The horse battle continued until dusk, and the combined forces of the tribes, with at least several times the strength of the enemy, still failed to expel the Ming cavalry from the battlefield. Dead and wounded men and horses were scattered throughout the valley.

After the two sides collected their troops, the Ming army finally stopped the pursuit early the next morning. Their men and horses are limited, and it is estimated that they will not be able to entangle the Mongol army for the time being.

At this time, there were also leaders in the Great Khan's army, hoping that the Great Khan would gather cavalry to compete with the Ming army. After all, so far, the elite of the allied forces has not been injured and can still fight.

But Adai Khan did not agree, he only said one sentence: "Even the most experienced hunter, who has waited a long time and walked a lot, may find nothing." ”

Arutai did not advocate continuing the war, and he only had to look at the Uliangha with their heads drooping to know that it was impossible to start another great war. People's morale and confidence are very important, the Mongol army had just suffered a loss when it attacked the Ming army's baggage camp two days ago, and now it is easier said than done for the troops to fight again.

Arutai observed the Great Khan's demeanor for a while, and felt that the Great Khan's decision without hesitation was also based on this idea.

Many of the leaders below, even tribal leaders, are not the same as those in high positions such as the Great Khan, the prefect, and the prime minister. Their feelings are simple: perhaps the thirst for spoils before a great war, and the generous encouragement, will make them brave and move forward; However, it is almost impossible for everyone to persist in the belief of restoring Dayuan for a long time, regardless of victory or defeat.

"There is also the main battalion of the Ming army in the south, and they are waiting for reinforcements from the infantry army." Arutai said quietly, "We should seize the opportunity now and leave the battlefield as soon as possible." Throw away the bulky things in the camp and take refuge to the west of the Haravin Mountains. Then we will have the help of the Korqin and the Asuts. ”

At this time, the Uliangha people asked "What about our people from the Uliangha tribe?" ”

A leader of the Horqin tribe on horseback next to him blurted out, "Of course come with us." ”

Seeing the dejected expression of Toru Kuchaer, Arutai quickly understood what he meant. He was referring to the pastures of the Uliangha tribes and the tribes in various places, not the cavalry in the army.

"The Ming army will not stay on the steppe for too long." "When they're gone, you'll come back." ”

Tarukchaer sighed.

Adai Khan spoke: "Now we can only try to avoid the Ming army first according to what the Zhiyuan said. ”

The Great Khan made his attitude clear, and several people chimed in. But the people around him seemed a little silent at this point, and no one made any more claims.

When Arutai saw that the Great Khan was looking to the north, he followed the Great Khan's gaze. To the north, there is almost nothing, only the increasingly pronounced undulating hills. Only then did Arutai realize that this place was not far from Mount Haravin.

When he looked back, he saw a continuous procession of horse-drawn carts, cattle, and countless men, women, and children. Many were depressed and looked as if they were fleeing.

The Mongol coalition did not suffer a major defeat on the battlefield. But there was a mistake that led to the fact that the army not only gained nothing, but also suffered heavy losses for various reasons, not limited to the casualties of fighting on the battlefield......

Fortunately, the Han people survive and live on the grassland

It is obviously not easy to move than the Mongols. Two days later, the Ming army was moving farther and farther away from the Mongol camp. The Mongols just wanted to escape, and it didn't seem to be difficult.

Today, the battalions stopped very early, and even had time to disperse their men and horses to hunt and gather food everywhere to reduce the consumption of the barracks.

After the Great Khan's Chinese army tent was set up, Arutai took Asari to meet the Great Khan. There were also chieftains such as Tarukchaer in the tent, and everyone talked very tacitly about some of the prey that the tribesmen had hit, and for a time did not talk about the frustrating war.

Unexpectedly, two people came to the door of the tent at this time. A guard of Adai Khan, with an Asuth, the leader of the Arutai headquarters.

The others in the tent also immediately guessed that the Asut were from the Arutai clansmen, because the Asuts looked very different and were originally from the Yuan Dynasty. Everyone looked sideways and looked at Arutai.

The Great Khan nodded, and the Asuts walked straight to Arutai. There should be something important for the person who came, otherwise there would be no need to hurry to the Great Khan's tent.

Sure enough, the Asutes took out a letter and whispered beside Arutai, "The Warats are going to attack us." ”

Arutai's face changed, he was stunned for a moment, and said, "Report the Great Khan first." ”

The Asuts took up the letter, went to the Great Khan, and presented it on one knee, saying: "The Privy Council had sent men to mingle with the tribes of Mahami, and not long ago someone had fled with his life and told a great story.

Mahamu knew that the Ming people were fighting a great battle with the tribes, so he ordered the cavalry to be mobilized from the tribes. It is said that Mahamu had taken the initiative to send an envoy to the Ming Kingdom to ask for armor and weapons, hoping to take the opportunity to attack the Great Khan on the pretext of helping the Ming State to flank the Great Khan. ”

When the people in the tent heard this, there was an uproar. Most of them immediately began to curse the Warats. Although they were also Mongol tribes, the Tatar chiefs seemed to hate the Warats more than the Han Chinese. What's more, this time, the Warat people fell into the well and took advantage of the danger of others, which is not a glorious thing on the grassland, and it makes the departments even more despised.

The leaders of the Korqin tribe and the Asut came forward to show their loyalty, and they wanted to follow the Great Khan to fight back against the Warats and teach them a hard lesson. On the contrary, Adai Khan himself did not say much, and seemed to be a little silent.

So the people resumed their discussion of the war until it was dark.

The chiefs of the tribes dispersed one after another and returned to their respective camps. Only Arutai and his sister by his side stayed in the big tent of the Chinese army.

The noisy atmosphere finally subsided, and the guards brought the brewed milk tea, and Adai Khan waved his hand lightly to tell the guards to retreat. The tent was even more deserted.

The monarchs and ministers were silently facing each other, and Arutai was about to speak, when he suddenly noticed that something was not quite right with Adai Khan, so he swallowed the words that came to his mouth again.

I saw that when Adai Khan picked up the tea bowl, his hands were a little shaky, and some milk tea was splashed. Arutai looked up and saw that the Great Khan's face was red, and the green tendons on his forehead were bulging, as if he was enduring some unbearable pain.

Adai Khan finally failed to drink the milk tea, so he put the bowl down again and sat there silently.

"I'm still too hasty, I shouldn't have attacked the Ming army's baggage camp." Adai Khan let out a long breath and looked at Arutaidao. The people of all the tribes were gone, and he seemed to finally say in front of Arutai

Out of the truth, "I didn't even see through such a simple trap." ”

Arutai hurriedly persuaded him: "The Great Khan cannot be blamed for the matter, if it were not for the Great Khan's timely withdrawal of troops, our losses would have been even greater." He paused and said, "At this point, the Warats want to fall into the ground, but they don't have to be our opponents. ”

"Maybe it's simply wrong for us to go to war with the Ming people." Adai Khan said.

Seeing Adai Khan's remorseful expression, Arutai felt that this Great Khan was very insightful. Why did things turn out the way they were? Arutai really didn't mean to blame the Great Khan, he thought to himself that maybe it was just because he was born at the wrong time?

The three of them sat together and were silent for a few more moments. Arutai's sister, Ashali, never spoke, she just silently observed the Great Khan.

Adai Khan spoke again, but instead of watching Arutai speak, he seemed to be just talking to himself, "We will inevitably have the illusion that we are extraordinary and will be able to achieve great things. But sometimes we need a lot of skill to survive. ”

"Great Khan ......," Arutai blurted out.

Adai Khan turned to look at him: "I'm not saying discouragement. There were fewer and fewer people on the steppes, and the Han people were in the midst of a strong dynasty. We wanted to compete with it, and we were wrong from the start. At such an unfavorable time, it is probably what we should do in this life to preserve our strength and prevent the grassland tribes from becoming a plate of scattered sand for others to slaughter. ”

Arutai listened carefully and said, "But future generations may forget everything. ”

The sweat was noncommittal, and the emotional out-of-control reaction on his face had gradually disappeared. He said calmly: "The firearms of the Han people are different from those of the Great Yuan Dynasty (the former Yuan army also had a lot of firearms), the firearms used by the infantry use flints, and the Mongolian cavalry is more difficult to break through the front. I noticed that the cavalry of the Han Chinese was also changing. ”

Arutai said: "Cavalry with firearms? ”

The Great Khan nodded and said, "Those cavalry with firearms are not stronger than our cavalry, and the horses are not good. But Han Chinese civilians did not ride horses, and it was difficult to get cavalry; Those cavalry with firearms, however, make up for the cavalry that requires long-term training, which can be consumed with us in numbers. There are a large number of people and towns in the Han region, and making armor and firearms is their strength. As this continues, the Mongolian parliament is getting weaker and weaker. ”

Arutai didn't respond immediately, but he had to admit that the Great Khan was keenly aware of the details.

"It turns out that when the minister discussed with the defire red minister, he also said a strategy." Arutai did not directly echo the Great Khan's words, "Mongolia can befriend the Ming Dynasty and first find an opportunity to destroy the Warat people and unify the steppe." The longer-term plan can wait until the decline of the Han dynasty, judging from thousands of years of experience, there will always be a cycle of their rise and fall. ”

Adai Khan said: "The Ming court acquiesced that the Tatars were the orthodox of the Mongol state, and they had long pursued a strategy to weaken us, and they were willing to make friends with us?" ”

"The current emperor Zhu Gaoxu doesn't seem to think so, his insight is different from most people." Arutai Road.

The tent was quiet again for a while, and Adai Khan took the initiative to say what both of them wanted to say, "Try your best to negotiate peace with the people of the Ming Kingdom." ”

Arutai did not object. It's just that the word "harmony" is more than pleasant, but in fact, in this dangerous time, they may have to ask for peace.

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