At the temporary residence of Duke Fu, Huang Zhen continued to report to Xia Xun the information he had learned in Xiliang these days: "My lord, this Song Marquis is truly worthy of a famous general. The situation in Xiliang is worse than that in Liaodong.
Datong and Xuanfu are more complicated. If you want to develop the economy here, the conditions are much more difficult than those places. The Marquis of Song Dynasty guarded the Western Regions for more than 20 years, and built the already desolate Gansu Province into a city in the south of the Yangtze River, creating peace on the inside and peace on the outside.
It’s really not easy.”
Xia Xun nodded and said, "Yes, I have learned about these situations. General Song is really admirable."
Huang Zhendao: "There are many returnees from the Western Regions. When merchants from the Western Regions come and go in the Ganliang area, soldiers often communicate with each other privately, and even provide convenience. It is true that there are cases of people being released secretly, but it is not as good as what the intelligence obtained in Jingli said.
Much lighter. Xiaguan has been pretending to be an ordinary businessman these days, visiting various forts and passes, and has traveled a lot... I found that although many soldiers have the same beliefs as the Hu people in the Western Regions and have a closeness with the same clan and clan, if foreign enemies
If they send troops to invade, they will still side with the imperial court.
After all, their relatives and families have lived here for generations, and war is what they don't want to see. There are indeed some Islamic fanatics in the army. Fortunately, they did not hide it in the past, so it is not difficult to find out who these soldiers are.
They have not made any mistakes at the moment. If Tamerlane's army comes east, it is difficult to judge how they will make a decision now, so these people have been temporarily transferred away from the key passes and temporarily moved to the rear."
Huang Zhen drank the tea and said again: "In the past, we fought with the Tubo, the Uighurs, and the Oara. These people were very brave and had no second thoughts. Now that the enemy is approaching, for the sake of safety, we have to mobilize them first."
They left important passes and settled in the rear. This kind of cleaning and resettlement has been carried out by Song Hou. According to the situation understood by the following officials, Song Hou has guarded the Western Regions for more than 20 years and has been deeply rooted here. Internally, there are a few fanatic followers of Islam.
, it is difficult to make trouble under the nose of Song Hou."
Xia Xun said: "Well! Song Hou also told me about this. He has been making preparations in this regard. He once talked about the measures against Tamerlane's army in a memorial to the emperor, saying: 'The enemy's
I already know the truth and falsehood. If you dare to attack, you will be severely beaten! Haha, I believe this is not a lie."
Xia Xun paused, and then said: "The armies of Sichuan, Henan and Jingying are ready. Once Timur's army enters the Western Region, they will come quickly. The defense of the Western Region is still led by General Song, who will control the armies.
.”
Huang Zhen said hurriedly: "My lord, I am just worried about... Song Hou's health. In the past two years, Song Hou has rarely appeared in front of people. Many important official documents were sent to his inner room for his review.
The signature was made without hiding the truth from the Duke. This time, the Marquis of Song actually dressed up neatly and braved the wind and snow to greet the Duke in person. This was beyond the official's expectation.
The Marquis of Song's body is really suffering from old ailments. Once Timur's army invades, I am worried that the Marquis of Song's illness will not be able to cope with the heavy military duties!"
Xia Xun was silent for a while and said, "Old Huang, you only know one thing but not the other."
Huang Zhen hurriedly leaned over and said: "Please give me some advice!"
Xia Xun slowly stood up and walked to the door with his hands behind his hands. In the courtyard, there was a tree of wintersweet, which looked as graceful as a picture. Under the tree, two beauties, one big and one small, stood in the snow, pointing at the plum blossoms on the branches.
Xia Xun said: "Timur Khan, ninety-nine in his sixties this year, is much older than General Song. However, this time he traveled a long distance and traveled thousands of miles. Tamerlane still worked tirelessly... The imperial chariot led the expedition in person. It was Tamerlane's army.
Are you not good at fighting? Is it because Tamerlane lacks good soldiers and generals? No, there is only one reason, just because: Tamerlane is the soul of his army!
As long as he is there, the morale of his army will be like a rainbow. As long as he is there, no matter how many arrogant soldiers and generals he has, they will be determined to follow orders and obey orders! Tamerlane no longer needs to personally wield a sword and gallop on the battlefield. His men
There are countless brave generals who are both wise and courageous. He no longer even needs to personally command and plan every battle. However, his role cannot be replaced by anyone. As long as he is there, his army and all his troops are like a hand.
Tight iron fist!"
Huang Zhen stood up slowly, nodded deeply and said: "I understand, I understand. No wonder the Duke insists on letting the Marquis of Song take command! The Marquis of Song is Tiemu'er of the Xiliang Army!"
At this time, under the plum blossom tree in the courtyard, Tang Sai'er was jumping for joy and asked Xilin to pick her up. She picked a plum blossom from the tree, inserted it in her temples, and playfully shook her head towards Xia Xun. Xia Xun
Smiling at her, he slowly turned around and said to Huang Zhen: "That's right! As long as General Song is here, the soldiers and people of Xiliang can unite as one! As long as General Song is here, those young men will not dare to act rashly. You have to believe that sometimes
, an outstanding leader, his prestige alone is enough to command an army of 100,000 men!
General Song's invincible prestige was firmly rooted in the hearts of Xiliang soldiers and civilians only after he guarded the Western Regions for more than 20 years. No one can replace it! Maybe, if you change someone else and give him five to seventy-eight years of hard work, he can take advantage of what General Song has given him.
With the foundation he has laid, he can have the military morale and popularity that General Song has today. But this will take time. In the spring of next year, Tamerlane's forward army may be about to reach Hami.
Time waits for no one. At the moment, no one can replace the role of General Song, and there is no time to cultivate the second Song Sheng and Song Jingyang. Just like in the Timur Empire at the moment, no one can replace Timur himself! And Timur,
He is definitely the most powerful enemy of our Ming Dynasty. Before, now, and in the future, our Ming Dynasty will never have another enemy as powerful as him! Therefore, we must exert our greatest strength and be prepared!"
On the vast snowfield, a mighty army rolled forward. Wherever the army passed, it was like a giant wheel rolling over. On the boundless white land, a dark road appeared. Horses and people stepped on it, and the wheels rolled over it. The ground was so thick.
The snow actually exposed the ground.
The army was not marching very fast, but there was a rhythmic rumble on the ground. It was not loud and a little dull, but it was enough to scare away all the birds and beasts that were foraging in the snow within a ten-mile radius.
This is Tamerlane's center army, and Tamerlane himself is in this army.
A huge khan felt tent pulled by thirty-two oxen moved slowly and steadily forward under the protection of thousands of troops. This cart was made by the first-class skilled craftsmen from the East and the West. It is strong and sturdy.
Smooth, sitting in the tent, there is only a slight tremor, letting you know that it is moving forward, and there will never be a bumpy feeling.
Emperor Timur held a quill in his right hand and a writing board in his left hand. There was a piece of snow-white letter paper clipped on the board, and he was writing something. He was leaning on the couch, not leaning on a pillow, but on a pillow.
She is a enchanting beauty with a graceful figure and skin as smooth as snow. She is a noble princess of the Ottoman Empire, but at the moment, she is just a pillow for Timur.
With her back to Timur, she knelt down on the couch, supported by a pair of jade arms with delicate skin looming under the gauze. She must always maintain the most comfortable sitting position for Khan. She worked hard at this, and her forehead was already wet.
She was sweating lightly and her arms were a little sore, but Emperor Timur was concentrating on writing a letter, so she had to persevere and not disturb the Khan's train of thought.
A snow-white and soft blanket was placed on Timur's legs. A bed of blond hair was spread out on the edge of the blanket. Two charming and pretty girl faces, one on the left and one on the right, were pressed against his thighs. These two beautiful girls
They come from the same place as this blanket: Persia. Their only use was to warm Emperor Tamerlane's cold legs and feet due to poor blood circulation.
This is their only task. When Timur is sleeping, there are girls who are responsible for warming his bed. They must be young, beautiful, with elastic skin, and they must be virgins. When Timur wants to rest,
They had to strip naked and cling closely to Timur's old and withered body, using their own body heat to help him rest more securely.
Timur was old and suffered from body cold, especially his broken lame leg. The damp and cold weather would make him very uncomfortable, just like Zhu Di's old cold leg, which was very painful. But the charcoal was too hot.
If it is strong, the air will be too dry, and his respiratory system will have problems. What heating equipment in the world is more constant-temperature, softer, and more comfortable than the fragrant girl's body?
Therefore, Emperor Timur had a group of beautiful girls around him who were responsible for keeping his bed warm. They not only had to be young, beautiful, and had elastic skin, but they also had to be pure virgins. At the same time, their upbringing must also be excellent. These girls
All the children were trophies obtained by Timur during his conquests in the world, and the most humble one among them was once the daughter of a certain duke in a certain country.
"Dear Khan, the Syr Darya River has arrived. We tested it and found that the ice in the river is not thick enough for our horses, horses and soldiers to step on it!"
A general walked lightly into the large tent and reported to Timur. In Timur's tent, there were many eunuchs, as well as beautiful women with light clothes covering their bodies.
The general did not look sideways, but bowed his head to his Khan with great respect.
"Then stop and wait until God allows us to pass! The invincible Tamerlane cannot compete with the power of nature!"
When Tamerlane met a close minister alone in his tent, his voice was hoarse and old. It was not as passionate and loud as when he stood in front of the ministers in neat uniform and gave instructions. He was still focused on his letter, his hand moved to the side.
As soon as he stretched it out, a eunuch handed the ink to his hand, dipped it in the ink, and Tiemuer continued to write.
"I will obey your orders!"
The burly and fierce general bowed deeply towards Timur again and walked out backwards.
After the letter was written, Timur signed his name, folded the letter, and handed it to an eunuch. The fat eunuch with thin skin and tender flesh quickly took it with a flattering smile.
"Tell my dear grandson Harry to speed up his journey and be sure to occupy the entire Mongolia before the end of Zulgardai (April in the Islamic calendar) next year!"
"Yes! My Majesty!" The great eunuch, who was captured from the Eastern Roman Empire, said in a masculine tone, and took his handwritten letter with both hands!