Chapter 24 7. On the road of breaking grain, Boyan defeated Xiriji

The Middle Way of the Qincha Khanate declined, and the Ilkhanate was busy fighting for the throne, allowing the power of the Haidu of the Wokuotai family to take the opportunity to expand.He was not only the leader of the Wokuotai clan, but also the actual leader of the Chagatai fiefdom. In fact, he became the Great Khan of Central Asia.Haidu has grown into a giant, and he is eyeing Kublai Khan's Central Plains... In the twelfth year of the Yuan Dynasty, that is, in 1271, Haidu took advantage of the opportunity of the Yuan army to attack the Song Dynasty and raised troops to rebel, attacking the lost tribe of Yulong and disturbing the Uyghur area.Kublai Khan was fighting fiercely with the Southern Song Dynasty at this time, so he had to send his son Namhan, King of Beiping, to command his younger brother Kuo Kuo Chu, King Xiriji of Heping, King Tuohei Timur, King Wu Gudai of Hejian, and King Ya The army of the kings such as Hudu and Zhacihu later sent Prime Minister Antong to assist him in the affairs of the Central Secretary and the Privy Council, and went to Ali Mali (now northwest of Huocheng, Xinjiang) to guard the border.

In the autumn of the next year, Tuohei Timur incited Xiriji to rebel against the Yuan with the excuse of the humiliation suffered by Brother Alibu after his failure, and promised that the throne would return to Xiriji after the event was completed.This Xiliji is the fourth son of Yuan Xianzong Mengge. In the battle between Kublai Khan and Alibuge, Xiriji supported Alibuge.In the autumn of the fourth year of Zhiyuan (1263), because Ali Bukor was in decline, he and the kings Yulong Dasuo and Asuotai came to surrender, and were pardoned by Kublai Khan, and the next year he was named King of Hejian.

However, they secretly colluded with Alibu's son Yaomuhuer and Yulong Dashi's son Sariman, taking advantage of Ye Yuan's unpreparedness and treachery, they hijacked Namuhan, the king of Peking, and his brother Kuokuo, and arrested An Tong, supporting the past Riji was the Great Khan, and coerced Ugudai, Yahudu, Zarahu and others to rebel. After Xiliji, Tuohei Timur and others arrested Namuhan and others, in order to strengthen their strength against Kublai Khan and win foreign aid, they sent Namuhan and Kuokuchu to Menggete, the Jochi Khan. Mu'er, while An Tong was sent to Haidu.The cunning Haidu didn't take Namuhan in, he didn't support them, he would rather sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, let the Tuo Lei family kill each other, leaving only An Tong to give him an official position.The kings of the East Road, Wugudai, Yahudu, Zarahu, etc. also refused to follow, and they went back to their residences.

Xiliji, Tuohei Timur, Yaomuhuer, Sariman, etc. gathered their tribes and went eastward separately, threatening that Haidu and Mengge Timur would join forces with them.In the east, Zheerwatai, the Hongji assassination tribe, responded with troops and plundered Genghis Khan's tent.Lingbei was shocked. When the news reached Dadu, Kublai Khan immediately recalled his most outstanding general from the battlefield of the Southern Song Dynasty, Boyan, Prime Minister of Zhongshu You, and ordered him to supervise the Northern Expedition. After Boyan was ordered, he traveled all day and night, without stopping, and headed north.In April, Boyan's army and Xiliji's rebel army encountered each other at the Uluhuan River (now the Orkhon River).

The Uluhuan River originates from the lush forest slopes of the Hang'ai Mountains and is the largest tributary of the Selenga River with a total length of 1,124 kilometers.The river surface is wide and the water volume is abundant, generally around 50 or 60 meters, and finally flows into Lake Baikal. Standing on the south bank of the Wuluhuan River, looking at the rushing water, Boyan had no time to appreciate the beautiful scenery, but turned his attention to the Xiliji camp on the opposite bank.In order to deal with the army of the Yuan Dynasty, the cunning Xiliji asked the soldiers to carry stones and dig the earth, and in just a few months, he built a strong city by the river.The thick city wall was three or four feet high, and it was an insurmountable obstacle for the cavalry. Coupled with the natural moat of the Wuluhuan River, Boyan's face became more and more gloomy. How can he cross the river?How can we capture this fortified city?

After seeing the terrain, Boyan hurried into the commander's tent and said: "Pass down my general's order, above the generals, go to the commander's tent to discuss matters." The relatives took the order and went. Boyan strode into the tent and sat at the head, his face was gloomy and neither happy nor angry.Everyone also felt that the matter was of great importance, and the atmosphere in the tent was dignified and slightly depressing. Boyan was just about to discuss with the soldiers how to cross the river, when suddenly a sentry came into the tent and reported: "Report! Hejian Wang Wugudai, Zhu Wang Yahudu, Zhalahu and others led their troops back. , now stationed outside the tent, please return to the prime minister."

As soon as Boyan heard this, he immediately walked out of the tent with all the generals, and hurriedly greeted Hejian Wang Wugudai, the kings Yahudu, and Zhalahu. It turned out that they were coerced by Tuohei Timur and others the year before last and asked to attack Kublai Khan together, but the kings of their host country had received great kindness from Kublai Khan, so they resolutely refused to do anything wrong to Kublai Khan. Hei Timur waited until he was determined to rebel against Kublai Khan, and they returned to their residence.Now I heard that Boyan's army was going to conquer the rebels, so they came to help.

Holding the hands of several old princes, Boyan felt a little relaxed.After all, with these people, Boyan has more weights of success in his heart. When they were about to walk towards the handsome tent, they suddenly saw a fast horse galloping towards them.Seeing that Boyan was there, the cavalry turned and dismounted, and reported to Boyan and several princes that Emperor Kublai Khan had arrived in the north of Shangdu (now the north bank of the Lightning River in the northwest of Zhenglan Banner, Inner Mongolia) to support him. Hearing that the emperor came to support in person, everyone's faces became more heavy.Since the emperor attaches so much importance to it, this battle must end as soon as possible, and it must be fought well.

They turned around and walked into the commander's tent, continuing to discuss how to defeat the enemy. "If you want to defeat the rebels, you must cross the river first. No one can swim across the river like a fish in the water. The river is so wide that it is difficult for horses to pass." Prince Bomur spoke first. Hu Yuwa lost in Huailuhadu (and Linnan) and defeated Jier Wodai, and captured his general Shilachaer and beheaded him in the army. Therefore, he understands the power of the rebels and has the most say in fighting the rebels . "Cut the wood and make a raft to cross the river!" Tutuha said.

"No, we are on a plain and there are no big trees to cut down. Even if there are, I think that when we cross the river, we will definitely encounter stubborn resistance from the rebels, so we won't be able to make any money." Lord Bomur retorted. Tutuha said: "I think it is better to divide the troops into two groups, send light cavalry to search upstream and downstream along the river, avoid the enemy, build a dam to cross the river from the narrow place, and then attack from the wings and rear, so as to avoid them. military fortifications to avoid frontal combat with the enemy."

All the generals thought it was a good idea. Boyan nodded and said: "This method is good, but it will inevitably prolong the battle time. Even if you cross the river, there are still strong fortresses, and it is not easy to capture. The art of war says, 'Heavy ground, my general Follow their food." It is impossible for them to store tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in the city. We should try to find their logistics supply line and find a way to cut it. I think they will not stick to the city, they will definitely abandon the city and run away , and our army can look for fighter opportunities in the movement and wait for the opportunity to eliminate the rebels." "It's not difficult." Qianhu Yuwashi said, "In recent years, the emperor has reduced taxes here, encouraged farming, and sent handicraft workers to help the locals develop their own handicraft industries and build post stations, so as to strengthen the relationship with the mainland. Contact, these measures have won the support of the local people, they want us to defeat the rebels. The last time we wiped out Jier Wodai, it was the letter that the people reported to us." "Okay!" Boyan was overjoyed, he got up and took a few steps, his tiger eyes flashed, he glanced at the generals, and then rested his eyes on Lord Bomur, and said: "Master Bomur, you are familiar with this In the area, to understand the situation, I now order you to lead the headquarters, try to find the local people who are familiar with the terrain, ask them about the situation of the rebels and the plan to cross the river, and then send elite troops to cut off their life supply line." As soon as Lord Bomur heard him, he immediately stood up and said loudly: "Deling!" Boyan came over, took Lord Bomur by the hand and said: "This is the key to the whole battle situation. Whether they can find their food roads and whether they can cut off their supply will directly affect the progress of the battle. Therefore, I also hope that the prince will patiently and meticulously do the work of the local people, win their support and help, and achieve the combat goal as soon as possible." "Guaranteed to complete the task!" Prince Bomur replied.After finishing speaking, he strode out of the commander's tent and organized troops to find and cut off the lifeline of the rebels. Then, Boyan continued to send troops to order generals: "Marshal Du Hong Chaqiu listens to the order!" "The end is here!" "I am ordering you to take 20,000 troops, travel lightly, move up the river, look for crossing points, build dams in narrow places, and attack the enemy from the right!" "Order!" Hong Chaqiu took the order and left. "Wang Wugudai of Hejian, Yahudu of all kings, Zarahu listen to the order!" "The end is here!" "You are now ordered to lead the troops of the headquarters to move down the river, look for crossing points, wait for the opportunity to cross the river, cooperate with the right wing, and launch an attack from the enemy's left wing!" "Decree!" The host kings hurried away. "Everyone in the account will obey orders!" All the generals in the big tent will move forward. "Order all your ministries to prepare for crossing the river. Once there is a fight on the other side of the river, you will forcibly cross the Oruhuan River and attack the enemy from the front. The logistics troops must find wood, build rafts and take boats, and organize follow-up troops and equipment to cross the river!" "Decree!" All the generals took their orders and went away. After midnight, Boyan walked out of the handsome tent again, took a deep breath of the misty fresh air beside the Wuluhuan River, and suddenly felt energetic and full of strength, as if after a while, he became a person who could An excellent hunter who went up the mountain to catch tigers and entered the water to catch dragons. The grassland on the other side of the river is still quiet and serene, except for the neighing of war horses, the only thing left is the sound of the Wuluhuan River's "squeaky" stream.On both sides of the river, greenery is dripping everywhere, gently flowing into the clouds.This kind of realm is both amazing and comfortable; it makes people want to stand around for a long time, but also wants to sit down and whisper a wonderful little poem.In this realm, even the horses sometimes stand still, as if reminiscing about the infinite fun of the grassland. Five days later, the people on the other side of the river withdrew from the city, maybe Prince Bomur cut off the grain road and made it impossible for them to continue.Just as they were about to attack Bomur, Marshal Hong Chaqiu rushed from the upper reaches, and Xiriji hurriedly dispatched troops to meet him. Unexpectedly, the kings of the host country also came to attack immediately after the sound of cannon. Riggy lost sight of one thing and lost another. Seeing that the two wings had rushed over, Boyan immediately ordered his troops to forcibly cross Woluhuan. Yuwashi took the lead in leaping across the river and rushed to the opposite bank. Then the follow-up troops rushed across the river and attacked from three sides.The three-way army rushed straight, as if entering a no-man's land.Although Xiliji and Tuohei Timur rushed from left to right, leaping horses and beheading them, but there were too many Yuan troops, how could they kill them all?Seeing that they were unable to support themselves, they had to fight a bloody road and fled in despair.Boyan took advantage of the victory to cover up the killing, and chased him all the way to Jinshan (now Altai Mountain), before he helped the king of Beiping, Namuhan, escape from danger. After Xiliji, Yaomuhuer, Tuohei Timur and others fled to Qier Jisu (now in the north of the Altai Mountains), internal strife broke out among the rebels. During the period, they also took hostile actions against each other. Finally, Sariman repented and returned to the Yuan Dynasty, captured Xiliji and Yaomuhuer and sent them to Shangdu, surrendered to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan forgave Sariman, but exiled Xiliji an island. In this battle, the rebels only paid attention to the defense of the bases, but ignored the defense of the grain roads, which violated the "important land, follow the food" tactic.Boyan won the victory in one fell swoop by cutting off the grain road first, then blocking the river, attacking with two wings, and breaking through in the middle.