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Chapter 1400 Cossacks and Kazakhs 5
The Lesser Horde of the Kazakh Khanate is a prime example. Due to its geographical limitations, its attitude towards this war was completely different from that of the Greater and Middle Hordes.

Therefore, Ding Shun's work was not only important but also essential, as it concerned the strategic thinking and investment levels of the three countries' top leaders. Only with a unified understanding could the next third step proceed: a scorched-earth policy!
The strength of cavalry lies in their speed, and nomadic cavalry has an additional skill compared to agricultural cavalry: they can roam the world.

When they went on long campaigns, they would usually bring along a group of herdsmen and livestock. They would fight, plunder, hunt, and graze simultaneously, which could last for many days without relying on logistical supplies, and their fighting strength would not be weakened.

The cavalry of agricultural societies can improve their horsemanship to the same level as that of nomadic cavalry through training, making them equally formidable in direct combat and even gaining an advantage through armor and weaponry. Their only weakness lies in their endurance; their fighting strength diminishes as combat continues, and they become more reliant on logistical support.

This ability cannot be compensated for by training. Living a nomadic life, constantly moving from place to place, is a true reflection of the nomadic lifestyle and is deeply ingrained in their genes.

So how could they offset or minimize the sustained advantage of the nomadic cavalry? The Jurchens and the Mongol herdsmen had a long history of conflict, and Huang Taiji had a lot of experience in this area.

As a semi-nomadic and semi-settled fishing and hunting people, the Jurchens did not have any advantage in archery and horsemanship. In order to counter the swift and elusive Mongol cavalry, they summarized many methods from countless battles, including the scorched earth policy.

By clearing out as many herders and settlements as possible from the operational area, leaving no resources for the enemy to exploit, the sustained advantage of nomadic cavalry can be weakened.

If they can further threaten and harass the enemy's logistics forces, they can exacerbate the disadvantage of the nomadic cavalry's lack of logistical support, thus increasing their chances of victory.

Regarding this war, which is likely to take place within the territory of the Kazakh Khanate, Huang Taiji believes that previous experience still holds true. The enemy has already marched more than 2000 kilometers to this point, and even if the journey has been smooth, they are bound to be exhausted and in dire need of supplies and rest.

Especially after entering the Middle Yuz region, they could not encounter any large tribes along the way, nor could they seize any useful supplies. In addition, most of the route was desert and Gobi, where large herds of animals were scarce, and hunting alone could not replenish the army's needs.

To achieve this, it is necessary to persuade the herders of the various tribes under the jurisdiction of the Central Horde to reluctantly abandon their traditional pastures and settlements and migrate eastward.

This is easier said than done. Even with Yangjirhan and Aisimuhan's full cooperation, it was still difficult to get at least tens of thousands of herders under their command.

As the Army Chief of Staff, Ding Shun demonstrated his ability, courage, and vision at this time. He first identified the key difficulties: it wasn't that the herders were unwilling to cooperate, but rather that there were genuine challenges.

Although there are no fixed villages in pastoral areas, you can't just set up camp anywhere on flat ground. Natural conditions such as climate, grassland, and water source must be suitable, otherwise the quality of life will be seriously affected.

If it were just the people suffering, it might be bearable, but if the livestock were to suffer, they would quickly lose weight and reproduce due to poor food, water, and sleep. Herding livestock is the same as farming; reduced yields mean poverty, freezing temperatures, and even endangering the lives of the entire family. The Ming army certainly couldn't provide the herders with another suitable pasture, but it could guarantee them food and water during their migration.

In preparation for war, the Western Regions Theater established large warehouses in Hami, Khotan, Kashgar, Beshbaliq, Druriba, Tacheng and other places, storing a lot of combat supplies, less than half of which were food.

However, these processed foods all have an expiration date, and if they are not eaten before that date, they must be thrown away, which is very wasteful. Now, by taking out only a small portion and drawing some grain from various cities in the Western Regions, it will be enough to meet the short-term needs of these hundreds of thousands of Kazakh herders.

In addition, Ding Shun, on behalf of the Ming army, privately agreed to a condition for Aisimu Khan: when the Ming army launched a counterattack to the west, the herdsmen of the Middle Horde could follow behind and distribute the livestock along the way that did not belong to their own tribe.

To put it bluntly, it was essentially looting while accompanying the army, reclaiming the losses incurred while fleeing the war—it doesn't sound entirely unreasonable. As for whether the robbed tribes had harmed the herdsmen of the Central Horde, that's none of our business. There's no such thing as fairness in the world; if someone benefits, someone else must suffer.

Having completed these three steps, Huang Taiji dared to lead two infantry guards to advance towards Turkestan City, patiently awaiting the enemy's arrival. Now, he was considering not only how to defend, but more importantly, how to counterattack, and what method of counterattack would allow him to capture as many enemies as possible.

"Notify every centurion to prepare for a night attack and to be attacked at night. Whoever's position is breached must explain to the military court!" After writing the order to Asmu Khan to retrieve the muskets, Huang Taiji led his guards out of the Khan's palace toward his command post, and at the same time issued the first combat order.

After more than half a year of preparation, the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers, the safety of the Ming Empire, and their own futures all hinged on this moment. If they still couldn't achieve absolute success, then they had no one to blame but themselves.
The Cossack cavalry that first arrived near Tudzetan did not immediately launch an attack, which shows that they were brave in battle, not foolish. For a commander to launch a full-scale assault on a heavily fortified city with ample defenses using light cavalry would be utterly incompetent.

Moreover, this group of Cossack cavalry was not large, only a few hundred riders, and should be the vanguard of the main force. After they could see the city walls in the distance, they stopped advancing and instead dispersed into more than a dozen small groups to the flanks, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Commander Katoskin, ahead lies Turkestan, the capital of the Kazakhs. Our scouts are advancing deeper into the territory, and we have so far confirmed that there are no enemy troops within 50 li on either side."

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, another large contingent of Cossack cavalry, numbering no less than 2000, slowly approached from the west. Soon, a Cossack officer who had arrived in the afternoon rode forward to report the situation.

“Rodionov, right? I know you, and I know your father even better. We’re both the best Cossacks!” The tall man, known as Katoskin Ataman, leaped off his horse with a graceful and powerful movement, his voice loud and clear.

"Katoshkin is the best Cossack, and we haven't seen the fishermen of Zaporozhye yet!"

(End of this chapter)