Huangming

Chapter 457 Chaos Abounds, the Tartars March South

The second year of the Tianqi reign.

Early August.

At this moment, Datong is like a scorching hot iron pot, and sparks from internal and external troubles splashed onto it, quickly turning into a raging fire.

Wang Wei has been in Yanghewei's command tent for three days without closing his eyes.

The candles on his desk burned and went out, were replaced, and the piles of military reports weighed him down, making it hard to breathe. Each report told him:

The situation has completely slipped out of his control.

"Where are Sun Zhen and Ma Rong? It's been ten days! They're only two hundred li from Youyu County. Even if they were traveling on foot, they should have arrived by now!"

Wang Wei slammed the military report in his hand onto the table.

The guards outside the tent were so frightened they dared not breathe.

The messenger he sent to urge him had just returned, and the news he brought made him furious.

Sun Zhen delayed setting out for three days at Jingping Road, citing the excuse that "the grain and fodder are not yet complete and need to be allocated by the Ministry of Revenue."

Ma Rong went even further, upon arriving at Weiyuan Fort, which was under the jurisdiction of Pinglu City, he said, "The soldiers are suffering from the heat and need to rest for five days."

Wang Wei knew perfectly well that the two men were afraid.

The news of Zhu Chongwei's 3,000 border troops being wiped out had already spread throughout the garrisons of Datong. No one wanted to be the second "suicide ghost," let alone be used as a pawn by Wang Wei to clean up the mess left by the displaced people.

"A bunch of trash!"

Wang Wei cursed through gritted teeth.

He had initially planned to use the refugees to weaken Zhu Chongwei and then use the suppression of the rebellion to launder his ill-gotten gains, but he hadn't expected Zhang Tianlin to be such a formidable fighter.

In less than half a month, they marched north from Zuoyun County, breaking through two border forts, Pohu Fort and Canhu Fort, and yesterday they even captured Youyu County.

According to scouts, Zhang Tianlin's forces now number 40,000 refugees. They have not only captured armor and weapons from Zhu Chongwei's troops, but also attracted many deserters from Datong Right Guard. These border troops are well-versed in warfare and have actually helped the refugees train in formation, even teaching them to form shields and thrust with spears.

"They were a rabble before, but now they've become a respectable army!"

Wang Wei became increasingly angry as he thought about it.

He originally thought that no matter how much trouble the refugees caused, they would only rob some food and then disperse. But now, Zhang Tianlin not only had a large number of people but also fighting power. This was not a "controllable chaos" at all; it was clearly a ferocious tiger that had been raised to devour people!

Tap tap tap~
Footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent, and a trusted aide rushed in to report: "General, General Liu Zhenbang has sent a military report saying that Zuoyun County has been recovered!"

Wang Wei's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the military report.

The paper reads, "On the third day of the eighth month, I led 3,000 troops from Polu Fort to recapture Zuoyun County. The rioters in the city have fled and there is no immediate danger."

But before he could even catch his breath, his confidant added:
"However... Zhang Tianlin had already abandoned Zuoyun County. The government offices and granaries in the city were burned down, leaving only ruins. After General Liu recaptured it, he did not go north to pursue the enemy. He only stayed in the city, saying that 'it is necessary to check the grain and fodder to prevent the rebels from launching a counterattack.'"

Wang Wei's face immediately darkened again.

Good guy!
This good son-in-law is actually being two-faced!
Recapture of an empty, abandoned city was merely a show for the imperial court. If he were truly asked to confront Zhang Tianlin's 40,000 refugees head-on, he would value his life more than anyone else.

Ultimately, none of the generals in Datong genuinely wanted to quell the rebellion for him; they were all waiting to see the situation completely deteriorate so they could shift all the blame onto him.

"They're all protecting their own strength... they're all waiting to see me make a fool of myself!"

Wang Wei paced back and forth restlessly.

In the past few days, the Prince of Dai and the garrison eunuch have been sending letters to urge him on.

'The king said that if you cannot quell the rebellion, he cannot protect you.'

"Eunuch Zhang Wei also relayed a message: the imperial court is already inquiring, and if there's no progress, they'll be transferring Xiong Tingbi from Xuanfu."

Xiong Tingbi...

The mere thought of that name sent chills down Wang Wei's spine.

Xiong Tingbi confiscated numerous corrupt generals and officials in Liaodong and Xuanfu, and rectified many vacant positions.

If Xiong Tingbi really comes to Datong, his embezzlement of military funds and falsification of personnel numbers will probably be impossible to hide.

at this time.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the tent. A scout stumbled and scrambled into the tent, his face pale and his voice trembling:

"General! Something terrible has happened!"
Sunang Taiji of the Tumed tribe, leading 5,000 cavalry, has raided the border and captured the Shahu Pass, and is currently plundering the Right Guard of Datong!

"what?!"

Wang Wei was struck dumb, and staggered back a step.

Shahu Pass is the northwest gateway to Datong. Once it is breached by the Mongols, Datong Youwei will become easy prey.

The troops of Datong Right Guard had long been taken by Zhu Chongwei to quell the rebellion, and now only some old, weak and disabled soldiers remained, which were no match for the Tumed cavalry!

"Why are the Mongols here? And why at this particular time?"

Wang Wei's voice was trembling.

Before the internal troubles could be resolved, external threats came crashing in. Zhang Tianlin's 40,000 refugees were in the north, and Sunang Taiji's 5,000 cavalry were in the west. Datong Prefecture was now in a situation where it was attacked from both sides.

All his previous calculations have now become a joke, leaving only a mess on the verge of collapse.

Using refugees to launder money, using Wang Bao's official position as a substitute, and forcing Xiong Tingbi to compromise.
He was too clever for his own good!

The scout added, trembling, "The people of Datong Right Guard have already started to flee. Sunang Taiji's cavalry are not only seizing grain and fodder, but also taking prisoners. If no one goes to rescue them, the Right Guard will be completely wiped out!"

Wang Wei slumped into his chair, staring at the map on the table, and suddenly felt a wave of despair.

He originally wanted to gain a foothold in Datong through selfishness and scheming, but in the end, he drove himself into a dead end.

With the refugees gaining momentum, the Mongols seized the opportunity to invade, the generals harbored their own ulterior motives, and the imperial court and the Prince of Dai were pressuring him further. As the deputy commander-in-chief of Datong, he feared he was truly about to lose his head.

"That scoundrel Su Nang! How dare he take advantage of our misfortune!"
I hereby order that a messenger be immediately dispatched to Guihua City to inform Bu Shitu.

If he cannot control Su Nang and does not withdraw from Sha Hu Kou within three days, the Ming Dynasty will immediately cancel the trade with the Tumed tribe!
Cut off their tea, salt, and ironware, and let's see how they can survive on the grasslands!

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingzhi, an advisor under his command, became even more solemn.

He stepped forward, carefully picked up the military report that had been soaked with tea, his voice filled with barely concealed worry:
"General, I'm afraid this move will be ineffective."

"After Altan Khan's death, the Tumed were no longer a unified entity."

In his later years, although his third wife tried her best to maintain the situation, the power of the tribe had already begun to be divided.

Although the current Shunyi King Bu Shitu is the "common ruler" appointed by the Ming court, you can see that Su Nang is the grandson of the Third Lady and holds the "Western Outpost Military Power".

Those were the three thousand most elite cavalrymen in western Tumed, whose command even extended to the garrison of Guihua City.

Not to mention the 'Bansheng Industry' he controlled, most of the fertile fields, workshops and shops in Fengzhou Beach were under his name, and at least six of the twelve Tumed tribes were his confidants.

What about the Stone Rabbit?

He was nothing more than a puppet with the title of "King" but no real power. He had neither military nor financial authority. Last year, even the tribute envoys sent to the Ming court were stopped halfway by Sunang. In the end, they were only able to make it through the help of the Kharachin tribe.

"General, do you think Sunang would obey if he issued an order?"

Wang Wei's breath hitched, and his face, which had been flushed with anger, instantly lost all color.

He was certainly aware of the internal strife within the Tumed tribe, but at this point, the only deterrent measure he could think of was the trade market.

Grassland tribes cannot do without the tea, salt, and ironware of the Ming Dynasty. If trade were to cease, ordinary tribes would have panicked long ago, but Su Nang...

He had the agricultural output of Bansheng and his own handicraft workshops, so his dependence on trade was far less than that of other small tribes.

"Is there no other way?"

Wang Wei's voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.

With the loss of Shahu Pass and the plundering of Datong Right Guard, if Su Nang were to advance further east, he might directly threaten Yanghe Guard and Datong Prefecture.

This is his stronghold; if the Mongol cavalry breaches it, he will have no way to retreat.

Seeing that his tone had softened, Zhou Jingzhi sighed softly and continued:

Fortunately... there was no movement from the Ordos region.

This is already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

He pointed to the location of the Yellow River bend on the map, where the area was marked "Ordos Wanhu".

"General, you see, the core territory of the Ordos tribe is in Baoritaohai, bordering Shanxi to the east, Ningxia to the west, and Yansui Town to the south. It is a vast area with abundant water and grass."

Unlike the Tumed, who were nomadic and migrating, they had fixed grazing lands, a population of fifty to sixty thousand, and could mobilize one to twenty thousand cavalry.

Furthermore, they were not internally divided, their tribal organization was complete, and their cohesion was extremely strong.

Even when Altan Khan was at the height of his power, people would give him a wide berth.

If the Ordos tribe also seizes the opportunity to move south, joining forces with the Sunang tribe to attack from the east and west, Datong will truly collapse completely, beyond saving.

Wang Wei slumped back into his chair, looking at the darkening sky outside the tent, his brows furrowed in worry.
"The Ordos tribe isn't heading south, but Sunang is still at Shahu Pass, Zhang Tianlin's 40,000 refugees are still in Youyu, and those two old foxes, Sun Zhen and Ma Rong, are still dawdling..."

The only people I can mobilize are my own trusted confidants. How can I fight with that?

His troops in Datong Town numbered 80,000 in name, but in reality, most of them were "empty quotas".

He embezzled military funds for many years. Half of the registered soldiers were "nominal soldiers" who only received pay but did not participate in the army. Only 20,000 men were actually capable of fighting, along with 4,000 soldiers from Polubao under Liu Zhenbang.

However, Liu Zhenbang had just recovered the ruined city of Zuoyun when he stopped fighting under the pretext of "checking the grain and fodder," clearly indicating that he was unwilling to risk his life for him any longer.

"Could it be... that I really have to send my trusted confidant?"

Wang Wei muttered to himself.

The 5,000 men of Yanghewei and the 15,000 men outside Datong Prefecture were his source of confidence and the foundation for his foothold in Datong.

If he were sent to fight the Mongol cavalry of Sunang head-on, winning would be fine, but losing would make him a toothless tiger, unable to control Sun Zhen and Ma Rong, and unable to explain himself to the Prince of Dai. Zhou Jingzhi stood aside, watching his conflicted expression, and dared not say anything.

At this moment, Wang Wei is standing on the edge of a cliff.

Moving forward would lead to a dead end, beset by internal and external troubles.

From then on, he faced the desperate situation of losing his official position and being beheaded.

All those previous schemes—using refugees to launder money and using them to secure Wang Bao's official position—have now become ropes binding him, tightening the more he struggles.

Time continued to slip away as Wang Wei hesitated.

From the moment he ordered his three generals to send out troops, the three generals hesitated and refused to advance, until now, on the tenth day of the eighth month.

Ten more days have passed.

Sun Zhen and Ma Rong's troops finally moved to the front line, but it was only "arrived".

The camp outside Weiyuan Fort was neatly set up, and smoke rose from the chimneys on time every day, but there wasn't even a single decent attack.

The scouts reported that Sun Zhen was "practicing battle formations" in the camp every day.

Ma Rong went even further, using the excuse that "the soldiers were not used to the local climate" to avoid even leaving the camp.

They only sent some old and weak people to wander around the outskirts of Youyu County before returning to report that "the rebels are powerful and we need to wait for General Wang's main force to arrive."

"A bunch of cowardly rats!"

General Wang Wei crumpled the newspaper into a ball and slammed it hard onto the ground.

He should have realized sooner that these people were up to something.

Nobody wanted to be the first to stick their neck out; everyone was afraid of fighting Zhang Tianlin's army of refugees to the death, only to have it all benefit someone else in the end.

But if we delay any longer, the situation will only deteriorate faster.

Sure enough, bad news soon came from the north.

On the morning of August 11th, a scout covered in blood came galloping from the direction of Killing Tiger Pass, collapsing along with his horse in front of the commander's tent, shouting in a hoarse voice:

"General! Bu Shitu... Bu Shitu has also led his troops south!"

They burned down all the villages and towns west of Shahu Pass!

Wang Wei's heart sank.

He strode out of the tent, helped the scout to his feet, his voice strained:

"Tell me in detail! How many men did Bu Shitu bring? Which places did they plunder?"

"At least three thousand cavalry!"

The scout coughed up blood and said intermittently:
"The grasslands are suffering from a severe drought this year; the grass has withered, and most of the cattle and sheep have died..."

They initially followed Sunang's men in looting, but when Sunang withdrew, they went east on their own, sweeping through the villages near Pohu Fort and Canhu Fort. Men were killed, women and children were abducted, and all the grain and livestock were stolen..."

Zhou Jingzhi, one of the advisors under his command, also changed his expression.

The severe drought during the Little Ice Age not only caused crop failures in Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces of the Ming Dynasty, but also ravaged the grasslands.

With no way to survive, these Mongol tribes no longer cared about the royal titles bestowed upon them by the Ming court, nor did they care about morality.

They would pounce on any opportunity to plunder, like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

No sooner had Su Nang left than Bu Shi Tu arrived, leaving Datong's northwest defense line practically an undefended sieve.

"Can't wait any longer!"

Wang Wei suddenly drew the sword from his waist, its blade flashing a cold light in the morning glow.

"Pass on my order: 20,000 elite troops to assemble immediately!"

Infantry in front, cavalry behind, carrying five days' rations, we will depart precisely at noon today, first to drive away Bu Shitu at Datong Right Guard, then return to annihilate Zhang Tianlin!

These 20,000 troops were Wang Wei's trump card.

They were all his carefully selected servants and veterans, equipped with the best armor and weapons, and their warhorses were mostly fine steeds bought from Mongolia.

Even if it means sacrificing our own strength, we must maintain the stability of the situation.

It was noon.

Outside the east gate of Yanghewei, banners fluttered, armor gleamed, and 20,000 soldiers stood in neat square formations.

"set off!"

With Wang Wei's command, they set off in a grand procession towards the northwest.

Along the way, the devastation left by Mongol cavalry raids was a common sight:
The burned-down house was reduced to ruins, with half a cloth still hanging on the charred beams.

The weeds in the fields were trampled to a pulp by horses' hooves, and occasionally one could see a fallen corpse with wounds from arrows or sabers on its body.

The fleeing people, supporting the elderly and carrying the young, walked with difficulty along the roadside. Only when they saw Wang Wei's army did a glimmer of hope appear in their eyes.

"General, Mongol cavalry have been spotted ahead!"

The scouts reported back.

Wang Wei reined in his horse and looked around.

On the dirt road in the distance, a group of Mongol cavalrymen were plundering several grain carts. There were about three hundred of them, all of them skilled horsemen and swift in their movements.

"Array up!"

Wang Wei shouted loudly.

The infantry quickly formed a square formation, with spearmen in front, shield bearers behind, and archers in the middle drawing their longbows.

The cavalry split into two groups, circled around to the sides of the square formation, and prepared to encircle it.

When the Mongol cavalry saw the Ming army forming a large formation, they were taken aback for a moment, and then rushed over to launch a probing attack. Arrows rained down on the Ming army's formation, but were blocked by the shields.

"Fire arrows!"

At the command of the infantry commander, the Ming army unleashed a volley of arrows, and the Mongol cavalrymen fell from their horses one after another.

Seeing that the situation was not good and that the Ming cavalry had already surrounded them, the remaining men dared not linger in battle. They abandoned the grain carts and the looted goods, turned their horses around, and fled northwest.

They had already looted quite a lot and had no intention of fighting the Ming army head-on. Now that they saw the Ming army's strength, it was naturally best for them to leave.

Wang Wei did not order a pursuit.

The Mongols are highly mobile and cannot be caught. As long as we drive them out of Datong and protect Datong Right Guard, that will be enough.

Sure enough, on the rest of the journey, they encountered several small groups of Mongol cavalry, all of whom collapsed at the first encounter and quickly disappeared into the depths of the grassland.

August fifteen.

Mooncake Festival.

Wang Wei's army arrived at Datong Right Guard. By this time, Bu Shitu's main force had already withdrawn with the people and wealth they had plundered, leaving only a few burned-down camps.

"General, news has come from the direction of Youyu County: Zhang Tianlin's army of refugees... has disappeared!"

Just as Wang Wei was reassuring the people of Datong Right Guard, the scouts brought new news.

"what?"

Wang Wei turned around abruptly, his face filled with disbelief.

"Where did he go?"

"According to the people of Youyu County, back when we were fighting the Mongols, Zhang Tianlin led his army of refugees southeast. Judging from the route... it seems they were heading to Datong Prefecture!"

Wang Wei's mind went blank, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

What kind of place is Datong Prefecture City?
It was the settlement of his soldiers' families and the location of his accumulated assets and wealth over the years.

If Datong City falls, the soldiers will surely collapse in morale when they learn that their families have been killed.

If his land, shops, and treasury were looted by refugees, he would become a penniless pauper!
"Damn it!"

Wang Wei cursed fiercely. He never expected that Zhang Tianlin would be so cunning, not confronting him head-on, but instead going around to his rear.

What frustrated him even more was that he had instigated this civil unrest to scheme against Xiong Tingbi and embezzle funds, but now he had to personally lead troops to suppress it and protect his own life and property.

This is such a huge irony!
"Pass on my order: the entire army shall set off immediately and proceed to Datong Prefecture City at top speed!"

Wang Wei mounted his horse, raised his whip, and lashed it hard across the horse's back.

The warhorse, in pain, let out a neigh and galloped off in the southeast direction.

Twenty thousand Ming soldiers followed closely behind, raising clouds of dust and the sound of their hooves making the ground tremble slightly.

Wang Wei rode on his horse, his cloak fluttering in the wind.

He looked at the dusty road ahead, feeling both anxious and angry.

They were anxious because they feared something might happen in Datong Prefecture, and angry because they had shot themselves in the foot.

When Liu Zhenbang first brought the news of Zhu Chongwei's complete annihilation, he himself mocked Zhu Chongwei for being an incompetent fool. Now he realized that he was the most ridiculous person.

The fire that you started with your own hands eventually burned you.

And
Having made such a huge mess in Datong, he probably has no way out.

What a messed up situation!
Wang Wei was about to cry.

PS:

There's an extra chapter today!
(End of this chapter)