choke element

Chapter 999: Trends (Part )

The cavalry came out of Tongxuan Gate and headed straight north along the road that the army took during Hu Shahu's rebellion.

Walking in front of the cavalry was Xu Jin. He had been busy in the city for a while, and only now had he finished all his affairs and set off to join the scouts that had already passed the Jinkou camp. Following him was Zhao Xuan, who had just returned from the northern border to report and immediately set off to return.

In the past few years, anyone who frequently traveled to the northern border must have cooperated with the Great Zhou military. Soldiers who had fought in the deep grasslands had held summary meetings again and again. The military gained more and more experience from them, including how the army replenished supplies in enemy territory, how to replenish war horses, how to place wounded soldiers, how to conduct reconnaissance, and how to cross mountains and ridges. All these things had perfect regulations.

For example, military intelligence reconnaissance was originally carried out by different departments in various military offices. However, in the face of the war, all authority was quickly gathered and merged into the hands of the most capable intelligence chief of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

People like Zhao Xuan and Lu Wusi, who have rich experience and have not been trapped in the encirclement of the Mongolian cavalry, have been urgently recalled for questioning in the past few days so that the military government can make many subsequent arrangements.

As for the advance reconnaissance of the army, Xu Jin's status was different from before, so he didn't need to go there in person. But the emperor was leading his troops to the north for the second time in a year, and he was going to fight the main force of the Mongolian army. This was really a big deal and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Xu Jin was worried and didn't trust others, so he finally decided to go on the journey himself.

After riding his horse forward at a rapid speed for a while, he could not help but stop his horse for a moment and look around, only to see endless wilderness.

The solemn and huge Zhongdu City stands at the end of the sight, and the city wall stretches across the entire plain. Not far to the north of this huge city, there are mountains and hilly plains, and the terrain continues to rise.

Corresponding to the rising terrain is the howling north wind, which is like a thin blade that occasionally cuts across the face, making the eyes tear up and the skin hurt.

The vegetation around the Jinkouhe Camp is very dense, with large tracts of woodland and shrubs interlaced. The water of the Lugou River, which is led from the old course of the Chexiang Canal, flows into the Yuyuantan Lake through here, whirling along the way and forming many small-scale muddy areas. However, the water flow is low in winter, and the north wind has dried up the muddy land wherever it passes, and the cavalry often stirs up smoke and dust when they pass by.

After the middle of the Jin Dynasty, the weather was not right, with cold winters and extremely hot summers. At that time, people secretly attributed it to the cruelty and immorality of the Jurchens. But after the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, the weather did not seem to improve much.

Not to mention the Great Zhou, including Korea and the Southern Song Dynasty, the same is true. After the beginning of autumn, the temperature is getting colder day by day, and it drops very quickly.

Xu Jin estimated that in another month, the temperature would drop to freezing point. By then, all the wet land would freeze and become as hard as cast iron. If one is unlucky, it might be that cold in fifteen to twenty days.

This was the case near Zhongdu. What about the grasslands in the north? In the past few days, military reports from many passes along the northern line were pouring in. According to his authority, Xu Jin could check the copies at any time, but he was busy with other important matters these days and didn't pay attention.

It was not until last night when he suddenly remembered to look through it that he realized that although he had not been away from the army for long, he had already lost the soldier's sensitivity to weather and climate, which made him a little ashamed.

In fact, Xu Jin had been deep into the heart of the grassland many times and knew very well that snow would start to fall there in the autumn in the Han area. If there was a snowstorm, thousands of miles would often be covered with ice and snow, and the cold would be biting.

The few times Xu Jin went there, even with the supply from the garrisons along the way and the strong transportation contract capacity of the Great Zhou caravan, he could not stay in the grassland for a long time. In late autumn and early winter, he could still try to find a passable place to take a detour. If he was unable to return to the interior of the country by late winter, the caravan could only find a garrison that could accommodate them for the winter and stay there for two to three months until the beginning of spring.

After the grassland outside the garrison was replaced by snow, it became an endless dead silence. There were no animals, no birds, and it was impossible to distinguish between grassland and water. In the vast uninhabited area, you might trek for more than ten days without seeing any living creatures, let alone herders.

Moreover, in such a harsh environment, even if someone tried to march hard, the distance they could walk in a day would be at most ten or twenty miles. If they went a little further, the blood and energy accumulated in the body would be lost quickly. That would be no different from intentionally committing suicide.

At this time, not to mention the Han army, even the Mongolian army, no, even the most frost-resistant wild people in the forest huddled in their felt tents and dared not come out. Even so, it was inevitable that there would be great losses in people and livestock.

The Mongols went south to plunder, sometimes because of the good weather and good harvests in spring and summer, when the horses were fat and ready to eat; but sometimes it was because of the cold weather in autumn and winter, when there was no pasture. If they did not go south to forage, they would have to wait to die on the grassland.

Since ancient times, the Central Plains court had to follow the climate restrictions when launching expeditions to the grasslands, choosing spring and summer as the seasons, setting out in March, and planning to withdraw troops in July. This was also to avoid the most terrible power of nature.

Prior to this, the emperor summoned all his ministers to discuss the march north, and they all came to the conclusion one after another: the Mongols' reliance is most likely here, and they are planning to take advantage of the weather to their advantage.

The severe winter cold was an unavoidable test for both the northern and southern factions. But according to the original plan, the Mongolian army was trapped in countless fortresses in the wind and snow; now it was the army of the Great Zhou that had to go north and fight against the heaven and earth and the powerful enemy in the grasslands familiar to the Mongolians.

This meant that the previous plan to lure the enemy was in vain, and the situation between the host and the guest was different.

Genghis Khan's prestige was built on his invincible military record. If he could not defeat the Great Zhou, his position as the Great Khan would never be secure. So after sweeping across many Western powers, he immediately turned back to find trouble with the Great Zhou. So when the Great Zhou showed signs of reducing its garrison in the northern border, Genghis Khan immediately dispatched troops to attack the south.

The status of the Great Zhou Emperor Guo Ning was based on the community of interests formed by countless warriors. Wherever the interests of the warriors were, the Great Zhou had to protect them. The Mongolian army threatened many garrisons in the northern border with a large number of firearms, which was like threatening to rob many warriors of their wealth and ruin their hopes of passing on wealth to their families. It was definitely not possible not to save them.

To go north to rescue, the action must be fast. Every day wasted, the soldiers who were separated from the outside would be in danger for one more day. But going north is not to die, because of the strength of the Mongolian army, the army must bring all the supplies and be prepared for a tough battle.

Another indispensable thing is to bring enough heavy weapons such as thunder cannons.

Generals did not think that the Mongols had the ability to manufacture gunpowder weapons on a large scale, but the source of the Mongols' firearms remained a mystery. Moreover, no matter how few firearms there were, they were still a huge threat on the battlefield. We must have weapons with greater power and longer range to deal with them, and be able to launch long-range bombardments across several fronts at any time. Otherwise, it would not be enough to suppress the Mongols' iron cannons.

Additional time is needed to prepare additional baggage and heavy weapons.

This vicious cycle had driven all the officials under Yelu Chucai crazy in the past half month. Li Yun, who was in charge of contacting and controlling various businesses, was driven around like a top and lost a lot of weight. Even so, when the army finally set off, more than half a month had passed since the loss of Linhuang Prefecture in the northern border.

Countless soldiers were worried about the safety of their comrades in the north. At the same time, the weather inevitably turned cold. Under the imminent pressure of the heavens, the difficulty of fighting in the north had increased to a level that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

"The weather may not get cold so quickly. If there is a heavy snow, the Mongols will not be able to survive. The shamans on the grasslands are very good at predicting the weather. Maybe they..."

A knight said something nearby, and Xu Jin shook his head: "We rely on our real abilities, not luck."

The difficulties are obvious and really a headache.

This time, the Mongols did not use any clever tricks, but a real and unsolvable conspiracy.

But the Great Zhou was not a weak dynasty like the Great Jin. Inside, the Great Zhou had a tough skeleton, filled with cunning and fierce energy, like a strong and energetic giant. When this giant shouted and exerted his strength, surging blood surged throughout his body, and he could deploy huge amounts of resources in any direction.

At this time, the total amount of materials directly provided by Zhongdu and Tianjin Prefecture, including the stockpiles of government warehouses and the requisition of stocks from business companies, had reached a level that ordinary people could hardly imagine. There were hundreds of barrels of whale oil alone for applying to the skin to keep out the cold.

Moreover, along various sea and land routes, from Hebei, from the wealthy Shandong and Henan, there is a constant flow of supplies. All supplies will be transported northward from Zhongdu along the line from Juyongguan to Jinshan to ensure the needs of the army.

Thousands of vehicles, tens of thousands of civilians and able-bodied men, and hundreds of thousands of mules and horses were responsible for transporting the supplies; countless roads, like thick arteries and capillaries, were responsible for carrying the supplies. The Mongols could never have imagined that the Great Zhou's support capabilities were so strong!
With such support, even in late autumn and early winter, when one has to brave wind and snow at any time, the Great Zhou can still mobilize its army to march north and swing its giant fist towards the grassland.

Perhaps due to the timing, he only had one chance to punch, and the distance of the punch might not be very far. But Xu Jin was sure that it would be an unprecedentedly heavy blow, capable of beating any enemy to pieces!
"Xiao Moler's Longxiang Army cavalry has already set off. They move so quickly!" Zhao Xuan pointed to the rear.

"Oh?" Xu Jin turned his horse and looked back again.

The group stared with wide eyes at the garrison camp to the north of Zhongdu that they had passed not long ago.

The cavalry of the Longxiang Army, led by light cavalry wearing light armor and sable hats, led by the triangular flag of the headquarters. When the several advance cavalry teams set out, they were all four horses in a row, gathering into a long column. The columns and columns moved closer to each other along parallel roads and open field ridges, adjusting their order while waiting for the baggage convoys behind to catch up.

From miles away, everyone could hear the neighing of war horses and the rumbling of wheels from the convoy. Of course, there was also the unique, crisp sound of metal knocking against each other from weapons and armor. Because the sound was so dense, it had merged into a roar that rose and fell like the tide, and it was impossible to distinguish the specific source.

The roar was indistinguishable, and the procession was endless. All kinds of team flags, command flags, and general flags were flying everywhere. The horses' hooves stepped on the ground, and the people, horses, and flags seemed like silhouettes, swaying rhythmically, and even brought a faint tremor that made people dizzy.

The cavalrymen were marching at a trot, and the dust and dry grass and leaves kicked up by their horses' hooves rolled into the air, and then were swept away by the strong wind, leaving behind long trails of smoke. From a distance, it looked like the trail left by a large ship crossing the sea.

"Let's hurry up. The military situation is urgent and we can't delay...Don't let Xiao Moler catch up with us!" Xu Jin whipped his horse and hurried ahead.

(End of this chapter)