During the Lantern Festival in the 16th year of Chongzhen, March 5, 1643, all the soldiers in the army each ate a bowl of fried Lantern Festival with boiled water and officially set off.
Originally, a certain prince wanted to wait until the Spring Equinox, but it was estimated that Zu Dashou could not wait any longer. If he waited any longer, he would either starve to death in the city, or end up in Shenyang after being full...
Prior to this, the Tianjin Navy had set off first and cruised off the coast of Jinzhou. At the same time, they fired twenty cannon shots and fired signal flares to remind Zu Dashou.
The intelligence obtained by the detective cavalry was that Braids still sent heavy troops to besiege Jinzhou City, which meant that Zu Dashou had not yet surrendered.
In addition to the cavalry, the infantry, artillery, and tank troops, together with all their equipment, all boarded various ships and first arrived in Tongzhou along the canal, then to Tianjin and out to sea via the Wei River.
Arriving at Shanhaiguan within a week and reaching the designated battlefield within ten days is already the fastest way to transport infantry and armored troops.
Half a month earlier, the sea ice in the northern part of Liaodong Bay had not melted, and it was impossible to transport troops and horses by sea and land.
As for whether Huang Taiji is dead or alive, we will know it on the battlefield.
According to the intelligence received so far, agents stationed in Shenyang City still report that the Braided King is still alive...
This was the first Northern Expedition, and there were many more to come.
We can only expect to wipe out all the braided soldiers outside Jinzhou, or force them to wipe their necks.
After the siege is lifted, necessary supplies are transported to Zu Dashou's troops in the city, and the army will retreat.
Fighting deep into the interior, and even pushing it as far as Shenyang City, will be a matter of the next year.
When dealing with braids, you must be methodical and step-by-step, and it must not be done overnight.
This time, nearly 440,000 troops were sent to relieve Jinzhou, including the Marine Corps Brigade.
If all the sailors on the ship are included, the total strength will reach about 500,000!
The scale of the troops dispatched by young uncle Chengzu was similar to that of the Northern Expedition, but this time was different from the past. The offensive and defensive strength of the Wang Division was far better than before.
About 33,000 cavalrymen gathered from various ministries went straight to Shanhaiguan Pass through the pontoon bridges that had been built on various rivers through regiment training.
The governor of western Liaoning, Wang Zaijin, sent 30,000 troops, all of which were cavalry. The combined strength of the two units exceeded 60,000, which greatly enhanced the Wang Division's field assault and counter-assault capabilities.
The remaining troops in Shanhaiguan will stay in place, and the horses in good condition have been used as mobile troops that can fight in the field to rush to support the main force of the Wang Division.
All the cavalry were on standby at Shanhaiguan. After seeing the Ming Dynasty fleet appearing on the sea, the fleet would provide fire cover and head north along the coast.
In order to avoid the landing troops having to cross the river, the landing site was still on the north bank of Xiaoling River.
But there is a problem. If the Xiaoling River is shallow, the ship cannot go upstream.
On the contrary, the cavalry could not join the main force of the King's Division and could only stay on the south bank or be slowly transferred by ships.
A certain prince couldn't control that much, so he had to go to the place first, otherwise the bait of Zu Dashou would lose its effect.
Both Daming and Braid are using Jinzhou City as bait to attract each other to take the bait.
Now, let’s see who catches whom into his mouth first…
A certain prince didn't care at all that the elaborate operations in the capital would send information about the Ming army's large-scale troop movements out of the country.
This time it is an open and honest fight to the death with Huang Taiji. If you have the ability, hurry up and take down Jinzhou City before the Ming army lands.
Isn't it just to dig so many trenches to besiege the city and provide reinforcements?
Reinforcements are coming now~!
The strategic significance of this operation was extraordinary. The Ming Dynasty Navy and the Zheng Group went all out and mobilized a large number of ships, ranging from large merchant ships to small fishing boats. As long as they were willing to make money, they were all welcome.
The total number of ships excluding fishing boats exceeded 7,000. As they marched north, the scene was majestic and spectacular, stretching for hundreds of miles, far exceeding the navy during Prime Minister Cao's time.
The strategy of advancing both by land and water left the enemy on the other side helpless. They knew clearly that the troops at Shanhaiguan were rushing to aid Jinzhou, but there were as many ships on the sea as crucian carp crossing the river, completely unable to defeat them.
They could only watch helplessly as a large number of Ming army cavalry came out of Shanhaiguan and followed the fleet all the way north to the south bank of Xiaoling River.
Even if the Ming cavalry arrived at their destination and camped on the shore, Braid would still be unable to take action.
No matter how powerful the Qing army's artillery was, its firepower was not worth mentioning when faced with thousands of warships.
If there was a large-scale exchange of fire between the two sides, the Qing artillery team would soon be blasted into the sky with both men and artillery!
"Report~! Your Highness, Donglu set up a trench ten miles away from the shore, one foot wide and one foot deep. Another trench was found five miles to the north!"
"Hmph! Okay! Let's explore again!"
Digging trenches to prevent the Ming Dynasty's army from advancing was not the first time Huang Taiji had done this. A certain prince had expected it.
You have a shovel!
We have bulldozers!
That's right!
Do you think that a certain prince has been in the capital these past two days just to listen to Italian opera "Little New Year's Greetings"?
A bulldozer is installed on the front of a steam tank. Isn't this an armored bulldozer?
No matter how many trenches you dug in advance, I will bulldoze them all for you!
A certain prince brought hundreds of professional bulldozers this time. Even if only ten of them could be dispatched, their operating capacity would exceed that of thousands of coolies.
Newly manufactured tanks can be equipped with bulldozer blades on their fronts and can be converted into bulldozers at any time.
Bulldozing and pushing forward at the same time, how wonderful it is~!
From March 13th to 17th, more than 400,000 Ming troops arrived on the north bank of Xiaoling River.
After the ships unloaded the infantry and armor, the cavalry on the south bank was also being transferred to the north bank.
A certain prince's plan was to push the troops to Jinzhou City at the end of March.
The weather has cleared up, the rain has stopped, and Huang Taiji feels he is doing well again, so he comes over and does it for a while!
To the west of Wang Division was the Xiaoling River and to the north was the trench. The braided army could only come from the northeast.
But Huang Taiji or Dorgon are definitely not stupid. They rush over to kill them without full confidence, so they can only come and give away their heads.
Dorgon suffered a big loss from tanks last time, and he will definitely learn from his mistakes this time and find a way to break the tank formation.
"Report! Report to the Emperor, Man Ming has dispatched a large number of chariots. The fronts of the chariots are equipped with something similar to shovels, which can push out a large amount of soil, and the trenches are quickly filling up!"
"Oh? Hmm~! Let's explore again!"
"嗻~!"
Huangtaiji arrived at the Jinzhou front line on the 25th of the first lunar month. Previously, the troops here were commanded by Dorgon.
However, after Dorgon reported the news that a large number of ships were heading north via land and sea, Huang Taiji could no longer sit still.
Obviously, Jinzhou has been besieged for three years, and Zu Dashou's army should have almost run out of food.
If Man Ming retreated with a feint like last time, it would be equivalent to abandoning the defenders in Jinzhou City.
However, if Man Ming wanted to rescue Zu Dashou, it would not be easy to deliver food to the city.
The King of the Qing Dynasty is no longer what he used to be. He has regained his strength and can fight to the death with Man Ming.
The Ten Banners of Manchuria have already reached Manchu's 75,000 people, and the Eight Banners of Menggu and the Three Banners of Waifan have 66,000 people.
The twelve banners of the Han army also numbered 90,000 men, and the three kings and one duke had 60,000 men and horses.
Not counting the soldiers and horses guarding the city, the number of soldiers capable of fighting in the field alone was nearly 300,000.
The rapid completion of the army expansion was attributed to Bao Chengxian's ability to open up wasteland in the northern plains.
Counting the past two years, the Qing Dynasty had acquired six million acres of fertile farmland. Although the court's grain tax revenue per mu was only about 90 to 100 kilograms, the harvest mainly consisted of drought-resistant crops such as sweet potatoes and potatoes.
But this was enough to make Huang Taiji very happy. In terms of military rations alone, the Ministry of Household Affairs had received more than three million dan, which was enough to support an army of 300,000 people, excluding the consumption of the people.
Being able to train an army of 300,000 people who are completely out of work is the primary goal of Huang Taiji.
As the land reclamation area gradually expands, it will not be a problem to expand the army by 100,000 troops every year in the future.
When the Qing Dynasty has half a million tiger and wolf troops, how can Man Ming continue to survive?
But now that the demon boy is actively seeking death, don't blame yourself for being ruthless!
Except for the Ningyuan garrison, Huang Taiji brought almost all the field troops he could bring to the Jinzhou area.
Since the devil boy chose to land on the north bank of the Xiaoling River, Songshan, Tashan, and Xingshan to the south of the Xiaoling River had long lost their role as traps.
The fourteenth brother Dorgon was not completely unprepared. He had learned from previous experiences and lessons and had already sent a large number of soldiers to build three trenches around the city.
Three more trenches were dug ten miles, fifteen miles, and twenty miles north of the seaside to delay the advance of the Ming Dynasty troops.
Dorgon did not think that the demon boy had the ability to quickly fill in the three trenches and allow his troops to reach the outskirts of Jinzhou as soon as possible.
However, things are unpredictable, and the senior officials of the Qing Dynasty were extremely shocked by the appearance of these bulldozing monsters.
If Tan Ma was not dazzled and saw it wrong, it means that the demon boy came prepared for this time.
If we use bulldozer monsters to fill the trenches, wouldn't our previous efforts be in vain?
"My dear friends, the goal of the King's Division is very clear, which is to prevent the Ming troops from approaching Jinzhou and cut off their connection with the defenders in the city. The King's Division now has a strength of 300,000 troops. It can be said that the troops are strong and all types of artillery fire have reached There are tens of thousands of gates, thousands of armored chariots, and thirty airships. Today, there are the Qing Dynasty's heavenly soldiers and generals on the sky, and the Qing Dynasty's iron cavalry chariots on the ground. They are no longer afraid of the many strange weapons made by the Ming Dynasty. !”
Huang Taiji still wanted to cheer up the ministers. He couldn't hear that the devil boy was coming, and he was murmuring in his heart.
How could a group of adults be frightened by a child, even a half-grown boy, and lose face?
"What Huang Ama said is absolutely true. We, the Qing Dynasty, already have all the weapons that the barbarians have. However, the barbarian soldiers are afraid of our Qing Dynasty warriors. The court is also dim and incompetent. The dog prince has conquered and extorted money and has long been unpopular. I, the Qing Dynasty, have conquered the world. The general trend is the trend of the times and the people's will. Our Qing Dynasty's defeat of the Ming Dynasty's troops is God's will and irrefutable. When the dog prince comes to the door, let him never come back! After eliminating this group of troops, Beizhili will be at your fingertips! "
Hauge was frustrated by being scolded before, but now he has learned to be smarter. If he doesn't understand anything about the barbarians, he should just follow Huang Ama's wishes and say it, but it's much better.
After the disastrous defeat, his Zhenglan Banner was rebuilt again. Although it was filled with a large number of Menggu people, it was still under his command after all, and its combat power was still much higher than that of the Han army.
"Fourteenth Brother, in your opinion, how should Master Wang respond now?"
Fighting is necessary, and the barbarians must be defeated, otherwise the efforts of the past three years will be in vain.
But Huang Taiji was still unsure where to meet the enemy and face Man Ming's main force.
According to previous reports, the invading Ming troops were probably no less than 300,000, which was equivalent to the strength of the Qing Dynasty's imperial division.
"Your Majesty, I believe that we cannot just sit back and watch the demon boy send troops to fill up the trenches. We must send out troops to continuously harass them. The king's division must try its best to block the enemy from the trenches this time. If the enemy forces fill up three trenches, both sides should A decisive battle is necessary. If the king's army wins the battle, the ancestor Dashou in the city will be defeated when he sees the reinforcements coming, and he will have no intention of defending the city and will definitely surrender."
Now you can continue to dig trenches in the rear, but obviously with the bulldozer monster, this trick will definitely not work.
I spent several days of effort, but it was filled in in one day, which was half the result with twice the result.
Dorgon felt that he still had to fight. He could no longer look at each other and wait and see. He could either attack halfway or form a decisive battle.
"Where do you think the battlefield is best, my fourteenth brother?"
"Back to the Emperor, I think the best place is around the Bauhinia Mountain! There is no way around it for the Man Ming troops. If you want to break the siege of Jinzhou, you must pass through this place!"
The Xiaoling River just passes through the flat land between Changshan Mountain and Zijing Mountain, and the Man Ming troops landed on the north bank of the Xiaoling River outlet. Judging from their intentions, it is very likely that they will rush to Jinzhou City from here.
To the north of Zijin Mountain is Baicao Mountain and to the northeast is Siding Mountain. If Master Wang controls these two mountains, the Man Ming troops will not be able to go around at all and will have to force their way through, which will make them suffer a lot.
After looking at the map, Huang Taiji also felt that the battlefield was very beneficial to the Qing army.
In the past, the Man Ming troops relied on their terrain advantages to block the King's division's advance, causing heavy casualties to the King's division.
This time the King of the Qing Dynasty had to repay the previous losses a hundred times, leaving the demon boy's men dead at the foot of the mountain with corpses strewn everywhere!
Bauhinia Mountain is located on the north bank of Xiaoling River and is closest to the river, so it is naturally the top priority.
Dorgon asked King Sanshun to send nine Jia La infantry up the mountain, and the Han army also sent nine Jia La infantry up the mountain.
Hongyi artillery and various types of artillery were deployed on the mountain to suppress the advance of the barbarian troops with firepower.
Four of his brothers, two white flag commanders, also went up the mountain to supervise the battle and prevent a rout.
Huangtaiji's Zhenghuang flag and Hauge's Zhenglan flag are located on the Baicao Mountain behind. If something happens ahead, they can rush to help quickly.
Siding Mountain is garrisoned by the two red flags of Daishan and his son and the troops of Xushun Gong Shen Zhixiang. If it is seized by the enemy, it will be severely punished.
The Xianghuang Banner and Zhenghui Banner and 10,000 Han troops were stationed at Changshan, while the Zhenglu Banner and 10,000 Han troops were stationed at Dalingbeishan.
The main cavalry force of the Eight Banners of Menggu and the Three Banners of Waifan was ambushing behind Zijin Mountain, ready to attack the Ming infantry attacking the mountain at any time.
"...Hmm~! Okay! Send me an order that the whole army will use this place as the battlefield. Artillery will go up the mountain, soldiers will dig horse pits and trenches at the bottom of the mountain, and the cavalry will circle the mountain for defense. There must be no mistakes!"
After the deployment was completed, Huang Taiji believed that his arrangement was very appropriate, and since he had the advantage of the terrain, he was completely unafraid of Man Ming's firepower.
Finally, we have waited for a good opportunity to take revenge. If the whole army fights bravely to kill the enemy, maybe the devil boy will never come back!
"Master General! There is enough food in the city for ten days at most!"
"knew!"
Zu Dashou in the city could no longer hold on any longer. He was sallow and thin, and so were his men.
At first, the troops had two meals a day. Later, the two meals became porridge. Later, the porridge was almost out of supply.
According to the most economical method, they can only eat for ten days. They had already eaten all the livestock before, leaving only the war horses. Now they have begun to eat the war horses.
If the Crown Prince doesn't send troops to deliver food and relief, the scene like that in Daling River City will really happen...
However, the Qing troops outside the city have been mobilized extremely frequently in the past two days, and something big may have happened.
Counting the days, if the prince hadn't overslept, it would be time to come.
I am starving in Dalinghe City, and I am still starving in Jinzhou City. Is this a fate of starvation?
