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The rain fell, seeping in little by little, turning the already chaotic streets into muddy, silted alleys. As a carriage slowly passed down the street, Shishi lifted the curtain, observing the lifeless shops on both sides. The shopkeepers and a few customers were looking towards a certain direction in the city from their doorways. Several children dragging wooden sticks ran through the rain with a whoosh, stopping at the end of the road to also stare northward. One of them clenched his fist and shouted, "Kill all the Jin dogs! Kill all the Jin dogs!"

The sounds of war were faintly audible from that direction.

Bianliang City was vast, a city of over a million inhabitants. The sounds of war shook the city walls, then spread like ripples throughout the city, fading into the distance. But in recent days, the city's inhabitants had learned to discern the meaning of those sounds.

Since the disastrous defeat of the Western Army in their surprise attack on the Jin camp on September 24th, Wanyan Zongwang had unleashed his cavalry, crushing hundreds of thousands of troops in the fields outside Bianliang. For the residents of Bianliang, this news brought near despair, but it also awakened a great sense of crisis. The day after the Western Army's defeat, students from the Imperial Academy and residents of the city petitioned outside the imperial palace, demanding that the court reinstate Li Gang and Zhong Shidao and remove treacherous officials. The Imperial Academy student Chen Dong even included Cai Jing and Tong Guan on a list of "Six Traitors," demanding their punishment.

Following this incident, the court accepted some of the suggestions, promoted Zhong Shidao, and ordered him to assist Li Gang in organizing the defense of Bianliang. When Zhong Shidao appeared before the petitioners outside the imperial palace in his carriage, they finally dispersed. Subsequently, Li Gang and others launched a propaganda campaign within the city, and hundreds of thousands of residents of Bianliang responded, expressing their willingness to fight on the city walls and stand or fall with Bianliang. Thus, with a united front and a do-or-die spirit, their momentum was unparalleled.

Under such momentum, the original pro-peace faction had no voice left. The Jin envoy Wang Rui died in the riot that night, and the court spared no effort to publicize the brutality of the Jurchens, claiming that no one would survive the city's fall. Since then, the Jurchens had attacked the city several times, and the city's residents had actively joined the war preparations, firmly holding the city walls for more than a month.

During this process, prices within the city had begun to rise.

The prices of grain and vegetables naturally soared first. Bianliang had always been a city with abundant supplies and stable prices, and most people had not anticipated the sudden arrival of the Jurchens. Before the siege, although a large amount of grain had been transported into the city, it was primarily for the court's use. Li Gang and other court officials not only incited people to defend the city with righteousness, but also distributed food and other supplies to those who contributed. Because of this, the upper echelons had not adopted policies to stabilize prices. Some strong and resourceful individuals could participate in the city defense reserve, participating in the manufacture of rolling logs and boulders, but in this process, most people were ultimately divided into different classes. A very small number of people in the city were ultimately threatened by this situation.

Fanlou, of course, was not within the scope of those threatened. Having not stockpiled grain on a large scale earlier, it was now beginning to consider the problem of food. Shishi was going out today to find Su Wenfang, who had remained at the bamboo shop, to discuss the purchase of grain. When Ning Yi left the city and went north, Su Tan'er and other family members had gone south. Su Wenfang had volunteered to stay in the city to continue managing the bamboo shop, also working as a messenger for the Prime Minister's office. With Shishi coming forward, purchasing grain was naturally no problem.

Having concluded her business, she returned. To the north of the city, the sound of the Jurchens attacking the city had not ceased. Along the way, the residents of the city were mostly paying attention to that direction. Even those who appeared calm and composed, eating snacks and chatting with each other, were undoubtedly uneasy in their hearts. For everyone, the city walls were high and thick, but now they seemed like a thin piece of paper. With the fighting continuing, they couldn't do much to help. Once the city fell, the entire city would be massacred.

Shishi had the carriage head towards the north of the city. As a woman, she was unlikely to be able to help and wouldn't be allowed to get close, but… she wanted to see it up close.

The rain was still falling. As they proceeded, she suddenly noticed a figure ahead on a certain street. The figure was hesitantly moving forward under the eaves, but perhaps because she hadn't brought an umbrella, she was almost completely soaked and looked quite disheveled. Shishi quickly had the carriage stop, lifted the curtain, and waved, "Lei'er, Lei'er, come up."

The figure moving forward was also a woman from Fanlou, named He Lei'er. She was neither a top courtesan nor a "qingguan" (a courtesan who only sold her art, not her body). There was a significant difference in their reputations, and they usually didn't interact much. The woman was holding a food container. She turned her head, and when she saw that it was Shishi, she was genuinely surprised for a moment, before getting into the carriage. Shishi gave her a towel, frowning slightly.

"Lei'er, what are you doing out in this weather? The city isn't safe. You'll get into trouble going out alone like this."

The Jurchens were attacking the city, prices were rising, and the city had begun to impose a curfew at night, and the security situation had begun to deteriorate. Shishi was a top courtesan, traveling with a carriage and guards, but He Lei'er had none of these. She wiped her face and head, thanked her in a low voice, and then said somewhat shyly, "I… I wanted to go to Suanzao Gate to see... my… my lover is defending the city, and I was afraid something would happen to him. I wanted to see him… and bring him something to eat..."

"Oh..." Shishi nodded. In reality, He Lei'er was not a "qingguan," and in Fanlou, she didn't have much freedom to choose her clients. Speaking of lovers, she probably had more than one or two. But normally, a soldier defending the city wouldn't be considered a "lover" by her. But there was no need to say all this. After chatting briefly, in He Lei'er's somewhat proud tone, Shishi learned that her lover was a captain leading more than five hundred men in the Pengri Army, named Xue Changgong. The name Xue Changgong, Shishi remembered. Recently, several generals in the army had become known for their bravery in killing enemies, and Xue Changgong was one of them. She vaguely remembered having seen him in Fanlou before and exchanging greetings.

In the past, Fanlou catered to dignitaries and wealthy scholars, with literary talent, charisma, money, and status as the criteria. But with the war continuing, the status of soldiers had risen steadily. He Lei'er was clearly proud to have such a lover. When she spoke to Shishi at this time, she revealed a lot of information, even mentioning that Xue Changgong had given her a token that allowed her to visit him at the city wall, which she showed off. Hearing that Shishi wanted to see the city wall, she volunteered to take her there.

Shishi thought it wasn't appropriate, "There's a war going on right now. I just wanted to take a look around nearby. It wouldn't be right to actually go there, would it?"

He Lei'er said, "I'm not a thoughtless woman. I've been to his barracks once. It's some distance from the city wall. I'll drop off the things, and then we'll leave." She hugged the small food container in her arms. "There isn't much food in the establishment these days. These are a few pieces of pastry that I saved. They taste very good, and I hate to eat them myself, but if I leave them any longer, they might go bad..."

In the past, there were abundant supplies, and even someone like He Lei'er, who didn't have a high status in Fanlou, wouldn't have been so destitute. But at this time, a few pieces of pastry were like delicacies. He Lei'er wanted to give them to Xue Changgong, and Shishi was somewhat touched. A short while later, the two arrived near the cordon on the north side of the city. The sound of the attack had become increasingly frantic and noisy. Beyond this point, ordinary people were not allowed to go. Shishi took out a headscarf and veil and wrapped them around their faces, also wrapping the food container. After getting out of the carriage, He Lei'er showed the token to the soldiers guarding the street, and then the two of them held up an umbrella and headed towards the New Suanzao Gate.

This was the original location closest to the city gate. The distant, towering city walls loomed at the end of their vision, inspiring awe. The scenery outside the city was invisible, but it felt as if it was being shaken by an unknown beast. Occasionally, there would be a loud boom, probably a stone from a catapult hitting the outer wall, causing their hearts to tremble. People went back and forth on the city walls, and below, people were running around busily carrying stones. The screams of the wounded carried over.

The two were going to the nearby military barracks. People were coming and going around them, and some occasionally turned their heads to look at them, making them feel uneasy. As soon as they entered this area, He Lei'er regretted it. She had been here once before, but it was nothing like the wartime situation. Moreover, how could women approach during wartime? They could even be punished by military law. Shishi also felt that this decision was a bit reckless and was regretting it when, amidst the chaos ahead, she suddenly saw several people.

The captain named Xue Changgong was covered in blood and was talking to several bodyguards next to him. When he saw He Lei'er, he suddenly froze. He Lei'er also saw him. Before she could speak, he rushed over with a fierce look, knocking away the umbrella they were sharing, suppressing his voice: "Why did you come? How dare you come! Who is she? Aren't you afraid of military law!? How dare you..."

Heavy rain poured down. He Lei'er's arm was suddenly twisted by him, causing her to furrow her brows in pain: "I... I brought you something to eat. You... you're injured..."

"You're being reckless!" Xue Changgong said through gritted teeth. He turned his head to look around, suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the side: "Even if you are women, go help! Go to the triage tent! Over there! Go save people—Hou Jing, take them over there to help!"

He Lei'er nodded frantically. She hesitated about the food container in her hand. Shishi also pulled her hand: "Let's go!" Following the bodyguard named Hou Jing towards the triage tent—in fact, the man named Hou Jing was Xue Changgong's brother-in-law, and had met Shishi before, but Shishi was in no mood to pay attention to these things at this time. The two followed the bodyguard towards the triage tent. Hou Jing picked up the umbrella from the ground and held it over them, but he was also jogging all the way. When they arrived at the triage tent, various screams, the stench of blood, and the smell of medicine filled the air, which even the heavy rain couldn't stop. They went in through the door of the shed, and an even more miserable sight appeared before them. Hou Jing called someone over to take care of them, and said a few words to them, but Shishi and Lei'er couldn't hear anything at all.

Corpses, blood, severed limbs, screams that devastated the mind... Shishi was a little better, but He Lei'er was almost stunned. When she was called over to bandage a soldier with an arrow wound, she "wa" vomited on the side...

Because the heavy rain was unfavorable for attacking the city, the battle on this day ended at noon, but the events in the triage tent had never stopped. Most of the wounded who were sent were arrow wounds, but there were also those who were injured by the stones thrown by the trebuchets. Enveloped in the chaotic atmosphere, Shishi, who knew some bandaging skills, also helped. But as soon as she stopped, her body felt almost exhausted, and her entire mind was buzzing with the various screams and injuries.

The man named Hou Jing ran over to see her several times, and even helped treat the wounds of a few people. He was somewhat tongue-tied beside Shishi, and even sweated when he spoke. But in several simple exchanges, Shishi also learned that today's battle was not particularly intense.

"...The Jurchens didn't really attack the city seriously. They have been mainly testing the stone-throwing machines recently, and today it is raining heavily. These injuries are nothing. It will be miserable if they get on the wall..."

Even injuries that were "nothing" caused the most unbearable pain when arrows were shot into the body and then pulled out…

After staying in this environment for an entire afternoon, half of Shishi's body was covered in blood. Hou Jing brought her a steamed bun, but she naturally couldn't eat it, and her body was swaying as if she had no strength. When she spoke with Hou Jing occasionally, Hou Jing told her about the scenes of attacking the city a few days ago, and the ferocity of the battle. When Shishi looked at the city wall again, the majestic, towering, square city wall seemed as thin as paper again.

More than a million people were surrounded by the square city wall, and once the city wall was crossed, it would all be the same fate…

Even in today's battle, many people died. There were naturally more in the past. And outside the city walls, even more people died in that field.

During these days, Shishi would occasionally imagine the fate of these people, and think of the last time she and Ning Yi met when he set off. She was in the city, and today she saw such a scene. What kind of situation was he experiencing outside the city?

For more than a month, news of reinforcements and royalist armies had been coming from outside the city, but the Jurchens had launched continuous attacks without mercy, defeating these royalist armies one by one during this time.

"...Outside the city, hundreds of thousands of troops have been defeated by the Jurchens. Those Jurchens, I heard they have swept through the area north of Bianliang several times, and many people have died. I'm afraid the bodies are still there… There's no place to bury them... Those Jurchens aren't very skilled at attacking cities, but their cavalry is invincible on the plains. There is no escape..."

Hou Jing told her about the war as he understood it. Hundreds of thousands of troops came one after another, and were defeated one after another. No one in Bianliang could count on it. Now it seemed that the north had probably been turned into a barren land after being slaughtered…

Barren land...

Shishi looked at the city wall, imagining that countless people had been killed in that place outside the city. She didn't know if Ning Yi was among them, but hundreds of thousands of reinforcements had either collapsed or been killed. In this city in this wilderness, a million people were isolated and helpless, and probably no one could save them.

After she returned to Fanlou, she got sick that night. After being sick for five days, she recovered and asked the doctor in Fanlou about the methods of treating injuries, and then went to the triage tent to help again.

Sometimes Yu Hezhong, Chen Sifeng and others would come to her to talk about the war. She often thought of Ning Yi, knowing that someone she knew had gone to the battlefield, and wondering how he was, whether he was still alive, and what he was doing. If he was alive, would he be afraid or run away in that environment? She didn't know whether she wanted him to escape and live, or to die bravely. The time in Bianliang passed day by day in this atmosphere.

Meanwhile, in the Jurchen camp at Mount Mutuo, the soldiers did not begin to rest because of the cold weather. Many siege weapons were being built in full swing. The Jurchens excelled at mounted warfare. Although they had accumulated some experience in attacking cities during the process of destroying the Liao Dynasty, it was still a weakness. Taking advantage of the siege, Zongwang prepared to train them in this area, because in the future, the Jin Dynasty would take all of Wu Chao and advance south, and there were many cities that needed to be conquered.

During this time, the cavalry under his command also demonstrated almost invincible combat power on this wilderness. Apart from this city, which was the only target that needed to be conquered, there was basically no need to worry about other aspects.

After fighting a few battles, he had a good understanding of the combat power of the Wu Dynasty. To be honest, he was surprised that the strength of a country could be so weak.

In addition to being stationed here with the mentality of training soldiers, another purpose for the Jurchen army during these days was to hunt for curiosities. In the process of sweeping around, the Jurchens had scavenged a lot of good things and captured a lot of people. Delicious food and fun things were now popular in the military camp. Fortunately, Zongwang now had enough prestige. While relaxing a little, a group of generals also made their soldiers maintain sufficient training and tension.

In November, when it was about to snow, on this unremarkable day, when Han General Liu Yanzong and General Huo Ligai were inspecting the military camp, Huo Ligai casually mentioned something.

"There are fewer and fewer Han people around here."

"Huh?" Liu Yanzong frowned.

"Yesterday, 3,000 people were sent out to patrol within 50 li around, but they found nothing." Huo Ligai said, "They returned empty-handed."

Liu Yanzong smiled and said, "Our army has been here for so long. Those who should have left have left. What's so strange about that?"

Huo Ligai shook his head: "In the past, the soil and water around here were fertile. Even if a large army came, many people would hide in the mountains. Now, even if we search the mountains, we can't find anyone. This subordinate is not worried that they were scared away or killed. However, according to some of the people who were captured, some officials of the Wu Dynasty are still evacuating the surrounding people and food, and the scope may have been expanded to more than 100 li, with the purpose of clearing the fields and cutting off our army's food and grass. If this is true, perhaps we should pay attention to it."

Liu Yanzong frowned and thought for a while, then smiled easily: "The Wu Dynasty will definitely carry out the policy of clearing the fields. Now, our army's food and grass are still enough for several months. Sending people out is just to stretch their muscles. There is no need to worry too much about this food and grass." Then he lowered his voice, "The Wu Dynasty is relatively southern. The winter is bone-chillingly cold, although it is different from our Liaodong, it is ultimately not a big problem. Once the siege weapons are completed, the army will attack the city immediately. The Wu Dynasty army has no morale. They can only rely on solid cities to resist, just like the upper capital of the Liao Kingdom. If it were not for the need to use these weapons, it would probably have been broken long ago. Now, let's wait for a while."

When the Jurchens attacked the upper capital of the Liao Kingdom, they spared no expense. The upper capital was also a strong and important town, but it was breached in half a day. Of course, there were many complex reasons for this, but after successively defeating hundreds of thousands of troops under the city of Bianliang, the Jurchens generally had such confidence. If it were not for the marshal wanting to train in the use of siege weapons, and also attacking the city regardless of cost, Bianliang probably wouldn't be able to hold on for a few days. Under such circumstances, there was naturally no need to take any jumping clowns to heart.

This was just a small episode, and no one kept it in mind for a while. Although Huo Ligai said it, he was not too worried in his heart. He said it out of a habit of caution. After that, he no longer took it seriously, and when this matter was brought up again, it was some time later, when the Jurchens had to take it seriously…

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

North bank of the Yellow River.

A mounted troop was crossing the river.

The mounted troop consisted of about 2,000 people. The square formation on the riverbank was orderly, and the formation was quiet and solemn. There were also some things being pulled by cars in the back.

The fleet responsible for transporting them was arranged by the nearby county magistrate. Because it was located at the Yellow River crossing and was wartime, the fleet boss had transported countless people across the river recently, and had transported countless people back. However, those who went over were complete armies, while those who came back were often defeated soldiers, wounded soldiers, and corpses.

After transporting so many troops, the fleet boss could basically recognize the quality of these soldiers. However, the mounted troop in front of him was a bit strange. The soldiers among them all looked like veterans who had been through wind and frost and had seen a lot of killing. In the Wu Dynasty army, these were often elites and bodyguards. However, every time it was such elite soldiers, it was easy to find those who were sloppy and didn't care about anything. And those who maintained seriousness and were trembling with fear were often new recruits. Although they looked obedient and orderly, such soldiers often collapsed as an entire team after going to the battlefield. Some didn't even have a pattern for running away, and casualties were often the highest.

This team combined the two characteristics. On the one hand, their team was as orderly as if it had been drawn. On the other hand, each component looked like it was not a mediocre hand.

After looking at their organization, the fleet boss knew that this was a Righteous Army that had surrendered during the recruitment of soldiers in the north. But to be honest, this was even stranger. The so-called Righteous Armies were often composed of mountain bandits and bandits. These teams had even worse discipline. When the Jurchens attacked, righteous armies rose up everywhere, but very few dared to chase after the Jurchens and fight them. However, they were just saying nice things. According to Ning Yi's view, those people were models of "at least being patriotic," but if he said it more severely: how many people had done so many things that were against their conscience that they would "at least be patriotic?"

But in any case, his fleet still transported the team over according to the rules. Before they parted, he also told the other party in detail about the Jurchens, and told them to be careful, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the army in front.

"We are different." When he put a few ingots of silver, which were intended as payment for the ferry, into the hands of the fleet boss, the deputy general of the army, named Han Jing, said this. The fleet boss thought that it would be best if they were different, but he naturally did not refute him. In his heart, he remembered the team that was said to have come from Mount Lvliang. He secretly looked towards the front of the formation. The leading general, who was wearing a cloak, actually looked like a woman.

He had caught a glimpse of her on the Yellow River earlier. When the gaze under the cloak looked over, he felt like his eyes had been pricked by a needle, and he was so startled that he dared not look around for a long time… The murderous aura that exuded from that female general’s body made him dare not look around for a long time...

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

This was a valley on the south bank of the Yellow River. The trees and valleys stretched out, and at this time, it had become a temporary garrison. The outside of the valley was surrounded by chevaux-de-frise and trenches, which turned it into the most unsuitable place for mounted warfare.

Since the night of September 24th, when the Jurchens launched their offensive, until now in November, hundreds of thousands of troops on the wilderness north of Bianliang had been defeated. The corpses of many people were now on that wilderness, and many defeated soldiers had scattered and fled, losing their tracks. But there were still a few forces that could temporarily gather the people.

The place in front of him was originally a branch of the Wu Rui Camp. Under this name, it collected many other defeated troops, and eventually stationed here. Now, it was training all day long.

This place was slightly difficult to gnaw on. It was not very far from Mount Mutuo and Bianliang. The Jurchens knew of their existence, but after seeing the layers of trenches and chevaux-de-frise outside, they were too lazy to force their way in for the time being.

Ning Yi was standing on the river bank, his face was a little pale. He coughed a few times slightly. Beside him were several people belonging to the Bamboo Shop - not martial arts practitioners, mostly accountants, staff officers and similar personnel.

"... I've asked, it's the dry season now, so the water level is so low. After the spring, it will rise." Ning Yi turned his head and pointed to the south, "If we dig open this dike when the water level is at its highest, the Yellow River will change its course, and the flood will directly hit Bianliang city, and then..."

He paused, took a breath, and waved his hand: "Then, when the water recedes, the fertile fields... can feed many people."

Several people were looking towards the river water. Only Ning Yi was facing the direction of the valley, at the distant trenches and chevaux-de-frise, the fortifications, and the people in the whole valley. His face was pale, and his eyes were also somewhat pale, the color of death.

Although he prided himself on being ruthless and had dominated the lives of many people, in this month or so, the deaths he had seen had far exceeded the sum of the past. Including himself, he had walked back and forth in front of life and death several times.

The injuries he suffered that night in Qixian had not even fully healed to this day, and more people no longer had the chance to heal…

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