After the New Year, due to heavy snowfall, Emperor Chongzhen did not return to Beijing in triumph until February. In addition to the three battalions under the original Royal Horse Supervisor, he was accompanied by Xinjing, who had made military achievements in the battle of Guihua City. The soldiers of the camp died.
The strength of the Ming Dynasty's capital camp in several periods after the founding of the People's Republic of China was more than 400,000. However, in the Tumubao Incident, the entire force of 400,000 elite troops from the Beijing camp was wiped out. The newly established capital camp numbered 150,000 people, and after the restoration of Yingzong, the number increased to 230,000.
When Ming Wuzong succeeded to the throne, there were only more than 60,000 troops left in the Beijing camp. Therefore, Emperor Zhengde summoned the border troops to Beijing. There were 380,000 registered troops, but in fact there were only 140,000, and the elite numbered only 20,000.
By the time Jiajing Dynasty Anda Khan invaded the capital, the number of troops in the capital camp was fifty to sixty thousand. Emperor Jiajing therefore organized his army and selected 40,000 elite soldiers from all over the country to come to Beijing.
During the Chongzhen period, the Beijing camp was completely unable to fight. There were only one or two hundred people who usually went out to exercise. That's all. Before dusk, all the people dispersed.
In the original history, when Li Zicheng attacked the capital in the 18th year of Chongzhen, there were only about 3,000 soldiers in the capital camp who could defend the city. How could they defend such a large capital!
Now, Emperor Chongzhen has mobilized a total of 60,000 meritorious soldiers from the frontier armies of Qin and Jin to Beijing. It's not that there are no elites to be selected, but that Emperor Chongzhen doesn't have much money in his pocket, and this number of people is already his limit.
In order for the army to be an elite army, training and sophisticated weapons are indispensable. If all the accounts related to the elite army were calculated, it would definitely cost money like water.
"I can't afford it!" Emperor Chongzhen said with emotion.
This is still the route of elite soldiers, don't look at it as it costs a lot. But once you use it and you can win a battle, then you have earned it. Otherwise, what's the use of raising more soldiers? If they are sent out to fight and lose the battle, the cost of raising the troops will be in vain, and they will lose their power and humiliate the country.
On the way back to the capital, Emperor Chongzhen calculated the cost of this expedition.
Although the war was won and there were many trophies, such as tens of thousands of horses, countless cattle and mutton, etc., it still could not make up for the money and food consumption of this expedition. At least in the eyes of Emperor Chongzhen, he thought he would earn or It's even, but in the end it's still a bit worse.
The main reason is that this time it is far away from the capital, and there is no way to make a quick victory, so the consumption is particularly high. The three great conquests of Wanli drained the national treasury, which is not something to be said casually. Fighting, especially when the Ming army relied on firearms, was even more expensive.
However, if you include other things brought by this victory, it is definitely a profit.
If the people in Qin and Jin can live and work in peace and contentment and no longer suffer war disasters, the value they create will be far greater than before.
There is also the fertile land of the Hetao Plain. It can be said that the Ming Dynasty has already eaten half of it. In a few years, it will belong to the Ming Dynasty.
In addition, more than 10,000 Jianlu were annihilated, which was another major blow to Liaodong Jianlu. After being weakened in this way several times, the military strength of the Liaodong Jianlu will be greatly weakened. When Liaodong is regained in the future, a lot of energy will be saved.
In addition, not to mention Emperor Chongzhen's own prestige, with the victory of the war, is getting higher and higher; the people's morale and military morale of the Ming Dynasty are also developing in a good direction under the nourishment of the victory; and the Jianlu side is bound to It will also be affected; the Mongolian tribes on the grassland will definitely be affected too...
With all these factors in mind, this battle cannot be measured solely in terms of money and food.
After thinking about these things, Emperor Chongzhen began to pay attention to the messages in the eavesdropping system again. He discovered that Xilinjueluo, who was sent back to Liaodong by Jierhalang last year, had arrived in Shenyang and was meeting Huang Taiji.
"What?" After hearing Xilin Jueluo's report, Huang Taiji couldn't help but stood up from the dragon chair in surprise, stared at him and asked, "The Emperor of the Ming Kingdom is personally leading the army in Yulin Town and wants to attack Guihua City?"
Without the source of information from the Shanxi merchants, and with Shanhaiguan guarding the land route to Liaodong, the Jianlu navy was completely wiped out, and the Ming navy dominated the sea. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen personally conquered Qin, so Huang Taiji had no way of knowing about big things.
As soon as Xilinjueluo heard this, he picked up the important news and told it again.
After Huang Taiji asked, he actually understood that it was impossible for Xilin Jueluo to lie to him about such a thing. So, when Xilinjueluo spoke again, he felt as if a monkey was tickling him. He was anxious, flustered, and itchy. He couldn't think clearly, so he simply bypassed the imperial case and started walking back and forth in Chongzheng Hall.
The emperor of the Ming Dynasty actually led his most elite imperial army to the Qin Dynasty. So what should he do on his side to reap the greatest benefits for the Qing Dynasty?
The first thing that came to Huang Taiji's mind was to immediately send his elite troops to Guihua City to annihilate the Ming Emperor and his elite forest troops on the grassland. This was the best policy and the most beneficial to the Qing Dynasty.
As long as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and his elite imperial army were wiped out by the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would still be the Ming Dynasty before. The Qing Dynasty's army could roam freely, obtain the desired population and materials, and strengthen the Qing Dynasty's strength.
However, Guihua City is too far away from Liaodong. If the army is sent there, the war will probably be over, right? Even if the fight is not over, Huang Taiji still has another hidden worry in his heart.
It's just that he doesn't know how many Jinyiwei spies there are in the Qing Dynasty, or who have their hearts set on the Ming Dynasty. Sending troops to Guihua City will be useless if there are too few; if there are too many, the news will definitely leak out; if the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty knew that the Qing army was reinforcing, he would definitely withdraw it, and maybe even send orders to the Guan Ning Army and Dongjiang Army The army invaded the hinterland of Liaodong. If this really happens, it will be in danger if the foundation of the Qing Dynasty is not good.
Thinking of these, Huang Taiji ruled out this idea.
Then follow Jierhalang's suggestion and immediately send troops to Gyeonggi. In today's Gyeonggi area, without the elite imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty, the remaining troops would definitely not dare to fight against the Qing Dynasty, so they could start plundering the population and materials as before?
Thinking of this, Huang Taiji suddenly slapped his forehead in annoyance, obviously having a headache.
If this was the case, he would definitely be sure that Lu Xiangsheng's Dongjiang Army would definitely invade the hinterland of Liaodong. Previous news has confirmed that the Dongjiang Army has 2,000 cavalry troops, and they are moved by war horses. They come and go like the wind, and the entire hinterland of Liaodong is no longer safe.
The Battle of Pyongyang has proved that the combat power of this new Dongjiang Army is definitely very tough and can compete with the elites of the Qing Dynasty. If the main force of the Qing Dynasty left Liaodong and only a small number of elites stayed behind, Liaodong was so big that even Huang Taiji could not imagine what would happen after being ravaged by this Dongjiang cavalry army?
At this time, Huang Taiji really hated why he didn't defeat Pyongyang, destroy the Dongjiang Army, and then return to Liaodong!
800-mile rush, 800-mile rush, 800-mile rush, it’s all driven by those things that don’t know the importance!
Without the Dongjiang Army, the Qing Dynasty would not be so passive, and would have almost no extra choices.
Neither strategy seems feasible. So, there was only one way to take advantage of the opportunity of the Ming Emperor and his elite imperial guards to stay away from the capital.
That unfed white-eyed wolf in North Korea failed to be exterminated last time, so we must exterminate it this time. By the way, let’s see if there is still a chance to get rid of the scourge of the Dongjiang Army! Anyway, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and his elite Yulin Army are not here. It is impossible to defeat the Qing Dynasty with the current Guan Ning Army alone.
With this in mind, Huang Taiji made a decision and immediately summoned his ministers to discuss the crusade against North Korea.
The last time we sent troops to North Korea, although they were eventually deceived back to Liaodong, it was not without success. At least half of North Korea, that is, northern North Korea, had been reduced to scorched earth. If troops are sent to North Korea this time, there is no need to waste Qing troops in these places.
After some decision-making, Huang Taiji decided to dispatch 20,000 cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Seoul, North Korea, and directly destroy North Korea.
I had previously thought that I could see if the Dongjiang Army could be destroyed by the way. After analysis by Fan Wencheng and others, I felt that Lu Xiangsheng had already been fooled once, and the possibility of being fooled again was very small. Moreover, if Lu Xiangsheng leads the Dongjiang Army to rescue, then the Korean War will definitely not be resolved quickly, and there is no telling how long it will be delayed!
Huang Taiji had always believed that there were Jinyiwei spies in the country. If time went on for a long time and gave Mingguo a chance to react, something bad might happen. Therefore, he still made the decision to raid Seoul and win a quick victory.
Emperor Chongzhen already knew the news when he was still in Shanxi. It's not that he doesn't want to save North Korea, but given the current situation of Ming Dynasty, there is really nothing he can do.
Really, it’s not that I won’t save him. If possible, Emperor Chongzhen will still save him.
Although the victorious army has nearly 100,000 troops, if they do not return to the capital, it is not impossible to go directly from Shanxi to Ningjin. If you do this, judging from the time, you should be able to dare to launch an offensive against Liaodong before the Jianlu army returns from North Korea.
However, the army has been out for half a year. Although it won the battle, it has become a tired army, and the hussar battalion has also suffered a lot. If he does not rest and go directly to attack the most powerful enemy of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen will not Got it.
Also, although there are 100,000 people, more than half are elites selected from border towns in various places. They have not been trained and run-in, and they are not going to fight against the mob. They can just swarm them.
In addition, an army of 100,000 is not a small number. How to raise the corresponding food and grass? The last time the 50,000-strong army suddenly arrived at the Ningjin front line without any food and grass, it had already depleted the food reserves there. If he wanted to go directly to Ningjin this time, he would have to raise the food and fodder needed for a hundred thousand troops from other places.
Finally, more than half of the Ming army now uses firearms. It can even be said that whether it is gunpowder, lead bullets, or other expendable military supplies, they need to be replenished. It doesn’t mean that people can just pass by.
Even if Liaodong Jianlu sent 20,000 cavalry troops, the military strength left in Liaodong could not be ignored. It's probably impossible to win easily.
Based on all the above reasons, Emperor Chongzhen decided to stand still this time and let North Korea face it alone.
However, after this incident and past situations, Emperor Chongzhen felt that contact with the Dongjiang Army was too time-consuming and measures must be improved.
Anyway, he was idle on the road, so he called the commander-in-chief and supervisory troops from all walks of life to discuss countermeasures.
Whether it is Emperor Chongzhen or these general soldiers and supervisors, they all believe that if they want to communicate quickly, they can use flying pigeons to pass messages.
However, on land, the 800-mile express is the safest and most secure option. From the capital to Dengzhou, we expedited eight hundred miles, and from Dengzhou to Lushun, where we needed to cross the sea, we used flying pigeons to deliver messages. Another suggestion is that from the capital, we can rush 800 miles to Tianjin, and then use flying pigeons to send messages between Tianjin and Lushun.
This method of flying pigeons to deliver messages had already existed during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and had also begun to be used in the military. However, this method was not reliable.
First of all, this kind of flying pigeon must be trained first. Not all homing pigeons have this ability. Of course, at this time, there is no need to worry about this, because there are many people who use homing pigeons in the Ming Dynasty, and naturally they can train them.
Secondly, if the homing pigeon is flying in the sky and encounters an eagle or the like, if it is caught or killed by a hunter, it will not be able to send the message back. This situation is fatal to the military. An important piece of news is spread out, only to be lost halfway, but the people here don’t know about it, so they’d be dumbfounded. For this reason, flying pigeons are generally used to pass family letters around for fun. Militarily, it cannot be popularized.
However, this shortcoming of carrier pigeons was easy to overcome for Emperor Chongzhen. Because he has an eavesdropping system, he can know whether Lu Xiangsheng has received the message.
As a result, Emperor Chongzhen made the decision to deploy dedicated manpower and material resources to establish this communication network. Of course, just in case, the old-fashioned way of sending messages by boat is still necessary.
Emperor Chongzhen did not know that homing pigeons are usually a type of domestic pigeon, and their ultimate distance is 3,500 kilometers home. Although its average speed can reach 48 kilometers per hour, it can only fly about 5 to 8 hours a day. Calculating this way, homing pigeons can only fly up to 384 kilometers per day.
But it can be considered a mistake. The straight-line distance from Tianjin to Lushun is about 384 kilometers, and you can fly there in one day. This is many times faster than sending messages by ship.
Of course, the establishment of this communication network still takes a certain amount of time, and it is not something that can be achieved just by thinking about it. But Emperor Chongzhen's biggest purpose was to regain Liaodong in the future, not to save North Korea this time.
On February 25, the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen finally returned to the capital with his army.
Previously, as for the news of the victory in the Naturalization War, a messenger had been sent back to the capital to report the victory.
