One hundred li north of Desheng Fort,
the place where Xin Ai had been ambushed by the Ming army layers of snow had long since covered it, but stepping upon it now was still a heart-stopping experience.
Anda, clad in a heavy cloak, stood in the snow. Behind him was his royal tent, and on either side were the leaders of the twenty-eight tribes summoned for this occasion, along with Han Chinese strategists.
"Xin Ai, where did you go wrong that day? Do you understand now?"
Xin Ai, still harboring resentment over the defeat, replied, "Father Khan, my maneuver to the north that day was correct. The only mistake was not getting behind the Ming army..."
The generals nodded, and the leaders of the sixteen other tribes, excluding the Tumed twelve, praised him. Kudeng Khan of the Chahar tribe, Dalaisu, chuckled,
"Great Khan, Xin Ai didn't really suffer a defeat in this battle. After all, it was a Ming ambush. He inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and then made a steady retreat. It can't be called a mistake." kuAiδugg
Tulei of the Uriankhai tribe added, "Great Khan, I also believe that with unclear enemy intelligence, I should have been cautious. Retreating was not wrong."
Anda laughed heartily and said to the two men, "If it was wrong, it was wrong. We Tumed people do not deceive ourselves..."
As he laughed, his mind was clear.
Among the twenty-eight horse-herding tribes summoned this time, there were several who were hereditary enemies. It was only because the Tumed people were powerful at the moment that they ostensibly submitted. The Chahar people were a prime example. Dalaisu was not young and had always been exceptionally cunning. Such flattery was actually motivated by ulterior motives.
Both sides had been aware of this for years.
Dalaisu understood—
Anda had summoned twenty thousand Chahar troops this time. What good intentions could he have? It was nothing more than killing with a borrowed knife. In the midst of battle, he wanted the Ming army to kill them, preferably annihilating the Chahar elite. This way, Anda would have no worries from the east.
And Anda also knew clearly—
Dalaisu's willingness to serve in the Tumed Khan's tent usually was to preserve his strength. His willingness to provide twenty thousand men this time was merely to wait for his defeat. Then, he would seize the opportunity to retreat, raid Tumed River Basin, and re-establish the Chahar dominance. Otherwise, why would he have agreed so readily?
Before departing, the Han Chinese Xiao Qin had told him a story—
In the past, the Former Qin's Fu Jian was determined to march south. Loyal ministers all advised against it, but Murong Chui strongly encouraged it. Murong Chui encouraged it because he saw that Fu Jian was bound to be defeated, and he could use the momentum of the fleeing soldiers to return and seize Fu Jian's empire. Later, Fu Jian was indeed defeated, Murong Chui fled the battlefield, and with three divisions of Xianbei people, he took possession of Fu Jian's empire.
Every time he thought of this, Anda would find it amusing: in this battle, was he fighting enemies, or internal enemies? He wanted to weaken the Chahar people, while the Chahar people wanted to cause his defeat; Yan Song, on the other side, wanted to eliminate that young man, Zhu Mo; and Zhu Mo, in fact, wanted to eliminate Yan Song...
Hahaha,
Anda couldn't help but laugh loudly and said,
"Xin Ai, let me tell you, your direction of maneuver was wrong! You should not have turned north, but continued towards Desheng Fort. Only then could you have lured the Ming army into a death trap... This way, your results would have been even greater! Remember, whenever you encounter an ambush, you must go in the direction the enemy cares about most!"
These words convinced everyone.
Dalaisu pondered and then added,
"Great Khan, from your words, I have grasped a principle: what the enemy cares about most is their most fatal weakness. By extension, our lingering here and not attacking, does it imply that we are letting the Ming army believe they can still reclaim Desheng Fort, thereby luring the Ming army to a decisive battle? We then bypass them and head straight for Datong?"
Anda knew he wanted to probe his true intentions. He laughed heartily but remained silent.
He was quite hesitant—
I have been advancing slowly, giving Yan Song enough time, but why is there no news from him yet? Logically, a declaration of war should have been issued long ago, or at least a secret letter should have arrived... If Yan Song cannot handle it, and Zhu Mo gains control of the situation, he will likely take the initiative to attack... Then, they will most likely head straight for Desheng Fort... So, should I advance quickly, or slowly? And how can I make the Chahar people fight to the death with the Ming army, while also driving straight into Datong?
As he was thinking, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his back, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
One must know,
Anda had a peculiar instinct throughout his life, like an inherited hunting talent from his ancestors. Whenever danger approached, he would experience intense pain in his back.
"Is there danger?"
"Has the Ming army arrived...?"
According to his instinctive intuition, it seemed very dangerous at this moment. If he did not act immediately, he might face great disaster. This feeling had always been incredibly accurate, helping him avoid countless disasters throughout his life.
At this critical juncture, he immediately said sternly,
"Kudeng Khan is right! As long as Desheng Fort is taken, the Ming army will definitely come for a decisive battle. We, on the other hand, will bypass them and head straight for Datong. The Ming army, in their fear, will certainly seek peace, and our army will return with abundant spoils! This is what the Han Chinese often call 'luring the tiger away from its mountain'!"
He flicked his whip and pointed forward, saying,
"Kudeng Khan, I, your Great Khan, order you to be the vanguard and take Desheng Fort first! Then, in honor of your victory, Desheng Fort will be renamed Kudeng Fort!"
Dalaisu was not foolish either. He understood the current situation perfectly and knew that Anda's second major objective in this battle was to wear down the Chahar people. If he stepped forward now, the Chahar people would inevitably become the target of the Ming Dynasty's hatred. He immediately said with a solemn expression,
"No, Great Khan! I am willing to return this honor to Xin Ai Taiji!"
"Good!"
Unexpectedly,
Anda readily agreed and slapped his whip, shouting,
"Xin Ai, you are the vanguard! The entire army advances directly towards Desheng Fort!"
...
The distance between the two sides was originally only four to five hundred li. However, the slow movement of the army, Anda's strategy of waiting without attacking, and the fact that the Ming army consisted mostly of infantry, all contributed to the passage of time.
While marching with Li Wenjin, Zhu Mo also learned some practical combat experience.
He had always known that Desheng Fort was the vanguard of the Ming army's defenses. After a deep discussion with Li Wenjin, he realized that this place was actually tactically insignificant. Its importance, which drew the attention of various parties, was purely symbolic in psychological terms. Every time the Tatars invaded, Desheng Fort became a psychological defense line, and every time the Tatars crossed Desheng Fort, people's hearts would become uneasy.
The more Zhu Mo thought about it, the more he felt fortunate. It was good that he had decided to attack proactively early on. Otherwise, once this psychological hurdle of Desheng Fort was crossed, it would be difficult to stop Anda. After all, the disparity in strength was significant, and what he could rely on was mainly the strategy of "He Rong" and a troop of musketeers.
Now, as they were getting closer and closer to Desheng Fort,
Although he had a plan, he was truly unsure if it would work.