The Song Dynasty was severely damaged
While the rulers of the Song Dynasty were squandering their wealth, a powerful tribe was quietly rising to the north of the Song Dynasty: the Jurchens.
Under the leadership of Wanyan Aguda, the Jurchens gradually grew stronger. On the first day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Zhenghe in the Song Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda officially proclaimed himself emperor and named the country "Dajin". In less than ten years after the founding of the Jin Dynasty, it completely devoured the Liao Dynasty, which had been established for 200 years.
After the Song Dynasty received the news, the court officials talked about it.
"Will the Jin attack the Song Dynasty after conquering the Liao Dynasty?"
"The Liao Dynasty was so powerful, yet it was destroyed by the Jin Dynasty so quickly."
Tong Guan, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to make a name for himself. He believed that only by continuously launching wars could he keep the military power in his hands forever. So he advised Zhao Ji: "The Liao Kingdom is now in a desperate situation. Why not unite with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Kingdom and recover the lost Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun?"
Many ministers objected, saying, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible. If we destroy the Liao, the Song Dynasty will be open to the Jin. Wouldn't it be like entering an empty territory for the Jin to enter the Song Dynasty?"
Tong Guan said: "If we lose this opportunity, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun will never be recovered."
Recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun was the dream of successive emperors of the Song Dynasty, but none of them had achieved it. Zhao Ji also wanted to continue this dream and create the greatest achievement during his reign.
Therefore, he issued an order: "Just as the Grand Tutor said, I appoint him as the Envoy to the Two Rivers and lead 150,000 troops to Gaoyang Pass on the border between Song and Liao."
The ministers who opposed it all shook their heads and were helpless about it.
The Song army suffered a crushing defeat in this battle, with 100,000 soldiers trampling over each other, resulting in countless casualties and the loss of 100,000 Song warriors. The Song Dynasty was severely weakened as a result. It also showed the Jin people that the Song Dynasty was a rotten and doomed dynasty that would collapse at the slightest push.
From then on, the Jin Empire viewed the vast Song Dynasty as a fat lamb. After swallowing up the Liao Dynasty, the Jin Empire frequently extended its iron hoof to the Song Dynasty, the lamb to be slaughtered. Tong Guan, for his own selfish desires, pushed the Song Dynasty into an irretrievable situation.
After the defeat, wounded soldiers were lying all over Han Shizhong's tent. Only a few doctors and hangers-on were going in and out of the camp, busying themselves around. However, their efforts were like a drop in the bucket compared to the huge number of wounded soldiers, and they were simply unable to cope with the situation. The wails of the wounded echoed in the air, and the entire camp was filled with despair and death.
Before the army set out, Han Shizhong had advised Tong Guan not to attack the Liao Dynasty, but was reprimanded by Tong Guan. Now seeing this tragic situation, Han Shizhong was heartbroken. This senseless war had caused countless families to lose their beloved sons and family members.
That day, Mother Yan suddenly asked Liang Hongyu to accompany a guest, saying that a general had specifically asked Liang Hongyu to accompany him.
Liang Hongyu drew her eyebrows and dressed up in front of the mirror on the dressing table, then picked up her pipa and came to the Zuixiang Pavilion in Zuixinlou. After lifting the pearl curtain, she saw a familiar figure.
The man was wearing a navy blue suit, his long hair tied up with a jade crown, his eyes were sharp and domineering, and his tough outlines outlined his perfect facial features. While Liang Hongyu was puzzled, Han Shizhong explained his purpose.
"I came to bother you today because I wanted to ask you if you have heard anything about Tong Guan's recent whereabouts."
Han Shizhong suffered a defeat under the leadership of Tong Guan, and countless of his generals were killed or wounded. The army was full of resentment and wanted to kill Tong Guan with their own hands. However, Zhao Ji did not punish Tong Guan at all.
He could only get information from Liang Hongyu just to bring down Tong Guan.
Liang Hongyu raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "General, are you planning to assassinate Tong Guan?"
Han Shizhong was surprised and asked, "How did you know that, young lady?"
"I heard that Tong Guan led an army of 150,000 and suffered a defeat, resulting in countless casualties. The people were already boiling with resentment. They regarded Tong Guan as a traitor and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible."
"The girl is sitting at home, but she knows everything about the world."
"General, you may not know that the news that the Song Dynasty lost 100,000 soldiers has already spread throughout Jingkou."
"Oh, I am superficial." Han Shizhong sighed.
"I just happen to have a piece of news from Qiu Feng in the capital. Tong Guan will go to Anguo Temple to pray for blessings to comfort the souls of the dead." Liang Hongyu said as she handed the secret letter to Han Shizhong.
After reading the letter, Han Shizhong said, "Thank you for your help, young lady. Whether this trip will be successful or not depends on luck."
Liang Hongyu asked suspiciously, "General, have you come all this way here just to find out about Tong Guan?"
Han Shizhong said slowly, "I happened to be passing through here on military business, so I decided to find out about Tong Guan."
…………
Tong Guan calculated the time and rushed to Anguo Temple. He had lost 100,000 soldiers in this expedition, but the government had spared him, only fined him a year's salary. He went to Anguo Temple to offer a ritual to appease the dead simply to silence the gossip and keep his official position.
As soon as the carriage arrived at a reed patch near Anguo Temple, Tong Guan felt a murderous aura all around and immediately ordered his men to stop moving forward.
In an instant, a group of men in black emerged from the reeds, each holding a big knife and looking murderous.
Tong Guan knew that this journey might be dangerous, and it turned out just as he expected. Fortunately, he brought dozens of experts with him.
At Tong Guan's command, the accompanying guards engaged the masked man head-on. The entire reed bush was filled with cries of killing, startling several birds deep in the reed bush.
The sound of fighting continued. Han Shizhong did not expect that old man Tong Guan was so cunning. The masked men he led were obviously not at an advantage in numbers. They were ambushing his people, but Tong Guan had the upper hand. They could only retreat step by step and were forced into the depths of the reeds.
An arrow whizzed towards him, and before Han Shizhong could react, he was hit in the left shoulder. He covered the wound and fled with a few remaining soldiers. As he watched the remaining soldiers fall one after another, the pursuers were getting closer and closer.
Suddenly, a hand stretched out from the depths of the reeds and pulled him over. The person was also a masked man. He followed the masked man to another path deep in the reeds.
In a blink of an eye, he arrived at the lake and saw a small boat coming to pick him up. He got on the boat with the masked man. The boatman pushed with a long pole, and the boat left the shore and headed towards the center of the lake.
When the pursuers reached the shore, they saw the masked man boarding the boat and could only return in disappointment.
Tong Guan cursed: "What a bunch of useless people, what's the point of keeping you? Did you see the masked man's appearance clearly?"
The accompanying guard replied: "No, sir, it's just..."
"Just what? Tell me!"
"The masked man who came to rescue us was thin and looked like a woman."
"A woman?" Tong Guan frowned and thought: How could it be a woman?
After Han Shizhong boarded the boat, he clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you for your rescue, brave man."
The masked man lifted his veil, revealing his stern brows, but beneath them lay a stunning face. His dark eyes were filled with starlight, and a light as clear as water flowed in them.
A feeling he had never experienced before flowed from Han Shizhong's heart, as if thousands of fireflies were dancing joyfully out of a deep valley, flying towards the beautiful distance. Han Shizhong seemed to be in a trance, and was awakened by a soft and distant voice calling in his ears: "General, General."
Han Shizhong finally woke up from his dream and said thoughtfully, "Why is it you, girl?"
Liang Hongyu smiled faintly and said, "General, don't forget that Tong Guan is my enemy. How could I let him die in your hands?"
Han Shizhong looked at the woman in front of him. He was also a man with a long experience in officialdom, but he could not see the woman clearly.
"It's better to let me do such a dangerous thing."
Liang Hongyu glanced at Han Shizhong, the smile in her eyes becoming even more intense: "General, do you look down on women?"
Han Shizhong was at a loss for words when she asked him this, so he frowned and said, "Since the lady has made up her mind, I can't say anything more."
An ambiguous atmosphere rose between the two of them, which made Han Shizhong at a loss. So he supported himself on the deck with both hands, trying to move himself away, when a piercing pain suddenly came from his shoulder.
Liang Hongyu poked Han Shizhong's bleeding shoulder with her fingertips and said, "General, you are injured. Let me bandage you." As she said that, she took out the gold medicine she carried with her.
Han Shizhong sat up and let Liang Hongyu untie his belt.
With a "whoosh", his clothes fell to the ground, revealing Han Shizhong's strong arms.
Liang Hongyu sucked in a breath of cold air, and what came into her eyes were the dense scars on his body. Some of the scars looked like they had appeared a long time ago, while others were new scars with a tender red color.
She touched the scars with her fingertips, as if she could see his past through them, and she suddenly felt a little distressed for him. She had never expected that beneath his seemingly cold and indifferent appearance, he had experienced the vicissitudes of life and death. But he was only 22 years old. From the moment he became an enemy of Tong Guan, their fates were destined to be intertwined.
She gently sprinkled the powder on the wound on his shoulder, then tore off a clean part of her robe and wrapped it around the wound layer by layer.
Han Shizhong held his breath, his mind focused. The surroundings were so quiet he could only hear the sound of birds flying by. Liang Hongyu's crow-feather eyelashes fluttered, reaching deep into his heart, disrupting his heartbeat. He had never been this nervous before, even when he was breaking into the enemy camp to kill them. Now, facing such a beautiful woman, he was so nervous that he broke into a cold sweat.
"General, why is your head sweating? Let me wipe it for you."
When Liang Hongyu approached him, the faint fragrance of her body passed through his nose and penetrated his internal organs. Han Shizhong's body suddenly went from cold to inexplicably hot. His Adam's apple rolled and he said hurriedly, "Don't bother me, young lady. It seems a bit hot today."
Upon hearing this, Liang Hongyu thought to herself that it was autumn now and the weather was a little cooler, with a gentle breeze from the river, so she didn't feel hot at all. It must be because she had just been chased by Tong Guan's men and had run too much.
"General, the wound has been bandaged. Let me help you put on your clothes." Liang Hongyu said as she first put the undershirt on the deck onto Han Shizhong's left arm.
The moment her cold fingers touched his skin, his heart began to beat uncontrollably, threatening to burst out of his chest. Her movements were so gentle and soft that he didn't feel the pain at all. Perhaps his mind was already in disarray, so he didn't feel the pain.
A strange feeling came over him, as if a feather was brushing across the tip of his heart. He had never felt this way towards any woman, not even towards his deceased wife.
His wife was an ordinary farm girl. Just because he wanted to join the army, his father said with a dark face: "You can join the army, but get married first and then go. At least leave a descendant for our Han family."
When he joined the army, he was only 17 years old, at an age of ignorance, and he agreed to the marriage arranged by his parents.
On their wedding night, he lifted the veil. His bride had a plain face, no different from any other woman in the village. He wasn't as excited as other grooms during their first wedding night. He simply consummated his marriage with his bride as a matter of routine, and the next day he embarked on his military career.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
