At midnight on March 11, the 46th year of Wanli reign, with torches blazing in the sky and weapons clanking, Du Song, the commander-in-chief of Damingshan Customs, led 28,000 soldiers from Shenyang. They passed Fushun Pass that day, crossed the Wuling Mountains, and arrived at Hunhe River before noon. Left Bank.
Du Song first sent sentries to cross the river for reconnaissance, and the rest of the sergeants crossed the river later. General Chai Guodong, who was in charge of the vehicle and artillery battalion, reported to Du Song: "The water in the Hun River is deep and fast, and the vehicles and soldiers will enter the water. It is difficult to cross empty-handed, and the vehicles and gunpowder will not be able to cross."
Du Song was very interested in the telescope given to him by Zhang Yuan. The captains and deputy captains of several sentries were equipped with telescopes. He himself also carried a pair of white copper telescopes with him, which he used to observe across the river and see the other side. There were horsemen and soldiers in Nanshan, so they ordered to cross the river quickly to seize the high ground on the other side. The chariot and artillery camp could slow down a little, and let Chai Guodong find another way to cross the river.
However, Chai Guodong did not actively try to cross the river when Dusong was crossing the river to fight the enemy. He ordered the camp to be set up on the left bank and did not send anyone to inform Juniper on the other side.
After Du Song crossed the river, the vanguard troops immediately attacked the Houjin military stronghold on Nanshan Mountain. These two military strongholds were guarded by forty Houjin infantrymen. Guerrilla Wang Hailong took the lead bravely and led his troops to conquer the two strongholds and killed 26 Jiannu. Fourteen people were captured alive, and the Ming army also suffered dozens of casualties.
From the mouths of Jiannu prisoners, we learned that Nurhaci was sending people to transport stones to build a city in Sarhu in front, with cavalry guarding it. The scouts sent by the Ming army to scout also reported that there were tens of thousands of people in Jiefan Mountain in the northeast of Sarhu. The city was built, and there were cavalry on guard at the foot of the mountain. Their number was unknown, but it was estimated to be no more than five hundred.
Du Song discussed with Wang Xuan, the commander-in-chief of Baoding, Zhao Menglin, the commander-in-chief of aiding Liao Dynasty, and Zhang Quan, the supervisor, to occupy Jiefan Mountain as soon as possible and clear the road to Hetuala. Otherwise, they would not be able to reach Erdaoguan and the border crossing as scheduled. Li Rubai's Southern Route Army rendezvoused.
All the generals had no objections. Du Song immediately led the army forward with Wang Xuan and Zhao Menglin. Supervisor Zhang Quan was behind to supervise the supply of heavy firearms. At this time, it was discovered that Chai Guodong, the commander of the chariot camp, and the artillery vehicles were still on the other side, and no action was taken. Measures to allow vehicles and artillery to cross the river smoothly.
Zhang Quan was furious and rode across the river to scold Chai Guodong. Chai Guodong then hurriedly led his troops to pull or carry them across the river. Some artillery pieces and vehicles were overturned and carried away by the river. At this time, he could not pay too much attention to these losses and had to keep up with the main force. Only a large army will do.
…
As soon as Du Song's Western Route Army left Shenyang, it was detected by Hou Jin's sentry. When Du Song led the army to pass Fushun Pass, the army stationed at Nurhaci, a hundred miles away in the western suburbs of Hetuala, had already been informed. After hearing the exact news of the attack of the Dusong Department of the army, Huang Taiji immediately ordered Daishan. Huang Taiji led a total of 15,000 elite cavalry from Hetuala overnight to set up an ambush in Sarhu. He then led 15,000 cavalry reinforcements. The 30,000 armored cavalry were all the main cavalry that Nurhachi could mobilize. He only sent 200 cavalry to each of the other three Ming armies to defend, which served as sentinels and interceptors to prevent the Ming army from quickly threatening He. There are still 25,000 infantry left in Tuala and Hetuala. The entire army that Houjin can mobilize is concentrated on the western front of Hetuala.
Just as Nurhaci was about to rush to Sarhu, a message came back from Dong'e in the south: The leader of the South Route Army was not Li Rubai, but Han Yuanshan.
This surprised Nurhaci. Han Yuanshan was the commander of the Liaodong capital. He was not a military commander, but a civil servant. It was not unusual for civil servants to lead troops in the Ming Dynasty. Nurhachi always looked down on the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty, so even though he knew that the Southern Route Army changed generals before the battle, , and did not think that this would increase the danger much. He was determined to fight Jun Jun's way. As long as Jun Jun's Western Route Ming Army was defeated, his cavalry would move quickly and still have time to deal with other troops approaching Hetuala. Three Routes of Ming Army.
Before noon on March 11, Daishan led his army through Zhakha Pass. On the one hand, he sent sentries and cavalry to reconnoiter in Sarhu, and on the other hand, he stationed troops to wait for Huang Taiji and Nurhachi.
Arriving at Zakaguan an hour late, seeing Daishan stalled, he said: "Jin Song is advancing very urgently. The infantry and civilians who built the city on Fanshan Mountain in our border lack weapons and weapons, and it is difficult to resist the Ming army's attack. We must
Hurry for reinforcements. When the defenders on Jiefan Mountain see the reinforcements arriving, they will defend with all their strength. If they attack from above and below together, Juniper will be defeated."
Dai Shan said: "Our army is hiding here. When it gets dark, we ambush the Ming army and we can win a great victory."
Huang Taiji said: "Our army must win this battle, and it must be a big victory and a quick victory. Juniper only has 30,000 troops, and all the elites of our Eight Banners Army are gathered here. Why should we be afraid? Let us show off our power and beat the drums to march forward.
When the defenders of Fanshan see the majesty of our army coming, their morale will be boosted and they will fight bravely. They will annihilate Juniper in Saarhu tonight, and tomorrow they will send their troops north to deal with Kaiyuan Marin."
As a result, the 15,000-strong Golden Cavalry accelerated towards Saarhu, which was forty miles away.
…
Wang Hai, the forward guerrilla of the Ming Dynasty's West Route Army, had arrived at the mouth of the Salhu Valley at the beginning of the morning. At noon, the forward sentry detected hundreds of enemy cavalry at the mouth of the valley, but none of them were seen at this time. The civilians who were transporting stones also shrunk to Jiefan Mountain.
Hai Long kept in mind General Du's strict order not to advance rashly and sent someone to ask Du Song for instructions.
Jun Song rode his horse to the entrance of the Salhu Valley and inspected the terrain. In the distance was the majestic and steep Tiebei Mountain. The Hun River and the Suzi River met at the foot of the mountain. The western foot of Tiebei Mountain was connected to Jiefan Mountain. The city wall built by slaves on Jiefan Mountain was vaguely visible.
At the eastern end of Jiefan Mountain, stands the Jilin Cliff, a thousand-meter-high cliff. The Hun River passes around Jiefan Mountain from east to west. This valley in Henan is the Saarhu, with undulating terrain and dense forests.
Juniper took a telescope and looked from a distance, and saw that the slaves who built the city on Jiefan Mountain were focusing on Jilin Cliff. This was of course to defend themselves according to the danger. When looking more closely, these slaves who built the city were not civilians, but the steps of the slaves.
Death.
Wang Xuan, the commander-in-chief, suggested immediately attacking Jilin Cliff, occupying Jiefan Mountain, and defeating the Jiannu infantry. At the same time, he divided eight thousand troops to occupy the Saerhu Highlands in the west to prevent the Jiannu cavalry from raiding the Ming army's back road.
This kind of occupying high ground and being at each other's horns is a very common infantry tactic. Although Du Song's army also has 6,000 cavalry, the cavalry of the Ming army is incomparable with the Houjin cavalry. It only plays a role in speeding up the march.
The impact was very weak, so infantry tactics were used in marching formations.
Jun Jun was nicknamed "Crazy Man". He was brave in battle but lacked strategy. However, since he sent troops to Shenyang this time, he had been quite cautious in marching and paid great attention to sentry scouts. At this time, he heard Wang Xuan say that he wanted to divide his troops, so he said: "Send more sentries and cavalry for reconnaissance.
See where the infantry and cavalry of the slave chiefs who came to stop our army are now. If they are still far away, our army will capture Jiefan Mountain first. To attack Jiefan Mountain, we must first cross the Jiefan River. If we cannot attack it for a while, a strong enemy will attack.
If we have a retreat, our army will have to advance and retreat without being attacked from both sides."
Wang Xuan was a little surprised. Jun Song always likes to take credit. Why is he so solemn this time? It should be noted that the heads of the slave infantrymen on Jiefan Mountain are all military merits!
Of course, Du Song had some considerations. Nearly 30,000 troops came out of Shenyang to attack Hetuala. Unless Nurhachi was a dead man, how could he have heard the news and sent troops to fight. It was impossible for the Ming army to attack Hetuala, so Du Song
There had been preparations for a fierce battle, and at the beginning of the year, Zhang Yuan had sent someone to bring a letter to remind him to be on guard against the Jiannu concentrating his forces against Fushun. Jun Song was dubious about this, and the four armies were advancing on Hetuala. Nurhaci, of course,
We need to divide our forces to meet the enemy. If we deal specifically with his group, how will we deal with the other three groups?
Du Song never believed that Nurhachi could annihilate his 30,000-strong army in less than a day, and then sent his troops north to defeat Marin's Northern Route Army. Then he intercepted the Ming and North Korean coalition forces on the east route, and Sal
The Battle of Hu would end with a four-pronged attack by the Ming army and a three-pronged defeat. Zhang Yuan did not mention this possibility to Jun Song, because it would only make Jun Song not believe anything he said, and now, Jun Song is
Zhang Yuan was still quite respectful. Although he did not believe that Nurhaci would concentrate his troops on the Hetuala West Road, he did not dare to be careless. The sentries preceded the march and were ready for encounters at any time.
While the generals were talking, a detective horse came galloping to report that there was a large group of Jiannu cavalry at Zakaguan, forty miles away. They were all armored cavalry, with a total of no less than ten thousand people.
Juniper shouted: "Well done!" He ordered the army to quickly occupy the Sarhu highland, dig trenches and trenches to build fortifications, and sent people to urge Chai Guodong, the commander of the chariot camp, to speed up. The artillery of the chariot camp was to be arrayed on the high ground, ready to meet
After Zhang Chengyin's defeat, the Ming army became more vigilant about the field battle with Hou Jin.
The 400-year-old Jin cavalry who were on guard at the mouth of the Sarhu Valley discovered the arrival of the Ming army and set up an ambush on the Jiefan River. They waited for the Ming army to cross the Jiefan River and attack the defenders on the mountain. They suddenly rushed out to harass the defenders. Unexpectedly, the Ming army did not attack.
Jiefan Mountain, instead occupied the high ground in the valley and began to build fortifications. Seeing the large numbers of Ming troops arriving continuously, the four hundred Hou Jin cavalry did not dare to move without permission. Now they could only wait for reinforcements to arrive before attacking the Ming troops from both sides.
At the beginning of the afternoon, the 15,000 cavalry led by Daishan and Huang Taiji passed through Tailangang, which was only twenty miles away from Jiefan Mountain. The sentinel came to report that the Ming army was stationed in the Sarhu Highlands and had not attacked.
Jiefan Mountain, this made Huang Taiji lose face. He always predicted things accurately, but this time he miscalculated.
Dai Shan, who had always competed with Huang Taiji for favor in front of Nurhachi, sneered in his heart and said on his face: "Ji Song seems to know the movements of my army and dare not attack Jiefan Mountain. How should we deal with it now?"
Huang Taiji said decisively: "While the Ming army was not yet stable, they launched an attack immediately. They sent messengers to Jiefan Mountain and ordered the infantry and cavalry on the mountain to attack the Ming army together. The Ming army must be wiped out before dawn tomorrow, otherwise they will be shocked.
Tuala will be attacked."
Although Dai Shan fought openly and covertly with Huang Taiji, he would not deliberately oppose Huang Taiji when the four armies of the Ming Dynasty were approaching. He also knew that the victory would be quick, so he loudly said: "Then let's fight!"
The fifteen thousand cavalry were divided into two wings, Huang Taiji on the left and Dai Shan on the right. They spared no effort in horse power and drove towards Sarhu Chang.
Daishan, the fifteen thousand cavalry led by Huang Taiji were the elite of the Eight Banners Army. They were equipped with one man and two horses, one when marching and another when charging, so they were extremely impactful.
The Battle of Sarhu began at dusk, with the sunset glowing like fire on Jiefan Mountain. Fifteen thousand Houjin infantrymen followed 400 cavalry and crossed the Jiefan River and guarded the mouth of the Sarhu Valley. This was to cut off the Ming army.
retreat, and the right-wing Four Banners soldiers led by Daishan began to attack the Ming army on the Sarhu Highlands.
At this time, the Ming army had formed three camps. The outermost one was a vehicle formation, with hundreds of tanks connected. Each tank was equipped with three Folan short cannons, which could take turns to fire. Although they rushed to the battle, they were condescending.
The artillery fired continuously, which was quite lethal to the charging Houjin Cavalry. This kind of artillery fired shotguns, which was very lethal. Although the Houjin Cavalry were all wearing heavy armor, they could not withstand the impact of the shotguns, especially the horses.
The protection was even worse, and the first two rounds of charges directed by Daishan were repulsed.
The sky was getting dark, and the fierce battle was still going on. Nurhaci arrived with 15,000 cavalry. Listening to Daishan and Huang Taiji explained the situation, Nurhaci frowned. The fate of the Jin Dynasty is here to fight tonight.
If he cannot defeat Jun Song's army, he will not be able to attack the coalition forces of Ma Lin and Ye He on the north route. According to the latest intelligence reports, Ma Lin led his army from Sanchaer Fort and camped at Zhanziyu last night. The distance between Zhanziyu
Sarhu is only 120 miles away, and it is more than 200 miles away from Hetuala. It is still unknown where this army is marching. If we move quickly, it will not be far from Hetuala. It is only a short distance from Sarhu
More recently, the situation in Daijin was extremely critical. If he didn't fight hard, he immediately ordered a fierce attack all night. At any cost, he must break through the Ming army's camp and wipe out the Ming army. The Ming army was less than 30,000, and he had 30,000.
Ten thousand cavalry and fifteen thousand infantry. Based on his understanding of the Ming army's combat effectiveness, as long as the Ming army's chariot formation is broken through, the Ming army will be defeated.
…
The moonlight this night was similar to the night when Qinghe Fort fell. It was clear and bright. The difference was that there was no snow on the ground to reflect it. Looking out from the Salhu Highlands, the mountains and plains were covered with Hou Jin's Eight Banners Army. At this time, Juniper finally knew
Zhang Yuan was right once again. The slave chief really concentrated his main force on the West Route to annihilate his West Route Army led by Jun Song.
The battle was extremely fierce. Houjin cavalrymen continued to break into the camp despite artillery fire, but were eliminated by the musketeers and archers in the trenches of the second and third lines of defense. However, these Houjin cavalrymen who rushed up were extremely fierce and were often killed before they were killed.
It can kill or injure several or even dozens of Ming soldiers, and because the Ming army camp is huge, the hundreds of tanks and artillery in the vehicle and artillery battalion cannot form a circular defense circle. The side of the high ground near the Hun River is controlled by Baoding Commander-in-Chief Wang Xuan.
He led 800 servants to guard, and the supervisor Zhang Quan continued to encourage the soldiers. As long as they stood on this high ground for two days, the other three route armies would arrive. At that time, they would attack from inside and outside, and they would achieve extraordinary feats...
Jun Song held a spear in his hand and directed the killing of the enemy on the east side where the Jiannu cavalry attacked the fiercest. The fierce and bloody battle made him feel dry. Chai Guodong, the camp commander, reported to him that there were 1,200 Franco machine short guns.
More than two hundred cannons are already out of service, and more than a hundred artillery crews have been killed or injured because the cannons exploded. As the battle continues, more short cannons will be damaged. I am afraid that all these cannons will be useless before dawn.
Jun Song had a bad temper and cursed Chai Guodong.
Mu Jingyan on the side said to Du Song: "General, Yang Shilang must not know that the general encountered the main force of the slave establishment in Sarhu, and the other three route armies will naturally not know about it. I am afraid that they will not come to rescue for a while. The humble position can be compared with a
The sergeant who knew the road here rushed out of the siege and went to the north road to look for General Ma's men and asked General Ma to come to the rescue as soon as possible."
Jun Song looked at the Eight Banners Army all over the mountains and plains, frowned and said: "Can you rush out?"
Mu Jingyan said: "There are captured Jiannu clothes and armor here. The two of you, Bei Shi, put them on and tried to break out from the Hun River side. Please ask the general to give Bei Shi an arrow as proof."
It was about Haiye at this time, the bright moon had already turned to the west, the sound of gunfire, the sound of bows and arrows, and the shouts were boiling. Houjin Buqi's attack was like a tide. It was hard to say whether the three camps deployed by the Ming army could hold on until dawn.
, once the camp is broken, it will be a close fight. The Jin army is far more powerful than the Ming army, and the number is also superior. At that time, it is difficult to escape the fate of the entire army being annihilated.
Jun Song stared at the yellow-bearded man in front of him, pondered for a moment, and said, "Okay, I hope you can make great achievements."
Mu Jingyan and a general flag officer named Zhou Qinghu put on the armor of Hou Jin's infantry. Mu Jingyan took Jun Song's command arrows and text messages. The two rolled down the side of the Hun River. Hou Jin attacked.
The infantry and cavalry thought that the Eight Banners soldiers who had been killed by the Ming army rolled down. The scene of the night battle was chaotic. Without a chance to check, Mu Jingyan and his two men got up and ran dozens of steps to jump down the Hun River. The water in this section of the Hun River was very fast.
, Zhou Qinghu was from the Liao Dynasty and did not know the nature of water. If Mu Jingyan had not grown up in the water town of Shaoxing and was very strong, it would have been difficult for him to swim ashore with such a strong man in the dark.
Mu Jingyan and Mu Jingyan climbed up to the north bank of the Hun River. They were exhausted. They heard the sound of fighting in the distance that shook the heaven and the earth. They both understood that the military situation was urgent and did not dare to rest. After taking a few breaths, they got up and headed north to find a way.
OK.
Mu Qiyan was a sedan bearer in Shanyin before he joined the army, and his legs were very strong. The general named Zhou had just drank several sips of water while swimming and was quite sluggish. Mu Jingyan was walking fast again. He struggled to keep up and walked out in one breath.
After more than twenty miles, my physical strength was exhausted. I tripped and fell. My hands and feet were sore and I couldn't get up for a while.
Mu Jingyan was so anxious, and he didn't know the road, he picked up Zhou Qinghu, carried him on his back, and walked away. Zhou Qinghu said anxiously: "Mu Baihu, how can this happen? Let me take a breath, I can walk on my own."
Mu Jingyan said: "Just take a breath on my back and slow down, let's not delay."
In this way, the two walked through the mountains and fields, and arrived at Shangjian Cliff at the fourth watch of the day. They met the scouts of the Ma Lin Army. If it weren't for the scouts' poor archery skills, Mu Jingyan was almost shot to death by a cold arrow.
The 25,000 Ming army led by Ma Lin, the commander-in-chief of Kaiyuan, camped ten miles away from Shangjian Cliff. This place was about fifty miles away from Sarhu. Five miles away there was Jintaishi, the leader of the Jurchen Yehe tribe, and Bu
Yanggu's Four Thousand Cavalry
After inspecting the order arrows and Du Song's handwriting presented by Mu Jingyan, and asking about the situation of the Salhu battle in detail, Kaiyuan's commander-in-chief Ma Lin frowned and hesitated, Mu Jingyan knelt down and begged: "General Ma, Du
The general led more than 20,000 infantry and cavalry to occupy the high ground and is still holding on. If the general rushes to help immediately, the siege of Sarhu can be broken. The army of the Han commander from Qinghe can also arrive later. With several flanking attacks, Jiannu will be defeated.
, please General Ma to send troops immediately!"
Ma Lin has lived in Kaiyuan for a long time and is well aware of the power of Nurhachi's cavalry. Now that Nurhachi has concentrated his forces to deal with Jun Song, he is bound to win. Zou Chuxian of Qinghe Fort could not hold on until dawn.
At this time, he led his army to Saarhu. If Du Song had been defeated, his Northern Route Army would have to face off against the Jiannu infantry and cavalry with high morale. Marin thought that it would be difficult to defeat the enemy.
Ma Lin said: "We will wait for this town to discuss with Pan Jianjun and the leader of the Ye He tribe."