Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 164: Fake Emperor: Yu Qian is unreliable, my future is theirs
Outside the Great Wall, there is the grassland.

The warm spring sun shines gently, coating every inch of land with a layer of light golden light. The sky is clear and the white clouds are melodious.

On the grassland, tender green grasses are vying to stick their heads out, stretching to the end of the sight. Occasionally, a few wild flowers are dotted in between, colorful. When the breeze blows, the grass waves roll, bringing the fresh scent of soil and grass, blowing in your face, making you feel relaxed and happy.

In this boundless green, Zhu Yong led the army and marched westward in a mighty manner. He was wearing armor, holding a map, with a firm and resolute look in his eyes, looking up into the distance from time to time. The sunlight shone on his armor, flashing a dazzling light, making him look mighty and extraordinary.

As the army marched, the sound of horse hooves, armor, and the soldiers' deep and powerful footsteps collided and echoed across the vast grassland. The flags fluttered in the wind.

"General!" Li Hu, the captain beside Zhu Yong, said, "Are we going to attack Yesen's camp?"

"Don't be too confident. We only destroyed a few of their squads." Zhu Yong said seriously, "Don't underestimate Yesen's cavalry. The grassland people grew up on horseback and are good at riding and shooting."

Li Hu looked contemptuous and said, "I heard that the strongest archer in the grassland can shoot more than 500 steps? Is that true?"

Zhu Yong nodded: "Temujin once formed a Keshik Army, each of whom could shoot 500 steps, and was the strongest cavalry of the Mongols. However, with the demise of the Yuan Dynasty, the Keshik Army also died out."

Li Hu was shocked.

When they were training, those who could shoot more than 100 steps were considered strong. But the Qiexue Army could only shoot 500 steps? Are they still human?

Suddenly, four riders came rushing towards them. They were their spies. The four spies came to Zhu Yong and bowed hastily: "General, there are enemy troops ahead, heading towards us."

Zhu Yong was shocked: "We have been discovered? How many of them are there?"

The spy replied: "It is estimated that there are tens of thousands of people here, and they are not friendly!"

Li Hu snorted disdainfully: "Since we've met, let's get started."

Zhu Yong waved his hand fiercely and the entire army formed a battle line.

……

Half an hour later.

On the vast grassland, the two armies confronted each other.

The air seemed to solidify into a heavy block of iron, pressing people so hard that they couldn't breathe. The sun in the sky seemed to sense the tension and quietly hid in the clouds.

The two teams, like two silent mountains, faced each other from afar. One team was dressed in black armor, like a shadow lurking in the night, with neat formations, swords and spears like a forest, exuding a frightening murderous aura; the other team was wearing silver-white battle robes, swaying gently in the breeze, like the toughest poplars on the grassland, with high morale and burning fighting spirit in their eyes.

The generals of both sides stood in front of the battle formation, their eyes like knives, piercing through the heavy armor of the other side and staring directly at each other. There was an indescribable sense of oppression in the air.

The horses were breathing heavily from time to time, their hooves scratching the ground, making waves of uneasy noises, as if they could sense the coming storm. The flags were fluttering in the wind, and the sound was particularly harsh at this moment.

All around, except for the occasional neighing of horses and the sound of weapons colliding, there was a dead silence. In this silence, there was an endless undercurrent, and the heart of every soldier was like a taut string, waiting for the moment of explosion.

Zhu Yong, who was wearing silver armor, noticed that this Wala army was not simple. Everyone carried two bows. One was for light armor with small and sharp arrows, suitable for long-range shooting; the other was for heavy arrows, which could penetrate armor when shooting at close range.

This is the equipment of the Qiexue Army!

Zhu Yong warned loudly: "Everyone, please pay attention. We may have encountered the enemy's most elite cavalry."

Li Hu was eager to try: "We are fighting against the elite!"

Zhu Yong took a deep breath. At this point, he had no choice but to fight. He suddenly drew out his long sword and shouted, "Kill!"

Bayan, who was in the opposite Wala army, drew his scimitar almost at the same time: "Warriors of the Qiexue army, don't lose face for our ancestors, follow me and kill them!"

The two armies launched the attack almost at the same time.

During the charge, the Qiexue army drew their bows and shot arrows. A rain of arrows fell on the charging Ming army, and in an instant, people and horses fell to the ground.

The Ming army immediately counterattacked, also shooting arrows at the same time. However, only a few of the Qiexue troops fell down, and the Qiexue troops were able to dodge flexibly on horseback.

……

At this moment, the world seemed to be filled with endless murderous aura, and the air solidified into sharp blades, cutting every inch of space.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The roar echoed like thunder over the battlefield. Zhu Yong saw his comrades falling one after another, and he was extremely anxious. His eyes were red, and he squeezed the horse's belly hard. The horse sensed the master's will, neighed, and its four hooves tumbled, rushing towards the enemy camp with an unstoppable momentum.

At the moment the two armies came into contact, time seemed to freeze.

The two torrents met in an instant, creating a thunderous sound that shook the earth, causing mountains to collapse and the sun and moon to lose their light. Weapons clashed, metal and iron clashed, accompanied by screams and roars.

The soldiers fell down in an instant like dead leaves swept by huge waves. Some were pierced by spears, and some were chopped by heavy swords. Blood poured out and sprayed into the air, dyeing this ancient land red. War horses neighed, and the fallen bodies piled up into a mountain. The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood and burnt smells.

The strength of the Qiexue army was beyond the imagination of the Ming army. They wielded swords and slashed, heads rolled down, and soon they broke through the Ming army's formation, like a sharp sword, seeming to cut the Ming army in two.

Encountering such a powerful opponent for the first time, the Ming army was about to be defeated. Zhu Yong, covered in blood, saw his comrades falling one after another, their lives being ruthlessly harvested like grass.

"General, I'll hold them off!" Li Hu came to Zhu Yong's side, "If there's a chance, you go!"

"Let's die together!" Zhu Yongmu waved his long sword.

Li Hu wiped the blood off his face and yelled, "Brothers of the New Army, those who wish to die, die with me!"

In a blink of an eye, more than a thousand cavalrymen gathered around him. He laughed heroically: "Follow me to take the enemy's head!"

Thousands of cavalrymen charged forward, and unexpectedly made a gap and charged straight into the enemy formation. Zhu Yong raised his long sword and shouted, "Brothers, kill! The time has come to die on the battlefield!"

The morale of the Ming army was greatly boosted, and they actually blocked the offensive momentum of the Qiexue army.

However, the Qiexue Army was more powerful than the Ming Army and they continued to advance. However, the Ming Army was fearless and ruthless, and the Qiexue Army had to pay the price in blood for every step forward.

Boyan, who had experienced many battles, also looked serious: "This Ming army is different from the Ming army we encountered before. If we continue to fight like this, even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory."

"General, that Ming army is coming towards us." The guard pointed.

"It was them who instantly boosted the morale of the Ming army." Boyan drew out his long sword, "The last 3,000 men will charge forward. This general will personally behead the enemy general."

He personally led the 3,000 men behind him and began to charge. …

Li Hu, who was shot in the shoulder, cut off the arrow with a knife and looked at Boyan who was charging at him. He turned his head to look at his comrades who seemed to have been drowned, grinned, and shouted: "Who said I have no clothes? I will share the same clothes with you!"

He slapped his horse hard and rushed towards Boyan.

At the first encounter, Bayan's spear pierced his chest. With fire in his eyes, Bayan continued to charge on his horse, because the Ming army on the opposite side was on the verge of collapse.

However, Bayan could not be happy. He was leading the most elite Qiexue army, but it turned out to be like this. In the end, they won with more than half of their casualties.

"Kill!" Boyan swept his spear across, "Leave no one alive!"

On the battlefield, every inch of land was stained with blood, becoming muddy and heavy. The war was no longer a simple confrontation of forces, but a contest of will and courage.

"Kill!"

In the Ming army, a soldier's left arm had been cut off, and blood was pouring out, but he held the spear tightly with his right hand, knelt on one knee, and used his body as a shield to resist the charge of the Qiexue army. He roared and charged with all his strength, and his comrades around him also bravely moved forward, and no one retreated.

The Qiexue army had the upper hand, but they also found it difficult to move forward under the tenacious resistance of the Ming army. Their spears pierced into the bodies of the Ming army, but they were often counterattacked by the Ming army at the last moment before their death. A Qiexue soldier's chest was pierced by the sword of the Ming army. He groaned in pain. I don't know where the dying Ming army got the strength.

On the battlefield, broken limbs and arms could be seen everywhere, with blood mixed with mud.

Seeing this, Bayan could not help but feel an indescribable grief and anger in his heart. He knew that although victory was in sight, the price paid was too heavy. He roared and drove the Qiexue army to charge continuously, trying to end the battle as quickly as possible.

……

Suddenly, the earth shook.

Boyan looked up and saw another group of Ming troops charging bravely in the distance. Zhu Yong, who was surrounded by the Qiexue Army, also saw it. His eyes were blurred by blood, but he knew that Yang Guifang had arrived.

The one charging was the 10,000 Ming troops led by Yang Guifang. He drew out his long sword, and rode hard, shouting: "Zhu Yong, hold on for me, you must not die!"

In the blink of an eye, 10,000 soldiers rushed into the Qiexue Army. At this moment, the Qiexue Army was exhausted physically and mentally, relying entirely on one breath to hold on, and now this breath collapsed.

Boyan made a prompt decision and led the remaining troops to escape. However, how could the Ming army, which had just entered the battle, let them go? They held on tightly, wanting to avenge their comrades who died in the battle.

"Zhang Hu, chase him for no more than thirty miles." Yang Guifang shouted.

"Thirty miles is enough to destroy them." Zhang Hu led the army in pursuit.

Yang Guifang rode his horse to Zhu Yong's side. There were only about a thousand people left around him, all covered in blood. Yang Guifang quickly dismounted, ran to Zhu Yong, and asked, "Where are you hurt? Where are you hurt?"

Zhu Yong spat out a mouthful of blood: "I can't die!"

"It's good that you didn't die, it's good that you didn't die." Yang Guifang hugged Zhu Yong excitedly, "You were going to die, and His Majesty would definitely scold me. It's because of me that you went to the grassland."

Zhu Yong's face was filled with grief. He looked at the corpses around him and gritted his teeth, "But all my comrades are dead. Out of 10,000 people, there are less than a thousand brothers left."

Yang Guifang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Do you know who you are facing? The Qiexue Army, the most elite cavalry on the grassland, they are the legend of the grassland. Your new army has crippled them, and with our pursuit, the Qiexue Army will no longer exist. At least, there will be no Qiexue Army in the next two years."

Zhu Yong's eyes lit up instantly: "Really the Qiexue Army? Even if all our brothers die, it's worth it!"

Yang Guifang glanced at the last thousand people and clasped his fists towards them. "I will report to General Shi and ask His Majesty to set up a special camp for you, called the Xianzhen Camp. I believe that with you, the Ming Dynasty will have a powerful Xianzhen Camp in the future, and it will become a legend of the Ming Dynasty."

The thousand-plus people stood up, gripping their knives tightly, their blood boiling.

……

Yesen’s camp.

Boyan fled back with the last 2,000 Keshig troops. He came to the tent and knelt directly in front of Yesen: "Great Khan, I am guilty, the Keshig troops were defeated!"

Yesen was horrified: "What's going on?"

Boyan told him everything about the battle, his eyes full of resentment. After listening to him, Yesen was silent for a long time, and finally helped Boyan up himself.

"This is not your fault!" Yesen's eyes were gloomy. "It seems that I have been preparing for these years, and the Ming Dynasty has also been preparing for these years. Well, this Khan will not underestimate the Ming army."

"Khan, the Qiexue army has been defeated, and we..." Boyan was worried.

Yesen waved his hand and said calmly: "The Qiexue Army may decide the outcome of a certain battle, but it cannot decide the overall situation. I still have the advantage now. Besides, in addition to the Qiexue Army, this Khan has other preparations."

Boyan's eyes lit up, he knew what the Khan was talking about. The Khan had been preparing for this southward march for several years, and he had more than just the Qiexue Army at his disposal.

"Khan, when will we attack Datong again?" Boyan asked.

"No hurry!" Yesen laughed grimly. "Recently, I have asked those tribes to divide into small drum units and invade the border of the Ming Dynasty to rob food and people. Those short-sighted tribal leaders are enjoying this. Let them fight with the Ming army first, and I will find an opportunity later."

"The Khan is wise." Boyan bowed.

He was not flattering, this move was a good thing for the tribes that followed him, they were short of food, looting could get them food, and this could tie down most of the Ming army and consume them.

The ultimate beneficiaries were the Wala.

……

Beijing, Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen was reviewing memorials when Yu Qian hurried into the hall. After paying his respects, he said, "Your Majesty, I just received intelligence that Zhu Yong's 10,000 troops encountered the Qiexue Army. After a battle, Zhu Yong was left with only a thousand or so men. But..."

He described the course of the battle. Zhu Qizhen listened with a frosty face. "They are all warriors of the Ming Dynasty. I approve Yang Guifang's proposal and set up the Xianying Camp. Zhu Yong will be the commander! Yu Qian, find a way to replenish their camp with 10,000 men."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yu Qian nodded in acceptance.

Zhu Qizhen was sad and a little excited. The young generation of the Ming Dynasty, such as Yang Guifang and Zhu Yong, were rising. The young generation was the one Zhu Qizhen could rely on the most. Because they only received the emperor's grace, unlike Yu Qian and others, who received the emperor's grace for three generations. Who knows what he thinks in his heart? He and Emperor Xuanzong had a close relationship. They were both monarchs and ministers and close friends.

Even Yu Qian may not be reliable!

After this battle, we must vigorously promote the younger generation and gradually replace those old ministers.

(End of this chapter)