In less than half an hour, 30,000 Zhongyi Town soldiers were assembled in the wilderness.
Zhao Tai immediately called on the entire army as the military envoy of Zhongyi Town and the envoy of Shandong West Road System, asking the soldiers to obey orders and fight to the death.
After a brief mobilization, Zhao Tai calmed down the Jurchens in the army, and the army immediately marched northward and rushed directly to Jinan.
At the same time that Zhao Tai raised his troops, outside Kaifeng City and inside the Mongolian camp, Mongolian general Yan Shi also led 10,000 troops and left the camp to march toward Shandong.
At this time, the artillery fire between the Mongolian army and the Kaifeng defenders continued. The Mongolian Khan Wokuotai stood outside the camp and watched the reinforcements of Jinan depart.
"Great Khan, although we have sent 10,000 troops to reinforce Jinan, we Mongolia do not have an absolute advantage over Zhao Tai in Shandong." Yang Weizhong said solemnly: "To prevent long nights and long dreams, I think we should capture Kaifeng as soon as possible. By then the main force will move in. In Shandong, even if Zhao Taisheng has three heads and six arms, he can only be defeated by the Great Khan."
Wo Kuotai nodded, "You are right. Since neither Zhao Tai nor the Song army dared to come to Kaifeng, and I can't surround the area for reinforcements, I can seize Kaifeng as soon as possible. By then, I will have my hands free, and Zhao Tai, the clown, can turn out What kind of waves are coming?”
Yang Weizhong said: "Speaking of which, I do admire this Zhao Tai. He has half of the credit for the Jin Kingdom to survive until now. In addition, when the Jin Kingdom is about to perish, Zhao Tai still has the ability to threaten us. This guy is still It’s really a trick.”
Wokuotai also had to admit that Zhao Tai was very difficult to deal with, but he snorted coldly, "No matter how capable Zhao Tai is, he can't change the general trend of the Jin Kingdom's destruction, let alone his own destiny. Ben Khan's attack this time After going to Kaifeng and destroying the Jin Kingdom, his death will be near. By then, it will be a great pleasure for me to kill or capture this guy."
Many Mongolian generals laughed when they heard this. When Wokuotai saw the troops assisting Jinan gradually disappearing from sight, he waved his hand and said, "Go back to the camp and order all the households to come to the tents to discuss. This Khan must capture Kaifeng as soon as possible, and then Send troops to Shandong to annihilate Zhao Tai."
Zhao Tai raised troops from Shanzhou, with an army of 30,000, falsely claiming to be 100,000, and marched to Jinan in a mighty manner.
Along the way, the Mongolian troops in Yanzhou and Tai'an fled. Zhongyi Town entered Jinan Prefecture on December 21 and set up camp on Mount Tai.
On a hill not far from the Zhongyi Town camp, several Mongolian army scouts were in the woods, watching the soldiers of Zhongyi Town who were busy camping at the foot of Mount Tai.
At this time, 30,000 troops set up a joint camp on the back of the mountain. People shuttled through the camp, and a large "Zhao" was written on the towering banner.
In the camp, the banners of Zhongyi Town are displayed, the soldiers are brightly dressed and have sharp swords and spears. It can be seen that they are a well-equipped army.
At this time, the Mongolian army scouts observed in the woods for a moment and saw clearly the situation in Zhongyi Town. The leading scout waved his hand and led his subordinates to lead their horses out of the woods, then got on their horses and ran towards Jinan.
In the evening of that day, Kublai Khan heard the report from the scouts in the festival hall and found that Zhao Tai's main force, about 30,000 people, entered Jinan Prefecture and camped with Mount Tai at his back.
At this time, Kublai Khan stood in front of the map with his hands behind his hands, staring at the location marked on it, "I guessed right, Zhao Tai's goal is Jinan."
Tasi said: "Our military strength is comparable to that of Zhao Tai. The key to him to seize Jinan is to be unexpected. But now his intention has been discovered by the prince in advance. Now that we are prepared, Zhao Tai's plan will definitely fail."
Kublai Khan was not as optimistic as he was, and asked in a deep voice: "The scouts went to investigate. Do you know what the equipment of Zhao Tai's soldiers and horses are like? Are there any cavalry?"
Ta Si said in a deep voice: "Prince Qi, according to reports from scouts, Zhao Tai's army is very well-equipped, and the armor rate of the soldiers is extremely high, reaching more than 90%, far exceeding our Mongolian infantry. In addition, Zhao Tai also has a lot of cavalry. , at least four to five thousand riders, and they are all on two horses, definitely not a mob."
Although Zhao Tai only had 30,000 people, Kublai Khan did not dare to despise Ta Si's words.
"This Zhao Tai received assistance from the Southern Song Dynasty, and his infantry had excellent armor. Several battles with Mongolia allowed him to capture a large number of armors and war horses, resulting in the equipment of his army being far better than ours." Kublai Khan frowned. Wrinkle, "Although he only has 30,000 people, his combat power is comparable to the 50,000 to 60,000 Han troops."
In ancient times, the armor stomach was an important strategic material. Most ordinary soldiers could not afford to wear it. The vast majority of soldiers had nothing more than a shabby coat.
Li Fen's territory was not much larger than Zhao Tai's, with 80,000 troops and only 10,000 or 20,000 armored soldiers. However, almost everyone under Zhao Tai's command had armor.
In a battlefield where cold weapons are the main force, having armor brings combat effectiveness. A thousand armored soldiers can defeat ten thousand unarmored soldiers.
Zhao Tai obtained a large number of infantry armor through the Southern Song Dynasty, and captured a large number of Mongolian armor in two battles in Xuzhou and Zhengzhou.
Therefore, although there are only 30,000 people in Zhongyi Town, the armored soldiers can be compared with the ordinary 100,000 Mongolian troops.
After Kublai Khan heard about Zhao Tai's situation, he felt a little wary. Tasi frowned slightly and said slowly: "Your Majesty, although Zhao Tai's army is well-equipped, we are in Jinan City after all. There are currently 20,000 defenders in the city. Man, I don’t think the prince should be too afraid of Zhao Tai.”
Kublai Khan shook his head, "We must be careful and cautious about Zhao Tai. Don't forget that he still has thunder in his hand. Last year, Guo Dehai defended Zhengzhou with 20,000 men, but Zhao Tai easily broke through the city."
When the Battle of Zhengzhou was mentioned, Tasi became a little wary. He nodded slowly, "Your Majesty is right. That Zhentian Lei is indeed a bit troublesome."
Kublai Khan walked a few steps in front of the map with his hands behind his back, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Send an order to Li Fen and ask him to quickly lead troops to reinforce Jinan. I will overwhelm Zhao Tai in terms of military strength to ensure that Jinan is safe."
Tasi said: "If reinforcements from Li Fen and the Great Khan arrive, then we will have an advantage in terms of strength. Even if we cannot repel Zhao Tai by then, we can still drag the war until the Great Khan captures Kaifeng. By then, the Great Khan will If the army enters Shandong, Zhao Tai will die."
Kublai Khan nodded heavily, "Yes, I want to hold Zhao Tai down. The longer the battle lasts, the better it will be for us."
Zhao Tai raised his troops and marched northward, entering Jinan Prefecture. Kublai Khan strengthened the city defenses and sent messengers again to urge Wo Kuotai and Li Fen for reinforcements.
In Yidu, Li Fen stood at the top of the city, watching his troops and horses being drilled outside the city.
After receiving Kublai Khan's order, he mobilized 40,000 troops and gathered outside Yidu City.
Although Li Fen and Zhao Tai had a secret agreement, and Zhao Tai wanted to seize Jinan, Li Fen could not accept it.
For Li Fen, what he hopes most is to maintain the status quo, continue to make money from smuggling, and develop silently.
If Zhao Tai occupies Jinan, not only will he be threatened, but the Mongols will also be attracted to enter Shandong in large numbers, and it will be difficult for him to continue to separate his regime.
At this time, he was watching the soldiers drill, and Yang You hurriedly ran to the top of the city, "Commander, Jinan sent an order, Zhao Tai entered Jinan Mansion, Prince Kublai Khan ordered the commander to immediately lead troops to reinforce Jinan."
Li Fen narrowed his eyes when he heard this, "Zhao Tai is so ambitious that he dares to attack Jinan. I will send troops immediately to make him retreat and return to Lunan obediently."
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