With the help of the Ayue Department, more than 300 kilometers of waterway, the Song army took advantage of the north wind in January to go south, day and night, wearing the stars and the moon, and arrived at Thang Long the next night.

Qu Ping asked Azugu: "From Yunnan to Shenglong, there are hundreds of miles of waterways in between, can there be a checkpoint water fence in it?" ”

Azugu is twenty-seven or eighteen years old, with a loyal and honest appearance, and his strong muscles are hidden under his clothes, but he can be seen from his every move that he is a good practitioner.

Azugu didn't dare to hide it, and replied honestly: "There are often commercial exchanges between the two places, and it will be unimpeded after crossing the border. The marshal rest assured, the Jiaozhi checkpoint is useless, and the guards will taste the wine and eat here at night, and this is just after the New Year, and people on both sides must have gathered together to drink! ”

But Qu Ping didn't think so, Li Yuanzhan had just been frustrated and fled, and he was not sure that the other party would be on guard.

Prudence can catch thousands of meditations, and caution can make a ship of ten thousand years.

Therefore, Qu Ping sent a small boat, brought gifts, and went to visit the Jiaozhi people at the border of the waterway.

The Jiaozhi soldiers at the border pass were really unguarded as Azugu said, and they were quickly cleaned up and killed by the Song soldiers who sneaked in.

When the army arrived at the border pass, the Great Song Dragon Flag had already been planted at the pass, and the Jiaozhi soldiers guarding the pass had already gone down to Huangquan to drink Meng Po soup.

When they arrived at the territory of Cochin, the flags on the ship were replaced with small flags representing major merchants, covering people's eyes and ears with a blindfold.

The army traveled all the way by boat, unimpeded, and the people along the coast thought it was a passing caravan, and they stopped on both sides of the strait to watch and admire! Wait until the shrewd Jiaozhi people on the shore find out that something is wrong, and then turn around and report it, according to the little pony of Jiaozhi, the time to report to Shenglong will definitely not be able to catch up with the Song boat that sent Shenglong in a straight line.

Zhao Lijun, who came from Guangnan West Road, passed through Qinzhou at this time and went straight into the territory of Jiaozhi. The Jiaozhi army was not prepared for the Great Song Dynasty to suddenly send troops to overwhelm the border, and for a time no one was invincible, and they had retreated for hundreds of miles in less than ten days.

Emperor Li of the Jiaozhi Dynasty hurriedly sent troops to meet Zhao Li's army, and set up heavy troops in Linjiang, Bac Giang Province, northeast of Thang Long, to prevent Zhao Li from approaching the capital and holding the last line of defense.

In addition, he hurriedly ordered someone to write a good letter of state, curry favor with the Great Song Dynasty, and ask the Great Song Dynasty why the army pressed the border, the painful experience of defeat decades ago is still fresh in his memory, and he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Zhao Li arrived in Beijiang Province, but he was also in a dilemma.

The army has been dispatched for a long time, and now it is January again, and Guangnan is short of grain and grass, and the soldiers' food is tight. In addition, the soldiers brought from the Central Plains arrived in the territory of Jiaozhi, because of the miasma and poisonous plague in the rainforest, a large number of soldiers in the Central Plains showed symptoms of water and soil adaptation. If it weren't for Zhao Li and 10,000 local soldiers on Guangnan West Road, I am afraid that he would have been forced to withdraw on his own.

Fortunately, before leaving the country, he brought three or five strong doctors and boiled some soup and water for the soldiers to take, otherwise the number of soldiers would have dropped sharply at this moment. Even so, the soldiers are secretly complaining, maybe one day they will bury their loyal bones in barren mountains, and they are still in other countries.

Zhao Li also suffered from gastrointestinal diseases, and he pulled more than ten times a day, his buttocks were hot, and he was also seriously dehydrated. The military doctor boiled Chinese medicine for him, drank it while it was hot, and felt that he was about to go to the toilet again.

The adjutant general persuaded: "General, even you are sick, how can you fight this battle?" ”

Zhao Li paused, and his face darkened: "Don't talk nonsense, otherwise the military law will deal with it!" It is not easy for us to get to where we are today, and we must not mess up our morale again! ”

The adjutant general lowered his head and muttered: "People are also sick, horses are also dying, they can't eat well, beware of the army will mutiny!" ”

"Dare!" Zhao Li struggled to sit up, and then said in a weak tone, "It is estimated that even the power of the mutiny will not be able to gather!" Order the whole army to strengthen the treatment and control of the wounded and sick, and not to leak the news. Let the enemy know that we are dead! ”

"Yes! But...... General, what is the point of us holding on to death? The lieutenant asked blankly.

Zhao Li's eyes were firmly locked into the distance, and he said in a firm tone: "For a belief!" I once had the privilege of spending some time with Yongguo Gong, and he told us that for the survival and glory of the country and the nation, those who dare to offend our Chinese will be punished even if they are far away! We all need to be firm in this belief! We have to persevere, waiting for Yongguo Gong to smash the Yellow Dragon! And we, now, just use all our strength and do our best to contain the enemy! ”

Of course, Qu Ping didn't know that Zhao Li had reached such a difficult juncture, because he was currently about to go straight down the river to Thang Long.

Jiaozhi sent a large force to defend Zhao Li's department, and was afraid that Qu Ping's department would take the opportunity to go south again, so yesterday he had already sent another force to defend the north by land, and he did not expect that Qu Ping would go south by boat with the whole army.

Along the road, the Jiaozhi army, which was heading north by land, heard that there were a large number of ships heading south along the river, and that there were horses and food, and they cried out in their hearts, could the enemy have come from the waterway in disguise? So he returned to the emperor on the one hand, and returned to the army to rescue on the other.

Yazhang resigned from the phoenix, and rode around the dragon city.

At the Thang Long Pier port, the people at the pier look at the flags of the ships, which are the ones who used to do business with them. With so many ships on the other side, the battle was unprecedented. The bosses hurriedly summoned the men to come and help unload the goods, but there were not enough men, and they had to recruit labor nearby.

The coolies watched the ship dock with their eyes, and fantasized about the way they would count the money in the quilt with their wives in their arms tonight, and their faces bloomed with joy. Look at your own tattered clothes again, and wonder if you will have the money to change into a new one tomorrow, or go to an alley you haven't been to in a long time......

Everyone helped to put a board on the ship's armor and prepared to warmly welcome the cargo that was coming down the ship.

However, what came down from the wear and wear was not any commodity goods, but sturdy Great Song soldiers and war horses.

The coolies with puzzled faces were forced to sit aside by Song Bingliang's dignified swords and guns, and a large area of space was cleared on the dock so that all the soldiers and horses on the ship could go ashore.

All the troops went ashore, and they were draped and saddled, and many of them carried small boats, which would be of great use later. Odd books

Qu Ping asked people to ask where the palace was in Jiaozhi dialect, and escorted the coolies on the dock to lead the way, and ran to the palace gate with great fanfare.

A large army of Jiaozhi has been sent to defend the north, and less than 10,000 people remain to defend the royal city. Shenglong is not as good as the Great Song Dynasty's Lufu, there are seven or eight thousand people who are already very large, if it is not for the fact that the Great Song Dynasty has raised troops to attack, there will be two or three thousand guards on weekdays.

The outnumbered Song army slaughtered the palace with a thunderous force, and it was impossible for Li Yanghuan, the emperor of the Li Dynasty in the palace, not to know the news.

Li Yanghuan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and immediately summoned the princes and ministers into the palace to discuss. Now that the enemy army is approaching the city, and their main force is defending outside, how can this be good, the Great Song Dynasty is determined to avenge the invasion of Guangnan by Jiaozhi back then!

Li Yuanzhan, who had just returned to Beijing, said: "Your Majesty, the Song army has come from afar, and it must be hard to travel for a long time, and there will be insufficient food and grass for a long time. As long as we stick to the reinforcements and order the people in the jurisdiction to clear the walls, then the Song soldiers will not be able to attack the city for a while, and their morale will decline, and our army will receive the news to return to the rescue, and the Song army will definitely retreat without attacking! When the time comes, we will join forces with the outside and wipe out the Song army in one fell swoop! ”

Li Yanghuan glanced at Li Yuanzhan, and said that you provoked this lice for me, and he said: "It's just that there are few defenders in the city, how can the vast Song army deal with it?" ”

Li Yuanzhan must save face from defeat, he said: "According to the report from the front, the Song army is only more than 20,000 people, as long as Your Majesty insists on three days, the minister dares to guarantee that the Song army will be retreated?" ”

Li Yanghuan still couldn't believe it, and asked: "I don't know if the other party received the letter I sent to Song Jun on Guangnan Road before." It's better to write another letter and send someone to send it to the Song army here, maybe this misunderstanding can be resolved. ”

"Your Majesty, the enemy has already been killed under the city, what other misunderstanding can there be?" Li Yuanzhan said urgently.

Another minister said: "The minister thinks that Your Majesty's plan is feasible, and it should be used as a plan to delay the army!" ”

Li Yanghuan glanced gratefully at the minister who spoke for him, and then ordered the man to immediately start writing the letter. Li Yanghuan personally signed the letter, looked at it solemnly, and handed it over to him to be ordered to be sent to Song Jun immediately.

Li Yanghuan ordered Li Yuanzhan again: "General Li, please lead the soldiers to guard the city gate for me!" ”

"Yes!" Li Yuanzhan firmly agreed, he bowed to Li Yanghuan, and then took his subordinates out to arrange city defense tasks.

Qu Ping led the troops to march in one fell swoop, and the people had long since disappeared, and there was no resistance from officers and soldiers along the way.

When he saw the city of Thang Long from a distance, and there were still three or four miles away, a civil official of Jiaozhi ran over from the opposite side and was stopped by the Song soldiers with arrows. He trembled and shouted in Chinese: "The heavenly army is angry, I am sending you a letter on behalf of the Emperor of Jiaozhi." ”

"What kind of bullshit Emperor, the Great Song Dynasty doesn't approve of it!" Qu Ping said, while ordering someone to accept the letter and tell the messenger to get out of the way.

Qu Ping took the letter and looked at it, saying that the two countries have always had affection and righteousness, and they are willing to rebuild the old friendship, and so on. Qu Ping lost the letter without reading it, and when he arrived at your door, how could he still be sent back by you, so he naturally wanted to go to your house as a guest.

Qu Ping said in a loud voice: "Soldiers! Our army is under the pressure of the border soldiers, and Jiaozhi Xiaowang even spoke wildly, saying that he must wait for the whole army to be wiped out within three days! People say, what to do? ”

"Kill!"

This is the best answer for the whole army.

Qu Ping shook his spear and said, "Everyone cheer up, let the Jiaozhi monkey see the true colors of our iron-blooded man in the Great Song Dynasty!" Come on! Kill! ”

The mountain of 30,000 soldiers rushed to the palace with a tsunami, vowing to level it in one fell swoop.

The gates of the palace had long been closed, and even the civil officials who had just delivered the letter had no chance to go back. Facing the surging Song army, he was so frightened that he almost peed his pants, so he had to quickly find a way to escape.

At the head of the city, the Jiaozhi soldiers were already with their bows and arrows, ready to shoot at any time. Behind them, the mobilized people kept moving large stones and heavy objects everywhere, and even the big iron pot at home also moved, with a posture of vowing to live and die with the city.

The Song army paused a mile below the city, ready to attack the city.

Qu Ping looked at Li Yuanzhan in the city tower and shouted, "Brother Li, meet again!" ”

After listening to the translation, Li Yuanzhan scolded: "Who is a brother with you!" Today, the two armies are fighting, either you die or I die! ”

Qu Ping said: "Then you should die!" The whole army obeyed the order and besieged the city!! ”

The horn of attack sounded, and I saw the Song army in a group of six, turning the boat over and covering it overhead, and the person in front held a long shield to protect it, and ran towards the royal city with unified steps.

The Jiaozhi soldiers in the city didn't understand what trick the Song soldiers were playing when they rushed over with the hull of the ship, and watched in wonder, until the Song army rushed to a hundred meters away, and then they remembered to shoot arrows. However, the dense rain of arrows fell, but few of them were shot, either blocked by the hull or protected by shields.

"General, what should I do?"

The Song army is simply a centipede with copper coins and iron walls, and the arrows shot from the city are just scratching their boots. Even if the bottom of the ship is shot into a hedgehog, it will not hurt the enemy at all.

Li Yuanzhan looked at the big stone and iron pot on the head of the city, gritted his teeth and said, "Smash!" ”