Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2295 Three-way Triumph () Decisive Battle in the Western Region ()

Time flies, and it's late winter. In Hami City, where the main force of the Han army of the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition was gathered, the severe cold outside the Great Wall was like a huge ice net, ruthlessly shrouding the land. In the wasteland outside the city, snow piled up like mountains, and the strong wind whipped up waves of snowflakes, as if they were going to swallow up the whole world. In this silver-covered world, only the occasional sound of cracking ice breaks the silence.

On the city wall, the flag of the Ming army fluttered tenaciously in the cold wind. The coat of arms on the flag looks more majestic and solemn against the backdrop of white snow, as if it is alive. The soldiers wore heavy cotton armor and thick felt cloaks, and either carried steel knives on their waists or held spears. Their cheeks were blown red by the cold wind, but their eyes shone with determination, which was their desire for victory and their firm belief in regaining the Han family's homeland.

In the military camp, the bonfire burned brightly and made a crackling sound. The firelight jumped on the soldiers' armor, reflecting their resolute faces. They sat around the fire and discussed the upcoming battle and their preparations. Everyone's face was filled with tension and anticipation, and their voices echoed in the cold night, converging into a wordless and passionate war song.

The firelight of the military camp formed a sharp contrast with the cold night outside the city, and the blood and coldness were intertwined.

The residents in the city have been under the rule of the Ming army for more than half a year. Thanks to Gao Pragmatic's extraordinary emphasis on the material supply of the Ming army, the main force of the Ming army never experienced material shortages, which accordingly greatly reduced the pressure on Liu Qi to strictly enforce military discipline.

Over the past six months, local residents have gradually changed from being afraid of the Ming army to accepting it. And because after the heavy snowfall, the Ming army actually took the initiative to clean up the snow and repair damaged houses for the people. The attitude of the local residents towards the Ming army has also changed. Accept change as support.

At this time, spring was approaching, and local residents also sent steaming mutton and fine wine to the Ming army. This afternoon, they flocked to the military camp to see off the soldiers who were about to go on an expedition.

At night, Hami City is immersed in an atmosphere of chilling and bloodshed. On the city wall, soldiers took turns patrolling, their silhouettes stretched out in the moonlight. In the military camp, the soldiers were chatting in low voices or arranging their equipment. Everyone's face was full of perseverance and determination. The residents in the city gathered together to pray for the Ming army, hoping that they could successfully conquer the west and regain the Han territory that had been lost for hundreds of years.

These residents may not all be Han Chinese, and it is even said that most of them are not Han Chinese. However, first of all, they already have a good impression of the Ming army, and secondly, they also know very well that opening up the Silk Road is of great significance to them - if the trade route is open, the road will be open. So now, their expectations for the success of the Ming Army's Western Expedition may not be half weaker than the Ming Army itself.

It's still deep winter today, so why are the soldiers and civilians in the city preparing for war? Because some things are known to everyone - such as the timing of the Central Plains Dynasty's expedition to the Western Regions.

Historically, when the Central Plains dynasties entered the Western Regions, they usually chose to send troops in spring. This choice is based on multiple considerations:

First, the condition of the horses: In spring, the horses on the grassland have not yet gained weight, and the war horses of the nomadic people are relatively fragile and not suitable for high-intensity exercise. In contrast, because the war horses of the Central Plains Dynasty could be fed with food, they were able to maintain better combat capabilities and thus had an advantage on the battlefield. When the Central Plains dynasty attacked the nomads in the spring, they took advantage of this weakness of the nomads' horses.

Second, weather factors: The weather gradually warmed up in spring, which was conducive to the march and combat of the armies of the Central Plains Dynasty. The northern region is cold, and sending troops in spring can avoid the severe cold, allowing the armies of the Central Plains dynasty to gradually adapt to weather changes and greatly reduce non-combat attrition.

Third, the activities of nomadic people: Spring is the breeding season for livestock, so nomadic people often need to disperse on the grassland for grazing and raising young, and it is difficult to assemble in a short period of time to deal with the attack of the Central Plains dynasty. In addition, sometimes the armies of the Central Plains Dynasty may set fire to the grasslands, affecting the growth of vegetation and the survival of nomadic peoples. This action was called "burning wasteland" in the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this Western Expedition does not intend to burn wasteland. Firstly, the center of the imperial court, especially Gao Pragmatic himself, has regarded the Western Region as the land of the Han family, and burning wasteland is equivalent to burning his own land; secondly, Besbali, located in the northwest of Hami, is now home to Tumote Erde Mutu tribe and the Ordos tribe's Boshu Ketujinong headquarters, which finally arrived, are two Mongolian friendly forces - you can't burn the Mongolian grassland in front of the Mongolian friendly troops, right?

Fourth, logistical preparations: Even if the Central Plains Dynasty equipped a large number of cavalry, it was impossible to give up infantry. This required a large amount of food, grass and baggage, and therefore required a long period of preparation. Winter is a slack period for farming, and the autumn grain has just been stored. After a winter of preparations, it is a good time to attack the nomads in the next spring. At this time, the military expedition can reduce logistical pressure and form a strategic advantage.

At this time, the lights were brightly lit in the Yamen of the Western Expedition Admiral in Hami City. The three generals Liu Wei, Erdemutu and Boshu Ketu sat in front of the map of the Western Region provided by Jinghua, their eyes burning, discussing the difficulties in attacking and defending enemy strongholds on their respective march routes and how to solve them.

Liu Wei first broke the silence: "The terrain of the Western Region is extremely complex, with vast deserts and steep mountains. With Burihatu's ability, he will definitely use these characteristics for defense. But the Chahar tribe of Canyuan ruled the Western Region not long ago , Yuan Fu and I both believe that even with Burihatu's ability, he may not be able to convince all parts of the Western Region.

Therefore, Yuan Fu has made it clear that we can find ways to overcome these geographical barriers, but as long as our army approaches, they may not be able to overcome the undecided difficulties within them. "

He pointed to the Turpan Basin on the map, looked at Boshu Ketu, and said: "Dutong (Although Boshu Ketu is the "Mongolian Jinong" and to a certain extent the "Deputy Great Khan of All Mongolia", but His official position in the Ming Dynasty was just the Governor and Tongzhi). According to Yuan Fu's order, your troops will march northwest along the edge of this basin to completely eliminate the remaining hostile forces in Oara, and at the same time control the surrendered tribes among them.

But the Prime Minister also said that this is just an arrangement on the surface. In fact, you need to pay more attention to the movements of the Kazakh Khanate. The terrain of the area you are responsible for is flat, so you must always be vigilant against the raids of the Kazakh cavalry. "

Boshu Ketu stared at the Kantu map closely, with a sharp light in his eyes: "Admiral, please rest assured, our troops will sweep away the remaining forces of Oara in one fell swoop like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves." After a pause, he hesitated and said: " Why does Yuan Fu think that the Kazakhs will attack our tribe? We have no enemies with them, and the Oara tribes have always had conflicts with them. It is a good thing for them to defeat the Oara tribe. "

"I'm not sure that the Kazakhs will definitely attack your troops, but..." Liu Wei was a little disdainful of Boshu Ketu's strategic thinking, but he still completely resisted revealing anything and just explained: "Wala has a long-standing grudge against them. It is true that there is a lot of friction between them, but from their point of view, a weak Wala is still a threat to them, let alone now?

There is a threat, and you are to succeed the Tumut tribe and enter the pastures of the Oara tribes. It can be said that your footing is not stable and the hearts of the people are not attached. If the Kazakhs have malicious intentions, how can they let go of such an opportunity? "

Boshu Ketu felt a little resentful and thought to himself: Is Liu Wei blaming me for being late? Huh, how did I know that you could fight so smoothly in the battle at Bei Shi Bali?

Seeing that Boshu Ketu was silent, Liu Wei did not provoke him much, turned to Erdemutu and said: "His Royal Highness, according to Yuan Fu's order, your troops will turn south and west along the oasis area at the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain to launch an attack. Luob, Kriya, Khotan and other places are important strongholds for the enemy. Your cavalry needs to take advantage of its high mobility and low reliance on logistical supplies to quickly cross the desert and Gobi to strike the enemy by surprise. , and at the same time, it will help us to remove some enemy troops and reduce the military pressure on our unit." Erdemutu nodded, with a confident smile on his face: "Admiral, don't worry, our unit will live up to expectations and penetrate Chaha. The south line of Erqiang leads directly to Yarkand."

Liu Wei took a deep breath and looked firmly: "And I will personally lead the main force of the Ming army to attack from the northern front [Note: In fact, geographically speaking, the Boshu Ketu line is the northernmost, but that line is considered the northernmost line. It is a barrier rather than an offensive line, so the offensive line is regarded as the north and south lines] Turpan, Aksu, Kashgar and other places are the only way for us to pass.

Due to geographical limitations, we will not make any special tactical arrangements for this battle. We will just fight through the city one by one. For this reason, Yuan Fu has given our unit a large number of firearms in more than half a year, especially the No. 2 heavy artillery used for siege. Now it has been equipped with as many as forty-two. I believe that we can forcefully break the city all the way, and fight with The two form a combined force. "

The two Mongolian generals had nothing to say about his words. The heavy artillery was no better than armor, horse gear, scimitars and arrows. Gao Pragmatic could only be equipped with Liu Wei's Ming army, and it was impossible to give it to them.

Not to mention that Boshu Ketu had a history of rebellion. Even if he was as loyal as Erdemutu, Gao Pinggong only sent Ming army artillery to assist him instead of directly giving him the artillery to let him establish Artillery Corps. There is no way to explain this kind of thing openly, but everyone has a tacit understanding, and no one is stupid enough to ask - What do you have to ask? Are you willing to hand over the military power to the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty and the military register to the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army?

Although Erdemutu and Boshu Ketu did not speak, they each nodded to express their understanding. This is indeed understandable. The road to Xinjiang is obvious. The southern route has to cross the desert. The cavalry is okay. The main force of the Ming army is obviously inconvenient because it has a large number of infantry. With Burihatu's ability, he can definitely judge the main force of the Ming army. Will take the northern route.

Although the northern route lacks the desert as a natural barrier for Burihatu, it also has its own advantages, that is, the cities are denser than those on the southern route and can be resisted city by city. By consuming the Ming army's attack time, it can achieve the strategy of consuming the Ming army. The purpose of material reserves.

It is obviously impossible for the Ming army to achieve nearly "operation without logistics" like the Mongolian army. Therefore, as long as the consumption is too high, the attack can only be stopped. Even in the event of excessive consumption, Burihatu might be able to seize the opportunity to counterattack.

Based on this highly pragmatic judgment, the two sides must be tit for tat. The Ming army not only requires victory in every battle, but also a quick victory in every battle, because every extra day of delay will increase the huge consumption of another day and reduce its chance of victory; the Chahar army must hold back the Ming army to the death The main force, let them be in a hard fight for as long as possible, and prolong the war as long as possible.

Both Gao pragmatically and Burihatu knew that as long as it was delayed until autumn - that is, about the first half of the year, the Ming army's offensive momentum would not be maintained. This is determined by logistical and climatic factors and is basically unchangeable by manpower.

Erdemutu and Boshuoketu also knew this truth, so they also knew that the key to this battle still lies with Liu Wei. After all, Boshu Ketu's mission is actually to prevent the Kazakh cavalry from entering and causing trouble. Although Erdemutu on the southern front does not need to face strong city defenses and its main task is to attract some troops from the Chahar tribe, even if his advance goes smoothly, , but they are also unable to break through the final strategic target of Yarkand City - there is a strong city defense there. This point has long been provided by Jinghua Fine Works.

Liu Wei paused and continued: "Yuan Fu particularly emphasized that during the attack, we must pay special attention to the smooth flow of communications. To this end, I will arrange special messenger cavalry to ensure that the information transmission between various ministries is timely and accurate. You two had better make the same arrangement to avoid any accidents."

This is the proper meaning of the question. Erdemutu and Boshu Ketu nodded in agreement at the same time, saying that they would specially arrange messenger cavalry to ensure that there is news contact with the main force of Liu Wei's army at least once a day.

Liu Wei nodded with satisfaction and added: "Yuan Fu also mentioned one thing, asking us to make full use of the support of the local people. They are familiar with the terrain and understand the enemy's situation, and will be our most reliable allies."

Erdemutu and Boshuketu looked at each other, and the former hesitated and said: "Admiral, I wonder if the teacher has more detailed guidance on this?"

Now that he had opened his mouth, Boshu Ketu spoke more bluntly: "The Han people have been lost in the Western Region for more than 600 years. There are no Han men and women in the Western Region. Grand Master Gao said that he would use the local people... This, the local people Are you really willing to help?”

Liu Wei smiled and said: "Our army has occupied Hami for more than half a year. It has been very good to the people during these six months. This news must have spread throughout the Western Regions. In contrast, the Chahar people's entry into the Western Regions is not an invitation. Come, but come in with a knife and a gun.

According to the information provided by Jinghua, many people in Eastern Chagatai and Yarkand were massacred during this process. Soon after, Burihatu invaded Gansu eastward. In order to concentrate more power, he also recruited many local people to join the army. However, although the eastward invaders in Gansu plundered some supplies, they were probably not very profitable overall, which is likely to lead to local dissatisfaction.

Also, the Chahar tribe converted to lamaism a few years ago, which is completely different from the people in the Western Regions. It is difficult for them to urinate in a pot. It would be good if there are no fierce conflicts on weekdays. Any integration is simply a joke.

With these conditions, Yuan Fu judged that the Chahar tribe's rule in the Western Region was not stable, and we could take advantage of it. "

Erdemutu and Boshuoketu suddenly felt something in their hearts, and said to themselves: "Yuan Fu asked us to use both Mongolian cavalry to fight as auxiliaries, instead of attacking the more densely populated northern route. Is there also sectarian considerations? After all, we I also converted to Lama..."

Although everyone had their own thoughts, the pre-war discussions finally came to a conclusion quickly in accordance with the highly pragmatic warrant requirements. The decisive battle of the Ming Army's Western Expedition finally came to a close.
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