On the south bank of the Nuer River, a hill on the north side of Shimen Mountain is where the temporary residence of Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, is located.
A high command platform was built not far from the Chinese army's tent. Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, was standing on this command platform, looking northward to look at the situation on the battlefields of both sides.
Li Song, a confidant and senior staff member, said from the side: "My lord, according to General Chang Bo's report, the Tatars are fighting with the yellow flag, plus the Mongolian white and blue flags.
In addition, there are also Han soldiers with red flags and gun soldiers to help out, and even the traitor Kong Youde and Shang Kexi's troops are gathered there. Chang Bo's frontal pressure is not small. "
Hong Chengchou's face remained calm. He gently put down the telescope in his hand, but still looked at the north bank of his daughter's river. He asked softly: "How many flags are there left for the slaves to move?"
Another confidant, Xie Sixin, stepped forward and replied: "Returning to the governor, according to the reports, in addition to the Zhenglan Banner still on the east bank of the Xiaoling River, what can be confirmed now are the Tatar Xianglan Banner, the Zhenghong Banner, and the Mongolian Zhenglan Banner. Blue flag troops.
Now they are fighting fiercely with the three generals of Tang, Bai and Ma in the west. According to reports, the Tatar puppet king Jirhalang is taking command there.
In addition to the three generals of our division, the former Tun Wang general, as well as the Biao battalion of Qiu Fuchen and Yao Chayuan, have also been engaged in fierce battles with the Tatars. Although they are in a stalemate on the north bank, My teacher seems to be more strenuous. "
He paused for a moment and then said: "In addition to the Tatar Zhenghuang Banner who fought fiercely with Chang Bo, and the Mongolian Banner Banner and the Mongolian Banner Beibei. There are still four Tatar Banners and the Mongolian Five Banners have not moved."
Xie Sixin hesitated for a moment, and then continued: "But my king's division only has the Governor Biao camp, and has never gone to war. This comparison of forces does not seem to have an advantage. Governor..."
He hesitated, but Hong Chengchou didn't seem to take it seriously. He just asked, "What's the situation at Wang Pu's place?"
Li Song hurriedly replied: "Reporting to the governor, Zhang Zhongping has gone to deliver the order. I think it is time to start now."
"Um."
Hong Chengchou pointed to Jinzhou City on the other side of the Nuer River in the north and said: "There are still nearly 10,000 soldiers and horses of Zu Dashou in the city, all of whom are elite men from Liaodong. The slave thieves have at least three or four banners of soldiers and horses, which will be used for the siege of the city."
He then asked: "How is the situation over there with Cao Bianjiao? But has the whole army crossed the river?"
Xie Sixin hurriedly stepped forward and replied: "Cao Shuai's ASEAN troops and horses have crossed the river and marched north. They are now cooperating with General Chang Bo to break through to the north. They are facing the slaves of the Tatar Zhenghuang Banner."
Hong Chengchou said with a slightly solemn tone: "Send someone to urge us again. Wang Pu will have to exert some force. If we can succeed, we should cooperate inside and outside, and we should be able to break the siege of Jinzhou."
At this moment, Wang Chengen, the inner court eunuch who oversees Dongchang, slowly walked up to the high platform accompanied by two young eunuchs. He went straight to Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and said in a deep tone: "Governor Hong is planning the strategy. Our family feels inferior.
However, this battle is related to the fate of the country, so we should not be careless. We thought that it would be better to mobilize Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu soldiers to come here and cross the river to advance north. We thought that this unexpected force would be able to surprise the slaves and thieves. "
When he said this, he paused slightly, stared at Ji Liao Governor Hong Chengchou with piercing eyes, and then said: "Hong Governor, you should put state affairs first."
This was already an obvious attempt to criticize Hong Chengchou. In fact, the eunuch Wang Chengen had criticized Governor Hong Chengchou more than once before.
However, Hong Chengchou just pretended to be deaf and dumb. He took advantage of Wang Chengen's non-participation in the planning of military operations, and arbitrarily manipulated the general soldiers of each town to formulate the military strategy for the Battle of Jinzhou.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with this. However, the current battlefield situation is not in a favorable situation for the Ming army. If the current battlefield situation continues to develop, the final outcome will be that the Ming and Qing parties form a stalemate on both sides of the Nuer River.
The governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, wanted to win this battle and highlight Wu Sangui's achievements. However, the great eunuch Wang Cheng'en wanted to be even simpler. He just wanted to solve the siege of Jinzhou.
Other than that, there is nothing else to ask for!
He didn't care whether it was Zhang Cheng, Wu Sangui, or Cao Bianjiao who made the first contribution in the Liao War.
At this moment, Wang Chengen seemed to be quite dissatisfied with his words. He even used the words "national affairs are the most important" to mention Hong Chengchou, which shows that his tolerance is approaching the limit.
If it were someone else, Hong Chengchou might not care too much, but Wang Chengen was different from others. Although he had no official position in the court, even the court elders did not dare to offend him.
Hong Chengchou said with a serious face: "What the prince said is absolutely true. This battle is of vital importance. It is indeed a battle for the fate of the country."
He then continued: "As the prince said, not only the Xuanfu army is the most daring to fight, but Zhang Cheng is also a very strategic general. He is truly a rare talent. Given time, his achievements will probably be even higher than those of the governor. It may all depend on this person to destroy slaves."
Hong Chengchou suddenly changed the topic and said: "It is precisely because Zhang Cheng is a talented person from Qi Zi, and Chengchou also loves and cherishes his talents. He cannot bear to show off his talents and stand out from the crowd, which will arouse a lot of suspicion and jealousy, and make enemies on all sides." , which is not good for Zhang Cheng."
Seeing that Wang Chengen's expression had softened, he continued: "As the saying goes, 'A big tree attracts the wind,' and the ancients also said, 'The trees are beautiful in the forest, but the wind will destroy them.'
Chengchou observes that Zhang Cheng is indeed capable of running an army and fighting, but he is young and energetic, and still lacks a little bit of sophistication in human relations. He needs more training to make him know how to restrain himself and how to relax in order to succeed. The great weapon of the country.
Otherwise, he is just young and full of energy and full of ambition. He may be too public and show off in front of others, which will attract many slanderous remarks. In the end, it is not the original intention of cherishing and loving talents for the country. "
The more Wang Chengen listened, the more he felt that what Hong Chengchou said was reasonable, and he seemed to be a little unconscionable. At this time, Hong Chengchou continued: "Kuang I am not just confining the Xuanfu army to a high cabinet and abandoning it.
However, since the Xuanfu army aided the Liao Dynasty, they have repeatedly fought against slaves and traitors. Although they have won successive victories to boost our morale and strengthen our army's power, the Xuanfu soldiers are also exhausted from long battles and really need to rest and recuperate to prevent them from being exhausted mentally and physically. Tired.
Now, the Xuanfu army is stationed in Huangtuling to contain the soldiers and horses of the slave bandit Zhenglan Banner Hauge. However, the Xuanfu army can lead troops north at any time to support General Wang Pu of Datong, cross the Xiaoling River to the north, and march directly to the south of Jincheng close. "
Wang Chengen's eyes had turned to the Nvnu River in the north. At this time, he also felt that Hong Chengchou was indeed public-minded and what he said made sense. However, he was still worried about today's war.
So, he said calmly: "In terms of military affairs, our family is not an expert, and we should not talk too much. However, this battle has a huge stake, and the emperor is also worried about it, so naturally our family cannot stay out of it.
Hong Duchen, do you think so or not? "
A wry smile appeared on Hong Chengchou's face. He knew that Wang Chengen was challenging him. It seemed that today's battle was ultimately inseparable from Zhang Cheng and the Xuanfu army.
But facing the eunuch Wang Chengen, he couldn't just muddle through the work casually. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, why was it so difficult for him to accomplish something?
"The prince is worried about the emperor and works hard for state affairs. Chengchou and others are obvious to all. They are indeed role models for us."
He first praised him, and then said: "Chengchou also knows that today's war is of great importance, and Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu troops are already the courage of our troops to assist the King's Division of Liao. The heart of the King's division's troops must not be taken lightly. Come out, how can the victory or defeat be decided without the Xuanfu army?"
In this way, Hong Chengchou promised that in today's battle, there would be a chance for the Xuanfu army to attack, but he would not easily use the Xuanfu army and horses, and would have to fight a decisive battle when necessary.
"That's good, that's good. I hope Governor Hong can always put state affairs first and never forget the mighty grace of God."
Wang Chengen left a faint word, then turned and left. The two young eunuchs followed him silently, slowly descended from the high platform, and returned to the small tent on the right.
Looking at Wang Chengen's slowly walking back, Hong Chengchou also looked helpless and could only sigh secretly in his heart.
Xie Sixin, a trusted aide, reminded him: "Master, it's already past noon. Do you want some food?"
"No, the soldiers are all fighting bloody battles, how can I still be in the mood to eat?"
Hong Chengchou's eyes were slightly dim. In today's battle, many of his deployments had no great effect. As expected, Dorgon was so experienced and cunning that he could be so calm.
Dorgon seemed to have seen through the Ming army's trick to lure the enemy. He had been tolerant of Tang Tong, Bai Guangen and Ma Ke. He only sent a small number of Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners elites to prevent them from continuing to advance northward, but did not dispatch the main army to fight with them. .
As a result, Wu Sangui felt a sudden increase in pressure here. Even with the elite assistance from Cao Bianjiao's ASEAN Association, it was still a little difficult, and the help for the northward thrust was very great.
You must know that opposite him is the Manchurian Yellow Banner, plus the Mongolian banners with white and blue banners, and the Tatar elite cavalry. There are more than 10,000 Tatar elite cavalry. If you add in the accompanying soldiers, there will be thousands more. the crowd.
In terms of strength comparison, there didn't seem to be a big gap between the two sides, and Wu Sangui and Cao Bianjiao even had a slight advantage.
However, most of the Wu and Cao camps were made up of infantry, and the number of cavalry was limited. Unlike the Tatar army, which was all cavalry. If the two sides fought in formation, the Ming army would naturally huddle behind the chariot formation and rely on infantry, cannons, bows and arrows. Defeat the enemy, but not suffer any loss.
But today they are in the wilderness and plains. It is not only the field battle that the Qing cavalry is good at, but also the cavalry wave battle. The Ming army has already suffered a loss. These are the subordinates of Wu Sangui and Cao Bianjiao, who are known to dare to fight.
If it were any other Ming army, I am afraid that they would have been defeated by the conflicts between the Qing and Mongolian cavalry, not to mention that there were still more than 10,000 Han Tatars manning guns and artillery to assist the slave thieves.
Sure enough, Li Song was advising from the side: "Supervisor, do you want to teach Zhang Cheng to prepare early?"
Hong Chengchou didn't say a word. He turned his body to face the direction of the Nvnu River, looking deeply at the land to the north, as if he was thinking about something.
After a moment, he spoke: "Send a message to Wang Tingchen, asking him to attack the Tatars with the slave bandit Xianglan Banner. He must open a breakthrough, break through the slave bandit defense line, and try to go east to join Cao Bianjiao."
Xie Sixinyan opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he still didn't say anything. At this moment, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, was facing away from him and did not notice this small movement at all.
The flag officer had already responded to the order loudly, and was about to rush down the high platform to send someone to summon him, but he was stopped by Hong Chengchou, who ordered: "Tell the king courtiers that we must put pressure on the slaves and thieves, and it is not a pity to defend ourselves. "
"Yes, Governor."
Listening to the sound of horse hooves rushing towards the messenger, Xie Sixin and Li Song stopped talking.
They and Hong Chengchou usually just looked to the north in the direction of the Nuer River, listening to the roar of artillery fire, watching the smoke and dust over there rising, falling, and rising again, and sometimes there were heartbreaking screams of killing. The screams and wails of the lungs.
After a long time, Hong Chengchou sighed and then said leisurely: "Send a message to Zhang Cheng, asking him to secretly organize his troops and cross the river to go north at any time."
He then added: "The defense of Huangtu Ridge should not be ignored to avoid being taken advantage of by Hauge. Li Fuming is stationed at the mouth of the river. In addition to some Xuanfu soldiers and horses remaining in Huangtu Ridge, Zhang Bingxian's standard camp should also be stationed in Huangtu Ridge. "
Xie Sixinyan glanced at Li Song first, and then said in unison: "That's very good. The governor has thought carefully and will make sure nothing goes wrong."
Hong Chengchou stopped talking. He looked towards the wilderness to the north again and said to Li Song: "Send someone to urge them. The artillery of the Shenji Battalion must cross the river as soon as possible."
"Yes, send someone to urge Mr. Chen."
…………
"How come Minggou's artillery keeps firing for such a long time? Isn't it strange that their artillery isn't afraid of exploding?"
Azige, the king of Wuying County, stood behind Dorgon. He raised his eyes and looked at the fighting in the south. The Ming army's artillery had been firing for two hours since the beginning of the war.
Although there was a slight stagnation in the middle, there was no pause. On the other hand, our own side could not hold on for even an hour. The barrels of each cannon were either hot and insufficient for use, or they were hit by cannons fired by the Ming army. Destroy it.
There were even more than ten artillery pieces captured from the Ming army that had their barrels exploded. Not only were the artillery pieces blown up, but also the gunners suffered a lot of casualties. It even caused the gunners of other artillery pieces to be frightened. This shooting Speed is naturally also affected.
Azig continued to curse: "What is this bastard Kong Youde doing? Why are the artillery in our Wuzhen Chaoha Artillery Battalion getting weaker and weaker."
When Dorgon saw his rude words, he couldn't help but glared at him angrily, although in his heart he also looked down on the Tatars Ma Guangyuan and Kong Youde.
But he also knows that they are of great use to the Qing Dynasty. Even if they are used as cannon fodder, it is still good. What's more, they can also be used to calm the hearts of the Ming generals. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone!
What's more, if you only give him some basic respect on the surface, you won't lose the slightest bit, so why not do it?
However, Azig, Hauge, Dudu and other princes and princes seemed to have a natural discrimination against these Han officials and generals who had surrendered, and they always insulted them in words.
When he thought of Hauge, Dorgon couldn't help but raise a contemptuous smile: "Humph, he's just a reckless man. After Huang Taiji has been here for a hundred years, what can I do with you?"
(End of chapter)
