The food in Datong is not enough to support tens of thousands of local troops and 200,000 guest troops in Beijing.
The problem lies in the fact that Yingzong did not understand war at all, and rushed into battle without careful preparation of food, grass and baggage.
"The army left the capital and headed west. After that, reports of defeats spread frequently. The morale of the army was low. Coupled with the heavy wind and rain, everyone was in danger. Due to lack of preparation, untimely supply of food and supplies, violent storms and lack of tents to shelter from the rain, military discipline was bad, and residents along the way were robbed.
Food and clothing are used to satisfy hunger and keep out the cold."
"The ministers who accompanied the army came to the table many times to persuade Yingzong to stop. Wang Zhen was furious and ordered the ministers to go to the front of the battle to cheer. Seeing that Wang Zhen actually wanted to send them to the front of the battle to fight, he sent them to the battle.
The ministers were frightened. Before the army reached Datong, the Ming army had begun to run out of food. The soldiers were hungry and tired, and there were many zombies along the way. Corpses were lying in the wilderness along the way. The scene at that time was extremely tragic."
Yang Fan hated not taking the lives of soldiers seriously, perhaps because he came from later generations, which respected human life, emphasized uniformity of officers and soldiers, and equality of personality. After hearing what Zhang Shize said about Yingzong and Wang Zhen's actions, his sympathy for them also decreased.
a bit.
Yang Fan said: "From this point of view, the main reason for Yingzong's retreat was not only the disaster caused by successive heavy rains in Datong, but also the lack of food."
Zhang Shize nodded and said: "I think this is the main reason. The emperor wanted to find Wala for a decisive battle, but he couldn't find anyone. He divided his troops to fight, but the whole army was destroyed one after another. It was also in the dark first, and the Ming army was concentrated in the light.
Superior troops fight against isolation. They have an absolute advantage in local battlefields. If it continues, Datong’s food will not be enough. After all, Datong’s food is prepared for tens of thousands of local people. Now 200,000 people have arrived all of a sudden.
Where is enough to eat?"
Yang Fan said: "Then I can understand why they decided to go back to Beijing from Datong via Zijingguan Pass. Because that is the best way to go recently. From Zijingguan Pass to Shanxi Town to eat, it is to ensure the food supply. After all, we have finished eating.
For food in Datong, we have to continue to find the next one that has food. And the nearest one is Shanxi Town."
Yang Fan asked in confusion: "Why did the emperor return to Datong again?"
Zhang Shize said: "It's very simple. The emperor can't find the Wala people. After all, it's easy for the cavalry to avoid the infantry. The reason for retreating is because they want a decisive battle and cannot support so many people locally. They can't hold on and have no choice but to do so."
Halfway through the retreat, we received news that the Wala people were entering the Great Wall in large numbers. Yingzong was overjoyed and decided to go back and kill them."
Yang Fan smiled bitterly and said: "After Yingzong returned to Datong, he marched again and then retreated again. New problems must have arisen. It is very likely that he discovered that more than half of the soldiers in the Beijing camp were just nobles and ministers trying to fool themselves.
.The emperor became anxious, so he ran back."
Zhang Shize said: "There is only one explanation. After all, paper cannot contain the fire. This time, the problems in the Beijing camp have exploded one after another. The emperor is neither stupid nor blind."
Yang Fan said: "After the emperor discovered the problem with the Beijing camp, he finally woke up. At that time, Datong Town usually maintained tens of thousands of troops, and in June there were 30,000 reinforcements from the Beijing camp. So Song Ying and others had to assemble a force
A force similar in size to Yexian was not a big problem. But the result was that the entire Ming army was wiped out, and both Song Ying and Zhu Mian died in the battle. Guo Jing, the eunuch who oversaw the army, escaped by lying down in the grass."
"Both Song Ying and Zhu Mian came from a family of military generals, and they have been leading troops in battles since they reached adulthood. They are definitely not playboys who do not understand military affairs. Guo Jing, the eunuch who supervises the army, was a veteran of the four dynasties. He participated in the Jingnan and supervised the military border towns for a long time. He was
Those who understand military affairs are not simple characters. Their defeat shows that the Ming army is no longer as powerful as Ye Xian in terms of the commander's intelligence and the quality of the army."
"The emperor saw the frontier troops in Datong and the Beijing camp he brought with him. He found that the Beijing camp was far from the frontier troops in Datong. He finally realized that he could not win with these rabble.
First. So I ran away and ran back."
Zhang Shize nodded and said, "What you said is very close to the truth."
"On the way back, on August 4th, Xinhai, the second drop of water; on August 5th, Renzi, the first time in Hongzhou Fangcheng; on August 6th, Guichou, the first time Baideng. At this time, Yingzong was still very satisfied with his search for Ye
The first battle. He even went to Baishan Mountain to reminisce about the past."
Yang Fan said with a smile: "Baideng Mountain is the place where Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty was surrounded by the Xiongnu Modun Chanyu. He almost didn't get sent there. Moreover, Baideng Mountain Road was the passage where the Central Plains and the grasslands fought each other. It shows that Yingzong was very ambitious when he went there."
Zhang Shize recited: "The Han descended on the road in vain, and the Hu peered into the Qinghai Bay. The origin of the battle is that no one has returned."
"Yingzong, you are such a passionate young man."
On August 7th, Jiayin came to the west of Huai'an City.
On August 8, Yimao, we visited Wanquan Valley.
August 9, Bingchen, Ciyang and Beishaling.
On August 10th, Dingsi arrived at the Xuanfu. At this time, the Wala army had already pursued them.
This delay was very fatal, and it directly caused those who were following behind to bite the rear guard of the Beijing Camp Army. The situation suddenly became urgent.
As soon as the Beijing camp set off from Xuanfu, Zhu Qizhen received a secret report from the Jinyi Guards, and the Xian army followed behind the Ming army.
At this time, Yingzong still had the illusion of defeating Yexian, so he ordered Wu Kezhong, the respectful marquis, to lead his army to fight.
Wu Kezhong himself was originally a Mongolian and returned to the Ming Dynasty in his early years. He had accompanied Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, on many northern expeditions to Mongolia. He was a veteran general who had experienced battles for a long time. But facing Ye Xian, who was born in Mongolia, this Eastern Mongolian general still
He couldn't resist it, and he was quickly defeated.
At this time, Yingzong understood that Yexian's core military strength came from Mongolia. Their combat effectiveness was higher than that of Eastern Mongolia. The previous experience in dealing with the Tatars, that is, Eastern Mongolia, was no longer enough.
In the evening, the news of Wu Kezhong's defeat came back to the camp. The news that the entire army was annihilated came. There was panic in the camp. The civil servants and generals had long known this result. Everyone was panicked.
Zhu Qizhen also sent Duke Zhu Yong and Yongshun Bo Xue Shou to fight with 40,000 troops.
Zhu Yong was the most trusted general in the Beijing camp at that time. Not only did he participate in Ming Chengzu's Northern Expedition, he was also responsible for the daily affairs of the Beijing camp for a long time.
At this time, the remaining number of people in the Beijing camp was between 90,000 and 120,000. Zhu Qizhen handed over 40,000 troops to Zhu Yong. On the surface, it showed that he had high hopes for him. However, Yang Fan had experienced many battles, and at a glance
It was obvious. At this time, Yingzong already understood that he had been deceived by his ministers. He already knew that this battle would be defeated.
Sending troops to fight in this way becomes a fueling tactic, which can only be defeated by the enemy one by one.
If Yingzong is not a fool, there is only one possibility. He plans to cut off the tail of the gecko to survive.
However, even this last effort was quickly smashed into pieces.
After being ordered to counterattack, Zhu Yong led his army back to the vicinity of Yao'er Ridge in Jiming Mountain.
Before the Ming army could form their formation, Liu Seng, the eunuch who oversaw the army, led his men into the pass regardless of the terrain.
Zhu Yong was worried that Liu Seng had made a mistake, so he hurriedly mobilized his troops to pursue him. As a result, the whole army was ambushed by Ye Xian, and they died together in Yao'erling.
So far, with only 30,000 of their own cavalry, they had wiped out three large armies of the Ming Dynasty. The Mongols also killed a duke, two marquis and two counts during the battle.
This force was finished so quickly, and it did not play any role in blocking Ye first and buying Yingzong time to retreat.