Lan Army. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

The Lan Army is the capital of the northern border state of Shanxi, and it is also the border of the Song and Liao provinces a hundred years ago. In the face of the sudden Jurchen cavalry, they originally intended to preserve their strength and leave the army for the former Song Dynasty, but under the strong supervision of the imperial court at that time, they had to raise the army to the north to meet the Jurchen army, which led to the last elite Western army of the former Song Dynasty, all of which were buried in Youyan and Shanxi.

A hundred years later, when the shame of Jingkang has become a cloud of the past, when the southern dynasty has changed from the Great Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, and the cavalry of the north once again appeared in this Lan army, appeared on the former border line, and appeared in the place where countless soldiers fought bloodily.

The sky was a little gloomy, as if the spring breeze would never blow away the solemnity between the mountains and rivers. The wind swept in, and the black banner was blown and the hunt danced. The last time the Northland cavalry went south here, it was like a rushing black tide, directly breaking through the Song army's extremely weak defensive line; A hundred years later, another cavalry stood here, but the fate they faced was far worse than that of the army a hundred years ago.

Although there is no obstacle between these mountains and rivers, and although the main force of those southern barbarians can be pulled out is still far away in Heluo, every Mongolian cavalryman's heart is heavy, like this deep mountain and river. It's like a black flag over their heads.

Because the opponent they are about to face is no longer the weak Great Song, but the Ming Dynasty. The Ming army went all the way north, invincible, it can be said that the Mongolian army has not really been able to stop the pace of the Ming army's advance, and each time it actually stopped because the Ming army stood on the road.

In the final analysis, it was not because the Ming army was afraid of the Mongol army, but because the Ming wanted to make every battle perfect, and wanted to ensure that the captured and recovered land after each battle could be protected, so the Ming Dynasty was a battalion step by step, accumulating strength while going north, and even stopped in the process to dredge the canal, operate Heluo, and build a straight road, which consumed different amounts of money and food, but the purpose was the same - to make the next Northern Expedition of the Ming Dynasty easier.

This is also why the Northern Expedition, which the Southern Song Dynasty people have been looking forward to in one go for a hundred years, has become a bit nondescript when it comes to Daming, but no one can deny that Ye Yingwu's strategy of gradual Northern Expedition seems to be quite effective.

Before this, the Northern Expedition of the Song people had always fantasized about recovering Heluo in World War I and returning to Bianliang, which also made every Northern Expedition of the Song people set grand goals, and then in exchange for an ending of fleeing south in a hurry, which also made many people in the south even lose confidence in the Northern Expedition.

Treating the Northern Expedition, Ye Yingwu's approach is very simple, if the first battle fails, then fight a few more times, so the Ming Dynasty actually used two Northern Expeditions to take Heluo and Shandong, and then the Battle of Hexi is actually more appropriate to describe as "westward". And now this time the largest Northern Expedition since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty is obviously the last step in Ye Yingwu's plan for the Northern Expedition, and its purpose is also very clear, to recover the territory of the state capital in the Han and Tang dynasties, and completely drive the Mongol forces to the grassland!

Maybe a hundred years ago, the Song people had such a strategic purpose for the Jurchens, and they would laugh and be generous, but a hundred years later, the Ming Dynasty held such a mentality, but the Mongols couldn't sit there and laugh, because they knew very well that as long as they were negligent, it was very likely that the land that Jiangsu and Zhejiang had taken down for decades would be completely lost.

Lianghuai is lost, there is less buffer land, Heluo, Guanzhong and Shandong are lost, in fact, there is a lot less burden, after all, the strong men on these lands are either killed in battle or fled south, there is not much left, and the women, children, old and weak who remain can only be regarded as a group of disaster victims who only know how to open their mouths to ask for food, for Mongolia, throwing these lands and people is more like losing a few burdens. But now it's different, before the steppe, only Youyan and Shanxi remained in Mongolia.

If these two places are also lost, Mongolia will really have no way back. Genghis Khan's life's work to build an empire is also in danger of falling apart – even if it is now divided for Mongolia. Therefore, it is completely different from the original Jurchen people who went south with the mentality of giving it a try, and the Mongol cavalry who went south at this time had no way out.

"See the prince." A commander rode up to Namuhan's side.

The young Mongolian king of Bei'an, his face was full of dignified dark colors at this time, obviously for Namuhan, the king of Bei'an, who did not have a long career as a horse, but had achieved many victories, the battle that Mongolia was about to face in front of him was not so easy to solve.

Namuhan nodded, and the commander hurriedly said, "Lord Wang, the Great Khan asked you to hurry over." ”

"Huh?" Na Muhan was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly turned the horse's head, maybe as the king of Bei'an, he could not care about this little commander, but he couldn't care less about the person who gave this order. His father, the Great Khan of Mongolia, once led Mongolia to great prosperity, but had to face the decline of men later.

Great Khan of Mongolia, Kublai Khan.

As Ye Yingwu guessed, for Daming, this Northern Expedition is a matter of life and death for a dynasty, and the slightest carelessness may make Ye Yingwu's efforts over the years go to waste. And the same is true for the Mongols. Ye Yingwu had already taken the expedition in person, and Kublai Khan naturally had no reason to hide behind.

The presence of the Mongol Great Khan was a tradition left over from the time of Genghis Khan, but it soon became a thing of the past when Möngke died in battle under the Diaoyu Castle. After Meng Ge died in battle, Kublai Khan and Ali Buge fought for power, which led to the outbreak of a civil war in Mongolia for many years, which also made the Southern Song Dynasty, which was already dying, rely on the savings of many years, and suddenly had the combat power to compete with Mongolia, and even Ye Yingwu actually took over these legacies of the Southern Song Dynasty in its entirety, so he came to today's position.

Therefore, the Mongols were naturally fully aware of the key role of the existence of the Great Khan in the stability of the entire dynasty, so Kublai Khan, who often led his army to fight and was invincible when he was young, was forced by this pressure and restriction and did not appear on the battlefield for a long time.

Kublai Khan did not like to do everything as much as Genghis Khan, so he has always delegated power to the generals on the front line, but the current situation no longer allows Kublai Khan to delegate power, and there seems to be no one in the whole Mongolia except Kublai Khan who has not suffered defeat under the Ming Dynasty.

What's more, this battle is related to the foundation of Mongolia for a hundred years, even if Kublai Khan is bold, he will not sit as steadily as Mount Tai in the back, especially Ye Yingwu is about to rush to the front line. If Boyan, Shi Tianze and others still have the ability to deal with the rest of the main forces of the Ming Dynasty, then in front of Ye Yingwu, all the Mongolian generals will be at a loss.

Not only because of Ye Yingwu's achievements over the years and the rolling blood of people under his hands, but also because Ye Yingwu came to the battlefield with the authority of the emperor, it is unimaginable to improve the morale of the Ming Dynasty and the blow to the morale of Mongolia.

Namuhan and others are very clear, Boyan and Shi Tianze are very clear, and Kublai Khan himself is even clearer.

If you don't fight now. What awaits Mongolia is not just chaos, it is more likely to be complete destruction.

So when Kublai Khan planned to do the same, no one objected.

The Golden Horde carriage slowly moved forward, and the Mongol cavalry gathered around the Golden Horde carriage bowed their heads slightly, showing respect for the Great Khan.

Namuhan stopped in front of the Golden Horde and walked briskly onto the carriage.

As soon as the curtain was opened, a gentle cough was heard, and Na Muhan suddenly frowned slightly, among the Great Khan's Golden Tent, the only one who had the courage to cough was the Great Khan himself. Kublai Khan is actually in his fifties today, which is definitely not old, and even compared to many ancient emperors, he is still in his heyday. Even just a few years ago, Kublai Khan was in good health and couldn't do anything about it, but there was no problem keeping the entire empire running.

But in the past few years, Kublai Khan's vitality and vitality are fading at a speed visible to the naked eye, and Namuhan knows very well why. In recent years, with the rise of Ye Yingwu, Mongolia has been defeated and retreated in the entire Central Plains battlefield, Kublai Khan seems to be able to handle military and political affairs normally, and even took the initiative to comfort those officials and generals who suffered defeats, but in fact, only Namuhan, who is trusted and close to Kublai Khan, knows how much pressure Kublai Khan has borne in recent years.

After all, this is his khanate, after all, this is his world. Kublai Khan bore more than just failure.

If the luck of China for three hundred years has been pressed on the shoulders of Ye Yingwu alone, then the foundation that Mongolia has worked hard for decades has also been pressed on the shoulders of Kublai Khan.

It's just that compared to Ye Yingwu's youth, Kublai Khan has passed middle age and is even about to enter old age. If he was presented with a weak Southern Song Dynasty at this time, he didn't even need Kublai Khan to go out, Boyan and others could settle it, but now Mongolia has to face a newly rising Ming Dynasty, this is not a weak dynasty with nothing but money, advanced firearms, sufficient money and food, and those tens of thousands of troops who are not afraid of death, the whole country is united, red-eyed Northern Expedition, such a powerful enemy, even Mongolia has not encountered before.

If Kublai Khan had a choice, he would have backed away without hesitation.

It's just a pity that there is a grassland behind him, and he has no other choice.

Seeing Namuhan walk in, Kublai Khan coughed lightly and subconsciously wanted to put away the handkerchief, but this scene was still seen by Namuhan. Red can be faintly seen on the handkerchief, and it is obvious that Kublai Khan has coughed up bloodshot just now.

"Father Khan!" Namuhan was a little shocked, obviously he didn't expect that at some point, Father Khan's illness had become so serious. After all, in Namuhan's impression, his father Khan should still be the high-spirited Mongolian general in the Battle of Ezhou, or the new Mongolian Khan who guided the country after defeating Ali Buge, or the middle-aged man who once held him in a circle in the crook of his arm・・・・・・

Kublai Khan looked at Namuhan with a surprised look on his face, and leaned on the soft couch a little tiredly, if it was a courtier, maybe he would still be able to put on the majesty and momentum that a Mongol Khan should have, but in front of Namuhan, his best son now, he didn't want to pretend anymore.

Namuhan stepped forward and saluted respectfully: "Father Khan is sick, the child does not know, I failed to come to greet him before, and I hope that Father Khan will forgive my sins." However, just now, Father Khan had coughed up blood, and the child thought that Father Khan should return to Helin now, so that he could recuperate. ”

In the swaying carriage, in the dim light, the pale-faced old man waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "It's okay, when the great ancestor conquered the Western Xia, wasn't he also sick, just a little sick, and he couldn't leave a certain behind." ”

"Father Khan・・・・・・" Although Namuhan wanted to say something, he still held back. It was true that Genghis Khan was sick and went to Western Xia, but it was on that way that a generation of Tianjiao came to the end of his life, and the Mongolian army did not live up to Genghis Khan's expectations, and finally took Western Xia, clearing the way for the Mongolian iron cavalry to go south.

When Kublai Khan said this, he was clearly not encouraging himself, but wanted to show that he did not hesitate to sacrifice his life for the victory of this great war. As for what Kublai Khan's illness was all about, he knew it in his heart, and Namuhan also knew it in his heart, the pressure brought by Daming and Ye Yingwu to Mongolia over the years has destroyed everything that the founder of Mongolia once went to its heyday, but also invisibly left irreparable wounds on his mind and body.

This kind of heart disease is actually incurable, so Kublai Khan didn't think about how long he could live, he just thought about leading Mongolia to win this battle, even if there was no way to eliminate Ye Yingwu, there was no way to hit the vitality of the Ming Dynasty, at least it could give Mongolia a chance to survive for a few years, only two years, Kublai Khan was confident that he could sweep away the rebellion in Haidu and regroup to face Ye Yingwu and his Ming with the absolute elite attitude of the year.

But apparently Ye Yingwu also realized this, so he made the decision of the Northern Expedition after several considerations, and he devoted the whole country to fight to the death with Mongolia.

The Ming army has already reached the doorstep, and even if Mongolia is unhappy, it has to grit its teeth and go up.

Kublai Khan raised his head and looked at Na Muhan, trying his best to hide the deep tiredness in his eyes: "Has the Southern Barbarian been moving recently?" Let's cross the Lan River, and we will be Taiyuan Mansion ahead. Taiyuan Mansion is the top priority of the entire Shanxi, and if the Southern Barbarians don't want to confront us by the big river, it is the best choice to enter Taiyuan Mansion. ”

Although he was sick, Kublai Khan still had the majesty of the world's heroes when he opened his mouth, which made Na Muhan's heart feel slightly shocked, and his father, who had once looked down on Kyushu, seemed to be back. Although Namuhan knew that this was actually Kublai Khan's strong support, at least it showed that he still had the strength to support and the strength to face this heavenly tilt!

Na Muhan shook his head and said: "Not yet, but the main battle army of the Southern Barbarians, the Tianwu Army, was originally divided into two routes, all the way along the west side of Taihang Mountain to Taiyuan Mansion, but now it has entered Hebei from the Niangzi Pass area, but it is left with heavy troops to guard the various passes in the Taihang Mountain, obviously and wants us to attack the flanks of the rest of the main army." ”

"Oh?" Kublai Khan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and sighed, "Interesting." ”

Na Muhan snorted: "This is also the news that the cavalry in front has just sent, so what exactly the southern barbarians want, the children are stupid and can't see clearly, it seems that they don't plan to fight with us in Shanxi, and even plan to avoid our edge?" ”

Kublai Khan said in a deep voice: "It's not as simple as you think, if Zhang Shijie is so easy to dismiss, Ye Yingwu will not choose him to sit on the front line, and there should be two purposes to get out of the way." ”

Namuhan was slightly surprised, and immediately pricked up his ears.

Kublai Khan's voice was very low, but he still carried the majesty of being the Great Khan of Mongolia and the victorious general of Mongolia back then: "The Tianwu Army was originally the first-class elite of the Southern Barbarians, and it was obviously not a good plan to divide it into two, and now it is a joint army, and its purpose is naturally to strengthen the attack on Youyan, so as to ensure that Youyan can be taken in one fell swoop." And it is conceivable that the southern barbarians will not give up Shanxi, after all, they can't do every place to be able to defend to the death, so it is the best policy to contain the main force of our army in Shanxi. ”

"But the main forces of the Southern Barbarians ・・・・・・" Na Muhan was a little puzzled, but he immediately realized something, and stood up straight all of a sudden, "Father Khan means ・・・・・・"

"I hope this battle between kings and kings will be wonderful." A smile appeared on the corner of Kublai Khan's mouth, and he immediately turned his head slightly to look out the window, "As long as Boyan and Shi Tianze can hold Youyan, we still have a good chance of winning this battle." ”

Outside the window, an eagle flutters its wings and flies over the mountains.