Early summer, the capital of Xixia, Zhongxing Mansion.
There were bloody battles in Lingzhou City one after another, with numerous casualties and casualties. Every siege was extremely brutal and life-and-death. The Mongolian army divided its forces to besiege Zhongxing Mansion. They also wanted to test whether they could bypass Lingzhou City and directly capture Zhongxing Mansion.
On the city wall, a not fierce siege battle had just ended. There were more than a hundred casualties on both sides of the city wall, and the Mongolian army retreated.
"General, you said His Majesty sent us to Zhongxing Mansion to do these things?"
An officer's face turned red. He looked at the Mongolian troops retreating outside the city and complained in a low voice.
I have been in the capital of Xixia for more than half a year. Since the beginning of the year, there have been dozens of battles, large and small. Although they were fierce and fierce at the beginning, the subsequent battles were not very intense.
The city wall of Zhongxing Prefecture is tall, with 30,000 elite defenders, 20,000 other defenders, and tens of thousands of people. It is also in danger of the Yellow River. The Mongolian army only had 20,000 to 30,000 troops. After the heavy casualties in the siege, the offensive became louder than thunder, and it did not seem to be as scary as the legend said.
"Don't talk nonsense! The news from Lingzhou is that the fighting there was terrible. More than half of the brothers were killed or injured. There was not much gunpowder left and the firearms were basically useless. The main attack of the Tatar army was in Lingzhou. These were just harassments. As long as Lingzhou If the state capital is not lost, the Tatars will have no choice but to take over Zhongxing Mansion!"
Yu Jie said softly, with a look of helplessness on his dark face.
If he had known that he would be so free in Zhongxing Mansion, he would have sent Cao Youwan to Zhongxing Mansion while he stayed in Lingzhou and fought with the troops.
Since the Mongolian army came to Xingling, its attacks on Zhongxing Mansion have been repelled by the Xia army in the city. It seems to have little to do with his two thousand Song army subordinates.
"General, I heard that Zhongxing Mansion has run out of food, and people are starving to death in the city every day! I'm afraid we won't be able to survive for long. Do you think His Majesty will send troops to rescue us? He won't let us wait here to die, right?"
an officer asked cautiously.
"Fang Datou, shut up your dog mouth! If you continue to disturb the morale of the army, I will chop off your big head and throw it out of the city to feed the dogs!"
Yu Jie suddenly changed color, pointed at the officer, and cursed angrily in a low voice.
"General, the villain deserves to die! The villain deserves to die!"
Fang Datou's expression changed drastically, he quickly knelt down and kowtowed.
Discipline in the army is strict, and anyone who dares to shake the morale of the army will be killed without mercy. If Yu Jie kills him, there will be no chance to cry.
"Get up quickly! Let the Xixia people see it, you will lose the face of our Song Dynasty soldiers!"
Yu Jie waved his hand impatiently, and Fang Datou quickly got up.
"It's May now. Your Majesty must have a reason for persisting until the end of June! This is His Majesty's military order. Anyone who dares to talk too much will be punished by military law!"
Yu Jie scolded with a dark face, and all the generals nodded.
Military orders are like mountains, and the army only values discipline and obedience. No one can be an exception and no one can disobey them.
"When we run out of food, we kill the horses. When we finish eating the horse meat, we boil the leather armor. If that doesn't work, we eat grass, tree bark, and everything we can eat. If we hold on for another month, His Majesty will definitely send his troops!"
Yu Jie stared at several officers with cold eyes.
"You are all officers from the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall and the principal's favorite students. Anyone who shrinks from the battle or escapes from the battle will be killed without mercy!"
"General, don't worry. We will sacrifice our lives to serve our country with loyalty. We will not embarrass the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, nor will we embarrass the principal!"
"For the sake of the country and the people, you must sacrifice your life to be a benevolent person! General, you can rest assured!"
The officers made impassioned speeches, which made Yu Jie nodded slightly and felt relieved.
"Brothers, don't worry. You and I are both His Majesty's students. There are ten thousand brothers in Xixia. How could Your Majesty abandon everyone!"
Yu Jie glanced towards the south. He didn't know what the situation was like in Lingzhou. He didn't know when Zhao Hong would lead his army to rescue?
In fact, he also doubted in his heart that the soldiers who rescued Xixia would not really be abandoned by His Majesty, right?
Even if he thinks so in his heart, he will never say it with his mouth. He was the commander-in-chief of an army. Xixia, who volunteered to come, could not lose the face of the Song Dynasty and the emperor.
"General Yu, tell me more about the battle in Lingzhou City. It will also open your eyes to the brothers."
Fang Datou, his real name is Fang Datong, but because his head is bigger than others, he is called Fang Datou.
"The fighting in Lingzhou City is fierce, much more tragic than here!"
Yu Jie sighed and spoke seriously.
"General Cao Youwan Cao led his brothers to assist the Xia army in defending the city. There were more than 100,000 Mongolian troops outside the city. The leader was Genghis Khan, the "genius of the generation" who only knew how to bend a bow and shoot vultures in "Qinyuanchun.Snow" . In more than two months of bloody battles, the Lingzhou defenders suffered more than 20,000 casualties, and nearly half of our 8,000 brothers were also killed or wounded."
Yu Jie looked at the Song army generals who were fascinated by what they heard and looked serious.
"Do you know how many casualties Genghis Khan's Tatar army suffered?"
Mongolian cavalry raged in Xingling Land, bringing back military intelligence from Lingzhou. Xixia scouts suffered numerous casualties.
"How many casualties?"
Fang Datou asked immediately.
The officers and soldiers of the Song Army were also there, staring directly at Yu Jie.
"The invincible Tatar army suffered at least 30,000 casualties! Among them, the Tatar trebuchets and ballistae were all defeated by our army's artillery. The artillery and thunderbolts bombarded the brothers indiscriminately. There are seven or eight thousand Tatar soldiers! What do you think Cao Youwan and the others did?"
Yu Jie asked loudly.
"Well done!"
Fang Datou looked excited and shouted loudly.
The officers and soldiers of the Song Army were all smiling, and everyone was glowing.
"Cao Youwan and the brothers have done a good job. They have given face to the brothers. We can all go back to meet His Majesty with dignity. Therefore, please don't spread those words that disturb the morale of the army. We are all disciples of the Emperor. What do you think? , will His Majesty leave us alone? Does he still want to be the emperor of the Song Dynasty with dignity? "
Yu Jie solemnly explained his matter to his subordinates. The Song army cannot cause any trouble in Xixia.
"General, tell me, has His Majesty arrived at the northwest frontier?"
"General, Song and Xia are separated by the Kingdom of Jin. How can Your Majesty come to save us?"
The other two Song Army officers asked questions one after another.
"The Tatar army has more than 100,000 troops. Your Majesty wants to bring troops to rescue us, but why not bring 70,000 to 80,000 troops? Cui Yu, the envoy of Sichuan Province, is training 50,000 new troops in Chengdu, and the Lizhou camp also has 30,000 to 40,000 troops. , adding up to eighty or ninety thousand. It takes time to train troops, and it takes a year or two to prepare for the heavy supplies of food and fodder, and just the thunderous artillery and ammunition. Brothers can’t fight the Tatar army with their bare hands and guns, right?”
Yu Jie talked eloquently, saliva flying everywhere.
"His Majesty asked us to stay until the end of June, and there are still nearly two months. If my prediction is correct, Your Majesty has already arrived at Shukou and is fighting the Tatar army. This time, the Tatars will have an easy time!"
After Yu Jie finished speaking, he burst out laughing.
In fact, he was not sure whether Zhao Hong had come to the northwest frontier. But he believed that the emperor would send troops to rescue him because the emperor said it himself.
He still believed what the emperor and principal said.
Yu Jie's analysis was very clear and logical. The officers and soldiers of the Song Army were all smiling and nodded in agreement.
The emperor was wise and mighty, with a strong and fearless character. He had said that he would come to help the Xia and Song troops back, and there was absolutely no reason why he should not come.
"That's what the general said. Your Majesty loves his soldiers as much as his sons, how could he ignore his brothers? If we persist for another month, we will be heroes. If anyone escapes from the battle, he will be a bear. We are engaged in military law!"
Fang Datou looked excited and shouted loudly.
Starting at the beginning but ending at the end, this is not the style of the wise and powerful Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
"When fighting the Tatar army, your Majesty must act carefully. Otherwise, he will not be able to save us, but may get himself involved. Let's patiently defend the city and wait for your Majesty's victory!"
Another officer also had a red face, boosting morale.
This is a national war. Facing the powerful Mongolian army of 100,000 people, we must have a careful arrangement and cannot act hastily.
"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and there are no plans left. When the time comes, the artillery clears the way and the sky-shaking thunder bombs indiscriminately. I don't believe it. You can't deal with the Tatar cavalry who ride on horseback and shoot arrows? If you want to defeat my army of the Great Song Dynasty, you have to see how much blood they have." flow!"
"That's right! The cannons and thunderbolts are coming continuously, and they're not all bloody and bloody. Let's defend the city patiently!"
The officers were excited and spoke urgently.
"Excellent! I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, personally lead the expedition, with tens of thousands of elite troops. We will see real moves on the battlefield. Let's see who is the real hero?"
Yu Jie continued what the officers said and said loudly.
Your Majesty, Emperor, Your Majesty, you have to come early!
After saying so much, Yu Jie's little heart began to beat rapidly involuntarily.
"Brothers, let's disperse. Defend the city well and don't let the Tatars take advantage of the loophole!"
Yu Jie shouted loudly and handed down military orders.
"General, why do I feel that this city wall is shaking a little?"
Fang Datou said it suspiciously.
"It's an earthquake! Brothers, get down quickly!"
Yu Jie got excited and shouted loudly, calling for the soldiers on the city wall to get down.
Everyone on the city wall lay down, feeling the slight shaking of the city wall. Fortunately, the south city wall was not at the epicenter and did not collapse or crack. Instead, screams and shouts continued to come from inside the city.
Yu Jie struggled to stand up, lying on the city wall and looking into the city. He saw that in Zhongxing Mansion, houses and palaces collapsed one after another. The soldiers and civilians were panicked and ran around. Many people were buried under the collapsed buildings.
While watching, the tall royal temple slowly tilted, and as the temple split apart, it turned into countless scattered wooden beams, tiles, and bricks, mixed with tables, chairs, and Buddha statues falling to the ground. Huge clouds of dust covered the ground and floated into the air.
His eyes turned to the Xixia Imperial City, which was already in ruins, with rubble all over the ground. There were disgraced Imperial Guards and palace maids everywhere, screaming and fleeing. I don’t know if any of the halls will survive.
The disaster-ridden Xixia people, the suffering people of Xixia. I'm going to starve to death and have to suffer such a disaster.
This is the day when Xixia will be destroyed!
Yu Jie sat down against the city wall, shook his head dejectedly, and let out a long sigh of helplessness.
I don’t know how long it took for the earthquake to subside. There were several aftershocks during the period, but they were not severe.
"General Yu, what evil did Xixia do? God must destroy her?"
Sure enough, Fang Datou said angrily.
"You all go take a look and see if the city wall is damaged?"
Yu Jie stood up, ignored Fang Datou's complaints, and immediately gave the order.
He turned on his telescope and looked around. All four walls seemed to be intact. As for the Mongolian army outside the city, many people knelt on the ground to pray and kowtow. The camp was in a mess, and the Mongolian army did not take any opportunity to attack the city.
It seemed that the earthquake was so violent that it frightened the Mongolian troops outside the city.
I, Cao, God bless me, and I gave Xixia a last glimmer of hope.
God, what kind of fun are you doing?
The sergeants circled around and reported that the city wall was intact and that the defense on the city wall was in order and there was no need to worry.
"You continue to defend the city to prevent the Tatar army from sneak attacks. I will go to the city to take a look."
Yu Jie looked at the city full of ruins and walked towards the city.
The house leaked and it rained all night. This earthquake came at a really bad time. I don’t know if the Xixia monarchs and ministers can withstand it.
However, this earthquake finally came.
The emperor's mysterious prediction came true again.
