Chapter 720: A blow to the head, mutual use
The success or failure of the two armies was related to Altan Khan's strategic deployment. He even sped up the army's march just to contain Jiang Qingzhi.
When Jiang Qingzhi learned that the main army was approaching quickly, he certainly did not dare to send out all his troops to intercept and encircle his small force.
As long as there is a way to successfully bypass Datong, Altan thinks it will be a success.
But I didn't expect that I would fail on both fronts.
After all, he was a veteran who had been on many battlefields. He suppressed his anger and asked calmly, "But Jiang Qingzhi personally led the army to attack?"
Only this can explain why both armies failed.
"The one blocking the left flank is the Ming army... Xianzhang Hou Du He."
"Du He?" Altan glanced at Tuotuo.
"Du He is a military hero. He got the opportunity to lead the army only by joining Jiang Qingzhi." Tuotuo was in charge of the secret service and was well aware of the information.
"Military Merits... Isn't the Ming Dynasty's Military Merits just a pile of mud?" Ji Neng whispered, but just loud enough for the people around him to hear.
"How many troops does Du He lead?" someone asked.
"Ten thousand!"
"Ten thousand, Sha Lei led seven thousand. This... is not right! This is not right!" Jineng couldn't believe it. "With the strength of the Ming defenders, let alone ten thousand, even twenty thousand can't stop Sha Lei!"
The messenger said, "There are three thousand Beijing guards in the Ming army."
Jineng didn't know whether to be happy or worried, "Only three thousand Beijing guards stopped Sha Lei's cavalry?"
"When the battle started, our army launched a fierce attack and the Datong border troops were defeated. Then the Ming Dynasty's imperial guards came up. Those people... fought to the death and their tactics were amazing."
The messenger said bitterly, "At first, those guards looked quite nervous, but soon they showed their strength. Na Yan asked me to tell the Khan that the Ming guards should not be underestimated!"
Altan looked at the generals and nobles around him, whose undisguised shock represented a decline in morale.
——The Ming Dynasty’s guards in Beijing have never seen blood and are vulnerable!
This was the optimistic attitude that permeated the royal court before departure.
But at this moment, Jiang Qingzhi dealt a heavy blow to this optimism with the performance of the two new Beijing Guard armies.
He did it on purpose!
Altan looked up towards the south.
Jiang Qingzhi did it on purpose!
He wanted to give himself a warning by doing this.
Altan seemed to see Jiang Qingzhi standing on the city wall of Datong, surrounded by a group of civil and military officials, looking at him with a smile.
Anda, how are you going to deal with it?
"When two armies fight, victory and defeat are common in the military." Altan's tone was very gentle, "Besides, our army has not been defeated. This Khan had instructed Zhehetai and Shalei..."
Altan smiled and looked at everyone, "Datong is surrounded by Ming troops. Once we are entangled by the Ming troops, Jiang Qingzhi will certainly use a large army to encircle and suppress them with his military ability.
Zhehetai and Sha Lei were smart and ran away after one strike. I bet that at this moment Jiang Qingzhi is upset for not being able to encircle and wipe out my two armies. Hahahaha!"
Zhao Quan took a step back so he could see everyone's expressions.
He saw that those generals seemed a little unnatural, and that those dignitaries looked excited... It was so fucking fake!
Zhao Quan felt a chill in his heart, thinking of Lin Siyuan's death and Jiang Qingzhi's reconstruction of the Jingguan.
Thinking about it now, Jiang Qingzhi definitely did it on purpose.
In the eyes of people like Zhao Quan, except for themselves, everyone else is an ant, and life and death are just numbers.
Just for the massacre of a few generals and civilians, Jiang Qingzhi flew into a rage and murderously killed more than 900 prisoners... This was not in line with Zhao Quan's values.
Zhao Quan knew that the emperor and his ministers in the capital liked foreign captives the most, and the higher the position, the better.
The higher the position of the foreign captive, the more it can satisfy the sense of superiority of the Ming Dynasty's rulers and ministers.
Lin Siyuan was a wise general under Altan Khan. If a living Lin Siyuan was sent to the capital, Jiang Qingzhi's prestige would increase by 30%.
But he killed without hesitation... It is said that he killed Lin Siyuan personally and placed Lin Siyuan's head on the top of the Jingguan.
Now that I think about it, Jiang Qingzhi would rather give up the great achievement and kill Lin Siyuan, it must be to intimidate Altan and his subordinates.
Why are Zhehetai and Sha Lei so cautious?
He was frightened by Jiang Qingzhi's thundering methods.
Zhao Quanyin laughed and said, "What a great Jiang Qingzhi, what a great Chang Wei Bo!"
Zhao Quan suddenly thought of the Saint's messenger, turned around and stared at the messenger, "What are you waiting for?"
The envoy was now much calmer and more composed. "Master Zhao, are you still confident about this battle?"
Zhao Quan's eyes were filled with gloom. "The two armies were not defeated, were they? As for this battle, you can look back and see."
The messenger turned back.
At this moment, people were cooking in the back of the camp, and countless smoke rose up. It happened to be windless at this time, and the smoke went straight up, looking like a huge dark cloud rising.
Blocking out the sky!
It's spectacular!
"Jiang Qingzhi can only rely on 20,000 to 30,000 guards. But here we have a hundred thousand troops. Every day, there are a steady stream of tribes coming to us. This battle will be like a crushing defeat!"
"Look." Someone also noticed this spectacular sight, and everyone looked over and couldn't help exclaiming.
"This is my Khan's invincible army!" Altan also forgot the disappointment of the setback and was intoxicated in this atmosphere.
After the meal, Altan called everyone together to discuss matters.
"Before the main army arrives, use a small group of scouts and cavalry to block Jiang Qingzhi's eyes and ears and constantly harass the defenders."
Altan looked at his generals and abandoned all deployments before the main force arrived.
Zhao Quan stood in the middle, thinking about the messenger's words before he left.
——The Saint said that Jiang Qingzhi is a famous general who has never been seen before. If Altan underestimates the enemy, he will definitely lose this battle. Once Jiang Qingzhi wins, the dog emperor can calmly start to attack the internal affairs. After three to five years, he will think about it again...
The reform measures within the Ming Dynasty were one of the driving forces behind Altan's march south.
Zhao Quan knew that if the Emperor was given three to five years, great changes would take place in the Ming Dynasty.
Once this behemoth got on track... Think about the Han and Tang dynasties. Liu Bang was surrounded by the Huns on Mount Baideng, and Empress Lü was humiliated by the Chanyu... But after the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, Emperor Wu of Han struck a blatant blow, and the Huns became a joke from then on.
During the Tang Dynasty, the grassland forces were unprecedentedly strong, so much so that Li Yuan and his sons had to bow to the Turks.
But it didn't take long for the Tang Dynasty to counterattack.
What Khan, what Chanyu... all of them danced to entertain the emperor and his ministers in the Tang Dynasty palace.
Now Emperor Jiajing is following the same path, but he is moving faster and more accurately.
Zhao Quan's vision was naturally different from that of ordinary people. He saw some key points of Emperor Jiajing's reforms, such as never rolling out the stall all at once.
Instead, each time the hammer hits one place, after finishing hitting, just stop for a while to digest and absorb.
Then came the second hammer...
Three to five years was enough time for Emperor Jiajing to eradicate all the major shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty.
Until then...
What is the great cause of the holy teachings and what is the Pure Land.
Whenever a Han dynasty recovered, the first thing it did was to look north.
Then the army marched out of the border… In the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing marched thousands of miles to attack the royal court. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing led his army to defeat the Turks.
What about the Ming Dynasty?
Thinking of the envoys of Altan who were beheaded and whose heads were sent to the nine frontiers every time, Zhao Quan couldn't help but shudder.
Altan entered the big tent and there was no one else around him.
Zhao Quan quietly walked over and smiled at the guard, "I have something to ask you, big man."
The guard went in to report, then came out and said, "Follow me."
"Yes."
Leader Zhao, who was as inviolable as a god in the sect, now looked like a docile and harmless dog.
The candles lit in the big tent were from the Central Plains. Candles were not produced in the grasslands, but Zhao Quan was using the candles produced in the grasslands. The smoke was very strong, and after an hour your head and face would be covered with fine black threads.
In the candlelight, Altan's eyes were calm, "What do you want?"
Zhao Quan thought about his thoughts quickly, "Great Khan, Jiang Qingzhi is quite good at using troops."
Altan said calmly: "Oh! Do you have any ideas about the war? Tell me."
What he needed at the moment was the wisdom of all parties, and Zhao Quan had served in the Ming army, so Altan was quite looking forward to his suggestions.
Zhao Quan said: "Datong is a strong city, it is not easy to attack..."
This is nonsense!
No matter how crazy Altan was, he would never attack Datong City.
That's like hitting a rock with an egg.
Altan snorted lightly to show his agreement.
But it also means impatience.
Let’s get to the point!
Zhao Quan smiled and said, "The Holy Church has quite a few people in the northwest of Ming Dynasty..."
In Altan's eyes, the weird things done by the White Lotus Sect were no different from madness, but he was quite moved by the madness of the White Lotus sect members.
If his subordinates were as crazy and fearless as the White Lotus Sect, how could he take the Ming Dynasty and Jiang Qingzhi seriously?
"You want to..." Altan raised his eyebrows, "This Khan will not treat meritorious officials unfairly!"
臣！
Altan pointed out this word.
You, Zhao Quan, are my Khan’s subject!
No matter how powerful the White Lotus Sect is, they have to kneel before this Khan.
Otherwise, you will go back where you came from!
"Yes." Zhao Quan bowed his head very meekly, "I would like to send someone to mobilize the followers."
"An insider?" Altan pondered for a moment, "Are you sure?"
Zhao Quan could tell that Altan was interested. "I once served in the Ming Dynasty and developed some talents in the army."
But the last time Altan asked Zhao Quan, Zhao Quan said that most of those people had been wiped out and it was difficult to contact the rest.
There was a gloomy look in the depths of Altan's eyes, but he smiled and said, "You can send someone to contact those people. If they can launch an attack during the decisive battle... they will be the first to achieve the credit!"
"Yes." Zhao Quan bowed slightly. Altan stood up and walked over, patted his shoulder, and said with a pleasant face: "If you can conquer Datong, this Khan will have a foundation. You will be my prime minister!"
This is Altan's promise.
Capture Datong City and become emperor... This is what Zhao Quan has been trying to persuade Altan to do.
"Yes." Zhao Quan then took his leave.
He kept smiling until he returned to his tent, and then called someone to arrange the follow-up matters.
"Tell those brothers to launch the attack during the decisive battle. Once launched, they must go all out!"
"Don't worry, Master!"
The tent curtains were lowered, swaying gently in the autumn breeze.
"You want to use me, and I am the same!"
Amidst the gentle laughter, Zhao Quan's voice sounded like a dream talk.
"The Holy Church can no longer survive in the Ming Dynasty, so we will use your power to take shelter for a while. Now I have tens of thousands of people and thousands of warriors under my command. Given time... with the bravery and fearlessness of the warriors of the Holy Church, we can accomplish our great cause! We can accomplish our great cause! Hahahaha!"
Suppressed laughter echoed in the tent.
(End of this chapter)
