Wang Qiong sent troops from Pianguan on September 17th, and until September 20th when he crossed Tumaochuan, there was still no sign of the Tatars.
Going further north across Jiulong Valley, there was still no sign of half a Tatar. Wang Qiong began to realize that something was wrong. The Tatars seemed to be retreating more quickly than he imagined, and they seemed to be giving up all their forward positions. Therefore, he also ordered to go north quickly, but because he did not know the specific location of Wang Shouren's headquarters, he could only go as far as possible within a hundred or two hundred miles from the Ming Pass.
Wang Qiong had 17,000 men and horses, and he brought out almost all the cavalry he could bring. At the same time, he also pulled chariots and was equipped with light artillery, double and double long-range artillery, heavy artillery, etc.
If Wang Shouren's group was just a lightly armed "surprise soldier" attacking behind enemy lines, his group was a fully-equipped Chinese army.
It wasn't until Wang Qiong led his troops through Tucheng on the southern line of Xiashui Haizi that he learned the news reported by the scouts from the front line. When Wang Qiong learned the news, he almost gave up.
It seemed as if any of the tactics he had learned in the past few decades were ineffective in the face of the current situation.
"...hundreds of thousands of Hulu soldiers and horses are all more than 200 miles to the north. Our troops are retreating steadily. They will march 150 miles in one day of retreat. All the Huru soldiers are twenty or thirty miles away. There were no signs of fighting.”
"Explore again!"
Wang Qiong knew very well that Wang Shouren only brought 6,000 soldiers and horses into the grassland. When he learned that "hundreds of thousands" of Tatar soldiers and horses were chasing Wang Shouren but did not dare to fight, he would never believe it.
But he also knew that if he wanted to send scouts to investigate again, it would take three or four days to come back and forth, and he would not be able to find out the reason at all.
Fortunately, it was not just those who could detect the enemy's situation on the front line. More information came back soon, confirming Wang Qiong's most terrifying suspicion...
Wang Shouren won the battle, because the Tatars were afraid that a decisive battle with Wang Shouren would result in large-scale casualties, so that the identities of the Tatar and Ming armies seemed to have been reversed... This time it became the Ming army wreaking havoc on the Tatar grasslands, and The Tatars could only watch from a distance and did not dare to fight. But when Wang Shouren finished killing and looting and returned to the army, the Tatars personally escorted Wang Shouren out of the grassland as if they were seeing off a guest...
"What a hell."
Faced with such a situation, Wang Qiong expressed heartfelt emotion.
Next to Wang Qiong, the commander-in-chief of Xiangcheng Li Ao was also shocked and said: "How many Tatars have been killed? How can the Tatars be frightened like this? Could it be that the little Tatar prince is also here?"
It would be fine if the ordinary left-behind troops personally escorted the "Ming bandits" out of the grassland. If even the little Tatar prince Batu Meng was among them, it would be very lively.
Wang Qiong did not answer this question.
seeing is believing.
He hasn't seen it with his own eyes yet, who knows if the rumors are true? Or maybe the Tatars want to find a suitable opportunity to annihilate Wang Shouren's troops again? Don't be happy too early, otherwise you will easily become extremely happy and sad.
Seeing that Wang Qiong didn't answer, Li Wei couldn't help but ask: "Do you want to report the victory? I haven't heard about the movements in Datong Town until now. Do you want to send someone to inform me?"
Wang Qiong said: "Did we fight the war? Do you know the specific situation? Or do you think you don't deserve too much credit and want to give the credit of rushing to the rescue to others?"
Li Hao understood instantly.
If the intelligence is true, Wang Shouren relied on light artillery and firecrackers to frighten the Tatars so much that they did not dare to come forward for a decisive battle. If they had more than 17,000 soldiers and horses along the way and brought heavy artillery and long-range artillery to kill them, a formation of If they help, the Tatars will most likely withdraw their troops directly.
At this time, the fewer people involved in the battle, the better. I wish the people from Datong Town had not heard the news and rushed over, so that the soldiers from Shanxi Town could arrive first and seize the opportunity for reinforcements.
"Instruct the three armies to march day and night to support Weininghai!"
Since everyone knew that Wang Shouren's withdrawal route was towards Weininghai and Maoerzhuang, Wang Qiong also had a clear direction for reinforcements.
It is no longer the same as before, like a headless fly not knowing where to go.
Now it is clear to go to Weininghai. If he can cooperate with Wang Shouren and fight another hearty battle of "destroying the captives", then Wang Qiong may also have a chance to be promoted to earl.
…
…
September twenty-four.
Inside Nanjing.
That day was Zhu Houzhao's birthday, which was called the "Qianqiu Festival" in the Ming Dynasty. It was opposite to the emperor's "Longevity Festival". Logically speaking, on this day, the ministers should go to the palace to congratulate the prince on his birthday, and the emperor would also give a banquet.
But because Zhu Houzhao was in Nanjing that day, the birthday celebration activities in the capital were canceled due to the changing war situation in the northwest.
However, the etiquette of birthday congratulations to the prince in Nanjing was not canceled because of this. Even the officials in Nanjing finally had a chance to curry favor with the current prince. A bunch of people ran to the "palace" where Zhu Houzhao lived to give gifts, and there was an endless stream of cars and cars. .
Different from going to the palace together to celebrate birthdays, this time it was more like a rich and powerful family having a happy event. The arrival was more casual and the gifts were various.
"Is it all for me?"
Although Zhu Houzhao had celebrated birthdays before, all the gifts he received were "confiscated" by Zhu Youtang.
Moreover, the ministers in the capital would not give any expensive gifts to the prince. They talked about "it is light on etiquette but heavy on affection". The gifts should have connotation and symbolize their expectations for the prince's academic performance.
But in the city of Nanjing, there are not so many rules. Basically, what is valuable is given as a gift, and Zhang Zhou does not seem to have the power to withhold the gifts from ministers to the prince.
Zhang Zhou looked at Zhu Houzhao who was opening gifts and said, "You need to be ambitious. Do you lack this?"
Zhu Houzhao said: "Sir, you are right. I am really in need. What about the expenses on the way back to Beijing? I have spent more than a thousand taels of silver on this trip. You know that my father will never give me any more." Those who have money, spend one tael and lose one tael."
Having said this, Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Zhou eagerly, "I have given all the ministers' gifts. What are you going to give to the students?"
Zhang Zhou wanted to say, I'll give you a slap in the face.
No wonder your father is so worried about your education. Your kid never learns well. You asked me, a person who has been engaged in education for two lifetimes, to help you and bring you to the "right path".
Even though this matter is very challenging, teachers are often so determined to face difficulties, and the little pointer is there to serve you.
Let me teach you what it means to be a physical education teacher who is sick, and also let you know what a detention test is.
"I never prepare any small gifts," Zhang Zhou said.
"That's a generous gift? What is it?" Zhu Houzhao became even more excited.
Zhang Zhou said coldly: "There is no need to talk about generous gifts."
Zhu Houzhao suddenly looked embarrassed, knowing that he was unhappy with his boss.
As a teacher, if you don’t take restraint and practice from him, you are good, but you still want to get a gift from the teacher? What a waste of dreams.
"Sir, I heard that there is a war in the north. Prince Shouren of Xinjian, my proud junior brother, is leading troops to attack the grassland. Do you think this battle can be won?" Zhu Houzhao knew that accepting gifts would not work, so he asked for some from Zhang Zhou. Spiritual comfort.
Zhang Zhou said: "Uncle Xin Xin and I have a close relationship. He is two years older than me. He cannot be your junior brother."
Zhu Houzhao curled his lips and said: "You have helped him so much. You can accept him as a student. Do you want to accept him as a junior brother? Just like Tang Yin, let him be my junior uncle?"
Zhang Zhou shook his head and said, "This has nothing to do with the prince."
Zhu Houzhao said: "Then can he win?"
"I don't know." Zhang Zhou answered simply, and Liu Jin, who was standing beside him, dropped his head into his stomach. Apparently Liu Jin also saw that it was him who told the prince about the situation in the northwest, and the channel for getting the news was probably It was Yang Peng or some other channel. In short, this was not what Zhang Zhou wanted to see.
Zhu Houzhao said with a displeased look on his face: "Sir, you know that I want to lead troops to fight. How about you go to Datong next time and take me with you. In this way, the two of us, master and disciple, can defeat the Tatars and don't always push opportunities to others." Ah, for such a fun thing as a long drive into the grassland, I should be allowed to do it."
Zhang Zhou said: "You only have one life. It can't be explained by fun. Once you lose the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, you will have to change hands."
In the past, the prince was gone when he lost his heir, but now it has "changed ownership". How could this kid already have a younger brother?
"Don't be afraid! Isn't a real man destined to die? Some are heavier than Mount Tai, and some are lighter than an ox's hair. That's what they say, right? I am the kind of person who is heavier than Mount Tai. My ambition in life is to seal the wolf and live in Xu!"
Zhu Houzhao showed his determination.
Zhang Zhou was too lazy to pay attention to this kid, turned around and walked out.
Zhu Houzhao, under the light of his ideal of "sealing the wolf and living in Xu", no longer cared about the gifts sent by others. He chased after Zhang Zhou and walked out, still nagging: "Mr. Give me a chance, I’m really not afraid, how about we try it together?”
"You are not afraid of death, but I am."
Zhang Zhou's words were not polite at all.
But in the eyes of Liu Jin and other chamberlains, Zhang Zhou was able to hold the prince's seven inches, and he had a literary reputation and martial arts achievements, so Zhu Houzhao was willing to hang around Zhang Zhou and never tired of it.
…
…
September twenty-eight.
Wang Qiong's troops finally arrived at Weininghai and contacted Wang Shouren on the first day. At this time, the distance between the two sides was less than ten miles.
Wang Qiong stood on a hill to the north of Weining Sea and saw an unforgettable scene with his telescope.
The Tatar "Qinwang" troops, totaling at least 60,000 to 70,000, just watched Wang Shouren's troops, which was less than one-tenth of their number of soldiers and horses, swaggering towards the Daming Pass.
Wang Qiong turned around and glanced at the clear and green water of Weininghai Lake to the south of the hill, and suddenly seemed to understand the gap between himself and Wang Shouren.
On the battlefield, Wang Shouren was more like a "madman". He had the momentum of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. He could also be disciplined and able to retreat even when he knew that it was impossible to continue fighting with the Tatars. It was so calm that it frightened the Tatars so much that they didn't even have the courage to send troops to fight with them.
Compared with him who has been an official for many years and has long been accustomed to utilitarianism, Wang Shouren has the potential to transcend worldly achievements and become famous.
"Wang Zhongcheng, it seems that Uncle Xin Xin's troops have been stationed in place to rest and recuperate." Li Na led his troops forward to check the situation and then came back to report.
Wang Shouren knew that he was backed by reinforcements, so he was not in a hurry to withdraw. He stationed himself on the spot, as if he was deliberately provoking the opponent.
Even Wang Qiong was a little nervous about this.
Even if he and Wang Shouren have more than 20,000 troops combined, there are still three or four times the number of troops on the opposite side, and they are also the elite and main force of the Tatar tribe. If you really want to risk your life, you can rely on artillery shells and Fire blunderbuss, bows and crossbows are probably not enough.
But Wang Shouren can be so calm and unhurried.
"They have stationed troops, and so have we. We have the Weining Sea at our back. What are we afraid of? This is also where my Datong Town patrol is. I believe that reinforcements from Datong will arrive in less than two days. The Tatars are capable in these two days. Fight with us!"
Wang Qiong seemed to be driven by Wang Shouren's "arrogance".
The younger generations are so awesome, so I, the "senior", shouldn't be embarrassed, right? What's more, I still have 17,000 soldiers and horses here. Even if they are exhausted, are they just waiting for work after the Tatars "escorted" them for a few days?
It's as if no one is a tired teacher.
Now that we are all tired, let's stay down and let everyone rest together.
…
…
Before sunset that afternoon, Wang Shouren personally rode his horse to see Wang Qiong in the formation.
Wang Qiong was very happy to see Wang Shouren. After all, Wang Shouren was also a "famous general" that he admired. In terms of official position, Wang Shouren was still below him... It was useless to talk about titles. In the northwest, the governor was more senior than the general. , at least Wang Qiong can still keep his face in front of Wang Shouren.
"It has fulfilled its mission." Wang Shouren said in front of Wang Qiong, Li Er and other generals at Piantou Pass. "We have not brought back any heads in this battle, but we have cut off 9,700 pairs of ears. Among them, 7,900 were young and middle-aged men. .”
As soon as these words came out.
The general who was leaning towards his head almost burst into tears after hearing this.
Wang Qiong laughed and said: "We have sent troops to the grassland many times. Apart from the founding of the country to drive away the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Bo'an can be said to be the first person in the Ming Dynasty. You are especially better than Wang Weining. Since then, no one has beheaded more than ten thousand people." Who can compete with you for your record?"
"Don't dare to take it seriously."
Wang Shouren looked very humble.
It's not that he was so self-effacing on purpose, it was because Wang Shouren also knew that Zhang Zhou alone in the court was incomparable to him.
Furthermore, if Wang Qiong or Lu Wan had led the troops into the grassland, the results would have been worse than his?
Of course, because Wang Qiong and Lu Wan had been officials for many years, they would not generally be used by Zhang Zhou and the emperor for long-distance raids. But if Wang Yue was still alive, Wang Shouren knew that with Wang Yue's "madness", he was afraid that six thousand people would directly attack them. It can hit Batu Munch in the face.
So he also knew that on the most critical issue of pursuing or not pursuing, he was still conservative.
Wang Qiong smiled and said: "Datong reinforcements are arriving. By then, our three armies will have more than 40,000 soldiers, and a decisive battle with the Tatars will be inevitable. We might as well choose the Weining Sea, this is the blessed land of our Ming Dynasty."
A lake on the grassland has become a blessed place for the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.
This greatly encouraged the soldiers who came over.
Just think about it.
Both Wang Weining and Wang Xinjian are famous here. If there is a life-or-death battle with the Tatars, then this place must be the best choice.
Wang Shouren said: "It is expected that the Tatars will retreat tonight. We have troops stationed in Maoerzhuang in the Ming Dynasty. Could it be that they haven't arrived yet?"
Obviously Wang Shouren doesn't think Wang Qiong's long-distance rescue is a good choice. He thinks Wang Qiong should notify Datong as soon as possible, so that reinforcements can be more timely and the Tatars can retreat earlier.
Wang Qiong said: "Can the little Prince of Tartar be willing to do this?"
Wang Shouren said calmly: "From what I have observed, the main force of the little Tatar prince has not yet appeared. It is not that he is incapable of arriving, or that he is unwilling to fight a decisive battle with the Ming Dynasty. Among the various Tatar troops in front of him at this time, There are mostly remnants of the side branches, and if the people are not united, why fight? After the three armies are reorganized, the best strategy is to retreat to Mao'erzhuang."
Based on Wang Shouren’s observations these days.
He had already seen that Batu Meng had the ability to increase his troops and combine his 50,000 troops to have a decisive battle on the grassland with Wang Shouren's men, and Batu Meng had almost a 100% chance of winning.
But Batu Munch just didn't come.
The main reason is that they are afraid that the losses will be too great and other tribes will take advantage... If it had been five or six years ago, when Batu Monk had not shown his ambition to annex the grassland, this kind of battle would have been impossible for Batu Monk to avoid. But in the current situation on the grassland, all parties are suspicious of each other, and there is even a "traitor" called Huo Si. Who is willing to use his family's wealth to deal with the Ming Dynasty?
Now I think about going back to each house to find each mother.
"Bo'an, it's time for you to win." Wang Qiong reminded.
"Yes." Wang Shouren was not polite this time. After nodding, he handed over a memorandum he had written while on the road and said, "I would also like to ask Wang Zhongcheng to take a look at it and see if there is anything that needs to be added."
Wang Qiong smiled and said: "How can I add opinions casually? I just rushed to a late gathering and did not miss the big event. Bo'an, all the credit for this belongs to you."
Just because Wang Qiong doesn't fight, doesn't mean he doesn't.
Piantou Pass was the first to send troops for reinforcements, and after he and Wang Shouren joined forces, the Tatars withdrew... This time the credit could also fall on him.
And who told him that he, like Wang Shouren, was promoted by Zhang Zhou?
The people of Zhang Zhou's faction have a unique advantage in negotiating military achievements, which others cannot envy.
…
…
As Wang Shouren expected.
That night, the Tatar troops retreated northward.
The Ming Dynasty did not send troops to pursue... Mainly considering that all parties were depleted of men and horses. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to pursue with artillery and exhausted troops, whether they could catch up is another matter. Most of the Tatars would not fight with them. Ming Dynasty launched a decisive battle, but the pursuit was in vain.
That night, the battle report of the victory was sent to the direction of Datong Town, and then from Datong to the capital.
The news that Wang Shouren killed nearly 10,000 enemies... This is absolutely explosive in the northwest. No matter where this battle report reaches, whether it is a general leading troops, an ordinary trafficker, or even a bandit in the mountains, after hearing about it, It is to be cheered up.
Even the relay staff seemed to be running faster every day than before.
Noon on the first day of October.
A report of a successful battle appeared in the capital as urgently as possible and was immediately transmitted to the palace.
At this time, the personnel sent by the Six Ministries have been waiting in the palace to discuss military affairs for many days, or they have been doing useless work for many days. Everyone is already very anxious. In the morning, someone brought up the matter of discussing military affairs more than once. Let it go first.
At this moment, Zhu Youtang, who was in the Qianqing Palace, was about to lie down on the desk and take a nap.
But at this time.
Xiao Jing, Mou Bin and Li Rong also entered the hall with eager steps.
"Is there any result?" Seeing this scene, Zhu Youtang stood up and asked eagerly.
"Your Majesty, good news! Great victory! Xinjian Bo defeated over ten thousand enemies and brought back nearly ten thousand enemy invaders. Three days ago, he joined forces with Wang Zhongcheng who had sent troops to guard the pass, and the Tatars withdrew..."
When Xiao Jing said these words, his voice was already a little hoarse.
"boom!"
"Wow!"
Zhu Youtang was so excited that he hit the desk hard with his fist and overturned all the memorials accumulated on the desk over the past few days to the ground.
Zhu Youtang's face turned red, and his voice was like a loud bell: "I know that Bingkuan's plan will never disappoint me!"
(End of chapter)
