In Songshan Castle, in the palace hall of Governor Jiliao, Zhang Cheng said when faced with the inquiry from Governor Hong Chengchou: "Governor, Commander-in-Chief, the intentions of the Tatars are now obvious.
He wanted to lure me to attack Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge, stick our supporting Liao King's division on the front line of Jinzhou, and then use elite cavalry to break into the rear, invade Xingshan and Gaoqiao, and cut off our food routes, so as to cut off our food supply.
Force our army to rebel."
He added: "Looking at the deployment of the troops of the Tatars, they also have an elite cavalry, which is still hidden. According to the last general's guess, they may be hiding in the south of Jinzhou City to ambush our army to support Jinzhou; or they may be hiding in Xiaoling.
On the east bank of the river, we can sneak attack on our food storage area at the mouth of the river."
Zhang Ruoqi continued again: "General Li is guarding the mouth of the Xiaoling River to resist the sneak attack of the slave thieves, so it's no big deal."
Seeing the general's inquiry, Li Fuming hurriedly stood up, clasped his fists and saluted: "No problem. I will defend the Empress' Palace to the death and protect Director Zhang completely."
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Zhang Cheng, and Nuonuo said: "What's more, General Zhang's Xuanzhen army and horses are nearby. If there is a slight crisis, they can come over immediately to provide support."
Zhang Cheng smiled slightly and said: "It's easy to say, easy to say. When the fish market in the Empress Palace is in crisis, I will go to the rescue and will never leave the commander-in-chief in danger!"
He then said to Hong Chengchou: "My lord, what do you mean by the general's wishes? Why don't you jump into the hole dug by the Tatars and follow the trend? Let the Tatars guess the first half, while my army strives to move in the second half."
Come back to the game, get the upper hand again, and take the initiative!"
Wu Sangui heard what Zhang Cheng had just said, that he now supported the invasion of troops, so he listened carefully to his analysis of the distribution and intentions of the Tatar troops, and kept thinking.
At this time, he suddenly interjected: "How can we get the upper hand without being overpowered by the Tatar thieves?"
Zhang Cheng glanced at Wu Sangui and saw the anxious look on his face, and said with a smile: "The Tatars lured me to attack Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge, intending to stick the main force of our army here.
In this way, when they sneak attack on our King's division's food road, our army has no troops to send, so we can only look at the ocean and sigh, and let it wreak havoc at will, either to capture Xingshan and the high bridge in one fell swoop, or to dig trenches to prevent me from transporting food, so that I can be defeated by ten.
Tens of thousands of troops were trapped here, surrounded and starved to death."
"The Tatars are so insidious. How about we also send an army back to Xingshan to help?"
There was a look of panic on Tang Tong's face. As soon as he said this, Bai Guangen and others immediately seconded the proposal and asked for the troops to return to Xingshan to protect the grain road.
Zhang Cheng didn't even look at them, he already guessed that they just wanted to use this reason to withdraw their troops back to Xingshan, as far away from the Songjin front line as possible. If the situation really changed, they could escape faster.
Even Zhang Cheng couldn't hide their little idea, so how could they hide it from Hong Chengchou, the cunning governor of Jiliao? He just didn't want to make it clear.
As the supreme commander of an army, he must not only discover the problems of his subordinates in a timely manner, but also consider how to deal with them. Not everything needs to be dealt with immediately.
Just like now, this is the case with Bai Guangen, Tang Tong and others returning to aid Xingshan and Gaoqiao.
Hong Chengchou ignored Tang Tong, Bai Guangen and the others, and just asked Zhang Cheng again: "General Zhongchen, what do you think? You can tell me in detail."
Zhang Cheng glanced at everyone in the hall before saying: "The governor, the commander-in-chief of the army, and the general thought that our army should follow the trend and pretended not to know what the Tatars were thinking, making the Tatars mistakenly think that we had fallen into the trap.
, so that you can do good things.
The Tatars used Han and Korean troops to garrison Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge. Our division only attacked with infantry. It first used blunderbuss and artillery to open the way, and then used a force several times the enemy's to forcefully press forward and fall in one fell swoop.
If you get Shimen Mountain, you will still set up forts and cannons on the mountain, and dig trenches and set up strongholds at the bottom of the mountain to defend it. In this way, the people on the mountain and the people cooperate, and the slaves will attack the enemy first, and the slaves near will rely on the strong camp to deal with the enemy.
The position of Huangtu Ridge is even more important. It guards the west bank of the Xiaoling River. Taking Huangtu Ridge can block the Tatar bandits from going south along the west bank of the Xiaoling River, so that they can only cross the river to attack the grain storage place at the mouth of the river."
He stopped, took a sip of water, and then continued: "Our army can also select brave elite cavalry from each battalion to form a separate army. It should not be less than 20,000 horses, and preferably 30,000.
In this way, if the Tatars really cut off our food route to Xingshan, they can return to the rescue in time, march lightly and quickly, and reach the Xingshan Castle in less than half a day. At that time, we will be attacked from both inside and outside, so there is no need to worry about the Tatars being undefeated.
Furthermore, if Xingshan can hold on successfully and there is no need to return for reinforcements, this elite cavalry can also rush to support any place around Songshan, such as the Queen's Palace and the Xiaoling River mouth line.
This battalion is directly dispatched from the governor's headquarters and should be the location of the elite of our army."
Hong Chengchou's always serious old face also showed a smile at this time. His eyes looked at Zhang Cheng with approval, but he said lightly: "General Zhongchen, what do you think?"
Perhaps this is the self-confidence of the person in power. When he asks you a question, he will never look at you.
The generals in the towns were silent, and some even stared at Zhang Cheng with eyes so vicious that they seemed to be able to roast and burn people.
You must know that retainers are almost the private property of each general, while the elite cavalry in each battalion are second only to retainers and are the core combat strength of each general.
Now Zhang Cheng proposes that each battalion allocate elite cavalry and form an additional army. This is not the same as taking their lives, but is equivalent to taking away their military power.
But the generals also knew that Zhang Cheng's excuse and reason were very sufficient, but it was difficult to refuse in the face of the general situation, so they remained silent, thinking about who would be the commander-in-chief of this cavalry army!
Sure enough, Ma Ke said from the side: "Master Governor, the generals in Songshan now have thousands of cavalry under their command. I don't know how to extract them?
We can’t call out all our elite subordinates. If that’s the case, it will be a fart war!”
"That's right, we need to make it clear first how to mobilize each battalion. We can't empty the elites, so what are we going to do here in Songshan? Shouldn't we fight?"
Everyone talked for a while, but Hong Chengchou never said a word. After a while, Bing Xian Zhang Dou said: "I agree with General Zhang's statement that an elite mobile force should be retained in the Chinese Army.
in case for need.
As for how to mobilize cavalry from each battalion..."
He stopped here and did not continue.
Everyone knows that this is a very sensitive topic, just like military battles. With his status, he does not need to be afraid of any general, but he does not want to offend everyone at once.
Zhang Dou's eyes stopped on Zhang Cheng, and the meaning was already very obvious: You proposed the selection of elites from each battalion. Please explain how to operate it specifically!
Since Zhang Cheng dared to raise this proposal, he was naturally not afraid of receiving the ball. He collected his thoughts and said: "The general thought that the generals had cavalry ranging from one thousand to two thousand each, so there would be more than ten thousand
The number of men and horses, plus the fine cavalry of Governor Hongdu's Governor's Battalion, can total about 20,000.
As for the general in command..."
He looked at Hong Chengchou and said: "All the generals are very suitable candidates. However, the battle on the front line of Songshan is tense. All the generals are divided into key positions. The offensive and defensive tasks are particularly heavy and they cannot leave easily.
Therefore, the person who will lead our cavalry army needs to be personally appointed by the governor!"
Hong Chengchou stroked the three strands of beard under his chin and said in a gentle and serious tone: "The proposal proposed by General Zhongchen is not necessary."
He directly made the final decision. Even if the generals were unwilling, they could no longer refute. The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone was waiting for Hong Chengchou to make arrangements.
Just listen to him continue to say: "However, if the selected elite cavalry are all put into one battalion, not only will there be a large number of people and horses, it will be inconvenient to lead them, and it will not be suitable for flexible deployment.
The elite cavalry drawn by the generals in Liaodong were grouped into one group, with the deputy general Zu Dale as the chief general; the elite cavalry drawn by the generals in Jizhen were grouped into one group, with Chen Zhongcai, the general under the governor, as the temporary general; Xuanda
The elite cavalry mobilized by several generals were grouped into one unit, with Xuanfu Counselor General Guo Yingxian as the main general for the time being.
In this way, our army of the King's Division now has three mobile forces. Just as General Zhongchen said, they can either aid Xingshan, rescue the fish market in the Empress' Palace, or march into Jinzhou City.
In short, no longer worry about insufficient troops!"
When Hong Chengchou said this, how could anyone dare to object? Although some people were unwilling, they had no choice but to accept the order loudly.
Next, everyone began to discuss the specific matters for the attack on Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge, such as which towns should be responsible for the main attack, which towns should be responsible for covering the flanks, and which reserves should be set aside.
There were also many details such as the arrangement of advance and retreat routes during wartime, the distribution of food and fodder, gunpowder and artillery, etc., and the discussion lasted until late at night.
…………
On August 27, the 14th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, when morning came, the sun was still hidden in the valley to the east, reluctant to show its head.
A high wooden platform was built on a hill. Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief of the army, Zhang Dou, the military commander, and several others, as well as Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and Fu Yingchong, the deputy general of the front camp of the Shenji Camp,
They are all paying close attention to the situation in the northeast.
Commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi put down his telescope, stroked his beard and laughed loudly: "Zhongchen, are you the reincarnation of 'Zhuge Wuhou'? Not only are you good at practicing military camp drills, but you can also bring out such a strong army and strategize, and you will never lose.
Zhang Zifang was born in the early Han Dynasty!"
Fu Yingchong, who was behind him, immediately praised him: "Tall, really tall. Even though Brother Zhang is young, he has so many twists and turns in his belly that he is much better than rough old men like us."
"Hahaha……"
Wang Pu also laughed and said: "Brother Zhang's ingenious plan to bring peace to the world is of course a great contribution, but Director Zhang has an eye for thousands of miles and has a keen eye for recognizing talents. He is also a hero in the world."
Zhang Cheng smiled slightly, put down the telescope in his hand, and said with a relaxed expression: "My Xuanfu army and the Tatar bandits have been fighting on this loess ridge for more than ten days, and we have already become accustomed to each other.
Today, my whole division is pressing forward, and under the massive artillery bombardment, the Tatars guarding the ridge must be in a panic. We, the armored warriors, can only break into the slaves' formation, and the war here will be over."
He turned to Wang Pu and Fu Yingchong and said: "Once Huangtu Ridge is captured, our army will immediately dig trenches around the ridge and build strongholds with timbers to prepare for a stronghold.
I would like to ask General Wang's Datong Army to march into the valley on the north side of Huangtu Ridge to intercept and defeat the fleeing Tatar garrison. If the slave thieves counterattack immediately, please hold on for a while so that our Xuanfu army can reorganize their positions and wait for an opportunity to forcefully cross the Xiaoling River and win the victory.
time."
Wang Pu readily agreed: "Brother Zhang, don't worry, we Datong men are all brave and brave. We will never let a Tatar thief escape, and we will never call a Tatar reinforcement to enter the Loess Ridge."
He continued: "When attacking the mountain, the small artillery of our Xuanfu army is enough. However, if the slaves and bandits counterattack, they will still have to rely on the help of the Shenji Battalion's cannons."
Fu Yingchong also replied carelessly: "General Zhang, please be at ease, the cannons of our Shenji Battalion are not vegetarians. As long as the Tatars dare to come, I guarantee that they will not be able to eat today's dinner!"
"Hahaha……"
The two of them laughed again. It seemed that beside Zhang Cheng and fighting side by side with the Xuanfu army, there was nothing to be afraid of. Wang Pu and Fu Yingchong both looked extremely relaxed.
Zhang Ruoqi and Zhang Cheng stood side by side in front of them. He raised his telescope again and looked at the mountains in the distance. After a long time, he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Looking at the movements of the slave soldiers in Huangtu Ridge, they must think that our division is still the same as before.
No different, no precautions were taken.
Zhongchen's strategy of taking advantage of the situation will definitely be a great success. Our division marched down the Huangtu Ridge in one go and took advantage of the situation to kill across the Xiaoling River. From then on, the strategic space for maneuvering became much larger, and the battlefield was no longer limited to the area around Songshan."
Bing Bei Dao Zhang Dou also stroked his beard and said: "Although this plan is clever, without the cooperation of the Tatar thieves, it will never be successful. Now it is only the first attack. Thanks to the surprise, it is safe to win a complete victory."
But it can only confuse the Tatars for a while. When our division takes Huangtu Ridge and leads the army eastward to cross the Xiaoling River, the Tatars will surely react quickly. The opportunity is fleeting!"
He looked into the distance and said: "I hope that General Zhongchen can quickly attack Huangtu Ridge and take advantage of the fact that the Tatars are not prepared. Under the protection of General Wang and Deputy General Fu, he can successfully cross the Xiaoling River eastward, establish a stronghold, and stand firm."
.”
The Ming army's strategy this time was to storm the two Qing army positions in Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge in order to further control the aid channel to Jinzhou. When the time was right, they would press against Jinzhou City and fight the slaves decisively.
Ningyuan Commander-in-Chief Wu Sangui, Jizhen Commander-in-Chief Bai Guangen, and Miyun Commander-in-Chief Tang Tong joined forces to storm Shimen Mountain. Chen Jiugao, Commander-in-Chief of the Shenji Battalion's front battalion, led an artillery battalion under his command to assist from the side and open the way with artillery bombardment.
On the Huangtu Ridge side, Zhang Cheng and Wang Pu's Xuan Da troops were the main force, and Fu Yingchong was ordered to lead the Shenji Battalion to help out.
The governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, and the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi were each on one side supervising the battle and taking command.
In fact, Zhang Ruoqi invited him here by himself. After he met Zhang Cheng on the road outside the south gate of Songshan, he heard him talk about this strategy of taking advantage of the enemy's plan. From Zhang Cheng's words, he could tell that he was extremely confident.
.
Therefore, he discussed with Hong Chengchou, and each of them sat in one place. Zhang Ruoqi naturally asked to come to Xuanda to supervise the battle.
Here, as long as Zhang Cheng's troops successfully capture Huangtu Ridge, it will be considered a success. It doesn't matter whether they can cross the Xiaoling River and build a camp on the east bank.
At the beginning, Zhang Ruoqi still made the decision based on Zhang Cheng's confidence, but now he sees the reaction of the Qing army on the mountain, and then looks at the neat lineup of Xuanfu army soldiers below the mountain, especially those rows of black paint.
Big and small guns and cannons, he felt even more calm.