Di Ming

Chapter 214 The Ming Army Marches Beyond the Great Wall!

Qin Liangyu was dressed in silver armor and wore a helmet with pheasant feathers. She was taller than the average man, about 1.75 meters tall in Zhu Yin's opinion. She was slender, beautiful, and truly the kind of tall and beautiful woman described in ancient books.

She was nineteen years old, with a fair, oval face, delicate features, a broad forehead and chin, a prominent nose and full lips, earlobes like pearls, and bright, sparkling eyes. Although she looked travel-worn, her heroic spirit was still hard to conceal.

What a remarkable female general, a true warrior in arms!

If you ask what kind of woman she is, Mr. Zhihu has a poem to prove it, which is a Yuefu poem titled "Song of General Qin Liangyu, the Loyal Marquis," which reads:

"Xiuning fought only for the Li family, Mulan concealed her true gender. Who among women could compare to Qin Liangyu, a beauty who served the nation to the death? She went beyond the Great Wall to defend the border, serving the king faithfully, fighting in the south and north to repay the country's kindness. She shamed the officials of the Liu camp, far surpassing those holding official tablets in the imperial court. Her jade-like face often glared angrily at the barbarian dust, her delicate eyebrows always furrowed in the face of the enemy's wrath. Her rouge-clad horse trampled the bones of the battlefield, her white spear shattered the sound of drums. The imperial edict was issued in an instant, she left her home in haste. In the morning, she combed her hair at her dressing table, in the evening, she offered sacrifices under the phoenix banner, leading the fierce warriors. The late emperor left only five poems, four of which praised her loyalty. Since ancient times, women who achieved military merit were ennobled; could there be another like her? Alas, the tide could not be turned, only one pillar in the southwest held up. Her devoted heart and soul were destined for ruin, her blood and sweat could not fuel the lamp to burn out. With silver hair, she sadly listened to the song of 'Shu Li,' and in her remaining years, she could not bear to see the land sink. The Han dynasty's robes and hats are buried in fragrant tombs, the bright moon of the old country shines on the Great Wall."

Although Zhu Yin wrote this poem for the historical Marquis of Loyalty, it was a pity that he could not read it aloud in front of Qin Liangyu.

He recalled the biography of Qin Liangyu in the History of Ming: "Liangyu was courageous and intelligent, skilled in riding and archery, and also proficient in literature and calligraphy. She was elegant in demeanor. However, she was strict in managing her subordinates, and whenever she issued orders during military campaigns, the troops would stand in solemn silence..."

This is a treasure of a sister who is both scholarly and athletic.

"Sister?" Qin Liangyu was still surprised, even though she knew why Zhu Yin called her sister.

Just as she was about to bow, Zhu Yin stepped forward to help her up, saying, "Sister, no need for formalities! Sister, you have marched to Datong in less than a month. You are truly a formidable force. Speed ​​is of the essence in warfare."

Qin Liangyu could only cup her hands and say, "This humble servant is Qin Liangyu from the Shizhu Pacification Commission, greetings... Governor!"

As she spoke, she turned to the side and pointed behind her, "Of the three thousand soldiers of Shizhu that I led, all but four who died of illness on the way have arrived."

She held no official position; she was merely the wife of a chieftain, hence she referred to herself as "concubine" rather than "minor general."

Zhu Yin said, "The soldiers marched out of Sichuan and into Qin, enduring wind and rain, which was very arduous. They have achieved merit without even fighting."

Qin Liangyu laughed and said, "It's just a march, how dare I take credit? We men of Shizhu are used to hardship and endurance from childhood. We often hunt in the mountains and forests, sometimes chasing each other for hundreds of miles in one night. This march is on the official road, and we don't carry any baggage."

Only then did she have time to curiously observe the world-renowned Mr. Chih-hu.

At only fifteen, he was already handsome and dashing, clearly a head taller than other boys his age. His slightly upturned eyes held a quiet brilliance, and his smile was as warm as a spring breeze. Even more remarkable was his composed and serene demeanor, a quality rarely seen among young men.

Although he was only fifteen and still looked quite young, he gave off the impression of a seasoned and worldly-wise official who had been in power for a long time.

Xiubing was right. Her brother, the incarnation of the God of War and his benefactor, was indeed a rare find in this world.

Leaving aside his unparalleled achievement of passing the imperial examinations three times in a row, his demeanor and bearing alone make him an outstanding individual.

As expected of Mr. Zhihu, who is known to everyone, young and old.

Zhu Yin called her "elder sister," and she knew it was because of Cen Xiubing. She and Cen Xiubing were sworn sisters.

Otherwise, if Mr. Zhihu didn't even know of his existence, how could the Ministry of War have ordered him to go north to participate in the war?

Strictly speaking, it wouldn't be wrong for Zhu Yin to call her "elder sister." However, she dared not consider herself an elder sister!

However, she was deeply grateful and her impression of Zhu Yin improved even more, and she couldn't help but feel as if they were old friends.

She could tell that the young military commander had great goodwill towards her. This goodwill was probably not solely due to Cen Xiubing.

Upon hearing Qin Liangyu's words, Zhu Yin couldn't help but show his admiration. The White-Spear Soldiers truly lived up to their reputation as a renowned elite force, as evidenced by their marching speed alone.

It is said that the White-Spear Soldiers are resilient and hard-working, and they certainly live up to their reputation.

The three thousand white-spear soldiers were all dressed in light rattan armor, with rattan shields the size of straw hats on their backs, each carrying a seven-foot-long white waxwood spear, and a one-foot-long short knife at their waist.

They were all short, but each one was capable and fierce. Even the group of female soldiers around Qin Liangyu were like tigers and wolves, exuding a fierce aura.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the White-Spear Soldiers were the Ming army that the Eight Banners soldiers feared most. The White-Spear Soldiers were fearless and skilled in close combat, and were one of the very few armies that dared to fight the Jurchen soldiers hand-to-hand.

Zhu Yin welcomed Qin Liangyu and others into Datong City and introduced them to the generals. None of the generals underestimated Qin Liangyu.

There's no other reason than that. They have eyes; seeing the imposing presence of the White-Spear Soldiers, they knew this was a powerful force. How could they dare underestimate Qin Liangyu, a woman?
Was Lady Wa a woman? Back then, she led her wolf soldiers, and the fierce Japanese pirates dared not challenge her.

The chieftain's wife is not to be underestimated.

...

Two days later, Xiong Tingbi led 1,500 Ming soldiers from Jiangnan to Datong.

This was the only force from the Jiangnan army to participate in the battle. The imperial court considered the Jiangnan army weak and unfit for important tasks, and rarely deployed them.

However, Zhu Yin had already cultivated extensive connections throughout the court and the country, secretly building a faction of supporters, and his influence was already considerable. If he wanted to transfer Xiong Tingbi, he wouldn't need to personally recommend him.

Xiong Tingbi's promotion to garrison commander was also due to Zhu Yin's secret efforts.

He wrote to Xiong Tingbi, telling him to focus on training and commanding the troops. As for promotions and provisions, he need not worry about any of that.

Under Zhu Yin's patronage, Xiong Tingbi, with connections in the court, refrained from embezzling military pay, and received subsidies from Ning Caiwei, managed to train his troops into the Xiong Family Army. This Xiong Family Army, with only a little over a thousand men, was one of the very few fully paid armies in the entire Ming Dynasty.

The generals initially looked down on Xiong Tingbi's force of just over a thousand men. "A mere thousand-odd soldiers from Jiangnan," they thought, "what use are they? Are they here to die?"
How did Xiong Tingbi manage to get involved in the war?
Although Xiong Tingbi was excited to see Zhu Yin, he followed Zhu Yin's instructions in his previous letter and pretended that they had no prior relationship. Zhu Yin also treated Xiong Tingbi with official business, and no one could tell that the two had a close friendship.

Three days after Xiong Tingbi led his army to arrive, the provisions and supplies were ready.

In reality, they were not fully prepared; the Ming army's logistics were extremely inefficient. The logistics for tens of thousands of field troops were not even properly arranged within a month.

But Zhu Yin could not wait any longer; he had to send troops.

In Ningxia, only Ma Gui, Xiao Ruxun, and others are currently fighting the rebels. The main force he leads to quell the rebellion can no longer remain in Datong.

If we don't have enough food supplies, we can only ask the Tartars for more!

At this time, more than 30,000 troops had gathered in Datong City, all of them elite soldiers who had participated in field battles, and their morale was quite high. This was because their food had been excellent during this period, and their pay had been paid on time.

As a major commercial center, Datong City already had businesses owned by Ning Caiwei. This time, Ning Caiwei's trading company also participated in the logistics.

Before Zhu Yin set out with his troops, the first procedure was to select the generals.

These are the rules, and we can't be careless about them.

...

"Boom boom boom—" Several blasts of signal cannons sounded, and all the generals above the rank of battalion commander rushed to the imperial envoy's camp in turn.

The heavily guarded headquarters had been taken over by Zhu Yin's personal guards. Once all the generals had arrived, Zhu Yin brought out the imperial edict flag, the imperial envoy's seal, and the tally on horseback.

The generals paid their respects together again, and then sat on opposite sides.

Zhu Yin personally invited General Qi Jiguang to sit next to him, which moved Li Rusong deeply.

He recalled his own experience. When he was the General of Datong, he wanted to sit alongside the Governor, but he was humiliated, impeached, and lost his position as General of Datong.

Qi Jiguang, without any formality, offered a token gesture of humility before speaking first: "Generals, please take your seats. I will now present my strategy for pacifying the army."

Zhu Yin said, "Since the Taohe Incident, the barbarians have looked down on China. After the proposal to pacify them was rejected, various tribes have repeatedly invaded."

“If the enemy can go, so can we. Rather than being passively attacked, why not take action? Qi Shaobao is a prime example. If all generals were like Qi Shaobao, why would we have to worry about the Tartars invading our borders?”

During these three years, Qi Jiguang regained command of the Jizhou garrison, trained his soldiers and horses, rectified military discipline, and frequently went beyond the Great Wall to intimidate the Mongols.

The Mongols, intimidated by Qi Shaobao's reputation, dared not confront the Jizhou army and could only bury their heads in the sand, pretending not to know anything.

Therefore, Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang's strategy was to focus on attacking the Mongolians in the Hetao region, with the attack on the rebels as a secondary objective. They would first attack the Hetao region, and then quell the rebels.

As for the pretext, it was that the Mongols in the Ordos region supported the rebels and invaded the Ming Dynasty, and therefore deserved to be punished.

By defeating the Mongols in the Hetao region, we can seize the opportunity to reclaim the Hetao area!
Qi Jiguang said calmly, "I deeply agree with your strategy of pacifying the army; it is a perfect match."

In front of everyone, he treated Zhu Yin with complete officialdom. Li Rusong and the others had no idea that the two were adoptive father and son, nor did they know that this strategy was also Qi Jiguang's own idea. Although Qi Jiguang was a general-in-chief with the seal of a general, according to the system of the Ming Dynasty, he naturally had to listen to the strategies of the supervising officer.

Zhu Yin sat down beside the sand table and pointed to the diagram on it, saying:
"Let's skip Ningxia for now. Let's head out of the Great Wall, travel south of the Yin Mountains, west along the north bank of the Yellow River, cross the Yellow River at Yunnei (Baotou), and head south straight into the Hetao region..."

"...Taking advantage of the fact that the Mongols of the Ordos region sent troops south to support the rebels, we struck directly at their stronghold, first annihilating the tribes of Altan Khan's nephews, Zhuolitu and Sengzai, and then conquering the entire Ordos region..."

"...then they crossed the Yellow River westward and exited through the Helan Pass...this was to first cut off their head, then weaken their power; the rebel army was like fish on a chopping block..."

When Zhu Yin revealed the strategy he had devised with Qi Jiguang, Li Rusong and the others were stunned.

They were supposed to be going to Ningxia to quell a rebellion, so how did they end up fighting in the Hetao region, which is inhabited by Mongols?
"So, Mr. Zhihu not only wants to quell the Ningxia rebellion, but also wants to take the opportunity to recover the Hetao region." Li Rusong was very excited. "This is indeed a rare opportunity! Feinting to the east while attacking the west, taking advantage of the situation, cutting off the fuel supply, bending the bow on the precipice, it's like an iron chain across the river."

General Dong Yikui of Datong clapped his hands and said, "Excellent! Your Excellency is brilliant! Just as there was the ancient strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, we now enter the Hetao region and pacify Ningxia!"

Shang Yang laughed and said, "To strike unexpectedly and catch the enemy off guard. Governor's strategy is brilliant!"

He was actually boasting a bit when he said that, as an advisor, he had also participated in the planning and execution of this entire strategic plan.

Sitting some distance away, Xiong Tingbi suddenly said, "Your Excellency, this plan is excellent, but extremely risky. I think it's worth discussing. The Khanate of the Mongol Shunyi Prince is not far north of Datong..."

Li Rubai stamped his leather shoes, his face darkening, and said, "What right do you, a mere garrison commander, have to criticize the governor's strategies?"

Although he was also a martial artist, that didn't stop him from looking down on other martial artists.

Li Rusong didn't speak, but just frowned and glanced at his younger brother.

Although he found his brother's words a bit harsh, Xiong Tingbi was indeed making a rash statement without thinking.

Even General Qi Jiguang didn't question what the governor said, so why should a mere garrison commander like you...

Qin Liangyu also said, "There are indeed risks."

But Zhu Yin said calmly, "Are you worried that after our army crosses the border, the Mongol tribes will send troops to block our army?"

Qin Liangyu and Xiong Tingbi nodded together.

Zhu Yin couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Historically, Xiong Jinglue was a great civil official, yet he had forcibly molded him into a military man.

How cruel.

Xiong Tingbi cupped his hands and said, "In reply to the Governor, my worries are indeed just that. I'm sure the Governor and the General already have a solution in mind. I'm just worrying unnecessarily."

Qin Liangyu smiled but remained silent.

Qi Jiguang nodded slightly, showing great appreciation for Xiong Tingbi.

Zhu Yin's expression was somewhat inscrutable, but his words were quite solid:
"Commander Xiong, I have no countermeasures. If we are indeed ambushed by Mongol cavalry halfway, we must either advance in victory or retreat and return the way we came."

"But when it comes to fighting, there are always risks involved. We can only take a gamble, betting that with tens of thousands of elite troops at our disposal, ordinary Mongol tribes will not dare to stop us."

In fact, Zhu Yin was very confident, but he couldn't explain why.

Because the intelligence network of the Northern Liao Dynasty regarding the various tribes of Southern Mongolia was already quite comprehensive.

The spies of the Mongol tribes were not just one or two individuals, but an entire organization.

Currently, there is significant conflict between the Third Lady and the newly appointed Shunyi King among the various Mongol tribes, leaving many tribal nobles bewildered and the grasslands increasingly chaotic. The Qingcheng Khanate no longer holds much of a deterrent effect over the various tribes.

Take the Ordos Mongols, for example. They outwardly obeyed the orders of the Qingcheng Khanate but inwardly defied them, acting arbitrarily. The Khanate was temporarily powerless to restrain the Ordos chieftains of the Ordos region.

In this situation, if troops were sent to the Hetao region, many Mongol nobles would not only refuse to send troops to help, but would even gloat.

Qi Jiguang made the final decision:

“Let’s do it this way. War is not like hunting; there’s no reason not to take risks. I would like to proceed cautiously, but His Majesty and the court are urging us to make a quick decision and not waste money and supplies.”

Zhu Yin said without room for doubt, "Since the General has no objections, then let's hold the oath-taking ceremony, perform the sacrificial rites, and send out the troops!"

……

The next day, 35,000 troops were reviewed north of Wuding Gate in Datong.

The army's strength was as solid as a mountain, and its battle flags were as numerous as a forest.

Qi Jiguang had 2,000 personal guards, 3,000 Qi Family Army soldiers, 3,000 chariot soldiers, 10,000 Datong soldiers, 5,000 Liaodong soldiers, 8,000 Xuanfu soldiers, 3,000 Baigan soldiers, and 1,500 Jiangnan soldiers.

The army numbered 35,000, all of whom were elite soldiers.

Among them, there were 15,000 cavalrymen, each with two horses.

Fifteen thousand cavalrymen, accounting for 20% of the entire Ming Dynasty's cavalry!
Zhu Yin felt a complex mix of emotions upon seeing the 15,000 cavalrymen arrayed in a magnificent formation.

He can now mobilize 10,000 elite Eight Banner troops and 5,000 native warriors from Jingzhou (Luzon) overseas.

Throughout the country, thousands of private soldiers are also distributed through Ning Caiwei's business organizations.

He already has 20,000 troops at his disposal.

But how many cavalrymen are there? Ding Huogen on Daishan Island has a thousand barely qualified cavalrymen.

Xu Wei, the governor of Jingzhou, had five hundred so-called cavalrymen who could ride horses.

His so-called cavalry was insignificant compared to the Ming army's cavalry.

The most powerful force among the Eight Banners overseas was their navy, which was undoubtedly the strongest maritime power in the Eastern world. Currently, their navy controls the maritime trade routes from East Asia to the South Seas, dominating the oceans without equal.

But no matter how strong the navy is, it can't land a ship. To reclaim the throne from the eldest son, his military strength is still far from sufficient.

In addition to 35,000 soldiers and 30,000 warhorses, there were more than 40,000 camels, mules, packhorses, and more than 30,000 horse-drawn carts.

The sheer scale of it was breathtaking, almost overwhelming, with nothing but men and horses in sight.

When Zhu Yin saw the livestock and carriages covering the mountains and plains, he felt a chill run down his spine, and only then did he truly realize how difficult it was to fight in ancient times.

Fortunately, with Qi Jiguang and Li Rusong around, he wasn't worried about how to lead troops.

Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang briefly inspected the army before beginning the sacrificial ceremony.

After the sacrificial ceremony, Zhu Yin swore an oath at the Wuding city gate, and then the bugle sounded, and the army slowly set off.

The massive army headed directly north towards Deshengbao.

Upon arriving at Deshengbao, Hao Yunlai and Zheng Guowang's more than four thousand men gathered, bringing the army to forty thousand!
Hao Yunlai and Zheng Guowang were both bewildered when they learned that they were not going to Ningxia, but instead heading west to attack the Hetao region.

What?! They're voluntarily venturing beyond the Great Wall?!
Has Zhu Zhihu gone mad?! Provoking the Tartars? What if these tens of thousands of troops are wiped out on the grasslands? What a huge loss that would be!
They're all going to suffer the same fate!

However, once Zhu Yin gave the order, they had no choice but to obey.

Forty thousand troops voluntarily crossed the Great Wall and entered the grasslands—a feat never seen since the Battle of Tumu Fortress.

This action immediately alarmed the Mongol tribes not far to the north.

Immediately, someone sent a messenger to the Shunyi King and Third Lady of Qingcheng!

At the same time, the Tiger Fang agents, who had long been lurking among the Mongol tribes, also began to take action under Zhu Yin's secret orders!
The Tumed Mongols, and even the entire Right Wing Thirty Thousand Households, were suddenly thrown into turmoil due to the Ming Dynasty army's proactive expedition beyond the Great Wall!
P.S.: I was delayed writing poetry today, so it's less than 5,000 words. Thank you, goodnight! I'd appreciate any support! Take care of yourself.

(End of this chapter)