The rumor naturally refers to the secret of Lao Nu's succession concocted by Guo Dajing and others, implicating Dorgon in it.
Dorgon had conflicting feelings about this. He not only felt that he had the possibility of succeeding, but also knew that this matter would definitely arouse Huang Taiji's suspicion, so he had to be cautious.
"Don't worry, brother." Dorgon smiled and said, "It's very hateful for the enemy to spread rumors. They just want to lead me, the queen, to kill each other. I won't fall into the trap."
Azig shook his head and said: "If you don't fall into the trap, I'm afraid that others will be suspicious and eventually find excuses to deal with you."
Dorgon said: "As long as I act carefully and fight bravely, where can he catch me?"
"If you want to accuse someone, why bother?" Azig took a sip of wine and said, "I am a very good example."
Azig was deprived of his title because he presided over the wedding of his younger brother Dodo without permission. He was later restored, but lost his position as flag master. He has always been bitter about this matter.
Duduo nodded in agreement and said: "No matter how careful you are, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape. If he wants to deal with you, sooner or later he will find a reason."
Dorgon smiled and said: "It doesn't matter. As long as it's not a serious crime, with the strength of the two white flags, he wouldn't dare to act rashly."
You should know that after Nurhachi's death, he gave all the troops he commanded to his son Duduo, the former leader of the Yellow Banner.
At this time, Duduo's Zhenghuang flag had 35 Niulu. Although Huang Taiji later changed its color to Zhengbai flag, its strength was not weakened.
At that time, the Zhenghuang Banner after the color change had 25 Niulu, the White Border Banner after the change had 30 Niulu due to Dorgon's attachment, the Yellow Banner after the change had 15 Niulu, and the remaining four flags had no change of color.
still.
It can be said that the most powerful of the Eight Banners at this time is Duduo's white flag. Coupled with Dorgon's white flag, the strength of the two white flags is quite strong.
And this is precisely the basis for the Dorgon brothers to settle down and live their lives, and it is also an important reason why Huang Taiji dare not easily eradicate them.
However, Huang Taiji had the righteous title of King Khan and received strong support from the two red banners of Daishan. Amin and Mang Gurtai each had their own banners, but they failed to form an alliance and united with the outside world.
At that time, the situation of the Eight Banners was relatively delicate, and Huang Taiji did not have the absolute strength to overwhelm Zhu Beile.
Therefore, Huang Taiji could only adopt the method of gradually weakening, using the power of King Khan to let the other six flags bear the battle losses during the battle, while the two yellow flags were easily unused.
With one thing going down and the other going up, Huang Taiji had no choice but to adopt this relatively slow strategy.
"In addition to strength, there are also military exploits and prestige." Dorgon took a more profound view and said with a smile: "This expedition is a good time for you and my brother to become famous."
Azig and Dodo looked at each other and nodded in unison.
Although Nurhaci initially identified Daishan, Amin, Mang Gurtai, Huang Taiji, Degelei, Yue Tuo, Jierhalang, Ajige, Duduo, Dorgon and Shuo Ezhen as the people who would discuss national affairs together,
system.
However, because of their age, seniority and military exploits, the three major Baylors, including Daishan, have far more say than the other Baylors, and can sit alongside Huang Taiji.
Looking at these political leaders, Heshuo Ezhen, Daishan and Yue Tuo are father and son, Amin and Jierhalang are brothers, Manggurtai and Degelei are brothers, and Azige and other three brothers are brothers from the same mother.
.
Huang Taiji seems to be an old man, but he is able to win over Yue Tuo, and Jierhalang is not alone.
Now that Yue Tuo is dead, not only does Daishan lose his son, but Huang Taiji also loses a helping hand.
In short, the current situation is more difficult for Huang Taiji than in history, both in terms of strength and politics. Especially when the ambition to become emperor was revealed, it aroused the fear and caution of other Baylors.
"I heard that Huang Taiji intended to ask Hauge to fill in the vacancy of Yue Tuan and participate in political discussions." Azig looked at the two brothers, "I'm afraid it's not easy to stop this, right?"
Duduo blinked his eyes and said: "I think it's someone else's business to stop it. It's best for us to stay out of it."
Dorgon agreed and said: "Hauge is a fool, and it will be of no use if he is promoted. Not only can we not come forward, but we must also show support."
Azig thought for a while and felt that this would make Huang Taiji less suspicious, so he agreed to the brothers' suggestion.
………………..
Huang Taiji led the troops of the Four Banners and the surrendered Mongolian troops to personally conquer Chahar, and the deployment in Liaodong was adjusted accordingly.
Mang Gurtai was ordered to lead his troops to western Liaoning to demolish the cities of Jinzhou and Dalinghe abandoned by the Ming army; Amin was transferred to Fengcheng to defend the defense line from Zhenjiang to Xiuyan; Daishan's two red flags left Liaoyang.
, responsible for the defense line from Haeju to Sooam.
This arrangement was quite satisfactory. The attacks outside Anshan Station and Xiuyan City obviously shocked Jianlu and made him more vigilant.
At least, the name Guo Dajing has been known to many high-level officials of Jianlu. Especially Daishan, whose two sons died in North Korea, is the masterpiece of Guo Dajing.
Of course, Dai Shan only knew that one of his sons was killed by Guo Dajing, but he did not know that he was the one who did it.
Fortunately, Guo Dajing was stationed on Guanglu Island and could not go ashore all the time. However, this also caused a certain misunderstanding for Jianlu.
On the second day after Huang Taiji led his troops out of Shenyang and headed west to conquer the Chahar tribe, which was the seventh day of February, Guo Dajing led the two thousand vanguard troops from Guanglu Island and boarded the dock of Port Arthur.
After receiving the news, Li Weiluan personally led his generals out of the fort to greet him.
The weather was still cold, but when the two armies met and the generals gathered, the atmosphere was warm.
General orders have been sent from Pidao headquarters, and Mao Wenlong will go to Lushun Fort in person to take command. This solves the problem of who takes orders for the entire battle, but the entire battle plan is still implemented according to the discussions between Guo Dajing and the generals.
What shocked Li Weiluan and other generals even more, and made them confident, was the morale and equipment of the Guanglu Island troops.
The Thousand Heavy Musketeers, as well as the accompanying sword and shield soldiers, are already the most powerful troops in Dongjiang Town.
At the top of Lushun City, all the Hongyi cannons that had been shipped in advance were already in place. The black muzzles of the cannons pointed outside the city, waiting for the Jianlu to attack and beat them to pieces.
"The second batch of troops will also arrive in the near future." Guo Dajing and Li Weiluan entered the city together and introduced, "They are mainly light musketeers and artillery."
The thirty Fran cannons and gunners that Pidao Headquarters promised to support arrived at Guanglu Island as early as the end of the year. According to Guo Dajing's arrangements, they conducted corresponding training and prepared sufficient ammunition.
Li Weiluan heard the good news again, smiled and nodded, and said: "There are no weak soldiers under a strong general. The troops trained by General Guo himself must be powerful!"
"Everyone in Dongjiang Town has soldiers who dare to fight, and we are not the only ones from Guanglu Island." Guo Dajing said modestly, but he believed it deeply in his heart.
When it comes to weapons and equipment, Guanglu Island’s firearms accounted for nearly half. At that time, this was already an extremely unique and powerful army.
The other Ming armies also had a lot of firearms and equipment, but what kind of backward thing was the three-eyed musket? How effective could the hot potato-like bird musket be?
Guo Dajing can say without humility that Guanglu Island's army is the sharpest and most advanced among all Ming armies in terms of weapons, equipment and tactics.
If it relies on strong defense, he is confident that it can withstand two or three times the enemy's attack; if it is a strong fortress like Lushun Fort, it can withstand ten times the enemy's attack.
Li Weiluan and other generals also knew this very well. The main force in this battle to regain Jinzhou was the troops from Guanglu Island. This force will also be indispensable to garrison Jinzhou in the future.
In addition, Guo Dajing transported the accumulated grain and supplies to Lushun Fort, which was also the main reason why he gained the respect of the generals.
When the imperial court cut off food and salary, without these supplies, it would not be that easy to defend Lushun Fort, let alone mobilize an army of tens of thousands.
"All of our troops have been dispatched, along with a small number of troops, to deploy a barrier along the Nanguan line." Li Weiluan introduced as he walked: "It is difficult for the Jianlu to detect the troop build-up and mobilization at Lushun Fort."
Guo Dajing smiled and chinned his head and said: "General Li's arrangement is watertight. Guo admires it."
After a pause, he continued: "It will take about ten days and a half to gather all the ministries and complete the deployment. I hope that by then, the ground will be thawed. Even if it is relatively thin, it will be beneficial to the battle."
Li Weiluan frowned slightly and did not answer immediately. Shang Keyi said from the side: "Looking at the temperature this year, I'm afraid it won't be until the end of the month."
The warm spring and ice melt come late, and the frost and cooling come early. The impact of the Little Ice Age is gradually showing up and getting worse.
Guo Dajing nodded helplessly and said: "Even if it cannot be thawed, it will not affect our operations. In this regard, I have modified a lot of defensive equipment."
"Besides -" Guo Dajing chuckled and said: "When the weather is cold, there are ways to fight when it's cold. When we were in North Korea, we poured ice and built barriers to resist the Japanese invaders."
Li Weiluan's eyes lit up, he smiled and said: "I forgot about this." He pointed at the fortifications outside the city, "I will immediately mobilize the soldiers, set up barriers and pour ice to add an extra layer of protection."
Guo Dajing nodded repeatedly and praised him profusely. In order to achieve victory, no matter how cautious or extra arrangements were made, it would never be too much.
After entering the fort, Guo Dajing and the generals inspected the city defenses, discussing as they walked, and perfected the defensive tactics in order to kill as many enemies as possible under the city.
"According to General Guo's suggestion, the trenches and fortifications under the city are only about a hundred paces away." Shang Keyi pointed out and introduced, "Not only Hongyi cannons, but heavy muskets can also be used to attack the attacking Jianlu from a high position."
"The Hongyi artillery will not fire for the time being to lure the enemy chiefs closer to the command, and then focus their fire for bombardment. With trebuchets, they can counterattack with explosive bombs and incendiary bombs, which can also withstand one or two waves of enemy attacks."
"The heavy musketeers selected a hundred people, divided into groups of five, and focused their fire on the leader of the military officers..."
"The trenches are equipped with musketeers, crossbowmen, pikemen, and sword and shield men, who can not only shoot from a distance, but also resist the small number of enemies rushing in..."
Firepower covered the area, overlapping above and below. Guo Dajing listened to the explanation, squinted at the city, nodded repeatedly, and praised a few words from time to time.
With a slope similar to a bastion built, Lushun Fort is already a stronger fortress than Ningyuan. Moreover, with the construction of fortifications outside the city and the commanding position on the city, the firepower projection will be doubled.
The wide and deep trenches in front of the position, as well as the densely packed sharp wooden stakes, are not to completely block the enemy's attack, but to slow down the enemy's attack speed, exposing it to crossfire and causing heavy casualties.
The effective range of the Hongyi cannon is 500 meters. Excluding the distance from the position under the city, there is no problem at all in concentrating fire to bombard the big boss of Jianlu.
"I will deploy another two hundred heavy musketeers and three hundred light musketeers to strengthen the city defense." Guo Dajing generously added another 500 musketeers to Lushun Fort.
Li Weiluan cupped his hand and said no more words of thanks. Even if you want to thank him, you won't be able to thank him enough.
Although Guo Dajing wanted to lead the main force of his headquarters to intercept and intercept, the battle under Lushun Fort could kill more enemies and reduce his pressure.
This is Guo Dajing's advantage in taking a long-term view. He does not focus on the thousands of troops on Guanglu Island or his own achievements. He has to consider and take care of the entire Dongjiang Town.
A single tree cannot make a forest. As far as this battle is concerned, without the support of troops from other islands and the headquarters of Pi Island, there is no great certainty of victory based on the strength of Guanglu Island and Lushun Fort alone.
Moreover, not only are the islands required to send troops to assist in the battle, but the weapons, equipment and combat power must also be justified and not be held back and affect the entire war situation.
"Reporting to your lord, General Zhang Pan has arrived with the Kashima troops, and the ship has entered the harbor." A soldier ran up to the city to report, interrupting everyone's discussion.
"General Guo, wait a moment, Li will go to greet you." Li Weiluan cupped his hands and apologized.
Guo Dajing laughed and said: "General Zhang and so-and-so are also old friends, and we have been greatly favored. Let's go, Guo and General Li will go together."
Although his rank was higher than that of Zhang Pan, and he even had generals such as Li Weiluan below him, Guo Dajing never showed any arrogance and was always so easy-going and easy-going.
From the perspective of military exploits, it is not an exaggeration for Guo Dajing to be promoted to guerrilla. However, in terms of qualifications, he only has one year of military service.
Of course Guo Dajing knew that many people were unconvinced. He had been through life and death for so many years, and it was so difficult to get promoted, but he felt like he was on a rocket, which made no one feel very comfortable.
Therefore, Guo Dajing has always maintained a humble attitude and is extremely generous to his allies.
Guo Dajing was not stingy in providing food supplies, weapons and ammunition, whatever he could. Especially in the past few months when food and wages were cut off, Guo Dajing became the key to the islands surviving the famine.
By exchanging heart for heart, Guo Dajing felt that he had done it. If there were still people who were resentful, he would not be afraid of treating them differently in the future.
As for the operation to regain Jinzhou this time, Guo Dajing also regarded it as a touchstone. He would pay attention to the story of who was sincerely cooperating and who was falsely responding. He would keep it in mind.
After all, it is unlikely that Mao Wenlong will change his mind. From now on, he will be the chief general guarding Jinzhou. He will no longer command the troops of Guanglu Island, but the coalition forces of the islands.
Guo Dajing, Li Weiluan and others rode straight to the port, and met Zhang Pan and his soldiers on the way.