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Chapter 909 Finally here
The result is predictable. Both the brave heavy cavalry and the agile light cavalry became living targets for muskets in the uncovered Gobi oasis environment, which was easier than hunting gazelles.

In less than half an hour, without even using field artillery, Latif Khan's vanguard was defeated, leaving behind a large number of dead bodies outside the trench a mile away from the city wall, leaving the same way they came.

Du Wenhuan did not chase them, but continued to command the people in the city to dig trenches. After he arrived in Yutian City, he immediately began to build fortifications, which were divided into three layers.

The first layer was one mile from the city wall and consisted of trenches spaced about 100 meters apart. There were only two thousand soldiers and twelve field guns deployed on the four sides.
The second layer was 400 meters away from the city wall, and there were trenches about meters apart, which surrounded the city in a crisscross manner. Only a force of one thousand households was deployed, and there was no field artillery.

The third layer was 200 meters away from the city wall. This time the trenches were connected, and the remaining troops and field artillery were deployed in it, including his command post.

The city walls, which seemed more suitable for defensive purposes, were not used, and only a few hundred-household heavy infantrymen of the Eight Banner Army were stationed in the city. Their mission was not to fight, but to keep an eye on the people in the city and prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.

Compared with Hong Tao, Du Wenhuan knew less about the Western Regions and instinctively regarded the locals as potential dangers, including the new city lord Rahim, and would not get close to them if possible.

When he couldn't avoid it, such as purchasing food for the army and recruiting the people in the city to help dig trenches, he didn't do it himself, but asked the Eight Banners officers who knew Mongolian to do it for him. This was a true inheritance from Hong Tao, and he was as cunning as he could be.

After defeating Latif Khan's vanguard, Du Wenhuan immediately sent two copies of the battle report, one to the Emperor and the other to Ruoqiang, reminding the Ming troops that were moving south from the north to increase their vigilance, and at the same time requesting that reinforcements be sent to approach Khotan without affecting Ruoqiang's safety.

At present, it is still a mystery how far away Latif Khan's main force is from Khotan, how many there are, and whether they will attack Khotan. However, as long as Khotan, Ruoqiang and Yarkand are defended, all routes to the south will be blocked.

As a result, Hong Tao did not wait for the follow-up battle report from Khotan, but first met Huang Taiji who had hurriedly fled back. Kashgar was lost! The main force of Latif Khan did not go south along the Baiyu River, but went west for hundreds of miles and headed straight for Kashgar.

Huang Taiji, who was in charge of guarding Kashgar, did not delay for a minute after learning that a large army was approaching. He led his only thousand-man team to withdraw from the city immediately. While retreating eastward, he sent out more than a dozen reconnaissance teams to find out the details of the enemy.

"Oh, you are quite skilled at this trick! You did a great job. Go down and have a rest first." Not only did he not kill an enemy, but he also lost the city. It is not an exaggeration to say that he fled at the sight of the enemy. However, this move was not only not punished, but also won verbal praise from the emperor.

"Sun and Moon Khan, the ones with tall spikes on their helmets are the Bukhara cavalry, and the ones with long feathers on the left and right sides are the Kazakh cavalry. No wonder we didn't see them in Kashgar, it turns out they were waiting for the Khanate army to come back for help."

Huang Taiji not only saved the lives of the soldiers, but also brought back relatively intuitive information about the enemy, such as the number of more than 30,000, what kind of flags they held, what kind of armor they wore, and so on.

Then Shadi Khoja spoke up and expressed his deep dissatisfaction with Latif Khan's actions. The reinforcements from Bukhara and the Kazakh Khanate should have arrived long ago, but they were intercepted by Latif Khan.

It is obvious that he was worried about the Shadi Khoja family, fearing that he would lead the army outside and end up with a new owner. In this case, there is no need to continue to be a loyal minister. He said what he knew. This time, he turned to the Ming Empire.

"It's good that you're all here, so I don't have to visit them one by one. Ding Shun, take your men to the surrounding villages to buy food, to ensure that there is enough food for the army for two months.

By the way, tell the local people that Latif Khan has returned with his army and that war will soon break out here. Tell them to hide their food or simply move to the city to avoid the war. Shadi Khoja, I'll have to trouble you to accompany me on this matter and persuade those emirs not to blame me for the losses they suffered. "

Upon learning that Bukhara and the Kazakh Khanate had sent reinforcements, Hong Tao was not worried but happy. The first thing he arranged was not how to defend, but to consider the livelihood of the local people.

"What is the purpose of your Highness's action?"

Shadi Hezhuo had no objection to this mission, but Ding Shun did not understand. According to common sense, the locals should be on guard against the Ming army, and should treat Latif Khan with food and clothing, rather than treating the royal army as a thief.

"Ding Shun, after this battle, you'd better find an idle position in the court for half a year, and then go to the customs for further study for another half a year. In addition to professional knowledge, marching and fighting also requires insight into the world and a deep understanding of human nature.

Latif Khan led a large army to come back to support us, and there were probably troops from Bukhara and the Kazakh Khanate, with a total of more than 3 troops. We had purchased a lot of food from Kashgar, and it was difficult to supply so many troops.

Now the question is, will Latif Khan rest in the Kashgar area for a while and attack again when the grain is harvested in the autumn? Definitely not. Even if he really has this patience, Sun Chengzong's northern army and Turpan Khan will not give him so much time.

Without rest and recuperation, if he wants to solve the problem of food for the army, he has to take it from the people. Do you think he will buy it with money? Most likely not. At most, he will give a blank check, and he may even force the collection.

This is interesting. The invaders did not burn, kill, or plunder, but the Khanate owners were blatantly robbing. If I were a commoner, I would definitely think about it even if I didn't say it.

This is the people's backing. It doesn't take much, just one time to sow dissatisfaction in their hearts. If it happens again, dissatisfaction will turn into hatred. By then, some local people will lose trust in Latif Khan, his army and officials, and turn to us for protection."

In fact, the Southern Army was not short of food. Khotan itself was a grain-producing area. With the full support of the Bakhtiberk family, it was not difficult to raise food and fodder for several months.

However, Hong Tao ordered Ding Shun to continue collecting food in Yarkand City and spread the news that Latif Khan led his troops to Kashgar. His goal was not to obtain food but to win people's hearts.

He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity when Latif Khan led his army to recapture the capital, force the other side to be ruthless to the people of his country, and then compare it with the fair trade of the Ming army to win the hearts of some people. Although he could not make a profit immediately, he could lay a good foundation, which would be of great benefit to his future rule here.

As the Army Chief of Staff, Ding Shun should not only focus on combat, but also have a bigger picture and a longer-term vision. The reason why he didn't think so much was that he didn't understand people's hearts well enough.

How to solve it? It's not difficult. You can go to the big dye vat of the court and have a try with the ministers who are good at playing tricks on people. Then you can go to the customs and have a try, fighting wits and courage with the merchants all day long.

You don't need to be too proficient, just learning the basics is enough. Politicians and businessmen are the best models to show people's hearts. If you have them as teachers, you will benefit more or less unless you are born with a brain defect.

(End of this chapter)