In the main hall of the governor's office, Bingxian Zhang Dou said: "On the Xingshan Liang Road, General Zuo led the army and was stationed on Wudaoling. There was also General Meng Dao who assisted in guarding Xingshan Castle. On Changling Mountain, there was also General Zhang's command.
The elite camp is stationed there, so there is generally no worries. Even if the Tatars attack by surprise, at least they can stand firm and wait for reinforcements due to the steep mountains."
He raised his hand and brushed his beard, and added: "Gaoqiao is located between the apricot and pagodas. It is surrounded by many plains and is close to the Gaoqiao River. It is suitable for the garrison of large armies."
After Zhang Dou said this, he stopped talking. He just looked up at Hong Chengchou, the Governor of Jiliao, and saw that his face was as dark as water, showing no trace of joy or anger.
Yao Gong, deputy envoy of the Imperial Guard, spoke at this time and said: "The location of Gaoqiao is the key point of the Xingta grain road. It is connected to Daxing Fort to the north, Tashan Fort to the west, and Xingshan Fort to the east. It is indeed a critical place.
What's more, there aren't many troops stationed at Gaoqiao. If a general is appointed to be stationed here, he can not only monitor the movements in the direction of the Daughter River in the north, but also guard the grain road between the apricot towers, and even take care of the defense of both castles."
Hong Chengchou flicked three locks of his beard and said: "As General Zhongchen said, the army of bandits is gathered in Jinzhou now. The battle cannot be decided in one moment. It is really necessary to guard against the bandits' treachery and surprise, and the safety of the food road is very important.
It is related to the morale of the military and cannot be ignored at all.
It is indeed necessary to send a general to garrison Gaoqiao to command the garrison in all parts of Tashan Mountain and protect the safety of the grain stores in Bijia Mountain. Generals, who is willing to go and guard the lifeline of the grain road for our army?"
Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan Regiment, was the first to stand up and said loudly: "To Commander Hong, I am willing to go to Gaoqiao to protect the food route for the army."
Ma Ke's eyes were also flashing. He first looked left and right, took a step forward, cupped his fists and said, "To the Governor, I am also willing to go to Gaoqiao to protect the safety of the food road for the army."
At this time, Tang Tong looked at Wu Sangui, then at Ma Ke, and hurriedly stepped out from the crowd and said loudly: "To inform the governor, the general is also willing to go to Gaoqiao to garrison and protect the grain road."
Hong Chengchou was very happy to see everyone enthusiastically asking for help, but these people were all qualified candidates in his mind, but they were not suitable candidates.
In Hong Chengchou's view, under the current situation, as analyzed by Zhang Cheng, after the arrival of the captive chief Hongtai, the war in Liaodong was indeed much more complicated, and grain routes had to be guarded against.
Although it is necessary to return to the division to garrison Gaoqiao to guard the grain road, the candidate is also extremely critical. He must be familiar with the terrain of Ningjin and the situation of the generals in the Xingta area, so he is required to be a veteran of Liao Town.
For this reason alone, Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief of Miyun, was not suitable.
In fact, Wu Sangui is the most suitable, because he is the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan regiment and the nephew of Zu Dashou. He knows the terrain of the mountains in Ning, Ta, and Xing very well, and he also knows the generals in each place very well.
However, among the generals in Liao Town, Wu Sangui commanded the largest and most powerful troops. He seemed to have become the backbone of the generals in Liao Town. However, it was difficult to leave Songshan at this moment, fearing that the frontline troops would not be enough to deal with the captors.
Although the remaining Ma Ke is not the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, he is also Hong Chengchou's former general of the Shaanxi Army. After the Battle of Tongguan Nanyuan, he was promoted to the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan due to his merit and went to Liaodong with Hong Chengchou.
After all, he was not a local veteran in Liaodong. He had only been in office for a short period of time. He did not have a deep understanding of the intricate relationships among the defenders in Ningyuan, Tashan, and Xingshan. He also had little prestige, which was not conducive to taking charge of Gaoqiao.
What's more, Marco caused such an embarrassing incident just now.
Hong Chengchou was silent for a moment, his eyes looking deeply at the generals. After a while, he stopped at Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, and stayed there for a long time.
Liu Zhaoji had naturally seen the hope in Hong Chengchou's eyes. He had been worried that Wu Sangui might take his current position due to his great achievements in the battle of Songjin.
Although he had made great achievements in the battle against the Tartars under Xingshan City, the Battle of Songjin had just begun, and it was still unclear what would happen in the future. Who dares to say that Wu Sangui's final military achievements would not be much better than his own.
Because he couldn't calm down in his heart, he didn't pay attention to the disputes among the generals outside. Naturally, he didn't think of asking himself to guard Gaoqiao.
But at this moment, seeing Governor Hong Chengchou looking at him, he hurriedly stepped out of the crowd, bowed and bowed and said: "To the Governor, I am willing to lead the army to garrison Gaoqiao and risk my life to ensure that the food routes to Xingshan and Tashan are intact!"
Seeing Liu Zhaoji coming out to ask for orders, Hong Chengchou showed a slight smile and said: "Okay, these generals dare to do their job, I am very pleased.
However, there are so many evil slaves in Jincheng that it is urgent to be able to deal with them. In the past, all the kings have served their purpose, but now that they are meeting, it is even more necessary for you to sit and guard the Songshan Mountain to prepare for a battle with the slaves.
However, the safety of the grain road is also the lifeblood of the army, and there is no room for failure. A general must be sent to guard it, so that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under Songshan City can feel at ease."
Hong Chengchou's eyes were still on Liu Zhaoji, and he said to him at this time: "General Liu of Liaodong has always been brave and good at fighting. Now he is leading his troops to garrison at Gaoqiao to coordinate and dispatch the Tashan garrison. We must ensure that the food road to Tashan is not lost, and the penholder
There is no need to worry if food is stored in the mountains."
Liu Zhaoji apologized again and saluted, saying: "Yes. Please rest assured, Governor, I will guarantee with my life that I will never let a Tatar thief cross the high bridge."
Hong Chengchou nodded, and after they turned around and returned to their seats, he spoke again: "Today the slave soldiers are gathered in large numbers, the battle between Songjin and Song Dynasty is very difficult, and it is related to the safety of Liaodong. I hope that you can each guard the camp and fight to the death."
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He added: "The current battle between Songjin Land and Nu is not a wasteful battle. It must be upright and surprising, and then it can be defended. Defending is not just an empty defense. It must be defended and fought together, and then it can be successfully defended.
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He said: "Of course, slave chiefs are not ordinary people. They can definitely see my master's intention. He cannot last long and must use surprise to win. Each general must not take it lightly and be taken advantage of by slaves.
Since the slave bandits are attacking fiercely, we should hold on to the camp and wait for reinforcements. We must not retreat lightly, as the reputation gained by years of hard work will be lost here."
The strategy for dealing with the bandits has been decided in the near future, and people have been sent to guard the Tashan grain road. Hong Chengchou discussed some specific details with the officials and generals.
Hong Chengchou even personally taught strategic strategies to Zhang Ruoqi, Zuo Guangxian, Liu Zhaoji and other officers and generals guarding the grain road. In this battle, neither underestimate the enemy nor be careless. Be careful at all times, set up more sentries, and always pay attention to the surrounding situation.
Zhang Ruoqi and others all respectfully accepted the instruction, especially Zuo Guangxian and Liu Zhaoji, who clapped their chests loudly and said that if they could not protect the safety of the food supply, they would be willing to raise their heads to see the governor.
Hong Chengchou nodded happily. For him with a proud personality, the attitude of Zhang Ruoqi and others at this moment was very useful to him.
After the military meeting ended, all the officials and generals took their leave one after another and left the governor's palace.
The smile on Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Ma Ke's face instantly faded, and his oily face looked so gloomy that it seemed as if water was dripping from his face.
When Wu Sangui was about to leave, he was stopped by Hong Chengchou. He looked at Wu Sangui and asked solemnly: "Uncle Chang, this battle is very important. Do you understand?"
Wu Sangui looked respectful and said with gratitude: "Master, I will finally understand."
Hong Chengchou nodded. He looked at Wu Sangui's respectfully leaving figure. He couldn't help but think of what happened in the hall just now. He sighed in his heart: "Well, having a figure like Zhang Cheng here is not a blessing or a curse for me, the Ming Dynasty."
ah!"
After Zhang Cheng led his general Guo Yingxian and guerrilla Zhang Guangda back to his camp, he pondered for a long time and then slowly said: "It seems that we need to pay more attention to that Ma Ke in the future, so as not to let him stumble us, or
It was his trick."
Guo Yingxian sat on a big chair and said angrily: "What kind of thing is he, Marco? He dares to talk in front of the young handsome man with a gun and a stick. If he hadn't been in the governor's palace, I would have shot two of his bullets."
tooth."
Zhang Guangda also nodded, deeply agreeing with this, but in front of Zhang Cheng, he did not dare to speak boldly.
…………
In the 14th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, it was August 22nd, Jinzhou, Liaodong Province.
Jinzhou City is located on the north bank of the Xiaoling River. In the 24th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, the commander Cao Feng carried out some renovations on the old county seat of Yuan Yongle. At that time, the circumference of Jinzhou City was only five miles, with earth inside and brick outside.
Then, in the twelfth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty, Wang Kai, the commander of the capital, expanded the city wall again. At that time, the perimeter had reached more than six miles, and four more towers were built at the four corners of the city wall.
In the seventeenth year of Hongzhi's reign in the Ming Dynasty, Jinzhou City Councilor Hu Zhong expanded Jinzhou City again. After the construction, Jinzhou City was round like a plate, so Jinzhou City was also called Pancheng.
At that time, the Jinzhou city wall was more than seven miles and five hundred steps in circumference. There was a moat outside the city. The city wall was nearly ten meters high. Outside the southern city wall, there was a small section of city wall. On the four sides of the city, two-story towers were built. At the same time,
Guanxiang small towns are located on the east, west and north sides of Jinzhou.
After the city defense of Jinzhou City was improved during the Hongzhi period, the general layout remained basically unchanged until the end of Chongzhen period. However, due to the wars between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Jinzhou has always been at the forefront. It has experienced the baptism of war many times, and the city walls have been repeatedly destroyed and repaired.
A trail full of smoke and flames of war.
At this time, Jinzhou City was once again facing the flames of war. Looking outside the city wall to the east, west, and north, there were countless Qing army infantry and cavalry arrays surrounding them.
During the roar of cannons, numerous cannons whizzed over and continuously hit the city wall covered with traces of gunpowder smoke. The heavy iron balls shook the city walls.
Shooting, the sound of city bricks breaking and collapsing could be heard from time to time.
Under repeated bombardments by the Qing army's fierce artillery fire, on the walls of the inner city of Jinzhou, the Jinzhou defenders wrapped in folded scarves and wearing short body armor were frightened to avoid the incoming artillery fire.
Some people even shouted and panicked.
The Ming army gunners in Jinzhou City also fought back with all their strength. However, it was a pity that although there were many artillery in Jinzhou City, there were only seven Hongyi cannons and less than 20 cannons of General Fo Langji. Facing the Qing Dynasty,
The army's long-range heavy artillery was full of ambition but not powerful enough.
The Qing army cleared open spaces in the outer city of Jinzhou and set up layers of artillery positions. The bombardment continued one after another and seemed to never stop.
Under the fierce bombardment of artillery fire, there was no place to stand on the city wall. The inner city defenders had to get off the city wall and go to the Tibetan Soldier Cave under the city to avoid the bombardment of the artillery fire.
I don't know how long it took for the Qing army's artillery to slowly stop. Before the defenders on Jinzhou City had time to breathe a sigh of relief, another loud blast of horns came.
In the Qing army formation surrounding Jinzhou City on three sides, shouts could be heard overwhelmingly, and densely packed shield carts were immediately pushed out row by row.
They were distributed in layers. Behind each layer of shield vehicles, there was a layer of Qing army archers. After multiple layers of shield vehicles and archers, there was a large wave of small vehicles of various types, carrying earth and linen baskets, which the Qing army used to fill.
For the purpose of flattening the ravine, the last step was the dense Qing army's infantry thieves holding shields and swords.
Look at the densely packed Qing army and horses outside the city, which seems to be endless. The ocean-like flag ribbons are floating in the wind and shining into a colorful phosphorescence in the sun.
The Jinzhou defenders on the city took a deep breath, and many of them were so shocked that their faces turned pale.
"Are the Tatars crazy?"
In the southwest corner of Jinzhou City, there are Guangji Temple and the Liao Pagoda, which has been in existence for nearly 600 years. This tower is 13 stories high and is located on a hill. It can be said to be the highest point in Jinzhou.
Standing on the tower, you can have a clear view of everything going on around you. During the wars over the years, all the garrison guards in Jinzhou City stayed on this tower, using it as their place of loyalty for command and dispatch.
At this time, on one of the floors of the ancient pagoda of the Liao Dynasty, a group of Ming generals in helmets and armor were standing. The leader was a general who was over sixty years old. This person was the Ming Prince Shaofu, Governor Zuo, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Liaodong Forward.
Soldiers, conscripting former general Zu Dashou.
Zu Dashou was the soul figure among the local military generals in Guanning and the core figure of the local warlord family in western Liaoning.
It can be said that the Zu family is full of officials, and it is the leading military clan in western Liaoning. Zu Dashou's brothers and younger brothers are Zu Dalue, Zu Dacheng, Zu Dabi, Zu Dachun, etc., as well as his nephews Zu Zeyuan, Zu Zepei, Zu Dachun, etc.
Zesheng, Zu Zefa, Zu Zerun, Zu Kefa and others are all officers at all levels, starting from the commander-in-chief, down to deputy generals, deputy generals, guerrillas, etc.
They were stationed in castles such as Ningyuan, Dalinghe, Jinzhou, etc., and there were many generals from their ancestral families. At this time, their servants were already serving as guards and commanders of various castles. In this place in western Liaoning, they were really powerful.
It is so powerful that no one can match it.
Even the newly emerging Wu family, even with thousands of servants including Wu Xiang, Wu Sangui and his son, can only rely on their ancestors in this land of western Liaoning.
However, after the Battle of Dalinghe in the fourth year of Chongzhen, Zu Dashou's younger brother Zu Dachun, sons Zu Zerun, Zu Zepu, Zu Zehong, adopted son Zu Kefa, and trusted generals Zhang Cunren, Li Yun, Han Daxun,
Wu Sanfeng, Pei Guozhen and others all surrendered to Hou Jin.
Since then, Zu Dashou's power has been greatly reduced, especially Wu Sanfeng is Wu Sangui's brother, and Pei Guozhen is his uncle.
However, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. In this area of western Liaoning, Zu Dashou is still the number one military leader in western Liaoning during the Ming Dynasty. He is still a man of great power and power.
The person who just spoke was his younger brother Zu Dabi. He was tall and tall, with a flamboyant beard and a huge mace in his hand. Although he was over fifty years old, he was still very brave in battle.
Whenever there was a battle, he would always be the first to charge, shouting and shouting. He once fought against a large group of Qing cavalry with a single horse, so he got the resounding nickname "Zu Er Madman".
At this time, he and his brother were climbing to the Liao Pagoda. Seeing the Qing troops swarming in, even the "Zu Er Madman" couldn't help but be dumbfounded and shouted: "Since yesterday, the Tatars have been attacking in waves.
Fight, is this... really a posture to capture Jinzhou City?"