On the day when the Tatar troops came to the city, Chongzhen issued an imperial edict. All courtiers were not allowed to take leave and must accompany him to the city wall to direct the defense of the capital on the spot.
As soon as this order was issued, it immediately caused an uproar. Countless memorials flew to Chongzhen's eucalyptus. But he didn't even bother to look at them and burned them all.
"Let the factory guards keep a close watch and seal all the city gates. No one is allowed to go out, especially the princes in the court."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Guo Zhen personally led people to stare at all the courtiers to ensure that no one could go out without permission. At this point, no matter how stupid those courtiers were, they understood what Chongzhen meant.
There is no doubt that this is a bargaining chip for murder. Chongzhen wanted to defeat Huang Taiji in front of everyone and prove that he was the master of the world.
The only thing that these courtiers didn't understand was that he was so confident that he could defeat the Tatars in front of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the capital?
You know, during the Battle of Sarhu, the princes in the court were frightened by the fighting power of the Tatars. They did not think that the current Ming Dynasty was the opponent of the Tatars at all. Otherwise, how could there be so many cases of cheating and stealing?
.It’s nothing more than finding your next home in advance.
No matter how powerful the loyal guard is, it only has more than 10,000 people. How can it be the opponent of the 200,000 Tatar army?
Huang Taiji came to the city and did not rush to attack. Attacking the capital was naturally impossible to accomplish overnight. He set up camp five miles away from the capital. Then he began to build siege equipment, and at the same time began the ancient public opinion war.
On the city wall, Chongzhen looked at the provocative Tatar cavalry below. He turned his head and said to the general beside him.
"Fire." The general guarding the city waved his hand without any hesitation. The four red-coated artillery pieces immediately began to load.
A minister nearby hurriedly presented the memorial.
"Your Majesty, when the two armies are fighting, why don't you kill the envoy! Such behavior will ruin the reputation of our country, the Great Tomorrow!"
Chongzhen glanced at the other party and said sarcastically.
"Two armies? Where did the two armies come from? Why didn't I see them? I only saw a group of domestic slaves and wild dogs, just trying to bite their masters. If you kill a few domestic dogs, does it count as killing the envoys?"
As soon as he finished speaking, artillery roared. Four red-coated artillery pieces fired at the same time, directly covering the provocative group of Tatar cavalry below. In an instant, people were turned upside down, and blood and flesh were flying everywhere.
The defenders on the city wall burst into cheers. They didn't care what Bu Zhan did. They only knew that with more than a dozen Tatars dead, the pressure on them to defend the city was reduced.
On the Tatar side, there was a commotion. Many Tatar generals expressed on the spot that they wanted to show the Ming army some color.
But Huang Taiji still held back. He knew that this was the Ming army's way of provoking generals. If he couldn't hold back now and attacked directly. If all aspects were not fully prepared, there would be heavy casualties. That was not what he wanted to see.
.
"Send another group of people to go forward and shout. They say that the Ming army kills the envoys in front of the formation and is unethical. When I bring my army into the city, I will not seal the sword for seven days to relieve the hatred in my heart."
This group of people were obviously dead soldiers, and what they said did cause a slight commotion among the defenders on the city wall. Countless pairs of eyes looked in the direction of Chongzhen, expecting his response.
Chongzhen couldn't help but secretly sigh. Lu Xiao had even considered this situation, and he was truly a capable minister. Then, he took out a secret letter and handed it to the generals around him.
"Find someone with a loud voice and read it again."
The guard general received the secret letter, and when he saw the contents, his expression suddenly changed. He glanced at his Majesty with an incredulous look, and then made arrangements with a look of ecstasy.
Not long after, a sergeant with a loud voice began to confront him.
"You haven't sealed the sword for seven days. Do you know that your old village (Hetuala) has long been attacked by our Northern Expedition General Lu Xiao and his men. Your entire doghouse has been burned down by the general.
It's all clean. A bunch of homeless dogs are still talking nonsense here. Go to the mountains to catch a rabbit to fill your stomach. The capital has not prepared dog food for you."
This soldier is also a talented person, and it is naturally impossible to write a secret letter like this. But the other party only read one side, and then recited the entire content in a simple and relieving way, and at the same time, he also faced the opponent for a round. It can be called a kind of
Alternative talents.
Chongzhen listened with interest and said something casually.
"If you scold well, you will be rewarded heavily."
How could a group of barbarians from the mountains stand up to the old oilmen from the Beijing camp when discussing Tatars and swearing at people? Within a few rounds, several Tatars left the field angrily. The main reason was that the news told by the Ming army was too shocking, and they did not
Dare to delay.
After Huang Taiji heard the news, his heart trembled, but there was no trace of it on his face.
"These Ming people just like to play these little tricks. Let them have fun for a few days. Let the craftsmen speed up the progress and attack the city in three days."
Although Huang Taiji didn't care on the surface, he was still a little uneasy in his heart. However, in this era, the backward communication system made it impossible for him to quickly learn about the situation in his hometown.
But in order to stabilize the morale of the army, it was impossible for him to express this concern. Therefore, in the end, he could only end the war as soon as possible. And until now, the Lu Xiao who trained the Zhongyong Guards had not appeared. This made Huang Taiji feel worse.
Feeling uneasy.
Three days later, with the sound of passionate drums, the Tatars finally began to attack the city. But even so, Chongzhen still did not retreat. Instead, he insisted on standing on the city wall, facing the Tatar attack.
"Your Majesty, I beg you, old slave. Go back and leave this place to the soldiers."
"No, I want to see the soldiers win. Pass on my word, I will be with all the soldiers."
Soon after, the cry that Your Majesty is with us spread throughout the city wall. All the soldiers were as excited as chicken blood. Hundreds of red-coated artillery and muskets were fired at the same time. After one round, all the soldiers were given to the Tatars.
Thousands of people were killed and injured.
But even so, the Tatars still did not take a step back. Those Han soldiers who surrendered were driven forward to serve as cannon fodder. The remaining Tatars followed and began the second round of attack.
Huang Taiji knew what he knew. He knew from his allies that there was not much gunpowder in the city. He could only hold out for three days at most. Therefore, he used these Han soldiers to consume the gunpowder in the capital. When the muskets and artillery misfired, he would massacre the city.
After a day of offensive and defensive battles, the Tatars suffered nearly 10,000 casualties. But most of them were surrendered Han soldiers and some slave units. The real Tatar casualties were not many.
Huang Taiji ignored the pleading eyes of the Han generals and issued the order forcefully.
