In the third year of Shaotian's reign, he captured Shunzhi in the fourth year.
summer.
On the western edge of the Hanzhong Basin, Lueyang, a small mountain town located at the junction of Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan, Zhang Dapeng, the admiral of the Shaanxi-Gansu camp, rushed to the city gate with the camp officers.
Welcome the envoy from Tokyo.
On the first day of the New Year, due to the tense situation in Shaanxi and Gansu, he did not enter the court. From last year to now, he has been busy fighting, training troops, entering Wudu, taking Gongchang, dividing troops in Hexi, using troops to form counties and Huizhou, and regaining Lueyang
.
Along the Han River, they invaded Hanzhong and occupied this important place.
Although Lueyang is small, it has a dangerous geography.
The place where it was used was called Lue, and the area south of Xiangshan Mountain was called Yang, so it was named Lueyang. After occupying the little area, the camp was already overlooking the Hanzhong Basin to the east.
"The emperor's edict is to carry out the destiny..."
Zhang Dapeng knelt down to receive the imperial edict. This edict, which spanned thousands of miles and was sent from the Penglai Palace on the coast of the sea, first arrived at Qingdao Port, then by boat to the Yangtze River Estuary, then via the Yangtze River all the way to Chongqing, and then through Shunqing and Baoning.
Jinniu Road, Yinping Trail, and then to Lueyang, an important water and land transportation hub and material distribution center on Chencang Road. This road is also called Jialing Road. It is a must-pass from Qinlong to Shu from Huixian County in Gansu Province to Lueyang in Shaanxi Province.
Lueyang is located at the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains, bordering Hanzhong to the east, Bashu to the south, Longnan to the west, and Guanzhong to the north. It has been known as the "throat of Guanlong and the gateway of Bashu" since ancient times.
The importance of this place was particularly prominent in ancient transportation.
The imperial camp's Shaanxi-Gansu camp was able to capture Huixian, Chengxian, Lueyang, Liangdang and other places one after another. Although they were all remote mountainous areas, they were very important strategic areas, no worse than the Hanzhong Plain.
Especially during the current war.
Zhang Dapeng entered Wudu last year to reorganize the camp, and later let Zhang Dingguo pass through the border, and then asked He Hongqi and others to divide the camp for the western expedition. Then he also led the army to reorganize and attack, all the way to Lueyang.
The emperor in Shandong was very satisfied with Zhang Dapeng's decisions and victories.
Satisfied, the emperor issued an edict to adopt Zhang Dapeng as his fourth adopted son. He was given the national surname Zhu, changed his name to Zhu Pengfei, and was given the title of Marquis of the Founding of Wuxing County, a hereditary title.
After receiving the order, Dapeng was still a little confused.
He had stayed in Yulin Town before, and had personally served as a personal soldier for the emperor, but after all, he was only an orphan. There were many soldiers like him in the imperial camp, even the emperor's bodyguards and personal soldiers.
ah.
The one who came to announce the decree was not an eunuch, but the emperor's imperial guard, Master Fu Qing, a fifth-rank Qianniu guard. Not only did he come to deliver the decree this time, but he also came to serve in the camp according to the order. He was promoted to the fourth rank, and the emperor named him.
Come and join the army for Zhu Pengfei.
The position of the Chinese Army is roughly equivalent to the adjutant-general during the Republic of China. Its function is similar to the director of the office. It is not the kind of auxiliary adjutant, but the adjutant-general. The general adjutant-general is at most equivalent to a personal assistant or secretary.
Fu Shan, a member of the Central Army, commanded Zhu Pengfei's guards and was in charge of conveying orders, delivering official documents and letters, etc. It was a very important position and he must be a confidant of the commander-in-chief.
"His Majesty is very satisfied with the Admiral's performance in Hanzhong and hopes to continue his efforts."
After saying that, he handed him a private letter written by the emperor and gave it to him to read.
Fu Shan also brought a batch of silver coins to reward the soldiers.
Other ordnance, etc., are inconvenient to transport and are currently still in Chongqing, waiting for subsequent delivery.
Not only Zhang Dapeng received rewards, but the generals and schools in the camp also received promotions, and the soldiers also received commendations and rewards. The emperor fully recognized their achievements.
Zhang Dapeng received the emperor's autographed letter. He was illiterate before, but later he entered the imperial camp and began to learn to read. The imperial camp has a tradition of appointing scholars as deputy positions at all levels. He would also use his free time to teach the soldiers about loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, benevolence and filial piety.
Etiquette, etiquette, etc., let them learn to read and so on.
The emperor's letter was written in vernacular as much as possible, but he could only understand parts of it. In the end, he asked Fu Qingzhu to help him explain the things he didn't understand. In the letter, the emperor talked about the past when Zhang Dapeng was around him, and talked about his loyalty, diligence, bravery, and...
Praise him for his outstanding performance since joining Sichuan.
Finally, talking about the current Sichuan-Shaanxi war situation, he pointed out that at the most critical moment, the emperor hoped that Zhang Dapeng could play a more active role...
"Your Majesty said that if Zhang Xianzhong refuses to accept Wen An's proposal and returns to Long'an Mansion to rest, then his defeat is imminent, so we must be prepared."
Regarding the situation in Shaanxi and Gansu, the emperor also formulated a strategy in Denglai.
The Hexi Huibu rebels led by Milayin and Ding Guodong were given the banner of Guiyi Town and allowed them to move to Lanzhou, march eastward along the Great Wall, and force their way into Zhenrong (Tongxin County) in Pingliang Prefecture to join forces with Wu Dading, Wang Yongzhen and others.
The rebels in central Shaanxi were defeated, and Guyuan was intimidated. He took advantage of the opportunity to capture the three guards of Ningxia outside the Great Wall.
In order to congratulate the generals of the Western Expedition of Hongqi, they were given the banner of Xuanyi Town and ordered to move to Qinzhou (Tianshui), advance along the Weishui River, reach Longshan, and advance towards Fengxiang Baoji.
Now Longyou and Hexi have been basically restored and pacified, and the Ming Dynasty has formed an alliance with Mongolia and Shuote Gushi Khan, who occupied Qinghai and Tibet. Gushi Khan sent envoys to Fengtian to worship the emperor, pay tribute, and pay tribute to white cattle, white horses, and camels.
, and Zhu Yihai gave them Jiawei bows, arrows and muskets in return, and ordered them to rule the tribes.
This was considered a formal tribute, indicating the vassal-vassal relationship.
Gushi Khan, who marched into Qinghai-Tibet from the Western Regions, supported the Gelug Sect, and won the title of Protector of the Dharma, is now very powerful. However, he has just taken control of Qinghai-Tibet, and there are still many Tang and Tibetan forces who oppose him. Therefore, he faces the rise of the Ming Dynasty again.
, he chose to be a vassal and pay tribute.
Naturally, Zhu Yihai decreed that the tea and horse trade on the border should be resumed so as not to offend each other.
Under this condition, the eight sons of Gushi Khan who stayed in Qinghai and Batai Ji divided their tribes and stationed in Qinghai. Zhu Yihai also ordered He Hongqi, Milayin and others in Longyou and Hexi not to cross the border for the time being.
It is best to turn around and go east to deal with the Tatars.
The border issue in Qinghai has been put on hold for the time being.
Regarding the division of defense areas in Guiyi and Xuanyi towns, Zhu Yihai decided to use Datong River as the boundary.
Lanzhou, Xining, Lintao, and up to the east bank of Qinghai Lake are all assigned to Xuanyi Town, while Liangzhou, Ganzhou, Suzhou, Shazhou, etc. are assigned to Guiyi Town.
Due to war needs, Guiyi Town in Hexi was transferred to Lanzhou.
The main generals of Guiyi Town, Mila Yin and Ding Guodong, were all Hui from Hexi and hereditary native officials. Most of their rebel troops were Hui, and there were also some Han Chinese who were former Ming and shunned troops, and they were mainly Hui.
The Xuanyi Army in Longyou was mainly Han, with some Qiang and Di, and many Han soldiers came from Guanzhong.
These two groups were both classified as outer towns, which meant they were given more advantageous rights. The military and political affairs were temporarily controlled by them, and military pay, food, and other matters were also handled by themselves.
Fu Shan is the emperor's imperial bodyguard. His coming this time is not just a simple promotion, but also comes with a special mission, to teach Zhu Pengfei strategies on behalf of the emperor.
The towns of Xuanyi and Guiyi are just outer towns. Their stationing in Lanzhou and Qinzhou is just a peripheral containment to threaten Guanzhong. The emperor's real high hopes for the Hanzhong battlefield are Zhu Pengfei's Shaanxi-Gansu camp and Zhang Shipeng of Sichuan-Guihang camp.
As well as Wen Anzhi and Qin Liangyu's troops.
Zhang Xianzhong is about to die. This is the emperor's deduction, not a guess.
Although Zhang Xianzhong used the gold and silver he had robbed from Qiong in exchange for 200,000 stones of grain from Wen Anzhi, he also used the opportunity to send his adopted son Zhang Nengqi to lead troops to reinforce Zhang Kewang and Zhang Dingguo's adopted sons who were besieged in Dingjun Mountain in Hanzhong
.
But it didn't go well.
Because Micang Road goes through mountains and ridges, it is more difficult to walk than Jinniu Road, especially because many roads are divided into sections. Some sections are barely passable for people and horses, but some connecting sections are extremely dangerous, and you have to tie a rope around your waist, even at night.
I had to stay tied to the cliff for the night. I could only carry a few supplies with me, but I couldn't carry too much.
Therefore, although Zhang Nengqi received 100,000 stones of grain in Dazhou, most of his 70,000 men and horses stayed in the Dazhou area. He could only take less than 20,000 young men with dry grains on their backs to cross the mountains to Dingjun Mountain.
.
After finally buying food and borrowing a road to cross, we fought hard with the Qing army on the other side of the mountain for several times before suddenly blocking the way and fighting all the way to Dingjun Mountain.
Then, they were surrounded again.
Bai Guangen and Ma Ke led their troops to set up a camp on the south side of Dingjun Mountain, dig trenches and erect fences to block it. Generals Xu Yong and Zhang Yong set up camp and blockade on the east side.
It faces the Jialing River in the west and the Han River in the north.
Zhang Nengqi was like a meat bun beating a dog. He finally managed to kill him, but he was also exhausted. The most terrible thing was that they had not brought much food with them all the way, and there was nothing left after they reached the mountain.
Brothers Zhang Dingguo and Zhang Kewang have been besieged on this mountain for too long. Most of their subordinates have fled, and they have been repelled several times after breaking out of the siege. Now they are hungry and have no fighting power. The three brothers can only hold each other's hands and cry, and continue to be surrounded.
Zhang Xianzhong waited left and right, but saw that the situation was not good.
There is no other way.
He had no choice but to force himself to fight. He sent Zhang Wenxiu, the last of the Four Yizi, with 20,000 troops at Yangping Pass. He first retreated to the south, then detoured to the west, climbed over Zoumaling, and tried to find a way around.
After arriving at Yangping Pass.
This road is much closer than going through the Yinping Road, which involves a huge circuitous route over thousands of miles, but it is more difficult to walk and can be easily guarded against.
In fact, as soon as Zhang Wenxiu moved, the Qing army discovered it.
Li Guohan, who was stationed at Yangping Pass, sent a deputy general to stay at Yangping Pass, and he personally led the elite Eight Banners to Wangjiawan Fort to garrison and intercept.
Zhang Wenxiu led his army to attack fiercely.
However, although Wangjiawan Fort is not as dangerous as Yangping Pass, it is still defended according to the danger. It is located between Zoumaling and Wangjiahe, making it easy to defend against difficulties. After several days of strong attack, there were countless casualties and no one could move.
Xu Yong then led an army from Dingjun Mountain to come for reinforcements.
This Xu Yong was the same Xu Yong who led his army out of the city to defeat 100,000 Ming troops during the Han War in Wuchang. He was awarded the title of Admiral of Shaanxi for his merits and followed Wu Sangui to Hanzhong.
After Hauge Wu Sangui left, Gushan Ezhen Li Guohan was the main general stationed in Hanzhong, and Xu Yong still led the troops to assist the town.
Xu Yong was also a Ming general in his early years. Later, he followed Zuo Liangyu's son to the Qing Dynasty and made great achievements in Huguang. Now he is granted the title of Duke and is very dedicated to his life.
After he arrived, he immediately joined Li Guohan to rush out of the castle and attacked Zhang Wenxiu.
Zhang Wenxiu's troops were unable to attack for a long time and set up camp in the narrow valley outside the pass. They were raided by the Qing army and defeated. Almost the entire army was wiped out. Only Zhang Wenxiu and more than a hundred cavalry escaped back to Yangping Pass.
Zhang Xianzhong's plan failed.
So he made another plan. While the main forces of Li Guohan and Xu Yong were still in Wangjiawan Fort, he pretended to lead his troops to retreat. In fact, he led his troops to forcibly cross the river not far south. After landing on the south bank, he ignored the dangers of the mountains and forced a way out.
Cross lightly.
Unexpectedly, we bypassed Yangping Pass.
Although the cost was that only more than 20,000 people crossed the mountain, and almost all the equipment and equipment were left on the other side of the mountain, and the food and grass could only be carried for seven days.
But Zhang Xianzhong no longer cares about this. This is a desperate move.
On New Year's Day, Zhang Xianzhong took Zhang Wenxiu and 20,000 troops, abandoning the 100,000 people in the old camp, and finally entered Hanzhong, stepped into the Hanzhong Basin, and successfully fought to the foot of Dingjun Mountain.
The Western Army crossed the Mianshui River southward, a little ahead of the mountain, and fought their way to the foot of the mountain.
Unfortunately, at this time, the three brothers Zhang Dingguo, Zhang Kewang, and Zhang Nengqi at the foot of Dingjun Mountain had been besieged for a long time. They only had about 30,000 men and horses under their command, and they were all about to starve to death. The horses and mules in the army had already been eaten up, and the food was almost exhausted.
All done.
Zhang Xianzhong personally committed suicide, and they also went down the mountain to respond.
As a result, the two sides rushed together and fought for a day. Not only did they fail to defeat Ma Ke, Bai Guangen, and Zhang Yong, but they were beaten back and forth. In the end, Zhang Xianzhong had no choice but to retreat to the mountain with Zhang Wenxiu.
Now it's good. The five men successfully joined forces at Dingjun Mountain and were surrounded by the Qing army.
The key to the defeat of this battle was that the Qing army had an elite Eight Banners team that participated in the battle. They were five thousand Manchu and Mongolian elite Eight Banners led by Obai himself. They waited for Zhang Xianzhong and others to be exhausted and suddenly came out to fight.
If the four Zhang Dingguo brothers had not tried their best to stop them, the Western Army would have ended here.
In the end, they reluctantly retreated to the mountain, with only less than 30,000 of the 50,000 troops left.
Countless people were killed, and many others were surrendered directly.
After that, the five Zhang Xianzhongs were trapped on the mountain. Although they broke through the encirclement many times, the Qing army was not in a hurry. They strengthened the camp, especially when Li Guohan and Xu Yong arrived later and surrounded them.
They besieged but refused to attack, waiting for the Western Army to attack.
With the help of the low walls of the camp trenches and the use of bows, arrows and muskets, they killed countless Western troops.
I plan to trap them to death like this.
Zhang Xianzhong refused to surrender and kept holding on.
But it certainly won't last long.
Therefore, Zhu Yihai, the emperor of Ming Dynasty, has concluded that he will not last long and will be destroyed, and the Ming army must start to intervene. If not, it will be too late.
The emperor was very satisfied with Zhu Pengfei's continuous capture of several important cities on Chencang Road during this period.
But it's not enough.
It's time to send troops directly to the Hanzhong Plain and confront the Qing army head-on.
The emperor hoped that Zhu Pengfei would lead the Shaanxi-Gansu camp to march 200 miles, take advantage of the Qing army's siege of the Western Camp at Dingjun Mountain, detour through Yangping Pass, capture Yangping Pass, and then seize Mian County.
Zhongkai in the east, Gao Doushu, Gao Bizheng, Liu Tichun, Hao Yaoqi, He Zhen and other generals from Zhongkai and Zhongyi towns will counterattack westward from the lower reaches of the Han River, while Zhang Shipeng, Zhu Wanhua, Qin Liangyu and other soldiers and horses will go north from Dazhou to Hanzhong, to
At that time, they would first go to Nanzheng, Hanzhong Prefecture City.
Lueyang, Mian County, Nanzheng.
If these three cities can be taken by chance, the more than 20,000 Qing troops in Dingjun Mountain will be cut off and surrounded.
The mantis stalks the cicada, followed by the oriole.
The Battle of Hanzhong has been going on for almost a year and is almost over.
While Wu Sangui was still in Guanzhong, the Qing army was still busy cleaning up Shanxi and northern Shaanxi, and even providing reinforcements to Shandong and Henan to recover Hanzhong in one fell swoop.
When the time comes, there will be two fat sheep in one net.
After this battle, Zhang Xianzhong was completely defeated. When the time came, he was summoned to the capital and reorganized his troops, which solved a serious problem.
If the Qing army's more than 20,000 troops in Hanzhong were annihilated, it would be a heavy blow to them. They could only defend Guanzhong and would not be able to capture Hanzhong again, let alone Sichuan.
The Qing army and the Western Camp had spent too long facing each other in Hanzhong, and now they were exhausted. It was just the right time for the Ming army to attack.
The road to Shuhan is difficult to pass.
There are five main roads from Guanzhong Plain to Hanzhong: Qishan Road, Chencang Road, Baoxie Road, Tangluo Road, and Ziwu Road.
The main ways to reach the four basins from Hanzhong are Jinniu Road, Micang Road and Lizhi Road. In addition, there is also a Yinping Road from Gansu to Sichuan.
Now Zhu Pengfei has occupied Lueyang City, an important city on Chencang Road, and the road has been blocked.
The remaining Qishan Road comes from Longyou Qinzhou. Now Qinzhou and Chengxian are also controlled by the Ming army and are also blocked.
There are still three roads left, but as long as Mian County and Nanzheng City can be taken away, they will still be unreachable.
The emperor is going to close the door and beat the dog.
Zhang Xianzhong's main force has been trapped in Dingjun Mountain in Hanzhong. The emperor ordered Qin Liangyu of Wen'an to immediately send troops to take over the entire Baoning, and promptly resettle the women and children of the old camp left behind by Zhang Xianzhong as well as the captive civilians.