The Ming army captured Bianliang and various places in Henan. Kuaikuo Timur was defeated in Gansu and Shaanxi, but he left his sister in Bianliang, Henan. Emperor Taizu was overjoyed when he learned about it. In order to recruit Kuaikuo Timur, he sent a special general Kuokou Timur's sister summoned to Yingtian and wrote a letter to Kuokoku Timur: Therefore, the daughter of the right prime minister, King Baobao of Henan, was appointed as the concubine of Qin.
The messenger used to be Kuo Kuo Timur's old vassal named Wei Saiyin Bu Hua, but because Shandong was captured by the Ming army, he surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. Wei Sai Yin Bu spent thousands of miles to deliver the letter to Mobei, and finally met Kao Kuo Timur. Later, after reading Emperor Taizu's autographed letter, Timur beheaded Wei Saiyin Buhua in a rage, thereby showing his determination to resist the Ming Dynasty to his hundreds of thousands of subordinates.
Even so, the Yuanting dignitaries who were following Timur's army were still uneasy. They followed the southern expedition en masse, but they were used to being pampered. How could they endure the hardships of wind and snow? Listen, When Timur mentioned that he wanted to build a city, one hundred and twenty people were naturally happy.
It was the generals who were worried. Hu Lin Chijin said: "General, you are out there looking for masonry and wood to build the city in the ice and snow. Besides, building the city in winter is very labor-intensive, so what should we do?"
Timur thought about it for a while, and then said: "Send out a reconnaissance team and bring all the people within a radius of three hundred miles of Lanzhou to this place. If there are not enough, let the soldiers work together to build the city. If there are any who retreat in the face of difficulties, they will be killed." This sentence was expanded upon by Timur's categorical statement. After hearing this, Hu Linchi stepped aside without saying a word.
Kuangkuo Timur looked at the people in the tent and then issued an order: "The construction of the city can be supervised by King Wenqi. I will allocate 30,000 troops and horses to assist in the construction of the city." He gritted his teeth and continued: "The rest of the troops will attack day and night. City, this general will build a big city within one month and capture Lanzhou within three months,"
All the generals in the tent responded in unison, and then they dispersed and went to prepare quickly.
In the battle at the east gate of Lanzhou City, the Ming army captured a large number of ordnance and armor, but not a single war horse was recovered. At that time, arrows were raining like rain and artillery fire burned the sky. Now it is difficult to find a whole horse. The big pit will cover the corpse. It's still not enough to fill it all in, so we have no choice but to dig more holes.
After the battlefield was cleaned up, Zhang Wen was worried. The soil piled up on both sides of the city gate looked like two hills. Dakui paid attention and said: "Pile all the soil into the door openings of the four gates, so that even if the Yuan army comes to attack, , I can't even think about entering the city for a while." Zhang Wen agreed, and then ordered his soldiers to use carts to distribute the soil to the four gates, and they were all used to block the door openings. Meng Ge and District Dachui led the troops to fight. He returned in triumph without losing a single soldier.
The soldiers and civilians of Lanzhou stayed up all night, and so did the Yuan army outside the city. At dawn the next day, the Yuan army began to attack the city. Da Kui stood at the top of the city and looked at the sea of people outside the city, but he was not worried at all. Today is different from the past. , the Red Scarf Army in Jiangbei suffered successive defeats, and their defeat was due to insufficient ordnance and supplies. But now Lanzhou City has strong artillery and powerful guns, and it is no problem to defend it for a year.
Thirty artillery pieces on the top of the city opened fire in rapid succession, with interspersed bows and crossbows shaking the sky with thunder. Before the Yuan army could reach the edge of the city, they were already retreating with heavy casualties. Looking at the retreating Yuan army, the soldiers and civilians on the city cheered.
Dakui felt that it was boring, so he went down to the city on his own.
There was a large banquet in the garrison, but it was not to celebrate the victory, but for the generals of lieutenant colonel and above to go to the city in turn, so that they could feast and drink after returning.
The first thing Dakui did when he returned to the garrison mansion was to eat. How could he not be hungry or sleepy after staying up all night?
Just as Dakui was having a great time eating, Zhang Wen led several followers into the hall. Everyone sat around the big table and started eating and drinking. During the dinner, Zhang Wen said: "The Yuan army failed to attack the city during the day, and it will definitely be defeated at night." Continue to attack the city, I don’t know what Mr. Zhang has to say,”
Dakui took two sips of vegetable soup and then replied with a smile: "On the way back, I saw people driving ox carts to deliver military supplies to the city."
Zhang Wen was not only confused but asked: "So what?"
Dakui laughed and asked: "The oxcart jingles as it drives away, but why?"
Zhang Wen immediately laughed and said, "What's so strange about this? The cows all have bells hanging on their necks." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhang Wen suddenly realized, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang," and gave a thumbs up.
Dakui smiled slightly and said: "Hey, trivial matters are not worth mentioning. I am tired and will go to rest after this meal. General Zhang has to worry about the city defense."
How could Zhang Wen have said anything? When Dakui finished his meal and left, Zhang Wen ordered the soldiers around him: "Later, go to the quartermaster and tell them to collect bells from the whole city and hang them outside the city wall. If there is any enemy, we can Warning," the soldier took the order, wolfed down the food, got up and left.
There were 20,000 Ming troops in Lanzhou guarding the four city walls. Each wall had 4,000 men taking turns. In addition to the common people who helped defend the city, the Yuan army was unable to do anything for a while.
In the evening, the Yuan army took advantage of the cover of darkness and climbed up the city. Unexpectedly, as soon as the ladder was put up on the city wall, a crisp copper bell sounded on the city. After the bell, there was a rain of flying arrows. If there are many people, tung oil will be poured on the city. If the Yuan army does not retreat, the Ming army on the city will drop torches to light the fire.
When the tung oil ignited, a sea of fire instantly erupted outside the city wall. No matter how many Yuan soldiers there were, they were all buried under the city.
The Yuan army's offensive was very fierce in the first three days, but began to weaken on the fourth day. In just three days, the Yuan army had lost nearly 10,000 troops. If this continues, it would not take a month to expand Timur's 200,000 men. Nearly half of the men and horses will be consumed.
Although Lanzhou City was not captured, Timur actually built a city at the foot of Baita Mountain on the north bank of the Yellow River. The scale of this city may not be that of Lanzhou, but the city has high walls and thick walls, and there are towers built every hundred steps on the city. A watchtower.
In order to build this city, the Yuan army captured strong men from nearby people and forced them to build the city. A city was built in just one month, but the bones of many people were buried under the foundation stone of the city.
Although the city wall is strong, people still have to live in tents when living in the city. But at this moment, the princes and nobles of Yuanting no longer have to worry about their own safety. Living in the city and being protected by a large team of people must be better than sleeping in the wilderness. It's much safer in the wild.
Wang Baobao had a purpose in choosing the site of the city here, because there is a White Pagoda Temple on the White Pagoda Mountain, and there is also a White Pagoda in the temple. The White Pagoda has eight sides and seven floors, about six or seven feet high, with a green roof on the top and a white pagoda on the bottom. It has a round base, is pure white, tall and beautiful. Climb the White Tower and look at Lanzhou in the distance. Although it is across the Yellow River, you can have a panoramic view of the mobilization of troops and horses in Lanzhou City.
The White Pagoda Temple is a Buddhist realm, so it is naturally difficult to meet with enemies. Timur was still very respectful to the monks in the temple. He always came in casual clothes and only had three or five followers. According to legend, there was a An eminent monk from the Western Regions went to Mongolia to meet Genghis Khan. Unexpectedly, he fell ill and passed away in Lanzhou on the way. Genghis Khan was impressed by the eminent monk's sincerity and ordered people to build this temple on Baita Mountain.