Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 361 Underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly

"Sorry..."

On June 12, when the sound of horses was heard, a small tribe of more than a thousand people was singing Mongolian folk songs on their pasture, and herding their herds leisurely.

Before Genghis Khan, whenever there was a change of government among the steppe peoples, the original people would either join a new team or pack up and leave to expand their territories in the West.

People who join a new team don't have much burden. Anyway, no one uses words, and there is nothing to save, just a few clothes and horses.

However, as the Mongols developed their own culture, political system, and writing, it became very difficult for the Mongols to integrate into other nomadic peoples.

Since Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian plateau, the Mongols have begun to be completely different from other nomadic tribes of previous generations.

Genghis Khan first divided the Mongolian population into three categories: "common people in the woods", "common people in felt tents" and "common people in earth cities". Roughly calculated, the population was more than one million.

Secondly, he divided all the Mongolian people into ninety-five thousand households militarily, appointed meritorious officials, and noble relatives as Qianhu Nayan, who were hereditary leaders.

The Thousand Household System was a military-political unit that replaced the old tribe or clan structure. Each Thousand Household had its own pasture. In the past, the competition between small and medium-sized tribes for pasture began to decrease. The casualties caused also began to decrease.

On top of the Thousand Households, Genghis Khan established five top military officials, the Chiefs of Ten Thousand Households, who were served by Genghis Khan's five cronies, Muhuali, Borshu, Naya'a, Huo'erchi, and Hunan.

The Tartar officials did not expect to be able to extract so much information from one hundred households, so they happily led their troops towards the Chinese army.

Unfortunately, all peace has its limits, as research...

Before the Ming army went out this time, the Mongolian plateau had not suffered an invasion from the east for more than two hundred years, so it was never thought that the Ming army would launch a surprise attack from Modong in the east.

Arutai's troops were all stationed in the Hulunbuir Grassland and the western front of the Harawen Mountains. He originally thought that this was foolproof, but as a result, the Ming army did not follow the routine.

The men of this tribe were unwilling to abandon their herds, women and children, so what greeted them was the charge and siege of the Ming army.

This scene made many timid people feel weak in their legs.

"Which department do you belong to, and where is Arutai stationed as a shepherd now!"

When a general who seemed to have a high official position walked out of the Ming army on horseback, and he also spoke very fluent Mongolian in the Tatar headquarters, the group of Mongolians were stunned, and finally one hundred households had to bite the bullet. He spoke from afar: "Yong Xie Bu..."

The Tartar official greeted Na Yongxiebu Baihu, and he walked toward the Chinese army with anxiety.

The color of the flag made the pupils of the group of more than a hundred men wearing armor shrink, and the older men began to greet everyone.

Two hours later, they saw the main force of the Ming army, which was tens of thousands of cavalry resting on the north bank of the Luqu River. The number was endless, and each of them had three horses per person, and every three horses had bright armor on their backs.

Thousands of Ming troops came wearing Ming armor and surrounded these more than a thousand people.

Through these measures, Genghis Khan made his family a golden family, the highest ruling group in Mongolia. All Mongolians were his subjects, and all households, Nayan, were his servants.

He did not answer where his grand master was stationed, and this answer made the Ming army Tatar officer dissatisfied: "Arutai is not respectful to the Ming Khan. If you don't want the whole family to be executed, then tell him where he is stationed." .”

Finally, under the supervision of more than 2,000 Ming army cavalry, these tribes of more than 1,000 people began to walk eastward with thousands of herds.

Melodious folk songs were sung in the vast grassland. The sheep gnawing on the grass in the distance bleated from time to time. The wind blew through the grassland, and everything seemed so peaceful.

The men of the tribe began to put on armor and prepared to move forward in the direction of the sound.

Although Baihu was worried that the Tartar officials would attack him on the way, facing more than 2,000 Mingjia cavalry, he could not even think of any resistance.

They circled outside Lele's car. The Mongolians in fursuits were thirsty and looked nervously at this group, which many of them had never seen before.

"Okay! How big is your ranch? Modong will give you ten times the amount. How many people are there in Arutai now?"

The Ming army had not made an expedition to Mobei for fifteen years, so when they appeared, most of the Mongolians who had been severely beaten by the Ming army had died, and only a few people still remembered their presence.

As Zhu Gaoxu said in the textbook, if the Mongols want to compete with the current Ming army in mobility and leave the Ming army behind, they can only abandon the herds and even the old and weak.

They were placed beside the army, and two thousand armored cavalry guarded them.

"The Onan River is our birthplace..."

It is true that there are 50,000 or 60,000 households in Arutai, but usually only 20,000 or 30,000 households gather around him.

In politics, there is a great judge, and he appoints his adopted brother Shiji Hutulu to be in charge of households and prisons. He is the highest chief executive and is equivalent to the prime minister.

"The Ming Khan has promised that the tribe that answers this question will be rewarded with a trip to the Modong Grassland and ten times the original pasture!"

"Buzz, rumble—"

Facing the words of the Tartar officials, Baihu, who was originally prepared to resist desperately, heard the reward of ten times the pasture, and immediately said: "He is now in Qingzhou."

"Okay, your people can follow us, and I will take you to see Daming Khan!"

Because of this, Mongolia has achieved a comprehensive system that many nomadic peoples in previous generations could not achieve, and no matter what happens, the Golden Family is the only existence recognized by all Mongolians.

At the same time, he expanded the guard army and established a strict guard system, appointing the "Four Heroes" Borhu, Borshu, Muhuali, and Chi Laowen as hereditary four brave chiefs.

After achieving military and political success, Genghis Khan created Mongolian writing culturally.

Even though there are no descendants of the Golden Family in Mobei now, it is still recognized by the Mongols.

"You come with me."

The armored men stared dryly at the increasing number of flags, and watched helplessly as they approached them.

However, before they could set off, flags fluttering in the wind appeared on the eastern horizon.

The Tartar official nodded with satisfaction, and Baihu answered truthfully.

There are several judicial officials under the great official, similar to the six divisions.

When the dull sound of horse hooves sounded in the distance, the herders who were grazing became alert.

They used lele carts to surround the old, weak, women, children and some herds, and sent messengers to the north.

An hour later, after passing the Ming soldiers who were eyeing him eagerly, they came to a temporary tent.

Many generals were sitting in the tent, and there were many acquaintances from hundreds of households outside the tent.

They looked at Baihu and couldn't help but said: "Urel, please speak up and don't implicate us."

"Huh?" Wu Jile didn't understand why he had caused trouble to others, and why they were begging for mercy.

"go in."

Urel was pushed into the tent by the Tartar officer, and he knelt on the ground unconsciously.

"Which tribe do you belong to? Where is the main force of Arutai? How many herds, how many tribes, how many soldiers and horses..."

A person who looked like a high-ranking official in the tent asked one question after another. Urel wanted to lie a little, but after thinking of the reminders from those outside the tent, he finally confessed everything honestly.

"Okay, you can retreat. If the next person to be brought is as you said, how big is your pasture? The court will give you ten times the amount. Why don't you kowtow to His Majesty and thank you?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Facing the words of the Tartar official in the tent, Urel kowtowed frequently, and then the Tartar official waved his hand: "Exit."

After that, he said to the Tatar official who was bringing Urel at the door of the tent: "Take them all down."

"Yes!" The Tartar official nodded, and left the place with the seven or eight small tribesmen outside the tent under the watchful eyes of everyone.

After they left, Zhu Di, who was sitting in the main seat, said to the Tartar official who had given the order: "Huo Zhen, how are you doing?"

Huozhen was a Mongolian who had surrendered to Zhu Di during the Hongwu period. He and Zhu Di had conquered Mongolia many times, so Zhu Di trusted him more and handed over all the torture matters to him.

"Back to Your Majesty, the information is similar. Arutai is indeed in Qingzhou, and there are about 30,000 main troops and about 200,000 subordinates."

"In addition to these, Arutai has also arranged more than a dozen thousand households in the grasslands on the west side of the Harawen Mountains. It seems that his military strength is around 50,000 to 60,000, and his tribe is no less than 400,000."

"Most of the tribes who reported the news sent messengers to the thousands of households under their jurisdiction before encountering our army's Tangqi. We don't have much time."

After Huozhen finished speaking, Zhu Di immediately stood up: "The whole army is marching towards Qingzhouli, I want to catch this Arutai off guard!"

"General, take your orders!" Huo Zhen bowed and bowed. Wang Yi, Zhu Neng and others in the tent also stood up and bowed.

Soon, Zhu Di, who learned the exact news of Arutai, left two thousand cavalry to escort thousands of captured Mongolians and tens of thousands of herds towards Meng Zhang's camp. He himself led more than 20,000 cavalry towards the north. Kill them in Qingzhou.

Even the artillery shells and the artillery cart were pulled by the Liangpi horse. Although the speed was not fast, it was enough to follow the cavalry.

At this time, the Ming army was only two hundred miles away from Arutai. Therefore, only half a day after the Ming army set off, Arutai, who was in Qingzhou, received the news...

In the vast grassland, the lakes shine with emerald green light. More than 100,000 Mongolians live by the water and live a simple and free life.

Looking to the north, a majestic stone city stands on the north bank of the lake. There are also some stone houses near the city. The small stone houses are sturdy and durable, like the Mongolian people's trust and cherishment of safety. However, these stone houses are only a thousand. Only generals with a household or above can live here, but ordinary herdsmen cannot bother to live there.

It’s not that they don’t have the ability to build, it’s that they don’t have the qualifications.

Just like the millions of cattle and sheep that swarm on the grasslands outside the city, although their number is enough to feed the Mongolians living here for several months, they do not belong to ordinary Mongolians.

Even in this beautiful and peaceful prairie, the disgusting rules and classes still exist.

"Drive! Drive!"

"If the military situation is urgent, please get out of the way!!"

When the anxious and shouting messenger came on horseback, many herdsmen paid no attention to the so-called military situation and just subconsciously avoided it.

This is the northern part of Kuoluanhaizi (Hulun Lake), which is more than 400 miles away from the northern part of Yuerhai. It is also the place where the Tatar headquarters currently rely on for survival.

Compared with the insensitivity of the lower-level herdsmen, some ten thousand and one thousand households who have vested interests are very concerned about the so-called military situation.

They guessed who the enemy was based on the direction from which the messenger came, so they all became nervous. "Let's go! Go to the Grand Master!" Many generals began to mount their horses and headed for the place where Arutai lived at the moment.

In that simple stone city, there are still various houses and streets.

Of course, they cannot be compared with the cities in the south, but they are still the most advantageous cities for the Mongols at the moment.

They came to the gate of a courtyard surrounded by stone walls in the center of Shichengzi, and officials from thousands of households were able to enter.

Inside the stone wall is a tent that can be taken away. It is large enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

Sitting in the main seat was a sturdy middle-aged man wearing a Mongolian robe with fat, narrow sleeves and trim.

His appearance is in line with what the Han people think of Mongolians, with a round face, slender eyes, and the short, iconic Mongolian beard.

At this time, he had just listened to the report from the messenger from the southeast, and then he realized that the Ming army had actually crossed the defense line he had deployed in the south and came to a place less than 200 miles away from him.

"Go and call Ali Tai, Shi Nie Gan, Ye Xian Bo Luo and the others!"

Seeing people coming into the tent, Arutai ordered everyone to call those who could take charge.

Under their communication, the leaders of ten tribes, including Asu, Hala'ai, Shenulang, etc., began to gather.

Arutai's background was not good. He was an officer from Asuwei under Emperor Yuan Shun.

Because Asuwei fled without fighting when suppressing the Red Turban Army in the late Yuan Dynasty and caused a rout, he was despised by many Mongolians.

But even so, Dang Asuwei was still one of the few military forces that Emperor Yuan Shun could mobilize.

After Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty fled north, the Ming army continued to carry out military attacks on the Northern Yuan Dynasty. In addition, the Northern Yuan Dynasty continued to have internal strife, so the power of Mongolia was repeatedly weakened.

At this time, Arutai, who commanded the remnants of the Asov Guard, gradually rose to prominence, and the former Asov Guard soldiers under his command formed the Asote Department.

After the Battle of Yuerhai, under the continuous attack of the Ming army, Beiyuan gradually had only two military leaders left who could be taken seriously by the Ming Dynasty. One was Mahamu Taishi of Oirat, and the other was Asut's Asut. Master Lutai.

Each of these two people accepted the title of nobility from the Ming Dynasty, and then annexed other Mongolian tribes. The Ming Dynasty called Mahamu's power "Wara" and Arutai's power "Tatar".

Under the annexation and win-over of Arutai, many Mongolian tribes surrendered to Arutai, and the prototype of the Yongxiebu Mongols was formed.

Yongxiebu took Asote and Harashen, two Mongolized descendants from the Semu mercenaries, as the main core, and united with the Mongolized Tanggut tribe of Xixia people to recruit the eagle keepers of Yunxu Palace and win over some of the people who went south. Buryatia, Barkhago and Hugotan.

As a result, the Yongxiebu Mongols were formed, with the Asote tribe as the leader and the Chinese "Yunxugong" as their tribal identity.

Even though they are just a make-shift tribe, they are an important pillar that has always supported Beiyuan.

"The Ming army invaded. Their number is unclear, but I think it shouldn't be too few."

Facing thousands and thousands of households from ten tribes including Ahala, Shenulang, Bolai, and Danglaerhan, Arutai told what was happening now.

"They are less than two hundred miles away from us, and they came at the right time. They happened to pick the time when I had a falling out with Yuelu Timur (Ghost Lichi)."

"I have sent military orders to several thousand households around Kuolian Haizi (Hulun Lake), and they will gather here soon with their troops."

"In this way, we have at least 40,000 troops on hand."

Arutai talked about his arrangements, and the nobles below also said: "The herds, women and children must be moved first, otherwise we will take the initiative!"

"Who is the Ming general who leads the troops this time?"

"It should be Zhu Neng or Zhang Yu, Wang Yi, Meng Zhang..."

"Isn't Zhang Yu already old and transferred back?"

"When did this happen?"

"years ago……"

"Who are Wang Yi and Meng Zhang?"

"There are several Han generals who fought fiercely with Haragu and the others before."

It has to be said that the Tatar Ministry's information was very lagging behind. They didn't even know that Zhang Yu had been transferred back, and they thought it was Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng who were defending the north.

As for Wang Yi and Meng Zhang, if it weren't for the fact that the Tatar tribe had contacts with Wu Liangha in the east, I'm afraid they wouldn't even know who these two people are.

"All right……"

Seeing that their argument was inconclusive, Arutai said directly: "I have sent Tangqi. If the Ming army knows where we are stationed, they should also come to look for us."

"The first priority at the moment is to move the tribes and herds to show the enemy's weakness to lure the Ming army to pursue them, and finally choose a place to set up an ambush."

Arutai has not fought against the Ming army for more than ten years. Although he obtained a lot of information from Wu Liangha, he did not find the information useful.

In their opinion, Wu Liangha's combat effectiveness was no different from that of the more powerful horse bandits.

"Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, and Li Wenzhong are all dead. Except for Zhu Di, who has become the emperor, and his son Zhu Gaoxu, there are no other generals worthy of our attention. ."

Arutai stood up, and the nobles also stood up after hearing this, but some still raised questions.

"Zhu Di led the troops to destroy Wu Liangha last time. Will he also lead the troops this time?"

"It's possible." Arutai admitted this possibility, but he remained calm: "Even if Zhu Di leads the troops, we don't need to be nervous."

"The Ming army in the south has not fought with us for fifteen years. In the past fifteen years, our strength has developed. If they are still as arrogant as before, they will only get a disastrous defeat."

"Now follow my instructions and prepare to lure them into your pocket and eat them in one fell swoop!"

As Arutai set the tone, tribesmen in Qingzhou soon began to migrate to the Onan River in the north. Arutai also began to gather several thousand households nearby, and personally led his 30,000 cavalry to supply dried meat, Cheese and other food began to march toward the southeast.

At this time, he still didn't know who the opponent he was facing was, but in his opinion, as long as Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu were not leading the troops, this battle would not be too difficult.

During the day and night raids, Arutai joined several thousand households and gathered nearly 40,000 soldiers and horses at noon the next day.

When they gathered on the grassland, the gleaming armor was dazzling. Although the quality of the armor was not as good as that of the Ming army, they could pull out 40,000 armored cavalry, which was extremely impressive in the history of nomads.

You must know that even three hundred years later, the Junggars, who fought a hundred-year war with the Qing Dynasty, only had 50,000 or 60,000 troops, and the number of troops they could draw against the Qing Dynasty had never exceeded 30,000.

With such power, Arutai naturally had the confidence to fight the Ming army.

Under his arrangement, the Sentinel Cavalry went south in a team of thousands to disperse support, and their task was to attract the main force of the Ming army into the pocket they had set.

"Sorry..."

"Beep--"

On the vast grassland, when the Ming army's Tangqi marched north at a certain speed, a harsh whistle suddenly sounded.

"What happened!"

Among the central army, Qiu Fu, who was responsible for leading the cavalry, frowned, but the news from the front made him overjoyed.

"Duke Qi, we found Hu cavalry in front of us, no less than a thousand people!"

When Qianhuguan reported the situation discovered at the front, Qiu Fu immediately said excitedly: "Have the enemy discovered us?"

"Look at the movements of the troops and horses, Wei Zeng."

The Qianhu official answered truthfully. After all, the Ming army Tangqi also had their own Tangqi. In front of the thousand people were more than ten Tangqi holding telescopes.

Unless the Mongols could see a few figures two or three miles away, only the Ming army would peek at them, and there would be no reason for them to peek at the Ming army.

"Okay!" After hearing the good news, Qiu Fu was excited.

"Pass my military order, and the entire army will attack from the flanks and attack from behind. First, we can capture these thousand cavalrymen and bring good luck to the entire army!"

Qiu Fu was about to eat the cavalry without thinking. The Qianhu official next to him heard this and said cautiously: "Should I report to His Majesty first, or ask for help from Tong'an Marquis, Wucheng Marquis, and Anping Marquis?"

The three soldiers and horses mentioned by Qianhu Official are the soldiers and horses under the jurisdiction of Huozhen, Wang Cong and Li Yuan.

Because Zhu Di was very cautious when searching for the Tatar headquarters, he did not directly hand over tens of thousands of troops to his old brothers. Instead, he asked them to each lead a thousand men as Tangqi to search for Arutai in Kuoluan. Soldiers and horses outside Haizi.

"Time waits for no one. We can send a message to His Majesty for help, but we must act now!"

Qiu Fu was not so arrogant as to think that he could still defeat the opponent's reinforcements even if he had a thousand men.

However, in his opinion, before His Majesty arrives with reinforcements, he will definitely be able to defeat the thousand men on the opposite side and win the first victory of the entire army.

"But……"

Qian Huguan wanted to say more, but Qiu Fu glared at him: "What? Do you think I can't fight?"

"That's not what the general meant!" Hearing this, Qianhuguan quickly explained. Qiu Fu was not petty at all, he just pointed forward with his whip:

"Now you personally lead ten people to spread the news, and the rest will follow me to attack this Huqi in a roundabout way... drive!"

After Qiu Fu said this, he set off at the lead, and the dozens of servants he brought with him also followed suit.

The other cavalrymen looked at each other and glanced at their Qianhu officer.

"Look what I'm doing, follow me!"

Seeing that he could not stop him, Qian Huguan could only let the army follow Qiu Fu, and he himself took several soldiers around him as messengers to convey the news of Hu Qi's discovery to the rear...

(End of this chapter)