The main Mongolian force retreated westward, and the old and weak soldiers left in Kaifeng City surrendered directly to the coalition forces.
Seeing this, Quan Zicai and Wuxian knew something about the situation, so they sent soldiers into the city, controlled the city gates, and inspected the situation.
Not long after, the soldiers who entered the city reported that there was no Mongolian ambush in the city, and the coalition forces prepared to enter Kaifeng.
"To inform you, sir, there are no soldiers and horses in the city!" The cavalry galloped back and reported loudly.
Wu Xiandao: "The Mongolian army spent a lot of time in Kaifeng! Wo Kuotai is worried about Guanzhong and Luoyang. It seems that they have really withdrawn."
Quan Zicai's face was a little flushed. Hearing this, he no longer had any doubts and immediately waved his hand, "Forward enters the city!"
The recapture of Kaifeng was of great significance to the Song army. Quan Zicai felt a little excited and said loudly: "Quickly report the victory to Prime Minister Zhao. Our troops have recaptured Bianjing!"
"Here!" the herald behind him responded loudly, then pulled the horse's rein and galloped away.
Quan Zicai looked at the majestic Kaifeng City and was filled with emotion in his heart. He said to the generals around him: "Recovering the old capital is a great honor. I am waiting for it to be recorded in the history books!"
At the moment, the coalition infantry first entered the city and controlled the city gates and streets. Then Quan Zicai and others entered the city surrounded by their generals.
Since the Jingkang Disgrace, Song people who traveled south have always missed Bianjing and the prosperous Bianliang City in the picture above during the Qingming Festival, which is full of life.
Although Jiangnan is prosperous and Hangzhou is also very good, people in the Song Dynasty always believed that Hangzhou was still not as good as Bianjing.
At this time, Quan Zicai and others entered Bianjing City with a sense of longing and expectation, but the scene in front of them immediately shattered their Bianliang dream.
Bianjing, the former capital of the Song Dynasty, has lost its former prosperity. The houses in the city have been destroyed, the population has been wiped out, and it has become a dead city.
People rode horses through the streets and saw that most of the shops and houses on both sides were destroyed.
Some of their roofs were penetrated by artillery stones, while others were destroyed by fire. There were still charred corpses among the ruins, which was shocking.
Quanzi rode forward for a while, but saw no one, heard no cock crows or dogs barking. He reined in his horse, frowned and asked, "How many registered residences are there in the city?"
The surrendered official sighed: "There are still thirty-two households!"
Quan Zicai looked at him in shock and said, "Bianliang, Tokyo in the Song Dynasty, once had a population of one million, with bustling traffic and flourishing flowers. Unexpectedly, there are only more than thirty households left today!"
Many Song soldiers saw the scene along the way, but there was no one in sight, and from time to time they could see corpses that had not had time to restrain themselves, and their hearts were filled with emotion.
At this time, everyone continued to move forward, and suddenly a pungent smell of blood came.
"It's the direction of the inner city!" Wu Xian moved his nose.
Quan Zicai then waved, and the team continued to move forward. When they passed through the door and entered the inner city, they saw one "hill" after another.
Of course, these are not mountains. Their shape is like the stacks of wheat straw piled up in the fields after the autumn harvest. They are thin at the top and thick at the bottom, like yurts.
When Wuxian saw this scene, his expression was gloomy. Behind him, Wanyan Chengde, Wanyan Chenghu and others, their expressions changed greatly, and they directly rode forward.
The group of people rode straight over and rushed to a "tower". Looking at the Jingguan with Jurchen heads piled up, they couldn't help but get off their horses, kneel down and cry bitterly...
After the main force of the coalition forces left the camp, they marched very cautiously because they were worried about a surprise attack by the Mongolian army. The coalition soldiers almost marched in formation.
At this time, the army was marching slowly, and a group of cavalry galloped over and reported loudly, "I am reporting to Mr. Quan that Mr. Quan has entered Kaifeng and the Mongolian army has indeed withdrawn!"
Zhao Kui was overjoyed when he heard this and ordered the army to move forward faster.
In the afternoon, Zhao Tai and Zhao Kui led the follow-up troops to Kaifeng City.
After the Mongolian troops withdrew, the coalition forces broke out and pursued them. However, it was said to be a pursuit, but in fact it was just a trailing march.
After all, the Mongolian army was on horseback and the Allied forces were mainly infantry. If Wokuotai wanted to withdraw, the Allied forces could not catch up.
When Wokuotai saw the coalition forces leaving the camp, it was not that he had not thought about returning his carbine. However, when the Mongolian cavalry saw the coalition forces, they marched slowly and very cautiously. They had prepared carts that could form formations on the spot at any time, so they simply left quickly.
At this time, the army arrived at Kaifeng City. The soldiers of the Song Dynasty cheered, while the Qi army looked solemn.
Because at this time, the Qi army had already learned that the inner city of Kaifeng had been captured and the Jin soldiers and civilians in the city were massacred by the Mongolian army.
The Jurchens in the Qi army approached Kaifeng, and when they learned that Wanyan Shouxu was dead and the Jin Kingdom was destroyed, they felt extremely sad.
The two supporting armies approached Kaifeng with different moods.
Zhao Kui didn't feel much about the slaughter of more than 100,000 Jurchens. When he heard that Kaifeng city was destroyed, the Jin emperor committed suicide, and hundreds of Jin clan and harem documents were given to the Mongols by Cui Li, he felt uneasy in his heart. I don't have much sympathy, but I feel that this is the reincarnation of heaven and the retribution of the Jin Kingdom.
After Zhao Tai arrived in Kaifeng, he was not sad at all, but in order to win people's hearts, Zhao Tai still acted very sad.
At this time, the army arrived outside Kaifeng City. Zhao Kui said in a deep voice: "The Mongolian army withdrew from Kaifeng and returned to the west to aid Luoyang and Guanzhong. I will continue to pursue and cooperate with the other two armies to capture Guanzhong and Luoyang. Guorui, you What do you plan to do?"
The Song Dynasty's three-pronged Northern Expedition seems to be relatively smooth so far. If the campaign is better, it may be possible to regain the land south of the Yellow River.
At this time, Zhao Tai's goal has actually been achieved, and his willingness to continue fighting is not high.
However, in history, the Song army entered Luo in peace and suffered a disastrous defeat. Zhao Tai did not dare to stop at this time.
"My lord, there are many Jurchens in our army. After I finish handling the funeral affairs of the Jin Kingdom and clean up the corpses in the city, I will march with my lord!" Zhao Tai said in a deep voice.
Zhao Kui nodded. The Jin Kingdom was destroyed, and the Qi army must make adjustments now. It was impossible to help the Song army capture Kaifeng without collecting the body of the Jin emperor.
"Okay! Then clean up the bodies as soon as possible and hand Kaifeng over to the court!" Zhao Kui said: "I will lead the army to continue marching westward. You must follow up immediately!"
Zhao Tai nodded, "Don't worry, Mr. Xian, but don't chase too closely, lest you be ambushed by the Mongolian army!"
Zhao Kui nodded and immediately separated from Zhao Tai.
At this time, as the Mongolian army retreated westward, the states and counties in eastern Henan learned that the Song army was coming, and they all turned their backs.
Zhao Kui led 80,000 Song troops and followed the Mongolian army as they marched.
At present, the Jin Kingdom is destroyed, the Mongolian army is withdrawing to the west, and there is a vacuum of power. In various parts of Henan, the remnants of the Jin army, thieves, rebels, and the Mongolian army are attacking each other, creating a mess.
The Song army marched all the way, preaching loudly all the way, saying that the Song Dynasty's three-way Northern Expedition would capture Guanzhong and Henan. The troops and horses from various places who had surrendered to Mongolia fled after hearing the news. However, the remnant soldiers, bandits, and powerful men of the Jin Kingdom chose to surrender to the Song army one after another and eat pot pulp. To welcome Master Wang.
In mid-March, Zhengzhou, Xinzhen, Chenliu and other places east of Hulao Pass switched sides and surrendered to the Song army. Zhao Kui arrived at Hulao Pass without much effort.
In order to cooperate with the other two groups of Song troops, the newly arrived Song troops made a little preparation and launched an aggressive attack on Hulao Pass.
When the Song army was marching westwards, Zhao Taize's entire army was in silence and buried the Jin soldiers and civilians in Kaifeng City.
Although Zhao Tai ordered the search for the bodies of Emperor Wanyan Shouxu of the Jin Kingdom and some important ministers, little was found.
Zhao Tai had no choice but to bury Wanyan Shouxu in the form of a burial mound. He cried bitterly in front of the grave and declared that he would avenge him.
Zhao Tai's performance undoubtedly gained the hearts of many girls.
Now that the Kingdom of Jin is destroyed and the Emperor of Jin is dead, they have lost allegiance and support, and they gradually regard Zhao Tai as their lord.
In Kaifeng City, after collecting the corpses of the Jin Kingdom's monarchs and winning a wave of people's hearts, Zhao Taisui continued to march westward in the name of revenge for the Kaifeng monarchs and ministers.
At the end of March, Zhao Tai and Zhao Kui joined forces at Hulao Pass, intending to cooperate with the Song army to break through the pass, capture Luoyang and Tongguan, and restore the Guanhe defense line.
At this time, after the Mongolian army withdrew into Hulao Pass, they ordered Cui Li, the surrendered general, to guard the pass and prevent the Song and Qi coalition forces from entering Luoyang.
Cui Li was originally a rogue. When the Mongolian army went south, he joined the Hebei landlords' armed forces and became an officer. He climbed up the ranks step by step. Finally, during the siege of Kaifeng, he was appointed Marshal of the West by Wanyan Shouxu Committee.
After the Mongols spread the news that Zhao Tai respected his own troops and had no intention of rescuing Kaifeng, Cui Li heard that Zhao Tai had captured Shandong and then attacked Hebei, but would not come to Kaifeng, so he believed the Mongols' words.
At that time, in addition to the Jurchens, there were also many Han people in Kaifeng City, and Cui Li was their leader.
Seeing that Kaifeng was hopeless, Cui Li and others were unwilling to die for the Jurchens. In order to give the Han army in the city a chance to survive, Cui Li contacted the Mongols, opened the city gate for the Mongolian army, and let the Mongolian army enter the city.
Because of this incident, Cui Li and his 20,000 troops were pardoned by Wo Kuotai, and Cui Li was supported by the Han army in Kaifeng City.
At this time, Hulao was closed. Cui Li, still wearing the official robe of a Jin official with a bright gold belt tied around his waist, stood on top of the city, frowning at the military camp outside the city.
"Damn, I didn't expect Zhao Tai to come here too!" Cui Li grabbed the city wall with one hand and his belt with the other, his eyes narrowed.
After the Song army arrived at Guanxia, they immediately launched an attack, putting great pressure on Cui Li.
Now facing the Song army's attack, Cui Li was already feeling overwhelmed. Zhao Tai led his troops over again, leaving the defenders on the city in despair.
At first, Cui Li originally thought that Zhao Tai would not come to rescue Kaifeng, so he opened the city gate and surrendered to Mongolia, but he didn't expect that Zhao Tai not only came, but also led Song soldiers over.
This surprised Cui Li, but he had already made his choice, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Commander, Zhao Tai buried the soldiers and civilians in the city in Kaifeng, and threatened to avenge Wanyan Shouxu!" Beside him, a subordinate was worried, "We opened the city gate, let the Mongolian army enter the city, and then attacked the inner city and forced them to death. The Emperor of Jin, Zhao Tai, I’m afraid he won’t let us go!”
Now in the Southern Song Dynasty, the three-pronged Northern Expedition, the Mongolian army has been fighting for half a year, the soldiers are tired, the food and grass are lacking, and the situation is not very good.
Cui Li and others heard that the Mongolian army now planned to withdraw north and return to the grassland.
If this is the case, Cui Li and others will have to face Song Jun and Zhao Tai alone, so even the civil and military officers under his command are a little panicked.
"No! The walls of Hulao Pass are high and thick, and haven't the Mongols not withdrawn yet?" Cui Li said solemnly: "I don't believe the enemy can break through Hulao Pass!"
"Commander, Zhao Tai's attack on the city is very powerful! He quickly captured Zhengzhou and Jinan. Now he joins forces with the Song army to attack. How long can we hold on?" The general was worried.
The Song army's attack had already made it difficult for them to resist, and now another Zhao Tai came, making everyone lose confidence.
Cui Li turned around and glanced at his subordinates with sharp eyes, worried that they might have second thoughts.
After all, during this period of time, Wangfeng returned to the Song Dynasty in Dongzhou County, Henan Province. If he could betray the Jin Kingdom, his subordinates could betray him.
This made Cui Li a little uneasy, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Don't have second thoughts! That Zhao Tai was canonized as the loyal king by the Jin Kingdom. If he wants to win people's hearts, the best way is to kill us! Don't look at this now The enemy army is powerful. You should know the fighting power of the Southern Song Dynasty. When Mongolia recovers, they will definitely not be their opponents. Our current plan is to hold on and wait for the Mongolian army to defeat the other two Song armies and the enemy forces outside the pass. It will retreat on its own!"
Wokuotai promised Ji Li that he would be the prince of Henan in Shizhen.
Therefore, facing the coalition forces outside the Pass, he was determined to resist and ordered his subordinates to mobilize troops, strengthen defenses, and prepare to hold on to the end.
Outside the city, after Zhao Tai settled the issue of Kaifeng, he led his troops westward to join forces with Zhao Kui's troops.
At this time, Zhao Tai arrived and came to Zhao Kui's tent to learn about the war situation from him.
"Guorui came just in time. I have been attacking the city for several days, but the defenders in the city have shown no sign of surrender. Today you arrived with your troops and sent more troops to defend the city. It seems that you want to fight to the end!" Inside, as soon as Zhao Tai sat down, Zhao Kui said in a deep voice.
Zhao Tai thought for a moment after hearing this, "In this case, we can only attack and win!"
Zhao Kui nodded, "Now the Mongolian army asked Cui Li to block us, while they went to meet the other two armies. If the other two armies were repelled by the Mongolian army, then our plan to regain Luoyang and restore the Guanhe defense line would become Bubble!"
Zhao Kui paused, "Right now, we can only break through Guancheng quickly, and the Mongols will continue to evacuate out of fear of being attacked from both sides!"
"My husband is right!" Zhao Tai nodded, "How is Guancheng's defense now?"
Zhao Kui stood up and said, "I know you are an expert at attacking cities. Come and have a look with me!"
Zhao Taisui immediately stood up and followed Zhao Kui out of the tent to take a peek at the city defense.
At this time, Hulao was closed, and Cui Li was directing his subordinates to strengthen defense after learning that Zhao Tai's troops had arrived.
He stood at the top of the city, watching the soldiers carrying arrows and missing them. Suddenly, a subordinate led a man to the city. After seeing him, he walked over immediately.
"Commander! The Great Khan has sent someone over!" His subordinates stepped forward to report, "They said they have important matters to give!"
Cui Li didn't dare to neglect, "Where are the people?"
The envoy who followed immediately stepped forward and handed over a letter, "Marshal Cui, this is the military order given to you by the Great Khan!"
Cui Li quickly took it and started to look at it. After just one glance, he frowned and asked, "The Khan wants me to withdraw my troops?"
The visitor said: "Yes, this is the Khan's order!"
Cui Li's face was full of doubts, "Does the envoy know why the Great Khan wants me to withdraw my troops? Could it be that the Great Khan wants to abandon Luoyang?"
The envoy said solemnly: "I don't know about this. Marshal Cui just needs to act according to the order."
