The fierce battle on and around the city walls lasted for an entire day, only ceasing at noon on the 15th of September. Browse: \(¨Complete¨ Edition¨ Divine¨ Station¨) to read high-quality literature for free.

Xue Changgong, retreating from the city walls, was once again wounded, an arrow lodged in his body, along with numerous arrow grazes. For some reason, he felt that the Jurchen's attack this time wasn't as intense as before, yet it still placed immense pressure on the soldiers within the city.

As the subordinates began to tally the wounded soldiers, a banner appeared in the distance from the northwest of Bianliang.

Cheers erupted on and around the city walls as everyone frantically rushed back to their defensive positions. Xue Changgong squinted, looking towards the northwest. Not far away, at the main city gate, his superior officer was using a long, cylindrical object to observe the scene. Soon, an excited voice boomed,

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

Li Tui left Bianliang through the western city gate, which had not been under attack, on the afternoon of September 14th. Trembling with fear, he arrived at the Jurchen camp. After announcing his presence, he found that the battle at the city walls was still raging. Wanyan Zongwang and a group of Jurchen generals received him. A somber atmosphere filled the tent.

Unlike his impassioned and defiant stance in the imperial palace, in the Jurchen camp, Li Tui barely negotiated with Zongwang. All his conditions were agreed upon without hesitation. The Jurchen generals, seemingly wanting to use their stern faces to intimidate him, found it rather uninteresting. The two sides signed the peace treaty, listing all of Zongwang's previous demands.

That evening, Li Tui was kept in the Jurchen camp. However, the Jurchens did not cease their attack on the city, sending the treaty back to Bianliang while continuing to assault the city walls.

In the early hours of the next day, Zhou Zhe affixed his seal to the treaty and sent it out of the city. Around noon on the second day, Zongwang chose an auspicious time for Li Tui to formally present the treaty.

They weren't worried that the Wu Dynasty would renege on the agreement. However, when they released Li Tui, an unforeseen event occurred…

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

"Marshal Zhong is here! The Western Army is here! A million strong Western Army…"

"Old General Zhong! Protector Zhong is leading the army to defend the emperor and has arrived beneath Bianliang! The Jurchen army retreated upon hearing the news—"

Over the course of half a day, a flood of news filled the entire capital. Bianliang was in an uproar. Shi Shi even emerged from Fan Lou to join the crowd watching the Zhong family army enter the city.

Zhou Zhe was also startled by the sudden good news. Li Tui had already returned with the treaty. He hesitated for a moment before taking the imperial carriage out of the palace to welcome them at the city gate. Seeing the festive atmosphere in the city, he summoned Cai Jing.

"The peace talks, I did not consider them thoroughly and deeply regret them. Now it seems I was mistaken. How can I face my ancestors after death with such a humiliating agreement? Grand Tutor, look at this treaty. I want to go back on my word. Is it still in time?"

Cai Jing lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, "Your Majesty can think clearly and pull back from the brink, which is truly gratifying... Uh." He stopped midway, suddenly realizing his gaffe, and knelt down. "This old minister was momentarily excited and spoke words of great treason. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Zhou Zhe waved his hand magnanimously, "It's fine, it's fine. I was momentarily distracted and thought of the wrong things. The Grand Tutor can say this, which means you never agreed with me from the start. You sat by and watched me make mistakes, which is your crime! Grand Tutor, is there such a disconnect between you and me? In your heart, have I become someone who cannot listen to loyal advice!?"

His tone was stern, and Cai Jing became even more terrified. Zhou Zhe then sighed, "It's fine, it's fine. Both the Grand Tutor and I are at fault in this matter. Now that we've thought it through, it's not too late. For the sake of the people, even if I have to bear the infamy of breaking the agreement, I have no choice... Grand Tutor, please rise. Come, let me help you. You are a veteran of three reigns. Although you are a subject, you are also my elder. In the future, if I make a mistake, you should speak frankly..."

The Emperor's carriage went all the way to the city gate to receive Zhong Shidao, the famous old marshal of the Western Army.

Over the years, the Western Army had been resisting the Western Xia invasion in the northwest. As a powerful military force, they were, in fact, viewed with suspicion by the imperial court. Among the Western Army's families, the Zhong family was the strongest. Although Old Marshal Zhong Shidao's influence did not reach the capital, he was the undisputed king of the northwest in the Shaanxi region.

During the Wu Dynasty's alliance with the Jin against the Liao, Zhong Shidao consistently submitted memorials to the capital, expressing his opposition, but they had little impact. However, because of his stance, Zhong Shidao deeply offended Tong Guan, Wang Fu, and others. Two years earlier, when the Liao was destroyed and Tong Guan recovered the six prefectures of Yanyun, his power was unparalleled, and Zhong Shidao retired in the northwest, living in seclusion ever since.

This time, with the Jurchen's aggressive southward advance, the court finally decided to employ the Western Army. After receiving the order, Zhong Shidao immediately set off, joined forces with Yao Pingzhong of the Yao family, and led Yao family's seven thousand infantry and cavalry. After supplementing their forces to over fifteen thousand in Luoyang, they marched south with great fanfare. His reputation did indeed cause a sensation in the city upon his arrival…

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

An unusual atmosphere shrouded the capital, and
also enveloped the garrisons of the Wu Rui, Wu Wei, and Wu Sheng armies. News of the peace talks between the court and the Jurchens had spread, along with other pieces of information. Zhong Shidao was promoted to Junior Preceptor of the Palace, Vice Director of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and Pacification Commissioner of Jingji and the Two Rivers regions. All the troops were under his command. Yao Pingzhong was appointed as the Overall Commander. On the day Zhong Shidao was promoted, Qin Siyuan was reinstated as Right Chancellor.

The situation in the capital was constantly changing. The Jurchens, on the other hand, remained stationary, only sending envoys into the city to demand that the Wu Dynasty swiftly fulfill the treaty. The Wu Dynasty began to stall. The atmosphere in the various camps outside the city grew increasingly tense.

During this time, Zhou Zhe became somewhat embarrassed. He had approved the peace talks, and the treaty had already been signed. On the surface, he said he didn't care about breaking the agreement, but the Jurchen envoys' language in the court became increasingly harsh. He couldn't explicitly state that he was breaking the agreement, nor could he explicitly accept it. At this moment, he felt that many people might be cursing him, and he couldn't even defend himself.

Therefore, his desire to win a beautiful victory was strong.

From the beginning of Zhong Shidao and Yao Pingzhong's arrival in the capital, he had warmly received them. Zhong Shidao was old and unwell upon entering the capital, but his mind was clear. After talking to him, Zhou Zhe knew that this man was capable. Yao Pingzhong, as the young and promising member of the Western Army, did not disappoint him either. His bravery and vigor made Zhou Zhe feel that he was completely different from the military officers in the court.

Although he was usually wary, he could see the situation clearly at this time. Only the Western Army was the most capable of fighting.

However, after handing over the overall command of hundreds of thousands of troops outside the city to Zhong Shidao, the old man seemed to be too cautious. The various units of the Western Army were gathering. Zhong Shidao had asked Zhong Shizhong to gather the Zhong family army when he first marched south, and they were on their way. The ailing old marshal believed that the proper way was to wait until all the major armies were assembled and then strike in one decisive battle. Yao Pingzhong had a different opinion. He felt that the Wu Dynasty was stalling, which was suspicious, and that if they delayed further, the Jurchens would be prepared. Zhou Zhe agreed with this.

He talked to Yao Pingzhong and Zhong Shidao several times. Soon after, Yao Gu, Yao Pingzhong's father, led thirty thousand troops to the capital, which made Zhou Zhe even more excited and constantly urged them to fight. In this process, he also saw through some other things.

He spoke about this when he played chess with the Empress in the palace for several consecutive nights.

"Empress, I've also seen it clearly. People all have their selfish desires, no matter how old or high-ranking they are, they can hardly avoid it."

"What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

"When Old Zhong arrived in the capital, the whole city cheered, saying he was the King of the Northwest, which is not an exaggeration. This time, I have given him command of hundreds of thousands of troops outside the city. Chancellor Li will cooperate with him, and there are also Yao family's elite troops. He is delaying, Empress, do you know why?"

The Empress hesitated for a moment, "This battle is related to the fate of our Wu Dynasty. Protector Zhong is being cautious, I think it's inevitable?"

"There is indeed this consideration." Zhou Zhe smiled, but he had already seen through everything, pausing slightly. "But what he is also considering is not wanting the Yao family army to seize the credit. Zhong Shizhong is leading troops over, but only three or four ten thousand people. Now inside and outside the city, there are nearly four hundred thousand troops. Even if many of them are useless, we can still fight. It is said that a weak soldier makes one weak, but a weak general makes a whole army weak. Zhong Shidao, Yao Gu, Yao Pingzhong, these people are indeed famous generals of this generation. They... are not necessarily afraid to fight, in fact... alas, they are all fighting for credit."

The emperor sighed and placed a piece. The Empress was silent for a moment, "Then... what does Your Majesty plan to do?"

"I have talked to them several times, and there are hints in my words. I only hope that they can work together and not be divided, so..." The Emperor, who had recently experienced various major events, paused, looked at the moonlight, and his voice lowered slightly, "This... this is the blessing of the Wu Dynasty, the blessing of the nation..."

A chaotic situation, unpredictable human hearts. Subtle changes inside and outside the city were gathering in the sky, and the weather was starting to turn cold. Near Qi County, on September 23rd, amidst the continuous changes in the situation, Ning Yi also sensed a shift in the atmosphere. The situation in the capital, which had reached him, was also beginning to tighten.

As one of the operators of the Secret Intelligence Division, he could indeed grasp first-hand information about various changes in the situation. On the other hand, Qin Shaoqian had also received first-hand news from the military. That afternoon, the two gathered to exchange information.

"Tonight, Yao Pingzhong is going to leave the city to discuss the dispatch of troops with us. I'm afraid it's not Marshal Zhong's intention..." Qin Shaoqian was somewhat worried.

Ning Yi nodded, "Zhong Shidao's reputation is too great. When he entered the capital, the whole city was shaken. Tong Guan, Wang Fu, and others forced him to retire in the first place, and now they are afraid of him. Moreover, His Majesty is also somewhat wary of him. You know... His Majesty was originally wary of the Western Army."

"My father's relationship with him is also somewhat bad, but if we really want to fight, I think he is more reliable than the Yao family..."

Previously, in the alliance with the Jin against the Liao, Qin Siyuan was a staunch advocate of war and the direct behind-the-scenes driver, and he did not get along well with Zhong Shidao, who opposed this action. It was just that Zhong Shidao belonged to the military system, so he directly confronted Tong Guan and others. But now, regarding this
Old Marshal Zhong, who enjoys a world-renowned reputation, Qin Shaoqian is still more trusting.

However, as far as he was concerned, even as the highest-ranking military officer of the Wu Rui Battalion, these matters were not his to decide and choose.

That night, Yao Pingzhong came over and discussed matters with the leaders of several armies…

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

September 24th, sunset.

The whole earth was quietly moving.

The sun was not strong, and deep autumn was passing away. Withered grass flew into the sky, and winter was coming.

"Brother Yue!"

As he walked near the courtyard, Ning Yi waved to him over there. Yue Fei walked over. Some large carts were parked nearby, and many people were following beside them.

Ning Yi handed him a military order.

"Brother Yue, you come with us tonight. We are going to... protect the things on the carts." Ning Yi looked at the sky. "However, the weather may be bad tonight."

"Young Master Ning, is it going to be a war?"

"... Possibly." Ning Yi frowned and paused, "Possibly."

Night began to fall…

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

Mu Tuo Ridge, in the Jurchen camp, everything was as usual. After night fell, it gradually went from noisy to quiet. Gradually, people fell asleep.

Highly skilled scouts avoided the patrolling Jurchen cavalry and returned in the direction they came from. In the Jurchen camp, which seemed normal, most of the armored soldiers had already walked out of their tents, silently forming ranks and mounting their horses.

In the darkness, Zongwang rode his warhorse. Perhaps sensing some unusual aura, the warhorse shook its head slightly. Zongwang leaned down and caressed its neck. "Hush..." he said softly.

"You say, why do the Wu people think that this king is afraid of that old man called Zhong Shidao?"

He said in a low voice, and none of the surrounding generals spoke.

——On September 15th, after Zhong Shidao arrived in the capital, the Jurchens, who were attacking the city, quickly withdrew their troops, partly because the negotiations were over, and partly because they did not want to fight on two fronts. But this normal tactical idea seemed to make the Wu people feel exceptionally excited. Afterwards, there was a rumor that the Jurchens withdrew because of Zhong Shidao's arrival. So soon after, when the Jurchen envoys entered Bianliang, at Wanyan Zongwang's instruction, they were arrogant towards everyone else, but they were very respectful to Zhong Shidao.

But for many people present—even Guo Yaoshi—could not understand the Wu people's reason for confidence. After all, Zhong Shidao had only resisted Western Xia in the west. Western Xia may sound powerful, but in front of the Liao Kingdom, it was just a dead dog. The Jurchens, on the other hand, had destroyed the entire Liao Kingdom in a few years.

But all of this didn't matter.

After a while, Zongwang said in a low voice again: "Why are the Wu people so slow..."

……

Armies with wrapped hooves walked on the plains in the darkness.

Most of the infantry also wrapped their boots, carrying weapons, and moving forward in silence.

The wind blew, and Yao Pingzhong looked up.

In different directions, a total of 220,000 troops were surrounding Mu Tuo Ridge on this night!

……

Zongwang caressed his warhorse's neck, looking at the scout kneeling in front of him delivering the message. This Jurchen military god had a rugged face, a tall stature, and a pair of eyes that seemed particularly bright and deep in the dim light. Inside, there were the bones of millions of people.

"Order the entire army." He reined in his horse, his voice low, "Attack... trample them to death!"

"Yes."

Soon after, the sound of hooves turned into thunder, and huge waves were stirred up in the darkness!

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