July of the sixth year of Baoyou in the Southern Song Dynasty.
During these decades, the Mongols marched westward to the Danube River, occupied Lake Baikal in the north, occupied the Principality of Kievan Rus, and destroyed the Jin Dynasty and Western Xia in the south. On the entire Eurasian continent, only the Southern Song Dynasty became the last enemy of the steppe empire.
At this time, the Mongol Khan Mongke personally led an expedition against the Southern Song Dynasty, commanding an army of 40,000, or a hundred thousand strong. Starting from the Liupan Mountains, he attacked the Bashu region in three directions. His intention was to pacify Bashu and then link up with his brother Kublai Khan's eastern army in Ezhou. With these hundreds of thousands of troops, they would march directly to Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, and unify the Central Plains.
The might of the Mongolian cavalry had already broken through mountains and rivers. Even in the geographically advantageous Bashu region, they were still able to advance straight into it. Wherever they went, cities were destroyed, people died, blood flowed everywhere, and the bloody mist that soared into the sky lingered around the city for three months.
Some surrendered upon hearing the news, while others fought to the death.
In November of the same year, the Mongolian army encountered an army of 30,000 led by Zhang Shi, the commander-in-chief of the Song Dynasty and the governor of Xuzhou, at the Mahu River in Bashu. However, they were defeated by the Mongolian army in one fell swoop, and the veteran Song general Zhang Shi was captured.
After seizing 200 ships, the Mongolian army changed course and headed eastward, following the south bank of the river and advancing both by land and water. They successfully blocked the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Song army's reinforcement strategy was thwarted.
Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty was shocked and angry about this incident. He raged in the court: "The alarm in Shu is all because the Mahu River is not well equipped and allows them to sneak across. Now there are scouts on both sides of the river, so we have to deal with it seriously."
But no matter what the officials in the court thought, the Mongolian army had already entered an uninhabited area. By December of the same year, they had captured most of the prefectures and counties in western and northern Shu.
Wusheng County in the land of Bashu.
December is already early winter. This year's winter is colder than in previous years, but it is not as cold as people's hearts at this time.
The once bustling county town was now a scene of despair. The sturdy city walls were in ruins, the moat filled with corpses, and the water source was heavily polluted, emitting a foul stench and the smell of disease.
But no one was able to clean up the city because the people were in mourning and their future was in danger.
Three kilometers outside Wusheng County is where the Mongolian army is stationed. Inside the golden tent, the Mongolian Khan Mongke sits, surrounded by brave generals and scholars.
But no matter whether they were tall and burly generals or scholars with feather fans and robes, they were all extremely respectful and did not dare to utter a word in front of the Khan.
Mengge was a burly middle-aged man wearing a Mongolian-style battle robe. His eyes were like an eagle's and he had the demeanor of a dragon and a tiger. Ordinary people did not dare to look him in the eye.
"Great Khan, in one day, Wusheng County will be conquered by our army. After that, we can attack Hezhou in one fell swoop and penetrate the heart of Bashu. The Song army will no longer be able to resist."
At this time, the scholar who was closer to Mengge stepped forward and spoke.
This scholar looked to be about thirty years old, with a handsome face and a pure aura around him. It was obvious that he was not an ordinary person, but in front of the Great Khan Mongke, he also bowed his head respectfully.
He was originally a Song person in his early years. He followed his master to the grassland more than ten years ago. Because of his merits of following the dragon and his proficiency in military tactics, he had a high status in the Golden Tent.
There were many Song people like him in the Mongolian army.
In response to the scholar's words, Great Khan Mongke only nodded slightly without saying anything. He only glanced at his subordinates beside him before slowly speaking: "Wusheng is just a small county, not worth mentioning at all. However, the commander of the county's garrison is quite a character, able to resist so stubbornly."
"The Khan has a heart for talent, but the Wusheng County Magistrate is ignorant of good and evil and has acted against the will of Heaven. Once the city is captured, his head will be beheaded, his entire clan will be exterminated, his wife and daughters will be raped, and his body will be hung at the city gate as a warning to others."
A young Taoist priest standing a little further away suddenly spoke. He was dressed in a plain black Taoist robe and was laughing softly. His voice was full of coldness and cruelty.
The Mongols in the Golden Tent did not react much to his words, while the other Song people who had defected had a flash of pity in their eyes, but then they also became expressionless.
It should be so!
Those who fled to the grassland, regardless of their original identities and character, had already become traitors and evildoers in the eyes of the Song people who were seeking fame and fortune.
But in fact, the black dragon of the grassland swept across the land, swallowed up the state and destroyed the country. It was already the will of heaven. Those short-sighted and stupid people went against the will of heaven and were like ants at the mercy of the bully.
The Black Dragon is the master of killing and violence. Wherever it points, war and disaster will occur.
The Mongolian general nearby stepped forward and said, "Great Khan, the Wusheng County Magistrate is just a mortal with some military skills. He can be easily killed by a dozen swords. The real concern is the great demon who is helping Wusheng County..."
"The Khan is the True Dragon Son of Heaven. Under the influence of his dragon energy, not to mention evil creatures like demons, even the True Lords on Mount Wudang who have survived the thunder tribulation will perish if they try to interfere with the battle."
The scribe from before spoke up, saying that he thought the general was too vigilant.
Ordinary people cannot see it, but the scene reflected in Genghis Khan's eyes is not just a flesh and blood body, but a black dragon with bared fangs and claws, with an extremely huge body, soaring into the sky and connecting the entire earth.
Every time the black dragon breathes, it carries with it a large amount of blood and undead souls. Anyone who resists cannot escape the black dragon's slaughter. Under the power of heaven and earth, no matter how high the Taoism or how strong the martial arts, they will be defeated.
This true dragon emperor is invulnerable to all attacks. Anyone with evil intentions will be struck by heaven and earth.
What can a mere demon do in front of the dragon veins of the world?
"That's a nice way to put it. That snake demon clearly has a secret way to evade us. It has already killed many of our soldiers. You've tried many times but haven't been able to take it down!"
The general frowned and retorted.
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