After everyone had finished the reception banquet, they gathered around a table and sat down.
Jia Heng nodded and warned: "Generals, go down and have a good rest for the next two days and prepare for war with all your strength."
All the generals looked solemn and said yes one after another.
After the generals dispersed in twos and threes and returned to the military tent to rest, Jia Heng and Chen Xiao came to the sleeping tent, took the map from the side, and looked at it intently.
At this time, Liaodong did not have the population of the later Northeast. Of course, the population of the Northeast also continued to lose.
Chen Xiao walked quickly and approached, his voice was clear and pleasant, and he said: "We have just arranged people to shoot silk into the city to recruit Han soldiers and generals."
Jia Heng nodded and ordered: "Contact the Jinyi Palace Guards in the city through a secret letter and ask them to persuade some Han officials to surrender. If we can open the city gate from Shengjing City and cooperate with the inside and outside, it will save our army countless casualties."
No matter how strong a fortress is, it will be easy to break through from the inside.
Chen Xiao nodded, his eyes shining like water, and said: "Then when will you attack the city?"
"Take a rest for two days and then attack the city immediately." Jia Heng said loudly.
Then, in the evening, news about the encampments in various military camps gradually came together, as for Jia Heng's desk.
The soldiers of the capital camp have already set up large camps and deployed soldiers and horses near the four city gates, surrounding Shengjing City tightly.
In the evening, the sky is filled with sunset, and the burning clouds in the west are as bright as brocade and glowing clouds.
Jia Heng took a short rest, and then, accompanied by Chen Xiao, observed the defense situation above the city of Shengjing City. As he spoke, he picked up the monocular telescope in his hand and observed the strength of Shengjing City's defense.
Generals like Jia Heng, who have experienced hundreds of battles, often have an indescribable keen intuition. Through the defensive situation at the top of the city, one can roughly deduce Shengjing's response when defending.
At this moment, on the top of the city wall that stretched across the city, there were red cannons mounted on four turret turrets, and the arrow towers were all in place, but they were obviously somewhat damaged after several rounds of shelling by the Han army.
Chen Xiao's face was as white as frost, and he visually inspected Shengjing City in front of him, and said: "This city is higher than Jinzhou City, not lower than Shenjing City."
Jia Heng nodded and said loudly: "After all, it is the capital of the Jurchen Kingdom. There should be more than one million soldiers and civilians in the city."
As the Jurchens established their capital in Shengjing, the Jurchen tribes who originally lived in the mountains of Northeast China also moved into Shengjing majestically. Together with some high-ranking Mongolian nobles and Jurchen nobles, as well as Ding Zhuang, the servants who serve them, the population is also quite large.
huge.
Chen Xiao reminded from the side: "Explosives cannot blow through such a thick city wall, and the suppressive effect of the red cannon is also limited. If you want to capture this city as soon as possible, you need to plan in advance."
Jia Heng nodded and said: "The current black powder is not enough, we need bigger gunpowder."
If it were TNT, it would be different.
Jia Heng turned to look at Chen Xiao and asked, "Is there a flying pigeon from Xiehou's side to deliver the letter?"
"Not today." Chen Xiao whispered, looking at Jia Heng, and said, "Wait a moment."
Jia Heng said with a hint of determination in his voice: "It won't be long before the grain supplies on the front line of Ningyuan and Jinzhou may also be hijacked by the Jurchens. It will be difficult to protect the grain roads along this way."
Chen Xiao said softly: "Cao Bianjiao should be able to use tricks. By the way, the Wei and Chu vassals are now in Jinzhou and Ningyuan. Will they also take over?"
Jia Heng paused slightly and said: "If they want to come over, just let them come over. They have been following the baggage and military supplies. If the Tatars make a sneak attack and there are two shortcomings, it will not be good."
Chen Xiao nodded and responded: "Then I'll tell you to go there."
Jia Heng didn't say much else, turned his horse's head, and returned to the military tent accompanied by Chen Xiao.
Not long after Jia Heng left, Dorgon, accompanied by Shuo Sai, climbed to the top of the city gate to observe the Han army's military strength.
At this moment, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, and the white tents in the distance are like white clouds floating in the blue sky.
However, this undoubtedly made it difficult for Dorgon to feel romantic, but instead felt an unspeakable pressure.
The Han army was in good order, especially the camps in the Beijing camp, which were orderly. A solemn and ferocious aura swept silently, making Dorgon feel an unspeakable pressure on his face.
In front of all the generals, Dorgon didn't care, and said in a deep voice: "The Han army is gathered in the camp. When the army is defeated in the future and the camp collapses, our army can continue to attack it.
, they will definitely be difficult to resist.”
Shuo Sai nodded and said: "What the prince said is true. With so many soldiers and horses, the waste of food and fodder will of course become huge day by day. But after the heavy snow closes the mountains, the road traffic will be inconvenient and the food and fodder cannot be transported up."
It can be said that Luck Dehun's previous explanation not only made Dorgon feel more confident, but also excited Shuosei and other senior Jurchen officials as well as civil and military officials.
Dorgon's eyes flashed under his thick eyebrows, and he said: "Now we have to survive these two months. When the winter months come, when the weather gets cold and the mountains are covered with heavy snow, we will have a chance to defeat the enemy."
Dorgon repeated this, seemingly boosting his confidence.
In fact, I felt a little uneasy because I knew that the Duke Wei of the Han Dynasty on the opposite side did not dare to give up.
Dorgon nodded and asked, "Is there any news from Shuosei?"
Mentioning this matter, Hu Sai showed joy on his face and said: "Fei Ge sent a message to report that a lot of grain and fodder have been hijacked. The results of the battle are brilliant. It will not be long before the Han army's grain and fodder supply will be greatly affected."
When Dorgon heard this, his heart became lighter. Under his thick eyebrows, he asked with expectation in his eyes: "Where is Mandahai? Where are the cavalry now?"
If achievements can also be made on the Mandahai side, hundreds of thousands of Han troops on the front line will have intermittent food routes, and the pressure on the siege will be greatly reduced, making this war much easier to fight.
"We have already set off from Fushun, but due to the exploration of the Han army's food route, there has been no news in the past few days." Hu Sai said.
Dorgon nodded and said: "The Han army's grain road is long, and there are many sections of the grain road that can be attacked. Let him be careful and not fall into the trap of the Han army."
Dorgon was also experienced in using troops, and he immediately understood the key points. In other words, after thinking from his perspective, he figured out the strategies that the Han army could think of to defeat the enemy.
Hu Sai said: "What my uncle said is that the Han army is the most cunning and may deliberately set up an ambush. My nephew will have the letter delivered by flying pigeons."
However, as Dorgon said this, Liaoyang City hundreds of miles away——
Liaoyang City
The dark red copper-nailed cedar city gate opened, and carriages came out of the city gate. The carriages were filled with bags of rice. The wheels ran over the official road, which was slightly muddy after the rain the day before, and a deep road appeared.
Deep wheel-marked ravines.
Viewed from a high altitude, the long grain convoy is winding like a snake, twisting and turning, heading towards Shengjing City.
And a pigeon was released from a corner of the city gate tower, fluttering towards the boundless blue sky.
In this way, the convoy carrying rice and grain drove towards the battlefield of Shengjing City in an endless stream, with red flame flags and flags flapping, covering the sky and the sun.
The next day, the sky was bright, and the summer sunlight shone on the earth. The Hun River in the distance was like a green jade belt, with gurgling water, sparkling waves, and shining light.
On the ground west of the Hun River where the carriage convoy is located, you can see the lush green grass, which is eye-catching and refreshing.
At this moment, the sound of hoofbeats of horses sounded. At this moment, the sound of "clatter" came from far to near, and a large number of cavalry were visible, covering the sky and the sun.
A large number of Han troops carried flags embroidered with dragon flags.
Shuosei's resolute and determined face seemed to be filled with endless joy.
Lu Sheng, the deputy commander of the Han army on the side, said: "Your Majesty, the Han army has a lot of food this time. Look at how long the convoy is, about 600,000 shi."
Shuosai frowned into the character "Chuan", his eyes flashed aggressively, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited in his heart, saying: "This is the best. If this batch of grain is robbed, the Han army will not be able to continue the grain on the front line."
collapse."
Lu Sheng, deputy commander of the capital, said: "Your Majesty, the Han army has rested and had a meal."
At this moment, it was noon, and the weather was hot and hot. However, the Han troops escorting the convoy of grain and fodder baggage all dismounted to rest, drink water and use dry food.
The number of Han troops escorting the grain was actually not large, only about two thousand, but there were about two thousand civilians who helped transport the grain.
"Do it!" Shuo Sai said with a ferocious look on his face.
Following Shuo Sai's order, a large number of cavalry troops behind them rushed towards the Han army who was escorting the grain.
"Da da……"
A large number of cavalry troops kept rumbling with their iron hoofs, like tigers and wolves, charging towards the Han army who was escorting the grain supplies.
"Enemy attack!"
A young Han soldier from the primary school said loudly, and heard the "clatter" of iron hoofs, and a burst of whistles, clear and loud.
"Whoosh..."
A black arrow was as fast as a meteor, and it suddenly pierced the neck of the Han Army colonel. With a "pop" sound, a cloud of blood mist exploded, and the young colonel fell to the ground.
And Shuo Sai, who was on the horse, put away the strong bow in his hand, his face filled with evil energy, and under his thick eyebrows, there was a touch of mocking coldness in his eyes.
At this moment, a large number of Jurchen Eight Banners cavalry were like a whirlwind, quickly killing the Han army.
The escort general who escorted the Han army to transport grain and fodder was none other than Jia Ling.
At this moment, Jia Ling turned over on his horse, brandishing a steel knife in his hand, and shouted: "All armies are on alert to meet the enemy!"
As he said that, a large number of generals around them got on their horses one after another, holding an extremely sharp scimitar in their hands, and slashed towards the Jurchen cavalry in the distance.
"Dangdang..."
With the sound of swords clashing, soldiers and horses from both sides rushed past each other, and in an instant, they started fighting.
"Pfft..."
Along with the sound of the sword slashing at the soldier, a large amount of blood gushes out from the wound, and then he falls to the ground.
As soon as Shuosei fought, he began to notice something was wrong, because the Han army did not collapse instantly like the previous Han troops who were easily killed. Instead, they formed a shield formation around the grain trucks in an orderly manner.
They resisted the Jurchen cavalry's offensive.
The next scene undoubtedly shocked Shuosei. The soldier who was pushing the carriage took out a shining steel knife from the wheelbarrow that was escorting the grain, and started fighting towards the Jurchen Eight Banners cavalry that was charging towards them.
go.
"No, this is... a trap!" Shuo Sai's complexion suddenly changed, he was shocked, and felt a chill all over his body.
Just as Shuosei had this thought, not long after, he heard the rumble of iron hoofs coming from the vast grassland in the distance, and a line of black and red iron cavalry appeared on the grassland and expanded rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, a large number of Han troops rushed over.
Under the sunlight, a saber dazzled people's eyes, and the evil aura dispersed.
The leading general wore black armor and a dark red cloak, and held a long iron sword in his hand. His face was resolute and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle.
It is none other than the First Class Loyal and Qinhou of the Great Han Dynasty, Xie Zaiyi!
Xie Zaiyi had already been lying in ambush thirty miles away across the convoy escorting the grain and fodder. When something happened here, he immediately led his elite cavalry and came in a mighty manner.
"Rumble..."
The iron cavalry trampled the ground, making a deafening sound.
At this moment, Xie Zaiyi led a group of cavalry into the two fighting sides, with a saber like a sickle, harvesting the Jurchen soldiers and horses unscrupulously.
"Pfft..."
The swords penetrated the flesh and screams were heard. Many Jurchen cavalry soldiers were caught off guard and fell to the ground under the attack of the Han troops in the Beijing camp.
Xie Zaiyi, accompanied by his bodyguards, was like an unparalleled sharp blade, ruthlessly tearing apart the Jurchen bannermen's front line and cutting and surrounding the Jurchen bannermen.
Shuo Sai was shocked and made a decisive decision: "Withdraw!"
At this time, it is obviously not a wise choice to fight with the Han army again and be tough.
It was obvious that the Han army had dug a trap and was waiting for them to jump. If they didn't escape now, they would wait until later.
Xie Zaiyi snorted coldly, swung the big knife in his palm and said, "Thieves, where are you going!"
As he spoke, he drove the war horse under his crotch, and the long knife in his palm turned into streaks of moonlight, and chased Shuosei.
Xie Zaiyi naturally saw at a glance that Shuo Sai was the leader of this trip.
At this moment, the bannermen of the Jurchen Eight Banners surged in and were suddenly attacked. They also fell into panic. Faced with the Han army's attacks from the left and right, there was a bit of chaos for a while.
As Shuosai shouted "withdraw the troops", a large number of Jurchen bannermen broke out with Shuosai, which undoubtedly put some Jurchen bannermen who were trapped in a bitter battle into a more dangerous situation.
At this moment, the Han army's long swords were directed, and many Jurchen soldiers were cut off their horses.
After a while, the torrent of cavalry from the Beijing camp suddenly submerged the entire cavalry team of Jurchen soldiers.
At this moment, Shuo Sai rode away. Seeing the elite soldiers trapped in the enemy's formation, his heart was bleeding and he was very upset.
I feel regretful about why I didn't pay attention before. I was so careless just now.
With so much grain being transported from Liaoyang City, how could it not be protected by heavy troops?
The horse under Xie Zaiyi's crotch was faster. At this moment, it was like lightning, chasing Shuosai. It didn't take long for the horse to gradually shorten the distance.
Shuo Sai felt the murderous intention approaching behind him and felt extremely frightened. Ma Bian beside him quickly turned over to resist.
"clang!"
When the weapons met, the two Ma Bian didn't delay at all. Xie Zaiyi flashed his long sword and killed them on the spot like a pair of horses.
"Where can the thief escape?"
Shuosei just didn't answer this for the time being, and just led his cavalry to flee into the distance, while the personal soldiers and horse retinue beside him blocked Xie Zaiyi who was pursuing him.
This move finally blocked Xie Zaiyi's pursuit.
At this moment when Xie Zaiyi held the long sword in his palm, they were fighting back and forth. Many Jurchen cavalrymen fell to the ground after being hit by the sword. Looking at the Jurchen generals who were gradually escaping, they could only temporarily suppress the irritability in their hearts and order their soldiers and horses to lead the cavalry.
Chase him into the distance.
It was not until sunset, when the twilight was desolate, that broken swords, guns and flags could be seen everywhere on the entire battlefield, and the battle between ambush and counter-ambush came to a complete end.
Xie Zaiyi took the reins of his horse and approached, saying, "How many enemies will we destroy in this battle?"
Jia Ling's face turned solemn, and she clasped her fists and said, "Xie Hou, my army has wiped out more than 4,000 enemies and captured 500. This battle has wiped out half of the Jurchen army!"
Hearing this, Xie Zaiyi's resolute face full of filth and blood showed a look of endless joy and said: "The remaining few thousand people will be easy to handle, but we can't be careless."
As the saying goes, if there are not even ten thousand Jurchens, they are invincible.
When the Jurchens had nearly 10,000 cavalry troops, they could attack the Han troops escorting grain and fodder without restraint on the entire vast Liaodong Plain.
And it is difficult to guard against a team of about 5,000 to 8,000 people dispatched to escort grain and fodder.
It would obviously be impractical to send 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers and horses to escort the grain.
But now there are only a few thousand Jurchens, so it is naturally difficult to cope with them.
Jia Ling asked: "Xiehou, these grains?"
"Since we were escorted to Shengjing City, it's not far away now." Xie Zaiyi looked far away and said in a low voice.
Jia Ling nodded, and while ordering his soldiers to clean the battlefield, he escorted the grain and fodder and rushed towards Shengjing City.