Li Yongfang, a former Fushun guerrilla, appeared outside Qinghe City on a big red horse. He was more than 200 steps away from the city tower. He was out of the range of muskets and bows and shouted to Qinghe City guard Zou Chuxian to persuade him to surrender.
Li Yongfang's current identity is the third-class deputy general of the Dajin Kingdom. Because his family members are all in Liaoyang, Nurhachi married his granddaughter, Abatai's eldest daughter, to Li Yongfang as his wife. A month ago, he went to Hetuala
A grand wedding was held to win over Li Yongfang. Previously, Nurhachi regarded the Han people as enemies and would kill the Han people if he caught them. Now he accepted Huang Taiji's suggestion to appease the Han people for his own use. As the first person in the Ming Dynasty, Li Yongfang
Of course, when a general is surrendered, he must be favored and reused. After the Han people captured from Fushun were reorganized, they were all under Li Yongfang's jurisdiction. Li Yongfang's power was better than when he was guerrillas in Fushun. Li Yongfang was very grateful to Nurhaci.
They all acted as vanguards in the battle, using inducements and inducements to surrender, allowing the Eight Banners troops to capture many forts without bloodshed. This time Nurhachi besieged Qinghe, and Li Yongfang used both threats and inducements to persuade Zou Chuxian and generals to surrender in order to do great work for the great cause.
Jin Li Xin Gong
Zou Chuxian, who was at the top of the city, replied loudly: "Li Yongfang, you are a rat with no father and no king, and you are still here waving your flag and shouting when you are about to die. Do you know that Nurhachi is ready to use you in exchange for Nalanbaksh?"
Being far away, Li Yongfang didn't hear clearly and asked: "Vice General Zou, just tell me what conditions you have."
Zou Chuxian laughed loudly: "This is a secret, I won't tell it a second time."
Li Yongfang asked the personal guards who were following him in front of and behind his horse. These personal guards were all his servants. One of them had sharp ears and replied: "Returning to your Majesty, this Vice General Zou said that Yingming Khan wants to use your Majesty."
In exchange for Nalanbaksh.”
Li Yongfang's face suddenly turned livid, and he lowered his head to think about whether what Zou Chuxian said was true or false. He knew that Nalanbaksh was Nurhaci's most trusted civil servant. In the past few days, he had heard Nurhaci mention Nalanbaksh several times.
He deeply hated Zhang Yuan for capturing Nalanbaksh. If the Ming Dynasty proposed to exchange Nalanbaksh for him, it is hard to say whether Nurhachi would agree.
A horseman came running from behind and shouted: "Li Yongfang, Father Khan asked you how well you persuaded you to surrender?"
The visitor is Li Yongfang's new father-in-law, Abate. Abate is one year younger than Li Yongfang. He doesn't like this old son-in-law very much and he never speaks in a good tone.
Li Yongfang raised his head and glanced at the Ming army soldiers on the opposite tower. He said: "Zou Chuxian refused to surrender."
Before he finished speaking, Zou Chuxian shouted at the top of the city: "Li Yongfang, the imperial court has a favor. As long as you are willing to return, then bygones are bygones, and you can reunite with your family in Liaoyang. Li Yongfang, you have to think clearly. When the time comes, you will be
There will be no such favor after the exchange."
When Abatai heard that Li Yongfang failed to surrender but was about to be surrendered, he gave Li Yongfang a hard look and shouted: "Back off. These southern barbarians don't know how to be afraid until they see the blade of a sword. Didn't you also surrender when the city was broken?"
Li Yongfang was ashamed and retreated dejectedly.
Nurhaci did not want to waste any more time and immediately ordered an attack on the city. With the experience of capturing Fushun, the Hou Jin army was more well prepared this time. They used ladders on the top of the city and dug corners below the city. The offensive was extremely fierce.
Qinghe Fort has been preparing for several months to prepare for Jiannu's siege. Qinghe is located in the southeast valley of Fushun. The terrain is difficult and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Moreover, the Qinghe garrison has ten thousand people, which is several times more than the garrison of Fushun. However, the siege
The Houjin army was also more numerous than when they attacked Fushun. The heavily armored Houjin soldiers continued to attack regardless of their own safety. The Ming army at the top of the city also fought back with artillery, muskets, bows and arrows, and stone-pounding. The artillery attack reached the city wall.
The Houjin armored soldiers on the side are no longer a threat, but the lethality of muskets, bows and arrows to these Houjin dead soldiers wrapped in three layers of thick armor is also extremely limited. They are not as good as rolling logs and stones. The Qinghe defense battle has been extremely dangerous from the beginning.
At this time, Zou Chuxian, Zhang Wei and other Ming army generals felt that they had underestimated the combat power of Jiannu. At this time, they could not think too much and could only urge the soldiers to defend the city to the death. Li Rubai's southern army forward He Shixian had already arrived in Guiyang. As long as he held on to the two
By the end of the day, they would be able to wait for reinforcements. Zou Chuxian had already been ordered by Yang Hao to hold on
The battle of Qinghe Fort was extremely fierce. General Zou Chuxian, guerrilla Zhang Wei, and fort guard Zhang Yuncheng led their own guards to the city to supervise the battle. From noon to evening, the dead soldiers of the slaves attacked the city more than ten times, but they were all beaten by the defenders.
Multiple casualties were contained.
It was getting dark, but the snow outside the city reflected the bright moon that was about to become full in the sky. It was clearly visible inside and outside the city. The Ming army defending the city was exhausted, and the soldiers who died in the battle had no time to drag them down from the tower to deal with it. However, the offensive of Jiannu continued unabated.
, 40,000 Jiannu took turns to attack the city day and night. For the Jiannu Eight Banners Army, long-distance marches and continuous fierce battles were common, but for the Ming army soldiers who defended the city, such a difficult battle was the first time in their lives.
, all relying on the blood to fight, originally thought that Jiannu would temporarily retreat at night, so that the Ming army could take a rest, but now, they can only muster the courage to fight again
At the second drum, Zhang Yuncheng, the garrison officer, died in battle. Zou Chuxian was extremely worried and the governor held on. It was roughly estimated that one-third of the 10,000 soldiers defending the city had been killed and wounded, and only a few hundred slaves were killed and injured. The casualties of the defenders were greater than those of the siege.
Yes, this city is difficult to defend. Now we can only hope that He Shixian of Kuoyang can lead his army to arrive as soon as possible. He Shixian, the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong, is a famous and fierce general.
Zou Chuxian inside the city struggled to hold on, and Nurhachi outside the city was also impatient. The resistance of the Ming army in Qinghe Fort was more tenacious than he expected. The main force of the Eight Banners Army that attacked the city had lost more than 400 people. These were all who had fought with him for ten years.
If the capable warriors who are more than 10 years old continue to be lost like this, he cannot afford to use them up. Every dead man in his armored army will lose one, and they cannot be replenished in the short term. They are no better than the Ming army. Although their combat power is limited, they win with more people, but this
Qinghe Fort must be captured
The bright moon fell to the west, and the darkness before dawn shrouded it. The huge noises from the attacking and defending sides were temporarily subdued by the darkness. Suddenly, a cry broke out in the south of Qinghe City: The corner of the south city wall was dug through, and the Jin army invaded the city!
Zou Chuxian felt a chill in his heart and urgently ordered guerrilla Zhang Wei to supervise the battle in the east city. He led his troops to the south city to block the gap.
The Jiannu Changjia Army was strong, and once the gap was opened, it was difficult to block it. More than a hundred Jiannu had rushed into the south of the city. Zou Chuxian knew that the city was inevitable, so he ordered the horses to be killed and burned. The food and grass in Qinghe Fort had been destroyed a month ago.
They are kept in a centralized manner just in case the city is destroyed and does not fall into the hands of the slaves.
The flames were blazing and the sound of killing was loud. General Zou Chuxian led hundreds of servants to fight with Jiannu in the south of the city. At dawn, the east city was also captured. Guerrilla Zhang Wei died in the battle, and Zou Chuxian also died in the battle. None of the 10,000 defenders of Qinghe Fort surrendered to the enemy.
All sacrificed.
Nurhaci was furious when he found that the food and grass had been burned, and ordered a massacre of the city. All the people in Qinghe Fort and the nearby Alkali Field Village were massacred before they could escape. Those people who escaped to their death were met hundreds of miles away from Qinghe Fort, with a rate of 5,000 people.
The deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong, He Shixian, came to the rescue. He Shixian was shocked when he heard that Qinghe Fort had fallen. He sent someone to report to Li Rubai urgently and urged the sergeants to rush to Qinghe.
Li Rubai heard the news and sent people to catch up with He Shixian quickly, and ordered He Shixian to garrison and wait and see. Jiannu was very strong in the field, so don't fight with him. Last year, Zhang Chengyin saved Fushun and his entire army was wiped out.
At this time, He Shixian was only thirty miles away from Qinghe. The sentry scouts reported that Jiannu had retreated, and there was still an army left to demolish the walls of Qinghe and Alkali Field.
He Shixian immediately decided to pursue the pursuit. He rushed outside Qinghe Fort at dusk the next day after Qinghe City was destroyed, but he saw devastation everywhere. There was still black smoke rising from the ruins. The east and south walls of Qinghe Fort had been basically destroyed, leaving behind three people who were demolishing the city.
Qianhou Jinbuqi was preparing to evacuate. When he saw the Ming army rushing for reinforcements, he immediately fought.
He Shixian took the lead with a sword, broke through Jiannu's barracks, and killed more than a hundred enemies. Jiannu did not dare to fight and fled at night. He Shixian was worried about being ambushed and did not pursue him. He left hundreds of soldiers to collect the bodies of the soldiers who died in Qinghe Fort and led the army.
And retreat.
…
Yang Hao, who has now moved to Guangning, received the news that Qinghe Fort had been captured and killed on February 15th. He was shocked and summoned Li Rubai and He Shixian to Guangning to discuss countermeasures together. Qinghe Fort was surrounded by 10,000 defenders.
Under such circumstances, they could not hold on even for a day and a night, and according to the people who escaped from Qinghe, they said that General Zou Shenying fought bravely and all ten thousand soldiers under his command were killed in the battle. This made Yang Hao a little frightened. The elders of Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yuan that snowy night
Talk comes to mind again
After Zhang Yuan learned about the battle plan of the four armies, he wrote to Yang Hao, saying that neither Ma Lin nor Li Rubai could take on the important task. The candidates for the leaders of the two armies still needed to be considered. Yang Hao dismissed it and thought that Zhang Yuan had never fought with Ma Lin.
, Li Rubai is acquainted, how do you know whether it is available or not?
But Zhang Yuan was not the only one who opposed Ma Lin as the commander-in-chief of the North Route Army. Pan Zongyan, the supervisor of the North Route Army, also said that Ma Lin was mediocre and timid and was not worthy of his duties. He asked him to be the commander-in-chief and make Ma Lin his successor.
defeat.
Pan Zongyan was the supervisor of Ma Lin's Army. The supervisor said that the commander-in-chief could not handle his duties, which put Yang Hao in a difficult position. Ma Lin was the commander-in-chief of Kaiyuan and had been stationed in Beiguan for a long time. It was most appropriate for Ma Lin to serve as the commander-in-chief of the North Route Army.
, so Yang Hao did not intend to change other generals, but the fall of Qinghe Fort made Yang Hao reconsider the combat effectiveness of the Jin Army. The low lethality of the guns and artillery of the Qinghe garrison also worried Yang Hao.
After discussing with Wang Keshou, the governor of Jiliao, Zhou Yongchun, the governor of Liaodong, and Chen Wangting, the governor of Liaodong, Yang Hao decided to postpone the dispatch of troops. It was originally scheduled for February 22nd, but now it has been postponed for half a month. More spies and sentinels are sent to inquire.
The military situation of establishing slaves
The original march date, route and candidates for the main and deputy generals had been reported to the court. Yang Hao sent an urgent report to the Ministry of War on the grounds of changing the South Route Army's commander-in-chief, and appointed Han Yuanshan, the commander of Liaodong Capital, to replace Li Rubai as the South Route Army's commander-in-chief. Back then, Yang Hao and Li Rusong had
, Li Rubai brothers went to Korea to fight against the Japanese. At that time, Li Rubai fought bravely, which impressed Yang Hao deeply. When he saw Li Rubai again after twenty years, Li Rubai, who was over sixty years old, had gray hair and a fat body, and there was no trace of his heroism.
Yang Hao was so angry that he seemed to have no confidence in the invasion of Hetuala this time. Yang Hao thought over and over again that instead of replacing Ma Lin, it would be better to replace Li Rubai who had indulged in alcoholism for 20 years. Qinghe Fort fell, and Li Rubai was also unable to rescue him.
, which is the reason for changing generals on the spot.
On February 18th, after Nurhaci defeated Qinghe Fort, he sent a letter to Yang Hao, which wrote:
"If the emperor blames the people in Liaodong, withdraws the troops from the border, takes me as the right, relieves my seven hatreds, and then gives me the prince's edict, why will the war continue? Please write down the five hundred edicts that were awarded to me in Fushun.
The original edict is to give one thousand taels to my officers and soldiers; in addition, give me and the ministers of Beile headed by me three thousand taels of silk, three thousand taels of silver, and three hundred taels of gold, so that I will no longer invade the border and each will guard the border."
Yang Hao read Nurhachi's letter and couldn't help but said angrily: "The traitor is really arrogant, and he dares to come and ask for a reward." Just as he was waiting for the order to behead the messenger, he suddenly changed his mind and talked with Wang Keshou and Zhou.
Yongchun negotiated to exchange Nalanbakshi for Li Yongfang. He had already spread the news before, and only then did Zou Chuxian and Li Yongfang have a conversation at the top of Qinghe City.
Wang Keshuo was noncommittal, but Zhou Yongchun frowned and said: "How can I, the Ming Dynasty, exchange prisoners with Jiannu!" Zhou Yongchun had known that this was Zhang Yuan's suggestion to Yang Hao.
Yang Hao said: "Nalan Bakshi is of no use to our Ming Dynasty. Feeding him is just a waste of food. However, the traitor Li Yongfang was driven by the enemy to recruit the Han people of Liaodong. He committed a heinous crime. If he could be exchanged for this person, he would be sentenced to death. It would be a good example.
All generals in Liaodong are warned."
Zhou Yongchun said: "The slave chief will not make this exchange, it will only attract criticism."
Yang Hao said: "Even if the slave chief refuses to change, Li Yongfang will be frightened when he hears it. As long as the rift lasts, there will be changes, which will be beneficial to us."
Seeing Yang Hao's insistence, Zhou Yongchun said: "Shilang Yang insists on this, and I have nothing to say."
Yang Hao then asked the messenger to bring him a message back to Nurhaci. He claimed that an army of 470,000 would sweep across Jianzhou and ordered Nurhachi to surrender early. This was of course a bluff, and the intention was to cause trouble among the Jianzhou slaves.
panic
Nurhaci would not be intimidated, but he was still a little moved when he heard that Nalan Bakshi was exchanged for Li Yongfang. He immediately discussed it with his sons Daishan and Huang Taiji. Daishan proposed an exchange, but Huang Taiji insisted on opposing it. The two
There was no end to the dispute. Nurha Chidao said: "Don't worry about this matter for now. How to deal with the Ming Dynasty army is a matter of life and death. If I win, the Ming Dynasty will send Erdeni back respectfully. If I lose the battle."
Nurhaci didn't say anything more, just said: "You all understand."
Dai Shan said: "Yang Hao is only twelve, thirty thousand troops and horses, how can there be four hundred and seventy thousand? According to the reports from Fushun in the west and Dong'e in the south, a large number of Ming troops have gathered on both roads. It seems that the Ming army is
How many ways are needed to attack?"
Huang Taiji said: "There are also Korean troops on the east route, Kaiyuan and Ye He coalition forces on the north route, and perhaps an army on the west of Kuoyang. It is estimated that there are four or five Ming armies attacking Hetuala from east, west, south, and north."
Nurhachi's eyes flashed, and she sneered: "No matter how many ways he came, I will only go one way."
Huang Taiji said: "We need to send more reconnaissance cavalry and outposts to grasp the Ming army's attack route and date. We must first concentrate our forces to defeat the main force along one route, and the remaining groups will be routed."
Nurha Chidao: "I heard that the Ming Dynasty appointed Li Rubai as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. It seems that the Ming Dynasty really has no available generals. Li Rubai is six years older than me and has lived idle for many years. How can he fight?"
Huang Taiji said: "Juniper has also been employed. This man is brave and dares to fight. We must be on guard. My ministers suggested sending people to build a city at Jiefan Mountain west of Sarhu to prevent the Ming army from approaching Hetuala from the west."
"
Nurhachi was right, and at the same time he ordered the ministers of the Eight Banners to prepare to evacuate Hetuala. Nurhachi was extremely afraid of the Ming army's attack. "I will only go one way depending on how many ways he comes"
The policy was actually to leave a way out. Once the battle was unfavorable, Nurhachi planned to abandon Heala and lead the Eight Banners Army to retreat to Hurha. As long as the main cavalry was still there, there would be a chance to make a comeback.
…
As the saying goes, you are afraid of beating a snake with a bamboo pole. After carefully observing and asking about the truth of Zhang Chengyin's defeat and the fall of Qinghe Fort, Yang Hao became deeply afraid of the combat power of the Eight Banners Army of the Later Jin Dynasty, and his confidence in victory was somewhat shaken.
He Shixian, the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong, also brought back several pieces of armor from the Jiannu Changjia Army this time. He tried to use muskets and bows to shoot, but it was difficult to effectively penetrate and kill the enemy. Of course, this kind of armor weighing hundreds of kilograms is not something ordinary sergeants can do.
To wear it, only a strong and powerful person can wear this heavy armor to fight, and there are many strong and powerful Jurchens.
On February 22, the Ministry of War responded and agreed to appoint Han Yuanshan as the commander-in-chief of the South Route Army, and at the same time urged Yang Hao to advance as soon as possible.
On the 29th, Fang Congzhe, the chief assistant of the cabinet, wrote a letter urging Yang Hao to send troops to attack. Huang Jiashan, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and Zhao Xingbang, the military officer, sent out red flags every two days to urge the battle, saying that the divisions had been short of pay for a long time and it would be advantageous to fight quickly.
Yang Hao could not be pushed, so he decided to set off on the fifth day of March. On March 11th, the four route armies went out at the same time, and on the 12th they jointly advanced in front of Erdaoguan.
…
At this time, Nurhaci had also discovered that there were four armies in the Ming army. When he convened the ministers of Beile to discuss countermeasures, Beile Daishan believed that the leader of the Qinghe road was Li Rubai. Li Rubai was old and timid and would not dare to take the lead in going out. Therefore, there is no need to defend this road first. We can concentrate our forces to deal with the Shenyang and Fushun roads. The leader of this road is Jun Song. Jun Song is brave and foolhardy, and he likes to strive for glory. He will definitely advance alone. He can ambush and annihilate him in the Sarhu area. Of
Nurhaci and others did not know that the leader of the Qinghe road was no longer Li Rubai, but was replaced by Han Yuanshan before the battle.