Chapter 25

Yang Dazhi went to Linyou County last night to gather information.

He said with a gloomy expression, "The Jurchens are investigating who led the Song army. Someone betrayed my father. Unwilling to suffer the humiliation, he smashed his head against a wall and died."

Chen Qing felt apologetic; he hadn't expected that Yang San would still be implicated.

Yang Dazhi shook his head, "It's nothing. Although my father is dead, at least he died with dignity and did not become a lackey of the Jurchens."

"How are your wife and children?"

"They are fine. My wife took the two children to a relative's house and escaped the disaster."

"Have the Jurchen troops withdrawn?"

Yang Dazhi nodded, "They withdrew the next day. They stationed five hundred men in the county, one hundred Jurchen soldiers and four hundred Han soldiers, but..."

Chen Qing squinted his eyes, "But what?"

Yang Dazhi sighed, "But the heads of the Song soldiers who died in battle were cut off and hung in the county for public display."

"Bang!" Yang Yuanqing slammed his fist on the wooden board, his eyes blazing with anger.

Chen Qing's heart was also burning with rage. After a while, he suppressed his overwhelming anger and said calmly, "From today on, we will also count heads as our reward!"

"It's snowing!" Suddenly, the soldiers outside shouted.

Chen Qing got up and walked out of the wooden house, looking up at the sky. The gray sky was filled with snowflakes.

Yang Dazhi gazed at the gray sky for a moment and said, "It will probably turn into a heavy snowfall tonight!"

...

The first heavy snow of winter finally arrived.

The 10th of the 11th month refers to the lunar calendar, which would be mid-December in the Gregorian calendar. Linyou County has a higher altitude, so winter and snowfall come a few days earlier than in the Guanzhong region.

It was a heavy snowfall. The snowflakes fell densely during the day and turned into large snowflakes at night. The north wind howled, and snowballs fell like cotton, turning the ground gray. By the fifth watch, the snow had accumulated to the calves.

Two hundred and thirty soldiers marched in the heavy snow. Yang Dazhi believed that this year's rain and snow were abnormal. Last month, there were continuous heavy rains, and this heavy snowfall might last for several days.

If they didn't leave soon, the heavy snow would block the roads, and they would be trapped in the forest.

More importantly, they only had enough dry rations for two more days. They had been in the forest for nine days and needed to set out.

The troops marched through the mountains and forests, with Yang Dazhi, who was familiar with the terrain, leading them to avoid cliffs. Just as dawn broke, they finally returned to the Tiantai Grassland where Qilin Fort was located.

The grassland was covered in snow, and the military camp in the distance was unrecognizable, with only some charred ruins remaining.

Chen Qing immediately sent Zheng Ping and Zhao Xiaoyi to Linyou County to gather information and found a sheltered forest for the soldiers to rest.

In the ruins of the military camp, Yang Hua led a group of soldiers to dig up the food, oil, salt, dried meat, and weapons that had been buried underground.

At noon, Zheng Ping returned, while Zhao Xiaoyi stayed in the county to continue gathering information.

"General, the snow is heavy, and there are no soldiers on the city walls. Even the gatekeepers are hiding in the sheltered areas below the city to warm themselves by the fire. It's said that the Jurchen soldiers and Han soldiers patrolled the city every day, but they have collected a lot of money these days. When the snow started yesterday, they disappeared and are now gambling and drinking in the military camp. If the heavy snow continues tonight, it will be the opportunity to capture the county."

"Is the number of soldiers the same as what Yang Dazhi said?"

Zheng Ping nodded, "Yes, one hundred Jurchen soldiers and four hundred Han soldiers, led by a Jurchen centurion!"

"Where is their military camp?" Yang Yuanqing asked.

"It's in the southwest corner of the county, which used to be the City God Temple. They have set up dozens of felt tents, and the Jurchen and Han soldiers live together. There used to be a small military camp, but the Jurchens found the conditions there too poor, and it is now full of refugees."

Chen Qing picked up a branch and drew a map of the county on the snow. He circled the southwest corner and asked, "I want to know if this southwest corner is directly adjacent to the city wall?"

"Yes! The south and west sides are both adjacent to the city wall."

Chen Qing walked to the edge of the forest, looking at the gray sky. The snow was getting heavier, with no sign of stopping.

He turned back to the group and said, "We will capture Linyou County tonight!"

...

As night fell, the snow got heavier, and visibility was reduced to a few dozen steps. The snow had accumulated to the thighs by the third watch. Chen Qing led over two hundred men to the outskirts of Linyou County.

At this time, the moat was completely frozen, and the soldiers unexpectedly found a rope hanging from the city wall, almost frozen into an icicle. A dark figure slid down the rope from the city wall, which was Zhao Xiaoyi.

He was wearing a thick sheepskin coat but was still shivering.

"General, there... there's no one on the city wall. It's... it's freezing."

A soldier handed Zhao Xiaoyi a wine gourd, and he took several large sips, warming up a bit, and continued, "There are no soldiers below the city either. There's not even a watchman in the city. Everyone is completely asleep."

Chen Qing squinted his eyes and looked at the city wall. Despite the heavy snow, he could still see small black dots hanging on the wall.

Those were the heads of his subordinates, over two hundred soldiers who had died for their country, beheaded and displayed by the Jurchens. Chen Qing slowly clenched his fists.

"Move out!"

Chen Qing gritted his teeth and said two words. Yang Yuanqing immediately led the soldiers to climb the city wall using the rope and threw down several long ropes. The soldiers quickly climbed up one after another.

The snow on the city wall was knee-deep, and visibility was extremely low. The sky was dark, and the snow was flying everywhere. One could not see anything beyond thirty steps, and they could only judge if there were soldiers by the absence of firelight.

Such harsh weather made the defense of the city meaningless.

Chen Qing led the soldiers quickly to the southwest corner of the city. Below seemed to be an open area, but a few large lanterns could be seen in the sky, their light illuminating the snow. At the edge of the lantern's light, the shadows of tents could be faintly seen.

This was the City God Temple, the camp of the Jurchen troops.

Below was a bonfire, and a few people were gathered around it, probably the patrol sentries.

"Make sure no one escapes!"

Chen Qing reminded them, and Yang Hua nodded, leading a dozen soldiers down the city wall.

Soon, a few muffled groans came from both sides of the bonfire, and the patrol sentries were eliminated.

The soldiers used the ropes to climb down the city wall and quickly gathered below.

Chen Qing said to the four battalion leaders, "Follow the plan we made earlier. Each of you is responsible for a section. Remember, try to cut off their heads in one stroke. Be ruthless and quick, and leave no one alive."

"Understood!"

The four battalion leaders each led their men and ran off.

Chen Qing led a dozen men to a large tent. The tent was made of sheepskin and had two flaps, tied tightly from the inside to keep out the cold, making it very warm.

Each large tent was over a hundred square meters. Jurchen soldiers lived ten to a tent, while Han soldiers were crammed thirty to a tent, with a significant difference in treatment.

Chen Qing led the soldiers into a Jurchen soldiers' tent.

Outside it was cold, but inside it was warm, and the Jurchen soldiers were all asleep. The tent was instantly filled with flashing knives and splashing blood, without even a muffled cry. In just a few seconds, ten Jurchen soldiers were beheaded in their sleep.

Chen Qing and his men left without hesitation and headed to another tent. At this time, screams were coming from the direction of the Han soldiers' tent, but they soon fell silent.

Then, the cries of young women were heard. The soldiers found the young women who had been captured in the main hall of the City God Temple.

By the fourth watch, the camp was completely silent...

All five hundred Jurchen soldiers were killed, and over two hundred women were rescued. A large amount of money, food, and weapons were seized, along with one hundred and twenty warhorses.

But this was just the beginning.

...

The sky gradually brightened, and the snow began to lessen, with only a few sparse snowflakes falling, no longer as heavy as before.

People appeared on the streets. Many farmers were driving donkey carts to the city in a hurry to sell vegetables, and people from all directions were rushing to buy vegetables and rice.

Many people were surprised to find that the heads of the Song soldiers hanging above the city gate had been replaced by Jurchen heads, with their distinctive features of shaved heads and small braids.

Not only that, but the gatekeepers were different. The Song soldiers had returned, and soon, a large dragon flag of the Song army was flying on the city wall.

The people began to cheer spontaneously, running through the city, shouting, "The Song army has returned! The Song army has returned!"

More and more people came out of their homes and onto the streets, beating drums and gongs, and the entire county was about to boil over.

County Magistrate Li Boliang had just left his house, standing on the steps ready to get into his carriage to go to the county office. Suddenly, he saw a group of people running and shouting, "The Song army has returned, and all the Jurchens are dead."

Li Boliang was struck like a bolt of lightning. He stood there for a moment, then suddenly shouted and ran back into his house, crying, "Wife, quickly pack up and escape!"