Chapter 56 Lin Dan Sweats

  The news of T?mür's envoy seeking help reached Liaodong.

  As expected by Fan Yongdou, Yaketobeile asked the eight merchant households to do their best to help the Tumote people hold on, he wanted to leave a dagger behind Chahar.

  For half a year, the Jurchen and Chahar people have been vying for control of the Mongol tribes in eastern Mongolia. The tyranny of Lin Dan Khan and the benevolence of Huang Taiji have completely split the Mongols of eastern Mongolia apart. Huang Taiji treated the surrendered Mongols extremely well, not only granting them pastures and livestock but also providing timely relief during years of disaster.

  Even so, the status of the Golden Family in the hearts of most Mongols is still under Changshengtian and above all living beings. For the Jurchen people, a unified Mongolia was a more terrifying opponent than the Great Ming.

  With the help of eight big families, this business became much simpler. The substantial capital, large merchant groups, and close relationship with the government were not something that Liu Quan's De Xiang Kui could match. However, Di Zhe insisted on pulling Liu Quan into this deal, allowing De Xiang Kui and Ping Kui to also get a small benefit from it.

  To avoid detection by the Chahar tribe, grain shipments and horse entries were carried out at night. The cargo teams took advantage of the darkness to cross mountains and ridges, rushing to the Han camp, with Meng Kang and Xiao Zhiyan escorting them along the way. Transporting such a large amount of goods was not an overnight task. Fan Yongdou took this opportunity to set up a branch of Dashenggui in the Kill Mouth, officially entering the Western Pass.

  De Xiang Kui and Ping Kui also benefited greatly from their cooperation with the eight big families, establishing a reputation in Shanxi's business community.

  Di Zhe and Fan Yongdu met twice, but did not meet his elder brother Di Tang.

  Grains are flowing out of the pass, and local people in Shanxi are suffering from famine everywhere. Those were exchanged with livestock on the grassland; there won't be free pies falling from the sky.

  In September, the Mongolian grasslands experienced several light rains, but for the parched earth, it was just a drop in the bucket.

  Lin Dan's memorial to the Ming court was like a stone sinking into the ocean, and together with Yu Chongzhen, the governor of Ji Le, being executed by lingchi, no one dared to mention the alliance with the Chahar Mongols again.

  At the end of September, Lin Danhan led 30,000 iron cavalry to surround Xinpingbao on the prairie adjacent to Datong Town, and the water was cut off. Wolf smoke rose everywhere. The governor of Xuan-Da, Zhang Zongheng, urgently ordered the commander-in-chief of Datong, Lou Kejing, to rescue him, and the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu, Dong Jishu, was on guard.

  Under Xinping Fort, Chahar cavalry surrounded and charged, blocking out the sky and sun.

  "Attack! Attack! Let the Great Ming taste the ferocity of my Chahar warriors!" Lin Dan's loud roar was hoarse, and he looked somewhat hysterical.

  "Great Khan, calm down! Great Khan, calm down!" Amur pleaded.

  Mongol cavalry first galloped under the castle and shot arrows, then lifted up simple wooden ladders to start attacking the fort.

  Xinpingbao is one of the most solid fortresses along the Great Wall, with years of renovation, high walls and thick walls. Chahar cavalry excels in riding and shooting, but lacks armor protection and has never been trained to attack cities.

  The defenders inside the fortress, led by Jiang Rong, fought to the death. Boiling water and excrement were poured down from the top of the city wall, and after three rounds of cannon fire, smoke filled the air. The Chahar people could not withstand it, the wooden ladders were burned, and countless people fell down.

  Amur, who was watching the battle, felt a pang of sorrow. Every man who died here was a hero from Chahar.

  This battle is meaningless, even if we capture Xingpingbao and Datong Prefecture, what can be done? The Ming dynasty has never yielded to the grasslands since its founding. Khan has been in power for over a decade, conquering east and west, with his sharp blade pointing at all directions, making all Mongolian tribes tremble with fear, turning against the Jurchen people, former brothers who became enemies under the blade of Chahar people, now this sharp knife is pointed at the former ally, the Ming dynasty.

  "I'd rather make an enemy of the whole world!"

  A Mu suddenly felt that he could no longer see the day when Da Han unified Mongolia.

  The Chahar people lacked siege engines and had no experience in besieging cities, so they failed to capture the Xiningbao Fortress for two consecutive days. On the third day, General Lu Kejing of Datong led a relief army to arrive thirty miles outside Xiningbao Fortress.

  The elite soldiers of Datong Town had long been buried in Beijing City by the time of Ji Si, and now there are no more soldiers who can fight. After receiving Zhang Zongheng's order, Lou Kejing was full of complaints. The literary-born governor-general did not understand military affairs, and as soon as the border war broke out, he would arbitrarily deploy troops to resist the enemy. Now, with tens of thousands of Mongolian iron cavalrymen, Datong Town has only 5,000 or 6,000 soldiers who can fight on the battlefield, how can they resist?

  Afraid of the enemy and refusing to fight, Xinping Fortress fell. Lou Kejing could not escape and was dismissed from office and exiled. He fought desperately against the enemy, but the outcome was no better. Perhaps he would even lose his life in the Yellow Springs.

  Checkmate!

  Lou Kejing didn't easily get to the position of Da Tong General, if it wasn't for the recent changes that led to many generals and deputy generals being punished and demoted, he wouldn't have risen through the ranks so quickly. Now the first person he wants to scold is Lin Danhan, who besieged Xinping Fort without reason, and secondly, he wants to scold Zhang Zongheng, the governor of Xuan Da, who clearly knew that there were tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry invading, but only allowed him to bring one town to provide reinforcements.

  Chahar scouts quickly found out about the Ming reinforcements and returned to camp to report.

  Lin Danhan heard that the Ming army was coming to reinforce and slightly calmed down, ordering his soldiers to temporarily stop attacking the city and prepare to battle the reinforcement troops.

  Amur could not help but persuade: "Great Khan, it is no longer possible to start a war at will. The Han people have a saying that even if the country is big and good at fighting, it will eventually perish. Now I see that Chahar is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Even if we defeat the Ming's reinforcements and take New Pingbao, it would be futile and useless, sacrificing brave soldiers for no reason. Let us retreat."

  Lin Dan was enraged and said: "I have humbly begged for mutual trade, but the Ming emperor has not responded at all. If we don't take down a few of his cities, where will the face of the Mongolian Khan be? The Han people are weak, why should we fear them?"

  Amur advised again: "Although the Han people are weak, the power of the Ming Dynasty is strong and cannot be matched by Chahar. The Jurchen in Liaodong are the enemies of Chahar."

  "You retreat for now, and watch me defeat the Ming reinforcement troops tomorrow, then break through Xingping Fortress."

  Lin Dan was extremely annoyed and if it weren't for Amur following him for many years, he would have already ordered the guards to throw him out.

  Amur's heart was as dead ashes, and he thought of the fact that more than a decade ago, Lin Dan Han had made Sharba Khutuktu the national teacher, changing from the Yellow Sect to the Red Sect. Many old men from Chahar had tried to dissuade him with their lives, but it was all in vain. The Khan's mind was made up and could not be changed. Changing to the Red Sect caused many Mongolian tribes to become estranged from Chahar. Even the Khalkha of the north and the three million households of the right wing, who had originally supported the Khan, gradually became distant from him and slowly turned towards the arms of the Jurchen people who believed in the Yellow Sect.

  A large contingent of Mongolian cavalry set out, leaving a detachment behind to besiege Xīnpíng Fort.

  As the day was already late, Lao Kejing did not dare to advance alone and led the Datong garrison troops to find a strategic location to camp, facing off against the Chahar cavalry from a distance.

  The weather is fine, and the moonlight on the grassland is bright.

  The Mongol army prepared for a second attack the next day. In the dead of night, two fast horses rushed from the eastern grasslands to the Chahar camp.

  At dawn, Lin Dan received a nightmarish message. The Mongol tribes of Khalkha, Four Oirats and Aru Khorchin were preparing to defect to the Manchu due to drought, and Huang Taiji promised to provide them with pastureland and even grain.

  Furious! Fuming like thunder! Ranting loudly! The vessels on the desk in Lin Dan's tent were flying everywhere, while the guards outside stood frozen like cicadas in winter.

  Amur rushed to the khan's tent and, disregarding the great khan's furious anger, remonstrated: "Great Khan, such actions by the Mongols of the eastern steppes absolutely cannot be allowed to succeed. If each department emulates them, there will no longer be a place for Chahar on the steppes."

  "That's right."

  "It would be better to mobilize a large army to go to the eastern desert and intimidate them, giving warnings to each department to calm their minds."

  Lin Dan Han remained silent for a long time before saying: "I know you don't want me to attack the Great Ming, this time I will listen to your advice."

  "Greatly admire your intelligence."

  Thirty thousand Chahar cavalry slowly retreated, and the Great Ming border fortress was filled with cheers.

  The defenders of Xinping Fortress barely escaped with their lives, and Lou Kejian found it hard to believe.

  "Great Victory at Xīnpíng Fort!" "Great Victory at Xīnpíng Fort!"

  The messenger knight rushed along the official road leading to Datong Prefecture, and General Lu Kejing of Datong did not fire a single arrow, and the good news was sent to the Ministry of War.