Chapter 38 10. The heavy troops marched north, and the sound shook the Central Plains to attack Dadu

During the Eastern Expedition and the Southern Expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang was already deploying the next strategic policy-the Northern Expedition.Although Liu Bowen analyzed that the internal fighting in the Yuan court in the north provided an opportunity for the south to fight, Zhu Yuanzhang believed that this actually provided a fighting opportunity for the Northern Expedition, because the generals and leaders of the Yuan court only cared about fighting and did not care about the overall situation.Therefore, at the same time as the Eastern Expedition and the Southern Expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang was intensively preparing for the Northern Expedition.

Although the Yuan Dynasty seems to be weak now, in fact, it still has a strong strength in the north, and directly confronting the Yuan Dynasty is the last step for Zhu Yuanzhang to achieve hegemony, so the preparations for the Northern Expedition are more rigorous and close than the Southern Expedition.Zhu Yuanzhang first discussed the general combat policy with Liu Bowen, and then discussed in detail with the generals at the military meeting. The fierce general Chang Yuchun said: "The last general thought that now that the south has been settled, only some military separatists in the north are left, and those forces are fighting with each other. We should take this opportunity to use offensive tactics and attack with heavy troops to directly capture Dadu. Break through, take advantage of the victory and attack the military forces in the north, and you will win a big victory."

Zhu Yuanzhang's thinking is just the opposite. Of course, he also knows that the plan proposed by Chang Yuchun is also the idea of ​​​​most generals, but he has a tendency to underestimate the enemy and advance aggressively. Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Most of them are capital cities that have been operated by the Yuan Dynasty for hundreds of years. The defense must be very strong. If the concentrated forces go deep and cannot attack for a long time, and the Yuan soldiers scattered in Shandong and other places go to Dadu for assistance, then our army may With insufficient food and wages, it is difficult to advance or retreat.”

At this time, Liu Bowen said: "Although direct attack is mostly a quick strategy, as analyzed by the lord, it seems that there are advantages, and there are more disadvantages after careful analysis. It is better to do the opposite." Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Liu Bowen, then glanced at the generals, and decided to choose the opposite strategy to Chang Yuchun. He said: "The disadvantages mentioned just now are a fatal threat to our army. We thought that they have reached this point. Now, attacking most of them is a matter of time, but the methods are different. Most of them are like the roots of a big tree, while Shandong, Henan and other places are just the few branches and leaves left. It is better to go to the branches first, take down Shandong, and return to the division. In Henan, cut off its branches and leaves, remove its wings, and then march into Tongguan to occupy its gates. In this way, the military positions on the east, south, and west sides are all under the control of our army. At this time, most of them are in a helpless situation. Dadu will naturally pull out its foundation. After conquering Dadu and taking advantage of the victory to go west, Yunzhong, Taiyuan and other places are also under control, and the Yuan Dynasty can be completely wiped out."

After hearing this, the generals all praised this as the most prudent and comprehensive strategy. This is the military analysis ability that Zhu Yuanzhang has cultivated in his more than ten years of combat career. He can not only grasp the overall situation, but also pay attention to the local area carefully and closely, and at the same time, ambition and courage coexist. With the strategy established, the next step is specific military deployment. This time, as Li Shanchang suggested, use the most elite and strongest generals to attack. The next step in Zhu Yuanzhang's preparations for war is to organize the selection of personnel for the command headquarters.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that the selection of talents had to be discussed with Li Shanchang. Although Li Shanchang was not as good as Liu Bowen in strategy and planning, he was the best at handling interpersonal relationships and being familiar with the generals. Zhu Yuanzhang said: "This Northern Expedition has a lot to do with it. We think it is still necessary to appoint veterans as generals." Li Shanchang said: "Before Pingchen Youliang, the lord personally commanded the generals. In this Northern Expedition, the generals were all fighting at a distance. Shanchang thought that it is necessary to select a general who can command and control the generals on the spot."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "This is what we are worrying about. Generals like Chang Yuchun and Lanyu are brave and good at fighting, but they often use their emotions. There must be a general to hold the line. Who do you think is the best general?" Is it suitable?" When Zhu Yuanzhang asked Li Shanchang in this way, it didn't mean that he didn't have any candidates in his mind, but he wanted to hear other people's opinions. Li Shanchang thought for a while, and said after a moment of silence: "Shanchang thought that Xu Da could command the whole army. Xu Da has experienced many battles, is prudent in using troops, cautious in words and deeds, does not do things that are not sure, and does not fight battles that are not sure. Pay attention to military discipline. Among the soldiers, he belongs to the old generation and can convince the masses."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement. In fact, he also chose Xu Da in his heart. Xu Da is his sworn brother, and fighting the world together can be described as going through fire and water. He has a stable temperament, is reliable, and is absolutely obedient and loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang. After careful consideration, Zhu Yuanzhang announced the deployment of generals for the Northern Expedition before marching: Xu Da was the general who conquered the captives, controlling the generals and having the right to make decisions.Chang Yuchun was brave and good at fighting, and was invincible. He was the deputy general and the vanguard.Zhu Yuanzhang knew that a brave general like Chang Yuchun must be properly controlled. He was only below Xu Da, so he had nothing to say. After all, Xu Da was a veteran. Yuchun, as the left and right wings.Xuexian and Fu Youde each led the army, and they were alone.

It should be said that this Northern Expeditionary Army was equipped with the best generals and the most elite soldiers. Before departure, Zhu Yuanzhang had a heart-to-heart talk with several generals. The purpose of the heart-to-heart talk was to make them fight better and serve themselves better. Therefore, in every battle, Zhu Yuanzhang talked with the generals with sincere concern. First Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde and others.For Xu Da and Tang He, the two sworn brothers, Zhu Yuanzhang always referred to them as brothers in private, and never put on airs.And when Zhu Yuanzhang and the veteran are together, the best way to talk heart-to-heart is to recall, through the shared memory of the past, to arouse a common emotional resonance, so that the emotions are closer, and it is easy to listen to what you say.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The heavy responsibility of the Northern Expedition rests on your shoulders. This responsibility is very heavy. As a general, you must strictly organize the army, communicate with the top and bottom, and make the soldiers work together. The majesty of the general, you use it as you want. Violators of discipline and rules should be severely punished, and everything should be done carefully and cautiously, and when it is decided, it should be decided, and when commanding a million-strong army, it should be calm and calm, and make overall plans." Everything was properly arranged. Before the march, Zhu Yuanzhang set up a teacher altar on Qili Mountain outside Yingtian North Gate to boost morale.

Zhu Yuanzhang first raised the wine cup, offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, and told the significance and importance of the Northern Expedition to the soldiers: "This Northern Expedition is to follow the mandate of heaven and go out for the people of the world. Our purpose is not to conquer the city, but to pacify the Central Plains." , to overthrow the decadent Yuan Dynasty, and create an environment for the people of the world to live and work in peace and contentment. The title of our teacher of benevolence and righteousness should not be in vain. Every time we go to war, we have repeatedly explained that we must not kill innocent people, rob people, property, and women. This is still the case this time, we are the rebels who crusade against the Yuan Dynasty, and the word "righteousness" of the rebels is at the head, I hope all the generals and soldiers will remember it in their hearts." This speech was touching and encouraging to the soldiers, and it was also a concern before sending them off. Veteran Xu Da was the general who conquered the captives, leading an army of 250,000 troops, heading north from the Huaihe River and heading straight into the Central Plains. While Xu Da led his troops to the north, Zhu Yuanzhang also did another thing, which played a key role in calming the north and winning people's hearts. Zhu Yuanzhang also used text while using force.The so-called use of text means that Song Lian wrote an appeal to the officials and people in the north and distributed it everywhere so that the people in the north could understand the reason for the Northern Expedition and eliminate the suspicion and fear of the Red Scarves from the northern landlords and bureaucrats. To disintegrate the morale of the Yuan army.Song Lian's essay is as long as a thousand characters, and his words are sincere. From the standpoint of the Han people in the Central Plains, he enumerates the disadvantages and corruption of the Mongolian and Yuan rule. Zhu Yuanzhang really went north with heavy troops, and the military generals of the Yuan Dynasty suddenly panicked, stopped fighting and killing, and decided to fight against Zhu Yuanzhang.However, the disagreement over the years made the generals of the Yuan Dynasty fight on their own, unwilling to obey others, let alone wronged themselves to cooperate with others, which provided a good opportunity for Zhu Yuanzhang to annihilate each one.However, Song Lian's call to action played a very good role in appease and win over the Han bureaucrats, landlords, and intellectuals in the north, so that wherever the Northern Expeditionary Army went, it was not counterattacked by the people, and it was also assisted by local forces. , Some states and counties in Henan surrendered without attack. In terms of specific strategic operations, Zhu Yuanzhang let Xu Da, the main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army, enter Henan from the Huaihe area, and at the same time let Deng Yu serve as a partial division, attacking Nanyang from Xiangyang to the north to disperse the Yuan army. In more than three months, Shandong was captured. put down.After successfully pacifying Shandong, the troops were divided into two groups, one to attack Chenqiao and then Bianliang; the other to attack Guide (now Shangqiu, Henan), Xuzhou (now Xuchang, Henan) and Deng Yu joined forces, and attacked Bianliang from the back.In this way, the two soldiers attacked, and Bianliang surrendered without a fight.At the same time, Feng Sheng also conquered Tongguan, and Henan was also pacified. Zhu Yuanzhang's military plan was basically successful, and the next step was to surround Yuan Dadu from three sides.At this time, in May of the first year of Ming Hongwu (1368), Zhu Yuanzhang came to Bianliang in person and held a military meeting to discuss the military strategy for capturing the capital.Although most of the wings were removed, Zhu Yuanzhang still did not dare to underestimate the enemy and attached great importance to this attack, because the final victory was coming. However, as soon as Zhu Yuanzhang's army arrived in Dadu, they found that the garrison force in Dadu was very weak. After conquering Dadu, they learned that the emperor had fled long before Dadu was besieged, and Dadu was destroyed by itself. Zhu Yuanzhang gradually eliminated the military separatist regime of the Yuan army near Dadu by advancing steadily and step by step, and finally took Dadu directly. The Yuan emperor fled, and the Yuan government no longer existed in form.When Xu Da and his Northern Expedition won the initial victory, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed the emperor in Yingtian, named Hongwu in the year, and Ming in the country.Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born as a farmer, has completed his steps to build a career, and he has a new journey—how to govern the country and how to continue the Ming Dynasty.