In the main tent of the Ming Army, Liu Yan, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, Cao Bianjiao, and Li Fuming were discussing in low voices. Opposite, Wu Sangui, Ma Ke, Tang Tong, and Wang Tingchen were sitting together, also talking in low voices.
Bai Guangen and Zuo Guangxian frowned. Neither of them spoke, but their eyes rested on Hong Chengchou.
At this time, Hong Chengchou frowned slightly and picked up a piece of information from the desk. It was the one that Wu Guojin and his men risked their lives to bring back.
"Everyone!"
Everyone looked at Hong Chengchou, and the tent suddenly became quiet.
"This information was brought back by General Liu's subordinates in Qinglai Town. It is of great importance, so I invited you all here early in the morning to discuss countermeasures together."
Then Hong Chengchou explained how the Qing army was building firearms and preparing to fight with all the strength of the country. Everyone's faces became very ugly.
Wu Sangui was surprised at first, and then looked at Liu Yan with furrowed brows. He never expected that Liu Yan would have such a capable Ye Bushou under his command, who could obtain such important information.
At this time, Marco said: "Master Governor, this information says that slave thieves are making firearms in Shenyang and Liaoyang and have penetrated so far into enemy territory. Is the information reliable?"
Hong Chengchou did not speak, but looked at Liu Yan.
Liu Yan had long been dissatisfied with Ma Ke's eccentric appearance, and Ma Ke was also a famous runaway general in history, so he angrily said: "The information provided by this town is very reliable. Of course, if General Ma If you don’t want to believe it, you can also choose to turn a blind eye, and General Ma will not participate in today’s military meeting, please do so!”
Ma Ke stood up suddenly and glared at Liu Yan fiercely. Not to be outdone, Liu Yan stood up slowly and said coldly: "What? Mr. Ma is not convinced? How about I go out with you to practice, or, Let’s all assemble our troops and have a drill in front of the governors and generals!”
Ma Ke was furious, but he didn't dare to say any more. Liu Yan's sharp eyes had already made Ma Ke feel weak.
At this time, Ma Ke was blushing and had a rough neck. He remained in a stalemate without saying a word. Seeing this, everyone tried to persuade him. Wu Sangui pulled Ma Ke to sit down and said, "Mr. Ma, don't be angry. Mr. Liu provided such important information. Let's work together." It’s just a discussion, it’s all about military stories, no one has any personal grudges, don’t hurt the harmony!”
Marco snorted and sat down, Liu Yan also sat down with a sneer on his face.
Upon seeing this, Hong Chengchou first pretended to reprimand Liu Yan and Ma Ke, and the two of them clasped their fists to apologize. Then Hong Chengchou said: "When General Liu reported this intelligence to the governor, he proposed several countermeasures. "
Then Hong Chengchou ordered all ministries to immediately prepare sacks of soil, prepare shields and shield carts, equip more firearms, etc.
Everyone kept it in mind, even Ma Ke, Tang Tong and others. After all, Liu Yan's military exploits were displayed here. At this time, among the experts in firearms in the Ming Dynasty, Liu Yan decided to be the top one.
"Okay, today's military meeting ends here. Everyone, please go back and prepare. Tomorrow the army will continue to Ningyuan City!"
At the same time, when the Ming Dynasty's reinforcements were marching towards Ningyuan City, in the Manchu and Qing capital Shengjing, also known as Shenyang City, Huang Taiji and other Manchu and Qing chiefs were also arguing over the war in Jinzhou.
The Manchu Qing's meticulous work in the Ming Dynasty was pervasive, and merchants from various parts of the Ming Dynasty were cheating and cheating, so that intelligence continued to come in. The approximate number of people, composition of arms, etc. of the Ming army's reinforcements this time were all sent to Huang Taiji one after another.
From Huang Taiji down, the Qing court has always attached great importance to intelligence, and the intelligence collection is also very detailed. The important generals and officials of the Ming Dynasty, their tendencies, and their abilities are all recorded one by one.
Their intelligence transmission mainly entered the Liaodong Peninsula from Tianjin and other places. However, at this time, in the western Liaoning area, the Ming Dynasty border troops also increased their vigilance. They were taking strict precautions everywhere, and Ming troops continued to gather. Therefore, it became very difficult for the Qing court to transmit intelligence at this time.
The intelligence of the new army in Qinglai Town under Liu Yan was the focus of the Qing court. Many news about the new army in Qinglai Town were reported to Huang Taiji.
According to this information, Liu Yan had approximately 80,000 troops, including 10,000 to 20,000 cavalry, as well as a huge vehicle camp and artillery camp. The number of artillery in the camp was unknown, but it was estimated that it would be no less than 100.
"Is Liu Yan here?"
At this time, the entire Qing Dynasty paid great attention to Liu Yan, and Huang Taiji repeatedly summoned ministers to gather in Chongzheng Hall to discuss matters.
Even Dorgon, Jierhalang and others on the Jinzhou front line were recalled urgently so that Huang Taiji could inquire about the front line.
In the Chongzheng Hall, all the ministers were complimenting the Jinzhou strategy formulated by Huang Taiji. This time, the Ming Dynasty really came with elites from nine sides. As long as the reinforcements at the encirclement point were successful and the main force of the Ming army was annihilated, the world would be left to the Qing Dynasty. The cavalry gallops.
Huang Taiji just waved his hand, and saw a worried look on his face, saying: "The Ming army is huge. This time Chongzhen made a desperate move and mobilized all the elites of the Ming Dynasty. We must not underestimate the enemy! Especially the Qinglai Town led by Liu Yan The new army is extremely strong, and the Battle of Jinzhou will definitely be a hard battle. The Ming Dynasty is fine, but our Qing Dynasty cannot afford to lose. If we lose this battle, our Qing Dynasty will definitely be annihilated. How to deal with it. All the ministers come together one by one."
Dorgon and Jierhalang have been on the front line for a long time and know the local situation in Jinzhou best. When they besieged Jinzhou, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao. He organized several Jiliao reinforcements to rescue him. Although they were temporarily defeated and retreated, they gathered in Ningyuan City to watch. But the Qing troops on the front line had some difficulty dealing with them.
What's more, more than 200,000 Ming troops are about to arrive, and there is also the famous new army of Qinglai Town. Hong Chengchou already has enough chips in his hands, and both Dorgon and Jierhalang feel great pressure.
Both of them hoped that Huang Taiji would send reinforcements as soon as possible, and the total number of troops should not be less than 200,000. Jierhalang, in particular, directly suggested that Huang Taiji would lead the expedition himself.
Jierhalang said loudly: "Our army is entrenched in the area of Jinchang Fort and Rufeng Mountain. There is the Ming camp in front and the enemy of Jinzhou behind. This is the situation where we are surrounded by enemies from both sides. Hong Chengchou went to rescue several times, and every time he fired artillery from Nanshan to the north. Zu Dashou fired artillery from the top of Jinzhou City to the south. Our army was hit one after another and had no place to stay. However, we did not set up two camps and had no chance of siege. Now Hong Chengchou rushed back to the pass and moved the Ming army. Our front line army was not strong enough. Use it, the situation is very dangerous! This battle is related to the fate of our country, the Qing Dynasty. I beg the emperor to take charge of the battle personally."
Jierhalang, the leader of the Xianglan Banner, was in his forties at this time. He was known in the Manchu Dynasty to be calm, courageous, resourceful, cautious and prudent. Now even Jierhalang has said this, which shows that the situation in Jinzhou is indeed critical and has reached the most critical moment.
However, Ji'erhalang asked Huang Taiji to lead the expedition in person, and also requested that Jinzhou's military strength should not be less than that of the Ming army. In the eyes of the ministers in the palace, he was suspected of exaggerating other people's ambitions and destroying his own prestige. After all, since the Battle of Sarhu, the Qing army has always defeated the Ming army with less. Hundreds of Qing troops dared to attack thousands of Ming troops, and they were able to win. This concept has been deeply rooted in the Manchu civil and military ministers. The bone marrow cannot be changed easily.
And now Jilharang requires that the total number of frontline troops should not be less than 200,000. What does this mean?
Facing the attacks and criticisms from everyone, Jierhalang patiently explained: "Today is different from the past, and the combat power of the Ming army cannot be underestimated. Our Qing soldiers came to besiege Jinzhou and attacked the cities of Jinzhou, Songshan, and Xingshan no less than a hundred times. The Yi artillery fired hard, tunnels were dug, and gunpowder exploded the city, but the Ming army refused to retreat. The Liao people defended the Liao territory, and their fighting spirit was no less than that of our Qing warriors. Now that more than 200,000 elite soldiers from the Ming Dynasty have arrived, more How can we look down upon someone as ruthless as Liu Yan if we know that if we lose, our Qing Dynasty will be in danger of losing our country, so how can we look down upon him?"
Everyone in the hall was silent, even Hauge and others who criticized the loudest remained silent. Even though Hauge has never fought against Liu Yan, Liu Yan's record is there. Although Hauge looks down on Dorgon and Duoduo, he does not deny their abilities. Even they are in Liu Yan's hands. Suffering a big loss for the first time shows the strength of Liu Yan's new army.
Although the Qing army besieged Jinzhou and did not really want to capture the city, starting from the fifth year of Chongde, the Qing army attacked the Songshan forts many times, sometimes with fake attacks and sometimes with real attacks. It can be seen that the Liao army was very different from previous years. Since Hong Chengchou became the governor of Jiliao, he has indeed had his own way. Now countless elites from the nine sides of the Ming Dynasty have arrived...
Faced with Jierhalang's request, Huang Taiji just waved his hand: "I understand."
Then Huang Taiji asked: "I just want to know, if the Ming army arrives with tens of thousands of reinforcements, how will the Qing Dynasty respond?"
Dorgon said: "As long as the emperor personally leads the expedition, under the majesty of the emperor, the Ming captives will definitely be wiped out."
Huang Taiji's eyes turned cold and turned to Jierhalang's head.
Jierhalang has been ordered to fight the Ming army in Jinzhou since last year. He also tried his best to understand the situation in Jinzhou and paid great attention to the movements of the Ming reinforcements.
He had carefully understood Hong Chengchou and knew that he had a lot of war experience and was very prestigious in the Liao army. He was not an easy person to deal with. Now that he was dealing with the famous Liu Yan, he was even more cautious.
After thinking about it, Jierhalang said: "The Ming Dynasty has strong troops and sufficient food and grass. You need to be cautious when dealing with them. When I was in Jinzhou, I also learned about the terrain of Jinzhou."
At his request, Huang Taiji unfolded a huge map of western Liaoning in the Chongzheng Hall. It was also drawn accurately. Even Huang Taiji and the officials in the hall gathered around the map to look at it.
Ji'erhalang said: "Our army's careful operations have already proven that Hong Chengchou's rescue strategy is the strategy agreed upon with Zu Dashou of 'establishing a road, setting up camp step by step, advancing while fighting, and relieving the siege of Jinzhou'. Hong Chengchou is cautious, and the two Over the past few years, he has been coming from Ningyuan to rescue Jinzhou, and each time he has gathered his troops in one place and forced his troops to camp without saying anything. If he still gathers his troops in one place, we, the Qing Dynasty, will take advantage of it."
He pointed to the cities of Songshan Fort, Xingshan Fort, and Tashan Fort on the map, and said: "The grain and grass of the Ming Dynasty were mostly concentrated in Xingshan and Tashan. When the time comes, our Qing army can be in Songshan and Xingshan." It crosses the main road and stretches across the garrison. But just like in Jinzhou, long trenches were dug to cut off the Ming army's communication, making Jinzhou, Songshan and Ningyuan three isolated castles, unable to rescue each other. In this way, the Ming army was destined to be defeated. "
Everyone in the hall was talking loudly, and they all felt that the strategy of the leader of the Xianglan Banner was very clever and feasible.
Huang Taiji just shook his head and said: "If the Ming army only had Hong Chengchou, this strategy would be feasible. But now that Liu Yan is here, they must pay attention to the food route. Liu Yan alone has more than 80,000 soldiers and horses, and Liu Yan's This suggestion will definitely win the support of most generals, and even Hong Chengchou will take it seriously, so I’m afraid this move won’t work.”
All the ministers in the palace sighed in unison. They had studied Liu Yan painstakingly over the years and knew that Liu Yan attached great importance to food supply to a perverted level. Even your own supply camp often has people who accompany the army to consume one to several months of food and grass. Want to cut off his food supply? Disaster!
Huang Taiji looked at Xingshan Fort on the map for a long time and sneered: "However, it is still feasible to cut off its food routes!"
Seeing that everyone did not understand, he said: "Our Qing strategy can be divided into two steps. If the Ming army still follows Hong Chengchou's strategy of fighting and defending and gathering in Songshan, our army will take the opportunity to sneak attack on Xingshan and Gao in the rear. Qiao and Tashan cities cut off their food routes. If they divide their troops and garrison Xingshan, Tashan and other places one by one, we, the Qing Dynasty, will follow Sarhu's strategy and defeat them one by one. They will divide their troops and guard each place one by one, and their troops will be weak. , there are too many opportunities for our army to take advantage of."
Huang Taiji's words ignited the excitement of the ministers in the palace, and everyone offered suggestions. The Mongolian banner leaders said that they could continuously attack at night, attack their food routes, and make them exhausted.
The Manchu banner leaders said that they could lure the Ming troops in Xingshan, Songshan and other places to fight, and then set up ambushes to eliminate them one by one.
After all, although the Ming army's combat power has improved over the years, it is still inferior to the Qing army in terms of field combat. After going back and forth many times, the Ming army in Songshan, Xingshan and other places must be exhausted. If they no longer want to go out of the city to fight in the field, the food road defense line will be gone.
Everyone was in high spirits. Huang Taiji looked at Dorgon and Jierhalang: "Prince Rui, Prince Zheng."
The two of them said hurriedly: "My servant is here."
Huang Taiji said: "Don't worry about the reinforcements. You two will return to Jinzhou immediately and build a fort at the foot of Xiwangbaoshan and beside Tanghezi, thinking that you will attack Xingshan and other key places for garrisoning in the future. You must capture and kill the Ming army. Scouts, especially Scout Liu Yanjun, don’t let him discover his intentions!”
"After the reinforcements of the Ming army arrive in Ningyuan, they can storm the forts in Jinzhou and Songshan. Hongyi artillery will bombard them day and night to force the Ming army to advance faster. When most of them arrive, they can set up ambushes in Xingshan and other places to lure their troops into fighting. , be sure to dampen his spirit!"
Dorgon and Jierhalang respectfully accepted the order.
Dorgon was jealous in his heart, and Huang Taiji's strategy was to be one step ahead of him. If Jinzhou won again, there would be no place for him in the Qing Dynasty in the future.
After that, the Manchu emperors and ministers discussed carefully and considered the affairs of Jinzhou.
After the military meeting ended, Huang Taiji issued an edict to assemble reinforcements for the Jinzhou front line. According to Huang Taiji's edict, all men over the age of fifteen from all banners of Manchuria, Mongolia and Han, whether they were Zhengding or Yuding, were required to go to war.
Ten days later, Huang Taiji personally led his troops to support the Jinzhou front line and came in full force.
Some people died, but not completely...
