The anniversary of Empress Ma's death is important, but that's not a reason for everything to stop. Especially some major events, once started, cannot be stopped, such as major battles, which obviously cannot be stopped.
Despite the tension caused by the approaching Ming army, the children of Changshengtian remained confident. Even in such a moment, eating, drinking, singing, and dancing were perfectly normal for them.
Ultimately, it comes down to ethnic characteristics. For nomadic peoples, fine wine, singing and dancing, as well as horseback riding and archery, are indispensable.
As for a major war, that is of course extremely important, but in their view, now is not the time for war, so there is no need to be on high alert or constantly on edge.
The Mongol cavalry, when they swept across the land, were indeed a formidable force, virtually invincible. However, discipline has always been a problem for nomadic peoples, and even Genghis Khan or his four generals sometimes struggled with it. They were fierce, but at times they were indeed too lax.
Fu Youde's army had assembled, but it was still about two days' distance away. Xu Huizu's troops also came into view, but they were still at least three days' distance away. That Lan Yu was also someone to be hated with a passion; many Tartars loathed him.
When the Northern Yuan Khan Togus Temur suffered a crushing defeat at Buyur Lake, Yesuder, a descendant of Ariq Böke, Kublai Khan's brother, decisively set up an ambush with the Oirat army under his control.
He attacked Togus Temur's routed army. Togus Temur and his men hastily engaged in battle, and Togus Temur was unfortunately captured. Yesuder then made a cruel decision and ordered the Khan to be strangled with a bowstring. At the same time, Crown Prince Tianbaonu was also killed.
Yesuder assassinated the Great Khan, avenging the loss of his ancestor Ariq Böke's Khanate 129 years earlier. Yesuder seized the Great Seal and ascended to the throne of the Northern Yuan Great Khan. After his accession, his power greatly increased, and he dominated the northern desert region.
Because the princes descended from Ariq Böke had lived on the grasslands for generations and had a strong Mongolian cultural background, their rule led to a rapid decline in Han cultural elements within the Mongol regime. The Mongol Great Khan no longer used Han-language reign titles or temple names, and his usurpation of the throne through regicide also resulted in continuous power struggles within the Yuan Dynasty's Shizu lineage.
Whether Lan Yu is Yesudie's benefactor or enemy is hard to say.
Xu Huizu was also on high alert at this time, because the imperial army was constantly making contact and had gradually forced the Tartar army into a corner. At this point, the Tartars had no choice but to engage in a decisive battle, even if they didn't want to.
Even if they don't want a decisive battle now, they still have to fight one. The Tartars have no choice at all. Even if they wanted to retreat, even if they continued to retreat northward, they would have almost nowhere left to go.
After all, the Ming Dynasty army was quite unruly; they seemed to be accustomed to plundering the resources of these nomadic peoples. They basically took back all the cattle, horses, and sheep. The Ming army wasn't just there to fight; they were also there to harvest crops. This even surprised many of the Tartars, who felt the shift in the balance of power had been far too drastic.
Some of the slightly older Tartars were mostly from the late Yuan Dynasty. Many of them knew that they had originally been suppressing Han rebellions, but were driven back to the Mongolian steppe. The Han people they had heard about, who were supposed to be weak, seemed to be incredibly fierce, and these descendants of the Eternal Heaven had no choice but to return to the land where they had lived for generations.
In the stories of our ancestors, the Han people in the south were weak and easily bullied, and were the targets of their constant plundering. The Liao people, the Jin people, and even the Han imperial family and relatives of the Song Dynasty were all their victims and their slaves.
Times have changed, and the Han people don't seem so easy to bully anymore. Of course, many people here are indeed Han people, their ancestors lived in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, starting with Shi Jingtang, and were influenced by nomadic culture.
Deep down, they feel ashamed of their Han Chinese ancestry and would much rather be descendants of the Eternal Heaven. It doesn't matter if they are Jurchens, Liao people, or Mongols, as long as they are not Han Chinese.
Lan Yu was somewhat excited; he was about to achieve a great feat. The Tartar army was constantly gathering, and various tribes were also arriving at Yesudier's Khan's tent. As long as he captured this place and killed Yesudier, he would create a victory even more glorious than that of Buyur Lake.
He also felt that Heaven favored him, as he had almost captured the Khan of Northern Yuan. Unfortunately, he not only failed to capture him, but he also failed to capture the Crown Prince of Northern Yuan, only managing to capture the second son of the emperor.
This was somewhat disappointing for Lan Yu, and his elder brother's analogy was inappropriate. He had almost captured Zhu Yuanzhang's men, but Zhu Yuanzhang escaped with his beloved crown prince Zhu Biao, leaving behind Zhu Shuang, who was still somewhat valued, to be captured and then exiled to Ryukyu.
This was a remarkable achievement. Although the two most important people escaped, they managed to capture some people like Mu Ying and Guo Ying, and kill someone similar to Feng Sheng.
This time, Lan Yu didn't want this tremendous achievement to slip away. Capturing the location of the Tartar king's tent twice in a row was no easy feat. Lan Yu didn't think he'd have three chances; this time, he needed to seize the opportunity and eliminate the Tartar Khan in one decisive battle.
As for capturing 70,000 prisoners, that's far less important than capturing the Khan of the Tartars. With these people captured, he could return to the Ming Dynasty with his head held high, proudly present the prisoners at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and become the true number one military figure in the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor's number one confidant and pillar.
Leading three thousand cavalry on a temporary detour, with the central army acting as cover, was not a risky tactic; it was Lan Yu's plan to launch a surprise attack.
The night was the best cover, the enemy's cries were the best music, and the enemy's blood was the most exciting sight for Lan Yu. This time, he was going to win a great victory, to seize the greatest fruits of victory, and to claim the most brilliant achievement.
Lan Yu knew he wasn't leading a large vanguard this time, but he had brought plenty of grenades. Muskets were out of the question; they weren't suitable for this kind of fighting. Grenades could create more chaos and were more ideal for Lan Yu's surprise attacks.
He needed to break up the Khan's tents of these Tartars and take the head of the general amidst the vast army.
Excitement and elation were Lan Yu's true feelings. He knew nothing of fear; he only knew that immense glory awaited him, and that he might one day be posthumously granted the title of king, just like his brother-in-law!
It's not just a possibility; as long as the Khan of the Tartars is captured, he will definitely be posthumously granted the title of king!
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