The snow came without any warning. The clear sky was suddenly filled with strong winds. Along with the strong winds came snowflakes the size of goose feathers. The stronger the wind, the heavier the snow. In less than an hour, red blood covered the city head. Then it was covered with white snowflakes, and the entire Shenyang City became a city of ice and snow.
The most worried and feared thing finally came. The heavy snow disrupted the Ming army's retreat plan. It didn't need to snow for two days, just one night, it would be a disaster for the Ming army.
Dayong originally wanted to wait until the bannermen in the inner city were eliminated before coercing the Han people in the outer city to evacuate to Liaoyang, but now it seems that it is impossible to complete the relocation of nearly 100,000 people in the ice and snow.
The wind and snow caused all the generals of the battalions to gather at Fengtian Gate. The light cavalry in charge of the northeast direction also rushed back to Shenyang under the leadership of Peng Sihai through the snow.
All the generals frowned deeply, they knew what this heavy snow meant to the Ming army.
Some generals said that the whole army should evacuate tomorrow as soon as the snow falls, otherwise once the snow freezes, it will be difficult for the army to move. Those who hold this view are Li Zhongfu and Geng Zhongming, both of whom were injured during the siege and were still wearing wounds. Officers such as Xiang Chong and Zheng Tai who were former rebel generals also agreed with Li and Geng's point of view. The army could no longer delay in Shenyang and had to withdraw quickly.
Zhang Cunren and Liu Tianlu were also injured, but they did not speak, because they knew that they had just surrendered to the Ming army and were not in a position to speak. However, their faces clearly told others that they also wanted to withdraw quickly.
However, Lin Junyi, Guo Cheng and others insisted on the original plan and would move the Han people in the outer city to Liaoyang no matter what, leaving no brick or tile for the Tatars.
Their idea was good, but it was very difficult to implement it. It was easy to burn down the city of Shenyang, but the key was how to safely move the 100,000 Han people in the outer city to southern Liaoning.
When it snows heavily, the temperature outside can drop to bone-chilling levels, and even peeing can freeze. There are so many people, old and young, how can we move with our families? If they are forced to relocate, I'm afraid More people freeze to death on the road than when they arrive.
Continuing to implement the original relocation plan will undoubtedly murder these 100,000 Han people. The Jinzhou Army is the army of the Ming Dynasty and the army of the Han people. Although these Han people have lived under the rule of the Tartars for many years, this does not obliterate the fact that they are Han people. fact.
Since Dayong led the army in Songshan, he has always emphasized to his subordinates that they must not do evil to their compatriots, let alone evil. Otherwise, why would we people be beaten to death? Is it just for our own selfish interests?
The answer is definitely no. The existence of the Jinzhou Army is to protect the Ming Dynasty and protect the people of the Ming Dynasty in the pass from being persecuted by the Tartar butcher knife. If the Jinzhou Army abandons this principle, then they will fight against those warlords who only fight for their own selfish interests. What is the difference between them? These 100,000 Han people in Shenyang City are different from the rebellion in Denglai. Their hands are not stained with the blood of their compatriots, and they are only a small part of them. No one cares about the life and death of that small number of traitors, but To force them to move in the ice and snow would be murder.
It is hard to imagine that the Han people, who had suffered from cold and hunger and struggled to survive, would still have a warm feeling for the Jinzhou Army and a sense of belonging to the Ming Dynasty.
“Where did the chariots and horses come from?”
“Where does the food come from?”
"Who will step in to protect them?"
"..."
A series of questions left Lin Junyi and Guo Cheng speechless. Yes, they wanted to move people away, but how could they ensure that these people would not starve or freeze, and who could guarantee that they would not be attacked by the Jin army on the way?
Woolen cloth.
"Commander Jiang, what do you think?" Lin Junyi looked at Jiang Wanli, who had been silent, for help, hoping that the second-ranking figure in the Jinzhou Army could support them.
"I don't know what to do. We just listen to the commander-in-chief."
Jiang Wanli answered very simply and directly put the problem on Dayong.
The generals hurriedly looked at Dayong. Dayong gave a bitter smile, touched his mutilated face, glanced at the generals, and asked them: "What is the purpose of my army's crossing the sea and the northern expedition this time?"
Xiang Chong said without thinking: "Of course it is to kill all the Tatar tribesmen, rob all their property, burn down their houses, and leave them with no place to live. This is the scorched earth strategy. The so-called national strength is manpower, manpower
It’s vitality. If one less person works for the Tatars, the Tatars will lose one point of vitality. If they lose one point of vitality, the national power of the Tatars will naturally decrease. If one thing goes down, the other goes up, we, the Ming Dynasty, will eventually be able to completely destroy the Tartars.
.”
Dayong rushed to Chong and nodded approvingly, then asked the generals: "In that case, why are you arguing? Could this heavy snow change our plan?"
Hearing this, Lin Junyi and Guo Cheng were overjoyed, thinking that Dayong supported them in relocating the Han people from the outer city.
Geng Zhongming was still unwilling to give in. He advised: "The bannermen in the inner city are easy to deal with, but what about the 100,000 people in the outer city? Does the commander really want to take them away? Since ancient times, he has never been able to take hundreds of thousands of people with him.
Successfully escaped."
"Hong Tai's army may come back at any time. Even if Fengxue can buy us a few more days, it's impossible for us to withdraw with so many people?"
Zhang Cunren felt that he had to tell what he was most worried about. If the Jinzhou Army decided to take these 100,000 Han people away, then Zhang Cunren would be in vain. He did not believe that the 10,000 Jinzhou Army could stop Hong Tai's Eight Banners.
Once Hong Tai's army arrives, neither the Jinzhou army nor these people will be able to escape. How can a person who does great things have the kindness of a woman?
Jiang Wanli frowned and said, "The commander-in-chief must be cautious about this matter." Considering the consequences of evacuating the people together, he still preferred Li Zhongfu's opinion.
Lin Junyi said confidently: "As long as the general is determined, the general will find a way. These 100,000 people cannot be lost to the Tartars again."
Dayong affirmed: "Of course we can't leave people to Mrs. Hong. Don't underestimate these 100,000 people. Humph, the Eight Banners of the Tatars only have 100,000 people. If we leave these 100,000 people to them, it won't be enough."
Years later, they will be able to recover."
"But we can't take these people away?" Jiang Wanli was a little helpless. If the coach made a decision, he could only do his best, but how could he successfully move 100,000 people to hundreds of miles away? He really
Nothing can be done.
"We can't take them away. If it doesn't snow, I estimate that I can move at least 60,000 to 70,000 people. But now, alas..." Dayong rubbed his temples with a headache, and said something for a while, which made the generals stunned.
If she wants to live there, "Since I can't take it with me, I can't leave it to Mrs. Hong."
"What do you mean, Marshal?" Jiang Wanli's heart was beating fast. He had followed Shi Dayong for so long, how could he not know what he meant?
"One less person will reduce Donglu's strength. For the sake of the overall situation, we have to sacrifice these 100,000 people." After making up his mind, Dayong's face was still as cold as before, as if it came from his mouth.
The decision is not the life of a hundred thousand people, but the life or death of one or two people.