The war is approaching, and the people in the city can't help but be frightened and worried, just like the people in the capital. But there is no other way. They can only stay in the city and hope for the protection of the government and army.
Almost everyone among the common people had a relative who was killed by the slaves, or who was separated and whose life or death was unknown.
The time is still short and cannot dilute their grief, but they will not cry all day long. Only in the dead of night can they shed tears and miss them.
The common people were also grateful. Without the rescue of the Dongjiang Army, without the Dongjiang Army to resist Jianlu and defend the city, they all knew how miserable their fate would be.
Therefore, the people also support the army wholeheartedly and without any secrets.
Heart for heart, Guo Dajing believed this. Although he was not too demanding on his army, his military discipline was far superior to that of other Ming armies. At least, the Dongjiang Army would not rob and harm the people.
Sister Wu came over with a big basin and said with a smile: "After we finish the work, we need to collect statistics, including which villages they are from and what their names are. Everything has been registered, so you don't have to look around anymore.
Can I know if I have any family members?"
Tens of thousands of people in the city are concentrated in fixed urban areas. Although they all want to know whether their relatives are there and whether they are okay, it is inappropriate and unrealistic to move freely.
"The village was burned and killed by the slaves, and I don't know how many people are left?" A woman wiped her eyes and said sadly: "My parents don't know what it is like, and there are my brother and my sister-in-law."
These words immediately resonated with the women, some looked sad, some sighed, and some cried and shed tears.
Sister Wu rolled her eyes helplessly and said: "Crying can't solve the problem. It's God's blessing that we can reach this point. If it weren't for the Dongjiang Army, we don't know how miserable we would be!"
Osmanthus fragrans took it seriously and said: "Let's work hard. Once the Dongjiang army defeats the slaves, we will be safe and we can cry happily."
The women then stopped their lamentations and understood the truth. Jianlu was coming this way, and he couldn't tell what he was going to do!
"Sister Wu, I heard that the Dongjiang Army wants to gather the people back to Liaodong?" A woman asked curiously: "Is it voluntary?"
Sister Wu shook her head and said, "This is something that is not certain, so don't spread it around."
"Even if this happens, it should be voluntary. Can you be tied up and escorted away?" Sister Wu added, "Okay, stop gossiping and make the pancakes quickly!"
Liaodong was a war-torn place, the home base of slaves, and wars were fought every day. This was probably the impression in the minds of the people.
But after this war, the people will change. In their view, the Gyeonggi region is not absolutely safe, and the Ming army in the interior is even more unbearable.
Even so, there are still very few people who are willing to go to Liaodong. Guo Dajing has no such plan, although increasing the population is a long-term policy of Dongjiang Town.
At this time, in the governor's Yamen, Guo Dajing was respectfully listening to the imperial edict.
Huh, Chongzhen was really stingy. He kept saying that he would not hesitate to be rewarded by being a prince, but he led his army across the sea to serve the king, recaptured Zunhua, and beheaded seven or eight hundred people, but he did not receive any actual rewards.
"Weak minister, I accept the order and thank you for your kindness." Guo Dajing slandered and kowtowed to the leader, "Long live my emperor, long live, long live."
Cao Huachun handed the imperial edict to Guo Dajing, put away his serious expression, and said with a smile: "Deputy Commander Guo, long live the hope for Yin Yin, there is no room for failure in this battle!"
Guo Dajing stood up and said sternly: "Our army is ready and ready. If the Jianlu soldiers want to pass through Zunhua, they will be killed until their corpses are everywhere."
Cao Huachun nodded repeatedly and said: "The enemy's courage was so cold after one battle that they did not dare to attack again. Vice Admiral Guo must have made this plan by taking the enemy's rear route."
Guo Dajing smiled, extended his hand to greet me, and said, "Don't worry, father-in-law, the Dongjiang Army has traveled thousands of miles across the sea to relieve your father's worries and serve you with all your loyalty."
"That's good, that's good." Cao Huachun said with a smile: "Long Live I know that the Dongjiang Army is short of horses. I have sent someone to pass the order and ordered the armies in Yongping, Luanzhou, Shanhaiguan and other places to lend horses to the Dongjiang Army first.
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Guo Dajing's eyes lit up and he said: "Long live the wise man, I wonder when these horses will arrive in Zunhua?"
"It should be within the next few days!" Cao Huachun was not very sure and could only rely on a rough estimate.
After Guo Dajing was surprised, he immediately figured it out.
I'm afraid it's not appropriate to have too high expectations. Even if the garrisons from all over the country cooperate fully and send all the cavalry, the number they can have is three to four thousand.
King Qin's army did have a lot of cavalry, but those generals must have found a reason to convince Chongzhen and did not deploy them. Cao Huachun and Fang Zhenghuaxing, who were delivering the order, took a detour to support them at night.
As expected, you can't count on others. Anyway, the battle plan is based on yourself. How many war horses you have will not affect the overall situation.
It was more reliable to rely on the captures from the battle with Jianlu. Guo Dajing thought about it clearly, but he didn't say anything else. He Xi's expression on his face remained the same.
"Eunuch Cao knows the army, so Long Live specially sent him to observe and guide." Fang Zhenghua introduced at the side.
Cao Huachun hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Vice-General Guo has experienced hundreds of battles. How dare the Za family dare to do something for everyone? Your Majesty has told me that the Za family only observes and learns, and will never interfere with Vice-General Guo's command."
Still somewhat self-aware, Guo Dajing smiled and complimented Cao Huachun, but he would never give up his command to others, even if there was an imperial edict.
The eunuchs studied military affairs, and Chongzhen finally embarked on the road of trusting the eunuchs! Perhaps it was because of the invasion of the invaders this time that he was greatly disappointed by the civilian and military generals?
Cao Huachun entered the palace when he was twelve or thirteen years old. Because of his talent, intelligence, diligence and studious, he received a good education in the palace. He was proficient in poetry, calligraphy and painting, and later entered the palace of Prince Xin to accompany Zhu Youjian.
During the Tianqi period, Wei Zhongxian killed the eunuch Wang An and sent Wang An's confidant Cao Huachun to Nanjing to await his punishment. It was not until Zhu Youjian succeeded to the throne that Cao Huachun was recalled and entrusted with important tasks.
Cao Huachun was sent to deliver the order and observe the battle, which was indeed a prelude to Chongzhen's plan to reorganize the capital camp. The inability of the capital camp to fight was clearly revealed in the process of building captives to siege the capital.
Chongzhen's plan was to "select the best and strongest men from all over the world" to build a Yongwei camp and put it under the imperial horse supervisor, and Cao Huachun was the predetermined candidate to supervise the Yongwei camp.
Historically, under the supervision of Cao Huachun, the Yongwei Battalion also included Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji and other fierce generals. It indeed became a powerful force in the late Ming Dynasty, running around like a fire brigade and fighting many fierce battles with the Qing army and the peasant army.
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Although Guo Dajing guessed Chongzhen's thoughts, he still harbored slander against the eunuch leader.
Professional work must be done by professionals. The so-called knowledge of soldiers is nothing but bullshit when it comes to the battlefield.
Guo Dajing didn't want to be with Cao Huachun all the time. Even though he had just received the imperial edict and Chongzhen had added the crown prince to him, he didn't care much.
The crown prince's Taibao is just a title but an honorary official title. Can't he be promoted to the rank of chief soldier, on the same level as Man Gui and others?
In terms of merit, Guo Dajing felt that it was not an exaggeration for him to be granted the title of Bo or Marquis. Of course, he had to give Mao Wenlong a title before he could take his turn.
Of course, in addition to the false title, Chongzhen also rewarded him with Silver Order Arrows, which added a little more power to him on the basis of the title of deputy general.
In the Ming Dynasty, the seals given by the emperor of tomorrow to his ministers usually included the Shangfang sword, the king's command tablet, and gold and silver command arrows.
The king's order card can execute officials of the fifth rank, but it cannot interfere with local affairs; the gold and silver order arrows can dispatch local garrison, but it cannot kill people, nor can it interfere with local affairs.
The Shangfang Sword is also known as the Emperor's Sword. Its holder can handle local government affairs. Officials below the fifth rank can be beheaded first and then punished, and officials below the third rank can be suspended on the spot.
It can be seen that Shang Fang's sword has the greatest power, and the emperor would not easily give it to his ministers, especially military commanders, and even less so.
Among the current generals, Mao Wenlong seems to be the only one who has Shang Fang's sword, which was given by Emperor Tianqi. Another one who originally had Shang Fang's sword was Man Gui, but it was later taken back.
"Shen Shuoqing, a painting praised by the army." Guo Dajing stretched out his hand to call Shen Shuoqing and introduced Cao Huachun, "The Korean righteous man, his father is Mr. Shen Qiyuan, the Zuo Yizheng of the current Korean Kingdom."
Cao Huachun looked surprised, and then he praised Shen Shuoqing and his son for their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.
Shen Shuoqing held the ceremony very respectfully, guessing that this was Guo Dajing's intention to give him an opportunity to make friends with the internal officials of the Ming Dynasty and pave the way for the Shen family's future actions in North Korea.
It's not wrong to think so. Although Guo Dajing didn't pay much attention to the abolition of the Korean royal family, he still didn't give it away in vain.
Fang Zhenghua also praised a few words, and then said: "The city of Zunhua has been reinforced with ice. From a distance, it looks like a helmet piercing armor. Eunuch Cao was full of praises before entering the city. Can you go up to the city and take a closer look?
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Guo Dajing said with a smile: "What's wrong with this? General Dong Shi followed his example and was about to ask Eunuch Cao for help. Eunuch Fang is here to give you some advice!"
After saying that, Guo Dajing asked Cao Huachun and Fang Zhenghua to leave the governor's Yamen and go to the city for inspection.
The city wall has been frozen with a layer of ice. Under the sunlight, it really looks like it is covered with a layer of shining armor.
In fact, the actual effect of this was very limited. Jianlu did not bombard the city with artillery, nor did he climb the wall with his hands and feet. He used ladders, tower trucks and other equipment, so the impact was not very big.
But Cao Huachun and Fang Zhenghua were amazed, seeing that they had no actual combat experience. Guo Dajing also followed suit and specifically told Shen Shuoqing's suggestions, which added a lot of luster to Shen Shuoqing's face.
"Zunhua is the gateway to the capital. Is it possible that there are no artillery in the city defense?" Cao Huachun really saw something wrong and asked in confusion.
Not to mention Zunhua, even other cities have a few artillery pieces. However, they are all old-fashioned, not very powerful, and their range is not far.
"Jianlu is eager to retreat and will most likely attack the positions across the official road." Guo Dajing explained: "So, the generals will gather all their artillery to prepare for a head-on attack on Jianlu."
Fang Zhenghua said: "General Guo, when you lead your troops across the sea, you must not be carrying many heavy weapons, right?"
Guo Dajing nodded and said: "What Eunuch Fang said is absolutely true. Our army only carries dozens of light Franco cannons. It is still difficult to destroy Jianlu's carriage."
Cao Huachun understood and said: "I see. The concentration of artillery on Zunhua City should be enough to resist Jianlu's attack, right?"
"Don't worry, Eunuch Cao." Guo Dajing said confidently: "Even if we don't have artillery, our army is not afraid of building captives."
Cao Huachun showed admiration and said: "General Guo has experienced hundreds of battles and has never been defeated. Naturally, the Za family can rest assured."
After a pause, he continued: "The military manual says: Don't stop when you return to the army. General Guo must be careful and don't underestimate the enemy!"
Just by copying the military manual, you dare to call yourself "knowing soldiers" just by reading the military books?
It can be seen from this that the effect of eunuchs leading the army is definitely not very good. If they are modest in delegating power, it will be better to have capable generals in the army. But if they are arrogant and incapable of talent and arbitrary, it will be a bad choice.
From the eunuchs, we can also see the shortcomings of civilian leadership. They are basically people who talk about military affairs on paper, but they require experienced generals to obey orders, so failure is not surprising.
"When the soldiers are out there, everyone wants to return. If we stop them on the road, we will fight to the death."
Of course, the military book is correct, but Guo Dajing led his army here to fight to the end and strive to annihilate all the Jianlu invaders and the Mongolian tribes who followed them into the pass to plunder.
One punch will open the door, so you don't have to use all the punches. A successful battle will shock Xiao Xiao. Who dares to enter the barrier easily?
However, it is still very difficult to completely wipe out the enemy. The main problem is still the lack of troops.
Concentrating the main force in Zunhua blocked the official roads, but it was still difficult to completely block the Jianlu forces who wanted to climb mountains and drill through forests.
You must know that the Jianlu troops entered the pass through three places: Malanyu, Da'ankou, and Xifengkou. It was impossible for the Dongjiang Army of more than 20,000 troops to divide their troops and set up defenses everywhere.
But there is one thing, it is possible to escape with light cavalry, but it is absolutely impossible to get out of the customs safely with the plundered people, livestock, food and supplies.
As long as Jianlu is allowed to return empty-handed, this Qinwang operation will have achieved its goal.
Of course, Huang Taiji would not make such a choice unless he had to. He would definitely fight with the Dongjiang Army in order to open up a way out.
Guo Dajing believed that Huang Taiji, a gambler, would bet everything. This was not only for the sake of money to survive the famine, but also for his own ambition and ideal of becoming emperor.
If you think about it from his perspective, Guo Dajing would make the same decision as Huang Taiji.
The Dongjiang Army is already a serious threat, and it will have to fight sooner or later, no matter where it is. It would be more advantageous to have a decisive battle under Zunhua City. This is because the Dongjiang Army is traveling a long distance and lacks heavy weapons.
Preserving strength also depends on time. The Dongjiang Army is not afraid of fighting to the death, and the same is true for Jianlu.
Anyway, the most threatening force in Liaodong is the Dongjiang Army, and the Guanning Army can be excluded. If the battle losses of both sides are similar, the battle situation in Liaodong can still maintain a balance.
With the same thinking, Guo Dajing also believed that fighting the Jianlu to the death was only part of the plan to pacify the Liao and destroy the Lu.
Even if he suffered heavy casualties and was unable to continue attacking in Liaodong for a period of time, he had no urgency to kill Jianlu in 35 years, let alone bragging to the emperor.
Answering Cao Huachun's question casually, Guo Dajing's mind was already wandering, and he seemed to see the Jianlu soldiers rolling towards Zunhua with their rich loot, with large and small vehicles stretching for more than ten miles.