Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 237: Fenglangjuxu! The era of the great empire that never sets begins

Mobei, Lihou Mountain.

Yesen fled all the way here, and then went north across the Gonglu River to the Langjuxu Mountain. Yesen stood on Lihou Mountain, feeling extremely guilty.

During the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing led his army more than 2,000 miles deep into the Mobei region, crossed the Lihou Mountain, crossed the Gonglu River, engaged in battle with the Xiongnu Zuoxian King, and defeated the Xiongnu. Afterwards, he pursued the Xiongnu all the way to the Langjuxu Mountain, where he held a ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. Afterwards, he did not stop pursuing, but continued to advance deeper, and finally reached the Hanhai before turning back.

That battle not only caused heavy losses to the Xiongnu, forcing them to flee far to the northern desert and never dare to invade the Han Dynasty again, but also made Huo Qubing famous for his "sealing the Wolf's Lair, abdicating at Guyan, and drinking from the vast sea."

"Does this Khan want to make Yang Guifang successful?" Yesen was filled with grief and indignation.

He had fought all the way to the capital of the Ming Dynasty and almost seized the Central Plains, but it had only been a few years? He had ended up in such a situation. The Ming army behind him was chasing him relentlessly, as if they were determined to destroy him.

"Great Khan, the spies reported that the Ming army is chasing us in three directions." Boyan came to his side, "While they are chasing us, they are also subduing the various tribes on the grassland."

Yesen's eyes were like knives, and he snorted coldly: "They have brought shame to our ancestors. They are not worthy of being warriors of the grassland. I will deal with these cowards when I return to Mobei."

Bayan's eyes were blazing with anger. He calmed down for a while and continued to report: "Great Khan, Wuluhe has received a letter from Ibak, the leader of the Shibir tribe. Ibak is leading 50,000 wolf riders to the south."

Yesen was not happy after hearing this, but looked solemn and said: "If our last main force is destroyed, Ibak will come and just swallow us up."

Boyan was horrified, but then he realized that the place where the Shibir tribe was now was even colder than the northern desert, and they must want to move south to have larger pastures.

"Forget it. If it really comes to that, we can only endure the humiliation and bear the heavy burden." Yesen said.

"Khan, we still have 100,000 elite cavalry. It won't be easy to be defeated." Boyan seemed to be cheering himself up.

……

There is a large camp somewhere south of Houshan.

Yang Guifang led 100,000 elite cavalrymen to pursue here. The further north they went, the stronger the wind and sand became. Sitting on horseback, Yang Guifang looked to the north and sighed: "It should be extremely hot south of the Great Wall, right? But the wind here is actually chilly."

Zhu Yong echoed, "Yes, this northern expedition also made me realize how big the world is. When I was training in the camp outside Beijing, His Majesty came to visit several times and always mentioned the phrase 'The world is infinitely vast, and men should not be complacent'. I didn't quite understand it at the time, but now I understand it. If Mobei is so big, how vast must the oceans that Your Majesty is talking about be."

Yang Guifang's eyes were full of longing: "The last time the fleet came back from the sea, I specifically looked for Zheng Bizang. They had to sail for several months on the sea. It is said that South America is even more vast than our Central Plains."

"I am looking forward to the great empire that Your Majesty mentioned." Zhu Yong said excitedly, "After we conquer Mobei this time, we should go west, right? There is Chagatai in the Western Regions, and the Timurid Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Hahaha, it will be exciting to compete with them."

Yang Guifang listened, his face darkened. He remembered the letter he had burned, the letter from Dunhuang. When the imperial army marched west, how would they face Dunhuang?

"General, why don't you bring the Shenji Camp this time?" Zhu Yong asked.

Yang Guifang came back to his senses, pointed to the north, and said in a deep voice: "This time, I want to use cavalry to defeat Yesen again, knock out the grassland cavalry they are proud of, and intimidate the grassland tribes. Our expedition to Mobei is not only to destroy Yesen, but also to conquer the hearts of the Mobei tribes."

"I understand." Zhu Yong nodded.

Yang Guifang laughed loudly: "If my guess is correct, Yesen will definitely stop at Lihou Mountain. Tell the soldiers to set off, there will be a big battle at Lihou Mountain."

……

Yu Qian led the army and was now repairing somewhere on the grassland. He and Wang Yue climbed a mountain, looked to the north, and laughed speechlessly: "This Yang Guifang left behind the Shenji Battalion and the infantry, and only took 100,000 elite cavalry to pursue Yesen."

"General, are you worried?" Wang Yue asked.

"How can I not be worried?" Yu Qian spread his hands. "This is someone else's territory. Yesen retreated all the way and gathered small tribes at the same time. Moreover, we have never been to the north and are not familiar with the terrain."

Wang Yue nodded and frowned, saying, "I heard that General Yang has been studying the terrain of Mobei and has a whole room full of maps."

"He may know Mobei better than the people of Mobei." Yu Qian smiled, "If he was not sure, he would not dare to pursue rashly. Yang Guifang made the greatest contribution to this battle in Mobei. Hahaha, I have to admit that I am old."

Wang Yue shook his head: "Of course, General, you are the one who is in charge of the overall planning."

Yu Qian waved his hands and said, "I am not unhappy, but happy. The Ming Dynasty is blessed to have you young people. When we return to the capital, I will ask for merit for you."

Wang Yue laughed, pointed to the north and said, "General, let's set off quickly. If we are slow, all the military merits will be taken away by Yang Guifang and his men, and we won't even have a sip of soup."

After resting for a while, they continued to move north.

Not only him, but also Shi Heng's army was several hundred miles to his right. The three armies of the Ming Dynasty were heading north to make sure Yesen had nowhere to escape and to deter Mobei.

……

On this day, at Lihou Mountain, Yesen stood on the mountain, looking at the Ming army surging down the mountain, like a great tide. Bayan and Wuluhei stood on his left and right, looking up.

"Hey, not all of them came. I estimate that there are only 100,000 troops." Wuluhei said.

"They are all cavalry, there is no Shenji Battalion." Boyan was surprised.

Yesen didn't seem surprised and chuckled, "We are already more than 2,000 miles deep into Mobei. It's impossible for them to carry the heavy baggage of the Shenji Camp."

"Then I am not afraid." Boyan seemed to have gained confidence all of a sudden. "In a cavalry battle, the Central Plains people are no match for us."

Yesen didn't think so, because the Qiexue army was destroyed by the enemy cavalry. The cavalry of the Ming Dynasty is no longer the cavalry of the past, and is even stronger than that of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty. However, he was a little more stable in his heart, because without the Shenjiying, the Ming army lost their advantage.

"Great Khan, they have set up camp." Wuluhei said, "Should we launch a surprise attack while they are still struggling to gain a firm foothold?"

Yesen pondered for a moment and shook his head: "Let's see, the leader should be Yang Guifang, the most cunning, let's not fall into his trap."

So they watched the Ming army from the mountain until they had set up camp. It was already dusk when the guards suddenly came to report that the Ming army had sent an envoy.

Yesen was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand: "Bring it here."

Not long after, an envoy from the Ming Dynasty came to Yesen. He looked extremely arrogant, but he just nodded slightly and said, "Great Khan Yesen, our General Yang asked me to bring a letter of challenge. Tomorrow he will personally lead 50,000 Ming cavalry to set up a battle array on the grassland at the foot of the mountain. Great Khan, you will also lead 50,000 grassland cavalry. We will fight cavalry against cavalry and decide the outcome. Do you dare? If we lose, we will withdraw from the grassland. If you lose, surrender immediately."

"Your General Yang, are you sick?" Boyan was speechless, "War is not a joke? Can you gamble?"

Yesen waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "Okay, I accept General Yang's challenge. Tomorrow, 50,000 cavalry will face 50,000 cavalry, and the outcome will be decided in one battle."

Bayan and Wuluhei were both shocked.

……

Night falls.

Yang Guifang stood in front of the big tent, looking at Lihou Mountain. Zhu Yong beside him asked puzzledly: "General, why do you want to challenge Yesen?"

"Because the grassland cannot afford to lose more people." Yang Guifang sighed, "Yu Shaobao is right. The more people die on the grassland, the harder it will be to conquer. I will use 50,000 against 50,000, which is just the right amount to defeat Yesen's main force. He will no longer be a threat. After that, Yu Shaobao and Shi Heng behind us will be able to conquer the various tribes in Mobei."

So that's how it is. Zhu Yong nodded and raised his eyes and said, "I'll go to the battle tomorrow!"

Yang Guifang laughed loudly: "Of course I have to go! You lead the remaining 50,000 cavalry and retreat to the right side overnight to prevent Yesen from playing dirty tricks."

Zhu Yong did not argue, nodded and left.

The next day, the sky was clear and the air was clear.

Yang Guifang personally led the army to set up their battle formations. Looking at the azure sky, he secretly praised, "What a damn good day."

He drew out his long sword, rode his horse to the front, and spoke like thunder:

"Today's battle is the key to our success in establishing our rule in Mobei. Behind us is the land that our ancestors exchanged for with their blood; behind us is the peaceful homeland of thousands of ordinary people. In this battle, we have no way to retreat, because if we retreat, the cavalry of Mobei will march south again, trample our fields, burn our houses, make our loved ones homeless, and turn our homes into scorched earth."

"Before the sun sets today, many people will die. This is my last order. If you see me fall off my horse, do not stop charging. Hold your swords tightly and fight until you die."

"The sun, moon, mountains and rivers will always be there, and the Ming Dynasty will always be there!"

In the blink of an eye, the two armies collided.

The two armies fought fiercely until dusk, and the grassland was dyed red with blood. Yesen was seriously injured and fled northward. They did not even stop at the Gonglu River and fled in a hurry.

This battle completely crushed Yesen and his army. Even if it was a cavalry battle against cavalry, they would still be defeated.

Yang Guifang led a large army and chased them all the way to Langjuxu Mountain.

He rode his horse to the top of Mount Langjuxu, and suddenly the view in front of him was clear, with a magnificent and vast view of the northern desert. This mountain is not only a sacred mountain in the northern desert, but also seems to be engraved with the glorious mark of Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty a thousand years ago. The mountain wind whistled, as if whispering the legendary story of sealing the Langjuxu and shocking the world.

He looked around and saw endless mountains, with the afterglow of the setting sun shining on the rolling hills, glittering with golden light. At the foot of the mountain, the defeated Yesen army fled far away like a frightened bird, leaving behind a trail of dust.

Yang Guifang's heart was filled with unspeakable ambition and passion. He seemed to be able to feel Huo Qubing's bravery and determination. On this same land, he also wrote his own legend. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air was not only mixed with the smoke of the battlefield, but also a sense of glory and mission that transcended time and space.

"It's like Shao Bao, Shi Henglai, we will also seal the Wolf's Lair." Yang Guifang said proudly, "A brand new era has arrived for the Ming Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)