"Everyone," Li Xingzhong stood up and walked around the military tent twice with his head down.

While everyone was puzzled, he raised his head and said seriously: "I just calculated that the food in the army plus the captured cattle and sheep are enough for one month. It is now late September, and we must withdraw by mid-October at the latest, otherwise we will freeze to death on this grassland."

"I want to do something big in less than a month."

"What's the big deal?" Tang Tong asked first.

After being named Earl of Dingxi by Chongzhen, Tang Tong did enjoy a period of glory.

During the Battle of Beijing, he was the first to break through the bandit army and caused their defeat.

When the Jiannu invaded the pass, he defended Juyong Pass to ensure the safety of the pass.

The successive honors made him think of lying down.

After all, the title has been obtained. As long as the descendants of the Tang family do not make any mistakes in principle, the Tang family lineage can be passed down for a long time.

but...

The victory at Wenyu River stole all his limelight.

This is not the end yet.

Qin Liangyu, Lu Daqi, Yuan Jixian, Gao Jie and others made countless military exploits in the suppression of bandits, which not only earned them honors, but also received rewards in the form of real money from the court.

The soldiers under Tang Tong were very excited when they heard the news, and they all requested Tang Tong to submit a petition to the court to give them a chance to make meritorious service.

After all, if they want to turn things around, they can only rely on fighting and making achievements!

In order to rally the army's morale and save more money for future generations, Tang Tong decided not to lie down anymore.

"Yes, General Li, just tell us directly if you have any plans. We will all listen to you." He Jin, Gao Yigong and other surrendered generals looked at Li Xingzhong with firm eyes.

Seeing that everyone had the idea of making a contribution, Li Xingzhong's heart finally settled down.

The key to winning a battle is not how many soldiers there are, but whether the generals have the desire to win.

Only when the generals are dedicated will the soldiers fight for their lives, and the outcome of the battle will develop in a good direction.

"Everyone," Li Xingzhong walked to a table.

On the table was a map of the grassland, provided by the Military Affairs Department.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Military Affairs Department was in charge of maps, military systems, garrisons, and other information about the world's geographical dangers, distances, and boundaries.

"This is a map of the grassland provided by the Zhifang Division. Your Majesty asked the Imperial Guard to mark it before the troops were dispatched to the grassland. Based on the latest intelligence, the Imperial Guard marked the grazing areas of the grassland tribes this winter."

Everyone came closer to take a closer look.

After watching it, everyone shook their heads at the same time.

The grassland is so vast that it cannot be depicted on a map.

The markings of Jinyiwei seem detailed, but they are actually useless.

Because there are no reference points on the grassland, looking for a place on the grassland with a map is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Tang Tong was the first to speak: "General Li, this map...is it useless?"

"It's useful," Li Xingzhong replied with a smile, "At least it has marked the directions of the grazing areas of several large tribes on the grassland this winter."

"As long as we advance in these directions, we should be able to gain something."

Tang Tong counted on his fingers and said, "We only have less than a month. Considering the scouts' reconnaissance and the army's marching speed, we can only find one or two medium-sized or large tribes and go to war with them at most."

"But one or two medium to large tribes are enough. If there are more, the spoils will become a burden when we withdraw our troops."

The others lowered their heads and stared at the map for a while.

Cha Binxun was the first to speak: "I think it's possible! As long as we defeat one or two more tribes and seize some war horses and livestock and hand them over to the court, the court will not lose money."

"I think that's right," Li Shunzu said, "The court considers the cost when deploying troops. The captured livestock can be converted into money to make up for the food and grass consumed in this expedition. Whether we win or lose, the court will not say much."

"What about you?" Li Xingzhong looked at He Jin, Gao Yigong and others.

He Jin replied cautiously: "It's all up to General Li."

Li Xingzhong nodded meaningfully: "You all guessed my meaning wrongly."

"Hmm?" Li Shunzu raised his head in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Under the gaze of everyone, Li Xingzhong slowly said: "I mean to fight only one battle."

"A battle?" the generals shouted in unison.

"Yes," Li Xingzhong's expression gradually became serious. "Considering that Chahar not only surrendered to the Jiannu, but also killed the imperial envoy, it was very disrespectful to the imperial court and Your Majesty. As subjects, we should uphold the dignity of the imperial court and the emperor."

"So what I mean is to gather all the troops and fight a battle with the Chahar tribe before winter comes."

"One battle will decide the outcome!"

hiss--

Everyone present gasped at the same time.

Li Xingzhong was too bold. He not only wanted to fight a battle with the Chahar tribe, but also wanted to fight a decisive battle.

Li Xingzhong went on to say: "The decision to fight them was not a whim, but a well-thought-out decision."

"First, I have learned the approximate location of the Chahar headquarters through the captives. Winter is approaching, and the herders will not have time to temporarily change pastures. After our army arrives, they will definitely find a way to fight instead of just escaping."

"Secondly, not many of our troops were exposed in the first battle, and the Mongols had no idea of our true strength. When they thought we only had 14,000 soldiers (He Jin had 10,000, Li Xingzhong had 3,000, and Tang Tong had 1,000), our total strength was already as high as 25,000."

"Do you think the Mongols can win?"

"General Li," Tang Tong said with some concern, "The Chahar tribe has surrendered to the Jiannu. They are very likely to ask for help from the Jiannu. If the Jiannu cavalry suddenly joins the battle, I'm afraid our army will..."

Jiannu joined the war?

Li Xingzhong frowned and thought for a while: "The key to this battle is to take the enemy by surprise. Don't worry, even if the Jiannu join the battle, they will not be able to gain an advantage from me."

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