novel bin Chapter 149 Assault on the Jin General
Chapter 149 Assault on the Jin General
Zhao Yu concealed himself and approached the central command tent.
After glancing around to make sure no one was there, he stood close to the back of the command tent, his fingertips gripping the gap in the tent flap, and the conversation inside could be clearly heard on the night breeze.
The tent was brightly lit, and the man sitting in the center was burly with a scar on his face. He was none other than Pusanhuntan, the vanguard general of the Jin Kingdom.
This man was born into the Pusan tribe of the Jurchens. He was originally from a small tribe, but he made a name for himself in the army by being fearless and ruthless. He was known for his bloodthirstiness and tyranny.
The Jin state specifically appointed him as the vanguard for this southward campaign in order to achieve a swift victory.
"The young emperor of the Southern Dynasty is quite bold, daring to kill my Jin envoy."
Pusanhuntan took a large gulp of wine from his bowl, the liquid dripping down his beard. His tone was extremely arrogant: "Once we cross the Yangtze River and march straight to Lin'an, we'll make that little emperor kneel on the ground and kowtow to us in apology."
"The general is right." The guard beside him quickly smiled obsequiously. "The Song people are usually weak. When they see the iron cavalry of our Great Jin Kingdom, they probably won't even be able to hold their swords properly."
"Last time they went south, they obediently ceded territory and paid reparations. In my opinion, this time they might be able to repeat the Jingkang Incident and kidnap the emperor and his family from the Southern Dynasty again."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent burst into laughter. In their eyes, the Song army was nothing but lambs to the slaughter, and Xiangyang City was nothing more than a piece of their own.
Judging from the appearance of the people in the tent, many of them clearly looked like Han Chinese.
The Jin dynasty occupied a large area of land north of the Yangtze River, which was the former territory of the Han people. Naturally, Han people were often involved in the Jin's aggression.
Seeing this, Zhao Yu's eyes turned cold, and he gathered true energy at his fingertips, preparing to rush in directly.
Just then, another person spoke up, his tone hesitant: "General, the court is urging a swift victory. But the Southerners are best at defending their cities. If we can't take Xiangyang after a long siege, and our battle lines are stretched too thin, won't that...?"
"Hmph, do you even need to tell me?" Pusanhuntan put down his wine bowl, his face darkening. "That damned Xia dog had to cause trouble at this time, tying down a lot of our troops. Otherwise, why would His Majesty only give us 30,000 men for the southern expedition?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu, who was outside the tent, raised an eyebrow slightly.
Western Xia.
Another advantage of his time travel to the Ming Dynasty was that he could access historical materials from the Southern Song Dynasty at any time.
In modern times, Zhao Yu wouldn't have paid attention to these things, but he made up for it in the Ming Dynasty.
According to historical records, during this period, the Jin Dynasty was at odds with the Western Xia.
At this time, the Western Xia was no longer as tenacious as it was when Li Yuanhao founded the country. Faced with the overwhelming Jin Dynasty, the Western Xia could only eke out a living.
According to historical records, the Western Xia dynasty was destroyed about a dozen years later.
Even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die easily. The Western Xia was located in a remote and desolate place, and the Tangut people were fierce and daring to fight. It would not be so easy to destroy their country.
The Jin Dynasty's willingness to negotiate peace with the Southern Song Dynasty was largely driven by the desire to stabilize the southern front and concentrate its efforts on annexing the Western Xia, thus avoiding a two-front war.
Having killed the Jin envoy and forced them to start a war, the Jin state, though seemingly aggressive, actually wanted a quick victory and couldn't afford to drag things out.
Zhao Yu's lips curled into a cold smile: "Want a quick victory? I'll make sure you don't get your wish."
Without further hesitation, he flicked the curtain with his fingertips, creating a thin slit.
The next moment, his figure floated in like a ghost, landing silently in the tent.
"Who goes there!"
The Jin soldiers inside the tent reacted swiftly, drawing their swords in rapid succession, the sound of steel blades being drawn echoing throughout the tent.
Pusanhuntan abruptly stood up, staring at the suddenly appearing Zhao Yu, his eyes flashing with murderous intent: "Where did this barbarian assassin come from? He's got a death wish!"
Zhao Yu stood in the crowd with one hand behind his back, his expression calm: "The one who's going to take your lives. If you want to die, come on up."
"Arrogant!"
Pusanhuntan roared and waved his hand at his guards, "Chop him up!"
The guards responded in unison, brandishing their swords and charging forward.
These men were all seasoned veterans in the army, their swordsmanship fierce and powerful, each strike aimed directly at vital points, and their teamwork was extremely seamless.
But in Zhao Yu's eyes, they were full of flaws.
With a swift movement, he unleashed the Lingbo Weibu technique, transforming himself into a blur as he moved freely amidst the flashing blades.
Several muffled thuds rang out in succession. The guards who rushed forward didn't even see how he made his move before they were all sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground, their necks twisted, and they died instantly.
In the blink of an eye, only Pusanhuntan remained in the tent.
At that moment, he had just turned around to escape when he witnessed the death of his personal guard.
Pu Sanhuntan, who appeared to be brave and fierce, actually had other plans in mind. He originally wanted his guards to restrain Zhao Yu so that he could escape and call for help.
After all, he knew that there were martial arts masters among the Han people.
No matter how much scheming you do, it's all in vain in the face of absolute power.
Pu Sanhun's pupils constricted, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
Knowing he was no match for Zhao Yu, he shouted "Assassin!" and quickly retreated, then suddenly turned and crashed into the back of the tent, trying to break through and call for help.
But as soon as he took a step, his vision blurred and Zhao Yu was already standing in front of him.
"You...you stay away!" Pusanhuntan's hand gripping the hilt of his sword trembled slightly as he spoke in broken Chinese, "If you kill me, my Great Jin army will never let you go. Whatever you want—gold, silver, treasures, official positions, titles—I can give you anything..."
Zhao Yu was too lazy to listen to his nonsense. He moved closer, raised his right hand, and lightly placed a palm on the top of his head.
Pusanhuntan's body stiffened, the light in his eyes quickly faded, and his massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
With the commander-in-chief dead, Zhao Yu did not linger.
He flicked a wisp of wind from his fingertip, knocking over the lamps in the tent, and with a flicker, disappeared into the night.
At this time, undercurrents were already surging throughout the Jin camp.
Hong Qi led his Beggars' Sect disciples and chivalrous heroes to split up. Many of them successfully poisoned the animals, while a few groups were inadvertently discovered by patrolling soldiers. They immediately set fire to the outer tents as planned and took advantage of the chaos to escape.
In an instant, flames erupted throughout the Jin camp, and shouts of battle and footsteps filled the air in chaos.
The soldiers were busy putting out the fire and searching for the assassins, and the chaos lasted for half the night.
No one had the mind to check the supplies and water sources; they were too busy sending messengers on horseback to report to the commander-in-chief that the vanguard general had been assassinated.
No one knew that the truly deadly weapon had already been hidden in their food and fodder.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
On the walls of Xiangyang, bugles sounded for a long time.
The city gates were wide open, and Wang Chongyang, dressed in full military attire with a long sword at his waist, rode on a warhorse.
Behind him, 30,000 Song soldiers stood in formation, their swords and spears like a forest, their banners fluttering in the wind.
"send troops!"
Wang Chongyang brandished his longsword, his voice booming.
The army advanced slowly, heading straight for the vanguard camp of the Jin army.
However, upon arriving at the camp, the fierce resistance that the Song soldiers had anticipated did not materialize.
The entire Jin camp was quiet, with only a few faint groans occasionally heard, making it seem nothing like a heavily guarded military camp.