Chapter 203: Crisis

"General Zheng sent someone to deliver the letter urgently. There must be a good news." Li Jun smiled and took the battle report and started reading it. His smile suddenly disappeared, and he instantly became surprised and said in a daze: "Why do you like this?" He staggered and almost fell to the ground, overturning the tea on the table to the ground.

Li Jun was calm and calm, with extraordinary courage. Even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, he would not raise his eyebrows. There were not many things that were so surprised that he lost his composure. It can be said that there were very few. Liao Shenggong and the others were all surprised and looked at Li Jun with incredible eyes.

"Your Majesty, what happened?" Liao Shenggong knew that something big must have happened, otherwise Li Junduan would not have acted like this, so he asked carefully.

This is exactly what Zhao Liangchun and the others thought. They stared at Li Jun together, hoping that Li Jun would give the answer.

With a steady mind, Li Jun understood their mood and returned to peace and said, "Hulagu crossed the Yellow River."

This news has a earth-shaking effect. When Liao Shenggong and the others heard it, they were all so surprised that they could not describe it. They opened their mouths for a long time and did not speak. After a long time, Zhao Liangchun complained: "What did Zheng Jinghe do? Jiao Shanshui battle, he attacked more with less and defeated the strong with weak. Now, the navy is strong, and he has not blocked Xulagu on the north shore."

This made sense, and Ou Junxing nodded and agreed, "Yes."

"Don't blame him, he did his best." Li Jun expelled Zheng Jinghe and said, "This Xulagu, his method of crossing the river is really amazing. A ship crossed the Yellow River without using a ship. You said, how can you cross the Yellow River without using a ship? This method is very wonderful and can be called a big deal, but it is very simple."

There are not many things that can be praised by Li Jun. He praised him so much, not to mention that Hulagu's method is extremely clever. However, it is hard to imagine how to cross hundreds of thousands of troops at once. Even with a boat, it may not be possible to cross 300,000, not to mention that the powerful Southern Song navy is cruising on the Yellow River, which makes it even more difficult.

Liao Shenggong and the others thought for a long time but couldn't think of a good way. Li Jun looked at Liao Shenggong, meaning that he wanted him to express his opinion. Liao Shenggong was resourceful and had no idea. When encountering this huge problem, he was helpless and said, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and I can't cross the Yellow River at once."

During the European Army, Zhao Liangchun and Zhu Ruixiang did not wait for Li Jun to ask them, and they all said, "I am incompetent."

"Since ancient times, the army has encountered large rivers and rivers, mainly because it is difficult to cross the river without tools." Li Jun fully utilized the expertise of a scholar and explained to them: "Generals have been very puzzled to cross the river, so there are all kinds of strange ways. Needless to say, using a boat, everyone knows this method. Han Xin Muying crosses the Yellow River is also a strategy. This Xulagu is even more amazing. His way to cross the river is not to use a boat, nor to use a wooden boar, but to use horses, wood and straw."

He walked to the map and pointed to the map and said, "He first used a plan to build a ship in the Yuanyang area to attract General Zheng's attention. This move was either virtual or solid. General Zheng cleaned up the shipyard he had in this area. He calculated the right time and rushed to the vicinity of Yangcheng. Here, each soldier was assigned a log with five feet long and thin bowl and a bundle of straw weighing twenty kilograms. He used these things to cross the Yellow River."

Liao Shenggong slapped his forehead and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. Xulagu drove the war horses into the Yellow River and asked the soldiers to grab the horse's tail. A cavalry and an infantry teamed up, and two woods were placed side by side. Two soldiers rode on the wood. The soldiers in front grabbed the horse's tail and controlled the direction, and the soldiers behind kept paddling with straw bales. He used straw as oars, so it would be much easier to cross the river. This idea is really clever!"

Li Jun's eyes were full of praise, Zhu Ruixiang was a little confused and asked, "Emperor, but General Zheng is not easy to mess with. When General Zheng heard the wind, he would inevitably lead the navy to rush there, which would be enough to knock him into the river to feed the turtle."

Zhao Liangchun blurted out and said, "General Zhu, you are wrong. General Zheng can't reach the place where he crosses the river at all, and General Zheng will encounter danger. The only way to avoid danger is to dock and moor."

Zhu Ruixiang was even more surprised and asked, "Why?"

The European Army explained to him: "Even if General Zheng had arrived, General Zheng would have to attack while he was crossing the river. Therefore, he wanted straw to deal with General Zheng."

"What you mean is that he threw the straw into the river, which would not hurt General Zheng. We have a salvage boat that can be salvaged." Zhu Ruixiang looked confused and suddenly slapped his forehead, saying, "I am so stupid. The straw entangled in wood and connected together, and can last dozens of miles or even hundreds of miles, and it cannot be salvaged at all. Even if it can be salvaged, it will take a lot of time. By the time General Zheng finished salvaging, he would have crossed the Yellow River long ago."

Li Jun nodded in praise and said, "You are right, you can't salvage it at all. Straw alone is easy to deal with, and countless woods inside will break the fishing nets. With so much wood, even barbed wire mesh is hard to be afraid of. General Zheng's best way is to dock and wait for the straw and wood to flow downstream before going upstream."

He sighed: "Hulagu's method is very simple. After all, it is worthless. However, it is this simplest method that has created great difficulties for us. The simplest method is, the more extraordinary it is!"

In history, the army crossed the big rivers and rivers, and it was indeed a headache for the generals. It was naturally not difficult to be talented as a general like Han Xin. He didn't use a boat, but just used a wooden poppies. This Hulagu's method was simpler, and it was so simple that it was primitive, but he had to admit that he was very clever.

In fact, a log with a weight of five feet and a bowl can withstand a person's weight. I have personal experience of this. Two logs are arranged side by side, and two people will not sink when riding on it. A bundle of straw is just right to be used as a paddle on the water. The power it produces is greater than that of wooden paddles. Of course, the power required is much greater, but these soldiers are all elite soldiers, strong and not comparable to those boatmen, and can handle it.

Grasping the horse's tail is to get a traction, control the direction, and move forward faster. The horse will not sink in the water, which has been proven by history. According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty? Biography of Wu Han", Wu Han lost a battle near Chengdu and fell into the river, and he grabbed the horse's tail and escaped.

One of the purposes of Hulagu preparing straw was to deal with Zheng Jinghe. Wood and straw flowed downstream. Under the action of whirlpools and rapids, straws would be entangled together, just like a long straw rope that entangles the wood and seals the entire river section. In the face of such an unbreakable river section, not to mention the low-tech invincible warships of the Song Dynasty, even modern high-tech aircraft carriers would feel threatened. Zheng Jinghe had no choice but to choose to moor the ship.

What is even more infuriating is that many of these woods have been sharpened. In this case, it is like a sharp cone. If Zheng Jinghe does not choose to moor the boat, the only result will be the ship being destroyed and the people being killed.

As for the issue of baggage, Hulagu didn't have to think about it at all. He didn't need to get anything when he arrived at the south bank of the Yellow River? He was not worried at all about what he wanted in the rich Central Plains.

Of course, he waited for the army to flow across the Yellow River and marched downstream for a while, left the place where they crossed the river, then broke the straw and threw it into the Yellow River with the wood. Hundreds of thousands of wood and millions of kilograms of straw, and the principle of not sealing the Yellow River.

If this strategy is successful, there is another condition, that is, the river surface should not be too wide and the water level should be slow, otherwise, it would be a burial in the Yellow River.

This idea was too unexpected, and Liao Shenggong and the others were silent. The reason why they were silent was because of the danger brought by Hulagu, which was not only his army of hundreds of thousands, but also his wisdom and outstanding military talents.

"You don't have to think too much, it's better for him to come, so as not to suffer more in his claws." Li Jun had returned to normal, and said with a smile and laughing banquet, saying: "The most urgent thing is that we must win more battles before Hulagu really plays a role, eliminate the Tartars, and weaken Kublai Khan's strength to the greatest extent possible. The southern and western fronts began to encircle and annihilate operations, and our focus was on the eastern front!"

Li Jun said this, because he must have a way to deal with Xulagu. Liao Yongkang and their eyes suddenly shone out, and he said, "The emperor is wise!"

Hulagu's successful crossing of the river also caused a very good consequence, that is, the genius shipbuilding master Zhou Shan was inspired. He said, "This incident made me realize the shortcomings of the invincible warship. If I want to sail and operate freely under such a harsh situation, I can only use iron sheets as the hull, and I am determined to develop a more advanced ship."

"Third brother!" Kublai Khan saw Hulagu strode with great speed in the distance surrounded by the generals. He was very excited and ran over quickly.

Since Hulagu's Western Expedition, the two have never met each other. Hulagu's Western Expedition was successful and he destroyed dozens of countries. However, the war had many risks, which was licking blood from a knife. He had also encountered dangers during the Western Expedition, and was once dangerous, and life and death were hanging on the line. At this time, he suddenly saw Kublai Khan, and cheered: "Second Brother!" He ran over quickly, spread his arms and threw them into Kublai Khan's arms, and said excitedly: "Second Brother, I finally saw you again."

This is very relaxing, but only those who witness it can explain it clearly. Kublai Khan was also excited and hugged Hulagu and said, "Third brother, you are back, you are back."

The two hugged each other for a while and then separated. Xulagu said with emotion: "Brother, he has killed the Nanman. I am here to ask the Nanman to pay blood and taste the blood."

It was his own fault that Mengge died at Diaoyu City. If he did not launch an aggressive war against the Southern Song Dynasty, how could he die at Diaoyu City? Xulagu would really turn black and white.

Kublai Khan agreed with him very much and said, "Yes, third brother, new and old hatreds, let's calculate together. Third brother, go to second brother's palace and let's have a good talk. Have you been doing well these years?" Looking at Hulagu for a while, Hulagu was so handsome when he went to the war, but now Hulagu is still full of energy and full of vitality, but there is a little more hair on his temples, needless to say it is caused by the hard military life.

"It seems that you are doing well." Kublai Khan was relieved and took Hulagu's hand to the palace.

Hulagu walked beside Kublai Khan and said, "Second brother, I did not obey your will. I rewarded the soldiers with a thousand miles of Zhending, so that the soldiers could have a good time. I was guilty of correcting the orders and being a bandit. I also asked Brother Khan to punish me."

Kublai Khan had known about the tragedy of Zhending. Kublai Khan, who had been influenced by Han culture for a long time, was very unhappy about this matter, but he was not so stupid that he would hold Xu Lie responsible as soon as he met. What's more, he needed Xu Lie too much now. Not to mention that the people in Zhending were suffering, even if the people in a few places were in trouble, he would pretend to be deaf and dumb, pretend to be ignorant, comfort Xu Lie, "Third brother, you have to do this. The soldiers followed you eastward and marched thousands of miles. It would be very difficult to command if they didn't give them some benefits."

Kublai Khan is also a rare general. He saw through the key points at a glance. This really hit the nail on the head. Hulagu originally thought that Kublai Khan would criticize him at least, but he didn't expect that he was so "magnanimous". He was a little moved and said, "Brother Xie Khan."

"Stop talking about this. Before you have arrived in the Central Plains, you will go to my palace to see the prosperity of the Central Plains." Kublai Khan and Hulagu got on their horses and left with their horses under the protection of their guards.

"You all go down." Kublai Khan said to his ministers.

The ministers knew that Kublai and his brothers had a lot to say when they met again, which inevitably involved privacy that they should not know. After celebrating their salute, they quit withdrew with tactfully.

Kublai Khan handed a cup of hot tea to Hulagu and said, "Third brother, try it. This is the newly produced Biluochun this year."

Hulagu took a sip and praised, "Good tea." He walked to the map and said, "Second brother, we haven't seen each other for many years, but I didn't expect to meet in this situation. Logically, we should first talk about brotherly feelings and then discuss state affairs. However, reinforcements are like putting out fires. Now the military situation is urgent, so we can only talk about state affairs first and then talk about brotherly friendship. Second brother, what do you want me to do, tell me."

After hearing this, Kublai Khan was extremely moved. He never expected Hulagu to be so selfless. He asked about the state affairs that caused him a headache as soon as he met. But he said, "The third brother came thousands of miles away and was very tired. It would be better to take a break first before talking."

"Second brother, don't worry, I can still withstand this little bit of wind and frost." Hulagu went straight to the topic and said, "Only extraordinary people can achieve extraordinary achievements. Second brother, you and I are extraordinary people. When this extraordinary time, you must do extraordinary things."

Kublai Khan blurted out, "Okay! Then I'll tell you about the situation. The current situation is very unfavorable to the court. The South Dynasties were divided and surrounded by the South. If there were no reinforcements, our army would be wiped out in a long time. The third brother came at the right time. Your army could be used manually. I plan to use these troops trapped in the encirclement as bait, and the third brother's army launched a surprise attack to cooperate inside and outside."

This is indeed a very clever method. Hulagu's army is an elite army. If we cooperate with the inside and outside, the Southern Song army will suffer.

"Well, it makes sense." Hulagu asked, "Second brother, where is the most urgent situation?"

Kublai Khan pointed to the map and said, "Here, Yucheng. The emperors of the Southern Dynasties have arrived here, and a large number of artillery have been deployed here. I think they are ready to attack here. Their purpose is very obvious, to encircle and annihilate the army here of the imperial court before you arrive, so as to free up your hands to deal with you."

"Second brother, where is the least urgent thing?" Xulagu asked.

Kublai Khan pressed it west of Luoyang and said, "Here, although the Southern Dynasty has controlled Luoyang, it is impossible for them to eat A Shu in a short time. The south side is between the two."

"Then let's start from here." Hulagu pointed to the southern line and said, "Then it's here. Rescue the troops from the southern line and the western line, and then fight the Southern Dynasty to the death."

The reason he imagined this was that it would take several days for his troops to reach the front line, which means that what Li Jun said would take some time to really play its role. As soon as he crossed the Yellow River, he came to meet Kublai Khan. Although there was brotherhood, it was necessary to discuss military opportunities.

His idea was very good. The Eastern Front was the most critical. When his army really took effect, it was said that the Eastern Front had not been wiped out. After weighing the trade-offs, it would be better to save the Southern Front first, then the Western Front, and then concentrate all the troops to fight to the death with Li Jun.

Kublai Khan shook his head and said, "My third brother doesn't know that the Eastern Front is a must-have place. Most of the imperial guards and the Qiexue Corps of the court were surrounded. If they were not saved, once the Eastern Front was lost, all the elites of the imperial court were lost."

Regarding the Qiexue Corps and the Five Guards Imperial Guards, Hulagu certainly knew that it was the most elite unit in Kublai Khan. Even if the other troops were lost, as long as these two troops were still there, they would make a comeback. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "That's all. Second brother, I will lead a part of the army to the Eastern Front first, and the troops behind will then go to the Eastern Front."

His main force was still advancing eastward quickly on the south bank of the Yellow River. The troops who rushed to Bianjing with him were only more than 20,000. It would be better to wait until the troops behind arrived before pressing them together. However, the situation is urgent now and we can no longer wait, so he said so.

Kublai Khan said helplessly: "That's all. I will ask them to go to the southern and western fronts except those transferred to the Eastern front." There is no need to push the 300,000 troops to the Eastern front. It is better to divide a part of them to go to the other two fronts.
Chapter completed!