Chapter 689 Look, the Big Flag
In the general's mansion, Zhang Da and other generals were discussing.
Deputy General You Qing stood in front of the map and pointed at several places outside Datong. "Enemy scouts were found in these places. Our scouts fought with them several times..."
You Qing glanced at Zhang Da, who nodded. Then You Qing said, "We are both at a disadvantage."
"General," a general said, "Didn't a scout from the Left Guard of the Tiger Guards come a while ago? They were quite arrogant. They left the city and never came back. I'm worried... How about sending someone to look for them?"
Huang Mao, the governor of Datong who attended the meeting, said calmly: "I heard that someone had advised him at the beginning, but the centurion ignored it. In this case, it cannot be regarded as Datong's fault."
Zhang Da glanced at Huang Mao. The Ming Dynasty controlled the military with civil power, but there were some differences in the Nine Frontiers. In the Nine Frontiers, the distinction between civil and military was relatively clear. If Huang Mao stretched out his hand and crossed the line, he dared to hit that hand back.
Of course, he must be respectful on the surface, and even lower his posture.
"That's the scout from the Huben Zuowei." Zhang Da's tone was calm, but it carried an unquestionable sense of authority.
Huang Mao stroked his beard, "Although I have never fought in the army, I know that arrogant soldiers will be defeated. Altan's army is not far away. What use are the hundred or so scouts in front of the army? If they are all killed in the battle..."
Huang Mao looked at everyone and said, "Before the battle, the elite troops of the Huben Zuowei were defeated first. This is not good for morale!"
You Qing coughed dryly, "Since that scout dared to go out of the border, he must have the ability to do so."
"Well, let's wait and see!"
Huang Mao smiled very gently.
There was a hint of coldness in Zhang Da's eyes.
The governor was in charge of civil affairs, and since Huang Mao took office, he had secretly put obstacles in his way several times. At first, Zhang Da thought that Huang Mao disliked him, but later he accidentally learned that Huang Mao secretly called him Jiang Qingzhi's running dog.
A while ago, Jiang Qingzhi wrote to ask about the situation in Datong. Zhang Da only reported good news and not bad news. He only said that the soldiers were ready to fight at any time, waiting for the Lord to lead the troops to come and have a big battle with Altan.
Could Huang Mao's attitude be related to Yan Song's participation in the army?
Zhang Da was still thinking about this when a scout came to report, "General, the enemy cavalry is approaching Datong."
"How many people?" You Qing asked.
The generals stared at the scout with sharp eyes, some of them blushed, some turned pale...
Huang Mao saw all of this and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
"More than a thousand."
In an instant, the generals' expressions returned to normal.
"You dare to come with more than a thousand riders?"
"Do you really think we are vulnerable?"
At that time, more than a hundred enemy cavalry dared to show off their power outside Datong City, and the defenders were terrified. Now that they knew that more than a thousand enemy cavalry were approaching, the generals did not take them seriously.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Huang Mao knew that this was the result of Zhang Da's rectification.
Before Jiang Qingzhi went to Yunnan, he purged the Beijing guards. When the news reached Datong, it was known as the Bloody Night in the Capital.
Other places were complaining bitterly, fearing that they would be the next ones to be purged. However, Zhang Da was different. He immediately summoned all his generals and decided to initiate the rectification in Datong first.
His benefactor... Even though he was a general, if Jiang Qingzhi had not intervened, this general would have most likely become a stepping stone for Hu Zongxian to ascend to power.
Whenever anything Zhang Da's benefactor Jiang Qingzhi said reached Datong, Zhang Da would praise it loudly and even follow it.
People in Datong Prefecture who disliked Confucianism and Mohism called this general a running dog of Chiang's clan.
Huang Mao's eyes turned, "These thousand-plus cavalrymen are coming, where are the scouts of the Huben Zuowei?"
The generals were stunned.
Yes!
Where are the more than one hundred scouts of the Huben Zuowei?
A general said: "The enemy is sweeping in like this, I'm afraid they are..."
Zhang Da stood up and said, "Let's go to the top of the city and take a look."
Huang Mao was followed by several civil servants. After leaving the general's mansion, they separated from the military generals, looking clearly divided.
"Mr. Fan, Jiang Qingzhi is too arrogant. He only sent a hundred or so cavalry to serve as the vanguard. Is he too confident in General Zhang, or is he underestimating Altan Khan?" someone laughed.
This statement was obviously a mockery of Jiang Qingzhi, but in reality it was meant to please Huang Mao.
Huang Mao walked slowly, "Jiang Qingzhi urgently needs this war to promote the Mohist school. More than a hundred scouts have gone out of the border, which shows that he is eager to make achievements. As the art of war says, arrogant soldiers will be defeated. When he finds out that all his men are Mohists, I want to see the face of this great man."
Just as they were about to go up to the top of the city wall, they heard someone shouting, "It's our people!"
"not good!"
"How dare those hundreds of cavalry charge into the battle formation?"
Upon hearing the sound, everyone hurried to the top of the city wall, even Huang Mao ran.
A passage was cleared in front and everyone rushed over.
Outside the city, thousands of enemy cavalry were turning to their right side, which was the left side of the city wall.
More than a hundred Ming troops were approaching the left side of the city wall in a roundabout way.
"Surround them." The enemy general said coldly.
In his view, this was just an appetizer. Killing this Ming army scout would intimidate the Datong defenders on the city wall.
More than three hundred cavalrymen chased after them, and another few hundred cavalrymen came from behind. From the top of the city wall, they looked like a pair of crab claws, and in the middle was the Ming army scouts.
"It's Ye Bushou from the Huben Zuowei!" Someone on the top of the city wall exclaimed, "They're back."
"My God, how did they avoid the enemy's encirclement and suppression for the past five days?"
"General, open the city gate and attack!" someone said.
Huang Mao frowned. "If the enemy counterattacks..."
You Qing said: "Just respond."
Zhang Da was looking into the distance.
He vaguely felt something was wrong.
This is not the Datong of the past, where more than a hundred cavalrymen dared to come and show off their might.
The same was true for more than a thousand cavalrymen.
The enemy general is so bold...why?
Is it contempt, or is there another agenda?
As the commander of an army, Zhang Da was known for his steady use of troops.
"Not good!" someone exclaimed.
The hundred or so riders were about to be surrounded by the enemy, but they were actually slowing down.
"Perhaps the war horses are exhausted," sighed a civil servant;
Huang Mao thought of the letter from the capital a while ago, which mentioned some circumstances of the army's expedition, with special mention of Yan Song.
Being able to become the governor, Huang Mao is certainly not a person who thinks in black and white.
Including Lu Song, this Confucian general and Yan Song worked well together on official business.
——We can join forces!
This is what the letter ended with.
Joining forces with Yan Song...
Yan Song went to the war as the chief minister, and his say in this battle was self-evident.
What's more, what Yan Song lacks is military merit. If he can achieve some success in this battle, the Yan Party in the capital will certainly brag about him with great fanfare.
However, Yan's party had no important members in Datong. If Huang Mao took the initiative to speak, Yan Song would naturally accept his goodwill with a smile.
This is not a bad thing.
Thinking of this, Huang Mao's mouth curled up slightly.
"Don't send out troops!"
Zhang Da glanced at Huang Mao and said, "What the governor said..."
This is not something you can interfere with!
Huang Mao said solemnly, "Datong City is an important town in the Nine Frontiers. If it is lost, the capital will be shaken and the Nine Frontiers will be useless."
"Are we just going to watch our brothers die in battle?" someone asked.
The hundred or so scouts were about to be surrounded. Huang Mao pointed at them and said, "Taking risks for the sake of a hundred men who are bound to die, what kind of military strategy is this? What kind of military law is this?" Men who are bound to die!
These words were cruel, but left everyone speechless.
At this moment, the hundred or so riders suddenly turned around.
This was a move that no one could have expected.
"Zhang Da doesn't dare to leave the city?" The enemy general was staring at the top of the city wall.
Once Zhang Da left the city, the main force would arrive, and his mission was to delay the Datong defenders.
Waiting for the main force to attack.
No one else except Lin Siyuan could use troops so boldly.
Lin Siyuan was not far away.
News keeps coming.
"The Ming army's scouts were surrounded. Hey! They turned around."
"They're crazy!"
More than a hundred cavalrymen suddenly turned around and rushed out of the clamp. More than ten enemy soldiers fell behind them, but they only had one person off their horse.
Everyone on the city wall widened their eyes, and Huang Mao quietly withdrew his hand that was pointing at the scout.
"This is... indeed fierce!"
"It's worthy of being a strong team trained by Chief Wilbur."
"What are they going to do?"
More than a hundred cavalrymen seemed to charge towards the main enemy force.
The enemy general was slightly surprised and ordered, "Surround them."
More than a hundred riders attacked from behind.
There can't be any more. Not to mention being laughed at by the Datong defenders, the enemy general has too few troops around him.
"outflank!"
The enemy general shouted.
The three armies were surrounding the enemy, but the hundred-plus riders did not turn around and charged straight towards the enemy general.
At this moment, the enemy general still had more than 200 cavalrymen around him. He grinned and asked, "Want to kill me?"
The enemy turned their horses around and waited quietly for the Ming army to approach.
At this moment, the Ming army calmly picked up bows and arrows and shot them outside the range of the horse bows...
"Who are you trying to scare?" the enemy general laughed.
Then, the arrow flew over.
Damn it!
The range of this horse bow is wrong!
"Arrow defense!"
Amid screams, the enemy general was covered by a rain of arrows.
The first rule of special operations: attack the enemy directly.
That is the decapitation tactic.
This Ming army made several detours and suddenly turned around, seemingly seeking its own death. However, upon analysis from the beginning, it was discovered that the general leading the army was frighteningly calm.
"He approaches to the left to lure the enemy to pursue. But if the enemy comes in small numbers, he can circle around the city wall, and the archers on the top of the city can help. So the enemy will be forced to send out half of its troops to attack."
A general said excitedly.
After listening to Jiang Qingzhi's small class, the general Zhang Da's horizons were broadened a lot. He squinted his eyes and looked into the distance and made up his mind.
"Then he suddenly turned around and charged out. If the enemy general ignored him, he could escape from the left side. The enemy general was forced to send troops to attack again, but he forgot about himself."
"It is indeed a powerful force under Long Wilbur's command."
"Open the city gate!" Zhang Da glanced at Huang Mao.
If you have the guts, object again!
damn thing!
Huang Mao secretly hated her but his expression was calm.
Lin Siyuan, who had learned the latest battle situation, was not angry but happy. He mounted his horse and said, "Attack!"
The gates of Datong City were opened, and more than 2,000 cavalry rushed out. The two sides quickly engaged in a fight.
Then the infantry attacked.
At this moment, someone on the city wall shouted: "Enemy attack!"
Thousands of enemy cavalry were galloping.
"Kill them! Kill them!" Lin Siyuan's face flushed.
The enemy also noticed the reinforcements coming, and a general shouted, "Tie them up."
As long as we can tie up this Ming army and wait for Lin Siyuan to lead his troops to arrive, it will be a successful raid.
"I'm telling you..." Huang Mao's expression changed drastically, "Come back! Let them come back!"
Zhang Da said coldly: "The enemy troops total more than 4,000, attack!"
Since the enemy is determined to have a decisive battle, then give them one.
As for victory or defeat... Zhang Da is confident that he can keep the enemy outside the city.
But if there are heavy casualties, Huang Mao will definitely impeach him.
At this moment, Zhang Da felt a little regretful, but then he turned around and said, "Follow me."
The general is going to attack personally.
"You!" Huang Mao was worried about the city being breached, so he stamped his feet and said, "Zhang Da, I will definitely impeach you."
"It's up to you!" Zhang Da walked down the city wall.
"quick!"
The ecstatic Lin Siyuan had only one thought at this moment.
Let Altan, who praised Jiang Qingzhi, see what a talented general is!
Let the so-called first general of the Ming Dynasty see how to use troops? !
A cavalryman suddenly screamed, "Captain!"
Lin Siyuan looked to the left following the sound.
On the top of the city wall, Huang Mao heard a shout, "Enemy attack!"
Zhang Da felt a chill in his heart as he walked down the stairs.
Is it Anda who is here?
Once Altan Khan arrived in person, Zhang Da's only choice was to recall all the soldiers he could as soon as possible and then close the city gates.
The scout failed in his duty!
Zhang Da walked up to the top of the city wall, and Huang Mao sneered, "Are you satisfied?"
A black line appears on the right side of Datong City.
The sound of horse hooves was like thunder.
The cavalry on horseback surged up and down as their horses rocked, and in the sunlight, they looked like an army pouring out of hell.
A huge flag rose on the horizon.
Fluttering in the wind.
"Governor, it's... it's the flag with Jiang on it!" Someone in the enemy army screamed in panic.
On the top of the city wall, the lookout turned around and shouted with unprecedented ecstasy:
"It's the flag with the character Jiang!"
(End of this chapter)
