Compared with the Daqing City at the foot of Daqing Mountain, which has not yet been built, but everything is already on track.
The hundreds of thousands of troops who walked out of the Great Wall and entered the grasslands outside the Pass seemed to be a little unlucky.
Such misfortune requires comparison.
If the army advanced hundreds of miles in half a month without encountering any obstruction by Tatar troops, it would be considered a success.
However, as the army continued to penetrate deep into the grassland, it could not find the main force of the Tatar tribe, so it was extremely unsatisfactory.
The supply lines in the rear are getting longer and longer.
The three armies led by King Jin, King Yan, and King Dai respectively began to focus more on consolidating the military and food supply lines behind the army.
The three armies are ready for a protracted war.
In order to prevent the grain roads from being attacked by Tatars who did not know where they were hiding, starting from the Great Wall, the three grain roads were heavily defended.
The officials from the Ministry of Works who were sent to Jiubian almost had their heads shaved off these days.
In order to meet the requirements of the three armies, they can be said to have mobilized the entire force of Jiubian day and night to build forts along the grain road so that people from the Ministry of Revenue could transport grain to the front line and have a safe place to store it.
Then, using these forts as the core points, the transportation will be advanced northward in sequence.
On the vast grassland, the sun is already far in the west.
The golden sunset shines on the prairie, shining on the endless grassland, emitting a dazzling and bright light.
Behind a leeward slope, an army numbering more than ten thousand people was setting up camp.
Tie Xuan led a group of civil servants and generals from the camp to the slope, looking at the desert wasteland in the north where there was only grass.
This Grand Scholar of Wuyingdian, who had decided to become a lonely minister of the Ming Dynasty, had a serious look in his eyes, even a little angry.
"The construction of the garrison in Guangwu Town has been delayed for three days. According to the plan, 30,000 stones of grain and grass should be stored there for the East Route Army and the Central Route Army. Now they are all blocked in Lingji Spring Fort."
Tie Xuan's voice spread calmly across the grassland.
However, everyone present could tell that there was already a ball of anger building up in the heart of this imperial massacre.
"Back to the Grand Master, the soil on the grassland has just become a little harder after the cold winter. However, the cement, stones, etc. behind are all heavy objects. Repeated rolling will always make the road muddy..."
"This is no excuse." Tie Xuan said calmly and looked back at the Ministry of Industry official who spoke.
The other party immediately lowered his head.
No one dared to offend the bad luck of this cabinet bachelor.
Tie Xuan sighed: "The Northern Expedition has just begun, and I don't want to kill people for crimes. But you should understand that in front of us are the three princes of the Ming Dynasty, who are leading hundreds of thousands of soldiers to search for the Tatars.
people.
The supply of food and grass must be guaranteed. If anyone lets the soldiers starve and thereby hinders the Northern Expedition, I will not investigate him, and the court will definitely punish him severely."
A doctor who was the leader of the household department here couldn't help but raise his head, with some hesitation on his face.
Tie Xuan quickly caught the opponent's movements.
"If you have anything to say, just say it."
The doctor from the household department immediately nodded and bowed: "The lower officials are discussing whether we should recruit civilians from Shanxi and Hebei. We should use manpower to carry the burdens on our shoulders, and also transport food up."
The officials on the slope were silent for a while.
Now outside the entire Great Wall, the total number of the three armies has exceeded 200,000, and the number of civilians mobilized has already exceeded 500,000.
If we continue to recruit civilians from within the pass, I am afraid that this year's farming in the north will be completely delayed.
"Zheng!"
Tie Xuan, however, made a prompt decision and decided on the matter.
He then narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Issue a notice to inform the people in Shanxi and Hebei that anyone who transports one stone of grain to the outside of the customs will be rewarded! After the war, they will be rewarded with cattle, sheep, money, and salt."
The officials immediately started whispering.
The officials present at the scene immediately hesitated and said, "Should this matter..."
"Draft a document and send it to Daqingshan, and ask His Highness the Grand Sun to seal it."
Tie Xuan spoke immediately.
This great scholar of Rentu had already wrested the decision-making power of the entire Northern Expedition from the hands of the emperor's grandson.
This is already an open secret within the Northern Expedition Army.
The officials present were already aware of this.
Seeing that Tie Xuan had made a decision, everyone stopped talking.
It was not their turn to comment on the matter between Tie Xuan, the great scholar of Tu, and his grandson.
The grandson didn't speak, and the court didn't speak either, so they had no right to speak.
As for how the imperial court will respond to the civil and military rewards and punishments for the Northern Expedition after this battle, we have to wait for discussion after the war.
…
"If we don't completely defeat the Tatars this time, we will all be criminals of the country after this battle!"
As night falls, a little light lights up on the grassland.
The Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition Eastern Route Army, inside the Chinese army's tent.
King Zhu Di of Yan, wearing heavy armor, stood in front of the Kanyu in the tent, and slapped his palms on the wooden frame next to the Kanyu.
Cao Xing, the Marquis of Huaiyuan, stood in front of the generals, looked at King Yan in front of Kan Yu, frowned and said solemnly: "The scouts in the army have gone hundreds of miles, but they still have not found the main force of the Tatars. In the opinion of an experienced minister,
, it is better to attack slowly and advance slowly, waiting for Ying Guogong and others to detour to the north and drive the Tatars to the south before the decisive battle."
Wang Bi, the Marquis of Dingyuan on the other side, immediately said: "What if Duke Ying and others can't find the Tatars?"
Cao Xing's brows became more and more frowned. After pondering for a long time, he said again: "Unless the Tatars leave this grassland!"
It is impossible for the Tatars to leave this steppe.
Nowadays, on the grassland outside the pass, the west side is occupied by the Oara tribe. According to recent news from the DPRK, the Oara tribe is also preparing for war, trying to occupy the entire grassland after the Tatars are wiped out by the Ming Dynasty.
To the east is Liaodong.
Liaodong!
Zhu Di's frown relaxed a little.
He turned around in front of Kanyu and looked at the generals in the tent: "I originally thought that my three-pronged army would join forces and attack the Tatar lair. But now it seems that maybe
It is possible that the Tatars fled eastward."
"Then our army should deviate from the planned march route to the east, approach the Onan River, and set up military formations on the east side in advance to block the Tatars!"
Huaiyuan Hou Cao Xing's eyes widened and he clapped his hands on the table in front of him.
Wang Bi, the Marquis of Dingyuan, also nodded and said: "According to the past, if the Tatars want me to extend the food road towards the army, they will flee eastward along the Onan River.
As the Eastern Route Army of the Northern Expedition, it is understandable that our troops deviated slightly from the route eastward and blocked the Onan River. Even if we cannot block the Tatars, we can continue to move westward and sweep across the entire grassland.
.
The general can’t believe that these Tartar wolf cubs can still hide under the grass!”
Zhu Di did not continue to draw a conclusion.
Instead, he turned back to look at Kanyu behind him.
After a long time, he slowly spoke: "The fort in Guangwu Town has not yet been built, and the food and grass needed by the army are now stored in Lingji Spring Fort.
As for the journey from Guangwu Town to the Onan River, there is also the Linqu River blocking the way. The water in this river is very fast, and it will be summer in just over a month.
Even if our army can cross the river, I'm afraid the supply of food and grass behind will be delayed."
"Then let's eat the enemy!"
Cao Xing, the Marquis of Huaiyuan, had murderous intent in his eyes: "Anyway, Tie Xuan also said that all the Tatars who can wield a knife are within the scope of our army's expedition this time.
Don’t all the wolf cubs on the grassland say that the Luqu River is their mother river, and large tribes gather here.
Our army is coming, we just need to steal their food rations!"
Following Huaiyuan Marquis Cao Xing's murderous words, a low laughter sounded in the tent.
With the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the grasslands for so many years, these generals in the army who had fought against the Yuan people since the founding of the country were naturally aware of all kinds of rumors on the grasslands.
Zhu Di also smiled slightly.
He thought of the rumors he had read when he was a child.
The Ququ River is the hometown of Genghis Khan and the location of the imperial mausoleums of the former Yuan emperors.
Zhu Di couldn't help but clapped his hands: "Instruct all battalions to set out early tomorrow morning and cross the Luqu River to the Onan River. I would like to see if I can ride on horseback to the Yuan Emperor's Mausoleum!"
…
"Niu Dafu."
"arrive!"
Lan Yu was riding on horseback, looking at the Niu Dafu whom she wanted from Taisun.
Niu Dafu, who was still in Yingzhou and served as a hundred-household official in the Eastern Expedition Army, is now completely prosperous.
So much so that he often wonders if he should go back to his hometown to see if there is really smoke coming out of his ancestral tomb.
The standard armor worn by Commander Tongzhi is heavier than the armor of Baihuguan or even Qianhuguan.
Lan Yu admired this commanding colleague who had such a naive air.
He has been marching on the grassland for more than a month with more than ten thousand cavalry. His face is covered with vicissitudes of blue jade, and he looks at Niu Dafu who drives his horse to his side with his head lowered.
He smiled faintly: "Have you ever heard of how the emperors of the BC Yuan Dynasty were buried after their death?"
Niu Dafu looked up at the surrounding grasslands and nodded.
"I have heard from my brothers in the army these days that the emperors of the former Yuan Dynasty were buried under this grassland."
Lan Yu nodded and hummed twice.
"A group of barbarians, and only this group of barbarians without good etiquette, can do something like riding a horse and trampling on the buns in the tombs of our ancestors."
Niu Dafu was noncommittal about this.
It can be said that Niu Dafu, who really started from humble beginnings, is now an official commander and commander, leading the three thousand cavalry of the Chinese army in Lan Yu's army.
But he always abides by the principle that whatever his superiors say will be whatever he says, and he will never say another word.
Lan Yu said again: "Thirty years of fame are dust and dust, eight thousand miles of clouds and moons. We, Lan Yu, can't achieve the same level of achievements as Prince Yue, but I have also walked three thousand miles with my brothers this time, right?"
.”
Niu Dafu nodded.
Starting from Datong, they had traveled nearly three thousand miles.
Lan Yu snorted heavily, and the riding crop in her hand made a loud sound in the air.
He gritted his teeth and said: "But where are the Tatars! Where are those wolf cubs! I didn't even see a bumpkin!"
Niu Dafu looked up at the surrounding grasslands again.
Although the snow on the grasslands has long since melted, the snow on the mountains in the distance seems to remain unchanged all year round.
Stretching out his hand, the air was also cold.
They have traveled three thousand miles and have gone very far north.
You shouldn't miss the Tatars.
After all, on their marching route, the scouts were scattered for hundreds of miles to the left and right every day, taking turns at the Central Military Headquarters.
And they don't walk in a straight line.
But even so, the Tatars were still nowhere to be found.
Niu Dafu lowered his head and said dullly: "According to the general's military order, the army has interrogated the Tatars captured along the way with capital punishment. Except for finding out the news that the Tatar royal court has evacuated, no one knows that the Tatars have been evacuated."
Where have the main forces of King Tartar gone?"
"unlucky!"
Lan Yu spat with anger on her face but nowhere to vent her anger.
At this time, there were several war horses in front, trampling patches of green grass and heading towards the front of the formation.
Lan Yu narrowed her eyes slightly.
When the scouts who came out arrived, Lan Yu said, "Is there any news?"
The scouts shook their heads, but then said instead: "Report to the general, there is a big lake ahead."
Lan Yu immediately stretched out her hand: "Bring me Kanyu."
Niu Dafu quickly took out a kanyu from his horse, unfolded it and placed it in front of Lan Yu.
Lan Yu asked: "How is the trend of Dahu?"
The scout replied: "From southwest to northeast, the lake is as deep as ink and freezing cold."
"North Sea?"
Lan Yu narrowed her eyes, hesitated slightly, and glanced sideways at Niu Dafu.
Niu Dafu nodded and said slowly: "It should be Beihai..."
A muffled sound came from Lan Yu's mouth.
"I've already gone to the North Sea, but where are the Tatars?"
Turn around.
The army has already moved to the north coast.
More than 10,000 cavalrymen, running thousands of miles during these days, were so exhausted that they all dismounted and fetched water from the shore.
The lake water is cold, but sweet and delicious.
Niu Dafu went to the shore, and then returned to Lan Yu, who had just ordered to set up camp here, and then decided where to go with the army.
"General, my subordinates have just taken some people to measure the water here. I don't know how deep the water is. I have ordered that all officers and soldiers of the army are strictly prohibited from entering the water."
Lan Yu just nodded slightly.
Looking at the deep black water in the middle of the lake, I knew that the depth of the water here was probably unimaginable.
He glanced at the soldiers under his command who were fetching water for himself and his horses on the shore.
Lan Yu couldn't help but smile.
"I heard that when our great scholar Ren Tu was in Yingzhou, he would erect a boundary monument of our Ming Dynasty wherever he went."
Niu Dafu, who came from the Eastern Expedition Army, knows this best.
A smile finally appeared on his face, and he nodded and said: "The bachelor said, those are the marks. If a boundary monument is buried, the land will be ours."
Lan Yu also laughed: "Instruct the rear army to erect a boundary monument for me here. It must be big! It must be thick! It must be strong! Even if it lasts thousands of years, it will not break or decay!"
Niu Dafu was about to turn around and go to the rear army to deliver the order.
Lan Yu called him back again.
"Tell them to bury another stone slab again."
Niu Dafu asked: "What should the general write?"
"Just write..."
"Lanyu, Duke of Liang Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty, came here for a visit."