HLnovel Chapter 38 Hetao Region
Chapter 38 Hetao Region
Full Four: ...
Ah! No!? Am I really that unworthy of your help?
What's the point of fighting? Wouldn't it be better to just lie down and admit defeat?
Putting aside that kid Yang Huli, those refugees all came to me to survive. Now, with this kind of behavior, it's obvious that following me will lead to defeat. What's the point of fighting? Everyone's about to run away!
Xiang Zhong agreed, saying, "Yes, yes, yes! Surrender! It'll save General Mao from being sacrificed. What difference does it make where you live? Stubborn resistance means certain defeat! Choose!"
The refugees exchanged glances, reached a consensus, and immediately surrendered, fleeing out of the stone city.
Lin Ke: "Next, let's talk about the Battle of Hongyanchi and the Battle of Weininghai during the Chenghua period."
"Emperor Chenghua, Zhu Jianru, possessed a rare and admirable quality: when the actions of his frontline generals drew criticism, he chose to trust them. Unlike some emperors who, though far away in the palace, interfered with the frontline affairs, causing a promising situation to be lost in a single day."
宋朝
Zhao Guangyi noticed that Lin Ke seemed to be staring at him as he spoke, and his scalp tingled instantly. Seriously? Even if I'm not as good as my brother, I'm not that stupid!
Who cares! Zhao Guangyi was optimistic and glad that he had hidden himself with his mother early on, so his brother couldn't do anything to him!
"After Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) ascended the throne, he moved the border garrisons, including Dongshengwei, into the interior. This was mainly because of the shortage of food and supplies, the high cost of stationing troops, and the fact that the Hetao region was uninhabited. Zhu Di also drove the Mongols far to the northern desert, so whether Dongshengwei existed or not did not have much impact."
"However, even the most valiant and skilled emperors eventually grow old. After losing Zhu Di's deterrent power, the Hetao region was directly exposed to the Mongols, and from then on, Mongol herders began to graze their livestock in the fertile Hetao region."
"When Zhu Jianru ascended the throne, the situation had already spiraled out of control. The Mongols used the Hetao region as their base and frequently harassed the border people. They took advantage of the Ming army's weak points and launched blitzkrieg attacks. The Ming army was scattered and had no time to defend itself, so it quickly lost a large number of personnel and supplies."
In the third year of the Chenghua reign, Zhu Jianru dispatched Zhu Yongshi to search the Hetao region, which meant taking the initiative to penetrate deep into the heart of the Hetao region and sweep away the strongholds of the Mongols.
"However, the Mongols kept moving around in the Hetao region, and the Ming army was fooled by them. The results were minimal. In the following years, there were constant civil unrest and battles, and the search operation in Hetao came to nothing."
"Until the eighth year of the Chenghua reign, Zhu Jianru sent Zhao Fu and Wang Yue to the Northwest to carry out a search operation."
"Zhao Fu and Wang Yue both believed that 150,000 men were needed to advance in separate routes, but at this time they only had 80,000 troops at their disposal. What was worse, they did not have many troops skilled in combat, so they chose to remain still."
"This angered the ministers in the court, who believed that they were taking a salary but not doing their job. Zhu Jianru chose to believe the two men and ignored the impeachment memorials. To be fair, Zhu Jianru did a better job in this regard."
The minister, who was burning the midnight oil writing a memorial: ...
"In the ninth year of Chenghua, the Mongols were plundering in Shuangshanbao, Gaojiabao and other places when they were intercepted by Zhou Yu. Wang Yue ordered him to lead cavalry to cut off their retreat, while Wang Yue led his army to provide support."
"Under the attack from both sides, the Mongol army charged more than fifty times but was repelled each time. While a small group of Mongols were sent to raid the Ming army, Wang Yue had already sent men ahead to wait for the Mongols to fall into the trap. Soon the Mongol army suffered a great defeat."
"In September six months later, Mandulu invaded the Guyuan area. Wang Yue immediately led his troops to its aid. When he arrived at Boluobao, he suddenly realized that the soldiers who had gone through so much hardship to reach Guyuan must be very tired, which would be detrimental to the battlefield situation. Just then, he received news that the Mongols' stronghold was near Hongyanchi, where there were the old, weak, sick, and disabled and supplies. This was an excellent opportunity."
"But is that really the case? Wang Yue was not very convinced of the news about this Mongol stronghold, but it would be a pity to let it go. So after careful consideration, he led more than 4600 cavalrymen straight to Hongyanchi, while the rest of the troops continued to support Guyuan."
"After reaching the destination, Wang Yue sent a small team to secretly go behind the Mongols, while he continued to lead the army forward."
"When the Ming army was about 20 miles away from the Red Salt Lake, the Mongols were awakened and hurriedly gathered their forces to fight. Under the attack from the front by Wang Yue and the flank by Zhou Yu and others, the Mongols resisted stubbornly and showed no signs of defeat. It was not until the Ming army squads attacked from the rear that their morale was greatly reduced and the whole army was defeated."
"Wang Yue and his men dared not linger and immediately rushed to Guyuan. However, the Mongol cavalry was formidable and they only managed to win after a prolonged siege. The Mongol army could only leave behind what they had plundered and hastily retreated."
"When Mandulu returned to Hongyanchi, he found that his home had been robbed and his camp had been completely destroyed. For a long time, he dared not enter the Hetao region again, and the Hetao region gained temporary peace."
"If we could restore Dongshengwei now and send troops to garrison it, we might be able to recover the Hetao region. But the reality is harsh. The weak finances and insufficient food supplies in the Northwest region cannot support such a plan."