Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Following Zhu Di's order, the Ming army quickly took action according to the plan formulated by the emperor.

Zhu Gaoxu obtained the temporary command of the Zhongyi Guards. This imperial guard army of the emperor, with many titles and horses wrapped in hooves, began to break camp and march to the west, approaching the Onan River silently.

Zhu Neng was responsible for leading the slow-moving infantry of the Fifth Army Camp and half of the Shenji Camp's gunners and heavy artillery to stay in place. After the cavalry had completely left, they could march northeast along the Yinma River to build blocking fortifications.

At the same time, Zhu Di was in charge of the Chinese Army. He was closely watching the progress of the war and was dispatching troops and allocating food and grass to coordinate Zhu Gaoxu's actions.

Facts have proved that Zhu Di's decision was completely correct. On the map of Mobei shrouded in the fog of war, Zhu Di seemed to have opened his eyes. Not only did he accurately judge that Benya was fleeing westward, but also the Ming people led by Zhu Gaoxu The forward cavalry of the army happened to be on the banks of the Onan River and stopped the tribe sent by Benya Shili to explore the way.

This is a very large tribe, with more than two thousand men. They take their women and children, and drive tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, and they move forward with difficulty in the wind and snow that blows from time to time. Their heads are deep. Trusted by Benya Shili, being sent out first proved that the old people could remember the fear of being dominated by the Ming army's Qingqi group in the Battle of Yuerhai, so when they heard that the Ming army was coming, they all wanted to evacuate first. As for where to evacuate, it doesn't matter. Anyway, for ordinary tribes, the vast grassland is grazing everywhere.

Relying on the advantage of being one step ahead and flexible tactics, the loyal cavalry led by Zhu Gaoxu sent Tong Xin to lead a small number of elites to successfully bypass the Tatar cordon and quietly reach the enemy's back.

Zhu Gaoxu, on the other hand, led most of the cavalry to hide on the east bank of the Onan River, preparing to attack the enemy halfway across the river and attack before the enemy crossed the river and reached the west bank.

Zhu Gaoxu's plan was very good. Although the weather was cold at this time and the river was frozen, the ice was not thick. If the Tatars wanted to cross the river, they had to build a pontoon bridge, otherwise the ice would not be able to support it at all.

However, just before they were about to launch a fatal blow, the Tatar sentries spotted them alertly, and a long horn sounded.

These sentries paid the price with their lives.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The Ming army's arrows shot them off their horses.

But unfortunately, the Tatar sentries behind heard the trumpet sound, and the news quickly spread back to the tribe. The entire migrating tribe fell into a brief panic. The women and children were at a loss, and the cattle and sheep became restless.

The spirituality of animals is trustworthy, and soon the news becomes reality.

Seeing that the surprise attack turned into a strong attack, Zhu Gaoxu did not hesitate and led large groups of Ming army cavalry to rush out. The whole earth seemed to be shaking. They were wearing iron armor, holding sharp blades, and their momentum was like a rainbow.

When the Tatar leader saw this, he knew something was wrong. He hurriedly organized the warriors of the tribe to resist, and at the same time ordered the women, children, cattle and sheep to retreat as quickly as possible and away from the battlefield.

The Tatar warriors waved their weapons and shouted loudly. The two armies clashed quickly, and the battlefield suddenly fell into chaos. The Ming army's loyal cavalry relied on sophisticated equipment and well-trained tactics to continuously attack. Breaking through the Tatars' temporarily organized defense line, forcing them to retreat steadily.

The Tatars, relying on their belief in protecting their women and children, constantly launched counterattacks in an attempt to restore the defeat.

When the battle was at its most intense, Zhu Gaoxu personally led a group of elite cavalry into the enemy formation. Their target was directly at the Tatar leader. This elite cavalry was like a sharp knife inserted deeply into the heart of the Tatars. .

Zhu Gaoxu was wearing heavy armor and holding a spear, with a fierce fighting spirit in his eyes. Under his leadership, the Ming cavalry, like a torrent, broke through the most densely populated area of ​​​​Tatar troops with unstoppable momentum.

They rushed left and right in the enemy formation, invincible, and soon arrived in front of the wolf-headed banner of the Tatar tribe.

Upon seeing this, the warriors around the leader stepped forward one after another to try to protect their leader. Obviously, the Tatars' fighting power was not weak, especially the tribe sent to lead the battle, which was the best among the Tatar tribes. .

With their skillful riding skills and accurate arrows, they also caused certain troubles for the Ming army.

However, just when the battle was stalemate, Tong Xin led the small force behind them to decisively attack the Tatars from behind to coordinate Zhu Gaoxu's actions. The addition of Tong Xin, a new force, immediately changed the situation on the battlefield.

"Let them scatter and flee! Delay for some time! Wait for reinforcements from the Great Khan, there are two tribes behind us."

However, the Ming army's cavalry was too fast. Before the Tatars' orders were given, they caught up with the slow-moving women, children, cattle and sheep. For a while, there were cries and shouts on the battlefield. The screams were intertwined with the killing cries of the Ming army cavalry, forming a tragic picture.

Tong Xin did not order the massacre of these innocent women and children, but ordered the Ming cavalry to drive them aside, and then launched a back attack on the Tatars.

Under attack from both sides, the Tatars began to show signs of complete defeat.

Although Zhu Gaoxu could not overlook the battlefield at this time, his years of war experience and keen battlefield intuition made him realize that the time had come to win. Zhu Gaoxu decided to seize the opportunity and led the Zhongyi Guards to launch a decisive charge to completely defeat the Tatars. rout.

Zhu Gaoxu personally led a team of elite cavalry and continued to attack the Tatars under the wolf-headed hood. He knew that as long as the beheading was successful, the battle would basically be won.

The leader of the Tatars was no ordinary person. Seeing the menacing attack of the Ming army's cavalry, he knew that he could not resist it, so he led the warriors around him to retreat, and at the same time ordered the others to defend to buy time for their retreat.

But Zhu Gaoxu, who was aggressive and aggressive, did not give him this chance. He led the loyal cavalry to pursue them all the way, and soon broke through the obstruction and surrounded the Tatar leader.

The Ming cavalry were all elite men with extremely strong combat effectiveness. Although the Tatar headsman's cronies were considered brave and good at fighting, they gradually showed signs of fatigue under the attack of the Ming cavalry.

In the end, Zhu Gaoxu personally took action and stabbed the Tatar leader under his horse with one shot. As the leader fell from his horse, the Tatars, who were already demoralized because they failed to protect their women and children, completely collapsed and they scattered one after another. escape.

This is the case when fighting on the grasslands. Large-scale surrenders are rare. Once defeated, it is common for them to flee and then regroup.

Zhu Gaoxu took the lead and pursued the remnant enemy for dozens of miles. It was not until he confirmed that almost all the men of the tribe had been killed by him that he ordered the withdrawal of troops.

In the opening battle at the Onan River, the Ming army won a complete victory. Thousands of Tatars were captured and beheaded, as well as tens of thousands of cattle and sheep.

The battlefield was littered with discarded swords, guns, bows and arrows, and dead and injured horses, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at the tragic scene on the battlefield and took a deep breath. He knew that this victory that belonged to him was hard-won and was obtained by the high-intensity long-distance attack of the Zhongyi Guards.

As for the order to withdraw, Zhu Gaoxu did not issue it immediately. He asked the Ming cavalry to rest on the battlefield for a period of time to restore their physical strength and morale.

Then, Zhu Gaoxu ordered the troops to retreat. During the retreat, the Ming army cavalry still maintained a tight formation and vigilance to prevent the Tatars from taking the opportunity to make a surprise attack.

At the same time, Zhu Gaoxu also ordered the troops to collect all weapons, armor, horses, cattle and sheep abandoned on the battlefield and bring them back to the camp as trophies, especially cattle and sheep, which can provide supplies for the subsequent army.

Zhu Gaoxu, on the other hand, was constantly thinking about the next strategy on the way to join the follow-up troops. He knew that this victory was just the beginning, an appetizer, and there would be greater challenges waiting for them, that is How to annihilate or severely damage Benya's troops fleeing westward.

At the same time, Zhu Di also received the news of Zhu Gaoxu's victory in the first battle and the safe withdrawal of his troops. His hanging heart was finally relieved. Zhu Di was very satisfied and proud of Zhu Gaoxu's outstanding performance, having such a son who can fight by his side. By assisting yourself, Ming Dynasty’s future will be brighter and more glorious.

Zhu Di appreciates soldiers even more.

Through cross-interrogation of multiple prisoners, the Ming army also learned a crucial piece of news.

——The main force of Benyasili is now at the Ugurzha River north of the Kerulun River, and is moving slowly towards the Onon River.

"Benyasili knows that our troops are here, so he will never dare to come to the Onan River. If we catch up, we can't let him turn around and join Arutai!"

Zhu Di was well aware of the fleeting nature of fighter planes. He responded very quickly, decisively traveled lightly, and led his cavalry to immediately pursue Benya Shili with twenty days of provisions, even leaving behind all the artillery accompanying the army.

It's not that Zhu Di didn't know how powerful the artillery was, but that the Ming army's combat effectiveness and numerical advantage were too great at this time. He only needed A to go up and win. The key was whether he could catch up with Benya Shili.

"There are less than ten small and medium-sized tribes following Benya, hurry up!"

The Ming cavalry group led by Zhu Di finally caught up with the enemy near the Wuguerzha River after thirteen days and nights of galloping.

The wind swept the sand and dust, forming yellow dragons on the vast grassland. The sky was obscured by thick clouds, as if foreshadowing the coming bloodshed and slaughter.

This is the battlefield where the Ming army fought with the Tatar tribes fleeing westward led by Benya Shili. A chilling atmosphere filled the air.

The Ming army was neatly arrayed. The soldiers wore thick and warm cotton armor and held spears and shields. Their eyes were firm and cold, staring at the Tatar army in the distance. Their eyes revealed their desire for battle and their desire for victory. Have faith.

The Tatar warriors looked wild and tough. Most of them wore leather armor or dirty robes, felt hats, held scimitars and bows and arrows, and rode on strong horses, ready to fight to the death.

The Ming army had too many cavalry and had surrounded them from three sides: east, west, south, and they had no way to retreat.

Following the order, the light cavalry array of the Ming Army began to advance slowly, iron hooves flying and dust flying.

The Tatar army did not show any weakness. They shouted, waved their weapons, and rushed towards the Ming army like a group of primitive beasts.

The two armies approached quickly, and the sound of war drums, shouts, and the sound of horse hooves intertwined to form a magnificent war symphony.

On the battlefield, swords flashed, flesh and blood flew everywhere.

The soldiers of the Ming army either wielded their swords to kill the enemy, or thrust their spears to stab the enemy. Their movements were skillful and powerful, and every attack made the enemy tremble.

The elite warriors of the Tatar tribe relied on their superb riding and archery skills to shuttle freely on the battlefield. Their bows and arrows were like the scythes of death, and they also harvested lives in the array of the Ming army. These Tatar warriors relied on their flexible Riding skills and fierce offensive, trying to break through the Ming army's defense line and find a way out.

However, the Ming army, which had a numerical advantage and was well-equipped, did not give them this chance. It surrounded them from three sides. The battle soon entered a fierce stage. Both armies were furious. People continued to fall on the battlefield, but these The meat grinder-like casualties did not make either side flinch.

Zhu Gaoxu, as always, took the lead. He waved the horse in his hand and led the Zhongyi Guards to charge into the battle. His figure shuttled quickly on the battlefield, and every time he waved, he took away the lives of one or several Tatar warriors.

In this desperate struggle, both sides paid a huge price, but in the end, the Ming army gradually gained the upper hand with its numerical superiority and sophisticated equipment.

The Tatar army began to retreat steadily under the fierce attack of the Ming army, and their morale also dropped.

The gap between the two armies was quickly revealed. Although the Tatar sabers and arrows could cause casualties to the Ming army, the Ming army relied on the advancement of iron smelting technology to equip a large number of cotton armor, which far exceeded the Ming army in terms of defensive attributes. The Tatars only wore leather armor or even robes on the battlefield. As the experienced warriors among the Tatars began to suffer heavy casualties, the nomads behind them behaved even more unbearably. The exchange ratio between the two sides soon began to get worse and worse. big.

Soon, Benya's lost tribe was completely defeated.

When the last great khan Qixue fell, only the wind was howling and sand was flying on the battlefield.

Benya's Qixue, who lost his way, is of course not the same as the Qixue of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan. It is just in name only. It is the ancestral system of the Jin family. During the war, Qixue was directly ordered by the Great Khan, and the Great Khan went to the battlefield. , there must be Xue Xue to protect you.

But today's Tatar army is so cowardly that they cannot even protect the nine-pin white banner that symbolizes the past glory of the Mongol Empire.

Seeing Zhu Gaoxu struggling to chop off the nine-pin white silk with a big ax and then falling heavily to the ground, the soldiers of the Ming army cheered for victory. Their eyes were full of pride and glory. They knew that this happened not long ago. The battle two hundred miles away from the Erzha River was the fruit of victory they gained with their blood and lives, and it was also their illustrious military exploits for the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di felt inexplicably as he watched the Jiu Bo Bao hit the ground heavily, stirring up a burst of dust.

"The History of the Yuan Dynasty: The Benji of Taizu" records that in the first year of Bingyin, the emperor gathered all the kings and ministers and built the Jiu Baizhen, that is, the emperor was located at the source of the Onan River. Now we have reached the Onan River and cut down the nine Mongolians. The backbone left behind by Bei Yuan, Zhe Baiyi, was finally broken by my own hands."

Looking at Benya who was tied up and lost, Zhu Di had no sympathy for this poor puppet. In the logic of his life, it was a matter of course to become a king and lose a bandit, and war was so brutal.

But Zhu Di did not kill him, because there was another crucial thing, which was said to be here in Benya.

"Where did you hide the imperial seal?"

The national jade seal, the famous Heshi Bi, is the seal passed down by emperors after the Qin Dynasty. It was engraved on the order of Qin Shihuang.

The national jade seal is four inches in diameter, with five dragons on it. The front is engraved with eight seal characters written by Li Si: "I have been ordered by heaven, and I will live forever" as an orthodox token of the divine power of the emperor.

Since the Qin Dynasty, emperors of all dynasties have regarded obtaining this seal as a destiny, and regarded it as a sacred weapon of the country.

If an emperor ascends the throne but does not have this thing, he will even be ridiculed as a "blank slate emperor."

Not when Lao Zhu ascended the throne. On the surface, he seemed very unconcerned and got a bunch of jade seals by himself, but in fact, he cared about it in his heart. In the Battle of Yuerhai, Lan Yu's only regret was that he could not find the jade seal passed down from the country. If If he could find it, the reward he would receive would probably be more than just Duke Liang.

And this thing was brought into Mobei by Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty after he fled from Dadu in the 28th year of Zhizheng in the late Yuan Dynasty. After the Beiyuan Dynasty experienced a series of battles such as Shangdu, Yingchang, Helin, and Yuerhai, It has basically collapsed. Regardless of how awkward the escape was, the Beiyuan Emperor did not leave the imperial seal behind, which shows how important it is.

As a usurper, Zhu Di was naturally eager to pass on the imperial seal. If he recovered this thing, and coupled with his great achievements in clearing Mobei, his legitimacy as emperor would be greatly increased.

It's a pity that Benya lost his way but failed to make Zhu Di realize his wish.

"It's in the hands of Arutai. Arutai never gave it to me. All the edicts were printed by him."

"Arutai"

Zhu Di turned his eyes to the east.

After Zhu Di won a great victory on the east side of the Wuguerzha River, he began to join the main infantry force led by Zhu Neng non-stop.

And in the process, bad news also came.

Some Tatar tribes who neither followed Benya Shili nor Arutai learned the news and began to flee southward in a panic.

Yes, to the south.

They thought that the large-scale cavalry group of the Ming Army was still in the west, so they did not dare to go west, and they did not want to follow Arutai in the east. They could not survive in the ice fields to the north, so they started to move south.

This caused some trouble for Zhu Di, because to the south was the Ming army's supply line. These Tatar tribes who had not planned to escape were poor people, and they would be troubled if they saw the Ming army's supply line and did not snatch it.

Zhu Di ordered Guang Enbo Liu Cai to take part of the cavalry to transport the wounded back south, and cooperate with Wei Guogong Xu Huizu, who was responsible for maintaining the supply line, to prevent the supply line from being lost.

After Zhu Di joined the large army led by Zhu Neng, he learned about the situation in Arutai.

Arutai was as cunning as ever. After he learned that the main force of the Ming army was building a city and camping near the Yinma River, he led his men to change their marching route.

But this doesn't change anything. Arutai leads too many people. Even if he is allowed to run for a few more days, the Ming army can still catch up.

Arutai also knows this, but he has no choice but to bring these people with him, because these are his family assets. Without these people, if there are only a few of his cronies, then they will not be able to gain a foothold on the grassland. There are so many enemies in Taiwan, including the Oara tribe, the Uliangha tribe, and tribes that are large and small and cannot be named.

There is only one Genghis Khan, and trying to make a comeback after losing power is really a very small probability event on the grassland.

Therefore, after Arutai continued to receive intelligence from the Ming army, he did not run away.

Taking advantage of the time difference, after Arutai settled the women and children, he began to prepare pocket formations to deal a heavy blow to the Ming army who was eager to catch up with him.

In fact, Arutai's strategy was very sophisticated. If Qiu Fu came to command, he might have fallen into a trap.

In Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, Qiu Fu died because he underestimated the enemy and rushed forward.

Qiu Fu led the Ming army to the north. After defeating the Tatar cavalry south of the Yinma River, he took advantage of the victory to cross the river and obtained false information about the prisoners. Qiu Fu was convinced and decided to rush forward. The generals objected and suggested waiting for the main army. After arriving, they found out the strength of the enemy's army and then sent troops to pursue him. However, Qiu Fu refused to take action. As a result, he fell into Arutai's trap. The Tatar army heavily surrounded Qiu Fu and others, including a duke, four marquises, and thousands more. All the elite Ming troops were wiped out.

However, in this time and space, it was Zhu Di who commanded the Northern Expedition army.

As the world's number one general, Zhu Di was not dazzled by the huge victory over Benya Shili. On the contrary, unlike the previous time when he led tens of thousands of cavalry on long-distance attacks regardless of fatigue, Zhu Di's pace slowed down this time.

Zhu Di can be as aggressive as fire, and naturally he can be as gentle as a forest.

Although he was unaware of Arutai's ambush plan, Zhu Di led the three battalions of more than 100,000 people to continue marching eastward at a steady speed along the Yinma River and Kuoluan River, preparing to annihilate Arutai and recapture the imperial seal.

In order to find traces of Arutai, the Ming army only lit fires to cook at dawn and before dusk every day, and at the same time sent a large number of scouts to cover their side.

Finally, the Ming army stopped at the Wuerguna River.

Arutai gathered all his main forces in a natural valley called "Feiyun Valley" and suddenly rushed out of the valley while the Ming army was crossing the river.

It is true that Arutai's painstaking concealment and surprise attack did not achieve any suddenness at the tactical level, because the Ming army scouts who went to Feiyun Valley to investigate were no longer heard from. The Ming army soon realized that something was wrong. Therefore, they were well prepared, but at the battle level, Arutai undoubtedly had the upper hand.

Zhu Di took his time and led hundreds of Zhongyi Guards to climb a hill, and then directed the Ming army to form formations along the river.

In the initial stage of the battle, Arutai was surprised by the speed of the Ming army crossing the river. The Ming army's pontoons and bridges were extremely well prepared. There was no big obstacle at all. A large number of Ming troops crossed the pontoon bridge to the east bank in an orderly manner with a very high degree of organization.

Zhu Di directed the Ming army generals at all levels to begin to arrange military formations according to the terrain, forming a battle line twelve miles apart on the left and right.

Wearing red cotton armor, he sat on a tall war horse, looking straight ahead with bright eyes.

The soldiers of the three battalions below were arrayed on the east bank like iron and copper walls, their armor shining coldly in the sun.

As the horns and drums sounded, the uniform footsteps of the soldiers shook the earth.

Arutai made a mistake due to poor information.

A mistake he didn't know was a mistake.

——The Ming army in Arutai’s perception is still the Ming army during the Battle of Yuerhai.

Since the Battle of Yuerhai, the Mongols have not had a large-scale battle with the Ming Dynasty for seventeen years.

And these seventeen years were enough for the Ming army to be completely transformed.

It's a pity that their understanding of the Ming Army still remains in the past.

Therefore, Arutai resorted to the "Mangu evil" tactic.

That is to say, let the Tatar light cavalry use their strong mobility to advance and retreat, and deliberately maintain a safe distance from the invading Ming army. This distance will be outside the attack range of the Ming army, but it must be within the reach of the bow and arrow. Within the shooting range, in this way, the Tatars, as the main archers, can continue to use their bows and arrows to kill the Ming army while avoiding being hit.

The Mongols relied on this hand to defeat the Jin, Song, Xixia, Khorezm and even Eastern European coalition forces.

But times have changed.

The Tatars' "Mangujie" tactics hit the artillery head on.

The Ming army was dragged away with unfired cannons, and for the first time they showed their power in front of the Tatars.

The original explosive shells taught the Tatar light cavalry charging in a dense formation what thunder from the sky meant. At the same time, the Tatars' poor defensive equipment allowed the power of the artillery to be maximized.

There were also brave Tatar generals who were unwilling to give up and continued to lead their troops to charge towards the Ming army with roars. They planned to retaliate when they were within the range of their riding bows, and then use their superb riding skills to cut out sideways.

But the fire cannons of Shenji Camp began to line up to kill.

There is nothing to say about the whole process. In the face of the difference in weapons, the Tatar light cavalry's bows and arrows were almost useless. After realizing that they could not complete the planned campaign goal of "giving the Ming army a half-crossing attack", the Tatars Taking advantage of another fine tradition they inherited from the Northern Yuan Dynasty, they began to disperse.

Arutai moisturized very quickly. He had arranged for the women and children of each tribe to run in various directions. They could run as many as they could. Since this battle couldn't be fought, he would moisturize too.

The Ming army began to pursue, and the cavalry chased for hundreds of miles in one breath until the supplies were exhausted.

During the pursuit, the Ming army also made important gains.

In Changxiuchuan, the Ming army bit the tail of Arutai's troops. Arutai was forced to cut off his tail to survive. He left behind a large amount of baggage. In the words of Jin Youzi, who came to take charge of the baggage, it was "cattle, sheep and other miscellaneous animals." It fills the valley and stretches for more than a hundred miles on both sides of the river."

Moreover, the Ming cavalry captured his wife and children who were abandoned by Arutai because he thought he was running too slowly.

Well, Liu Bang gave it a thumbs up.

And in Arutai's current wife, the wife of the former Khan who has the blood of the golden family, the Ming army unexpectedly obtained the imperial seal.

No one thought that when she was kicked off her horse, she took this crucial prop from Arutai.

For this reason, the woman who presented the imperial seal received a generous reward from Zhu Di.

Under Zhu Di's calm command, the Ming army severely damaged the Tatar tribe, recaptured the imperial seal, won this decisive battle, and successfully completed the goal of the first northern expedition. Zhu Di wanted to chase him to the horizon. However, given that the supply line was destroyed and the strategic goal was fully achieved, there would be no more substantial gains if we waste time here, so we chose to withdraw our troops.

Although Arutai was moistened, the impact was not great. His strength was far less than before. The decline of the Tatar tribe had become inevitable. It was impossible for them to fight against Timur from the Ming Dynasty when he came from the expedition. stabbed in the back.

However, for the Ming army, this Northern Expedition was undoubtedly a brilliant victory. They not only annihilated a large number of enemy troops, but also brought back more than 200,000 cattle and sheep, and recaptured many lands occupied by the Mongols. , established a new garrison in Monan, pushing the northern border of the Ming Dynasty thousands of miles north.

Zhu Di knew that this victory was hard-won, and he also understood that behind it was the blood and sacrifice of countless soldiers. After the battle, he immediately ordered a reward to the three armies to prepare a division, and at the same time sent an envoy to Beijing to report the news.

And Zhu Gaoxu, the second prince who was brave and fearless on the battlefield, also showed his wisdom and less mature political skills after the victory.

Zhu Gaoxu had the guidance of Jiang Xinghuo, and he understood very well that although he had achieved a great victory in the war against the Tatars, the subsequent work of governance and appeasement was equally important.

The Ming Dynasty cannot be stationed in Mobei forever, so it is very important to win over one faction and fight against another.

Therefore, he volunteered to talk with the captured Tatar nobles.

Zhu Gaoxu's reputation and bravery earned him the respect of these Tatar nobles. A considerable number of small and medium-sized tribal leaders were willing to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty and move south with the Ming army, grazing in Monan as a buffer zone.

Zhu Gaoxu did a very good job. Zhu Di didn't say anything on the surface, but in his heart he highly recognized what Zhu Gaoxu had done.

This Northern Expedition made him understand that this second son was not only brave and fearless on the battlefield, but also had good talents in governance. Zhu Di really seriously considered whether to give Zhu Gaoxu greater power (to draw a bigger pie). Let him continue to contribute his strength to Zhu Di in the days to come.

But no matter what happened between father and son, overall, the ending of this war was brilliant.

After the end of the First Northern Expedition, some significant changes occurred in the internal and external situations of the Ming Dynasty.

First, militarily, the Ming Dynasty consolidated its rule in the north and improved the security of the northern border by defeating the Tatar Mongols. This victory also improved the morale and morale of the newly formed three major battalions of the Ming Army in Beijing. combat effectiveness, creating favorable conditions for subsequent large-scale operations.

Secondly, politically, Zhu Di further consolidated his throne through this war. He successfully won a victory that was not inferior to the Battle of Yuerhai, pushed the Tatars back to the barbaric age, and proved himself With his military talent and leadership ability, he also regained the imperial seal that represented the legitimacy of the throne, thereby strengthening the imperial power and his own legitimacy.

In addition, Zhu Di also further won over the morale of the military and enhanced the loyalty and combat effectiveness of the army by rewarding the three armies and promoting meritorious officers, so that some of the non-Yan army direct descendants who were reorganized into the Beijing camp became loyal to him.

However, the victory of the First Northern Expedition could not completely solve the internal problems of the Ming Dynasty. Within the court, there were still complex power struggles and factional disputes.

At the same time, due to the consumption of supplies in this war that was enough to cause Xu Huizu's mental collapse, the Ming Dynasty's economy also faced new difficulties and challenges.

But in any case, the second year of Yongle was a turning point.