Chapter 306: Tightening Curse

Seeing the panic shouting on the boat in the river, the naval commander rushed over with a look of anxiety on his face, clasped his fists and reminded Song Jiang: "Captain, the situation in the river is not right, it seems that someone fell into the water!"

"really?"

Song Jiang pretended to be surprised and looked at Wu Yong, then turned back and asked: "I don't know who fell into the water, can we save him?"

"It's hard to say. This is not a small river or lake. Once there is a big storm,

Zhang Shun had barely finished speaking when Song Jiang suddenly pointed to the other side and exclaimed, "Look, the south bank is covered in dust and sand. I'm afraid we won't be able to cross the river today. Hurry up and take some people to help."

"Yes."

"Commander Zhang, remember to save those who fall into the water only if you can, and don't force them if you can't. Prioritize bringing those on board back."

"Military Advisor Fang Xin, I saved that."

After Wu Yong's reminder, Zhang Shun trotted onto the boat and quickly ordered his men to raise the anchor and leave the shore.

After about an incense stick of time, Song Jiang watched the sand and dust rising from the south bank quickly cover half of the river surface nearby, but the two boats also returned to the north bank dock in time.

As soon as the boat docked, Zhang Shun supported Song Qing and staggered all the way, shouting and rushing in front of Song Jiang.

"Brother, something happened."

"Brother, Fan Rui fell into the water!"

“It wasn’t picked up!”

The two rushed to cry and complain. Song Jiang was shocked after listening. He looked at Wu Yong in amazement and muttered blankly: "What did they say? The national teacher fell into the water?"

"It seems so. Why are you so careless?"

"The Imperial Master was drunk earlier. Just now the wind and waves were shaking the boat, and he was lying on the side of the boat vomiting. He was careless and it was my fault."

"It's none of Silang's business. If I hadn't insisted on hosting a farewell banquet, the Imperial Master wouldn't have gotten drunk. Zhang Shun, quickly send someone down the river to rescue them."

Song Jiang blamed himself and urged him, but in his heart he thought that Song Qing's performance was really good. The knockout drug could make a cow paralyzed, and no matter how powerful Fan Rui was, he would be "drunk".

Since your weakness is fear of water, and if you wanted to have an accident, it could only be that you accidentally fell into the water.

Zhang Shun, who was standing by, was at a loss as to what to do and was about to move when he was grabbed by Wu Yong.

I heard him remind me earnestly: "Captain, the wind and waves are so strong that even sailing is dangerous, let alone going down to the river to rescue people. It may be God's will today. You can report the truth to His Majesty. If we are guilty, we will all be guilty together."

"What do you mean together? If Your Majesty really wants to punish me, I, Song Jiang, will shoulder the responsibility!"

"Brother."

"elder brother."

Song Jiang cried heart-wrenchingly, and everyone around him burst into tears, as if their own brother had died.

At the same time, two miles downstream from the pier, a small boat was covered in sand and fog.

There are two people on it, one in front and one behind.

The man at the bow wears a yellow crown on his head, a crane cloak on his body, and stands with his hands behind his back.

"People are coming, get ready to scoop up the nets!"

"Well, that's the method."

"Qiankun Kandui. Water-dividing Technique, start!"

Taoist Hechang waved his hand and the flowing river suddenly produced huge waves, but they could not shake the boat at all.

The waves lifted up a man in a red robe. It was Fan Rui who fell into the water upstream. He was caught by the man behind the boat with a scoop net. At this time, he was lying on the boat with his belly sticking out, and he looked like he was dead.

"Brother, why did you let him suffer and save him now?"

"We are here today because we talked too much, isn't it? How can we avoid unnecessary trouble? Besides, this is his fate. Let's go."

"Then his cause and effect"

"Everyone should clean up the snow in front of their own door."

Half an hour later, the wind died down and the sand on the river surface subsided.

Zhang Shun was ordered to dispatch a large warship and went down the river to search for the bodies on both banks. He spent half a day searching but unfortunately found nothing.

Song Jiang was so sad when he heard this that Wu Yong immediately ordered people to buy incense, candles, and paper money, and gathered the brothers at home to the dock to offer sacrifices.

The sacrifice lasted until dusk, and then everyone slowly rode back to the county town on horseback, where they met Dai Zong halfway.

"Captain, you..."

"Let's go back to the city."

"Huh? Oh"

Dai Zong was stopped by Wu Yong and the information that was about to come out of his mouth could not be told.

As a result, Song Jiang took the initiative to ask: "Have the Jin army made any moves?"

"Well, the Western Jin Army left Xinzhou on the second day of the first lunar month, and the Eastern Jin Army left Zhending yesterday. The brothers in Xiangzhou are fully prepared. The commander will leave tomorrow morning, which is just the right time."

"not going"

"install?"

Song Jiang pulled the reins and stopped where he was, looking at Dai Zong and saying solemnly, "I said I won't go to Xiangzhou, and I won't fight at Fengyue Pass either."

"Ah? Why? The Jin army is very powerful this time, especially the Western Army led by Xie Ye."

"I have done something wrong and I have to wait for His Majesty to punish me, so the war has to be put on hold."

"Ah this."

Dai Zong looked confused. Wu Yong approached him and whispered something to him. Dai Zong was shocked and couldn't help asking, "What does this have to do with Brother Gongming?"

"I have made up my mind. I will submit a petition tonight to apologize. I will wait for His Majesty's reply first. You have worked hard in Yanjing for a long time. You should have a good rest for a while."

"Won't you tell Talan about the commander's decision?"

"Not yet, wait until the Jin army wins, if they lose then there is no need to talk about it"

Seeing Song Jiang's firm tone, Dai Zong would seem immature if he continued to persuade him, but he still felt sorry for not participating.

In this offensive, the two Jin armies' attack distances were close, so it could be said that they were fighting at their own doorstep, so logistical supplies were not a problem at all.

The Grand Marshal Xie Ye was in charge of the western route, and he had directly issued a desperate battle order to the front-line vanguard Yelu Yudu, and he had also gone to Mount Wutai to ask for help. The battle in Taiyuan was bound to be fierce.
The Eastern Army was not far behind. The new Marshal Talan used Guo Yaoshi, who stayed behind in Yanjing, as the vanguard and once again brought the Ever-Victorious Army onto the stage.

Xie Ye's tactical intention was very clear. He first let the surrendered generals of the Liao Kingdom and Yang Chang consume each other, and then the main force of the Jin army would take its turn. On the one hand, he reduced the casualties of the Jurchens, and on the other hand, he used normal foreign wars to weaken the proportion of the Liao army in the Jin army.

As the saying goes, those who are not of my race must have different hearts. Although these Liao people have been incorporated into the Jin Kingdom, first Pucha Shijianu sued Yelu Yudu for being afraid of fighting, and later some people wanted to save the Liao emperor Yelu Yanshi. No one can guarantee that they will not have second thoughts.

Of course, Xie also wanted to use Yang Chang to weaken the power of those who were pro-Nianhan in the army.

Nianhan married Yuan Fei Xiao Guige to recruit a large number of Liao generals left by Yelu Yanxi. Together with Yelu Yudu who surrendered earlier, nearly 70% of the Liao army joined the Western Route Army.

In order to appease these surrendered Liao generals, Nianhan placed Yuan Fei directly in Yunzhong Prefecture, and did not even take her with him when he returned to Beijing to serve as prime minister. However, Xiao Guige was nearly fifty years old, and Nianhan took her as a second wife not for her beauty, but only to use her as a political tool.

Late July, early August.

Yang Changgang completed the adjustment of various states, reducing the garrisons and troops in Liaozhou, Weisheng, Pingbei and Luzhou, and then mainly deployed them in Taiyuan, Pingding and Zezhou.

Considering that the Pingding Army borders Zhending and will face direct pressure from Hebei, Yang Chang appointed Sun An as the commander-in-chief of the army, promoted Li Yanxian, who had performed outstandingly in the Battle of Taiyuan, as deputy commander-in-chief, and appointed Shi Jin, Ou Peng, Ma Lin and others as commanders, and left 30,000 troops in the Pingding Army.

Lu Zhishen, the general originally assigned to Lin Chong, managed to recapture the city after attending the last wedding. After the battle, he returned to Yangqu with Wu Song and reunited with old friends such as Yang Zhi every day to exchange ideas.

When Cao Zheng, Han Tao and others left for other places, Lu Zhishen was the only one who "stayed" in Yangqu and finally resigned to Yang Chang on the third day of August. As soon as he arrived at the gate of the Zhizhishisi, he suddenly heard the hurried sound of horse hooves behind him.

Looking back, I saw Shi Qian reining in his horse and galloping like the wind.

Why are you so anxious?
"Grandmaster."

"You look anxious. Is there any urgent military information?"

"Master, how did you know? The Jin troops left Shiling Pass and were marching towards Yangqu. I was just about to report this to the Grand Commandant."

"Really? I'll go with you."

Shi Qian was stunned when he heard this, and thought to himself, why does he seem so happy?
How could Lu Zhishen not be happy? He was not after fame or wealth, but only wanted to kill and fight to his heart's content.

It’s a good thing I didn’t leave early, I made a profit.

The two men entered the mansion side by side. The guards at the door not only did not stop them, but also saluted them respectfully.

Starting from being recruited as deputy vanguard, Yang Chang climbed up the official ranks all the way and gained more and more territory, but he still maintained his original intention and did not put on airs. He did not require a call from his close brothers when they wanted to see him, nor did he force them to address him by their formal titles. He did not care to call him 'brother', 'Sanlang', 'Brother Yang', etc. This behavior was in sharp contrast to that of Song Jiang.

Song Jiang attached great importance to rules, especially after putting on the purple robe. Even when his confidants such as Wu Yong and Hua Rong wanted to see him, he had to strictly follow the gate guard notification system.

When Lu and Shi walked to the steps outside the hall, Yang Chang inside had already noticed it and quickly reminded Wu Song, saying, "Someone is coming outside. Share it with the second brother when you are free."

"Ok."

Wu Song nodded with an expression of accepting an instruction. He had just been whispering with Yang Chang, actually asking for advice on how to get along with one's spouse.

Zhao Fujin is young, beautiful and a princess. She is also newly married and has not had much time to adjust to life. Naturally, she sometimes acts like a little woman. And as a "steel straight man", how could Wu Song understand the thoughts of a girl?
If it was an ordinary girl, Wu Song could just turn a blind eye, but Zhao Fujin was the younger sister of Yang Chang's wife, so he still hoped to have a harmonious relationship with her, so he went to "Senior Yang" for advice.

Yang Chang and the three women get along like fish in water, largely thanks to luck. Each woman appears at the best age and in the most advantageous way for her. What's more, this guy has a good waist, is strong and knows how to have fun.

Who has not been defeated by the power of a tiger? Afterwards, they are all like docile lambs.

There are no two leaves in the world that are exactly the same, and there is no success that can be completely replicated. Yang Chang's experience may not be suitable for Wu Song, but he asked the three women to help guide him, and his sister-in-law will surely continue to grow.

Wu Song turned around and saw Lu Zhishen waving at him. He immediately remembered that Lu Zhishen was coming to say goodbye recently, so he whispered to him, "All the brothers from other states have left, and only Master is left. It seems that the farewell is today."

"is it?"

Yang Chang saw that Lu Zhishen was in high spirits and thought to himself, is this the right expression for a farewell?

"Brother Yang, the Jin army is coming and has arrived."

As Lu Zhishen was walking and talking, he suddenly forgot the specific place name, so he turned sideways and asked Shi Qian: "Which place?"

"Baijing Village."

"Yes, Baijing Village."

After hearing this, Yang Chang's eyes widened and he asked, "Baijing Village? Could it be the abandoned military village sixty or seventy miles south of Shiling Pass?"

"That's right." Shi Qian nodded and responded, "They left the border yesterday morning and stayed overnight at Baijing Village in the afternoon. In fact, if the cavalry had gone at full speed, they would have reached Yangqu last night."

"The cavalry is marching at the speed of infantry? Can you tell who is the commander of this army?"

"Yexiao doesn't dare to get too close, but judging from the flags and armor, they should be the surrendered troops of the Liao Kingdom."

"Oh? Could it be Yelu Yudu?"

As soon as Yang Chang finished speaking, Lu Zhishen shouted, "It's this coward again? He ran away quickly in Pingding last time, but now he's coming to deliver himself? Brother Yang, let me kill him!"

"Master, you're not going back to Zezhou?"

"There's a war going on here, so I won't leave."

"Look, Sanlang."

Wu Song showed a helpless expression, Yang Changze waved his hand and smiled, "There is no war in Zezhou, Master, you can leave later. Since the Jin army took the initiative to attack, I will resist and fight a battle to defend the city. Second brother, the defense of Yangqu City is in your hands."

"Don't worry, Sanlang. I'll arrange it right away."

"Just go."

"no."

Lu Zhishen heard the conversation between the two and saw Wu Song leave with a relaxed look on his face. He could not help but ask: "Yangqu now has soldiers and generals, why do they still have to passively defend the city? What is there to be afraid of the Liao surrendered soldiers?"

"There must be something wrong when things are out of the ordinary. The Jin army has returned so quickly and is marching so slowly. There is no guarantee that they don't have other plans. It is very likely that they are covering up somewhere else."

Yang Chang frowned and responded, then stopped Shi Qian and instructed him, "Send more Night Owl soldiers to investigate, and also send people from Fenzhou and Pingding, and inform Han Tao and Sun An to be careful."

"Yes."

"go quickly."

"it is good."

When Shi Qian also clasped his fists and left, only Lu Zhishen and Yang Chang were left in the huge front hall of the Administration Office.

"Is that all? What can I do?"

"No hurry, Master, go back and rest first. Once I have accurate intelligence and understand the Jin people's intentions, I will call the troops to fight."

"Monks do not tell lies"

As soon as Lu Zhishen said this, he suddenly realized that he had said something wrong. He immediately touched his bald head and muttered, "No, Brother Yang did not become a monk. As the Grand Commandant and the Governor, you should not break your promise."

"How can I?"

"You kill people everywhere every time. If you scare the Jin people away as soon as you appear, then there will be no fun, right?"

"Hmm? Master, go back first. I have my own plans."

After Yang Chang sent Lu Zhishen out of the mansion, he turned around and thought about what the monk had just said, thinking that his reminder was very reasonable.

He was now stuck at the fifth level of Qi Refining. Since he had taken over the two states of Taiyuan and Pingdingjun, his popularity had once again filled up the bronze tablet and he could level up simply by replenishing his murderous aura.

Moreover, since awakening the talent of [Mountain Stripping], Yang Chang's need to kill generals has also increased. All the skills accumulated in Taiyuan have been used by his brothers. Only one skill each for riding and spear and stick has been kept, which were prepared in advance for his son Yang Huang.

Of course, as long as there are extra good skills or talents, as a father, he will unconsciously reserve them for his son. This is the fatherly instinct hidden in the blood of every man, hoping to leave all the good things to his children.

Yang Chang only needed to pick up corpses and find treasures, and he didn't care who would kill the general.

So sending brothers to do the job might help stabilize potential enemies and maximize your own interests?

Yangqu City had generals and soldiers, but they did not take any action after receiving the intelligence, which made Yelu Yudu worried.

On the third day of August, he led 50,000 surrendered Liao soldiers, walked only 60 miles a day, and set up camp early.

Yelu Yudu camped at Sanjiaokou, more than 20 miles away from Yangqu.

This fellow was traumatized by Yang Chang's beating, but this time he had no choice but to serve as the vanguard. He had to march slowly under the pretext of testing the enemy in order to deal with the military supervisor Pucha Shijianu.

That's right, this guy who was at odds with him was appointed as military supervisor by the Grand Marshal Xie Ye after his direct army was defeated by Li Yanxian. He was like a tight hoop on the monkey's head, giving Yelu Yudu a headache.

At night, after the central army tent discussed tomorrow's battle, Pucha Shijianu, Yelu Huaiyi, Yelu Tushan, Yelu Shu, Yelu Gaoba and other generals returned to their respective camps.

Yes, except for the vanguard Yelu Yudu, almost all the surrendered generals of the Liao Kingdom in Yunzhong had arrived, and only then did they gather a crowd of 50,000.

"General, the battle will start tomorrow. If we don't try our best, we will be attacked by the slaves of the Puchashi family. But we can't even defend the city, and now we have to attack it. Why don't we make other plans?"

"Make other plans?"

Yelu Yudu frowned and turned his head. Seeing the expression on the face of his trusted secretary Han Funu, he immediately understood what he was trying to say and asked sharply, "You want me to learn from Pharmacist Guo?"

"The Jin people have always been on guard against us. Marshal Du has sent the Liao army to the front this time, almost sending us to our deaths. Isn't there anything else we can do?"

(End of this chapter)