In the second year of Chongzhen, at the beginning of April.

After a year of preparation, Li Hongyu prepared to lead a 40,000-strong western expeditionary army north to join the Mongol army in Bahat, and then launch a general attack on the Warats.

Moxi Mongolia is the world of the Warat people, and Mongolia can be divided into two parts, one is the Tatar tribe belonging to the golden family, and the other is the Warat tribe established by the local Mongolian nobility.

Among the present-day Monan, Moxi, and Mobei Mongols, the Monans and Mobei Mongols belong to the Tatars, while the Moxi Mongols are the Warats.

Speaking of the Warat people, we have to mention the famous battle of Tumubao in the history of the Ming Dynasty, when the person who captured the orthodox emperor in Tumubao was the Mongolian Warat Department, and the commander was the Taishi of the Warat Department.

The Warat tribe reached its heyday in the hands of Yexian, and after the death of the first Wala, the Warat tribe gradually decayed and fell apart.

Today, there are four major tribes of the Warats, namely: the Dzungar tribe, the Heshute tribe, the Dulbert tribe and the Turghut tribe.

Among them, the Turghut tribe is nomadic in the Yar and Yuledus River valleys, the Dulbert tribe is nomadic in the Irtysh River valley, the Heshute tribe is nomadic in Urumqi and other regions, and the Dzungar tribe is nomadic in Ili.

Bahat's greatest rival in Monan was the Dzungar tribe, and the Dzungar tribe with the Khan's court in Ili was now the most powerful of the Warats.

More than ten years ago, the Dzungar Ministry replaced the Heshute Ministry and became the leader of the "Churkan", the deliberative body of Moxi Mongolia.

The so-called "Churkan" refers to the council of representatives of the lords of the various tribes of Moxi Mongolia who met regularly to coordinate the relations between the various tribes, strengthen feudal rule, and defend against foreign enemies.

Generally speaking, only the most powerful tribes can become the "Churkan" Mongols, and the fact that the Dzungar tribe was able to snatch this alliance leader from the Heshute tribe shows its strength.

It is worth mentioning that the Dzungar tribe later established the powerful Dzungar Khanate, fought for many years against the Manchu Qing who had seized power in the Central Plains, and fought against the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors.

Therefore, the strength of the Dzungar tribe can be seen from this, and Bahat's main opponent in Moxi is the Dzungar tribe, and the Dzungar department leads the confrontation between the Mongol alliance army in Moxi and the western expeditionary army of Bahat.

In fact, the strength of Bahat is not enough to fight against the Moxi Mongol coalition army, but the Moxi Mongol tribes are not monolithic, otherwise how would Bahat be given an opportunity?

On the surface, Li Hongyu sent troops to help Bahat fight, but on the surface, it seemed that he had returned Bahat's favor last year, but in fact it was a plan he had made a long time ago.

In the eyes of outsiders, Bahat's Mongol Western Expeditionary Army and Mangui's Ming Western Expeditionary Army had their own interests, and they were military teams sent by two different countries.

But in fact, Bahat's Western Expeditionary Army and Mangui's Western Expeditionary Army are both pawns in Li Hongyu's hands, and he wants to use these two chess pieces to destroy Moxi Mongolia and pacify the Western Regions.

Due to the limited military strength of Bahat and Mangui, if they acted alone, they would definitely suffer from the Warat and Yarkand people, and finally return with a feather.

But if the two sides are united, then it is a powerful force, enough to make up for the lack of strength of the other party.

Taking Bahat's Mongol Western Expeditionary Army as an example, without the assistance of the Manguixi Expeditionary Army, it would be difficult for them to pacify the right-wing tribes of the Mongols in the south of the Mo and occupy a place on the territory of the Mongol tribes in the west of the Moxi.

Then again, if it weren't for the fact that Bahat had led his army to aid Dunhuang last year, the Ming army in Kansai would have encountered a vicious battle, and even if it won, it would have suffered a lot of vitality and the gains outweighed the losses.

Once Abdullah took advantage of the Ming army's vitality to send troops to attack again, then Li Hongyu had no choice but to abandon Guanxi and withdraw to Jiayu Pass.

Moreover, due to the disagreement between the Ming and the Mongols, neither the Warat nor the Yarkand regarded the two sides as allies, but only regarded them as a combination of interests, and would not work for each other, and then underestimated the strength of both sides, giving Mangui and Bahat an opportunity to take advantage of.

Due to the initial decision of Guanxi and Hami, Li Hongyu did not let Man Gui go north this time, and Man Gui was the commander of the Western Expeditionary Army of the Ming Dynasty, so he naturally had to sit in command in Dunhuang City.

The people who followed Li Hongyu to the territory of Moxi Mongolia this time were Li Zhizhong and Chai Shixiu, the two deputy generals of the Western Expeditionary Army, who were the deputy generals of the Western Expeditionary Army, second only to the existence of Man Gui.

When they defeated Tumor last year, Li Zhizhong and Chai Shixiu led their troops to defend the northern and southern regions of Kansai, but they could not catch up with that big victory.

Now, Li Hongyu decided to make up for the regret of the two of them, and took the two to compete with the Moxi Mongolian coalition army, giving the two a chance to make contributions.

For this northward attack on Moxi Mongolia, Li Zhizhong and Chai Shixiu are eager to try, since Li Hongyu personally sat in command of the town, there must be a big war, no longer the previous small fight, last year's battle of Dunhuang is the best proof.

Last year's war touched Li Zhizhong and Chai Shixiu very much, if they were the two of them, they would definitely defend Dunhuang City and wait for the arrival of Bahat reinforcements.

But Li Hongyu was different, starting from Tumer's internal contradictions, disintegrating and dividing Tumol's forces, and bringing Jabbar and other Hami troops over, and then turning a fierce battle of equal strength into a one-sided pursuit war.

The two of them were inspired by this, and simple brute force is not the best strategy, and the war should be considered comprehensively to find the best solution.

However, the two did not expect their military attainments to reach the height of Li Hongyu, they could learn from Li Hongyu's two or three achievements and benefit a lot, and then they could fight on the battlefield.

The reason why Li Hongyu signed a peace agreement with Abdullah last year was so that he could attack Moxi Mongolia with peace of mind this year, and he didn't want his backyard to catch fire when he was fighting with the Moxi Mongol tribes.

If Abdullah knew that Li Hongyu was going to fight with the Moxi Mongol tribes, then he would definitely not obediently negotiate peace with Li Hongyu, and no matter how much he wanted to get some benefits from it.

As Li Hongyu led the army out of Dunhuang City, the 10,000 guards of the Shaanxi Xingdu Division were ordered to go out of the pass and enter the city to station, and this 10,000 guards army was selected from the elite of the Shaanxi Xingdu Division after the rectification of military affairs, so as to fill the military vacancies in the Guanxi area after the departure of the 40,000 Western Expeditionary Army.

It was only at this time that Gu Shan, the commander of the Shaanxi Xingdu Division, finally understood why Li Hongyu wanted to rectify the military affairs of the Shaanxi Xingdu Division, and it seemed that Li Hongyu's strategic plan was beyond his imagination, not only to fight against the Yarkand people but also with the Warat people.

In this way, the little strength of the Western Expeditionary Army is far from being able to meet Li Hongyu's deployment needs, and it is difficult to recruit troops because of the sparse population and alien races outside the Guanxi area.

When Li Hongyu defeated Tumol in Guanxi, Gushan couldn't believe the news, the boundary of Shaanxi Xingdu Division and Guanxi was separated by a Jiayu Pass, so he naturally knew how powerful Tumol was, if he was replaced, I was afraid that he would have to withdraw to Jiayuguan.

After all, Gushan is not Li Hongyu, he can't think of such a good discord plan to make Jabbar and others take refuge, and there is no strong reinforcement like the Mongols, so there is only one way to retreat at that time.

If Gushan still had doubts about Li Hongyu's achievements in Liaodong before, then Li Hongyu subdued Kansai less than a year after leaving the customs, which made him convinced.

At the beginning of May, the Mongolian steppe, on the banks of the Yifen River, Baiying Mountain.

White Eagle Mountain is an important gathering place of the Mongolian Khalkha Department, and it is also the location of the Mongolian Western Expeditionary Army, where tens of thousands of Khalkha people live.

Over the years, the Khalkha people have been living a wandering life, from Monan all the way to Moxi, and have experienced a lot of hardships.

However, with the migration over the years, the Khalkha tribe annexed many Mongolian tribes along the way, which made them larger and stronger, and their population was already five or six times that before the westward expedition, which can be called the largest tribe in Mongolia.

Although the environment of the Yifen River is also very good, Bahat's goal is the Yili River valley at the foot of the Tien Shan Mountains, which not only has rich water and grass, but also has an important strategic position, and can avoid the edge of the rising Houjin, so it is suitable for the establishment of the Khan Court.

The Ili Valley is home to the Dzungar Khanate, and Bahat must cross the Dzungar Barrier in order to fulfill his wishes.

At this time, the camp tents have been set up at the foot of Baiying Mountain, and there are white flowers as far as the eye can see, these camps are different from the yurts of the Mongolian army, and they are the tents of the Ming Western Expeditionary Army.

Li Hongyu arrived at Baiying Mountain the day before, and because the Mongol soldiers in Bahat were usually scattered in various tribes and only assembled in wartime, Li Hongyu had to wait here for the assembly of the Mongol soldiers.

According to the plan, the soldiers of the Mongol Western Expeditionary Army were to be assembled at Baiying Mountain before July, and then lead the army to attack Huanglong and attack Yili, where the Dzungar Department was located.

In the art of war, it is good to capture the thief and capture the king first, as long as the strongest Junggar tribe in Moxi Mongolia is defeated, then the other tribes will be easy to deal with.

Like the Mongol expeditionary forces in Bahat, the Mongol soldiers of Moxi usually stayed in their tribes, and only brought weapons and horses with them when they were recruited.

Li Hongyu and Bahat strolled along the banks of the Yifen River, discussing the attack on the Dzungar tribe, and a group of guards followed from a distance, vigilantly observing the surrounding situation.

"Lord Taibao, the Junggar Department has a strong army, plus those tribes that depend on him, can recruit 70,000 horses, I can gather 60,000 people here to fight, plus your 40,000 people, we have the upper hand in terms of troops."

As he walked, Bahat introduced the situation of the Warat people to Li Hongyu, "The second largest part of the Warat people is the Heshute Division, which can recruit 50,000 troops, and the Turghut Department and the Dulbert Department can recruit about 40,000 troops. ”

"If they had been united, I would have been driven away, but they were fighting openly and secretly, so they gave me a chance."

As he spoke, Bahat laughed, and in the face of his attack, the Warats, who were full of internal contradictions, did not show a posture of hatred and hatred, which gave him a chance to gain a foothold in Moxi.

"I heard that the Khan of the Turghut tribe has plans to move north." Li Hongyu pondered for a moment when he heard this, and asked Bahat, this kind of struggle for power and profit exists in Southern Mongolia, and the Western Mongolian tribes are definitely no exception.

"Lord Taibao is right, the Turghut tribe is threatened by the Dzungar tribe, and because he is worried that the Dzungar tribe may eat it, the Khan king of the Turghut tribe wants to migrate to the northwest to avoid the threat of the Dzungar tribe."

Hearing this, Bahat bowed his head slightly, and opened his mouth to explain to Li Hongyu, "After the rise of the Junggar Ministry, it has become more and more domineering and arrogant, not only the Turghut Ministry, but also the Heshute Ministry, and the Dulbert Ministry, when they are fighting with us, they all want to preserve their strength, and they do not go all out. ”

"The enemy of the enemy is a friend, since the situation of the Turks is so unbearable now, then we might as well win it over, maybe there will be a surprise at that time." Li Hongyu suddenly had an idea in his heart after hearing this, so he said meaningfully to Bahat, using the contradictions between the enemies to disintegrate and divide them is a matter of science.

"I also think so, if we can get the help of the Turghat Ministry, then it will be of great help to defeat the Dzungar Ministry, and it will be of great help to us in defeating the Dzungar Ministry."

Hearing this, Bahat nodded again and again, and said to Li Hongyu in a deep voice, "I am going to go to Yar in person and form an alliance with the Turks!" ”

"You're going in person?" Li Hongyu's brows suddenly frowned, with the expansion of the strength of the Khalkha Ministry and the growth of Bahat's prestige, he was already interested in helping Bahat ascend to the position of the Great Khan of Mongolia, so he didn't want to risk it.

"Lord Taibao, I know you're worried about me, but only if I go to this matter can I make the Turks feel at ease to form an alliance."

Bahat knew that Li Hongyu was worried about him, so he smiled and comforted, "Besides, the situation of the Turks is difficult now, and they are all forced to move north by the Dzungar Ministry, so there is no reason to help the Dzungar Ministry." ”

"You have to be more careful in this matter, if you see that the signs are wrong, come back immediately, even without the help of the Turghut Ministry, we can defeat the Dzungar Ministry."

Li Hongyu knew that what Bahat said was reasonable, and seeing his resolute attitude and eagerness, he nodded to him after thinking about it carefully.

"Lord Taibao, don't worry, this time I will definitely live up to my mission and bring the Turkut Department over."

Seeing this, Bahat immediately laughed, patted his chest and said in high spirits, "As long as we can defeat the Dzungar Department in one fell swoop this time, then the remaining Heshute Department and Dulbert Department will not be afraid, and the situation in Moxi can be determined." ”

Li Hongyu also laughed when he heard this, what Bahat said was right, if he won over the Turghut Department and defeated the Dzungar Ministry, then the Heshute Department and the Dulbert Department would lose the will to resist, and nine times out of ten they would surrender, so that the overall situation of Moxi would be decided, and he would be able to free up his hands to solve the affairs of the Western Regions.

Compared with the fact that there are only Warat people in Moxi, there are many small countries in the Western Regions, and there is a behemoth like the Yarkand Khanate, so it is not easy to deal with it.

Fortunately, the Yarkand Khanate was divided, and Abdullah seized the eastern part of the Yarkand Khanate, which invisibly gave Li Hongyu a chance to break through.

Speaking of which, what Li Hongyu is doing now is what should have been done by the Ming court, but due to the lack of funds in the imperial court, the internal capital is continuous, and the war in Liaodong is at the "doorstep" of the Beijing division, so where does the imperial court still have the energy to manage the affairs of the Western Regions.

Li Hongyu is actually quite lonely now, he can't get any useful help from the imperial court, the war situation in the Western Regions and Moxi is completely controlled by himself, and the trouble has to be solved by himself.

Without the financial support of the Customs Department, the armies of Mangui and Bahat would have collapsed long ago, and perhaps Bahat would have been able to support them for a longer time, after all, the Mongol army had less reliance on logistics than the Ming army.

But this time, Mangui and Bahat are complementary and dependent on each other, once Mangui withdraws his troops due to insufficient logistical supplies, it will be difficult for Bahat to hold out for too long.

(End of chapter)