In mid-July, after Liu Yan returned to Wangjiazhuang, he began to prepare for war. He ordered the Huolu Dun and Tunbao to keep watch day and night to deliver news in a timely manner. At the same time, he increased the amount of training and all the Seven Sentiao Dun armies were mobilized.
In addition, Liu Yan also ordered the Jia commanders and general households in various places to mobilize. Once something happens, these military households and civilians will also take up arms to guard everywhere.
After these orders were issued, the entire Wangjiazhuang was in an uproar. Not only did more than a thousand Dunjun soldiers from the Seven Posts begin to drill day and night, but even ordinary people became nervous.
On this day, Xu Ming came to the Hundred Households Hall and saw Liu Yan in the main hall looking at a map of the Thousand Households Office in front of Xiahe Village. Next to him, Wang Yunhe was holding a plate of fruit and just put it on the table.
"I have met your lord and my wife."
Liu Yan raised his head and glanced at Xu Ming, then immersed himself in looking at the map and said, "Is something wrong?"
"this……"
When Xu Ming saw Wang Yunhe here, he hesitated and did not continue.
Wang Yunhe said with a smile: "You guys are here to talk business, I'll go see how lunch is being prepared first."
After Wang Yunhe left, Xu Ming walked up to Liu Yan and said, "Sir, the commanders everywhere are at a loss. They don't know why you are suddenly preparing for war. They have opinions on this. Can you please explain it to me? "
Liu Yan didn't even raise his head and said directly: "As Dun Jun, do we need a reason to prepare the army for war?"
Xu Ming smiled coquettishly and said, "My lord is teaching me a lesson, but my subordinates are worried that others won't understand and will miss my lord's business."
Liu Yan then put away the map and said to Xu Ming: "I have my own reasons for doing this. You just need to execute it and don't think too much about anything else."
When Xu Ming saw this, he cupped his fists and accepted the order.
Then Wang Yunhe walked in again, smiled and said to Xu Ming: "It happens that lunch is almost ready. Mr. Xu, please stay and eat, just in time to have some wine with your adults."
Xu Ming smiled and said: "I thank you Madam, but I still have something to do, so I won't..."
Suddenly there was a sound of cannon, which made Liu Yan and others tremble all over.
Liu Yan and Xu Ming hurriedly ran out of the house. Wang Yunhe also rushed to Liu Yan's side, holding Liu Yan's sleeves tightly with both hands, extremely nervous.
At this time, Liu Yan and others looked towards the beacon tower at the top of the South Gate City, but they heard another cannon fire, which made everyone tremble again.
The cannons fired like this five times in succession, and at the same time Liu Yan also saw five beams of smoke rising straight from the top of the city, which was really shocking.
Faintly, it seemed that the surrounding area was also constantly ringing, as if the sound of cannons was everywhere, constantly hitting everyone's hearts.
Everyone looked at each other with pale faces. Liu Yan frowned and just asked Wang Yunhe to stay in the Baihu Hall while he took Xu Ming up the fortress wall.
On the fort wall, the chief flag officer Yue Ming, as well as the chiefs Zhao Min, Tan Xiaoda, Xu Le, Bao Xuezhen, and the garrison officer Zhang Lei also came one after another. Everyone stood behind Liu Yan, all with solemn expressions.
At this time, Liu Yan looked around and saw that the sky was in flames. Five beams of wolf smoke were rising above the visible castle and piers, and the shrill sound of banging bangs went straight into everyone's hearts.
Yue Ming pointed to the distance and said with a trembling voice: "Five beacons and five cannons, the slave army is more than 50,000 people, more than 50,000 people!"
Liu Yan stood up quietly. At this time, his mood became calm. The Qing soldiers finally arrived. He had been preparing for a long time and finally waited for this day.
At this time, everyone was looking at Wang Dou. From the time Liu Yan ordered everyone in Wangjiazhuang to prepare for war, many people didn't take it seriously at the time. They didn't expect Liu Yan's prediction to come true.
The enemy troops were pressing down on the territory and the people were terrified. Liu Yan was the backbone of Wangjiazhuang. Facing everyone's gaze, Liu Yan said in a deep voice: "Order martial law in the entire fort. From today on, the entire Wangjiazhuang area will be closed to clear roads. Anyone who dares to pass without authorization will be killed. Anyone who dares to shake the morale of the army will be killed. Anyone who dares to disobey orders will be killed." Kill anyone who dares to delay the opportunity to fight!"
Liu Yan looked around at everyone, with a stern tone, and said loudly: "The army of thieves and slaves is pressing down on the border. The whole fort must work together to attack the enemy invaders!"
Liu Yan issued a series of orders, and everyone obeyed them with dignity.
Soon, the messengers from the cavalry sentry rushed out of Wangjiazhuang Fort on horseback, summoning the officers within their jurisdiction for urgent discussion.
When night fell that day, the commanders of the large and small Huolu piers and forts in Wangjiazhuang, such as Dapanpu, Shagou Dun, Fengshan Dun, Huangshan Dun, etc., came to Wangjiazhuang one after another to listen to Liu Yan's arrangements.
In the official hall of 100 households, Liu Yan looked at the crowd of Jia commanders, as well as Tan Xiaoda, Zhao Min, Zhang Lei, Xu Le, Bao Xuezhen, Yue Ming and other principals and general flag officers. Liu Yanyang read a proclamation in his hand. , said in a deep voice: "Just now, I received the enemy information from the beacon officer from thousands of households in front of Xiahe Village: An army of 50,000 thieves and slaves, led by the thieves chief Azige, has broken through the Dushi Fort in Xuanda Town , go straight to Chang'an Mountains via Diaoge Fort. At the same time, thousands of troops from the bandit slave army are also attacking our Shandong province, and they are expected to enter the country soon!"
Everyone took a breath of air-conditioning when they heard this, and their faces were all gray. Such a massive invasion of 50,000 troops had already made everyone extremely nervous.
Liu Yan said in a serious tone: "This time the thieves and slaves invaded. The momentum is huge. We, the Ming Dynasty, have once again devastated lives and the people have suffered."
"but!"
Liu Yan looked around and said in a deep voice: "As generals of the Ming Dynasty, we should put national affairs first. At this time of national crisis, only those who are generous and fearless, determined to be benevolent, loyal to their duties, and guard against thieves can be successful. A glimmer of hope.”
He looked at everyone and said: "Although it is not yet certain whether the army of thieves and slaves will go south to Lingshan Guard, we must prepare for the war with all our strength. Although the forts in the territory have been organized to varying degrees, facing a large number of thieves and slaves Horses are still difficult to defend. In order to prevent the population and materials of each fort from being used by slaves, I decided to implement the strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing the wilderness. In addition to Dapanbao, Wangjiazhuang, and Tiechushan Iron Material Yard, the remaining troops in Tunbao and Huoludun All households must be relocated, and thieves and slaves must not be allowed to reach any plant or tree.”
Everyone took a breath again, and the defense master was so generous.
In Wangjiazhuang, in addition to several large forts such as Huangshan Dun, Dapanbao, Fengshan Dun, etc., there are also many Huolu Duns, each with as few as three or forty military households, and as many as one hundred households. , there are nearly 2,000 people in these fire road piers, as well as a lot of supplies, all of which need to be moved. This is a very big project.
However, hearing what Liu Yan said, all the armor commanders also breathed a sigh of relief. For example, when the Tatars invaded, their Huolu Dun and Tunbao were the first to suffer. Now all the military households from all over the place were moved to the big fort. , their life safety is also guaranteed, even if the Qing army's Tatars may not come to kill them.
Liu Yan acted vigorously and resolutely, issuing orders one by one. No one had any room for objection. Anyone who dared to disobey orders would be beheaded on the spot. However, Liu Yan commanded calmly without any panic, and everyone felt calm.
It was decided that Wangjiazhuang and Dapanbao were both big forts. Two hundred households were moved in respectively. The Tieyushan iron quarry was far away in the mountainous area, but a hundred households were also relocated. The rest of the population was eventually assigned to Dapanbao.
After the brief discussion, all the officers left one by one and went back to urgently transfer people and supplies.
Among the officers, Chen Xun, Wang Yue, Wang Bo, Zhang Yi, Xu Ming, and Miao Shao, who were previously in Dapandun, were also present.
Liu Yan looked at these old brothers and sighed in his heart. This was the first time everyone in Dapandun had gathered together since he became the team leader of Wangjiazhuang, so he encouraged everyone.
Then everyone said goodbye to Liu Yan one after another, eager to go back to move people and materials. Liu Yan looked at their backs with a smile, but felt sad in his heart. This time the Qing soldiers invaded with great force. If they really fought against the Qing soldiers, they, the old brothers, would not know if they would see each other again after seeing each other this time.
From this day until the 30th day of the month, the entire territory of Wangjiazhuang was being cleared for large-scale transfers of population and materials.
Many military households in Huoludun and Tunpu packed up their supplies. They carried their belongings, drove their pigs and sheep, and reluctantly left their homes and entered Wangjiazhuang, Dapanbao, and Tielu Mountain respectively. Among the three large forts in the iron yard. Liu Yan had made careful arrangements for this day, so the transfer was orderly and without panic.
After the military households in Huolu Dun and Tunbao were transferred, their homes would definitely be burned down by the Qing soldiers, but it was good that the people were still there. Homes are destroyed, but they can still be rebuilt.
During this period, Liu Yan issued an order for Chu Yunfei, the person in charge, to move the personnel and materials in the salt drying field to Dapanbao, and at the same time, the military households working in the military camp were also moved to Dapanbao.
At the same time, the Manchu and Qing Dynasty Wuying princes Azige, Beile Abatai, and Yanguli led more than 50,000 Qing and Mongolian soldiers. After conquering Dushikou, Diaoyabao, and Chang'anling fortresses, they marched out in a mighty manner. Coming, they passed through Baoanwei and Huailaiwei territory, and stopped in Yanqing Prefecture in front of Juyongguan.
Then they sent troops to plunder everywhere, while waiting for news about another group of troops entering the pass from Xifengkou to clear the troops.
For a time, the security guard on the East Road of Xuanfu Town, Huailai Guard, Yanqing Prefecture, Yongning Guard and other places were on fire everywhere. Countless people were killed and robbed in various places. It was like a hell on earth.
The Qing troops invaded and the capital was under martial law.
Emperor Chongzhen urgently ordered his ministers Li Guofu to guard Zijing Pass, Xu Jinzhong to guard Daoma Pass, Zhang Yuanheng to guard Longquan Pass, and Cui Liangyong to guard Gu Pass. A few days later, Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Chengguo, was ordered to inspect the border. At the same time, the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty sent orders to the generals from all over the country to lead troops to assist the capital.
On July 23, the Ministry of War urgently consulted the governor of Datong: "According to the decree, today's thieves and slaves are going crazy. Yunzhen has ordered elite troops to come in as reinforcements, and they have also given orders to the Taoist generals. This is extremely serious.
On July 24th, the Ministry of War's message was even more severe and urgent: "The Minister of the Ministry of War Zhang replied and consulted the governor of Datong. The slave thieves declared themselves to be in Changchang, and their momentum was getting stronger. The soldiers flying in the clouds rushed in to help, and the town's civil servants were restricted. Arrive in Beijing on the eighth day, if you violate the limit and don't come to Fuzhen, you will be punished by request!"
Starting from July 25th, Shandong Commander-in-Chief Liu Zeqing, Shanxi Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu, Baoding Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu, Baoding Commander-in-Chief Dong Yongwen, Shanyong Commander-in-Chief Dashou, and other Commander-in-Chief Soldiers from Guan, Ning, Ji, and Mi Dale, Li Chongzhen, and Ma Rulong all led the troops to come in for reinforcements.
On July 26, Cao Huachun, the eunuch in charge of the seal of the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the seal of the Royal Horse Supervisor, wrote: "After receiving the imperial edict, the slaves are deeply entrenched. I accompanied the two battalions of Yongwei to manage Sun Jiwu and other generals. They were originally sent to form camps outside the city. The army bravely selected capable soldiers and ordered General Sun Yingyuan and others to lead them. Then they rushed in to help and killed the rebel slaves."
At this time, Liu Yan's troops had just finished clearing the country and received an order: This time the Qing army invaded for the fourth time. A group of Qing troops had entered from Jinan Prefecture and went deep into the hinterland of Shandong, burning, killing and looting. The troops were advancing towards Qingzhou Prefecture. , so Lingshan Guard ordered soldiers and horses from all over to guard Qingzhou Mansion.
At this time, Shandong General Liu Zeqing had led the main force of the Ming army in Shandong to rush to the aid of the capital. Only guard troops and horses were left in various places in Shandong, and the situation became extremely serious.
Liu Yan received the transfer order without any hesitation. As the saying goes, if there is no skin left, how can the hair be attached? Once Qingzhou Prefecture falls, Lingshan Guard will be the first to bear the brunt. Wangjiazhuang, where Liu Yan is located, will not be spared either. It is better to take advantage of the opportunity of the gathering of soldiers and horses from various guards to send troops together to fight.
So Liu Yan ordered the sentries to assemble immediately, with Chen Xun's troops as the remaining guard, and divided the troops to garrison Wangjiazhuang, Dapanbao, and Tieyushan Iron Works. Each place was dominated by a banner pier army, and at the same time, the watch pier army and troops from various places were recruited. Household men assist in defense.
Although the combat power of these people is far inferior to that of the Qi Shao Dun Army reorganized by Liu Yan, they can also follow Chen Xun's soldiers to help, which is an extra guarantee.
As for the remaining Tunbu and Huolu Dun, Liu Yan could only give up the defense temporarily. After all, Liu Yan did not have too many troops to divide and garrison at this time. To face the Qing army, Liu Yan must use all his strength and must not take it lightly. .
Just one day later, except for Chen Xun's first post and Dunjun troops deployed in various places, the remaining six sentry soldiers all gathered in Wangjiazhuang. Under the welcome of Wang Yunhe and the people in the fort, Liu Yan led his troops to go to Qianhu in front of Xiahe Village. assembled.
Some people died, but not completely...
