On the second day after Xuanzhen guerrilla Kuang Yongzhong and Dusi Tang Xiancheng led two battalions of infantry to garrison at Mamatou Mountain and Xiaolinghekou southeast of Songshan Fort, General Commander Zhang Ruoqi also asked Hong Chengchou to go and garrison at the seaside with Ma Shaoyu and others. To protect grain transportation.
Hong Chengchou readily agreed. Although he could not get rid of his urging to fight, at least he was out of sight and out of mind. He also allocated Zhang Ruoqi an additional 200 elite cavalry to serve as his personal bodyguards.
When he saw Zhang Ruoqi off, he held his hand and said: "Jiang Zhang, I heard that the captive chiefs are coming, and reinforcements have arrived at the gate of Jinzhou City one after another. Since our army has arrived here, we can only encourage them now." Move forward bravely, never take a step back.
Once the slightest retreat, the morale of the army will be shaken, and the captives will seize the opportunity to attack again. It will be difficult for us to survive. Since we have received the favor of the emperor, and are more concerned with the safety of the country's borders, we would rather die on the battlefield than die in the West. city.
Today, the decisive battle of the army is imminent, and the food route is of great concern and is particularly important. I hope you will work hard! "
Zhang Ruoqi was full of confidence at the moment, and his mind was filled with images of making contributions and returning the throne. Although both sides had attacked each other in the past half month, basically the Ming army attacked more, while the Qing army was on the defensive most of the time.
This gave him the illusion that the Tartars were at the end of their war effort, and it was only a matter of time to drive back the Tartar army and relieve the siege of Jinzhou.
Therefore, he no longer just urged the war, but continued to encourage Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao: "What the governor said is absolutely true. The place where grain is stored is indeed related to the survival of the entire army. I must take care of it carefully. No room for error.
When the Tartars besieged Jinzhou, they lost all their vigor in the battle. They defended more but attacked less. The governor should lead the generals to march forward bravely and relieve the siege of Jinzhou in one fell swoop. Report to the emperor for his kindness and comfort the Holy Heart! "
The two chatted for a while, and then Zhang Ruoqi said goodbye to Hong Chengchou, Qiu Minyang and other officials, and rushed to the southeast Xiaoling River mouth surrounded by guards.
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After bidding farewell to Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief, Hong Chengchou convened a meeting with the generals in the large tent of the Supervisor Biao Camp southwest of Songshan. He encouraged the generals with the words of loyalty to the country and asked everyone to pay close attention to the movements of the Qing army, dig trenches and wait for the opportunity of the decisive battle.
After the previous war, the Qing army reduced its forces and concentrated on defense, and the Ming army's generals' locations were also adjusted.
For example, Shanxi Commander-in-Chief Li Fuming is stationed at the mouth of the Xiaoling River and Mamatou Mountain to protect grain roads; Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Ma Ke is stationed at the upper and lower Rufeng Mountains; Miyun Commander-in-Chief Tang Tong is stationed at Songshan Ridge; Jizhen Commander-in-Chief Bai Guangen is stationed at Stationed in Maojiagou.
Because the Niangniang Temple was too close to the Tatar artillery array on Shimen Mountain, it was frequently harassed by the Tatars, and it was quite unfavorable to fight against it. The Ming army took the initiative to withdraw and gave up its garrison.
The soldiers and horses of Chen Jiugao, the former battalion commander of the Shenji Camp, and Liu Zhaoji, the Liaodong commander, are still stationed in the northwest of Songshan City, connected with Hong Chengchou's Dubiao Battalion.
Three generals including Ningyuan Commander Wu Sangui, Qiantun Commander Wang Tingchen and ASEAN Commander Cao Bianjiao camped in the north of Songshan City. They not only served as Ma Ke's support in garrisoning Rufeng Mountain, but also monitored the Tatar bandits on Shimen Mountain and guarded the east and west. Shimen exit mountain road.
Zhang Cheng, deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen, and Wang Pu, commander-in-chief of Datong, led their troops and stationed in the east of Songshan City. They monitored the Tatar bandits on the Loess Ridge, and were also responsible for supporting Maojiagou and Songshan Ridge. Due to the important task, Tatar thieves cannot be sent south along the Xiaoling River to attack and harass the grain garrison.
The Ming army's 150,000 to 60,000 troops were deployed in the mountains and plains around Songshan City. The army was huge and the formation was magnificent. In addition, after the previous war, they had many achievements in daily small-scale battles with the Qing army, and their morale was high. time.
Although the Qing army on the opposite side has obviously received reinforcements in recent days, but think about it, even if they use the strength of the whole country, how many troops can they have?
If hundreds of thousands of Tatar bandits really came to Jinzhou City, how would the Qing Dynasty rely on them to support them?
Is it possible to let them eat grass like horses, mules, cattle and sheep?
It was under this situation and state of mind that the officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty were in a relaxed mood and did not show too much concern about the war.
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After the military meeting, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, stopped Wu Sangui alone and kept him in the military tent for questioning.
He heard Hong Chengchou ask him: "General Chang Bo, has your aunt already left to return to Ningyuan?"
It turned out that on the night of the end of the previous war, Hong Chengchou twice sent his trusted staff to Wu Sangui's camp to persuade Mrs. Zuo to return to Ningyuan as soon as possible and wait for news of Jinzhou's relief.
Because he was worried that if the decisive battle between the Songjin front and the Tartars went unfavorable, and Mrs. Zuo died in front of the battle, or was captured by the Qing soldiers, Zu Dashou, who was trapped in Jinzhou City, did not care about Lian, fearing that he would offer sacrifices to the Tartars. Surrendered out of Jinzhou City.
Wu Sangui replied with a respectful look on his face, "My aunt has followed the advice of the governor, and Bin led the servants to get up early this morning. I think it's time to cross the high bridge by now."
Hong Chengchou sighed and said, "I feel very guilty for not being able to advance at once to relieve the siege of Jinzhou, which made my aunt return to Ningyuan in despair!"
Wu Sangui hurriedly comforted him and said: "The current situation is so difficult, the imperial court is pressing hard, and the Tatars are clinging to strongholds and ditches. The battle of Songjin will not be resolved in a day, so I cannot blame you.
During the previous battle with the slaves in Dongshimen, my aunt also led her servants among the soldiers and personally shot and killed several slave thieves, which was considered to have contributed to rescuing the siege of Jinzhou.
She said that although she could not see Jinzhou's rescue, she did not come to Xusongjin's front line.
But when she left for Ningyuan this morning, she reined up her horse and stopped on a high hill, looking back at Jinzhou City for a while. She couldn't help but sigh and actually shed tears, saying that she was afraid that she would never be able to live with her uncle again in this life. We met. "
Hong Chengchou's elegant face had a twinkle in his eyes. He said: "The Tartars have been increasing their troops in recent days, and there are even rumors that the leader of the Tartars, Hong Tai, has arrived in front of the two armies. I am afraid that the decisive battle will take place within these few days." .
If the Emperor of Shanghe is very powerful and the soldiers of Lai Lai work hard, they can win the battle and the siege of Jinzhou will be solved. "
Here, Wu Sangui had just retreated, and Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief, sent a flying cavalry from Xiaolinghekou to deliver a letter.
Zhang Ruoqi suggested that before the arrival of the captive chief Hong Tai, the entire army should be mobilized to attack the Qing military camp south of Jinzhou City in an attempt to lift the siege of Jinzhou and repay the emperor's great kindness.
After reading Zhang Ruoqi's letter, Hong Chengchou said angrily: "I have been in the industry for a long time and have been supervising teachers for many years. What do you, a arrogant scholar, know? You dare to give me advice!"
However, his face was still as elegant as ever, and he did not show a trace of disgust. Instead, he smiled and asked the visitor: "Has Supervisor Zhang arrived at the food station at the mouth of the river?"
"Yes, Supervisor. Zhang Jianjun and Ma Canjun are inspecting the shipping of military rations, and the commanding officers are strictly guarding them."
Hong Chengchou smiled and said: "Go back to Hekou Grain Station as soon as possible and report back to Zhang Jianjun. I fully understand the meaning of his letter."
Hong Chengchou no longer placed his hope on repelling the Tartars in a battle and relieving the siege of Jinzhou. Instead, he hoped that when the decisive battle came, each battalion would be able to hold on to the stronghold for several days to first dampen the vigor of the Tartars.
When the Tartars are exhausted after three rounds, they can launch a massive counterattack. In this way, the Tartars may be driven back. As long as they seize the Tartar defense line south of Jinzhou City and form a line with Zu Dashou, they will not be afraid of the fierce horsemen and can maintain a stalemate with them. , until the captives retreated.
So Hong Chengchou got up and went to various important places in person, inspected the defense lines of the camps, trenches, and encouraged the soldiers to kill the slaves bravely.
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Today, at dawn, Hong Chengchou sent nearly 10,000 cavalry from the Du Biao Battalion, Wu Sangui Tribe, Cao Bianjiao Tribe, and Wang Tingchen Tribe. With the cooperation of infantry and artillery, they were divided into three groups to attack the Qing troops' east and west Shimen and Shimenshan camps.
Zu Dashou heard the sound of cannons and shouts of killing outside Jinzhou City, so he led more than 2,000 infantrymen to fight out from the south gate of Jinzhou, and cooperated with Hong Chengchou to attack the Qing army.
However, the Qing army's camp was strong, the trenches were deep, and the artillery fire was relatively fierce. The Ming army fought hard, and the Qing army's captive cavalry dared to leave the stronghold to fight. They fought hard for half a day and were unable to advance.
Hong Chengchou was afraid that too many men and horses under each general's command would be lost, which would affect the morale of the army that had just been boosted, so he had to pay the money and withdraw his troops back to the camp.
Zu Dashou saw that the Qing army's shouts of killing in the south had weakened, and knew that Hong Chengchou's troops were withdrawing and retreating, so he quickly returned to the city with the injured soldiers.
The Qing army did not take the opportunity to counterattack, but sent out small groups of rangers to repeatedly spy on the place where the Ming army camped.
Battles like this were repeated almost every other day on the Songjin front. However, today was a little different from the past. The Qing army no longer just defended, but dared to send cavalry out to fight.
From this, Hong Chengchou judged that the Qing army had not only reinforced its troops in the past half month, but even the captive chief Hong Tai had arrived at the Songjin front line. There was a trace of worry on his usually elegant face.
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In the early morning of August 20, the 14th year of Chongzhen, Emperor Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty finally crossed the Xiaoling River and arrived at the Songjin front line.
Prince Dorgon of Heshuorui, Prince Hauge of Heshuosu and other kings and generals on the front line of Jinzhou, as well as Prince Jierhalang of Heshuo Zheng and Prince Azige of Duoluowuying County who arrived first led the troops. Jiang has been waiting by the Xiaoling River for a long time.
When the officers and soldiers of the Qing army heard that His Majesty the Emperor was coming in person, their courage suddenly increased. There were cheers everywhere from the Xiaoling River to the south camp of Jinzhou City.
At this time, only Dorgon and Haoge were uneasy. After all, the early battle had caused heavy casualties. They didn't know what Huang Taiji would do with them. Although they were walking in the center of the team, they could not remain calm.
Dorgon accompanied Huang Taiji behind him and said carefully: "Now that the holy cavalry has arrived, the courage of the ministers has doubled. We can only leap forward bravely to clear the obstacles to the Central Plains.
Relying on the power of the Emperor Zhutian, the ministers are not afraid of a decisive battle with the reinforcements of the Southern Dynasty. But the situation in the army had to be explained clearly to the emperor. At present, Hong Chengchou, the governor of the Southern Dynasty, has come to help with a large number of troops. Since the previous war, the ministers and others have been attacked many times, and the soldiers have suffered many casualties every day.
Because they knew that the emperor was going to visit Jinzhou in person, the ministers and others only strictly guarded the camp every day. In order to show weakness to the enemy, they did not go out to fight the southern army. "
Huang Taiji walked forward with gentle steps. After the epistaxis was cured, he felt that his body seemed to be full of vitality. Under the canopy umbrella, he said lightly: "Today, I will order the warriors to go out to fight for a while, but do not overtake the enemy." Far."
"嗻!"
As Emperor Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty slowly moved forward under the tall yellow dragon canopy and big umbrella, the kings, Baylor, and generals followed him. The soldiers in the distance saw a simple honor guard and front cavalry in front of him, and they all knew he was the emperor. When His Majesty arrived, everyone cheered and shouted in Manchurian "Long live! Long live! Long live..." from far and near.
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Under the big umbrella of the Huanglong Canopy, stood a very fat man from the Qing Dynasty. This man was the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Taiji. Many people in the Ming Dynasty called him Huang Taiji, or Hong Tai, He Gan, and Xiao Han Wang according to the literal translation of the Tatar dialect. No wait.
Huang Taiji did not rest in the Qing army camp in the south of Jinzhou City, but went straight to Huangtu Ridge, Shimen Mountain and other places to inspect. Now he has just arrived at Shimen Mountain from Huangtu Ridge.
Shimen Mountain is not an independent mountain range. It is actually just a ridge on the Songshan Mountains. It is connected to Rufeng Mountain. Many people even think that Shimen Mountain is the east ridge of Rufeng Mountain.
At this time, Huang Taiji was looking at Songshan Fort not far away from the south of the mountain. I don't know what he was thinking about.
Next to the large canopy umbrella, there were many princes and nobles of the Qing Dynasty, including kings Baylor, banner masters, Gushan Ezhen, Mongol Baylor of the outer vassal, the crown prince of Korea, etc.
It was noon at this time, and under the scorching sun, everyone was sweating profusely, but they didn't dare to move a little. They looked down the top of the mountain in the direction of Songshan City like they were little fools.
Along the ridges of Shimen Mountain, there were elite warriors from the Qing Dynasty’s Bagala Camp and Gebusixian Camp. Their densely packed flags fluttered in the wind and made a hunting sound.
After concentrating for a long time, Huang Taiji suddenly asked coldly: "Can you tell how many people Hong Chengchou has?"
The leader of the Zhengbai Banner, Prince Heshuorui Dorgon, hurriedly pushed through the crowd, knelt down next to Huang Taiji, and replied: "Come back, there are nearly 150,000 Southern troops in Songshan."
Huang Taiji looked calm on his face and asked again: "How many soldiers and horses are there in the Ming army in the direction of Xingshan, Gaoqiao and Tashan?"
Dorgon knelt down and replied: "Going back up, along the line of pines, apricots, high mountains and towers, there are multiple outposts of the Southern Army. They are dedicated to lookout, but there are not many defensive troops. According to exploration, there are more than 30,000 Southern troops in the direction of Xingshan, and Gao There are more than 10,000 bridges and 20,000 tower mountains.”
Huang Taiji once again raised a delicate telescope, looked around Songshan, and asked lightly: "Where is the Ming army's grain garrison, how is the situation?"
"Back in the past, the Confederate army mostly transported grain by sea. According to the spies' investigation, most of their grain stores were on Bijia Mountain behind the Xingta Bridge. There were about ten thousand Confederate troops stationed there. In addition, there were also many grain stores in Xingshan. Supply Matsuyama.
Furthermore, where the Xiaoling River enters the sea in the south of Jinzhou, it is also the place where the Confederate Army receives food shipments by sea. There is a battalion of Ming troops stationed on Mamatou Mountain, and my spies are not allowed to get closer to take a closer look. "
After listening to Dorgon's words, Huang Taiji had no expression on his face. He slowly took back his telescope and said in a cold tone: "Ming Jin, tell the soldiers not to pursue."
Then, he handed the telescope to Goshiha beside him, and said to the kings and Belles: "Go back to the camp. How to defeat the Ming army still needs to be discussed in detail!"
When he said this, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Amidst the sound of drums, Emperor Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty began to drive along the gentle ridges and ridges to the Qing army's imperial camp at the foot of Shimen Mountain.
