Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

As the exploration horses passed back more and more information like running water, Zhu Di began to order the troops to camp, rest, replenish their physical strength, and replenish their food and water. At the same time, he summoned all the princes and ministers to discuss.

In the huge tent, the light from the brazier was flickering, and the air was filled with a dull and tense atmosphere.

A huge military map was placed in the center of the tent, with several nearly burned out candles and some paperwork scattered around.

Wearing the red cotton armor newly adopted by the Ming army, Zhu Di sat in the center of the tent with a majestic face and deep eyes, showing the majesty and determination of an emperor.

The Duke of the State, Zhu Neng, was standing next to the map in person, focusing on reporting the military situation to the ministers based on the news that was constantly being passed back.

Zhu Neng described the terrain, enemy positions and possible tactics in detail, his gestures rising and falling with his words.

Zhu Di stared at the map with burning eyes, sometimes nodding in agreement, sometimes frowning in deep thought, his fingers unconsciously moving in the air, as if he was imagining the perfect tactical layout.

The Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was well aware of the importance of this war to the northern border of the Ming Dynasty. As part of preventing Timur's invasion, this war would even determine the future destiny of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, he must formulate a careful plan to ensure victory. .

Zhu Di was not sure whether Timur's expedition would become a reality, but Timur was already on his way.

Therefore, in order to prevent the Ming Dynasty and the Timur Khanate from being attacked from both sides during the stalemate in Longxi, they must attack first and cripple these remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, the Tatar tribe.

However, any careful plan cannot be made by patting one's head on the head. Intelligence, especially accurate intelligence, is a prerequisite for making a careful plan.

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly opened the tent door, and a cold wind mixed with grass clippings rushed in. He didn't bother to pat it away and went straight to Zhu Di.

"confirmed?"

Zhu Gaoxu had just been sent to contact the commander-in-chief of the 3,000 battalion in front, and Tong An Hou was really angry.

The astute and sharp Tartar cavalry are very handy for carrying out reconnaissance missions here, because they can speak the Mongolian language and understand the local customs and habits, and can disguise themselves as nomads or grassland nobles to obtain intelligence. This is The Han cavalry did not have the advantage.

After detailed investigation by the scouts of the 3,000 battalion, the situation of the main force of the Tatar tribe has been determined.

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, carefully took out a roll of map from his arms, and unfolded it next to the brazier. The map was marked with detailed terrain and enemy garrison locations. This was the latest intelligence.

Zhu Gaoxu pointed at the map and said: "Father, please take a look. According to the investigation by the Tatar officials under Huoli Huozhen, the main force of the Tatar tribe is currently stationed here. According to the investigation, they plan to escape separately."

At this time, Zhu Neng looked at Zhu Gaoxu's map, then looked at the big map in front of him, and couldn't help but interject: "We have enough troops, we can take advantage of this opportunity to pursue from the east and west, and we can win this battle! "

Zhu Di stared at the map with a solemn expression on his face. He knew the importance of this battle.

The Tatar tribe inherited the main remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, so it also inherited the traditional arts of the internal strife in the Northern Yuan Dynasty. If he expected it to be true, the Tatar tribe's Great Khan Benya Shili and Taishi Alutai should be the winners. After learning the news of the Ming army's attack, their discussions failed and they decided to run away separately.

So, should we pursue only one for stability, or should we divide our forces and pursue both? If we divide our troops according to Zhu Neng's suggestion, is there any risk of encountering an ambush and subsequent defeat? In other words, what if the enemy makes a confusing move and once the Ming army divides its forces, it is surrounded by two main Tatar forces? After all, this is not the home court of the Ming Army, and there are too many factors to worry about.

As for Zhu Di's first large-scale northern expedition, he must demonstrate the military might of the Ming army and the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty, so the plan must be sound.

Zhu Di thought for a moment and probably had some ideas, but then he looked at Zhu Gaoxu, whose armor was covered with ice flowers.

Zhu Di said solemnly: "Second brother, I already understand the military information you reported, but the Tatar tribe Arutai is cunning and cruel. We cannot take it lightly. In order to ensure victory, we must formulate a more clear and detailed strategy."

Zhu Gaoxu responded respectfully: "My father is wise, and I would like to hear the details."

What Zhu Di said was also recognized by the ministers. After all, since the information came from investigation, it may have been given to you intentionally by the enemy. Do you choose to believe it or not? And this kind of decision-making game is part of what makes war exciting.

Zhu Di stood up from his chair and walked to the map: "First of all, we need to analyze the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. The advantage of the Tatar Mongols is that they all have soldiers and a lot of horses. It stands to reason that they should move very quickly. But the disadvantage is The reason is that the cattle and sheep of their Khan's court are too large. Now there is a snow in the grassland. For ordinary herdsmen, the cattle and sheep have not grown fat this year. This is adding insult to injury. If they are asked to abandon the cattle and sheep, that is It is impossible to abandon your only wealth, so the enemy cannot march faster regardless of whether he divides his troops or not.

"This is not something Benya Shili or Arutai can decide artificially, and even if they decide to travel lightly, without cattle and sheep as supplies, on the vast grassland, firstly, the supplies will soon be cut off, and secondly, even if If they run away, they can’t live in the new place without their cattle and sheep, and they can’t drink mare’s milk or eat horse meat.”

Zhu Di paused and looked at Zhu Gaoxu.

"And what is our advantage?"

"There are well-equipped cavalry, especially armored cavalry, and artillery units that are mules and horses."

The infantry of the Ming army is of course very strong, but the problem is that in a scenario that requires high mobility, it is difficult for the infantry to move as fast as the cavalry on their feet.

Although the artillery moved clumsily, they were pulled by a large number of mules and horses, so their marching speed was not slow.

The main reason why ordinary infantry were not equipped with mules and horses so that they could march on carts was because the Ming army did not have that many mules and horses, so the infantry brothers had to work harder.

"What about the disadvantages?"

Zhu Gaoxu said without thinking: "The supply line, the supply line is too long and too fragile."

More than 100,000 Ming troops marched out of the fortress, and their daily consumption of supplies was quite astonishing. All of these supplies had to be transported from Beijing. The hair of Guo Zichou, the Minister of the Ministry of Transport in Beijing, turned a lot whiter.

Moreover, every ten miles beyond the fortress, the cost of supplies would increase. Xu Huizu, who was responsible for coordinating the civilian supply logistics, had prepared 30,000 Wugang vehicles, which could transport 200,000 dan of grain with the army, and set up military depots along the way to store it in sections. But the further north you go, the fewer troops there are and the greater the pressure on supplies, and the greater the probability of being attacked. Therefore, Xu Huizu wrote to Zhu Di almost every day to issue warnings, saying, "We can't go any further north. The northern supply line can no longer be stretched" and the like.

Zhu Di ignored this.

The reason why food is stored in sections along the way is so that if later supplies cannot be transported, the stored food can be returned for emergency use, and this can also prevent the army from being weighed down by a large amount of supplies and unable to march quickly.

Now that the Tatars have been retreating north, Zhu Di believes that they do not have the ability to bypass the main force of the Ming army and cut off the Ming army's supply line from the side. Most likely, they want to hide for a while longer until the Ming army cannot keep up with the supplies. Maybe just withdraw the troops.

This is a competition between the two sides.

Anyway, Zhu Di had already made up his mind to eat some sedge and drink some snow water, but I don’t know whether Benya Shili and Arutai did it well.

"I will never teach you a lesson until I defeat the Tatars!"

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Gaoxu, and then said to the generals: "The second brother has already made our advantages and disadvantages clear. There is no need to discuss the general direction. The Tatar tribe is just around the corner. It is absolutely impossible to withdraw our troops now. Just tell me the rest.”

"First."

Zhu Di knocked on the table with the sand table and said: "The current intelligence is that the Tatars are fleeing in both directions east and west. Our strength advantage is large enough, but we cannot divide our troops. If we divide our troops, there is a possibility that they will fall into the trap and be defeated individually. , this is a taboo for military strategists. Since we can’t tell whether the current situation was deliberately released by Arutai to confuse us, then we should deal with it as the enemy’s strategy. Therefore, our cavalry must act together and cannot take advantage of it. The numerically superior cavalry is then split into two parts.”

The reason why Zhu Di made this judgment was that dividing the troops on the surface and then luring the enemy deep was a common tactic of famous Mongolian generals. They first used light cavalry to lure the opponent to the preset battlefield, and then used the ambushed large cavalry to annihilate them in one fell swoop. Wang Baobao had done this during the battle with Lin Baobao more than ten years ago, and successfully introduced the invading enemy into the pocket formation he had set up. Zhu Di had to guard against it.

Chengguo Gong Zhu Neng seemed to want to say something, but in the end he did not speak. Here, Zhu Di was not only the emperor, but also the commander-in-chief of the army.

But Zhu Gaoxu asked instead: "When the cavalry are gathered together, how should they act? Should they pursue them east or west?"

"Chase to the west, don't worry about the east for now."

Zhu Di explained: "Secondly, the Tatar tribe is now facing the Oara tribe to the west of the Khan's court. The Northern Yuan Dynasty finally disintegrated, and they must be prevented from joining together. The opposite is true in the east. If you go east, you will reach thousands of miles of vast ice fields. Finally, there is the sea. The territory of the Ulyanha tribe (Duoyan Sanwei) is not due east, but far to the southeast. Moreover, the Ulyanha tribe is quite respectful to the Ming Dynasty. It is the weakest among the Mongolian tribes. Not only will it not Accept the Tatar tribe, and be afraid that the Tatar tribe will encroach on their grazing pastures, and will join hands with the Ming Dynasty to fight against the enemy."

"Therefore, the west has higher priority than the east. Whoever escapes to the west will be beaten first."

"Of course, the supply line cannot be ignored."

"I plan to keep most of the Fifth Army Camp here, and then move some of the supplies from the Fifth Army Battalion to be carried by the Three Thousand Battalion to chase the enemy. In this way, the Three Thousand Battalion can temporarily break away from the supply line. At the same time, the Shenji Battalion can use mules. The light artillery towed by horses can also move with the 3,000 Battalion. The heavy artillery and gunmen who are inconvenient to move will stay here with the 5th Army Battalion. When the time comes, they will advance further north, build a camp and build a city, and stock up for transportation from the rear. The supplies can also prevent the enemy from going east or force the enemy to go northeast."

In fact, in Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, Emperor Yongle also did this. At that time, Jin Youzi stayed in place and waited uneasily for thirteen days. After breakfast in the early morning, he went out to wait outside the makeshift earth city. Zhu Di ordered Zhu Di to return after the victory. He wrote the "Ping Hu Zhao", which are all recorded in his notebook "Northern Expedition Records".

However, the weight of the artillery of the Ming army in this time and space has been greatly reduced, so it can barely follow the cavalry troops in marching.

The cavalry of the Ming Army's 3,000 battalions is a mixture of light cavalry and heavy cavalry. It only requires a large number of light cavalry to stop the enemy, and the elite heavy cavalry to attack them. With the current development trend of the Mongols' cavalry becoming lightly armored or even unarmored, They definitely cannot withstand the ravages of the armored cavalry. After all, since the Battle of Yuerhai, the Ming Dynasty's armored cavalry has established its dominance in the East Asian monster room, while the Tatars' equipment at this time is poor. It's surprising, but in the same way, light cavalry has the same gameplay as light cavalry. The premise for heavy cavalry to abuse light cavalry is that others don't fly kites, and your own light cavalry needs to block the enemy's maneuvers.

During the Genghis Khan era, heavy cavalry (including pure armored cavalry and semi-armored heavy cavalry) accounted for about 35% of the Mongolian cavalry. But now, not even 5% of the Tatar heavy cavalry is left. The main reason is It is the decline of iron smelting technology and the lack of iron ore. It is precisely because of this that the Tatar tribe does not have many vests that can be equipped with heavy cavalry at this time. Even armor has become a rare treasure. Who has a pair passed down from the Genghis Khan era at home? Armor, that is a family heirloom.

The current Tatar army is mainly composed of lightly armored or unarmored horse archers. The Tatars mainly use ox horn composite bows, which are made of a variety of materials. The common production method is to first use mulberry, elm and other trees. The bow string is made of leather strips, and the arrows are made of willow wood and iron arrowheads.

The overall fighting style of the Tatar tribe is quite different from that of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. The Ming army's heavy cavalry in the wilderness could easily be dragged to death by kite-flying tactics without the cooperation of light cavalry.

Therefore, it is also very important to choose a battlefield where the Ming army's heavy cavalry can exert its power.

"Onan River, Benya lost his way."

Zhu Di looked at the map, pointed at a place with his hand, and said a name.

As the main remnant after the disintegration of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, the Tatar tribe has a large population and herders can fight on horseback. There are no less than 100,000 people who control the strings. They have been active in the area of ​​Onan River and Luqu River (just renamed Yinma River by Zhu Di) for a long time. , every year at the turn of spring and summer, the water and grass here are lush and it is a good place for nomads. Although it is almost autumn, it snows early, and the pastures in the upper reaches of the Yinma River are threatened by the Ming army. Therefore, Zhu Di concluded that the Tatars Some soldiers will definitely have a group of people, go west to the Onan River, and then meet up with the Oara tribe depending on the situation.

Zhu Di believed that Arutai, the actual controller of the Tatar tribe, was unlikely to go west. The one who went west must have been the Great Khan Benya.

The reason why Zhu Di has this judgment is not that he slaps his head on it, but it is based on evidence.

Starting from the end of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, if we do not count the Uliangha tribe (Duoyan Sanwei) and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate (Beelse Bali), the Mongolians living seriously on the Mongolian plateau have actually split into "Tatars" " and "Wala". Coincidentally, due to the loss of power of the Golden Family, no matter which side it is, the powerful ministers, not the Great Khan, hold the real power. It can only be said that General Lanyu Yuerhai's battle , it really completely destroyed the prestige of the Golden Family.

"History of the Ming Dynasty. Biography of the Tartars" clearly records that since the death of Togu Si Temür, the Mongolian tribes have fallen into serious chaos. Five emperors of the Northern Yuan Dynasty were killed by powerful ministers, and some of them were even emperors. The title has not been passed down, and the Ming Dynasty in the south was also busy with civil war, so during this period, even the specific names and origins of many emperors of the Northern Yuan Dynasty (called the Mongol Khan in the Ming Dynasty) were not clear.

When Zhu Di first became emperor, the Northern Yuan Dynasty had just disintegrated. The Great Khan of the Tatar tribe was Guilichi, and then Benya Shili became the current emperor.

Zhu Di judged that Benya Shili would go west because Jin Yiwei had learned about the history of this Tatar Khan. Benya Shili was a descendant of Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, and the blood of the Golden Family flowed in his veins, so he got Ah Shili. He came to power with the support of powerful ministers such as Lu Tai, and when Benyasili was young, he lived in the Western Chagatai Khanate (now part of the Timur Khanate). As mentioned before, Timur had been trying to He used Mongolization to declare the legitimacy of his rule, so he treated the Mongolian nobles of the Western Chagatai Khanate very favorably. Therefore, Benyashli had a very good relationship with the old lame Timur.

And since the Ming Dynasty received the news that Timur had left for the expedition through spies in the Western Regions, it makes no sense that Benyasili did not learn the news, and the conflict between Benyasili and the Oara tribe was very small, so once they split up, there would be great dangers. The possibility is that Benya lost his way and headed west.

The Tatar Grand Master Arutai is of Asov descent. The Asovs are a branch of the Semu people. They were second only to the Mongols in the Yuan Dynasty. Now, after a hundred years, they have been completely assimilated by the Mongols. , but unlike other Semu people who were assimilated by the Mongols, the Asho people have something special, that is, their martial virtues are very strong, which is similar to the Gurkha troops led by the British and the Sauron troops led by the Qing Dynasty. almost.

This history can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, the "Asu Guard" composed entirely of Asu people was one of the bodyguards of the Yuan Dynasty. Its combat effectiveness was among the best in the Yuan army. By the time of the Battle of Yuerhai At that time, the Northern Yuan Dynasty was completely defeated by the Ming army led by Lan Yu. The "Asu Guard" also followed the then leader Halazhang Run. Later, Alutai inherited the mantle of Halazhang and relied on the "Asu Guard" The former Northern Yuan Forbidden Army with the core of "Gui" controlled the political situation of the Tatar tribe.

These people really have a grudge against the Oara tribe. It’s hard to believe that Arutai would put aside his hatred and join the Oara people. Even if Arutai could let go, the Oara people probably wouldn’t be able to tolerate him, so there’s a high chance that Arutai won’t. If you know how to walk west, you can only run east. You can run to the east and wait for the Ming army to stop pursuing them and withdraw their troops, then come back.

All generals understand the principle of "attacking the enemy halfway across the river". The Onan River is a natural terrain restriction site. If the Tatars' mobility can be restricted in the north, then a place that is conducive to the Ming army's armored cavalry The battlefield for the massacre was formed.

Zhu Di explained clearly the reason why Benya was most likely lost when he intercepted the enemies fleeing westward at the Onan River. The next step was to arrange the troops.

During the Battle of Yuerhai, General Lan Yu took five thousand cavalry as the vanguard, and rode straight in, biting the enemy like a pack of wolves, followed by a large group of cavalry to follow, and Zhu Di planned to adopt the same tactics this time.

But the key to this tactic is that the forward cavalry must not only have strong combat effectiveness, but also must be resilient enough to be ready to be surrounded by heavy enemy troops at any time, so the selection of generals is particularly important.

This Ming army in the Northern Expedition was full of bright generals, but Zhu Di still spotted his second son at a glance among the crowd.

Zhu Gaoxu said nothing, just nodded.

Zhu Di continued to point to the Onan River on the map and said: "Here, we will use light cavalry to maneuver over long distances to set up an ambush. Although the terrain here is not dangerous, there are several mountain ranges that make it easy to set up an ambush. After being discovered, when the enemy passes by here, we can launch an attack unexpectedly and catch them off guard. At the same time, we can detach a light cavalry to go around the enemy's rear, disturb the ordinary herdsmen behind them, and drive the cattle and sheep to run wild. Come, the enemy troops will be unable to look at each other from head to tail and fall into chaos."

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes showed admiration: "Father is wise! This strategy can not only weaken the enemy's strength, but also disrupt its deployment. Waiting for the main force of our army to arrive, it is a strategy that kills two birds with one stone."

Zhu Di smiled and said: "Very good, it's good that you can understand my intention, but this is not enough. We also need to formulate a detailed action plan. The light cavalry you lead needs to quickly cross the enemy's reconnaissance range, which requires people who are familiar with the terrain. Guides and absolutely elite scouts are needed to shield the enemy from detection. At the same time, this force also needs to carefully select well-trained soldiers."

"I will give you command of the loyal guards."

The Zhongyi Guards were the emperor's personal troops and the most elite troops in the Ming army. Zhu Gaoxu nodded.

"Father has thought carefully, and I will do my best to complete the task."

Zhu Di continued to add: "In addition, as the commander-in-chief of an army, you also need to pay close attention to the dynamics and changes of the Tatar tribe. War is ever-changing, and generals need to adjust their battlefield strategies at any time to adapt to the battlefield that may change at any time. If there is a major change in the situation, you must remain vigilant and report the military situation to me in a timely manner. Do not make arbitrary decisions and rush forward recklessly. If you encounter an enemy that cannot be defeated, you must quickly retreat and maintain a cruising state to contain the enemy. Complete your mission and ask for help from the Lord at the same time, you know?"

Zhu Neng's mouth twitched at the side. The emperor was really interested in his second son. He taught him step by step how to fight as the leader of the partial army. Moreover, he was worried that Zhu Gaoxu would be too reckless and get him killed.

Zhu Gaoxu said firmly: "Father, don't worry, I will live up to your trust!"

In the tent, next to the fire pit, the marks on the map moved as Zhu Di and the generals discussed. After deploying the mission of the vanguard Qingqi, Zhu Di, Zhu Neng and others continued to discuss the specific action plan and personnel allocation in depth.

"Cheng Guogong stayed here to command the Fifth Army Camp and the remaining Shenji Camp, and continued to march north along the Yinma River. During the march, be careful to stay alert, spread the scouts farther away, and be prepared to be attacked at any time, and then go north Seventy miles away, I remember that there is a mountain there, and there is a clean independent water source in the mountain. I will camp by the river at the foot of the mountain and build an earth and stone city. If water cannot be obtained from Yinma River, I will get water from the mountain behind."

In fact, if a large group of cavalry and some fast-moving artillery intercept the Tatars to the west, then the infantry and the remaining firearms troops cannot just squat here, and they will definitely have to block it eastward. However, there is a way to block it. Knowledgeable, it is difficult for infantry to stop cavalry, so preparations must be made in advance. This kind of preparation is not only preparation for attack and harassment, but also preparation in case of being besieged and leading to a lack of water and food. After all, even if the infantry relies on cities and camps, It can carry out defense and offense. Even if the enemy is mainly cavalry, it can still cut off your supply line.

Of course, Zhu Neng could not make the mistake of the Battle of Ma Su Jieting. Even without Zhu Di's reminder, he would have considered it properly. However, this kind of "mother-in-law" pre-war preparation is exactly a certain characteristic of the Yan army. It's a bit like a "drawing gray discussion". After the emperor finishes speaking, everyone can express their opinions, and finally brainstorm to form a complete military plan.

Zhu Di thought for a while and then said: "In addition, send out sentries to the north and west. Our infantry moves slowly, and the enemy brings a large number of cattle and sheep, so the speed cannot be increased. If the city has been built, we can still move along the way. To block."

Zhu Di explained the action plan in detail: "At that time, Duke Cheng Guo can send several reconnaissance teams to go out first to find out the specific location and movements of the enemy troops. Then, based on the reconnaissance results, the best detour route can be formulated for the messenger to avoid. The enemy army is connected with the main force of our army going west. If our army moves fast enough, it can completely defeat the enemy going west, and then make some repairs and rush to the east to continue fighting with the Tatar tribe fleeing in this direction. "

After the military meeting, Zhu Di left Zhu Gaoxu alone.

Zhu Di took a deep breath: "Second brother, this battle is related to the future safety of the Ming Dynasty. You lead the loyal guards to lead the battle. You must be careful and don't be careless in the slightest."

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes were firm: "Father, don't worry, I will do my best to live up to my father's trust! Whenever my father gives me an order, I will fight to the death!"

Zhu Di looked at the determination in Zhu Gaoxu's eyes and the courage he showed, and the little dissatisfaction in his heart was completely calmed down. He knew that although this son was a little reckless and impulsive, he also had firm beliefs and indomitable courage. He would be like Just like before, it became the sharpest knife in his hand, thrusting into the enemy's weakness.

This battle may really require such courage and belief to win.

Zhu Di stood up, walked to Zhu Gaoxu, and patted him on the shoulder: "Okay! Then follow the plan. You personally lead the army as the vanguard of the army, and I will hold the battle for you from behind. Remember, this battle only allows victory, not defeat. !”

"Your eldest brother is not in good health. If you can prove your leadership ability by performing military exploits on your own in this Northern Expedition, then if you can also win in governing Beizhili, with both civil and military skills and not being impatient, then the position of crown prince will be taken." , others can’t say anything, understand?”

A trace of excitement flashed in Zhu Gaoxu's eyes, and he obviously had no ability to resist the cake drawn by Zhu Di. He bowed and saluted: "Thank you for your trust, father! I will definitely live up to my mission!"

With Zhu Gaoxu leaving, Zhu Di fell into deep thought again. He knew that this battle was of great significance to the Ming Dynasty, but he also knew that his army would absolutely crush the Tatars in terms of combat effectiveness and execution. In terms of performance, it was much lower than during the Jingnan period. Zhu Di's mentality was therefore very stable. He was able to make a comeback from a disadvantageous situation. It is difficult to lose such a battle with a huge advantage as long as there is no waste.

At the same time, he also looked forward to Zhu Gaoxu's continuous growth and training in actual combat and becoming the future pillar of the Ming Dynasty.

Now that the military meeting is over, the generals are acting on their own, and the army has also begun to regroup. Under Zhu Di's plan, the Northern Expedition army will be divided into two parts, and an unprecedented siege and annihilation battle will be launched with an absolutely concentrated cavalry. Zhu Di "first The strategy of "West, then East" is clear and careful. He believed that as long as he acted according to the plan, victory would eventually belong to Ming Dynasty.

Outside the tent, the wind and snow had completely stopped, the sun was shining through the clouds, and a battle concerning the fate of the Ming Dynasty and the Tatar tribe was about to begin.