The official security officer who received the urgent report from Na Qitai did not dare to delay. He immediately sent an urgent message of 600 miles to Qinggui who was in Jilin.
Since the loss of Ninggu Pagoda last year, the post road from Hunchun to Wula in Jilin has been cut off by the Northern Navy. Afterwards, Qinggui petitioned the imperial court to open a new post road from Hunchun to the west via the Burhatu River and to Jilin via Odoli.
While Hunchun's military report was still on the way, Qinggui first received a flight report from Aung Bangduohong Station, 235 miles northeast of Jilin. The Northern Navy's sentinels have been retreating to Jiaohe River in recent days. He appeared nearby, seemingly surveying the depth of the water level in the Tuijiao River.
Subsequently, the Qing army stationed outside Ningguta City also sent back a secret report. The news was sent out ten days ago. It said that about 4,000 to 5,000 Northern Navy troops arrived at the military camp five miles south of Ningguta City from Fuldan City, followed by a large number of supply vehicles, which were dark and dense. The end is as far as the eye can see. In order to prevent anyone in Ningguta City from tipping off the Manchus, the entrance and exit checks in Ningguta City are now very strict. People in the city cannot leave without a pass issued by the Beihai Town government, and those outside the city are even more difficult to enter once they enter. Damn it!
Qinggui frowned immediately after receiving the news, thinking that he was really afraid of something. He was now afraid that Zhao Xin would take action before Fukang'an arrived, and the troops dispatched by Qianlong from the northwest were still on the way.
At present, most of Jilin's peripheral defensive forces are deployed along the line from Xiaobai Mountain to Fosiheng Mountain, with nearly 30,000 troops. Their purpose is to prevent the Northern Navy from launching an attack from Ninggu Pagoda. As for the southern route, Hunchun Camp is responsible for it.
Since the fall of Ninggu Pagoda in May last year, Qinggui ordered people to build hundreds of checkpoints and more than 20 forts around various passes and post roads in Xiaobai Mountain and Fosiheng Mountain, and deployed a large number of people in these forts. Artillery and Musketeers. In the mountainous forest areas between the forts, battalions of Eight Banners musketeers and archers were stationed.
Once a certain fortress was attacked, nearby Qing troops could quickly provide support through newly opened roads behind each fort, or attack from other passes, using the cover of mountains and forests and canyons to outflank the invading enemy from the sides.
Although Qinggui is just staying behind and temporarily taking charge of the military and political power, as long as he can hold on for a while and wait until Fukang'an comes to complete the handover, he can return to Beijing safely.
However, there are unforeseen circumstances, and bad luck happens one after another. Two days later in the evening, just after he had arranged to send out sentries in the direction of Ninggu Pagoda, an urgent report came from Hunchun.
In the custody room of the general's office, Qinggui sat on the kang and read the report from the official security and Na Qitai's secret letter, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Several staff members did not dare to speak out, for fear of disturbing the decision-making of Master Jinglue.
Qinggui looked up at the wooden diagram in the pledge room, then stood up and walked closer. The two Geshiha each held a whale oil horse lantern produced in Beihai Town to help him illuminate it. This wooden map occupies one-third of the area of the signing room. It is filled with flags of various colors, making the situation between the enemy and ourselves clear at a glance.
How many people did the North Navy dispatch? How many troops did Zhao Xin deploy on the front lines of Ninggu Pagoda and Fuldan City? Does he really want to attack Jilin and Hunchun at the same time?
At present, the intelligence obtained by the Qing government's secret agents from Beihai Town is fragmented, with a hammer in the east and a stick in the west, especially the North Navy training base located on the east bank of the Xila River. It is completely impossible to penetrate with a needle or with water. . Even Qinggui found it incredible. He really couldn't understand how the Beihai Navy could guard a large camp so tightly all year round.
Everyone from Qianlong to Fukang'an and even Qinggui had estimated Beihai Town's military strength before. They all believed that the current total strength of the Beihai Navy was around 20,000 people, mainly based on the ratio of soldiers to peasants in this era. Now that Tsarist Russia has made it clear that it will go to war with Beihai Town, Zhao Xin must deploy 10,000 troops in Irkutsk no matter what.
In addition, the Northern Navy also has 5,000 troops stationed in the east and west of the island country. Heilongjiang City, Sanxing, and Boli also have hundreds of troops each. Qinggui previously estimated that Fuldan City has a maximum of 5,000 people, and Beihai Town There were only a few hundred people there at most.
After listening to Qinggui's analysis, several Zanhua staff members looked at each other in astonishment. One of them said: "Then Zhao Xin wants to go all out with military force? If he recruits soldiers in Beihai Town, how many people can grow food for him?"
Another person said: "What Brother He said is really on point. The Zhao thieves do not care about the people's power, and their destruction is just around the corner."
After listening to the discussion among his staff, Qinggui suddenly remembered the intelligence sent by the spies a few days ago. It said that not many manpower was used for spring plowing in various places in Beihai Town this year, except for some mountainous flats in the corners, regardless of the plains south of Xingkai Lake. Still north of Beihai Town, you can often see some huge steel machinery helping to farm, and they can plow and sow at least several hundred acres a day. As for the mechanical reason, it has not yet been discovered.
Qinggui read the secret report and thought it was really shocking that Beihai Town's miraculous skills could reach such an extent. It would be great if the imperial court also had such plowing machinery, at least it would save a lot of effort of oxen and horses. But then I thought about it, if farming is like this in the future, then what is the use of "agricultural" in "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce"? At present, whether it is Zhili, Henan, or Shandong, the number of refugees caused by various natural disasters has reached hundreds of thousands. If machines were to replace manpower, wouldn't those ordinary people have no way to survive?
Thinking of this, Qinggui showed a trace of disdain on his lips. I thought that Zhao Xin was indeed a monster. Not only did he want to destroy the orthodoxy respected by scholars, he would even cut off the livelihood of ordinary people. If he really were allowed to conquer the world, all living beings would be devastated, and the world would sink into darkness like a long night.
Thinking about it, Qinggui thought that it would be fine if Zhao Xin only attacked Hunchun, but at worst he could shrink all his troops to the line from Changbai Mountain to Fosiheng Mountain; but if the other party just spread suspicion on the south bank of the Suifen River, it would be a false shot, and the real target is It would be troublesome to capture Jilin Wula.
Judging from the marching speed of the Northern Navy during the Battle of Fuldan City, once Jilin is lost, they will definitely quickly cut off the retreat of the Hunchun camp to the east, leaving tens of thousands of Qing troops alone. Although the Qing army could take advantage of the northern Li Dynasty to retreat southward from the Tumen River, the court would lose all face.
Could it be that Zhao Xin plans to take action on both sides? Qinggui thought about Zhao Xin's past battles and realized that it was really possible.
Qinggui stayed up all night, thinking hard about Zhao Xin's purpose in this battle. However, he never thought that Zhao Xin actually wanted to capture prisoners this time, take back the lost land at the southern foot of Jiangyuan, and take back the large iron mine!
Two days later, the official security received a handwritten letter from Qinggui.
In this letter, Qinggui first ordered Guanbao to send troops to the north of the Mongolian River to investigate the mobilization of the Northern Navy in order to adjust the response plan in a timely manner; secondly, he asked the Hunchun Camp and the surrounding fortresses and mountain cities to be on full alert , check and replenish grain, grass and military supplies, and be prepared to go to war with the Northern Navy at any time; third, Qinggui warned the officers and guards that once the Northern Navy attacks Jilin and launches an attack on the north bank of the Mongolian River at the same time, the Hunchun camp must resist resolutely. It can rely on various mountain fortresses and mountain forest terrain to force the North Navy to be unable to concentrate its superior forces. If necessary, they can even divide their forces to cross the Hunchun Ridge and attack Fuldan City, forcing the Northern Navy to return reinforcements.
After reading Qinggui's handwriting, Guan Bao felt that Master Jinglue was thinking about him, and he also had plans to divide his forces and attack.
So in order to explore the route in the Hunchun Ridge area and find out the movements of the Northern Navy, the official security team, after discussing with the deputy capital commander Wen Dai, decided to transfer a hundred-man Sauron collared armored force from the Hunchun camp, and another one from Tongken Mountain. Ten Kurkhaqi hunters living nearby formed a sentinel cavalry and entered the eastern foot of Hunchun Ridge along the Hunchun River Valley. They bypassed the defense line of the Northern Navy and arrived at the south bank of the Suifen River for reconnaissance.
The people responsible for leading the team are Xizhi Madai, the leader of Da'urzuo of the Xianghuang Banner, and Zarzhan, the leader of Da'urzuo of the Zhenghuang Banner. The lower-level officers of Sauron they lead are all elites who have experienced hundreds of battles in the northwest. Each of them is good at using 120 pounds. of walking bow. And Xizhi Madai and Zarzan both use 140-pound walking bows. If they fight within 20 meters, they can nail their opponents to the ground with one arrow.
In order to withstand the powerful crossbows and muskets of the Northern Navy reconnaissance team, all the officers and soldiers of the Guanbao Ming team wore two sets of cotton armor inlaid with iron leaves and copper nails. In addition to bows and arrows, they also carried two flint-haired muskets and selected black beads. Mu Qin's horse has two hundred and twenty fat horses, and each man rides two.
The order given by the official security officer to the two men was to explore the road from Tongken Mountain to Hunchunling East Road, and also to find out the gathering and troop deployment of the Northern Navy on the south bank of Suifen River, and report back immediately. If you encounter the Northern Navy, you should try to avoid a firefight.
Two days later, the Qing army's reconnaissance team set out from the Hunchun Camp. It took three days for the group to reach the Tongken Mountain Fortress along the Hunchun River Valley. It is said that this mountain city has existed since the Goguryeo era, and it continued to be used in the Ming Dynasty. It belonged to the Tongken Mountain Guard under the jurisdiction of Nuergandu Division. Since the rise of Jin Dynasty at the end of Ming Dynasty, Tongken Mountain Guard has been gradually abandoned.
Although this road is all on the inside of the Qing army's defense line, due to the recent frequent activities of the Northern Navy's reconnaissance team, for the sake of safety, Xizhi Madai, the leader of the Xianghuang Banner, sent five two-person teams out to scout after setting off. Each team is equipped with a Kurkhaqi hunter, and the five teams alternate in order to send back early warnings in time. The rest of the men were divided into two teams, led by Xizhi Madai and Zalzan respectively.
The Tongken Mountain Fortress was built after Qinggui took office. After the Northern Navy defeated the Qing army in Fuldan City, Wang Yuanfang attacked the Mongolian Karen on the southern front and passed through the southern foot of Tongken Mountain very easily. Quickly occupied the dock on the Hunchun River. In view of this, after Qinggui ordered people to inspect the old site of Tongken Mountain City, he decided to expand the place and restore its original military functions, making it an important military fortress guarding the northern section of the Hunchun River Valley.
In fact, Qinggui built more than this military fortress in Hunchun. Including Shuiliufeng Mountain City and Shitouhezi Ancient City in the south of Hunchun City, Tingyan Mountain City in the northwest of Hunchun, Saqi City, Gangouzi City, Yingcheng Zicheng in the northeast, plus Tongken Mountain, there are a total of seven mountain cities, all of which are guarded. The terrain in the throat section is difficult.
For example, the Tongken Mountain Fortress in front of you only has a low wall built on the east and south sides because it is adjacent to the cliff, while the walls on the west and north sides are built with stones, and there are sacks of earth behind it.
The Qing army built five barracks and two wells here; equipped with 500 musketeers and 200 archers, and equipped with many sky cannons and mountain-splitting cannons.
Over the past few years, Qing gunners have fought against Beihai Town several times. Nowadays, lessons have been learned and more than half of the artillery shells used have been replaced by explosive shells that are fired after being ignited. Once the Northern Navy attacks, the Qing army can rely on the dangerous position to launch bombardment from a commanding height.
Xizhi Madai and Zarzhan rested one night at the Tongken Mountain Fortress, and continued their journey north at dawn the next day. Unexpectedly, they found traces of the Northern Navy just ten miles away from the mountain city.
"Sir, there are footprints found thirty steps ahead. They are not ours."
Xizhi Madai heard the report from his subordinates, and immediately said to Zarzhan who was walking over: "You stay here and stare, I will go over and take a look."
At this time, more than thirty Sauron soldiers were already on alert around the area where the footprints were found. These Sauron people have been hunting in the mountains and forests since childhood, and they can tell whether they are male or female, old or young just by looking at the footprints.
The leader who was responsible for exploring the road nearby urged: "Sir, judging from the footprints, there are five of these guys, no horses, and they are heading west."
Xizhi Madai looked solemn and snorted coldly: "These rebels are really unscrupulous, they don't even bother to hide their footprints."
The reason why he made this judgment was that after the Northern Navy occupied Ninggu Pagoda, Hunchun prohibited the border residents from the Four Townships from crossing the Lat River and the Khajimi River to hunt to prevent contact with Beihai Town.
The leader urged: "Looking at the distance and depth between the footprints, he must be very anxious."
Xizhi Madai nodded, so he went back to discuss with Zalzan and then asked his men to expand the search scope on the way forward.
It is said that although the reconnaissance team on the southern front of the Northern Navy is powerful, the problem is that there are only about thirty people in total. From the Tongken Mountain Fortress to the south bank of the Suifen River, there are dense virgin forests and canyons covering an area of more than 100,000 square kilometers. Even if Zhao Xin spreads out the two groups in Fuldan City and lets the few drones on hand fly around 24 hours a day, it is impossible to monitor every corner.
It happened that this Qing army came out from Hunchun with ten local guides. These Kurkaqi hunters were very familiar with the Hunchun Ridge area. They surveyed the road terrain and arrived at the western foot of the Hunchun Ridge in four days.
At the foot of the mountain, a Kurkhaqi guide pointed to the peak not far away and said to Xizhi Madai and Zhargu: "My two gentlemen, as long as you climb over this mountain, enter the ravine and walk for two days, the south bank of Suifen River will reach the peak. I can see almost everything."
Xizhi Madai was a serious guy. He nodded solemnly and said to his men: "Brothers, take a breath first and go over the mountain to camp and rest."
The armored soldiers had been traveling for a long time. At this time, the people and horses were exhausted. After listening to Master Zuoling's words, they unloaded the things on the horses, fed and watered the horses, and took some time to eat something themselves.
At this time, a guard leader wearing armor held a bow and arrow and looked around. When he turned around, he suddenly felt a thorn in his back. He felt alert and immediately raised his bow and arrow to aim in one direction.
This feeling is not innate, but gradually formed after repeated battles and life-and-death battles.
When the others saw his posture, they immediately stopped what they were doing and took off their bows and arrows from their horses to be on guard. As long as Lord Zuoling spoke, dozens of plum needle arrows would immediately shoot in one direction.
"Hollatu, what happened?"
"Someone is watching us."
As soon as he said this, Zhargu, the leader, immediately made a gesture. A dozen Sauron soldiers saw it and did not say a word. They ducked behind the tree and took advantage of the cover of the terrain to move toward the place pointed by Horlatu's bow and arrow. The direction was surrounded.
