The heavy snow finally gradually subsided, and finally stopped completely.

The sky is gradually brightening, and the vast plains of Hebei are a silvery white scene. It seems that God also knows that in the past two years, the bloody killings that have occurred on the land of Hebei have reached the time when the winner is finally decided. The two armies that have long been sharpening their knives need a good weather that can be used for decisive battles and marches.

Banner hunting, chariots and horses.

After the heavy snowfall, the mountains of Taihang, wrapped in silver makeup, are extremely enchanting, and even the sky is extraordinarily bright and far-reaching at this time. Although the temperature was low, there was no wind, and the people marching in the field did not feel much cold, which is the most common dry cold in the northern winter. The official road that winds through the Taihang Mountains is also covered in snow and ice. However, the snow is not too deep, the snow in this area of the Taihang Mountains is not as large as that of the Hebei Plain, and the sudden drop in temperature has frozen the land hard, so it is not difficult to march.

On the official road leading from Taiyuan to Jingcheng Pass. On the foot is a fairly large army. The infantry, dressed in white leather robes, leading pack horses, carrying spears, and carrying horizontal knives at their waists, formed one column after another with brigades as units, and hurried forward under the guidance of the Sun and Moon military flags. In the midst of these infantry columns, there were sometimes artillery wagons drawn by eight mules and horses and carriages loaded with ammunition, as well as artisan carts that followed the artillery wagons and ammunition wagons - the artillery of the Ming army was very complex, and in addition to artillery, there were also craftsmen and engineers, the former was used to repair the cannons and vehicles, and was also responsible for heating the hot shells, and the latter was used to repair the roads through which the artillery wagons would pass. Now all the sappers, including those assigned to the artillery corps, were concentrated. At the forefront of the army, act with the light cavalry who are exploring the way, opening roads and building bridges. to ensure the unimpeded flow of the army.

Ahead of the infantry and artillery were the cavalry of the Ming army, including the Eight Banners Horse Brigade and the Guards Heavy Cavalry. Among them, the Eight Banners Horse Team of three flags will also take turns to draw one flag to serve as the vanguard of the whole army. Cover the sappers to open the mountain and build the road. The Eight Banners who did not have a combat mission were the same as the heavy cavalry of the Guards, all of them unloaded their armor and led their horses on foot.

Behind the infantry marched horse-drawn carts, on which were bundled with goods. There is a small white pennant with Arabic numerals on it, which is the number of the baggage vehicle. On top of each cart, in addition to the coachman, there was also a sturdy soldier, wearing a leather robe to protect against the cold. With a bow on his back, he looked around with his chest and belly.

On both sides of the vehicle were riders, all of whom looked quite skilled, but they did not wear the winter clothes of the Ming army—sheepskin robes with wool inside, which smelled a little unpleasant, but they were very warm, and they were also the clothes worn by the Mongols on the steppe and the wild Jurchens of Liaodong in winter—but wore all kinds of common people's clothes, some wearing paper armor and leather armor, and some people did not wear armor. Some carried bows and arrows on their backs. They carried scimitars on their waists, and some carried spears. The whistle sounded one after another.

These people are all the children of Hedong Haoqiang, most of them took refuge in Li Pu before, and now they have changed their faces to follow Chen Dexing. Just want to find a career in this troubled world. so that their own family can continue to prosper.

In the middle of the mighty brigade, it was naturally Chen Dexing's Chinese army, and 6,500 people from the Guards Infantry Division were guarding the front and rear. General Chen Dexing and a cadre of officers Wenchen. are all protected safely.

Chen Dexing, of course, marched on horseback, but he was also the same as an ordinary general. He didn't wear armor, but he wore a white leather robe to keep out the cold. Only the banner of the Sun and Moon King held high behind him. It shows his incomparably noble identity - the future son of the Great Tomorrow and the King of the Heavenly Descending Ming, the emperor of the Ming Empire, and the sect of the Heavenly Taoism.

A hurried sound of horses' hooves came, and several horsemen with the sun and moon on their backs galloped over, and inquired about the vanguard of the Guards Division's column, knowing that Chen Dexing was here. Hurriedly rode their horses and galloped over, and several cavalrymen were drenched in sweat. Reined in front of Chen Dexing's horse. He didn't get off his horse and kowtowed, but just hugged his fist and reported loudly: "The envoy of Dongping Mansion reported to the king that the main force of the Mongolian army entered the territory of Dongping Mansion again on the eighteenth day of the first month, marched in the direction of Julu County, and occupied Julu County four days ago. In addition, the town guard envoy also received a report from the Daimyo Governor's Mansion that Princess Li led 40,000 Tang troops to arrive at the Daimyo Mansion on the 14th day of the first month, and Li Nanshan, the king of Tang Zhao, had fallen to my Daming! ”

Chen Dexing breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Li Cuixian has really made a great contribution this time! Li Yanguo's defection immediately changed the comparison of the total strength of the two sides on the battlefield in the Central Plains, and the Ming army not only had the upper hand in terms of quality, but also had an advantage in numbers!

Now as long as Kublai Khan is driven away from the Central Plains, he will be the master of northern China!

He beckoned backwards. Several staff officers immediately greeted him.

"Command the troops, speed up the march! Ordered the two white flag horse teams to cross the Taihang Mountain first, and rush to the area of Julu County within four days, under the command of the Daimyo Governor's Office. ”

……

On the morning of the 22nd day of the first lunar month.

At this time, far to the west, it was the time when Chen Dexing received the military intelligence report sent by the Zhending Mansion Town Guard Division and ordered the whole army to speed up.

In the camp of the Ming and Tang Dynasty coalition forces in Julu County, it was still quiet, and there was no appearance of a big war imminent.

When the weather improved, it seemed that it was time for the army to go to the battlefield to fight the Mongols. However, Wang Lufei gave the order for the whole army to rest and feast. He also recruited all the Eight Banners soldiers who were scattered outside to cover the battlefield back to the camp, and the people unloaded their armor and unsaddled their horses, just to recuperate. Even the rangers sent by the Mongols to approach the camp ignored them, and did not send cavalry to expel them at all, as if they had completely relinquished the initiative on the battlefield and just cowered and defended it.

Except for a small number of foot soldiers standing guard, the only thing still active in the entire camp was the accompanying people-the infantry army paid attention to the battle after the battle, which was a stupid tactic left over from the Song Dynasty. When a large army is pulled out to fight in the field, it is necessary to transport countless armor, arrow clusters, grain and straw, camp tents, and all kinds of equipment, such as iron knife carts, iron chains that lock deer and deer, and three-edged iron nails sprinkled on the outside of the camp...... There's a whole bunch of them. Although the infantry of the Ming army and the Tang army were not as particular as the infantry army of the Southern Song Dynasty, the degree of dependence on logistics was also not low, so this time the troops were dispatched from the Daimyo's mansion, almost pulling Ding Zhuang from the city, and also brought out all the vehicles and most of the stored materials in the city. And these people, in addition to transporting supplies, are now repairing the barracks under the supervision of the officers. Obviously, what Wang Lufei wants to fight is a positional battle that fights by battalion.

Without the interference of the Eight Banners, the Mongol horse rangers once again became the controllers of the battlefield, and they wandered outside the camp of the Ming and Tang coalition forces to observe, and reported everything they found to Kublai Khan in Julu County.

Kublai Khan's Mongol army was preparing for battle at this time, and they did not have the same certainty as their opponents. No one knows where Chen Dexing's main force has gone. Although Kublai Khan equipped his army with maces, maces, hammers, and camel guns—all of which were used to break through steel armor. But the Mongol Khan was reluctant to let his army fight against the invulnerable monsters. The most ideal is to defeat the Ming and Tang coalition forces before the main forces of the Ming and Tang dynasties and the Ming army meet, so that the main force of the Ming army that gets the news will definitely return to Hebei. And the Mongol army was able to retreat safely.

Therefore, he does not plan to continue to lead the Ming and Tang coalition forces further north, and if he delays for one more day, the situation will be a little more dangerous - when the news of Li Yanguo's defection reaches the south, Xia Gui, Gao Gao, Lu Wende, Liu Quan, Zhang Jue, Yu Xing, these Southern Dynasty martial artists will not follow up immediately?

This Anfeng Chen family seems to be a member of the Southern Dynasty Jiangmen! Xia Gui, Lu Wende and Chen Dexing's grandfathers are still comrades-in-arms! These people are going to go to Chen Dexing's side, what else will Kublai Khan take to defend Henan and Shaanxi?

Therefore, after Kublai Khan received the report of the Ming and Tang coalition forces renovating the camp, he issued an order for the whole army to attack without saying a word!

Groups of infantry, cavalry, and firearms all received the order to pull out, and they left the camp in a mighty way, forming an array on the frozen and snow-covered wasteland, overwhelming the sky, as if it were a sea of armor.

Kublai Khan's cowardly army acted with the army of Wanhu. Walking in front of Kublai Khan's horse were countless people carrying guns, all of whom came from the Western Regions to return to Semu. In the Western Regions and Central Asia, the targets of the oppression of these Huihui Mongols were also slaughtered!

However, in the Central Plains, because their number was far smaller than that of the Han Chinese, and they were outsiders, their interests were completely dependent on the Mongols, so they were reliable helpers in the eyes of the Mongols. Moreover, their ability to build and use equipment is much higher than that of the Mongols, so the generals and soldiers in the ten thousand households of the Lifting Gun Army are all the Western Regions Huihuimu.

The 10,000-household Gansi-din, who carried the army, and Ali Hague, the deputy 10,000-household and camel-bearer, were all summoned to Kublai Khan's side at this time to listen to the instructions of the Mongol Great Khan.

“…… The decisive battle should start the day after tomorrow, and the key to the victory or defeat of this battle is to raise the army of ten thousand households! 3,000 poles and 800 camel guns, even thieves don't have such firearms! In addition, I transferred the three-bow bed crossbow and the heavenly thunder arrows belonging to each 10,000-strong team to the 10,000-strong army. When the time comes, let those capricious Han'er taste the power of the Great Mongolian firearms! ”

"Great Khan rest assured! The ministers must live up to the Great Khan's trust! ”

Justin and Ali Hague both clenched their fists on their horses, both of them looking confident. Of course, this lifting and camel lifting is powerful! Although the firepower is not as good as the bronze cannon of the Ming army, it is more flexible, and there are many of them, 3,800 guns are fired together, and this formation alone is enough to scare the guts of those penny men! (To be continued......)