Presetting the battlefield for the decisive battle in advance was the top priority of the Ming Dynasty's military strategy, and it was also the most difficult issue to determine.
War is full of variables, and advance planning may not be useful. If you wait for the enemy and ambush the enemy wherever you say, the enemy may not come. But this issue is extremely critical and must be considered and arranged in advance.
The default battlefield is not a certain point in most cases, but an area. As He Fu said, he wants to fight in the eight hundred miles of vast desert, while Tie Xuan's point of view is hundreds of miles around Hami City. Looking for opportunities to fight within.
Zhu Di knew that the main force of the Ming army was infantry, and relying only on the limited cavalry in hand, it was extremely difficult, or even impossible, to defeat Timur's fine cavalry and heavy cavalry.
Therefore, it is necessary to accurately predict Timur's march route, prepare a decisive battlefield in advance, and lead the main infantry there to wait for Timur's arrival. If Timur makes a mistake in judgment and changes his marching route, then all preparations will be in vain! When the time comes, Zhu Di adjusts the combat deployment temporarily and arranges infantry to chase and intercept Timur's cavalry. That will be an impossible task, and the only result will be to ruin the Ming sergeants in vain!
Zhu Yunwen looked at the map and knew Zhu Di's worries very well.
Although Timur was a lame man, he still had feet, and he also knew that there was not only one road to the Ming Dynasty, but two. But the problem is that Ming Dynasty can only choose one way to fight Timur.
With limited military strength, and facing the overwhelming power of Timur, Zhu Di could not spread out his troops too much, otherwise, any army would be in trouble when facing Timur.
The only way is to determine Timur's route, lead the main force into its inevitable path in advance, and then launch a decisive battle.
But Timur's marching route is highly confidential, and it is impossible for Ming Dynasty to spy on it in advance. When conditions allow for reconnaissance, it is suddenly discovered that Timur is taking another route, and Ming Dynasty will lose everything.
This is an extremely critical strategic issue, related to the success or failure of the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition, the overall situation of the Western Region, and even the safety of the Ming Dynasty!
Zhu Di pointed at the map of the Western Regions with his finger and said seriously: "If Timur wants to march eastward, it is unlikely that he will directly conflict with the Beiyuan Wara and Tatar headquarters. His route of advancement can only be to march into Yilili. There should be no doubt about this.”
He Fu, Tie Xuan, Xu Huizu and others nodded.
Although Oara and Tatar are now in decline, as nomadic people, they are proficient in cavalry combat and can fight on horseback. If Timur directly clashed with these people, it would be better to eliminate the Oara and Tatars. If he could not be eliminated, he would be awaiting endless harassment, logistics would not be guaranteed, and the army would suffer heavy losses every dozens of miles it advanced. Constraints.
While fighting against the Ming Dynasty, it was irrational to directly clash with the two major tribes of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and it was definitely not the result that Timur wanted to see. Therefore, he could only go as far as possible to defeat Shami. After Chagan, march to Besbali or Turpan and other places to spy on Hami, and then decide the next direction of attack.
Zhu Di continued: "It is also to be expected that Timur defeated Shamichagan and defeated the main force in Yili. The most critical question now is which path Timur will take after occupying Yili. Attack our country by road. The first road is to occupy Hami, then turn south to attack Dunhuang, Guazhou and other places, break through Jiayuguan, and then drive straight in along the Hexi Corridor to Lanzhou and danger Xi'an."
"The second route is not to go south to attack Jiayuguan, but to pass north of Hami and go directly east, as close as Juyanhai and Yijinai, and then reach the Hetao area, directly threatening Datong, and opening Guancheng from Datong. Directly threatening Peiping and Beizhili."
Zhu Yunwen looked at these two routes and fell into deep thought.
Timur wanted to march eastward. There were only two most suitable routes. There was no other choice. Go south to fight Jiayuguan, and go east to fight Datong. How would Timur choose?
He Fu pointed to places such as Juyanhai and Hetao, and said: "I thought Timur would go south instead of eastward. The reason is also very simple. From the north of Hami to Juyanhai and Hetao, It currently belongs to the sphere of influence of the Tatar headquarters. The relationship between Tatar and Timur is not harmonious. If Timur leads his army to take this path, it is likely to conflict with the Tatar."
Xu Huizu, Zhu Di and others nodded, this possibility does exist.
You must know that the Tatars initially did not want to support some ghostly force. The first choice was Benya Shili, but now Benya Shili is in the hands of Timur. The Tatars have sent people many times and experienced life and death. After passing through Oara's control area, I even wanted to welcome Benya Shili back, but Timur refused.
In desperation, the Tatar Arutai and others chose the spare tire Guilichi. Guilichi became the Great Khan. For the Tatar tribe, it was good, but for the entire Mongolian tribe, it was not so good. .
Tatar recognized Guilichi as the Great Khan, but Wala did not.
Wala said: Guilichi is nothing but a bird. He is a descendant of Hedan, the concubine of Wokuotai. Why should he be the Great Khan?
Guilichi was far inferior to Benya Shili in terms of blood, status, and prestige. This also made Arutai and others' plan to use the Khan to appease the Oara tribe come to nothing. The Tatars hated Timur so much. Teeth itching, it’s strange that the relationship is good.
Besides, the Tatars just moved to Hetao and the northern part of Gansu. They didn't even eat a few bites of grass. When Timur came with his troops, they moved immediately. Do they still want to save face?
Although Timur is engaged in demolition work, he only intends to demolish it by force and does not intend to provide compensation. Although the Tatars are not critical households, they will directly give way to the road without saying a word, and they will become the laughing stock of the grassland.
Zhu Di thought for a while and said: "If Timur really goes eastward, the Tatars may not dare to confront him head-on, right? The most likely thing is to pretend and then withdraw."
He Fu, Xu Huizu and others did not refute.
Zhu Di's words are also reasonable. Today's Tatar is like a strong man with a fierce appearance and a soft heart. He even uses poisonous tricks to deal with a Hami. Facing the king of Yili, Shamicha, he fights fiercely. As a result, I didn't even get the intelligence right, and I almost got dumped. If you really want to face the behemoth Timur directly, I'm afraid you can only shout twice and then retreat.
Zhu Yunwen sat down, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.
Historically, Timur died during the Eastern Expedition. Their march reached as far as Beslopali near Hami. After Timur's death, his children and grandchildren had no further military operations and instead withdrew. Going back, Zhu Yunwen didn't know whether Timur would go east or south. Such a critical military issue cannot be decided casually. It can only be left to Zhu Di and others to solve it with their wisdom.
"We need to help Tamerlane choose a path."
Zhu Yunwen said.
Zhu Di, Xu Huizu and others looked at Zhu Yunzhen and nodded solemnly.
Although no one knows Timur's military plan, it is still possible to help him choose an march route. As long as it is ensured that Timur does not take another path, then he can only choose the remaining path.
Zhu Di turned his attention to the map again and said: "I prefer to fight within 800 miles from Hami to Dunhuang, so I need to arrange some people to prevent Timur from advancing eastward."
He Fu pointed to Hami: "You can arrange a group of people to go to the junction of Hami and Yilibaili to pretend to attack Timur's army, forcing the opponent to attack Hami and then go south."
Tie Xuan frowned: "What about the people of Hami?"
Zhu Yunwen added: "All the people of Hami are moving south. If you don't move, you will be responsible for the consequences. The most important thing right now is not the people of Hami, but the success or failure of the war and the entire Western Region."
Tie Xuan did not dare to say anything. It was obvious that the Western Region was not yet under the control of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty had no intention of giving them mercy and protection first. It would be good if he agreed to move south. If he did not agree, he might really shed blood. into a river.
Xu Huizu looked at the map and said: "It's just a feint attack, but I'm afraid it won't be able to lure Timur south. I suggest sending an army into the Altai Mountains and blowing up the passes with gunpowder. In times of crisis, you can also set fire to the mountains to cut off Timur." The road eastward.”
Setting fire to a mountain can be described as a destructive move, even though it is not the Ming Dynasty's mountain that is being burned.
Neither Zhu Di nor Tie Xuan objected to this move.
Zhu Yunwen remained silent.
Timur's main force was the cavalry. The cavalry could not climb the hills and cross the mountains. They could only walk on the mountain roads, enter the mountain roads through the passes, walk through the mountain roads, and destroy the passes with gunpowder. In Timur's powerful army without cranes, Before good medicine, thousands of kilograms of large rocks could not be cleared quickly at all. The huge logistical pressure would also prompt him to change his route south.
As for burning a forest in the Altai Mountains, it actually doesn't matter. This mountain range is high in altitude, covered with snow all year round, and has some glaciers, so it won't burn anywhere.
If Timur wanted to go east from Yilibali and other places, he could only go through the Altai Mountains. This mountain range could not be bypassed unless he chose to go south to Hami, Dunhuang, and Jiayuguan.
Zhu Yunwen saw that Zhu Di and others had already discussed the countermeasures, so he stood up and said: "In my opinion, Timur is coming with a large army, and the logistics supply must be long-term. He will cross the Altai Mountains, and then cross the Hanhai and enter the Juyan Sea, threatening Datong. It may not be big. And this road is much longer and more difficult than taking the Hami and Jiayuguan lines. But necessary measures still need to be taken to ensure that he does not choose this road."
From the perspective of logistics, combat pressure, combat paths, and long-term strategy, Timur is most likely to take the Western Region first and then plan the Hexi Corridor. Only in this way can the stability of follow-up logistics be ensured. Once the Hexi Corridor is taken away, Timur will have the Qilian Mountain pastures with rich water and grass. He can use this as a stronghold to directly threaten Lanzhou and Xi'an, and then threaten the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty.
But it's hard to say whether Timur will take a different approach and take things by surprise. This man is a war madman, and the decisions he makes may not be in line with what normal people think.
There are no chances in war, only complete preparations must be made.
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