The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 477: Using Your Ancestors’ Tactics to Fight You

Hamalidin stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the Ming army in the distance, his eyes full of resentment.

In the first year of Jianzhang, Hei'erhuozhe, who had just succeeded to the throne, sent an envoy delegation to Luoyang to pay homage to the emperor.

The leader of the delegation was Hamaluddin.

After arriving in Luoyang, they were relatively honest at first, but soon became impatient with the Ming Dynasty's diplomatic etiquette.

Coupled with the pride in the hearts of the Mongols, many members of the diplomatic corps began to deliberately break the law.

At first, they just wanted to gain the attention of the Ming court and obtain some privileges in this way.

At this time, envoys from other vassal states began to cheer them, and all kinds of flattery came pouring in.

They became adrift, or, in other words, were placed on a high platform and could not come down.

As a result, the mistakes made became bigger and bigger.

The Ming Dynasty responded quickly. A man named Chen Jingke stepped forward and arrested all members of the diplomatic corps.

The final verdict was to execute everyone.

Only Hamaridin, as the chief envoy of the diplomatic mission and not directly involved in the crime, was pardoned.

But he was also whipped twenty times in public.

From then on, no one dared to violate the diplomatic rules of the Ming Dynasty.

As the chicken being killed to scare the monkeys, Hamaliddin naturally regarded it as a great shame and humiliation.

After returning to the Chagatai Khanate, he often spoke ill of the Ming Dynasty.

But Heidehuozhe was not a foolish ruler. He did not believe his words and still tried to maintain good relations with the Ming Dynasty.

It also provides convenience for merchants and travelers traveling along the Silk Road.

To put it bluntly, he wants to have both sides.

While trying to please Timur, he also made friends with the Ming Dynasty.

Hamaluddin was no ordinary man either. He was a Mongolian nobleman and had considerable power behind him.

In addition, because of the humiliation he suffered during the diplomatic mission, he became a staunch pro-Timur party and gained the support of those who also supported Timur.

He then used these powers to gain governance over the Western States.

It is because this place is closest to the Ming Dynasty that he wants to see if there is any chance to cause trouble.

Over the years, many people have created obstacles, both overtly and covertly, to hinder the normal operation of the Silk Road.

They even sent out a small group of cavalry to plunder the Hexi border.

This time when he heard that Zhu Gang was going to send troops to the Western Regions, he was not afraid but very excited.

"The Ming army has just arrived and their morale is high. We should avoid their sharp edge."

"Zhu Gang's 40,000-man army can only sustain itself for a month at most with the logistical supplies it carries."

"Moreover, they came from afar and did not bring any siege equipment..."

"We just need to fortify our city and defend it. In a month, the Ming army will be defeated without a fight."

"Then we can wipe out this Ming army without any effort."

"Without Zhu Gang and these 40,000 main forces, the Ming Dynasty's Hexi region will be left empty."

"We may have a chance to seize this place."

Even if you can't defend it, you can still make a lot of money by looting it.

If he could really rescue more than 100,000 people from Hexi, he would become the lord of Xizhou.

Those who are evil have to give him some respect.

This plan was naturally recognized by all the subordinates.

His analysis does make sense, and defending the city is in line with everyone's thinking.

After all, a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow, and no one wants to confront a famous general like Zhu Gang head-on.

The commander Hamaridin proposed to defend the city by clearing the countryside, which was exactly what they wanted.

Some subordinates also questioned: "The Uighurs have many connections with Zhu Gang. What if they provide food and grass?"

Hamalidin sneered: "Of course I will be on guard against this..."

"Notify all Uighurs to move to Turpan and Huozhou within one month."

"For those who do not want to move in, take their cattle, sheep and food and let them fend for themselves."

The subordinate even objected: "If this is the case, won't it force the Uighurs to surrender to the Ming Dynasty?"

Hamalidin said: "Even if we want them to surrender to Zhu Gang, I want to see whether Zhu Gang is willing to give military rations to these hungry Uighurs."

In the next month, Hamalidin sent people to forcibly relocate the people around the two cities of Turpan and Huozhou into the city.

Those who are unwilling to leave will be killed and looted.

Not only the Uighurs, but other ethnic groups living here also encountered the same fate.

As a result, about 70,000 people were relocated to two cities.

More than 40,000 people fled in all directions.

There are another 20,000 to 30,000 people who are either dead or missing.

Afterwards, Hamaliddin forced the young and strong men from all tribes to cut down and burn all the trees within dozens of miles of the two cities.

And reinforced the city.

Considering the lack of water and moat, he dug several trenches around the city.

Behind the trench was a low wall more than three feet high. His subordinates could stand behind the trench and attack the Ming army attacking the city.

If one trench was lost, they would retreat to the second trench.

Every trench is a meat grinder that needs to be filled with human lives.

Of course, Hamaridin did not expect these trenches to play a decisive role.

His real purpose was to delay time.

When Zhu Gang's food and grass are exhausted, he will be at his mercy.

When Zhu Gang's army arrived at Huozhou City, what they saw was a city armed to the teeth.

After observing the city defense system through a telescope, Zhu Gang couldn't help but praise:

"This Hamaliddin is quite capable. This city is built like a hedgehog."

Xu Mei rode up to his side and said:

"In the past, this city could not be conquered without the death of several thousand or even tens of thousands of people."

"Even if we take it, our food and supplies should have been exhausted."

He was a new generation of generals who grew up after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. He was born into a commoner family and relied entirely on his talent.

He gained Zhu Gang's trust, and not only was he promoted and given an important position, but he was also forced to read a lot of books.

Therefore, he is extremely loyal to the Prince of Jin's Mansion.

Zhu Gang brought him along with him on this expedition.

Zhu Gang put down the telescope and said, "But unfortunately, he doesn't know that times have changed."

Afterwards, he ordered Xu Mei to lead 12,000 people to Turpan City.

"Attack the city with your camera. If there is no chance, there is no need to force the attack. Just block the four gates to prevent the enemy from escaping."

On the top of the city wall, seeing that Zhu Gang actually chose to divide his troops, Hamalidin laughed and said:

"Zhu Gang is unworthy of being a famous general, but he doesn't even understand the principle of surrounding an enemy with ten of them."

"He already had insufficient troops, yet he dared to divide them. He really doesn't know how to live or die."

His subordinates were also very happy.

This was part of their plan.

Divide into two cities for defense. If the Ming army attacks two cities at the same time, we will have to divide our troops.

The forces were dispersed and they couldn't even take down the last city.

If he placed his main force in one of the cities, the people in the other city could look for opportunities to harass the Ming army.

Zhu Gang's choice to divide his troops was the best outcome they had imagined.

I didn't expect it to really appear.

For a moment, everyone's confidence surged.

Zhu Gang didn't know what they were thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn't bother to care.

He did not rush to attack the city, but ordered his men to set up camp around the city and take turns to rest and recover their strength.

In the logistics unit, a group of craftsmen were also making equipment using the collected wood.

The device Zhu Gang asked them to make was a simple one, a catapult.

This is the one modified by Chen Jingke. It is lighter and has a longer range.

He didn't plan to build more, twenty or thirty would be enough.

Most of these woods were dismantled from the houses of local people.

Another part was transported from dozens of miles away.

It’s not that Hamaridin’s efforts to clear the countryside were not thorough enough, and there were omissions or something like that.

But these remaining wood materials are very limited in quantity if they are really needed to build siege equipment.

There are plenty of ways to destroy it during the battle.

As long as Zhu Gang is unable to produce large quantities of siege equipment, it will be fine.

But as Zhu Gang said, he didn't know that times have changed and many tactics and strategies have also changed.

Otherwise, Zhu Gang would not dare to adopt such a risky tactic.

Zhu Gang's expedition this time was a battle without logistical support.

There is no way. Logistics is the most difficult part in conquering the Western Regions in all dynasties.

The reason why the Han and Tang dynasties were able to conquer the Western Regions was because there were tribes along the way that provided them with military supplies and food.

The number of various supporting troops was even several times that of the Han and Tang armies.

Once the army gained a foothold in the Western Regions, they would establish their own farmlands and solve the problem of food and fodder locally.

But starting from the Song Dynasty, the power of the Han people in the Western Regions gradually weakened and almost disappeared by the Yuan Dynasty.

The Ming army's supply line could only reach Dunhuang at most.

But Dunhuang is still 1,500 miles away from Xizhou.

During these 1,500 miles, the Ming army was unable to obtain any supplies.

Transport supplies from Ming Dynasty?
Stop joking, the finances can't afford it.

If the distance is more than a thousand miles, 90% of the transported food will be consumed on the road.

No matter how rich the Ming Dynasty was, it could not withstand such consumption.

Moreover, this 1,500-mile transportation line is the biggest weakness. Others can cut it off at any time.

Why does Huo Qubing have such a high status in military history?
A big reason for this was that, under the conditions at the time, he was able to fight without a rear base.

Not once or twice, but many times.

No one in history has been able to replicate his achievements.

Originally in history, the power of the Ming Dynasty could not truly enter the Western Regions for this reason.

Another reason is that the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the Oirat Mongols always threatened the security of the northern border.

Closer to home.

Zhu Gang's expedition this time was a typical battle without a rear base.

Before the food and fodder carried by the army is eaten up, a base must be captured, namely Xizhou.

Otherwise, you don't even need to fight, you will just collapse on your own.

This is also the reason why Hamaridin chose to clear the countryside.

Zhu Gang was naturally not a reckless person, although this expedition was indeed very risky.

But he was also extremely confident.

Part of the confidence came from the resistance of local ethnic groups to religious persecution by the Chagatai Khanate.

As long as the Ming army could defeat Chagatai's army, it would be able to quickly win the hearts of the local people and obtain reinforcements from here.

Part of the confidence comes from the advancement of science and technology.

This is also the blind spot of knowledge of Hamaliddin and others.

This time, Zhu Gang wanted to use technology to teach Hamalidin a profound lesson.

The craftsmen worked day and night, and by the early morning of the next day, twenty-four catapults were built.

In order to protect the operators, wooden boards were installed in front of the catapult to prevent bow and crossbow shooting.

Afterwards, the army began to mobilize, and Zhu Gang sent out a vanguard of 5,000 people to protect the catapults and slowly move towards the position.

Behind the vanguard were three thousand young and strong men carrying sacks.

Their task was to fill the trench in front of them to create a path for people to pass through.

On the top of the city wall, listening to the sound of war drums and watching the strange actions of the Ming army, Hamalidin was very confused:
"What it is?"

One of the subordinates said uncertainly: "It looks like a catapult?"

Hamalidin said angrily: "Don't pretend, go check."

So the messenger immediately ran down the city wall and went to the position in front of the trench to inquire.

Soon an answer came back: "It's a catapult."

This made Hamalidin even more confused: "Catapults? Are they going to push the catapults to the edge of the moat and launch stones at the city walls?"

"Haha..." Everyone laughed mockingly.

Not to mention that they had arranged defensive personnel behind each trench, who could take the initiative to attack and destroy the catapults.

Even though the Ming army was well guarded, they were unable to destroy it.

Your catapult doesn't have that far of a range.

Soon, the two sides entered combat distance.

Chagatai's army shot arrows from the low wall behind the trench, and the Ming army's vanguard raised their shields to block the arrows, then slowly advanced under the rain of arrows.

The catapult stopped twenty feet into the trench, and a group of soldiers in special uniforms began to operate it in an orderly manner.

These soldiers were dressed in cloth, without any weapons, but with a big fire symbol written on their chest.

This made Hamalidin and others even more puzzled. What was they trying to do?

One of the subordinates said, "Are they planning to use catapults to smash the defenders behind the low wall?"

Hamaldin couldn't help laughing and said, "Hmm... twenty-three catapults, they do look scary."

"Haha..." Laughter broke out again, and the sound of joy rang out from the top of the city wall.

They do have reason to be happy. Given the current frequency of catapult firing, only hundreds of them would be lethal.

These twenty-three machines are just enough to scare people.

The more these people thought about it, the happier they became. Their laughter inevitably became a little louder, so much so that Zhu Gang could vaguely hear it.

He looked towards the top of the city wall in confusion. There seemed to be laughter?
I must have heard it wrong. Who can laugh at such a big battle moment?

What's more, it's difficult for sound to be transmitted over such a long distance.

Then he didn't think much about it. When he saw the catapult enter the designated position, he said:

"Send the order, launch the attack."

The fire-armored soldiers who received the order put stones into the catapults and fired several rounds.

Just as Hamalidin and others thought, the sparse stones did not have any killing power.

Except for one unlucky guy who was not killed, the others didn't even have their clothes damaged.

However, they did not notice that the catapult was landing closer and closer to the low wall.

After firing four rounds, the stone finally stopped.

This made the defenders even happier, and their laughter could be heard across the camp.

The Ming army was extremely angry.

Zhu Gang looked at the angry soldiers behind him and said with a smile:

"Very good, we can sleep in the city tonight."
-
Just when the Chagatai defenders thought that the Ming army should retreat in disappointment, another round of black spots hit them.

However, when the "black spots" landed on the ground, they found that they were not stones, but black iron lumps.

There was also a strange rope on it, with fireworks emitting from it.

then……

"Boom...boom...boom..."

Twenty-three loud noises came one after another, instantly overwhelming all the noisy sounds.

"gunpowder."

Everyone reacted.

At this time, gunpowder had become famous all over the world and few people did not know about it.

However, not many people know the specific uses of gunpowder.

Obviously, Hamaliddin and his subordinates did not have a clear understanding of this aspect.

When the explosion sounded, Hamaldin asked a slightly stupid question:

"Can a trebuchet also fire cannons?"

One of the subordinates observed for a long time and gave an answer:
"It seems...they launched thunder bombs."

Everyone was shocked.

Twenty-three stones had minimal impact on the battlefield.

But twenty-three thunder bombs, which were improved ones, were concentrated and dropped on one point, and their destructive power was very strong.

A large number of defenders hiding behind the low wall were cleared out.

Most were killed by flying debris, and a few were killed by shock.

Seeing the loopholes in the defense, the three thousand strong men carrying bags rushed over and poured generations of sand into the trench.

After the defending general reacted, he immediately ordered people to come and take over the defense.

However, by the time they arrived, the next round of Ming army catapults was already ready.

Another round of volleys killed most of the soldiers who had just come to take over the defense.

After this happened a few times, no one dared to come and die.

Hamaliddin on the city wall was terrified and shouted desperately for people to defend.

Others suggested sending troops to take the initiative to attack and destroy the catapults.

However...the trenches used to hinder the Ming army's progress actually blocked their own progress.

The few hundred people who managed to rush forward were killed by the guards and could not get close to the catapult at all.

The defenders could only watch as the Ming army filled the trench to create a passage.

Zhu Gang looked at the defenders who had fallen into panic and couldn't help shaking his head.

Although Hamaluddin was a Mongolian, he knew nothing about Mongolian history.

If he had known about the Mongol invasion of the West, he should have known that his ancestors had been on the banks of a certain river.

They used catapults to launch thunder bombs across the river, which threw the coalition forces of the Far West, which were several times larger than their own, into chaos.

This created opportunities for subsequent cavalry harvest.

The current situation is very similar to that of the past.

The only difference is that back then there was only a river separating them, but now there are only trenches separating them.

Of course, if Hamaliddin knew these things and took corresponding precautions.

Zhu Gang would not adopt this tactic either.

Tactics are dead, people are alive.

It's nothing more than specific analysis of specific issues.

"Unfortunately, Hamaliddin is not a famous general after all. He only knows how to imitate military books and does not understand the art of change."

The trench was breached, and then came the battle for the low wall...

The morale of the Ming army was high, and coupled with the anger from being ridiculed before, they rushed forward without caring about their lives.

In contrast, Chagatai's defenders had low morale and were quickly defeated and killed.

If it weren't for Hamaridin's quick reaction and timely order to cut off the overpass connecting the second trench.

The Ming army chased after them.

But the impact is not significant.

Next, all you need to do is copy the tactics you just used.

Concentrate the catapults and use the new type of thunder bombs to blow up a gap in the defense, and then the army will attack.

By noon, the four lines of defense that Hamaridin regarded as meat grinders had all been captured by the Ming army.

The morale of the defenders was low, and even Hamaliddin was panicking.

He had imagined countless situations, but never this one.

The defense that I spent so much energy to build didn't even last a single day.

But he still didn't give up:
"We still have the city walls, and they don't have siege equipment, so they can't reach the top of the city..."

Before he could finish his words, a loud "bang" was heard. He looked up and saw a section of the city wall not far away collapsing like it was made of paper.

(End of this chapter)