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Longnan is located in the Qinba Mountains. It borders Shaanxi to the east and Sichuan to the south. It is closely connected with the three places of Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan. It is known as "the key to Qinlong and the throat of Bashu". It is a battleground for military strategists of all dynasties!
Since Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty went to the Western Regions as an envoy, the southeastern part of Gansu Province was set up as Gongchang Prefecture. It continued unchanged until the Ming Dynasty, but people still used to call Gongchang Prefecture "Longxi". The southern part of Gongchang Prefecture It belongs to the Yangtze River system, and its climate is closer to that of the south. It is known as "Longshang Jiangnan", so people mostly call it "Longnan", and it is the richest place in Gongchang Prefecture.
During the Ming Dynasty, the official name of the Longnan area was "Jiezhou". It was a state under the jurisdiction of Gongchang Prefecture and was controlled by Gongchang Prefecture. Although Gongchang Prefecture was located in Gansu, it had always been under the control of the Guyuan Army. The defense scope of the town.
This time, Zhao Junchen chose this place for the decisive battle between the two armies!
Zhao Junchen chose Gongchang Mansion as the main battlefield after careful consideration.
First of all, the prosperity and wealth of the Longnan region have a certain appeal to the Mongolian coalition forces. For the Mongolian coalition forces, even if they cannot break through the city and seize the food, grass and slaves in the intelligence, as long as they plunder the territory of Jiezhou Ichiban will not return empty-handed.
Secondly, Jiezhou is located in the Qinba Mountains. The terrain is quite complex, with mountains, river valleys, hills and basins interlaced. It is not only conducive to Zhao Junchen's encirclement, interception and hiding of ambushes, but also can greatly weaken the cavalry advantage of the Mongolian coalition.
Finally, compared to the affluence of Longnan, several prefectures and counties in the northern part of Gongchang Prefecture are economically disadvantaged and sparsely populated. They are also the hardest-hit areas by drought in the past two years. Most of the people in the territory have fled away from home. The two armies chose to fight here. A decisive battle, no matter how tragic the situation is, will not cause too much loss.
In addition, Gongchang Mansion is located in the deep northwest, far away from the core area of the Ming Dynasty and away from the sight of the central court. The prestige and control of the court have become increasingly weak here. Even Zhao Junchen during this period If you do some small actions in secret, it is easy to cover up and conceal them afterwards.
Of course, for Zhao Junchen's layout and plan, there are some shortcomings in choosing Gongchang Mansion as the main battlefield, that is, it is a little far away from the Mongolian grassland. If the Mongolian coalition wants to attack here, they must first To break through the Zhenfan Guards in Gansu Military Town, then break through the Polu Guards in Guyuan Military Town, and finally cross the Wei River. At the same time, to the northeast of Gongchang Prefecture are Guyuan Military Town and Ningxia Military Town, and to the northwest are It is a military town in Gansu. Once the Mongolian coalition forces penetrate deep into it, it will be difficult to escape.
For the Mongolian Allied Forces, attacking Gongchang Mansion is undoubtedly a huge adventure. This will make the Mongolian Allied Forces extremely vigilant and cautious, and they will easily want to retreat. In terms of the Mongolian Allied Forces' mobility and marching speed, they If Zhao Junchen made up his mind to leave the battlefield before Zhao Junchen completed the siege, it would be difficult for Zhao Junchen to reap the maximum results. The arrangement that had taken countless efforts during this period would probably be in vain.
Therefore, before the decisive battle officially begins, Zhao Junchen needs to give the Mongolians some additional sweeteners and bait, so that the Mongolians can not only taste the marrow but also strengthen the determination of the Mongolian coalition to continuously attack Longnan. In this way, even if the Mongolian coalition forces in the future Even if you encounter some setbacks and losses, you will not give up easily.
For this, Zhao Junchen had to sacrifice some people.
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Nine days have passed since the Mongolian coalition invaded Gansu.
The goal of the Mongolian coalition this time is very clear, which is Jiezhou City, which according to the intelligence, has a large amount of food and grass!
The Mongolian coalition's actions were also very resolute. They gathered more than 50,000 troops. After entering the territory of the Ming Dynasty, they went straight to Jiezhou. If they encountered cities and military fortresses along the way, they would not waste time in attacking them, but would just force them back. After the garrison, a part of the army was left to monitor and contain, while the main force continued to approach Jiezhou as quickly as possible.
As a result, the Mongolian coalition's marching speed was naturally extremely fast. In just nine days, they had continuously broken through the defense lines of Gansu Zhenfan Guards and Guyuan Jinglu Guards, and invaded the territory of Gongchang Mansion!
After entering Gongchang Prefecture, the Mongolian coalition forces were still unstoppable and broke through the defense lines of Huining and Yongtai counties in a short period of time.
Faced with the entry of the Mongolian coalition forces, all the prefectures and counties in Gongchang Prefecture were frightened. They only knew how to gather the defenders, close the city gates, and blindly defend the city, leaving all areas outside the city to the Mongols. The coalition forces have no intention of resisting!
However, this attack by the Mongolian coalition seemed to be extremely smooth, and it was overwhelming along the way. However, all parts of Gansu were fortified and the countryside was clear, and even the people in the villages and villages were gathered into the city. The Mongolian coalition did not gain much actual gains.
Then, when the Mongolian coalition forces arrived in the central area of Gongchang Prefecture, they finally encountered a problem!
Because the Weishui River is blocking their way!
Gongchang Mansion has a huge area and is the most vast mansion in the northwest. It is divided into north and south parts by the Weishui River. Jiezhou City is located south of the Weishui River!
Therefore, if the Mongolian coalition wants to attack Jiezhou, they must cross the Wei River!
Due to years of drought, the Wei River is not very deep. The shallowest point is only about one meter. It is not difficult for the Mongolian coalition to forcefully cross the river. However, the commander-in-chief of the Mongolian coalition, Bagan, is worried that the Ming Dynasty border troops will conduct a sneak attack while the Mongolian coalition is crossing the river. , but they did not dare to act rashly, so they ordered the Mongolian coalition forces to stop and rest on the north bank of the Wei River, and sent a large number of reconnaissance cavalry to investigate the surrounding Ming army's movements.
While waiting for the scouts to report back, Bagan and the leaders of various tribes gathered in the big tent, waiting for news and discussing their next march plan.
Since they invaded the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty's border troops have behaved as cowardly and incompetent as in the intelligence. They only dared to huddle behind the city wall and watch the Mongolian coalition forces come and go freely. Even if they encountered some resistance occasionally, they were vulnerable. Was easily defeated by the Mongolian coalition.
As a result, it only took eight or nine days for the Mongolian coalition forces to invade the northwest hinterland of the Ming Dynasty. This also made the leaders of the various tribes in the big tent arrogant and believed that the Ming army was no match for them. The northwest border defense is just in name only for the Mongolian coalition!
Therefore, many people are disapproving of Bagan's cautious approach!
Among them, this is especially true for Qigmu, the leader of the Mongolian right-wing tribe!
The major tribes on the right wing of Mongolia enter the Ming Dynasty every year to plunder. They have long been accustomed to the weakness and timidity of the northwest frontier army, and are also well aware of the various shortcomings of the three frontier army towns. Therefore, Qie Gemu believes that Bagan's caution is just unnecessary and a waste of time. .
After all the leaders gathered together, Qi Gemu did not give Bagan any face and directly raised his doubts.
"Chief Bagan, I heard that you are the most famous warrior of the Junggar Khanate. Why are you so cowardly now? It has been eight or nine days since we entered the Ming Dynasty. Don't you still see clearly the details of the Han army? They are just They are just a group of farmers, without the bravery of the Mongolian warriors at all, and they are still in disarray. Their military attachés only care about their own safety and will never support each other. As long as we do not attack their cities and military fortresses, they will not take the initiative to resist us!
...So, Leader Bagan does not need to worry about any moves by the Han border troops, nor does he need to waste time spying on the movements of the Han army. They will never have the courage to take the initiative to attack! The Wei River is not too deep. We can cross it on horseback. Once we cross the Wei River, we will see Qinzhou and Jiezhou in front of us! By then we can break through the Han people's cities and plunder the Han people's food and grass. Why stay here and waste time? "
Having said this, Qi Gemu snorted softly and added: "The most important thing for us to invade the hinterland of the Han people this time is to win quickly. If we stay here and waste time, it will easily cause changes! Our Mongolian right-wing tribe Tens of thousands of warriors have been sent to join this operation, not just to rest on the shore of the Wei River!"
Hearing Qie Gemu's sarcasm, Bagan's eyes flashed with murderous intent, feeling that his patience with Qie Gemu had almost reached its limit.
In this attack by the Mongolian coalition, in addition to the main force and servants of the Junggar Khanate totaling 45,000 people, the Mongolian right-wing tribes also sent more than 10,000 cavalry to join.
Previously, Qigmu was only the envoy of the Mongolian right-wing tribe, responsible for the contact between the Junggar Khanate and the Mongolian right-wing tribe. However, he has repeatedly been in trouble with Bagan. Since the Mongolian right-wing tribe sent a large army to support, Qigmu's arrogance has become even more arrogant. He is arrogant and always seizes every opportunity to attack Bagan's prestige!
However, Bagan finally endured it and slowly glanced at the leaders in the big tent. He found that the Kazakh leader Abai Haidar, the Chagatai leader Suhe, the Yarkand leader Amul and others were listening. After hearing what Zigmu said, although they did not dare to say it explicitly, most of them showed their approval.
Seeing this scene, Bagan secretly felt helpless.
Deep down in his heart, Bagan also agreed with Qie Gemu. The performance of the Ming army during this period was really too poor. Both combat power and courage were not worth mentioning. It was hard not to feel contempt.
However, Bagan's army is the main force of Junggar. Now it has penetrated deep into the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty. A slight mistake will affect the future national destiny of the entire Junggar Khanate. This also makes Bogen have to be extremely careful and dare not take any risks. .
Therefore, Bagan ignored Qigemu's sarcasm and said slowly: "We are now deep into the hinterland of the Han people, and it is easy for us to be cut off by the Han army. We must be careful. The performance of the Han army is certainly poor. , but they have a large number of troops. If we are surrounded, it will not be easy to escape, and we will inevitably suffer many losses. I am the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, and I must be responsible for the lives of the warriors... Brother Zigmu, if you can't wait, Now, you can lead the warriors on the Mongolian right wing to cross the river first!"
Hearing Bagan's statement, Zigmu couldn't help but be speechless.
This time the Mongolian right-wing tribes sent more than 10,000 troops, just to share the benefits with the Junggar tribe. Don't look at Qiegemu's disdain for the Ming border troops, and his sarcastic remarks about Bagan, but if Qiegemu is allowed Qi Gemu would never have the guts to lead the army deep into the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty alone.
Nowadays, Qigmu is relying on the military power of the Junggar Khanate to pretend to be powerful, but on the other hand, he is not convinced by the dominant position of the Junggar Khanate. Therefore, Qigemu's behavior is also very contradictory. He is following the actions of the Junggar army step by step, and he is also unconvinced by the dominance of the Junggar Khanate. It is to provoke Bagan from time to time. This approach does not do any good to Qigmu and the Mongolian right-wing tribes, but Qigmu is still unaware of it.
Finally, after Qi Gemu snorted, he muttered in a moderate voice: "More than twenty years ago, a cavalry team from our Mongolian right-wing tribe even invaded the Han people's territory of Beizhili. We went deeper into the hinterland of the Han people, but our warriors on the Mongolian right wing had no fear at that time..."
Bagan may look rough, but as Galdan's confidant, he is much more powerful than Siegemu.
After seeing Ziegemu's softened attitude, Bagan ignored him and just turned to look at the other tribal leaders, further explaining: "In this operation, robbing food and grass is important, but the first priority is still to protect ourselves." Our strength will not be seriously damaged! We have dispatched a total of nearly 60,000 troops, all of which are the foundation of the major tribes. Once there is a slight damage, it will definitely be severely damaged! We are different from the Han people. There are too many Han people and they will die. With 10,000 people, we can immediately recruit 20,000 more people. If we die for 10,000 people, it means the demise of more than a dozen large tribes!
What's more, we seem to have a lot of troops, but in order to hurry up and hurry up, we did not attack the Han cities along the way. The Han troops in the rear did not suffer any losses, which means that our back road is unstable! In order to ensure the safety of our retreat, every time we pass through a city and military fortress, we must leave part of our troops for surveillance and containment. In this way, although we have invaded the Han hinterland in the shortest time, our warriors There are only more than 45,000 left, and our military strength is even more disadvantaged. Under this situation, we cannot afford any risks. "
Having said this, Bagan glanced at the Kazakh leader Abai Haidar, the Chagatai leader Suhe, the Yarkand leader Amul and others, and asked slowly: "Most of you are aware of the current situation in the Western Regions. It is clear that once your subordinates are seriously injured, there is no need for me to say more about what will happen to your tribe in the end, right? Although I am more cautious now, but it is also for your consideration! "
Upon hearing Bagan's question, the faces of the leaders changed slightly.
The environment in the Western Region is harsh, and the jungle has always been preyed on by the strong. The troops under their command are the cornerstone of their respective tribes. Once they suffer heavy losses, their tribes will inevitably be annexed by other tribes. Naturally, they cannot afford such a risk.
Therefore, several leaders quickly stood up to express their stance and said one after another: "Of course we will obey the orders of Chief Bagan and resolutely follow the orders of Chief Bagan!"
Seeing the statements of several leaders, Bagan nodded with satisfaction.
After such a conversation, Bagan's leadership position in the Mongolian coalition became more stable.
On the other side, Zigmu's expression was a little ugly.
At this moment, a guard entered the tent and reported to Bagan: "Chief Bagan, all the scouts have returned!"
Bagan looked solemn and ordered: "Let them come in and report!"
After a while, the four detective leaders hurriedly entered the tent.
According to Bagan's instructions, these four horse exploration leaders were responsible for detecting the movements of the Ming army in the four directions of southeast, northwest and northwest.
Ba Gensurong asked: "Is there any unusual movement in the nearby Han army?"
A leader of the expedition was the first to report: "No trace of the Han army has been found within thirty miles to the west."
Another leader of the detective said: "Twenty miles east of our army, there is a Han county town. The city gates are now closed and heavily guarded. However, they are just shrinking and defending, and there is no sign of the defenders in the county town moving out! "
The third leader of the expedition then reported: "The villain crossed the river to the south to investigate, and found that the Ming army in the south is now in chaos and mobilized quite frequently. Apparently they did not expect us to attack here so quickly!"
The fourth leader of the expedition reported: "The Han troops behind our army have also made no changes."
After listening to the report, Bagan felt a little relaxed, but he still did not dare to be careless and wanted to let the detectives expand the scope to explore the surrounding situation again.
But at this moment, another Mongolian sergeant suddenly entered the tent and reported: "Chief Bagan, the scouts outside the camp captured a Han man. The Han man did not resist and said that he knew Mr. Wang. I have important information to tell you."
"Mr. Wang?"
After hearing the report, Bagan was stunned for a moment and turned to a seat in the corner of the tent.
There, a man dressed as a Han scholar was sitting carefully with him.
This Han man is naturally Wang Quan, the only direct member of the Wang family!
During this period of time, Wang Gong's leadership was definitely indispensable for the Mongolian coalition's overwhelming momentum and rapid march.
After all, the Wang family is the deep-rooted family of the richest man in Shaanxi and Gansu. Although it has been eradicated by Zhao Junchen, it still has many informants in various parts of Shaanxi and Gansu. It is easy to find out the reality and dynamics of the Shaanxi-Gansu border defense, and even use the Wang family. The remaining influence of the family delays the actions of the border troops!
Therefore, under the guidance of Wang Quan, the actions of the Mongolian coalition forces will be so smooth!
It is precisely because of his role in leading the way that Wang Quan has been increasingly appreciated and trusted by Bagan. Although he is now the last person to accompany him, he has also obtained the qualification to observe the military strategy in the big tent.
At this time, seeing Bagan's gaze, Wang Quan quickly asked: "Can that person report his origin?"
The Mongolian sergeant nodded and replied: "That man claimed to be Liu Dashun, the chief flag officer of Gubian Fort."
Wang Quan suddenly became happy and said to Bagan: "Chief Bagan, this Liu Dashun has been greatly favored by my Wang family many times. He is one of our own! I have contacted this person beforehand. This person must have come to us." To tell the news!"
Bagan asked: "Can you trust this person?"
Wang Quan nodded repeatedly and said: "I absolutely trust him! He has something in my hands and he will never dare to betray it to me!"
Hearing Wang Quan's answer, Bagan felt relieved and ordered: "Let the Han come in and talk."
Along the way, Bogen has witnessed Han officials reporting news to Wang Quan many times, and the Mongolian coalition has also benefited many times. This is one of the reasons why Bogen treats Wang Quan favorably. Bagan believes that the Junggar Khanate will conquer the country in the future. Wang Quan will continue to be used in the Ming Dynasty.
After a while, two Mongolian sergeants escorted a middle-aged Han man into the tent.
After seeing this person, Wang Quan quickly stood up to greet him, cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Mr. Liu, for your hard work. My Wang family will definitely be richly rewarded in the future!"
After being polite for a while, Wang Quan couldn't wait to ask: "Mr. Liu came to report the news in person, but what happened in Longnan?"
Although Liu Dashun is the chief flag officer of the border army, he does not have the masculinity that a soldier should have, and his temperament and appearance are a bit weak. Now that he was taken into the big tent, and was watched eagerly by the tribal leaders, even more so He was trembling and his face was pale.
Seeing Liu Dashun's performance, everyone present felt disdain.
Under Wang Quan's comfort and questioning, Liu Dashun finally remembered his purpose and hurriedly said to Wang Quan: "Boss Wang, there is an emergency! The defenders of Gubian Fort, Weiding Fort, and Zhenning Acropolis south of the Weishui River Now they have begun to gather, and they want to take advantage of the opportunity of the Mongolian army to cross the Wei River to launch a sneak attack. After I learned the news, I rushed over to inform you!"
After hearing Liu Dashun's information, Wang Quan's expression changed, and he quickly translated the information into Mongolian and informed Bagan.
Bagan's expression also changed and he asked: "How many Han troops are planning to attack in a sneak attack?"
Under Wang Quan's translation, Liu Dashun answered tremblingly: "A few days ago, Huamachi Camp sent 30,000 forbidden troops to support Jiezhou. Most of these forbidden troops were stationed in Jiezhou City, but there were also more than 3,000 Zhenning Guards. , this time the troops who wanted to sneak attack the Mongolian army were mainly these forbidden troops! They didn't know the height of the sky and the earth, and they only wanted to make meritorious deeds, so they forced the defenders of Gubian Fort, Weiding Fort, and Zhenning Acropolis to act with them. The total amount was about Four to five thousand people!”
After learning that the Han army wanted to sneak attack on him, Bagan's originally tense mood became much more relaxed. Killing intent flashed in his eyes, as if he wanted to fight!
After Wang Quan thought for a moment, his face suddenly became happy and he said: "Chief Bagan, if we use our plan to our advantage, we can just wipe out this Han army! In this way, Gubian Fort, Weiding Fort, and Zhenning The acropolis will be empty and there will be no resistance! As far as I know, after the Han imperial envoy Zhao Junchen moved the grain and grass to Longnan to hoard it, because there was too much grain and grass, the Zhenning Guard also got a lot of it. I also have an inside line in the Zhenning Guard , we can easily break the city, and once we break through Zhenning Acropolis, we will soon be able to harvest a large amount of food and grass!"
At the same time, Qi Gemu and the other leaders had been impatient for a long time. Wang Quan’s suggestion was exactly what they wanted, and they all called for battle: “Chief Bagan, this is a good opportunity, don’t miss it!”
"Chief Bagan, if the Han people are hiding behind the city wall, it will really take a lot of effort for us to break through the city, but now they are crazy and want to sneak attack us, so we can kill them all in one go!"
"Chief Bagan, please let our Kazakh warriors be the vanguard in this battle!"
After everyone's suggestions, Bagan finally made up his mind and sneered: "Since the Han people have brought fat to our mouths, we have no reason to miss it! Pass my order and the army is ready to cross the river!"
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