. In the third year of Shenshi, just after the Spring Festival, Caiyun summoned all the officers and generals of the Fire Phoenix Army in batches with more than 1,000 men, and announced the military deployment plan for the entire Hebei, Liaodong, and Northeast China. On this basis, he launched a series of military defense plans for the Fire Phoenix Army and The surrendered troops in the three places were reorganized.
Driven by Caiyun's superb skills and prominent power, the reorganization was carried out smoothly. The entire Fire Phoenix Legion maintained a strength of 100,000 people. Except for those who were too old or unfit to serve as soldiers for other reasons, they were properly placed. , the excess personnel were divided into three directions. Some soldiers became local garrison troops, and some soldiers entered the reserve military camp and became supplements to the Fire Phoenix Legion. The last part of the soldiers were organized by Caiyun into a garrison similar to a militia.
The task of the garrison army is very simple, which is to defend the fort established by the Fire Phoenix Legion on the northeastern grasslands. The so-called Tunbao is a circular castle made of rammed earth, similar to the Fujian earth buildings of later generations. It is built with stone as the base and soil as the main raw material. It is built in layers and staggered with ramming. The slender and tough wooden rattan from the northeast is used as the wall bone. The intersection is anchored with wood to form a ring structure. It consists of two parts: the outer ring and the inner courtyard. The outer ring usually has a three- to five-story enclosed rammed earth building as the main building, and there are water wells and some necessary ring-shaped buildings in the inner courtyard.
Almost all the materials required for this kind of earth building can be self-sufficient in the Northeast, and the craftsmanship is not too complicated. After testing several small forts, a large number of outstanding craftsmen were trained.
These forts have very good defensive effects. When equipped with the Song Army's firearms and crossbows, they are extremely powerful against cavalry.
The most important thing is that this kind of fort is easy to build, and many things can be made from local materials, which greatly saves expenses.
Caiyun first planned several strategic locations along several rivers in the northeastern grasslands, and built forts using captured Mongolian herders and warriors as labor. After the establishment of these forts, they formed a cross defense for these rivers. If any herdsman wanted to let his animals drink water from the river, he had to ask the fort's crossbows and firearms if they would agree.
While building the fort, Caiyun also allowed the garrison troops to continuously penetrate into the grasslands and plunder Mongolian herdsmen. Whether they were people, livestock, even tents or other living materials, they were all within the scope of the robbery. He also ordered that 30% of the proceeds from looting should go to the public, 50% to individuals, and the remaining 20% ??would be used as a pension for fallen soldiers and retained forever.
This order greatly stimulated these garrison troops. With the excellent equipment and logistical supplies of the Fire Phoenix Legion, these garrison troops ignored the cold spring and swarmed into the prairie like locusts, snatching back everything they could see. All the mature men of the Mongolian tribe worked as slaves, and all the young children were gathered together to let them receive education in the Song Dynasty. As for women, they were naturally one of the trophies. However, with Caiyun's special care, the situation of these women was not too bad.
??In a sense, this garrison army is equivalent to the Mongolian "life-capturing army", with the purpose of capturing the population and property of other tribes as a conventional means of weakening the enemy.
Of course, when they were looting, they also rescued many Jurchen, Han, Khitan and many other ethnic groups who were kidnapped by the Mongols. However, the treatment of these people after they came back was different. The Han people would receive compensation, while other ethnic groups The people will become the new overseers, supervising the work of their original masters, which can be regarded as turning slaves into masters.
During the Genghis Khan period, it was a common practice for the Mongols to loot, burn and kill other tribes. But now in the Northeast, the situation has been reversed. The Fire Phoenix Legion supports a large number of garrison troops and loots, burns and kills Mongolian tribes, which greatly This weakened and attacked the rule of the Mongol Khanate on the northeastern grasslands.
Of course, the Mongol Khanate did not organize counterattacks, but they were all small-scale. They only ambushed and killed those garrison troops who went too deep into the Mongolian grasslands, causing certain losses to the garrison troops. But overall, the garrison troops The army's gains outweighed its losses, and at least the Mongolian tribes were gradually driven out of the garrison's activities. Later, there were no Mongolian tribes grazing on the grasslands that were nearly a thousand miles in the northeast, resulting in a large area of ??no man's land, and the garrison had nothing to grab. There were several incidents of robbing their own people.
The matter was immediately reported to the desk of Fire Phoenix General Zhao Caiyun, the highest military officer in Northeast China. At the same time, the several garrison troops who violated disciplines were also controlled by the Fire Phoenix Army, waiting for Zhao Caiyun's disposal.
At this moment, Zhao Caiyun was feeling a headache due to Zhao Yun's new order, and was complaining to Mei: "Look, my cousin is simply a devil. He has carried out such cruel looting, burning and killing on the grassland, and now he wants to With such a method, don¡¯t you know how many killings it will cause?¡±
Mei knew about this order, but it actually didn't matter. Zhao Yun just ordered Caiyun to organize some foreign warriors in the Northeast, such as the Shengjuzhen and other tribes in the Northeast, so that they could also participate in the robbery.?The activities of the Mongolian grasslands came and took this as an opportunity to gradually extend the rule of the Song Dynasty to the northeast, and finally achieved the purpose of control.
This method will take longer than directly sending troops to occupy, but the advantage is that it can reduce local resistance to the greatest extent possible and allow them to voluntarily surrender. It does not cost too much to gain control of the Northeast.
You must know that although Liaodong and Northeast China have been developed for hundreds of years by the Liao and Jin Dynasties, they are still vast and sparsely populated, with a large number of foreign tribes entrenched in them. If it relies entirely on military encirclement and suppression, I don¡¯t know if it will be successful in that year or month, but if With Zhao's method, only the Mongolian tribe would suffer in the end, and the biggest beneficiary would be the Song Dynasty. Of course, this must be done well, otherwise it may cause big trouble.
" However, Mei believes that Caiyun has no problem with her ability to do this. It is her credit that the Tunbao plan has been implemented so smoothly this time.
After thinking for a while, Mei said seriously: "Your Majesty's
"Obviously, it's a repayment of repayment. Can the Mongols come to rob us, or can they rob them? If we can recapture other foreign races through looting, it will be more merit than demerit for our Song Dynasty. I know Caiyun that you can't bear the killing of civilians, but if you think about the numerous blood debts committed by the Mongols in the Central Plains, we are still merciful in doing so. What's more, I think your Majesty's method is excellent. You can gradually stabilize the local area by cannibalization and weaken the enemy by provocation. I really don't know how your Majesty came up with these things. It really makes me curious! "
Caiyun smiled bitterly and shook his head, and said helplessly: "I know my cousin's method is good, but what I do is always weird. Maybe my heart is not that hard-hearted yet!"
"You are a general, not a bureaucrat. It is really difficult for you to do bureaucratic things. Let me think about it!" Mei lowered his head and took two steps. Suddenly he made a sound and raised his head: "I have a candidate for this person. He is also from Hebei, but you need to go to His Majesty in person to ask for this person!"
Caiyun thought for a moment and nodded: "Are you talking about Shi Tianze? This person is extremely impressive in terms of literary and military skills. The most rare thing is that he has a clear mind and can understand the master's thoughts well. Let him do this. Things are indeed good.
It¡¯s just that whether he is willing or not is still in limbo! "
"He will!" Mei said with certainty, "The most criticized thing about Shi Tianze is his relationship with Mongolia. Who in the Song Dynasty doesn't know that there will be a battle between the Song Dynasty and Mongolia? If he is a smart man, then He must perform early so that he can hold important positions in order to obtain meritorious service during the future war. This position is the best way for him to prove himself. But I heard that His Majesty also values ??him very much and even discusses political strategy and military affairs with him in person. , and assigned several difficult tasks to hone his talents. He completed these tasks very well, and His Majesty was very satisfied. Recently, I inquired that Your Majesty intends to send him to the Song and Jin front lines, probably in order to destroy the Jin Dynasty. When the time comes, let him serve as the commander-in-chief." At this point, Mei stopped and looked at Caiyun.
"Okay, my cousin has arranged such an embarrassing task for me. Can I ask for help?" Caiyun stood up, wrote a military report and handed it to Mei, "Help me send it to my cousin, and also ask him to Urging the military department, why haven¡¯t the cold-resistant artillery pieces I want been delivered yet?¡±
Mei shook her head helplessly, took the military report, pointed to the request for instructions, and asked: "What should we do with those people?"
"This case cannot be opened, this matter cannot be tolerated, they should be publicly punished, let the victims personally participate in the prison sentence, and inform the entire Northeast!" Caiyun's voice revealed a coldness.
"Look, you understand everything, but you still ask me to complain. I really don't understand you!" Mei pursed her lips in dissatisfaction and turned around to leave.
Caiyun looked at her leaving back with a bitter smile on her lips: Apart from my cousin, who can really understand me? I don't even know who I really am!
A deep bitterness and loneliness appeared on Caiyun's face, making her feel a kind of loneliness and helplessness that was difficult to express.
Zhao Caiyun, the majestic Fire Phoenix General in the eyes of outsiders, an invincible and peerless general, perhaps only Zhao Yun can understand the pain in her heart.
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Caiyun's military memorial was quickly sent to Jiankang. At the same time, I also received news that Mongolia would hold the Kuritai Conference in the second half of the year, and Ogedai would ascend to the throne of Khan.
This news was put in front of me together with Caiyun Junzou, and I caressed it again and again. Finally, I sighed and asked someone to call Shi Tianze.
"General, I have met your Majesty!" Shi Tianze was in good spirits. He was wearing a Song Dynasty military uniform and looked high-spirited.
"No need to be polite!" I looked at him, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said, "It's been almost half a year since you returned to Song Dynasty, right?"
"Five months and thirteen days!" Shi Tianze answered neatly and simply.
"To the Song Dynasty, well,A question, do you think the Song Dynasty can annex the three kingdoms of Jin, Xiamen and Meng and unify the world? "I stared at Shi Tianze closely, not letting go of any of his expressions.
Shi Tianze hesitated for a moment and said with certainty: "The general believes that under the leadership of Your Majesty, the unification of the Song Dynasty is inevitable. The only thing that needs to be considered is that the Mongolian grassland is vast. It is not difficult to defeat Mongolia, but if you want to annihilate and annex it, I'm afraid Not too possible!"
I laughed loudly, stood up, walked to Shi Tianze, and slapped him hard twice: "Others say that you, Shi Tianze, have a clear mind and can understand the heart of the best. I would like to add two more sentences, knowing when to judge." Things, understand the overall situation. Not bad, not bad!"
????????? Shi Tianze even said that he didn¡¯t dare, and he couldn¡¯t thank you enough!
I took two steps, suddenly stopped, looked at him, and said calmly: "I have two positions for you now. One is to make you the commander of the two Huaiyi cavalry. When the Song Dynasty raises an army to destroy the Jin Dynasty in the future, you will be the commander of the army. , I believe that you are indispensable for the credit. With your contribution to destroying the gold, you can expect glory and wealth in this life. But for the Song Dynasty, destroying the gold is just to regain the homeland, and I have made a new iron rule. Unless it is the contribution of opening up the border, no descendants will be allowed. Ascension to the title means that your title will end with you. If your descendants are unworthy, the court may take a look at you based on your merits, but if you want to go further, it will be difficult. I say this, you Do you understand?"
Shi Tianze was silent for a moment and said with certainty: "I will understand that if I go to Lianghuai, my achievements in this life may only stop here. Although it is possible to enjoy glory and wealth, it will not benefit my descendants and family."
"That's it!" I nodded and said directly, "You are different from Zhang Rou and others. Many people have said that you have an ambiguous relationship with Mongolia. They even said that you are the most trusted Han general of the Mongols. Let me use you. It¡¯s time to be carefulyou don¡¯t have to rush to explain!¡±
I stopped Shi Tianze from defending: "If I don't trust you, how can I let you serve as the commander-in-chief? But there are some things that cannot be solved by my trust. For example, your relationship with the Mongols has always been lingering in my heart. You also It can be seen that sooner or later the Song Dynasty and Mongolia will have a
You can¡¯t make everyone in the Song Dynasty feel relieved before this. If the Song Dynasty and Meng Dynasty, you can only be left idle. I will tell you the truth, if there is really a war between Song and Mongolia, I will not prevent it from happening. After all, your past makes it difficult for me to fully believe that you and Mongolia can completely cut off contact. "
After a pause, I saw that Shi Tianze was listening carefully without any expression of dissatisfaction or indignation, so I nodded secretly: "Besides, as you said, neither Xixia nor the Jin Kingdom are the opponents of the Song Dynasty. The real opponent of the Song Dynasty is Mongolia. Jin Dynasty. Once the country is destroyed, the main enemy of the Song Dynasty will be Mongolia. In the future, the merits of the soldiers will also need to be obtained from Mongolia. If you cannot participate in this matter, it will be impossible to obtain merits. Without merit, there will be no reward, so I say that if you destroy the gold, That¡¯s all the achievement.¡±
"Your Majesty, please show me another way!" Shi Tianze probably understood and said decisively, "Even if Tianze is asked to deal with the Mongols, Tianze will not refuse!"
I thought about my words and said slowly: "Not only to deal with the Mongolian problem, but also to contribute to the opening up of territory for the Song Dynasty." At this point, I paused for a moment, and Shi Tianze's breathing paused obviously before he regained his composure. Obviously tempted.
Smiling secretly, I continued: "You know, I have now asked Caiyun to implement a number of measures in the Northeast. Caiyun has done a good job, but recently she feels that she needs to reorganize and train the Fire Phoenix Army to guard against the possibility of Wo Kuotai taking the throne. She wanted to take revenge, so she asked me for help. This is her military memorial, take a look!" I handed him the military memorial sent by Caiyun.
Shi Tianze took the military memorial and hurriedly browsed it. His expression was obviously stunned. After a long time, he said in surprise: "Princess Caiyun thinks so highly of Tianze, I really don't deserve it!"
"You don't need to belittle yourself. Genghis Khan, Mu Huali, and Tuo Lei are all people with sharp eyesight and good at recognizing people. The fact that you can be valued by them speaks for itself. In addition, I and Caiyun are not blind people. Who can do that?" No matter what, you are well aware of it. You are indeed qualified for this position, and it can also solve a major problem of your own. Let the whole Song Dynasty believe in your loyalty, which will be of great benefit to your future achievements and future generations. Let¡¯s go You choose that path yourself!¡±
I sat back on the soft chair and looked at him quietly.
Shi Tianze didn¡¯t think much about it and quickly said: ¡°The general is willing to go to the Northeast!¡±
"You have to think carefully, once you go to the Northeast, it will be difficult to come back within ten years!"
"I will think about it carefully. Since I have entrusted my life to the Song Dynasty, I should open up territory for the Song Dynasty and establish a century-old foundation!"
"Okay, I really saw you right! This is my overall plan for the Northeast. Take a look at it carefully. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me.
When you get to the Northeast, you can implement these things one by one based on reality. As long as everything goes well, within ten years, the Northeast will beIt¡¯s the Northeast of my Song Dynasty! "
I took out the Northeast Plan that I had prepared and handed it to him.
Shi Tianze took it respectfully and looked at it carefully. The more he looked at his face, the more surprised he became. Finally, he was so surprised that it took him a long time to raise his head and ask: "May I ask if this is your Majesty's handiwork?"
"Yes, did I make any mistakes in doing this?" I am actually not very confident in this plan. After all, it is based on the colonial model of later generations and some historical experience. It is difficult to say how effective it will be.
"The plan is bold and brilliant, thinking what others don't think and saying what others don't say. Tianze asked himself, in the entire Song Dynasty, no one except His Majesty can make such a plan!"
"No need to praise me, just tell me whether this plan can be implemented?"
Shi Tianze pondered for a moment and said with certainty: "Your Majesty's plan is very practical, but I don't know much about the situation in the Northeast yet, so I dare not make any inferences. For now, Tianze believes that the most difficult part is It's what His Majesty said about changing customs and letting all foreigners speak Chinese, wear sweat clothes, and adopt Chinese customs. Those foreigners are barbaric and rude people. It's easy to talk about it with swords and guns, but it's really difficult to teach them slowly."
"You are right. If you want to permanently bring the Northeast back to the Central Plains, you must make the foreign races living there identify with China. Since ancient times, when opening up territories, one is killing, and the other is educating. Killing is fast and convenient, but it is easy to repeat. Education is cumbersome and time-consuming, but it can win people's hearts. It has its own pros and cons. As for this question, I can't give a specific answer. I can tell you a story.
There was a man walking on the road. He was wearing a cotton jacket, which was very bulky. The wind made a bet with the sun. The wind said it could blow down the man's cotton wool, so he blew it hard. As a result, the man felt cold and clung to the cotton wool. No matter how strong the wind was, it would even blow the man up. , this person still hasn¡¯t taken off his cotton clothes. In desperation, Feng gave up to Sun and said that he would definitely not be able to take off this man's cotton pads. The sun smiled and did not answer, but kept shining sunlight on the man. Within half a day, the man couldn't bear the heat and took off his cotton padding. Can this story inspire you? "
It is estimated that Shi Tianze rarely heard fables, and he thought about it for a quarter of an hour before he suddenly realized: "The aliens are barbaric and profit-oriented. Instead of using swords and guns to force them into submission, it is better to use heavy profits to induce them to act according to our ideas. As time goes by, they will naturally Everything comes naturally without any effort. Your Majesty is wise and has the wisdom of Lao Zhuang!"
I nodded with satisfaction: "Although Lao-Zhuang's fables are exquisite and have profound truths, they are too negative and are not helpful to the world. We ordinary people all have the desire for fame and fortune. We all have the same heart and the same reason. As long as we understand this, There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡±
Shi Tianze said sincerely: "Your Majesty is very talented. I will admire you. I will make some arrangements and leave for the Northeast!"
Caiyun urged me in a hurry, and I couldn't pretend to delay. After thinking about it, I said succinctly: "I specifically allow you three brothers to go to the Northeast together. In addition, the subordinates who were originally accepted by the military department have eliminated the weak and retained the strong. , replace the hussar equipment, and after retraining, qualified
Eighteen thousand people, you take them all with you. After all, they are all familiar subordinates and can be used easily. However, I would like to remind you that although these people have changed the equipment of the winged cavalry, they are deeply influenced by the Mongolian cavalry in combat. I think you can find the advantages of the two tactics to make the combat power of these cavalry more effective. play. After all, Mongolia¡¯s mounted archery is good in many aspects. "
Shi Tianze wrote them down one by one, and finally thanked En and left!
After solving Caiyun¡¯s trouble, I looked at the information coming from the grassland again.
It is absolutely impossible for Wo Kuotai and Tuo Lei to live in harmony, but according to the current situation, Wo Kuotai can't do anything about Tuo Lei. Even if he becomes the Great Khan, he cannot deal with Tuo Lei in a fair and just way. The best way is to send Tuo Lei out to the grassland, so that his rule can smoothly penetrate into the grassland and be recognized by all tribes.
The best way to get the tow mine out of the grassland is to send him to fight. At this time, Mongolia has three attack directions, one is Xixia, the other is northeast, and the third is the vast west. With Genghis Khan's last words and the internal trouble of towing thunder, Wokuotai is unlikely to send troops to Xixia and Northeast China. The most likely thing is to conquer the west.
Almost all of Mongolia¡¯s great ministers and generals are dead, and it really needs a general with enough reputation to lead the army to reassure the Mongolian nobles. Tuo Lei is the best candidate, and he has a very good relationship with Jochi. Even if Jochi dies, Batu also wanted to recognize him as his fourth uncle. The most important thing is that the Western Expedition was mentioned in Genghis Khan's last words. Relying on this last word, Wokuotai must fight to the death to defend Genghis Khan's last words. Even if Tuo Lei objects, he will find ways to make this matter a reality.
As long as Tuo Lei leads his army to the west, no matter whether he wins or loses, he will not escape death. The only difference lies in how Wokuotai wants to kill him. If Tuo Lei died in WokuoIf the master of the stage continues to gently provoke and push, civil strife in the grassland will be inevitable.
But if we want to achieve this goal, the most critical thing is the issue of sweat position after Wokuotai's death Well, interesting, interesting.
I smiled coldly, took up my pen and wrote a cipher text in code, and sent it away through a secret channel.
In early October of the third year of Shenshi, the Mongolian Khanate held the Kuritai Conference by the Onan River. Clan relatives, noble relatives, honorable ministers, and leaders of thousands of households in various ministries attended the conference.
During this conference, some tribes from the northeast accused Ogedai of allowing the Song Dynasty to plunder the grasslands, and questioned whether it was legal to place the throne of Ogedai Khan based on Mongolian tradition. The imperial concubine Ertie refuted this statement and took out the written evidence that Genghis Khan asked everyone to set up as evidence to show the legitimacy of Ogedei's succession to the throne. At the same time, he tried his best to argue that the current situation in Mongolia was not suitable for another war with the Song Dynasty. , and took the initiative to set aside a grassland with rich water and grass for these northeastern tribes to live, and guaranteed that as long as Mongolia's strength recovered, the Mongolian army would take back their grassland.
At the same time, the rumor that Tuo Lei was about to kill Kublai Lai was privately confirmed by Wei Daer, Shuchitai and other participants, which caused many ministers and generals to have a very bad impression of Tuo Lei. Yelu Chucai took the opportunity to connect with Tuo Lei. He recruited many honorable ministers and nobles, and also won over some clan relatives. Even when the situation was decided, he privately persuaded Tuo Lei, who was still indecisive, to let him pay homage to Wokuotai first and establish the authority of Wokuotai. Through double management, Ogedei succeeded to the throne of Khan smoothly and became the second great khan of the Mongolian Khanate.
Ogedai, who inherited the throne of Khan, originally wanted to reconcile with the Song Dynasty again in accordance with Genghis Khan's intention, and wanted to use diplomatic means to solve the problem of the Northeast grasslands. Dan Ertie, Yelu Chucai, Tuo Lei and others all believed that since the Song Dynasty expelled Zhenhai, its intentions were already obvious, so it would be better to maintain a temporary stalemate in order to prepare. Wokuotai accepted this suggestion and simply ignored Song's harassment. He did not even mention the originally negotiated peace treaty between Mongolia and Song Dynasty.
Half a year after Wokuotai succeeded to the throne, Ertie retired behind the scenes and never appeared again until his secret death two years later.
Ogedai, who had mastered the power of the Mongolian Khanate, faced a very bad situation. The Song Dynasty was aggressive in the northeast, and there were Tuo Lei and others inside who were ready to challenge his authority. At the same time, Mongolia was defeated in the northwest, and its strength was seriously damaged. Forced by desperation, Ogedai ordered the Western Expedition on the grounds of Genghis Khan's death.
With Tuo Lei as the commander-in-chief, Uluchi and Kuolijian, the two concubines of Temujin, as assistants, Hesar and other lineage ministers as assistants, and Guiyou, Kuo Duan, Kuo Chu, Meng Ge, Kublai Khan The new generation of Mongolian generals represented by the princes and grandsons gathered 50,000 troops and launched the western expedition. On the way, Jochi's eldest son Batu also led 50,000 people to join the western expedition, and a total of 100,000 troops swept toward the west.
After Mongolia launched the Western Expedition, Wokuotai made a series of adjustments in the grassland. With the help of Yelu Chucai, he gradually took the military and political power into his own hands. Many of the tribal leaders who were suspected of colluding with Tuo Lei secretly. Being marginalized and weakened, several tribal leaders even died violently.
Under such a situation, several tribal leaders who saw that the situation was not good actually sent people to secretly contact Caiyun, hoping to take refuge in the Song Dynasty. Caiyun sent people to accept these tribes, causing shock and panic on the grassland.
After Wokuotai sought advice from Yelu Chucai, he slowed down his tactics and comforted the tribal leaders with good words. At the same time, he sent out famous generals such as Wei Da'er, Shu Chitai, Shi Ji Hu Tu Hu and others to deploy defenses on the northeastern grasslands, attacking continuously. The garrison troops marching deep into the grassland, as well as the alien Qiufeng Army organized by Shi Tianze and others.
Several battles broke out between the two sides in the northeastern grasslands, with some winning and losing. Even Shuchitai was ambushed by Shi Tianze, who personally led the team, because of his carelessness. He was defeated and died, which shocked the entire grassland.
When Wo Kuotai heard the news, he was very angry and wanted to fight in person, but was blocked by Yelu Chucai. At the same time, he recommended Wo Kuotai's Su Guard Chief Wu Lianghetai, the son of the famous Mongolian general Subotai, as a general to lead the troops to fight.