The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 251 Nai'er Buhua's Delaying Tactics

Gunshots rang out across the entire grassland.

Nairbuhua led the Mongol cavalry in continuous charges outwards from the Ming army's encirclement.

However, the Ming army surrounded the area like an iron barrel, and several of their attacks ended in failure.

Nai'er Buhua's mood grew heavier and heavier.

At first, he could use soldiers from other tribes to replace them in order to preserve his own strength, but as his troops suffered more and more losses, he now had to send all of his main forces.

Throwing himself into battle and watching his soldiers die one by one, he felt his heart bleeding. These were his most important forces; if he lost them, he would have no standing on this grassland.

Nai'er Buhua shouted loudly.

"I am Nairbuhua, the Grand Commandant of the Great Yuan Dynasty. Please stop fighting. We are willing to surrender!"

Upon hearing this, the leaders of the various tribes on the Yuan side burst into curses.

"That damned Nairbuhua had advised him to surrender long ago, but he insisted on resisting. Now he's surrendering faster than anyone else!"

"Exactly! If it weren't for him, this battle would never have even started. That guy is truly despicable!"

Upon hearing the words of these tribal leaders, Grand Commandant Nairbuhua's face darkened.

What do these guys know? This is just a delaying tactic.

The morale of the Ming army is high right now; a head-on confrontation with them at this time would only result in heavy losses.

On the contrary, if they agreed to surrender, these people would relax their guard, and then they could break out and return to the grasslands. The Ming army would not be able to catch up with them. Soon, this news reached Zhu Xiong Ying and Xu Da.

Inside the central army camp, a group of generals gathered together, their brows furrowed.

"Commander Xu, I have a feeling that these grassland guys might not surrender. They're definitely up to something bad. Now is a good opportunity to wipe them out. We can't be soft-hearted!"

This battle could almost wipe out the Yuan Dynasty's forces in the northern grasslands, and such a good opportunity must not be missed.

Moreover, these all signify merit, and with so much merit, their titles could be elevated several ranks.

At this moment, Xu Da turned his gaze to Zhu Xiong Ying, who was standing to the side.

"What does Your Highness the Crown Prince think about this matter?"

Zhu Xiong Ying hadn't expected Xu Da to ask her that question. After thinking for a moment, she replied directly.

"The Mongol soldiers still number a lot. If they keep attacking, our losses will be considerable!"

"We can't force them to fight to the death now. Since they want to negotiate peace, we should at least show some sincerity and tell them to bring out all their warhorses and weapons!"

"Without warhorses and weapons, these people will be unable to resist!"

The general standing nearby frowned upon hearing this.

"Your Highness, how could this be? These people will never hand over their warhorses and weapons. For the people of the grasslands, these are their lifeblood!"

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered. "I gave them a chance. Whether they hand it over or not is their own business. If they refuse, we'll use their feigned surrender as an excuse to wipe them out completely!"

At this moment, a soldier standing nearby spoke up.

"Your Highness, we're running out of gunpowder and cannonballs. Are you sure you can really wipe them all out?"

At this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying shook his head.

"Then completely annihilating them won't be an easy task, and I don't think the chances of that are very high. But one thing I'm absolutely certain of is that if we can eliminate enough steppe soldiers in this battle, our subsequent actions on the steppe will go much more smoothly!"

"The soldiers on the grasslands come and go without a trace. We will relocate them to the interior and put them under the unified management of our Great Ming Dynasty, whether they are herding or farming. We will also establish prefectures and counties on these grasslands and completely turn this land into our territory!"

After some discussion, Zhu Xiong Ying's terms were conveyed to the Mongol army camp.

"Our Crown Prince and the General have said that if you are willing to surrender, you should release all your weapons and warhorses, and we will immediately cease our attack!"

Nai'er Buhua and the others looked extremely grim. Their surrender was merely a delaying tactic to take advantage of the Ming army's laxity and break out. If they were to hand over all their weapons and warhorses, they would be lambs to the slaughter.

The same applies to other tribal leaders. Warhorses and weapons are the foundation of their rule. Without these, their tribes will be like tigers with their teeth pulled out, at the mercy of others.

"No! Warhorses and weapons are the lives of grassland warriors. We absolutely cannot hand them over to others. The grandson of the Ming emperor must be trying to trick us into surrendering so he can kill us!"

At this moment, the generals inside the military tent were extremely panicked and glared angrily at the messenger.

The Ming envoy looked at these people and said with a smile.

"Don't forget, it's you who want to surrender. My Great Ming Dynasty has countless new firearms and exploding cannonballs. It would be as easy as turning my hand to wipe you out!"

"But Heaven cherishes life, and His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty does not wish to see so many outstanding young men die in this battle. He is willing to accept your surrender!"

"Furthermore, prefectures and counties will be established on the grasslands, and all the people on the grasslands will then be subject to the unified rule of the Ming Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, the chieftain of the grassland tribe looked extremely displeased.

The people of those tribes are their private property. If they were all under the command of the Ming emperor, it is uncertain whether they would still obey his orders.

The tribal leaders were somewhat reluctant to think about this.

Nai'er Buhua snorted coldly.

"I see you just don't want to accept our surrender. Otherwise, you should give us some rewards as an appeasement!"

"Instead of just taking our weapons and warhorses that we depend on for survival, I see that Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty has no sincerity whatsoever. Do you believe I will kill you as a sacrifice to the flag?"

The envoy, however, remained remarkably calm.

“You can choose to kill me, but can you bear the consequences? His Highness the Crown Prince said when I arrived that if I suffer even the slightest loss, he would slaughter all the Mongols in this encirclement, leaving not a single prisoner!”

"I will spare no one from the grassland herders who have any connection with you. I am willing to take so many of you on this journey. If you want to kill, then go ahead and do it!"

(End of this chapter)