Old Zhu was reluctant to leave his hometown; it's hard to part with one's native land.
He especially understood that this would be his last time returning to his hometown, so he was naturally even more reluctant to leave.
No matter how reluctant he was, Old Zhu knew he needed to return to Yingtian Prefecture. If he didn't go to oversee things, perhaps nothing would happen. Old Zhu had quite a bit of confidence in his precious grandson.
The key issue is Old Zhu's personality; he's destined to worry and wants to do everything himself. If he's not personally overseeing things, Old Zhu will feel somewhat uneasy—that's just his personality trait.
The emperor's entourage marched in a grand procession, and little Zhu was naturally accompanied by old Zhu. Zhu Ruyi didn't need to worry either, as her nominal mother was Xu Miaoqing, and all of Zhu Yunying's children could only nominally have Xu Miaoqing as their mother.
"Yin'er, your uncle is about to win a great victory." Old Zhu said with great anticipation, holding little Zhu in his arms. "Your grandfather and your father's positions as heirs are very secure, and now it's the same for you. We've made a good start, and from now on, our Great Ming will not have to worry about the struggle for the throne."
Little Zhu, who was lying on the soft couch, rolled over and grabbed Old Zhu's hand, saying, "Great-grandfather, scratch my itch!"
Little Zhu gets this treatment; the child likes to have his back rubbed while he sleeps, otherwise he can't sleep soundly. Old Zhu doesn't think there's anything wrong with scratching his great-grandson's back; he enjoys it.
While Zhu Yuanzhang was enjoying his grandchildren, Xu Huizu in the north led a large army slowly forward. The overwhelming force of the army caused some nomadic tribes to flee at the mere sight of them. He led his army forward steadily and surely, appearing to be a very reliable force.
Now is also the best time for the Ming Dynasty to destroy the Northern Yuan, because the Northern Yuan is in internal chaos. The long-term struggle between the two major political groups, the Tatars and the Oirats, for hegemony over the Mongolian Plateau has plunged Mongolian society into chaos.
However, at this time, both the Tatars and the Oirats felt immense pressure, as the Ming Dynasty's three armies had long ago demonstrated their intention to annihilate both tribes in one fell swoop. It seemed that Temujin's descendants were beginning to unite, temporarily rallying together in the face of this 'external enemy'.
However, it is also obvious that these people all have their own plans and their own schemes.
Despite the fact that the Ming Dynasty had dispatched troops from Liaodong, with Marquis Chahan of Shenyang leading a diverse group of people including Mongols, Jurchens, Jilimi, Kuyi, Daur, and Han Chinese, the Ming army marched in from the Doyan Guard, causing some panic among the Mongol Khan, Borjigin Elbeg.
The muddle-headed Elbeg could only order his younger brother, Harguchuk Dugulengtmurhongtaiji, to lead the army into battle. In fact, this Khan had been advised by Haohaidayu, a treacherous minister of Oirat origin. As long as his brother Harguchuk led the army, his sister-in-law, Orlezheyitu Hongguowobiji, would be his for the taking.
Harguchuk led the four Oirat tribes on an expedition, 'assisted' by the Oirat Grand Lord Ugchihashha. They had to intercept the Ming Dynasty's eastern army; only in this way could they remain in the northern deserts instead of being driven to the barren lands.
Xu Yingxu was well aware that the Tatar army could appear at any moment, and he had sent out his scouts.
That's how war is; much of the time it's about constantly moving, setting up camp, and searching for the enemy. A real confrontation between two armies, a fierce battle, is not such an easy thing.
The scout's report roused Xu Yingxu, and he knew he needed to start preparing.
"Go and drive away and hunt down the Tartar spies!" Xu Yingxu decisively ordered. "Don't let those barbarians get close to our army!"
Those Tartar cavalrymen were difficult to catch, especially the scouts who were highly skilled riders; capturing them was no easy task. However, Xu's second son wasn't actually trying to capture them; he simply didn't want them to get close.
A cavalry unit quickly advanced and began laying landmines, while Xu Yingxu led the vanguard, proceeding slowly. They were conserving their strength, waiting for the arrival of the main Tartar army.
The sudden sound of galloping hooves caused the ground to tremble slightly, making Xu Yingxu even more nervous. It seemed that this time they had truly encountered a large army; the main force of these Tartars had finally shown itself.
Ugchihashha was excited. Although he was the chieftain of the Oirat tribe, in the current turbulent Northern Yuan court, he was just a tribal leader with some influence.
When he was young, he heard his elders talk a lot about the prosperity of the Central Plains and the weakness of the southern people. It had been a long time since the descendants of the Eternal Heaven had defeated those southern people; they had been driven back to the land where their ancestors lived.
With the Khan incompetent and the various tribes fighting amongst themselves, Ugchihashha wanted to do something.
Slowly drawing his scimitar, Ugchihashha looked at the slightly flustered southerners with a ferocious grin, "Kill them!"
The Oirat cavalry, howling, began to charge, while the Ming cavalry immediately turned their horses around, seemingly having no intention of engaging the Mongol cavalry head-on; they fled in disarray.
The Tatar cavalry charged swiftly towards the vanguard of the eastern army, who fled at a distance. Aside from a very few unlucky riders who fell from their horses, most of the cavalry were relatively safe for the time being.
'boom'
'boom'
Suddenly, a series of explosions rang out, throwing the Tatar cavalry's previously aggressive charge into disarray. Even though these warhorses were well-trained and usually quite calm in normal situations, the sudden explosions startled many of them.
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