prosperous age

As the sunlight gradually spreads from east to west across the entire grassland, the grassland, which had been silent all night, seems to come alive.

On the vast grasslands outside Bansheng City, herds of horses galloped across the land; these were scouts sent out from Lady Zhongshun's camp.

On the city wall of Bansheng, the Mongol soldiers on night duty yawned, watching the departing horses, and occasionally glancing back to see if their shift change had arrived.

Third Sister had already come out of the tent, washed up, and was about to give orders to her generals to divide into several teams and set up in various places to intercept Qiataiji's provocations.

They once tried to use their superior military strength to encircle Qiataiji, but this man had followed Altan Khan in his early years and was a veteran of many battles. Whenever it was a critical moment, he would resolutely lead his troops to escape the encirclement.

After two attempts, Third Sister had given up on her plan to annihilate this force.

Just as San Niangzi was preparing to deal with Qia Taiji's harassment, Qia Taiji was simply having his men slaughter cattle and sheep to prepare for a good meal.

These past few days, they've been launching attacks in the early morning, attempting to get close to Bansheng City.

He had already received news of what happened to Third Sister's messenger in Bansheng City; the negotiations had failed.

Therefore, he also wanted to earn money by opening the gates of Kaibansheng City.

As long as he can enter the city, he will be invincible no matter what.

However, each time they approached, they were intercepted by Lady Chungshun's troops and failed to succeed.

Even the messenger he sent to contact the city was detained by the other side, and his fate is unknown.

After several attempts, Chataiji gave up on the idea.

Bansheng City was surrounded like an iron barrel. To enter the city, one would have to fight one's way out, and it was uncertain whether Da Cheng Biji would even let his troops in.

There's no need to take the risk.

Fortunately, his actions had the support of the Great Khan, who also secretly contacted nearby tribes to provide him with support.

Last night he received news from another tribe that their troops, numbering around seven or eight hundred, would arrive later this morning, bringing his total force to over three thousand.

In addition, a coalition of several tribes, located fifty or sixty miles away, is also heading this way. This coalition of several thousand people will arrive someday, perhaps this afternoon.

Undoubtedly, dragging things out seems to be in his favor, as the gap in troop strength between him and Third Sister is gradually narrowing.

"Report: No trace of Chataiji has been found in the vicinity."

As usual, Chataiji's troops had already appeared about 20 miles from the city, attempting to approach the Bansheng city gate.

However, today, the scouts sent out all reported that no Chataiji's men were found in the vicinity.

"Probe again and report again."

Lady Chungshun, fully armored, gave an order to the scout captain who came in to report.

After the scout captain left, Third Sister got up and paced back and forth in the tent.

The sudden absence of news about Qiataiji today made San Niangzi instinctively feel suspicious.

She had a premonition that someone might be sent to reinforce Chataiji today, and she knew whose orders these people were on, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She could certainly rally familiar tribes, but that would likely result in a chaotic battle on the grasslands.

She wanted the grasslands to be better, not to fall back into endless war.

In a mountain valley more than 50 miles away from Bansheng City, the large contingent of Ming soldiers had already completed their formation. The cavalry then spread out to scout the surrounding environment, while the chariot and infantry soldiers sent out two columns to continue their march westward.

They had been doing this for several days, and everyone was already used to it, so no one showed the slightest hesitation.

It's simply a matter of doing the same thing as the previous two days, repeating the process.

In fact, up to now, most of the tens of thousands of Ming soldiers, apart from the scouts sent out, still do not know where their destination is.

They were simply following orders mechanically, moving forward along the marked path.

This has happened before, but this time the distance northward is much farther than usual training.

In the past, they had also patrolled along the Great Wall from a distance of ten or twenty miles away.

Perhaps this time it's another trip to Datong.

Many soldiers thought to themselves that although it seemed like they were going further than usual, once they headed north and continued west, the only place they could reach was Datong.

They simply headed south once they arrived at their destination, heading straight for Datong.

"Quick, keep up, speed up!"

The centurion of the infantry kept urging his men to speed up during the march, which was unusual, suggesting that today might be a forced march exercise.

The Ming soldiers didn't complain. They ate a better breakfast than usual, and were also given dried meat and rations. They probably wouldn't rest at noon, but would eat while walking.

To their northwest, more than a hundred miles away, a cavalry force was also rapidly advancing towards their target.

Because they were cavalry, even at a normal marching speed, the Ming soldiers were still several times faster than the Ming troops who were speeding up. It's no wonder that in ancient times, the speed of cavalry was something that infantry could never catch up with.

The cavalry came and went like the wind; this was no exaggeration.

Moreover, this is on the grassland, without the winding mountain ranges to the south to block the way, so you can travel in a straight line, which takes even less time.

"Reporting to Madam, the messenger has entered the city."

Inside Lady Zhongshun's tent, a scout returned to report.

"Understood. Report any news immediately."

Third Sister waved her hand, telling him to step back.

Going to the city is not important; what matters is how Daisei Hijikichi will react to this matter after learning of her attitude.

If Daesung Hijikichi is willing to marry him without being impolite, that would be the best outcome.

But if she doesn't want to get married, then things could get a bit complicated.

Ultimately, we'll have to wait for the messenger to return to find out the city's attitude.

As noon approached, the sun shone high overhead, but the cool breeze from the north diluted the summer heat, making the grassland still feel pleasantly cool.

A cavalry force of several hundred men, weary from their journey, entered Chataiji's temporary camp.

"Haha, Hagel, I've been waiting for you for a long time, slaughtering the cattle and sheep."

Chataiji looked at the tribal chief who had come to reinforce him, smiled, opened his arms, and hugged Hagel.

Hagel's tribal settlement was adjacent to that of the Chataiji tribe, and the two were very familiar with each other.

"When I first heard that you left with your men, I was puzzled as to why you didn't say goodbye to me."

They only learned what was going on after receiving the Khan's secret order.

At this point, Hagel turned around and pointed to the tribe entering the camp, laughing, "Eight hundred strong young men, how about that, not bad, right?"

"Of course, Ustari and Bogu are on their way too, they might arrive later."

I have already sent them a message, instructing them to arrive today at all times.

With over three thousand soldiers under his command, Cha Taiji's arrogance has clearly grown even stronger.

Lady Zhongshun took advantage of his small number of soldiers, with each unit having only two thousand men, and planned to stall him while several cavalry units surrounded him.

Now that he has more than three thousand men, it seems feasible for him to teach Third Sister a lesson if he seizes the right opportunity.

Hagel's eyes lit up when he heard Chataiji's words, and he asked, "What, what's your plan?"

He could tell that with such a small force, they would never gain the upper hand against the Third Sister's commander of ten thousand men.

Reinforcements are arriving continuously, and I've heard that influential Taijis from the surrounding area are also on their way, hoping to act as peacemakers.

Yes, there are also old and young, high and low status on the grasslands, but usually strength is valued more.

If one is looking to act as a peacemaker, a respected elder is undoubtedly the most suitable, and there is no shortage of such people on the grasslands.

"Come on, let's talk inside."

Chataiji pulled Hagel toward the tent, saying as they walked, "I've already planned it. Later, when she gathers her troops, our three thousand-plus men will swarm in and surround the last remaining troops."

As the people walked away, their voices grew fainter. The changes at the Qiataiji camp naturally reached Lady Zhongshun's ears immediately, but she was at a loss as to what to do about it.

We can't send out more troops to intercept people coming from all sides, that would only make the grassland people believe the rumors of her arrogance even more.

Third Sister was very distressed, feeling that it was somewhat unwise of her to get herself into this mess.

However, at this point, the die was cast and the matter was irreversible. The conflict had escalated to such an extent that it had already led to multiple armed clashes with Chataiji.

She couldn't help but look south, now her only hope was that the Ming Dynasty would clearly take sides on this matter and give her enough external support.

Yes, despite the presence of many warmongers on the grasslands, many tribal leaders harbored some reservations about the military might of the Ming Dynasty.

However, neither of them was willing to admit it.

The current Shunyi King, Khan, Huang Taiji, is one of them.

If he was truly determined to go south, did he really think a woman could stop him?

impossible.

On the grasslands, the Khan ultimately held the greatest power.

The sun was gradually setting in the west, and according to the Han people's timekeeping habits, it was already the beginning of the You hour (5-7 PM).

"Has Chakri remained inactive all day?"

Finally, after waiting all day without receiving any news, Third Sister asked the people around her.

"Madam, Qiataiji has not made a move all day."

Perhaps they plan to harass us again tomorrow; after all, didn't a tribal force enter Chataiji's camp around noon?

Those around him also offered their analysis.

"Utan hasn't returned either?"

Third Sister asked again.

"We haven't heard from Utan since he entered the city this morning."

People around him immediately reported it.

The third sister paced back and forth in the tent, somewhat agitated, when she heard him continue speaking.

"Madam, perhaps Da Cheng Biji is still considering it, so let's leave Utan here for now and wait for her decision."

"possible."

Third Sister sighed softly, then walked to the tent flap, lifted the curtain, and went out.

With the north wind blowing, Third Sister felt her agitated heart calm down a little.

Looking at the sun again, she finally gave the order: "Have Chebu and Jilong bring their men back to rest."

At this moment, Third Sister was almost certain in her mind that that damned Qiataiji would definitely call a truce today, let the newly arrived reinforcements rest, and prepare to come again tomorrow.

There's no point in keeping the soldiers out there any longer; it's better to let them return to camp early, remove their armor, and rest.

As the Third Sister's military order was relayed, the troops scattered around Bansheng City began to slowly move towards the camp.

Such changes naturally did not escape the notice of Chataiji's scouts.

The news quickly reached Chataiji's camp, causing a burst of laughter from the surrounding tribal leaders.

"Hehe, alright, now that she's started to withdraw her troops, let's get moving too. The men have been resting for a day, they're probably already itching to get started."

Chataiji spoke up.

"Alright, send out the troops immediately."

Although he didn't get along with Third Sister, she was still the Queen, the Khan's wife, so Chataiji could only curse her as a vile woman in his heart, but never dared to say it out loud.

Everyone around was puzzled, and then, led by Chataiji, they left the tent and went to assemble their respective teams.

By the time they had gathered their troops and returned, Qiataiji had already received information from San Niangzi about the troop movements.

"Our target this time is Ji Long. He brought two thousand men to the east of the city today and is now heading north, planning to detour back to camp."

Chataiji shouted.

"Then it's him."

"beat"

Several generals cheered. The generals around Third Sister were usually arrogant and looked down on them.

Now that there's a chance to teach them a lesson, naturally no one objects.

Soon, an astonishing roar erupted on the grassland just before it fell silent.

The area north of Bansheng City was once again engulfed in chaos due to the battle between the two sides.

This time, Qiataiji launched a surprise attack with superior forces. Even if Jilong discovered it early, he could only fight and retreat.

Yes, they didn't engage in a direct battle; instead, they fought and retreated simultaneously.

The message should reach the lady, and reinforcements will arrive.

If we can hold them off, we still have a chance to turn the tables.

Upon receiving the news at the camp, Third Sister immediately dispatched generals such as Chebu to provide support.

She knew she had been tricked this time. With the troops back at camp, the soldiers had lost their will to fight, and launching another attack now would inevitably affect their morale.

Soon, four or five thousand men rushed out of the camp and headed north of Bansheng City.

To boost morale, Third Sister put her armor back on and led two thousand men out of the camp to reinforce the enemy.

On a hill north of Bansheng City, a group of people stood on horseback, looking at the battlefield in the distance.

Horses would occasionally come from the north, and then quickly head north again.

On the battlefield ahead, two groups of cavalry were galloping across the grassland, chasing each other and throwing arrows at one another, neither willing to lose speed.

Both Ji Long's troops and Qia Taiji's troops were in the same boat. Ji Long was worried about being surrounded by the enemy's superior forces and suffering heavy casualties, while Qia Taiji's troops were worried that if they stopped, they would not be able to break through when they were surrounded by Lady Zhongshun's army.

On the earthen slope, Ergus said with some concern, "Are you really planning to use Ustari and Bogu to charge into the Lady's army?"

We don't have a numerical advantage, what if…

'Don't worry, Ji Long will stop then and deliberately lure our three thousand troops to surround and attack him.'

Even if Ustari can't defeat Cheb, he can at least hold him off, allowing us to focus our attack on Shajilong's forces and make her suffer for a month.

The reinforcements they spoke of had actually arrived, but were resting ten miles away, waiting for the final blow.

With the help of the reinforcements that arrived one after another, Qiataiji planned to take revenge on San Niangzi before the elders arrived to negotiate.

Regardless of whether the final outcome is fighting or negotiation, some people from the other side must be killed to appease their hatred.

"coming."

Dust billowed in from afar, clearly indicating that a large group of people was approaching.

"Let them come over."

Chataiji gave instructions to his personal guards.

Soon, smoke billowed from the earthen slope, shooting high into the sky.

On the battlefield, Ji Long's troops gradually slowed down, clearly waiting for reinforcements to approach, and gradually became entangled with the pursuers behind them.

Dust and smoke quickly rose from the north, and a cavalry force charged straight at the troops of the cloth-pulling army.

The sudden appearance of a large enemy force caught Chebu off guard, who was leading his troops to support Ji Long. Forced to react immediately, Tuguchi led his troops to continue advancing to support Ji Long, while Chebu led his troops north to intercept the newly arrived enemy force. (End of Chapter)