"Brother Mao, how is the progress of the Hongyi cannons that Liu Shoubei asked you to build some time ago? Why don't you take them to Kaiyuan?"
"Did you know that Liu Zhaosun has not even touched the beauty of North Korea these days? I heard him say in his dreams: Nurhachi, take a shot from me!"
"Do you think that Hongyi cannon can really destroy dozens of miles with one shot? Is it even more powerful than the Thunder God and the Lightning Queen?"
On the official road from Shenyang to Kaiyuan, brigades of Ming soldiers and horses rolled in. The red fat coats and gray horses merged into a torrent of iron and blood, spreading from the plains to the hills, with no end in sight.
The gray-faced Mao Yuanyi looked like a mourning heir, riding on a mule horse. He didn't speak much the whole way, and he was not at all the talkative person he used to be.
Are you still the unruly young man in the manager's house?
Although Qiao Yiqi is no longer a boy, he is as energetic as a young man. At this moment, he and Mao Yuanyi are riding horses side by side, talking endlessly.
It had been two days since the Eastern Route Army left Shenyang, and Kaiyuan City was now in front of them. More than 6,000 southern soldiers under Liu Zhaosun were lucky enough to survive, and the 5,000 new troops had even higher morale. As long as they did not train, they would be happy.
Qiao Yiqi, the former North Korean military supervisor, was appointed by Yang Jinglue to officially replace Kang Yingqian and became Liu Zhaosun Supervisor.
Mao Yuanyi drooped his head and remained silent. The mule and horse under his crotch snorted and stood still, gazing lovingly at a mare colt passing by.
Yesterday, Liu Zhaosun failed to hold back and killed some troublemaking mobs. However, it did not deter the surrender forces in Liao Town. Instead, it aroused all the old and new grudges between the southern soldiers and Liao Town.
Under the constant stimulation of Liu Zhaosun and others, as well as the increasing power of Nanbing, Li Rubai, the eldest brother of Liao Town, who had been clamoring to become a monk and a Taoist, felt that his power was being emptied and decided to come out again.
After announcing that he had recovered from all kinds of difficult and complicated illnesses, Li Rubai, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Army, finally returned to his position as the first brother in Liao Town.
It can be seen that power is not only an aphrodisiac, but also a good medicine.
Although Li Rubai was not as good at fighting as his father Li Chengliang, he was obviously better at fighting his own people.
After Liu Zhaosun ordered to hunt down the mob, Li Rubai immediately sealed off the two cities of Liaoning and Shenyang, and sent people to seal up all the grain, grass, military horses and other materials allocated by the imperial court to the Eastern Route Army.
Li Rubai sent someone to send a report to the capital, to the effect that the southern troops had rebelled and were massacring Liao people in Shenyang. Moreover, there were also Liu Zhaosun's comrades in Liao Town. They were in a hurry to obey the power. The criminal Li Rubai had to turn the tide and act expediently.
The impeachment of Yang Hao by the imperial censors came as scheduled. This time, everyone no longer said that the master's strategy was ineffective. Instead, they exposed that he connived with the southern soldiers and brought disaster to Liaodong. He also colluded with the White Lotus Sect to incite the Liao people. , intending to bring the Liao people to join the slave establishment.
With such a memorial submitted, even if Wanli wanted to protect Yang Hao, he would probably be unable to do so.
Not to mention such serious crimes as massacre of Liao people and rebellion, even colluding with the White Lotus Sect is enough to kill Mr. Yang Caishikou.
The Ming Dynasty has always had a zero-tolerance attitude towards Bai Lian and other churches. From Taizu to Shizong, successive emperors have brutally suppressed Bai Lian. During the Jiajing period, the White Lotus cult members fled the mainland and colluded with Mongolia and abroad, becoming a serious problem for the imperial court for decades.
Before Li Rubai sent out the memorial, he used the excuse of the rebellion of the Southern Army and the unrest in Liaoning to "send" Yang Hao's family out of the city and let the governor find a safer residence.
Of course, this was not because Li Rubai's conscience found out and he wanted to let Lao Yang go. He just wanted to establish evidence of Yang Hao's rebellion, and then forced these southern soldiers to be in a dilemma between the court and the slaves, and finally fell into a desperate situation.
Lord Jinglue was not wronged much, but Mao Yuanyi was not so lucky.
Two gun barrel models that were being poured were pushed down by Liao soldiers and smashed to pieces. When Mao Yuanyi stepped forward to stop them, two of his front teeth were knocked out. Now air leaks when he opens his mouth.
During these days, with the active efforts of Kaiyuan's commander-in-chief Ma Lin, Kaiyuan's city defense troops have:
There are 8,000 guest soldiers under the command of General Ma Lin, 12,000 under Liu Zhaosun's command, 8,000 soldiers under General He Shixian, 2,000 soldiers in the main barracks led by Guerrilla Yu Chengming, 2,000 soldiers and horses under General Shi Fengming, and 2,000 soldiers under General Shi Fengming. General Li Ketai had 1,500 troops.
In addition, some neutral Liao Town generals are still waiting and watching, and it is not ruled out that they may participate in the battle to defend the city of Kaiyuan in the future.
The two small tribes in Mongolia, Aitu and Subudi, are still just like grassroots.
They were very afraid of the sudden appearance of so many Ming soldiers and horses around Kaiyuan.
However, in view of the fact that Yingming Khan Nurhachi was invincible in previous battles, the Mongols not only swore an alliance with Marin Liu Zhaosun and others, but also sent people to get in touch with the Houjin Great Khan.
They told the Jurchens all the strength and weapons and equipment of the Ming army, and said that if necessary, they could serve as a vanguard for the Jin Kingdom and attack some small forts around Kaiyuan.
These are all variables in the coming war.
Li Ketai and several other Liao Town generals who defected to the Ming Dynasty judged that the Mongols would help the Ming army attack Houjin. The reason they gave was that when Li Chengliang was alive, Liao Town and these small tribes got along quite harmoniously.
In Liu Zhaosun's view, these Mongols now need to be considered in the hostile camp. He had no trust in these grassland tribes. The Mongols were behind Hou Jin's several successful blitzes in Liaodong.
Many war horses from Liaodong were gathered in the cities of Liaoyang and Shenyang. The generals guarding Liao Town all said that there was no danger to defend Liaoshen and the war horses would never be able to reinforce Kaiyuan. Therefore, the Kaiyuan defenders are currently short of war horses, and staff like Mao Yuanyi can only ride mules and horses.
Yang Hao used his official power as general manager to suppress them, but it was useless. The generals in Liao Town were not afraid of anyone now, and they were waiting for Nurhachi to attack the plains as soon as possible and kill Liu Zhaosun and others.
The appearance of Liu Zhaosun brought to the fore the various deep-rooted contradictions between Liao Town and the imperial court, Liao Town and the guest soldiers, and Liao Town.
In comparison, the war horse is only the most trivial issue in the flag.
In the end, Ding Bi and the others expressed their willingness to only accept cash to buy horses.
The price they offered to the Kaiyuan defenders was: one horse, three thousand taels of silver.
This is no longer a question of whether to buy a horse, but a question of whether to capitalize on the enemy.
The generals stationed in Liaoshen all had rifts with the Southern troops, although Ding Bi was not one of the core members.
Probably because Tieling was too close to Kaiyuan and the strength of Kaiyuan's troops made him feel scared. He was worried about Liu Zhaosun's revenge, so he abandoned Tieling early and led his servants and battalions to flee into Shenyang City, saying that he wanted to reinforce Liaoshen.
In this way, the two cities of Liao and Shen, which were originally the strongest Ming army in Liaodong in history, have now become the gathering place for surrender forces in Liao Town.
"Red Yi Cannon, I went to Kaiyuan to rebuild it. What I hate most now is not the slave chief Nurhaci, but Li Rubai, Li Rubai, this thief! I will bombard Liao Town with one cannon! Kill all these Qiu Ba!"
Mao Yuanyi suddenly raised her voice, changed her usual gentle and elegant image, severely beat the affectionate mules and horses, left Qiao Yiqi with a blank look on her face, and walked away towards the back of the garrison master Liu Zhaosun.
South of Kaiyuan City, Jingan Fort.
Liu Zhaosun, Ma Lin, He Shixian and other generals, protected by their servants, rode their horses into the fort from the south gate.
Jingan Fort has a circumference of three miles, with two gates in the north and south. The city walls are made of earth and there are 14 civilian villages, including Yangmudawu Village, Wangduoluozhi Village, Huangnigang Village, Wanggui Village, etc.
There are three piers and abutments along the edge, including Guangshun Gate Platform, Heqi Platform, and Xinjia Platform; and twelve piers and abutments in the belly, including Changling Platform, Songshan Platform, and Wanggui Platform.
The fort guard was a former subordinate of Kaiyuan Deputy General Hualong. He was a short and fat Qianzong named Wang Lian. He commanded all 502 officers and soldiers in the fort.
Wang Qianzong heard that several Shangguan were coming and waited at the south gate early. Yu Hualong introduced this person to Liu Zhaosun. Wang Qianzong looked at the guard in front of him who was more than ten years younger than himself, and heard that this was to defeat the Xianglan Banner. , Liu Zhaosun, who beheaded Amin, could not help but stay for a moment before saluting the superior.
Liu Zhaosun was very interested in Jingan Fort and said to Wang Lianda:
"President Wang Qian, Jingan Fort is a battleground for slaves and thieves, and the army is still resting and reorganizing. Why don't you take me around and talk about the situation here,"
Wang Lian nodded in agreement. Jin Yinghe was also very interested in Jingan Fort, which was known as the largest fort in the Ming Dynasty, so he followed him to listen to Mr. Wang Qian's introduction.
In Jingan Fort, a north-south street runs through the entire fort. At both ends of the street are two thick fort gates, and there is a moat outside.
There was a constant flow of people in the fort, Mongolian and Jurchen traders were constantly coming and going, hawking along the street, and a group of children ran past three warriors, laughing and chasing after a Cuju.
Everything he saw was a peaceful and lively scene, even more prosperous than some small towns in Beizhili. What he saw before him was completely different from the chaos Liu Zhaosun imagined.
"Mr. Wang Qian, hasn't this person ever been in a war?"
The three of them climbed to the top of the pier and looked into the distance. The fat man Wang Lian kept wiping the sweat on his forehead. It seemed that he was used to being pampered.
"Sir, how come there is no war? During the Jiajing period, there were many fierce battles between the Yehe tribe and the Hada tribe here. The Jurchens of Jianzhou also launched many wars against Hada,"
"oh,"
Only then did Liu Zhaosun realize that he had entered a foreign land and arrived in a barbaric country.
"Later, the imperial court established a Jurchen horse market in Guangshun Pass. Sir, please take a look. The location is in the west of Guangshun Pass and in Qinghenan."
Liu Zhaosun followed what Wang Qian said and saw that two miles north of Jingan Fort, the Qinghe River flowed slowly, like a jade belt surrounding the fort, and ferries were still ferrying back and forth.
"It's not easy for carriages and pedestrians to cross. This is the natural barrier of Jingan Fort."
Liu Zhaosun looked thoughtfully at the wide and deep defensive zone of the river, and silently planned the Kaiyuan defense map in his mind.
