vrcanaries Chapter 37 The Tuda Rebellion
Chapter 37 The Tuda Rebellion
Lin Ke didn't understand why wars were always so frequent. She was silent for a moment, then continued, "Next, Zhu Jianru needs to resolve the 'Tuda Rebellion.'"
"What is a Tuda? In the early Ming Dynasty, the Mongol Yuan forces collapsed in the northwest region, and a large number of Mongols surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. The strong and capable among them were selected into the Ming army and became Tuda."
"When it comes to using the enemy to defeat the enemy, the first thing that comes to mind is the young general Huo Qubing, who used the Xiongnu to fight the Xiongnu and eventually sealed the wolf's lair. However, not everyone has Huo Qubing's genius military ability."
Huo Qubing, the Crown Prince, excitedly exclaimed: "Uncle! Look!"
"Although these Mongol soldiers were brave and skilled in battle, their loyalty was not trustworthy. Coupled with the exploitation and oppression by local officials, there were more than one defection incident, especially the Tumu Crisis, which led to a decline in the prestige of the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty (young): ...
"In the fourth year of the Chenghua reign, Tu Da Man Si hid runaway villagers, forced them to work the land, and cruelly murdered the village head who came to investigate. Feeling that he could not escape punishment anyway, he decided to rebel. As soon as he raised his slogans, the oppressed Tu Da responded enthusiastically and followed Man Si."
"Man Si and his men plundered the Guyuan area and later fled to Shicheng, making it their home. Shicheng was originally a fortified city built by the Tubo (Tibetan) forces after their invasion of the northwest following the An Lushan Rebellion of the Tang Dynasty. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack, so the Ming army was unable to defeat it and suffered most defeats."
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: The An Lushan Rebellion?
"At the same time, Tuda's power grew, Man Si recruited talents, and a large number of refugees poured into Stone City. Only then did the Ming court decide to quell this force and sent Ma Wensheng, Xiang Zhong, and the Mongol general Mao Zhong with 50,000 troops to suppress the rebels."
"Xiang Zhong led the main army to attack the east gate of Shicheng, while Mao Zhong, who was 75 years old at the time, took the lead in clearing out the Tu Da on Shitou Mountain. However, Shicheng was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the two armies were engaged in a bitter battle."
"Just then, smoke rose from the mountain. The Ming army mistook it for a signal to retreat and stopped their weapons. But the enemy would not wait for them. They were then attacked by Tuda. People kept falling off the cliffs. Mao Zhong was also killed by an arrow."
"Mao Zhong was born in the Hongwu era and died in the Chenghua era. Although he was a general of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, he spent most of his life guarding the northwest region. Even when he was nearly seventy years old, he still led from the front and eventually died on the battlefield. He used his life to interpret his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty."
"Due to Mao Zhongjun's death, the Ming Dynasty lost a major boost. Tuda then launched a flanking maneuver against the Ming army's weak flanks. The Ming army gradually became unable to launch a counterattack, their morale plummeted, and they suffered a major defeat."
When news of the defeat reached the court, the officials were shocked. Some thought that the An Lushan Rebellion was about to break out, so they requested reinforcements from the capital garrison. However, Xiang Zhong opposed this, believing that he could still turn the tide of the war.
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ...
"The Chenghua Emperor agreed to Xiang Zhong's request. Xiang Zhong believed that the number of casualties in the battle between the two armies was about the same, and that a large part of them were unarmed refugees who could not be compared with the Ming army."
"However, to everyone's surprise, Man Si became a recluse and refused to leave Stone City. The Ming army had no way to deal with him. At this time, Ma Wensheng suggested: Cut off his water supply."
"This coincidentally reminded Xiang Zhong of the time when he followed Zhu Qizhen to Tumu Fortress. It was the same scene, except that he was the one cutting off someone else's water supply."
"Upon hearing this, Xiang Zhong immediately ordered the rivers to be filled with the corpses of men and horses, and also set up an ambush at the water source."
Xiang Zhong: Hahaha! It's my turn to cut off your Mongols' water supply!
"The water in Stone City is about to run out, and many people have run out because they can't hold on any longer. However, this plan is not suitable for everyone, and a small number of people are still putting up a stubborn resistance."
“Ma Wensheng and Xiang Zhong felt that if Man Si and others were allowed to be dragged to the Yellow River to thaw, many Mongols would soon come south to help, which was the last thing they wanted to see.”
"So Ma Wensheng and Xiang Zhong wanted to try another strong attack, but the morale of the army was low and many people were afraid of difficulties and tired of fighting. After discussion, Xiang Zhong canceled the strong attack plan."
"Unexpectedly, many people in Shicheng surrendered when they saw that the Ming army was going to launch a strong attack. Man Si's subordinate Yang Huli decided that the situation was hopeless and surrendered to the Ming army while fetching water."
"Upon seeing this, Xiang Zhong devised a plan, instructing Yang Huli to trick Man Si into leaving the city, so that the Ming army could ambush him."
"As expected, Man Si walked into the Ming army's trap without any precautions early the next morning. Meanwhile, the Mongol army that Man Si had been waiting for appeared near Yansui Town."
Man Si: Help me! Help me!
Mongolian Army: We just popped in briefly and left; we didn't intend to save you.
"After looting the money, this belated Mongol army returned the way they came, without ever considering the situation on Man Si's side."
"After Xiang Zhong and others won a great victory, they destroyed Shicheng. By this point, the rebel forces in the Guyuan area had been completely dismantled by the Ming army."
"The Tuda Rebellion was not so much caused by the fact that the Tuda were Mongols and therefore had evil intentions, but rather by the exploitation and oppression of local officials. Emperor Chenghua was aware of this, so he sent Ma Wensheng to appease them year after year. As a result, the Tuda people's lives improved and they no longer needed to rebel."