Chapter 506: The Possibility of Conferring King Liang
When the cavalry from the Ming Dynasty appeared, Beiyuan's main cavalry team also began to follow suit and began a confrontation.
Even under the current circumstances, it is still in a semi-tentative stage.
The real decisive moment has not yet come.
On Beiyuan's side, they are all cavalry, with extremely high mobility.
Whether you fight or retreat, you have a high degree of freedom of choice.
In contrast, the Ming army mainly consisted of infantry troops, with a total of 20,000 cavalry.
It is undoubtedly a dream to rely on 20,000 cavalry to hold back nearly 150,000 cavalry.
Both sides are looking for an opportunity.
Lan Yu's eyes were also closely watching the changes in the battle situation.
The Ming army should be more passive. Only by finding loopholes in the Beiyuan cavalry could they besiege them.
At this time, a fast horse quickly entered the middle army.
"Report, the southern Great Wall has been recaptured by our army, please give instructions from the general."
Hearing the news, Lan Yu laughed and said: "Okay, immediately send 50,000 troops to my general to completely cut off Beiyuan's retreat."
"This time, I will give them a trap to catch turtles in."
"Notify the leader of the army that we must be on strict guard this time. No matter how high the price is, we cannot let Bei Yuan escape."
"Immediately pull all the remaining artillery pieces in the rear, no matter the gunpowder, to hold back the main force of Beiyuan."
Under Lan Yu's instructions, a large number of soldiers in the rear began to make a detour along the side road.
This is the key to the entire situation.
If it can form a pincer attack on the Beiyuan army, it will be a huge blow to the entire Beiyuan army.
For the current grassland, it is an unimaginable blow.
This achievement will once again enhance Lan Yu's reputation. This battle can be said to be more powerful than the Battle of Yuerhai.
The Battle of Yuerhai established the reputation of Duke Lan Yuliang.
If the main force of Beiyuan is completely captured this time, then Lan Yu will be worthy of the name as the first general of the Ming Dynasty.
You must know that the current army of 150,000 can be said to contain all the main cavalry in the entire Beiyuan.
The defeat is one thing, and the rich loot is simply unimaginable.
If we can win a big victory, then as far as the border is concerned, we can at least add another 50,000 cavalry to start with.
Fifty thousand cavalry plus the current 20,000 cavalry.
That's 70,000 cavalry.
Seventy thousand cavalry is an absolute fighting force for the entire grassland.
Furthermore, it is very possible to bring the entire grassland area notified by the Northern Yuan Dynasty under the direct rule of the Ming Dynasty.
At this moment, Lan Yu's mind suddenly remembered a hint given to her by His Highness the Grand Sun.
As long as he can achieve great success, it is not impossible to take a step forward.
Now he is already the Duke of Liang, and if he goes up higher, he will be the King of Liang.
Be king.
Moreover, the current prince has the power to establish a country overseas.
This also means that he can establish a country of his own just like King Zhu Di of Yan, King Zhu Fan of Jin, and King Zhu Shu of Qi did in the Japanese country.
From Lan Yu's point of view, if His Highness Taisun really ennobles him, the most likely possibility would be in the grassland.
The grassland is indeed very barren for the Central Plains.
But being a king is a completely different concept.
This also means that his descendants will all belong to the lineage of the Ming princes.
Even if His Highness Taisun decrees that his kingdom is not located in the grassland, but in other places, it does not matter.
At that time, given my own situation, I won’t be able to expand outward.
Split the soil and seal the territory, and the name will last forever.
Just thinking about it made Lan Yu feel extremely excited.
People always have goals and dreams. This is the most primitive motivation. For Lan Yu now, it is like returning to Peng Bai's passion a few years ago.
The news that the escape route was cut off soon became known to Beiyuan.
At this point, there won't be much difference.
"Khan, we must defend the gap in the Great Wall. If its repairs are completed, it will be an extremely critical issue for our army's retreat."
After hearing the report from his subordinates, Elbek also realized the seriousness.
After a slight hesitation, he ordered Guilichi to lead the tribe to pay a return visit.
This proposal was immediately opposed by Minister Bei Yuan.
From the perspective of the Beiyuan minister, it was definitely a terrible move to hand over the Beiyuan court's retreat to the tribes on the grasslands.
If Gui Lichi does not try his best to return the visit, he will give up guarding the Great Wall and retreat into the grassland.
Then the Northern Yuan court was in danger of being wiped out.
Minister Beiyuan's words were spoken in front of Gui Lichi, and it was clear that he did not trust him.
In this regard, Guilichi did not say anything.
Because normally, no one would choose this.
Elbek has a dim reputation in history, but in fact every emperor received many cultural teachings since childhood.
Especially people like Elbek who were born in Dadu, Yuan Dynasty in the Central Plains.
He looked carefully at Gui Lichi, then at Minister Beiyuan, and at the many tribal leaders and nobles around him.
Then he said: "This war is not fought by the Northern Yuan Dynasty, nor is it to fulfill a certain purpose or idea of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."
"It is the war of all the warriors on the grassland, and it is about all the people of the grassland."
"If we lose, it will be difficult for Ming Dynasty's goods to reach the grassland in the future. Even the cheapest coarse salt will be more expensive than snowflake salt."
"The cattle and sheep of all tribes can only be sold to the Ming Dynasty at the lowest price in exchange for the meager rations."
"If the Ming Dynasty was really cruel and wouldn't even buy cattle and sheep on the grassland, our people would not even have any possibility of trading."
"This is to trap all the people in our grassland to death on the grassland."
"Therefore, this battle must be won. If not, you will never see the prosperity of the grassland again. Even if you surrender to the Ming Dynasty, will the Ming Dynasty readily agree to it at this time?"
Having said this, all the tribal leaders and nobles lowered their proud heads in front of Elbek.
Perhaps many people once looked down upon Elbek very much, and even despised him from the bottom of their hearts, thinking that he was just like the Central Plains dynasty, an emperor who had subjugated his country.
But today, Elbek's words are recognized by all the grassland tribes.
Because he is really fighting for the entire grassland.
Elbek looked at Guilichi and said: "I have to admit that as far as the grassland is concerned, you have the eyes of an eagle and the wisdom of a wolf."
"Even if I am the one who leads the troops in battle, I can't compare to you."
"I believe you will understand the importance of returning to defense. The 150,000 warriors here now are the last hope for our grassland."
"If everything is lost here, then the sky over the grassland tomorrow will be the master of the Ming Dynasty."
"At that time, all the battles will have no meaning. Even if there is no Northern Yuan Dynasty, you will not get the support of the grassland."
"It can only be like a defeated lone wolf, constantly moving away from the Ming Dynasty."
After hearing this, Guilichi knelt down to Elbek, touched the earth with his forehead, kissed Elbek's boots with his mouth, and swore an oath to the Immortal Heaven.
"Honorable Khan, Guilichi will be your most loyal slave, the most powerful spear and shield, and will definitely take down the Great Wall and guard the retreat for our grassland army."
"No matter how many Ming troops there are, they will not break the gap in the southern part of the Great Wall. Guilichi will be there, waiting for news of the Khan's victory."
No one expected that at this moment, Guilichi would be the first tribal leader to truly surrender to Elbek.
Elbek also laughed and directly assigned 10,000 iron cavalry to follow Guilichi's orders.
In addition to the more than 10,000 cavalry that he already had, it is equivalent to Guilichi now having 20,000 cavalry.
With 20,000 cavalry defending the gap in the Great Wall, there will naturally not be much pressure.
Guilichi's return to defense will be faster than that of the Ming army.
In other words, before the Ming Dynasty's 50,000 troops arrived, Guilichi should have recaptured the gap in the Great Wall.
The war that occurs there will completely affect the changes in the entire situation.
After Guilichi left, Elbek's offensive became more and more fierce.
Unlike conventional battles, the Beiyuan army had no possibility of retreating. Their success or failure depended on this.
The cavalry charges became more frequent, and the casualties on both sides continued to escalate.
For Beiyuan, this can be said to be the final national war.
Because of their faith, the cavalry on this side of the grassland became more and more ferocious.
Because unlike the Ming Dynasty, they already had no way out.
All the cavalrymen were told before today that if this war cannot be won, the grasslands will be directly defeated in the future.
For Ming Dynasty, even if it loses this battle, it actually doesn't matter much.
Because after the Great Wall, there are other major cities.
With the city's defense, let's just say this year, even if we fight for another day or two, we don't worry about the possibility of defeat.
The establishment of various fortifications, coupled with the current defeat of Beiyuan due to previous defeats, resulted in the lack of a large number of infantry.
In terms of siege, it already appears to be very weak.
Because of the differences in beliefs, the balance of victory seems to be tilting towards Beiyuan.
The situation began to become unfavorable for the Ming army.
This made Lan Yu frown.
Youdao means that a weak army will win, and this is the situation in Beiyuan now.
Now there are two choices before Lan Yu.
The first is to continue to fight with the Beiyuan army in order to change the situation and achieve a great victory.
Another option is to start retreating to the city to defend.
As long as there is a period of delay, as the weather changes and the cold intensifies, the Northern Yuan army will naturally retreat.
The second option is more secure, but Sapphire prefers the first option.
Because only the first option will give him the possibility of truly ascending to heaven again.
After hesitating for a few times, Lan Yu's eyes became cold and stern.
The order said: "Send the order to the entire army. After holding on for half an hour, start a full-scale counterattack."
"Twenty thousand cavalrymen each launched an offensive against the enemy from the flanks. The fire gunmen, under the cover of the sword and shield men, directly attacked the enemy's center."
"Order the military disciplinary officer to supervise, and if there is anyone who fails to respond before the battle, he will be killed without mercy."
There is a saying that one general can make thousands of bones wither.
In the past, Lan Yu's choice was to minimize the casualties of the Ming army and form a slow approach to the Beiyuan army.
But now that it has reached a fever pitch, we have to fight a tough battle.
Compassion does not command troops.
When Lan Yu issued this order, he knew very well that a large number of Ming army soldiers would be killed this time.
There is no other way.
Different from the original Battle of Yuerhai, today's battle is all about cavalry and they are full of faith.
Only by fighting to the death can victory be possible.
There is also a possibility of defeating Bei Yuan in one fell swoop.
After His Highness Taisun embargoed the grassland, and this side wiped out the elites of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, the grassland in the future would no longer be a concern for the Ming Dynasty, and would become unable to recover.
"Brothers, the general has an order to defeat the prairie barbarians in one fell swoop."
"Now that the retreat of the barbarians on the grassland has been cut off by our people, we can pacify the grassland in one fell swoop."
"Kill with me!
!”
There were roars from the Ming army, and simple words made all the soldiers of the Ming army understand that a meritorious service was just around the corner.
Strong morale suddenly burst out, and the swordsmen and shieldmen in the front row carried large shields and charged towards the cavalry team on the opposite side.
Soldiers armed with long swords charged together with the sword and shield bearers.
As long as the sword and shield hand is close, the soldiers can engage in close combat with the cavalry.
The fire gunners who came behind all lit the match ropes in their hands, loaded their ammunition, and followed closely behind the sword and shield men.
The Ming cavalry on both wings swarmed up, trying to cut off the opposing Beiyuan cavalry from the left and right sides, contain the Beiyuan cavalry's roundabout operations, and force them to engage in a head-on battle with the infantry.
The Mongolian cavalry did not have long spears, only scimitars and soft bows in their hands.
This kind of military formation is the biggest restriction on the Mongolian cavalry. In close combat, the infantry is not afraid of the Mongolian cavalry.
Facing such a scene, Elbek, as the Great Khan, became serious.
He immediately ordered the cavalry in the front row to block the Ming army's charge.
Then other cavalry armies encircled and suppressed the cavalry that attacked from the flank of the Ming army.
As long as the obstruction of the Ming army's cavalry is broken, then for Beiyuan, the threat from the infantry will be eliminated. They have enough horsepower to drag the Ming army's infantry to death.
The Mongolian cavalry that once crossed the Eurasian continent were invincible based on this strategy.
It is only a piece of cake for ten thousand cavalry to kill one hundred thousand infantry.
Lan Yu looked at the large number of cavalry dispatched and smiled coldly.
Finally it's the chance to find each other.
What he was most worried about before was that the opponent's main cavalry remained stationary to act as a deterrent.
Making a charge formation and including all the cavalry is to shorten the distance between the advancing soldiers and the cavalry.
You know, stopping the infantry is much simpler than stopping the cavalry.
The charging horses did not just stop if they wanted to.