Chapter 167

"Could it be..." Lan Yu muttered to himself, his voice low, his expression lonely: "Am I really not as good as that Zhu Ying?"

Between his words.

A complex light flashed in Lan Yu's eyes; it was a kind of indescribable sense of frustration.

Just like encountering a defeat on the battlefield with no power to fight back.

"Could it be that my Huaixi is really destined to decline in the future Great Ming?"

This thought was like a sharp dagger, piercing straight into Lan Yu's heart, giving him a kind of unspeakable lingering fear.

As the Huaixi that still exists today, as the Huaixi battle general who still holds military power.

Lan Yu knew too well the value of battle merits; that was a protective talisman.

Thinking of Hu Weiyong, who was also from Huaixi in the past, although he was a civil official, his entire clan was slaughtered in front of the current Emperor.

Lan Yu thought, if Huaixi really declined to that extent, would the Emperor let them off?

"Sigh."

"I didn't expect that I, Lan Yu, have roamed the battlefield for many years, only to be suppressed by a kid who is still wet behind the ears."

"If my brother-in-law were still here, if he knew, I'm afraid he would laugh at me too." Lan Yu felt a bitter smile in his heart.

A battle general under twenty years old, actually able to repeatedly establish battle merits; from Liaodong to the current Northern Expedition, Zhu Ying's name gradually emerged in the army, in the entire Great Ming, and it was becoming more and more dazzling.

At first, when the Liaodong battle began, Zhu Ying's appearance, Zhu Ying's meritorious service!

Lan Yu still felt that he might have had an element of luck in it, but as time passed, Zhu Ying repeatedly established merits, time and again achieving shocking battle results; this clearly could no longer be explained by luck.

100,000 Northern Yuan iron cavalry!

Lan Yu had long since deduced in his heart that if he were given an equal number of cavalry, even if the gap was only 10,000 or 20,000, relying on the military heart and morale of the soldiers under his command, he would have full confidence to win the battle.

But!

The reality of the battle situation was completely unequal.

Great Ming cavalry was not a strong point; in Lan Yu's view, encountering 100,000 Northern Yuan iron cavalry this time, the Great Ming army was bound to be in a losing situation, and they should have reformulated the marching tactics.

But it was precisely when Lan Yu thought this way that Guo Ying's military order suddenly came.

If it weren't for Guo Ying's handwritten military order and battle report being presented in front of his eyes in detail, Lan Yu would really find it hard to believe.

100,000 Northern Yuan iron cavalry had actually been routed!

Under Zhu Ying's leadership, these 100,000 iron cavalry were severely damaged; Zhu Ying beheaded countless enemies on the battlefield, and the captures were even countless.

This result naturally left Lan Yu shocked and speechless; he knew deeply that such a battle record, if it were him, he simply couldn't do it.

"Sigh..."

Lan Yu sighed long, full of helplessness and emotion: "Zhu Ying, he is no ordinary person!"

By this moment.

Lan Yu also had to let out such a sigh in his heart.

Although he still couldn't stand Zhu Ying in his heart and was full of hostility.

But as a battle general in the military, for Zhu Ying to possess such powerful ability to command troops, Lan Yu was also extremely impressed in the depths of his heart.

After a moment.

Lan Yu slowly recovered, his gaze swept across the generals in the tent, his expression recovered a bit, and he said in a deep voice: "Generals, the Northern Yuan iron cavalry has been routed."

"Now that our army is attacking the city, we will no longer be harassed or threatened by the Northern Yuan iron cavalry."

"The Grand General has issued a military order to attack the city with full force."

"At that time, the second route army will also fully cooperate to break the guard cities around this Yuan capital."

As the voice fell.

"This subordinate accepts the order!"

The generals responded in unison, obeying the military order.

As for the shock brought by this battle report, many generals silently suppressed it in their hearts.

"Alright, go and prepare." Lan Yu waved his hand, not wanting to say anything more.

Subsequently.

The generals withdrew from the tent one after another.

And Lan Yu's gaze remained on the military order in his hand, as if still immersed in this unimaginable battle report.

"Northern Yuan iron cavalry routed."

"Next step, the obstacles might not be big."

"Northern Yuan, it seems to have reached the end of its rope."

Just as Lan Yu was thinking about the battle situation very earnestly.

"Uncle."

Chang Mao's voice sounded unexpectedly beside Lan Yu, carrying a hint of urgency and confusion: "You say, is this Zhu Ying a human or a ghost? How on earth did he do it?"

This sudden sound gave Lan Yu a sudden shock, and the whole person instantly recovered from his deep thought.

He raised his head somewhat blankly, with a look of surprise, looked at Chang Mao who was still remaining in the tent, and asked with a frown: "Why haven't you left yet?"

Lan Yu looked around the tent; the many battle generals had already left, and now only Chang Mao remained, standing in front of him.

"Uncle." Chang Mao took a step forward, his face full of worry: "I originally planned to seize the great merit of the Northern Expedition in this battle, to let our Huaixi intimidate the imperial court again."

"But now the Northern Expedition has been going on for several months; although our army has achieved many battle merits, compared to Li Jinglong's second route army, compared to the battle results achieved by Zhu Ying, it seems our battle merits have been completely suppressed."

"After this battle ends, can Uncle's Duke title really be granted?"

Chang Mao knew very well his uncle's thoughts; unlike his own hereditary Duke title, among the current Huaixi battle generals, most followed Lan Yu's lead, but Lan Yu had stayed in the Marquis position for a long time, always longing to go a step further and become a Duke.

But up to now, although Lan Yu commanded the army and advanced continuously, he ultimately failed to achieve battle merits of sufficient weight.

The so-called merit of breaking the city was also because the second route army broke the city first, thereby causing a chain reaction in the Northern Yuan, and thus retreating.

It can be said.

The first route army commanded by Lan Yu also benefited a lot from the second route army.

Hearing Chang Mao's words.

A look of anger instantly appeared on Lan Yu's face, as if it were anger from embarrassment after being poked in a sore spot.

But immediately after.

This anger turned into a kind of helpless bitter smile: "Even so, what can I do?"

"Could it be that I can kill that Zhu Ying?"

"With Zhu Ying's current status, and his claim of having the strength of a hegemon, let alone getting close to him, even if you surrounded him with a thousand troops, I'm afraid you couldn't kill him."

"And, if Zhu Ying really had any loss, do you think the Emperor wouldn't be able to investigate it?"

Lan Yu scolded Chang Mao angrily, the frustration in his heart becoming more intense.

Kill Zhu Ying?

When in Liaodong, many people had thought about it.

But who could do it?

Furthermore.

If one really dared to take action, that would be extremely stupid, seeking one's own death.

Do you really think the current Emperor's Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't exist?

"Then what should we do? This Northern Expedition is about Uncle's promotion to Duke; we can't let that brat ruin it."

Chang Mao said anxiously, his brows knitted together, his eyes full of unwillingness.

He was truly worried for Lan Yu.

"Sigh!"

Lan Yu sighed again, the whole person seemed to have his strength drained, and he leaned on the chair with a look of frustration: "The Crown Prince said, as long as we achieve merits in this Northern Expedition, he will naturally ensure my promotion to Duke!"

"Originally, what I thought in my heart was to achieve great merits, to make this Duke promotion justified, and not to let the Crown Prince down."

"But now it seems, it is destined to be suppressed by Zhu Ying."

"Forget it!"

"Let's take it one step at a time; his ability to command troops is like this, perhaps, I am really not as good as him."

"In the future, avoid him as much as possible; he has already completely become a climate, and it is simply not something we can suppress."

"And the Emperor also values him more, to suppress our Huaixi; even knowing the holy will, there is nothing to be done."

Hearing this.

Chang Mao's face became very ugly, seemingly unwilling, but his mouth opened and closed, seemingly wanting to say something more, but in the end, he could only close his mouth helplessly, likewise full of helplessness.

Yuan capital, Northern Yuan imperial court hall!

"Report!"

A harsh shout broke the atmosphere that was still considered calm and stable in the imperial court.

"Reporting to the Emperor, something terrible has happened!"

A messenger soldier, with a panicked expression and stumbling footsteps, rushed into the hall, fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling severely.

"The Grand General... the Grand General, has died in battle!"

These few words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly causing the entire Northern Yuan imperial court to explode.

Breaking the calm in the imperial court.

During this period, the Northern Yuan deployed defenses layer by layer, dispatched 100,000 iron cavalry to attack the Ming army, and even had more than 300,000 infantry defending key points of various guard cities, making the Yuan capital look extremely stable.

Even the Yuan Emperor, who had always been worried, temporarily relaxed his tense nerves.

Thinking that defeating the Ming army was stable!

But at this moment, this sudden emergency report instantly shattered all the calm.

The Yuan Emperor sitting on the dragon throne had his face change drastically, even more terrified and helpless than when he heard his son Di Baonu died in battle.

He stood up abruptly, his hands gripping the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, staring fixedly at the emergency report soldier kneeling on the ground, his voice becoming hoarse due to panic and shock: "You... what did you say? Say it again!"

"Emperor," the emergency report soldier was so scared that his whole body was trembling, almost collapsing to the ground: "The Grand General, has died in battle."

"Our Great Yuan's 100,000 iron cavalry, suffered heavy casualties, and have been routed by the Ming army."

"According to the report of the Third Prince, of our Great Yuan's 100,000 iron cavalry, fewer than 20,000 escaped back to the guard city, and most of them are still wounded."

The messenger soldier's voice carried indescribable terror, echoing in this imperial court hall.

These few sentences, every word was like a heavy hammer, smashing hard into the hearts of the Northern Yuan ministers.

Hearing this.

All the civil and military officials of the Northern Yuan in the court had their expressions change drastically.

In the imperial court, there was an uproar, the ministers whispered to each other, their faces full of shock and worry.

At this very moment, this situation completely exceeded their expectations.

"How could it be? How could this be?"

The Yuan Emperor was also completely stunned at this moment, his expression stiff, his footsteps stumbling, as if he could faint to the ground at any time.

"My 100,000 iron cavalry, this is the most elite iron cavalry of our Great Yuan, how could the Ming army be an opponent?"

The Yuan Emperor's voice carried a kind of despair.

Clearly.

He was unwilling to believe this fact, and even more unable to accept such a miserable defeat.

"Emperor," Shilie Men saw this, immediately stood out, his expression calm, his tone firm: "In this... there must be a reason."

"Do not worry too much, our Great Yuan iron cavalry is unparalleled in the world, the Ming army can never be an opponent."

"And the Grand General chose the royal pasture as the place to face the Ming army, which is suitable for our Great Yuan iron cavalry to charge, unstoppable; even if the Ming army is no matter how powerful, they cannot be an opponent."

Shilie Men tried to use these words to appease the Yuan Emperor, and at the same time, it was also to give himself and the ministers in the court some comfort.

Hearing this!

The Yuan Emperor gradually recovered, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, a light of hope flashing in his eyes: "That's right, Prime Minister, you are right."

"My 100,000 Northern Yuan iron cavalry, how could they end up in a routed situation."

"Even if the Ming army has a thousand cannons, in front of my iron cavalry, it is impossible for them to win."

The Yuan Emperor said while looking for reasons for himself, trying to convince himself that all this was not true.

Recovering.

The Yuan Emperor immediately looked at the messenger soldier, his eyes carrying a hint of anticipation, asking almost pleadingly, as if wanting to hear a different result: "Tell me, this news is fake."

"Emperor."

The messenger soldier trembled, struggling and hesitating to say: "This emergency report is true, it was personally reported by the Third Prince, and it has been confirmed by many cavalry soldiers who escaped back to the guard city."

"Zhu Ying, it is that Ming general Zhu Ying, he personally killed the Grand General."

"Not only that, the reason why our Northern Yuan 100,000 iron cavalry was defeated was not completely routed by the Ming army head-on, but the Ming army set an ambush in advance, set up a military formation specifically to restrain our Great Yuan iron cavalry, causing nearly half of our Great Yuan cavalry to be trapped in this formation."

"Finally, the Ming general Zhu Ying led the Ming cavalry to face the Grand General, routed our Great Yuan cavalry head-on, and the Grand General was also unfortunately killed by Zhu Ying."

The emergency report soldier lowered his head, his voice getting smaller and smaller; he didn't even dare to raise his head, fearing that he would be killed directly by the furious Yuan Emperor.

"Military formation ambush? Routed head-on?"

The Yuan Emperor's face turned completely pale, as if all his strength had been drained.

With a thud.

He collapsed directly onto the dragon throne, his eyes empty, muttering to himself: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible..."

He roared almost crazily, his voice hoarse, full of despair and unwillingness.

"Emperor, calm your anger!"

The ministers in the imperial court shouted loudly, kneeling down one after another, their voices neat and loud, trying to use this to calm the Yuan Emperor's anger.

At this moment!

A kind of indescribable oppressive atmosphere swept through the entire imperial court, making people almost unable to breathe.

"Prime Minister, Grand Marshal,"

The Yuan Emperor's eyes were red, staring fixedly at Shilie Men and Man Zi, his voice trembling: "You tell me, how could they be defeated? This is impossible!"

"Emperor!"

Shilie Men immediately stepped forward, respectfully saying: "The Ming army is cunning, they must have used schemes and tricks to defeat our Great Yuan iron cavalry."

"But Emperor, no need to panic; even if the iron cavalry is defeated, our Great Yuan still has several guard cities to defend, and still has hundreds of thousands of troops to defend."

"The Great Yuan soldiers will definitely protect the Emperor to the death and guard the Great Yuan."

Shilie Men's voice was firm and powerful, trying to rekindle confidence for the Yuan Emperor.

"The ten most solid border cities of the Great Yuan have been seized by the Ming army."

"Our Great Yuan's strongest elite, the 100,000 iron cavalry that could sweep the world, have also been routed by the Ming army."

"Now, can the remaining troop strength really block the Ming army?"

The Yuan Emperor was already a bit panicked at this moment; his eyes were full of confusion and fear, full of worry about the future.

"Emperor, rest assured, our Great Yuan soldiers will definitely guard the Great Yuan and protect the Emperor well."

Shilie Men said loudly again, showing his loyalty.

"Emperor."

Man Zi stood out, with a solemn expression, and reported loudly: "This subordinate still says that, our Great Yuan territory cannot be lost, but the Emperor's safety is even more important."

"Now our Great Yuan iron cavalry has been defeated, which shows that the Ming army's combat power is strong."

"The purpose of the Ming army's invasion this time is very clear, that is to destroy our Great Yuan imperial court, to destroy the Emperor."

"For the prosperity of the Great Yuan, for the long-term existence of the Great Yuan, I ask the Emperor to move to the ancestral land as soon as possible."

"Only in this way can we advance and retreat with ease."

"Even if the capital is lost in the future, we can still ensure the safety of the Emperor's holy carriage."

Man Zi's words were full of worry; he knew deeply that the current situation was critical, hoping that the Yuan Emperor could think for the bigger picture.

And even more to preserve the foundation of his Yuan court.

Once the Emperor has any loss, his Northern Yuan is really finished.

And this time, compared to the rejection when the suggestion was first made, this time, the Yuan Emperor was already somewhat moved.

However.

There was still a hint of hesitation in his eyes; although he didn't want to leave this luxurious city, thinking of his own life and safety, leaving didn't seem so hard to accept.

Recalling Guili Chi's high spirits when commanding troops before, but now he was beheaded by a Ming general, and 100,000 iron cavalry were severely damaged and destroyed, the Yuan Emperor, besides the pain, had more of a deep fear.

Just as the Yuan Emperor was about to open his mouth to agree and let Man Zi prepare for the matter of retreating to the ancestral land.

"Emperor, absolutely not!"

Immediately, a minister stood out, opposing very seriously.

This person was none other than Guili Chi's eldest son, and also the eldest son of the tribe where Guili Chi was located, Ma Ma Erke Er.

Now that Guili Chi had died in battle, the person who would control the tribe in the future would most likely be him.

"My father died in battle for the Great Yuan, dying in the hands of a Ming general."

"This was all for the Great Yuan, for protecting the Emperor."

"If the Emperor retreats to the ancestral land, this will make the countless soldiers guarding the guard cities feel cold, and will even make our Great Yuan foundation cease to exist."

"The Emperor is the Emperor of our Great Yuan, and even more the pillar of our Great Yuan soldiers."

"Unless the guard city is really lost and the capital is in danger, the Emperor must never retreat; otherwise, the soldiers' morale will be lost, and the Great Yuan will definitely be annexed by the Ming country."

Ma Ma Erke Er said with a solemn face, his voice loud and firm.

It sounds like.

His words were full of loyalty to the Yuan court.

But more was still hoping that the Yuan Emperor would stay in the capital.

"This subordinate seconds the motion!"

"I ask the Emperor to think twice!"

"The Emperor must not retreat to the ancestral land!"

"For the eternal stability of the Great Yuan's mountains and rivers, I ask the Emperor to sit in the capital, and this subordinate will definitely fight the Ming army to the death!"

Following Ma Ma Erke Er's voice, the Northern Yuan ministers stood out one after another to oppose; their voices rose and fell, echoing in the imperial court, expressing their attitude and determination.

It's just that I don't know how much is sincere, and how much is real.

This scene was exactly the same as the scene when Guili Chi proposed it.

"This..."

The Yuan Emperor, who had already intended to retreat, was suddenly hesitant.

His eyes were full of entanglement; on one hand, it was worry about his own safety, and on the other hand, it was concern about what the ministers said.

If his retreat really caused the army's morale to be lost, that would undoubtedly push the Great Yuan to a more dangerous situation.

And, the Yuan Emperor also really didn't want to live in a remote place like the ancestral land for a long time.

"If the Emperor has any loss, that would make our Great Yuan unstable."

"What you think in your hearts is nothing more than the interests of your respective tribes."

"At this moment, do you really want to let the Ming country annex our Great Yuan?"

Looking at most of the ministers in the imperial court standing out to oppose, Man Zi shouted angrily.

His face turned red, his eyes full of anger, feeling incomparably angry at the behavior of these ministers.

But, this simply couldn't scare them.

"Grand Marshal."

Ma Ma Erke Er turned his head and said coldly to Man Zi: "My father has already died in battle for the Great Yuan, isn't this serving the Great Yuan with loyalty?"

Ma Ma Erke Er also emerged with anger, directly bringing out his father who had already died in battle, and his eyes were also staring at Man Zi without any fear, taking the initiative.

Many of Guili Chi's subordinates glared at Man Zi one after another; in the imperial court, a strange and tense atmosphere instantly filled the air, as if it were about to break out at any moment.

Facing this rebuttal, Man Zi's face changed, he was speechless for a moment, and didn't know how to refute.

After all, Guili Chi really died in battle; this is an unchangeable fact.

Although based on Man Zi's understanding of Guili Chi, it was absolutely impossible for him to lose his life, but dead is dead.

"Grand Marshal, forget it."

The Yuan Emperor sighed, his expression tired, and said in a deep voice: "I, as the Emperor of the Great Yuan, should coexist with the Great Yuan soldiers."

"The proposal to return to the ancestral land, let's not mention it for the time being."

The Yuan Emperor's voice carried a hint of helplessness and compromise; he ultimately chose to follow the opinions of the majority of the ministers.

After all.

If he really retreated.

Then the hearts of the entire imperial court would be scattered.

The troop strength mobilized by relying on various tribes would also become a joke, and would no longer hold firm.

These, the Yuan Emperor naturally knew clearly.

"The Emperor is wise!"

Ma Ma Erke Er immediately knelt down and bowed, a hint of imperceptible pride appearing on his face.

"The Emperor is wise!"

Many ministers also knelt down one after another, shouting in unison, their voices resounding through the entire imperial court.

It seems the Yuan Emperor was truly incomparably wise!

And after Man Zi saw this scene, there was deep helplessness in his eyes.

He lowered his head slightly, sighing secretly in his heart; he had already seen through the situation, if the Yuan Emperor continued to stay, the consequences would be hard to predict!

But the ministers in the imperial court had their own thoughts; even if he saw the crisis, he was powerless to change all this.

"Father, rest assured."

In the eyes of Ma Ma Erke Er who knelt down, ambition was flashing; he secretly swore in his heart: "Your wish, your son will definitely fulfill it for you."

Great Ming capital, Ying Tian City.

Where the city gate is, it is still a bustling scene.

Sunlight sprinkled on the ground, putting a layer of golden brilliance on this prosperous capital.

The people coming and going, some carrying poles, some pushing small carts, lined up in an orderly manner to enter the city.

On their faces, some carried fatigue, some carried anticipation, and some carried a hint of satisfaction with life.

After all, in the Great Ming capital, opportunities are infinite.

It was also at this time.

"Ta ta, ta ta ta..."

A series of hurried hoofbeats came from the official road outside the city from far to near.

The sound was like dense drumbeats, carrying a sense of urgency.

Many people stopped what they were doing one after another, looking curiously at the official road outside the city.

Only to see three fast horses galloping towards Ying Tian City.

The soldiers on horseback had focused expressions.

Behind them, each had a command flag inserted, flapping violently in the wind.

And behind the three fast horses, each was leading an unmanned warhorse.

Clearly!

They had been changing horses at post stations all the way, just to deliver the news at the fastest speed.

"Emergency report to the capital, open the way quickly!"

The battalion commander guarding the city gate immediately shouted loudly.

His voice immediately spread in front of the city gate.

Suddenly.

The somewhat crowded entrance to the city was quickly cleared.

The soldiers guarding the city gate acted one after another; they held long spears, maintaining order, forbidding anyone from breaking into this emergency passage.

When these three fast horses quickly approached the city gate, the three emergency report soldiers also shouted one after another: "Great victory in the Northern Expedition!"

"Great victory in the Northern Expedition!"

Their voices were high-pitched and impassioned, full of joy and pride.

They galloped back, but the sound of the great victory quickly spread with their shouts.

This also made the people lining up outside the city, and the people inside the city, after hearing it, mostly wore happy faces.

"Great victory in the Northern Expedition? Being able to be called a great victory, there must be significant gains. Do you think the Northern Expedition army captured the Yuan Emperor?" a young man said excitedly, his eyes flashing with curious light.

"Impossible, right? Even if the Northern Yuan is weak, they are still a big country occupying one side, with a population of tens of millions; it shouldn't be so easy to be defeated, right?" another older man shook his head and put forward his own view.

"I also think so, the Northern Yuan is not so easy to be defeated."

"I guess they destroyed many Northern Yuan on the battlefield, and seized how many cities." someone else echoed.

"Anyway, as Great Ming citizens, killing all those Tatars is the royal road; you don't know how ruthless those Tatars were before." an old man clenched his fists, a hint of hatred flashing in his eyes.

"That's right, Great Ming must win, must destroy the Northern Yuan..."

Many people discussed one after another, their voices intertwined, full of anticipation for destroying the Northern Yuan.

And at this moment!

The emergency report of the three fast horses had already entered the Ying Tian imperial palace.

The emergency report bamboo tube held by one of the emergency report soldiers.

One was holding a wooden box, and another was holding a sword.

Walking quickly towards the Fengtian Hall.

(End of Chapter)