Wu Guocheng's plan was to seek the position of the leader of Zhuxia by establishing a "Temujin encirclement network", while also exporting the idea of giving priority to China.

To put it more bluntly, this approach is a bit like the practice of later American imperialism in creating enemies in order to establish or maintain alliances.

Although Temujin, a strongman, was not made by the Great Zhou Republic, it was he who fought Western Liao, the Golden Horde and Western Liang, captured the Holy Maiden of Light, and jumped to the position of being the enemy of the Western Song Dynasty. It also has the qualifications to become a public enemy!

But Temujin did not want to be an enemy of such a terrible country as the Great Zhou Republic!

As the former deputy commander of the Dashi Guard, Temujin certainly knew the power of the Great Zhou Republic.

Da Zhou is a real world empire! With a population of 80 million and two continents several times larger than Europe! It also has the most powerful navy and army in the world! It also has an "inexhaustible" mountain of gold and silver......

The most terrifying thing is that the Great Zhou Republic also has the most powerful and advanced military handicraft industry in the world.

The sharp weapons used by Temujin's army, muskets and artillery, were invented by the arsenal of the Great Zhou Republic!

Moreover, the gunpowder weapons of the Great Zhou Republic are still the most advanced in the world so far.

In addition, the Republic of the Great Zhou is too far from the steppes near the Caspian Sea, the stronghold of Temujin!

There are more than 10,000 miles in a straight line, and it takes at least 20,000 miles to walk! I can't get there after a few years.

And if the expeditionary force of the Great Zhou Republic comes by boat, if the wind is good, it will be able to reach the Mediterranean Sea in three months at most!

So the Mongols didn't have to fight this kind of war at all, so Temujin didn't think about fighting at all.

His purpose in waging war against Xiliang was actually very simple, that is, to seize the territory of Central Asia.

The land of Central Asia is nothing to the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Song Dynasty, they are a country and a new continent, and they are two RMB players with mines at home, how can they look at Central Asia?

But in fact, the territory of Central Asia is still very good!

Just look at the geographical location of Central Asia, which is located at the intersection of the Tianzhu civilization, the Chinese civilization and the Lianghe civilization.

Three ancient and splendid civilizations exchanged here, and it was also the land of the land Silk Road, and there were many oasis cities and two major rivers of Amu Darya and Syr Darya River. Therefore, it has always been an important exporter of culture, technology and materials in the world.

And in this time and space, the conquest of Dashi and the later conquest of Xiliang were both constructive. Whether it is Yelu Dashi or Zhang Li, they are very civilized conquerors. Their conquest of Central Asia was not the sacking of civilized people by barbarians, but the conquest of civilizations of equal or a little higher. So the conquest was not only consequence of domination and exploitation, but also of cultural and technological exchange.

This kind of exchange has a stimulating effect on the Central Asian civilization, which is not backward in the first place.

Therefore, after the Western Liao and Western Liang successively ruled Central Asia for 90 years, this land in the middle of the world has not been destroyed and ravaged, but has become richer and more prosperous.

Moreover, the manufacturing technology of artillery, muskets, and gunpowder, which was brought to Central Asia from Xiliang, also took root here in Central Asia and has been developed to a certain extent.

If Temujin wanted to turn his Great Mongol Empire into a truly equal empire to the Song and New Zhou dynasties, he had to take Central Asia.

Only by taking many cities in Central Asia and obtaining the handicrafts and trade routes there could the Great Mongol Kingdom become a real gunpowder empire.

Otherwise, the neck of the Mongol army would have been stuck and would have been broken at any time.

Therefore, after Temujin ruthlessly ravaged the Golden Horde and the Western Liao Empire that migrated to the Great Plains of Ukraine, he shifted the target of his attack to the Western Liang Kingdom in Central Asia.

Of course, Temujin's turn is also related to the fact that we are still in the era of "fortress invincibility".

A Baku bright top was surrounded for several months before it was taken. Don't think about the two larger fortresses, Tabriz and Kiev (the capital of the Golden Horde), which are impossible to surrender without a three- or five-year siege.

And if it is really besieged for so long, will the Great Zhou Republic and the Eastern Song Empire in the East interfere? Western Liao and the Golden Horde were important trading partners.

So Temujin ended up just sacking Anatolia and Kievan Rus' (Golden Horde). After occupying part of the Persian lands and controlling the Holy See of the Light Peak and the Holy Maiden of Light, he allowed the Western Liao and the Golden Horde to sue for peace.

Why control the Holy See and the Holy Maiden of Light? Of course, not because Mokisi was beautiful, but because Temujin himself was a believer in the Bright Heavens. Moreover, the vast majority of Mongolians also converted to the Bright Light Sect and became believers in Heavenly Principles.

In this case, it would be very advantageous for Temujin to control the Holy See and the Holy Maiden Moqisi.

As for the peerless appearance of the Holy Maiden, Temujin did not dare to covet it in any way...... There is no shortage of young Ukrainian models in his harem, why provoke this Persian woman who has long dedicated herself to the light of day?

What if you anger Bright Heaven and can't go to a quiet heaven after death?

After taking control of the Holy See and the Holy Maiden, Temujin was able to use the Holy Maiden's decree to call on the followers of the Bright Heavenly Principle to join him in the crusade against Xiliang, who believed in the Heavenly Doctrine.

So this war, which took place in Central Asia, also had a bit of the nature of a religious war.

In the early winter of 1210 A.D., Temujin, who had entered the prosperous and splendid city of Samarkan, was very satisfied with the progress of this war of aggression under the banner of religion.

Xiliang was really as decayed as expected, and in the face of the stormy offensive of the Great Mongolian State, he didn't even have the strength to fight back. After the metropolises of Kuyu, Bukhara, and Chachi changed hands one after another, even the large stronghold of the land of the Seven Rivers, Shaba, was lost in the autumn of 1210.

Now only the Fergana Basin, which is protected by the Tianmen Pass Fortress, is still under the control of the Xiliang Kingdom.

"Great Khan, the slave family has been to Xinliangzhou." Dressed in a clean white Tang-style silk dress, Mo Qisi stood barefoot in front of Temujin, who was sitting cross-legged, speaking fluent Chinese without any emotion.

"There are strong stone fortresses, the Great Wall built against the mountains and stretching for dozens of miles, the ancient and prosperous city of Khujand, the majestic and majestic city of Xinliangzhou, and the large tracts of fertile land and industrious farmers. As long as the Great Khan was unable to break through the Tianmen Pass at the entrance of the valley, the Tianli disciples in the pass would be able to hold on forever...... Even if the warriors of the Great Khan broke through the Tianmen Pass, the Xiliang royal family could retreat into the valley in the Tianshan Mountains and the Jisar-Alai Mountains to continue to hold on. ”

Temujin, who was sitting in a Bright Heaven Doctrine church, squinted his eyes and looked at the holy woman in front of him, without saying a word.

Tianmen Pass cannot be stormed!

He knew that Tianmen Pass was part of the last fortune that Zhang Li left to future generations in his later years...... It's just part of it!

In addition to Tianmen Pass, there are many passes and several unknown valley fortresses around the basin. Even if Tianmen Pass is breached, Xinliangzhou City will not be protected. The royal family of Xiliang was still able to enter the valley fortresses and make a final resistance - there are still many small valleys and river valleys in the mountains around the Fergana Basin.

Moistened by the melting snow of the Tien Shan and Gisar-Alai Mountains, the land in these valleys and river valleys is extremely fertile and can support a large population.

As long as the Xiliang royal family insists on not surrendering and retreats into those valleys to continue to hold on, then it is possible that the Battle of Ferghana will last for ten or eight years.

"What do you want to say?" Temujin asked lightly.

"It's better for the slave family to come forward and make peace with both parties." Mo Qisi smiled, "Wouldn't it be nice to let the Western Liang Kingdom occupy the Fergana Basin, and the Great Khan dominate the vast land outside the basin?" ”

"Can Xiliang be a vassal to me?" Temujin asked again.

"No way," replied Morsis crisply, "and it is impossible for them to convert to the Bright Heavens...... They are Han Chinese! They are the subjects of the Western Song Dynasty! He is a believer in the principles of heaven!

The Great Khan didn't think that with the strength of the Mongols, he could start a war with the Western Song Dynasty, right? ”

Temujin smiled: "If there is a war at the eastern foot of Tianshan Mountain, I really don't dare. But if we start a war at the western foot of Tianshan Mountain, I will win! As long as I win, Xiliang will pay tribute to my Great Mongolian vassals! ”

Whether to occupy the Ferghana Basin or not, Temujin did not care. But Xiliang in the basin must pay tribute to Great Mongolia!

Because the Ferghana Basin is not only rich in grain, but also an important source of handicraft products. Muskets, cannons, gunpowder, and plate armor were produced for the Mongol army.

Mo Qisi sighed: "The slave family will pray for the Great Khan and the warriors of Mongolia to pray to the Almighty Bright Heavenly Principle. ”

Temujin nodded: "Thank you." ”

……

When Temujin and Mo Qisi talked, they did not expect that he had been made an enemy of Zhuxia by the Great Zhou Republic. This time, he will not only face the behemoth of the Western Song Dynasty, but also two "RMB players" who have their own New World...... It's almost the enemy of the whole world!

In the Chongzheng Hall of Huaqing Palace, Zhao Xin, the emperor of the Western Song Empire, had just met Xin Qiji, the envoy of the Great Zhou Republic, and was summoning the important ministers at this time, and his face was clouded.

"How can this be true? Outrageous! Xiliang is a vassal of my Great Song Dynasty, and now he is being bullied by Mongolia, and my Great Song Dynasty will uphold justice, so why should he interfere with the violent Zhou? Small Mongolia, but 100,000 households and one million people, my Great Song Dynasty has 6 million households, more than 40 million people, dozens of times more than them, and can't win? What else is needed for an anti-Temujin coalition? Do you still need Wu Guocheng's old boatman to be the leader of the alliance? ”

Listening to the roar of the Great Song Emperor, Yue Ke, who knew the Privy Council, had no choice but to stand up and play: "Your Majesty, although there are 6 million households and more than 40 million mouths in our dynasty, it is very far away from Xiliang, more than 6,000 miles from Chang'an to Broken Leaves, and out of the Hexi Corridor, it is a barren and sparsely populated land, and it is difficult to support the army. And Temujin's soldiers are strong and strong, with 100,000 Mongol iron troops, and it is necessary to dispatch 200,000 Great Song soldiers and generals, and fight and plow, steadily and steadily, in order to destroy the ......"

The 200,000 Song army defeated the 100,000 Temujin Mongol army...... Such a thing would not have been believed in another plane at all. The first is that it can't be beaten. Secondly, the Southern Song Dynasty, which had a population of 70 or 80 million, was also difficult to draw out 200,000 elite soldiers who could go on expeditions and fight in the field at once.

However, for the current Western Song Dynasty, not to mention 200,000, even one million elite soldiers can be easily mobilized!

With a population of more than 40 million, what is the problem of mobilizing 1 million soldiers?

Moreover, the combat effectiveness of these 1 million Western Song soldiers is not bad at all, and they can definitely defeat the Mongol army with the same number as them - of course, the premise is that the logistics transfer is not considered, otherwise a large number of soldiers will be needed to go to Tuntian, and the actual number of troops available for the front line will be much less. Yue Ke's proposal to send 200,000 troops includes the troops needed to occupy the land and land, otherwise how can 200,000 be used? 50,000 is enough!

The reason why this can be so is that the Western Song Dynasty, under the heavy pressure of the Eastern Song Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty, had to embark on a line of cultivation and warfare that attached great importance to force, and it has been maintained to this day. The "Target Hunting" created by Qu Duan, Yue Fei, Qin Hui and others has been unwavering for decades!

I have been taking the target test for decades...... Of course, all those who passed the test were sharpshooters! If you don't pass the test, your marksmanship isn't much worse.

And target shooting is not only a test of the gunner, but also of the gun.

The gun is not good, and the target will naturally be inaccurate.

Therefore, under the stimulation of the target Jinshi, the musket manufacturing technology of the Western Song Dynasty was very good.

Although the mass-produced muskets are not as good as the Great Zhou and Eastern Song Dynasty, they produce high-quality products! Not only a high-quality gun, but also a high-quality gunner!

The effective firing range of mass-produced smoothbore guns in this era is usually only a few dozen steps in actual combat, even if the mass-produced countries of the Great Zhou military industry, which has the highest level of factory handicrafts, are also at this level. The reason for this is not all because of cost savings, and it is not that the technology cannot be reached, but because of practicality. The operation of the smoothbore gun is complex, the recoil is large, and the clearance between the ammunition and the barrel is too small to be difficult to load. Therefore, in the hands of ordinary infantrymen, high-quality smoothbore guns are not very powerful, and they are not even as good as mass-produced bargains - the clearance between high-quality smoothbore guns and buckshot is very small, and it is even more difficult to reload. Not a good gunner, when you go to the battlefield, most of you can't even load bullets, what else to fight? Therefore, the mass-produced smoothbore gun, which was not high in precision but easy to load and maintain, became the mainstream firearm of the Great Zhou and Eastern Song Dynasty armies.

But a well-crafted lightweight smoothbore gun with bullets wrapped in deerskin, operated by a sharpshooter, could have an effective range of more than 100 paces (historically 190 meters in Western tests).

This range is almost equal to that of a bow and arrow, and the lethality of a musket is far greater than that of a bow and arrow - a 100-step shot at an armored target may not cause a single wound in ten. And sniping with a musket is basically a shot into the soul, not dead or crippled!

Therefore, the "gun doctor" (skirmisher) is now the trump card in the Western Song Dynasty army! During the last Central Plains War, the gun doctor of the Western Song Dynasty made the Eastern Song Dynasty and the Great Zhou suffer enough. So much so that the Eastern Song Dynasty, the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the Western Song Dynasty, which had an absolute advantage in financial, manpower, and military technology, fought hard for many years, but they were not able to destroy it.