Imperial Palace
If she continued to live in the palace, would she have the same fate as Concubine Pan, who was once the most favored woman in the world? If it were before, she would have accepted the fate's trick and decided to stay in the palace. After Concubine Pan's incident, she decided to think carefully about Asen's proposal to her that day.
In Chengxuan Hall, Zhao Gou sat on a chair with a sullen face and ordered Eunuch Rong, "Go and quickly find out what the relationship is between Asen, the little Taoist priest who followed the miracle doctor into the palace, and Concubine Xuan?" When Asen looked at Concubine Xuan, it was clearly the look of a man looking at a woman.
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Rong wondered why the emperor would investigate the little Taoist priest. Seeing that the emperor seemed in a bad mood, he did not bother to offend the emperor and just replied, "Yes." After that, he left the hall.
In Qingyi Palace, Qiu Feng and Wu Xun both left. Now only Asen and Liang Hongyu were left in the palace, expressing their joy of reunion to each other.
"Asen, where did you go after we parted?" Liang Hongyu asked first.
Asen told Liang Hongyu about his experiences one by one.
Liang Hongyu was also happy for Asen after hearing this. He was no longer the homeless, nameless boy. "So your name is Mu Yunxiao, the leader of the Qingcheng Gang?"
Asen nodded.
"It's really unpredictable and fate plays tricks on us." Liang Hongyu sighed.
"Sister Hongyu, then how did you end up in the palace as a concubine? You and General Han---" Asen didn't want to touch Liang Hongyu's sore spot, so he didn't say anything more. He glanced at Liang Hongyu and clearly saw the faint sadness in her eyes. From her understanding of Liang Hongyu, she knew she would never willingly enter the palace as a concubine. How could a woman like her be willing to be trapped in the deep palace?
So Asen asked, "Sister Hongyu, do you want to escape from the palace? I'll find a way."
"What can you do? I don't want to implicate you. Since my illness has been cured, you should leave the palace first."
"Wait a minute." After saying that, Asen turned and walked out of the hall. He couldn't stay here for too long, lest he ruin her reputation. As soon as he left the hall, he saw Qiu Feng staring at him with a pair of meaningful eyes. He smiled and nodded at her, without saying anything, and passed by her.
Qiu Feng looked at Asen's receding back and remembered the day Asen left. She confessed her love to him, but he rejected her.
"She is the only one in my heart. There is no room for anyone else." Qiu Feng thought of Asen's rejection at that time, and wondered if he still cared about the girl as much as he did back then.
On the day of Cold Dew, Liang Hongyu removed her hair of pearls and jade and knelt before the Ruisheng Palace, holding high the tiger talisman. The gilded bronze beast exhaled wisps of green smoke, obscuring the gloomy face on the throne.
"When I was fifteen, I followed my father on his campaign against Western Xia. My quiver held the golden sword of the Right Xian King of Western Xia, captured on the battlefield." She unbuttoned her plain robe, revealing her back. Scars, old and new, rose and fell like mountains in the morning light. "Now, Your Majesty has locked me in the Seven Treasures Tent. Are you trying to let this sword rust?"
Zhao Gou suddenly overturned the gilded incense burner, sending sparks flying at Liang Hongyu's feet. "Who do you think delivered this urgent report from the border to your pillow?" He trembled and held up the secret letter, which was clearly stamped with the Azure Dragon seal of the Azure Dragon Gang. "Asen rushed through twelve post stations to deliver military intelligence to you. Do you really think my guards are blind?"
Before she finished her words, a resounding drumbeat erupted from the northwest corner tower. The thumping of the drum resounded throughout the hall, and a feathered arrow suddenly flew towards her. She spun abruptly, drawing the sword of the imperial guards. A flash of cold light passed, and the feathered arrow fell to the ground.
"Your Majesty, please look," she cut off the blood-stained cloth strip from the arrow, "in the Mesopotamian region, we can already see the Jin army's bonfires." When the cloth strip was unfolded, it turned out to be half a sheepskin map, marking the location of the Jin army's granaries on the border.
Liang Hongyu pulled out a piece of paper from the quiver, which read: "Let Liang Hongyu go and restore her status as a military general, and I will give you the remaining half of the map." Liang Hongyu saw the handwriting and recognized it as Asen's, so she handed the note to Zhao Gou.
"If I don't go, the border will be in jeopardy. Does the emperor want the Jin army to crush Lin'an City?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou staggered and fell to his knees, and the jade pendant on his waist hit the armrest of the dragon throne with a crisp sound.
That day, he had Eunuch Rong investigate Asen's background and discovered that he was the leader of the Qinglong Gang, whose influence stretched far and wide. Naturally, he was well-informed and could have located the Jin army's granary. However, the court officials were all about flattery. He had them investigate, but before any news arrived, the Jin army might have already reached the city.
But he really didn't like the feeling of being threatened, especially by a gang leader. Why should he let go of his beloved?
Thinking of this, he suddenly grabbed Liang Hongyu's wrist, the bulging veins like twisted tree roots: "Do you think you can escape me by putting on armor? I want you to move into Lutai tomorrow. There are nine hundred and ninety-nine chains there..."
Suddenly, the sound of drums drumming could be heard outside the palace. Twelve white-haired veterans and a group of female generals, clad in armor, knelt before the palace gates. The leader held up a broken banner with the Chinese character "梁" (Lianghe) on it. "The seventy thousand soldiers and civilians of the sixteen cities of Lianghe respectfully request that the General Protector of the Nation resume his command!"
Zhao Gou stared at the tattoos on the old generals' necks. They were the Fire Cloud Marks Liang Hongyu had branded on the death squad when she burned the Jin army's grain camp. He suddenly laughed nervously and reached out to grab Liang Hongyu's skirt, but only tore off half of the blood-stained fragment of the battle flag.
Zhao Gou grabbed the broken piece of the battle flag and asked, "My beloved, have you ever loved me for a moment?"
Liang Hongyu said softly, "I like the King Kang who bravely broke into the Jin army camp."
Three days later, in front of Suzaku Gate.
Liang Hongyu took off her Shura mask and said to Asen, "Thank you for helping me regain my freedom."
Asen smiled and said, "From now on, the sky is the limit and you can do whatever you want."
"Three thousand members of the Qinglong Gang have infiltrated the Liang Family Army." He used the motion of fastening his cloak to slip the Qinglong token into her breastplate. "The Qinglong Gang is spread all over the country. If you need anything in the future, you can mobilize the entire Qinglong Gang with this token. Seeing this token is like seeing me in person."
"Are you sure?" Liang Hongyu asked cunningly.
"Very sure."
"Then I won't be polite." Liang Hongyu said as she put away the token.
"Do you need my help?"
"You have helped enough. Besides, isn't it just burning the Jin people's granary? I am good at this." She remembered that when she was fifteen years old, she followed her father to fight against Xixia. She and the death squad burned the Xixia's granary, forcing Xixia to retreat without a fight.
"You will regret it later. See you in the rivers and lakes." After saying that, he rode away with Wu Xun.
When Liang Hongyu also climbed onto the horse, the breastplate on her chest reflected the sunlight, which made Zhao Gou, who was watching on the city wall, suddenly cover his eyes.
Liang Hongyu took the map given to her by Zhao Gou, bid farewell to the capital, and headed north towards the border where war was raging.
She gripped the reins tightly, looked ahead, and breathed the air of freedom. Although she had been traveling for days and the road was bumpy, she did not feel tired. Compared with the open and secret struggles in the deep palace, this tiredness was nothing.
The horses' hooves crushed the morning mist and the evening sun. Liang Hongyu looked at the smoke rising in the distance, feeling a mixture of emotions.
Wherever she went, the people were displaced and their homes were consumed by the flames of war, which made her heartbroken. Only by ending this war as soon as possible and driving the Jin people out of the Song Dynasty could the people live and work in peace.
After several days of trekking, she arrived at Xianren Pass and decided to rest here for a night before continuing on her journey. She rode her horse to the gate tower of Xianren Pass and shouted to the guards, "I am Liang Hongyu. Please open the gate."
The general defending the city at this time was Yang Zheng, a subordinate of Wu Jie. He was an exceptionally brave man who had participated in the Battle of Heshangyuan with Wu Jie. Wu Jie, the garrison general at Xianren Pass, had decisively defeated the Jin army in the Battle of Heshangyuan. Xianren Pass was a crucial point for the Jin army to enter Shu. Once Xianren Pass was breached, the Jin army could advance southward without any difficulty.
Yang Zheng saw approximately five thousand soldiers standing on horseback outside the city gates. In front of them stood two thousand female generals, each clad in silver armor. Directly in front of them stood another, wearing golden armor and a red battle robe. She must have been Liang Hongyu. Upon hearing that it was Liang Hongyu, the soldiers at the city gates began to discuss her. The story of her and Han Shizhong's battle against Wanyan Zongbi at Huangtian Dang had been widely circulated among the people, and she had become famous for this battle, earning her the title of the first female general of the Song Dynasty by the emperor.
"Didn't they say that Liang Hongyu was taken as the emperor's concubine? How come she appears here?" said a soldier.
"Yeah, it's not a fake, is it?"
After hearing the soldiers' discussion, Yang Zheng asked, "What evidence do you have?"
"This is the imperial token of the Protector of the Nation bestowed upon you by the emperor. It can serve as proof." Liang Hongyu said, holding the token in her hand.
Yang Zheng took a closer look and saw the words "General's Order" written on the gold-bronze token.
"She's truly a female general! Let her go!" Yang Zheng raised his hand, signaling. He wondered to himself: Has she regained her status as a female general? How did she do that? It seemed this woman was no ordinary person. The story of Huang Tiandang's battle against the Jin army seemed more than just a rumor.
Less than a quarter of an hour after Liang Hongyu entered the city, suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from afar, rumbling like thunder across the sky, and the earth trembled. In the distance, a large group of people and horses appeared on the horizon, a black mass, rushing towards Xianren Pass like an overwhelming force.
One hundred thousand Jin soldiers stood on horseback outside the gate of Xianren Pass, and an extremely intimidating sense of oppression came over them.
When the Song army soldiers saw this situation, they gasped and were ready for battle.
A Jin army general rode a tall horse and came to the Jin army position in a domineering manner. He was wearing golden armor, holding a long sword, and had a contemptuous smile on his face. The man was Wanyan Zongbing.
"Song Gou! Do you have the courage to come out and fight me?" He shouted loudly, his voice like thunder, echoing over the camp.
The Song army was filled with righteous indignation, but no one dared to fight rashly. Using 10,000 defenders inside the city to fight against 100,000 Jin soldiers outside was like using an egg to hit a rock.
Wu Jie gazed gravely at the mass of Jin soldiers below the city walls and said to Liang Hongyu, "General Liang, you can take advantage of the moment when the two armies are clashing to lead your men out of the encirclement. Defending the city is my duty, and I cannot allow you to be buried with me."
Upon hearing this, Liang Hongyu said in a deep voice, "General, although I am a woman, I also know that a general should lead by example and set an example for the soldiers. How could I escape when the enemy attacks?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Jie felt respect for the female general. The female general in front of him was wearing golden armor and a red robe. Her hair on her forehead was flying slightly in the wind, showing her heroic appearance.
Wanyan Zongbing saw a red figure appear on the city wall. The woman was wearing a red robe and armor, and she looked at him firmly, without any fear.
"I am Liang Hongyu. I wonder if the general still remembers how scared I was in the battle of Huangtiandang?" Her voice was full of teasing, and the Song army soldiers who were so nervous and at a loss just now all laughed when they heard it.
"Yes, Your Highness, the Fourth Prince, you must have drunk a pot of the Yellow River." A soldier also came out to tease the arrogant Wanyan Zongbing. This remark caused another round of laughter.
At this time, Wanyan Zongbing's face at the city gate became a little distorted. He thought that he had never been defeated in his life, but he was defeated by Han Shizhong and the woman in front of him. This was really a disgrace to him. In today's battle, he must avenge the humiliation he had suffered.
"Really? Shouldn't General Liang be lying in the arms of the emperor who is fleeing at sea? I wonder why you are here today. Are you here to warm my bed?" Wanyan Zongbing finally managed to save some face with his words. The Jin army laughed so hard when they heard his words.
At this moment, a cold arrow whizzed past Wanyan Zongbing's face. Wanyan Zongbing's helmet rolled to the ground with the sharp sound of the cold arrow, and an arrow feather pierced through the entire helmet.
All the Jin army soldiers were frightened and broke out in cold sweats. If their commander died here, how could they fight this battle?
Wanyan Zongbing gnashed his teeth in hatred, wishing to grind Liang Hongyu into ashes. He ordered: "Bring the stone cannon."
Before Wanyan Zongbing could finish his words, he saw clusters of rockets coming at him like a flood, and immediately a large number of Jin soldiers fell to the ground. The crowd let out screams of being burned. At this time, the Song army had gained the upper hand.
When the Jin army came to their senses, tens of thousands of stone cannons smashed into the walls of Xianren Pass.
At this time, Wu Lin had also made preparations. He had previously built two layers of fences outside the city wall, and laid a rope net between the two layers of fences. Most of the stone cannons were caught on the rope net outside the city wall.
Seeing this, Liang Hongyu sighed, "General Wu's method is very clever."
"Just wait, there's a backup plan."
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