Fenghou

Immediately afterwards, fine and broken snowflakes fell from the sky.

Shaoxing’s first light snowfall in eight years is here, ten days earlier than last year’s first snowfall. I don’t know what this means?

……

Wan Yanhe got the news that the city was lost when he was only [-] miles away from Datong City. The strong loss and remorse made him stay for half an hour. It was already dawn, and the weather became extremely cold. Snowflakes fell overwhelmingly, making the sky gray.

Wanyan Helisa heaved a long sigh, and ordered: "The whole army retreats to the east!"

He gathered a lot of remnants along the way, currently there are more than [-] soldiers in total, and nearly [-]% of the [-] army has lost, but Wanyan and Lisa can't do anything about it. Someone saw the Song Army's commander Chen Qing during the battle, and he knew There is no doubt that this battle will be defeated, and there are still more than [-] people, which is already a blessing in misfortune.

The key now is to bring more than [-] people back to Yanjing. Xiaoxue has no effect on the army's retreat. Wanyan and Lisa didn't care about Xiaoxue who appeared in advance. He was afraid of Blizzard, but experience told them that once it appeared Xiaoxue, Blizzard will not be too far away.

The army of more than [-] retreated eastward at a faster speed, and they were not very worried about food and grass. They set up a grain and grass storage point in Jianlin City, [-] miles east of Datong City.

The army retreated all the way, and soon retreated to Jianlin City, but unexpectedly found that the city was in a mess. There were no people in the small city, only [-] garrisons, but at this time the city gate was wide open, and the ground was full of fodder and food.

Wanyan and Lisa were shocked, and hurriedly said: "Go and see, where did the defenders go?"

Dozens of Jurchen cavalry rushed into the city, and after a while, a middle-aged man was picked out. It was Zhao Wu, the governor of the military city, and a Han from the Liao Kingdom. , "Bastard, how did you become like this?"

Zhao Wu said with a mournful face: "Qi report to the governor, they are too fierce in grabbing food, and the humble officials can't stop them, they almost killed them."

"Who? Who dares to grab food!"

"Captain, it's General Yelucibao and his subordinates."

"It turned out to be them!"

Only then did Wanyan and Lisa wake up, and asked anxiously, "How many of them are there?"

"There are more than four thousand people, and Prefect Xiao is also there."

There were still more than 4000 people, which was quite a number. Wanyan and Lisa suddenly became angry again. The Khitan soldiers had no losses, which meant that Yelucibao, a bastard, did not resist at all. When the Song army came, they ran away and robbed them. For his own food, this bastard must be severely punished when he returns to Yanshan Mansion.

"How much food and grass are there in the city?"

"There is still about half of it, but the mutton and wine have been robbed."

"When did they leave?" Wanyan Helisa asked again.

"Not long after I left, it will take more than an hour!"

Wan Yanhou immediately ordered the commander Heshi Lie'an to say: "You immediately lead five hundred cavalry to chase after Yelucibao, order his army to wait where they are, and join us to retreat together!"

"Follow the order!"

Heshi Lie'an yelled a few times, and led hundreds of cavalry in pursuit to the east.

Wanyan and Lisa then ordered the soldiers, "Go into the city to get food!"

Chapter 913 Entering the City

Chen Qing's army did not go after the defeated Jurchen soldiers. He arrived in Datong City the next morning. Tang Qian went out of the city to welcome King Yong and the army.

"See Your Highness for a humble position!"

"General Tang has worked hard, how many casualties are there?"

"Nine people were killed and 33 were injured, all of them were casualties during the attack on the barracks. We also killed more than 700 Khitan soldiers."

After hesitating for a moment, Tang Qian said again: "The humble official didn't use the iron rhinoceros, but the iron dog and fire thunder to attack the smaller secondary gate. The iron dog is enough, and the humble official is very worried that the iron rhinoceros will blow the city wall down."

Chen Qing smiled slightly: "You are the siege general, how to attack the city is up to you, I only look at the result."

"Understood, thank you Your Highness for trusting me!"

"How is the situation in the city?" Chen Qing asked again with a smile.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the humble official ordered martial law throughout the city, and the ban has not yet been lifted, and the city is very quiet!"

Chen Qing nodded, and ordered the whole army to enter the city to rest, and the [-] troops marched into Datong City...

The capture of Datong City is of great significance to Chen Qing. Firstly, the safety of Hedong Road is guaranteed, and the sword hanging above his head is gone. Secondly, it makes the western army's control over the northern region more complete, and Lingzhou and Fengzhou threaten the east. It also disappeared, which is of great significance to ensuring the security of the entire northern part of Sichuan and Shaanxi.

Datong City is very quiet. There is no pedestrian on the street. The various buildings still look different from those in the mainland, with flat roofs, beveled angles, and various styles. There are even a few dome tents built in other people’s yards. Very simple, all kinds of building materials are saved.

Chen Qing then came to the auxiliary gate of the west city, which was the city gate that was blown up by Tiehuolei. Chen Qing was very interested in it. It can be said that this was the first time that Tiehuolei was used to explode the city gate in actual combat.

The city gate was previously blocked by the Song army with huge stones, and it is now being removed. The last huge stone was removed, revealing the broken city gate. To be precise, [-]% of the city gate was blown up, including the entire left half of the city gate and the right side Half of the city gate, only the broken half of the city gate is still hanging on the city cave.

Chen Qing picked up a fragment of the city gate and looked at it carefully. He could see that the city gate was very dilapidated. Although it was very thick, the wood was obviously loose and decayed. No wonder an iron dog could blow it to pieces.

Of course, the city gates in various places have basically experienced decades of wind and rain, and they are almost all the same decay, which means that it is enough to blast the city gates with iron dogs, fire and thunder.

"Your Highness!" Next to Zhang Xiao came quickly with a Sogdian, followed by a tall Han man, who was Yu Shouzhong, the intelligence agent leader of the Song Army, and Kang Mode, the shopkeeper who provided protection for them.

"Proprietor Kang, we meet again!"

Chen Qing met Kang Mode in Jingzhao, he was a very good Sogdian businessman, and he came to Datong Mansion to open a shop specially for the Song Army to investigate intelligence.

Commode bowed and saluted, "Allah bless Your Highness!"

Yu Shouzhong also knelt down on one knee to salute, "Please refer to Your Highness for humble positions!"

Chen Qing nodded, "Thank you for your hard work. Your intelligence was timely, which made me change my plan and succeed in attacking Datong City."

"Ashamed of my humble position, I haven't done much."

Chen Qing said again: "After this is over, you can take some more men and go directly to Luoyang. You don't need to go back to Jingzhao. There is a shortage of manpower in Luoyang. You will be the deputy manager of the Henan Government Intelligence Station. It is best to leave tomorrow."

"Humble job obeys orders, humble job resigns!"

Yu Shouzhong wanted to go back to prepare, and he had to apply for more than a dozen scouts from Tang Qian. Time was running out, so he left first.

Chen Qing smiled at Kang Moode again: "I heard that the people here in Datong Mansion are very tough, they will use knives if they disagree with each other, and they are very powerful, is that true?"

Commodus shook his head like a rattle, "No! This statement is absolutely false. Although there are many ethnic groups here, they really get along well. I have been in Datong City for more than half a year. I haven't seen a single fight. Even the Jurchens said, The people of Datong are very obedient."

Next to him, Zhang Xiao said with a smile: "Just now I chatted with Master Kang, and he said that Datong Mansion is not as complex and difficult to govern as we feared. In fact, Datong City has a very strong commercial atmosphere, and it has been peaceful and peaceful for decades. Residents in the city value peace and get along well, so as long as we continue to position it as a commercial city and conduct trade with the grassland, it will continue to maintain stability."

Chen Qing smiled slightly at Kang Mode: "Thank you, Master Kang, for your suggestion!"

Commode said quickly: "Actually, I have another suggestion!"

"Master Kang, please tell me!"

"It's about Mughal shops. Tens of thousands of Mughal and Kerai merchants were driven away, and their wealth was robbed by the Jurchen army. But in fact, these properties are still in the city and have not been transported in time. Could you please Your Highness asked them to come back and returned some of their belongings."

Chen Qing thought for a while and smiled: "I can return the shop and the goods to them, but they should go back to the grassland!"

"They didn't go back to the grassland, and they all temporarily lived in Xuande County in the northwest."

"Yes, Master Kang, find someone to notify them! I allow them to come back."

"Thank you so much, Your Highness!"

Chen Qing asked again: "Are there many Jurchens in the city?"

Commodore shook his head, "There are almost no Jurchen people, only a few Jurchen merchants who sell medicinal materials, and they all go back to Liaodong to receive the goods. Liaodong mainly collects medicinal materials in winter."

"What about the Han people?"

"There are quite a few Han people, but the largest number are Khitan people. About half of them are Khitan people. They are generally gentle and kind. They have lived here for generations. After the Liao Kingdom was destroyed, they became obedient citizens of the Jin Kingdom. Now I am afraid they will become His Highness' sons again. people."

Chen Qing does not object to ordinary people of this kind of foreign race. What he objects to is nobles. Ordinary people just want to live peacefully and don't care who rules, but nobles will have ambitions, but the Khitan people are not a big problem. Khitan nobles Basically beheaded to death by the Jurchen.

"Are there any officials in the city who are more suitable and have a good reputation?"

Kang Mode hesitated and said: "I do know a very good official. He is Cang Cao from Datong Mansion who joins the army. His name is Yelu Qiyan. He is very kind, but unfortunately he is from Khitan."

"It doesn't matter to the Khitan people, the key is character, and I have to be trustworthy."

"Your Highness, this Yeluqi has a good face and is trustworthy!"

Tang Qian, who was silent all the time beside him, said: "He manages the warehouse materials, and the warehouse is in good order. The warehouse is sealed with seals. It is well protected and has not been attacked by the defeated army."

Chen Qing has been fighting in the north and south for so many years. Chen Qing knows the importance of local snakes. To quickly stabilize a county or even a state, he must rely on local snakes. As for some local snakes that harm the people and dominate one side, they can be dealt with slowly later.

"Bring this Yelu Qiyan to the big tent to meet me, and I will ask him personally."

……

Yelu Qiyan never dreamed that he would be interviewed by King Yong. He was surprised, happy and disturbed. What made him speechless was that Yu Shouzhong, who he went to the county government to guarantee, was really a scout of the Song Army. He was also working for the Song Army, no wonder Wanyan Helisa couldn't find the Song Army's spies, who would have thought that the Song Army's spies were actually a Sogdian.

Yelu Qiyan came to the barracks outside the city and was brought to a certain tent by the soldiers, "Please wait a moment, we will report to His Highness!"

In the big tent, Chen Qing is arranging the transportation of materials with Zhang Xiao. Datong City is worthy of being a strategic city, with an astonishing amount of grain and grass supplies. There are 37 shi of grain alone, 60 dans of fodder, and tens of thousands of sets of various armors. There are also several million catties of pig iron and copper ingots, 20 catties of crude silver, 3 taels of gold, and hundreds of thousands of cloth and sheepskin.

Chen Qing was really pleasantly surprised. This was something they had never thought of before they dispatched troops. Chen Qing immediately realized that there might be mines nearby.

Zhang Xiao said with a smile: "I think the grain and grass should be left in Datong Mansion, and other supplies can be transported back to Jingzhao. As for the method, I suggest taking the Yellow River waterway."

Chen Qing nodded, "The waterway of the Yellow River is good, I also thought of this, but it may not be until the spring of next year."

"This is not urgent, it can be transported slowly!"

At this time, the soldier reported at the door of the tent, "Your Highness, Yelu Qiyan is here."

"Please come in!"

Not long after, the soldiers brought in a middle-aged man, stepped forward and knelt down to salute, "Xiaomin Yelu Qiyan pays homage to His Royal Highness King Yong!"

Chen Qing saw that he was about 40 years old, with dark and rough skin, a square face, a lion nose, and copper bell eyes. His appearance was very rough, but his work was very good. Even Zhang Xiao praised him Doing things in an orderly manner, it can be seen that this person is a person with a rough appearance and a fine heart.

Seeing that his eyes were straight, Chen Qing nodded secretly, and said with a smile, "Yelu joins the army, please!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yelu Qiyan stood up.

Chen Qing motioned for him to sit down again, and then asked: "I saw rough iron, copper ingots, and rough silver in the warehouse. Is there a mine nearby?"

Chapter 914 Stable

Yelu Qiyan quickly leaned back and said, "His Royal Highness, this is not produced nearby, it was transported from Yanshan Mansion, and it has been stored in Datong Mansion for more than 20 years. It is the inventory of Liao Kingdom. A few years before the fall of Liao Kingdom, it began to go The materials transported here in Datong Mansion are only a small part of the materials transported that year.

At that time, there were more than 200 million catties of rough silver, 30 taels of gold, more than 100 million pieces of silk and satin, and a large number of rare curios. Now, except for copper, iron, and cloth, there are still some rough silver and gold, and almost everything else has been covered by gold. The soldiers were transported away. "

"Why didn't the gold soldiers take away the copper and iron?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.

"The villain asked Wanyan and Lisa, and he said that the Kingdom of Jin doesn't need to make armor and weapons, and it doesn't have that much population, so it can't be consumed. It's the same thing to put it in Yanshan Mansion and Datong Mansion."

"I agreed with the merchants from the Mughal tribe to come back. Does Yelu join the army think this decision is correct?"

"Of course it's correct, Your Highness, this is a perverse attempt to correct the Jurchens!"

"Could there really be Mughal spies?"

Yelu Qiyan sighed and said: "Wanyan Holisa's excuse to drive away the Mughals is to guard against the other party's spies, but in fact it is to seize their wealth. Song Ying, Wanyanholisa's aide, even made a plan to sell land and houses. The plan has yet to be implemented, and I don’t know if there are Mughal spies, but I don’t think the entire Mughals should be driven away just because they are afraid of spies, it’s a sign of incompetence.”

Yelu Qiyan's last few words touched Chen Qing's heart. To avoid spies, he drove out the whole tribe. This approach is not only incompetent, but also stupid. What if the Mughals bought the Khitans as spies?Just like using the Sogdian Commode to collect intelligence, the correct approach should be to use the internal guards to check for potential spies.

Chen Qing nodded and said: "I plan to appoint Orihiko as the envoy of the Yunzhong System, in charge of military affairs, but I still need a general judge to assist him. From now on, I will officially appoint you as the general judge of Datong Mansion. "

Yelu Qiyan was excited, and quickly got up to salute, "Humble job is willing to serve His Highness!"

Chen Qing nodded with a smile, "If the military lifts martial law tomorrow, does Yelv Tong judge think it's appropriate?"

Yelu Qiyan knew that he had already been judged by the Taiyuan Mansion, so he suppressed the excitement in his heart, and quickly said: "The humble official thinks that even if the martial law is lifted now, there is no problem. , Many people here do odd jobs for the shops, and they get a day's wages for a day. If there is no work, there will be no food. It is estimated that some people in the humble job have run out of food."

Chen Qing and Zhang Xiao looked at each other, and Chen Qing asked: "There is no problem with porridge relief, but I don't quite understand. Is the money earned in a day only enough for food?"

Yelu Qiyan sighed and said: "The price of food in Datong Mansion is 150 yuan a bucket, salt is [-] yuan a catty, and even the cheapest coarse cloth costs a few hundred yuan a piece. Ordinary people earn fifty yuan a day, and odd jobs cost [-] yuan a day." With only thirty cash, you can only buy two catties of wheat, isn’t it just enough to make ends meet?”

After hearing these words, Chen Qing knew that he was already stable in Datong Mansion. Once their flat house was launched, all the people would kneel down.

Chen Qing then said to Zhang Xiao: "Zhe Yanzhi is still in Fuzhou, and the military adviser here in Datong Mansion will temporarily serve as the prefect to stabilize Taiyuan Mansion and the entire Hebei Road."

Zhang Xiao nodded, "Don't worry, Your Highness! The humble function will be handled properly."

……

In the afternoon of the same day, Song Jun lifted the martial law in Datong City, and at the same time set up tents to provide porridge in ten places in the city, attracting a large number of low-level people to line up to receive porridge. The number of people on the street gradually increased, and shops opened one after another. The name was changed to a signboard with Chinese characters. Chen Qing issued an amnesty order and posted a list to announce that all Jin Guo officials in Taiyuan Prefecture will be pardoned. Non-Jurchen officials can continue to be appointed by the state government.

At the same time, Chen Qing ordered that the official use of Jurchen script be prohibited, and that all Chinese characters be used. He also abolished all taxes in the Kingdom of Jin, exempted all states and counties on Hebei Road for three years, and asked all counties to launch Changping stores to sell cheap Living materials, mainly food, salt, sugar and briquettes, are the same as those in other counties. Of course, this will take a little time, and it is impossible to launch it immediately.

Two days later, tens of thousands of Mughal and Kelie merchants who had been expelled returned to Datong City and returned to their homes. Although the looted money could not be brought back, their shops and houses were still there. Promising to return the goods and food to them made the grassland merchants very grateful. In order to express their gratitude, they changed all the names of their shops to Chinese.

Everything in Datong Mansion is running very smoothly, even smoother than the other prefectures in Hedong. The reason is that everyone here is oppressed by the Jurchens, from ordinary people to officials. Ordinary officials have meager salaries. Bearing the same heavy prices as the common people.

All the wealth was plundered by Jin Guo to support the [-] Jurchen troops stationed in Datong Mansion. There was really no extra wealth for the officials to fill their pockets.

So when the Song army captured Datong Mansion and liberated both the officials and the people at the same time, the officials took double their salaries and enjoyed prices countless times lower than before, so how could they not work hard.

The common people got the biggest benefits directly. The wheat dropped from 150 Wen per bucket to [-] Wen per bucket, the salt dropped from [-] Wen per catty to [-] Wen per catty, and the coarse cloth dropped from [-] Wen per piece to [-] Wen per catty. Text per horse.