The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 32 Falling from the Horse
The army set out, and Chang Yuchun's troops marched in order to reach Qingyang as soon as possible.

Even though the sun was scorching, the opportunity for battle was fleeting. Now the Yuan Tartars were not only resisting stubbornly in Qingyang, but the Yuan emperor was also mobilizing troops to prepare for a counterattack.

Xu Da, who was commanding the battle at the front line, was under great pressure. The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty also suffered a partial defeat in this battle, and some of his generals were killed.

Chang Yuchun could understand Xu Da's urgency even better. If he could not reach Qingyang earlier, the Yuan army would most likely counterattack successfully.

By then, the results of the early Northern Expedition might be wiped out. Shaanxi and Gansu might be taken away by the Yuan Tartars, and places such as Beijing might be invaded by the Yuan Tartars again.

That was a result that no one could afford. The outcome of the Battle of Qingyang was related to the peace in the north of the Ming Dynasty.

If they win, the Yuan army will basically have no power to move south. Wang Baobao in Ningxia will be at the end of his strength and will be unable to support the whole country.

If the Ming army was defeated, the Yuan army could quickly gather an army of more than 100,000 and launch a thorough counterattack.

Even someone like Ma Xun, who only had a vague understanding of the war situation, would be nervous, not to mention generals like Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. They had more than 200,000 troops under their command and were responsible for the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition.

Lan Yu looked at Ma Xun and said proudly, "My brother-in-law is ten years older than me, and you are ten years younger than me. Do you understand?"

Ma Xun joked, "Brother Lan, it's okay for you to say these things in front of me. But if your elder sister knew about these things, it would be hard to say. She would definitely scold you for being arrogant and domineering."

Lan Yu said sternly, "How can a man like you file a complaint like a long-mouthed woman?"

Although he had little contact with Lan Yu, and even had some unpleasant experiences at the beginning, in Ma Xun's opinion, Lan Yu did not necessarily have any bad intentions, he was just a little domineering.

Ma Xun did not say much, Lan Yu had Chang Yuchun and Chang Lanshi to discipline him. If that didn't work, there would be Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Crown Princess Chang to discipline him in the future.

Even though Lan Yu was the uncle of the Crown Princess, he could only be a minister in front of the Crown Prince.

The same goes for Ma Xun. Even if it's his uncle, if he really makes a mistake, the prince will still punish him when it's time.

Lan Yu said, "Don't say I didn't take care of you. When you get to Kaiping, you can't let Mu Ying leave. He has to stay with you. Sima Xu and a few others are enough to go out and suppress the remaining Tartars. Send out 1,000 soldiers each time, and a maximum of 3,000."

Liu Jing, who was standing beside him, immediately asked, "General Lan, Kaiping has been conquered, why haven't those Tartars withdrawn yet?"

Lan Yu said proudly, "Why not withdraw? It's because you can't bear to leave the pasture! Now these Tartars and Emperor Yuan are alienated, and many of them have surrendered to us in recent years. When your army arrives, these people will lead cattle and horses for you."

Liu Jing asked again, "General Lan, do you mean that these people can be persuaded to surrender?"

"I don't like to persuade people to surrender, but it's not good to kill them all." Lan Yu said, "Sometimes when we get to the grassland, we still need to rely on these Tartars to lead the way, find other nomadic places of the Yuan Tartars, and find water sources. We also need these people."

There are always some guides everywhere.

Ma Xun asked curiously, "Brother Lan, I don't think you look like a pioneer now?"

Lan Yu said depressedly, "It's not my brother-in-law. I'm already thirty years old. I could only get a vanguard position with General Xu. But with my brother-in-law, I became a junior general. He said it was too dangerous to be a vanguard and wouldn't let me go."

Chang Yuchun was also a man who doted on his brother-in-law. He married Chang Lan when he was in his twenties, and at that time he was always accompanied by a naughty kid named Lan Yu.

Lan Yu is thirty years old now, but in Chang Yuchun's eyes he is still a naughty child. He feels at ease only when he keeps him by his side.

Being a pioneer can make great achievements, but it can also be dangerous. Let Lan Yu follow you honestly, so you don't have to worry about not having the opportunity to make achievements safely, and you don't have to be a pioneer and put your head on the belt.

Ma Xun teased, "Then we are the same. I am already 20 years old and have traveled a lot. My brother-in-law is also worried about me, so he has arranged everything at home."

Lan Yu was immediately unhappy, "I'm different from you. I have followed my brother-in-law to fight since I was a child. I'm capable!" He is outspoken and has low emotional intelligence. Lan Yu is indeed good at hurting people with his words.

Ma Xun continued to ask with concern, "I heard that the fighting in Qingyang was fierce. Brother Lan, how do you think the fight will go next?"

Lan Yu answered without thinking, "Qingyang has an advantageous terrain, so we will definitely attack from all sides. General Xu is already clearing the periphery, and we are just waiting for my brother-in-law to arrive. Then I will definitely capture Qingyang and take down those seven guns."

Zhang Liangchen's seven adopted sons were also famous generals. If they could be captured and killed on the battlefield, they would become famous in the army.

Liu Jing said with some concern, "General Lan, I heard that the Yuan court is also mobilizing a lot of troops to aid Qingyang. If they divide their troops in Datong, won't we be in danger?"

Lan Yu immediately looked at Liu Jing, somewhat surprised, "You seem to be quite knowledgeable. Let me ask you a question. You can guess all these, but we can't?"

Seeing that Liu Jing was silent, Lan Yu was even more proud. "We also thought that the Yuan court wanted to support Qingyang and would send troops to Fengxiang to contain us. Yuanzhou and Jingzhou were also attacked by the Yuan Tartars."

This is not a siege to attack the reinforcements, but a means to tie down the Ming army and prevent it from gathering superior forces in Qingyang.

Lan Yu continued, "If my guess is correct, Wang Baobao will definitely not continue to hide in Ningxia. Since he forced Zhang Liangchen to fight a decisive battle with us, he will definitely send his troops forward and march to Yongchang."

Not to mention Liu Jing, even Mu Ying and others nodded repeatedly, and were extremely impressed by Lan Yu's analysis.

Although Lan Yu was arrogant and domineering, his ability in fighting was first-rate. This made him a great general, not just a brave general who could only charge into battle.

Ma Xun didn't understand what was impressive and could only nod his head repeatedly.

He felt that since Lan Yu could see all this clearly, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun must have a better understanding of the situation and would definitely be prepared.

Lan Yu continued, "Don't worry about Datong. We can defeat the Yuan army on the way there. And Feng Sheng and Li Wenzhong must be leading their troops to help us now."

Lan Yu said arrogantly, "General Xu and my brother-in-law have already deployed their troops. It would be a good thing if the Yuan Tartars come to help. If we swallow them all in one go, Wang Baobao will be alone!"

The Battle of Qingyang will be the strategic decisive battle of this Northern Expedition. As long as the Ming Dynasty wins, the Yuan army will basically lose the ability to counterattack and can only retreat to the grassland to defend itself.

Lan Yu continued to analyze the situation, and Ma Xun was trying hard to listen even though he only understood half of what was said.

Mu Ying, Liu Jing and others nodded repeatedly, occasionally raising some questions. Their mission was to assist Ma Xun in defending Kaiping, but once an emergency occurred, this elite force might also be mobilized.

These are 10,000 elite soldiers. Such a new force can play a significant role in the strategic decisive battle.

Ma Xun looked around and asked, "Where's Brother Chang?"

"He went to the front to mobilize the troops." Lan Yu said, "My brother-in-law is good in everything except trusting others. All these elite soldiers and generals under his command are really capable, but he just likes to think too much. If I were to say, he must have been frightened by His Majesty. My brother-in-law doesn't want to be Guan Yu."

Chang Yuchun was always loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang and dared to speak his mind. At the beginning, he was indeed a fierce general.

Zhu Yuanzhang therefore often warned Chang Yuchun that "to defeat the enemy you need courage, and to achieve complete victory you need strategy." He also used Guan Yu as an example, and Chang Yuchun obviously listened to him, so now he has both courage and strategy.

Chang Yuchun was still busy under such a scorching sun and he really had a lot of things to worry about.

Just as a few people were still talking and laughing, a horse rushed over and the knight was terrified.

"The general fell off his horse!"

(End of this chapter)