Chapter 455: Sudden Appearance

Latest website: Chrysanthemum Island.

Yulaohan was chopping firewood on the rocky mountain on the island.

He was thin and gaunt, his eyes dull.

Ningjin Dusi was occupied by the Northern Di, and Chrysanthemum Island, a small island originally hanging alone to the east of Jinjun, could not escape the bullying of the Northern Di people either.

In the first two months of the occupation, a squad of twenty Northern Di soldiers took a small boat to land on Chrysanthemum Island.

Chrysanthemum Island is very small, only about eighteen li from south to north, and less than ten li at its widest point from east to west.

Most of the island is mountainous, with only a small amount of arable land, enough to support only one village, less than two hundred households.

Originally, the people on the island, like the people on the land of Da Song, had to pay taxes every year.

But they could still get by.

But after the Northern Di soldiers came, everything changed.

Because Chrysanthemum Island is too inconspicuous and has no profit to be made.

The Northern Di people seemed to have forgotten this place, leaving everything to the small Northern Di leader who landed on the island to manage.

Over the years, the small Northern Di leader has practically treated Chrysanthemum Island as his own private property.

He imposed heavy taxes on the people on the island, resold grain, killed people at every turn, and wantonly insulted the women on the island.

Over the years, if a family on the island gave birth to a daughter, they would wail to the heavens.

Some even had the heart to strangle their newborn daughters rather than let the Northern Di people defile them.

And they had lived such days for ten years.

In these ten years, his son was killed for saving his daughter-in-law who was being insulted by the Northern Di people.

His wife died of excessive grief.

Only he was left in a dilapidated thatched cottage.

Even so, the Northern Di people would not let him go.

The winter was cold, and the Northern Di people on the island wanted to roast by the fire,

so they made him go up the mountain to chop firewood.

Otherwise, they would kill his ten-year-old grandson.

Thinking of the sad parts, two lines of hot tears rolled from the corners of his eyes.

At this moment, he suddenly caught a glimpse of twelve huge ships slowly coming toward Chrysanthemum Island.

Stopping the work in his hands, Yulaohan looked carefully; he had never seen such large ships.

When the ships were closer, he saw that there seemed to be many people on them.

The large ships did not anchor at the foot of the rocky mountain, but went straight to Juhua Cun.

"The Northern Di could not build such ships." Yulaohan muttered, and continued to chop firewood.

He didn't care whose ships they were at all.

Because no matter whose they were, they certainly wouldn't dare to be enemies with the Northern Di.

An hour later, having finished chopping the firewood, Yulaohan carried the firewood down the mountain.

Just as he reached the foot of the mountain, he suddenly saw his grandson running toward him, sweating profusely, holding a white flour steamed bun in his hand.

"Grandpa, the Northern Di people have been beaten to death, Yan Wang's army has come to save us." The child showed off the steamed bun in his hand, "Look, this is what they gave me."

Yulaohan was stunned, the dry firewood slipped from his hands, hitting the ground with a "clatter".

It had been ten years, and his heart was like dead ashes.

But hearing that the Da Song army had arrived, he still couldn't help but feel a strong palpitation, and tears rolled down.

As if he had become ten years younger in an instant, Yulaohan didn't even care about his grandson, and strode toward Juhua Cun.

When he arrived, he found that the people in the village had all come out.

At this time, everyone had a smile on their face.

Some carried water buckets to give water to the soldiers in Silver Armor to drink.

Some carried baskets containing the only black steamed buns in their homes.

The soldiers in Silver Armor had kind faces, like fellow villagers who had been away for many years and had just returned home.

"You finally came!" Yulaohan stared for a while, then suddenly sat on the ground and burst into tears.

Bai Shang was full of pride at this moment, enjoying the cheers of the people.

Hearing the crying, he looked at the old man sitting on the ground.

The villagers immediately introduced Yulaohan to him, not forgetting to tell of his family's tragic situation.

"These damned Northern Di people are simply beasts." Bai Shang said angrily, then he said to the soldiers, "Tie up that small Northern Di leader and hand him over to the people to deal with!"

When the Warship arrived at the sea near Juhua Cun, Zhou Yi lowered three small boats that could carry twenty people.

He was in the first batch to board the boat, leading sixty Wangfu Army soldiers to land on Chrysanthemum Island.

And just at this time, the Northern Di soldiers on the island heard the news and rushed over.

They easily slaughtered the twenty Northern Di soldiers and captured the small Northern Di leader who was their Commander.

Before long, the people on the island learned that it was the Da Song army that had come, so they immediately swarmed over, exceptionally enthusiastic.

The soldiers received the order, tied up the small Northern Di leader who had been stabbed in the thigh, and threw him to the ground.

When the people saw their enemy, their eyes turned red with hatred; they picked up stones from the ground and threw them at the small Northern Di leader.

The small Northern Di leader immediately screamed.

But he did not beg for mercy, instead cursing loudly.

"You are all waiting to die, the Northern Di people will definitely take fierce revenge on you, none of you will be able to run."

"Yan Wang, he has such guts, daring to come to Jinjun. When my Northern Di army breaks into Yanguan, I will definitely grind him to dust, hahaha..."

"..."

The Northern Di man was already covered in blood, but he remained arrogant.

In the eyes of every Northern Di man, the Song People were so lowly they were not even as good as the cattle and sheep on the Grassland.

Slaughtering Song People was no different from slaughtering cattle and sheep.

How could he ever beg for mercy from these cattle and sheep?

Amidst his wild laughter, he suddenly felt the sunlight above his head being blocked.

At this moment, he saw a face; it was none other than the face of Yulaohan.

Yulaohan was holding a rock the size of a head in his hands.

While the Northern Di chieftain was stunned, he raised it high and smashed it down.

"Die! Die! Die..." Once, twice, Yulaohan smashed the Northern Di chieftain's head as if he had gone mad.

Not until the Northern Di commander had no breath left and was a mass of mangled flesh did he slowly stand up.

Coming before Bai Shang, Yulaohan said, "Soldier, we killed the Northern Di man. If you abandon us, we will all have to throw ourselves into the sea and die; the Northern Di will not spare us."

Bai Shang nodded solemnly; the commoners on the island were all sallow and emaciated, looking almost like skin and bones.

In such a cold winter, they were only wearing thin clothes, stuffed with straw inside to keep out the cold.

This miserable appearance reminded him of the tragic lives of the commoners before Yan Wang came to Yan Commandery.

And the bone-deep hatred the islanders revealed when they smashed the Northern Di minor chieftain to death made him feel a jolt of shock.

At the same time, there was also a deep sense of guilt.

With the country in danger and the commoners suffering, it was the dereliction of duty of their army.

"Rest assured, we have come this time to stay. From now on, Chrysanthemum Island will be the fortress Yan Wang drives into the heart of the Northern Di," Bai Shang said.

This time, they were only harassing the Northern Di rear, coordinating with the soldiers at Yanguan to create the illusion that they were going to attack Ningjin Dusi.

There was no plan to actually take Ningjin Dusi.

After all, the Northern Expeditionary Army had been miserably defeated, and for a long time to come, the Great Song would likely be unable to launch any more offensives against the Northern Di.

If they occupied Ningjin Dusi at this time, they would truly fall into the quagmire of war with the Northern Di.

Unlike Yanzhou, Ningjin Dusi had no natural defenses to hold, with city after city standing on the vast Pingyuan.

Furthermore, the Northern Di had ruled Ningjin Dusi for ten years.

The commoners here had been enslaved; those who could die had died, those who could flee had fled, and the remaining Song People likely numbered less than five hundred thousand.

Even if they took this place, such a vast territory with so few people—

The cost of defense would be enormous, yet there would be no possibility of any significant output.

Simply put, taking this place now would be a burden for Yanzhou.

Only one day, when they had significant surplus strength, could they consider taking this place back.

Just as he was thinking this, someone suddenly patted him on the back.

Turning around, Bai Shang was so startled he almost jumped.