Chapter 688 Will the Emperor be Frightened?
There was a mountain of corpses on the top of the city, which was made up of the corpses of the defenders.
There are words under the mountain of corpses.
"Lin Siyuan." Chen Ji looked at the name carefully. "I remember it."
"Captain." A night guard came up with Qin Er.
"Tell me." Chen Ji looked to the north. More than ten Ye Bushu had already set out following the traces left by the enemy.
"The enemy attacked suddenly. Qian Hu and his brothers held out for an hour. After the city was breached, the enemy killed all our people." Qin Er said, "They also..."
Qin Er looked back at the corpses of the women and said, "I heard them screaming and Qian Hu shouting... They were shouting..."
"What are you shouting?" Chen Ji asked.
"They are shouting, 'Long Wilbur...' They are saying that Long Wilbur will... avenge us!" Qin Er knelt down and pounded the ground hard. "My heart aches when I hear their shouting, but I dare not come out. I am... I am afraid of death, I deserve to die!"
Chen Ji walked to the corpses of the women and looked at their wide-open eyes. "I will bring your words to my uncle!"
One of the women actually closed her eyes, and the ferocious look on her face gradually relaxed.
"Captain!" A Yebushou rode over and said, "We found the body of Li Zhi, the garrison commander."
"Did he escape?" Chen Ji sneered, "Let's go and take a look."
When everyone left the village, Chen Ji suddenly dismounted. He walked to the right and squatted, "This is..."
There were lines on the ground, and Chen Ji stretched out his hand and simulated them along the lines.
"Chen... fierce!"
He looked up and saw two bloodstains extending into the distance.
At the end were two corpses.
……
The sky is blue and clear without a single cloud in sight.
The grass on the ground was still green, but a few of them looked wilted.
A few small yellow flowers swayed gently in the wind. Amid the sound of horse hooves, a horse hoof stepped heavily on the small yellow flowers in the mud. The horse hoof was lifted up, and the stems of the small yellow flowers tried to raise their heads, but then more horse hooves fell and crushed it into mud.
The warhorse neighed loudly, and then stood up. The grassland scout on horseback squinted his eyes and looked into the distance, "There are enemy scouts ahead."
A military order came from behind, "Go forward!"
More than twenty scouts rushed forward. There were more than thirty scouts of the Ming army on the opposite side. After a melee between the two sides, the Ming army scouts withdrew.
"The enemy scouts are defeated!" The enemy leader said coldly, "Go back!"
Everyone turned their horses around and galloped quickly towards the north.
It was not until dusk that they encountered the vanguard.
The army was setting up camp, Pai Zi Tou dismounted and was taken to the commander-in-chief.
The vanguard general, the commander of the army, Bars, was patrolling the camp. When he saw the sign, he asked, "How are the Ming troops?"
The leader knelt down and said, "I met a Ming scout while scouting for 20 miles. After a fierce battle, the Ming scout was defeated and retreated."
"Twenty miles." Bars said, "It's more than thirty miles away from Datong. Zhang Da is much bolder than before. He dares to send scouts so far away. Go and report to the Khan that the vanguard has reached the outskirts of Datong for fifty miles, and the Datong defenders... won't come out!"
"Yes."
Bals turned around and looked in the direction of Datong, saying, "Lin Siyuan is a fool. The Khan ordered him to clear out the Ming army scouts, but he failed. This kind of surprise attack is impossible."
One general said, "Wan Hu, since the surprise attack failed, let's fight our way to the Ming capital in an upright manner."
"Zhang Da would definitely not dare to fight." Bars shook his head and sighed, "Datong is a strong city. If Zhang Da does not fight, the Khan will not dare to go south with all his strength. Otherwise, the food supply route will be difficult to protect. There is even the danger of being attacked from both sides."
So Altan hoped to launch a surprise attack on Datong, but he did not expect that the Jinyiwei had already obtained the news early on. The scouts in Datong were arranged according to wartime arrangements, which made Lin Siyuan's sneak attack plan fail.
"Wan Hu, what should we do now?"
Bars turned around and looked at the smoke. "The Khan said that there is a 70% chance that the Ming army is led by Jiang Qingzhi. The purged Beijing Guards must be the main force."
"Wanhu!"
Several riders came galloping over, and the leader dismounted and knelt, "We have found Ming scouts."
"Hmm?" They were already close to the outskirts of Datong. The chances of discovering Ming army scouts were quite high, so it was not worth it for the scouts to be so serious.
The scout raised his head, and there was a solidified scar on his face. "The Ming army scouts are fierce, we...can't defeat them."
"Waste!" Bars said coldly.
Bars walked outside the camp and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Da is getting bolder and bolder, which shows that the Ming army is in high spirits. This battle should not be underestimated. Send someone to warn Lin Siyuan to be careful."
In the early morning of the next day, the news reached Lin Siyuan, who said coldly: "Tell Bars that when I led the army to the battle, he was still hiding under the wings of the Khan."
Lin Siyuan was a senior official, while Bars was a direct descendant of Altan. One was a governor, the other was a commander, and they didn't trust each other.
After the messenger left, someone came to ask for instructions on what to do. Lin Siyuan said, "Go closer to Datong. I want to see if Zhang Da dares to fight."
"If Zhang Da goes into battle, do our five thousand cavalrymen still fear him?" someone laughed.
"But if Jiang Qingzhi comes..."
"Jiang Qingzhi!" Lin Siyuan's eyes were filled with burning passion. "I have always wanted to meet this man and see what this so-called number one general of the Ming Dynasty is like!"
……
At the same early morning, the huge camp was so huge that it was impossible to see the end. Scouts and rangers were constantly setting out from the periphery, and in the camp, the density of cooking smoke was no less than that of the royal court.
"Great Khan, Lin Siyuan and Bars are not on good terms. It may be difficult to get them to join forces."
Altan Khan was patrolling the camp with dozens of civil and military officials.
"Shut up!" Someone shouted at the civil servant who was speaking.
Altan did not stop, but walked up to a soldier and asked him some questions in a friendly manner, such as where he was from, how many livestock he had at home, and how many pups he had had this year...
The soldiers were shaking with excitement and vowed to take the Emperor's head for the Khan.
Altan said with a smile: "If you can take his head, I will make you a Wanhu."
"I can certainly do it!"
"Khan, breakfast is ready." A guard came to report.
Only then did I go back.
After entering the big tent, Altan called Tuotuo. Altan's breakfast was very rich, not only with mutton, but also rare vegetables.
"How is Lin Siyuan?" Altan asked after taking a sip of milk wine.
Tuotuo said: "Lin Siyuan once said privately that the Khan was a little timid. If it were him, he would definitely use a small force to attack Datong in order to contain Zhang Da. The main force would bypass Datong and attack the Ming capital directly..."
"It's still Lin Siyuan." Altan said, "Keep an eye on him."
"Yes."
Lin Siyuan was originally a man of Altan's elder brother, that is, Jineng's father. Altan took away his brother's inheritance, and Lin Siyuan became a general under Altan's command.
While following Altan Khan in his battles, Lin Siyuan quickly stood out due to his bold use of troops.
But Altan kept him under control and allowed him to be promoted, such as to become a governor. However, Lin Siyuan lacked the opportunity to lead a large army, which made him quite dissatisfied and he said that Altan was too timid.
Moreover, Lin Siyuan had met Jineng privately several times, and it was unknown what they talked about.
"Still no news from the Ming people?" Altan asked with a frown.
"Yes." Tuotuo bowed slightly, "Since the caravan was expelled, there has been no news. But Zhao Quan is said to have made some gains."
"Well?" Altan put down the knife, "Why don't you tell me?"
"Zhao Quan told me privately before that he wanted to see the Khan." Tuotuo lowered his head with coldness in his eyes.
After Zhao Quan, the so-called leader of the White Lotus Sect, surrendered to Altan Khan, he had always been a vassal force. Every year, Zhao Quan would send people to the Ming Dynasty to either persuade the people to flee or to spread the religion.
Now Zhao Quan has a lot of followers under his command, and he can be considered a powerful force.
"Sweat!"
Zhao Quan is here.
Altan had finished his breakfast and was drinking tea.
The tea was good. Altan narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhao Quan, "Go ahead!"
Zhao Quan said: "A while ago, a disciple brought news from the Ming Dynasty that a large army of Ming people had gathered in the capital."
Tuotuo gnashed his teeth and said, "When I discovered that the number of Ming army scouts in Datong and Xuanfu suddenly increased, I suspected that the news had leaked. Sure enough! If I catch this guy, I will drag him to death with my warhorse!"
In Jineng's tent, Ma Tianlu sneezed.
Jinen swallowed the last bite of meat and said, "It seems that the Ming people are prepared. This battle will be worth watching."
Ma Tianlu rubbed his nose. "Now the whole grassland is watching this army. If we win, those tribes will follow us in droves."
"His power will expand and he will become a real Khan. And I..." Jineng's eyes flashed with reluctance.
At this time, someone came in. "The Khan has called a meeting."
Ji Neng and Ma Tianlu hurried over. Ji Neng was able to go in, but Ma Tianlu was blocked outside.
The wind in the early morning was a little chilly. Ma Tianlu tucked his hands into his sleeves, listening to the faint sounds coming from inside, his mind a little dazed.
"Someone in the royal court leaked the news, and the Ming people were well prepared. The Ming army should be on the way now."
This is Tuotuo's voice.
Ma Tianlu thought of the Ming Dynasty spy he had let go.
Could it be that person?
If I lose this battle, I...
Ma Tianlu was a little annoyed, but then he smiled grimly.
He needs to prove himself, and the best way is for Ji Neng to take over.
If Ji Neng wants to take the throne, the best outcome of this battle is Altan's defeat, but it cannot be a crushing defeat, otherwise it will take too long to clean up the mess.
"Go tell Lin Siyuan not to advance rashly!"
This is Altan's voice.
Once upon a time, whenever Altan Khan mentioned the Ming army, he always spoke with contempt, saying that they should not advance rashly, and that anyone who used troops with restraint would only be reprimanded or even punished by the royal court.
This is also the reason why Lin Siyuan can still lead the army even though he is Jineng’s father’s man.
"Over there in Bars..." someone said, "Should we ask him to stop and wait for the army?"
Altan did not hesitate. "Bars's men are the Khan's elite, and he is prudent in his use of troops. Even if Jiang Qingzhi comes in person, he will definitely not gain any benefit."
"Yes."
"Also, Zhao Quan."
"Sweat profusely."
"From today on, you will follow this Khan."
"of."
Zhao Quan's voice sounded joyful.
Then everyone filed out.
Ma Tianlu turned around and saw Zhao Quan, whose face was beaming with joy.
"Master Zhao." Ma Tianlu bowed.
"Mr. Ma." Zhao Quan bowed and said softly, "I am here after all."
The two had a conflict in the past. Ma Tianlu said that Zhao Quan was a stray dog and was worse than a dog in Altan's eyes.
But now Zhao Quan has become Altan's close minister, while Ma Tianlu is left outside in the cold wind.
"A dog is still a dog!" Ma Tianlu said coldly.
"For the sake of my religion, what's wrong with being a dog?" Zhao Quan looked at Ma Tianlu with murderous intent in his eyes, "Some people are worse than dogs!"
One of them came out and said, "The Khan orders us to move camp and march!"
"set off!"
Military orders were issued and countless cavalry began to assemble.
Altan was surrounded by the crowd and rode out of the camp on horseback.
He looked back at the army, his heart surging, "If the Emperor Ming saw the mighty army of this Khan, would he be frightened?"
(End of this chapter)
