unclear

Chapter 691 Strike while the iron is hot
"Oh, I forgot to mention that Du Wenhuan will serve as your commander. You have met before, so you are not strangers. Forget the polite words."

"Well... General Du is the descendant of a military family and has studied in the army for a long time. I, Sun, welcome him very much." This personnel transfer seemed to be beyond Sun Chengzong's expectations. He paused for a moment before a smile appeared on his face.

"Don't worry too much, Zhisheng. The army will undergo a major integration after this operation, and there will be many personnel and position transfers." Hong Tao's eyes are very sharp, and he can guess what the other party is thinking through the slightest changes.

Sun Chengzong was reluctant to have Du Wenhuan as his subordinate. First, the position of commander was precious and the responsibility was heavy, so he did not dare to give it to someone he did not know well. Second, Du Song was in a high position, and if his nephew was the leader, even the smallest matters would be reported to the emperor, which was like adding a bond in disguise.

"Your Majesty, are you planning to expand the army again?" Upon hearing the news, Sun Chengzong immediately stopped worrying about Du Wenhuan's affairs. His big eyes narrowed into slits, his face full of anticipation.

"We'll discuss this later. Right now, we have a more important battle to fight. Zhisheng, tell me what you think."

Sun Chengzong guessed correctly that the army was going to be expanded, but unlike the previous two times, this time it would no longer be a new build but a mixed one, with 70% of the army as the basis and 30% of border troops mixed in, using the old to bring up the new and speeding up the army's formation.

However, this matter would involve the policy of disbanding the border troops, which would be a big deal and not suitable for detailed discussion at this occasion. And whether the border troops can be attacked or not would depend on the outcome of the next battle.

"I obey your orders... Please look, everyone, this is Xinghe City. The main forces of the Tumed and Ordos tribes that besieged Your Majesty have been killed in this battle, and they no longer have the strength to fight.

Your Majesty also made an alliance with Bushitu, the Shunyi King of Tumed, and Baihong Dataiji of Kharchin to advance and retreat together. In this way, our army can take Guihua City in the name of punishment and revenge and march to Hetao.

This battle is about one word: fast! It is 400 miles from here to Guihua City, and it is planned to arrive in six days. It takes half a day to attack the city, half a day to clear the remaining enemies in the city, and one day to set up fortifications. Chief of Staff Ding, this is the deployment of troops and the distribution of supplies for this battle, please give me your advice. "

Seeing that the emperor was not going to say anything, Sun Chengzong stopped asking. He stood up and turned to the front of the map. He whispered a few words to the two staff officers, took something out of his bag and looked through it for a few seconds before telling the story in his rough voice.

"Attack Guihua City!?" As soon as these words were spoken, all the military officers who were qualified to participate in the meeting, as well as the warriors of the Imperial Stables, became agitated.

People who know a little about border wars may not be clear about the regional divisions of the Mongolian tribes, and may not know their specific origins or even population numbers, but they will definitely not care about Guihua City.

This city is more important and eye-catching in the south of the desert than Jinzhou is in Liaodong. It is one of the few Mongolian cities outside the Great Wall. Although it is built in the jurisdiction of the Tumed tribe, it is the political, economic and cultural center of the entire Right Wing Mongolia.

In addition, the geographical location of Guihua City is also very important, just blocking the eastern end of the Hetao Plain. Whoever occupies this city can radiate to the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain and Qiantao Plain, intimidate the entire Hetao area, and look down on Ordos from a high position.

If it were occupied by the Han army, it would be even more troublesome for the right-wing Mongolian ethnic groups. On the contrary, the Mongolian army could also use it as a gathering place and march south to attack the pass at any time, catching the defenders off guard.

"It's not just about attacking, but also about occupying. So if you encounter resistance during the siege, use less artillery fire on the city walls, and don't use explosives. At the same time, you must select two guards to stay and garrison, and make specific personnel arrangements." Facing the generals who were ready to move, Sun Chengzong stretched out his hand to signal them not to rush, as there were more critical things to talk about later. With the army's equipment, it would not be difficult to attack any city, but things were not that simple. This time, they not only had to capture it, but also had to defend it and garrison it for a long time.

"Your Majesty, this move may lead to a war. Please think twice!"

The first person to disagree was Du Wenhuan. He thought that the situation would be difficult to resolve after luring and killing more than 30,000 people from the Tumed and Ordos tribes in Xinghe City. Going north to attack Guihua City would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire.

Of course, as an act of revenge by the emperor, this move is understandable and logical. However, attacking and occupying are completely different concepts, let alone revenge. This move is likely to trigger a crazy counterattack by the right wing of Mongolia, and even the left wing of Mongolia will share the same hatred.

It was obvious that the Ming court was not ready for a full-scale war with the Mongols. By that time, the thousands of miles of border walls from west to east would be full of alarms. Not to mention 60,000 ground forces, even another 60,000 might not be enough, not to mention that there was also the Jin Kingdom eyeing Liaodong covetously.

"The Liaodong Jurchens have been seriously injured and will not be able to move westward for a few years. The Right Mongols are not to be feared. The Tumed and Kharchin tribes are still in turmoil, and Ordos cannot stand alone. If they fight with the Ming at this time, no matter whether they win or lose, they will be swallowed up by the Left Mongols, Ligdan Khan.

As long as our army can hold Guihua City and try to win over the Tumed and Kharchin tribes, it will be difficult for them to reconcile with the Left Wing of Mongolia and join forces in a short period of time.

The only one who needs to be paid attention to is Ligdan Khan. The Chahar tribe of the Left Mongols is the strongest after annexing part of the Wuliangha tribe. Together with the five Khalkha tribes and the Khorchin tribe further north, if they attack with all their might, their military strength can reach 15. "

As the Army Chief of Staff, Ding Shun read Sun Chengzong's battle plan and listened to Du Wenhuan's concerns. He did not say whether it would succeed or not, but first analyzed the current situation of the Mongolian tribes, expressing both joy and worry, and his attitude was unclear.

"Don't forget the Tumed tribe. Although they are far away from Guihua City, they border Shaanxi Xingdusi, so we must be on guard against them." Hong Tao seemed to have not made up his mind yet, and followed Ding Shun to act as a centrist.

"Leave Datong Town to me for defense. It's only 200 miles from Yulin Guard and Datong Right Guard to Guihua City. As long as the ammunition supply can keep up, tens of thousands of troops will not be of any use. But the Tumed tribe in Qinghai is a bit troublesome and is beyond our reach."

Sun Chengzong was a staunch advocate of war, and after this battle he was even more confident in the combat effectiveness of the army. He could outnumber 30,000 with 5,000 troops on the plain. Oh, no, it was 40,000 in the later period. There was also Zhang Bingzhong's Datong border army. If there was no sudden heavy rain, they would not be at a disadvantage at all. If they had a city to rely on, what would they be afraid of?

"The Tumed tribe in Qinghai is not a cause for concern. Although they are called Tumed, they have been cut off from the Tumed tribe in the south of the desert for a long time. They have also been fighting with the Dogans in the south for many years. They should not make any big moves this time."

Although Du Wenhuan did not agree with the attack on Guihua City, he was still willing to explain the issues he was familiar with truthfully so that the emperor could understand the overall situation and make the right decision in the end.

(End of this chapter)