Chapter 553 552 Stacking Formation

Author: Visitor from Parallel Space

Chapter 553 552 Stacking Formation

It has been two days since the news of the beacon fire came from the direction of Changping. During these two days, the atmosphere in the capital became tense again.

Although unlike the last time Huang Taiji entered Kou Miyun, martial law was quickly implemented in the capital, but after all, the two warnings were so intensive that it is inevitable that people will be reminded of the scene more than a month ago.

The tension in the atmosphere seemed to have had some effect, that is, the officials' voices in support of the Shandong Governor's memorial became quieter, and everyone's focus has shifted to Xuanfu.

At this time, the news that Ma Fang led his troops to patrol the border also came from the Ministry of War.

Immediately, news quickly spread from the DPRK and China that Ma Fang's tribe was ambushed by Tatars outside the pass and the entire army was wiped out.

The emergence of this rumor undoubtedly once again aggravated the tense atmosphere in the capital.

Ma Fang's reputation in the capital at this time can be said to be very great. A month ago, during a battle, everyone in the capital knew Ma Fang's name.

Who can imagine how much of a psychological impact the news of his defeat and death in just over a month had on the people.

When the urgent report from the Xuanfu was sent to the Ministry of War, the Changping Fenghuo finally got clear news.

Two days ago, more than 20,000 captive cavalry broke through Dishui Cliff and entered the Xuan Mansion to plunder. The force was extremely fierce. Although the fortresses along the way had taken precautions, losses were inevitable due to the rapid advance of the captive cavalry.

The battle report was sent to the Ministry of War. In fact, when Yang Bo, the minister of the Ministry of War, took it to Xiyuan to meet the saint, the details of the battle report quickly spread in the capital.

"No, no, no, no."

At Prince Yu's Mansion, Wei Guangde frowned and read the battle report sent by the Xuan Mansion over and over again. In just one day, the Tatar army marched more than eighty miles south.

Except for the fact that the fortress near the border wall was strictly guarded in the past, the losses in this Tatar raid were relatively small. The further south, the heavier the losses were.

"The Tatars did not attack the fortress near the border wall, but only destroyed the Ming army outside the city and looted the people. The large group of troops continued to go south and did not even attack these places. It is really puzzling."

Wei Guangde expressed his doubts. No matter what, it was necessary to reserve an escape channel.

However, in this battle report, the Tatars moved south at an extremely fast speed, which seemed to predict that the Ming army would be unable to block their retreat.

"As mentioned yesterday, the rumor that Ma Fang's tribe may be defeated, do Shandai think it is credible?"

Zhang Juzheng asked again.

"If Ma Fang's tribe is defeated, it will be impossible not to mention it in the battle report."

Wei Guangde shook his head and replied, "Judging from the time, the Tatars arrived suddenly a few days after Ma Fang led his troops out of the border. The border officers and soldiers had Ma Fang's order in advance, so the military forts were not in trouble.

It's just that this time the Tatars' target is obviously not here, but to raid the hinterland of Xuanfu with all their strength. The news of Ma Fang sending troops must have been known to Anda Khan. They are now bullying Xuanfu because they don't have mobile troops, so they dare to do this.

They went south unscrupulously and looted."

Wei Guangde thought while talking, and gradually gave a satisfactory answer.

After saying this, Wei Guangde lowered his head and thought for a long time before saying with certainty, "If I hadn't guessed, Anda Khan may not have actually known about Ma Fang's intention to send troops. He just sent scouts to investigate the passes along the Xuanfu until he found Ma Fang.

They sent troops to raid the Xuan Mansion after hearing the news about Fang's troops."

"How can I see it?"

This time, it was King Yu who spoke. He was now more and more interested in the northern military.

"If it had been known in advance that Ma Fang led his troops into the grassland, Anda Khan would have concentrated his main force to ambush Ma Fang's tribe. The best strategy would be to eliminate them on the grassland and then send his troops south to attack Xuanfu.

After all, if the army crashes on the grassland, as long as the blockade is good, the defeated troops may not have a chance to return to the border wall. An attack at this time will still catch our army by surprise.

Only when the movements of Ma Fang's tribe are discovered temporarily, it will be too late to summon all parties.

You must know how big the grassland is, and the various Mongolian tribes are scattered all over the country. It takes two or three months to recruit cavalry from various tribes.

The more than 20,000 Tatars who entered the Xuanfu were probably the bodyguards around Anda Khan. They avoided Ma Fang's tribe and headed south to break into the Xuanfu.

I'm afraid that at this time, Ma Fang hasn't even arrived at Beishatan Beach yet, but she doesn't know that her old place has been taken away."

Wei Guangde closed his eyes, shook his head slightly and said.

At first, after discovering that Ma Fang had the idea of ​​raiding the grassland, he instinctively felt that something was wrong, but he did not expect that Anda Khan would do this. He avoided Ma Fang's soldiers and attacked Xuanfu.

Fortunately, although he didn't think of it, Zhang Juzheng did.

Unfortunately, the order issued by the Ministry of War to Dong Yikui may be difficult to implement.

Based on the current situation in Shanxi, Dong Yikui may not be able to summon thousands of cavalry in a short time, but his thinking is too simple.

Wei Guangde felt deeply regretful at this moment. When Zhang Juzheng proposed to supplement the Xuanfu's troops, he was not enthusiastic and only agreed perfunctorily.

Because in his opinion, Ma Fang's troops should not be defeated in the attack, and they would not be defeated all the way back to Xuan Mansion. They would also need to send troops from various places to rescue them.

It was only for insurance reasons that they approved the deployment of troops and horses from Shanxi Town to support the Xuanfu.

It can only be said that Wei Guangde's later impressions led him to make a mistake in judgment this time. He trusted Ma Fang too much and believed that with his talent he would not make any major mistakes.

"There's no rush. The Tatars will enter Xuanfu and wreak havoc for a few days before leaving. The troops in Shanxi Town should have completed their assembly and will soon go north under the leadership of Dong Yikui to drive back the Tatar invasion."

Zhang Juzheng consoled him, "But in this matter of describing the merits this time, I'm afraid Ma Fang's contribution will be lost. I just hope that the merits and demerits can be balanced."

"Ma Fang cannot be blamed for the disaster in Xuan Mansion."

Yin Shizhen said.

"Even if the punishment is imposed, it shouldn't be too severe. At most, it will be a downgrade."

Wei Guangde was not worried. At this time, among the generals in the northern border towns, there were many generals who could replace Ma Fang in guarding the Xuan Mansion, but those who dared to lead troops into the grassland for revenge were rare.

Based on this alone, Emperor Jiajing would not punish him.

"Actually, it's good to give him a punishment to prevent him from floating up on his own, and to let him know how powerful Anda Khan is. In the past, he had a great chance of winning against Anda Khan.

This time, I didn’t fight him at all. Avoiding the sharp edge and hitting him within seven inches can be regarded as a lesson.”

When Wei Guangde said this, his tone gradually became more relaxed.

"Wait for a while, as long as it is confirmed that the Tatars avoided Ma Fang's troops and carried out a sneak attack, it will at least prove that the soldiers trained by Ma Fang, the Tatars will not dare to block his attack head-on."

As soon as Wei Guangde said this, his words were interrupted by King Yu.

"Wait a minute, you mean, as long as Ma Fang is given men, horses, money and food supplies, he can train a cavalry that can sweep across the northern grasslands?"

After saying this, King Yu stared at Wei Guangde with bright eyes.

Wei Guangde felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by King Yu, so he did not dare to say this.

Anda Khan is a little afraid of Ma Fang. This is what he inferred from the unusual military operation of the Xuanfu. It will take time to verify.

However, King Yu’s question still needs to be answered.

Wei Guangde thought for a moment before replying: "Actually, compared with the Mongolian cavalry, our Ming cavalry is inferior to cavalry and archery, and is better at weapons. The two sides should have equal fighting strength."

There are many reasons for being passive everywhere before, but it is definitely not caused by the huge gap in combat power."

"What's the reason?"

King Yu was still curious and continued to ask.

"The military training camp where Ma Fang is training is very well provided with adequate food and salary. Although it is not sufficient, it is not far behind.

With a supply of food and wages, morale can be kept high. This is one of the reasons.

Ma Fang's military training was strictly in accordance with the Ming military drills. If he fished for three days and dried nets for two days like the Beijing camp, his combat effectiveness would never be guaranteed. This is the second reason.

As for the third one, the Ming army in the north was divided into nine towns. On weekdays, they fought independently, while the Luqi could attack in scattered pieces or summon a large army to attack.

Although our army is numerous, it is scattered on nine sides. Therefore, we often encounter situations where the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. It is normal to lose more than we win.

If morale is insufficient, training is insufficient, and troops are insufficient, it will be difficult to fight this battle."

While Wei Guangde was talking, King Yu, Yin Shizhen and others also nodded frequently.

Some of these things they knew, but some they had never thought of.

For example, King Yu had no idea how much food and salary Jiubian soldiers could get in a month and whether it would be enough to eat.

In his view, even if officials at all levels are corrupt, at least half of the military pay is for them.

As for the actual situation, Wei Guangde knew that Yin Shizhen and Zhang Juzheng could roughly guess it, but neither dared to say it explicitly.

There are too many yamen and officials who distribute money, and if you mention it, you will offend a large area, or even the entire northern official group.

To be honest, Wei Guangde's money for studying and taking the imperial examination was not clean. The Wei family also participated in the greedy distribution of military pay, but they were at the last level.

"In fact, in my opinion, the fundamental reason does not lie in this."

Just when King Yu and others were discouraged by Wei Guangde's remarks, Wei Guangde continued, "The biggest trouble for our Ming army against the Mongolian Tatars is actually that they have no fixed place to live.

Thinking about Taizu and Chengzu, our Ming Dynasty's military was so prosperous. We launched several massive Northern Expeditions and what was the final result.

The Tatars did not have a city or a place to defend, so they fought on the run, fighting when they could win, and running away if they couldn't. They were even chased by the army as far as Mobei.

Our officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have sophisticated equipment but can never find a chance to win. They can only waste the money of the state treasury. If things go on like this, they will eventually be unable to continue the pursuit.

Failure to seize the opportunity to hold a big battle is the biggest trouble."

"What Shandai said is reasonable. To deal with the Tatars, we can only wait for the opportunity and launch a thunderous strike."

Zhang Juzheng nodded in agreement.
To be continued...