The messenger sent by Wan Yankang was scratching his head and head anxiously, but Meng Gong sat firmly in the middle of the army, meticulously reviewing the intelligence collected from various places.
When the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole follows, or when the snipe and the clam compete, the fisherman wins?
This time, 30,000 "Dunwu troops" came out from Yinzhou City, and there were still 20,000 troops stationed in Yinzhou City. Meng Gong would not do anything like winning chess without caring about his family.
"Meng Dutong, to deal with the Mongolian army, it is best to act at night. After all, they are not like our 'Dunwu Army'. Your Highness has been training for night battles from the beginning."
"In terms of diet, we are even more targeted. No one in the army has the kind of 'night blindness' that His Highness mentioned. From my perspective, this is also a big advantage for us."
Knowing that Wanyan Kang in Kangcheng was also a first-rate master, before leaving, Meng Gong went to see Lu Chengfeng, the commander-in-chief of "Tingfeng", and invited him to come with him.
"What Lu Dutong said is true. It's time for the brothers to take a rest and send out all the scouts. Once they encounter the Mongolian army's scouts, they will all be killed."
Meng Gong continued to watch from the sidelines, but the battle outside Kangcheng was still going on fiercely.
The first thing that couldn't stand it was naturally the Mongolian army outside the south gate.
After all, the difference in numbers between the two sides was too big. They were almost one against three. In such a short-distance encounter, the opponent was even caught off guard.
The number of casualties of the Mongolian army is increasing rapidly, but they are still brave and determined to fight to the death.
They knew that the reason why these "loyal and brave troops" rushed out of Kangcheng was to reinforce the North Gate.
Once they were allowed to pass, it would be irresponsible to Timur Khan and Marshal Borshu. Therefore, this deputy general of Timur gritted his teeth and resisted.
Four thousand, three thousand, two thousand...
When only more than a thousand Mongolian soldiers were killed, only more than 7,000 of the 12,000 "loyal and brave soldiers" remained.
The sky is dark and the earth is dark, the setting sun is like blood, and we meet on a narrow road.
The Mongols once again demonstrated their strong combat power, defeating the "loyal and brave army" with a one to two battle loss.
Unfortunately, the gap in numbers is really difficult to make up. With the casualties on both sides, the advantages and disadvantages become more obvious.
"General, retreat to the north gate. If we continue to fight, we will really be wiped out -"
The deputy general of the Mongolian army was also injured. In other words, of the more than 1,000 remaining Mongolian soldiers, no one was still intact at this time.
"Retreat slowly and shoot them with bows and arrows——"
This is a good idea, but unfortunately, after two or three hours of fighting, the two sides have already become entangled, and only a few hundred people can actually receive orders from the deputy general.
At the north gate, the scene is exactly the opposite.
Sixteen to seven thousand Mongolian troops, inside and outside, almost surrounded Monk Wanyan Chen's 8,000 heavy cavalry in the middle.
However, the brave "Loyal and Filial Army" relied on their superior defense to tear open one hole after another.
The well-trained "loyalty and filial piety army", numbering 3500 or 800, continuously attacks, divides, kills and even counter-encircles the Mongolian army in a small area.
Almost every time a "Loyal and Filial Army" dies, two or even three Mongolian sergeants can be taken away at the same time.
Thick armor is both an advantage and a disadvantage of the "Loyal and Filial Army".
After two hours of fighting, the disadvantages of the thick armor were completely revealed.
Not only were the soldiers of the "Loyal and Filial Army" struggling in the battle, but the horses sitting down had also slowly exhausted their physical strength due to their heavy armor.
"Give it all to me, and I will kill these Jurchens hiding in turtle shells!"
Brother Tiemu also became red-eyed when he saw that his Mongolian warriors were obviously falling faster than their opponents. When had he ever fought such a useless battle?
Monk Wanyan Chen was also very distressed. Over the past few years, he had managed to accumulate eight thousand heavy cavalry, but now he was watching helplessly as they died one by one at the hands of the Mongols.
War has its own laws, especially in this kind of close combat in the era of cold weapons, life and death are a kind of suffering.
The cold sun in winter always sets earlier.
As the last hint of dark red in the sky faded, the battle between the two sides gradually slowed down. Their respective generals, as if they had made an agreement, were silently gathering their troops.
Although there is no detailed statistics, anyone can see that nearly half of his troops have been lost.
Monk Wanyan Chen gathered less than 5,000 "loyalty and filial piety troops". After Brother Tiemu met with Borshu, the two of them combined to abandon the established strategy of attacking the north and south gates at the same time.
Tiemu's lieutenant also withdrew, but unfortunately, he was left with 5,000 men. In the end, only five or six hundred men returned to Tiemu's command.
Lieutenant General Chen, Wan Yankang, did not pursue him either.
He gathered 12,000 people and went out of the city, killing the Mongolian army at the south gate, leaving more than 6,000 people behind.
The entire city of Kangcheng, including wounded soldiers, only had more than 10,000 troops, and Monk Wanyan Chen's "loyalty and filial piety army" was still wandering outside.
…
"Meng Dutong, the fighting between the two sides has stopped. All the Mongolian troops are camped outside the north gate of Kangcheng. There should be at least 20,000 troops left."
"Kangcheng is still in the hands of Wanyan Kang. Monk Wanyan Chen did not enter the city, but only sent the wounded soldiers into Kangcheng. More than 4,000 'loyalty and filial piety troops' have camped in the south of Kangcheng."
This monk Wanyan Chen, at such a tense moment, still maintained a trace of clarity in his heart.
His heavily armored cavalry could only play a greater role if they stayed outside the city.
"Okay, we have had enough rest. We just happened to go to the Mongolian camp to see what delicious food they made. I happen to be a little hungry."
Meng Gong drank the last cup of hot tea, put on his helmet, and strode out of the Chinese military tent.
He recognized the pedals and moved the saddle, flew on his horse, and took off his unique weapon - the Golden Nail Zaoyang Hua from the victory hook with a bird's wing ring.
"The whole army of the 'Dunwu Army' has its target. The Mongolian army camp is the target. People can be killed. Don't let the war horses and barbecues be wasted——"
The messenger sent over by Wan Yankang was watching such pre-war speeches and the army in front of him, and he felt deeply unbelievable.
Is this going to war?
Thirty thousand "Dunwu troops" left the military camp in an orderly manner. This place was less than twenty miles away from Kangcheng, south and east of Kangcheng.
Meng Gong deliberately did this and tried his best to avoid encountering Mongolian scouts. Even so, he still shot and killed more than 30 Mongolian soldiers who broke into this place in two days.
To describe it as "destroying the dead" may seem a bit excessive, but with the arrival of 30,000 "Dunwu troops", the Mongolian army only persisted for two quarters of an hour before Borshu ordered a retreat.
This was the first time that Borshu had fought against the Song army, and in such a passive situation, the Mongolian army was already exhausted after fighting for a day.
Some people even couldn't wait to eat and fell asleep in the tent.
On the other hand, Brother Tiemu was an old acquaintance with Meng Gong, and he had seen the bravery of the "Dun Wu Army" more than once.
When the 30,000 "Dunwu Army" arrived, Temmu's first reaction was to gather the Mongolian troops around him and put them into a defensive formation.
Going against the "Dunwu Army" and facing the enemy at night like this, Brother Temmu didn't get kicked in the head by a donkey.
Moreover, he immediately sent his personal guards to inform Marshal Borshu to leave without fighting.
The number of troops is not as good as that of the "Dun Wu Army", the equipment is not as good as that of the "Dun Wu Army", and the night fighting is even worse than that of the "Dun Wu Army". On one side, there are tired troops who have been fighting for a day, and on the other side, there are brave people who are waiting for work.
How do you want the Mongolian army to fight?
Put your head on it?
When Brother Timu saw Borshu, whose face was covered with gray and gray, the two of them sighed again. Without daring to delay for a moment, they hurried back north with more than 18,000 people who had escaped.
Two days later, when they arrived at Mengzhou City, neither of them dared to enter the city for repairs and led their troops directly back to Pingzhou.
After all, Pingzhou City has been operating here for many years, and it is close to the mainland of Mongolia. It can be regarded as a place that can be attacked when advancing and defended when retreating.
Where is Meng Gong?
First, he arranged for his 30,000 "Dunwu Army" to enter the Mongolian military camp and had a feast.
Unfortunately, I am still not used to the food of the Mongolian army. At least there is a lot of barbecue, and there are many injured or dead horses on the battlefield.
After a restful night's rest, he led the 30,000 "Dunwu Army" and headed north directly.
Whenever he encountered a city, no matter how big or small, Meng Gong would send troops to occupy it, either one or two thousand people, or seven or eight hundred people.
After resisting Mengzhou, Meng Gong had only a little over 20,000 men left under his command. He directly occupied Mengzhou City, reinforced the city's defenses on the spot, and began to garrison it.
Since then, a total of 50,000 "Dunwu troops" have been stationed in the entire western region of Xixia, starting from Mengzhou City in the north and Yinzhou City in the south. This area is less than a thousand miles away.
As for Wan Yankang's men and horses, after this battle, only more than fifteen thousand were left.
Among them, there are more than 5,000 people in the "Loyal and Filial Army" of Monk Wanyan Chen, and there are still 10,000 people in the "Zhongyong Army" directly under Wanyan Kang.
As the saying goes, if you don't feel embarrassed, then others will be embarrassed.
When the Mongolian army besieged the city, Wanyankang immediately sent a messenger to ask for help from Meng Gong's "Dunwu Army" in Yinzhou City.
Without saying a word, the other party came directly with 30,000 "Dunwu Army" and defeated the Mongolian army in one fell swoop.
However, neither Meng Gong nor the "Dunwu Army" came to Kangcheng, even to drink a bowl of water.
Wanyankang only received the news a few days later about what the "Dunwu Army" had done going north.
Many of the cities occupied by Meng Gong were originally his Wanyankang's territory, but they were taken over by the Mongols as they passed by.
Now that Meng Gong has taken over it again, it has nothing to do with Wan Yankang. After all, it was snatched from the Mongols.
Monk Wanyan Chen was still a little aggrieved, but when he thought about it, even if these cities were returned to his own hands, where could he send troops to garrison them?
"General Wanyan, what are your plans for the future?"
Under the "careful" care of the old naughty boy, Wan Yankang's injuries were completely healed, and his skills increased instead of decreasing. However, it will take some time to completely remove the cold poison from his body.
"My lord, what do you mean? Of course the general will follow the prince. Wherever you go, the general will follow you."
Monk Wanyan Chen was not good at using force or leading troops. He was just too upright and was never appreciated by his superiors in the army when he was young. Wanyan Kang was the first person to be kind to him.
Therefore, even though Wanyankang only has one city left and more than ten thousand soldiers and horses, Monk Wanyanchen has never thought of leaving.
Besides, now that the Jin Kingdom no longer exists, the Xixia Kingdom exists in name only, and he has a deep hatred with the Mongols in the north. Where can he go?
"I received a report from the scouts that General Yici Pu'a had already died in the battle on Mengzhou City, and not even his body was left behind."
"In less than a month, the original 60,000-strong army was reduced to only 15,000. Look at our current situation, hey..."
There were only the two of them in the room, so Wan Yankang naturally did not show any pretense, and even lost the airs of King Zhao at all.
Thinking about the self-satisfied self in the past, and then looking at the bleak scene now, Wanyankang has some doubts about whether his persistence for so many years is right or wrong?
"Your Majesty, what do you want?..."
Monk Wanyan Chen was just upright, not stupid. When Wanyankang said this, he knew that Prince Zhao might have new plans for the future.
"I have already written a letter here. Unfortunately, the cold poison in my body has not yet been eliminated. Daily walking is okay, but riding long distances is a bit difficult."
"I would like to ask General Wanyan to go to Luoyang City for me and personally meet His Highness the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty. I would like to find a way to survive for the fifteen thousand brothers under his command."
Wan Yankang finally made up his mind, or perhaps, after this incident, he realized that he was not suitable to participate in such a game of hegemony.
It's better to get out now than to really lose everything one day.
"My lord, you must know that the Kingdom of Jin perished at the hands of this crown prince of Song Dynasty?"
Although, Wan Yankang's power has been considered an independent existence in recent years.
However, all the generals in his army, including more than 80% of the soldiers, came from the original Kingdom of Jin.
It is unrealistic to say that he has no feelings for the Kingdom of Jin at all, not to mention that the two people in the room now have the surname Wanyan.
"General Wanyan, do you know how the Jin Kingdom fell?"
"The destruction of the Jin Kingdom was neither a crime of war nor at the hands of anyone. If you have to find a reason, maybe everything is God's will."
"It is said that Commander Wanyan Saibu personally submitted the letter of surrender to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty. He was the God of War in the hearts of generations of people in the Song Dynasty."
"Even his old man gave up his resistance and saved the last face of the Jin Kingdom. In other words, with his own infamy, he won the rebirth of His Majesty the Jin Kingdom and tens of thousands of soldiers."
"Wanyan Saibu Lao Shuai died, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty did not let him suffer any infamy, but gave him a generous burial like a hero."
"Seeking benevolence will lead to benevolence. When it's time to make a decision, maybe we shouldn't be too selfish."
Wan Yankang's words were spoken very calmly, as if he were telling a story that had nothing to do with him.
It seems that these twenty days of experience have allowed this prince, who has lived in a greenhouse since childhood, to truly experience an inner baptism.
Whether it was the death of 45,000 soldiers under his command, or Ouyang Ke's palm that severely injured him, they all made him realize the cruelty of reality.
The improvement of his state of mind actually made his Quanzhen Mental Technique, which he had not improved for a long time, make a qualitative leap.
In the past ten years, Wan Yankang's practice has gradually gone astray.
First, he was addicted to the practice of "Nine Yin White Bone Claws". Later, he got the "Xuanming Divine Palm" and regarded it as a treasure, but ignored the practice of Quanzhen Heart Technique.
Now it seems that it seems to be a bit of a waste of time.
Of course, wherever you put in the effort, you will naturally reap the rewards.
Wanyankang's martial arts skills and combat prowess are considered outstanding among his peers.
Otherwise, the old naughty boy Zhou Botong would not have thought that he was the first of the three generations of Quanzhen disciples, and would not have thought of cultivating him to become the next leader of the Quanzhen sect.
"Okay, now that the prince has decided, the general will do it."
After taking the letter from Wanyankang, Monk Wanyanchen turned around and left.
Today's Kangcheng is surrounded, or protected, by the "Dunwu Army". As long as the "Dunwu Army" does not attack, Kangcheng will naturally be as stable as Mount Tai.
"Boy, have you really decided?"
Monk Wanyan Chen left, but the old naughty boy jumped down from the beam, which really shocked Wanyan Kang.
"Uncle Master, when did you go to the rafters?"
Regarding his great uncle, Wan Yankang's emotions were somewhat complicated.
I was grateful for his life-saving grace. After all, if the old naughty boy hadn't arrived in time, Wan Yankang would have been poisoned by Ouyang Ke.
However, this old man acts too much in his own way...
Well, who called him "Old Naughty Boy"?
A person's name may be wrong, but a person's nickname is always worthy of the name.
"Is there anything I can't let go of? If my uncle hadn't saved me that night, if it hadn't been for the Song Dynasty's 'Dunwu Army' that drove away the Mongols."
"Everything in front of me, including my Wan Yankang's life, may not exist anymore. The power and position are just passing by. It's better to practice kung fu with my uncle."
"Hahaha, good, good. It's a pity that you have already worshiped Qiu Chuji, that little naughty boy, as your master, otherwise I, the old naughty boy, would have accepted you as my apprentice."
"You are different from brothers Guo Mo and Guo Jing. They have other masters, but you are serious about worshiping Qiu Chuji. It's a pity, it's a pity..."
The old naughty boy kept talking nonsense there, and even didn't stop to scold Qiu Chuji a few times.
Wanyankang looked at it and wanted to laugh but didn't dare.
"Then have you decided when to leave?"
Wanyan Kang wrote a letter to Guo Mo and asked his only general, Monk Wanyan Chen, to deliver it in person. In the letter, he had dedicated Kangcheng and the fifteen thousand soldiers to Guo Mo.
Wanyankang also believed that given Guo Mo's "hungry for talents" appearance, he would definitely like to accept a strong player like Monk Wanyanchen.
However, Wan Yankang himself did not intend to serve under Guo Mo.
Therefore, as soon as Monk Wanyan Chen left, Wanyan Kang also planned to leave, without waiting for Guo Mo's reply and the generals of the Song Dynasty to come and take over.
"This junior can leave at any time, but I still have two daughters, one is four years old and the other is still in her infancy."
Wanyankang could give up everything, even those concubines, but he could not abandon the two daughters that two of the concubines gave birth to for him.
"What's so difficult about this? Just take them to Zhongnan Mountain together. Isn't Sun Buer in Chongyang Palace a woman? She has also accepted some female disciples."
"Ask your two women. If you want to continue to follow you, just take your daughter with you. If you don't want to follow you and you can't let go of the child, just take the child with you."
Some old naughty boys who talked incoherently finally became sober for once.
Sure enough, Wanyankang's concubines all came here for his power. When they heard that Wanyankang no longer wanted to be a prince, but wanted to go to a distant mountain, they all declined politely.
On the other hand, the biological mother of her infant daughter, whether because she felt sorry for her young daughter or because she really had nowhere to go, actually agreed to go with Wan Yankang.
At this time, Wanyan Kang vaguely remembered that the concubine's name was Bai Su.
Originally a Han Chinese who had lived in Taiyuan City for a long time, he came to Kangcheng with his father five years ago. Unfortunately, his old father contracted a serious disease and eventually passed away.
What a coincidence, Wanyankang was depressed in the palace, so he went for a casual stroll in the market in Kangcheng, and met this woman named Bai Su who was "selling her body to bury her father."
It was also in the square in the middle of the street, with flags held high, and people watching...
Scenes like "selling one's body to bury one's father" accidentally reminded Wanyankang of the "competition to recruit a bride" on the streets of Zhongdu City a few years ago.
It's just fifty taels of silver, so Wanyankang naturally won't care.
He wasn't attracted by the woman's appearance either. Although the woman named Bai Su was indeed outstanding in appearance, what was rare was that she still had a bit of a bookish smell all over her body.
When the one hundred taels of silver notes were placed in front of Bai Su's eyes, Bai Su knew that from today on, his life and body belonged to the stranger in front of him.
Fortunately, he is a young and handsome young man, not a toothless old man.
In this way, the day after Monk Wanyan Chen left Kangcheng, Wanyankang had three carriages prepared. Bai Su and his two daughters took one, and Wanyankang himself took one.
There was only one car left, and I had brought enough changes of clothes and daily necessities. Of course, there were a lot of banknotes and gold and silver, and Wan Yankang also brought a lot of them.
Whether it is to support a concubine or two daughters, or to support Wan Yankang himself, there is always room for money.
With a peerless master like the old naughty boy Zhou Botong accompanying him, Wan Yankang didn't have to worry about anything going wrong on the road.
Being able to persuade Wanyan Kang to follow him back to Zhongnan Mountain, the old naughty boy felt that he had done a great thing for the Quanzhen Sect.
Wan Yankang's thoughts at this time became simpler.
He doesn't want to be the leader of the Quanzhen Sect. He lost to the Mongols in military affairs and Ouyang Ke in martial arts. He must be able to make amends in some aspect during his lifetime, right?
Just a question from the old naughty boy made Wan Yankang struggle for a long time, and finally decided to take it one step at a time.
"When you arrive at Chongyang Palace, what will you do if your master asks you to change your name to 'Yang Kang'?"
…
Lin'an City, Daqing Hall.
"Hahaha—here comes Wanyan Shouxu, the king of Xuan Dajin Kingdom—"
In the second month after the Jin Kingdom was destroyed, Wanyan Shouxu arrived at Lin'an City after recovering from his illness.
However, the official Zhao Kuo, who had already received the news, did not receive him immediately. Instead, he asked Wanyan Shouxu to stay in the post house until the first court meeting in August.
The scale of the court meeting this time was obviously higher than before, and some senior officials in the court who had not been in court for a long time were strictly ordered to be present.
Above the Daqing Hall and below the Golden Platform, the official Zhao Kuo also specially set up an embroidered pier, with a person sitting on it.
His hair and beard are all white, but he is also full of energy. He is the Supreme Emperor of Xixia. To be precise, he should be regarded as the "Supreme Emperor".
Such a noble title is even rarer than "Empress Dowager". Li Zunxu has set a new record in the history of Xixia.
At this time, Wanyan Shouxu no longer had the imperial demeanor of the past, but on this special day, he was still dressed up carefully.
"Wanyan Shouxu, the leader of the country's subjugation, has met the officials of the Song Dynasty——"
After being led into the Daqing Hall, Wanyan Shouxu hurriedly knelt down on the ground, even took two steps on his knees and said loudly.
"Hahaha, Lord Wanyan, please get back on your feet as soon as possible. I am very happy that you can come and see me! Hey, my prince who doesn't know etiquette doesn't even know to come with you to see my father."
Well, murder is heartbreaking.
Do you still want Guo Mo to escort Wanyan Shouxu over?
What will happen then?
Do you offer prisoners in front of Wufeng Tower?
"Thank you, Guanjia——"
Zhao Kuo can be so carefree, but Wanyan Shouxu doesn't dare to have the slightest emotion.
"Now that you've come to Lin'an, feel free to live here. The scenery here is pleasant and the climate is mild. I don't know how much better it is than Bianliang City."
"Although the Great Jin Kingdom is gone, I will never allow anyone to bully you. The title of King of the Kingdom is gone, so why not give you the title of 'King of Anle'?"
"Anle? Hey, is that the title of Liu Chan, Queen of Shu?"
Wanyan Shouxu's heart was bleeding, but he still forced a smile on his face.
"The King of Anle Wanyan and Shouxu, thank the official family for their kindness——"
"jump jump jump--"
The three loud bangs actually hit the ground.
Wanyan Shouxu was taken away, and from then on he completely withdrew from the stage of history, and went to be his own King of Anle in a down-to-earth manner.
"My lords, Qin Tianjian predicts that the best day next year will be the Mid-Autumn Festival. I plan to go north to worship my ancestors. The Ministry of Rites and Zongzheng Temple will be busy for a while."
"However, the Henan provinces are still recuperating, and I can't cause trouble to the prince. The expenses for traveling north to worship our ancestors will all come from my inner treasury——"
Lin'an, as the state capital of the Song Dynasty, was helpless, even humiliating.
However, after so many years, Lin'an has become the richest city in this era due to its unique geographical location and political factors.
As the leader of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuo's own treasury was naturally full.
It was the dream of many generations of monarchs in the Song Dynasty to go north to worship their ancestors. He was willing to spend any amount of money to catch up with Zhao Kuo.
In addition to being happy, Lao Zhao Kuo secretly visited "Peach Blossom Island" again.
If you can’t see your son, you can always come and see your grandchildren, right?
Perhaps because he was getting old, Zhao Kuo didn't like to deal with government affairs very much in the past two years. Fortunately, there were several humeral ministers to support him, and the major military affairs were naturally shouldered by Guo Mo's Prince's Palace.
"Guan family, why do you have the leisure time to come to Peach Blossom Island again?"
The one who could sit down and talk to Zhao Kuo calmly was naturally "Dongxie" Huang Yaoshi.
Zhao Kuo came more frequently, and they no longer had to pay attention to so many red tapes. What's more, Huang Yaoshi was not a layman, and Zhao Kuo also came to hide for peace.
"Brother-in-law, there is something I want to explain to you in advance."
Zhao Kuo drank a cup of "Peach Blossom Brew" and it still tasted the same as before.
"Oh, I wonder what kind of thing would make the official make this trip in person?"
"Next year I plan to go north to worship my ancestors. After worshiping my ancestors, you can no longer call me an official -"
"Dongxie" Huang Yaoshi was stunned when he heard this, and slowly put down the wine glass in his hand.