In the wilderness, a large group of Mongolian cavalry rolled forward eastward.
Wokuotai rode a war horse, surrounded by many Mongolian cavalry, chasing the Jin army.
By his side, Kublai Khan followed him around the north bank of the Yellow River and rushed to Zhengzhou.
"Zhao Tai is really alert. I don't know if Subotai can catch up with him." Kublai Khan said with a stern face.
After taking Luoyang, he immediately led his cavalry northward, crossed the Yellow River from Mengjin, and then made a non-stop detour towards Zhengzhou.
But when he arrived at Zhengzhou, he happened to meet Wo Kuotai who was chasing Zhao Tai eastward. Zhao Tai had already retreated eastward before he could complete the outflank.
This made Kublai Khan's plan fail. He did not expect that Zhao Tai would evacuate so decisively.
Wo Kuotai had a dark face. If Zhao Tai retreated to Kaifeng, he might not be able to destroy the Jin Kingdom this year.
"Subotai Qingqi's rapid advance, even if he can't kill Zhao Tai, he can still bite him hard!" Wo Kuotai said bitterly.
This time, Kublai Khan made another great contribution, and Ogodei's plan to suppress the tow thunder system failed again. He could only temporarily compromise, acknowledge Kublai Khan's achievements, and change his attitude towards him.
At this time, the two were talking, and a large group of cavalry came slowly from the front.
Under the banner of the Mongolian army, a general squinted his eyes and looked into the distance, "Great Khan, it's Subotai."
Wo Kuotai frowned, reined in the horse, and drove the horse to the roadside. After a while, he found Subotai, the main force of the Mongolian army, galloping over with a group of cavalry. He turned over in front of Wo Kuotai and dismounted. Then he saluted and said: "Great Khan!"
When Wokuotai saw him coming back, his cheeks twitched and he asked, "Child Zhao Tai, where are you escaping to Kaifeng?"
Subotai looked ashamed and said, "I am incompetent. When I caught up with Zhao Tai, I was already close to Kaifeng City, and I could only watch him escape to the gates of Kaifeng City. I was unable to attack the city, and I didn't bring any food and grass, so I had no choice but to retreat and return to the Great Khan." "
The journey from Hulao Pass to Kaifeng is only about two hundred miles. The cavalry can march in a hurry and can complete it in one day.
Zhao Tai got away in the middle of the night. Although the Mongolian army had superb riding skills, it was difficult to catch up.
Although Ogedai was annoyed, he knew better that he couldn't blame Subotai for not being able to catch up. "You have tried your best."
Subotai quickly saluted, "Great Khan, although I failed to capture Zhao Tai, I chased him all the way, forcing him to abandon his helmet and armor, and seized many supplies."
When Wokuotai heard that a lot of supplies had been seized, he couldn't help but ask: "Have you ever seized the divine thunder?"
After all, the Mongols are a grassland people. Cavalry and field warfare are the Mongolian army's strengths, but their siege capabilities are lacking.
Although the Mongolian army recruited many Han troops who were good at attacking cities during their southern invasion, they also captured a large number of Han craftsmen, which gave the Mongolian army the ability to attack fortresses.
This ability of the Mongolian army made them invincible during the Western Expedition. However, when they went south to invade the Song Dynasty, they encountered a Song army with full defensive skills, which was still a bit difficult.
Not to mention the miraculous Diaoyu City, let’s talk about the Xiangyang City. The Mongols also attacked it for several years and couldn’t defeat it. Finally, craftsmen from the Western Regions made returning artillery and were able to open up the situation.
At this time, the Mongolian army had not yet produced return artillery, and its ability to siege cities was relatively average. As the Mongolian army invaded south, they were faced with fortified cities one after another. Wo Kuotai urgently hoped to improve the Mongolian army's siege ability.
These days he was at Hulao Pass, observing Zhao Taiyong's trebuchet. The thunderbolts thrown were a powerful siege weapon.
Therefore, he wanted to know whether Subotai had seized such a weapon.
If the Mongolian army can obtain the divine thunder, then the fortified cities in the Central Plains and the south will not be a problem.
At that time, the Han army will not be able to defeat the Mongolian army in the field, and if they hold on to the city, they will be bombarded by divine thunder. There is no reason for Mongolia not to unify the world.
Therefore, Wo Kuotai is very concerned about whether Zhentian Lei has been captured.
Subotai shook his head and said, "Reporting to the Great Khan, this has not been found yet and needs to be counted and seized."
Wokuotai immediately said: "Check carefully!"
Subutai nodded and ordered, and Kublai Khan said: "Great Khan, since Zhao Tai and the main force of the Jin army have fled back to Kaifeng, do we still need to continue marching?"
From a strategic point of view, Mongolia broke through the Guanhe defense line that it had failed to break for more than ten years in this attack on gold.
From then on, the Mongolian army was no longer subject to seasonal restrictions when it wanted to attack the Jin Kingdom. It could attack the Jin Kingdom whenever it wanted.
There is no doubt that from a strategic point of view, the Mongolian army completed most of its strategic goals and was considered a victory in the war.
However, in this offensive, the Mongolian army lost a total of 70,000 troops in Xuzhou and Zhengzhou, and their vitality was seriously damaged.
Moreover, the remnant of the Jin Army in Guanzhong, Guo Xiabao, was still attacking the Mongolian army's food supplies, which resulted in the Mongolian army not being able to take advantage of the situation to seize Kaifeng.
Therefore, when Kublai Khan asked, he subconsciously believed that Mongolia could not destroy the Jin Kingdom in one go, and did not want to continue to advance eastward.
When Wokuotai heard this, he frowned and said solemnly: "Of course we will continue to march!"
Now that Luoyang has been captured, Wo Kuotai has no worries. He has already reached Zhongmou and is only a few dozen miles away from Kaifeng. Naturally, he has to go to Kaifeng to put pressure on the Jin Kingdom.
At that moment, Wokuotai led the Mongolian cavalry, Khitan army, and Han army, totaling more than 100,000 people, and advanced toward Kaifeng in a mighty manner.
Jin Guo Tan Ma learned the news and urgently deployed defenses in Kaifeng City, so he didn't mention it.
In the afternoon, Wo Kuotai led the army to the western suburbs of Kaifeng. The army set up camp in the wilderness. Wo Kuotai led a group of cavalry and ran to a stop about two miles in front of Kaifeng City, overlooking the Song and Jin dynasties. ancient capital.
Kaifeng City has high walls and thick walls, with a circumference of dozens of miles. The city is extremely majestic.
This was not the first time Wo Kuotai arrived at Kaifeng City, but he still felt excited when he saw the majestic Kaifeng City. Even the war horse under his crotch was frightened by the huge city, and kept snoring and twitching its hooves. Touch the ground.
Kublai Khan said: "Great Khan, the city of Kaifeng is more than three feet high. It is surrounded by a moat. The defense facilities on the city wall are complete. There are many barbicans, enemy towers, horse faces, watchtowers, and city towers. If we want to attack by force, we must take I’m afraid we’ll have to use two hundred thousand troops to conquer this city.”
Wokuotai nodded slightly and said in a deep voice: "It is indeed very challenging to attack such a big city! Then Zhao Tai still has the main force of the Jin army and fled back to Kaifeng. There should be more than 100,000 Jin soldiers in the city. Now Ben Khan has insufficient troops and food. Supply is also difficult, and it is indeed difficult to capture such a strong city. But I am unwilling to let this Khan retreat like this."
Subotai frowned and asked, "What does the Khan mean?"
Wokuotai said coldly: "Now that the main force of the Jin Army is gathered in Kaifeng, the defenses of various states and counties should be relatively empty. Where is Zhao Tai's jurisdiction? I will send troops and horses to destroy it and massacre all the people under his command, so that I can relieve the hatred in my heart. "
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