Dorgon simply did not believe that Prince Man Minggou could guess where he would lead his troops to enter the pass, otherwise he would not have accumulated a large number of troops at Xifengkou.
At that time, the barbarian minister Yang Sichang ordered Yan Jizu to hoard most of Shandong's troops in Dezhou. However, the Qing army raided Jinan and succeeded, and also captured a pseudo-vassal king.
What's more, the defenders here don't have many troops, so there won't be too much kerosene. As long as they launch a fierce attack day and night, they will definitely get what they want and enter the pass as soon as possible.
The prince's idea was good, but when he arrived below, the armored soldiers of the Han army who were responsible for the charge were made miserable by this order and were dying.
When we rushed within two hundred steps of the Great Wall, there were pits everywhere. Due to the terrain, we had to climb while avoiding the attacks of cannonballs and arrows.
This wasn't the end of the story. When we got to the base of the city, the dog pirates above were throwing down barrels of kerosene one after another, seemingly endlessly, more than our own infantry.
The mountains of knives may not be visible, but the sea of fire is something that everyone must have experienced.
Although it was already early winter, everything along the foot of the Great Wall was burned by kerosene into a steaming pile of scorched earth.
Being close to the city's roots and underground, it was really a narrow escape from death. It was God's blessing that I could escape unhurt without being burned or killed.
Most of the armored soldiers who attacked the city were either killed by grenades, burned to death by fierce fire oil, or killed by flying cannonballs, muskets, and arrows.
This kind of firepower had only been encountered when attacking the capital before. Unexpectedly, we encountered it at Xifengkou. This is a big bad luck...
People with severe burns will be beaten to death even if they are snatched back by their companions. Those with moderate burns will just lie there waiting to die, that's all.
In the second attack, the Han army killed and wounded almost one armored infantryman, and defeated nearly 2,600 armored soldiers in two attacks, which was considered an extremely heavy loss.
That's not to say that all these 2,600 people were killed. This did not include those who were slightly injured. They were all moderately and severely wounded soldiers. The result of their return would be that the army would be directly reduced in number and would not be able to participate in the battle again.
So many soldiers were lost in half a day, and the desired result was still far away. This made Dorgon very unhappy, and Daishan even begged his fourteenth brother to let his two red flags go into battle.
In view of the current situation, Dorgon did not agree. It was unwise to lose a large number of Eight Banners soldiers before entering the customs.
On the one hand, let the Han army continue to charge and continue to consume the defenders' troops and ammunition. When the fight is almost done, they will send the Eight Banners soldiers to deliver a fatal blow.
On the other hand, Dorgon has sent people back, dispatched the troops of King Sanshun to fight together, and dispatched 50,000 Baoyi Aha.
The function of these coatings is to use human lives to pave the way when the attack cannot be defeated for a long time!
Even if they all die at Xifengkou, they won’t hesitate!
King Sanshun's army is located between Ningyuan and Jinzhou. After receiving the order, it can reach Xifengkou in less than five days.
Before departure, Huang Taiji had authorized Dorgon to directly mobilize the troops of King Sanshun to fight in the pass without asking for instructions in advance if the war was serious.
King Sanshun's command was equipped with a large number of artillery, including no less than sixty red cannons.
This was of great help in conquering Xifengkou, and it was also Dorgon's most valued weapon.
If our troops had as many as a hundred red cannons, they would have blasted the Xifengkou by now.
Thinking of this, Dorgon couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. It would be nice to bring more heavy artillery before raising troops.
However, as long as you avoid the capital and attack dozens of cities along the way, you can still win a great victory this time and return home with a full load!
Fighting in winter is not only the most suitable time for the Eight Banners warriors, but also the freezing of rivers in the northern region saves Wang Shi from the trouble of requisitioning ships.
Early is better, late is better, it all depends on how to seize the opportunity!
Starting from the next day, Dorgon ordered the entire army to camp on the spot and make repairs, waiting to join King Sanshun's troops.
The newly named Yongshun King Wu Sangui was not transferred, mainly because he was afraid that he would betray him after surrendering.
Now he is still in Ningyuan City, keeping company with Du Du every day, drinking and talking.
As long as they can get Ningyuan and threaten Shanhaiguan, it will be worth every penny for the Qing Dynasty.
It doesn't matter whether Wu Sangui's troops contributed, as long as they watched the Qing army win battles repeatedly.
Seven days later, King Sanshun's troops gathered together with Dorgon's army, with a total strength of more than 110,000.
The 50,000-packed Aha driven by Xianglan Banner were still on the way. When Dorgon saw that the artillery team had arrived, he didn't want to wait any longer.
Although the Qing army carried out artillery bombardments every day, the Japanese pirates on top of the city were repairing the city walls every night.
This made the artillery bombardment very ineffective. After obtaining the artillery team of King Sanshun, Dorgon decided to complete his success in one battle.
Use a hundred Hongyi cannons to directly destroy the city wall at Xifengkou, leaving the Japanese pirates on the opposite side undefended.
This bombardment will not only completely collapse the city wall, but also widen the gap to prevent the attacking Han army from being attacked from two sides.
Dorgon didn't know exactly how many shells to fire. That was a matter for the artillery team. He was only responsible for issuing orders.
In short, before these one hundred red cannons are scrapped, the gap must be blown out, otherwise everyone in the artillery team will be punished!
The Japanese army on the opposite side was not equipped with red cannons, so the Qing Dynasty artillery team only needed to set their gun positions one mile away to avoid the opponent's attack.
Such an easy bombardment was the first time since the bombardment of the capital. This made the Qing artillery team regain confidence, believing that as long as the bombardment was done properly, their side would be sure of victory.
Initially, Dorgon planned to let his Han troops attack from the mountains. However, due to the steep terrain of the mountains, it was difficult to attack from above, and he was defeated twice.
After carefully observing the terrain, Dorgon changed his original intention and directly ordered the artillery team to bombard the city gate located in the depression.
As long as a gap can be opened, the Japanese defense line here can be torn apart, and the Japanese army will be killed with corpses everywhere.
After being held back by the opponent for half a month and unable to move forward, Dorgon didn't have much patience left.
After breaking through the city gate, the terrain south of Xifengkou is very conducive to the deployment of the army.
Before, we were worried that attacking here would be hit by Japanese artillery fire from the mountains on both sides, but time was running out and we could not waste any more time.
The gate at Xifengkou was repaired by Yan Yingyuan and has now returned to its original majestic appearance. It still stands majestic despite the fierce shelling of the Qing army.
The Japanese troops in the city did not fight back, and hid after the cannons were fired, as they did not want to confront the Qing army head-on at this time.
If the Qing army dared to attack with infantry, they would use a bunch of guys to greet them and kill them until they were howling like ghosts and wolves.
"The strength is not enough! Push all the artillery above the Fo Lang machine to the front of the formation and join the bombardment!"
"嗻!"
Dorgon saw that using a hundred red cannons failed to achieve the effect he envisioned, so he planned to add some chips.
Although those medium-sized artillery were less powerful than the red cannons, they were still within their range and could be used to hit the city wall.
More than five hundred artillery pieces were invested at one time, just to bombard a city gate, which was enough to demonstrate the strength of the Qing Dynasty's royal division.
It is certain that we will get the desired result, but we just don’t know when it will be achieved.
The siege carriages had already been prepared, and Dorgon ordered to cut down trees on the spot and build more shields and ladders.
In order to prevent the body from burning with fire oil, before the infantry attacked the city, their armor and shields were poured with water. After freezing, they could be used to prevent fire.
Then cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth to prevent thick smoke from entering, causing uncontrollable coughing and even being smoked to death.
In addition, Dorgon ordered that after the infantry charge, all small and medium-sized artillery should approach and bombard.
The Japanese troops at the top of the city were not given any chance to breathe. The king's division did not set up a ladder at the top of the city, and the bombardment was not allowed to stop!
Under the cover of artillery fire and carriages, two armored soldiers of about three thousand Han troops carried ladders and shields and rushed towards the city gate in a frenzied manner.
The first person to climb the city and plant the flag will be promoted to the third rank and will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver, a house, and two beauties!
Under the temptation of this reward, the armored soldiers of Zhengbai Banner and Zhenghuang Banner became extremely excited.
The Japanese pirates at the top of the city were nowhere to be seen, and the Qing Dynasty's artillery fire became more and more fierce. Seeing that the city gate was bombarded beyond recognition, this was the time for me to make a contribution!
"Kill the Japanese pirates!"
"Seize the city pass!"
"Everyone, rush forward!"
In order to avoid crowding, Dorgon only dispatched two Jia La infantry to attack the city.
Our own artillery fire cover was so good that the defenders at the top of the city didn't dare to fight back. There shouldn't be too few of these soldiers.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
Suddenly, with a muffled sound, a bunch of black spots appeared in the sky.
It was nothing more than two hundred explosive bags tied with a bunch of iron beads.
Mortars are artillery that can shoot in a straight direction, and the Qing army's shelling cannot damage the mortar positions located in the city at all.
As soon as the gunners halfway up the mountain complete the range measurement, they will wave colorful flags to let the artillery team in the city know when the meeting will begin.
There are wooden stakes on the ground in front of the city for measuring distances. As long as the Qing infantry steps into the designated area and sees it with a telescope, the mortars can fire a salvo.
"Use your shield quickly!"
"Ahhhh..."
As soon as Niu Luzhangjing finished speaking, there were violent explosions, and the armored soldiers were screamed by the blast. Like overturned turtles, they lay on the ground struggling and wailing.
"Everyone, get up! Keep charging!"
"Prince Rui is watching me from behind!"
"Those who don't charge will be killed immediately! Those who retreat will be killed by random arrows!"
"Assault on the city, reward you with a thousand taels of silver!"
When the armored soldiers heard such rewards and punishments, they could only brave the defenders' artillery fire and rush forward. At least they could survive by seizing the city gate.
The Qing infantry charged so fast that the Japanese artillery team in the city fired three times. The target passed the minimum range of the mortar and could no longer fire.
During this period, a lot of results were obtained. At least one Niulu armored soldier lay down in front of the city gate. Although many of them were not killed directly, they also lost the ability to continue to attack the city.
Many of the female walls at the castle gate were blown away, unable to cover the Japanese army's ashigaru firing with iron cannons. There were ways to deal with this.
Fill the sacks with soil, pile them up, and place a door panel in front of them to use as a temporary shelter.
As many people as you wait for, you will throw in as much oil as you want!
Barrels of oil were thrown into the city by the Ashigaru. After the barrels were broken, the oil flowed everywhere.
Seeing the all-too-familiar black liquid all around, even without an open flame, frightened the armored soldier out of his wits.
As long as there is a tiny spark, everything within a hundred steps will burst into flames and eventually turn into scorched earth!
The samurai did not need to show their head to shoot arrows. After the ashigaru lit the rocket, the samurai used a Japanese bow to shoot upward. When the rocket fell to the ground, the oil could be ignited.
After learning that the main force of the Qing army appeared outside Xifengkou, Matsudaira Nobutsuna asked the Ming prince for help and mobilized two armies to rush over.
At the same time, it also carried 6,000 barrels of oil. These were transported by the Ming army cavalry who shuttled back and forth. It was difficult to rely on manpower.
Matsudaira Nozuna decided to see if oil, a weapon rarely used in the country, could withstand the Qing's onslaught.
Four thousand Ming army cavalry have gathered in Xifengkou. Once the city gate is lost, they will be responsible for delaying the Qing army's advance.
Even the commander-in-chief Cao Bianjiao didn't know how long it would take four thousand cavalry to resist the opponent's 100,000-strong army.
However, due to the order given by Wang Zaijin, the governor of western Liaoning, and the crown prince personally supervising the battle later, Cao Bianjiao could only prepare to sacrifice his life to serve the country.
The prince, who was just twelve years old, went on a personal expedition this time. This move undoubtedly excited the Ming army.
In comparison, the prince is much wiser and more powerful than the Yingzong back then, at least he will not make the same mistakes again.
It is less than four hundred miles from Xifengkou to the capital, and the reinforcements from the capital should have arrived long ago.
However, it did not appear outside Xifengkou, and Cao Bianjiao was very puzzled by this.
Doesn’t this mean letting the Tatars in?
Then why are you still trying to defend the border? ? ?
But the prince's strategy was beyond anyone's ability to guess, and Cao Bianjiao didn't want to think too much about it after he couldn't figure it out.
The coldest time of the year has arrived again, right during the Little Ice Age, and it was extremely cold.
Originally, a certain prince did not intend to go out of the city to fight, let alone march in person.
But in order to prevent braids from plundering and disemboweling the hinterland of Beiting, they could only force it up.
After repeated measurements with a thermometer, it was found that on the coldest night, it was more than 20 degrees below zero outside.
Fortunately, the army has been well prepared for winter operations. It has all the heating supplies and carries a lot of firewood and coal, so the soldiers will not get cold outdoors.
During this personal expedition, a certain prince brought out ten of the fourteen brigades under the jurisdiction of the East Palace Guards, including two cavalry brigades, leaving four brigades together with some factory guards to look after the house.
Li Chengdong, Meng Ruhu, Gao Jie, and Hu Dawei all came out with about 20,000 troops. Yan Yingyuan took 5,000 of his own troops and mobilized another 30,000 regiments to follow.
Zheng Zhilong went to war with two thousand men on his trip, as well as three thousand Zheng's troops who were originally stationed in the capital for training. His son Zheng Chenggong, nephew Zheng Shengying, and warriors Zheng Ju, Zheng Shao, Zheng Zhi'ao, etc. were all in the army.
A battalion of former East India Company mercenaries, 3,000 French troops, and 10,000 German mercenaries were all dispatched. They were here to make money. If they did not send troops, they would die of poverty.
The special forces are the talisman of a certain prince, so they naturally need to accompany them. Three hundred people are enough, and the other part remains in the capital to prevent changes.
Xue Guoguan, the quasi-father-in-law and the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty, stayed in the old city, the second assistant Wu Zong was in charge of the new city, and Wang Jiayan, the Minister of War, was in charge of the middle city. The three of them could contact each other by phone every day.
In order to deal with Huang Taiji and Dorgon, who are good at strategy, Song Xiance, Gu Junen, and Niu Jinxing, the three most powerful military advisors under a certain prince, all went to war.
In addition to the 5,000 Baoding soldiers, 10,000 Shandong soldiers, and 10,000 Xuan soldiers, the number of troops under the command of a certain prince reached nearly 120,000.
This does not include the accompanying factory guards and 30,000 regiment drills. Most of these two groups cannot be counted on.
A certain prince is not included in the order of battle, especially the latter, as long as he does not fall behind.
