stubborn thief

Liu Chengzong led his troops eastward, but his movement was not firm.

Be skeptical.

This situation is very abnormal.

Liu Shizi is good at thinking from the perspective of others in war. He can always figure out the minds of enemy generals whether to advance or retreat, to fight or to make peace.

But this time, everything was fine at first, but when the Eight Banners suddenly withdrew, Liu Chengzong found that he could not figure out Huang Taiji's thinking.

Can't figure it out.

Even if Huang Taiji really believed that Ajige was defeated and captured, and was worried that the Ming Dynasty would have time to launch an attack in western Liaoning, he would not completely ignore the north.

In fact, in Liu Chengzong's view, if Huang Taiji really believed it, the Eight Banners Army should be stationed on the Khorchin grassland. Even if they secretly transferred the troops, they should still bluff in public.

We have to fight him at least again in Xing'an Mountains.

Instead of retreating towards Shenyang in large strides like they are doing now, without caring about anything, without even seeing the troops guarding the rear.

Because even though Dai Qinggulun's organization was more streamlined and efficient than that of the Ming army, the Eight Banners Army was relatively better at fighting conflicts and could often fight very beautiful battles.

That also has a prerequisite, and the prerequisite is opportunity. The opportunity is the rigid organization of the Ming court, which will automatically expose the army's weaknesses.

Liu Chengzong knew this very well. He fought against the Ming army, no matter whether there were several thousand or tens of thousands of Ming troops.

When the opportunity for battle comes, victory or defeat often depends on a flip of a finger. From the general offensive to the great victory, tens of thousands of enemy troops can be defeated in just one hour.

But the battle process is not just about one fatal blow, especially in a battle between regular armies, it is not about meeting, rushing on, and striking a fatal blow, like the government troops suppressing the civilian army with a comprehensive crushing.

If the Eight Banners Army could really crush the Ming Army, then why have they been hiding in Shenyang? Do they like the ice and snow park?

The Ming army's weaknesses may be its food supply, its mobilization, discord between generals, or insufficient military pay. In short, it takes external pressure and time for its weaknesses to be exposed.

Even if the worst happens, with 20,000 troops pushed to the front line and defended the chariot fortress, Huang Taiji, as the ruler, must consider what to do if the war is protracted. He must consider it for at least three months, right?

The sudden withdrawal of the Eight Banners from the north must have made Liu Chengzong dumbfounded for a while, but no matter how dumb he was, he would not be dumb for three months.

The Ming army is confronting the Eight Banners, and Liu Chengzong is coming south from the north. What should Huang Taiji do?

Therefore, Liu Shizi concluded that Huang Taiji did not believe the rumors that Ajige was captured at all, and it was even very likely that the withdrawal took place before the prisoners were intentionally released by the Marshal's Army.

It is definitely not the Ming army that threatens Shenyang.

But precisely because of this, Liu Shizi was puzzled. Why are you running?

He even suspected that it was the Kingdom of Korea that sent troops north.

This suspicion is outrageous.

Although the Ming Dynasty and Korea had tried their best to be loving and filial to each other for decades since Emperor Wanli came to Korea's aid.

However, the military capability of the Kingdom of Korea was not even ranked high. At most, it was slightly stronger than the independent chieftain before Liu Chengzong entered Kangning Prefecture.

The fact that the Kingdom of Korea was able to rely on the mountain city for defense and refused to surrender despite the oppression of Dai Qinggulun was a sign of filial piety. Expecting them to take the initiative to attack the Eight Banners Army was simply asking too much.

But apart from this, Liu Shizi really couldn't think of any other reason.

This feeling of being in the dark made him feel very bad.

So he left with trepidation. On the one hand, he ordered his generals to deploy troops more cautiously and advance step by step; on the other hand, he ordered the Mo Nan Army, under the leadership of He Huchen and Qintu Taiji, to garrison in Xing'an Mountains to guard the way back.

The Marshal's Office's mixed corps of more than 40,000 men marched into the Kulun grassland in such a mighty manner.

The sand brought up by the horses crossing the sand dunes and Gobi Desert blocked the Xumu River, and even the Liu River was stirred up into turbidity.

Despite such a big commotion, Dai Qing Gulun's army seemed surprisingly calm and did not even launch a symbolic blockade.

Liu Chengzong began to give up thinking at this moment. The lack of information and the unfamiliarity with the local conditions made him irritated, and his irritation made him act recklessly. He couldn't figure it out anyway, so he simply concluded that he had fallen into a trap.

He just wanted to see how solid Huang Taiji's trap was and whether it could trap his 40,000-strong army.

Even the Mobei cavalry brought by Subadi were transferred to the Tangqi tribe, spread out over a hundred miles in all directions, and knew the surroundings very well.

Still nothing was found.

Liu Chengzong was like a hunter with a fully drawn bow walking in the jungle, slowly moving towards Shenyang step by step.

In three days, they traveled only eighty miles without seeing any enemy troops.

Just when Liu Chengzong was about to go crazy from being frustrated, the Tang cavalry finally waved the flag.

The flag signal said: Enemies, many enemies.

More accurate military intelligence reached Liu Chengzong's ears as the Tang cavalry on the front line retreated mile by mile.

Trap... It's hard to say whether this is a trap, but it is definitely strong enough.

Because the message sent back by the Tangqi at the front line only had two words: "Border Wall."

Liaodong Border Wall.

Liu Chengzong cursed, feeling both amused and helpless.

After finding out the enemy troops and the border wall, Liu Shizi and his generals felt relieved. The military deployment returned to normal and they pressed forward to the Liaohe River.

As they got closer to the Liao River, Liu Chengzong could also see the border wall.

On the north bank of the Liao River, the Tatar soldiers were squatting in the fortress built on the flat ground. They pulled out the ladders while being surrounded by the Mobei cavalry and lit beacons and fired cannons in a proper manner.

On the south bank of the Liaohe River is a winding Great Wall with solid or bordered military flags. The defenders of Daiqing Gulun stood on the wall, ready for battle.

Liu Shizi wanted to applaud when he saw this scene through the telescope.

So... I became a northern barbarian!

He called Feng Rang, who was leading the chariot camp, and pointed his whip at the city wall on the other side of the horizon: "Brother, you have fought in Sarhu before, why didn't you tell me there was a border wall ahead?"

Feng Rang also shook his head in confusion.

How does he know?

There were no real Liaodong soldiers in the entire Marshal's Office.

Even the old soldiers with a Guanning background were very few, and those outsiders who came in as prisoners could not possibly sit at the center of the Marshal's Office, which was mainly composed of rebel soldiers from the five towns of Shaanxi and rioters from the seven prefectures.

The Guanning Army, or the Liao soldiers nowadays, are only familiar with the Guanning Corridor west of the Liaohe River.

The real Liaodong Army disappeared when Liu Chengzong was still a child.

Feng Rang didn't know that there was a border wall here, because Sarhu was in the east, too far east.

When he followed Cao Yao in Du Song's army to the border, he was still a young man. After leaving Shanhaiguan and heading east along the Liaoxi Corridor, he did not see the border wall until he reached Niuzhuang at the mouth of the Liaohe River, where he saw a small section of it from afar. Then he could no longer see it when he walked to the banks of the Hunhe River.

It was not until we reached Fushun Pass, which was east of Shenyang and we were about to leave the border that we saw the border wall again.

The Great Wall on the Fushun Pass side runs north-south.

So in Feng Rang's subconscious mind, he never thought that there was a border wall in the northwest direction of Shenyang.

It was not until this time that Liu Chengzong truly realized that Shenyang and Liaoyang, which he subconsciously considered to be the bases of the Later Jin or the Eight Banners, were all captured by Nurhaci.

What stood in front of him was the wall that the Ming Dynasty had built around Liaodong. Because of the Liaoze, the border wall of Liaohe River formed a V shape at the seaside, and then surrounded Liaoyang, Shenyang, Kaiyuan, Fushun and other places, blocking Jianzhou and Hada tribes outside, and finally went around to the Yalu River.

Based on what he saw and heard, as well as Feng Rang and others' understanding of Fushun, Sarhu, Jianzhou and other places, Liu Chengzong stopped in the central army tent outside the border and quickly formed a simple map of Daiqing Gulun.

This picture is really weird.

Judging from the border wall, the core territory of Daiqing Gulun looks more like an independent kingdom than North Korea.

The Ming Dynasty built the border wall to defend against the Jurchens and Uriankhai, but Nurhaci broke in and perfectly replaced the position of the Liaodong Regional Military Commission.

No wonder the Ming Dynasty has not been able to advance eastward since the Battle of Sarhu, because it has border walls and city walls to guard the city.

It's difficult to fight in the field, let alone city defense fortifications.

Liu Chengzong squatted beside the map and looked at it for a long time, then suddenly said, "Brother's chariot camp, change the equipment in half a month, and pick up the old skills of cavalry combat."

This was not a problem for Feng Rang, as his battalion was originally an infantry and cavalry battalion, but later on it happened to obtain Lin Chengdong's equipment, so it was organized into a chariot battalion. In fact, it was still mainly composed of infantry and cavalry, and the skills of heavy chariots and artillery were improved.

Feng Rang felt that Liu Chengzong's order was unusual. After receiving the order, he asked, "General, do you want to attack the city wall?"

"Since we're here, we should go in and take a look if we can."

Liu Chengzong continued to look at the map, and used the sheathed knife to draw a line around Shenyang, saying, "I have heard that the Eight Banners have more silver than goods, and everything in the country is expensive. The Marshal's Office is also short of gold and silver. If we can break through the border and get some, it will be worth the trip."

"Yes!"

Feng Rang had long wanted to make a great contribution and get himself a military commander with two prefectures under his jurisdiction. The opportunity was right in front of him, so how could he let it slip away?

He immediately clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Marshal. My battalion can go first!"

There were many people in the central army's tent, but the one who was most excited was not the generals in the tent, or even the newly surrendered officers like Zuo Liangyu, but the Grand Secretary Qian Shisheng who was standing at the edge of the tent and being watched by the Yulin Lang.

Cao Huachun entered Liu Chengzong's camp and came and left as if he was returning to his own home, but Qian Shisheng was different.

He was left in the central army and was not even notified when Cao Huachun left.

Since Cao Huachun left, Qian Shisheng, realizing his situation, immediately became honest.

After all, he is the top scholar, and his brain is extremely smart. If he is in a humble position, he must show his talents; if he is in a high position, he must keep a low profile.

The core of the Ming Dynasty was a despicable place to him, while Liu Chengzong’s central military commander’s tent was above the temple.

Meanness and the temple are not about oneself, but about one's own position in a set of common values.

Whether it was the court officials or the cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty, in terms of knowledge and seniority, Qian Shisheng was the top scholar in the 44th year of the Wanli reign. What was there to be afraid of in getting along with others? Just show your talents, no need to think too much.

In Liu Chengzong's central army headquarters, every one of them was a troublemaker, while the soldiers outside the gate talked about seniority and when they rebelled. This was completely different from his development system.

It is safer to listen more and talk less.

To be honest, Qian Shisheng still felt that he had thought too highly of the Marshal's Office before he set out.

He originally thought that the Marshal's Office would always bring the Minister of Rites with it when they went on expeditions, which sounded like a very retro and complete military and political regime.

After seeing Liu Chengzong's behavior, he deceived himself and said that this was a war and that with troops stationed abroad, personnel matters would definitely be chaotic.

Well, at least there should be some administrative structure. Even if you are dividing gold with a big scale, you should at least have a beam scale.

It wasn't until I saw the Minister of Rites Zhang Xianzhong that I finally felt relieved.

Qian Shisheng didn't want to say anything. He looked down on Liu Chengzong's Marshal's Office and felt that it was hopeless. They were just a group of strong men who acted arbitrarily by force.

Such people are cruel and murderous and do not practice moral governance. Sooner or later, they will be punished.

But when Liu Chengzong stared at the map of Daiqing Gulun and gave orders to his generals to break through the Daiqing border wall and rush in to rob the gold and silver, well... Qian Shisheng suddenly felt happy.

He thought to himself, have you from the Eight Banners finally met your day?

I couldn't even control my emotions and couldn't help but speak.

He said: "Generalissimo, I have something to say..."

Liu Chengzong was staring at the map in deep thought, thinking that he would have to make a feint to the east and attack in the west before entering the border wall, when he suddenly heard a very unfamiliar voice coming from the tent.

He was a little annoyed that his train of thought was interrupted, but when he turned around, he saw that it was Qian Shisheng who was speaking.

"Mr. Qian?" This surprised him, and he simply stood up and gestured, "Grand Master, what can I do for you?"

"If the Grand Marshal wants to break through the border and attack Shenyang, he must act quickly and without delay."

What Qian Shisheng said was a cliché. In a room full of officers and soldiers who had led troops, everyone knew that speed was of the essence in war.

But without sufficient intelligence, a group of veteran soldiers from the Northwest ran to the Northeast. Speed ​​is of the essence, and the quicker the victory, the faster they sent their troops.

But Qian Shisheng was not speaking nonsense. He had a reason: "When I was on a diplomatic mission, the Eastern Tartars broke through Changping and shook the capital. The troops at the pass could not be moved lightly. I also did not hear that the court intended to send Guanning to the east."

"However, before this, Yang Sichang had suggested to the emperor that Chen Hongfan be ordered to lead the navy and station troops in Korea. However, because the communication between Hong Tai and him was intercepted, the navy's crossing of the sea was put on hold."

His words attracted great interest from all the generals in the tent. Several generals even nodded in agreement on the first half of his sentence regarding stationing troops in Korea.

Liu Chengzong and Zhang Xianzhong also looked at each other, and they both understood each other tacitly. They both thought that Yang Sichang, who was able to make this suggestion, was still capable, and the court seemed to be doing well again.

But the second half of the sentence made everyone burst into curses.

Gao Yingdeng almost jumped up, pointed at Qian Shisheng and said, "You old man... you are discussing matters in the central army, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Although Chen Hongfan has not yet set out, the Dongjiang Town is still there. Pi Island has a town official named Shen Shikui, who has a bad reputation. There are more than 10,000 soldiers on the island."

Qian Shisheng was a very outspoken person. Earlier, he felt that he and Liu Chengzong and his gang did not share the same value system, so he did not dare to speak.

But now he realized that these Western Army veterans were basically illiterate and knew nothing about Eastern affairs, so that was not so scary.

Because he knows a lot in the central government.

knowledge is power!

"When Hongtai retreated south, it was probably the island soldiers who landed and attacked the civilian villages behind them. The island soldiers were half-dressed, their armor was broken, and they lacked horses, so they ran away as fast as they could when they got ashore."

Qian Shisheng was not afraid of the threats from the officers at all. He finished his words slowly and then said to Liu Chengzong: "Therefore, if the Grand Marshal wants to march into Shenyang, he must act quickly. The island soldiers cannot hold out for too long and may have withdrawn by now."

"it works!"

Liu Chengzong nodded heavily and immediately said to Yulin: "Reward Qian Ge Lao with three good horses, Shen Shikui... This is more likely than Korea and Guanning sending troops."

Qian Shisheng was just thinking about it when Liu Shizi turned around and said to Zhang Xianzhong and others, "If Pidao sends troops, then we should not rush in. If we break through the border wall, the Eight Banners Army will come over. It would be bad to fight them inside the border."

There are only a few holes in the Great Wall. You can just go through the pass by yourself. I will break it and then chisel another hole for you.

"The plan remains unchanged. I will wait outside the border. If there is an opportunity, we will break through the border and fight. Brother's chariot camp will still be replaced with light cavalry, and General Zuo's Battalion will be assigned to you... You will catch up with the Darakhan army outside the border and go to the outside of Fushun together."

As Liu Chengzong spoke, he drew the knife along the edge of the map all the way to the outside of Fushun Pass east of Shenyang.

He believed that direction was Dai Qing Gulun's defensive weakness because there were no enemies in that direction alone.

"That's where Du Song lost the battle, right? Sarhu, you go there and visit Jianzhou's hometown. Tear down any villages that can be torn down, and bring back the silver and maps." (End of this chapter)