Xu Da's middle route army has been missing. Even if the Yuan army conducted large-scale explorations more than once, they could not find any trace of the Ming army.
At this moment, Xu Da led the Central Route Army to the vicinity of He Lin. The Yuan army was dispatched. The movement of the troops was too great, and the Central Route Army also received relevant information.
Faced with the overwhelming Yuan army, Xu Da quickly issued an order to retreat.
The original army of 50,000 people now only has about 40,000 elite soldiers and generals left. Xu Da does not want to take risks.
Before he was sure of victory, Xu Da still wanted to wait for Li Wenzhong's army from the west to sneak over. The right way would be to successfully annihilate the Yuan army's effective forces on the prairie.
The middle route army, which retreated sharply, rushed for a long distance and saw that the direction of the Yuan army was not towards their own army.
Xu Da reined in his horse and meditated quietly.
Lan Yu and other generals gradually came to Xu Da and discussed countermeasures.
"General, the Yuan army is out in full force. It seems that they are not coming for us, but there is also the possibility of conspiracy. We must be on guard against it. It is better to continue to retreat."
"That's not necessarily the case. Since the Yuan army is out in force, judging from the direction of its march, it must be not far from the headquarters of the Yuan army. Wealth and honor are sought in danger. No matter what plots and tricks they have, we will go straight to their home base."
"The possibility of defeating Helin and capturing Zhaozong is still very high."
"Let's wait until the detective horse can find out the reality of the Yuan army and its purpose of moving troops. Others should be careful and be on guard against possible conspiracies set by the Yuan army. It's not too late to make plans."
"Yes, I will obey the general's order."
Xu Da's central army was slightly repairing on the prairie far away from the Yuan army, waiting for news from the scouts.
Spies were sent one by one by Xu Da near the Yuan army to observe the movements of the Yuan army and to spy on the actual situation of the Yuan army.
"Be careful, you can't go any further. It's just a dirt bag. Put the horse on the back and have a telescope in hand. There is no need to take risks."
"yes."
After the leading scout explained this, he quietly climbed to the top of the slope and raised his binoculars to spy on the Yuan army.
The same scene appeared in many soil bags, but the Yuan army sent not many scouts. They only served as a warning and gave the headquarters time to prepare.
Nearly 100,000 volunteers marched forward along the route, passing by with flags one by one. The scouts did not show any impatience, but only passed information about the Yuan army to the rear through the brothers on the side.
I don't know how long it took, but a group of people appeared among the Yuan army.
They are different from ordinary sergeants, and also very different from generals with personal guards.
A carriage loaded with luanjia drove slowly by, and a large number of honor guards carrying yellow umbrellas, sun and moon flags, and dragon and phoenix flags cheered in front of them.
The standards of the guards are also very high, obviously different from ordinary people.
The scout did not dare to neglect and quickly sent someone to pass the news to Xu Da at the rear.
"Report, there is news from the scouts ahead, there is a Luan Jia suspected of Emperor Yuan in the Yuan army, please report to the general."
"I know, continue to investigate, be sure to find out whether the Yuan army is real or not, and then take a closer look to see if there are any signs of migration of the Yuan army, and whether there are old, weak, women and children accompanying them."
"yes."
The messenger passed the order issued by Xu Da to the scouts ahead.
After receiving the order, the scout continued to lie behind the soil bag and observe the Yuan army.
Until the Yuan army was completely out of the scope of the scouts' investigation, they also passed the news to Xu Da and followed them quietly.
"Report, the Yuan army has gone far away. There are nearly 100,000 troops. No old, weak, women and children have been found."
"I know, you go down first!"
After ordering the soldiers to leave, Xu Da said to the generals gathered around him.
"Now it seems like the Yuan army is coming for us. What do you think?"
Lan Yu and a group of generals were riding on their horses, thinking quietly.
Xu Da thoughtfully took out the map and gave it to the soldiers and himself as a reference. He gathered around the map and thought about the purpose of the Yuan army's trip.
Soon, one person had an idea and said to the map.
"General, please see, the Yuan army's march direction is near the Tula River. Since they are not migrating and escaping to Liaodong, they have another purpose."
"We are not there, so there is only one truth. Another group of people appeared in that place, and the Yuan army needs to go all out. Maybe the army led by Cao Guogong was detected by the Yuan army's scouts. It is unknown."
As soon as his thoughts opened up, the eyes of the generals including Xu Da lit up.
"That's right. Calculating the days, it's really possible. It's just that Lord Cao Guo arrived too soon. There's still some doubt."
"Is there any doubt about this? In the previous battle, the Yuan army lost more than 50,000 troops. The nearly 100,000 troops that passed today must be the last strength that the Yuan army gathered from here and there. There were no obstacles along the way. At this time Arrival is still possible.”
"General, I thought that I should immediately lead my army to follow him. If Cao Guogong had arrived and was attacked from both sides, the Yuan army would not be able to withstand it, and this will become history."
"Yes, since Emperor Yuan is in the army, if we capture Emperor Yuan then, it will be a great achievement, and we can save the army on the east route."
Having said that, Lan Yu has a different opinion.
"General, according to General Yimo, if we go back from the direction of its march, we will definitely be able to find the Yuan army's lair. We have been walking along the way and are not far from Helin. Destroying his lair may not be as good as catching it. The credit of Emperor Yuan."
Xu Da thought about it carefully, and everything he said made sense.
Although the general's foreign military orders were not respected, the established strategy agreed upon in Yuwu Tower was that the central route army attracted firepower, the east route army sneaked across, and the west route army contained it.
Let Li Wenzhong's East Route Army fight head-on. If the car overturns, it will be difficult to explain.
"Lan Yu listens to the order, and your troops will lead 10,000 troops and follow the path of the Yuan army. If you find the base of the Yuan army, you are allowed to do it easily."
"The rest of the people will follow the Yuan army with my general. If Cao Guogong and others arrive, they will be attacked from both sides and will succeed in one battle. From now on, there will be no worries in the north."
"As commanded."
After receiving the order, Xu Da's middle army, led by Lan Yu with 10,000 horses, marched towards the direction of the Yuan army, while the rest of the army followed the Yuan army.
Following them all the way, of course they didn't dare to follow too closely, as they were far away from the Yuan army.
"Report, the scouts have sent news that a large army has appeared in front. The Yuan army is divided into three groups and is fighting with it."
"Sure enough, Duke Cao Guo has arrived. Where is Emperor Yuan?"
"It seems that he is in the Chinese army."
"Pass my military order to attack with the whole army and capture the central army. Those who capture Emperor Yuan will be promoted to the third level, rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and a thousand acres of farmland. If they capture other generals, use this as an example."
As soon as Xu Da's military order came out, all the soldiers were excited. The reward for capturing Emperor Yuan was too generous and no one could be an exception.
One after another, they roared and rushed forward, as if they had been given blood.
(End of chapter)
