Tumen's Khan's order has not yet been sent to Qinghai, but the order Gao pragmatically issued to Cao Gan earlier has already arrived.
At that time, Cao Gan had returned to Liangzhou Guard with three thousand Gao family cavalry, and was waiting for Gao Jingshi's order. This place was not far southwest of Yongchang Guard, which was later known as Wuwei City.
After receiving the order from his master, Cao Gan finally changed his anxiety and hesitation of the previous days and took action with great enthusiasm - he withdrew to Lanzhou with three thousand cavalry without saying a word.
Although it is said to be "withdrawing", it does not mean that this move is "escape". On the contrary, withdrawing to Lanzhou means that the cavalry unit may prepare for war.
The reason is very simple. From Liangzhou to Xining, because the Qilian Mountains are in between, the imperial court has not and is unlikely to set up a post station so far. Therefore, normally speaking, it does not conform to the Ming Dynasty's routing habits for sending troops. As for Huo Luochi and Jingli Why do rabbits walk like this...Have you ever heard of Plateau Ranch?
Of course, Huo Luochi and Zhuli Rabbit can walk, which means that Cao Gan could have walked like this. However, Gao Pragmatic did not intend to let his cavalry run alone to recapture Xining. He just asked Cao Gan to go to Lanzhou to wait for the army, and then from Side assistance.
After all, although Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu are not big enemies in the eyes of Zhu Yijun and Gao Pingshi, but from the perspective of the entire Ming Dynasty, of course they are still strong enemies from the perspective of the northwest - the entire There are only over 60,000 troops in Gansu Town, less than 70,000. The Huo Luochi brothers add up to 50,000 cavalry, so they are no longer small bandits.
Although the Huo Luochi brothers who are now entrenched in Xining will definitely not put all their main forces into the city, they will certainly not be able to capture it with three thousand cavalry. After all, the cavalry do not have many means of siege. Even if they switch to the short-barreled Wanli Type II lance, it won't change.
To attack a city, one must either rely on artillery, siege, or heaps of human lives. None of the three thousand cavalrymen can meet the requirements, so going to Xining is useless. Of course, they must retreat first and wait for the army.
But the "big army" did not move too quickly. Even though Gansu Governor Cao Zedeng and Commander-in-Chief Liu Chengsi had already begun to mobilize the army before Guyuan's Trilateral Governor Gao Guang gave orders, the Gansu army was distributed in a long line. Various places in the Hexi Corridor now have to worry about being attacked by the Mongols, so the speed of mobilization is really limited.
And there is another point that is quite troublesome, that is, the governor of Gansu is based in Ganzhou, which is relatively northwest, that is, the location of the Five Guards of Ganzhou is relatively northwest than the Yongchang Guards. It is obvious to mobilize the army from there. Eventually I have to go south.
If the army coming from Shaanxi wants to go to Xining, they must go to Lanzhou, because this way they can go up the river, and they can stop at Gaodianzi Camp at Nianbo Guards Qianhu Station to avoid being in nowhere all the way. In the unobstructed wilderness, you will face Mongolian attacks at any time.
However, Cao Gan soon began to feel melancholy again after arriving in Lanzhou, because the performance of Gao Guangxian, the governor of the three sides, could not be said to be positive. After so many days, Guyuan's army not only sent troops, but also did not even complete the assembly. They were scattered in twos and threes. Among the countless Wubao castles in Guyuan Town, Guyuan City still has only more than 20,000 troops.
What made Cao Gan couldn't help but scold his mother secretly was that Gao Guangxian actually responded to King Qing's request and sent more than a thousand people to Qingyang to protect King Qing. The reason was that King Qing was the prince guarding the border and had to face the Ordos tribe that might change.
.
After all, Cao Gan had been in charge of Jinghua Trading Company for many years and had been in the northwest for some years. After all, he was still a bit thin. So he had to write a letter in person and tell Gao Guang first that he had followed his master's wishes and brought three thousand capable cavalry to wait in Lanzhou.
He hopes that he can come as soon as possible and strive to recover Xining as soon as possible.
By the way, Cao Gan also mentioned based on his own experience that once the Huoluochi (Huo Luochi) went to Xining, he might be worried about continuing eastward, because once he reached Xining, the Huoluo only had to break through Nianbo's defense of Qianhu and the village.
Langwei can completely cut off the connection between Gansu and Shaanxi, and also open up the connection between Qinghai Tumote and their brothers' hometown in Songshan.
The world was shocked.
However, although Cao Gan had the privilege of delivering the letter directly to Gao Guangxian, it did not mean that Gao Guangxian would listen to him. Civil servants like Gao Guangxian usually took Cao Gan seriously just because of their high pragmatism, but not
It means that he really thinks that Cao Gan, a trading company boss with a rough background, can have any wise ideas.
As for the threat that Cao Gan mentioned that Huo Luochi would march eastward and cut off Gansu, Gao Guangxian thought it was unlikely. After all, Huo Luochi should know that the Ming Dynasty would not tolerate this. Although he could do this, doing so would mean that
He needed to withstand the encirclement and suppression from three sides of the Ming Dynasty. Gao Guang first felt that Huo Luochi must know that he couldn't bear it, so he would not make such a choice.
However, Gao Guangxian miscalculated again this time.
Of course Huo Luochi knew that their brothers' cutting off the front line in Gansu would cause the Ming Dynasty to be furious and launch a large-scale counterattack against them, but Burihatu's sharp tongue was enough to convince them.
At this moment, Burihatu in Xining City was smiling and convincing Huo Luochi and Zhulitu to send troops to march eastward.
"Songshan is the old place of the two of them, and it is also the foundation of the two of them. Now that the two of them can make great changes in Qinghai, they rely on the old Songshan tribe. Now that Xining is about to come, we only need to continue the eastward expedition and capture Nianbo and Zhuanglang.
The land, Qinghai Tumote and Songshan are connected together, enclosing Gansu of the Ming Dynasty, like food on a plate, you can enjoy it at any time..."
But Huo Luochi shook his head repeatedly: "I won't tell you whether Nian Bo and Zhuang Langwei can be defeated. Even if they are defeated, I'm afraid what happens next will not be as easy as Taiji said."
Zhuli Tu also said: "Yes, Nianbo and Zhuang Langwei may be easy to talk to, but if you say that Gansu will be our brothers' food by then, you are looking down on our brothers too much. Taiji, I'll tell you the truth.
, we have fought many times with Gansu Town, large and small. The Ming army in Gansu Town was not very good in the early years, but later...
Well, it was probably a few years ago, and it started to slowly become more powerful. We even suffered a small loss several times, and we didn't grab much. We also always lost more than two to three hundred warriors each time. Compared with them
It’s not worthwhile to fight.”
Huo Luochi continued to finish the attack: "Yes, and the Ming army in Gansu is only one side. If Nian Bo and Zhuang Langwei are lost, the Ming army in Shaanxi will have to move even if they don't want to move. By then, our brothers will be enemies on both sides.
, just like the Han people say that two fists are difficult to defeat with four hands, and you will always suffer.
Oh, and also, once we take the Zhuang Langwei line, in order to maintain smooth communication with Songshan, we must hold on to this area, which means we can't leave just yet, which is even more uneconomical!"
One thing to note here is that the "Big and Small Songshan" in the Ming Dynasty was an area without clear boundaries. It was roughly due north of Lanzhou and an area outside the Great Wall. Looking at the map, this area was roughly the Liangshan area in the Ming Dynasty. Between Zhou Wei and Ningxia Wei.
If Ningxia Wei and Gansu are the "protrusions" formed by the Ming Dynasty to Tumed, Ordos, and Qinghai Tumed, then conversely we can also say that the Big and Small Songshan Mountains are a protruding part formed by the Mongols to the Ming Dynasty.
Neither of the two brothers was optimistic about continuing to advance eastward, but Burihatu didn't seem to be anxious at all. He just smiled and said: "You two are in charge, I would like to ask: If the Ming army in Shaanxi cannot mobilize troops against you, what will happen to you?" Are you interested in taking over Gansu?"
As expected, the expressions of Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu immediately changed. They both looked at each other, not knowing what was communicated in their eyes. Huo Luochi immediately said in a deep voice: "What does Taiji mean by this? The governors of the three sides lost Xining." It can also be said to be an accident. If Zhuang Langwei is lost at that time and Gansu is left alone, will he still be able to sit in Guyuan and watch the show? I don’t think Emperor Zhu will tolerate him, right?"
Zhuli Rabbit followed closely and said: "Did Taiji actually convince him to defect to Mongolia? I'm afraid it's impossible."
"Just kidding, Gao Guang first surrendered to Mongolia, what did the Great Khan give him as a reward?" Burihatu smiled, pointed at a somewhat scrawled and deformed simple map, and said: "The Great Khan has a far-sighted vision and a broad mind. What you are planning is more than just a corner of the country? You two, look at this... Once you two get through Songshan, what obstacles will remain between you and the Ordos headquarters?"
Huo Luochi waved his hand: "What else do we need to see? There is Ningxia between Songshan and Ordos."
Zhulitu seemed to be thinking a little further this time, frowning and saying: "What should I say? Could it be that Boshu Ketu's wings are hard and he has the appetite to attack Ningxia? I think our eldest brother is probably not Will you agree?"
Burihatu smiled and said: "Chief Qie (he once served as one of the five consuls, although he actually disbanded in the end, but Tumen did not announce his removal) may not agree with it, but the two Taiji also know that Qie It’s hard to say whether the ruler can speak out now, so how can he continue to restrict farmers.”
Only then did Huo Luochi and Zhuli Rabbit really pay attention. They looked at the map carefully for a while and seemed to be thinking about it. After a while, Huo Luochi took the lead and shook his head and said: "Ningxia guards are not easy to deal with, especially in this town of Ningxia. , there are both the Ming Dynasty's Hetao Great Wall and at least dozens of large-scale docks in the surrounding area... Even if it were my eldest brother who went to fight it in person, he might not be able to defeat it, let alone a small Jinong like Boshu Ketu?"
Zhuli Rabbit also nodded in approval and said: "Yes, Ningxia is very difficult to fight. If it were easy to fight, wouldn't it have been taken down long ago when the Khan was here? Why would it be necessary to wait until now?"
The Great Khan he mentioned here refers to Anda Khan - their brothers now do not recognize Bahan Naji.
Burihatu remained unhurried, just smiled mysteriously, and said softly: "Then what if...Ningxia itself voted for us?"
"What!" Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu were shocked at the same time: "Ningxia wants to surrender to Mongolia?"
Burihatu didn't answer, just smiled.
Huo Luochi lowered his face and asked: "This matter is of great importance. Taiji should stop playing riddles. Although Zhang Weizhong, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, is not that great, at least I have not heard that he has any contact with us Mongolia. And as far as I know, his official career is going smoothly, and I don’t think he will defect to the Ming Dynasty. Taiji, you... are you kidding me?"
Zhu Litu also stared at Bu Rihatu with sharp eyes. If Bu Rihatu hadn't been a close confidant of Tumen and had just helped them capture Xining, which they thought about day and night, I'm afraid he would have changed his face at this moment. After all, Bu Rihatu Rihatu's current rhetoric is very much like trying to trick them into committing suicide.
However, Burihatu remained calm and smiled slightly: "Zhang Weizhong will not vote for us, but what about Kuaibai? Although he suffered some unfair suppression in his early years and even defected to the South, he is still a Mongolian after all. Now he has figured it out, instead of being regarded as a person with different opinions in the Ming Dynasty, he might as well just come back to Mongolia. I can't always turn away from such a person, don't you think so, Taiji?"
Huo Luochi and Zhulitu were surprised and looked at each other again.
Kuaibai was then serving as the pacesetter and general of the Ningxia Army. This man was originally a small chief of the Mongolian Tumote tribe. Due to a conflict with his immediate superior, Yingtaiji, he offended his minister during the "Jiajing period", and both his father and brother were killed. "Leading his troops to defect to the Ningxia official army". Later, because of his bravery in combat, he was promoted to the governor's general with military merit. Later, due to his repeated military exploits, he was gradually promoted from general to garrison, guerrilla, and general general, and was awarded the hereditary title of Ningxia Wei. All commanders.
Kuaibai originally joined the Ming army to escape and avenge his father and brother, so he always harbored different aspirations and had ulterior motives. After he established a foothold in Ningxia, he recruited traitors, attracted local ruffians, and raised a so-called "cang" at home. There are more than 3,000 armed servants in the "leading army".
His eldest son, Kuai Chengen, was a "one-shaped owl with a ruthless nature". He usually ran away with many animals and had no superiors or laws. However, there were always many Mongolians in the Ming Dynasty's frontier army. The imperial court was not interested in these people who could fight. The Mongols are also relatively tolerant, so there are very few penalties for worshiping.
Both Huo Luochi and Zhuli Rabbit knew about these situations, so they were also a little confused. Zhuli Rabbit asked: "But it's not bad for Mingren to treat Kuaibai."
Huo Luochi thought more and frowned: "Kaibai is just a general. Even if he wants to join us, how capable can he be? Just winning one Ningxia city is not enough. Then there are dozens of cities (castles) around Ningxia. , Wubao), everything is difficult to handle."
Burihatu smiled and said: "You two don't know something. He has been in Ningxia for decades. Although his status is no more than a general, it is just because he is a Mongolian and cannot be promoted. I have already After careful investigation, most of the forty-nine cities around Ningxia were his former subordinates, and they usually respected him. Once he announced that he was going to stop, no one would dare not follow him.
What's more, if Jinong and the two of them still respond by then, the situation in the northwest of the Ming Dynasty will be completely turned over by us. Can't they still see who they should follow? As for the two of them, there is naturally nothing to worry about. The Shaanxi Ming Army and the Gansu Ming Army have joined forces to besiege, and it will be hard to say whether they can even defend Guyuan by then."
When Huo Luochi and Zhuli Tu heard this, they immediately became excited, and their four little eyes gleamed.
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PS: The layout of the first of the three new major conquests should be considered to have been unfolded as of today. This is an enhanced version of the Kuaibai Rebellion...