Five days later, the ceremony of the royal driver's personal expedition to Geerdan was held in front of the Wufeng Tower outside the noon gate. In the first three days, in accordance with the procedures formulated by the Ministry of Rites, Kangxi sacrificed to the Temple of Heaven, the Taimiao and the Tai Sui God, and then went to the Empress Dowager to shed tears and pray silently, begging for protection, fasting and fumigating like a ritual, all preparations were stopped, and Feiyanggu transferred back 30,000 iron cavalry from Gubeikou to accept Kangxi's review.

At noon on the twentieth day of the first lunar month, the bell and drum hanging at the noon gate rose leisurely, and at the same time, the bell tower and drum tower of the east and west of Zhengyangmen also echoed from afar. At that time, the snow in Beijing was falling, and the sky was full of Qiongyu, and there were three large square teams of black crows and crows standing on the east, west and south sides of the empty square outside the noon gate, motionless like iron casting. The ministers of the upper study room who stayed in Beijing included Zhang Tingyu and Tong Guowei, and more than 300 officials who came to Beijing to meet with the princes, Beile, Beizi, the six departments of Jiuqing, and foreign officials came to Beijing to meet with them. Hundreds of thousands of Beijing teachers and Li Min received the day before the amnesty of the world and never give two Ming edicts, although the weather is cold and snowy, they are also very interested, all flock to the Zhengyang Gate outside the newly set up silk curtain to see the lively, every household set up incense cases, wine and meat, it is regarded as a pot of pulp and food to send off the king.

Suddenly, I heard the two cannons that the sky collapsed and the earth cracked like they sounded from the Wufeng Tower, the middle door of Zhengyang Gate, Tiananmen, Di'anmen and Wumen unloaded the big bolt, Ya Ya opened, the Changyin Pavilion in front of the left door was enshrined to beat the pan Ming music, and the sound of sheng, fence, flute, flute, and cloud gong was loud. Feiyang Gu saw a group of inner servants holding dragon flags and treasure flags constantly flowing out of the noon gate, and he took a closer look until the twenty-first team of Yulin troops came out, and saw Suo Etu and Gao Shiqi with more than 40 guards armed with swords and swords, and rode out of the noon gate on royal horses. Feiyang Gu glanced at the two generals Tong Guogang and Nian Qianyao standing upright behind him, bowed his head slightly, and held the sword given by Kangxi flat on his chest. Immediately, hundreds of horned snails behind him raised their heads and roared in unison to the sky. Almost at the same time, the band under the Zuoye Gate played the sound of change, and hundreds of people sang "Youping Zhang" in unison:

Strong military appearance, mighty Quartet. Rin Ge spear, forest armor battle. dissecting the rhino, the seven genera are as rotten as silver; With a shark letter, it is indescribable to be bright. This is, Jincheng guarantee! Zhan Lu purple electricity, bearing the shadow with light, Cao Cao is like water, the quality is like frost, there are more bears and tigers brave, Longcheng flying generals, air cover through bullfighting, Diao Dou Thousands of accounts. Nine in success, two bows, blowing three singing, enthusiastic military spirit!

In the song, the crown prince led the prostration, led the hundred officials to kneel three times and knock nine times to raise the dust and dance, the mountain shouted long live, and the 30,000 soldiers saw the apricot yellow order flag in Nian Qianyao's hand waved, and shouted:

"Long live the Emperor, long live it!"

Kangxi wore a golden helmet on his head, a leopard tail armor, and a Ming Huangjiang silk robe under a wide shawl, and a gold inlaid red sapphire thread tie around his waist. The starry eyes under the ink-like eight-figure eyebrows flickered, and he looked very energetic in the snow. He pressed his sword in his hand, his face flushed, and he looked around, really a little emotional. It is the second time that the military parade in this place has been completed, the previous time was in the twelfth year of Kangxi, Wu Sangui in the south rebelled, the prince of Chahar in the north rebelled, and Yang Qilong and Wu Yingxiong in the Beijing division responded to the chaos inside and outside, Tuhai and Zhou Peigong mobilized all the defenders of the Beijing division, but only more than 5,000 people, where can they get such a strict military appearance today, and the momentum of the soldiers and horses are eager to try! In the deafening shout, Kangxi raised his hand to greet the three armies, and immediately, there was silence in front of the noon gate, only the heavy snow rustled.

"Soldiers!" Kangxi shouted.

"Hooray!" The echo is like a tsunami of mountains.

"The Geldan thief is ambitious, and for more than ten years, he has repeatedly colluded with the Rakshasa to invade the Central Plains, annex Mongolia, slaughter my city, kill my people, destroy my unification of China, and disturb the livelihood of my people, which is tolerable and unbearable!" Kangxi said in a loud voice, and the words landed soundly, "I am now personally in command of the three armies, and I will lead the Manchu Han Iron Cavalry to 300,000 to fight this national thief, and I will not destroy the ugly prisoners, and I will not return to the court!" After that, he took out a carved wolf's tooth arrow from the quiver and broke it with a "snap", "There are cowards in the battle, and those who do not obey the order are like this arrow!" ”

Although the words were short, they were very powerful, trembling with the sound of gold and stone, tens of thousands of soldiers were well-trained, and when they saw the emperor say this, they knelt down on one knee and repeated aloud:

"Don't destroy the ugly captive, swear not to return to the court!"

"Raise the flag!"

Feiyang Gu urged the war horse to take a few steps forward, and the sword shouted. A bright yellow dragon flag rises on the big silk in the center of the school's military field, hunting in the north wind and going straight to the top of the pole. The 1,200 sergeants transferred from the Ruijian camp carried the wine jar to the front of the various armies, poured bowls and handed them to the sergeants. Zhang Tingyu and Tong Guowei saw that the crown prince was going to pour wine for Kangxi, so they hurriedly carried a jar of wine and followed them, poured it and knelt down to hold it to the crown prince. Yinren also knelt down, raised the wine above his head, and said: "Amma, please drink this cup full, may Ama go to victory!" The ministers abide by the emperor's orders, supervise the food and salary, and wait for the emperor's good news! ”

"Okay, this wine is used." Kangxi saw that Yinren's eyes were red, and he couldn't help but be emotional, "Don't forget to study at home, you have to discuss everything with the two ministers, and if there is a major matter that cannot be decided, Pegasus will report to me, and I will be in charge." All the princes are your siblings, and you can't be punished lightly, but remember? Seeing Yinren bow his head one by one and agree, Kangxi suddenly remembered and said, "Mingzhu didn't come today, he is a guilty person and is not allowed to participate in the ceremony, you send a decree to him and ask him to go out with the army!" ”

Several ministers were on the side, Suo Etu looked at Tong Guowei when he heard it, and Tong Guowei also swept his gaze over, only a pair, and they all flashed away immediately. Gao Shiqi was surprised at first, and immediately understood that he was afraid that Mingzhu would take advantage of Kangxi's absence and hook up with Tong Guowei to endanger the prince, so he knew that Mingzhu was going to be more auspicious, and he couldn't help but lift his heart, and suddenly thought of himself, so far he didn't come up with a good way to retreat safely, so he shuddered. Kangxi looked at Moutai and looked even more energetic, radiant, threw the big cup, and shouted:

"The three armies are out of the city!"

Seeing Kangxi like this, the sergeants raised their bowls and drank the wine, a mountain smashed the bowl, and marched in line from the car to Tiananmen Square, and the drum and horn shook the mountain more and more.

Geldan was the commander of 100,000 Zhun Geer troops in the autumn of the 28th year of Kangxi, who arrived in Ulan Butong. This time to the east of southern Mongolia, in advance and the Qinghai-Tibet ** lama Sang Jieren to negotiate well, by the Tibetan soldiers to maintain the back road, before leaving and met with the Rakshasa country of Gregoryev Dazuo, as soon as he arrived in Ulan Butong, immediately borrowed 3,000 muskets from the Black Dragon ** Brake army to equip equipment, Zhuo Suotu sent a secret letter repeatedly assured that as long as the "great Geldan" arrived in Monan, all the cattle and sheep on the Horqin grassland are the source of the army, and all the Mongolian hussars of Horqin are the loyal subordinates of the Great Khan...... Good news on all sides. Gerdan was a little ambitious. The 20,000 iron cavalry he brought were all heroic divisions who followed him to pacify the four divisions of Junggar, the three divisions of Khalkha Mongolia, and fought for many years, which can be said to be foolproof. As long as they have a firm foothold in Ulan Butong, Eastern and Western Mongolia and Mobei Mongolia will soon be able to become one. The Kangxi rivers and mountains in the Guan, within a few years, will be slaughtered piece by piece. Thinking of Genghis Khan's vast empire, Geldan was full of blood and blood, and his heart was beating with excitement.

But once he arrived in Ulan Butong, he found that things were far from as he had imagined. The men who accompanied Grigoriev to Heilongjiang to pick up ordnance were not heard from for three months. This is a bad omen. Zhuo Suotu fell ill at this time, and only sent his own palace steward Zagong to take care of the army, and brought two hundred weak and thin old men to the army, as well as a thousand horses, but they were full of colors, and I don't know how many years they had been stored in the treasury, and their hands were broken when they were twisted. Geldan is far away from his homeland, the grain route is far away, and what he is counting on is Zhuo Suotu's help, how can he be dishonored when he sees this scene? The military tent was settled, and he was so angry that he didn't sleep well all night, and the next day it was just dawn, so he ordered the account to be raised. Mongolians are fierce and brave, pay attention to faithfulness, and are straightforward and generous, but when it comes to etiquette, they do not have as much red tape as the Central Plains. When the generals of each battalion went to the camp to see Geldan, they scolded King Korqin one after another:

"The old guy is not a thing, he can't come, and he doesn't even send a child, this is the rule of Mongolian hospitality?"

"This housekeeper doesn't look authentic, he has a thief's eyebrows, and I feel disgusted when I see it!"

"Tens of thousands of horses, 10,000 camels, no food, how to survive the winter?"

"This old bastard ......"

Geerdanzi's face rose, and he listened quietly, and after a while, he waved his hand to stop everyone, and asked, "Why didn't Xiaozhen and Musar come?" As soon as the words fell, Xiao Zhen's personal servant ** came out with a horse-head qin, bowed and replied: "The princess and the golden knife donkey said that there is something on the Khan's side, and the old slave agreed." Gerdan nodded, he couldn't help his daughter. This time to send troops to Monan, Zhong Xiaozhen would rather die than come, but the 3,000 army led by Xiao Musar was the most warlike army under his subordinates. It's easy to say that Xiao Musar only responded to the army, rescued the commander, and did not confront the Qing army head-on, and promised not to bring Fujin with him, so Xiao Zhen agreed to follow her husband, but "listened to the tune and did not listen to the announcement", and Geldan had no choice but to take them. Geldan pondered for a long time, and commanded: "Don't shout, call that Zagon in, I have something to ask!" ”

Zagon came in. This is a Mongolian man in his forties, with a little red and purple face with a pair of treacherous little eyes, blinking constantly, bowing to the ground with his hands stretched out to Geldan, and asking: "Venerable Great Khan, my master, I wish you good luck!" Whatever you tell me to come, I will do it with all my might! ”

"Although you have a tongue like a spring, and speak as beautiful as the song of a lark on the grassland," Geldan pressed his anger and said coldly, "I, Geerdan, have also experienced the vicissitudes of the sea, and I am not a person to be deceived - I am not your master, and there is no auspiciousness at all, your master is Zhuo Suotu, he is now around the fireplace, and the wine and fat sheep are really 'auspicious'!" ”

Zagon raised his head, squeezed his eyes and smiled, and said, "Buddha Heaven Bodhisattva, you know, my master is sick. He sincerely welcomes the Great Khan! The Hada I offered on behalf of the master is only used when I worship the heavens and the Buddha, and the gifts I send are enough to exchange for 500 slaves, and I will continue to come back to help in the future, which is the highest hospitality in Mongolia! ”

"Do you know how many things I gave to Zhuo Suotu?" Gerdan couldn't hold back any patience, and roared in a low and hoarse voice, "Three times - gold alone is 140,000 taels!" 140,000 taels of gold to buy these 200 old and toothless lambs, and this little bit of silk that turns to ash when the wind blows? You—" He coughed angrily, but didn't say anything. "This is not a business, of course a noble lord like the Great Khan does not do business, right?" Zagon was very rude, not angry at all, grinning and calmly, "If the Great Khan doesn't believe me, I am willing to take the Great Khan to Horqin to meet our prince." ”

Geldan originally had this plan, he also heard that Horqin and the imperial court had secret envoys, originally thought that as soon as he arrived, he would hold a banquet, put Zhuo Suotu under house arrest, and ordered Monan Mongolia, but now it seems that not only this plan will not work, but it is also very dangerous for him to go to Horqin in person. Thinking that he couldn't turn his face at this moment, he was thinking about it when someone outside came in and said, "Great Khan, that Mr. Grigoriev is back!" Geldan perked up and hurriedly said, "Please come in!" With a smile, he said to Zagon, "You are here, and I will have something to ask later!" ”

"The little ones listen to the orders!" Zagon didn't care, smiled and agreed, retreated to the tent and stood with his hands down.

Grigoriev, with a look of dismay, walked in as if he had been filled with lead, bowed stiffly to Geldan, and said: "Great Khan, I regret that I was not able to bring you good news. In view of the situation in our country and the Treaty of Nebuchu that has just been concluded with the Qing Empire, Minister Plenipotentiary Gorovin has ordered me to greet the Great Khan on behalf of the Supreme Tsar, and it is not convenient for me to supply muskets and ammunition to the Great Khan at this time—I am in the same mood as the Great Khan, and I would like to express my deep sympathy and apologies to you, my distinguished friend and master on my own behalf......" Geldan's face turned pale at once bloodless. He opened his eyes wide, staring blankly at the autumn colors and the yellow and sparse pastures outside the tent, and for a long time, he suddenly burst into a burst of wild laughter: "Betrayal, betrayal!" Hahahaha...... The fact that I was betrayed by two of these two in a few days is also a great adventure in my life! Hahahaha......"

"I said that I personally apologize to you." Grigoriev took a step forward and said quietly, "Our great Tsar Peter is currently concentrating on solving the political problems on the western and southern borders of Russia, and cannot spare more troops to resolve the border disputes in the Heilongjiang River valley. Thankfully, Minister Soetu didn't know about this, otherwise they wouldn't have given in to Nebuchu's negotiations. As you understand with your wisdom, my country has its own difficulties and cannot interfere too much in your internal affairs—as a token of my own sympathy, I will only present the Ten Great Khan Bird Guns and the corresponding ammunition in my own name—and after this mission has been accomplished, I will be called back to my country with regret and hope......" With that, he swung his chin and two Rakshasa soldiers came in with a large box and placed it in the ground. Grigoriev exhaled easily, shrugged his shoulders, raised his cane and said: "Goodbye - I wish you all the best", and walked away. Geldan trembled with anger, spat at Grigoriev's back and scolded: "Hooligans, prostitutes! At this moment, a Mongol soldier hurried in with a knife on his waist and presented a letter to Geldan with both hands. When Geldan saw that the seal above belonged to King Korqin, he tore open the envelope with red eyes, and when he looked at it, he saw that it was written:

King Korqin would like to send a letter to the Khan of the Gur tribe, Geerdan: Jun has come from afar, and it is a pity that he cannot come to greet him in person. Although the servant is sick, he is not rude to this point, but he knows that His Royal Highness killed his father and brother in the past, and his heart is cold. The servants and His Royal Highness are like brothers and sisters, and they can't bear to fight anymore, so that His Highness will regain his infamy through the ages, in order to avoid the three houses. Your Highness is a sin servant, and it is difficult for a servant to say goodbye, but you must not be angry with the cattle and sheep of my subjects in the Horqin grassland. Otherwise, the matter of war is inevitable. Zhuo Suotu is sick and knows goodbye.

At this moment, Geldan really exploded with seven soulless and three corpses, and two of the three tore off the letter, and said with a cruel smile: "Zagon, you come a little forward, I have something to ask you." ”

"I have good ears," Zagon still kept smiling, "the Great Khan has nothing to say." ”

"How many years have you been in the Horqin Palace?" Geldan gritted his teeth and smiled and asked, "I think you are very capable." ”

"Me?" Scratching his ears, he replied, "I used to be a singer on the grassland, but when my mother was sick, my daughter was sold to the palace as a slave. This time the Great Khan came, the prince released my daughter, gave her a hundred sheep, and promoted me to be a housekeeper, I really have nothing to say when I come to you to listen to the greetings......"

So that's the case, Zagon was temporarily brought in as a housekeeper to coax himself! Geldan was so enraged that he pulled out his sword with a "puff", Gege walked down with a sneer, and when he saw Zagon looking like a broken jar, he raised Han Sensen's sword, put it down again, patted him on the shoulder, and said: "Pity you as a man, for the sake of your daughter's freedom, dare to come out and pull teeth out of my tiger's mouth, I will spare you from death - go back!" Tell Zhuo Suotu that this evil wolf has to fulfill his promise, otherwise, my soldiers will have nothing to eat, of course they will fight him on the idea of the grassland, killing and robbing are inevitable. Since I have come from the east, I cannot go west empty-handed! Hmph, forgive me how much Mobei Mongolia can do, can it compare to the three Khalkha Mongolias? ”

Zagon didn't expect Geldan to have such a righteous heart, and his always laughing and indifferent expression was swept away, and he became solemn and self-assured, and took a step forward and said: "I have promised our prince to die here, and we Horqin people are iron-clad men, how can we not believe in our words?" I'm dead! As he spoke, he pulled out the bright dagger from his waist and plunged into his heart. The blood immediately gurgled out, and the body shook, like a tree that had been cut down, flowing with sap, and fell to the ground.

Gerdan didn't expect him to be so bloody, and stood stunned, his head buzzing, and he didn't know what to think. The Mongols were warriors, and the surrounding generals looked at Zagon's corpse and mourned silently, and after a long time, they asked someone to carry him out.

After one blow after another, and witnessing the bloodshed of Zagon, Geldan became calmer, he patted his head a little dizzy, and immediately felt an inexplicable fear: without the two great reinforcements of the Rakshasa Kingdom and Zhuo Suotu, this army of more than 20,000 people became a lonely army, except for the grain brought by 10,000 camels can barely last for half a year, and the follow-up food source cannot be counted on at all, this is really a terrible thing! The autumn wind outside the tent rustled the withered grass, and the cowhide tent was stirred by the cool breeze that came in, making an uneasy ** sound, Geldan shivered, wrapped himself in a cloak, and cheered up and said:

"The whole army immediately marched into Jingfeng, built a village by the mountains and rivers, stationed in the area of Huanggang Mountain and Linxi, prevented Zhuo Suotu from copying my back road, deployed along the Xilamulun River, and listened to the movements of the Qing army in Gubeikou at any time to see what Kangxi moved!"

While thinking about it, he said: "Hurry up and send someone to contact Sang Jieren in Qinghai, and tell him to raise 100,000 stone grains, which will be shipped in the spring of next year, and it is best to send some Tibetan soldiers to meet in Zhaomoduo." As long as our army continues to retreat, we will be able to take this Ulan Butong - a firm foothold is success! ”

This is indeed the best solution for him at this moment. Tens of thousands of fierce Mongolian cavalry of Junggar immediately shrank into fists, entrenched in the territory of the Keshiketeng Banner of Ulan Butongfeng, Jingfeng and Huanggang Mountain, there are hot water ponds as natural barriers, and there is Xilamulun River in the south as a natural danger. When Zhuo Suotu woke up from his pride, he had already formed a confrontation situation, although the Mongol kings in Mobei had the heart to join forces to attack Geldan, they could not send troops to travel far away in the harsh winter. Zhuo Suotu has the power of one piece, how can he match Geldan? Small battles were fought countless times, but they did not bargain, but lost a lot of cattle and sheep.