Di Ming

Chapter 225 Rain-soaked Clothes Enter Helan

To everyone's surprise, just as the news of the rebels blocking the road with fire was reported from the front, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and it began to rain.

Mr. Zhihu is truly a reincarnation of a star, a divine being!

Zhu Yin is shrouded in mystery among the common people. Some say he was the reincarnation of a star deity, others say he was the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang. This time, Zhu Yin, as a young imperial envoy and military supervisor, achieved a great victory at Wuliangsuhai within a month of his departure, recovering the Hetao region, demonstrating his unparalleled military prowess.

Moreover, not only were the soldiers' pay never withheld, but arrears were also paid in full. The best weapons were also provided. In addition, there were supplies such as milk candy, dried meat, and medicine packets. Many veteran soldiers who had fought for years had never encountered such a benevolent governor.

So after two months, Zhu Yin had won the hearts of the army and was highly respected within the military.

At this moment, the rebels set fire to the road, and suddenly a heavy rain fell. The soldiers all believed that it was heaven helping Mr. Zhu Yin. In that instant, Zhu Yin became even more revered in the eyes of the soldiers.

Seeing many soldiers kneeling in reverence, Zhu Yin feigned a profound expression and loudly proclaimed:

"Good rain! Good rain! Pass on my order: put on your raincoats and straw hats, and march in the rain!"

As soon as Zhu Yin finished speaking, large raindrops began to pelt down, instantly shrouding the entire Helan Mountain in mist and rain.

The Ming soldiers laughed and took out the raincoats and hats they carried on horseback, putting them on one by one. As soon as the rain started, the morale of the entire army noticeably rose.

Li Rusong, who was leading the troops, couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw the fires on both sides of the mountain road ahead slowly being extinguished by the rain.

"Our army will surely win, and the rebels will surely be defeated! It is the will of Heaven! The will of Heaven! Issue my order: continue the advance!"

Wearing leather shoes, Li Rubai approached his elder brother and said, "Brother, this timely rain might truly be God helping Mr. Zhihu."

As he said this, a hint of awe appeared on his fox-like face.

Li Rusong was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "The governor is no ordinary man. Our Li family can only befriend him, not offend him. This time, when we go on this expedition with him, we must go all out and not slack off in the slightest."

The Ming cavalry passed through smoothly and were in high spirits, but Zhu Yin was troubled.

I hope this rain in the Jiangnan region north of the Great Wall doesn't keep falling endlessly.

If it continues like this, it will backfire.

In the mountain rain, the clouds and mist became even more pervasive. The Ming army's warhorses, drenched by the rain, snorted and neighed from time to time.

The mules and horses pulling the cart were also neighing incessantly.

The deep valley was filled with the sounds of horses and mules braying, echoing through the mountains.

It was as if even the mysterious Helan Mountains were awestruck by this sight.

The Ming soldiers marched in straw hats and raincoats, chewing on milk candy, laughing and chatting all the way, their spirits high.

Marching through the mountains is arduous. But even the extremely noble Mr. Zhihu accompanied them, and they ate milk candy, which was a rare treat in normal times. Moreover, they received double the wartime pay. What was the hardship?
Zhu Yin wore a bamboo hat with an oiled paper outer layer and a cowhide lining, a raincoat with a fish skin inner layer and a straw raincoat outer layer, and tall fish skin rain boots on his feet, making him completely dry.

This is the most advanced rainproof clothing available today, produced by Ning Caiwei's factory.

Zhu Yin's retainers and soldiers each received a set of raincoats, which were far superior to the ordinary raincoats worn by other Ming soldiers.

Little Black was soaking wet; its once glossy black fur was now plastered to its body, making it look rather disheveled. It followed Zhu Yin closely, occasionally shuddering and splashing rainwater everywhere.

As Zhu Yin rode the white horse given to him by his adopted daughter, Dongguo Gege, he gazed at the cloud-shrouded Helan Mountains and suddenly thought of Ning Caiwei and Ning Qingchen.

It's been almost two months since I last saw the sisters.

I wonder how Caiwei is doing on Daishan Island. Did Qingchen meet Li Shizhen and the others in Beijing? Is she being misbehaved with no one around?
What if I can't go back? What about the future of those sisters...?

Zhu Yin shook his head, a wave of sorrow washing over him, and suddenly softly recited:

Rain beats against my battle robes as I enter Helan.
Clouds lock up a thousand troops, and mist obscures the sky.

The neighing of iron horses echoed through the deep ravine.
The drums of war were so loud they shook the ghost mountains.

Who is singing the Yangguan Song while leaning on the railing?
Leaning against the door, who can see the boundless horizon?

Tonight, I'll sleep in the northwest, with my spear as my pillow.
A dream returns me to my hometown.

Zhu Yin, thinking about the changes in history, couldn't help but feel suspense about the outcome of this battle.

It was only then that he realized he lacked the confidence of ancient generals. Once the course of history became unfamiliar to him, he sensed its unpredictability.

At his core, he was still just a secret agent.

He was neither a renowned general nor a genius in the imperial examinations.

Zhu Yin knew very well that it was impossible to completely eliminate the rebels in the terrain of Helan Mountain; at most, he could only defeat them. This time, he had to go beyond the Great Wall.

Once they cross the border, the enemies will not only be the Bo Bai rebels, but also the Oirat tribes moving south, the Western Sea Mongols moving north, and even the 20,000 Mongol cavalry who broke away from the Ordos tribe!

What situation will I face then?
Ironically, the Oirat people's southward migration was originally their own plan; they were essentially invited by themselves!

Tiger Tooth agents planned for the Oirat cavalry to march south in retaliation against the Ordos tribe, using one barbarian tribe against another. This strategy effectively tied down the troops of the northern Ordos tribes, ensuring victory in the Battle of Wuliangsuhai and thus restoring the Hetao region.

However, the side effects appeared so quickly: the Oirat Mongols, who had moved south, had once again allied with the Western Mongols. With the addition of Bo Bai and Prince Qing, these forces were likely to merge and plot against the Ming Dynasty in the northwest!

Sigh, I never imagined things would turn out this way.

Zhu Yin examined his own shortcomings and discovered that his biggest mistake was overlooking a power: the Western Sea Mongols!

In recent years, Huya has deployed intelligence agents in the Nine Borders, Tatars, Oirats, Jurchens and even Tibet, but has overlooked the Western Sea Mongols!
Like a blind spot under a lamp, Zhu Yin forgot about the existence of the Western Sea Mongols.

But now that I think about it, the Western Sea Mongols were actually a very important force. Their sphere of influence was in the Hehuang region, which was the area occupied by Jiaosiluo during the Song Dynasty.

The best pastures in Qinghai are in the hands of the Xihai Mongols. I can't believe I didn't take it seriously!
It is clear that the Western Mongolian forces may become a new external ally for Bobai.

The Ming Dynasty's nine border regions had significant weaknesses.

The first major vulnerability is, of course, the Hetao region. The second major vulnerability is the Hexi region.

In order to quell the rebellion, Gansu Governor Ye Mengxiong has transferred tens of thousands of elite troops from Gansu Town and Guyuan Town, resulting in a severe shortage of defense forces in the entire Hexi region.

At this time, if the Western Sea Mongols colluded with the Oirats and Bobai to attack Gansu and Liangzhou, they could easily occupy the Hexi region.

What kind of place is Hexi (Liangzhou)? It's easy to defend and difficult to attack, with fertile land, enough to establish a separatist regime!

Historically, Dou Rong and the Five Liang states each ruled their own territories, rivaling the central government.

The Hexi Corridor now has a population of several million. If it falls into the hands of the Western Sea Mongols, the puppet regime will inevitably become much stronger.

If the Northwest falls into chaos, how will the imperial court deal with the Japanese?

The more Zhu Yin thought about it, the heavier his mood became.

He has already sent an order to Ye Mengxiong, the governor of Gansu, instructing him to lead tens of thousands of elite troops who were suppressing the rebellion in Ningxia to quickly return to Gansu and Liangzhou.

He wanted to join forces with Ye Mengxiong's troops in Liangzhou and fight a decisive battle against the enemy there!
Ningxia is no longer the main battlefield.

He hoped that after receiving the news, the court would grant him the authority to control several towns in the northwest and act expediently.

If you could bestow upon me the Imperial Sword, that would be even better.

I hope that Master Shen, my uncle, and the court officials who support him will do their best to fight for him!

...

The troops marched for another hour until nightfall, at which point Zhu Yin ordered a halt to the march and a search for a place to camp nearby.

After searching for quite a while, they finally found a large area of ​​gentle slopes nearby where they could set up camp. The Ming army went up the slopes, and the hillsides were covered with men and horses.

There is an ancient temple on this gentle slope. The temple has been abandoned for a long time, and it looks like it is from the Yuan Dynasty, about two or three hundred years old.

The ancient temple has a distinct Tibetan Lhakhang style, clearly indicating that it was once a Tantric Buddhist temple.

After the servants quickly cleaned up, Zhu Yin and Li Rusong, along with other generals, immediately used the dilapidated temple as their central command tent.

The rain stopped then, and the night sky was as dark as ink.

The Ming army set up camp on a gentle slope, where the lights shone brightly, resembling a starry sky in the night.

More than ten thousand warhorses and five thousand supply mules neighed together, turning the mountains into a veritable pasture. The spring grass within a radius of several miles was completely devoured.

The gentle slope here made it easy to defend and difficult to attack, but Li Rusong and other generals still directed the defenses to be set up at the foot of the mountain. They also ordered the soldiers to cut down trees and thorns to set up temporary fences, and arranged scouts, night watchmen, patrols, and passwords in an orderly and meticulous manner.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yin's impression of Li Rusong improved even more.

Whether someone is a great general or not can be determined by how they set up camp. He should learn this from Li Rusong.

Just learn by doing.

Night had fallen. Inside the half-collapsed main hall of the ancient temple, a few lanterns were lit, casting a dim, half-lit glow over the empty space, making it resemble a ghost temple.

The Ming generals were sitting together, holding a military meeting. Even Boshuoketu, the captured leader of the Ordos tribe, was being treated with courtesy and housed in this ancient temple.

Li Rusong, having removed his armor, said with a solemn expression, "...As the governor knows, our army only has four days' worth of rations left, and four days' worth of horse feed. If we calculate it, the warhorses will go hungry in at most one day after we leave Helan Mountain."

“Military rations are manageable; we can just slaughter the mules and horses pulling the carts for meat. But what about horse feed? Once we leave the mountains, it's all desert and Gobi; there are no pastures.”

"The rebels are only one person and one horse. Although they are slow, they consume less feed and can last a few more days than us. Once we reach the desert, this difference of a few days will be enough to put our army in danger of annihilation!"

"But now that we've caught up with the rebels, we absolutely cannot retreat or stop. Otherwise, not only will the rebels escape, but we'll also have a hard time explaining ourselves to the court and the emperor."

"What should we do? I would like to ask the Commander-in-Chief for a decision."

P.S.: I was too busy today and could only update a short chapter. Sorry, I'm writing this on my phone in short bursts of free time. *crying emoji*

(End of this chapter)