Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 1 The Great Emperor Hongwu _ Chapter 20 The Last Famous General - Lan Yu
Li Shanchang's death finally brought a small end to the Hu Weiyong case that lasted for ten years. Officials can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhu Yuanzhang was not relieved. He seemed to be a man with unlimited energy. While dealing with Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang, he also won victory on another battlefield.
The loser on this battlefield was Bei Yuan who had fled to the desert. Although Bei Yuan's strength was severely weakened in several wars in the early Ming Dynasty, they still had enough troops to continuously invade the borders of the Ming Dynasty.
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Zhu Yuanzhang did not relax his attack on Bei Yuan because of its weakened strength. He always believed that the Mongolian cavalry was always the biggest threat to the Ming Dynasty. Frankly speaking, in terms of military, you have to admire Zhu Yuanzhang's vision. His predictions will be in a few years.
Ten years later, it unfortunately came true.
Zhu Yuanzhang organized his troops and launched two expeditions against the Northern Yuan Dynasty in February of the thirteenth year of Hongwu and the first month of the fourteenth year of Hongwu (1381).
Both expeditions were successful, but they did not deal a fatal blow to the Beiyuan Dynasty. The Beiyuan Dynasty also realized that it was impossible to win in a frontal battle with the powerful Ming Dynasty. They broke into pieces and resorted to fighting.
The guerrilla tactics of just running, running and fighting continued to harass the Ming Dynasty border.
At this time, the ruler of the Northern Yuan Dynasty was the son of Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty. Aiyoushili Dara, who escaped from the rebellion, succeeded to the throne as the emperor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. He pursued a policy of resolutely resisting the Ming Dynasty. In fact, he
It is understandable to adopt this policy. After all, his father, who was originally the emperor in Dadu, was forced to move, and most of his relatives were arrested and imprisoned by the Ming Dynasty. This hatred is really irreconcilable.
The more important reason is that he also needs to eat. As a nomad, if the mutual market is not open, there is only one way to get the products in the Central Plains - robbing. And this method is not too strenuous. Although there will be losses,
The income is also quite high. In economic terms, it is called low opportunity cost. Naturally, this kind of business should be done frequently.
Zhu Yuanzhang clearly realized this. He knew that if he wanted to completely eliminate the threat of Bei Yuan, he must make Aiyou Shili Dala lose all his money and never be able to turn around.
But Zhu Yuanzhang also had a problem, that is, almost all the famous generals in the early Ming Dynasty were dead. Of course, many of them were killed by him. Among the most capable warriors, Chang Yuchun died early, and Li Wenzhong was killed by him.
Although Feng Sheng and Deng Yu were still alive, they were already old. Xu Daye, the first general, died of illness in the seventeenth year of Hongwu (1384), which was regarded as a good death.
It is worth mentioning that many books record that Xu Da could not eat steamed goose after he was ill, but Zhu Yuanzhang gave him steamed goose anyway. Xu Da died of hatred.
This statement is not very credible.
Xu Da was not only an important general of Zhu Yuanzhang, but also saved Zhu Yuanzhang's life in Hezhou. Killing him would do no good to Zhu Yuanzhang, and he was a low-key person and never ostentatious. To say the least, even if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill Xu Da, it would be
There is no need to use such a stupid method, just find someone to prescribe some poison and send two royal guards to solve the problem. Why bother to use such a blatant method of giving steamed goose to kill him?
Xu Da was an outstanding general in the Ming Dynasty. He was born as a civilian, but he was an unprecedented military genius. He started as a soldier, followed Zhu Yuanzhang through life and death, and grew up in cruel wars to become the best general in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. He was good at commanding the generals.
He was a master of legionary warfare, well versed in strategy, and a generous man. After dozens of battles, he was sure to win every battle and win every attack. His battle with Wang Baobao, the first general of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, was the pinnacle of his military career.
An ordinary person eventually becomes an all-powerful general through his own efforts.
Xu Da, the well-deserved number one general!
Xu Da's era is over, and a new era of famous generals has arrived.
This era belongs to another person, this person is called Lan Yu.
Lan Yu was from Dingyuan, Anhui, and he was Chang Yuchun's brother-in-law. Chang Yuchun was a proud man, but he highly respected his relative and recommended him to Zhu Yuanzhang several times. But Zhu Yuanzhang did not believe Chang Yuchun's words easily, until Lan Yu
Yu followed Xu Da to participate in the Hongwu expedition for five years and performed well, so he was entrusted with important tasks.
It may be said that it is an important task, but it is not really an important task. Lan Yu's luck is actually not good. In his time, there were too many famous generals. He was still far behind in terms of qualifications and abilities, so he could only help those seniors obediently.
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In the 20th year of Hongwu (1387), Zhu Yuanzhang ordered another expedition. At that time, it was an honor for every general to be able to participate in the military operation to conquer the desert (known as the expedition to the northern Yuan Dynasty).
During the desert expedition, he only played supporting roles a few times, but his role as supporting role was not smooth. He was chased back by Wang Baobao from the performance in Hongwu's fifth year.
This is really disgraceful for a soldier.
What is the greatest glory of a soldier? It is not how many cities he conquered, how many enemy troops he killed, or how many cattle and sheep he captured.
For a soldier, the greatest honor is to find the person who has defeated him and then defeat him completely.
Lan Yu will never forget the war in the fifth year of Hongwu. Wang Baobao's army suddenly appeared and caught him off guard. He was defeated without even seeing what Wang Baobao looked like. Although this defeat was not his.
Responsibility, but he understands that the best way to fight for his own glory is to confront Wang Baobao again, defeat him completely, and then stand in front of him and proudly say to him: I am Lan Yu, the Lan who was defeated by you.
Jade, now, you are my prisoner!
From then on, Lan Yu thought hard about how to use troops. He kept reading military books and dreamed of another battle with Wang Baobao. However, his wish came true. In the eighth year of Hongwu (1375), Wang Baobao died in
Mobei.
Lan Yu once lost his goal, but he soon found a new direction - to completely eliminate Bei Yuan!
Although he has great ambitions and has repeatedly asked to command the battle in the desert, there are still a few veterans there to support him, so where can he get his turn? He followed Fu Youde on expeditions to Yunnan and Dali successively, made great military exploits, and was awarded
He was named Marquis of Yongchang. Although everyone has recognized his military talents, in their eyes, Lan Yu is still just Lan Yu. He cannot surpass famous generals such as Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Li Wenzhong.
Lan Yu is a strong person, he will never admit that he is worse than anyone else.
But he also understood that in order to gain everyone's recognition, he could only do what his predecessors Xu Da and Chang Yuchun failed to do, which was to eliminate Bei Yuan.
Therefore, Hongwu's expedition in the 20th year undoubtedly provided Lan Yu with the best opportunity. Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to Lan Yu's request and gave him the position of right deputy general.
When you hear the name of the right deputy general, you know that this is a deputy position. But he really has no reason to strive for a higher position because the coach is Feng Sheng.
Lan Yu was unwilling to give up, but had no choice but to set off. He knew that it was not his turn now.
However, opportunities are always everywhere, and Lan Yu's years of hard work will bear fruit in this expedition, in a way that no one can imagine.
The goal of this expedition was Yuan Taiwei Nahachu, who occupied a vast area north of the Songhua River. Nahachu was also an excellent general. After Wang Baobao's death, he had 200,000 troops and occupied a large area in Liaodong.
Threatening the borders of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to remove this nail very early on, because only by getting rid of Naha Chu could he attack Bei Yuan with confidence and boldness.
As in the past, major military operations were personally deployed by Zhu Yuanzhang. Based on the situation, he gave Feng Sheng the following instructions:
Your troops should first be stationed in Tongzhou (today's Tongzhou District of Beijing), but don't act in a hurry. Send people to find out about the Yuan army first. If you discover the opponent's whereabouts in Qingzhou (today's Bahrain Zuo Banner of Inner Mongolia), you must immediately
Launch an attack, but the entire army must not be mobilized. Instead, the cavalry should be sent to launch a surprise attack. Only after the forward troops capture Gyeongju can the army begin to attack, and the battle will be won.
Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment and said with emphasis: But before occupying Qingzhou, you must not use troops, otherwise you will be defeated.
Zhu Yuanzhang's words were like fortune-telling. He had already predicted the entire course of the war before it even started. Even outstanding generals like Feng Sheng and Lan Yu did not dare to believe Zhu Yuanzhang's words.
In many military decisions of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang was in the minority, but the truth was often on his side. This time was no exception.
Moreover, at the same time as this expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang secretly arranged a plan. It was later proven that the successful implementation of this plan completely destroyed Naha's 200,000-strong army.
Zhu Yuanzhang is a strange man.
Attack on a snowy night
On the second day of the first lunar month, Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Duke Feng Sheng of the Song Dynasty as the general to conquer the captives, Fu Youde, the Duke of Ying, and Lan Yu, the Marquis of Yongchang, as the left and right deputy generals, leading an army of 200,000 to march toward Liaodong.
On the third day of February, Feng Sheng led his troops to Tongzhou. He followed Zhu Yuanzhang's arrangement and did not send troops. Instead, he sent people to inquire about the news about Qingzhou. To his surprise, Naha had indeed arranged a heavy guard in Qingzhou.
There was no need to hesitate in the next step. Feng Sheng sent a cavalry vanguard to attack Qingzhou. The vanguard's position was naturally taken by Lan Yu.
Lan Yu finally waited for the opportunity. He looked at the cavalry behind him. Although there were not many in number, and although the trip might be dangerous, his heart was filled with excitement.
The day I have finally waited for, my moment has arrived.
On this day, it snowed heavily. Everything was covered with white snow, the sky and the earth were vast, and the mountains, rivers and land seemed to have no boundaries. The army was about to set off in such an environment and advance towards the unknown front.
Before setting off for the expedition, Lan Yu said to his soldiers: "We are about to go on an expedition. This attack must be successful. You must fight hard to kill the enemy! Li Su, a famous general in the Tang Dynasty, braved the snow to go to Caizhou and annihilated the feudal town in one fell swoop.
You have made immortal achievements, and there is heavy snowfall today. Isn’t it God’s will! I hope you will pledge yourselves to the country, never give up until death, establish meritorious deeds, and leave your name in history!”
After saying this, he got on his horse and set off towards Gyeongju.
Lan Yu has followed Chang Yuchun for many years and has learned the essence of his military skills. His combat style is also similar to Chang Yuchun's. He has always frightened the enemy with surprise attacks, and often the enemy has been defeated before they can react.
In the Battle of Gyeongju, Lan Yu gave full play to this characteristic of his military use. He rushed all night without any pause. When he arrived at Gyeongju, the enemy was unprepared. The city gates were wide open and they were burying pots for cooking. When they
When they saw these snow-covered, ghost-like people charging towards them with sabers in hand, they were stunned with fear.
Lanyu wiped out all the enemy troops without much effort, killed Beiyuan Pingzhang Guolai, occupied Qingzhou, and captured a large number of prisoners.
He was not complacent because he knew that the next step was the most important thing.
Feng Sheng received the good news about Lan Yu in Tongzhou, and he realized that the moment of decisive battle had finally arrived.
On the first day of March, Feng Sheng personally led his army out of Songting Pass and garrisoned troops in Daning (now Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia). Feng Sheng was very cautious in using his troops and would never use troops lightly. After ascertaining the enemy's situation, he finally made up his mind.
On May 21st, Feng Sheng left 50,000 troops to garrison Daning. He led his army directly to the Liaohe River and won a small victory, opening the passage to Liaodong. The Naha Exit was right in front of him!
Just when Feng Sheng and Lan Yu joined forces and prepared for a decisive battle with Naha, an unexpected news disrupted their plans.
Unlike before, this is good news.
Therefore, winning a hundred battles is not a good thing; subduing the enemy's troops without fighting is a good thing.
--"The Art of War"
While Zhu Yuanzhang sent Feng Sheng on an expedition, he also summoned a man and gave him a mission. This man's name was Nailawu, who was Nahachu's former subordinate. His mission was to persuade Nahachu to surrender.
Zhu Yuanzhang has never been a foolhardy person in the military. He knew very well that it was easy to defeat Bei Yuan, but it was difficult to completely eliminate the threat of Bei Yuan. So he used another weapon to attack Bei Yuan while conducting military conquests.
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This weapon is more powerful than any sword, gun, sword, halberd or musket and cannon, and its name is money.
Zhu Yuanzhang objectively analyzed the situation. He realized that it was difficult to eliminate Bei Yuan by force alone, and a more effective method should be adopted. After many confrontations with Bei Yuan, Zhu Yuanzhang found this method.
The Northern Yuan Dynasty was a regime composed of nomadic people, and its economic strength could not be compared with the Ming Dynasty. What they relied on was just the tradition of bravery and fighting. In this case, they used their own strengths to attack the other's weaknesses. Soldiers of the Northern Yuan Dynasty
Being good at fighting, Zhu Yuanzhang used a large amount of money to lure the Mongols to move inland and allocate land to the Mongolian nobles. This trick was very effective. After all, who wants to eat sand in the desert every day? The Central Plains is better, because it is delicious and delicious.
entertainment show.
This move was so powerful that many Mongolians moved to the Central Plains, and the number of people in the Northern Yuan Dynasty gradually became scarce.
At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang also adopted an enlightened ethnic policy. He treated all ethnic groups equally and did not engage in ethnic discrimination. As early as when Xu Da attacked Dadu, he strictly ordered Xu Da not to massacre the Mongols after entering the city. He also treated the princes and nobles of the Yuan Dynasty.
No purge policy was adopted, and people were sent to guard the palace, strictly prohibiting killing. On the day Xu Da conquered Dadu, the residents in the city lived as usual and the shops opened as usual.
Under his enlightened policy, even in the early Ming Dynasty, many Mongolians held official positions in the government. For example, the Daotong mentioned above was a Mongolian. This policy also became his basic policy in dealing with ethnic issues.
Just before Feng Sheng was about to attack Nahachu, Nailawu also arrived at the Songhua River and persuaded Nahachu to surrender. Nahachu was persuaded, but he felt that it was too shameful for him to surrender with so many people. He
After many hesitations, surrendering and then regretting it, Feng Sheng and Lan Yu felt that this person was really a guy who would not die until he reached the Yellow River. They gave Nahachu an ultimatum and set up a barracks.
The doorway out of Naha.
Nahachu estimated his own strength. He was somewhat self-aware. His opponents were Feng Sheng and Lan Yu. They were both elite soldiers and strong generals. If they were to defeat them, they would be dead.
"Heaven will no longer allow me to have such a crowd!" After lamenting this, Naha led an army of 200,000 to surrender to the Ming army.
Surrender always requires a ceremony, and this one is no exception.
After all, Nahachu brought 200,000 people to surrender, so he had a lot of capital. In order to show his respect, Lan Yu planned to treat him to a meal. Dining was supposed to be a good thing, so after he was full of wine and food, he surrendered at the dinner table.
The contract is signed, wouldn't it be wonderful?
But this meal turned out to be unexpected.
Sow the seeds of disaster
Naha brought hundreds of people to participate in the surrender ceremony (it seems that so many people were not needed for surrender). Lan Yu warmly received him, personally welcomed him into the barracks, and held a banquet in honor of him. Lan Yu also paid attention to saving face for the other party.
, try not to mention words like surrender, and the atmosphere between the two parties is very harmonious.
Just when everything was going smoothly, Lan Yu's move completely broke the harmonious atmosphere.
At that time, Naha Chu was toasting to Lan Yu, and probably said something about not being brothers unless he drank. Lan Yu saw Na Ha Chu's shabby clothes, so she took off her own coat and asked Na Ha Chu to put it on.
It should be said that this was a friendly move, but Nahachu refused. Why? This was Lan Yu's negligence. He did not expect that he and Nahachu were not of the same ethnic group, and their dressing habits were different. Although Lan Yu
Jade means well, but in Nahachu's view, this seems to be a kind of imposition and gift from the winner to the loser.
Lan Yu thought that the other party was being polite, so he repeatedly asked Naha Chu to put it on, and said that if Na Ha Chu didn't wear it, he wouldn't drink. Naha Chu then followed suit and said that if Lan Yu didn't drink, he wouldn't wear this dress.
Both sides are military generals who don't know how to behave like civil servants. They have very tough tempers and neither one is willing to give in.
So what was originally a very simple question turned into a logical argument of whether the chicken laid the egg or the egg laid the chicken. Lan Yu said that if you don't wear it, I won't drink it. Naha said that if you don't drink it, I won't wear it.
After arguing like this, everyone gradually became angry. Naha, who has a straightforward personality, turned against him first. He poured the wine for Lan Yu on the ground, and his attitude was quite arrogant. But what Naha didn't expect was that there was also
More violent than him.
This more tyrannical person is not Lan Yu. This person also appeared in our article, but due to his limited ability, he never had the opportunity to show up. He is Chang Yuchun's son Chang Mao.
Chang Mao inherited Chang Yuchun's title and temper, but did not inherit his military talent. He had been following Lan Yu everywhere. At this time, when he saw that Lan Yu had lost face, he became furious. Without saying a word, he drew his knife and stabbed Lan Yu.
Naha went out to chop him, just like today when they had a disagreement at the wine table and picked up wine bottles to fight. Naha had experienced many battles and reacted very quickly. He avoided the vital part, but he was still hit in the shoulder.
At this time, the situation took a turn for the worse. Soldiers from both sides outside the camp heard the noise and gathered around to prepare for a group fight. If allowed to continue, Naha Chu would not survive, but his 200,000 men would not surrender again.
At this critical moment, Governor Geng Zhong remained calm. He quickly called to the sergeants around him to help Naha out and go to see the coach Feng Sheng.
Feng Sheng was a man with a gentle temper and cautious attitude. When he saw Naha in a state of distress, with wounds on his body and shouting in Mongolian that he did not understand, he roughly understood what had happened.
He immediately comforted Nahachu with kind words, and then he stabilized Nahachu's mood. At this time, Nahachu's subordinates also got the news, thinking that Nahachu had been killed, and expressed their intention to take revenge. Feng Sheng immediately
Painaha descended to Guantong to explain the situation, and finally he was successfully appeased.
Lan Yu's character flaws are roughly the same. He doesn't think things through well and his personality is too domineering. It's a very simple thing, just drink the toast and give him face, and the matter can be completed successfully. If you carry it to your death, you can only die.
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The expedition of the 20th year of Hongwu ended successfully, and Nahachu was forced to surrender. The Ming army captured more than 200,000 people from the Northern Yuan Dynasty, seized countless baggage, and finally eliminated the Yuan Dynasty's influence in Liaodong.
What is unexpected is that the coach Feng Sheng was convicted and arrested by Zhu Yuanzhang after he returned to the team. In such a funny way, Lan Yu got the coach position he had dreamed of for more than ten years. He had imagined himself getting the coach position countless times.
The glory of the time, but I never expected that it would be such a situation.
Of course, what he never imagined was that he would end up even worse than Feng Sheng in the future. Of course, that was a story later. At least now, Lan Yu had realized his dream, and he would gain greater glory in this position.
This opportunity will come quickly.
Since the full-scale war between Zhu Yuanzhang and the Yuan Dynasty in the 27th year of Zhizheng, the two sides have been fighting endlessly. Although Zhu Yuanzhang drove the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty out of the Central Plains, the threat from the Mongolian grasslands has never stopped. In order to solve this problem
Zhu Yuanzhang, an old rival, used all kinds of methods. Although it was effective, he never eradicated this tenacious enemy.
He can no longer wait indefinitely, Bei Yuan must be destroyed in his hands!
Only in this way can he leave this world and the empire he created with his own hands.
Hongwu's twenty-year expedition eliminated the Northern Yuan forces in Liaodong and relieved Zhu Yuanzhang's worries. His keen military intuition told him that the moment of the final decisive battle was coming.
He has been waiting for twenty years. In the past twenty years, many soldiers have mounted their war horses and embarked on the journey and never came back. In the border fortress and in the desert, there are corpses of dead soldiers everywhere, and countless families have lost their lives.
Father, husband, son. In order to eliminate the threat of Bei Yuan, the price paid was too high.
We can't wait any longer, let's finish our work in one battle!
final battle
History is often unexpected. Twenty years ago, it gave Xu Da and Chang Yuchun the glory of recovering most of the capital and destroying the Yuan Dynasty; today, twenty years later, it gave the mission of destroying the Bei Yuan to people who had never held the responsibility before.
A blue jade that surpasses the coach.
When Lan Yu took over the command seal from Zhu Yuanzhang, he felt an uncontrollable excitement. His efforts of more than ten years were finally in vain. God gave him more than he asked for.
I can finally create my own great career. Like those legendary generals, I will leave my name in history and be admired by thousands of people!
Zhu Yuanzhang clearly remembered that in the past many years, countless great generals had served as his subordinates, conquering the world and establishing immortal feats.
Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Li Wenzhong, they are all so outstanding. But they are no longer here, and I am old and can no longer go to war.
Lan Yu, I believe you will complete the final blow.
In military affairs, Zhu Yuanzhang almost never made wrong judgments, and this time was no exception.
In March of the 21st year of Hongwu (1388), Zhu Yuanzhang handed over 150,000 troops to Lan Yu. This was the same force as the expedition in the fifth year of Hongwu, but the difference was that this time there was only one marching route, and the only
The commander is Lan Yu.
Lan Yu will lead an army of 150,000 people for the final decisive battle.
Zhu Yuanzhang personally saw off Lan Yu and told him:
"Advance twice as many times as far as possible, and reach the imperial court", "Clean the desert in one fell swoop!"
At this time, the emperor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty was no longer Aiyoushili Dala. He had died in the eleventh year of Hongwu (1378). His son Tuogu Si Timur succeeded him as the emperor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and was named Tianyuan.
According to historical records, this Tuogusi Timur was most likely Mailibala who was captured by Li Wenzhong in Yingchang in the third year of Hongwu. In order to show its leniency, the Ming government obtained a guarantee that it would no longer be an enemy of the Ming Dynasty.
Later, in the seventh year of Hongwu (1374), he returned it to the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but it turned out that he was a man who did not keep his promise. After he succeeded to the throne, he continued to harass the borders of the Ming Dynasty, provoked wars, and continued to confront the Ming Dynasty.
This confrontation has lasted for ten years.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already expressed enough sincerity towards this confrontational successor, and kept sending envoys to make peace with him, but to no avail. His stubbornness finally exhausted the patience of the Ming government. In this case, he used swords to solve the problem.
Bar!
Lan Yu's army set off for the expedition. He set off from Daning and attacked all the way. After arriving in Qingzhou, intelligence came that Togu Si Timur was stationed in Yuerhai (today's Lake Baikal). Lan Yu made a prompt decision and decided
The army immediately advanced towards the target.
This is a difficult road. Not only is the distance long, but it also passes through desolate deserts. Logistics are also difficult to guarantee. Once lost, the consequences will be unimaginable and military morale will be shaken.
But Lan Yu was confident, and later facts proved that what he had was the most powerful army at the time, and it was the excellent quality of this army that guaranteed the victory of the war.
So what qualities does an army have that can be called the most powerful army?
powerful army
This is a question worth analyzing. Victory in war is the result of the joint efforts of generals and soldiers. In my opinion, whether an army is strong or not can be reflected from its external performance. It is roughly divided into four levels.
The fourth-class army is a rabble. They loot everywhere and have no discipline. As long as such an army is attacked by an organized army, it will disperse in a hurry and is considered rubbish.
The third-level army has a complete organizational structure. Their military appearance is neat and consistent, but their fighting spirit and morale are low. Although they are stronger than the fourth-level army, they will inevitably be defeated as long as they encounter enemies with more combat effectiveness.
.belongs to inferior category.
The second-level army not only has a unified command system and is well-equipped, but also has high morale. It will also shout a few slogans from time to time. The soldiers are eager to show their bravery. This level of army has momentum and momentum. They are not afraid.
Any enemy can be called a powerful army, but unfortunately, they are not the most powerful. Compared with the most powerful army, they still lack one quality.
This quality is called silence.
The most powerful army is a silent army.
The so-called silence is a situation like this:
The commander stood on the high ground and lectured to his 150,000-strong army. The 150,000-strong army spread over the mountains and plains, occupying the valleys and plains in darkness.
They have different looks, different nationalities, different places, and different habits, but they are crowded in the same place, listening to the same voice, and looking in the same direction.
There was silence.
This is the true meaning of silence, and this is the most important quality of the army.
Lan Yu led such an army. They climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and entered the desert. In this barren land, there was only the dazzling sunshine and the sky full of wind and sand. Their logistics could not be guaranteed.
, the soldiers could only carry their own heavy rations and baggage. Some people kept falling, but the remaining people continued to move forward.
The soldiers were hungry, thirsty, and tired, but none of these could stop them from moving forward. This was a tenacious army, and what supported them was only the belief that they would win.
painful choice
Lan Yu understands very well that the key to this war is not to arrange troops, but to find the enemy.
But it was obvious that Beiyuan already knew the Ming army's action plan, and they were hiding. This was not a child's hide-and-seek game. In the vast desert and without reconnaissance satellites, where could they find people?
The troops have been walking for a long time, and now there is not enough food and water. Although the morale is still high, how long can they last?
He summoned Wang Bi, his most trusted general, and asked him:
"Where are we now?"
Wang Bi replied:
"This place is called Baiyanjing, and it's about forty miles away from Yuerhai."
Hundred Eye Well? There is actually a Chinese character in the name of this place? This place is very close to the fishing sea, but not only are there no enemies, there is no water.
Could it be that the intelligence was wrong and the enemy moved again? This is very possible, but where did they go?
While Lan Yu was thinking, the general Guo Ying reported to him the lack of food and the exhaustion of water sources. Lan Yu understood that the time had come to make a decision.
In combat movies, at this time, the following scene often appears: a soldier with an angry expression on his face shouts to the commander of the unit (usually the platoon commander or company commander): "Company commander, fight!"
Another soldier also ran up and shouted: "Fight! Company Commander!"
Everyone said together: "Company commander, give the order!"
At this time, the camera moved towards the company commander's face and gave a close-up. The company commander's face showed a calm expression, then he walked around the room a few times and said in a calm tone: "Comrades, no fighting!"
The development of the plot tells us that the company commander is always right.
Lan Yu is probably the company commander.
Whenever you make up your mind on a major military decision, there will be a group of people chattering around you. This one says to move forward, that one says to retreat, this one says east, that one says west. Anyway, if you are right, you will get credit, and if you are wrong, you will be the one to blame.
The responsibility for decision-making cannot be passed on to oneself. Everyone will take advantage of this kind of advantage, and the most pitiful one is the commander-in-chief, because he is the final decision-maker and the bearer of responsibility.
This responsibility cannot be solved by paying some money or apologizing, because if you make a mistake in judgment, the price you pay will be hundreds of thousands of lives!
Lan Yu finally understood the frustration and loss Xu Da felt after being defeated. Now that he is also in this kind of pain, where should he go?
Lan Yu thought about it again and again and decided to summon the generals to listen to their opinions.
Unsurprisingly, some of the generals said they would retreat, and some said they would advance. Among them, the majority suggested retreat, while Wang Bi firmly advocated continuing to advance (going deep into Mobei, gaining nothing, and rushing to retreat, why return to life). But his
Opinions were quickly drowned out by opposition.
Lan Yu finally understood that it was useless to summon these generals, and he had to make his own decisions.
If we just retreat, more than ten years of hard work will be wasted, and all our efforts will be in vain.
So continue to move forward? But where is the enemy? There is not much food and water. The army cannot hold on for a few days. Hundreds of thousands of people may starve to death or die of thirst here. By then, we can only ride on horses.
He stepped on the corpses of countless soldiers and fled back.
To advance or to retreat, that is the question.
Everyone stopped talking, they understood that now we have reached a critical moment.
The soldiers looked at the generals, the generals looked at Lan Yu, and Lan Yu looked at the sky.
final judgment
Making a choice is easy, but if you choose wrong, there is no chance to correct it.
Yes, Sapphire, you have to understand that the cruelest thing about this game is that you only have one chance. It's like the final word in the auction house, you have to buy it if it's high or low, and sell if it's high or low!
The military book is useless, the intelligence is useless, no one can know the enemy's position, and to make this decision, we can only rely on one thing - intuition.
The sky is full of yellow sand, the land is deserted, and there is no human habitation, but I can feel that the enemy must be nearby!
No intelligence, no clues, no traces. Just intuition.
In order to make today's judgment, I have struggled silently for many years.
Yes, you must believe in yourself, you must believe in the experience accumulated through countless battles on the battlefield, and you must believe in the efforts of countless nights under the lonely lamp reading military books and thinking hard.
No reason, no clues, no evidence, but the enemy must be nearby!
Move forward! This is my judgment! My judgment is right, my judgment must be right!
"Go forward, the enemy is nearby."
No one asked any more questions, because they had already seen the confidence on Lan Yu's face, and this confidence infected them and the entire army.
So, the 150,000-strong army set off, and the soldiers took another step towards their unknown destiny. There was no hesitation, no wavering. Because they believed that no matter how difficult it was, Lan Yu must have a way, and Lan Yu must be right.
Those who have the same desire above and below will win.
The Ming army went deep into the desert. For the sake of confidentiality, they were very careful during the march. Even when cooking, they had to dig a hole in the ground first and cook in the hole to prevent fireworks from coming out and being discovered by the enemy (the sergeants burrowed into the ground to cook, and did not cook in the hole).
See fireworks). In the vast desert, this army is like a scorpion in the desert, advancing quietly and hiding in the shadows. Only when it sees the enemy will it deliver the fatal blow.
When the army arrived south of Yu'erhai, Lan Yu finally found traces of the Beiyuan army, but he didn't know how many people there were and how high-level the leader was. In any case, this was the best opportunity for him.
He immediately ordered Wang Bi to be the vanguard and advance to the northeast of Yuyuerhai in order to annihilate the Beiyuan army in one fell swoop.
At this time, on the northeast side of the Yuerhai Sea, the supreme ruler of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Tuogustimur, was holding a banquet with his ministers. He was not a fool. As soon as Lan Yu's army set off, he got the news
.He knew very well that usually he would fight in a small way and run away, and the other party could not do anything to him. But this time Zhu Yuanzhang was serious and wanted to fight him with his life. A hero never suffers immediate losses. He sent his main force to
All the nobles, big and small, moved to this place.
This place has never been inhabited. It is a vast desert. Lan Yu's army has no logistical support. More importantly, the army and horses have no water and grass. Lan Yu knows how to use troops and will not go deep into the desert (the army lacks water and grass and cannot go deep into the desert). As long as he waits until
If the supplies of Sapphire are insufficient and the food and water are exhausted, you can turn from defense to offense.
While waiting, he was also uneasy, what if Lan Yu really came? But many days passed, and there was not even a soul. Slowly, he relaxed his vigilance, and even the basic guards were not there.
He set up again and drank and had fun with the ministers every day. By the way, he also took his wife and son with him during this refuge. This was for their safety, but of course things turned out to be completely opposite to what he had imagined.
Just as Wang Bi was advancing towards his camp, he was sitting in his tent. On that day, there was a strong wind blowing sand, and the sky was covered by a layer of yellow sand. No one could be seen within dozens of meters, and the day became like night.
Ordinarily, in such weather, the Ming army would be even less likely to launch an attack, so he should feel more at ease. However, the dust in the sky seemed to hit his heart, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.
The Mongolian people, who fought bravely and skillfully in the deserts and grasslands, often had an innate foreknowledge of dangers. This was developed from their long-term nomadic living habits. However, Tuogusi Timur could not tell what was wrong. After all, his premonition
Just a hunch.
Then drink.
Outside the tent where Tuogu Si Timur held a banquet, a drunken head of a hundred households greeted the garrisoned Taiwei Manzi and walked out of the camp in a daze. Amid the flying sand, he
He didn't know how far he had walked. When he came to his senses, he no longer recognized the way back.
This was no joke. He tried to calm himself down, figured out the direction, and then turned back and walked towards the camp. Suddenly, he found many figures appearing in front of him. Because the sky was covered with yellow sand, he couldn't see the distance at all.
With the faces of people, he thought this was his camp, and he quickly ran over happily.
However, he was surprised to find that what greeted him was a group of soldiers with gray heads and faces, as if they had just been fished out of the sand. What was terrible was that these soldiers were not wearing the military uniforms he was familiar with.
They are the Ming army.
These Ming soldiers looked at him with wolf-like eyes, expressions of joy on their faces, and shouted loudly. Soon, more Ming soldiers gathered around, and they looked at him like they were looking at rare animals. He
It was an honor to be the first prisoner.
I'm really unlucky today. I forgot to look at the imperial calendar when I went out.
Battle in the Yellow Sand
The crisis is just around the corner, but the nobles of the Northern Yuan Dynasty are still drinking and having fun, but not everyone has lost their vigilance.
Taiwei Manzi is a relatively sober person. According to historical data, this barbarian is probably the Taiwei Manzi who was defeated by Li Wenzhong at Yehuling in the third year of Hongwu. If this speculation is true, he is really a character. 18
Years have passed, and many famous generals have been blown away by the rain and wind, but this dear man has been fighting on the front line, so he is getting stronger with age.
As the leader of the Beiyuan army, he keenly felt that there seemed to be danger approaching him behind the wind and sand not far away. So he sent more soldiers to strengthen the guard. However, the weather was too bad, and the sand and dust flew up.
The day was like night. The soldiers were walking around the camp in the dark, and it was extremely difficult to coordinate. The lieutenant was worried about this, but the appearance of a group of people completely relieved him of this worry.
At this time, the sound of the wind died down, and was replaced by a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats. The soldiers of the Beiyuan Dynasty found that a group of ferocious-looking and fierce cavalry suddenly appeared just a dozen steps away from them! They accompanied the dark night
Coming like flying sand, it is exactly the same as the way the legendary monsters and monsters appear.
Regardless of the reason, they rushed into the Yuan army camp with thunderous momentum, brandishing their sabers and slashing at anyone they saw. Countless Bei Yuan soldiers were terrified in the dark, thinking that these people were really demons and ghosts in hell, and completely lost their resistance.
courage.
But Taiwei Manzi was obviously an atheist. He soon realized that these uninvited guests were really their mortal enemies - the Ming army, so he quickly ran to the rear army to organize the troops that had not been attacked to resist. His mind was not uncool.
The reaction was not unpleasant, but his efforts alone could not save the Yuan army.
He organized troops to fight against the Ming army. At this time, the morale of the Ming army was high. In order to find these enemies, they suffered a lot in the desert. They were tired and tired. Finally, they found their opponents and accumulated anger for many days.
Finally, they vented their anger, and everyone was equal to ten. However, the Yuan army did not take precautions. Many people were still drinking and having fun. How could they be their opponents! The Ming army sometimes dispersed and sometimes concentrated, breaking the Yuan army camp into several sections and killing those who had no time to mount their horses.
The Yuan army, Taiwei Manzi, was in a hurry and was exhausted. When he was commanding the resistance, a Ming army rushed behind him and gave him a knife. The sober resister fell asleep.
After the death of Manzi, the Yuan army was in chaos. No one wanted to organize a counterattack anymore, and everyone dispersed.
Togu Si Timur, who was still drinking in the camp, heard the commotion outside the camp and immediately panicked. He had a talent for escaping. He had to grab the horses first, identify the location, and then rush out suddenly. Only then would he be considered successful.
In this regard, Wang Baobao can be regarded as an expert. Unfortunately, Togusi Timur did not have the talent and calmness of Wang Baobao when he escaped. In the panic, he only took away his eldest son Tianbaonu and the prime minister Shiliemen. He left his wife and second son Dibao behind.
The slaves and more than 100,000 subordinates were left to the Ming army.
This time I lost all my money.
The Ming army continued to chase the panicked Yuan army. In their minds, there seemed to be no such thing as surrendering their guns and not killing. They just waved their sabers and slashed everywhere. The Northern Yuan army fell into complete chaos. The fear of death enveloped everyone. They were originally
Brave warriors, they once dominated the world, but now, they have become lambs to be slaughtered.
The emperor had run away and the commander-in-chief was dead, so there was no point in resisting, so many people put down their weapons. After all, food in prison is food, so let's just live with it.
When Lan Yu came to the Beiyuan military camp, what he saw were groups of prisoners, cattle and sheep, and the dejected Beiyuan nobles. It was a true and complete victory.
He looked up into the sky and shouted:
Boren (Chang Yuchun's nickname: Boren) is finally at peace! Live up to this life!
The Battle of Yuerhai ended. This battle completely annihilated the armed forces of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and captured more than 100 people including Dibaonu, the second son of the Northern Yuan Emperor, the crown prince and the princess's family members, more than 3,000 princes and nobles, and 70,000 soldiers.
There were more than 100,000 cattle and sheep, and the seals used by the Yuan Dynasty emperors for hundreds of years were seized.
In the past, no matter how the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty retreated, they at least carried their seals with them every time they escaped. From Dadu to Shangdu, from Yingchang to Helin, and then to Yuerhai, no matter how bad the place was, a tent would be enough to set up a tent.
In the provisional government, the ministers are ready-made, and some are captured and appointed again. This time, even the seal is lost, so there is no need to perform this trick again.
The news of the victory soon reached Zhu Yuanzhang. He was not as excited and happy as the ministers imagined. Instead, he sat quietly. Twenty years of hard work and twenty years of war were too long and seemed to
There is never an end.
Now it's finally over, my enemy has collapsed, Lan Yu, you have lived up to my hopes.
He looked at the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty and expressed the highest praise he had for his generals in his life:
"Lanyu is my Zhongqing, the pharmacist!" (Zhongqing is the Han general Wei Qing, and the pharmacist is the famous general Li Jing of the Tang Dynasty)
Under extremely difficult conditions, Lan Yu led an army of more than 100,000 people deep into barren land, fought bravely, completely defeated Bei Yuan, and completed the great achievements that his ancestors had not completed. He is indeed worthy of this evaluation.
The curtain call of Beiyuan
Tuugusi Timur, who was on the run, was not in the cheerful mood of Zhu Yuanzhang and Lan Yu. His army was gone, his ministers were gone, and even his relatives were gone.
Looking around, only the prince Tianbaonu is left. The magistrate is pinching his head and the prime minister is losing his family. There are only a few dozen people left in the army of more than 100,000. There are no subjects, no soldiers, no capital, and no more robbery.
The sale really failed this time.
Why did I fail? If I had gone a little further, if the weather hadn't been so bad, if it hadn't been windy and sandy, if I could have planted more trees and done a good job in protecting the environment, if there were still what-ifs, would I have failed?
It's useless to say all this. Let's go to Helin first. Wang Baobao can make a comeback there, and so can I. As long as I regroup, I will definitely be able to revive the Yuan Dynasty and restore the glory of my ancestors!
But this dream was shattered midway before it reached its destination.
The place where his dream was shattered was called Tula River. Here Tuogu Si Timur met a Mongolian named Yesudier. What he didn't expect was that it was this Mongolian who ended the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
Who is Yesudier? We have to start from more than a hundred years ago:
In 1259 AD, the Mongolian Khan Meng Ge led his army to attack Diaoyu City. However, to his surprise, the city was not captured, and he was injured by cannon stones fired from the city. He was not accustomed to the acclimatization and died soon after.
The death of Meng Ge caused a series of consequences. Kublai Khan, who was attacking the Southern Song Dynasty, immediately withdrew his troops and went back to compete for the throne. His competitor was his younger brother Ali Bu Ge. In this battle for the throne, Ali Bu Ge was defeated.
He was imprisoned and died. Kublai Khan eventually became the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, and he won.
Compared with other descendants of the Golden Family (the descendants of Genghis Khan are called the Golden Family), his victory lasted for hundreds of years. Even after being driven out of the Central Plains by the Ming army, his descendants still firmly held the supreme Khan.
position.
But the loser will not lose forever. Kublai Khan's victory ended at the Tula River, and the one who ended it was Yesudier. He killed Togu Si Timur and his son Tianbao very cleanly.
slave, and took away the throne of the Great Khan.
This Yesudier is a relative of Togus Timur, but he also has another identity. He is a descendant of Ali Buge. More than a hundred years later, he finally waited for this opportunity.
Hatred is often more vital than love, and history has proven this countless times.
After Yesudier killed Togus Timur, he became the Great Khan of Mongolia, called Zhuriktu Khan. However, his victory did not last long, and he died soon after, and the curse of death seemed to be attached to him.
His successors all died soon after he ascended the throne. Kun Timur, the last successor of the Golden Family, died in the fourth year of Jianwen (1402), and his subordinate Guilichi usurped the throne.
He succeeded to the throne of Khan, canceled the country's title of Yuan, and restored the ancient name of Tatar.
The Yuan Dynasty perished, and the glory of the Golden Family dissipated.
One hundred and ninety-six years ago, Temujin held a meeting at the Onon River (today's Onon River in Mongolia). He looked at the princes who surrendered to him with great pride and loudly declared that he was the Great Khan of Mongolia. From then on, he became
As the ruler of Mongolia, the name Temujin is no longer mentioned, replaced by the great Genghis Khan.
This name has since resounded throughout the world, from East Asia to Central Asia, West Asia, and then to Eastern Europe. The Golden Family and its soldiers shouted this great name to conquer the world, and an empire spanning Europe and Asia was established.
However, in less than two hundred years, this great empire and the family that ruled it declined. All that was left of this once behemoth was the escape of Yuerhai, the betrayal and murder of Tula River, and the solitary figure in the sunset.
It's over, everything is over.
Lan Yu started his training, and this battle brought his fame to its peak. From now on, he will no longer be said to be Xu Da's second or Chang Yuchun's second. His name will be praised by people together with these famous generals.
The Battle of Yuerhai was the highest point of Lan Yu's life, but after that, he made frequent mistakes and eventually reached the end of destruction.