From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 627

The cold wind was still blowing, and the drums under the city tower sounded from time to time, which made the Datong defenders nervous. They had no idea when the enemy would attack the city.

Zhou Yuan and Zhuang Xuansu walked on the city wall, looking at the loess stone walls and withered branches around them, feeling a little heavy.

Because so far, the other generals didn't know that something happened in the south, they were just worried about the 80,000 cavalry in front of them.

Min Tianrui, wearing a suit of armor, put the axe on the ground, and strode towards Zhou Yuan.

He was a little annoyed and worried, "Marshal, what exactly is Sabdan going to do? He doesn't fight, and he doesn't retreat. He just wastes time like this. It's really annoying."

Zhou Yuan said, "Maybe he just wants to annoy you. In fact, there is no need to worry. The 80,000 troops consume a lot every day. Their logistics and baggage troops are not many. They have followed all the way here and have reached their limit. It is normal to rest for a while."

"When the time is right, they will naturally attack the city. That's when the decisive battle will begin."

Min Tianrui exhaled heavily and said, "I really hope these bastards don't leave. I really want to rush over and vent my anger."

That being said, he would not be stupid enough to take the initiative to attack. It's just that Wen Tieli's failure caused him to lose more than 20,000 elite soldiers, and he was angry.

In addition, when he saw the six Portuguese cannons, he also had the confidence to defend the city, so he thought about fighting the Mongolian army.

Zhou Yuan was not anxious. First, he knew that being anxious was useless. Second, he guessed that Sabdan might not take action this time. The other party was just trying to contain the enemy and create opportunities for the south.

With such tacit understanding, such large-scale recruitment and attack, they were willing to do wedding clothes for others. God knows how long Mongolia and the southwestern chieftains discussed this, and how much both sides paid.

"Are we just going to wait forever?"

Zhuang Xuansu was getting impatient, and frowned, "What if the situation in the south is really out of control, and you have to suppress it?"

Zhou Yuan said, "If Sabdan doesn't leave, I won't leave. No matter how bad the Jin Dynasty is, it's not so bad that I have to suppress the Tusi. I haven't raised soldiers for so many years in vain. Which province doesn't have tens of thousands of garrisons? The Tusi can't do anything."

Zhuang Xuansu said, "Isn't 150,000 people enough? Even if a large number of them are peasant soldiers, I think they can take Guiyang Prefecture."

Zhou Yuan couldn't help but sneer, "Take Guiyang Prefecture? Do you think Xiang Yong can't fight..."

Here, he paused slightly and said, "No matter what the situation in the south is, the war in the north will end soon. I guess it should be within two months. The victory or defeat will be determined inside. ”

Zhuang Xuansu was surprised and said, “Have you touched Sabdan’s pulse? It shouldn’t be. Eighty thousand cavalrymen are almost invincible on the grassland.”

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, “Eighty thousand cavalrymen are the accumulation of decades of Mongolia in the north and south of the grassland. They are indeed invincible, but so many horses need to eat, what about food and grass? It’s almost winter now, and there is no food on the ground anyway.”

Zhuang Xuansu said, “Seventy thousand light cavalrymen come and go like the wind, and ten thousand heavy cavalrymen are invincible. They can advance or retreat without any pressure.”

Zhou Yuan said lightly, “Maybe they think so too. Underestimating the enemy is always a way to death.”

…

In the Khoshut Royal City, it is rare to see such a luxurious room, which is full of gold, silver, jewelry, religious objects, and even incense. This is obviously the bedroom of King Bartu Khan.

On one wall of the bedroom, a detailed map is drawn, covering the entire grassland and the northern part of Dajin, with mountains, roads, rivers and lakes.

Li Yu'an looked at it carefully, and then said lightly: "King Bartu, the map means ambition, or ambition."

"Unify the grassland and leave a name for eternity. Such a big thing is worth your desperate effort."

King Bartu Khan said: "Of course, it seems that the unification of the grassland is not good news for the Great Jin Dynasty. I don't believe you will really help me."

Li Yu'an said: "From the perspective of national interests, the division of the grassland is more conducive to the peace of the Great Jin Dynasty. No one wants a huge Mongolian Khanate to appear in their north."

"But Duke Weiguo He has a long-term vision and is not limited to the present moment. His judgment of the world situation is far more profound than your majesty. "

"He believes that the division of the grassland will cause Dajin to suffer harassment all year round, and the unification of the grassland will be more conducive to the long-term peace between the two countries."

Bartu smiled and said, "Perhaps the Duke of Weiguo does not think so. He just wants to buy time for Dajin. He needs time to deal with foreign pirates, island pirates, chieftains, and Donglu. These external enemies also require time for internal reform and rectification of the administration."

"At this critical stage, he has no way to conquer the grassland in one go.The original problem was completely solved, so he threw the problem to me. "

"I helped him fight and completed the great cause of unifying the grassland at the same time. Because the other tribes have deep roots, I need at least ten years to truly conquer the grassland."

"And these ten years are enough for him, the Duke of Weiguo, to deal with all the problems and initially complete the revitalization of Dajin."

"At that time, he was only thirty years old, in his prime. Dajin was revived and strong, and he would no longer be afraid of any enemy, even a unified Mongolian Khanate."

"Ten years later, I was in my fifties and completed the great cause of unification. I am afraid I will not be able to compete with Dajin again."

"It is a good plan to learn from others' experience!"

At this point, Bartu laughed and said softly: "Your Duke of Weiguo is very smart and always thinks deeply about problems, but he should not treat others as fools."

Li Yu'an said: "So, will Khan Bartu agree to send troops? The path to unify the grassland is right in front of you. Do you dare to take this step? "

Baltu said: "Your Duke Weiguo has already calculated it. Facing such an opportunity, as long as you are a qualified king, you will never miss it."

"Even if there is a suspicion of being used by the Jin Dynasty, it is nothing."

Li Yu'an laughed and said slowly: "Within 15 days, the 30,000 cavalry of the Khoshut tribe must arrive at Yijinai and wait for orders."

"This time, the Khoshut tribe will unite with the Jin Dynasty, and the total of 80,000 cavalry in the north and south of the desert will be eaten in one bite."

Baltu narrowed his eyes and said: "80,000 cavalry, there is no opponent in the grassland, how to eat it?"

Li Yu'an said: "For martial arts, full-scale attack will inevitably make the posture easy to age and difficult to return to defense. For military, all the troops are released, and the rear defense will inevitably be empty. Once the supply node is cut off, the 80,000 troops can only run back on foot. "

Baltu smiled and said, "Do you know how much food a cavalryman has? One naan can last for five days! They can carry dozens of naan with them."

Li Yu'an looked at him and said lightly, "People have bread to eat, but what about horses? In addition, eating naan means that there is a greater demand for water."

"How much water do 80,000 cavalrymen need every day?"

Baltu took a deep breath and said slowly, "I understand. The Duke of Wei seems to have thought about it a long time ago and wanted to fly a kite with these 80,000 people."

Li Yu'an said, "They did the same to our soldiers of Dajin. We just give them back in their own way."

Baltu said in a deep voice, "Okay! Since the Duke of Wei already has a detailed plan, I, Bartu, am not without the courage to fight with him. As long as these 80,000 cavalrymen are destroyed, the major tribes in the south and north of the desert will be completely empty. At that time, the cavalry of the Hoshuote tribe will save them, drive away Dajin, and complete the unification of the grassland. "

Li Yu'an smiled and said, "You will be the first Khan in history to unify the grassland."

Bartu said, "I just hope that the Duke of Wei is as good at using troops as the rumors say. Otherwise, 80,000 cavalrymen can eat him up with one turn."

Li Yu'an thought of Zhou Yuan's face and couldn't help laughing, "Don't worry about him. He can do it. He has already proved everything."

She was very happy because she had actually completed the task Zhou Yuan had given her in the letter.