April in the world is full of flowers.

Unconsciously, the warm spring of March has quietly slipped away, and Liaodong has entered April. The sky in April is as clear as a mirror, and the sky in China's northern Xinjiang is high and cool. It rained for two or three days in a row, cleaning the inside and outside of the city. The sky is blue, the earth is turquoise, and Gaozhou City, which is surrounded by mountains, is like a clear pearl, and it is impossible to see the appearance of a battle after half a minute.

Haidong's follow-up troops came from all over Liaodong, and the city could not live at all, and the large camp outside the city was already full of soldiers. The second-line troops without vigilance tasks,—— such as the Tuntian Army from Liaozuo and other places, were led by officers, either repairing and increasing the walls of Gaozhou, or choosing suitable locations to build temporary fortresses along the Gaozhou line.

Day and night. There is a lot of noise during the day, and there is a fire at night.

If it happens to be a sunny day, dozens of miles away, you can see the head of Gaozhou City, as well as the mountains and mountains on the left and right, among the dense trees, and the military flags of Haidong are planted everywhere. - Although in reality, most of the places where the military flags were planted were only guarded by a few soldiers.

But the momentum is staggering.

This was deliberately done by Dunshe. The news that he released claimed to have brought an army of "150,000". However, compared with Polo Timur, his boasting, although it carried great moisture, was still greatly inferior. You know, that Polo Timur is known as 300,000 heroes. As for how much moisture is in it? Just as Polo Timur has not yet found out his truth, he has also failed to find out the truth of Polo.

"It's up to the sky, 50,000 people."

At the routine daily military meeting, Zuo Che'er stretched out a slap and said.

He turned his head to look at the expressions of the generals around him, and then analyzed: "Last year, how many people were called Polo beat Fengzhou?" Also 300,000! How many are there? I'm afraid it's not even fifty or sixty thousand, right? Besides, how many days has it been? It's been eight days since we laid down Gaozhou. He had been in Xinghe for more than ten days, and he had not moved. If he really had 300,000 people, would he wait until now? He has 100,000 people, and they won't wait until now!

"Moreover, most of them are close to the left, because the transportation is not passable, and the grain that can be transported from the south of the Yangtze River is getting less and less, and there has been a food shortage in recent years, and it is impossible to protect themselves. The food of tens of thousands of people was a huge amount, and since most of them could not be counted on, Polo had to transport it from Shanxi. Xinghe is hundreds of miles away from Datong, and if he brings more than 50,000 people and horses, he can't stand the loss on a single road. ”

"Therefore,......" Zuo Che'er repeated again categorically: "Fifty thousand." ”

Deng She still agrees with his judgment.

As the elder brother of the horse thief and the former commander of Deng She, Zuo Che'er is not only old, brave and good at fighting, but also good at learning. Since his release, he has gone from a thousand commanders to ten thousand households, and then to the current Marshal Wing, step by step, he has done a good job, grown very quickly, and has made many meritorious contributions after many battles. It is an object that Deng She focuses on cultivating.

Deng She looked at him appreciatively and said, "I think so too. ......, however, it doesn't matter how many people he has brought, the trouble is that he is cowering in Xinghe, not advancing or retreating, as if he has some intention of fighting a protracted war. That's a little tricky. ”

Zuo Che'er said: "Since the beginning of my Haidong year, I have almost been fighting every day. Polo Timur would not have been unaware of this situation. On the contrary, in the past six months, he has not fought any battles, recuperating and recuperating, and he has enough food and drink. Now that he is stationed, he must want to compete with our army in terms of endurance. Maybe he thought that our army was already exhausted and could be dragged down without a fight. ”

At the beginning of the military discussion on whether to support Shangdu, Liu Shimin and Liu Shize brothers had a very in-depth discussion on this. Their opinion is basically the same as Zuo Che'er's analysis.

Deng She frowned and said, "It is obviously impossible for him to expect to use this to drag down our army. When our army attacked South Goryeo, it used all the grain reserves of Haidong. Liaozuo's Tuntian income was basically unchanged. Coupled with the reserves of the cities in eastern Liaodong, it is more than enough to supply my needs of 30,000 horses. At this level, I'm not worried.

"It's just that over there in Shangdu, Cheng Sizhong has sent several urgent reports in the past few days. Speaking of the Tartars in the south around Shangdu, they are ready to move. And there is not much grain in Shangdu, and now he does not dare to go out of the city at will, and he can hold on for half a month at most. What if Polo has been standing still? ......, Marshal Lei, you are familiar with the inside story of Shangdu, so tell the generals what you know. ”

"Marshal Cheng's apprehension is not unfounded. Most of the old soldiers of the Shangdu army were taken away by the last general, and most of the remaining soldiers in the city were new soldiers. If there is a problem with food, our army in Shangdu will inevitably be unstable, and there may be civil strife. ”

Lei Timur did not spend his face with a melancholy face, and he stopped talking. Dunshe asked, "What do you suggest?" Although. ”

"The last general thought that since Polo did not move, and our army had a lot of food and grass, it was better to send a military horse and send some to Shangdu. It is also good to use this to appease the military morale of Shangdu. ”

Deng She pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said, "There are hundreds of miles of land from Gaozhou to Shang, and there are many Tartar defenders along the way. If I cross the border with a lone army escorting grain and grass, am I not a sheep in the mouth of a tiger? Marshal Lei, you are concerned about it. This strategy is not feasible. How to solve the problem of food shortage in the capital, we need to find another way.

"......, but it's still okay to send some men and horses to Shangdu under the banner of rescue to appease its army."

He quietly glanced at Lei Timur and said with a smile: "How about this task being undertaken by Marshal Lei?" ”

Lei Timur did not say: "It is precisely because the last general is familiar with the inside of Shangdu that the last general cannot accept this task." ”

"Oh? Why? ”

"If the last general goes, then there will be no one who is familiar with each other to convey the military reports between the prime minister and the capital in the future. And if things are urgent, the prime minister's side can't be without people who understand the truth and make suggestions. Therefore, it is better for the last general to be outside with the prime minister than to go back to Shangdu. ”

Deng She was very satisfied with his answer, and no longer tempted, he picked out a general from among the generals in the tent, allocated 500 people, and ordered him to go to Shangdu in the starry night. At the same time, he sent a request to Cheng Sizhong to Deng She, asking him to appease the army, unite internally, and hold the city. As for the external enemy, please rest assured that he has Haidong to deal with it.

While they were discussing, a man walked in quickly.

When everyone looked up, it was Hong Jixun. But seeing him smiling with his eyebrows, it seems that he has encountered some happy event. ——, because Dunshe entrusted him with all the affairs of the city and the army, as well as the elevation of the city walls and the construction of fortresses, he did not participate in the military council.

He took two military documents in his hand, arched his hand slightly towards the generals, and said to Deng She excitedly: "Lord, good things are also!" Chen Shicai got two military documents one after another, one from Liaoyang and one from Shangdu. Guess what's going on, my lord? ”

He was headless and brainless, and suddenly these two sentences came. Deng She was slightly stunned, his thoughts were still on Cheng Sizhong and Polo, so he naturally thought of Shangdu first. He said, "A copy from above? Meddlesome? But has Marshal Cheng's lack of food in the city improved? ”

"Definitely."

It is rare to see Hong Jixun selling Guanzi, and Deng She suddenly became interested. Can there still be good things in Shangdu? If it is not that the embarrassment of lack of food has improved, it must be that the Yuan army in Monan has changed. He asked, "Yes, but has the Tartars of Monan changed?" Mo Nan did not have a Tartar commander who was on one side and had enough prestige, could it be that there was a civil strife ,......, the Tartars? ”

"Haha. Although it is not hit, it is not far away. ”

Hong Jixun unfolded the military text from Shangdu and presented it to Deng She. Deng She glanced at the ten lines, hurriedly looked at it, was overjoyed, and handed the military text to Lei Timur Buhua, looked around at the generals, and said: "The Tartar Yang Zhai King in Lingbei has tens of thousands of people, and he has coerced several local kings to rebel. ”

This Yang Zhai King, all the generals in the hall have heard of it.

This person is the seventh son of the Great Khan of Ogedei, after the king of Zhenli, Shizhen Northern Domain, is a Mongolian king, a direct descendant of the golden family. Since the civil strife in the Central Plains, Lingbei has not been affected by the war. Originally, Emperor Yuan issued an edict last year, ordering them to raise troops to the south to help exterminate the red scarves. But King Yang Zhai thought that there was an opportunity to take advantage of it, and "wanton for a different picture".

The inhabitants of Lingbei are all Mongolian tribes, maintaining nomadic customs. Therefore, in a short period of time, he amassed tens of thousands of troops. In fact, King Yang Zhai had already erected a counter-flag two months ago, just because Shangdu was in the lonely city, and the news in Monan and Mobei was not well-informed, so he had just learned about it recently.

Lei Timur didn't take a breath of cold air, Huo Ran got up, and almost knocked off the tea bowl on the desk in a hurry, and he said urgently: "The important towns of Monan and Mobei are not stronger than Shangdu." King Yang Zhai reversed, he entered Monan from Lingbei, and if he wanted to enter the belly, the first thing he attacked must be Shangdu. This, what is the joy of this ,......,? ”

"King Yang Zhai may be the first to attack Shangdu, as Marshal Lei said. But let me ask Marshal Lei, if such a situation really occurs, how should Polo, who is prosperous and peaceful, deal with himself? How will he react? ”

"This?"

Yes, on one side is the red scarf, and on the other side is the rebellious King Yang Zhai. How will Polo react to such a situation? Will he watch Shangdu fall into the hands of King Yang Zhai, or will he immediately raise troops and conquer and occupy Shangdu before King Yang Zhai attacks Shangdu?

From a military point of view, of course, the former prevails. Sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. Wait for the red scarf and King Yang Zhai to fight out the victory, and then sit back and reap the benefits of the fisherman. However, would Emperor Yuan give Polo Timur this chance? Even if Polo Timur was given this opportunity, would Polo have the guts to take this risk?

King Yang Zhai is different from the red scarf, he is a descendant of Wokotai, a well-deserved golden family, and has quite a lot of appeal in Monan and Mobei. If he sat back and watched him capture Shangdu, would the Mongol tribesmen in Monan and Mobei turn to support him? Even if this probability is only one percent, Polo will never have the courage to bear such serious consequences and responsibility.

Even if it was in his own self-interest, he would not have made this choice. There is King Yang Zhai in the north, a red scarf in the south, and Liaodong on the side, most of them are sandwiched between his troops, and it is self-evident what the fate will be.

Ray Timur did not spend a sudden realization.

Zuo Che'er also guessed the reason why Hong Jixun and Deng She were not worried but happy, and he said: "No wonder Polo Timur did not move!" Maybe he got the news before we did. At this time, he is thriving and peaceful, and he has not moved, is this factor involved? ”

"It's not 'maybe', it's for sure! The reason why Polo has been slow to move is definitely because of King Yang Zhai. Even, he suddenly sent troops to attack Shangdu this time, and it was because of this Yang Zhai King! ”

"What do you mean?"

"King Yang Zhai raised an army to make a rebellion, what a big deal is this? The intelligence of Marshal Cheng in Shangdu is not good, but not in Dadu, it will definitely know about it as soon as possible.

"Then, as Marshal Lei Shicai said, if King Yang Zhai wants to go south, he must first capture Shangdu, so as not to worry about the future. I expect that the Tartar Lord has nothing more than two countermeasures. First, immediately send most of the military horses to the north to oppress King Yang Zhai and not take half a step out of the north of the ridge. Second, send a general to take the lead in launching an offensive against Shangdu and cut off its rear road. After capturing Shangdu, they will unite with the army and horses of Dadu, so as to attack together in two ways and wipe it out in one fell swoop. ”

Hong Jixun turned his head and said to Deng She: "In order to confirm the minister's judgment, the minister has sent a fast horse to the west of Xinghe to investigate. As long as there are signs of the Yuan army's large army moving north, then the minister's judgment will dare to say that it is indeed correct.

"......, no matter what, Polo's true intentions, why he suddenly attacked Shangdu, why he didn't fight, retreated and didn't retreat, head and tail, wait and see, our army is now clear. How to fight the next battle, please make a decision as soon as possible. ”

In order to show his stability and old age, Deng She officially grew a beard recently. He stroked the manicured mustache on his chin, slowly calming down from his joy.

He said: "Judging from the current situation, how to fight the next battle is nothing more than two strategies. Either our army moves first and strikes first; Either wait for Polo to move first, and our army will strike later. ”

Hong Jixun's original tactic was to wait for Polo to move first, but this time and that time are also the same. At the beginning, they misjudged Polo's true intention to attack Shangdu, but now they found that the battle situation had changed, and unexpected circumstances had occurred, and the subsequent tactical deployment should naturally be adjusted accordingly.

There are pros and cons to both preemptive and late-strike.

It is more prudent to strike later, but the disadvantage is that too much grain and grass are consumed. Gaozhou is okay to say, Shangdu can't hold out for too long. The preemptive strike is a bit rushed, and the advantage is that as long as he wins a big victory, Polo will inevitably give up Shangdu because he is afraid of the momentum of King Yang Zhai. After all, his main target is not Shangdu, but King Yangzhai. In order to lose too many troops and generals, it is not conducive to quelling the chaos.

Deng She analyzed Polo's mentality and said: "The lesser of two evils.

"Compared with King Yang Zhai, for the Tartar Emperor and for Polo, the damage to the Shangdu Army is small. If our army selects thousands of elites to attack Xinghe, as long as it wins a victory, it will inflict greater damage on Polo and show his authority, so that he will understand that it is not worth the loss to continue the attack. This battle is over. Shangdu will be too peaceful. The only question is, if our army attacks, what chance do they have? ”

Zuo Che'er and Lei Timur did not spend all their lives to speak separately.

Some think the odds are great, while others think the odds are small. The Privy Council officials, who thought that the chances of victory were small, and had participated in the earlier military conference, brought out the advice of Liu Shimin and Liu Shize brothers at that time. The generals and colonels who thought that they had a good chance of winning and had also participated in that military conference moved out of the remarks of Yang Xingjian and others. There were endless debates and quarrels between the two compartments.

Deng She closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, and then he had a conclusion in his heart.

But he didn't say it first, stopped the generals' arguments, and asked Hong Jixun: "Mr. said that there are two good things, what is the other one?" ”

"Liaoyang Military Report: Naha sent an envoy to sue for peace."

——

1, Emperor Shun.

At this time, Emperor Yuan's name was Tuhuan Timur, the temple number was Huizong, and the name of Emperor Shun was given to him by Zhu Yuanzhang. Because Zhu Yuanzhang thought that on the eve of his annihilation, he would abandon the capital without fighting against the city and flee to Mobei, which was a good answer. In fact, Emperor Shun not only complied with the mandate of heaven when he fled to the north, but also made many similar moves.

For example, King Yang Zhai rebelled and sent a messenger to question Emperor Shun, saying: "The ancestors paid you with the world, why did you lose half of it?" Why don't you give me the seal of the country, and I will be the emperor! Emperor Shun replied: "The destiny of heaven is there, and you will do it if you want to do it." It means to say, "Look at the destiny, if you want to do it, try it." "Very unhurried, quite personable.

Before that, "Mr. Guan broke the capital to the east, and persuaded Emperor Shun to run, and the emperor said: 'It's okay, you have your own blessings, why run?' After that, "the Ming general entered the Beijing Division, persuaded Emperor Shun to stay, the emperor watched astronomy, scratched his head and was speechless, and then went out." ”

Emperor Shun went out to Shangdu, and one day, "there were several foxes entering the palace until the throne." Seeing this, the imperial historian Ah Rabusha said that it was a sign of the country's demise. He said: 'Providence is so, what can I do?' ’”

The emperors of the Yuan Dynasty have been counted, and in just a few decades, there have been more than a dozen emperors. The struggle for the throne of the Yuan Dynasty was very fierce, the shortest reigned for only one month, most of them collapsed at the age of twenty or thirty, the youngest was only six years old, and one was only eight years old. There were three emperors who died either as a result of a palace coup or as a result of a military defeat.

Only the ancestor Kublai Khan and Emperor Shun reigned for the longest time, and even Emperor Shun surpassed Kublai Khan.

Kublai Khan reigned for thirty-five years, and Emperor Shun reigned for thirty-six years. The reign of the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty in the middle was only thirty-eight years in total.

Emperor Shun is not fond of alcohol, good at calligraphy and painting, and can observe astronomy. He was exiled to Goryeo as a child and ascended the throne as emperor at the age of 13. All the ministers died at his hands, and hundreds of ministers were killed. He has the title of Luban Son of Heaven, and once dug a tunnel to watch the Heavenly Demon Dance. He believed in Buddhism and liked to rejoice in Zen, but he also set up sutra feasts and listened to Han Confucian scholars explain the classics. He had verifiable Mongol ancestry, but at the time he was rumored to be a descendant of the Song royal family.

At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, he had the power to be a minister; In the later period, there was a warlord civil war, and the crown prince fought for power, but his throne has always been firmly seated. He was the last emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, and he was the first emperor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang said that he obeyed the mandate of heaven, and he was honest.