Chapter 293 Datong is not fortified and gets through Zhangjiakou
Han Shuliang, commander of the First Division of the Fourth Army, led his troops from Yanmen Pass to attack Datong Prefecture.
After the Qin army captured Taiyuan, after a short period of repairs, they captured the prefectures and counties in the northern part of Taiyuan.
The Ming army in these places did not put up much resistance. After the Qin army arrived, most of them chose to surrender.
Han Shuliang pointed at the Great Wall ahead with his riding crop and said: "Chief of Staff, ahead is the Great Wall, which is also the boundary between Datong Prefecture and Taiyuan Prefecture.
The Great Wall to the south of Datong Prefecture was only used as a backup line of defense for the north if the Great Wall outside the Great Wall was breached.
Looking at the condition of the Great Wall now, it must be that it has been neglected.
We have reached the foot of the Great Wall, and the Ming army above has not even lit the beacon fire."
Gou Maosheng, chief of staff of the First Division, said: "I am not surprised at all by this situation. The information given to us by the Military Intelligence Bureau.
All the elite Ming troops in Datong Mansion were wiped out.
All the servants and capable military households were taken away by Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, leaving only the old, weak, sick and disabled in Datong Mansion.
Datong Town, an important military town, was mainly used to defend against nomadic forces outside the Great Wall.
The most powerful Ming army in Datong Prefecture was the frontier army on the northern Great Wall.
We attacked Datong Prefecture from Taiyuan Prefecture, but the Ming army also thought they could not hold it.
In addition, due to Emperor Chongzhen's imperial edict, the Ming army in Datong Prefecture had no choice but to evacuate Datong.
They transferred all their elite troops to Xuanfu Town in North Zhili.
Xuanfu Town guards the northwest gate of the capital, and in the eyes of these dignitaries, it is much more important than Datong Prefecture."
Han Shuliang just lamented that the elite soldiers of Datong Prefecture were transferred away, and the military merits obtained by attacking Datong Prefecture would be much less.
He immediately organized the first division and launched an attack on the Great Wall ahead.
There were only dozens of old and weak military households stationed on the Great Wall, and they offered no resistance at all.
It was very easy for the Qin army to board the Great Wall and control this section of the Great Wall.
Han Shuliang climbed onto the Great Wall. He looked at the somewhat dilapidated Great Wall and felt no sense of accomplishment at all.
He directly opened the gates of the Great Wall, sent a part of the garrison to garrison the Great Wall, and at the same time guarded a small number of Ming army prisoners.
Han Shuliang led his troops and continued to attack the city in the north.
They marched easily along the way, and there was no Ming army to stop them.
The city of Datong Prefecture did not have many Ming troops stationed at all, so the garrison could easily capture it.
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Han Shuliang led the first division to Datong City.
He asked Chief of Staff Gou Maosheng: "Chief of Staff, is there a royal palace in Datong City?
When we attack Shanxi, every city with a vassal king will be extremely difficult to attack.
Do you think Datong City will be like this?
But based on the situation in the previous city, I don’t think the Ming army in Datong City was very effective.
I think we can capture Datong City with the strength of the First Division without waiting for the main force."
Gou Maosheng thought that on their way north, the attack on Shanyin County, Yingzhou, and Huairen County would be extremely easy.
In these guard posts in the city, their most elite servants have been removed, leaving only a few military households who are similar to farmers to guard the city.
As long as the First Division sets up its cannons and fires a few cannons at the city walls, these cities will be captured by them.
Gou Maosheng suggested: "Based on the current situation of the Ming army, I can't say whether the Ming army in Datong City will be strong or not.
Let’s test it out, if it’s too difficult to attack the city, then wait for the main force.”
After they discussed it, Han Shuliang immediately arranged the first division to attack Datong City.
Han Shuliang learned that the Ming army here in Datong Mansion had been wiped out.
The first division attacked Datong City and did not underestimate the enemy.
They followed the Qin Army's normal engineering procedures.
Infantry and artillery coordinated to attack the city. While the artillery attacked the city, the infantry pushed the ladder truck and prepared to climb the city wall.
While the infantry climbed the city wall, the artillery no longer attacked the city wall, but crossed the city wall and attacked the Ming army behind the city wall.
Prevent Ming army reinforcements from climbing the city wall and fight side by side with the Ming army on the city wall.
Through the coordination of artillery and infantry, the number of Ming troops on the city wall can not be replenished.
However, Qin soldiers continued to attack the city through ladders.
In this way, the Qin army only needed to pay a small number of casualties to capture a city.
Han Shuliang used a telescope to watch the Qin army attack the city.
The artillery regiment's artillery fire has extended into the city.
The ladder was unfolded by the infantry, and the hook above the ladder had hooked the edge of the city wall of Datong City.
The soldiers of the Qin army began to climb up the city wall through the ladder.
Han Shuliang saw the Ming army defending Datong City, and their resistance was extremely weak.
The soldiers of the Qin Army threw grenades at the top of the city. They held their rifles and easily climbed up the wall of Datong City.
The gates of Datong City were quickly opened by the Qin soldiers who invaded the city.
The Qin army's large forces began to rush into Datong City.
Han Shuliang knew that the situation was decided and Datong City's defense was very weak.
They just took one offensive and captured Datong City directly.
The First Division was stationed in Datong, and Han Shuliang learned about the current situation of Datong Mansion through interrogating the prisoners.
The Ming court mobilized the elite Ming army from Datong Prefecture, leaving only the old, weak, sick and disabled in various prefectures and counties of Datong Prefecture.
This caused many civil servants and military generals in Datong Prefecture to be very pessimistic about the future.
Most of these people chose to run away with their money, while a few simply stayed anonymous in the local area and became ordinary people.
The Qin army had the habit of settling old scores, and most Ming army officials did not dare to surrender directly to the Qin army.
All the officials did this, and the military households at the base also fled in large numbers.
The same was true for the defenders of Datong City. All the elites in the city were wiped out, and ordinary military households fled in large numbers.
As a result, the Ming army defending Datong City was less than 2,000, and Datong City was easily captured by the Qin army.
Han Shuliang rested in Datong City, waiting for the arrival of the main force of the Fourth Army.
He sent a garrison to the north to capture the Great Wall.
All the ordinary guards in Datong Prefecture were emptied, and all the strongest border troops were transferred to Xuanfu Town.
The strength of the garrison can capture the Great Wall of Datong Prefecture.
The most important thing is that there are no enemy troops outside the Great Wall now.
The area outside the Great Wall of Datong Prefecture belongs to the Monan Mongolian region.
The Monan Mongolian region has been controlled by the Qin army.
It can be said that outside the Great Wall is the sphere of influence of the Qin army.
We are all one family inside and outside the Great Wall, so there is no need to worry about Mongolian forces moving northward.
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Han Shuliang led people out of the city to meet the main force of the Fourth Army arriving at Datong Mansion.
When Wu Jie, commander of the Fourth Army, saw Han Shuliang, he happily praised:
"Well done, Mr. Han, for taking Datong City so quickly.
They conquered Xuanfu Town for us and cleared away the obstacles to our progress.
After capturing Xuanfu Town, the Ming Dynasty’s capital will be undefeated.”
Han Shuliang said modestly: "Commander, you also understand the situation here in Datong Mansion.
The Ming court transferred all the elite soldiers from Datong Prefecture just to defend Xuanfu Town.
This place in Datong Mansion is simply defenseless against us.
The remaining old, weak, sick and disabled cannot stop our army's attack at all.
My feeling during the attack on Datong Mansion was that it was not a war, it was simply a training exercise."
Wu Jie saw that Han Shuliang was very humble, and he smiled and said: "To conquer such a large territory, it takes less credit but also hard work. Don't worry about military merit."
Wu Jie led the soldiers of the Fourth Army into Datong City.
Ordinary Qin soldiers who have been traveling for a long time are repairing in Datong City.
Wu Jie convened a military meeting attended by officers of the Fourth Army.
He unfolded the military map and said impassionedly: "It takes half a mile to travel a hundred miles, and we are about to win.
All the officers present here are not allowed to underestimate the enemy.
As long as our army makes no mistakes, victory will definitely belong to our army.
This time the elite Ming army from Datong Prefecture withdrew, and the Ming court made a bad move.
What we fear most is that the Ming Dynasty will continue to resist and mobilize every county to resist us.
They waited for changes, waiting for the intervention of the slaves or other changes.
Now they have concentrated their troops in Xuanfu Town and want to use Xuanfu Town to stop us. That is simply a wishful thinking.
No matter how hard the turtle shell is, it can't stop the progress of our Fourth Army.
The rest of Datong Prefecture is under the responsibility of the garrison.
Now that the Ming army's resistance in Datong Prefecture is very weak, the garrison can regain Datong Prefecture.
All the Ming troops in Datong Prefecture were wiped out, and Datong Prefecture was handed over to civilian officials.
Now is the spring plowing period, and other areas in Shanxi have already carried out spring plowing under the leadership of civil servants.
Land in Shanxi is scarce, so it cannot affect spring plowing."
Wu Jie boosted the morale of the officers of the Fourth Army.
At the same time, he gave everyone a clear introduction to the final events of the Shanxi Campaign.
After Wu Jie explained these things, he pointed at the map and said: "The Second Division and the Third Division, work together to attack Xuanfu Town.
The First Division is responsible for opening the road to Zhangjiakou.
The supply line before the cavalry division was very long.
We have already captured Datong Prefecture, which is very close to Zhangjiakou and can directly supply materials to the cavalry division through the main supply lines."
Wu Jie explained the Fourth Army's future action plan, and the military meeting ended.
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Han Shuliang led the first division and logistics troops to open the road to Zhangjiakou.
Most of the Ming troops along the way belonged to the Ming troops in Datong Prefecture. They had no fighting spirit and were quickly defeated by Han Shuliang's troops.
Some Ming troops in North Zhili still wanted to resist the First Division's attack, but their troops were too small and they were completely unable to do anything like a chariot.
Han Shuliang broke through the Great Wall defended by the Ming army. Outside the Great Wall was a small city close to the grassland.
Its main function was for mutual trade with the Mongols. It was captured by the cavalry division advancing eastward and served as the center for the movement of goods of the cavalry division.
Han Shuliang has not heard from the cavalry division for a long time.
When he saw the small town of Zhangjiakou, he felt extremely uneasy.
His son Han Mingtong is the commander of the 3rd Cavalry Division.
Sometimes no news is the best news.
Han Shuliang was still a little scared. After entering Zhangjiakou, he got the news about his son as soon as possible.
Zhu Shi Huang Wenyu of the 1st Cavalry Division has been stationed in Zhangjiakou and is responsible for the logistics work of the Cavalry Division.
Leave everything to the logistics troops and let them transport huge supplies across the vast prairie.
The officers of the cavalry division were not so open-minded.
As long as a batch of supplies is lost, it will have irreparable consequences for the cavalry division.
"Master Huang Zhu, the Great Wall in the south has opened, and a large army has come out of the city and is heading straight for us.
Their number is about 10,000. This time the Ming army is besieging us with heavy troops, so we must be prepared in time."
Huang Wenyu narrowed his eyes and ordered: "We must be prepared to meet the enemy. Soldiers will come to cover up the water and earth.
This was not the first time that the Ming army attacked Zhangjiakou. They had all fled in panic before, and this time was no exception.
There is no essential difference between a thousand Ming army and ten thousand Ming army.
As soon as we fire, these Ming soldiers will turn around and run away.
We didn’t have enough troops in Zhangjiakou before, but now we have enough troops and we don’t need to worry about the Ming army attacking.”
Huang Wenyu was full of confidence. The performance of the Ming army in attacking the city these few times was the source of his confidence.
The Ming army attacked Zhangjiakou more than once, or wanted to send troops out of the Great Wall to cut off the cavalry division's supply line.
Without exception, they were all beaten by Huang Wenyu's troops and fled in embarrassment.
It was this time that the Ming army left the city and showed an extremely unusual signal.
Huang Wenyu was in Zhangjiakou, and he also knew that King Su He of Qin led troops to attack the Ming Dynasty.
Now that the Ming army can send 10,000 people out of the city, it proves that King Su He of Qin did not put enough pressure on the Ming army.
Huang Wenyu wanted to lead troops to help, but he was unable to help.
The cavalry's siege ability was too weak, and the Ming army could not attack Zhangjiakou, nor could it break through the Ming army's Great Wall defense line.
Huang Wenyu was ready for war, but he received a report from his subordinates.
It was not the Ming army but the Qin army that came. The officer leading the team could be recognized by many officers in the cavalry division.
He is the father of Han Mingtong, commander of the Third Cavalry Division, and Han Shuliang, commander of the First Division of the Fourth Army of the Qin Army.
After Huang Wenyu sent troops to confirm the identity of the incoming army.
He immediately went out of the city to meet Han Shuliang. They greeted each other and introduced their identities.
Han Shuliang was welcomed into the city by Huang Wenyu.
He first explained his purpose.
"Our army has established contact with Zhangjiakou within the customs.
Logistics supplies after the cavalry division can be carried out directly through the pass.
There are waterways to transport supplies within the customs, making supplies more convenient."
Huang Wenyu was very happy to get the news.
He expressed gratitude: "Tongliao City is in very short supply of materials. With the incoming materials, we can transport a large amount of materials to Tongliao City."
Han Shuliang heard Huang Wenyu's proposal to go to Tongliao City.
He took the opportunity to ask: "Master Huang Zhu, can I ask you about the situation in Tongliao City?"
Huang Wenyu said with a smile: "The cavalry division in Tongliao City is very safe.
We have fought many times with the Eight Banners cavalry who established slaves, and have won many defeats, and have established a firm foothold in Tongliao City.
The Eight Banners cavalry of Jiannu did not dare to move at all. The Eight Banners cavalry really dared to enter the pass. Our three cavalry divisions with more than 40,000 cavalry dared to directly attack Shenyang City.
The cavalry division not only deters Shenyang, we also control large areas of Mongolia with Tongliao City as the center.
Zhangjiakou is a relatively safe city in the rear.
Some wounded soldiers were transferred to Zhangjiakou for resettlement.
Some prisoners were also sent to Zhangjiakou for custody, and some of them have been surrendered by me.
After this period of time, I have had the wounded cavalry division officers train a cavalry force of 8,000 people.
It's just that they don't have weapons. If your Fourth Army needs it, equip them with weapons, and these people will be qualified cavalry."
Han Shuliang learned from Huang Wenyu that the three cavalry divisions were very safe.
He will not worry about his son's condition all the time.
Han Shuliang heard that there were eight thousand well-trained cavalry here in Zhangjiakou.
He immediately expressed gratitude: "Thanks to Master Huang Zhu, with this new force joining our army, it will become much easier to attack the Ming Dynasty."
These cavalry can be used to destroy small groups of enemies or deliver military orders. They have many uses.
Han Shuliang cleared the customs and contacted Zhangjiakou, and the logistics troops left the supplies. After discussing, the logistics troops made arrangements.
He took the troops of the First Division and the eight thousand cavalry trained by Huang Wenyu and returned to the pass.