Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 187 The hot air balloon unleashes its power, a destiny ordained, stunning the entire audience!

Five days later, outside Dengzhou City.

"Duke Rui, after I leave, the Tongbai Mountain defense line will be in your hands. Give me one and a half months. If you cannot annihilate the invading Song-Mongol allied forces within one and a half months, it will be my responsibility to return to defend the Tongbai Mountain line. Naturally, I will sacrifice myself for my country."

But if you can't hold the Tongbo Mountain defense line within a month and a half, then that's your responsibility! I don't need to tell you what to do, do I?

Wanyan Saibu looked solemnly at Wanyan Heda, a famous general of the Jin Dynasty.

Behind him were 80,000 elite soldiers, including 7,000 loyal and filial soldiers, and 100,000 elite conscripts.

After all, the Song-Mongol allied forces attacking Bianliang City numbered as many as 60,000. To defeat this army of 60,000 in a short period of time, an absolute advantage in troop strength was required, and the main force of the Jin army in Tongbai Mountain had to be mobilized.

As a result, Wanyan Heda was left with only 20,000 elite troops and 150,000 conscripts to continue defending the Tongbai Mountain defense line.

Wanyan Heda, a Jurchen, is forty-seven years old this year. He is brave and skilled in battle, values ​​loyalty over wealth, and is deeply loved by his troops.

Thirteen years ago, Muqali invaded the Northeast, and Wanyan Heda was forced to surrender with his troops. Muqali then ordered him to lead his forces to garrison Pingzhou.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wanyan Heda led the soldiers and civilians of Pingzhou across the sea back to the Jin Dynasty. The Jin court was overjoyed and promoted him to the military governor of Zhennan Army, stationed in Yidu.

After that, Wanyan Heda became the Jin Dynasty's "firefighting general," being transferred to wherever the Jin Dynasty faced a major battle.

Wanyan Heda fought against the Song army, defeating them at Meilin Pass and capturing their commander Zhang Shi. He then defeated the Song army again at Maling Fort, capturing a hundred horses. He also captured Macheng County, taking its magistrate Zhang Ti prisoner.

Wanyan Heda fought the Western Xia army at Tongqin Village. Seeing that the Western Xia army of 20,000 was arrayed against the mountain, he immediately launched a multi-pronged attack and won a great victory. Half a year later, the Western Xia army sent another 50,000 troops to attack. Wanyan Heda secretly led his troops, carrying provisions, and advanced at double speed, launching a night attack on their camp. The Western Xia army was indeed routed, and the pursuit lasted forty miles. Countless soldiers fell into the ravines and died.

Wanyan Heda fought against Zhao Shuo's army and, together with other elite Jin troops, held the Tongguan defense line to the death, blocking Zhao Shuo's attack.

Currently, Wanyan Heda holds the official position of Pingzhang Zhengshi and is granted the title of Duke of Rui.

His status among the garrison at Tongbo Mountain was second only to Wanyan Sai, the ever-victorious general and deputy privy councilor.

"understand!"

Since Wanyan Heda was able to lead his army and civilians back to the Jin Dynasty after surrendering to the Mongols, he must have been both wise and brave, and extremely loyal to the Jin Dynasty.

He said in a deep voice, "As long as the Tongbai Ridge defense line stands, I, Wanyan Heda, will stand! If the Tongbai Ridge defense line falls, I will die here! With my heroic spirit, I will ensure the eternal prosperity of my Great Jin Dynasty!"

"Good! With Duke Rui's promise today, the Tongbai Mountain defense line will surely be safe! Men! Bring the wine!"

"Yes!"

A soldier behind him brought over a tray that had been prepared beforehand.

There are two glasses of wine on the tray.

Wanyan Saibu raised a cup of wine and said, "I toast Duke Rui! If our Great Jin dynasty still exists after this battle, let us drink and make merry again."

"General, please!"

The two drank the wine in their cups in one gulp, and Wanyan Saibu led his army away.

Wanyan Heda also urged his horse to return to the Tongbai Mountain camp.

In fact, Wanyan Heda believed that holding the Tongbai Mountain defense line for a month and a half wouldn't be a problem. What he was most worried about was Wanyan Saibu's main Jin army force.

This large army, mainly composed of infantry, was considered quite capable of marching fifty li a day. They needed to seize the opportunity to annihilate the 60,000-strong Song-Mongol allied army and then return to defend the Tongbai Mountain line—a mere month and a half was far too rushed.

However, the Tongbai Mountain defense line he was holding firm had nearly 200,000 troops and had been building camps for several months. Since they were only defending and not attacking, there shouldn't be any major problems.

However, what Wanyan Heda did not expect was that just as Wanyan Saibu's army left Dengzhou, three carrier pigeons had already flown out from the hands of the Black Ice Guard spies in Dengzhou City and flew towards Zhao Shuo's central army south of Tongbai Mountain.

This highlights the advantages of using pigeons for communication. However, when it comes to long-distance delivery, pigeons are not necessarily faster than horses, and they may encounter various unforeseen circumstances, such as being shot by human hunters, killed by predators, or even dying in severe weather.

However, in this situation of stalemate between the two armies, there is no more convenient, faster, and more secretive means than sending messages by carrier pigeon.

An hour later, in Zhao Shuo's central command tent.

"According to reliable intelligence, the Jin Kingdom has mobilized 80,000 elite troops and 100,000 conscripts to reinforce Bianliang. The enemy forces on the Tongbai Mountain defense line now consist of only 20,000 elite troops and 150,000 conscripts."

Zhao Shuo slowly looked at his generals and said, "My mind is made up. Within five days, we will break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line, pursue and annihilate the main force of the Jin army. Do you have confidence?"

"Yes!" the generals answered in unison.

Now, all the grassland warriors who followed Zhao Shuo on this expedition are being used to harass Bianliang.

Zhao Shuo's main force was reduced to only one Khitan commander; the rest were Han Chinese Eight Banner soldiers.

The First Ten Thousand Household of the Bordered Black Banner and the Bordered Yellow Banner were respectively stationed in Shandong and Hebei.

The Red Banner was used to suppress the rebellion in Shaanxi.

The 20,000th Household of the Bordered Black Banner was tasked with suppressing the rebellion in Hanzhong.

Zhao Shuo currently commands a regular army of 80,000 men, consisting of two 10,000-household units each from the Plain Red, Plain Blue, and Plain Yellow Banners, one 10,000-household unit from the Plain Black Banner, and one 10,000-household unit from the Bordered Blue Banner.

Adding the 5,000 artillerymen and 3,000 engineers, the total force was 89,000. After the losses over the past four months, only 87,000 remained.

At this moment, all the officers of the thousand-household rank or above from each banner were present.

Since joining the Eight Banners, they had been invincible under Zhao Shuo's leadership, and countless powerful enemies had been wiped out in front of them. They had long held Zhao Shuo in the highest esteem.

If Zhao Shuo says he can break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line within five days, then he definitely can!

Meng Gong, however, did not agree along with the other generals.

He certainly wouldn't ask where Zhao Shuo got the news that the main Jin army had withdrawn. That was Zhao Shuo's military secret; why would he want to know that?
However, Meng Gong could guess that Zhao Shuo might be using carrier pigeons.

The Song army also had carrier pigeons.

Qu Duan, a famous general of the Song Dynasty, used carrier pigeons to deliver messages in the army and named these military pigeons "Flying Slave".

However, it is quite remarkable that Zhao Shuo was able to plant spies in the Jin army and send out carrier pigeons to transmit military intelligence in a timely manner.

Furthermore, the reason Meng Gong did not agree along with the other generals was that he truly lacked confidence in breaking through the Tongbai Mountain defense line within five days.

To reiterate, the terrain of Tongbo Mountain is not particularly steep, and the Jin army was able to provide timely reinforcements.

Even if Zhao Shuo's intelligence is extremely accurate, the Jin Kingdom now only has 170,000 troops left. Is it possible to break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line within five days? The Jin Kingdom is willing to sacrifice lives; surely they can hold out for five days?

If he were in Zhao Shuo's shoes, Meng Gong would not be confident that he could accomplish this.

He wanted to see how King Zhao Shuo, who had risen to become one of the most powerful figures in the world through his battlefield exploits and even forced the Song emperor to issue an edict of self-reproach, would break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line within five days.

Zhao Shuo was certainly confident!
He had led his army and stationed them at the foot of Tongbai Mountain for more than four months. During this long period, Zhao Shuo was not simply waiting for his plan to mobilize the main force of the Jin army to succeed.

He had made ample preparations; even if he couldn't mobilize the main force of the Jin army, he would still break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line!
The next day, early morning, in front of Daqiu Village.

This is the gentlest section of the Tongbai Mountains, consisting of only a small hill about five zhang high. The gentle slope blocks Zhao Shuo's army and is the easiest place to break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line.

The locals don't even regard this small hill as a mountain, but rather call it "Big Hill".

As a result, the Jin army stationed a large number of troops on Daqiu Mountain.

They established a stronghold on the mountain, where 5,000 elite soldiers and 10,000 conscripts were stationed.

Behind this hill, the Jin army also erected two camps, named "Second Camp" and "Third Camp", each garrisoned by 10,000 conscripts.

If necessary, they can also summon nearby Jin troops for support.

Wanyan Heda's central army was stationed in Daqiu Village.
Over the past four months, the two sides have engaged in numerous fierce battles at Daqiu Village. The Zhongshun Army has suffered over a thousand casualties, yet Daqiu Village remains unyielding.

Moreover, the prolonged and fierce battles honed the Jurchen soldiers, making them more disciplined and increasingly tenacious with each battle.

Even the walls of Daqiu Village are now built of bluestone, seemingly indestructible!
Now, the place Zhao Shuo has chosen to break through is precisely this Daqiu Village.

In front of Daqiu Village was Zhao Shuo's military camp. It was garrisoned by two 10,000-household units of the Plain Red Banner, 10,000 men of the Loyal and Smooth Army, and an artillery battalion.

Yesterday, Zhao Shuo gave an order, and the engineering battalion, two commanders of the Zhenglan Banner, and another 10,000 Zhongshun soldiers were urgently transferred to Daqiuzhai.

Wanyan Heda naturally dared not delay and quickly ordered all the tribes of Tongbo Mountain to send troops to provide support. Now, the number of conscripted soldiers in Daqiu Village has reached 20,000.

Three thousand elite soldiers were also added to the second stronghold.

It wasn't that they couldn't mobilize more troops, but rather that the camp was only so big. Zhao Shuo's army consisted mainly of cavalry, who were least afraid of open field battles and could camp anywhere.

However, the Jin army needed strong fortified camps for support, and could only station troops according to the size of the camps.

After finishing their battle meal early this morning, Wanyan Heda personally went to the stockade wall to boost morale.

"Four months and thirteen days! A full four months and thirteen days! We have held out at Daqiu Village for four months and thirteen days! We have already seen what Song Guozhong's army is capable of!"

"We've seen what Zhao Shuo's Han Chinese Eight Banners are capable of! We've even seen what real Mongol soldiers are like when they attack a city! We can say they're nothing special!"

"Now, Zhao Shuo is still not giving up and wants to lead his army to attack Daqiu Village again. He will surely suffer a crushing defeat! My brave warriors of the Great Jin, do you believe me?"

Wanyan Heda stood on the stockade wall and spoke loudly to the army inside the city.

"I believe! I am willing to die for the Duke of Rui! I am willing to die for the Great Jin!"

More than 20,000 Jin soldiers shouted in unison, their voices deafening.

After more than four months of war, the soldiers guarding the fortress had become accustomed to this kind of life. The repeated defeats of the Song-Mongol allied forces had greatly strengthened their confidence.

Although a large number of Jin troops were transferred from the Tongbai Mountain defense line, the troop strength at Daqiu Village was not reduced at all.

Now that Daqiu Village has received so many reinforcements, they are extremely confident in their ability to defend the village.

More importantly, these people were mainly Jurchens, and they understood what the breach of the Tongbai Mountain defense line meant: the destruction of their nation and the extinction of their people. Even if they managed to survive, they and their descendants would live a life of humiliation.

Therefore, the morale of these defenders was extremely high.

Wanyan Heda was overjoyed to see that the army's morale was so high.

As the soldiers' voices subsided, he continued, "Very good! As long as you stand with me and hold the Tongbai Mountain defense line, you will have rendered a service to the survival of the Great Jin Dynasty, and your name will be forever etched in history! Let us strive together!" "..."

Logically, the next step for these soldiers should have been to reply, "We are willing to follow Duke Rui to achieve great deeds."

Wanyan Heda has conducted similar mobilizations more than a dozen times.

He pursed his lips slightly, waiting for the soldiers to shout "We are willing to follow Duke Rui to achieve great deeds," thus completing the final mobilization before this great battle.

However, no!

The words "I am willing to follow Duke Rui to achieve great deeds" were hesitant to come out of the soldiers' mouths.

On the contrary, Wanyan Heda was shocked to find that the soldiers first looked puzzled, and then their faces were filled with horror.

Some even pointed behind Wanyan Heda and said, "Duke Rui, look, what's that?"

"Huh? What?"

Wanyan Heda had just been facing away from Zhao Shuo's camp and towards the army in the stronghold. Now, turning his head, he was equally horrified.

Within Zhao Shuo's army camp, thirteen enormous, spherical objects were rising slowly under the sunlight!
What is this thing?
How can something so huge fly into the sky?
Before Wanyan Heda and the Jin army could understand what was going on, a series of deafening cheers suddenly rang out in Zhao Shuo's army camp.

"So mighty! So mighty is Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty is ordained by Heaven; you will be invincible in every battle!"

"Break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line today!"

"The Zhao Emperor of the North is mighty!"

"Long live the Emperor Zhao!"

……

The 60,000 to 70,000-strong army, their faces flushed with excitement, brandished their swords and spears, shouting at the top of their lungs. Though their voices were chaotic and disordered, their momentum was overwhelming, their roar shaking the heavens!
Because they were closer to these round, flying objects, they knew just how big they were.

The diameter extends more than ten zhang!
What is this concept?
It should be noted that the world-famous Yue King Tower is only ten zhang tall.

After ascending the Yue King Tower, the well-traveled and knowledgeable Li Bai exclaimed in amazement: "The tower rises a hundred feet high, one could pluck the stars with their hand! I dare not speak loudly, lest I startle the celestial beings!"

Even without flying, something ten zhang tall can be incredibly awe-inspiring just by standing there.

Now, this thing not only flew up in full view of everyone, but also had a basket hanging below it, with five soldiers standing on the basket!

In other words, this thing took humanity into the sky!
That would be terrible!
Flying is a common dream of all peoples in the world, which has given rise to countless bizarre and wonderful legends, and China is no exception.

However, these legends all have one thing in common: humans cannot fly into the sky on their own; they must be gods or immortals, or have the help of gods or immortals.

Now, they are witnessing these soldiers take to the sky.

This is an undeniable miracle!

Besides thinking that Zhao Shuo was destined for greatness and blessed by God, what else could they think of?

For the Han Chinese Eight Banners, they always recognized Zhao Shuo, not the Mongol court. As Zhao Shuo's power grew, their resentment towards the Mongol court increased. After all, if Zhao Shuo didn't progress, how could they all progress?

Zhao Shuo himself was the "King," so what rewards could the Han army's Eight Banners soldiers possibly receive? Only when Zhao Shuo became emperor could everyone else's status rise.

However, the Mongol main force still had about 100,000 steppe warriors, and the Han Chinese Eight Banners were not very confident that they could win the battle.

Now that such a miracle is before our eyes, it proves that Zhao Shuo is destined to be emperor. How can everyone not be extremely excited?
For the Zhongshun Army, the brave men from Tang, Deng, and Cai prefectures who surrendered to the Song Dynasty were not so much loyal to the Song Dynasty, but rather harbored deep hatred for the Jin Dynasty.

They had long heard of Zhao Shuo's reputation as "the Zhao Emperor of the North".

Both the northern and southern officials are surnamed Zhao, so supporting either one is the same! As long as they are Han Chinese and not Jurchens, it's fine.

Now that such a miracle has been witnessed, the soldiers of the Zhongshun Army feel deeply honored.

Moreover, they had all served the Song Dynasty for so many years, yet the Song Dynasty had done nothing to the Jin Dynasty. But Zhao Shuo was about to lead them to break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line and crush the Jin Dynasty.

At this moment, some of the loyal and obedient soldiers even excitedly cheered, "Long live the Emperor Zhao!"

In fact, it wasn't just the Zhongshun Army that was shocked; even Meng Gong himself was extremely stunned at this moment.

He couldn't help but ask, "May I ask Your Majesty, what is this thing that can take people into the sky called? Is it...is it perhaps imbued with the power of immortals or Buddhas?"

This thing is, of course, a hot air balloon.

Hot air balloons and Kongming lanterns work on similar principles, but it was no easy feat for Zhao Shuo to get his craftsmen to successfully create one.

For example, what if the hot air balloon catches fire if it's not controlled properly when taking people up to a high altitude?
In fact, Zhao Shuo solved the problem after obtaining asbestos in Central Asia.

The Central Asian region had long recognized the special properties of asbestos and had even made it into fabrics to sell to China. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, in its section on the Western Regions and the Kingdom of Da Qin, states: "They made gold-coated cloth, fire-resistant cloth... and all kinds of exotic treasures from foreign countries came from it."

If clothes made of this type of cloth get stained, they cannot be washed with water; instead, they must be burned. Simply put them in a fire, and they will be as clean as if they had been washed in water, just like other clothes. That's why it got the name "fire-resistant cloth."

Making a hot air balloon requires too much fire-resistant cloth; Zhao Shuo's craftsmen only successfully made one hot air balloon out of fire-resistant cloth three years ago.

Only thirteen have been made so far this year.

In fact, Zhao Shuo was not very satisfied with these hot air balloons.

Modern hot air balloons can only fly into the sky and drift with the wind. To prevent them from being blown away, they still need to be pulled by thick ropes.

Therefore, aside from showing off and reconnaissance, these hot air balloons have no other function. Zhao Shuo has already ordered his craftsmen to study how to control the direction of the hot air balloons. When they will produce results is still uncertain.

Of course, the effect of this show-off is really great now. Not to mention ordinary soldiers, even a brilliant person like Meng Gong is greatly shocked.

However, Zhao Shuo would not try to fool a clever person like Meng Gong with talk of ghosts and gods.

He explained directly, "It has nothing to do with the power of immortals or Buddhas. Have you ever seen a Kongming lantern? To put it bluntly, it's just a larger Kongming lantern. I call it a hot air balloon."

"Hot air balloon?"

Meng Gong instantly understood and sighed, "Kongming lanterns have been invented for hundreds of years, yet only Your Majesty has been able to invent this hot air balloon. There must be countless secrets involved, but Your Majesty is too modest, hence the name 'large Kongming lantern.' It must be said that Your Majesty's talent is truly a gift from heaven. In the future, it is likely that Your Majesty will be the one to unify the world."

These are Meng Gong's true feelings.

No matter how brilliant Zhao Shuo's military strategy was, it was all within Meng Gong's comprehension.

However, how do you explain the telescope Zhao Shuo temporarily gave him for observing the battlefield? How do you explain the miraculous healing medicines Zhao Shuo provided to the Zhongshun Army? And how do you explain this hot air balloon?

Yes, Zhao Shuo explained that the hot air balloon is a larger version of the Kongming lantern, but why don't you other people try inventing one?
The more open and honest Zhao Shuo is, the more confident he is!
Zhao Shuo said, "If you think it's a divine mandate, then it is. In that case, would you like to join my ranks? I can't say much, but given time, I can guarantee you the position of leader of a banner."

Meng Gong smiled awkwardly and said, "Your Majesty is joking."

He was no ordinary person; he was resolute, unmoved by wealth or power, and valued loyalty above all else. A loyal minister does not serve two masters, and he had no reason to submit to Zhao Shuo simply because he saw a promising future with him.

Of course, with Zhao Shuo so powerful, the destruction of the Jin Dynasty was already on the countdown. Meng Gong, as a Han Chinese, also felt deeply honored, otherwise he wouldn't have sighed like that just now.

Zhao Shuo hadn't intended to persuade Meng Gong to surrender with just a few words. He figured that with enough effort, even a small obstacle could be overcome. Winning Meng Gong's surrender would have to be done gradually. After all, offering a casual remark to Meng Gong now wouldn't cost him anything.

Of course, if Meng Gong ultimately refused to surrender, then killing him would be the best course of action. Zhao Shuo had many talented men under his command, and it wasn't absolutely necessary to acquire Meng Gong. It was just a pity that such a talented person would die in the civil war.

While Zhao Shuo and Meng Gong were chatting, Daqiu Village on the other side had already fallen into chaos.

Because Zhao Shuo's hot air balloon was drifting with the wind towards Daqiu Village, the Jin army could already see the soldiers in the basket below the hot air balloon.

They also believed it to be an absolute miracle!
If this miracle was great news for the Song-Mongol allied forces, it was an absolute nightmare for the Jin army.

"There's someone up there! Does Zhao Shuo have divine assistance?"

"I'm afraid Zhao Shuo is indeed destined by Heaven! Heavens, are you truly going to destroy my Great Jin?"

"Is this divine retribution for the excessive slaughter of my Jurchen people?"

"It's over! It's all over! The Jin Dynasty is finished! We Jurchens are finished too!"

……

There's no way around it, who's ever seen a hot air balloon before?
Given the level of education in this era, who doesn't believe in ghosts and gods?

Even the mighty Song-Mongol allied forces were still human, and the Jurchens could fight to the death. However, this involved matters of the supernatural, or perhaps it was directly the will of Heaven—how could they possibly resist?

For a time, the Jin soldiers in Daqiu Village were filled with fear. Some cried out in panic, some knelt down and kowtowed, and many more were filled with despair and did not know what to do.

"Soldiers! Warriors of my Great Jin!"

Wanyan Heda was also quite frightened, but he was, after all, one of the few outstanding individuals among the Jurchens. Even after witnessing such shock, he was still unwilling to submit. Even more unwilling was he to let the Jurchens accept the fate of national destruction and ethnic extinction!
Under immense pressure, Wanyan Heda quickly realized the key to the matter.

He shouted, "Zhao Shuo's things are probably similar to Kongming lanterns, only bigger, capable of carrying people into the sky. At best, they're just for show; they pose no real threat to us! They're nothing... nothing special! Everyone, pick up your weapons and fight them!"

"This thing is just a large Kongming lantern; it has nothing to do with ghosts or gods!"

"It's only good for scaring people; it poses no threat to us!"

"Brothers, pick up your weapons and prepare for battle!"

"What's there to be afraid of? Killing someone is just a matter of a head falling to the ground! No matter how terrifying this thing is, can it be more terrifying than the fate of a country being destroyed and a clan being wiped out?"

Wanyan Heda's personal guards shouted encouragement to boost the morale of the garrison at Daqiu Village.

That last sentence actually worked.

These ordinary Jurchen warriors might not actually believe that this was a giant Kongming lantern. Moreover, even so, why did Zhao Shuo's army have such a miraculous object, but they didn't? Didn't that mean Zhao Shuo was blessed by heaven?

But thinking about it carefully, since the country was going to be destroyed and the people were going to perish anyway, what difference would it make if it was the will of Heaven?
Indeed, quite a few Jurchen soldiers rallied their spirits and prepared to face the upcoming siege by Zhao Shuo's army.

However, Zhao Shuo had prepared more than just this one move to break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line!
Soon, these Jurchens will learn what it means to be destined for victory and invincible; their resolute resistance will be futile!

(End of this chapter)