The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

The question before him also made Cui Yuan seem a little hesitant: "To fight or not?"

It was almost a question that didn't need to be asked at first, but as Cui Yuan noticed the evasive look on Zhu Feng's face, he, the coach, also became hesitant.

Even in front of the generals, he seemed to be a marginalized person without any opinion. Maybe he felt that only Zhu Feng's firmness could give him confidence.

Zhu Feng asked: "Didn't you say that as long as you get close, the Tatars will find out and run away?"

"Yes." Cui Yuan was not cryptic. "It's freezing and snowy right now. If we march during the day, we will definitely be discovered. Maybe we can only march at night, but it's very cold at night. The soldiers are afraid..."

Zhu Feng said: "I heard that when the Marquis of Weining made a surprise attack on Weininghai, he stayed in bed during the day and came out at night."

Cui Yuan asked: "You mean, we will march again at night?"

Zhu Feng thought for a while, shook his head and did not answer.

After hearing this, the general next to him immediately felt that the two men were a bit "evasive" in their words. They did not even discuss whether to send troops or not. Zhu Feng did not answer Cui Yuan's question directly.

"Two generals, now that we have discovered the Tatars, they may also discover us soon. According to the reports, we are only forty or fifty miles away from them. It is better to send out cavalry and attack the camp immediately. This is so good. The opportunity... is fleeting." A general expressed his personal opinion.

Cui Yuan also didn't expect that the military's willingness to fight would be so strong.

Zhu Feng asked: "How far?"

Cui Yuandao: "Forty or fifty miles, it's just an estimate. It may... be more than this number."

Zhu Feng said: "But it's not possible to march like this. It's freezing and snowy. The cavalry can only pass by slowly. They also have to set up the cannon and then blast them. But this way... it will be easier to be discovered."

Cui Yuan thought for a while, nodded and said: "Well, it seems that the only way to go now is to attack at night."

Zhu Feng suddenly thought of something and asked: "If we wrap ourselves in white things and approach them quietly, wouldn't it be better than marching at night? After all, in this snowy day, it is actually bright at night, too. It’s still easy to be discovered by the Tatars.”

"White...thing?" Cui Yuan was a little confused, or he couldn't keep up with Zhu Feng's rhythm. He asked, "Do you mean our heads are covered with snow?"

Zhu Feng smiled awkwardly.

He also suddenly realized that it seemed that Cui Yuan had not spent much time studying in Yanwu Hall, and had not experienced the military strategy classes and various battlefield environment rehearsals in Yanwu Hall, so naturally he would not have that kind of unbridled imagination. .

As for Zhu Feng, because he was a lecturer at the Yanwu Hall, he would sometimes arrange some strategic environments. Even if he had not discussed how to sneak attack in the snow, as Zhu Feng often participated in such discussions, he quickly developed his own ideas.

Zhu Feng said: "I mean, don't we have a lot of white tents in the army, as well as white cloth covers and clothes for the soldiers? Just use this, wrap it around the body and horses, and then put our men, horses and artillery Ship it over."

"what?"

Cui Yuan was shocked.

Does this work?

The general next to him immediately protested: "Master Marquis, if we dismantle all the tents, wouldn't it be..."

Just say, do you want to freeze us to death?

There are tents, and at least there is something to block the northwest wind. If the tents are dismantled, then even if we win the battle, we may freeze to death in the ice and snow.

Zhu Feng shook his head and said: "The tent cloth is too thick, just use ordinary cloth."

Cui Yuandao: "Marquis Anbian, you have to know that we didn't bring much white cloth. Even if we did, it might not be that wide. We want to wrap all the horses and horses with these white cloths, and we don't want to be discovered. Maybe...here. Without silver, you are hiding your ears and stealing your bell.”

After all, Cui Yuan is a scholar. When talking about things, he still pays attention to presenting facts and reasoning.

Zhu Feng seemed to be very insistent this time: "But we have no better way. Can we march at night? Now the opportunity is right in front of us, so why not give it a try. We don't need to cover many people, we just need to send our part Send the artillery over and fire a few shots at them, and the remaining troops will disperse to form an encirclement."

"This is... too paper-based." Cui Yuan seemed very hesitant.

Unknowingly, Cui Yuan's stubbornness started to rise again, just like when he had repeatedly competed with Zhu Hui, this time he was opposing Zhu Feng's opinions.

But he seems to have forgotten that he is the coach, and this team listens to him.

It sounded to the general that Consort Cui's mind was a little abnormal.

Zhu Feng said: "If it doesn't work and we are run away by the Tatars, it will be no different than us not going to fight. And if we deliberately avoid fighting, we will be impeached by ginseng when we go back."

"Ok?"

Cui Yuan was startled again.

He seemed to understand.

From a strategic perspective, given the current environment and the situation at hand, you can choose to fight or not fight.

But according to the Ming Dynasty's military law, if there is an enemy but does not fight, this is passive avoidance of war and will be punished.

Now Zhu Feng has clearly told him, aren't you still considering the issue of fighting or not fighting? You don't have to think about it, the environment now forces you to fight.

It's just that if you are discovered by the enemy on the way to march and scare them away, then you have no responsibility for this matter... The Tatars have all run away. It's not that we don't want to fight, but that the environment forces us to do so. what to do? We also scared the Tatars away, which can be regarded as boosting the military power, but at least we did not lose the face of Ming Dynasty. At least we weren't scared away first when we came up.

Cui Yuandao: "Then...then find all the white cloths that can be found with the army."

Zhu Feng said: "Let's cover a thousand soldiers and horses first."

"One thousand? Could it be...a little less?" Cui Yuan was still frightened.

Zhu Feng looked around at the glaring generals, smiled and cheered up the soldiers: "Brother Cui, did you forget that you led hundreds of troops to defeat the Tatars? You will definitely succeed this time. We must. No... you will lead the troops personally?"

When Cui Yuan heard this, he felt that you had no good intentions.

At this time, you are not available as the deputy commander, but you actually let me, the coach, personally lead the troops to the front line?

If it were anyone else, I would definitely let you know how powerful I am.

But if you are Zhu Zhijie...then forget it. Firstly, I feel inferior to you and need to rely on you. Secondly, I can't afford to offend your good friend Zhang Zhou. Thirdly...what you said makes sense. At this time, Only when the coach personally charges into battle can he assess the situation and make the best strategic arrangements.

At least in my mind, Mr. Cui, I have always felt that the head coach should take the lead. Otherwise, why would Zhu Hui, who likes to hide behind his back, have his house ransacked?

"Then... prepare the entire army to go on an expedition." Cui Yuandao, "While I'm away, everything will be based on the dispatch of Marquis Anbian. I... will lead the troops myself."

Zhu Feng nodded, feeling a little happy in his heart.

In this kind of war that could lead to death, Zhu Feng was also cautious. He didn't want to go to the battlefield in the first place. At this time, he should let the face-conscious Cui Yuan be used as cannon fodder.

……

……

Cui Yuan took more than 900 people, along with horses and chariots transporting artillery, and began to dispatch troops from a sheltered valley position. Because the surroundings are basically ice and snow, all white, and Cui Yuan and the people on the road are also covered with white cloth, especially the people walking in front, basically only showing a pair of eyes, and those behind The other ones were just covered in a hurry because the cannon body was too big and the white cloth was not enough.

In this way, from a few miles away, it can basically blend in with the white snow, but if you get closer, you can still detect clues.

Even so, Cui Yuan's troops still had to go to some mountainous areas, or to some high places or sheltered places to avoid being noticed by the Tatars to the greatest extent.

More than 900 people, accompanied by more than 400 horses, headed for the Tatar camp.

Not long after they walked out, the cavalry dragging the artillery behind them started to have problems one after another.

"General, something's happened."

A Baihu who was transporting artillery from behind came over and complained to Cui Yuan about the difficulty, "Some of the ropes were soaked in snow and broke easily. Moreover, some wheels had been frozen...the ropes broke as soon as they were pulled. ... Others just fell into the snow.”

Cui Yuandao: "This is all snow. You can run away by pulling it, and you can still get stuck in it?"

"The snow is so deep in some places that even people, not to mention cannons, will get in. Now the horses behind are tied together with ropes to prevent some horses from getting into the snow pit and being unable to get out."

"Is it so...serious?"

Cui Yuan felt like his head was getting big.

He was completely tricked by Zhu Feng.

The good guy actually came up with such a bad idea, asking him, as the coach, to abandon the large troops and escort the artillery to the front line to launch cold shots?

A general next to him said: "Fortunately, this is during the day. If it were at night... the consequences would be disastrous."

"Oh?"

Cui Yuan was stunned at first, and then he understood what the general meant.

Marching in broad daylight is prone to various accidents. Now we just fall into a snow pit, and the people around us can help pull us out... What if it's night? Some places are directly on cliffs, and the Tatars may even use them to dig traps and cover them with snow...

Cui Yuandao: "It's right to march during the day. But..."

He wanted to say that there was no need to march and just avoid it.

Thinking of Zhu Feng's previous reminder to avoid fighting, he also understood that he could not give in now. In the end, he could only shake his head and sigh.

"Has there been any news from Ye Bushou?" Cui Yuan asked.

"Not yet." An adjutant said, "According to what we have discovered before, the Tatars are twenty or thirty miles away. It may only be part of them. If we arrive and fall into a tight siege, and Anbianhou and the others are unable to reinforce them, they will Won't……"

"Don't say such depressing words! Find a way to continue walking quickly. I'll go over and take a look."

Cui Yuan scolded and got off the horse. Only then did he realize that the snow under his feet was still very thick. When he stepped into it with his boots, he felt a sense of unknown fear.

Who knows whether the road ahead is a real road or a deep pit?

"Tell the people behind you to just walk along one line and let the explorers in front tie up ropes. We must arrive before dark." Cui Yuandao.

The adjutant said: "Uncle, just for this day, it would be good to be able to march thirty miles in one day, but we only have more than half a day, and we have to walk forty or fifty miles, will it be..."

Cui Yuanha said in a tone: "There is only one opportunity, we can't miss it. Even if the Tatars really run away, we can go back with a clear conscience, but if we procrastinate, we will be more likely to be discovered by the Tatars. Don't you want to make contributions? ?”

"Yes." The adjutant quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake.

"Go, go."

Cui Yuan waved his hand and found that his hand was frozen.

Looking at the soldiers on foot, I immediately realized that this was what happened to me who didn't have to walk on his own. Those soldiers who walked in the snow for a long time probably had snow in their boots. Doesn't it mean that many people will suffer from frostbite? ?

"Ugh!"

Cui Yuan sighed heavily, as if he also knew that there was nothing else he could care about at this moment, and he could only walk to the dark side.

……

……

Finally, before sunset, the people in front told Cui Yuan that the Tatar camp was in the valley less than three miles ahead.

Cui Yuan personally took the man and the telescope through the thick snow to a small forest. From a relatively high place, he looked through the telescope and almost stunned himself when he saw it.

I saw a series of tents standing upright, and a large number of cattle and sheep were penned up. Many men, women, and children wearing sheepskin jackets that were no different from animals were helping to clean up the camp. Some were even clearing the surrounding snow...

"How many people must be here?"

Cui Yuan, the prisoner on the ground, muttered.

Looking further into the distance with a telescope, there was no one on horseback. Apparently the Tatars also cherish their horses, knowing that riding horses in such weather can easily cause the horses to fall and get injured.

"General..."

A school lieutenant came over, leaned behind the tree trunk, and whispered, "The cannon is already being transported here, but we can't find a good location. If we show up, they will find...the terrain in that place is very low. "

Cui Yuandao: "They are hiding to prevent us from finding them. Isn't it normal to find a valley to stay in? You can't hit them with cannons here, right?"

After all, Cui Yuan was not a top student at Yanwu Hall. He had only studied there briefly, and he actually didn't know much about the performance of artillery.

The captain said: "This place is more than three miles away. Unless we use heavy artillery, we will definitely not be able to hit it. This time we only brought a lot of cannons and light artillery. If we fight, it is best to fight within one mile." .”

"What if we send a group of people to attract them?" Cui Yuan began to wonder.

"General, if we show up, they will... run away, right?"

"There are only a few hundred of us, but there are so many of them, and they run away when they see us? Isn't there any discussion? It doesn't make sense..."

Cui Yuan is thinking about it.

If you show up and really scare the opponent away, it seems to be a "great achievement". At least two things, one is that you don't have to worry about dying, and the other is that you can have a truce and go back to find your own aunt.

"Wait for it to get dark." Cui Yuan looked at the sky. "It will get dark in a short while, so we can rush out quickly. And we also have to wait for Marquis Anbian. He will mobilize his troops to form an encirclement." needs time."

"General, I'm afraid that it will be too late for Anbian Hou, and the subsequent army actions will be more likely to be noticed by them."

"So we have to wait!"

Cui Yuan also looked very impatient and said, "If you go out like this, you will be discovered. Is there any better way besides hiding? Although there are many Tatars, they are also very scattered. You may not gain much if you shoot them. Just look. Why did they run away, why did we chase them?" (End of Chapter)