***
Although Batur convinced the leaders of each tribe, it was not easy for ordinary soldiers to explain the interests to them one by one. Thinking of their wives and children being captured, everyone was eager to return home. No matter what you say, it is difficult to change this point.
Batur wanted to use the withdrawal as an excuse to lure the enemy deep into his territory, cut off Li Dingguo's logistical supplies, and then annihilate more than 20,000 Qin troops.
The plan was good, but Li Dingguo did not take the bait and only sent three cavalry units to attack continuously.
These three cavalry units only had 500 men each. Even if they were completely annihilated, it would not do any harm to Li Dingguo's army of more than 20,000 men. Huang Deng, Fan Shangzhi, and Zhao Qidi were as slippery as loaches, and would run away as soon as they were touched;
Five hundred troops may not seem like a large number, but they are equipped with rocket launchers and some muskets. Once Batur's army reveals a flaw, they will attack hard and give you a hard time.
In just half a day, Batur lost more than 300 men, making the already low morale even lower.
In the vast snowy wilderness, the north wind bends the flags, eagles whistle in the sky, and on the ground, 40,000 troops stretch for more than ten miles, like a black river flowing on the white snow. The horses neigh in the wind, the white mist is hazy, and the soldiers are eager to return home, but is their home still there
A feeling of bewilderment and helplessness pervaded the Dzungar army.
Batur Khan became more and more irritated. He wiped his eyes which were a little dry due to the north wind, and looked at the vast mountains, seeming to be thinking about something.
Keltai, the leader of the Durte tribe, said, "Alliance leader, it is not a good idea to let these Qin troops harass us like this. Our morale is not high to begin with. We have already lost more than 300 people in just half a day. How can we continue like this?"
"Keltai, what do you think?" Batur Khan asked.
"The Han people have a saying. They say that an army that mourns will win. Now Li Dingguo's army is about to reach Guazhou. In my opinion, we don't need to worry about luring the enemy deep into our territory. We should immediately return to trap Li Dingguo. He has come out in full force this time, and Suzhou will no longer be able to send reinforcements. We only need to trap him for a few days and cut off his food and grass supplies. It's freezing cold, and he won't be able to supply them with logistics. He will collapse immediately."
Batur Khan thought about it and decided that this was the only solution.
The so-called victory of the army that mourns lies in whether you can arouse the soldiers' grief and indignation. If there is only grief but no indignation, then there is no question of the victory of the army that mourns.
Batur Khan, who knew this well, ordered the army to stop, and then shouted to the soldiers on the plain where the north wind was howling: "Mongol warriors, the Qin army used despicable means to kill the old and weak in our tribe and took away our wives and daughters. This hatred is higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea. If we don't take revenge, how can we still live in this world with dignity
This Khan understands that you are anxious to go back and save your wives, children and the elderly, but going back like this may force the enemy to kill our families.
But now there is a better way. We can rescue our families. As long as we defeat Li Dingguo and occupy Hexi, we can exchange the captives for our families.
This is the only way for us to save our families. Please take your swords and bows, follow me back, and defeat Li Dingguo. Then the enemy will have to send our families back."
Batur Khan's words were passed on to tens of thousands of soldiers by his messengers. His words were still very convincing. Tens of thousands of Mongolian troops began to roar loudly, and the sound was like a tide, shaking the four fields.
***
"Report! General, the Junggar army has turned around and is coming fast."
"Turn around?"
"Yes, General. All turned around."
Huang Deng reined in his restless horse and shouted to the messenger, "Go back and report to the commander-in-chief, quickly!"
“Yes!”
The messenger ran away, and Huang Deng led 500 men to the northwest to meet them. At the same time, he contacted Fan Shangzhi and Zhao Qidi and informed each other of the enemy situation.
He ran ten miles and saw the Junggar army, which was heading towards Hami, coming rumbling. Tens of thousands of cavalrymen could be described as overwhelming, and the momentum was extremely shocking. Although it was still nearly ten miles away, he could already feel the ground shaking.
"Walk!"
Huang Dengji was shocked. Compared with the enemy's tens of thousands of troops, his five hundred men were like a drop in the ocean, and seemed extremely small. Even if he had rockets, he would not dare to confront them head-on.
Sixty miles west of Chijin City, Li Dingguo's 20,000-strong army was marching quickly and was almost reaching the Longji River.
The Longji River originates from the Qilian Mountains and flows westward from near Ganzhou. About a hundred miles west of Chijin City, it turns north, crosses the Hexi Corridor and continues westward to Guazhou.
Guazhou and Shazhou are mainly nourished by the Longji River. The land on both sides of the river is fertile and poplar forests can be seen everywhere.
Li Guoding was overjoyed when he received the report that Batur Khan's entire army had turned back and attacked him.
He had 10,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. Li Dingguo made a prompt decision and ordered the 10,000 infantry to return to Chijin City quickly. He led the 10,000 cavalry to the east bank of the Longji River, preparing to use the Longji River to slightly block the Dzungar army and buy time for the 10,000 infantry to return to Chijin City.
The Dzungar army was composed entirely of cavalry and moved very quickly. Just as Li Dingguo arrived at the east bank of the Longji River, Batur Khan also arrived.
The two sides were facing each other across the river, and the war was imminent. Why did they keep cursing? Li Dingguo used the Longji River to block Batur's army for a day.
Every Tuesday, Batur Khan sent troops to cross the river from upstream.
General Wei Nan asked Li Dingguo, "General, do you want to delay the enemy for two more days?"
Li Dingguo denied it and said, "We can't delay any longer. As long as we can prevent Batur from returning to the Moxi grassland, we will win. Let Batur cross the river and we will immediately withdraw to Chijin City."
The source of the Longji River comes from the melted snow of the Qilian Mountains. The water volume is not small in summer, but after winter, it enters the dry season. In some places, the river water is not even high enough to cover a horse's stomach, so it is easy for the enemy to cross the river.
Moreover, Li Dingguo was not afraid of the enemy crossing the river at this time. On the contrary, he was worried that Batur Khan would not cross the river, so he only blocked the enemy for one day, giving the infantry enough time to retreat to Chijin City, and then retreated quickly.
Batur has no way to retreat. If he continues to fight back and forth, the morale that has just been boosted will collapse again, and it will be difficult to boost it again. When Li Dingguo sends troops to attack, his tens of thousands of troops may be defeated without a fight.
So at this time, he could only grit his teeth, quickly cross the river, and march to the city of Chijin in a mighty manner.
The bloody battle between the two sides has not yet begun, but in fact, since the news of Yan Yingyuan sweeping across the western desert came, the life-and-death contest between the two commanders, Batur and Li Dingguo, had already begun.
Don't underestimate their series of actions. In this silent contest, the final outcome has basically been determined.
Throughout history, we can see that in many wars, by the time the troops of both sides actually engage in battle, the outcome is usually already decided.
This is just like playing Go. The key is the layout process. As long as you grasp the general situation on the board and know what's going on, the opponent will surrender without you having to pick up the dragon from the board.
However, real wars are about life and death, and the party in an unfavorable situation is usually unwilling to surrender and wants to fight to the death.
Batur Khan is in this situation now. In the silent contest with Li Dingguo, he is one step behind, and the current situation is extremely unfavorable to him.
Because he was worried about the lives of his wife and children at home, he encouraged his soldiers. If he could not quickly capture Chijin City, they would soon fall apart. By then, he would definitely be defeated.
Li Dingguo obviously understood this point, so he did not stop him and let him kill to the city of Chijin, which was intended to lure the enemy deeper.
Chijin City was too small, so Li Dingguo certainly would not withdraw all his troops into the city. Instead, he built another camp five miles south of the city to form a horn with Chijin City. All 10,000 cavalrymen were stationed in the large camp south of the city.
Batur Khan had just set up camp ten miles west of the city when the sky seemed filled with lead. Gray clouds pressed down and the north wind whistled across the fields, bringing an incomparable chill and murderous atmosphere.
Soon, the sky was filled with white snow again, and everything was hazy.
Batur stood in front of the big tent, looking at the falling snow, his heart burning with anxiety, and a mixture of emotions: "Is God trying to kill me?"
He suddenly drew out his saber, slashed at the air, and shouted, "No, my fate is in my own hands!"
Then, the 20,000-strong Junggar army began to rumble towards Chijin City in the wind and snow...
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ps: The competition for the annual work vote has entered a fierce stage. To be honest, after writing for several years, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. I really yearn for the title of "King of History". Now the number of votes is temporarily ranked first in history, but the Song Dynasty has caught up. The situation is extremely urgent, but I am really unwilling to give up. I beg everyone for the annual work vote again! I bow my head. (To be continued...)
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