Di Ming

Chapter 226 The Setting Sun Over the Desert!
Li Rusong had already made up his mind about this issue. However, after the Tumu Crisis, the real military commanders of the Ming Dynasty were always civil officials, and even the generals in the army had to obey the decisions of the supervising officer.

Therefore, according to custom, Li Rusong had to consult Zhu Yin before revealing his own plan. Only if Zhu Yin had no idea could Li Rusong offer suggestions to Zhu Yin, thus demonstrating the military authority of the civil official.

Civil officials who do not understand warfare often form their own strategies by consulting with generals, thus claiming to be experts in military affairs and euphemistically calling themselves "in charge."

However, Zhu Yin was clearly not one of those civil officials who didn't understand warfare. Although he wasn't a famous general yet, he truly understood it.

As the commander-in-chief, how could he not know that supplies were running low? The purpose of summoning the generals tonight was precisely to resolve this matter.

Zhu Yin said confidently, "Bo Bai only took three thousand retainers with him. We have six thousand cavalry and twelve thousand infantry behind us. With so many troops, we don't need to deploy all our cavalry to defeat the rebels."

"The White-Spear Soldiers traverse mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground, often covering a hundred li in a single day. The Helan Mountains are ideal for their marches. Tomorrow night, the White-Spear Soldiers will surely catch up with the rebels, and they are also well-suited for night battles. Bo Bai thought I would use cavalry for the first battle, but I will take them by surprise and use the White-Spear Soldiers!"

As Zhu Yin spoke, he pointed to the "Nine Borders Map" with his finger.

"Gentlemen, look, our army is only thirty li away from the rebels' tail, roughly around this location. Before dusk tomorrow, our army will definitely catch up with the rebels at Guihupo."

"However, given the shortage of supplies, our cavalry will only deploy two thousand, while the other four thousand will remain here to await further supplies. In this way, the two thousand elite cavalry will be able to take seventy percent of the supplies while pursuing the rebels, which will allow us to hold out for eight days!"

He tapped his hand on the table outside the "Nine Border Map" again. "Although there's no map of the border regions, this location is probably Juyan Lake! Two thousand elite cavalrymen with eight days' worth of provisions can definitely cross the Tengger Desert and reach Juyan Lake. General Li and General Chen should know about Juyan Lake, right?"

Li Rusong and Chen Lin nodded together.

The two of them naturally knew about Juyan Lake.

Many people may not recognize the name Juyan Lake. However, if you mention the Blackwater City of the Western Xia and Yuan dynasties, quite a few people will know it.

Heishui City is located on Juyan Lake.

Of course, more than two hundred years after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the once-famous Khara-Khoto had long since fallen into ruin. However, the area where Khara-Khoto was located was an extremely rare oasis in the Tengger Desert. There, the vegetation was abundant, enough to replenish supplies.

Once the two thousand cavalrymen reached the ruins of Blackwater City, they no longer had to worry about running out of food.

But Zhu Yin continued to speak eloquently: "Tomorrow night, when the White-Spear Army arrives, let them climb over mountains and ridges, outflank the rebels from both sides of Ghost Fox Slope, and attack the head of the rebel army from a high position. When the rebels are thrown into chaos, two thousand cavalry will attack the tail of the rebels from behind. With such a pincer attack, the rebels will surely be defeated. Even if they manage to escape Helan Mountain, they will suffer heavy losses and their morale will plummet."

"Afterwards, two thousand cavalrymen continued to pursue the rebels as they crossed the border. They tried their best to annihilate the rebels and capture Prince Qing before they fled to Juyan Lake."

Everyone looked at him strangely.

Just a few days ago, the slogan was "Rescue Prince Qing," but now it has become "Capture Prince Qing."
Zhu Yin continued, "The four thousand cavalrymen left in the mountains will, once the supplies arrive, leave the mountains together with Xiong Tingbi, Zheng Guowang, and others to serve as reinforcements, providing support from afar and acting as needed. Then, all eighteen thousand of my infantry and cavalry will have crossed the border and rejoined forces at Juyan Lake to march south. At the latest, by mid-May, our army will be able to join forces with Ye Mengxiong in Liangzhou. At that time, we will have a full army of fifty thousand, and the Hexi Corridor will be secure!"

In fact, Zhu Yin had another plan. He had already sent someone to the Hetao region to inform Qi Jiguang. If necessary, Qi Jiguang would personally lead 10,000 elite troops to the rescue.

Li Rusong smiled and said, "General Fujun's plan is brilliant, and I completely agree with it. In this way, the problem of food supplies can be solved for the time being."

This was actually his tactic. But Zhu Yin came up with the same method.

This made him even more convinced of Zhu Yin's abilities. Zhu Yin was only fifteen years old and a civil official, yet he possessed such military strategy; he was truly a prodigy.

Next, we will select the two thousand most elite cavalrymen from the best of the best, choosing one out of three!

Generals like Chen Lin and Li Rusong also agreed with Zhu Yin's strategy. At least in their view, there was no better way.

Zhu Yin frowned slightly and said, "Although this is the most suitable method at present, once we reach the desert, we may encounter other Mongol cavalry. If that happens, our two thousand cavalry will be in danger."

Li Rusong smiled bitterly and said, "It is indeed very possible. But we have no choice but to risk pursuing them. Now that Prince Qing has declared himself emperor, the governor of the army can only pursue and annihilate him personally, otherwise the emperor will surely punish us. We can only protect him with our lives, even if it means sacrificing our lives, we cannot allow the governor of the army to suffer any mishap."

Li Rusong was also in a difficult situation at this time.

Zhu Yin had to personally lead the army in pursuit of Prince Qing, who had declared himself emperor, while he himself had to ensure the safety of his commander-in-chief, Zhu Yin.

Chen Lin said, "This is the only way. We must risk everything to get out of the border. If we manage to escape the false emperor, Prince Qing, we will all be imprisoned."

Zhu Yin stood up and stroked the already cracked clay Buddha statue. He saw a spider spinning a web between the Buddha's huge palms.

Zhu Yin looked into the spider's dark eyes as it diligently spun its web, and said with concern:
"We fought together in the Hetao region, then traveled through Ningxia and crossed the Helan Mountains. We are comrades-in-arms on the battlefield, sharing life and death. Originally, I thought that if we could decisively recover the Hetao region, quell the rebellion, drink together with you all in Ningxia, and present the captives at the Meridian Gate, we would be worthy of the court and the emperor, and the soldiers would be rewarded. Everyone would be happy, and that would be a perfect success."

He sighed, “But I never expected that the rebels would seize Prince Qing and declare themselves emperor, and even ally with the Western Mongol and Oirat tribes. The Hexi Corridor is now in grave danger! My personal life and death are trivial matters, but if the enemy gains a foothold in the Hexi Corridor and disrupts the affairs of the court, whether I die on the battlefield or in prison, it will be of no use. Then I, Zhu Yin, will be a traitor to the country.”

Li Rusong immediately stood up and said resolutely and forcefully, "Rest assured, General, as long as I have a breath left, I will never allow the rebels to gain a foothold in Hexi!"

Chen Lin also stood up resolutely and declared, "Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will serve you to the death and not let Prince Qing establish himself in Hexi! I will die for him!"

Li Rubai stomped his leather shoe heavily, his face resolute. “Rest assured, General, as long as I have a breath left, I will never allow the rebels to gain a foothold in Hexi!”

Seeing that all the generals had expressed their determination and were filled with unwavering fighting spirit, Zhu Yin's worry turned to joy, and he said:

"Excellent! Excellent! Generals are the courage of soldiers. With you generals diligent in serving the king and vowing to serve the court to the death, every soldier will be brave and eager to fight. The royal army's fighting spirit will be as high as the rainbow. The rebel army is like chickens and dogs. The Northwest can be pacified in a few months!"

The generals all said in unison, "Rest assured, sir, we will fight to the death!"

Xiao Hei crouched under the lamplight, looking at Zhu Yin with a half-smile, wagging its tail casually.

Zhu Yin then ordered Li Rusong and Chen Lin to select two thousand elite cavalry to pursue the rebels early the next morning. He also ordered Li Rubai and others to lead the remaining four thousand cavalry, leaving only 30% of their provisions behind, and to wait for further supplies.

The quartermaster made a detailed list, and all items, including mules, vehicles, fried rice, naan bread, dried meat, canteens, bean cakes, bundles of hay, dried alfalfa, and arrows, were distributed overnight.

More than 70% of the supplies were provided to Li Rusong and Chen Lin's two thousand elite cavalry. All the armor in the army was allocated to these two thousand elite cavalry. This resulted in more than five hundred sets of armor being bright armor among the two thousand elite cavalry, with the rest being heavy padded armor.

When Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang divided their forces in the Hetao region, Qi Jiguang's household troops, consisting of over five hundred heavily armored cavalry, also allocated two hundred of them to Zhu Yin's southward-bound troops. Of these two thousand elite cavalry, two hundred were heavily armored cavalry.

Each heavy cavalryman had a mule cart carrying his full armor.

Including Zhu Yin's more than 360 personal guards, the army pursuing the rebels numbered more than 2,300 men, more than 4,000 warhorses, and more than 5,000 mules.

It was said that there were only two thousand people, but with the addition of horses and mules, the number exceeded ten thousand, making it a truly grand procession.

While everyone was still discussing, they suddenly heard a cry of alarm from outside, filled with fear.

Zhu Yin and the others rushed out to take a look, and saw a crimson glow flickering in the darkness in a mountain hollow several miles away, with the faint, mournful cries of birds and beasts echoing from within. From the pitch-black forest came a sound like the tide.

Under the illumination of the camp lights, a large patch of mist seemed to appear not far away.

The scene looked quite eerie. Many soldiers were immediately awakened from their sleep upon hearing the noise.

Zhu Yin said sternly, "Don't panic! This is just a wildfire and smoke! Pass down the order to be on guard against a mutiny in the camp!"

Officers at all levels were prepared and immediately issued orders for deployment.

Zhu Yin stood outside the deserted temple and shouted into the night sky, "I am here! Retreat at once!"

Sure enough, the scarlet patch quickly disappeared, and a burnt smell filled the air.

Zhu Yin knew that the occasional spontaneous combustion of the strata in the Helan Mountains usually resulted in flames bursting onto the surface, which would quickly extinguish and not last long.

Soon, the soldiers calmed down completely.

With Mr. Young Tiger around, all evil spirits will be warded off, and ghostly soldiers will detour around him; there is nothing to fear!

Although the soldiers were not afraid, they still believed that what they had just seen were ghosts and monsters, but they were driven away by Mr. Zhihu and dared not cause any more trouble.

Li Rusong and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The eerie scene they had just witnessed, like will-o'-the-wisps from hell, was truly terrifying.

...

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhu Yin, along with Li Rusong and Chen Lin, led more than two thousand cavalrymen and sped forward to pursue the tail of the rebel army.

Less than three hours after Zhu Yin led his army away, Qin Liangyu arrived with three thousand White-Spear Soldiers, demonstrating the White-Spear Army's rapid marching speed.

Qin Liangyu had already received Zhu Yin's military orders, and she only rested on the gentle slope for half an hour before chasing after Zhu Yin again.

In the Helan Mountains, the White-Spear Soldiers could march a hundred li a day, far surpassing the speed of cavalry.

At five quarters past noon, Qin Liangyu finally caught up with Zhu Yin at Kuilong Ridge.

Qin Liangyu was dressed in silver armor, with handsome eyebrows and bright eyes, and at first glance she looked like a handsome young man.

When Zhu Yin saw this dashing and spirited older sister, he was overjoyed, as if he were seeing a family member.

"I am Qin Liangyu, and I greet you, General!" Qin Liangyu, weary from her journey, bowed and said, "I have fulfilled my mission and arrived on time. Please give your instructions, General!"

Zhu Yin raised his hands in celebration and said, "Sister, speed is of the essence! The White-Spear Army is truly the strongest army in the world! The rebels are only ten miles away at Ghost Fox Slope. Once it gets dark, please cross the mountains and ridges to intercept the rebels!"

“I will lead my cavalry to strike at their rear, and the rebels will surely be thrown into chaos!” “However, the rebels are cunning; they have actually made the soldiers and civilians who follow them cover their retreat. My cavalry may not be effective for the time being. Tonight’s battle will mainly depend on my sister.”

Qin Liangyu said, "If the General has any orders, I will do my utmost!"

……

Ghost Fox Slope.

Three thousand rebel soldiers, along with more than a thousand Ningxia civilians, rested here temporarily.

Marching through the mountains is extremely physically demanding. The rebel army spent two days in the mountains, and even with their best efforts, they only managed to cover a hundred li (approximately 50 kilometers), leaving both men and horses exhausted.

We need to rest now.

Bo Bai and the others were extremely anxious, but there was nothing they could do.

Of course, they could abandon the main force and get out of Helan Mountain as soon as possible. But these three thousand retainers were their last asset, their very lifeline; how could they possibly abandon them?
Without strength, what good is leaving Helan Mountain?
In just a few days, Prince Qing lost a lot of weight. These past few days had felt like a dream, he was in a daze, and his feelings were extremely complicated.

The so-called Crown Prince Zhu Shuaixin, on the contrary, was radiant and full of fighting spirit. Zhu Shuaixin personally donned armor and spears, marching alongside the rebel soldiers without even riding in a carriage, winning the favor of many rebel soldiers.

After a few days, although Zhu Shuaixin had lost weight, he had become even more lean and muscular.

He rode on horseback, carrying a bow and a sword, like a young warrior guarding his parents and siblings.

Bo Bai preferred to consult with him rather than with Prince Qing.

“Your Highness,” said Bo Bai, whose beard had turned completely white, “Zhu Zhihu has caught up. This battle is inevitable. The Ming dynasty is powerful, and our army has no choice but to cut our losses and survive.”

Zhu Shuaixin said, "I'll leave everything to the Grand Tutor. As long as we have the strength, we can fight another day. With the Grand Tutor here, our Great Ming can leave the Helan Mountains. It's like a dragon returning to the sea or a tiger entering the deep mountains. Perhaps we'll meet reinforcements soon."

Bo Bai laughed and said, "I heard that when Zhu Di usurped the throne, he only had eight hundred men. Now our army has three thousand elite soldiers. How can we not succeed? In my opinion, although His Highness the Crown Prince is young, he is a first-rate hero among the Ming imperial family and is much stronger than Zhu Di."

Zhu Shuaixin pondered for a moment and said, "Blocking the pursuing Ming troops is the most urgent task at hand. There is another matter that is not urgent for the time being, but it must be dealt with. Grand Tutor, if our army enters Gansu and Liangzhou, what should be done with Prince Su?"

"Prince Su?" Bo Bai had never considered this matter before, and asked instead, "In Your Highness's opinion, how should Prince Su, Zhu Shenyao, be dealt with?"

Zhu Shuaixin said, "Such an important matter is naturally decided by the Grand Tutor. However, in my opinion, we should persuade Prince Su to defect, and with the help of the prestige of the Su faction, we can oppose the false Ming together and restore order. If he truly supports us, he will be granted real power over his fiefdom in the future, and the system established by Emperor Taizu will be restored. Grand Tutor, our army should raise the banner of restoring the ancestral system of Emperor Taizu and unite the hearts of the people."

Bo Bai couldn't help but think more highly of Zhu Shuaixin, thinking to himself that there were still many heroes among the Zhu Ming imperial family. This Zhu Shuaixin, for example, was a rare talent. It was clear that the Zhu Ming dynasty still had its destiny.

Just as Bo Bai was about to praise Zhu Shuaixin, a series of chilling shouts suddenly came from the mountains on both sides.

Immediately afterwards, it seemed as if countless ghostly figures emerged from the dark, dense forest.

The rebel soldiers were terrified when they saw this.

Ghost soldiers! These are ghost soldiers!
"Enemy attack! It's the enemy!" Zhu Shuaixin shouted, drawing his sword. "It must be the White-Spear Army among the pursuers! Don't panic! Shoot as you retreat!"

However, before the rebels could react, they heard the whistling of bowstrings and a dense rain of arrows burst forth from above!

"what--"

"Pfft!"

Screams, the sound of arrows piercing flesh, shouts, and the twang of bowstrings filled the air, shocking the silent Helan Mountains.

"Kill the traitor!" Qin Liangyu personally drew her bow and shot an arrow into the eye of a Mongol cavalryman, killing him instantly. She, a woman, was using a powerful bow with a draw weight of one stone.

Bo Bai and his son did not expect that the Ming army would be able to overtake them by crossing mountains and ridges and attack from both sides.

However, these three thousand Mongol cavalrymen were, after all, fierce and tenacious retainers, each willing to fight to the death, and were by no means ordinary elites. Although they were attacked by the White-Spear Army, they did not collapse, but instead fired arrows to counterattack while spurring their horses forward, accelerating their advance.

The White-Spear Army held the advantage of terrain, putting the rebels at a great disadvantage. The rebels suffered heavy casualties in a short time, but their counterattack was also swift.

Under the protection of several Mongol soldiers, Zhu Shuaixin escorted the carriage of Prince Qing and his wife, desperately pushing forward.

The Prince Qing in the carriage turned ashen-faced with fear and trembled as he cried out, "My life is over!"

Although the White-Spear Army was very strong, the mountain path was only a little over ten feet wide and very crowded, so they could not go down the mountain to attack and could only shoot arrows from the mountainside.

In this way, it would be impossible to block the rebels' passage.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Yin and Li Rusong's cavalry finally caught up with the rear guard of the rebel army. The rebels, caught in a pincer attack, suffered heavy casualties.

In particular, Zhu Yin's bodyguard, Lan Cha, wielded a spiked club and, like a tiger among sheep, killed five or six rebel soldiers in the blink of an eye.

However, the narrow mountain path also saved the rebels. Because their forces could not be deployed, the three thousand White-Spear Army soldiers and more than two thousand Ming cavalry could not surround the rebels and could only watch helplessly as the rebels broke out of Guihupi.

In the end, more than 800 rebels were killed, suffering extremely heavy losses. Only a little over 2,000 cavalrymen managed to break out of Ghost Fox Ridge.

Even Prince Qing's carriage was intercepted by Ding Hongying, but at the last moment, Zhu Shuaixin helped him onto the horse, and he narrowly escaped.

Upon hearing that they hadn't captured Prince Qing's family, Zhu Yin could only sigh. He knew that capturing Prince Qing in this terrain would be difficult, let alone annihilating the rebel army; killing over eight hundred rebels was already a remarkable victory.

The rebels lost nearly 30% of their forces, but in return, they gained the opportunity to escape from the Helan Mountains.

The Ming army suffered fewer than a hundred casualties.

The mountain road was blocked by a large number of corpses of men and horses and abandoned vehicles. The Ming army had no choice but to stop and clear the road. By the time they finished, it was already late at night.

“Uncle Tiger.” Ding Hongying, dressed in red armor, walked over. “I found this in the carriage left behind by Prince Qing.”

After speaking, he stretched out his hand, which turned out to be a foot-long object, slightly curved, resembling a dagger, with a yellowish hue and a smooth, lustrous surface.

It's clearly not an ordinary item.

Zhu Yin took it and examined it closely. He found that it was neither jade nor ivory, and it felt very comfortable to hold. However, it was definitely a bone artifact, and it looked extremely ancient.

The surface is densely engraved with seal script Chinese characters and typical Han Dynasty dragon patterns. The design is not only simple and ancient but also extremely exquisite.

This is clearly a bone artifact from the Han Dynasty, but the history of the bone material goes far beyond the Han Dynasty.

Zhu Yin recognized it as a fossilized tiger tooth of a saber-toothed tiger!
Zhu Yin had seen fossilized saber-toothed tiger teeth, which were 30 centimeters long and looked very similar to this bone artifact.

But the saber-toothed tiger has been extinct for nine thousand years.

Zhu Yin examined the seal script characters on the tiger tooth under the lamp and was astonished. It read: "Your subject Dou Rong respectfully presents the auspicious dragon tooth of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty."

It turns out that this was a "dragon tooth" presented to Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu by Dou Rong, who controlled the Hexi and Hetao regions in the early Eastern Han Dynasty.

For some unknown reason, the item ended up in the hands of Prince Qing and became one of his antiques.

Now left in the car, it has become his spoils of war.

“It’s a tiger tooth,” Zhu Yin said. “This is a good thing.”

Tiger teeth? Ding Hongying's starry eyes widened. "Tiger teeth are this long? They must be a foot long!"

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "They are the teeth of a saber-toothed tiger. Saber-toothed tigers were ancient tigers, as big as cattle and horses, and they have been extinct for nearly 10,000 years. Because of the long time that has passed, they have been petrified."

"This is an ancient artifact, a treasure that Dou Rong presented to Emperor Guangwu of Han in the early years of the Later Han Dynasty."

"Really?" Ding Hongying was very happy. "Then I'll give my niece to Uncle Hu."

Zhu Yin also liked the dagger-like tiger tooth very much and said with a smile, "Then Uncle Tiger will accept it. In the future, Uncle Tiger will give you even better treasures."

Qin Liangyu walked over, drenched in sweat. "General, the soldiers are exhausted. Please give your instructions."

Zhu Yin knew that the White-Spear Army had been traveling for days and had just fought a fierce battle after crossing mountains and valleys; even the strongest soldiers needed to rest.

"Let's set up camp and rest here," Zhu Yin said. "We'll continue our advance tomorrow morning."

The following morning, five thousand Ming soldiers set off again.

At dusk that day, the Ming army finally emerged from the Helan Mountains.

As soon as the army left the Helan Mountains, the vast desert suddenly appeared before them, stretching as far as the eye could see, desolate and barren.

The setting sun over the vast desert!
(End of this chapter)