Chapter 369 368 Anyin Castle

"Quick, speed up."

A dark-skinned general wearing a mountain armor stood on the side of the road, loudly urging the Ming cavalry who were constantly advancing in front of him. In the cavalry, there were many cattle and horses loaded with goods, driving the Ming cavalry to move forward quickly.

They were the Yu Dayou troops of the Datong Army who burned down Bansheng City two days ago. After moving all the valuable items in the palace, they burned the palace built by Qiu Fu and others for Altan Khan.

Then, Yu Dayou and his men began to flee.

Before attacking Bansheng City, of course, sentinels should be deployed around the city to intercept the messengers sent out from the city to deliver messages.

However, the dozens of knights taken away by Zhao Quan could not be stopped by these sentinels, and although several batches of messengers sent to Xuanfu were intercepted, they could not guarantee that there were any fish that slipped through the net.

After receiving the accurate news, Yu Dayou's first move was to retreat at full speed and return to the border wall of Datong, where he would be safe.

It took Yu Dayou's troops only four days to come, but they slowed down on the return journey because they carried a large amount of spoils. If they continued to advance like this, Yu Dayou was not sure whether they would be intercepted by the reinforcements of Altan Khan's army in Xuanfu.

Although Yu Dayou estimated in his previous calculations that even if Altan Khan got the news, it would take several days to gather the scattered troops, which was enough for them to return to Datong.

But Yu Dayou was also clear that if Altan Khan did not draw troops from various troops to intercept, but directly sent troops from the Royal Court Guard, there would be time to stop them outside the Great Wall.

Yu Dayou naturally would not tell Li Wenjin and Liu Han about this, as it might make them give up their decision to go on the expedition.

And the reactions of the two were a bit beyond Yu Dayou's expectations.

As a civil servant, it is normal for Li Wenjin to not understand many things. Even though he has been transferred to Datong for quite a while, it is normal for him to be unfamiliar with the organizational structure of the Mongolians. However, as the general commander, Liu Han would know this.

When Yu Dayou deliberately concealed the truth, when he mentioned that Altan Khan's troops were mobilized to intercept, Liu Han did not seem to think that Altan Khan could also draw guards from his side to intercept.

After that, Yu Dayou was a little suspicious. As the general commander of Datong, Liu Han should not be so stupid. But since he did not speak out, he must have his intention, but he did not know the purpose.

However, for such things, it is nothing more than interests.

In Yu Dayou's guess, perhaps supporting the sneak attack on Bansheng City outside the border may be a great opportunity for Liu Han.

Liu Han has been in Datong for 20 years. He has risen from the position of Commander to the position of Deputy Commander. If he has not made great achievements, he should have stopped here. If he wants to be promoted from the second rank to the first rank, it is absolutely impossible without great military achievements.

Yes, Yu Dayou guessed that Liu Han has been the Deputy Commander for many years, and now he is probably looking at the position of Deputy Commander.

As for the higher-level left and right commanders, Liu Han himself probably doesn't dare to think about it.

The leap from the second rank to the first rank seems simple but is actually very difficult.

As for the actual position, well, in fact, the Datong General is now the top among the military generals. There is no room for promotion. At most, he will be transferred to Jizhen to help the emperor guard the door.

As for returning to the capital and returning to the Five Military Commander's Office to serve, normal people would not be willing to go there. Going to a government office where power is almost hollowed out is only suitable for nobles to live a lazy life.

Datong had been attacked by Altan Khan several times, but those were minor attacks. Altan Khan's several major attacks were obviously aimed at Xuanfu and Jizhen, after all, they were closer to the capital and had a greater impact on the court.

Perhaps, in Liu Han's view, if the sneak attack on Bansheng City was successful, his official position should be promoted to another level.

Yu Dayou thought so, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious when he saw the team slowly advancing in front of him.

The three thousand horses he brought out are now divided into three groups, namely the thousand cavalry led by Lieutenant General Malu and the thousand cavalry led by Guerrilla Xu Qin. These two cavalry teams are used by Yu Dayou to intercept the pursuers of Altan Khan's tribe, and the remaining thousand people drive the stolen cattle and sheep and the spoils.

As for why Yu Dayou didn't let the soldiers give up these captured and run desperately towards Datong, he could give orders, but he couldn't guarantee whether his men would obey his orders.

This expedition to Bansheng City will indeed be rewarded after returning, but how much of the reward will fall on the heads of the people below?

For these three thousand soldiers, if they had to give up the spoils they had fought for with their lives, could they come up with something to exchange for them?

Yu Dayou could not guarantee that he would not encounter any accidents on the battlefield after issuing the order, just by saying that there would be rewards when they returned to the interior.

Seeing the fiery eyes of these soldiers when they saw the rich spoils, he, who was born a soldier, knew that such an order could not be issued.

People die for money, and birds die for food. This is not an empty statement.

As a general for many years, Yu Dayou naturally knew that it was really hard to make money as a soldier these days, and it was good enough to barely make a living.

Only when encountering such a war would they expect rewards from the court, but they didn't know when it would be approved and transported, and countless hands would reach out to take out the money in the middle of the journey.

For the soldiers, the rewards were too illusory, so they paid more attention to the wealth in front of them.

Officials could take more, but they couldn't lose their share.

Benefits were the main reason why these people were willing to risk their lives.

For generals, future and money are indispensable. For soldiers, what kind of future they want is nothing more than soldiers. They only want one thing, and that is money.

Although he was worried, Yu Dayou could only do this and retreat with the stolen property, even if he took risks.

"General, the Gray River is ahead. Our sentinels have joined General Liu's men, and the pontoon bridge has been set up."

At this time, a war horse ran from the front, and he immediately reported to Yu Dayou.

"Okay, notify the ministries to speed up the crossing of the river."

Yu Dayou ordered loudly, and then urged his horse to run forward.

For the Ming army who had experienced a victory on the floating bridge, they not only wanted the things on the cattle and horses, but also wanted to save their lives. Yu Dayou was worried that there would be crowding when crossing the river, which would affect the army's ability to cross the river.

He had to rush to the pontoon first and frighten these soldiers.

The results of this battle in Bansheng City were actually great. Not only did Bansheng City be completely destroyed, but the defenders in the city were almost wiped out.

But one thing is that the harvest is really miserable.

Most of the people were burned to death in private houses. Without heads, the court would not acknowledge the crime, and no decent prisoners were captured.

Eighty-three heads were captured and 67 people were captured alive. The White Lotus Sect bandit leaders Li Zixin and Zhao Quan were lucky to save their lives. Li Zixin's mother Hu and his brother Li Ziquan were captured alive by the Ming army. Another brother Li Zixian was beheaded and captured the Mongols. Hundreds of cattle and horses, as well as a large number of ordnance.

This is what Yu Dayou's ministry can now hand over to the court, the harvest of this battle.

Thinking of this, Yu Dayou felt regretful. It would be great if he could catch Li Zixin. This battle out of the fortress would be a perfect ending.

You know, Li Zixin is also a figure in the Ming court, and his value is not small.

It was a pity in his heart, but the progress was not slow. Soon he arrived at the Hui River and met up with Liu Han, the chief military officer of Datong by the river.

Liu Han had already learned the result of the battle from Yu Dayou's sentinels. The fire in Bansheng City should still be burning. Only a few people in the city escaped and most of them were wiped out.

For such a result, Liu Han was already overjoyed at this time.

With this result, this risky move will not be in vain. At least there will be sufficient reasons to respond to possible cross-examinations from the Xuanfu and the capital.

Seeing Yu Dayou and the team of captured cattle and horses approaching from a distance behind him, my mood became even more wonderful.

"Dayou, you fought well in this battle. You should be the first to report it to the court when you go back."

The first thing Liu Han said after seeing Yu Dayou was to hold Yu Dayou up high. However, according to the rules of the court, even if his and Li Wenjin's contributions were not included in the merit book, the court would not forget them.

"It's all under the command of Mr. Liu and Governor Ma. The little credit of the last general is not worth mentioning. I'm here to protect you, General."

During the greetings with Liu Han, Yu Dayou told him about the captures in this battle. Liu Han couldn't help but feel a little regretful knowing that he failed to capture those people named by the court, but it was still a great victory.

Destroying Bansheng City and burning Anda Khan's palace were the greatest achievements of this battle.

In the following days, Yu Dayou's 3,000 men and horses met with the 2,000 cavalry led by Liu Han. Now that he had 4,000 combat troops, Yu Dayou became more courageous and no longer worried about the journey back to Datong.

Finally, on the third day after the meeting with Liu Han, the army approached Heihe. There was an infantry army of 3,000 horses led by Li Wenjin to meet them. After the meeting, all the troops of the Ming army gathered here, with an army of 8,000 on the side. It was finally It's safe.

"Keep the formation. Those at the back will listen to the commander's command. Those who disobey will be pulled out and whipped."

At this time, Yu Dayou and Liu Han had arrived at Heihe. Liu Han crossed the river first to meet with Li Wenjin, the governor of Datong, and reported on the results of the attack on Bansheng City. Yu Dayou stayed on the other side of the Heihe River and arranged for the entire army to cross the river.

Just like crossing the Gray River before, the soldiers naturally scrambled to cross the river as soon as possible.

After all, every step forward means that you are one step closer to Datong, and your wealth and life are safer.

More than a dozen expedition horses were reported every day, and no Anda Khan's troops were found chasing or intercepting them. However, Yu Dayou still did not dare to neglect at all, and insisted on spreading a large number of expedition horses to explore everywhere.

The first priority to cross the river is still the transportation brigade under the escort of the Thousand Cavalry. On the other side of the river, the four Thousand Cavalry detachments are standing ready and ready to cross the river at any time.

After the transport team completely crossed the river, the four thousand-horse brigade began to cross the river in order. Yu Dayou stood by the river and watched, but no one dared to make any mistakes. They all crossed the river in line with the formation, and the speed was not slow.

After waiting for three thousand people, Yu Dayou led his own soldiers to cross the river. After that, the thousands of cavalry in the rear crossed the river in turn, and finally destroyed the pontoon bridge to prevent it from being used by An Da troops.

After meeting with Li Wenjin and Liu Han, the eight thousand Ming army continued to withdraw southward.

When they first left the fortress, they took the right guard of Datong to kill Fort Hu, and the return trip was no exception, because this was the closest place to them.

Now that Li Wen's infantry from Jinbiao Camp have joined, the march has slowed down slightly. According to the current situation, it will take at least three days to reach Fort Killing Hu.

It only takes three days to enter the Great Wall, and it will be safe by then.

The three thousand cavalry who followed Yu Dayou on his expedition to Bansheng City were already outnumbered. They were no better than the troops led by Liu Han and Li Wenjin. They could still rest in Heihe and Huihe. If they were not within the Mongolian sphere of influence, they could go out into the field. There is no difference when traveling.

But by this time, it seemed that the Ming army's good luck had run out.

After the Ming army crossed the Black River, they saw scouts in the distance rushing back and rushing straight towards Yu Dayou who was hiding in the army.

It was not that Yu Dayou had some magical power to guide the scouts, but the three big flags were too eye-catching.

Soon, the scouts got off their horses when they were about ten steps ahead, and then ran to the three people and half-knelt and clasped their fists to report: "Report to the adults, more than 10,000 Tartar cavalry appeared in the direction of Liangcheng and are killing here. It is less than two days away from here."

Finally, they appeared.

Yu Dayou knew the approximate location of the Tartar cavalry, but a stone fell from his heart. The unknown is the most frightening.

"Altan Khan is really amazing. He actually chased here directly from Xuanfu."

Liu Han, who was extremely familiar with the terrain of the border town, spoke at this time, but his face was solemn when he spoke.

"There are still two days to go. Do we have to fight the Tartars here?"

Li Wenjin was not like an ordinary person who panicked when hearing that the Tartar army was coming. After all, he had been in Datong for many years and had long gone through the time when he was nervous when hearing the news of the Tartars sending troops.

"I can't hide. This is the closest way back to the wall."

Liu Han shook his head gently.

"Then how to fight will be decided by General Liu and Dayou. My standard camp can be deployed as much as you want."

Li Wenjin was very single. He did not fight for the command of the war at this moment, but let the two veterans in the army prepare.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty suppressed the military with culture. Even if he did not command this battle, in the end, whether it was Liu Han or Yu Dayou, they would report to the superiors that it was this battle that he commanded, otherwise the two would have no future, so he had no idea of ​​competing.

As long as he won, it would be fine. Besides, he was still outside the wall. If he did not win this battle, he might have to flee back in embarrassment. This was also unacceptable to Li Wenjin, the governor of Datong.

Moreover, they just won a battle, but they still had the advantage of sneak attack. If they could repel them head-on or defeat the Altan tribe, the merit of this attack outside the Great Wall would be even greater.

Liu Han and Yu Dayou had no intention of greeting each other at this time. They clasped their fists towards Li Wenjin and then went to one side. Liu Han asked someone to take out the map here and began to study tactics with Yu Dayou.

There was still a day's journey, and they could not delay it. They had to hurry on the road, but where to go?

You know, this place must be the battlefield they preset, and it was also the most advantageous place for them.

Soon, Liu Han and Yu Dayou came to Li Wenjin and began to report the plan for this battle to him.

"Lord Li can take his entourage first and go directly to Shahu Fort to summon the border troops to come to support. We will rush to Anyin Fort at noon tomorrow. Although it has been abandoned for a long time, I saw that the fort wall was still there when I came here. With this fort as a support, the more than 10,000 Tartars on the opposite side may not have no chance of winning."

Liu Han said.