Just as the sun was beginning to show, horses were treading on the green grass, the sound of hooves was gradually rising, and smoke was billowing several miles away. A cavalry of more than a thousand people was approaching the heart of the Ming Empire from west to east at a fast pace.
On a chariot in the team was a large vertical banner with a width of more than ten feet, with a huge crimson word "Hong" embroidered on it!
In the car in front of him, there was a middle-aged thin man standing on the bus. He had straight eyebrows, a big nose, and toad eyes. He had a thick comb beard on his upper lip. He wore a golden phoenix-winged helmet with red tassels on his head. He was wearing a waist-high armor with fish scales and a thong lining. A robe with sleeves and knees, and two spacious python pattern skirts underneath.
He was wearing high-barrel cowhide boots, holding the sword at his waist with his left hand, and holding on to the wooden railing in front of him with his right hand. His eyes were bright and his face was stern. He frowned and stared at the capital city in the distance, which was already burning into the sky. His thoughts were filled with anxiety. Worried.
"Report~! Wang Zhijun, the supervisor of the Yongwei camp, is here to welcome the commander of the army into the palace to meet the emperor!"
"...So good!"
Hong Chengchou soon saw the supervisor. Since Yang Guozhu had sent relatives to report the situation in the capital, he was not suspected of his presence at the moment.
The army was temporarily stationed five miles outside Dongzhimen to wait for orders. If there was no command from the commander, those who acted rashly would not be spared. Hong Chengchou ordered former garrison commander Wang Tingchen, Jizhou commander Bai Guangen, Shanqian commander Li Fuming and dozens of others. The soldiers entered the palace to meet the saint.
While Yang Guozhu was digesting his food, Hong Chengchou was already waiting outside the palace. Yaoji was lucky enough to see this boss-level traitor.
"Your Majesty, Hong Chengchou, comes to see His Highness the Crown Prince and wishes..."
"Hong Aiqing, there is no need to be polite, please get up quickly!"
Yaoji can't. This big toad stepped forward to help me very kindly after saying this. After listening to your reverse blessing, I might be sold by you one day, not only shortening my life, but also losing my life.
"It will be good to come back, it will be good to come back!"
If you stand still at Shanhaiguan after receiving the order, I will be in real danger.
"I am so ashamed that my rescue came late. I hope you will be punished by your Majesty!"
Hong Chengchou also wanted to take advantage of the situation to test it out, and take the opportunity to figure out the holy intention and nip it in the bud.
"It is very difficult for Aiqing to return to the imperial court after sleeping in the open air. Although I am young, how can I not distinguish between right and wrong? I wonder to whom will Aiqing temporarily hand over the power of governor?"
Yao Ji only cares about this one thing, and everything else is trivial. Anyway, the "Qing Dynasty King" will not knock on the door for the time being, and Wu Sangui and Zu Dashou will not take the initiative to surrender. The Western Liaoning Corridor has no worries in the recent period.
"After receiving the decree, I temporarily handed over the power to Fang Yizao, the governor of Liaodong, who will command all the troops in western Liaoning!"
Fang Yizao was just a civil servant and did not know how to lead troops in war. He was comparable to Wang Huazhen back then. However, he was the highest official in Liaodong besides himself, and according to law, he could act as governor.
This is quite appropriate, and Yaoji's question has been answered, and the answer is quite satisfactory: "That's good! Several Aiqing long-distance teachers came to Qinwang, and they have worked hard, but now is a special period, and I only have ramen. Don’t be dissatisfied with me for taking over for my dear friends!”
Yang Guozhu didn't care at all. Instead, he felt that the beef ramen was delicious. It was the best noodles he had ever eaten. He was still unsatisfied and wanted to eat it after eating. I just showed my timidity in front of the prince, so I'd better wait to see the jokes of several colleagues.
The three generals immediately knelt on the ground and swore allegiance: "The last general will not dare to die!"
No one who is a minister dares to make demands to the Holy Emperor. The war has been fought like this and the capital is full of smoke. It would be great if the prince can enjoy a bowl of noodles to eat, not to mention the royal meal. I think the taste is the same.
"Hong Aiqing, Sun Aiqing and the four generals will go with me to Qianqing Palace to meet my father!"
After you finish eating, you can go see the dumper and burp a few times in the main hall. It will be a lot of fun. If the word spreads, you will be "no king", and maybe you will be picked up by some censor who is trying his best to become famous and get promoted. Take a copy.
Lao Hongtou and other generals were relieved after seeing the dragon body of Daddy. They said that the emperor was traveling on a crane, but in fact he was temporarily unconscious. As long as he didn't die, he couldn't jump outside. Even if he really died, The person who inherits the throne is also the prince.
Then everyone returned to the East Palace. The three generals each ate three big bowls. Their food was not much better than that of Yang Guozhu. Hong Chengchou was afraid of being rude in front of the prince, so he only ate two bowls and was not satisfied with this ramen. He said a lot of kind words.
Yaoji asked the four generals to go back to rest, leaving Hong Chengchou to report the work. Sun Chuanting could listen: "Hong Aiqing told me what the situation is like in western Liaoning? Aiqing does not need to go back, I will be of great use, Governor of Ji Liao Someone else has gone to take office, so I want to listen to the truth and truth spoken by Aiqing, and not lies or empty words!"
A certain prince only got some relevant information from the combined volume of street stalls and the Internet. It is unclear whether it can be consistent with the situation in this time and space. Therefore, the narrative of Lao Hongtou, an imperial envoy who has been on the field investigation, is needed as a reference. in accordance with.
Since there was no need to return to Shanhaiguan, Hong Chengchou had confidence and did not dare to be negligent. He lowered his head and cupped his hands and said: "I will tell you everything I know, and I will tell you everything! Your Highness, although I have been involved in border affairs for a short time, in my opinion, Western Liaoning is exhausted. There are three reasons. First, the frequent changes of military and political officials in western Liaoning have made it impossible to implement the established strategy continuously. Second, the local border generals have become a self-contained force and have become an unstoppable force. Third, the method of garrisoning has great disadvantages. , then you have no intention of fighting, and if you resist the menacing Donglu, you will definitely be defeated in every battle."
Before Hong Chengchou, Wu Aheng, Zhang Fuzhen, and Ding Kuichu all served for about a year. Only Fu Zonglong served for less than three years. The frontier officials changed frequently, and the strategy of defending the enemy would change day by day, leaving the subordinates at a loss as to what to do.
The governor of Liaodong is just a decoration. At most, he can be regarded as the deputy of the governor of Jiliao. It is the latter who plays the decisive role. Unless the court divides Ji and Liao, the governor of Liaodong will have real power. However, in that case, the position of governor of Jiliao will be eliminated. will cease to exist.
Moreover, after Hong Chengchou's overt and covert investigation, it was discovered that the most serious case of embezzlement was in the Liaodong region. The imperial court allocated more than 500 taels of silver every year, and it would be highly efficient if two million taels were actually put into practice. Most of them were used by officials and generals at all levels. Divided up.
Regardless of their official position, every Liao general was more or less involved, using the money they earned to privatize their own troops. On the surface, they were the imperial army, but in reality they only followed the orders of one person. If there was a war, they would take advantage of the situation and disobey orders. Escapees have become commonplace.
The local generals used the greedy money to win over their direct lineage soldiers, while most of the ordinary soldiers were ignored. They would secretly rejoice when they received half of their monthly salary. The soldiers at the bottom were all eating and waiting to die. In this way, the tribe faced the Donglu How can the iron cavalry win the battle?
Influenced by Sun Chengzong's strategic thinking of "Liao soldiers guarding Liao soil and raising Liao people", the local soldiers wanted to farm fields and defend the enemy. Although they used dotted fortresses as strongholds, they might be able to hold on for a long time, but they had no ambition at all. .
Due to the lack of field combat capabilities of the Ming army in Liaodong, Lao Suntou's "two guards, three forts and twenty-seven forts" eventually turned into tactical islands. The Qing army could defeat them one by one. If Huang Taiji didn't want to cause too many casualties to his side, he would have been killed long ago. Just pull out the two nails of Ningyuan and Jinzhou.
It is said that they were stationed on the spot to support the war, but military expenditures have remained high year after year. Fortresses were built all over the Liaoxi Corridor, but they did not play a role in containing the Qing army at all. As soon as people took a detour to enter the pass, this It completely became a display like the Maginot Line of Defense.
After the soldiers had wives and children, they no longer wanted to fight. They all liked to live a comfortable life and no longer wanted to risk their lives with the Qing army. It was this wrong idea that not only caused the crops to be plundered, but also the wives and children in the end. Not saved.
"In my opinion, how should I deal with it?"
Lao Hongtou is still very accurate in finding problems. Finding solutions requires brainstorming, so you can listen to his suggestions first.
"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, first of all, you must send someone who understands border affairs in Liaodong, preferably someone who has served in Liaodong, to serve as governor. If there is no major event, there is no need to replace him. Secondly, send guest soldiers from all over the pass to the front Go to western Liaoning to strengthen the defense and enhance the combat effectiveness of the western Liaoning defense line. Furthermore, transfer a number of Liao generals and troops into the pass to prevent them from defecting to the enemy."
Fu Zonglong had served as the governor of Jiliao. Hong Chengchou thought that his ability was good. If the prince could reuse him, he might not be able to stabilize the defense line in western Liaoning. However, he didn't know if the prince already had a candidate in mind, so he didn't recommend him outright.
The imperial court can mobilize troops from Shanxi and Northern Zhili to assist Liaodong, and give full play to the characteristics of "visitor soldiers are good at fighting and native soldiers can defend". They can increase the number of troops by 20,000 every year. After five years, they will be a quite powerful force.
As for the six local generals in Liaodong, at least two of them can be transferred to the pass to encircle and suppress rogue bandits in various places. The vacant positions will be filled by the general soldiers in the pass.
There are no outsiders here, so Hong Chengchou can express his opinions directly. These words express his distrust of the generals in western Liaoning. In his opinion, the selfish local generals will sooner or later ruin this area outside the customs.
Such speculation is by no means alarmist. If the general is afraid of death, he will definitely not be able to defeat the enemy. If the soldiers are greedy for life, they will inevitably surrender.
If the Qing army gathered a large army to besiege Ningyuan and Jinzhou in the next year of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming army went to rescue them, the reinforcements would have to be completely wiped out. If they did not rescue them, the two cities would inevitably fall, and whether they rescued or not rescued them would be a dead end.
The war broke out suddenly, and emergencies frequently broke out in various places. He was bound to be in dire straits. Someone in the court took the opportunity to add insult to injury, and might be imprisoned or even a gang leader. Fortunately, the prince had transferred himself back to the capital, and finally avoided this disaster.
"...Well, what Hong Aiqing said makes sense. I will seriously consider the countermeasures. I have already made arrangements for the person to succeed the governor, and it is Wang Zaijin!"
There have always been two major groups that defended western Liaoning. One was the Sun family, which advocated the establishment of a vertical defense system from Jinzhou to Shanhaiguan to resist the advance of the Qing army with dotted fortresses.
The other is the Wang family, which uses Shanhaiguan as the defense line, builds a horizontal defense line, gathers people from all walks of life in western Liaoning, forms a heavily-armed group, and fights the Qing army at Shanhaiguan.
Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. At present, Yaoji only knows that Lao Suntou's strategy has completely failed, because the court simply does not have that much money for him to code defense, and since he sacrifices his life to serve the country, he will not be held accountable.
In order to raise funds for the Liao Dynasty, the Ming army in the northwest was forced to mutiny. Zhang Xianzhong has not been killed yet. He has become an alien in the belly of the Ming Dynasty. It will burst out at any time. The initiator of such a big hole is the old man. Sun head.
Without enough field troops to be used as mobile troops to carry out rescue operations between fortresses, Sun Chengzong's strategy would not have much effect, because the Qing army concentrated its absolute superior strength to fight with more and less, and a fortress would have to face ten or even several times. Ten times the enemy siege.
Without building bastions and fortresses, as long as the Qing army with its numerous artillery was willing to suffer casualties, the Ming army's fortresses outside the pass would inevitably be eradicated by the enemy one by one.
Even if you don't fight hard, you can get what you want as long as you surround the point and call for reinforcements. The Battle of Daling River is the most typical example.
After the siege, the Qing army began to dig a trench around the city three miles away from the city. The depth and width were both one foot, and a wall one foot high was built outside the trench to block communication between the inside and outside. In this way, the Ming cavalry could not leave the city to meet reinforcements. The army then cut off the connection between the defenders in the city and the outside world.
This means that the Qing army has a sure chance of victory, because the Ming army does not have the ability to defeat the Qing army in a field battle. As long as the Ming army dares to come to support, it will inevitably encounter an ambush halfway. Huang Taiji, who advocated the trinity of infantry, cavalry and artillery tactics, defeated 40,000 Ming troops in the battle. The reinforcements were led by Wu Sangui's father Wu Xiang.
If Sun Chengzong's vertical fortress tactics were to be successful, the only feasible way was to build forts along the coast.
First of all, no matter how powerful Huang Taiji is, he can't let his men dig trenches in the sea. Digging them will be useless.
Secondly, the Ming Dynasty reinforcements did not need to worry about being ambushed by the Qing army on the way, and could continuously enter the city directly from the sea.
As long as the Ming army could ensure the safety of the sea lifeline, it would be impossible for the Qing army to encircle any coastal city except in winter.
There is food and soldiers in the city, the wounded can be transported away in time, reinforcements can be in place at any time, and morale will naturally not be low.
Even if they are besieged in winter, the city has already stocked up enough food. The Qing army is not afraid of the cold, so they can be surrounded.
The sea area in western Liaoning has only been frozen for three months. After the beginning of spring, Ming warships can sail freely on the sea again, and the pigtails are staring at nothing.
Therefore, Sun Chengzong's defensive tactics were only a bad idea, and Wang Zaijin's decisive battle tactics of increasing troops were not a good idea, and they were certainly much better than Lao Suntou's.
Assuming that the annual salary is 5 million taels, and 100 taels of it are used to recruit and train 20,000 new soldiers, an army of about 100,000 can be formed in five years. If the cost can be saved, the military strength will still be More.
Including the original troops and horses in Liaodong, the total strength is about 150,000 to 200,000. No matter how big the appetite of the "Qing Dynasty King's Division" is, it is impossible to eat this heavy army group in one bite.
If such a tactic is implemented, there is no need to worry about losing troops in the area north of Jinzhou, let alone wasting boxes of money.
Since the quality of individual soldiers is not good, the solution is to desperately increase the quantity and use quantitative changes to promote qualitative changes. Even if there is no qualitative change, it can offset the enemy's advantage of elite soldiers to some extent.
If one hundred thousand doesn't work, then two hundred thousand; if two hundred thousand doesn't work, then five hundred thousand!
Yaoji doesn’t believe that half a million piles have collapsed all of a sudden under the command of Wang Zaijin?
The purpose of this is to drag the "King of the Qing Dynasty" into a protracted war of attrition. If you don't want to come, I will defend the coastal code. I will disgust you to death!
Yaoji's tactics are very simple, that is, use the naval gun cover to deal with the pigtails in the coastal areas. I'll admit it if you take a detour and enter the pass.
