It was night, the cold wind was blowing, and snowflakes were flying in the sky. The temperature in the entire Northland dropped to the lowest point this night, and it was freezing everywhere.
Twenty miles outside of Chang'an City, the Nanda Camp was dimly lit and the flags were ringing. It felt a bit lonely and desolate. A small group of soldiers were on duty at the entrance of the camp. Several people made a bonfire and chatted while warming themselves.
Talk.
"The weather is getting colder and colder. Why do you think the prince is reluctant to send troops? Now most of the time, our prince is the only one with the troops. Besides him, who else is qualified to hold the throne?"
"You don't want your life, you dare to say such nonsense." Another person reminded with a smile.
"What are you afraid of? I'm not saying this alone. All the brothers in the camp are saying this. Do you dare to say that you don't think so?"
No one refuted, but they didn't answer either.
"Okay, we soldiers just obey the military orders and don't talk about what the people above think. By the way, I heard another news. Did you know that it is said that the Great Khan was angered to death?"
"What, the Khan was so angry that he died? Who did it?"
"It wasn't anyone who did it. It was the Great Khan who defeated Xiangyang City for the second time. He couldn't bear the blow and died not long after receiving the news."
"The second military defeat of Xiangyang City? When did it happen? Why haven't I heard of it?"
"It's not just you. Who else in our entire military camp knows about this except the prince. I also happened to have a relative who escaped death and told me after he came back. I heard that the Great Khan borrowed 50,000 yuan from our prince after he returned to the court.
The soldiers and horses, plus the 100,000 soldiers from the Great Khan's headquarters, secretly used the Jin Kingdom to sneak attack on Xiangyang City, and the entire army was wiped out."
"What, the whole army was wiped out!" Everyone was shocked, and their faces turned pale and bloodless, "Doesn't that mean that except for the few soldiers and horses in the hands of the prince, our Yuan Dynasty does not have a single soldier at the border.
Already?"
"Who says it's not the case? I'm afraid those Southern Dynasty people will soon raise their troops to attack."
"What are you afraid of? People in the Southern Dynasties are most afraid of death when fighting. Even if he comes with a million, he can't do anything. He will be gone in a hurry."
"According to what you said, how could Xiangyang City be defeated?"
"Well……"
"Okay, okay, everyone, don't make unreasonable comments. No matter what, the people above will make the decision. Let's just do our own thing."
The soldiers immediately fell silent, but anyone could see that their morale had dropped to the extreme.
…
At the same time, in the largest tent in the center of the camp, Kublai Khan and Liu Bingzhong sat opposite each other, surrounded by stoves. Both of them had their hands in their sleeves, and they were silent.
After a while, Kublai Khan let out a long sigh and said meaningfully, "The weather this year is much colder than last year. I don't know how many people will freeze to death on the grassland."
Liu Bingzhong's expression changed slightly, "What do you mean, Your Majesty, retreat?"
Kublai Khan did not answer this question directly, but smiled bitterly and said, "With this retreat, the Great Yuan Dynasty will probably go back more than ten years. Haha, the Great Khan really gave us a big problem. No one wants to be this eternal sinner."
, the throne that I dreamed of in the past has now become a hot potato, it’s ridiculous to think about it.”
Liu Bingzhong's face changed for a while, and he smiled and said, "Actually, the situation is not as bad as the prince thought. If we want to retreat, Dayuan has a strong foundation in the grasslands and the Western Regions. It only needs a few years to recuperate. There may not be no chance of a comeback. If we don't retreat,
We can buy some time by holding the city and defending it. As long as we wait for the negotiations with the Western Regions to be finalized, we may not be able to defend our current territory."
Kublai Khan pondered for a while, then slowly shook his head, "Things are not as simple as you think. The grasslands and the Western Regions have been divided up long ago. If we go back, we can only rely on others. As for you,
It is impossible to defend the city as it is said. Years of wars and Lao Ba’s extortion for so many years have made the people miserable. If we forcibly defend the city, it will only force the people to rebel. You should have received the news, right? Under the rule of Dayuan
Several prefectures and counties in the country are already ready to rebel and may rebel at any time. How can we hold on at this time?"
Liu Bingzhong was silent for a while after hearing this, and then sighed for a long time, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. If the Eighth Prince could listen to the prince, organize the officials, and treat the people well, why would he be like this today?"
"There is nothing that can be done about it. The Great Khan has long been dissatisfied with him, but no matter how big the problem is, it can't be bigger than expanding the territory. So he turned a blind eye and turned a blind eye. As a result, today, the building is riddled with holes. The building will be
pour."
"As for the four great khanates..."
"It's useless. They don't have the same intentions there. In the past, it was okay when Da Khan was around. Once Da Khan died, it was good if they didn't fight immediately. This is why I haven't taken action against Da Khan."
"Well, no matter whether to retreat or defend, the prince must make a decision early. After Murong Fu goes south, he will definitely send troops to attack immediately."
"I don't know, but my current situation is like being put on a lonely cliff. No matter whether I advance or retreat, I am facing an abyss, and there is no room for change."
"I have a plan that the prince might be able to adopt." Suddenly, a voice sounded out of thin air.
Kublai Khan and Liu Bingzhong were very familiar with this voice. Their expressions suddenly changed and they exclaimed, "Murong Fu!"
The void at the entrance of the palace flashed, and then a white shadow gradually emerged. White clothes were fluttering, and a simple long sword was slung around his waist. His face was like a crown of jade, and he was suave. Who else could he be if he wasn't Murong Fu?
He put one hand behind his back and rested the other on the hilt of his sword, and walked over leisurely.
Kublai Khan was shocked and confused, but he still stood up and greeted him with a smile, "It turns out that Mr. Murong is here. I am sorry that I missed you from afar, but I hope you will forgive me."
"Tsk," Murong Fu frowned slightly and said calmly, "Xiao Si doesn't seem to have a long memory. Doesn't he know how to salute his elders when he sees them?"
Kublai Khan's face was sluggish, and the muscles on his face beat hard twice. Finally, he bent down and bowed, "I have seen... the young master."
"Yes," Murong Fu nodded with satisfaction, "No need to be polite, just stay on your own."
Kublai Khan's face turned as dark as a pot. He straightened up and said in a stiff tone, "I don't know... Master, what are you doing here so late at night?"
Murong Fu smiled slightly, "It's not a big deal. Didn't you just say you were in a dilemma? I'm here to help you get out of it."
"What!" The two of them were startled, and Kublai Khan calmed himself down, "Young master is joking. There is no enmity between the young prince and the young master, and he doesn't intend to block the young master's way. Why should he be like this?"
Liu Bingzhong's eyes flashed. There were three thousand soldiers ambushed outside the commander's tent, and there were nearly one hundred thousand troops in the entire camp. As long as he could alert the guards, no matter how skilled the person was in martial arts, he would still hate him. But he was soon doused.
With a basin of cold water, I thought that when I was outside Xiangyang City, I was also surrounded by an army of nearly 100,000 people, and there were experts like Master Lingzhi as my guards, so I couldn't do anything to this man.
Murong Fu looked at Kublai Khan with strange eyes for a while, and said with a half-smile, "Whether you block the road or not is secondary. Whether you have any grievances or not is not important. What is important is that some people actually say that you are the one destined to dominate the world.
The emperor's order, what if you unify me one day?"
Kublai Khan's expression changed again, and he forced a smile and said, "Young Master is over-worrying. To be honest, Xiao Wang has decided to return to the grassland. He will not dare to have any extravagant thoughts of marching into the Central Plains in this life. How can he unify the world? The so-called
'Destined Man' is pure nonsense and cannot be taken seriously."
"You're right. Actually, I think it's nonsense." Murong Fu chuckled and suddenly changed the topic, "But there is an old saying in the Central Plains, you can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days. You said you are so young?"
, living another ten thousand days is more than enough. If I don’t send you back to the west, I will feel very uneasy.”
"You..." Kublai Khan could no longer hold back and cursed loudly, "Murong Fu, don't push me too hard. You must know that I am not someone to be manipulated! If you want to kill me, I'm afraid you won't be able to do it.
.”
"Go on, you want me to rub it and I won't rub it yet." Murong Fu cursed, and said with a half-smile, "You are talking about Ah Qing, there is something I forgot to tell you, she is my woman.
Do you think she is helping you or me?"
Kublai Khan's heart sank. The fact that Murong Fu had been here for so long and that Ah Qing hadn't shown up yet clearly showed that he either didn't want to show up or something had gone wrong and he couldn't show up.
His thoughts suddenly changed, and he suddenly asked, "Yin Kexi, are those three wolf-hearted people in Xiaoxiangzi yours?"
Murong Fu was stunned for a moment and nodded slightly, "Yes, after all, I didn't intend to do it myself, but with Ah Qing's protection, it is really difficult for others to succeed."
"Those three people are still alive. How about I let them go and you just retreat?"
"No matter what, since I came here in person, I will definitely see you off."