Chapter 553 Escape

The grandson of the emperor, Hari Sultan, as the vanguard commander of this expeditionary army, rode his sacred horse, his bloody horse, and stared at the strange fortress of Hamiwei in front of him with burning eyes.

This fortress, no, it should be the entire fortress group in the northwest corridor, was carefully designed by Jiang Xinghuo and the master craftsmen from the Ministry of Works, and then fine-tuned based on the local terrain and other conditions during the specific construction process.

The strange fortress in front of him was different from any castle that Harry Sultan had ever seen before. It was different from the towering curtain walls of the Georgians and Armenians with round or triangular denticles, and it was different from the cylindrical fortress that the Ottoman Turks learned from Byzantium. The marble fortress dominated by towers is also different. This fortress is made of a strange kind of soil. It has sharp edges and corners, like a huge and abrupt rock rising up from the Gobi. The walls of the fortress are densely covered with perforations, like a Only cold eyes stared at the enemy outside.

It was this irregular prismatic fortress, like a dehydrated starfish, that had tortured his army for more than twenty days.

The army led by Harry Sultan has been besieging the fortress continuously for so long, but the fortress still stands. The huge rocks smashed by their trebuchets hit the walls of the fortress heavily, leaving only shallow traces. , the arrows shot by the archers could not penetrate into the wall of the fortress. At best, the iron arrow clusters came out with a spark.

Although Harry Sultan's face did not change much, his heart was full of anxiety and helplessness. He knew that this fortress was a stumbling block for them. If they did not capture it, they would not be able to continue their expedition. He hoped Looking at the fortress, his eyes flashed with anger and unwillingness.

But after looking at the map in his hand, he saw that after defeating Hami Guard, there were more than ten fortresses waiting for him such as Shazhou Guard, Suzhou Guard, Shangan Guard, Yongchang Guard, Xining Guard, Liangzhou Guard, etc.

When thinking of this, Harry Sultan inevitably felt a little depressed.

The collapse of an adult often happens in an instant. Harry Sultan resisted the urge to chop his lieutenant in order to vent his anger, and continued to direct the siege. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, staring closely at the towering bastion in front of him. .

The sunset was like blood, reflecting Harry Sultan's troops. His personal guards had not yet moved. These heavily armored warriors riding on majestic horses looked like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, with the desire to conquer shining in their eyes.

But it's not time for them to take the field yet, they must first find out the weak points of the bastion.

The walls of the bastion are not very tall, but they are extremely strong. They stand like an insurmountable barrier between heaven and earth. On the walls, the Ming army is waiting in full formation. Their eyes are firm and determined, as if they are ready to die with the enemy. .

After the troops in front had basically suffered all casualties, as Harry Sultan gave an order, the drums of the attack sounded loudly, and thousands of soldiers poured into the fortress like a tide. Their footsteps were heavy and powerful, shaking the earth. Trembling, the arrows from Timur's army fell from the sky like locusts, and the dense arrows drew arcs of death in the air.

Harry Sultan's troops violently attacked the bastion wall like a violent storm. The auxiliary soldiers first climbed up the gentle slope formed by sandbags and dead bodies, and then continued to throw down the sandbags they were holding to build up the siege position. , if they are not killed, they can return to their starting line and continue to get new sandbags to repeat the work.

Compared with the large amounts of sand that can be obtained in the Gobi Desert not far away, human life is much more precious on this cruel battlefield.

At the same time, the ladder truck was also set up, and sword and shield bearers holding round cowhide shields full of prairie style swarmed into the city. However, no matter how they waved their weapons and how loud they shouted, their figures were still invisible in the sunset. He looked so brave in the afterglow.

But the walls of the bastion were like an unshakable mountain, still standing despite the violent storms.

The battle entered a white-hot stage, and soldiers on both sides fell into a frenzied fight. Blood stained the city walls, flowing down the walls of the bastion and soaking the ground, and the smell of death filled the air.

Harry Sultan always kept his eyes fixed on the walls of the bastion. He knew that only by breaking through this line of defense could he achieve the final victory.

However, relying solely on a ladder truck is obviously not enough.

Now Harry Sultan can only hope to fill the front lines in front of the bastion directly with sandbags and human lives, and to use up all the shells of the Ming army's artillery.

However, the Ming army defending the bastion showed amazing tenacity and courage. They built an impenetrable line of defense, allowing Harry Sultan's troops to return without success again and again.

Night was about to fall, and the battle still showed no sign of ending, but Harry Sultan's siege troops were already exhausted.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, Harry Sultan ordered the withdrawal of the troops. Except for the cavalry that cruised outside the bastion to prevent the Ming army from descending from the city and destroyed the gentle slope of the sandbags below, the rest all withdrew to the camp.

He rode his war horse and slowly left the fortress that left him helpless. His back looked so lonely and helpless under the glow of the sunset, which left only a ray of red.

He looked at the gray concrete fragments dug out by his men, and laughed at himself that they had not gained anything today, because through the cover of the siege vehicle, they had already excavated the steel bars at the front of the bastion.

Unfortunately, facing these hard steels, even the sharpest Damascus scimitar is helpless. Even a sledgehammer cannot bend it much if it is buried in concrete.

These bastions in front of them have become a nightmare for most of the soldiers in Harry Sultan's army.

To the north of Hamiwei are two mountains. There are rivers and lakes in the middle of the mountains. Hamiwei itself is also built on an important road with an independent water source. It can be said that one man can block it and no one can break it. The natural terrain conditions are extremely superior.

The Hami Guard is difficult to attack, but Harry Sultan will definitely not be able to lead his troops around it because it is an important road. If he bypasses it, what will happen to the supply troops behind him? Without a large number of troops to escort them, the Ming army could attack accurately.

And he bypassed the Hami Guards. There were so many guards in the northwest corridor, could he bypass them all? How can we supply supplies if we go all around? There was no airdrop at this time, so the only thing to eat was to drink local specialties. Northwest Fengding was hungry.

In addition to these immediate problems, there was another important issue that bothered him.

Harry Sultan was sitting in the tent, the lights flickering, making his shadow long and cast on the rough curtain, like a trapped animal struggling.

He looked at the letter in his hand, his eyes deep and heavy, as if carrying endless worries.

Because what was written in this letter was like a huge stone pressing on his heart, making him almost breathless - Grandpa Timur was sweating profusely and was ill.

This news is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for Harry Sultan.

Timur Khan was his spiritual support and the soul of the entire expeditionary army. Now, the Great Khan's physical condition is worrying. This is not only a personal blow to Harry, but also a blow to the entire army.

This expedition was promoted by Timur on his own, and if the news that the Great Khan was ill got out, then the forward army would definitely have no intention of attacking the city.

Harry Sultan felt powerless. He seemed to see his grandfather in the distance. His heart was full of guilt and self-blame. As a grandson, he failed to fulfill his filial piety by the Khan's side. As a forward, he failed to capture the fortress in front of him. Open the way for the army.

At this time, Black Pearl, a tribute from the Mamluk Dynasty, opened the curtain of his tent and looked at him worriedly: "Your Highness, are you okay?"

Harry Sultan lost his past gentleness towards her, and subconsciously covered the secret message with his hand, then frowned and said impatiently: "You go out first, I want to be alone."

Black Pearl was very obedient, put down the food on the tray and walked out quietly.

He closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists, as if looking for some strength.

Harry Sultan sat in the quiet tent, his heart filled with worries that could not be calmed down. His thoughts were wandering between two fears: First, he was worried that if his grandfather's condition could not improve, what would happen to his brother Khalil? While he was fighting on the front line, he secretly plotted to seize the position of Great Khan; secondly, he was worried that if his grandfather's condition improved and he saw that the attack on Hamiwei was making no progress, he would be blamed for his inability to attack the city, and he would be dismissed from the vanguard in anger. position.

Harry Sultan closed his eyes, and Khalil's cunning face and his grandfather's stern eyes appeared in his mind. These two images were intertwined, making his heart even heavier. He knew that no matter which situation happened, it would be difficult for him. It's a huge blow.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down his emotions. In fact, Harry Sultan knew very well that the most important thing now was to stay calm and not be swayed by these worries. Soon he began to think about countermeasures and how to survive in this political and military conflict. Preserve yourself in a double crisis.

Harry Sultan had 35,000 vanguard troops in his hands, plus the servant troops from Beslopali and nearby Mongolian, Uighur and other tribes, there were nearly 50,000 people. Although the Hami Guards fought for more than 20 days, However, because he deliberately forced his servants and auxiliary troops to attack the city, and because Hamiwei's bastion could not deploy too many troops, the elites of the Timur Khanate under his command did not suffer much loss, and the most elite cavalry troops among them were not lost. Almost unscathed.

Therefore, no matter what the situation was, Harry Sultan was confident that he would have no problem protecting himself. The worst outcomes were two. If his grandfather passed away, he would rebel, or if his grandfather did not die, he would be dismissed from his post and go back to wait for new assignments.

In this case, the most important thing now is to strengthen the connection with the rear and ensure that he can be ready as soon as possible. The main force of the expedition has just set off from the Syr Darya River, which is still two thousand miles away from him. Even if the news is received immediately, it will be ten days later.

But no matter what, he had to grasp the condition of the Great Khan and the dynamics within the Chinese Army. Harry Sultan decided to send his most trusted messenger to return to the Chinese Army with his handwritten letter to convey his intentions to his confidants in the Chinese Army. and worries, allowing them to pay close attention to changes in the situation.

At the same time, Harry Sultan must also make a difference on the front line, so that if his grandfather's condition improves, he can have an explanation. He thought about it and decided to convene the generals to continue discussing and formulating an siege strategy and adopt a more flexible attack. method in order to break through this stubborn fortress as soon as possible.

When Harry Sultan opened his eyes again, his eyes had become firm and bright. He stood up and walked out of the tent. The stars in the night sky outside seemed to be pointing the direction for him.

——————

"Five stars went wrong, it was a bloody disaster."

Fu An looked at the sky with some worry. Because the mission journey was long, stars were often needed to help calibrate the approximate position, so Fu An also learned some astrology, but the recent astrology was not a good sign.

As a special envoy of the Ming Dynasty, Fu An was detained in the Tamerlane Khanate for many years. Every day he seemed to be wandering alone in the darkness, longing for the moment when he could see the light of day again.

But today, Fu An waited for a turning point.

Timur's illness became more and more serious, and his high fever never went away. Prairie witch doctors, Western European bloodletters, and Egyptian priests tried all they could think of, but it still didn't work.

The grandson of the emperor, Khalil, appeared in front of Fu An's cell, asked his personal guards to help him disguise himself as a Mongolian, and then was bundled up and escaped from the camp.

If Timur's condition improves, Khalil can also explain all this as Fu An himself taking advantage of the chaos to escape.

When night fell and the Timur Khanate's expeditionary army camp fell into a dead silence, Fu An's heart was full of excitement and expectation.

Under the leadership of Khalil's personal guards, he quietly left the camp, bypassed many checkpoints with his false identity token, and ran towards the east, which is the direction of Ming Dynasty.

Fu An's heartbeat was as fast and powerful as a drum, and every beat seemed to express his inner ecstasy and expectation.

He hid his old official robe in his baggage and tied it to his belly with a rope. He did not dare to slack off at all and rode his horse closely to follow the Khalil guards.

From Timur's expeditionary army to Shazhou Guard, a distance of 2,500 miles, Fu An traveled day and night for almost a month. Fu An arrived at Shazhou Guard at the same time as Harry Sultan The dispatched messenger arrived at the Chinese army at about the same time.

"who?"

The frontier generals of the Ming army asked loudly, while Khalil's personal guards closely protected Fu An, the swords and guns in their hands flashing with cold light.

Fu An replied loudly: "I am Fu An, who is in charge of etiquette. In the 28th year of Hongwu's reign, I went to Timur Khan as an envoy and have been detained ever since!"

The night wind at the border was biting, carrying the desolation and chill of the Gobi. Fu An stood in front of the fortress of the Ming Dynasty and put on his worn but cleanly starched and mended official robe. His official robe rustled in the wind, but He couldn't hide the determination and eagerness in his eyes.

"Fu An?"

The generals of the Ming army maintained a high degree of vigilance and only allowed Fu An to come up on a basket to avoid being deceived. After all, the vanguard army of the Timur Khanate had been attacking Hami Guard for so long. Who knows whether it would be because he could not defeat Hami Guard. , turned to Shazhou Guard to deceive their trust, and then fraudulently opened the city gate.

This general knew very well that their guard fortresses in the northwest corridor were all pawns used to consume the vigor of Timur's expeditionary army. The mobile troops led by Song Sheng that could fight in the field would not be easily mobilized, and he also I am afraid that even if it is not a deception, this may be a strategy of the Timur Khanate. The purpose is to lure the snake out of its hole and lure out the Ming army's few mobile troops in Gansu Town and annihilate them. In this way, without the deterrence of mobile troops, Timur Khan Even if the country's forward army cannot attack the bastion, it can still act as it pleases.

Fu An took a deep breath and said to the stern-looking frontier general: "I have confidential information and must report it to Song Sheng, the Marquis of Xining in person."

The border army general looked at Fu An, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes. He clearly saw the strangely dressed and dusty people under the city, and he was inevitably a little doubtful.

After all, at this sensitive moment, any negligence may lead to irreparable consequences.

He asked in a deep voice: "What evidence do you have to prove your identity and what you said?"

Fu An was prepared. He took out his voucher from his arms and handed it to the border army general.

The general of the border army took the voucher, looked at it carefully for a moment, and then looked up at Fu An's calm expression. The doubts in his heart were slightly relieved, but he knew very well that this matter was of great importance and could not be easily settled simply by relying on the voucher. Judge.

"What's going on with these aliens?"

"They escorted me to escape. There are noble people in the Timur Khanate who want to use me to tell something to the Marquis of Xining."

The border army general waved his hand and ordered his subordinates to temporarily place Fu An and his party in the military camp and keep them under strict guard. At the same time, he sent someone to notify Song Sheng, the chief military officer of Gansu Province. Song Sheng must personally confirm the identity of the special envoy and what he was carrying. Only by checking whether the information is true can we make the next decision.

Fu An was led into a simple barracks in Shazhou Guard. Although the environment was difficult, his heart was full of hope. He had taken the first step to return to the Ming Dynasty. As long as he could see Song Sheng, the Marquis of Xining, He will have the opportunity to submit the confidential information and contribute his own strength to this national war that is related to the safety of the Ming Dynasty.

Soon, Fu An was taken alone to see Song Sheng.

After going through many hardships and dangers, the moment he finally saw Song Sheng in Suzhou Guard, Fu An's mood was like a turbulent river and it was difficult to calm down. Looking at the majestic and calm general in front of him, an indescribable feeling surged in his heart. of excitement and emotion.

Song Sheng was from Fengyang, a fellow villager of Zhu Yuanzhang, and a very upright Huaixi nobleman. He defected to the Red Scarf Army with his father and brother in his early years, participated in the anti-Yuan uprising, and achieved the rank of Marshal Tianningyi, Chief Military Officer, etc., and established the Ming Dynasty. Later, he successively served as General Wude, General Huaiyuan, and General Longhu, and moved to Fujian, Jiangxi, Datong, Shaanxi and other places. However, none of these places could retain him. The one with whom he has the deepest bond is Gansu.

Song Sheng began to leave Gansu in the twelfth year of Hongwu to resist the invasion of Beiyuan and Beishibali. He also accompanied General Lan Yu on an expedition to Handong, spreading the Ming Dynasty's military prestige to the Western Regions.

In the 29th year of Hongwu, he briefly went south to quell the Miao rebellion in Guangxi. In the 31st year of Hongwu, he followed Yan King Zhu Di on one trip to the fortress. The relationship between the two parties was quite good. After Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen came to the throne, it was probably Zhu Yunwen. He dared to use him to lead troops to defeat Zhu Di, so he was sent to Gansu.

After the Battle of Jingnan, Song Sheng went to the imperial court and was appointed the Left Governor of the Rear Army Governor's Mansion by Zhu Di. He immediately returned to Gansu as General Pingqiang and was given the title of Pushing Cheng to assist in transporting Xuan Zhong to serve as a military minister, and was granted the title of Marquis of Xining. The two daughters were married to Song Sheng's two sons, and the favor was evident.

Song Sheng did not live up to Zhu Di's trust. After learning that Timur's expeditionary army was very likely to attack the Ming Dynasty, he worked diligently in the past two years to build fortifications, hoard supplies, and train the army, allocating the few resources in Gansu Town. In an orderly manner, each guard was asked to perform his or her duties, and each guard was painstakingly done with ideological work, telling them that they must firmly defend their city and fortress. As long as they firmly defended and weakened the spirit of Timur's expeditionary force and depleted supplies, the emperor would They will bring the Ming Dynasty's main field troops to relieve the siege. When the center blooms, there will definitely be a way to defeat the Timur Khanate.

Song Sheng had a resolute face and deep eyes. He stared at Fu An closely, as if he could see through all disguises. He exuded an aura of calmness and authority, which made Fu An involuntarily feel awe.

But at the same time, he also keenly saw a hint of gentleness and concern in Song Sheng's eyes, which made him feel more cordial and comforted.

"Fu Du is in trouble, I remember you."

Song Sheng, who was already a veteran general in Cangtou, said: "In February of the 26th year of Hongwu, the Shaanxi Xingdu Commandery Department and the Judgment Department were set up to handle Gansu military affairs. In August, Emperor Taizu Gao ordered I, the governor of the Right Army Dudu Mansion, acted as the director of the Shaanxi Procuratorate, and it was not until the 29th year of Hongwu that I went south to Guangxi to work with Han Guan to quell the Miao rebellion. In the 28th year of Hongwu, when you went out to the fortress, I served as You had a banquet to celebrate your trip, and I used to laugh at you that you were a stranger from Yangguan in the west, but I didn't expect that your words turned out to be true. It's my fault."

Song Sheng still remembers himself!

What the other party said next moved Fu An even more.

"As the commander-in-chief of Gansu Town, I welcome my return to Su Wu."

Fu An felt that his years of hard work and efforts had finally paid off at this moment.

Not only did he successfully escape from the captivity of the Timur Khanate, but he also brought important information back to the Ming Dynasty and contributed to the safety of the Ming Dynasty. This sense of accomplishment and pride made him feel particularly happy and peaceful. Invigorate.

However, unlike Fu An, when Song Sheng saw Fu An, his mood was also complicated and deep.

First of all, he felt an unspeakable surprise. As the commander-in-chief of Gansu Province and the general of Pingqiang, he actually vaguely learned through various news channels that Fu An, as the Ming Dynasty's special envoy, had been detained by the Timur Khanate for many years. He sent people to inquire about Fu An several times, but failed to obtain accurate information. Therefore, when Fu An suddenly appeared in front of him, he was very surprised and happy.

Secondly, Song Sheng was full of expectations for Fu An's return. Song Sheng knew very well that Fu An had been detained in the Timur Khanate for so many years and must have a lot of important intelligence and information that Ming Dynasty did not know and could not obtain. , this intelligence and information is of extremely high value to Ming Dynasty's current decision-making, and may even affect the entire strategy, so Song Sheng can't wait to learn this information from Fu An.

However, while looking forward to it, Song Sheng also felt a hint of vigilance mixed with worry.

A general like Song Sheng is cautious no matter what he does, and will instinctively question any information before believing it.

Song Sheng knew that Fu An must have experienced countless hardships and difficulties before he could successfully escape from the Timur Khanate and return to the Ming Dynasty. However, this also meant that during the long period of imprisonment, Fu An was also likely to be captured by Timur. The Khanate had instigated rebellion. If Fu An had been instigated, then it would be quite tricky for him to return to the Ming Dynasty at this time.

Is there really such a coincidence in this world?

Therefore, Song Sheng must handle the intelligence brought back by Fu An carefully to avoid unnecessary losses to Ming's overall strategy.

Fu An stood in front of Song Sheng. Although he was excited, his tone was extremely calm. He knew that every word he was going to say was crucial.

He took a deep breath, and then highlighted the cause and effect to Song Sheng.

"General Song, this information is of great significance to the safety of the Ming Dynasty. Please pay attention to it. If possible, send someone to report it to the court with me."

Fu An's words were concise and powerful, and every word revealed his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and his persistence in his mission.

After Song Sheng listened to Fu An's report, a solemn expression appeared on his face. His eyes looked back and forth at Fu An, as if he was re-examining this tortured Ming envoy.

After a while, Song Sheng spoke slowly, his voice low and powerful: "Fu Du has worked hard all the way, and the information you brought back is extremely valuable."

Song Sheng's words were full of admiration for Fu An. He knew that Fu An was able to stick to his mission in a foreign country and was not affected by the coercion, inducement and various tortures of the Timur Khanate, and finally returned to the Ming Dynasty after going through all kinds of hardships. , which requires great courage and perseverance.

If the information Fu An brought back was true, it would be of great strategic significance to the Ming Dynasty.

He stood up, walked to Fu An, patted him on the shoulder, and continued: "Fu Du is in trouble. The information you brought back about Timur's expedition plan is extremely important to the Ming Dynasty. I also To tell you the truth, His Majesty attaches great importance to this matter and has personally led hundreds of thousands of troops back from the north and stationed them in Guanzhong to deal with the war threat from the Timur Khanate."

In fact, after Zhu Di ended the Northern Expedition, he had already concentrated his main force on Tongguan at the junction of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan. This was the geographical center of the Ming Dynasty, whether it was to deal with the Timur Khanate's expedition or other Whatever the situation, it's appropriate.

At the same time, food from Sichuan, Hubei and other places has also been transported to ensure wartime supplies.

"The situation is urgent now and may change at any moment. I will send someone to escort you to Xi'an immediately, personally report your intelligence to His Majesty, and report in detail everything you learned in the Timur Khanate."

Song Sheng's words were full of trust in Fu An. As someone who had directly traveled to the Timur Khanate, the intelligence and insights he had were of irreplaceable value to the Ming Dynasty, so he hoped that Fu An would be able to help Fu An as soon as possible. Present this valuable information to Zhu Di to provide strong support for Ming Dynasty's strategic decision-making.

But Song Sheng did not have any reservations. After letting Fu An rest for a while, he wrote a secret letter. In the secret letter, Song Sheng stated his concerns and sent his soldiers to rush forward to deliver the secret letter to the emperor.

While Fu An continued to rush to Xi'an, Harry Sultan also received news from the Chinese army.

——Timur Khan has recovered from his fever, and the army has successfully set off. It is still 1,500 miles away from the Hami Guard. He is very angry that Harry Sultan failed to besiege the Hami Guard, and ordered that before the army arrives, it must do so at all costs. Take the strange fortress of Hamiwei.