The strategy of the Ming Dynasty was to use the two powerful armies of Wu Sangui and Zhang Cheng as the main forces to capture the Qing army positions in Shimen Mountain and Huangtuling respectively.
Then the two troops, Cao Bianjiao, the general soldier of the Eastern Association, and Wang Tingchen, the former general soldier of the garrison, were combined into one group. After Wu Sangui captured Shimen Mountain, he waited for an opportunity to fight out from the east and west Shimen and advance to Jinzhou City.
The troops and horses of the Shanhaiguan General Military and Horse Division are still stationed on Rufeng Mountain, and Hong Chengchou's Chinese army's marching camp is also located on a peak here. They stick to the main position and watch the changes in the battlefield situation before making a decision.
At the same time, Liaodong Zu Dale, Jizhen Chen Zhongcai, and Xuanda Da Guo Yingxian each mobilized four to five thousand elite cavalry. They all gathered in Pingchuan on the west side of Songshan to prepare their troops.
As expected, the Ming army attacked Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge with all their strength, assuming a posture of advancing to break the siege of Jinzhou, in order to induce the main force of the Tatar thieves to attack, so that they could use their tactics.
According to Zhang Cheng's guess, there must be elite Qing troops stationed on the east bank of the Xiaoling River. They might cross the river to support Huangtu Ridge, or cross the river further south to raid the mouth of the Xiaoling River.
As for the elite Tatar cavalrymen at Baimiaobao on the Nerv River, once they learned that the main force of the Ming army here was stuck, they would quickly rush to Xingshan, but their wishful thinking was destined to fail.
Because the generals stationed around Changling Mountain, Wudaoling, and Xingshan have long been informed and have taken precautions. How can they be easily attacked by the Tatars?
Moreover, according to Zhang Cheng's estimation, even if the Tatars wanted to lure the Ming army to attack Huangtu Ridge, they would never allow the Ming army to cross the Xiaoling River.
After all, once the Ming army established a camp on the east bank of the Xiaoling River, the Tatars would become much more passive and had to leave a strong army there to monitor the Ming army crossing the river.
Otherwise, the Ming army could move north along the east bank of the Xiaoling River. Not only could they join Zu Dashou and others in Jinzhou City, they could also attack the Xiaoling River Fort and establish a base there.
In this way, all kinds of materials, including grain, grass, fuelwood, etc., will continue to flow upstream along the Xiaoling River and be transported into Jinzhou City. So what is the point of the Qing army encircling Jinzhou again?
…………
At present, it seems that all the responses of the Qing army are still within everyone's expectations.
At the foot of the Loess Ridge, the officers and soldiers of Xuanfu Town of the Ming Dynasty looked neat and tidy. In front of each of their military formations was a row of black iron cannons.
Obviously, it is not easy for a chariot to move up the mountains, but these small Folang machines installed on the vehicle, as well as those mortar cannons and tiger crouching cannons are extremely light.
Zhang Cheng's original purpose in arranging the construction of these small artillery pieces was to make them lightweight and not significantly affect the load-bearing capacity of the vehicles when mounted on tanks and carriages.
Once encountering complex terrain, this small artillery can be unloaded from the vehicle, and each small cannon can be easily lifted by two or three strong men. It is very convenient whether it is to temporarily transfer positions or climb mountains. .
In this battle, Li Jiyu's Dengfeng camp was the main attacker, and was assisted by one tank and one chariot each. They were mainly responsible for providing artillery support.
At the foot of the loess ridge, the soldiers of the Dengfeng camp who were preparing to attack the mountain were all wearing light armor. The flags of Qianzong and Baizong were fluttering in the wind, and there were also the sound of gun flags and back flags.
Although Zhang Cheng, Zhang Ruoqi and others were looking forward to the upcoming tough battle, in the eyes of the Qing troops stationed on the Loess Ridge, the performance of the Ming troops under the mountains was no different from the past.
Previously, the Xuanfu army battalions took turns fighting the Qing army on Huangtu Ridge. The infantry camp and the vehicle camp almost cooperated with each other. The soldiers of the vehicle camp carried various light artillery and took turns bombarding the Qing army positions on the flanks.
The soldiers of the infantry camp used their armor as a unit, and took advantage of the cover of the mountains to gradually climb upwards. They fired fire cannons in turns, which every time made the Qing troops on the mountains howl like ghosts and wolves.
Although there is an extra car camp today, Li Jiyu's Dengfeng camp has fewer soldiers than Zhang Guodong's Chicheng camp, and is about the same strength as Zhang Cheng's Chinese army.
Originally it was Li Jiyu's turn to attack Huangtuling today, but Zhang Cheng considered that today was a real attack, and initially wanted to use Chicheng Camp as the main attack force.
But Li Jiyu refused to give in. He even cut his finger, wrote a letter in blood, personally requested Zhang Cheng to fight, and issued a military order in front of the generals in the Chinese army's tent.
Originally, Du Youwei and He Kuan, two generals of Zhang Cheng's Central Army, and He Zhenxiong, the commander of the left camp of Xuanfu Town, were very active in asking for military leave. However, seeing Li Jiyu's insistence, they no longer fought with him.
In the middle of the formation were the soldiers of the Dengfeng Battalion. They were equipped with Yunzhou Type II self-propelled guns, and the assembly ratio exceeded two-thirds. Today, when attacking the mountains, the Chinese cavalry also dismounted and fought on foot.
There is a battalion of chariots and soldiers on each side of the Dengfeng camp. They are also arrayed in units of armor. Each armor operates two Franco machine guns, or tiger crouching or mortar guns. Basically, three people lift the guns and two The man carries a medicine bag and a cannon.
There are also some brothers in the Jiazhong who are carrying flying cannons. The principle of this artillery is more similar to the mortars of later generations, and it is very similar to the mortars of this era.
After the rounds of battles in the past few days, Zhang Cheng's insistence on the principle of big vehicles and small cannons is very reasonable. These No. 4 Folang machines, especially the No. 5 Folan machines assembled on the baggage, as well as the tiger crouching, mortar cannon, Flying cannon and other light artillery.
Although the advantage in this kind of positional warfare is not very obvious, it can be compensated by the numerical advantage. But once it is unloaded from the tank and carried by an individual soldier, when entering this kind of mountain attack or mobile warfare, other The advantages are clearly visible.
Because of its lightness, two strong sergeants can usually carry it and run as fast as flying. Moreover, it is easy and quick to operate. Not only does the Folang machine gun have a blunderbuss, but the tiger squatting and mortar guns also have medicine bags and cannons. Be prepared, load and shoot directly after the gun is dropped.
The flying cannon is even more powerful. If you are strong and strong, almost one person can carry it up and fly as fast as you can. Moreover, it also has a medicine pack and a blunderbuss, and the blunderbuss it fires will explode on their own after flying into the enemy's formation. , is the "flower bomb" of this era!
On the high platform, Zhang Ruoqi looked pleased. He said with a smile: "General Zhongchen, can you send an order to advance the army?"
Zhang Cheng looked at the sky and saw that compared with previous attacks on the mountain, it was still a little earlier, just in time for a sudden attack by the Qing army on the ridge.
He turned to Zhang Ruoqi with a smile and said, "The time has come. Can Director Zhang personally issue the military order to attack the mountain?"
"Hahaha……"
Zhang Ruoqi laughed heartily, and a high-spirited expression appeared on his face. He raised his right hand high, paused briefly in the air, then waved it down fiercely, and said loudly: "Send the order, attack the mountain!"
"Tum!"
As the flag was waved and the trumpet sounded, all the flags on the military formation began to move, and the formation began to change. The originally tight formation spread out in an instant.
"Tum!"
The second trumpet blast came, and the generals in front of the three military formations raised their flags high. After waving them three times, they slowly moved forward. Then, President Qian recognized the flag, and President Bai also waved the flag one after another. After confirming each other, the team officers also moved forward slightly.
"Tum!"
Three trumpets sounded, which was the order to march. The general's flag in front of the military formation was raised high, and he marched forward in the wind. Then the entire military formation moved, and the sound of thousands of people's uniform footsteps hit the hard ground. .
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
As the army moved forward, the uniform slogans of the officers and soldiers echoed around the central military platform.
Looking at the mighty Xuanfu army array in front of him, Zhang Ruoqi's heart was filled with excitement. His self-satisfied look and eyes were filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Zhang Cheng stopped looking at him, looked at the military formation gradually disappearing, and said in a deep voice to the generals around him: "Except for the central army who stays behind, everyone else should go and prepare."
"Here!"
Zhang Guangda, Zhang Guodong and other generals sang "Nai" in unison and took the order.
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After the military meeting the night before yesterday, starting from the early morning of the next day, the camps of Wu Sangui, Bai Guangen, Tang Tong and others moved to the south of Songshan Castle and to the east of Huangtu Ridge.
It created the illusion that the main force of the Ming army was gathered at the foot of Shimen Mountain, so as to induce the Qing army to make strategic errors and focus its defense in the direction of Shimen Mountain.
In this way, after Zhang Cheng captures Huangtu Ridge, he may have the opportunity to cross the Xiaoling River and go deep into the east of the river to threaten the rear of the Qing army and even threaten the security of the Qing army's food routes.
Even worse, the Qing monarchs and ministers could be fooled into thinking that the Ming army was going all out to rescue Jinzhou, so as to lure the Qing army to attack Xingshan. At least Zhang Cheng firmly believed that Changling Mountain would become an insurmountable obstacle for the Qing army and cavalry.
Hong Chengchou stood on the central military platform in Rufeng Mountain.
Here is a protruding rock platform, and a strong platform was built with huge trees, which was used as the general platform of Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao.
Standing here, and using a telescope, you can clearly see the inside and outside of the Qing military camp south of Jinzhou City, and you can also see some things on Shimen Mountain not far to the right.
But at this moment, Ji Liao Governor Hong Chengchou's eyes were looking to the southeast.
He seemed to be able to see through the mountain and see the general platform of Xuanfu Town in the distance under the Loess Ridge, and see Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu who was scolding Fang Qiu there. Hong Chengchou seemed to see a faint smile on Zhang Cheng's face.
He could never completely see through Zhang Cheng's inner thoughts.
This young military leader who has risen rapidly in recent years does not seem to have a strong and powerful background. How did he rise from an ordinary Qian Commander to the position of Commander-in-Chief of Xuan Town?
Moreover, even though Zhang Cheng is relatively young, he still has a deep palace and a sophisticated attitude. Even though he has been in high and low officialdom for many years, when facing Zhang Cheng, he still feels vaguely powerless!
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In the current army aiding the Liao Dynasty, Zhang Cheng seems to have become more and more important, especially after he succeeded as the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town and took over the army brought by Yang Guozhu to aid the Liao Dynasty.
Today, Zhang Cheng is not only the strongest among the troops in the towns aiding the Liao, but he has also become the person in charge of Xuanda's troops aiding the Liao.
What was most difficult for Hong Chengchou was the fact that Zhang Cheng did not rely on his own military strength to mess around, but every time he spoke about military strategy, he always spoke clearly and logically. Even if everyone was dissatisfied in their mouths, they had to admire him in their hearts.
Hong Chengchou, Qiu Minyang and other officials in Liao Town, although they wholeheartedly supported Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, Bai Guangen, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief of Miyun and other Liaodong officials and generals.
But if in this Songjin War, none of their generals have a good record, even if he is the governor of Jiliao, he will not be too supportive in the open.
Now, Hong Chengchou only hopes that this time in the battle of Shimen Mountain, the generals of Ji Liao can perform well!
For example, in the previous battle at Shimen Mountain, the soldiers and horses of Xuanzhen killed two Qing troops in Gushan Ezhen. That was a real achievement. This time, all the generals of Jiliao gathered their troops to attack Shimen Mountain. If they can do the same thing as Xuanzhen If one or two Qing troops were killed, Gushan Ezhen would at least lead to a draw.
The tens of thousands of Ming officials and troops in Liaodong have now been divided into three factions. Among them, the Xuanda faction is the most isolated faction, but because of Zhang Cheng's existence, it is also the most powerful faction with extraordinary strength.
There is another faction in Liao Town. They are vaguely headed by Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, and behind them are the powerful forces of the Liaoxi ancestral family.
Then there are the generals in Jizhen, as well as Cao Bianjiao, the general of the ASEAN Association, and Wang Tingchen, the former general of the garrison. Although they have no obvious positions, they are loyal followers of Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and they only follow Hong Chengchou's military orders.
Wu Sangui's Ningyuan Army, Bai Guangen's Jizhen Army, and Tang Tong's Miyun Army. The three towns' armies combined totaled more than 40,000 troops, which was comparable to the troops of Zhang Cheng, Wang Pu and others who attacked Huangtuling.
The strength of the troops is basically the same, the rest depends on everyone's performance!
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At the foot of Shimen Mountain, tens of thousands of Ji Liao troops were rolling forward along the foot of the mountain. They temporarily stopped at a local place called Damutun.
At this time, in front of Ji Liao's army were undulating mountains. The terrain gradually became higher from south to north, and from east to west.
A few miles further to the west of Jiliao's army, there is West Shimen, the intersection of Rufeng Mountain and Shimen Mountain, which is also the place where Yang Guozhu, the former commander-in-chief of Xuanzhen, was martyred.
This is a canyon road in the middle of the mountains on both sides. However, because the valley road is winding and there are undulating mountains on both sides, it is not easy for chariots to pass.
The west Shimen Valley Road is not only easy to defend but difficult to attack, but also easier to set up an ambush. It was here that Yang Guozhu's Xuanfu army was ambushed by the Qing army and cut into several sections, so that both the head and tail could not be considered.
Due to the tenacity of the Xuanfu army, although they also killed the Qing army Gushan'e Zhenhe Luohui in front of the battle, they themselves suffered heavy losses. The commander-in-chief Yang Guozhu even died for the country in this battle.
But if this place can be captured, then the Ming Dynasty's reinforcements to the Liao Dynasty can advance along the valley road to the confluence of the Nerv River and the Xiaoling River, close to the foot of Jinzhou City, and after that, there will be a flat plain with no mountains to block it.
Therefore, this place has always been heavily guarded by the Qing army. Taking advantage of the dangerous mountainous terrain, they set up many guns and cannons, and they were located in a commanding position, making it difficult to capture.
Even though the Qing army has now withdrawn many troops, Wu Sangui and others are still not very sure, and even Hong Chengchou is worried.
In the middle of Shimen Mountain, there are several relatively gentle mountain slopes, and most of the Qing army's barracks were built in these places.
As for the valley area between Xiaoling River and Shimen Mountain, it is where East Shimen is located.
The terrain here is mostly gentle, but the width varies. Some sections can be several miles wide, while some sections are less than a mile wide.
At this time, at the center of the rear of the three-town army that was attacking Shimen Mountain, Wu Sangui, Ma Ke, Tang Tong and other town commanders were pointing at the sand table on a cart with high spirits.
This sand table was given to them personally by Zhang Cheng, the deputy commander-in-chief, at the end of the military meeting the night before yesterday.
The sand table is indeed a good thing. The troops are arranged in formation, and the situation of both sides can be clearly seen at a glance.
No matter how much everyone in Jiliao Army Town thinks about Zhang Cheng and the Xuanfu Army, they all can't put it down for this sandbox!
