From September 11th to September 13th, the main forces of the Qing Dynasty did not receive orders to attack the city. Huang Taiji only sent a small number of troops to the nearby areas to collect grain, and asked flying cavalry to investigate King Man Mingqin's division. Case.
In the remaining time, he and a group of civil servants and generals studied the defense map given to him by Feng Quan. Before analyzing it thoroughly, he decided to stay put for the time being, so as not to fall into the trick of the dog barbarian.
"How should my fourteenth brother respond if he thinks he is serving our army?"
Huang Taiji chose to ignore the eldest son Hauge's strategy of storming the north side of the old city and striving to capture the Manming Imperial City.
The city of Jinzhou is much smaller than the capital of Ming Dynasty. What is the result?
If the losses were too great when attacking the capital, I'm afraid that even if we defeat it, we may not be able to defend it in the face of counterattacks by the Qinwang's troops from all walks of life.
According to detailed reports in the city, the two commanders of the Ming Dynasty, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, were still suppressing bandits in the south, with a total of no less than 200,000 troops.
If they cannot withstand the subsequent counterattack launched by the Ming Ming reinforcements, all efforts will be in vain and the siege operation will become in vain.
If you want to avoid defeat, you must either give up occupying the capital and withdraw from the pass after winning. Either repel King Qin's army first, and then attack the capital slowly.
If you can get tens of millions of taels of silver from the capital, everything will be much easier. Salt, iron, grain, tea and other supplies can also be purchased in large quantities.
Before we succeed, we cannot easily withdraw our troops...
"Your Majesty, I think that if Man Ming's army of King Qin is approaching, our army will send a small number of troops to surround the city and mobilize the main force for field battles. After repelling the invading enemies, we will then plan to attack the city. If the defenders in the city fail to do so in the short term, After receiving reinforcements, I thought that I could continue to bombard the capital, focusing on the north side of the old city and the north side of the middle city. If the defenders were unable to fight back, they could send troops to attack. I sent a large number of coaters to fill up the moat and nearby pits, and then The siege force was mainly composed of the Han Army, the Tianyou Army and the Heavenly Help Army, and was supplemented by elite troops from the Eight Banners."
Before eliminating future troubles, Dorgon did not agree to directly attack the city, because by then his side might be attacked from both front and rear by the Ming army, which was a taboo for military strategists.
The invincible Qing Heavenly Soldiers were able to win every battle in the field, but the Eight Banners' elite soldiers were too few in number and could not withstand the heavy consumption. Once tens of thousands of people were damaged in battle, it would be a heavy blow.
Dorgon still has lingering fears about the outcome of the "Battle of Laotieshan" that happened not long ago. It should be noted that the Japanese army on the top of the mountain did not even have a city, and only the trenches withstood the Wang Division's repeated attacks.
Now, with the high city and deep pool, the Ming army in front of them can block the attack of Wang Division's troops and horses while waiting for work. However, it is difficult to take advantage of Wang Division's cavalry, which is a bit restrictive.
If Dorgon is given the command this time, he will attack the capital if he can. If it can't, let the main force go to Shandong and southern Beizhili to plunder, so as to avoid the main force suffering heavy losses.
However, under the temptation of tens of millions of taels of silver, the majority of the people in the big tent advocated attacking and occupying the capital. Dorgon was unable to influence the final decision, and he did not dare to openly disobey Huang Taiji's thoughts.
Otherwise, Huang Taiji would most likely let their brother's two white flags take the lead in siege operations. Dorgon was very worried about the oil drums, gunpowder packets, grenades and other weapons used by the Japanese army.
These items used by the Japanese army were all given by the Manming court. Since they came from the Manming Dynasty, the number of similar firearms equipped by the defenders of the capital must be much greater than that of the Japanese army.
Once our own side launches a strong attack, I am afraid that the number of casualties will skyrocket within a day.
At that time, the emperor will be unable to get off the chicken, and his suggestion of transferring to another place will be easily realized.
"Fourteenth Uncle, if there is no reinforcement from King Qin's army, it means that Prince Dog has already deserted his relatives and the defenders have also deserted him. Our army does not need to wait for the red cannons to blast through the city wall. We can send troops directly to the north of the old city. Just wait for the old city. Once it is broken, the defense line set up by Prince Gou will collapse completely. Once our Qing soldiers enter the city, it will be like entering a deserted land. The defenders will no longer be able to counterattack, and the capital can be defeated in one battle!"
Hauge doesn't look down on the so-called East Palace Guards at all. Are they even elite?
In front of the soldiers of the Eight Banners, any wise men and horses are vulnerable to a single blow!
If you are really capable, why don't you dare to go out of the city to fight, but instead stay in the city and live in fear all day long?
You want to scare the King of Qing Dynasty by changing your name?
Do you think it's a three-year-old playing house?
I heard that the dog prince was just ten years old. Is he addicted to playing house?
"What the eldest brother said is true. I made a detailed report that when Emperor Ming fled south, he had taken away tens of thousands of the most elite Yongwei battalion in the city. At present, the defenders in the city are Jifu, Baoding, Tianjin, and Shaanxi. The mob gathered in other places is said to be one hundred thousand, but the number of soldiers capable of fighting will not exceed 40,000 or 50,000. The dog prince is just using money to win over these people. Once the situation changes suddenly, the various tribes of Man Ming will be defeated like a mountain! "
Abata supports Hauge's proposal, so what kind of circle are you going to bother with?
Wouldn't it be enough to just send troops to overthrow the defenders in the city and capture the Dog Prince alive?
As soon as the city is destroyed, the money will fall into different hands. Then everyone will divide up 60 to 70 million taels of silver. How happy will it be?
A family can get millions of silver, where can such a good thing be found?
"Your Majesty, judging from this picture, the old city defenders are said to be elite, but their actual combat strength is unknown. If Feng Quan deliberately deceived us, we will know after a try! After trying it, it is not too late to make plans again !”
Du Du is also on Hauge's side. After a hundred years, Hauge will inherit the throne. Those who support Hauge's ascension to the throne will naturally benefit greatly.
He and Abatai jointly led the two gray flags, but these two flags were just formed and were far inferior to the two white flags of the Dorgon brothers. In the future, they could only hold Hauge's thigh tightly to compete with the two white flags.
After the Battle of Laotieshan, the two red flags had been disabled, and the two green flags composed of the Haixi Jurchens could not succeed at all. It would be good if they did not add chaos and hold them back.
In the future, there will be a confrontation between Hauge's faction and Dorgon's faction. As long as Hauge is not stupid, he will win over the two gray flags so that he can continue to suppress the two white flags.
"...what do you dear ladies think?"
Huang Taiji is still considering the two distinct proposals. Hauge's idea is very simple and direct, while Dorgon's plan is more secure.
This time the Qing army came out in full force. It would be best if they could capture the capital, but the worst result would be to break the city and loot it before withdrawing from the pass.
Raising troops and mobilizing a large number of people in this way is very costly, so the capital city must be attacked and defeated. Otherwise, the Qing Dynasty would not be able to bear all the consumption of marching.
"Your Majesty, this time the King's Division has brought a large amount of wrappings, which consumes a lot every day, and Man Ming has adopted the strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing the country. If the King's Division cannot obtain more food from the surrounding areas, I am afraid that it will not be possible to besiege the city for a long time!"
Xifu was in favor of attacking the city immediately, but he said it very euphemistically. Using food as an excuse was a good excuse and very realistic. If the food and grass were unsustainable, Wang Shi would not say anything about siege, but would even withdraw his troops as soon as possible.
"Your Majesty, I think we can make preparations in two aspects. On the one hand, we have the cavalry units on standby. As soon as we find the wise King Qin's troops approaching the capital, we can immediately attack across the board and strive to severely damage or even annihilate them. On the other hand, we can Let the infantry launch a strong attack under the cover of heavy artillery to prevent the plan presented by Feng Quan from being deceitful!"
Fan Wencheng absolutely did not believe that Feng Quan could have such good intentions. To say the least, if the situation was true, he would have to choose another location as the location to break the city.
Fan Wencheng would definitely look down on people who had two different things to do. He was loyal to the Qing Dynasty, but Feng Quan was far from sincere to Man Ming, and would betray and surrender at any time.
"Your Majesty, this time is different from Jinzhou. Jinzhou is close to Yizhou in the Qing Dynasty, which is convenient for the king's army to supply, but the capital is thousands of miles away from our Qing Dynasty. If we can't get a lot of food from the surroundings, the king's army will not be able to besiege the city for a long time. , we must break through the capital quickly, otherwise we can only transfer to other places."
Then Ning Wanwo finally said what Dorgon wanted to say. Whether the capital could be conquered depended on the fighting strength of the defenders in the city and how much food the king's division could obtain from the surroundings.
If we can't collect food, we have to break through the city as soon as possible. If we fail at both ends, then the capital will be out of reach, so we'd better make other plans.
"Your Majesty, I thought we could quickly send troops and horses to the surrounding cities. The people of Jifu have been oppressed by the barbarians for a long time. Now that they have been rescued by my Qing army, they will definitely donate food! If the emperor tells the world that the Qing Dynasty will enter the pass, it will take three years. Tax exemption will definitely win the hearts of the people!”
Gang Lin's damaging move is even more unique. To put it bluntly, it's a lie.
Since Man Ming can come up with all sorts of tricks, the Qing Dynasty cannot lag behind.
No matter what, let’s gather enough food first.
It is said that before the soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first.
Now that hundreds of thousands of troops have arrived at the foot of the capital, most of the food and grass are still unavailable. Who is not panicking?
Except for Shi Tingzhu (the bannerman) and Bayan (the son of Li Yongfang) who have the right to speak in the big tent, the other leading generals can only act according to orders.
When discussing the most important matters related to the fate of the Qing Dynasty, unless Huang Taiji asked them, these people had no right to intervene.
"...In this case, I ordered the artillery team to bombard the north and west sides of the old city for a day, and then dispatched the soldiers to fill up the pits and moats. The next day, the yellow and red banners of the Han army attacked Xizhimen, and the Zhenglan Banner supervised the battle. The white and blue flags of the Han army attacked Fuchengmen, and the Zhenghui flag supervised the battle. The Tianyou army attacked Deshengmen, and the Tianzhu army attacked Andingmen, and the Xianghui flag supervised the battle. The Menggu Eight Banners, the three foreign banners, and the Zhenglu Banner were responsible for defense. King Man Mingqin's army came to the rescue, and the two white flags were responsible for assisting. I personally led the two yellow flags for backup. The four banners of the Han army, the Tianyou Army, the Tianyou Army, the Zhenglan Banner, and the Two Gray Banners all had to deploy a Jia La cavalry to hand over. As for the fourteenth brother, the fourteenth brother will be the governor to collect food and carry out important tasks. If there is a need for clothing, he can be dispatched. All the ministries will act according to the order without making any mistakes!"
Huang Taiji is also aware of the current situation. Nothing is more likely to upset the Yao army than lack of food.
It was Huang Taiji's consideration to hand over nine cavalrymen to Dorgon to collect grain.
Unless you build a slope and charge directly to the top of the city, the cavalry will be completely useless when attacking the city.
Instead of wasting food and grass in vain, it is better to send these soldiers and horses out to collect food from various places.
The Two White Banners had suffered damage around Lushun before, so they forced the Dorgon brothers to lead their troops to attack the city, fearing that they would be forced to do so in a treacherous manner.
Huang Taiji didn't let the two white flags take the lead in attacking the city, and left the most trivial matters to them. It would be much easier to make arrangements after they couldn't deliver.
The Menggu Eight Banners and the Three Waifan Banners have 54,000 troops, plus the soldiers and horses of the Zhenglu Banner and the Two White Banners, the total number is no less than nearly 70,000, which is enough to deal with the infantry-based division of King Man Mingqin. .
Even if 200,000 troops of King Mingqin came to help, it would be difficult to withstand the strong impact of tens of thousands of Qing cavalry in the field. Even if they could not annihilate the enemy, they could be completely defeated and unable to join the defenders in the city.
If something happens around the capital, the most elite Lianghuangqi can be mobilized. After many considerations, Huangtaiji believed that this arrangement was more appropriate.
"Quick! Get in position quickly!"
After the order was issued, the Qing troops in the camp quickly took action, especially the artillery units under the Four Banners of the Han Army, the Tianyou Army, and the Tianyou Army, which were the busiest arms.
Together with the twelve newly delivered red cannons, the number of red cannons deployed by the Qing army in combat has reached 140.
Through the cannon casting masters brought by Kong Youde and the existing colleagues in the Qing Dynasty, the cannon casting technology of the Qing Dynasty has quickly caught up with the Ming Dynasty.
The forged red cannon has a range of up to three miles. Although it is far from the boasted ability to destroy ten miles with one shot, it is still sufficient in actual combat.
Regarding the artillery battle with the city defenders, all the gunners had no idea, because this time was too important. If they fought well, they would be the heroes of the Qing Dynasty, and if they did not, they would be the sinners of the Qing Dynasty.
It is unclear how many red cannons the defenders have. At Kong Youde's suggestion, Huang Taiji ordered the ministries to test a small number of red cannons first. After seducing the defenders into firing, the specific situation will be known.
Because the King's Division deployed artillery positions two miles away from the city head, the bullets that could hit here were naturally fired by the red-coated cannons of the defenders. At that time, the eyes and ears ambushing at the front could detect the defenders' heavy artillery with their naked eyes. quantity.
Before firing, in order to confuse the defenders and cover the advance, the gunners also used vegetation to camouflage their cannons, which most likely ensured the suddenness of the bombardment.
"Boom boom boom..."
As soon as the fourteenth hour of September arrived (seven o'clock in the morning), earth-shaking roars broke the long-term calm.
The King's Division of the Qing Dynasty used twenty red cannons to conduct exploratory bombardments at Xizhimen, Fuchengmen, Deshengmen, and Andingmen.
The capital has a large outline and does not move on its own, but it is difficult for an untrained person to accurately hit a city wall as high as a three-story building from two miles away.
Of the twenty shells fired first, only two hit the target. Since they missed the female wall, the damage caused was minimal.
Because the life of the cannon must be ensured, it can only fire once every quarter of an hour, and only eight times in an hour.
Firing for five hours a day, each cannon could blast forty shells.
However, if it fires at this rate, the life of the Hongyi cannon will expire in eight days at most.
Calculated in this way, the cost of each firing is very high.
If the bannermen were not good at this, Huang Taiji would have wanted the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners to control the artillery team.
"The Dog Tartars are really coming!"
"Just like the girls!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The defenders had long seen the Qing troops busy outside, but they could not easily fire back without orders.
Observation posts can only be left at the designated position, and the remaining people will temporarily retreat and wait for the Qing army to attack the city before taking their positions.
But when everyone saw that Dog Tartar was so accurate, they couldn't help but feel a little funny.
Just listen to the sound of the cannon, but no bullets are seen. Who knows where the bullets have gone.
Perhaps even the gunners of the Dog Tartars don't know it themselves, so this is called "unpreventable"!
