The Ming soldiers and horses stationed in Dongsheng City actually learned about the fall of Baichengzi City and the supply line being cut off by the Tatars four days later.
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Some Ming soldiers who escaped from Baichengzi fled north on horseback. Two days later, they caught up with a large group of soldiers and horses that had arrived at the edge of the Ordos Plateau to transport grain and grass.
The 20,000 Ming soldiers and horses escorting the grain and supplies were horrified when they heard the news. Soon after, the advance scouts they sent discovered traces of the Tatar cavalry on the established route.
So they urgently changed their route and detoured westward along the grasslands and Gobi areas on the edge of the desert. They also sent cavalry to deliver the news to Dongsheng City in time, requesting support.
When Yang Yiqing and Zhu Hui learned the news, they were so shocked that they could not speak for a long time. Their eyes looked at each other, both filled with deep fear and disbelief.
"What...what should we do? How dare the Tatars...how did they do it? How could they survive lurking in the desert for more than a month? They didn't escape north across the desert at all. They
How did you do it? Who can tell me?" Yang Yiqing murmured to himself after being shocked.
"Master Yang, now is not the time to think about this. The 20,000 soldiers and horses transporting grain must be supported. This batch of grain and grass supplies is extremely important to us. There is no room for loss." Zhu Hui calmed down and said in a deep voice.
"Mr. Baoguo... Even if this batch of food and supplies arrives, we won't be able to hold on for long. The supplies are cut off and we can't attack anymore. Mr. Baoguo, in my opinion, we have to evacuate here immediately and head west to me.
The best thing to do is to evacuate in the direction of Datong Border Town and Yulinwei in the Ming Dynasty. Without the support of food and grass supplies, what is the point of us staying here?" Yang Yiqing said.
Zhu Hui frowned and looked at Yang Yiqing's frightened face, and said in a deep voice: "Master Yang, with all due respect, I'm afraid we can't escape."
Yang Yiqing was surprised: "What do you mean by this?"
Zhu Hui said solemnly: "I have a hunch that the main force of the Tatars has arrived. Whether it is the time when the Tatars attacked Baichengzi, or the team transporting grain has discovered the enemy's traces, this shows that the Tatars have set up a net and are waiting.
Already."
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Yang Yiqing looked at Zhu Hui blankly and asked in a deep voice: "Don't make things sensational. The grain transport troops and horses discovered the enemy's cavalry, but it was not a large group of cavalry. It was just a small group of wandering cavalry. How can you judge that it is the main force of the Tatars?"
?”
"Mr. Yang, you understand in your heart, why do you need to ask more? Small groups of Tatar soldiers and horses are roaming around, and they are trying to find the direction of our grain transport troops and horses. Besides, how do you explain that the Tatar soldiers and horses in Baichengzi
Hidden in the desert
It took a month and a half, but they chose to launch the attack only a few days ago? In fact, after our army left Baichengzi, they could launch an attack at any time and attack me transporting grain and troops at any time. Why did they wait until now?" Zhu Hui said solemnly.
Yang Yiqing was stunned for a moment and said in a low voice: "They...were waiting for time, waiting for the main Tatar troops to arrive before taking action. Is this all their plan?"
Zhu Hui nodded slowly and said: "Yes, Mr. Yang. As we attacked along the way, the Tatars abandoned Baichengzi and did not engage in a head-on battle with us. When they attacked Dongsheng City, the Tatar defenders had already withdrawn. As we saw
Come on, it's overwhelming
, the Tatars ran away. But now that I think about it, how can this be said to be fleeing? This is a step-by-step trick to lure the enemy deeper, and let us get into the trap step by step. When we find the right opportunity, we will bite us. This is a trick of the Tatars.
.”
Yang Yiqing frowned, looked pale, and remained silent.
"Master Yang, you and I both understand how many soldiers and horses we have lost. In fact, we have gained nothing. As early as when Ma Ang was attacked, I wanted to propose an immediate southward retreat because I felt something was wrong. However,
I knew you wouldn't agree, so I didn't bring it up. But the current situation shows that we have fallen into their trap. Alas! It's too late to regret it." Zhu Hui sighed.
"You didn't say it earlier, so what's the use of saying it now?" Yang Yiqing said angrily.
Zhu Hui said coldly: "Mr. Yang, I have already said it, will you agree? I have blown the bullshit in front of the emperor. What about the great victory of Baichengzi. What about the annihilation of tens of thousands of enemies? Things have reached this point, I
If we say retreat, you can retreat? Even if you are willing, the Chief Assistant will let us retreat? Are you going to blame me? What's the point?"
Yang Yiqing closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said: "That's all, Lord Protector, I don't blame you. I'm a little confused. So tell me, what should we do now?"
Zhu Hui also knew that Yang Yiqing was indeed a little confused.
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"Master Yang, we cannot take risks in the current situation. If the main force of the Tatars has indeed arrived, then they must be waiting for us to abandon Dongsheng City and evacuate. As long as we are exposed to the cold grassland without any support, we will
They can never leave. They only need 50,000 riders
If the soldiers intercept us, we will be entangled to death. Therefore, we must hold on to Dongsheng City. Although Dongsheng City is not big, it is strong. When the Ming Dynasty built this walled city, we still put in some effort. Hold the city
As for the defense, no matter how many Tatar soldiers and horses they take, there is nothing we can do." Zhu Hui said slowly.
Yang Yiqing nodded lightly, then frowned and said, "However, we don't have enough food and supplies. Even if we stick here, the Tatars can't break the city, and we will not break it because of the lack of food."
Zhu Hui nodded and said: "This is the most serious problem. This is the purpose of the Tatars to cut off our logistics. We will be trapped and die here. Therefore, the first thing we have to do now is to respond
Those 20,000 grain transport troops and horses. This batch of grain supplies is extremely precious to us.
Expensive is our life. The 25,000 shi of food and grass transported this time must be escorted into the city. With these 25,000 shi of food and the food stored in the army, we can last for at least half a month to twenty days.
.With this batch of food supplies, we have room for maneuver."
Yang Yiqing said in a deep voice: "But what about half a month later? The food will still be exhausted. Why don't we just sit back and wait for death?"
Zhu Hui said solemnly: "Of course we can't sit still and wait for death. We must immediately send people to break out and ask for help. Please ask the court to send more troops and horses to reinforce us. Twenty days should be enough for the reinforcements to arrive. Please ask the court to send another army to rescue, Tartar
Then we have no chance of winning and will inevitably retreat. By then we will be able to turn the corner and turn the corner."
Yang Yiqing said in astonishment: "But in that case, things here can no longer be concealed. Regarding Baichengzi, all the mistakes along the way will be known to the emperor. Didn't this operation to recapture the Hetao also fail?
"
Zhu Hui sneered and said: "Mr. Yang, at this time, are you still thinking about hiding these things? How can you hide it? You are lucky to be able to escape unscathed. It is better not to think about regaining the Loop.
"
Yang Yiqing frowned and said nothing, lamenting in his heart. This operation was indeed too hasty, leading to such a dangerous situation. Now we really have to keep these hundreds of thousands of troops and retreat. If these hundreds of thousands of Bianzhen soldiers and horses are destroyed in
Therefore, the subsequent empty defense lines of border towns will not be protected, which will cause even greater harm.
At this point, we have no choice but to face it.
"That's all, I'll just do what you say. This matter of transporting food and troops..."
"I will personally lead the cavalry to respond. If I encounter the Tatar cavalry, I can fight with them to delay the time. Mr. Yang should not be idle. He immediately ordered to strengthen the city defense and peripheral fortifications, collect supplies, and prepare to defend the city. At the same time, he sent
Scout troops and horses patrol a thirty-mile radius to find out the enemy's whereabouts. Make sure you know what's going on." Zhu Hui said in a deep voice.
"Okay, then it's time to protect the country. We must return safely. It's best... all our guesses and judgments are wrong. The main Tatar cavalry has not arrived, or there are not many soldiers and horses. Then we will
Take the time to evacuate to Southwest Town and get out of this damn place." Yang Yiqing said with a cupped hand.
Zhu Hui nodded and said: "Of course I hope this is all our imagination."
…
Zhu Hui and Yang Yiqing took action immediately. When Yang Yiqing ordered the soldiers to strengthen the city defense and prepare to defend the city, Zhu Hui gathered all the cavalry in the army, a total of more than 6,000, and rode out of the south gate of Dongsheng City and headed straight for the southern edge of the desert.
Along the way, the cavalry did not encounter any unusual situations. When it was dark that day, they met up with 20,000 Ming troops transporting grain on the Gobi Desert on the edge of the desert. In order not to waste time, the cavalry immediately headed to Dongsheng City that night.
On the way.
There were too many vehicles, all of them loaded with food and supplies, and they were extremely heavy. The snow on the plateau was soft, and the movement of the vehicles was extremely slow. The Ordos grassland was crisscrossed with ravines and the terrain was undulating, and the road we followed was completely untraversed by vehicles.
path. Therefore, it often happens that vehicles get stuck in snowy sludge ravines along the way.
The soldiers were exhausted from carrying the carts in the cold and dark night. As a result, their movements became extremely slow. By dawn, they had walked less than thirty miles.
Zhu Hui was very anxious. If the Tatars found traces and launched an attack on such a journey, it would be a disaster. Not to mention food, everyone would not be able to escape.
As a last resort, Zhu Hui had to let the cavalry dismount and use war horses to help pull the cart. Jingui's war horses had to be used as bulky animals, which was a great torture and loss for the war horses. But at this moment,
I can't even care.
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After finally struggling until noon, after walking another sixty miles, they were only ten miles away from Dongsheng City. Zhu Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief. He saw that the soldiers and horses were extremely tired, and many of them had blue lips from the cold and were shaking all over.
, they were completely soaked. In addition, they didn’t stop to eat at all, so they couldn’t hold on any longer.
Originally, Zhu Hui wanted to rush into the city and then rest. His generals and soldiers begged to take a breath before leaving. Seeing this, Zhu Hui had no choice but to order to rest where he was, and let his horses eat some dry food and drink some water to replenish their strength. This last step
It's more than ten miles and it's only half an hour away, so there's no need to be too anxious.
However, just when everyone had just stuffed the dry food into their mouths, in the southwest, on the horizon, snow and mist rose like sand and dust. The sound of the roaring of the earth was accompanied by the roaring of the ground.
Zhu Hui stood up in shock, jumped on a cart and raised his telescope to look. He suddenly shouted in horror: "Everyone, get up and hurry up. The Tatar cavalry has found us."