. At this moment, Shi Tianze, who was a member of the Five-Road Ten Thousand Households, looked at the map in front of him in confusion. This was given to him by Du Feng before he learned of Du Feng's purpose and put him under house arrest. It was said to be a gift given to him by Fire Phoenix General Zhao Caiyun.
This gift was indeed very heavy, and it was so heavy that it completely shattered the illusion of luck in his heart. Looking at the marching route map drawn with red pen, Shi Tianze felt a chill coming from his bones.
It¡¯s a perfect match, every detail!
It¡¯s terrible, this woman is so terrible!
Shi Tianze finally understood Tuo Lei¡¯s scruples and fears. This woman is like a god. She can accurately think of everything about you. She can even think of things you can¡¯t think of in advance.
Closing his eyes, Shi Tianze took a deep breath and remembered his experience of dealing with this woman. Before this woman arrived in Shandong, the situation in Mongolia was excellent. Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, and even Shandong were all at their mercy. Later, Taishi Muhuali was plotted by the Song State when he attacked Chang'an. He was defeated and died. General Bolu led the remnants back to Hebei.
The fourth prince Tuolei arrived in person and led one hundred thousand troops to prepare for the capture of Shandong. He attacked from the east and west, secretly attacked Chencang, and attacked with General Bolu in both overt and covert directions. At that time, everyone thought that Zhao Caiyun was being restrained by Prince Tuo Lei, but she did not expect that she would use Prince Tuo Lei's knowledge to kill General Bolu, leaving only a few thousand of the 50,000 men. The defeat was even worse than that of Grand Master Mu Huali.
?????????? If Prince Tuo Lei hadn¡¯t been ruthless and used the people to threaten him, it would have been a problem whether he could have withdrawn safely.
After this battle, Zhao Caiyun's name was heard all over the world, and Prince Tuo Lei was extremely wary of this woman from then on. And it was during this battle that I truly realized how terrifying this woman was. From his point of view, there was nothing wrong with the plan of dragging thunder. No matter whether it was prepared in advance or hidden during the incident, any general would have been fooled, but it happened that Zhao Caiyun made it so miserable. If this was just Zhao Caiyun's tactics, the Jinren's Northern Expedition that year ago proved that her strategic vision was equally astonishing.
Before the war, Tuo Lei had made various predictions about Zhao Caiyun. At first, he took the initiative to retreat and deliberately showed weakness to lure Yici Pu'a outside the pass. Prince Tuolei said to the generals that arrogant troops weaken the enemy. But after Tuo Lei made the plan, Shi Tianze accidentally saw Tuo Lei standing in front of a map of Shandong, his face full of worry. Being good at observing words and emotions, he knew very well that Tuo Lei was worried about Zhao Caiyun. Afterwards, he recalled that Tuo Lei had lured the Jin people outside the customs, probably to prevent Zhao Caiyun from intervening in the war.
After all, in order to achieve this goal, the tow mine suffered heavy losses.
Even if Yi Ci Pu'a fell into the trap and Tuo Lei led the Mongolian army to launch the final counterattack against the Jin Kingdom's Northern Expedition, Tuo Lei still retained a force of ten thousand people. Although Tuo Lei didn't say it clearly, he knew that this was to prevent Zhao Caiyun.
In fact, it is impossible for Zhao Caiyun not to know about the battle between Jin and Meng. She must be waiting for a good opportunity by standing still. Everyone knows this.
What happened later was that Zhao Caiyun was even more clever in standing still. The Jin people were defeated, and Tuo Lei was forced to lead the Mongolian main force to leap forward thousands of miles and attack all the way to the northwest due to the war in the northwest. At this time, Zhao Caiyun attacked the Mongolian pastures in Liaodong and obtained hundreds of thousands of horses and nearly one million cattle and sheep. No one knows how Zhao Caiyun bypassed them and attacked these pastures, but that was the fact. The Mongolian pastures in Liaodong became Zhao Caiyun's possession. Later, they also took over the remnants of the Jin's Northern Expeditionary Army, more than 100,000 brave soldiers.
" Hundreds of thousands of war horses plus more than a hundred thousand elites who have fought for the rest of their lives, this situation makes me feel chilling when I think about it.
It can be said that Caiyun's skills are better than those of annihilating the Mongolian Central Plains Army. After this battle, both Mongolia and the Jin Kingdom were in a defensive dilemma. It can be said that the strategic situation was handed over to others.
Being able to withstand the temptation to annihilate the enemy's army, attack the enemy's weakness instead, and change the entire battlefield situation. Such a brilliant strategic vision made Shi Tianze both respected and afraid.
In this battle, Shandong's Fire Phoenix Legion completely got rid of the situation of passive defense. With these materials, coupled with Shandong's manpower, and the support of the Song Dynasty, the entire north has become the world of the Fire Phoenix Legion. Even if the drag thunder is there, it can't Change this situation. What's more, now that he's gone, many things have become worse.
For example, Shi Tianze doesn¡¯t know what to do now!
"Zhao Caiyun, Zhao Caiyun, you are so good Zhao Caiyun!" Shi Tianze rubbed his sore forehead and muttered to himself.
Pushing away the map in front of him, Shi Tianze stood up and paced around the room. He was very irritable and embarrassed, but he knew that the only way to find a way out was to be calm at the moment.
But where is the way out?
"Third brother, are you there?" The voice of cousin Shi Tianxiang came from outside the door.
"Come in!" Shi Tianze asked Shi Tianxiang to inquire about the situation in Zhongdu. It is estimated that there is news at this moment.
Shi Tianxiang is still very young, no more than thirty years old at most, but his eyes are full of fatigue and he looks worried.
Seeing him like this, it was probably not good news. Shi Tianze rubbed his cheeks, calmed down his mood, and said lightly: "How is the situation?"
"Zhang Rou and other Zhongdu generals worked together to kill Hua Nudu Nayan, and Kaicheng surrendered to Zhao Caiyun." Shi Tianxiang looked at Shi Tianze carefully and found that the third brother had no expression and was as calm as water, so he immediately added, "There is no news from Yizhou, but Fan Zhouji from Dingzhou announced his surrender to the Fire Phoenix Army and sent troops to block our army's retreat. Third brother, look at this"
"As expected, as expected!" Shi Tianze had already prepared for the worst, but when he heard this, he still couldn't help but feel his heart contracting. He was really in despair this time.
"Third brother, if it doesn't work out, let's just go out and cause chaos for him. Maybe there is still a way to survive!" Shi Tianxiang encouraged him unconsciously when he saw Shi Tianze's expression of frustration.
Shi Tianze patted him, did not answer, and ordered: "Call the second brother, it is the key to the survival of our brothers now, I can't be too arbitrary."
Shi Tianxiang responded, turned around and walked out. Not long after, he walked in with a tall man. This man was 70% similar to Shi Tianze. He was Shi Tianan, Shi Tianze's second brother.
Knowing that the situation was critical at this moment, Shi Tianze did not show any politeness. After asking the two brothers to sit down, he said directly: "We are all brothers. We have been born and died together for so many years. Unfortunately, the eldest brother was killed by Wu Xian. So far, he has not been able to avenge his death. It has made me feel guilty for many years, and now it is the key to our brother's life and death. I want to hear what you all think?"
Although Shi Tian'an is the second brother, his martial arts ability is far inferior to that of Shi Tianze, so he always listens to him. When he saw what he said, he didn't think much and said directly: "Third brother, what do you say, second brother will do it." Just do it, and my second brother won¡¯t cause any trouble for you anyway!¡±
Shi Tianze glanced at his second brother gratefully and said
, Shi Tianxiang next to him also said that he would obey the third brother's instructions.
When the two brothers expressed their stance, Shi Tianze no longer hid it and said directly: "Now we can be said to be in a desperate situation. Zhang Rou has sacrificed the Central Capital. It is estimated that this news will spread soon, and then the whole of Hebei will be shaken. The biggest Maybe they will join the Fire Phoenix Legion one after another, and we will become rats on the street. If we don't make plans early, then the whole of Hebei will become our enemy. With the Fire Phoenix Legion's more than 100,000 troops, you and I will be Death without a burial place.¡±
This is not an exaggeration at all. No one knows the snobbery of these local powerful people in Hebei better than them. They are always the first to follow the pace of the victors, not to mention the Mongols' ruling methods. Mongolians have a loyal heart, which is really a luxury.
Shi Tianan and Shi Tianxiang did not answer, and both looked at Shi Tianze.
"Now there are only four ways before us. One is to become rogues, imitate the Mongolian expedition to the south, and do the opposite, fight back to the northern grasslands, and defect to the fourth prince; the other is to go south to the Jin Kingdom, pretending to be a refuge, in exchange for shelter. The land, once things change, will return to Mongolia; the third is to surrender to the Fire Phoenix Army like Zhang Rou and others and become Zhao Caiyun's subordinates; the fourth is to simply cross Shandong, directly enter the Lianghuai River, and surrender to the Song Dynasty. These four points Lu, what do you think?"
When Shi Tianan and I heard that there were four ways, they were quite happy at first. However, after listening, they found that these four ways were not easy to choose. Shi Tianxiang asked one more question: "Isn't surrendering to Zhao Caiyun the same as surrendering to the Song Dynasty? ?¡±
Shi Tianze glanced at him and shook his head: "It's different. I'll explain this later. What did the second brother say?"
¡°Third brother, it¡¯s better for me to explain these things clearly first, otherwise I will be confused and it will be difficult to choose!¡± Shi Tianan obviously couldn¡¯t think clearly about the similarities and differences between these paths.
"That's fine!" Shi Tianze didn't refuse and explained: "Let's talk about the first way first. Our Shi family has received many rewards since our father surrendered to the Great Khan, but these are all earned with the hard work of you and my brothers, and also with the help of my eldest brother. One life is what it deserves.
However, we historians have little protection from the Great Khan, and we historians are valued by Mongolia because of our hard work in Hebei over the years. If we leave Hebei, we will be like duckweeds without roots and can only be slaughtered by others. . Choosing this route, not to mention the difficulty of going north, I am afraid that even if we are lucky enough to reach the grassland, we will be accused by Mongolia for losing Hebei. Without a strong protection, it will be difficult for you and me to survive. "
"Third brother, ?Is there still a fourth prince? "Shi Tianxiang couldn't help but interjected.
"This is also the reason why I added the first path. If it weren't for the Fourth Prince, I wouldn't have considered this path at all. It's just that I was thinking about the various trends after the Fourth Prince left, and I always felt that there was something wrong. If it was big If Khan were alive, it would be easy for the fourth prince to protect us. But according to rumors, it seems that the Great Khan has passed away in the northwest. In this case, even if you and I are lucky enough to escape to the grassland, will we see the fourth prince? In between."
After the two brothers stopped asking questions, Shi Tianze continued: "Tell me, since the fourth prince left, has the communication between Hebei and the grassland been much less? Besides, the fourth prince came to us before returning to the grassland. The letter said, firstly, that we should guard Hebei with peace of mind, and he will be back in half a year at most, and secondly, that we should not worry about our families on the grassland. Why do you think they said that?"
"They probably don't trust us!" Shi Tianxiang saw this clearly, but Shi Tianan remained silent.
"I thought so at first, but then I felt it was wrong. We all know what kind of person the Fourth Prince is. Even if he only said that he would lead his army to return in half a year, we would not dare to neglect Hebei's military, but he just added the following This sentence is obviously a greeting, but it is actually a threat. Why did he do this, and what is he worried about? "
No one answered. Shi Tianze looked at the two brothers, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "I know, the current situation in Mongolia is very bad. Even the fourth prince is not sure what will happen. Even if we When we arrive at the grassland at this time, there is a 10% chance that we won¡¯t be able to see the Fourth Prince face to face.¡±
The historian brothers are not idiots. After thinking about what Shi Tianze said, a clear message emerges: "The Mongol Khan!" Even if they haven't read many history books, in the Central Plains, there have never been fewer bloody storms due to succession. , and they do not believe that the succession of the Mongol Khan throne will go smoothly. At this time, the closer the brothers are, the more careful they must be, and they may even kill them.
The historian brothers all know that Tuo Lei is not the heir to Mongolia, but as for whether Tuo Lei has ambitions to seize the throne, they cannot guarantee that this topic has always been taboo. However, they have heard that on the grassland, there is a tradition of separating other sons from the family so that the youngest son can receive his inheritance. Regardless of whether this tradition will be implemented or not, just relying on this rule, if Tuo Lei does not become the Great Khan, he will definitely be jealous of the new Khan. There is no reason to explain, it is definitely the case.
Thinking of this possibility, the Shi brothers felt a chill in their hearts. At this time, when he went to seek refuge with the Fourth Prince, he brought news of the rebellion of other generals of the Mongolian Central Plains Army and the fall of Hebei. Even if the Mongols were really in large numbers and did not care about themselves and others and would not hold them accountable, life would not be easy in the future. If the problem of Khan's position is added to the problem, then I and others may die without knowing how.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? After going through all the trouble to escape, only to be suspected, and even face a dilemma of life and death, this is too hard for the Shi brothers to accept.
You can¡¯t choose this path!
Shi Tianze knew the choice of the two brothers from their appearance. He sighed secretly and continued to talk about the second way: "We know the situation in the Jin Kingdom. They are already sunset and their time is running out. We have taken refuge there and there is no way to measure them. Our ability restrains us, which gives us a lot of freedom. But after all, the Kingdom of Jin is not a place where we can stay for a long time, so if there is a chance, we still have to return to Mongolia. But if we choose this path, we will even return to Mongolia by then. On the Mongolian side, I am afraid that the impression given to them will not be very good, and they may even think that we are at both ends of the spectrum. If we want to achieve our current status, it will be difficult to reach the sky, and it will be good if we can save our lives."
The Shi brothers looked at each other and shook their heads together!
??Aren¡¯t you, a true man, just fighting for a better future? How can this be done until the last step?
"Since this way is not possible, let's talk about the third way. This is the easiest way. The Fire Phoenix Legion is right next to us. All we have to do is walk over. Judging from Zhao Caiyun's personality, she will definitely not be weak. For us, that can at least keep our current status. Although it is not too glorious, it is still a way out. It's just that Zhao Caiyun has an innate fatal weakness" Shi Tianze suddenly stopped talking and looked at the two brothers.
"Third brother, please tell me quickly, what are Zhao Caiyun's weaknesses?" Shi Tianxiang was the most anxious and immediately asked, but Shi Tian'an nodded: "Yes, she is not
Emperor, with so many soldiers and horses under his command, something will happen sooner or later. "
Shi Tianze glanced at his second brother with admiration. Regardless of other aspects, this second brother's head was quite clear. He nodded in agreement and said, "It goes without saying that Zhao Caiyun's magnanimity and methods are of great importance. As for strategizing, She is even more superior to others in the decisive battle of thousands of miles. Even if she leads the army and fights on the battlefield, she is unmatched. Even her vision can be said to be the best among the people I have met.One, even the fourth prince, who is an outstanding figure among men, is inferior. It can be said that she is an unparalleled marshal talent. As a woman, she has reached this point. Even if I, Shi Tianze, are a seven-foot-tall man, I still have to say "I am convinced" to her. If I can be her subordinate, I must also be able to do so. I will not insult you my brother. It's a pity, it's a pity, it's just like this. When we brothers take refuge in her, we have to be careful and careful! "
Seeing Shi Tianxiang's confusion, Shi Tianze explained: "Didn't you say that taking refuge in Zhao Caiyun is the same as taking refuge in the Song Dynasty? Wrong, that's a big difference. I have studied Zhao Caiyun's actions over the years, and found that Zhao Caiyun only relied on two Starting from a family with tens of thousands of people, she now has an army of hundreds of thousands. She did not rely on the Song Dynasty court to support her soldiers. All of them were obtained by recruiting rebels and surrendering troops from the Jin Kingdom. It can be said that the Fire Phoenix Army only knew about Zhao Caiyun, but did not know about Song Dynasty. Emperor. I don¡¯t know why the Emperor of the Song Dynasty did not stop this situation at all. Instead, he trusted Zhao Caiyun and supported her in attacking Hebei when the Song Dynasty faced such a situation. From this point of view, today¡¯s Song Dynasty His Majesty is also a great wise king.
But no matter how wise His Majesty the Song Dynasty is, it is impossible to remain indifferent to the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Fire Phoenix Legion. I heard that there are several other legions in Song Dynasty, but even the Yellow Dragon Legion of the Forbidden Army does not have as many people as the Fire Phoenix Legion. Even if His Majesty can tolerate such a situation, the ministers of Song State will definitely allow it. This has nothing to do with loyalty, but the fact that the Song court could not allow such a situation to occur. Even His Majesty Song cannot change this, if he is really a wise king. "Shi Tianze stopped and looked at Shi Tianxiang.
Shi Tianxiang frowned and thought hard for a moment, then said with a sudden realization: "I understand, the Fire Phoenix Army is too big to be defeated, and their achievements are so great that they can shock the Lord. Emperor Song has other thoughts on them. So can we take advantage of this"
"Can't be used!" Shi Tianze looked at Shi Tianxiang angrily. This cousin was smart, but he was just a little smart, and he was always one step behind the current situation and personnel.
He explained with some dissatisfaction: "If His Majesty the Emperor of Song Dynasty was an ordinary person, Zhao Caiyun would not be able to reach the position he is today, let alone be safe and sound today. If my prediction is correct, it should be this His Majesty Withstand the pressure from the Song Dynasty court for Zhao Caiyun, allowing her to do whatever she wants without interfering. Amazing, amazing, a wise king and a wise general, the rejuvenation of the Song Dynasty is unstoppable."
"I heard that the Great Khan was defeated because His Majesty the Song Dynasty came to the northwest in person, led hundreds of thousands of Song troops in a bloody battle, and defeated the Great Khan at Dashan Pass, establishing victory in one fell swoop. Such a figure can be compared to Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and Tai Zong of the Song Dynasty. Our ancestor Zhao Kuangyin is a person who can only be looked up to!" Shi Tianan suddenly responded and praised Zhao Da.
Shi Tianze also agreed with his second brother's opinion and nodded repeatedly, but his tone suddenly changed: "No matter what happens to His Majesty the Song Dynasty, as long as the situation in the north is stable, the Song Dynasty court will definitely take action against the Fire Phoenix Army, and the best thing is to reduce it. The number of Fire Phoenix Legion, and if we defect to the past at this time, when Song State reduces the Fire Phoenix Legion, we will definitely be the first batch to be reduced. Instead of being poor then, it is better to make a choice now."
Shi Tianxiang looked at the other two people and nodded repeatedly. He really understood this time that there was a difference between closeness and distance. This was especially obvious in the army. There was no reason to not leave direct descendants behind when disarmament, but to let go of the miscellaneous. Wanting to understand this, he continued: "Then the only way we can take refuge in Song is now?"
Shi Tianze looked at the two brothers and said with certainty: "It is indeed true, but there is still a difficulty. Now the Yellow River is overflowing and the road to the Song Dynasty is cut off. If we want to go there, we will have to spend a lot of money. Without further trouble, if we cannot meet His Majesty the Song State, the effect of surrendering to the Song State will be greatly reduced. What's more, His Majesty the Song State has seen us. If we can do something, we will probably win his favor even more. By then our historians will still be prosperous in the Song Dynasty!"
"His Majesty the Song Dynasty has seen us? Where?" Shi Tianxiang was a little confused. Shi Tianan seemed to remember something, and explained thoughtfully: "In the past, the fourth prince took us to sneak into the Song Dynasty and met a mysterious young man in a restaurant. Do you know about people¡¯s things?¡±
Shi Tianxiang thought for a while and opened his mouth in disbelief: "You said that the young man who made the fourth prince so angry that he wanted to kill someone was His Majesty the Song Dynasty?"
Shi Tianze and Shi Tianan looked at each other and nodded together. Tuo Lei told them this matter accidentally, so they were sure.
"That's good, it's good to have a familiar face! When will we set off." Shi Tianxiang's loyalty to Mongolia seemed to be gone at this moment, and he only wanted to defect to the Song Dynasty as soon as possible to keep his current wealth.
"Let's wait for now. Let's talk about it after there is news from the grassland!" Shi Tianze sighed unexpectedly.
"Are you worried about your mother?" Shi Tianan asked, and Shi Tianxiang, who was originally cheerful, also turned gloomy!
Shi TianzeHe didn't answer, but instead ordered: "Tianxiang, from now on, you must keep those Mongolian supervisors in prison. If anything happens" He made a killing gesture.
Shi Tianxiang nodded, and Shi Tianan didn¡¯t say much, saying that he would organize the team and be ready to go at any time.
Shi Tianze nodded, then let the two of them leave. Then he looked at the map and murmured to himself: "If you are really at your wits' end, then you will definitely help me solve this problem!"
After staring for a moment, he suddenly put on his coat and walked towards the small building where Du Feng was under house arrest. He suddenly wanted to talk to his friend about this Fire Phoenix General, a woman who shocked the entire north.