But if we ignore it, what will happen if the Ming Dynasty breaks through the city of Herat?
If the Ming Dynasty continues to go north and attacks Samarkand, then I am afraid that everyone will have to rush back no matter how unwilling they are.
The key question now is whether the city of Herat can be defended.
If it were before, no one would be worried. Because the original city of Herat was guarded by 200,000 troops, and with its strong city walls, it was able to hold on for more than several months.
But now in order to conquer the Ming Dynasty, Herat City has just transferred one hundred thousand elites. This... can Prince Shaharu still defend the city of Herat?
After all, judging from Prince Shaharul's letter, the Ming Dynasty had a large army in Herat.
"A million-strong army...Prince Shaharu is talking nonsense, right?"
"Yes, we should have dragged the main force of the Ming Dynasty here. If the Ming Dynasty still has the remaining strength to send a million troops to attack Herat City, then why don't they send all their troops to Jiayuguan?"
That's right... Rather than taking a long and troublesome route to send troops to Herat City, why not send them directly to Jiayuguan? If a million troops plus the Jiayuguan garrison came out in full force, I am afraid that even Yili might not be able to hold on.
"But His Royal Highness Prince Shaharul is also a general who has experienced hundreds of battles. It is impossible for him to make a mistake in judgment, right? What if the Ming Dynasty really sent an army to Herat through a method we don't know about?"
"The only elite in Herat City is the Bedouin Legion, but it only has 20,000 people."
"The reputation of the Herat Falcon scares countless countries, so what if there are only 20,000 people? It is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to send a real army to the city of Herat. At most, it will be a feint attack. With Bedouin The city of Herat cannot fall as long as the legions are here.”
"What if the city of Herat cannot be defended? What should we do? Samarkand is behind us..."
The generals' opinions were divided into two groups. One side believed that the Ming Dynasty could not really capture the city of Herat, but the other side believed that the city of Herat was too important and could not be ignored.
"No, there is Nusrato Ku Fortress behind the city of Herat. Even if the Ming army really breaks through the city of Herat, it is absolutely impossible to capture the Nusrato Ku Fortress. There is no need to worry about the Ming army being able to capture it. Attack Samarkand.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone instantly understood what the general meant.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You actually want to abandon the city of Herat!"
The opponents were instantly furious. Herat was the second largest city in the Timurid Empire, with hundreds of thousands of people living in it, as well as countless mosques and ancient buildings. These things were priceless.
If the city of Herat is abandoned, the entire Timurid Empire will be shaken.
The other party did not show any weakness, and said calmly with his eyes widened: "Herat City is indeed the pearl of the empire, extremely precious, but it is nothing compared with the Ming Empire. If we can conquer the Ming Empire, such a pearl we You can have a basket!”
This sentence shocked everyone instantly, and those who had been hesitant began to support the side that advocated conquering the Ming Dynasty.
The temptation to conquer the Ming Dynasty is too great, and the benefits are also too great.
As long as we can conquer the Ming Dynasty, let alone the city of Herat, even if it costs the entire Timur Empire, everyone here will not hesitate!
All the generals looked at Timur, hoping that the great Sultan could lead them to victory as before.
】
Timur pondered slightly and looked up at Rashid, "Rashed, what do you think?"
Rashad pondered slightly, "Your Majesty, the great Sultan, only you, as God's agent in the world, can lead us in the right direction."
Timur nodded with a slight smile. Regardless of whether Rashad was sincere or flattering, at least his attitude made Timur very satisfied. The choice can only be made by Timur, not by the advice of others.
"However, the Ming Empire cannot be underestimated. Although we don't know how they appeared outside Herat, we should make some preparations. I think that several slave legions in Samarkand can be transferred to His Highness the Fourth Prince."
"How is this possible? Although it is a slave army, it is also guarding Samarkand. If there is a loss in Samarkand, who can bear this responsibility?"
As soon as this man opened his mouth, he was targeting Rashid, and it was obvious that he was not dealing with Rashid. The wealth and life of everyone sitting here is in Samarkand. This person thinks that he can get the majority of support by saying this, and uses the power of everyone to destroy Lashe??????????????? ?The limelight of virtue.
Rashid ignored this person at all and explained directly to Timur: "Your Majesty, there are still four elite legions stationed in Samarkand, so there will be no problem."
Seeing this person, he wanted to say haha, but Timur waved his hand to interrupt.
Glancing at the general, Timur said: "Rashed, these are mature and prudent words."
One sentence is decisive, leaving the other person speechless, bowing his head and saying nothing.
Timur glanced at the generals. He had estimated the strength of the Ming Dynasty before deciding to march eastward. According to his estimation, even if the Ming Dynasty was the suzerain state, it might be stronger than the Timur Empire, but it should not be stronger than the Timur Empire. Only limited.
Relying on many slave legions, he has a chance to take down the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop.
Therefore, no matter how you look at it, the Ming Dynasty cannot send millions of troops to Herat. The information given by Lao Si must be wrong. The Ming army that appeared under the city of Herat could not be the main force.
"Send an order to recruit two elite legions and four slave legions from Samarkand to support Shaharul and let him defend the city of Herat!"
...
Although the order was issued, Timur's expression was not relaxed. He had the same hunch as Rashid, that perhaps the strength of the Ming army that appeared in Herat City should not be underestimated.
Sure enough, Timur's premonition came true a few days later.
"The Ming army's millions of slaves attacked the city and the city of Herat was broken..."
When Tamerlane announced the news in public, the generals below were stunned.
"This is impossible. The Ming army that appeared in Herat City was at most one or two legions. How could it be the main force of the Ming army?"
"...Is it really a million-slave army? Where did they get so many slave soldiers?"
The wrinkles on Timur's temples were deeper than in the past few days. This news was like a bolt from the blue to him.
The city of Herat was destroyed in a few days. No matter what the reason was, it was enough to show that this Ming army should not be underestimated. The entire Timurid Empire fell into a situation where it was surrounded by enemies from both sides. A little carelessness could lead to the destruction of the country and death.
"The news came from the fourth child. He has now retreated to Nusrato Ku Fortress. It cannot be false."
Tamerlane waved his hand tiredly and asked the generals: "The key now is, what should we do?"
What can be done?
Nothing more than one is to immediately retreat to support the Nusrato Ku Fortress, repel the sudden attack of the Ming army, or even eliminate them. One is to ignore it and continue to attack the Ming Dynasty.
After hearing this, all the generals lowered their heads, as if they had not heard His Majesty the Sultan's words at all.
Faced with such a life-and-death situation, how dare they rashly offer advice? If it's right, it will naturally lead to great success, but if it's wrong, it will lead to death without a burial place.
Instead of speaking up and choosing one of the two, it is better to keep your head down and keep your current official position.
Timur glanced at everyone indifferently, feeling disappointed in his heart. Although these generals are good at fighting, none of them can stand alone.
Rashid pondered for a moment and then spoke: "Your Majesty, I think we should attack the Ming Dynasty immediately and strive to break through Jiayuguan within four months."
Timur's face was expressionless, and he just looked at Rashid indifferently.
"reason!"
Rashid felt confident and quickly said: "Your Majesty, if the city of Herat is captured so quickly, then the six legions supported by Sasha?????????????????????????????????? His Highness Shaharul remains at Nusrato Ku Fortress.”
"His Royal Highness Shaharu has six legions, plus the defenders of Nusrato Ku Fortress, they can hold on for at least six months. If we can break through Jiayuguan within four months, then we can march straight in to attack the Ming Dynasty. If No, two months is enough time for us to return to support Samarkand."
Although Timur walked for five months from Samarkand to Yilibari, that was because of the large number of infantry and baggage. In terms of cavalry, two months is enough to support the Nusrato Ku Fortress.
"Okay!" Timur was overjoyed, Rashid's words simply spoke to his heart.
Immediately ordered: "Send the order, set off tomorrow, target Jiayuguan!"
...
Lan Yu held a knife in one hand and sat sulking in the mansion, with his generals standing on both sides.
The atmosphere in the room was extremely heavy. Except for Lan Yu's gasping voice, no one else dared to breathe.
A pioneer officer walked in and quickly bowed with his fists clasped: "I will finally pay my respects to you."
Lan Yu angrily put the knife on the desk and said, "Stop talking nonsense. What's going on with the food and grass? Have you asked clearly?"
According to regulations, the food and grass should have been delivered ten days ago. But in the past, food and grass were sent in abundance, but this time there was not even a grain of rice.
Food is the lifeblood of the army. Lan Yu naturally takes this situation very seriously and sends a pioneer officer to Lanzhou Prefecture overnight to find out.
"The magistrate of Lanzhou said that he did not receive the food and grass this time. He even prepared it for the people, but in the end there was no food to send. However, after he found out about this, he immediately reported to the court to find out the situation. The food and grass should be sent soon. It can be delivered. Once it is delivered, he will send it to us immediately."
Lan Yu was not as optimistic as the pioneer officer thought. He was very aware of the behavior of those civil servants. No matter whether it can be done or not, I will agree to send you away anyway.
As for the future, if the food and grass arrive, Lanzhou will naturally send it. But what if there is no food? Will the Lanzhou magistrate still give it away?
"Have you told him what I asked you to do?"
"I said it." The pioneer officer nodded immediately. Of course he would not forget the father-in-law's instructions.
