Chapter Fifteen: Expedition into the Desert

  Zhu Yuanzhang had formulated an almost perfect plan, and all the famous generals under him participated in this action plan. He gathered 150,000 troops, appointed Xu Da as the General of the Expeditionary Army, Li Wenzhong as the Left Deputy General, and Feng Sheng as the Right Deputy General, each leading 50,000 soldiers, marching out in three routes.

  Among them, Xu Da took the middle road, went out of Yanmen Pass to attack Helin, and along the way spread the propaganda that they would drive Wang Baobao and the Northern Yuan Emperor out of their hometown. However, this was just a ruse, his real goal was to lure the Yuan army into battle and annihilate the enemy in a field battle. This plan can illustrate two points: first, at that time, the Ming army's strength had become quite formidable, and they could engage in a decisive battle with the Yuan army in the open; second, Zhu Yuanzhang's military thinking had reached a very high level, namely, taking the annihilation of the enemy's effective forces as the main objective, which was extremely rare.

  Furthermore, Li Wenzhong took the right route, exited through Juyong Pass and approached Helin, launching a surprise attack when Xu Da's army clashed with the Yuan army, cutting off the Yuan army's rear. He then joined forces with Xu Da to strike the Yuan army.

  Feng Sheng took the western route, attacking Gansu. He had no fixed strategic goal, only to create a diversion. It can be said that this route was basically for sightseeing and incidentally looting war spoils.

  Zhu Yuanzhang's strategic deployment had a main attack, auxiliary attack, and feint, with multiple routes of attack. Once the timing was right, they could launch a three-pronged attack. It can be called a perfect military plan.

  But as we said before, the changes on the battlefield are really too fast, and no one can fully grasp them, not even outstanding military strategists like Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da.

  The time for expedition has arrived, among the three generals, Feng Sheng's mood is the most depressed, because he thinks his military ability is not bad, but only plays a supporting role, while Xu Da and Li Wenzhong are quite arrogant, as the main character of the war, this battle must be won to defeat the Northern Yuan!

  Feng Sheng, actually you don't have to be discouraged at all, because in war, the main character and supporting character are often swapped.

  In the fifth year of Hongwu, on January 22nd, the three armies took different routes to attack Northern Yuan, awaiting them were different fates.

  Before the expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang let the main generals choose their vanguard. Unexpectedly, Xu Da chose a relatively inexperienced general. This person was the brother-in-law of Chang Yuchun, who was his old partner. Many people speculated that Xu Da had taken the back door and deliberately allowed this person to make achievements in order to comfort Chang Yuchun for not being able to go on the expedition. Since the Northern Yuan army was very powerful during this expedition, many people thought it would be a sure victory, and everyone wanted to rush to achieve merits. They were all dissatisfied with Xu Da's use of personal relationships.

  They underestimated Xu Da too much, he is the real number one general of the Ming Dynasty, using troops like a god, and being fair to people. The reason why he chose this person to go on an expedition was only because this person was indeed the most suitable candidate.

  This person is Lan Yu!

  Feng Sheng, who was also depressed, chose his vanguard, Fu Youde, a real legendary figure who seemed to have never lost a battle before, but due to the lack of opportunities to show off, his reputation was far less than that of Guo Xing and others. Feng Sheng's choice of him as vanguard seemed to be a bit desperate.

  The choices of these two people have largely saved this unsuccessful expedition, which can only be described as "accidentally planting a willow tree".

  In the fifth year of Hongwu (1372), on February 29, Xu Da's army entered Shanxi Province. Lan Yu led the cavalry as vanguard and was the first to exit Yanmen Pass. His luck was good, and he encountered Wang Baobao's cavalry at Wild Horse River (now Khulunbuir, Inner Mongolia). Lan Yu fought bravely and defeated Wang Baobao in one battle. This was Wang Baobao's first defeat.

  On March 20th, Lanyu pursued through the night and reached Tuocha River (now Ulan Bator in western Mongolia).

  Attack Wang Baobao again, Wang Baobao was defeated and fled northward. This is the second retreat of Wang Baobao.

  Xu Da and Lan Yu were both excited, in their view, defeating Wang Baobao was only a matter of tomorrow!

  But at this time, Wang Baobao finally waited for his opportunity to avenge and revenge. As early as a month ago, he received the news of the Ming army's expedition. After careful consideration of his own military strength, he correctly recognized that his military talent was not as good as Xu Da, and his army's combat effectiveness was not as good as the Ming army cavalry. He could not fight against the Ming army head-on, and if he fought, he would definitely lose. To defeat the Ming army, he could only use ambushes.

  To achieve this goal, he and General He Zongphi set up an ambush in Lingbei (now northern Inner Mongolia). So at the beginning of the battle, he continuously sent troops to contact the Ming army, intentionally losing battles. Blue Jade was a calm-headed general, he did not advance alone, but waited for Xu Da's arrival. At this time, Xu Da had also been blinded by victory and fell into the trap.

  On May 6, Wang Baobao suddenly appeared in Lingbei, and Xu Da immediately led his troops to pursue him. When he entered the mountainous area of Lingbei, He Zongzhe suddenly appeared and launched a surprise attack on the Ming army. Due to being unprepared, the Ming army suffered a great defeat, with over 10,000 casualties. At this time, Wang Baobao and He Zongzhe joined forces, preparing to annihilate Xu Da's large army in one fell swoop.

  But Xu Da was after all Xu Da, and the subjects he learned in fourth grade saved him. In extremely unfavorable circumstances, he steadied the situation with unimaginable rationality and composure, safely withdrawing his troops and building fortifications to block Wang Baobao's dozens of attacks. Lan Yu was very brave in battle, covering the army's retreat several times and showing his quality as a famous general.

  Wang Baobao looked at the cooked duck flying away and could only sigh to the sky, this life can't surpass Xu Da!

  At the same time as Xu Da's defeat in the middle road, Li Wenzhong's military action also fully demonstrated the accuracy of the proverb "disaster does not come alone". On June 29th, Li Wenzhong led his troops to arrive at Kouwen (now Chagan Nur in Inner Mongolia), and the Yuan army retreated. Li Wenzhong seemed to have been infected by Xu Da and began to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly. He left the baggage train behind and personally led the main force to pursue the Yuan army lightly.

  Li Wenzhong was not without strategic consideration, his military characteristics were in a word "fast", if Xu Da was like a marathon runner with meticulous planning, Li Wenzhong was a sprinter, at Yingchang, he created a record of breaking the city in one day, this time, he found that the Yuan army had no defense, so he boldly pursued, aiming to annihilate the Yuan army in one fell swoop.

  When he chased to the Aru Khun River (now northwest of Ulan Bator, Mongolia), he finally found the defeated Yuan army, only to find that it was a bit different from what he had imagined. This unit did not have the appearance of fleeing wolves and fatigue, but instead they were all vigorous and eager to try.

  Seems like I've been cheated.

  The army was led by General Bayan Temur, a very capable general who adopted the same strategy as Wang Baobao, luring the main force of the Ming army to attack and then seeking an opportunity for a decisive battle. At this time, Li Wenzhong's army had been pursuing continuously for several days and was extremely tired, while the Yuan army used small forces to lure them in, but the main force got sufficient rest. They had been waiting for Li Wenzhong here for a long time.

  It's come to this, no need to say anything else, let's fight!

  Li Wenzhong was indeed formidable. In extremely unfavorable circumstances, he personally led his troops to engage with the Yuan army, fighting fiercely for several days and unexpectedly defeating the Yuan army, killing tens of thousands of enemies, but also suffering significant casualties on the Ming side. At this point, they had already saved face and should have retreated. But Li Wenzhong was not someone to be trifled with.

  He led the army with surprising willpower and command ability to pursue the enemy to Chenghai (now Khalkha Lake in Mongolia), determined to wipe out the Yuan soldiers. The Yuan general, Manzi Haxi Zhang, knew he was in big trouble, having provoked this evil star, and had already ordered his troops to retreat to avoid Li Wenzhong.

  Unexpectedly, Li Wenzhong was too deceitful and didn't give any face, chasing all the way, determined to not stop until he took his own life. As the saying goes, a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a human! The Yuan army immediately formed a decisive battle array, intending to fight a decisive battle with the Ming army. Although Li Wenzhong was brave and fierce, he wasn't stupid, seeing that the Yuan army was about to risk everything, he retreated his troops and built a camp, defending himself against the Yuan army. The Yuan army was shocked and didn't understand why this guy who had been chasing them for hundreds of miles suddenly stopped fighting. However, they were also afraid of the Ming army's cunning plans and didn't dare to make any rash moves. Both sides thus reached a stalemate. Not long after, Li Wenzhong discovered that their food was insufficient, so he withdrew his troops in a grandiose manner, making it seem like a parade. The Yuan army saw him being so arrogant and thought there must be an ambush, so they didn't dare to pursue. Li Wenzhong thus returned triumphantly.

  Xu Da and Li Wenzhong achieved their goal of defeating the Yuan army to some extent, but at most it can only be considered a draw, not a victory.

  The Western Route Army, which was initially considered the least promising, created a miracle. The creator of this miracle was Fu Dong.

  The direction of the Western Route Army's advance was Lanzhou. After arriving in Lanzhou, Feng Sheng made a decision to divide the troops!

  Because this time his task was just a diversion, there were no combat tasks, and 50,000 people under his command were idle, so it's better to let them do something. But Feng Sheng was after all a first-rate military commander, who knew that dispersing troops in the vast desert was a taboo, so he only gave Fu Youde 5,000 men. What's more surprising is that he didn't give Fu Youde a clear strategic task either, which can't be blamed on Feng Sheng, because he himself didn't have a specific strategic task.

  In my opinion, Feng Sheng seems to be watching his 50,000 subordinates having nothing to do, letting them go out for a stroll.

  Five thousand men are indeed not many, but it depends on whose hands they are in. Once these soldiers were in Fu Youde's hands, they became a formidable force.

  The Magical Fu Yude

  He did not shrink back because of his own inferior military strength. After assessing the current situation, he personally led 5,000 cavalry to attack Xiliang (now Wuwei, Gansu) and defeated Yuan General Shi Cilie.

  After winning, Fu Youde did not stop, attacking Yongchang (now in Gansu), defeating Yuan Taibei Duerzhiba and killing thousands of enemies. Two victories.

  At this time, Feng Sheng finally saw Fu Youde's strength and boldly handed over the main force to Fu Youde. For Fu Youde, this was like adding wings to a tiger. He personally led the army to attack the Yuan army again at Saolin Mountain (now north of Jiayuguan, Gansu), capturing Ping Zhang, a high-ranking official of the Yuan dynasty, and killing more than 500 Yuan soldiers, achieving three victories.

  At this time, the Mongol army in Gansu fell into extreme panic. They heard from all sides that there was a madman named Fu Youde who would fight whenever he saw the Mongols and had never lost a battle. They were extremely afraid and could only pray to heaven for protection, hoping that this madman wouldn't come looking for trouble with them.

  However, Fu Youde was like a wound-up alarm clock and couldn't stop. On June 3rd, he continued to attack, this time it was Yuan general Shangdu who was unlucky enough to encounter Fu Youde, resulting in his entire army being defeated and himself captured and surrendering. Four victories.

  On June 11, Fu Yongde's army attacked Yijinai Road (now Ejina Banner, Inner Mongolia), and the Yuan general Bayantemur heard that Fu Yongde was coming, and he didn't even have the courage to resist, so he immediately opened the city and surrendered.

  Fu Youde's army continued to advance and encountered the main force of the Yuan army led by Wang Duoerji at Biedu Mountain Pass. Fu Youde didn't say a word, and as soon as they met, he attacked, defeating more than 10,000 Yuan soldiers and capturing over 20 civil and military officials. Wang Duoerji escaped alone. Six victories.

  He then led his troops to pursue to Guazhou (now Gansu Anxi), defeated the local Mongolian army, and captured a large number of war spoils such as cattle and sheep. Seven victories.

  They continued to fight until October, and due to the large number of spoils obtained, it seriously affected the speed of the army's advance. The Yuan army was already frightened, seeing the Western Route Army fleeing without a battle. On the 24th, the Ming army returned to the court.

  In the five months from May to October, the Yuan army suffered greatly. Fu Youde led tens of thousands of troops from Gansu to Mongolia, sweeping everything before them and repeatedly routing the Yuan army. The Yuan army was both fearful and hateful, unable to win in battle and unable to escape, living every day in terror.

  Fu Youde led tens of thousands of troops into the Northern Yuan territory, sweeping across the land unimpeded, and no one could stop him! It is truly admirable to later generations, and his undefeated legend in seven battles was thus recorded in history.

  In November, the Central Route Army led by Xu Da and the Right Route Army led by Li Wenzhong also withdrew due to unfavorable battle conditions. In this Northern Expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang did not achieve his goal of eliminating the Northern Yuan, while the Northern Yuan recognized the strength of the Ming, and both sides entered a stalemate. The legendary first generation of famous generals of the Ming Dynasty came to an end, and they would soon face their future fate.

  This stalemate was broken more than a decade later, and the person who broke it was Lan Yu, who grew up in this Northern Expedition.