Wu Lianghetai and Yang You received military orders from Kublai Khan and mobilized 50,000 troops to carry out the Mongol Empire's attack on Jianghuai.

The Mongolian army was brutal and massacred many cities in the north. There were many evil deeds from top to bottom. As soon as the army came out, the people were frightened.

When Zhao Tai defended Pizhou, he evacuated the soldiers and civilians from various states and counties to Haizhou and other places.

The Mongolian army moved south, and the government officials in Suqian, Shuyang, Lianshui and other counties controlled by the Zhongyi Army have evacuated.

However, it is impossible for the military and civilians to evacuate such a large area. There will always be people who don't want to leave.

The Mongolian and Han Khitan armies under the control of Wu Liang together with a total of 50,000 horse and infantry troops marched arrogantly along the canal. There were no troops to stop them along the way, and there were almost no people in sight in the wheat fields and villages on both sides of the canal.

Different from the stubborn resistance they faced in Pizhou, Wu Lianghetai's attack to the south went very smoothly. The army marched straight in with great force.

Fifty thousand Mongolian troops marched forward singing loudly, their flags flying in the wind, and they easily occupied Suqian and Shuyang.

The government office established by Zhao Tai and the troops stationed here had long since fled, and the Mongolian army seized the city without any hindrance.

Soon, except for Haizhou, which was still in the hands of the Zhongyi Army, all of Jiangbei fell into the hands of the Mongolian army advancing southward, and an attack on the Southern Song Dynasty was put on the agenda.

Although Wu Lianghetai despised the Song army, he was not careless. Instead, he sent many groups of troops in advance to follow the refugees and infiltrate into Huainan.

As a Han Chinese, Yang You took over this task, led hundreds of Mongolian troops, dressed as refugees from Jiangbei, mingled with the refugees, and went with them to Chuzhou, an important town in the Huaihe River.

At this time, a large number of refugees gathered outside the gate of Chuzhou City. The people dragged their families with them, waiting to enter the city.

The Mongolian army besieging Kaifeng sent cavalry south to clear grass valleys. The Mongolian army in Shandong also divided its troops and went south. It is said that several counties were massacred, so there were particularly many people who fled.

Some people from relatively well-off families went directly south to seek refuge, while the poor people did not have the financial resources to support their journey, so they had no choice but to hide in nearby big cities.

Zhao Fan came to the city after learning the news, and the comfort envoy Zhou Simao also hurriedly chased after him.

At this time, refugees gathered outside the city, and the streets inside the city were also crowded with large and small cars.

Zhou Simao found Zhao Fan and looked at the crowds in the city who were preparing to leave the city. He felt a little embarrassed and said, "Zhizhijiang, I didn't expect that the Mongols would actually dare to attack! Now the people in the city are panicked. There are so many people blocking the city, so there is no other way!"

Zhou Simao originally thought that the Mongols did not dare to attack, so he ordered the people not to leave the city. However, as soon as he gave the order, the Mongols attacked.

Now the officials and gentry who were stuck in the city and had not left the city in time came to him to ask for an explanation, and Zhou Simao was a little shaken.

After all, many of these people are powerful people. If he fails to run away, they will definitely resent him and affect his career.

Zhao Fan glanced at Zhou Simao and said: "The Mongolian army is attacking. If we leave now, it will really shake the morale of the army!"

As he was talking, there was a sudden noise inside the city gate, and Zhao Fan couldn't help but ask, "What's going on?"

While he was talking, he had already walked down the steps, and Liu Boxian stepped forward to report, "Zhizhijiang, there is a family with a large car blocked in front of the door, blocking the passage in and out!"

Zhao Fan was furious after hearing this, "Didn't I give you an order to disperse the people in the city and let the refugees from outside the city enter?"

Zhao Fan received the report that the Mongolian army had already reached Sizhou and would soon reach Chuzhou.

The Mongols are cruel, and now they can only try their best to bring the refugees into the city, but there is no time to delay.

Zhao Fan scolded him and walked behind the city gate. He saw several large cars loaded with belongings parked in the middle of the road, blocking most of the narrow street, making it impossible for refugees with large and small luggage to enter.

Come, there is a lot of chaos at the city gate.

The owner of this convoy was a young man in his thirties. In the face of the complaints of the refugees and the urging of the soldiers, he remained calm and let the domestic slaves and the army quarrel. When he saw Zhao Fan and his entourage approaching, he restrained himself and said with a cupped hand:

"Zhizhi Xianggong! Xuanfu Xianggong!"

Zhao Fan frowned slightly and said with a black face: "We can't leave the city now, so take the car back quickly!"

The man didn't panic when facing Zhao Fan, "Mr. Zhizhi, I am a member of Prime Minister Li's family! Please be accommodating, Mr. Zhizhi, and let us leave the city!"

Chuzhou is located at the junction of three rivers. Commercial trade is developed and it is a commercial center for north-south transactions. Many dignitaries in the court and the central government have industries in Chuzhou.

Now that the Mongols are coming, Chuzhou is not safe, so the powerful people want to transfer their money out.

When Zhou Simao heard that he was a family member of Prime Minister Li, he said to Zhao Fan: "Mr. Zhizhi! Mongolia is moving south, and Chuzhou is on the front line. Many gentry and people in the city want to go out of the city to cause trouble. They can't help in the city! Why don't we let them go?

Let them get out of the city!"

Zhao Fan glanced at Zhou Simao and said angrily: "Before, when the Mongolian army came, Zhou Xuanfu refused to let the people leave the city. Now the Mongolian army may attack at any time, and you want to open the city again. How will the soldiers left behind feel?"

Zhou Simao's face turned red and he was speechless for a moment.

Zhao Fan angrily scolded Mr. Li’s family, “Move your vehicle immediately!”

In the city, vehicles blocked the entrance, preventing people from outside the city from entering. A large group of people gathered in front of the city gate and couldn't help but talk.

At this time, the officer checking outside the city saw that the team was not moving, so he waved his hand to stop his subordinates from letting people go, and casually ordered: "Go into the city and see what happened, why don't you leave."

A soldier ran towards the city. The officer turned around, but suddenly his eyes widened, he drew his sword and shouted: "Brothers, the Mongolian craftsman is here!"

The team entering the city was blocked at the door, and the soldiers outside the city stopped checking and let the Mongolian troops mixed in the refugee team do their best. Thinking that other teams had been discovered, they immediately took off their disguises.

The spies pretending to be refugees pulled out their scimitars from the carts, took out their bows and arrows, and rushed over with a roar, trying to seize the city gate directly.

Refugees gathered in front of the city gate, blocking the long queue and suddenly falling into chaos.

The Mongolian army charged carefully while slashing and killing the refugees blocking the road in front of them. The refugees were so frightened that they lost their luggage and ran forward desperately, squeezing all the checkpoints and horse-rejection posts that the defenders were checking.

For a time, the city gate fell into chaos, and the low quality and combat effectiveness of the Song army were directly exposed.

The defenders outside the city were charged into chaos by refugees and Mongolian scouts. Many people were killed by the Mongolian troops who rushed closer before they could react.

The Imperial Guards in the city and on the city walls were frightened, and many of them turned their heads and fled.

At the critical moment, Zhao Fan reacted and led his Huai army to quickly overturn the vehicles into the gate and close the city gate. Then he sent archers to the city and shot down the Mongolian army carefully. However, no one outside the city entered the city.

When the people arrived at Xue Miao, they were either hacked to death by the Mongolian army or shot to death by random arrows.

The city gate was blocked, and the Mongolian army's scouts failed to rush into the city. They were missed by an arrow from the city head, and seeing no opportunity to take advantage, they retreated in a hurry.
Chapter completed!