In August of the fourth year of Jianwu in the Song Dynasty, Hedong and Hezhong Prefectures.
As the side gate of Guanzhong, Hezhong Mansion is located behind Tongguan and is known as the first key to entering Guanzhong from Hedong and Hebei land routes.
In the eighth year of Jin Zhengda's reign (AD 1231), Wokuotai personally led the Mongolian army to attack Jinhe Zhongfu. Due to the small number of troops, the Jin State was unable to defend the city and demolished half of the city wall of Hezhongfu, leaving only the inner city for defense. To no avail, he was captured by the Mongolian army, and then went all the way south, crossed the Yellow River, and approached Bianjing City.
At this point, Hezhong Prefecture also became under the rule of Mongolia.
As usual, Pan Er went to Fujinkou in Hezhong early in the morning. There is a lot of water in this season, and there are many eels and small fish in the shallow depressions by the river. If you are lucky, you can also encounter big carp. In these war-torn years, this is a rare thing. Not only can you fill your stomach, but you can also sell it for some money. , in exchange for food.
Arriving at the Yellow River, Pan Er, like several fellow villagers who arrived first, was stunned by the sight in front of him.
The Jin Bridge on the Yellow River, which was destroyed by the military disaster, has been replaced by a pontoon bridge built by dozens of boats. The sergeants are crossing the river with endless queues. Both sides of the Yellow River are overwhelming, filled with a sea of people, horses, vehicles and flags.
The officers shouted "one two one", all the sergeants walked in uniform, and the armor on their bodies was dazzling, which shocked all the people by the river.
Like other villagers, Pan Er was frightened and wanted to run away, but he was shaking all over and couldn't muster the strength, so he knelt down involuntarily.
"Second...brother, this is...Song Jun!"
At some point, Gu Si appeared behind Pan Er. His face turned pale and he uttered a trembling sentence.
"Song...jun!"
Only then did Pan Er realize. He looked around, and sure enough, on the flag flying high, the big word "Song" was eye-catching.
Seeing countless Song troops crossing the river, countless cavalry and infantry, artillery and carriages rumbling, the troops were in order, and they walked neatly. They passed by Pan Er and others, without squinting, and meandered away to the north.
"Fellows, my army, the King of the Song Dynasty, has made no mistakes in the Northern Expedition, so please get up. Don't be afraid!"
A Song Army general passed by on horseback. He was in high spirits and full of energy. He said to Pan Er and others with a smile on his face.
Seeing that Song Jun did not seem to have any ill intentions, Pan Er and others were relieved. The kneeling people got up one after another and began to point boldly at Song Jun. They chattered and forgot to fish.
Compared with the fierceness of the Mongolian army, the Song army was friendly but solemn, which made them feel awe.
"Second brother, with so many Song troops heading north, what are they going to do? Taiyuan is Liu Heima's territory!"
Gu Si's mind was filled with dark threads.
"What else can they do? When the Song army goes north, it must be going to deal with Liu Heima and Xiao Zala. Now there is something exciting to watch!"
Pan Fu's brain reacted quickly and he guessed it immediately.
These Song soldiers are fierce and fierce, all are dark and strong, and they all walk exactly the same. At first glance, they are not vegetarians. Now, Liu Heima, Xiao Zala and the others can bear it much better!
"Liu Heima is a very fierce guy, I'm afraid it won't be easy to fight!"
"There is also Xiao Zhala, who is sinister, ruthless and greedy. He is not a fuel-efficient lamp."
"What's so hard to fight? Didn't you see those round iron barrels on the Song Army's vehicles? They're called artillery. They can blast thousands of troops into rubble!"
Everyone was talking and talking, and the dark and thin Master Deng, who was wearing a shabby long gown, sighed.
"The Song army is so elite and they are coming to conquer the country. I'm afraid that these two rivers are going to change!"
"Not only these two rivers, I think the world is going to change!"
Pan Er looked at Song Jun's long formation, feeling depressed and added.
Hedong has been devastated by war many times, and I hope this time it will end as soon as possible.
Countless Song Army cavalry crossed the river. They gathered in the open space on the bank, then mounted their horses one after another, and headed straight east. They looked at them as they were fierce and fierce, paying no attention to the city in the middle of the river, and the darkness was overwhelming and overwhelming.
"General, are you going to attack Hezhong Mansion? There are not many Tatar soldiers there and they have already withdrawn!"
Pan Er's nephew, Pan Hu, shouted loudly to Wang Shixin, the commander of the Song Army's cavalry, who was on horseback.
Wang Shixin was tall and mighty. Sitting on the horse, he looked like a god, which made young Pan Hu envious.
"Thank you so much, little brother!"
Wang Shixin laughed, immediately took out a piece of dried meat and threw it over.
"Brother, I caught it! Thank you!"
The Song Army's Northern Expedition had its own scouts in front to find out everything.
Pan Hu happily took the dried meat and trotted forward, following Wang Shixin's horse speed.
"General, do you want a guide? I've been in Taiyuan for a few years and I know him very well!"
The surrounding cavalry guards saw that Pan Hu was in ragged clothes and had no weapons, so they did not drive him away.
"Little brother, we have guides in the army, so I won't trouble you. Thank you very much."
Wang Shixin slowed down his horse so that Pan Hu could keep up.
"We are going to Taiyuan City to fight the Tatar soldiers. Are you going with us? Aren't you afraid that we will be defeated by the Tatar army and you will lose your life?"
Wang Shixin asked back, but Pan Hu shook his head vigorously.
"General, who doesn't know that you killed all the Tatars in Hanzhong in the winter of last year, even killing the younger brother of the Tatar Khan? The Tatar soldiers are just the officers and soldiers of the Kingdom of Jin, they are no match for you! "
Pan Hu's answer made several Song Army generals smile. Wang Shi also felt happy and continued to ask:
"You are now in charge of the Tatars. Are they treating you badly?"
"What a heck! My grandfather, my father, and my two brothers all disappeared when the Tatar army went south. There used to be more than 2,000 people in our town, but now there are less than 200. General, tell me, the Tatars Are Tatar soldiers a good thing?"
Pan Hu's answer made Wang Shixin and others nod, with solemn expressions on their faces.
The Mongolian army marched south, burning, killing and looting, leaving only ten people in the two rivers alive, but it was miserable enough.
"Little brother, isn't your Great Jin Kingdom treating you badly?"
A general next to Wang Shixin asked.
"How good is it? The Kingdom of Jin is in ruins. It's full of corrupt officials. Most of the food grown in the fields has been taken away by the government, leaving people hungry and full. It's the same when the Tatars come. In addition to exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, They never care about the life and death of the people. There are many Tatar officials who want to turn the east and west of the river into pastures to herd sheep and horses. General, tell me, do the villagers still have a way to survive?"
Pan Hu said it in one breath, with an angry look on his young face.
"Little brothers, if you really have nothing to eat, go across the river to Shaanxi. It is under our rule in the Song Dynasty, and people will never starve to death. Once we drive away the Tatar army, the people in Hedong will have a good life. ”
Wang Shixin said sincerely.
Some officers and men in the army were dissatisfied with the various shortcomings of the Song Dynasty, such as the strict hierarchy, few opportunities for advancement, and the huge gap between the rich and the poor. Now compared with the people in Hedong, the people of the Song Dynasty were living in paradise.
"Brothers, gather what you have so that the people can have enough to eat!"
Wang Shixin and the generals collected some food and money and gave them to Pan Hu. The generals left, but Pan Hu still waved frequently by the roadside, reluctant to leave.
Seeing such an army for the first time, they will definitely be able to defeat the Mongolian army in Taiyuan.
"General, the Northern Expedition is not only about restoring the old land, but also about obeying the will of nature. Only under my rule in the Song Dynasty can the people live a good life!"
"Compared with the people in Hedong, the people of our Song Dynasty simply don't live a very good life! We, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, have great martial arts skills. With him, we are really lucky for all the people of our Song Dynasty!"
The generals said with emotion, Wang Shixin nodded sincerely and solemnly warned the generals.
"Brothers, in the battle of Taiyuan, our army will face off against the Tatar army's cavalry. You must be well prepared, and you must not lose the majesty of my king's division of the Song Dynasty!"
"I will obey the general's military orders!"
The generals gave orders, and everyone acted with enthusiasm.
The Song army had sharp weapons and tens of thousands of cavalry, armed to the teeth. They are full of confidence in the future war, and everyone is looking forward to the upcoming war.
On the west bank of the Yellow River, Yu Jie was moved as she watched the Song army crossing the river and the Yellow River rolling away.
Yellow River! Mother!
The ancestors of the Han people cut thorns, cultivated grass, and worked hard on this vast land, creating the dazzling Yellow River civilization. But since the disgrace of Jingkang a hundred years ago, people in the Song Dynasty have never seen the real Yellow River again.
Finally, after a hundred years, the Song people came back.
Moreover, now that he is back, he will never abandon his mother again!
"Shuai Yu, tell me, will this be the last battle for my Song Dynasty to win the world?"
Lieutenant General Wang Jian's dark face turned red, and he was also complacent.
The three-way Northern Expedition with an army of 400,000 troops should be the largest Northern Expedition in the history of the Northern Expedition of the Song Dynasty.
It is exciting to think about deciding the fate of the world in one battle, restoring the Central Plains in one fell swoop, and driving the Mongol army north of the Great Wall.
"The final battle? It's far from here."
Yu Jie shook his head gently.
"The Western Region has not yet been recovered, Jiaozhi is still isolated overseas, even the small country of Dali is hesitant to wait and see, and His Majesty is still launching troops against Japan. Do you think this will be the last battle?"
The news from the southeast has not yet reached Shaanxi, and they do not know that Annan Kingdom and Dali Kingdom have fallen under the rule of the Song Dynasty.
"I thought that after restoring the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, His Majesty would retreat bravely. If there is no war, I really don't know what I will do in the future?"
Wang Jian burst out laughing, feeling confident.
"This time, we must look good to the Tatars! Otherwise, they will really think that I, the Song Dynasty, are easy to bully!"
Wang Jian's words made Yu Jie nodded.
Each time, the Mongolian army invaded, and each time it was oppression by force. This time, the Song Army took the initiative in the Northern Expedition and finally fought outside the country.
"Shuai Yu, after crossing the river, it's 800 miles from here to Taiyuan. Is it too risky to carry only a month's worth of food and grass?"
The army carries food and grass for 800 miles. Needless to say the cavalry, but the infantry may be too much.
"Old Wang, you don't need to worry."
Yu Jie pointed his riding whip towards the north with a calm expression.
"All the way north from here is the official road. Our army goes directly north to Taiyuan and defeats the Tatar army in Hedong in one go. Perhaps before we arrive in Taiyuan, the army from the East Route has already entered Hedong from Jingxing. By then, Taiyuan City will be in a state of chaos. A fierce battle.”
The soldiers and horses have not moved, but the food and grass go first. The reason why the two armies of the East Route Army went together was to open up the Taihang Highway in Hedong, Hebei Province, and transfer grain and grass to Hedong. When the emperor sent the Northern Expedition, he would never fail to take these things into consideration.
Mongolia's management of the two rivers was rough and loose, and the army was only concentrated in the dangerous fortresses of the big cities. Naturally, there would be no troops stationed on the passes along the Taihang Mountains, and even if there were troops stationed, there would only be very few Han soldiers.
"Lao Yu, I'm still worried. If the Jin people sneak attack from behind, won't our army be attacked from both sides?"
Wang Jian was still a little worried.
"The 80,000 troops of Du Gao's tribe are stationed on the east road, and the nearly 100,000 border troops in Jinghu are watching eagerly. In addition, Cao Youwen's army is marching eastward to Henan. The Jin people want to take action, but they can't get what they want. Maybe we haven't captured Taiyuan yet, and the city of Bianjing has been recovered! "
Yu Jie was very proud and pointed at the gun carriage rolling away.
"I really hope that the Jin soldiers will come for a sneak attack. Then we can restore the entire Central Plains in one go. I also want to see how many days those Jin soldiers can last under the indiscriminate bombardment of artillery and thunder."
I heard that the emperor and the princess of Jin had a marriage and had a son. The Jin Kingdom did not miss the Northern Expedition to Lianghe. The emperor's heart was as solid as stone and he did not abandon public service for personal reasons. It is really admirable and amazing.
"Lao Yu, my worries are unnecessary. Cao Youwen's army is advancing eastward. I'm afraid that the Jin Dynasty has collapsed before we have captured Taiyuan."
Wang Jian let out a long sigh.
The three armies from the East, West and Central march forward together, it depends on which one takes the lead first.
