I studied in modern times

Chapter 624 Dragging Jue Weiming Er into the palace (4)

Zhuajueweiming didn't know what was wrong with him tonight. He couldn't fall asleep.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he remembered that night last April.

That night was just like tonight, there was no moon and the stars were dim.

He led the Youzhou troops and stationed in Dongchuan.

He wanted to achieve great things, but unexpectedly the news leaked out.

What frightened him even more was that he knew nothing about it.

Then, without any warning, the cavalry of the southern barbarians appeared from both wings.

He hurriedly ordered his troops to fight, but in the process he put himself in danger.

So, the southern barbarian general named Beiwei suddenly appeared from the wilderness and accurately found his location.

He wanted to run, but he couldn't.

The Nanman cavalry were extremely skilled in their movements, with two riders flanking him on the left and right.

When they got close, they howled, threw out the lassos in their hands, and lassoed him and his horse.

Then, a large group of people appeared out of nowhere, kidnapped him and left.

He became a disgrace to the Great White High Kingdom.

It also became a shame for the family!

He was captured alive and tied up and paraded through the streets like a monkey.

Finally, he was sent to Bian Jing in prison.

Although he was treated with courtesy in the city of Bianjing, what happened after returning home was something he would never forget!
If she hadn't stood on the right side later, she would have joined her mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law to kill her brother-in-law Bingchang.

He is a dead man now!
"Could it be... that I am going to repeat the same mistake as last year here?" Zhua Jueweiming thought while looking at the dark sky.

The cold wind of late autumn blew on him.

"No!" Zhuai Jueweiming thought, "I can't make the same mistake again!"

He looked at where he was camping now - this was a Dangxiang village.

The entire village is made up of rammed earth houses. A few of them have tiled roofs, which are the residences of nobles and officials.

But at this time, the entire village had been occupied by him and the soldiers he brought with him.

The masters here have become a burden to them.

In order to protect Jueweiming and his troops, they boiled water, cooked, fed the horses and kept watch.

Although this village is small, it is not located in a plain with no strategic location to defend, but on a small hill.

With the mud house and the fence, it would not be so easy for the southern barbarians to surprise him again.

And by defending in a dangerous place, the cavalry from the southern barbarians that came in numbered no more than a thousand, and they would not be able to do anything to him in a short time.

As long as he holds his ground and waits for reinforcements, and waits for other troops to approach, maybe he can repel, severely damage, or even annihilate that daring southern barbarian cavalry here!

What's more, there has been no news of that southern barbarian cavalry for several days.

Maybe they have already withdrawn!
Yes……

They had burned the food supplies, successfully completed their mission, and had already withdrawn.

Thinking of this, Zha Jueweiming breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, he was still extremely nervous inside.

My heart was beating so fast!
"Just one more day..."

"At the latest, my troops will be able to withdraw to the border with Weizhou the day after tomorrow, and get in touch with the Weizhou Military Supervision Office!"

"We will be safe then!" thought Zhua Jue Weiming.

Nothing happened all night.

At dawn the next day, Zhajue Weiming led his troops and left the village.

More than a thousand Ganzhou cavalrymen, leading their horses, set foot back on the narrow road between the carriages.

For cavalry, if it is not necessary for combat, no one will easily waste the precious horsepower.

Horsepower is precious.

Horses are even more delicate creatures!

Moreover, these animals are not like humans. Humans can survive, but horses cannot.

If I say I will die, I will really die in front of you!
If you get hurt you will die, if you run too long you will die, if you don’t eat well you will die!
Therefore, the Great Baigao Kingdom had to mobilize so many people to follow the army.

Like the Iron Harriers, each of them carries an average of five loads each time they go out.

The usual armor and weapons are all burdens on people's backs.

The precious good horses will be taken care of meticulously, and the food they eat is even better than that of the Iron Hawks.

Even so, the Iron Harriers' warhorse loss rate was still frighteningly high.

After almost every battle, a large number of horses died.

This is also the reason why the Iron Kit can basically only be used at critical moments.

Even though the Great White Gao Kingdom owned excellent pastures in the Hexi Corridor, it could not afford to waste a good horse that could serve as a mount for the Iron Harrier.

Zhuajue Weiming led his troops and searched along the narrow road between the carriages while moving towards Weizhou.

Because of the war, this once prosperous trade route is now deserted.

Even the Qiang tribe, who usually active in the narrow roads of the carriages, have fled into Hengshan.

By noon, Zhuaijueweiming's troops were thirsty and tired.

So, he ordered them to rest for half an hour in front of a small river, drink water, eat and feed the horses.

After giving the order, his troops immediately cheered and led their horses to the river to fetch water.

Drinking the cool river water, more than a thousand Ganzhou cavalrymen took out the dried meat and cheese they carried with them and began to eat.

Some soldiers who were already exhausted even collapsed directly on the grass on the river bank.

At this time, the organization of the entire army had been broken up, and the officers and soldiers were busy resting and did not pay attention to this.

Zhua Jueweiming looked at it and felt a little uneasy.

His experience told him that this shouldn't be the case.

Soldiers should take turns drinking water, eating food and feeding horses.

Otherwise, once the enemy attacks, the unorganized army will be slaughtered.

However, looking at the tired soldiers, he didn't know what to say.

These people are all from the Zhajue family!

I followed him all the way to this southern barbarian border to make a fortune.

As a result, not only did he not get any money, but he also suffered a setback.

These people had long been filled with dissatisfaction and resentment towards him.

Once they find an excuse, no one knows what these unruly soldiers will do?

Zhua Jueweiming sighed and chose to indulge himself.

……

Zhe Keshi stood above the valley, looking at the river at the foot of the valley and the scattered Western bandit cavalry.

He licked his tongue and his heart began to beat rapidly.

"General, let's do it!" Behind him, Li Mouye, who had surrendered yesterday, said excitedly: "There are at least a thousand bandits, and the fake prince consort is likely among them!"

"If we can capture and kill him, it will be a great achievement!"

Although Li Mouye had just joined the Song Dynasty's official army yesterday and was granted an official position.

However, his comrades had already explained to him the contents of the "Yuanyou Military Reward Order" issued by the Song Dynasty government this year.

According to the Yuanyou Military Reward Order, the rewards for generals are divided into four levels and seven grades.

An unprecedented reward was offered to boost morale.

Moreover, a detailed list of bounty standard targets is listed.

As long as you achieve it, there will be a reward.

Among these, beheading and capturing generals were listed as extraordinary achievements and the first merit in the reward list.

Not only will there be a transfer of official positions, but you can also receive a lot of rewards.

Not to mention, there are more than a thousand war horses in front of us!
The Song Dynasty also offers generous rewards for captured war horses!

Basically, the rewards are given according to the market price!

After learning about these things, Li Mouye felt very unwell.

The rewards for these military awards are too generous.

It was so generous that Li Mouye was willing to work for it!

He would often reward people with hundreds or thousands of pieces of silk, and would often promote people to higher ranks...

Who can stand this?
Zhe Keshi couldn't stand it either!

Zhe Keshi took a deep breath, looked at the bandits on the riverbank, stared at the excellent war horses, gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do it!"

Find wealth in danger!
Since you have eaten the meal of a military official, you should tie your head to your belt and fight for your descendants!
So he immediately turned around and ordered the officers behind him who were just as excited as he was: "Order the entire army to strike the bandits with a chisel!"

He had enough confidence in the cavalry he brought with him.

Because these cavalrymen are the best men carefully selected by the Zhe family in Linzhou and Fuzhou.

It was also with the full support of Prime Minister Lu that he was trained at all costs.

Even if he encounters the Iron Hawk of the Western Bandits, he has the confidence that he can fight against them!
Naturally, Zhe Keshi would not know that he and his elite cavalry actually defeated the Tangut Iron Harriers in the Battle of Humboldt in another time and space, and beheaded more than 300 of them - all of them were Iron Harriers.

Moreover, he was the Iron Harrier who guarded the Queen Mother of Western Xia!
Because of this battle he seized the golden crown, robes and seal of the Queen Mother of Western Xia.

The Queen Mother of Western Xia escaped with her own life!

……

Da da da!
The sound of horse hooves shook the valley.

Zhuajueweiming raised his head in horror and looked at the cavalry rushing out from the side of the valley.

They wore helmets with hoods, leather bags on their horses' backs, and the armor on their bodies was small and tight!
Standard southern barbarian cavalry, and elite at that!
Zhajueweiming screamed immediately!

At this time, his army also reacted immediately.

Countless people began to pick up their weapons, mount their horses, and prepare to fight.

Unfortunately, they were too late!
There is neither formation, nor organization, nor order!
The Song army's charge was fast and deadly!
In just half a minute, the vanguard cavalry of the Song army had already stepped on the shallow river water and jumped onto the river beach.

The Ganzhou cavalry, who were famous for their bravery, met the enemy in panic.

But they were neither armored nor prepared.

What greeted them were iron maces wielding in the hands of the Song cavalry.

clap clap clap!
The Song army rushing in the front wielded iron maces and effortlessly knocked off the heads of those who tried to stop them.

Even if the person is not hit on the head, as long as he is hit by the iron mace, his bones will be broken immediately.

The iron mace is a weapon specially designed to break armor. Even if it hits an enemy wearing an iron helmet, it can kill him with one blow.

What about these people?

When Zhua Jueweiming saw this situation, his mind went blank. He stared at everything in front of him stupidly and forgot to think.

The events of last April kept coming back to his mind.

The scene before my eyes seemed to overlap with the memories of last year.

Several Nanman cavalrymen broke through the thin defense and rushed towards him. They found him!

The Tangut noble costume worn by Zhuaijueweiming was like a beacon in the dark night in this chaotic battlefield.

The leader let out a sinister laugh from under his helmet.

He swung the lasso in his hand and threw it towards Zhuajue Weiming.

Zhuajue Weiming just looked on stupidly until the lasso was put around his neck.

He finally came to his senses.

“Sure enough!” When he was dragged to the ground by the lasso, Zhua Jue Weiming sighed, “This is fate!”

Just like last year, the moment he fell to the ground.

The Nanman cavalry screamed, jumped off their horses, and pinned him to the ground!
The first person who knocked him down, after seeing his appearance clearly, his pupils dilated and he was filled with ecstasy.

Then, Zhuaijueweiming heard the enemy shouting in Tangut language to the entire battlefield: "Zhuaijueweiming has been captured. Kneel down and throw away your weapons quickly to avoid death!"

Having said that, this man led the others to tie up Zhua Jue Weiming's hands and feet, and then several people lifted Zhua Jue Weiming high up on the battlefield.

Zhua Juewei Ming was so disheartened that he didn't even struggle.

Because he felt like this was his destiny.

It's his fate!
……

It was almost when Zhua Jueweiming was captured.

Thousands of miles away at the city of Dingxi, the frequency of the Dangxiang people's attacks suddenly increased.

The young and strong men who were like ants braved the rain of arrows from the top of the city wall and struggled to climb up.

On the top of the city wall, not only was there a rain of arrows waiting for them, but also pots of boiling golden soup, rolling logs and huge rocks were waiting for them.

Countless people fell from the top of the city wall, and corpses were scattered all over the ground under the city wall.

In some places, the piles of corpses were so dense that they formed a small hill.

So much so that latecomers could even hide behind the pile of corpses and shoot at the defenders on the city walls.

Wave after wave of young and strong men, as if they were risking their lives, were driven onto this battlefield where they were bound to die.

"Anyone who dares to escape will be killed!" The young military supervisor of Xixia's Xishou Baotai Military Supervisory Office roared hoarsely and threatened all deserters!

He personally led the Meiling family's elite troops and acted as the supervisory team in front of the battle.

Those young and strong men who dared to escape were forced by the supervising teams to turn around and attack the city with bows and arrows and long swords.

As a result, in just one morning, there were nearly two thousand corpses lying outside Dingxi City!

Most of these people were Qiang people captured from the nearby mountains, young and strong people from the Dangxiang tribe, herdsmen, and Song people who failed to retreat in time.

It is the tradition of the Dangxiang people to use these people as cannon fodder to attack the city.

The Dangxiang people called them "Zhuanglinglang"!

A certain proportion of elite soldiers were mixed in with the Zhuanglinglang, who used the Zhuanglinglang as a cover to raid the defenders, take the opportunity to climb the ladder first and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders. This was also the tradition of the Dangxiang people.

However, the siege of Dingxi City had lasted for more than ten days, and nearly ten thousand soldiers were buried under the city wall of Dingxi City.

Several hundred elite soldiers from Meleng Dobushan’s headquarters were also sent in.

However, the city still stands there, motionless.

The defenders were very tenacious, and hand-to-hand combat and hand-to-hand fighting on the city walls occurred several times a day on average.

Even women began to appear on the city walls, holding weapons and fighting with the soldiers of the Dabai Gao Kingdom.

Hitting the boys has been exhausted.

Soon, each tribe will send out the young men they brought with them to serve as escorts.

The first ones to be sent to the battlefield must be the young and strong men from Langrou Mountain brought by Meileng Dobushan.

Thinking of this, Meileng Dobushan felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.

There are only a few people in his tribe. How many days can they last?
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and grind the meat with the Nanman in this meat grinder.

Because Dingxi City and Lanzhou were lost by his family.

The Yu Zang family has been complaining over at Xingqing Prefecture.

It is said that the responsibility for the loss of Lanzhou and Xishicheng lies entirely with the Meiling family.

He also said that if Lanzhou and Xishi City had been handed over to the Yu Zang family, this would never have happened!

Especially the old fox Yu Zanghua Ma, who had a close relationship with the Queen Mother of Xingqing Prefecture and had been slandering him for a long time.

But no one thought about who was it that fled without fighting after seeing the southern barbarian army and left the Western Envoy City to Li Xian?
Who was it that abandoned the Meiling family's troops and fled after the battle in Kan Valley?
But there is no way!
Yu Zanghuama is the son-in-law of the late Queen Gongsu Jangheon (Empress Dowager Daliang), and has a very good relationship with the current Empress Dowager Liang.

Therefore, Xingqing Prefecture completely believed Yu Zanghua Ma’s slander!

If it weren't for the protection of the prime minister, the Meiling family would have been framed by the Yuzang family long ago.

Thinking of this, Meleng Dobushan's expression became even crazier.

He even began to appear in the supervision team, holding a knife, hacking and killing those cowardly young men who fled back.

Just as he was going crazy, a messenger carrying a flag came up to him and said, "General Meiling, the Prime Minister invites you to come over..."

Meleng Dobushan looked in front of him, where the fierce battle was still going on in Dingxi City.

He was a little confused and didn't know what Liang Yibu wanted to do with him at this time?
But military orders were as heavy as mountains, and he had no choice but to obey.

He dropped the knife in his hand, followed the messenger, and took the personal soldiers of the Meiling family back to the military camp set up by Liang Yibu to the north of Dingxi City.

And here, Meleng Dobushan learned a bad news - Shizhou was defeated, and the elite troops of the Southern Barbarians Fuyan Road had defeated the defenders of the Dabai Gao Kingdom in Suizhou.

The troops of Youzhou are therefore retreating.

The troops in Nanman Huanqing Road were thus liberated.

what does this mean?
Melendobshan knew it very well.

There is not much time left for the Prime Minister!

All the troops from the southern barbarians and Shaanxi were dispatched to support Xihe.

Or they ignored Xihe and continued to march forward, threatening Hengshan and even taking Lingzhou and Xiazhou directly.

Then, the war in Dingxi City will have to end.

The army must withdraw to Nanmuhui!
really!

When Liang Yibu saw Meileng Duobushan, he gave him an order without any greeting: "The military situation is urgent now. The Great Baigao Kingdom has no time to care about casualties!"

"From now on, all the young and strong men from the Meiling, Pochou, and Wuniu families must be drafted out to serve as the young men. They must attack the city day and night in turns!"

"Even if it means sacrificing human lives, I have to fill up Dingxi City for you!"

"I just don't believe it!" Liang Yibu's eyes were red, and he was panting: "My army of 400,000 can't even take a small city like Dingxi?"

The war began to enter an extremely bloody and cruel phase.

……

Xingqing Prefecture, the Western Xia Imperial Palace.

Queen Mother Liang was sitting in the warm room, holding her child.

The young Wu Zu snuggled up to her in her arms.

The young Queen Mother of Western Xia had a worried look on her face at this moment.

Bad news came one after another.

His cousin Liang Yixing's military operations were ineffective, resulting in a complete collapse of the situation in Shaanxi.

Now, the news has spread throughout Xingqing Prefecture.

The princes of the Weiming family began to take the opportunity to accuse the Liang family.

From the Northern Barbarians, even worse news came back - the Northern Barbarians intended to make peace with the Southern Barbarians!

It is very likely that the two countries have already reached some agreement.

At least, the southern barbarians no longer resist the northern princess.

a bolt from the blue!

Empress Dowager Liang naturally knew what kind of filter the dignitaries in the northern barbarians' Shangjing City, especially the royal family of the Yelu family, had for the southern barbarians.
Apart from other things, the fact that the emperor of the Northern Tartars engraved on the base of the Buddhist vessel dedicated to the Buddha: "I wish to be born in China in the next life" is very telling.

Don’t think that the Northern Tartars are divided into two systems: the South Court and the North Court.

On the grasslands, they use nomadic methods, and in the Han areas, they use the scholar-official system.

However, the Liao Dynasty of the Yelu family was originally established by a group of elite men.

At that time, Yelü Abaoji claimed to be a descendant of Emperor Gaozu of Han, so all the empresses of the Northern Barbarians had the surname Xiao.

Which Xiao? Xiao He's Xiao!

Over the past few decades, the degree of sinicization of the Northern Barbarians has increased day by day.

Last year, the Song-Liao Jiaozi Agreement was reached. No matter whether it was the northern barbarian nobles with the surname Yelu or Xiao, which one of them was not shopping in Bianliang?
Legend has it that the queen of the Northern Barbarians even sent people to the Southern Barbarians to buy back a complete set of daily necessities for the Southern Barbarians.

From the bed to the cosmetics, to the porcelain and towels, all were made in Bian Jing. The main purpose was to live a life like a noble in Bian Jing in Shangjing City.

So, under such circumstances, once the Southern Barbarians and the Northern Barbarians really married, they became relatives.

The Great Baigao Kingdom is in real danger!

Because, by that time, the southern barbarians and the northern barbarians would continue to be hostile and wary of each other.

But in their eyes, the Great Baigao Kingdom will become out of place.

what are you?
Are you worthy of being on par with us?
When Empress Dowager Liang was feeling worried, a voice came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, Prince Consort Yu Zang is here."

"Oh!" Empress Dowager Liang sat up straight and said, "Please come in and talk to me, Prince Consort."

A moment later, a nobleman in his forties, who looked somewhat wealthy and had fair skin, came before Empress Dowager Liang.

This is Yu Zang Hua Ma, the former owner of Lanzhou.

He was also a great Tibetan noble who was pacified during the reign of Emperor Yizong (Li Liangzuo).

In order to win him over, Emperor Yizong spent a huge amount of money.

Not only did he marry his favorite eldest daughter to him, he also deliberately won him over and appointed him as the original military supervisor and commander of the Xishou Baotai Military Supervision Office.

After Emperor Yizong passed away, Liang tricked Yu Zanghuama back to Xingqing Prefecture on the pretext that Emperor Yizong entrusted his son to Yu Zanghuama before his death, and then replaced him with Meilingjia to succeed him.

However, the Meiling family was not up to the task and was unable to defend the territory of the Xishou Baotai Military Supervision Office.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you and wish you the best of health." Yu Zanghuama greeted and offered his greetings.

"Greetings!" Empress Dowager Liang said softly, "Please take a seat, Prince Consort."

After Yu Zanghuama sat down, Empress Dowager Liang asked, "How come the prince consort has time to come to the palace to talk to me today?"

"To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I have received a piece of news from the Zuoxiang Divine Bravery Division. I don't know whether it is true or not, but I think it is a matter of great importance and I must report it to Your Majesty."

"Ok?"

"I heard from someone that the Hedong troops of the Southern Dynasty have withdrawn from Ningxinghe City, and have even reopened Ningxinghe City!"

"Merchants from the Zuoxiang Shenyong Division can now trade with merchants from the Southern Dynasty in Ningxinghe City."

"What!" Empress Dowager Liang widened her eyes in disbelief.

Ningxinghe City is one of the largest border cities between Song and Xia!

It is also the market with the largest trading volume!

In the past, the opening and closing of this market almost represented a barometer of the relationship between Song and Xia.

Now, the Song court has opened the Ningxing market?

what are they doing?
Is it hinting something about the Great White Gao Kingdom?

Queen Mother Liang didn't know, but she knew that this was an opportunity and she must seize it!
For herself and for her son!
(End of this chapter)