Chapter 70 Bystander (Part 1)

Zhu Chongba didn't know where Tuotuo's army was now, nor did he know where Xu Da followed Tuotuo. This was not the electronic age in later generations. The sky was covered with eyes, and a random wave was sent out, which could make half of people outside the earth receive the message.

There were no satellites, no radios, and no one had time to invent the simplest wired telephone. The connection between him and Xu Da was entirely dependent on the water's fast ships and the MIIS messenger on the land. The former had very strict weather requirements and needed to transfer many times between rivers and seas. The latter, after so many years of founding the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, actually used post roads from the Northern Song Dynasty. Most of the forts along the way were fence-bearing. It was a blessing that they could deliver the report to their destination smoothly, and there was no need to consider any timeliness.

The situation on Tutuo's side was not much better than him. The battle report was given away every day as usual, but the officials from both east and west of Shandong fled and died. No one dared to continue to perform their duties. The only person who could maintain contact with the Huai'an army was Xuexue. However, this person was directly ordered by Emperor Dayuan and refused to sell Tutuo's account. When Xuexue's battle report was sent to Dadu, he was forwarded to the army through institutions at all levels in Dadu. Daylily had long been cold, and with Zhu Butcher's cunning, he had long known where he went.

After careful calculation, the one who can grasp the military information in detail now is the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. Although he is far away in the capital thousands of miles away, all kinds of documents from the government governments in the world will be sent to him as soon as possible. Through multiple comparisons, it is not difficult to see the general trend of Zhu Tuhu in recent days.

But seeing is one thing, but understanding is another thing. Especially after Jinan City was captured, every time I looked at various documents and secret reports from the war zone between the two sides, Tuhuan Timur felt that he seemed to fall into a fog.

Tuotuo, who was highly anticipated by him, led an army of 200,000, and the march speed was as slow as one day after crossing the Yellow River. It is said that in order to deal with the Huai thief Xu Da who was following closely behind, he had to be more careful. However, Zhu thief, who should have been wiped out by Tuotuo on the battlefield in Jiangbei, Henan, was galloping freely on both sides of the Daqing River at an average speed of one city every two days. The generals who stayed in the local area could not stop Zhu Tuohu, either being killed or missing, and there was almost no third ending to choose.

Nowadays, the area around Jinan is in chaos. Every day, countless teams under the banner of Zhu Thief are taking advantage of the situation. Even as far as Dezhou, Zhu Thief appears. It is said that Yu Bao, the vanguard of the pseudo-Huaiyang General Administration, looted all the fields in the suburbs of Dezhou and then left.

After passing Dezhou, it is Lingzhou, which is close to the canal. If this city is captured by Zhu thieves, not only will the connection between the imperial court and Tuotuo be cut off, but the capital city will definitely be shocked three times a day. After all, Zhu thieves are famous for their good attacks. Last year, Baoying, Gaoyou and Yangzhou were all pulled down by him, and from Lingzhou to the north, blocking the capital city, and the degree of perfection of the city defense can be compared with Yangzhou. I am afraid that there is only one Tongzhou left.

Therefore, in recent days, Tuhuan Timur's domineering arrogance against Tutuo has become increasingly unbearable. If it were not for Tutuo's brother, the censor, Yesen Timur and his followers, had he already made the move to replace Tutuo at the last minute. After all, whether it was Hama or Yuekuocha'er to replace Tutuo, he would at least be more obedient and knew that the king was anxious about it.

During this period, the only general who could make Tohuan Timur feel worry-free was probably Xuexue. At the same time, the thing that confused him the most was also caused by Xuexue. On the fifth day after losing Jinan, this son was actually shameless and brave. He only brought five thousand remaining soldiers and defeated generals. He took advantage of Zhu Butcher's unpreparedness and snatched the city back again. Then, he and Zhu Butcher started a territory-grabbing competition between Shandong and east and west. Every time Zhu Butcher broke through a city in the court along the Daqing River, he would regain a city from Zhu Butcher's southwest.

As a result, Zhu Butcher went down the river, siegeing the city and plundering the land. Xuexue took advantage of the emptiness behind Zhu Butcher and swept all the way. According to the latest battle report sent back today, Zhu Butcher's army had entered Lijin and was only one step away from returning to the sea. Xuexue's soldiers once again took Yidu to the control of the court, and could point to Jiaozhou at any time.

"I think that Zhu Butcher deliberately gave up on Banyang, Yidu and other places, so Xuexue's counterattack was successful repeatedly." Whenever Xuexue's victory was sent, the censor Yesen Timur would definitely come forward to pour cold water on Tuhuan Timur, and this time was no exception. "The reason why Zhu Butcher went north along the Daqing River and refused to turn back no matter what happened behind him was to shrink his troops and head to Denglai from the sea."

"Yes." Tuhuan Timur looked up and glanced at him, not commenting.

From the perspective of bystanders, Yesen Timur's statement is very likely to be correct, but Xuexue, who is in the game, can accurately grasp the pulse of the Butcher Zhu and take the opportunity to save face for the court. This courage and judgment are enough to be amazing.

If Tutuo had his eyes as sharp as Xuexue, not only was he just cautious and cautious, he would not have been entangled by Xu Da. At this moment, the two armies of the court had long wiped out the Zhu bandits at the foot of Mount Tai, and would not have caused the situation in Shandong to be so corrupt.

"Your Majesty, I think Your Majesty should give Xuexue a decree in time and order him not to underestimate the enemy too much. Zhu's thief lost Yidu because he had too few soldiers and horses and was unable to defend everywhere. Xuexue had even fewer soldiers and horses in his hands. Once Zhu's thief took advantage of his opportunity to advance eastward and turned around and went upstream, Jinan City might be trapped in the enemy again." Another humeral minister, the Censor Ru Zhongbai, also came forward and reminded carefully, (Note 1)

This is a bit shameless. Tuotuo acts slowly and can't catch up with Zhu Tuohuo for a long time. It's not possible for others to recover lost territory for the country. They must stay where they are waiting for him to lead the army to arrive slowly, so that all the final contributions will be attributed to him.

What Tuohuan Timuer hated most was that his ministers formed cliques for personal gain, and regarded him, the emperor of the Great Yuan Dynasty as a blind man and a fool. He raised his head and stared at the censor Ru Zhongbai for a while before he smiled and said, "You are so happy that Zhu thief has already arrived at the beach, but he saw Jinan Kongxu again, and turned around and came back to fight Tuotuoju there to the death."

"I am just trying to remind Your Majesty to be cautious, but I have no other intentions. Please let Your Majesty take a look." The Censor Ru Zhongbai's face was flushed when stimulated, and immediately fell to the ground and protested loudly.

"Of course, you have no other intentions." Tuohuan Timur couldn't bear it anymore and sneered loudly, "Isn't the Censorate? It's just a matter of news and specializing in picking up all officials? Xuexue ignored the overall situation and dared to go against the trend when others were lost in the city and lost land. He was not bold and reckless, and who else deserved the word "bold and reckless". I simply replaced him directly and let you, Zhongbai, lead the army. You will be more cautious than Xuexue, even if you watch the thief robbed my Shandong east and west of the country into white land."

"I, I dare not, I am loyal to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty feels that my words are wrong, please take away the position of me and let me return to my hometown to support me." The Censor Ru Zhongbai is a famous upright man, and how could he bear such grievances? He kowtowed heavily with tears in his eyes.

"No." Tuohuan Timur's face turned black and slapped the imperial case hard. "If you say a wrong sentence, you will be expelled from the court. Could it be that you want to say that I am a fool who can't listen to the truth? Let's look back and take a closer look. Since the day when Zhu thief suddenly landed in Jiaozhou, I have not always obeyed you in everything. But, in addition to rejecting dissidents, there is a plan to offer me. If I have won a battle, I cannot reward him in time. Those who have been defeated repeatedly and refused to obey the orders, I will instead appease him. Is I a Khan of the Dayuan Tian or a servant in your family?"

After a while, he spoke harshly, but in the end, it almost turned into a roar. The civil and military officials who were summoned to discuss military affairs were frightened and no one dared to say another word.

However, after roaring for a while, the troubles in his heart were slightly resolved. He gritted his teeth and waved his hand at Ru Zhongbai, "Ruqing, I have no intention of blaming you, but you should be more cautious in your words in the future, don't always treat people and things wrong."

When the Censor Ru Zhongbai heard this, he was so aggrieved that he almost vomited blood. However, thinking of Tuotuo's instructions to himself before going to war, he suppressed the desire to resign and leave, and kowtowed gently, "Thank you Your Majesty, I know what to do in the future."

"If there is, change it, if there is no, encourage it." Tuhuan Timur waved his hand impatiently, "Get up, I will also give Xuexue an imperial edict according to your words, reminding him not to be greedy for merit and make progress."

"Your Majesty's Holy Majesty." Before Ru Zhongbai could speak, the censor, Yesen Timur, rushed forward and took the lead in flattering Huan Timur's flattery.

"Your Majesty is wise." When we arrived, the flattery words in the imperial study were like a tide. All civil and military officials, no matter which faction they belong to, spoke in unison.

"I have to look forward to this country for my ancestors." Tuohuan Timur waved his hands lazily, smiled bitterly and laughed at himself, "Who said I am the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty? Whoever is in this position will be willing to be a fool. Haha, it is time, momentum, life, or life."

The civil and military officials looked at each other, not knowing how to persuade him to cheer up. After a long time, Hama, who had just been promoted to Pingzhang, cleared his throat and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, why did the bandits make such a big deal? No matter how hard the bandits are, they are just scabies to relieve itching. As long as your Majesty selects good generals and leads elite soldiers, they will plow the courtyard and sweep the hole sooner or later."

"I hope." Tuhuan Timuer glanced at him, but still couldn't raise any spirit. Good generals, aren't Tuotuo considered good generals? The elite soldiers took time to warriors from all the troops outside the border. Hasn't they organized an elite army? Zhu Butcher had just shrugged in the Huai River before the war, but now he has entered the Secretariat. If the elite soldiers and generals continue, I'm afraid that the ministers will have to discuss the move of the capital in the morning next month.

"I have always heard that Chahan Timur is brave and good at fighting, and Li Siqi has also made great contributions to the court recently. Now both of them are waiting for the opportunity. Your Majesty might as well order them to go north and threaten the Huai thief Xu Da from the flanks. In this way, Lord Tutuo's worries will be greatly weakened, and he will be able to speed up and go to Yidu to meet with Xuexue."

"Well, if you don't say it, I've really forgotten the two of them." Tuohuan Timur thought for a while and nodded slightly.

At this point, we can only continue to mobilize troops to the war zone. Although Li Siqi and Chahan may not play a big role, it can at least make Tutuo lose the excuse of continuing to delay.

"The Jining Yi soldiers and Tian Feng, Tian Feng, Dongping Yi soldiers and ten thousand husbands and Meng, this week, have always had the ambition to serve the country. I recommend that the two of them lead their respective Maohulu soldiers to the south along the canal and work with Li Siqi and Chahan to deal with the Huai thief Xu Da." Seeing that Tuohuan Timur could listen to his advice, Hama thought for a while and continued to install his own troops on the battlefield.

Unlike Tuotuo's noble origin, he and Xuexue were reused by Tuohuan Tiemur entirely through their mother's milk. Therefore, they did not have much support in the family and did not have too many relatives and friends to take care of. In this way, they could become corporals and promote talents from local group training without any restrictions.

Li Siqi, Chahan, Tian Feng, Meng this week, all the troops in the hands of the four people were together, almost close to 100,000. In terms of scale, it was enough to make the Huai thief Xu Da feel the pressure. Tuhuan Timur calculated the accounts silently in his heart and nodded with a smile, "Well, I'm sure. You will draw an order for me later and encourage them to fight for me, so that they can rest assured to make great contributions, whether he is a Mongolian, a Seminister or a Han Chinese, I will treat them equally."

"Your Majesty is wise." When the civil and military officials heard this, they praised him loudly again, especially several Han officials, who were not qualified to participate in the discussion of military affairs according to the rules of Tuotuo's time, but today they made an exception because Tuotuo went out to fight. They also heard with their own ears that the emperor wanted to treat Han people the same as the Mongolians. How could they not be moved and burst into tears, bowing down one by one, knocking the floor tiles out loud.

"What are you doing? Quickly flatten your body." Tuohuan Timur was stunned at first, then waved his hands with laughter and cry. It's no wonder Tuo looked down on these Han officials. His knees were indeed too soft. After a few words, he was moved to this way.

"Thank you for your kindness." Han Yuanshan, the left chief of the Secretariat, Han Yong and other Han officials did not dare to disobey. They reached out to wipe the corners of their eyes and stood up slowly.

Seeing this, Tuohuan Timur felt that Tuotuo was not worthy of his reliance. These Han officials were clearly loyal to the court, but Tuotuo tried every means to prevent them, and even directly stipulated that whenever they discussed military affairs, Han people and southerners avoided it, wouldn’t this push the talents to the Huai thieves? If it weren’t for his usual actions, how could Lu Lu Zeng surrender to Zhu thieves after he was defeated in the battle, and in turn tried every means to go against the court.

Just as he was feeling, he saw the left chief of the central government, Han Yuanshan wiped his tears again and choked and saluted him, "Your Majesty, I have a plan to make the thief Zhu die without a place to bury him."

"Yes." Tuohuan Timur was slightly stunned, and a little expectation immediately surged on his face. "Tell me quickly. If it is feasible, I will definitely follow it."

"I heard that before Zhu butcher Bei invaded, he had ranked the thieves under his command. If he died, Xu Da followed him and Xu Bidder died, Wu Liangmou, Hu Dahai, Wu Ershier and Liu Ziyun would inherit it in order, but he would exclude him, who had been with him for many years. And the Su Bidder Mingzhe, who had been living and dying for many times, was firmly in the second place among the thieves in Huai'an. Now, both Zhu and Xu are on the expedition, and Su Bidder is in Huaiyang. If His Majesty promises high-ranking officials and generous salaries, how could he not be grateful for his mere minor official?"

"Hiss." The emperor and ministers of the Meng Yuan took a breath.

He had been thinking about how to deal with Zhu Chongjiu and Xu Da, but he forgot about Su Tiemingzhe, who was firmly in the second place in the Huai'an army. This person was not like Zhu Butcher, who clearly wanted to kill the Mongol Yuan, and this person was not Xu Da. If he had not rebelled at the beginning, he had already become a starving man. This person was a scholar who lost his name and was a archer of Xuzhou Prefecture. After all, he was a master of the emperor. He was not resentful at all for his efforts to the "country". This person accompanied Zhu Butcher through life and death, but in the end he had to be the second son of a thousand years. How could he have no resentment in his heart?

"I am not abandoned by Your Majesty, but I am still a humerus, but I have not made any achievements for many years." Just when Tuhuan Timur was so excited that he almost jumped up, the left chief of the central central government Han Yuanshan made another move and volunteered loudly, "If Your Majesty wants to surrender to the Su thief, I would like to follow the clothes and sneak to Huai'an, and say that he would surrender the city and give Zhu Butcher a pot to remove the firewood."

Note 1: The official system of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, the censors and the attendants of the second rank, all supervise all officials, and advise the emperor to correct the responsibility of gains and losses in governance.
Chapter completed!