Realm of Power

Imperial Capital Plain, Han Tomb,

This city is located on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital Plain, at the intersection between the Han River and the Sishui River. It is located on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Han River and tightly controls the passage to the south. It is the most important military fortress on the Imperial Capital Plain. Outside the city is the vast Han River, which is dozens of meters wide. He has been known as the northwest gateway to the imperial capital since it came to the capital of China. After Yanzhou, there is Hanling, directly facing the grassland army that breaks through Yanzhou and rolls southward.

Over the past century, with the increase in the population of the Imperial Capital Plain, the Han Tombs have been expanded many times, and the role of military fortresses has gradually diminished. The city's population reached its maximum of 210,000, and it was divided into three inner and outer cities and seven guos. It served as a front-line combat garrison in the central part of the country. The base camp of the Flattery Army was located on this long beach of the Han River during the last battle of the Imperial Capital. Two hundred thousand Flattery Zhangwu Army was defeated by the Prairie Army. Countless soldiers jumped into the river in panic and were killed. The Han River swept away countless people, and those who were lucky enough to reach the river bank also died under the horseshoes of the grassland people. In the end, less than 20,000 people escaped back to the Imperial Capital alive. As a result, the Imperial Capital in Central Asia was directly exposed to the front of the grassland people. Surrounded and cut, the Imperial Capital was continuously attacked for nearly three months. The emperor could not bear the pressure and fled south. The entire war situation collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of Imperial Capital people were massacred. The splendid civilization of a hundred years was terminated overnight.

"As you can see, ahead is the famous Han Tomb. Beyond the Han Tomb is the Imperial Capital of Zhongbia. Although it was destroyed a lot, due to the rush to evacuate, at least half of the hundred-mile radius of the Imperial Capital has been preserved. It’s intact! As long as we get there, we can find what we want, get supplies, and completely turn this fertile land into our own!”

Yelu Hongtai drew his sword and pointed it at the rising sun that had just risen from the eastern horizon. Then he moved slightly south, pointing directly in the direction of the Han Tomb. This time going south, he brought almost all the capable troops with him. Among the 300,000 grassland people who went south, after excluding the old, weak, women and children, there were 100,000 young and strong men, and the 300,000 grassland army was announced to the outside world. In fact, in order to pass through the Yanzhou barrier, the grassland army's food reserves were almost completely depleted, and the cattle and sheep carried with the army were just the superficial scenery. Most of them have been slaughtered. If the Luzhou army that went to Beijing does not evacuate, Yelu Hongtai has the idea of ​​​​not going to Beijing and directly going south to the Imperial Plains.

A prairie cavalry scout came galloping in the distance and stopped his horse in front of Yelu Hongtai. He said loudly, "Sir, the Central Asian army has arrived at the Surabaya river beach fifteen miles ahead! There are about 30,000 people, and they are the flying tiger flag of the flattering army."

"I know!" Yelu Hongtai nodded calmly and glanced at the Hanling City in front. The dilapidated city walls seemed to have had their spines broken. When they were opened to the east, pieces of them were exposed to the grass in the west. Since the return of the grassland army, the main forces in central and central China have accompanied the court to the south for repairs, leaving only 30,000 defenders in the Imperial Capital area. This is already the last military force in the Imperial Capital area. It seems that the other party is not a fool. It is clear that once the grassland army crosses the Han Tomb, the vast Imperial Capital Plain will no longer have a defensive terrain to rely on.

Although the surface of the Surabaya River is not as good as that of the Han River, it is still a large river of more than 30 meters. The opponent is right to defend the Surabaya River, because since the Han River was breached in the Battle of Imperial Capital, the victorious grassland people destroyed the river before evacuating. The defensive barrier, originally built with hundreds of arrow towers and earthen fortresses, is now covered with nothing but waist-high weeds. What's left is that the cold wind blows the low grass, like rolling waves, hitting the cold armor of the groups of prairie cavalry who are waiting for the formation, stretching endlessly. With no team in front and no rear in sight, the more than 100,000 grassland troops heading south, composed of various clan soldiers, are passing through here without any hindrance.

"Order the front army to speed up and overwhelm the opponent before their defense is completed!" Yelu Hongtai gave the order with a stern face, "Advance" the shouts from all around. It started with the Yelu family guarding the four directions, and then spread to the entire plain. Tens of thousands of grassland cavalry echoed loudly, and the shouts surged like a tide. Zhongbia Imperial Capital, the most prosperous area on the continent, is now How can I not be moved before my eyes, now that I have set foot on this land? , there is still reason to go back. The morale of the grassland army began to rise rapidly after entering the Imperial Plains. After conquering several small cities in succession, they found that the so-called strong city walls in Zhongbia were not that difficult to defeat. The Imperial Capital Plain began to fill the eyes of all the prairie people.

The land here can become the best pasture. The river here is clear and sweet, no worse than that on the grassland. The most important thing is that the Central Asians here are very weak. Many of them are cowards. If they are on the grassland Anyone who dares to rush into his pasture and home like this, the prairie people will not hesitate to pick up weapons and fight to the death. However, Not here. As long as the city gate is opened, the Central Asians will surrender. The city is filled with all kinds of property and warehouses full of food. Just by defeating the first few small cities, the grassland army has enough food for the army. With the food for the first half of the month, I even got thousands of sets of armor. Now these armors are worn by the cavalry in the first wave of attack lines.

Sishui River, on the river after a heavy rain, the rapids rolled, white water splashed out like bubbles, an unexpected stone emerged from the water, and the floodwater was broken by the rock, making an angry impact sound, Feng Chengjun Yang Zi, the leader of the Huwei Army, looked with some secret pain as black clouds came over the front. The prairie cavalry felt like they were this stone, blocking the torrent of the 300,000 prairie army. It was only a matter of time before they were covered by the torrent. The disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, 30,000 vs. 300,000, or infantry vs. cavalry... ...I really don’t know what the military cabinet is thinking. It gave myself a death order to defend Surabaya Beach.

Thirty thousand people are already the largest force that can be gathered in the Imperial Capital Plain, and the nearest reinforcements are also two hundred miles away. If it were not for the timidity of the self-organized city defense army in the Imperial Capital area, they would not dare to leave the city even if they were beaten to death. As a result, they were killed by the prairie people. Pulling them out one by one, maybe he or his troops can break through 50,000. There is another reason why he feels unhappy, that is, when the grassland people went south, they mainly looked at the Imperial Capital in Central Asia. For many small towns outside the Imperial Capital, The city did not place In the eyes, many small cities escaped the catastrophe, and many supplies and war preparations were temporarily hidden in the small cities. However, this time they were dug out by the prairie people. Looking around, there were a large number of people wearing Zhongbia armor on the opposite side. The grassland cavalry really made Yang Zi feel angry. The only thing that made Yang Zi feel at ease was that these 30,000 flatter troops were all real front-line troops. They were troops that had participated in the Battle of Imperial Capital. Unlike those who had been involved in a large number of The so-called elite recruits,

"This time. I'm afraid I will really become a stone!"

Yang Zi sighed and glanced unconsciously at the back of the array along the river. There were more than ten black tube-like objects covered with green leaves. They were lined up listlessly, making Yang Zi feel like he wanted to hit a wall. They were new weapons that the Military Pavilion had just shipped a few days ago. I heard they were a national treasure from the Falcon Empire, called Thor. Five were given as gifts, and the other ten were purchased by the Military Pavilion at a high price.

The price of each door is more than 50,000 taels of silver. Fifty thousand taels of silver. When Yang Zi heard this price, his face turned green. His 30,000 elite flattery army only has an annual salary and military expenditure of one million. Just two, just such an iron pipe, you dare to ask for twenty thousand taels. It was equivalent to raising a squadron of more than a hundred people. Yang Zi wanted to scold the prodigal son in his heart, and he also heard that because of this, there was a huge quarrel in the court.

Ten gates is equivalent to two hundred thousand taels of silver. This amount of money is not big or small for Zhongbia. The problem is that this is sent by the special envoy of the Western Barbarians. If they can't even get out this little money. It’s not that we have lost the face of China and Belgium as one of the richest countries in the world.

But taking it down, two hundred thousand is not a small amount, for Zhongbia, which has just settled its capital in Hanglin. There is a lot of waste waiting to be done, and various affairs require money, such as repairing old palaces, preparing the new army of the empire, recruiting soldiers, and forging weapons. That doesn't cost money. Just ask for two hundred thousand taels of silver. I don't know what the Falcon Empire's special envoy from the Western Barbarians was thinking. Many civil servants in the court said that the Falcon Empire's special envoy's head must have been squeezed by the door. ! For this reason, some adults in the court specially approached the leader of the Western Barbarian Chamber of Commerce in Hanglin and asked whether this kind of thunder god was worth the price. It was just a piece of fine iron. How could it still be sold for the price of silver? "I have only heard of weapons like Thor, but if they are real, then they are worth 20,000 taels of silver."

When the leader of the Chamber of Commerce heard the word "Thunder God", his eyes bulged. He glanced at the Central and Asian minister who came to him, took a deep breath and said cautiously, "Your Excellency may not know that the minister currently in Hanglin is Most of the merchants in the Western Continent are merchants from the Barrow region of southern Europe. They travel by sea. road, while the merchants in the northern part of Oparo took the overland route. The reputation of the Empire’s Thunder God has long spread throughout Oparo, and sales are open to the areas north of the Inland Sea. However, for the areas south of the Inland Sea, the Empire’s requirements for Thor The control is still relatively strict. After all, our southern part of the Inland Sea has no control over the empire. The hatred is still very strong, and the Thor is a powerful weapon in naval warfare. The empire does not want to be bombarded by the opponent's fleet. "So, the Thor is indeed a good thing?" The Central and Eastern Minister still asked uneasily. , the grassland army moves south, the Imperial Capital Plain is in danger, but those who can fight None of the troops could be found. The Luzhou Army was capable of fighting, but their vitality was damaged by going to Beijing in Yanzhou. The camp was full of recruits, not to mention the Zhangwu Army. Just look at Chen Dongyang and you will know what these recruits are. De Xing, "It is indeed a good thing. If China and Bia don't want it, why not transfer it to us?"

The leader of the Chamber of Commerce said with a longing expression, "Everyone knows the power of the Thunder God in naval battles. Caravans sailing on the sea will always encounter troubles such as pirates. If paired with one or two Thunder Gods, Pirates and other things are just floating clouds, and the Chamber of Commerce can still show its face through this. Even the Falcon Empire has never heard of it. The fleet of a chamber of commerce has the power of Thor, and it can even intimidate the small forces along the coast. It plays a huge role in opening up new markets for the chamber of commerce. It has to be said that the vision of the leader of the chamber of commerce is quite outstanding. In fact, in such technology Under such circumstances, those who can bring sea trade to China and Africa are those with far-sightedness. "It's only 200,000 yuan. It's not a problem for me in China! Buy it. Since it's a weapon, send it to the Imperial Capital Plain. Whether you have it or not, it can be used as a decoration!"

After receiving the answer from the minister, the young emperor felt more confident. Wasn't it just two hundred thousand taels of silver? Zhongbia is the upper country, and Falcon Ximan is the lower country. It is regarded as a reward from the upper country to the lower country. However, the young emperor is still a little depressed when he thinks of the identity of the Falcon Empire's special envoy. After all, she is also the princess of the Li clan. Why did you change your name to Aofina and go to the Emperor of the Western Barbarians?

The young emperor did not mention at all that Li Yuehua was almost executed.

As an emperor, everything he does is correct. If the Li family wants to send a woman to monitor them, they will naturally have to bear the consequences. This is a struggle between the Zhang Clan and the Li Clan. You are the victim. I just expressed my attitude. Besides, the Zhang Clan is already dead in the Imperial Capital. Why do you, the Li Clan, have any resentment?

After getting Zhongbia's reply, Li Yuehua did not leave, but stayed in Hanglin, waiting for the news. The Zhongbia people didn't know, but she knew that the grassland people were going south, and there would soon be a war.

If the grassland people go south to the Imperial Plains, Zhongbia will not have enough fighting power, so they will definitely defend it. In terms of defense, what else is more beneficial than the Thunder God. As long as Zhongbia enjoys the sweetness, they will start to demand the large-scale purchase of Thunder Gods from the empire. , Twenty thousand taels of silver is not expensive per door, but if the quantity is hundreds, it is very objective. In April, there are still two or three months of summer and autumn taxes. Zhongbia lost the Imperial Capital, and the Imperial Capital Plain fell into war, and all financial resources were cut off. Most of it, no money, If you still want Thor, as well as Thor's follow-up equipment services, ammunition, personnel training, etc., then let's exchange for the truly useful benefits. The minimum requirement that the fat man gave Li Yuehua was also to ask China and Biya to agree to use four weapons from the southern coast. In exchange for a port, Zhongbia must also agree to the empire building at least ten docks in the southern sea. As long as we have these, with Zhongbia’s southern sea as the center, the empire’s trade routes can at least extend to the farther south. area

Fifteen Thunder Gods were delivered to Yang Zi, a garrison in the Imperial Capital area. Three hundred Central Asian soldiers who had undergone brief training arrived at the same time. Just like that, the Imperial Thunder God appeared on the battlefield in Imperial Capital. The grassland army on the opposite side was gathering, spreading like a sea. The battle flag crackled in the wind,

The horse archers ran at the front, followed by the main cavalry in strict formation. The armor on their bodies swayed in the sun, dazzling Yang Zi.

The horses' hooves continued to drag out streaks of gray smoke in the distance, like countless invisible iron plows turning the entire earth over.

The prairie people, carrying white full tubes on their shoulders and holding horseback bows in their hands, were crowding around, looking astonishingly powerful.

The commander of the front army of the grassland army was Yeluguda. He immediately looked ahead. Behind him were the three thousand blood wolf guards who were the most capable of the entire southward army. Their scarlet battle armors were like clusters of red clouds. White wolves were rolling on the Sishui River, but It doesn't mean it can't be crossed. War horses can swim. It just takes some time. The Zhongbia people on the opposite side will obviously not give themselves this time. Since the front is unfavorable, then go around from the side. Yeluguda doesn't believe it. There are dozens of miles of Surabaya river, and you Zhongbia are just three. Ten thousand infantrymen can hold it, (To be continued.)