prosperous age

"Shandai, look, the Tatar Tumed army has retreated north."

In the lobby of the Ministry of War, Tan Lun handed a newly received Liaodong military report to Wei Guangde.

"Return?"

Wei Guangde was slightly surprised. He reached out to take the military newspaper, opened it and quickly glanced through it.

The military report briefly stated: In October of the sixth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Tatar Tumed army invaded Liaodong again, with 40,000 cavalry stationed in the southwest of Suizhong, Liaoning, and marched towards Jinchuan. Qi Jiguang, the general of the Ming Dynasty, ordered generals from all over the country to defend their positions, and he led a large army to stop the main force from moving south. The Tumed army retreated due to lack of manpower.

"It should be that when they were confronting Shaheer and Changling Mountain Fort, they discovered that Liaodong government troops were rushing to help, and they felt that they were short of manpower and chose to retreat."

Tan Lun spoke at this time.

“Well, it’s possible.

It is normal for 40,000 enemy cavalry to be short of manpower against 50,000 government troops, but."

Wei Guangde hesitated slightly when he said this.

"Is there anything else?"

Tan Lun asked in confusion.

"Huang Taiji must have been frightened."

Wei Guangde looked at Tan Lun and said in a low voice.

"what?"

Tan Lun was naturally very surprised that Wei Guangde would say this, and he was speechless.

"Forty thousand versus fifty thousand. Although the troops are slightly less than ours, the enemy cavalry are brave and valiant. We can definitely avoid them, even if our army has the natural barrier of the Great Wall to defend."

Wei Guangde analyzed calmly, "The enemy retreated northwards when they saw our army coming, without fighting, which means they actually did not dare to fight our army.

Since the 40th year of Jiajing, the Mongolian cavalry fought against the Xuanming army many times, and the Liaodong government troops also defeated the invasions of the Tuman, Taining and other tribes many times, but the Ming Dynasty won every time.

What does this mean? "

When Wei Guangde said this, he looked at Tan Lun with a smile on his face.

"After the enemy invaded the capital in the 29th year of Jiajing, they plundered for more than ten years, but after a series of defeats, their fighting spirit was completely lost."

Tan Lun said in a low voice.

"Correct."

Wei Guangde said decisively this time, "The Lu cavalry will retreat northward and will soon enter the west side of the Liaohe Plain, which is the border between Tumed and Taining, and is also very close to the Tuman tribe.

In the east, he can control the Liaohe Plain, in the west there are the Xishan Mountains, and in the past there are grasslands. As for whether Huang Taiji will stop after mobilizing so many troops, it is still unknown.

He ordered Qi Jiguang to lead his troops northward to directly attack the main force of the enemy cavalry, as if he was ready to engage in a decisive battle with them.

The Jizhen army did not need to wait any longer and ordered Dong Yiyuan to lead the army northward and advance secretly to the Longshan area to wait for orders.

Next, it depends on whether Huang Taiji will summon the Taining and Tuman tribes to join the battle. If their three armies are united, it just so happens that the three armies of my Ming Dynasty will also be united.

As long as their position is determined, Ma Fang's troops will be ordered to encircle them from west to east from the direction of the grassland, Dong Yiyuan's troops will advance from south to north, and the Liaodong army led by Qi Jiguang will attack from east to west.

Now that the three armies have gathered, regardless of whether Huang Taiji fights this battle or not, I will wipe out the Taining and Tuman tribes."

Wei Guangde was unsure whether Huang Taiji was retreating northwards, bypassing the Western Mountains and returning to the grassland or preparing to wait for reinforcements, and was looking for a new direction of attack.

Deploying a large army was very difficult for the Ming Dynasty and required a lot of money. In fact, the same was true for the Mongolian tribes.

Deploying a large army is definitely not an easy task.

Wei Guangde bet that Huang Taiji still wanted to get something, so he would not give up easily.

Even if he surrendered and ran away, the Ming Dynasty had already mobilized the army of three towns, so naturally they had to collect some interest. So the target shifted to Taining and Tuman, the two Mongolian tribes that often disturbed Liaodong.

In short, money and food are wasted, but the government troops must achieve results.

Just when Wei Guangde told Tan Lun that even if this battle failed, they would take the opportunity to wipe out the Mongols in Liaodong, Huang Taiji's envoy had already entered the tent of Subahai, the leader of the Taining tribe.

"Taiji wants to join forces with my tribe to attack Ming?"

After explaining Huang Taiji's intention in detail, Su Bahai frowned slightly.

Although the Taining tribe often invaded Liaodong, they believed that their strength was not enough to defeat the Ming army, so their purpose of invading the border was to plunder food and people, and they never thought of occupying the territory of Liaodong.

Even the Tuman tribe, with whom they often cooperated, actually had the same plan.

Although the Ming army only had tens of thousands of soldiers in Liaodong, they could get support from an army of 100,000 troops inside the Great Wall. To be honest, if they really wanted to gather the tens of thousands of soldiers of the two tribes together, they would have fought against Li Chengliang in the early years and could not win.

Li Chengliang's cavalry was really powerful, and they were not inferior to the Mongolian cavalry in head-on combat.

Li Chengliang was better at long-distance raids, often using infantry to intercept them, and then cavalry to raid the rear and catch them off guard.

This asymmetric fighting style made the Mongols extremely uncomfortable and they often lost sight of one thing while focusing on another.

The key is that this group of Ming cavalry has mastered the essence of Mongolian cavalry combat and can advance and retreat freely. Even if they design an ambush and surround the army, it will be difficult to destroy them.

Just as the Ming army treated the Mongolian cavalry who came and went like the wind, the Mongolian cavalry actually had a similar feeling when facing the Ming cavalry.

Although they had a slight advantage in horse archery, the Ming cavalry had the advantage in equipment. They used bows and crossbows and muskets to fight against them in long-range combat. In close combat, their war hammers, three-barreled muskets and other weapons were much more powerful than the scimitars of the Mongolian cavalry.

Although the Ming army in Liaodong has changed its commander from Li Chengliang to Qi Jiguang, the fighting style of the soldiers trained by this man is even more difficult to deal with.

The last time the Tuman tribe helped Ata, they went out when the Ming army attacked the Jurchens, but they encountered the Ming army's chariot camp.

A chariot formation protected the army tightly, and they engaged in a long-range battle with the Tuman tribe. The combination of cannons and bird guns caused heavy losses to the Tuman tribe.

Even though they paid the price to rush to the front, thinking that they could defeat the Ming army with the bravery of the Mongolian warriors, they did not expect that the Ming army was also strong in close combat, and in the end they gave away hundreds of heads to the enemy for nothing.

In a long-range battle, you can bring back the bodies of your comrades, but in a close-range battle, they can only be left there. Even if you can get half of the dead's wealth by taking it back, no one dares to go.

"The Taiji has assembled an army of 40,000. If we can get the help of 20,000 soldiers from the Taining tribe and lure the Ming army out of the pass for a decisive battle, then the Great Mongolia will be sure to win."

Seeing that Subahai was hesitant, the Tumed envoy hurriedly tried to persuade him.

Upon hearing about the 60,000 Mongolian troops and the Ming army fighting in the field, Subahai was somewhat tempted.

It has been a long time since such a large army appeared on the grassland, ever since Altan surrendered to the Ming Dynasty ten years ago and became the King of Shunyi.

"The Ming army has 40,000 to 50,000 people."

However, thinking of the chariots under Qi Jiguang's command, Subahai was still very worried.

If they could not defeat the Ming army in one battle, they would have to face the hedgehog-like chariot formation.

"Sixty thousand troops against the Ming army's forty to fifty thousand. The advantage is on my side. What is Chief Subahai still worried about?"

Having said this, the messenger deliberately pretended to be contemptuous, trying to provoke him.

“In front of Changling Mountain Fort, if the Ming army had not defended the Great Wall, Taiji would have ordered an attack on the city long ago.

Now, in order to attract them, our army has retreated to Hongtu Fort, which is only a hundred miles away from Ming territory.

If our army is stationed again, it will surely make the Ming people uneasy." The messenger added: "As for whether we really fight with the Ming army, if the Ming army is strong, we will retreat to avoid its sharp edge.

But if the enemy is short of manpower, we can launch a cavalry raid, and even if the Ming Dynasty sends reinforcements, we can retreat immediately.

We Mongols are warriors on horseback. As long as we mount our warhorses, we won’t be afraid of the Ming army.”

"say no more."

Su Bahai waved his hand and interrupted the messenger's persuasion.

"Taiji stationed troops in Hongtubao?"

Su Ba Hai asked.

"Yes."

The messenger replied hastily.

"We can attack or defend, the location is pretty good."

Su Bahai made a comment and he knew that it was an abandoned earthen fort originally built by the Ming army and completely abandoned when they abandoned Daning. It was right on the edge of the Taining tribe's sphere of influence.

“I sent someone to contact Zasaktu Khan to see what he meant.

He has more than 30,000 soldiers and horses. If he is willing to lead his troops to help in the battle, then we will have an army of 100,000. 100,000 against 50,000, which gives us the best chance of success. "

Su Bahai spoke up.

The envoy did not expect that Subahai intended to bring in more allies. In fact, Tumed did not like Zasaktu Khan because Zasaktu Khan had disobeyed the orders of Khan Altan many times in his early years.

It's just that Zasaktu Khan had been hiding in Liaodong, and Altan didn't want to launch a long expedition, so he ignored them.

Zasaktu Khan is actually a member of the Chahar tribe of Mongolia. The Ming Dynasty called it "Tuman" and its tribe was also called "Tuman tribe".

Although he was dissatisfied with Zasaktu Khan, the envoy did not show it. On the contrary, he still remembered what Huang Taiji had told him when he came to the Taining tribe, which was to get as many men as possible from the Taining tribe to expand the army.

Huang Taiji vowed to use his superior forces to defeat the Ming army like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, and then to advance into the Liaoxi Corridor and completely cut off the connection between Liaodong and the interior.

From then on, the traffic between the Ming people in Liaodong and the interior was controlled by them. All the supplies passed through the Liaoxi Corridor, and the Mongols could receive a share of the tribute.

As time went on, as the connections between the Ming people in Liaodong and those in the interior decreased, they could plot against the entire Liaodong.

That is a land with a population of hundreds of thousands, and has been developed by the Ming people.

As long as they could get the grain produced in Liaodong, the Tumed people would no longer worry about food, and naturally they would no longer need to continue to submit to the Ming people.

Yes, all Mongolians knew that the Khan chose to be the King of Shunyi in order to do business with the Ming people and obtain the supplies needed on the grassland.

Without these supplies, they would have a hard time every winter.

Huang Taiji's vision was undoubtedly longer-term. It was very difficult to invade the Ming Dynasty. Even if they did, the Ming Dynasty would mobilize troops from all over the country to besiege them. Under such a situation, it would be difficult for them to gain a foothold for a long time.

But it is different if we focus on the Liaoxi Corridor. Although the terrain here is narrow, it is an important channel connecting Liaodong and the interior.

By cutting off the connection here, the Ming Dynasty would gradually lose control of Liaodong.

In the past, the Khan only surrounded the Great Wall and planned to rob it, but he couldn't steal much property.

But now Huang Taiji is obviously more powerful. He has set his sights on the land of Liaodong, intending to use it as a foundation to develop the Mongolian tribe.

"Okay, please send a letter to Zasaktu as soon as possible, asking him to bring troops to help in the battle. When the time comes, the wealth obtained from breaking into Ming territory will be distributed according to the troops sent out."

The envoy said that the spoils should be divided according to the number of troops dispatched, which was also intended to stimulate the Taining tribe.

Subahai only said that Taining had 20,000 soldiers, but in fact, if they squeezed together, 30,000 could be gathered.

If the Taining tribe and Chahar mobilized all their troops to fight against the Ming army, it would not only consume their strength, but also make the Ming people remember them.

This is naturally a great thing for the Tumed people.

As for the little bit of harvest that was distributed, it was nothing compared to the whole of Liaodong.

What Huang Taiji wanted was not the pitiful looted property, but the entire Liaodong and the endless production of that land.

When Subahai saw that Huang Taiji's envoy had no objection, he immediately wrote to Zasaktu Khan, asking him to mobilize his best troops to help in the battle.

The Ming and Mongolian sides began to prepare for war quietly again. After Dong Yiyuan received the military order from the Ministry of War in Santunying, he immediately led the Jizhen army out of Santunying and marched westward, passing Lengkou and marching towards Dushan.

A messenger rode on horseback towards Yongning to convey military orders to Ma Fang's troops.

The Ming army had already established contact with the Xuanfu army two days ago. Ma Fang's troops were secretive in the grassland, and the scouts sent along the Great Wall did not detect any trace of Ma Fang's troops until Ma Fang led his troops to appear twenty miles outside the Yongning Great Wall and were discovered by the Ming army.

At this time, Ma Fang was leading his troops into the Great Wall, obtaining supplies in Yongning and preparing to leave the Great Wall again.

Yongning’s supplies were also sent out from the capital a few days ago, so that his troops could quickly complete the replenishment and go out again to prepare for the war.

"Are you sure? Huang Taiji is in Hongtubao?"

At this time, the Yebushou sent by Qi Jiguang had tracked the movements of Huang Taiji's army and determined that Hongtubao was the place where the Mongols were stationed.

Hongtubao is located to the west of Jianshanmen, and is only a hundred miles away from Taipingbao, the nearest site of the Liao Great Wall.

The distance is neither too far nor too close, which makes fighting not very convenient, especially if you are leading a large number of infantry.

However, this place is also a strategic point. To the west of Hongtubao is the Tumed people’s pasture, and to the east is the Taining tribe’s activity area.

From here, you can go south to overlook the Liaoxi Corridor, and go east to enter the Liaohe Hetao area, and launch attacks in multiple directions towards Liaodong.

If the Mongolian army was really allowed to stay here permanently, it would indeed pose a huge threat to the Ming army in Liaodong.

You should know that the Liaodong Great Wall was built in a "V" shape here to avoid the soft swamps of the Liaohe River. The Mongols could raid the Ming territory from three directions: Liaoyang and Shenyang in the east, Haizhou in the south, and Guangning and Jinzhou in the west.

It has to be said that the existence of the Liaohe swamp area really created huge trouble for the deployment of the Ming army.

As for expanding the defense line and enclosing the entire Liaohe River within the Great Wall, the distance would be thousands of miles and transportation would be extremely inconvenient.

This was also the main reason for abandoning the Liaohe Hetao area because it was too costly.

At the very least, according to the current "V"-shaped Great Wall, the Ming army can also rely on garrisons in Guangning, Liaoyang and other places to deploy defenses.

"Go down and rest. Come, write the news you have found into a military report and send it to the Ministry of War."

Qi Jiguang had already returned to Jinzhou City at this time, and the Liaodong army temporarily rested there.

Afterwards, he sent more Yebushou out of the pass to draw a detailed map of the area within a hundred miles around Hongtu Fort and improve the route of the advance.

Now what he had to wait for was the order from the Ministry of War, whether the Liaodong Army would go out to defeat the Mongolian army, or would go out together with the Jizhen army.

Hongtu Fort, just as Huang Taiji had expected, made Qi Jiguang unable to sleep or eat.

"The defense posture in Liaodong must be changed. It is too passive now."

Qi Jiguang's eyes were already on Zhangwu at the northern end of the Liaohe River. As long as the Ming army stationed troops there, the actions of the Mongolian army could be greatly restricted.

However, Zhangwu has already entered the traditional sphere of influence of Taining, and any rash action may lead to a strong counterattack from Taining. (End of this chapter)