weaving

Chapter 1542 Linqing's Choice
It was the 13th day of the intercalary 11th month of the 15th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, at dawn.

A group of Jurchen cavalrymen set up siege ladders and launched a fierce attack on Jiaohe County.

Zhang Youde, the acting head constable and postmaster of Jiaohe County, lived up to his name of "virtue." He led the soldiers and civilians defending the city in a heroic counterattack, firing arrows and cannons to repel the Jurchens' offensive.

Noon.

Seeing the intense artillery fire in Jiaohe County, with its city walls covered in watchtowers, arrow emplacements, and hanging towers, indicating a tight defense, the Jurchens immediately chose to retreat.

Subsequently, another group of Jurchen cavalry arrived at Xixinge, which was only two miles away from Jiaohe County, and set up camp. Instead of attacking Jiaohe County directly, they launched a sweep of the surrounding earthen villages.

The nearby earthen villages of Fanjialou and Sijialou were among the targets of the Jurchens' attacks.

However, Zhang Youde, the acting head constable and postmaster of Jiaohe County, once again performed outstandingly. He led Cao Guangtong's fire attack battalion to launch a proactive attack on the Jurchens, causing them considerable losses.

In addition, the local militia of various fortresses in Jiaohe County also performed very bravely. They ambushed and intercepted the Jurchens along the way, capturing two Jurchen warhorses and eight waist knives, and even capturing sixteen Jurchen cavalrymen alive.

Moreover, Zhang Youde, the acting head constable of Jiahe County, and his team rescued more than a thousand refugees who were besieged in Fanjialou and Sijialou.

Seeing that the Jiaohe area was heavily defended and there was no good opportunity to plunder, the Jurchen cavalry broke camp and headed south towards Linqing.

…………

On the 14th day of the intercalary eleventh month, Fucheng fell.

The Manchu cavalry, led by the puppet Qing dynasty's Bordered White Banner Gushan Ejen and Grand Minister Turge, suddenly arrived. Fucheng had only opened its city gates at dawn when the Jurchens, who had been lying in ambush, stormed in, the city gates fell, and Fucheng was immediately captured.

After being captured, Lu Dacheng, the magistrate of Fucheng, remained steadfast and was killed by the slave bandits; Ma Hualong, the instructor of Fucheng, was also captured by the slave bandits, and like Lu Dacheng, he remained steadfast and was killed.

The county government office in Fucheng was completely destroyed, and the city walls were also demolished, leaving it resembling an abandoned county!

…………

On the 16th day of the intercalary eleventh month, Jingzhou fell.

It was the two Jurchen cavalry forces that came south from Jiaohe that joined forces to capture Jingzhou. However, they did not stay there for long. After looting, they immediately marched south.

None of the officials in Jingzhou escaped; they were all slaughtered by the enemy. Among them was Wang Chongde, a scholar from the city, and his wife, Du, who first offered sacrifices at their family temple, then gathered firewood and set it on fire, burning together in the flames.

In addition, there were students Wu Zhilong, Zhao Ji, Wang Shichun, and Wang Minhao, as well as students Wang Yingzhen and Wang Yingxiang, and brave warrior Wang Yongtu, all of whom remained steadfast and unyielding, but were killed by the enemy.

In particular, the wife of the scholar Wu Changce was captured by the enemy. She remained steadfast and unyielding, cursing them fiercely. This enraged the enemy cavalry, who immediately beheaded her at the door.

Wu Changce's concubine, Lady Gao, then tricked the enemy by saying, "I have some valuables hidden in my home, all buried in the South Garden. I am willing to give them to you gentlemen." After luring the enemy cavalry to the back garden, she took advantage of their unpreparedness and immediately threw herself into a well to her death.

…………

The 13th day of the intercalary 11th month.

The newly appointed commander of the western route of the loyalist army, Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, led his troops in two separate routes southward to intercept the invading Jurchen cavalry.

They traveled through counties such as Raoyang, Shenxian, Shulu, and Xinhe, preparing to drive straight to Nangong County and then advance to Qinghe to block the Jurchen army's southward advance.

The other route, mainly composed of cavalry, would proceed via Xianxian, Jiaohe, Dongguang, and Wuqiao, aiming to drive directly to Dezhou and intercept the southward-moving Jurchen cavalry army. (November 14th, intercalary month)

Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, led the eastern route of the loyalist army to Hejian Prefecture, where they split into two groups.

They followed the route through Xianxian, Wuqiang, Wuyi, Hengshui, and Zaoqiang, heading straight for Qinghe and Weixian, relentlessly pursuing the southward-bound Jurchen army.

The other route would take the route through Xianxian, Jiaohe, Fucheng, and Jingzhou, with its goal of reaching the old city and intending to reinforce the defense of Linqing via Wucheng.

…………

However, something that Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, did not expect completely disrupted his advance.

It turns out that on the eleventh day of the intercalary eleventh month, the Southern Route Jurchen army, led by General Abatai, the Prince of Doroi Raoyu, who was ordered by the puppet Qing dynasty, had already advanced to Linqing, a key hub for the Grand Canal!
On the same day, Liu Zeqing, the Shandong General Commander, led more than 1,300 cavalrymen to the west gate of Linqing.

However, because the Jurchen army was encamped on the north and west sides, the officials and generals in Linqing City dared not open the city gates without authorization, lest the Jurchen cavalry take advantage of the situation.

Liu Zeqing's cavalry could not enter the city, and fearing the might of the Jurchen cavalry in open battle, they dared not set up camp outside the city. They had no choice but to lead their cavalry to Xiajin County.

However, what was even more unfortunate was that Liu Zeqing was unable to enter Linqing.

Instead, another large force of reinforcements was unable to enter the city to assist in the defense due to the insistence of the officials and gentry of Linqing, which led to a major calamity for the soldiers and civilians of Linqing.

…………

It turns out that as early as the tenth day of the intercalary eleventh month, Luo Rucai, the "Cao Cao" who had been pacified by the Earl of Yongning and was now the General Commander of Guide Prefecture of the Imperial Court, had already led more than 5,000 elite cavalrymen to the city of Linqing.

For Linqing City, the reinforcements led by Luo Rucai would undoubtedly be a lifeline for the city's soldiers and civilians.

But everything went wrong because of the stubbornness of the officials and gentry in Linqing, or rather, because of the strong "bandit" label attached to Luo Rucai.

Of course, ultimately, the problem lies with the stubbornness of the officials and gentry in Linqing. Perhaps this is the fate of the soldiers and civilians in Linqing, a fate that outsiders can never change.

They insisted that Luo Rucai, this bandit, was by no means sincere in surrendering. Judging from his past behavior, Luo Rucai, this "Cao Cao," was indeed a fickle and treacherous person.

The officials and gentry in Linqing City refused to admit that Luo Rucai was now the Ming Dynasty's appointed commander-in-chief. They insisted that Luo Rucai had only pretended to surrender to the court because of the circumstances.

His purpose in coming to Linqing was actually to trick the city gates into opening so he could take advantage of the chaos and plunder the city's wealth and provisions to strengthen his military forces.

Luo Rucai wanted to lead his troops back on the spot, but he couldn't resist the strong persuasion of his strategist Ji Gui. He reluctantly agreed to let Ji Gui go down to the city and talk to the officials and gentry in Linqing City to explain the situation.

Even though Ji Gui talked himself hoarse, the officials and gentry in the city did not believe what he said. They did not even bother to look at the documents bearing the seal of the Earl of Yongning, and sternly refused Ji Gui's request to enter the city.

Although Luo Rucai was willing to repay the kindness of the Earl of Yongning and wanted to take the opportunity to show his loyalty to the Earl of Yongning, this did not mean that he would repay him with his life.

After all, it was too risky to use his existing 5,000 elite cavalry to fight against the approaching 10,000 Tartar cavalry, and it was not a wise choice.

Therefore, Luo Rucai ultimately decided to lead his elite cavalry back to Guantao.

Linqing City was thus destined to face the threat of 30,000 Jurchen cavalry alone.

And this was precisely the choice that Linqing City itself made!