Chapter 440 Wu Sangui in the Battle of Songshan (1)
Although the Battle of Songshan ended with a disastrous defeat for the Ming army, a young general like Ding Yunyi showed extraordinary courage and strategy in this battle:
Wu Sangui!
Jinzhou is an outpost of the Ming Dynasty in western Liaoning. It is an important link in the Ningjin defense line and has a very important strategic position. Eighteen miles south of it is Songshan City, eighteen miles southwest of Songshan is Keshan City, and twenty miles southwest of Keshan City is Tashan.
.These three cities guard Jinzhou like wings, and one hundred and twenty miles west of it is the important town of Ningyuan, which is a strong backing for Jinzhou. If Jinzhou is broken, the three cities will follow, and Ningyuan will become an isolated city.
, it is difficult to survive on its own, and the entire line of defense will collapse without attack.
The guard general of Jinzhou at this time was Zu Dashou, the Ming forward general who pretended to surrender to the Qing army at Dalinghe.
At that time, Zu Dashou and He Kegang were stationed at Daling River and fought with the Qing army. When they ran out of ammunition and food and there were no reinforcements, Zu Dashou pretended to surrender to Huang Taiji. He Kegang refused and was tortured and died calmly.
After Zu Dashou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he falsely claimed that if he could return to Jinzhou, he would be able to outwit the Qing court.
Huang Taiji readily agreed.
Unexpectedly, he never came back, and his son and nephew were not spared the money.
After Zu Dashou returned to Jinzhou, he resisted Qing Emperor Taiji's attempts to surrender many times, and continued to encounter his enemies. With his fortified city and powerful artillery, the Qing army was unable to attack repeatedly.
At this time, Zhang Cunhong, a Han minister under Huang Taiji, offered a plan:
"After observing the situation, I realized that my plan to besiege Jinzhou was perfect. Your Majesty, Emperor Fuyuan, based on the cultivation of crops, led his elite troops to Jinzhou and issued orders to Mongolia as a spy plan. He would capture more native soldiers and spread the imperial edict widely.
The order is to recruit the commander-in-chief according to his thoughts, and to appease the righteous soldiers..."
Huang Taiji suddenly realized something.
At the same time, he accepted the suggestion of Zukefa and others: to station troops in Yizhou.
Who do you think this Zu Kefa is?
He was the son of Zu Dashou. After his stay in Jin Dynasty, Zu Kefa surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in earnest and sincerely, and he also became a member of the Qing Imperial Court to participate in the political affairs of the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, Emperor Taiji of the Qing Dynasty, on the advice of Zhang Cunhong and Zu Kefa, used Yizhou as an outpost for stationing troops and advancing into Jinzhou.
The Ming Dynasty's army to aid Jin Dynasty was led by Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao.
Hong Chengchou was a native of Nan'an, Fujian. He was a Jinshi in the 14th year of Wanli and the governor of Sanqin. He was highly valued by the court for his contribution in suppressing the peasant uprisings in Shaanxi and other places. This time Jinzhou was in emergency, and Chongzhen ordered him to lead his army out to rescue the siege of Jinzhou.
Recruited Yifu Commander-in-Chief Yang Guozhu, Datong Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu, Miyun Governor Tang Tong, Jizhou Commander-in-Chief Bai Guangen, Yutian Commander-in-Chief Cao Bianjiao, Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Ma Ke, former Tunwei Commander-in-Chief Wang Tingchen, and Ningyuan Commander-in-Chief Wu Sangui.
An army of 130,000 troops and 40,000 horses were assembled in Ningyuan and were on standby.
From the seaside to Ningyuan City, not far away, there is a place to store military rations. Surrounded by earthen forts, archery towers, and blockhouses, there are many Ming troops stationed there, and only the flags fluttering in the wind.
Hong Chengchou took a group of generals, staff and escorts to the beach and turned back to look at Danghua Island and the sea. Hong Chengchou said with emotion:
"It is not easy for the country to raise military rations. It is also not easy to transport them by sea and land. The wind is relatively normal now, but the sea is already very rough. It can be seen that grain ships are often sunk in the Bohai Sea, which is not surprising."
A middle-aged civil servant was standing next to him on horseback. He was Zhang Ruolin, the commander-in-chief of the army recently sent by the imperial court. After hearing what Hong Chengchou said, he hurriedly said:
"What your Excellency said is absolutely true. It is precisely because military rations are hard to come by that the Emperor is in a hurry to relieve the siege of Jinzhou so as not to waste his troops and money."
Alternate Taoist title, Xingyuan Zanhua Liu Zizheng was very disgusted with this exaggerated and flamboyant commander-in-chief who only knew how to talk. After hearing this, he couldn't help but sneered slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Hong Chengchou winking, so he had to hold back. Hong Chengchou shouted:
"General Wu!"
"Here we are!" A handsome and fierce commander in chief quickly rode forward. He was none other than Wu Sangui.
Hong Chengchou waited for him to come closer, and then said gently: "Juehua Island and outside Ningyuan City are important areas where the national military supplies are stored. They are the lifeblood of the army. There must be no negligence. The general will go to Songshan the day after tomorrow. I hope the general will go to Songshan tomorrow."
Within one day, how to strengthen the defense of Ningyuan and Juehua Island will be properly deployed to prepare for emergencies. In some places, more forts and archery towers should be built, and in other places, more troops should be added. Please follow the instructions of the headquarters. As long as Ningyuan
Hejuehua Island is impregnable, so our army has no worries and can boldly engage the enemy outside Jinzhou City."
"In your humble duties, you must follow the instructions of your Excellency. You will never be negligent in the slightest. Please rest assured, Your Excellency."
Hong Chengchou looked at him and nodded with a smile, and said: "General Wu, if all the generals in the army are as dedicated as the generals, what will the court have to worry about?"
"My lord, I don't deserve the award."
In the eyes of Hong Chengchou, Wu Sangui was the most important one among the eight generals. He understood that Wu Sangui was from outside the Pass, and many of his family and relatives were famous generals outside the Pass. If he could serve the court loyally, then many generals would be
They can follow him and serve the court; if he refuses to do his best, other generals will naturally slack off. What's more, he is the nephew of Zu Dashou who sticks to Jinzhou, and the Zu family not only has a group of important generals in Jinzhou City,
He had a strong foundation even in Ningyuan City. Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou wanted to win over him, so he asked:
"Your father, you are in good health these days! Do you often get letters?"
Wu Sangui's father, Wu Xiang, had retired from illness and lived in Beijing after his son became the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan. When Wu Sangui asked, he hurriedly leaned over and said:
"Thank you, Your Excellency. Recently, I have been greatly favored by the Emperor and am now able to live in the capital and enjoy leisurely walks in the forest. Although I am nearly sixty years old, I am still in good health. Yesterday, a letter came saying that it was important to rescue Jinzhou. The Emperor was worried about this matter.
"When I went to court, I often asked about the military situation outside the Pass, which made me sigh."
After walking no more than two miles, Hong Chengchou suddenly stopped by the road, looked at a reed-covered beach three miles to the right, pointed with his whip, and said to Wu Sangui:
"General, please send someone to burn that piece of reed. Don't be careless."
"Yes, sir. I will order people to burn it now."
When Wu Sangui ordered a primary school student to lead people to burn the reed beach, Hong Chengchou waited on horseback.
Supervisor Zhang Ruolin smiled at Hong Chengchou and said:
"The commander-in-chief has been in the army for a long time. Naturally he is cautious in everything, but judging from his humble position, this place is far away from Jinzhou, and no enemy cavalry will come. There is no food near the beach. Even if he comes, he will not reach the reed.
Go to the beach."
Hong Chengchou said:
"In military matters, you must be more careful. Firstly, you must beware of the intruders who come to burn food. Secondly, you must beware of any changes in the war situation. On weekdays, you still need to be safe and don't forget the danger, let alone the word "safe" today."
After the fire smoke started in several places on the reed beach, Hong Chengchou led a group of people into the city. As he was about to enter the city gate, Zhang Ruolin said to Hong Chengchou again:
"Currently, the emperor is very anxious to urge the war. We can only advance, not retreat. We can only win, not lose. As long as our soldiers are united and have the courage to kill the enemy, we will definitely win the battle. How can we be afraid of ourselves before we have faced the enemy? Sir Hong,
We, who live on the emperor's salary and are in the army, must understand the emperor's painstaking efforts in urging the war."
Hong Chengchou was very unhappy and replied: "Although the emperor urges the war, victory or defeat is related to the safety of the country. How can we make a desperate move?"
"The morale is very high at the moment. There are often small victories."
Hong Chengchou was very impatient with him, so he said to Wu Sangui behind him: "General Wu is stationed in the important town of Ningyuan and has experienced many battles. In your opinion, what should we do?"
Wu Sangui was also very dissatisfied with Zhang Ruolin's ignorance. He said: "Although the morale is strong, it is only superficial. Has Mr. Zhang ever visited each camp carefully and talked with the soldiers personally? As for the so-called small victory, it is just a small encounter between the two sides.
, killing and injuring each other. It has nothing to do with the overall situation. If a few soldiers are captured today, and a few more will be captured tomorrow, it cannot be considered a real war. A real war is when both sides use their full strength to decide the outcome, and it is not even possible to talk about it now.
.If you only see occasional small victories, only catch a few people, kill a few people, and don't look at the fundamentals, you will easily fall into a mistake."
Wu Sangui's words were eloquent. Hong Chengchou nodded and smiled, Liu Zizheng secretly applauded, but Zhang Ruolin was speechless.
Huang Taiji heard that the Ming Dynasty sent Hong Chengchou to rescue Jinzhou, so he ordered to break camp and march to Songshan. He arrived at Songshan a few days ago. Songshan is eighteen miles south of Jinzhou City, opposite the two peaks of Keshan in the southwest. As the corner of Jinzhou City, it faces Youming
Soldiers were stationed to protect Jinzhou.
Huang Taiji led Fan Wencheng, Hao Ge, Azige, Zuk Kefa and others up the mountain to look out, and saw the ups and downs of hills, winding and twisting. Looking at Xingshan Mountain in the distance, the situation was similar to that of Songshan Mountain. Only behind Keshan Mountain, there was a layer of faint
At the top of the mountain, Huang Taiji pointed his whip far away and asked Fan Wencheng:
"But what are the mountains outside the mountain called?"
Fan Wencheng replied: "That is Tashan."
Huang Taiji looked for a long time and then looked down at the foot of the mountain. He saw flags flying in the distance, which was expected to be the Ming army camp. He went down the mountain and returned to his tent. He ordered the entire army to form like a long snake, setting up camps one after another from Songshan to Xingshan, crossing the border.
Avenue.
Zu Dashou took advantage of the reinforcements and commanded the infantry to rush out of the city, trying to break out of the Qing army's encirclement. Dorgon led the Qing army and surrounded the Ming army on three levels. Zu Dashou only broke through two levels before being driven away by the Qing army.
The Ming reinforcements fought together, but Azig, Hauge, and Jierhalang resisted desperately, making it impossible for them to communicate with the Ming troops in the city.
Hong Chengchou couldn't attack, and Zu Dashou couldn't get out. When he was in distress, Wu Sangui suddenly came to see him.
Hong Chengchou asked: "Fighting during the day, the Qing army fought tooth and nail to resist. Seeing that they had succeeded, they failed again. What good strategy does General Wu have?"
Wu Sangui said: "I am humble enough to come to see you for this matter."
When Hong Chengchou heard this, his eyes lit up and he asked: "If you have any idea, please tell me quickly."
Wu Sangui whispered: "I am willing to lead fifty soldiers to camp overnight to assassinate Huang Taiji."
Hong Chengchou was shocked when he heard this: "The enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered, and our defenses are tight. Isn't General Wu telling a joke?"
Wu Sangui looked solemn: "Our army has been unable to attack for a long time, and my uncle has been trapped for several months. If we don't try something, something will happen! There has been a battle during the day, and the enemy soldiers must not have expected that I will attack the camp again at night. If I can succeed, there is no telling.
In order to save my uncle and defeat the enemy early, I will not give up even if I die!"
Hong Chengchou frowned, thought for a long time, and finally waved his hand: "Okay!"
That night, Wu Sangui led fifty soldiers, put on black clothes and armor, carried a sword and ran towards the enemy camp.
Wu Sangui led the crowd into the enemy camp, causing a chaos. An officer directed the crowd to stop Wu Sangui and shouted:
"Go and protect His Majesty!"
Wu Sangui and all the dead soldiers slashed with their swords. Upon hearing the officer's shout, they followed the enemy and rushed towards Huang Taiji's tent. The Qing Dynasty warriors were dedicated to protecting Huang Taiji, but unexpectedly they played the role of leader.
While most of them were still awake, they were reading documents in the tent when suddenly there was a commotion outside and they were shocked to hear:
"There's an assassin!"
After a while, Wu Sangui was the first to enter the tent with a big sword in his hand. He slashed the big knife left and right, causing one guard to lose his head and another to break his arm. When Huang Taiji saw Wu Sangui entering the tent to commit murder, he quickly drew his sword from his waist and blocked Wu Sangui's attack.
It was thanks to Huang Taiji's martial arts skills that he had a big sword. After two or three battles, Huang Taiji was defeated, and his sword was knocked away by Wu Sangui. Huang Taiji turned pale in shock and thought: "My life is at stake!"
In the critical moment, a general suddenly rushed in and waved his sword to separate Wu Sangui's beheading sword. This person was Azig. At this moment, more than a dozen guards rushed in to protect him, and a fierce fight broke out.
, two more of the Manchu guards were hacked to death. At this time, the Manchu army was getting larger and larger. Wu Sangui saw that he could not succeed and would only suffer losses if he continued to fight, so he roared and rushed out of the tent, his sword shining brightly.
The blood is flowing and no one can stop it.
Wu Sangui led the crowd to run out, and Azige led his men in hot pursuit. Suddenly, there was a shout from the front, and the torches were brightly lit. Hong Chengchou had sent troops to meet him, and passed Wu Sangui to fight with Azige. Azige was afraid that there was an ambush.
, did not dare to fight, and hurriedly led his troops back. Wu Sangui checked the troops and horses, and found that no one was killed and only a few were injured.
Huang Taiji waited for Wu Sangui to leave, and Azige returned to the camp, still in shock. Everyone came to visit and the tent was crowded. After a long while, Huang Taiji said: "This... this assassin looks so familiar.
Like I’ve seen it somewhere.”
Azig hurriedly said: "This person looks like the young general who broke out to rescue people in Datong a few years ago."
When Huang Taiji heard this, he suddenly realized: "It's him! It's him!"
He couldn't help but exclaim: "You are so brave!"
...
In the Battle of Songshan, Datong General Wang Pu took the lead in escaping, causing the Ming army to be momentarily passive.
After Chen Zhongcai learned about Wang Pu's escape, he immediately found Hong Chengchou: "Datong Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu was greedy for life and feared death. As soon as he returned to his camp, he led his troops to escape to the southwest. Commander-in-Chief Yang Guochang also
He led his own men and horses to follow and fled. Now all the camps are frightened and collapsed. The situation is extremely critical. Please mount your horses quickly, just in case."
Hong Chengchou stamped his feet and said: "It deserves to be killed! It deserves to be killed! Go quickly and give a strict order. The men and horses in each battalion are not allowed to panic or move. They must stay calm and guard the camp. All the officers and soldiers of the Supervisor Biao Battalion are ready to meet the enemy and follow my supervisor to fight to the death."
.Anyone below the rank of commander-in-chief who dares to abandon the stronghold and flee will be killed without mercy!"
"Obey the order!" Chen Zhongcai turned around and left.