Haba is now the Minister of War of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

He is the only one in the Northern Yuan Dynasty who is truly capable of fighting and has the longest experience.

In fact, in the previous Yuan Dynasty, Haba was originally just a small follower, but with the continuous defeat of the Yuan Dynasty, this once inconspicuous character finally got his current status by virtue of his luck of escaping death time and time again.

Sometimes, it’s not about who is stronger than others, but whoever lives long enough will be the final winner.

Time makes people grow old, and now Haba is already in his fifties.

Back then, he had followed Toghto Temur, the last prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty, and also followed Wang Baobao.

It can be said that it witnessed the decline of the Yuan Dynasty and the revival of the Ming Dynasty.

"Sir Shangshu, the spies below reported that they found traces of a large army stationed 20 miles ahead. They left not long ago, probably about two hours ago."

Haba was discussing with many generals of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in the big tent when his subordinates came to report.

After Haba heard this, he laughed loudly and said, "It really is easy to get what you want. I have been tracking Zhu Di for so long, and now I finally have the chance."

"This time, I want to see where he runs."

"Pass on this general's order, mobilize the entire army to pursue Zhu Di!!!"

Following Haba's order, the entire Mongolian camp began to make noise.

Here, there are nearly 40,000 cavalry troops, most of whom are veterans who have been on the battlefield for a long time. This time, Haba personally led the team to attack Zhu Di and Lan Yu.

In fact, as early as a month ago, he had already discovered Lan Yu's marching route, but after hesitating for a long time, Haba gave up chasing Lan Yu.

Even if they had an army three times more than Lan Yu, theoretically they could chase and fight Lan Yu at will on this grassland.

But Lan Yu was too famous. The Battle of Buir Lake was Lan Yu's famous battle, in which the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty were defeated in one fell swoop. At the same time, Lan Yu also became a shadow hanging over the heads of all Mongolian generals.

Just hearing the name made Haba tremble a little, and a large number of Mongolian cavalrymen were also a little more afraid when facing Lan Yu.

Haba didn't dare to gamble. The few troops he had on hand were the backbone of the Northern Yuan Dynasty at present. Once they were defeated again at the hands of Yu Lanyu, the entire Northern Yuan Dynasty might really be finished. He didn't dare to imagine what the situation would be like after the failure.

So after hearing the news about Lan Yu, he simply gave up and started looking for Zhu Di.

Compared with Lan Yu, although Zhu Di also had the reputation of great victories, many Mongols believed that it was just Zhu Di's good luck, which could not be compared with Lan Yu.

Many Mongolian generals even wanted to defeat Zhu Di to avenge their previous humiliation.

When Zhu Di was enfeoffed in Beiping, we had a lot of dealings with each other, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

After discussing with the Mongolian generals, Haba decided to divide the troops into three groups.

Cut off the connection between Zhu Di and Lan Yu along the way to prevent the two from joining forces.

This is what everyone is most worried about. If the troops are united, Haba will have no chance of fighting.

The second way is to prevent Zhu Di from escaping to the Ming border.

The Ming Dynasty's firearms were too powerful. They were of little use on the grasslands, but if they were used to attack a city, it would be too bad for the Mongolian cavalry.

Once Zhu Di entered the city, it would be meaningless.

The third route was the main pursuit, following Zhu Di all the way in the direction of his escape.

In Haba's opinion, catching up with Zhu Di is just a matter of time. He will definitely be able to catch up with Zhu Di within three to five days at the latest.

Unlike the cavalry of the Ming Dynasty, the cavalry of the Northern Yuan Dynasty all had two horses. Moreover, the Mongols grew up on horseback. When they were chasing, they could move day and night and could lie directly on the horse's back to rest.

When it comes to fighting, you will have plenty of energy to sustain.

This is something that almost 90% of Mongolians can do.

This is also why the Mongols could dominate the grasslands, because their mobility and endurance were unmatched by any other nation.

One man, two horses.

One horse pursues, the other horse conquers.

At all times, the Mongolian cavalry faced the enemy with an extremely vigorous attitude.

Just like a pack of wolves on the grassland, they would exhaust their prey and then easily tear their throats.

…

Under the scorching sun, Zhu Di suddenly looked up at the sky.

He heard the cry of an eagle.

It was a falcon belonging to the Mongols and also a war eagle.

They are the eyes of the Mongolian cavalry, and they can help the Mongolian cavalry track their prey from high in the sky.

And when the falcons appeared, it meant that they had been targeted by the Mongolian cavalry.

The falcon circled above Zhu Di's army, telling the distant Mongolian army the location of its prey.

Zhu Di's face became a little gloomy. He had already known that the Mongolian army was chasing them on the grassland, so he decisively chose to withdraw to the grassland military base.

Although the defense of the grassland military base was not as strong as that of a city, it had a large amount of food reserves and firearms.

The infantry phalanxes armed with matchlock muskets were a hedgehog that the Mongolian cavalry could not tackle. Coupled with the threat of artillery, the Northern Yuan Dynasty had no way to fight against them.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid we can't escape. Only the elite Mongolian army can raise falcons. These must be the elite cavalry of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"With their speed, they can definitely intercept us before us."

Zhang Yu said worriedly.

Having been fighting against the Mongols for a long time, they were naturally very familiar with the situation of the Mongolian cavalry. This time they had gone too deep into the grassland, and it would take at least half a month for them to rush back to the grassland military base.

And the Mongolian cavalry might only need a few days to catch up with them.

Although Zhu Di also had cavalry under his command, they were actually composed of Han people and cavalry from various grassland tribes. The Han people simply could not rest on horseback like the Mongolian cavalry.

Moreover, Zhu Di was short of horses and could not ride two horses at once.

"We have enough rations to last a few days."

Zhu Di asked in a deep voice.

Zhang Yu replied: "It's still enough for eight days."

Zhu Di nodded and said, "Eight days is enough."

"If we can't leave, then we have to fight. Give the order to find a more suitable valley and prepare the soldiers."

"Also, send out our best scouts in two teams to report to Lan Yu and the nearest border respectively, and request support."

A real man can bend and stretch.

At such a critical moment of life and death, Zhu Di would certainly not give up seeking support from Lan Yu because of his face.

In fact, he had a good relationship with Lan Yu in his early years. He even followed Lan Yu to conquer the grassland many times and learned a lot of experience in leading troops from Lan Yu.

As the King of Yan, Zhu Di knew that if Lan Yu knew that he was trapped, he would definitely give him all his support, and there would be no negligence on the border.

This has nothing to do with the usual secret fights.

No matter what, he was a vassal king of the Ming Dynasty. If he died on the grassland, his father would be furious.

Lan Yu himself could not escape any responsibility.

Of course, even the Mongolian cavalry could not kill Zhu Di at this time.

If Zhu Di had really died here, the Ming Dynasty would have been plunged into bloodshed, and the Northern Yuan Dynasty would not be able to bear such consequences.

If both sides suffer losses, the Ming Dynasty might just be a little agitated, while the Northern Yuan Dynasty would probably collapse.

Capturing Zhu Di alive was the best option for the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

When Zhang Yu heard this, he felt a little relieved. What he feared most was that the prince cared about his face and did not ask Lan Yu for support.

Although there will be no slackness on the border, the speed of infantry reinforcement is too slow without a large number of cavalry. It may be several days after the battle is over before the reinforcements have arrived.

Following the message from Zhang Yu's army, a dozen of the most outstanding scouts, each riding two horses, dispersed from the army.

Some of them needed to find a suitable location for combat faster, while others needed to make communications.

These are all Han people, or in other words, they are all Zhu Di's personal guards, and they are truly trustworthy people.

Zhu Di looked at the army and secretly ordered his relatives' guards to guard the grassland tribal cavalry that had joined earlier.

Zhu Di was actually not very worried about the Northern Yuan cavalry.

Among the current team of 7,000 people, there are 2,000 muskets.

If you defend the stronghold, you don't have to worry about the Northern Yuan cavalry rushing in. The only possible problem is civil unrest.

After thinking for some time, Zhu Di called Zhu Neng over.

"Once we find a suitable base, you will lead 500 people to form a military discipline team. Anyone who retreats or makes any unusual movements will be killed immediately."

Zhu Neng nodded heavily: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Zhu Di attached great importance to and recognized Zhu Neng's personal abilities.

This is a real fierce general.

In the battle of cold weapons, the role of a fierce general is extremely important. Just in terms of momentum, he can play a big role.

There is no chance of fighting against the Northern Yuan cavalry by engaging in a staggered engagement. The best way out is to attack from high ground and then set up a stronghold and wait for reinforcements.

Half a day later, before sunset, a scout came back with a report.

A hillside suitable for defensive operations was discovered twenty miles away.

Zhu Di did not waste any time and hurried over with his army while there was still some daylight.

The slopes of the grassland are generally not very high, and war horses can climb them. However, in higher situations, matchlock guns are more effective.

"The matchlock gun that Zhu Ying made is pretty good."

After camping on the hillside, the soldiers were carrying out simple defensive fortifications. Zhu Di said with some emotion, holding the exquisite matchlock rifle in his hand.

In fact, Zhu Di didn't care much about firearms.

Previously, Zhu Di had been dealing with the Mongols in the Peking Palace, so firearms seemed relatively useless.

However, in the current military system, the matchlock has become a necessity.

At least 40% of the Han soldiers were equipped with matchlock rifles.

During this period of conquest, Zhu Di mainly relied on bows and arrows, and had sufficient gunpowder.

The defense is quite sufficient.

When stationed on the hillside, it is more difficult for the war horses to climb up, making it difficult to launch a full-scale charge.

The next morning.

Zhu Di, who was waiting quietly, heard the ground shaking slightly.

Looking up, a large black shadow gradually appeared under the rising sun in the distance.

The mountains and plains are filled with fine horses, which represent the arrival of the Northern Yuan cavalry.

There are only about 30,000 people, but their momentum is extremely strong.

The sight of thousands of horses galloping is already very spectacular on the grassland, and among the Northern Yuan cavalry, the number of horses alone is over 60,000.

What does it feel like to have 60,000 horses?

Especially when they all rush towards oneself, those with low psychological quality may collapse directly.

A war seemed imminent.

However, the cautious Haba did not choose to attack with his entire army directly.

Although the fortifications on the hillside are simple, they can effectively block the charge of war horses. If they are attacked by force, it will cause huge casualties.

The cavalry he has now are all the elite of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. If the losses are too great, his career as the Minister of War will be over.

The Northern Yuan Dynasty, whose current situation is not very good, will be even more miserable in the future.

"Set up camp first, send 10,000 warriors over, and surround but don't attack."

Haba narrowed his eyes slightly and gave an order to the general next to him.

In his eyes, Zhu Di is now like a trapped beast. What he has to do now is to continuously drain his energy, make him exhausted, and then take him down in one fell swoop.

There was not even a tentative attack. Except for 10,000 soldiers at the foot of the hill, the rest simply lit a bonfire and prepared meals.

Zhu Di was not at all surprised by this situation.

This is also the reason why the Ming Dynasty wanted to destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty. If it were an ordinary Mongolian tribe, they would definitely be greedy and reckless at this time and choose to take it down directly, instead of doing the same as the Northern Yuan leader in front of them.

In terms of cultural heritage, the court officials and generals of the Northern Yuan Dynasty already had the flavor of the Central Plains, and would be more difficult to deal with.

From morning to night, the Northern Yuan side was extremely quiet. From time to time, cavalry would come to the hillside to provoke, but they would not attack.

The soldiers on Zhu Di's side were in a nervous mood and had lost a lot of energy.

However, Zhu Di also adopted a rotation system. The 3,000 people in the front were on guard to prevent a surprise attack from the Northern Yuan Dynasty, while the 3,000 people in the back rested and recuperated.

Including Zhu Di himself, he went straight to bed after nightfall.

A day and a night passed like this.

The two armies lived in peace.

The next morning, after Haba looked at the situation on the hillside, he arranged 5,000 cavalry to conduct a preliminary exploration.

The visibility on the hillside is better, so when the Northern Yuan army makes any movements, they can be seen quickly.

The five thousand cavalrymen made a detour and then began to accelerate and charge towards the hillside.

Simple defensive fortifications played a relatively large role at this time. Although they could not cause too many casualties, they effectively curbed the speed of galloping war horses.

"Pistol soldiers, get ready, fire!!!"

When the matchlock sounded, it undoubtedly attracted everyone's attention.

The loud noise frightened the war horses, and the cavalry that was originally charging looked very messy.

The latest version of the matchlock gun, with the increased power of gunpowder, has also shown powerful lethality.