La vida perfecta en la dinastía Song

Capítulo 25

Young Master Nongying said, "Tomorrow, you can go to war with peace of mind. I will guard Phoenix City for you."

Junyu nodded. With Young Master Nongying there, Tian Da's heart was immediately at ease. She immediately gave the order that, apart from Lu Ling, Bai Ruhui, and Dongfang Jiong continuing to stay behind to assist in the defense, Geng Ke would still lead the "Emei Vanguard" to join the expedition.

Half a month later, the "Emei Vanguard" was ambushed by 5,000 enemy troops at Zuohu Beach. Geng Ke was prepared and fought fiercely for half a day, killing 2,000 enemy troops. Subsequently, Sun Jia's troops arrived and launched a combined attack, capturing the remaining 3,000 enemy troops.

Most of the martial arts practitioners in the "Emei Vanguard" were participating in war as soldiers for the first time, and they were all very excited about their great victory in their first battle. That night, scouts received news that Zhu Yu's unit had encountered a large Hu army at "Laodaokou," while Meng Yuanjing's unit had encountered a cavalry force of the Chijin tribe at Songlin Town. The next morning, news continued to arrive that the enemy forces at Songlin Town had suffered a minor defeat and were heading north, while the enemy vanguard at Huolongmen had been completely annihilated. Because the main force of the Hu army was still unclear, Junyu ordered the army to advance towards Daheishan Mountain, where they encountered only some sporadic ambushes along the way, and the fighting was not intense.

On the fourth day, scouts reported that Zhu Yu's forces had reached Huolongmen, while the main force of the Hu tribe was advancing from Beisa towards Daheishan. Coupled with the Chijin tribe's feigned defeat at Songlin Town, they were indeed in a state of encirclement, and the decisive battle at Daheishan was imminent.

Junyu had already thoroughly scouted the terrain of Daheishan and immediately dispatched two secret envoys to Meng Yuanjing's and Zhu Yu's armies respectively.

Geng Ke was somewhat worried: "General Meng is naturally fine, but Zhu Yu is always arrogant and likes to act on his own. I'm afraid he won't cooperate in the battle."

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Chapter 68: Zhu Yu: His Story (2)

Junyu was also unsure about Zhu Yu's abilities. That night, around midnight, the secret envoy sent to Zhu Yu's unit returned first, bringing back a very detailed battle report.

After reading it, Geng Ke suddenly said, "I never would have guessed that a young master like Zhu Yu could be so farsighted. He has made such a meticulous plan, and what's most remarkable is that he has shown us absolutely no reservations."

At this moment, the secret envoy sent to Meng Yuanjing's forces had also returned. Junyu smiled, feeling very gratified. At the beginning of the year, the four armies fought independently, without communication or mutual support, resulting in heavy losses. This time, the situation was completely different. The three were in sync, having already opened their arms, waiting for the armies of the Crimson Gold Clan and the Hu Clan to enter from both sides and encircle them from three sides.

Sure enough, in less than ten days, about 80,000 Hu troops and 30,000 Chijin tribe troops advanced into Daheishan from two directions. That afternoon, the three armies and more than 100,000 enemy troops engaged in a decisive battle.

Among them, the vanguard of the Crimson Gold Clan army, the "Scout Red Army," was the most valiant and invincible. Junyu immediately dispatched the "Emei Vanguard" to meet them in battle. This "Scout Red Army" had made great contributions in the Battle of Langjuxu Mountain in July and August, and all their opponents were routed. They never expected to encounter this surprise force. As soon as the two sides clashed, they fought fiercely, and the sky darkened.

The fighting power of the "Scout Red Army" far exceeded that of the 5,000 men who won the first great victory. When the "Emei Vanguard" encountered a strong enemy for the first time, their spirits were greatly boosted. In the midst of the fierce battle, several members of the "Emei Vanguard" who were fighting more and more bravely suddenly fell off their horses. Even Geng Ke on his warhorse was knocked off his horse by a long staff.

Junyu rode his horse and looked around. Among the "Scout Red Army" were several very familiar and valiant generals, wielding their staffs and sweeping across the blocking troops with almost unstoppable force. Junyu recognized the leader, who, although wearing armor, was the leader of the red-robed monks he had seen in Hanjing Garden, while the others were completely unfamiliar.

Geng Ke did a somersault and stood up again; his injuries weren't serious. Jun Yu suddenly blew a few commands, and the "Emei Vanguard" immediately changed formation. The red-robed monk heard the commands, looked up and saw Jun Yu, and suddenly shouted. Just as he was about to charge forward, he heard a neighing of horses behind him. The "Emei Vanguard" had gained a significant advantage, and the "Scout Red Army" he led was thrown into chaos and completely scattered. He couldn't care less about Jun Yu and immediately spurred his horse back to reinforce him.

At this moment, Sun Jia's army group launched an attack from the south, while Meng Yuanjing's newly arrived force joined Zhu Yu's force from the east. After two nights of fierce fighting, they annihilated 50,000 enemy troops and captured over 30,000 prisoners, including three enemy commanders. Meanwhile, the "Emei Vanguard" pursued their victory relentlessly, almost completely wiping out the "Scout Red Army." Jun Yu ordered a search of the battlefield, but the bodies of the red-robed monks were nowhere to be found, suggesting they had escaped.

Junyu did not order a pursuit. Snow had already begun to fall, so she immediately ordered the retreat and the army to set up camp at Heishankou.

At their camp in Heishankou, Meng Yuanjing and Zhu Yu had already arrived to meet them, and Junyu and Sun Jia immediately went to greet them. Meng Yuanjing and Zhu Yu were both surprised and delighted to see Sun Jia. This was the first time the four of them had met in such a setting in ten years since leaving Qiansi Academy, and they were all filled with mixed emotions. Junyu smiled and extended her hand, and Meng Yuanjing and Sun Jia immediately followed suit. Zhu Yu hesitated for a moment, then extended her hand as well. The four of them shook hands firmly before letting go.

Jun Yu saw that Zhu Yu, dressed in military uniform, still had a cold demeanor, but he was no longer the unruly young master he used to be. Instead, he had the air of a great general who could handle heavy tasks with ease.

The three armies regrouped, and under the blazing firelight, the snow fell heavier and heavier. Although Black Mountain Pass was sheltered from the wind, the weather was still so cold that it felt as if one's bones were frozen. It was Junyu's turn to deploy the next offensive plan to the three assembled armies.

Meng Yuanjing and Zhu Yu couldn't help but look at the three armies. Amidst the falling snow, apart from the Phoenix Army, most of the troops in the other two armies were shivering, some even hunched over from the cold, and some collapsed to the ground. In contrast, the Phoenix Army, though their faces were also red from the cold, stood upright and spirited, clearly well-trained.

Meng Yuanjing was always strict in his military discipline, but the troops he led were Qi Xiaowen's old subordinates, and he hadn't had time to train them. He thought to himself that even the elite troops he had personally trained last year might not be as good as the Phoenix Army, and he was filled with admiration.

Especially for Zhu Yu, it was his first time leading an army into battle. Although he won, he found that the gap between his troops and the Phoenix Army was beyond comprehension. To fight against the Red Gold Tribe and the Hu Tribe armies, who lived in the icy and snowy lands year-round, with an army with such physical strength, this victory was simply due to luck.

At this moment, Junyu had already ordered the army to light fires, cook, and set up camp to rest. The Phoenix Army and the medics of various units assisted in rescuing some frostbitten soldiers from the other two units. Zhu Yu looked at his wounded soldiers and inwardly felt ashamed. He looked at Junyu, who was standing on a boulder. Snowflakes fell like goose feathers, but did not land on her head or body. He had fought Junyu last year and this year. At that time, Junyu was even slightly inferior to him. Now, it seemed that her martial arts skills had far surpassed his. He was very surprised, but he did not know that Meng Yuanjing beside him was even more surprised.

Meng Yuanjing could now see that Junyu's martial arts skills had greatly improved compared to before. What surprised him even more was that Junyu had not even brought "Zhuifei" with him on this expedition.

When the two of them saw Junyu emerge unharmed from the secret passage in Hanjing Garden, they assumed she had been rescued by Tuosang. However, no one knew that Tuosang had not only destroyed the Buddha's tooth but also expended most of his own power to save her. After recovering, Junyu's power increased significantly. Furthermore, after studying the "Marrow Cleansing Classic" with Shu Zhenzhen, she gained a thorough understanding of various martial arts and grasped the true power of "Hand-Waving Five Strings." At this point, she could casually break off branches to make swords, and her martial arts skills were almost on par with those of Lanxi Si in her younger days.

Meng Yuanjing looked at the "Niijing" mark on his body. Although he was happy for Junyu, he also felt a little melancholy. At this moment, Junyu walked over with a smile and stood by the blazing fire. He handed each of them a book: "I'm just showing off. This book is not yet finished. It is only the first half. Please feel free to take a look."

The two took it and saw that it was indeed "Phoenix Military Strategy".

Zhu Yu carefully flipped through it, then looked up: "Is this what you used to train the Phoenix Army?"

Junyu nodded.

Zhu Yu was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "When I was little, I always thought it was because of your teacher's wife and Mr. Nongying that you were favored; later I also thought it was because you were too lucky and didn't live up to your reputation. Now, I know that everything you did was not because of luck."

Junyu smiled slightly and remained silent.

Meng Yuanjing closed his book and laughed loudly, "Junyu, your 'Emei Vanguard' is really amazing, and Sun Jia's group army's strategy of dividing and encircling is very reasonable."

Sun Jialang said loudly, "I admire Junyu especially on this point. If he didn't have a thorough understanding of the combat characteristics of the Crimson Gold Clan Army and the Hu Army, how could he have devised such a battle strategy?"

Junyu smiled happily: "This is not entirely my doing." She took out the map given to her by Young Master Nongying. Zhu Yu and Meng Yuanjing immediately looked at it. The red mark on it was the advantageous position where the three armies encircled the enemy. None of their military maps marked this location. Moreover, there were several other strategically important locations along the way that were accurately identified, but their maps did not show them, and they had never even heard of them.

Meng Yuanjing asked, "What is this map?"

Junyu smiled and said, "It was given to me by Mr. Nongying. He is a teacher, so it's only natural that he is more capable than us, right?"

Looking over from the fire, Zhu Yu saw Jun Yu's smiling face for the first time, so bright and radiant that it was almost blinding. He suddenly felt a chilling sorrow that went straight to his heart, and he turned his head away from the firelight, sitting down in the cold, snowy night.

Chapter 70: The Empty City Strategy

The following morning, the three armies advanced separately according to the plan set the previous night. Two days later, when Junyu's troops arrived at Xingshan, they were suddenly ambushed by a small group of Chijin tribe cavalry. After a half-day battle, the enemy was completely annihilated. That evening, scouts reported that a Chijin tribe army of 100,000 had descended from the Mongolian grasslands, defeated the local garrison, and was heading straight for Fenghuang City from Heichengzi along Sujiatun.

Subsequently, scouts reported that the Hu King personally led tens of thousands of Hu troops across the border of Goryeo and headed north from Laotougou, where they encountered Zhu Yu's forces, and the two sides engaged in fierce fighting.

This situation was exactly as Junyu had predicted before the expedition. It seemed that Zhenmutier and the Hu King were indeed planning to launch a pincer attack from the north and south, aiming to capture Phoenix City in one fell swoop and then completely annihilate the three armies.

Junyu immediately turned his horse around and intercepted the vanguard of the Hu King's army at Jiangyuan before nightfall. After a fierce battle that lasted until midnight, most of the troops were defeated. Meng Yuanjing's troops also arrived as planned. The three armies surrounded and fought fiercely. By the evening of the next day, the battlefield was a bloodbath. The Hu King led less than 8,000 men back to Goryeo and fled.

Junyu was worried about Phoenix City. No matter how powerful Young Master Nongying was, the city only had a mere five thousand soldiers. According to Zhenmutier's precedent, once they won, the massacre of Phoenix City and Phoenix Village would be imminent. Meng Yuanjing and Zhu Yu had no objections. The three armies were fully integrated and immediately set off to rush back to reinforce the city at night.

As the troops emerged from the canyon, Meng Yuanjing said, "Dafengkou is the only place the Crimson Gold Clan army can retreat through. We can lure you into our trap here."

Meng Yuanjing was very familiar with the terrain in that area and had defeated the Hu army there at the beginning of the year. This suggestion was widely agreed upon. Zhu Yu's troops immediately detoured and headed straight for Dongfengkou to ambush them, while Jun Yu led the Phoenix Army and the Nanzhai forces back to Phoenix City at full speed.

Fifty miles from Phoenix City, flames suddenly shot into the sky from a mountain hollow to the west of the surrounding mountains of Phoenix Village, followed by a deafening cannon blast, indicating a fierce battle was raging. The Phoenix Army immediately accelerated, and after advancing only ten miles, the deafening roar of battle filled the air. Rockets rained down from the southern sky, and the warhorses of the Crimson Gold Clan, their backs splattered with sulfur sparks, charged and leaped wildly. This was the extremely valiant Tatar cavalry, now seeing such a large number of Phoenix soldiers appear, they were almost routed and scattered in all directions. Amidst the biting wind and snow, the sound of hooves and the deafening battle cries echoed—the perfectly synchronized commands of the Phoenix Army. These commands sounded like they were being fired by ten thousand men at once. Jun Yu was astonished. There were only 5,000 soldiers left to guard Phoenix City, and those 5,000 soldiers had clearly been divided into several groups. This was obviously just one of them. How could so many more men have appeared out of nowhere?

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Chapter 71: The Emperor vs. the Mysterious Cult Leader (1)

The leader of this firearms force was Bai Ruhui. He was overjoyed to see Junyu. Before they could even exchange words, they immediately rushed into the city at full speed. Along the way, fires broke out in two other directions, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens. In the midst of the fierce battle, the main force of the Crimson Gold Clan received a report that the main force of the Phoenix Army had arrived. Zhenmutier immediately and decisively withdrew his troops, heading towards Dafengkou.

Sun Jia immediately led his main force in a feigned pursuit throughout the night. By dawn, the snow had already blinded the horses, so Sun Jia stopped the pursuit and withdrew his troops immediately.

At this moment, dawn was breaking, and the heavy snow was still falling like goose feathers. Phoenix City was deserted. The garrison opened the gates, and the army entered the city. Junyu led Sun Jia, Geng Ke, and others straight to the General's Mansion.

The general's mansion was brightly lit. Young Master Nongying was sitting in the hall looking at a chess game that was not yet finished, with only two soldiers standing beside him.

Junyu was overjoyed and bowed: "Sir, your Empty City Stratagem is truly brilliant."

Young Master Nongying smiled and nodded. At this moment, Sun Jia also knelt down and said, "Greetings, Mr. Nongying."

This was the first time Sun Jia had seen Young Master Nongying since leaving Qiansi Academy. Compared to when he was younger, Sun Jia's appearance had changed drastically. He did not introduce himself at this moment, but Young Master Nongying said indifferently, "Get up, Sun Jia. You are very good."

Sun Jia stepped aside, looking a little embarrassed. Jun Yu laughed loudly: "Sun Jia wanted to test Mr. Jun's memory. Mr. Jun didn't disappoint you, did he? Haha."

Sun Jia also laughed, "Once, I made a bet with Qin Xiaolou that Mr. Nongying definitely wouldn't remember anyone except Junyu." He bowed to Young Master Nongying again, "This student was rude, please forgive me, sir."

Young Master Nongying nodded nonchalantly, while Junyu smiled and asked, "Did you win or did Qin Xiaolou lose?"

Sun Jia winked slyly: "Of course Qin Xiaolou lost."

At this moment, Lu Ling, Dongfang Jiong, and Yang Dayong had already withdrawn their troops and entered the hall.

Junyu looked and saw that Dongfang Jiong was holding a very special fan-shaped, wide-mouthed grass leaf whistle. He pointed at the wide fan and let out a long whistle, which suddenly produced the sound of horses' hooves and fighting. Then came the uniform commands of the Phoenix Army, which sounded very powerful.

Junyu looked down and saw that many people were holding such things. One could imagine how deafening the sound would be if a thousand or eight hundred people made such a whistling sound at the same time.

It turned out that three days after the Phoenix Army set off, Young Master Nongying had already divided the 5,000 garrison of Phoenix City into four teams. Since Lu Ling, Bai Ruhui, Dongfang Jiong, and Yang Dayong had led them into the towering mountains of Phoenix Mountain, the actual garrison in the city numbered only about 500. Zhenmutier, upon learning that the Phoenix Army had gone to the front lines, launched a large-scale invasion. However, upon entering these mountains, he was attacked from all sides and couldn't ascertain the true situation. He finally managed to capture a local mountain dweller and interrogate him, but unexpectedly, Phoenix Village was also a place where everyone was mobilized for war. The mountain dweller, having suffered countless massacres at the hands of other tribes, refused to confess. In a fit of rage, he was hacked to death.

Chapter 72: Emperor vs. Mysterious Cult Leader (2)

Even the once-powerful and ruthless Zhenmutier fell into the trap of the empty city strategy. Moreover, it was the first time they had seen such powerful firearms and battle formations, and they were unsure how many Phoenix Army soldiers were in the city. They dared not launch a rash attack and could only hold out in the mountains thirty miles away from Phoenix City. They were also attacked by guerrilla forces led by Lu Ling and others. After half a month of this stalemate, they lost a significant portion of their military strength but dared not launch a large-scale attack on Phoenix City immediately.

On the third day at noon, scouts reported that Zhenmutier had encountered Meng Yuanjing's forces blocking his way at Dafengkou. The two armies clashed for the first time, fighting fiercely for two days. Meng Yuanjing's forces achieved a great victory, and Zhenmutier's supposedly 100,000-strong army suffered heavy losses, with only about 40,000 managing to break through. Subsequently, the court ordered that this opportunity be used to drive away the Chijin tribe's army. Following usual practice, Meng Yuanjing and Zhu Yu were ordered to lead two contingents to continue the advance, pursuing Zhenmutier across the vast Mongolian steppe.

Fortunately, Phoenix City and Phoenix Village were not directly attacked during the war, and the atmosphere of peace returned immediately after the alert was lifted.

In addition to the imperial court's compensation for the wounded and killed soldiers, the Phoenix Army also erected a tall monument to the loyal and righteous man who refused to surrender, and properly settled his wife, children, and elderly parents. The monument bears the four large characters "Eternal Righteousness" handwritten by Jun Yu.

On the day the monument was erected, Junyu led all the generals and officers in the city to pay their respects.

Young Master Nongying sighed and said, "The court and the Hu tribes have been fighting for many years, and the voices advocating peace have never stopped. Civil and military officials are fond of empty talk, singing praises and whitewashing the peace all day long. They are all afraid of death and are not as courageous as a mountain folk."

Junyu also sighed, "When things are peaceful, they talk about morality and character; when danger strikes, they are willing to die for their king. But when disaster strikes, it seems that they have no other choice but to surrender shamefully or commit suicide weakly."

Sun Jia said, "It's a pity that there's only one Phoenix City."

Everyone fell silent.

In February of the following year, news suddenly arrived that the current emperor had passed away, and the seventh prince had succeeded to the throne.

With each new emperor comes a new court, and officials at all levels harbor their own secrets. Military generals are also engaged in much discussion, especially the generals directly under Prime Minister Zhu, who are constantly exchanging information and trying to find out what's going on between them.

The Phoenix Army does not rely on any faction. Peng Dong wanted to ask Junyu about her thoughts several times, but seeing that she remained calm and composed, he did not ask any further questions.

Ten days or so passed. Junyu was directing the Phoenix Army Group's battle drills at the training ground when one of Peng Dong's guards rushed over, his face filled with panic. From afar, he shouted, "Young Master Jun, something terrible has happened! General Peng has fallen off a cliff while riding his horse! The situation is urgent..."

Junyu was shocked and rushed to Peng Dong's camp. He saw Peng Dong lying on the bed with his eyes closed, and three military doctors standing helplessly by his side. It was clear that he was beyond saving.

Junyu stepped forward and checked Peng Dong's breath; he was already dead. It turned out that Peng Dong had led several soldiers hunting, and while chasing a deer, he and his horse fell off a cliff.

Although Peng Dong was an incompetent man, he had been content to be a peaceful general all these years, never questioning any matters, big or small, in the army. Seeing him suffer such misfortune in the prime of his life, Junyu was deeply saddened and immediately began to arrange his funeral.

Before Peng Dong's funeral arrangements were even finished, the palace's chief eunuch, Eunuch Wang, suddenly arrived in Phoenix City by imperial decree, summoning Junyu and Peng Dong to the capital to meet the emperor. In the past, when Peng Dong was alive, he could go alone, but now that Peng Dong had passed away, Junyu could not refuse and had no choice but to immediately take Sun Jia and Lu Ling with Eunuch Wang to the capital.

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Chapter 73: Emperor vs. Mysterious Cult Leader (3)

On this day, Junyu accompanied Eunuch Wang to the morning court for the first time. Upon entering the Golden Palace, he was surprised to see Meng Yuanjing and Zhu Yu there. The two were overjoyed to see Junyu.

The two had driven the Chijin tribe's army nearly a thousand miles across the Mongolian grasslands and had only recently returned to the capital in triumph. All the civil and military officials were seeing the legendary "Flying General of Phoenix City" for the first time and were all astonished. Only Prime Minister Zhu remained calm, his eyes almost spitting fire.