Zhang Yu, wielding a large sword, no longer cared about conserving his strength. He spotted another group of Tartars and ordered his men to continue the pursuit, tearing and biting, determined not to let them escape.
This is an opportunity, a chance to further enhance one's military achievements. The opportunity created by the Duke of Liang's lone army's deep penetration into enemy territory cannot be missed.
"My lord!" A personal guard rode up, looking worried. "The mountains and plains are swarming with Tartars. When will we ever finish chasing them?"
Zhang Yu understood the guards' meaning and said, "Just disperse them, no need to kill many! Seize the warhorses, no need to take prisoners!"
The men under his command understood, but they also had some concerns. Their commander was both brave and resourceful, and he kept killing these Tartars' "fresh troops," preventing the Tartars from organizing their forces.
However, in other places, such as Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng, the fighting was incredibly fierce, and their overall strategic vision was not as good as Zhang Yu's. It's just that in terms of gains, Zhang Yu might not be as good as his colleagues.
At this time, Xu Huizu also dispersed his troops, as the mountains and fields were full of fleeing Tartars. He decided to kill a group of them first. At the same time, Xu Huizu also actively sent out scouts and dispatched cavalry to discuss with Lan Yu and Fu Youde, all in order to expand the gains of the battle.
This great battle has basically shown that the imperial court is on the verge of a major victory. Whether it was Xu Huizu's great defeat of the enemy's vanguard or Lan Yu's surprise attack that broke through the camp, the Tartars' morale has been completely crushed and they are currently at a low point.
This battle will first kill and capture a group of Tartars, which will weaken their military strength and greatly help the decisive battle to come, giving the court more initiative.
"General, the Duke of Ying's men have arrived!" Just then, a personal guard came to report, "They have brought the Duke of Ying's orders."
Fu Youde was experienced and prudent. Lan Yu had previously scattered the enemy's camp, which was a good opportunity. However, Fu Youde also knew very well that the Tartars were only in a state of panic for a short time. Even though these Tartars seemed to have begun to flee, they could not keep fleeing indefinitely.
These Tartars will inevitably need to assemble, so the imperial army also needs to assemble; we cannot give them the opportunity to defeat us piecemeal. Otherwise, previous victories will not be able to be converted into real results, and if we lose the great battle, we will have nothing left!
Xu Huizu understood and immediately gave the order, "Pass on the command: pursue and kill them for thirty li!"
Fu Youde was not only contacting Xu Huizu, but also Lan Yu, who had killed Jinxing. The imperial court was about to mobilize its forces.
The bloodstains on his armor made Lan Yu look like a god of war returned from hell. He casually tossed his dulled sword to his personal guard and strode toward the main tent. "Duke Ying, our dukes all obey your orders!"
"You flatter me, Duke Liang. I will certainly obey your orders in this battle." Fu Youde smiled and cupped his hands in response. "If it weren't for you breaking through the Tartar camp, I wouldn't have been able to let my men fight properly and achieve merit."
Lan Yu laughed heartily. Although the Tartar Khan Yesu had escaped, breaking through the Tartar camp and creating chaos was Lan Yu's proud achievement. The Tartars scattered and fled, allowing the imperial army in three directions to pursue them—this was also one of Lan Yu's reasons for pride.
Ultimately, it's because everyone had a keen sense of opportunity, and this time they did indeed achieve quite good results.
The three armies assembled, and Fu Youde, sitting in the commander's seat, said without any politeness, "Duke of Ying and Duke of Wei, it's not that we're usurping the throne, it's just that we received His Majesty's decree before the campaign, and after the merger, we are the commanders-in-chief!"
Fu Youde seemed somewhat arrogant, but neither Xu Huizu nor Fu Youde said much. In truth, this was quite normal.
Despite both Lan Yu and Xu Huizu being top-tier relatives of the emperor, and despite Lan Yu's undeniable military achievements, serving under Fu Youde was not a one-off occurrence.
The first time was in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign, when he accompanied General Fu Youde on a campaign to Sichuan. In the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign, Fu Youde was the General of the Southern Expedition, with Lan Yu and Mu Ying as his deputies. This time, the mission was to recover Yunnan and Guizhou. It was on this occasion that Fu Youde pacified Guizhou and Yunnan in a hundred days. Subsequently, Emperor Zhu rewarded him for his merits and promoted him to Duke of Ying.
Lan Yu had no choice but to accept the situation, and Xu Huizu, being a younger generation, naturally had even less say at this point. He could only admit that he was a deputy general, even though he was Xu Da's son, the crown prince's uncle, and the empress's brother.
Fu Youde, the commander-in-chief, spoke up, saying, "Now we should join forces, and the soldiers should rest. After this great battle, we're probably short of supplies."
Lan Yu immediately complained, "If we had more grenades, the Khan of the Tartars would definitely not have been able to escape! It's time to rest. Our soldiers are all tired, and the horses can't run anymore."
The horses were likely indeed exhausted, as Lan Yu's surprise attack was inherently taxing on them. Furthermore, the two-day pursuit had further depleted the soldiers' stamina, leaving them practically at their limit.
Xu Huizu naturally understood this principle as well. His army had just embarked on a forced march to intercept and kill the fleeing Tartars. The cavalry were exhausted, while the infantry, including the baggage train, were still rushing to catch up, determined not to miss the deadline.
In military campaigns, the march itself is the key. Often, the march can take several months, while the battle itself can be fought in a day or two, or even just a few hours.
With the three most powerful dukes in command and many battle-hardened veterans, the Ming Dynasty is confident in defeating these Tartars and believes it will return with great victories.
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