"With mountains and rivers, fighting and defending, Shandong will never allow any loss!"
There was a thunderstorm outside the palace, and the princes and ministers gathered inside the palace to discuss state affairs.
When the war broke out in Xuhuai, Beijing was already discussing countermeasures after hearing the news. As a result, it was still unable to come up with a good solution. They were still arguing here and there. Some people suggested that they simply ask the emperor to personally lead the expedition, and the elite Eight Banners from Beijing went south. Others suggested that they might as well
Huainan was first abandoned and handed over to Han generals, and the Qing army retreated to the Dengzhou area of Jinan.
When the fight was at an all-time high, news of several defeats came one after another.
Kong Youde failed to enter the state and burned himself to death.
Geng Zhongming lost Laizhou again, abandoned the city and fled back to Liaodong.
There were 10,000 elite troops in both armies, and only 3,000 were left.
The Ming army's momentum and offensive were so fast that they caught the Qing court in Beijing by surprise.
Some people say this is fake news.
But then the Ming army broke through the Iron Gate of Jinan Prefecture and captured the important dock at the mouth of the Daqing River. Then the Ming army captured Haizhou...
Even Bolo's urgent report arrived in Beijing, and everyone was shocked and speechless.
Another urgent meeting of the King and Ministers was convened.
Even the Queen Mother and the young emperor were present, and all the princes and ministers in Beijing were present.
The emperor's father and regent Dorgon had been coughing. It is said that he was so anxious that he vomited blood and fainted after hearing the news of the defeat a few days ago.
The armies of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are now facing each other in the Jianghuai area.
To the north of the Jianghuai River is an endless plain. In the east of this plain, there is a low-mountain and hilly area, which is the low-mountain and hilly area in central and southern Shandong Province, consisting of Mount Tai, Mount Lu, Mount Yi, and Mount Meng.
The Yellow River flows eastward into the sea from its south side, and the Sishui River flows southward into the sea from the west side of this low mountainous area.
To the north is the Daqing River, which flows into the sea in the east.
Surrounding this area of low mountains and hills, there are Hebei to the north, Henan to the west, and Huainan to the south. They are all great plains. Only this hilly and mountainous area, with its mountains, sea, and mountains at its back, has become a prominent and dangerous area.
More connected to the north and south.
There is an exquisite sand table placed in the main hall.
Regardless of his physical discomfort, Dorgon endured coughing up blood and pointed at Jinan on the sand table, "Zhu Yihai rushed to Dengzhou from the sea, then captured Laizhou, and now he has captured Tiemenguan. His intention is very obvious. The next step must be to attack Jinan.
"
"Shandong is at the forefront of fighting and defending, and Jinan is the top priority."
"Without Jinan in the south, there is no way to ask about Heji. Without Jinan in the north, there is no way to look at Huaisi. If there is no Jinan in the west, there is no way to reach Linzi. If there is no Jinan in the east, there is no way to compete in Ajuan."
Therefore, when Shandong is in trouble, Jinan is at the forefront of fighting and defending.
From the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, Jinan has always been the most critical place in Shandong.
Although the status of Jinan and even Shandong as a whole declined when the Central Plains was unified and stable, during turbulent times, especially when the north and the south were in confrontation, Shandong and Jinan became must-win areas.
All the ministers looking at the sand table also fell into silence.
Zhu Yihai's surprise attack on Dengzhou was a stroke of genius.
Because Boluo was stationed in Xuzhou and Tan Tai was stationed in Huai'an, under normal circumstances, the Ming army had to break through the Xuhuai defense line before going north, and then there were four channels to go north.
For example, the Langya Passage from Haizhou to Jiaozhou via the coast runs along the coast.
Another example is the valley lowland channel formed by the alluvial accumulation of the Yishui and Shuishui rivers. From Yizhou to Qingzhou, it is an important channel connecting Qidi and Xusi in northern Shandong. The Muling Pass in between has always been a must-have for military strategists.
There are also two passages, one goes through Yanzhou to the northeast, passes through Laiwu and Wenshui River Valley, and enters Qidi.
The last passage is the ten to twenty miles wide river bank plain between Jishui and Mount Tai in the north, connecting Ludi and Qidi.
Of these four passages, the northernmost one is naturally the flattest and widest, but with Xu Yan blocking the way, Zhu Yihai couldn't get through at all. Last autumn and winter, he fought all the way to Changping, and could go eastward to Jinan along the Daqing River, but
He only got to Changping that time and then retreated.
Therefore, in the previous deployment of the Qing court, the focus was still on the Shoulu, Feng, Huai, and Xu lines.
However, due to the weakness of the navy at sea, he also adjusted Kong Youde, and Geng Zhongming moved to the Denglai Peninsula to prevent the Ming army from being encircled by sea.
At the same time, an order to move to the sea was also issued, and the people of Hai, Lai, Deng and other prefectures north of the Huaihe River were moved inland for thirty to fifty miles.
Especially in the Haizhou area, the plan was to completely prevent the Ming army from replenishing supplies in Haizhou Bay, and also prevent them from entering the Denglai Peninsula through the Langya Passage.
But despite all precautions, no one could prevent Zhu Yihai from being able to annihilate Kong Geng's 10,000 troops so quickly.
In particular, the Ming army actually hijacked a North Korean grain transport ship off the coast of Dengzhou and then used it to defraud it into Dengzhou Port.
The two regents Jierharang and Daishan were also silent.
"The Grand Canal is under the surveillance of Jinan. Nowadays, taxes on grain and salt from Huguang, Jianghuai and Jianghuai have been lost. The imperial court relies on grain from Henan and Shandong to go north, and relies on the canal to transport grain and grass to the front. If Jinan is lost again, the Qing Dynasty will be in danger!
"Dorgon knocked on the table angrily.
Boluo's brother, Prince Yuedong, said, "Generals Kong and Geng will be punished for their loss of troops and humiliation of the country! Last year, they seriously neglected their duties, and the court did not pursue them and tried to appease them. But this year, it is like this. Please
The imperial court ordered that Kong Youde be deprived of his official title and his entire family beheaded!"
"Geng Zhongming was arrested and executed, and his entire family was made into slaves wearing armor!"
Kong Youde was defeated and burned himself in Dengzhou. Geng Zhongming was defeated and fled to Laizhou and fled to sea. There is no news yet.
If possible, everyone would want to destroy these two kings.
But Dorgon has no intention to hold the two of them accountable at the moment, or he is still looking for Geng Zhongming and the three thousand men, hoping to mobilize him to go to the battlefield again.
"Bo Luo reported that he wanted to abandon Lu, Feng, Huai, and Hai, retreat to Xuzhou and Yingzhou, and completely destroy the entire Huainan."
Many people opposed Bolo's plan.
Some people even think that Huainan has just harvested wheat, which has solved the problem of famine and food shortage. How could it take the initiative to abandon such an important military town?
Gu Ya
Some people think that even if Zhu Yihai goes around Denglai, there is no need to be afraid. On the contrary, this will lead to his own death.
"Sending troops south to reinforce Xu Huai and guard Haizhou will cut off the Ming army's food route. The Ming army entering Shandong will become a lonely army. Our Eight Banners can encircle and suppress them and wipe them out in one battle. If so, Nan Ming will be completely destroyed."
Prince Dudo of Yu said bluntly.
His speech attracted the nods of approval from many Manchu nobles.
But Dorgon shook his head.
"Don't you think about how Zhu Yihai arrived in Denglai?"
Shandong can be roughly divided into four regions according to geography, and the sand table in the palace clearly shows this.
Basically, it is bounded by Mount Tai, Mount Lu, etc., and to the north is the Shandong Plain, which is the Qi land, with Jinan and Qingzhou as the center. This land is the most fertile and flat and is the center of Shandong.
Then there is Ludi, which is the eastern part of Shandong, and it is also a plain area, and there are many transportation arteries such as the Yellow River to the west.
Then there is the Xusi area in the southwest. This area is also a traffic artery, but it is worse than Qidilu area.
In the past, the most remote place was the Denglai Peninsula. Especially before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was only one Dengzhou Port on the peninsula. Because it was a port and was responsible for maritime transshipment and other development, there was no development or heavy use in other places.
In the Ming Dynasty, due to the problems in Liaodong, especially after the rise of the Jurchens in the later period, the Ming Dynasty needed to connect Liaodong and even North Korea from Dengzhou, so this place became important, and the Liaodong capital was still located in Dengzhou.
However, the sea was not very developed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, so the Denglai Peninsula was not paid much attention to. It has always been a peripheral area in Shandong.
In the regular battles of past dynasties, especially in the era of confrontation between the north and the south, the battles surrounding Shandong were generally fought over Qingzhou and Jinan, and the Denglai Peninsula was rarely concerned.
Anyway, as long as Qing Qi wins, Denglai will be an easy thing.
Even if you can enter the Denglai Peninsula through the coastal Langya Road, it is of no use, because the key is Muling Pass, Qingzhou, Jinan and other strategic places. You cannot get it. Once you enter the peninsula, there is no danger to defend, and it is a dead end.
.
Even during Liu Yu's Northern Expedition, he went through Muling Pass, risked sending troops, and finally captured Yidu.
But Duduo ignored one problem, that is, things are not as good as before.
The Ming army today is no longer the Ming army in the past. They have an incomparable advantage on the water, and they are even very strong at sea now.
In other words, when they enter Denglai, they don't have to worry about food routes at all, because for them, the sea is a smooth road, and they don't need to take the Langya Coast Channel, so they don't have to worry about being cut off from food routes and supplies.
The Denglai Peninsula, which protrudes from the sea, is an excellent favorable terrain for the Ming army, which has sea control.
Zhu Yihai didn't need to go along the Langya coast, let alone the dangerous Yimu Valley road where cars couldn't merge with the tracks, or attack the Muling Pass where one man could only pass it but ten thousand men couldn't pass it.
Their fleets can sail on the sea and land at Dengzhou, Laizhou, Jiaozhou, Haizhou, and even Tiemenguan at the mouth of the Daqing River.
Shandong's military geographical defense, which traditionally focused on land operations, can be said to have failed against the Ming army.
Surrounding the Ming army on the Denglai Peninsula?
Drive them into the sea?
Now Dorgon not only has to go to relieve the south and defend Qingzhou, he also has to worry about Lushun in southern Liaoning and the northern Zhili region.
Just like when the Ming army established the Ningjin Defense Line in western Liaoning, the Qing army could still bypass the Liaoxi Corridor and then cross the Great Wall to enter the pass. They broke through the pass and entered the fortress five times, each time inflicting heavy losses on the Ming army and plundering countless people.
Ding livestock money.
It was these five invasions of the fortress that severely dealt a blow to the Ming army, and even caused the Ming army to fail in its campaign to suppress bandits in the Central Plains again and again, and was eventually exhausted.
Huang Taiji put forward a famous slogan at that time: cut down but not cut down.
He compared the Ming Dynasty to a three-hundred-year-old tree. He said that it was unrealistic to cut it down with an axe, so he had to cut it down first, then cut it down more, and then cut it down with an axe.
Entering the fortress five times, they avoided the heavily built and heavily defended Liaoxi border and went deep into the hinterland. They not only reached the city walls of Beijing, but even fought all the way to the southern Zhili border.
Judging from the results, Huang Taiji's strategy was very successful.
But now, the offensive and defensive positions have changed.
Zhu Yihai suddenly occupied the Denglai Peninsula, and the already reluctant Jianghuai defense line collapsed completely. It will also directly threaten Shandong, Hebei, Liaodong and other places, and even directly threaten the Beijing-Tianjin area.
This is simply a re-enactment of the Qing army's failure to cut down the enemy, but they just changed the approach.
"We must immediately mobilize troops to reinforce Jinan, then mobilize troops to defend Qingzhou, and then mobilize troops to defend Lushun. Tianjin must also increase troops!"
"We must take back Denglai at all costs!"
Dorgon coughed and shouted hoarsely, Jierhalang and Daishan also nodded. Zhu Yihai was now not only pointing his sword at Huaishang, but also directly threatening Beijing and Tianjin.
Suddenly, a young eunuch hurried in to report.
"Urgent report from the north!"
An urgent military intelligence report was delivered with eight hundred miles of urgency.
Dorgon was very dissatisfied with this ignorant servant who broke into the political meeting of the king and ministers, but he still held back when he saw his frightened look.
"Send it up!"
Dorgon received the emergency report, opened it and took a look. Suddenly he coughed violently. He covered his mouth with his hands, but blood kept spurting out from between his fingers, and finally fell to the ground with a scream.
This time, the princes and ministers in the palace were shocked. Even the Holy Mother and the Queen Mother stood up in shock.
Duduo quickly went to help his brother.
Jirharang picked up the urgent letter that was stained with blood.
I was horrified when I looked at it.
"What happened?" Dai Shan asked.
Jirharan said tremblingly, "Teng Jisi, the leader of the Sunit Left Banner, rebelled."
If it was just Tengjisi's rebellion, it would not have triggered such a big reaction from the two regents. The key point is that not only did Sunit's Tengjisi rebel, he also led his troops to join the Khalkha and Chechen Khans in Mobei Mongolia.
