allonlinenovel Chapter 212 Lin'an Requests Reinforcements
Chapter 212 Lin'an Requests Reinforcements
"The general is dead!"
"That's the general's head!"
Amidst a chorus of terrified shouts, the already unprepared Mongol soldiers instantly lost their composure and fled in panic.
Little Dragon Girl had no intention of letting those people go so easily. She led the Green-Clad Guards in a chase, and the streets of Huai'an were stained red with blood!
He eventually met up with Duan Zhengchun before the main army entered Huai'an and quickly left Huai'an.
From then on, the Song Dynasty lost two of its three border cities, leaving only Xiangyang!
Under the cover of night, a carriage slowly traveled towards Xiangyang. Duan Zhengchun carried a wine gourd in one hand and held the reins in the other, his brows slightly furrowed.
Xiaolongnu bent her knees, rested her arms on her knees, tilted her head to look at Duan Zhengchun, whose expression was solemn, and said softly, "Duan Lang, do you think Xiangyang can be defended?"
Duan Zhengchun narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and said, "The fall of Xiangyang is only a matter of time."
Little Dragon Girl frowned and said, "Really?! But now Xiangyang is defended by the garrison of Xiangyang, Fancheng and Huai'an, as well as Master Guo and hundreds of highly skilled martial arts heroes. It will be no easy task for the Mongol army to break through Xiangyang!"
Duan Zhengchun said, "It is indeed not easy, which is why I said it was only a matter of time. The Mongol army of hundreds of thousands is coming in a fierce manner, while the garrison of Xiangyang is only 50,000. It is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot with 50,000 against hundreds of thousands!"
"Even with Brother Guo here, it's just a matter of delaying things a bit."
"Perhaps Brother Guo has already figured this out."
Little Dragon Girl pressed on, "Since you all know this, isn't there any solution? Won't the imperial court send reinforcements?"
Duan Zhengchun sneered and said calmly, "The Song Dynasty court is already terminally ill and rotten to the core. Even if it can escape this time, it will become fish on someone else's chopping board sooner or later."
"It's hopeless..."
Xiaolongnu frowned, sighed helplessly, and murmured, "I understand now. The reason you and Master Guo haven't given up yet is simply to give those suffering people on the border a glimmer of hope..."
Duan Zhengchun said, "Not only that, a person can lose, but must never lose their backbone and be slaughtered by others! Even if they have already guessed the outcome!"
Xiaolongnu nodded silently, no longer speaking. Looking at the distant mountains and the boundless Gobi Desert, she knew that all of this would one day become the domain of the Mongol Tartars.
...
Two days later.
Duan Zhengchun drove his carriage slowly into Xiangyang City. At this time, Xiangyang City was just like Fancheng a few months ago. The streets were deserted. Most of the people in the city had been evacuated, and only some people who were determined to live and die with Xiangyang remained.
Upon hearing the news of Duan Zhengchun's return, Guo Jing immediately rode over on horseback.
"Big brother."
Duan Zhengchun stopped the carriage and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Guo Jing, whose face was solemn.
"How's it going? You're not hurt, are you?"
"I heard you led men to kill a Mongol general?"
Guo Jing glanced at Duan Zhengchun with concern and asked him with care.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"It only delayed the Mongol army's continued advance, buying some time for Xiangyang."
Duan Zhengchun smiled and shook his head, then slowly said.
Upon hearing Duan Zhengchun's reply, Guo Jing nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then took the lead, guiding them back to the Beggars' Sect headquarters.
When Lu Wushuang and the others heard that Duan Zhengchun had returned safely, they all came out to greet him, surrounding Xiaolongnu and asking her what had happened.
"Is something on your mind, brother?"
Duan Zhengchun slowly approached Guo Jing and tentatively asked a question.
Guo Jing hesitated, then turned to Duan Zhengchun and said softly, "Brother Yin, all three border cities may fall. If we stay here, neither of us may escape when the cities fall!"
“I have sworn to live and die with Xiangyang, but you are different. You owe Xiangyang nothing.”
Upon hearing this, Duan Zhengchun frowned, for this was the first time he had heard Guo Jing say something so disheartening.
"What happened?"
Duan Zhengchun paused for a moment, then continued to press for answers.
"Before the fall of Fancheng, the garrison commander of Fancheng sent an urgent secret message to Lin'an, hoping that the court would send troops to reinforce the border. However, the secret message had been sent to Lin'an for half a month, and there was still no reply. It was as if the message had sunk into the sea."
"I'm afraid even if we hold out until the very last moment, no reinforcements will arrive, and Xiangyang is destined to fall!"
"Xiangyang is the last line of defense on the border of the Song Dynasty. Once Xiangyang falls, the Mongol army will surely advance unimpeded, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Guo Jing sighed and said with a helpless expression.
"So, Big Brother is disheartened?"
Duan Zhengchun asked slowly.
"No! Regardless of whether the imperial court will provide support, I will remain in Xiangyang. If the Mongol Tartars want to advance unimpeded, they will have to step over my dead body first!"
"I just have hatred in my heart, and I feel indignant on behalf of the thousands of border people and the guards of the three border cities. The Song emperor is incompetent and foolish. When the country is in crisis, he handed over the power of the military and the country to that treacherous minister Jia Sidao!"
"Jia Sidao caused a massive outbreak of cholera and embezzled public funds, leaving the national treasury empty. Even if the court sends troops to support us, we probably won't be able to hold out for long!"
Guo Jing clenched his fists and said with a look of grief and indignation.
"I will help you kill Jia Sidao."
After hearing this, Duan Zhengchun hesitated for a moment before speaking directly.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jing was stunned and said solemnly, "Jia Sidao is the Grand Tutor of the court, with a position equivalent to the Prime Minister. If you kill him, you may very well bring disaster upon yourself!"
"Besides, even if you kill him, it probably won't solve the border crisis!"
Duan Zhengchun laughed and said, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely find a way to get the court to send troops to support Xiangyang. As for Jia Sidao, he is a man who deserves to die and doesn't deserve to live in this world."
Seeing Duan Zhengchun's resolute expression, Guo Jing nodded heavily, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Brother Yin, please take care on your journey!"
Duan Zhengchun returned the greeting with clasped hands and said with a soft laugh, "Then I'll leave Xiangyang to you, elder brother."
After saying this, Duan Zhengchun immediately gathered Xiaolongnu and the others and told them about his decision to go to Lin'an.
Upon hearing that Duan Zhengchun was going to Lin'an, the capital of the Song Dynasty, to assassinate the Grand Tutor, Xiaolongnu and the others all asked to go with him, but Duan Zhengchun refused them.
The journey to Lin'an will undoubtedly be fraught with danger; it will be easier to proceed alone.
So that afternoon, Duan Zhengchun left Xiangyang City alone on horseback and headed straight for Lin'an.
...
Five days later.
Lin'an City.
Inside a restaurant, Duan Zhengchun stood silently by the window, gazing at the brightly lit capital of the Song Dynasty under the night sky.
The people living here seem completely unaware that the border townspeople, who are also citizens of the Song Dynasty, are living in dire straits and have lost their homes.
Everyone's face was filled with joy, and no one had to worry about whether they would live or die tomorrow.
Seeing this scene, Duan Zhengchun wanted to laugh, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.
He began to feel sorry for the border guards and those Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) who were determined to fight to the death for Xiangyang.
What's the point of defending such a court?!
It's obvious that someone knew about this but didn't report it, and suppressed all the news about the border!
Without even thinking, Duan Zhengchun had already guessed that it was Jia Sidao!
Just then, a soft knock came from outside the private room.
"Enter!"
Duan Zhengchun tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, then responded in a deep voice.
Soon, a woman dressed in green walked in quickly and bowed respectfully to Duan Zhengchun.
"What was found?"
Duan Zhengchun asked a question without turning his head.
Before he arrived in Lin'an, he had already ordered the Xiangyang branch to notify the Lin'an branch to secretly investigate the Song court and the treacherous minister Jia Sidao.
The woman in green bowed and said, "Reporting to the sect leader, it has been found that since Emperor Song ascended the throne, he has been weak and incompetent, and has been indulging in debauchery. He spends his days sitting in the harem, drinking and making merry with his concubines."
"Even the approval of official documents was entrusted to the four most favored women, who were known as the Four Ladies of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter."
"After appointing Jia Sidao as Grand Tutor, he favored Jia Sidao even more and entrusted him with almost all the affairs of the court. From then on, he never asked about politics and only knew how to have fun every day."
Upon hearing this, Duan Zhengchun's heart was filled with murderous intent, and he instantly crushed the wine cup in his hand into powder!
Upon seeing this, the woman in green couldn't help but look nervous. She slowly stepped forward to clean up the broken pieces of the wine cup and the spilled wine from Duan Zhengchun's hands and feet...