On the 25th, the sky was clear and snowless, and the strong wind that had been blowing for several days finally subsided. The almanac said it was time to get married and move, and the last batch of Jinzhou Army's retreat in Shenyang finally began.
Cao Bianjiao sent an urgent report on the evening of the 24th. The sentinels discovered that thousands of Tatar cavalry had crossed the Liao River and entered the Changshan and Jingyuan Fort areas.
Dayong sent someone to get a map to check, and found that Changshan and Jingyuan Fort were two military forts of the original Ming Army in the upper reaches of the Liao River. They were only more than 140 miles away from Shenyang, but nearly 200 miles away from Xiping Fort where Cao's troops were located. distance.
Dayong analyzed that the Jin army that appeared in the Changshan and Jingyuan Fort areas was probably the vanguard troops sent by Hong Tai. In order to rush for time, they did not come from the direction of Yizhou, but crossed the Horqin Grassland and crossed the Black Mountain directly. Although This will increase the burden of marching and increase the non-combat attrition of men and horses, but it can shorten the distance and achieve surprising effects.
In fact, this is indeed the case. After the Jin Army attacked the Ming Army artillery at Xiping Fort, Cao Bianjiao shifted the focus of the Wolf Cavalry Army to the direction of Xiping Fort, focusing on preventing the Jin Army from Yizhou and Guangning to reinforce Shenyang. Only in this way did the Jin army appear unexpectedly in the direction of Changshan without any precautions.
According to the Sentinel Cavalry, the Jin Army may have been here for some time, but for some unknown reason it has remained stationary. Because the Jin Army's anti-reconnaissance capabilities are also quite strong, at least a hundred Sentinel Cavalrymen appear every day, so the Ming Army The rangers could not get close enough to conduct reconnaissance, nor could they find out the origins and intentions of this golden army, so they could only report back in a hurry.
In Tieling, the upper reaches of the Liao River, there is no main Eight Banners cavalry of the Jin army in the direction of Kaiyuan. Tieling guard Sun Degong has been beheaded by the Ming army. According to Sun's personal soldiers, there are only more than 2,000 Han bannermen in Tieling city, and there are only a few hundred Han soldiers in Kaiyuan. The military flag is stationed. Without the cooperation of the Manchu Banner or the Mongolian Eight Banner, the pure Han military flag would not have the guts to take the initiative to attack the Ming army, let alone the Ming army occupying Shenyang. Therefore, it can be ruled out that the Han army is heading towards Shenyang to reinforce , then the only remaining explanation is that the main force of the Eight Banners led by Mrs. Hong.
Mang Gurtai once said that Hong Tai's expedition to Mongolia was the same as last year's attack on Dalinghe. It was an overwhelming force. The Manchu, Mongolian and Han armies totaled 80,000 people, plus troops in Monan and Mobei along the way. The small tribe that came here probably had more than 100,000 soldiers.
The movement of a hundred thousand troops really affects the entire body, including food, fodder, baggage, and logistics, which is enough to give any commander a headache. There is no commander in the world who can enable a hundred thousand troops to march thousands of miles day and night. He cannot march long distances, even forced marches for several consecutive days. If he does this, he will only wear down his own army.
Dayong believes that if Hong Tai wants to rush back to Shenyang in the shortest time, his only option is to leave the main force behind and select thousands of elite cavalry to march towards Shenyang. Otherwise, he has no other option unless he It can make 100,000 people grow wings.
This cavalry was most likely led by Hong Tai himself. Dayong finally concluded that if it were him, he would have led the troops back in person, because the occupied place was the Eight Banners' home base and the foundation of the Jin people. Once it was lost, The consequences could be disastrous.
Dayong's analysis was agreed by the remaining generals, but Guo Cheng raised a question. If the Jinqi that appeared in Changshan and Jingping Fort were really led by Hong Tai personally, then this place is only two days away from Shenyang. Since they It was a long journey to rescue him, he should have gone straight to Shenyang immediately. How could he stop at Changshan and Jingping Fort? This is unreasonable.
Dayong couldn't answer this question for a while. Yes, if Hong Tai was really leading the rescue, we were still more than a hundred miles away from Shenyang. How could he not hurry up and stop instead of speeding up?
The generals were all speculating on Hong Tai's actions. Some said that they were afraid that the Eight Banners would have to travel thousands of miles and the men and horses would be too much to bear. It was a great achievement to be able to reach Changshan all the way, and they would not be able to move forward at all. So they took a temporary rest and waited until the men and horses were full. He rushed to Shenyang with all his strength and spirit.
It is also said that Hong Tai was waiting for the main force behind, or that he had heard the news of the fall of Shenyang, so he stopped.
Dayong's guess was that there was another reason. The reason why the Jin army stayed in Changshan was probably because of the heavy snowfall that caused big trouble for the Ming army.
Hong Taiqianli led the army to return reinforcements. It was impossible for him to know astronomy and geography, so the heavy snow that fell near Shenyang was completely unexpected. It is true that the heavy snow made the retreat of the Jinzhou Army difficult, but Why not slow down the movement of the Jin army? If they were not prepared for the cold in advance, the Jin army was also a human being. How could they march in a hurry in the temperature of more than 20 degrees below zero, and then fight with the Ming army?
But no matter what the reason is, the fact that Hong Tai has returned and is right under his nose is basically finalized. The most optimistic estimate is that there are only two days left. Once the Jin army in Changshan and Jingping Fort is replenished, then They will emerge from the ice and snow.
Withdraw, you must withdraw immediately, and you cannot stay for a moment. If you stay for a moment longer, you will be in greater danger.
Dayong made a decisive decision and ordered the generals to immediately arrange for the personnel and baggage to leave the city. At the same time, he sent an order to Cao Bianjiao to immediately lead his troops to withdraw from Xiping Fort and move toward the Hun River to receive the main force's retreat at any time. On the other side, he sent an order to Liaoyang on horseback. Jiang Wanli, who had arrived earlier, was ordered to immediately integrate his troops and troops, and send all non-combatants to Gaizhou as quickly as possible, while the remaining troops immediately set up defenses in Liaoyang.
In the direction of Gaizhou, Song Qing, commander of the artillery battalion, has organized a defense line. In addition to the three thousand troops of the artillery battalion, there are also two thousand households of the infantry right battalion, plus the Han army in southern Liaoning anyway, the rescued original The Ming army was young and strong, totaling 18,000 people.
The other two thousand troops of the right battalion of the infantry, led by battalion officer Li Dashan, were participating in the attack on Lushun. The heavy supply battalion, led by battalion officer Qi Sanbao and deputy commander Wang Tiande, organized the migration of Han people at Wanghai Fort. It will be impossible to organize troops to strengthen the Gaizhou defense line in the first half of the year.
What Dayong is worried about now is that after the army leaves Shenyang, Hong Tai will chase after him like a wolf. He is not afraid that Hong Tai will attack the enemy like in the battle of Jinzhou. Therefore, as long as he can safely evacuate to Liaoyang, Dayong is half sure that all the troops will be defeated. The personnel were safely evacuated to Gaizhou.
The Gaizhou defense line has nearly 20,000 troops, plus the troops withdrawn from Shenyang and Liaoyang. Dayong is confident that Hong Tai's teeth will be broken and he will taste the bitter consequences of the Battle of Jinzhou again.
As long as we can get to Gaizhou, this sea-crossing battle will be regarded as a complete success. As for Lushun, Dayong is not worried at all. Not to mention the Jinzhou Army Infantry Right Battalion to assist, even Pi Island Commander Huang Long has nearly 10,000 soldiers under his command. Soldiers, if such a strong force can't take down Lushun, which is defended by only a thousand soldiers, then they should all be wiped out.
While Dayong's side was completely relieved about the battle of Lushun, the situation on the other side of Lushun was completely different - a complete defeat.
At the beginning of the attack on Lushun, Huanglong's troops made good progress. After the first battle, they attacked Lushun, which caused the Jin army in the city to withdraw to Lushunkou.
After taking Lushun, the Pidao Ming army became arrogant and thought that the Jin army who fled to Lushunkou was not of concern, so they did not want the Jinzhou army to participate in the attack on Lushun to avoid sharing the credit. Huanglong, instigated by his generals, rejected the Jinzhou general.
Li Dashan led his troops to cooperate and attack Lushunkou from the north and south. However, he underestimated the enemy and was ambushed. Instead, he was defeated by the Jin Army at Lushunkou and discarded a large number of artillery ordnance. The Jin Army at Lushunkou gained the ability to attack fortresses and surrounded Lushun.
In an extremely critical situation, Huang Long expected that Lushun would be difficult to hold on to, but he did not want to lose face and ask for help from the Jinzhou Army, which was rejected by him. Moreover, it was already too late to ask for help. Li Dashan was a bandit and was loyal to Shi Dayong.
Looking at the overall situation, after being rejected by Huang Long, he led his troops back to Nanguan in anger. Huang Long asked for help at this time, but the distant water could not save the nearby fire!
Huang Long knew that the Jin army was about to break the city, so he sent his general Tan Yinghua across the sea to Dengzhou with the seal of the chief military officer, and wrote in his suicide note, "I did not love the five-foot body in life, but only the three-foot sword in death."
Before Tan left, he told him that if he encountered enemies on the way, he would throw the seal into the sea. After the arrangements were made, he committed suicide on the 19th.
Huanglong's heroic general Li Weiluan, knowing that the destruction of Lushun City was inevitable, also killed his family members. He, Xiang Zuolin, Zhang Dalu and others were all killed in the bloody battle. Lieutenant General Pi Dao Shang Kejin and guerrilla Shang Keyi were both killed.
He is the brother of Shang Kexi, who is now the general of the Jinzhou Military Department.
On the day the city was broken, 5,302 men, women, and children in Lushun were massacred by the Jin army who invaded the city again. Only 6 people escaped by pretending to be dead among the piles of corpses. More than half of the 12,000 Ming troops brought out by Huanglong from Pidao were killed or injured, and the remaining
More than 3,000 people fled to Nanguan under the leadership of General Fan Dalong.
The news of Huang Long's defeat and suicide was reported to the capital by Tan Yinghua. When the court learned of the news, they were both shocked and angry.
Wen Tiren, the first assistant, and Xiong Mingyu, an official of the Ministry of War, entered the palace overnight. The young emperor was furious after hearing the news of Huanglong's defeat. After being furious, he asked Huanglong why he attacked Lushun from Pi Island. Xiong Mingyu had already learned the reason from Tan Yinghua, so he
He told Huang Long that he had attacked Lushun at Shi Dayong's request.
When he heard that it was Shi Dayong again, Chongzhen turned livid with anger. He had previously sent his internal eunuch Zhao Quan to Dengzhou to declare an order for Shi Dayong to come to Beijing for an audience. Shi Dayong first reported that he could not come to Beijing because of heavy military affairs. He was so angry that he felt pain at that time.
Shi Dayong scolded Shi Dayong for being so bold and asked someone to announce it again. As a result, Shi Dayong reported that he was suffering from a serious illness and could not come to Beijing. Zhao Quan also reported that he contracted an epidemic in Dengzhou and could not return to Beijing for a while.
The land of Dengzhou had just experienced a great turmoil, and there were many dead. There was no one to bury countless corpses in the mountains and fields. A sudden plague was not impossible, so Chongzhen no longer doubted the report of these two men, and he no longer blamed Shi Dayong.
, instead asked Yousi to send personnel to inspect the epidemic situation, and also gave royal medicine to Shi Dayong and other generals in charge of military affairs, and also asked Taiyuan Hospital to send personnel to Dengzhou to deal with the situation.
Chongzhen had done all the careful consideration, but now he heard that Shi Dayong was not sick, but instead led his troops across the sea to attack Donglu. Naturally, the young emperor was furious. He hated his subordinates for deceiving him the most, even if they were serving the country.
It’s not even possible to work hard!
In anger, he asked Wen Tiren to draw up a decree to remove Shi Dayong from the post of Jinzhou general, and asked Xiong Mingyu to send another general to Dengzhou to accept the Jinzhou army. He asked the Jin Yiwei to immediately send someone to escort Shi Dayong back to the capital for punishment, and asked the Secretary of Ceremony to
The eunuch immediately summoned Zhao Quan, the daring eunuch, to be executed, but no one dared to carry out these orders.
Wen Tiren raised a question that left Chongzhen speechless for a long time. Shi Dayong was now in the territory of the Eastern Han Dynasty in southern Liaoning. How should he be dismissed from his official position and how could he be captured and brought back to the capital?
Xiong Mingyu also said that regardless of whether Shi Dayong was domineering or not, he was indeed going to cross the sea to attack Donglu. Due to circumstances and reasons, he should put aside his crime of resisting the imperial decree and wait until the war was over before making a decision. If he did not do it now
His official position is a subordinate strategy. Besides, the soldiers and horses under his command are elite soldiers who can compete with the Eastern Lu. He has achieved several great victories and can be said to be a arrogant general. How can these arrogant generals subdue others? If the imperial court
If we really want to depose Shi Dayong and question him about his crimes, can these arrogant and powerful generals under him agree?
Wang Chengen on the other side also tactfully reminded Chongzhen that the court owed Shi Dayong and his proud and powerful generals.
Chongzhen was silenced by what they said, and after a while he said what to do.
After Wen Tiren thought for a while, he said that Shi Dayong's expedition to the north was a foregone conclusion. He was loyal, but after all, he was resisting the order and sending troops privately. This trend must not rise, so the court did not need to expressly support him, but it could not
Hold him back, just pretend everything didn't happen, and let's see how his northern expedition ends.
If there is a big victory, the court will naturally have to show something and make a special statement. After all, this is the Ming army's first major counterattack against the Eastern captives since the 46th year of Wanli. The military morale can be used, and the people's morale can also be used. If it is a big defeat, it will be punished.
He should be punished at the same time to prevent other generals from imitating him. As for how to deal with it, it would naturally be up to the emperor.
Chongzhen nodded and praised him.
Xiong Mingyu also said that Huanglong was defeated and committed suicide. Most of the Ming army in Pidao was lost. People in Dongjiang Town were unstable. The court must immediately send people to appease people to prevent a large number of Ming troops from surrendering to the Donglu after Mao Wenlong's death from happening again.
Chongzhen hurriedly asked Wen Tiren if he had a suitable candidate. Wen Tiren looked at Xiong Mingyu and mentioned his choice - Shandong deputy general Shen Shikui.
Shen Shikui joined the army in the 22nd year of Wanli's reign and held various positions including imperial guard, guerrilla, and general officer. Later, he offended Wei Zhongxian during the Tianqi period and was dismissed. After Chongzhen ascended the throne, he was re-appointed as deputy general of Shandong. He was familiar with Shandong affairs and had the reputation of "knowing soldiers"
He was famous for his participation in pacifying the White Lotus Rebellion in Laizhou and was regarded as a good general.
Chongzhen did not have a good candidate for the time being. Xiong Mingyu did not dare to disobey Wen Tiren and said that Shen Shikui was the most suitable to serve as the chief soldier of Pi Island. Chongzhen thought about it and agreed, asking the Ministry of War to immediately transfer Shen Shikui to the post of chief military officer of Pi Island.