The sharp sound of ringing gold came from far away.
Yellow sand filled the sky, heading westward like a terrifying sandstorm.
Li Xia stood on the hillside on the east bank of the Yellow River and looked at it. Strangely, what he was thinking about was that it was time to plant trees in this area.
He knew that beyond the Yellow River was the Tengger Desert. This area was also called "Alxa", which is the free translation of "Helan" in Turkic language.
Although this was an inexplicable little idea, it was precisely from this that he was able to firmly determine to become king and emperor from beginning to end.
He was sure that what he could do as an emperor was better than anyone else in the world. Neither Kublai Khan, nor Zhao Hu, nor a heroic ruler, nor a faint king, were comparable to him.
Including the real gold that the northern Han people have high hopes for.
Even if Zhenjin succeeds to the throne and can transform the Yuan Dynasty into a complete Han Dynasty and govern it into a peaceful and prosperous era, so what?
Li Xia still believes that only he can build more achievements for future generations.
Therefore, no matter how wise he is, if it falls into his hands, it will not be a pity for him to kill him.
But this time, Li Xia didn't come here for that.
He had long wanted to come to Xingqing Mansion, but he was delayed by the affairs of the Song Dynasty after returning from the Western Regions.
…
The troops Li Xia brought were not many. There were only 3,000 cavalry in total, and they crossed the Yellow River before dark.
The battlefield west of the Yellow River was covered with horse manure, mixed with the smell of blood. Inhaling it made people feel like they were back on the grasslands of the Western Regions.
After the big tent was set up, even Duo Siman covered his mouth and nose and said in a Chinese urn sound: "I haven't smelled it for a long time. It turns out that horse manure stinks so much. Did I also stink before?"
She stepped on her little boots and walked around the carpet, and then said: "If we sleep on the floor with a blanket at night, it will be very humid, so we need to lay another layer."
Li Xia smiled when he heard this, thinking that since he was used to the convenient and comfortable life in Chang'an City, Duo Siman adapted very quickly.
It was difficult for Kublai Khan to do this. While enjoying the benefits of the Han system, it was also not easy to be vigilant at all times and prevent the Mongols from becoming Chinese as quickly as the Jin people.
"Please take care of things in the tent for me, and I'll go see my subordinates."
On the contrary, when Li Xia spoke to Duo Siman, her tone sounded a bit like a couple on the grassland.
After settling these things, he walked onto the battlefield and waited for a while. Yang Ben, who was chasing Dong Wenbing, came back in a hurry. From a distance, he took off his helmet and prepared to kneel down.
"General Yang Ben, please pay homage to our emperor, long live him!"
"No gifts." Li Xia didn't look too enthusiastic, but he looked at Yang Ben carefully for a while, then nodded and said: "He has become a lot stronger, he looks more stable with a beard, and his eyes are calmer. Very good, Qing Fu
Among the generals who came out, you are the most talented, and now you can take on big tasks."
Yang Ben nodded vigorously after hearing this, obviously very happy with this praise.
He himself felt that His Majesty was right, so he was extremely excited.
However, when he spoke, he still said a few words of humility.
"I don't dare. I still need His Majesty's support in battles. I feel ashamed."
"What are you ashamed of? You used 2,000 men against Dong Wenbing's 10,000 men and put yourself in danger to help me weaken Dong Wenbing's military morale. You deserve to be called brave."
Yang Ben was about to speak but stopped for a moment, and finally said what he wanted to say.
"Your Majesty, in the past, the general would have thought that if he could defeat Dong Wenbing's army with two thousand men alone, he would be a famous general in the world. But now, the general feels that victory is the right way... In fact, the general has no
Ashamed."
Li Xia patted him on the shoulder and said, "You have learned a lot over the years fighting with Duke Ke Zhai."
"Ke Zhaigong is also grateful to His Majesty for giving him the opportunity to show his talents."
"Really? I became emperor and established myself, so he didn't scold me?"
Yang Ben was silent for a moment, then told the truth, "The commander-in-chief didn't scold His Majesty. He only said, 'Wu Luzhai mistakenly told me about my posthumous affairs and mistakenly changed my name during my lifetime.'"
He was a person who said whatever he had to say, and he was straightforward. In the official circles of the Song Dynasty, this sentence would be a big taboo.
Li Xia just smiled when he heard this and glanced at the sky to the east.
"I owe Mr. Ke Zhai a reputation during his lifetime, so I can only offset it with his merits."
Yang Ben chewed on the meaning of this sentence, suddenly understood, and said with his hands in hand: "Your Majesty, we are going to regain the Loop?!"
"Do you think I'm here to relax?"
"The last general is willing to be a pioneer and conquer Jiuyuan City for His Majesty!"
"Not urgent."
Li Xia led Yang towards the military camp and said, "You have grown a lot. If we compare our confrontation with the Yuan army to Tian Ji's horse racing, what kind of horse do you think you are?"
Yang Ben thought for a moment and said: "The last general can only be regarded as a winning horse now."
"map."
The map was spread out, and Li Xia drew an arc at random.
The tactics he used most in battles in the past were sneak attacks, ambushes, and charges into battle. In short, they all happened somewhere on the battlefield and belonged to a point on the map.
But Kublai Khan was different. He not only controlled one point, but laid out an entire line.
"This is Kublai Khan's strategic arc to surround us. There are several points on the line, Tubo, the Western Regions, Hetao, Shanxi, and Henan. We confront the Yuan army in various places. First, we must distinguish where is the strongest?"
Li Xia said that the battle situation was different from that of Li Zengbo. Li Zengbo always taught people how to general and let them think about the battle situation on their own, so he was good at training generals; Li Xia tried his best to explain the battle situation clearly and wanted the generals to understand it thoroughly to avoid delays.
his plan.
When Yang Ben heard this, he quickly understood the entire northwest war situation and knew what to do.
These strategies are obviously much more thorough when stated in person than in documents.
~~
Duosi finally packed up the tent and made another glass of milk wine on a whim. After taking a sip, she finally regained the feeling of living on the grassland.
After waiting for a while, Li Xia came back.
She hurriedly rushed forward and was about to take credit, but a guard came from behind and reported to Li Xia: "Your Majesty, Mr. Lian sent someone here..."
Li Xia took the urgent letter from Lian Xixian, read it, and said, "Just bring it here to see you."
He usually held most of his discussions in the Chinese army tent and rarely brought him to the sleeping tent. Duo Siman found it strange and asked after the guards left.
"It was you, Eji, who sent someone here."
"Did Eji bring me a gift? She is thinking of me and I miss her."
"Probably not."
As Li Xia said, Uluru Hunai's envoy came in the dust and brought only bad news.
First, a letter written in Uighur script was handed to Li Xia, and the envoy talked about the situation in the Western Regions.
"The reason why Kublai Khan sent a large army to attack the Western Regions this time was because His Majesty the Tang Emperor angered him. According to the captured soldiers of the Yuan Dynasty, as soon as Kublai Khan got the news of Ali Buge's death last year, he held a banquet for the lords of various ministries.
With envoys from various countries, the news of the Tianchi Huliletai Conference was transmitted to Kaiping City at that banquet..."
Li Xia already knew these things.
He was actually suffering the wrath of Kublai Khan.
The consequences of the break with the Song Dynasty have not yet fully emerged, but they will come sooner or later.
Duo Siman, who was sitting next to Li Xia and listening to these things, didn't think too much and felt that her husband was so powerful.
"In addition, after Haidu returned to the fiefdom, he immediately threatened to attack Kublai Khan and led his troops to seize the territory of the Mongolian headquarters. In anger, Kublai Khan ordered his son Mang Gelu and Zong Wang Tuohu to take command and lead
An army of 150,000 men marched westward. At this time, Haidu retracted his territory, leaving the Chagatai Khanate and Gaochang in the front. The Golden Horde was at war with the Ilkhanate and refused to help. If
If His Majesty the Tang Emperor does not send troops, Gaochang will soon be captured!"
Li Xia said: "My Gansu pacification envoy has led troops to support."
"Forgive me for being presumptuous, but Lian Xixian probably brought less than 20,000 people to Yumen Pass, right?"
"With his talents, these troops are enough." Li Xia said: "Go back and tell Uluru Hunai that if you resist the Yuan army for another three months, I will be able to force Ma Ge to retreat."
The envoy bowed deeply and said: "But please tell me that she is your most trustworthy ally in the west. If we don't save her, whether it is Mangola or Haidu, sooner or later they will enter the Hexi Corridor."
"I'll write a handwritten letter and you can take it back to reassure her." Li Xia responded with a majestic tone.
But he was thinking in his heart that Tian Ji's horse racing, the most unfavorable one for him has already occurred...