Tumen's Khan's order has not yet been sent to Qinghai, but the order Gao pragmatically issued to Cao Gan earlier has arrived.
At that time, Cao Gan had returned to Liangzhou Guard with three thousand Gao family cavalry, and was waiting for Gao Jingshi's order. This place was not far southwest of Yongchang Guard, which was later known as Wuwei City.
After receiving the order from his master, Cao Gan finally changed his anxiety and hesitation of the previous days and took action with great enthusiasm - he withdrew to Lanzhou with three thousand cavalry without saying a word.
Although it is called "withdrawal", it does not mean that this move is "escape". On the contrary, the withdrawal to Lanzhou means that the cavalry force may have to prepare for war.
The reason is very simple. From Liangzhou to Xining, because there is Qilian Mountain in between, the imperial court has not and is unlikely to set up a post station so far. Therefore, normally speaking, it does not conform to the Ming Dynasty's custom of dispatching troops. As for why Huo Luochi and Zhuli Rabbit walked like this...Have you heard of Plateau Ranch?
Of course, Huo Luochi and Zhuli Rabbit can walk, which means that Cao Gan could have walked like this. However, Gao Pragmatic did not intend to let his cavalry go to recapture Xining alone. He just asked Cao Gan to go to Lanzhou to wait for the army, and then from Assistance.
After all, although Huo Luochi and Zhulitu are not big enemies in the eyes of Zhu Yijun and Gao Pingshi, but from the perspective of the entire Ming Dynasty, of course they are still strong enemies from the perspective of the northwest - the entire Gansu Town only has more than 60,000 troops, less than 70,000. The Huo Luochi brothers add up to 50,000 cavalry. They are no longer small bandits.
Although the Huo Luochi brothers who are now entrenched in Xining will definitely not put all their main forces into the city, they will certainly not be able to capture it with three thousand cavalry. After all, the cavalry do not have many siege methods. Even if they switch to the short-barreled Wanli Type II lance, it won't change.
To siege a city, you either rely on artillery, siege, or heaps of people-taking lives. None of the three thousand cavalry can meet the requirements, and going to Xining is useless. Of course, they must withdraw first and wait for the army.
But the movement of the "big army" was not too fast. Even though Gansu Governor Cao Zedeng and Commander-in-Chief Liu Chengsi had already begun to mobilize the army before Guyuan's trilateral governor Gao Guang gave orders, the Gansu army was distributed in a long line. Various places in the Hexi Corridor are now worried about being attacked by the Mongols, so the speed of mobilization is really limited.
And there is another point that is quite troublesome, that is, the governor of Gansu is based in Ganzhou, which is relatively northwest, that is, the location of the Five Guards of Ganzhou is relatively northwest than the Yongchang Guards. It is obvious to mobilize the army from there. Eventually we have to go south.
If the army coming from Shaanxi wants to go to Xining, they must go to Lanzhou, because this way they can go up the river, and they can stop at the Gaodianzi Camp of Nianbo Guards Qianhu Station to avoid being in nowhere all the way. In the unobstructed wilderness, you will face Mongolian attacks at any time.
However, Cao Gan soon began to feel melancholy again after arriving in Lanzhou, because the performance of Gao Guangxian, the governor of the three sides, could not be said to be positive. After so many days, Guyuan's army has not sent out troops, and has not even completed its assembly. It is scattered in twos and threes among the countless Wubao castles in Guyuan Town. There are only more than 20,000 soldiers and horses in Guyuan City.
What made Cao Gan even more embarrassed was that Gao Guangxian actually responded to King Qing's request and sent more than a thousand people to Qingyang to protect King Qing. The reason was that King Qing was the prince guarding the border and had to face the Ordos tribe that might change. .
After all, Cao Gan had been in charge of Jinghua Trading Company for many years and had been in the northwest for some years. After all, he was still a bit thin-faced. At this point, he had to write a letter in person and tell Gao Guang first that he had followed his master's wishes and brought three thousand capable cavalry to wait in Lanzhou. He hopes that he can come as soon as possible and strive to recover Xining as soon as possible.
By the way, Cao Gan also mentioned something based on his own experience, saying that after Huo Luochi went to Xining, he might be worried about continuing eastward, because once in Xining, Huo Luo only had to break through Nian Bo's defense of Qianhu and the village. Langwei can completely cut off the connection between Gansu and Shaanxi, and also open up the connection between Qinghai Tumote and their brothers' hometown in Songshan. The world was shocked.
However, although Cao Gan had the privilege of delivering the letter directly to Gao Guangxian, it did not mean that Gao Guangxian would listen to him. A civil servant like Gao Guangxian usually took Cao Gan seriously just because of his high pragmatism, but it did not mean that he really thought that Cao Gan, a business owner with a reckless background, could have any high opinions.
As for the threat that Cao Gan mentioned that Huo Luochi would advance eastward and cut off Gansu, Gao Guangxian thought it was unlikely. After all, Huo Luochi should know that the Ming Dynasty would not tolerate this. Although he could do this, doing so would mean that he would have to withstand the encirclement and suppression from three sides of the Ming Dynasty. Gao Guangxian felt that Huo Luochi must know that he could not afford it, so he would not choose this way.
However, Gao Guangxian miscalculated again this time.
Of course Huo Luochi knew that their brothers' cutting off the front line in Gansu would cause the Ming Dynasty to be furious and launch a large-scale counterattack against them, but Burihatu's sharp tongue was enough to convince them.
At this moment, Burihatu in Xining City was smiling and convincing Huo Luochi and Zhulitu to send troops eastward.
"Songshan is the old place of the two of them, and it is also the foundation of the two of them. Now that the two of them can make great changes in Qinghai, they rely on the old Songshan tribe. Now that Xining is approaching, we only need to continue the eastward expedition and capture Nianbo and Zhuanglang. The land, Qinghai Tumote and Songshan are connected together, enclosing Gansu of the Ming Dynasty, like food on a plate, you can enjoy it at any time..."
But Huo Luochi shook his head repeatedly: "I won't tell you whether Nian Bo and Zhuang Langwei can be defeated. Even if they are defeated, I'm afraid what happens next will not be as easy as Taiji said."
Zhu Litu also said: "Yes, Nian Bo and Zhuang Langwei may be easy to talk to, but if you say that Gansu will be our brothers' food by then, you are looking down on our brothers too much. Taiji, I'll tell you the truth. , we have fought many times with Gansu Town, large and small. The Ming army in Gansu Town was not very good in the early years, but later...
Well, probably a few years ago, it started to slowly become more powerful. We even suffered small losses several times, not grabbing much, and each time we always lost more than two to three hundred warriors. It was not cost-effective to fight with them. "
Huo Luochi continued to finish his attack: "That's right, and the Ming army in Gansu is only one side. If Nian Bo and Zhuang Langwei are lost, the Ming army in Shaanxi will have to move even if they don't want to move. At that time, our brothers will be enemies on both sides. , just like the Han people say that two fists are difficult to defeat with four hands, and you will always suffer.
Oh, and also, once we take Zhuang Langwei's line, in order to maintain smooth communication with Songshan, we must hold on to this area, which means we can't leave just yet, which is even more uneconomical! "
One thing to note here is that the "Big and Small Songshan Mountains" in the Ming Dynasty were an area with no clear boundaries. They were roughly due north of Lanzhou and outside the Great Wall. Looking at the map, this area is roughly between the Liangzhou Guard and Ningxia Guard in the Ming Dynasty.
If Ningxia Wei and Gansu are the "protrusions" formed by the Ming Dynasty to Tumed, Ordos, and Qinghai Tumed, then conversely we can also say that the Big and Small Songshan Mountains are a protruding part formed by the Mongols to the Ming Dynasty.
Neither of the two brothers was optimistic about continuing to advance eastward, but Burihatu didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He just smiled and said: "You two are in charge, I would like to ask: If the Shaanxi Ming army cannot attack you, what will happen to you?" Are you interested in taking over Gansu?"
As expected, the expressions of Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu immediately changed. They both looked at each other, not knowing what was communicated in their eyes. Huo Luochi immediately said in a deep voice: "What does Taiji mean by this? The governors of the three sides lost Xining." It can also be said to be an accident. If Zhuang Langwei is lost again and Gansu is left alone, will he still be able to sit in Guyuan and watch the show? I don’t think Emperor Zhu will tolerate him, right?"
Zhuli Rabbit followed closely and said: "Did Taiji actually convince him to defect to Mongolia? I'm afraid it's impossible."
"Just kidding, Gao Guang first surrendered to Mongolia, what did the Great Khan give him as a reward?" Burihatu smiled, pointed at a somewhat scrawled and deformed simple map, and said: "The Great Khan has a far-sighted vision and a broad mind. Is your plan more than just a small area? Look at this, you two... Once you two get through Songshan, what obstacles will remain between you and the Ordos headquarters?"
Huo Luochi waved his hand: "What else do we need to see? There is Ningxia between Songshan and Ordos."
Zhulitu seemed to be thinking a little further this time, frowning and saying: "What should I say? Could it be that Boshu Ketu's wings are hard and he has the appetite to attack Ningxia? I think our eldest brother is probably not Will you agree?"
Burihatu smiled and said: "Chief Qie (he once served as one of the five consuls, although he actually disbanded in the end, but Tumen did not announce his removal) may not agree with it, but the two Taiji also know that Qie It’s hard to say whether the ruler can speak out now, so how can he continue to restrict farmers.”
Only then did Huo Luochi and Zhuli Rabbit really pay attention. They looked at the map carefully for a while and seemed to be thinking about it. After a while, Huo Luochi took the lead and shook his head and said: "The guards of Ningxia are not easy to deal with, especially the town of Ningxia. It is surrounded by the Ming Dynasty's Hetao Great Wall and at least dozens of large docks... Even if If it were my eldest brother who fought in person, he might not be able to win, let alone Boshu Ketu, a small farmer?"
Zhu Litu also nodded in approval and said: "Yes, Ningxia is very difficult to fight. If it were easy to fight, wouldn't it have been taken down long ago when the Khan was here? Why wait until now?"
The Great Khan he mentioned here refers to Anda Khan - their brothers now do not recognize Bahan Naji.
Burihatu remained unhurried, just smiled mysteriously, and said softly: "Then what if...Ningxia itself voted for us?"
"What!" Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu were shocked at the same time: "Ningxia wants to surrender to Mongolia?"
Burihatu didn't answer, just smiled.
Huo Luochi lowered his face and asked, "This matter is of great importance. Taiji should stop playing riddles. Although Zhang Weizhong, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, is not that great, at least I have not heard that he has any contact with our Mongolia. And as far as I know, his official career is going smoothly, and I don’t think he will defect to the Ming Dynasty. Taiji, you... are you kidding me?"
Zhu Litu also stared at Bu Ri Ha Tu with sharp eyes. If Bu Ri Ha Tu was not a close confidant of Tu Men and had just helped them capture Xining, which they thought about day and night, I am afraid that he would have changed his face at this moment. After all, Bu Ri Ha Tu Rihatu's current rhetoric is very much like trying to trick them into committing suicide.
However, Burihatu remained calm and smiled slightly: "Zhang Weizhong will not vote for us, but what about Kuaibai? Although he suffered some unfair suppression in his early years and even defected to the South, he is still a Mongolian after all. Now he has figured it out, instead of being regarded as a person with different opinions in the Ming Dynasty, he might as well just come back to Mongolia. I can't turn away people like this, right?"
Huo Luochi and Zhulitu were surprised and looked at each other again.
Kuaibai was then serving as the pacesetter and general of the Ningxia army. This man was originally a small chief of the Tumut tribe in Mongolia. Due to a conflict with his immediate superior, Yingtaiji, he "offended his minister in Jiajing, and his father and brother were killed, so he led his tribe to defect to the Ningxia official army." Later, because of his bravery in battle, he was promoted to the governor's post with military merit. Later, due to his repeated military exploits, he was gradually promoted from general to garrison, guerrilla, and participating general, and was awarded the hereditary command of Ningxia Wei.
Kuai Bai originally joined the Ming army in order to escape and avenge his father and brother, so he always had ulterior motives and had ulterior motives. After he established a foothold in Ningxia, he recruited traitors, attracted local ruffians, and raised a so-called "cang" at home. There are more than 3,000 armed servants in the "leading army".
His eldest son, Kuai Chengen, was even more "a single-shaped owl with a ruthless nature." He usually ran away with many animals and had no superiors or laws. However, there were always many Mongolians in the Ming Dynasty's border army, and the imperial court had no regard for these people who could fight. The Mongols are also relatively tolerant, so there are very few penalties for worshiping.
Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu both knew about these situations, so they were also a little confused. Zhulitu asked: "But it's not bad for Mingren to treat Kuaibai."
Huo Luochi thought more and frowned: "Kaibai is just a general. Even if he wants to join us, how capable can he be? Just winning one Ningxia city is not enough. Then there are dozens of cities (castles) around Ningxia. , Wubao), all of them are difficult to handle."
Burihatu smiled and said: "You two don't know something. He has been in Ningxia for decades. Although his status is only a general, it is just because he is a Mongolian and cannot be promoted. I have already After careful investigation, most of the forty-nine cities around Ningxia were his former subordinates, and they usually respected him. Once he announced that he was going to stop, no one would dare not follow him.
What's more, if Jinong and the two of them still respond by then, the situation in the northwest of Ming Dynasty will be completely turned upside down by us. Can't they still see who they should follow? As for the two of them, there is no need to worry about the Shaanxi Ming Army and the Gansu Ming Army joining forces to besiege. By then, it will be difficult to say whether they can even save Guyuan. "
When Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu heard this, they immediately became excited, and their four little eyes gleamed.
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Thank you to book friends "Young People Don't Want to Die" and "Blue Eagle 008185" for their monthly support, thank you!
PS: The layout of the first of the three new major conquests should be considered to have been unfolded as of today. This is an enhanced version of the Kuaibai Rebellion...
