In the third year of Jianwu of the Song Dynasty, at the end of the first month, Shaanxi, Jingzhaofu Road, Xianyang.
In the wasteland west of the Wei River, snowflakes were flying leisurely. A group of exhausted Mongolian troops were marching eastward. Their armor was patchy and their formations were chaotic. Many of them were sallow and thin, weak and weak. The remaining troops were defeated and seemed to have lost their vitality.
For more than 20 years since the founding of Mongolia, the Mongolian iron cavalry has conquered the world, conquered countless countries in the west, and marched south to attack the Xia Dynasty.
Unexpectedly, the Battle of Hanzhong would be an unheard-of disastrous defeat in the history of the Mongolian cavalry. More than 60,000 soldiers died in the battle. The 20,000 Han army was basically wiped out. The 50,000 Mongolian cavalry only left these three or four thousand cavalry remnants in the wilderness. Defeated general.
In addition to the general Yin Zhu'er and the prince Kuoduan who were killed in battle, even the Mongolian king Tuolei was killed in the battle of Hanzhong.
"I didn't expect that my Mongolian cavalry would end up like this..."
Seeing the remaining Mongolian soldiers looking disgraced and looking like beggars, Tabujier felt sour in his heart and choked with sobs that he could not speak.
More than 40,000 Mongolian cavalry and 20,000 Han troops were just gone. It was like a nightmare.
When did the Mongolian cavalry, which was conquering the world, ever be in such a panic?
"Torre is dead, Kuo Duan is also dead, and the bodies of Kuo Duan and Yanzhu'er have not been recovered. I really don't know, how can I explain to the Great Khan Ogedai when I go back? How can I explain to the princes and nobles on the grassland?"
Tali's face turned pale, and his white beard trembled in the cold wind.
The Western Route Army was completely wiped out, and Mongolia's vitality was severely damaged. In the future, if you want to go south and west to recruit troops, you may have to think twice.
"Wokuotai won't execute us because of our defeat, right?"
Liu Heima's face turned red from the cold and he asked with fear.
After escaping from Hanzhong, he marched on the plank road for more than a month, suffered from hunger and slept in the open air, and finally reached Guanzhong.
Prince Guoduan was killed in battle, coach Torre was killed in battle, and the 70,000-strong army was wiped out. Wuguotai wouldn't really be angry with them, right?
"If you want to blame us, you can't blame us. The main reason is that the Song Army's weapons are so powerful! They set up an ambush early. An army of hundreds of thousands ambushed us. Do we have any chance of winning?"
Thinking of the ferocious weapons of the Song army, Ta Buji'er was still frightened. I didn't realize it on the battlefield at that time, but looking back now, if I were hit by the Song Army's artillery or thunder, wouldn't it be a bloody mess, or even a very ugly death.
"If we had not attacked Xingyuan Fucheng at that time and directly attacked the Song Army's Yangzhou defense line, we might have reached the back of Bianliang City."
Tali nodded and sighed.
There is no regret medicine in the world. If 50,000 Mongolian cavalry and 20,000 Han troops attacked the Song Army's eastern front, the outcome might be very different.
"Tali, even if we can break through the Eastern Front of the Song Army, the Song Army will definitely fight to the end. In addition to their powerful firearms, I'm afraid we will lose half or even more of our troops. Those guys are not afraid of death. They are comparable to the Tang Wuti Army and the Jin Army. The soldiers are much more ruthless!"
During the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Heima gained a new understanding of the Song army's combat power.
Especially when the two armies came into contact and fought hand-to-hand, those Song soldiers were like lunatics, not afraid of death. Even the stoic and tenacious Mongolian warriors may not be as good as this.
"Too many people died in the Battle of Hanzhong! I don't know if there will be a chance to go south again in the future?"
Tabujier said with emotion.
The 50,000 Mongolian elite cavalry account for almost half of the Mongolian elite. In the future, even if you want to use troops, you will have to weigh them.
"Don't talk about going south, let's see if we can survive the Great Khan!"
Liu Heima looked ugly and said quietly.
Although Wokuotai was a kind man, he suffered such a huge defeat and lost his troops. I don't know what Wokuotai would do with them.
"No matter! Go back to Jingzhao Mansion first and have a good meal before we talk!"
The cold wind was biting, and Ta Li wrapped her body tightly in a sheepskin cloak.
It was a blessing to escape the fierce battle in Hanzhong. If he is drunk today, what will happen to him in the future?
"Tali, what happened to Subotai? During the withdrawal, he remained silent. He seemed to have aged a lot."
Tabujier asked curiously.
Just a few years ago, Subotai was a ruthless and fearless Mongolian general. Over the past few years, Subotai seems to have become much quieter and more easy-going.
"The remaining soldier is defeated, his body is covered with injuries, and his eyesight is bad. Don't forget, Subotai is almost 60 years old and is no longer a young man."
Tali looked at the emaciated Subotai who was marching with his head down among the army, and shook his head slightly.
Age may not be the factor, but psychological trauma may be the root cause. Subotai was the most powerful general in Mongolia. After many battles, it was difficult to lose. However, the two battles with the Song army ended in disastrous defeats. Subotai's pride and confidence were probably all gone.
The Mongolian generals were talking in low voices, and there was no one to say anything. Suddenly, the knights in front came back from their horses. When they arrived in front of Subotai, they all dismounted and stepped forward to report something.
All the generals were stunned and rushed over one after another.
"Tali, send the order, and the entire army will quickly cross the river and march north!"
Subotai's face was filled with vicissitudes of life, and he softly issued a military order.
"Subutai, what happened? Are you not going to Chang'an City?"
Tali was surprised and asked subconsciously.
"We captured some local people and said that Chang'an City and Fengxiang Prefecture had just been occupied by the Song army. After passing the order, the army crossed the river to the north, crossed the river from Hezhong Prefecture, and repaired in Taiyuan."
Subotai spoke softly, as if he was talking about something completely unrelated.
Everyone was surprised and secretly glad.
If we encounter the Song Army, we don't know how many people will be left.
After a moment, Tabujier said something resentful.
"Subotai, how about we sneak attack Chang'an City, kill Song Gou by surprise, and vent our anger!"
These Song troops actually occupied Chang'an City and cut off the Mongolian army's retreat. It was really abominable.
"Forget it! Even if the sneak attack is successful, how many of our three thousand people will be left? Let's withdraw as soon as possible!"
Tali shook his head, denying Tabel's stubbornness.
The morale of the Song army is at its peak. We are outnumbered and the enemy is numerous. What can we do to fight the Song army?
"That's what Tali said. Look at these soldiers, if they fight the Song army again, will they still have the fighting spirit? Will they be as ferocious as before? The Song army has strong soldiers, horses, and firearms, but they can't take risks."
Liu Heima also shook his head repeatedly.
"It's so easy for Song Gou! I'm so unwilling!"
Tabujier complained, and when he raised his head again, Subotai had already ridden away.
"Go down with the order and cross the river!"
Tali no longer hesitated and quickly sent an order to the entire army to cross the river.
With these remaining defeated generals, it is simply unreasonable to want to sneak attack Chang'an City. Is Chang'an City so easy to attack by surprise? Is Song Jun a vegetarian?
Fortunately, a few local people were captured, otherwise they would have gone to Chang'an City to meet the hungry and cold Mongolian soldiers, and there would have been another massacre.
The Mongolian army stopped marching, found straw, wheat straw and other materials, carefully crossed the frozen river, and headed north despite the flying snowflakes.
In Hanzhong, in the city of Xingyuan Prefecture, the news of the surrender of the Xuanfu Envoy's Yamen and Tongguan Jinbing came, which surprised Zhao Hong for a while, and then he laughed softly.
"Your Majesty, the Jin army in Tongguan has surrendered, and Shaanxi will be under the rule of the Song Dynasty. I congratulate your Majesty!"
Chen Longzhi's face was full of joy and he bowed respectfully.
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
The ministers in the hall saluted one after another, and everyone was elated.
"Congratulations to all the ministers!"
Zhao Hong smiled and felt extremely satisfied. Recovering Hexi and Shaanxi one after another, and defeating the Mongolian army, is indeed gratifying.
"Your Majesty, what should we do with the traitor general Wang Kui and the Jin minister Wanyan Saibu?"
"Wang Kui will be dealt with according to military regulations. As for Wanyan Sai, I had a relationship with this person when I was the prince. Let him go back. There is no need to make things difficult for him."
Wanyan did not lose Tongguan in the competition. I wonder what Jin Emperor Wanyan Shouxu would do with him.
"Your Majesty, please order Meng Gong and Du Gao to launch an attack from Huaidong and Xiangyang, killing and injuring the Wo Kuotai tribe. From now on, perhaps within a few years, the Tatars will not dare to go south to invade the Song Dynasty!"
Jiang Wanzai was so happy that he couldn't help but play.
After the Hanzhong War, Meng Gong had returned to Xiangyang. He had fought with the Mongolian army in city and field battles, and it was not a problem to lead the troops in battle.
"The land of Henan is riddled with holes. Fighting in a foreign place makes supply difficult. Let's forget it."
Zhao Hong shook his head gently.
He never fights an uncertain battle. What's more, he had no impression of the combat effectiveness of the Jinghu border troops.
"Did Wang Jian's memorial mention Shaanxi? Wokuotai attacked Bianliang City, so he should have withdrawn his troops."
The news of the defeat of the Mongol army in Hanzhong reached Wokuotai's ears, and he should have withdrawn his troops.
"Your Majesty, the remnants of the Mongolian army in Hanzhong retreated to Hedong through Shaanxi about ten days ago. In total, Wo Kuotai should have just learned the military information about the defeat of the West Route Army. Or not yet. As for whether Wo Kuotai will withdraw his troops, we can't And know.”
Chen Longzhi's analysis made Zhao Hong frown.
The combined strength of the Mongolian middle army and the east army was only 70,000, and they should not be able to destroy the Jin Kingdom. Unable to attack from the front and back, and being attacked from the front and back, Wo Kuotai may have no other choice but to retreat.
"Your Majesty, there are no military reports in Huaidong and Xiangyang. It seems that there is no war between our army and the Tatar army. However, Shandong has been completely occupied by the Tatar army. The Han army is firmly guarding Shandong, and our army and the Tatar army are now separated from each other. Across the river.”
Xuan Zhen, Minister of the Ministry of War, intervened at the right time.
"Your Majesty, after the Lantern Festival, our army has entered Shaanxi, and I will go to Jingzhao Mansion to take office the next day. Your Majesty, why don't you go with us and drink and sing?"
Lu Wende's words made Zhao Hong laugh.
Like Tokyo City, Chang'an City, the former capital of the Han and Tang Dynasties, was also a place of dreams in his heart. It was difficult to relieve his worries without a visit.
"Cui and Yu, Shaanxi is broken and sparsely populated. They can't wait to immigrate to Shaanxi. Sichuan will once again shed blood on Shaanxi."
Shaanxi needs immigrants, Sichuan needs immigrants, and both sides get what they need.
Cui Yu quickly accepted the order.
Now that people in Sichuan can have enough to eat, the population will definitely grow significantly. I believe many people will be willing to move to Shaanxi.
"Your Majesty, the envoys from Gaochang Kingdom have arrived in Hexi. Do you want to summon them to Jingzhao Mansion to meet the saint?"
"Your Majesty, Lin'an City is six hundred miles away, urgent!"
The imperial army came in to report, interrupting Xuan Zhen's report, leaving Zhao Hong stunned.
Lin'an City has always been peaceful, so what happened?
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
Zhao Hong was silent after reading the memorial.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
From the look on Zhao Hong's face, all the officials felt that the situation was not good.
Zhao Hong gave the memorial to Xuan Zhen and shook his head gently.
"The Queen Mother is seriously ill and I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left. I'm afraid I won't be able to go to Chang'an City for the time being."
No matter how dissatisfied he was with Yang Guizhi privately, in name, Yang Guizhi was still the empress dowager of the Song Dynasty, both in public and private matters. He rushed back to Lin'an City to fulfill his filial piety and see Yang Guizhi off for the last time.
In total, he has been away from Lin'an City for more than half a year. Now that the war in the northwest has subsided, it is time to go back.
All the generals shook their heads. It's such a pity that I can't eat and drink with the emperor and enjoy life.
Xuan Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If the emperor is still worried about Yang Guizhi's illness, he will not go back even if he is seriously ill, which will make the world laugh.
As for the envoys from Gaochang Kingdom, Yang Guizhi was critically ill, so they could only be allowed to go back temporarily and come back later.
