July of the second year of Xingqing in the Song Dynasty, Jin, Shaanxi, Fengxiang Road, Hulu River Valley.
On a hot summer day, on the post road in the Hulu River Valley, a large group of people dressed as caravans were rolling forward.
It was said to be a caravan, but the scale was too large, with a total of ten thousand people, plus horses, vehicles, and "goods", it was bulging and stretched for several miles.
Yu Jie walked in the middle of the team, looked at the silent team moving forward, and then looked at the hot sun, wiped his sweat, and passed the order.
"Rest where you are! Be alert!"
The military order was conveyed, and all the troops stopped one after another and began to replenish drinking water and food to avoid the ravages of the scorching sun.
From the Song Dynasty to Xixia Lingzhou, according to Wan Yanchun's suggestion, we took the Xiaoguan Ancient Road.
The distance of this road is 1,200 miles, and the golden realm in the middle is 800 miles. When we arrived at Xiaoguan, we left Shangyi Pass and entered Xixia territory. The distance was less than 400 miles. If we marched quickly, we could arrive in five or six days.
"Ms. Luo, where are our troops now?"
Yu Jie handed the water bag to Luo Shichang, who was dressed as a scholar and was sweating profusely.
He also secretly admired it. This old man, in his fifties, traveled with the army on a hot day without complaining at all, which is admirable.
"General Yu, in front of us is Xiaoguan. After leaving Xiaoguan, we are in our territory of Daxia. However, the Xiaoguan in the ancient poem "Cicadas sing in the empty mulberry forest, Xiaoguan Road in August" is not here, but 200 miles to the south. We passed through Zhenrong Prefecture a few days ago."
Luo Shichang drank water, his eyes filled with emotion.
The Song army was disguised like this, and it seemed that they did not want to be a direct enemy of Genghis Khan. However, as long as there are reinforcements from these elite soldiers and these chilling firearms, it is enough.
Those bulging tanks covered with cloth were full of artillery and grenades. Even if they encountered thousands of Mongolian troops, they were not afraid at all.
"Ms. Luo, I'm not blabbering. There are only a few hundred thousand people in Daxia now, and one Sichuan is equivalent to dozens of Daxias. There is really no need to hold on. In my opinion, it is better to evacuate to the Song Dynasty, so that more people can survive. "
Cao Youwan on the side said to Luo Shichang with a smile.
After dealing with each other for such a long time, everyone has established a deep "revolutionary friendship."
"General Cao, if bandits come, will you abandon your family and run away? You won't, you will just fight them to the end."
Luo Shichang said softly, seemingly out of emotion.
"The Tatar cavalry dominates the world, and Genghis Khan uses his troops like a god. I don't know whether Daxia can survive. It depends on people. On behalf of the king of Daxia and hundreds of thousands of people, I would like to thank the soldiers of the Song Dynasty."
I don’t know whether Xixia can survive, but these ten thousand Song troops are fighting for their lives!
"Xianggong Luo, you don't need to thank us, we are just following orders. If you want to thank me, go and thank me, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty."
Cao Youwan smiled and said with emotion:
"Actually, I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, have no choice. Think about it, if our army can defeat the Tatar army, do we still need to be sneaky? The Tatars are powerful, so the emperor has no choice but to do so."
The frontier army has only been organized and trained for more than half a year and has not yet taken shape. These 10,000 soldiers are already the elite of Lizhou Camp.
Luo Shichang couldn't help being surprised, and he hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Daxia will remember the kindness of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. But with just these ten thousand soldiers, it seems a bit reluctant that Daxia can escape this catastrophe."
The reinforcement of 10,000 Song troops alone could only delay the Mongolian army from breaking through the city. It is far from enough to defeat the Mongolian army or even make it retreat.
"Xianggong Luo, both Lizhou Road and Lizhou Camp are training troops, and the Sichuan Production Department is training more than 100,000 officers and soldiers in Sichuan. Coupled with the firearms, weapons and food, it will take at least a year. So, don’t worry. When the time comes, I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, will definitely send my troops to rescue you!"
Cao Youwan is generous and confident.
Luo Shichang remained silent, thinking of the "secrets" that Zhao Hong solemnly confessed that could not be revealed, and finally nodded.
"If I, Daxia, can escape this disaster, I will be satisfied even if my life is shortened by ten years."
"Ms. Luo, put your heart back in your belly. You will definitely live a long life!"
Cao Youwan comforted Luo Shichang, who had been worried all the way, and cheered him up.
"Xiangong Luo, don't worry, your Daxia will not be destroyed. I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, said that I will save Daxia, so I will definitely come to rescue you!"
"Mr. Luo, what General Cao said is right! To put it harshly, even if I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, don't save you, I still have to save our brothers who are out on the battlefield. Just put your heart back in your belly!"
Yu Jie laughed heartlessly.
Before leaving, Zhao Hong told them that they must persist until the end of June next year. It's only the end of July now. In total, we have to stay in Xixia for almost a year.
For eleven months, this was really a protracted and fierce battle.
Luo Shichang's mood suddenly brightened and he smiled softly.
The words are rough and the reasoning is not rough. If Zhao Hong abandoned Yu Jie and other soldiers who were reinforcing Xixia, wouldn't he be ridiculed by the world?
It seems that Zhao Hong has already decided to send troops to reinforce Xixia. Even if Xixia does not make peace with the Song Dynasty, Zhao Hong will probably send troops.
"I am deeply touched by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty for his kindness in rebuilding his life. It is a pity that the Emperor of the Song Dynasty was busy with many things and could not meet him before his departure. What a pity!"
Zhao Hong was busy with state affairs and had to participate in the upcoming imperial examination, so he and Li Weiming had to leave early. This also prevented him from meeting Zhao Hong before leaving.
"Ms. Luo, are you sure that there are a large number of iron ingots in Lingzhou City?"
Yu Jie was worried and asked again.
In addition to more than 200 artillery pieces, more than 200,000 hand grenades, more than 200 barrels of gunpowder, and lead pellet shells, the vehicle did not carry enough. Firstly, there were too many things to bring, and secondly, the solid iron balls were too heavy. One weighed seven kilograms, and four thousand weighed nearly thirty thousand kilograms, which was only enough for two hundred artillery pieces for one day.
Therefore, part of the casting of solid iron balls had to be done in Lingzhou and relied on iron smelting in Xixia.
"General Yu, put your heart back in your stomach. How dare I talk nonsense about important military and national matters."
Luo Shichang's face became serious and serious.
"I passed through Lingzhou before coming here. I had a detailed discussion with Lingzhou's guard general and former prince Li Deren. The iron ingots in Lingzhou City are enough for you to cast millions of solid iron balls. Don't worry."
Lingzhou is an important military town in Xixia. The iron ingots produced in Xiazhou, the holy land of iron smelting, are continuously transported to Lingzhou to make weapons. After nearly two hundred years of accumulation, Lingzhou City is definitely not short of smelting iron.
Luo Shichang pointed at the dagger in Yu Jie's waist and smiled proudly.
"General Yu, the sword I made in Daxia is not inferior to your "soldier soul". When you get to Lingzhou, I will let you see it."
The "Xia Ren Sword" is extremely sharp, the best in the world, and Luo Shichang is also proud of it.
"Xianggong Luo, I have to put it bluntly, no matter how sharp your "Xia Ren Sword" is, even if it is a hundred swords, it will not be able to equal the weight of this short sword in my heart. This was a gift from His Majesty himself when I graduated from the Jinling Lecture Hall. , it has my name on it. If the Zhongxing Mansion in Daxia falls, I will use this dagger to kill myself, and I will live up to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty and live up to the relationship between teacher and student."
When the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall was mentioned, Yu Jie's expression turned serious unknowingly.
Those unforgettable years are worth remembering for the rest of his life.
"Serve the country with loyalty and serve the country and the people! Everything we have today as a commoner is entirely due to His Majesty's grace. We will never be able to repay even one of the kindness of knowing and meeting, and the love of teachers and students."
Cao Youwan said loudly and unknowingly held the dagger at his waist.
Some feelings really cannot be explained in words.
Luo Shichang looked at Yu Jie and Cao Youwan in surprise, secretly surprised.
To be able to make the generals under his command be so determined and obey orders, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty was admirable for his skill in handling generals.
Unfortunately, there is no such king in Daxia. Even if Daxia had such a king, I'm afraid it would be too late.
The Tatar cavalry will never give them the opportunity and time to stand up and hide their capabilities and bide their time.
"General Yu, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, should have returned to Lin'an City, right?"
Thinking of Zhao Hong and Li Weiming, Luo Shichang couldn't help but ask.
"Ms. Luo, it's already the end of July. I'm afraid the imperial examination selection has been completed. Your Majesty is busy with political affairs and has many things to deal with. Sichuan, Liangzhe Road, and Jiangnan East Road are implementing the New Deal and training the new army. His Majesty is far away from home and is much busier than us. .”
Cao Youwan spoke longingly.
It's really admirable to travel thousands of miles like this.
"Two generals, will everything be okay with the troop training?"
Luo Shichang became nervous again.
"Fifty thousand troops are being trained in Chengdu, and 30,000 are being trained in the Lizhou camp. In addition, the two groups in Lizhou are training new troops. In total, there are 120,000 to 30,000 new troops training in Sichuan. Luo Xianggong, your majesty has made it clear that Sichuan is the Sichuan system. The envoy Cui Yu was appointed to Lizhou, and Cao Youwen, the commander of Lizhou West Road, was trained by officers from the Jinling Military Academy, so it would not start in a hurry or end in a tailspin."
Cao Youwan said calculatedly, without even noticing Yu Jie's eyes.
"Xianggong Luo, although training the new army is important, the production of firearms is more important. The war is all about logistics. Without artillery, ammunition, and food, what's the use of training the army? Lizhou and Mianzhou rush to build it day and night. The weapons and ammunition are to prepare for this conflict with the Tatar army."
When it came to weapon manufacturing, Yu Jie finally understood how difficult it was for Zhao Hong. When planning a war, every detail must be taken into consideration, including supplies of supplies, food and morale, and military morale.
The words of Cao Youwan and Yu Jie made Luo Shichang's brows widen immediately.
Cao Youwan is a straight man and won't beat around the bush, so what he says will definitely not be false. With an army of hundreds of thousands, it seems that Zhao Hong is also racing against time to prepare for this future war.
"The Song Emperor's abilities are astonishing in ancient times and today, and his literary and military skills are enough to be compared to others."
Luo Shichang's smile returned to his face and he said with emotion.
The Emperor of Song Dynasty was so knowledgeable that he was even a master of divination, which especially amazed him.
I hope Song Huang’s “predictions” are true.
"Ms. Luo, don't regret it. You can see His Majesty in a year at most. By then, it will be difficult to avoid him."
Yu Jie stood up with a smile. He picked up the telescope and looked carefully. He suddenly put down the telescope and pointed forward.
"Mr. Luo, look, is that the Jin man's guide?"
Ahead is Xiao Guan, the envoy of the Jin people is about to arrive.
