Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2298: Three Victories (XI) Decisive Battle in the Western Regions (III) Battle of Aksu

In February, spring began to appear in the northwest, but the appearance of the land of ice and snow had not changed much. The Western Expedition Army started the war by walking on ice and snow. As expected by both sides before the war, the initial battles of the Ming army in the north and south were quite smooth.

On the southern front, Erdemutu's troops marched southward and then westward, easily defeating the first garrison and occupying Lob in just one morning. Then, the Tumed cavalry began to march westward, arriving at Qietai two days later, and after four days of preparation, they successfully defeated the garrison again in one morning.

After a day's rest, Erdemutu continued to move westward along the edge of the desert and the plateau, and arrived in Keriya five days later. Keriya was the eastern gateway of Khotan, so 7,000 garrisons were stationed there.

In addition, the city walls were strong, and Erdemutu, who lacked heavy artillery, could not break through them for a while, so he had to change the attack into siege. At the same time, he reported the situation to Hami, and also tentatively asked Wang Tingzhuan, the governor of Gansu who had already come to Hami, to see if he could get special approval to obtain some artillery support. After all, the Mongols at this time were no longer good at attacking cities.

Liu Jing's progress on the northern front was also smooth. He set out in late winter and first captured Yulishi, which was not far from the border between Yarkand and the Oirat Khoshut tribe.

Although Youlish is a city, it is not big. It was originally just a market, and its defense relied on the nomadic tribes around it. Now that the main force of the Ming army has entered Turpan, not far away, Burihatu has already withdrawn the tribes that obeyed his orders, so Youlish City is equivalent to being directly occupied by the Ming army without fighting.

The main force of the Ming army reorganized itself slightly in Youlishi, mainly arranging defenses and using it as a logistical base for the westward advance. Then it set off westward and arrived in Kuxian half a month later.

Kuxian is the current name, but the ancient name of this place is actually very prominent, which is Qiuci. Although Liu Jing's knowledge is average, he still knows the name of Qiuci, and he is also very proud of being a Ming general who can recover Qiuci. But let's not talk about these for now, just talk about how smoothly this battle was fought.

How could it be so smooth? Unlike Yu Youlisi, there were defenders in Kuxian City, but when the Ming army's vanguard arrived, the Kuxian defenders took the initiative to send people to contact and express their willingness to surrender the city. Originally, the Ming army's vanguard and guerrilla general Liao Wenyao was a little worried, fearing that the Kuxian defenders were playing a false surrender, and did not dare to agree easily.

When Liu Jing led the main force to Kuxian City 20 miles away, the Ming army suddenly found a small group of cavalry coming out of the city and heading towards them. Although the enemy had only more than 200 cavalry, Liu Jing still ordered the front army to be on alert. As a result, the enemy said that it was the main force of the defenders in Kuxian City - apart from them, there were only 400 to 500 infantrymen left in the city, and they were all old, weak and sick.

Liu Jing was quite surprised. After all, Kuxian was Qiuci, a must-pass place on the road to the west. As long as the enemy blocked the city of Qiuci, it would be basically impossible for the Ming army, which was mainly composed of infantry, to bypass it - unless he wanted to do something fancy and only bring elite cavalry to attack the enemy's rear.

In fact, this possibility does not exist, because the next important stronghold west of Kuxian is Aksu, a major transportation hub in the Western Regions. It is a big city, and unless the defending generals and soldiers are all idiots, there is no possibility of it being captured by a surprise attack by light cavalry.

Liu Jing ordered the generals leading the front army to report to the central army's tent. After asking, he learned that they really had no choice but to surrender. In order to reduce the size of his troops, Burihatu actually gave up even the important place of Kuxian. His plan was to defend Aksu to the death.

After accepting the surrender, Liu Jing divided the army into two parts, one part was stationed outside the city, and the other part was led into the city by him personally. The Kuxian defenders did not lie, there were indeed only 700 to 800 soldiers in the city, and only more than 300 of them were wearing armor... It can be said that the armor rate was less than half.

Like Youlishi before, Kuxian City also had to be arranged as a logistics base, and because Kuxian City was much larger than Youlishi, Liu Jing was forced to stay here for another four days. During this period, there was a small problem, which was how to deal with the surrendered troops.

  According to Liu Jing's original idea, 800 surrendered soldiers were not a big problem. He could leave 2,000 Ming soldiers to take over the main defense of the city, and let the 800 surrendered soldiers do odd jobs. But the Ming army generals were a little worried. It was no problem for 2,000 Ming soldiers to control 800 surrendered soldiers, but what if there was an enemy ambush nearby, and the main force of the Ming army came from the west to attack Kuxian, and the surrendered soldiers in the city cooperated from inside and outside, wouldn't Kuxian City be in danger?

Therefore, they insisted that those who are not of our race must have different hearts. Even if we don't kill the prisoners, we should at least send them to Turpan and let Wang Tingzhuan and Wang Fujun deal with them. As for whether he wants to reorganize or dismiss these people, it has nothing to do with us, the generals of the Western Expedition - if there are any troubles later, it will be the responsibility of Wang Fujun, and it cannot be blamed on us warriors.

Although Liu Jing thought this was troublesome, he finally agreed to it considering everyone's concerns. However, he thought the Ming army had limited manpower and it was impossible to leave troops stationed in Kuxian while sending people to "escort" the surrendered soldiers to Turpan, so he simply let the surrendered soldiers report to Turpan themselves.

The surrendered soldiers were dissatisfied with this. They said that Burihatu had not left any supplies in Kuxian City, and it was difficult for them to go to Turpan on their own. They asked Liu Taishi (according to Mongolian custom, high-ranking Han officials were collectively called Taishi) for mercy.

Liu Jing had no choice but to allocate some rations and feed to them, considering that the Western Expedition was well prepared and there was no shortage of supplies for the time being. He then wrote a letter, stamped with his seal as the Western Expedition Commander, and told them that if there were any accidents on the way back east, they could go to Youlishi for supplies. In this way, the 800 surrendered soldiers reluctantly agreed, and the next day they began to return to Turpan to accept the next arrangement.

Another day passed, and Liu Jing still followed the plan and left 2,000 men to garrison Kuxian, and then led his army to continue westward. This time, the target was Aksu, an important town in the Western Regions.

Aksu is a basin oasis on the edge of the desert, with desert in the south and snow-capped mountains in the north. Aksu City is located in between. In early spring in Aksu, the earth is slowly waking up from its slumber in the cold winter. In this season, the sky in Aksu often presents a deep blue, and the sunlight begins to become warm and soft, but the ice and snow have not completely melted. They lie quietly on the mountaintops and in the shade like guardians.

In this ancient land, the snow-capped mountains still stand tall, with the tops covered with white snow, like a silver crown, shining with a cold light. At the foot of the mountain, the streams formed by the meltwater from the glaciers begin to become active, and the gurgling sound of the water accompanied by the spring breeze awakens the sleeping earth.

The Aksu River is also gradually thawing at this time, and thin ice can occasionally be seen floating on the river surface, slowly moving forward with the water flow. The willow trees on both sides of the river begin to sprout tender green buds, forming a sharp contrast with the remaining white snow, showing the tenacity and hope of life.

As long as it is an oasis, there are farmlands, even under the rule of the Mongols. In the farmlands around Aksu City, farmers have begun to get busy, plowing the land and preparing to sow crops for the new year. Although the cold has not yet ended, people's enthusiasm and anticipation for spring are already in full swing. Occasionally, children play on the snow, leaving behind a string of happy footprints, heralding the end of winter and the beginning of a new life.

At this time of year in previous years, vendors from all over would have set up stalls in the Aksu market, with a wide variety of goods showing the prosperity of the Silk Road. The sounds of people talking, horse hooves and camel bells interweave to form a vibrant early spring picture.

But, that was in the past. With war approaching this year, who can be so relaxed and comfortable?

In the cold wind of early spring, the atmosphere in Aksu was tense and solemn. On the city wall, the flags of the Chahar tribe fluttered in the wind, and three thousand elite cavalrymen were stationed in the city, ready for battle. People who have seen this elite cavalry said that the eyes of these Mongolian warriors were firm and sharp, as if they could penetrate the enemies in the rolling dust in the distance.

However, these three thousand elite cavalry were not the only garrison in the city. The more than 20,000 Yarkand conscripted troops in the city were also preparing for battle. In the past few days, the soldiers were either busy checking their weapons or repairing their armor in preparation for the upcoming battle.

The Ming army outside the city was winding in like a giant dragon, with flags fluttering and drums rumbling. Their goal was very clear - to recover the lost homeland of the Western Regions, and Aksu City, as the throat to the Western Regions, was naturally a must-fight place on this journey. The Ming army knew that only by conquering this strong city could they open the door to the Western Regions and realize the vision of "surpassing the Han and Tang Dynasties" for the Ming Dynasty.

Scouts from both sides kept shuttling back and forth inside and outside the city, probing each other's strengths and weaknesses. The defenders in the city strengthened the city defenses, dug trenches, and prepared rolling logs and stones to prevent the Ming army's fierce attack. The Ming army set up camps and defense lines outside the city, and sent envoys to try to persuade them to surrender, hoping to win without fighting.

As the night deepened, the Ming army's tents were brightly lit, as if it were daytime. Admiral Liu Jing, wearing armor, sat in the main tent. His eyes were firm and deep, as if he could see through the night and look directly at the upcoming battle.

The generals of the Western Expedition Army, such as General Bian Zhiyuan, Deputy General Liu Tianfeng, Lieutenant Generals Liao Wenyao and Zhou Yude, as well as guerrillas Wang Hualong, Kou Chongde, Xia Shixun, Chen Qizheng, Liu Zhaosun, Liu Shaogui and others, have gathered together to discuss the battle plan for the Aksu Campaign.

  "Everyone!" Liu Jing's voice echoed in the big tent, with unquestionable majesty: "According to the intelligence of Jinghua Commercial Society, the Aksu defenders are divided into two parts. One is the 3,000-man Chahar cavalry. They can be regarded as the supervisory team of the Mongolian army in this battle, responsible for supervising the battle between the Yarkand Black Army and our army. In addition, the intelligence repeatedly emphasized that this Chahar cavalry was also ordered to use the Yarkand Black Army as bait to consume as much of our army's manpower as possible;

As for the Black Army of Yarkand, although they are the vassal army of the Chahar people, they will definitely fight to the death in order to defend Aksu and their habitat. Therefore, we must act with caution and formulate careful tactics based on their characteristics. "

No one asked how the intelligence of Jinghua Trading Company could even find out such inside information as the Chahar cavalry was ordered to use the Yarkand Black Army to consume the Ming army, because along the way, Jinghua Trading Company had repeatedly proved to them a truth: money can make the gods. The Chahar people's rule in Yarkand was not very stable, but it seemed calm because of Burihatu's clever means. But there was always a surge of undercurrents under the calm. Not only were the remaining upper class people in Yarkand willing to sell intelligence for gold, silver and jewelry, but even many leaders of the Chahar Mongols were the same.

However, the role of money is not unlimited. For example, the Ming army now hopes to bribe the defenders in the city, or offer favorable conditions to let them open the city and surrender, which is impossible to do.

General Bian Zhiyuan stepped forward, pointed at the city of Aksu on the map, and analyzed in detail: "The walls of Aksu are tall and thick. If we forcefully attack the city, we will probably suffer heavy losses. In my opinion, we should still follow the experience of the Korean War and bombard the city walls with artillery first to destroy its defense facilities and create conditions for the subsequent siege."

  Deputy General Liu Tianfeng nodded in agreement: "General Bian is right. Artillery is our army's powerful weapon, and we must give full play to its power. Previously, the two battles of Lishi and Kuxian were both self-defeating. Our army still has sufficient gunpowder reserves, and the battle of Aksu is just the right time to use it to show off our strength!

However, at the same time, we also need to consider the enemy's counterattack, especially those Chahar cavalry. According to the intelligence of Jinghua Commercial Society, this cavalry is undoubtedly the elite of Chahar. If they suddenly rush out when our army is trapped in the siege, attack one wing of our army, or rush directly to the central army tent, it will undoubtedly be extremely dangerous. "

Guerrilla General Liao Wenyao obviously agreed with this view, so he also put forward his own opinion: "To ensure that there is no risk of error, I am willing to take on the task of intercepting the enemy's reinforcements and raiding the enemy's rear. If the Chahar cavalry really dares to do so, I may be able to catch them by surprise and give the enemy a fatal blow."

The discussion among the generals became more and more heated, and everyone was making plans for the upcoming battle. After a long discussion, all the details were perfected one by one, and finally Liu Jing made the decision: "Okay, we will act according to the plan discussed. At dawn tomorrow, concentrate the artillery to open fire first, and strive to destroy the enemy's wall as quickly as possible. Then the infantry and cavalry will work together to take Aksu in one fell swoop!"

At the same time, in Aksu City, the atmosphere was equally tense. Ainiwar, the nominal commander of the city and the commander of the Yarkand Black Army, summoned all the generals in the city to discuss countermeasures. He said solemnly: "The Ming army is coming with great force, and we must be fully prepared. The Ming army's artillery is incredibly powerful, so the defense of the city wall is the top priority and we must not be negligent. All kinds of preparations for temporary reinforcement of the city defense must be completed tonight!"

Bars, the commander of the Chahar cavalry, had a cold light in his eyes: "Even if the city wall is breached, my cavalry will attack immediately and tear the Ming army that breaks through the gap into pieces!"

The generals in the city all agreed. They knew that this battle was related to the war situation in the entire Western Region and they had to do their best to defend Aksu. However, Ainiwar looked at Bars with a weak gaze. He always felt that although Bars' words sounded passionate, they seemed a little too confident.

  If the Ming army broke through the gap, it would not be the time for the Chahar cavalry to play. After all, the gap in the city wall is not a vast grassland. How much room can the cavalry have to play? Bars could not have failed to understand these principles, but since he must have understood them, why did he still say this?

Ainiwar thought about it and still couldn't figure it out, but he didn't ask any more questions - or rather, he didn't dare to ask any more questions. Although he was nominally the commander of the Aksu garrison, it was well known that the Yarkand Black Army was only a vassal of the Chahar tribe. Even though the Yarkand Black Army in the city had far more people than the Chahar cavalry, the commander of this cavalry, Bars, was still much higher in status than himself.

Ainiwar even suspected that the reason that Grand Master Buzhihatu asked him to be the chief general to defend the city, but asked Barsi to come as the chief general of the reinforcements, was that he was determined not to let Barsi, the number one responsible person, be severely punished if the city fell. As for himself... Haha, he was just a scapegoat, what else could he say?

As the sky gradually brightened, the artillery positions of the Ming army began to become active. Wang Hualong stared at the city wall and ordered: "Concentrate firepower to bombard the city wall and open a breakthrough!" Immediately, more than 20 heavy No. 2 artillery roared in unison, and the city wall trembled under the fierce artillery fire.

Although the accuracy of heavy artillery at that time was indeed limited, after several rounds of firing, many huge solid iron projectiles still hit the city wall. As the cracks in the city wall connected to each other, the entire city wall began to become precarious, and some sections began to collapse.

Upon seeing this, General Bian Zhiyuan immediately ordered the infantry: "Siege vehicles, prepare to attack the city! Once the artillery fire stops, attack immediately!" Some infantrymen went into the siege vehicles, some moved to the rear, each holding onto the railings and handles, and began to approach the city wall in a tense and orderly manner.

At this time, Ainiwar in the city was extremely anxious. He knew that the Yarkand Black Army was no match for the Ming Army in a direct battle, but the solid city walls that he relied on were beginning to collapse in the face of the powerful artillery of the Ming Army. He could not think much and could only loudly order: "Ignore the artillery, the city walls must be reinforced and repaired immediately! The death squads will go out of the city to attack the Ming Army's siege vehicles and try to delay the time. As long as it is night, the Ming Army will have to stop the attack!"

The Ming army was capable of night battles, and Ainiwar knew this, but he didn't expect the night to come because darkness would stop the Ming army's attack. He expected the climate in the Western Regions - a huge temperature difference between day and night. In Aksu in early spring, it was so cold that water would freeze at night, and the Ming army couldn't withstand such cold, so they had to stop.

Bars, as the commander of the Chahar Cavalry, had a clearer goal - to ensure that his troops would not suffer any losses before Aksu fell. He watched the desperate battle of the Yarkand Black Army with a cold eye. Although he felt a little regretful, he secretly ordered: "Chahar warriors, get ready. Once the city wall is breached, we will evacuate immediately!"

Liu Tianfeng, the deputy general of the Ming army, who had climbed up the wooden watchtower himself, noticed the movement in the city through a telescope. He immediately issued an order: "Tell Liao Wenyao that there is movement of cavalry in the city. Let him pay attention and don't let them rush out to approach the general's tent!"

As the Ming army's artillery stopped firing, the siege vehicle approached the city wall, and the Yarkand Black Army's death squad in the city went out of the city in the hope of destroying the siege vehicle. The siege vehicle closed the rear iron door, and the infantry behind it withdrew to the main camp, while the Ming army's musketeers in the main camp immediately began to suppress the enemy with firepower. Their muskets could kill the enemy outside the siege vehicle, but the siege vehicle could remain safe and sound because of its iron bulletproof structure.

The Black Army's death squads did not achieve the expected effect, but suffered heavy casualties. The few remaining death squads had to retreat. As the siege vehicles broke through more city walls and gates, the Ming Army infantry quickly set up ladders and began to fight to capture the city. Some of these infantry pushed the ladders, while others stood on the towering vehicles and fired with muskets in the compartments, making the Yarkand Black Army on the city wall, who only fought back with bows and arrows, almost unable to raise their heads.

However, the Yarkand Black Army still fought desperately. When the Ming army approached, the power of the musket and the bow and arrow was almost the same, and the bow and arrow even shot faster. As for the Ming army under the city, the Yarkand Black Army threw rolling logs and stones from the city wall to try to stop their attack. However, the morale of the Ming army was high, and people kept rushing up the city wall to engage in close combat with the enemy.

At this time, the side gate of the northern city of Aksu suddenly opened, and the Chahar cavalry, who came under the pretext of "attacking the Ming army from the rear", quickly left the city, but they did not go towards the south gate where the Ming army was focusing on attacking the city. Instead, they galloped towards the northwest.

What Bars didn't know was that the Ming cavalry led by the Ming guerrilla general Liao Wenyao had already arrived at the route of the Chahar cavalry. They were lying in ambush in the dark, waiting for the best time to attack.

The battle entered a white-hot stage, and the Yarkand Black Army began to collapse under the fierce attack of the Ming Army. Seeing that the situation was irreversible, and the last expected "Chahar cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the Ming Army's center" was not seen, Ainiwar reluctantly ordered the whole army to surrender.

At this time, the Chahar Cavalry led by Bars had already left the battlefield and started running wildly - but they just happened to run into Liao Wenyao's ambush circle.

Upon seeing this, Liao Wenyao immediately ordered: "Attack! Intercept those fleeing cavalry!" The Ming army rushed out of the ambush like a tiger descending from the mountain and launched a fierce attack on the Chahar cavalry.

Bars was shocked at first, but he quickly recovered and shouted, "The Ming army is armored cavalry, they can't outrun us! Warriors, charge past them and we can return to Yarkand!"

It must be said that it made sense for Bars to be entrusted with such an important task, and Burihatu had not misjudged him. After a fierce battle, although hundreds of Chahar cavalry were annihilated, most of them managed to escape. At this moment, the Ming cavalry relied on their excellent equipment and were not afraid of the Mongolian cavalry in frontal combat, but in terms of mobility... they still had to rely on the Mongolians.

Finally, the Ming army successfully occupied Aksu City. The remaining Yarkand Black Army in the city surrendered after being unable to withstand the Ming army's offensive.

The Ming army won a great victory in this battle, and captured Aksu, the first transportation hub in the Western Regions, at the cost of 563 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries. In contrast, although the Chahar Cavalry suffered hundreds of casualties, most of them were able to escape unscathed, while the Yarkand Black Army participated in the battle with more than 20,000 people, of which about 4,000 were killed, and the rest were either injured or captured.

After this battle, the Yarkand Black Army, which the Chahar people had relied on as an important auxiliary force, was almost completely wiped out. Yarkand City was not far away, and without the Yarkand Black Army, it seemed even more shaky.

  After Liu Jing was overjoyed, he gradually calmed down and raised a question in the night meeting: "Our army has already reached Aksu, why not only did we not see the main force of the Mongolian army, but even the only 3,000 Chahar cavalry fled at the critical moment? What do you think about this?"
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Thanks to the book friend "Moxie Jinghong" for the reward and support, thank you!

Thanks to book friends "doni" and "book friend 20170107012220447" for their monthly support, thank you!

PS: 6K should be counted as 1.5 chapters... By the way, considering the previous feedback from readers, the war without the protagonist's participation will be finished as soon as possible, and then it will be time to travel south.