The Yutailing Pass was broken, and tens of thousands of Tatar cavalry rushed straight to the second Great Wall Pass twenty miles to the south without stopping.
The Great Wall built in the border areas of the Ming Dynasty was often not one. Sometimes a second or even a third Great Wall was built as a deep defense line according to the terrain and defense needs. The location of Xuanfu Town is extremely important, as it is the gateway to the capital, so in Tartar
There are several Great Wall passes on the border of Xuanfu's Shangxi Road, which is easily attacked by soldiers and horses.
The second pass for the Tatar army to attack was Xinkai Fort and Xinhekou Fort. These two forts guarded Wanquan Youwei City. After the warning of the beacon smoke at Yutailing, the two guards stationed at these two forts, Li Ji and Mu Rong, were captured.
Warning, immediately organize troops and prepare to go to support.
They thought they would be able to survive for half a day due to the dangerous location of the Yutailing Pass. But what they never expected was that when they organized their troops and horses to go out to rescue the pass, they learned that Yutailing had been lost and the Tatars
There was news that soldiers and horses were rushing towards Xinkai Fort and Xinhekou Fort. In panic, they immediately turned back and ordered to prepare to meet the enemy.
At 4 o'clock, the leading Tatar cavalry had arrived, and the two sides launched a desperate fight.
Compared with the Yutailing Pass, the walls of Xinkou Fort and Xinhekou Fort, which are the second line of defense, are far less tall and strong. During the Tumu Fort Incident, the Walas broke through the pass from Chicheng and fought until
Yongning City on East Road of Xuanfu Town. That is already in front of Juyong Pass
Almost all of Xuanfu Town was lost. After the Ora army retreated, almost all the forts under the jurisdiction of Xuanfu Town were destroyed. After that, the Ming Dynasty successively built and repaired many forts. However, due to lack of financial resources, many forts were destroyed.
The castle's defenses have not yet been fully restored.
As the second line of defense, Xinkou Fort and New Hekou Fort obviously cannot have too many resources to make them stronger. The defense of the two forts is not satisfactory. It can be resisted at first. But when the Tatar army's iron cannons and catapults
And after the siege infantry arrived, everything became irreversible.
Huge iron bullets bombarded the weak city walls wantonly, and catapults dropped countless stones that bombarded the smoke piers and city walls. Thousands of Tatar infantry used hammers to smash the city walls, and the siege soldiers used herring ladders to climb. Hooks
Countless venomous snakes were thrown onto the city wall, and the thin city wall was crumbling under the impact of hammers.
After a long but brief bloody fight for more than an hour, the Ming Dynasty finally paid the price for the cutting corners caused by previous financial constraints. Although the outside of the newly opened section of the Great Wall is made of bricks, the inside is actually filled with
It was made of mud instead of rammed earth. After the outer layer of masonry was cut away, it was quickly dug out. A small section of the city wall on the west side of Xinkai Fort collapsed in the smoke and dust.
Amidst the sound of trumpets and shouts, Tatar soldiers and horses rushed in through the gap. The Xinkou Fort fell immediately.
The two forts were originally on the same line of defense. If one fort was lost, there would be no point in defending the other. Li Ji and Mu Rong had no choice but to retreat south with less than 2,000 men and horses. To the south is Wanquan Right Guard City.
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In the afternoon, in the General Military Mansion of Xuanfu Town, Zhu Hui, Duke Bao of the Ming Dynasty and General Soldier of Xuanfu, received news that the Tatars were attacking Shangxi Road, breaking through Yutailing and Xinkai Fort and Xinhekou Fort, approaching Wanquan Youwei.
Zhu Hui was greatly shocked. According to intelligence, he learned that the Tatars dispatched more than 50,000 troops, of which 40,000 were cavalry. Zhu Hui found it unbelievable at first, because the main force of the Tatar cavalry was still at the border of Ningxia Town.
Heishui City is stationed in the north. The focus of the joint military intelligence briefing in Jiubian Town every ten days is to find out where the Tatar soldiers and horses are stationed.
The soldiers and horses in Ningxia Town and Yansui Town have been in a state of high tension for more than half a year because the main force of the Tatar soldiers and horses is in the Heishui City area. The Zhaibao in Bianzhen Town is also ready to fight at any time. As for Xuanfu Town
Because the main force of the enemy army is thousands of miles away, there is not much pressure from the enemy situation. Ten days ago, the main force of the Tatar cavalry was still in Heishui City. How come they arrived at Xuanfu Town in the blink of an eye?
But there is no doubt about the fact. Continuous reports came in, all confirming the news. Wan Quan Youwei had been attacked by the Tatars and was in danger. News also came from the nearby Zhangjiakou Fort confirming the matter.
Zhu Hui immediately called for a meeting to discuss countermeasures.
The atmosphere in the Xuanfu General Military Mansion was tense. Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Jun and several generals and garrison generals of the Xuanfu Three Guards looked solemn. They had just listened to Zhu Hui's report on the enemy's situation, and everyone was aware of the seriousness of the situation.
"Everyone, according to me, the Tatars this time are different from the past. They really want to cause something. In the past, when the Tatars entered the country, they mainly used cavalry to attack and plunder. But this time
, not only were there a large number of soldiers and horses, but also
Carrying a large number of siege weapons. This is obviously to seize the city guard of our Xuanfu Town and engage me in a head-on battle, rather than to harass and plunder. The Tatars were so aggressive that they broke through two lines of defense on our border. Now
Now Wanquan right back is
There are only 6,000 soldiers and horses there, and the situation is urgent. I will not waste time. I think that the Tatars are so arrogant and want to compete with our Xuanfu Town army, so I have no reason not to help them. So,
My
The idea is to immediately mobilize the Wanquan Right Guards, Zhangjiakou Fort, Ningyuan Battle Fort, the three guards of this town and the troops under the Xuanfu Dusi to all dispatch to meet the enemy. Then order the Longmen Guards and horses to encircle the west, forming a three-sided encirclement. Everyone
What do you think?"
"Young Master is right, we must act quickly. Otherwise, Wan Quan Youwei may not be able to defend the city. The enemy has more than 40,000 troops surrounding the city, and Wan Quan Youwei is in danger. We must send troops to rescue him without further delay," General Bai Yu said loudly.
"Yes, send troops to fight them. The bastard Tatars don't take us seriously at all. If they want to fight us head-on, let's help them. This time, the Tatars must be taught a lesson.
They know that my Ming Dynasty is not a soft persimmon that they can harass at will." All the generals agreed.
Zhu Hui nodded, turned around and saw Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Jun frowning and saying nothing, so he asked: "Old Zhang, what do you think? You always have a strategy, tell me what you think."
Zhang Jun said hurriedly: "My lord, I basically agree with your idea. However, I would like to remind you that the Tatars invaded in large numbers, with tens of thousands of cavalry. Although our Xuanfu Town has assembled 60,000 troops,
In fact, the advantage of military strength is not great. What we are good at is holding on to the fortress and fighting offensive and defensive battles. If it is a frontal field battle and the Tatar cavalry is strong, we may not be able to take advantage. This is to use our weakness to attack the enemy's strength."
Zhu Hui frowned and stroked his beard, his face gloomy.
Zhang Jun said hurriedly: "The intention of lowering the rank is not not to stop beating, but to remind the father-in-law to pay attention to this point."
Zhu Hui waved his hand and said: "Don't worry, go on. What else is there?"
Zhang Jundao: "The other thing is... I always think this is strange. The Tatars suddenly mobilized an army from Heishui City to attack our Xuanfu without any warning. What is the meaning of this? Our Xuanfu has strong troops and strong horses.
Don’t they know? Why bother to come and attack my Xuan Mansion at the expense of the near and far? I always feel that there is something fishy here. Do you have an ulterior motive?"
Zhu Hui said in a deep voice: "The Tatar attacks are always unexpected. What's so surprising about this? They may think that our Xuan Mansion's defense is lax, so they want to catch us off guard."
Zhang Jundao: "What the Lord said makes sense. However, if the Tatars want to launch a large-scale attack this time and cause something big, why don't their troops and horses from other directions coordinate? In the battle of Tumu Fort, the Washi troops and horses attacked our country, the Ming Dynasty.
But four armies attacked together. The Tatars only attacked
If I declare the government, they are not afraid that other soldiers and horses will come to rescue them? The official feels that their purpose this time is to harass, rather than to drive straight into the capital and threaten the capital. No matter in terms of strength or strategy, they have no
With this ability, I dare not take this risk."
Zhu Hui chuckled and said: "Old Zhang, it's not what I said about you. You usually read too many military books, and I'm afraid you are a little stupid. The Tatars have already attacked Wanquan's right guard, broke through my two lines of defense, and marched straight in. You
You also say that they don’t dare to go deep? You have to believe them until they hit us? Could it be that according to your wishes, we stand still and wait for them to destroy the city and destroy all our defense cities one by one?"
Zhang Jun blushed and said: "No, no, no, that's not what I mean. Maybe I really think too much. Well, I have one last request. Can you not transfer the Longmen Guards to Ma Xijin? There are six thousand Longmen Guards.
The horse guards the Zhongbei Road, the left can be used to reinforce the Shangxi Road, and the right can be used to support the Shangbei Road. There are not many soldiers and horses on the Shangbei Road, and the Longmen Guards can just follow them.
If the Longmen Guards go west, the troops in the east will be empty. If the Tatars attack the north road, there will be no reinforcements. Besides, the 6,000 troops of the Longmen Guards coming here will only give us 6,000 more troops.
It's just horses. It doesn't give us a huge advantage. But for the Upper North Road, it's a huge reinforcement."
Zhu Hui looked at Zhang Jun and laughed and said: "Old Zhang, are you really confused? Do you mean that the Tatars will attack from the east on the North Road? The North Road is full of mountains and canyons. They will
Where to attack? Besides, you just said that our military strength is not superior, but you stopped me from mobilizing troops to come. Six thousand
With the arrival of soldiers and horses, we can assemble an army with a total strength of more than 70,000, which greatly increases our advantage. Now that we have to fight decisively, there are not so many worries about gains and losses. If it were not for the long distance, I would even have to go to Chang'an, Huai'an and Huailai.
All the men and horses have to be mobilized. To win the decisive battle, every extra soldier is an advantage."
Zhang Jun was still waiting to speak, but Zhu Hui no longer gave him a chance to speak.
"That's it, it's decided. Everyone, return to camp immediately and prepare to send troops. We will set off northward tonight. Mr. Zhang, please arrange relevant matters immediately. Send a message to all guards to dispatch troops. No later than the morning of the day after tomorrow, I will
All guards are asked to rush to Zhangjiakou Fort to assemble. As for the Longmen Guards and Horses, order them to march westward along the border wall to join together. There must be no mistake."