Wokuotai led the army to catch up. When he saw that the cavalry in front stopped chasing and a large number of Mongolian cavalry were blocked, he couldn't help shouting, "Why don't you chase?"

"Great Khan, there are enemy soldiers blocking the front!" an officer replied.

Ogedai rode his horse to the front, Subotai quickly came over and pointed his riding whip at the coalition forces in formation, "Great Khan, the enemy is ready."

At this time, more and more Mongolian troops were pursuing them. Ogedei glanced at the coalition forces on the opposite side, but frowned.

After learning that there was only one Song army heading north, Wo Kuotai wanted to kill Zhao Tai and Zhao Kui, but he hesitated when he saw that the coalition troops were arrayed between the two mountains, which was not conducive to cavalry fighting.

Yang Weizhong rode over and said, "Great Khan, the enemy is ready. Moreover, after we have been chasing for a day, the warriors are exhausted. I don't think it is appropriate to fight anymore."

Wokuotai said bitterly: "The southerners have taken away my Kaifeng. It's hard for me to swallow this bad breath."

Yang Weizhong smiled and said: "Great Khan, don't be in a hurry. We have destroyed the southern vanguard and killed tens of thousands of enemies. They must not dare to continue to invade Luoyang and Guanzhong. The army has been fighting hard for half a year to lose money. The soldiers need to rest and replenish their money and food."

, I thought that the Great Khan should withdraw his troops to rest and fight again next year."

"Fight again next year?" Wo Kuotai looked at Yang Weizhong. He worked hard to save money and captured Kaifeng, but it was just occupied by the Song army, which made him feel a little unwilling.

"That's right! Kaifeng is ruined. Even if the Great Khan defeats the Southerners and retakes Kaifeng now, there will be no benefit. And the Great Khan has stopped moving eastward. Kaifeng is the old capital of the Southerners. The Southerners are worried that the Great Khan will take it away, so they will inevitably mobilize supplies.

The population is recruited to enrich Kaifeng. Kaifeng is a place where

There is no danger to defend the surrounding plains, which is the place where the Great Khan can use his force. It is better to wait for the southerners to transport money, food and materials, and then we attack. By then, we will not only annihilate the main force of the southerners in Kaifeng, but also seize a large amount of money and food, which will make the army more powerful.

The two Huai Rivers were empty, creating opportunities for the army to destroy the Song Dynasty."

Wo Kuotai frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded and said: "The southerners are good at water fighting, but we Mongolians are good at riding on horseback. Your strategy is good. Since the southerners want to Kaifeng, then I will conquer Kaifeng first.

Leave it to them, and then use the terrain of Kaifeng to eliminate the main force of the southerners. When their domestic elites are exhausted and the Jianghuai defense line becomes empty, I will send my troops southward and destroy them in one fell swoop."

If the Song army was elite and deployed along the Huaihe River, it would be difficult for the Mongolian army to break through the Huaihe River. However, if the Mongolian army annihilated the main forces of the two Huaihe Song armies in Kaifeng, it would be much easier to break through the Huaihe River defense line.

"The great Khan is wise!" Yang Weizhong immediately laughed.

Wokuotai raised his head and looked at the allied forces on the opposite side. Although he felt a little unwilling, he still pulled the reins of his horse and ordered: "Gather the corpses of the southerners and build a Jingguan. Then collect the weapons and armor discarded by the enemy along the way and return."

Rest in Luoyang, and when the time is right, come back to Kaifeng."

At that moment, Wokuotai clamped his horse's belly and whipped westward. Tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry immediately followed and retreated westward.

On the coalition side, the remnants of the Huaixi Army returned to Yanshi with the support of the coalition forces.

The armies of the Southern Song Dynasty were shocked and frightened when they saw that less than 3,000 of the 30,000 Huaixi elites had returned.

Thirty thousand Huaixi troops entered Luoyang. After breaking through, they were killed by Mongolian cavalry. They suffered heavy losses along the way. The roads from Luoyang to the east for more than a hundred miles were full of corpses of Song troops.

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【Ascend the throne! King!】                                                              

At this time, Zhao Kui, Zhao Tai and others saw the Mongols retreating and immediately returned to the camp to check the situation of the Huaixi Army.

The Huaixi army entered Luoyang without much food. As soon as they entered the city, they were surrounded by the Mongolian army. After a few days, the army ran out of food.

The coalition forces were thoughtful and prepared rice and broth in advance. As soon as the defeated troops entered the camp, they distributed food to them.

Quan Zicai, whose armor was damaged and his hair was disheveled, was sitting on the baggage cart, holding a bowl of rice with soup and eating with his head down. The surrounding Huaixi soldiers were also sitting or squatting, and they could only hear the sound of eating.

At this time, Zhao Kui and Zhao Tai walked up to Quan Zicai, looked at his embarrassed appearance, and looked at the surrounding Huaixi elites, and couldn't help but sigh.

The two stood for a while before Zhao Tai said: "Mr. Quan!"

Quanzi just raised his head and saw the two of them. He put down the big bowl in his hand and said with pain on his face: "Master Zhizhi, Guorui, our Huaixi army is here."

At this point, Quan Zi couldn't help but burst into tears.

When Zhao Kui saw the old Huaixi commander, he felt heartbroken. He could only comfort him and said: "The seeds of the Huaixi Army are still there, and it will take less than a few years to recover."

Quanzi just heard what he said and said sadly: "In the future, the Huaixi Army will have a public relations photo of the Prime Minister."

This time the East Route Army marched towards Luoyang, but less than 3,000 of the 30,000 Huaixi Army returned, resulting in extremely heavy losses.

For such a big loss, Quan Zicai would definitely be punished and probably would have to retire from his position as the envoy of Huaixi.

This time, the Mongolian army fought for half a year, and the national power was greatly consumed. After Wokuotai withdrew to Luoyang, he adopted Yang Weizhong's suggestion and decided to postpone the recovery of Kaifeng.

The Mongolian army had no intention of continuing the battle, so Wokuotai immediately left Subutai to guard Luoyang, while the army gradually returned to the grassland to rest.

On the Allied side, because the Song armies in Jinghu and Sichuan failed to cooperate, and the Song armies on the east route suffered heavy losses, the Allied forces lacked the strength to attack Luoyang and Tongguan in the west, so they had no choice but to retreat.

Hulao Pass, coalition camp.

Zhao Tai saw that there were differences in the Southern Song Dynasty. Without the cooperation of the other two groups, the coalition forces could no longer continue fighting, so he decided to lead his troops back to Shandong.

In the tent, Zhao Tai said goodbye to Zhao Kui, "Ms. sir, since Jinghu and Sichuan do not send troops, we cannot capture Luoyang and Tongguan. Now that Tan Ma has learned that the Mongolian army has no intention of advancing eastward, I am preparing to lead my troops back to Shandong.

"

When Zhao Kui heard that Zhao Tai was leaving, he couldn't help but sigh, "In this Northern Expedition, our goal is to restore the Central Plains and rely on the Guanhe defense line created by the original Jin Kingdom to resist the Mongols' southward march. Now we only collect Guide, Bianjing,

However, Luoyang and Tongguan are in the hands of Mongolia and have not been able to do their best. If Mongolia counterattacks, it may be difficult to defend them."

Zhao Tai said in a deep voice: "Xiangong, there is a flat river in the east of Henan, which is easy to attack and difficult to defend. The Jin Kingdom has Guanhe River and a corner of Henan, and has been contending with Mongolia for twenty years. Once Tongguan is broken, Luoyang is lost, and the Guanhe defense line is broken by Mongolia.

, and now, in less than two years, the country has been destroyed by the Mongols. Nowadays, people's livelihood around Bianjing is in decline, and ten houses are empty. My husband is stationed here and cannot replenish supplies on the spot, so it is better to return to Suzhou first."

If the Song army occupied Kaifeng, it would actually be beneficial to Zhao Tai, but Zhao Tai knew that Kaifeng was not easy to defend.

Once the Yellow River freezes, the Mongolian cavalry will cross the river on the ice, and the Song army is not as good as the Mongolian army in field combat, so they will only be beaten passively.

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【Ascend the throne! King!】                                                              

Zhao Tai thought about it again and again, and felt that he should persuade the Song army to give up Kaifeng.

Now that the Song Army occupies Kaifeng, although Zhao Tai does not have to worry about threats from eastern Shandong, the Song Army has retreated to Suzhou and tens of thousands of troops are on the front line. The Mongolian army also does not dare to attack Shandong from Kaifeng.

On the contrary, if the main force of the Song army is annihilated by the Mongolian army in Kaifeng, then Zhao Tai's situation will be truly passive.

After hearing Zhao Tai's words, Zhao Kui sighed, "I also know Guorui's words. However, the Song Dynasty has its own national conditions. It is impossible for Prime Minister Zheng to agree to give up Kaifeng."

Zhao Tai frowned slightly and immediately understood what Zhao Kui meant. The Song Dynasty was not monolithic. It had long been divided into two factions: the warring faction and the peace faction. The peace faction had always been the mainstream, and the war faction had been suppressed for a long time.

In the Great Song Dynasty, most of the time, the government was controlled by the peace faction, and the power of peace in the court was very powerful.

Zheng Qingzhi now controls the court, and the peace faction has been looking for opportunities to regain power.

This Northern Expedition was an important political achievement of the main war faction. If it succeeded, Zheng Qingzhi would gain a firm foothold in the court and have the opportunity to become a powerful minister like Shi Miyuan.

If it fails, the peace faction will definitely counterattack, and Zheng Qingzhi and the war faction will have to step down again.

Now that the Eastern Route Army has suffered a defeat in Luoyang and the Huaixi Army has suffered a complete loss, if Zhao Kui gives up Bianjing, which he has already secured, then the Peace Faction will surely make a comeback.

Therefore, although Zhao Kui knew that Kaifeng was difficult to defend, he still had to hold on.

After Zhao Tai understood this, he knew that the matter was complicated and it was impossible for Zhao Kui to withdraw his troops from Kaifeng, so he said solemnly: "In this case, my husband can only manage Hulao Pass, and then rely on the Yellow River to build a Xiaoguan River defense line."

Zhao Kui nodded and looked at Zhao Tai, "After you return to Shandong, you should rest and recuperate as soon as possible. If the Northern Army attacks in winter, you can either go west to help, or go north to threaten Hebei and relieve me."

Although Zhao Tai is not yet a Song army, Zhao Kui feels that if the Mongols come to attack, Zhao Tai is more reliable than the Song army in Jinghu and Sichuan.

This is because Zhao Tai is close, and the second reason is that the loyalty shown by Zhao Tai makes Zhao Kui feel that Zhao Tai is trustworthy.

As a clan member of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Tai served in the Kingdom of Jin and rescued the Kingdom of Jin three times.

Although the last time was unsuccessful, Zhao Tai took Shandong, attacked Hebei, and contacted the Song Dynasty, which can be regarded as his best effort.

Although Zhao Tai had selfish motives in the end and did not try his best to rescue the Jin Kingdom and just sat back and watched the Jin Kingdom's demise, under those circumstances, there was really no way to rescue him.

As an outsider, it's pretty good to have reached this point.

Zhao Tai said seriously: "Don't worry, sir, if Mongolia comes to attack, I will definitely come to reinforce you!"

Since Zhao Kui could not retreat, Zhao Tai could only give him confidence and let him replace Jin Guo and resist the Mongolian attack for him.

After some discussions with Zhao Kui, Zhao Tai left the tent.

Wu Xian stepped forward and asked: "Your Majesty, what did Zhao Kui say?"

Zhao Tai said in a deep voice: "Zhao Kui has agreed to let us withdraw to Shandong."

Wu Xian was quite happy when he heard this, "When are you leaving?"

Zhao Taidao: "Have a rest tonight, and early tomorrow morning we will break camp and return east."

This Northern Expedition of the Southern Song Dynasty can be said to have started in full swing but ended in a tailspin. The three-pronged Northern Expedition was promised, but only the Song armies from the Huaihe River and Huaihe River were dispatched.

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【Ascend the throne! King!】                                                              

This time to recapture the three capitals, 80,000 elite troops were dispatched from the Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers, but only a little over 50,000 returned to Hulao Pass.

This means that the Song army on the east route lost nearly 30,000 troops and more than 30% of their troops, which can be said to be a serious loss of vitality.

After Zhao Tai led his troops back east, Zhao Kui left more than 10,000 people to guard Hulao Pass, and took the remaining troops back to Bianjing to rest and recuperate in order to shorten the supply line and obtain the food and medicinal materials needed by the army.

Although the Song Army regained the old capital this time, the Huaixi Army suffered heavy losses and failed to achieve its planned strategic goals. The morale of the Song Army on the east route was low and people were worried about returning home.

However, for political needs, the main war faction demanded that the Song army on the east route must keep Bianjing and defend the results of the Northern Expedition.

In the Battle of Kaifeng, the Southern Song Dynasty won Kaifeng, but lost nearly 30,000 troops, failed to establish a Guanhe defense line, and failed to achieve their strategic goals.
To be continued...