Several warriors sent by Obai had sneaked into the grain field. When they heard the sound of the cannon in front, they set fire to it regardless of what happened. When the hay met the fire, the flames suddenly rose into the sky, and in an instant, the night sky was illuminated.
It was like daylight. Zhang Dou kept complaining: "It's broken, the Tatars have set a fire. Go and put out the fire."
In the middle of the night, the Ming army did not know how many enemies there were. They could only hear the roar of killings and the flames in the village. All the soldiers with yellow flags in Aobai were so brave that they rushed into the Ming army camp and ran rampant, as if they were in a deserted place.
At the border, the Ming army was in chaos. Abatai in front released a dozen weak horses to cross the road and destroyed all the traps dug by Zhang Dou. The large group of people quickly rushed to the center of the grain field. Seeing that the situation was over, the Ming army put down their swords and guns one after another.
surrender.
Zhang Dou cried in despair: "Master Hong, you are humble and incompetent, and I have failed to live up to your trust." He kowtowed to Songshan City, then stood up, shouted and rushed towards the Qing army, cutting down more than ten people in a row, and was finally beaten.
Killed with an arrow.
After Hong Chengchou inspected the camp, he was reviewing important documents submitted by his staff when Cao Bianjiao suddenly broke in: "Mr. Governor, something bad is going on. A large number of Qing troops are coming from the northwest and are extending to the southwest corner. They seem to want to cut us off.
The connection with Xingshan.”
Hong Chengchou asked in surprise: "How many troops are there?"
"At least twenty to thirty thousand."
Hong Chengchou put down his pen and said, "Let's go up to the top of the city and have a look."
When the two walked to the door, they saw the guards leading a group of people walking towards the Governor's Mansion. The group of people were covered in blood, and some of their sleeves had been singed. Hong Chengchou was stunned: "There is no fighting today, where are the remaining soldiers?
Defeated?" An ominous thought flashed in his mind: "Not good. Is there something wrong with the food and grass on Beacon Mountain?"
This group of people came to Hong Chengchou and knelt down: "Master Hong, the Qing army has seized the food and grass in Bijia Mountain, and Master Zhang Jianjun has been killed in battle."
Hong Chengchou was so shocked that it took him a long time to say: "Zhang has destroyed my big job."
Cao Bianjiao was shaken when he saw the governor, and advised: "Sir, let's go back to the governor's palace to discuss countermeasures."
Hong Chengchou felt that his legs were weak at this moment, and every step he took felt like he was stepping on cotton. There was no way he could reach the top of the city: "Okay, let's go back home."
Hong Chengchou stayed up all night. Until now, he seemed to have understood the reason for Yuan Chonghuan's failure. He realized that he was destined to fail too. Because there were too many defensive loopholes like Changling in the Jiliao area, Huang Taiji had no choice.
Any sudden advance from any place may knock him off guard.
Finally, he stayed up until dawn. He didn't even eat breakfast, so he led all the troops to the top of the city. He saw the Qing army extending from the northwest to the southeast of the city, like a wall lying underneath, and they were digging trenches.
"The Ming troops in the city heard it clearly. Your supplies from Bijia Mountain have been taken away. These are your soldiers from Bijia Mountain. This is your supplies."
A large group of Ming army soldiers were being escorted and heading east, followed closely by cart after cart of grain and grass.
"You see. Officers and soldiers of the Ming Army, you are surrounded and your food is gone. Hurry up and surrender the city. Those who offer the city will be rewarded. Those who surrender will live, and those who resist will be killed."
The soldiers on the city started chattering, and Hong Chengchou turned around: "Let's go back to the Governor's Mansion."
In the Governor's Mansion, two senior officials from the Ministry of War and the generals from all walks of life gathered together. Hong Chengchou said: "Zhang Dou has lost his food and grass. The military situation has suddenly changed, but you don't need to panic. The Qing army's propaganda is intended to disturb the morale of the army. We should not be fooled. I am the governor.
There is an order to kill anyone who talks about military affairs in private."
In an emergency period, Hong Chengchou wanted to "establish prestige" to stabilize the morale of the army. He went on to say: "The Art of War says that if you encircle ten, we have an army of more than 100,000. If Huang Taiji wants to truly encircle, he must have an army of one million, otherwise he will be surrounded."
The Jurchen army can break out from any point. As you have just seen, the Jurchen army in the south is only 20,000 or 30,000, and it is distributed on a defense line of more than ten miles. With our army of more than 100,000, it is easy to break out. Now there is food in the city
It was only enough for two or three days, so Hong thought that he should break out of the encirclement immediately and withdraw the army to Ningyuan to solve the problem of food and grass, and then look for opportunities to defeat the enemy." After that, he consulted Zhang and Ma, two senior military officials: "You two
What do you think, sir?"
Zhang Ruoqi said loudly: "The governor is right. The most important thing now is food. Only with food can the morale of the military be truly stabilized."
Hong Chengchou ordered: "Everyone, go back immediately and prepare. Tomorrow we will make food at the third watch and break out at the fifth watch."
Doesn’t Huang Taiji know the principle of ten sieges, but every time he implements siege with a force equal to that of the enemy, why does he dare to violate the taboo of military strategists? He has a secret, that is "digging trenches". Every time he digs a huge trench
One-third of the enemy's strength can be offset by one trench. Three huge trenches can equal 90%, and the remaining 10% is exactly equal to the enemy's strength. In this way, it is exactly the number of ten sieges.
By dusk, the Qing army had dug two huge trenches and began to dig a third trench. They also mounted ten red cannons under the east gate. Although the soldiers on the city did not dare to talk anymore, they all looked shocked.
The color of fear.
Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, saw the situation clearly from the top of the city. When he came back from the Governor's Mansion, he summoned the generals and said: "We can't wait any longer. If we wait until tomorrow morning and the Jurchens have dug all three trenches, I think...
It is impossible to leave, and Songshan will become the second largest city in Jinzhou. Therefore, this town decided to break out tonight and go to Benning for food."
Several generals unanimously agreed with Wang Pu's decision: "Your Majesty, the chief of the town thinks so. We cannot wait to die here."
"You must act in secret and be sure not to make it public, otherwise you will not be able to leave."
Several people said in unison: "Don't worry, Lord General, I will understand."
In the middle of the night, Wang Pu quietly broke out of camp. He led his troops to the seaside area, bypassed the huge trench, and then ran to Ningyuan. He took the lead in retreating, and the other routes soon became known. Wu Sangui cursed: "Wang Pu,
Aren’t you just fucking relying on Chen Xinjia? If you dare to withdraw, I won’t dare to withdraw?”
Wu Sangui and other soldiers outside the pass had figured out Chongzhen's thoughts. Yuan Chonghuan was executed and Zu Dashou escaped from the pass, but the court did not do anything to them. Wu Sangui thought, as long as I have soldiers in my hands, the court will not dare to do anything to me.
Wu Sangui invited Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Pass, and the two hit it off immediately: "Let's go, why not go." So, they also fled. The two chose to go straight to the northwest. They also wanted to bypass the huge trench and take Ningyuan.
Immediately after Bai Guangen from Jizhou, Tang Tong from Miyun also fled.
Hong Chengchou was discussing with his favorite generals Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen and others about tomorrow's breakout and deployment of defenses after reaching Ningyuan. The guards ran in in a panic: "Your Majesty the Governor, Your Majesty Wang Pu Wang has run away with his team."
Hong Chengchou screamed in surprise: "Ah? What did you say?"
"Wang Pu, Lord Wang has run away."
Hong Chengchou gritted his teeth with hatred and yelled at the table: "This young master is a bastard. He dares to escape without authorization. Isn't he afraid of the court's laws? I can't kill him with the governor's sword?"
Cao Bianjiao said: "My lord, don't worry. I will catch up with you later. Capture this scum and correct military law."
Hong Chengchou knew Cao's method of turning into a dragon: "Okay, it won't be too late. You should chase him immediately. You must catch him back and let him taste the edge of Fang's sword."
Before Cao Bianjiao could reach the door, another guard ran in: "Sir, something bad happened. Wu Sangui and Ma Ke ran away."
Immediately afterwards, someone came to report: Mr. Tang Tongtang and Mr. Bai Guangen also ran away.
Hong Chengchou's head buzzed, he sat down on the chair, beat his chest and cried loudly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the court has raised such scum. How can you let me win the battle?"
Wang Pu and his party quietly bypassed the ditch and went up the coastal official road. He was secretly proud: I finally did not lose this little possessions at the foot of Songshan City.
Little did he know that his every move was under the surveillance of the Qing army. He was fleeing in front, and two thousand Qing soldiers were following him.
At dawn, Wang Pu arrived at Gaoqiao Town. Not far away, he reached Ningyuan. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Have a rest for a while, light a fire and make food, and then leave after you are full."
Duduo led 5,000 soldiers and horses to lie in wait at Gaoqiao for three or four days, but still saw no movement from the Ming army. He had always been convinced of the emperor's decision, but this time he lost his composure: "Your Majesty,
You can't be mistaken, can the Ming army really come this way?" Because of the lesson from the last unauthorized rotation, he did not dare to retreat, so he had to wait patiently. Finally, the Ming army appeared and gradually entered the ambush circle. He sighed in admiration
: "My brother the emperor, you are really amazing."
The Qing troops were already impatient and waiting for Duduo's order before they pounced on them.
The Ming soldiers had just sat down to light a fire. Before the rice was put into the pot, they heard the sound of a cannon. A group of Qing soldiers rushed over like lightning from the sky. Wang Pu was so frightened that he trembled into a ball: "This
…Where did this enemy soldier fall from?”
In an instant, the Qing army had rushed in front of them. The Ming army had been walking all night, tired and hungry. Wherever they could resist the wolves and tigers of the Eight Banners soldiers, they fled one after another. The Qing army came from the north, and they could only go south.
To escape, there was the sea to the south. Some Ming soldiers who knew how to swim jumped into the sea in order to escape.
Unexpectedly, a strong wind suddenly rose, and it was catching up with the morning tide. The waves were raging, and many Ming troops were swallowed by the tide. Some of the soldiers on the shore put down their weapons, and some were killed while escaping. The two thousand Qing soldiers behind them came back again.
When they came up, the 20,000 Ming army was almost wiped out. Wang Pu only led a hundred people to escape to Xingshan.
As soon as Wu Sangui and his party broke camp, Dorgon chased after them. The people who fled hated their parents for having two legs. They did not resist at all and ran away, causing even more heavy losses. Wu Sangui returned with only a dozen riders.
Arrive at Ningyuan City.
Azig, Dorgon, Abatai, Dudu and other generals returned to the camp one after another. The first words they said when they came in were: "The emperor uses his troops like a god, and I admire him."
The last one to come back was Duduo. In Duduo's eyes, the emperor was simply a god who knew everything. He knelt down and said: "Brother, the emperor, you are so awesome. I surrender, I surrender."
"
Everyone laughed.
Huang Taiji said: "I am as wise as anyone. This great victory was also due to the careful planning of Mr. Wencheng, General Shi Tingzhu, Zhang Cunren, Zhang Chengzheng and others."
Fan Wencheng said: "I and others have different opinions, but in the end the Holy Will is arbitrary."
Azig said: "Before the emperor came, we suffered repeated defeats. If we continue to fight, we may be eaten by Hong Chengchou. As soon as the emperor came, the situation immediately changed. In an instant, Ming's 130,000-strong army collapsed. The emperor is really powerful."
Kong Ming of the Qing Dynasty."
Huang Taiji said: "It's still the old saying of Sun Tzu in the art of war. Soldiers are also deceitful. Hong Chengchou is very smart. He found the magic weapon that restricts our strengths. The first is the iron caltrop and the second is the chariot formation. If we want to defeat him, we must
We must also find his vital points. His vital points are food and grass. Cutting off the enemy's food routes is a common technique used by military strategists. It depends on how we use it flexibly. To be a general, we must be good at finding the enemy's vital points and attacking them.
The enemy will be defeated."
At this time, Hubu Chengzheng had already counted the results of the battle. He entered the big tent and reported: "Your Majesty, this battle lasted four days, and 53,783 enemies were wiped out, and 7,440 horses were captured.
Four, the camel has sixty-six peaks, and the armor is nine thousand three hundred and forty-six."
Huang Taiji Long Yan was delighted: "The harvest from this battle is no less than entering the Pass."
Fan Wencheng had been worried about the emperor's health. He advised: "Your Majesty, the war is over, the Ming Dynasty's main force has collapsed, the weather is getting colder, and the Emperor is sick. Please return to the court as soon as possible."
Azig said hurriedly: "The emperor is leaving, but before leaving, he should make some arrangements for the war."
Huang Taiji smiled slightly: "Twelfth brother, are you afraid that I will leave as soon as possible?"
"No, no, no, I don't mean that. I just feel that once the emperor leaves, I feel uneasy."
"What a joke, you led your troops deep into the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, and I'm not with you either."
Abate said, "That's different. The emperor has made careful arrangements for us before each expedition."
"I will not make any arrangements this time. Prince Wuying, Raoyu Beile, Anping Beile, and the Songjin frontline will all be left to you. You can decide how to fight."
The guard standing next to Huang Taiji saw that the military affairs had been discussed in general, and whispered: "Your Majesty, there is a letter from the Queen."
Huang Taiji opened it eagerly and read: "Your Majesty, Hai Lanzhu is critically ill and I am eager to see the Emperor."
Huang Taiji's heart suddenly rose to his throat. In front of the generals, he could not be too emotional. He controlled and said slowly: "I will leave for the capital immediately."
Everyone was very surprised. Logically speaking, the emperor should hold a grand banquet and celebrate such a great victory. Why did he just leave? What did the letter say?
Azige couldn't hold his breath: "Your Majesty, is Concubine Chen's illness serious again?"
Huang Taiji pushed the letter to Azige's side. Azige picked it up and looked at it. Sure enough, it was true. He advised: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Concubine Chen's illness does not last for a day or two. People who have been ill for a long time will
It's easy to commit a crime, it's a good thing to commit a crime, nothing big will happen."
Huang Taiji shook his head: "You don't know that when I came, she was almost ill. The Queen will not use the word 'critically ill' lightly. I'm afraid this time it will be really bad. I have to go back to see her no matter what."
Her side."
Azig said, "It's getting late now. If we want to leave, we can wait until dawn tomorrow."
Huang Taiji said: "If it's too late, I'm afraid it's too late. As Mr. Wen Cheng said, the war is over, and I'm relieved." After saying that, he stood up and said, "Prepare your horses, Mr. Wen Cheng, Dorgon, Hauge, and
Let me go back to Beijing." (To be continued from Piaotian. This work is recommended by registered literature members.