"Sit down, sit down, don't be polite." Shang Bing said with a smile: "The generals haven't eaten yet, so Isola immediately ordered the cook to bring the food, and let's start the meal." ”

"Thank you, Your Highness." A young general sat down and said with a big grin: "The minister has been hungry for a long time. ”

"Stand up! How can you be so rude in front of Your Highness! Another older general scolded.

When the young general heard this, he immediately stood up as if reflexively and said to the older general, "Father, I was wrong. He immediately apologized to Shang Bing: "The minister is rude, please punish His Highness." ”

"You have been working hard for my Qin Clan all these days, how can Lone punish you for your little bad manners?" Shang Bing said to the older generals: "Song Aiqing, the Song Hu and Song Ying brothers are also very busy these days, and there is no need to be harsh on the slightest difference in etiquette. ”

This old general is the current Zuo Xiang of the Qin Domain, Song Sheng of Dingyuan County, Fengyang Prefecture, his hometown. Song Sheng guarded Liangzhou from the twelfth year of Hongwu, and was transferred to Guangxi in the twenty-ninth year of Hongwu. After Yun Xi ascended the throne, he was appointed as the left minister of the Qin domain because he had been guarding the northwest for a long time.

Song Sheng had three sons, the eldest son is now serving as the commander of the right guard of the government army in the capital, and the second son Song Hu returned to the northwest with the third brother Song Ying in Yiwu after marrying the lord of Chang'an in the capital.

After listening to Shang Bing's words, Song Sheng, as a courtier, could only agree even if he disagreed: "What His Highness said is true." He also said to Song Hu: "Don't hurry up and thank Your Highness for your grace." ”

After such an incident, by the time everyone sat down, the chef had already brought all the food, and when he had finished setting it on the table, he bowed down.

Shang Bing picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of the dish into his mouth, and everyone immediately picked up the chopsticks and ate them.

The generals were hungrier than Gao Xiang. During this period, they reorganized the army, practiced with the soldiers every day, and their physical strength was very high, and they all ate like starving ghosts reincarnated. After a while, everyone had eaten eight minutes and was full, and then slowed down.

Shang Bing waited for them to slow down before asking, "Song Xiang, are the soldiers okay now?" ”

"Your Highness, there are now 30,000 soldiers in the Qin Domain, including 15,000 soldiers and 15,000 Mongols. Ten thousand of the Mongols were recruited after hearing that Samarkand was going to go east. However, the Mongols rode horses since childhood, and after being equipped with good swords and guns, although their combat power was still not as good as that of the strictly trained soldiers, they could also be used in battle. ”

"The guards are fine, but the Mongolian soldiers are fluctuating. They were all people who had been in Yiwu for a long time, and they had long heard of the great name of Timur, the Great Khan of Samarkand, and they were a little afraid. Song Sheng replied.

"We should always pay attention to the thoughts of the Mongolian soldiers, and order the military doctors sent to the past to chat with the injured people who are going to be treated, and if they find that they have different ideas, they must quickly report them to their superiors." Shang Bing commanded. Song Sheng hurriedly agreed.

He also asked about sending people to build a city on the territory of Yili. Song Sheng said: "Your Highness, after discussing with Yili and the king of Lihan, Shami Chagan, due to lack of manpower, it was finally decided to build cities only in Urumqi, Alashankou, Turpan, Qijiaojing, Tiemen Pass and other five places to guard against the soldiers of Samarkand. ”

"Among them, the Qijiaojing and Turpan City have been nearly built because they are close to Yiwu and the area is not large; Half of the Tiemen Pass and Urumqi are completed, and it is estimated that another three months will be enough to complete it. ”

"Three months? It is now April 17, and it is estimated that the Samarkand Congress will send troops to the east in early March, and it will be able to reach Urumqi in about three months, but now it has been a month, and there are only two months left. I'm afraid there isn't enough time. Shang Bing said.

"Your Highness, there is also the city of Alashankou. The terrain of Alashan Pass is very dangerous, and even if the city is incomplete, it is enough to hold off the army of Samarkand for a month. ”

"Song Xiang, you just mentioned the situation of four of the cities, what happened to the cities built in Alashankou?"

"It's strange to say, I haven't received news from Alashankou for half a month, so I haven't mentioned it."

"It's been half a month?" Shang Bing suddenly had a bad feeling: "Have you ever sent someone to investigate?" ”

"Someone has been sent to investigate. It's just not yet rewarded. ”

"Wait for the investigator to report the orphan as soon as he returns."

Song Sheng was about to agree, when suddenly a faint voice came from outside the house, the voice was getting closer and closer, and it was gradually clear: "Alashankou urgent report!" ”

As he spoke, a man dressed in the costume of a hundred households had already walked in—according to Zhu Shangbing's regulations, no one was allowed to stop him in any emergency military affairs, even if he was asleep—he knelt down in front of Shang Bing, who was wearing the costume of a prince, and said, "Your Highness, Alashankou is urgent!" ”

Shang Bing saw that the clothes on his body were not only dirty, but also very shabby, and his spirit was also very haggard, so he knew that something was wrong, and asked, "What happened?" ”

"Your Highness, the Alashan Pass has been broken by the army of Samarkand on the first day of the fourth month!" (The first day of the fourth month of the Ming calendar, that is, the 18th day of October in the Hijri calendar)

"What!" Shang Bing stood up suddenly, the chopsticks he was holding in his right hand fell to the ground without realizing it, and his left index finger pointed at the hundred households, and after a while, he continued to ask: "What the hell is going on!" ”

"Your Highness, on the first day of the fourth month, a fierce west wind blew just after dawn, and people could not open their eyes. The construction of the west and north walls could only be stopped, and all the craftsmen and five hundred soldiers were outside the east walls, and the mud walls were built. ”

"In the afternoon, when the people had just eaten and hid in their tents to rest, suddenly thousands of men and horses rushed from the west by the wind, and the sentry men were a little slack because the wind was too strong, until the enemy cavalry was only five miles away from the city, and they quickly beat the drums and gathered the soldiers."

Hearing the sound of drums, the soldiers hurriedly took up their weapons and prepared to defend themselves against the enemy, but it was too late. The cavalry of Samarkand rushed into the city and set it on fire, and the whole city burned with the help of the wind. ”

"The soldiers were blocked by the fire in the east of the city and could not move forward, so they had to go out of the city to prepare to regroup. But at this time, a part of the cavalry of Samarkand also came around, and immediately charged when it saw the soldiers. The soldiers could not form a formation and collapsed at once, and the whole army was scattered. One of the rebels snatched a horse and rushed back to report the news, but the rest of the soldiers did not run out. At that, his eyes reddened.

"This," Shang Bing had never experienced such a major event, and he didn't know what to do with it for a while, so he stayed in place. It was Song Sheng who shouted: "You go down first, settle in the barracks, and wait for His Highness or Benxiang to call you." ”

He hurriedly said to Shang Bing: "Your Highness, first, you must immediately ask the court for help!" The troops of Samarkand arrived at Alashankou half a month ago, and the time of their troops was much earlier than estimated, and they must ask the imperial court for assistance as soon as possible! ”

"Second, speed up the construction of the three cities of Urumqi, Qijiaojing, and Turpan. Since Alashankou was seized by Samarkand, there is no danger to defend until the city of Beishi Bali, although Beishi Bali City is a city, but the short position of the city is not easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the Mongols are not good at defending the city, so they will not be able to defend it. ”

"But now the army is not yet fully equipped and the armament is insufficient, and it needs to delay for time, so we can only rely on these three cities. As for the Tiemen Pass, the reason why the city was built here before was because he was worried that Timur would lead his troops to march from the south of the Tianshan Mountains, and since his troops entered Yili from the north of the Tianshan Mountains, there was no need to build the Tiemen Pass, and all the materials and craftsmen that were originally intended to be sent to the Tiemen Pass could be sent to Turpan and other places. ”

"Third, gather all the young and strong people under His Highness's rule, and recruit them to prepare for war and raise things to defend the city; The old and the young moved into the city, and the food was allocated by the government according to the capitation. Yili will also use the people inside, and Shami Chagan will not take care of many when the disaster is coming. ”

"What Song Aiqing said is very appropriate, hurry up and do it." Shang Bing had no idea at this time, and immediately agreed when he heard Song Sheng's fairly organized suggestion.

"Your Highness, other matters can be handled by the minister and Gao Xiang, but the matter of contacting Yili still needs His Highness to come forward in person." Song Sheng said again.

"Okay, Lone immediately sent someone, no, personally to Urumqi, where I met with Shami Chagan." Shang Bing finally came to his senses and said loudly.

Song Sheng originally wanted to admonish, but when he saw this, he nodded slightly and didn't speak. From Alashankou to Beshbali or Urumqi, the normal march of the mixed infantry and cavalry army was about 15 to 20 days, which was simply not enough time to support the repair of the city of Urumqi, and Shami Chagan had to resist for a period of time in the Gurbantunggut Basin. However, if Shami Chagan left Gurbantunggut, most of his men and horses thought that he had fled first, and that the whole army would soon collapse, and the enemy would be able to march under the city of Urumqi immediately.

There is no need to worry about cavalry in siege battles, but the infantry of Samarkand is also experienced in siege, and the city of Urumqi, which is not only crippled, but also has few defenders, will probably fall soon. In order to make Yili hold the Mongols in Li for a few more days, Zhu Shangbing could only go to meet with Shami Chagan.

Song Sheng said a few more words to Shang Bing, and led the order to retreat with Zhuo Jing; The rest of the generals also left the palace and returned to the barracks.

After they all left the palace, Shang Bing ordered to prepare the horses immediately, and he should set off for Urumqi immediately.

Just as she was preparing, Princess Qin Tang Yuewan rushed over from the backyard. Although the eunuch who reported to her couldn't say anything clearly, she also knew that something big had happened, and Shang Bing was also going out, so she came over to inquire immediately.

In the face of his princess, he did not hide: "Samarkand sent troops nearly two months in advance, and all preparations have not yet been completed. ”

"Be careful, husband." Tang Yuewan also knew that she had been preparing for war during this time, and she also knew what it meant for Samarkand to send troops in advance, so she didn't stop her when she heard this, but said: "My husband must pay attention to safety on this trip and bring more guards." ”

"Hmm." Shang Bing agreed, and after a few more words with her, he heard that the horse was ready, and ordered the eunuch to send her back to the backyard, while he took the guards to the side gate, mounted his horse and galloped away from Yiwu City.

Shang Bing did not travel at night for the sake of safety this time, although he did not travel at night for the sake of safety, but he had to ride a horse and gallop more than 100 miles every day, and he arrived in Turpan in only five days. When he arrived in Turpan, although it was still early, Shang Bing considered that the group of more than 200 people had been sleepy and tired after continuous bumps, so he rested in the unfinished city of Turpan that day.

But Shang Bing himself did not go to rest, but went to the city to see how the city was built.

The general stationed in Turpan reported: "Your Highness, Turpan City is now built in accordance with the ritual system of the Central Plains County set by Emperor Taizu, with a radius of 300 zhang and a city wall of three zhang high. At present, the north city and the west city have been built, and the south city is also close to completion, only the east city is still more than 30 zhang has not yet been closed. ”

"Good. Just a little faster. Shang Bing knew it was going fast, but he could only urge them to go faster.

Of course, the generals know why. Eight days ago, when the hundred households passed through Turpan, he had already learned about the advance of Samarkand's troops. So at this time, he bowed down and agreed: "Yes, Your Highness, the minister personally urges the craftsman to complete it as soon as possible." ”

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The character is wrong, and the right of Qin Fan corresponds to Gao Xiang, which has been corrected before.

Thanks to Tonyvane for the tip. Word count is not counted.