Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 632
Turning over the map, it is not difficult to see that Ordos is actually a commanding height on the Mongolian Plateau facing Shaanxi and Ningxia. Once the nomads gain a foothold here, they will form a pressure on the northern Shaanxi Plateau and the Yinchuan Plain. The rolling cavalry that poured down was enough to crush all resistance into powder in an instant.The Northern Shaanxi Plateau is better. The broken Loess Plateau restricts the performance of the nomadic cavalry, coupled with the extremely aggressive folk customs, it can barely support it, but the Yinchuan Plain will not work. Once the Ordos Plateau is lost, the Yinchuan Plain will also be It can't be kept, and if the Yinchuan Plain is lost, the entire Hetao Plain will be submerged by the howling barbarian cavalry. This is why for 2000 years, the Han people know that the Hetao Plain is fertile and suitable for farming and animal husbandry. The beauty of the pastoral songs, but the reasons why they have never made great efforts to manage the Hetao Plain, include the Ming Dynasty who owned the entire Ningxia—the Ming Dynasty only controlled the Yinchuan Plain, but did not manage the wider Xitao and Houtao.It's not that I don't want this land, but it's too difficult to defend.

If you want to conquer the Hetao Plain, you must first conquer the Ordos Plateau.

However, the Ordos Plateau is an out-and-out devil's triangle area, which discourages powerful dynasties.Not to mention the infantry regiments from inside the pass, even the nomads who were born and raised outside the Great Wall regard the Ordos Plateau as a forbidden land. In the 2000-year-long repeated game between the Han people and the nomads, no one side has ever really occupied it. After crossing the Ordos Plateau, at most, we can pick a few better locations to build a few forts, and then claim to control the entire plateau - this approach is exactly the same as that of the Zhuang family who extended the territory of the Yuan Empire all the way to the Arctic Ocean. Anyway, No one will jump out to oppose it, and it is not in vain.The biggest problem of this ghost place is the lack of water resources. There are almost no rivers on the surface. There are only a few lakes dotted among the grasslands and deserts. However, since there is no water source to replenish, and there is no estuary flood lake water to drain, nine out of ten of these lakes are The saltwater lake, if anyone is crazy thirsty and runs there to drink a couple of mouthfuls, the taste will definitely be unforgettable for a lifetime.In addition, the erratic climate of the Ordos Plateau is also an extremely severe challenge. In such an extreme climate, farming is impossible and crops cannot be grown at all. Grazing also faces great challenges, because even It is not easy for pasture to grow.

Neither farming nor grazing is possible. Whether it is farming civilization or nomadic civilization, it is extremely difficult to occupy it and gain a firm foothold on it.The extremely scarce water resources and the harsh and changeable climate have won the Ordos Plateau the nickname of "Devil's Triangle", which is only sideways but not domineering.However, even the "Devil's Triangle" can't scare the Tianxiong Army. Since Lu Xiangsheng has made up his mind to take down the entire Hetao Plain, he will not allow the Mongols to occupy such an important commanding height. , It was a blitzkrieg, taking down the Ordos Department, which had been severely injured by Qian Yu as early as June, with lightning speed, and firmly grasped this strategic commanding height in his own hands!

The Tianxiong army looked like a lion waking up from a deep sleep. It stood up and stretched its muscles and bones, and its bloodthirsty eyes were fixed on the Mongolian prairie.

The Mongolian prairie is about to usher in a terrible bloody storm.

The common people living in the border area quickly sensed the abnormal smell. They were surprised to see the knights in fiery red military uniforms continuously transferred from Weiyuan, Lingqiu, Bashang Grassland and other places, converging on the post road. There was a stream of fire, and a larger number of infantry packed their rucksacks and their rifles, left the military camp, and quickly marched to the side wall under the guidance of military flags.The autumn sun shone on the bayonet, reflecting a cold light.As for the rocket launcher and 85mm howitzer, they were disassembled into parts and loaded onto the vehicle. Together with the load of shells, they were pulled by strong camels and creaked along the specially reinforced road.From Datong to Yinchuan, the battle clouds are densely covered, and the murderous aura rushes into the night!
A group of thousands of infantry marched through the streets of Datong City with uniform steps, without squinting, silently, their young and stern faces were sharpened by the wind and sand outside the Great Wall. The eyes give people an unparalleled sense of oppression.On the second floor of the teahouse by the street, Bao Chengxian lay down at the window, watched the army without blinking, and frowned.

The equipment of this army is really strange!

The steel helmet, the breastplate made of steel in the linen vest pocket, the well-polished boots, the meticulously tied knapsack, and the sapper's shovel strapped to the outside of the knapsack surprised him, but most of all What surprised him was the equipment configuration of these infantry. They all carried only one musket, and the most common weapons such as shields, spears, crossbows, and horizontal knives were not even a shadow.By the way, those infantrymen still have a dog-leg-shaped scimitar more than a foot long pinned to their waists. This kind of scimitar is sharp enough, but isn't it too short for a frontal fight on the battlefield?

"The guy surnamed Lu really intends to use these infantrymen who don't even have a spear to fight recklessly with the Tumed troops on the grassland?" Bao Chengxian couldn't believe it.This is really too stupid, are cavalry so easy to deal with?An infantry regiment equipped with countless spears, large shields, strong bows and crossbows, and even cavalry can easily be overwhelmed by nomadic light cavalry on the grassland. Let a group of infantry with only muskets fight the cavalry on the grassland. What is the difference between courting death?Don't forget, muskets are very slow to reload, and the barrel is easy to get hot. After firing two or three shots at most, the cavalry will rush in front of them. With the infantry's weapon configuration, once the cavalry rushes over, wait for their attack. , will only be a one-sided massacre!Lu Xiangsheng is also a famous general who has experienced many battles, how could he make such a low-level mistake?
Fan Yongdou drank tea leisurely, and sneered sinisterly: "The surname Lu was lucky enough to win a few battles, and he couldn't tell the east from the west, and the north from the south. He thought this was also Lushun or Zhending Mansion, so he could come here wherever he wanted. Humph, let a group of infantry armed only with firecrackers fight to the death with the cavalry on the grassland? Thanks to him for thinking it out!"

The team of cavalry had all passed by. Bao Chengxian returned to his seat, drank a sip of tea, and sighed: "I really can't think of where he got his confidence! I have never seen an army equipped with only one weapon. Court death!" The muskets of the Tianxiong Army are very powerful, and he already knew this, but every time the Tianxiong Army has to fight under the cover of the spear formation, it is easy to be defeated if they fight alone, it is impossible for Lu Xiangsheng not to Know.However, he stayed here and watched for two days. The infantry in the past were only equipped with muskets, as if the Tianxiong Army had only such a weapon left. It was incredible!He shook his head vigorously, pushed these messy thoughts to the back of his mind, and asked, "Has the pigeon been released?"

Fan Yongdou said: "It has been released a long time ago. The Tumote Department knows exactly how many troops surnamed Lu will use and which direction to attack. What awaits him and his army will be a net of heaven and earth. It's easy to pass, but it's hard to come back!" His expression became extremely ghastly, and every word he said was filled with endless hatred, and his tone was like the hissing sound of a poisonous snake spitting out a letter, which made people feel chills all over: "The man surnamed Lu came to Xuanda, robbed us of good land and beautiful houses, and cut off our sources of income. Isn't it his army that he relied on? He was so domineering that he almost wiped out the entire Shanxi gentry group in less than a year. The offense is clean, everyone is watching with wide eyes, waiting to see his jokes! Once he loses, all the gentry in Shanxi will attack him. If he can bite him, he will bite him, even if he can't kill him. Blood dripping!"

Bao Chengxian murmured: "No, if this battle is lost, the surname Lu will be dead... He not only offended the nobles in Shanxi, but also offended the important officials in the center! Now he has a strong army, No one can do anything about him, but once his army is wiped out, his end will come!"

The Tianxiong army gathered at the border, and there were also countless light cavalry on the grassland slowly rushing through the Tumo River like a storm, and the atmosphere at the border suddenly became extremely tense.In Datong, in Yulin, and in the Yinchuan Plain, everyone's eyes widened in horror and anticipation, carefully observing the wind and grass here.Perhaps in Lu Xiangsheng's view, the purpose of the Tianxiong Army's battle was to thwart the Tatars' attempt to plunder the Nine Borders and to preserve the fruits of their one-year labor. The army is going to a decisive battle with the Tartars, and this battle is bound to shed blood, so how can people not be worried?
Don't worry, the Tianxiong Army started to move step by step after completing the assembly.Lei Shisheng and Zu Dabi led 100 infantry cavalry and passed through Datong, Zhangjiakou, and Shahukou. Qian Yu led the most powerful cavalry group of the Tianxiong Army to quietly move to Yulin, and marched along the Qinzhi Road to the Ordos Plateau.On the other side of the Yinchuan plain, the little prince Ezhe led [-] cavalry from his headquarters and [-] Mongolian knights conscripted from the Mongolian tribes who moved into Yinchuan. The spearhead of the turbulent turbidity attack is heading towards Wuhai. The fiery red uniform of the Tianxiong Army is particularly conspicuous on the autumn grassland. Use "magnificent" to describe it.It can be said that since the fiasco of the civil fortress, there has not been such a grand event at the border for more than [-] years.

Outside the border wall, countless Mongolian cavalry wearing smelly leather armor and holding scimitars and horned bows were gathering like dark clouds. The Tianxiong Army's tough attitude of attacking with attack made them angry———— According to the script, you should huddle behind the border wall and resist bitterly, and be led around by our noses. How can you leave the border wall to fight us?They vowed to show some color to these guys who didn't follow the script!
Coincidentally, the Tianxiong Army also vowed to give these bandits some color.As for who will open the dyeing workshop for the three-point color, the outcome will soon be known.

PS: I said, can you be more polite!Didn't your mother teach you how to speak?My tolerance for foul language is limited, don't mess with me!

(End of this chapter)