***
"Not really, Princess. Didn't you say that Hetao is easy to defend but difficult to attack? And the Song Dynasty suffered heavy defeats several times back then?" Qitate asked in confusion.
A ray of sunlight from outside the window shone in obliquely, sprinkling on Yatu's fair face, as if it were transparent. However, at this moment, her brows were tightly furrowed and her face was full of worry, no longer showing her former charm.
"Great Khan, it's different. The Tanguts had lived in Hetao for generations and had popular support. Plus, with the Liao Kingdom in the north, it was difficult for the Song Dynasty to concentrate on attacking Hetao. Also, the Song Dynasty lacked horses and was mainly based on infantry. Once entering the vast grassland, the infantry was naturally at a disadvantage. As long as the infantry's logistical supply lines were not attacked, the infantry would be easily defeated. But now..."
At this point, Yatu, with a worried look on her face, could no longer speak. When she decided to seize Hetao, the situation was still very favorable. There was Norbu in the south of the desert, Bailutuhu in Longyou, and Batur in Hexi. The Qin Dynasty was surrounded by enemies on all sides and could not focus on one thing while focusing on another.
Facts have also proved that after they seized Hetao, the Qin State was unable to dispatch troops to attack them for a while.
But no one expected that the situation would change so quickly. Bailutuhu and Norbu were defeated one after another, leaving Hetao without the protection on both wings. Now it has become a turtle in a jar.
The Qin army was not the Song army of the past. They had no shortage of war horses. Even the 50,000 troops led by Ma Yongzhen were Mongolians, and their riding and archery skills were no weaker than theirs. Their familiarity with the terrain, climate, and people's conditions was even better than theirs.
Comparing the current situation with the Song and Xia dynasties of the past is seeking death.
Yatu was becoming more and more disappointed with Qitate, and was even too lazy to talk to him.
Qitate walked around in the room, and finally said through gritted teeth: "Princess, don't worry too much. Now that the Yellow River has thawed, it will not be easy for the Qin army to cross the Yellow River. Now we just need to concentrate our forces and defeat Ma Yongzhen in the north, and the current predicament will be solved."
Seeing that General Qitat finally said something pleasing to the ear, Yatu felt a little comforted and said, "This is the only way now. The Khan should quickly order the abandonment of Wuqihai City. We should concentrate our forces and retreat to Keyimen. We should fortify the area of several hundred miles from Wuqihai City to Keyimen and clear the fields. We should try not to leave any cattle or sheep for Ma Yongzhen's army. In this way, as long as we hold on to Keyimen, Ma Yongzhen's army of tens of thousands will not be able to hold out for long due to the long supply line and will have to retreat.
It has to be said that Yinchuan, a place on the south bank of the Yangtze River, is indeed in a strategic position, with the Helan Mountains as a barrier in the west, the Yellow River as a natural barrier in the east, Qingtong Gorge in the south, and Keyi Gate in the north, all of which are so dangerous that one man can block the passage of ten thousand.
During his six expeditions to Western Xia, Genghis Khan defeated the Keyi people many times, but in the end, he was defeated in the end after countless battles failed.
Keyi Gate is located in Kewei Mountain, about 200 miles north of Yinchuan City. It is called a "gate" instead of a pass because two mountains stand opposite each other, hanging high and impossible to climb, like two gates with a narrow path in between.
Genghis Khan's Mongolian army was always invincible, but it was blocked here many times, which shows how dangerous it is. The last time, after the Mongolian army captured Keyi Gate, the Xixia capital Xingqingfu fell without a fight.
Yatu naturally knew that if he couldn't defend Keyi Gate, Yinchuan would definitely not be able to be defended. Therefore, he asked Qitate to focus his troops on Keyi Gate.
If we can defend this gate, we can still achieve great things. The Yinchuan area is extremely prosperous, and the title of Jiangnan on the Great Wall is not an empty title. Within a radius of one or two hundred meters, there are cities such as Yinchuan Prefecture, Shunzhou, Jingzhou, Huaizhou, and Dingzhou. It is densely populated, with villages and villages connected to each other.
This is absolutely unheard of in the northern part of the country.
Besides, the world is so big now, where else can they find shelter except this dangerous place at the foot of the Helan Mountains
Of course, Yatu would not sit still and wait for death. After Qitat went to deal with the matter of clearing the countryside, she called her trusted general Sukhbalu and asked him to send people to cross the Helan Mountains, explore the vast desert, and find the last retreat.
Sukhbalu hurried out to give a few instructions to his personal guards, and then returned. Yatu was surprised that he had returned, and asked, "Sukhbalu, do you have anything else to do?"
"Princess, I... I..."
Suhebahu looked embarrassed, his eyes lingering on her. Ever since that day in Montenegro when Yatu let him put his hand into her arms and felt her warmth and tenderness, he felt like he had lost his soul. These days he could not eat or drink, and could not stop thinking about her.
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it. That night when he was drinking with Yatu, he didn't dare to...
Yatu saw his gaze and knew what he was thinking, but she was in no mood to do so. "Sukhbaru, it's already late, you should get out, the Khan..."
"Princess, Qi Ta Te has gone out of town and will not be back for a while. Princess, I miss you so much."
"No, Sukhbaru, now is not the right time. Go back first, and then..."
"Princess, I'm afraid there will be no future. I don't want to regret it until I die. Princess, you know, I miss you so much that I'm almost losing my soul. If this continues, I won't have the energy to fight, and I won't be able to serve you anymore..."
Sukhbalu suddenly took two steps forward and hugged Yatu. Yatu struggled hard but was no match for the strong Sukhbalu. She did not dare to shout for fear of alarming others.
Sukhbaru was like a man dying of thirst. He made low hoarse sounds in his throat, tore off her clothes forcefully, and pressed her against the rear window.
"Sukhbaru, calm down. No, not now... .Um, I beg you, I really can't do it now, what if someone sees..."
Under Yatu's torn clothes, there was a white patch of flesh, half covered and half exposed, which made Sukhbaru even more intoxicated and he didn't care about anything else.
He didn't wait a moment, he took hold of Yatu's legs and thrust his body forward, "Ah!" Yatu's body was still dry, and she couldn't help but let out a suppressed cry of pain when he forced her like this. At this moment, she was no longer a princess who was high above and gave orders at will, but just a lamb to be slaughtered... .
The Hetao grassland is rich in war horses. Since ancient times, once the Central Plains dynasty lost the Hetao region, it would become very passive and the entire northwest would be difficult to live in peace.
Yatu's intention to attack Hetao was like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. How could Qin Mu allow her to continue to be so arrogant? After two days of rest, Qin Mu gave an order and 20,000 of the best-equipped Qin troops rode their horses and rushed into the Hetao grassland.
The sky is vast and the wilderness is endless, it is a great place for hunting. Qin Mu, wearing golden armor, is particularly conspicuous among the troops.
He said to the leaders of the Sunite tribe, including Tengjitai, the leader of the left banner of the Ongniud tribe, Daker, the leader of the left banner of the Khalkha tribe, Wenbuchuhuer, the leader of the left banner of the Tumed tribe, Shanbaren, the leader of the right banner, Ludan, the leader of the left banner of the Balin tribe, and Saibuten, the leader of the right banner, "Everyone, the hunt has officially begun. Let's advance all the way to Yinchuan. When we reach the Yellow River, we will count both humans and animals. Whoever has the most prey will have a generous reward!"
When more than a hundred tribal leaders heard this, they immediately flattered each other. Teng Jitai, the leader of the Sunite tribe, said flatteringly: "Your Majesty, I wonder what reward Your Majesty will give for hunting the Qitat dog head?"
Qin Mu laughed and said, "Teng Jitai, is there anyone like you? You haven't caught the prey yet, but you're asking for a reward. Well, if you can present me with this strange dog head, I'll give you an Indian princess, how about that?"
"Indian princess?" Taijitai looked puzzled.
"Hahaha... I, Jitai, are you worried that I won't be able to fulfill my promise?"
"No, no, no, your majesty is so powerful. Who in the world dares to say no to your majesty? If your majesty gives the order, India will have to send the princess here. I just... To be honest with you, your majesty, I just feel something is wrong."
“Hahaha… Let’s go!”
Qin Mu took the lead, the black horse under him let out a loud neigh and rushed out like an arrow. The tribal leaders and their followers also rushed out on their horses. For a moment, thousands of horses galloped and whistled on the grassland.
This time, Qin Mu did not command the army personally, but handed it all over to Su Jin. With 20,000 cavalrymen and such excellent equipment, if Su Jin still couldn't win, then he would have no chance of success.
This time, Qin Mu was only responsible for leading the leaders of various tribes to hunt and watch the performance of the Qin army.
On the grassland that had just sprouted green, flags fluttered, hooves clattered like thunder, and war horses flew across the plains, even the spring breeze could not catch up. The spirits were soaring, like a great river pouring out, like wind and clouds surging, and they quickly advanced towards Yinchuan...
***(To be continued...)
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