The tasks Gao Pragmatic gave to the other three-pronged armies were so "free", wasn't he afraid of any accidents? To be honest, he is really not afraid.
This battle against Yuan Dynasty is not the Saarhu in history. Even if Tumen and Burihatu make the decision of "I will only go all the way", they will not be able to reach the level after the Saarhu Battle. The effect of the Jin Army. The reason is very simple. Even if Chahar and the Outer Khalkha tribe join forces, they will not be a match for any Ming army.
Originally, Chahar had 60,000 cavalry, and Outer Khalkha had about half that. However, after the last war, both sides suffered damage to each other, and the two coalition forces should only have about 80,000.
These 80,000 people have no great chance of winning no matter which Ming army they face, because this time the Ming army does not only send troops like cavalry or mounted infantry like the previous rescue of Horqin. This time the Ming army has a complete system, with more than just cavalry. , the infantry and artillery are also fully equipped.
As long as the bayonet hollow square formation is well trained and the troops can effectively execute it, it cannot be broken by the cold weapon cavalry. No matter how proficient Burihatu is in the art of war, he cannot solve the difference in combat effectiveness caused by this technological generation gap. In essence, this is the crushing of technology, not based on human will.
This is not a matter of poor equipment like the Korean War. It can be reversed through peak-level tactics and peak-level fighting will. Not to mention that the Mongols at this moment are far from having that kind of fighting will. Even if they had it, the war horses under their crotches did not and could not have it. As for the level of tactics... The Mongols actually relied on their nomadic instincts to fight most of their wars, and those who relied on tactics were the Ming Dynasty, the class representative of agricultural civilization.
Because of this, Gao Pragmatic does not need to care too much about how the other three armies will fight. What he has really concentrated on arranging for these three armies for a long time is their logistical supplies.
The Ming Dynasty dispatched up to 600,000 troops, and providing supplies for these 600,000 troops was no joke. Gao Pragmatism not only required each army to bring sufficient supplies, but also arranged two stages of supply.
The first stage of supply can be called "supply within the customs", which is the responsibility of the guard troops in the relevant towns. According to the method that Gao pragmatically tried in southern Xinjiang, each stage of the task is broken down into layers and assigned to people (officers). ), if there is a problem in that section, the person from that section will be held responsible. At the same time, the standards for merit and reward will be explained first, and the rewards will be settled every ten days to ensure that rewards and punishments are clear and never default.
Of course, these rewards still maintain the recent characteristics of the Ministry of Accounts - only reward small amounts of Ming Dynasty Federal Reserve banknotes.
The second stage of supply cannot be left to the Guard Army. Instead, it is "contracted" to two major "defense contractors": Jinghua and Jingying Production and Construction Corps. They will be responsible for the "supply outside customs" stage. In terms of the reward and punishment system, Same as in the customs stage.
Jinghua Trading Company has a large number of cavalrymen, so it makes sense to be responsible for this matter. No one even jumped out to grab the business, or said that Jinghua should not do this deal. After all, the court also knew that this business was risking lives, and no one except Jinghua Trading Company was willing to take the order.
As for the Production and Construction Corps, their participation in it was actually because the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War deliberately "take care of business" because they contracted the Chinese military part, that is, Gao Pragmatic's own supply from outside the customs.
With Gao Pragmatic personally in charge, and Qi Jiguang training for several years and equipped with the best equipment in the country, the Imperial Guards were there. Everyone in the court believed that his route was the safest. Unless the Great Khan of Tumen was crazy, he would not consider touching this route. Therefore, he was responsible for supplying the army on this route outside the customs, which was a sure profit.
Of course, this kind of good deal must be given to the Production and Construction Corps, a direct lineage of the imperial court, not to Jinghua Trading Company. Gao pragmatically did this to avoid gossip.
After arriving in Daning City, Gao Yingshi was indeed not in a hurry to march into the army, but instead sent a large number of sentinels to conduct fire reconnaissance. Although in his prediction, Tumen was indeed unlikely to bring bad luck to his main force, it was still necessary to sail the ten-thousand-year ship carefully and conduct proper investigation, not to mention that he had to wait for the news from other groups to be compiled. Only then can we make a comprehensive consideration - after all, although the other armies have a high degree of freedom in their actions, they must also report their own action plans after dispatching the troops.
The earliest report came from Ma Chengen. The coalition forces from Xuanfu and Taiyuan towns led by him began to move east shortly after arriving outside Guihua City, and reported two things at the same time.
The first thing is that he plans to head northeast, arrive at the old Zuotunwei site in Kaiping before the internal withdrawal, and form a rivalry with Daning. Then, depending on the subsequent exploration and battle reports, he will determine his next move or diversion. Go northwest to occupy the original Yingchang City, or continue to the northeast to capture the original Quaning Guard.
The three places mentioned above are all "original so-and-so", that is, the old places before the Ming Dynasty moved the guards outside the Great Wall on a large scale. The original Kaiping Zuotunwei old site here was probably in the eastern part of Duolun County, Inner Mongolia in later generations; Yingchang City was on the west bank of Dali Lake in the northwest of Keshiketeng Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia in later generations; and Quaning Guard was in Wengniute Banner, later Inner Mongolia.
Judging from this report, it is not difficult to deduce Ma Chengen's thoughts. He intends to become the northern wing of the Chinese Army along the Gao pragmatic route, and at the same time take the initiative to undertake three possible tasks: go south to support the Chinese Army, or go north to intercept and head towards Waikakar. Tumen fled, or waited for the commander's order to march eastward to encircle and suppress them.
Another thing he reported had less to do with the war and more like an explanation. He said that he quickly moved eastward because Zhongjin Hatun believed that the vicinity of Guihua City was very safe. In order to win the war as soon as possible, there was no need for his 100,000 troops to waste time around Guihua City.
Zhongjin Hatun said that he must have said this, and Gao Pragmatic believed that Ma Chengen would not dare to lie about something that he could know the details of after checking. However, Zhongjin Hatun’s words must have had other intentions. For example, if the main force of Tumut went out and the King of Shunyi sent Han Naji personally to lead an army to accompany Ma Gui to the north, the army left behind in Guihua City must not be as good as Ma Cheng. Ensuo's troops are powerful, especially Ma Chengen's troops, who have a large number of artillery.
If something unexpected happened and Ma Chengen turned his gun to attack Guihua City, Tangtang Tumote might be dead in just a few days. Such a powerful army with the ability to attack fortresses, no matter whether it is really malicious or not, can only feel at ease if it is sent away as early as possible.
Of course, Ma Chengen knew that Gao Pragmatic could tell the secret at a glance, so he directly copied the exact words. In fact, he was making excuses for his rapid advance - the general just had no other choice, and he really wasn't here to grab credit, as he had learned from experience.
Of course Gao Jingshi was aware of this, so he quickly replied to him, allowing him to continue marching eastward, and he did not have to be limited to the original Kaiping Zuotun Guard. He could continue walking and go directly to Quanning Guard to station on standby.
After Ma Chengen, the second person to send news was the Liaodong Army. Li Rusong's report was that he had assembled an army in Shenyang, and when he sent the news, the army had already reached the junction of Fuxin and Chahar.
Li Rusong reported that the troops under his command were extremely powerful. Not only were the Ming army's eastern and western divisions (Liaodong and Liaoxi) high-spirited and eager to pacify the remaining Yuan dynasty as soon as possible, but the servant armies were also "very energetic" and even looked better than the Ming army. He was also eager to kill Chahar.
This statement was a bit surprising at first, but after thinking about it later, it seems not surprising at all.
Horqin and Ye He must have hoped that Chahar would die early and be reborn, so as not to attack them every now and then; Hada was a loyal dog of the Ming Dynasty, especially now that his strength is declining and his original status is in jeopardy, he urgently needs a game to prove his loyalty and loyalty. The war of values vindicates itself.
Because Ula, Huifa and even Jianzhou are not directly bordering Chahar, they were basically not threatened by Chahar's military in the past. In essence, Chahar's life and death did not matter. However, now that they are being coerced and induced by Gao Pragmatic, their position will inevitably change.
On the one hand, they were worried that not being proactive enough in fighting would lead to sanctions from the Ming Dynasty (whether civil or military); on the other hand, they were coveting the rewards offered by the Ming Dynasty - they were pragmatic and generous, and a Mongolian soldier's head could speak a lot of words. Two small-denomination Federal Reserve banknotes were issued, and he stated that the settlement would be settled after the war and that no credit would be given.
This is twelve heads per person! Although the Ming army could sometimes get twenty-two heads of Mongolian soldiers, that was the treatment of the Ming army, which they, the Jurchens, could not even imagine.
I used to fight with the Ming army, and giving them one or two taels of silver and a head during the "settlement" after the war was considered a big honor. Twelve taels... This is such a fucking blessing! If we don't seize this opportunity, there won't be a shop like this in this village!
Therefore, they now have very conflicting views on "Grand Master Gao". On the one hand, they are afraid of him like a tiger and feel that he may kill them all at any time with an order; The benefits of dripping a little between your fingers will come out, so that you can also moisturize yourself, and your mouth will be full of oil.
The above can be considered as an aspect of military morale. As for tactics, Li Rusong said that his side was strong enough and it would not be difficult to destroy Chahar alone, so he planned to go straight to Chahanhot.
However, he also knew that although the strength of the Liaodong Allied Forces was sufficient, it would still be quite troublesome for the Tumen to escape, so he also designed the tactics for this battle.
According to Li Rusong's plan, he planned to hand over all the infantry he brought from western Liaoning to Xiao Ruxun, and use Xiao Ruxun's troops to press towards Chahanhot. At the same time, he himself only took the elite cavalry of the Li family army to play a right hook, and quickly detoured from the east line towards Yuyuerhai.
Li Rusong believes that the Chahar and Outer Khalkha coalition forces themselves do not have the ability to fight against the main force of Xiao Ruxun's coalition forces. No matter whether they choose to fight and then leave, or they just flee without fighting, they will most likely be defeated in the end. It is to escape to the fishing sea. Therefore, it is a wise choice for the elite cavalry under your command to block this road first, or to wait and see.
Yuerhai, also known as Qingshuibo, is the later Beier Lake. It is a sister lake to Hulun Lake and is located on the southwest edge of the Hulunbuir Prairie. This place was not very famous at first. It was not until the 20th to 21st years of Hongwu that Lan Yu went to the Northern Yuan Dynasty and fought the Battle of Yuerhai, which was regarded as the battle that destroyed the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
In September of that year, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang sent Yongchang Hou Lanyu as the general to lead an army to attack Beiyuan. In April of the following year, when the troops arrived in Qingzhou (today's northwest of Balin Right Banner in Inner Mongolia), they heard that Tuogu Si Timur, the leader of the Yuan Dynasty, was fishing in the sea, so he suppressed his troops and marched forward without the Yuan army noticing.
After the army arrived, Yuan Taiwei Manzi hurriedly refused to fight and was killed. Tuogu Si Timur, Prince Tianbaonu and other dozens of horses fled. The Ming army acquired more than 120 people including his son Dibaonu, the late crown prince Bili Tu, his concubine and princess, 3,000 officials, more than 70,000 men and women, 150,000 horses, cattle, camels, seals, and books. , gold and silver seals, etc.
This battle dealt a devastating blow to the main force of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and the small imperial court of the Northern Yuan Dynasty was not spared and was considered completely destroyed at the time. As for the subsequent resurgence, that is a story for another day.
In any case, the symbolic meaning of the Battle of Yuuerhai is very strong. With Li Rusong's personality, it is completely understandable that he hopes to replicate a "destruction of the small court of the Northern Yuan Dynasty" in Yuuerhai.
After all, if he really completes the "annihilation of the Yuan" in Yuyuerhai, he will definitely be regarded as a Ming God of War general as famous as Lan Yu. At the same time, this can also wash away the shame of his father Li Chengliang's death in the later years and restore the prestige of the Li family army.
Li Rusong was pragmatic and didn't care. He even thought that this kind of thinking was quite good, at least a hundred times better than Li Chengliang's self-respect for raising bandits. However, Li Rusong's strategy itself was a bit risky, so Gao Pragmatic had to be cautious.
He immediately found Cao Yu, showed Li Rusong's battle plan to Cao Yu, and then asked, "What does General Cao think?"
Cao Yu looked at it carefully, thought for a moment, frowned and said: "General Li is willing to hand over the Liaoxi infantry to Deputy Rong Xiao. This fact makes the general admire him quite a lot.
However, in this way, he himself only has about 30,000 troops. Although these 30,000 Li family troops are considered elite, considering that the Chahar and Khalkha coalition forces in Tumen's hands may still have more than 80,000 troops, in case they simply cannot If General Li doesn't fight with Vice-Rong Xiao and directly flees north to Yu'erhai, even if General Li just waits and waits, he may not be able to win... well, I mean, he may not be able to win easily. "
Gao Pragmatic nodded slightly. He also knew that the direct descendants of the Li Jiajun were indeed capable of fighting, but to what extent they were "capable" was hard to say now. If we could go back ten years and say that if the Li Jiajun was determined to fight hard, Gao Pragmatic would not be too surprised to say that the Chahar Mongolian army could fight one against two.
However, the Li Jiajun obviously deteriorated a lot later. Although Li Chengliang has been replaced by Li Rusong, the coach's will to fight must have become much stronger, but whether the army's own combat effectiveness has also improved... It is hard to say.
The more critical issue is that there is some conflict between Li Rusong's tactical plan and Gao Pragmatic's strategic plan: Gao Pragmatic's strategy is to press hard, and what is needed is not only victory, but also declaring to the world that Ming Dynasty has the power to crush everything. Great power. He wants Chahar to be unable to make any waves and be completely destroyed, so that he can shock all parties.
However, Li Rusong's tactical arrangement was to win the crucial victory alone, and his victory did not seem to be particularly secure. If something went wrong, it would not be good news for Ming Dynasty, and It also undermined the highly pragmatic strategy of deterring the four parties.
After thinking for a moment, Gao Pingshi pondered: "If Ma Chengxun's troops are assigned to Li Rusong, what does Cao Zongrong think the chances of winning are?"
"If we only go by the strength on paper, the chance of winning is greatly increased, and I would think it could be as high as 90%." Cao Yan replied.
However, Gao Pragmatic knew as soon as he heard that he disagreed, so he asked: "General Rong is worried that Ma Chengxun will not cooperate?"
"With the order of Entang, Ma Shenrong naturally dare not not cooperate." Cao Yun shook his head and said: "But although Ma Shenrong is willing to cooperate, it is hard to say how Li Zongrong views this order."
Gao pragmatic understood. Li Rusong not only has a very arrogant temperament, but to be honest, he does like to take credit. If Ma Chengxun, a direct descendant of the Practical School, is sent there, Li Rusong may not necessarily think that he is worried about something happening to him, but may think that he is sending Ma Chengxun. Chengxun went to share his great achievements.
This was not good. No one could tell what orders Li Rusong would give. He might let Ma Chengxun just go and cool off - then the reinforcements would be considered white.
Gao Pragmatic pondered, his expression unfriendly. Cao Yu thought for a while and suggested: "It may not be appropriate for Ma Shenrong to go to support, but if it is Horqin, Ye He and other departments, maybe Li Zongrong will not be too disgusted, but in this way..."
How about this? It's just that the Practical School can't make direct great achievements - of course, it means possible great achievements. But Gao Pragmatic didn't care about this. He regarded this battle as a political strategy and would not get hung up on the merits of a certain unit.
Gao pragmatic thought for a while and nodded: "Well, let's pass on the order and let Ye He send Fei Yingdong as the chief general, leading Ye He, Horqin... and the Hada Department's most elite cavalry of 10,000 to 20,000 to 20,000 as reinforcements, to accompany General Li. Send troops under the full command of General Li.
At the same time, in my name, I have given an order to Ye He, Horqin, and Hada. This recruitment and selection must be of the best, and we must ensure that we dare to fight and can fight. Violators will be severely punished! "
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