Han Shizhong glanced at the generals, and his voice rolled out like thunder: "The imperial court planned a five-pronged attack on Kaifeng. It also colluded with Daxia and Dajin to kill Wang Shan and gather hundreds of thousands of troops. This is to defeat our Song Dynasty. Pushed into the abyss of eternal destruction!" All the generals were shocked when they heard this. They knew that Han Shizhong had always been loyal and upright, and to be so angry at this moment must be because the imperial court had made an outrageous decision. For a moment, the atmosphere in the military tent was so solemn that it seemed like even the air had solidified. Han Shizhong's eyes were as bright as a torch. After looking around for a week, every beam and every flag in the military camp seemed to be listening to his voice. He took a deep breath and revealed the long-hidden resentment in his heart. "The imperial court is so weak and incompetent that it has surrendered, which really makes us and other generals feel heartbroken. Today, I, Han Shizhong, have decided to rely on Princess Zhao Yingluo to fight against the unjust imperial court and the other four armies." His words echoed in the military tent, as if stirring up a thousand waves. The generals looked at each other, some with determination flashing in their eyes, while others showed hesitation. Seeing this, Han Shizhong continued: "I know that this move is not trivial. If there are generals who are unwilling to rely on Her Highness the Princess, they can leave Daming Mansion. I, Han Shizhong, will never stop him." To his surprise, after a brief silence, the generals unanimously expressed their intention to follow him. They either slapped the table and stood up, or raised their arms and shouted: "We are willing to follow the general, go through fire and water, no matter what!"
Their voices merged into a raging torrent that shook the entire military tent. Han Shizhong's heart felt hot, and tears almost came out of his eyes. He understood that this was not just out of personal loyalty to him, but also out of recognition of Her Royal Highness and the Song Dynasty's future expectations. In this twelfth lunar month of winter, in the military camp of Daming Mansion, sincere hearts burned in the severe cold, releasing warm light. In order to convey the urgent military information in Luoyang, Xijing to Zhao Yingluo as soon as possible so that she could prepare in advance, Han Shizhong specially selected his confidant Chang De to rush to Kaifeng with his handwritten letter and a starry night. It's the middle of winter, the wind is biting and the night is as dark as ink. Changde traveled under the stars and at night. The journey originally took five days, but he managed to reach Kaifeng in three days. At ten o'clock in the evening on the third day, he finally stood outside the gate of Kaifeng City, looking at the towering city walls and bustling streets, but he was extremely anxious in his heart. After entering the city, he didn't dare to delay for a moment and went straight to Zhao Yingluo's mansion. When he arrived at the door of the mansion, his body was steaming from the rush. When the guard saw a stranger dismounting and about to rush into the house, he hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. Changde told them anxiously: "I have urgent military information and I want to see Princess Zhao Yingluo. There is no time to delay!" Seeing his nervous look and urgent tone, the guards knew that the matter was serious. So two people were separated and took him straight to Zhao Yingluo's residence. Zhao Yingluo and Yue Fei were studying the situation in Luoyang and learned that an envoy from Daming Mansion had arrived, so they came to the front hall. As soon as Changde saw her, he immediately knelt on one knee in the middle of the hall, holding up Han Shizhong's letter with both hands: "Your Royal Highness, General Han has an urgent military intelligence report!" After saying that, he handed the letter to Zhao Yingluo. Zhao Yingluo took the letter and browsed it quickly, her face suddenly became solemn, and she could not stop being angry. Yue Fei saw her expression changing several times and knew that the matter was serious. After handing the letter to Yue Fei, she looked up at Changde and asked in a deep voice: "Guo Yan and Zhu Zhenhai are really going to lead their army eastward out of Hulao Pass?"
Changde nodded heavily: "It's absolutely true! General Han specially sent me to report to the princess. Please make sure to take precautions!" Yue Fei took the letter, his hands trembling slightly. His eyes wandered between the words, as if they had been cut by a cold blade. Suddenly, his whole body seemed to be struck by lightning. He was shocked and shouted: "How is it possible! How is it possible!" He raised his head suddenly, his eyes full of doubts and disbelief: "How could Wang Shan be killed by Zhu Zhenhai? Is there some fraud involved?". Zhao Yingluo shook her head slightly, "General Yue Fei, this is extremely possible. We only need to wait for the news about Gu Pei to reach Kaifeng and confirm the two facts before we know the truth." She paused and her tone became solemn: "At the same time, we must also be prepared for the worst. If the Jin Kingdom really goes south, they will probably unite with Daxia and send their troops south from one of the Eighth Route Army in Taihang. Xingzhou and Cizhou is the first to bear the brunt, and we must strengthen our combat readiness." Hearing this, Yue Fei took a deep breath and nodded, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will leave Kaifeng tomorrow and go to Xingzhou and Cizhou to set up defenses." Zhao Yingluo looked at his eyes and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. This Yue Fei might really fight to the death. Wouldn't that be like waiting to be made dumplings? So she said earnestly, "General Yue Fei, if the enemy The momentum is great, so remember not to hold on. Preserving your strength is the most important thing." "The general knows." "Zhou Wang, go and order people to tidy up the guest rooms and arrange a place for General Changde to live." "Young man, go right away." "General Chang can stay in the mansion for a day or two. Firstly, I have to wait for news from Gu Pei. Secondly, I also need to carefully evaluate the situation on the battlefield and how to reverse the decline." Chang De nodded and then followed the housekeeper Zhou Wang out of the living room. "Come here, go to Prince Xin's Mansion and invite Prince Xin to come over for a moment!" Yue Fei asked with a heavy face, "Your Highness, do you still need to inform the Emperor about this matter?" "No! Tell him and let him be frightened all day long, which is not beautiful!" "But if the enemy breaks through Kaifeng..." Zhao Yingluo said without changing her expression, "The enemy who can conquer Kaifeng has not yet been born! General Yue can rest assured that as long as you can defend Cizhou, Kaifeng will not be conquered." Seeing that Her Highness the Princess was so confident, Yue Fei couldn't say anything more and poured cold water on her head. At Xu time, night falls and stars dot the sky. In Zhao Yingluo's mansion, the lights flickered, reflecting her frown. At this time, the sound of rapid horse hooves came from outside the mansion, breaking the tranquility of the night. King Xin Zhao Zhen hurried to her mansion. He had an anxious look on his face and was covered in dust. He obviously came immediately after learning of the urgent military situation. After he sat down, Zhao Yingluo took the trouble to tell him the news from Han Shizhong in detail. "Zhu Zhenhai and Guo Yan joined forces, with a total of 250,000 troops, and they were huge." Zhao Yingluo's voice was a little low, "But they are brave and reckless, and they are so happy about their success, we don't need to worry too much." Zhao Zhen thought for a while and then said: "Sister Huang's analysis is right. Although Zhu Zhenhai is brave, he lacks strategy. What we should really worry about is the coalition of Jin and Daxia." His finger drew an arc on the map, "Xingzhou and Cizhou are our gateways and must be heavily guarded." Zhao Yingluo nodded in agreement: "General Yue Fei will leave Kaifeng tomorrow and go to Xingzhou and Cizhou to set up defenses. But Zhengzhou is also an important line of defense for us. I hope you can personally lead the troops to garrison." Zhao Zhen nodded, "Sister, please don't worry, I have a way to dismantle this 250,000-strong army without spending a single soldier." Zhao Yingluo asked curiously, "Is there any good way?" Zhao Zhen said somewhat mysteriously, "Sister Huang is just waiting for good news."