And just as he was speaking, he saw the mighty sound of iron hoofs trampling across the earth in a neat rhythm in the distance. At a glance, he saw flags like a forest and people and horses like a wall, like a torrent of red rushing towards his face.
Come and seem to tear everything into pieces.
It was an indestructible and sharp aura that came overwhelmingly.
Not to mention Wei Huo who lived as far back as the Han Dynasty, but also Chang Yuchun and Li Wenzhong at the founding of the early Ming Dynasty. The Han nationality’s cavalry was not inferior to that of the barbarians in the grassland. On the contrary, because it paid more attention to discipline and formation training, it was better than that of the grassland cavalry.
The cavalry is more ornamental.
Moreover, after the previous experience of winning a battle with the Jurchens, the morale of the generals and soldiers of the Beijing Cavalry Army increased greatly.
Well, although there are some who bully the few with more, they won't win.
E Zhe saw an army surging like a sea of fire, and his expression was inexplicably shocked.
At this moment, the cavalry stopped near Li Xu. On the endless grassland, the military cavalry could not see the endless grassland, but being on the vast curtain of grassland made it look even more spectacular.
There is a spectacular scene of Qiao Feng and Yelu Hongji meeting at Yanmen Pass, and tens of thousands of troops on the Liaokuo Grassland.
Jia Heng is currently riding on a maroon horse, holding the reins with one hand and holding the Emperor's Sword at his waist. The red cloak on his body is rustling in the wind, and sitting next to him is a handsome man with beautiful eyes.
of Chen Xiao.
Jia Heng took out the telescope from his bag, raised his eyes to look at a tent in the distance, and said, "Let's go see E Zhe."
Chen Xiao responded and led the guards of the Jinyi Mansion to approach the Mongolian camp with the young man in the python suit.
It's better to say it's a camp than a yurt.
At this moment, Ezhe was also reminded by Ulji, and surrounded by a group of generals in the Mongolian Khan tent, he came closer and looked at the young man under the banner of the Chinese army, his eyes shrank.
Looking at the Han army with flourishing feathers and high morale, Ezhe's eyes were excited under his thick eyebrows, and he strode away, cupping his fists and saying: "Marquis Yongning."
Jia Heng turned over and dismounted, and the guards beside him also dismounted. Their movements were almost uniform. The tall horse, flying fish suit, and embroidered spring knife were dazzling in the sunlight, forming a stern and solemn aura.
Beauty is combat power, and anything that conforms to beauty must coincide with the way of heaven, which is the most beautiful and the most powerful.
E Zhe's eyes lit up and he was slightly startled.
Yaruo and his brother Agula also looked at the young man who was leading the army. At this moment, in front of a large number of cavalry troops that stretched as far as the eye could see, the sight of the Jinyi Palace Guards was almost like a picture that was burned into their hearts.
Ya Ruo's gaze under her beautiful eyebrows was like a clear spring, and the Gao Yuan Hong's cheeks on both sides were flushed. She looked at Wu Hou, who had already exchanged greetings with E Zhe, and his eyes were slightly startled.
Jia Heng threw the reins to his bodyguards, came closer, cupped his hands and said: "Ezhe Khan, I am the Marquis of Yongning of the Han Dynasty, and now I am the general of the Han Dynasty."
At this moment, E Zhe looked closely at the young Marquis Wu, with his handsome and fair face, his demeanor as deep as an abyss, and his slender, clear eyes.
For some reason, Ezhe suddenly thought of the alpha wolf in the grassland.
Ezhe returned the salute and said: "Marquis Yongning, I just heard from the general of your country that the Han army encountered the Jurchen people with blue flags. The two sides fought and your country won a great victory?"
Even when he saw the majestic and majestic cavalry in front of him, E Zhe still couldn't believe it in his heart.
Those were the Eight Banners of the Jurchens. Even the main force of one banner charged like jackals, tigers and leopards. How did the Han army defeat the Jurchen blue-banner cavalry?
Jia Heng said: "The general who led the army was Jierharang, the king of the Qing Dynasty. He led the Blue Banner and the Zhenghuang Banner of the Han Army. More than 10,000 soldiers and horses encountered our army unexpectedly and were defeated by our army. Our army of 40,000
With the rest of the cavalry, use the many to attack the few."
After Ezhe heard this, his doubts were dispelled, and he thought to himself, no wonder the Han army had so many soldiers and horses, but the Jurchens only came with two flags and a Han army flag.
But looking at it this way, it is extraordinary.
Agula, Ezhe's son, looked intently at the large number of Han cavalry and said loudly: "Father, this is not the place to talk. Let's talk after we enter the army tent."
E Zhe reacted, stretched out his hand to invite you and said: "Yongninghou, please come to the tent."
At that time, he also fought side by side with the kings of Zhou and Zhao, and he was familiar with the Han people's hospitality etiquette.
After a while, Jia Heng followed E Zhe into the sweat tent. The sweat tent was spacious, the grass was covered with a wool carpet, and there were tables and chairs on the left and right sides of the handsome man. Both parties were seated separately.
Ezhe asked: "Marquis Yongning, how many troops did you bring with you this time?"
Jia Heng said: "Forty thousand cavalry came here to ask Ezhe Khan to go to Datong. Jininghaizi is not suitable for a battle with the Jurchens, either because of the terrain or the lack of coordination between our two coalition forces.
"
Although he led the Beijing Cavalry to defeat the Xianglan Banner, this victory was actually somewhat accidental and the price was not small.
If they really encounter the Jurchen elite of 30,000 to 40,000, they will definitely not be able to defeat them with the immediate combat strength of the Beijing cavalry. There will be no other outcome except the collapse of the entire army.
When E Zhe heard this, he did not agree, but asked: "Since the cavalry of the Han army can defeat the soldiers of the Eight Banners, why do they have to return to Datong?"
Jia Heng said loudly: "The battle between cavalry and armies is the best among the prairie barbarians. Although our Han cavalry army has won one battle, in terms of combat power alone, there is still a gap in a short period of time. So we fought fiercely with the Jurchens here and were defeated."
The risk is too great. Once it collapses, it will be a complete defeat, and the entire Chahar Mongolia will fall under the butcher knife of the Jurchen cavalry."
They had won one battle before, but in the final outcome, not even the Manchu Jurchen Banner was completely wiped out. There are still seven such elite Eight Banners!
From this we can also see the difficulty of winning the first battle.
Hearing this, Ezhe and Ulji looked at each other.
Jia Heng said: "Now there are more than 100,000 infantry and cavalry in the Datong military town. If the Jurchens come to attack with the whole country, our big Han can rely on the strong city to defend. Once the Jurchens are full of vigor, the Han and Mongolian cavalry will wait for work and chase the dead."
In the north, the Great Khan can also lead his people back to their hometown in Monan to graze their cattle."
In fact, even if the great Han conquered the inner Mongolian territory of Chahar, it did not mean that he had given up on the vast and fertile pastures of Monan and the Xilamulun River Basin.
After the Jurchen army retreats, they can still fight back to their hometown with the Mongolian tribes and serve as the support of the Ping vassal Han.
Originally, Mongolia was a nomadic people who lived in grass and don't have so many bottles and jars. It is actually easy to move to Datong now.
When E Zhe heard this, his expression changed, and he was undecided for a moment.
The main concern was that the Han Dynasty would annex the Mongolian tribes.
Jia Heng didn't speak at this moment, but looked at E Zhe quietly, waiting for E Zhe's answer.
At this moment, the three Otoks of Chahar Mongolia have been lost, and Sunit has also been wiped out by the Jurchens. There are only four Otoks, Haoqit, Ujumqin, Alakzot and Zhuxiti, and their power has become huge.
To reduce.
At this time, Ulji suggested: "Great Khan, what Marquis Yongning said is true. We must first retreat to Datong to hide from the Jurchens. We are only a hundred miles away from here. Once the war subsides, we can fight back."
."
Seeing that E Zhe still had doubts on his face, Ya Ruo said: "Father, Uncle Bater has been defeated before. Now that there are such old and weak women and children in the clan, where else can they go except Datong to avoid disaster?"
Hearing this, Jia Heng stared at the girl beside him, and immediately met a pair of smart and clear eyes. Immediately, the girl quickly moved away.
At this time, Ezhe's son Agula also said: "Father Khan, let's go to Han to avoid the sharp edge first."
E Zhe was silent for a moment, stared at the boy in python suit, observed Jia Heng's expression, and said: "Yongning Marquis, do we still have a chance to return to our ancestral homeland?"
In fact, it was a helpless choice. When Ezhe's most trusted confidant, General Battelle, led the warriors of the Xiti tribe and Alakzot to meet the enemy, he was defeated by Hauge and died in Guyuan. After the remaining troops dispersed,
, Ezhe only
Jia Heng said: "Ezhe Khan, don't worry. The Chahar Mongols originally lived on the grassland. If the Jurchens retreat, they will inevitably attack again. The land and people will be lost, and both people and land will be lost. The people will lose their land and people."
The earth is all there.”
When E Zhe heard the words, his eyes moved slightly, as if he was touched by Jia Heng's words.
Even if the Han Dynasty wanted to annex such a large tribe as Mongolia, it would not happen overnight.
Seeing this, Jia Heng said: "In this case, without further delay, the Chahar Mongols have begun to migrate to Datong. Two of my troops are in the southeast to alert the Jurchen army, who may take the opportunity to attack."
After thinking about the previous defeat of Jierhalang, Huang Taiji should have hesitated, but maybe the whole army would come.
E Zhe nodded, and then ordered a burly man serving in the military tent, saying: "Zhe Bu, order Qi Erlang immediately to escort the women and children of the clan to retreat to Datong."
There are still four Otuoks in Mongolia at the moment. If you include the old and the young, there are probably more than 200,000 people. Obviously, the migration to Datong at this moment may not be too fast.
Seeing Ezhe's determination, Jia Heng said: "After taking a short rest, we will discuss matters between the two parties to stop the Jurchen forward."
He actually didn't want to fight with Jurchen soldiers and horses now and suffer heavy damage.
E Zhe nodded and agreed.
…
…
Just as Jiaheng was discussing with Ezhe Khan of Chahar Mongolia, on the afternoon of the third day, Jierhalang also led the defeated soldiers with the blue flag to Guyuan. At this moment, Huang Taiji was already at the original Kaiping.
Wei Guyuan set up camp and was having a banquet with Mongolia and all the princes and ministers.
Because in the battle just now, Wanqi led by Ezhe's general Bater was defeated by Azig's troops.
At this moment, the Jurchen bannermen were chasing the remnant troops of Chahar Mongolia on the vast grassland.
In the big tent, there was a lot of laughter, laughter, and cheers, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
Huang Taiji hosted a banquet for the chiefs of the Aohan, Naiman, and Keshiketeng tribes, as well as Prince Baylor.
Just now, taking advantage of the great victory over the Chahar Mongolian cavalry, Huang Taiji rewarded the leaders of the three Naiman tribes who had surrendered with the title of King of Duoluo County, and his son with titles such as Baylor and Beizi. Other Mongolians
Generals also have titles such as Duke of Zhen Guo and Duke of Fu Guo, etc.
Huang Taiji is sitting on a low couch covered with soft mattresses. This Jurchen hero is already in his sixties, with gray hair. Due to his long military career, he is lean and has not yet gained weight. He is energetic and has sharp eyes.
.
Huang Taiji smiled and said: "The Qing Dynasty treats the Manchus, Mongols, and Han people kindly. You all have gone with the army in the past, and you know it."
Deng Changchun, who was behind Fan Xiandou, the Minister of Civil Affairs below, raised his wine cup and took a sip. His eyes were narrow and narrow under his thin eyebrows, as if there was a faint light flickering.
The emperor talked about the Manchus first, then the Mongols, and finally the Han people. This way, there is an order of priority and importance.
Tara, the king of the Naiman tribe, smiled and said: "The Great Khan has given me the destiny to serve as Khan, and we are willing to serve him and drive him."
The other two princes of Keshiketeng and Aohan tribe also echoed.
For a time, words of loyalty came one after another.
Just when the atmosphere in the military tent was getting heated, a Jurchen soldier from outside suddenly broke into the military tent, cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Zheng is back."
Huang Taiji still kept a smile on his face and asked: "Prince Zheng is back so soon?"
Immediately, he felt something was wrong in his heart. He sent Prince Zheng to Datong to monitor and deter the Han army. Looking at the situation now, could it be that... something happened on the road.
It’s no wonder that Huang Taiji didn’t think of defeat as an option. In the decades since the rise of the Jurchens, especially after the Longzhi period when Liaodong was conquered as the land of Longxing, the Jurchens were almost invincible and invincible. How had they ever lost a battle?
The newly minted Mongolian princes and ministers in the military tent were also a little surprised.
But they couldn't wait long, and saw Jierhalang leading several generals. They didn't wear helmets, their hair was disheveled, their clothes were messy, and there were still blood stains on them. The look on their faces showed that they had suffered a defeat.
In an instant, the originally noisy and lively atmosphere in the tent seemed to have been poured cold water on. Naiman, Aohan, Prince Beile of Keshiketeng and the Mongolian generals all put down their wine cups and looked at Zheng in surprise.
Prince Jirharang.
"Brother Emperor." Just when Huang Taiji's eyes were straightened and he stopped talking, Jierhalang suddenly knelt down with a "pop" sound, walked a few steps on his knees, looked gloomy, and muttered: "Failed, defeated.
"
Jierhalang is not young, he is over 40 years old. He can be said to be a veteran who has been fighting for half his life. At this moment, his eyes are red and he said: "Brother, Xianglan Banner met the main force of the Han Army. They have 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers."
"People, we only have ten thousand people. The two armies clashed and were outnumbered. We lost thousands of men at once. Seeing that Zhenghuang Banner could not defeat the Han army, he surrendered to the Han army. Wudahai's nephew also..."
At the end of the sentence, the seven-foot-tall man's voice choked with sobs.
This time only more than 2,000 people with the blue flag came back, and they almost fled in a hurry. The bitterness of defeat and self-blame filled Jierhalang's heart like weeds.
The wine cup in Huang Taiji's hand fell on the table with a "clack" sound. He was stunned for a long time, his face darkened, and he said, "What's going on?"
At this time, the general with a blue flag on the side quickly stepped forward and explained the whole story of the battle between the two sides.
When everyone in the military tent heard this, they were all shocked and looked at each other in confusion.
“Peng!
!”
Azige slammed the table and said angrily: "Liu Zhiyuan, this bitch slave, I have long believed that he is unreliable. If T Zheng Huang Qi fights to the death, will the losses be so heavy?"
Xu Shi drank too much and cursed angrily: "These Han people are half-hearted."
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the entire hall suddenly became deathly silent, and the expressions of the Han generals in the distance changed slightly.
Dorgon's face paused slightly, he held the cup in his hand and stared at Azig.
Huang Taiji said in a deep voice: "Twelfth brother, shut up!"
As he said that, the dozing tiger suddenly opened its ferocious eyes, stared at Jierhalang, and said: "The Han army has 40,000 to 50,000 cavalry. Where did the Han army get the 40,000 to 50,000 cavalry?"
At this time, Dorgon, who was sitting at the bottom, frowned, his face was frosty, he stood up from his seat, bowed his hands and said: "Brother, the 12th Regiment of the Han Army in Beijing has more than 200,000 soldiers and horses.
There are also 40,000 to 50,000 cavalry, and this time it is clearly to prevent the Qing Dynasty from sending troops to conquer Chahar Mongolia and destroy the country."
When Huang Taiji heard this, his face was as gloomy as iron, and he said: "This Jia Heng was first in the south, and now he is in the grassland. He is truly the enemy of our Qing Dynasty."
Duduo died at the hands of Jia Heng first, and now Prince Zheng Jierharang also suffered a big loss at the hands of Jia Heng. It can be said that Huang Taiji has a murderous intention in his heart, and he can't wait to get rid of Jia Heng and then quickly!
Dorgon said: "Brother Emperor, the most urgent task now is to block the Chahar Mongols' southward escape route and prevent them from joining the Han army."
At this time, Azig said angrily: "Brother, brother, let me lead the troops over, and I will definitely cut off the head of this little Jia Heng!"
As Azig loudly asked for orders, all the generals of the Qing army in the hall also stood up to ask for battle, including many generals with Han banners.
Because Liu Zhiyuan of Zhenghuang Banner had previously led troops to surrender to the Han army, this somewhat stung the sensitive nerves of the Han army generals.
Fan Xiandou suddenly stood up and said: "Your Majesty, now that our army has suffered a new defeat, it will lose its vigor. Especially if we don't know the details of the Han army's camp in Beijing, we should not act rashly. The Lord cannot raise an army in anger, and the general cannot attack in anger."
Azig glared angrily and said: "They have 40,000 to 50,000 cavalry and more than 10,000 men with blue flags, so they can barely make a draw. As long as we join the army, we can win it in one go. At that time, the Han people had no cavalry, and they would never be able to fight again."
We can't afford to make trouble, brother emperor, now while they are in contact with Ezhe, we are about to attack them with the whole army and catch them all in one fell swoop."
Dorgon frowned and said, "Brother, please don't be rude!"
Huang Taiji's old eyes were as sharp as a hawk, staring at Jierhalang, and said: "Prince Zheng, please get up first and tell me what the Han army's combat strength was like during the fight."
At this moment, Jierhalang was kneeling on the ground and did not get up. Instead, he kowtowed and said, "Brother, please punish me."
Then he recounted the previous battle.
Huang Taiji frowned and listened quietly to his account of the previous battle.
Jierhalang told how to meet the enemy and how to fight against it.
Huang Taiji said coldly: "The enemy has 40,000 to 50,000 horsemen. You don't know how many soldiers and horses there are at once, so you dare to attack rashly. Why are you so reckless?"
In fact, Jia Heng relied on the telescope as a weapon to observe the military situation, and Pang Shili was far away on one wing.
Jierhalang sent out cavalry scouts, but did not find the movements of the official army. In addition, he did not take the Han cavalry too seriously, so he sent Wudahai to test. Once the "main force" of the Han army
When the front line wavered, the entire army immediately pressed forward and defeated the Han army at once, thus reaping a victory.
Indeed, the overall strength of the Han army was not noticed.
Moreover, at the critical moment, they rushed into battle, coupled with Liu Zhiyuan's advice, and their confidence that the Jurchen Eight Banners elite soldiers were invincible, who would have thought of being completely defeated?
However, this defeat obviously also made the Jurchens aware of the combat power of the Han Dynasty's cavalry.
After hearing what Jierhalang said, Huang Taiji's eyes flashed and he scolded: "Where is your usual caution? On the battlefield, how can you dare to attack the whole army without knowing the enemy's situation on the battlefield?"
Jierhalang was scolded by Huang Taiji, his head was lowered tightly, and he did not dare to speak back.
Huang Taiji's face turned livid and he said angrily: "Push out and chop down the Hun King who ruined my daughter's true son and damaged my spirit!"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of everyone in the military tent changed slightly, but the guards were stunned for a short time, not daring to answer the order.
Dorgon reacted quickly. Before the guards of Zhenghuang Banner escorted Jierhalang out of the tent and beheaded him, he knelt down and begged: "Brother, the entire Han army was out of the fortress, and Prince Zheng was not aware of it for a moment. It was not a fight."
Please allow me to allow Prince Zheng to perform meritorious service in front of the army to atone for his crime."
At this moment, Azig's eyes flashed and he knelt down to apologize.
When Fan Xiandou saw this, the old god was sitting aside, and he, Deng Changchun and other Han officials did not participate in such matters.
On the other hand, Tara from the Naiman tribe rolled her eyes and said: "Your Majesty, Prince Zheng's defeat was also due to a sneak attack by the shameless Han people. Judging from the battle just described, the Han army's cavalry numbered 40,000 to 50,000, and none of them could be left behind.
I am waiting for thousands of people. If we lose this battle, we will regain our position. Why should we kill the generals?"
He looked at the emperor who seemed not to want to execute Prince Zheng.
As Tara came out to plead for mercy, the Khans of the Aohan tribe and the Khans of the Keshiketeng tribe also responded and began to plead for Prince Zheng.
At this time, many Han generals knelt down to beg for mercy.
Huang Taiji watched this scene, was silent for a while, and said coldly: "Jierharang, can you hear me?"
Jierhalang said: "The humble minister is terrified."
"Prince Zheng, leave behind a useful person and avenge your previous shame!" Dorgon called.
Huang Taiji said with an indifferent expression: "Come here, Prince Zheng will be reduced to a commoner, and he will be dispatched to the army. He will set up a blue flag to replenish the soldiers, and rest in Guyuan for the time being."
Xianglan Banner will definitely need to be rebuilt, but for now we can only stay in the rear and wait until we lead the troops to destroy the Han cavalry before we can worry about it.
At this moment, the Jurchen elites still have two white banners, two yellow banners and 30,000 elites. If we add the four banners of the eight banners of the Han army, the Mongolian cavalry of the Horqin Mongolia and the five Inner Khalkha tribes, and the three Chahar Mongolian tribes, there are still six
Seventy thousand soldiers and horses.
Jia Heng's choice not to confront Huang Taiji's main force was actually a wise choice. If a battle really started, the Han-Mongolian coalition would definitely be defeated.
"Is there any news from Hauge and Yue Tuo?" Huang Taiji asked in a low voice with a worried look on his face.
In fact, this place is very close to Xuanhua, and it was even the Yongping Guard of Xuanfu's old defense area.
At this time, Fei Yingdong clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the eldest prince has only been to Xuanfu for ten days, and there is no news yet."
Huang Taiji pondered for a moment, as if thinking about something, and said: "Gather the troops and horses, and gallop to Jining Haizi early tomorrow morning to fight to the death with the Han and Mongolian armies!"
If the two armies are allowed to retreat to Datong, it will be more complicated to defeat the coalition forces. If the Jurchen forces want to attack the city, the casualties will be too high.
At this moment, the Jurchen hero made the wisest choice in an instant, taking advantage of the Han cavalry and the Mongolian coalition forces not yet being integrated, and planned to take the opportunity to attack.
However, because Datong was relatively close to Jininghaizi, the entire retreat process was orderly. However, after all, there were too many old, weak, women and children in the Chahar Mongolian tribe, so the speed was somewhat slow.
Finally, on the evening of the third day, Jia Heng, who was escorting Jia Heng to Chahar Mongolia, discovered the Jurchen Jingqi 40 miles away from Datong.
This was the last group of women and children. At this moment, Jia Heng had joined the main force of E Zhe and others, preparing to meet the enemy.
Thousands of miles away, Xuanhua City, from Dushikou to Xuanfu City, was immersed in fighting. The soldiers and horses in Xuanfu Town were struggling to support the city, but at this moment, the Beiping Dusi also transferred 10,000 soldiers and horses to support Xuanfu.
Just when the war on the Han Dynasty's east-west defense line was in full swing——
Shenjing, Daming Palace, inner study room
It was in the afternoon, the sky was filled with sunset, and the golden-red glow came in through the window, illuminating the jade steps and furniture.
The middle-aged emperor in the dragon robe put down the memorial in his hand, looked outside, with a worried look on his thin face, and asked: "Dai Quan, what time is it?"
Dai Quan served a cup of Longjing tea and said, "Your Majesty, it's time to apply for the license. The empress has sent the female official over to invite the Holy Emperor to Kunning Palace for dinner."
"There is no military report from the military aircraft department yet?" Emperor Chongping stood up and asked.
Dai Quan said: "The day before yesterday, there was an urgent delivery of six hundred miles from Xuanfu. The front line of Xuanfu found signs of Jurchen troops."
Emperor Chongping was silent for a moment and asked: "Where is the Jinyi Mansion? They use Jinyi flying pigeons to deliver messages, so military information can be more timely."
"Your Majesty, there is no message from the flying pigeon yet from Marquis Yongning." Dai Quan said in a low voice.
Emperor Chongping was silent for a moment, feeling irritated, and murmured: "Since Ziyu went to Datong, there has been no military dispatch. Since there is a war in Xuanfu, what will happen to Datong? Has it united with Chahar Mongolia?
"
Can he win? As the past few days passed, he gradually became unsure.
According to the intelligence summary from the Military Aircraft Department, the Jurchens came this time to destroy their country.
Dai Quan listened to Emperor Chongping's worried words, but could not answer.
Even he couldn't tell whether Marquis Yongning would continue his victory in such a battle.
Fortunately, Emperor Chongping sighed for a while, and he was probably hungry, so he said: "Show me in Kunning Palace."