Bu Shitu has received the news that the 30,000 cavalrymen of Tumut Qinghai's Seventh Division and Yongxie Division have crossed the Helan Mountain West Road and arrived at Linhe City. Meet up with Dasha Huangtaiji. table
Twenty thousand cavalry from the Seven Guanxi tribes outside Jiayuguan also arrived at Linhe City. In addition to the more than 10,000 remnants of Tumut's headquarters, more than 60,000 cavalry have been gathered.
Hearing that the Ogedai Khanate in the south of the Tianshan Mountains was continuing, the Yarkand Khanate also sent 30,000 people to Hamiwei. Four desert Mongolian tribes are gathering in the Ili Valley.
At this time, Yang Fan actually dared to cross the Yellow River south to attack him under a large army. Is he crazy?
The reason why Bu Shitu did not cross the Yellow River north was to attack Yang Fan while Yang Fan was fighting in Guihua City. The main thing is to consider his Xiao Jiujiu. He saw that the situation of a great alliance of Mongols had taken shape. I can't afford to lose the power of the Ordos people anymore.
He firmly believed that Yang Fan did not dare to hit him. He had already stung a hornet's nest. He had to concentrate on the severely insufficient forces at hand to meet the more than 200,000 Mongolian cavalry who were about to counterattack.
If this battle fails, not only will Guihua City be taken back by the Mongols, but the entire Monan may be lost again. He thought he had nothing to worry about.
As for the Ming troops in the four towns on the southern and east-west fronts, Bu Shitu felt that he had fought with them for fifty years and knew each other very well. table
Trying to fight it yourself basically fails. They went deep into the grasslands and never took advantage.
Basically, whoever's home field wins the final victory.
Therefore, except for some alert troops deployed along the Yellow River, he did not deploy too many troops.
And the reason why he was able to mobilize so many troops this time. There is a reason.
If it hadn't been for this time, the Ordos people would have been trapped in a tight siege. External security has seriously deteriorated. Taiji and Nayan from the Forty-Two Department will ignore him.
Bu Shitu's yellow eyes kept turning. He thought about countermeasures.
If the Beijing camp moves south, the entire situation will change, and he will not be able to resist it no matter what. The entire tribe will be compressed. On this plateau, only Dongsheng has built a city. table
When the time comes, his subordinates, no matter how much they despise and dislike him, can only come to him to save their lives.
This may be an opportunity to reintegrate, if under his leadership, Dongsheng City can be defended. His prestige will increase again, and the opportunity to regain power in the Ordos Department will come.
The city of Dongsheng has been built and reinforced for more than two hundred years. He is confident that he can still defend the city for a while. Waiting in the city for the counterattack of the Mongolian coalition forces in the desert.
When the time comes, Jingying will flee back to Zhangjiakou with his tail between his legs. As for those rebels, they could not withstand the attack of the 11th Ming Army, so they would naturally come to the strong city of Dongsheng to seek their own protection.
I just took advantage of this opportunity to ask these Taiji and Nayan people to hand over part of their people and troops. In this way, under the ebb and flow of one thing and another, the power of the Royal Court will increase, and it is not impossible to regain power.
The plan has been decided, and the fortune teller is relieved.
"Here you go, the tribesmen, cattle, sheep and livestock around the royal city will all retreat into the royal city. All the wells in the wild will be filled up. The wilderness will be set on fire, and not a single piece of pasture will be left for the Ming army." Bu Shitu roared with a ferocious face. table
The first spring rain of this season has not yet arrived, and the snow on the grasslands has melted. Dry grass is the time to catch fire easily. This hay is also the only food for livestock. Last year's hay has been stored in the royal city, which can last for a while.
After the wilderness was burned, the Ming army's troops could not find water sources or hay. Their livestock will become hungry and thirsty. This barren plateau also has a name. It’s called the Kubuqi Desert, also called the Hetao Desert.
Yang Fan crossed the Yellow River. On the south bank of the river was the Kubuqi Desert. He had to get his army deep into the Ordos Plateau as soon as possible. The grassland of the Ordos people is on the plateau south of the Kubuqi Desert and north of the Great Wall of Northern Shaanxi.
After the Ming army passed through the Kubuqi Desert, they must have been exhausted and eager to find water and hay. After Bu Shitu ordered the burning of wasteland and the filling of wells, it would greatly increase the difficulties of the Ming army, which would be beneficial to him in holding the isolated city.
grass burning
It’s not a pity to drop it, since spring has already begun anyway, and once the spring rain comes, there will be lush green grass everywhere. There is a time difference in the fight. Yang Fan's army cannot wait for the grass to grow.
The army from Ningxia Town entered the Ordos Plateau in three groups. Three lines advance abreast, two lines serve as flanks, and one line attacks.
The town of Ningxia is located in the northwest, surrounded by the Helan Mountains in the northwest and the Yellow River in the southeast. It is dangerous and can be defended. table
The Yellow River flows around it to the east, and the Helan River flows to the west. The northwest is supported by mountains, and the southeast is protected by rivers.
There is no problem in sticking to this place. With Ningxia Town, we can threaten Mongolia and protect Shaanxi and Gansu.
Ningxia Town actually has more than 30,000 troops, excluding those who live on empty pay. Among them, there are 20,000 guardsmen and 17,000 camp soldiers. This time we can send out 10,000 troops. In fact, we have already taken out most of the combatable troops.
He Huchen, the deputy commander of Ningxia Town, was riding on a black horse, standing on the sand dunes and looking into the distance.
This is the edge of the desert. Not far away is Huamachi. There is a Ming army's Wubao there, with wells and hay. Wherever the army goes, they can take a rest.
This area is not far from the Yellow River and is a key monitoring area in Ningxia Town. There is a beacon tower and road pier every few dozen miles here. The pier is tall and large, standing in a place with a wide view. The pier army is high up, and it has an unobstructed view of the area ten miles away. Once there is any enemy, the beacon will be lit immediately.
He Huchen felt a little uneasy. He had not encountered any Ordos tribe since crossing the Yellow River eastward. It seems that the tribes that usually roam east of the river have mysteriously disappeared. But when I looked around, I couldn't find any beacons or smoke. table
"The army will speed up and camp at Huamachi Castle tonight." He Huchen ordered.
Ningxia's army marched in three groups. Among them, He Huchen personally led the march in the middle. They marched in three sections. The roads in this era were very poor, and only four or five people could march in parallel. The queues were very long.
He Huchen led the team and led the cavalry in front. In the middle is the infantry. At the back are the men carrying the baggage and the guardsmen escorting them.
Continuing forward, there is a valley with ravines. It's getting dark. He Huchen felt a little uneasy. Need to get through here as soon as possible.
After a short rest, the army continued to move forward. The carriages and horses rumbled, making a lot of noise. After a while, we entered the ravine.
Suddenly the procession stopped. He Huchen was riding on his horse. When he saw the soldiers in front of him, they suddenly stopped and couldn't move without any orders.
"What's going on? Why did you stop?" He Huchen roared angrily. table
A messenger came and reported: "To inform the Lord of the General Town, a robbed caravan was found ahead. There were more than thirty camels, about twenty corpses, and some property and boxes and cages were discarded on the ground. It should be It was the horse bandits who killed the people in the camel team. They didn't have time to get everything away. When they saw the army coming, they ran away."
As soon as they heard that the caravan had been robbed, the officers immediately became excited. They like caravans best. If you encounter a caravan on the march, it means you will be paid in advance. It's like another departure fee.
"Well, don't move. Let's go take a look at a certain house first." He Huchen said.
He Huchen is the deputy commander-in-chief, so he cannot be called the commander-in-chief. Only the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief can be called the commander-in-chief. However, when a subordinate flatters him, he can't be called Vice President. Wouldn't that be a pleasure?
"Renlong, come with me." He Huchen turned around and called to General He Renlong.
