Haba is now the Minister of War in the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
Currently in Beiyuan, he is the one who can really fight, and he is also the oldest one.
In fact, in the previous Meng Yuan, Haba was just a little guy at first, but with the continuous defeat of Meng Yuan, he, this once inconspicuous character, finally got what he is now by relying on the luck of escaping from death again and again.
status.
Sometimes, it's not about who is stronger, but that as long as you survive long enough, you will be the final winner.
Time makes people grow old, and Haba is now over fifty years old.
I think back then, he had been with Totutu Timur, the last prime minister of the Meng Yuan Dynasty, and he had also been with Wang Baobao.
It can be said that it witnessed the decline of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty and the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty.
"Master Shangshu, the spies below came to report that they found traces of a large army stationed twenty miles ahead. They just left not long ago, about two hours ago."
Haba was discussing with many Beiyuan Wanhu generals in the big tent, and some of his subordinates came to report.
After hearing this, Haba laughed loudly and said: "It really took no effort at all. I have been tracking Zhu Di for so long, and now I finally have the opportunity."
"This time, I want to see where he runs."
"This general orders me to send out the entire army to pursue Zhu Di!!!"
Following Haba's order, the entire Mongolian camp began to stir.
Here, there are nearly 40,000 cavalry troops, most of whom are battle-hardened veterans. This time Haba personally took command and set out to attack Zhu Di and Lan Yu.
In fact, he had already explored Lan Yu's march route as early as a month ago, but Haba gave up chasing Lan Yu after hesitating again and again.
Even if he has three times more troops than Lan Yu, theoretically speaking, he can chase Lan Yu casually on this grassland.
But Lan Yu's reputation is too big. The Battle of Yuerhai was Lan Yu's famous battle. The remaining Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties were defeated in one fell swoop. At the same time, Lan Yu also became a shadow that hung over all Mongolian generals.
shadow.
Just hearing this name made Haba tremble a little, and a large number of Mongolian cavalry were even more frightened when facing Lan Yu.
Haba didn't dare to gamble. The few troops he had on hand were currently the backbone of Bei Yuan. Once Yu Lan Yu was defeated again, then the entire Bei Yuan might really be doomed. He didn't dare to imagine.
What will happen after failure?
So after hearing the news about Lan Yu, he simply gave up and started looking for Zhu Di instead.
Compared with Sapphire, although Zhu Di also has the reputation of great victory, in the eyes of many Mongolians, this is just Zhu Di's good luck, and there is no way to compare with Sapphire.
Many Mongolian generals even wanted to defeat Zhu Di and avenge his humiliation.
When Zhu Di came to Peiping, everyone had lots of interactions, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
After some discussions with the Mongolian generals, Haba decided to divide his troops into three groups.
Cut off the connection between Zhu Di and Lan Yu along the way to prevent the two from joining forces.
This is what everyone is most worried about. If they join forces, Haba will not fight.
The second way is to prevent Zhu Di from escaping to the Ming Dynasty border.
The Ming Dynasty's firearms were so powerful that they were of little use on the grasslands, but if they were to attack a city, it would be too bad for the Mongolian cavalry.
Once Zhu Di entered the city, it would have no meaning at all.
The third route is the main pursuit, following Zhu Di in the direction of his escape.
From Haba's point of view, catching up with Zhu Di is just a matter of time. He will definitely be able to catch up with Zhu Di within three to five days at the latest.
Different from the cavalry of the Ming Dynasty, the cavalry of the Northern Yuan Dynasty now all have one person and two horses. Moreover, the Mongols grew up on horseback. When chasing, they could lie down on the horse to rest day and night.
When it comes time to fight, you will have plenty of energy to maintain.
This is something that almost 90% of Mongolians can do.
This is why the Mongols can dominate the grasslands, because their mobility and durability are unmatched by any nation.
One person and two horses.
One horse pursues, one horse conquers.
At any time, the Mongolian cavalry faced the enemy with an extremely vigorous attitude.
Just like a pack of wolves on the grassland, they exhaust their prey and then easily tear their throats apart.
Under the scorching sun, Zhu Di suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky.
He heard the cry of eagles.
That is a falcon belonging to the Mongols, and it is also a war eagle.
They are the eyes of the Mongolian cavalry. They can help the Mongolian cavalry track their prey at high altitudes.
And when the falcons appeared, it meant that they had been targeted by the Mongolian cavalry.
The falcon hovered over the heads of Zhu Di's army, which was telling the Mongolian army in the distance the location of the prey.
Zhu Di's face became a little gloomy. He had already known that the Mongolian army was chasing them on the grassland, so he decisively chose to withdraw to the grassland military base.
Although the defense of the grassland military base is not strong compared to the city, there are a large amount of food reserves and firearms there.
The infantry phalanx of matchlocks was a hedgehog that the Mongolian cavalry could not chew. Coupled with the deterrence of artillery, Beiyuan had no way to fight against it.
"My lord, I'm afraid we won't be able to escape. Only the elite Mongolian army can raise the falcon. This must be the elite cavalry of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."
"With their speed, they can definitely intercept it before us."
Zhang Yu said worriedly.
Having fought against the Mongols for a long time, they are naturally very familiar with the situation of the Mongolian cavalry. This time they went too far into the grassland, and it would take half a month at the fastest to get back to the grassland military base.
It might only take a few days for the Mongolian cavalry to catch up with them.
Although Zhu Di's men were also cavalry, they were actually composed of cavalry from the Han and various grassland tribes. The Han people were unable to rest on horseback like the Mongolian cavalry.
Moreover, Zhu Di was short of horses, so he could not ride one person and two people.
"We still have enough food for a few days."
Zhu Di asked in a deep voice.
Zhang Yu replied: "It's enough for eight days."
Zhu Di nodded and said, "Eight days is enough."
"If you can't walk, then fight. Order to go down and find a more suitable valley so that the soldiers can be energetic."
"In addition, send out our best scouting horses, divide them into two teams, and report to Lan Yu, the nearest border gate, asking for support."
A man can bend and stretch.
At this critical moment of life and death, Zhu Di would certainly not give up seeking support from Lan Yu because he was concerned about his face.
In fact, he had a pretty good relationship with Lan Yu in the early years. He even followed Lan Yu on many expeditions to the grasslands and learned a lot of experience in leading troops from Lan Yu.
As the King of Yan, Zhu Di knew that if Lan Yu knew the news that he was trapped, he would definitely provide full support, and there would be no slightest neglect at the border.
This has nothing to do with the usual secret fights.
No matter what, he was the king of the Ming Dynasty. If he died on the grassland, his father would definitely be furious.
Sapphire itself cannot escape any relationship.
Of course, even the Mongolian cavalry could not kill Zhu Di at this time.
If Zhu Di really died here, the Ming Dynasty would definitely be in turmoil, and Beiyuan would not be able to bear the consequences.
If there is a lose-lose situation, the Ming Dynasty may just be in some turmoil, while the Beiyuan Dynasty may collapse.
Capturing Zhu Di alive is the best choice for Beiyuan.
Zhang Yu felt slightly relieved when he heard this. What he was most afraid of was that the prince cared about face and would not go to Lan Yu for support.
Although there will be no neglect at the border, without a large number of cavalry, the pace of infantry reinforcements is too slow. It may have been several days since the battle was fought, and the people have not arrived yet.
As Zhang Yu's army spread the word, a dozen of the best detective horses, one man and two horses, dispersed from the army.
Some of them need to find a suitable location for combat faster, while others need to make contacts.
These are all Han people, or in other words, they are all Zhu Di's personal guards, and they are truly trustworthy people.
Zhu Di looked at the army and secretly ordered his relatives' guards to guard the prairie tribe cavalry who had joined previously.
Zhu Di was actually not too worried about the Beiyuan cavalry.
Among the current team of 7,000 people, there are 2,000 matchlocks.
If you defend the stronghold, you don't have to worry about the Beiyuan cavalry rushing in. The only possible problem is civil strife.
After thinking for a while, Zhu Di called Zhu Neng over.
"When you find a suitable stronghold, you will lead 500 people to form a military discipline team. Anyone who retreats or acts abnormally will be killed without mercy."
Zhu Neng nodded heavily: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
Zhu Di attaches great importance to and recognizes Zhu Neng's personal abilities.
This is a true warrior.
In the battle of cold weapons, the role of strong generals is extremely important, and their momentum alone can play a big role.
Against Bei Yuan's cavalry, there is no chance of fighting in a staggered manner. The best way out is to attack the low with the high and wait for reinforcements from the stronghold.
Half a day later, before sunset, the scout came back to report.
A hillside was discovered twenty miles away, which was suitable for defensive operations.
Zhu Di did not waste any time, and hurried over with his troops while there was still some daylight.
The hillsides of grasslands are generally not very high, and war horses can climb them, but when the hills are higher, matchlock guns are more useful.
"The matchlock gun made by this boy Zhu Ying is quite good."
After being stationed on the hillside, the soldiers were building simple defenses. Zhu Di held the exquisite matchlock gun in his hand and said with a bit of sigh.
Regarding firearms, Zhu Di actually didn't care much.
Previously, Zhu Di had been dealing with the Mongols in the Peking Palace, so firearms seemed relatively useless.
It's just that in today's military system, matchlocks have become a must.
As long as they are Han soldiers, at least 40% or more must be equipped with matchlocks.
During this period of conquest, Zhu Di mainly relied on bows and arrows, and had sufficient gunpowder.
It's enough for defense.
When stationed on a hillside, it would be more difficult for the war horses to come up, making it difficult to create a full-scale charge.
The morning of the next day.
Zhu Di, who was waiting quietly, heard the ground shaking slightly.
Looking up, a large black shadow gradually appeared under the rising sun in the distance.
The horses all over the mountains and plains are the arrival of the Northern Yuan cavalry.
The number of people is only about thirty thousand, but the momentum is extremely strong.
The scene of thousands of horses galloping is already very spectacular on the grassland, and here in the Beiyuan Cavalry, the number of horses alone is already over 60,000.
What does it feel like to have 60,000 horses?
Especially when they are all rushing towards you, those with low psychological quality may collapse directly.
The war seemed about to break out.
However, Haba, who was cautious, did not choose to directly attack with his entire army.
Although the fortifications on the hillside are simple, they can well block the charge of war horses. If they are attacked forcefully, they will cause huge casualties.
The few cavalrymen he has now are all the elites of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. If the losses are too large, he, the Minister of War, will be done with it.
The current situation for Bei Yuan is not very good to begin with, but it will be even more difficult in the future.
"Set up camp first and send 10,000 warriors over, but besiege and not attack."
Haba narrowed his eyes slightly and ordered to the general next to him.
In his eyes, Zhu Di is now like a trapped beast. What he has to do now is to continuously consume his energy, make him exhausted, and then win it in one fell swoop.
There was not even a tentative attack. Except for the ten thousand soldiers at the foot of the hillside, the rest simply lit up bonfires and prepared meals.
Zhu Di was not surprised by this situation.
This is also the reason why the Ming Dynasty wanted to eliminate Bei Yuan. If it were an ordinary Mongolian tribe, they would definitely take advantage of it at this time and choose to take it directly instead of following the Bei Yuan leader in front of them.
In terms of cultural inheritance, the courtiers and generals of the Northern Yuan Dynasty already have the taste of the Central Plains, so it will be more difficult to deal with them.
From morning to night, Beiyuan was extremely quiet. From time to time, cavalry would come to the hillside to provoke, but they would not attack.
The soldiers on Zhu Di's side were in a nervous mood and their energy was severely depleted.
However, Zhu Di also adopted a rotation system. The three thousand people in the front guarded to prevent Beiyuan's surprise attack, while the three thousand people in the back rested and recuperated their energy.
Including Zhu Di himself, he went to bed directly after nightfall.
A day and a night passed like this.
The two armies were at peace with each other.
The next morning, after Haba looked at the situation on the hillside, he arranged for five thousand cavalry to test it first.
The view on the hillside is better. When the Beiyuan army makes any changes, they can still be seen quickly.
The five thousand cavalry made a detour and began to accelerate towards the hillside in a charge.
Simple fortifications played a relatively big role at this time. Although they could not cause too many casualties, they effectively curbed the speed of the galloping war horses.
"The fire gun soldiers are ready, let go!!!"
When the matchlock fired, it undoubtedly attracted everyone's attention.
The loud noise frightened the war horses, and the charging cavalry looked very messy.
The latest version of the matchlock gun, with the enhanced power of gunpowder, has also shown powerful lethality.