In November 1401, a foreign envoy sent the challenge book to the Ming Dynasty emperor Zhu Di, which shocked the ** people present: "How is it possible, that is known as the 'most terrifying conqueror'!" ”
Hearing everyone's exclamations, Zhu Di couldn't help laughing: "Then let him try it and see if he can get out of the way!" As soon as Zhu Di's words came out, the ministers were stunned: "Your Majesty, he has brought an army of 1.8 million!" ”
What is the use of 1.8 million soldiers and horses? How could I, Da Ming, be defeated in front of these barbarians? Who is this character, known as "the most terrifying conqueror of Central Asia"?
What is his ultimate goal? In 1368, an army calling itself the "Great Emir" suddenly rose up in Central Asia, and the first to be targeted was the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, led by Hammaruddin.
The Eastern Chagatai Khanate was powerful in Central Asia at the time, but in the face of this emerging army, it suffered heavy losses and lost a large amount of territory in less than a year.
A battle brought an obscure great emir to fame, and all of Central Asia was in awe of this emerging power, and no one dared to challenge it lightly. But even if no one is challenged, the leader of the Great Emir will not be satisfied with merely capturing Eastern Chagatai.
In 1373, he set his sights on the 400,000-strong army of Khwarazm. Located between present-day Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the small size of the Thorn Zim enabled them to gain a firm foothold in this turbulent Central Asia thanks to their formidable forces.
In 1973, the Great Emir fought the first battle against the Flowers, but the original 400,000 elite soldiers were easily defeated like paper-paste chickens and tiles, so that the Flowershorns lost a large area of land.
Over the next few years, the Great Emir attacked the Flowerhorn three times, eventually capturing the whole of Flowerhorn in 1379. In order to show his dominion, the Great Emir began to massacre the city.
However, during the reign of the Great Emir in Khorizm, Hammaruddin of Eastern Chagatai led the remaining troops ** the territory of the Great Emir.
Timur, the founder of the Timurid Empire, with his outstanding military skills and leadership, personally overthrew the rule of Hammaruddin and even captured his wife. He then waged a series of wars, conquering Kipchak in the north, Persia in the west, and India in the south, eventually taking control of the entire Middle East.
Even the fearsome Ottoman Sultan Bayezid, who had dominated Europe and was feared, was easily defeated by Timur and became his prisoner. The strength and influence of the Timurid Empire was the result of the bravery and wisdom of Timur himself.
Timur was born in 1336 in the city of Thirsty Rock in Central Asia, and his name was derived from his parents' expectation that he would be as tough as iron. However, Timur did not stop there, and he became the most formidable conqueror in Central Asia.
His ancestors were of the same clan as Temujin, and his uncle was the ruler of the city of Thirsty Stone, which made Timur a member of the Mongol nobility.
The young Timur thrived under the care of his family, and at a young age he possessed a strong physique that could easily defeat adults. Later, by virtue of his family connections, he became Ghaza Khan's right-hand man.
However, before Timur could be promoted to a higher position, Ghaza Khan was assassinated, and his son was unable to stabilize the situation and had to find a way to maintain his patrilineal rule.
Against this background, Timur's uncle seized power from him and became the new ruler.
A few years later, the ruler of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, Vullu Timur, overpowered, and Timur's uncle relinquished power because he realized that he could not be matched. Seeing this, Timur immediately expressed his heartfelt submission to Timur and took the right to govern the city of Thirsty Rock from his hands.
Although Timur was very loyal to Timur the Vulture, and Timur also valued him, Timur was deeply dissatisfied with the tyrannical rule of Timur the Vul.
Especially when he saw that the others were trading with the khanate with young maidens as bargaining chips, his anger exploded and he began to try to help these poor maidens.
Although Timur was satisfied afterwards, his actions caused Timur to lose trust in him and began to hunt him down. To evade capture, Timur fled alone to southern Afghanistan, seeking help from his brother Khusin.
After the two meet, fearing that they will continue to be hunted, they decide to travel to Persia and embark on an adventurous career. In the course of his adventures, Timur gained a wealth of military experience, and his popularity grew in Persia.
Even in the event of a rebellion in Persia, Timur was needed to help suppress it.
As Timur's popularity grew, the Persian nobility became fearful of him and even expelled him. Such an encounter once again pushed Timur into a life of wandering.
However, it was this life experience that allowed Timur to hone his tenacity and extraordinary abilities. During his journey after his expulsion, he relied on his accumulated fame and Kusin to form his own army, and successfully led it back to Thirsty Stone.
This return allowed Timur to show great strength and determination, and he easily defeated the defenders of Thirsty Rock and regained his homeland under his rule.
This experience allowed Timur to grow from a young man who was slaughtered by others to a true leader and legend.
After defeating the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, Timur continued to exert his strength and embarked on the pinnacle of his life. Over the next decade or so, Timur and Khushin grew in power, and their brotherhood was replaced by a struggle for fame and fortune.
Despite the slight upper hand in strength, Timur, with his excellent tactics and the dissatisfaction of the people with Khusin, managed to win the civil war and henceforth became the ruler of the Transoxiana region, calling himself"The Great Emir", which opened his way to hegemony in Central Asia.
Between 1368 and 1402, Timur conquered almost all of Central Asia, from his good brother Khusin to Khorezm, to the Eastern Chagatai Khanate and India, and even Syria and the Ottoman Empire.
However, when he reached the age of 68, he turned his attention to the Ming Dynasty, a great power in East Asia, and prepared to include this oriental dragon in his territory in the last years of his life.
However, despite Timur's strength, why did he attack the Ming Dynasty?
For Timur, the Eastern Crusade of the Ming Dynasty was of extraordinary symbolic significance, more important than the occupation of all of Central Asia. The Ming Dynasty overthrown by Zhu Yuanzhang has not completely disappeared, they are still galloping on the Mongolian Plateau, retaining the bloodline of the ** family.
And Timur, as a descendant of Genghis Khan, also had such a lineage. For them, the Ming Dynasty is the enemy of destroying the country. If you can defeat the Ming Dynasty and bring the Mongol Empire back to the top, it will be extremely glorious and you will be able to glorify your ancestors.
First of all, Timur was a fanatical Muslim who had an incomparable attachment to the teachings of Islam. In the course of his conquest of Central Asia, he repeatedly ** because the local population refused to accept his religion.
And the Ming Dynasty, with its large population, undoubtedly became an ideal place for him to propagate his faith. Secondly, the crown prince Zhu Biao, who was personally trained by Zhu Yuanzhang, died early, and he had no choice but to let Zhu Yunwen inherit the throne.
However, although the young Zhu Yunwen has skills, he angered his uncles because he was too young.
Zhu Yunwen, especially Zhu Di, the king of Yan, launched the Battle of Jingjing, overthrew his nephew's rule in 1402 and established himself emperor. This series of actions by Zhu Di plunged the entire Ming into chaos, and although he himself has the ability to resolve these turmoil, it will take time.
Timur, for his part, keenly seized the opportunity. At the same time, for Timur, who lived in Central Asia, the land of the Ming Dynasty was an ideal place to live. The environment in Central Asia is not ideal, with water scarcity and aridity, which is not suitable for crop growth.
Timur's territory grew, and the country's demand for food grew.
If Timur did not attack the Ming Dynasty to gain fertile lands in the Central Plains, then no matter how powerful he was, his rule would not last. It was for these three reasons that Timur began to declare war on the Ming Dynasty and threatened to lead 1.8 million iron cavalry to pacify the Ming Dynasty.
However, before Timur could officially send his army, he died in February 1405 due to excessive drinking, and the plan for the Eastern Expedition to the Ming Dynasty was stillborn. Although Timur's descendants wanted to carry on their father's legacy, they were far from Timur's strength, and in the end they could not even retain their own territory, which is regrettable.
But even if Timur lived to be 100 years old, could his Timurid empire really compete with the turbulent Ming Dynasty?
Although Timur boasted that he could lead an army of 1.8 million to conquer the Ming Dynasty, in reality he was able to actually fight only more than 200,000 soldiers. He often used bluff tactics, such as having women and children dress up in military uniforms to confuse the public when facing Syria.
The Ming Dynasty had 2.8 million troops at that time, and this number was reduced by hundreds of thousands because of the Battle of Jingjing. Therefore, even if Timur did not bluff, his forces would not be able to compete with the Great Ming.
Some people may question whether the Ming Dynasty's vast territory and scattered 2.8 million troops can be condensed at a critical moment. However, Nanjing had about 200,000 troops before the capital was moved, and nearly 400,000 troops in Beijing after the capital was moved, which was enough to provide strong protection.
Even if Timur led 200,000 elite troops to attack the capital directly, it would still be difficult for him to achieve victory. One might think that Timur's rich combat experience and excellent command skills would have enabled him to defeat Zhu Di.
However, Yanwang Zhu Di is not an easy character to deal with.
Zhu Di: From the border pass to the imperial capital, an invincible military wizard Among Zhu Yuanzhang's heirs, Zhu Di is undoubtedly the most outstanding military talent. Among Zhu Yuanzhang's generals, his record is also second to none.
In the Battle of Jingjing, he led 100,000 men and successfully defeated an army of 600,000 people. Before the Battle of Jingjing, he had been guarding the border passes and successfully repelled the Mongol soldiers many times.
And Timur, although he founded his own business, repeatedly failed on the battlefield and was even chased by the enemy behind his ass and beaten. Therefore, we can conclude that Zhu Di's military talent was far superior to that of Timur.
In order to attack the Ming Dynasty, Timur had to cross the Hexi Corridor. However, the path was fraught with challenges from the natural environment and could be blocked by other khanates. Even if they were able to cross, Timur's 200,000 soldiers would have lost at least a tenth.
When such an army fights against the well-trained troops of the Ming Dynasty, the victory or defeat is obvious. Therefore, even if Timur lived a long life, he would not be able to compete with the Ming Dynasty, and he might not even have the ability to trouble the Ming Dynasty.
Although Timur had the idea of conquering the Ming Dynasty when Zhu Yuanzhang was alive, and he was recognized as the most terrifying conqueror, ruling almost all of Central Asia, his army was only 1.7 million, and Zhu Yuanzhang was a beggar all the way to the country, and his ability far surpassed Timur.
If Timur really lived to the day of the attack on the Ming Dynasty, then the tragic defeat would be an even greater regret for him, so it was not a good thing for him to die of illness the night before the attack on the Ming Dynasty.