***
On the northern shore of the Caspian Sea, the vast Kipchak steppe stretches here, with green grass and wild flowers everywhere, full of vitality.
The Ural River originates in the southern Ural Mountains, flows southward and flows into the Caspian Sea. It is 4,800 miles long and is the fourth largest inland river in the world. Together with the Ural Mountains, it serves as the dividing line between Asia and Europe.
In the border of the Qin Dynasty drawn up by Qin Mu, the Ural River was also regarded as the boundary river, and all areas east of the river would be included in the territory of the Qin Dynasty.
However, to complete the great plan of the Qin Emperor, repeated baptisms of blood and fire are needed.
At this moment, the Kazakh middle tent, small tent and the Ottoman Empire's army, totaling 90,000 troops, gathered on the banks of the Ural River.
The Ottoman Governor of the Greater Caucasus, Arterius, stood on the top of the city of Atyrau, looking at the Ural River flowing south outside the city with a cold gaze. Behind him was flying high a star-crescent flag, which was the symbol of the Ottoman Empire.
Buter Khan of the Kazakh Central Tent had long been impatient. Since late autumn last year, he was forced to hastily abandon his territory and rushed westward to the small tent on the northern shore of the Caspian Sea. He was always thinking about regaining his territory.
Butel Khan placed all his hopes on Arteris and urged him several times, but Arteris was busy with domestic political struggles. He claimed that it was not suitable for fighting in winter and was reluctant to send troops to fight a decisive battle with the Qin.
In this year, a huge political storm occurred within the Ottoman Empire. The regent queen mother, Kösem, who was also the Sultan's queen mother, was assassinated, marking the end of the feminist era in the Ottoman Empire.
With the support of several governors including Arterius, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, then 75 years old, became the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
The Grand Vizier is the highest-ranking minister below the Sultan, equivalent to the position of Prime Minister, and has absolute power of attorney. In principle, only the Sultan can remove this power.
The Grand Vizier holds the imperial seal, equivalent to the imperial seal of the Qin Dynasty, and can summon all viziers to participate in state affairs. The meeting place is called "Kubalti" (under the dome). Located in the Ottoman Topkapi Palace.
At present, the Caliph of the Ottoman Empire is still young, and the power of the Grand Vizier exceeds that of the Prime Minister, and is actually equivalent to that of the Regent. The entire empire is controlled by the Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha.
Köprülü Mehmed Pasha was a radical conservative law enforcer who tried hard to restore central power and the military strength of the empire. His son Köprülü Fachrühel Ahmed was the specific executor of his policies.
It can be said that the Koprulu family really wanted to revive the imperial power and strengthen centralization. This is also the reason why the Koprulu family was able to gain support from governors such as Artelius.
There is no doubt that now the new ruler of the empire needs a resounding victory to enhance his own prestige and consolidate the domestic political situation.
Therefore, without Buter Khan's urging, Artharius decided to go all out and deal a fatal blow to the Qin people.
The 90,000-man army was assembled and spread out for 20 to 30 miles under the city of Atyrau. It was as vast as a torrent and as far as the eye could see. The war horses were whistling, the swords and spears were shining in the sun, and the grand appearance of the army was so moving that Buter Khan and others were moved and their blood boiled.
The messenger cavalry galloped continuously, and the scout sentries continuously sent back intelligence about the Qin army: "Report to His Excellency the Governor, the Qin army has crossed the Turgai River and is heading towards the Mugojar Mountains."
"Well done. Pass the order, all troops, march out!"
Following Artharius's order, the messengers rushed out, and the sound of horns and trumpets continued. The 90,000-man army began to move slowly, with the sound of hooves rumbling and flags covering the sun. The sound was so loud that it could be heard from the sky.
***
Li Ding has lost a lot of weight and looks more capable and calm.
He was not idle this winter. Although the winter in the Kipchak steppe was dry and cold, it rarely snowed.
The Qin army had a complete set of equipment, including gloves and masks, and they were wrapped tightly, with only their eyes exposed when marching in the winter.
Before winter, he sent people south to contact Su Jin. The two sides, one in the south and one in the north, swept the Kipchak steppe towards each other and captured a large number of Kazakh herdsmen.
However, as there was a large enemy army lurking on the shore of the Caspian Sea, Li Ding had to be cautious and was unable to march south in large numbers. In order to guard against the Safavid Empire, Su Jin's main force could not march north with all its strength, and thus, they failed to successfully join forces.
However, the main force led by Abahai has arrived in Qiumen. Although they have not yet joined forces, the two sides can maintain close contact and can be considered to have joined forces.
Aobai had 35,000 cavalrymen under his command, and they were approaching Li Ding. These 35,000 men and horses were not discovered by Artelius and others yet.
Li Ding had already sent people to meet Aobai and asked him to hide his whereabouts. This time, Li Ding decided to give the enemy a huge surprise.
On the vast grassland, it is often difficult to see human habitation within a hundred miles. Sometimes an army will even lose its way, so it is not difficult to hide their whereabouts.
On the galloping warhorse, Arsalan raised his left index finger and put it to his mouth to blew. A sharp whistle went straight through the clouds. In the azure sky, a golden eagle spread its wings and soared, making a clear chirping sound, flapping its broad wings and flying westward...
This kind of golden eagle is not only found in Arsalan, but there are as many as seven on the side of Aobai. They fly in the sky like reconnaissance planes, much faster than ordinary scouts, and their reconnaissance range is much larger.
The grassland is not always flat. Some places are undulating like waves, some rivers are like belts, some are covered with dense swamps, some are lush jungles, and sometimes there are mountains and mists.
It is very difficult for scouts on the ground to conduct reconnaissance, but with these eyes in the sky, it will be difficult for ordinary herdsmen or enemy troops around the army to escape detection.
"General! General!"
Guerrilla General Li Wei led hundreds of light cavalry and galloped over the hillside to the northwest. Li Ding and Du Qianshi Yu Xingguo stopped their horses and waited under a few pine trees. Behind them were 20,000 cavalrymen marching forward, raising clouds of dust.
Li Wei rode his horse to about ten steps in front of Li Ding, then dismounted, threw the reins to his personal soldiers, and walked up to them excitedly, saying, "General, I have carefully checked it out. The terrain of Romtau is very suitable..."
Li Wei squatted down and used the handle of his whip to draw on the ground while explaining: "General, this is the Rimugojar Mountain to the west, and this is the Urgai River to the east. The further north you go, the narrower the angle between the mountain and the river. In the Romtau area, the width of the flat area between the mountain and the river is thirty miles, which is an undulating hill with patches of pine forests. Ten miles south of Romtau, there is a lake surrounded by swamps, and only the left side is three miles wide and can be passed."
The terrain on the grassland is actually quite complicated. If there are only a few thousand troops fighting, it is not difficult to find a place for an ambush. However, the combined forces of the Kazakhs and Ottomans are as many as 90,000, so it is not easy to find an ambush site.
If the area is too narrow, most people will send a small group of people in, leaving the main force outside, so there is no ambush. If the area is too wide and the line of sight is wide, it will be even more difficult to ambush.
Looking at the pictures drawn by Li Wei and listening to his explanation, Li Ding also felt that this place was indeed nice;
He had only 20,000 troops, of which only 5,000 were equipped with rifles and rocket launchers. These 5,000 troops were the Han army, which Qin Mu had asked Li Ding to select from tens of thousands of troops at the foot of the Helan Mountains.
Most of the others were Mongolian soldiers, who were drawn from various Mongolian tribes through conscription. In order to control these Mongolian soldiers, it was impossible to equip them with rifles and rocket launchers.
The enemy has as many as 90,000 troops, all of whom are highly mobile cavalry. Once a move is made, the battlefield may be 20 to 30 miles wide, and the 5,000 Qin troops equipped with firearms will have very limited space to cover.
Taking these factors into consideration, Li Ding decided to launch an ambush. This would not only bring out the power of the Qin army's firearms, but also allow Aobai's 35,000 troops to suddenly attack and achieve the greatest results.
"In that case, it is decided. We will lure the enemy to Romtau and fight a decisive battle there. Someone, contact Aobai immediately and have him rush to Romtau to ambush as soon as possible."
“Yes!”
Yu Xingguo, the deputy commander of the army, said, "Based on the distance, it will take at least three days for General Aobai's troops to reach Romtao, and they will need to rest for a day after arriving. So, we will have to lead the enemy army for a few more days."
Li Ding nodded and said, "Indeed, the important thing is how to lure the enemy's army into an ambush. Does anyone have any good strategies?"
The enemy is not a fool. It is not an easy task to lure 90,000 troops into an ambush.
Can it be done in the end
In fact, even Li Ding was not completely sure.
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ps: I bow to thank Lord Nanhua for the generous reward of 100,000. I am so moved that I burst into tears. The leader is so mighty!
At the same time, I would like to thank ξs♀小小, mikegong, Autumn God Light, firewindj, True Dragon Fights the World, Spirit Wolf☆No Regrets, 85随风, Lonely Scholar m, Demon World Little Tiger, Niu Huitou, Babajiejie, Wanglairufeng, Xiaobin Luandan, Xuanyuanwu, and Lintian Maruko for their precious monthly tickets and rewards. Haoyuan bows again!
.(To be continued..)
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