Zhu Houzhao ordered to stay in place, which was equivalent to determining the combat idea of ​​defense-oriented in a place full of crisis.

This is obviously not in line with the current situation, because there is no danger to defend on the grassland, and Zhu Houzhao's actions are suspected of playing with fire. However, the temporary benefit to the Ming Dynasty is that the Tatars today cannot organize a large number of troops to attack the Ming Central Army camp.

But the attack on the camp still occurred that night. The Ming Zhongjun camp was divided into three places on the left, middle and right, and they cooperated with each other. The Tatars seemed to be very clear about the weaknesses of the Ming army's defense, so they specifically asked Zhu Houzhao to attack the central camp where he was. They took advantage of the night to kill and split their troops out. The Ming army sent dragon cavalry, and the several pursuits were not effective.

After arresting a few Tatar soldiers, they were more aimlessly chasing. In the end, Zhu Houzhao ordered that the camp should not be left or that he could not be left. The camp was in peace that night.

The situation here is pretty good. After all, the Tatars are not able to attack the camp, and Jiang Bin is on the verge of danger.

On the day when Zhu Houzhao ordered the withdrawal of troops, Jiang Bin led his troops to travel more than 30 miles until sunset camping. He still did not receive any news about the Tatars and was in a state of "the years were quiet and good".

"Master Jiang, Your Majesty has an imperial edict." After the camp was completed, Jiang Bin summoned the generals to convene a meeting. Xu Tai came here with Zhu Houzhao's imperial edict.

Jiang Bin said: "But Your Majesty asks us to go in a different direction?"

At this time, Jiang Bin himself was also a little scared because after arriving at the hinterland of the grassland, he found that it was very different from what he imagined. The terrain here was very high, and the soldiers had symptoms such as tinnitus and dizziness. They were obviously not very adapted to the plateau climate. There were many people sick. Moreover, there were more and more mountains in front, and it became increasingly difficult to detect the enemy situation. This was contrary to Jiang Bin's cognition that the grassland was an open land.

Xu Tai said anxiously: "Your Majesty asks us to withdraw our troops."

"withdraw troops?"

Jiang Bin was puzzled and took the imperial edict and read it carefully. He frowned and said, "What does Your Majesty mean? The war has not started yet, and he will withdraw? Isn't this a detriment to Your Majesty?"

Xu Tai smiled bitterly and said, "What are you talking about now? Your Majesty said you should withdraw... We are completely out of touch with the subsequent troops and cannot form a response to each other. If we continue to march and encounter Tartars, what should we do?"

Jiang Bin threw the imperial edict aside, his face unhappy: "I still have to take care of my own face. Your Majesty meant that we would find a place to hold sacrificial activities to shock the grassland tribes. Then make arrangements now and do it here tomorrow... Just like the seal of wolf servants, we must make more noise."

Xu Tai said with a bitter face: "Didn't Your Majesty ask us to perform sacrifices in the old place of Chahan Naoerwei? After all, there are abandoned fortresses to defend, and there are lakes nearby to provide water, which is much better than this place... It's really not possible. I'll sacrifice overnight tonight and withdraw troops tomorrow morning?"

"Listen to you or me?" Jiang Bin was furious when he heard this and shouted loudly, "What I said is a military order, please make an arrangement! Strengthen the battalion defense tonight."

"yes."

Although Xu Tai had his own ideas, he had no say in the army and retreated with an ugly expression.

...

...

The night on the grassland was quiet, and just as Jiang Bin was preparing for the sacrificial ceremony in the coming days, a large number of Tatars were approaching his camp.

The place where Jiang Bin is stationed is a strange slope. Although the water source is at the foot of the mountain, there is no danger to guard. Moreover, Jiang Bin is proud to have the camp broken into several small camps, which echoes each other. It seems quite regular, but in fact it is just a division of troops. When there is not much force, he is cheating himself.

"I don't believe that the Tartars can turn against the sky! This grassland is now the grassland of the Ming Dynasty. If you have the ability, try it with me! Keep it so that they can't afford to take care of it!" Jiang Bin also drank that night and then slept. He didn't think the Tatars really dare to fight him.

But here, Zhu Houzhao ordered the Ming army to station on the spot, and refused to send troops to fight head-on with the Tatars who came to harass the raid.

As a result, it became difficult to obtain information. He originally thought that he would get news of Jiang Bin's withdrawal soon, but he had no news for several days in a row, which made Zhu Houzhao very anxious.

"Your Majesty, it's time to withdraw your troops. Didn't Lord Shen say that it's been a long time to change."

Xiao Tiaozi was in panic all day long. Now Zhu Houguangming is stationed in a place where there is no danger to guard, which is a bit like he cannot move forward and retreat.

Zhu Houzhao waved impatiently: "I will consider military information as appropriate. When Jiang Bin completes the sacrifice, the entire army will be able to return to victory."

Two days later, there was still no news about Jiang Bin. Zhu Houzhao realized that something might have happened. Because the information in the north was completely cut off, Zhu Houzhao sent people to inquire about the news several times.

On that day, Zhu Houzhao called Liu Xu to his side and asked in detail about the Tatars. Liu Xu informed him of what he knew.

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Aren't the Tartars already defeated? Why have they recovered again in just a few years? Isn't it said that if the grassland wants to revive, it has to wait for more than ten years, at least one generation later?"

Liu Xu was not very clear about what Zhu Houzhao said, and as a general, he didn't need to have such a big view.

Zhu Houzhao said: "There is no news about the striker?"

Liu Xu bowed: "Your Majesty, there were rumors before that the Tartars kept sending people to attack us just to eat the vanguards from the north, but there was no news to prove it later. After all, the vanguards are three hundred miles away from us..."

"What to eat?" Zhu Houzhao was very dissatisfied with Liu Xu's words and emphasized, "I believe that the Tartars will not be so ignorant. You have also said three hundred miles and it will take at least five or six days to withdraw. This is not the time to deliver messages and complete the sacrifice. Let's wait first."

...

...

It was another two days in a blink of an eye, and there was still no news about Jiang Bin. Now Zhu Houzhao was anxious.

That day, there were not as many Tatar soldiers and horses that were harassing around the surrounding area. Zhu Houzhao asked Liu Xu and Hu Songyue to send troops north as appropriate, and ordered that if there were a large number of Tatars moves, they would try their best to avoid the war. Zhu Houzhao was afraid that he would lose again in the future and affect his reputation.

Originally, Liu Xu and Hu Songyue could send their generals to attack, but the two of them were full of anger these days. This time, Liu Xu led the troops and led a total of 4,000 dragon cavalry with one person and two cavalry heading north.

Departing that morning, Liu Xu brought his troops back in the afternoon. He did not experience the war, but Liu Xu brought back the news that shocked Zhu Houzhao and Jiang Bin was defeated.

"What's going on? Why did you suddenly lose? When did something happen?" Zhu Houzhao almost stepped forward and grabbed Liu Xu's collar and asked.

Liu Xu explained: "Your Majesty, on the way, the scout found traces of war horses by the nearby lake, so he led his troops to check it out. He found several ragged Ming officers and soldiers, who asked carefully before learning about this."

Zhu Houzhao breathed a little relieved and said, "I'm afraid the deserter is talking nonsense. I don't believe this will happen."

Liu Xu saluted again: "The last general not only received confessions from deserters, but also found several yurts behind a hill near the lake. It turned out to be herders from the north and south. They also said that the Ming Dynasty had defeated the war and the Tatar tribes who fled to the north of the desert recently went south and returned to their respective pastures. In addition, I heard that General Jiang led his men to retreat to the east... No one knows where it is at present."

"Your Majesty, withdraw your troops quickly, otherwise it will be too late." Xiao Taozi was so scared that he quickly persuaded him.

Zhu Houzhao looked cold and muttered: "After delaying for so many days, I knew that something might have happened, but now it's all rumors and I can't believe it."

Then Zhu Houzhao looked up at Liu Xu: "Since you know that the Tatars are forcing you, why are you coming back? Just lead the troops north, so how can you find out more information?"

Liu Xu explained: "The last general dared not underestimate the enemy and advance... According to the current situation, there are at least 10,000 Tartar soldiers and horses. I heard that tribal armed forces are still joining, and the humble position... I only brought 4,000 officers and soldiers, and there was not enough food and supplies. If an encounter occurs..."

Zhu Houzhao was in a very bad mood and immediately scolded: "Are the people brought by Shangshu Chen also cowards?"

Liu Xu did not expect Zhu Houzhao to comment on his voluntary retreat in this way. Although he wanted to explain that he was more worried about the safety of the central army, he could only accept it obediently.

Zhu Houzhao immediately realized that it was not appropriate to scold his generals like this, and waved his hand: "I am going to lead troops to retreat. You and General Hu led 6,000 troops from the palace. If you know the situation of General Jiang's troops, go to rescue at any time!"

Zhu Houzhao was very unwilling to accept this, but she was also a little scared, after all, he was very afraid of death.

Zhu Houzhao thought to himself: "Shangshu Chen has reminded me before and asked me to retreat quickly. I did not obey. If I stayed and the Tartars gathered troops to invade, I might not be able to leave even if I wanted to!"

Just as Zhu Houzhao was wandering around the sky, Liu Xu was shocked by the words "demand". He glanced at Liu Xu coldly and raised his hand to ask Liu Xu to arrange the withdrawal of troops.

...

...

After Zhu Houzhao's central army was delayed on the grassland for many days, they finally set out on the way back to Zhangjiakou Fort.

When he came, he walked very slowly, but retreated very quickly because Zhu Houzhao was afraid of death. As for whether Jiang Bin's troops won or lost, it seemed that it had nothing to do with him. Even if there were many soldiers who died, as long as his safety could be guaranteed, it would not be a problem. It was like leading troops from Nanjing to Jiangxi before, even if they won in the end, they would innocently ruin tens of thousands of soldiers' lives.

Zhu Houzhao was very enthusiastic about military affairs, but unfortunately he was always talking about military affairs on paper. At this time, he felt a sense of frustration and forced him to rush to Zhangjiakou Fort.

Liu Xu and Hu Songyue personally led 6,000 troops to the palace, but they did not find any Tatars killed. Instead, they learned about Jiang Bin's situation more and more in detail.

According to the information the scouts inquired from the nomads, Jiang Bin was attacked the night after receiving the order to retreat. The number of Tatars was unclear, but I think there were thousands of cavalry, which was equivalent to Jiang Bin's troops.

Originally, the Ming Dynasty soldiers were on the defensive and had advanced firearms as support, so they should be able to win. Unfortunately, Jiang Bin's ability to command operations was basically zero, which was even more talkative than Zhu Houzhao. When he was attacked, he was sleeping with his head covered. When he was awakened by the guards, the outer defense line had been broken. The Tartars rushed into the camp and set fire everywhere. Jiang Bin was afraid that he did not organize a defense and directly fled, which led to a disastrous defeat that night.

However, Jiang Bin and Xu Tai still led some troops to break through. They were in a panic and went eastward. The Tatars could not bring in enough troops to attack Zhu Houzhao's central army, and simply continued to pursue Jiang Bin and Xu Tai, hoping to completely strangle the Ming army.

When the latest military information was transmitted back, Zhu Houzhao's troops were less than ten miles away from Zhangjiakou Fort, Zhu Houzhao was very annoyed after listening to the report.

Zhu Houzhao scolded Xiao Tiaozi: "I said there is no need to be afraid of the Tartars, just urge me to withdraw my troops! If I lead my troops north, I can still win a big victory. Those Tartars have long been at the end of their strength. Maybe they can save Jiang Bin's six thousand men... Now I'm afraid they will all be buried in the grassland!"

Xiao Tiaozi felt wronged. He wanted to say that if you don’t leave, your safety will be threatened, and who dares to let you take risks when you don’t know the enemy situation? Even if you know that the Tatars are not very strong now, you still can’t go! After all, what you know now is just hearsay and cannot be confirmed.

"His Majesty calms down."

Qian Ning, who was standing next to him, hurriedly said, "For the sake of the present, it is best to withdraw to Zhangjiakou, so that you can ensure your safety and wait for an opportunity to send someone to rescue him... By the way, aren't General Hu and General Liu's troops still responsible for the rear of the palace? Since they heard that the Tartars were not strong enough, they should take the initiative to attack and rescue."

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Qian Ning coldly.

At this time, Qian Ning was deprived of his position as commander of the Jinyiwei because of his defeat, but he still stayed with him as a guard. This was why Zhu Houzhao always trusted his old friends.

"Then withdraw your troops quickly!"

Zhu Houzhao said with a dark face, "I hope General Hu and General Liu will live up to my expectations for them!"

...

...

Zhu Houzhao did not want to make what happened on the grassland public, and strictly ordered that no news should be disclosed to the public. Ordinary generals did not know that Jiang Bin had suffered a defeat.

Before Zhu Houzhao returned to Zhangjiakou, Shen Xi, who was in the capital, had learned about the situation on the grassland. Unlike in the past, Shen Xi had obtained exact information. The situation Shen Xi learned this time was more rumor. After all, the situation in the hinterland of the grassland was not something that ordinary scouts could investigate. This war was a bit strange, but it was basically within his expectations.

"...Sir, even if Jiang Bin doesn't die, I'm afraid it's almost done." Yun Liu said.

Shen Xi shook his head and said, "The situation should not be that bad... Do you still understand what the Tatars are like? At best, they can gather three or four thousand people, but they don't have the ability to completely wipe out Jiang Bin's troops. If I expected it, Jiang Bin would be able to react quickly after breaking through the encirclement, assemble the defeated troops, and then retreat to a place to stand for assistance, but they can't send people back to notify them."

Yun Liu suddenly thought of something and asked, "Does he think he might be trapped in the old place of Chahan's brain-arm?"

"Um."

Shen Xi nodded and said, "If I were Jiang Bin, I found that the enemy was attacking and could not withdraw to the Ming Dynasty for the time being, I would definitely find a place with a defensive foundation to wait for reinforcements to arrive. The old place of Chahan's brain-armed guards is the most suitable place. In addition, I can only use the terrain and landform to build fortifications... But this is not what he is good at. With his head, it is rare to think of withdrawing the old place of the ward."

Yun Liu said: "But now General Liu sent someone back to pass the message, but he has not received any news about Jiang Bin for the time being."

Shen Xi looked cold: "The Tatars are not good, but it is still easy to complete the blockade of information on their own territory. Liu Xu and Hu Songyue are not good at making information. They can only inquire about the situation through those misled herdsmen and spread rumors."

"Sir, I am a humble and incompetent."

Yunliu began to admit her mistakes.

Chen Xidao: "What does this have to do with you? I turned my eyes to the ocean and never thought of going to the grassland again... Your Majesty's actions made things that could not have happened a reality. After the Tatars obtained the weapons and equipment of Jiang Bin's troops, they would probably be arrogant for a while. But this is good, at least in a short period of time, Your Majesty will not have to send troops to the grassland."

Yunliu asked for instructions: "Will you notify General Liu and General Hu to urgently rush to Chahan's brain-armed old place?"
To be continued...