Yang Dazhi went to Linyou County last night to inquire about the news.
He said with a sad expression: "The Jurchens were looking for who led the Song army. Someone betrayed my father. My father was unwilling to be humiliated and killed him head-on."
Chen Qing felt apologetic in his heart. He didn't expect that Yang San would still be implicated.
Yang Dazhi shook his head, "It's nothing. Although my father died, at least he died in an upright manner and did not become a lackey of the Jin."
"How are your wife and children doing?"
"They are fine. My wife took her two children to a relative's house and escaped."
"The golden soldiers have withdrawn?"
Yang Dazhi nodded, "We withdrew the next day and stationed 500 people in the county, 100 Jurchen soldiers and 400 Han troops, but..."
Chen Qing's eyes narrowed, "Just what?"
Yang Dazhi sighed, "It's just that the heads of the Song soldiers who died in the battle were cut off and hung in the county town for public display."
"Bang!" Yang Yuanqing punched the wooden board hard, anger spurting out of his eyes.
Anger also burned in Chen Qing's heart. After a while, he restrained his overwhelming anger and said calmly: "From today on, we will also count our merits based on heads!"
Chen Qing stood up and walked out of the wooden house, looked up at the sky, and saw snowflakes flying in the gray sky.
Yang Dazhi stared at the gray sky for a long time and said: "I'm afraid it will turn to heavy snow tonight!"
………..
The first heavy snowfall of winter has finally arrived.
The tenth day of November, of course, refers to the lunar calendar. If converted to the solar calendar, it would be mid-December. Linyou County has a higher altitude, so winter and snow will come a few days earlier than in the hinterland of Guanzhong.
This is a heavy snow. During the day, there are still snowflakes flying in droves. At night, it turns into heavy snow. The north wind blows, and the snowballs fall like wadding. The ground turns into a gray patch. At the fifth watch, the snow is covered with snow.
It has reached the calf.
Two hundred and thirty soldiers lined up and walked in the heavy snow. Yang Dazhi believed that this year's rain and snow were abnormal. It rained continuously last month, and this heavy snow is likely to continue for several days.
If they don't leave, heavy snow will block the road, and they will be trapped in the forest.
More importantly, they only had two days of dry food left. After staying in the forest for nine days, it was time to set off.
The team marched in the mountains and forests. Yang Dazhi was familiar with the terrain and took them around the cliffs as much as possible. At dawn, everyone finally returned to the Tiantai grassland where Qilin Village is located.
The grassland was covered with white snow, and in the distance was an unrecognizable military camp, with only some burnt-black ruins remaining.
Chen Qing immediately sent Zheng Ping and Zhao Xiaoyi to Linyou County to investigate the situation, and found a woodland sheltered from the snow to arrange for the soldiers to rest.
In the ruins of the military camp, Yang Hua led a group of soldiers to dig out the grain, oil, salt, dried meat, and many weapons that had been buried underground.
At noon, Zheng Ping came back, while Zhao Xiaoyi stayed in the county to continue to gather information.
"General, it's snowing heavily. There are no soldiers on the city towers. Even the soldiers guarding the city gates are hiding under the city in the lee of the city to light fires to keep warm. It is said that Jurchen soldiers and Han troops patrolled all day at the beginning. These days they have collected a lot of money.
"Little money. When it snowed yesterday, they were nowhere to be seen. They were all hiding in the barracks, gambling, eating and drinking. If the heavy snow doesn't stop tonight, it will be an opportunity to seize the county seat."
"Is the number of soldiers the same as what Yang Dazhi said?"
Zheng Ping nodded, "Yes, one hundred Jurchen soldiers and four hundred Han troops, led by a Jurchen centurion!"
"Where is their military camp?" Yang Yuanqing asked.
"In the southwest corner of the county, there was the original City God's Temple. Dozens of felt tents were set up. Han soldiers and Jurchens lived together. There used to be a small military camp. However, the Jurchens thought the conditions there were too poor, and the small military camp has been used by refugees.
It’s full.”
Chen Qing picked up a branch and drew a county town on the snow. He drew a circle around the southwest corner and asked, "I want to know if this southwest corner is directly against the city wall?"
"Yes! Both the south and west sides are against the city wall."
Chen Qing walked to the edge of the woods with his hands behind his hands and looked at the gray sky. The snow was falling harder and harder, with no sign of stopping.
He turned around and said to everyone: "Capture Linyou County tonight!"
...........
As night fell, the snow became heavier and heavier. No one could be seen clearly from dozens of steps away. The thick snow had reached his thighs. At midnight, Chen Qing led more than 200 of his men to arrive outside Linyou County.
At this time, the moat was completely frozen. The soldiers accidentally found a rope that fell from the top of the city and almost condensed into icicles. A black figure slid down from the top of the city holding the rope. It was Zhao Xiaoyi.
He was wearing a thick sheepskin coat and was still shivering from the cold.
"General, there's no one at the top of the city. It's just... it's freezing to death."
A soldier handed Zhao Xiaoyi a wine gourd. He drank a few big gulps to get his body warmer, and then continued: "There are no soldiers under the city. There is not even a watchman in the city. They are all completely asleep."
Chen Qing squinted at the city wall. Although the snow and wind blocked his vision, he could still see small black dots hanging on the city wall.
Those were the heads of his men. More than two hundred soldiers who died fighting for the country were beheaded by the Jurchens for public display. Chen Qing slowly clenched his fists.
"action!"
Two words burst out from Chen Qing's clenched teeth. Yang Yuanqing immediately led the soldiers to climb the rope to the city, and then threw down several long ropes. The soldiers quickly climbed to the top of the city one by one.
The snow on top of the city was also above the knees. Visibility was extremely low. Snow was flying all over the sky in a gray sky. Nothing could be seen thirty steps away. We could only judge whether there were soldiers lighting fires to keep warm by the lack of firelight.
Such bad weather made it useless to defend the city.
Chen Qing led the soldiers quickly to the southwest corner of the city. There seemed to be an open space below. Several large lanterns could be seen in the sky. The lights reflected the flying snow. In the peripheral light of the lanterns, the shadow of the tent could be vaguely seen.
This is the Chenghuang Temple, where the Jin soldiers are stationed.
There is a bonfire below, and several people can be seen gathering around the bonfire to warm themselves up. They should be patrol sentries.
“Be careful not to slip through the net!”
Chen Qing warned, Yang Hua nodded, and went down to the city with a dozen soldiers.
Not long after, several muffled groans came from both sides of the campfire, and the patrolling sentries were eliminated.
The soldiers used ropes to get down to the city and quickly gathered under the city.
Chen Qing said to the four heads: "According to the plan we made before, each is responsible for one piece. Remember, try to chop off the head with one knife. Be ruthless and quick to leave no one alive."
"Follow the order!"
The four heads rushed away with their men.
Chen Qing and a dozen of his men approached a large tent. The tent was made of sheepskin and had two leather curtains. The ropes were fastened from the inside to prevent the cold wind from entering and it was very warm.
Each large tent has an area of more than 100 square meters. Ten Jurchen soldiers live in one tent, while thirty Han soldiers live in one large tent. The treatment is very different.
What Chen Qing led his soldiers to break into was a large tent belonging to Jurchen soldiers.
It was cold outside, warm inside the tent, and the Jurchen soldiers were all sound asleep. Suddenly, the light of swords flashed in the tent, blood splashed everywhere, and there was not even a muffled scream. In just ten seconds, ten Jurchen soldiers were fast asleep.
The bodies were separated.
Chen Qing and his men turned around and left without hesitation, heading to another tent. At this time, screams kept coming from the direction of the Han army's tent, but it was silent again for a moment.
The wails of a group of young women were heard again, and the soldiers found the young women who had been kidnapped in the main hall of the Chenghuang Temple.
At the fourth watch, the military camp became completely quiet...
All 500 Jin soldiers were killed, more than 200 women were rescued, a large amount of money, grain, armor, and 120 war horses were seized.
But this is just the beginning.
………..
The sky is getting brighter and the snow is getting lighter. There are still sparse flakes falling, but there is no longer the heavy snowfall.
Pedestrians appeared on the street, and many farmers selling vegetables hurried toward the city on donkey carts. People who were eager to buy vegetables and rice also came from all directions.
Many people accidentally discovered that the heads of Song soldiers hanging above the city gate had turned into the heads of Jurchens, with shaved heads, pigtails, and fierce looks, which were very distinctive features.
Not only that, the soldiers guarding the gate were also different. The former Song Army soldiers came back. Soon, a Song Army regimental dragon flag was flying on the top of the city.
The people began to cheer uncontrollably. They rushed to run in the city, shouting, "The Song army is back! The Song army is back!"
More and more people ran from their homes to the streets and started beating gongs and drums, and the whole county was about to boil.
The county magistrate Li Boliang had just left his house and was standing on the steps preparing to board a carriage to go to the county government office. Suddenly he saw a group of people running towards him, shouting, "The Song army has returned and all the Jurchens are dead."
Li Boliang was like a thunderbolt. He stood there for a moment, suddenly shouted, turned around and ran towards home. As he ran, he shouted in a tearful voice: "Madam, pack up your belongings and run for your life!"