A few days later, the steppe Tatars went south again, conquering several cities in one day, and the border was in danger! The generals who guarded the city were killed one after another, the people in the city were massacred, and all the women were taken away.
This time, the grassland Tatars dispatched 300,000 people. Although the armor rate was not high, the grassland people grew up on horses. As long as they have bows, arrows and swords, they can become the most elite cavalry.
Tuogu Khan's father also invaded the Central Plains, but at that time he met Emperor Shenwu, who was in great prosperity. At that time, the Great Zhou Dynasty had just wiped out the chaos in the world, and its military force was at its peak.
In just two years, they were not only driven back to the grassland, but also lost a large area of pasture land and were almost wiped out. They did not take root again until they retreated deep into the grassland.
But after this battle, they no longer had the energy to start a war. Fortunately, all tribes suffered heavy losses and were unable to compete for the position of Khan.
Later, the old Khan endured the humiliation and worked hard for decades, and the population of the grassland recovered a lot. When Tuogu Khan succeeded, he "bought" a large number of craftsmen from the Central Plains to make bows, arrows, and armor.
The previous time, they were just fighting in a small way, intending to test the military strength of Zhou Dynasty. Now, it is the real invasion southward.
Although 600,000 troops were displayed on the border of the Great Zhou Dynasty, these troops were all distributed along the long border defense line. In some important towns, the number of soldiers was only 5,000. Therefore, the border troops did not react for a while and were directly attacked. The superior Tatar forces were overwhelmed.
However, the situation came to a stalemate the next day. The border town generals quickly mobilized soldiers from various passes to form an army of 30,000 people to harass the Tatars' food and supplies.
This time, the steppe Tatars were not trying to grab a handful, but wanted to go south and hunt the Central Plains, so they brought a lot of fodder and weapons.
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General Military Mansion.
Tuogu Khan sat on the main seat, playing with the exquisite tea cup in his hand, his rough face full of smiles. In the hall, the tribal leaders put on exquisite armor one after another, pushing cups to the cup. .
In the center of the hall, several dancers in tulle clothes were dancing to musical instruments. Their originally enchanting postures looked a bit stiff and sad.
But this look in the eyes of the Tatars present made them even happier.
"Everyone, you all have contributed greatly to our ability to reach here today! Drink!" Tuogu Khan was the first to shout.
The tribal leaders in the hall were stunned for a moment, and then they all shouted in unison, "Thank you, Khan!"
"The colorful world in the Central Plains is really nice. You see, these southerners really know how to enjoy it!" A middle-aged man drank wine and glanced greedily at the breasts and buttocks of the dancers, wishing to devour them in one gulp. Into the stomach.
"Namtso, you have such a good eye. These girls were all found from the governor's office in the city. They are all plump and tight, with fine skin and tender flesh, but they are a bit impatient to be fucked!"
"I used too much force last night and accidentally killed two of them. What a pity. I originally wanted to take them back." Another young strong man smiled lustfully, full of pity.
As he said that, everyone present showed the same smile.
Seeing the expressions of everyone present, Tuogu Khan showed a satisfied smile on his face, "Haha, it's still early. When you break into the capital, you can get whatever kind of women you want. By then, this Khan will want Let the little emperor kneel at my feet and lick my toes!"
At this time, a close associate of Tuogu Khan stood up, with a bit of fanaticism on his face, "Don't worry, Khan, we will definitely be able to break into the capital. By then, you will be the greatest Khan on the grassland and the leader of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains." Owner!"
Immediately, the hall fell silent, and everyone stared at him dumbfounded, but he still shouted loudly to show his loyalty without realizing it.
Although Tuogu Khan felt a sense of boredom in his heart, he couldn't help but the words sounded pleasant to his ears.
Others also reacted and shouted in unison, "We will follow Khan to the death! Complete our great cause!"
However, at this moment, outside the General Military Mansion, a figure in black robe slowly approached the door. Just as he was about to go in, he was stopped by the soldiers outside the door, "Who is he? What do you want to do?"
He spoke in Tatar, which ordinary Zhou people could not hear clearly. At this time, a sentence came from under the black robe, "I am an envoy from the south. I have some superstitions that I want to pass on to you Khan. Please excuse me." Let me know." The hoarse voice was authentic Tatar, but the accent was a little weird.
Before the Tatar soldiers could get closer, the man in black robe threw something over. He subconsciously caught it and found that it was quite heavy. However, when he looked closely, he saw that it was a piece of gold. Suddenly, a look of ecstasy appeared on his face. He was about to ask for more, but suddenly he felt a threatening aura from the man in black robe.
He immediately put away his little thoughts and went to report it strangely.
"Go in." After a while, he walked out of the door and said to the man in black robe.
In the hall, the dancers were still dancing stiffly. Even though their wrists and ankles were already feeling sore at this time, they still did not dare to stop. Who knew what these barbaric Tatars would do. Last night, many of their sisters were taken away, and there was no news after that.
Although they couldn't understand what these people were talking about, they could tell from their eyes and expressions that they were not good words.
Tuogu Khan was still sitting in the main seat. Although he knew that there were messengers coming from the south, he didn't pay too much attention. This time they dispatched an army of 300,000 people. They were definitely going to have a big battle. At the very least, they had to defeat them. Take back all the pastures you lost, and then go back after you have made enough money.
The messenger from the south has arrived so quickly. Could it be that he is here to make peace?
While he was thinking, he was enjoying the singing and dancing in the hall, and from time to time he was drinking the wine in the glass, looking very comfortable.
Not long after, a figure covered in black robe was brought to the hall.
Seeing him, Tuogu Khan showed a hint of disdain in his eyes, "Since you have come to this Khan's territory, why don't you show your true face? Are you too ugly to be seen?"
As the words of ridicule fell, others also echoed, "How brave, you don't kneel down when you see the Khan!"
"I don't dare to take off your clothes, you look like this, it's not a good thing!"
······
All kinds of noisy and dirty words fell into the ears of the man in black robe. His mood did not fluctuate at all. He just gently took off the hood on his head, revealing his true face.
Under the black robe, an ordinary face appeared in front of everyone.
"See the Great Khan, this is the letter that my master asked me to deliver on my behalf. Please read it." The middle-aged man finished speaking calmly and took out an exquisite envelope from his body. But what he said was not Tatar. The language is the language of the Zhou Dynasty.
Because the Tatars were defeated by the Great Zhou, these tribal leaders traded with the caravans of the Great Zhou. They were more or less familiar with the Zhou dialect and could read the writings of the Great Zhou. Therefore, according to this man, they were Got it.
Tuogu Khan, who was sitting at the top, clearly noticed something was wrong. He immediately sat upright and motioned to the people below to bring up the letter.
There was no signature on the envelope and it was blank. Tuogu Khan raised his eyebrows, opened the envelope, took out the letter paper and started reading. However, gradually, his expression became serious, and his eyes glanced at the middle-aged man from time to time.
After reading the letter, his first sentence was, "Who is your master?"
The people below also noticed that something was wrong with his tone, and they all calmed down and no longer acted as wildly as before.
The middle-aged man's face was dull, but he seemed confident, "My master has occupied the provinces and counties in the south, and he has hundreds of thousands of powerful generals under his command. This time I came here to form an alliance with the Khan on my master's behalf." , the message he wanted to convey was clearly stated in the letter."
"I wonder what Khan feels like?" After saying that, he looked at Tuogu Khan quietly, as if he wanted to see something from his expression.
It's a pity that Tuogu Khan always looked expressionless. He threw the letter aside and drank the remaining wine in the glass before speaking, "Go back and tell your master, Ben Khan agrees." We have formed an alliance. When the time comes, I will take the northern part of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he will take the southern part of the Great Zhou Dynasty. We will each have what we need, and it will be mutually beneficial."
After saying this, the people below were shocked. They originally thought that this person was a messenger sent by the Zhou Dynasty, but now it seems that there is someone else.
"Okay, then I'm here to wish Khan unstoppable success and immediate success! I'll take my leave first!" The middle-aged man didn't waste any more nonsense and prepared to leave directly after getting a satisfactory answer.
"Come here, send this gentleman off for me."
Seeing that he was leaving, Tuogu Khan stood up from his seat and arranged for two people to escort him away.
It wasn't until his figure disappeared in front of everyone that the hall regained its previous atmosphere. However, now there was no other sound in the hall except the sound of singing and dancing.
Everyone looked confused and hesitated to speak.
Seeing their expressions, Tuogu Khan waved his hand and motioned for the soldiers to take the dancing girls and musicians down. At this time, the hall became completely quiet.
He poured himself a glass of wine, sat down again, and scanned everyone, "If you have anything to ask, just ask."
"Great Khan, who is the person who sent the message just now?" A gray-haired old man stood up and asked.
Tuogu Khan threw the envelope in his hand to him and said in a deep voice, "The forces behind that person just now are the rebels from the south of the Great Zhou Dynasty. According to what he said in his heart, they have occupied a large state and are preparing to raise troops to capture it again. Other states and counties.”
"Great Khan, what does he mean by forming an alliance?" Namtso, who had just spoken, asked.
Tuogu Khan's face was expressionless and seemed a little cold, "That's a good question. This is exactly the purpose of his coming here. The leader of the rebel army wants to form an alliance with us and attack the Great Zhou Dynasty together. After that, I If you win the northern part of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he will occupy the southern part.”
"Great Khan, you must not do this! The southerners have always been cunning, and you have to be careful when forming an alliance with them." The old man who asked the question before heard his answer and quickly dissuaded him.
"Peng!"
There was an explosion, and the delicate wine glass in Tuogu Khan's hand was crushed to pieces. He gave the old man a cold look, "I need you to teach me how to do things!"
"Keep calm, it's the old minister who made a mistake!" The cold eyes were like knives scraping across the old man's body, putting great pressure on him. He was so frightened that he trembled all over and quickly fell to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.
It wasn't until his forehead was covered with blood that Tuogu Khan said in a deep voice, "Get up."
As if he was receiving a general amnesty, the old man shouted loudly, "Thank you, Khan!"
The current Tuogu Khan is in the prime of life. He inherited the legacy of the old Khan and was already very powerful. Later, he integrated the grassland forces and re-attacked the Great Zhou Dynasty. His prestige was already prosperous, and his troops were sufficient. With one hundred thousand, it is the most powerful force among all tribes, so no one on the grassland dares to challenge his khan authority.
"Of course I know that these southerners have bad intentions and formed an alliance. They talk nice, but in fact they just want me to help them contain Dazhou's troops. As for dividing Dazhou equally, it's just a joke!"
"The reason why I formed an alliance with them is just to find out more information about Dazhou. Otherwise, why do you think I agreed to them?"
As soon as the words fell, everyone below suddenly realized, and their faces showed a look of understanding. At this moment, the former confidant took the lead and shouted again, "The Great Khan is wise!"
Everyone's expressions froze, and they had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow suit.
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Go to the capital, Tai Chi Hall.
Emperor Yong'an sat on the dragon chair, and the courtiers below were neatly arranged in four rows, one on the left and one on the right, with clear distinctions between civil and military officials.
"The Tatars from the steppes have invaded again. They have broken through several passes and captured Guyuan Town. Do you have any advice?" Behind the screen, the elegant and soft voice of Queen Mother Chen echoed in the hall.
"To report to the Queen Mother, according to reports from spies, the number of Tatars this time is no less than 300,000. It can be said that they are all out. The generals in the border towns do not have enough troops. It is normal for the pass to be breached." A noble military officer stood up. explained.
After the words fell, a civil servant wearing a blue official robe came out and said, "Since the Tatars mobilized an army of 300,000 people, why didn't the spies in the border town notice it in advance? Isn't this the dereliction of duty of the commander-in-chief of the border town?"
After the words fell, the military officers and nobles on the right all looked sideways and focused on him. For a moment, the civil servant felt the pressure from all the nobles.
At this time, the cabinet minister who was at the forefront of the civil service came out and explained, "A few days ago, it was the day of the Grassland Summer Hunting Conference. Every year, they hold hunting in the summer, with many participants, and as early as more than forty years ago, , the gathering place of the Tatars has moved to the hinterland of the grassland, and it is difficult to detect the situation there."
"Now that the Tatars are attacking with troops, the most important thing is to gather soldiers from the border towns and use the border troops to hold them back. Otherwise, if 300,000 troops enter the hinterland, the northwest may become a barren land."
Correct
Another civil servant echoed, "What Mr. Ge said is that the imperial court maintains an army of 600,000 in the border town. As long as enough soldiers are gathered, it will be enough to hold them back. Then we can slowly take action."
