Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 46 First, Zhu Di must be captured alive.

"Get out, get out of here!"

Zhu Di lost control of his emotions and began smashing things in anger. The military officers present were frightened and had no choice but to retreat quickly.

Now only Zhu Gaoshuo and Zhu Zhanji dare to stay by Zhu Di's side.

Zhu Di frantically stroked his beard, muttering under his breath, "I know, I know, I have to kill them first, kill them first!"

He couldn't accept such a failure.

Although Tianmu has not yet revealed all the details of what happened next.

But he already understood.

It was this strong wind that completely shattered his dream of unifying the grasslands.

He couldn't believe it was true if he hadn't heard it with his own ears.

He didn't take either Mahmud or Arughtai seriously at all; they were still too inexperienced when it came to fighting.

Therefore, when Zhu Di heard Tianmu say that he would lose, he did not believe it at all.

I can't think of any reason why we lost.

Now he knew that he hadn't lost to the Mongols, but to God.

"Is this repayment for everything Jingnan has gained?"

Zhu Di's eyes instantly reddened, and he lowered his head, unwilling to listen to Tianmu's words any longer.

"The sandstorm rendered the cannons useless. Zhu Di did not heed the advice of Prince Han, Zhu Gaoxu, and resolutely refused to retreat. However, the sandstorm was too severe. It not only made it impossible to see, but also seriously affected the advance of the cavalry on both flanks. If the cavalry did not charge, then the spearmen in the middle would be isolated and helpless."

"Zhu Di directly beheaded the commanders of the cavalry on both flanks and ordered that anyone who retreated even a step would be put to death!"

"Zhu Di insisted on fighting this battle, but the Ming army had long lost its advantage and could only fight to the death. The battle lasted for a day, and the Ming army suffered heavy casualties. There was a severe shortage of wound medicine and military doctors, and tens of thousands of people died overnight."

"The Oirats and Tatars, under Mahmud's leadership, hid in the mountains. The two mountains were nestled in a deep valley, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It seems that they had already calculated that the weather on the grassland would change suddenly, which is why they chose to fight Zhu Di head-on."

"Not only that, but something even worse happened. The Uriyangkhai, who have always been subservient to the Ming Dynasty, also chose to send troops to launch a surprise attack on the Ming Dynasty's logistics and supplies, which resulted in the supply lines not being able to be delivered at all. Right now, the Ming army's food supplies can't last for more than a month."

"In this battle, the Ming army suffered 30,000 casualties!"

"Retreat."

At this time, Zhu Di, as an 'outsider,' clearly understood the situation.

His stubbornness had cost so many Ming soldiers their lives.

Retreat now is the best option.

However, Zhu Di was also very clear that he would never back down.

He schemed against others, but unexpectedly, he was also schemed against.

These three Mongol tribes had clearly planned their cooperation long ago, intending to wipe out the Ming army in one fell swoop.

He finally understood that not only the Ming Dynasty could hear what the heavens said, but the Oirat Mongols could as well.

Zhu Di understood that this was his inner desire to annihilate all the tribes of the grasslands, a thought that Mahmud and Arughtai had discerned and guessed.

Zhu Di immediately began simulating a battle in the sky with Zhu Zhanji on a sand table.

The situation is very bad right now.

With Mahmud in the distance lost and unable to leave the valley, the cannons were completely out of range, rendering them useless and making it too difficult to break through.

The Uriyangkhai are also at risk of attacking from behind.

Taking advantage of the terrain, Mahmud was able to hold off the Ming Dynasty's 200,000-strong army with only 30,000 men.

Zhu Di was speechless, wishing the cannons could have a longer range. Not only Zhu Di, but also the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao, who were on a long march, were simulating this battle to see if they had a chance to win.

Zhu Gaosui understood immediately: "Even if we can't hit anyone, we can attack the mountain and use the rubble to force Mahmud out for a final battle, how about that?"

“If he dares to come out, Second Brother, your cavalry and I will definitely fight him to the death.”

Zhu Gaoxu did not reply. He had fought so many battles, and the best course of action now was to retreat. Mahmud was no ordinary person who could force the old man into such a predicament. Even if he did manage to force him out, he might not necessarily gain the upper hand in a major battle.

in the military camp.

Zhu Di pondered for a moment, but couldn't find a weakness to attack.

"Fourth brother, what do you think we should do?"

Looking at Zhu Di's serious yet haggard face, Zhu Gaoshuo paused for a moment, then said, "We can move the cannons forward!"

"Move forward?"

Zhu Di looked puzzled. This was a method everyone knew, but the problem was how to move it forward.

"Fourth brother, each of these cannons weighs several thousand kilograms, moving them will not be an easy task!"

"The cannons are on wheels. They can be moved forward under the cover of darkness. At this time, the Mongols will think they have won a battle and will definitely let their guard down!"

These words instantly enlightened Zhu Di.

This is indeed the only way, but the risks are also extremely high.

However, Zhu Di always believed that war could not be fought by conventional means, so he would take advantage of the heavy snow and wind at night to move the red-coated cannons forward.

This is actually a very simple principle, and Zhu Di believed he could understand it.

As Zhu Di had predicted, the next words from the heavens were exactly what he expected, and the red-coated cannons moved forward 1000 steps.

"The Ming soldiers completed this seemingly impossible task in one night. The next morning, the grassland army, which had just woken up, was subjected to a fierce artillery barrage."

Mahmud reacted instantly, still ordering his troops not to engage in battle, but to retreat to the mountains and hold their ground!

"There was no other way; Zhu Di had to take the initiative to attack in order not to miss the opportunity."

Zhu Zhanji ran to the sand table and asked, "Grandpa, how would you fight this battle?"

Zhu Di's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately began fiddling with the sand table, muttering to himself.

"Take advantage of his illness to kill him."

"Three thousand battalions will be mobilized, five armies will provide support, and the Divine Machine Battalion and the Archer Battalion will remain in the center to provide cover. Even if they can't kill anyone, they must throw out their weapons to cut off the Oirat army's retreat!"

Just as Zhu Di had planned, the entire 3,000-strong army marched out and advanced straight into the valley. This place was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it was known as the "Land of the Three Gorges"!

"Three thousand battalions were dispatched, but the Tatars and Uriyangkhai had already laid an ambush at two mountain passes, relying on the advantageous terrain to fight the Ming army, and the battle once again fell into a stalemate."

Having tasted the benefits of moving the cannons forward, Zhu Di once again issued a bold order, commanding the red-coated cannons to move forward 1000 paces.

"But at this moment, Prince Han, Zhu Gaochi, stepped forward to stop Zhu Di, because the cannons were the most powerful weapons in the hands of the Ming army at present, and they were also the weapons that deterred the Mongols from attacking easily. Now the enemy army knew that the cannons had been moved forward, and without the cover of night, the enemy army would definitely do its best to destroy the cannons."

"But Zhu Di did not believe that Mahmud had any more ambushes. In addition, the Prince of Han twice advised him not to retreat, which made Zhu Di furious. He directly ordered the Prince of Han to lead troops to hold back Mahmud's main force. Even if he died on the battlefield, he was not allowed to retreat even a single step!"

Prince Zhu Gaochi of Han ultimately obeyed the order and went, but Zhu Di was unaware that it was precisely his order that led to Zhu Gaochi's death on the Mongolian steppe, his body never to be found, and to Zhu Di's long-awaited defeat, with Esen leading several thousand cavalry to directly seize his stronghold!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di felt a sense of panic.

I suddenly thought of Zhu Qizhen.

And the words "captured alive" are also included!

(End of this chapter)