Chapter 727 Khan, How Do You Respond?
The sky was a little cloudy, and the strong wind was blowing dark clouds over the city. The big flags fluttered in the autumn wind, which reminded people of the war.
Jiang Qingzhi stood on the top of the city wall, with generals gathered on both sides.
Xu Wei beside him looked calm, and the fat white man was just short of waving a goose feather fan.
"As Altan's army approaches, they will definitely want to seize the initiative. Scouting will be Altan's most advantageous means, after all, we don't have many cavalry."
Compared with the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, the number of cavalry was much larger. But compared with the foreign armies on the grasslands where almost everyone had a horse, it was really shabby.
"Back then, Emperor Wu of Han ordered the country to raise horses, which led to the legend of Wei and Huo advancing thousands of miles across the desert." Hu Zongxian also sighed, "It's not that the Ming Dynasty didn't have horses, it's just... the cost was too high."
The Ming Dynasty was different from the ethnic minorities on the grasslands. For them, raising horses was relatively simple. They just had to graze them.
However, the Ming Dynasty needed to raise horses in a centralized manner, and the total amount of various fodder would make the Minister of Revenue's Lu Song hang himself.
"Uncle!"
A scout came back and said, "There are many cavalrymen in Altan's army, and they are surrounding and suppressing our scouts."
"Where is Du He?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"Just to the right."
"Make him not retreat even a step!"
"Yes."
Zhang Da said: "My Lord, the enemy is strong..."
Altan Khan claimed to have an army of 200,000. Naturally, no one believed this boast, but he did have an army of over 100,000.
Jiang Qingzhi brought 50,000 troops, including 20,000 Beijing guards. Together with the Datong garrison, his troops were 20,000 to 30,000 less than Altan Khan's.
Of course, Datong, as a strong city, offset some of Altan's military advantage. But Altan's cavalry was mobile and flexible, which also weakened the Ming army's advantage.
"An Da is counting on the mobility of his cavalry to mobilize our army. If Ben Bo disperses the cavalry and engages him in a scout battle, it would be using our own weakness to attack the enemy's strength."
Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicinal tobacco. In the autumn wind, the smoke he exhaled was blown away in an instant, leaving a pleasant minty smell.
"But you forgot one thing." Jiang Qingzhi put his hands on the top of the city wall, his eyes full of coldness, "Altan came from afar, has not yet established a firm foothold, and his subordinates are exhausted. But our army is well-rested and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out."
Jiang Qingzhi slapped the top of the city wall, turned around and looked at the generals, "Send out the troops!"
The generals were stunned.
"Send troops now?"
You Qing was stunned. According to everyone's estimation, since Altan had come from afar, there should be an adjustment period, and then the army would be deployed slowly... If a decisive battle was to take place, it would take at least ten days.
"An Da wants to mobilize our army through scout warfare, and he is waiting for my response." Jiang Qingzhi held a cigarette in his mouth, "Then I will give him a response!"
"send troops!"
The city gates opened and groups of cavalrymen cheered as they rushed out of Datong City.
Next are the infantry!
Jiang Qingzhi rode out of the city, and Zhang Da behind him said, "Are you going to force Altan to fight?"
"How long has our army rested?" Jiang Qingzhi said calmly, "The soldiers are too lazy to move. It's a good time to get out and move around. The autumn wind is blowing..." He pointed at the dark clouds in the sky, "Before the battle, we should let them feel the killing atmosphere."
The generals nodded, sincerely convinced.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "An Da thinks we should fight a scout war, and you also think it's either to fight or not to fight. Have you ever thought about one thing..."
"Why should our army follow Altan? This is not the way to use troops!"
Jiang Qingzhi pointed to the front and said, "He fights his, and I fight mine."
……
"Prime Minister, Chang Wei Bo has sent out his troops."
Yan Song, who was discussing matters with the civil officials, was startled. "Didn't Altan arrive today? How come..."
Huang Mao said, "Didn't Altan Khan want to fight a scout battle? Why did the army attack?"
"Altan Khan's army arrived at the outskirts of Datong, and there were many scouts and cavalrymen. Chang Wei Bo said..." The man paused, "He fights his own battles, and I fight mine."
Yan Song's eyes were filled with relief, "This is Jiang Qingzhi!"
"If Altan Khan starts the decisive battle in advance..." Zhao Wenhua was worried at this moment.
Everyone looked at each other.
"Altan Khan has been looking for an opportunity for a decisive battle. I'm afraid this move by Chang Wei Bo is exactly what he wants."
……
The army has arrived at the designated location and is setting up camp.
Teams of scouts and rangers kept going back and forth.
Altan led his men outside the camp to look at the distant Datong City. A team of scouts came back and said, "Khan, the Ming army has suddenly retreated."
"Eh!" Anda was a little surprised, "What does Jiang Qingzhi mean?"
Zhao Quan was at the back. Strangely, Ma Tianlu, who had always looked down on Zhao Quan, was actually with him, and the atmosphere seemed to be good.
"Master Zhao, what do you think this means?" Ma Tianlu asked.
In recent days, Altan Khan has been quite friendly to Zhao Quan, and even asked about the purpose of the White Lotus Sect, which made people think that the Khan was preparing to convert to the White Lotus Sect.
Zhao Quan's thin face glowed redder. "Our army has more cavalry, while the Ming army has fewer. One less is one less. If Jiang Qingzhi refuses to retreat, the Khan will just have to fight him like this. Does Jiang Qingzhi have the guts to do that?"
This man is quite interesting... He actually has some skills in using troops. Ma Tianlu evaluated Zhao Quan's ability in his mind, "The Emperor ordered Jiang Qingzhi to lead the imperial guards to the north, which means he wants to block our army outside the capital. Jiang Qingzhi withdrew his scouts, but our army was able to advance step by step."
"Great Khan..." Zhao Quan looked at Altan in front of him, with a complicated look in his eyes, "The Great Khan has been using the military for many years, and Jiang Qingzhi's thoughts cannot be hidden from him."
"Look at those people." Ma Tianlu pointed at the nobles who were surrounding Altan. "After learning that Jiang Qingzhi had retreated, they couldn't help but feel happy."
"They are counting on this expedition to reap a lot of rewards." Zhao Quan said, "But Jiang Qingzhi is a great commander. I don't think he will be helpless."
"His best response is to retreat into Datong City," said Ma Tianlu.
"Datong is a strong city with a large army in the city. The Khan will not attack the city." Zhao Quan shook his head, "But the Khan can use part of his troops to contain Datong, and the other part will continue to move south." "What Sha Lei and Zhehetai failed to do, the army will do! The momentum will be even greater. Once the capital is shaken, will Jiang Qingzhi still be able to sit still?" Ma Tianlu smiled and said, "By then, it will be too late for him to leave the city."
Zhao Quan nodded and glanced at Ma Tianlu. He thought he was a good man. "When he leaves the city again, our army will be composed of cavalrymen. They can come and go like the wind and can advance or retreat."
"The capital is shaken, Jiang Qingzhi must send troops south to provide support. But once he divides his troops, the Khan can attack his small forces or his main force, and he can come and go freely."
“It’s a bit messy.”
"Whose territory is this?"
"You mean..."
"It's better to be in chaos, and win in chaos!"
"That makes sense!"
The two looked at each other and both thought the other was good.
We are both strangers in a strange land... That's wrong. At this moment, the two of them have already become people of the grassland. When they came to Ming Dynasty again, they were real strangers in a strange land.
A strange feeling made the two of them sigh.
"I miss home a little." Ma Tianlu said suddenly.
"Home?" Zhao Quan was stunned for a moment. "To be honest, I have been working for the Holy Church all these years. Home...where is my home?"
"Aren't your family members all around you?" Ma Tianlu said.
"Yes! Home is where my family is." Zhao Quan smiled, but a bitter feeling made his smile a little forced.
"There is an old lady in the alley where I live. The glutinous rice cakes she makes are extremely delicious. They are filled with red bean paste and fried in oil. They are so sticky that they can stick to your teeth... They are so hot that you grimace... I wonder if that old lady is still alive."
"But I like to eat pancakes made of millet. They are also glutinous, but the taste is rich. Just like those...people." There was a hint of trance in Zhao Quan's eyes.
"Ciba has a refreshing fragrance. It tastes delicious whether it is fried, baked, or pan-fried. I can eat two of them on my own," said Ma Tianlu.
"I don't like what you said. The taste of glutinous rice cake is like southerners, weak. Millet is like me, a northerner, strong and thick... Hey! Look at me, where did I get lost?"
Zhao Quan laughed at himself.
Ma Tianlu also laughed, "There is no glutinous rice cake or millet here."
"That's right. That year, some believers brought some millet to me. I couldn't bear to give it away, so I got some to eat every once in a while. I ate it over and over again, and there was still most of it left the next year. What do you think happened?" Zhao Quan laughed and said, "It got moldy. Hahahaha!"
“You, you! Why do you have to do this?” Ma Tianlu also laughed, “The glutinous rice cakes in the south…”, his eyes were filled with memories, “The small bridge and flowing water, the weeping willows, the prosperous town… I won’t say more, let me say more…”
"Are you worried that you will defect to Jiang Qingzhi?" Zhao Quan asked.
"What you said..." Ma Tianlu looked at him.
"I miss home." Zhao Quan smiled bitterly.
Ma Tianlu felt relieved and pointed at his chest, "After talking to you, I feel even emptier here. It's like... I've lost my soul."
"Soul?"
"Yes. I have always felt that I am a bit drifting, and I always feel that something is missing. After seeing Datong City today, I suddenly realized that what I am missing is... my soul."
"Where's the soul?"
"at home."
"The home you're talking about..."
"My home is among the mountains and the water, among the small bridges and the flowing water, and on the ancestral tablets..."
"do not talk!"
"Regret it?"
"I am the leader of the Holy Church and have countless followers. What do I regret?"
"But why are your eyes red?"
"This wind is so damn strong!"
"Yeah! It's really big!"
At this time, Altan pointed his whip in the direction of Datong City and said, "Jiang Qingzhi wants to retreat back to the city? The army is going to attack. Today, the Khan will review the warriors under Datong City!"
Amid cheers, the army marched out of the camp.
Not long after, a group of cavalry came galloping over, looking quite embarrassed.
"Sweat!"
The leading general rushed into the center of the army and said, "Great Khan, Du He led an army of over 10,000 people, chasing our scouts and cavalry all the way, and is approaching here."
"Tens of thousands of troops dare to approach our army?" Tuotuo said: "Is Du He crazy?"
"No, he must have someone to rely on." Altan said in a deep voice: "The news should be coming."
In the distance, there was the sound of horse hooves. Everyone looked up and saw teams of scouts coming madly.
"Sweat!"
"Great Khan, the Datong defenders are almost all out."
"Who leads the army?" Alden asked.
"It's Jiang Qingzhi!"
call!
The autumn wind blew suddenly.
Everyone looked at Altan.
Jiang Qingzhi made his move.
Sweat profusely!
How do you cope?
(End of this chapter)
