After the awards were given, I continued: "Regarding the commendations for officers below the first-level generals, they shall be nominated by each army and reported to the military region. Then they will be forwarded to the Military Academy for instructions. In addition, all armies must do a good job in providing compensation and comfort to the casualties. If any,
Anyone who violates military regulations will not be spared lightly."
"Yes. Your Majesty."
"In this battle, a large number of heroic officers and soldiers emerged from the middle and lower ranks of our army. They fought bravely and bravely to kill the enemy. They are indeed a model for our army. For this, I would like to commend Wei Guohu, the commander of the 228th Battalion.
Call on all the officers and men in the army to learn from him. As for the award of General Wei Guohu, it will be proposed by the seventeenth chamber to which he belongs in accordance with the procedures. At that time, I will personally review and approve it."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your order." General Tang Yongjian, the commander of the seventeenth chamber, and General Wang Fu, the deputy commander, said.
I nodded and said, "Okay. To celebrate the great victory in Xiangyang, General Lu Wende, the commander of the Xiangyang Military Region, has prepared a dinner for everyone. Generals, the war is over today. At the banquet in the evening, everyone can have a drink."
"Here's some wine." When everyone heard this, they were all delighted. During the war, no one was allowed to drink. There were many military orders, and no one dared to violate them. And most of the generals in the army were good drinkers. Now they could finally enjoy themselves.
Lu Wende prepared a lot of wine and food for the dinner. Although they were all local home-cooked dishes, they were very delicious to the generals who had been staying at the Guanzitan camp.
Perhaps it was because of my presence. These generals all ate very elegantly, talked in low voices, and drank in small sips. The atmosphere of the entire banquet was not very lively.
Halfway through the meal, Jia Sidao, Lu Xiufu and Zhao Sunshun, who were in Yingzhou, arrived in Xiangyang by boat.
"Haha. You guys arrived just in time. My dear friends, let's discuss this after dinner."
"See Your Majesty," Jia Sidao said respectfully. "I and the other three have already had dinner on the boat."
"Really?" I said with a smile. "That's good. I'm full. Three of you, please follow me to the back room. Jiang Aiqing, Xia Aiqing, and the two Lu Aiqings. You will also come in. The rest will continue."
Entering the house, the three of them saluted again and said, "I am here to see your majesty. Congratulations to your majesty on the great victory in Xiangyang."
"Yes. No courtesy. Everyone, please sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
I took a sip of tea and said straight to the point: "The Battle of Xiangyang is over. Our army's next mission should be the Northern Expedition."
Lu Xiufu said: "Your Majesty has decided."
"Well, at present, Yunnan Province on the southwest road is under the control of our army. The Yuan army on the middle road was also defeated by our army. Although there has been no news from the Yinying Lei Department, I believe that the Yinying Lei Department will definitely
It became a time bomb in the hinterland of the north. It could explode under Kublai Khan's eyes at any time. After wiping out the main infantry of the Mongolian Middle Route Army, the strength of the two sides in the Song and Yuan Dynasties was roughly equal. Although Kublai Khan was expanding his army again,
The combat effectiveness of new recruits cannot be improved at once. The morale of our officers and soldiers is high. The coordination and cooperation ability between the armies has been completely improved. After several years of development within the court, the national strength has already exceeded that of the late emperor's "Duan Ping Entering Luo" period.
The military supplies are sufficient to support our Northern Expedition. Therefore, I plan to launch a full-scale Northern Expedition in early August at the latest."
Jia Sidao smiled and said, "Your Majesty must have a plan."
"That's right. My dear friends, please take a look at the map." I pointed to the large map on the wall. "Middle Road. I will use Xiangyang as the base of our army. It will be mainly organized with Xiangyang Military Region, Lin'an Military Region and Yulin Army. The Central Route Army of the Northern Expedition. This army will also be the main force of the Northern Expedition. It will go north from Xiangyang. It will first capture Dengzhou and Nanyang in Henan. Then it will march northeast and occupy Henan and Hebei. It will approach Dadu, the core of the Yuan Dynasty; The east road is dominated by the Jianghuai Military Region. It leaves Yangzhou and Luzhou and crosses the Huaihe River. It takes Shandong first and then marches north to Dadu. The west road is dominated by the Sichuan Military Region and the Yunnan Military Region. The troops are divided into two routes and march westward to regain the territory. The land in western Sichuan occupied by the Mongols. The other route left Yangping Pass and marched into Shaanxi and Shanxi. The navy went directly north from the coast. After defeating the Yuan Army's navy, it could start from the Shandong Peninsula or even from Zhigu Town east of Dadu ( (today's Tianjin) landing; again, when our armies advance together, the Yinying Lei Department will also wait for the opportunity to provide support. Of course, the eastern and western armies are not equipped with firearms and do not have a large number of cavalry. Therefore, during the attack It may be blocked. Once this happens, the east and west armies only need to hold back the enemy. We will make plans after our center army takes over Henan."
Lu Wende sighed: "With firearms, there will be no problem in the Northern Expedition."
I smiled and said: "Yes. Lu Aiqing. This is the battle between the advanced and the backward. Master, Lu Aiqing."
"I'm here."
"Starting tomorrow, except for Zhao Aiqing, the six of you will begin to discuss the detailed plan for the Northern Expedition. The Military Academy had a preliminary plan at the beginning of the war. Now it is time to refine it."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I obey your order."
"This plan will be handed over to me in five days. I will discuss it with you all then. Lu Aiqing, I plan to visit Gulongzhong tomorrow. You can arrange a guide."
"Your Majesty, please let Lu Wenxin accompany your Majesty."
"Lu Wenxin." I laughed and said, "Okay."
In the early morning, Wei Xiaoqi led more than a thousand officers and soldiers to Bangyuan Village. In front of a dilapidated mountain temple two miles outside the village, Suo Wuhun said: "Sir, I will go to the village to investigate. The army will rest here for the time being. We will make a final decision after my subordinates return."
"Okay, Mr. Suo, please bring twenty good men."
"It doesn't matter. It's easier for me to do things alone."
Xiao Qi knew that Suo Wuhun was very skilled in martial arts and was familiar with the terrain of the village. So he nodded and said, "Okay. Master Suo, be careful."
About half an hour later, Xiao Qi saw Suo Wuhun return to the mountain temple. Suo Wuhun said: "Sir, all the members of the Tiandao Alliance in the village have disappeared. Only the uninformed villagers are left. According to the villagers, in the middle of last month .Many young people surnamed Fang left one after another in the village and have not returned yet. Even their family members left one after another in early July. The Fang family compound is also deserted."
"From this point of view, the man in black who attacked the gunpowder prison must be the Tiandao Alliance."
"Well, sir, neither the elder Fang nor his disciples from the Tiandao Alliance are in the village."
"Do these villagers know about the Tiandao Alliance?"
"Sir, the Tiandao League has always acted cautiously. Most of the villagers don't know about the Tiandao League. They only know that the Fang family in the village is a wealthy family in Bangyuan Village. And the Fang family apparently makes a living by doing business. Most of the members of the alliance are They are scattered around and governed by elders with different surnames. Therefore, the villagers in Bangyuan Village know very little about it."
"Does Master Suo know where the elders with different surnames are staying?"
"Sir, these elders with different surnames do not have a fixed place to stay. When the boss was in power, they only held a meeting in the Shenggong Cave in the back mountain once a year. Only the boss knew their usual whereabouts. In the past few years since the boss left, the Tiandao Alliance I don’t know the situation. I think it must be under the control of the third master, Fang Chenqian.”
On the way to Bangyuan Village, Suo Wuhun told Xiaoqi in detail what he knew about the Tiandao Alliance. Fang Chenqian is the third brother of the eldest brother. Among the three brothers in the Fang family, the second oldest Fang Chenbang is not good at martial arts. . Has been doing business outside. The third party, Fang Chenqian, has been introverted since he was a child. He has a very deep inner world. Even the boss can’t figure out what he is thinking. In the few years since the boss founded the alliance, most of the affairs in the alliance were taken care of by the third boss. .Although the third leader doesn't speak much, he is quite capable. Most of the elders are on good terms with him. Unlike when the boss was in power, he is aloof. Everyone has a sense of fear of the boss.
"Back Mountain." Xiao Qi thought for a while and said, "Master Suo, do you know where Shenggong Cave is?"
"Know."
"Okay. Let's go to Shenggong Cave and have a look."
Xiaoqi selected a hundred experts and headed toward the back mountain overnight under the leadership of Suo Wuhun.
Although the mountain behind Bangyuan Village is not high, it is extremely complicated. There are towering trees everywhere. There is no obvious road available. Fortunately, there is a rope and no soul to lead the way. Only then can we find the mountain hidden under a cliff in the roadless mountain. Shenggong Cave.
"Sir, this is the entrance to Shenggong Cave." Suo Wuhun stepped forward first, but found that the entrance had been blocked by rocks.
Among the accompanying experts, there was a Hunanese named Qian Yixiang who knew the science of civil engineering. He stepped forward and looked at it and said: "This place has been closed for a very short period of time. It should not exceed ten days."
Xiao Qi asked: "Can you open the entrance?"
"Sir, if you want to clear an entrance as quickly as possible, just bundle the projectiles together and detonate them."
"Throwing bombs." Xiao Qi hesitated. This throwing bomb was originally used to deal with the masters of the men in black. It is not used casually.
Qian Yixiang said: "Sir, this entrance is sealed by rocks. But the people who sealed the cave may have been too hasty. The entrance of the cave is not very strong. Therefore, it only takes twenty throwing bombs to open a hole."
"Okay then. Do it."
After the twenty bombs bundled together exploded, cracks appeared at the entrance. Everyone used their weapons to clean up the rubble. Soon, a small hole was revealed that could allow one person to crawl through.
Suo Wuhun took the lead to crawl through the entrance of the cave. Xiao Qi left seventy experts guarding the entrance of the cave and climbed in after him.
Under the dim candlelight, the Shenggong Cave looked a bit eerie and terrifying. There were no human beings inside. Suo Wuhun pointed at a statue and said: "Sir, this statue is the Holy Gong of the Tiandao Alliance. That is, there are more than a hundred people. Fang La, the ancestor of the Fang family who raised a flag to rebel in the Jiangnan area years ago."
Xiao Qi, who already knew about the Tiandao Alliance, was not surprised. Fang La's rebellion happened on Liangzhe Road. So Xiao Qi also heard about what happened back then. If he hadn't been in the palace for a long time, Xiao Qi would also be like this Many people in Liangzhe Road regard Fang La as a legendary figure.
Suo Wuhun led everyone to search carefully. Except for some ordinary books, no valuable clues were found.