The Northern Expedition army camped step by step and advanced northward. When entering the Ordos grassland, the army followed closely to the west bank of the Yellow River. Although the roads here were rugged and difficult, the army even had to take time to stop and repair the roads to allow vehicles to pass smoothly. But Zhang Yanling still gave up.
The gentle path of the grassland chooses to take this difficult road.
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With its back on the west bank of the Yellow River, the army had a natural barrier. Although it was comfortable for soldiers, horses and vehicles to move on the flat grassland, it was surrounded by enemies on all sides and was extremely dangerous.
It would be really troublesome for the Tatar soldiers and horses to attack from all sides. After all, there are only so many muskets, and there are only more than 10,000 archers. After being dispersed, the firepower will not be enough to stop the Tatar cavalry from charging.
It is impossible to use artillery to deal with Tatar cavalry. Heavy firearms are not even shown in public at all. They are placed on carts and wrapped in oilcloth. It is impossible to move them up and down every day. Besides, cannons can hit cavalry.
, isn’t it too wasteful?
Don't forget that Zhang Yanling likes to use dangerous and strange moves when using his troops, but when it comes to the battle itself, Zhang Yanling is quite stable. He cannot give the Tatars a chance, not even the slightest chance. Using the Yellow River as a basis, the Tatars won't care.
The attack can only be done on three sides. Moreover, it is on the edge of the grassland and the terrain is rugged, which is not conducive to cavalry raids.
For several days, the Tatar cavalry followed them around like vicious wolves. A large group of Tatar cavalry in front even screamed provocatively several miles away from the army. There were even Tatar cavalry soldiers and horses in front of the army.
The flankers approached within a few hundred steps, galloped wildly, stood on their horses, shouted, and fired arrows at the army's formation. They were extremely arrogant.
Even Zhang Lun couldn't stand the arrogance of these Tatar cavalry, and Zhu Lin was even more angry. He cursed and asked to lead the cavalry to teach these arrogant Tatar soldiers and horses. But Zhang Yanling sternly warned Zhu Lin not to attack.
Maintain your formation and march regardless of the situation.
Every day after dawn, the whole army ate, drank, and organized, and then began marching at three o'clock in the morning. In the evening, the sun was still high in the sky, and it was still very early before dark, so Zhang Yanling ordered to set up camp and rest.
The whole army seemed to be marching. It was like a huge sightseeing group enjoying the scenery along the Yellow River. What was even more outrageous was that before going to bed at night, Zhang Yanling asked some talented soldiers in the army to sing and dance for everyone.
The storyteller acted as a clown and made everyone laugh.
Zhang Lun was very puzzled by this. The Tatars were surrounding him and the battle was about to break out, but Zhang Yanling was so relaxed, which puzzled him.
Zhang Lun couldn't help but ask Zhang Yanling what the significance of doing this was. Zhang Yanling gave him the answer.
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"Mr. British, when I said I wanted to march to the north, did you find it incredible? You thought I was being whimsical and telling a joke. I communicated with you many times and showed you various firearms and equipment before you thought I was not crazy. This
Only then did I agree that you and I will lead the Northern Expedition together. But I know that until now, you are actually worried about it, and you think this is not a good idea, right?"
Zhang Lun admitted frankly. Even if there were 110,000 troops, even if Zhang Yanling accompanied him, and even if they were equipped with a large number of firearms, Zhang Lun would still feel very upset.
Seeing Zhang Lun's admission, Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Look, even you are afraid in your heart, let alone the generals in the army? Since the Battle of Tumu Fort, our Ming Dynasty has actually been afraid of the enemies in the north, from top to bottom.
Even though more than sixty years have passed, the situation where 200,000 troops were slaughtered, Emperor Yingzong was captured, and the main pillars of the imperial court were wiped out is still frightening. Most people in the Ming Dynasty talk about the Tatars
Their expressions changed, and they were afraid of them in their hearts. But now, the situation we are facing is that the 200,000-strong frontier army has just been defeated, and 150,000 soldiers and horses have been annihilated. At this time, we are leading the army to march north. The timing is actually
It is very inappropriate. The soldiers who followed the expedition were under great pressure. Including you, you must have been worried because you felt that this northern expedition might not be an opponent of the powerful Tatars."
Zhang Lun agreed. His ancestor, the British Duke Zhang Fu, died in the Battle of Tumubao. He hated and feared the Tatars in his heart. Not only him, but also his grandfather Zhang Mao.
For the British government, it was a lingering shadow.
"If we, the people of the Ming Dynasty, cannot break these inner demons, how can we talk about ZTE? The real meaning of Ming ZTE is not to have strong soldiers and horses and strong national power. It lies in getting rid of the inner demons and having a strong and confident heart. Otherwise, no matter how strong the national power is, we will fear the enemy like a tiger.
That
It's just a fat sheep. The fatter it is, the more dangerous it is. I told you that the meaning of this northern expedition is to get rid of the inner demons and remove the shadow in my heart. Therefore, our northern expedition must win.
"Zhang Yanling continued.
"I agree, but does this have anything to do with what you are doing now? You are not allowed to fight, and you are so lax and lax. Why is this?" Zhang Lun was still puzzled.
"Brother Lun, we are not allowed to fight because our goal has been set, to go north to dig out the Tatars' hearts. This is a set strategy. How can we be led astray by the Tatars just because of their provocation? The reason why I let them
The soldiers hurried along easily, that is to allow them to maintain their physical strength and march at our own pace, not because of the march
And exhausted. You have also seen that the soldiers are in good physical condition. They go to bed early and get up late, and are full of energy. There are almost no injured or sick soldiers in the army. Isn't this a good thing? We don't need a hundred thousand urgent marching soldiers.
If the horse is exhausted, it will not be able to fight the Tatars." Zhang Yanling said.
"So it makes sense. It is true that the soldiers are full of energy and the troops are not sleepy. After all, they only walk four or five hours a day. I can agree with this, but what is the purpose of all those singing, singing and making jokes?
"Zhang Lun said.
"Brother Lun, that is just a psychological game with the Tatars. The Tatars are hanging around my army and even provoking them, which is nothing more than putting psychological pressure on the soldiers. I do this, on the one hand, to ease the minds of the soldiers.
pressure,
The second is to let them understand that we don’t pay attention to the Tatars at all and do not take them seriously. It is better for the soldiers to listen to the jokes, sing and dance, than to stay in the tent and think wildly, worrying about the Tatar attack.
Camp but dare not
How about falling asleep? Moreover, if the Tatar cavalry were sure, they would have laid siege long ago. Precisely because they did not have the courage to launch an attack, they resorted to some tricks, deliberately provoking and disrupting our formation, hoping to take advantage of the chaos to harass us.
If they regard them as nothing, the Tatars will feel uncomfortable in their hearts. As one goes, the other will go up. Psychologically, the soldiers will pay less and less attention to the Tatars. The mentality directly affects the morale of the army. This is also part of the combat effectiveness.
.”
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Zhang Lun was deeply impressed. Although he did not fully understand how important this kind of psychological game and adjustment was, the less he understood it, the more he felt that Zhang Yanling was powerful. From equipment to mentality, from big to big Ming Dynasty, his inner feelings were small.
When it comes to the psychology of ordinary soldiers, Zhang Yanling is very familiar with it.
This is a wise leader. The so-called strategic wisdom is nothing more than this.
…
The army marched until the evening of the sixth day. When they were setting up camp, the scout cavalry reported the news that the Tatar cavalry was forming a team in front twenty miles away.
Zhang Yanling asked the scouts in detail about the news, and learned that the Tatar cavalry were forming into formations in front. After tens of thousands of Tatars were divided into three teams, they were drinking, eating and feeding their horses.
The scout cavalry made it very clear that the Tatar cavalry were roasting sheep around the campfire, eating mutton and drinking wine, making a lot of noise. This attracted Zhang Yanling's great attention.
Zhang Yanling and Zhang Lun summoned the generals and informed everyone of the news, but no one understood the significance of the news.
Zhang Yanling told everyone that the Tatars might launch an attack tonight. The Tatar cavalry detachment is the norm for charge attacks. The cavalry attack requires a formation, and usually charges in waves. The Tatar cavalry is divided into three groups, which is very likely
They are grouped for combat.
In addition, Zhang Yanling informed everyone that the Tatars had been under their noses for the past few days, but today they detached themselves twenty miles away and began to rarely drink and roast sheep. This was obviously abnormal.
They usually eat dry food and water that they carry with them. Why are they roasting sheep and drinking wine today? They have no victory worthy of being rewarded, and no reason to celebrate and drink. Then, this must be a precursor to war. They will eat before fighting.
If you are full and drunk, even if you die in battle, you will still be a dead man. Moreover, Tatars usually drink to build up their courage before war, so they are likely to launch an attack.
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Everyone suddenly realized that what he said made sense. They were a little panicked for a moment. Zhang Lun hurriedly ordered the whole army to prepare for battle.
Zhang Yanling said: "There is no need to make a fuss, don't let the Tatars see it. The soldiers and horses outside the camp are ready, and the inner camp will still listen to books and sing songs, just wait for them to come."
Zhang Lun was uneasy, but seeing that Zhang Yanling was very calm, he felt a little more at ease.
Zhang Yanling called Xu Tai, Wu Hao and others and asked them to set up a defensive formation. The archers gathered outside the front camp. He also ordered Huo Shijian to lead 300 gunmen to assist the defense of the front camp. He asked Tian Dongxin, who was responsible for camping outside the camp, to
A little more work was done around the campground.
Everything was ready. After dark, the archers and gunmen were all in place, waiting for the Tatar cavalry to attack.
The rest of the soldiers in the camp don't know yet. In the middle camp, a veteran is preparing to continue telling stories about the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Tonight, we are talking about Qin Shubao's battle with Cheng Yaojin, which is a wonderful part. Many soldiers sat on the ground after dinner and waited.
Listen. I also poured tea and water for the veteran to serve him. I hope he will talk more today.
The old soldier was so arrogant and airy that he sat on the frame of a large cart and started talking. Just when he was frothing and everyone stretched their necks to listen, they heard the roar of the ground in the direction of the front camp.
The sound of shouts of death echoed through the dark night.
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