Chapter 706 A Group of Stupid People
Zhehetai was a fierce general under Altan Khan, famous for his swift military command.
He once pursued the enemy for five days without sleep. When he led his troops into the enemy camp, the enemy still thought he was still a hundred miles away.
After that battle, some people on the grassland even called him a Flying General.
Fei Jiangjun was the title of a certain Han general during the Western Han Dynasty, and Zhehetai was honored to have it.
At this moment he was not far from Zhenchuan Fort.
"Enemy scouts spotted!"
There's news from the front.
"No one can escape!" Zhehetai ordered.
"Don't worry, Wan Hu!"
More than a dozen Ming army scouts were fleeing for their lives, with more than a hundred enemy cavalrymen chasing them closely.
This surprise attack relied on the element of surprise, so along the way Zhehetai issued strict orders to the scouts to be cautious and to maintain a good formation... in the front, on both sides... once Ming scouts were spotted, they were to be outflanked and no one was allowed to escape.
The distance between the two sides is getting closer and closer.
Scouts from Altan Khan's tribe appeared on both sides and were trying to encircle them.
Once the encirclement is in place, this group of Ming army scouts will inevitably be wiped out.
Their horses, like those of the enemy scouts, looked a little tired.
"They can't run away!"
The enemy scouts were laughing wildly.
On the Ming army scout side, the small flag leader suddenly slowed down.
"Xiao Qi!" His subordinate exclaimed, and Xiao Qi jumped off his horse, "Chen Yuan!"
"Little Flag!" A thin scout turned around.
"One man, two horses, let's go!"
Xiaoqi patted his horse's back and took a step back, "Don't let my death be in vain!"
"And me!" A scout slowed down and dismounted, "Chen Yuan, remember, I like to eat sheep heads!"
"And I!"
Five horses!
A skinny scout!
"Xiao Qi!" Chen Yuan choked and started to gallop.
Five horses followed him on his left and right. He kept looking back and saw the five small flag men standing there side by side.
More than a hundred enemy troops are coming towards us...
"Damn it!" the enemy general cursed, "Quick, charge forward!"
Xiaoqi raised his knife, "Brothers!"
"exist!"
"See you in the underworld!"
"See you in the underworld!"
"Kill!" Xiaoqi rushed over quickly.
"kill!"
Five Ming army scouts charged out with the tragic momentum of thousands of troops.
Go ahead!
In just a moment, five people became one, and two enemy soldiers were killed.
Xiaoqi's ear was missing and blood was flowing down, which looked particularly tragic.
He raised his right hand, but it was cut off at the elbow. Xiaoqi was stunned for a moment and took out the dagger with his left hand.
"Han Miao, the flag bearer of the Datong Border Army, is here..."
A horseman rushed towards him, and his long sword swept past.
A head flew up behind him.
It fell heavily on the ground.
That open mouth seemed to be still shouting...
"Chase!"
Later, a large group of people came galloping.
"Wan Hu, we encountered Ming army scouts ahead, and... one of them escaped." The general lowered his head.
Snapped!
Zhehetai whipped the general on the shoulder with a horsewhip, and the general trembled.
"Once Jiang Qingzhi hears the news, he will definitely send troops to intercept."
Before setting off, Zhehetai mocked Sha Lei, saying that he was slow and would definitely be discovered by the Ming army scouts.
But now I am the one who is embarrassed.
After Zhehetai vented his anger, he said, "From today on, we must travel at night as well."
"set off!"
The large group of people went away.
Five corpses were scattered on the ground, trampled beyond recognition by horses' hooves.
A bird landed in front of Xiaoqi Han Miao's corpse, walked over happily, grabbed the eyeball that was stepped on, and dragged it hard...
The eyes looked blankly to the south.
The South…is home.
……
"I think we should hold on."
"Yes! We hold on to Datong. If Altan dares to march straight in, aren't you afraid that we will cut off his food supply?"
"Also, there are many troops stationed behind Datong. If we intercept them along the way, they will be enough for the army to return. This will form a pincer attack, and Altan will surely be defeated."
"Altan would not be so unwise. I thought that after the enemy arrived, they would station troops in Datong and look for an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with our army."
"It's better to wait for the hard work with rest!"
"Yes!"
Civil and military officials gathered in the lobby of the general's mansion.
Just before, Yan Song asked everyone to discuss the war situation. Some people suggested taking the initiative to attack, but more people suggested to hold on.
Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicinal smoke and looked at everyone without comment.
Yan Song asked, "What does Chang Wei Bo think?"
Everyone gradually quieted down, waiting for Jiang Qingzhi's analysis. Zhao Wenhua had heard that Jiang Qingzhi taught the generals the art of war in Huben Zuowei, which attracted everyone's admiration.
At this moment, the generals were concentrating fully. Zhao Wenhua even saw someone taking out paper and pen to prepare to take notes.
Jiang Qingzhi shook off the cigarette ash and said, "Know yourself and know your enemy. This is the basis of military strategy. The reason you guys were arguing just now is nothing more than that you think there are many troops stationed in the capital area from Datong to the south. There are also many cities. If Altan's army marches straight in, they will encounter many obstacles."
Those who agreed with this proposal nodded.
"I don't want to pour cold water on you, but many things..." Jiang Qingzhi said slowly: "The troops stationed in the capital area are vulnerable!"
Everyone was stunned.
"My Lord, that's not the case!" said a civil servant. "The last time I passed by Bao'an, I saw that the garrison was quite impressive."
"They all look like human beings." Jiang Qingzhi said calmly, "I told you, they are vulnerable!"
This is the conclusion!
No need to discuss!
Zhao Wenhua glanced at Huang Mao, who seemed to disagree.
"The troops stationed in the capital are vulnerable, so the same thing applies again." Yan Song said, "The key point of this battle is to keep the enemy out of the country."
Yan Song agreed with Jiang Qingzhi's opinion, so the matter was a done deal.
"However," Yan Song said, "this battle is of great importance, so we should be cautious."
"What Yuanfu means is..." Zhao Wenhua immediately offered assistance to his adoptive father.
Yan Song said: "The enemy is strong, and our army is mainly composed of the Beijing Guards, and there are only more than 10,000 people who can serve as the main force. One hundred thousand, ten thousand... If we take the initiative to attack, can Chang Wei Bo be confident?"
These words made the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty feel disheartened, and they thought, so this is what the Beijing Guards are like?
After the army entered Datong, the tone of external propaganda was quickly unified: the rebuilt Beijing Guards were the elite among the elite, invincible!
But today Yan Song took the initiative to squeeze the pustules.
Zhao Wenhua said: "The Beijing Guards, namely the Tiger Guards and the Left Guards, have been on many expeditions, while the others...most of them have never seen blood."
"They have never seen blood..." A general shook his head, "If they encounter a large group of enemy cavalry, they might collapse without a fight."
Yan Song aroused everyone's concerns, and immediately the conservative voices prevailed.
Seeing that Jiang Qingzhi was still calm, and even looked at everyone with a mocking look in his eyes, Yan Song couldn't help but sigh in his heart and said softly: "This matter cannot be taken lightly."
——I am not targeting you, but doing this for the overall situation.
Yan Song was the nominal commander of the army, and Jiang Qingzhi was the general.
So when Yan Song spoke, those civil servants seemed to have found someone to support them, and their tone became more confident.
"We should just hold on!"
"If Altan goes south, we can attack him from behind, wouldn't that be great?"
"exactly."
Zhao Wenhua was secretly pleased to see that the defensive voice had gained the upper hand, so he asked with a smile, "What does Lord Wei think?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the crowd and shook off the ashes from his cigarette, "What a bunch of idiots!"
In an instant, the noise disappeared.
It became a humiliation.
"Not convinced?" Jiang Qingzhi said calmly, "The most taboo thing in using troops is wishful thinking. What about tailing and chasing... If I were Altan, I would lead a part of the light cavalry to advance quickly, and the main force would ambush the pursuers on the road they must pass..."
Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicinal smoke and shook his head slightly. Everyone could see the regret in his expression.
What is he regretting?
Considering Jiang Qingzhi's evaluation of everyone's stupidity, the content of his regret becomes clear.
——Such a group of idiots can actually become high-ranking officials and generals.
"The enemy cavalry is advancing rapidly ahead, and the troops stationed in the capital are vulnerable. They will certainly report urgently and urge for rescue. In addition, the capital will be in a state of panic three times a night. Even if Your Majesty is calm, what about the ministers? There will be endless orders or reprimands urging the army to return quickly for rescue."
Jiang Qingzhi inexplicably thought of Fengbo Pavilion from the early Song Dynasty.
"Our army rushed forward in panic, while Altan waited for them to tire themselves out and ambushed them halfway. How could we not be defeated?"
Jiang Qingzhi slammed the table, and everyone couldn't help but tremble.
"We can send scouts to explore the way and discover the enemy as early as possible." Someone said.
"That's a good idea." Jiang Qingzhi smiled and nodded, and the civil servant couldn't help but feel proud of himself.
"But you forgot that the enemy has a group of light cavalry advancing rapidly. The capital is in danger. How can our army calmly confront Altan? The only way is to attack with the whole army... This is exactly what Altan wants."
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the generals and officials with different expressions. If he were in the capital, he would turn on the jet mode and scold these people until they felt ashamed.
But this is a war.
It can even be said to be a national war.
At times like these, he couldn't just follow his own temper.
A military commander must not only be able to command troops, but also be able to use people, and more importantly, be able to coordinate the emotions of his subordinates and unify their will.
This is the art of war!
Jiang Qingzhi said: "Our army seems to have a lot of men and horses, but we don't have many cavalry. Secondly, our army's strength is uneven."
He didn't say anything specific, but everyone knew what he meant.
The border troops cannot be relied upon.
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and Yan Song even felt a little frustrated.
This is wrong!
Yan Song glanced at Jiang Qingzhi. Wasn't it time to boost morale before a big battle?
You've dealt a heavy blow to everyone.
"What does Altan fear the most when he goes south?" Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile: "What he fears the most is that the war will be protracted!"
Jiang Qingzhi walked to the map and drew a circle around Datong with his finger. "Our army's goal is to try our best to stop the enemy at Datong. The longer it takes, the more anxious Altan will become. Do you know why?"
Jiang Qingzhi asked in a gentle voice.
"He's low on food!"
"Those tribes are not united!"
"..."
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the person who spoke with encouraging eyes.
Yan Song found that the atmosphere was gradually changing again.
Jiang Qingzhi was like a magician, first suppressing and then praising, playing with the emotions of these civil and military officials in the palm of his hand...
The young are to be feared!
Yan Song sighed in his heart.
Jiang Qingzhi coughed dryly and concluded: "See, Altan has many weaknesses."
"Then we can wait for the opportunity in Datong," said Zhao Wenhua.
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head.
"What I hate most is getting beaten." Jiang Qingzhi's eyes were sharp, "We must take the initiative to attack!"
(End of this chapter)
