Chapter 31: Planning for the future and building an earth city in Mongolia; greedy for small profits and Xiangyang was besieged
Last time, it was mentioned that Guo Fu offended Elder Shen of the Dirty Clothes Sect of the Beggar Clan because she disliked the poor and loved the rich, which caused unhappiness. While punishing Guo Fu, Huang Rong took the opportunity to suggest that the two factions of the Beggar Clan, the Clean Clothes and Dirty Clothes Sect, should be merged into one. , after hard work, Hong Qigong's long-cherished wish was finally realized, giving the Beggar Clan a rare situation of unity.
But it is said that the Nongzhang Festival in the Guo Mansion gradually calmed down after half a month of bustle. Guo Jing used his spare time during this period to teach Guo Polu's martial arts, and still sent him to Sichuan to assist in the defense. Huang Rong saw that Elder Liang of the Beggar Clan saved Yeluhe and made great contributions to quelling the dispute between the two factions of the Beggar Clan. Huang Rong begged Guo Jing to teach him the three moves of "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms". As a reward, Guo Jing readily agreed and went to teach him. Don’t mention it.
It is said that after Kublai Khan took control of Mongolia, he changed the name of the country to Dayuan and the founding year to Zhongtong according to the Han system. The central system was the same as the old system of Tang and Song Dynasties, and Han people were reused and talented people were recruited. Suddenly, people When people surrender, the world will return to its heart.
Kublai Khan changed the ancestral system and implemented Han law. Some conservative princes and nobles in Mongolia complained, and some princes and nobles who supported the military and respected themselves showed signs of rebellion. Kublai Khan convened the think tank of the Jinlianchuan shogunate to discuss countermeasures. Yeheideer, an adviser from Dashi, told him a story about how Alexander dealt with similar problems——
It is said that after King Alexander of Macedonia conquered various places, his heroes demanded to be independent kings one after another and were no longer willing to obey his orders. Alexander didn't know what to do, so he sent someone to ask his teacher, Aristotle, a famous scholar at the time, for advice. Without saying a word, Aristotle led the envoy to the garden and ordered his servants to dig out the big trees in the garden and plant a group of small trees.
After hearing this, Kublai Khan had an idea and appointed his half-brother Prince Muge as the chief judge, responsible for handling cases of defamation of the imperial court. In accordance with the instructions of Kublai Khan and the regulations of Dazasa, Prince Muge ordered the execution of more than 100 close followers of the prince and noble Ali Buge who had rebel intentions. Brother Ali was alone and no longer dared to rebel. Seeing this, other princes and nobles no longer dared to talk nonsense behind his back.
Seeing that the situation in Mongolia was stable, Kublai Khan prepared to inherit his father's legacy and wait for an opportunity to invade the south. One morning when I went to court, I saw that there were many talents and generals in the court. I couldn't help but be overjoyed and said:
"I want to raise troops to go south. At this time, I wonder if you, dear friends, have any good ideas?"
Hao Jing said:
"Wei Chen drafted an "Eastern Division Meeting" yesterday. I foolishly thought that the reason why our Mongolian army was invincible in the past was, first, relying on the Mongolian cavalry to be strong and strong, and second, relying on surprise to win. The so-called 'surprise' means being able to take things by surprise. Attack them unprepared. The last time Meng Ge Khan personally conquered Sichuan, firstly, the cavalry could not show its strength in the water town, and secondly, the Sixth Division was thunderous. In fact, he was willing to sacrifice Qi and use Zheng. The shortcomings of Meng Ge Khan's use of Zheng instead of Qi were: Sichuan area, It is limited to mountains and deep valleys, heavy dangers and obstacles, and dangerous circuits. It is difficult for us to take advantage of the danger and use surprises, but it is easy for the enemy to use surprises because of the danger. Moreover, the strength of the two sides is very different, and our strategic intention is obvious Exposed. The enemy has a strong wall and clears the country to wait for him. I have no plunder to use as capital and no prisoners to prepare for service. With limited strength, I take unlimited risks. Although I have clever strategies and secret strategies, they are of no use. In the end, I completely lose the initiative and the army is stagnant. Before the difficulties are contained, the result will inevitably be another decline and exhaustion. At the end of the strong crossbow, the force cannot penetrate Lu Zhen. Therefore, failure in the war against Song Dynasty is inevitable. "
Hao Jing was a Confucian scholar with no combat experience. He made surprising remarks and put forward different opinions on going south to attack the Song Dynasty. This immediately attracted the attention of Kublai Khan and everyone else. Hao Jing said again:
"The former Mongolian army went south just to capture the city, occupy the land, and massacre the common people. The troops came out without a name, and they were unjust troops. Naturally, they were blocked at every turn, and finally returned in defeat. If your Majesty wants to raise another righteous army this time, he must send out troops with a name. Only then can we be invincible and invincible."
Kublai Khan said:
"How can I become famous as a teacher?"
Hao Jingdao:
"'What the people want, God will follow.' If you can use scholars and practice the Chinese way, you can be the master of China. If the scholars do not use themselves at this time, our people will become the material of axes and axes, and the dung in the fields. There will be no trace left behind. Farming is the foundation of the country, and food is the first priority for the people. Now that your majesty is engaged in farming and mulberry for the first time, you should be diligent and caring for the people, and be on good terms with Zhao and Song Dynasties, so that the common people can be safe."
There was another scholar in the court named Yuan Haowen, who was a great scholar at the end of the Jin Dynasty. He came out of the class and said:
"Your Majesty admires Confucianism and Law, values Confucian students, and practices Confucianism. He is a benevolent king in the world. I sincerely ask Your Majesty to accept the title of 'Grand Master of Confucianism'. If you govern the country with Confucianism and Law, and command the world with Confucianism, then everyone in the world will look to the wind and surrender."
Kublai Khan was overjoyed when he heard this. He was humble and accepted it happily.
Although what Hao Jing and others said was clear and logical, Kublai Khan was already determined to go south. He asked again:
"Before Meng Ge Khan died, he asked us to avenge him. Now that the soldiers and people of Xiangyang City are united, and Guo Jing's martial arts is unparalleled, what can we do?"
The newly surrendered general Liu Zheng said:
"The land of Xiangfan is well-equipped with soldiers and food. It is advisable to use intelligence rather than force."
Kublai Khan was very interested and asked:
"What is outsmarting?"
Liu Zheng said:
"Wei Chen believes that he can send an envoy to the Zhao and Song courts in advance to stabilize the Zhao and Song courts and make them slack off. Lu Wenhuan, the envoy of the Jinghu system, is greedy by nature, so he can send someone to bribe him with generous gifts to prevent thieves and protect him. In the name of goods, they asked to build an earthen wall outside Xiangfan. Lu Wenhuan was greedy for small profits and short-sighted, so he agreed. By then, our army had formed a siege on Xiangyang City, and even if Guo Jing and others had the ability to do anything, they could not do anything We are.”
Kublai Khan was overjoyed when he heard this. Hao Jing was dispatched to Lin'an for peace talks with the Zhao and Song Dynasties, and the two sides were on good terms. He also sent envoys to Xiangyang City, prepared jade belts, gold and other generous gifts, and went to meet with Jinghu envoy Lu Wenhuan to discuss friendly business and the construction of earthen cities.
In addition, Guo Jing has been teaching Elder Liang the three moves of "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" in the past few days. Huang Rong also advised her to be less involved in the defense of Xiangyang City. In addition, the border city Yanguan was well connected with Song Dynasty, so she rarely went to the city tower to inspect.
Guo Xiang studied martial arts by herself in the study, and Wu Santong urged Xiao Wu to practice the one-yang finger martial arts. Sishui Yuyin said goodbye and left after the Nonzhang celebration. Scholar Zhu Ziliu saw that everyone was busy and he had nothing to do. He thought about the friendship between his fellow students. When he said goodbye to Yuyin from Sishui to Shili Changting, he was reluctant to leave. Later, he simply accompanied him to Wanhua Valley to pay homage to the master.
Master Yideng had a pure heart and few desires. When he saw his disciple arrive, his temples were gray, but he still had a strong spirit. He felt comforted and said lightly:
"Suddenly, everyone is getting old. My teacher is an old skin and he is about to die. I only wish to die in the mountains with a few close friends. I wish it was enough. You are in the prime of life and have no time to possess a unique skill. It is time to go Xiangyang City assists Guo Jing and his wife. Guard Xiangyang for the sake of the country and the people."
After saying that, he persuaded Zhu Ziliu to return to Xiangyang with kind words.
Zhu Ziliu was the prime minister of Dali when Master Yideng was still the king of Dali. Later, he became a monk with Master Yideng and led him to practice Buddhism. In fact, he had no intention of studying Buddhism and only wanted to protect Master Yideng. He loves calligraphy, likes poems and songs, and integrates calligraphy into martial arts. His nature is like a wandering cloud and a crane, and he only obeys his master's orders. Now that his master asked him to go to Xiangyang, he did not dare to hesitate for a moment, and rushed back to Xiangyang without stopping.
Guo Jing was overjoyed to see Zhu Ziliu return to Xiangyang, and he, Huang Rong, and Wu Santong hosted a family banquet for him in the Guo Mansion to welcome him.
When Huang Rong met Zhu Ziliu, she always liked to quarrel with him, even when she was older. When she saw Zhu Ziliu, she said:
"Senior Brother Zhu has been studying poetry, poetry, and calligraphy. Why has he not written a crooked poem or written a calligraphy these days? Have you become lazy?"
Zhu Ziliu shook his head and said:
"When writing poetry, you need to pay attention to your mood, and when writing, you need the combination of pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write it in one stroke."
Huang Rong smiled and said:
"Du Fu has a poem that says: Li Bai wrote hundreds of poems about drinking wine. Could it be that Senior Brother Zhu didn't drink enough wine? Come on, Ronger gives Senior Brother a drink."
Zhu Ziliu took it, drank it all, and said:
"Thank you, Junior Sister Huang."
Huang Rong saw that Zhu Ziliu was drinking heavily and that she would definitely suffer in a drinking contest with him, so she hinted to Guo Jing and Wu Santong to propose a toast to Zhu Ziliu. Guo Jing understood, took out two sea bowls, filled them with wine, and said:
"Come on, come on, let's have a drink with Senior Brother Zhu."
When Zhu Ziliu saw this, he shook his head and said:
"Don't listen to Junior Sister Huang's nonsense. Li Bai is a poetry immortal. A cup of wine will naturally lead to poetry. We ordinary people, a cup of wine will only make you vomit." Even so, he did not refuse Guo Jing's toast and held up a cup of wine. A full bowl of wine, drank in one gulp.
Huang Rong smiled and said:
"Tomorrow I will ask the second girl at home, Xiao Dongxie, to come and learn calligraphy from Senior Brother Zhu. You two, one old and one young, sing and sing together. You are both extremely smart people. I think you should complement each other."
Zhu Ziliu shook his head and said:
"Miss Guo Er is famous all over the world. She has extraordinary knowledge at a young age. Zhu Mou has admired her for a long time. Old naughty boys have no tricks to play with her, and Zhu Mou has no ability, so Miss Guo Er can learn from her."
Wu Santong also filled two bowls of wine, handed one to Zhu Ziliu, and said respectfully:
"Senior brother is going to Ten Thousand Flowers Valley this time. Is Master okay?"
This is what Guo Jing and Huang Rong wanted to ask. When Wu Santong asked, they all heard it.
Zhu Ziliu drank up the wine in the bowl and said:
"Master Long's body is still healthy. He talks about Zen with Huang Island Master every day, which is quite pleasant. Junior Brother Yu Yin is by his side, but he still feels superfluous. The old naughty boy is still playing with his bees, and Yinggu is also raising the minks. Everyone has their own thing to do.”
Huang Rong heard that her father was with Master Yideng every day. Seeing that her father was not lonely in his later years, she felt relieved and said with a smile:
"Brother Zhou is still free. In my opinion, whether a person grows old or not depends on his mentality. For a saint like Brother Zhou who is always childlike, it will not be a problem to live another hundred years."
Zhu Ziliu nodded and said:
"Yes, not only are they old naughty boys, Master Huang and Island Master Huang have similar interests. They are proud of the mountains and forests, but they are also experts in the world. Although they are both over the age, they are still in good health."
Huang Rong glanced at Guo Jing, sighed, and said:
"We are busy with worldly affairs and no longer have time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of nature! Thinking about how carefree Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu, the beautiful couple of gods and gods, are, we can only live our lives by toiling away. We haven't even gone back to see Peach Blossom Island for a long time. La."
Guo Jing couldn't help but remain silent, his heart filled with guilt.
Zhu Ziliu smiled and said:
"Actually, it is not necessarily true. It is possible to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, and be free from the world and live up to your destiny. However, a virtuous couple serves the country and the people and sticks to Xiangyang, which makes the Mongolians frightened. The people of the Song Dynasty praise each other and leave behind a lasting legacy. This is exactly what a man pursues. It’s the ultimate.”
Wu Santong laughed and said:
"Senior brother is absolutely right. A virtuous couple is loyal to the people. Even senior brother Zhu Xianyunyehe still put aside his leisurely travels and came to help. We have done a great cause together, and our time in this world has not been in vain. "
Zhu Ziliu suddenly said:
"Today I came back to Xiangyang and saw that there is a food court outside Xiangfan City. There is an earthen wall built on Lumen Mountain in the southeast and a fortress built inside. It seems that the Mongols are active inside. I don't know why."
Guo Jing smiled and said:
"Qi'er also received a report from the children of the Beggar Clan. I heard that it was a mutual market between Mongolia and Song Dynasty. It was set up to prevent thieves and protect goods. The Han and Mongolian tribes have been friendly for generations, which is exactly what we want."
Huang Rong was shocked and lost her voice:
"How come I don't know about this kind of thing?"
Guo Jing smiled and said:
"You go to Fu'er's room every day and take care of your grandson, how can you take care of these things?"
Huang Rong paused and sighed:
"I think the Mongols built these castles with ulterior motives. I'm afraid it's not as simple as preventing thieves and protecting goods!"
Zhu Ziliu nodded and said:
"I also had my doubts and thought it was common sense."
Guo Jing smiled and said:
"Rong'er and Senior Brother Zhu are paranoid. Building the castle is a long-term business plan. How can the Mongols be so procrastinate in conquering the city?"
Huang Rong rolled her eyes at Guo Jing and said:
"Do you think that all the people in the world have a Bodhisattva-like heart like you? In a few days you will know how powerful they are. It would be better for Qi'er to send the disciples of the Beggar Gang to investigate around Xiangfan."
Guo Jing just didn't believe it, so Huang Rong asked the maid serving outside the hall to invite her uncle. After a while, Yeluqi came to the hall and met with the four elders.
Huang Rong asked:
"Qi'er, quickly send the Beggar Gang disciples to check around Xiangfan City. How many forts have the Mongols built?"
Yeluqi took the order and left.
In less than a cup of tea, the Beggar Clan disciples reported that recently the Mongols not only built earthen walls at Lumen Mountain in the southeast of Xiangfan, but also built fortresses at Lumen Fort in the southeast of Xiangfan and Baihe City in the northeast. Shi Tianze built fortresses in the west of Xiangfan. A long siege was built around Baizhang Mountain in Wanshan Mountain, and a city was built on Xian Mountain and Hutou Mountain in the south to connect the forts. Roughly speaking, the Mongols built more than ten castles around Xiangfan.
When Huang Rong heard this, she sighed:
"It's bitter, it's bitter. In less than a month, such a big change happened."
Guo Jing just smiled and said:
"The Mongols did not dare to move into Xiangyang City and built a castle outside the city. It is not worth making such a fuss about."
Huang Rong sighed secretly and said:
"Brother Jing still keeps it in the dark. A Shu built fortresses in Lumen Fort in the southeast of Xiangfan and Baihe City in the northeast. The purpose is to cut off the road to aid the Song Army. Shi Tianze built a long siege on Wanshan Baizhang Mountain in the west of Xiangfan, completely The connection between Xiangyang and the northwest and southeast has been cut off. Xiangfan has now become an isolated city."
Guo Jing always knew that Huang Rong was resourceful. Seeing her in such a hurry this time, he felt that the situation was serious and said:
"I'll go to the prefect's mansion tomorrow and ask General Lu to send people to demolish these castles."
Huang Rong urged:
"It won't be too late, the sooner the better."
It's exactly this: building a castle for long-term reasons, and destroying the city for small gains. If you want to know what the Mongols wanted to do when they built the castle, please read the analysis in the next chapter.
