stubborn thief

Noon the next day.

A three-foot-high platform was built at the foot of Mazong Mountain.

Batches of Batuers who made contributions in the war were awarded waist badges and brocade books by Liu Chengzong.

It then formed an independent camp, and transferred more than a hundred soldiers who had made meritorious services from the three camps of Yulin, Huben and Beiyuan to serve as officers. They were under the jurisdiction of the central army and were under the command of Zuo Liangyu, the groom of the Eastern Palace.

Wu Sihu of the Beiyuan Camp made it clear to the nobles in the south of the desert that according to the law, everyone of them should be punished. The Khan did not punish them because he took into consideration their great contribution of surrendering to the emperor in a timely manner, and he would rather let them bear the reputation of unclear rewards and punishments.

I hope they can go back and govern the Wanhu tribe well, make more contributions in the future, and wash away the shame they have brought to the Khan.

Of course, that’s what they said, but in fact they did not bring any shame to Liu Shizi.

Rewards and punishments are unclear. Generally, people will think that those who should be punished are not punished because those who should be rewarded are not rewarded.

The officers and soldiers of the Marshal's Army are all paying attention to the interior of the country. For most of the old brothers, they only need a stable south of the desert. It doesn't matter to them whether it is twenty-three Wanhu tribes or twenty-three horse bandit dens.

The only people who felt that Liu Shizi was unclear about rewards and punishments were the Chahar veterans in the Northern Yuan Camp.

This was because many soldiers in the Beiyuan Camp did not understand their own positioning. After Liu Chengzong transferred more than 40 soldiers from the Beiyuan Camp and promoted them to officers of the Batu Camp, they no longer had any objections to this matter.

Some even thought that the Mo Nan Corps should be awarded a few more battalions to free up some officer positions.

In fact, Liu Chengzong had no choice.

There may not be many of the most outstanding Han military officers in the world in his Tiger Guards Camp.

But most of the best Mongolian officers in the world must be in his Northern Yuan camp.

Among the 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers in the entire southern desert, less than a thousand had surnames; and more than half of the Northern Yuan camp were Borjigins.

If officers don't come from here, where else can they come from? You can't transfer officers from the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains to Weilat, right?

There is also Zuo Liangyu. Zuo Liangyu has some opinions. It has nothing to do with the Mo Nan army. He just feels that he has more important things to do than washing horses.

As soon as he made the suggestion, he was appointed as the lieutenant general of the Batuo Camp. Although it was the smallest camp within the small camp, with a total of more than 1,200 men, and all of them were Da soldiers, but with more than 1,200 Batuo men in his hands, Zuo Liangyu's heart, which had been hanging since he was captured, was finally at ease.

The commander-in-chief is clear about rewards and punishments, which is truly the appearance of an wise ruler!

He will get angry with anyone who says that rewards and punishments are unclear.

In fact, Liu Chengzong had no intention of letting the attacking camp to break through the enemy's camp.

It is just a military school, where they pick out the tallest and most capable ones among the short men in Mo Nan, and put them in to learn military laws and regulations and command drills, in an effort to cultivate some promising talents.

After all, the foundation of the Mo Nan Army is too poor, and there are not many regular troops at all.

There are only the Ordos nobles headed by E'linchen and the Tumed nobles headed by Ombu. These two families control a part of the regular army.

But the inertia of the grassland meant that when they went out to fight, they had to be on guard against the new nobles appointed by Liu Chengzong, and the most elite troops were left in their hometown to guard the accounts.

On the contrary, the ruffians from Mobei were the most enthusiastic about the Grand Marshal's call, but when they fought, they were most like horse bandits.

After all, these soldiers are at best skilled in archery and horse riding and have some knowledge of fighting, and their understanding of war is limited to looting and hunting.

Of course, hunting and pillaging do have similarities with warfare, with the tactics and logistics characteristic of tribal fighting.

But there is more to war than that.

If there were a few large tribes like the Harashen on the grassland that could serve as opponents of the Mo Nan Army, then they would soon have some capable generals and troops emerging in the battle.

But there were no such opponents on the grassland. What they needed to deal with was the Eight Banners of Manchuria, which had a very mature military organization.

Their opportunities for growth are stifled.

The most important military buffer zone is located south of the desert. The vast land and grassland can greatly restrict enemies who want to attack the Central Plains.

Being able to have an army loyal to oneself in Mo Nan, no matter how unruly this army is, must be firmly controlled in one's hands.

What's more, Liu Shizi knew very well that these people were not rebellious towards him.

The troops in the south of the desert suffered heavy losses in this battle, and more than a thousand batula were withdrawn. Their men and horses were exhausted, and their combat effectiveness was at its lowest. There was no chance for them to survive on the front battlefield.

Liu Chengzong planned to transfer them to the west of Xing'an Mountains and garrison them in Ujumqin to prevent the Eight Banners Army from infiltrating across the border through the mountain pass, while also guarding against the Chechen Khanate in Shuole in the north.

The accurate information that Ajige was leading his troops westward was given to him by Shuolei through Subadi.

When Subadi arrived at Guihua City, he sent people back to mobilize troops. This news could not be concealed from Shuolei, as that guy knew from the beginning that a big battle was going to break out in Mo Nan.

Shuolei must be watching the situation.

Liu Shizi thinks Shuolei is ambitious, lacks courage, but is very decisive.

When Lindan Khan died in Qinghai, he wanted to inherit the Khan's account office as soon as he received the news.

Therefore, Liu Chengzong estimated that it was unlikely that the Chechen tribe would send troops - no matter which side they supported, Shuolei would not dare to do so. However, he might be very brave to take advantage of the opportunity of the two armies' confrontation in the Greater Khingan Range to encroach on the pastures bordering the south of the desert.

However, there were still some people in the Mo Nan Army who were unwilling to leave the main battlefield, namely the small nobles of the Ordos tribe.

E'linchen's nephews, Shandan, Xiao Zhamusu and others, when they heard that they would be transferred to Lingxi with the Mo Nan Army, all expressed their desire to stay in the army and serve.

Liu Shizi thought to himself, you little guys were thrown onto the battlefield by your uncle, so what use will I make by keeping you in the army?

But on second thought, it would not be appropriate to transfer all the people of the Ordos tribe to the rear before E'linchen returned.

He said to them, "If you want to stay at the front, that's fine. Now the pastureland in southern Khorchin is vacant. If you have the courage, you can recruit soldiers from the Southern Desert Army and form the Dalahan Army. You can move freely in the Khorchin grassland and even in Shenyang. You are all from noble families, so you know what the Dalahan Army does, right?"

Darakhan, like Batu, is also a kind of aristocratic title in Mongolian society.

Batu was a brave and good fighter, while Darakhan was a free man, a title that Borjigin used as a reward for his savior.

There are no obligations, only power. The guards can carry their quivers and keep all the hunted and looted property for themselves. They are not punished for nine crimes and are exempt from taxes. They can enter the palace at any time and can freely choose their pastures.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Northern Yuan Dynasty also had such a title. Anyone who rescued the Taiji on the battlefield would be given the title of Dalahan.

But in addition to the title, there was also a military branch called the Darakhan Army in the Yuan Dynasty.

This type of military force is not so glorious. It does not belong to the regular army. Soldiers are temporarily recruited to provide their own armor and horses, and are not given food or wages, nor are they registered in the army. They are used as roving soldiers to increase their momentum and make a profit by looting. All the property looted from the army belongs to them.

In fact, it is a large-scale bandit gang that accompanies official actions, which is what the Mo Nan Cavalry is currently doing for Liu Chengzong.

However, when Shandan and the others heard the name of the Dalahan Army, their expressions froze. The Ordos tribe was one of the few Wanhu tribes in the Northern Yuan Dynasty that had some cultural traditions. The nobles from the Golden Family all knew about the Dalahan Army.

The Yuan Dynasty recruited the Dalai Khan Army to participate in wars many times. Whether it was the Western Expedition, the invasion of the Southern Song Dynasty or the suppression of the rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, these troops played a key role and were very useful.

But that is from the perspective of the Golden Family.

The Darahan Army was certainly useful. Like an army picked up for free, they followed the main force into battle, without asking for food or wages, without establishing units, or receiving rewards. All they had to do was tell them where to attack, and as long as they could win, they would pounce on the enemy and tear them to pieces.

The problem is that all the Darakhan troops had a bad ending.

The military discipline of the Monan cavalry is poor, not because E'linchen or other Wanhu do not want the military discipline to improve.

Rather, they were formed too recently, and have only fought a few battles as a group. Their coordination ability is very poor, and the entire army is stuck in the period of proving themselves to their followers that they are qualified leaders.

From top to bottom, there is not enough prestige to control the army, so naturally there is no ability to restrain it.

The so-called leadership is the ability to convince others and make them willing to obey orders. There is no such person in Mo Nan.

If Yang Qi had not run back to Xi'an, at least everyone would know who he was and what he had done, and perhaps he would have the ability to dominate this land.

Those thousands of households cannot even fully convince their own subordinates, let alone convince others.

In fact, with the disappearance of E'linchen, the commander of the Mo Nan cavalry, and the deaths of Wanhu and Qianhu, military discipline was improving.

The smaller their organization, the better their military discipline. The dozens of cavalrymen under the thousand households were a closely united small group.

Therefore, the military discipline of the Mo Nan cavalry is just a simple military issue.

The military discipline of the Darakhan army is a political issue.

The military law of the Darakhan Army can be summed up in four words: unbridled and unrestricted.

The basis of their existence is looting. If they want to maintain military discipline, they will only starve themselves to death. If they cannot defeat the enemy, they will be destroyed. If they defeat all the enemies, they will be disbanded for being unable to maintain military discipline. If they do not want to be disbanded, they will be regarded as rebels by the court and suppressed.

In the early Yuan Dynasty, the Darakhan army that invaded Huguang was forced to fight the Tumiao. The Tumiao lived in the mountains, so they plundered the local area and merged with the Tumiao. Later, they were called the Miao Army. They killed provincial officials and seized huge cities, but were suppressed and destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty.

They invaded Hainan and formed the Dalai Khan Army to fight the local Li soldiers. After defeating the Li soldiers, they were transferred to Guangxi. With no war to fight, the Yuan Dynasty had no choice but to pay them. They paid food and wages for seventeen years, and finally called them the Yao rebellion and destroyed them.

Later, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, in order to quell the rebellion, the Dalai Lama Army was recruited again. This time, the opponents were Zhang Shicheng and Zhu Yuanzhang, and they were defeated before they could even survive.

This is the real death at first sight.

The enthusiasm of several people to join the expedition suddenly waned. Instead of joining the Da Lahan Army, they might as well go back to Ordos to raise sheep.

Finally, he asked the young Jamsu, who was the most enthusiastic about joining the expedition, "Great Khan, if we set up the Darahan Army, I wonder where we will end up?"

"Are you worried about not having a war to fight? You're quite confident!"

Liu Chengzong laughed and looked at the young Zhamusu, whose face still had the naivete of a teenager. He asked, "Do you think you can destroy the Later Jin, or can I completely defeat them in a war?"

"Lindan Khan's Chahar is like a tiger controlling a greedy wolf. Even such a motley crowd will not be defeated in one day."

He pointed his whip and looked into the distance, his eyes seemed to cross the vast grasslands and continuous mountains: "The Manchu Eight Banners are smart and experienced hunters. Hunters have traps, deer herds and hunting dogs, and are never afraid of tigers and jackals."

Liu Chengzong said some meaningless words to little Zhamusu, turned his back in the latter's confused eyes, opened his whip and pointed it to the west.

"I will build a city in Xing'an Mountains, and the Dalahan army will be active in the east of the mountains, from Nenjiang River to Liaohe River. We will not fight with the Ming Dynasty, nor will we plunder the eastern Tatars who use deer and dogs as bait. We will avoid the main forces of the Eight Banners and attack all those who are affiliated with the Eight Banners."

"Plundering livestock, seizing women and children, burning crops, and killing soldiers."

"There will be a trade route from Xi'an to Shangdu, which will be open twice a year for the Darahan army to sell spoils and purchase armor and supplies."

"You can recruit soldiers from the south of the desert, or from the Ming border wall, or from Lu, Dog, Fish and other places in the east. They are all brave men."

Liu Chengzong turned around and raised his hand, waving it slowly from right to left: "If we are defeated by the Eight Banners, we will hide from the east to the west of the ridge. Those castles will stop them. Wait until they retreat and then attack again."

“Tear down the hunter’s snares, take away the hunter’s deer, kill the hunter’s good dogs, and the hunter will die.”

The fearless little Zamusu swallowed slowly, and everyone could hear the sound.

Liu Chengzong described to him a story about a jackal biting a traveler to death, seizing the opportunity to bite him on the leg, then slowly following him, watching the man bleed to death in despair.

But little Zamusu was smart. He knew that the role he played in this story was a jackal, but there were more than just jackals on this land.

There is also the vulture napping on the roof of the central army commander's tent.

When a traveler dies, vultures swoop down, drive away the jackals, and feast on the corpse.

They will be useless by then, so what should we do?

Of course, that kind of thing is too far away. At least for now, establishing the Dalaihan Army under Liu Chengzong's rule will enable him to have far greater power and status than Ordos under E'linchen's rule.

However, just as Little Jamsu nodded and saluted, Liu Chengzong said, "As for the end of the war, there will be a place for you in the Khorchin grassland. Those who are willing to stay will be named the King of Dalahan. They will not be in charge of the territory of their tribes, but will receive salaries and enjoy ceremonial guards, and the title will be hereditary."

"The tribes were divided into the Dalahan tribe, and each of them divided the pastureland. No matter how much the tribes in the south of the desert levied, the Dalahan tribe only levied half of theirs."

"If someone is unwilling to return to farming and animal husbandry, we will reorganize a new Dalahan tribe and march north of the Tianshan Mountains and continue to fight westward. In short... I will always be able to send you to a place where we can fight."

King Darakhan?

This title surprised little Zhamusu and the several little nobles behind him.

They thought that the reward Liu Chengzong would offer would be for their leader, Da Lakhan Khan, but they didn't expect it would be for King Da Lakhan... In the feudal system currently controlled by Liu Chengzong, it seemed that he himself was not yet a king.

But it doesn’t matter. Liu Chengzong’s march to Mo Nan and deployment of troops in Xing’an Mountains has already announced to the entire Mo Nan that everyone is under his protection.

No one in this world has a greater say here than him.

If anyone is not convinced, talk to the 60,000-strong army.

In fact, it’s more than 60,000.

Just when Xiao Zhamusu, Shandan and other Ordos nobles received the position of leader of the Darakhan Army from the Central Army, the Tangqi on guard outside the gate sent back the news from Shangdu.

Reinforcements from Mobei have arrived. (End of this chapter)