The commander-in-chief of the Mongol army, Angmar, greeted him outside the door, and when he saw Tokhtar dismounted, he took the lead in stepping forward and saluting: "Lord Totok." ”

Tokhtar stepped forward and shook Angmar's hand, "Angmar is handsome, I'm here to ask for advice this time." ”

Angmar hurriedly replied, "Let's go in and talk about it." ”

The two sat down in the inner hall, and Angmar hurriedly asked, "I don't know what Lord Tokhtar wants to ask." ”

Tokhtar didn't speak, but handed Angmar the outline of Boyan's letter. The content is not long, and Angmar finished reading it quickly. His brow couldn't help but furrow, and after thinking for a moment, his brow was already expanding, and he nodded slightly. Seeing this, Tokhtar asked, "What does Commander Angmar think this means?" ”

"I don't know...... Which adult wrote this? ”

"Marshal Boyan."

"Oh!" Angmar's eyes lit up, and his expression became a little lost again, "It's just that some of what Marshal Boyan said was too brief." ”

"Hehe, this is just by telegram."

"Telegram? I just heard that the Yuan State has this thing. ”

"We'll talk about that later." Tokhtar had heard Hao Kang talk about the telegram in detail, and he knew that he couldn't understand it for a while. He went straight to the purpose of this time: "It will take a few days for Marshal Boyan's handwritten letter to arrive, and I want to ask you what you think of this outline." ”

"Does the Great Khan know?" Angmar asked cautiously.

Totoku nodded, "Of course Marshal Boyan will not send this letter to me, naturally it will be sent to the Great Khan." ”

Angmar did not answer immediately, he was very frightened before returning to Baghdad this time, and he did not expect that the Great Khan's attitude was much kinder than he thought. Of course, this could not be the sudden change of temper of Timur Khan, and Angmar could see that Tokhtar had made a great contribution in it. It took a lot of thought to come this time, and if Angmar called the Great Khan to ask, Angmar didn't know how to evaluate the strategy of the commander Boyan. It was only when Angmar consulted with Tokhtar that Angmar could focus on the matter itself.

After reading Boyan's telegram a few more times with a relaxed mood, Angmar already had an idea in his heart, and he said: "Lord Totok, after thinking about it again, I feel that what is written in the letter of Marshal Boyan is quite reasonable. ”

"Why does the marshal say that the slave dynasty is no longer afraid of the Mongol army?" Tokhtar was very puzzled by this.

Angmar asked, "Lord Tokhtar, if you were to fight an unfamiliar enemy, would you send your men to outflank you?" ”

Tokh was stunned for a moment, he had never fought a war, and the only thing he could count as war experience was ...... with Hao Kang to Damascus to suppress the local prince. After thinking for a while, Totoku shook his head, "The enemy situation is unknown, I don't dare." "When Tokh fought with Hao Kang at that time, he did not send troops to outflank, but used the advantage of troops to surround the manor of the prince. Now that I think about it, Tokhtar didn't dare to think about dividing the troops at all.

"I thought that's what Marshal Boyan said." Angmar explained: "In the past, the slave dynasty did not know the strength and combat power of our banner army, and the battles were all frontal battles. It's an assault, and it's a frontal assault. I'm actually quite scared these days, if the slave dynasty dares to be like me back then...... Dare to send an elite army around the back of our army like a banner army, but I am afraid that the battle situation will be more dangerous. I thought that Marshal Boyan wanted us to know that in the future, the slave dynasty would dare to use more dangerous ......"

......, Totoh touched his chin. I had thought of all kinds of explanations for Boyan's telegram before, but I felt that everything I could think of had already been thought of, and Angmar, a soldier, had a view on this matter that was completely beyond those thoughts of Tokto. Compared with simple and straightforward considerations, Totokh feels that his considerations are complex and superficial. This reminds Tokh of what his teacher Boyan said before, "Toto, when you walk by yourself, you also know that you are closest to the straight road, and you must do things even more so." ”

Angmar also felt a little weak when she saw Tokhtar's thoughtful look. He paused to explain and watched Toto's reaction. I heard Tokhtar suddenly say: "The flag army can't cope with such a situation? ”

Angmar hurriedly explained: "If you can deal with it, you have to be as Marshal Boyan said, you have to adapt to the situation. ”

"I know that when I go to war, I can adapt to the situation, but I can't adapt to the strategy. Did Marshal Boyan point out the strategy? ”

"Maybe it's in Marshal Boyan's letter, but it's not in this general outline."

"Isn't there a way to win?"

Angmar had been thinking about this for a while, and in the face of Tokhtar's question, Angmar could only be silent. As Boyan's outline says, if you adopt the strategy of ten strategies from the beginning, then there is indeed a strategy. Angmar recalled the previous war, according to Boyan's style of play, the Mongol banner army had long been waiting for the enemy to advance anxiously, preparing for a decisive battle with the enemy.

By this time, the banner army had retreated to the border between the Ilkhanate and the Mongol Golden Horde to fortify, and the slave dynasty had gained a vast space for maneuver. After a series of wars of attrition, the flag army also suffered serious losses and was exhausted. In the past, the banner army could take the initiative to attack, but at this time it could only passively respond to the attack of the slave dynasty. Now that the offensive and defensive momentum is reversed, where is there any winning strategy.

In Kaifeng, thousands of miles away from Baghdad, Zhao Qian listened to the story of the military department, "After the offensive and defensive momentum is reversed, the Mongol army can only do what they can, and if they want to win, they have to wait for the slave dynasty to make mistakes." ”

Zhao Qian pondered for a moment and asked, "So the commander of the Slave Dynasty is a talent?" ”

"Hmm. For now, this man was well aware of the gap between the slave dynasty and the Mongol army, and did everything he could to close the gap. Prince, our Song army has understood the importance of logistics support, and the so-called logistics support is no longer limited to the transportation of grain, grass, materials, and money. Rather, it is to ensure that the army maintains its combat effectiveness as much as possible. Logistical support includes nutrition, medical care, and psychological adjustment. The slave dynasty bought a lot of keys, and although it looked ridiculous, it could also be effective in the fighting spirit of their soldiers and horses. It is not easy for a general to be able to do this. ”

Zhao Qian nodded again, the Great Song Dynasty was against superstition, so naturally he would not take any means of 'opening the key to the gate to heaven'. If this method is not adopted, it does not mean that the Great Song Dynasty does not pay attention to the spirit. In the Northern Expedition to recover China, the Great Song Dynasty made the troops understand why they were fighting through grievance meetings and various positive encouragement methods, and let everyone understand the importance of the Yinshan Front. After seizing Yinshan, the Great Song Dynasty no longer had to worry about the barbarians going south easily. The Great Song Dynasty could take advantage of the seasonal correction of the starting place in the Yinshan area, and then carry out continuous attacks on the barbarians. When to fight, how to fight, and how large-scale the war will be, the initiative of the war is completely in the hands of the Great Song Dynasty. These propaganda uphold the consistent tradition of the Zhao official family, be reasonable, and tell the truth. After recovering Hebei and seizing Yinshan, the strategic situation of the Great Song Dynasty was indeed the same as expected, and Zhao Qian never had any doubts about this grand strategy.

"Prince, this battle has reached this level, and our staff department does not think that the slave dynasty will stop there. They must completely open the road to the Holy Land, and even take Baghdad. In this way, when they go to the Holy Land, they can be confident that they have ensured that they will go to heaven after death. ”

"Wouldn't that give Mongolia a chance?" Zhao Qian asked with great interest.

"Not necessarily, even if the Mongolian court knew about it, there was nothing it could do. All they are afraid of now is to settle the slave dynasty once and for all. If their purpose remained the same, they would inevitably seek a decisive battle with the slave dynasty. As long as you want to fight a decisive battle, you have to keep sending troops. The grain and grass provided by the Yuan State before will probably last for a few months, and what will the Mongolian flag army eat in a few months? In that year, the official family went on a northern expedition, and first took advantage of the fact that the Yellow River had not been diverted to transport a large number of materials to Kaifeng. After the Battle of the Yellow River, the Yellow River was diverted, and the Northern Expedition of the Great Song Dynasty first built the Red Turban Army, which consumed a large number of Mongols in Hebei, and the offensive direction of the Great Song official army had changed from land transportation to sea transportation. ”

Zhao Qian was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly brightened. He knew about the situation, but he hadn't seriously considered the reason for the change. Many people say that Zhao Guan's family is full of tactics and unpredictable. Dad himself does not agree with this statement, he thinks that he uses soldiers like a primary school student to count 1+1=2. Find the easiest mode and rush to the end by brute force. Now I see that Daddy is really a real person. He used his troops to transport food and supplies, and the fully trained army was equipped with the best equipment and went straight to the attack destination from the place of attack. All Dad wants is for the Song army to be able to exert its due combat effectiveness under good protection.

From this point of view, there is probably no commander who is more 'benzene' than his own father, and no one can implement the 'stupid' strategy to the end like his father. Compared with 'stupid', perhaps only Boyan decisively ordered the Mongol army to withdraw from the south of the Yangtze River to the north of the Yangtze River. Therefore, those who are good at fighting are invincible, and they will not lose the defeat of the enemy. Therefore, the victorious army wins first and then seeks battle, and the defeated army fights first and then seeks victory. Those who make good use of soldiers, cultivate the Tao and protect the law, so they can be the government of victory and defeat. Even the old lady said that her grandson was shortcut, and it turned out to be true.

Thinking of something, Zhao Qian asked again: "I read the information, Boyan Tuoyuxi Timur told the Mongolian court that the Mongolian banner army must adapt to changes in the future, but I don't know what this means. ”

"The General Staff felt that the Mongol army's improvisation could only be tactical, but a strategy to accumulate small victories into big victories. It's the same as the strategy of the Red Turban Army back then. The Red Turban Army alone could not achieve a decisive victory, and General Zhang Shijie continued to crack down on traitors in various places, exterminating the small families of the Mongol faction in various places, and making the Mongol army blind and deaf. When their regular army had to be dispatched, General Zhang could take advantage of the geographical advantage to seize a certain main force of the Mongol army and attack it. In order to deal with this problem, the Mongol army created a no-man's land. The people of Hebei within a hundred miles were either expelled or slaughtered, and the Red Turban Army led by General Zhang also became blind and deaf. If there is only General Zhang's Red Turban Army, this method can also work. But the Song army had already completed the sea transportation line, so the Mongol army was making a cocoon to bind itself, and we arrived at Zhigu Village by sea, and from Zhigu Village we set off to attack Youzhou. The Mongol army could not be defeated, and there was no room for maneuver, so they could only retreat to the north of Yinshan. ”

Zhao Qian had completely figured out all kinds of joints, and he continued to ask: "If the Mongolian army is improvising now, it is to find the weak brigade of the slave dynasty to continuously attack and force out the main force of the slave dynasty?" ”

Boyan said that he had to adapt to the situation, and that the previous strategy could no longer be used. Because in the previous strategy, the Mongolian Banner Army did not have to worry about logistics supply at all. Just like General Zhang didn't have to worry about logistics at all. Our Song Army itself no longer produced steel armor back then, nor did it use cold weapons. For the Red Turban Army, a special department was formed to produce such weapons and equipment. The Red Turban Army did not have to worry about logistical supply, and could choose the easiest target to hit back then. Although the Mongol Banner Army was strong, it could not fight without logistics. Many times, what seems to be the best target to fight is actually not cost-effective. ”

Zhao Qian didn't say anything, and thought for a long time before sighing: "I see." ”

The people who sent off the staff department, looking at the cover of the report on the table, Zhao Qian sighed in his heart. When my father went on the Northern Expedition, he was about the same age as Zhao Qian now. At that time, my dad had fully understood war. Zhao Qian had personally experienced the war, and he had to listen to people talk about it afterwards to this point before he could barely understand the strategy under the seemingly chaotic war situation back then. It's really more people than people have to die, and goods have to be thrown away.

Not only Dad, Boyan is only four years older than Dad, although he does not have Dad's thorough scientific knowledge, he has also reached such a state of access. is also far away from the battlefield, Boyan's judgment of the war in the two river basins is still comparable to that of the Great Song Dynasty Staff where the elite gathered. The heights reached by those heroes are truly awe-inspiring.

Thinking about it along the lines of thought of the heroes, Zhao Qian felt that Mongolia was only afraid of being bad. With Boyan's cleverness, he naturally knew that the Mongolian court could use Hao Ren to protect Hao Ren without him personally, and the Mongolian court couldn't even protect Hao Ren, and his going to Baghdad was no different from sending him to death. Without the command of Boyan, the Mongolian banner army was at most half a pound and eight taels with the slave dynasty. The performance of the Slave Dynasty so far proves that they have a very good commander, and this commander's ability to seize fighters should be above that of the Mongol court.

Zhao Qian took his eyes off the report, and he decided not to care about this matter that he had probably figured out. The interests of the Great Song over there did not depend on this war, but on the economic circle of the Eastern Mediterranean. If the province of Europa were to firmly implement the policy laid down by Zhao Qian, it would have to consider maintaining the present peace and trade in the Mediterranean on the basis of not relying on the Yuan state.

Just thinking about it, the secretary informed Lu Baifeng to ask to see him. After the two met, Lu Baifeng asked directly: "Prince, do you want to send someone to Athens again to emphasize the policy?" ”

"No, they've all done this, and even if they do, they've said what they need to say. Saying more can only make everyone feel disgusted. ”

Lu Baifeng stared at Zhao Qian for a while before he spoke: "If they don't follow the policy, the prince is ready to replace them?" ”

Zhao Qian did think so, but he didn't say anything. Seeing Zhao Qian like this, Lu Baifeng could only get up and say goodbye. Without taking the car, Lu Baifeng walked back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over the years, paulownia trees on both sides of the road have been able to provide shade to pedestrians. The shade of the trees is very cool, and the dry and hot wind blowing on the body is not so uncomfortable. What's even more uncomfortable is Lu Baifeng's heart.

The crown prince is too similar to the official family, the official family is the emperor on horseback, and it is not uncommon for the means to be strong. The prince has been working at the grassroots level for a long time under the arrangement of the official family, but he is also so inconsiderate of the hard work of the officials. Neither father nor son is a tyrant, nor is he a single husband. But neither of them allowed officials who opposed their policies to remain in their former positions. This is really a great regret for Lu Baifeng. Just thinking about it, a carriage slowed down beside Lu Baifeng, and Lu Baifeng turned his head to look over, unable to see who was inside. But the carriage stopped. As soon as the door opened, the Minister of Civil Affairs pushed the car door and walked out, "Minister Lu, how can you walk on the road on a hot day." Come, come, get in the car, I'll see you off. ”

Lu Baifeng wanted to refuse, but he was sweating after walking for so long. He got in the car and said, "I'll go back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." ”

The car moved, and the Minister of Civil Affairs asked puzzledly, "Is your car broken?" ”

"It's not bad, I just want to go." Lu Baifeng sighed.

"When you meet ......, what did the prince say?"

Everyone knows that the crown prince has been in charge of the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently, and it is not surprising that the Minister of Civil Affairs guessed this. Lu Baifeng was already unhappy in his heart, so he couldn't help but talk about the unhappiness in his heart at this time. The Minister of Civil Affairs did not joke about this, but sighed: "The prince is too ruthless. ”

Hearing this, Lu Baifeng remembered what happened to Wang Quanle in Luoyang at that time, Wang Quanle himself was a bachelor and took all the responsibilities on his shoulders. However, such people are rare, and now that a large number of students have graduated from the Great Song Dynasty, the relationship between superiors and subordinates in the officialdom is no longer the close relationship between teachers and students in the imperial examination department in the past. Some guys can be very intimate for the sake of official positions, or they can not recognize anything in the blink of an eye. Some officials said that the minister of civil affairs was Wang Quanle's backer, on the grounds that Wang Quanle was said to have privately gone to Kaifeng to ask to see the minister of civil affairs. Fortunately, Wang Quanle secretly came to Kaifeng from Luoyang at that time, and he himself resolutely said no. This matter is over. At that time, it was the crown prince Zhao Qian who caused this incident, and it is understandable that the Minister of Civil Affairs said so.

Maybe Wang Quanle was a bachelor enough, and he was also improvised, in addition to never biting, he also quickly killed those barbarians who slipped through the net. So Wang Quanle just has no future, but he has not been dismissed. Luoyang officialdom is miserable, many people have lost their involvement, and many people have been dismissed, expelled, and imprisoned. Xijing, which was originally good, put everyone in danger and couldn't raise their heads. Lu Baifeng felt that if Zhao Qian was willing to come out and say a few words, he should be able to save a lot of people. Doing so not only makes everyone feel better, but also wins a group of people's hearts. For the sake of those morals, so many officials suffered. It's really unkind.

Just thinking about it, I heard the Minister of Civil Affairs continue to sigh: "With the wisdom of the official family, everyone will understand when he says a word, and the official family will know, and they will naturally correct themselves." The intelligence of the official family is unparalleled, and it is too hard to do everything. The official family is the stars descending to earth, and although the prince works hard, he has no official talent. It's just that the prince acts blindly imitating the officials, and everything must be strategic. This is not a blessing for the community. ”

Lu Baifeng felt that this was very pleasing to his heart, why did he have to act like a prime minister. The official family was born as a prime minister, and he was also a lieutenant. And the Great Song Dynasty has never had a prime minister who has been in power for 30 years for hundreds of years, which is an outlier. The prince wants to learn from the official family, if the father and son do this successively, the prince is still young, and the two generations of the father and son have been in power for sixty or seventy years, which is really not the blessing of the Great Song Dynasty.