At the beginning of October, the season finally entered winter, but Zhu Gaoxu and others felt that it was already a harsh winter.

After the Chinese army set up camp the evening, Zhu Gaoxu received two reports from Qu Neng of the former army. It was seen that the payment was sent out within the same day, but Zhu Gaoxu got it at the same time.

The general content of the first is that Qu Neng's troops were attacked by a large force of Tatar cavalry north of the Xuxu River, and the enemy army dispatched at least six or seven thousand cavalry! Qu Neng had formed a formation on the spot to defend. The second is written about the confrontation between the two sides from a mile apart after the Tatar cavalry attack and harassment.

When the generals of the Chinese army heard the news, they decided that the enemy army had taken the bait! Everyone was excited, and they were already a little impatient; The generals were gearing up one after another, preparing to march to the Xulu River and make a big fight to vent the sullenness that had been almost nothing for the past two months.

However, in the early morning of the next day, before dawn, Zhu Gaoxu was awakened by shouts outside the account, and the military situation seemed to have made new progress.

He rolled over and got up. Duan Xue Hate beside her also woke up, and she asked, "What's wrong?" ”

Zhu Gaoxu took a felt blanket and wrapped it in it, and said, "I'll ask first." ”

He went to the tent door, lifted the corner of the felt curtain, and asked, "What happened?" ”

The military general at the door said: "The forward general is safe and urgent!" ”

Zhu Gaoxu took the envelope, walked back to a faintly lit lantern in the tent, and took out the letter to read.

In the middle of the night last year, Ping An received a report from the scouts who returned to the camp: the scouts found a large camp in the north of the fishing sea (Bear Lake)! Two of the Ming scouts were shot dead by enemy rangers, and those who came back shouted that there were 100,000 Tatar cavalry on the north side of the fishing sea!

100,000 cavalry is a bit exaggerated, and it is estimated that it is impossible for the Northern Yuan Khan to gather 100,000 cavalry at this time. Zhu Gaoxu has fought so many battles, and he has long been accustomed to these exaggerated facts. However, he believed that scouts generally did not dare to lie about the military situation, most likely because they were frightened, attacked by the rangers, and nervous.

Zhu Gaoxu roughly guessed that the enemy army should indeed have a large number of men and horses coming on the north side of the fishing sea, and the number should be tens of thousands.

He was stunned under the lantern for a while, and when he turned around, he saw that Duan Xue Hate had silently put on his clothes and was cleaning up. She glanced over here and then, without asking much, but there was concern in her gaze.

Zhu Gaoxu put away the letter, walked to the tent door and shouted: "Someone come, pass on the decree to the Chinese army, civil and military, and go to the big tent in two moments to discuss matters." ”

Chen Wu's voice said: "The minister obeys the order!" ”

Zhu Gaoxu said again: "Tell Hou Hai to get up quickly, write the military orders of the Chinese army first, and inform the armies to be on alert." ”

With the help of Duan Xuehan, Zhu Gaoxu quickly put on his military uniform. He walked out of the tent and was in a state of excitement! The air seemed to be frozen, and the cold penetrated through the clothes. When he came to the big tent of the Chinese army, the eunuch Cao Fu and others also arrived, serving Zhu Gaoxu to put on his armor.

Soon, Qi Tai, Haitao, and General Zhang Fu and Zhao Ping in the Chinese army came to the big tent one after another, and everyone saluted.

Zhu Gaoxu took the letter written by Ping An and circulated it to everyone. People arrive at different times, but there is no need to waste time waiting for the letter of peace.

A map was spread out in the middle of the tent and placed on a carpet of felt.

Zhu Gaoxu beckoned everyone to sit on the ground, pointed to the map and straightened it, and tapped it twice with his fingers: "The fishing sea is here, and we are dozens of miles north of the west of the fishing sea at this time; Qu Neng's army is in the north of the Lulu River, more than 200 miles northwest of us.

The main force of the Tatars reached the north of the Fishing Sea yesterday, and it was very close to us. I thought that the main force of the Tatar army, Yuerhai, was coming for us! ”

Zhao Ping said: "Qi Sheng, there are still seven armies and more than 200,000 people in this place. The Tatar army should have no way to take our main force; I'm afraid that the enemy army is not feint and want to turn back and besiege the men and horses of Ba Guogong (Qu Neng)? ”

Zhang Fu shook his head and said: "The distance between the main force of the official army and Ba Guogong is only a few days away. If the Tatars feint with a large force at this time, they can only delay the fighters. ”

Zhu Gaoxu pondered for a moment and said: "Our army spread eighty miles wide a while ago, burning, killing, sweeping, and sweeping all the way. The Tatars don't need scouts, and they must have known the movements of our army for a long time.

I have a guess. The enemy's current intention is to eat Qu Neng's troops and the men and horses hanging two or three hundred miles away! However, after the Tatars were tempted, they may feel that they could not attack and destroy the Qu Neng; Therefore, more time is needed in order to consume the food arrows and ammunition that Qu Neng lacks, so as to exhaust Qu Neng's army!

The role of the large number of enemy troops in the fishing sea is to attack and delay the speed of our army and buy time for the Tatar army attacking Qu Neng. After all, the Tatars attacked, all cavalry, and if they couldn't win, they could run. ”

Zhang Fu took the lead in seconding Zhu Gaoxu's speculation.

In fact, at this time, Zhu Gaoxu could not completely determine what the Tatars wanted to do! He just intuitively thought that the Mongolian ancients should be reluctant to fight like the Ming army; Based on this, he thought of a more reasonable motive for the movements of the ancients.

Everyone discussed for a while, and Zhu Gaoxu slapped his leg and said: "First adjust the formation of each army, continue to march north, and then see what they want to do!" ”

He paused for a moment, then added, "At this time, the two armies have gradually come into contact, and there is no need to sweep the pastures anymore; Two days ago, our army had begun to shrink, and from this morning, the Seventh Army redeployed its formation. ”

So Zhu Gaoxu immediately began to arrange.

In addition to the Ping'an Forward Army, there are also six armies nearby: the left outpost, the left outpost, the rear army, the middle army, the right outpost, and the right outpost, which are arranged in the word 'one' in turn.

Zhu Gaoxu believed that the forward Ping An Army and the right post Liu Shengjun were most likely to encounter the enemy first. So he ordered: the rear army to move to the north, and the front to the south; The Central Army and the Right Wing adjusted their positions to the north; The left and left posts were transferred to the east. The entire army has been retracted one after another, and it has become a formation that is easier to coordinate with each other.

At the same time, the Chinese army and the right cavalry were ordered to take the lead in moving eastward to reinforce Liu Sheng's army.

After the deliberations, the generals retired.

Zhu Gaoxu left the big tent of the Chinese army so that the baggage soldiers could collect the big tent and march out of the camp. But he didn't leave the place right away, but walked around outside the tent......

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly patted his head, and suddenly remembered a detail, a very likely misjudgment!

The main cavalry of the Tatar army, perhaps, did not flee north; It should still be on the grassland pastures near the "Lake of the Sea" (Hulun Lake). Qu Nengbu ran to the Xulu River, and the direction was wrong!

As soon as the Tatar Prime Minister confessed, Zhu Gaoxu immediately realized that it was a lie. But Zhu Gaoxu didn't pay much attention to it, and some of the specific military information in Tuhuan's mouth may also be fake! For example, the position of the main force of the Tatar cavalry.

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly came to his senses.

Because the main force of the Tatar army suddenly appeared, it appeared between the "Lake Like the Sea" (Hulun Lake) and the Fishing Sea (Bear Lake). If the Tatar army had already fled north, how could they quickly mobilize a large army in that place? Therefore, the most likely fact is that the main force of the Tatar army has not run far before, and is still in the area near the "lake like the sea".

A few days ago, the main force of the Ming army was still hundreds of miles away from the grasslands on the other side of the "Lake of the Sea". For some reason, the Ming army scouts and Hai Dongqing did not inquire about the situation over there.

Zhu Gaoxu has only now made such a judgment, and there is another reason: the grassland near the Lake of the Sea is very large, and the water and grass are abundant. The Tatars could have hoarded a large amount of grass seed grass there before winter, and they would not have been willing to give up that place too soon unless they had to!

Zhu Gaoxu only thought silently in his heart, but did not say it.

He raised his head and looked to the east and northeast, and in front of him was the endless barren wilderness. The terrain is generally very flat and open, and the scenery is a bit monotonous, with slightly raised undulations on the horizon, probably a lava stone platform.

At this moment, the enemy army is not visible to the naked eye. But in the abstract imagination, the enemy should be somewhere in the distance.

As the generals wished, the flames of war are about to ignite!

The sun had not yet set, the sky was getting brighter, and the horns in the barracks had already sounded. All units of the Chinese army successively pulled out their camps and marched north in military formations on open terrain; Some of the cavalry were ordered to move eastward. The bustle of the vast wilderness grew.

Zhu Gaoxu rode a horse, surrounded by the cavalry of the guards and the civil and military forces, and also began to march with the army.

When the sun was three poles, several horses came galloping from the southeast. After being interrogated and inspected by the guards, those people came to Zhu Gaoxu's banner.

He rolled over and dismounted, got down on one knee and presented something with both hands. He clenched his fists and said: "General Liu reported that a large number of enemy troops are approaching the right sentry army, at least 20,000 horsemen!" ”

The generals were in an uproar.

Zhu Gaoxu picked up the report, read it first, and then passed it to the civil and military forces around him.

Zhang Fu looked at it and said with some emotion: "An Yuanbo (Liu Sheng, Zhu Di was named An Yuanbo, and Gao Chi was named An Yuanhou when he was in power; After Zhu Gaoxu ascended the throne, he decreed that his "illegal" marquis should be abolished and the title given by Taizong should be retained), and he got a good position. ”

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Write a military order, order the right Wang Bin's department, and move closer to the left flank of Liu Shengjun!" Ordered the Ping An Department of the Forward Army to lead the cavalry to move. ”

Hou Hai hugged his fists and said: "The minister obeys the order!" ”

Zhu Gaoxu turned around and said, "Let's also change the course to the east and respond to Liu Sheng." Spread the ministries and march eastward! ”

"Order!"

The surrounding generals shouted happily, and they were finally about to fight.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't panic. The infantry and baggage of Liu Sheng's army alone had about 40,000 people, plus the two cavalry that reinforced it in the morning, the total strength of Liu Sheng's army was even stronger. For a while, it was impossible for the Tatar army to do anything with Liu Sheng; Otherwise, the Qu Neng Ministry is only 20,000 people, and it would have been finished long ago.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu was even more convinced that his speculation in the early hours of the morning was right!

The main force of the Tatar army was only to attack and harass the delayed Ming army; Otherwise, they should go to fight the Heian Army, so as to conform to the tactics of annihilation and annihilation of each breakdown, and the Heian Army is the farthest away from each army.