Dorgon did not describe Zhang Xianzhong as a dead man for no reason. He was also a big player who ascended the throne twice and proclaimed himself emperor. Now he also occupies Chang'an and Luoyang. A thousand years ago, with this small amount of territory, he could Sweeping the world!
But times are different now, and Chang'an and Luoyang are not that important. And... Zhang Xianzhong is even worse! Duoama has competed with Zhang Lao Long live several times, and they have always won a great victory. Nikan, who has made great achievements, led a powerful force of less than 19,000 banners from Hulao Pass to Luoyang City.
If the Hongyi cannon hadn't arrived, he would have defeated Luoyang City!
By the way, the 10,000 Nine Banners soldiers led by Nikan are a new Qing version of the army composed of cavalry, mounted (mule) infantry and field artillery!
Their fighting method is also very simple, that is, artillery bombardment and cavalry charge. The cavalry charges after the artillery bombardment, while the mounted infantry (usually Green Flag Soldiers) is responsible for protecting the artillery and maintaining the position. Sometimes they can also charge on horseback and mules. .
And they don't have many cannons. An army of 10,000 people is equipped with two Hongyi small cannons, Niulu, for a total of 12 3-pound cannons.
With just this little artillery and this little cavalry, the tens of thousands of troops sent by Zhang Xianzhong completely lost their temper... Zhang Xianzhong's soldiers came from the Huguang and Sichuan areas, and there were not many cavalry left. How could the 10,000 Qing cavalry and mounted infantry rival the formation? But when they had to form a formation and defend, 12 3-pound cannons beat them to shame.
Of course, 12 cannons can't kill many people, but how much can Zhang Xianzhong's bandits take? They were bombarded with artillery fire one after another, but they couldn't fight back. They took the risk to attack and were counter-attacked by their cavalry. After a few rounds, they collapsed. As soon as the army retreated, they were killed by the Qing cavalry...
So after a few battles, we will know what role Zhang Xianzhong is and what role Dorgon is.
"Tell Nikan," Dorgon said to Fan Wencheng, "we must keep the withered bones of Zhang Xianzhong!"
"Keep Zhang Xianzhong?" Fan Wencheng was stunned, "Huang Ama, what's the use of keeping him?"
"Of course it's useful!" Dorgon said, "He's already frightened by being beaten...so as long as we don't attack Luoyang, he won't dare to cause trouble to us. Keeping him can block Wu Sangui , As long as Wu Sangui did not capture Xi'an Prefecture, there would be no open rebellion.
Secondly... I have to leave some thoughts for Emperor Hongxing, Shi Kefa and Gao Hongtu. If we beat Zhang Xianzhong to death with three strikes, five strikes and two strikes, they should be careful! That would be difficult to deal with! "
Fan Wencheng immediately pretended to be in admiration and said with a smile: "Huang Ama is really tall, I admire you!"
...
"Your Majesty, this is Shi Zhijun's memorial."
As soon as Hongxing Emperor Zhu Cixi's ship docked at the canal dock in Yangzhou City, Huang Xiaobao brought him Shi Kefa's report.
Zhu Cixiang took the memorial, unfolded it, and let out a sigh.
Li Yan and Wu Guoyong, who were discussing matters with him in the cabin, looked at each other. Li Yan asked, "Your Majesty, what did Shi Zhijun say?"
“Shandong’s Zhenglu flag is getting stronger!”
Wu Guoyong's expression was stern: "Dorgon is going to strike first!"
"No," Zhu Cixiang shook his head, "the troops under the Green Flag will be mobilized further west. At the same time, they will shrink their defenses on the front of Shandong."
Li Yan said: "He must want to deal with Zhang Xianzhong first."
"Is Zhang Xianzhong that powerful?" Zhu Cixiang wasn't sure. Historically, this guy was killed by a Tatar in one beating... However, after Zhang Xianzhong died, his four adopted sons were very powerful, especially Li Dingguo. He persisted in resisting the Qing Dynasty for many years, and even killed King Kong Youde of Dingnan and Prince Nikan of Jingjin.
Could it be that Zhang Xianzhong is dead?
Li Yan didn't know that Zhu Cixiang knew Zhang Xianzhong very well. He mused: "Zhang Xianzhong is quite capable of fighting sometimes... Several of his adopted sons are quite capable, but this time they were killed in Luoyang again. Maybe Worked hard.”
Maybe he was beaten to death? Zhu Cixiang thought to himself, Li Zicheng was pretending to be cool now, maybe Zhang Xianzhong also learned from him?
Li Yan was still using his imagination there, "If Zhang Xianzhong works hard, then we can make a difference on the battlefield in Shandong. If we can open up the canal transportation line from Peixian County to Dezhou, this Northern Expedition will be a sure thing."
It is no longer the seventeenth or eighteenth year of Chongzhen. Zhu Cihong has been able to squeeze a lot of oil and water from the eight southeastern provinces to support the war in the north. Moreover, the arms trade with the Dutch and Portuguese, as well as the development of the four major military industrial bases in Foshan, Anping, Shanghai, and Nanjing, also helped ensure the "modernization" of the Ming army. Under this circumstance, the comparison of military strength between the Ming and Qing Dynasties also reversed, at least from the strong Qing Dynasty to the evenly matched Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, as long as the Shandong Canal is obtained, Zhu Cixiang is sure that he can hold it!
And holding the canal line can force the Qing army out of Shandong... There are more than 60 million acres of land in Shandong, most of which are in Yanzhou Prefecture, Dongchang Prefecture and the northern part of Jinan Prefecture. Once these territories return to In the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty will lose the land where the Zhengluqi soldiers are placed!
"Guoyong!" Zhu Cixiang said to Wu Guoyong, "You are a native of Liao and a right-wing military advisor. You are the only one who can handle Liaodong and Western Liaoning... I order you to be the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong army and the general of Liao. Seal, in charge of military affairs in Liaodong, West Liaoning, Beiyang, and North Korea!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Guoyong immediately stood up, then knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, Wu Guoyong, respectfully accepts the imperial edict!"
"Get up!" Zhu Cixiang called Wu Guoyong to stand up, and then ordered, "Liaodong and Liaoxi are the nests of the Eastern captives, so we cannot easily go deep into the hinterland. We should first establish the foundation and attack steadily... You can do this near the shores of Liaoxi and Liaodong. Choose one or two abandoned cities to operate, or you can also occupy large offshore islands as the basis."
Although the situation looks good, Zhu Cixiang still wants stability first. There are many castles on the Liaoxi Corridor right on the shore. It is enough to capture one or two to attract hatred. There is no need to go deep, as that would be too risky.
In addition, there is a large island called Changsheng Island on the Fuzhouwei territory of the Liaodong Peninsula. It is very close to the coast and is connected to the Liaodong Peninsula when the sea freezes every winter. If it can be occupied in autumn and a simple bastion is built on the island, it would be a good base.
...
In the territory of Yanzhou Prefecture, on the bank of the Sishui River, a large group of military vehicles was moving westward at an unhurried pace.
At this time in Shandong, the autumn wind is blowing, and the harvest season is approaching. However, Ziyang and Qufu counties in Yanzhou Prefecture have been the place where the Ming and Qing armies fought for the past two or three years, and agricultural production has long been in dire straits.
On both sides of Surabaya, there are dilapidated villages everywhere that have been burned. The fields are barren and there are no traces of past cultivation. The golden thatch has grown almost to the chest of a strong adult man. The farmers who worked in the fields in the past have long disappeared. They have either gone to the southeast, or to Qufu or the nearby mountains. Most of the best among the latter were incorporated into the Qufu training army by Shi Kefa and Kong Yinzhi, and some of them were among this eastward-moving chariot army.
This chariot army has two battalions. The organization of the chariot battalion is completely different from that of the infantry battalion of the New Army. The total strength is 3,1200, which is more than a regiment of the New Army. Their tactics are somewhat similar to the Hussite Fortresses in European history, but their firepower is much more powerful.
Sidecars one after another were connected end to end, with horses pulling people and pushing people, moving slowly, while covering the formation of gunmen and spearmen. There are also a small number of cavalry wandering near the brigade, always on guard to avoid letting the Qing army approach.
However, the vigilant cavalry found nothing along the way. It seemed that there were no Qing troops active in the area of Ziyang County (the first county of Yanzhou).
Shi Kefa's adopted son Shi Dewei and his brother Shi Kecheng were among the convoys at this time. Both of them were riding horses and bridles, walking slowly westward along the bank of the Sishui River, and talking in low voices from time to time.
The two of them followed Shi Kefa's order and tentatively moved towards Ziyang County... In the past two or three years, Shi Kefa attacked Ziyang several times and was defeated by the Qing army. This time he hit again and again, and at the same time explored the reality.
