choke element

Chapter 668 Fish and Shrimp

For the officers and men of the Ding Navy, this situation of fighting for the sphere of influence, or even for a single lush pasture, is both familiar and unfamiliar.

What is familiar is that many soldiers once experienced the prosperity of the Dajin Kingdom in their childhood or youth.At that time, the iron cavalry of the Jurchen rumbled into the depths of the grassland at intervals, or massacred a disobedient tribe, or plundered a certain pasture, bringing back thousands of horses or tens of thousands of sheep.

However, as the Great Jin Kingdom continued to weaken, most of the iron cavalry who marched into the grassland with high spirits would lose their armor and armor, or even return in a broken army. This kind of scene became more and more unfamiliar.As the battle along the northern border ditch became more and more difficult, the Jurchens tried various methods to transfer them away, and their number became less and less, leaving only Han'er to support the scene, fighting fiercely with the Mongolian cavalry who were determined to revenge .

The battle after that was the scene that Zhang Qian had witnessed and participated in countless times. It was a bloody road full of despair and sacrifice, escape and betrayal.

But who would have thought that after three or four years, the northern Xinjiang warriors who fled in embarrassment that day would come back again?

When his own side used a strong force to recover the Qijinshan grassland, and when they checked the border with that Jurchen girl, Aruzhen, in Huihe and Wuping in the northeast, Zhang Qian always felt that something was missing, something was wrong. .He had been vigilant for several days, and even forced his subordinates to maintain the highest state, only to realize that he was too nervous, and there was nothing wrong with it, except that there were no Mongolians on the grassland.

Not the messy Mongolian tribes who fled from the Qijin Mountain pasture, but the Mongolians who gathered under the big white banner, as hard as steel and as ferocious as a pack of wolves.

Hearing that the Mongol headquarters were about to follow Genghis Khan and launch a western expedition, Zhang Qian didn't need to use his brain to guess that they would fight in the west for a few years, and they would come back with a lot of people and animals.He hoped that the Mongols would come back soon, and fight again in a serious manner, so as to avoid future troubles forever.

However, these are not mere governors to worry about.

Previously, Zhang Qian's troops, as the flanks of Shi Tianying and Xue Ta's sea armies, set off from Qijin Mountain, went deep into the grassland, passed through Anfeng and Luchuan, slanted across [-] miles of pine forests, and almost reached Linhuang Mansion .

But Shi Tianying and others immediately confronted the Jin army pouring out from Taizhou, Zhaozhou and even Huining Mansion in Shangjing.The two sides said it was a confrontation, but in fact the grassland is vast and sparsely populated, and there were quite a few fights between sentry cavalry after they collided.As a subordinate of the Black Army, more than a dozen people died before and after, and the number of Jurchen casualties was no less than this number.

Anyway, life is cheap in troubled times, and the death of a few people will not affect the meeting and negotiation between the two parties, and then drink and eat meat to connect and bond.

In the end, the two parties reached several temporary agreements, roughly dividing up the pastures suitable for overwintering.Zhang Qian took his headquarters back to Daxing Mansion in Zhongdu, and ordered the soldiers to enter the camp in Wuqing County, while he himself took his followers and turned around and rushed to Zhongdu.

It is common for tribes on the grassland to have some conflicts over the distribution of pastures and water sources.But the confrontation between the forces of the Ding Navy and the warlords in the Northeast Mainland is not a trivial matter.

Regardless of the need to maintain trade economically or to stabilize the court politically, the Marshal's Mansion has always attached great importance to its connection with the Northeast Mainland.In the past few months, the reason why the Marshal's Mansion has driven Beijing Road as the main force to expand its forces to the north of Dading Mansion is also to avoid conflicts with those Jurchen forces.

After all, even if many things were done out of line, the Marshal's Mansion still had room to shirk and mediate.

As for what happened to the several confrontations during this period, Zhang Qian, who is under the jurisdiction of the Dinghai headquarters, has the most say.So as early as half a month ago, Yicha Chucai wrote in the name of a privy envoy, asking him to go to the Central Capital when he led the army back, so as to investigate the reasons in detail.

Zhang Qian was an officer trained in the Haicang Town Military Academy in Laizhou. He was able to read and write thanks to Yila Chucai's teachings, so his group of officers held a respectful attitude towards Yila Chucai.

When they met, Chucai asked casually, and Zhang Qian answered in as much detail as possible respectfully.Speaking of the specific locations, reasons, and processes of several confrontations, Yichai Chucai asked the officials to spread out a map on the table. Zhang Qian pointed out, not only explaining the situation clearly, but also using a brush to mark the map. Names of several obscure pastures and streams.

After asking several times, Yicha Chucai stood up and nodded: "That is to say, this is really not an intentional arrangement, it's all out of... out of people's desire for pastures? A dozen or so of you guys scattered to grab the land, just How many times have there been such a small conflict, and then a dozen people died?"

"Earlier, our troops fought with the five-throwing group of Mongols outside Dading Mansion. Nearly a hundred people were killed or injured. Shi Tianying and his troops were attacked by Mongols on the line from Zhegai Mountain to Luoma River, and many more died. Later, everyone lost their temper, rushed northward and chased after them, killing anyone they saw, and rushed northward for more than 200 miles in one breath, so after colliding with the Jurchens, they were not polite..."

When Zhang Qian said this, he saw that Chucai's face was not right, so he quickly changed the topic back: "In fact, it is really not a big deal to die so few people. You don't know, sir. We were along the Jiehao line in the early years, and several of our troops The fortress also competes for pastures and water sources. There will be bloody conflicts every three to five years, and it doesn’t matter if a few people die. It’s the same this time. Shi Tianying didn’t take it seriously, and the Jurchens in Taizhou didn’t care Compare."

Zhang Qian paused, then said:

"This time I was in Huihe and Wuping, and I had a lot of dealings with ordinary Jurchens and Huligai people. I also met some chiefs who belonged to the second and fifth divisions of the Dajin Kingdom in the early years, and chatted with them very happily. And a little bit of understanding of their thinking."

"Oh? What do you think?"

"In the eyes of the Jurchens and Huligai chiefs in the Northeast, they are not the same as the many Jurchens who moved to the mainland. It has been 80 years since Dajin captured the Central Plains and the Jurchens have been scattered in Han. In the past, the two sides have been separated for 80 years. How can there be any sense of kinship? Those chiefs are in vain under the name of Xiangwen or Yili Jin and Tuli, but in fact they have to pay for food every now and then; The money paid did not fall on them. They have no loyalty to Daikin! They send troops to fight so desperately, all they think about is to grab more pastures, raise more horses, and then sell them to others. Let's exchange money!"

Yila Chucai was studying in Yizhou when he was a teenager, and he had seen a little bit of the demeanor of those gangsters, so he nodded slightly.

He immediately said: "These chiefs have been able to live a better life recently and enjoy the happiness of being a master. They have to thank the herds for their business. I think they are close to us. However, Wanyan Chengchong, Heshi Liehuanduan, etc. What about people?"

Zhang Qian frowned: "What do you mean, sir?"

"Wanyan Chengchong, Heshi Liehuanduan and others are the generals appointed by the Dajin Kingdom after all, and they are the more capable and loyal group of generals. Otherwise, they would not be able to persevere through the difficulties of the past few years. They were with me that day. The army faced the huge pressure of the Mongols together, so they stood together hand in hand. Now the Mongols march westward, just like the tide suddenly recedes from the grassland. When the tide recedes, leaving a place of fish, shrimp, crab and turtle, they will What choice?"

Yila Chucai patted Zhang Qian on the shoulder: "Can you guarantee that Wanyan Chengchong and Heshi Liehuan were not pushing for these recent conflicts? Can you be sure that they didn't plan to take the opportunity to expand their sphere of influence?"

"This……"

Zhang Qian thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "I haven't seen those people before, so I really dare not speak nonsense. But most of the people down there have their hearts towards us, so even if those people have two hearts, can they still play tricks?"

And Chucai Yicai laughed: "That's true. In the northeastern interior, if the chiefs below are stable and the chiefs do not make trouble, the generals above will not be able to make new tricks. If you say that, I feel much more at ease." ...Relax and rest, the marshal has been in the mansion for the past two days, he might summon you, don't rush back to Wuqing County."

When Zhang Qian left, he felt a little too nervous when Chu Cai suddenly asked about the political situation in the Northeast.

And Yicha Chucai watched Zhang Qian's back disappear outside the courtyard gate, then sat down and flipped through the thick stack of documents in his hand.

The documents placed in this position were all copied by the recording department.Recently, the Department of Records and the Department of Metropolitan Inspection have worked together to clear up a lot of hidden troubles, so the scope of reported incidents has become wider and wider, and has begun to involve the Northeast and Beijing Road.

The situation that Zhang Qian said just now is clearly recorded in this document, and the statements of both parties are just confirmed, which makes Yira Chucai feel a little more at ease.

However, the most detailed record in the document is still the direction of Zhongdu.Because the news of the western expedition of the Mongolian headquarters spread more and more widely, many of the original undercurrents became more and more turbulent, as if fish, shrimp, crabs and turtles wanted to re-divide the beach after the tide ebbed.

Guo Ning has been staying in the mansion for a while, waiting for his wife to give birth, so he has ordered several times to make sure that Zhongdu is safe and there is no trouble.Yila Chucai has known Guo Ning for three years, and he has rarely seen such a gentle attitude.

But some people insist on teasing the evil tiger recklessly... What can I do?
(End of this chapter)