The more than 100,000 troops from the Ming and Qing Dynasties faced each other at the foot of Jinzhou City. Although small-scale battles between sentinels and cavalry continued, there was no major war.
The Qing army had been mobilizing troops and horses from all over the place, and was working hard to build shield vehicles and other equipment for attacking the enemy, while the Ming army kept digging deep trenches and building up earth walls.
Today, the situation on the Jinzhou battlefield has changed drastically. Both the Ming and Qing Dynasties have changed their offensive and defensive positions. From the Qing army tightly besieging Jinzhou, taking a defensive position against the Ming Dynasty's aiding Liao Wang division, it turned to the Ming army staying at the foot of Jinzhou City, waiting for the Qing army.
Come and attack.
The only thing that remains unchanged is the trenches and earthen walls outside Jinzhou City. They were excavated and piled up by the Qing army in the past to prevent Zu Dashou and others in the city from breaking out. There are also trenches and earthen walls excavated by the Ming army to defend against Qing counterattacks.
Especially in the wilderness to the southwest of Jinzhou City, there are criss-crossing ravines and numerous earthen walls. If you look up and down from the southwest corner tower of Jinzhou City, the scene is really spectacular.
Tens of thousands of civilians were digging with picks and shovels, carrying earth frames, or carrying earth bags and trudging forward. Many Ming army soldiers also joined them.
Fortunately, although the weather was very cold at this time, the ground was not completely frozen. Otherwise, how could manpower dig it?
But even so, the people who dug trenches and built walls in the wilderness worked very hard. They worked hard and shouted slogans in unison, and they worked in full swing.
Fortunately, the Ming army no longer had the pressure to break the siege of Jinzhou and only had to defend the position under Jinzhou City, so everyone was more focused on digging trenches and building walls.
What's more, in their view, the Ji Liao Army and the Xuan Army were at each other's horns outside Jinzhou City and could support each other in case of trouble, and the artillery on top of Jinzhou City could continue to bombard the attacking Tatars.
In this way, the Ming army coordinated defense with infantry and cavalry, with the infantry holding the trench and earth wall defenses, while the cavalry waited for opportunities to find openings to fight, and there were reinforcements nearby that could come at any time.
In addition, there are hundreds of large and small artillery pieces above and below the city, forming a three-dimensional defensive artillery array. How can the slave thieves break through with only shield chariots and fine cavalry?
However, except for the harassment by a small group of Tatar sentries, no slave thieves were seen attacking in large numbers for several days. This made the Ming army, from the governor Hong Chengchou to the ordinary sergeants, secretly suspicious.
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In fact, while the Ming army was wildly suspicious of the Qing army's movements and worried about when it would attack, the Qing army was very calm inside.
Even the main combatants such as Hauge and Azig, who believed Dorgon's words of counterattack a few days ago and were busy building shield vehicles and other offensive equipment, have already stopped.
There is no other reason. In addition to the fact that Dorgon and Daishan, two people who are qualified to make decisions, are not determined to counterattack Tucheng where the Ming army is stationed, there is also a bigger problem, which is that food and grass are already stretched thin.
The Qing army mobilized the whole country for the battle in Jinzhou. In addition to the armored warriors of each banner who were drafted to fight, all the young and strong men of their banners were also drafted and used as followers with the army.
Of course, when war calls for it, these followers will go into battle like armored warriors to kill the enemy, while the remaining old, weak and women will assist in transporting grain and grass.
However, the land of the Qing Dynasty was limited after all, and the area of land that could be used for farming was very small, and it was all located in the tundra. It could only be farmed one season a year, precisely because the grain at home was insufficient.
In order to fight this war, the Qing Dynasty had to squeeze various Mongolian tribes to deliver grain and grass to it. Especially Korea, a brother country it conquered, became an important source of grain for it.
Now, nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses from the Qing Dynasty gathered at the foot of Jinzhou City, which made their supply of food and grass suddenly tense. Although there were people from all over the country carrying, horse-drawn, and cart-drawn teams to gather here in Jinzhou, it was far away.
Water cannot quench thirst.
In Yizhou City, dozens of miles north of Jinzhou, a large amount of grain is stored. It is the granary of the Qing army. Almost all the grain transported from various places are stored here.
However, it also takes time to transfer to the front line. For example, in places such as Damao Fort, Dasheng Fort, Liushui Fort, and Baimiao Fort, which were completely controlled by the Qing army, some food and grass were stored in advance.
However, there was not much grain on the Jinzhou front line. After all, it was not expected that the army would suddenly gather under Jinzhou City, and the transportation of grain and grass was not easy, so it was completely impossible to have enough grain everywhere.
In this regard, although Haug, Azig and others were full of complaints, they did not dare to disobey Dorgon's military orders. Not to mention Hauge, who was his nephew, even Azig, who was the eldest brother, had no respect for Dorgon.
It's as silent as a cicada.
The two of them dared to say a few words about Dorgon behind his back, but they did not dare to do so in front of him, especially when they encountered such a major military and national event.
Especially Prince Su Hauge, he was originally careless and without any scheming, but after receiving Huang Taiji's teachings at Dalinghe Fort last time, he seemed to have restrained himself.
Although he is still not very adaptable due to the long-term habit, he is indeed much more mature and stable than before. Even though his voice is still as loud as before, he speaks much less than before.
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During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the two sides continued to confront each other at the foot of Jinzhou City. In the end, the sentries of both sides stopped fighting. They just looked at each other from a distance and shot a few arrows for fun.
It was not until the heavy snowfall on the day of "Beginning of Winter" that Dorgon and Daishan finally made the decision to withdraw their troops and go to various forts to eat.
Regarding this decision, not to mention the foreign Mongolian princes Taiji and others who were tired of this war were very supportive. Even the banner owners of the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia and Gushan Ezhen were happy in their hearts.
And Hauge and Azig no longer had any objections. After all, they saw the warriors under their flags starving, especially the horses that were getting thinner day by day, not to mention going out to attack the Ming army at this time.
If it continues like this, I'm afraid there is no need to fight the Ming army, and there is no need for the Ming army to come to attack me, so I will just lie down hungry!
Finally, Dorgon, Daishan and others agreed that before the snow had completely fallen, the entire division would withdraw its troops and eat in various surrounding castles.
The Qing troops besieging the city in the north and east of Jinzhou City will not retreat for the time being. After all, their forts are strong and they have sufficient reserves of food, grass and fuel materials. Moreover, after heavy snow blocks the road, the Ming army will not easily come to attack.
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On the night of October 12th, the 14th year of Chongzhen's reign in the Ming Dynasty, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the stars were like lanterns. Even without a lantern or a torch, you could clearly see the road under your feet.
Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan Regiment of the Ming Dynasty, was currently walking in the luxurious mansion of his ancestral family in Jinzhou City, accompanied by Zu Dabi.
"It has a majestic structure and is the first in the city. It has multiple doors and multiple rooms. It is ostentatious with gold and jade. It is built with bricks and stones, has strange carvings, and is decorated with whitewashed walls. It is extremely gorgeous. The residence of the longevity is especially extravagant."
This is the record made by Li Cheng, the eldest son of the King of Korea, when he followed the Qing army into the customs and visited the former residence of brothers Zu Dashou, Zu Dalue and other brothers via Jinzhou City.
Yi Chan, whose courtesy name was Chengzhi, was a concubine prince of Injo, the 16th generation king of the Joseon Dynasty. He was named Lord Chongshan in Joseon.
In the original history, he lived in Shenyang as a North Korean proton, and later entered the customs with Dorgon and lived in the Shenyang Pavilion in Beijing.
Li Chang recorded everything he saw and heard while living in the Qing Dynasty and finally recorded it in the book "Shen Guan Lu". He also recorded in this book: "'There are many wealthy families in the Central Plains.' However, although our country is the residence of the supreme, it cannot be as beautiful as it is. The theory that it is rebellious and rebellious is simply not true."
Li Cheng believed that his ancestral family's old residence in Jinzhou City could not even be compared with the palace where the king of Joseon lived, which he found unbelievable!
But such a surprising comparison comes from the mouth of the crown prince of the King of Korea, so it cannot help but be convincing.
Zu Dashou was in Jinzhou, a city with frequent alarms and constant wars like Liaodong. Normally speaking, Zu Dashou, as the commander of the city defense, would have the thought to build such an exquisite mansion.
Of course, it may be that war has long been a common occurrence for them, so that they can pursue endless pleasure as usual and spend huge amounts of money on various aspects such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation, showing their astonishing wealth. .
At the same time, it also allows people to see how luxurious and extravagant the ruling class lived in the late Ming Dynasty. The extremely corrupt social atmosphere has penetrated into the entire society.
We can see the Wu family from the situation of the ancestral family. It is not difficult to imagine that the Wu family's wealth will definitely not be inferior to that of the ancestral family. Furthermore, looking at the entire Liaodong generals, which general is not plundering?
Is there any powerful general whose family is not wealthy?
The only difference is that their power and wealth are different!
But it is precisely because they, the generals of Liaodong, have completely planted their roots in the land of Liaodong and have put their wealth and interests here.
Only they could resist the slave thieves so hard. No matter how the slave thieves attacked and attacked them, they remained unwavering in every city and fought with their lives against the slave thieves.
Soon, Wu Sangui arrived at the inner house of the ancestral family compound and stopped in front of a slightly quiet courtyard. This was not the first time for him to come to the ancestral family, and he was no stranger to this small courtyard.
Even though Zu Dashou now has a wealth that is unrivaled in the country, he has always acted in a very low-key manner. He is not a person who pursues luxury, but as the leader of the Zu family, he has to be like this.
In the ancestral family compound, this place was Zu Dashou's favorite. It was surrounded by tall trees, which made it even more isolated from the world. It was indeed a rare place to rest.
Although it is not a thatched cottage, compared with the luxury elsewhere in the ancestral home, this independent small courtyard is indeed much more unpretentious, but its heavy feeling can be seen from the courtyard door.
When the four gatekeepers from home saw Wu Sangui and Zu Dabi coming together, they all greeted them warmly. Wu Sangui, who entered the courtyard, immediately noticed a nervous and dull atmosphere.
He frowned and thought about it, but he didn't understand why, but he didn't ask any more questions, just thinking that it would all be clear to him when he saw his uncle.
There are not many servants and guards in this courtyard, but even those old servants are already a few years old, but they are all strong and healthy, and they show an aura of bravery in their every move.
They must have been servants who followed their ancestral family to fight in the early years. As they got older, it was inconvenient to travel around to fight. However, they all had good skills and were loyal to their ancestral family, so they stayed in their ancestral family and became servants.
You know, in the land of Liaodong, it is extremely difficult to enter the ancestral home and work as a servant. Although it is not as difficult as entering the palace, it is not much different.
But not just anyone can work as a servant in the ancestral family's house. If he is not a servant of the ancestral family, he must be recommended by the generals around Zu Dashou.
Many of the people who come and go in the ancestral home are mostly old people from Liaodong who have been servants to the ancestral home for several lifetimes, or have cultivated land for the ancestral home for several lifetimes. In Liaodong, being able to work for the ancestral home is a status symbol.
Not just anyone can come and go in the ancestral home.
"Uncle Zhong."
Wu Sangui continued to ask an old servant who was about the same age as Zu Dashou: "Is uncle in good health?"
Uncle Zhong raised his eyes, looked at Wu Sangui, and said to him: "The old commander is in the inner room. He has asked several times whether the general is here. Uncle, please come in quickly."
Because Uncle Zhong only mentioned that Zu Dashou was waiting for Wu Sangui and did not mention Zu Dabi's name, even though he was Zu Dashou's younger brother, he did not dare to enter without permission.
From this we can see that Uncle Zhong, an old servant, does not have a simple status in the ancestral family. Moreover, the rules of the ancestral family are very strict. It can be seen that it is not unreasonable for him to stand out among many generals in Liaodong.
There is a kind of person like Uncle Zhong in the world. He has been a domestic servant around Zu Dashou since he was a child. He has followed Zu Dashou in the army all his life. It can be seen that he must have some skills to survive among thousands of horses and survive hundreds of battles.
In body.
Regardless of military achievements and closeness, Uncle Zhong is not inferior to anyone. It stands to reason that no matter what he is doing at this moment, he should be a deputy general and a general. Even if he is not good at it, he can still be a guerrilla general.
But this loyal uncle was unmoved and refused to leave Zu Dashou's side from the beginning to the end. He even gave up his military position for this reason. As Zu Dashou's nephew, Wu Sangui was the dignified commander-in-chief of the town in the Ming Dynasty.
Officials all respected him as "loyal uncle", which shows that his status in the ancestral family is not light.
Although Uncle Zhong was indifferent to fame and wealth, and only wanted to be by his little master's side and be a loyal servant from beginning to end, his son was now a military officer.
Now, Zu Dabi stayed in the outer room waiting, while Uncle Zhong led Wu Sangui to the inner room.
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Zu Dashou looked very bad. The original red glow on his face was gone. Instead, what appeared in front of Wu Sangui was a sallow old face, and the look in his eyes was obviously lacking.
"Uncle, why is his complexion so bad? It wasn't like this the day before yesterday?" Wu Sangui was very concerned about Zu Dashou's health. As soon as he entered the inner room, he stepped forward and asked urgently.
Zu Dashou lay on his back on the couch with a thick quilt behind his back. He was very pleased to see Wu Sangui caring so much about him. He looked at his old servant Zhong Bo with a wink.
Then I heard Uncle Zhong saying for Zu Dashou: "The stab wound on the old commander's body has healed to a certain extent and is not serious. There is just an arrow wound on his right shoulder. I didn't pay much attention to it at first.
But the scabs have not yet appeared.
In recent days, it has become fester and festered, giving off a foul odor, like a dirty Tartar arrow."