Chapter 19

The battlefield was mostly cleared, and the sky gradually brightened. In this battle, they lost over eighty soldiers, while the Jurchen cavalry lost over two hundred, and more than a hundred Jin soldiers.

A victory of one to four could be considered a glorious and decisive win.

But Chen Qing could not be happy. They would often encounter such battles, and losing seventy or eighty men at a time, how many times could his five hundred men endure?

Deputy General Li Qingyuan understood his feelings and consoled him, "The Jurchen cavalry is indeed very fierce. In a one-on-one cavalry battle, the Song army has never had a chance to win. If it wasn't for the night battle, if it wasn't for the ambush, if it wasn't for the general killing the enemy commander, causing the Jin army to lose command, we would have surely lost, and the casualties would not have been just seventy or eighty. If any other Song army had achieved even a third of our results, the Song Dynasty would not have fallen."

Chen Qing nodded, "I understand, but... I can do better. Let's take it step by step!"

Hundreds of Jin soldiers' bodies were stripped of their armor and piled up naked. Dry wood was placed underneath, and they were burned, creating a fierce blaze and thick smoke that rose high into the sky, visible for dozens of miles.

At this moment, Yang Hua led his soldiers to bring several officials.

"General, the soldiers in the city have all fled. I only found these few officials."

The county magistrate, Wang Miao, kowtowed and pleaded, "General, we had no choice. The Jin army came too quickly, and the city's defenders surrendered. If we didn't compromise, what would happen to the entire city's people?"

Chen Qing said coolly, "Your actions will be accounted for by the court, and it has nothing to do with me. I am just following the orders of General Liu to go to Dasha Pass. I am just passing through Qishan County. Prepare fifty large carts for me, and the rest is none of your concern!"

"We are willing to serve the general!"

The officials ran back to prepare the carts. Chen Qing loaded the Jin soldiers' armor and food onto the carts, and the army left Qishan County, heading south. After walking for over twenty miles, they took another small road and turned north, bypassing to Linyou County.

They did not encounter any Jin scouts along the way, estimating that the intelligence was incorrect, leading to the Jin army's defeat, and they had fled in fear.

In the afternoon, the commander of Fengxiang Prefecture, Wanyan Moli, led over three thousand men to Qishan County.

The county magistrate, Wang Miao, was brought before Wanyan Moli, who held a whip and sat half on a stool, coldly asking, "Where is that Song army?"

"They took the food and weapons and went south, my lord!"

"Who are they?"

"They seem... to be Liu Qi's army, ordered to go to Dasha Pass, passing through Qishan County!"

"Nonsense!"

Wanyan Moli glared, "Liu Qi's army is in Jingzhou. How could they come here?"

The county magistrate, Wang Miao, frightened, quickly said, "They said it themselves. How would I know if it's true or not?"

"Complete nonsense! Why would they go to Dasha Pass via Qishan County? Isn't that a huge detour?"

A general beside him, trying to be clever, explained, "The defenses on the Wei River are strict. Although it's a bit farther to go through Qishan County, there are no obstacles. If they hadn't been discovered and intercepted by Wanyan Keli, they would have had a smooth journey."

Wanyan Moli glared at him, and the talkative general lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Wanyan Moli knew that it was possible to come to Fengxiang Prefecture from Jingzhou by crossing mountains, but since the other side was cavalry, this possibility was unlikely.

There were many suspicious points, and he had to be cautious.

After a moment of thought, Wanyan Moli asked, "Where are the bodies of the fallen soldiers?"

The county magistrate, Wang Miao, trembled, "They were burned to ashes by the Song army. I had the people dig deep pits to bury them. The bones and heads are intact."

The Jurchens revered cremation, and Wanyan Moli was only worried about the heads being taken. Hearing that the heads were intact, he sighed in relief and turned to his deputy, "Send a thousand troops to Linyou County and Puren County to investigate."

Linyou County and Puren County had only a few Han soldiers to maintain order. Although there were some rebel forces, they were not significant. However, Wanyan Moli did not believe the county magistrate's words.

He distrusted these Han officials from the bottom of his heart, even if they were servile. He was cautious.

Especially this Song cavalry, which was very fierce, defeating a thousand Jin soldiers, including five hundred Jurchen cavalry. The leader killed the thousand-man commander, Wanyan Keli, which shocked Wanyan Moli. He suspected that this cavalry might be the same one that had ambushed the capital and killed the Grand Commander, Wanyan Lou Shi.

If this cavalry escaped due to his negligence, and the Fourth Prince investigated, his life would be in danger.

After some thought, Wanyan Moli ordered, "Send my command to increase the number of scouts in Fengxiang Prefecture by one fold and offer a reward of three thousand strings of cash to find the whereabouts of this Song cavalry."

...

Linyou County was a famous feng shui treasure land in Guanzhong, with Tong Mountain to the east and Phoenix Mountain to the west. The two mountains, like the wings of a phoenix, embraced Linyou County. The area was green and beautiful, with vast fields of wheat to the south, making agriculture very prosperous.

The most famous Renshou Palace of the Sui Dynasty was located on Tiantai Mountain between Tong Mountain and Phoenix Mountain. Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, died in Renshou Palace.

However, after several hundred years, the once magnificent Renshou Palace had been destroyed by floods during the Tang Dynasty and was now completely gone. On the site of Renshou Palace on Tiantai Mountain, a military fort called Qilin Fort was built, which once housed over a thousand soldiers.

The fort was built on the mountain because there were several secret mountain paths leading to Jingyuan Road, a hundred miles away. However, these paths were very dangerous, unsuitable for transporting food and supplies or cavalry, so the Jin army was not interested. In Linyou County, there were no Jurchen soldiers, only two hundred surrendered Han soldiers maintaining order in the county.

Chen Qing did not go directly to the county but bypassed it and came to Tiantai Mountain and Qilin Fort. The army passed through a long valley, the ground of which was flat and solid, a relic of the Sui Dynasty, with no grass growing on it to this day.

On both sides were towering trees with lush vines. After walking for several miles, they reached the end of the valley. The soldiers dismounted, leading their horses and ox carts, and climbed up the gentle slope, soon reaching Qilin Fort, located halfway up the mountain.

The climate here was cool, with a maximum summer temperature of around twenty degrees Celsius, making it a summer retreat. However, it was early winter, and Guanzhong was particularly damp and cold this year, making Qilin Fort equally chilly.

Yang Hua brought an old man who guarded the fort. The old man knelt and kowtowed, "I am Yang San, paying respects to the general!"

"Old man, please rise and speak!"

The soldiers helped the old man up. He sighed, "Since the rebel forces left, I have been worried that the Jin army would come and burn the fort. I worried for five or six days, but I never expected the Song army to come first. What a relief!"

"How many were in the rebel forces, and why did they leave?"

"There were over a hundred, led by Yang Guo, who is actually my distant nephew. He heard that General Liu was recruiting scattered troops and led his men over the mountains to Jingzhou."

"Weren't they surrounded and attacked by the Jin army?"

Yang San shook his head, "The Jin army stayed in the county. They were actually former Song soldiers, about two hundred in total. Two months ago, they fought a battle, each side losing over ten men, and then they lived in peace."

"What did the rebel forces live on before?"

"The villagers supported them partly, and they hunted in the mountains. There are many animals here, such as deer, goats, roe deer, and wild boars. They had only been established for a few months, so food was not a big problem. They went to Jingzhou to seek a better future."

"Please show me the fort first, old man!"

Tiantai Mountain is located on the waist of Phoenix Mountain, forming a large, flat area, hence its name. This flat area is several hundred acres in size. The Renshou Palace of the Sui Dynasty was built on this land. Although the palace has disappeared into history, the land has become a high mountain pasture, with a dozen families living there, raising sheep for a living.

The fort only occupied a small part of the flat area, about forty acres, with over fifty houses and a training ground.

When the fort was fully occupied, it even had a commercial area, including taverns, brothels, inns, and general stores. Now, the fort was empty.

The soldiers were busy cleaning the barracks, and Yang Hua led several soldiers to hunt and survey the terrain.

Chen Qing stood at the edge of a cliff, looking far into the distance, where he could see the county twenty miles away and the vast wheat fields to the south.

Yang San pointed to the distant county and said, "General, today is the second day of the eleventh month, which is already considered winter. In a month, the entire Guanzhong region will start to snow heavily. We get a lot of snow here, and the roads will be blocked by ice and snow. If you need anything, send someone to the county to buy it soon."

"When does the river freeze?"

"Usually in mid-November, but it will be a few days earlier here. I estimate that the river will have thin ice in two days and will be completely frozen by mid-November."

Yang Yuanqing smiled, "Commander, shall I take a few men to the county to buy some oil, salt, and lamp oil?"

"And hay. We don't have much hay, and it won't last long."

"Commander, buying hay might easily expose us."

"I know it's easy to expose us, but we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The storm will come sooner or later, but we must be well-prepared."

"I understand, Commander!"

Chen Qing smiled, "So, I'll go myself. I also want to take a walk around the county."

Although he had led his army into Jingzhao, it was at midnight, and they left at dawn. He had never really toured a Song city, which he was very much looking forward to.