The army in the direction of Hami was dominated by Hui'an Bo and Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei appeared as a villain several times in history books. For example, he protected the family of Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, and was so shamed by Li Yuanfang that he could only hand over the criminals who harmed the people.
You read that right, it’s Li Yuanfang.
Li Yuanfang lived in the Ming Dynasty, instead of following Di Renjie in the Tang Dynasty. This gentleman was elected in the second year of Zhengde, and he is still trying to pass the imperial examination. As a county magistrate, he dared to overturn the iron case handled by Dongchang.
Although Zhang Wei has done many bad things, this belongs to the fine tradition of officials in the Ming Dynasty, and he still has real talents.
Sixteen years ago, Zhang Wei served as the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province.
Later, he was collectively recommended by the cabinet of the Hongzhi Dynasty to be the admiral of the Shenji Camp and also in charge of the Zuo Army Governor's Office. He was also appointed the crown prince's Taibao by Zhu Houzhao.
Until he followed Ma Zhongxi to recruit Liu Liu and Liu Qi, and was impeached by Yan Guan, who was punished by execution and dismissed from his post to live idle - a very nonsense charge. After Yan Guan removed Ma Zhongxi and Zhang Wei, he immediately replaced them with Yang Tinghe's confidant.
Now, although Zhang Wei has restored his title, he does not have any official official position. The honor of being the crown prince and Taibao has also been deprived, and he can only receive half of his salary.
Following Wang Yuan on the expedition, Zhang Wei only had one temporary position: to be the admiral of the Shenji Battalion.
The agency, that is, the agent, generally has a term of one year.
"Sire, my lord, Mansu'er came out in full force, bringing not only the army, but also the population, property and livestock, straight to Hami!"
A bizarre military report left Zhang Wei confused.
Zhang Wei immediately summoned the generals to discuss the matter: "Everyone, tell me, what does Mansu'er want to do?"
Zhu Ying guessed: "Xueshi Wang must have succeeded in the attack and occupied Man Su'er's lair. Man Su'er was desperate for survival and came out in full force to capture Hami!"
"That's probably the case," Li Ying nodded and said, "We should strengthen our defense and be sure to block Mansu'er's attack."
The leaders of the Seven Guards of Guanxi all agreed and planned to wait for reinforcements, waiting for Wang Yuan to return with his cavalry, and attack Man Su'er from both front and rear in Hami.
Zhang Wei suddenly asked Zhang Zigao: "Zhang Qingcheng, President Wang said that you are familiar with the affairs of the Western Regions and are quite wise. I should listen to your opinions more. Do you think Man Su'er is here to attack Hami?"
Zhang Zigao smiled slightly: "Mansu'er came out in full force, and brought livestock and people with him, which shows that Wang Zongzhi must have succeeded in his attack. If I were Mansu'er, I wouldn't be stupid enough to come and attack Hami. It's still two questions whether I can capture Hami.
, after years of fighting, Hami has long been a blank land, what is the use of defeating it? Even if Hami is extremely rich, Mansuer's occupation of this place is equivalent to being trapped in the shoal and surrounded by everyone."
"Then where is he going?" Xian Kebo asked with a frown.
Zhang Zigao pointed to the map of the Western Region: "To the south is the eight-hundred-mile vast sea, and further to the east is Jiayuguan. He naturally wants to go north."
"Yes!"
Yan Kebolci laughed loudly: "This barbarian is going to get mad. He was forced by Wang Zhi to have no choice but to cross the Tianshan Pass and run to the grassland to compete with Xiaolietu for territory."
"Wonderful," Zhu Ying said happily, "Turpan and Xiaolietu are the two major enemies of the Ming Dynasty in the Western Regions. If they kill each other, there will be no worries in the Western Regions. Wang Zongzhi has dealt with two scourges at once.
"
Zhang Zigao shook his head and said: "Little Lie Tu can't beat Man Su'er. If Man Su'er comes out in full force, it's very likely that they will directly eat up Little Lie Tu's pasture. In ten years, Man Su'er will definitely rise in the grassland, and then they will definitely rise again.
Go south and invade Hami."
Zhu Ying smiled and said: "Who can tell clearly what will happen in ten years? There is no need to think so far ahead."
Zhang Zigao showed no mercy to Zhu Ying: "If you don't have long-term worries, you must have immediate worries. Perhaps we can stop midway and continue to lose Mansu'er's troops, so that Mansu'er and Xiaolietu will be evenly matched."
Zhang Wei asked: "Mansu'er has many cavalry, and Hami are all infantry. How can we harm their strength?"
Zhang Zigao pointed to the map and said: "If you want to cross the Tianshan Mountains to reach the grassland, the nearest mountain pass is north of Hami. The terrain there is steep and complex, which is not conducive to cavalry operations. Our fire gun soldiers can give full play to their advantages."
Zhang Wei was now thinking about making meritorious service and restoring his honor as the crown prince and Taibao. He immediately said: "I will personally lead the Shenji Battalion to stop Mansu'er!"
"No!"
Everyone tried to dissuade him in unison.
Li Ying said: "Sir, since Master Wang is not here, you are the backbone of Hami and must stay in the royal city of Hami."
Zhu Ying also said: "That's right. Academician Wang has succeeded in the surprise attack. There must be no mistakes. What if Mansu'er really comes to attack Hami?"
Zhang Wei looked at the map and thought for a long time. Although he was not a famous general, he still had basic military vision.
According to the information brought back by Tan Ma, Mansu'er doesn't even want his home anymore, so how can he come to attack Hami?
After thinking about it, Zhang Wei said: "It is indeed not suitable for me to leave, but Man Su'er should also ambush. Who is willing to lead the Shenji Battalion on an expedition?"
Everyone looked around and found that only Zhu Ying and Li Ying were suitable.
Li Ying suddenly knelt down on one knee and said, "I will go there in the end!"
Zhang Wei made the final decision: "Okay, I'll leave the Three Thousand Divine Machine Battalion to you. Zhang has experience and is familiar with the terrain, so he can serve as the army's guide and staff officer."
Even if the research and development of the arsenal goes smoothly, after all, time and manpower are limited, so far only a thousand flintlock guns have been built. And they are smoothbore guns, and there is no time to slowly polish the rifling. Of the three thousand Shenji Battalion, there are still two thousand in use.
Terrible three-eyed gun.
Zhang Zigao led them to the mountain pass, pointed to the surrounding terrain and said: "North of Hami, there are many mountain passes that can cross the Tianshan Mountains, but this mountain pass is the closest and the best. If you don't take this mountain pass, you will have to take a detour.
a few days."
Li Ying checked the situation carefully and found that the reality was completely different from what he imagined.
This mountain pass is not a line of sky with cliffs on both sides.
Walking north from Hami, after dozens of miles of Gobi Desert, you arrive at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. Horses can walk through the mountain pass, and there are stepped slopes on both sides. Sometimes the slope is relatively gentle. If the ambush is too low, the cavalry will be able to ride at full speed.
You can rush up directly.
Moreover, the hillside is bare with few trees, making it a meadow terrain favored by herdsmen. The ambush location must be carefully selected so that the ambush troops cannot easily detect it.
Wang Yuan traveled thousands of miles and came here.
Historically, Ban Chao walked here, Pei Cen walked here, and Jiang Xingben walked here. Kangxi and Qianlong still walked here when they conquered Zhungeer.
Battleground!
Li Ying asked: "Has Zhang experienced himself here before?"
Zhang Zigao smiled and said, "I've been here several times. On the top of the mountain to the east, there is an abandoned ancient temple. Every time I come, I go up to worship."
"Ancient temple?" Li Ying asked, "Who is worshiping?"
Zhang Zigao looked up at the Tianshan Mountains and said leisurely: "Ban Dingyuan."
Ban Dingyuan is Ban Chao.
In the Qing Dynasty, the temple was going to be renovated, but unfortunately Ban Chao was invited out and replaced by Guan Erye, and the name was changed to "Tianshan Guandi Temple".
Two days later, Tan Ma brought news.
Mansu'er bypassed Hami Royal City and swaggered across the Gobi towards the mountain pass.
One thousand cavalry went forward to clear the way, followed by Mansuer's five thousand cavalry, followed by people, goods, livestock and grain, and finally there were more than four thousand cavalry behind them.
When passing through the mountain pass, they always left a passage for two horses to run parallel, and the front and rear could rescue each other at any time.
"The enemy's forward has passed." Zhang Zigao said while lying in the grass.
Li Ying held the telescope in his hand and said with a smile: "I don't know, I'll wait until some of the other party's women, children and livestock come in."
Mansu'er was riding on horseback, looking around at the mountain terrain. He always felt that there was a potential crisis. He ordered: "Speed up the march and rest after passing the mountain pass!"
Li Ying waited for a while and suddenly said: "Let's raise the hot air balloon!"