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Chapter 914 Uncle's Backstab

But there is also good news: the construction of cavalry is on the agenda. Currently, the General Staff and the Army Staff are calculating the size and cost of the cavalry and arguing over the ownership of the cavalry.

According to Hong Tao, the cavalry should be separated from the army and become a separate branch of the army. There are two main reasons for this. The first is to weaken the power of the army. From the perspective of the security of the imperial power, it is more advantageous to let the cavalry be independent.

The second is management needs. The combat methods of cavalry and mounted infantry are quite different, but cavalry is not without the ability to fight on foot. If there is a functional overlap, it will inevitably lead to all-round competition.

If they were put together, they would probably be suppressed by the army generals. After all, they were not pure cavalrymen, and they would involuntarily lean towards infantry.

But Hong Tao did not want to interfere with the work of the General Staff and the Army Staff too early. He let them argue first. If they didn't make sense, they might come up with a more reasonable solution. Then he could just go with the flow, without losing face or affecting the result, and he could move forward and backward freely.

As the saying goes, a clay pot will break if it is not kept away from a well, and a general will inevitably die on the battlefield. Every profession has its own destiny, and the destiny of those in power and politicians is betrayal!
Latif Khan had thought about it, but he was unwilling and dared not believe that he would be stabbed in the back by his uncle during the invasion. Just as he was waiting for the arrival of midsummer without any hurry, hoping that nature would help force the Ming army in Yecheng to give up without bloodshed, the bad news suddenly came.

Two emirs from Aksu brought the latest news of the Ming army: Bachu had fallen! They fled westward from Aksu, with the Ming army following them dozens of miles away. After they arrived at Bachu and just changed horses, the defenders had no time to ask for details about the enemy before the Inner Mongolian cavalry appeared within the visible range of the naked eye.

The two of them thought, "Well, don't rest, just get on your horses and run." The 3,000 Khanate troops left by Latif Khan in Aksu, an important town in northern Xinjiang, plus more than 2,000 cavalry from the Kazakh Khanate were defeated by the Ming army in one encounter. Bachu couldn't even gather 500 regular troops, so the outcome was predictable.

Where should they go? The two of them discussed and decided not to go to Kashgar, but to go directly to Yarkand. After all, this is the capital, with a strong military force, and it is safer.

After listening to the general story, Latif Khan didn't even have the energy to curse. It was obvious that the Ming army that captured Aksu and Bachu came from Guazhou, which meant that Hami and Turpan had been lost.

Calculate the time again, hey, how can it be so short! Not long after I left Turpan, the Ming army in Guazhou was unimpeded. If you say that Adu Ciyin did not resist, it seems that he is too dirty, even my uncle doubts it. If you say that Adu Ciyin resisted, it is too damaging to his IQ.

But even though we understand, what should we do now? Obviously, there are only two options. Either we quickly pack up our belongings and lead the army to retreat westward, abandon Yarkand City and defend Kashgar to the death, and keep the retreat route to the west. Or we defend Yarkand City to the death and fight the Ming army!
Latif Khan originally preferred the second option, as he was unwilling to give up the capital. Retreating westwards into the Bukhara Khanate would give him asylum, but without his territory, the Khan would be like a stray dog, completely dependent on his master's wishes to survive, which was not a pleasant experience.

But the generals of Bukhara and Kazakh Khanate disagreed. They were unwilling to risk their lives for the throne of others and were determined to retreat to Kashgar. Moreover, they did not wait for Latif Khan's decision and led their troops to leave first.

Now Latif Khan was at a loss. He had to face attacks from the Ming army from both the east and the west, and the situation was obviously unfavorable after losing the reinforcements. He had no choice but to lead his troops and follow, taking along the nobles and common people who were willing to follow.

As a result, this move cost him his life, because Kashgar had already been captured. Compared with the southern army, the northern army led by Sun Chengzong had more troops, more adequate logistical supplies, and a more direct and brutal fighting style. There was no strategy, no regard for civilian casualties, just pushing forward all the way, killing gods and Buddhas!
The army of three guards and one Mongolian cavalry marched at a speed of 80-100 li per day. When they encountered a village or town, they would leave some troops to attack it according to its size, and then collect horses, camels, and food. The large army did not stop at all, advancing like a snowball. When the soldiers could not run anymore, they would find a town to rest along the way. When the horses and camels could not run anymore, they would abandon them directly. They did not care about anything and only pursued one word: fast!

The two emirs were good riders when they were young, which is why they were able to outrun the northern army. Most of the Khanate troops and tribal armed forces had no chance to escape or report the news. They would be caught up by the army in a few days and then disappear inexplicably, without any chance of being captured.

While Latif Khan was hesitating, the vanguard of the northern army had already arrived in Kashgar. Without stopping, they went all the way to the west of the city, dug trenches near the two river valley roads, and cut off the only route to the west.

Less than ten hours later, the main force of the Northern Army arrived one after another and began to build trenches outside the city of Kashgar, opening a big pocket and waiting for the prey to fall into the trap.

Latif Khan was really anxious. He walked the 400 miles in less than 4 days. As a result, he ran into the defense circle of the Northern Army and was hit head-on. The Bukhara Khanate cavalry serving as the vanguard was almost wiped out at the first encounter.

Faced with such fierce firepower, Latif Khan had no choice but to break through the Ming army's defense line and head west, otherwise he would be attacked from both sides. At this time, he finally understood why the Ming emperor was so easy to talk to and took the initiative to give up the city of Yarkand.

All the good intentions are bullshit, pure smiling tiger. This is all a big trap, deliberately letting himself enter the capital to buy time and wait for the Ming army in the north to move south.

But facing the army of three guards and the Mongolian cavalry of one guard, both the heavy cavalry and the musketeers found it difficult to compete. As long as they were within range, artillery shells and bullets were fired like they were free.

Once the main cavalry attacking from the front was defeated, the soldiers who rushed forward would never come back. The Inner Mongolian cavalry on both sides would sweep across the battlefield like scissors, harvesting all lives.

However, the army of the Yarkand Khanate also had its commendable highlights. When they knew they could neither break through nor retreat, more than 3,000 cavalrymen still voluntarily followed the Khan to launch the final charge, using their blood and lives to preserve the last bit of dignity.

In contrast, the Kazakh Khanate cavalry, which suffered little loss, was not so glorious. Just halfway into the battle, they suddenly rushed towards the Inner Mongolian cavalry on the flank, intending to return to Wushi or Yilibali in the north to return to their hometown. As for what Latif Khan should do, he can do whatever he wants, saving his life is the most important thing!

By the time Hong Tao led the southern army to catch up, the battle in the eastern suburbs of Kashgar had already ended. Fifty percent of Latif Khan's army was annihilated, 30 percent fled south into the mountains, and 20 percent chose to surrender. The Bukhara Khanate cavalry was basically wiped out.

Only most of the Kazakh cavalry survived, because Sun Chengzong ordered that Omubu should not fight to the death to stop them, nor should he pursue them desperately, just pretending to do it. Let them run, and when they run to Aksu, they will encounter the army of Turpan Khan. Whether they can return home depends on Aduqinyin's choice.

(End of this chapter)