War is a continuation of politics.
For Beiyuan now, what he is seeking is not an invasion of the Ming Dynasty, but a victory as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
Both the Northern Yuan court and the grassland tribes are very clear at this moment. If the Ming Dynasty continues to blockade like this, the grassland will really be dragged down.
Originally, the life of grassland herdsmen was very difficult and poor. For a herdsman, cattle and sheep were all his possessions.
The grassland is a bitter cold land. The herdsmen here live in pursuit of water and grass. Moving is an extremely common situation.
Limited productivity has left them in a state of material scarcity for a long time.
The earliest nomadic people in history did not arise because of themselves. The biggest reason was because of their proximity to agricultural civilization.
Grassland civilization is not so much a civilization, but is actually very different from agricultural civilization. Even its culture and history are very meager, and it does not even have its own writing.
During the initial grassland expedition, the languages of each tribe were different, and when facing other tribes, they would not treat them as human beings at all.
The rise of the Xiongnu Empire was also due to the continuous expansion of the Central Plains dynasty, which further compressed the living space of grassland civilization, resulting in the emergence of unified large tribes on the grassland, which can also be called the concept of a country.
Even so, nomadic civilization cannot compare with agricultural civilization in terms of weapons and equipment.
No matter how good your riding skills are or how powerful your archery skills are, how can inferior weapons break through the armor of farming civilization.
In the early Western Han Dynasty, the Huns Empire was indeed very powerful, but in fact not even every knight could have a sword of his own.
If the sword is rolled up, there is no whetstone.
Not to mention armor.
In front of the fully armed Han Dynasty cavalry, such equipment was like cutting melons and vegetables.
Therefore, although the Xiongnu were strong, there are stories in history about thousands of cavalry defeating tens of thousands. This sounds exaggerated, but in fact it is the absolute suppression of weapons and equipment.
This situation lasted until the Cao Cao period.
After Cao Cao introduced the Hu people, the grassland became half-nomadic and half-farming, and the strength of the grassland expanded rapidly.
Plus trading behavior.
Then there was the rise of Genghis Khan.
The strength of the grassland civilization during this period was based on the agricultural civilization.
So when Zhu Ying in the Ming Dynasty ordered to cut off any trade with the grassland, all the tribes and herdsmen in the entire Northern Yuan Dynasty were completely panicked. .
For a long time, grassland civilization has been accustomed to being dependent on farming civilization.
Not only in weapons and equipment, but also in any industry.
Without the help of farming civilization, now nomadic civilization can’t even make lost arrows, let alone armor, swords, and spears.
Also include all aspects of life.
As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
It is difficult for anyone to accept that the various ethnic groups in the grassland can return to the living environment they had hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
Elbek inspected his camp on horseback.
With an army of more than 100,000 cavalry, even the freezing cold wind could not extinguish the excitement in Elbek's heart. ….
At this moment, he truly experienced the magnificent mood of his ancestor Genghis Khan.
Completely opposite to the previous tribes who listened to the tune but not the announcement, due to the existence of powerful external forces, the nobles of all tribes seemed particularly honest at this time.
If the Ming Dynasty's blockade cannot be opened, the small tribes will be the first to suffer.
The Beiyuan court could still persist for a while. Even if the goods were more expensive, the Beiyuan court had a lot of wealth in its hands.
Each tribe is said to be extremely poor.
I don’t usually have any savings. If the furs in my hands cannot be sold, no one can survive for long by just eating meat.
Now they must rely on the Northern Yuan court.
in unprecedented
Under pressure, today's grasslands are also unusually united.
But Elbek truly felt the power this time.
"If I can defeat the Ming Dynasty this time, then I will have the final say on the grassland in the future."
Elbek's state at this moment directly reached its peak.
Once he can successfully gather the power of all the tribes in the grassland, he will hope to reach the heights of his ancestor Genghis Khan.
Not to mention surpassing it, even coming close is already extraordinary.
After all, Elbek is somewhat self-aware.
As a cold wind blew by, Elbek shrank his neck in the cold.
It's really cold outside, so it's more comfortable to stay in a warm tent.
Feeling the warmth all over his body, Elbek decided to have a good sleep so that he would have enough energy to defeat the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop when he launched the assault tomorrow.
At that time, it is possible to regain the glory of our ancestor Kublai Khan and take over the Central Plains again.
...
The grassland in early winter is half late autumn and half cold winter.
With the cold wind blowing, it means that the snow will fall soon.
On this autumn grassland, there are several cavalrymen who are searching for traces.
"Brother Gouzi, it's so cold that I'm shivering. I don't know what those prairie barbarians are thinking about launching a war at this time. No matter how old they are, they still have to wait until winter is over."
"I look at the sky today. There are only half a cloud at most. It's going to start snowing heavily. It will be completely white by then. Who can stand it?"
The one who spoke was the stronger of the three cavalrymen. Judging from his body shape, he seemed a bit fat.
However, being able to become a Tanma means that his body fat is not just puffy, but truly strong.
Brother Gouzi in front looked a bit thin. Hearing this, he turned around and said, "Two months ago, His Highness Taisun's Qunying Chamber of Commerce began to purchase large quantities of medicinal materials, grain, tea and other goods needed on the grassland here at the border. "
"This also caused the markets here to be emptied at that time, and many herdsmen were unable to prepare for the winter."
"There are secret rumors in the market that the Qunying Chamber of Commerce is just making a purchase, and the price will drop by then. This makes many herdsmen wait for early winter to come and conduct a grand transaction."
"There are rumors even among the government that a huge fair will be held in the near future."
Hearing this, the fat man took over the conversation and said: "So this is what His Highness Taisun had prepared a long time ago. He prevented the herdsmen from surviving the winter in advance, and then ordered the grassland to be blocked. Such a large number of herdsmen would not be able to survive the winter."….
As he spoke, Fatty's voice became much softer; "But if this happens, many herdsmen will starve to death."
Brother Gouzi looked into the distance and sighed: "His Royal Highness Taisun is going to force the tribes on the grassland to unite and fight with us at this time."
"His Royal Highness Taisun is really powerful. Our Ming Dynasty has won this war from the very beginning."
"Winter will begin on the grassland in more than ten days at most, so Beiyuan has less than five days to attack us."
"If they don't leave after five days, there won't be enough time to return. By then, the snow will fall heavily and they won't be able to leave even if they want to."
"So Beiyuan has no other choice but to fight."
The young man Tan Ma who had been silent until now suddenly asked: "His Royal Highness Taisun's decree stated that as long as the herdsmen on the grassland are willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, they will be given jobs and food to eat. Is this true?"
The fat man replied casually: "That's called labor, but for herdsmen, what you said is not bad. Now that they have work and food, at least they won't starve to death."
After finishing speaking, Fatty suddenly thought of something and turned around and asked, "Xiao Ma, do you want Oona and her family to come to Daming?"
As a scouting horse, I often wander around the grassland to check.
In the absence of war, many herdsmen and large
The relationship between the Ming cavalry is pretty good.
And Oona is a girl from the grassland. Xiao Ma met Oona when she was shepherding sheep, and has been looking for her often since then.
Brother Gouzi and Fatty both understand this in their hearts.
When Xiao Ma heard this, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously and said, "Yes, I like Oona. If the grassland continues to be blocked, Oona and the others will definitely not have an easy life."
"Only by coming to Ming Dynasty can we have hope of living."
Hearing this, Brother Gouzi said: "You have to know one thing. The herdsmen who surrender will not live here. According to the instructions issued by the court, the herdsmen who surrender will be moved outside the border, and may even go to the south."
"At that time, you will never see Oona again."
Xiao Ma was silent for a moment and said, "I know, but as long as she can survive, I will be very happy."
The fat man interrupted at this time and said, "Actually, there is nothing you can do. As long as you can make great contributions, when you receive the reward, you can ask the superior to betroth Oona to you directly."
"According to the latest Ming Dynasty household registration requirements, as long as Oona marries you, as your wife, she can have a Ming Dynasty household registration and be considered a Ming citizen."
"And her family can stay here."
Xiao Ma's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help but said loudly: "Fat man, why didn't you tell me about such an important thing earlier."
The fat man shrugged helplessly: "I thought you knew it already. Besides, you never asked me."
Xiao Ma's worried look suddenly brightened up, and he laughed and asked, "How much credit do you need?"
The fat man said with a smile: "If you can find the location of the Beiyuan army, this will be enough for you."
Xiaoma immediately said: "Then what are you waiting for... drive!"
He raised his riding crop and slapped the horse's butt hard, causing the painful horse to speed up and gallop immediately. ….
Seeing this situation, the two people could only speed up to keep up.
In the end, it was the war horse that took all the responsibility.
.....
"What, did you really find the location of Beiyuan's army?"
In the Ming army camp, Lan Yu heard the report and stood up and asked.
Qian Hu, who was below, said quickly: "General, it was found by three of the general's men on horseback."
Lan Yu nodded and said, "Let them come in and I will ask them personally."
After receiving the order, Qianhu went outside to call the three people.
It was the dog, the pony, and the fat man.
Love always makes people go to their heads.
Xiao Ma was eager to make a meritorious deed, so he went very deep into searching for traces.
You must know that this is a very dangerous thing. Once discovered by the prairie cavalry, your life will be lost.
Fortunately, the three of them are not old, but they are very familiar with the grassland, especially Fatty, who is of mixed blood from the grassland.
The three experienced people evaded waves of patrolling cavalry and finally discovered the location of the Beiyuan army.
Unlike previous discoveries, this time they can be said to be extremely certain.
Return now to report.
After listening to the three people's stories, Lan Yu took out the map, pointed at one of the areas and asked, "But here."
Gouzi Ge nodded affirmatively.
Lan Yu laughed and said, "You have accomplished a great feat this time. If it is correct, you will be rewarded based on your merits after the war."
Gouzi and the other three quickly clasped their fists and bowed: "Thank you, General."
Lan Yu waved her hand and said, "Don't thank me too early. If the Beiyuan army is not here by then, I will naturally punish you for your sins. By then, don't resent me."
Nowadays, there is no time to review the situation of the Beiyuan army.
Time is urgent, but also to avoid alerting the enemy.
However, Lan Yu still believed in the words of the three people, because the other detective horses also came back, but nothing was found in many directions.
Moreover, the location reported by the three people was a canyon, which naturally provided shelter from the cold wind.
This is also very consistent with Beiyuan's current situation.
There you can better avoid the cold wind and recharge your batteries.
.....
Daming Palace, Qianqing Palace.
The roasted sweet potatoes were placed on the table, peeled by the eunuch and then cut into several pieces for His Majesty and His Majesty the Grand Sun to enjoy.
"It's already early winter. Counting the time, it should be within a day or two that a general attack will be launched over the grassland."
"With a total of 200,000 cavalry, Bei Yuan seems to have a very strong family background."
"It's just a fool's errand to attack our Liaodong with cavalry alone."
Zhu Yuanzhang said confidently while eating roasted sweet potatoes.
At present, among the nine sides of the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong Town has the largest number of troops and the strongest strength.
And this time it was Lan Yu who was in charge of the war.
Although he was afraid of Lan Yu Zhu Yuanzhang, he still recognized his military ability.
Being able to completely defeat Beiyuan's most elite main force, this time it sounds like there are many people, but Zhu Yuanzhang also understands the actual situation.
Basically there will be no surprises.
Zhu Ying replied: "After this battle, Bei Yuan will withdraw its troops. It is estimated that when the battle report is sent, Bei Yuan's envoys will arrive soon."
"It's just that Bei Yuan made a wrong calculation. No matter what the result is this time, the blockade of the grassland will continue to be maintained."
"At that time, the Great Khan of Beiyuan will lose all his authority, and the grassland will be in chaos, with you and me fighting for it."
Zhu Ying analyzed carefully and said.
Under the pressure of such an environment, the grassland will definitely be in chaos. It will be seen how chaotic it will be when the time comes.
Now Zhu Ying has begun to plan the next step to capture the grassland.
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "Just this one blow can severely damage Bei Yuan's vitality."
"By then our Ming border customs will be much easier."
Writing and Seeing the Spring and Autumn Period
