Ming politicians

The reason why Su Tiancheng immediately launched the attack on the Horqin Tribe was that he had other things in mind, that is, the attack on Taiwan. Sun Chuanting and Wang Dazhi made all the preparations, and the battleship formation arrived in Fujian. According to Zheng Zhilong and others It is suggested that the offensive should be launched in February. Maritime operations have high requirements for the ebb and flow of the tide. Huge warships cannot approach Taiwan Island. The soldiers on the warships must rely on small ships to land. It will take time to prepare for a face-to-face fight with the Dutch.

Su Tiancheng really wanted to participate in the battle against Taiwan Island. Even though he entrusted Wang Dazhi to lead [-] soldiers to stay on Taiwan Island and build Taiwan into the most affluent wharf and place of merchants in Ming Dynasty, Wang Dazhi's ability , Su Tiancheng is clear, if he wants to say he is sincere, there is no need to doubt it, but he cannot do a good job at the beginning, Wang Dazhi may not know how to do it, and he may not be able to start well.

Starting on the [-]th day of the first lunar month, Su Tiancheng planned to spend ten days rushing to the Horqin tribal base. The news of the Jiangning battalion entering the grasslands for conquest had spread, and it was impossible to keep their whereabouts completely secret, so the method of marching also changed. It is necessary to be more vigilant to prevent encountering an ambush and causing unnecessary losses.

According to many analysis of the situation, Su Tiancheng believed that the battle with the Horqin tribe would not be easy.

On the 23rd of the first month, the army was less than [-] miles away from the Horqin tribe's garrison. The march along this route was relatively smooth. Many officers were happy with this smoothness, but Su Tiancheng didn't feel very good.

According to normal rules, the army entered the grassland and wiped out the Chahar tribe, which should have aroused the high vigilance of other tribes in the grassland.In any case, at least they need to make all the preparations, but judging from the current situation, it seems that the Jiangning camp is invincible on the grassland, and no tribe dares to fight against it. This is really the case.Then there should be quite a few tribes expressing their attachment and willingness to submit to the Ming court.

It's a pity that such a situation did not happen, which also shows that the tribes in the grassland did not really submit to the Ming court. It was still their previous understanding, and they still surrendered to the Houjin Tartars. It was just because of the bravery of the Jiangning camp that they temporarily avoided it. That's all.

Su Tiancheng knew this way.And he thought of a possibility, that is, many tribes in the prairie are likely to unite to deal with the Jiangning camp together. If this happens, it will not be a good thing.

The march was nearly a thousand miles away, and there was no obstacle on the vast prairie.Although the situation in the grassland tribes is different from that in the pass, they are at least prepared.Moreover, the whereabouts of the army have not been kept secret. Sometimes, you can meet some yurts and herdsmen on the grassland, but the Horqin tribe has no preparations, which is still a bit unbelievable.Incomprehensible.

Encountering such a situation, the Xibe tribe and the Daur tribe were very happy, thinking that the conquest of the Chahar tribe had won a brilliant victory, and other tribes in the grassland.They must have all fled. At least the Tumed tribe and others chose to migrate to avoid the fate of being wiped out. Therefore, during the entire march, Mo Tuo and Tong Cha were optimistic. .

Su Tiancheng didn't want to destroy everyone's high fighting spirit, but he had more and more doubts in his heart. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for him to discuss openly with everyone, and it could only be a small-scale discussion.

When camping at night, Hong Chengchou and Qu Qingze entered the tent.

Su Tiancheng was very direct, without beating around the bush.

"Master Hong, Master Qu, I have been very worried about the march these days. The process of the march was too smooth. This is not a good thing. The main force of the Chahar tribe has been wiped out. The whereabouts of our army have been lost. Keep it secret, under such circumstances, whether it is the many tribes in the grassland or Huang Taiji of Houjin, there must be arrangements, but after such a long time, we have no intelligence support, and we don't know the grassland tribes. What kind of arrangement will be made with Huang Taiji?"

Both Hong Chengchou and Qu Qingze were a little silent. Their thoughts were somewhat different. Qu Qingze, who had been engaged in intelligence work for a long time, also felt that such a situation was not very normal. In any case, the grassland tribes should have something different. It was prepared, but Hong Chengchou's thinking was a little different. He thought that such a situation was very normal. At least the large-scale migration of the Tumed and Zhungeer tribes showed that the grassland tribes were still very afraid of the Jiangning camp.

It was Hong Chengchou who spoke first.

"My lord, I think that the smooth march may be because the army wiped out the Chahar tribe. The Chahar tribe is a very powerful tribe in the grassland. In such a short period of time, our army wiped out the rest of the Mongolian tribes. , Feeling afraid, such a situation is very normal, among the grassland tribes, there are still not many forces that can rival the Chahar tribe."

After Hong Chengchou spoke, a hesitant look appeared on Qu Qingze's face, perhaps because he didn't have any information and it was difficult to overthrow Hong Chengchou's opinion, so it was difficult to speak.

Su Tiancheng looked at Qu Qingze and spoke directly.

"Master Hong, your understanding is good, but there are a few questions that I want you to answer. If you can solve these doubts, the army can directly launch an attack on the Horqin tribe."

"The first question is, do all the tribes in the grassland really know about the strength of the Jiangning battalion? When the Jiangning battalion attacked the Chahar tribe, the Chahar tribe did not show any fear. This also shows that the grassland tribes are not The real fear of the Jiangning camp, could it be said that in such a short period of time, the grassland tribes really began to fear the Jiangning camp? In my opinion, this so-called fear is more like a follow-up approach."

"The second question, the Horqin tribe, in terms of power, is even stronger than the Chahar tribe, because of the special relationship with the Houjin Tartars, the Horqin tribe can be said to be the leader of the grassland, even though there is no sweat in the grassland. , Many tribes have surrendered to the Golden Tartars, but we cannot deny the strength of the grassland tribes, the grassland tribes have their own dignity, how could it be possible that because the Chahar tribe was defeated, the rest of the tribes retreated without fighting."

"The third question is the habits of the grassland tribes. Although we have defeated the Chahar tribe and established a certain prestige on the grassland, and with the assistance of the Xibe and Daur tribes, the largest grassland The Horqin tribe, we have no direct confrontation. From my personal understanding, at this time, the Horqin tribe is more willing to take the lead and fight with our Jiangning camp. Once they can resist the attack of our Jiangning camp, the influence on the grassland It is not ordinary, such a precious opportunity, is the Horqin tribe willing to give up?"

"The fourth question, which is the most critical question, is where Hauge is going. Hauge led the Houjin tartars into the grassland, and the main purpose is to maintain the rule of the Houjin in the grassland. Hauge will never easily Those who left the grassland, but according to the information we have so far, we don’t know where the army led by Hauge is. I have the most pessimistic prediction, that is, Hauge is waiting for us in the Horqin tribe. Our artillery is indeed sharp, but Hauge has also seized part of the artillery, and has the capital to compete with us, no matter how long Hauge can hold on. If Hauge unites with the Horqin tribe, or even unites with more tribes, the opponents we encounter will be as strong as Unusual."

After saying this, Su Tiancheng looked at Hong Chengchou and Qu Qingze.

"The deployment of the battle has been determined. At this time, it is impossible for us to change the battle plan, and it is impossible to say that we will not launch an attack. No matter what difficulties we face, we will fight with the Horqin tribe. But before the fight, We must make an accurate judgment, which is responsible for many brothers."

After Su Tiancheng finished speaking, Hong Chengchou showed surprise.

This cannot be blamed on Hong Chengchou. After many years of conquests, Hong Chengchou's habit is to seize the most favorable opportunity and completely defeat the opponent at all costs. The beginning of this grassland conquest was very good. It can be said that it wiped out the most powerful Mongolia. One of the most important tribes is the major victory of the Jiangning Battalion. Under such circumstances, it would be a pity not to seize the favorable opportunity. As for the issues Su Tiancheng mentioned, he had thought about them before, but they did not trigger enough Pay attention to.

But Hong Chengchou has developed a more definite habit, that is, he will seriously think about the questions raised by Su Tiancheng, consider the pros and cons, and see what kind of decision he should make.

There was not much expression on Qu Qingze's face. He also thought about the doubts Su Tiancheng mentioned, but because of Hong Chengchou's optimistic understanding, he didn't want to bring it up. Now that Su Tiancheng said it directly, he didn't need to talk too much. up.

Seeing that neither Hong Chengchou nor Qu Qingze spoke, Su Tiancheng continued to speak.

"The army is only two hundred miles away from the Horqin tribe's camp, but we haven't encountered any dangerous situations. The Horqin tribe's camp is not very far from the Qing Dynasty. If Haoge and the Horqin tribe unite, or even unite with other grassland tribes , our conquest this time will be difficult to achieve the expected goal."

"It's not a big deal when this happens. We conquered not many grassland tribes, but they occupy a vast area. Next, it's time for the Xibe and Daur tribes to manage their business well. No matter how difficult the tribal battle is, we will continue, and whether we can achieve the results of previous battles depends on the specific situation.” (To be continued..)