Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 847 It’s hard to calm down

Capital.

Inside the palace.

Zhu Youcheng finally received the memorial sent to him by Wang Yue after he crossed the Yellow River. It detailed his marching and battle plans, including the desired results. He emphasized that he wanted to lure the main force of the Tatars to the Yinshan line and then annihilate them all.

"Sigh, he was too presumptuous."

After putting down the memorial, Zhu Youcheng said quietly.

Standing to the side, Qin Chang said, "According to Wang Yue, the Tatars will take their livestock south to spend the winter. At that time, a large number of tribes will live on the southern slope of Yinshan Mountain, which will be an opportunity to capture them all at once."

Zhu Youcheng shook his head and said, "With so many heavy firearms, the marching speed is not fast to begin with. If the Tatars insist on not fighting him, what can he do?"

Qin Chang tentatively asked, "What if he stationed troops at a strategic pass on the grasslands and built a fortified city on the spot..."

"How many people would we need to send?"

Zhu Youcheng stood up and said, "Let alone hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, even millions of taels of silver probably wouldn't be enough to fill such a huge hole! If we want to pacify the grasslands, Yanling's suggestion is still the best!"

At this point, Zhu Youcheng suddenly fell silent.

Qin Chang really wanted to ask, what exactly was the strategy for pacifying the grasslands that Zhang Xiaoguo's uncle gave, that you've been keeping it a secret all this time?

Zhang Xiaoguo's brother-in-law didn't bring many people to Datong at the moment. Could it be that he has outside help?

Or perhaps you intend to appoint Zhang Yanling directly as the governor of Datong and mobilize Datong troops to go north to participate in the war?
Qin Chang cautiously said, "No matter what, pacifying the grasslands is not something that can be accomplished in one or two years. It will take years and months. If we have to send troops to conquer, the best thing would be... all the armies from all over the nine border regions march north together, keeping the Tatars busy. As long as we push the defense line to the Yin Mountains in one go, block all the gaps, and then build the Great Wall to connect all the places, we may be able to restore the glory of the Han Dynasty, and the capital will be safe and sound!"

"Such a commotion is too great; let's wait and see how things develop."

Zhu Youcheng did not seem to be in a hurry.

And he seemed quite confident.

……

……

A secluded courtyard outside the city.

Zhang Luan was waiting for news on the second floor of the back building... He asked Qi Niang to wait outside. After a long while, Qi Niang came up and said with a smile, "Master, the person has been delivered."

"come yet?"

Zhang Luan excitedly went downstairs, out of the courtyard gate, and stood under the eaves looking around at the streets on both sides.

Several carriages drove up from the alley entrance and stopped outside the back gate. Pang Qing jumped down from the carriage of the lead one, saw Zhang Luan, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

Zhang Luan asked, "Is everyone here?"

Pang Qing said, "Yes. As mentioned before, they were all brought from the mansions of various princes, dukes, marquises, and earls, as well as from the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles in Jiangnan."

"Hey, where did I say that?" Zhang Luan said shamelessly, his face stern and righteous. "I thought Minister Li had returned to the capital."

Pang Qing wore a helpless smile, as if he were forcing a smile, or perhaps he was saying, "The transfer order was only issued a few days ago. Even if he flew, my Daoist master couldn't possibly fly to the capital today, could he?"

"Come on, Lao Pang, let's go inside and have a seat."

Zhang Luan was in high spirits and greeted everyone with a smile.

Pang Qing hurriedly said, "I still need to prepare to welcome the Daoist back to the capital and make some preliminary preparations for his appointment in Datong. I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer, Mr. Zhang."

"That's it..."

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "You know me, we're familiar with each other, there's no need to be too formal. You go ahead and do your thing. As for me... hehe."

Lady Qi asked, "Then, sir, shall we bring everyone in and settle them in properly?"

"well."

Zhang Luan's old face was beaming with joy.

From each of the four or five carriages, three or four slender women disembarked.

Zhang Luan pointed and asked, "Why are all your faces covered with veils?"

Qi Niang smiled and said, "People from wealthy families are all thin-skinned. Once inside, the master can see you privately and look at you however he wants. Do you think he can't see clearly?"

"Too."

Zhang Luan said with a smile, "Bingkun, then I won't see you off."

"I'll take my leave."

Pang Bing, being quite sensible, bowed deeply and then quickly left with his groom and attendants.

Meanwhile, Qi Niang called over the maids and servants in the courtyard to come and welcome the newly arrived women through the back door.

Zhang Luan was rubbing his hands excitedly, acting like a complete novice.

No sooner had he entered the courtyard than Qi Niang brought him news: "Master, the Second Young Master has sent a letter... It was delivered by someone from the manor, who said he wanted to personally deliver it to you so that you could review it as soon as possible and reply promptly."

"Ah... my son's letter has come at a very inopportune time!"

Zhang Luan seemed very disappointed.

He had done a favor for someone and received positive feedback, and was just about to enjoy it when his son in Datong wrote to him.

Qi Niang asked, "Then...why don't we send them away first?"

"How can that be? If my son's important matter is delayed, it could harm the Ming Dynasty's politics... I cannot let personal matters interfere with public duty!" Zhang Luan said seriously at first, then leaned closer and whispered, "Have you checked? They're all from wealthy families?"

"Indeed."

With a charming smile, Qi Niang replied, "They are all talented and beautiful, well-educated and reasonable. In the past, you wouldn't find them in the brothel. They would probably have been intercepted long ago and sent to some powerful family."

Zhang Luan laughed and said, "Hehe, this is still better... What's the use of just having a status? Ordinary actors may have good looks, but they are too superficial. It's best to have both talent and beauty, and also a high social standing."

"Here's what we'll do: bring the messenger over. I'll read the letter in person and see how to reply. Tonight... you'll be in charge of the arrangements. I trust you completely."

Lady Qi said, "Master, rest assured, this time there will definitely be no one to harm you. These women are all strictly disciplined, unlike that wild girl who harms others and herself."

"understand."

When Zhang Luan smiled, he revealed two rows of large, yellow teeth with black spots, making him look extremely sleazy.

……

……

An endless grassland.

North of the Yin Mountains, they had entered the Mongolian Plateau. As the sun rose at dawn, the soldiers, who had marched all night, saw a glimmer of light amidst the dark clouds on the horizon, but could not immediately emerge completely from the cold gloom.

Wang Shouren was riding a horse.

Although this was his first time actually leading troops, and he was only the nominal commander of this group, with Zhu Hui in charge of the actual command, Wang Shouren, as a young hero with great courage, displayed a spirit that was unmatched by the other soldiers around him.

"Brother Wang, did you see that? It really looks like a Tartar tribe over there... Oh my, so many women and children, and livestock all over the hillsides?!"

At this moment, Zhu Hui was also riding on horseback, looking into the distance with binoculars, just like Wang Shouren. After a day and a night of rain and snow, the grassland was covered with withered yellow grass with a color that was almost like endless yellow sand. Coupled with the thick fog floating in the air, it gave people a very unreal feeling.

Wang Shouren seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and said in a trembling voice, "We finally caught up!"

Wang Yue only gave him four days. By this time, they had been chasing for two days and two nights. If they couldn't catch up, they would have no choice but to retreat south.

After all, Wang Shouren was well aware of the consequences of venturing deep into enemy territory without supplies.

However, Wang Shouren himself preferred adventurous tactics, just as he liked to lead his troops to attack the Ning Prince's stronghold, Nanchang, during the Ning Prince's rebellion in history. At this time, he had already begun to possess superb military talent, which was also related to the inspiration he received from the famous Battle of Weininghai fought by Wang Yue in history.

Find wealth in danger!
When Wang Shouren faced Wang Yue, the contemporary general he admired most, he deeply realized the secret to this military genius's success on the grasslands: long-distance raids combined with surprise attacks. Right now, he had successfully imitated the tactics of the Battle of Weininghai and achieved remarkable results.

In such a battle, he did not need to confront the main force of the Tatars. He only needed to catch up with the Tatar tribe's herders, launch a surprise attack, wait for the Tatar army to return to reinforce, and then seize the opportunity to intercept and kill them.

"To expel the Tartars, the best approach is to eliminate them completely."

Wang Shouren spoke loudly to the generals around him.

In military affairs, Wang Shouren was adventurous and possessed strong decisiveness and courage.

In governing the people, he preferred to impose collective punishment and to adopt a high-pressure rule over foreign ethnic groups... This was also his only method when he later quelled local rebellions in southern Jiangxi and other places.

Zhu Hui said, "Judging from the looks of it, there are quite a few Tartar herdsmen. If we just charge in like this, it will be difficult for us to hold our ground!"

Although Zhu Hui followed his father in his campaigns, he suddenly found himself at a loss for how to fight when faced with so many Tatar troops.

The herders could slaughter directly, without even needing to capture prisoners, leaving no survivors...

However, the problem is that there are also grudges between the various Mongolian tribes, and they are very wary. When these herders went north, the number of men and soldiers who could fight regularly left in their tribes was at least 10,000.

Of course not more...

After all, on the grasslands, fiefdoms were usually granted in units of "ten thousand households," and the Tumed tribe itself was just a collection of small tribes, roughly the size of ten thousand households. If we calculate that each herder household could produce an average of three able-bodied men, the Tumed tribe could at most assemble a force of thirty thousand men...

In reality, it's impossible to gather that many.

If the regular combat force had more than 10,000 men, that would be considered good. Excluding the 5,000 to 6,000 regular troops who were used to lure and distract the enemy, the Tumed tribe had at most about 10,000 armed forces with them when they migrated.

Although this group was not elite, as a nomadic people, archery and horsemanship were the most basic survival skills for the men, so they also possessed considerable fighting power.

Wang Yue only managed to allocate a little over two thousand elite troops for the two of them. Although two more reinforcements were sent later, they have not yet caught up with them...

Because Wang Shouren had been leading his troops on a whirlwind journey for the past two days and nights, with less than three hours of rest in between.

"How about... we rest for a bit before going up?"

Zhu Hui, as the highest-ranking military officer in this group, offered suggestions to Wang Shouren.

Zhu Hui originally had the authority to issue orders directly.

After all, Wang Shouren didn't hold any official position; all his authority came from Wang Yue's appointment. So even if he secretly killed Wang Shouren and buried him on the grassland or left his body to rot in the wilderness, no one would care about this scholar who had left the pass without permission.

Regardless, Wang Shouren was sent by Commander Wang Yue, and the various methods he had employed to drive his troops forward with such fervor over the past two days, combined with his keen judgment and persistence, had finally yielded results in their frantic pursuit. They successfully caught up with the Tatar tribe... This made Zhu Hui involuntarily feel respect for him.

It's that simple. If you, Wang Shouren, only know how to talk big, or if you rely on your father Wang Hua's status as a Hanlin scholar to gain Wang Yue's favor, others won't take you seriously.

If you want to gain a foothold in the army and earn respect, you don't necessarily need to be a great warrior. As long as you make your brothers feel that you are better than others and that we have hope in following you, then even if you are just an ordinary soldier, we will still respect you.

Besides, it was the same Trilateral Governor who sent you to lead the troops in pursuit of the Tatars.
Wang Shouren said, "Opportunity knocks but once. If we don't launch a surprise attack now, will we have another chance in the future? Reorganize all our troops into formations as I previously suggested."

"Reorganize the formation? Oh right, right."

Zhu Hui then remembered that Wang Shouren had made arrangements long ago.

A qualified commander must prepare various contingency plans before encountering the enemy. Although Zhu Hui and other generals thought Wang Shouren's actions were absurd at the time, they now realize the benefits of such advance planning.

Zhu Hui said, "Pass down the order: musketeer cavalry in front, artillery behind... repeatedly charge the enemy lines, but do not linger! Charge in waves..."

Wang Shouren's principle for troop formation was to have lancers equipped with firearms in front and artillerymen behind.

Although Wang Yue did not allocate many heavy weapons to Wang Shouren, some of the breech-loading cannons were still carried by horses and advanced with the troops... After all, as a traditional mother-and-child cannon, the breech-loading cannon's main barrel and the cannon loaded with fireballs could be transported separately, and each warhorse's load was not heavy. It was not too late to temporarily assemble them for combat after they were transported to their destination.

Although the mother-and-child cannon sacrifices firing range due to its lack of airtightness, it has the advantage of being able to quickly change the "magazine" of the smaller cannon and transport them separately, which is very effective for the Ming army to conquer the grasslands.

As a type of shotgun, the breech-loading cannon was very effective in suppressing Tatar cavalry in mid-range combat.

The special type of breech-loading cannon produced by the military factory founded by Zhang Yanling weighed only about 100 jin (50 kg) for the main cannon, which could be carried by a single horse. With other horses carrying smaller cannons, this allowed for the maximum possible delivery of heavy weapons to the battlefield via rapid marches.

Zhu Hui's artillery force numbered approximately five hundred men... This force was mainly transferred from Datong Town and had not been familiar with this new type of artillery for long.

Wang Shouren then prepared to personally lead his newly trained cavalry, equipped with modern firearms, to storm the Tatar camp.

Seeing that Wang Shouren was ready to charge, Zhu Hui quickly said, "Brother Wang, it's too dangerous ahead. You're not from a military background, and your horsemanship may not be excellent. How about this, you stay behind and command the battle, while I lead the troops forward? What do you think?"

Wang Shouren said, "If a commander cannot advance and retreat with his soldiers, how can he expect them to fight to the death?"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hui immediately felt that the guy next to him was too reckless.

A commander-in-chief leading by example can boost morale and inspire soldiers to charge forward with enthusiasm, but the problem is...

If you die, won't the soldiers lose their leader?
The team is destined for a crushing defeat!
However, Zhu Hui currently has no alternative plan.

He and Wang Shouren had to have one of them lead the charge. He thought about it carefully. In fact, Wang Shouren had taught his soldiers a good lesson these past few days, but Wang Shouren was only a nominal commander, assisting him in leading the troops. Even if he really died in the charge, it wouldn't have such a big impact on the overall situation.

Perhaps the soldiers' fighting spirit would be ignited by Wang Shouren's death, and they would fight the Tatars to the death.

Thinking about it this way, perhaps Wang Shouren's life was more useful in death than in life.

"Follow my orders."

Wang Shouren had already established himself as the true commander-in-chief, giving Zhu Hui no chance to continue arguing. "Raise the drums and raise the flags, and fight without ceasing. Attack the Tatar camp in waves! Do not linger in battle; after each attack, retreat to lure the Tatar cavalry into a counterattack, and then kill them with a hail of bullets!"

"Order!"

Zhu Hui didn't respond, but the group of lower-ranking officers around him, upon hearing that Wang Shouren, this scholar, was going to charge with them, were all as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, their faces flushed as they prepared to fight to the death.

Zhu Hui cursed inwardly.

You bunch of bastards, when fighting against the main force of the Tatars, I never saw you so enthusiastic. Now that you know that most of the enemy are untrained herdsmen, mostly the elderly, women and children, and that we can go up and plunder first, this is your reaction.

It seems that when it comes to fighting, you have to pick on the weak!
(End of this chapter)