Guo Dajing was still about to argue, but Mao Wenlong had already waved his hand to stop him and said slowly: "It is you who will negotiate with Jianlu, but you are under my command. You can't delay being promoted to deputy general. Go to Gyeonggi and fight. It is up to you to command.
.”
As the deputy commander, he naturally has the power to command other associations. This also creates conditions and paves the way for Guo Dajing.
"General, I will obey the order." Guo Dajing bowed and said, "Thank you, Commander Mao, for your promotion."
"You deserve it all." Mao Wenlong smiled and exhaled a long breath, as if he had solved the most depressing matter, and said: "This battle is a great victory. I believe all the generals will be convinced by you."
Maybe, I'm not sure what this person is thinking.
Guo Dajing scratched his head and said: "The general's promotion is too fast, I'm afraid the court won't allow it."
Mao Wenlong smiled faintly and said: "Even if the imperial court does not allow it, it will not be a big problem for me in Dongjiang Town. Let the generals understand your status and I will value it."
With the title of deputy general, it is easier to command and lead other troops; without this title, based on Guo Dajing's interpersonal relationships, Li Weiluan and Kong Youde should be willing to obey orders.
Mao Wenlong had this judgment, and Guo Dajing also had this confidence. The number of men and horses from the two associations, plus the cavalry battalion, was almost the number of men and horses who went to the capital to fight.
As for the nomination of Guo Dajing this time, the generals must also understand that although they are both participating generals, Guo Dajing has already overshadowed them.
"Heads are exchanged for silver. When are you going to start?" Mao Wenlong looked into the distance, which was the direction of the prison camp.
Guo Dajing said: "General, I think it's okay to go early or late, so I sent someone to bring good news to Jianlu tonight. Does Commander Mao think it's appropriate?"
Mao Wenlong thought for a moment and smiled.
This is adding salt to Jianlu's wounds, and is also adding to Huang Taiji's obstacles. Regardless of whether Jianlu thinks this is a way to provoke the generals or delay it, he will speed up the withdrawal.
Naturally, Guo Dajing would not send any of his own people to deliver a message to Jianlu. The Jianlu sentry who originally kept the prisoners was just for communication purposes.
Accompanying Mao Wenlong back to the camp behind the formation, Guo Dajing immediately began to take action. The exchange of human heads for silver, or redemption of corpses, started without the knowledge of many people.
………………
The night fell, and it was already deep. There was a gloomy mist in the Jianlu camp, and the atmosphere was so depressing that it made people breathless.
The casualty statistics have been released and reported to Huang Taiji, and the slave chiefs also know the heavy casualties.
A total of 9,000 men and horses were dispatched to attack the Nanguan defense line. Including as many corpses and wounded soldiers as possible during the retreat, less than 5,000 people returned. Including several rounds of mortar bombardment, the casualties were more than 5,000.
The two yellow flags that were surrounded by ice also suffered a lot of losses. In the not too long battle, more than two thousand corpses were killed, which was shocking.
Based on this calculation, the number of casualties alone has reached more than 6,000. As the injuries of the wounded soldiers worsen, the number will increase again.
Although these casualties also included two to three thousand vassal Mongolian soldiers, they were still an unbearable burden for the captives. Especially the chaos in the rear after being bombarded by mortars made the slave chiefs frightened and even more embarrassed.
.
In the big tent, all the slave chiefs sat in silence, their faces gloomy, including Huang Taiji.
No one wanted to talk, and they didn't know what to say. Mang Gurtai, Dorgon and others glanced at Huang Taiji from time to time. Although they were heartbroken, they felt a little happy about his misfortune.
It depends on how you say it, whether you are looking for reasons to shirk responsibility, or whether you are admitting that you underestimated the enemy, which caused the heavy damage to the Dajin army.
Huang Taiji's mind was also spinning at an extremely fast speed. The number of losses had exceeded that of the Battle of Ningyuan and the Battle of Ningjin. It could be said to be his biggest setback after succeeding to the throne of King Khan.
It is inappropriate to find reasons for oneself. Rather than underestimating the enemy, it is more a case of omission of intelligence and a lack of sufficient understanding of the development of the Dongjiang Army.
Obviously, the combat power of the Dongjiang Army has exceeded that of the Battle of Lushun Fort, while the Dajin Army is still at its previous level.
"I didn't expect that the enemy's firearms were not only huge in number, but also extremely sharp." In the awkward silence, Sahalian was the first to speak, "This is several times stronger than when Two Red Flags attacked Port Arthur Fort."
Realizing that everyone's attention was focused on him, Saharian smiled bitterly and said: "If the enemy had been this strong back then, the tens of thousands of troops under the two red flags would have been in danger of being destroyed."
"In the final analysis, there is still a serious lack of intelligence, and we know too little about the enemy's situation." Sahalian emphasized his tone and said: "Knowing yourself but not knowing the enemy will lead to such a setback."
He did not hesitate to belittle his own and the two red flags' combat capabilities, and blamed the negligence of intelligence work, sharing most of the responsibility for Huang Taiji.
Saharian's speech made Huang Taiji secretly relieved and his expression softened a lot.
The Dorgon brothers exchanged glances, knowing that blaming Huang Taiji at this time would not only be useless, but would also make them angry.
Mang Gurtai could not complain alone. Although he was resentful in his heart, he had lost men, horses and banners, so he could not complain alone.
"Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win a hundred battles without danger." Dorgon said slowly: "Our army suffered a setback because we did not understand the enemy's situation well enough. Just look at the number of enemy Hongyi artillery, which is much more than that of Jinzhou and Ningyuan. There are also
The artillery pieces that can shoot farther are numerous and unknown to our army."
Azig said happily: "The enemy is insidious. He waited until our army was fully deployed before launching it with all its strength. This directly caused our army's morale to become unstable and fall into chaos."
Mang Gurtai rolled his big eyes and said in a deep voice: "The most important thing is the enemy's sharp muskets. It is difficult for heavy armored soldiers to break through. They can only be cramped in front of the formation and suffer such casualties."
Seeing that everyone had spoken, Huang Taiji exhaled a long breath and said slowly: "Omissions in intelligence, underestimating the enemy and attacking are all causes of defeat. I, the Khan, also have a responsibility and will not shirk it."
"We all have responsibilities." Saharian said: "King Khan, I feel that the most urgent task is what should be the next step. Is it to attack or to retreat?"
Huang Taiji got off the donkey along the slope, stopped talking about responsibility, glanced at everyone, and said: "Although our army still has the strength to fight again, Kunai has no way of breaking through the enemy's defense. What do you think we should do?"
Cunning! Everyone has the same idea. They obviously don’t want to fight anymore, but they don’t say it directly.
Azig said calmly: "I think since it is impossible to attack, it is better to retreat as soon as possible."
"The carriages were damaged a lot, and the heavy armored soldiers also suffered heavy casualties. It is indeed difficult to continue the attack." Dorgon echoed his brother and said, "Winning or losing is a common thing for military strategists. In the current situation, retreating as soon as possible seems to be the best strategy."
Mang Gurtai nodded in agreement and said: "I, the Dajin Warriors, are not good at attacking fortresses. We suffered a lot in the battle of Ningyuan and the battle of Ningjin. It is not too late to withdraw our troops now."
"Since there are no objections, we will retreat tomorrow morning." Huang Taiji made a decision, or he listened to everyone's opinions.
At this time, the guards came over to report that the enemy released a captured sentry and brought back a letter to Huang Taiji.
Everyone was not very interested in the captured sentry, and they did not believe that one of their own people would become a spy. Wouldn't his family want him anymore?
But the opponent actually sent a letter, which made everyone very interested. They looked at Huang Taiji and waited for his disposal.
Huang Taiji had no need to keep it secret. Being secretive would damage his reputation, so he ordered the guards to hand over the letter.
After receiving the letter, Huang Taiji looked a little uncertain after reading it. He thought for a moment and passed it to everyone for viewing.
Some people were literate and some were illiterate, but Fan Wencheng quickly read out the meaning of the letter. His expression was similar to that of Huang Taiji, and everyone looked at each other in confusion and disbelief.
In ancient times, when two armies were fighting, it was not unusual to exchange prisoners or allow corpses to be collected. But it would be a bit unbelievable to ask the opponent to spend money to buy back heads or remains.
Of course, if possible, it is basically traditional to collect the remains of one's own soldiers' dead on the battlefield. This is related to the morale of the army, and it is necessary to try to prevent one's own soldiers from dying in the wilderness.
Jianlu also had a tradition of retrieving corpses. They had done this in Ningyuan and Jinzhou. However, this was only done when conditions permitted and the casualties were not too large.
During the day's battle, Jianlu was completely repelled. From a few dozen meters to three miles away, they were all under the firepower of the Dongjiang Army. You were lucky to escape with your life. It was difficult to take away the body, and it was difficult to go back.
Snatched back.
But the enemy came up with this trick, which made everyone's heads confused for a while, wondering what conspiracy the enemy was playing.
Huang Taiji looked at Fan Wencheng and asked in a deep voice: "Fan Wencheng, tell me, what is the enemy's intention in this?"
In public, Huang Taiji always called Fan Wencheng by his first name to avoid the Manchu nobles saying that he valued Han people. In private, he called Fan Wencheng by his first name to show that he valued him.
Fan Wencheng thought for a while, then bowed and said: "Back to King Khan, I thought that the enemy might have such intentions..."
The first is the easiest one to think of. The enemy is short of money and wants to make a fortune. The price is two hundred taels of silver, which is much higher than the reward silver of the Ming court. This is normal. If the money is less than fifty taels, just give it away.
I have paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty.
The second is that if they don't agree, the enemy will use this to spread rumors and create discord. All those who died in war are considered heroes, and being buried in peace is the best destination and the best comfort for their families.
But for the heroes who fought bravely, they were reluctant to take even a small amount of money. They were allowed to be bowed down or their ashes were crushed. Rumors spread, which had a bad impact on Huang Taiji's reputation.
What's more, the letter made it clear that within a two-month period, each flag owner could send people to inspect and buy back the heads or remains of those who died in the war.
Two months can basically ensure that the body is in a frozen state and will not rot and become difficult to identify.
This change is obviously a trick to Huang Taiji. If you are not willing to give up the money, what if other flag owners are willing to give up?
In other words, it can be said that Huang Taiji sent people to trade privately and only bought back the heads or remains of those who died in the Two Yellow Flags battle.
Similarly, you can also spread rumors about other flag owners, saying that they made secret deals and bought back many heads and remains.
Just open your mouth to spread rumors, and you will lose your legs if you refute them. No matter whether you believe it or not, no matter how you defend it, there will always be people who believe it, and it will make you feel troubled, which is also a very happy thing.
Fan Wencheng's analysis was in place, but he put it very tactfully. He was actually deeply impressed by the rumor offensive in Dongjiang Town and had to be wary of it.
Huang Taiji didn't think it through completely at first, but he also realized that it might be a trap. After Fan Wencheng gave a brief explanation, he finally realized it and couldn't help but secretly curse the enemy's evil plan.
The other slave chiefs also understood to some extent and looked at each other. They did not expect that the enemy would be so cunning and include them.
The real damage may not be great, but thinking about it makes you feel uncomfortable, like fleas on your body, itchy and painful, but you can't scratch them.
"When did Mao Wenlong learn to be so bad?" Mang Gurtai rolled his eyes and snorted: "It's better to return the dead to the grave. I thought it was good when I first heard it, but I didn't expect it to be so sinister."
Rumors had a great impact on Mang Gurtai and Dorgon, and they had personal experience of this.
One is always on guard against Huang Taiji's fabricated accusations, while the other works hard to dispel Huang Taiji's suspicions and not be fooled by rumors.
Dorgon glanced at Mang Gurtai and simply remained silent, waiting for Huang Taiji to make a decision.
In his opinion, this trap was mainly aimed at Huang Taiji and would have little impact on them. It would be very simple if each banner shared the money.
Huang Taiji has been thinking about it and believes that it is worth spending some money. At least, the blow to his prestige caused by this setback can be restored.
It's just that two hundred taels of silver is a bit too much. But he can't say that, it is easy to give people a reason. Are the warriors who sacrificed their lives for Dajin not even worth two hundred taels of silver?
"I think this matter can be discussed." Huang Taiji said slowly: "We must first send someone to contact the opponent to discuss, and beware of the opponent's deception."
After a pause, he continued: "If the enemy uses his strategy, we can also use it to drive a wedge between Dongjiang Town and the Ming court, Mao Wenlong and Yuan Chonghuan, and even the emperor of the Ming Dynasty."
The exchange of human heads for silver was not only unimaginable, but also unprecedented in the Ming Dynasty. Instead of reporting success to the court, selling one's head to the enemy was not disrespecting the court and embarrassing the emperor?
Looking at Fan Wencheng, Huang Taiji asked: "Mao Wenlong made many enemies in the Ming court, and the new emperor Chongzhen did not trust him. How could he have such courage to do such a thing?"
Fan Wencheng bowed and said: "Mao Wenlong must have been prepared if he dared to do this. He probably made up a reason and said that exchanging heads for money was his own plan to make the people of Dajin lose money. Or he had other excuses to deal with the emperor.
and the imperial court.”
After a pause, he continued: "Of course, this move also means complaining to the emperor and the court in order to obtain support in terms of food, salary or materials."
"Taking advantage of the fact that the mountain is high and the emperor is far away, and Dongjiang Town is remote and overseas, Mao Wenlong acted boldly, and it is not surprising. Besides, it is really hard for the court to decide this crime."
Huang Taiji lowered his eyes, thought for a while, and said: "Then let's spread some rumors to make the Ming Emperor dislike Mao Wenlong even more. Well, this matter will be handled by you and Li Yongfang."
Fan Wencheng bowed to accept the order, took a few steps back, and hid in the shadows again.