Chapter 535 534 Ambush
On an endless plain, on a narrow dirt road, a group of Ming army cavalry walked slowly.
You can know the affiliation of this army from the flag held high by the leading knight. It is almost the highest standard military flag of the Ming army.
Naturally, this cavalry was led by Sun Bin, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen in the Ming Dynasty. They were ordered to rush to Zhengguantun to rescue the besieged Fujin tribe.
Although countless scouts have been scattered around, the battle situation is now complicated. As the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, Sun Bin will not rush the soldiers to the battlefield without thinking.
During the cavalry war, they need to leave enough horsepower for the horses they ride on, otherwise their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.
Of course Sun Bin knew this, so after his fast horse left Tongzhou, he asked his cavalry to slow down their advance.
If you ride out of the city quickly, you will naturally show it to Lu Yi, the deputy envoy of Bingbei Road. Since you have run far away, there is no need to show off anymore.
Although most of the Tatar activities are around Shunyi, and there are signs of gradually moving eastward, that is, towards Sanhe and Pinggu, who knows that the Tatars will not come out in full force when they find their way.
To tell the truth from Sun Bin, even if the Fujin tribe was wiped out by the Tatars, it wouldn't really matter, as long as he was not in danger.
As for the reason for slowing down the rescue, Sun Bin had actually already thought about it, that is, he also wanted to contact Hu Zhen, the deputy commander-in-chief of Miyun, and the two Ming armies jointly attacked the Tatars in Zhengguantun.
Just as the army advanced and gradually approached Zhengguantun, several war horses galloped towards them in the distance. The soldiers responsible for guarding in the distance immediately braced themselves and concentrated on looking over.
Not long after, several soldiers in front were already waving small flags in their hands.
That was a safe signal, which meant that the people coming were from the Ming army and our own people.
Soon, two Ming army messengers galloped over on horseback, heading towards the position of the Chinese army's tooth flag.
"It's the messenger I sent."
Zhao Qin next to Sun Bin said.
Sun Bin nodded, indicating that he understood.
Of course Sun Bin knew the messenger Zhao Qin was talking about. It was his order to contact Hu Zhen in order to unify the battle plan.
In Sun Bin's plan, the two armies naturally set a time for the two armies to launch an attack on the Tatar army surrounding Zhengguantun at the same time. Others were not within his scope of concern.
Hu Zhen is also an old man from Ji Town, so he naturally knows how to march secretly.
When the two messengers arrived, before they took off the mailbox from behind, Sun Bin asked: 'Where did you find Deputy General Hu's men? ’
"Commander, I encountered Deputy General Hu's troops at the mouth of Lianghe, twenty miles west of Pinggu."
While they were talking, they had already taken off the mailbox and handed it to the soldiers next to them.
The soldiers took it out and took out the bamboo tube. They checked that the sealing paint was intact before handing it over to Sun Bin.
Sun Bin opened it, took a look, and nodded, "You guys go down and rest."
After saying that, he turned to Zhao Qin and said, "Call Feng Zhao and Yan Zhan over immediately."
"Commander, are you following the plan?"
Zhao Qin couldn't help but ask before leaving.
Tongzhou is not far from Sanhe and even closer to Zhengguantun.
After half a day's march, they were actually very close to there.
Sun Bin nodded slightly, and Zhao Qin knew that this meant that they would launch an attack on the Tatars outside Zhengguantun tomorrow morning.
It can be said that war is about to break out.
Different from the situation on Sun Bin's road, Hu Zhen brought nearly two thousand cavalry from Miyun this time to rescue Zhengguantun according to Yang Xuan's order. He did not take the shortest road, but wanted to go around Pinggu.
However, not long after sending away Sun Bin's messenger, he realized that he was in trouble.
Originally, according to the battle reports collected at the time of departure, the main force of the Tatars was operating near Shunyi.
But when they passed Pinggu, they suddenly found that there were more Tatars in front of them. The scouts sent back warnings from time to time and found traces of Tatars.
This can be fatal.
You know, there are thousands of Tatar elites around, but they only have less than two thousand riders, which is not enough to fill the teeth of the Tatars.
After several consecutive warnings, Hu Zhen finally understood.
Instead of returning to the customs via the original route, the Tatars planned to take the direction of Pinggu to find an opportunity to exit the customs.
This was also because he was misled by the Tatars who sent back supplies. He thought Huang Taiji would also take this road to get out of the wall, but he did not expect that he would change places.
With this judgment, Hu Zhen knew that he could not go deeper.
If the troops continue to move forward to rescue Zhengguantun, the further inside, the higher the chance of encountering Tatars, and the risk of exposure will be infinitely magnified.
After all, there are no one knows how many Tatar troops are around. If they are not careful, they will be exposed and then besieged.
Hu Zhen made a decisive decision immediately, giving up the operation to go to Zhengguantun to rescue Fujin's tribe, and led his troops to move eastward towards Jizhou to avoid the Tatar brigade.
At the same time, he also sent a messenger to take a detour to find Sun Bin's tribe from Tongzhou and inform them of their plan.
In Hu Zhen’s view, it’s impossible without a detour.
Although the distance between the two armies at this time was less than a hundred miles, that is, about sixty or seventy miles, there were so many Tatars around. If a messenger was sent to take a shortcut, he would definitely encounter the Tatars.
When the time comes, don't let your letter be delivered, and you will be exposed.
With this decision in mind, he ordered his clerks to write official documents and send them by messenger, while he adjusted his formation and ran directly eastward.
Hu Zhen's prompt decision saved the lives of the Miyun Cavalry. In fact, if they had continued to go a few miles further, they would have been discovered by the secret sentry sent by Lai Sun, which would have resulted in a fatal blow.
However, the way he sent people to deliver the letter in a detour actually destined that it would be difficult for the letter to fall into Sun Bin's hands.
Although even if you take a shortcut, there is a high probability that this letter will not be delivered.
In this way, Yang Xuan's plan of a north-south pincer attack to rescue the besieged Ming army in Zhengguantun failed. Hu Zhen gave up executing this order, but Sun Bin still knew nothing about it and ran into the trap set by Huang Taiji in ignorance.
"Taiji, the Ming army is coming."
Outside Zhengguantun, Huang Taiji looked at the villages and towns in the distance with his hands behind his back. He could also see the figures of Ming soldiers inside through the damaged earth walls.
He likes to admire the Ming army's lingering appearance. He thinks it is a pleasure.
However, Ba Du'er's voice came from behind.
"Coming? Where are you?"
Huang Taiji asked casually.
"More than thirty miles to the southwest, it looks like there are about three thousand people."
Badu'er replied.
"Who is leading the team?"
In ancient wars, generals who led troops and led troops still attached great importance to them. After all, this was their merit.
The greater the reputation of the opposing general, the greater the glory it brings to them.
"Our people don't dare to get too close. It's difficult to judge for the time being."
Badu'er replied.
"Is there any news from Sun?"
Huang Taiji was not in a hurry to start a war and destroy this Ming army, but asked about the news from Sun.
"No, a lot of scouts have been sent out over there, but we haven't received any news of the discovery of the Ming army yet."
Badu'er replied.
"It shouldn't be."
When he heard that there was no Ming army on Sun's side, Huang Taiji frowned, turned around and said to Ba Du'er.
"Maybe I'm afraid, or for some other reason. Anyway, there are Ming troops, but they don't dare to come."
Bang Du'er didn't think too much and just said what he was thinking.
Huang Taiji looked up at the sky. There was still time before the sun set, and he already had a plan in mind.
"You can send a few more teams of scouts to scout the directions of Jizhou, Sanhe and Tongzhou to see if any other Ming troops are coming."
Huang Taiji ordered.
After saying that, he walked a few steps forward and walked to his horse. However, he did not get on his horse. Instead, he stood still and turned to Ba Du'er and ordered: "Go and gather the troops. I don't expect the Ming army to dare to do so today." If we come to fight, we will take the initiative and raid them while they are camping.”
"As you command, Taiji."
Bao Duer responded loudly.
He understood Huang Taiji's battle plan and sent scouts to investigate the surroundings to avoid the presence of other Ming army troops around.
As for dealing with the Ming army, they would just attack them unexpectedly.
When setting up camp, soldiers are often most cautious, because they can rest and eat immediately.
When the spirit is relaxed, most people will panic when faced with a sudden blow.
At Shen Shi, the sun had set in the west and night was coming. Outside a forest thirty miles away from Zhengguantun, a group of cavalry approached quietly.
"Commander, that's the forest."
Zhao Qin pointed to the woods in front and said to Sun Bin.
Sun Bin looked around casually and felt that this forest was the only place suitable for them to hide, so he said: "We will spend the night in the forest tonight and tell my men that they are not allowed to light fires and eat dry food."
After thinking about it, he added: "In addition, send more sentries around to cover this area."
Soon, the news of camping in the woods ahead spread throughout the army, and the Ming soldiers became excited.
Anyone who has been sitting on a horse for a day will feel irritated. Finally, they can rest. Naturally, everyone wants to enter the woods as soon as possible. Even if they just dismount and take a few steps, it is better than continuing to sit on the horse.
"Badu'er, look at that pole-tooth flag. Is it the flag of the Ming Dynasty's general army?"
In the woods not far away, Huang Taiji hid behind a tree and pointed at the Ming army's formation in the distance and asked.
The Mongolian tribes have been at war with the Ming army for many years, and they are very familiar with the flag of the Ming army.
But this time the distance was a bit far, and Huang Taiji was not sure for a while.
"It's very similar. I can't tell if he's the commander-in-chief of Jizhen or the commander-in-chief of Baoding."
He stared into the distance for a while before answering.
"Let the white robe outside be careful and don't reveal your secrets."
Huang Taiji then ordered the soldiers around him to deliver the message.
They have already figured out several places where people can hide around here and have arranged secret sentries.
When the Ming army scouts came to investigate, the Tatar scouts did not show up. Instead, they waited for several people to leave and go back to report the news, and then they suddenly took action, killing several Ming soldiers and leaving a few alive.
After some torture and interrogation, he learned the flag language of the Ming army.
The rest were naturally the White Lotus cultists who mixed in with the Mongolian army. They put on Ming army uniforms and sent various safety signals to the Ming army in the distance, luring the Ming army into being fooled.
As time went by, the Ming army brigade got closer and closer to the woods, and the tired expressions on the faces of the Ming soldiers were clearly visible.
Huang Taiji couldn't help but feel happy when he saw this. Opposite him was a general at the level of a general of the Ming Dynasty, which was rare.
Didn’t you see how happy he was when he killed Yang Zhao last time?
The results of that battle alone were enough to be spread among the tribes on the grassland for a long time.
Unexpectedly, this time when I visited Dadu, I would have the opportunity to kill a Ming Dynasty general.
After killing two Ming Dynasty generals in a row within a year, when the news spreads back to the grassland, it should be safe for him to succeed the Great Khan.
On the grassland, the weak have always obeyed the strong.
What is a strong person? Naturally, only those who can bring them to defeat the enemy can be respected as a strong person and become a great khan.
With his achievements in these two battles, those brothers should be able to give up.
What are they going to fight with me for?
Huang Taiji was so happy that he couldn't help but look back.
Behind him, there are countless warriors on the prairie. They are all the elites among the thousands of warriors on the prairie.
At this moment, these people just waited for his order to rush out of the woods and rush towards the Ming army on the opposite side, catching them off guard and killing them without leaving a trace.
"Getting the flag is your goal. I want you to capture or kill the chief military officer of the Ming Dynasty alive. Can you do it?"
Huang Taiji suddenly turned his head, faced Badu'er, and asked seriously.
When the Ming Army brigade was only two or three miles away from the woods, a Ming Army scout outside the woods waved a small flag in his hand, which meant safety.
Sun Bin looked at the flags on the opposite side and immediately ordered: "Entering the woods, each team officer restrains his men and does not cause chaos."
As soon as Sun Bin finished speaking, he heard the sharp and harsh sound of the sharp arrow tip in his ears.
"call out"
A loud arrow shot from the forest into the sky. Sun Bin's heart suddenly trembled, and he screamed secretly.
The Ming army's scouts would never fire any loud arrows at this time.
I don’t know how far this sound will spread.
Just when he was lost in thought, countless cavalry suddenly rushed out of the woods, waving their scimitars and charging towards them.
Countless arrow-shaped cavalry formations rushed towards the Ming army's marching column, and all the Ming troops were instantly trembling.
Ambush.
This is the thought that surges in the hearts of all Ming soldiers at this moment.
As the sound of horse hooves got louder, two groups of cavalry rushed out from both sides of the forest, attacking the Ming army's columns from left to right.
A cavalry melee was taking place on the Great Plains. At this time, in the Yongshou Palace in Xiyuan, Emperor Jiajing had already read the battle report sent by the Ministry of War.
But at this time, Emperor Jiajing was not in a good mood.
It’s not that the Ming army lost any cities due to the Tatar attack, nor that many villages were devastated, nor that countless people were killed by the Tatars.
"Yang Xuan reported that the enemy invaders have fled eastward, but just before that the Tatars crossed the Wenyu River and looted several villages and towns under the walls of the capital. Is there any news from the factory guards?"
After reading the battle report sent by the Ministry of War, Emperor Jiajing had strong doubts about what Yang Xuan, the governor of Jiliao, said at the beginning.
Upon hearing this, Huang Jin took a step forward and replied: "Your Majesty, I have received information that the Tatars are indeed traveling eastward and leaving the customs near Pinggu."
"So, Yang Xuan's report is true?"
Emperor Jiajing asked again.
"this"
Huang Jin didn't know how to answer for a while.
However, after all, Huang Jin had served Emperor Jiajing for many years, and he immediately thought of a way to evade: "Your Majesty, the two pavilion elders are working in Wuyi Hall at the moment, why not ask them.
The cabinet knows the news from the court the fastest. "
"So, what information have the factory guards obtained since the Tatars breached the border wall?"
Emperor Jiajing ignored Huang Jin and continued to ask.
Huang Jin was a bit arrogant, but he managed at least Dongchang, and only targeted officials in the capital.
Now that the war is taking place outside the capital, it is actually Jin Yiwei's job to collect intelligence.
He knelt down with a "pop" sound and thought about the note he had seen in the past two days and replied: "In the past two days, Jinyi Guardian reported that many people in Ji Town said that the Tatars were recruited by Tonghan and his son."