Because Caizhou had been recovered, Zhao Fan and Zhao Kui requested to take the opportunity to expedition to the Central Plains to recover the three capitals. Behind the scenes, the Zhao brothers actually had their own little plans. Although the brothers worked hard to put down Li Quan's rebellion, they were still under threat of destruction.

On the grand occasion of the Jin Dynasty, they lost to Shi Songzhi of Jingxiang. Shi Songzhi was Shi Miyuan's nephew. If they wanted to gain an advantage in the court, they had to surpass Shi Songzhi in military exploits.

Although the recovery of the Central Plains would bring great prestige and honor, most of the officials in the DPRK opposed the expedition. Qiao Xingjian, the counselor and political officer, was ill at home at the time. When he heard about the incident, he immediately fell ill and wrote a letter saying: "This area is vast and it is very difficult to launch an army."

At the end of the journey, how many of your majesty's generals are capable of fighting? How many of them are brave enough to fight? How many of them are wise and good at planning?

Ten thousand? If you stay in the garrison and guard the Huaihe River, how many tens of thousands will you support?" Zhang Yu, the magistrate, also thought: "The Mongols are not comparable to the enemy of gold. They should elect generals, train troops, store money, and accumulate millet to consolidate our territory." He had just returned to the court.

The famous scholar Zhen Dexiu said: "If you move the river, the Huaijia soldiers will guard the useless empty city. If you move the river, the Huaijin Valley will be used to treat the waste land that is not cultivated. The effect of enriching the people will not be realized, and the fundamental disadvantage will be obvious."

In the midst of such opposition, although Zhao Yun issued an edict to "please speak frankly" and expressed his intention to follow the good deeds, he still decided to send troops. He only sent an army of 60,000 from Huaixi to the Northern Expedition, trying to use these 60,000 to regain the Central Plains. Originally

Even the battle plan formulated by the main combat faction still stated that after regaining Tongguan and the south of the Yellow River, at least 150,000 elite divisions would be used for full-time defense in order to hold the Yellow River defense line. Zhao Yun only dispatched the Huaixi Army

, an immature military operation began.

Almost all the generals outside were opposed to sending troops. Qiu Yue, Zhao Fan's staff officer, said: "The enemies are rising and retreating under the new alliance. They are so energetic that they would rather donate their income to others!" Wu Qian, the commander-in-chief of Huaixi, said:

"Although it is easy to acquire Henan, it is difficult to defend it. The military resources are so expensive! The people are extremely poor and are agitated to change. How can today's affairs be discussed lightly!" Although Shi Songzhi, who presided over the war to destroy the gold, had selfish motives

, but the letter was pertinent. He believed that Jinghu had been hungry for many years and could not afford such an attack. Henan had been suffering from wars for many years, so it was unrealistic to obtain supplies locally. He also stated that he would rather resist the order than send troops.

However, the right prime minister Zheng Qingzhi strongly agreed with Zhao Fan's suggestion and advised Zhao Yun to implement it immediately. Zhao Yun was also very happy about his success, so he ordered Zhao Fan and Zhao Kui to move to Huangzhou to prepare for the invasion. Zhao Yun ordered Quanzi, the magistrate of Luzhou, to lead an army.

Wan Huaixi troops headed towards Bianjing as the vanguard, and Zhao Kui was ordered to lead the main force of 50,000 as his successor. Zhao Fan was appointed as the ambassador of the Huaihe system, stationed in Guangzhou, and responsible for the response in Huangzhou. Because Shi Songzhi always opposed sending troops,

Therefore, Zhao Yun did not use Jinghu troops, but only Huaixi troops, but asked Shi Songzhi to be responsible for supplying food and grass to the Huaixi army.

Quan Zicai set out from Luzhou and crossed the Huaihe River six days later and entered the enemy's territory. Since the Mongolian army had withdrawn and the people in the Central Plains were all dead and wounded, the Song army seemed to be in an uninhabited country, with not even a few living people seen.

After the Huaihe River, Quan Zicai's army quickly arrived at Chengfu. Chengfu was originally a big city and was once known as Little Tokyo. At this time, there were only a dozen or so residential buildings. A few days later, Quan Zicai's army arrived at Haozhou. Haozhou was so dilapidated that there were only seven

Several soldiers guarded the city, but when they saw the Song army, they had no choice but to surrender. At the end of June, Quanzi regained Yingtian Mansion in Nanjing, the place where Song Taizu made his fortune.

The Mongolian general Tachaer had long heard that the Song army was advancing north, so he led his Mongolian troops to

The soldiers retreated to the north of the Yellow River, deliberately showing that the Song army was weak and tempting the Song army to go deeper. Before crossing the river, the Mongols also used a trick, which was to dig out the embankment on the south bank of the Yellow River and release the river water to the Huai River area. The two Huai areas

Suddenly a large area of ​​land turned into a swamp, which seriously interfered with the march of the Song army. The water was waist deep in many places. The water in some places even rose to the necks of the Song soldiers.

Not only that, the Song Army's logistics supply line was severely damaged, and the grain transport team had to go around in a circle to reach Henan. The people in the Lianghuai area were even more miserable. It was under such an environment that Quan Zicai's army marched.

On the second day of July, they arrived in the east of Bianjing City and camped. Cui Li was stationed in Bianjing at this time. The captains Li Boyuan and Li Qi had always been despised and insulted by Cui Li, so they wanted to complain privately. When they heard that Quan Zicai's troops had arrived, they wrote a letter

They agreed to surrender and pretended to negotiate with Cui Li to defend the city.

Cui Li was unsuspecting and came on horseback. Li Boyuan pulled out his dagger and stabbed Cui Li on the horse, penetrating Cui Li's chest. Cui Li immediately knocked off his horse and fell to the ground to death. Li Boyuan tied Cui Li's body to the tail of the horse and gave the order

In front of the army, he said: "Cui Li killed and robbed very cruelly. He was extremely treasonous and unethical. It has never happened in ancient or modern times. Should he be killed?" The crowd said in unison: "He should be killed! He should be killed! His crime is too small to be cut off." So he ignored him.

Cui Li's head was scraped on the Chengtian Gate to pay homage to Aizong, and his body was displayed in the market, where it was left to be harvested by the soldiers and civilians. It was all cut off in an instant.

Li Boyuan and others went out of the city to meet the Song army, and Quan Zicai marched into the city with his entire army. After more than ten days, Zhao Kui led 50,000 Huaixi troops to seize Sizhou from Chuzhou, and then rushed from Sizhou to Bianjing, and Quan Zicai

When they met, Zhao Kui said to Quan Zicai: "We just started planning to occupy the pass and defend the river. You have been here for more than half a month. If you are not in a hurry to attack Tongguan, Luoyang, why are you still waiting here?" Quan Zicai said.

: "How can we march into the army without collecting food and pay?"

Zhao Kui was displeased and said: "The Northern soldiers have not arrived yet, so we are taking advantage of the opportunity to advance. If we wait for the Shizhi envoy to pay, I am afraid that the Northern soldiers will have already gone south." Because Zhao Kui was very dissatisfied with Quan Zicai for not sending troops, he

Xu Minzi was appointed as the supervisor of the forward force, and Quan Zicai was left in Bianjing. This forward force had a total of 13,000 people. Yang Yi commanded the Huaixi soldiers of the former Quan Zicai department, and other troops as

The second echelon marched to Luoyang after receiving the rations. After the troops received the rations, they all complained that the rations were too little, but Zhao Kui still forcibly ordered the troops to set off.

Xu Minzi ordered the 13,000 Song troops in the vanguard to save five days of military rations for seven days. On July 21, the second day after Zhao Kui arrived in Bianjing, he set off for Luoyang. Mongolia

Although the people abandoned Luoyang and crossed the Yellow River to the north of the Yellow River, they left many Mongolian cavalry sentries in Luoyang, Mengjin, Tongguan and other large areas to spy on the Song army's movements. After the Song army's forward left Bianjing and headed for Luoyang

Later, Tachaer ordered his troops to cross the Yellow River again and ambush in the Longmen area east of Luoyang. After deliberately letting the first echelon of the Song army enter Luoyang City, they planned to raid the second echelon of the Song army and capture Luoyang and Bianjing.

The Song army was cut off, and then defeated one by one.

On the evening of July 26, the Song Army's vanguard and Ninghuai Army General Zhang Di led 200 Song troops to Luoyang. There were no guards in the city and there were only more than 300 households of ordinary people. They immediately opened the city and surrendered. Xu Minzi led the army.

After entering the city, the army rations ran out the next day. They had to collect wormwood and flour to make cakes to satisfy their hunger. At this time, Mongolia had already mobilized troops to confront the Song army.

Zhu Yangzu of Taichang was ordered to go to Henan to pay an audience to Baling. As soon as he arrived in Xiangyang, he heard that the Mongolian outposts had arrived in Mengjin, Shaanfu, Tongguan, and Henan Province had also increased their troops for defense. At the same time, he heard that Mongolian soldiers were stationed in Huaidong.

, also rushed from Huaixi to Bianjing.

Zhu Yangzu was shocked and felt a dilemma, so he hurriedly discussed with Meng Gong. Meng Gong replied: "The enemy troops are far away from each other, and it is estimated that they will not be able to reach them in more than ten days. I will select elite cavalry for you, and we will travel day and night. The task can be completed in less than ten days."

"When the enemy comes to Tokyo, you can go back south." Zhu Yangzu was still timid. Meng Gong expressed his willingness to go with him, so they marched on both sides. They went to the mausoleum to present the imperial document, and after the ceremony was completed, they returned and waited for their return.

Xiangyang came and went without incident. Zhu Yangzu said goodbye to Meng Gong and returned to Lin'an to resume his duties.

When Meng Gong was forming the Zhenbei Army in Xiangfan to defend against the Mongolian invasion from the south, the Privy Council ordered him to go to Lin'an to discuss matters. Zhao Yun thought highly of Meng Gong. When he summoned him, he praised him: "You are the son of a famous general. You are loyal and diligent.

Cai destroyed the Jin Dynasty and made outstanding achievements." Meng Gong said: "This is all due to the power of the ancestral temple, your majesty's holy virtue, and the efforts of the soldiers of the three armies. How can I do it?" Zhao Yun was very happy and said

Asked about ZTE's plans, Meng Gong replied: "I hope your Majesty will broaden the people's strength, accumulate talents, and wait for the opportunity." Unfortunately, Zhao Yun was impatient.

Besides, Yang Yi, as Xu Minzi's backup, led a second echelon of 15,000 people. After five or six days of long-distance march, he arrived at Longmen Town on the outskirts of Luoyang. He did not know that he had entered the Mongolian army's ambush circle, and ordered

The whole army rested on the spot. The officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty had just sat down to prepare for dinner. Two large red and yellow umbrellas were erected on the top of a nearby mountain. The Mongolian cavalry suddenly came galloping from all directions. Under the leadership of their chief general Liu Heng'an, they killed the Song Dynasty.

military.

The Song army was dominated by archers and crossbowmen, and they had no time to form their formations in this unexpected attack. Liu Hengan clashed with the Song army again, causing the entire Song army to collapse. Most of the people were pushed into Luoshui and drowned, except for the general Yang Yi and a few

The scouts fled into Luoyang City. The second echelon of the Song Army suffered a devastating blow, and the first echelon in Luoyang City was isolated. "The divisions in Luoyang were stunned by the news."

After the Battle of Longmen, the Mongols took the opportunity to approach, and the forwards set up camp at the foot of Luoyang City. The Song army had no support and no food, and there were few people in Luoyang City, so it was impossible to defend the city. The supervisor Xu Minzi decided to break out and return before the main force of the Mongolian army arrived.

The Song army in the division Luoyang attacked the Mongolian forward and covered the main movement of the Song army. On the first day of August, they crossed the Luo River and formed an array with their backs to the water.

On the first day of August, the Mongolian army took the lead in launching an offensive and attacked the Song army's camp many times. The Song army fought tenaciously and repeatedly repelled the Mongolian army. The victory and defeat of both sides were even. On the second day of August, the Mongolian army advanced with infantry holding shields, overwhelming the Song army's formation.

It was cut into three parts and then attacked with cavalry. The Song army relied on the infantry formation and fought until noon. They killed more than 400 enemies and captured more than 300 shields, repelling the Mongolian offensive again.

Although the Song army did not lose in the frontal battle, it had been without food for four days and the situation was very bad. Xu Minzi believed that the Mongolian army to the east was the main force, so he led the Song army to break out to the south. The Mongolian army knew that the Song army had broken through.

, followed by cavalry archers. The vast majority of the Song army were infantry, and were killed on the way to escape. Almost all the generals died in the battle. In the end, only Xu Minzi led 300 infantrymen and ate leaves and bark for nine days.
Chapter completed!