weaving

Chapter 1594 The Great Battle Is About to Begin
February 3rd, afternoon.

Jiang Xiang, the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Datong, led his two thousand cavalrymen on a swift thirty-mile march to raid the Han army's Zheng Hongqi garrison at Sanguan Temple on the west bank of the Shu River. Although they failed to break through the Zheng Hongqi Han army's main camp, they still achieved some success.

Subsequently, Jiang Xiang led his cavalry back to Wenguanzhuang, six miles away, to set up camp. Wu Shoujin simply held his position and did not send troops to pursue Jiang Xiang's cavalry.

On the same day, at dusk.

The two troops of Wang Pu, the general of Datong, and Jiang Jianxun, the deputy general, who rushed from Matouji, took the opportunity to attack Xiejiazhuang, located five miles southwest of Jishan, which was the garrison of the Mongol Plain Yellow Banner.

Yile led 1,500 soldiers of the Plain Yellow Banner on this expedition, along with more than 1,000 attendants and servants from various banners, and nearly 1,000 banner soldiers from various tribes who came to plunder.

The Xie Family Manor camp was the main camp where Yile personally oversaw operations. There were 1,000 Plain Yellow Banner soldiers and more than 500 servants and miscellaneous personnel. Although the number of soldiers was not large, there were many warhorses and mules. In addition, there were nearly 10,000 captured civilians who accompanied the army as miscellaneous personnel, so the camp was still quite large.

Wang Pu and Jiang Jianxun only brought cavalry; their infantry and long-range firepower units, such as artillery, were still behind and had not yet caught up. Therefore, they were at a disadvantage against Yile's Plain Red Banner Mongol cavalry.

Although the Yile region lacked cannons and muskets, the Mongol cavalry possessed exceptional archery skills. Their mounted archery was even superior to that of the Jurchens, and their foot archery was no weaker than that of the Jurchens.

Wang Pu's forces launched several attacks, but failed to penetrate the Mongol Plain Red Banner camp. They were also suppressed by Mongol arrows. Seeing that they could not break through, they led their troops to retreat westward to Dongfeng Ridge, eight miles away, before nightfall and set up camp there.

On the third day of the second month, the main force of the central army led by Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng set off from Lijiazhuang Post Station and entered Xiaodunzhuang, eight miles away on the west bank of the Shu River, before dark, and set up camp there.

At the same time, Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng also dispatched Hu Zichen and Chen De, each leading a thousand elite cavalry, to Vinegar Village, five miles to the east, to harass the Mongol Bordered Red Banner Tartars stationed there.

…………

On the entire west bank of the Shu River, the armies of the Ming and Qing dynasties have engaged in full-scale battle. Neither side has suffered major losses yet, but a major battle is imminent.

The Qing army mainly consisted of eight large camps, four of which were where its main force was located. From north to south, they were Wu Shoujin's main force camp of the Plain Red Banner of the Han Army, Buyandai Mongol main force camp of the Bordered Red Banner, Shi Tingzhu's main force camp of the Plain White Banner of the Han Army, and Yile Mongol Plain Yellow Banner camp.

Interspersed among these four main camps were four prisoner camps, primarily used to guard the captured people of Qi and Lu and the looted money and goods. These four camps were manned by only a few hundred Jurchen bannermen, as well as a small number of bondservants and bannermen, and were responsible for guarding the captured people.

On the other hand, the Ming army consisted of three main forces.

In the center was the main force of the central army, personally led by Marquis Yongning Zhang Cheng, which included a part of the Weiyuan Camp, the troops of Chen De and Hu Zichen, and the entire Tengshe Camp, with a total strength of nearly 15,000 men.

To its north were Jiang Xiang's more than 5,000 Shanxi soldiers, and to its south were Wang Pu and Jiang Jianxun's 7,000 troops. In addition, there were the government troops of Li Fuming and Ge Ruzhi blocking the way further north, as well as Luo Rucai's standard battalion and right battalion blocking the way from the south.

On the entire western front, the Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng could mobilize more than 40,000 troops, which was almost four times the number of Jurchen troops on the west bank of the Shu River. Even if the Jurchen's accompanying bondservants and bannermen were included, it was still more than twice their total strength.

With their advantages fully apparent, the Earl of Yongning ordered each camp to launch a proactive attack and set up his own camp five or six miles away from the Jurchen main camp. His purpose was to create a threatening situation and restrain the Jurchens so that they could not even withdraw their camps and troops.

Although Jiang Xiang and Wang Pu's two armies failed to break through the Jurchen camp in their initial battle, they each left elite cavalry to patrol outside the camp, both to demonstrate their power and to monitor the Jurchens to prevent their escape.

Almost simultaneously, some minor battles also took place on the east bank of the Shu River.

Li Jiyu's Xuanwu Camp held back Zu Zerun's Han Chinese Plain Yellow Banner Jurchens in the north, while Yang Mingqi held back Turge's Manchu Bordered White Banner Jurchens in the center, preventing them from easily deploying troops to the west bank.

Meanwhile, more than two thousand government troops under Pi Zhongyao gradually moved southward, patrolling and harassing outside the Mongol Plain Red Banner of Gadahun.

When Gadahun sent out a small number of soldiers, he would intercept and kill them on the spot; but once Gadahun sent out a large number of soldiers, he would immediately lead his troops to retreat and avoid battle. Pi Chongyao was like a dog skin plaster sticking tightly to Gadahun's camp...

If you don't come out to fight me, I'll shout and yell outside the camp, threatening to kill you. But once you come out, I'll run away at the first sign of trouble, making your trip pointless. But once you return to your camp, I'll come back to harass you.

On the east bank of the Shu River, the Ming army was not superior in terms of troop strength, and was even at a disadvantage. Therefore, the main strategy was to contain the enemy and avoid fighting the main force of the Jurchens, so as to prevent them from supporting the west bank of the Shu River.

…………

Meanwhile, Abatai, who was stationed on the banks of the Shu River in Juzhou, had also noticed the abnormality on Turg’s side. He dared not imagine the consequences of cutting off communication.

In response, he dispatched several elite forces southward to try and contact Turg to ascertain the situation, but the outposts he sent out either failed to find any trace of them or were intercepted and forced to return.

Abatai originally wanted to send troops south to open up communication channels with Turg, but he did not expect that he would also be attacked by the Ming army. The two sides have been locked in a fierce battle ever since, and he is now completely unable to go south.

It turned out that Zhao Guangbian, the commander of the Eastern Route Army to defend the emperor, was stationed in Jinan. He and the governor Wang Yongji had already learned that the Jurchen troops under Abatai were resting in Juzhou. Under pressure from the court and Emperor Chongzhen, and having received a letter from the Earl of Yongning, they also knew that Zhang Cheng was going to take action against the Jurchens in Yanzhou and asked them to restrain the Jurchen troops under Abatai stationed in Qingzhou.

Zhao Guangbian still harbored fear of the Jurchens, but Wang Yongji was very enthusiastic, as he had the responsibility to defend the land and protect the people. Naturally, he persuaded and encouraged Zhao Guangbian to send troops to attack the Jurchens under Abatai.

Although he was afraid, he dared not show it on his face. After much deliberation, Zhao Guangbian finally made up his mind and issued a command to the five generals, Tang Tong, Cao Bianjiao, Zhou Yuji, Zhong Minggao, and Xue Minzhong, ordering them to lead their troops to join forces at Yishui to fight against the Jiannu of the Abatai tribe.

Meanwhile, Wang Yongji issued a proclamation ordering Liu Zeqing, Liu Yuanqing, Zhang Dengke, and other local Shandong generals to lead troops into Qingzhou Prefecture and advance towards Juzhou to cooperate with Zhao Guangbian's eastern route loyalist army in attacking the Jurchens.

To facilitate frontline command, at the insistence of Governor Wang Yongji, Ji Governor Zhao Guangbian had no choice but to go to Yishui with Wang Yongji to personally oversee the battle.

All of this happened in the latter half of the first month. On the first day of the second month, Tang Tong's main force had already arrived near Juzhou, but fearing the power of the Jurchens, they dared not attack.

On the second day, Zhou Yuji led his troops to the front line in Juzhou. Unlike Tang Tong, he had no reservations and immediately led his main cavalry force to attack the Jurchens, beheading thirty-two Jurchens and making a great contribution.

Subsequently, three generals, Cao Bianjiao, Zhong Minggao, and Xue Minzhong, arrived one after another. Although they were unable to defeat Abatai's main force of more than 20,000 Jurchens, the battles continued, completely tying Abatai down on the banks of the Shu River within the territory of Juzhou.