The ninth day of February.
The second largest city in the Haixi Jurchen Huifa Division, a multi-walled city built on a mountain, Tang Yin routinely went to the top of the city for inspection.
Within the reach of the telescope, camps can be seen everywhere. There are also a large number of soldiers setting up snagging ropes and other equipment at the foot of the mountain. The other side is even building some bunkers using native methods... Apparently the Jurchens have also realized the power of the Ming artillery and began to look for it. Some relatively stable ways to face the Ming Dynasty's bombardment.
"Bohu, is there any news?"
Xu Jing ran up to the city.
He first looked at the expressionless North Korean soldiers around him, and then looked at Tang Yin with a mournful expression.
Tang Yin shook his head: "No, the people sent out, whether they were our people or North Koreans, were blocked from going out. There were also two North Korean messengers who were captured by the other side, and their bodies were sent outside the city early this morning. Show to the public.”
"Heart-breaking!" Xu Jing cried sadly.
Tang Yin said with a look of helplessness: "I told you not to come. Now it will be difficult for you to leave. Alas, there are only less than three days of food left in the city. Next, you may have to kill horses, eat tree bark, and grass roots." …”
Xu Jingdao: "It can't be so miserable, right?"
"It's good even if it doesn't reach the point of cannibalism. The drought in North Korea is serious. Why do you think these soldiers came to Dobi City with red eyes and it's not just for stuttering? Are you saying that you have enough to eat now? To deliver, I don’t know if they would mutiny in times of crisis.”
Tang Yin's face was pale and bloodless, giving people the feeling that he had lived enough.
Xu Jingdao: "But the Jurchen Tatars have never attacked the city. Do they want to trap us to death?"
Tang Yin nodded and said: "They have attacked the city several times before and found that the terrain is not good for them. We still have artillery, but there has been no movement in the past four or five days to attack the city. Maybe they are waiting for reinforcements."
"Then why don't we break out?" Xu Jing was very anxious. "Our people have horses when they fight out. They can run very fast, right? We don't care whether the Koreans die or not."
Tang Yin quickly looked around and scolded in a low voice: "Those words will be heard by others. Do you want to cause a mutiny in the army?"
Xu Jing lowered his head, as if admitting his mistake.
But then Tang Yin softened his tone and said: "It's not that I haven't thought about breaking out, but it seems that there is no way for us to return to the Ming Dynasty. It seems that there are only some opportunities along the way... But the Jurchen cavalry are not vegetarians. They are afraid if they think about escaping. No one can leave.”
"Then...are we just waiting to die?"
Xu Jing looked sad and sat on the bricks nearby. He didn't look like a scholar at all, but like a pitiful beggar. His clothes looked dirty and had some holes after being beaten all the way. At this time, he seemed to have no regard for personal hygiene.
Just when the two of them were relatively speechless.
Pu Yuanzong led several people to the top of the city and said anxiously: "Shangchun Tang, we found out... Jiannu's defense is the weakest in the east."
Tang Yin said: "I'm not asking you to find out which side is the weakest, but to find out which side has the most food."
"us……"
Xu Jing also stood up.
Tang Yin said with firm eyes: "We can't get out of the city, so we can only wait for help. Delaying like this is not an option. We must fight out. As long as we can repel one or two enemy invaders and snatch their food in."
"That...that's good." Xu Jing swallowed.
Tang Yin said: "This trick will only work once. When they discover our intention, they will hide the food far behind and will not give us a chance, so we must win with one blow."
"good!"
Even Pu Yuanzong and the people he brought seemed to be inspired.
…
…
When Wang Shouren arrived in Shenyang without stopping, it was already February 13th.
When he arrived in Shenyang, Lin Ting, who had set out a few days earlier than him, was still halfway there... This was also related to the fact that Wang Shouren and his party were traveling lightly.
The first thing he did when he entered the city was to quickly visit Lu Wan to discuss sending troops.
Lu Wan said calmly: "Uncle Xin Xin has worked hard all the way. Let's rest first and then talk about sending troops."
Wang Shouren said: "Your Majesty asked me to come to Liaodong to lead troops to fight. Now the team of envoys from the Ming Dynasty and the people escorting them back from North Korea have been trapped in Duobi City for many days. How can we not provide help?"
"well!"
Lu Wan sighed heavily and said, "It's not that you don't want help, it's that neither His Majesty nor Duke Lai has given any further instructions. Besides, aren't the cannons you brought still on the way?"
Wang Shouren disagreed and said: "Lin Lizhan brought heavy artillery, which is used to destroy cities and demolish strongholds. I can use some light artillery here. Please mobilize the cavalry. I want to lead the troops to conquer tonight."
"So urgent?"
Lu Wan also didn't expect Wang Shouren to be so eager.
He was thinking too.
You are a newborn calf. It’s okay to work so hard before Weininghai. Now that you are a new uncle, you are still so energetic? No matter how awesome you are, can you still be a new recruit?
"After that, I asked the Lieutenant Commander Zhang Yong and Eunuch Zhang to tell you that the dispatch of troops will have to be early in the morning the day after tomorrow. Uncle Xin Xin should rest first. I also need to send people to spy on the military situation... Speaking of which, I have no idea about the military situation. I’m also very worried about the situation in Wall City.”
While Lu Wan was expressing concern, he told Wang Shouren to "calm down".
Wang Shouren asked: "How is the situation in Duobi City?"
"I don't know." Lu Wan answered simply, "There has been no news for more than ten days, but I haven't received any reports at night, saying that the Tatars are heading east, and all the ministries have sent people there."
"Yeah yeah……"
Just as he was talking, Zhang Yong trotted into the meeting hall.
He was still out of breath as he said: "Uncle Xin Xin, we meet again."
Wang Shouren looked at Zhang Yong. In his heart, he hated eunuchs for disrupting the country, but he also knew that eunuchs were too closely tied to the ruling group of the Ming Dynasty and were a group they had to contact.
But because Cao Shun had left a very bad impression on him before, he only treated Zhang Yong with perfunctory courtesy.
"...It's time to use troops. Our family thinks so too. Uncle Xinxin is finally here. With His Majesty's decree, deploying troops is just a matter of words. I will transfer the troops to you early tomorrow morning, that is, the artillery..."
While Zhang Yong was talking, Lu Wan on the side was giving him a wink.
Lu Wan is also reminding Zhang Yong, should we discuss the tone before speaking?
I was just saying that it will take another two days. Can you just give him the troops early tomorrow morning? Something went wrong in this hasty dispatch of troops. Wang Shouren died on the battlefield or left. Isn't it our responsibility?
Wang Shouren cupped his hands and said, "Thank you Eunuch Zhang and Lu Zhongcheng for your help. I'll go back and wait first, and lead the troops out of the city early tomorrow morning."
…
…
Wang Shouren went back to rest.
He was indeed very tired.
Lu Wan sent the man out of the door, and when he came back, he saw Zhang Yong walking there and giggling.
"Eunuch Zhang, it is not a good thing to rush to allocate troops to this man. It is said that he is on his own and does not even have a supervisor. He can do whatever he wants. Such use of troops... can easily lead to accidents." Lu As a civilian official, Wan also wanted to control the military power alone, but he felt that it would be easy for him to get out of control if he controlled everything by himself.
This worry is even more serious for a young and energetic upstart.
Zhang Yong said with a smile: "That's because you don't know the personalities of their father and son... Our family knows that it is his father who was the number one scholar. Although he is sitting in the Hanlin Academy now, his heart is as high as the sky. That Zhang Sir, you have a very good vision, and Wang Bo'an is a talent that can be developed."
Lu Wan felt very uncomfortable after hearing this.
Meaning, he’s awesome, but I’m not?
In terms of achievements and background, it seems that I, Mr. Lu, am not as good as that kid... He even became governor earlier than me.
But I, Mr. Lu, don’t want him to lead troops on an expedition, is it because I’m jealous of him?
Zhang Yong seemed to feel that his words were hurtful, and said with a smile: "This battle should be fought quickly. We can't let Tang Bohu sing in Duobi City alone? He shouted that he wanted to fight Jianzhou, but he shouted twice It’s been over a month, and the army hasn’t moved at all. Tang Bohu has already gone back and forth to North Korea!”
Lu Wan sighed: "Wang Bo'an wants to lead his troops deep into the hinterland of Jianzhou, and what he does is no different from that of Tang Yinben. He is afraid that the soldiers will not sacrifice their lives."
"Alas!" Zhang Yong sighed, "Let's see how we adjust it! We must satisfy His Majesty and Duke Lai."
…
…
What Lu Wan was worried about didn't happen.
That afternoon, regarding the dispatch of troops to follow Wang Shouren on the expedition, Lu Wan mobilized troops from various places to Shenyang. The 37,000 troops and horses that had been stationed in Shenyang, plus the local troops stationed in Shenyang were about 20,000, and he had already fought for the victory. It's overwhelming.
"The fight started..."
After Zhang Yong went to coordinate, he came back and complained to Lu Wan, "Lu Zhongcheng didn't know that in order for those soldiers to go out with Uncle Xin Xin, the generals of each battalion, not to mention the generals and guerrillas, were those with hundreds of small banners. We are also fighting.”
Lu Wandao: "Just because we are fighting Jianzhou?"
Zhang Yong shook his head: "I'm not necessarily sure. Maybe they all think that Uncle Xin Xin is a direct descendant of Mr. Zhang, and there will be a future with Uncle Xin Xin."
Lu Wan was very upset after hearing this.
As an airborne coach, Wang Boan is so popular because he is a direct descendant of Zhang Zhou... The implication is, am I not?
Or do you think I am incapable of taking you on a trip to Huangshui, and the credit was basically taken away by the people from Jizhou?
"Also, our family heard from Uncle Xinxin that Mr. Zhang and Marquis Anbian will visit Shenyang City in person in a while, and then they may lead the Chinese army... Lu Zhongcheng, we have to hurry up." Zhang Yong He seemed very excited.
There is probably a feeling that Shenyang is going to be a gathering of elites.
Lu Wandao: "There is nothing wrong with the Jizhou people this time."
Zhang Yong shook his head and said: "Who knows? Mr. Zhang went north, and maybe he transferred a group of people from Jizhou to coordinate... Lu Zhongcheng, let alone our family, we only heard some gossip."
"Where did the gossip come from?" Lu Wan frowned.
Zhang Yongdao: "Of course it came from the DPRK."
Lu Wan took a breath.
He suddenly realized that he was the one with no foundation in the court, and everything depended on Zhang Zhou's appreciation and support.
Not only did Zhang Yong have military exploits, but he also had the endorsement and support of big shots in the court. Even if Zhang Yong returned to the capital, he would probably start out as a eunuch of the Royal Horse... Lu Wan suddenly realized how important military exploits were to him.
…
…
In the early morning of February 14th, Wang Shouren took the troops from the Beijing camp with him, together with more than 2,000 elite cavalry selected from Shenyang, Liaodong, including two horses per person, 200 light cannons and 18 improved cannons. The mother-child cannon embarked on a journey.
His goal is clear.
Send troops directly from Crow Falcon Pass and attack Hetuala City, the home base of Jianzhou guards from the south road.
When Wang Shouren went on the expedition, he did not clearly explain his purpose to Lu Wan and Zhang Yong. What he was pursuing was a surprise victory.
After Lu Wan and Zhang Yong personally participated in the swearing-in ceremony of Wang Shouren's expedition, Zhang Yong was still there muttering when they came back: "He said he wanted to leave Crow Falcon Pass, doesn't he want to go directly to the main city of the Jurchens, right?"
Lu Wandao: "After we capture it, we won't have anything to worry about."
"Haha." Zhang Yong didn't seem very worried. "The Jurchens have at least six to seven thousand regular soldiers and horses around the main city. If we add in the temporarily recruited civilians and those who can handle weapons, we can make up two or three Thousands of people won’t be a problem. It’s still a bit difficult to directly capture cities with four thousand people.”
Lu Wan sighed: "But until now, His Majesty has not allowed us to send troops..."
Zhang Yongdao: "It's quite worrying to say the least. How about... we find a way to hurry it up?"
"Who are you urging?" Lu Wan frowned.
"Of course we can't push His Majesty, but we should push Mr. Zhang. Hasn't he not left Shanhaiguan yet? Or maybe he doesn't want to go to the front line at all and is deliberately waiting for us to solve the problem?"
Although Zhang Yong admires Zhang Zhou very much.
But based on his thinking, Zhang Zhou was already the Duke of Lai and the most capable person around the emperor, so why would he have to fight in person?
Besides, there are so many powerful people in Liaodong, and they are not fighting Dayan Khan with hundreds of thousands of elites, but just Jurchens in Jianzhou. It is simply not worth the current risk.
It would be best if the people below finish the battle, and Zhang Zhou himself can lead the strategizing and planning of the military achievements from the rear.
…
…
Wang Shouren led his troops and left Crow Falcon Pass two days later.
It was on the day he left Crow Falcon Pass that he received news from Dobi City... Tang Yin was still alive and the city had not been captured, but the situation was also very bad.
Qianhu An Runing, the garrison general of Crow Falcon Pass, said: "The merchants who came from Dong E's tribe said that a few days ago, they saw Jurchen troops gathering in the direction of Duobi City, and they also said that nearly one person was already guarding the city. Month, if we hadn’t been raided by the defenders in the city and took the food back, we would have run out of food long ago.”
"What now?" Wang Shouren frowned.
An Runing shook his head: "I don't know now. After North Korea sent troops, the Jurchen tribes, especially those with mountain fortresses, stepped up their defenses. There was no food production in winter, and even hunting stopped. It seems that they are all waiting for this. The result of the First World War.”
Wang Shouren said coldly: "The result of this battle is that they will all be annihilated. From now on, Jianzhou will no longer have a garrison guard station. From now on, the north of Liaodong will also be my territory directly under the Ming Dynasty. The local officials will be replaced by floating officials."
"this……"
An Runing was obviously not qualified to ask about such important military matters. He just received Wang Shouren for a while and sent Wang Shouren off to the expedition.
"We will send out troops from Crow Falcon Pass tomorrow. We will go east and stop after hitting one or two villages." Wang Shouren laid out the tactics.
An Runing said hurriedly: "Uncle Xin Xin, please forgive me, my humble position does not have such authority to mobilize troops."
Wang Shouren said: "Just listen to me. Even if something unexpected happens in this battle, if you withdraw to Crow Falcon Pass, the Jurchens will not dare to invade... Even if they do invade and Crow Falcon Pass is breached, it will definitely not be you." ’s fault.”
"Then...that humble position takes orders."
An Runing didn't know whether Wang Shouren was qualified to issue such an order.
However, the generals in Liaodong, especially the military households with high mountains and far away from the emperor, never had the opportunity to move south of Shanhaiguan. Now they finally met a "direct descendant of the Lai Kingdom", and they all wanted to take the opportunity to curry favor with him.
This is why Liaodong soldiers are willing to follow Wang Shouren on the expedition.
It is when people go to higher places that water flows to lower places.
…
…
Wang Shouren thought he could use the same tactics he used to deal with the Weining Sea Fire Sieve Division and take Hetuala directly.
But he made a mistake.
Wang Shouren also made mistakes sometimes.
It's not that his tactics aren't good... but that the environment he's in doesn't allow it.
When he led his troops out of Crow Falcon Pass, he discovered that the terrain in Jianzhou was far more complicated than he had imagined.
It is also because the Liaohe Plain area was occupied by the Ming Dynasty, and Jianzhou Guard was only located in the mountains and valleys next to the plain. There were many rivers here, and the rivers were fast. Even though it was cold and freezing, the ice surface was very thin. Horses simply could not carry the artillery across.
Moreover, the road is too difficult to walk.
There are many mountains and undulating hills. Even with horses, the team's marching speed after crossing Crow Falcon Pass is not even as fast as the infantry.
We had carefully prepared for a surprise attack, thinking that we could reach Hetuala in two days at most. However, it snowed again the next day, making the road even more difficult to travel.
Moreover, their whereabouts were discovered by sentries lurking everywhere... The plan for the surprise attack was in vain.
While marching that night, General Li Ling went directly to Wang Shouren for instructions: "Major General, although Hetuala is less than thirty miles away, it will take another day to arrive. If we attack by force, there will be no Without assistance from everywhere, our situation will be very difficult.”
Li Ling did not go to Weininghai with Wang Shouren.
But Li Ling was from the Datong faction. He had been transferred to the Beijing Camp to train artillery, but he was not from the Yanwu Hall. He was equivalent to a marginalized member of the Yanwu Hall.
If he hadn't been transferred to Liaodong to follow Lu Wan on his expedition to the grasslands, he might have had the opportunity to enter the Yanwu Hall.
Li Ling also wanted to make achievements, but he seemed very wise and not as impulsive and bold as Wang Shouren in his military use.
Wang Shouren looked at the surrounding woods covered with silver and said: "I have passed four or five forts along the way, and none of them have been removed. Do you want me to remove those forts step by step? If this continues, it will only take a month or two. , and may not be able to rush to Duobi City."
Next to Li Ling was the guide of the Jianzhou Guard. He said: "You two military masters, it's not just the young ones who deliberately stumble. The passage of a large army here is worse than the passage of a small group of people. Especially the Jurchens, their horses don't know how to pass." Why, it’s easier than others to pass through the dense forest... We have to be careful about being attacked by others."
Wang Shouren said: "The plan remains unchanged. We will be stationed tonight, go to the direction of Jianzhou Acropolis early tomorrow morning, and attack the city before sunset!"
…
…
The ideal is always happy.
But changes came faster than Wang Shouren imagined.
Before Hetuala arrived, more than two thousand cavalrymen from the Jianzhou Guards had already come from Hetuala, as if they were about to set up a battle formation with Wang Shouren.
Originally, even the Ming Dynasty soldiers thought that the Jurchens were seeking their own destruction.
But when Wang Shouren personally surveyed the terrain ahead, he found that the mountains were undulating so much that even artillery could not reach them. In addition, the Jianzhou Guards cavalry were scattered everywhere to ambush...
Wang Shouren began to understand that the Jianzhou Guards wanted to engage in guerrilla warfare with him. Even if they could reach Hetuala through the terrain in front, they would still lose many troops and generals.
(End of chapter)
