Herds of horses were jogging, and the muscles of the Ming army's war horses were full of strength under the smooth fur. The pale sun shone on the earth, but the surrounding area was desolate.

When a small lake near froze over, there was no movement, and it looked lifeless; It seems like there are no living creatures in this place except for the army!

A crack could be seen in the ice, like a wound that had been cut open with a giant axe. It is said that the water here has just frozen, and the ice surface is thin; In addition, the temperature difference between day and night is too large, and obvious cracks will appear on the ice surface at noon.

Yin Desheng in the horse team glanced up, and there was a Hai Dongqing who had just arrived here and circled in the air. His face was cold, but his body was a little hot.

Since this expedition, he has slept in the army, but he feels that the days seem to have become familiar again. It's a very strange feeling, after entering Beijing at the beginning of the year, Yin Desheng suddenly became a marquis, living in a comfortable mansion, waiting for maids and slaves, and leading Yulu, he has not been used to coming over for a long time; This expedition, he gradually found the days he had been accustomed to for many years.

The emperor treated him so favorably that he let the brothers be pampered and well-fed; Yin Desheng knows very well that this is for the brothers, to give up their lives at a critical moment! But it's also simple, just follow orders.

Yin Desheng recalled again that Liu Dagen and others, who were devoted to the marquis, had never had a good life; He felt that it was not a pity for him to die.

Yin Desheng, as one of the generals under the command of the Marquis and the Duke of Baguo, participated in the decision-making and planning, and already understood that this situation was most likely a vicious battle under siege......

The infantry of the front army accounted for ninety percent, but the soldiers marched on horseback and were fast; Faster than the average cavalry brigade marching! When the cavalry of the Ming army marched, they often dismounted and walked, and the horsepower of the cavalry should be reserved for life and death battles. The infantry didn't have to pay much attention to whether the horses were tired or not, and they didn't need them to fight anyway.

Everyone set out from the southwest of the fishing sea and hurried to the north-west. In three days, you can reach the Luqu River (Krulun River) on the west side of Kuoluan Haizi (now Hulun Lake, Han Chinese or translated as Ruhai Lake).

The military situation in this direction comes from the captured Tatar prime ministers. However, it is also in line with the speculation of the Chinese army.

The generals of the Chinese army believed that most of the Tatars would retreat and would not go northeast. Because the deep part of the mountain forest (Daxing'an Mountains) is difficult, and it is not suitable for the large-scale migration of the Tatar tribes.

Before the Ming army reached the Yuqu River, they found only two small Tatar camps. Each time hundreds of cavalry attacked, a round of charge scattered the Tatar army and fled, and the Ming army rushed into the Tatar camp, seized some pasture and livestock, and burned all the tents and other things.

The captured captives confessed, and a few days ago they saw a large group of men and horses heading north. The Ming army included the Mongols who had returned to the army, and they were able to communicate even with the locals.

The army of Qu Nengbu passed through a desert and reached the south bank of the Yuqu River. The Tatar prime minister claimed that the great tent of Benyari's loss of sweat was still on the south bank of the Yuqu River a few days ago, and now it is estimated that it is not far from the north bank, and it can be found as soon as you cross the river!

The former army commander Qu Neng did not hesitate, and immediately ordered all departments to cross the river on horseback from several ferries that had been explored by the forward scouts! The water at the ferry is shallow and the ice is thick, which can reduce the accidental casualties of the soldiers.

After the troops crossed the river one after another, Yin Desheng received Qu Neng's military order: ordering the generals to lead the army and march in the northwest direction.

This section of the river flows roughly from east to west, but there is a section of the river that flows north-south after about a dozen miles to the west. The Ming army marched to the northwest, and on the same day it was able to reach the Yuqu River valley again. Groundwater can usually be found as long as people are near rivers.

…… In the place where the army passed in the morning, there were many lava mountains. But in the afternoon, there were no more rocks nearby, and the fields were all dry grass.

If there was no sun, compass, etc., Yin Desheng felt that he couldn't even discern the direction! People will find that what they see now is no different from what they saw half an hour ago.

At this moment, the sergeant with the red order flag rushed over. The sergeant glanced at Yin Desheng's military flag, then approached this side, he handed over the order flag with Qu Neng's own handwriting, and said, "Great commander's military order!" All ministries were stationed in situ and stood by, and more than 1,000 military generals went to the Chinese army to discuss matters. ”

Yin Desheng hugged his fists and said: "The last general will be ordered!" ”

He said a few words to a few vice presidents, and then rode to the banner with the word "Qu" written on it.

Near the banner, some sergeants were bending over desperately digging a dirt pit, as if looking for water. Qu Neng rode on horseback, and more than thirty generals gathered around him one after another.

"The scouts, who had just returned, found a large tent of the Tatars in the north, about thirty miles from here." Qu Neng said directly, "But there may be more than one tent for the Tatars around here, and our scouts haven't found it yet. ”

The generals nodded.

Qu Neng glanced up at the sun that was gradually setting in the west, and suddenly stopped speaking. The crowd began to talk, and the crowd was a little noisy.

After a long time, one of the soldiers digging the pit shouted over there: "Commander, there is water!" ”

Qu Neng waved his hand, and immediately looked back to the left and right: "Set up camp on the spot today." The terrain is also simple, and each department looks at the direction and arranges the people on duty. Wait until tomorrow morning, if the enemy attacks, then form a formation and wait for orders. If there are no enemy troops, let's continue to march in a northwesterly direction. ”

The generals echoed the answer.

At this moment, a military general hugged his fists and said: "Dashuai, there is mud under this sandy land." It is still early today, and if the construction of the trenches and fortifications begins at this time, the barracks can be built tomorrow. ”

Qu Neng pondered for a moment, and then said, "No fortifications are allowed!" Tomorrow morning, the army may continue to march, and the soldiers of all the troops will be well repaired. ”

Everyone bowed and said, "The last general will wait for the order!" ”

Yin Desheng understood it: Marshal Qu's reason is probably just an excuse, he didn't build the fortifications, but he was afraid that the enemy army would not come to besiege him! Maybe the dozens of generals present understood the reason, and Yin Desheng was not the only one, but everyone didn't say anything.

The generals ordered them to return to the army and conveyed the commander's military order. Gradually, the open wasteland became lively, and all the tribes were mobilizing to the camp site.

The whole camp was on the endless barren meadows, open and unobstructed; The periphery of the camp is composed of many horizontal squares of hundreds of households responsible for vigilance, roughly forming a wide hollow formation in all directions. Tents, horses, and cavalry were all in the middle.

The soldiers began to set up dense tents, dig the ground to get water, and send people to gather wild grass and make fires to make food. It was early in the day of camp, and everyone could have a hot meal.

Before the sun goes down, it's all relaxing. It is the soldier who is in charge of the guard, and it is also very light, and after people line up, they just sit in place and rest; Because there was no hostile situation, the brothers could still hang out with the brothers around them, and the military formation was very noisy and lively.

Yin Desheng rode around and heard a sergeant in the Sichuan dialect on the military formation talking about a kind of hometown baba to the people around him. The latter is quite eloquent, and he speaks very carefully about the method, color, taste, and texture. Yin Desheng listened for a while, and his saliva was about to flow out.

However, at night, the soldiers on duty were very uncomfortable. Although charcoal fires and torches were lit on the military formation, they could not stop the cold wind, and it was bitterly cold after nightfall! Everyone was draped in felt blankets, and some people were pacing in place to keep warm.

It was the end of the month, the moon was almost invisible, and the four fields were pitch black. In the distance, the sound of horses' hooves was constantly heard.

The cavalry of the Ming army would not go out of the camp in groups at night. The soldiers knew that the sound of horses' hooves was Tatar!

The camp was surrounded by infantry phalanxes, but there were no fortifications to stop them. The people endured the bitter cold and watched the darkness into the distance, fearing that the enemy might attack the camp at any moment.

Yin Desheng did not remove his armor, and he got up from time to time at night to inquire about the military situation on the military formation.

Coach Qu Neng is the same, when Qu Neng inspected Yin Desheng's side, the two met once.

Yin Desheng stepped forward to salute, and Qu Neng said appreciatively: "The Marquis of Heyang has worked tirelessly and is very attentive. No wonder the Holy One personally ordered you. ”

At this time, Yin Desheng hurriedly hugged his fists and said: "The last general will not dare to be." ”

Qu Neng listened to the sound of horses' hooves in the wind for a while, and said, "Heyang Hou doesn't have to worry too much, let's take precautions." In the middle of the night, the Tatars did not dare to attack the camp with a large force of men. ”

Yin Desheng said: "The Tatar army has arrived nearby, will it attack early tomorrow morning?" ”

Qu could hear this, and the expression on his face with obvious skeletal contours became subtle and rich. He seemed a little expectant, but also a little worried.

"If the enemy strikes tomorrow, our first day will be very difficult. You must encourage the soldiers, fight with the determination to die, and never retreat from the battle! Qu Neng said in a deep voice, "This is an open field, which is conducive to the movement of cavalry in all directions. We didn't have any fortifications on the first day, and if we broke down, we would definitely die! ”

He exhaled slightly and continued, "But as long as we can withstand the attack of the first day, we can build fortifications one after another. Now that the main forces of the Tatar army have come, they will not give up easily. ”

Yin Desheng clenched his fists and said: "The last general will follow the instructions of the marshal." ”

After Qu Neng left, Yin Desheng went back to the tent and slept for a while. He was wearing armor and was uncomfortable to lie down, making it difficult for him to fall asleep. But he was too sleepy in the early hours of the morning, and he still fell asleep.

When there was a movement of changing guards outside, Yin Desheng woke up. He picked up his helmet and put it on, grabbed his waist knife and walked out.

At this time, the eastern sky seemed to be faintly beginning to whiten.

Yin Desheng suddenly discovered one thing, the sound of horses' hooves could no longer be heard on all sides. He couldn't help but secretly speculate: after dawn, will there be a Tatar army brigade attacking?

Perhaps no one can be sure of this answer, it is all up to the choice of the Tatars. The Qu Neng Department of the Ming army was mainly infantry, and it went deep into the steppe familiar to the Tatars, so it was impossible to have the initiative in the campaign.