After thirteen years, the grass on the grassland turned yellow and then green again, young children learned to ride horses and wield swords, and the blood of war had been dormant for thirteen years, and they were finally beginning to stir again.
Meilin Pass became a thoroughfare, and the Quanrong cavalry poured in in overwhelming numbers. The army formation was like the sea, swords and spears were like a forest, war horses were neighing wildly, and sharp arrows were like rain. The magnificent army and the flying dust caused the defenders of several cities near Meiling Pass to collapse without a fight and flee.
On April 13, the six major tribes of the Quanrong, namely the Hongdi, Huangmang, Lanxiang, Hexue, Baishang and Heishui, arrived at Meilin Pass and joined the first four tribes. On April 15, Nayan, the headquarters of the Quanrong Khan, arrived in Meilin. All eleven tribes of the Quanrong were present, with a total number of over 1.5 million.
Before the blood of the Dayan soldiers had been wiped clean, the Quanrong army had already entered the heart of the city. The people hid in their homes trembling in fear, and no one dared to make a sound, for fear of angering these evil spirits from the north. However, because there were too many troops and they could not be accommodated in the city, Toha, the third prince of the Quanrong people, ordered his personal soldiers to kill some civilians and clear out hundreds of houses for him.
It was this order that started the bloody nightmare of Meiling Pass. For a time, the leaders of other tribal armies followed suit. By the time Nayan Minglie knew all this, it was too late. There was no living civilian in the entire Meiling Pass.
For ten consecutive days, Zhao Chun'er and his subordinates lived in the general's mansion in Meiling Pass. The sounds of fighting, screams, curses, burning fire, and the cries of women being raped pierced the tranquility of the night and spread to every corner of the city.
Her subordinates asked with pale faces: "Princess, those grassland people are crazy, they are slaughtering civilians."
Zhao Chun'er sat in the darkness with an expressionless face, as if she didn't hear what he said, and didn't say a word.
Zhao Chun'er didn't know that in a conference hall not far from her, the Quanrong people had spread out a map and had begun planning how to divide the spoils of the Simon land. After breaking through Meilin Pass, the land ahead seemed to be within their grasp. The eleven tribal leaders argued fiercely, but finally, under the coordination of Khan Nayan, they reluctantly reached an agreement. At daybreak, the tribal leaders led their troops out of Meiling Pass and rushed towards the colorful world they had longed for for hundreds of years.
Among all the forces, including the territories under Huaisong, Qinghai was the first to clearly stand up and state that it would mobilize all its forces to help Dayan resist the military regime of the Quanrong.
While everyone was watching, waiting, and thinking, the two kings of Qinghai first assembled their troops at Cuiwei Pass, withdrew all the soldiers who were confronting Dayan, opened the pass and headed north to provide military support to Dayan's Beishuo Pass.
At the same time, Qinghai divided its troops into three groups, with the main force led by Qinghai King Zhuge Yue to support Beishuo. General Yue Qi took Zhuge Yue's letter to the north, while Xiuli Queen Chu Qiao secretly came to Bian Tang to discuss the joint military action.
On the third day of May, Zhao Che agreed to Zhuge Yue's proposal and led his troops to the Yanbei Plateau. The Yan Emperor Yan Xun actually opened the country's borders without hesitation, allowing this powerful enemy, whom he usually hated, to swagger into his territory.
As early as three days ago, Emperor Li Xiuyi of Tang had authorized the regent Grand Tutor Sun Di to work with Princess Xiuli Chuqiao to lead Bian Tang's 200,000 troops and set out from Tanghu Pass.
This is really a ridiculous thing. If it hadn't happened, I'm afraid people would never have thought that such a day would come.
Over the past six years, the four forces have been fighting each other endlessly, with a small battle every ten days and a big battle every month, and they hate each other with a vengeance. But who could have imagined that there would be a day when they would join forces to resist the enemy.
No one, whether in contemporary times or in later generations, can deny the role played by King Bian Tang Xiu Li in this matter.
She was once Shang Shen's master, the patron saint of the Yanbei Plateau, the most trusted regent under the Yan Emperor, and the Yanbei general who kept the million-strong army of Daxia out of the Beishuo Gate. But now she is the wife of the King of Qinghai and the regent prince of Bian Tang. Her husband and Zhao Che, the ruler of Daxia in the north, are sworn brothers. Most of her subordinates and generals come from Shangshen Plateau.
Moreover, in this situation where the Quanrong invaded the east, the Great Xia in the north stood idly by, the royal family of Bian Tang watched coldly, the territories of Huai Song had ulterior motives, and Dayan was divided into two halves, resisting the enemy on one hand and guarding against them on the other. Only she could clearly and accurately foresee the development of the entire war in the future, clearly realize the wolf ambitions and fierce power of the Quanrong people, calmly abandon all past grudges to engage in correct strategic thinking, and actively work for it and contact various forces.
All of this destined her to be the best coordinator of this coalition. Only she could quell conflicts and contradictions in all aspects, temporarily suppress those suspicions that would never disappear, and promote a joint group that was at least acceptable on the surface.
The intricate connections involved would be enough to overwhelm even the smartest person. But, she did it.
When the news came that Bian Tang, Qinghai, Beidi and Daxia were sending out troops at the same time, the Khan of Quanrong was furious. They had thought about this situation before attacking Meilin Pass, but all the tribal leaders had just laughed it off.
What a joke, everyone knows what the relationship between those three parties and Yan Xun is, it's good enough that they don't come out to hinder and stab in the back at the critical moment, but they still come to join the war?
But the truth is so cruel. The reality is right before their eyes, ruthlessly shattering the fantasy of these grassland people to destroy Dayan within a month, wipe out Simon within two months, and dominate the East Land within half a year.
In anger and humiliation, the Quanrong people started killing even more crazily, and their cavalry stabbed into the heart of Yanbei like a sharp knife.
On May 23, Beishuo Pass once again became the focus of the entire Simon. The forces of the four countries gathered in Huoleiyuan with a force of up to 1.2 million.
Before the war, the coalition forces elected a commander-in-chief. Great Yan naturally proposed Yan Xun, while Qinghai chose Zhuge Yue. The North was divided into two forces, Zhao Che who conquered the northern countries and Zhao Yang who had been wandering around the border and fighting against Yanbei. Although Emperor Li Xiuyi of Bian Tang did not come, Sun Di also reported his name, saying that he could send letters by carrier pigeon every day, asking His Majesty to give advice on brilliant combat strategies.
Various opinions were deadlocked for a while, and the staff officers and diplomatic officers of all parties almost quarreled to the point of tearing the tent apart. For two consecutive days, no consensus was reached. Finally, Sun Di could no longer tolerate it and proposed that Princess Xiuli Chuqiao be appointed as the commander-in-chief of this battle, which quelled all the discussions.
Although Chu Qiao is the Princess of Qinghai, in name only, she is the regent prince of Bian Tang. Given her relationship with Li Xiuyi, and her achievements in protecting Tang Jing, everyone in the Tang Dynasty naturally agreed. Qinghai pondered for a while, and Zhuge Yue generously chose to support his wife. Zhao Che followed closely and seconded Zhuge Yue. Zhao Yang participated before only because he didn’t want Zhao Che and Yan Xun to gain any advantage, so he naturally agreed at this moment. Only Dayan, on the morning after the proposal, belatedly expressed the Emperor's opinion: "No objection."
Thus, this grand, dazzling coalition force composed entirely of elite troops was immediately incorporated into Chu Qiao's command. In the square formation composed of 1.2 million men, the one sitting in the central camp was actually a woman.
Starting from May 25th, the Beishuo defense battle was fully launched.
Chu Qiao mobilized 600,000 troops and 500,000 civilians and began to build a defense line along the Sunset Mountains. The trenches and pits she designed were varied, stretching all the way from Sunset Mountain to Beishuo City. The military defense lines were spread out in an endless stream, densely covering the entire land.
When the vanguard troops of the Quanrong arrived, the third prince Toha was so shocked that he couldn't even close his mouth. Looking at the spectacular defensive zone in front of him, his first reaction was that the other party was crazy.
No one would seek death by attacking such military defense, so the third prince Toha naturally took another route - Chidu.
It cannot be said that Toha is not smart. After all, facing such a defense zone, no one has the courage to attack.
But what Toha didn't know was that behind this seemingly vast and terrifying defense belt, there were only 500,000 civilians. They didn't have a knife or a gun, and their only task was to hold up the flag and stomp their feet when someone came, raising a lot of dust.
That's all.
And in the small city of Chidu, an army of 800,000 was lying in ambush, waiting for his arrival.
Being besieged was inevitable. After three days of continuous fighting, the 100,000 troops of Toha's headquarters were quickly reduced to 40,000. Blood spread throughout the entire Chidu River estuary, and the river water was dyed red, making it undrinkable for many days.
Without any food reserves, Toha was caught in a dilemma. Various coalition forces took turns to attack, almost exhausting Toha's soldiers to death.
Finally, on the fifth day, Toha's army sent a messenger and decided to surrender.
However, the order from the central army camp surprised everyone. Chu Qiao ordered that Prince Toha's surrender would not be accepted unless they first offered Toha's head to comfort the souls of the 200,000 soldiers and civilians in Meilin Pass.
Toha was furious and fought again, but he could not escape the siege.
Two days later, he was killed by his own soldiers at night. His subordinates were defeated without a fight and were all captured by the coalition forces.
This is the first victory achieved by the Eastern Army since the Quanrong army moved eastward!
Chu Qiao used bold tactics and great courage to surround and annihilate an army of 100,000. With absolute advantage and slight casualties, they killed 70,000 enemies, captured 30,000, and beheaded the enemy leader, achieving a complete victory in this battle.
When the news got back to Simon, people from all countries clapped their hands in celebration.
That night, Zhao Che sat in Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue’s Qinghai tent, drank a full cup, and saluted Chu Qiao, saying: “You are worthy of the title of the best general in the East Continent.”
On the second day, Chu Qiao reorganized the army and withdrew to Beishuo. In front of the huge defensive camp, she waited for the eager Quanrong cavalry. She hung Toha's head in front of the army, quietly waiting for the Quanrong Khan - Nayan Minglie!
Suddenly, there was an urgent sound of gongs and drums from the army of the Quanrong people, flags were waving everywhere, messengers were running around in panic, and the commander on horseback looked anxious and shouted loudly.
The scene was very chaotic.