On the second day of October in the first year of Wuding, the city defenses inside and outside Shenyang were basically completed. The Qing army's oppression in the Liaohe Plain became increasingly stronger. After a fierce battle, the banners and vests finally cut off the main road from the Liaohe Plain to southern Liaoning. Shenyang The Qi army lost contact with the Eighth Guards Army stationed in Fuzhou, and the fall of Fuzhou was a foregone conclusion.
After repeated debates in Shenyang City, the final decision was made to veto Qin Jianxun, Qi Jin and others' request to leave the city to assist Fuzhou. Kang Yingqian judged that as long as the defenders left the city, the Qing army would immediately come out in full force, seize the opportunity to occupy Shenyang and cut off the Qi army's retreat. Between a rock and a hard place, the situation will become even more dangerous.
Kang Yingqian and Du Du have known each other for many years. Based on Lao Kang's understanding of this little Belle, Du Du would never act rashly.
At the end of September and the beginning of October, the Qi army confronted the main forces of the Qing and North Korea across the Hun River. As the situation on the battlefield in southern Liaoning deteriorated sharply, the Qing army sharpened its two yellow flags and two red flags and began to prepare for a general attack on Shenyang at any time.
While the Shenyang garrison was gathering strength and strength, the Qing army was not idle either. In addition to kidnapping Kang Yingqian's son, Du Du ordered all Baoyi Aha who were left behind in Tieling, Fushun, Kaiyuan and other places to dispatch to assist Shenyang.
The task of these coats is to dig trenches before the master's official attack, cut off the connection between the fortresses and piers, compress the Qi army's defense space bit by bit, and advance towards the core city.
Historically, fortress and trench tactics were quite popular on the Liaodong battlefield in the late Ming Dynasty, and there was nothing clever about it. Yuan Chonghuan used it, Zu Dashou used it, and Huang Taiji also used it. Now Du Du wants to use this old method to deal with the Shenyang defenders. It is to erode the Qi army's defense bit by bit until Shenyang finally becomes a veritable "lone city".
The plains on both sides of the Hun River are covered with dense black spots. Tens of thousands of Qi people and Liaodong Baoyi face each other across the river. They do not disturb each other and are busy doing what they can. In a sense, before the decisive battle of Shenyang finally breaks out, The competition between the two sides in building fortifications was also part of the war.
Hunhe, which once witnessed the death of Queen Khan Nurhaci, collapsed and sank into the sand. This time, I don’t know whose tragic fate I will witness again.
Just when Du Du was full of ambition and prepared to conquer Shenyang and annex Liaodong in one fell swoop, Kang Yingqian, the prime minister in Shenyang City, stabilized the Diaoyu City without showing any signs of panic.
In the early morning of the third day of October, Kang Yingqian, after having breakfast at his residence, accompanied by his subordinates, came to the north of the city with great interest to inspect the fortifications.
Mao Yuanyi, Qin Jianxun, Qiao Yiqi, Pei Dahu and others followed behind. Everyone was talking and laughing all the way, but it was hard to tell that this was the scene before the decisive battle.
"Pei Dahu, do you think Du Du sent someone to Horqin to propose marriage?"
"Yes, as a result, the slave envoy was beheaded by Bumbutai, and the betrothal gift of more than ten carts of gold, silver and jewelry was also withheld by the Horqin people."
Pei Dahu interrogated a captured Qing army sentry manali about the matter. He didn't believe it at first, but later he got it out of Fan Wencai's words and found out that Du Du also coveted Bumubutai.
"Barbarians have no sense of shame. It's really ridiculous."
Mao Yuanyi looked serious and said disapprovingly.
Kang Yingqian remembered what Bumbutai had said in Kaiyuan that he would rather die than marry a Tatar. His heart sank, and he didn't know how Horqin was doing now. He heard that there was also plague there.
In the first year of Wu Ding's reign, the great plague spread from Turpan in the northwest to Shaanxi, and then moved eastward with the bandits. After a major outbreak in the capital, it spread to all directions. When Beizhili basically subsided, the plague broke out in Mongolia again.
"When will Bumbutai's cavalry rescue Shenyang?" Qin Jianxun asked eagerly. He did not know anything about the Mongolian plague.
Kang Yingqian shook his head at the white-armed general. Horqin Khan was only fifteen or sixteen years old this year. He was exactly the same age as Hua'er and about the same age as his son Kang Guangxu. He couldn't be like Emperor Wuding who died inexplicably in the plague. .
Kang Yingqian and Pei Dahu looked at each other, and Pei Dahu said: "Don't count on her, Bumu Butai has too much time to take care of himself now."
When the people left behind in Shenyang saw this group of Shangguan officers, they all stopped to salute. Qiao Yiqi shouted loudly for them to continue busy with their own affairs.
Lao Kang looked at the familiar street scene in front of him, and his mind wandered back to the early summer of the 47th year of Wanli. Back to that evening, he led the Eastern Route Army into Shenyang City. The Liao people in the city were very repulsive to the Southern Army. The generals are basically still here.
It's a pity that Liu Zhaosun is no longer here.
~~~~
Prime Minister Kang inspected from the north gate to the south gate, pointing at crenels and artillery as he walked. When he saw several newly built horse faces and arrow towers at the south gate, he couldn't help praising several civil affairs officials and generals for their ability to defend the city. , in just half a year, Shenyang, which was almost in ruins, was built into such an impregnable state.
Kang Yingqian encouraged everyone while walking. Suddenly, the guards at his home ran out from under the city wall and whispered anxiously in the prime minister's ear. After Kang Yingqian heard this, he quickly said goodbye to all his men and followed the guards back to the mansion in a hurry.
Prime Minister Kang's current residence is the former Liaodong Economic and Strategy Office. Yang Hao, Xiong Tingbi, Liu Zhaosun and others have lived here successively. Now Kang Yingqian has become the new owner. However, Lao Kang has been busy with military affairs recently and spent most of his time in the military camp. Come back less.
"Where is Lao Zhao?"
Lao Zhao is a Kaiyuan merchant who escaped from Kuandian. He is Kang Yingqian's agent in Kuandian. He is usually responsible for collecting intelligence and secretly taking care of Lao Kang's only son Kang Guangxu - although it has been determined that Guangxu is the child of Lao Wang next door.
Lao Zhao came out from the back of the living room with a sad face and saw Kang Yingqian fell to his knees with a plop.
"Master, the little one deserves to die."
Kang Yingqian's face turned pale and he quickly helped Lao Zhao up.
"The city of Kuandian was destroyed for two months, why did you come back now? Where is Guangxu?"
After Kuandian City was broken, the whereabouts of the Prime Minister's son Kang Guangxu were unknown, and all the soldiers who defended the city were martyred. Old Zhao was caught by the Koreans as soon as he escaped from the city, and had to work as a groom for more than two months before escaping.
"The young master is gone! Let the Koreans kill him!"
When Kang Yingqian heard this, he suddenly felt thunderous. Kang Guangxu was his only flesh and blood in the world. Although he was the son of Lao Wang next door, at least the father-son relationship was not comparable to others.
As early as more than two months ago, he secretly sent people to Kuandian to ask his son Kang Guangxu to leave Kuandian as soon as possible.
At that time, Daqi had decided to abandon Kuandian and the main force retreated back to Shenyang.
Kang Yingqian thought that his son had received the news in advance and had escaped long ago. He might still be out there with the ghost of a woman somewhere, and he would run back to Shenyang when he had enough.
Regardless of the strong smell of horse manure still exuding from Lao Zhao's hands, he held it tightly and asked loudly:
"Didn't I ask you to bring him back! Why has he been staying in Kuandian?"
"Master," Lao Zhao was about to cry but had no tears.
"The young master recently got close to a Tatar woman. The Tatar woman said that the slaves did not dare to do anything to them. The young master refused to leave. When the younger one led someone to tie him up, the Koreans came, and the young master... ···”
Kang Yingqian's face was ashen.
"You saw it with your own eyes! Who killed Guangxu, who it was!"
Lao Zhao was about to kneel down and kowtow again, but Kang Yingqian pulled him up.
"Say it!"
"Yes, sir, the one who killed the young master was the Commander-in-Chief Li Shunyi. The high-ranking officer of the Korean army was a pretty boy who sang operas. When I escaped from the west gate of Kuandian, that Li Shunyi was still shouting from the top of the city, kill all the prisoners of Qi. I I saw the young master holding a Jianzhou woman in his arms and being pushed to the execution ground..."
Kang Yingqian didn't wait for Lao Zhao to finish, grabbed an inkstone on the table, smashed it to the ground, and shouted:
"Get out! Get out!"
Lao Zhao had never seen Kang Yingqian so angry before. He was so frightened that he rolled and ran away. From a distance, he heard Kang Yingqian's shrill howl like an old beast behind him, and his voice sounded particularly penetrating.
"You rebellious son! You should have escaped a long time ago, and you are still fooling around with a slave-building woman!"
Lao Zhao did not dare to hesitate and ran outside in a hurry, not wanting to bump into someone head-on. He was about to curse when he saw that the person coming was actually the burly North Korean general. He was so frightened that he did not dare to say a word.
"General Jin, Mr. Kang is very angry. Why don't you..."
Jin Yinghe didn't say anything, he just pushed Lao Zhao away gently and followed the sound of crying in the living room.
Jin Yinghe gently pushed open the door of the living room, and with a bang, a vase was thrown to the ground. A disheveled old man in the room was crying and laughing, stumbling with bare feet. If it hadn't been for the reminder from the old Zhao next to him, Jin Yinghe would not have believed what he was seeing. This man was the elegant and elegant Kang Jianjun whom he had known in Saarhu.
"Master Kang, don't worry. Your young master may not really be killed. The general recognized Li Shunyi when he was in Seoul, so he probably won't kill them all."
Kang Yingqian heard someone talking behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Jin Yinghe. He instantly returned to his usual appearance and sneered:
"This treacherous son has never let me worry. He almost killed me when we were in Kaiyuan!"
Kang Yingqian gave a wry smile, his mind was filled with thoughts, and he almost wanted to tell him how his neighbor Lao Wang's son had abused him over the years, and how he was so beautiful on the surface but his family's scandal should not be publicized. The words were already on his lips, but he swallowed them back in the end.
Jin Yinghe picked up a fallen chair, helped the old man sit down, and whispered:
"Li Shunyi will not kill Mr. Kang, but based on General Mo's understanding of this man, he will probably use this to blackmail us..."
Kang Yingqian interrupted Jin Yinghe and said confidently: "Blackmail? Who can threaten me? It's best for this traitor to fall into the hands of the enemy and let him fend for himself."
Jin Yinghe opened his mouth wide and was speechless for a long time. After a while he said:
"The general has some friendship with Li Shunyi. If Shenyang can be defended, the general will go to talk in person at that time and he will definitely redeem the young master."
Kang Yingqian laughed dryly and waved his hand, "No need, I am like an old beast with no relatives or friends. If he dies, then he will die. I can send him to Kuandian. I am old and not like what I did in Saarhu. The all-powerful man is now responsible for national affairs and cannot take care of other matters."
Jin Yinghe suddenly realized that this energetic old man had suddenly become much older.
After Kang Yingqian finished speaking, he slumped down on the Taishi chair and gasped for air. Lao Zhao picked up an unbroken teacup and made a cup of hot tea for his master.
Kang Yingqian drank half a cup of tea, and his mood recovered slightly. Then he remembered something and looked at Jin Yinghe blankly.
"General Jin, you are not guarding the city at the south gate, what are you doing here?"
Jin Yinghe clasped his fists and said loudly: "Master Kang, half an hour ago, the Zhenglan Banner began to attack Laohutai in the south of the city. The fighting outside the city was fierce. The general asked if he would go out of the city to assist the defenders of the pier."
Kang Yingqian's expression gradually recovered. He waved his hand and said decisively: "No aid, just guard your south gate."
