Chapter 70: Controversial Request for a Monthly Pass,
It wasn't until the sound of the clock sounded that the noisy military equipment hall gradually became quiet.
Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief of the army, Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, and Ma Shaoyu, who joined the army, as well as other civil officials such as military personnel, road supervisors, grain supervisors, and discipline supervisors, all followed Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and turned out from behind the screen.
It can be seen that Hong Chengchou was in good spirits at the moment, with a very elegant face full of smiles. After he cordially greeted the generals and took their seats, he also ordered his attendants to take out nearly a hundred Wu fans and distribute them to all the generals in the hall.
All the generals in the hall were holding Wu fans. They did not swing them slowly and gently like the civil servants, but shook them wildly and carelessly. That kind of atmosphere made Qiu Minyang, Zhang Ruoqi and others feel helpless.
Governor Hong Chengchou also ordered his attendants to bring out plates of iced melons and fruits. A plate was placed on the small table next to each general's seat, as well as on the small table next to the civil servants' seat on the left.
This iced melon and fruit is a good thing nowadays!
The sun in August is as poisonous as fire, and even at night it is still unbearably hot. When you are so thirsty, if you can eat iced fruits, it will be a fairy-like enjoyment.
At that moment, the sound of the soldiers eating melons could be heard endlessly. A few rough guys like Bai Guangen, Tang Tong, Li Fuming, etc. even ate all the skins.
Even a figure in the capital like Chen Jiugao was eating in a mess at this time, with no dignity at all. And the generals behind each of them could only look at the generals eating melons and fruits with envy, but they
I can't eat even a cent.
After all the officials and generals finished eating the iced melons and fruits, Hong Chengchou's expression became serious and he began to discuss the military affairs of Liaodong.
Outside Jinzhou City, the layout of the slave thieves is already very clear. Although it is not yet certain how many troops there are, the slave thieves are surrounded by dangerous mountains.
The purpose of digging trenches and erecting walls is to consume our army's fighting strength, so we must not let it lead us by the nose."
The Ming Dynasty King's Division had already made a rough exploration of the Qing army's camps around Rufeng Mountain and its trench fortifications.
Although the Qing army's sentry cavalry was out in all directions, constantly intercepting the night patrol sent out by the Ming army's battalions for reconnaissance, they did not know that among the Xuanbei army's night patrol elite sentry cavalry, telescopes were already standard equipment for each night patrol unit.
Although it is not enough for everyone, it is enough for reconnaissance.
Although the telescopes at this time were not as powerful as those of later generations in terms of how many times they could be magnified to observe distant objects, the large targets several miles away could still be vaguely seen clearly. They were indeed much farther and clearer than those observed with the naked eye.
Many of them are indeed useful tools for reconnaissance.
Even under the tight defense of the Qing army's sentry cavalry, the Ming army's sentry cavalry did not dare to approach too closely, but the rough situation of their various camps and defenses could be basically seen clearly by the Xuanbei army without closing in at night.
This is an important military matter, so Zhang Cheng will not hide it, but will generously share it with all the generals.
What's more, today afternoon, the generals climbed to the peak of Rufeng in Shanxi and took a brief look at the layout of the Qing army inside Jinzhou City and outside the city. For example, Governor Hong Chengchou, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Ruoqi, Governor Qiu Minyang and others, as well as all the general soldiers, also
Each of them brought a telescope, so he could see clearly through the mirror.
According to sentry inspections and observations, the layout of the Qing army's earthen wall trenches was mainly concentrated on the east side of Rufeng Mountain, as well as in Huangtu Ridge, Shimen Mountain, Songshan Ridge, and Maojiagou. Most of them were laid out layer by layer according to the trend of the mountains.
layout.
The trenches were different from the trenches dug by Zhang Cheng on Changling Mountain. There were no trap spikes in the trenches of the Qing army. Their trenches had sharp bottoms, making it difficult to climb back up by oneself after falling in.
, but it is not life-threatening.
Moreover, the earthen and stone wall they built was not a low wall like Zhang Cheng's, but was similar to a village wall, like a small city wall, about one foot high.
Wherever the mountains are gentle, the wall is slightly higher, just like a city wall. Although people can climb up the wall to fight, it is not as thick as the city wall, but there are multiple village gates according to the terrain.
The stockade walls in dangerous places are slightly shorter, reaching only about a person's chest. They are mostly used for patrolling by the defenders. This kind of stockade wall is considered the main wall. In front of the main wall, a deep trench is dug, making the stockade wall
In fact the height is higher.
In front of these walled trenches, two small trenches were dug. These two small trenches were slightly shallower. A low wall was set up behind the trench, or horses were arranged, and some wooden stakes were driven along the edge of the trench.
There are ropes tied to these wooden piles, and bells are hung on the ropes. There are also big dogs and hounds tied next to the bells, in order to prevent people from stealing camps and filling trenches at night.
Both Rufeng Mountain and Huangtu Ridge are composed of many large and small mountains, but there are not many tall and steep mountains. Instead, the hills and slopes are densely covered. Along each mountain ridge, there are many trenches dug by the Qing army.
The Qing army was fortified at all levels. Even if they captured one mountain ridge, they would still have to face another. If they were to attack Jinzhou City with force, how hard would it be to fight, let alone how many casualties would there be?
This was only in the area of Rufeng Mountain and Huangtu Ridge. In fact, the Qing army had been besieging Jinzhou for more than a year and had also deployed lines of defense in other places, such as Songshan Ridge, Maojiagou and other places.
These places were not only the sleeping quarters of the King's Division of the Ming Army in Songshan, but also important military locations for breaking through the siege of Jinzhou. Not to mention the Nuer River and the other side of the Xiaoling River, how were the Qing troops deployed?
In the official hall of Governor Ji Liao, all the officials and generals first shared the information they had obtained, and they all felt that the Tatars' deployment room was tightly defended, and it was really difficult to break through their defensive line.
However, the generals also knew that no matter how great the difficulties were, no matter how many casualties were incurred, the siege of Jinzhou must be solved.
Such a large-scale king's army is gathered here, and grain and grass are piled up from Ningyuan all the way to Tashan and Xingshan. If the siege of Jinzhou cannot be solved again, not to mention the unwillingness of the generals, it is the officials in the imperial court who can only yell blindly.
, even Emperor Chongzhen would not spare them.
Now, the focus of controversy among the officials and generals is whether to capture Rufeng Mountain first or Huangtu Ridge first?
Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, was a representative of the group that supported the capture of Rufeng Mountain first. He believed that Jinzhou was now in crisis, so the first priority was to capture Rufeng Mountain first and open the key to breaking through the siege of Jinzhou.
Bai Guangen, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief of Miyun, Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, as well as Liaodong general Zu Dale, Songshan deputy general Xia Chengde, and the tour camp staff general Liu Zhengjie and other Liaodong officers and generals gave strong support.
Zhang Cheng indeed preferred to capture the Qing army's outer camps such as Huangtu Ridge, Songshan Ridge, and Maojiagou first. He believed that the Qing army's camp in Rufeng Mountain was heavily laid out and most difficult to attack.
Therefore, we must not fall into the trap of the Tartars and cause the army of the King's Division to aid Jin to suffer a large number of casualties in the process of attacking Rufeng Mountain and lose all the spirit of the army accumulated from the previous few small victories. This will be detrimental to