Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

"Zhu Neng".

Zhu Di called out softly.

"Your Highness."

Zhu Neng stood tall and proud, his face filled with reverence and fervor for Prince Yan, Zhu Di.

He slew generals and captured flags, annihilating tens of thousands of cavalrymen in a single battle, scaring Wang Baobao into fleeing in panic. Looking across the Ming Dynasty, who could do that?

"You take Qiu Fu and Tan Yuan with you."

"Choose 800 brothers from the whole army, those who have never been wounded."

"One man and three horses, carrying two long knives, and enough dry rations and water for ten days."

"In addition, bring a few more Yuan people to act as guides."

Zhu Di patted him on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement.

"Yes."

Zhu Neng didn't ask why, and turned around to make the arrangements.

"Your Highness."

Geng Bingwen fully understood Zhu Di's plan: he wanted to emulate Huo Qubing by leading 800 light cavalry on a campaign against the northern desert.

Huo Qubing was merely the nephew of Wei Qing, a general of the Han Dynasty, while Zhu Di was the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty, the fourth prince. If something were to happen to him, even Xu Da might not be able to cover the consequences.

"Does Marquis Changxing know why our Great Ming Dynasty is going all out to deal with the Northern Yuan?"

Zhu Di scooped up the sweet spring water, drank it all, and then asked a question.

"The Mongol Tartars are as fierce as wild wolves. If we don't teach them a lesson, they will invade the Central Plains from the south."

Geng Bingwen gave an answer that almost everyone agreed on.

"hehe."

With a slight smile, Zhu Di gazed around at the blue sky, white clouds, and the boundless grassland.

He remarked with a sigh, "If it were just a pack of wolves, why would we need to go to such lengths?"

"The Northern Yuan was not one of the Mongol tribes, much less the Mongol Empire."

"It controlled the most extensive Lingbei Province, most of Liaoyang Province, most of Gansu Province, the territory under the jurisdiction of Xuanzheng Yuan, and the territory under the jurisdiction of Beiting Grand Marshal's Office of the Yuan Dynasty."

"This is a country that rules over Mongols, Han Chinese and other ethnic groups, and has a political system that is no less powerful than that of the Ming Dynasty."

"The Northern Yuan emperors inherited the legitimacy of Genghis Khan, a legitimacy that the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, the Golden Horde, and the Timurid Empire could not ignore."

"Give them some time, and the Northern Yuan, with the help of the three Khanates, will recover its strength and pose a greater threat to the Ming Dynasty."

"To destroy a country, the first thing to do is to destroy its central government."

"As long as the Northern Yuan royal family exists, Northern Yuan will always have a cohesive force. How can the threat be eliminated?"

"Your Highness means..."

Geng Bingwen's eyes flickered; as a veteran general of the Ming Dynasty, how could he not understand the meaning behind these words?

"Kuo Kuo concentrated his forces to prepare to wipe out the central army in one fell swoop."

"Both the eastern and western routes were restrained by Yuan detachments."

"Once the central army suffers heavy losses, no matter how great the victories are achieved by the eastern and western armies, it will be of no use."

"You should know that for the second northern expedition, the Ming Dynasty mobilized almost all of its available warhorses."

"If we fail in this battle, we will be unable to launch a northern expedition for many years and will be forced to watch the Yuan people recover their strength."

Zhu Di spoke frankly, highlighting the significance of the second northern expedition.

Indeed, the second northern expedition launched by the Ming Dynasty was delayed for eight years until the thirteenth year of the Hongwu reign. In the original history, the central army under Xu Da suffered a crushing defeat, the eastern army under Li Wenzhong had mixed results, and the western army under Feng Sheng could not salvage the situation.

"Your Highness only has eight hundred men, is that right?"

Geng Bingwen was worried that Zhu Di had brought too few men, and that he might end up getting himself trapped.

The desert stretches endlessly, and anything can happen on the grasslands.

"Eight hundred people is enough!"

Zhu Di waved his hand, full of confidence.

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Geng Bingwen didn't say anything more.

"Bayanbaoleg is the only water source within a radius of 100 miles."

"With water, plus the food and herbs we brought, you can hold on."

"After receiving the news, the general will surely send his entire army north to Bayanbolege to fight a decisive battle with Kökö Tölö."

"Of the 30,000 cavalrymen under Kökö Töngke's command, a third have been lost, leaving only 20,000. How easy would it be to wipe out the central army?"

"The Duke of Wei was cautious in his military tactics, drawing Kuo Kuo into a stalemate and restraining him, preventing him from looking north."

"In addition, with the Eastern Route Army and the Western Route Army fighting fiercely in Yanbei and Hexi, the thousands of miles of northern desert were as if they were undefended."

"I will personally lead eight hundred cavalrymen across the grasslands and head straight for Karakorum."

"This battle is crucial to the stability of the Ming Dynasty's borders for the next few decades."

"Lord Changxing, you must explain the implications to Uncle Xu."

"The matter of Lan Yu is nothing compared to the stability and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Di gave Geng Bingwen a deep look and then gave him his instructions, word by word.

"Yes."

Geng Bingwen understood his meaning perfectly: as long as Zhu Di could capture Karakorum, the northern expedition would be a great victory.

Lan Yu is a sinner, but he is not; he is a meritorious official who supported the Prince of Yan.

...............

At noon, on the hills near Bayanbolege.

Zhu Di looked down at Huo Li, Huo Zhen, and others as they escorted Lan Yu and Hai Bie to Yanmen Pass.

"Prefect Zhang".

"Remember him, his name is Zhu Silang."

Haibie, inside the carriage, lifted the curtain, his bright eyes fixed on the boy's figure, unable to forget him for a long time.

"Yes, Princess."

Zhang Yu also noted down Zhu Di.

The group walked further and further away until they disappeared from Zhu Di's sight.

"All troops, march!"

Zhu Di immediately descended the hill, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the northern desert.

"Giddy up! Giddy up! Giddy up!"

Eight hundred Ming cavalrymen closely followed the Prince of Yan, and there were also several Mongol Tartars in the ranks.

Dozens of miles away, the Yuan army camp was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

"Your Majesty."

"The central army, left battalion, and right battalion each lost three thousand-man squads."

"Another 1-man heavy cavalry unit was also annihilated."

Nairbuhua's heart bled as he spoke of these numbers. This was ten thousand cavalrymen! At the height of the Yuan Dynasty's power, there were only two or three hundred thousand cavalrymen.

In order to deal with the Ming army, Wang Baobao had brought out the last of the Northern Yuan's forces; every one that died was one less to lose.

"The Ming army arrived very quickly."

Wang Baobao stood before the map, his eyes dark and profound.

"Your Majesty."

He Zongzhe is dead.

"Our army suffered a third of its losses."

"Xu Da still had at least 4 Ming troops under his command."

"With reinforcements arriving, it will be no easy task for Geng Bingwen to take Bayanbolege."

Nai'er Buhua's words made it clear that she was backing down.

"Nai'er doesn't spend money."

"Do you think I did this for Haibie?"

"Even if Haibie were just my daughter, or His Majesty's daughter, I would never exchange the lives of ten thousand men for her."

"Emperor Zhu mobilized 150,000 Ming troops and launched a northern expedition with the full strength of the nation."

"Unable to stop Xu Da's central army, the Ming army's eastern and western armies will converge in Karakorum."

"This is why you and I must stay here."

Wang Baobao's hoarse voice echoed from inside the tent, revealing a deep sense of helplessness.

"Yes."

Nai'er Buhua nodded and remained silent.