One Piece of Song Dynasty

On November , the Jin army gathered a large number of siege equipment under Huaizhou City, seemingly planning to attack the city. Huo Anguo hurriedly sent six scholars out of the city to meet Zong Han, hoping to persuade him not to attack the city.

Zong Han asked: "Has there been any news from your court?"

Six people replied: "No reply yet."

Zong Han asked again: "What Fan Zhongxiong said and the text I asked him to bring, is it because Huo Anguo did not report to the court or because Emperor Zhao did not come with the text?"

All six people said: "We all reported it, but there was no response."

Zong Han was furious and stood up suddenly and said: "I thought that because Fan Zhongxiong was a junior official, no one listened to his ideas. I didn't expect that even my words were not valued. You Song Dynasty is too untrustworthy. From now on From now on, I won’t believe you if there are any more letters, and I won’t see you if you send envoys. Go back and tell the state leader that you will be loyal and filial for as long as you can, whether you go to war or defend the city, I just won’t stop attacking.” The six scholars were frightened. I was speechless, so I had to go back to the city and report the truth.

Huo Anguo felt that Fan Zhongxiong had been to Jinying and knew the strength of the enemy, so he appointed him in charge of the army and horses and responsible for defending the city.

On that day, the Jin army began to attack the city. They prepared a large number of siege equipment and first used ladders to attack the city. The Song army used divine arm bows to shoot on the enemy tower, and used sabers and axes to kill on the female wall. The ladder siege quickly failed. The Jin army then switched to using Eche Dongzi to attack the city. The Song army lit a fire with grass, burned the small ladder of the goose cart, and smashed the cave with stones, hot water, rolling wood and stones. The attack on the city of Gooseche Dongzi also failed. The Jin army finally attacked the city with artillery. Stones as big as buckets continued to fly into the city. The rope nets, tents and pillars on the city were all smashed, and the people in the city were very frightened.

That night, Huo Anguo ordered Fan Zhongxiong to recruit more than death squads, planning to lower the city and burn the cannon mounts. Huo Anguo ordered them to set fire to the enemy's stronghold immediately after they arrived, and shouted loudly: "Jiuzhou Han'er rebels" to cause chaos. Then, take advantage of the enemy's confusion to burn those gun mounts.

After Fan Zhongxiong led death squads to the city, he found that countless Jin army and horse teams were connected, making it difficult to find their way. It wasn't until the end of the third watch that they came to the gun mount.

Fan Zhongxiong ordered more than ten people to set fire and shouted loudly, but the Jin army's camp was not in chaos. Groups of Jin troops rushed up, and the two sides fought, each causing damage. Fan Zhongxiong rushed out of the Jin army's siege. At dawn, there were only twenty-four people who followed him up the city.

Fan Zhongxiong went to see Huo Anguo, and suddenly he heard someone on the city shouting: "There are white flags coming from the southeast. It's the imperial court's reinforcements." Huo Anguo urgently ordered Fan Zhongxiong to arrange for people to go to the north city to open the door.

At this time, the Jin army had rushed to the city wall, and dozens of black flags had been erected on the city wall. The Song army defending the city had been dispersed, and general Wang Mei threw himself into the moat and died.

Fan Zhongxiong planned to lead more than a thousand militiamen to start a street fight with the Jin army, but after a while, the militiamen dispersed and Fan Zhongxiong was captured by the Jin army.

Fan Zhongxiong was escorted to the city wall. He saw a purple umbrella open on the enemy tower, and a man who looked like a general was sitting under the umbrella. This man was Wanyan Xiyin, the supervisor of the Jin Army on the West Road. He ordered the translator to ask Fan Zhongxiong: "Why don't you know how to be rebellious and resist the king's army?"

Fan Zhongxiong replied: "Zhongxiong is a minister of Emperor Zhao. He led the army under the order of the Appeasement Department. He has only a small army and is willing to die."

Xi Yin said: "You, Jiulao Wang Shi in Huaizhou, should have been exterminated together, because I cherish the lives of the people and do not want to rely on the power of the army. According to the wishes of the soldiers, I will go to the city to plunder. You can tell the people carefully."

After a while, about ten thousand citizens came to the city and said one after another: "We are here to save Fan Jiyi." Some people even shouted: "Fan Jiyi, don't worry, if they dare to touch you, the people will avenge you in the future."

Xiyin sent an order: "Don't do this." Then he said to Fan Zhongxiong: "You are not the chief officer. It is not your fault. I can spare your life."

Fan Zhongxiong said: "I am willing to die."

Xiyin said: "I, the Dajin man, speak one sentence at a time, unlike you who speak in the Southern Dynasty without any evidence. Since I spare your life, I will spare your life. If there is no other official business, please go back and find the governor of the state for me." Come, let’s go see the Prime Minister together.”

Fan Zhongxiong was escorted by Jin soldiers and went to the state government office to look for Huo Anguo, but he couldn't find him. So I went to the Daofeng Tower in the north of the city to look for him, but no one was there. Because Huo Anguo was also captured by the Jin people.

Fan Zhongxiong was escorted back to the city tower by the Jin soldiers. He saw Gao Shiyou, the magistrate of Zezhou, and Lu Minzhong, the general judge, sitting under an umbrella with Xi Yin.

Xi Yin said: "I've caught you to comfort you. It's too late today, so you can go and see the Prime Minister tomorrow."

Before dawn the next day, Fan Zhongxiong and other captured officials were escorted outside the city to see Zong Han. About two or three miles out of the south gate, there are three camps. Zong Han is sitting on a silver chair in the middle camp. Zong Han ordered the captured officials to line up according to their job categories and sizes. Zhizhou, Tongpan, Lingjia, Dujian, Dingfeng Lujiang, and Dingfeng Lu troops will stand in a row, prefecture officials will stand in a row, supervisory officials will stand in a row, and county officials will stand in a row.

Zong Han asked: "There are so many of you, who is the most unwilling to surrender?"

Huo Anguo replied: "It is Huo Anguo, the defender of the Song Dynasty, who led the people and refused to surrender."

Zong Han asked the general judge Lin Yuan again: "Are you surrendering?"

Lin Yuan replied: "Yuan is one with Zhizhou and refuses to surrender."

Zong Han asked the generals in the first row again: "Is it the state leader who refuses to surrender, or you who don't surrender?"

All the generals replied: "Neither I nor Zhizhou are willing to surrender."

Zong Han ordered them all to face northeast and bow to Dajin. Huo Anguo and others refused. Huo Anguo said: "Anguo is a minister of the Song Dynasty. He has never obtained the official Zhao family's letters. How can he surrender?"

Zong Han waved his hand and ordered Huo Anguo to be taken aside, stripped of his clothes, and tied up with ropes. He also ordered Gao Shiyou, the magistrate of Zezhou, to say to the others: "You are all minor officials. It has nothing to do with you. I don't want you to surrender. Each of you can have your sins forgiven."

Zong Han ordered the general from Dingfeng Road to be brought over. The Dingfeng Road troops were ordered to come from the south to participate in the rescue of Taiyuan. The Dingfeng Road generals came to Zong Han and shouted: "It's not that certain people refused to surrender, it was Fan Zhongxiong of Huo'an who refused to surrender, and Fan Zhongxiong once led troops to fight."

Zong Han then issued an order: "Call Fan Zhongxiong."

The Jin soldiers dragged Fan Zhongxiong out of the row of county officials, stripped him of his clothes, and tied him up. Zong Han said: "It turns out you refused to surrender."

Fan Zhongxiong replied: "Zhongxiong is a minister of Emperor Zhao. How dare you surrender?"

Zong Han asked: "Why are you not afraid of my military orders at all?"

Fan Zhongxiong replied: "Zhongxiong asked the supervisor to spare his life yesterday. He said that the Kingdom of Jin only said a word, and there would be no other official business if he spared his life, so he is not afraid."

Zong Han smiled and said: "It's hard to deal with it." Then he sent an order: "Fan Zhongxiong has spared his life and can forgive his sin."