The afternoon sun spreads down, and the north wind blows the long grass in the mountains, rustling and moving, as if there is also a layer of dry yellow waves on the ground.

A neatly draped general of the Yuan army, under the escort of more than a dozen shields, cautiously went up to the city wall of Yuguan, crouched on a battlement, and looked down.

The location of Yuguan is about the first pass in the world in later generations, Shanhaiguan - in fact, the two passes basically overlap. Yuguan and Shanhaiguan are both a series of defense systems, not a lonely pass. Generally speaking, it is to lean on Yanshan Mountain in the north, connect the Bohai Sea in the south, win the danger in shape, advance can be attacked, retreat can be defended.

As for the core castle of Yuguan, it is built between the back of Yanshan and the Bohai Sea, and leans on this Yushui. It sounds like a one-man terrain. But it's not that dangerous. Because there is still a distance of nearly 40 miles from Yanshan to the Bohai Sea. The front of this forty miles wide is basically a flat river, except for the Yushui flowing from outside Yuguan City, there is no danger. In the early years of the Sui and Tang dynasties, because of the confrontation with Goguryeo, long walls were built on both sides of Yuguan City, which extended to Beiniuding and the Bohai Sea. However, this long wall has long since collapsed, leaving only an ancient city of Yuguan and a few hastily constructed fortress walls, standing between the mountains and the sea. Helplessly staring at the hometown of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, they have been reduced to a place where Hu Lu shows off his might.

And today, there is an elite Han family in the east of Yuguan that has not been encountered in 400 years!

The elite of the Han family came from Liaodong, but the army of the Tatars defended the city in Yuguan. Such a battle situation made Yan Zhongji, the manager of the Yuguan Yuan Army, have a feeling that is not very real.

Doesn't that seem to be the other way around?

And there was more to him than that, as far as he knew, the four kings of the Mongolian host had decided to temporarily abandon Eastern Mongolia and the Liaodong steppe. The whole group drove into Yanyun. Prepare to defend Yanyun City to resist the Northern Ming rebels.

The Mongols defended the city. The Han Chinese crisscrossed the grasslands outside the Saiwai...... This one is incredible!

However, when Yan Zhongji climbed the city wall, he squinted his eyes and looked over and over again at the elite of the Northern Ming Dynasty on the other side of the river. and the huge camp that is being built in the distance, as well as the sun and moon king flag flying high above the camp.

This second-generation Mongolian Han Marquis, who is extraordinary, good at riding and shooting, good at using soldiers, and brilliant in writing (almost carved out of the same mold as Zhang Hongfan), couldn't help but sigh and whispered: "Since Dayuan is a true master, why should the Han family have heroes." Things are in turmoil in this world, I really don't know when I will be closed......"

"Big brother. It doesn't matter what kind of hero he is, it's better to let me order a few thousand people to kill for a while, and try the catties of the Beiming thieves first, if they are really as powerful as the rumors, our Yan family will ...... big deal."

"Third brother, what are you talking about?" Yan Zhongji didn't look back, so he started teaching. The person who spoke just now is Yan Zhongji's third brother Yan Zhonghei, the second person in the Yan family today, and Yan Zhongji's right-hand man. "Don't you know how heroic the Great Khan is? Although Chen Dexing has courage. But after all, acting perversely, it is not in line with my old Chinese practice. There is no problem outside the vertical and horizontal plugs, and if Yan Yun is reluctant. At most, it is the shape of the Khitan in the past. If you want to dominate the world, he can't do that...... This is the co-master of the world. For brother or optimistic about the Great Khan! ”

"Isn't Datang good? Li Tang acted quite right, and he had the legacy of the Tang Dynasty, why didn't the eldest brother go alike? ”

Yan Zhongji shook his head. sighed and said, "Third child, what you said is good. Li Songshou's actions do have the style of a Chinese Mingjun. But can Li Songshou sweat profusely? The Shi family, the Dong family, and the two Zhang families are all feudal towns with heavy troops, and they will fight hard for the Li family? Who is the lord of the Central Plains. It depends on who is the best of the Great Khan's Mongol army and the Li family's government soldiers? I don't know the details of the Li family's soldiers? How could they outrun the strong Mongol army? This son of heaven, after all, is the strong and strong! ”

Yan Zhongsi pointed to the Northern Ming army arrayed outside the city, "In terms of strong soldiers and strong horses, it should be the Northern Ming Dynasty!" ”

"Well, you don't understand...... The Son of Heaven is the one who is strong and strong, but not all the strong men and horses may be the Son of Heaven. There is no problem with Chen Dexing's martial arts, but Wenzhi is not. His set of rules for the people immediately has no problem in the wilderness of Liaodong, but it can't be like this in the Central Plains. ”

"Why can't you?" Yan Zhongsi snorted, "Only when the army is strong and the wealth is strong, can the country be strong." There are soldiers and gentry, wealth and gentry, and Ming and the gentry share the world. Now that Beiming has strong soldiers and abundant wealth, who can be in the world? Big brother, I think this King Ming is Mingjun, and he is so good to the martial artists under him......"

"That's a set of five generations of reckless people, but things in the world are complicated and ......" Yan Zhongji smiled bitterly and shook his head, his younger brother is not very good at studying, although he also studied under Shang Mengqing (Shang Ting), but he only knows a little about the history of the classics. In fact, it's a martial artist who only knows how to make sense of fists.

"Big brother, I don't know how complicated things are in the world, but the elite of the Northern Ming Dynasty is under the pass, and most of them will attack the city tomorrow, how many days can our Yan family's soldiers and horses resist? When the whole army is annihilated, it will be all gone! ”

Yan Zhongji waved his hand, and all the guards holding shields on the left and right pushed away. Yan Zhongji said: "Third brother, the foolish brother already has a plan for this matter. No matter what the future holds, the rich incense of the Yan family must be continued. Although it is difficult for the foolish brother Guan Beiming to enter the Central Plains, he has a future in the Great Khitan. It's just that the rise and fall of Kannai is unknown...... If Chen Dexing sits and watches the Yuan and Tang dynasties fight, Dayuan will always have a hundred years of national glory. ”

"Big brother, what do you mean? Brother I don't read much, I can't understand! ”

Yan Zhongji smiled: "No matter what, third brother, you come to defend the city, and I will take a thousand people to explore the truth." ”

Yan Zhongsi was stunned, "A thousand? Isn't that a little less? You have to bring 5,000 anyway. ”

Yan Zhongji waved his hand and said, "Come on, just our bereaved soldiers who are messing around will go to the field, and even 100,000 can't beat 8,000!" ”

The Yan family was originally the manager of Dongping Road, and Dongping Road was next to Jinan Road. And Yan Zhongji and Yan Zhonghe's brothers led troops on Yanjing Road, and their families were also detained by Kublai Khan's side, so they naturally didn't dare to vote for Li Pu.

And the military system of the Great Yuan Han Army has now become a military household system. It is to turn a part of the common people into so-called military households and grant a certain amount of tax-free land. And also do not have to do hard labor, only military service. At the same time, they also had to bring their own weapons, horses, and some military rations. In fact, the difference between the variants of the government military system is that the government soldiers theoretically have to cooperate with Juntian. The status of a military household is hereditary, and only the first generation needs to grant land.

Both systems have similar results in the early stages, and they will also have problems in the later stages. The problem with the government soldiers is that there is no land to be awarded, and the uniform field system collapses, so naturally there will be no government soldiers. The problem of the military household system is similar: the population of military households has increased, and the number of fields is so small, and it has been usurped by the upper strata of military households, resulting in the vast majority of military households becoming tenants. There is simply no way to afford military service.

Regardless of whether it is a government military system or a military household system, military service and land must be combined. Once the army general loses the land, the government soldiers and the army household soldiers lose their income. The current Yan family army is like this, without land support, it only relies on the military salary issued by the Yanyun Dawanhu Mansion to maintain. And it is not a copper coin and silk silk, but a Zhongtong banknote "linked" to silver issued by Pu Shougeng and Ahma. It's just that the current shape is clearly displayed, and the actual purchasing power of this Zhongtong banknote is much worse than that of the Southern Song Dynasty's Huizi......

Under such circumstances, the soldiers who lost their fields lived a miserable life, and they could not afford weapons and horses. What hard battles can they be expected to fight?

Therefore, Yan Zhongji did not take a thousand people to fight with the Northern Ming army, but to find someone to negotiate, and by the way, he used words to probe the truth - mainly to find out whether Chen Dexing himself came to Yuguan.

……

"Is it Brother Zizhi on the other side?"

After Yan Zhongji made people come to the Northern Ming army on the other side of the Yu River, a moment passed. Sure enough, a group of knights in silver-white armor rode their horses to the other side of the river, and before the first horse could stop steadily, they called out to Yan Zhongji's name. And it's a female voice as crisp as a silver bell. Sounds familiar.

Yan Zhongji was stunned and hurriedly looked at it. The person who came turned out to be Li Cuixian! This woman is considered a celebrity in the circle of the Han Marquis in the Northland, and Yan Zhongji naturally recognizes it. He rode forward. While looking at the armor worn by Li Cuixian from a distance. It's not layers of armor, and it's not leather armor made of leather. And it seems to be made of a whole steel plate, the silver shining armor, a large piece of covering the chest and abdomen, the shoulders and thighs are also tied with the same silver armor, the helmet on the head is also silver, and the front of the helmet has an outstretched brim, which also shines silver.

This turned out to be a pair of plate armor made of stainless steel! Yan Zhongji looked at the knights gathered around Li Cuixian again, they were all wearing the same armor!

"Is it Yan Zizhi on the other side?"

Li Cuixian's voice rang out again.

Yan Zhongji hurriedly gave up his hand on the horse and said, "Yan Zhongji of a certain family has seen Li Sanniang. ”

said politely on the lips, but in his heart he had already calculated - Li Cuixian is Chen Dexing's eldest princess, since she is with the expedition, she must be with Chen Dexing. In other words, Chen Dexing has come to Yuguan. And Chen Dexing is the king of the Northern Ming Dynasty, and the main force of the Northern Ming Army must follow him......

In other words, the main force of the Northern Ming Army has reached Yuguan, and the direction of their attack is not Kaiping, but Yanjing!

This situation is very important and must be reported to the Great Khan immediately.

"Zizhi, are you going to abandon the darkness and turn to the light today and return to the Ming Dynasty?" Li Cuixian rode on horseback and asked with a smile.

"Ah, this ......" Yan Zhongji arched his hand and said with a wry smile, "However, the three younger brothers of a certain family, two pairs of children are in Jingzhao Mansion......"

Li Cuixian smiled: "That's the battle?" ”

"No, no, no." Yan Zhongji waved his hand and said with a smile, "My brother is loyal heir, you know, he is known for his bravery, but he is a tiger general. He has great admiration for His Royal Highness King Ming...... I plan to let him guard Yuguan, and I will bring troops back to Yanjing. As for the future, there may not be a time to say goodbye. ”

Li Cuixian chuckled and said, "I often hear people say that Brother Zizhi is resourceful, and today is considered to be a lesson." She waved her hand, "Okay, I'll go and talk to King Ming about this." ”

Yan Zhongji threw his hand on the horse again, and said with a smile: "Thank you, Your Royal Highness the Princess...... Oh, and there's a reluctant invitation below. ”

"Say it." Li Cuixian replied with a smile.

Yan Zhongji said: "I see that the princess is wearing a good armor, I wonder if I can send it to the next pair?" ”

Li Cuixian's eyes flashed, and she looked at Yan Zhongji with a smile, "Brother Zizhi is going to give this plate of armor to Kublai Khan, right?" (To be continued......)