Chapter 109 Why Don’t You Go Up

Although it is already May, summer has arrived a little late in the Hetao region, and the wind is still a little cool in the morning and evening.

The bloody setting sun was setting in the west, and a pungent smell of blood filled the prairie.

A great war had just ended and the battlefield was littered with corpses. Teams of soldiers were cleaning the battlefield. They skillfully searched through the corpses, then slashed at the Mongols who were still breathing on the ground, completely killing them.

A large flag with the word “Li” on it fluttered in the wind.

Under the big flag, Li Hu sat upright on his horse, watching everything with an expressionless face.

Xie Jing, Yulin’s general, Yulin’s deputy general and others rode around him.

Not far away, the second prince sat on his horse, silently looking at Li Hu who was surrounded by generals, with obvious jealousy flashing in his eyes.

Wang Daniu, who was standing next to him, saw this and shook his head.

At this time, the sound of horse hooves and the cries of many people could be heard faintly.

The second prince looked in the direction of the voice.

In the distance, a team of Yulin cavalrymen were stumbling towards them, driving a group of Mongolian herdsmen.

The second prince’s eyes flashed, he squeezed his legs together, and spurred his horse towards Li Hu.

Wang Daniu called on his personal soldiers to follow on horseback.

The general of Yulin was talking to Li Hu. When he saw the second prince coming, he stopped talking and turned his head away.

The deputy general of Yulin also saw it, but did not look at him.

Xie Jing did not hide his disgust at all, his hands were clenched so hard that they made crackling sounds.

Li Hu smiled secretly, coughed, and said softly: “Why are you angry with a criminal!”

Xie Jing snorted and stopped looking at the second prince.

Li Hu rode forward, clasped his hands and said, “Second Prince.”

The second prince immediately bowed in return, “General Li, I am now serving in the army to atone for my sins.”

Li Hu interrupted him directly: “Second Prince, this is serious. You are a royal family, and although you are serving in the army to atone for your sins, you still have to follow the rules.” He glanced at Xie Jing and others, and then said: “The emperor’s decree is clear. Before returning to the capital, you are just a criminal.”

The much-watched case of Duke Shanguo’s defeat has finally come to an end. Although the retired emperor took the blame for everything, Duke Shanguo still had an unshirkable responsibility for the annihilation of the army, and his eldest son only inherited the title of earl.

The Yulin General was demoted two levels, but still held the position of General.

As for the second prince, the real culprit, he served under Li Hu to atone for his sins. When the war was over, he was escorted back to the capital and imprisoned in the clan house. The imperial edict did not say how long he would be imprisoned.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the emperor’s little tricks. He asked the second prince to make military achievements to atone his sins, and then symbolically imprisoned him for a year or two.

Li Hu is not a pushover. Not to mention the crown prince, there is even hatred between him and the second prince. It was very restrained of him not to kill him. How could he let him make military achievements to atone for his sins?

Besides, the emperor did not say it clearly in the imperial edict, nor did he give him an oral order. As a military man, how could he understand the twists and turns involved?

Since the emperor didn’t explain it clearly, he pretended not to know.

In addition, Li Hu learned about the battle situation in Datong from the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict, and found that the fighting was extremely brutal.

Looking at the Mongolian herdsmen, the second prince coughed and asked, “How does General Li plan to deal with these Tartar herdsmen?”

Li Hu smiled faintly: “Kill him.”

The second prince felt a pang in his heart when he heard him speak so viciously.

Xie Jing and the general of Yulin looked at each other and then at Li Hu.

“It’s just a joke, don’t take it seriously.”

Li Hu pointed at the grassland and said, “If we kill them, who will take care of the court’s horses? Who will herd the cattle and sheep? They are very valuable.”

Everyone looked at each other and smiled.

Li Hu suddenly remembered a classic quote from an internet celebrity in his previous life: “Lower the price for me,” and said with a smile: “Perhaps, the price of beef and mutton in Beijing will be a lot cheaper next year.” Everyone laughed again.

The second prince spoke again: “We are now at war with the Tartars. There are so many Tartar herdsmen, many of whom are young and strong. If they stay by our side or in the rear, it will be a huge hidden danger. General Li, please think twice.”

Li Hu looked at him with a smile and asked, “Second Prince, do you have something to teach me?”

The Second Prince: “I dare not. In the battle of Yulin, not only was Yulin City severely damaged, but the garrisons along the way were also destroyed in the war. This requires the conscription of a large number of civilians. The people in northern Shaanxi have suffered enough, and they should not be made to suffer this hardship again.”

Li Hu looked at him and said, “Please teach me, Second Prince.”

The Second Prince: “It is a waste of food to keep these Tartar nomads for nothing. Why not let them build Yulin City and the garrison?”

Li Hu understood what he meant. He knew that he would not gain any military merit by following him, so he set his sights on this. The emperor was his father and would definitely reward him with merit.

Besides, the rear is so comfortable that he is like a local emperor.

There were no fools among those present. They all knew what the Second Prince was planning, but they didn’t know what to say. They all looked at Li Hu.

Li Hu looked at Xie Jing and said, “Do you remember what I said that night?”

Xie Jing was stunned for a moment, then replied: “Let there be no more war in northern Shaanxi, and let Yulin go from the frontier to the inland.”

The general of Yulin was excited: “The commander wants to build a city in Hetao?”

Li Hu: “It is the emperor who wants to build a city in Hetao. If you want to control the grasslands outside the Great Wall for a long time, you must build a city and relocate the people to cultivate the land. This is not the pre-Ming Dynasty. Corn, potatoes, etc. can be grown outside the Great Wall. In this way, a large-scale garrison can be stationed in Hetao, and the Mongols living here can be suppressed by force. Then, through the transformation of etiquette and writing, the Mongols here can be completely sinicized in two or three generations.”

There was a gleam in everyone’s eyes.

Li Hu continued, “We are only responsible for expanding the territory. Building the city is the court’s business. Officials from the Ministry of Works are on their way.”

The second prince seemed to be thinking about something, blinking his eyes.

Suddenly, the earth-shaking sound of horse hooves came from the other end of the grassland. A group of flying black spots approached gradually, rolling up a yellow dragon several miles long, rolling and making a shocking momentum!

Li Hu smiled: “Our warriors are back.”

Without cavalry, Li Hu did not dare to enter the grassland, but it was different in Yulin. Although Yulin’s elite cavalry had suffered heavy losses, Yulin had no shortage of young and strong men skilled in archery and horse riding. These people had experienced a bloody battle, and together with the surviving old soldiers, Li Hu managed to gather 5,000 cavalry.

As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Each of them had a blood feud with the Tatars, so they fought fiercely. Relying on the advantages of armor and weapons, they won a great victory in the first battle.

It has been more than a month since Li Hu entered the Ikh Ju League. This is the second time he has fought against the Mongols. It was a hearty massacre.

There was no way. The main force of the Ikh Ju League royal court had been destroyed long ago. Later, most of the troops gathered from the east and west were defeated under the city of Yulin. The rest were almost all herdsmen.

After the first battle with the Mongols, Li Hu learned about the withdrawal of the Zhengbai Banner. In the past half month, he has been searching for the last remnants led by several princes of the Ikh Ju League, preparing to wipe them out in one fell swoop!
At this time, a scout came galloping in front of Li Hu, pulled the reins, jumped off the horse, and reported loudly: “Report to the commander, we have captured a group of Mongolian spies. After torture, we found that the remnants of the Ikh Ju League are resting at a lake more than 100 miles northwest.”

Li Hu looked up at the sky. This distance was nothing for the cavalry, but his men were mostly infantry, and it would take at least two days to arrive. As for sending these 5,000 cavalry to attack at night, forget it. He couldn’t take the risk. Knowing the location, he would be able to catch up with the enemy sooner or later.

Still lacking cavalry!
Li Hu sighed in his heart, and suddenly caught sight of the young and strong men among the herdsmen. His eyes lit up. Wasn’t the 3,000-man battalion of the former Ming Dynasty originally composed of 3,000 cavalrymen who surrendered from outside the Great Wall?

Thinking of this, Li Hu said to Xie Jing, “Select all the young and strong men with families.” He then looked at the general of Yulin and said, “Pass the order down, the army will set up camp on the spot. Send out scouts thirty miles away, and watch out for the enemy’s night attacks.”

Just as Li Hu was setting up camp, several princes of the Ikh Ju League had a fierce quarrel.

The light in the big tent had dimmed.

The princes of the Yik Zhao League were looking at each other. It was obvious that they were frozen at this moment.

After a moment of silence, a prince spoke up: “If this continues, morale will be completely lost.”

Another prince looked at him and asked, “You go up?”

The prince was startled and thought: Why don’t you go up!

Silence fell again.

There were hurried footsteps, and then a general ran in and reported loudly: “One of the spies sent out for reconnaissance has not returned.”

Several princes stood up, looked at each other, and said in unison: “Retreat!”

(End of this chapter)