The dark clouds are pressing harder on the ground, covering the vast fields and roads. The snowflakes are small at first, flying lightly like catkins, and then they fall bigger and bigger, one after another, the wind twists the snow into pieces,
There were many waves, and the whole world was bewildered.
Suk Saha wrapped himself in a mink fur and looked away from the vast snowy wilderness. He felt confused and chilled just like this scene in his heart.
As the auxiliary minister of the queen, Suksaha can be said to be entrusted with important responsibilities, or it can be said that he has been excluded and neglected. Because although the queen is important, it is also a very dangerous thing.
Now, this danger is real and real, and it is getting closer and closer as time goes by, becoming so urgent that it is a matter of life and death.
When the Ming army had just occupied Yuguan and cut off the eastward retreat, Suksaha was frightened, but he was not yet desperate. In his opinion, the number of troops the Ming army could use to transport troops by sea was limited.
It was just a surprise attack on our own side, and it was also because our troops spread out to escort the Dongtui tribesmen. In other words, the enemy seemed to be hitting our own vital points, but it was mostly just a bluff.
Moreover, it is a truth in the art of war to not stop when you return to the army. The tribesmen who are eager to return to Liaodong and return to a safe place will inevitably burst out with a strong desire for survival when facing the enemies blocking their way. It is not difficult for everyone to fight to the death.
Defeat the enemy and reopen the way to retreat eastward.
Therefore, when the enemy's situation was not clear, Suksaha sat in Qian'an and sent orders everywhere, and assembled more than 7,000 troops, led by the capital commander Ge Chuha and the imperial guard Nemo, to go to Funing to fight and fight.
Just yesterday, an urgent report came from the front, stating that the battle had failed. The Ming army had many soldiers, a well-organized battle formation, and geographical advantages. Although Ge Chuha and others attacked fiercely, they suffered heavy losses but could not advance even an inch. They had to temporarily move forward.
Return to Lulong County and request additional reinforcements or give other orders.
Suk Saha was shocked and realized that his judgment was wrong. The Ming army was not deviating from the enemy's strength, but was actually blocked by heavy troops. Three days had passed since then. He did not know where the pursuing Ming army had gone.
Is it still far away, or is it coming soon?
At the same time, a dilemma was placed in front of him. Whether to continue to mobilize troops to open the road to Shanhaiguan, or to divert troops. It was really difficult to make a choice. According to the current intelligence, the Ming army was very strong and could only rely on one side to attack.
I'm afraid it won't work. But the message is blocked. If we want to contact the friendly forces in the east to attack from behind, we have to send human beings to sneak across. We don't know how long it will take until the contact is complete. If we change the route, we can only go north to Zunhua.
.Enter Monan Mongolia through the border wall, and then return to Liaodong.
It's winter, and it's snowing heavily. Needless to say, the road is far away, and the attitude of the Mongolian tribes in Monan is also worth worrying about. During the process of retreating eastward, many Mongolians have shown a bad attitude, either unwilling to be driven or plundering
After that, they fled. Not to mention Chahar Mongolia, which had long shown signs of hatred towards the Qing court. It was very likely that they would take the opportunity to gather troops to kill and loot.
Suk Saha was a little hesitant, and the following were divided into two groups who argued fiercely, constantly putting pressure on him. Ge Chuha, Namo and others were obviously timid after fighting the Ming army. After all, they were cavalry. They returned from Monan.
Although the journey to Liaodong is far away, the impact on them should be within a bearable range. However, most of the tribesmen still hope that the army can fight bravely and open up the nearest road home so that they do not have to brave the wind and snow and trek thousands of miles.
Qian'an County is already overcrowded. Those who retreated from the east and those who caught up from the west include Manchu officials, family members and ordinary people, as well as Han officials and family members. There are noisy fights for houses, food, and firewood every day.
The fight was a chaotic scene, and the complaints made Suksaha very annoyed.
"My lord, my lord." Taibitu, the imperial guard, shouted and barged in. He was a close confidant of Obai. He stayed with Suksaha more to monitor than to help. "Whether it is the east or the north, quickly decide on your trip!"
If you stay here and wait for the Ming army to catch up, it will be all over."
Suksaha snorted coldly. Going east was a desperate move, while going north was a narrow escape. It was easy for him to give the order, but he had to bear the consequences alone.
After pondering for a moment, Suksaha asked in a deep voice: "How many troops have been gathered now? If the number of troops is less than 10,000, it may still be difficult to achieve anything by rushing eastward."
Relying on Obai's power, Taibitu didn't respect Suksaha very much. When he heard the question, he couldn't help but cursed and vented: "Don't mention it. I heard that there are Ming troops blocking the way in front. Our army is at a disadvantage in the first battle. We need to increase the number of troops."
On the news that the soldiers were fighting again, those Mongolian bastards ran away most of the night and stole a lot of horses and property. Now, there are only more than 4,000 people."
"If the tribesmen also fight with knives, how many men and horses can be gathered together?" Suk Saha gritted his teeth, with a vicious look in his eyes, "Add in the Han people, let them take the lead and waste the enemy's bullets, right?
?”
Tai Bitu was startled, and could not help but feel a chill. He paused for a long time and said hesitantly: "Mr. Su, the Ming army is so powerful that although it is possible to break through and block it if you make a desperate move, how many people will be left after the battle?
As the saying goes: If you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood. If you take the border wall out of Zunhua, the journey is a bit longer, but it's more cost-effective than hitting the enemy's guns and cannons, right?"
"On the surface it looks like this." Suk Saha said coldly: "But in fact it may be worse. The Mongolian tribes have already become separated, and I am afraid that there will be no peace in the south of the desert. Furthermore, the people of the tribe are thousands of miles away in the ice and snow.
If they don’t die from swords and guns, they will also die in large numbers on the road.”
Taibitu thought for a while and said: "We have thousands of warriors. If we mobilize our tribesmen, we can always get nearly ten thousand soldiers, which can ensure a safe journey. If the food we bring is not enough, we can exchange goods with the tribes of Monan Mongolia. If
Deciding to advance eastward is a decisive battle with no retreat. No matter what, we must make a decision early to avoid the Ming army from pursuing us."
Suksaha sighed secretly in his heart. Taibitu didn't say it directly, but the tendency in his words was obvious, that is, he didn't want to fight to the death.
"The Ming army is blocking the way. Shanhaiguan must have received the news and will definitely send troops to rescue." Suksaha thought over and over again and decided to wait for two more days for the friendly forces in Shanhaiguan to take action. After all, this is the latest day to return home.
Road, the chances of winning from a two-sided attack are also greatly increased.
"Move up the assembled troops and prepare to cooperate with the friendly forces to defeat the Ming army's obstruction." Suk Saha gave the order without any doubt, "All the tribesmen were mobilized into an army, and the men and strong women were issued with weapons. The people responsible for relocation
Defend, and suppress chaos.”
Taibitu felt timid when he saw Suksaha's determination. He sighed helplessly and said, "Well, I will also select the strongest Han people and let them go to Lulong County with the army. In addition,
, what does Mr. Su think of detaching two thousand of the assembled troops to garrison in Fengrun County?"
"Okay, this is a foolproof move." Suk Saha has no sympathy for these Han people. The tribesmen have been mobilized, how can they be idle? As for Fengrun County, it was they who could not return eastward, so they retreated and turned around. There is nothing wrong with sending troops to defend the strategic areas of Zunhua.
After giving the order, the city of Qian'an immediately fell into chaos, and cries and howls could be heard everywhere. The Manchus were okay, they didn't use many rough methods, while the Han people would forcefully pull and pull them, and even kick and beat them if they didn't obey. The whip whipped violently.
When retreating from the capital, although all the Manchu and Han officials were in panic, the situation was not deteriorated to such an extent. They were followed by their families and children and servants, and they were traveling in large and small vehicles, so it was not a complete mess. Now there was a blockade in front of them, and there were pursuers behind them. , everyone has the feeling of an impending disaster. Now the family, children and servants have been forcibly taken away, and the horses have been unloaded from the vehicles. Only the old and young women are left, holding on to the family wealth that cannot be taken away, crying helplessly, and they are almost like refugees. .
As soon as the people were taken away, Suksaha issued another order to collect all the food and grass and distribute them for food in the future. This time, everyone's lives were in his hands. In the ice and snow, it was impossible to eat without food. It's a dead end, and you can't escape even if you want to.
If we had known today, why bother in the beginning? These Han officials are old and young. Some of the old ones are old ministers of the Ming Dynasty. After selling their lives and joining the new dynasty, they became the upstarts of the new dynasty; Who cares about the national justice and who is in power? Now these Han officials have no children or servants, and the food they carried has been plundered. They all feel miserable, but they are doing it themselves.
They have been shouting "Man-Han family" all day long, but now it's just bullshit. Although the Manchus' relatives and noble family members were mobilized and recruited, a few servants were left to serve them, and they even looked down upon the Han people. Who cares who you are. Regardless of their rank, they were just slaves of the Manchus. Therefore, they became even more domineering and rude when fighting for houses and burning firewood. Many Han officials and their families were beaten and scolded and left without a house to live in. They could only live as a family. They squeezed into woodsheds, livestock pens, shacks, or slept outside.
……………
The wheels rolled slowly in the snow, making a creaking sound, and the mules and horses sprayed white mist as they trudged forward in the wind and snow.
Fan Yongdou slightly opened the car curtain, and the cold wind mixed with snowflakes immediately hit his face, instantly making him feel suffocated. He quickly retracted his hand, only vaguely remembering the sparse swaying trees on the roadside that he had only glanced at.
After leaving Jiexiu, their ancestral home, hundreds of Fan family members and more than twenty carts rushed to the capital, preparing to wait and see what happened before making plans to retreat to Liaodong. There were many people and things, and the Fan family did not move quickly. , just as they arrived in the capital, the Qing Dynasty began to retreat. Although the Fan family also wanted to escape quickly, at this time, the reputation of the imperial merchants had lost its former glory. The Manchus were rich, and there were many high-ranking Han officials. This slow movement Yu Lu's motorcade was the obstacle, so who could be polite to the Fan family?
Therefore, the Fan family's motorcade had to stop in a small village passing by, letting the wolf-like Manchus and high-ranking Han officials go first, and then gradually fell behind. Now, the motorcade passed Fengrun County, heading towards Lulong County.
A burst of people shouting and neighing came from outside. Fan Yongdou hesitated for a moment, and finally did not dare to reach out and open the car curtain. After a while, the noise gradually faded away, and the vehicle slowly stopped.
"Father." The curtains of the car were raised, and Fan Sanba jumped up with the cold air, a look of panic on his face, "Oh no, I heard from the group just now that the Ming army blocked the way to Shanhaiguan in Funing.
The Qing army could not attack the road, and they were all trapped in Lulong County."
Fan Yongdou took a breath of air, feeling like he was in a world of ice and snow, and shivered in the cold.