Although Zhao Tai really wanted to use conspiracy to divert trouble southward, and then blackmail the Song Dynasty when the Song Dynasty was in crisis, so as to get what he wanted.
However, this is not the right way after all. It will only ruin his reputation in Jianghuai and Lin'an, which will not be conducive to his future capture of Jiangnan.
After all, after he claimed that he was Song Taizu, he had a chance to obtain the throne of the Song Dynasty.
If he allowed Mongolia to massacre Jianghuai and threaten Lin'an, then the gentry and common people in Jianghuai would hate him.
Therefore, Zhao Tai decided to face the difficulties and stick to Pizhou to resist Mongolia's southward march.
On November 25, at the foot of Pizhou City, military flags were fluttering in the wilderness, soldiers were like a forest, and there were mountains of people.
On the three-foot-high city tower, flags were placed, and warriors wearing infantry armor stood at the top of the city with spears.
In front of the city, the elites drawn from various armies, each holding a weapon, formed a neat formation, and the military formation showed a murderous atmosphere.
The Mongolian army is about to approach the city, and it will not be easy to hold on to Pizhou.
The weakest part of a city is not its walls, but whether the interior is dedicated to resisting the enemy.
The Mongolian army pressed on the border, which was a cruel test for the Zhongyi Army, a team established less than three years ago. Zhao Tai did not know whether anyone in the city would surrender in the face of the pressure of the Mongolian cavalry.
In order to avoid this situation, the soldiers who were left to defend the city met two conditions.
First, there are brothers in the family, many of whom are unmarried and have children. Second, the family records have all been transferred to Haizhou.
If there are brothers at home, there is no need to worry about old parents; if there are no wives and children, there are no worries. Such soldiers have the strongest will and dare to sacrifice.
As for the transfer of the family volume to Haizhou, in addition to protecting the family, it also has the meaning of being a hostage.
At this time, the rising sun broke out of the clouds, and a beam of sunlight shone on the top of the city, just right on Zhao Tai, who was wearing silver armor, an iron helmet with phoenix wings, and a red cloak.
This strange sight immediately attracted the attention of more than ten thousand soldiers outside the city.
The soldiers lined up outside the city all knew that the Mongols were rampant. In the past twenty years, they had destroyed Xia and Jin, devastated the Central Plains and trampled Shandong.
Today, with the defeat of Li Fen and Wuxian, the commander-in-chief of the Zhongyi Army will shoulder the important task of forming a barrier for Jiangzuo and preventing the Mongolian cavalry from going south.
Facing the Mongolian army that was about to attack, all the generals were very frightened, but the scene in front of them washed away the gloom in their hearts.
At this time, on the top of the city, Wang Bin and others looked at the strange scene and couldn't help but exclaimed, "God is helping the king!"
Zhao Tai nodded slightly and waved his hand, "Let's start!"
When Wang Bin heard this, he immediately turned his head and gave an order. A moment later, there was a loud noise from the top of the city that shook the world.
After the cannon fired, Zhao Tai immediately waved his hand, then took the message from Wang Bin, walked to the city wall, glanced at the many generals, unfolded the message, and read it aloud, which spread everywhere.
"Since Jingkang, Yiguan has traveled south, but our remnants have stayed in the north for more than a hundred years! Now that the Jurchen Realm has been destroyed, the Central Plains is left without a master. Today, Heaven wants our people to regain the old territory of China and become the lords of the Central Plains again!"
"Our remnants have been waiting for hundreds of years for today's opportunity to restore our ancestral heritage. However, the barbarians in the northern part of the country are cruel and cruel, and they want to take other countries as their property. For more than ten years, they have invaded frequently, trying to seize our ancestral heritage, and make our remnants become cattle and horses again. . This sincerity has not changed in a hundred years! How can we Han children be willing to be slaves of other people again?"
"Today Mongolia is ferocious, and its army of southern invaders has trapped three prefectures and eight prefectures in Jibei. They want to conquer Pizhou and come to the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers to destroy my clothes and enslave our soldiers and people."
"You are not talented. Although you have not been favored by the imperial court, you have inherited the blood of Taizu and know your responsibilities well. If you abandon Pizhou now and do not defend it, the barbarians will take advantage of the victory and march south, and Jiang and Huaihe will be destroyed!"
"We, the remnants, will tolerate our people and slaughter them for the barbarians."
"At this time of national calamity, although Tai is weak, he is willing to be the great wall of the country and the vassal screen of our people. He will defend Pizhou so that the captives will not dare to cross Qilu and take Jianghuai."
"Today Tai has sworn an alliance with all the armies to protect the country with all his strength. Kang Da went to the country to face the national calamity. However, the Mongols are powerful and Pizhou is isolated and helpless. We are sending messages everywhere. We hope that the imperial court will work hard for Tai and send troops to reinforce. We hope that the soldiers and civilians of the world, heroes and warriors, will respond together. Fight against the Mongols! Then great things can be accomplished and the old frontier can be restored!"
~~~~~~
Zhao Tai read out the proclamation loudly, to the general effect that when the Mongols came, he could have abandoned the city and left, but for the sake of the people of Jianghuai and the Song Dynasty, he decided to stick to Pizhou.
At this time, after Zhao Tai finished reading the proclamation, all the troops understood their responsibilities. They immediately raised their weapons and shouted slogans in unison to defend Pizhou and repel the Mongols.
The soldiers in the city cheered. Wang Bin and others looked at this scene and felt that the morale of the army was useful. They just hoped that the Southern Song Dynasty would not waste the sacrifices of the loyal soldiers.
When Zhao Tai issued a message and decided to stick to Pizhou, the Lin'an court had not yet decided whether to reinforce Zhao Tai.
However, it is not that there are no understanding people here in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Mongolia was about to move south, and Quan Zicai, who was in charge of Kaifeng, felt very uneasy. He repeatedly wrote to Zhao Kui, hoping to return to Huainan, but Zhao Kui ordered him to continue to stick to Kaifeng.
Last time, Quanzi lost 30,000 soldiers and horses. He was originally going to be beaten to the end. However, in order to stabilize his political position, Zheng Qingzhi concealed the true losses of the Huaixi Army. The Lin'an court considered Quanzi's success in regaining Kaifeng. Quan Zicai still had the right to know all the military affairs in Kaifeng.
When Mongolia went south, Quanzi learned that Lin'an had not yet recruited Zhao Tai, and he became very anxious. Seeing that Li Fen and Wuxian from Jinan and Dongping did not resist, he was worried that Zhao Tai would also abandon Pizhou.
If Zhao Tai abandons Pizhou, then the Mongols can directly enter the Huaihe River. Without the Mongolian attack, Kaifeng will collapse without a fight due to lack of food.
Therefore, when Zhao Tai's appeal reached Kaifeng, Quanzi couldn't help but sigh after reading it, "Zhao Guorui is truly a national scholar!"
Like Quan Zicai, Zhao Kui, who was in Chuzhou, was also relieved. He knew very well that the elites of the two Huaihe Rivers were on the front line of Kaifeng. If Zhao Tai did not defend Pizhou, the Mongolian army would come to him.
Now seeing Zhao Tai vowing to stick to it, Zhao Kui was relieved. However, Mongolia was powerful and he was worried that Zhao Tai could not withstand it, so he hurriedly wrote a few more letters, hoping that Zhao Fan would persuade Zheng Qingzhi.
Develop countermeasures quickly.
Among the people in Lianghuai, when they saw Zhao Tai's message, they couldn't help but become interested in Zhao Tai, who blocked the Mongols and guarded the border for them.
As soon as the people and gentry got to know Zhao Tai's experience and the identity of his clan, they were full of curiosity about Zhao Tai. Many stories about Zhao Tai began to appear among the people, and the people gradually regarded him as a hero. Everyone applauded his behavior.
Due to internal problems, the Southern Song Dynasty was slow to respond to the upcoming war. Kublai Khan sent forwards to investigate Pizhou. When he learned that Zhao Tai had not left, he acted quickly.
In early December, the Mongolian army's vanguard moved south along the canal and soon reached the northern suburbs of Pizhou.
When the Mongolian army forward peeked at the Pizhou city defense, they couldn't help but wonder, this Pizhou is not a big city, so how could Zhao Tai dare to resist the Mongolian army.
After discovering that the city of Pizhou was not high and the originally wide moat was frozen, thus losing its role in protecting Pizhou, the Mongolian cavalry immediately reported to Kublai Khan.
Kublai Khan in Tengzhou, after learning about the situation in Pizhou, was afraid that Zhao Tai would escape, so he immediately led his army to rush towards him.
On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather cleared up. At the top of Pizhou City, the soldiers who stayed behind were busy carrying lost arrows, fallen wood, stones, kerosene and other items.
On the city wall, divine arm bows and crossbow beds were lined up, and the soldiers responsible for using these equipment were inspecting the equipment under the command of the officers.
While the city was busy, the backside of the city wall was also busy. Craftsmen were assembling pieces of wood and hundreds of trebuchets were deployed behind the city.
At this time, the defenders were busy. Suddenly, an alarm bell sounded at the top of the city, and then some soldiers exclaimed, "The Mongols are coming! Defend!"
