The Mongolian army retreated quickly. Fortunately, Zhu Houzhao remained rational and did not order a full-scale pursuit.
Zhu Houzhao's reading of military books over the years has not been in vain, nor has his constant communication with generals been in vain. If you just talk about military affairs on paper, even Wang Yuan may not be able to defeat the emperor. At least Zhu Houzhao's pre-war deployment of troops is beyond reproach.
But this is the scariest thing!
There is a saying that "wisdom is enough to reject advice, words are enough to cover up mistakes." Zhu Houzhao was smart and eloquent, and he had military theory to support him. When he made up his mind, anyone who tried to give advice would be rejected.
However, Zhu Houzhao had an impatient personality. Whether he was in politics or leading troops, he could not get rid of this fatal flaw.
Every veteran on the battlefield will conduct multiple trials and adjust combat objectives according to the actual situation. Under the premise of having multiple options, he often considers defeat before thinking about victory, and formulates backup plans to stop losses or comeback.
And what about Zhu Houzhao? When he came up, he made a desperate move and used the main force of Datong Town as bait to assemble the army for the decisive battle.
An accident happened midway? I didn’t think about it.
What to do if the bait is swallowed? I haven’t thought about it.
What to do if you lose the decisive battle? I haven’t thought about it.
In private, Wang Yuan, Jiang Bin, Zhang Yong and others formulated a backup plan without telling the emperor.
Wang Yuan, Jiang Bin, and Zhang Yong jointly ordered those Xuanfu troops who had not yet arrived on the battlefield to station themselves in the south of Huairen County instead of coming to Yingzhou. In case of a major defeat in Yingzhou, the emperor would not be able to retreat.
In Yingzhou City, the generals could also escort the emperor to retreat north. These troops came immediately to support him, lest they collapse thousands of miles away and be unable to suppress the defeat.
As for the reinforcements from various departments of Wandu Division, Wang Yuan directly asked them to bypass Hongtao Mountain and go to Pinglu Guard to stop the Mongolian cavalry that might be defeated. If it was too late to reach Pinglu Guard, then they would attack Weiyuan Guard and Yunchuan Guard. Anyway,
The Mongolian cavalry cannot be allowed to retreat to the grassland easily.
Zhu Houzhao didn't even know about these transfer orders!
Seeing that the Mongols retreated to camp a few miles to the west, Zhu Houzhao personally reorganized the troops after the rendezvous. He was like a veteran on the battlefield, issuing military orders in an orderly manner, changing his previous confused and stupid appearance.
Who is the real Zhu Houzhao?
All.
As long as Zhu Houzhao's irritable temper is not revealed, he is still very capable, more powerful than many civil and military ministers.
As evening drew near, Zhu Houzhao set up the camp in perfect condition, personally inspected and condolenced the soldiers, and injected enough blood into the ordinary soldiers before gathering the generals to hold a battle meeting.
Generals are mainly divided into five components:
First, Wang Yuan, Jiang Bin, Zhang Yong and others came from the capital;
Second, Wang Xun, Zhang Xi, Ma Sheng and other Datong border generals;
Third, Zhu Zhen, Zuo Qin, Shi Chun and other Xuanfu border generals;
Fourth, Zhu Luan, Hang Xiong, Zhou Zheng and other Yansui border generals;
Fifth, Xiao Chu, a general from Liaodong.
Zhu Houzhao was like a strict military general. He held up a glass of water and said: "Drinking is not allowed in the army. I, the general, use water instead of wine to toast all the generals. Thanks to you for holding back the main Tatar force, I, the general, were able to lead the troops to arrive in time."
.Come and drink this cup!”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"This is the duty of ministers."
"Don't say a few days, even half a month, we can hold the Tatars in check!"
Wang Xun, Zhang Xi and other generals were originally full of resentment. At this moment, the emperor personally toasted and thanked them, which immediately made them extremely excited. Their negative emotions were swept away, and they wished they could devote themselves to the emperor.
Zhu Houzhao comforted him for a while, then raised his glass and said to Wang Yuan: "It is said that Wang Erlang is unparalleled in bravery. Today, the Japanese generals witnessed it with their own eyes. Erlang only led 5,000 light cavalry and was surrounded by tens of thousands of Tatar cavalry. He dared to charge straight into the center of the battlefield.
Rescue the friendly troops who were surrounded by more than ten thousand thieves. If you don't see it with your own eyes, how can others believe it? Erlang is really the emperor of the world!"
"It's just a coincidence." Wang Yuan did not follow Zhu Houzhao's advice and just begged this old man not to have convulsions again.
Zhu Houzhao encouraged the generals who followed him south, and then said: "How should we fight tomorrow? Tell us what you think."
Eunuch Wei Bin suddenly asked with pity: "Governor Wang, I heard that Wei Tianxiang, the commander in chief, was killed by you?"
Wang Yuan didn't look good and asked with a sneer: "This guy didn't listen to orders and fled with his troops before the battle. Shouldn't I kill him?"
When his nephew was hacked, Wei Bin was furious: "Dangtang is a third-level commanding officer. How can you kill him just as you say? Why don't you tie him up and question him later?"
"Bang!"
Wang Yuan slammed the table, stood up and scolded: "Military law is like a mountain, how can it be child's play? Even if it were you Wei Bin, I would kill him without fail. If you don't believe me, you can try it!"
"you……"
Wei Bin suddenly cried and knelt down: "Your Majesty, the child (he is Zhu Houzhao's adopted son) is a disabled person. He has always raised his nephew as his own son. Back then, Liu Jin made trouble, and the child also had the merit of exposing it. Why is he now an extinct heir?
What happened? The child's nephew Wei Tianxiang also helped quell the rebellion. He also worked with the emperor to rectify the soldiers in the border areas. He worked hard in the wind and rain without complaining. Governor Wang killed him on an unfounded charge. How could he convince the public? Please ask the emperor.
Call the shots!”
Zhu Houzhao was very unhappy. He was not only dissatisfied with Wang Yuan's skill in killing military generals, but also angry with Wei Bin for disappointing him. He said: "Military orders on the battlefield come first, and those who do not obey orders will naturally be killed. Just shut up and don't mess around."
Wei Bin was hesitant to speak, but finally stood up and returned to his seat, staring at Wang Yuan with vicious eyes.
This old eunuch has never been pushy, and he has no bottom line of shame. He is more than thirty years older than the emperor, and he is a shameful old man. He actually calls himself "child" in front of the emperor. Back then, just to show off, he got into trouble with the eunuch Ma Yongcheng.
They both ended up going on strike.
Wei Bin was always shameless in asking for an official position. His dead father was given the title of Commander-in-Chief (from the first rank), his mother was granted the title of First-rank Lady, and his younger brother and nephews were all members of the Royal Guards. They were even named after their ancestors for three generations.
Historically, Wei Tianxiang, who was killed by Wang Yuan, only fought with the emperor for one battle and was promoted to the rank of first-grade governor and tongzhi when he returned home.
Zhu Houzhao obviously cared for the old eunuch very much, and reminded him in a gentle way: "Erlang, don't kill people directly in the future, just kidnap him back and hand him over to the Ministry of War for punishment."
"Your Majesty, it is difficult for me to forgive you and obey your orders."
Wang Yuan directly went out to kneel down and handed over his governor's seal: "If your majesty thinks that my behavior is inappropriate, I will resign from the post of governor and immediately return to Beijing to think about my mistakes behind closed doors."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone had different expressions.
Zhang Yong's face was watery, and he stared blankly at the wine glass, as if it was a peerless treasure; Jiang Bin was gloating, because Wei Bin was likely to fall out of favor, and Wang Yuan had angered the emperor; most of the other generals stood by Wang Yuan, fearing that Wang Yuan would be really killed.
Throwed back to the capital, the emperor was controlled by eunuchs.
Zhu Houzhao was not sullen, but looked a little irritable, and said to Wang Yuan: "Erlang, what are you doing? You should be happy that you won the battle today, don't make such a fuss."
Wang Yuan remained silent, raised his head and looked directly at Zhu Houzhao, still kneeling on the ground and refusing to get up.
Zhu Houzhao suddenly smiled and smoothed things over: "Okay, okay, I take back what I just said. If you don't obey military orders from now on, you will beheaded."
Wang Yuan returned to his seat silently, as if nothing had happened.
Wei Bin's heart sank and his limbs suddenly felt cold. He realized that he had made a fatal mistake.
Zhang Yong quietly glared at Wei Bin and complained that this old dog always caused trouble. Wei Bin was not only the emperor's dog, but also a dog raised by Zhang Yong! Zhang Yong decided to get rid of Liu Jin, but Wei Bin immediately stood up and reported Liu Jin for rebellion; Zhang Yongtong
When the army conquered Liu Liu and Liu Qi, Wei Bin was also recommended to act as the Superintendent of Ceremonies to hold the seal.