unclear

Chapter 861 The Last Dream

The plan for fighting on the plateau this time was huge. It not only involved the three departments of the Northeast, Northern and Northwestern Dusi, but also required the cooperation of Hezhou and Taozhou local governments, as well as the intelligence, logistical support and blockade of the Jinyiwei and the General Staff.

But when it comes to the combat troops, it becomes extremely simple, especially with the assistance of the Tumed cavalry, which filled the only loophole in the transportation line.

On the night of the 20th day of the first lunar month, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. By the early morning, the world was completely white, with silver snakes dancing on the mountains and wax elephants galloping on the plains. Hundreds of war horses first crossed Xiningwei, split into more than ten groups, and disappeared into the mountains like a fan.

Before the horseshoe prints on the ground were completely covered by snow, teams of soldiers emerged from Xining City Wall. They wore sheepskin coats over their toad uniforms and felt boots on their feet. Each of them had two Bactrian camels, one to ride and the other to carry equipment and supplies. They marched at a steady pace, heading westward along the post road at a leisurely pace.

Every 50 miles or so, a team would stay behind to look for advantageous terrain, build simple defensive fortifications with stones and stay there, responsible for protecting the roads and transmitting information between the front and rear.

There is a Tibetan Yellow Sect temple called Dongkor Temple 120 miles away from Xining Wei. When Sun Chengzong led his army to arrive, the temple had already been controlled by the Ombu tribe who had made a sudden advance reconnaissance.

Although the Gelugpa sect of the Yellow Sect was an enemy of the Red Sect and was being persecuted, they still could not be careless. The lamas were restricted to certain areas of the temple, and the remaining rooms became temporary headquarters.

Here, Sun Chengzong met a statistician from the General Staff Department's Statistics Department. He turned out to be a young lama named Gegui, who had a high status and was considered the third in command of the temple, specializing in discipline inspection. He always carried an iron rod in his hand, which was similar to the military police in the Ming army.

"The Xitumed tribe has been active in the area west of the West Sea near the foot of the mountains all year round. After the Ordos and Chahar tribes arrived, there was not enough pasture, so some of them went south and some stayed in the north.

These areas are traditional winter camps, and the circled areas are water sources in autumn. If you take away the iron rod, I will scold you. Remember to return it in a few days. "

After confirming the identity, the statistician immediately drew some circles and dots on the military map and told the purpose of them. Then he put down the iron rod in his hand and walked out of the room.

His body swayed and he almost stumbled and fell, as if he was pushed out. After he stood still, he began to shout in an incomprehensible language, and was then forced out of the yard by two soldiers with bayonets, and the shouting and cursing gradually faded away.

"He's a talented person... Do you know him?"

Sun Chengzong did not say a word from beginning to end, just quietly watched his performance, trying to find a flaw. He did not find any until the gate was closed, so he turned around and asked Gao Budong, the chief of staff of the Northwest Military Command. The two were partners during the military training in Yan'an, and they were quite familiar with each other.

"No impression... I really don't know him. When the number of students in Haihu Division is high, there are hundreds of them. There are seven dormitories alone, and the farthest one is three miles away. Normally, they are not allowed to move around freely. Except for the headquarters and nearby classes, most people are not familiar with each other. I haven't even seen each other for several years."

Gao Budong was also one of the first graduates of Haihusi, but when faced with Sun Chengzong's questions, he could only shake his head. After seeing the disbelief in the other's eyes, he had to make a reasonable explanation.

It's not that he's hiding it on purpose, he really hasn't seen it. And as an officer, he doesn't have any good feelings towards the Statistics Department. He always feels that those people are eerie, like mice hiding in dark corners and spying.

"…Then do you think there are people like this around us?" Should I believe him? Sun Chengzong became more and more uncertain.

Without the codeword and the badge, who could tell that the young lama was a spy? The old lamas who had been with him for several years could not tell, and it was highly unlikely that the officers around him could tell. "Captain, your thoughts are very dangerous. If I were from the Statistics Department, the secret report would be sent to the capital in a few days. The Imperial Guard, the East Factory, and the Statistics Department are not used to deal with us, so don't pay too much attention to them. As long as there is nothing to hide, His Majesty will not wrongly accuse anyone!"

It was okay to dislike or even hate the Statistics Department, but Gao Budong would not allow any resentment towards His Majesty, even if it was only a little bit. So he acted like a chief of staff and gave his immediate superior a lesson.

"Yes, we should not have the intention to harm others, but we must be on guard against others..." Sun Chengzong accepted this statement on the surface, but he still felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

If the monarch and his subjects, colleagues, and superiors and subordinates all get along in this way, how can we talk about trust between people? But if we don't do it this way, trust alone doesn't seem to be very safe. He couldn't figure out what to do for a while.

The army stayed at Dongkeer Temple for most of the day, and then split into two groups as they continued westward. Sun Chengzong led 3,000 ground troops, 2,500 new troops and 2,000 cavalry to the north bank of the West Sea, while Gao Budong led 2,500 ground troops, 3,000 new troops and 3,000 cavalry to the south bank of the West Sea.

Seven days later, the first battle of the Qinghai Campaign began. Omubu's cavalry found traces of the Chahar tribe a hundred miles northwest of Xihai. There were more than 10,000 of them, scattered in several nearby valleys. Since it was impossible to get close to investigate, the number might be even greater.

Sun Chengzong had no map of the mountainous area and could not accurately determine the terrain, so he had to split his troops into two groups and attack from south to north along the mountain valley. Omubu led the cavalry to support the enemy from the outside, ensuring the retreat route while waiting for an opportunity to plug the loophole.

In the past two or three years, Lin Danhan seemed to have aged ten years. A series of blows exhausted him physically and mentally. After finally crossing the Qilian Mountains and entering the Qinghai Plateau, he was finally able to take a breath and had hope for revival. However, as soon as he relaxed mentally, his body could not bear it and he fell seriously ill before winter.

After careful care by the tribesmen, his condition improved. He drank some wine the night before and fell into a deep sleep. In a trance, he heard a voice calling him, got up and followed it to the outside of the big tent, and suddenly a light appeared in front of him.

Ten thousand men in armors of various colors and swords filled the valley, shining brightly in the sun. When they saw themselves, they raised their swords and axes to strike their armors, and shouted "Heavenly Khan" in unison, with great momentum.

In a blink of an eye, he was riding on a warhorse, leading this Mongolian elite to run at high speed. Not far in front of him was a huge city, with high walls that stretched like hills, with no end in sight.

There was a flag flying on the city wall, and in the middle stood a middle-aged man in a bright yellow robe. He was not tall, had a chubby face and a smile on his face.

In the blink of an eye, he was in a large palace complex again. The middle-aged man in the yellow robe followed him with a hunched back, introducing the name of each palace he passed by, with a smile on his face.

It was not until he entered the tallest and largest palace and sat on the throne in the middle that he turned around and saw the smile on that fat face.

"Someone, drag him down and slap him in the face until he stops laughing!"

Although they had already entered Beijing and occupied the palace, Lin Danhan could not be happy. Thinking about it, it was because of that smile. What are you waiting for? Now I am the Khan of Heaven, the most powerful emperor in the world. You still dare to laugh, you must be severely punished.

"Pah, pah, pah... wah wah wah..." As the crisp mouth sounds rang out, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty suddenly howled like ghosts and wolves, and his cry was very miserable.

(End of this chapter)