Chapter 63 four

After the great victory in Yangluobao, Boyan adopted A Shu's suggestion and decided to attack the nearby Hubei and Han areas first to ensure a safe strategy. On the basis of consolidating and expanding the obtained results, he concentrated his superior forces to develop in Qi, Huang and other places in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. .When the Yuan army approached Ezhou, they set fire to thousands of warships of the Song army. For a while, the flames soared into the sky. The Song guards in Ezhou, Hanyang, and Deyang were intimidated by the momentum of the Yuan army, and countless descendants fell.Boyan arranged the affairs of the newly descended Zhucheng, enriched the army's salary, and left Lu Wenhuan with 40,000 troops to guard Ezhou to monitor the land where Jinghu had not been set.

Under the leadership of Dong Wenbing, who served as the vanguard, the Yuan army drove straight in, and the momentum along the way was overwhelming.The defenders of Song counties in Jiangdong and Huaixi, such as Taiping, Wuwei, Zhenchao, Hezhou, Liyang, Zhenjiang, Jiangyin, and Ningguo, either fled or surrendered. Then, the Yuan army successfully captured Jiankang (Nanjing), an important town in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In March of Yangchun, Lian Xixian, the national envoy, went south to deliver an edict: "All the generals should guard their camps, and they must not invade or plunder." Boyan was ordered to station Zhongshu Province in Jiejiankang, and Ashu sent troops to the north to attack Yangzhou.

At that time, the epidemic in Jiangdong was prevalent, and the residents were short of food.Boyan ordered the opening of warehouses for relief and the distribution of medicines to treat the sick, and Jiangdong's people's hearts began to settle.When Kublai Khan learned of the epidemic disease in the south of the Yangtze River, he secretly ordered Boyan "the heat is so hot that it is not conducive to marching", asking him to suspend the attack and "do it again in autumn".Boyan put the battle situation at the top of his list, and wrote to the imperial court: "The people of Song Dynasty ruled the rivers and seas, like a beast's insurance, and now they have been suppressed, and if they are not allowed to let them go, they will pass away."

Kublai Khan looked at his face and lightly rubbed his aching temples. "Come on!" A timid Xue responded. "Quickly pass on the decree drafted by Zhongshu Provincial Cabinet officials, and pass on that Boyan will go to Beijing to report on his duties." "Follow the order!" One month later, Da'an Pavilion in Shangdu. "Your Majesty, Jinghu, Prime Minister You of Huaixi Xingzhong Secretary, and Marshal Boyan are waiting outside the hall!" A guard hurried into the hall and reported in a low voice. "Tell Boyan to see you." Kublai Khan's spirit lifted.

Boyan went up the stairs, crossed the high threshold, and knelt down under Dan Chi. "Chen Boyan respectfully invites Shengan!" "Pingshen!" Kublai Khan stepped down from the imperial couch and helped Boyan up with his own hands, "You don't need to be too polite. I called you here to hear about the battle on the front line. There is no one else here, so we monarchs and ministers are exempt from those vain courtesy. Let's talk freely, how about it?" "yes." Boyan sat on a mahogany golden chair next to Kublai Khan, his expression relaxed a lot.

"The battle report will be submitted at any time. At present, our army is progressing smoothly. The main force of the Song army has been wiped out, and the rest are vulnerable." "Although the main force of the Song army in the Jinghu area has been severely damaged, the strength of the Song army in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Sichuan is still there, so we must not be paralyzed." "Yes, Your Majesty." Boyan took the black horse from the guard's hand, drank it down, and let out a sigh of relief, "It's been a long time since I've had such a mellow wine, and I really feel refreshed and know everything. "

"Then drink a few more cups to cool off the heat in the south of the Yangtze River. How are the soldiers feeling now?" "The soldiers in front are eager to fight, and the army enters the land of Huguang Jinghu, like a wild horse that is out of control." "To tell you the truth, what I am most worried about is that the soldiers will grow proud and underestimate the enemy. After the battles of Yangluobao and Dingjiazhou, Song's hundreds of thousands of elites in the Jinghu area were lost, but Song Emperor will never be willing to fail. He must Gather troops from Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Sichuan and Sichuan, and put all your eggs in one basket. I called you to go north this time precisely because I can't rest assured that the soldiers in the front, including you, are eager to attack in the face of consecutive victories. As the highest military and administrative officer in command of Jinghu and Huaixi Provinces, your words and deeds will affect and influence the code of conduct of other generals at any time. Therefore, I hope that you can calmly sum up your experience, rectify the army, and Let's fight again."

"Your Majesty is very worried. The prince also ordered so." Hearing what Boyan said, Kublai Khan no longer continued this topic.He paced slowly on the soft carpet, thinking about something.His feet developed problems in his youth, and he could not sit for a long time, so he had to walk around frequently. "I want to hear from you about the next course of action." "The general principle is: step by step, there is tension and relaxation." Kublai Khan stopped in front of Boyan. "Go on." "In terms of specific tactics, the first step is to dispatch Marshal Boluhuan of the Jianghuai capital to march back to the Huaihe River to assist the Huaidong army in attacking Huai'an City and pull out its southern fort. The second step is to surround Yangzhou and order a part of our army Stand firm at Bay Head Castle."

"Do you think that our army's actions in the near future should focus on Jiangbei, so as to cut off the threat posed by the Song army in the Huaidong area to our flank?" "Exactly, Your Majesty. I am going to fully implement the siege of the capital of Lin'an after our army has rested." Boyan got up and walked to a three-dimensional military map full of arrows hanging on the wall, and revealed his plan. . "Our army marched in three ways, and finally joined forces under the city of Lin'an. The right-hand army mainly consisted of cavalry. They went out from Jiankang to Piaoshui and Guangde lines, took Dusong Pass, and covered Lin'an, the capital of Song Dynasty, from the west to cut off the Song Dynasty. The way to escape to the inland. The left army is mainly composed of boat divisions. It will leave the mouth of the Yangtze River from Jiangyin, follow the coastline, enter Hangzhou Bay, and cut off the passage for the Song Dynasty to escape from the sea. The middle army will be led by me personally, with Changzhou, Yajiang ( Suzhou), Jiaxing and Lin'an!"

A gratified smile appeared on Kublai Khan's face, and he ordered the guards to bring the wine. "Come, come, come! Prime Minister Boyan You, you are worthy of being my Zifang Zhang (Han general Zhang Liang), I respect you!" "Your Majesty's grace of faith and love, I will repay you with all my heart!" Boyan took a step back, knelt down and saluted. "Get up, get up! Boyan, I wish you a smooth victory over Lin'an, and then I will personally hold a banquet for you to celebrate!" Boyan took the wine and drank it down. Gusts of cool wind came in through the window, Kublai Khan opened the collar of his robe, and the conversation with Boyan became more intense.Outside, the sun is still hotter than the fire, and the eaves of Da'an Pavilion are sprinkled with gold and silver.

Suddenly, a guard rushed in: "Your Majesty, just now Shi Tianze sent an obituary from Lord Shi's residence. Lord Shi died of illness at the time of Mao." When Kublai Khan heard the news, he didn't say a word for a long time. More than a dozen days ago, Shi Tianze returned to Shangdu from the south due to illness to recuperate. Kublai Khan repeatedly sent imperial doctors to the Shifu for diagnosis and treatment, and personally visited the Shifu to express his condolences. However... "Your Majesty! Please mourn your Majesty!" Boyan suppressed the pain in his heart and stood up to persuade him. Kublai Khan nodded slightly, and passed down the decree: "Design Yousi to choose a day to bury Prime Minister Shi! It is said that the crown prince Zhenjin will go to the Shifu to express condolences on my behalf! On the day of the funeral, I will come in person." "Cha! Your Majesty, here is a letter left by Mr. Shi before his death. The important ministers from Shifu must pass it to His Majesty." The guard said, and presented the letter respectfully with both hands. Kublai Khan took the letter, held it in his hand and looked at it cherishingly for a moment, then carefully opened it, and the Uighur Mongolian script that Shi Tianze had drafted while he was ill jumped into his eyes: After Kublai Khan finished reading Tianze’s suicide note, tears flowed down his face: “Tianze’s life is all about the world. Even if he is dying of illness, he will never forget the unity of the country. Being loyal can shine through the sun and the moon. It’s a pity that one year’s failure will break my thigh. " "Your Majesty, I want to go with the crown prince to pay homage to Marshal Shi before returning to the southern front. Marshal Shi is His Majesty's trusted minister and also my teacher." "That's exactly what I mean. Remember, you have to offer three glasses of wine to Tianze on my behalf, and tell him that I will never forget his help to me." Boyan's eyes were sour, and he said goodbye: "I understand. I have gone." Kublai Khan watched Boyan leave, wiped away the tears from his eyes, and reopened the letter.However, at some point on the letter, there was already a piece of wetness, and the wet handwriting gradually became blurred in Kublai Khan's eyes, and finally he couldn't make out clearly...