Two hundred and ninetieth IX: Coming out in full force
"Your Highness, the news from Weizhou——"
Zhao Rushu walked quickly into the Hall of Heroes.
It was already May 22nd, and in six days' time, it would be the day when the "Yue Family Army" would attack Bianliang.
In the past few days, Guo Mo has been staying in the Hall of Heroes almost every day, so that the news gathered from various places can be seen by him at the first time.
Important matters can also be responded to or handled in a timely manner.
Before, Guo Mo asked Cheng Jue to send out the "Letter to the People of the Jin Kingdom", just because he thought that it would undermine the morale of the Jin Kingdom's soldiers and civilians in advance, and at the same time, it could also dissuade the Jin Kingdom refugees from marching westward in disguise.
Unexpectedly, in addition to the established goals, I also received unexpected results.
For example, the letter from Weizhou is one of them.
This letter came from Weizhou, but it did not come from the "listening to the wind" personnel deployed by Guo Mo, but from Cui Li, the guard of Weizhou.
Cui Li has no "loyalty" to anyone in his heart. In other words, the only one he is truly loyal to is himself.
Such a person will not be driven by the so-called "integrity", but he is also a person with extremely unique vision.
When he saw the "Letter to the People of the Kingdom of Jin", he knew that the Kingdom of Jin was completely finished.
It is absolutely impossible for him, Cui Li, to perish along with the Kingdom of Jin. He wants to find a way out for the fifteen thousand brothers under his command.
Of course, these fifteen thousand brothers are not the capital for Cui Li to settle down in this troubled world?
Therefore, not long after seeing the "Letter to the People of the Kingdom of Jin", Cui Li quietly sent his confidants to Luoyang City to meet Guo Mo.
This old boy didn't talk about "surrender" before he came up. In his eyes, he has fifteen thousand troops and occupies a state. He must have some negotiation skills, right?
Unfortunately, Cui Li still made the wrong calculation.
Guo Mo did not meet with the confidants sent by Cui Li at all. Even Zhao Rushu, who was the crown prince's preceptor, and Cheng Ju, the crown prince's chief security officer, did not show up. He only sent a secretary to meet the visitors.
After that, people were sent four or five times one after another. The most recent time was three days ago, and finally someone came to see Zhao Rushu.
Seeing that there was no substantial guarantee, the other party simply revealed his trump card. Cui Li was willing to bring 15,000 men under his command to serve as a pioneer in the crusade against Bianliang.
This old boy is ruthless enough, and he also knows that if he doesn't make some achievements, he has no chance to gain a foothold with the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty.
Moreover, he now has 15,000 men under his command. With such a large number of troops, even if they join the Song Dynasty, they may bring disaster to themselves.
Therefore, he asked for orders to attack Bianliang. If the lives of these men and horses could be exchanged for Cui Li's contribution, it would be a killing of two birds with one stone.
Cui Li's little tricks naturally couldn't be hidden from Zhao Rushu, Guo Mo and others, which made them even more disdainful of this kind of person's character.
However, we cannot simply shut out such people. Not only will we lose 15,000 combat troops, this may really damage the reputation of the crown prince of the Song Dynasty.
Once this reputation of "refuse to surrender" spreads, how can we recruit the enemy's talents in the future? It will also make future battles more cruel in disguise.
"Your Highness, I think it's better than this. Doesn't Cui Li want to make a contribution? Just give him a chance and let him launch the attack one day earlier than us."
"Cui Li's army in Weizhou also includes dozens of our 'Ting Feng's. Your Highness can give an order at the same time to make them smarter on the battlefield. If they can shoot and kill the emperor of the Jin Kingdom, hehe.
....."
Hey, this old Cheng Jue's thoughts are getting more and more evil.
However, why does Guo Mo think this idea is really so suitable?
"Sir, what's the news from Weizhou?"
Guo Mo put down the pen in his hand, stretched and looked at the sky outside the window. The day was almost over.
"Your Highness, Cui Li has agreed to His Highness's request. They will cross the Yellow River south to surprise Bianliang City on May 27th, one day earlier than the 'Yue Family Army'."
After Zhao Ru finished speaking, he handed the message in his hand to Guo Mo.
Cui Li's attack was truly a surprise attack.
Bianliang City, which was originally defended by more than 40,000 Jin troops, was attacked by Guo Mo's "Letter to the People of the Jin Kingdom", and now the number has dropped sharply to 34,000, with almost 10,000 more soldiers dispersed.
Although Bianliang City was guarded by these 34,000 people, heavy troops were deployed on the western and southern fronts, and only 2,000 people were released symbolically on the eastern front.
As for the northern line next to the Yellow River, there were only a few hundred old soldiers guarding it.
Wanyan Shouxu also fantasized that if Cui Li suddenly discovered his conscience one day, he could cross the Yellow River south to support Bianliang City at its most critical moment.
"Haha, I'm afraid the two hundred thousand taels of silver you brought back to him played a certain role. However, I still have to remind this old boy to restrain himself after entering the city."
Bianliang City is the current capital of the Jin Kingdom, and it was also the capital of the Song Dynasty. In other words, in the hearts of the people of the Song Dynasty, it has always been their capital.
Lin'an is, after all, just Lin'an.
...
"Brother Timmu Khan, have you really made up your mind?"
Looking at Brother Tiemu who was a little red in the face after drinking, Borshu was still worried in his heart.
Since Tiemu Ge was defeated by the Mongolian Communists last year, Genghis Khan's younger brother was considered a ruthless man. He directly abandoned the two western cities he had occupied in Guazhou and Shazhou and joined forces with Borshu.
Soldiers in one place.
In fact, it was wise for Tiemu to do this. He only had 30,000 men under his command, while the Song-Xia coalition forces opposite him were more than twice as many.
In a one-on-one field battle with the opponent, the majestic Mongolian cavalry is no match. How can you let him fight in this battle?
The most important thing was that winter was about to begin, the army could not find supplies, and there was a risk of annihilation. He could not let the 30,000 Mongolian warriors starve to death.
After joining forces with Borshu, Brother Timu even directly made Borshu the highest commander, even though the other party only had more than 10,000 people under his command.
Xixia was so big that if we couldn't conquer the west, we would attack the east first, and the east was Wan Yankang's territory.
"Boshu, if we say we want to take over Xixia now, do you still have confidence?"
Brother Timu did not answer Borshu, but instead asked what he wanted to ask most.
Who is Borshu?
During the period of Genghis Khan Temujin, he was already the first commander-in-chief of Mongolia. He was a steady man, had a strong view of the overall situation, and had many strategies.
Brother Tiemu knew that the "Dunwu Army" of the Mongolian Communist Party was training those Xixia troops, and there were already more than 30,000 Song troops on the western front.
There are still 50,000 "Dunwu Army" stationed in Yinzhou City, and in Taiyuan, which is close to Xixia, there are also 20,000 "Dunwu Army" waiting for help.
A total of 100,000 "Dunwu troops" were enough to overwhelm all the armed forces in Xixia.
"Temmu Brother Khan, if the Great Khan can send another 300,000 to 50,000 Mongolian cavalry, I will still have this confidence. It will be difficult to just rely on the more than 40,000 cavalry now."
Borshu was also sixty-five years old. After he turned sixty, he rarely led troops to fight on the front line. The commander of the Mongolian army was mostly Muhuali, who was eight or nine years younger than him.
Unfortunately, Mu Huali died on the battlefield in Hebei.
Borshu had no choice but to return to the front line, but his energy and physical strength were no longer what they used to be.
Last year, when he bid farewell to Wokuotai and entered Xixia, Boshu had an inexplicable premonition. He felt that this might be his last expedition.
So, can Wokuotai send them tens of thousands more cavalry?
The answer is obviously no.
Indeed, after Wokuotai returned to the grassland, tens of thousands of people quickly gathered, but he did not dare to act rashly.
After not returning to the desert for more than two years, he discovered that not only Tuo Lei's own tribe had left, but more than thirty small tribes had also followed in Tuo Lei's footsteps.
If he doesn't consolidate the rule of the desert, I'm afraid more people will leave in the coming year.
It is reported that Tuo Lei has left Zhongdu and returned to Goryeo again. He will start preparing for the war of annihilation against Goryeo next year.
Zhebie was left behind in Zhongdu, but Tuo Lei only left him 3,000 troops, and most of the supplies in Zhongdu were also taken away by Tuo Lei.
Tuo Lei's excuse was that he was about to unify Goryeo and needed more troops. When Zhebie asked how to defend Zhongdu, Tuo Lei had no answer.
Zhelemie, who disappeared after Temujin's death, has now become an effective general under Tolei. After all, he is younger, and his killing methods are still superior to those of Zhebie and Chi Laowen.
More than two-thirds of the Koryo Peninsula has been occupied by tow mines, but only more than 10,000 Koryo troops were killed.
The King of Goryeo at this time was a king who had been in power for fourteen years? He was known to the outside world as King Chunghyun Anhyo.
Ever since Gaesong, the capital of Goryeo, was captured by Tu Lei, King Zhongxian Anxiao became a little decadent. The capital was captured, and he escaped alone with his escort.
Those concubines in the harem fell into the hands of the Mongols. One can imagine what would happen to them?
He sent envoys over and over again and again to beg for surrender, but none of them came back alive.
"Your Majesty, we probably can't defend Korea anymore. How about we go to sea?"
King Zhongxian Anxiao still had some confidants around him. They knew that they could reach the westernmost island of Japan by sailing out to sea in just two or three days.
"However, this is the inheritance left by our ancestors. If it dies in my hands, how can I face my ancestors?"
At this time, King Zhongxian Anxiao still wants to be a filial son and grandson.
Guo Mo's "Letter to the People of the Jin Kingdom" seemed to have given the Mongols a "peace of mind" hint. They no longer focused on the Song Dynasty, but began to take actions of their own.
First of all, the tow mines were launched in Korea in early May.
Chi Laowen stayed behind in Kaicheng, which was the former capital of the Goryeo Kingdom and where Tolei's current headquarters is.
Tuo Lei, Zhe Le Mi, and Meng Ge each led 10,000 Mongolian cavalry and swept toward the southern part of the Koryo Peninsula in a Zigzag pattern.
At this time, the big cities of Goryeo were mainly concentrated in the central and northern parts of Goryeo, while there were few decent cities in the south of Goryeo, and the Mongolian cavalry was like a torrent.
Especially Tuo Lei's eldest son Meng Ge, who is eighteen years old, is at the peak of his spirits.
Perhaps it was the successive victories in Goryeo that prematurely fostered Meng Ge's arrogance. Even though he was only eighteen years old, he had brought home four or five serious women, and even gave birth to three children.
Meng Ge competed for the position of "pioneer officer" this time, and he was determined to get the head of the King of Goryeo.
But the most beloved concubine of the King of Goryeo had been brought to Meng Ge's house at this time, even though the concubine was seven or eight years older than Meng Ge.
Twelve days were the days when the Koryo army finally managed to survive.
"Your Majesty, let's retreat quickly. Our ancestors said, 'If you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood.' Let's retreat to the Japanese country. Fortunately, we still have three thousand troops in hand. It is still possible to occupy a large island."
."
The confidant once again persuaded King Zhongxian Anxiao, and finally the king gave the order to retreat.
However, those who accompanied him on the ship first were a dozen Korean girls who had been collected recently.
The sails were unfurled, and there were sixteen ships, carrying three thousand Korean soldiers, as well as some gold, silver, fine goods and food.
The fighting on Koryo Island is still going on, and there are still more than 2,000 Koryo soldiers who don't know that they have been abandoned and are fighting desperately.
It's a pity that in front of 10,000 Mongolian cavalry, these defeated soldiers are completely unstoppable.
In just two-quarters of an hour, there was no longer a Korean standing on the battlefield.
"Check carefully, add a knife to each corpse, and then follow the general into the city——"
Brother Meng wiped the sword in his hand. It was produced by Guo Mo and must be a high-quality product.
Entering the city means another "fight".
Unfortunately, this is already the last city of Goryeo.
"The eldest prince, the leader of Goryeo had already escaped by boat half an hour ago. He was accompanied by about 3,000 troops. The specific destination is unknown."
Soon after, a detective came to Meng Ge to report.
"Hmph, this old boy has been given an advantage. Let's go to the city. But Father Khan said that this time the men will not be killed, but will all be demoted to slaves. Someone has to do the dirty work."
After completely occupying Goryeo, the next thing Tolei had to do was to govern Goryeo and completely erase the mark of Goryeo from the peninsula in ten to eight years or even more.
...
On May 23rd, the war in Goryeo had been extinguished, and Guo Mo in Luoyang City was silently making final preparations, but the Mongolian army in Xixia launched.
Mengzhou is the northernmost city where Wanyankang's army is stationed. It is located in the middle of Pingzhou and Yinzhou. It is garrisoned by the veteran general Yi Lapu'a personally led by 20,000 "loyalty troops".
On the first day, the Mongols' letter of war had been delivered. It was a letter handwritten by Temmu brother, and he agreed to fight in the open field of Yilua Pu'a the next day.
It's a pity that Yi Lapu'a has passed the age of dizziness, and the arrival of this letter of challenge only allowed him to add some defensive measures to the city wall overnight.
When it comes to attacking and defending cities, the Jin people are undoubtedly better than the Mongols. After all, they have ruled the place where the Song Dynasty was for many years, and there are many Han officials and generals in the court.
The Chinese nation is a very peculiar nation. No matter which ethnic minority you are, when you truly rule China, you will gradually be influenced by, soaked in, and engulfed by China's own culture.
What's more, the Jin Kingdom itself came from the Jurchens. Compared with the Mongols, they were not purely a nation on horseback.
Therefore, Yilapua wisely chose to defend the city.
Brother Tiemu also knew about Yili Pua. After all, both parties had stayed in Xixia for several years, so they knew each other well.
The reason why the next letter of challenge was to ask him to fight in the field was because he was lucky. What if this Yi Lapua had a sudden impulse?
More importantly, he wanted to attract the attention of Yilu Pua to the west gate of Mengzhou City, so that the 20,000 Mongolian troops led by Borshu could raid the east gate of Mengzhou City.
Yes, the Mongolian army, which had a total of 45,000 men, dispatched a total of 40,000 horses at once.
However, those standing outside the west gate of Mengzhou now are only the 20,000 troops led by Timu, while the men of Borshu are still hiding in the dark.
Without even the most basic opening remarks, Brother Timu commanded the army and drove thousands of civilians to attack Mengzhou City.
This was a common tactic used by the Mongols. In order to reduce their own casualties, they looted some villages along the way and pushed these civilians to the front of the army.
Use the bodies of these civilians to consume the enemy's arrows and distract the enemy's attention.
At the same time, the Mongolian army separated into fans and kept shooting at the top of the city. The Mongolian cavalry were naturally born archers, good at sniping, long-range shooting, and volley shooting.
Because of this, the Mongolian army also has a soft spot for long-distance strikes.
Half an hour later, the troops moving to attack Pua on top of the city were very busy and lost a lot of defensive materials. They knew clearly that these people below the city were civilians, but no one dared to relax.
What if these people opened the city gate?
Who can guarantee that there are no Mongolian soldiers hiding among these civilians?
However, the Mongolian army was leisurely firing arrows from behind, and from time to time, soldiers fell from the top of the city.
"Trebuchet, get on-"
Brother Tiemu waved his hand and pushed up more than a dozen trebuchets from behind. It seemed that they were well prepared this time.
At this time, artillery had not yet appeared, and even the famous "return artillery" would have to wait for decades to appear. The first long-range weapon for siege was the trebuchet.
Among the Mongolian army, the one who paid most attention to the use of trebuchets was the dead Muhuali. He even had his own "artillery unit."
The "cannon" at that time was a trebuchet. The most common ones are the ones in front of you, which are also called cable-type trebuchets.
One or several rafters are tied together with iron hoops to form a throwing arm (cannon tip), which is placed on the gun mount. A skin bag filled with cannonballs is tied to one end, and dozens of drag ropes are tied to the other end.
When launching, manpower pulls the rope and uses the principle of leverage to eject the cannonball (boulder or igniter).
A round of artillery and stone hits, and there are casualties on the city wall. The key is that this thing has no way to defend itself and can only dodge blindly.
No matter what kind of trebuchet, it is very troublesome and time-consuming to install, disassemble, adjust the range, and re-aim the target.
Therefore, the Mongolian army's trebuchets used a gun base equipped with wheels that can be moved. It seems that Timogee and Borshu have been well prepared in the past six months.
"Haha, okay, don't you dare to show your head? The trebuchet continues to move forward, and the whole army shoots arrows——"
At this time, almost all the more than 4,000 civilians serving as cannon fodder at the front had suffered casualties. The Mongolian army also suffered casualties during the counterattack on top of the city.
"Brother Temmu Khan, we don't have much cannon stone. Each trebuchet can fire up to five more times."
At this time, the personal guard ran over and whispered in Brother Temmu's ear.
"All trebuchets, aim at the gate of Mengzhou City and hit me hard -"
If I can't break down the city wall, can't I break down your city gate?
As long as the city gate is broken open, these soldiers under King Zhao are like lambs to be slaughtered in the eyes of the Mongolian cavalry.
"No, the Mongols are attacking the city gate. Everyone bows and arrows to greet those who are manipulating the trebuchet——"
The deputy general commanding at the top of the city saw this and hurriedly ordered five hundred archers to come forward and focus on taking care of the Mongolian slingers from a high position.
As soon as Yilapua saw the other party rolling out more than a dozen trebuchets, he seemed to have thought of something and hurried down the tower.
"Snapped--"
"Snapped--"
"Snapped--"
"Kacha—"
Finally, the west gate of Mengzhou City was smashed by the Mongolian trebuchet.
"Warriors of the Great Mongolia, the city gate of Mengzhou has been smashed. Let me rush into the city and not seal the sword for a day——"
"If you don't seal the sword for a day——"
Good guy, what an old trick, what a useful trick.
Twenty thousand Mongolian cavalry, each galloping and firing arrows at the top of the city, rushed towards the west gate of Mengzhou.
At this time, Brother Tiemu felt a little incredible. Could it be that Mengzhou City was obtained so easily?
Suddenly, he felt that he and Borshu had overestimated Yi Lapua who was guarding the city.
"Hmph, Yi La Pu'a, a veteran of the Jin Kingdom? Bah, he is also a waste!"
While Brother Temmu was still feeling complacent, he found that the Mongolian cavalry, which was sprinting forward with all its strength, slowly stopped.
However, the Mongolian troops at the front were being shot mercilessly by the soldiers on the city, and a large number of stones were thrown down from the top of the city. Shockingly, they were the cannon stones fired by their trebuchets just now.
"how so?"
"Report—report to Brother Tiemu Khan, the other side's city gate was smashed just now, but the back of the city gate is completely sealed. It is made of bricks, stones or soil. I'm afraid it won't be able to be opened in a short time."
"ah--"
In a situation like this, it doesn't mean that there is no way to get through, but it means that if you send sergeants to clear the passage, you will always be faced with the baptism of bows and arrows above your head.
Mongols, how many lives are enough to fill them in?
"Give me the "ladder" and "cart" to use——"
Brother Tiemu had prepared a lot of siege equipment, but he didn't expect that all of them would be on the scene just after he attacked the first city.
It's easy to say that the trebuchet is nothing more than finding someone to make more cannon stones or replacing some parts. If the "ladder" and "floor truck" are used up, they will really have to be remade.
However, now that the battle has reached this juncture, there is nothing to hesitate about. Four "carts" and ten "ladders" were carried up from the rear team.
"Everyone, use bows and arrows to suppress the archers at the top of the city -"
That is to say, the Mongolian soldiers are all masters of riding and archery, and they can compete equally well with the city defenders who have geographical advantages.
"Pour the boiling water down for me -"
Seeing many Mongolians rushing to the bottom of the city, there were even ladders being built to build the city, and Yilapua also walked up to the top of the city.
It turned out that just now he ran down to the city and asked the reserve team to demolish the houses next to the city gate. Whether it was bricks, tiles, earth and stones, they were all piled at the west gate, which was equivalent to erecting a thick wall behind the city gate.
What should I do if I leave the city?
Isn’t there also the East City Gate?
Even if everything is blocked, as long as the city is still there, there will be time to clear it. If the city is lost, everything will be over.
...
"General, do we really want to attack Bianliang City? However, we are the army of the Jin Kingdom, how can we attack our own city? There is the emperor of the Jin Kingdom inside -"
Cui Li's army arrived at the bank of the Yellow River one day in advance. He took all 15,000 men and horses with him, leaving not even a single defender behind.
Weizhou City was surrounded by Song troops on three sides: east, west, north and west. If they wanted to attack Weizhou City, it would be useless even if all 15,000 people stayed.
He was originally going to "consume" these people and use their lives to gain credit for his surrender. How could Cui Li have any reservations?
"Humph, Zhao Laosan, you have to think clearly, are you a Jurchen or am I a Jurchen? You and I are both upright Han people."
"Those who are not of my race must have different thoughts! It has been more than a year, have you ever got a grain of grain from Bianliang City? The grain that my brothers have eaten for more than a year has been all eaten by me with my own money.
Bought from Brother Song Jun."
"Now, the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty has issued an order. As long as we participate in the attack on Bianliang City, everyone will be rewarded according to our merits afterwards."
"People from the Kingdom of Jin? Emperor of the Kingdom of Jin? I don't care about it, and I don't care. If anyone wants to quit, please tell us as soon as possible, so that we brothers can have a good time together."
"If you agree in person and let me down at the critical moment, don't blame me, Cui Li, for being ruthless. I don't want to do anything to my brother if a white knife goes in and a red knife comes out -"
Not to mention, no matter what Cui Li was thinking in his heart, when he said his words on this scene, there were really many people standing by to cheer him up.
On May 27th, Cui Li's people began to cross the river just after dawn.
There are not many ships on the north bank of the Yellow River, and only two thousand people can pass through at one time. If all his troops want to pass, they will have to make seven or eight round trips, which will delay everything.
Therefore, Cui Li personally brought two thousand people, and the first group came over.
"Stop, who are you? If you go any further, you will have to shoot your bow and arrows——"
When Cui Li's ship was about to dock, the sentry on duty at the simple water village on the south bank looked at it.
"Don't get me wrong, this general is Cui Li, the guard general of Weizhou. On His Majesty's order, I led the troops to come to serve the King. This is the proof——"
Cui Li personally picked up his bow and set up an arrow, and shot an edict given to him by Emperor Wanyan Shouxu of the Jin Kingdom. "Bah--" it was nailed to the wooden pillar of the sentry tower.
Cui Li's fleet also temporarily stopped moving forward, waiting for the other party to notify their generals.
It was not long before a middle-aged general in his forties came out.
"Haha, it turns out that General Cui has arrived in person. I am not far away to greet you. I have long heard that General Cui might come to Bianliang King Qin. I really waited for you to open the water village to welcome General Cui -"
There are currently only more than 300 people in this water village. They are more like looking after the house than garrisoning. They are all people with little fighting ability.
After passing this water stronghold and heading south, there is usually only one military fort, which is garrisoned by three to five hundred old soldiers, and then we reach the north gate of Bianliang City directly across the plain.
The camp gate of Shuizhai was opened, and the garrisoned general led his men to greet him.
Cui Li was also very grateful and chatted with the other party with a smile, not minding that the other party was just a small captain in charge of hundreds of people.
After Cui Li's men completely landed ashore, they took a breath and set up a warning to the south of the water village.
"This captain, Mr. Cui still has 13,000 troops on the north bank. Unfortunately, there are not that many ships. I'd better trouble the captain to dispatch a ship to pick them up."
"After all, I came to Bianliang City to serve the King on His Majesty's orders, and Mr. Cui came out in full force——"
"General Cui is indeed a loyal person to the emperor and the country! Don't worry about the ships. The big ships from the water village can sail over and pick up all the brothers on the other side in one go."
This captain of the water village was also a warm-hearted man. There were not enough sailors, so he sent out more than 300 sailors under his command.
His old brother was the only one left in the entire water village. If it weren't for Cui Li's company, he would probably have gone with the boat.
It seems that everything is going according to his plan. Cui Li is very satisfied with the cooperation of the captain of the water village.
"Brother, Mr. Cui wants to lend you something, do you agree?"
"Ah, what do you want to borrow, General Cui? As long as I have it, I will never refuse!"
Seeing the sincere look on the Navy Captain's face, Cui Li smiled even more sinisterly...