gnovel Chapter 15: The Northern Attack on Dadu !
Chapter 15: The Northern Attack on Dadu !
Zhu Mu observed Beiping, the former capital of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Ming flag had been raised, traces of war still remained in the city, and a tense and ominous atmosphere permeated the air.
Inside the Marshal's Mansion, a military conference was held overnight.
Chang Yuchun pointed to the huge sand table, his expression becoming extremely serious:
"Kokötemur (Wang Baobao)'s 50,000 cavalry were mainly stationed in Yuan Shangdu (Kaiping), while the vanguard roamed around Quanning and Daxing, constantly harassing our army's supply lines, intending to trap our army in Beiping."
"This man is extremely cunning. In a head-on battle, he never confronts our army directly, but instead uses the mobility of his cavalry to wear us down."
Li Wenzhong pondered for a moment and said:
"The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; the enemy moves while we remain still. Prolonged defense will inevitably lead to defeat. General Chang, do you intend to launch a preemptive strike?"
"Exactly!"
Chang Yuchun slammed his fist on the sand table.
"We must drag this wolf king out of his lair and decide the outcome in one battle! Our army currently has 10,000 elite cavalry and 80,000 infantry. My idea is to advance steadily with the main force of infantry to lure Wang Baobao's main force into a decisive battle."
Zhu Mu had been listening quietly. At this moment, he stepped forward, his sharp gaze landing on a point on the sand table:
"If our main force moves north, Wang Baobao will inevitably use his cavalry advantage to avoid our main force and instead attack our flanks and rear. At that time, our 80,000 infantrymen will be put on the defensive."
He raised his head, meeting Chang Yuchun's scrutinizing gaze, and said, word by word:
"Instead of letting him choose the battlefield, we'll choose his final resting place for him!"
He pointed to the location of Shangyuan Shangdu on the sand table, his voice suddenly rising:
"Wang Baobao's foundation and lifeline lie in Shangdu! I propose that General Chang and I personally lead ten thousand elite cavalry, abandoning all baggage and traveling light, to emulate Huo Qubing's sealing of the wolf's lair, a thousand-mile raid, straight to his heart!"
"Once Shangdu is in dire straits, Wang Baobao will be unable to attend to both ends and will inevitably return to reinforce it. At that time, General Li will lead his main force of 80,000 infantrymen to ambush them halfway, and the battle can be won in one fell swoop!"
These words shocked everyone in the tent!
That's too risky!
Ten thousand cavalrymen ventured deep into the grasslands alone; once discovered, they would be engulfed in a vast sea of Mongol cavalry!
Li Wenzhong frowned and was the first to express his opposition:
"No! Your Highness, this plan is far too dangerous! What if..."
Chang Yuchun stared intently at Zhu Mu, his tiger-like eyes not only showing no opposition but also radiating a fierce light as if they had met their match.
He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into wild laughter:
"Alright! You've got guts! You're ruthless! We'll go crazy with you! This battle is on!"
Ultimately, with Chang Yuchun's strong support and Zhu Mu's insistence, this bold battle plan was finalized.
In June of the second year of the Hongwu reign, the morning air on the grassland still carried a hint of coolness.
Ten thousand Ming cavalrymen moved silently across the vast grasslands like a black tide.
They bypassed all the Yuan army scouts and headed north along the most concealed Xiliao River Valley.
The leaders were Chang Yuchun and King Zhu Mu of Chu.
After more than ten days of rapid march, on June 17th, this Ming cavalry force, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, finally broke out of the Xiliao River Valley, and the majestic city of Shangdu, the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, appeared prominently on the horizon!
On the banks of the Lightning River outside the city, the Mongols were leisurely grazing their livestock, never dreaming that the Ming army would descend from the sky.
"Soldiers!"
Zhu Mu drew his spear, its tip pointing directly at the capital city, his voice booming like thunder from the heavens.
"Follow me, let's crush the Yuan capital and achieve great deeds!"
"kill!"
Chang Yuchun's battle cry was simple and direct, filled with boundless fighting spirit.
Ten thousand Ming cavalrymen roared in unison and launched a charge.
The sound of hooves converged into an unstoppable torrent, stirring up clouds of dust, like a giant dragon emerging from the abyss, launching a fierce attack on the unsuspecting heart of the Northern Yuan!
On the banks of the Lightning River, bloodshed is about to erupt!
……
The wind on the grassland carries the smell of blood.
The Yuan army defending Shangdu was completely stunned.
They simply couldn't imagine that the main force of the Ming army should be tied down by Wang Baobao's main force in the south.
Where did this cavalry force that suddenly appeared out of nowhere come from?
In the chaos, Duke Chang Yuchun of E State took the lead, his long spear like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, causing men and horses to fall wherever he went.
He was like a red-hot iron cone, plunging fiercely into the loose formation of the Yuan army. His pure courage and fearless charge tore open a huge gap.
However, the Yuan army were, after all, seasoned Mongol cavalry. After a brief period of panic, they quickly rallied under the leadership of their respective centurions and chiliarchs, attempting to launch a counterattack and use their superior archery skills to entangle the Ming army.
At that very moment, Zhu Mu's orders spread throughout the entire army like flowing water:
"The First and Second Cavalry Commanders, following the Duke of E, will break through the enemy lines and expand their gains! Their target is the central command tent!"
"The third and fourth cavalry units will flank the enemy from both sides, suppressing them with repeating crossbows, avoiding close combat, and dividing the enemy's flanks to prevent them from encircling them!"
"The Fifth Cavalry Command, as a reserve force, will control the rear of the battlefield and cut off the enemy's retreat back into the city!"
Unlike Chang Yuchun, Zhu Mu did not rush to the front line. Instead, he reined in his horse and stood on a high slope, calmly observing the entire battlefield.
Under his command, the Ming army was no longer a group of individual warriors, but a highly efficient war machine.
The cavalry units on both flanks, like open iron pincers, continuously drove away and compressed the Yuan army's operational space with a dense rain of arrows, preventing them from utilizing their mobility advantage.
The Yuan army's central force, disrupted by Chang Yuchun's actions, became completely bogged down in a quagmire of fighting independently.
"kill!"
Zhu Mu seized the opportunity and personally led his personal guard battalion, like a black lightning bolt, precisely cutting into the weakest link in the Yuan army's command system.
His Overlord Spear drew a deadly arc, and a Yuan general who was trying to gather his remaining troops was killed by him with a single spear thrust!
With the commander-in-chief killed in action, the command system is completely paralyzed!
The Yuan army's resistance crumbled instantly, turning into a complete rout.
The soldiers cried out, abandoned their armor and weapons, and fled for their lives.
The Ming army pressed their advantage, fighting fiercely until the sky darkened and rivers of blood flowed.
As the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the waters of the Lightning River red, outside the Yuan capital, not a single enemy remained standing.
All the imperial family members, civil and military officials left behind by the Northern Yuan were captured, and the treasury was piled up with money and grain.
A textbook example of a long-distance raid and a surprise attack that blossomed from the center ended in a complete victory for the Ming army!
……
The post-war capital city of Shangdu was filled with the fervor of victory.
The soldiers cheered as they stormed into the luxurious steppe capital, their eyes gleaming with greed for wealth and spoils.
According to the conventions of war, after a city is captured, soldiers have the right to loot, which is the most direct way to boost morale.
A flag officer kicked open the gate of a noble mansion, grinning maliciously as he was about to rush in, when a cold arrow "whooshed" and embedded itself in the ground half an inch in front of his feet, its fletching still trembling.
He turned around in alarm and saw King Zhu Mu of Chu slowly approaching on horseback, his face ashen.