Although the horse's hooves were nailed with shoes, Zhang Chen, who was sitting on the horse, could hardly hear the sound of the horse's hooves when they were knocked on the thick grass.
It's early summer. The vast green crawls over the low sand dunes at your feet, overflows through the shallow depressions, and flows to the horizon. The mountains in the distance lie like lazy giants at the end of the field of vision. Because there are many clouds in the sky, Zhang Chen can also see rays of golden sunlight dividing the giant green carpet into light or light patches.
In front of the field of vision, the 4,000 troops of the West Route Army were like a long, twisted snake, moving slowly on the grassland. In fact, the speed of this team is not slow, but in Zhang Chen's view, compared with the vastness of the world, these people are like tiny ants squirming under the upside-down pot.
There was a "sudden" sound of a bowstring, and Dai Qin beside Zhang Chen suddenly nailed a hare into the grass. Zhang Chen's personal soldiers rode over, leaned over and picked up the arrow. After pulling out the arrow, they rode back and handed it to the eldest son of Quemonk Tashara. The rabbit was placed on the horse's back. In the bag behind the soldiers.
Zhang Chen reined in the horse and asked it to stop waiting for Dai Qin. He smiled at him and said, "Ta Da, you have sharp eyes." Dai Qin means number one or leader in Mongolian - Tas Hara's first son, Zhang Chen seemed to have no problem calling him Ta Da.
Dai Qin, who had prairie red on his cheekbones, said in broken Chinese: "Rabbit, grab, grass, even if you are thin, you will die." Zhang Chen nodded, touched his beard and said with a smile: "Eat a lot of meat, No harm.”
Dai Qin said with a bitter face: "Junmen, I want to eat noodles." Zhang Chen laughed. He turned around, pointed his riding crop behind him and said, "There is plenty of rice and flour, just go and keep accounts."
Behind the two of them, nearly a hundred heavily loaded carriages were like a thick and long python, chasing the queue in front.
This is the East Route Army caravan formed by the Yulin Chamber of Commerce, which is responsible for providing some supplies to the army. Of course, in addition to being able to obtain orders from the court, merchants who provide supplies also have the exclusive right to purchase fur goods and all specialties of the expeditionary force - this is their biggest motivation to follow the army all the way.
At the end of May in the thirteenth year of Wanli, the East Route Army led by Zhang Chen had entered Mobei. Behind this army, dotted bastions are being built in full swing in the grasslands and deserts - from Huangbo Fort (Sayinsanda) in the sand to Baicheng (Bayan Ula) not far behind Zhang Chen .
These bastions are like chains, dividing the northern border beyond the border wall into fragmented pastures. The bastion was also the market, where lamas and Han and Mongolian merchants lived. There were also Han and Mongolian officials in charge of the market, usually the Han chief and the Mongolian deputy. At the same time, Han soldiers and Mongolian soldiers were also organized into a team to maintain the security of the city.
For the Mongolian nobles, they can easily see that these bastions control the water sources, oases and key points of the grassland. The beacon tower on the top of each bastion is like the beacon on the border city - as long as one spot is lit, the bastion controls the area. It is self-evident what will happen to the Mongolian people inside.
But for the Mongolian people at the bottom, the existence of the bastion is simply the greatest blessing, because it has all the necessities of life. From needles and threads to ironware and household items, as well as salt, tea and even clothing and medicines, as long as you have sheep, horses, and skins, all of these are at your fingertips.
In addition to being able to exchange for supplies, there is also a lama inside the bastion who upholds justice. Not only did they explain the past and present life, each of them was superb in Dharma, but they also resolved hostility, resolved difficulties and resolved grievances. When there is a conflict between herdsmen, as long as both parties are willing, there is no need to bother the lord. When buying things, you can go directly to the bastion to find a lama to administer justice - these lamas always live in the best houses in the bastion. , of course.
Despite their benefits, bastions are extremely difficult to build. Two years have passed since the Saihanba meeting, and almost all the forts have not been completed, and this is more so as you go north. Although Huangbo Fort is located in the desert, it is nearly completed, and the Baicheng bastion project has just begun. In the motorcade following Zhang Chen, there were several carriages loaded with the latest building material: cement.
At this time, the guide accompanying the Chinese army came to Zhang Chen on horseback and said: "Junmen, through the mountain ahead, there is the Onan River."
Although Zhang Chen had strengthened his studies over the years, he didn't know what the river represented. Seeing the solemn look on his face, Zhang Chen looked at him and waited for him to continue.
The man smiled and said: "The Onan River is the place where Genghis Khan ascended the throne. There is Feiyun Valley in the northeast ahead, which is where Gengzu defeated Benyasili and Trutai during his northern campaign against the Tartars."
Zhang Chen groaned when he heard this and looked at Dai Qin involuntarily. Nadaiqin didn't care at all. He looked around on horseback and continued to search for rabbits and marmots in the grass.
Since the authentic descendants of Temujin have no intention of reminiscing about ancient times in the Onan River, Zhang Chen does not intend to stop in Feiyun Valley. He shook his head, clamped the horse's belly, and the horse rushed out and chased the team in front.
...
The Eastern Route Army starting from Yulin made quite smooth progress. However, the progress of the Western Route Army, which set out from Luntai and was preparing to cross the Sayan Mountains, was not slow either.
The commander-in-chief of the West Route Army is First Class Yongyihou Ma Dong, the chief military officer of the Western Region Governor's Mansion stationed in Hami. After Ma Fang captured Luntai, the frost of the Western Regions suddenly destroyed his body. Although he was treated by military doctors trained in medical schools, he was unable to recover and died of illness in Luntai.
Ma Fang was rewarded by a third-class duke during his lifetime, and was granted the title of king after his death. His son was demoted to the first-class title according to the law, and the Ma family also entered the ranks of honorable families.
Ma Dong's temperament is different from Ma Fang's. Although he is very brave, he likes poetry and reading, and he doesn't like military affairs very much. However, as the eldest son, he had to take care of his father, so he never pursued a career and worked in the army step by step until he became the governor.
During Ma Fang's campaign in the Western Regions, Ma Dong stayed with his father, and Ma Fang taught him everything he could through words and deeds. After Ma Fang passed away, Ma Dong naturally took over the leadership of Luntai General Soldier.
Luntai is thousands of miles away from the capital, and the governor of the Western Regions Governor's Mansion makes the final decision at the right time. Ma Dong led the new army under his command to fight against forces such as Yeerqiang Khan, and they were basically crushed. Therefore, Fang Feng took a look at Ma Donggao every time and recommended him to lead the troops to the north in a secret report last year.
Later, the imperial court decided on the candidate in the summer of the twelfth year of Wanli, and Ma Dong had no room for shirk. He used the Luntai soldiers as the backbone, mixed with half of the new soldiers who changed defenses, and gathered up 6,500 cavalry, two or three horses. According to the march route given by the court, he would set off from Hami and head north when the weather is warm. , passing through the Altai Mountains and Sayan Mountains, and finally set foot on the wild land of Luo.
For Ma Dong, the Western Route Army's offensive will be a long journey. Because the area is so large, there are no merchants behind the 6,500 soldiers to provide supplies, and they completely rely on the court's logistics support - Ma Dong can foresee that he will encounter the same problems as his father Ma Fang, in addition to logistics, it is still logistics.
However, the logistics are extremely difficult. After calculation, every kilogram of grain transported to Sayanling consumed more than eight kilograms. It was a nightmare of stress. Therefore, the plan to cross the Sayan Mountains was far inferior to the Eastern Route Army's plan to cross Mobei. Unable to obtain supplies from the grassland, Ma Dong has to be highly vigilant every day - there is no room for any mistakes in the food road.
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