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Chapter 877 Say one thing and do another

"Well, not only should you be mentally prepared, but your officers and soldiers should also be prepared. This is my order, arrange it immediately, and I will check at any time in two days. If there is anyone who fails to convey the message, you will be held responsible!"

After hearing Du Wenhuan's answer, the emperor was not pleased. Instead, his face became serious and he issued an order that sounded easy but was actually very cumbersome to do.

"Your Majesty, I saw that General Sun's troops were moving out of camp when I arrived. I wonder when the 5th and 6th guards will set off. Do you want to arrange for them to leave together?"

Regardless of whether he understood it or not, the emperor was the Grand Marshal, and what he issued at this time was a military order, which had to be carried out without compromise. Just as he was about to leave, Du Wenhuan thought of his doubts again.

According to the combat plan of the General Staff, Sun Chengzong led the 14th and 15th Guards of the Northwestern Military Commission as the central army, while the 5th Guard of the Zhili Military Commission and the 6th Guard of the Northeastern Military Commission under his jurisdiction were the main vanguard forces.

Now the central army guarding the emperor has begun to break camp, but there is still no movement from the vanguard. Could it be that the emperor has been too busy these past two days and has forgotten about it?

"The new battle plan has been given to Ding Shun, and he will explain everything to you. Go ahead, I haven't slept much in the past two days, so don't disturb me unless it's something life-threatening!"

As he spoke, the emperor had already slid down the recliner, even closing his eyes. Wang Chengen, who was standing beside him, took up the otter fur cloak and gently covered him, taking the unextinguished cigar from the emperor's mouth.

"The 32nd and 33rd Guards... aren't they stationed in Nanyang?" Du Wenhuan was driven out of the emperor's tent by Wang Chengen. He took the new order from Ding Shun while walking and was shocked at the first glance at him.

按照总参谋部的作战计划，此次参与西征的陆军只有隶属直隶都司、东北都司、西北都司和华中都司的第5、6、14、15、21、22六个卫兵力。

In order to prevent the rear from being empty, the Qinghai Dusi simply kept its troops on hold and kept a close eye on the Tuogan and U-Tsang regions. How come two guards from the Luzon Dusi and Annan Dusi suddenly appeared? They were far away in Southeast Asia and had not been heard of near Lanzhou. Could it be that they had to wait for their arrival?

"They have arrived a long time ago, hiding among the logistics workers to avoid being seen. Keep reading, don't be startled. This time, His Majesty specially transferred me to be your chief of staff. It's not because he doesn't trust the Yellow Crane Tower, but also to avoid being seen."

As the Army Chief of Staff, Ding Shun must have read the new order and might have participated in its formulation. He gave a simple explanation to Du Wenhuan's question and made some minor criticisms.

"I'm afraid this is inappropriate... The weather on the plateau is unpredictable, with unpredictable winds and snow. When the sun comes out during the day, it can chapped your lips, and at night it's as cold as an ice cellar. You only have a limited amount of water to drink every day. How can you let Your Majesty take the risk?"

Looking further down, Du Wenhuan's reaction was even more intense this time. Even though he tried hard to suppress his voice, anyone could tell that his movements and expression were too abnormal, attracting the attention of passing soldiers.

"Do you think this was the idea of ​​Chief of Staff Yuan and I? Don't act so loyal. I am willing to give up my seat to anyone who can persuade His Majesty not to take the risk.

Forget about it. What's important now is not how to oppose, but how to execute. The daily march distance here is roughly drafted by the General Staff with reference to the patrol log of Qinghai Dusi. You should carefully calculate whether there are any discrepancies and whether adjustments are needed. Then, follow the instructions of His Majesty and go to the soldiers to give them a good vaccination. Don't think you have won before you go out. This is called arrogant soldiers will be defeated. Sun Chengzong was scolded for this the day before yesterday, and Lei Laohu and Jiang Bi didn't get away yesterday. If His Majesty wasn't really sleepy, I guess you couldn't escape.

Let me remind you again, there are things like your neck being cut in half by one knife strike, blood spurting three feet high, and if you are not careful in a snowstorm you will lose your way and be frozen into an ice gourd in less than half a day.

"It's better to say it as cruelly as possible, and it would be best if you could make a few people cry and wet their bed. Otherwise, when His Majesty really asks you if you are so stupid that you are afraid of nothing, you and I will both be in big trouble."

Ding Shun did not explain much about the emperor's change of battle plan, because he was one of the instigators. Originally, the General Staff had formulated two sets of battle plans, including attack and retreat, and only communicated one set to generals at all levels, and now the other set was implemented.

As for why they did it this way, and why they acted it so realistically that even the commander-in-chief didn't know about it until the last minute, we have to ask the emperor. These are all imperial orders, and the General Staff and the Army Staff are just following orders.

The secret was definitely kept. All the civil and military officials in the court thought that the emperor was going to Jiayuguan. Who could have imagined that he would go to the Qinghai Plateau and cross thousands of miles of uninhabited areas, risking getting lost and freezing to death or dying of thirst, to raid the Yarkand Khanate's lair from the south.

If the generals of the Yarkand Khanate knew in advance that the Ming Empire was going to march west and had control of some military mobilizations, they would have to concentrate heavy troops in Hami and Turpan and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.

But no one would have thought that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would dare to walk through the plateau desert that ordinary herdsmen dared not cross, and personally lead a special force to launch a surprise attack.

What is even more unexpected is that this surprise force had no logistical support and could only rely on weapons, ammunition, food and water stored in military forts along the way to reach Yarkand City in one breath.

Not counting the undulating terrain, the straight-line distance measured on the map alone was 2500 miles. It would take more than a month to march without doing anything, and the thought of it made my head hurt. If the enemy could still see through him, Ding Shun felt that it must be God's hand, and he could only accept his fate.

In early March, Sun Chengzong led the main force of the Ming army and arrived at Jiayuguan in a mighty manner. There were thousands of baggage and food carriages carrying them, stretching for hundreds of miles intermittently. The scene was extremely shocking.

The emperor's carriage was also among them, a large six-wheeled carriage inlaid with gold and silver, shining brightly in the sunlight.

Soon, Jiang Bi, the northern commander-in-chief who was in charge of leading the vanguard, led an army and a Mongolian cavalry to the west for a hundred miles and easily occupied Chijin Town. Then tens of thousands of craftsmen who followed immediately began to build the city, working day and night, with the light of gas lamps shining like the Milky Way falling to the ground.

Chijin Town, once the Chijin Guard of the Ming Dynasty, was defeated by the Turpan Khanate during the Zhengde period and was abandoned. A hundred years later, when the Ming army appeared here again, the local herdsmen and farmers had already fled.

Obviously, the news of the Ming Emperor's personal expedition had been known to the Yarkand Khanate, and they had made arrangements in advance to clear out all the settlements closest to Jiayuguan.

(End of this chapter)