song Dynasty were like her, there would be no need to worry about not being able to drive away the Jin people and recover the lost territory.
As night fell and the Jin army slept soundly, Liang Hongyu took inventory of the troops and said to them, "Tonight we are going to burn down the Jin army's granary. This journey is extremely dangerous and may cost your lives. Those who wish to stay can stay here, and those who wish to leave can follow me tonight."
"We are willing to follow General Liang until death." Five thousand soldiers shouted in unison, startling the birds in the trees, and they flapped their wings and flew into the darker night.
Liang Hongyu ordered that the horses' hooves be wrapped with cloth strips, and led 5,000 soldiers out of the city gate quietly, heading towards Wuming Mountain.
Wuming Mountain is where the Jin army stored food and fodder, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
The rugged mountain road is winding and the cold wind is howling, as cold as a knife.
The soldiers wrapped their armor tightly and followed Liang Hongyu's steps, not daring to make any sound.
When they reached a valley, Liang Hongyu signaled the team to stop and rest.
The soldiers sat exhausted on the ground, their breath forming a thick fog under the moonlight.
Before I had time to rest, I heard the sound of horse hooves coming from afar, breaking the tranquility of the mountain night.
Liang Hongyu stood up vigilantly and signaled everyone to hide.
I saw a group of Jin soldiers escorting food and fodder slowly coming, about a thousand people in total.
"God is truly helping me!" Liang Hongyu whispered, "Get rid of these five hundred people, quickly and decisively, and change into their clothes!"
Five thousand people rushed out, with swords flashing and screams coming one after another.
But in just a moment, all five hundred Jin soldiers were wiped out.
Liang Hongyu ordered five hundred soldiers to put on the Jin army's armor, and hid her own armor in the valley.
"Let's go to Wuming Mountain!"
Liang Hongyu mounted her horse and led her army forward towards Wuming Mountain.
The mountain road is rugged, the north wind is howling, and the sound of horse hooves breaks the silence of the night.
From afar, the lights on Wuming Mountain were like stars. Those were the lights of the Jin army camp.
Liang Hongyu, wearing the dark soft armor of a Jin general, crouched on the top of the mountain, her fingertips stroking the fire stick at her waist, and instructed Qiu Feng beside her:
"Qiu Feng, go survey the terrain and find out the number of Jin soldiers and their defensive deployment."
Soon, Qiu Feng brought the information.
"The granary is heavily guarded, about 500 men. Other areas are relatively lightly guarded."
Upon hearing this, Liang Hongyu told everyone the battle plan. Jinxiu led the rest of the soldiers to ambush behind the hill, while she and Qiufeng led 500 people disguised as Jin soldiers into the granary.
When they approached the checkpoint, a Jin soldier stopped the team and asked in Jurchen: "Password!"
Liang Hongyu's heart skipped a beat. How could there be a password?
She immediately made a decision: "Kill!"
Before the Jin army guards could react, Liang Hongyu stepped forward, covered the Jin soldier's mouth, and swung the dagger across his neck. Blood immediately gushed out of his neck, and he died before he could even struggle.
After getting rid of several guards, she took out the crossbow hidden under the grain cart, put arrows on the longbow, and shot several Jin soldiers to death in the stands.
Under the cover of night, five hundred people ambushed outside the Jin army's tents and set fire to each tent. The fire spread, and with the wind getting stronger and stronger, the Jin soldiers finally reacted and picked up their weapons and rushed out of the tents.
At this time, Jinxiu, who was lying in ambush behind the hill, saw the fire in the Jin camp. With a command, he immediately led his soldiers into the Jin camp.
The Liang army rushed into the Jin camp like a tiger descending from the mountain and engaged in a fierce battle with the Jin soldiers.
The flashing of swords and the flying of blood and flesh, as well as the screams and roars intertwined together, broke the silent night sky.
Liang Hongyu led the charge, the long sword in her hand flying like a dragon, and wherever she passed, blood flowed like a river.
She was like a god of death. Wherever her sword reached, the Jin soldiers fell one after another.
In just one stick of incense, all the Jin soldiers in the granary were wiped out.
Liang Hongyu looked at the mountains of food and fodder, a sneer forming on her lips.
"set fire!"
At her command, the soldiers threw torches at the food and fodder.
In an instant, raging flames rose from the ground, lighting up half the sky.
The blazing flames greedily devoured everything, making crackling sounds.
Liang Hongyu looked at the flames rising into the sky, a triumphant smile on her lips, "Retreat!"
She led the soldiers to quickly evacuate Wuming Mountain and prepare to return to Xianren Pass to meet Wu Jie.
When they reached a valley, a group of Jin troops suddenly appeared in front of them. They were so dark that they stretched as far as the eye could see.
"It's the Jin reinforcements!" Jinxiu's face was pale and her voice trembled.
Liang Hongyu looked carefully and saw that there were a large number of Jin soldiers, about 20,000!
They all rode on tall horses and held scimitars in their hands. Perhaps they saw the flames all over the sky of Wuming Mountain and knew that something had happened to the granary, so they led their horses to rush over here.
Liang Hongyu knew that there was no way out at this point and she could only fight to the death.
She roared and rushed towards the Jin soldiers first.
The Liang army followed closely behind and rushed into the Jin army.
The sounds of shouting and killing and the clashing of weapons were endless.
The ground was stained red with blood and corpses piled up like mountains.
Liang Hongyu was surrounded, but she still fought hard.
The long sword in her hand was bent and her body was wounded in many places. The soldiers were all covered in blood and their original appearance could no longer be seen.
At this moment, a cold arrow pierced the air and shot towards Liang Hongyu's back.
Qiu Feng screamed, "Girl, be careful!" But because the distance was too far, she could only watch helplessly as the sharp arrow got closer and closer...
"when!"
There was a crisp metallic collision sound. The sharp arrow was split in two by a long sword and fell to the ground.
Liang Hongyu was stunned. She slowly turned around and saw a familiar figure standing behind her.
The man was tall, with a handsome face and handsome features. He was holding a long sword, wearing dark armor and a black battle robe. He stood behind her with great grace and said to her, "Are you okay?"
"Han...Han Shizhong?" Liang Hongyu looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar man in front of her. Surprise, excitement, grievance, all kinds of emotions surged in her heart. For a moment, she was speechless.
Han Shizhong smiled at Liang Hongyu, but before she could say anything, he immediately turned and rushed into the enemy camp, shouting, "Soldiers, kill! Leave no one alive!"
Liang Hongyu looked at Han Shizhong's back as he fought in the crowd, and her heart instantly calmed down.
She noticed that Han Shizhong raised a barely perceptible smile at the corner of his mouth, and the light in his eyes seemed to be meaningful...
Night falls and the stars dim.
The 20,000 Jin soldiers, led by Han Shizhong, were defeated like fallen leaves swept away by the autumn wind.
On the battlefield, corpses were everywhere, blood flowed like a river, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
Liang Hongyu stood on the hillside, looking at the tragic scene, feeling mixed emotions.
"Hongyu, we can't stay here for long. Let's rush to Xianren Pass as soon as possible." Han Shizhong rode his horse to Liang Hongyu's side and said in a deep voice.
"How do you know I want to rush to Xianren Pass? Also, why are you here?" Liang Hongyu jumped on the horse and walked side by side with Han Shizhong, asking the questions in her mind one by one.
"When I was in Chuzhou, I heard about you using a sheepskin map to force the palace to fight, and about you and General Wu Jie fighting Wanyan Zongbi at Xianren Pass. So I led my troops to Xianren Pass. General Wu said you went to Wuming Mountain, so I hurried over. Fortunately, I made it in time, otherwise -"
"What else? Will you collect my body?" Liang Hongyu was deeply moved by what she heard, but she still insisted. She remembered how he had begged her that day when they were both intoxicated by the aphrodisiac, but he hadn't shown any signs of losing his temper and had the maid escort her out of the Han Mansion.
Did he still have feelings for her? If he did, why would he remain so cold-blooded and rational towards her even with the aphrodisiac in his body? If not, why would he travel thousands of miles and risk his life to save her? No matter what he thought, she didn't seem worthy enough to face him again. She was once the emperor's concubine. Regardless of whether he despised her or not, even if he didn't, how could Zhao Gou let Han Shizhong go? How could he watch his concubine marry another man?
In every way, she should keep her distance from him.
Thinking of this, she whipped the horse hard and urged the horse forward.
Han Shizhong rode up to catch up with her and asked, "What's wrong, Hongyu? You are no longer Consort Xuan. Why are you still so shy?"
"Let's talk about it when we get to Xianren Pass. Now is not the time to discuss this." Liang Hongyu said as she raised the whip again.
Even though Han Shizhong had a thousand words to say, he could only follow her to Xianren Pass first.
Xianren Pass stands tall and majestic, easy to defend but difficult to attack.
However, at this moment, Xianren Pass was surrounded by Jin soldiers and no one could get in or out.
Wanyan Zongbing, seeing that the siege was proving ineffective, decided to trap the Song army at Xianren Pass. He ordered his men to dig a trench several dozen meters long outside the city walls, densely packed with sharpened wooden stakes, to prevent the Song army from leaving the city.
At this time, the outside of Xianren Pass was like the entrance to hell, which was daunting.
The Song army in the city had been trapped for many days, with no food or supplies, and low morale, like a beast trapped in a cage.
Liang Hongyu and Han Shizhong set up camp in a hidden valley outside the Great Wall.
In the valley, the trees are dense, blocking out the sun, and the cold wind is howling like crying.
The soldiers sat on the ground, hungry and exhausted.
"Miss, what should we do?" Jinxiu asked anxiously.
As the night deepens, the cold grows stronger.
Liang Hongyu frowned and looked serious.
She understood that a strong attack would only result in greater casualties, so she had to think of another way.
Liang Hongyu approached Han Shizhong and said, "You stay here and guard it first. I will go inside the pass and meet with General Wu to discuss a strategy to defend against the enemy." After that, she put on a black cloak and was about to leave.
Han Shizhong grabbed her arm and said worriedly, "It's dangerous to go there, I'd better go."
"You don't even know General Wu. Will he trust you? I'd better go."
Although Han Shizhong was hesitant, he knew what she said was true, so he let go of her hand and told her, "Then you must be careful!"
Liang Hongyu nodded, then turned and walked into the thick night.
With her extraordinary skills, she avoided the patrols of the Jin soldiers and moved through the night like a ghost.
In the Jin camp, lights were bright and people were everywhere.
Liang Hongyu held her breath and moved forward cautiously.
When she reached the deep trench, she flew over it, threw the climbing grappling rope she carried with her, and threw it towards the city wall. The sharp claws at the end of the rope had already hooked onto the wall. She pulled it down, grabbed the rope, and climbed up the wall nimbly and neatly.
The soldiers guarding the city wall were overwhelmed with joy and sorrow when they saw Liang Hongyu coming. They were about to go forward to greet her, but Liang Hongyu interrupted them and said, "Take me to see General Wu."
Wu Jie was looking at a bowl of wild vegetable soup on the table with no appetite. They had been eating bran and vegetables for several days. If this continued, the soldiers would probably starve to death here before the Jin army attacked.
In a trance, a black shadow appeared in front of him. He looked up and saw a black man standing in front of him.
The man in black took off his cloak, and underneath the cloak, his rosy face looked even brighter in the candlelight.
Seeing Liang Hongyu return safely, Wu Jie said excitedly: "General Liang, you are finally back!"
Liang Hongyu told Wu Jie about the situation outside the Great Wall. The two discussed for a long time and finally decided on a bold plan - to cooperate internally and externally to raid the Jin camp.
"General Liang, the Jin people are very cunning and we have to be on guard," Wu Jie reminded.
Liang Hongyu nodded and said, "Don't worry, I have a plan." She pulled out a sheepskin map from her bosom and handed it to Wu Jie, "This is..."
"Report—" a soldier rushed in, "General, the Jin people sent someone to deliver a letter!"
Liang Hongyu climbed up the ruined city wall. The cold wind scraped across her cheeks like a knife, but it could not blow away the determination in her eyes.
Below, the dense swarms of Jin soldiers were like bloodthirsty ants, surrounding the Immortal Pass tightly.
She took a deep breath and, using all her strength, spread her voice across the battlefield: "Listen up, Jin soldiers! I've burned all your food and fodder! Without it, I wonder what you can use to attack the city!"
There was a commotion in the Jin army camp, and many people looked at each other in confusion. Wanyan Zongbing's face turned ashen. He rode his horse to the front and shouted sternly, "Witch, stop misleading the people with your lies! Our Wuming Mountain granary is impregnable. How can you take it so easily?"
Liang Hongyu sneered, took out a sheepskin map from her bosom, held it high, and let the cold wind blow it.
"Open your eyes and see clearly what this is!" As she said this, she waved her arm and threw the sheepskin map out of the city.
The map drew an arc in the air and finally landed in front of the two armies.
Upon seeing this, a general beside Wanyan Zongbing immediately rode out, picked up the map and presented it to Wanyan Zongbing.
Wanyan Zongbing took the map, unfolded it and looked at it, his face suddenly changed.
The map clearly marks the topography of Wuming Mountain, and even the distribution of granaries is clear!
He suddenly froze in place, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
"This...how is this possible?" Wanyan Zongbing's voice trembled, and the map in his hand also shook slightly.
How did she know the location of the Wuming Mountain granary?
Is there a traitor in the Jin camp?
Wanyan Zongbing's fists were clenched so hard that they made a creaking sound. He suddenly raised his head and stared fiercely at Liang Hongyu on the city wall, as if he wanted to eat her alive.
"Pass the order down! Capture Immortal Pass at all costs! I will tear this witch into pieces!"
Just then, a spy came running over and whispered something in his ear.
After hearing this, Wanyan Zongbi's expression changed drastically again, his eyes filled with shock and confusion: "What did you say? Say it again!"
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