Zhu Houzhao faced a much better situation than Yu Qian.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty had lost all its elite troops. Yu Qian mobilized the troops from the garrison in Shandong and Henan, the grain transport troops on the canal, and the Japanese troops to guard against Japanese pirates.
After all three forces entered the capital, the capital's military strength expanded to 220,000.
Zhu Houzhao was much better. He had twenty-six personal guards. After excluding the four personal guards and Jinyi guards who guarded the imperial city, there were still 120,000 elite infantry available.
In addition, Emperor Xianzong transformed the Ten Regiment Camp established by Yu Qian into the Twelve Regiment Camp, with approximately 120,000 people.
But in the early years of Zhengde, when the historical Emperor Zhengde selected officers and soldiers for training, he only selected 60,500 elite soldiers. The rest are either old, weak, sick or disabled, or there are vacancies.
In other words, the 12th Regiment Battalion was actually relatively dilapidated at this time.
However, in Zhu Houzhao's view, the crisis at this time happened to be an opportunity. On weekdays, the relationships in the 12th Regiment Battalion were complicated. Generally speaking, it was better to organize and train the new army to poke the hornet's nest. But in the current emergency, he could use this opportunity to do what the Zhengde emperors did in history - choose pawns.
Many difficult things must be done smoothly.
Just like using an assassination to arrest someone, this time it is using the war to optimize the Beijing camp.
At this time, the Beijing Camp was actually managed by the Ministry of War, so Zhu Houzhao was also handed over to the Minister of War, Wang Bing.
"If the Tatars really attack, Shanzhi's personal guards and King Qin's army from Henan and Shandong will fight first. During this period of time, I and the Ministry of War will re-select and train the 12th regiment and battalion. At the same time, Also as a reserve force, if any city gate is weakly guarded, troops from the 12th Regiment Battalion will be sent to reinforce it in time. Grand Sima, the war is urgent and there is no room for luck. The selection and training of the 12th Regiment Battalion must be done quickly. , the vacancies must be recruited and filled immediately, and if there is no time for training, they can only let the battlefield teach them how to fight!"
Wang Hao asked: "Your Majesty, the little Tatar prince is in Datong at this time. Is it necessary to increase troops at various passes from Datong to the capital?"
Zhu Houzhao glanced at everyone and said, "It is necessary to increase troops, but we cannot increase troops everywhere."
In other words, defense must also have a focus.
What’s the point of putting one hundred thousand people in ten places?
Wang Bingjin, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, said, "Xuanfu is an important town and there is no need to increase troops. However, the imperial court must have a decree for Yang Xing, the chief military officer of Xuanfu, to order him to hold on to the city. If the city is alive and the people are alive, the people will die. Juyongguan is the capital. The northern gateway must be guarded, as I thought we would increase our troops here."
"I have read the records of the previous dynasty. The Tatars should not have passed through Juyong Pass. Xuanfu is in the north and Juyong Pass is in the south. There are many ambushes on the road in between, and there are many troops in this area. On the contrary, it is through Zijin Pass to enter Beijing. path is more likely."
First of all, Zijingguan is far away from Xuanfu.
Secondly, the reason why Zijin Pass is not one of the most famous passes in history is because there are many mountain roads that can be bypassed at this pass.
During the orthodox years, the way to win the Bauhinia Pass first was to go around to the back when the frontal battlefield was unfavorable.
Although the generals guarding Zijin Pass fought desperately, in the end they inevitably lost their lives and lost the pass.
"Here, we need to choose a general who is good at fighting and brave!"
Zhu Houzhao deliberately let the little Tatar prince enter the customs, and he wanted to completely defeat him inside.
If outside the pass, the little prince might have three times as many cavalry as Zhou Shangwen. It is not easy to say who will win in that kind of field battle.
At that time, there were 90,000 elite troops, and they were divided into four armies to attack the Ming Dynasty. He himself led only one of them.
Therefore, no one suggested that Xuanfu and Jizhou help defend Datong. Since the enemy appeared in two places, it is possible that they would also appear in the third place.
All nine sides have a well-arranged defensive system that cannot be easily disrupted.
But after being let in, he would not let them invade the capital at will. That would be too risky, and there were many villages and people in the vast hinterland. If possible, he would try to control the battlefield within a certain area.
Of course, if the little prince chooses to attack Xuanfu and then attack Juyong Pass, he will be underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly, but he can't blame others.
…
…
At this time in Datong, banners were flying, soldiers and horses were in camp, and the whimpering marching horns kept ringing throughout the valley. The Tatar soldiers all over the mountains and plains are like floods, showing a winding and undulating flow with the height of the terrain.
Summer is a season of blue sky, white clouds, and clear weather, but at this time, war is raging, with black smoke and blood smearing the earth.
Chang Dacheng and Liu Jiangjie were classmates of Zhou Shangwen in the military academy.
At the beginning, the emperor had a good time with them over wine and made oaths to each other, saying that they would leave their names in history.
Now it's time to make good on that vow.
Zhou Shangwen felt that Chang Da was a stable person, so he appointed him as a general and responsible for the defense of Datong City. Liu Jiangjie was appointed as the guard general of Yanghe, responsible for guarding the flanks of Datong.
Datong is actually not bad, after all, the city is tall and the walls are thick.
But the situation in Yanghe is very urgent.
First in the morning, Ye Bushou, sent by Yanghe, discovered Tatar soldiers moving outside the Great Wall. In the afternoon, news came from the frontier Dunbao, confirming that it was not a small Tatar army, but a Tatar army in Datong!
Liu Jiangjie did not dare to be careless. On the one hand, he lit up the smoke and sent people to deliver the news to Datong. On the other hand, he strengthened martial law and prepared his troops for war. All the weapons used to defend the city were pushed up the city wall.
First came the four cannons;
Next came a whole company of archers,
Then there are the prepared stones and other throwing objects.
The battle to defend the city is always better.
However, the Tatar army came fiercely and was huge in scale. The densely packed charge cavalry were like an endless stream of ants. When the Tatar army appeared in Huamachi and Zhou Shangwen led his troops to the north, no one expected that the situation here would suddenly take a turn for the worse.
Everything happened suddenly.
"...and this battle is different from the previous fighting methods of the Fire Screen Division. The Tatars brought infantry. They insisted on attacking the city and fought to the death. Yanghe only had more than 8,000 defenders, so it was really difficult to resist."
Behind Chang Dacheng was an embarrassed soldier with blood on his body and wounds on his face. He was crying and describing the horror of the previous battle of Yanghe.
"Where's General Liu Shen?"
The soldier replied, "General Liu did not want to be captured. In the end, he fought hand-to-hand with the enemy in the alleyway. He was outnumbered and died!"
"Damn the Tartars! If you don't avenge this, I, Chang Dacheng, will be sworn in with you!" Chang Dacheng clenched his fists visibly and pounded the table heavily, "Also, you just said they brought infantry. Approximately how many did you bring?”
"There should be forty thousand!"
"Where's the cavalry?"
"No less than 40,000!"
This number put a lot of pressure on Chang Dacheng. Datong had been preparing for war in the past few years and had 30,000 soldiers to fight. But if the Tatars brought so many soldiers and horses, he could only defend.
But he will not forget the hatred of his brother Liu Jiangjie.
Since the beginning of the Battle of Yanghe, Datong has begun intense city defense preparations under his order. Because the Tatar army was incredibly large and captured Yanghe very quickly, some small outposts and castles outside were probably already fallen by this time. , this situation forced him to suddenly bring the peaceful Datong City into war within a few days.
All the soldiers returned to camp. Outside the city was a solid wall and a clear field, leaving nothing behind. He and Datong were like a bare nail, nailed between this valley.
On the third day after the Battle of Yanghe, Tatar troops began to appear under Datong City. Military flags, war horses, spears, and scimitars continued to appear under Datong City. Looking from a high altitude in the distance, "this black The clouds seem to have no end, and they will never come out.
Chang Dacheng heard the news and immediately went to the tower.
Below, in the middle front area of the Tatar army, there is a tall man with two braids.
This is not the first time Dayan Khan has come to Datong City.
"Scream, Kaicheng surrenders, spare your life."
Dayan Khan spoke Mongolian, and then several Tatar soldiers on horseback pulled up the reins and came under the city wall.
"Listen to the guards of the Ming Dynasty! Our Great Khan has said that if Kaicheng surrenders, we will not kill him!!"
Because of the distance, Chang Dacheng couldn't see Dayan Khan clearly. He just knew that the central area should be the location of the leader, and he could clearly see the people under the city.
The expression is arrogant and unpleasant! !
"Bring the bow and arrows!" Chang Dacheng shouted.
Liu Jiangjie has died in the battle. As one of the eight people that day, if he is asked to surrender here, it is better to ask him to die!
Once the bow and arrow are in hand, Chang Dacheng will immediately pull the bow like a full moon.
Dayan Khan from a distance also watched this scene quietly, but he was not worried.
Bows and arrows have a limited range.
Soldiers experienced in combat do not place themselves within range.
Chang Dacheng didn't care. He opened his bow and took aim. With a whoosh, the arrow flew out and landed directly in front of the shouting Tatar soldiers. It seemed that they were only ten steps away.
This is the reply.
"You barbarian people invade our borders and kill my people. You have no sense of etiquette, justice or shame, and yet you dare to call out in front of our army! Come on, blast your mother with cannons!"
Bows and arrows can't hit, but artillery can.
And Chang Dacheng was not joking, he actually ordered people to light the fire, and then there was a loud bang, and two black cannonballs drew a parabola in the sky.
The Tatar soldiers below panicked and quickly led their horses to flee.
"Hahaha!"
The embarrassed look made the soldiers guarding the city burst into laughter.
Chang Dacheng shouted loudly: "Brothers, I, Chang Dacheng, am from the Ming Dynasty. I will never serve as a rebel general for the Nalaoshizilu chief. Just like a girl, I cannot marry two people and become a mother-in-law! When a man is alive, he must be a hero, not a What a bear! We all have two eggs attached to one egg! We are so afraid of him! I will kill him here with you today! If you have done a good job, I will go to the emperor to ask you for a reward!"
These are very vulgar words, but that's all the big soldier understands.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Dayan Khan outside the city listened to the loud noise and said to the people around him: "After the First World War in Yanghe, the Ming army still has such morale. It seems that this guard is a real man."
"Father! Let the child take the lead and kill his spirit!"
When the two armies are fighting, morale is very important.
Dayan Khan knew that the morale of Datong's defenders was strong at this time, but he had a narrow escape from death during this trip, and this momentum must not be let down.
At least you can't just get shot twice and leave.
The person who requested the battle was his third son, Balsborot, who was now an adult. He had fought several battles with him over the years and was quite brave on the battlefield.
"Okay! Bars and Grotta, you each lead ten thousand infantry, attack from the left and right sides, and beat them until they dare not show their heads again!"
"Got the order!"
Chang Dacheng, who was on the city wall, saw the enemy troops mobilizing, and he no longer had the slightest thought of laughter. He waved his hand.
"Drumroll!!"
(End of chapter)
