The cavalry had not gone far when the scout in front fired a loud arrow.
The troop's marching speed remained unchanged. Following the officer's order, dozens of horseback horses stepped out to meet the southern mountains indicated by the sound of arrows. Just as the cavalry accelerated and galloped, they saw a horse flashing out of the mountains. Judging from the costume,
He is a messenger from the Zhou army.
The guide was in front of the group, so it was not convenient to ask for a while. This mountainous area is a watershed of some river, and it is quite steep. The cliffs on both sides face each other, like a knife. The slope of the mountain road in the middle is not small, and the places where there are twists and turns are blocked.
It is covered with snow, and from a distance, you can still vaguely see the reflection of ice.
Such a road is bound to be dangerous. If you are not careful when riding on it, you and your horse will slip and fall, breaking your muscles and bones. Seeing this, several cavalrymen shouted at the same time: "Be careful! Rein your horse!"
But I never thought that the messenger was riding the horse on the steep mountain road, completely calm and leisurely. Sometimes he shook the reins to urge the horse, sometimes he threw the stirrup and turned over. He pressed the saddle with one hand and followed the horse at a gallop. Then he jumped on the horse's back again. As he galloped, he turned faster than lightning.
He was as light as the wind. As he watched, he descended the mountain in a flash. His movements were like a flying ball, without any hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, the messenger came from far away, whistled to signal, and rushed past the cavalry.
Several cavalrymen couldn't help but praise him, while others were dissatisfied: "Hu Li Gai's riding skills are indeed good, but his brain is not good enough, so he can't be put to great use."
Since the last years of Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin Kingdom, the number of cavalry in the Han region has been shrinking rapidly. The imperial court usually recruits cavalry from the Yi army from various ethnic groups in the north and relies on them to become the elite. After the Mongols conquered the Jin Dynasty, all the herdsmen and supervisors in the northern Xinjiang area changed hands, and there were even fewer horses.
, excellent riders become increasingly rare.
In the past few years, through exchanges with the northeastern hinterland, the Great Zhou Dynasty continuously rebuilt pastures, cultivated fine breeds, and obtained a large number of fine horses from the north, thus re-cultivating a large number of soldiers who were proficient in riding skills.
These cavalrymen were able to follow Guo Ning and participate in important operations. They were all excellent riders in the Zhou army. But the more skilled they were in riding, the more they had to admit that the results of their training in the military camp were inferior to those of fishing and hunting.
, the instincts honed by nomadic people since childhood are still inferior.
This difference is usually not noticeable, except when riding horses to make various thrilling moves. Even if they can do it, they can't do it as easily as eating and drinking.
Therefore, the Jurchen regime was overthrown, and the number of Jurchens in the Central Plains continued to decrease. The proportion of Jurchens and various foreign races in the Zhou army was actually higher than before. Start as a soldier at the bottom, then strive for education and promotion, and then bring your family to
Moving to Han Dynasty and becoming a noble Han Chinese from then on has become the most common way for foreigners in the Northeast to enter the country.
It's just that the Jurchens in the Northeast have been split into multiple ethnic groups, so just looking at military status, it seems that the number of Huli Gai people has suddenly increased.
Fortunately, Huli Gai people generally have a simple character, and most of them still remain in the rank of grassroots soldiers. They did not cause a violent backlash from the soldiers. At most, they said a few harsh words.
At this time, the messenger rushed quickly, passed several identity checks, and delivered a military report.
The military newspaper said that the war in Henan is still going on, and many important military towns are still in our hands. Near Kaifeng, there are even fierce battles. The Hebei garrison did not receive orders and did not dare to move without permission. But previously in Mengzhou, Weizhou, Huazhou
The defeated troops received from Zhouzhou and other places have been reorganized and sent back to Henan to support the battle. The morale of the soldiers was high and they vowed to take revenge.
"When the villain arrived, two groups of people and four hundred ferries had already been assembled at Mengzhou Ferry. Arms and supplies were fully prepared. As long as the court orders, we can cross the river at any time." The messenger said in a final tone.
When Dajin was still there, when the Mongols attacked somewhere, the generals in other places would either be afraid of the enemy and hide in their own military towns and tremble;
smash.
Anyone who has ever led troops knows that it is extremely dangerous to mobilize troops without the permission of superiors; often a thousand-mile dike breaks in an ant nest, and bad things happen due to the wanton behavior of a few small people. Guo Ning knows better that having both steel discipline and
There has been only one proactive army since ancient times, and it must have appeared more than 700 years later.
Therefore, Guo Ning has always insisted on strict military discipline since he started his army, and will never allow his subordinates to act arbitrarily based on their own likes and dislikes. At this time, the generals of various military towns close to Henan are not afraid of war and are fully prepared for support.
But the orders and prohibitions are still enforced, which shows that the construction of the army is very effective.
Guo Ning led his horse to a slope, took the military report and looked at it carefully.
He has been traveling for days, and his face is weathered, but his actions are not impatient, but appear to be calm. None of the many consulting officers around him spoke up, and at most they only made eye contact with each other.
"How many people have been gathered over in Mengzhou? Have they been resettled? Have all the injured been treated?"
"The Mongolian army has not yet passed Xingyang, and a small number of people who fled from Zhengzhou, Heyin and other places have been resettled around Luoyang. Not many people fled across the river to Mengzhou, and there were no casualties. When I came, Mengzhou defense envoys specially
Two ferries are left for transfer, which is enough."
"I heard yesterday that there were thousands of Mongolian cavalry threatening Sishui. Have they been beaten back?"
"Actually, there are no thousand cavalry, only three hundred-man teams, not two hundred cavalry. Since yesterday evening, Guo Liushou led the soldiers and civilians around Kaifeng to make big moves. The battle was so dark that the Mongols retreated. Now we have sent an additional one.
We have set up camp in Hulao to prevent them from harassing us again; there is also a group of brothers who rushed to Sishui overnight, but I don’t know if they have arrived now.”
"Where are the cities in the southeast of Henan Prefecture? How about the area around Songzhou and Ruzhou?"
"Calm and calm."
Guo Ning nodded and summoned a document to draw up an order: "The security in the southeast of Henan Prefecture cannot be relaxed; the ferries on both sides of the Yellow River must be strictly controlled, and ferries cannot be left on the south bank every night. As for military affairs, all are subject to the orders of Nanjing Guo Liushou.
, you must go all out and there is no need to report anything else.”
War was raging in various parts of the Central Plains. Guo Ning rushed back all the way. The military reports he received along the way were that the Mongols were on the rampage, but Guo Ning's heart was calmed.
The various places in Jingzhao Prefecture guarded by Li Ting are now fully prepared for war and are as stable as Mount Tai. The Mongolian army obviously reached some kind of agreement with the Song Dynasty and was able to invade the Central Plains through the passage; and their momentum was shocking, but they were completely unable to capture it.
The total number of any important military town is estimated to be at least 10,000, or 20,000.
A few days ago, Li Yun sent an urgent report from Lin'an, saying that the Southern Song Dynasty's policy of harmony with its northern neighbors had not been shaken. The Mongolian raids stemmed from Shi Miyuan's hope that there would be some trouble in the Central Plains so that he could take the opportunity to kill those who held radical views.
All the political opponents were thrown into the border military states, so an agreement was reached with the Mongols to use the road.
Everyone understands that this powerful official of the Song Dynasty is a person who has no profit and cannot afford to be early. Otherwise, he would not have such a complicated political and business relationship with the Zhou Dynasty. But as the prime minister of a country, the political choices he made were so frivolous and wanton.
It was really hard for Ning to understand that Li Yun's secret service had compiled intelligence from several hidden sources, and Guo Ning had no choice but to believe it.
Perhaps Shi Miyuan only had power and position in his mind. He bowed to the Jin Kingdom in the past for power and position, and later cooperated with Zhou Dynasty for power and position. Compared with power and position, disputes between countries and even military disasters occurred.
The loss of lives is nothing. Even if the sky falls and the earth falls, he cannot be shaken from his position as prime minister.
Perhaps he thought it would be a good idea to not only create an excuse to deal with political opponents, but also use small means to cause some trouble for the Zhou Dynasty.
However, the Mongols' mobility was beyond imagination. Shi Miyuan originally only wanted to allow a small group of Mongolian cavalry to pass through, but it would be easier for the Zhou Dynasty to investigate in the future. As a result, the Mongolian cavalry was pervasive, and 20,000 cavalry were pushed along the Han River.
It destroyed hundreds of Song Dynasty villages and caused countless casualties.
Shi Miyuan stole the chicken but lost the rice. At this moment, he was facing a snowstorm of accountability memorials.
When the 20,000 cavalry arrived in the Central Plains, they naturally made trouble. The center of gravity of Zhou's troops was in the north. There had been undercurrents in the Central Plains before, so it was inevitable to lose troops and generals at first.
But Guo Ning was very convinced that as long as he survived the fierce attack by the Mongols at the beginning, Guo Zhongyuan could lead his troops to suppress the Mongolian cavalry. If he was lucky, he could even devour them in one bite.
Guo Ning is a soldier who rose from the bottom. No matter how others brag about him, admire him, and regard him as a commander of geniuses, he understands that he is just an ordinary soldier, one of the countless soldiers who were struggling on the death line in northern Xinjiang.
one.
If there is any difference between him and ordinary people, perhaps it is only the insight brought about by that big dream.
In terms of bravery and tenacity, there are too many soldiers who can compare with him; in terms of perseverance and unyielding, he has seen too many ordinary people. There are thousands of soldiers, and some of them are outstanding people.
Guo Ning, who was pushed by the times to become the emperor of the new dynasty, only needed to break the shackles that had surrounded him for hundreds of years. Once the shackles were removed, the Han people would naturally burst out with powerful power. Just like a giant standing tall and strong, he had regained his strength.
Even if he is covered in blood, he is still enough to crush the enemies who underestimate him.
Guo Ning initially turned back with light cavalry because he was worried about the situation in the Central Plains. He had mastered more and more information in the past few days, but he was still on the road, in order to meet the enemy in another direction.
The so-called enemies include the main force of the Mongolian army that will appear sooner or later, as well as some people who were recognized by Guo Ning and chose to serve the Zhou Dynasty.