The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Quick, speed up."

A dark-skinned general wearing mountain armor stood on the roadside, loudly urging the Ming cavalry that was advancing in front of him. Among the cavalry troops, there were many cattle and horses loaded with goods. The Ming cavalry drove them Go forward quickly.

They were the Yu Dayou tribe of the Datong army who burned Bansheng City on fire two days ago. After removing all the valuable objects in the palace, they burned the palace built by Qiu Fu and others for Anda Khan with fire.

Subsequently, Yu Dayou and his men began to escape.

Before the assault on Bansheng City, of course sentries should be widely deployed around the city to intercept the messengers sent out to deliver the news.

However, these sentry riders certainly could not stop the dozens of knights Zhao Quan took away. And although the messengers sent to Xuan Mansion were stopped in several batches, there was no guarantee that any of them would slip through the net.

After getting the exact news, the first thing Yu Dayou had to do was to retreat at full speed and return to the side wall of Datong. It was safe only when he got there.

It only took Yu Dayou's troops four days to arrive, but the return trip was slowed down because they carried a large amount of captured goods. If they continued at this rate, Yu Dayou was not sure whether they would be intercepted by reinforcements from Xuanfu's An Da Department.

Although in previous calculations, Yu Dayou estimated that even if I got the news, it would still take several days to gather the dispersed troops, enough for them to return to Datong.

But Yu Dayou also knew one thing, that is, if Anda Khan did not mobilize various troops to intercept, but directly sent troops from the Royal Guards, he would have time to stop them outside the Great Wall.

Naturally, Yu Dayou would not talk about this to Li Wenjin and Liu Han, and would ask them to give up their decision to go on the expedition if there was trouble.

The reaction of the two was also a bit beyond Yu Dayou's expectations.

As a civil servant, it was normal for Li Wenjin to not understand many things. Even though he had been transferred to Datong for a long time, it was normal for him to be unfamiliar with the organizational structure of the Mongols opposite him. However, as the chief military officer, Liu Han would not fail to understand knew.

Under Yu Dayou's deliberate concealment, when he mentioned that An Dahan mobilized soldiers and horses to intercept, Liu Han seemed not to have thought that An Dahan could also mobilize guards from his side to intercept.

After coming down, Yu Dayou was a little suspicious. As the chief military officer of Datong, Liu Han should not be so confused, but since he didn't reveal it, he must have his intention, but he didn't know the purpose.

However, for such a thing, it is nothing more than profit.

In Yu Dayou's speculation, he might support a sneak attack on Bansheng City, which might be a huge opportunity for Liu Han.

Liu Han has been in Datong for twenty years. From commanding Qianshi to being governor of Qianshi, if he had not made great contributions, he would have stopped here in his life. If he wanted to be promoted from the second rank to the first rank, it would be impossible without great military achievements. It's possible to cross over.

Yes, what Yu Dayou guessed was that Liu Han had been serving as the governor for many years, and now he might have set his sights on the governor.

As for the higher-level left and right governors, Liu Han himself probably didn't even dare to think about it.

The leap from the second grade to the first grade seems simple but is actually extremely difficult.

As for actual duties, well, in fact, Datong's chief military officer is now at the top of the military generals. He cannot be promoted. At most, he will be transferred to Jizhen to help the emperor guard the gate.

As for returning to the capital and going back to the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion for duty, no normal person would be willing to go. To go to a government office where the power is almost evaporated, where it is only suitable for nobles to hang out.

Datong has made many attacks on Anda's tribe, but they were all small-scale attacks. Anda Khan's several large-scale attacks were obviously directed at Xuanfu and Jizhen. After all, they were closer to the capital and had no influence on the imperial court. The shock is even greater.

Perhaps, in Liu Han's view, if the sneak attack on Bansheng City was successful, his official position should be promoted to another level.

Yu Dayou thought so, and couldn't help but feel a little anxious when he looked at the slowly advancing team in front of him.

The three thousand men and horses brought out are now divided into three groups, namely the Qianqi led by the general Ma Lu and the Qianqi led by the guerrilla Xu Qin. These two groups of cavalry were used by Yu Dayou to intercept the pursuing troops of the Anda tribe, leaving a thousand people. Then drive away the robbed cattle, sheep and the spoils of war.

As for why Yu Dayou refused to let his soldiers give up these seizures and ran desperately towards Datong. He could give orders, but he couldn't guarantee whether his soldiers would obey his orders.

This time I go to Bansheng City and I will indeed receive a reward after I return, but how much of the reward will fall on the people below?

For these three thousand soldiers, what they risked their lives to capture must be given up. Can you give anything in exchange?

Just by saying that he would be rewarded if he returned to the pass, Yu Dayou could not guarantee whether he would encounter any accidents on the battlefield after issuing the order.

Seeing the fiery eyes of these soldiers when they saw the rich trophies, as a soldier, he knew that such an order could not be given.

It is no lie that man dies for money and birds dies for food.

Having been a general for many years, Yu Dayou naturally knew that there was really no money to be made as a soldier these days, and it was good to be able to make a living.

Only when encountering such a war would one expect a reward from the court, but no one knows that it will take years of the monkey year and horse month to approve and transport it, and there will be countless hands reaching in to collect the money along the way.

For soldiers, rewards are too illusory, so they pay more attention to the wealth in front of them.

Officials can take more of their share, but they cannot lose their share.

Profit is the main reason why these people are willing to sacrifice their lives.

For generals, future and money are indispensable. For soldiers, what kind of future they want is nothing more than soldiers. They only want one thing, and that is money.

Although he was worried, Yu Dayou could only do this and retreat with the stolen property, even if he took risks.

"General, the Gray River is ahead. Our sentinels have joined General Liu's men, and the pontoon bridge has been set up."

At this time, a war horse ran from the front, and he immediately reported to Yu Dayou.

"Okay, notify the ministries to speed up the crossing of the river."

Yu Dayou ordered loudly, and then urged his horse to run forward.

For the Ming army who had experienced a victory on the floating bridge, they not only wanted the things on the cattle and horses, but also wanted to save their lives. Yu Dayou was worried that there would be crowding when crossing the river, which would affect the army's ability to cross the river.

He had to rush to the pontoon first and frighten these soldiers.

The result of the battle in Bansheng City this time was actually great. Not only the city of Bansheng was completely destroyed, but also the defenders in the city were almost wiped out.

But one thing is that the harvest is really miserable.

Most of the people were burned to death in private houses. Without heads, the court would not acknowledge the crime, and no decent prisoners were captured.

Eighty-three heads were captured and 67 people were captured alive. Li Zixin and Zhao Quan, the bandit leaders of the White Lotus Sect, were lucky to save their lives. Li Zixin's mother Hu and his brother Li Ziquan were captured alive by the Ming army. Another brother Li Zixian was beheaded and captured the Mongols. Hundreds of cattle and horses, as well as a large number of ordnance.

This is what Yu Dayou's ministry can now hand over to the imperial court, the harvest of this battle.

Thinking of this, Yu Dayou felt regretful. It would be great if he could catch Li Zixin. This battle out of the fortress would be a perfect ending.

You know, Li Zixin is also a figure in the Ming court, and his value is not small.

It was a pity in his heart, but the progress was not slow. Soon he arrived at the Hui River and met up with Liu Han, the chief military officer of Datong by the river.

Liu Han had already learned the results of the battle from Yu Dayou's sentinels. The fire in Bansheng City should still be burning. Only a few people in the city escaped, and most of them were wiped out.

For such a result, Liu Han was already overjoyed at this time.

With this result, this risky move will not be in vain. At least there will be sufficient reasons to respond to possible cross-examinations from the Xuanfu and the capital.

Seeing Yu Dayou and the team of captured cattle and horses approaching from a distance behind him, my mood became even more wonderful.

"Dayou, you fought well in this battle. You should be the first to report it to the court when you go back."

The first thing Liu Han said after seeing Yu Dayou was to hold Yu Dayou up high. However, according to the rules of the court, even if his and Li Wenjin's contributions were not included in the merit book, the court would not forget them.

"It's all under the command of Mr. Liu and Governor Ma. The little credit of the last general is not worth mentioning. I am here to protect you, General."

During the greetings with Liu Han, Yu Dayou told him about the captures in this battle. Liu Han couldn't help but feel a little regretful knowing that he failed to capture those people named by the imperial court, but it was still a great victory.

Destroying Bansheng City and burning Anda Khan's palace were the greatest achievements of this battle.

In the following days, Yu Dayou's 3,000 men and horses met with the 2,000 cavalry led by Liu Han. Now that he had 4,000 combat troops, Yu Dayou became more courageous and no longer worried about the journey back to Datong.

Finally, on the third day after the meeting with Liu Han, the army approached Heihe. There was an infantry army of 3,000 horses led by Li Wenjin to meet them. After the meeting, all the troops of the Ming army gathered here, with an army of 8,000 on the side. It was finally It's safe.

"Keep the formation. Those at the back will listen to the commander's command. Those who disobey will be pulled out and whipped."

At this time, Yu Dayou and Liu Han had arrived at Heihe. Liu Han crossed the river first to meet with Li Wenjin, the governor of Datong, and reported the results of the attack on Bansheng City. Yu Dayou stayed on the other side of the Heihe River and arranged for the entire army to cross the river.

Just like crossing the Gray River before, the soldiers naturally scrambled to cross the river as soon as possible.

After all, every step forward means that you are one step closer to Datong, and your wealth and life are safer.

More than a dozen expedition horses were reported every day, but no Ada Khan's troops were found chasing or intercepting them. However, Yu Dayou still did not dare to neglect at all, and insisted on spreading a large number of expedition horses to explore everywhere.

The first priority to cross the river is still the transportation brigade under the escort of Qianqi. On the other side of the river, four Qianqi teams are standing ready and ready to cross the river at any time.

After the transport team completely crossed the river, the four thousand-horse brigade began to cross the river in order. Yu Dayou stood by the river and watched, but no one dared to make any mistakes. They all crossed the river in line with the formation, and the speed was not slow.

After waiting for three thousand people, Yu Dayou led his own soldiers to cross the river. After that, the thousands of cavalry in the rear crossed the river in turn, and finally destroyed the pontoon bridge to prevent it from being used by An Da troops.

After meeting with Li Wenjin and Liu Han, the eight thousand Ming army continued to withdraw southward.

When they first left the fortress, they took the right guard of Datong to kill Fort Hu, and the return trip was no exception, because this was the closest place to them.

Now that Li Wen's infantry from Jinbiao Camp have joined, the march has slowed down slightly. According to the current situation, it will take at least three days to reach Fort Killing Hu.

It only takes three days to enter the Great Wall, and it will be safe by then.

The three thousand cavalry who followed Yu Dayou on his expedition to Bansheng City were already outnumbered. They were no better than the troops led by Liu Han and Li Wenjin. They could still rest in Heihe and Huihe. If they were not within the Mongolian sphere of influence, they could go out into the field. There is no difference when traveling.

But by this time, it seemed that the Ming army's good luck had also run out.

After marching for half a day after the Ming army crossed the Heihe River, they saw a scout horse in the distance returning hastily, rushing towards Yu Dayou who was hiding in the army.

It wasn't that Yu Dayou had any magical power that guided the direction of the exploration horse. It was just that the three big flags were too eye-catching.

Soon, when Tan Ma was about ten steps away, he turned over and dismounted. He then ran to the three of them, knelt down and clasped his fists to report: "Sir, there are more than 10,000 Tatar cavalry in the direction of Liangcheng, and they are heading this way. We can't even get there." Two days’ journey.”

Finally it showed up.

Yu Dayou knew the general location of the Tatar cavalry, but a stone fell in his heart. The unknown was the most terrifying thing.

"An Dahan is really powerful. He actually chased him directly from Xuan Mansion to here."

Liu Han, who was extremely familiar with the terrain of the border town, spoke at this time, but his expression was serious when he spoke.

"There are still two days to go, do we have to fight the Tatars here?"

Li Wenjin was not as panicked as ordinary people when he heard the Tatar army was coming. After all, he had been in Datong for many years and had already passed the time of being nervous when he heard the news of the Tatar army.

"There's no way to hide. This is the closest way back to the wall."

Liu Han shook his head slightly and said.

"Then how to fight is up to General Liu and Dayou to decide. My Biao battalion can be mobilized as much as they like."

Li Wenjin was a bachelor and did not compete for the command of the war at this moment. Instead, he asked two military generals to prepare.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty used literature to suppress military force. Even if he did not command this battle, in the end, both Liu Han and Yu Dayou would report to their superiors that he commanded this battle. Otherwise, they would have no future, so he did not do anything. Fighting for ideas.

As long as he wins the battle, it's fine, not to mention that he is still outside the customs. If he doesn't win this battle, he will have to flee back in embarrassment. This is also unacceptable to Li Wenjin, the governor of Datong.

What's more, they just won a game, but after all they had the advantage of a sneak attack. If they can fight back head-on or defeat Anta's troops at this time, then the credit for this attack outside the wall will be even greater.

Liu Han and Yu Dayou had no intention of exchanging greetings at this time. They hugged Li Wenjin and then went aside. Liu Han asked someone to take out the map here and began to study tactics with Yu Dayou.

There is still one day to go, and there must be no delay. Should we hurry or hurry, but where?

You must know that this place must be their preset battlefield and the place that is most beneficial to them.

Not long after, Liu Han and Yu Dayou arrived beside Li Wenjin and began to report to him the plan for the battle.

"Master Li can lead his personal entourage first and go directly to Fort Hu to summon the border troops to come for support. We will rush to Anyin Fort at noon tomorrow. Although this place has long been abandoned, I saw that the fort wall is still there when I came over. Relying on this fort, with more than 10,000 Tatars on the opposite side, we may not have no chance of winning."

Liu Handao.