The wind was howling and the snow was falling. A cavalry group of more than a thousand people trudged through the heavy snow with their waists lowered and their heads lowered, braving the biting cold wind that could make it difficult for them to walk. Their faces were also covered with clouds.
Wearing a thick felt scarf to protect against the wind and snow, only a pair of eyes were exposed, and his eyebrows and hat brim were covered with a layer of white frost when he breathed.
"Where...are you...in front of us?"
A man from a hundred households reined in his horse and stood at a high place, looked around, pulled down his kerchief and asked a scout next to him. Because the wind was too strong, he opened his mouth and the wind poured into his mouth. He only said two words and quickly turned around.
I couldn't help but finish the sentence.
"Sir, we are..."
The scout looked carefully at the silver snakes dancing in the snow, the wax figures riding in the wild, the wind and snow roaring, and the sky and the earth were vast. He spent a long time trying, but he couldn't see where he was. Before he had time to answer, he suddenly discovered that he was far away.
A black shadow appeared somewhere. The black shadow came out from behind a low hillside and was moving slowly to the west. He couldn't help but shout: "Sir, look! There is someone there!"
One hundred thousand Ming troops on the Northern Expedition have been wandering around the upper reaches of the snowfield for a month and a half. Except for some small tribes of Maodong, they have gained almost nothing. When they suddenly heard someone, the hundreds of households couldn't help but get excited. He took a closer look and confirmed that it was someone.
It was a group of pedestrians. From a distance, they visually estimated that the number was about two to three thousand people. They immediately ordered: "Get close quickly and find out the details. I will report it to the general!"
"As you command!"
Several scouts gestured to each other and quickly ran towards the black shadow in the distance. Their military uniforms were all covered with white clothes to keep out the cold, and their horses were all light gray and white. In this windy and snowy confusion,
Time is the best protective color, and it will not be discovered easily.
Some Mongolians were trekking arduously in the snowy fields. There were old men, women, children, cattle, sheep, and cart tents. They were obviously a migrating tribe. Tribes on the grasslands began to store everything for the winter as early as early autumn.
, salt tea, pasture... everything you need. When the early wind blows, some tribes will be smart enough to use weeds and snow to build a windbreak wall to ensure that the entire tribe can survive the winter safely.
No one will discover any flaws in the grazing land at this time, or lack of preparation for winter and be forced to migrate to other places. This migration process will destroy many elders, children and the cattle they depend on for survival.
The sheep froze to death. And this tribe happened to migrate in the twelfth lunar month of winter, and the weather was so bad today that they refused to find a leeward place to rest, which made it even more suspicious.
The news was sent to Qiu Fu. Qiu Fu heard that there was only a tribe of more than 3,000 people. He was greatly moved and immediately decided to annihilate them. At the same time, in order to prevent these tribesmen from taking advantage of the vast territory, dangerous environment with heavy wind and snow to break out and escape.
, and sent people to quickly notify the other two vanguard troops patrolling on the left and right, and then without waiting for them to arrive, they decisively launched the attack after a delay of half an hour.
The number of warriors that a tribe of 3,000 people can draw is limited, and may not be more than the 1,000 fine cavalry in Qiu Fu's hands. Moreover, they protect the old, weak, women, children, and property of the entire tribe. The formation is very scattered.
When they took off their white blouses and launched a swift attack on them, these Mongolians were caught off guard and were immediately cut into three pieces by the Ming army.
The already old Qiu Fu was still as majestic as before. He rushed forward with a sword in his hand. His leading role infected the generals of the three armies. Those brave and skilled frontier generals rushed forward one by one. The battle ended quickly.
, this tribe's military strength was limited, and they did not expect that the Ming army would arrive so quickly, and they would not camp to rest in such a wind and snow. As soon as the battle began, a complete rout was formed.
The snow is like mud, and "peach blossoms" are falling. Dead bodies are everywhere, cattle and sheep are scattered. The battle has basically entered the final stage. Some soldiers are still chasing the fleeing tribal warriors, and most of the soldiers have begun to happily gather cattle, sheep, women and children.
While waiting for the spoils of war, Qiufu ordered some Tatars who were clearly dressed to have higher status in the tribe to be brought before him for interrogation.
This inquiry made Qiu Fu very happy. Along the way, he also encountered some Tatar tribes and wiped them out. However, the tribes were not important tribes in Tatar, and the tribal chief only held a minor official position in the Tatar court.
However, this time it was very different. After interrogating Qiu Fu, he learned that this tribe was actually part of the Tatar Khan's headquarters. Their leader was a minister in the Tatar court and was called Uliang Khatai.
However, the people Qiu Fu interrogated could provide limited information. They only knew that the clan leader ordered the migration, but the specific circumstances were not clear, and that the clan leader had already broken out under the cover of his trusted guards.
At this moment, the left-wing troops led by Wucheng Hou Wang Cong came to join him. After receiving Qiu Fu's general order, they immediately moved closer and captured several Tatar deserters on the way. Among these people,
It just so happened that there was Uliang Hadai himself.
Wu Lianghatai was brought in front of Qiu Fu. He was a man in his fifties, tall and burly, with a gloomy look. He didn't say a word when he saw Qiu Fu. He gritted his teeth and refused to speak no matter how he asked.
After seeing it, he pushed him to the ground and was about to torture him.
"Wait a minute!"
Qiu Fu stopped his soldiers, took off his leather bag from his waist, pulled out the cork, took a sip, and handed it to Wu Liangha Tai.
“Good wine!”
Wu Lianghatai sniffed the taste, praised it, raised his head unceremoniously, and drank the strong wine down to the last drop.
Qiu Fu just looked at it with a smile. After he finished drinking the wine, he stroked his gray beard and said: "Master Shangshu, I, the Ming Dynasty, am the Kingdom of Heaven. I have no intention of conquering other countries or bullying the weak. Why are you sending troops this time? You are Benya.
You should be well aware that Benya lost his troops and went back on his word and beheaded my ministers. The emperor was furious, so he sent troops to punish him. The Tartar tribes have millions of people, how can it be because of Benya's fault?
And bear the wrath of thunder?
My Holy Emperor treats people with kindness, especially the barbarian chiefs. He only needs to be obedient and civilized, and rarely uses military force. The imperial court has one hundred thousand elite soldiers, and Benya Shili cannot resist. If you can reveal the information to us,
By catching him in this way, millions of Tatar people will be spared the disaster of war. This is your merit. If Benya loses his mind, he only needs to bow his head and confess his sins to our Holy Emperor, and I will not embarrass him in the future.
If you feel that you cannot be tolerated by Benya Shili from now on, I, the Ming Dynasty, can also accept you and your tribe. You know what kind of favors all tribal chiefs who submit to my dynasty receive, and I will give you a piece of pasture when the time comes.
, Isn’t it better to be a prisoner in a prison if you can command everyone and be free and at ease?”
Wu Liang Hatai was silent after hearing this. Qiu Fu just stared at him without saying a word. After a while, Wu Liang Hatai sighed and said: "General Qiu's reputation is so great that we have been far away in Mobei for a long time."
I know. That’s all, God’s will is like this, so I will recruit you, but... I hope the general can keep his promise and treat my people well!"
Qiu Fu suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and said generously: "You can just say it, I will definitely follow my words!"
"Okay! Okay!"
Wu Lianghatai smiled miserably and then said: "If I didn't say anything, I'm afraid the future of the Great Khan would be unpredictable..."
Qiu Fu's eyes flashed and he asked: "How do you say this?"
Wu Lianghatai said: "To be honest, the Great Khan... did not intend to be an enemy of the Celestial Empire. In fact, it was the Grand Master Arutai who insisted on executing it, and the Great Khan was unable to resist, so he killed the Celestial Envoy. The Ming Dynasty sent troops to Mobei to attack him.
After the conquest, the Great Khan was deeply frightened and had a great conflict with the Grand Master..."
Qiu Fu's scouts had already got some information. Combined with Benya Shili's previous performance, Qiu Fu believed what Wuliang Hadai said. When Benya Shili first ascended the throne of the Great Khan, he told the Ming Dynasty
He expressed courtesy, but the good times did not last long, and he soon changed his position. This was not the first time.
And Arutai controlled the largest power in the Tatar tribe, and he was also aware of the circumstances of Benya's disappearance, which coincided with Uliang Hadai's more "implicit" explanation.
Wu Lianghatai said: "After the news came that the general led an expedition to attack the Khan's court, the Great Khan and the Grand Master had a fierce quarrel, and finally broke up. According to the Grand Master's intention, he wanted to take advantage of the geographical advantage and the
The general fought to the death, but the Great Khan wanted to move his entire family to avoid the general's sharp edge. The two sides were in a stalemate and missed the best opportunity to deal with the general. When he heard that the general had arrived at Yinma River, the Grand Master was shocked. He came in a hurry and did not have time to make arrangements.
Want to move to the far north..."
Qiu Fu listened and thought: "Thanks to me marching with all my strength, otherwise it would be troublesome for him to calmly arrange his troops and gather the Tatar elite to fight to the death."
Wu Lianghatai smiled bitterly and said: "But the Great Khan and the Grand Master... alas! Although both of them have the intention of moving to escape now, they have different intentions on where to hide. The Grand Master wants to move north.
It is said that the environment in the Far North was bitterly cold, and the Ming army could not bear the suffering, so sooner or later it retreated without a fight. However, the Great Khan felt that the cold in the Far North was equally unbearable for our people, and by then a large number of herdsmen, cattle and sheep would freeze to death.
Your vitality will definitely be severely damaged. It is better to retreat to the west. Although we are close to Oara, I believe that the Chinese army is close at hand, and the Oara people are afraid of being burned and do not dare to take advantage of the fire!"
Qiu Fu thought: "This is in line with Benya Shili and Arutai's character."
Qiu Fu couldn't help but ask: Baidu Jinyi Night Walk @黄门内品provided, it's shameful to steal the link. "What's the result?"
Wu Lianghatai said: "As a result... Grand Master Arutai led many tribes to the far north, while the Great Khan took other tribes and prepared to flee to the northwest, hoping to exhaust the general.
Retreat without a fight!”
On the side, Wang Cong, the Marquis of Wucheng, asked: "Alutai is willing to divide his forces with Benya Shili?"
Wu Lianghatai said: "General Qiu's troops are pressing down on the territory. At this moment, the Grand Master does not dare to fight among himself."
Wang Cong asked again: "Alutai took away most of the tribes, and will inevitably take away most of the food and grass. Benya lost his way and insisted on going west, which was no better than moving north. Why did he not hesitate to fight with Alu?
Taiwan breaks up?"
Wu Lianghatai was silent for a moment and then said: "The opportunity is rare!"
Qiu Fu asked hurriedly: "When is the time?"
Wu Liangha Tai said solemnly: "Get rid of control..."