But Zhang Cheng had no impression of how many troops the slave builders had invested in this battle. He only knew two things.
First, Hong Chengchou commanded the Ming army to defeat Dorgon. Huang Taiji was so anxious that he vomited blood and ran as fast as he could, regardless of his illness. In just one day and night, he traveled more than 500 miles to the front line of Songjin.
Second, after Huang Taiji arrived, he found that the Ming army's deployment was top-heavy and the rear defense was empty, so he dug three trenches, cutting off the connection between Songshan and Xingshan, and sent out surprise troops to burn the grain stores on Bijia Mountain, which finally reversed the situation of the war.
Although Zhang Cheng did not know the details of the troops that were finally invested in establishing the slaves, he guessed that since the slave chief Huang Taiji could rush here regardless of his illness and vomiting blood, it must have been a nationwide mobilization to establish the slaves.
According to Zhang Cheng's grasp of the intelligence on the establishment of slaves, the Eight Banners of Manchuria only had about 80,000 bannermen, and the Eight Banners of Mongolia had less than 30,000 bannermen. The Eight Banners of the Han Army were strictly controlled in number, and their military strength was even less than 10,000. Half of the Eight Banners had only about 30,000 troops.
In addition, plus the troops of the three kings Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi and Xushun Gong Shen Zhixiang, who were less than 10,000, Jiannu mobilized the whole country and could produce a strength of 150,000.
As for the Mongolian side of the outer vassal, firstly, the distance is far, and the slaves cannot command and dispatch them like a commander; secondly, the territory is vast, and men are needed to stay in the pastures. Even if they are recruited, they will not exceed 20,000 people. , and it is difficult to recruit in time in a hurry.
Moreover, the national mobilization standard for establishing slaves is that all men aged over ten and under seventy years old must go to war. Therefore, excluding some old and young people who serve as handymen, the number of troops that can be fought by establishing slaves is only 130,000 to 40,000!
This was the strength that could be achieved when the whole country was mobilized after the arrival of the slave chief Huang Taiji. Now Dorgon took over the command of Jiannu outside Jinzhou City, taking over from Jierhalang, and his troops only numbered 60,000 to 70,000.
In fact, the Jiannu invaded and robbed many times and captured a large number of people. When Huang Taiji came to power, their population reached its highest peak.
But what is strange is that when the slaves finally entered the customs in history, the number of Dingkou under the Eight Banners decreased a lot. According to historians' estimates, it was most likely due to war.
It was in this battle of Songjin that although Jiannu won, it was a tragic victory. The losses he incurred were far greater than the gains. Therefore, a year later, Huang Taiji organized another crazy robbery against the Ming Dynasty.
After thinking about it several times, Zhang Cheng suddenly asked: "Have you ever found out how many troops the Jian Nu have who are besieging Songjin?"
As soon as he said this, all the general soldiers present pricked up their ears and listened carefully.
But Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, just shook his head and sighed: "According to the sentry information, it is roughly estimated that the number of slaves and thieves gathered among the pines and brocades has exceeded 80,000. The actual number is difficult to survey. .”
Zhang Cheng couldn't help but secretly shook his head in his heart: "In this aspect of intelligence alone, the Ming army has not done enough and is not well prepared!"
Supervisor Zhang Ruoqi seemed to be very concerned about the change in the expression of his superior, Hong Chengchou. At this time, he coughed lightly, attracting the attention of everyone in the hall to himself.
Then he said slowly: "All the king's divisions have now arrived at Ningyuan City. It is also the time when Song and Jin are in crisis. In my opinion, we need to send troops to Song and Jin as soon as possible. If there is any further delay, once Jinzhou is enslaved If the thieves capture it, everything will be over."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the lobby also showed worried expressions. They came to help to rescue the siege of Jinzhou.
But if Jinzhou is captured by slave thieves, not to mention that this massive rescue operation will become a joke. Not only will everyone be in vain, but they may also bear the blame for the labor and expenses. Many people immediately agreed with Zhang Ruoqi.
Governor Hong Chengchou shook his head and said: "The strength of the slave bandits has not yet been determined, and the arrangements of all parties are unknown. How can we rush into Songjin in a hurry?"
Governor Qiu Minyang of Liaodong, Zhang Dou of the Military Preparation Department, Yao Gong, the deputy patrol envoy, and Wang Zhizhen of the Supervisory Road all agreed with Hong Chengchou's words. They believed that the war was dangerous and the slaves and thieves were powerful, and they should not act in haste to avoid falling into the hands of thieves. When it comes to treacherous plots, one must first investigate the arrangements of all parties before talking about them.
Hearing the endless debate among the people, Zhang Ruoqi couldn't help but frown. He stood up suddenly and shouted loudly: "If you are afraid of wolves in front of you and tigers in back, you will only be afraid of fighting!
I dare to ask the princes, if you delay in advancing to Songjin and Jinzhou falls into the hands of slaves and thieves, how will you explain to the court, and what will you explain to the present emperor?
I am responsible for the important task of supervising the army entrusted by Duke Chen and the Holy One, so I will not sit idly by. If you still feel that this matter cannot be decided by the military, then I will write to the court and the Ministry of War and ask the Holy One to make a decision. ! "
As soon as he shouted, the atmosphere in the hall became solemn. The friendly and relaxed atmosphere of the previous military discussion was instantly gone.
A cold light loomed in the eyes of Ji Liao Governor Hong Chengchou. Zhang Ruoqi, a mere fifth-rank military doctor, actually made such a fuss to a high-ranking official from his side. It was really rude!
In what manner?
What grade is he, and what grade are you?
However, he was still angry, but there was nothing he could do about it. Now, as a supervisor sent by the imperial court, Zhang Ruoqi represented the wishes of Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War.
It is even more likely that it was the intention of the current emperor. When he said those words just now, he looked confident. Could it be that he got the emperor's secret order before leaving the capital?
If I had too much of a quarrel with him, or even openly opposed him, would it affect the stability of the Liaodong war situation, and would he be put in jail because of his slander with the Ministry of War?
The governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, was thinking slightly and forgot to speak for a moment. It seemed that his position as the governor of Jiliao, with the title of first-class prince, Taibao and minister of the Ministry of War, was actually oppressed by a small supervisor like Zhang Ruoqi. .
Everyone in the lobby was shocked, and some people even had other thoughts because of this. Only Zhang Cheng, who had a personal relationship with Zhang Ruoqi, found it inconvenient to speak out in support of Hong Chengchou at this moment, so he chose to sit quietly with his eyes closed. Silent.
Although Hong Chengchou's face was still calm, his eyes were wide open. He first looked at Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, who nodded slightly to show his support.
Hong Chengchou turned to scan the officials in the hall, and finally saw that only Zhang Cheng looked the most leisurely, as if he was confident, and he couldn't help but feel moved in his heart.
I heard earlier that Zhang Cheng was very close to Chen Xinjia, Minister of the Ministry of War. Chen Xinjia took care of him a lot when he was the governor of Xuanda, which made Zhang Cheng achieve what he is today. Is it possible that he has already made up his mind about what he is doing now?
Hong Chengchou thought about this and said warmly: "Deputy Commander Zhang is so leisurely. Could it be that he has a plan in mind? What do you think of it?"
