I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 100: Starting from us, the Ming Dynasty is no longer the emperor guarding the country
Tan Lun and Xu Wei could guess what Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai were thinking from the expressions on their faces.

After receiving Tan Lun's look, Xu Wei spoke up to explain the whole story.

"This plan was personally planned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this opening sentence, Ma Fang and the other two brightened up.

Thinking of the relationship between their respective superiors Hu Zongxian, Tan Lun and the Crown Prince, they immediately understood that this military action was the first sword shown to the world by the Crown Prince and his party after they took over the border affairs of Xuandashan, Shanxi, and Ji-Liao.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has learned that Xin Ai is thinking about revenge for the defeat in the capital and wash away the humiliation. He told us that if you are a thief for a thousand days, you can't be on guard against thieves for a thousand days. Since Xin Ai is obsessed with it, we should give him a response.

Some time ago, the Border Intelligence Investigation Section investigated the situation among the various tribes on the grassland north of Jizhou Town and found out that Dong Huli of the Kharawusu tribe was caught between the Tumed tribe and the Chahar tribe, and was in a dilemma.

Seeing that Xin'ai was defeated and Tumen Khan could not be relied upon, he had other ideas and repeatedly tested the merchants of Ming Dynasty.

The spies of the Border Investigation Department contacted him twice and obtained his request to submit to the Ming Dynasty. However, he did not know that the Border Investigation Department had obtained clues from other channels and concluded that his submission was a fraud! "

It's a scam!

Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai were all stunned.

I didn't expect the Northern Tartars to be so cunning, especially Dong Huli, who is indeed a very famous cunning man in the grasslands south of the desert.

His real name was Dong Huli, but because he was too cunning, people called him Dong Fox. The nickname replaced his real name and became known throughout the country.

It’s just that the Northern Tartars are plotting against us, and we are also plotting against them.

No matter how cunning Dong the fox was, he met Mr. Wen Chang.

Mr. Wenchang is extremely intelligent and good at strategy.

When he was in the southeast, he offered many ingenious plans and made many great contributions when he was assisting in military affairs under Hu Bu Tang.

When Dong the fox met him, it was like an old fox meeting an experienced hunter.

Xu Wei continued to explain.

"We used the trick against him and agreed to Dong Huli's surrender. We bargained and agreed on the rewards and the official positions. We also agreed that we would send troops to escort the goods and the imperial edict out of the pass to the north of Liuhe.

Dong Huli sent troops to the north of Liuhe to provide support, and then he was formally enthroned by imperial edict, moved his troops south, grazed the livestock along the border, and submitted to the Ming Dynasty.

Based on the enemy intelligence collected by the Border Investigation Section, we judged that Xin Ai was the mastermind behind this incident, and Dong Huli was the one who came up with the idea in order to please Xin Ai.

Half a month ago, the Border Intelligence Investigation Section learned through other channels that Xin Ai was secretly gathering his troops, numbering approximately 25,000.

At the same time, we also found out that the old fox Dong Huli, under the pretext of being on guard against Tumen Khan, did not fully mobilize his troops and only assembled four to five thousand soldiers.

That is to say, the number of Northern Tartar troops currently besieging General Qi is about 30,000. Xin Ai's troops number 25,000, and Dong Huli's troops number 5,000. They are located 110 miles north of Malanyu Pass."

Xu Wei walked to the map on the wall, pointed to a certain location, and said to Ma Fang and the others, "It's here, by the Liu River. Starting from Xifengkou, the cavalry can arrive in less than three hours if they rush all the way.

That is to say, if we set out in half an hour, you can arrive around the third watch. After resting for half an hour, you can launch an attack on the Northern Tartars before the fourth watch."

At this point, Xu Wei paused and continued, "Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. The moon is bright in the sky, which is good for night travel. The Northern Tartars have been fighting hard for a day and are exhausted. You can take them down in one go."

Zhou Guotai asked, "Governor Tan, Mr. Wenchang, there is something I shouldn't ask, but I have to ask it."

"you say!"

"What if we get there and General Qi has already been defeated?"

The room was filled with silence, so quiet that it made people feel a little nervous.

Tan Lun was a little absent-minded, stroking his beard, and replied sadly: "At the beginning, this governor and Wen Chang wanted Yuan Jing to take all 9,000 soldiers from the three battalions of the new army.

Yuan Jing rejected the idea outright, saying that 6,000 soldiers were enough, and any more would arouse the suspicion of the northern barbarians, who would not take the bait. So he set out with two battalions of 6,000 new soldiers.

If the three of you go there and find that the new army camp has been destroyed, please try to find the bodies of Yuan Jing, Shi Chen, and other soldiers and bring them back.

If there is no body left, please serve three cups of wine to Yuan Jing and the others on behalf of me and Wen Chang." Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai understood.

Commander-in-Chief Qi Jiguang, Deputy General Zhang Yuanxun and 6,000 new troops marched north out of the Great Wall, deep into enemy territory, using themselves as bait to lure the enemy into the trap, with the determination to die.

Xu Wei said in a hoarse voice: "General Qi asked the messenger to pass on a message to us. As long as there is one person left among their 6,000 soldiers, we will be nailed to the battlefield.

When the reinforcements arrive, even if they can't find their people, they will definitely find their heroic souls."

At this point, Xu Wei's eyes turned red and he choked up and became speechless.

Tan Lun turned around and looked at the map with his hands behind his back.

Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai could not help but feel their throats tightened, their noses sore and their eyes swollen.
Tan Lun stretched out his right hand, stroked the nine-sided Great Wall on the map, and said in a hoarse voice: "In our Ming Dynasty, the emperor guards the national gate, which is tragic and magnificent! But it is a shame for hundreds of thousands of soldiers like me!
I hope that starting from us, the Ming Dynasty will no longer be a place where the emperor guards the country’s gates, but will be in Beijing, accepting tributes from all nations! "

Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai said in a deep voice with tears in their eyes: "We will fight till our death to wash away this shame!"

Half an hour later, at Xifengkou Pass, three cavalry units came out of the pass one after another and soon disappeared into the vast wilderness.

Three hours later, the moon had set, and only a brilliant galaxy and a curtain of stars remained in the sky.

Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai stood on a hill, looking at a fire in the distance that was still burning in the night.

Li Chengliang couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect that General Qi and his men could hold on until now. I really don't know how they fought this battle."

Ma Fang narrowed his eyes, "It's piled with human lives. The lives of our soldiers and the lives of the northern barbarians."

After making sure that Qi Jiguang's new military camp had not collapsed and had been holding out in formation, the three men turned their attention to the densely packed tents not far away.

Ma Fang pointed to that area and whispered, "That's the Xin'ai tribe's camp. They sent out patrols, and our night raiders ambushed and killed eleven of them. We have to speed up to avoid any accidents and being discovered by them."

"General Ma, please give the order." Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai said in unison.

Before setting off, Tan Lun gave clear orders that Ma Fang would be the main general, Li Chengliang would be the deputy general, and Zhou Guotai would be the second deputy general. The entire army must obey Ma Fang's orders.

Ma Fang also gave orders without hesitation: "I will lead the Xuanda cavalry to attack from the south. Lieutenant General Li, you lead your troops to attack from the east. Lieutenant General Zhou, you lead your troops to march for two quarters of an hour, from the northeast, around to the north of Liuhe River, and wait on the road where the northern barbarians are fleeing north."

"As ordered!"

"Remember Mr. Wenchang's instructions. Once we break into the enemy camp, we will send two red flares into the sky. If the enemy begins to flee, we will send three red flares into the sky. Lieutenant General Zhou, when you see this signal, you must be ready.

If the situation is critical, we will fire green flares. I will fire one, Lieutenant General Li will fire two, and Lieutenant General Zhou, you will fire three. Did everyone remember this?"

"remember!"

"Okay, everyone get ready. Lieutenant General Zhou, you lead your troops to take a detour now. Lieutenant General Li, we will set out in a quarter of an hour."

"As ordered!"

A quarter of an hour later, Ma Fang asked his soldiers, "Are you all ready?"

"General, everyone is ready to chop off the Tartar's head."

"Okay. We used to guard the country and our hometown. Today, we have a rare opportunity to go outside the border and kill the Tartars in the northern barbarians' territory. Tell my men that this opportunity is rare, so don't hold back and kill them to death!"

"Yes!"

"Has Vice Admiral Li set out yet?"

"He led his troops eastward."

Ma Fang climbed onto his horse, raised his whip, pointed to the semi-darkness ahead, and said in a deep voice: "Okay, let's go too! To the south of the enemy camp!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)