Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 865 We Cannot Remain Outside the Battle
That evening, the grasslands southeast of Guanshan were calm and peaceful.

Wang Shouren did not stay in the camp to keep watch.

To ensure adequate rest, it was crucial to protect the soldiers from the wind. Therefore, the Ming army camps were not located on high ground. Furthermore, a water supply had to be guaranteed… After all, in the dead of winter, nothing was more important than a cup of hot water to maintain the soldiers' strength…

The entire army was stationed in a relatively low-lying river valley. The towering mountains four or five miles to the north blocked the howling north wind. In Wang Shouren's view, this was a necessary choice out of necessity.

However, this put the Ming army at a natural disadvantage in terms of terrain.

There is a serious question of whether the Ming army can withstand the Tatars' coordinated attacks, especially when they launch a surprise attack from high ground.

However, the Tatars, knowing the power of the Ming army's firearms, seemed to have no intention of engaging in a direct confrontation. Instead, they dispatched a large number of cavalry to patrol in the distance, constantly on guard against the reaction of Wang Shouren's troops.

Both sides are now playing their cards openly!

You know where my camp is, and I know where you're camping. We've set up our chariots and cannons; we're not even pretending anymore.

In short, we only have a small group of people. If you want to fight, we're ready to fight to the bitter end!
We're not leaving!
At least... let's figure out the situation first.

That night, Wang Shouren remained on the high slope to the east, using a telescope to observe the enemy's situation.

Although he had some guards protecting him, as the commander of an army, he was actually outside the protection of the main Ming army force. If the Tatars discovered his whereabouts, a single charge by their cavalry would be enough to capture him.

Zhu Hui really didn't want to associate with him, but at midnight he still led his men up the hillside and saw Wang Shouren standing guard there safely, and finally felt relieved.

He muttered under his breath, "Ugh, this guy, he doesn't value his life at all... If he dies here, people might think I did it..."

"Brother Wang..."

Zhu Hui greeted Wang Shouren from afar.

In the dead of night, the sound carried far. Wang Shouren frowned, glanced back, and saw Zhu Hui coming up wearing a sheepskin coat, looking quite strange.

Following Wang Shouren's gaze, Zhu Hui looked at himself and explained, "I learned this from the soldiers... It's said that dressing like this will make the Tartars mistake us for one of their own, creating a false impression and making it difficult for them to distinguish which side we belong to."

Wang Shouren was both amused and exasperated, and asked, "Is this considered self-deception?"

"Haha, Brother Wang, you're still too young and speak too bluntly. You don't know what it means to beat around the bush."

Zhu Hui smiled and said, "The night scouts have already gone to scout the camp ahead. The Tartars have indeed retreated. They have already retreated twenty or thirty miles. Our scouts can only go about fifteen or sixteen miles to the northeast before they can't go any further... The Tartars have deployed too many guards. There's no way to get around them."

Wang Shouren asked, "Have you sent anyone to Datong to report this?"

"This one……"

Zhu Hui said, “It’s a bit difficult. Heading south from here, you can see traces of the Tartars anytime and anywhere. It’s exactly the same as when we followed Wang Zhongcheng to fight north of Yinshan. It always feels like we’re surrounded by Tartars. It’s very different from when we were marching and there was no one around.

Wang Shouren nodded and said, "We are already operating in the heart of the Tartar territory. It would be abnormal if there were no Tartars around us."

“The Tatar forces that followed us before should have brought the news to the tribes here. They know our origins, as well as our strength and tactics.”

Zhu Hui asked, "Brother Wang, are you saying that the Tartars in front of us are not the same group as those we encountered north of Yinshan?"

"not sure."

Wang Shouren shook his head and said, "However, from my observation, their clothing and style of doing things are more like the Three Guards of Doyan... that is, the Uriyangkhai and other tribes of the eastern grasslands."

"Huh? Could it be that the Three Guards of Doyan have attacked Guanshan and are preparing to seize the Khan's throne?"

Zhu Hui asked.

"The possibility is extremely slim!"

Wang Shouren shook his head, frowning thoughtfully: "If the Three Guards of Doyan have to send troops here, it can only mean that the Tatars... are experiencing an unbearable war and need to be mobilized throughout the entire grassland. Regardless of whether there are old grudges between the tribes, they must put aside their prejudices and unite against the common enemy."

……

……

The Tatars' decision to retreat despite having the upper hand greatly boosted the morale of the Ming soldiers.

We only had two thousand men, but as soon as we arrived, we scared away the entire mountain range of Tartars on the other side.

Whatever their reason for fleeing, it shows they were afraid of us. We were so worried before, but now we know who the real ruler of this grassland is.

The next morning, Wang Shouren prepared to lead his troops in a pursuit of the retreating Tatars in the east.

This time, the soldiers' complaints almost all disappeared.

The main reason the soldiers wanted to return to the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible was that they were afraid of being surrounded and intercepted by the Tatars. They felt that they were marching in an extremely dangerous place and that they might perish at any time.

When faced with a formidable foe and discovering that the other party feared them like a tiger, their fear and worry vanished instantly. Once the desire to bully the weak arose, no one clamored to go back anymore.

"The military order has been issued from above."

Inside the camp, the Ming soldiers packed their bags and assembled their troops in an orderly manner. Officers of all ranks relayed Wang Shouren's orders from top to bottom: "Next, we're going to follow the Tartars all the way, tail them, and see what they're up to... Right now, the imperial troops that have launched an attack from Datong are probably fighting the Tartars. If we follow them, we'll get our share of the spoils, and we're guaranteed to make a killing!"

"We won't even be able to get a bowl of soup when we get there, will we?"

Someone laughed and joked.

"How is that possible? Think about it, who is it that can sweep across thousands of miles of grasslands, dominating the land and virtually invincible? We are the truly fearsome Iron Army. Go back and wait for promotions and titles!"

"Hey, it would be great to distribute women among them, what's the use of just giving someone an official position?"

"What do you know! If you have an official position, you'll have meat to eat and clothes to wear, and women will come crawling to you."

"Then let's have a whole litter of babies..."

"Haha."

A group of people were talking all at once, mostly veterans joining in the fun, expressing their longing for a better future.

Wang Shouren listened to their conversation from a short distance away without saying a word.

Before long, Zhu Hui had finished organizing his troops and came to report to Wang Shouren: "We can set off now."

"Next, we need to find the location where the Datong troops clashed with the Tartars... If I'm not mistaken, the battlefield should be between sixty and eighty li to the northeast."

When Wang Shouren made this judgment, his eyes gleamed.

Zhu Hui said, "Brother Wang... do you think we're prepared to fight the Tatars, or... are we just going to follow them?"

"Just follow them for now. Even if you want to fight the Tatars, they won't allow it."

Wang Shouren analyzed, "I have observed that yesterday's Tatar camp was a mix of several tribes living together, with close cooperation between them. From treating the wounded to patrol arrangements, there was no chaos at all... If it were really an internal conflict, it would be impossible for different tribes to work together so well."

Zhu Hui shook his head and smiled wryly, thinking to himself, "You can even see that?"
Wang Shouren said, "Observe the route carefully and send two more teams back to Datong to report the news."

Zhu Hui asked in bewilderment, "If it were truly the troops from Datong fighting the Tatars here, there would be no need for us to send someone back to inform them..."

"Shouldn't we report our situation to the authorities?"

Wang Shouren frowned and looked Zhu Hui up and down. "Ever since we split up with Wang Zhongcheng, we've been like kites with broken strings, losing contact with the rear."

"That's okay..."

Zhu Hui shrugged and said, "But if we split into two teams, our troops will be one less... Maybe it's better to lead the troops back to Datong."

……

……

The troops continued their advance northeastward from where the Tatars had retreated.

Because they were some distance apart, the scouts had difficulty getting a clear picture of what was happening ahead.

As the march reached noon, the Tatar cavalry, which had been moving in the distance, suddenly accelerated and left, taking advantage of their mobility. Wang Shouren was shocked to find that he could only watch them leave helplessly, unable to catch up at all.

"So many Tartars just vanished right under our noses, could they really fly away?"

Zhu Hui was very annoyed.

Wang Shouren ordered the entire army to rest on the spot. Then, he found a dry place and spread out the military map on the grass. It was the very map he had been longing to get from Zhu Hui. As he looked at it, he muttered to himself:
"The Tartars changed garrisons, and the retreating remnants of their army could no longer withstand a face-to-face battle... When the Tartars discovered our forces, they immediately and wisely split up their troops and retreated in different directions, making it difficult for us to catch up with them."

"What?"

Zhu Hui stared wide-eyed and asked, "Did the Tartars split up and escape?"

Wang Shouren shrugged and said, "Isn't this a normal thing? On the northern slopes of Yinshan Mountain, they also divided their forces and repeatedly tugged at our defenses."

"The situation is different. They've fled... Tens of thousands of soldiers were driven away by our two thousand men like cattle and sheep?"

Zhu Hui asked incredulously, "Could this be a trap?"

Wang Shouren looked around at the soldiers, and sure enough, many of them showed fear on their faces, and their confidence was clearly not as strong as before.

He gave Zhu Hui a reproachful look. Indeed, he was more trouble than he was worth; as the commander-in-chief, how could he be here predicting the future's decline? Sure enough, many of the Ming Dynasty's meritorious officials had such unworthy sons.

The man before him, Zhu Hui, was only forty years old, but his hair was already gray. He must have endured a lot of hardship in his early years, following his father through thick and thin. At this moment, Wang Shouren suddenly realized... Zhu Hui was no longer young, and he probably only wanted to inherit his father's title and live a comfortable life of idleness and complacency.

After looking at the map for a while, Wang Shouren put it away, stood up, and waved his hand: "We've rested enough, it's time for us to go."

Zhu Hui grabbed him and said urgently, "Then we need to discuss this. This time we're marching towards the Tatars... How long and how far should we go? If we don't encounter the Tatars while chasing them, should we just keep going like this? Should we set a deadline for the soldiers?"

"Let's do it before sunset tomorrow."

Wang Shouren glanced at the sky and said, "If we do not encounter any Tartars along the way, we will turn back to Datong from the southeast... cross the Weining Sea, arrive at Mao'erzhuang, and then retreat from Mao'erzhuang to the border of the Ming Dynasty."

"Okay, it's settled then, no backing out!"

Zhu Hui finally received a definite answer from Wang Shouren, and the expression on his face softened considerably.

……

……

It was another long march.

By nightfall, the soldiers had traveled nearly fifty li throughout the day, but still had not found any trace of the Ming army that Wang Shouren had described.

Dark clouds loom overhead, and another blizzard is likely imminent.

The temperature was very low, and the cold wind felt like knives cutting into your face.

Before they knew it, it was already dusk. The soldiers were too exhausted to march any further, and some of the livestock even collapsed from exhaustion.

"This won't do, we need to rest immediately, otherwise the team won't be able to hold on!"

In the cold wind, Zhu Hui's face was ashen white, and his tattered clothes fluttered in the north wind, making him look very forlorn.

The surrounding soldiers had already lit torches.

Wang Shouren made no attempt to hide his intentions and openly raised his banner.

That's right, it is I, Wang, who am leading troops here, and there are only two thousand men. You Tartars have already discovered us. If you are interested, then come and fight!
Wang Shouren said with a tense face, "The troops that attacked from Datong are likely fighting the Tartars, and they're fighting as they move. This means that we're moving, and they're moving too. If we don't march through the night to make up for the distance, we won't be able to reach Datong by nightfall tomorrow..."

The implication is that you've already made a deal with me: if you don't find the Tartars by sunset tomorrow, you'll definitely retreat.

Why are you still talking about resting now?
I wish we could march day and night without stopping.

Zhu Hui said with a bitter face, "Even if we find it, what good will it do? How can we be of any help?"

"We cannot stand idly by."

Wang Shouren said.

Zhu Hui understood immediately.

Wang Shouren didn't seem to think that his troops could be of much help, but he led his troops from the Hetao region northward to the Yinshan Mountains, and then from the Yinshan Mountains eastward to this place. If he didn't personally participate in this epic battle, wouldn't it be a waste of his hard work?
We must never be bystanders in history, but rather participants!
"Your perspective... is truly unique!"

Zhu Hui frowned and said, "Are all young scholars these days so arrogant?"

Despite grumbling a few times, he was quite sincere in his actions, and instead of wasting any more words, he took the initiative to help Wang Shouren explain to the soldiers.

……

……

The troops didn't rest until after midnight that night.

The next morning, instead of snowing, the sky cleared and the sun rose over the eastern mountains.

After a thorough and continuous search throughout the night, the night scout finally brought back good news.

Traces of the Tartars' activities have been rediscovered, and this time there's an even better discovery: the battlefield where the fighting took place, suggesting that the previous battle was quite large.

"Where?"

Wang Shouren asked excitedly.

"About ten miles to the north."

The scout answered nervously.

Wang Shouren hurriedly said, "Quickly organize the troops, let's go and check."

Zhu Hui scoffed, "The war is over, what can we do there? But it's strange, after the war, don't the Tartars know how to clean up the battlefield?"

Afterwards, the troops packed up their camp and continued their journey, dividing into two armies, the front and the rear. Wang Shouren and Zhu Hui were both in the front army, which consisted of less than six hundred men.

When they rushed to the battlefield, the smoke had already cleared, but traces of fire could still be seen everywhere.

There were no ruins or burned tents, but dead warhorses were scattered everywhere on the ground, and various flags lay haphazardly on the ground, but there were no Ming Dynasty flags, nor were there any Tatar corpses, but there were traces of buried hearths.

"It looks like it happened a few days ago."

Zhu Hui looked around and said, "It's very likely that it's really an internal conflict among the Tartars, because there's no sign of any Ming soldiers being present."

"what is this?"

Wang Shouren pointed to a strange mound on the ground and asked.

"this?"

Zhu Hui examined it carefully but couldn't see anything amiss.

Wang Shouren instructed: "Have someone put a honeycomb briquette inside."

"Um!?"

Zhu Hui found it strange, but immediately had someone put the honeycomb briquettes that the army had brought into it. They got stuck inside, and he couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" in surprise.

Not only was Zhu Hui surprised, but the soldiers around him also curiously gathered around.

Wang Shouren didn't explain much, and immediately said, "Search the surrounding area to see if there are any pits where the Tartars were buried!"

"Yes!"

The soldiers sprang into action.

They soon discovered signs of digging and called out, attracting Wang Shouren, Zhu Hui, and others to come over.

"This……"

Zhu Hui saw that in the half-covered mound of earth, there were Tatar remains and severed arms everywhere.

Wang Shouren said, "It's obvious that they were all hastily buried."

Zhu Hui asked, "So, after our Ming soldiers finished fighting, they were kind enough to bury the enemy's corpses?"

"Check if the corpse has a head. If the head is intact, check if it has ears," Wang Shouren continued, issuing orders.

The soldiers then dug open part of the pit and found the Tatar corpses inside.

"It hasn't rotted yet. It looks like it was just buried a few days ago. It's frozen because it's too cold."

Zhu Hui said, "Some have ears, some don't... It's strange, do the Tartars also use this as a military achievement? Why are all the ones who died Tartars?"

Wang Shouren asked, "If Ming soldiers die in battle, will their bodies be brought back so that their souls may return to their homeland?"

"This……"

Zhu Hui said, "Most likely they cremated the ashes and took the urn back with them."

Wang Shouren stepped forward, squatted down, examined the area carefully, and then said, "Come and take a look."

"What's so interesting about this?"

Zhu Hui clearly didn't want to face those corpses.

Although soldiers are used to seeing life and death, getting up close to corpses is not a fun thing.

Wang Shouren explained to himself, "These people were all killed by gunfire bullets that pierced through their bodies... others were killed by shrapnel from cannonballs, but not by arrows."

"is it?"

Zhu Hui then leaned over to take a closer look.

After he looked at it, he said with a surprised expression, "It really is... but why... is the way the Tartars died... somewhat different from the way we killed them?"

(End of this chapter)