The Song Dynasty has been deliberate for 16 years, only to know that it is the Water Margin

On the prairie, the soil is soft and the grass spreads like a thick velvet blanket under your feet.

According to common sense, such a place is not suitable for building a solid city because it lacks a solid soil foundation.

However, the Liao Kingdom was in its prime at that time and was in urgent need of a capital city to demonstrate its national prestige. Although Yanjing was good, it was not the fundamental place of the Liao Kingdom after all, and the white mountains and black waters were too remote to control the vast territory, so in Under this background, Shangjingcheng came into being.

Shangjing City, this huge capital city, is like a bright pearl embedded in this vast prairie.

It is large in scale and majestic, but such a majestic capital city has only four city gates, Anton Gate in the east, Dashun Gate in the south, Qiande Gate in the west, and Gongchen Gate in the north.

Although there are not many of these four city gates, each one looks solemn and solemn, showing the majesty and magnanimity of the imperial city.

The construction of this city can be traced back to the third year of the Book of Gods. It was originally named the Imperial Capital to symbolize the power and glory of the Liao Kingdom. However, as time passed, the Liao Kingdom's national power became increasingly powerful, and the name of the Imperial Capital was no longer enough. To demonstrate its status, in the first year of Huitong, the imperial capital was renamed Shangjing, and Linhuang Mansion was established, becoming the center of the Liao Kingdom.

Before the city was built, Shangjing was once the territory of the Dieci tribe of the Khitan people, known as the "West Tower". At that time, it was still a desolate land with sparsely populated areas. However, with the establishment of Shangjing City, this land began to gradually prosper.

The buildings in the city are well-proportioned, including Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, and Confucian temples. The Confucius Temple was the first to be built. The Khitan has always shown respect for Confucius and Confucianism, worshiping Confucian culture, and wants to use it as the basis for governing the country, just like the Central Plains.

In Shangjing City, there are two landmark buildings, two pagodas in the north and south. The south pagoda towers into the clouds and is majestic. Each side of the pagoda is inlaid with exquisite relief Buddha statues and brick decorations, making it appear solemn and sacred. The Great Buddha Temple is even more prosperous, attracting countless believers to come and worship.

Although the North Tower is slightly smaller, it is equally exquisite and beautiful. The Buddhist temple under the tower is also bustling with people coming and going.

Zhao Tong was quite familiar with Shangjing. After all, he had lived here before. Although the four gates of Shangjing were few, they were more than half the size of ordinary city gates, highlighting the grandeur of the imperial city.

Shangjing City is prosperous, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the first city in the North. If Yan Yun travels north, even if he goes as far as the vast sea, he cannot find a city bigger and more prosperous than Shangjing City.

After a short rest for a day, the army began to move and carry out digging and mountain building operations.

Governor Li Yanxian was assisted by Zhu Wu. The soldiers moved in an orderly manner. The soil on the grassland was soft, so it was not difficult to dig. The soldiers wielded shovels and hoes, turning over pieces of land, and then transported the soil clods to Designated location.

Because the soil is mixed with countless weeds and roots, these soil blocks are not prone to landslides or falling apart after accumulation. Instead, they form a stable structure, which is very suitable for building mountains or cities.

The digging sites were far away from the military camps. There were three sites in total. More than 10,000 people were moving at each site at the same time. The soldiers were densely packed, like insects and ants, constantly going back and forth, leaving a continuous trace on the grassland.

On the way to the top of the capital city, the breeze whistled past, bringing with it the unique fresh and dry smell of the grassland.

Zong Bi was wearing armor and a steel helmet, his eyes were like a torch, and he was staring into the distance. He was holding his sword with a somewhat confused look on his face.

In the distance, Qin Jun's figure was sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, pushing a cart, coming and going, busy. He frowned, turned to look at Wan Yanqi beside him, and asked: "What kind of work is this Qin soldier doing?" what?"

Wanyanqi rubbed his eyes, trying to understand the specific situation, but the distance was too far and the Qin army's digging movements could not be seen clearly. He could only vaguely see the Qin army pushing back the earth and piling up.

"It seems...it seems that grass and soil have been transported from somewhere and are being piled up in one place." Wanyanqi breathed.

At this time, Xiyin suddenly exclaimed: "No! Are they trying to build mountains and attack the city?"

Zong Han heard Xi Yin's words from the side, and his expression suddenly changed. He was about to retort, thinking that it was too ridiculous to pile up mountains to attack the city. However, when he spoke, he suddenly thought that the soil of the grassland was soft, and it was different from the Central Plains to the south. It is completely different from the land of white mountains and black water. Digging earth and building mountains in this kind of place may not necessarily fail.

Zong Han immediately said: "The grassland is not as good as Shannan, nor as black as the Baishan Mountain. The soil and grass are soft and waxy. It is too easy to dig and it is easy to build mountains!"

Zong Bi couldn't help but take a breath when he heard this. If the Qin army could really build a mountain of earth, then the city wall of Shangjing would definitely no longer be safe. The opponent could easily climb the mountain of earth and then attack Shangjing flatly, or even cross the city wall and attack directly. Inside the city.

As soon as this idea emerged, Zong Bili felt palpitated and must find a way to deal with it as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Qin army really implements this plan, it will be impossible to get to the capital.

At this time, the wind began to become a bit strong, kicking up a cloud of dust. Zong Bi's eyes were fixed on Qin Jun who was busy in the distance. His heart was turbulent. He looked at the people around him and said in a deep voice: "Qin Jun If you want to use your strategy to get to Beijing, please come up with a way."

Xi Yin Zonghan and others looked at each other, then sat around and began to think seriously.

"If you can't stop the opponent immediately, then Shangjing will be lost sooner or later." Zong Bi gritted his teeth and said: "Once the mountains of earth are piled up, the city wall will be ineffective. If the opponent advances little by little, even the strongest city defense will become useless."

Wanyan Qi nodded with a melancholy look on his face: "The other party's move is indeed a clever plan. We must immediately think of a way to destroy it."

Zong Han pondered for a moment: "You can send an elite cavalry team to raid the place where the Qin army is digging and disrupt their rhythm. You don't have to fight, just harass them so that they can't accomplish anything."

Xi Yin shook his head: "Since the Qin army dared to blatantly build mountains of earth, they must be on guard. They are eager for us to send troops out of the city. If we attack rashly, they may be ambushed."

Wanyan Qi said: "The four gates of the city have been sealed at the moment. Thousands of pounds have fallen, and the stones have filled them up. It is not easy to open. If troops are sent to remove the obstacles, opening and closing the gates will also expose flaws to the Qin army."

After everyone heard this, they immediately fell into deep thought. This was also a problem. After all, they had planned to defend it and it was closed on all sides. If they wanted to send troops, they would have to reopen it, which was a dangerous thing.

But if you go out of the city, you are afraid of being ambushed, and if you stick to the city, there is danger. If you don't go out, you can't stop the opponent from building mountains and building cities. It's not as simple as a thorny problem, it's clearly a dilemma.

As the sky got darker, several people failed to come up with any effective strategy. In the end, they all left the city with heavy faces.

On the second day, the excavation and piling work was still being carried out in an orderly manner outside the city. Zong Bi watched for a moment at the top of the city and couldn't bear it anymore: "Are they planning to keep piling up and not even attack the city?"

Xi Yin said leisurely: "With this method, who would attack the city by force? Wait until the mountain is high and big, and then push forward little by little. When it is at the same level as Shangjing City, you can easily attack. If it is really close, , you can come over just by setting up a wooden ladder or a wooden pole. It’s so effortless, so there’s no need to attack by force.”

"No!" Zong Bi said with a gloomy face when he heard this: "Wouldn't this mean that we are waiting to lose the city? I think we should open a city gate and go for a sneak attack to prevent the Qin army from succeeding."

Wanyan Qi also said: "My fourth uncle is right. I thought about it all night last night. This grassland is no better than other places. The soil in other places is not to mention hard. Even if it is soil, how can there be so much to dig? But here there is endless , Sooner or later, the Qin army will succeed. In this case, even if Kaicheng is dangerous, we must try to sneak attack on the opponent. "

Zong Han nodded: "We can't sit still and wait for death. When the soil mountain is piled up, it will be too late to attack."

Xiyin shook his head: "If we attack now, even if it is called a sneak attack, how do we know that the other party is not on guard? We have set up a trap and laid an ambush for us to get in. If this is the case, we may be defeated even earlier."

Zong Bilai said angrily: "Then God of Grain, please come up with a solution. You have always been resourceful, but now you only oppose and can't think of a plan. How can I obey you?"

Xiyin ignored his annoyance and said in a calm voice: "I think it's better to wait a little longer. Sha Lizhi is already close to Zhao Tong now. If the assassination can be successful, then everything in front of him will no longer be a problem." Zong Bi said coldly: "Gushen, you also mentioned Shalizi. The first three secret reports from that line were all wrong, which disrupted my marching plan and damaged morale. Otherwise, how could we not even ambush the opponent? I asked you before, you said he and Shalizi were there At the same time, it is unlikely that the intelligence will be wrong. Judging from what you said, I am afraid that Shalizi has been discovered by the other party and was arrested and tortured, so he asked the lead to deliberately send false information, right? "

Hearing this, Xiyin was noncommittal: "Wait a few more days and see. It won't take three or five days to complete the mountain. Even if the grassland is soft and the opponent has many people and soldiers, it will take less than a month or two to take shape? Even if the height is enough , but it is not wide enough and is useless, unable to attack the capital head level."

Zong Bi couldn't refute for a moment, so he glared and gritted his teeth and said, "Then wait a few more days and see if Sha Lizhi can assassinate Zhao Tan'er..."

Sha Lizhi was in a state of confusion at the moment. She naturally knew the importance of going to the capital in the Kingdom of Jin, and she also knew that all the Jurchen elites were in the city.

Originally, Xiongguan was in serious trouble, and there was no shortage of troops and horses. It could be defended for a long time, not to mention that the rear area had not fallen into the hands of the Qin army. It was possible to send troops to reinforce the siege, so that there would be no worries.

However, the Qin army came up with a way to dig out mountains and build a city, but the city of Shangjing was absolutely unprotectable. Xiao Lizhi didn't know how long it would take to finish digging up mountains. He just felt that with so many people and horses, the construction would be completed soon. , when the time comes, Gu Shen Zong Hanzong Bi and others may be doomed.

She thought that the only way to save Shangjing was to assassinate Zhao Tan. Once Zhao Tan died, the army was in disarray. If they were still in the mood to attack, they would definitely withdraw their troops. However, although she was with the army at the moment, she did not have a chance to get too close to Zhao Tan. There are so many generals around Zhao Tong that a rash assassination is bound to fail, so he must be close to him.

Is it really necessary to follow what Gu Shen and the waiter said, and the only way to start is between the bed and the bed?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little fever in her cheeks. She was a girl who had never left the government. She rushed to Zhongjing this time, and no one taught her how to seduce the other person. How could she know these things herself?
Huo Xuanji then opened the curtain and came in, holding a plate of cleaned wild fruits in her hand and placing it on the table: "Eat."

Xiao Lizhi glanced at the berries on the plate and then at Huo Xuanji, feeling a little dazed. Until then, she didn't understand the relationship between this woman and Zhao Tong.

They were said to be dependents, but it didn't look like that. No matter how they dressed or how they talked to Zhao Tan, they didn't resemble that kind of relationship. Instead, they seemed to have more of a sister. If the age difference hadn't been so similar, she would have even suspected that the other party was Zhao Tan's daughter. .

Xiao Lizhi reached out and picked up a red fruit, and put it gently into his mouth, thinking about how to get some words out of the woman's mouth. Even if he really wanted to sacrifice himself, he couldn't make Zhao Tong suspicious.

"Miss Huo, are you from Tokyo too?"

Seeing Xiao Li's lame rebuttal, Huo Xuanji said "hehe" without replying.

Xiao Lizhi suddenly felt a little bored. In fact, she was not good at words, but she had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue: "By the way, Miss Huo, are you a member of the Qin clan?"

Huo Xuanji glanced at Xiao Lizhi in surprise and wondered, "Are you stupid? The Jurchens sent you as an undercover assassin. That person really has no brains."

"My surname is Huo, and Zhao's surname is Zhao!"

"I, I didn't expect this..." Xiao Lizhi was secretly happy. The other party had always been reticent, but now he finally spoke. It was a trick.

"By the way, what is your Majesty doing?"

Huo Xuanji frowned: "How do I know what he is doing? I haven't gone there. If you want to know, go and see him at home."

"Can I go see His Majesty?"

"Zhao Tong said you can walk around and see him if you need anything." Huo Xuanji said calmly.

"Then I..." Xiao Lizhi looked at the light coming through the cracks in the curtain. It was still early in the evening and it seemed a little early. She hurriedly changed her words: "I don't have anything to do. I just want to tell him about the appearance of my childhood sweetheart. feature."

Huo Xuanji: "Haha!"

Xiao Lizhi stopped talking this time, thinking to himself that when night came, he would make an excuse to go out, and then go to Zhao Tong's tent to test.

After the two of them finished eating the small red berries on the plate, Huo Xuanji said, "It's getting dark."

"Ah?" Xiao Lizhi was stunned, thinking that the other party had discovered something, and suddenly became a little panicked.

"If nothing happens, I won't light the candle and just lock the tent and rest." Huo Xuanji added.

Xiao Lizhi then relaxed and said, "I, I'll go out for a while."

"What are you going out for?"

"I, I'm going to stretch my fists and feet."

"I will go with you!"

"No, no, I'm practicing a unique martial arts passed down from my family. It's not good for others to see me."

"Isn't it easy for people to see you? Isn't it easy for people to see you? Haha!"

Xiao Li walked out of the tent as if he was running away, thinking that this girl Huo was really difficult to deal with. She was cold and cold and didn't say anything. She usually talked little, but when she opened her mouth, it was not nice, and she couldn't answer it.

Looking at the moon in the sky, Xiao Lizhi breathed a sigh of relief. She looked not far away. Zhao Tong's sleeping tent was over there. After gathering herself, she walked over.

The patrolling soldiers she met on the road all seemed to recognize her and did not stop her. They arrived in front of Zhao Tong's tent in just a moment.

There were two people standing guard in front of the tent, one recognized him and the other didn't. He recognized the man he had met on Jinguo Street, and it was Bai Zhan.

Bai Zhan said: "Miss Li Zhi came to see Your Majesty?"

Xiao Lizhi nodded subconsciously, but didn't know what to say.

Bai Zhan said: "Your Majesty has told me that if Miss Li Zhi comes, you can see him directly without informing her."

Xiao Lizhi hesitated slightly after hearing this, but finally made up his mind, stretched out his hand to open the curtain, and stepped inside.

(End of this chapter)