Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 418: Excited Bu Shitu
"Great Khan, who do you think did this?"

The good news was like the sun in the sky, instantly dispelling the dark clouds above their heads. Everyone on Bu Shitu's side was jubilant, smiling until their mouths were crooked. However, some people thought of the strange destruction of Lin Danhan's southern army and couldn't help asking Bu Shitu a question.

"No matter who it is, it's a good thing after all, right? Come on, let's drink this cup together!" Bu Shitu laughed and threw the question aside lightly. Because he avoided the question, his subordinates became more confident. They all thought that the destruction of Lindan Khan's southern army was the foreign aid that Bu Shitu personally found. Otherwise, why would the Khan himself have such a reaction?

But in fact, they didn't know that Bu Shitu had never sought external help. No! It should be said that when Bu Shitu learned that Lin Danhan was coming to attack him, he did seek external help. Unfortunately, many tribes were afraid of Lin Danhan's powerful military force and did not agree to Bu Shitu's request, which made Bu Shitu very helpless.

But now, Lin Danhan's southern army was suddenly gone, and it was said that they were completely wiped out. Bu Shitu was happy and wondered who had fought this battle. After thinking about it, an idea suddenly came to his mind. Combined with the information he had inquired about before, Bu Shitu vaguely sensed something.

If he guessed correctly, the attacker should be the Tenger tribe. Bu Shitu, who had personally led his troops to fight a battle with the Tenger tribe, had witnessed the special combat methods of the Tenger tribe that were different from ordinary Mongolian tribes. In particular, the unique infantry combat formation of the Tenger tribe left a deep impression on him. In addition, there were also firearms owned by the Tenger tribe.

Although he only learned a few words from a few captives who escaped from the south to Ligdan Khan's southern army, Bu Shitu had already concluded with a high probability that it was the Tenger tribe that did it, because only the Tenger tribe had such a tactic.

But what shocked Bu Shitu was when the Tengger tribe actually possessed such a powerful strength. You know, although the two sides had joined forces to act out a drama before, the Tengger tribe at that time was strong but limited. If a real fight broke out at that time, Bu Shitu felt that although he would suffer heavy losses, if he gritted his teeth he should still be able to defeat the opponent.

But now it is different. Lindan Khan's Southern Army has a full 30,000 cavalrymen. These cavalrymen are Lindan Khan's elite. In addition, the army is led by Lindan Khan's trusted general Intertabunang. As Lindan Khan's old rival, Bu Shitu naturally knows Intertabunang. He is the most capable general under Lindan Khan and is deeply trusted by Lindan Khan. Otherwise, Lindan Khan would not have given him the command of the Southern Army.

But such a general led 30,000 elite cavalry but was defeated in one battle. The southern army was finished, and Intetabunang's whereabouts were unknown, and he was likely killed in the battle. With the previous strength of the Tenger tribe, it was impossible to do this, and Bu Shitu knew this very well.

But the fact is that this is the case, which makes Bu Shitu happy but also worried. He did not expect that the Tenger tribe would grow to such a level in just a few years, and it was incredible that they could swallow up Lin Danhan's southern army in one fell swoop.

If the Tenger tribe continues to develop like this, his position as the leader of the Tumed may be lost. On the Mongolian grasslands, strength is the first priority. Only strong strength can match the identity and status. This truth has become a truth since the rise of the Mongols during the Genghis Khan period.

Bu Shitu also guessed why the Tenger tribe did this. It was nothing more than worrying that after his defeat, Ligdan Khan would attack the Tenger tribe. Before, the Tenger tribe was forced by Ligdan Khan to go to war with him. In order to protect themselves, they found him privately. The two sides joined forces to put on a good show.

Afterwards, it was impossible for the Tenger tribe to really hide their plans from Lin Danhan. Moreover, the Tenger tribe took the opportunity to clean up their internal affairs and annexed two tribes, greatly increasing their strength. Lin Danhan was not stupid. Even if he didn't know, he would secretly pass the news on. For Bu Shitu, the more trouble Lin Danhan caused, the more beneficial it would be for him. Even if it was the Tenger tribe that he had just cooperated with, what would happen if he sold it?

Now that Lindan Khan has moved westward to the Tumote grassland, the first person he will attack is Bushitu. After he captures Bushitu, he will definitely attack the Tenger tribe. There is no doubt about that. Because Bushitu has been in power for a long time, as Lindan Khan's old rival, he knows his opponent's thoughts very well. I'm afraid the Tenger tribe also thinks so.

Therefore, it was reasonable for the Tenger tribe to send troops to secretly help Bu Shitu while the two sides were fighting. As long as Bu Shitu was not defeated, Lindan Khan would not be able to control Tumed, and in this way, the Tenger tribe would not have to face the threat of Lindan Khan directly.

This is the most reasonable explanation, and there is no other possibility. So can we take advantage of this opportunity? Can we pull the Tenger tribe directly into our own camp to fight against Ligdan Khan together?

As soon as this idea came up, it was rejected by Bu Shitu. He felt that the Tengger tribe would never do this.

The reason is very simple. Although the First Tenger Tribe won the battle and directly defeated Lindan Khan's southern army, the Tenger Tribe has not announced to the outside world that they were the ones who fought in this battle until now. This means that the Tenger Tribe did not want Lindan Khan to know that it was them who did it.

In name, the Tengger tribe was still a subordinate tribe of Ligdan Khan. Once they announced that they were responsible for the battle, it would be tantamount to directly breaking off relations with Ligdan Khan, which would not be beneficial in terms of morality or other aspects.

Second, although the southern army of Lin Dan Khan was annihilated in this battle, the Tenger tribe could not have been spared. Bu Shitu knew that Intertabunang was no ordinary man, he was the most capable general under Lin Dan Khan, and even if he was defeated, this battle would probably be a bitter victory for the Tenger tribe.

After the first battle, the Tenger tribe was bound to suffer heavy casualties, and it no longer had the ability to continue to advance northwards and fight against Ligdan Khan. If we contact the Tenger tribe now, they will not only deny sending troops, but also refuse to unite with Bu Shitu. As for the third, it is the delicate relationship between them. In the Tumote grassland, Bu Shitu is the strongest. The Tenger tribe has grown very fast in recent years, and has threatened Bu Shitu's position. Therefore, from the perspective of its own interests, the Tenger tribe did this not only for the sake of self-preservation, but also to weaken the power of both Bu Shitu and Ligdan Khan through this battle.

Bu Shitu would do the same if he were in his place, and would not take the initiative to form an alliance. If he wanted to form an alliance, he would have flirted with me long ago, and would definitely not have hidden his tracks after destroying Lin Danhan's southern army, so this consideration is totally unrealistic.

At this point, Bu Shitu completely gave up this idea and concentrated on dealing with the upcoming war between Lin Danhan and himself. The current change in the situation was very favorable to him, because the destruction of the southern army caused Lin Danhan's full-scale offensive to be suspended, which gave Bu Shitu a rare time gap.

He has taken advantage of this period of time to order Fengzhou to harvest the grain as soon as possible and then transport it to Guihua City. At the same time, after the grain is harvested, the local people and herdsmen will all retreat westward. If they cannot stop Ligdan Khan's cavalry head-on, Bu Shitu will have a chance to retreat to Guihua City and rely on Guihua City to continue dealing with Ligdan Khan and wait for the situation to change.

Bu Shitu’s judgment cannot be said to be wrong. In fact, he was half right.

From the very beginning, Zhu Shenzui never thought of directly intervening in the war between the two sides, nor did he plan to join forces with Bu Shitu to fight against Ligdan Khan. His idea was to take advantage of the situation and find an opportunity to weaken Ligdan Khan's power, making it impossible for Bu Shitu to stop Ligdan Khan.

The southern army to attack Ligdan Khan was not in the original plan. This plan was finalized after learning that Ligdan Khan had divided his troops.

After receiving the news, Zhu Shenzhui made the decision without hesitation. He was ready to swallow up Lindan Khan's southern army in one bite, cut off one of Lindan Khan's arms, and relieve the pressure on Bu Shitu.

But the Southern Army is not easy to defeat. Intertabunang is no weak man. Especially since the Southern Army has 30,000 elite cavalry, which is a strong force.

Compared with the more elite Eight Banners, the combat effectiveness of Lindan Khan's cavalry was naturally much worse. Otherwise, Lindan Khan, who had an army of nearly 300,000, would not have been defeated by the Eight Banners, which only accounted for one-sixth of his own army, and the coalition forces of other Mongolian tribes, and even abandoned their base and moved west to the Tumed grassland.

But even so, Lindan Khan's Mongolian cavalry was not easy to deal with. Although the Tenger tribe was strong, they were not completely sure of defeating the Southern Army. However, the Southern Army had to fight. This battle not only had to be fought but also had to be fought beautifully. For this purpose, Zhu Shenzhu made a careful plan.

From the first day that the southern army entered the Tumot grassland, Zhu Shenzui sent out small troops under the banner of Bushitu and other tribes to harass the enemy, but did not actually engage in battle. The troops collapsed and fled in all directions at the first touch, giving the enemy the illusion of powerlessness.

But in fact, these small troops were led by Wang Hai, who led more than 3,000 elite cavalrymen divided into dozens of teams of 100 people. They would show up from time to time to cause trouble to the enemy and deliberately show the illusion of being vulnerable.

But in this process, this cavalry also took on the task of scouts, constantly passing messages back, allowing Zhu Shenzui to firmly grasp the enemy's marching route and military situation.

When Intertabunang thought he was safe and decided to advance recklessly, Wang Hai's scattered cavalry units began to gather behind him, ready to attack at any time.

Intertabunang left two thousand-man teams with cattle, sheep and baggage behind, and personally led the main force forward lightly. On the second night, Wang Hai's troops started to move, and took advantage of the night to raid Intertabunang's rear team. Before the other side could react, they were defeated and no one escaped. The two thousand-man teams were slaughtered cleanly in one night, and all of Intertabunang's logistics and baggage fell into Wang Hai's hands.

After killing Intetabunang's rear guard, Wang Hai and others pretended to be enemies and continued to drive cattle and sheep behind the main force in front to march towards Fengzhou. At this time, Intetabunang had no idea what was happening. He was still thinking about rushing to Fengzhou as soon as possible to join up with Lin Danhan's main force.

Everyone knows what happened next. The day before arriving in Fengzhou, Intertabunang encountered Zhu Shencui's main force, who had been waiting for him halfway. Because he underestimated the enemy and Zhu Shencui deliberately showed weakness, Intertabunang, seeing the victory in front of him, got excited and attacked Zhu Shencui without thinking too much.

Step by step, Intertabunang stepped into the trap set for him by Zhu Shenzui, and eventually ended up being defeated and killed. This battle also led to the annihilation of Lindan Khan's southern army, with heavy losses.

(End of this chapter)