In the distant Sui and Tang dynasties, even though the Turkic forces in the north were extremely powerful, the ministers in the court were full of confidence.

They firmly believed that as long as they made up their minds to send troops to attack, they would be able to defeat the Turks.

It’s just that there is no way to completely eliminate it.

However, when time passed to the Song Dynasty, the situation had changed dramatically.

At this time, the ethnic minorities in the north had grown stronger after a long period of development, and their strength was far beyond what it used to be. They were not afraid at all when facing the Song Dynasty.

In all previous wars, the Song Dynasty was almost always the passive party.

For the Song Dynasty court, the power of the northern ethnic minorities had long been deeply imprinted in everyone’s mind.

The Jin people were even more powerful.

Not long ago, the Jin army marched southward, and the Song army was defeated and finally had to sue for peace with the Jin army on humiliating terms such as ceding territory and paying compensation.

This time, the Jin army was even more powerful. They marched directly to the capital of the Song Dynasty and forcibly broke through the outer city.

For a time, the entire court was in panic.

Although those ministers pretended to be calm on the surface, they actually had deep fear in their hearts.

What’s worse, some timid ministers even proposed moving south, intending to simply hand over large tracts of land in the north to the Jin people.

At this moment of panic, a messenger suddenly came running and brought shocking news.

A few hours ago, the strange army that attacked the north gate actually took the initiative to go out of the city to fight the Jin people!

As soon as the two sides clashed, the situation on the battlefield was completely different from what they had imagined.

This strange army rushed towards the enemy camp like a tiger descending from a mountain. The Jin soldiers had no time to mount an effective resistance and were slaughtered in the blink of an eye, leaving their armor and weapons behind and becoming completely routed.

The two sides are not on the same level at all.

The Jin army suffered heavy casualties, while the suddenly appearing strange army suffered almost no casualties.

Moreover, the battle ended extremely quickly. In less than half a day, the Jin army suffered heavy casualties, with tens of thousands of soldiers killed on the battlefield, and the remaining remnants were all captured.

Or because cleaning the battlefield took up a lot of time, the actual battle lasted less than half an hour.

No wonder the ministers in the court didn’t believe it.

“Send someone over to investigate quickly. I must know the real situation!” An old man with white hair and a dignified face roared with his eyes wide open.

“That’s the Jin army that’s as fierce as wolves and tigers. They can’t be compared to the cats and dogs you can find on the streets.” Someone echoed worriedly.

“Now that the Liao Kingdom has been destroyed, apart from our Great Song, what other force in the world can withstand the fierce offensive of the Jin people? In my opinion, it must be you who is spreading false information in an attempt to disturb the people’s hearts. Tell me, what is your intention!” For a time, the ministers talked a lot, and all kinds of doubts were heard.

Amidst the noise and chaos, several dusty soldiers came hurriedly to report.

Although what these soldiers said were different, the meanings they wanted to express were roughly the same.

The Jin soldiers outside the city suffered a crushing defeat and suffered heavy casualties. They raised the white flag and chose to surrender.

The messengers who came to deliver the news swore solemnly, even at the cost of their own lives, that what they reported was absolutely true.

Despite this, most ministers in the court still had doubts and found it difficult to fully believe such astonishing battle reports.

The Jin soldiers have always been fierce and good at fighting. How could they be defeated so easily?

However, some ministers began to waver.

After all, no one would be stupid enough to joke about their precious life, especially when it is such a piece of news that is easy to distinguish true from false.

“Could this be true?” Finally, someone couldn’t help but whisper.

“This mysterious army, I heard, was fully armed with heavy armor, and they easily broke through the north gate. From this, it seems that their strength should not be underestimated. Maybe the rumors of their defeat are true.” Another minister frowned and analyzed thoughtfully.

“In that case, why don’t we go to the top of the city together to check it out, and experience and observe for ourselves what the actual situation is like? This way, everyone will have a better idea of ​​the situation.” One of them said.

“That’s right. As long as we climb up the city wall and take a look, we can clearly understand the specific situation.” Another person echoed.

However, someone raised a different opinion at this time: “What if this is a trap set by the enemy, specifically to lure us out and then catch us all in one fell swoop!”

There was a heated discussion and debate among the crowd on this issue.

For a time, various opinions emerged one after another, and no one could convince anyone else.

After a heated debate, several generals finally made up their minds to climb up the city wall themselves to find out the real situation.

Although Zhu Di and others successfully occupied the north gate, they only took defensive measures in the other three directions and did not launch an attack.

Therefore, there are still three other gates in the inner city that are still firmly controlled by the Song Dynasty.

Outside the city, Zhu Di had completed the inventory of the battle results.

Holding the spear in his hand, Lao Zhao vigorously wiped the blood stains on the spear. His face was filled with excitement and joy that he could not conceal. He laughed out loud, “Haha, this is so exciting! This kind of hearty battle makes me feel like I’ve returned to the days when I fought on the battlefield!”

Zhu Di smiled and nodded, expressing his agreement: “It must be fun to bully the weak.”

Zhu Ming on the side grinned slyly and joked: “How about we do it again? This time it will definitely be more imposing and more stylish than last time!”

“Forget it, forget it. To be honest, when I first heard that the Song Dynasty was beaten so badly, I regretted it so much. Why did I bother to wear the yellow robe? Besides, I can’t take care of myself now! Take the last comprehensive evaluation for example. My ranking is actually in the middle and lower class! If I don’t work harder, I’m afraid I will be ranked last! I am the founding emperor of the country, and I came on the stage so early. If I really end up at the bottom, where will I put my face!” As Old Zhao spoke, he shook his head anxiously. Zhu Ming asked back: “Do we have to let Zhao Huan continue to be the emperor?”

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao snorted coldly and said, “Absolutely impossible! Even if I have to hand over the throne to someone else, I will never let Zhao Huan, that disobedient and unfilial bastard, continue to sit on the dragon throne and rule the world!”

“Okay, okay, we can discuss the issue of the emperor’s selection later. The most urgent task right now is for us to launch a counterattack!” Zhu Di narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice.

After saying that, he reached out and picked up the intercom beside him, and loudly ordered: “The reconnaissance corps will assemble quickly!”

After receiving the order, the reconnaissance corps did not dare to delay in the slightest and took quick action.

Soon, everyone was present.

There are as many as 20,000 to 30,000 people.

Zhu Di held a loud speaker and shouted: “All soldiers, listen to my orders! Everyone must prepare several days’ worth of food and money, and everything must be done according to the established plan! No mistakes!”

All the soldiers responded in unison, indicating that they already knew the key points of the mission.

They knew that what awaited them next would be an arduous long-distance march and in-depth exploration of unknown areas, commonly known as “map running”.

Faced with the difficulties and obstacles before them, none of the brave and fearless soldiers retreated, and each of them was eager to try.

In addition to military merits, you will also receive triple salary during the map-running period.

Running the map is not as simple as just running through the territory of the current Song Dynasty.

You need to travel to all the neighboring countries around.

This scene would happen whenever a new emperor appeared.

That well-trained and experienced reconnaissance corps acted with ease.

They suddenly broke up into small groups, like a group of agile cheetahs, rushing in all directions and disappearing from people’s sight in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, Old Zhao, who was standing in the same place, was extremely excited. His bright eyes flickered with light as he stared closely at the reconnaissance corps that was gradually moving away.

Old Zhao couldn’t help but burst into laughter: “Hahahaha, good, that’s great! In a few days, we can have a good fight! Wherever these warriors set foot, they will become the vast territory of our Song Dynasty!”

At the same time, in the towering imperial city, several majestic generals, riding powerful horses, rushed to the top of the city wall at lightning speed. Looking down from the towering city wall, the situation outside the city was in full view.

The Jin army tents that were originally densely packed outside the city have now disappeared without a trace.

The camp that once served as the Jin commander’s command center was now engulfed in raging flames. The flames shot up into the sky, illuminating half the sky red.

Looking closely, one can clearly see that the corpses of numerous Jin soldiers are piled up like a mountain and are being burned in an orderly manner.

What is even more striking is that a large number of Jin soldiers have become prisoners of the group under the banner of “Yanhuang”.

“Hiss—” One of the generals took a breath of cold air, his face full of disbelief, and muttered to himself: “Actually… It’s all true!”

Another general was also shocked. His eyes, which were already wide open, were now even wider, as if they were about to fall out of their sockets. His mouth opened wide, and he exclaimed in surprise: “Oh my God! The Jin people, who have always been arrogant and domineering, have actually been defeated this time!”

A young general pointed to the battlefield outside the city, his voice trembling with excitement. “Look, the ground is full of corpses of Jin soldiers, and blood is flowing like a river. It’s horrible. Look at the other side, there is hardly a single injured person! What’s going on?”

A general next to him frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “According to reliable intelligence, they took the initiative to go out of the city to fight and confront the Jin army head-on! Such a huge disparity in the results is really incredible. How did they do it?”

At this time, someone in the crowd raised a question: “Could it be that the Jin people only look strong on the surface, but are actually vulnerable and are just a facade?”

Someone immediately retorted, “That’s impossible! We have fought the Jin people many times before, and each time we were beaten to a pulp by them. If it weren’t for the solid walls that served as a barrier, I’m afraid this imperial city would have fallen into the hands of the enemy long ago!”

While everyone was discussing, the general spoke again: “In my opinion, the combat effectiveness of this army under the banner of ‘Yanhuang’ must have reached an astonishing level! Putting aside other things, just look at their equipment, every soldier is fully armed and wearing heavy armor, even some generals in our army can’t compare to them!” After saying that, the general still stood blankly on the city wall, staring straight at the shocking scene outside the city, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

After a while, time seemed to freeze and the atmosphere became extremely solemn.

Several generals had expressions of deep worry on their faces.

One of the generals was the first to break the silence and said worriedly: “Everyone, tell me, will the army that just defeated the Jin people suddenly turn around and deal with us after getting rid of the Jin people?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the others looked at each other, their expressions becoming increasingly serious.

Another general shook his head and said hesitantly: “According to common sense, it shouldn’t be possible. After all, when they occupied the north gate before, if they really intended to do so, with their powerful military force and combat effectiveness, it is entirely possible for them to take down the entire city wall in one fell swoop, but they didn’t do that.” However, despite this, the worries in everyone’s hearts did not decrease in the slightest.

Another person said worriedly: “Judging from the strength they have shown, if they really turn their spearheads to attack our dynasty, they will surely become a far more formidable enemy than the Jin people!”

When these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked and secretly thought about how to deal with the situation.

“Alas, I hope things won’t develop to that point. Otherwise, I’m afraid it will be difficult to hold on to this inner city for too long. You know, at this moment the North Gate is still controlled by the enemy, and who can guarantee that there are not a large number of enemy soldiers lurking in the city? Once they launch an attack, the consequences will be disastrous…”

However, just when everyone was in despair, the last general cheered up a little and said comfortingly: “I think the current situation may not be too bad. Think about it, the banner they are flying is the words ‘Yanhuang’, which shows that they are unlikely to be foreigners. In comparison, it is better than letting the Jin people break through the city gate and march straight in. So, let’s wait and see what happens, and then make plans.” After hearing what he said, the others calmed down a little, but they still did not dare to let their guard down.

The scouting corps dispersed.

Zhu Ming looked up at the city wall not far away.

“Next, it’s time to solve the problems in the imperial city.”

Zhu Di looked at the generals on the city wall, smiled and said, “The situation here has probably spread throughout the capital of the Song Dynasty. I wonder how they feel now?”

Old Zhao sneered, “I don’t care how they feel now. I just know that their mood will get worse next time! The court that was able to stage the Jingkang Shame, even if the emperor is not good enough, most of the civil and military officials in the court are probably good-for-nothings. I’m going to start a massacre!”

Zhu Di nodded in agreement and suggested, “I think you should hire my father to help investigate the issue of corruption. He is a professional.” (End of this chapter)