On the northwest side of Xuanfu Town, the most important pass is Zhangjiakou.
It is located at the intersection of the Taihang Mountains, Yanshan Mountains and Yinshan Mountains, and is the junction of the North China Plain and the Mongolian Plateau. Since the Beilu invaded the border on the night of the 21st, the place with the greatest pressure on the Xuanfu side has been Zhangjiakou.
But it was just pressure, and Xuanfu could still withstand it.
Yutailing is located about sixty miles northwest of Zhangjiakou. It is surrounded by the Great Wall to the north and mountains to the east and west. There is a river in the southeast, flowing from the northwest to Zhangjiakou, and the area is wide. Both intersections lead to Zhangbei outside the Great Wall, which is another strategic fortress west of Zhangjiakou.
Stationed here are the garrison of Xinhekou Fort. They had a lot of big guns and ammunition, but at this moment, listening to the sound of horns one after another in the northwest, and looking at the endless sea of black and gray cavalry, their faces were turning pale by the minute.
"Damn it! Hurry, report to Xuan Mansion!" The guard's voice was tired and frightened. "Coming from the northwest, there are so many people, it must be Anda's army! Report to Wang Dutai quickly, Anda's 20,000 troops have arrived at Yutailing. Our Xinhekou Fort alone cannot withstand it! Quickly mobilize Wanquan left and right guards and Huai'an guards for reinforcements! No, there are also Datong Zhenlu guards and Tiancheng guards! I answer that the army is in Xuanfu, and Datong just needs to guard Yanghekou and Shahukou. !quick!"
He didn't need much urging. For the sake of his own life, the fast horse immediately ran wildly to the southeast.
"Blast the drum! Beat the drum!" He ignored the fact that his voice had changed its tone, "We must hold on! Reinforcements are on the way!"
I was cursing Wang Xian in my heart: Damn it, since there are heavy troops guarding the Lower West Road and the South Road, why did you transfer yourself from the Lower West Road to the Upper West Road?
I had a good time staying at Huai'an Guard, but now? But in the past few days, less than two thousand cavalrymen outside the border wall took turns riding over the border wall and shooting sharp arrows. Nearly a hundred of his own soldiers had died in battle!
Now, Anda's large banner has been vaguely visible, and the enemy cavalry is adjusting its formation and is about to charge.
Looking at the front line, his face became paler and paler: With less than 3,000 defenders here, or more precisely with the more than 400 remaining soldiers, how could he possibly be able to defend the Wanchai Jingqi? Shock?
The two thousand-mile border wall encountered enemies everywhere, and only there were some troops in the hinterland waiting for opportunities for reinforcements. But reporting the news, deploying troops, arriving...
He once again scolded the Dog Emperor in his mind: Why is the emperor doing the conquest in person? The emperor is on his way to Xuanfu. Is he going to be the first general to abandon his defense? Even if he returns to the rear alive, he may not escape death!
Because the emperor has arrived at the Xuan Mansion, Wang Xian may not dare to easily dispatch the inevitable Wanquan right guard and Huai'an guard to the north for reinforcements!
surrender? Vote for your mother! If I appear this time for the first time, how can I not establish military power?
"...Thousand-killer! Kill!"
To the north of him, Ida stood quietly on a high slope, looking at the generals who were already restless on their horses in front of him.
"let's start."
He waved his hand gently, and as the charging horn sounded next to him, this hand seemed to stir up a strong wind, and soon blew the cavalry in front of him into a huge black wave, heading straight towards the distant place. I took a photo of the particularly steep side wall.
"boom!"
On the Great Wall, a sudden cannon shot soon sounded.
A smile appeared on Ada's lips: We are still far away, who can we hit now?
Ming Jun was confused.
He and Bodi's grandfather, Dayan Khan, who had a great reputation in the grassland, once attacked for seven days but failed to achieve full success.
From dawn on the 22nd to today, it is five days.
"Don't stop the attack. I'm going to spend the night on the south side of the Great Wall tonight." An Da gave the order calmly, and then a sinister smile appeared on his lips, "Send the message again, break down the door, and kill those who don't run away." There is no need to chase them to the end. Let them flee south and tell them how badly they were defeated here!"
"It's hot! It's hot!"
What responded to him was the roar of the warriors who had already formed a front and rushed to the front.
Bows, arrows, cannonballs...these weapons thrown down from the Great Wall were just like pebbles, thrown into the sea of Mongolian cavalry that was almost all over the mountains and plains, and could not stop their wave-like offensive at all.
Three hundred miles southeast of here is Juyongguan.
The 10,000-strong Beijing camp army could only travel thirty miles a day in the very safe Shuntian Prefecture within Juyong Pass.
Starting on the morning of the 24th, they had only passed Aiyangkou and approached Juyong Pass.
On the imperial chariot, military information from the northwest was constantly sent here, and Yang Yiqing and Li Quanli followed on horseback.
"... No trace of Anda has been found yet." Zhu Houcong looked at Yang Yiqing from the window with the curtains open, "Where does Yang Qing think I will focus on attacking?"
Yang Yiqing pondered for a moment: "At present, we are encountering enemies on all sides, and no one dares to slack off at any of the forts. According to the military situation, they are all attacking the passes, but they are not like usual to attack one with all their strength. Therefore, the defenders do not dare to be good at building forts. Move. The enemy's cavalry is very fast. I'm afraid they will first look for signs of fatigue and then go all out. Then they will invade like fire. Even if all sides want to send troops to reinforce, they can't keep up with the speed of the enemy's cavalry."
Zhu Houcong remained silent.
There has been scheduling before. Most likely, except for Li Jin, the enemy's main attack direction was filled with frontline generals who had quite bad records. But in the border fortress, there were still many soldiers and civilians who were completely helpless.
The article he published through Ming Pao, at least the border town generals had different opinions in their hearts - OK, why do you want to humiliate the chief?
In a war, someone is always going to die.
The reason why Zhuhe has always had a market is because Bian Zhen also doesn’t want to die.
Zhu Houcong quickly suppressed his thoughts: If he didn't hurt the northern captives first, people in the border town would lose their lives every year.
The ones who suffered the most were the ordinary soldiers and people in the border towns. After all, many border generals were protected by their own soldiers, huddled in the fort, and allowed to be plundered by the cavalry.
"I am ordering Juyongguan. There is no need to put me in seclusion first because of my arrival. If there are people who want to flee south, let them enter the pass. The expansion of the capital requires work, and the transportation of food and wages also requires work. Those who are more courageous can also leave outside Juyongguan first. You have to find food in the nearest Huai Lai, and you also need to work in Huai Lai."
The war is happening right in front of you, and it is inevitable that some people will avoid the war.
Moreover, this time we set up a trap to lure the enemy deep into the territory, it is really inevitable that the hinterland of Xuan Da will encounter military disasters. Not everyone has the connections and ability to hide in the relatively safer castles in the border town. There are not many people who drag their families and families to flee south. In fact, Xuandafu County has been tasked with evacuating people to the vicinity of the three inner and outer gates. , or in non-strategic mountains where enemy cavalry has a very small probability of appearing.
It already has a bit of a strong and clear feeling.
This was an impact that Zhu Houcong and the court's strategy brought to Xuanda.
"...Only this time!" Zhu Houcong emphasized his tone, "This battle must be won! From now on, the flames of war can no longer ignite in our land of the Ming Dynasty! Yang Qing, please rush to Xuanfu first, so that Wang Xian can go to Datong with peace of mind !”
"I obey the decree!"
…
In normal times, Governor Xuanda would stay in his arms, but now is not an ordinary time.
Wang Xian is in Xuanfu, about sixty miles away from Zhangjiakou and about one hundred and twenty miles away from Yutailing.
Coupled with the twists and turns of the road and the fast horses galloping desperately, it would take more than half an hour, or at most two hours, to reach here the latest military information.
In the military, there are too few BMWs that can run two hundred miles in an hour. To maintain this speed, we have to change horses.
In the bustling government office, it was almost noon when Wang Xian received the military information from Yutailing.
"Twenty thousand?" He stood up suddenly.
"Supervisor, the army is approaching, don't dare to make a false alarm!" The person who came to deliver the order had chapped lips, "Even if it is less than 20,000, plus the captives who were attacking Yutailing, it must be more than 80,000! "
Wang Xian stared at the map in front of him, his thoughts changing rapidly.
Not only in military affairs meetings, he has also deduced various possibilities countless times in the past half year.
As long as the enemy's main force appears, no matter where the main attack is, there will be many plans.
To defeat first and then win, to lure the enemy deeper, it is also necessary to defeat rationally, defeat without collapse, lure truth, and lure in the right direction.
Yutailing... Now we still have to figure out An Da's psychology based on the latest military information, and evaluate what actions the enemy forces facing in other border towns will take.
"Five days!" Wang Xian was silent for a moment before speaking, "Send an order to Yutailing and tell Xinhekou Fort to hold on for five days! After five days, reinforcements will arrive!"
"Dutai, why does it take five days? Wan Quan Youwei hasn't moved yet. They have to leave today. They can reach Yutailing in one day at most!" The messenger who was about to rest almost went dark when he heard this. .
Wanquan Youwei is stationed between Zhangjiakou and Yutailing, which is only more than thirty miles away from Yutailing.
"Wan Quan's right guard cannot move lightly! If the Tatars attack from the east to the west, and see Yutailing increasing their troops so quickly, they will know that Wan Quan's right guard has moved. The enemy cavalry will turn to attack Zhangjiakou at night, and it will only take one night!" Wang Xian He couldn't help but say, "In the past, Dayan Khan's 30,000-strong army attacked Yutailing, but the defenders still defended themselves for seven days and seven nights! In five days, reinforcements from Wanquan Left Guard, Zhenlu Guard, and Xuanfu Guard will arrive!"
Now the messenger was really tired and fainted.
When he was still conscious, he was just thinking: Is this the same as the Battle of Yutailing? Back then, they first fought in the field in Zhangbei and retreated to Yutailing. The Tatars surrounded Yutailing three times, hoping to eat the reinforcements in one bite, so they allowed the remaining troops of Yutailing to defend for seven days and nights.
Now, the Yutailing side is attacking the city wall from the front. The Tatars' intention to fight quickly is obvious, and they want to establish their prestige in the first battle at any cost!
Soon, the messengers rushed from Xuan Mansion to all directions.
There must be procedures for troop transfers. Fu Duo and Guo Xun, the two commanders-in-chief, must give orders - yes, they must also mobilize the Zhenlu and Tiancheng guards in Datong who are closest to Yutailing. How can Guo Xun Can you not know?
Normally, there is no reason why a border fort cannot be defended for even three to five days. No matter how many enemy troops there are, they are still relying on a wall to resist the enemy. What's more, the cavalry are not good at attacking cities, so what if they have ten times the force?
Wang Xian's arrangement was very normal, and the reason why the messenger fainted was because he knew his guard.
He, who led troops from Huai'an to "increase the defense" of Yutailing, did not dare to miss the fact that there were actually many more vacancies under his command, and he was not a person who could and dared to fight.
Hearing this, he relaxed instead - anyway, he was already in Xuanfu City at the rear and could no longer care about other things.
There was no need for him to send back military orders, so he passed out in a complicated mood.
The border towns of the Ming Dynasty have been plagued by abuses for decades. In this extraordinary large-scale invasion by the Northern Barbarians, the price must be paid.
At around three o'clock in the afternoon, the soldiers who went to Yutailing to deliver the order had just passed Wanquan's right guard when they ran into the defeated soldiers who were fleeing to Wanquan's right guard.
He couldn't believe his eyes: could he lose so quickly?
…
Before the emperor left Juyongguan, Yutailing was defeated.
The next morning, the main force of Anda, who had rested for a night at Yutailing, appeared to the west of Wanquan Youwei again, but the number was not that large.
"Zhangjiakou!"
Wanquan Youwei is an established garrison between Zhangjiakou Fort and Xinhekou Fort. According to the rules of the border army, it is also a three-point battle and a seven-point garrison.
Those who can sit as commanders of a guard in border towns are actually "extraordinary in strength". They are indeed capable of fighting, but the ones who can fight are their own soldiers. No matter how large the scale is, it is difficult to exceed a thousand.
Now seeing the defeat of Yutailing yesterday and the Luqi arriving at Wanquan Youwei today, with the number reduced by more than half, the commander of Wanquan Youwei immediately made a decision.
"The captive cavalry must have gone to the south. They want to defeat the left guard who came out of the city for reinforcements first, and then go around to the south to attack Zhangjiakou. If the enemy thieves succeed, our Wanquan right guard will be alone, and we will fall into the enemy's hands on the west road! Wanquan's left guard There is no room for loss with Chaigou Fort to the west, otherwise the northwest gate of Xuanfu will be wide open! Soldiers need to be quick, go to Zhangjiakou and report to General Fu, and General Fu and I will rescue Wan Quan Zuowei!"
He did not completely abandon the perfect right guard of the city. The important task of defending the city was handed over to the commander. As the commander-in-chief of the Shangxi Road Guards, he had more autonomy, so he led his troops and 500 elite soldiers from the east gate. Leave the city and head south.
At this moment, Zhu Houcong had just passed Juyong Pass, and Huailai was less than thirty miles ahead. Tang Shunzhi greeted him here.
The military situation in Yutailing was reported last night, and the emperor's face looked ugly.
What Xuan Mansion welcomed the emperor in person was the fall of Yutailing in one day. Each of the more than 500 defeated soldiers who broke up and fled to Wanquan Youwei City could shake the morale of the army.
To conquer Yutailing in one day, even if it is said that three or four thousand soldiers were killed or injured, it would only further highlight An Da's determination and madness this time.
"I know that Bian Town has been in decay for a long time, but I didn't expect that it has deteriorated to this extent. In just a few hours..."
"...It has been five days since dawn on the 22nd, but Anda's army suddenly appeared and attacked head-on like a desperate man." Tang Shunzhi said one thing, "This time the Tatars were very different from usual. They were not seeking revenge. Attack the weak points of the border wall, then use the speed of horses to roam and plunder, wait for the defenders to leave the city to fight in the field, or attack the hinterland to defend the weak forts."
Zhu Houcong did not comment, but just ordered: "Send a message to the Xuanfu, I and the army of the Beijing Camp have passed Juyong Pass! Don't let the frontline soldiers slack off because of the enemy's sneak attack and temporary defeat. The Tatars want to attack the fortress and show off their power to break the morale of our army, but I believe that the Xuanfu generals will Can win against hundreds of enemies!"
The edict rushed to Xuan Mansion at high speed. At this time, Yang Yiqing and Wang Xian were arguing in Xuan Mansion in front of many people.
"The defeated troops at Yutailing fled to Wanquan's right guard. The commander of Wanquan's right guard ran to the left guard. He commanded his colleagues and led the army to abandon the defense and rush east to Zhangjiakou. The morale of the troops on the west road has been festered!" Yang Yiqing was furious, "This is how the Xuanfu deployed its defenses. Wang Jingshan, since the captive chief showed up with his army, why not order Wanquan right guard to quickly reinforce him? Even if the Tatars attack the east and west, wouldn't it be faster for the Xuanfu to rush to Zhangjiakou? Where is Fu Duo?"
"...The Yutailing garrison was defeated in one day, and even Wan Quan's right guard reinforcements were too late!" Wang Xian said with a sullen face, "It's my fault that he used inhumane tactics! Your Majesty insisted that the emperor come to Xuanfu in person, and these three guards of Xuanfu Can I move lightly? Since the General Staff has arrived at the Xuan Mansion, it is up to the General Staff to decide what to do now!"
"You are the Governor of Xuanda!" Yang Yiqing looked at him coldly, took a few deep breaths and then said, "The Tatars captured two forts in a row, and the remaining forts on the northwest wall have become a lone army. Try every means to send orders to them, and ask them to move along the border wall. Let's move to Zhangjiakou. Other reinforcements to the west must be deployed in the west of Xuanfu City, and someone needs to be in charge. What does Wang Dutai think?"
"I'll just go and supervise the commander!"
Wang Xian turned around with a sullen face, walked to the door, paused, and said: "The General Staff should also advise His Majesty, it is safest to stay in your arms!"
Within three days, the war situation in Xuanfu changed suddenly.
No one dared to say anything: Isn’t even the town of Xuanfu safe?
The emperor in his arms always reminds people of those five words: the Tumu Fort Incident...
Will the past happen again?
A little late, sorry
(End of chapter)
