I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 99 What exactly does the Ming army plan?
The barbarian wine offered by Dong Huli was really delicious.

Xin Ai drank half a jar of wine in one breath, feeling dizzy and all her worries seemed to disappear with the smell of alcohol.

"Dong Fox, just wait. Tomorrow I will definitely knock down the Nanman's chariot array and kill them all, like dogs. Then I will pierce their heads with wooden sticks and place them outside the Nanman's pass."

Xin Ai's face was flushed, she reeked of alcohol, her body was staggering, she was waving her hands, and she was gritting her teeth.

"I want to let the southern barbarians know how powerful I, Xin Ai Huang Taiji, am! I want the entire grassland to know how powerful I, Xin Ai Huang Taiji, am! I want all the southern barbarians to tremble at the sound of my name! I want everyone on the grassland to submit to my horse's hooves!"

His figure swayed in the candlelight, and the dark shadow was reflected on the ground and the tent, twisting and changing, as if it had emerged from the ground.

Dong Fox watched silently, drinking the wine in the bowl in small sips.

Around him sat the thousand-householders and hundred-householders of the Kharchin tribe, all of whom were drinking in silence and looking at their leader, who was shouting and yelling in drunkenness.

Today's bloody battle made these grassland warriors, who usually loved wine and were arrogant and unrestrained, very quiet, just like sheep huddled in a sheepfold, silently waiting for dawn.

Xin Ai screamed by herself for a long time, but felt unsatisfied, so she jumped in front of a captain and stared at him viciously.

"You, lead the troops to charge forward tomorrow and make sure to knock down the southern barbarians' chariot formation for me."

Qianhu's face turned pale.

He recalled the brutality of today's bloody battle and the two defeated commanders who committed suicide because they did not want to be humiliated.

Looking at Xin Ai's ferocious face and the vicious eyes that seemed to want to eat people, he swallowed the word "no" that was about to come to his throat.

Qian Hu promised solemnly: "Yes! Tomorrow I will bring the bravest warriors of our tribe to defeat the chariot array of the southern barbarians on behalf of the honorable Xin Ai Huang Taiji!"

Xin Ai stared at him for a while, then stood up, laughed, pointed at the captain, and said loudly with satisfaction: "Look, this is the eagle of our grassland!"

Under the gaze of everyone, Qianhu broke out in sweat on his forehead. He picked up the bowl and took a big sip of wine to calm himself.

"I, Xin Ai Huang Taiji, do not allow any cowards under his command! I am the wolf king of the grassland, and my subordinates must be wolves. No sheep or mice are allowed!"

Xin Ai picked up the wine bowl and gulped down another bowl.

Not long after he drank the wine, Xin Ai's eyes widened and the wine bowl fell to the ground with a bang. He fell backwards, but two centurions were quick to support him and prevent him from falling to the ground.

Xin Ai got drunk and everyone left.

Dong Huli walked out of the tent and looked up. The moon was bright in the sky and it was very cold.

Under the moonlight, the vast grassland seemed to be covered with a layer of gray, and it was blurry and unclear.

But a ball of fire in the distance could be seen clearly.

That was the chariot formation of the Ming army. There were torches inserted in a circle around the chariots and bonfires lit in a circle outside the chariot formation, which illuminated the periphery clearly and left no room for sneak attackers.

What is the Ming army doing?
It was now very clear that the Ming people had seen through the plan that Xin Ai and himself had planned - to defraud the Ming country of rewards and titles, and take the opportunity to plunder them when they sent a team to escort property and imperial edicts to the grassland, thus defeating the Ming army, severely slapping the Ming country in the face, and bringing honor to Xin Ai.

Since the Ming people had seen through our plan, why did they still send an army to the grassland, carrying turtle shells and covered in thorns, for us to fight?

What do you mean?
Let us know that the Ming army was difficult to break through because they divided the territory into battle array?

There is no need! The wall on the southern mountains is already difficult to climb. We know that the Ming people's defense is invincible, so we will not try it easily.

The Ming people had no need to send an army to tell us this.

The more Dong Fox thought about it, the clearer his mind became.

He looked to the south, wondering how many threats were hidden in that dark sky and earth.

Dong Huli's heart trembled, and he quickly quickened his pace and walked towards the headquarters tent.

At dusk, Xin Ai had no choice but to withdraw his troops.

In the middle of the small city wall of Hanerzhuang, a strategic border pass of Jizhou Town, there is an official office, which used to be the garrison of this place, but now it has been requisitioned by Tan Lun, the governor of Ji and Liao. Next to him stood Xu Wei, and opposite him stood three generals.

The leading general, who was in his forties and dressed in armor, bowed and spoke in a loud voice.

"Ma Fang, the general of Xuanda, is under the order of Hu Butang to lead his troops to come to Jizhou Town to provide assistance. Please ask Governor Tan to give orders."

Next to him stood two generals in full armor.

A tall man in his thirties.

A man with a sturdy build and arms that reach below his knees.

The two men clasped their hands and said in unison: "Liaodong Town Deputy General Li Chengliang/Zhou Guotai has been ordered to lead his troops to come to our aid."

Tan Lun nodded and asked in a deep voice: "General Ma, how many Xuanda cavalrymen did you bring with you?
"In reply to Governor Tan, I have brought 7,000 cavalrymen from Xuanda and am here to take orders," Ma Fang replied respectfully.

Tan Lun continued to ask: "Lieutenant General Li, Lieutenant General Zhou, how many cavalrymen from Liaodong did you bring?"

Li Chengliang replied: "In reply to Governor Tan, I brought 9,000 cavalry."

Zhou Guotai replied: "In reply to Governor Tan, I brought 7,000 cavalry."

Tan Lun had an idea in mind.

Xuanda Town and Da Town certainly had more than this amount of cavalry, but they needed to face the pressure of Altan Khan and did not dare to withdraw all their elite troops. Therefore, Hu Zongxian only transferred 7,000 elite cavalry to Ma Fang, the most brave and combative commander of Xuanda Town, to support Jizhou Town.

Liaodong Town needs to face the pressure from the little prince Tumen Khan, but from the latest military report, it is learned that Tumen Khan is having a very unpleasant conflict with the Nenkorchin and Urad tribes in the north. The two sides have deployed their troops to meet each other and cannot take care of the south for a while.

Therefore, Liaodong Town was able to take the opportunity to dispatch 16,000 elite cavalry to support Jizhou Town.

"Thank you for your hard work. Let's make it short. Qi Jiguang, the general of Jizhou Town, and his deputy general Zhang Yuanxun led the new army camp, two camps on the left and right, with a total of 6,000 soldiers and horses. They left Malanyu Pass the day before yesterday morning and slowly headed north.

This morning, the signal smoke was raised, telling us that we were attacked by the enemy. At noon, I received an urgent report from General Qi, saying that the leader of the Kharachin tribe, Xin Ai, and the leader of the Kharawusu tribe, Dong Huli, led about 30,000 cavalry to besiege his chariot formation.

Hearing this, Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai were stunned.

Thirty thousand northern barbarian cavalrymen besieged six thousand Ming troops, which were new troops at that, and the situation was very dangerous.

Zhou Guotai was anxious and couldn't help but ask, "Commander Tan, are the soldiers led by General Qi all cavalry?"

Only cavalry can deal with the cavalry and escape.

"They are all infantry, and the horses are all pack horses. There are only a few night guards, messengers, and personal cavalry."

Ma Fang, Li Chengliang and Zhou Guotai were even more surprised.

Sending six thousand infantrymen deep into the border areas, what's the difference between this and sending them to their deaths?
Now that it has been confirmed that we are being besieged by 30,000 Northern Tartar cavalry, did Governor Tan summon us to collect General Qi's body?
Ma Fang and the other two looked at each other, and finally Zhou Guotai couldn't help but speak again.

"Commander Tan, it is really wrong for General Qi to take such a risk!"

He is the eldest grandson of Zhou Shangwen, the former general of Datong.

Zhou Shangwen was a famous military commander during the Jiajing reign, a pillar of the Northern Frontier, and he was promoted to the rank of Three Dukes as the commander-in-chief, a rare achievement in the imperial court. The Zhou family was highly respected in the court and the nine frontiers.

Tan Lun and Xu Wei looked at each other and smiled.

Xu Wei replied, "You are our own people, and you dare not believe it, so the northern barbarians will be even less likely to believe it. It seems that General Qi's plan of luring the enemy with his own body has been successful."

Ma Fang and the other two understood that Qi Jiguang used 6,000 infantrymen to attract 30,000 Xin'ai cavalrymen to besiege them, creating opportunities for the three of them.

But how can we be sure that General Qi, with his 6,000 new troops, can hold out against the fierce attack of 30,000 Northern Tartar cavalry?

How can we be sure that we are leading our troops out of the border to attack the Northern Tartars and not to collect the bodies of General Qi and his men?
(End of this chapter)