Chapter 550 Charge!

The vast outside world.

The mountains are high and without forests, but the pastures are lush and there are herds of cattle and sheep.

When the Ming army and the Mongolian bandits were fighting each other, if you expand your vision to the north of the Great Wall, you will find that there are countless humans as small as rice grains, rushing to different areas in large groups.

Compared with the vast earth and the long river of time.

Everything that is happening to humanity right now is so insignificant and not worth mentioning.

However, it is the choices and decisions made by generations of human beings that have created the long river of time and forged a brilliant history.

And in the long river of human beings.

There are also countless brilliant histories that may have been achieved by a gamble made by a small number of human beings.

Looking at the Daqing Mountain Range on the left and the Yinshan Mountain Range on the right.

And the Black Mountains, which are within sight and just around the corner.

Looking back, I see the Yellow River flowing endlessly behind me.

Wang Chonggu, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and the Governor-General of the military affairs of Shaanxi, Yansui, Ningxia and Gansu, knew it clearly.

Now is the time to make your own choice and take a gamble.

Whether he would be tied to the carriage of the Northern Expedition by a young man he had never seen before in Beijing and accomplish great deeds, or whether he would assist the main army with a small brigade to achieve the goal, all depended on the decision he would make now and in the future.

behind him.

On the banks of the rushing Yellow River.

It was an army of 30,000 that he had drawn from the four towns of Shaanxi, Yan'an, Ning'an and Gansu.

This is already the full potential of the four towns that he can mobilize. Any more will only leave the four towns with a shortage of troops. Once the Mongols notice it and launch a large-scale attack, not to mention whether the goal of expelling the Tartars and regaining Hetao can be achieved, I am afraid that the four towns will be in chaos.

And what can 30,000 people do?
According to the military order from the Northern Expedition Army, he only needed to defend the Yellow River and the Black Mountain line and block Xin Aihuang Taiji's escape route to the west, and then his mission would be accomplished.

of course.

At the beginning, after receiving a letter from his fellow townsman Yang Bo, who was the Minister of War in the court, and understanding that he had to represent the Jin Party and be tied together with the Northern Expedition Army and Yan Shaoting, Yang Bo knew that his only mission was to guard the gap between the mountains and the river in front of him.

And at the beginning, Wang Chonggu was indeed prepared to do so.

Starting from the 34th year of Jiajing, Wang Chonggu began to embark on the path of using culture to control military power after he served as the deputy envoy of Changzhen Military Preparations and followed Yingtian Governor Cao Bangfu to annihilate a small group of Japanese pirates at Hushuguan in Suzhou Prefecture.

He and Yu Dayou chased the Japanese pirates out to sea, captured a lot of gains, and made outstanding military achievements. He was also promoted to Shaanxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Governor of Ningxia and other places, punished the cowardly and pretentious border generals, paid attention to battle and defense, personally experienced the battle formation, practiced battle and defense, accepted surrenders, and resisted the harassment of the Mongolian Altan tribe.

Although he was a scholar, he was one of the tens of thousands of civil servants in the Ming Dynasty.

But he was well versed in military affairs and tactics.

So when Wang Chonggu became clear about his mission this time, he came up with more ideas.

With 30,000 people guarding the Black Mountain and Yellow River line, there will naturally be no danger and no problems will arise.

After all, if the Mongols really appeared under their noses and reached the banks of the Yellow River, it would mean that the Ming army had already defeated them at the front.

How can a defeated army have any fighting power?
But at the same time, it's because I know this.

So a bold idea began to emerge uncontrollably in Wang Chonggu's mind.

Instead of being tied to the carriage of Yan Shaoting to expel the Tartars and recover Hetao, and only being able to share a small amount of credit with a small force, why can't he take the initiative to attack, gain greater credit, and let his name appear at the forefront of the merit book?
By his side.

He is the deputy general of the 30,000-strong army that accompanied Wang Chonggu on this expedition, and also the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, Lei Long.

After arriving at the location requested by the Northern Expedition Army, Governor Wang stopped there and watched for a long time without saying a word.

Lei Long rode forward, holding the whip in his hand and bowing, "The governor is worried about the war on the front line?"

The reason why Lei Long called Wang Chonggu the governor was only recently.

Originally, because Wang Chonggu was the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and the Governor of the Four Garrisons, the civil and military officials of the four towns all called each other the Constitution-Maker.

It was just that not long ago, Wang Chonggu was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. Logically, he should have been renamed as the Generalissimo or Minister of War at this time, but just recently the court once again granted Wang Chonggu the flags of four towns and increased his military power.

in this way.

It is most appropriate to call him governor.

Wang Chonggu doesn't care about the changes in these official titles.

He stared at them intently and just shook his head. "Although the general is young, he has also been trained in the court and the local areas for many years. I don't think he will have any strange ideas in military affairs. Although I haven't seen the general in person, based on what I have heard of his words and deeds in the past, I also predict that he will choose a steady and cautious approach this time. With the assistance of Qi Yuanjing and others, as long as our army can stabilize the three towns of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi, and Wang Zhigao and others can grit their teeth to support the army, it will not be difficult to expel the Hetao bandit army this time. And for our general, how to govern this place after recovering the Hetao is the most difficult thing."

have to say.

Wang Chonggu's vision is truly first-rate.

Even though he had never met Yan Shaoting in person, he was able to accurately guess how the latter deployed his troops, and he also predicted what the most troublesome thing would be for Yan Shaoting in the future.

Lei Li was a little confused, and looked sideways at the 30,000 troops who had already set up camp on the plain: "What is the governor worried about?"

From just now until now, the expression on Wang Chonggu's face made it clear that he was thinking about something, and it should be a very troublesome problem that made him extremely hesitant.

Wang Chonggu turned around and looked at Lei Long. He smiled faintly and said, "I'm thinking... whether I should take a gamble."

"A gamble?"

Lei Long's heart skipped a beat.

I am in the army now, and it is wartime.

For someone like him who comes from a military background and has been commanding troops in the army for many years, he is most afraid of hearing the word "gambling".

Because it represents uncertainty.

What generals in the army fear most is uncertainty.

Wang Chonggu changed his previous hesitation and nodded calmly: "Let's take a gamble!"

Wang Chonggu was very clear about the agreement reached between Yang Bo and Yan Shaoting on behalf of the Jin Party. These things were clearly stated in the other party's letter. But at the same time, Wang Chonggu also knew that Yang Bo, the leader of the Jin Party, failed to successfully represent the Jin Party in the cabinet when the new monarch ascended the throne and the power in the court changed.

Yang Bo might think that this was due to the situation in the court, but because he, Wang Chonggu, was not in the capital, he could see the situation in the capital more clearly.

Regardless of why Yang Bo failed to enter the cabinet this time and failed to further enhance the power and influence of the Jin Party in the court, in the final analysis, as long as Gao Gong was still the chief minister of the cabinet, it would be impossible for Yang Bo, the leader of the Jin Party, to enter the cabinet.

Gao Gong only knew how to use the Jin Party and give them some insignificant benefits and interests.

Wang Chonggu saw this point more clearly.

Well, since Yang Bo has no hope of making further progress, it is Wang Chonggu's turn to take the lead within the Jin Party.

This time, the imperial court formulated the national policy of expelling the Tartars and recovering the Hetao area.

This is undoubtedly an opportunity worth taking a gamble!

Lei Long was very alert and did not ask the reason, but just asked in a deep voice: "What does the governor want to do?"

Wang Chonggu naturally looked at Lei Long with admiration for his agility.

Then, under the latter's gaze.

Wang Chonggu said casually, "This governor wants to take the initiative to send troops from the west to attack the enemy's flank and strangle them in the front area!"

This is what Wang Chonggu, who wants to take the lead in the Jin Party, is trying to do now.

A flash of shock flashed across Lei Long's eyes.

Wang Chonggu began to explain: "The Mongols have long known that our dynasty is sending troops outside the Great Wall. Our 30,000 troops are stationed here now to prevent the Mongols from escaping from the front and threatening Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu after they learn of our dynasty's intentions. However, the army has been out of the Great Wall for a long time, and until today, our scouts have not detected the Mongols' movements. What does this mean?"

Lei Long raised his eyebrows and said, "The Mongols have no plans to flee westward, and the Northern Expedition Army is marching out of Xuanfu and Datong and heading to Qiantao. If I, Xin Ai Huang Taiji, do not turn west at this time, and there are Ming troops in the east, then the only way left is to go south to Shanxi!"

In an instant, Lei Long understood why Wang Chonggu chose to send troops and led the 34,000 troops here to advance eastward to the hinterland of Qiantao.

Wang Chonggu sneered, "In recent years, our dynasty has had exchanges with Mongolia, and many border residents have abandoned the light and joined the dark. Isn't there a traitor Zhao Quan in the Altan tribe who advises them? Among the nine borders of our dynasty, Jizhen and Xuanda are adjacent to the capital, and they are the arm of the capital, with strong soldiers and horses. Gansu and Shaanxi have been declining since the Former Tang Dynasty, and the people are poor and have little money. Among the nine borders, only Jinzhong has weak soldiers and is extremely weak, but the people of Jin are rich and more than enough, just like fat sheep in May outside the pass. The Mongols have not gone west now, and there is a strong army approaching from the east. They can only go south to Shanxi and slaughter the fat sheep of Jindi, stirring up chaos in Jindi. Our army has no time to take care of other things, so they have to return to help and quell the local chaos. In this way, Xin Ai Huang Taiji, who looted the wealth of Jinzhong, can take advantage of the opportunity to return."

Listening to the explanation of Governor Wang Chonggu.

Lei Long's eyes widened when he heard this, and then he smiled: "If it is true as the governor said, then the governor-general of the three borders, Wang Zhigao, will be in trouble." Wang Chonggu smiled and shook his head: "Now we are at war, even if they dare not meet the enemy, they will not be unlucky and punished. But in the future..."

Lei Long smiled knowingly.

When the imperial court drives out the Mongols and recovers Hetao, how to govern Hetao will become a problem for the imperial court. By that time, the nine borders, especially the five towns of Ningxia, Shaanxi, Yansui, Shanxi, and Datong, will face the same problem.

When it comes to things like this that involve interests from all sides, there will always be people who do stupid things and then get caught up in it unconsciously.

After understanding Wang Chonggu's thoughts.

Lei Long immediately cupped his hands and said, "If the governor intends to send troops eastward to the frontier and attack the enemy from the flank, we should immediately break camp and set off. If it is too late, I am afraid the enemy will be surrounded by the Northern Expedition Army."

Wang Chonggu nodded and said, "Order the whole army to leave 5,000 combat soldiers and the rear camp baggage to garrison here. Also order Ningxia and Yansui to transfer 5,000 soldiers each to this place. Our 20,000 troops will advance eastward to the front, but this place cannot be lost."

Lei Long immediately bowed and clasped his fists, then followed the order.

Wang Chonggu rode his horse and led the soldiers around him toward the front of the camp.

There was a hint of solemnity on his face.

Ever since he passed the imperial examination in the 20th year of Jiajing and was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Justice, he has been an official in the court for exactly 25 years, almost 30 years.

How many thirty years can we have in our life?

Yuan Wei, who passed the imperial examination in the 17th year of Jiajing, had been in the cabinet for many years, and Li Chunfang, who passed the imperial examination in the 26th year of Jiajing, had also been in the cabinet for several years. Even Gao Yi, who passed the imperial examination in the 20th year of Jiajing, had recently joined the cabinet.

In the past twenty years, I have basically been serving as an official in places far away from the capital.

Now is the time to seek opportunities to be promoted to the capital, serve as an official in the central government, and then seek to join the cabinet.

Hu Zongxian was able to enter the cabinet because of his ability to pacify the Japanese invasion in the five southeastern provinces.

Why can't I maintain peace in the northwestern border towns and uphold the central cabinet?

This is how a real man should be when he is born into this world!

This is also the reason why Wang Chonggu took a gamble today.

same.

It is only more than 300 miles away from Wang Chonggu.

A great war is still going on.

Similarly, Yan Shaoting also chose to take a gamble.

He was betting that Xiao Que'er could get outside the Great Wall, ahead of the Mongols, and stop them.

He was also gambling that he could arrive in time with his army.

As long as they could block the Mongols in the front set, wait until the Shenji Camp could get behind the Mongols, and wait until Qi Jiguang led the Shanzi Camp to the Mongols' lair in the front set at the foot of the Daqing Mountains.

Then the first half of the goal of recovering Hetao has been accomplished.

On the shallows beside the knee-deep water of Guimao River, tens of thousands of troops were desperately trying to catch up with the enemy.

And it is at the fork in the road where the direction of the Guimao River changes.

Yan Hu had led the Dragon and Tiger Army to complete a charge against the Mongolian vanguard of more than 10,000 soldiers crowded at the mountain pass.

He found the spear he had lost. The red tassel was covered in blood, which kept dripping down.

Beside him were the soldiers of the Dragon and Tiger Army standing on horseback, holding blood-stained swords in their hands.

The warhorse exhaled the heat in its body from its nostrils, turning it into white smoke.

But with less than 3,000 men, after completing a charge back and forth, they still blocked the Mongolian vanguard in the mountain pass.

Tens of thousands of Mongols crowded at the mountain pass began to get scared.

There were only a few thousand Ming cavalrymen, but in the blink of an eye, they not only broke through their formation, but also turned around at the rear, turned their horses' heads, and once again broke through more than ten thousand people from behind and blocked their way.

The Mongolian general who had originally ordered a charge towards the Beijing army had already begun to think about forming a strong formation on the spot and waiting for the arrival of the rear army.

The Ming army had only a few thousand men, and after the repeated charges, although they killed thousands of them, they also lost hundreds of men.

At this time, as long as we form a strong formation and block the Ming army, when the main army arrives, these Ming troops will naturally be besieged and completely annihilated.

But Yan Hu did not give the Mongolian front team a chance to breathe.

He was still leaning forward on the horse's back, his armor was covered in blood, and even blood was constantly dripping down from his visor.

Yan Hu also chose to take a gamble at this moment.

He was betting that he could lead the Dragon and Tiger Army and scare the Mongols into submission, forcing them to flee in panic, throwing away their weapons and armor.

As soon as these tens of thousands of Mongols became frightened, they began to flee.

Then he only needed to chase them from a distance, just like driving a herd of cattle and sheep, and relying on the more than 10,000 Mongolian troops in the front, he could disperse the large group of troops behind them.

While both sides were catching their breath and preparing for the next step, Yan Hu lifted his visor and looked back at the soldiers of the Dragon and Tiger Army behind him.

Ma Xiaoer was right in front of him.

Just now, Ma Xiaoer hacked to death three Mongols.

Seeing the general looking back at him, Ma Xiaoer immediately straightened up.

Not long after.

Yan Hu's shouts had already spread among the crowd.

"I want to charge again, but there may be more casualties this time."

"Are you afraid?"

"Are you willing to follow me and charge at the enemy?"

It was extremely difficult for three thousand people to fight their way through tens of thousands of enemy troops and then charge back.

But they did it.

Now, the general asked them to charge the enemy again.

It was expected that even after breaking through the enemy again, they would still rush back.

Otherwise, there are more enemies behind the enemy.

And their mission was just to stop the Mongols.

Another round trip?
The Dragon and Tiger Army soldiers, who were already approaching with only 2,000 men left, were silent for a moment.

Suddenly there was a huge noise.

"The Ming army is mighty!"

"The Ming army is mighty!"

"The Ming army is mighty!"

Three sentences, but the same four words.

Answered Yan Hu's questions before the battle.

A smile appeared on Yan Hu's face, but the mask he put down soon blocked his smile.

He raised the blood-stained spear high and pressed forward with all his might.

"The Ming army is mighty!"

"charge!"

…………

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(End of this chapter)