There was a crackling sound, and the guards and servants were all silent, and they walked more slowly, for fear of angering the Khan.
Dorgon finally stopped and sat in the chair, panting, his chest rising and falling violently, and his anger still lingering.
Finally, I finally understood the true intention of the Dongjiang Army. Liaonan was a sheep attack for containment, while Liaodong was a real attack.
From the urgent report sent from Jilharang, Dorgon learned that Jianzhou had been completely ravaged by the enemy, and even Hetuala had been burned to rubble.
The number of enemies who entered Jianzhou was not thousands, nor tens of thousands, but as many as 30,000 (Jierhalang's exaggeration).
Tens of thousands of Shatou Liao people were robbed, and all the cultivation in Jianzhou was destroyed. The defenders of Tonghua and Hetuala, plus the defenders of Jierhalang and Crow Falcon Pass, lost tens of thousands of horses in total.
.
The military strength was already stretched thin, and now it was even worse. How to deploy it gave Dorgon a headache and made him irritable.
Moreover, he had just succeeded to the throne this year and suffered such a major setback. Even the land of Longxing was destroyed. The blow to his reputation and authority was the most serious.
The guards plucked up the courage to come in and report, and Duduo and others came to see him. Dorgon managed to calm down his emotions, summoned the ministers, walked out of the study, and sat down in the hall.
It was not long before Duduo, Suk Saha, Li Yongfang and others entered the hall and bowed before them.
These people are trustworthy by Dorgon, and this summons is also to discuss the next action. Dorgon has already made a plan, and then he will determine the leadership candidates and specific details.
"This is an urgent report sent by someone from Jierharang. Take a look at it first." Dorgon looked at the ministers with a sullen face and ordered the guards to take the urgent report.
Before the news has spread, Dorgon must think of countermeasures beforehand to minimize the negative impact.
Speaking of which, he only succeeded to the throne for half a year. Huang Taiji had made arrangements before. Except for the invasion of Haizhou, he had not had time to make changes in other places.
But this was an unexplainable reason. It was a fact that he suffered another defeat, and he was indeed deceived by the Dongjiang Army's Sheep Attack in southern Liaoning.
After reading the emergency report, everyone looked at each other in shock. Like Dorgon, they were attracted by the attack and defense of Haizhou Guards. Unexpectedly, the enemy actually sent out a large army and swept across Jianzhou.
"Damn it, Huxing Ah!" Dodo was first angry at the guard of Hetuala. If he hadn't misreported the military situation, he would not have only sent Jilharang to lead his troops into the battle.
Li Yongfang also had a shameful face. After all, he was in charge of intelligence. He did not detect such a large-scale enemy operation in advance.
Suk Saha bowed and said: "King Khan, the strength of the Dongjiang Army has grown rapidly, which is really unexpected. Now that the autumn harvest is over, 20,000 troops have been assembled in Shenyang, and we can launch a counterattack immediately to restore the impact."
Dorgon had to admit that the timing of the Dongjiang Army's launch was very clever. Not only was it able to provide food and grass on the spot, it also delayed the mobilization and assembly of its own army due to the autumn harvest.
If we could get seven or eight days in the morning, the reinforcements that could be dispatched were not just Jierhalang's troops. Of course, misjudgment of the enemy's strength was the key to failure.
"Where to counterattack?" Dorgon was a little helpless and said slowly: "The Dongjiang Army in southern Liaoning has strong troops, powerful firepower, and solid fortifications, making it difficult to attack. The enemies in Liaodong are counterattacking and defending, and it is not easy to attack. The key is that the season is not here.
, the rivers along the way are also obstacles.”
Li Yongfang quickly echoed: "The Dongjiang Army has many artillery, but our army is not good at attacking fortresses. If we want to launch a counterattack, I feel that we can conduct a tentative attack in Liaodong. If the fortified city is difficult to destroy, we will not attack with all our strength."
After a pause, he added: "Actually, our enemies in Dajin are not only the Dongjiang Army, but the Chahar Division can also be targeted. Although North Korea is disrespectful, it is not easy to attack at the moment, so we can plan for the long term."
Duduo thought of the overwhelming artillery fire under Zunhua City, and he was already afraid of attacking the Dongjiang Army who had fortifications to rely on.
Li Yongfang's addition made his eyes light up, and he said: "It's good to have a tentative attack on Liaodong. If it doesn't go well, we can attack Hudauntu directly. When the river freezes in winter, our army will wait for an opportunity to launch an attack on Liaonan or Liaodong."
.”
Dorgon secretly lamented that even he and his brother Duduo were afraid of attacking the fortress guarded by the Dongjiang Army.
Only generals like Jierhalang, Dudu, and Turge, who had not experienced the Zunhua War, launched a violent attack rashly, and were unexpectedly defeated by the enemy's overwhelming artillery bombardment.
"When my father Khan was still alive, he gave a strict order, 'If you encounter an enemy without a shield or chariot, do not go into battle lightly.'"
Dorgon said slowly: "Jirharang's troops were too careful, which led to such a huge defeat. I will issue an edict again and give an order to the entire army. If you violate it again, you will be severely punished."
This is just looking for an excuse for defeat, which is very reluctant.
Jierhalang led his cavalry all the way to catch up to the enemy's tail. Where could he carry the carriage? If it was built on the spot, the enemy would have retreated long ago and there would be no time.
Scanning the crowd, Dorgon pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice: "The development speed of the Dongjiang Army is shocking. Its total strength has exceeded that of our army, and it is capable of launching two-front operations. The deployment of our army must also be carried out on a large scale.
changes."
After a pause, he softened his tone and said, "If you have any suggestions, feel free to speak freely."
Strategic contraction is certain. Dorgon sets the tone and allows everyone to discuss and discuss. He will then follow his advice and reduce the pressure he faces when making decisions.
After all, abandoning land without fighting is a bad reputation no matter how you say it, even though the situation forces you to do it.
Everyone was silent for a long time, both thinking and hesitating, not wanting to speak first.
Seeing Dorgon's gaze on him, Suksaha felt helpless, but he had no choice but to step forward and bowed: "According to what I see, Haizhou can be given up and a large number of troops can be concentrated in Liaoyang. In this case, the strength of the troops will not be very high."
The dispersion further lengthened the enemy's front."
Dorgon tilted his head slightly, showing admiration, and said: "This is a very good idea. If you want to hit someone, retract your fist and then hit it out, it will be more powerful."
This was a decision made out of no choice. If we had known what happened, why would we have increased the Haizhou Guard? If we retreat to Liaoyang, there will be no buffer at all. If Liaoyang is lost, Shenyang will not be able to defend it, and defeat is certain.
Therefore, this is not just giving up Haizhou, but it means that the Jianlu have no retreat, and Liaoyang is the decisive battle of their life and death.
"Hetuala needs to be rebuilt, but Jianzhou is already devastated. If we continue to station troops and relocate the people..." Dorgon changed the subject, as if he was talking to himself, but he was still asking for advice.
Li Yongfang saw Dorgon's focused gaze and knew that it was his turn, so he bowed and said: "I feel that since the damage has been serious, except for Xingjing, other places can be left abandoned to form a no-man's land that hinders the enemy's penetration."
.”
"North Korea has secretly aided the Dongjiang Army, and the Yalu River is flowing unimpeded. We in Dajin do not have a navy, so it is difficult to set up defenses everywhere to prevent the enemy from invading Jianzhou..."
Regarding Li Yongfang's cryptic words, Dorgon nodded his head and thought deeply about it. He finally said what he wanted to do. This Li Yongfang is not bad.
Others also understood that the two scapegoats had been punished. If they unified their opinions, they would have an advantage in the political meeting and would not worry about being opposed and failing to pass.
The situation was once again bad, which Dorgon and others did not expect.
I thought that this year's harvest would be good, and that after the famine eased, Daikin would be able to get a chance to breathe.
But the Dongjiang Army obviously didn't want to give them a chance to recover. A huge defeat once again cast a heavy haze on Daikin's future.
Romance
Although the discussion was completed, Dorgon was not optimistic about the immediate counterattack in Liaodong. Even if he could occupy some territory, he could no longer divide his troops for defense, and the supplies captured would not be much.
However, he is still optimistic about the attack on Hu Duntu and the counterattack against the Dongjiang Army in winter.
Huduntu is definitely not an opponent, and he might escape upon hearing the news, thus bringing back the Mongolian tribes who surrendered to Dajin. When the attack is launched in winter, they can be ordered to send troops to help the battle, and ten or twenty thousand horses can still be gathered together.
Unfortunately, the conquest of the Chahar tribe was originally an opportunity to improve his prestige. However, under the pressure of the Dongjiang Army, the political situation was not very stable, so he had no choice but to give up and take charge of Shenyang himself.
………………
Dengzhou, came to the governor's office.
Sun Yuanhua, the newly appointed governor, has just received a report of victory in Dongjiang Town. Soon a ship will arrive carrying the heads and prisoners of Jianlu, and they will need to be verified by him before being escorted to the capital.
"Hundreds of miles across, dozens of battles, big and small, destroyed Xingjing and beheaded nearly ten thousand people. Tsk tsk!" Sun Yuanhua exclaimed, handed the victory report to Wang Zheng, and said: "Guo Dajing is so brave, it is shocking and admirable.
.”
Since Sun Yuanhua took office as the governor of Denglai, he has been recruiting Western talents and liaising with the Portuguese, intending to make Dengzhou a fortress of Western learning in the eastern border.
With the efforts of Sun Yuanhua, a group of Ming Dynasty experts who knew Western gunnery skills gathered in Dengzhou. Among them, Wang Zheng, the author of "Illustrated Notes on Strange Weapons of the Far West", is currently serving as the chief minister of the Shandong Inspectorate, supervising the affairs of the Liao Navy.
There are also Zhang Tao, the author of "Illustrations of the Western Fire Attack", who served as deputy general of the Chinese Army and deputy chief soldier. Guo Shiqi, who was "familiar with Western weapons", praised Sun Yuanhua's paintings and took charge of management.
Sun Yuanhua also started the work of casting Western artillery. Because this was not his first attempt, the work progressed very quickly.
As early as the second year of Chongzhen, the Ming court ordered Sun Yuanhua to imitate Western cannons. In March of the following year, the cannon was completed, and the court named the cannon "General An Guo Quanjun Ping Liao Jinglu" and sent officials to sacrifice it.
Wang Zheng read the victory report and said with a smile: "Looking at Guo Dajing's performance, he is much better than Mao Wenlong. With such a brave general in the Ming Dynasty, Ping Liao is just around the corner."
Sun Yuanhua lowered his head slightly and said regretfully: "It's a pity that Liao Town has been jealous of the imperial court and will not be able to play its role. Otherwise, if the two towns work together to fight against the enemy, the Jianlu will be destroyed even more quickly."
In the first year of Chongzhen, after Yuan Chonghuan came back, he named Sun Yuanhua to support the military affairs of Liao Province. In the next year, the rebels invaded the capital. Sun Yuanhua, who stayed in western Liaoning, ensured that the eight garrisoned cities and 24 forts remained standing.
Sun Yuanhua's Pingliao strategy was relatively similar to that of Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan. He advocated using Guangning as the front line to resist the Jin Dynasty and gradually advance.
Because of this relationship, Sun Yuanhua had feelings for Liao Zhen. Seeing Liao Zhen shrinking in Ningyuan, it was only a matter of time before it was abandoned by the court, and he couldn't help but feel regretful.
Wang Zheng saw things clearly and said with a smile: "Building cities and building artillery is certainly safe, but the cost is huge and the effect is slow. Now that the Dongjiang Army can directly attack the Jiannu, it is reasonable for the imperial court to reuse it."
After a pause, he admonished again: "Liao Zhen fled without permission when the capital was in crisis, and his crime was not small. The governor should draw a clear line with them to avoid being punished by the court."
Sun Yuanhua nodded and said: "This matter can naturally be avoided by me. As long as the Dongjiang Army can pacify Liao as soon as possible, I will naturally give my full support."
Standing up and walking to the window, Sun Yuanhua looked at the sea in the distance and said expectantly: "I hope the imperial court can follow my instructions and train talents who are good at artillery as soon as possible to help the Dongjiang Army."
Xu Guangqi, Sun Yuanhua's teacher, planned to recruit 300 Western soldiers after the crisis in the capital was resolved, to teach the Beijing camp artillery and strengthen the defense of the capital. However, this move was strongly opposed by Lu Zhaolong and others during the incident. The imperial court regretted it and sent the Western troops to the capital. The people were sent back to Macau.
Sun Yuanhua was dissatisfied, so he went to Shangshu to argue with Lu Zhaolong and asked to transfer Western troops to Dengzhou to train gunners. The court approved it, but instead of 300, the number was reduced to 25.
Sun Yuanhua was looking forward to the arrival of the Western troops. Building cannons and training gunners, these two tasks could be successfully completed, which was Sun Yuanhua's goal.
"I heard that Dongjiang Town has hired Portuguese technicians a long time ago and has trained many artillerymen." Wang Zheng said uncertainly: "The firearms they are equipped with are also purchased from the Portuguese."
The Ming court had always been wary of, and even hostile to, Westerners. Even if the Portuguese were granted permission to live in Macau, they could not easily enter the mainland and travel unimpeded.
In other words, Dongjiang Town recruited Westerners and made friends with Westerners without the permission of the imperial court. This should be against the imperial court's rules and could be punished.
But the imperial court is now relying heavily on Dongjiang Town, and does not want to delve into such a small matter. Everything is focused on pacifying Liao and destroying the captives.
Sun Yuanhua was not stupid either. He knew that he could not achieve his goals by comparing himself with Dongjiang Town. This would not only make the court unhappy, but also lead to a bad relationship with Dongjiang Town.
"Even so, they don't hire many, so they can't compare with us." Sun Yuanhua said perfunctorily: "They are even worse than us in casting Hongyi cannons. Otherwise, they wouldn't ask for support."
Guo Dajing did not spend too much on casting Hongyi cannons. He only bought some finished products and put all his energy and financial resources into the production of mortars, field artillery and rockets, as well as light and heavy muskets.
It is true that the Hongyi cannon is too bulky and its practical effect is not too obvious. Its deterrent effect is far greater than its killing effect.
But since Dengzhou can build it, Guo Dajing will naturally not be polite based on the principle of asking for nothing. Even if it cannot be used for the army, it is still excellent for equipping the navy.
Wang Zheng smiled and did not delve into Sun Yuanhua's words. He said slowly: "I want to go to Liaonan to meet with Marshal Mao and Marshal Guo to discuss military affairs in Liaohai."
Sun Yuanhua was stunned for a moment, but then he happily agreed with a smile. Regarding Dongjiang Town, he was also very curious about why the combat power had increased so quickly and what the level of the firearms used now was.