weaving

Chapter 1544 What does the loss of Linqing have to do with me?
Although Linqing still had a more fortified brick city, the loss of the earthen city dampened the morale of the defending soldiers and civilians. In addition, with very few real soldiers left, it was ultimately unable to withstand the fierce offensive of the Jurchens.

On the same afternoon that Tucheng fell, Linqing Brick City was also breached by enemy cavalry.

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Guerrilla commander He Zan led his retainers to guard the north wall of Linqing earthen city. He engaged in fierce street fighting with the enemy cavalry, but was eventually captured and killed by the enemy cavalry due to exhaustion and serious injuries.

Deputy Commander Duan Yinglong was originally stationed on the western wall of the earthen city. After the northern city was breached by enemy cavalry, he hurriedly led his troops to reinforce it, but he could not withstand the enemy cavalry's offensive and had to lead his troops to retreat to the brick city.

In the afternoon, the brick city of Linqing was also breached by the enemy cavalry. Deputy Commander Duan Yinglong fought bravely against the enemy cavalry in the Linqing garrison office, but was eventually beheaded in the back hall of the office.

Furthermore, Liu Litong, the acting prefect, was captured alive by the enemy cavalry, stripped of his clothes, and killed in front of the prefectural government office; Zhou Yi, the assistant commissioner of Dongchang Circuit, was killed outside the second gate of the government office; Chen Xingyan, the warehouse manager of the Ministry of Revenue, was killed in the west study of the government office; and Dong Yu, the customs officer of Linqing, was killed in the east study of the government office.

Furthermore, Li Weijin, the commander of Linqing Guard, was also killed by the enemy cavalry; Rao Yuanying, the branch of the Ministry of Works' brick factory, was stabbed three times and shot twice; Zhang Zhenxiu of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Lingxi, Zhao Yunyi, Xu Pixun, Yin Ren, the county magistrate, Ma Silong of the Secretariat, Zhang Mu and Zhang Kunfang of the Hanlin Academy, Bai Fuzhao, the judicial officer of Shaanxi, and other officials and gentry were all killed by the enemy cavalry for resisting.

In addition, Cheng Sanzhai, the garrison commander of Linqing, Ying Chun, the professor of the prefectural school, Yang Junzheng, a scholar who passed the imperial examination, Li Jiming, Zhao Bingheng, a court official, Zhang Zongheng, the retired governor-general of Xuanfu and Datong, and Wang Kegong, the vice minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, all disappeared without a trace after the fall of Linqing.

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After capturing Linqing City, Abatai did not rush to begin looting.

He first sent three groups of enemy cavalry to plunder in the southwest towards Guantao and Guanxian, and left three groups of enemy cavalry to garrison outside Linqing City, setting up camps in the north, east and south of the city respectively.

At this moment, the calamity that befell Linqing City had only just begun...

Starting from the afternoon of the 13th, Linqing City became like hell, filled with Tartar soldiers who looked like demons.

Some of the Tartar soldiers were neither Jianzhou Jurchens nor Northern Jurchens, but Han soldiers among the Tartars. Although they were Han Chinese, they had now become "yellow-skinned demons." Their actions were the most cruel and ruthless, and their methods were far more brutal than those of the Jianzhou Jurchens and Northern Jurchens.

At this point, the invading Jurchens used Linqing as their center, and their various cavalry groups that had been plundering separately came here to meet up. After receiving supplies, they left behind the people and wealth they had plundered earlier, and then launched separate attacks to continue plundering the surrounding areas.

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On the 17th day of the intercalary eleventh month, the vanguard cavalry of the Yongningbo West Road loyalist army arrived at Xinhe County in Zhending Prefecture, where they encountered the troops of Datong King Pu, who had just arrived.

Having learned of the fall of Linqing, they stationed troops at Xinhe, sent fast cavalry to report back to the Earl of Yongning, and dispatched many scouts to continue investigating the movements of the enemy cavalry.

On the 18th, another group encountered a Jurchen cavalry force coming from the direction of Bazhou at Jiaohe. The two sides fought repeatedly at places such as Xixinge, two miles west of Jiaohe City, with each side winning and losing. The Jurchens seemed unwilling to linger there, and retreated under cover of night, their whereabouts unknown.

On the same day, An Huaxian, a servant of He Zan, a guerrilla commander in Linqing, took advantage of the chaos to break out of Linqing with two arrows in his body and escaped alone to Xinhe County. From him, he learned the details of the fall of Xinhe City.

On the 19th, the Earl of Yongning led the western route army to Xinhe.

At this time, he already knew the news of the fall of Linqing. He immediately ordered another army to suspend its advance and change its route to the west, passing through Hengshui, and set up camp between Jizhou and Zaoqiang to avoid being besieged by the Jurchens.

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On the 18th, Liu Zeqing's subordinate generals, including Wang Guodong, heard that General Liu Zeqing had retreated to Dongchang Prefecture. Deputy General Wang Guodong immediately wanted to rush to Dongchang, but was stopped by officers Jia Yingkui and Duan Shouyi. They argued that almost all the soldiers had deserted and more than half of the cannons had been lost. Even if they went to Dongchang Prefecture and met the General, they would surely be punished. Moreover, they had already been dismissed for desertion. They suggested that it was better to divide the existing pay and flee elsewhere to avoid the Jurchen cavalry's advance, observing the Jurchens' movements before making further plans.

Therefore, Wang Guodong and other Shandong garrison commanders once again divided their troops and fled far away, disappearing into various hilly and valley areas, their whereabouts unknown.

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On the same day, the 18th, Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, led a contingent of government troops and encountered a troop of enemy cavalry on the banks of the Jiahe River between Wuqiang and Wuyi. He dared not fight them and led his troops back to Wuqiang County to avoid the enemy cavalry's advance.

Meanwhile, another contingent of troops sent by Zhao Guangbian to defend the emperor, led by Chen Jiugao, the commander-in-chief of the Beijing garrison, encountered a group of enemy cavalry near Danjiaqiao in Xian County. Unable to win the battle, they retreated and camped inside Xian County.

Two days later, after confirming that the Jurchen cavalry had gone elsewhere, they set off south from Xian County. When they reached Fucheng, they were once again met by Jurchen cavalry that had retreated from Hejian, and a fierce battle ensued.

The fighting lasted from Chenshi (7-9 AM) until Wushi (11-1 PM). Seeing that they could not easily defeat the Ming army, the Jurchens retreated and headed southwest towards Linqing.

At this moment, Zhao Guangbian had also received news of the fall of Linqing City and the disruption of the canal transport. Although he was extremely frustrated, there was nothing he could do.

On one hand, he sent an order to Chen Jiugao, asking him to quickly lead his troops to join him. On the other hand, he wrote to the court to report on his battle against the Jurchens. He also shifted the blame for the fall of Linqing to Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, and blamed the western army for failing to rescue Linqing.

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On the 20th, in Xinhe County, Zhending Prefecture.

“Earl of Yongning, with the fall of Linqing and the disruption of the Grand Canal, the court is in turmoil, and the Emperor will surely hold us accountable. What... what should we do?” Zhang Ruoqi asked in a panic.

Bian Yongqing, the military supervisor, was no longer as anxious as before. On the contrary, Zhang Ruoqi, who had not cared much before, became depressed and anxious all day long after learning of the fall of Linqing.

This is actually normal. Bian Yongqing was truly loyal to Emperor Chongzhen, which is why he was particularly concerned about Linqing. Now that Linqing has fallen, even if someone is to be held responsible, it would naturally be the fault of Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, and Zhao Guangbian, the Governor of Ji, for their failure to defend against the enemy.

How much responsibility could Bian Yongqing, a mere military supervisor, possibly bear?

On the contrary, Zhang Ruoqi, who was ordered to assist in military affairs, had much greater responsibilities than Bian Yongqing.

Moreover, Zhang Ruoqi originally wanted to use the military prestige of the Marquis of Yongning to enhance his resume, and also to take the opportunity to curry favor with the Marquis of Yongning, so as to make a gamble on becoming the Minister of War!
That's why he was particularly concerned about the fall of Linqing, because it might affect his future career.

Zhang Cheng glanced at Zhang Ruoqi, a hint of disdain in his eyes...

This Zhang Ruoqi first ruined the Battle of Songjin, then first surrendered to Li Zicheng, and then to the Manchu Qing. Although he was quite talented, his actions were despised by the world.

Originally, Zhang Cheng had been quite helpful to him before he had established his power. However, although Zhang Ruoqi appeared to be close to Zhang Cheng, he had his own ulterior motives and even wanted to use Zhang Cheng as a stepping stone for his own career.

Because his loyalty was yet to be tested, Zhang Cheng did not value him highly!
"The mistake in Linqing lies with the prefect; what does it have to do with us?"

Zhang Cheng said calmly, "To protect Linqing, I risked my life to transfer General Luo Rucai of Guide with three battalions to rush there overnight to assist in the defense, only to be turned away. Whose responsibility is this?"