Just two days before I arrived in Yingzhou, Emperor Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty received news from Lin'an that the emperor of the Southern Dynasties was going to conquer the country in person. This news that Kublai Khan expected was known to everyone in Lin'an City, and the details of the Yuan Dynasty were not disclosed. It didn't take any effort, just a lot of running, and the news spread to Dadu.
Kublai Khan said during the court meeting: "Dear lords, the Song Dynasty Royal News, the official newspaper of Lin'an in the Southern Dynasty, published on the first page of the issue on May 8 the news that the Emperor of the Southern Dynasties was going to conquer the country in person. For our dynasty, , this is a great thing. Since the war between Yuan and Song Dynasty broke out decades ago, the late emperors Ogedai Khan, Mengge Khan and I have all taken the lead and been on the front line in person. However, the emperor of the Southern Dynasties has always been hiding in Lin'an and did not dare to go out of the city for half a day. This time, Zhao Fu finally walked out of the capital of the Southern Dynasties. Although his courage was commendable, it also saved our army the thousand-mile journey to Lin'an. As long as Zhao Fu was killed or captured in Xiangyang, the battle between Yuan and Song Dynasties could be advanced. it's over,"
At that time, Minister Ahema, who served as Zhongshu Pingzhang's political affairs and envoy (equivalent to the Minister of Finance in later generations), came out and said: "Your Majesty, this is a God-given opportunity. It is actually a blessing for the Emperor and a blessing for the Yuan Dynasty, just like the Emperor. As he said, our army only needs to kill the Southern Emperor in Xiangyang, who knows nothing about the sky and the earth, to unify the world, which will be at least several years ahead of schedule."
"Haha, Ahema loves you, what you said is true. In recent years, you have made great contributions to the finances of our dynasty. Today I will appoint you as Pingzhang Shangshu to save trouble and assist the emperor's army to ensure our dynasty's armaments expenditure."
Ahema was overjoyed in his heart and was promoted again, but he still maintained a look of sincerity and fear on his face as he said: "I thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I promise to complete the important tasks entrusted to you by the Emperor."
"Okay, Yao Shu and Yao Aiqing,"
Yao Shu said: "I am here,"
"The prelude to the decisive battle of Xiangfan has begun. As my imperial envoy to accompany the army, you will go south to Xiangyang in the future to work with the two generals A Shu and Boyan to formulate various plans, and be responsible for the correspondence between the Central Route Army and the DPRK. ,"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your order,"
Yao Shu and Ahema had many conflicts, and he was pushed out by Ahema a few years ago. It was not until the end of last year that he was transferred back to Dadu by Kublai Khan and served as secretary to the Council to save trouble. However, this was just a sinecure.
"Dear ministers, the main task of our dynasty today is the battle of Xiangfan. All departments need to obey the overall situation. With this as the center, everyone should perform their duties and work step by step to do their own thing. The emperor's master and Wu Liang will join forces. You two Stay, and the rest will retreat."
In the study room of the palace, Kublai Khan handed a copy of the Song Dynasty Imperial Newspaper on the table to Hao Jing, the Imperial Master, who had just entered, and Wu Lianghetai, who served as Tongzhi Privy Councilor in the Privy Council.
As a veteran of the Five Dynasties of Mongolia and the Yuan Dynasty, Wu Liang Hetai, who was brave and proficient in war, did not gain the trust of Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was suspicious of him and dismissed him after Wu Liang He returned to Taipei and returned to Zhongdu. Due to his military power, even when Kublai Khan put down the rebellion of Ali Bu Ge, Wu Liang He Tai was only given the task of staying in the capital. The reason should be that when Meng Ge and Kublai Khan had a conflict, Wu Liang He Tai was Because he did not express his position, Kublai Khan only gave Wu Lianghetai a sinecure position. The Privy Council was in charge of military intelligence and had no actual military power.
However, Kublai Khan had great trust in Wu Lianghetai's son A Shu, which was also quite strange.
"Two dear friends, I can now confirm that the emperor of the Southern Dynasty wanted to fight our army decisively in Xiangyang. I also admire Zhao Fu's courage," Kublai Khan smiled, then looked at the map of Xiangfan on the table and said
, "Wulianghetai, what is the situation of the troops invested by the Southern Dynasty in Xiangfan area now?"
Wu Lianghetai pointed at the map and said one by one: "Your Majesty, our current military strength in Xiangfan is 115,000 troops from the Central Army and 3,000 naval troops, while the Southern Dynasties army has more than 50,000 troops from the Xiangyang Military Region.
There are 6,000 people from Zhang Shun's tribe in Junzhou and 12,000 people from Wu Songhan's tribe in Yingzhou.
, there are 8,000 Yulin Army, about 4,000 Navy, and 25,000 Xiagui troops in Suizhou, a total of about 110,000 people. According to the news sent back from the details, Wen Zhang's troops of the 1st Division of the Yulin Army are also heading to Yingzhou.
On the way, the total strength of the Southern Dynasty should be about 120,000,"
"Well, the strength of both sides is roughly equal. Since Zhao Fu wants to fight our army in Xiangyang, I will not disappoint him. Wu Liang joined the stage and passed on my instructions. First, Xiangyang A Shu's troops continued to throw stones.
The planes bombarded the two cities of Xiang and Fan in turn.
, and gradually narrow the encirclement. However, except for the relatively low north gate of Fancheng, no other places can be attacked by force. At the same time, be prepared for encirclement and reinforcements, and rely on the castle to eliminate the Yingzhou Army and Suizhou Army who came to rescue Xiangyang.
The second is to send an order to Zhenjin to gather the remaining troops of the middle route army and march them all to Xiangfan; the third is to send an order to Dong Wenbing, Hedan, and reinforcements from the east and west routes to send troops to Xiangyang immediately and return to A Shu and Boyan Jie; fourth,
Speed up the training of navy soldiers
Train and build warships, and recruit another 5,000 auxiliary troops from Henan to the Wanzhangshan Shipyard; Fifth, order all our detailed operations in the Southern Dynasties to understand the defense situation of Lin'an City; Sixth, recruit 100,000 troops nationwide, and
Prepare what you need,”
"Yes, Your Majesty,"
After giving the order, Kublai Khan said: "Wulianghetai, you have been on the battlefield for many years and have rich experience. What do you think of the current war situation?"
Although Wu Lianghetai knew very well that Kublai Khan did not trust him, but because of his straightforward nature, he still said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly, this battle is not easy to fight."
Kublai Khan's expression remained normal and he said, "If you have anything to say, please feel free to tell me."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Wu Lianghetai looked a little nervous, "Your Majesty, although I haven't fought against the Southerners for more than ten years, judging from the intelligence we have, compared with the past, the Southern Dynasty has one of the biggest
The change is that now the Southern Dynasty is using the whole country to fight against our country. Unlike before, the Southern Dynasty was working on its own.
The political situation, and this change brought about a great improvement in the morale of the Southern Dynasty army compared with the past. With Zhao Yu's personal expedition, the coordination between the various ministries will be improved. Therefore, the emperor must prepare for the durability of the Xiangyang War.
Prepare, the veteran believes that the competition in this war may not be the combat effectiveness of both sides, but perseverance and endurance."
Kublai Khan gave a rare compliment: "Wuliang Hetai Aiqing, you said it very well. Zhao Fu of the Southern Dynasty was much stronger than his father, and he was brave enough to become my opponent of Dayuan."
"Your Majesty, although the Southern Dynasty has improved, I believe that our army's chance of winning is still more than 70%. The habit of war cannot be changed in a day or two. No matter how strong the Southern Dynasty's cities are, it is people who determine the outcome of the war.
rather than a city,"
Kublai Khan nodded and said: "Wuliang Hetai, your analysis is very reasonable. Now the Privy Council Envoy Zhen Jin has gone to Xiangfan to take charge. I will appoint you as the Deputy Privy Council Envoy to exercise the power of the Privy Council Envoy."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty," Wu Lianghetai said, whether he was happy or worried. He knew that the conferment this time was largely due to Ah Shu. As the war progressed, Kublai Khan became more and more aware that The Battle of Xiangyang is very difficult, so the role of A Shu will become even greater.
"Report, Your Majesty, the Supreme Shaman Master Cai Enjiya and the Divine Master Yin Tianya are outside the door asking to see you,"
"Oh, Xuan,"
After Cai Enjiya and Yin Tianya entered the house, they saluted Kublai Khan and said, "I have seen the Great Khan."
When Kublai Khan heard the name "Great Khan", although he was unhappy in his heart, he said calmly: "Your Majesty, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are always well."
It can be seen from the names of the two men that Mongolian shamanism is opposed to changing the name of Mongolia to the Yuan Dynasty. Although this force is loose, Cai Enjiya's views represent the majority of Mongolians, especially the Mongolian aristocracy. view.
"Thanks to the Great Khan," Cienjiya said with a smile, "Great Khan, I came to the palace this time and made a special trip to say goodbye to the Great Khan."
"how,"
"Great Khan, in the past two years, I have gained a new understanding of the guardian's way of heaven, so I plan to return to the Holo Village in the far north to practice in seclusion,"
Regardless of the disagreement, Kublai Khan was quite happy after hearing this and said: "Congratulations to the Supreme Being. In this way, the Supreme Lord is about to become a guardian."
Cai Enjiya said: "Great Khan, I am currently 50% certain."
"Excellent, Your Majesty, I wish you success in advance," Kublai Khan continued, "Sir, before you leave, can you deduce the fate of the Yuan-Song War for our dynasty?"
Cai Enjiya smiled calmly: "Great Khan, since Zhao Hu came to the throne in the Southern Dynasty, the number of celestial phenomena has always maintained a delicate balance. In these four or five years, the balance has never deviated, and the fate of the northern and southern emperors has been the same. Maintaining almost the same light, for the current celestial phenomena, not only the deity, but also several other famous magicians in the world are unable to find out the results. This situation is called "no trace" in astronomy, which means that God has left no trace. The slightest sign means that the basis for deducing the celestial phenomena has been lost. I have seen a book in the library of the Valley of the Kings. It is recorded in it that if God has no intention, the celestial phenomena will appear without traces. Such celestial phenomena cannot be controlled by human power. Only guardians can deduce it,"
"Really," Kublai Khan said disappointedly.
"That's right. However, ancient books also mention that whenever this kind of celestial phenomenon occurs, those who live in the north often have a greater chance of winning. For the Southern Dynasties, if we face north, we will have the upper hand." At this point, he Enjiya said sternly, "Great Khan, although it is said that 'people plan things and achieve things in heaven,' but since God does not make any indication, it means that victory or defeat depends entirely on the people who plan things. This is what the ancients said, man will defeat heaven. Great Khan, with your great talent and strategy, and with our invincible cavalry, you will definitely not lose to that boy Zhao Xu from the Southern Dynasty."
Whenever the emperor of the Southern Dynasties is mentioned, a young man will appear in Caienjiya's mind.