In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, November 23rd, noon.
On the outskirts of Gaoyang City, as far as the eye could see, there were all the camps of the Qing army.
It was densely packed almost covering the entire wilderness.
Flags of various colors were constantly fluttering between the camps, and the sound of hunting slowly spread into the distance along with the howling wind.
At this time, Gaoyang City was already filled with thick smoke and almost turned into a sea of fire, making it look like a purgatory on earth.
Qing army soldiers holding swords were walking in the streets and alleys, shouts in Manchu were heard one after another in the city, wanton laughter and desperate wailings were mixed together...
The red flag flying on the Gaoyang city wall had long since disappeared. At this time, the flag on the city wall had already turned into a white flag. It was the flag that represented the two flags of the Qing army: the straight white flag and the bordered white flag.
Dorgon stood on the observation tower built by the Chinese army camp, frowning and looking at Gaoyang City in the distance, which was gradually being swallowed up by the sea of fire.
The wails and cries mixed in the north wind from Gaoyang City lingered in Dorgon's ears, but they did not cause any waves in his heart.
The reason why Dorgon frowned was not because of the massacre that occurred in Gaoyang City, but because of the Ming army that suddenly appeared in Zhending just a few days ago.
"Have you heard everything clearly?"
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Dorgon did not turn his head. He knew who was coming and asked immediately.
"Already found out clearly."
Wearing a suit of silver-white gilt armor, Duduo led a team of armored soldiers who had just climbed onto the high platform. Hearing Dorgon's question, he immediately answered.
"The Ming army that defeated Chasuka was King Qin's army who came from Shaanxi, and the leader of the army was Sun Chuanting, the governor of Shaanxi in the Ming Dynasty."
"That Sun Chuanting who killed Gao Yingxiang, the leader of the bandit alliance in Guan?"
Dorgon raised his eyebrows slightly. He had heard of Sun Chuanting's name.
All the well-known generals in Mingting will have records in their army.
The role of intelligence is extremely huge. Sometimes it can even determine the direction of the battlefield, or even defeat the enemy without fighting.
Although Dorgon has always been dissatisfied with Huang Taiji, Huang Taiji is more capable and far-sighted than him.
In terms of power and scheming, no one in the entire Northland can surpass this myna.
Now the journey south seems to be a series of victories under his leadership, but in fact all strategies were formulated by Huang Taiji.
He won this battle, and everyone will only remember that it was Huang Taiji's strategy.
Huang Taiji's prestige in the military and court will continue to be elevated, and his influence will also be greatly enhanced.
And if he loses this battle, he will be responsible for most of the responsibility, but Huang Taiji will not be affected much.
Moreover, Huang Taiji can also use this as an excuse to weaken his authority...
"Yes, that's Sun Chuanting."
Duduo nodded and continued to report.
"The scouts reported, and after being captured and confirmed by word of mouth, the generals accompanying the army include the Chief of the Relief and Suppression Forces Cao Wenzhao, the Chief of Yansui He Renlong, the Deputy Commander of Lintao Cao Bianjiao, and the Deputy Commander of Hanzhong Chen Wang."
"The Zhending Ming army numbered around 15,000 people, including about 5,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry."
"The cavalry of the Ming army is quite elite, and the scouts of our army do not have much advantage in fighting."
"The infantry of his unit are very capable. They were the battalion soldiers of Hanzhong Town who fought against the Zhenglan Banner that day, that is, the troops under Chen Wang's command."
Dorgon's eyes narrowed slightly. Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao were old acquaintances. He had also heard of He Renlong's name. It seemed that the Ming army in Guan Nei was capable of fighting.
But he had never heard of the name Chen Wang.
"Chen Wang?"
Duduo knew that Dorgon would ask about Chen Wang's situation, so he had already prepared a plan before coming.
"This man was originally a servant of Cao Wenzhao. In the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, he rose through four ranks. He successively served as the Chief Hundred, General, Chief Thousand, and Guerrilla. After his success in suppressing bandits, he was promoted along the way. In the tenth year of Chongzhen, he was promoted to Deputy Chief Soldier of Hanzhong Town. .”
"The leader of the troops in Zhending is Zhasuka. He has always been cautious. He suffered such a big loss this time. Something is wrong."
Duduo's expression was solemn. Although Zhasuka was from the Zhenglan Banner and had no dealings with them, his fighting ability was really nothing to say.
"In this battle, the Zhenglan Banner side, including the auxiliary troops and Mongolian cavalry, totaled more than 5,000 people, and almost a thousand people were lost. All the captured baggage was lost. It was considered a great defeat. .”
"What did Zhasuka say?"
Dorgon turned around, looked at Dodo and asked.
If you suffer a defeat, you must know the reason. As the commander-in-chief, Zhasuka naturally wants to give an explanation.
As for the punishment of Dorgon, which has not yet been issued, Zhasuka is the Jia La E Zhen of the Zheng Lan Banner after all.
Although Dorgon is now an ordered general and nominally the commander of the left-wing army, it is not easy to deal with Chasuka.
Chasuka can also be regarded as Haug's favorite general. Although he suffered a defeat this time, Haug still saved Chasuka.
"Most of the situation is understood."
"The cavalry of the Ming army is very powerful. The Mongols are no match for them. There are about two to three thousand fine cavalrymen. They basically carry hard bows. They do not get much benefit from shooting. Their morale is much higher than that of the Liao cavalry." .”
Dorgon was not surprised. He had already expected it when he heard the names of Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao.
Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao were brave generals in the Ming army. Their many capable cavalry and warriors were already well-known in Liaodong. Later, the Battle of the Four Cities became even more widely known.
"Among the infantry of the Ming Army, the Hanzhong Army was the strongest. Most of its soldiers wore heavy armor. The first line was all spearmen. The spears they held were about four or five feet longer than ours. During the battle, Because this Zhenglan Banner suffered a big loss."
The average tiger spear is no more than ten feet long, basically eight or nine feet in length. It is the weapon of the infantry warrior.
The spear has a sharp edge, a blade on the head, and ridges in the blade. It is heavier than an ordinary spear, so its armor-piercing effect is stronger than that of an ordinary spear.
In the past, when fighting the Ming army, the Ming army's military formation basically could not last long, and the shorter tiger spear was an advantage.
"Those Hanzhong soldiers wore the same clothes as the Zhejiang soldiers during the Hunhe War. They wore an iron armor inside and a thick cotton armor covered with cloth on the outside. It was difficult for knives and arrows to penetrate."
"The infantry of the second formation all wore water-milled helmets and armor, and carried strong bows and heavy arrows. They shot very accurately. Many people were hit by arrows in their faces and throats. These infantrymen of the Hanzhong Army and our We also use tiger spears and wild goose feather knives to protect military camps."
"The two wings of the Ming army were the Dubiao camp under Sun Chuanting. People who came back said that they heard many Sichuan accents. They should be soldiers from Sichuan. Their armaments were slightly worse, but their morale was not low. The first wave of armored soldiers did not break through the Dubiao camp. The military formation, and finally the military camp had to dismount and fight on foot to break through the military formation."
"Sichuan soldiers, Zhejiang soldiers..."
Dorgon frowned slightly. To be honest, his impression of the soldiers in these two places was not good.
The events of the Battle of Hunhe River are still vivid in my mind. Those Sichuan soldiers holding white spears formed a large formation on the river bank, but only a few thousand people blocked their offensive of tens of thousands.
Those Zhejiang soldiers wearing heavy armor relied on their car camps and fought fiercely with them from day to night, until dawn rose, until all the people died in the battle.
"The armament of the Ming Army seems to have also been reformed. The fire cannon soldiers of the Hanzhong Army can stick closely together for some reason and can fire a large number of lead bullets in an instant. The fire cannons they hold are extremely powerful. Forty steps Even three layers of heavy armor can't cover it."
"There are also artillery pieces. They seem to be red-coated artillery pieces. Their army also has an artillery piece that can shoot three to four hundred paces. It has a very fast rate of fire and seems to be extremely light. It should be able to move quickly with the army."
Listening to Duduo's report, Dorgon's expression became more solemn.
"Can you be sure?"
"It is currently unclear whether what Chasuka said is not an exaggeration."
Duduo shook his head. If he wanted to be completely sure, he could only fight a battle with the Ming army that was really determined.
"However, I asked Sele and some bannermen who had withdrawn from the Zhenglan Banner, and the results were similar."
"Sele?"
Dorgon frowned. Zhasuka might lie in order to evade responsibility, but people like Sele would not panic. And since the soldiers below also said so, there is a high probability that the Ming army did. Received a batch of new firearms.
If this is the case, then the current situation is not too good for them now.
Dorgon raised his right hand and slowly touched the railing of the observation deck in front of him, and began to think about what might happen.
The current situation made him feel threatened.
The attack on Beijing did not go smoothly. Lu Xiangsheng, the new governor of Xuanda in the Ming Dynasty, was not an easy person to deal with.
It turned out that the frontier troops in the North had been beaten by them so much that they hardly dared to go out of the city to fight in the field. Every time they went south, they only dared to huddle in the city most of the time.
But the frontier troops, now under the leadership of Lu Xiangsheng, dared to go out of the city to fight with them in the field, and even caused them some small losses.
After bypassing Zhuozhou and heading south in November, they successively attacked Yizhou, Dingxing, Rongcheng, Ansu, Anzhou, Gaoyang and other cities.
The troops spread all over the four prefectures of Shuntian, Baoding, Zhending and Hejian.
But precisely because of this, the troops were dispersed.
The captured cities allowed them to seize a large amount of materials and livestock, and also captured a large number of people.
And these gains have also made them more and more bloated, making it difficult to cover everything.
Lu Xiangsheng has 20,000 elite soldiers under his command, while Sun Chuanting has 16,000 soldiers under his command. If the two of them join forces, they may have other ideas.
The Ming army was coming with force this time, and the situation was not favorable to them.
The Liaodong Army led by Gao Qiqian is not far to the east at this time. There are more than 30,000 people under his command. If they are encircled, they may be in danger of being trapped in Baoning Mansion...
"The flag owners of each flag have arrived at the military tent."
The voice from the bodyguard behind him interrupted Dorgon's thoughts.
Dorgon turned his head and looked at the military tent not far away.
Slowly, his eyes began to change, and the original confusion gradually dissipated, replaced by a fierce killing intent...
…
In the Qing army's camp on the outskirts of Gaoyang City, outside the Chinese army's tent, two huge woven gold dragon banners were placed in the center, with flags of various colors on both sides.
Each flag of different colors and shapes represents a battalion of soldiers and horses.
Dorgon held his sword in hand and walked with Duoduo from the lookout to the Chinese military tent.
Outside the Chinese army tent, a group of Zhengbai Banner heavy-armored soldiers wearing mercury armor saw Dorgon and Duoduo approaching. They all bowed down and greeted them respectfully.
After passing many checkpoints and passing countless armored soldiers, Dorgon walked into the Chinese military tent with his head held high and his chest held high.
Just when Dorgon walked into the Chinese military tent, all the hesitation and hesitation he had on the lookout disappeared, leaving only his fierce momentum.
In the Chinese military tent, a group of Qing army generals wearing various colored armors sat on both sides.
Their helmets had all been taken off and placed on the other side, revealing their shiny foreheads and scalps. Only at the back of their heads was a slender money rat tail.
"Welcome to you, General!"
When all the Qing generals in the Chinese military tent saw Dorgon walking into the tent, they all stood up and bowed down.
Dorgon nodded slightly as a response and glanced across the faces of everyone in the tent.
Not everyone in the tent stood up. The leader of the red flag, General Yangwu, Yue Tuo, was sitting on the right seat of the leader with an indifferent expression, as if he didn't care much about anything.
Because of Daishan's age and Huang Taiji's secret fueling, he has gradually retreated behind the scenes. Now the actual control of the two red flags has also changed.
On the lower left hand side, there are Hauge, the leader of the Zhenglan Banner, Du Du, the leader of the Triangular Red Flag, and other eight banner leaders of Manchuria. Duduo's position is also among them, but it is temporarily vacant. .
On the right side, the leaders of the Eight Mongolian Banners sat in sequence, but they did not stand up.
Huang Taiji advocated the policy of one Manchu and Mongolian family, and established many marriages between Manchu and Mongolian people to promote alliances.
Huang Taiji had sixteen daughters, fourteen of whom were married to Mongolian princes and nobles.
Dorgon strode forward, walked all the way to the superior position, and sat on the left side of the superior, opposite Yue Tuo.
This time in the entrance battle, he and Yue Tuo were on equal terms, but the decision-making power rested with him.
Dorgon glanced at Yue Tuo first, and then turned his gaze to the generals in the tent.
"Since entering the Pass, we, the Qing Dynasty, conquered more than ten cities of the Ming Dynasty, fought thousands of miles, and were invincible along the way. We killed hundreds of Ming Dynasty generals, defeated tens of thousands of Ming troops, captured hundreds of thousands of people, and captured wealth and silk. Millions."
Dorgon's voice sounded in the central military tent, and the generals and commanders in the military tent also turned their attention to Dorgon.
"Tanma reported that Shandong in the Ming Dynasty was very empty, and there were not many soldiers to defend it. If we take advantage of this great victory, if we can invade Shandong and defeat Jinan, we can make millions more wealth!"
Dorgon's tone was extremely provocative, and all the Qing generals in the Chinese military tent looked happy and eager to try.
This time at the entrance, with the help of the red-coated cannon, they broke through many cities and looted along the way, and they had already made a lot of money.
Looking at the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, Shandong Province can be regarded as one of the top wealthy places.
If I go to Shandong now, I'm afraid the harvest will be even richer than the last time.
"but……"
The warm atmosphere in the military tent did not last because Dorgon had already poured a basin of cold water on them.
"I believe you all already know that just a few days ago, an army of King Qin from the Ming Dynasty arrived at Zhending."
Naturally, they already knew what Dorgon said. When they heard the news that Zhenglan Banner was defeated outside Zhending City, with thousands of casualties, they all thought it was Tianfang Yetan.
Because in their impression, the Ming army's combat power was not that strong.
They didn't believe it until they saw the defeated army of Zhenglan Banner coming back.
There is another chapter today, this one is from yesterday
(End of chapter)
