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Chapter 862 Destruction and Rebirth

"...No, a slap shouldn't make such a loud sound...Why is the throne shaking?"

"Khan, Khan, wake up quickly, the Han army is coming!" As my brain successfully restarted, a familiar voice suddenly came to my ears.

"National Master, why are you in my tent?" When he opened his eyes, he saw the National Master pulling his arm. He immediately realized that the victory just now was all a dream, and he couldn't help but get angry.

"Khan, the Han army is coming. Quickly retreat from the back mountain. Don't stay here for long!" The Imperial Master looked at the sleepy Lin Danhan and wanted to kick him. But he finally held back and repeated what he had just said several times.

"...You take the women and children of the tribe and go first to find Chashak of Ordos. I will stay behind to cover your retreat. Go ahead. I am tired of running. I want to slap that man in the face. I don't like him smiling at me. If he continues like this, I will go crazy!"

After listening to the crisp sound coming from afar, Lin Danhan did not move, not even to pick up the fur coat. After a while, he seemed to have figured something out, and pushed away the imperial teacher who was still nagging and pulling him, and decisively gave an order. He reached out and grabbed the steel knife next to him, and pulled out most of it.

Mental breakdown may be the state of Lin Danhan at this time. Recovering from a serious illness can make people haggard, and dreams exacerbate the mental pain, mixing illusions and reality together, making it impossible to extricate oneself.

Lin Danhan, who had been arrogant since childhood and regarded himself as the inevitable successor to the Mongolian Khan, did not want to be chased around like a stray dog, and did not want to see the disappointment in the eyes of his people. He wanted to defend his honor at all costs, and the only thing he could control was his dignity as a man.

On the third day of February in the nineteenth year of Jingyang, the Great Khan of the Chahar tribe of Mongolia south of the desert, Borjigin Lindan Batur, met the last moment of his life in a valley northwest of the West Sea.

He tied himself to the horse with a leather rope and led the remaining twenty or so guards, charging towards the Ming army that was all over the mountains without hesitation. He defended the name of the Khan in the baptism of smoke and fire. He was 28 years old.

Although he led his troops to fight to the death, the incident happened suddenly and most of the Chahar tribesmen did not have time to escape. More than 2,000 people were killed or wounded, and more than 9,000 were captured. Only the more than 3,000 people led by the national teacher disappeared along the mountain valley to the north.

Three days later, the southern army led by Gao Budong also made some gains. They found the winter camp of the Xitumed tribe a few dozen miles due west of the West Sea, and immediately deployed their troops to surround it from the south and west, launching a surprise attack while the snow was heavy.

The herdsmen who were suddenly attacked had no idea who the enemy was or how many there were. In the first half hour, they didn't even have a decent organization, and most of them were killed or captured near the tents.

Only about 3,000 people were located relatively eastward, far away from the battlefield, and were able to retreat in an organized manner. They planned to go north to another winter camp a hundred miles away to seek help. However, they ran into the Ombu cavalry before they had run far.

As soon as the two sides met, they found the problem. Why are they dressed the same? They have the same accent, and they even look familiar or have been friends for generations. Well, let's not fight for now, let's talk.

As expected, they chose to surrender. After all, they were all from the same tribe. Now that they had an example of how to live a good life, who would be willing to suffer and freeze on the plateau?

After a series of victories, the two armies in the north and south joined together in less than ten days. From the Chahar tribe to the Xitumed tribe, they found a total of five large winter camps, captured nearly 40,000 people, and killed or wounded less than 5,000. The results were brilliant.

However, there were some unsatisfactory aspects. Except for a small group of people, the rest of the Ordos tribe disappeared. After carefully questioning the captives, we found out that Chashak thought the winter camp assigned to them was too small, so he simply did not come down, and huddled in several small valleys in the Qilian Mountains to spend the winter. And it is very likely that Lin Danhan's national teacher led the remaining troops to find Chashak. "It's too late, retreat, I will explain to His Majesty and the General Staff."

After carefully calculating the distance and supplies, Sun Chengzong made a decisive decision to retreat. It was not that he did not dare to pursue the enemy in the mountains, but that there were too many prisoners and the supplies would soon run out.

According to the report from the army guarding the southern supply route, they have discovered small groups of enemy troops coming from the south and repelled them twice. According to the clothes of the corpses, they are most likely the subordinates of the Tugan Tusi, and the number can reach up to 3000. If the monks of U-Tsang are included, the number may be tens of thousands.

Since the Xitumed and Chahar tribes have been completely wiped out, the major goal of this operation has been achieved by 70% or 80%. The rest can only be regarded as a regret. There is no need to risk the lives of two Ming troops and one Mongolian cavalry for the sake of perfection.

"I will also note the situation in the report. Whoever should bear the responsibility will be the one to do it. Stop the old habit of taking on too much." Gao Budong expressed his support for Sun Chengzong's decision, but he did not appreciate it.

"You'd better report the matter of me giving the Ombu Army training manual as well, so as to avoid confusion when it is investigated later." Sun Chengzong was not vague and immediately retorted, and also brought up the issue of whether there was a statistics department nearby.

In the spring of the eighteenth year of Jingyang, news of victory came from both the north and the south. First, the Ming navy sent troops to Annan, and in one fell swoop wiped out the remnants of the Le Dynasty, which had not been respectful to the emperor for many years, and unified Annan.

Later, the Ming army headed straight for the Qinghai Plateau, braved the wind, snow and bitter cold, and traveled thousands of miles to wipe out the pseudo-Khan Lindan, capturing more than 40,000 people from the Chahar and Xitumed tribes.

As for the fact that Annan left the country and became the Annan Province of the Ming Dynasty, this was not bullying the weak. It was reported in the newspapers that the people of Annan admired the strength of the Ming Dynasty and took the initiative to submit to it. Emperor Jingyang accepted it based on the principle that China has been one family since ancient times and did not want to see his people suffer.

Moreover, the emperor did not take the opportunity to seize the power of the Nguyen family. As soon as he arrived in the capital, Nguyen Xiangjiang was awarded the title of Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace and entered the cabinet to assist in government. His eldest son Nguyen Phuc was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Personnel, and his daughter entered the palace as a concubine. The emperor's favor was great.

In addition to the Nguyen family continuing to enjoy wealth and prosperity, the people of Annan also benefited a lot. First of all, they were protected by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Farmers who had worked hard in the plantations and lived a life similar to slaves were now required to be properly resettled and could no longer be exploited at will.

Secondly, the Annan army was incorporated into the Ming army, divided into two training camps, north and south, and trained and assessed in batches. As long as the results were qualified, they could be selected by the navy or army, transferred to formal service, and receive the same salary.

This salary may not be considered high in the Ming Dynasty, as it can only support a family of four or five people. But in Annan, it is not low, higher than the income of many officials, enough to support a family of more than ten people.

Then, scholars in Annan were eligible to take part in the imperial examinations of the Ming Dynasty and enter new schools locally. As long as they worked hard, they would likely pass the examination and become officials in the Ming Dynasty in the future, and their future would be promising.

Finally, the landlords and wealthy people in Annan also have benefits. Since they are already citizens of the Ming Dynasty, they can legally use their money to invest in the Ming Dynasty or take out loans from the Sun and Moon Bank. With more investment channels, there will definitely be more opportunities to make money.

(End of this chapter)