In the summer of the Little Ice Age, the Mobei Grassland was not hot. It was even like the Central Plains in autumn, with a pleasant climate.
On this day, the sky was blue and the sky was so comfortable. It was an excellent scenery. However, dust suddenly rose on the east side of the grassland, and with a low thunderous rumble, a huge cavalry roared from between heaven and earth.
The leader was none other than Zhasak Tutumen Khan, the "Great Khan of All Mongolia". The old Khan is already in his sixties, which is considered a long life among Mongolians. His beard and hair are already half white and gray, and his cheeks are also somewhat sunken. The thick and dark bags under his eyes indicate that he has been very tired recently, but his cold and stern eyes remain the same.
This large number of cavalry rushed to a long and gentle slope. Tumen Khan reined in his horse and stopped moving forward. The tens of thousands of cavalry did not need any orders at all, they stopped immediately like one person, waiting for the Khan's order.
But the Great Khan did not give any orders. He just squinted his eyes and looked forward for a moment, and then asked in a hoarse voice: "Burihatu, we are going to Shacheng not far ahead, right?"
Burihatu was in his prime. Although he had been on a rough road, he seemed calm as usual. He pulled the reins of his horse slightly, nodded and said: "Khan has a good memory. Shacheng should be about twenty miles ahead."
Tumen nodded slightly, but his face became more gloomy. After a moment, he suddenly sighed: "In the past, my monarch and my ministers led an army of tens of thousands, but they were frustrated and stopped under this sand city. At that time... the commander in charge of the city The person is Gao Rixin.”
Burihatu nodded but said nothing. Tumen continued: "Sometimes I can't help but think, if we had to fight hard to capture Shacheng and kill Gao Rixin here, would there still be so many things happening today? ?”
Burihatu was silent for a moment and said slowly: "The past is over, and the Great Khan needs to consider the present and the future."
"Oh, yes, you always have to consider the present and the future first." Tumen smiled as if mocking himself, and sighed: "Actually, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that even if we want to attack by force, In fact, we can't take Shacheng, right? I think so. After all, you insisted a few days ago that 'the city where Gao Rixin is stationed will be difficult to break'...I think it was the same for Shacheng back then."
Burihatu answered quickly this time and immediately said: "The Ming court boasted that Gao Rixin was the best military commander in the world. Since he became an official, he has won every battle without losing a single defeat. But this man is not really a god in military warfare. , From the perspective of my ministers, Gao Ri's new political talents are far superior to his military talents. There are three main reasons why he has not been defeated.
First, this person is good at pre-battle layout, which is what the Han military book says: "The art of war: the first is measuring, the second is measuring, the third is counting, the fourth is weighing, and the fifth is winning." Earth produces degree, degree produces quantity, quantity produces number, number produces name, and name produces victory. Therefore, if a victorious army is called a baht with yi, a defeated army is called a yi with a baht. The victor fights against people, just like the one who has accumulated water in a Qianren stream. 'Gao Rixin understood the essence of it. "
Tumen frowned and said, "What do these words mean?"
The Great Khan obviously had not read the Art of War carefully, so Burihatu gave him a brief explanation. Tell him that there are five basic principles for victory in Han art of war: first, the "degree" of land area, second, the "quantity" of physical resources, third, the "number" of the number of soldiers, fourth, the "scale" of the comparison of military strength, and fifth, It is the "victory" of victory or defeat.
The difference in geographical location between the enemy and ourselves results in the "degree" of the land area of the two sides being different; the difference in the "degree" of the land area between the enemy and ourselves produces the "quantity" of the physical resources of the two sides; the difference in the "quantity" of the physical resources of the enemy and ourselves , resulting in different "numbers" of the number of soldiers on both sides; the difference in the "number" of the number of enemy and our own soldiers, resulting in different "scales" of the comparison of the forces of the two sides; the difference of the "scale" of the comparison of the enemy's and ours' forces, ultimately determines the outcome of the war.
Therefore, compared to the defeated army, the victorious army has an absolute advantage, just like calling "yi" to "baht"; and compared to the victorious army, the defeated army has an absolute advantage, just like using "baht" to call "yi". An absolute disadvantage. A powerful victor leads an army to fight, just like the stagnant water breaking through a mountain stream on a cliff. This is the "form" of military strength.
"It's the 'national power' that you often talked about with me before." After listening to this, Tumen nodded solemnly and said: "The Ming Dynasty's national power was strong, but it could not be used well in the past. Later, with the arrival of the uncle and nephew of the Gao family, this power gradually They can gather together and use their fingers like an arm. Although our Mongolian warriors are good at fighting, once we are reduced to fighting against the Ming people, we will be defeated sooner or later... Just go on."
"Secondly, although Gao Rixin may not be dexterous and versatile, his victory lies in his careful use of troops. This is what the Art of War says: 'Those who are good at fighting can stand in an invincible position without losing the enemy. This is why he wins the battle. Win first and then go to war; defeated soldiers fight first and then seek victory. Those who are good at using soldiers practice Tao and protect the law, so they can govern victory or defeat.' Therefore, although he is not a natural general, he can always gradually build up a winning trend until it is irreversible. .”
"Ben Khan understands this paragraph." Tumen nodded: "It means that people who are good at fighting always make themselves invincible and never miss the opportunity to defeat the enemy. Therefore, the victorious army first Only when they are sure of victory do they seek to engage the enemy; a defeated army often takes the risk of engaging the enemy first, and then seeks a lucky victory.
In other words, those who are good at directing war must master the principles and methods of "self-preservation and complete victory", so that they can take the initiative in victory or defeat. "
"The Great Khan is wise, that's why." Burihatu nodded and said: "When Gao Rixin leads his troops, he always seeks to be undefeated first and then to win. In the battle of Shacheng, he defended and we attacked, and he had a strong city to defend himself from. Rely on, there are cannons that can hurt me. Although our cavalry is superior to him in terms of coming and going, but it is difficult to advance even if it is spent under the city. It will leave sooner or later, so why should he worry?
The Great Khan understood the truth that day, so after the temptation, he withdrew his troops and left without revealing any flaws. This was the right way. Even if I go through it again, I would like to make the same decision. That being the case, how can we say that we have to attack and capture Shacheng even if we are exhausted? "
"It's just a moment of emotion." Tumen waved his hands indifferently and said: "Let's not talk about the past. Please talk about his third key point of winning every battle."
"This third point is that he knows the principle of 'Qi wins'." Burihatu knew that Tumen must not understand, so he explained to himself without waiting for him to ask: "The Art of War says: 'Three armies can seize Qi' , the general can win the heart. Therefore, the morning energy is sharp, the day energy is lazy, and the evening energy returns. Those who are good at using soldiers should avoid the sharp energy and attack the lazy energy. This is how to cure the energy. Use calmness to wait for chaos, and use calmness to wait for uproar. This is how to cure the heart. "Waiting near and waiting for far, waiting for idleness and waiting for hard work, waiting for fullness and waiting for hunger. This is the way to control strength."
Tumen thought for a while and said: "It means that for the enemy's army, we should find ways to dampen its spirit and make it lose morale, and for the enemy's general, we can shake his determination and make him lose his fighting spirit. Therefore, the enemy At the beginning of the morning, the Qi will be strong; when the soldiers arrive at noon, the human body will be sleepy and the Qi will be lazy; when the sun sets, people's thoughts will return, and the Qi will become weaker.
Therefore, those who are good at using troops should avoid the enemy's aggressiveness when he first comes, and wait until the enemy's morale becomes slack and exhausted before attacking him. This is a way to win by weakening the enemy's morale. Use your own strictness to deal with the enemy's chaos, and use your own calmness to deal with the enemy's turmoil. This is a way to win by taking advantage of the enemy's psychological agitation.
And waiting for the enemy who has come from afar on the battlefield closer to you, waiting for the exhausted enemy when your troops are fully rested, waiting for the hungry enemy when your troops are full, is through consumption. A method of victory based on the enemy's strength. "
"Yes, what the Great Khan said is the correct answer." Burihatu said happily: "For an army, morale is very important, so we must pay attention to destroying the enemy's morale and shaking the general's determination. While the enemy's morale is low, Only by attacking it when the general is frustrated and has no fighting spirit can he reduce his own casualties and win the war at the minimum cost.
The Han people have a saying called "hit the snake seven inches", which means that you have to focus on doing things, so that you can get twice the result with half the effort. The combat principles of "avoiding their vigor and attacking their laziness" and "avoiding the real and returning to the weak" mean that when the enemy and our forces are equal, temporary concessions can be made to maintain the vigor of our army, fatigue and demoralize the enemy, and reduce the enemy's fatigue. Kill its advantage. When the time is right, deal a fatal blow to the enemy. "
Tumen thought for a while and said: "In the original battle of Liaonan, Gao Rixin first asked Ben Khan and Chaohua to advance all the way, wait until the river and then slowly snipe to block it. Then, while our army was tired and eager to cross the river, he launched In the decisive battle, he defeated the speculator army in one fell swoop and even captured him, is this the reason?"
"Of course." Burihatu nodded.
Unexpectedly, the Tumen laughed bitterly, shook their heads and said, "I originally wanted to say that it would have been better if I had known these truths earlier. But then I thought about it, truth is truth. On the battlefield, there are things that can distract the leader. There are too many, and there are very few who can stick to their original intentions in the end... Even if there is another Liaonan War, both Han and Chaohua have read these military books, but I am afraid that Chaohua will still die."
Burihatu nodded and said: "It is indeed possible, because if you add the above three points together and look at Gao Rixin, you will find the key to his ability to defeat us - he knows what I want, so he can show me what I want. . In this way, it is really difficult not to be fooled by him."
Tumen suddenly frowned and said uneasily: "Then tell me, this time we used a golden cicada to escape in front of more than 200,000 Ming troops, and then ran thousands of miles to naturalize... Could it be that Gao Rixin deliberately exposed it? Is it a flaw?"
"It shouldn't happen this time." Burihatu couldn't help but frown, thinking: "The difference between Gao Rixin's battle and the past is that his goal for this battle is too big, not only Defeat us, and want to annihilate us, in order to destroy our Mongolian Khanate in one fell swoop. He even needs to use this to scare some people in the country who oppose him or the reform of practical learning.
This goal is too big, and many of the methods that could have been adopted cannot be adopted. All we can do is spread a net on all sides, trying to surround us. Although at first glance, it seems that he has hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands, and it is not a bad idea to surround him heavily, but that is just an appearance.
In fact, it is precisely because there are too many troops that it will be difficult to supply if they are concentrated in one place. Therefore, I estimated before the war that the troops he could use in the five hundred miles around Chahanhot could not exceed 300,000 at most. Otherwise, the army would not have enough food and supplies. We have a chance.
Under such circumstances, if he wanted to carry out an encirclement and suppression campaign on the prairie, he could only delegate power to the frontline generals and let them find their own fighting opportunities. However, in the past, Gao Rixin was able to avoid temptation and resolutely deploy operations step by step according to his own ideas. Other generals under his command were unable to do this.
Li Rusong was not his general under Gao Rixin, and was even the only general in this battle who was not in the same faction as Gao Rixin, so he was under the greatest pressure in this battle. Under such circumstances, Li Rusong will definitely actively seek a fight. Even if he cannot defeat the opponent, he will still want to win the first battle.
Therefore, I predict that after Li Rusong expected that our army would not engage in a decisive battle with them in Chahanhot, he must have calculated that our army would go north to avoid its edge. Therefore, he would take Xiao Ruxun as a clue and go straight to Chahanhot, while his own headquarters would intercept him in Anbei. . I predict that with Li Rusong's domineering achievements, he will want to repeat the victory of Lanyu Yuerhai, and his army will rush to Yuerhai with light armor and wait for our army to hit us head-on.
In addition to the large army, our army is moving with more than 300,000 people. It is bound to be unable to attack as quickly as Li Rusong. Therefore, I asked the Great Khan to persuade Abadai Saiyin Khan to go with his elite troops, so he set up a suspicious formation and pretended to Fall into the trap. Our army headquarters sent elite sentinels to monitor the besieged Macheng'en tribe. When they saw it speeding up, they knew that Abadai Saiyin Khan had figured out the plan, so the entire army took the opportunity to advance westward...
By now, Abadai Saiyin Khan's side should have been seen through, but he has lived in Helin for a long time and is more suitable for activities in the north. He will definitely be able to get rid of his pursuers and join us in Xitui. The Great Khan does not have to worry about him. On the other hand, Gao Rixin, at this moment, may have thought that our army was going north to join Helin and the Outer Khalkha tribe and concentrate its forces for a decisive battle; or he may have thought that after our army escaped from the encirclement, he would take the opportunity to capture Daning, where he was, and turn the tide in one fell swoop. …”
Tumen closed his eyes and said: "But he didn't expect that Ben Khan was so determined that he would abandon his homeland and conquer the west. Moreover, on the way to the west, Ben Khan had to go to Tumut to dig a grass valley. , to avenge you for the past."
Burihatu bowed deeply on his horse and said, "I will never be able to repay the kindness of the Great Khan."
Tumen waved his hand: "You and I are both from the Golden Family, and we are connected by blood. What are you talking about? Besides, going to Guihua City to fight is not only to avenge you and your father, but also for this Khan. If you let out a bad breath, there is no need to say anything about kindness or unkindness. However, even though the main force of Tumut comes out, the power in the hands of Zhongjin Hatun cannot be underestimated. This battle may still be a hard battle..."
He suddenly turned his head and waved to a slightly thin middle-aged Mongolian nobleman behind him. The man hurriedly stepped forward to listen to his instructions. Tumen sighed softly and said to Burihatu: "Burihatu, I have been waiting for this journey for thousands of miles. I have been in poor health recently. Maybe the day of my journey to the west is not far away. Although Buyan is ineffective, he has been here for many years. It’s considered my best effort, Ben Khan… I’ll entrust him to you today, and I hope you can help him well.”
Burihatu was taken aback and was about to say some words of persuasion, but Tumen shook his head firmly and signaled him not to speak with his eyes. Then Tumen said to his eldest son, Buyantaiji: "Buyan, listen, when you succeed to the throne in the future, Buyantaiji will take charge of the white flag for you, do you understand?"
As soon as this statement came out, not only Buyantaiji was shocked, but also Buyantaiji himself was shocked, and he quickly said: "You can't sweat!"
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