King Qin Liu Yi was woken up in the middle of the night. He had just slept well for two nights, but the news that came immediately hit him like a thunderbolt.
"I am sorry to tell you that the army from Zheng County was completely wiped out by Chen Qingjun in Lintong, and Wei Kun has just escaped back to Jingzhao City."
Liu Yi sat there like a fool. For a moment, Liu Yi suddenly exploded. He jumped up and pointed at Tang Shaoqing and cursed, "Damn bastard, you told me that Chen Qing's army withdrew from Jingyuan Road, you...
How dare you lie about military information!"
Tang Shaoqing felt very bitter in his heart. He did not expect that Chen Qing would feint to retreat. Obviously, Chen Qing knew very well that Liu Yi wanted to mobilize troops from Zheng County to replenish Jingzhao. Liu Yi's timid and weak character had been seen through by the other party.
.
"Your Majesty, now is not the time to investigate the responsibilities. I informed you in the middle of the night because I was worried about the three thousand brothers who came from Fengyi County. They also had no idea and thought that Chen Qing's army was gone. We must notify them immediately, otherwise the same thing will happen.
They were all wiped out by Chen Qing’s cavalry!”
"Then why don't you send someone to inform them?"
"Your Majesty, I have sent someone to ride two horses to Tongzhou, but Chen Qing is also a cavalryman, so I am worried that it will be too late."
Liu Yi was stunned, his lips trembled and he said: "Then... what should I do?"
"Your Majesty, the only way now is for Your Majesty to send an order from the King of Qin to Huazhou and Tongzhou via pigeon letter, ordering the officials of these two states to notify the army and let the army enter the county nearby."
Liu Yi turned around and asked the guard next to him, "What time is it now?"
"Replying to the prince, it's just time for the second watch!"
Liu Yi was stunned for a moment. It was only the second watch and he had to wait until dawn before he could send out the pigeon message. Is it still too late?
Tang Shaoqing also knew that the situation was quite unfavorable to them. Even if a pigeon message was sent tomorrow, local officials might not be able to find this army in time.
But no matter what, they had to do it and rescue the three thousand troops coming from Tongzhou with a glimmer of hope.
Liu Yi's eyes were rolling. If the Tongzhou Army was wiped out again, the total number of their dead troops would reach 13,000, and the opponent only had a cavalry of more than 2,000 people. In any case, he would not be able to attack the emperor.
Brother confessed that he had to put all the responsibility on Tang Shaoqing.
...........
Although Tang Shaoqing tried his best to save the Tongzhou Army, it was still too late. On the evening of the third day, they received a pigeon message from Huazhou's general judge Miao Kuang. Three thousand Tongzhou Army were captured by Chen Qing's army at Dongjiaqiao, forty miles southeast of Zheng County.
Annihilated, none of the three thousand soldiers survived.
This news dealt a heavy blow to Tang Shaoqing. He fell ill. On his bed, Tang Shaoqing asked Qin King Liu Yi to resign due to guilt, but Liu Yi hypocritically refused to accept his resignation and only temporarily suspended him.
A month later, the puppet Qi Emperor Liu Yu issued an edict to remove Tang Shaoqing from the post of capital commander, and appointed Guo Zhen, the Privy Councilor, as the Shaanxi Road Recruitment Envoy. He sent an additional 50,000 troops to Shaanxi Road. At the same time, Liu Yu handed over military power to Guo.
Zhenzhen, and appointed his brother Liu Yi as the supervisor of the army. Liu Yu also knew that his brother was not capable and could not bear the important task of managing Shaanxi.
Xiaguo Village in Shaohua Township in the south of Zheng County is a small mountain village at the foot of Huashan Mountain. There are about forty or fifty households in the village. They have made a living by hunting for generations. Xiaguo Village is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery. Jin Bing's
The invasion did not disturb this place, so it remained quiet, like a paradise.
But this is just an appearance. The war between the Song Army and the Song Dynasty still had a huge impact on Xiaguo Village from another aspect. More than 20 young people in the village successively joined the Song Army and participated in the battle between the Song and Jin Dynasties to compete for the Shaanxi Road.
That morning, a young man riding a mule came to the entrance of Xiuguo Village. The man was a confidant sent by Chen Qing to find Chen Shangyuan's family. His name was Yan Jun. He was a Dutou and was considered the leader of Chen Qing's personal soldiers.
Chen Qing didn't know many clues. It was a piece of cloth sewn from his underwear with the words "Chen Shangyuan, Shaohua Township, Zheng County" written on it. There were dozens of mountain villages in Shaohua Township, so it was difficult to find the exact address based on this piece of cloth.
Yan Jun inquired for two days but got no news, so he returned to Zheng County and bribed the county officials. He found out Chen Shangyuan's name from the Zheng County soldier list. He was 20 years old. He joined the army in the first year of Jianyan's reign and lived in the countryside of Shaohua.
Guo Cun, father Chen Tonggen.
Of course Chen Qing would not tell Yan Jun the truth. He only told Yan Jun that Chen Shangyuan was his sworn brother and had saved his life many times. Unfortunately, he was killed in the Battle of Fuping. He must repay Chen Shangyuan for his life-saving kindness.
Yan Jun led the mule and walked into the village along a winding stone road. There were courtyard walls and houses made of stone slabs on both sides, which were gray and white. He saw an old man lighting a fire in the yard on the left, and stepped forward.
He smiled and asked: "Excuse me, old man, where does Uncle Chen Tonggen live?"
The old man glanced at him and replied slowly: "Tonggen! He has passed away."
Yan Jun was startled and asked quickly: "When did you die?"
"The year before last! In the third year of Jianyan's reign, he heard the news that his second son had been killed in battle. He couldn't bear the blow and died of illness soon after."
Yan Jun was stunned and asked after a while: "What is the name of his second son?"
"He has two sons, the eldest son Chongyang, the second son is called Shangyuan, and the second son refers to Shangyuan."
Yan Jun scratched his head. He was a little confused. Wasn't Chen Shangyuan killed in the Battle of Fuping last year? Why did it become the year before last?
"Old man, I am a good friend of Chen Shangyuan, and I came here specifically to visit his relatives. Where does his family live?"
"The fourth house from here, the one with Zhong Kui's portrait on the door is his house. What a pity! He left behind a pair of children."
The old man sighed and went into the house.
Yan Jun continued walking into the village. The structures of every house here were similar. When he counted to the fourth house, there was indeed a faded portrait of Zhong Kui on the door. This was it.
He knocked hard on the door, and there was a burst of fast footsteps, and a child's voice shouted: "Uncle, I'll open the door!"
The door opened, and inside was a five- or six-year-old boy with haircut, very handsome and well-behaved, and his eyebrows looked a bit like a commander's.
"Uncle, who are you looking for?"
"I come from the south. My surname is Yan. Do you have any elders at home?"
The boy turned around and ran back, "Uncle, it's an uncle named Yan. He said he came from the south."
A man in his thirties walked out of the room. He had thick eyebrows and thick eyes, a tall body, and a pair of strong arms. This man also had eyebrows and eyes similar to the commander's, but his figure was not the same. The commander was tall and straight, but his appearance was not as burly and strong.
The skin is not so dark, and the face is not so vicissitudes of life.
"What's the matter with you?" the man asked, looking at Yan Jun warily.
Yan Jun quickly raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Yan Jun, and your brother Chen Shangyuan once served in the army together. My brother has some matters behind his back, and I have to answer for him."
"Ah! Please come in."
The man was Chen Shangyuan's brother Chen Chongyang. He quickly invited Yan Jun into the yard. Yan Jun took a look and found that, like other houses, the eaves were covered with waxed prey and some furs. This man must also be a hunter.
Although he was a hunter, his family was not well off, and the clothes he and his children wore were very shabby.
They entered the house and walked down, only to see three children standing at the door, two boys and a young lady. The young lady was about seven or eight years old, with a double-snail bun and a gray sarong. She was a little older than the boy who opened the door.
, is also very handsome, and the other boy is about twelve or thirteen years old.
"they are......"
"The eldest is my son, and the two younger ones are my nephews and nieces. My niece is called Chen Ying, and my nephew is called Chen Xiong. Their father is Shangyuan."
"Where is their mother?"
Chen Chongyang sighed, "I remarried last year. She is from Shangluo County in Shangzhou. I heard that another son was born. I will raise my brother's two children."
Yan Jun pondered for a moment and said: "I have to make something clear. It may be that the military report was wrong. Chen Shangyuan was killed in the Battle of Fuping last year, not the year before."
Chen Chongyang was startled, and then his eyes dimmed. So what's the difference?
"Does Brother Chongyang have a wife?"
"Yes! My wife went to help the Wei family to earn some money to support the family. By the way, what do you want from my brother?"
Yan Jun took off the heavy cloth bag behind him and opened it. There were two cloth bags and a wooden box inside.
He pushed the small cloth bag to Chen Chongyang, "This is thirty taels of silver, which is the compensation for Chen Shangyuan's death in battle."
Chen Chongyang was surprised, "So many?"
"He is a captain and has military exploits, so he will have more."
Then Yan Jun pushed the big bag and box to Chen Chongyang, "This is Chen Shangyuan's military reward, three hundred taels of gold. In the box is a set of gold jewelry, the dowry he left for his daughter."
Chen Chongyang was completely stunned. Three hundred taels of gold were worth five to six thousand guan. This was something that a hunter like him could not imagine.
"What military exploits did my father make?" Chen Xiong suddenly stepped forward and asked.
Yan Jun smiled and said: "He killed many, many golden soldiers, and also killed a golden soldier and a captain of ten thousand men."
Chen Xiong clenched his fists and said with excitement in his eyes: "When I grow up, I want to be like my father and go into battle to kill the golden soldiers."
Yan Jun touched his little head and said, "Your father hopes that you and your sister will both study. Only with both civil and military skills can you lead an army to kill the Jin soldiers and expel the Tatars."
"Uncle, I want to study!" Chen Xiong looked at his uncle, his eyes full of expectation.
"Uncle, I want to study too!" The young lady Chen Ying also ran up.
Chen Chongyang nodded. If his brother had this last wish, he would definitely fulfill it for him.