Zhang Wanbang's words may seem careless, but they are actually completely reasonable.
The current situation in Yehe's east and west cities is that Tumen has taken the west city and used it as the main tent, while the troops sent forward are conducting encirclement operations in the east city not far away.
However, the characteristics of Tumen's troops are that they are relatively strong in field battles, but always weak in sieges. There are two reasons why we were able to capture the West City this time: First, although Ye He's east and west cities are known as "cities", compared with the cities of the Ming Dynasty, they are really not worth mentioning and are not worth mentioning. It is a walled city.
Although the two cities in the east and west of Yehe also used the rammed earth city-building method learned from the Ming Dynasty, the earth walls of the two cities were not tall and thick, and they were no more than a lower county within the Ming Dynasty. The level of the city wall is not even up to that of most central counties. The defensive capabilities are actually limited, and they can only play some role in the internal battles of the Jurchens. (Note: I am not discrediting them. Relics were discovered in later generations. This can be inferred based on the remaining parts of the relics.)
The second reason is the means of siege. I don’t know whether Burihatu intercepted part of the gunpowder he grabbed in the northwest last time or got a small batch of gunpowder from somewhere. This time he repeated the same trick when attacking the east city, and again The explosion collapsed a small section of the earth wall.
Although the gap caused by the explosion was very small this time, and Ye He Dongcheng even defended the gap for two more days before falling, but no matter what, Dongcheng was still lost.
This news also reached the Ming army camp at the same time. Cao Yu was more cautious about the news at the time. He was worried that Burihatu might still have gunpowder in his hand. It might not be much, but it was always a hidden danger.
The generals of the Young Zhuang Faction all believed that even if Burihatu did still have some gunpowder, it would be insignificant in terms of the overall situation of the battle. As for the truth, now that the Ming army has arrived, even if Burihatu blows up the West City again, it will not change the overall situation.
After all, everyone believes that the gunpowder in Burihatu can only be stolen. The Mongols in Chahar do not have the ability to make gunpowder themselves, and it is impossible to possess large quantities of gunpowder.
Of course, if Burihatu really has more gunpowder, in addition to this battle, the pressure on city defense in Kaiyuan or other places in Liaodong will suddenly increase. However, since this situation is unlikely to occur, it will not happen for the time being. Don't think too much.
Another point is that Burihatu's method of using gunpowder is too simple after all. His method of blowing down the city wall mainly relies on the opponent being unprepared, digging a tunnel to get close to the foot of the city wall, then burying gunpowder, blocking the tunnel, leaving only the fuse, and finally blasting it from a distance.
For this method to be successful, the first step is that the other party does not discover it, or does not have countermeasures after discovering it. But in fact, in this era, such siege techniques were very similar to digging tunnels directly into the city in the early years, so countermeasures were also readily available. For example, using "earth listening" to determine the location of the tunnel, and then sending people to dig back and pour poisonous smoke and the like is one of them.
At the same time, the "excavation and blasting" method is not easy to implement in some places where groundwater is too abundant. The Ming army, which has relatively strong engineering capabilities, may still have the ability to waterproof and drain the tunnels, but there is basically no need to rely on the Mongols. They usually do not have this ability, which also greatly limits the use of this method.
As Zhang Wanbang said, there is no need to worry about the East City and the West City now, it will be the same for anyone who attacks: if the Ming army attacks the West City, the Mongols in the East City will inevitably retreat to rescue, so the siege of the East City can be solved; if the Ming army attacks the East City, the enemies of the East City will be unlikely Even if they are willing to fight a positional battle with the Ming army, they will probably still have to withdraw, and the siege of Dongcheng can still be solved.
Cao Yu thought for a while and made a decision in his mind, so he said to Gao Yimin, "Would it be better to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao or to take Dongcheng directly? I wonder what Staff Gao has to say?"
Gao Yimin hurriedly said: "How can I dare to give advice in front of the general? However, given the current situation and considering the master's intention, I think it is better to go straight to Dongcheng."
Cao Yan laughed, nodded and said: "Heroes have the same view, and I also have the same view - take Dongcheng directly, and Ye He will know that I, the Ming Dynasty, owe him as much kindness as a mountain."
Once the plan has been decided, the army will go out. The 20,000-strong army meandered forward on the land of Liaodong in early winter. Thousands of war horses and pack horses dragging artillery made countless hoof prints on the black soil.
What's worse is that it started to rain not long after walking. Even if the winter rain in Liaodong is light, you must be careful. Not only does the road become slippery and muddy, which seriously affects the transportation of artillery, but more importantly, everyone dare not get wet in the rain.
Although the army carries a large amount of ginger and other things to ward off the cold afterwards, the possibility of frostbite after being exposed to the rain is still very high, so everyone wears rain gear, raincoats and cloaks, but this increases the risk. The difficulty of marching.
Ye He, who was originally expected to reach Dongcheng in just two days at most, ended up delaying nearly four days before he could see the valley where Dongcheng was located in the distance.
Yehedong City is built on the mountain, and the entrance to the city is in the valley. Although the mountain on the back is not a peak, it can still make it more difficult to attack the city, especially since Tumen's troops are all cavalry, and they will not easily go up the mountain, so the army is basically gathered in the valley.
This valley is quite large. Tumen put about 14,000 men and horses here, and it still looks very empty. It can be used as a field battlefield.
Although Cao Yu seemed to be too cautious after the defeat at Chang'an Fort, he was a veteran who had experienced hundreds of battles after all. After just one look from a distance, he felt that the terrain was a bit strange.
Where is absolutely? Although the battlefield is large enough, once the winner is decided, the losing side cannot even run. Not to mention that if the Ming army is defeated, it will definitely be difficult to escape. Even if the Mongols are defeated, it will be difficult to escape.
The advantage of the Mongols is that the entire army is made up of cavalry and they can run very fast. However, although the valley is large, it is still surrounded by mountains and woods. Even though this place is called Guangtuzi Mountain, the mountain is not "glossy". ". The reason why it is called "Bald Man" is just because the top of the mountain is a stone forest, and the battlefield this time is not near the main peak. Therefore, if the Mongols are defeated, they will be blocked by the woods if they want to run. If the Ming army pursues them fiercely, it is hard to say how far the Mongols can escape.
There are 20,000 people in the Ming army, and pure infantry (including artillery) accounts for about 13,000. The remaining about 2,000 are "mounted infantry". The real cavalry is only about 5,000, and they are basically servants.
The combat effectiveness of the servant cavalry is no worse than that of the Mongolian cavalry. Even because their weapons and equipment are more advantageous, their combat effectiveness is much higher than that of the Mongolian cavalry. However, their number is limited and they are mostly used to break formations or pursue pursuits. They generally do not participate in long-term engagements. Battle on the battlefield of time.
The infantry and artillery could theoretically have the upper hand in frontal combat, but now it's raining. Although this batch of Ming troops were all equipped with Jinghua firearms and all had waterproof devices, after all, the age is here. In fact, the power of both musketeers and artillery in combat in rainy days will be reduced to varying degrees.
In this case, if you are defeated, it will be great fun. Infantry and artillery soldiers are notoriously slow to run, and this army in particular is very well-equipped, which results in heavy loads on their bodies, making it even more difficult to escape.
Therefore, if they really suffered a defeat, the only escape method they could consider was to run into Yehedong City. Apart from this, there is no point in running anywhere. As long as the victorious Mongols are willing to pursue them, they will definitely be able to successfully pursue them.
Cao Yun, who was standing on the mountain overlooking the valley, was lost in thought. Gao Yimin next to him saw it, smiled slightly, and said, "Is the commander worried about the impact of the rain on our army?"
Cao Yan looked solemn, nodded, and said: "This rain comes at a bad time. Can our cannons still be able to fire?"
Gao Yimin knew as soon as he heard this that Cao Yan, a veteran, had some insufficient understanding of "infantry and artillery coordination". He may not even have a thorough understanding of the essence of the previous bayonet array's "foot-controlled cavalry" combat. His combat strategy probably still focused on using artillery to clear the way, and then his servants and cavalry rushing into the formation to defeat the enemy.
Of course, this old style of play cannot be said to be outdated. In fact, this style of play is still feasible in Liaodong, but the efficiency fluctuates greatly. It relies too much on the enemy's fear of our artillery and the ability of the servants' elite cavalry. Charge and kill fiercely. In addition, the exchange ratio is not very cost-effective - this style of play does not necessarily lead to huge losses. The reason why the exchange ratio is not very cost-effective is because once it is lost, it will basically be the loss of elite servants.
As the core force of elite servants, once the loss is serious, it will be a typical "injury", which is completely different from the loss of guard soldiers.
This is just like the Li family's Liaodong cavalry in the original history, which was invincible throughout Liaodong. However, after suffering excessive losses in the Korean battlefield, it directly led to the later period when it could no longer suppress the rise of Nurhachi. At that time, there were not many changes in the guard troops in Liaodong. Just the loss of the Li family's servants caused a power reversal, which shows the importance of elite servants.
Cao Yu's combat ideas were like this, and Gao Yimin couldn't change them with just one mouthful. In his opinion, Cao Yun had not personally experienced the Battle of Liaonan, so he could not change his mind. He could only think of ways to let him see the power of the new tactics, and then he would naturally change his mind.
If we need to use new tactics without making Cao Yu doubtful or contradictory, there won't be many ideas he can think of. Gao Yimin's mind was racing and he said with a smile: "General, don't worry about the artillery issue. Jinghua's artillery has been tested for waterproofing. Although it will definitely not be usable under a heavy downpour, light rain like this is not a problem."
After hearing this, Cao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. In his opinion, as long as the cannon can fire, a blast of artillery fire, and then his own elite cavalry charge, because the Mongolian population is too small and the armor is not uniform, they have never been willing to fight against the elite cavalry, and it is bound to be necessary. withdraw.
As long as they withdraw, it can be considered whether their army will enter Yehedong City to take shelter from the rain and wait for the next battle, or whether they will pursue the victory and end the battle at once. In short, it will be enough to establish a victory.
However, Gao Yimin smiled and said: "Congratulations, Commander, a hearty victory is just around the corner. The time has finally come to wash away Chang'an Fort's bad luck!"
Cao Yu was startled and said in surprise: "I am confident that I can win, but a big victory... where can I start talking about it?"
Victory is not difficult. According to Cao Yun's idea, artillery fire opens the way and fine cavalry charge. The Mongols are simply unwilling to bear losses similar to those of the Ming army. They will undoubtedly retreat when the time comes. As long as they are defeated, they will naturally win.
But that's not the case for a big victory. A big victory must take advantage of the situation to cover up and kill, and it's raining today, so it's not that convenient to do the job of covering up and killing. What's more, the number of the opponent's cavalry is three to four times greater than that of our own. If the opponent is not directly defeated, the pursuit must be careful. Otherwise, if the opponent comes back with a carbine, it may be another Chang'an Fort.
Gao Yimin had already expected Cao Yun's reaction, so he smiled and said, "What do you think the commander-in-chief of the Qi Family Army is doing?"
Cao Yu said without hesitation: "It is as motionless as a mountain and as moving as thunder."
"This time they don't have to move like thunder, as long as they don't move like mountains." Gao Yimin's eyes were shining, staring at the Mongolian cavalry in the valley that had begun to assume a fighting posture, and said solemnly: "The Qi army is ready with the support of the car camp. The Mandarin Duck Formation resists the Mongolian Tatars head-on, with Zhang Wanbang and Pu Yuanyi guarding the flanks. The commander-in-chief and the elite cavalrymen of Ma Shenrong only need to wait for the Tatars to lose momentum and then find an opportunity to attack in one fell swoop to defeat the enemy. .”
Cao Yan was a little disbelieving and reminded: "Brother Gao, Qi Yourong only brought two thousand Qi family troops this time."
The Qi family's army may have been less than 6,000 in number at its peak, and it was even less when they were garrisoning in Ji Town. Later, when Qi Jiguang went to the capital to serve as the commander of the Imperial Guard, he took some of them with him, and the other generals who were stationed in various places also took some with him. In the end, only about three thousand people came to Liaodong with Qi Jin.
This time, a thousand people were left to look after the family in Shenyang, so the Qi family army under Qi Jin only had 2,000 people. Relying on 2,000 people to stand up to the 10,000 elite direct descendants of the Great Khan was obviously a bit exaggerated in Cao Yan's opinion. Even if Gao Yimin named Zhang Wanbang and Pu Yuanyi's troops to protect the Qi Army's flanks, it would still be a big mistake.
Gao Yimin knew that theory alone could not convince Cao Yun at this moment, so he expressed it from another angle: "What the commander-in-chief said is true. Although the Qi family's army is strong, it is still unwise to defeat more than 10,000 people with two thousand people. However, , since the Marshal’s headquarters and Ma Shenrong’s headquarters are standing still, Tumen probably don’t have the guts to put all their troops in to fight Qi Yourong to the death, right?”
Cao Yu was indeed able to accept this statement and nodded: "Since the main force of our servants has not moved, Tumen naturally dare not make a desperate move."
"That's it." Gao Yimin smiled and said: "As long as the front army reaches a stalemate, the commander will find an opportunity to attack the enemy formation. At this time, Tumen dare not give up his subordinates, so they can only fight passively. In this way, wouldn't the commander-in-chief You can attack from wherever you want?"
When Cao Yu heard this, he laughed and praised Gao Yimin for what he said.
Gao Yimin was modest and smiled secretly in his heart. In fact, this was not his intention.
According to his idea, the Qi army was not going to be as motionless as a mountain this time, but to be "as slow as a forest" and slowly approach forward, forcing Tumen to send troops to repel them.
At this time, the Qi family army can enter the "immovable as a mountain" state, attracting the Tumen troops like a magnet, forcing the Tumen troops to continuously increase the number of Chinese troops, forming a refueling tactic.
After this situation has been in a stalemate for a period of time, a large number of Tumen's forces are attracted to the Chinese army. Cao Yun and Ma Chengxun's elite servants find an opportunity to kill the generals. At the same time, Qi Jin, Zhang Wanbang, Pu Yuanyi and other troops are all transferred. Entering the counterattack... At this time, Tumen was naturally helpless.
The only concern is whether Burihatu will see through this strategy.
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PS: It’s December tomorrow, and this troubled year is about to pass. I wish our motherland a better tomorrow.
