Xianxia version of Water Margin

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When Wanyan Aguda led the Jurchens to raise the flag to resist the corrupt rule of the Liao Dynasty, the Xi people chose to stand in the camp of the Khitans, trying to maintain the crumbling Liao Dynasty.

When the doomsday of the Liao Dynasty approached, the Xi King Xiao Gan still supported Yelu Chun as the emperor on the ruins of Liao Nanjing and established the Northern Liao Dynasty, trying to use the remaining strength to stop the iron hoof of the Jin Dynasty and continue the last blood of the Liao Dynasty.

Under the leadership of Wanyan Aguda, the Jurchens were unstoppable and finally established the Jin Dynasty.

Facing the fierce offensive of the Jin Dynasty, the Xi people headed by Xiao Gan not only did not choose to surrender, but frequently invaded the border of the Jin Dynasty, robbed livestock, and abducted women.

The various behaviors of the Xi people undoubtedly planted deep hatred in the hearts of the Jurchens.

Finally, not long after Jiang Hongfei released Xiao Gan, Wanyan Aguda could no longer tolerate it, and he sent Wanyan Chang to lead the Jin army to conquer the Xi people.

The Xi people relied on the dangerous terrain and put up a tenacious resistance, causing considerable losses to the Jin army.

But Wanyan Chang relied on his extraordinary wisdom and strategy, and cleverly laid out his plan, and finally defeated the Xi people's defense line.

However, behind this victory, there was a huge regret - Xiao Gan escaped.

After the war, the Jin army brutally retaliated against the resisting Xi people. Thirteen Xi people's strongholds such as Sugu, Chuoli, and Tieni were pacified one by one, and the power of the Xi people suffered a devastating blow.

In order to completely control the Xi people, Wanyan Chang adopted a divide-and-rule strategy. He reduced the Xi people in the conquered areas to slaves and incorporated them into the Meng'an Mouke system of the Jurchens, causing them to lose their original tribal organization and social structure.

At the same time, for the Xi people who surrendered, Wanyan Chang formed nine Meng'an Xi armies, each with a Meng'an Mouke leader, trying to weaken the Xi people's will to resist through militarized management.

However, although this strategy weakened the power of the Xi people to a certain extent, it also aroused resentment and dissatisfaction deep in the hearts of the Xi people.

The Jin court's strategy of dividing the Xi people did not stop there.

They even changed the Xi people's surnames, and new surnames such as Yaoli, Bode, Aoli, Meizhi, and Chuai became the new identities of the Xi people.

This move was undoubtedly a huge blow to the culture and national identity of the Xi people.

But the Jin court hoped to completely divide the Xi people in this way so that they could no longer pose a threat to the Jin Dynasty.

However, the direction of history is often full of variables.

When the Jin Dynasty was busy conquering and dividing the Xi people, the rise of the Yuan Empire became a threat that the Jin Dynasty could not ignore.

The war between the Jin Dynasty and the Yuan Empire continued year after year, and the territory of the Jin Dynasty was constantly compressed.

Under such circumstances, the Jin court's original plan to disperse and relocate the Xi people to various places could not be realized.

On the contrary, in order to deal with the threat from the Yuan Empire and the invasion of the western grassland tribes, the Jin Dynasty had to devote more energy and resources to the war.

Over the years, in order to solve the invasion problem of the grassland tribes, the Jin court has taken a variety of measures.

On the one hand, the Jin court sent Wanyan Zonghan and other generals to the west to attack those grassland tribes that did not submit to the Jin, such as the tribe of Genghis Khan Temujin's grandfather Hebule.

Hebule was the son of Xue Chan and rose in the Mongolian grasslands during the turbulent times.

At that time, the Jin Dynasty was fighting fiercely with the Yuan Empire and had no time to take care of the north. Hebule took advantage of the situation and expanded his territory. His prestige grew day by day, and he was finally elected as Khan by all ethnic groups and was honored as "Hebule Khan".

The Jin Dynasty was repeatedly defeated by the Yuan Dynasty and turned to seek peace. Wanyan Wuqimai invited Hebule to the court. At the banquet, Hebule, who was drunk, stroked Wanyan Wuqimai's beard, and the two countries had a grudge.

After Hebule returned to his country, the Jin envoy came with a letter of surrender, but was angrily beheaded by him, and then he organized his army to prepare for war.

The Jin Dynasty initially sent Hushahu to conquer, but was defeated.

It happened that the Jin Dynasty had a coup, and Wanyan Tan ascended the throne. Hebula took advantage of the situation to conquer Jinbian and seize the 27th regiment.

The Jin Dynasty court sent Jin Wushu to lead the army to fight again. The two sides fought for two years and were evenly matched.

Facing the potential threat of the Yuan Empire, the Jin Dynasty court was worried that it would fight with Mongolia and be exploited by the Yuan Dynasty.

Therefore, the Jin Dynasty negotiated peace with Hebula, ceded 27 regiments, provided food and clothing every year, and enthroned him as the King of Mengwu, in order to stabilize the northern border and resist foreign enemies.

On the other hand, the Jin Dynasty court also actively recruited those grassland tribes willing to serve the Jin Dynasty, such as the Tatar tribe, the Zhajila tribe, the Hedixin tribe, the Shanzhikun tribe, and the Wanggu tribe.

These tribes had to choose to surrender to the Jin Dynasty because they had a grudge against the Yuan Empire or because of their geographical location close to the Jin Dynasty.

In addition, the Jin Dynasty also built the Great Wall in the western region in an attempt to keep the grassland tribes out of the country.

The status of the Xi people in the Jin Dynasty dropped sharply, not as good as that of the Khitan, Bohai, and Han people. They were regarded as a hidden danger by the Jin Dynasty court, and they wanted to divide them but failed.

To solve this problem, the Jin Dynasty court ordered the Xi people to build the Great Wall, using work instead of punishment, in order to weaken their power.

However, the design of the Great Wall of the Jin Dynasty had serious flaws. It was not built on the mountains like the Great Wall of the Qin and Han Dynasties, but was built in a relatively flat grassland area, so it was easily buried by wind and sand.

The grassland cavalry easily broke through the defense line of the Jin Dynasty Great Wall with only firewood and gravel, turning it into a road to the east.

After the completion of the Great Wall, it not only failed to stop the enemy's front and could not effectively stop the assault of the grassland cavalry, but also consumed a lot of national financial and human resources.

The Jin Dynasty court blamed the Xi people, falsely claiming that the construction was ineffective, concealing the design defects, and trying to put the blame on others.

This move angered the Xi people, and the public was surging, and voices of dissatisfaction arose everywhere.

Faced with the oppression and exploitation of the Jin Dynasty, the Xi people's will to resist was growing. Inspired by the rebel generals such as Yelu Yudu and Xiao Wuliu, the Xi people, under the leadership of Xiao Gan who had returned, once again raised the banner of anti-Jin and successfully seized the Bei'anzhou area.

The key is that behind Xiao Gan, there is also the shadow of the Yuan Empire, and he was obviously instructed by the Yuan Empire.

Now, Xiao Gan led the Xi people to stab the Jin people from behind, making the situation of the Jin people even more difficult.

Faced with the situation of internal and external difficulties, the Jin Dynasty court had to re-examine its strategies and policies, and think about how to gain a foothold in this turbulent land and continue to maintain its rule...

When the severe cold retreated, all things revived, the earth was covered with a green robe, and the sun was like golden silk, gently spreading in every corner.

In the past season wrapped in long ice and snow, the Yuan Empire created an unprecedented miracle with its extraordinary perseverance and wisdom.

The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Transport of the Yuan Empire worked together to build the nearly 1,000-mile passenger dedicated line from Liaoning to Licheng Port.

This is a steel dragon that crosses the north of Jidi and has experienced five or six months of severe cold.

In this land, the severe cold in winter is enough to make the thick soil indestructible, but if it is not eternal freezing, when the spring warms up, the frozen soil melts, and the roadbed is like being in flowing water, facing the crisis of deformation and collapse.

Year after year, this natural phenomenon known as the "freeze-thaw cycle" poses a severe challenge to the railway. It not only tests the solidity of the project, but also tests the wisdom and determination of the designer.

The construction of railways in high-altitude cold areas is far more difficult than ordinary.

Bridges need to cross depressions, and tunnels need to cross mountains and ridges. Every link needs to be carefully designed to prevent the intrusion of freeze-thaw cycles.

The piers of the bridge may be damaged during freeze-thaw, and the walls of the tunnel are prone to cracks due to thermal expansion and contraction. The rainy season becomes a "water curtain" and the cold winter becomes an "ice cellar".

All of this requires the project to reach an unprecedented level in design, materials, craftsmanship and even precision.

However, the decision-makers of the Yuan Dynasty, led by Jiang Hongfei, did not back down. On the contrary, they pledged their land and lured them with high salaries, mobilizing more than three million civilians from Goryeo and more than two million Han civilians from their own country, a total of five million people, to participate in this huge project.

They were not afraid of the cold and challenges, and paved the road to victory inch by inch with sweat and wisdom.

Although most of the road sections were paved before the winter, even the northernmost section witnessed the tenacity and determination of mankind in the severe cold.

Now, with the passing of the cold winter, the footsteps of spring have quietly arrived.

The passenger dedicated line from Liaoning to Licheng Port, like a waking dragon, carries the ambitions of the Yuan Empire and gallops forward.

The Yuan army stationed in Goryeo and even in Japan embarked on this road and quickly arrived at the southern end of Jidi from the northern end. The prelude to a conquest has been played.

The Jin Kingdom, a powerful opponent that once coveted Jidi, is now facing internal and external troubles and can't take care of itself.

They tried to take advantage of the shortcomings of the Yuan Empire's logistics supply to repeat the tragedy of the Central Plains dynasty's failure due to lack of supplies in history.

But Yue Fei and Li Jun's perseverance, the Northeast Anti-Jin Coalition and the various Yuan armies' containment, made the Jin Kingdom's ambitions come to nothing.

What's more fatal is that in many battles with the Yuan Empire, the Jin Kingdom not only failed to win a victory, but also lost its elite troops, and the signs of decline have become apparent.

At this moment, the Jin Kingdom is deeply trapped in the quagmire of its own problems. Its biggest shortcoming has become a fatal weakness, making it unable to pose a threat to Jidi or even the outside world.

As the situation in the Jin Dynasty became increasingly severe, the Liao survivors led by Yelu Yudu and Xiao Wuliu, especially the Khitans and Han people who missed their homeland, resolutely raised the banner of anti-Jin.

This move, like a huge stone thrown into the center of a lake, aroused deep worries and vigilance among the Jin Dynasty's top leaders. They were worried that this force would echo the Yuan Empire from afar, forming a pincer attack from both inside and outside.

Under the promotion of powerful officials such as Wanyan Zongpan and Wanyan Zonggan, the Jin Dynasty Emperor Wanyan Tan issued a strict order: Wherever there are Khitans and Han people living together, elite Jurchens must be sent to garrison and monitor, and strict intelligence collection and monitoring must be carried out. Once any signs of rebellion are found, they will be ruthlessly suppressed without mercy.

Yelu Mawu once fought with Wanyan Zongfu in the south and the north and made great military achievements, but now he has been marginalized due to the vortex of political struggle and was demoted to the northern border of the Jin Dynasty, where he was only granted the position of a thousand households.

This unfair treatment, like adding fuel to the fire, intensified his dissatisfaction and resentment.

When Wanyan Tan's edict came, Yelu Ma Wu could no longer suppress his anger and fear. He knew that the Jin people's suspicion and persecution of the Liao people were imminent.

So, he took advantage of the opportunity of the Jin Dynasty's garrison transfer in Shangjing and Taizhou, raised the banner of anti-Jin in Long'an and Hanzhou, and vowed to respond to the uprising of Yelu Yudu and Xiao Wuliu.

Yelu Ma Wu's actions quickly ignited the anger of the oppressed people of all ethnic groups. They all joined Yelu Ma Wu's army and jointly resisted the tyranny of the Jin Dynasty.

In just one month, Yelu Ma Wu's rebel army grew like a snowball to more than 100,000 people, well-equipped and with many war horses, and behind them was the secret support of the Yuan Empire.

——Yelu Ma Wu knew that it was difficult to shake the giant Jin Kingdom by his own strength, so he prepared in advance and sent envoys to Liaoning Road to seek Yue Fei's help. Yue Fei deeply appreciated and supported Yelu Ma Wu's righteous act, and his approval undoubtedly added infinite courage and confidence to Yelu Ma Wu's anti-Jin road.

Faced with Yelu Ma Wu's uprising and Yue Fei's reinforcements, the Jin Dynasty's high-level officials panicked and quickly dispatched troops to suppress it.

After some conspiracy, Wanyan Zongpan, Wanyan Zonggan and others decided to send Wanyan Salihe, the recruiting envoy of Xianping Road, to lead the army to the Liaohe front to fight Yelu Ma Wu.

However, Wanyan Salihe suffered an unprecedented setback-with the strong support of 30,000 cavalry led by Zhang Xian, Yelu Ma Wu successfully defeated his army and initially consolidated the position of the righteous army.

The Jin Dynasty court did not give up its attempt to suppress it.

At the insistence of Wanyan Zongpan and others, Wanyan Tan not only did not punish Wanyan Salihe for his defeat, but promoted him to the post of Liaodong Xuanfu Envoy and gave him a heavy army of 200,000 in an attempt to encircle and suppress Yelu Mawu and Zhang Xian again.

However, the course of history did not go as the Jin Dynasty wished. In this second confrontation, Zhang Xian and Yelu Mawu once again defeated the majority with fewer troops. They not only defeated Wanyan Salihe's army, but also successfully recovered the land of Andong Tongzhi A Lian, allowing the power of the Yuan Empire to further penetrate into the Liaodong prefectures and counties.

After this battle, the situation of the Jin Dynasty took a sharp turn for the worse and was surrounded by enemies: in the northeast, the coalition forces led by Li Yanxian, Yao Youzhong, Yelu Yudu and Xiao Wuliu were eyeing them covetously; in the southeast, Yue Fei's troops echoed the Yuan army stationed in Goryeo; in the southwest, Wang Bing's troops fought side by side with Yelu Mawu's righteous army; at the same time, Zhu Wu's troops also frequently fought with the Jin Dynasty's Southwest Recruiting Division to contain Wanyan Huonu and other reinforcements.

The entire Jin Kingdom seemed to be surrounded by a huge net and was trapped both internally and externally.

To make matters worse for the Jin Kingdom, the years of war had caused its national strength to decline severely, and the ethnic groups that had been conquered by the Jurchens in various places rose up in rebellion.

The first to bear the brunt was the Xi army led by Xiao Gan.

Xiao Gan was indeed an outstanding general who had appeared on the historical stage before the Jin Kingdom rose up.

Seeing that the Jin Kingdom was about to fail, Xiao Gan decisively left a small number of troops to garrison Bei'an Prefecture, while he personally led tens of thousands of troops directly northward.

After Xiao Gan led the Xi army northward, he quickly occupied Taizhou, Zhaozhou and other states, and approached the Jin Kingdom's capital Jinshangjing.

The situation of the Jin Kingdom was precarious...

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