The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 244: Zhongdu Falls, Shandong Becomes Powerful

The Jin capital Zhongdu was conquered. Without Yang Kang to guard it, and with some relatives bringing capable generals to guard the four directions, a large number of talented craftsmen flowed into Shandong, further leading to the emptiness of Zhongdu.

While the idea of ​​keeping the enemy at bay and using fortresses to hold back the Mongol army was a good one, the Jin simply didn't have enough capable soldiers and generals. Yang Kang's deputy general was demoted by powerful officials in Zhongdu and returned to Shandong in disgrace. Although he deployed some backup plans and created some obstacles for the Mongol cavalry, he could only delay the fall of Zhongdu and could not change the ultimate outcome.

After the fall of Zhongdu, the Jin emperor, in grief and anger, activated the plan of exterminating the entire family left by Yang Kang, reducing the entire palace, himself and thousands of elite Mongolian soldiers to ashes, preserving the last bit of the Jin emperor's majesty.

The Jin royal family and far-sighted ministers gathered the remnants of the defeated army and retreated to Tongguan. Wanyan Honglie returned and inherited the throne according to the will of the late emperor. He personally led a large army to guard Tongguan. The Mongolian army was unable to capture it in a hurry.

In addition to Guanzhong, Shandong and Liaodong were also the two major choices for the Jin soldiers to escape. However, compared with the cold Liaodong, the Jin soldiers who were accustomed to the climate of the Central Plains chose Shandong more often and were finally unified and incorporated by Yang Kang.

The defeated army was not worthy of being called a brave army. Yang Kang simply demoted all the defeated surrendered soldiers to the lowest level, rigorously screened them to form a new army, and dismissed all those who were unqualified as civilians. The Jin army remained in Shandong to vigorously develop the country, while the Han people were all "exiled" overseas. Many of the Jin generals who remained in Shandong could not bear the disparity between their high position and the low level, so they deserted. Some dispersed to Shanxi, Henan, and Jiangsu, while others fled to Liaodong to seek refuge with other relatives.

Other Jin clan members sent letters of inquiry, and Yang Kang's words were very direct. The Jin people could be trusted to stay in Shandong, the defeated generals needed to atone for their sins, and the Han people could not be trusted to be "exiled" overseas. This tough explanation was exactly in line with Yang Kang's personality, leaving the Jin royal family helpless, causing the middle and high-level Jin people to leave, while a lot of low-level soldiers came.

Military discipline was Yang Kang's primary concern. The entire northern and western parts of Shandong had been reduced to a military-controlled war zone, with Yang Kang personally leading the troops. Tuolei and Mu Huali were indeed talented, but they were far inferior to Yang Kang's tyranny. Furthermore, Shandong was hilly and bordered by the Yellow River. Yang Kang had long since planted trees, left stakes, dug ditches, and blocked roads throughout the territory, preventing the Mongol warhorses from galloping and forcing them to engage on foot. This inflicted immense hardship on Tuolei and Mu Huali.

Shandong was Yang Kang's world. After three battles, the Mongolian army split into two groups. One group defended Shandong tightly to prevent Yang Kang from connecting with the Jin soldiers in the west, while the other group captured Shanxi and Henan and approached Tongguan.

Wang Chuyi, Ma Yu and others led the Quanzhen disciples to transport civilians and talents to the seaside through the Yangtze River. Qiu Chuji took several disciples to Mongolia. He needed to see for himself what kind of person Genghis Khan was and whether Mongolia was really more beastly than human as Yang Kang said, and then decide the next move of Quanzhen Sect.

After winter came, the fighting capacity of Shandong soldiers weakened. Tolui and Mu Huali tried to attack several times, but were eventually repelled by Yang Kang. One time, they even came close to the enemy, which frightened the two generals so much that they broke out in cold sweats. They hurriedly asked Genghis Khan for help and requested experts to help. Yang Kang's personal strength was too strong, and the lack of a general who could match him was really a blow to morale.

Out of sight of the Mongols, Yang Kang's men were frantically building ships. They were also relocating skilled shipbuilders from the coastal areas of Liaodong, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian to the Ryukyu Islands, and even to Luzon, to utilize the abundant resources there to build ships. At the same time, Yang Kang was also intimidating the Song State into buying ships at a reasonable price, which made the Song court quite displeased with this Jin prince.

The Jin capital had been captured, the emperor dead, and a local prince dared to threaten the Song? The Song emperor was furious. He had just lost his temper in court when, three days later, rumors spread that the Prince of Qi had personally led an army of 20,000 into Taihu Lake, defeated the Taihu bandits, and then fled after a large-scale looting.

The Song Dynasty court was shocked. How far is Taihu Lake from Lin'an?

This King of Qi was no ordinary man. It was said that he was invincible in battles between Mongolia and the Jin Dynasty, except for a single defeat at the hands of this prince of the Jin Dynasty. Such a man was proficient in both land and sea, and was said to have extraordinary martial arts skills and the strength to lift a tripod, making it difficult to assassinate him.

Although their tone in dealing with the State of Song was not polite, they did not go too far. At least they knew how to trade and did not force tributes. The Song court immediately sent envoys to Zhoushan, but brought back a document stating that the King of Qi needed ships, both sea ships and river ships, and would trade for food, spices, gems, pearls and other items at a fair price!

The last two words were offered without the slightest compromise. The envoys sent by the King of Qi even prepaid a bushel of pearls, ten cases of coral, and two ships of spices. The Song court looked at each other in bewilderment. The envoys of the King of Qi bluntly told them that the King of Qi knew Song's character well. He was unwilling to pursue a win-win situation, insisting on using force to secure it. His nature was simply one word: cheap.

The King of Qi is a man of great principles. He knows that exploitation cannot last long and that equal exchanges are the best. Therefore, the King of Qi came with full sincerity and a powerful army, hoping to reach a long-term cooperation with the State of Song. What he needs most at the moment is ships!

The Song court was visibly distraught, yet they had no choice but to accept this seemingly unfavorable deal. The situation was unpredictable. Meanwhile, the Song emperor received a secret letter from the King of Qi, which bluntly informed him that the Jin had become Sinicized, but the Mongols were still brutal. Lin'an might not be safe, and Xiangyang might become a target of the Mongol army. If Lin'an were ever captured, the King of Qi would offer refuge, ensuring that a vestige of the Song royal family could survive and thrive overseas.

After reading it, the Emperor of Song State was furious and almost wanted to burn the private letter. After hesitating for a long time, he put it away for future use. If this situation really happened, he might need to make plans early. Alas, why are the hardworking and simple Han people so plagued by disasters?

During the winter, the Mongolian army launched two feint attacks and one real invasion, but both times they were repelled by the Shandong army. Both sides suffered losses. Yang Kang took advantage of this opportunity to eliminate some of the scum among the Jin soldiers and increase his control over the army.

As winter turns to spring, the population of Shandong Province remains basically unchanged. Although people continue to migrate overseas, they cannot withstand the influx of Han people fleeing from Shanxi and Henan.

When Shandong was receiving the disaster victims, it was also used by the Mongolian army, and there were quite a few spies who infiltrated. Yang Kang then set up a security team to severely deal with the temporary settlements on the border. In order to survive, the residents of these settlements could only endure the threats from both Shandong and Mongolia.

"Report! The security team clearing out spies ten miles outside the city has been wiped out. Mongol Marshal Tolui is suspected to have appeared." The spy came on horseback to report. Yang Kang suddenly stood up and shouted, "Prepare the horses! The Royal Guards are ready to move out!"

"Here!"