Tens of thousands of Tartars desperately gathered in Boyan Khan's direction. There were too many of them and their fighting spirit had become unusually tenacious. The Ming army could not stop the Tartars from gathering, so they took advantage of the fact that their formation was split and had yet to close up to attack with all their might, killing as many people as possible.
The cavalry vanguard that was galloping forward had also charged into the boiling battlefield. 'Clang!' a loud noise was heard, the Tartar's Heaven Supporting Pitchfork was struck by the broadsword in the hand of a speeding cavalry. An irresistible heavy force sent the pitchfork flying more than two zhang away.
The second rider arrived. The blade of his saber slanted forward, borrowing the momentum of the fast horse, he easily beheaded the Tatar who had lost his weapon. The headless corpse stood erect for a moment, then spouted a mouthful of warm blood, and fell limply to the ground.
The Tatars who reined in their horses to fight knew that they would not be able to compete with the Ming soldiers who were leaping over with the help of the horses. In a moment of desperation, several Tatars threw the spears in their hands like javelins. The Tatars who were standing further away quickly nocked their arrows and shot several arrows in succession, slightly halting the Ming troops' charge.
But before they could settle down, the cavalry behind them came charging over. The leader was a handsome general. It was Jing Fuer. He had been ordered to guard Flying Fox Crossing to prevent anyone from following the Duoyan Guards and breaking through the pass. Seeing the smoke coming from the Great Wall, he and the guards at Flying Fox Crossing were immediately on full alert to prevent an invasion. But then he saw the smoke coming from Mount Bai and felt that something was wrong.
Although there was smoke coming from Mount Bai, there was no opportunity to use it. It was purely an unnecessary setup. No matter how strong Boyan's troops were, they could not charge through the Great Wall in such a short time. If the Maitreya Sect had gathered people to attack Mount Bai, the five thousand men on the mountain and the seven thousand soldiers in ambush in Datong would be enough to destroy them ten times over.
So what was the matter with the fire beacon on Mount Bai? Jing Fuer's first reaction was that the Duoyan Guards were up to no good. They had led their troops up the mountain to form an alliance, but it was real that they wanted to kill the Emperor. Other than the five thousand elite soldiers of the Duoyan Guards, who could pose a threat to the Ming army defending the mountain so quickly? So Jing Fuer did not even think about it and immediately led his thousand brothers back to rescue the Emperor.
When they reached the foot of the mountain and saw such a large formation, Jing Fu 'er was also shocked. Where did so many Tatar soldiers come from? But at this time, he didn't have time to ask so much. Since the two sides were fighting, killing without holding back was the proper thing to do.
Jing Fuer held a heavy, thick-backed machete in her hand. Using the machete as a stab, the machete brushed past the chest of a Tatar general who was wearing a body armor. Sparks flew and a frightening gaping hole appeared in the body armor. Immediately, flesh burst open and blood gushed out.
The stab was not fatal, but the Tatar high-ranking officer was stabbed so hard that he fell down from his horse, and rolled several times on the ground. Before he could crawl up, the rumbling hooves of the horse trampled over his body.
His howling and struggling only lasted for a moment. When the horse's hooves stomped on his back again, he didn't react at all. Machete after machete furiously chopped down, mercilessly tearing flesh and bone like cutting melons and vegetables. With each flash of cold light, fresh blood splattered.
The chaotic battle had begun. The plains at the foot of Mount Bai were filled with people. Bows, arrows, javelins, and other long-range weapons had all lost their use. Everyone could only pick up their machetes, spears, swords, and halberds to find their opponents to fight hand to hand. Heads rolled on the ground, severed limbs flew, shocking screams, and soul-stirring galloping. It was like hell on earth, an Asura killing field.
Only now did Yang Ling's hanging heart relax. He hurriedly rushed in front of Zhengde, flipped over, and knelt down. He joyfully said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your Majesty has a good strategy and is calm in command. Bo Yan has failed to steal a chicken. This time, you will suffer a great loss."
Zhengde's handsome white face was also smoldering, his eyes bright red, but the expression on his face was very happy. He hurriedly went forward to help Yang Ling up. He couldn't help but happily say, "Beloved Official Yang, please get up. Which two groups of reinforcements are at the foot of the mountain? They came at the right time. Zhen will definitely reward them handsomely! "
Zhang Yong and Miao Kui saw this opportunity and quickly went forward to flatter him. When Hua Dang and the rest saw that the mountain was almost breached, their hearts were in their throats. They already knew that they had fallen into Yang Ling's delaying tactic. They were coaxed and lured by him to send out all their elite troops to help him guard the mountain and wait for the army to surround Bo Yan. In reality, it was Emperor Ming Destiny who had fallen into the enemy's surprise attack. It's just that he was blessed by the heavens and managed to avert the danger.
The situation is stronger than the person. Now that Zhengde is the big winner, who would say it out to invite ridicule?
Both sides had a tacit understanding. Anyway, this bet was right. Hua Dang led the leaders and quickly went forward to flatter Tian Khan.
Yin Qi glanced at Yang Ling from the corner of her eye and said in a low voice, "Your luck is really good!"
Now that the siege has been broken, it's like a heavy stone has been lifted from his heart. Yang Ling felt his whole body relaxed. Hearing what was said, he could not help but smile and said, "My luck has always been good. It's just that I caused Miss to not be able to become the Khan's Khedun, I am really sorry."
"Yin Qi, come over and greet the Tian Khan!" Hua Dang called out and then bowed toward Zhengde. He placed his hand on his chest and said, "Honorable Tian Khan, this is official's youngest daughter, Yin Qi Qige. She insisted on following small official to have an audience with the Tian Khan. Official was afraid that she would be disrespectful in front of His Majesty, that's why I disguised myself as an imperial bodyguard."
Yin Qi heard her father calling her. She snorted coldly at Yang Ling and strode forward to pay her respects to Zhengde.
Yang Ling saw that after a chaotic battle at the foot of the mountain, the Ming army had already charged to the foot of the mountain and formed a human wall. On the opposite side, the Tatar army was also gradually converging. At one glance, it was clear that both sides were heavily fortified. He said, "Your Majesty, official will go down the mountain to see the general leading the army."
Zhengde nodded his head in approval. Yang Ling immediately led more than a hundred imperial bodyguards down the mountain. By this time the Tatar army had finished assembling. The total number of people was still more than ten thousand more than the Ming army. Wang Shouren was on standby, guarding against Bayan's attack. Wherever the Tatar banner pointed, there was a strange whistling sound. The army quickly broke away from the battle formation and ran wildly in the direction of Datong.
Yang Ling rushed to Wang Shouren's side. The two of them were familiar with each other in the capital, so at this moment they did not have time to greet each other. Wang Shouren only hurriedly nodded his head in acknowledgment. Immediately he ordered his troops to wave the military banner as a signal, and the army followed to attack.
Wang Shouren knew that the Emperor was on the mountain, so he did not dare to send out all his cavalry. Moreover, even if he sent out his entire army, his strength would still be far inferior to the enemy's; it would be impossible for him to completely annihilate Bayan. Besides, there were still Tatars outside the city of Datong. If the two armies joined forces, it would be even more unstoppable. Therefore, he only ordered the two guerrilla warfare generals to stay far away, as if they were driving wolves out of the pass. He left three thousand cavalry at the foot of the mountain to protect the Emperor, while he himself, accompanied by Yang Ling, went up the mountain.
As soon as Jing Fu 'er saw the Tatars had escaped, he immediately led his men to chase after them, shouting and yelling. They chased after the Tatars' horses' butts, chopping people. It was too late to call out to him. Wang Shouren also did not see him face to face in the midst of the chaos; he did not even have time to figure out which group of reinforcements this was.
When Bayan fled in disorder, logically speaking, pursuing and killing the fleeing soldiers was a rare opportunity. When Wang Shouren led his troops to attack the Tatars, he was incomparably ferocious. Why did he become more cautious after the Tatars had escaped? Yang Ling was full of doubts; he did not understand Wang Shouren's arrangement. As they went up the mountain, he raised the question in his heart to him.
Wang Shouren already had an extremely good impression of Yang Ling. Between him and Yang Yiqing, one was unemployed at home, the other was locked up in prison. It was all thanks to Yang Ling's mediation that he was able to be reactivated and entrusted with an important task. Wang Hua the Grand Secretary had already mentioned these matters to his son, so when he saw him, he felt that he was even more friendly.
Hearing his question, Wang Shouren let out a bitter laugh and said, "If lowly officer's guess is correct, the Ju Fu Gate is already in the Tatars' hands. With the speed of their cavalry, if they want to break through the pass and break out of the encirclement, nobody can stop them. Our advantage lies in relying on our military strength to fight head-on; pursuing and attacking from afar has never been our army's forte. Moreover, the Tatars' warbows can shoot over a hundred 'zhang' away, they are especially proficient in the 'Mangu's Evil Archery' … "
Seeing Yang Ling raised his eyebrows in doubt, he explained, "That means their horsemanship is superb, they can escape while shooting arrows behind them. Daren, our bows and arrows are not as good as the Tatars. Moreover, we are pursuing forward, we are meeting the Tatars' arrows head-on, while the Tatars are fleeing forward, avoiding our army's arrows. Running away and running away, it will become the fleeing side's victory, on the contrary, the pursuing side's casualties are greater than half. In the past, when the Mongolian cavalry went on expeditions to conquer ten thousand countries, I don't know how many battles they won by running away."
"Moreover, the Mongolian horses may look short, but their endurance is extremely strong; they can run long distances without stopping, and they can survive in the wild regardless of the bitter cold or the scorching heat. Our cavalry has just arrived, they are already exhausted. Speaking of which, whether it is the number of people or the combat power, we are much weaker than them. It's just that we have the geographical advantage, the Boyan are not in the mood to fight."
"Moreover, the Mongolian horses have the lowest requirement for the environment and food. Whether it is the plateau or the desert, or the grassland or the plain, the Mongolian horses can find food at any time. The Mongolian soldiers do not bring along supplies in battle. Firstly, they rely on plundering to sustain themselves, and secondly, most of their horses are female horses, which can provide milk to sustain them.
The people of the world only know that the Mongolian soldiers are proficient in both horse riding and archery, but they do not know that their escaping skills are the best in the world. They are best at killing the enemy while escaping, wearing down the enemy, and obtaining victory. Therefore, unless you are confident that you can force the enemy into a head-on battle, no matter when and where it is, if your combat power is inferior to them and you cannot force them into a head-on battle, you must not pursue them relentlessly. "
Yang Ling's eyebrows twitched as he listened, and he said in surprise: "After hearing Lord Wang's words, I am alarmed. The grasslands and deserts are their natural hunting grounds. If we do not let them kill each other and exhaust their strength, our army will be several times stronger than the enemy. If we want to deal with the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Tartar troops in the desert, we will have to pay an unimaginable price."
Wang Shouren happily said: "That is exactly so. Therefore, although we are in the territory of my Ming Destiny, since we cannot completely annihilate Boyan and Fire Sieve, why don't we let them escape back to the grasslands together? When Lord's brilliant plan takes effect, it will not be too late for us to invite them back."
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, feeling like heroes appreciating each other.
The Three Duoyan Guards have often fought with the Tartars and the Ming army, so they are familiar with the combat power and mobility of both sides. When they saw Boyan leading his army to break out of the encirclement, and the inferior Ming army chasing after him, they knew that this battle will not be able to completely annihilate the Tartars.
However, the 45,000 Tartar elites are dead and injured, and nearly 10,000 people are left behind. These 10,000 people are nothing to Ming Destiny, but to the tribes of the grasslands, they know very well what it means. Moreover, Ming Destiny's army is coming back to support them. When they really break out of the pass, who knows how many more people will die. With the support of Ming Destiny, Hua Dang can almost see the throne of the Mongolian Great Khan waving at him.
Hua Dang immediately bade farewell to Zhengde. When Boyan comes out of the pass, he will definitely escape to the desert and block their way back to the Three Duoyan Guards. Therefore, they must take this opportunity to leave quickly. At the same time, if the Tartars try to rob the Three Duoyan Guards, they can be prepared.
Zhengde immediately agreed and ordered his men to take out the 5,000 taels of gold and 50 boxes of satin and tea bricks that were prepared as a gift to the Three Duoyan Guards, and gave them to Hua Dang. The remaining 3,000 Duoyan cavalrymen carried the beautiful fantasy of unifying the grasslands and becoming the king of the desert. Under the leadership of the Ming cavalry, they galloped towards the Flying Fox Crossing.
As soon as they left, Zhengde called for Wang Shouren and asked for his identity. When he learned that he is the son of his father's former tutor, Wang Hua, Grand Secretary Wang, he could not help but say happily: "Very good, a tiger father will not beget a dog son. My beloved minister came to the rescue in time and defeated the Tartars. You have done a great service to the country. When you return to the capital, I will definitely reward you according to your merits."
When he finished speaking, his face darkened and he said in a stern voice: "Minister Yang and I have come up with a brilliant plan to eliminate the Tartars for a hundred years. Now the goal of dividing the two leaders of the Tartars has been achieved, and the goal of forming an alliance with the Three Duoyan Guards has been achieved. But what is Yang Yiqing doing?
I have the Great Wall to defend, and I have a hundred thousand soldiers to guard the pass. But outside the city of Datong, Boyan's army actually entered the city and almost took my head! Yang Yiqing's crime is unforgivable! I must deal with him severely! "
The little Emperor revealed a cold murderous aura, which shocked Wang Shouren. Yang Yiqing is going to be in trouble.
He thought for a moment and then slowly said: "I was following behind the fire sieve and saw the smoke of the beacon and rushed to the rescue. I did not know the details of Boyan's entry into the pass, so it was not convenient for me to comment …
But when I followed Boyan, his army did not show any signs of fighting and easily crossed the pass. I suspect that some of the generals guarding the border are in cahoots with the Tartars. Commander Yang has just taken office and led the army to battle. He really did not have the time to take care of the generals guarding the pass. If … if someone is betraying the enemy, it is really not Commander Yang's fault … "
If one did not command the battle well and caused great harm, it was enough to be imprisoned. Now that the Emperor was meeting the three Duoyan guards at Mount Baideng, he had already informed Yang Yiqing in advance. The five thousand elite soldiers of the capital camp were on guard against the Maitreya sect traitors and he was on guard against foreign invaders. But Boyan's army easily passed through his defensive zone and appeared at the foot of Mount Baideng, almost causing the Emperor to die. Beheading was a light punishment.
Wang Shouren did not dare to help him directly, but gave him a light nod. Then he looked earnestly at Yang Ling. Probably only Zhang Yong and Yang Ling could persuade the Emperor. Zhang Yong was not familiar with him, so he could only ask Yang Ling to speak up for him.
What he meant was that it was true that Yang Yiqing was in charge of the defense of the three borders, but this time Boyan's attack was not because of Yang Yiqing's failure of command, but because there was a traitor. This mistake, even if Zhuge Wuhou was reborn, he would not be able to prevent it in advance. Did he want a newly appointed general to replace all the generals of the three passes with his own confidants? If he really wanted to pursue the matter … it seemed that he should pursue the person who promoted the traitor to the key posts at the border.
Yang Ling understood the meaning behind his words. He hurriedly stepped forward and whispered to Zhengde: "His Majesty has just inherited the throne, he met the three Duoyan guards at Mount Baideng and established an alliance to help each other and pacify Liaodong. This is a great achievement. Using himself as bait to lure the enemy into an ambush, he defeated more than ten thousand enemies with fewer forces and achieved the greatest military success since Emperor Yongle's northern expedition. This is a great achievement of martial arts.
Yang Zongzhi has just arrived at the border, dealt a heavy blow to Boyan, and divided his troops to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's rear. For His Majesty to divide the Tartars, he has established an unparalleled merit. He is indeed a rare talented general. Boyan's entry into the pass was not a crime of war. If he were to be severely punished, it would inevitably hurt the hearts of the border generals. Moreover, the officials in the court would inevitably be suspicious. Besides, they were originally against His Majesty's personal inspection. Wouldn't this be giving them more ammunition? "
Political and martial arts? The greatest military success since Emperor Yongle's northern expedition? Hearing these two sentences, Zhengde's eyebrows and eyes flew up at the same time. He hastily said: "Beloved subject is right. Zhen almost destroyed my own military success … uh … destroyed my own Great Wall. Yang Yiqing is still a rare talented general in guarding the border. Although this matter cannot be made public, but the border army must still be thoroughly investigated. Those who are suspicious must be replaced. Zhen will leave this matter to you. With so many spies infiltrating the border generals, who knows when it will lead to a disaster? "
Yang Ling hurriedly nodded his head in acknowledgment. Wang Shouren looked at him gratefully before asking the Emperor to resign and leave the mountain. He ordered the soldiers to count the dead and wounded, clean up the battlefield, look after the prisoners of war, and send people to Datong to investigate the situation of the battle. He had already decided on the Emperor's whereabouts.
※ ※ ※
When the beacon was lit, the commander of the Taiyuan Central Guards, Deng Xueying, hurriedly ran into Zhang Yin's large tent to report. Then the commander of the Taiyuan Left Guards, as well as the high-ranking military officers, all neatly dressed and came to the commander's tent.
Zhang Yin was secretly happy. Boyan had not fought a large scale attack for many days. Now that the beacon was lit, it was most likely a surprise attack into the pass. After painstakingly planning for so many years, there was finally a result. How could he not be wild with joy?
Zhang Yin's original intention was to set up camp and quietly wait for the results of the battle. Yang Yiqing had mobilized his army to guard against Boyan attacking the pass during the Emperor's conference so that he could order him to reinforce the castle under attack. But he did not expect that Boyan's army already had spies on the inside and could easily enter the pass and head straight for Mount Bai.
If the two sides were in a stalemate at the pass, there was still time to send someone to inform him. After Boyan charged straight for Mount Bai, Yang Yiqing received the report and was frightened out of his wits. He immediately mobilized the army at the pass and at the same time sent a military relay station to summon Zhang Yin to help. As for whether his army could arrive in time to rescue the Emperor, he did not care.
Zhang Yin's signal arrow had not yet arrived, but the Taiyuan reinforcements were already in a heated argument. Zhang Yin believed that they should follow Yang Yiqing's orders and wait for orders before deciding what to do. The commander of the Taiyuan Left Guards, Deng Xueying, believed that they should follow the usual practice. When the beacon was lit, the nearby garrisons should immediately rush to the pass to reinforce it. The commander of the Taiyuan Left Guards, Guan Yong, insisted that the general should not obey the Emperor's orders when they were outside. Since the beacon was lit, they should immediately rush to Datong to prevent any accidents.
Zhang Yin was deliberately stalling for time, deliberately indulging the two generals in their argument, but he himself did not insist on his own opinion. He only sent scouts to Datong to investigate the military situation. After delaying for nearly two hours, he estimated that if they were to break camp now, it would be too late to help Mount Bai. Only then did he 'resolutely' decide to follow Guan Yong's opinion and march to Datong.
Halfway through the journey, the army met Yang Yiqing's relay station. When the generals heard that Boyan had entered the pass and was already attacking Mount Bai, they could not help but be alarmed and hurriedly ordered the army to rush to the rescue.
After passing Wang Shouren's Kang Hu Fort, his scouts also returned. Both Datong and Mount Bai were trapped, Wang Shouren was leading elite cavalry to rush to Mount Bai, and Yang Yiqing's army was also on the way back. Zhang Yin originally expected that the defenders at the pass were all foot soldiers and would not be able to rush back to Mount Bai in time. Now that he heard that Wang Shouren's troops, who were fighting the enemy outside the pass, had actually set out later and were already rushing to Mount Bai, his heart could not help but sink.
Wang Shouren's troops were all cavalry. Although 16,000 to 17,000 men could not match the number of Boyan's troops, it was more than enough to protect and defend the mountain. If they arrived in time, this ingenious plan of seeking victory in the midst of danger would inevitably fail.
Zhang Yin was deeply worried. The Left and Center Commanders thought that their Excellency was loyal and devoted and were worried about the Emperor's safety, so they urged the troops to abandon their heavy armaments, drag their weapons, and rush to Datong with light equipment.
The army had just arrived at the main road leading to the Ju Hu Gate when they heard the thundering of hooves in the distance, tens of thousands of horses galloping. The Boyan Khagan, who had hurriedly fled back to Datong and joined up with the Fire Sieve Tribe troops who had no hope of attacking the city, had arrived …
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