Speaking of which, a few years ago, Guo Mo was not yet eighteen years old.
Following the master master "Flying Bat" Ke Zhen'e, the fourth master "Nanshan Woodcutter" Nanxi Ren, and the eldest brother Guo Jing left the "Seven Sages" and went south to the Song Dynasty.
"Qixianzhuang" no longer has the hustle and bustle of the past. Except for mother Li Ping's longing for her sons, there are also various discomforts faced by little Zhang Ting.
She had grown up with Guo Mo since she was a child. She could always hear all kinds of strange and interesting stories from this second senior brother, which she could never hear from others.
However, the second senior brother left. Whenever little Zhang Ting saw Guo Mo's yard was empty, the little girl felt empty in her heart.
Her mother said that as long as she works hard to practice martial arts and grows up quickly, she can go to the south to find her senior brother, second senior brother and the others.
From that day on, little Zhang Ting began to practice martial arts very hard.
At the age of eight or nine, when she loves to play, she can often be seen in the martial arts training ground in the backyard.
That was once the favorite place for brothers Guo Jing and Guo Mo to stay.
"Yue Nv Sword" Han Xiaoying also accompanies her daughter every day and constantly teaches her sword skills.
A set of "Yue Nu Sword Techniques" has become increasingly proficient in the hands of little Zhang Ting, and her internal skills have also taken root. The "Seven Styles of the Desert" have completed the first level of "Desert Dust" training.
Third senior sister Hua Zheng, now the master's wife, heard that she was pregnant with a baby and could not play with little Zhang Ting every day, but she could feed the pair of little white eagles every day.
On the other hand, the fifth senior brother Ye Qu is now the leader of the "Seven Sages Village" guarding team. In addition to training the villagers, he often comes to practice martial arts with little Zhang Ting.
Not long afterward, "Seven Sages Village" welcomed two guests. They were Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lian, father and daughter who were rescued by Guo Mo and Huang Rong in Dingxing.
It was Han Xiaoying, the "Yue Nv Sword", who personally received the guests. When Zhang Ting heard that she was a guest introduced by her second senior brother, she also forced her mother to go with her to meet the visitor.
After reading the letters brought by the two men, Han Xiaoying naturally recognized Guo Mo's handwriting and had no objection to Guo Mo's arrangement.
This second disciple's every move over the years, his farsightedness, and his attitude of controlling the overall situation have left a deep imprint on everyone's minds. All he needs to do is cooperate with him as much as possible.
Little Zhang Ting also heard Huang Rong's name for the first time and knew that her second senior brother had a beautiful sister beside her.
Ye Qu was overjoyed when he heard that someone recommended by his second senior brother came to help manage logistics affairs.
He just likes to take everyone to practice together, no matter how hard or tiring it is.
However, when it came to the specific distribution and management of people eating horses chewing, Ye Qu felt very nervous for a while.
Therefore, Zhou Cheng's arrival completely liberated Ye Qu and gave him more energy to spend on the training of the village guard team.
Of course, what later made Ye Qu even more grateful was the daughter who came to "Qixianzhuang" with Zhou Cheng, the little Zhou Lian who was rescued by Guo Mo and Huang Rong.
After a lot of contact, they were all young people, and half a year later the two of them got together.
Just after Hua Zheng gave birth to Guo Ping, everyone held a grand wedding for Ye Qu and Zhou Lian at the "Seven Sages Manor".
Since then, the Zhou family and his daughter have completely integrated into the "Seven Sages Village".
The days to come will be spent day by day as little Zhang Ting's martial arts progresses.
"Yue Nu Sword Technique", "Nanshan Palm Technique", "Seven Styles of the Desert", Xiao Zhang Ting's martial arts are mainly practiced with her mother, and she also has a certain foundation in Qinggong and Shenfa.
As for her father, "Xiao Mi Tuo" Zhang Asheng, the only martial arts he could show off was the "Iron Cloth Shirt". It was obvious that a girl was not suitable for practicing such martial arts.
On the other hand, little Zhang Ting's uncle can often come back to "Seven Sages Village".
Han Baoju, the "King of Horses", doted on his niece very much. As little Zhang Ting grew taller, he taught her all his equestrian skills and the "Golden Dragon Whip Technique".
Later, the fourth senior brother Feng Ge followed Tuo Lei and Zhebie and went to the Song Dynasty.
Because I met Guo Mo unexpectedly, when I returned to the desert, I made a special trip to "Seven Sages Village".
He brought the "longevity lock" that Huang Rong gave to Guo Ping, and also showed off the "Leng Ye" sword that Guo Mo gave him.
Feng Ge was pulled by Li Ping, asking questions about his son Guo Mo's current situation, especially wanting to know everything about Huang Rong.
Feng Ge also tried his best to organize words to praise Huang Rong's beauty and virtuousness.
"By the way, this prospective second master's wife is the daughter of the famous 'Dongxie' Huang Yaoshi."
Of course, Zhang Asheng, the "Xiao Mi Tuo", and Han Xiaoying, the "Yue Nv Sword" were a little surprised by his words. Li Ping, who was not a member of the world, naturally had no feelings.
Feng Ge took out the jar of brewed snake gall wine and handed the letter to the seventh master.
Han Xiaoying opened the letter and read it carefully. There was a lot of content, mainly introducing in detail the efficacy of snake gallbladder, how to take it and precautions.
"Feng Ge, go find your third master, and you will come back with us."
As a martial artist, I naturally don't have much resistance to snake gallbladder, which can enhance internal strength and has certain anti-venom effects.
I also know how precious this gift given by my apprentice is. If this thing were put into the world, there would be a lot of bloodshed.
According to Guo Mo's arrangement, the three "Jiangnan Seven Monsters" originally left in the desert, as well as Feng Ge, Ye Qu and Hua Zheng, each received a snake gall.
However, Hua Zheng gave up her own one on the pretext that she was feeding her child, and in the end she had to take advantage of Xiao Zhang Ting.
This can be regarded as a collective improvement in strength for everyone who stayed in the desert. The one with the most obvious increase is Han Xiaoying and her daughter.
In terms of internal strength alone, Han Xiaoying broke through to the sixth level of "Flowing Clouds Catch the Sun" in one fell swoop, while Xiao Zhangting even consolidated the second level of "Wind Passing and Jingqi".
The strength of the "Qixianzhuang" protection team is also growing, and the number of people is finally fixed at around 300 people.
They were also sent to the army of "Horse King God" Han Baoju in batches to conduct actual combat exercises with the army. During the Mongolian Western Expedition, they received great training.
According to Guo Mo's instructions, the grain, grass, gold and silver secretly raised by the "Seven Sages Village" were secretly transferred out except for those used for daily use in the village.
In Fuzhou, at the junction of Mongolia and the Jin Kingdom, an inconspicuous manor was built to store these materials, and about thirty reliable villagers stayed behind to take care of it.
As the Mongolian army grew stronger, it also began a war of continuous outward expansion, conquering many small countries in the Western Regions and accumulating more war resources.
Genghis Khan set his next target for the conquest on the Kingdom of Jin. This former lord of suffering in the desert, Temujin was still a little afraid of.
It was not that he was worried that he would not be able to defeat the Jin State's army, but that he had a longer-term vision and did not want to fight with the Jin State in a fight in which both sides would suffer.
Therefore, after discussing with his generals, they decided on the strategy of "uniting with the Song Dynasty to fight against the Jin Dynasty, attacking from the north and the south, conquering Xixia first, and then destroying the Jin Kingdom".
Unexpectedly, the short-sighted Song Dynasty, which had always regarded the Jin Kingdom as an enemy, refused to agree to the proposal of jointly resisting the Jin Dynasty, and even tried every means to exchange war horses from Mongolia.
At the same time, the Jin border generals who had been bribed by Mongolia had their identities exposed and died tragically one by one.
The Jin Kingdom even withdrew tens of thousands of troops from the Song-Jin border and strengthened the northern defense line.
When Mongolia first began to conquer Xixia, the Jin Kingdom actually sent more than 100,000 troops to join forces with the Xixia army to fight against the Mongolian cavalry.
Temujin was a born soldier, and his intuition made him feel that there was an invisible big hand operating these things secretly, as if the other party could predict his plans?
The spies he secretly sent to the Song Dynasty also brought back some news one after another, among which three names attracted his special attention.
The first one is "Zhao Hao", the "King of Yan" of the Song Dynasty who suddenly appeared and was one of the replies the Song Dynasty gave him after he proposed an alliance.
He also gave the "King of Yan" the gold medal "as if I were here in person", which could mobilize all the soldiers and horses in the Song Dynasty.
Even Genghis Khan was a little impressed by this decision. Thinking about it from his perspective, he might not have the courage to give the military power of the country to a prince. It is said that he was just an adopted son of the official family of the Song Dynasty.
In this way, the Song Dynasty seemed to have made its attitude clear, and it was bound to destroy the Jin Kingdom and avenge its previous humiliation.
Otherwise, a "King of Yan" would not be granted a title, and this fiefdom would directly be the capital of the Jin Kingdom.
The second name is Guo Mo. The boy whom Temujin watched grow up actually became the number one scholar in the "Martial Arts Examination" of the Song Dynasty, and was specially awarded the "Protégé of the Emperor" by the officials of the Song Dynasty.
He created the "Dunwu Army" and was promoted to the capital commander of the "Dunwu Army", which is equivalent to the Mongolian captain of ten thousand men.
Moreover, he was also asked to serve as the "Secretary of the Imperial City of Tidian", which made Temujin even more puzzled. This position was perfect for a close minister of the emperor.
And Guo Mo was just a poor boy who grew up in the desert. How could he be so favorably treated and trusted by the officials of the Song Dynasty?
Later, Guo Mo and the achievements of his army also surprised Temujin.
He successively killed tens of thousands of Jin Kingdom's border troops and cut off the opponent's left ear. The method was considered cruel.
They even recaptured Dengzhou and Tangzhou from the Jin people, beating the Jin people until they lost their temper, and were forced to waive the Song Dynasty's "yearly tax".
This kid who even Temujin couldn't figure out since he was a child has grown up to be even more difficult for Temujin to figure out.
The third name is Guo Jing.
First, he became the leader of the "Beggars Gang", the largest gang in the Song Dynasty, and then joined the Song Army. Later, due to his accumulated military exploits, he was promoted to the capital commander of the "Jingnan Army".
The names of the three armies, "Dunwu", "Jingnan" and "Zhongshun", were carefully carved on his desk by Temujin.
And behind these three powerful armies, it seems that Guo Mo's shadow can be seen.
So, what kind of person is this Guo Mo?
Temujin recalled the past, the few interactions he had with Guo Mo, and felt that this child seemed to have deliberately kept a distance from him since he was a child.
From Guo Mo's eyes, he could see that the other party appreciated and even admired him. This cannot be deceived.
However, Guo Mo just doesn't want to have deeper interactions, and seems to be afraid of or guarding against something.
"Wo Kuotai, what do you think of this Guo Mo?"
Ogedei was Temujin's third son. He was in his thirties. He was also the most outstanding of Temujin's sons, and he was Temujin's default heir.
"Father, from what my son has seen, if this Guo Mo can't be used by me, I have to find a way to get rid of him, otherwise he will one day become a stumbling block for us."
Ogedai, like Temujin, had great ambitions and wanted to turn the place where the sun shines into a pasture for the Mongols.
"Our opponents now are mainly Xixia and Jin. I'm afraid we won't have a chance to compete with the Song Dynasty within three to five years."
"However, judging from various gathered information, Guo Mo's growth rate is really too fast. In just one year, he went from a mere military champion to a powerful person with 60,000 people in the armed forces.
"
"Fortunately, the officials of the Song Dynasty were too stupid and even denounced Guo Mo. But keeping this person here is a hidden danger after all."
Temujin stared at the information in front of him, as if talking to Ogodei, or mumbling to himself.
"Although brothers Father Han, Guo Mo, and Guo Jing have left, their mother Li Ping, several of their masters, and even Guo Jing's..."
Ogedei didn't say any more, but Temujin already understood what he meant.
Ogedei was talking about Guo Jing's son Guo Ping, who was Hua Zheng's son, his grandson of Temujin and Ogedei's nephew.
However, in the face of Huangtu's hegemony, these so-called family ties are nothing at all.
Back then, Temujin allowed Hua Zheng to marry Guo Jing, firstly because Hua Zheng's engagement with Du Shi no longer needed to be fulfilled.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Secondly, brothers Guo Jing and Guo Mo seem to be promising people in the future.
Behind them, there are martial arts masters like the "Seven Monsters of Jiangnan", and Zhebie is also the master of these two boys. All of these are quite a force.
As a person in power, his starting point when considering issues is always whether the matter itself is beneficial to him. As for family ties, they only have value when they can be used.
"You should arrange this matter yourself and don't let your fourth brother know about it. In addition, Han Baoju and Feng Ge in the army must also be closely monitored, and even Zhebie...forget it, Zhebie may not, after all
He is a true Mongolian."
Ogedai received Temujin's general order and went down to do something.
The subsequent war against Xixia was extremely brutal. There were actually a small number of bed crossbows on the walls of the Xixia people's city. It seems that these things were not even available in the Great Jin Kingdom, right?
This damn Song Dynasty must have exchanged this crossbow for the Xixia people's war horses.
Temujin valued the three armies under Guo Mo's control. The most critical point was that these three armies could have included half of the cavalry of the Song Dynasty.
Wokuotai commanded from the front, and suffered heavy casualties every time he attacked the city. Stimulated by the "city massacre", the Mongols still captured Xixia cities one after another.
"Third Master, our army suffered too many casualties today, but Ogedai Khan gave another order to let us take a short rest and continue the attack."
Feng Ge entered Han Baoju's tent, picked up the water bag and took two sips to vent his frustration.
"Feng Ge, are our own casualties heavy?" Han Baoju asked.
Feng Ge understood what his master meant. As a captain of thousands, Han Baoju led nearly 4,000 people, including about 400 of his personal guards.
Almost all of them were Han Chinese who had fled north, or were homeless slaves on the grasslands. These 400 people and the 300 team members who protected the village of "Seven Sages" were their capital to stay in Mongolia.
"Hey, just a few times in the morning, the Guards suffered hundreds of casualties and injuries in the few assaults on the city. Now there are less than 200 intact."
The Guards were the strongest among all the soldiers under Han Baoju's command. In the continuous battles, nearly half of them were lost, and the other soldiers suffered serious casualties.
The team that originally numbered nearly 4,000 people now only has 1,800 people able to continue fighting.
"Feng Ge, I suspect this is Wokuotai's intention to target you and me."
"I just received a letter from your second master last night. He has been in Qixianzhuang for two months. He wanted to take the people in the village back south to the Song Dynasty, but he was blocked by two thousand-man troops.
Come to the village."
"They were sent by Wokuotai, saying that Mongolia was at war with Xixia and the Jin Kingdom. They were ordered to protect Princess Huazheng and her son. No one was allowed to leave the Seven Sages Village. In order to send this letter out, everyone in the village folded
We lost more than a dozen good soldiers."
"Horse King God" Han Baoju finished speaking and punched the desk in front of him.
"Master, how could they treat us like this?" Feng Ge was also very angry after hearing this.
"Qixianzhuang" is his home in the desert. The fifth master and the seventh master are all there, as well as Aunt Li Ping and nephew Guo Ping. If something happens to them, how will he explain to his senior brother and second senior brother?
"Feng Ge, come and read this letter. You will understand after reading it."
Han Baoju had used a special potion to reveal the content on the letter paper.
This is a common trick used by the Jianghu people. Even if someone intercepts it, the information will not be leaked.
"Is this... is this true? Second senior brother, he is actually?..."
Feng Ge looked at Han Baoju with incredible eyes.
"There should be no mistake. This is indeed a letter written by your second master."
Han Baoju took the letter back again and threw it into the brazier nearby, where it was quickly devoured by red flames.
"I think Temujin and the others still don't know the true identity of your second senior brother, but his superficial identity is enough for him to deal with us like this."
"We can't sit still and wait for death. Let's follow your second master's suggestion and leave here tonight and return to the Seven Sages Manor to meet them."
Han Baoju is an upright man. He suddenly fell out with Paoze, who he had fought with for many years. He felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, especially since Zhebie and Tuo Lei were considered close friends.
Unfortunately, the reality before him forced him to make a decisive decision.
What's more, Guo Mo's identity and his actions in the Song Dynasty made this man in his forties full of longing for the future and wished he could fly back right away.
The plan has been decided. The two of them packed some things for use. The guards could not take them all away. The brothers who were injured and could no longer fight could only say sorry.
There were only one hundred and eighty-five people left who could go with them. Each person quietly prepared five days of dry food and water, equipped with one person and two horses.
At the second watch, Han Baoju summoned eight centurions, including Feng Ge, in his military tent.
"Everyone, we have just received the military order from Ogedai Khan. We are responsible for tonight's night attack. Harassment is the priority. Do not attack by force."
"Takumi, you lead 800 people to attack from the east gate; Mo Li, you lead 800 people to attack from the west gate; Feng Ge leads the bodyguards and will attack from the north gate with me; other wounded and sick people will stay at the camp."
"Takumi and Moli, you will ambush outside the city gate first, and launch an attack at the same time at three o'clock. Go down and prepare."
All the centurions went down. They had done this kind of night harassment several times before, and no one raised any suspicion.
Han Baoju and Feng Ge quietly left the camp with their guards and took a detour to "Qixianzhuang".
After leaving the camp, the guards ran away, one man and two horses.
Even if Wokuotai discovered them and judged their intentions, it would probably be too late to catch up.
From here, we returned to Qixianzhuang, a journey of more than a thousand miles, and a rapid march that lasted two full days.
By the time they approached the "Seven Sages Village", Feng Ge had already sent out the sentinels from a distance.
Sure enough, the east, west and south sides of "Seven Sages Village" were blocked by Mongolian cavalry, and pedestrians were strictly prohibited from entering or exiting for several miles around.
Fortunately, "Seven Sages Village" is large enough, and the cultivation and breeding in the village can be self-sufficient.
"Feng Ge, you sneak into Zhuangzi tonight and follow the plan. I will lead people to lure them away first, and you will take the opportunity to escape from Zhuangzi and meet at Fuzhou Manor."
"Third Master, let me lure them away. You sneak into Zhuangzi..."
"What? Do you think you are better than your master? Execute the order——"
It was still some time before dark, so everyone took the time to eat, drink and rest.
In the desert in April, a lot of snow has not yet melted, so even if you are wearing a thick leather blanket, you can't help but feel a bit chilly.
The Mongolian soldiers outside "Qixianzhuang" have been stationed here for almost a month. Except for the two leading captains, the others really thought that they were here to protect Princess Huazheng.
On weekdays, the precautions are inevitably a bit lax. Deep in the hinterland of Mongolia, what danger can there be?
Before the scheduled watch, it was so dark that nothing could be seen.
Feng Ge wore dark clothes and didn't ride a horse, so he quietly walked towards "Seven Sages Village".
After living here for so many years, I am naturally familiar with the roads.
Without going through the door, he came directly to a low wall and climbed over the wall.
As soon as he arrived in front of the "Seven Sages Hall", he was discovered.
"who?"
It was the scolding voice of Han Xiaoying, the "Yue Nv Sword".
"The seventh master is me, Feng Ge." Feng Ge hurriedly said.
There are still candles lit in the "Seven Sages' Hall". At the agreed time, if everything goes well, Han Baoju and the others should be able to arrive at the "Seven Sages' Manor" tonight.
Therefore, no one in the village has gone to bed yet.
Feng Ge entered the "Seven Sages Hall" and saw the fifth and seventh masters there. He also met the second master "Miaoshou Scholar" Zhu Cong, who had been separated for a long time.
Li Ping, Hua Zheng, Ye Qu, and even Zhang Ting were also present.
"Disciple, I have met all the masters." Feng Ge hurriedly paid tribute to several elders.
"Feng Ge, you are here. It seems that you have received my letter. How are you preparing?"
"Masterful Scholar" Zhu Cong asked.
"Report to the second master that the third master and his personal guards are already five miles northwest of Zhuangzi. You can proceed as planned."
"However, for some unknown reason, Ogedai has been targeting us recently. He has lost more than half of his men. Even our own members of the Guards can only bring back 185 people."
"Hmph, my good third brother, is he really willing to do it?"
Before anyone else could say anything, Hua Zheng couldn't help it anymore.
When the Mongolian cavalry outside "Qixian Village" just besieged Zhuangzi, Hua Zheng went to negotiate with them personally and even drew his sword and killed two sergeants.
She still couldn't go out, and the other party was unwilling to inform her. He only said that he was following the order of Ogedai Khan.
Hua Zheng knew that this must be what her father meant. She never expected that the father who regarded her as the apple of his eye would one day put his daughter under house arrest.
Of course Hua Zheng is also a smart person, and a lot of news about Guo Jing and Guo Mo has come back, especially the arrival of the "wonderful scholar" Zhu Cong.
Huazheng didn't know that Guo Mo was the son of a Song Dynasty official, and that Guo Mo and the "King of Yan" were the same person. She knew everything else.
She didn't expect that her father would use this method. Was this to put the Guo brothers' family members under house arrest and force them to submit?
The question is, since I am here, is this still my beloved Genghis Khan?
"Hua Zheng——"
Li Ping held Hua Zheng's hand and didn't know what to say.
"Mom, since the day I married A Jing, I have said that from now on there will be no Princess Huazheng. I am just A Jing's wife and the daughter-in-law of the Guo family."
After so many years, everyone here is my own relative, and they have watched her grow up since childhood.
Especially this time, her father and brother were so heartless that Hua Zheng had to think about her son.
"Okay, in that case, let's proceed as planned. Qimei, Hua Zheng, and Ting'er, the three of you will lead twenty villagers to protect Sister-in-law Li Ping, Guo Ping, and Zhou Lian's mother and son."
After Ye Qu and Zhou Lian got married, they also gave birth to a son, named Ye Feng, who was one year younger than Guo Ping and had just passed his third birthday.
"Lao Wu, Feng Ge, and Ye Qu, each of you will bring a hundred villagers. When everyone hears the noise from the west, fight out from the east together."
"Ye Qu is clearing the way. Let's go straight to the manor in Fuzhou to meet up with Zhou Cheng. There are only a hundred or so horses in the manor. The two hundred infantry will leave first and go to the first supply point to get the horses. Let's take action."
Everyone got on the war horses. Li Ping, Zhou Lian and their two children got on a reinforced carriage, lined with iron plates to block bows and arrows.
Ye Qu went ahead with two hundred foot soldiers, and the crowd gathered around the carriage in the middle. Feng Ge led one hundred riders to the rear.
Suddenly, people in the west of Zhuangzi heard shouts of horses neighing, and the Mongolian military tent was set on fire.
"There's an enemy attack—from the west—"
"Quickly divide a group of people to guard the gate of the Seven Sages Manor."
The Mongolian soldiers were sleeping peacefully when they were woken up by the shouts of killing. There were shouts and fires everywhere, but there was no enemy in sight.
It turned out that Han Baoju and his personal guards were just outside the camp and kept firing rockets into the tents, setting fire to the Mongolian army's food and tents.
After all, it was a well-trained army. After a period of confusion, a commander immediately made a decision.
Five hundred people were left to guard the gate of "Qixianzhuang".
More than 1,300 people were left, and they launched a charge towards Han Baoju...