In this plan of the East Route Northern Expeditionary Army, Li Tingzhi and Xia Gui reported in detail their next battle plan. Simply put, the plan is divided into two steps. In the first step, the East Route Army will launch an attack on March 1. , the purpose is to defeat the Mongolian Eastern Route Army outside Xuzhou City; in the second step, the army goes north to recapture Teng County (now north of Zaozhuang), Yizhou (now south of Zaozhuang), Yizhou Prefecture (now Linyi) in southeastern Shandong, and Yizhou Prefecture served as the base for recovering the entire territory of Shandong.
After reading it, I said to Gongsun Xiaochen and Tian Xiuyan: "Xiaochen, Xiuyan, please reply to the two generals Li Tingzhi and Xia Gui. Today, the power of our firearms has been proven in actual combat. No one can defeat the Yuan army. At the same time, the application of firearms can greatly reduce the casualties of our soldiers. For this Northern Expedition, I have adopted a steady and gradual approach. Starting from this year, firearms will be gradually equipped to the eastern and western armies. , Therefore, the eastern and western armies do not need to rush northward. In order to reduce unnecessary casualties of our soldiers, they can only attack when they are quite sure. It is important not to sacrifice the lives of a large number of soldiers in exchange for regaining lost territory. Regarding the Eastern Route Army's combat plan, the two generals made a decision after weighing themselves,"
After Gongsun Xiaochen and Tian Xiuyan finished recording, they said: "Your Majesty, I will immediately send someone to deliver your Majesty's decree to Xuzhou."
"Well, my instructions for the Northern Expeditionary Army on the Eastern Route have also been passed on to Gundam in Sichuan."
"Yes, Your Majesty,"
On the morning of March 1st, Kublai Khan received a message from Tianya. The imitation of muskets had made great progress. After handling the government affairs, Kublai Khan came to Tianya General Altar again.
Cai Enjiya said: "Your Majesty, after improvement, the performance of the musket sample has been improved a lot. Both the shooting speed and accuracy are close to the indicators of the Southern Dynasty muskets. It can be produced in batches. Compared with the Southern Dynasty muskets, only the The ammunition doesn't hit the target with as much force,"
Kublai Khan thought for a while and said: "Supreme Sir, if we don't consider the issue of ammunition first, how long will it take to produce muskets in batches?"
Cai Enjiya said: "Your Majesty, the first batch of one hundred muskets will take about three months. If there is no problem, the follow-up will be very fast. It is estimated that after normalcy, five hundred can be produced in one month."
"Well, the development of muskets and ammunition will be carried out simultaneously. For the development of ammunition, more manpower will be added,"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Yin Tianya took over the words and said, "Your Majesty, Fang Chenqian and Yang Lianzhenjia, the head of the Southern Tiandao League, are at the main altar. Do you want to see them, Your Majesty?"
"Fang Chenqian," Kublai Khan knew, was a master from the Southern Dynasties who could be as famous as Yin Tianya.
"Well, after the failed sneak attack on the gunpowder prison, the Tiandao Alliance suffered heavy losses. Fang Chenqian was picking up the remaining soldiers at the junction of Shandong and Anhui. Only less than two hundred people came to follow him. Among the eight elders under him, only the Great Elder Wang Shangyuan and Fifth Elder Fang He,"
"Lord God, how do you plan to arrange the Tiandao Alliance?"
"Your Majesty, that Fang Chenqian is very skilled in martial arts. Yin plans to let them join the Tianya organization and make them serve as the deputy ministers of Tianya. For the time being, they will be responsible for collecting intelligence from the Southern Dynasties."
"Did he agree?"
"At this point, can we still let him go?" Yin Tianya smiled and continued, "However, Fang Chenqian has always wanted to see the emperor."
"Okay, Lord God, I happen to be free, so I'll send someone to bring them.
Not long after, Fa Jue brought Yang Lianzhenjia and Fang Chenqian to a small room next to the secret room.
"See your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live me,"
"You two beloved ministers, please go home without any courtesy."
"Thank you, Your Majesty,"
Kublai Khan looked at Fang Chenqian and said with a smile: "Mr. Fang, I have heard about your name for a long time, and today I finally meet you. You are the leader of the martial arts world in the Southern Dynasty. I am very happy to be able to abandon the darkness and turn to the light. I should have met you as soon as possible, but in the past few days, I have not been able to meet you." Because of the wars between the Yuan and Song dynasties, I have no time until now. I hope you don’t blame me, sir.”
Seeing Kublai Khan's polite words, Fang Chenqian hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, my subordinates have long admired the Emperor's literary and military skills. When I saw him today, I found that the Emperor's appearance is extraordinary and full of imperial aura. He is indeed the real Dragon Emperor."
"Haha, Mr. Fang is very good at talking. I like it. I heard what Yin Shen said. Mr. Fang, if you have anything to do with me, please come to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Fang Chenqian knelt down again and said, "My subordinate is Fang La, who fought against the Song Dynasty a hundred years ago. My subordinates have always taken it as their own responsibility to rebuild the 'Yongle Kingdom'. Now that the Emperor is wise and powerful, my subordinates are naturally I no longer have any thoughts of restoring the country, I can only ask for one thing."
Kublai Khan stood up and walked to Fang Chenqian, personally helped him up and said, "Mr. Fang, please tell me something."
Fang Chenqian saw that Kublai Khan was personally supporting him, and he was very moved in his heart: "It will be just around the corner for the emperor to unify the country. After the emperor unifies the world, can he confer the title of King Yongle on his ancestor Shenggong Fang La?"
Regarding the current situation, Fang Chenqian is very clear that the only two countries that can dominate the world are the Song and Yuan Dynasties. As a descendant of Fang La, the Fang family of the Tiandao Alliance is incompatible with the Song court. With the current power of the Tiandao Alliance, There is no ability to negotiate with Kublai Khan and become the "Yongle Kingdom" of a state within a state. Therefore, completely surrendering to the Yuan Dynasty may be the only way out. If the Yuan Dynasty can unify the world, Kublai Khan, as the emperor, is willing to make Fang La king. , that can be regarded as an explanation to the ancestors of the other party's family.
"Be crowned king," Kublai Khan was stunned for a moment, pretending to be serious and said, "Mr. Fang, in all dynasties, there are only two types of people who can be crowned king. One is the royal family member, and the other is those who have made significant contributions to the country. I don't know, sir, ,,,,,”
Fang Chenqian understood the meaning of Kublai Khan and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, if Fang is not talented, he will work for the Emperor. He will do everything in his power. If he has some merit, he is willing to be the cornerstone of his ancestors' title of king."
"Okay, okay," Kublai Khan laughed heartily, "With a talent like Mr. Fang, why worry about my Yuan Dynasty not being prosperous?"
"Please give me your Majesty's orders. None of my subordinates dare to disobey."
"Come on, Mr. Fang, I happen to have a big event. This matter has been brewing for several years, but there has never been a suitable person. Mr. Fang, I wonder if you are willing to share my worries."
"Your Majesty, my subordinates must obey your orders, but I don't know what the big deal is."
"Mr. Fang, do you know that there are four great khanates in the western part of the Yuan Dynasty?"
"My subordinates have heard of it, but don't know what's going on."
Kublai Khan said: "Mr. Fang, I have been ordered by heaven to become the emperor of Great China, integrating Mongolia, Han, and Jin into one unified China. This is why I changed the name of the country to 'Dayuan'." , and the four major khanates took this as an excuse to jump to the stage from behind, intending to form an alliance and attack our country. Considering the overall situation, I have sent imperial envoys to negotiate peace with them. At present, the biggest resistance to the peace talks comes from Ogedai Khan. The Haidu of our country, the Wo Kuotai Khanate is the strongest among the four great khanates, and Haidu is also the most arrogant among them. This person wants to seize my throne, so I plan to get rid of this person,"
Fang Chen said: "Your Majesty, my subordinate will go to the Western Regions to retrieve this person's head and present it to the Emperor."
Kublai Khan nodded and said happily: "Okay, Mr. Fang, Na Haidu is quite brave, and there are many masters among his guards. Only with the help of peerless masters like Mr. Fang can we succeed. High Priest Yang Lian Zhenjia, "
"My subordinate is here,"
"You are familiar with the situation in the Western Regions. This time, you and Mr. Fang will sneak into the Ogedai Khanate."
"Yes, I obey,"
"Well, dear sirs, be careful," Kublai Khan warned, and then took out a dagger-like weapon from his arms and said, "Mr. Fang, when I went to war in the past, I had three side-by-side weapons, the precious sword and the flying dragon. , Bao Bow Divine Eagle, and this Blood Edge Dagger. This dagger is extremely sharp and is called 'Blood Edge'. I will give it to you today. I hope you can achieve your first success and return as soon as possible."
Fang Chenqian took the short blade and thanked him: "I will live up to the emperor's love."
"Okay, go ahead,"
Not only Yang Lianzhenjia showed envy, but Yin Tianya on the side also secretly said, "Kublai Khan was generous enough in order to acquire Fang Chengan."
Fang Chenqian didn't know the origin of the Blood Edge, but Yin Tianya and others knew that the Blood Edge dagger was one of Mongolia's magic weapons.
Henan Province is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation. In ancient times, it was called China, Central Plains, Zhongzhou, and Zhongtu. Before the Yuan Dynasty, it had always been the core area of China. There were many ancient capitals in the territory, such as Luoyang, Shangqiu, Anyang, etc., since Taizu Taizu of the Northern Song Dynasty. Since the emperor established the capital Bianliang (today's Kaifeng), Henan Province has once again become the political, economic and cultural center of the country. The population of the capital Bianliang once reached more than one million, making it the largest city in the world at that time, and its commercial trade volume accounted for As much as half of the country. However, after the Jingkang Incident, the whole of Henan began to decline.
On March 3rd, I left Xuchang and came to Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.
On the day of arrival, accompanied by Jiang Wanzai and others, I changed into plain clothes and first came to the bank of the Bianhe River. I looked around. Although there were a lot of people, there was nothing like the prosperity and excitement depicted in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". What about the scene?
"Your Majesty, the prosperity of Bianliang City will soon return," Jiang Wanzai seemed to know what I was thinking.
"Well, for sure,"
"Your Majesty, do you want to visit the royal palace ruins?"
"Okay, Jiang Aiqing, lead the way," as a descendant of the Zhao family, you should visit the place where your ancestors lived no matter what, even though it no longer exists.
In 1155 AD, an inexplicable fire broke out in the Forbidden City of the Northern Song Dynasty in Bianliang City (which was renamed Bianjing after the occupation of the Jin Dynasty and served as the capital of the Jin Dynasty). Almost all the buildings were destroyed. In the following decades, the Jin Dynasty The imperial court did not renovate it, but allowed it to decay. Today, it is overgrown with weeds and only the broken rock walls are left, which seem to silently tell the story of the prosperity of the past.
Speaking of palace ruins, in my mind, the most memorable one is the Old Summer Palace in Beijing. Those majestic palaces were all turned into ruins in a hundred years, which made future generations sigh. ,sad,