The Ming army's battle to capture Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge is coming to an end, and everyone is busy cleaning up the debris on the battlefield.
Although tens of thousands of troops from the Ming and Qing Dynasties were still confronting each other on the banks of the Nuer River on the north side of Shimen Mountain and Rufeng Mountain, there were only sporadic confrontations between the sentries and cavalry of the two sides. The situation of large armies fighting would not happen again today. .
In this battle, the Ming army achieved its original strategic expectations and successfully captured Huangtu Ridge and Shimen Mountain, as well as the east and west Shimen on the north passage.
However, on the Shimen Mountain side, they encountered a surprise attack by the Tatar thief Dorgon. The Zhenbiao left wing camp and Zhenbiao main barracks in Shanhai Town were completely defeated. General He Youren and the commander-in-chief Ma Ke were missing.
In Jizhen, the entire army, including the main barracks, was completely defeated. The commander-in-chief Bai Guangen was also missing, and his life or death was uncertain.
Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, looked at his generals with a livid face. At this moment, he had no joy at all about victory, although he had captured Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge as planned.
But he also joined the soldiers and horses of the two towns. No matter how you calculate it, the gain outweighs the loss. It is like a victory but a defeat.
"Where is Tang Tong now? Why haven't you come to join our army?" Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, asked in a deep voice.
Obviously, he was already very dissatisfied with the performance of Tang Tong's Miyun troops after they captured the East Shimen. Logically speaking, Tang Tong should have joined Wu Sangui's troops at this moment.
But for some reason, the advance of troops was so slow. In the eyes of the officials, could it be that he deliberately delayed the advance in order to avoid fighting?
In short, no matter what, it is an undeniable fact that Tang Tong's troops were slow to advance after breaking through the East Shimen. It is hard to escape the suspicion of deliberately avoiding the battle!
Although Hong Chengchou looked unkind, he didn't say much. He seemed to be thinking about how to deal with the Tartars next.
Today, in the battle of Shimen Mountain, Wu Sangui and Cao Bianjiao performed most outstandingly.
They guarded the camp, not only as simple as driving away the defeated troops, but also remained unmoved under several rounds of attacks by the Tatars and cavalry, blocking the Tatars at the same place without making any progress. It’s a must.
And Cao Bianjiao was even more brave. Although he failed to break through the defense line of the Tartar army, he entered the Tartar formation alone, two in and two out. How brave was he?
What's more, the results achieved by Cao Bianjiao's attack on the Tatar formation are also obvious. It was precisely because of Cao Bianjiao's invasion that he disrupted Dorgon's plan and burned many of the Tatars' tents, food and other supplies.
It can be said that Cao Bianjiao's assault prevented the Tatar thieves from posing a threat to the Ming army to a great extent. At least for three to five days, they were unable to launch a large-scale charge against the Ming army.
The supplies in the camp were okay, after all, they could be replenished from the supplies captured in Shanhai Town and Ji Town, but what about other supplies such as grain and grass?
It is not necessary to transport it from the rear. After all, the troops and horses of Shanhai Town and Jizhen went to battle, and they only brought two or three days of dry food, and there was not more than enough rations to supplement the Tatar thieves.
Next was the former garrison commander Wang Tingchen. It was he who arrived in time with his troops and formed a pincer attack with Wu Sangui, which forced the Qing army to retreat hastily. Later, he and Wu Sangui's elite cavalry engaged in pursuit and cover-up, and achieved a lot of gains. .
Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief of Miyun, was the first to break through the north passage, which was also a great achievement.
It's a pity that after the Battle of Sailor Camp, he first stopped advancing, and then dilly-dallyed all the way. He failed to join Wu Sangui's troops on time, which almost led to the complete loss of the Ming army. Basically, the merits were equal to the fault.
Yao Gong, the deputy inspector, said from the side: "Now, we must gather the defeated soldiers and civilians as quickly as possible to see how many people can be gathered."
"Everything is going well for Xuan Da's army. They have successfully occupied Huangtu Ridge. However, they failed to capture the pontoon bridge, which was also burned by slaves. However, Xuan's army and horses have gained a lot and suffered little loss!"
Supervisor Wang Zhizhen was also speaking on the side, especially the words "the loss is not big", but his tone was a little heavier when he said it.
Hong Chengchou kept his face livid and said nothing. Today's battle was originally a good situation.
In fact, as long as Ma Ke's Shanhai navy can hold their own, resist the fighting for a while, and wait for Bai Guangen, Wu Sangui and other armies to join forces, they will have nothing to fear from the Tatars, not to mention the arrival of Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen for reinforcements.
But things went against expectations. Ma Ke's Shanhai navy was defeated for unknown reasons, thus destroying the good situation. How could Hong Chengchou not be angry?
Even though he was extremely well-educated, he managed not to get angry in public, but everyone felt the oppressive atmosphere at the scene. Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen and others at the head all remained silent.
Because there was a book on the table in front of Hong Chengchou. It was the letter reporting victory that had just been sent by the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi. It had been circulated by everyone just now.
In his letter, Zhang Ruoqi proclaimed the bravery of the army and the power of Shenji Battalion's artillery. He even asked for merit and rewards for the generals. He showed full confidence and pride between the lines.
On the other hand, looking at the performance of Ji Liao's army and horses on the Shimen Mountain side, the sun has set in the west, the sky has turned dark, and it is almost dark, but the Miyun Town army and horses have still not arrived.
In addition, the Shanhai Town and Ji Town armies and horses have all collapsed. Now not only the limelight has been robbed by the Xuanda Liao Army and Horse, but even the military strength is almost the same, not to mention that the Ji Liao Army and Horse are still fighting almost locally.
With this performance, wouldn't it make all the generals in Xuanda's army laugh out loud?
Wu Sangui seemed to want to say something, but when he looked up and saw Hong Chengchou's face, he immediately swallowed what he wanted to say.
At this moment, Li Song, Hong Chengchou's army attendant, walked out of the military tent. He came to Hong Chengchou quietly, first whispered, then left a letter, and then retreated to stand behind Hong Chengchou.
Hong Chengchou did not open the letter, but said to everyone in a deep voice: "Tang Tong was defeated on the way to the army. It is inevitable that his troops would be disrupted by the defeated soldiers after the battle, so he stopped the army and stationed himself on the spot. The camp gathered the defeated troops."
He picked up the letter after saying this, but without opening it, he handed it directly to Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, and continued: "Today, it is getting late, and the Miyun soldiers and horses are stationary. They continue to gather the defeated troops and will arrive before noon tomorrow. Join us."
Everyone felt relieved when they heard that Tang Tong's troops in Miyun were fine.
At first, they were still a little worried. There was no information from Tang Tong's headquarters. Would they be ambushed and defeated by the Tatars like Ma Ke and Bai Guangen? If that was the case, wouldn't they be attacked on both sides?
Now, news came from Tang Tong that the troops had not been ambushed by the Tatars, but were gathering the defeated troops. In this way, there was only one Tatar in Dorgon in front, and there was no longer any worry of being attacked by the Tatars.
Qiu Minyang on the side also quickly scanned the letter at this moment. The content was exactly what Hong Chengchou said. He raised his head and nodded slightly to Hong Chengchou.
Immediately, he said: "Today, thanks to your bravery, our division was able to conquer Shimen Mountain and the East and West Shimen in one fell swoop, and finally opened up the Jin Jin Aid Channel.
Although the Nuerv River is still lying across the river in front of us, our army and the slave thieves are facing each other across the river. The sound of cannons here can already be heard in Jincheng, which will undoubtedly give great encouragement to the defenders in the city. "
When he said this, he glanced at Hong Chengchou and then continued: "Although the soldiers and horses of Shanhai Town and Ji Town were defeated, they retreated all the way to the east. Fortunately, Ningyuan General Wu led his troops to stop the Tatar thieves, so that the defeated troops were not defeated. The Tatars massacred.
Miyun Tang's general army gathered the defeated troops in the east. Based on this calculation, even if the two towns were defeated, the losses would not be too great. After the defeated troops regrouped, they could go to war again.
There is still much room for improvement in Liao affairs! "
Qiu Minyang glanced at Hong Chengchou again and saw that he was also nodding slightly, so he continued: "Today, Commander Wu of Ningyuan, Commander Cao of Dongxie, and Commander Qiantun Wang all performed well and should take the first place."
Wu Sangui stood up immediately after hearing this, clasped his fists and looked up at Qiu Min and said: "I care about Fu Chen, but Sangui only knows how to be loyal to the country. He has already put life and death aside, and moves forward bravely, which is his duty. Although he has a little merit, how can he dare to work for Fu Chen?" Such praise.”
"Okay, what a person who takes credit but is not proud of it!" Hong Chengchou finally spoke.
At this moment, Hong Chengchou felt a mixture of emotions in his heart. Just as Qiu Minyang said, Shimen Mountain had been captured today, and Jincheng was in front of him, separated only by a river.
Although the two towns were defeated, the rest of the army was not completely defeated. If Tang Tong's report is true, most of the defeated troops should be able to gather together, with little damage to our own forces.
In this way, there is indeed great potential for Liao affairs!
What's more, in today's battle, he was also very satisfied with the performance of Ning Yuan's army. Not only was their performance on the battlefield remarkable, but Wu Sangui's words just now spoke to his heart.
Hong Chengchou thought to himself: "It seems that my cultivation of Wu Sangui was not in vain!"
He scanned the people in the big tent with burning eyes and said: "In today's battle, our division and the slaves each have their own victory or defeat, but overall, our division is better than the slaves."
Hong Chengchou looked at the crowd and saw that everyone was listening attentively, and then said: "Shimen Mountain stands in front of my reinforcements for King Jin's army, completely blocking my way to Jincheng. Although I have attacked several times before, I have not achieved anything. .
Today, thanks to the bravery of all the officers and men, my king's army marched down to the dangerous place of Shimen Mountain and completely opened the channel to aid Jin City. From this, it can be seen that the siege of Jincheng can be solved soon. "
"Wu Sangui took the exhausted soldiers from Ningyuan Town and took them as slaves. He fought fiercely with tens of thousands of captives for half a day, bought time for the defeated soldiers in Shanhai Town and Ji Town to escape, and protected the escape route. He deserves the greatest credit and deserves the first credit! "
Hong Chengchou's tone of voice did not allow others to distinguish, and he directly made the final decision.
He turned his attention to Cao Bianjiao and said: "Cao Bianjiao of the Eastern Association bravely broke into the slave camp. He used thousands of elite cavalry to go in and out twice. He burned the slaves' food, grass and baggage without planning, making the slaves terrified, and even attacked the slaves' middle army. , almost captured the slave leader Dorgon alive, and forced the slave thieves back twenty miles to camp.
You should also take the lead! "
In order to boost the morale of the troops and to cover up the actual situation on Shimen Mountain, Hong Chengchou not only used flattering words, but also beautified the generals' achievements.
I heard him continue: "Look at the number of people in my Ming Dynasty who can be called generals, there are more than a hundred, and the only one who dares to go straight to the slave camp is Cao Bianjiao'er!"
When everyone in the big tent heard this, they all looked sideways at Cao Bianjiao, feeling that he was surrounded by a halo, extremely great.
"Wang Tingchen rushed to help from the west stone gate, cooperated with Wu Sangui's tribe, attacked the slave bandits, and finally forced the slave bandit army back, and gained a lot. It is also a great achievement!"
Just like this, after Governor Hong Chengchou of Jiliao personally made the decision, who else would object?
The person who made the first contribution to Shimen Mountain has been decided. As for the other meritorious personnel, including Ma Ke and Bai Guangen, the two defeated generals, they will be carefully verified later before they can be discussed again.
Next, everyone discussed some military affairs, including the garrison of soldiers and horses in various towns, night patrols, sentinels, etc., and then they dispersed to prepare.
…………
After the generals retreated, Hong Chengchou left only Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, and he introduced Qiu Minyang into the inner tent and revealed the whole story.
It turned out that what Li Song had just brought in was not only the letter, but also another letter that he did not hand over immediately, but stayed in Li Song's hand. At this moment, he took out the letter and handed it to Hong Chengchou.
This letter was sent by Zhang Cheng, Zhang Ruoqi and others who were attacking Huangtuling. After Hong Chengchou unfolded the letter, he read it briefly and was shocked.
He hurriedly looked at it carefully again before handing it to Qiu Minyang and asking him to take a look.
"Supervisor?"
Qiu Minyang took a look at the contents of the letter, and then asked with a solemn expression, "Is the contents of this letter true?"
Hong Chengchou's expression was still as peaceful as ever, and he said calmly: "Zhenzhong, please tell me."
Li Song sat in the chair and said to Qiu Min: "The person who came to deliver the letter is Zhang Cheng's adopted son, named Zhang Mingyuan. I just asked in detail that Director Zhang's attack on Huangtu Ridge seems to be better than that of Shimen Mountain. The side is much smoother.
And this news was also learned from the captured North Korean officers and generals during the Battle of Huangtuling. According to Zhang Mingyuan, the news is reliable! "
Qiu Min looked up at Li Song and said, "Mr. Zhenzhong, have you read the content of the letter?"
"Oh. In reply to Futai, the town has not read the letter, and the town does not know what is said in the letter. However, the Yizi Zhang Cheng has something to say, and this letter is of great importance, so he sent it in person. More This letter is related to important military affairs, so it must be personally signed by the supervisor."
Li Song smiled as he spoke, and then said: "That boy Zhang Mingyuan initially claimed that he would meet the governor in person before he would submit the letter. However, I have met him several times and he also knows my identity. I told him He said that the governor was at a military meeting and could not see him immediately, so I immediately forwarded this trust to the governor."
"Although Zhang Cheng is young, he has always been mature and steady. Since he attaches so much importance to it, there is no doubt that these news are false!"
Hong Chengchou also spoke. Although he was dissatisfied with some of Zhang Cheng's actions, he still praised Zhang Cheng's ability and vision.
Qiu Minyang also nodded and said: "Well, as the governor said, since this news came from Zhang Cheng, it is still credible."
He went on to say: "It is most beneficial to me that the Tartars are short of food; but this person who has an affair with the Tartars is the most dangerous.
As for the Tartar thieves' plan to seize the grain road, Zuo Guang was originally stationed in the direction of Xingshan, and now Liu Zhaoji was sent there, so there was nothing to worry about. The mouth of Xiaoling River was close at hand, so rescue was convenient and there was nothing to worry about. "
Hong Chengchou looked at Li Song and asked him: "Zhenzhong, what do you think?"
"Back to the governor, Zhang Cheng is most anxious because he thinks the food route is safe!"
