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

Chapter 502: The Mongolian Army’s World’s Slowest Western Expedition
Larger prairie sheep can run sixty, seventy, or even hundreds of miles a day. Because they run a lot and the quality of their meat is good, sheep are generally most suitable for giving birth from October to November, and they grow fastest at four months.

At this time, the Song army set out, taking the lambs that were just a few months old. They might walk slowly at first, but then they would walk faster as the sheep got older. By the time they reached the Yixi Mu River, the sheep were fat, big, and delicious.

If there are 3,000 men at a time, 10,000 adult sheep or 10,000 lambs will suffice.

Three thousand people would have to bring about one hundred kilograms of rice, dried meat, vegetables, fruits, cheese and other food on average, for a total of three hundred thousand kilograms. If three thousand people brought nine thousand horses, each horse would be given thirty thousand kilograms. About a few pounds.

The other heavy items for the Song Army were their armor, flintlock rifles and ammunition, sleeping bags (considering the good weather in summer and autumn, they might not have brought sleeping bags, and would wait until they could grab those from other countries outside), and water bags, which were basically a piece of water. A horse carries a person, two horses carry a load, and then they alternate.

In addition, driving, managing and protecting 20,000 sheep require at least about 200 people. These people may be part-time employees of the Song army, or they may organize herdsmen to participate.

"Without carriages, artillery and trebuchets, the Song army would have brought about 9,000 horses. Adding some baggage and horse losses, 10,000 horses would be almost enough (in practice, they could also rob various places along the way) King’s).”

The Song army has a general of 3,000 men. If a 100,000-strong army is dispatched, it will be 33 generals, and they will have to bring 330,000 horses and 600,000 to 700,000 sheep.

Of course, if a 100,000-strong army is dispatched, the Song army will definitely have to bring at least 10,000 civilians, as well as a large number of craftsmen and doctors, and these people will need to add 20,000 to 30,000 war horses.

Li Zongwang estimated that 100,000 Song troops, with 350,000 horses, 700,000 sheep, 10,000 civilians, and 1,000 carriages would be enough, and there would be absolutely no problem with supplies within three months.

Moreover, they had four horses per person, and they brought enough dry food.

When Batu marched westward, he was farther from the Ishim River than the Song army is now, but the countries he attacked first, such as Rus' and Kiev, had no way to grab and grab, so they didn't need sheep.

The key is that they marched very fast. The Mongolian army marched 160 to 180 miles a day, and it was impossible to keep up with this speed with their flocks.

Calculating the time in this way, he should have stayed in Harahorim for two years. If he started in October 1253 and he arrived in Persia in 10, wouldn't he have been away for three years?
According to the fact that the current main force of the Song Army is near Taibei Prefecture and Qianzhou (that is, the area west of Haraholin) and Persia, the distance between it and Persia is only about 9,000 miles. If the Song Army consists of all light cavalry, it can travel 150 miles a day, which is only two miles. It can arrive in months.

Hulagu also requested that each household bring ten war horses and one hundred sheep.

This was the only time in history that the Mongolian army brought sheep with them during a large-scale western expedition.

In the Western Expeditions of Zhebie, Subutai, Batu and others before Hulagu, the Mongolian army did not bring sheep, all light cavalry, marching about 180 miles a day, and all supplies depended on robbing.

However, Hulagu arrived in Zawei in the spring of 1256, and soon moved to Tusi City (north of Mashhad in Persia), then to Habusha City, and ordered the reconstruction of Habusha City. By this time, it was already May 1256. June.

It can be judged that the Mongolian army's horses are not often able to eat soybeans. After all, the light cavalry cannot move fast with a large amount of soybeans.

Of course, the Song army was not all light cavalry. They were all heavy-duty cavalry with armored flintlock muskets and civilian baggage. Even if Meng Gong followed the requirements of the Western Expedition, he brought a large number of sheep and baggage and traveled at a speed of fifty miles a day. It will arrive in half a year at the latest.

Hulagu's western expedition brought an army of 150,000 troops, and it was more like the retreat of Ogedai and Chagatai.

The Song army did not intend to follow the example of the previous Western Expeditions of the Mongolian army, which only brought light cavalry.

First of all, the Song Army has never experienced such a long journey. Secondly, on the route of the Western Expedition, everything that could be snatched was taken by the Mongolian Army. In the last Western Expedition, the Mongolian Army first went north to the principalities of Rus and then reached Kiev. In a principality, it is easier to capture cities and keep supplies along the way.

According to the speed of the Mongolian army, it would be impossible to walk from Harahem to Persia for three years, which is equivalent to the speed of eight miles a day.

But more than ten years after Batu's Western Expedition, Hulagu's Western Expedition in 1252 was different.

As a result, he had been gathering for two years. It was not until October 1254 (it is also said that he started in October 10) that he finally gathered his main troops and launched the Western Expedition.

Li Liang nodded after hearing this: "When Batu went to the west, he brought with him 120,000 horses and 500,000 war horses. He did not bring any sheep or civilian men."

How slow was the Mongolian army's western expedition?
In July 1252, Hulagu sent his general Dafa to lead forwards first. He himself waited for troops from all directions to gather at Harahelin, where the Song army's Li Liang and Meng Gong are now located in Taibei Mansion.

In this western expedition, the Mongolian army brought millions of war horses and more than 10 million sheep. This time, except for the Mongolian forwards, the rear army was very slow and could only walk twenty or thirty miles a day, or even less.

Each family of regular soldiers had five to six followers or family members, and the total number was actually six to seven hundred thousand.

Therefore, after calculation, it should have taken Hulagu two years to gather his army in Harahem, and then he walked from Harahem to Persia for two years. Of course, he also fought here and there in between.

The Song Army does not plan to compete with Mongolia for the territory of the Rus Principality, but to face the main force of the Mongolian army, so there is nothing to grab in the early stage along the road, so they must bring their own supplies.

After listening to his father's introduction, Li Zongwang knew that the Song Army had been in Qianzhou and Taibei Prefecture in recent years, making full preparations for the Western Expedition.

Your Majesty is very patient and willing to wait no matter what you do.

Back then, in order to gain time for development, they negotiated peace with the Mongols for five years. Now, in order to improve preparations for the Western Expedition, they also negotiated with Batu to delay the Mongolian army's eastern expedition.

It’s just that Li Zongwang doesn’t understand. According to his idea, the Song Dynasty is now rich in all directions and controls the country thousands of miles away, far more than any previous Han dynasty. The Mongols have also gone as far as the Ishim River, four or five miles away from Qianzhou, the westernmost part of the Song army. Thousands of miles.

According to his understanding, the Song people could completely recuperate and develop commerce and maritime trade, leaving the Mongols alone.

"Father, must we destroy the Mongols?" Seeing no one around, Li Zongwang finally couldn't help himself and asked his father.

Li Liang thought silently for a while and then said slowly: "You have followed me on my expeditions here and there since you were a child. When you were in Hai Sanwei, you also saw the wolves over there. You also encountered wolves on the grassland. You said What are the characteristics of wolves?”

Li Zongwang pondered for a moment and seemed to understand something: "When they see someone weak and an opportunity to take advantage of, they will surround them and bite them fiercely until they eat each other alive."

"If the opponent is strong, they will retreat and follow from a distance, looking for opportunities."

"Even if there is no chance, they will come back at any time or look for the next target."

Li Liang laughed and patted his son on the shoulder: "It's good if you understand this."

"These Mongolian Tatars were originally savages living on the grasslands and in the mountains and forests. They were as fierce as a pack of wolves, eating and killing all enemies who were inferior to them." "Even if they are not our opponents in the Song Dynasty now, But it still relied on its powerful maneuverability to retreat thousands of miles away.”

"Many people thought that the Mongolian army was defeated by us and escaped. They just ran away."

"In fact, the main force of the Mongolian army was not damaged. They retreated strategically to the grasslands where they are good at, trying to lead the main force of our army to the grasslands and fight them decisively."

"Your Majesty has made careful plans and preparations to meet the demands of the Mongols, and in the future he will go all out to conquer the west and defeat them in one fell swoop."

"To deal with the ferocious wolves, only by killing them all and wiping them out completely can the people farm their fields safely and live in peace."

Li Zongwang got a little excited when he heard that, and suddenly said: "Dad, I don't want to be a Jinyiwei anymore."

The Jinyiwei of the Song Dynasty were actually very popular at this time. They did not have to fight and had a lot of power. In developed places such as Jiangnan, they also had the responsibility of supervising local officials to implement court policies.

But Taibei Province is now regarded as the frontier of the Song Dynasty and the front line of the military region. The province does not have a large population and there are not many local officials. Because there are more troops, the court's policies are implemented very well here, and there is no need to vigorously promote it like Jiangnan and other places. .

This left Li Zongwang with not much to do. The most common thing he did was to go out with the sentries to explore the road, draw pictures, and improve the surrounding maps.

Li Liang also wanted his son to join the army. After all, he had worked in the army for so many years and had a wide network of superiors and subordinates. However, his son was still young. He would have to go to the battlefield in the future Western Expedition, and he did not want his son to follow him now. They went to the battlefield together. His plan was to finish the Western Expedition and defeat the Mongols. He would be able to almost reach the point of becoming the commander. He would be considered a senior officer in the Song Dynasty, equivalent to a senior general at the level of military advisor. By then, he would also have a wide network of contacts in the army, and his son would join the army. There is no big battle to be fought, it is safe and covered.

"Just wait." Of course Li Liang refused to agree when he heard that his son was going to join the army now, but he couldn't tell the truth. The Song Army had been victorious in recent years, and his son was a bit arrogant and had no sense of safety. There would be immortals in the war. "It's a bit difficult to transfer Jin Yiwei to the army now. It's a different branch of the military. Your father and I are still generals. I'm afraid that some people will say that I am acting for personal gain. When my father is about to retire, I will find a way to get you in, and others will have nothing to say."

Li Zongwang felt frustrated after hearing this.

Li Liang felt that he had to find something to do, which would save him from wanting to fight every day. Do you really think that the Song army had no casualties?

Li Liang fought many times with the Mongolian army. In the past, the Song army fought in positions in Shandong, Henan, Xixia and other places. They brought a large number of carriages and baggage, and dug trenches and built earthen walls to prevent rain arrows and cavalry charges. There were not many casualties.

In recent years, the Song army has gradually abandoned the carriage and baggage, and the large shields that were commonly used in the past have also been reduced. They rely entirely on the fusiliers, wearing heavy armor, to shoot at the Mongolian army despite the rain of arrows, resulting in more casualties.

Of course, this kind of shooting often happens very quickly. Either the Song army is shot down by arrows, or the Mongolian army is defeated by flintlock guns.

In actual combat, the Mongolian army always falls first, and the two sides usually decide the winner quickly on the battlefield.

"How long have you been resting? It's not your turn yet?" Li Liang said at this time.

Li Zongwang immediately shouted: "Last time I went to Lake Baikal with Wang Hu. After running around for half a year, I need to rest for three months. It's only been more than a month."

"Ba" Li Liang gently slapped his son on the head and said angrily: "You are my son, Li Liang, how can you be like other people?"

"You are not allowed to lead the way. How many times are you not allowed to run? You are not allowed to set an example for your brothers?"

Li Zongwang blushed, but he didn't dare to say no, so he could only nod, thinking to himself, you think it's comfortable outside, but you don't even feel good sleeping.

But then I thought about it, I wouldn't get a good night's sleep even if I went out to fight.

Time soon arrived in January of the twelfth year of Yuanzhen (1244). Just after the New Year, Taibei Prefecture was still relatively cold, so Li Zongwang set off with the sentry cavalry again.

This time he hadn't rested yet, so he took the initiative to invite Ying. The soldiers praised him, saying that General Li Liang had taught him well and that his son was dedicated to serving the country.

The Song army often chooses to set off on such a cold day. First, the Song army has better thermal insulation measures than the Mongolian army. Second, the Song army here is mostly from the north and can adapt to the cold winter. Third, the Mongolian army and other kingdoms do not like this. Season out.

The grasslands tend to be covered with heavy snow in winter, so the Mongolians use the straw bales saved in the summer to raise horses and sheep, and they are not willing to travel far away, which requires a large amount of fodder.

After the New Year, Li Zongwang came to Li Zhengjun in the west of the city to report.

There is a battalion in the army, and Wang Hu, the deputy commander of the sentry and cavalry, is already waiting for him.

He took another Jinyi guard Zhu Hua with him. After entering the room, he found that there were more than a dozen people inside, all of them were Wang Hu's subordinates.

They had a team of fourteen Song Army sentries, led by Deputy Dutou Wang Hu, with a team leader, deputy team leader plus ten Song soldiers, and a professional map painter named Liu.

Among them, there are four people in the Song army scouts and Li Zongwang who can draw maps. At that time, each of them will lead one person and divide into five teams, a total of ten people will specialize in drawing new maps. The one with the surname Liu will be responsible for integrating and compiling and perfecting the big map.

The Song Army has been doing this kind of thing here for several years. The map of thousands of miles nearby has been perfected again and again, but it is still not all finished. According to Li Liang, it is mainly water sources, highlands, mountains, forests, and roads. The Song Army was basically familiar with these important terrains such as towns and cities, and had also drawn them. The Song Army had not yet visited most of the areas.

Even though the Song Army had drawn thousands of miles of maps over the past few years, many places were actually passed over in one area, which was quite inaccurate. However, as long as the key terrain was known, it would be able to gain an advantage in future wars.

After Li Zongwang and Zhu Hua entered, Wang Hu was already pointing on the map on the table. When they came in, everyone got out of the way, allowing the two to squeeze in and gather around the table together.

Li Zongwang said hello to Wang Hu, and then Wang Hu went straight to the topic without any nonsense: "This is Yibohai (Balkhash Lake)."

Yibohai is the fourth largest lake in the world, with an area of ​​1.82 square kilometers and an average water depth of six meters. The lake water is fresh water in the west and salt water in the east. It is very strange because it has a large amount of fresh water resources. It has been the activity of all ethnic groups in northwest China in the past dynasties. The place.

It was once the dividing line between China and the Principality of Rus, but was later divided, and finally belonged to Kazakhstan. The north bank of the lake is the most important copper smelting center in Kazakhstan, with the famous copper mining belt in Central Asia.

"We have been to Yibohai many times. It used to be Batu's territory--"

Wang Hu explained to everyone.

Yibohai used to belong to Batu's territory. Later, the Mongolian army retreated in a large scale. The entire army withdrew to the Yiximu River, which is relatively close to Yibo. Because there is more fresh water nearby, the Mongolian army Wokuotai (now dead), and The main force of Chagatai lives between the Yibo Sea and the Ishim River.

(End of this chapter)