Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 418 Dayan Ozier

The reason why Yangping Pass is important is not just because it guards the Jinniu Road.

This pass leads to Sichuan to the west, but if it goes north, it will enter the Qishan Road after passing Lueyang and Huixian.

There is no need to say much about the Qishan Road. Zhuge Liang took this road many times to bypass Tianshui.

However, most people only know that they can enter the Guanzhong Plain from Tianshui along the Luo River, but they don’t know that if they go northwest, they will reach the snowy area.

"Taiji! Yangping Pass is just ahead!"

With a rather excited shout, Dayan Ozir, who was riding on his warhorse, couldn't help but look carefully outside the valley.

Outside the valley, the plain slowly unfolds like a huge scroll.

The nearly mature wheat fields shone brightly in the sun. A breeze blew over them, and the wheat waves rolled like golden waves surging on the plain. On the edge of the wheat fields were low grasses dotted with various wild flowers, exuding a faint fragrance.

In the distance, the sky is as blue as a wash, with a few white clouds floating leisurely in the air. The mountains are undulating, one after another, like the veins of the earth, winding and extending to the horizon. The sunlight shines on the mountains, making them present a soft outline, as if they are shrouded in a golden halo.

Compared with the vast plains and magnificent mountains, the scene in the valley seems particularly dark and depressing.

The valley was dark and damp, with a gloomy atmosphere in the air. The mountain walls on both sides were so high that they almost squeezed the sky into a line.

With such a contrast, a feeling of joy and expectation arose in Dayan Ozir's heart.

"Outside the pass is our new world!" Dayan Ozir waved the sword in his hand and shouted loudly.

His voice echoed in the valley, as exciting as a war drum; the soldiers behind him straightened their chests, their eyes flashing with desire for freedom and longing for the future.

Because of the wars with the Kazakhs and Khalkha, he had been living a precarious life with his father since he was young, and he almost lost his life several times.

There is no way around it. Ever since the collapse of the Chagatai Khanate, the various tribes in that area have been in constant war.

Needless to say, the Torghut tribe was driven to the Volga River early. Even the Siberian Khanate, a tribe that had established a country, was forced to mix with many small tribes.

Whenever Dayan Ozier thinks of those days, he feels a little bit uncomfortable.

Life did not get any better for the Khoshut tribe when they grew older.

At that time, the Kazakh tribes in the west continued to move eastward with the support of Tsarist Russia, and the Dzungar tribe gradually became stronger under the leadership of Batur. Coupled with Tsarist Russia in the north and the Khalkha tribe in the east, the Khoshut tribe was no longer able to gain a foothold in their old place, and finally had to give up their homes and seek other ways out.

It is true that a blessing in disguise.

The choice of the Khoshut was supported by various Mongolian tribes. In order to divide the Khoshut pastures, those people not only provided them with cattle, sheep and horses, but also supported them with various weapons and equipment. Moreover, at this critical moment, the Gelugpa sect also sent people to invite them to march into Qinghai.

At this point, the fortunes of the Khoshut tribe completely changed.

Several years after entering Qinghai, the Khoshut not only killed the Qetu Khan of Qinghai, but also took advantage of the civil unrest in the Snow Region to kill the Baili Tusi of Kang Region.

After this operation, the Khoshut tribe's strength increased greatly, and the Gelugpa sect supported by it also became the largest sect in the snow region.

Clay figures also have three points of fire energy.

After sensing the potential crisis, the Zangba Khan of the Snow Region decisively united with other sects and tribes to launch a counterattack. However, their troops had been at peace for too long and were beaten to a pulp by the Khoshut who escaped from the Gu jar after only two battles. The entire Snow Region then fell into the hands of the Khoshut.

At this point, the Qinghai, Tibet and Kang regions all became pastures of the Khoshut tribe, and a brand new Khoshut Khanate was born here.

However, when the lamas sought help from them, they were only thinking of driving the tiger to devour the wolf, but they never truly regarded the Mongols as their own masters.

Gushri Khan, who realized this, was straightforward. He not only submitted to the prosperous Later Jin, but also went to Shengjing in person to pay homage to Huang Taiji. After obtaining external support, the power triangle of the Khoshut Khanate was fully formed, and this group of Mongols finally gained a firm foothold in the Qinghai, Tibet and Kham regions.

Originally, Dayan Ozir thought that after destroying the enemies of his new home, there would be no major changes in his life. However, a few months ago, he suddenly received a letter from Hauge.

The letter did not mention anything else, only saying that Kang region bordered Sichuan and Yunnan, and the rebellion there must be related to the Ming Dynasty. At this time, the Qing Dynasty was at war with the Ming Dynasty, so why didn't the Khoshut send troops from Sichuan and Yunnan to solve the root cause of the rebellion at one time.

Honestly speaking, Dayan Ochir had some sympathy for Hauge, but he had fought his way out of an extremely dangerous environment. Even though all decisions were made by Gushri Khan, he, the eldest son of Gushri Khan, was not a waste who just waited for death.

After reading the contents of the letter, his first reaction was that the Qing Dynasty was in an unfavorable position in the war with the Ming Dynasty, which was why the Qing Dynasty tried to trick him into sending troops to attack the Ming Dynasty.

Dayan Ochir did not think there was anything wrong with this. After all, what Hauge said was true. The chieftains in Kang region did have close ties with the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty could be defeated directly, it would be beneficial to consolidate their own territory.

just
What does this have to do with him being assigned to Qinghai?
Instead of taking the trouble to help his father strengthen his strength, he might as well take this opportunity to gain some benefits for himself. After all, the Khan position is taken by the one with the stronger fist. Without strong strength, who knows whether he, the eldest son, will be like Haoge?
"Is there any movement at Yangping Pass?" Dayan Ozier frowned slightly, his eyes revealing a bit of depth and thought. On the vast grassland, he is a brave and fearless warrior and a thoughtful leader. At this moment, although he is in an unfamiliar area, his sense of responsibility and mission in his heart forces him to remain vigilant at all times.

In this strange land, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in his heart, but besides feeling emotional, he was more aware of the difficulty he was facing.

After silently assessing the distance between Yangping Pass and the current mountain pass, he took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then asked the soldier in front of him this question.

Upon hearing this, the soldier immediately replied respectfully: "Reporting to Taiji, when we left, there were soldiers in red armor patrolling outside the pass. But when we approached, they retreated back into the pass, as if they were a little afraid of us. Based on this, it can be inferred that Yangping Pass has probably been occupied by the Ming army."

Hearing this news, Dayan Ozier was slightly stunned and frowned even more. He did not expect the Ming army to move so quickly, which caught him off guard. But then he regained his composure and began to think about countermeasures.

"Oh? So fast?" He repeated the soldier's words in surprise, then tapped his palm with his whip and fell into deep thought. He looked up at the unclear Yangping Pass, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. He knew that they had just arrived and didn't know much about this land and the enemies here. If they acted rashly, they would only get themselves into trouble.

Therefore, after a brief consideration, he made a decision: "We are new here and don't know the situation here yet. For safety reasons, let's send someone to find out the situation first." After saying this, Dayan Ozier gave an order to his personal soldiers to immediately arrange for spies to go to Yangping Pass to get information. He knew that only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle. At this moment, he was looking forward to the news brought back by the spies so that he could formulate a more thorough plan to deal with the next challenge.

He still had some doubts about his father, the Khan, submitting to the Qing court.

Although the deterrence of the Qing court could make those lamas with ulterior motives feel a little fearful, no matter what, outsiders like them still have to rely on strength to subdue the disobedience. If they always think of relying on external forces, they will inevitably let the enemy see their own weakness.

Rather than being subservient to others, it would be safer to seize more population and territory while the fierce battle between the Ming and Qing dynasties is in full swing.

Of course, Dayan was not so arrogant as to think he could go to war with both the Ming and Qing dynasties at the same time.

After all, the Qing court was able to recover the Mongolians south of the desert because of their strength, but they should not be provoked easily.

But their attention is still on the Ming Dynasty. If they can contribute some efforts in this process, the Qing court will not care too much about the gains and losses of some remote places.

By the time the Ming and Qing sides decide the winner, they and the Shuotes will be much stronger, and the final outcome will depend on the strength of each party.

"Somebody come!"

"Taiji."

"Two teams of a thousand men will follow me to the pass, and the rest will escort the cattle and sheep into Hanzhong. We can also taste what the livestock raised on Han grass taste like."

"Order!"

After the military order was given, Dayan rode out without caring about anything else, and then several teams of knights followed closely behind him. Immediately, a cloud of dust rolled up from the valley.

Yangping Pass was only three or four miles away from here. Although it was not very close, such movement could not be ignored.

As the billowing smoke and dust headed straight for the pass, Liu Wenxiu's heart sank immediately.

After he received the news that there was a large group of cavalry outside the pass, he ordered his men to close the city gates. It can be said that there were only his 2,000-odd troops inside Yangping Pass at that time. If the enemy really came to attack directly, the only way out would be the city being destroyed and their deaths.

Judging from the movement of the enemy soldiers at this moment, they are obviously heading towards Yangping Pass. How could he be so relaxed while guarding such an important place?

After about an incense stick's time, the cavalry team arrived about a mile outside the city. Then the army stayed there, and then several cavalrymen came straight to the city.

Seeing this, Liu Wenxiu was not too surprised.

After all, it was reasonable to have some verbal sparring before every battle, but he still couldn't figure out where such a large number of cavalry came from.

"Listen up, we are from the Khoshut Khanate's Dayan Ochir Taiji. We are invited by the Qing Dynasty's Prince Su to come and help. You guys should understand the situation as soon as possible!"

Hearing this, Liu Wenxiu was shocked again. Although he didn't know what the Khoshut Khanate was, he could tell from the name of the country that they were all Mongolians.

After all, he grew up in Shaanxi, so he naturally knew that some Mongols had become subordinates of the Tatars. However, seeing that they were coming from the northwest, he didn't know how they got here.

"You and the Shuote have never had any dealings with the Ming Dynasty. Why are you trying to help the Tartars?"

Conversations like this require people of equal status. Since it was only an ordinary local soldier who came to ask, Liu Wenxiu would not speak up. But at this time, he could not sit idle. While listening to the conversations between people on and off the city wall, he could not help thinking about how to respond.

When he discovered the large group of cavalry, he had already issued a warning to all parties. But no matter how hard it was, only his 2,000-plus men in the city could be considered capable of fighting.
cavalry?

As his mind turned, Liu Wenxiu keenly grasped the key points. After the two soldiers said a few more words, he suddenly interrupted: "I am here to guard Yangping Pass under the order of the emperor. I wonder if Dayan Oqier Taiji dares to come out and see me?!"

As the voice spread, one of the knights took two steps forward. Seeing that the other party was so bold, Liu Wenxiu estimated the distance between them and finally gave up the idea of ​​shooting him.

"I am Dayan Ozier. Do you want to surrender?"

"Taiji, you are joking. I am here to guard this pass under the order of the Emperor. I dare not surrender even if I have to die with the pass. However, Yangping Pass is one of the most important passes in the world. I wonder how many troops Taiji can fill in."

After hearing the words of the general on the city wall, Dayan couldn't help but smile in his heart.

He knew that the other party was telling him indirectly that they could not take this pass, but after all, they had been entangled with Tsarist Russia for many years. How could they survive by riding and shooting like those trash in the south of the desert?

"You don't need to worry about this. I have my own way to break the city. If you know what's good for you now, you will be offered a high position and generous salary. But if you are stubborn and refuse to change your ways, after the city is broken, nothing will be left alive!"

How to break the city?

Listening to Dayan's confident voice, Liu Wenxiu couldn't help but feel suspicious for a while.

If it hadn't been for the help of artillery, the Tartars might not have been able to escape so quickly. But this Mongolian dared to talk about "methods to break the city", which made him quite skeptical.

But then again, although there were countless flags fluttering in the wind on the walls of Yangping Pass, there were only a few troops inside. If the Mongols really came to attack, it would be quite a trouble with just the ants.

"If Taiji has a way to break the city, he can come and try. However, when the Tartars marched south, they had more than 170,000 cavalry and infantry, but now they can only escape to Hanzhong with 30,000 or 20,000 remnants. If Taiji really wants to help the Tartars, he must think carefully about whether he can withstand the revenge of the Ming Dynasty!"

After the news spread, there was no response from the city. Seeing this, Liu Wenxiu was delighted and thought that the other party was still wary. However, to his surprise, after a while, Nadayan left the city without saying a word, leaving no one knowing what he was thinking.

"Are you scared?"

(End of this chapter)