After the army returned victoriously, Liu Chengzong gave the army a nine-day holiday.
It's still the same as before, each department participating in the war took three batches of leave, returning home for three days and staying in camp for six days.
The guards of the Marshal's Mansion were still carrying supplies outside the mansion. Officials from Xining and Juerwan bureaus lined up outside the mansion, watching the guards coming in and out, waiting to report to the government office.
Military intelligence is always more important than anything else, and Liu Chengzong paid great attention to the battlefield outside Qinghai Lake.
Zhong Hu, the guard of Nanshan Fort, knew that he was the first person the commander wanted to see when he returned, so he did not dare to neglect at all. After receiving the news of the return of the army, he rushed almost non-stop to reach Juerwan before Liu Chengzong entered the new city. p>
For Zhong Hu, it was worth the long journey to meet the Generalissimo.
But considering the value of reporting the situation to the Generalissimo... these things were simply not worth the two hundred miles of sailing and three hundred miles of riding in two days and nights.
Zhong Hu reported the battle process between Chahar and the Oirat coalition forces in one sentence: "The national division sent an envoy into the battle, but he was killed by the Khan of Chahan.
They were in Xiaoguidan before, but where they are now... my subordinates don’t know.”
Liu Chengzong's wish to test the strength of the two Khans from the battle also came to nothing.
Faced with Zhong Hu's report, Liu Chengzong did not want to believe that the Mongolian Khan was a brainless fool, so he tried to find a reason for the behavior of Huduntu Khan killing the envoy without permission.
After all, no one with a normal mental state would be able to do this behavior.
And Liu Chengzong tried to find normal ideas from abnormal behavior, and it became clear that he could only find a way to find a sword.
War is a continuation of politics, and killing should be a means rather than an end. Although killing envoys is itself an answer, Liu Chengzong could not see the benefit of such an answer.
Strengthen the determination of Chahar? Tens of thousands of Chahar soldiers who have no home do not need to strengthen their determination. Killing the envoys will at most embolden Hu Duntu himself. He will show off his strength with a fierce look but a soft heart, trying to tell everyone that I am not afraid.
Oirat.
But killing the envoy from Oirat and sending a deceased Chahar person there carrying his head... What's the benefit of this?
Anyone can show off his strength. Xiao Zhuanfeng will bark non-stop when he sees a dog bigger than him, but his timidity that makes him retreat at the slightest touch cannot deceive anyone.
The disadvantages are very obvious. For example, now, Liu Chengzong has made up his mind that he will not send any envoys to Hu Duntu in the future.
He has discovered that the Great Khan is very real and behaves like an ordinary person. When he thinks about the Great Khan's behavior like a politician, he can only go in the opposite direction and never understand it.
But according to ordinary people's thinking, it's easy to understand: killing envoys can bring emotional value... it's cool.
Being an emperor or khan is an enviable job, but when the country is in decline and in adversity, ordinary people's minds cannot bear the huge pressure brought by this job.
Liu Chengzong shook his head and read the battle report between the two armies compiled by Zhong Hu. On the battlefield within the control of the Nanshan Baotang soldiers, Chahar and Oirat escaped and chased each other. For such a long time, no one was able to organize any battle.
Always on the move.
He scratched his face and said to his father sitting next to him: "Father seems to have done Hu Duntu a big favor."
Liu Xiangyu burst into laughter. Chahar was able to freely move his hands and feet in a wide range. The reason was that the Marshal's Mansion accepted more than 30,000 women and children, so that Hu Duntu had no worries.
The Chahar cavalry, who had no worries, were very formidable. They followed Hu Duntu from Zhangjiakou to Subei, and entered the world with the most experience. Oirat's national division was really unable to catch them for a while.
Liu Xiangyu let out a long breath: "It's useless even if you don't bring your family, Chahar will definitely lose."
"Oh?" Liu Chengzong raised his eyebrows: "How did father figure it out?"
Liu Chengzong knew that without the intervention of the Marshal's Office, the outcome of this war was almost certain. He was just curious about how his father analyzed it.
After all, when it comes to escaping, Liu Chengzong is also an expert and is very aware of the negative impact that such a large-scale retreat will have on the army.
The Mongolian athletes in Chahar showed very good maneuverability even when their horses and men were tired, which proved that those who could follow the Great Khan to Qinghai were all the best among the best.
But until now, Liu Chengzong has not seen Chahar's intention to counterattack. Retreating without the purpose of counterattack means fleeing, which in itself means admitting to the soldiers that the enemy is strong and we are weak.
Unless the whole army knows the purpose of retreat and knows that the commander is showing weakness.
Sun Tzu said in the Art of War that soldiers are deceitful, that is why they show their inability when they are able; and they use it to show their inability to use it.
In war, the smaller the number, the larger the number. However, the weak has never defeated the strong. Taking a long step to retreat is a sign of weakness. The purpose is to despise the enemy, deceive the opponent to gain opportunities, and form a local situation in which the strong attacks the weak.
But the important prerequisite for showing weakness is "being able". If you are "unable", it is not showing weakness, but real weakness.
To behead an envoy but not be able to defeat him is to act bravely; to retreat but have no backup is to flee.
After running around, the men were tired, the horses were tired, and their morale was gone. Liu Chengzong judged that after several days of running in embarrassment, Chahar's 30,000-strong army would completely lose the ability to fight in the field with the Wei-Lat coalition.
Hu Duntu’s remaining choice is to continue running until he can no longer run and is overtaken by the Oirat coalition forces. If Hu Duntu really does not prepare a backup plan, Chahar, once the orthodox Khan of Mongolia, will run away from his tribe.
Disappear in smoke.
However, Liu Xiangyu's analysis has nothing to do with military experience. He said: "The Tiger Chief and the Imperial Advisor have both sent letters to the Commander's Mansion several times. The Imperial Advisor sent them twice. The first time was to ask your mother-in-law whether you wanted it, and the second time.
Let’s look at the situation of marriageable women from various noble tribes in Oirat.”
Liu Xiangyu spread his hands and said: "On the other hand, Chief Tiger sent three letters, each time with more urgent words, but they all had the same meaning, urging the little king of the Southern Dynasty to come quickly to help in the battle."
Nanchao Xiao Wang, who was sitting next to his father, rubbed his forehead painfully, leaned over and held the smooth black hair on Xiao Zuanfeng's body next to his feet: "We still have to save him."
Liu Xiangyu shook his head, but he didn't seem to object to his words. He just held his pipe and said helplessly: "The Imperial Master has surrendered to the Jin Kingdom Khan."
Hearing this sentence, Liu Chengzong's brows jumped sharply: "How did my father know what happened when?"
"It was mentioned in the credential given to you by Jin Guohan."
As he spoke, Liu Xiangyu pointed to the documents piled like a mountain on the table, pulled out the credentials, quietly pushed them over, and said: "The Khan of the Kingdom of Jin sent the credentials to the eldest son Hauge as his envoy. Take a look."
Liu Chengzong looked at the letter and saw that the letter of credence was a paper letter. It was a very ordinary Qianshan paper. It was not long in length and had a strict format. The writing font was also in standard Guange style, which looked very comfortable.
The letter was written in February of the seventh year of Tiancong. The Khan of Jin Dynasty wrote to the King of Xihai.
The commanders in the northwest raised their armies because of the chaos and chaos of the Ming Dynasty. This is also the case in our country.
The two countries are separated by mountains and rivers, but we often hear about the victory of the Western Kingdom. In the past, Chahar often disturbed the border wall and was the sworn enemy of the Jin Kingdom. Now Chahar has been driven there by our country. It is not suitable for the King of the West Sea to accept him. If he can take it
Every time you return, you will be rewarded generously.
Previously, Heshuote's Imperial Master had sent envoys to pay tribute to our country. Now your Majesty and I regard the Ming Dynasty as our enemy, and we should work together to make the world a happy one. I have the most sincere intention to form an alliance, but I don't know how to express my respect for it.
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the King’s envoy.
"This letter was written in February."
After Liu Chengzong read the letter, he smiled at his father and said: "The Khan of the Kingdom of Jin and the Khan of the Kingdom are both far more regal than Hu Duntu."
February of the sixth year of Chongzhen was a very important time point. At that time, Liu Chengzong had just launched his army to march eastward, and it was impossible for the news to reach Huang Taiji's ears.
The Marshal's Mansion has not yet won the victory in the northwest battle with the imperial court. The so-called victory in the letter is nothing more than congratulating Huchen or polite words.
Just as Liu Chengzong had expected, the envoys sent by the Kingdom of Jin this time may not necessarily be for him. The focus is to eliminate Hu Duntu.
Huang Taiji sent his eldest son here, probably to appease this feeling of contempt for his secondary status.
Liu Chengzong put his credentials aside and smiled at his father: "Da, have you met Hauge? What do you think of him?"
"Very smart, but I don't know if it's him or Huang Taiji who is smart."
Liu Xiangyu said: "When you meet me, you kneel down with the etiquette of an elder and don't talk about the affairs of the two countries. It's as if you are trying to get married. He is one year older than you, but when he mentions you, he will always call you brother and show special respect."
Liu Chengzong chuckled secretly, he already knew about this when he returned to the army and passed through Xining.
In Xining, he summoned three general soldiers and inquired about the affairs of the Jin Kingdom. Yang Qi and others all had experience in serving in Jiliao and had some understanding of Jianzhou and the Jin Kingdom.
From Jianzhou to the Kingdom of Jin, while Nurhachi’s military strength gradually expanded, his political marriage methods were also extremely sophisticated. Coupled with the custom of step marriage, the family relationship was extremely complicated. When it came to marriage, the Jin clan was the best in the world.
.
"They keep their attitude very low. When he sees me, he calls me grandpa. What should I call him when I see him? I don't want to be brothers with him."
Liu Xiangyu asked: "What are your plans?"
"Me?"
Liu Chengzong pointed at himself and said with a smile: "Save Hu Duntu and get rid of the national teacher Khan."
"As for the Kingdom of Jin, Huang Taiji's thoughts are the same as mine. They must fight the imperial court, and I must fight the imperial court, whether to form an alliance or not. This is an unchangeable situation."
As Liu Chengzong spoke, he raised his hand and waved it in front of him, saying: "Before Zhangye was conquered and Yili was leveled, the Ming Dynasty was just a swamp. Before the capital was captured, anyone who fought with it would be carried down.
I don’t have all six of them, so I can’t help but spend so much.”
When everyone makes assumptions about others, they will use themselves as a model to figure out other people's behavior, and Liu Chengzong is no exception.
In his opinion, what he was most happy to see was that the Jin Kingdom and the Ming Dynasty were locked in a fight in Liaodong. The Ming Dynasty fought hard against the Jin Kingdom and gave him time to recuperate.
So the reverse is also true, Huang Taiji also hopes that the Ming Dynasty will pour its main force into the northwest battlefield to relieve the pressure in the northeast.
Liu Xiangyu asked: "Then Hauge, just let him go back like this?"
"No, no, no, we won't let him go back. We will ignore Huang Taiji, but we will try our best to win over Hauge and let him eat and have fun here... It seems that we attach great importance to them and almost form an alliance."
Liu Xiangyu sighed, wondering how such a decent person could give birth to a second child with evil intentions.
As soon as he heard this, he knew that the lion was thinking about whether he could get something from the Kingdom of Jin, and it was probably just to whet the appetite of others.
This is not the right way.
He said: "Don't make an alliance, but you can send a mission to make good friends with the Jin Kingdom, and explore the road terrain of Monan and even Liaodong, the local customs, the actual strength of the troops, and the general's character. However, you need to be extra cautious in selecting the candidates."
Liu Xiangyu then said: "As for Oirat and the closing of Zhangye and Yili, I think that after the successive battles, the commander-in-chief has decided that it is not appropriate to make enemies everywhere. To stabilize Oirat, the 40,000-strong military divisions and veterans are tired and have the intention of retreating.
Take this opportunity to train and recuperate in the fields."
"Even if the coalition forces are defeated, it will be difficult to capture the Ili River. It can be captured but not retained. Without 50,000 immigrants, the Ili River cannot be conquered."
Fifty thousand immigrants, Liu Chengzong scratched his head, unable to move.
He has been stuck on the food and clothing line to raise his troops, and on the life and death line to feed the desperate people who came to seek refuge. The immigrants needed surplus food, and the surplus food was too luxurious for him.
"Da, Yili is too far away and no one has been there. Now it is too far away to immigrate to the real border. As for sending envoys to the Kingdom of Jin, I do have a candidate, but we will talk about it later. The top priority is to organize six Han military camps first. The Great Khan of Mongolia still has to be able to bend and shrink for a while."
In Liu Chengzong's mind, the most suitable person to be sent to the Kingdom of Jin was Gao Xian, who ate Hanwang Lumi in Pingliang Mansion.
Gao Xian knew the structure of the Lion Camp very well, but his understanding of the Marshal's Mansion was as good as Huang Taiji's. He was sent to the Kingdom of Jin to eat in Shenyang for a year or two, but Huang Taiji couldn't get anything useful out of him.
Moreover, this time is just right. When Gao Xian comes from Pingliang, the problem of the overseas Mongolian army should be solved. By then, the names and grades of official positions will be decided, and an envoy will be organized to go to the Kingdom of Jin.
"Oh, I can bend and shrink."
Liu Xiangyu said in his heart that you won’t let the Tiger Chief reach out.
He said: "The Tiger Chief can run but cannot fight. He cannot be carried. If you want to protect him, it is best to use your troops quickly and quickly. When the national army defeats him, he will have 10,000 or 20,000 prisoners, and then he will have to deal with four Fifty thousand Mongolian troops."
What Liu Xiangyu didn't say was that maybe Chahar's army couldn't fight when facing Oirat, but if they surrendered Oirat, their morale would be doubled when they fought with the Marshal's Mansion.
People can charge once for the Khan, but for food rations, they can charge at least five times. If you include the mother-in-law, you can probably charge ten times if you don't die.
They have a wife with 30,000 yuan.
"Haste makes waste in this battle. Ordinary people cannot speculate on the Tiger Chief's mind. If we finish defeating Oirat, the Tiger Chief will still have to fight with me and suffer a loss."
Liu Chengzong stubbornly shook his head: "It is imperative to expand the commander's mansion to the tenth camp... As for the tiger and the rabbit, I will give him a city. If he can't fight in the field, he will squat in the city and be a bastard. He can always squat for a few days."
"Which city?"
There are many people in Chahar, and a small fortress like Nanshan Fort is obviously not enough. The city needs to be able to accommodate 30,000 troops, have certain city defense facilities, and be far away from the Oirat coalition forces to allow them to run in the Gobi Desert. Run away.
The terrain should be relatively closed, which can create opportunities to annihilate the Oirat coalition forces and ensure that the Mongolians from the Marshal's Mansion participating in the rearguard Latt IV will not run away everywhere.
At the same time, it should not be too far away from the control area of the Marshal's Mansion, otherwise it will not achieve the effect of waiting for work.
Liu Chengzong happened to have such a city in his hands. He said: "Bajiao City."
