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Chapter 884 White and Black 2
But what Latif Khan and Shadi Khoja could not have imagined was that just after they had stabilized their rule and had not had time to consolidate it, news suddenly came that the Ming army was going to march west.

In the eyes of the Yarkand Khanate, the Ming Empire, although bordering on it, was very far away and had little presence. Only the Governor of Turpan had some commercial dealings with the Ming, such as tea and silk, but the quantity was not too large.

No one could explain why the Ming army wanted to march west, but they could not help but believe it because the news was brought by the Oirat people, and they also stated that the Ming emperor wanted to lead the army in person with the whole country's strength.

Now, no matter how hard you try, you have to pay attention to it. The first place to bear the brunt is the territory of Turpan Khan. As the eastern gate of the Western Regions, Hami is definitely a place that must be fought for.

If we defend this place, we can repel the threat from the east for hundreds of miles. If we lose it, the gate will be wide open, giving the enemy a base to advance, and Turpan will be difficult to defend.

Once Turpan was captured, the enemy could either cross the Tianshan Mountains to the north and enter the area controlled by the Oirat Mongols, or drive straight west, or cross the Taklimakan Desert from Kuche along the old course of the Baiyu River and reach Khotan.

With a sufficiently large external threat, not only did Latif Khan and Abdulchayin temporarily put aside their past grudges and unite to face the outside world, but the Khoshut tribe of the Oirat Mongols also volunteered to stand on the side of their Mongolian brothers to jointly resist the foreign enemy.

After several discussions, the three parties decided to send troops together, gather the main force in Hami, and then withdraw the people in Guazhou and Dunhuang areas, to build a strong defense and wait for the Ming army to attack.

Doing so can fully utilize the terrain advantage and make it difficult for the enemy to obtain effective supplies and guides. First, use the 700-mile-long desert Gobi to dampen their morale, and when the Ming army has traveled thousands of miles through the no-man's land, they will be exhausted and have difficulty in supplying, and then strike them head-on, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

In addition, Latif Khan would also dispatch part of the main force to station in Ruoqiang to block the road from Yangguan along the south side of the basin to the west. This road is nearly a thousand miles long, and there are only a few small oases with water along the way. The army cannot pass through together, so it should not be considered the main attack direction.

Even if the Ming army really wanted to take risks, they would be safe with several thousand camel cavalrymen accustomed to marching and fighting in desert areas. The enemy could only advance in small groups at intervals, and they would be eliminated one wave at a time. It was a complete refueling tactic and not a big threat.

"Respected Taiji, the Ming army has been staying in Guazhou for some time. Every day they are either repairing the city or digging ditches. Can you tell me what exactly they are going to do?" Aduqiyin put down his teacup, wiped his mouth, and asked the man sitting opposite him.

It has been almost half a month since we learned that the Ming army had left Jiayuguan and was heading west. News has been delivered every day, but it is becoming more and more confusing.

It was this guy who claimed that he had many experiences of fighting with the Ming army. He said that the enemy's muskets were sharp and that they should try to avoid face-to-face confrontations between the main forces. They should make full use of the advantages of terrain to extend the battle line and make it difficult for the enemy to supply, so as to have a possibility of victory.

From the first few days, it can be seen that the Ming army was indeed moving slowly, and was also trying hard to make up for the weaknesses in logistics supply. Several military forts were built along the way to store supplies and protect supply lines.

But no matter how careful the Ming army was, the supply lines and military forts could only reach Guazhou. Beyond that, there was no water source for the army to use, let alone for building. They couldn't just pile up sand and gravel to build military forts, and they still had to face the Gobi desert that stretched for more than 700 miles.

As a result, the Ming army did not stop after arriving in Guazhou, as if they were there to build the city, and they worked very hard every day. In order to transport supplies, they paved a road with wood on the Gobi Desert between the oases, and then used horses and camels to pull carts on it to move quickly.

This idea is really amazing, and it really shows the strength of the Han people. They are really numerous and hardworking. If the people of Yarkand were to do this job, it would probably not be finished until next year. No one would do this, it would simply be throwing wealth into the desert, it's too crazy. "Dear Khan of Turpan, the emperor of the Han people is very cunning and is very good at using cities as weapons. Back then on the grasslands south of the desert, he defeated Ligdan Khan and my tribe by using the cities that were constantly being built.

With these cities, the Ming army could hide inside and resist attacks with muskets and artillery. The herdsmen were not good at attacking cities, and could not lay siege for a long time.

Once they dispersed, the Ming army would come out and constantly harass the surrounding camps, forcing the herders to abandon their pastures. Then they would build a city and continue to force them, gradually turning all the pastures into battlefields.

The man opposite wiped the tea off his beard, put down the candy in his hand and raised his head. It was Chashak, the leader of the Ordos tribe. Facing Adu Ciyin's suspicious questioning, he simply brought up the not-so-glorious history of defeat to increase his persuasiveness.

At that time, they set up camp in the mountains by the Qinghai Lake and happened to avoid the surprise attack of the Ming army. After learning that Ligdan Khan was in danger, they dared not go north through Suzhou and could only lead their troops westward into the territory of Turpan Khan.

Looking around, the only option left was to join the Oirat Mongols, who also believed in Tibetan Buddhism. With no other choice, they had to cross the Tianshan Mountains again and reach northern Xinjiang, where they joined the Khoshut tribe.

Upon learning that the Ming army was about to march westward to attack the Yarkand Khanate, Gushri Khan, the leader of the Khoshut tribe and the chief of the four Oirat tribes, specially sent the Ordos tribe to lead 5,000 cavalry south to fight the enemy together with the Yarkand Khanate.

"How many cities should be built? Is the Han emperor so rich?"

Sitting on Abdul Chaiin's left hand was a bearded man with a thin face, bright eyes and a black turban on his head. He looked very much like the Arabs guarding tombs in the later movie The Scorpion King.

He was the sixth Khan of the Yarkand Khanate, Abdul Latif. In order to fight against the Ming emperor who was leading the army in person, he specially assembled the main forces of the Khanate and traveled thousands of miles from Yarkand to Turpan to fight together with his former opponent and uncle Adu Ciyin.

"Latifu, the territory of the Han people is very vast, with many large rivers flowing all year round. The banks are all fertile land and can be cultivated in all seasons. I heard that their population is more than ten times ours. As an emperor, the wealth he controls must be innumerable."

Looking at his young nephew, Abdul Ciyin couldn't help but act like an elder and supplement his shallow knowledge. In fact, these things were also heard from businessmen. What the Ming Empire was like was entirely up to imagination.

"Yes, the Han people have a lot of land and abundant resources. But they are also very timid and cowardly, and are naturally afraid of fighting. One hundred Mongolian cavalry can defeat five hundred Han soldiers."

Chashak felt that he had some say in the topic of the Han country. After all, none of the people present had ever been to the Han area. He had at least invaded the border wall, so he could be considered to have been there and seen it.

(End of this chapter)