Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2296: Three Victories (XI) Decisive Battle in the Western Regions (II)

In the deep winter, Yarkand City was tightly wrapped in a cold and austere atmosphere. The sky was a deep gray-blue, with a few snowflakes occasionally glittering in the weak sunlight. The cold wind was howling, as if it had swept in from the ice fields in the north, carrying a biting chill, and mercilessly testing the city walls and houses.

The city wall was already covered with a thick layer of snow, as if it had covered the ancient city with a white cloak. The bricks and stones on the city wall looked even more vicissitudes in the cold wind, as if telling the ruthlessness of history.

The soldiers guarding the city were wearing heavy cotton armor and fur hats. Their sabers were hung at their waists, and the cold made them unwilling to even touch the handles. Their cheeks had long been frozen red, and the white mist from their nostrils was as thick as floating goat milk.

"When will this freezing weather end?" a Mongolian soldier muttered, "I heard that the Ming army has begun to gather in Hami... Damn it, aren't they cold?"

The officer walking in front of him turned around coldly and shouted, "What are you yelling about? Even the Ming army is not afraid of the cold, so how can our Mongolian warriors be afraid of it?"

However, the talkative soldier did not seem to be afraid of his superior. He said unhappily, "Come on, Aha (note: Aha means brother in Mongolian), who doesn't know why the Ming army is not cold? They are rich, and they wear three layers of clothes inside and outside. The inside is a fine cotton jacket, which is sewn tightly with dense tussah silk material to prevent wind. The outside is also a fine cotton armor, and I heard that it can be worn in double layers! Look at us... We are so damn shabby."

His superior, who was also his brother, said unhappily, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? At least I have a proper cotton-padded jacket to wear now. Back then... humph, it was worse than it is now!"

"Hey, haha, I heard that we bought these cotton jackets from Ming people, is that true?"

The officer said, "How can it not be true? The Ming people's cotton-padded jackets are well made and sold at a lower price than our own. Wouldn't it be stupid not to buy theirs?"

"But these are for us to wear during the war. Why would they be willing to sell them?"

"How should I know? Anyway, they bought all the cotton, but sold the cotton jackets back... Maybe the condition for allowing them to buy the cotton was that they had to sell the cotton jackets back. Who knows!"

Perhaps it was too cold, or perhaps the problem was too complicated to figure out. This team of Mongolian patrol soldiers gradually walked away, and no one continued the conversation.

At this time, the shops on both sides of the streets in the city were closed, and the doors were covered with thick snow. Occasionally, the wind blew, rolling up snowflakes and flying in the air. Except for the Mongolian patrol, there were few pedestrians on the streets. They hurried past, wrapped their clothes tightly, and tried to shorten the time exposed to the cold wind. The trees on the roadside had long withered, leaving only bare branches swaying in the cold wind.

In the center of Yarkand City, there is an ancient meeting hall, a typical religious building, with all patterns of various geometric designs. The roof of the hall is covered with thick snow, and long icicles hang under the eaves. The fire in the hall is burning, emitting warm light.

However, this warmth could not dispel the solemn atmosphere in the hall. Burihatu and his generals sat around the stove, their faces full of seriousness and worry. They frowned and discussed how to deal with the upcoming Ming army's attack.

It was late at night, and the city of Yarkand was even quieter. The moon in the sky was shining faintly through the clouds, as if silently watching the ancient city. The cold wind was still howling, blowing through the city walls, the streets, and every corner. The whole city seemed to be shrouded in a solemn and uneasy atmosphere, and people's hearts were also filled with uneasiness.

From Burihatu's perspective, the current situation is particularly grim. The gathering of the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition Army has formed an irreversible trend in Hami City, and the cold winter is about to pass, and the footsteps of spring are approaching. And he, as the "Grand Master of All Mongolia", is facing a powerful enemy army coming from the east - the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition Army.

According to the spy's report, Burihatu had already formed a picture in his mind. At this moment, outside Hami City, the Ming army's flags were fluttering in the cold wind, as if foreshadowing the coming storm.

Although the residents of the city were afraid of the Ming army at first, as time went on, the strict discipline of the Ming army and its actions to eliminate harm for the people gradually won their support. Now, these residents even sent food and wine to the Ming army, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Chahar... no, to the headquarters of the last Mongolian Khan.

It was incredible that the Ming army had won the hearts of the people in the newly conquered lands so quickly. It seemed that the Han Chinese were right: wealth could make the gods. If the conquerors did not bring much bloodshed but brought a lot of wealth, then it seemed that there was really no need for the locals to resist... At least, it seemed that it was difficult to arouse their will to resist.

Through the recent intelligence gathering, Burihatu already knew that the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition Army was not fighting alone. They had sufficient supplies, firm beliefs and determination, and the support of the local people.

As for himself, he had to face pressure from enemies on three sides: in the east, there was the main force of the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition Army; in the southeast and northeast, there were the Mongolian armies of the Tumed Erdemutu tribe and the headquarters of Ordos Boshoktu Jinong. Although these two armies were of the same ethnic group as the Chahar, it was obvious that they had long been at odds with him, and even fought to the death.

Burihatu knew very well that the terrain of the Western Regions was complex, with vast deserts and steep mountains, which were natural barriers that he could use.

However, he also understood that these geographical advantages could not completely make up for the disadvantages in manpower and weapons. The strength of the Ming army's Western Expedition did not lie in their manpower, but in their advanced weapons and equipment, as well as the terrifying logistics created by Gao Youshi, his lifelong enemy.

Burihatu quietly examined the geomancy map in front of him. The Turpan Basin, the Tianshan Mountains, the edge of the desert... every location could become the focus of the battlefield. He had to plan carefully and use all available resources to resist the attack of the Ming army.

However, he knew better that this war was not only a military contest, but also a contest of people's hearts and beliefs. He had to inspire the fighting spirit of his men and let them understand that this war was fought for Chahar and for the final glory of Mongolia!

However, Burihatu suddenly turned his head and looked towards the north, where the Khan's residence was located. Burihatu's eyes showed deep worry.

There lived Buyan Khan, the "Great Khan of All Mongolia" and the Khan of the Chahar tribe. He was a Khan in his prime, 45 years old. However, his body did not match his age. To be precise, his current state could almost be described as being in his twilight years.

In fact, when Tumen Khan led the Chahar tribe to migrate westward, he was still Buyan Taiji and was still very strong. He could ride a fast horse and shoot a strong bow. Who would have thought that in just eight years after he succeeded to the throne, the brave Khan would fall to the point where he needed someone to support him when walking, which even aroused suspicion among some people that he, the Grand Tutor, was plotting to frame the Khan.

Hehe... Yes, they can doubt, and should even doubt. After all, he is also the blood of the Golden Family, and he can be the Great Khan. Now that he has become the Grand Master, what's wrong with becoming the Great Khan? Anyway, the Great Khan is no longer able to manage affairs, so if he is still alive, he might as well kill him and become the Great Khan himself. Then he can do anything legitimate in the future. What's wrong with that?

However, that was just suspicion, not reality. Burihatu knew how much he hoped that the Khan would be healthy and lead the Chahar tribe to restore the infinite glory of the Mongolian Empire. As for myself... I don't want to be the Khan.

Yes, Burihatu did not want to be the Great Khan. Perhaps because he read too many Chinese books, Burihatu's life goal was to become the Prime Minister of Mongolia!

Ridiculous? Maybe, but that's his ideal.

Interestingly, reality may have played a big joke on him. He wanted to be Prime Minister Zhuge, but the current situation seemed to be really leading to the stage where he would be entrusted with the care of his son in Baidi City.

  Suddenly, he turned his head and looked at the seat closest to his right, and asked, "Lindan Batur, how is your Owo today?" [Note: Owo, transliteration, means grandfather in Mongolian.]

The Ming dynasty respected the left, while the Mongols respected the right. As the Grand Master, Burihatu's position on the right meant that this "Lindan Batur" was the most honorable person here except himself.

Yes, Lindan Batur is the last Khan of Mongolia in the original history - Lindan Khan. But at this moment, Lindan Batur is just a child of more than nine years old, less than ten years old, almost the same age as Zhu Yijun when he first ascended the throne.

However, his current appearance is completely different from Zhu Yijun's. Compared to Zhu Yijun who was a little fat since childhood, Lin Danhan is much thinner and his skin is a little yellowish and darker. However, his yellowish and dark skin does not give people a sickly feeling, but it can be seen at a glance that he often rides horses under the scorching sun, so he is tanned like this.

Although he was less than ten years old, Lindan Batur had sharp eyes and was obviously a smart boy. When he saw Burihatu asking a question, he immediately replied, "Thank you for asking, Grand Master. Owo is fine today."

Bu Rihatu nodded and deliberately asked, "You just heard the tip-off, do you have any opinion?"

"I..." Lindan Batur's eyes slightly dodged, and he hesitated for a moment before accepting Burihatu's scrutiny again. He replied in a slightly weaker voice than before: "I think the Ming army has a greater advantage than us."

A suppressed commotion suddenly broke out in the hall. Bu Rihatu glanced at them coldly and said, "Did I ask you?" Everyone quickly shut up and pretended to listen to instructions.

Bu Rihatu retracted his gaze and looked at Lindan Batur again, saying calmly: "You are right, the Ming army's advantage is obviously greater than ours, then what?"

Lindan Batur hesitated for a moment and said, "If we mobilize a large army to fight them, I'm afraid it will be disastrous."

This is another word that will boost others' ambitions and destroy your own prestige? Everyone in the hall subconsciously looked at the Grand Tutor, hoping to see him teach this little Taiji a lesson.

However, Burihatu's expression did not change at all. Instead, he nodded and agreed, "The main force of the Ming army, Liu Jing's army, has about 50,000 to 60,000 men. Our Chahar's Nakers [Note: Naker is the Mongolian name for the leader's personal guards] have a similar number of men. In addition, we only have 30,000 black troops recruited from all over Yarkand, and more than 10,000 remnants of the Oirat army, a total of 100,000. We are indeed not sure of defeating the Ming army in a decisive battle."

  Everyone in the hall was stunned. What happened to the Grand Master? He actually admitted in public that our army, which had a larger force, could not defeat the Ming army, which had a smaller force?

Burihatu stood up and walked slowly, saying, "The Han Chinese military strategy says, 'War is a major issue for a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction, and must be carefully considered.' If we fail to recognize the strength of our enemy and ourselves, and arrogantly believe that Mongolian warriors must be better than Han soldiers, and then use our troops impulsively, once we are on the battlefield and the two sides are in close combat, it will be too late to regret."

He paused, looked around at everyone and said, "In the past twenty years, our army has fought with the Ming army more than once or twice. Do you still think that the Han people are vulnerable? If the Han people are vulnerable, why did we come to Yarkand?"

Then he turned to look at Lindan Batur again and asked, "Since it is clear that the enemy is strong and we are weak, how do you think our army should respond?"

Lindan Batur smiled bitterly and said, "Master, I dare not say."

Burihatu sighed and said, "Your father died a long time ago, and now the Khan is seriously ill... Is there anything you dare not say?"

"Then I'll tell you." After all, he was still young, so after Burihatu's words, Lindan Batur spoke frankly: "Boshuoketu is watching the Kazakhs in the north, so it will be difficult for the Kazakhs to attack the old places of the Oirat tribes as the Grand Tutor had expected earlier, thereby threatening the Ming army's food supply.

Erdemutu's subordinates are all Tumed elite cavalry. As the Grand Master expected, I also think that the Ming army will send them to take the southern route and attack along the edge of the desert. The southern route is full of small towns, and it is impossible to station a large army. If our army sends troops to stop them, we can only fight them in the field. Tumed elite cavalry is not an easy opponent. If our army wants to defeat them, I am afraid that we can only send out the main force... Then who will resist the main force of the Ming army in the middle? So I think the southern route will fail.

The middle route is the main force of the Ming army. As mentioned in the intelligence report, the Ming army in the middle route is well-equipped and well-supplied. Unless they are stupid enough to ignore the cities on the way and directly attack Yarkand, as long as they take the cities one by one, we will eventually have to fight them in Yarkand.

The only thing we can hope for is that as the battle line gets longer, by the time they reach Yarkand, they will no longer be able to maintain their current supply. Then we can rely on the city to hold out for a while and wear out their morale. By then, if we can find an opportunity to sneak attack the Ming army camp, we may still have a chance of winning. "

Bu Rihatu shook his head and said, "As long as Gao Rixin is still in the Ming court cabinet, the Ming army will never lack supplies. Even if they stay under the city of Yarkand for a year, I don't think they will starve."

Lindan Batur argued: "But as long as they stop at the gates of Yarkand, we can find an opportunity to send out elite cavalry to attack their food supply!"

Burihatu said angrily: "Lindan Taiji, do you think Erdemutu is dead? Even if Boshoketu insists on defending the old land of Wala and does not come to Yarkand, there are tens of thousands of Tumed elite cavalry beside him. Who can cut off the Ming army's food supply? You or me?"

  Lindan Batur lost his momentum, leaned back in his chair, and said with a pout, "Then there's no way to fight. I think it's better to go west to Andijan, or even fight all the way to Samarkand and seize Bukhara, which is also a good foundation!"
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