Yingchang City is located on the west bank of Lake Darinor.
That year, Emperor Shundi of Yuan Dynasty, Toghon Temur, led the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty to flee northwards to Yingchang, and fought against the Ming army with Yingchang as the center, effectively blocking the Ming army's advance northward, thus preserving the name of Northern Yuan Dynasty.
From then on, Yingchang became the capital of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
The Tatar tribe claimed to be the orthodox Yuan Dynasty and had been stationed in Yingchang.
However, when Zhu Di personally led the expedition to Mobei, he adopted guerrilla tactics of retreating when the enemy advanced and running away when the enemy chased.
To put it bluntly, as long as the Ming army dares to come, I will run away.
How could the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who ruled over vast territories, look down upon the cold and bitter land of Mobei? There was nothing worth robbing in Yingchang City, so the people withdrew after just a few days.
If you leave, I will come back. If you come again, I will run away!
In this way, it lasted from Yongle to Hongxi, from Hongxi to Xuande, and then to Zhengtong.
However, Zhu Di beat the Tatars so badly that the Oirat took advantage of the situation to rise.
After Toghtobukha returned from the kurultai assembly, he began to gather troops and prepare to attack the Ming Dynasty.
In his plan, the Oirat would confront the main force of the Ming army head-on, and he would take the opportunity to bring along the Uriankhai to attack Liaodong.
If we can break through Shanhaiguan, the capital will be in our hands.
Even if we fail to capture it, we can still make a lot of money by looting Liaodong.
Let the Wala and Ming armies consume each other. Even if Yesen wins, they will be at the end of their strength by then. No matter what the result is, it will be beneficial to us.
The two leaders each had their own thoughts and preparations.
A scout hurriedly dismounted and came to the golden tent.
"What?"
Tuotuobuhua was also shocked when he heard the news.
Boyan was the most outstanding warrior on the grassland, how could he be defeated so completely?
"You saw it with your own eyes?"
The scout replied, "Great Khan, the news is absolutely true. Grand Tutor Yesen has already assembled a large army and is preparing to march south!"
Tuotuobuhua nodded. It seemed that he had underestimated the fighting effectiveness of the Ming army.
After careful consideration, it is a wise move to attack Liaodong. Let's leave the frontal battlefield to the Oirat tribe!
"In this case, we must also prepare. Pass the order down, and all tribes must gather their troops. In one month, we will march to Liaodong!"
…
Liaodong, Daning City.
Aerqiman, the commander of the Doyan Guard, looked at the two secret letters in front of him and fell into deep thought.
A handwritten letter from the Emperor Zhengtong from the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
The other letter came from Yingchang in Mobei, and was signed by Toghtobuha, Khan of the Yuan Dynasty.
This... makes it very difficult to decide!
Once upon a time, Doyanwei was a descendant of Genghis Khan's general Jerme and a genuine Mongolian.
But later, they found that it was not bad to follow the Ming Dynasty. During the Jingnan Rebellion, some of their clansmen followed Prince Yan in a successful rebellion, and were rewarded and officially became citizens of the Ming Dynasty.
I thought these people would be ostracized when they arrived in the Central Plains, but I didn't expect that people there didn't care about bloodline at all. As long as you integrate into the community, no matter if you are Han or Mongolian, you will be treated equally.
In the three guards of Doyan, there are also many intermarriages between Mongolians and Han people. After living together for a long time, there is no difference.
The door curtain was lifted, and a young man came in and said, "Father, the two messengers have been settled separately, you see..."
This person was none other than Aerqiman's only son, Hua Dang, who served as the commander-in-chief of the Duoyan Guard.
A'erqiman raised his head, scratched his head again, and asked, "Hua Dang, what do you think... we should do?"
Although Hua Dang is young, he has a calm personality. Whenever there are important matters in the Wei Army, Aerqiman is willing to discuss them with his son.
"What does father think?"
Hua Dang did not rush to express his opinion, but threw the question back.
A'erqiman smiled helplessly and said, "Of course I don't want to offend either side, but I'm afraid I can't do it this time."
"Father is right. Not only can we not stay out of this matter, it will even affect the future of the three guards of Duoyan. Why not call the commanders of Taining and Fuyu guards over and discuss it together."
"Of course I have to invite them over, but I still want to hear your opinion first."
Hua Dang sat opposite A'erqiman and said, "In this case, I will tell you what I think. If what I say is wrong, please don't blame me, father."
"But you can say it!"
"Last year, the Oirat leader Yesen raided the Datong and Xuanfu areas, and the Ming army was defeated. However, the situation was suddenly reversed at Tumubao. It is said that this was a tactic arranged by their emperor himself. Later, the Ming emperor personally led 3,000 people into the heart of the grassland and killed the Oirat rear. Nowadays, when the herdsmen on the grassland hear the words "legitimate emperor of the Ming Dynasty", even the children dare not cry."
A'erqiman nodded, motioning for him to continue.
"After returning to Beijing, this orthodox emperor acted decisively. He first arrested all the Shanxi merchants who had liaisons with the Oirat people. A month ago, he also caught all the Tatar spies who had entered the country from Liaodong. My son had a spy who had escaped the catastrophe and brought back very important intelligence."
Aerqiman immediately asked: "What information?"
"The Ming army is creating a new type of firearm with great power!"
"artillery?"
Hua Dang shook his head and said, "He only knew that the Ming army's firearms test base was in Xishan, but it was heavily guarded. He tried various means but could never get close."
"How does he know it's so powerful since he can't get close to it?"
"This person's neighbor has a son who works at the Xishan Quarry. It is said that the firearms experimental base is near the quarry, and huge explosions can be heard every day."
"You mean, the Ming army deliberately blocked the news and launched a large-scale crackdown on Tatar spies because they were worried that the information about the new firearms would be leaked?"
"This is just one of the reasons. However, in my son's opinion, this emperor is no ordinary person and will achieve great things in the future."
A'erqiman disagreed and said, "He is just a child emperor. It is said that he is very fond of eunuchs. When he led the army to fight in person, it was that eunuch who fanned the flames. What can he do?"
"That eunuch's name is Wang Zhen. Father may not know this, but the baby emperor you are talking about has already killed Wang Zhen, and has also investigated all of Wang Zhen's followers. It is said that when they searched his house, they found 30 million taels of gold and silver!"
A'erqiman gasped. Thirty million taels, that was only a few of the annual revenues for the Ming Dynasty's treasury. This Wang Zhen was really greedy!
"Hua Dang, is your information reliable? You just said that our current decision concerns the future of the three guards of Duoyan, so we must not be careless!"
"Don't worry, father. This information has been verified repeatedly by my son and is absolutely reliable!"
A'erqiman pondered for a long time, but still couldn't make a decision. He frowned and said, "It's a pity that no one has seen the mysterious firearms of the Ming army with their own eyes. I don't know how powerful they are ..."