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June 18th, afternoon, Yanzhou City, pillars of smoke rising.

The time was still midsummer, the bright sun shining down, casting clear shadows of trees swaying on the city's roads. Amidst the cicada's drone, the cries of battle spread through the city. The common people closed their doors and fortified their homes, anxiously awaiting developments. Some, with a spark of heroism, picked up knives and clubs, calling on three or five neighbors to hunt down the Western Xia people.

Yanzhou had been ruled by the Western Army for many years, and the people still possessed some bravery. When helpless, they could only endure humiliation and hide. But when an army stormed into the city, they followed behind, venting their rage with courage that had always been there.

Some elderly women with white hair opened their courtyard gates, carrying buckets of well water and a few dates, waiting tremulously to offer food and drink to the soldiers entering. They offered it to every soldier they saw, asking, "Has the heavenly army arrived? Has Lord Zhong returned?"

The soldiers pointed to the black flag behind them. "We are from Xiaocang River, the Chinese Army!"

The old women perhaps didn't understand, but tears welled up in their eyes. "My children are dead, killed by them..." When the Western Xia people came, they massacred the city, and then ruled for half a year, leaving only widows, widowers, and orphans.

The squad of soldiers who encountered her were stunned for a moment, then surged forward to support the street fighting.

A team ran past the street, pausing briefly at the small square at the end. Some sat down against the walls, panting. This was the Second Company of the First Battalion of the Second Regiment of the Chinese Army. Mao Yishan was among them, soaked in sweat from the fighting. He had washed his body with river water at noon, but now half his body was stained with blood again. His hand was tied to the hilt of his steel saber, and now that it was untied, it trembled slightly.

Platoon Leader Hou Wu was in better shape. Not far away was Qu Qing, who was acting with them, shirtless. His skin was dark and solid, his muscles knotted. Bandages were wrapped from his left shoulder to his right rib, already covered in blood and dust. He stood there, his mouth slightly open, trying to regulate his breathing. His right hand still held his saber, while his left reached out, snatched a wooden ladle from a bucket of water brought by a soldier, took a sip, and then poured it over his head.

"Haha... Ah, that's refreshing—"

Everyone knew that he used to lead troops and had a calm, reserved personality. But now, the man's right hand trembled slightly as he shouted out this sentence. Although he was exhausted, it came from the bottom of his heart, his excitement difficult to suppress.

Behind him, some people suddenly exclaimed, "That's right!"

"That's how we should fight! That's how we should fight—"

"Satisfying!"

The words were filled with slight tremors, a mixture of immense excitement, exuberance, and fatigue.

Ahead, more people charged forward from afar, their morale high, eager and thirsty for battle.

From the moment they left the mountain yesterday, the Black Flag Army's entire pace of attack had been too fast, so fast that even the soldiers themselves felt surprised and shocked. Sun Tzu's Art of War said, "Swift as the wind, aggressive as fire, decisive as thunder." But it was not easy for an army to achieve such a state. However, since yesterday, the Black Flag Army had burst out of the mountains, the entire strategic level was like a blade striking out, reckless and fearless, invincible.

No matter the size of the battle, everything crumbled at their touch!

In the hearts of many soldiers, they never thought of this battle as too simple. The pressure they had felt over the past year, the gradual identification with the people around them, made them rush out of the mountains without hesitation. But Western Xia was not an easy target. When there was no other way, more than nine thousand people rushed out together to give the enemy a hard blow, but for themselves, this action was bound to be a desperate gamble. However, when they charged out with this determination to die, they defeated tens of thousands of troops in two days, and stormed into Yanzhou City without stopping. Even many people in the army felt that they were only encountering Western Xia's miscellaneous soldiers.

Only people like Qu Qing could understand what kind of military spirit this was. He had once commanded the Wu Dynasty's army and had been annihilated by the Jurchen cavalry. Later, in Xia Village, he watched this army defeat the Resentment Army after a desperate struggle, and then rebel. The year of suppression and tempering in Xiaocang River gave them something too powerful.

No matter how strict the training, it could not increase a person's physical strength by two or three times. However, when thousands of people charged like an angry tide, the saber that was slashed out at the moment of engagement determined how powerful an army was. The Western Xia people were not weak. They formed formations according to training, and swung their blades and thrust their spears according to training at the moment of engagement. But the greatest thought in the minds of the people around him was to slash down the enemy in front of them, not only to slash them down, but also to try to push open and smash open the barrier in front of them.

Many people believed that at the moment of charging and facing the enemy, whether a soldier could kill the enemy and survive depended only on training and luck. This was true for most armies. But in fact, when training reached a certain level, the soldier's desire, fanaticism, and accompanying clarity for fighting could still determine the situation at the moment of the encounter.

When eight people fell on one side and only two fell on the other in the moment of engagement, that instant difference was enough to cause earth-shattering consequences. In such a battle, the victory or defeat was determined by the casualties in the first two or three rows of the army. When these two or three rows collapsed too quickly, those behind would be directly pushed away, and be swept back to form a landslide-like rout.

Of course, such soldiers were extremely difficult to create. However, after a year in Xiaocang River, at least at this moment, Qu Qing knew that the people gathered around him were such a group of soldiers.

His arm was trembling slightly at this moment, and the blood in his chest was still surging. With such a group of companions, what would have happened if they had encountered the Resentment Army or the Jurchens a few years ago? Perhaps it was just a slightly emotional imagination. But what would happen next, there would basically be no too much confusion.

"Is there anyone whose saber is not stained with blood?"

"No!"

"Then... the battle is not over, have you killed enough!?"

"No——"

After a short rest, the crowd rose, their momentum like a rainbow!

With a bang, the gate was pushed open. The one-eyed general wearing a black eye patch and a black cloak walked forward without stopping, surrounded by a guard squad. Along the way, between courtyards, the Western Xia banners fell, and corpses lay strewn about. A giant balloon flew overhead.

Further ahead, in a courtyard, many large carts were parked. This was clearly an area where the previous fighting had been fierce. A large cart was still burning, and soldiers of the Chinese Army were carrying buckets of water to extinguish the flames. Many people gathered here, more or less covered in blood. Chen Tuozi wiped the blood from his face with a wet towel. Sweat and the blood of more enemies had long mixed on his body, forming an unpleasant smell.

This smell, for the enemy, was perhaps truly terrifying.

"General, Ji Laisele was caught off guard and did not arrange for large-scale burning of grain. Most of what's inside are newly harvested wheat, as well as the Western Xia's previous military rations."

The door of the warehouse opened, piles of cloth bags displayed before them, piled up like small mountains. Qin Shaoqian glanced at it. "What about the other granaries?"

"All have been taken."

The biggest problem facing Xiaocang River was the lack of food. Chen Tuozi and others had been lurking in Yanzhou City for a long time, and had already investigated the locations of several granaries. After breaking through the north gate, the primary task of several elite troops was to raid these granaries. The Western Xia people always thought they had the upper hand, and never thought of burning the grain.

"The battle in the city must be quickly concluded, but there will be many Western Xia soldiers remaining in Yanzhou. We don't have time to stay and clean up. You've been here for months, have you already contacted the locals?"

The fighting in the city had not yet stopped. Qin Shaoqian glanced at it, and asked as he walked outside. Chen Tuozi came from a humble background. His small eyes blinked, sinister and bloodthirsty. "Some local gangs are willing to take action, and some have conditions, hehe..."

"Regardless of the conditions, leave your men here, and the Fifth Regiment will also leave two hundred people for you to gather the wounded along the way in Yanzhou City and keep an eye on these granaries. The army will take five days' worth of rations, and all other matters will be discussed later."

Chen Tuozi blinked. "Is the army going to continue to advance? General, I am willing to follow and kill the enemy. Yanzhou has been pacified, and there's really no point in staying here."

The two had already walked out. Qin Shaoqian turned back and patted him on the shoulder. "This place needs someone who can hold the fort. You've been following Brother Ning for so long, and you've been in Yanzhou City for several months. You're the most reassuring. We are fighting quickly, and taking Yanzhou was a surprise, but only taking Yanzhou is meaningless. What follows is the real all-out effort. If something goes wrong, it's good to have you at the rear to respond."

These words were simple, but extremely heavy. Chen Tuozi nodded and bowed. Qin Shaoqian mounted his horse and bowed in return. "Brother Chen, take care."

"General, take care. Everyone, take care."

Inside Yanzhou City, blood flowed, and traces of battle were everywhere. A large number of Western Xia soldiers were retreating from the west and southwest of Yanzhou. Soldiers of the Black Flag Army chasing them were constantly coming out from behind. In the northwestern mountains outside the city, a vortex of fighting continued. Ji Laisele's banner had fallen, but the teams chasing him were like mad tigers. From the moment they entered the city, these teams had plunged straight into his main formation, and even now, they were still chasing him closely.

Because the psychological expectations when sending out the troops were too high, there were many Black Flag Army soldiers inside and outside Yanzhou who felt that they had not killed enough. Especially for the generals of the army, there was a huge temptation for some of the young soldiers in Xiaocang River. This was because the spiritual leader of Xiaocang River had killed an emperor.

A small number of personal guards and a large number of defeated soldiers surrounded Ji Laisele. The Western Xia general held his spear and stood on the ground, his chest filled with suppressed stuffiness and pain. This army that had come from the mountains was one he had never seen before. Even now, he was still somewhat confused. In just two days, the world had been turned upside down, and tens of thousands of troops had collapsed. The opponent was like wolves and tigers devouring their prey. From an objective point of view, he could know the reasons for his failure, but... he still couldn't understand.

It was purely too much of a difference in combat power. The intensity of the battle that suddenly erupted from the opponent at the moment of engagement had far exceeded the tolerance of ordinary armies. His command was fine, his strategy was fine, and the city defense plan he had previously set was fine, but no plan was prepared to deal with things that were so much beyond common sense.

It was like the comparison of combat power between Jurchen soldiers and Wu Dynasty soldiers. When Wu Dynasty generals accepted the fact that the Jurchens were powerful, they could still fight back and forth when facing the Jurchen army. If from the beginning, everyone put each other on the same level, then with just one charge, no matter how many troops the Wu Dynasty had, they would only suffer a crushing defeat.

In this land in the Northwest, the Western Xia army already had the advantage. Even when facing the Zhe Family Army, charging each other was not a bad choice. Who would have expected such an unconventional team to suddenly pop out of the mountains?

A huge chaos swept over, and faintly, the sun in the sky was already showing an orange-yellow color, and the shouts of killing were getting closer and closer. In the last few views, he saw a young general not far away, covered in crimson, killing through mountains of corpses, shouting, "Mine—" He tilted his head slightly, and someone held a steel saber and slashed down on his head—

Yanzhou, led by Ji Laisele, the Western Xia Ganzhou Gansu Military Division only persisted for two days in the Northwest. On the afternoon of June 18th, Yanzhou City was broken, and the Western Xia army collapsed like a tide and scattered. After suddenly rushing out of the mountains, this sudden army acted like madmen, and only completed the first half of its actions.

***************

Boom-- splash--

Lightning flashed across the gloomy rain curtain, and thunder rumbled in the heavy rain.

June 20th, Xiaocang River Valley, shrouded in a torrential rain.

In a small courtyard on the hillside, oil lamps were lit in the house. People were still running back and forth in the courtyard, chickens flying and dogs jumping. When Yunzhu held her daughter and sat by the door to watch the rain, she could still hear voices coming from next door.

"... Wanting to change the old customs of this world sounds nice, and making the people understand it also sounds nice. If it could really be done, do you think no one would have tried it all these years? What would it turn into... Your Xiaocang River army is good, you can give them back their courage and act bravely for a time, but how will you control them in the future? Fighting for oneself is called being sensible? Do you think which scholar doesn't want to make people sensible..."

"... Moreover, being sensible is not something that reading can solve. You also said that my Zuo family's descendants are unworthy, but are all families' descendants good? Are they all just spoiled by their elders!? Which of the Zuo family's descendants can't read? Isn't my Zuo family's family tradition strict? Those who don't understand reason and are self-righteous are eight or nine out of ten. This is still because my Zuo family's tradition is of poetry and books. Zuo dares to assert that even if you really let everyone in the world read, there won't be enough who can be sensible!"

"... Confucianism is a circle! Although this circle is difficult to change, it can be gradually expanded, it just can't be done overnight! You want to investigate things and oppose Confucianism? How many things are in between? You want people to be sensible, what book are you going to give them to read? Are you, a young child, going to write it yourself!? They still have to read the *Analects*, they have to read the words of the sages. After reading, aren't you going to let them believe it? Even if, one day, there is a learning that can make people sensible and is different from Confucianism, what are you going to fill the gap between Confucianism and this non-Confucianism with? If you can't fill it, you're just talking empty words—"

After the melee in the valley the other day, Li Pin left, but Zuo Duanyou stayed. In this thunderstorm, the old man's words were deafening. Ning Yi couldn't help but nod and frown when he heard them...

*****************

In the hinterland of Yuanzhou, in the Western Xia army camp, Lou Shuwan walked out of her tent and saw the commotion in the camp. Some Dangxiang aristocratic officers hurried past, talking about something. When she asked the attendant next to her who understood Western Xia language, the attendant frowned. "It seems to be saying... their Emperor, is injured..."

Lou Shuwan was startled. She frowned, then quickened her pace, rushed over and grabbed a young officer she was already familiar with. "What's wrong? Your... Emperor was assassinated?"

"No, His Majesty smashed his table and suffered some minor injuries on his hand." The officer looked around. "A battle report came from Yanzhou."

"Yanzhou?"

"Ji Laisele..." The officer was about to elaborate, when he suddenly remembered this woman's background and some of the things she had said. "... What you said before, that group of bandits in the mountains, has taken action."

"... Ning Yi?" Lou Shuwan even paused for a moment before saying this name, then widened her eyes. "The people of Xiaocang River?"

"Four days ago, they burst out of the mountains east of Yanzhou, a total of ten thousand people, and went straight for Yanzhou. Ji Laisele couldn't stop them."

"... They bypassed Yanzhou? Where are they going?"

"They attacked Yanzhou by force, and broke through the city in half a day..." In Lou Shuwan's shocked gaze, the officer said news like a myth. The wind blew over the army camp, and the sky and earth seemed desolate. Lou Shuwan was first stunned, then pondered. She wanted to say, "I knew he would take action," and she did have a vague expectation in her heart, but she didn't expect it to be such an action. The other party never just sat and waited to die.

But what really shocked her to the extreme, and for a moment, it seemed like the air in the whole world was disappearing, was the unreal information that came from a casual question.

...

She asked, "Then after taking Yanzhou? They..."

The other party answered her question.

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