"Indeed, I didn't even expect that before setting out for the expedition, I asked why we brought so many horses and carts. It turned out that they were used to pull people. Our men and horses took turns to rest and sleep, but the enemy was not allowed to rest. How could it happen if the men and horses were tired? The principle of invincibility." Chao Xing said. After a few days of fighting, his view of Zhu Jianwen changed slightly. He was not as at odds with him as before.
Shi Biao continued: "What I don't understand is why we don't speed up the process and chase them after the victory, but stop every time we get close to them to alert them and run away."
Zhu Jianwen smiled slightly and answered: "There are three reasons. First, to keep the defeated troops to consume the rations of the Mongolian reinforcements behind. Second, to let them bring defeat and frustration to affect the confidence of the follow-up troops. Third, hehe, look at us these days. We captured so many tired and hungry Mongolians who fell to the ground, but we were not injured at all. If we force them too hard, we will inevitably force our opponents to fight with trapped animals. We will let them escape and consume them in the escape. Now we The pursuit is almost over, and it’s time to stop. If this continues, they will be exhausted, and by then the first two ideas will no longer be possible."
"From last night to now, we have not captured anyone. Since we are almost done chasing, what is the reason for this long day of chasing?" Shi Biao asked,
"Of course we are advancing the defense line. We will stay at the end of the desert and wait. According to the investigation of the spies, there are not many water sources ahead. Although there are patches of grassland, there is very little drinkable water. There are only a few pools of clear water waiting for us. We have left two pools for the rest. After fetching water, Shang Wang and others were poisoned. We are here to stand ready and set up camp to wait for reinforcements from the court. Because of the barrier of the Gobi Desert, they need to supply food and grass from the rear just like us. The Mongols are short of supplies. Setting up camp here will be most beneficial to our future actions and achieve the purpose of wearing down the enemy." Zhu Jianwen replied,
Shi Biao suddenly raised his brows and fell silent. Zhu Jianwen ordered that the Ming army stop chasing and surrounded the camp with carts and horses for simple protection. There were two water sources in the camp. The next day, huge rocks and logs were brought in. They set up strong camps and lined them up in a tight formation. They kept passages between each camp and built tall trees and boulders on both sides. They sent heavy troops to guard them to facilitate the deployment and protection of the army.
In short, this company camp has more than 20 squares, and it is unbreakable across the road. The grassland is so vast. Naturally, this is not to completely block the road and form a pass. The purpose of staying here is to stop the Mongolian cavalry and make them unable to For close-range supplies, we can only rely on transporting grain and grass from the far north. It is impossible to achieve local supply and the Mongolian method of supporting war with war.
Of course, this large camp will not be able to stop the Mongolians who are good at galloping. It is also possible for the Mongolians to take a detour. However, this will not only prolong the attack path, but also delay the time. The most important thing is to hurt the self-esteem of the Mongolians. ,
It is the rule of the Mongols to break the city when they see it. If they do not capture this stronghold and take a detour, the morale of the army will be low. Politician Zhu Jianwen knew this very well. He expected that this company would definitely be attacked by the Mongols. They attacked violently, so they were built with great care and did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
Shi Biao was sitting in the tent, surrounded by his cronies. In other words, these people were all the personal generals of the Shi family. Shi Biao first recounted the strategy that Zhu Jianwen said on the carriage, and then said something with a pale face. He didn't say anything, but looked at his subordinates coldly, and after a long time, he said in a deep voice: "You are all family members. Don't talk about those soup dumplings. Tell the truth how this battle went."
A general with a big belly but a strong masculinity clasped his fists and said: "Of course he is not as wise and powerful as General Shi. I think these strategies are the general's tips for the king."
Shi Biao was not angry but smiled and said: "I have already said that it is my own family who talks about things, but you are still here to flatter me. This is not interesting. Everyone here has my uncle's brothers and some of my brothers, but if you say this again, If you can't wait for the adjustment, don't blame me, Shi Biao, for turning his back on you."
The man just laughed sarcastically and stopped talking. Another general clasped his fists and said: "To be fair, we didn't expect that the king could be so powerful. He could subdue his troops without fighting and defeat them while chasing the enemy. This time , King Tong has taken all the limelight, and he deserves the most credit. When Jiu Qiansui comes with his troops in a few days, he will definitely reward King Tong, or hand over the entire border defense of northern Xinjiang to King Tong. I think the court will also There won't be any objections, after all, he has made great achievements and it is obvious to all."
"Exactly, these few words of yours are accurate. It is they who have made great contributions. Perhaps the next step is to defend our northern border." Shi Biao said,
A bearded general said in a rough voice: "What's wrong with this? Although we didn't make any great achievements this time, we still have no faults. Our contribution to the expedition is indispensable to us, so we won't be demoted. In the future, we will be transferred to the capital or If you go to a prosperous place, it won’t be much better than this bitter kiln in Northern Xinjiang, the women from the Central Plains with fine skin and tender meat.”
The man was interrupted by Shi Biao before he finished speaking: "It's ridiculous, let alone our Shi family, I'm just talking about you all." Shi Biao said, scanning the crowd: "What do you have left after you leave the military power in your hands? You are good at writing and writing, but you are still managing civil affairs. You are not a founding hero. Why should you enjoy the good fortune? The government pays salaries to useful people, not to people. Some people will say that there are too many useless idle officials in the government. , This is true, but don’t forget that the Nine Thousand Years Old is now in power. I heard the news that the officialdom may be purged soon. Besides, those trash are also literati. What else can we warriors do besides relying on soldiers? Don't say that you have never been greedy for a penny of military pay. Eating empty pay is the way for us soldiers to make a fortune. It is easy to say that it will cut off our financial path. What if we lose our power and power? If you don’t have soldiers to respect yourself, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to protect your food.”
"The general means that Nine Thousand Years Old will take advantage of the opportunity of ruling the king and making great achievements to reduce our power." Everyone was worried, and one person asked,
Shi Biao nodded and replied: "Yes, it is very possible that it will not only reduce the power, but also the head." Everyone sighed, and Shi Biao continued: "Lu Yunzhi is not public in his work, but he is everywhere. It is so cold and cunning that we would rather believe it or not."
A veteran general clasped his fists and came out of the queue and said: "General, please show us a clear path, whether it is to go with it or to go against it. We will serve you to the death." As soon as these words came out, the whole tent was silent. This kind of thing is too serious. It's easy to say that it goes well, but it's a big deal. Working with Nine Thousand Years Old may not be as serious as Shi Biao said, and it is not necessarily worse than working with Shi Heng. Even if you take a step back and say you are demoted from an official position, you will not be able to make any money if you are an idle official. With a pitiful salary to maintain expenses, and the foundation gained from the blood of soldiers over the years, even if you become a civilian, you can still start a business to make a living. If you save a little, it will be enough for a lifetime. After everyone weighed it, they all felt that it was not possible to rebel. They are going to lose their heads. They are keen on fighting for power in the political arena, but it is absolutely impossible to rebel.