Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 253
"put!"

"Bang bang bang-"

After the nineteenth day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Tianqi, when Zhu Youjian, Man Gui, and Lu Qin's ministries were all marching, the two armies of Sun Chuanting and Yang Zhaoji who sent troops from Ningxia did not fall behind.

The artillery was arrayed on the Phoenix Mountain on the east bank of the Yellow River, constantly shelling targets on the banks of the Yellow River.

Six hundred five-jin Yanshan General Cannons used ferocious firepower to beat the target to the ground.

The commander of this battle was Yang Zhaoji, a veteran of the Ming Dynasty, and his opponent was Ji Neng, the leader of the three major ministries in Ningxia.

After Ji Neng received Huo Luochi's request for help three days ago, without the slightest hesitation, he immediately commanded [-] cavalry to go to the northern frontier of Ningxia, trying to cross the Yellow River.

However, here he happened to meet Yang Zhaoji who was sweeping both sides of the Yellow River, and a battle broke out in the Yellow River with [-] soldiers from both sides.

After hearing the news, Sun Chuanting also brought [-] cavalry out of Ningxia to help.

Right now, Yang Zhaoji was attacking Jineng on the east bank head-on, while Sun Chuanting led [-] cavalry to cruise on the west bank of the Yellow River to prevent the Ningxia cavalry from fleeing back to Ningxia Shazhou.

The [-] Ming army and the [-] Ningxia cavalry had been entangled for three days. Although they couldn't directly lead the army to destroy the thief like Zhu Youjian, they still suppressed Jineng all the time.

Jineng's soldiers and horses also suffered heavy losses, with nearly [-] casualties, while the Ming army had no more than [-] casualties.

This is already a remarkable achievement for the guard battalion of the Northern Army Governor's Mansion after reorganization.

After all, before the Northern Army Governor's Mansion took over Shaanxi, they hid in the city when they saw the captives invade.

If they were given more training time and more complete equipment, they might be able to achieve a one-to-five battle loss ratio.

"The battalion soldiers in Shaanxi are still not well trained. It's a pity that the soldiers I trained before were transferred to Xining Guard, otherwise we should be able to defeat Ji Neng at this moment."

On the west bank of the Yellow River, Sun Chuanting led his troops on a cruise, while looking at the battlefield on the east bank and sighing.

Beside him is Guan Fumin, the son of Guan Bingzhong, one of the brave generals of the late Ming Dynasty.

Hearing that the imperial court was about to retaliate, he found Sun Chuanting on purpose, and seeing his bravery, Sun Chuanting transferred him from Yulin to Ningxia.

It has to be said that Guanfumin was indeed very brave. Ji Neng tried to cross the river many times to break through, but was repelled by Guanfumin's troops, while Sun Chuanting was on the edge of the battlefield and controlled the entire battle situation.

Judging from the current situation, he is confident that he will completely annihilate the Ji Neng Department within three days.

After hearing his exclamation, the officials standing next to him couldn't help but say:
"This morning, I heard that His Royal Highness used [-] cavalry to kill tigers. In three days, they broke through the pouches, beheaded more than [-] people, and took tens of thousands of prisoners. I don't know if it's true or not."

"Probably true, Your Highness will not exaggerate the results of the battle." Sun Chuanting affirmed the question of the officials and the people, and then added:

"The official ginseng general has never seen Shangzhi, so if he did, he wouldn't be surprised."

"In the Commander's Mansion of the Five Armies of the Ming Dynasty, among the more than [-] troops, Shangzhi can be called the elite, and Shangzhi's four cavalry guards can be called the elite."

"I have seen the battlefield where the governor of Mandu led the four cavalry guards to fight against Jianlu in Liaodong. If the horsepower is enough and the food and fodder are sufficient, [-] straight four cavalry guards are enough to sweep the northern part of the country."

Sun Chuanting's words are not exaggerated, because Zhu Youjian has always known that the Shangzhi Four Cavalry Guards will become his own soldiers in the future, so he is constantly strengthening the equipment and training capabilities of the Shangzhi Four Cavalry Guards.

The requirements for the Shangzhi Four Cavalry Guards have changed from pure cavalry in the second year of Tianqi to cavalry artillery cooperation, and then from the third year of Tianqi to the fourth year of Tianqi.

This did not change their organization and arms, but required them to mount as cavalry and dismount as infantry and gunners.

In other words, they are actually a mixed force.

Not only them, but the other fourteen soldiers and horses in Shangzhi are also undergoing transformation.

Just as Zhu Youjian had expected, the position of Shangzhi must be the elite field troops in the Ming army.

In other words, as long as the emperor has mastered this force, the other four armies except the navy will not be opponents of Shangzhi.

It is also because of this that except for those close to him and those who are familiar with the usage of the four knight guards, Zhu Youjian basically will not let them command them.

For now, only Man Gui and Sun Yingyuan can command them.

Even Cao Wenzhao and Sun Shoufa, who are equally close, cannot mobilize the four cavalry guards until they are not proficient in using the four cavalry guards.

Except for Zhu Youxiao's imperial decree, only Zhu Youjian can mobilize them.

It is precisely because of this that the combat power of the Shangzhi Four Cavalry Guards far exceeds that of other armies.

As far as the moment is concerned, if there is a rebellion, Shangzhi is enough to suppress two of the five armies and counter the three armies.

In terms of combat power, the current order of the Ming army is Shangzhi-Western Army-Southern Army-Eastern Army-Northern Army.

There are reasons why the Northern Army is weak. First of all, Mangui did not bring the three guards of Daning, because they have already been classified as Shangzhi.

In the entire northern army, less than one-third of the soldiers and horses participated in the battle of restoring Liao.

"After the second battle, the strength of the Northern Army should rise to a higher level, but how much it can increase depends on how the Manchurian trains."

Putting down his binocular clairvoyance, Sun Chuanting said to Guan Fumin next to him, and Guan Fumin also said:

"In the future, the Northern Army should have more chances to actually fight. Even if it is weak right now, it won't be long before it will become number one besides Shangzhi."

"Hehe...it's not certain." Sun Chuanting smiled, but didn't say anything directly.

The number of times he and Zhu Youjian chatted in Liaodong was not infrequent. He understood that among the four armies in the east, west, north, and south, the actual combat of the northern army was definitely not as much as that of the southern and western armies.

The reason is very simple. It is Annan and Dongyu who fought in the south. Every time the southern and western troops conquered a city, there would be tens of thousands of acres of land. If the imperial court ordered them to fight, it would only make the imperial court richer and richer.

But what about the north?

The amount of money and food prepared for this battle of reconciliation is jaw-dropping. With the same number of people, the scale is almost no less than that of the battle of re-Liaoning.

Even if the loop is laid, it will actually be a loss-making business in the short term.

Such a situation is even more embarrassing, especially after the Naval Governor's Mansion basically pacified Nanyang.

The Naval Governor's Mansion will receive the greatest support, which is a basic judgment of Sun Chuanting.

For example, this time, the amount of money and food spent by the Naval Governor's Mansion was not as much as one-third of the battle of the second set, but it conquered a territory ten times larger than the Hetao, and obtained millions of acres of reclaimed fields.

How to see how to earn.

Looking at the double set again, if Zhu Youjian hadn't insisted, I am afraid that the emperor would order to stop the double set after the victory in Nanyang, and put the resources used for the double set into the Navy Governor's Mansion.

"The imperial court cannot be without His Royal Highness King Qi..."

Sun Chuanting inexplicably said this to Guan Fumin, and then continued to look at the battlefield.

It's just that while he was looking at it, the north unexpectedly came to Tiqi.

Tiqi went through layers of checks, and finally came to Sun Chuanting, and took out the military order representing the Qi Palace and bowed:

"Pass down the oral orders and military orders of the King of Qi..."

"Sun Chuanting received the order..." Seeing that it was really Zhu Youjian's order, Sun Chuanting dismounted from his horse and bowed in return.

"His Royal Highness has recovered the back cover. His Highness ordered Sun Jinglue and Yang Zongbing to hold Ji Neng's department. He will personally lead the army to defeat the bandits tomorrow morning."

"Decree!" Sun Chuanting was not surprised to hear that Zhu Youjian had regained his back, but the generals of the Northern Army beside him were astonished.

After receiving the order, Sun Chuanting also asked with a smile: "May I ask if the captives in the back trap surrendered or were they broken?"

"After King Qi arrived at Houtao this morning, some of the remaining chiefs in Houtao voluntarily surrendered. Of course there were rebels among them, but most of them were cleaned up. Therefore, Houtao is already my Ming territory." Ti Qi replied respectfully, and Sun Chuanting also nodded slightly to express his gratitude.

Then Tiqi left, and Sun Chuanting also calculated the time, and then sighed:

"It ran for more than five hundred miles in three days and three nights. It's no wonder that the captives in the rear surrendered. I'm afraid they just learned that the troops in the front were surrounded and wiped out, and His Highness personally led the troops to the city."

After finishing speaking, Sun Chuanting said again: "All the troops are closely monitoring the banks of the Yellow River. Huo Luochi should have arrived in these two days."

"Yes!" The generals responded, then turned and left, beware of the breakout of Huoluochi.

Immediately afterwards, Sun Chuanting ordered people to pass the news to Yang Zhaoji on the other side of the river. After Yang Zhaoji saw the military order, he gave orders to the Jineng Ministry's artillery fire more and more frequently.

If it weren't for the fact that General Yanshan's cannon could only fire two or three rounds in a quarter of an hour, perhaps he would have wiped out the Ji Neng Department before Zhu Youjian arrived, regardless of the cost.

In short, Sun Chuanting and Yang Zhaoji held back the main force of the three major divisions of Ningxia's Ordos, and this behavior directly led to the lack of rear strength of the three major divisions of Ningxia's Ordos.

Mei Zhihuan, Li Rubai, Wang Chengen and Li Rumei led the Hexi Northern Expedition with great force, continuously eradicating the oasis tribes in the vast desert.

Their tasks can be said to be much easier than the other films, but Zhu Youjian, who was originally just a support, has become the main force of the re-set.

"put!"

"Bang bang bang-"

On the early morning of the [-]th of the first lunar month, as Yang Zhaoji's troops once again mobilized artillery troops to attack Ji Neng, the camp of the Ningxia Department was bombarded indiscriminately.

There were only more than [-] people left in the three major divisions that had been besieged for four days, and all the dried meat and soybeans that accompanied the army were eaten up. The army endured shelling day and night, and they were exhausted.

It's not that Jineng didn't try to break out of the encirclement, but the result was dismal and he was repelled by Yang Zhaoji and Sun Chuanting from different directions.

They were completely trapped in the valley by the Yellow River, and the other tribal lords who couldn't stand it simply took Ji Neng's head this morning and sent people to surrender.

When the news reached Zhu Youjian, he had set out from Houtao and traveled south for more than [-] li, only less than [-] li away from Sun Chuanting and Yang Zhaoji.

"Have you determined the direction of Huoluochi?"

Closing Sun Chuanting's military newspaper, Zhu Youjian looked at Cao Wenzhao next to him, and Cao Wenzhao nodded and said:

"Taiji Wulie from the Zasak Department left us a mark, and there are [-] of our soldiers and three Tiqi in the army."

"According to what they say, they should be in this position now."

Cao Wenzhao handed over the map, and a conspicuous red circle was drawn on the map.

"This is a small oasis, less than sixty miles away from us. Right now, we can relax and wait for work. After Huoluochi and the others cross out of Shazhou, we should join forces to defeat them at night."

Cao Wenzhao told his suggestion, but Zhu Youjian shook his head after looking at it and said:
"Even if the desert is difficult to walk, it is not impossible to walk sixty miles in a day."

"Now there are still three hours before dark, Huo Luochi will lead his troops across the Yellow River before dark, and choose to break out from the south of Langshan Mountain and the north of Helan Mountain."

"The direction of the breakout is about two hundred and thirty miles up and down from our place."

"His current position is about [-] miles away from the mountain pass where he broke through, and it will take about three to five days."

Zhu Youjian measured the map with his hands, made an inference based on the proportion of the map, and then glanced at the soldiers and horses behind him.

After he regained the back set, he asked Sun Shoufa to lead Long Xiangwei to station in the back set, while the three guards of Yulin, Tiance, and Xiaoqi lost a lot of soldiers and horses, and now there are only less than [-] people.

According to Wu Lie's information, Huo Luochi's army strength should be around [-], including [-] troops, or [-].

It is quite difficult to intercept [-] with [-], so it is necessary to mobilize the forces of Sun Chuanting and Yang Zhaoji.

"Yang Zhaoji and Sun Chuanting have seven battalions of [-] cavalry, right? In that case, order Yang Zhaoji and Sun Chuanting to transfer the cavalry to the west bank and seal off the [-] miles between Langshan and Helanshan."

"The infantry stayed in the Lingzhou River Valley (Wuhai), and Mangui led the troops directly to the Lingzhou River Valley."

"In this way, the encirclement can be reduced to about five hundred miles."

"Finding them within five hundred miles is much easier than going to the desert to find them."

"If we can drive them to the west of the Yellow River, and to the east of Helan Mountain and Wolf Mountain, it will be easier to find them."

Zhu Youjian made arrangements in an orderly manner, but Cao Wenzhao asked: "Then where should we fight them?"

"Langshan Pass..." Zhu Youjian pointed to the Langshan Pass on the map, and then directly addressed the commander of the Habayashi Guard who accompanied the army:
"You lead people to quickly transport all the artillery that accompanied the army to the mountain north of the Langshan Pass. There are eight horses in a car, and don't care about the casualties of the horses. Seven hundred artillery cannons must arrive before Xushi (19:[-])."

"The last general takes orders!" The Commander of the Habayashi Guard responded, and Zhu Youjian also looked at Cao Wenzhao:

"Send Tangqi to send the information to the various ministries as soon as possible."

"Yes!" Cao Wenzhao received the order, and then ordered people to send the news to the various ministries at an expedited speed of [-] miles.

At this moment, they are less than [-] miles away from Mangui, and less than [-] miles away from Sun Chuanting and the others. If Tang Qi is in a hurry, the information can be sent to the various ministries within two hours.

Sun Chuanting and Man Gui had at least an hour to react, while Huo Luochi and the others had to march at least three hundred miles to break through.

Even if you go out of the desert to speed up the march, it will take at least three days.

The Ming army has a large number of civilians and dry food with them, and this place is less than three hundred miles away from Ningxia, so the Ming army does not have to worry about supplies at all.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian ordered decisively: "All the supplies of the rear army will be sent back to the back set, and there is no need to send supplies to the army."

"If you have less than ten days' worth of rations with you, prepare enough rations, and then the army will go straight to the Langshan Pass!"

"Yes--"

------

"how?"

"Taiji, there is no trace of the Ming army for fifty miles to the northwest, but the sentry cavalry we sent out in the southwest has not returned. Maybe the Ming army has discovered our sentry cavalry in the southwest."

When Zhu Youjian was about to ambush, at the same time, Huo Luochi and the others also got the news of their sentry cavalry.

"The sentry cavalry of the Ming army should also be fifty miles away. In this way, the main force of the Ming army in the southwest should be about a hundred miles away from us."

Huo Luochi briefly analyzed the positions of the Ming army around him, and then suggested:

"The Ming army in the southwest should be the third largest Ming army. According to their speed, they can search for us in two days at most. Now the whole army has time to break out of the encirclement in the northwest by night."

"To break through to the northwest, we must determine whether the back cover has been captured by the Ming army." Caritas interrupted Huo Luochi's words, and continued:

"If the back cover is taken, then you can only walk between Langshan and Helanshan. There are many mountain passes, and it is very easy to be ambushed by people."

Caritas' consideration is not unreasonable, but Meng Keshili next to him couldn't wait any longer, he hurriedly said:
"I don't have so much time to think about it. Let's cross the Yellow River overnight. If the snow falls again, I really don't even have a chance to go."

They already knew about the surrender of the Thirty-Eight Parts, and they also knew that Mangui's cavalry was chasing after them.

At this time, they ran into the Ming army in the direction of Ningxia, which meant that if they didn't move faster, it was only a matter of time before they were surrounded.

"Okay, let's get out of camp now before it snows!"

Huo Luochi, who was familiar with the desert, knew that the desert could not stay for too long. After all, Zhu Youjian had a living map of Saihan. Although Saihan was young, he also knew where the oasis of the Hetao Desert was.

As far as the number of oases in the Loop is concerned, it is only a matter of time before they are found.

Therefore, there is no chance of hesitation now, and we must rush out day and night.

They have been on the road for three days in the desert. During this period, the number of non-combat attrition was very serious. Most of the elders in the tribe could not bear it anymore. I am afraid that when the breakthrough is successful, two-thirds of the elders in the tribe will die, or even more. many.

"Sha Jinai, Wu Lie, what do you two think?"

Seeing that Huoluochi and Mengkeshili had different ideas with her, Caritas immediately questioned Sha Jinai and Wu Lie, two tribal leaders.

Sha Ji Nai didn't have any suggestions, he mainly wanted to break through quickly, so he said after silence: "Let's just listen to the fire."

"Okay." Seeing that Sha Jinai could not be won over, Ming Ai looked at Wu Lie again, but Wu Lie's eyes drifted and he said, "I'll go with Huo Luochi."

"Okay, then follow what Huo Luochi said." Seeing that everyone was going to go the way Huo Luochi said, Mingai could only bite the bullet and agree with them.

In the current situation, if the five parts are separated, they will die, and if they are combined, there is still a possibility of breaking through.

Therefore, even if Caritas does not want to choose this path, she can only follow them.

The Fifth Department hastily decided on the retreat route. Even though there are many mountain passes between Helan Mountain and Langshan Mountain, as long as Sun Chuanting blocks most of the mountain passes and leaves only one mountain pass, they can only jump into the one arranged by Zhu Youjian. In the trap.

These [-] people didn't know what they were going to face. They were just walking in the snowstorm in the dark night. On the way, Huuoluochibe took on the task of vanguard, and Caritas' tribe was serving as the rear army. .

As for Mengkeshili, Shajinai, and Wulie, they are the Chinese army.

More than [-] people braved the wind and snow and marched in the desert. The cold wind kept taking away people's body temperature.

Some old people couldn't stand such a toss, so they were frozen to death on horseback.

As the horse swayed on the road, it finally fell off the horse's back, and when others came to check again, the body was already frozen.

There is no time to bury them, everyone must let go of their grief and continue on their way. They must cross the Yellow River before dawn, find a hidden place, and wait for tomorrow's night to fall.

But in the dark night of the march, Wu Lie seemed very nervous.

Behind him, three Tiqis on horseback followed him closely as slaves. It wasn't until the army saw the Yellow River that one Tiqi said to the people in front:
"Chief Banner Officer, I will bring the news to Your Highness."

"Well, be careful..." The Chief Banner Officer of Jinyiwei nodded slightly in response, and at this moment, the rider next to him also lay down on the horse's back in an instant, signaling the horse to leave the team with small movements.

In the snowstorm and night, because the whole team did not dare to light the torches, when Tiqi walked out of the team dozens of steps, he completely disappeared in the snowstorm and night.

Wu Lie watched the back of the other party leaving, and wanted to talk to the two Tiqi, but he was afraid that people from other tribes would notice something was wrong.

What he wanted to ask was simple, and the chief banner officer knew it at a glance, so he rode forward and whispered next to him:
"After the matter is over, His Royal Highness will give you a piece of ranch at the back, which is enough to house you and your clansmen. You will also get a loose order, and your salary will be withdrawn every year."

"Thank you, Your Highness, Long En..." Wu Lie felt relieved after hearing the other party's words.

What he is most afraid of is being killed by people. After all, from what he has learned about the emperors of the Central Plains, killing donkeys seems to be a common method used by Han rulers.

But if the object was Zhu Youjian, he would not be so worried.

Zhu Youjian's trustworthiness was not only spread among the generals of the Ming court, but also among the various tribes in Monan.

He had never violated the agreement with Chaohua, Bo Yunai and others, so after getting Zhu Youjian's reply, he no longer worried about anything.

Now he just needs to continue, and when the army reaches the surrounded place, he will decisively stand up and surrender.

Not only he thinks so, but also many small lords who know about it in the Zasak department think so.

None of them thought about telling the truth, because whenever they thought about telling the truth, Jin Yiwei would send them news that made them even more desperate.

Before returning to Hongyanchi, the news came that Su Nang had been broken before they could tell the truth.

Not long after walking out of the Red Salt Pond, the news of the surrender of the Thirty-eight Department of the Red Salt Pond came again.

Now that they were about to break through, many people also wanted to inform them, but Jineng was killed, and the news of the surrender of the three main forces in Ningxia crushed them again.

Now they basically have no intention of telling the truth, because any fool can see that there is no way for Huoluochi and the others to escape...

(End of this chapter)