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On the 25th day of the 11th month of the 15th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, in the afternoon.

Wang Tieren, deputy commander of the Zhuque Camp, led light cavalry and scouts to Gonghua City ahead of time, while Zhang Guangda led heavy cavalry and wagon cavalry to remain at Juyong Pass to escort the caravan led by Cheng Ruzhi and Xu Qingyi to follow.

Upon hearing of this, the Earl of Yongning sent a messenger to Zhang Guangda, instructing him to leave his deputy, Xiang Jinbao, with the Ziche Battalion to remain temporarily at Juyong Pass, while Zhang Guangda led the heavy cavalry and artillery battalion to Gonghua City immediately.

On the 26th, Tang Tong and Liu Zhaoji replied.

In their letter, the two men said that they had launched an attack on Jizhou City, but the enemy forces were too strong and they failed to recover Jizhou. They were now waiting for the arrival of Yongning Earl's reinforcements.

On the same day, Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, sent a proclamation to Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, ordering him to lead his troops to Bazhou to reinforce the Hunhe River defense line and resolutely prevent the enemy cavalry from crossing the Hunhe River.

Zhang Cheng merely gave perfunctory responses to Zhao Guangbian's orders. On one hand, he sent Lin Fangping with 500 cavalry to Fangshan, which could both contact Li Fuming, the general of Shanxi, and make it appear as if he wanted to advance into Bazhou.

On the other hand, he replied to Zhao Guangbian, stating that his troops had traveled a long way to defend the city and were now exhausted, so it was not advisable to move rashly. He requested that Governor Zhao grant the Yongyi Army a three-day delay in their march.

On the 27th, Cao Bianjiao, the general of Shanhaiguan, came to visit.

It has been nearly ten months since Cao Bianjiao last went to Xuanfu to purchase military equipment. Naturally, they wanted to have a good get-together. However, since the situation with the enemy was unclear, they dared not drink alcohol, lest they jeopardize the important military and national affairs of the court.

He first thanked the Earl of Yongning for the two thousand muskets, cannons, and ammunition he had previously sold him, and promised that if the court did not object, he would be willing to fight alongside the Earl of Yongning.

On the same day, Lin Fangping, who had already arrived in Fangshan, reported that another group of Jurchen cavalry had invaded Zhuozhou, but he had led his cavalry to repel them. They had now entered Zhuozhou city and reported that no trace of Jurchen cavalry had been found in the Laishui and Dingxing areas, but Jurchen cavalry scouts had appeared in Xincheng, and Rongcheng, Xiongxian, and Xin'an had all been captured by Jurchens.

On the 28th, Liu Zeqing, the Shandong general who led his troops into the garrison, reported that he had encountered enemy cavalry when he reached the territory of Renqiu County. The two sides fought a great battle, but neither side could gain the upper hand. However, the enemy troops were outnumbered and retreated. He then temporarily stationed his troops in Renqiu to prevent the enemy from returning.

On the same day, the Earl of Yongning dispatched Xu Jinyong and Chen De with two thousand cavalry to Pinggu to reinforce Liu Zhaoji and Tang Tong in their recapture of Jizhou. However, when they arrived at the city of Jizhou, they found flames soaring into the sky and smoke enveloping the entire city.

It turned out that after the Jurchens demolished the city, they set it on fire before leaving. The fire burned for three days before finally stopping, and the entire city of Jizhou was destroyed.

Xu Jinyong, Liu Zhaoji and others then led light cavalry to pursue the enemy. Although they failed to catch up with the enemy cavalry, they found thousands of women along the way who were ragged, freezing and starving, all abandoned by the enemy.

It turned out that the enemy had carried out a large-scale massacre and looting in Jizhou City, killing almost all the men, the elderly and the weak. Only the women survived, and they too became the enemy's playthings.

When they withdrew from Jizhou City, the enemy general Wu Lai, fearing that dragging these women along would slow down the army's advance and affect the morale of the enemy cavalry, strictly ordered that no captured women be taken along. Thus, they were all abandoned by the roadside.

If they hadn't encountered Xu Jinyong and Liu Zhaoji's army, they would have all frozen and starved to death by the roadside.

Although Jizhou City was successfully recaptured, it had become a dead city. There was no house to shelter from the rain and cold, no one was alive, and even the city walls had been completely demolished.

…………

As early as the 23rd, the court had inquired about the military situation in Jinzhou from Liaodong Governor Hong Chengchou. He reported that Jinzhou was completely besieged, the Jurchens were attacking the city very urgently, and the Liaodong government troops were making great efforts to rescue it, and were temporarily unable to enter the capital region to defend it.

On the 25th, the Jurchen cavalry attacked Baodi.

Upon hearing the alarm, Magistrate Gao Chengyan immediately constructed defensive measures such as hanging curtains and assigned soldiers to guard the four gates. The Jurchen cavalry, who had been separated from Jizhou, passed through Fengrun without attacking, crossed the Baoqiu River, and set up camp below the city. Magistrate Gao Chengyan personally led his soldiers to the city walls to defend it. Unable to capture the city, the Jurchen cavalry lingered outside for three days before being forced to leave, thus saving Baodi.

Unexpectedly, the enemy cavalry returned suddenly in the early morning two days later and stormed into the city unprepared. Baodi fell into the hands of the enemy and the entire city was looted.

On the 27th, Yongqing City fell.

Gao Weidai, the magistrate of Yongqing County, had been in office for less than a month, but he was very dedicated to his duties. Upon hearing the alarm that the Jurchens were invading, he immediately discussed defense strategies, gathered soldiers, selected able-bodied men, enlisted them in the army, and assigned them to guard various parts of the city walls.

However, when the Jurchen army approached the city, although the soldiers and civilians of the city fought to the death to defend it, they ran out of gunpowder and arrows in an instant. Outnumbered by the enemy, Yongqing City also fell.

County Magistrate Gao Weidai and his entire family died in battle, and Clerk Li Shizheng was also killed by the enemy.

…………

On the 27th, the main force of the Jurchen cavalry crossed the Hun River and marched south, besieging Wen'an, capturing Dacheng, and attacking Renqiu, officially declaring that the Hun River defense line set up by Zhao Guangbian had been completely destroyed.

Upon hearing the news of the Jurchens' southward advance, villagers in Dingxing, Ansu, Xiongxian, and other places fled to the surrounding valleys and marshes for refuge. The Jurchen cavalry filled the area, and the villages were completely deserted.

On the 28th, the Yongyi Army set off from Gonghua City one after another.

On the 29th, the Xuanwu Camp, led by Li Jiyu, entered Liangxiang County and set up camp.

On the 30th, Wei Zhice led the Tengshe Battalion into Zhuozhou City. Qiu Yingquan, the battalion's commander, led the vanguard cavalry to Dingxing, while Tang Xiancheng, the battalion's deputy commander, led the rear of Ji Donglai's cavalry, directly into Ansu County, only 20 li away from Baoding Prefecture.

On the same day, the headquarters of Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, was also moved to Fangshan County, where he joined forces with Li Fuming, the General of Shanxi.

Thus, Zhang Cheng, Wang Pu, and Li Fuming, the three generals of Xuanda, gathered together once again. The battlefield had shifted from suppressing bandits in Henan Province to defending the emperor in the capital region, but the three generals' bond had become even stronger.

The Xuan-Da military group, led by Zhang Cheng, the General Commander of Xuanfu Town and Earl of Yongning, was officially recognized by outsiders at this moment. From then on, the unity of Xuan-Da was no longer just a slogan, but was fully reflected in consistent statements, consistent steps, and consistent advances and retreats.

…………

The 2nd day of the intercalary 11th month of the 15th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Bian Yongqing, the military commissioner personally appointed by Emperor Chongzhen, suddenly arrived at the Yongning Earl's headquarters in Fangshan County, and brought with him the latest instructions from His Majesty the Emperor!
The emperor ordered Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, to lead his army to Hejian Prefecture to intercept the Jurchen army, ensuring that it could not penetrate deep into the southern part of the capital region, let alone invade the Shandong and Qilu regions.

Emperor Chongzhen further informed Zhang Cheng that Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Jizhou, had led a large army to the south from Tongzhou City to recover lost territory and pursue the Jurchen cavalry.

If Zhang Cheng can block the Jurchen army in Hejian Prefecture, then Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, will lead his troops south, which will be a perfect opportunity to attack the Jurchens from both the north and south, trapping them in Hejian and even annihilating them within the territory of Hejian Prefecture.

However, faced with Emperor Chongzhen's decree, he dared not act as casually as he had with Zhao Guangbian. He immediately agreed to everything and reorganized his troops, creating the illusion that he was about to advance.

On the other hand, they intensified their preparations... (End of Chapter)