choke element

Chapter 1047 Decisive Battle (Part )

The Mongols, who once regarded marching and fighting as hunting and sang happily on horseback, have now been shaped into cold steel by the continuous wars. At this time, the whole army was marching quickly, and there was no noise except the sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground and the occasional neighing of war horses.

Genghis Khan's laughter was particularly abrupt, and could be heard far away in the valley. The Mongolian nobles on his left and right looked at each other, wondering what he was laughing at.

After a long while, seeing that Genghis Khan was laughing so hard that he was almost coughing, Qiexue, who had asked the question earlier, came closer and gave him a back massage.

"The Khan?"

Genghis Khan panted and reached for a water bag to drink. The water bag was placed under the saddle by the Qiexue, close to the horse's back to keep warm, so the water was hot. But the part of the water bag that was tied with a rope was exposed to the cold wind and formed large pieces of ice.

Genghis Khan drank water in big gulps and chewed ice chips without any concern. After a while, he said with emotion: "It's Guo Ning! Guo Ning led his troops to the front... Great Guo Ning!"

In the past few years, everyone knew that Guo Ning was the enemy of the Yeke Mongol Ulus, but this name was rarely mentioned by the Mongol nobles. At this moment, Genghis Khan suddenly mentioned Guo Ning's name with disbelief and admiration.

The Mongol generals, nobles, and Batu who were surrounding Genghis Khan were not able to understand the admiration for a moment. They just thought the news was too shocking. Everyone's attention was drawn to it.

Bo Ershu gasped: "How is it possible? Let me ask more carefully!"

"Mu Huali sent someone to report earlier that he had already attracted Guo Ning and the main force of the Zhou army to Yehu Ridge! How could there be another Guo Ning here? Could he be a fake?"

When another person said this, he remembered that his own fourth prince Tuolei had fought fiercely in the Central Plains in order to attract the Zhou army to come back for help. So he said, "Even if he withdrew his troops, he should have gone south from Hebei, passed through Damingfu and Huazhou, and crossed the river at Li Gu to reinforce Kaifeng. Why would he turn west and come here?"

This man was obviously a veteran who accompanied the Mongolian army to sweep across the Jin Dynasty. Even after many years, he still remembered the place names of the Central Plains. The route of the Zhou army's southward march he mentioned was also the only feasible route that the Mongolian generals had confirmed countless times to rescue the Central Plains in the shortest time. However, Guo Ning's route and rhythm of action were completely different from what the Mongolians imagined.

Boershu sent out more than ten teams of Qiexue to conduct further investigations, and then he returned. During the time it took the horses to go back and forth for more than a hundred steps, several groups of scouts came with urgent reports.

The scouts included those of Jochi and Chagatai; some held military reports written in the Hui language, while others described what they saw and heard in the form of singing according to the old Mongolian custom.

With the reports from several groups of people gathered together, there would be no need to doubt the authenticity of the enemy's identity ahead.

Seeing his companions' different expressions, Boershu coughed a few times and said, "It's true that Guo Ning is here... There's nothing wrong with that. He must be extremely tired after this long journey, thousands of miles round trip. He can't possibly bring those things that the Han army can't do without, whether it's iron cannons, iron carts, or heavy armor. How is this different from our previous plan?"

"Hiss...that makes sense!"

"That may not be the case." A Mongolian captain had a gloomy face: "What if Guo Ning didn't go to Yehu Ridge at all? What if Mu Huali was deceived, and the one fighting him was not the main force of the Zhou army!"

If that were the case, wouldn't it be a repeat of the defeat in Hebei that year? The enemy thought they had caught the enemy's weakness and launched a long-distance attack. However, Guo Ning took advantage of the situation and led the elite troops of the central army to attack them head-on!

I can't think about it anymore. I dare not think about it anymore. After that defeat, the Mongolian army had to launch a westward expedition. How much suffering and blood did they have to endure before they were able to reunite the people and restore the power of the conquerors? How much preparation did they make before they made up their minds to return and defeat this powerful enemy that they deeply feared?
If all this hard work only results in the same situation as the last war, then what are we busying ourselves with? What have we become in the eyes of the Han people? A joke?
There was silence all around.

After a while, Genghis Khan said slowly, "Don't worry. The one fighting Muhuali in the northern border must be Guo Ning himself. He and his men found out that there was trouble in the Central Plains, so they traveled 2,000 miles to get here. I don't know if it took them 15 or 20 days... I guarantee that they are all exhausted."

"Great Khan, how did you know that?"

Genghis Khan remained silent.

Sometimes he would think that he and Guo Ning might understand each other's situation. Both rose from a mess, both relied on their powerful military achievements to subdue thousands of opponents, both used force, and both had to satisfy those who provided force.

Why Guo Ning must have led his troops to the northern border is an easy question to answer.

A strong ruler must not show weakness and must not avoid war with strong enemies. As far as Changshengtian can see, the only one who is qualified to be Guo Ning's strong enemy is Genghis Khan. Just as Genghis Khan swept across dozens of countries in the Western Regions, the only one he was really afraid of was the Han emperor in the east.

When Mu Huali created a huge momentum in the northern border and pretended that the Mongolian army headquarters was about to rush in, Guo Ning had no other choice but to lead the army to resist personally.

Guo Ning simply couldn't give this responsibility to someone else. Just like Genghis Khan now regretted that he shouldn't have given his son the power to lead the army to fight... There was no need to tell others this. As for the power, it was useless for Genghis Khan to regret it, because he was already aging.

Two years ago, when attacking Samarkand, he could climb ice and lie in snow with the Mongolian army, march hundreds of miles a day, and only eat half-cooked horse meat and drink fresh horse blood. Soon after, he was bedridden due to asthma and bone pain, and lay in bed for more than 20 days. Later, he found that the shamans' treatment was ineffective, and specially selected doctors from Khwarezm from the captives to treat him.

After he recovered from his illness, he never recovered to his original state. For a while, he even had difficulty getting on a horse, and had to ask his close friend Qiexuedai to help him secretly. A few days ago in Xia Country, he tried his best to maintain his mighty masculinity, and then he had a constant backache, and his calves also had occasional cramps.

Many Mongolians were like this. They were as strong as beasts when they were in their thirties or forties, but suddenly their vitality was drained away and they became dying. Genghis Khan was very anxious about this.

The more anxious Genghis Khan became, the more he would think of Guo Ning.

He felt that Guo Ning was like himself when he was young, fierce, strong, and full of energy. He often wondered if his sons would be able to match Guo Ning after he died. Would the Mongols, who had gradually shown signs of indulging in pleasure, still be willing to continue their conquest?

Every time he thought about it, there was no good result. Once, Genghis Khan even thought that if the Mongols were satisfied with the looting they had, they would one day become useless people who dared not fight, and could only show their singing and dancing skills in front of the rulers of the Central Plains.

This is absolutely not okay.

That is why Genghis Khan was determined to defeat Guo Ning and eradicate his Great Zhou regime, and he would do so at any cost.

It now seems that Tolui's strategy was very successful. Guo Ning and his elite troops first went north from Zhongdu and then returned from Beijiang. Borshu said that the round trip of a thousand miles was actually inaccurate. Genghis Khan had received several versions of the intelligence and calculated carefully that the distance Guo Ning traveled back and forth must be more than 2,500 miles.

When the Mongolian army first invaded the heartland of the Jin Dynasty, Genghis Khan led his troops to fight and march at the same time, and it took them one and a half months to cover almost the same distance. By the time winter came, the soldiers were all exhausted.

Such long-distance raids were a skill bestowed upon the Mongols by Tengri. Apart from the Mongols, what other army could support a two-thousand-mile march without collapsing? Who else could muster the courage and strength to fight after such a long journey?

Even if the Han people were as hardworking and determined as the Mongols, their physical strength and energy also had limits. Genghis Khan was absolutely sure that Guo Ning himself, and even the people who came here with Guo Ning, were all exhausted.

In this case, what would happen even if they controlled the Yellow River ferry in advance?
The reason why Guo Ning rushed here in such a hurry was probably because he thought that as long as the Emperor of Great Zhou arrived here, he could urgently mobilize the garrison of Jingzhao Prefecture to fill the loopholes in the defense lines on the east and west banks of the Yellow River as soon as possible and reverse the embarrassing situation faced by Great Zhou.

Or perhaps he thought that as long as he blocked the direction of the main force of the Mongolian army, he could buy time for his subordinates to first eliminate Tolui's troops and then return for a decisive battle.

But Genghis Khan didn't care about the Great Zhou at all. He didn't care whether the regime south of the grassland was called the Great Jin or the Great Zhou, or even if it was called a hundred dynasties. He knew very early that no matter how big and scary the regime looked, once it lost its strong leader, it would just be a yellow sheep waiting to be slaughtered by the Mongols.

Genghis Khan didn't care about Tolui's life or death. On the road to the rise of the Mongols, Genghis Khan lost his father, uncle, and brother... and he killed them with his own hands. So, what if a son died?
All Genghis Khan cared about was Guo Ning himself.

Even if Guo Ning was extremely vigilant, even if he saw through the insider persuaded by the Mongols, it didn't matter. The final result was what it was now. The most important target of this war took the initiative to come to the front of the Mongolian army, and it also saved the Mongolian army the opportunity to cross the military states of Hedong and seek a decisive battle with the main force.

This is great!
Guo Ning is like Genghis Khan in his youth, not only brave but also energetic, like a fierce dog that always rushes to the front... Unfortunately, this fierce dog is too confident. Today is the day he dies!
Thinking of this, Genghis Khan could not help but admire his powerful enemy and praised him again: "What a Guo Ning!"

In Daxing Prefecture, Zhongdu.

Lu Han looked at Guo Jing who was playing with sand in the martial arts arena, and turned back to say: "Your Majesty will not wait for the Mongols in Hebei. Regardless of whether Wanyan Congtan has second thoughts or not, Your Majesty will definitely cross the Hedong River quickly and block the main force of the Mongolian army in Qinlong."

After a pause, she continued, "I know Liu Lang very well. The people of the Central Plains have shed a lot of blood. He will not allow the Mongols to rush into our hinterland again... Moreover, even if the light cavalry advances to Qinlong, he can still win!"

Yelu Chucai bowed slightly and said, "In this case, the subsequent military supplies will be sent to Qinlong as the end point. After your majesty wins, he will certainly pursue the enemy further. The additional manpower and material resources will be prepared by today at the latest, and there will be no delay."

Outside Kaifeng Prefecture, Nanjing.

Yang Miaozhen impatiently raised the pear blossom spear high up, drew a few circles, and then spurred his horse: "Speed ​​is of the essence in war! Soldiers, mount your horses! Let's go!"

Her heroic gesture drew loud cheers from many soldiers. Some veteran soldiers from the Red Coat Army were so excited that they couldn't help choking up as they shouted, as if they were recalling the grand occasion when Shandong heroes dominated the world.

Liu Ran watched from a distance and couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Is this appropriate?"

"Ahem..." Guo Zhongyuan coughed a few times and said seriously, "We are facing a powerful enemy, so don't bother with these trivial matters. Go and ask those Song people, and decide as soon as possible whether to go or not."

Since Guo Zhongyuan didn't care, Liu Ran naturally didn't care. Yang Miaozhen's cavalry played a huge role in the battle a few days ago. Liu Ran admired and thanked them. It was just that he thought that this troop had been stationed in the territory of Song for a long time and had a strange identity, so he habitually asked one more question.

He strode to his mount and jumped on it. The wound on his back, which had just been treated with medicine, was aching, not numb. He groaned at the pain and tightened the bridle.

The soldier holding the horse loosened the reins, whipped the horse, and bypassed the chaotic military column nearby.

There were too many new soldiers, and the ranks and orders were a bit chaotic. During the chaos of more than ten days, many soldiers and civilians died in the military states of the Central Plains. Many people died in front of Liu Ran. Liu Ran, who commanded them to die, could not remember all their names. But he would definitely remember how these ordinary people, as humble as ants, burst out with great power in order to defend their lives. When their anger was aroused, it was enough to crush all enemies.

The direction Liu Ran was riding his horse was a newly established military camp.

In the barracks, the young Meng Gong stared at the two rows of Song army soldiers in front of him.

These soldiers were all converted people, brave and fierce. When the Central Plains was in chaos, they secretly left the camp despite Zhao Fang's orders and participated in the battle with the Mongols. Now that the battle has come to an end, Zhao Fang sent Meng Gong to collect the survivors and bring them back to the Song Dynasty. However, these soldiers were not happy.

"Inspector, the Emperor of the Great Zhou is going to have a decisive battle with the Mongols! Don't you want to go and see it for yourself?" someone asked.

Meng Gong felt as if hundreds of ants were crawling in his heart. He kept a straight face, but could hardly control his expression.

The State of Song, Lin'an is the temporary capital.

Li Yun put his hands behind his back and adjusted his expression slightly. His posture was very serious and solemn, but his eyebrows were raised, and there was a sneer at the corner of his mouth, revealing a bit of contempt.

After maintaining that posture for a while, he moved closer to the bronze mirror and, with the help of the sunlight reflection, adjusted his expression to one that was a little reserved.

He confirmed with some regret that he had not read much after all, and his temperament was always not as good as that of the people in the Southern Song Dynasty. So he refreshed his expression again, making himself look more stable, and in his stability, there was a sense of majesty.

The subordinate came in to report, "Doctor Li, everyone has been settled. Those who came from the palace are in Sijing Hall; those who came from Prince Yi's Mansion are in Shangyou Terrace; from Qingyuan Mansion, it was Lord Zhang, the Supervisor of East Zhejiang, who came in person and is now in Chongbo Pavilion. As for the Prime Minister's Mansion, Master Xuan Zeng came, but according to your wishes, he was turned away."

Li Yun nodded slightly: "Let those people wait... We are waiting for the price, and they are the ones who are anxious."

The northern part of the state.

The snowflakes floating in the sky suddenly became denser, and in a blink of an eye, they turned into heavy snow that swept from north to south. The sky and earth seemed to be filled with gray snow and sand. However, the army's advance speed was not affected. Many soldiers were originally shaking on their horses, but the heavy snow stimulated their spirits.

Slowly, amidst the rustling sound of the flying snow, there was a roar. It was the sound of tens of thousands of horses galloping at high speed in the wilderness. As the roar grew louder, groups of black shadows began to appear on the undulating hills at the end of the sight.

"The Black Tartars are coming!"

The soldiers seized the time to prepare their weapons.

Guo Ning, who was in the central army, mentioned Tieguduo.

Although Guo Ning has been exercising and taking care of himself in recent years, the old injuries he suffered when he was a teenager have gradually taken their toll on his body. For example, at a certain moment when he was lifting the iron bone tube, his shoulder muscles were unable to exert force at a certain angle.

Fortunately, he was not fighting alone. Beside him, Li Ting, Ni Yi, Xiao Moler, Gao Xin and other officers also tightened their weapons. In the distance, countless experienced soldiers cheered and rode their horses. Their fighting spirit was higher than anyone could imagine.

Guo Ning did not make any pre-war mobilization. Every soldier in the Great Zhou knew that the emperor had always regarded Mongolia as a mortal enemy, and the only thing to do now was to fight. However, in the past, fighting was to struggle for life. Now, it is to defeat barbarism with civilization.

Guo Ning felt that the dynasty he had built was at best a minor adjustment to Chinese civilization. He was not sure whether this minor adjustment would be considered an advancement of civilization when the history books came to a final conclusion many years later. Perhaps the new dynasty was mixed with too much greed and lacked a bit of idealism when it was first established, so it was not so pure.

But he was sure that the new Great Zhou Dynasty had given the Han people sharp teeth and claws, and rekindled their ferocity. Fierce civilization is also civilization, and it is just right to fight against barbarism.

Guo Ning will prove this.

(End of this volume)

(End of this chapter)