War is the continuation of politics.

For the Northern Yuan Dynasty at this time, what it was seeking was not an invasion of the Ming Dynasty, but a victory as a bargaining chip.

Both the Northern Yuan Dynasty court and the grassland tribes are very clear at this moment that if the Ming Dynasty continues to blockade the area like this, the grassland will really be dragged down.

The life of grassland herders is already very difficult and poor. For a herder, cattle and sheep are all their belongings.

The grassland is a bitter and cold place. The herdsmen here live by following water and grass, and moving is a very common phenomenon.

Limited productivity has kept them in a state of material scarcity for a long time.

The earliest nomadic peoples in history did not rise up because of their own actions. The biggest reason was their proximity to agricultural civilization.

Rather than being a civilization, grassland civilization is actually very different from agricultural civilization. Even its culture and history are very shallow, and it does not even have its own writing.

In the initial grassland conquests, the languages ​​of various tribes were different, and when facing other tribes, they did not treat them as human beings.

The rise of the Xiongnu Empire was also due to the continuous expansion of the Central Plains dynasty, which further compressed the living space of the grassland civilization, resulting in the emergence of a unified large tribe on the grassland, which can also be called the concept of a country.

Even so, in terms of weapons and equipment, nomadic civilization cannot be compared with agricultural civilization.

No matter how good the riding skills or how powerful the archery skills are, how can inferior weapons break through the armor of agricultural civilization?

In the early Western Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu Empire was indeed very powerful, but in reality not even every knight could own a sword.

If the knife is bent, there is no whetstone.

Not to mention the armor.

Such equipment was like chopping melons and vegetables in front of the fully armed Han cavalry.

Therefore, although the Huns were strong, there were anecdotes in history about a few thousand cavalry defeating tens of thousands of cavalry. This sounds exaggerated, but in fact it was the absolute suppression of weapons and equipment.

This situation continued until the time of Cao Cao.

After Cao Cao introduced the Hu people, the grassland became semi-nomadic and semi-agricultural, and the strength of the grassland expanded rapidly.

Plus the act of trade.

Then there was the rise of Genghis Khan.

The strength of the grassland civilization during this period was built on the foundation of agricultural civilization.

So when Zhu Ying of the Ming Dynasty ordered to cut off all trade with the grassland, all the tribes and herdsmen in the Northern Yuan Dynasty were completely panicked.

For a long time, grassland civilization has been accustomed to "depending on" agricultural civilization.

It's not just in weapons and equipment, but in any industry where it has great dependence.

Without the help of agricultural civilization, the nomadic civilization cannot even produce arrowheads, let alone armor, swords, and spears.

It also includes all aspects of life.

As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravag

It is hard for anyone to accept that the various tribes on the grassland should return to the living environment of hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

Elbek inspected his camp on horseback.

With an army of more than 100,000 cavalrymen, even the biting cold wind could not extinguish the excitement in Elbek's heart.

At this moment, he truly experienced the magnificent mood of his ancestor Genghis Khan.

In stark contrast to the previous tribes that only obeyed orders but not declarations, due to the existence of powerful external forces, the nobles of all tribes at this time seemed particularly honest.

If the Ming Dynasty's blockade cannot be opened, the small tribes will be the first to suffer.

The Northern Yuan Dynasty court could still hold on for a while. Even though the goods were a bit expensive, the Northern Yuan Dynasty court had a huge amount of wealth in its hands.

Each tribe was extremely poor.

Normally, there is no savings. If the furs in hand cannot be sold, no one can survive for long by eating only meat.

Now they have to rely on the Northern Yuan court.

Under unprecedented pressure, the grasslands are now unusually united.

This time, Elbek truly felt the power.

"If I can defeat the Ming Dynasty this time, then I will have the final say on the grasslands from now on."

Elbek's condition at this moment reached its peak.

Once he can successfully unite the forces of the various tribes on the grassland, he will have the hope of reaching the heights of his ancestor Genghis Khan.

Not to mention surpassing it, even getting close to it is already amazing.

After all, Elbek still has some self-awareness.

As a cold wind blew, Elbek shrank his neck due to the cold.

It's too cold outside, it's more comfortable to stay in the warm big tent.

Feeling the warmth all over his body, Elbek decided to have a good sleep so that when he launched the assault tomorrow, he would have enough energy to defeat the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop.

By that time, it is possible to restore the glory of our ancestor Kublai Khan and rule the Central Plains once again.

…

The grassland in early winter is half late autumn and half cold winter.

With the cold wind blowing, it means that snow will fall soon.

On this yellow autumn grassland, several cavalrymen are searching for traces.

"Brother Gouzi, it's so cold that I'm shivering. I don't know what those grassland barbarians are thinking. Starting a war at this time, no matter how big the war is, they have to wait until winter is over."

"I see that the sky is only half cloudy at best, and it will start to snow heavily. By then, it will be completely white. Who can stand it?"

The one who spoke was the sturdier of the three cavalrymen, and judging from his physique, he seemed a bit fat.

However, being able to become a scout meant that his fat was not just puffy, but real strength.

The dog brother in front of him looked a little thin. He turned around and said, "Two months ago, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Group of Heroes Chamber of Commerce began to purchase a large amount of medicinal materials, grains, tea and other goods needed on the grassland here at the border."

"This also caused the markets here to be emptied, and many herdsmen were unable to prepare for the winter."

"There are rumors in the market that the Heroes Chamber of Commerce is only making a purchase and the price will fall by then. This is why many herdsmen are waiting for early winter to have a grand transaction."

"Even the government has reported that a huge market will be held in the near future."

Hearing this, the fat man took over the conversation and said, "So this is what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had prepared long ago. He made it impossible for the herdsmen to survive the winter in advance, and then ordered the grassland to be blocked, so that a large number of herdsmen could not survive the winter at all."

As he spoke, the fat man's voice became much softer; "But if this happens, many herdsmen will starve to death."

Brother Gouzi looked into the distance and sighed, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is going to force the tribes on the grassland to unite and fight us at this time."

"Your Highness is truly amazing. From the beginning of this war, our Ming Dynasty has won."

"In ten days at most, winter will come to the grassland, so the Northern Yuan will only have less than five days to attack us."

"If they don't leave after five days, there won't be enough time to return. By then it will snow heavily and they won't be able to leave even if they want to."

"So Bei Yuan had no other choice but to fight."

The young scout who had been silent all this time suddenly asked, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's decree said that as long as the herdsmen on the grasslands are willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty, they will be given jobs and food to eat. Is this true?"

The fat man replied casually: "That's called forced labor, but for the herdsmen, what you said is not bad. It means they have a job and food, and at least they won't starve to death."

After he finished speaking, the fat man suddenly thought of something and turned around to ask, "Xiao Ma, do you want Una and her family to come to Daming?"

As a scout, he would often wander around the grassland to investigate.

When there was no war, the relationship between many herdsmen and the Ming cavalry was quite good.

Una was a girl from the grassland. Xiao Ma met her when she was herding sheep, and since then he often went to see her.

Both Brother Gouzi and Fatty understand this.

When Xiao Ma heard this, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously and said, "Yes, I like Una. If the grassland is blocked all the time, Una and her friends will definitely not have an easy life."

"Only by coming to Daming can we have hope of survival."

Brother Gouzi heard this and said, "You have to know one thing. The herdsmen who surrender will not live here. According to the order issued by the court, the herdsmen who surrender will be relocated outside the border, and may even go to the south."

"When that time comes, you will never see Oona again."

The pony was silent for a moment, then said, "I know, but as long as she can survive, I will be very happy."

The fat man interrupted at this time and said, "Actually, there is a way. As long as you can make great contributions, when you accept the reward, you can beg your superior to directly betroth Una to you."

"According to the latest requirements of the Ming Dynasty household registration, as long as Una marries you, she will be able to have the Ming Dynasty household registration as your wife and be considered a Ming Dynasty citizen."

"And her family can stay here, too."

Xiao Ma's eyes lit up all of a sudden, and he couldn't help but shout, "Fatty, why didn't you tell me such an important thing earlier?"

The fat man shrugged helplessly: "I thought you knew it a long time ago. Besides, you didn't ask me."

Xiao Ma's worried expression suddenly cleared up, and he laughed out loud, asking, "How much credit do you need to have to make it happen?"

The fat man said with a smile: "If you can find the location of the Beiyuan army, this credit will be enough for us."

Xiao Ma immediately said, "What are you waiting for... Go!"

He raised the whip and hit the horse's butt hard. The horse, in pain, immediately accelerated and galloped away.

Seeing this situation, the two people could only speed up and catch up.

In the end, it was the war horse that took it all.

…

"What? We really found the location of the Northern Yuan army?"

In the Ming military camp, Lan Yu stood up and asked after hearing the report.

The captain below hurriedly said, "General, it was found by three of my scouts."

Lan Yu nodded and said, "Let them in, and I will ask them personally."

The captain who received the order went outside to call the three people.

They were none other than Gouzi, Xiaoma and Fatty.

Love always makes people go to their heads.

Xiao Ma was eager to make a contribution, so he searched very deeply for the trace.

You must know that this is a very dangerous thing. Once discovered by the grassland cavalry, your life will be lost.

Fortunately, the three of them are not very old, but they are very familiar with the grassland, especially the fat man, who is a mixed-race of grassland.

The three experienced people dodged wave after wave of patrolling cavalry and finally discovered the location of the Northern Yuan army.

Unlike previous discoveries, this time they can be said to be absolutely certain.

Return now to report.

After listening to the three people's stories, Lan Yu took out the map, pointed to one of the areas and asked, "But it's here."

Brother Gouzi nodded affirmatively.

Lan Yu laughed and said, "You have done a great deed this time. If you are right, you will be rewarded after the battle."

Gouzi and the other two quickly clasped their fists and bowed: "Thank you, General."

Lan Yu waved his hand and said, "Don't thank me too early. If the Northern Yuan army is not here by then, I will punish you. When that time comes, don't resent me."

At present, there is no time to review the situation of the Northern Yuan army.

Time is urgent and it is also to avoid alerting the enemy.

However, Lan Yu still believed what the three said, because the other scouts had also returned, and no situation was found in multiple directions.

Moreover, the location reported by the three people was a canyon, which could naturally shelter them from the cold wind.

This is also very consistent with the current situation of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

There you can better avoid the cold wind and recharge your energy.

…

In the Ming Imperial Palace, the Qianqing Palace.

The roasted sweet potatoes were placed on the table, peeled by the eunuchs and then cut into several pieces for Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to enjoy.

"It's already early winter. If we calculate the time, the grassland should launch an uprising in the next day or two."

"With two hundred thousand cavalry, it seems that the Northern Yuan Dynasty is very wealthy."

"It is a pipe dream to attack Liaodong with only cavalry."

Zhu Yuanzhang said confidently while eating roasted sweet potatoes.

Among the nine frontiers of the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong Town has the largest number of troops and the strongest strength.

And this time, it was Lan Yu who was in charge of the war.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was wary of Lan Yu, he still recognized his military talents.

Being able to defeat the most elite main force of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, it sounds like there are more people this time, but Zhu Yuanzhang also understood the actual situation.

Basically there will be no accidents.

Zhu Ying replied: "After this battle, the Northern Yuan will withdraw its troops. I estimate that by the time the battle report is delivered, the envoys from the Northern Yuan will have almost arrived."

"It's just that Bei Yuan miscalculated. No matter what the result is this time, the blockade of the grassland will continue."

"By then, the Great Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty will lose all his authority, and the grassland will be in chaos, with everyone fighting for supremacy."

Zhu Ying analyzed carefully.

Under the pressure of such an environment, the grassland will definitely be in chaos, and we will see how chaotic it will be then.

Now Zhu Ying has begun to plan how to seize the grassland next.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "It depends on whether this attack can seriously damage the vitality of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"By then, the situation at the Ming border will be much easier."