In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 411 Razing Chagatai

In early July of the sixth year of Yuanzhen, Lu Wende and Meng Ying, who were thousands of miles away, led more than 60,000 Song troops from east to west, and carried out the Western Expedition like the Mongols.

In late July, Jiqi Express also crossed the Yellow River from Fengxiang, Shaanxi Province, and entered the Ningshan Governor's Palace in Zhongxing Prefecture.

As Kublai Khan expected, it was impossible for Zhao and Rui to let the Song army go deep alone and be surrounded by the Mongolian army.

After receiving the order from the imperial court, Meng Gong, the governor of Ningxia and Shaanxi, immediately summoned Chen Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the Ningxia Dusi, Li Pingxia, deputy commander-in-chief, Sha Deer, and generals above the general level to discuss important matters.

The generals gathered at the scene were basically the generals of the Song Army who had fought a few battles with Mongolia. Over the years, under the rule of Zhao Yurui, the Song Army and the Mongolian Army had never lost a battle, or at least they were tied.

Therefore, the entire Song army had high morale and confidence in Mongolia.

Back then, when the imperial court had an advantage, it wanted to negotiate a peace, but many people were still dissatisfied.

Now that the time for the five-year peace talks between Mongolia and Song Dynasty has arrived, everyone is gearing up and waiting for today.

"Quiet." Meng Jing, the prefect of Zhongxing Prefecture, suddenly shouted, and the scene gradually became quiet.

The Song court once said that the Meng brothers could not serve as officials together, but Zhao and Rui transferred Meng Ying away, and Meng Jing was transferred from the army to a civil affairs official, but he was still in Ningxia to show his trust in the Meng brothers.

"Everyone, look at the map." Meng Gong called the generals to him.

There is a map hanging under the wall behind him, which is the map of the original Xixia and nearby Mongolian ministries.

"The imperial court has given an order. We must send out troops in three directions to attack Mongolia."

The crowd immediately cheered and was extremely excited.

Zhao Yurui stationed 400,000 troops in Ningxia. One-third of the army of the Song Dynasty was in Ningxia. With so many soldiers and horses stationed, today is the day.

Moreover, in the past six or seven years of occupying Ningxia, coupled with the war horse production of the former Tubo Province and now Qinghai-Tibet Province, the annual output of high-quality war horses in these two places has exceeded 100,000. Now the Song Army no longer lacks war horses.

"Left Army, Shadel is the commander, Li Pingxia is the deputy, and leads 120,000 troops." As soon as Meng Gong spoke, Shadel became excited.

This guy has a deadly feud with the Mongols. Last time, he and Li Pingxia were sent to Chagatai territory to sweep everywhere. He ran all the way through Chagatai territory and went to Yilang. When he came back, he didn't dare to leave Chagatai. After taking the territory of Taiwan, Rao Dao returned to Tubo and traveled thousands of miles.

There are many soldiers and horses on the left, more than 120,000 troops and 150,000 horses. There is no one with two horses, because the horses can be grabbed directly from Chagatai territory.

The left army's style of play this time was completely different from last time.

The last time it was a harassment and sweep, it was all about speed, so last time Shader and the others had one person with three horses and one with four horses. This time they went directly to level the Chagatai site and at the same time contain the Mongolian ministries in the northwest.

The northern part of Chagatai is the territory of Wokuotai, and the northwest is the territory of Batu. These three territories may have been notified, and they will all go to support Harah Forest and intercept Lu Wende's troops, but Shader's 120,000 troops invaded. , these three territories are all in panic.

The ancients could say that this was called encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao, but Zhao and Rui called it beating the snake seven inches.

The Song army was going to destroy the country this time, so the left route army was slower, and it also brought a large number of artillery, and even 10,000 civilians accompanied it.

Along the way, starting from Hamili, the first city in Chagatai territory, attack and destroy each one you see.

Zhao Yurui's request was that all men taller than a wheel should be killed, and the rest and women should be spared first. After the beating, they would all be brought back, and then used as coolies to manage the Yellow River and mine.

Meng Gong finally said: "Your Majesty's request is very simple. All cities on the grassland must be conquered, and all men taller than a wheel must be killed."

First destroy the fiefdom of Chagatai, and then attack the territory of Ogedai to the north. Of course, with the strength of the Song army this time and the policy of slowly leveling it, there is no need for Shader to go north. By then, like Batu and Ogedai, All the territories will come to support Chagatai.

Therefore, the left army advanced slowly and conquered the cities one by one. If it could lead to a decisive battle by the Mongolian army, it could also defeat the main force of the Mongolian army in the wild in one fell swoop.

The right army's commander is Chen Xiang, and his deputy Zhang Neng leads 60,000 troops with more artillery and trebuchets. Their mission is to attack the cities assigned to Mongolia by the original Xixia, mainly from the east, including Dingzhou and Xiazhou. , Yinzhou, Longzhou, Hongzhou, Yanzhou, etc., with ten thousand civilians accompanying the army.

The commander of the Central Route Army is Meng Gong, and his lieutenants will be Zheng Bin and Zai. Zai is a former Tubo aristocrat who defected to the Song Dynasty, and is now the deputy commander of the capital of Qinghai-Tibet Province.

Meng Gong personally led the 120,000-strong Central Army, fighting from south to north, first conquering Yimen, and then Heishui City. Then he could enter Mobei from Heishui City to support Lu Wende.

There are only these two cities on the road from central Xixia to Mobei, but they are both strong cities.

The Central Army had the largest number of Tubo people, a quarter of the more than 120,000 people, and about 30,000 more were Tubo people.

The Song army selected one out of ten households in Qinghai and Tibet, and recruited about 20,000 Tubo people. Including the original ones, the Song army was in Ningxia, about 30,000 people. The Tubo people, of course, are now called Song people, mixed with the Han people to form an army.

With a single order, the entire Ningxia was mobilized.

When the Mongols took control of Xixia, Zhizhi envoy Ouzhahui continuously supplied Mongolia with war horses, food and wages, and did a very good job. When the Song people took control, he was given greater power and he became even more capable.

In this battle, the three armies of the Song Army totaled 300,000 people, and they mobilized 30,000 civilians, with each army having 10,000 troops.

Three hundred thousand war horses and 150,000 horses and mules for other transportation were mobilized, for a total of 450,000 horses and mules.

There is no one person or two horses here, because they are not running long distances, but advancing step by step, and they can win over Mongolian war horses along the way.

The Song army mobilized quickly. Three days after Meng Gong's order was issued, the first wave of soldiers and horses, the right route army Chen Xiang and Zhang Neng led more than 60,000 troops and 10,000 civilians.

The first target of the Song Army was Dingzhou, which was dozens of miles away from Zhongxing Mansion.

This is one of the cities closest to the Mongolian army from the Song army.

The guarding generals of the Mongolian army here are Natu'er, Chi Laowen's son, and Delbatu of the Tuo Lei Department. There are 20,000 Mongolian troops stationed in this city, which can be regarded as the city with the largest number of Mongolian troops in Xixia.

Song and Meng negotiated peace here, which was known as Dingzhou Peace in history. After that, Song and Meng's transactions were all done here, and the local area became more and more prosperous.

Dingzhou in July was in the early stage of the rainy season, and the rainy season officially started in late August. The Song Army began to store water in September, and then flooded Zhongxing Mansion.

It rained lightly in Dingzhou two days ago, and then it was sunny again these two days.

Early in the morning, Natu'er and Delbatu appeared on the top of the city at the same time.

The two of them rarely appear together, but today is a special day.

On a certain day in February and late July every year, Song Jun would transport a batch of sugar, silk, ceramic tea and other items for trading, and they would give priority to what they liked.

This kind of large-scale transaction happens only half a year, and the two of them still attach great importance to it, mainly because they can make a lot of money and find fresh and good goods.

For example, in February, the Song people traded a batch of Nanyang spices, and their women liked them very much. This was rare in Dingzhou City.

"I heard that Hehan was negotiating peace with the Emperor of Song Dynasty again. I wonder if it can succeed this time?" Delbatu looked at Natu'er calmly at this time.

Natu'er belonged to the Sundusi tribe and was originally Temujin's confidant. Temujin died and was succeeded by Tuo Lei.

But after Tuo Lei died, Wokuotai immediately returned the Xudusi and Xueti tribes to his son Kuoduan.

In other words, Delbatu and Natu'er were both mine-travelers in the past.

It's just that Delbatu has always been Tuo Lei's confidant, and Natu'er later joined Tuo Lei. Tolei has been dead for several years now, and Natu'er and his Sundusi tribe seem to be turning more and more towards the Ogedai family, and are getting closer and closer to Kuoduan.

The Xudusi tribe was a very elite force. They only fought against the Song army once outside Zhongxing Mansion, and they failed to win.

However, the Song army had a large number of troops at that time, so it would not be embarrassing for Sundusi's troops not to win, and the losses would not be huge. After all, the Mongols could not defeat them but could run away.

Natu'er was looking ahead. After hearing what Delbatu said, he said sternly without thinking, "The peace talks are also temporary. When Batu comes back, we will have to raise a million troops to destroy Song Dog."

Natu'er hated the Song people deeply and did not support the peace negotiation at that time.

He was the general who guarded Zhongxing Mansion back then, but in the end he was forced to leave in embarrassment with his tribe and family, so he was very dissatisfied with the Song people.

Delbatu said: "We have made a lot of money in these years."

Natu'er said: "To attack and destroy the Song Dynasty, it is up to us to take whatever we want."

"..." Delbatu.

Delbatu was not so cruel to the Song people, mainly because his master Tuo Lei was poisoned to death by Wokuotai.

Emperor Zhao Yurui of the Song Dynasty spread this rumor on the grassland every day. It has been several years, and there are still people talking about it on the grassland.

As a general of the mine-towing system, Delbatu has not been reused in Kuoduan's hands. So far, he can personally command only a thousand subordinate troops.

Therefore, Delbatu believed that it was more suitable for his own interests to negotiate peace with the Song people.

He doesn't care whether there is a war or not. It's good to make some money in Dingzhou City. Isn't it comfortable to live a good life?

People are always like this, they just want to lie down when they can't see the future.

If Tuo Lei was alive, if Meng Ge could take power, Delbatu would be able to see the day when he would come to the fore. Seeing that he was getting stronger and higher, and he would naturally think that it would be best to fight every day.

It can be seen from just a few words between the two that their words are not congenial.

Natu'er wanted to go to war with the Song people, but Delbatu didn't.

Natu'er also heard Delbatu's intention, turned around and said solemnly: "Emperor Zhao Yurui of the Song Dynasty is very cunning and very sinister."

"You must not take it lightly, you must be on guard against him. I heard that he wants to negotiate peace with He Khan again in Baozhou, but before the peace is negotiated, the Song army will be at any time -"

He stopped mid-sentence, then stared dumbfounded not far away.

"Here we come." Delbatu was overjoyed at first, thinking it was a caravan from the Song Dynasty.

But on the horizon ahead, a black mass of cavalry appeared, followed by more and more people, and it didn't look like a caravan at all.

"This damn dog emperor of the Song Dynasty." Natu'er yelled, and then almost jumped: "Where is our sentinel?"

"Quickly, close the door, close the city gate."

Delbatu screamed, there were many ethnic groups outside.

During the five or six years of peace between Mongolia and Song Dynasty, they also raised horses and farmed outside Dingzhou City. There were a large number of herdsmen outside, but no one expected that the Song army would suddenly arrive.

The Mongols were originally good at taking the initiative and striking first, but in recent years they have been fighting against the Song people, and they have often been frustrated. Almost every time, the Song people took the initiative and took the initiative by surprise.

"Block the city gate, quickly send people to block the city gate."

There was no moat in Dingzhou, and Natu'er suddenly thought that the Song army had artillery.

But at this time it was too late to block it.

The Song army arrived too suddenly, and none of their outposts came back to report the news.

There was no way, everyone had been in peace for the past five or six years, and the Mongolian sentries outside were also on official business. They were all lying down on water skis. Some of them who found something wrong were killed by the Song army.

Because the Song Army was still following its old routine, a large number of sentries wearing Mongolian clothes were sent out from the outside.

Usually when two groups of sentry cavalry encounter each other, the Song army can preemptively attack the opposite side.

Delbatu did not expect that the Song army would come over. Seeing that there were many soldiers and horses in this battle, he ordered people to block the city gate, and his expression became nervous at the same time.

The Song army's attack on the city was very powerful. The artillery and trebuchets were so powerful that the defenders might not be able to defend the city.

Sure enough, Natu'er quickly reacted: "Don't block the north gate. Gather all the soldiers and horses and leave the city. Leave the city. Wait. Those who are closer to the west gate and east gate can leave the city through the west gate and east gate."

Natu'er is still smarter. The Mongolian army is not good at defending the city, and the Song army is particularly offensive.

The Mongolian army is still more powerful in field battles.

As soon as the Song army came from the south, they immediately gathered their troops and prepared to leave through the north gate.

Rumbling, the sound of iron hoofs was rolling outside the city, and the large cavalry of the Song Army divided into two sides and swept back from the east and west directions of Dingzhou City.

Although Natu'er was shocked, he was not panicked.

As long as he is allowed out of the city, he is confident that he can't fight and run away, and the Song army will not be able to catch up.

The problem is that it is difficult to gather 20,000 people in the city in a short period of time.

The Song army is encircling them from both sides. Once Dingzhou is surrounded, it will be difficult for them to rush out.

"Come on, take as much as you can with you." Natu'er didn't even want to defend the city, so she hurried downstairs with Delbatu.

Dingzhou has no moat and is not a fortified city. Even if it is to be defended, it is better to retreat to Wu Lahai City or Heishui City.

Delbatu also agreed with Natu'er's strategy.

The two of them ran downstairs with their subordinates, and then divided their confidants into several groups. Some went to gather their families, and some went to gather the army. All soldiers and horses in the city were asked to gather at the north gate (of course, those closest to the east and west gates could also go from Those who arrive first will leave the city first and assemble outside the city. If the Song army comes, escape first and assemble by the Yellow River more than ten miles northwest of the city.

Natu'er has no choice. The Mongolian army is not fully prepared. If you have to gather 20,000 people in the city and rush out together, it will take at least half an hour.

By then, Dingzhou City had already been surrounded by the Song Army, so he ordered that those who reached the north of the city first should go out first.

It was difficult for such scattered people to organize to fight against the Song army, so he directly ordered that all the ministries leave the city first to break out of the encirclement, and then gather more than ten miles away, wait until they can move their positions, gather together, and then come back to beat the Song army.

Neither Chen Xiang nor Zhang Neng of the Right Army expected that the Mongols would not defend the city and rush out directly.

The Song army came from the south and then sent troops to surround it on both wings to the north.

When forward Zhang Neng led five thousand soldiers and horses to the north gate, he saw a large number of Mongolian riders coming out of the north gate.

(End of this chapter)