Chapter 16 , the tiger's mouth is out of danger

There are dangers everywhere, which makes people feel nervous from time to time, especially for foreigners like me. Not to mention that I am a key criminal in the investigation camp, even the Xixia guards and guards who are staying in the capital are my enemies. With the loyalty of Ye Li Moren, Li Renxiao's order will never fail even if it is thousands of miles away.

Understanding the disadvantages, I immediately said goodbye to Dr. Su, but the severity of the investigation out of the city was more than I imagined. I had to stay in the middle of the city and couldn't find a way out of the city for several days. However, it was rumored that Wanyan Yong had been appointed by Wanyan Liang to stay in Liaoyang and was about to leave Zhongdu to go to Beijing. Prince Xiaoyun's accidental escape finally forced Wanyan Liang to send Wanyan Yong, the king of Zhao, to Liaoyang to prevent the rebellion of the Khitans.

Wanyan Yong finally achieved his goal and left Zhongdu, but I was stranded in the city. More unfortunately, because I was already penniless to treat Qi Danyun. Lingering on the bustling streets of Zhongdu and rubbing my hungry stomach, I sighed in my heart: I didn't expect that my criminal artist, who is like searching for money in the real world, would be embarrassed by a meal on the ancient and backward and barbaric urban streets. I really don't know where my criminal talents have gone?

"A lot of money to hire craftsmen and make a fortune in the south!" An inconspicuous notice on the corner of the street attracted my attention, and the generous reward was secondary. The key was that the "South" attracted my attention. Someone took care of food and shelter and sent me to my destination. Why not?

I found a remote alley according to the address on the notice. A sharp-mouthed and obscene man received me. Before I explained my intention, he patted his chest happily and said, "You have found the right person. I will take you to your employer to ensure that you can eat well and earn a lot of money."

I'm glad that he took me out of the city without asking me what I would do. When I went out of the city, I saw that he was quite familiar with the gatekeepers and didn't even check my customs clearance documents. I inevitably have some doubts in my heart. You know, Zhongdu is the capital of Dajin after all, and now it is a very period. Recently, the inspection has become more and more strict, and there is no customs clearance. Documents just want to go out, which is not an ordinary ability! But I think about it, the employer is recruiting craftsmen to the south. Isn't it a joke if he doesn't even have such ability?

Following him all the way to a heavily guarded camp in the suburbs, I saw three or five soldiers patrolling the camp. I hurriedly asked, "What is the origin of this employer? Is there a soldier from Dajin Kingdom to serve him?"

The man smiled secretly and whispered, "This employer is not small. You will know when you meet him."

I followed him to a tent full of doubt. A hundred-hundreds of gold soldiers received us. After taking a piece of broken silver from his hand, the obscene man patted me on the shoulder and smiled, "From now on, you will follow Lord Meng, and he will tell you what to do."

Seeing that he left with the silver contentedly, I suddenly realized that I was abducted and sold like a fool! Just like those stupid women and stupid children who were abducted, the name of my idiot is fucking useless!

"What's your name?" The centurion surnamed Meng asked. I peeked around, eagerly thinking about a way out, and said, "Idiot."

Suddenly, a whip was whipped on me, and the centurion was furious: "You are fucking impatient to live. How dare you please me?"

"I'm really an idiot." Seeing that there were no more than 30 soldiers around, and there were more outside the camp, I had to give up the idea of running away immediately and defend honestly. The centurion was stunned when he heard the words, then grinned and said, "Your Han people's names are fucking cheap. Do you know what you're doing here?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly.

"You are now a civilian man recruited by the Dajin Expeditionary Army," the centurion straightened his chest and put on the general's prestige in front of me. "Except for obeying the officer's orders to work honestly, don't ask any questions, and don't want to escape, or you will be forgiven! In addition, he wrote a letter to his family, saying that he volunteered to go to the south to serve labor with the army and be loyal to the emperor.

Now I finally understand my situation. Wanyan Liang is about to go on an expedition. A large number of people are indispensable logistical support for the expeditionary force, and normal corvée can't meet the needs of the expeditionary army at all. But after all, Zhongdu is the capital. If you openly force the people in the city, it will not only arouse public anger, but also attract the opposition and panic of the Chinese officials. If you deceive people out of the city like this and let people write a letter of peace back, you can suppress the panic to a minimum. I don't have any relatives, so naturally I don't have to write letters, so the next morning I was assigned to a grain transportation team, driven by the whip of the golden soldiers to escort grain and grass to the south. Fortunately, although I was cheated into being a civilian husband, after all, the destination is right. Before the soldiers and horses moved, the food and fodder went first. It seemed that Wanyan Liang's expedition had quietly begun, but I didn't expect that I had become a member of the expedition.

When the early winter comes, the wind is full of cold wind and rain all the way. It is not a pleasant thing to rush on the road in such a time. Not to mention the complaints of the people who transport grain, even the golden soldiers who escorted grain and grass are full of complaints. More than 20 years of peace between Jin and Song have made people experience the happiness of peaceful life and truly yearning for war. In addition to Wan Yanliang, a madman who is happy and wants to be an emperor for thousands of years, only a few young people who have not really seen the cruelty of war hope to change their humble status and identity through war.

On the way across the Huai River and approaching the Yangtze River, the striker did not encounter the Song army's effective resistance at all. The southern expedition was quite smooth, but that's it was the case. I still heard the news of Jin Bing's escape and mutiny from the private discussion of Jin Bing, and there were more people who took risks to escape. My destination is south of the Yangtze River, so I don't want to escape for the time being.

Following the vanguard of the golden soldiers, they stopped. More than half a month later, the grain transport army finally stopped in Yangzhou, 30 miles away from the Yangtze River, and put the grain and grass on such a front line. Probably Wanyan Liang also calculated the strength of the Southern Song Dynasty and had no strength to cross the Yangtze River.

After transporting grain and grass, the group of people I was taken to the outside of Hezhou City in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River overnight. The quarrying rocks on the opposite bank are far away. The river is slightly narrow and the water is slow. It is a good place to cross the river. It seems that Wanyan Liang regards this place as the main direction of crossing the Yangtze River. In addition to collecting ferries everywhere, Jin Bing also set up a shipyard several miles long at the Hezhou wharf, which made the civilian husband rush to build warships day and night, all of which were tall and stable ships. Jin Bing is not accustomed to water, and the ordinary ferry boat is bumping violently in the river. Jin Bing will lose most of its combat effectiveness in that kind of boat, and only a more stable large ship can slightly relieve his suffering from seasickness. And I am now one of the people who built buildings and boats. Thinking of the experience in the "Sea of Death", I suddenly found that the identity of Kuli really seemed to be predestined with me.

"Brother Bai, say it! Can we swim across the Yangtze River? While working by the river, a simple boy as strong as a cow looked at the vast river and asked me quietly. His nickname is Manniu, and he is also a civilian husband who was cheated in the capital. Because he had the same experience as me and a few years younger than me, he regarded me as his eldest brother along the way. I also covered him for saying good words to Jin Bing, which finally made him suffer a lot less.

"I swam over? Do you really think you are a big buffalo? Jiang Lao Diao, who was as thin as a firewood, suddenly interrupted. He was originally a life-begroom figure on the Yellow River, but this time he was also caught by Jin Bingqiang. He has been with us in a team since Shandong. He usually speaks harshly, and his companions don't like him very much, so he got the nickname of "old tricky", which he proudly "floating on the water" On the contrary, no one remembers it. Thinking that I have to borrow his water kung fu to cross the Yangtze River, I am quite polite to him. He is also very impressed by my inadvertent kung fu and admires me.

This way of privately discussing the escape of the people is nothing new. Because they are all Han people, everyone has always had a natural and simple feeling for the Southern Song Dynasty. Even if they have lived under the rule of Jurchens for decades, the national imprint of ancestral blood is still rooted in the heart of every Han person. The humiliation of the subjugated slaves in Japan was diluted by a peaceful life, but when they were treated unfairly, this feeling immediately erupted like a volcano. No one in the hearts of the people really wanted to work for Wanyan Liang. In addition to escaping back to their hometown, there are many people who have the idea of simply defecting to the Southern Song Dynasty.

I looked at the distance to the other side of the river and suddenly felt that this distance was not impossible for me, and it was not difficult for me to find out the barracks at night, but what about them? Thinking of this, I shook my head and immediately gave up the idea. In order to prevent a large number of people's escape, Wanyan Liang set an iron rule of "one person escapes, the whole team beheads". Since I have eaten and lived with more than a dozen people and worked together all the way south, I have never thought of leaving them, and they also regarded me as the backbone of the escape.

"We have to have at least one boat," I looked at the river thoughtfully. "We have to be in the right place at the right time. Maybe we need the one we are building now."

"Absolutely not work!" Jiang Lao Diao knocked on the log and covered his voice with work. "This is the kind of tall Mengchong battleship. Not to mention the slow speed, it also has to have a skilled pulp helmsman to control it. It's up to us that even if we get the ship, it's an eunuch to enter the bridal chamber and worry!"

"What good can you do?" I asked.

Jiang Lao Diao pointed to the riverside, where there were several small boats shuttled back and forth. It was a kind of small fishing boat that could only take three or four people and was recruited by the Jin soldiers for transmission. When the river is calm, I only need someone to paddle, and I can cross the Yangtze River by floating on this kind of boat. Jiang Lao Diao looked at me eagerly with bright eyes. I shook my head and asked me to leave others to escape alone. I couldn't do it for the time being, but now, when the Song army withdrew, it took away and burned all the river boats. It's really harder to find a boat that can cross the river than to reach the sky. Jiang Lao Diao couldn't help but show disappointment when he saw that I didn't agree. Without my help, he couldn't escape from the barracks.

"Unless we go together, I won't agree." I stopped my work, "Is there any other way?"

Jiang Lao Diao lowered his head and thought for a long time, and finally showed a trace of fierceness in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "There is no way, but this is a big risk."

"Texit about it."

Jiang Lao Diao knocked on the board under him: "There are countless decks on this building. First, communicate with your brothers. When building, you only need to do some hands and feet to leave a moving boat board. At that time, it will be a good raft, and then make a simple rudder and a few pairs of pulp to hide in the waste. With this thing, I can also cross more than a dozen people across the river. No Jiang Lao Diao stopped and shook his head repeatedly.

"But what?" Man Niu also heard our discussion and hurriedly asked.

"It's too risky!" Jiang Lao Diao sighed, "Not to mention taking the risk of being discovered by the supervisor, even if you go into the water safely, the speed of the raft is much slower than those boats. Once it is found by the Jin Bing to drive a boat to chase, everyone will die. This is not a danger of the raft in the waves and rapids in the heart of the river."

I asked, "Is there no other way?"

"Yes!" Jiang Lao Diao smiled and said, "Everyone has become a bastard."

I hesitated for a moment and resolutely said, "Okay! Then do it!"

"How to do it?" Jiang Lao Diao looked at me doubtfully and asked, "Become a bastard and swim there?"

"Fuck you!" I couldn't help punching him and scolding with a smile, "You become a bastard!"

Seeing the supervisor Jin Bing looking this way, I lowered my voice and said, "Tonight, if you are willing to gamble on luck on the raft, let's do it."

A fierce look flashed in Jiang Lao Diao's eyes: "Do it! As long as the raft can reach the heart of the river, I, Jiang Lao Diao, can swim to the other side!"

Seeing that he didn't care about other people's lives at all, I was shocked and couldn't help asking myself, did I subconsciously have the same thoughts as him? I don't know the answer, but at least this method requires everyone's consent, and one person's objection cannot be implemented.

The bedtime meeting that night was unexpectedly smooth, and almost no one hesitated to decide. Everyone gave me all their trust, including the lives of thirteen hot-blooded men. Looking at the eyes of everyone's trust, I felt uneasy in the bottom of my heart.

Just like God is taking care of us, the plan is smoother than I expected. Ten days later, after killing several guards, Jiang Lao Diao and I successfully took more than ten people to the river. At this time, the mist lingered on the river and the water was not good, which was a good time to cross the river. He chose dawn instead of late at night. In addition to considering that Jin Bing's defense was the most lax at this time, it was mainly because the river was too dangerous, and Jiang Lao Diao did not dare to cross the river on a raft at night.

The golden soldiers guarding the river were mainly against the sneak attack of the Song army on the opposite shore. No one paid special attention to the new ship to be built on the shore. We successfully got off the raft disguised as a deck and quietly went into the water. At this time, I noticed that except for Jiang Lao Diao and two men who grew up by the water, everyone showed an instinctive fear of the water. They are all dry ducks!

Twelve people sat on both sides of the raft and rowed randomly on the boards used as pulp. The raft slowly sailed to the quarry on the opposite bank. At this time, the mist gradually dissipated, a touch of fish belly white appeared in the east, and the dawn had come.

The raft rowed dozens of feet away, and the golden soldiers shouted and scolded behind him. God didn't help, and the mist on the river could not completely cover up our actions. More than a dozen boats chased us, which were a few masters of pulping among the golden soldiers. At this time, I suddenly found that the speed of the raft was too slow compared with the flying boats, and we couldn't escape.

"Brother Bai, what should I do?" The bull is asking.

"Big White, think of a way!" More people are urging.

A sharp arrow flew by. In the cold river wind, it was like a sneer of death, laughing at my stupidity and ignorance. I couldn't answer everyone, but rowed desperately. We were exposed to the arrows of the golden soldiers without cover. From time to time, someone fell into the water with an arrow. In an instant, they were swept away by the surging river. Jiang Lao Diao shouted behind us: "Mr. Bai, dive and run for your life."

Without waiting for me to answer, he had taken the lead in jumping into the river with a "plop". The raft was without anyone at the helm. He immediately turned around in the river and was about to turn over. I had no choice but to look at several earthy survivors who fell tightly on the raft and said sadly, "Let's dive and escape. I have betrayed everyone's trust. I have no face to see you again."

Another sharp arrows shot with a sharp sound. The two men immediately fell into the water. Fortunately, the ships of the golden soldiers were small and few, and there were fewer who dared to chase us in the heart of the rapid river. Otherwise, with the golden soldiers' always accurate arrows, only one round of arrow rain could nail us all into hedgehogs.

"Jump!" Seeing that the ships of the golden soldiers were getting closer and closer to the point where they could almost see their faces, I couldn't help pushing the survivors into the river. Instead of being shot by the golden soldiers as live targets on the raft, it was better to let them fall into the water to survive. When the last bull also jumped into the river, I looked at the rough and completely invisible river and suddenly felt that I was the murderer of my companions.

The cold river soaked my body and seemed to soak my heart. I stepped on the water and swam to the other side. The only comfort was that I pulled the body of the bull and at least saved a person. When I dragged the bull to the opposite shore exhausted, Jiang Lao Diao fell on the beach dozens of feet away and gasped. Seeing me coming up, he smiled and said, "I said that Boss Bai is good and will definitely escape his life, but I didn't expect you to save the bull."

I looked at him speechless and couldn't be angry at him for taking the lead in running for his life. Compared with him, how different am I?

The bull also gradually woke up. At this time, the simple teenager had a depth that was not commensurate with his age. He didn't say anything. He kowtowed three times to the roaring river, then got up and went up along the river bank, staggered in a firm direction.

I also followed him and followed his footprints. Jiang Lao Diao chased my back and nagging, "Mr. Bai, I didn't expect your water kung fu to be like this. If we work together to make a fortune, there will be no harm. I 'floating on the water' will follow you. Where are you going?"

That was the saying that moved me to cross the river. I originally planned to go directly to Lin'an after crossing the river and leave after getting what I wanted. The war between Jin and Song did not matter good or evil to me. I am also an outsider in this world. Although I don't have a good impression on Jin people and Wanyan Liang, It's not enough to deliberately go against them. But at this moment, after pushing several companions into the river with my own hands and watching them being swallowed up by the river, while I hated myself, I suddenly felt that I should do something for them, otherwise I could not forgive myself.

Looking at the Biluo Mountain, which looks like a green field snail in front of me, and the quarry rock towering in the Linjiang River, I said lightly, "I'm going to the quarry rock in front of me, Song Jun's camp."

The winter wind is bleak, the four fields are yellow, and even the green of Biluo Mountain is very dim. Under the quarry, Song Jun's camp was not as heavily guarded and tense as I thought, and there was not even a trace of urgency before the outbreak of the war. I didn't have time to take out the set of words I prepared. I just said that the people who fled from Jiangbei sent Jin Bing's information to Song Jun. The soldiers guarding the gate of the camp put the three of us in.

After entering the camp gate, I was even more surprised by what I saw. Is this the Song army under the pressure of the army? The soldiers sat on the ground in twos and threes, their clothes were not neat, and even the saddles were put on the ground as a wine case. In addition to these drunks, they were more like wandering souls wandering in the camp, listless and sad. Jin Bing doesn't want to fight, but no matter how tired he is, military discipline will never relax to such an extent. No wonder whether it is Xixia Li Renxiao or Jin Guowan Yanliang, when referring to the people of the Southern Song Dynasty, while admiring their brilliant culture, they also showed contempt for their weak combat effectiveness.

"Master, I want to see your steward general. We have information about Jiangbei Jinbing." I stopped a young man who looked like an officer and asked. He was also kind and asked, "How many golden soldiers are there?" When will you cross the river?

"Jin Bing is known as one million, and it won't be long before he crosses the river."

He said "Oh", with a trace of sadness and fear in his eyes, and immediately turned around and left as if nothing had happened. I quickly grabbed him and said, "You haven't told me where I can find the stew manager."

"There is no one in charge now," he sighed, "we are the Jianghuai army that has just withdrawn from Jiangbei. General Wang, who used to lead the army, has just been removed from his post and returned to Beijing for trial. The newly appointed General Li has not yet arrived yet. Wait a minute, I will arrange a room to prepare your meals. It is not easy for you to escape from Jiangbei. "

and so on? I stared. Jin Bing has sharpened his knife and is ready to cross the river day and night. Unexpectedly, Song Jun doesn't have his own commander? I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. Such an army should simply let it be destroyed by the golden soldiers!

I was so angry that I was about to leave. As soon as I turned around, I happened to see a few strong horses galloping outside the camp. The leader was a middle-aged man dressed as a civil official. He looked like 37 or 87, with high eyebrows and white beards, and a natural heroism in gentleness.

"Hey, where are your generals? Why don't you come out to see me?" He stopped his horse in front of the barracks, looked around and asked, "Jin Bing is about to cross the river, why do you still seem to be on vacation?"

Several soldiers scattered around saw that they were civil servants with a disapproval look on their faces. A small soldier asked, "The generals fled and retreated. What else can we do if we don't have a holiday?"

"What about General Li Xianzhong? He hasn't arrived yet?" He asked again. After receiving the affirmative answer, the civil servant hesitated and immediately straightened up and shouted, "I am Yu Yunwen, a Chinese scholar who came to the labor army by the order of Ye Yi of the Prime Minister of Jiankang Mansion to call all the soldiers over. I want to reward you!"

"Do you want to reward us?" The soldier showed an unexpected look and seemed to believe his ears.

"That's right! I want to reward all the soldiers!" Yu Yunwen's voice has a rare sonorous color. When several soldiers saw that Yu Yunwen was sure, they immediately flew away. Jiang Lao Diao and I looked at each other and stood outside the tent of the Chinese barracks and looked at Yu Yunwen not far away. I didn't know what he was going to do. I also quietly asked an old soldier beside him, "What kind of official is this scholar?"

The veteran tilted his head and thought about it and joked, "It's a little bigger than sesame and smaller than watermelon."

In a short time, soldiers gathered from all directions and surrounded Yu Yunwen and others. Unexpectedly, there were many people, and there was no end to the black pressure. In everyone's eyes, in addition to some surprises and surprises, there are more questions, as well as the inherent confusion and frustration of the defeated army.

Seeing that a lot of soldiers had come, Yu Yunwen slowly bent his knees and climbed on the horse's back. Finally, he stood up completely on the saddle and looked up at the soldiers around him. It was not until everyone calmed down that he shouted, "Jianghuai soldiers and soldiers, you must be surprised why this officer came to reward you? Reward you to retreat to the south of the Yangtze River without fighting with the Jin army in Jianghuai? To reward many of you for returning without even seeing a golden soldier? No! These are not your responsibilities. This is the order of your lord's kingship, which has nothing to do with you. You should not take the name of the defeated army of Jianghuai! Not only that, I also want to thank you on behalf of the imperial court and the people of Jiangnan. It was you who burned all the ferries during the retreat, so that the golden soldiers were blocked by the Yangtze River and won precious time for the imperial court to dispatch troops. You made the first contribution to the Song Dynasty!"

The generals first looked at each other, and then whispered. Their faces gradually showed excitement, and their waists straightened unconsciously. It seemed that they suddenly found that they had really made great contributions to the country.

"But," Yu Yunwen's words turned around and said, "Jin Bing doesn't have a ferry to build, and the Yangtze River can't stop Jin Bing forever. Once the Jin Bing crosses the river, what can you take to resist Jin Bing with your current appearance?"

"Your Excellency," a voice asked timidly, "Jin Bing is known as a million people. There are only more than 18,000 people in our Jianghuai Army. How can we stop Jin Bing?"

Yu Yunwen looked at the military academy and asked, "Where are you from?"

I was probably a little surprised by this question. The military academy answered after a long time: "The villain is from Huzhou, Zhejiang."

Yu Yunwen was a guide and shouted, "If the golden soldiers cross the Yangtze River, they can reach Huzhou within three days. Not only that, there is no natural danger to the Pingchuan south of the Yangtze River. If the Yangtze River, together with you loyal and brave Jianghuai soldiers, can't stop the golden soldiers, then even if your hometown is far away from Lingnan, you can't escape the end of being burned and killed by the golden soldiers. Your wives and children can't escape the ** power of the golden soldiers and the fate of slavery.

The crowd calmed down for a moment, and tens of thousands of people suddenly fell silent. This silence was very impervious. In this silence, only a rough voice suddenly sounded: "Lord Yu, we brothers don't understand this truth, so even if we know that we can't compete with the Jin people, no one has escaped from the barracks half a step. The remaining brothers have already decided to sacrifice the Yangtze River, but what's the use of this? There is neither a coach nor a reinforcement. The enthusiasm of this ten thousand good man is just thrown out of thin air.

"What is the general?"

"Shi Jun, the commander of Bujun."

"General, listen to me!" Yu Yunwen said seriously, "The court has organized reinforcements to go to the front line immediately. Everyone can rest assured. As for the commander-in-chief, although I am a civilian, I am also ordered to go to the front line of Jiankang to serve as a military officer. Now in extraordinary times, before General Li Xianzhong arrives, I will temporarily take care of the affairs of the commander-in-chief of the Jianghuai Army. I don't know whether the general is convinced or not?"

Probably this was too surprising, and there was another silence in the scene. After a moment, Shi Jun suddenly shouted, "I'm convinced! I'm convinced! Although Lord Yu is a civil official, he is more courageous than me. From now on, I, Shi Junwei, will be the leader of the horse!"

Yu Yunwen nodded and looked around with his head held high: "But who is not convinced?"

The soldiers immediately answered one after another, and finally converged into two vows: "May Lord Yu be the commander-in-chief and coexist with the Yangtze River!"

"Good!" Yu Yunwen waved his hand, "The officers above the lieutenant will go to the Chinese army to discuss the accounts, and the rest of the soldiers will return to their standard, prepare their swords and armor. They are no longer allowed to drink and gamble in the camp. Those who violate the order will engage in the military law!"

The soldiers suddenly agreed to disperse one after another. Yu Yunwen disased and strode to look at the army's tent. Outside the tent, he suddenly saw me and Jiang Lao unruly and the three in people's clothes, and they couldn't help stopping. I didn't wait for him to ask, and quickly hugged his fist and said, "Your Excellency, we are the people of the Song Dynasty who fled back from Jiangbei. We know something about Jin Bing."

A trace of joy flashed in Yu Yunwen's eyes and quickly raised his hand to signal, "Please!"

When he followed Yu Yunwen into the big tent, he only heard one of his attendants whisper in his ear: "Your Excellency, the court just ordered you to come to the Jianghuai Army to labor, not to supervise the war. Now that the Jianghuai Army is in a bad group, why do you carry this burden and cause trouble? If the military goes well, in case"

Before the entourage finished speaking, Yu Yunwen suddenly stopped. His white cheeks suddenly turned red and asked, "Now that the country has reached the point of life and death, at this moment when everyone should serve the country, do you still have to consider the gains and losses of your reputation?"

The entourage lowered his head with a red face and embarrassed under Yu Yunwen's forced look. Looking at Yu Yunwen with an lofty face, I suddenly felt a little confidence in Song Jun.