After the war, the Song army officers and soldiers were cleaning the battlefield outside the city. In the original Mongolian army camp, there were broken flags, broken vehicles, corpses in the tents, and countless dead and wounded horses. Especially those trenches were filled with the corpses of men and horses.
The dead horses would be cut up and their meat removed, while the bodies of the Mongolian soldiers would be buried to prevent diseases caused by hot weather.
"General, we have made a profit this time! We can form several cavalry battalions on Lizhou West Road!"
On the city wall, Lu Yuanting looked at the countless war horses outside the city and smiled happily.
The Mongolian camp outside the city was captured, and more than 3,000 horses were captured, enough to form a cavalry army.
"Tatars are so generous! The number of dead and injured horses alone is probably close to ten thousand. The Tatar cavalry has two horses per person, or even three horses. It is really enviable!"
Wang Jian looked at the dead horses everywhere on the battlefield outside the city with regret on his face.
There are only two to three thousand cavalry on the entire Lizhou West Road, and the quality of the horses varies. Compared with the Mongolian army, it is in heaven and on earth.
"The Song Dynasty moved south and lost the land to raise horses in the north, resulting in a shortage of horses and cavalry in the army. The reason why the Tatar cavalry can dominate the world is not because they have many war horses, and their riding and shooting are unparalleled in the world. If they win, they cannot pursue, and they can expand their results, and they lose. Then they will collapse thousands of miles away and be slaughtered by others. This is the pain of not having a place to raise horses, and it makes people helpless."
Cao Youwen smiled bitterly, his words filled with helplessness.
Although the Song army had sharp weapons, it lacked cavalry and it was still difficult to expand its results. Otherwise, last time he would have led his men directly to the lair of the Mongolian army in Lintao Prefecture.
"So what if there is a land to raise horses? If you don't have blood, you know how to control the military with culture and suppress the military generals. Isn't this the difficulty of Jingkang and the Song Dynasty's migration to the south?"
After Wang Jian finished complaining, the topic suddenly changed.
"General, Your Majesty is leading troops to annihilate the enemy outside the city. It doesn't seem right for us to stay in the city."
He looked to the north. The Song army was advancing northwest and seemed to have no intention of stopping.
"More than half of our brothers were killed or wounded. We have been fighting for more than half a month and need to recuperate. The emperor personally led the expedition and led fifty or sixty thousand troops. We only have two or three thousand soldiers in the city. Even if we all go with the emperor, it will still be a waste. It won’t do much.”
Cao Youwen said softly, his eyes looking into the distance.
"I saw clearly from the city wall just now that Lu Wende and Ma Zhong were following the emperor to hunt down the remaining enemies. Most of their subordinates were from the frontier fortress and were familiar with the situation. As long as they were there, the army would not be ambushed."
"Don't be afraid of being ambushed! The army is fully equipped with chariots and firearms. It doesn't matter if the Tatar army flees. If we encounter them, it will be a fierce battle. Look at how much blood they shed!"
Wang Jian smiled coldly, full of confidence in the Song army's combat power.
The 50,000 to 60,000 Song troops were well-recharged and fully equipped with firearms to deal with the exhausted 10,000-strong Mongolian cavalry. If they were defeated, they would really have no way of training their troops.
"General, why do I feel that His Majesty is not chasing the remnants of the Tatar soldiers when he leads his army to the northwest?"
Wang Jian raised his telescope and looked carefully, and said in surprise.
Cao Youwen was also surprised. He observed carefully for a moment, put down his telescope, and frowned.
"The remnants of the Tatars fled towards Qinzhou in the northeast, but our army went northwest along the West Han River towards the Tianshui Army and Xihe Prefecture. Our cavalry, as the front army, has separated from the infantry formation and seems to be heading towards In the direction of Taozhou and Lintao Prefecture..."
The two looked at each other and Wang Jian blurted out.
"General, you mean that His Majesty is sending troops north to occupy Lintao Mansion and other places in Jin territory?"
"I don't know either. However, Ma Zhong and Su Haoxin are familiar with the terrain of the border fortress. With them here, the march will not be a problem. It seems that we need to send scouts out of the city to confirm the intention of the army to His Majesty."
Cao Youwen's words made Wang Jian nodded.
Zhao Hong was very imaginative in doing things, and neither of them could guess the emperor's thoughts.
"General, look!"
Wang Jian pointed to the north of the city and saw smoke and dust billowing in the distance. Hundreds of riders came towards Juechen and did not stop until they reached the foot of the city wall. One of the knights on the horse shouted loudly to the top of the city.
"General Cao, Your Majesty led an army of 70,000 to the north, and sent a subordinate to convey the order, asking you and Mr. Gao to stick to Mianzhou, appease the wounded and the people, and not to go out with the army. When the army is stationed, I will naturally notify you so that food and grass can be transferred. !”
"May I ask General Zhang, where is your Majesty's army going?"
Cao Youwen had sharp eyes and recognized at a glance that the person shouting in the city was Zhao Hong's personal guard Zhang Hong.
An army of 70,000 is enough for a national war!
"General Cao, General Wang, your majesty led the army and chased the remnant Tatar army all the way to Jinjing. It looks like it is in the direction of Lintao Mansion!"
Zhang Hong also made no secret of Cao Youwen and Wang Jian.
"Lintao Mansion? That's the Golden Realm! Does your Majesty plan to station an army in Mianzhou?"
as expected. Cao Youwen suppressed the surprise in his heart and asked loudly.
"I don't know, either. But I heard His Majesty say that he wanted to defeat the Tatar army in one fell swoop. He went all the way north and occupied Lintao Prefecture, Lanzhou and other places to open up the passage with Xixia. He also wanted to go to Xihe Prefecture and Fengzhou. Convey military orders to all parts of the state, and say goodbye!"
After Zhang Hong finished speaking, he turned the horse's head and rode away.
On the top of the city, Cao Youwen and Wang Jian looked at each other, speechless.
Occupying Lintao Prefecture and Lanzhou, opening up the passage to Xixia?
The king's heart is unpredictable, you never know what he will do next!
"General Cao, outsiders say you are brave and give you the nickname "Cao Bold". Compared with His Majesty, you pale into insignificance!"
Wang Jian was shocked and sighed sincerely.
Not everyone has the courage and confidence to directly send troops northward to open up the passage between the Song Dynasty and Xixia.
What he didn't know was that Genghis Khan had died of illness, the Mongolian army was demoralized, the internal plague was prevalent, the soldiers had no fighting spirit, and the people were at home.
And Zhao Hong took advantage of the civil strife in the Mongolian army to seize chestnuts from the fire.
"My "Cao Boldness" is only superficial, His Majesty the Emperor is really brave and fearless, he is really full of courage!"
Cao Youwen was filled with emotion and subconsciously complimented Zhao Hong.
But this is good. Once the Song army takes Lintao Mansion, the Xixia passage will be unimpeded, and the situation on the Xixia side will be known as soon as possible.
"General Cao, how was the trial of the prisoners? Is there any news from Xixia?"
Sure enough, Wang Jian began to ask about the Song army's entry into Xia.
Yu Jie and Cao Youwan led their troops into Xia, which attracted the attention of the entire Lizhou army.
"In February, the Tatar army had not yet captured Lingzhou. But they don't know what it is like now. These prisoners are ordinary soldiers in the Tatar army, and they don't know much about it. To know the details, I'm afraid you have to Find some Tatar generals.”
Cao Youwen shook his head, worried.
"There is no need to look for them, and there is no way to find them. Your Majesty is coming with an army of 70,000 people. It will not be a problem to fight to the Yellow River. There will be news from Xixia soon!"
Lu Yuanting's consolation made Cao Youwen and Wang Jian nod.
The Mongolian army has been defeated, and the 70,000-strong army is heading north. News about the Song army such as Yu Jie, Cao Youwan and others will be learned soon. As for the outcome, we can only leave it to fate.
"You tell me, if my 70,000-strong army fights against a 100,000-strong Tatar army, who will win and who will lose?"
Lu Yuanting suddenly asked with great interest.
"On the ground in Lintao Prefecture, the weather is so hot, it is not easy for the Tatars to win, and even if they win, it will only be a partial and tragic victory, just like this time in the battle of Mianzhou City. With firearms, the Tatars The advantage of cavalry is gone.”
Cao Youwen analyzed it carefully, and his words were filled with emotion.
"Even if our army can win, it will be difficult to expand the results. In the final analysis, our army has too few cavalry. If there are enough horses, the Tatars will not have any advantage. For now, both sides are evenly matched, and it is difficult to say whether they will win or lose. .”
The three of them were speechless, watching the Song Army heading northwest getting further and further away, slowly disappearing from everyone's sight.
"General, look. He seems to be a brother from Lizhou East Road?"
Wang Jian suddenly pointed in the direction of the billowing smoke to the east and broke the silence.
Cao Youwen and Lu Yuanting looked up to the east of the city. Sure enough, countless Song troops on foot and cavalry were heading straight for Mianzhou City with flags flying and dust flying.
"It's Jiang Wanzai. Why is he here with so many soldiers?"
Cao Youwen was astonished when he saw that Jiang Wanzai had already led several cavalry to the city wall.
"Jiang Wanzai, why did you come to Lizhou West Road?"
Cao Youwen frowned and asked loudly.
"General Cao, His Majesty the Emperor is personally leading the expedition. I am worried about this. I have brought 10,000 soldiers with me, complete with artillery and chariots. Please give me your instructions, General!"
Jiang Wanzai clasped his fists in salute and said loudly.
Yu Jie and Cao Youwan went to Xixia, and both soldiers and horses in Lizhou were controlled by Cao Youwen. If it weren't for the military orders, he would have led his army north.
"General, don't worry, there are large troops stationed in Wuxiuguan and Xingyuan Mansion, and the Tatars will not be allowed to take advantage of them."
Seeing Cao Youwen frowning slightly, Jiang Wanzai quickly added.
Wuxiuguan and Mianzhou are the two fortresses entering Hanzhong and Sichuan. They are both heavily armed, which is enough to reassure people.
"Jiang Wanzai, you came at the right time!"
Cao Youwen thought for a moment and made a decision immediately.
"Wang Jian, you are familiar with the terrain of Lizhou West Road. You can take three thousand soldiers and go with Jiang Wanzai and go straight to Lintao Mansion to act as a forward for His Majesty to prevent our army from being ambushed by the remnant Tatar army."
The military prefectures on Lizhou West Road are well-defended, and Xingyuan Mansion is in the rear, so there is no need to hoard a large army.
In this way, Lintao Prefecture has 80,000 Song troops, making it even more foolproof.
"I will obey the order!"
Wang Jian smiled happily and immediately accepted the order.
This time, I can finally have a good fight.
"Yang Dayuan, you lead an army of three thousand and occupy the city of Taozhou in the west to prevent the Tatars from attacking from the southwest."
Yang Dayuan accepted the order with enthusiasm and left happily.
"Xiangong Gao, you stay and stay in Mianzhou and lead the soldiers to defend the city. I will go and see the wounded soldiers, and then transfer the food and grass to Jinjing to serve as the emperor's back-up!"
Cao Youwen felt excited and said loudly.
In this way, not only the emperor's retreat was guaranteed, but the entire Lizhou West Road had strong troops and horses, and there was no need to worry about the invasion of the Mongolian army.
I hope that the Song army can successfully capture Lintao Prefecture and Lanzhou and open up the channel with Xixia. In this way, we can know the situation in Lingzhou earlier.
"General Cao, please ensure your Majesty's safety!"
Gao Jia solemnly bowed and said.
