The valiant Qiu Fu was now covered in blood, his sword broken, but on the battlefield, there was no shortage of weapons. And equally abundant were the corpses strewn across the ground.

The battle raged from noon until dusk, with both armies locked in fierce combat. The soldiers on both sides had reached their limits, but the Ming soldiers continued to fight, their fighting spirit clearly stronger than that of the less disciplined Tartars.

Yesu was increasingly worried. He had sent out all his fresh troops and had no new reinforcements at all. He could only grit his teeth and persevere at this time.

The Ming soldiers are at their last gasp. They have many advantages, such as strong discipline and superior overall strength. While they may not be armed to the teeth, their weapons are certainly more advanced and sharper.

"Hold the Tartars back! Don't let them escape!" Fu Youde ordered his generals, his voice trembling with excitement. "Hold them back, and we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

We must utterly annihilate these Tartars. Not to mention completely destroying them, we must at least cripple their main force. Once their main force is eliminated, the plan to strike at their heart can proceed. It may take the Tartars a long time to recover their strength.

After all, these Tartars grew up on the grasslands, so their population was relatively small to begin with. Furthermore, they were driven back to the Mongolian steppe by the Ming Dynasty in previous years, and the internal strife over the Khanate's succession further weakened their population.

If this battle depletes the last bit of strength of the Tartars, they will not only be unable to recover for ten or twenty years, but it will also essentially cause the extinction of a generation of Tartars. These people living on the grasslands will not only be unable to plunder, but may also have to struggle to survive in the future.

Fu Youde was naturally aware of the heavy casualties suffered by his soldiers, but he also knew that the troops he had brought this time were not the most elite. Most importantly, the 150,000 troops of the Ming Dynasty were nothing compared to the Ming Dynasty's current forces, which consisted of about 600 inner and outer guards and more than 2,800 outposts.

Each garrison has 5,600 men, and each unit has 1,120 men, which theoretically amounts to three million soldiers. Even if many of them are just auxiliary soldiers or military households, the Ming Dynasty would not have much difficulty in sending a million-strong army.

Leaving aside the fact that the Ming Dynasty is currently at the peak of its military strength, even some separatist dynasties or small courts that are confined to a corner of the country can organize armies of hundreds of thousands. A million-strong army is not difficult at all, and it's not an exaggeration.

Even if the army suffers heavy casualties in this battle, it won't fundamentally damage the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, given the current situation, Fu Youde believes that although the army's losses are significant, they won't be too devastating; the Tartars simply don't have that kind of capability!

The Ming Dynasty could withstand a major war without suffering severe damage. The Tartars, however, were a different story. If the situation deteriorated, not only would their power decline, but it would be questionable whether their tribes could even survive!

Lan Yu, covered in blood, laughed wildly and triumphantly, "My men, follow me to kill the enemy!"

With a roar of excitement, Lan Yu once again led his personal guards and elite troops to charge into the enemy lines. However, a veteran like Lan Yu also knew the importance of seizing opportunities. He knew he had to keep the Tartars engaged and not give them any chance to escape. He wanted to keep the Tartars locked in a protracted battle.

As long as the Tartar cavalry cannot charge forward, their strength cannot be fully utilized. Once these Tartars are engaged, it naturally means that it will be difficult for the Tartars to escape. They can only resign themselves to their fate and try to seize a possible opportunity to break away. Or they can achieve a great victory in one battle and annihilate the main force of the Ming Dynasty.

Keep gritting your teeth and persevering. At this point, it's a true test of willpower, a battle to see which side is more tenacious.

Fu Youde observed the battle situation and suddenly issued an order, "Send word to the generals: Duke Wei, open the breach on the eastern route!"

The messenger was somewhat surprised; for example, his initial plan was to annihilate them all and hold them back. But now, with an opening suddenly created, did they really intend to let some of the enemy escape?

Xu Huizu, who was overseeing the battle, saw the flag signal and immediately chose to carry out the order. He was well aware that there was a reason for such an order. Creating an opening would give these stubborn, cornered Tartars some hope.

As long as these Tartars think about escaping, their morale will be gone, and they will become nothing more than cattle and sheep to be slaughtered. It's uncertain whether the Tartars who manage to escape will even get far. Those who do escape will inevitably be a very small minority.

"Issue the order: the Beijing garrison must assemble at full speed!" Xu Huizu, seizing the opportunity, was well aware that a fierce battle was about to begin. "The Tartars will inevitably try to escape from our lines. Let them escape, but don't let them all escape!"

At this point, it's impossible to let the Tartars completely escape. Seeing an opening, they'll likely surge towards this side in a frenzy. Seeing even a sliver of opportunity, the Tartars will attack and flee frantically in their desperate attempt to break through the barrier to survival.

At that time, Xu Huizu's left wing would naturally be under tremendous pressure. If they were not careful, it would not just be a case of being surrounded on three sides but missing one. It might very well turn into a situation where the Tartars were forced to flee in disarray, and then they would not be able to achieve victory in one battle!

Such a thing must not be allowed to happen. The purpose of this war has already changed without everyone realizing it. Everyone knows what things are more beneficial to the Ming Dynasty.

The original plan was to annihilate a vital force of the Tartars, further weakening them and thus continuously diminishing their strength. But now there's an opportunity. If this battle is fought well, the threat from the north will be essentially eliminated, and we can enjoy a much more peaceful time for the time being.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!