The so-called national strategy must have both internal and external considerations before it can be implemented.
Internally, we must have political integrity, a peaceful country and a peaceful people, sufficient resources, and soaring morale. Only when everyone dares to fight and is willing to fight can we be invincible and conquer all attacks.
In addition, the situation must fall into place naturally, and the right time, place and people must be in place. If you don’t take action, it will be enough. Once you take action, the overall situation will be decided.
Internally, Xia Guo was full of confidence.
This is not only the wish of all Xia people, but also the wish of all Chinese nation.
This land has gone through too much suffering and it's time to end.
And Xia Guo is the only one who can take on this important task.
The development of the external situation was also an important factor in promoting Xia State to formulate a new strategy.
"The last bit of Ming Dynasty's vitality is about to be exhausted."
This short sentence is full of Hou Xun's endless emotions.
He was once a passionate scholar, determined to serve his country through his studies;
He was once a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty. He was not afraid of life or death, honor or disgrace, and only wanted to return to the right path for the court.
But in the end, Daming disappointed him, and he began to look for new hope.
Looking back now, it is really sad to see that half of Ming Dynasty has been buried in the ground.
"Because the Ming Dynasty had transferred all its elite military forces to Liaodong, the hinterland of the Central Plains was completely empty. Zhang Xianzhong was in Sichuan and Huguang, coming and going freely; the Gezuo Fifth Battalion galloped across eastern Henan and western Anhui, and had occupied a large area
Territory. And the one with the greatest momentum was Li Zicheng, who came out again. He conquered cities and territories in Henan and was invincible. And after previous failures, Li Zicheng learned from the experience, focused on attracting many scholars to help with construction, and put forward a very attractive political program. We judge that
, if this trend continues, it will definitely be Li Zicheng who finally overthrows the Zhu Ming Dynasty."
On behalf of the General Staff, Liu Yiyuan briefed everyone present on the military forecast.
After Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan, he took away a large number of Ming troops, so that Henan and northern Huguang were completely empty.
This allowed Li Zicheng to seize the opportunity.
Although he only had more than a thousand soldiers and horses when he first came out of the mountain, thousands of people who were suffering from life worse than death due to the imperial court and disasters still regarded him as their savior.
Wherever Li Zicheng went, countless people flocked to follow him, causing him to expand rapidly.
During this process, Li Zicheng paid attention to absorbing down-and-out literati such as Li Yan, Niu Jinxing, and Song Xiance, and quickly improved his internal affairs construction.
Song Xiance also took advantage of the folk superstition and put forward the prophecy that "Eighteen Sons Master Divine Weapons" and focused on establishing Li Zicheng's orthodox status.
Niu Jinxing had some skills in military strategy, and he helped Li Zicheng defeat Lushan, Jiaxian, Yiyang, Yiyang, and Yongning. He also suggested that Li Zicheng calmed the public's anger, held a public trial, and executed the most heinous people.
King Wan'an and more than a hundred landlords and gentry.
This move was enthusiastically supported by all the poor people, and the number of people joining the King's Team increased exponentially.
At the same time, Li Zicheng began to set his sights on Luoyang, an important town in Henan.
Luoyang was not only the ancient capital of several dynasties, but also the hub of the Central Plains. It was also the place where King Fu established his vassalage.
King Fu caused the greatest public outrage in Henan.
Once Luoyang is conquered and King Fu is dealt with, Li Zicheng will surely surpass all peasant army leaders and become popular.
The crisis in the Central Plains frightened the central government of the Ming Dynasty, and everyone had a premonition of danger.
However, the house leaked and it rained all night. At this critical moment, the Manchu Qing Dynasty launched a frontal attack on Liaodong.
In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the Qing army crossed the Great Wall and invaded. Although the looting was very rich, Huang Taiji realized that this method alone could never truly open the door to march into the Central Plains and conquer the world.
The Great Wall defense line was too far after all, and could easily be cut off by the Ming Dynasty's military power in Liaodong.
Once such a situation occurs, the Qing army that invades the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty is likely to be completely wiped out, bringing catastrophe to the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
There is no trickery in this strategic consideration. Liaodong must be captured and the distance to the Central Plains shortened.
In addition, the internal situation in the Ming Dynasty at that time also made Huang Taiji determined to conduct a major military operation in Liaodong.
When Huang Taiji learned that the vigorous peasant uprising was about to be completely suppressed by the Ming Dynasty, he understood that if the Qing Dynasty had no countermeasures, it would fall into crisis.
Once the Ming Dynasty completely eliminates the internal danger, it will inevitably mobilize all its forces to suppress Liaodong.
Despite the constant victories, Huang Taiji has always been clear-headed.
He knew that compared with the behemoth Ming Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was still too weak. If the Manchu Qing Dynasty really faced the overwhelming power of the Ming Dynasty, the danger of the Manchu Qing Dynasty's collapse would greatly increase.
Why didn’t Ming take action against Xia after wiping out the peasant army?
Not to mention Huang Taiji, even an ordinary citizen knows that even if the Ming Dynasty exerts all its power, it is impossible to defeat the Xia Kingdom.
Therefore, the Ming Dynasty's next target after the peasant army must be the Manchus.
In this case, Huang Taiji decided to strike first.
In particular, Hong Chengchou was transferred to Liaodong and served as governor of Jiliao, which made Huang Taiji feel the danger.
He knew that Hong Chengchou was a formidable opponent, so he would never give him a chance to prepare properly.
In order to remove the thorn in Jinzhou's side, Huang Taiji first trained troops in the Uiju camp near the front line to accumulate strength.
In April, Huang Taiji felt that the time was almost ripe, so he sent Jierhalang to lead a large army to surround Jinzhou.
Jinzhou is still the same Jinzhou, and the city's fortifications are as strong as they were in the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign.
The guard in the city is still Zu Dashou.
Of course Jierhalang knew how powerful Zu Dashou was, so he did not attack rashly after the siege.
The method he adopted was exactly the same as during the Battle of Daling River.
They dug trenches around Jinzhou City to block the internal and external connections. At the same time, they focused on attacking the three auxiliary cities of Jinzhou, Songshan, Xingshan and Tashan.
As long as these three cities are removed, Jinzhou will be in an isolated and helpless situation.
Jierhalang deeply understood that the Qing army was good at field battles and bad at attacking cities, even though the Qing army currently had many artillery pieces.
Therefore, the siege of the city is false, but the siege and reinforcements are true.
Zu Dashou was surrounded by people, so of course he immediately sent for help.
The entire Ming Dynasty also understood the importance of Jinzhou.
If Jinzhou, the key to Liaodong, is lost, then the land north of Shanhaiguan will not be preserved.
By that time, the Qing army was pressing down on Shanhaiguan City. Even if they could not break through the barrier for a while, Guancheng and the capital behind it would definitely be frightened three times in one night, and there would never be peace.
If the Qing army sends elite troops to cross the Great Wall again and outflank it from behind, this first barrier in the world will really not be saved.
In desperation, Ming Dynasty had no choice but to urgently dispatch reinforcements from various places to support Liaodong.
As for the peasant armies active in various parts of the Central Plains, we can no longer take care of them for the time being.
The monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty had no idea that this battle in Liaodong actually sounded the death knell of the Ming Dynasty.