After Zheng Wenxian was surprised and panicked at the beginning, he quickly came to his senses. If this woman named Yaji really has something to do with Zhao Xin, with Zhao Xin's status, it is impossible for her to stay with the Shimadzu family in Ryukyu. There are not just one or two naturalized citizens of the island country in various parts of Beihai Town, so why can’t they still accommodate a woman?
The next morning, Zheng Wenxian called his cousins Zheng Yaohuang and Huang Zhongtong, and arranged for a Ryukyu native from Kume Village who was accompanying the army to serve as an interpreter. The four of them came to the imperial palace before Shimazu Sainobu and had a conversation with Yaji .
"Since you said she is King Zhao's unmarried wife, where is the marriage certificate?" Zheng Wenxian was not a fool, so he immediately asked for the most critical evidence.
"When we evacuated from Shuri Castle, we were in a hurry. The box containing the marriage certificate was placed in the bag and was accidentally lost."
At this point, Yaji could only insist that she was engaged to Zhao Xin, and that it was her father who came forward to make the engagement when Zhao Xin led troops to fight against the Satsuma clan. She no longer cares about the consequences of telling lies; as a member of the Shimazu family, Masaki just wants to work hard to preserve the blood of the Shimazu family.
However, she was only sixteen years old after all, so no matter how hard she tried to stay calm, her flaws would be revealed. As Zheng Wenxian continued to ask questions, the woman began to sweat on her forehead, becoming increasingly unable to explain herself.
"you are lying!"
"I don't!"
"One has no marriage certificate, the other has no certificate, and it's ridiculous to talk in vain! Girl, do you think we are fools?"
"I......"
One day later, Zhao Xin, who had arrived in Yaksa Town, received a message from the Northern Navy Staff Headquarters. When he saw the content above, he couldn't help laughing. He guessed that the pregnant widow was probably carrying Shimazu Saiki, the uncle of "Tianzhangin Atsuhime". However, with Shimazu Sainobu's burp, not only will his younger brother Shimazu Tadano not be born, but the famous Atsuhime in history also said goodbye to this time and space.
Zhao Xin quickly made arrangements. He asked Zheng Yaohuang to send Shimazu Sainobu's wife Mei Ji and all the female relatives to Kagoshima City and hand them over to Date Murchan. Given the way the people of the island country treat the defeated, it is very likely that these women will become monks en masse; as for the Shimazu Saiki who is about to be born, he will probably end up being a monk in an ancient temple in the mountains, similar to Ikkyu's fate. .
The progress of things since then was consistent with Zhao Xin's judgment. In early November of that year, Meiji, who was imprisoned in Kagoshima Castle, gave birth to a boy prematurely due to excessive grief, and then died of puerperal fever. The next year, the child, whose nickname was "Tadaon", was sent to the Zuigen Temple in Sendai Domain to become a monk, and his Buddhist name was "Hui Hai". As for Masahiro, she, along with other female members of the Shimazu family, were sent to the Guangming Temple in Date County to become a nun. She will then be under long-term close surveillance by the Sendai Domain.
Turning back to the progress of the war in Outer Mongolia.
Liu Sheng and the others had a miserable journey south. They were building bridges over mountains and rivers, but even so, there were still places where they couldn't even drive.
Fan Tong had no choice but to bid farewell to the armored vehicle troops for the time being, and set off on horseback with Liu Sheng. Before leaving, he sent a telegram to Zhao Xin, which read: Boss Zhao, brother's steel torrent is pointing at you.
According to the plan before the start of the battle, Liu Sheng left all armored vehicles and tracked vehicles empty in a temporary military camp outside Culun City. All drivers and members of the mechanical maintenance brigade were organized into a logistics team and set off with the large army. In addition, he also sent two infantry battalions to stay behind, one to guard Cullen, and the other to guard all vehicles and wait for Zhao Xin's arrival.
Contrary to what many people imagine, the Khalkha Mongolian region certainly has large grasslands and gravel-covered Gobi, but on the post road going south, there are many mountain canyons with deep ditches and dense forests, and there is only one road, and there are no roads. Can go around everywhere.
First of all, the more than eighty-meter-wide Tula River outside Cullen City is a big obstacle. Although the depth of the river at the ferry is less than half a meter, in the center of the river, especially on the left bank, the rapid water has washed many parts of the river bed very deep. Every year, Han people passing by and their carriages filled with goods are buried in the river. end. Although the soldiers could wade across the river under the guidance of the surrendered Mongolian guides, the four-wheeled carriages had to use the pontoon bridge to cross.
Next is the canyon area of Bogda Mountain. In the spring, it is a wide and roaring mountain stream, but by the end of summer it becomes a deep dry ditch. Moreover, the canyon is full of large rocks, making it very difficult to clean up. After exiting this canyon, we arrived at Bukuk Platform.
Next, the troops will face the biggest march obstacle since moving south, the "Burhan Tuyin Daban" more than a hundred miles away from Kulun; in Mongolian, "Daban" means the pass on the top of the mountain.
Whether going up the mountain or going down the mountain, the road is very steep and extremely difficult to climb. The most terrible thing is that the road passes through a canyon, with cliffs on both sides. The road is only wide enough for a carriage to pass, and there is no room for maneuver.
When the Northern Navy's reconnaissance force arrived here first, they found that the Mongolian soldiers of the Tushetu Khan tribe and the Chechen Khan tribe who had escaped from the Tula River had built fortifications at the mountain pass, obviously to resist the danger.
Faced with this situation, the reconnaissance troops could only use a mortar they carried to shoot at the pass, and then, under the cover of artillery fire, they climbed up desperately using their hands and feet. However, since the enemies were hiding behind boulders and the pass was not large, it was difficult for the cannonballs to hit accurately. The soldiers tried to lie down on the steep slope and shoot upwards, but they could not see the enemy at all; while the Mongols could keep throwing rain of arrows and stones under the cover of the terrain.
Although the Beihai navy in charge of the attack all wore steel helmets and stab-proof clothing, their heads were still bruised and bloody by the large rocks that kept falling, and they had nowhere to hide. The two squads that launched the first round of attack had only climbed halfway up, and most of the soldiers were already disgraced. In the end, they had no choice but to retreat in disgrace, causing the reconnaissance company commander to curse angrily.
Fortunately, the Mongols didn't have gunpowder in their hands. It would be much fun if they had a few more flying gourds filled with gunpowder and iron sand.
Fortunately, no matter how many stone bows and arrows there are, there will always be a time when they are all thrown away. After paying the price of seven or eight people being injured, the two squads responsible for the second wave of attacks finally climbed to a position more than 20 meters away from the pass, and then After using more than a dozen grenades to deal with the Mongolian soldiers, they finally occupied the pass.
After resting for two days near the Buhatai Station, the large group of people continued to march south. Fortunately, the next two hundred kilometers of road were covered with grasslands in addition to small hills, and there were also large areas of saline-alkali land covered with splendens; it was very smooth to walk when it didn't rain. Smooth, but muddy when it rains.
After that, no enemies were encountered along the way. The Mongolian postmen at various stations along the way were probably warned by the fleeing Mongolian soldiers, and they all ran away with their families and livestock. On the contrary, prairie dogs can be seen everywhere, and their plump and cute appearance makes many soldiers who have never seen them very curious.
However, when the medical officer accompanying the team discovered that soldiers were trying to capture these animals, he immediately issued a ban to each regiment through the headquarters. No one was allowed to feed or pet these animals, and they were absolutely not allowed to beat or eat meat. This was illegal. The person was shot to death.
You must know that these cute-looking guys are parasites of Yersinia pestis. Even if they don't eat meat, being bitten by fleas on their bodies will be very dangerous. Once plague infection occurs, the mortality rate is extremely high.
The reconnaissance company responsible for opening the road moved very quickly, leaving the large army far behind. The purpose of this was to quickly control the large and small wells along the post road to prevent the retreating enemies from poisoning them with animal carcasses. When they advanced to the Emutunuo Well, 300 kilometers away from Kulun, they captured a Zasak lord of the Tushetu Khan tribe and fifty armored soldiers who had not had time to retreat. Hundreds of cattle, sheep, horses and camels were captured. The reconnaissance company commander quickly notified the rear troops to send people to take over the herds.
According to the written explanation from the subordinates of Lord Zasak, they were responsible for managing the official ranch set up here by the Qing government. Judging from the archives, there are a total of 3,600 large and small livestock such as geldings, stallions, camels, cattle and sheep handed over by the Tushetu Khan and the Chechen Khan. The post explains that due to insufficient forage, the livestock are never grazed together, but are grazed in groups of 200, 300, or at most 500. Currently, there are more than 500 livestock in the pasture.
After the large group arrived, they finally had a good meal of beef and mutton soup here. After days of arduous trekking and a lack of vegetables and drinking water, many soldiers suffered from symptoms of physical fatigue, low fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Liu Sheng then decided to let the troops rest here for a few days to recuperate. You must know that there are Bieljih Mountain and the Qidao Mountain called "Duolunda Ban" to climb behind, and then there is more than 400 miles of desert. Gobi. Although there are inns and wells along the way, they can never supply so many people.
According to the guide's description, after passing through the Gobi Desert, you will arrive at the 32nd Taladolan Platform of the Altai Military Platform; it is also known as the "Taladolan waist station" and is the gateway to Inner Mongolia and Uzbekistan. The node of Riasoutai.
On September 17, after entering the Gobi, the troops encountered a storm, causing heavy losses in supplies and casualties.
At that time, the sun was still high in the sky and it was very hot. Suddenly, a strong wind blew up, and within a few minutes, large black clouds appeared on the horizon. The guide's face changed drastically when he saw it, and he hurriedly told the officers around him to find a place to hide immediately.
But in the vast Gobi desert, where is there a place to hide?
Just as the ministries were busy ordering the supplies on the carriage to be tied up, lightning and thunder thundered in the sky in the blink of an eye. The entire wilderness was filled with sand pillars blown up by the whirlwind. The wind was so strong that it could overturn the carriage and hang a person's body on the ground. in the air. Whether they were soldiers or officers, everyone pressed their bodies tightly to the ground and desperately grabbed everything they could, even a weed. Still, some soldiers were blown away by the wind.
The strong wind blew for half an hour, followed by heavy rain, and the ground temperature suddenly dropped to 10 degrees. The sudden change in temperature made the sweaty soldiers who were still hot an hour ago shivering with cold.
After some gathering, two soldiers were missing, and the others who were injured were either smashed while hiding under the carriage, or were blown away by the wind and fell to pieces; then a heavy rain caused many soldiers to suffer from illnesses. He caught a cold and even Fan Tong fell ill.
After Liu Sheng synthesized the intelligence from the guide and the reconnaissance team, he ordered the troops not to stay here, but to cross the Gobi as soon as possible. After crossing the Halachulu Mountain and entering the valley, the troops would stay there to rest and wait for Zhao. New arrival.
Compared with the arduous trek of the Northern Navy, it was much easier for the Qing army to go north from the south. Just when Liu Sheng and others were ravaged by the storm, hundreds of thousands of troops led by Agui, a great scholar of Manchu economics, had arrived at Taladolan Station one after another.
Taladolan Station is located on a vast plain, with mountains clearly separating it from the south and west. Standing in the south are the Serpen Ula Mountains and the Talilaktu Mountains; in the west, near the horizon are the continuous Ebugen Mountains.
The most conspicuous building in the local area is the Guandi Temple, which is located alone on a low hill, but it is already somewhat dilapidated. Since Agui led his army to arrive, the surrounding areas of the hill have become the location of the Qing army's military camps. Less than a mile due north of the Guandi Temple is the Serwusu Well. Although the water in the well here is extremely bitter and salty, it cannot be drunk by humans and animals.
Agui's tent is located in a lamasery north of Serwusu Well. This place is called "Gandan Punchuklin" by the Mongols. Although it is not magnificent, it is still clean and elegant. The front hall was originally the place where the "Hural" ritual was held. Now it was requisitioned by the Qing army. The portraits of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that originally covered the walls were moved to the back hall.
The local "Hubilhan" is Lama Lanzhampa, who does not usually live in the temple. When he learned that the economics scholar appointed by the imperial court had arrived, he hurried back to pay his respects and then gave up the main hall. There were not many monks in the temple originally. After the Qing army came, they usually stayed in the back hall and rarely showed up except when they went out to fetch water.
After arriving, the leading troops of the Qing army sent out sentries to the north. The first thing they did after setting up camp was to dig wells everywhere. The only local well that can be used for drinking is a small well in the inn, which is not enough for a large group of people. But after two days of digging, there were still not many wells that produced water that was drinkable. Fortunately, there were many people coming this time, so they fetched water from Kutul Dolan Terrace, fifty miles away.
When he learned that the vanguard of the Northern Navy had appeared in the valley northeast of Zamenchahel Mountain, Agui quickly ordered his five thousand gun cavalry to dispatch, asking them to carry out harassment operations against the Northern Navy day and night, and not to fight forcefully. The purpose is to prevent him from having any peace for a moment. At the same time, he ordered the construction of large-scale trench fortifications in the Haraganna area north of Taladolan Station.
After fighting with the Northern Navy for so many years, the Manchu Qing Dynasty had long understood from top to bottom that relying on mounted archery and formation battles to deal with the Northern Navy would definitely lead to death. Therefore, his plan was to rely on his own possession of water sources, use solid fortifications to fight against the Northern Navy in the wilderness, and look for fighters from them, so that nearly ten thousand Northern Navy would die of thirst and starvation in the desert.
After all, no matter how powerful the North Navy's artillery shells and muskets are, they can't be treated as water or eaten, right?
In fact, when the Qing government planned the station route, the reason why they chose Taladolan Station was because it was the only place suitable for living. Its west and north were all Gobi wilderness. Although the terrain in the valley where the Beihai Navy was located was not bad. It's flat, but the water sources inside are all barren salt-alkali pools. Looking for water is just a dream.
In the next few days, the Beihai Navy, which was camping and resting in the valley, would be attacked by the Qing army every night from three directions: southwest, southwest and east. The sound of shotguns, rifles, the explosion of flying mines and the sound of machine guns from the Beihai Navy continued all night long. Illumination bombs rose from the sky from time to time, illuminating the entire valley like daylight.
However, despite this, the Beihai Navy did not move. In addition to guarding tightly, they never made any attacks. This move made Agui and his Qing generals both happy and scared. Fortunately, the Beihai Navy is now in dire straits, and they will have no choice but to retreat when they run out of food and supplies; what they are worried about is whether the other party is playing another trick and will suddenly catch them off guard.
On September 27, just the fifth day after Liu Sheng and others arrived in the valley, Zhao Xin, who was carrying several water purification trucks, was escorted by a company and chased all the way with one person and three horses, and finally arrived at Halachulu Under the mountain!
