The so-called national strategy must have both internal and external considerations before it can be implemented.
Internally, we must have political integrity, national peace and prosperity, sufficient resources, and high morale. Only when everyone dares to fight and is willing to fight can we be invincible and conquerable.
In addition, the situation must fall into place and the right time, place and people must be in place. If you don't take action, that's it. Once you take action, the situation will be decided.
Internally, Xia Guo was full of confidence.
This is not only the wish of all Xia people, but also the wish of all Chinese nation.
This land has been through so much and it's time for it to end.
And Xia Guo is the only one who can take on this important task.
The development of the external situation was also an important factor in Xia Guo's formulation of a new strategy.
"The last bit of Ming's vitality is about to be exhausted."
This short sentence is full of Hou Xun's endless emotions.
He was once a passionate scholar, determined to serve his country through his studies;
He was once a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty. He was not afraid of life or death, honor or disgrace, and only wanted to return the court to the right path.
But in the end, Daming disappointed him, and he began to look for new hope.
Looking back now, it is really sad that Ming Dynasty has half of his body buried in the ground.
"Because the Ming Dynasty has transferred all its elite military forces to Liaodong, the hinterland of the Central Plains is completely empty. Zhang Xianzhong traveled across the rivers and seas in Sichuan and Huguang, coming and going freely; the Gezuo Fifth Battalion galloped across the eastern Henan and western Anhui areas, and has occupied a large area Territory. And the one with the greatest momentum was Li Zicheng, who came out again. He conquered cities and territories in Henan and was always successful. And after previous failures, Li Zicheng learned from the experience, focused on attracting many scholars to help with construction, and put forward a very attractive political program. We judge , if this trend continues, it will definitely be Li Zicheng who finally overthrows the Zhu Ming Dynasty."
On behalf of the General Staff, Liu Yiyuan briefed everyone present on the military prediction.
After Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan, he took away a large number of Ming troops, leaving Henan and northern Huguang empty.
This allowed Li Zicheng to seize the opportunity.
Although he only had more than a thousand troops when he came out of the mountain, thousands of people who were suffering from the consequences of the imperial court and disasters still regarded him as a savior.
Wherever Li Zicheng went, countless people flocked to follow him, causing him to expand rapidly.
During this process, Li Zicheng paid attention to absorbing down-and-out literati such as Li Yan, Niu Jinxing, and Song Xiance, and quickly improved his internal affairs construction.
Song Xiance also took advantage of the folk superstition and put forward the prophecy that "Eighteen Sons Master Divine Weapons" and focused on establishing Li Zicheng's orthodox status.
Niu Jinxing had some skills in military strategy, and some planning helped Li Zicheng defeat Lushan, Jiaxian, Yiyang, Yiyang, and Yongning. He also suggested that Li Zicheng held a public trial to quell public anger and executed more than a hundred people including King Wan'an and the landlords and gentry who had committed the most heinous crimes.
This move was enthusiastically supported by all the poor people, and the number of people joining the King's Team increased exponentially.
At the same time, Li Zicheng began to look at Luoyang, an important town in Henan.
Luoyang was not only the ancient capital of several dynasties, but also the hub of the Central Plains. It was also the place where King Fu established his vassalage.
King Fu caused the greatest public outrage in Henan.
Once Luoyang is conquered and King Fu is dealt with, Li Zicheng will surely surpass all peasant army leaders and become popular.
The crisis in the Central Plains made the central government of the Ming Dynasty frightened, and everyone had a premonition of danger.
However, the house leaked and it rained continuously all night. At this critical moment, the Manchu Qing Dynasty began to launch a frontal attack on Liaodong.
In the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, the Qing army crossed the Great Wall and invaded. Although the looting was very rich, it also made Huang Taiji realize that this method alone could never really open the door to march into the Central Plains and conquer the world.
The Great Wall defense line was too far after all, and could easily be cut off by the Ming Dynasty's military power in Liaodong.
Once such a situation occurs, the Qing army that invades the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty is likely to be completely wiped out, bringing catastrophe to the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
There is nothing tricky about this strategic consideration. We must capture Liaodong and shorten the distance to the Central Plains.
In addition, the internal situation in Ming Dynasty at that time also made Huang Taiji determined to conduct a major military operation in Liaodong.
Huang Taiji learned that the vigorous peasant uprising was about to be completely suppressed by the Ming Dynasty, and he understood that if the Manchu Qing Dynasty had no countermeasures, it would fall into crisis.
Once the Ming Dynasty completely eliminates the internal danger, it will inevitably mobilize all its forces to suppress Liaodong.
Despite the constant victories, Huang Taiji has always been clear-headed.
He knew that compared with the giant Ming Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was still too weak. If we really have to face the overwhelming power of the Ming Dynasty, the danger of the Qing Dynasty's collapse will greatly increase.
Why didn't Ming take action against Xia after wiping out the peasant army?
Not to mention Huang Taiji, even an ordinary citizen knows that even if the Ming Dynasty exerts all its power, it is impossible to defeat the Xia Kingdom.
Therefore, Ming Dynasty's next target after the peasant army must be the Manchus.
In this case, Huang Taiji decided to strike first.
In particular, Hong Chengchou was transferred to Liaodong and served as governor of Jiliao, which made Huang Taiji feel the danger.
He knew that Hong Chengchou was a formidable opponent, so he would never give him a chance to prepare properly.
In order to pull out the nail in Jinzhou, Huang Taiji first trained troops in Yizhou, a camp near the front line, to accumulate strength.
In April, Huang Taiji felt that the time was almost ripe, so he sent Jierhalang to lead an army to surround Jinzhou.
Jinzhou is still the same Jinzhou, and the city defenses are as strong as they were in the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign.
The guard in the city is still Zu Dashou.
Of course Jierhalang knew how powerful Zu Dashou was, so he did not attack rashly after the siege.
The method he adopted was exactly the same as during the Battle of Daling River.
Trench trenches were dug around Jinzhou City to block communication between the inside and outside. At the same time, we focused on attacking the three auxiliary cities of Jinzhou, Songshan, Xingshan and Tashan.
As long as these three cities are removed, Jinzhou will be isolated and helpless.
Jierhalang deeply understood that the Qing army was good at field battles and bad at attacking cities, even though the Qing army currently had a lot of artillery in its hands.
Therefore, the siege of the city is false, but the siege and reinforcements are real.
Zu Dashou was surrounded by people, so of course he immediately sent someone for help.
The entire Ming Dynasty also understood the importance of Jinzhou.
If Jinzhou, the key to Liaodong, is lost, then the land north of Shanhaiguan will not be preserved.
By that time, the Qing army pressed to the gates of Shanhaiguan City. Even if the barrier cannot be broken within a short period of time, Guancheng and the capital behind it will definitely be frightened three times overnight, and there will never be peace.
If the Qing army sends elite troops to cross the Great Wall again and outflank it from behind, this first barrier in the world will really not be saved.
In desperation, Ming Dynasty had no choice but to urgently dispatch reinforcements from various places to support Liaodong.
As for the peasant armies active in various parts of the Central Plains, we can no longer take care of them for the time being.
The monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty had no idea that this battle in Liaodong actually sounded the death knell of the Ming Dynasty.
(End of chapter)
