Ten miles away from the Xifengkou military camp, generals Li Songping, Man Gui, Chen Guang, and Qin Bangping had been waiting for a long time. They waited until night to report that the emperor had arrived, and they immediately went to greet him.
Zhu Youxiao, who was dressed in silver armor, looked extremely dazzling under the moonlight. They dismounted their horses and knelt down early, and then shouted in unison:
"I will see you, Your Majesty!"
"Get flat!"
"It's not appropriate to stay here for a long time. Return to the military camp quickly. I have something important to do!"
After arriving at the camp, Zhu Youxiao immediately asked the generals:
"Is the hot food ready? The sergeants have not eaten all night, so they must be very hungry."
"Back to Your Majesty, I have prepared the porridge for you to eat!"
"Okay, General Li is very considerate and complete in his work. Ruizheng, go and deliver the order quickly. After you have had enough to eat and drink, let everyone rest as soon as possible and recharge their batteries. We will leave the customs tomorrow."
Zhu Youxiao looked at one of the generals he had never seen before and asked:
"Are you Mangui?"
"Return to your majesty, I am correct!"
"I heard that you are a Mongolian?"
"I am indeed a Mongolian, but I grew up in the Ming Dynasty, and my father and ancestors also lived in the Ming Dynasty for generations!"
There are some differences between Mongolians and Hans. Although they have many similarities, their frames and bodies are generally taller and stronger than those of Hans.
Moreover, their skin is also very rough and their appearance is more fierce.
And Man Gui was a fierce man among fierce men. Even Huang Taiji was quite afraid of him. He was also the best among the Ming army generals who dared to fight the enemy head-on without falling behind.
"You have guarded the border town for so many years, and you are a Mongolian. I believe you are very familiar with the grassland. I wonder if you have any good suggestions for this expedition to Mongolia?"
"I believe that your Majesty's strategy has no flaws. Most Mongolians are beasts. In terms of cavalry charging into battle, our Ming army may not be as good as them, but in terms of strategy and tactics, their heads cannot be turned around at all."
"Their tribes are extremely scattered among themselves, and most of them have conflicts. The tribes have been divided for decades or hundreds of years. Your Majesty may be able to take advantage of this."
This is exactly what Zhu Youxiao thought. Although Lin Dan Khan was nominally the Great Khan of Mongolia, except for the Chahar tribe, several other large tribes such as the Tumut tribe, the Tatar tribe, and the Oara tribe did not regard him at all. Take it seriously.
The Khalkha tribe is sandwiched between Chahar and Oara, and is the weakest. It is also threatened by the troops of the Oara tribe all the year round. Although it nominally surrenders to him, it is actually playing its own game.
Not to mention the Horqin tribe. After Nurhachi unified Jianzhou, people decided to take advantage of it. Nurhachi's khan was respected by the Horqin tribe and some small tribes.
Moreover, even the Chahar tribe was messed up by him. Many people already wanted to leave him, but they were too weak to do so openly.
From these aspects, it can be seen that Lin Danhan is just a mediocre and incompetent person with great ambitions and little talent, and his level of marching and fighting is also terrible.
Historically, Huang Taiji, with less than two banners of Jianzhou soldiers and the Horqin tribe, beat Lin Danhan to death, who had 78,000 to 80,000 Mongolian cavalry under his command. In the end, he fled thousands of miles to Qinghai. From then on, Huang Taiji basically Unify Monan.
Without the barrier of Lin Danhan, the situation in the Ming Dynasty's border fortress became more serious. Originally, it only needed to defend Liaodong. However, Huang Taiji invaded and attacked the entire Ming Dynasty. They were confused and had to spend huge sums of money to strengthen the nine-border military town, with little effect.
"How is the situation outside the customs?"
"In accordance with your Majesty's order, the fifty Ye Bu Shushou sent by me have returned. There is nothing found within a hundred miles outside the pass."
Around this kind of border fortress, no matter whether they are Han or Mongolian, ordinary people will not live here.
Otherwise, one would move carelessly, especially Mongolians. How dare you live in such a place? Tomorrow you won't know that your head was taken by that Ming army in exchange for a reward of silver.
"How many cavalry do you have?"
"I have gathered the horses of the entire army in accordance with your Majesty's order. There are currently two thousand cavalry, but it has not yet reached one person and two horses."
It is good for a general to have two thousand cavalry. Zhu Youxiao does not expect to use them as the main force. It is not that he does not believe in Man Gui, but he does not dare to put his hope in others.
"Tomorrow you can lead the two thousand cavalry out of the border with me. It is up to you to decide who will guard the border. I will not ask, but this person must be a loyal and brave man."
"Just prepare three to five days of dry food for your troops. I will ask Li Songping to allocate the rest to you. If the cavalry's weapons and armor are not enough or cannot be used, you can allocate them from the infantry to ensure these two supplies." Equipment for a thousand people.”
In order to achieve the fastest marching speed, Zhu Youxiao ordered not to bring anything with him as much as possible. Even he only brought two sets of replacement clothes and a suit of armor.
These armors and other heavy objects have been calculated, and there are basically not many. He is well aware of the poverty of the border troops, but there is nothing he can do now.
Then he said to Li Songping:
"General Li will go and finish this matter later. I remember that there are a lot of water bladders and water bags, as well as pickled meat and dried meat. Distribute them evenly."
"I know!"
"When I was passing through Zunhua, I found a small road. Although it was bumpy and difficult to navigate, it directly connected to the grassland. I was always a little worried."
"You find a capable general and lead 300 troops to garrison. We must not leave even one step without permission before we return to our division."
Mangui cupped his hands and said:
"I will do it immediately!"
In fact, the border town defense line is so long and has countless roads that it is impossible to defend it. Otherwise, for hundreds of years, the Mongols would not have spared the main roads and towns to break through the defense line.
Zhu Youxiao can only try his best to ensure his own safety, no matter whether the enemy comes or not, but having an extra guard always makes people feel more at ease.
"Mangui, you are responsible for guarding the army. Your two thousand cavalry will be deployed in a square circle with the army as the center, and the range will be controlled within ten miles."
"If you encounter a Mongolian tribe or their army, report back quickly without delay. During the march, if you encounter any strangers, whether they are Han, Mongolian or whoever, kill them all. The whereabouts of our troops must not be exposed."
"Li Wensheng, I will lead you to lead a thousand fine cavalry at full speed as the vanguard."
"At midnight tomorrow, the whole army will send troops northward on time. Within three days, I want your cavalry to ride on Chengde!"
All the generals knelt and shouted in unison:
"I will obey His Majesty's military orders!"
Then they retreated one by one to make final preparations before the battle.
Zhu Youxiao was looking at the map alone and meditating. Only Ma Xianglin was left in the big tent. As the emperor's personal guard general, he naturally had to guard the emperor at all times during the war.
Wang Zaijin should have arrived at Zhangjiakou, and Yang Sichang should send out troops tomorrow. The Ruizheng campaign is currently proceeding steadily as planned.
Lin Danhan should also have received the news at this time. I don't know when he can witness the style of the Mongolian cavalry with his own eyes, even though he is already lonely.
