weaving

Chapter 1514 A proclamation is issued to the world, urging those who come to the emperor's aid to protect him!
Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng's guess was correct, or perhaps it was his memory that was correct.

It could also be said that his influence on the world as an outsider was not as great as imagined, or perhaps his changes to the world were limited to the Ming Dynasty and his influence on the outside world was still very limited.

Just as the Xuanda army was gradually withdrawing from Henan and returning to Xuanda to rest, the Jurchens in Liaodong and the various Mongol tribes in the northern deserts were assembling troops and preparing provisions, making final preparations to invade the Ming Dynasty.

In mid-August of the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Huang Taiji, the chieftain of the puppet Qing dynasty, ordered Abatai, the Prince of Doroi Raoyu, to be the commander-in-chief, with the Grand Minister Turge as the deputy commander-in-chief, to lead half of the country's troops to bypass the Shanhaiguan defense line and launch a surprise attack on the Ming dynasty from the northern grasslands.

In mid-September, when Doro Raoyu Beile Abatai and Grand Minister Tuerge led the Manchu, Mongol and Han Eight Banners army, including Gushan Ejen Tantai, Wu Lai, and Shi Tingzhu, on an expedition.

The slave chieftain Huang Taiji earnestly instructed them: "Once you enter Ming territory, do not kill the old, weak, or idle people indiscriminately. Do not take the clothes of those who should be taken prisoner, do not separate people from their wives and children, do not burn property, and do not waste grain. When the army approaches Shandong, those who use torture to extort money are not a benevolent army."

Abatai led the Jurchen army from Shenyang, crossed the Thousand Mountains, headed north in Haizhouwei, passed through Niuzhuangyi, Xiningbao, Shalingyi, Pingyangqiaobao, Zhenwubao, Zhenningbao and other places, and finally entered the Mongolian grasslands at Dakangbao in Yizhouwei.

In mid-October, Abatai's army advanced to the Chahan River bend of the Kharachin Mongols, where they gathered Mongol troops from the outer vassal states of Chahar, Khalkha, Nenwujian Khorchin, Aru tribe, Ongniud tribe, Aru Khorchin tribe, Kharachin tribe, Erhei Kharachin tribe, and Shimed tribe.

After discussion, Abatai decided to divide the Jurchen army into two routes, left and right, to launch a surprise attack on the Ming border wall from multiple passes. Whichever route broke through first would then turn back to support the main army.

November 5th.

The Jurchen left-wing army launched a surprise attack on Qingshankou, Lengkou, Taolinkou, Jielingkou, and Jianganling in Yongping Prefecture of Jizhou.

Among them, the Jurchens attacking Qingshankou were repelled by the commander Li Rucheng with cannons; the Jurchens attacking Lengkou also encountered fierce resistance from the Ming army's deputy general Hu Wenxian and could not enter; the Jurchens attacking Taolinkou were climbing the wall with ladders when an old woman named Zhu discovered them and cried out, and the guards immediately engaged them but could not break through; the Jurchens attacking Jianganling were repelled by the Ming guerrilla general Jian Jielong with cannons.

Only the Jurchen army that attacked Jielingkou succeeded in its surprise attack and opened up the passage for attack.

Bai Yongzhen, the Ming general stationed at Jielingkou, led a group of troops to Yongping Prefecture on the first day of the month to collect provisions. Although it was only a little over a hundred miles away, he only knew how to enjoy himself and lingered for four days without returning to his post, which ultimately allowed the Jurchen army to take advantage of the situation and break through the border wall.

Upon hearing the alarm, the Ming garrison troops stationed at various passes rushed to the rescue. However, the Jieling Pass had already been captured by the Jurchens. After engaging the Ming reinforcements in open battle, they collapsed at the first contact and fled into the surrounding valleys.

The Jurchen left-wing army thus broke through the Ming border wall.

On one hand, they dispatched a force of over a thousand elite cavalrymen to Miyun to support the right-wing Jurchen troops; on the other hand, they sent troops to Funingwei and Yongningfu to attack, capturing and killing seventy-three Ming soldiers and seizing thirty-three warhorses along the way.

At one point, 2,500 Shandong soldiers were ordered to garrison Shanhaiguan. Due to insufficient food and supplies, they temporarily camped at Taitouying City. When they saw the Jurchen army approaching from afar, they immediately engaged them with cannons, stones, bows, and crossbows. However, they could not withstand the Jurchen's fierce offensive. The city fell and the soldiers were routed. The Jurchen captured 433 warhorses.

November 8th.

The Jurchen right wing launched surprise attacks on several passes in Miyun Town, including Gubeikou, Baimaguan, Huangyakou, and Shichengxia, experiencing almost the same events as the left wing. The Jurchens attacking Gubeikou and Baimaguan were exposed prematurely and subjected to heavy artillery fire; having lost the initiative, they abandoned their offensive. The Jurchens attacking Shichengxia encountered fierce resistance, and their surprise attack failed.

However, the Jurchens fought fiercely at Huangyakou. Although the Ming troops stationed there put up a fierce resistance, the Jurchens' offensive was too strong, and the defenders began to waver. One person fled, which led to a tragedy, and Huangyakou fell.

Before the Jurchens launched their surprise attack on the border, they had already learned from captured Ming scouts that "there is a Shicheng Pass forty li outside Huangyakou, with four cannons, fifty infantrymen, and three hidden mines; and another twenty li away is Yanmen Pass, with four cannons, one hundred infantrymen, and two hidden mines."

On the very night that Huangyakou was breached, the Jurchens advanced under cover of darkness, successively capturing Shicheng Pass and Yanmen Pass. The Ming soldiers guarding both passes were slaughtered by the Jurchens before they could even fire their cannons, and the hidden landmines also fell into the hands of the Jurchens.

Also on the eighth day of the eleventh month, the vanguard cavalry of the Jurchen left-wing army had advanced to the territory of Pinggu County. Fortunately, the county magistrate Zhou Pandi had been informed in advance and was able to bombard the Jurchens from the city walls.

The elite cavalry of the Jurchen left wing, having already learned that the right wing army had broken through Huangyakou, did not head north but instead turned south, launching a surprise attack on Sanhe County.

On the same day, the left-wing Jurchen army captured Qian'an County.

On the ninth day, the Jurchens learned from the captured civilians that Bai Tengjiao, the Ming general in charge of training troops in Jizhou, had led 300 cavalry and 700 infantry to Taolin Pass to intercept them. Now, only three Ming military officers and 2,000 newly recruited soldiers remained in Jizhou.

They judged that Bai Tengjiao would return to Jizhou City to strengthen its defenses after learning that they had broken through the pass. Therefore, they launched a large-scale attack on Jizhou City while sending more than a thousand infantry and cavalry to the east of Jizhou City to ambush and kill Bai Tengjiao's troops.

Unexpectedly, Bai Tengjiao's troops returned to defend quickly, and the two sides encountered each other under the walls of Jizhou City and immediately engaged in fierce fighting.

What the Jurchens didn't expect was that Liu Zhaoji, the general of Jizhou, had already led 1,500 cavalrymen into Jizhou City. He immediately led his troops out of the city to meet Bai Tengjiao.

After a fierce battle, the Ming army was ultimately defeated by the Jurchens, losing one adjutant general, two guerrillas, and a thousand cavalrymen. They retreated to Jizhou city and held their ground.

In this battle, the Jurchens also suffered considerable losses. Their third-class light cavalry captains, Zhaisamu and Chokto, as well as Zuo Ling Ebei, Can Ling Wudana, and Hun Dashan, all perished on the battlefield.

…………

It was only on the ninth day of the month that the Ming court confirmed the news of the Jurchen invasion of the capital region.

Such a momentous matter was of utmost importance to them, and they immediately reported it to Emperor Chongzhen in the palace. After some discussion, the emperor and his ministers found no way to repel the enemy, and no one dared to step forward to lead the battle.

He had no choice but to gather all the government troops around the capital to strengthen the defense of the capital, and at the same time send out orders to government troops in various provinces to immediately enter the capital and protect the emperor!