weaving

Chapter 838 Liao affairs, there is still a lot to do!

The Ming army's battle to capture Shimen Mountain and Huangtuling is coming to an end, and everyone is busy cleaning up the wreckage on the battlefield.

Although tens of thousands of troops from the Ming and Qing Dynasties are still facing each other in Shimen Mountain and the Naughty River on the north side of Rufeng Mountain, but there are only sporadic confrontations between sentry cavalry from both sides, and the situation of large troops fighting will not happen again today. up.

In this campaign, the Ming army achieved its original strategic expectation and successfully captured Huangtuling and Shimen Mountain, as well as the east and west Shimen of the northward passage.

However, on the side of Shimen Mountain, they encountered a surprise attack by the Tartar thief Dorgon. The Zhenbiao Zuoyi Battalion and Zhenbiaozheng Battalion in Shanhai Town collapsed, and the general He Youren and the general Ma Ke disappeared.

As for Jizhen, including the main barracks, the entire army was defeated, and the commander-in-chief Bai Guangen also disappeared, and his life and death were uncertain.

Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, looked at his generals with a livid face. At this moment, he was not at all happy about victory, although he captured Shimen Mountain and Huangtuling as planned.

However, the soldiers and horses that I also took into the two towns, in any case, are not worth the gain, and it is like winning and losing.

"Where is Tang Tong now? Why didn't you come to join our army!" Qiu Minyang, Governor of Liaodong, asked in a deep voice.

Obviously, he was already very dissatisfied with the performance of Tang Tong's troops from Miyun after conquering Dongshimen. It stands to reason that Tang Tong should have joined Wu Sangui's troops at this moment.

But I don't know why, the army marched so slowly. In the eyes of the officials, could it be that he deliberately delayed the march in order to avoid the battle?

In short, in any case, after Tang Tong's troops broke through the East Stone Gate, it was an undeniable fact that they were slow to advance, and it was hard to get rid of the suspicion of deliberately avoiding the war!

Although Hong Chengchou looked unhappy, he didn't say much. He seemed to be thinking about how to deal with the Tartars next.

Today, in the battle of Shimen Mountain, Wu Sangui and Cao Bianjiao performed most outstandingly.

They guarded the camp all by themselves, not only was it as simple as driving back the rout, but they also stood still under the repeated attacks of the Tartars and captive cavalry. must.

And Cao Bianjiao was even more brave. Although he failed to break through the defense line of the Tartar bandits' central army, he broke into the Tartar formation alone and entered and exited twice. How brave is he?
What's more, the results of Cao Bianjiao's assault on the Tatar formation are also obvious. It was precisely because of Cao Bianjiao's entry that he disrupted Dorgon's plan and burned many camps, food and other supplies of the Tartar thieves.

It can be said that Cao Bianjiao's assault prevented the Tartars from threatening the Ming army to a great extent. At least within three to five days, they were unable to launch a large-scale charge against the Ming army.

It's okay to talk about the tents, after all, they can be replenished from the seized materials in Shanhai Town and Ji Town, but what about other materials such as grain and grass?

Did it have to be brought from the rear? After all, Shanhai Town and Ji Town army horses went to battle, and they only brought dry food for two or three days, and there was no more than rations to supplement the Tartars.

The second is Wang Tingchen, the former general of the Tunwei. It was he who led the army to arrive in time and formed a pincer attack with Wu Sangui, which forced the Qing army to retreat. .

As for Tang Tong, the general of Miyun, he was the first to break through the north passage, which was a great achievement.

It's a pity that after the first battle in the sailor camp, he paused at first, and then lingered all the way, failing to join Wu Sangui's troops on time, which almost caused the Ming army to lose all.

Yao Gong, the vice envoy of the Cha, said at the side: "Right now, gather the rout soldiers and civilians as soon as possible, and see how many people can be gathered."

"Everything is going well with Xuan Dajun. They have successfully occupied Huangtu Ridge. However, the pontoon bridge has not been captured, and it was also burned by the slaves. However, Xuan Dajun has gained a lot, and the loss is not big!"

Supervisor Wang Zhizhen was also speaking aside, especially the words "the loss is not big", but his tone was a little heavier when he said it.

Hong Chengchou kept his face ashen and didn't say anything. Today's battle was originally a good situation.

In fact, as long as Ma Ke's Shanhaiguan can do something a little bit better, and refuse to fight the captives for a while, and wait for Bai Guangen, Wu Sangui and other troops to join up, they will not be afraid of the Tartars, not to mention Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen who will come to reinforce them.

However, things backfired. Ma Ke's army was defeated for unknown reasons, and the good situation was ruined. How could Hong Chengchou not be angry?
Rao is very self-cultivated, so he resisted not to get angry in public, but everyone felt the oppressive atmosphere at the scene, Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen and others all kept silent.

Because, on the table in front of Hong Chengchou was a book, which was the letter of success sent by Zhang Ruoqi, the commander of the army, and everyone had circulated it just now.

In his letter, Zhang Ruoqi spoke highly of the bravery of Xuanda's troops and the power of the Shenji Camp's artillery, and even asked for credit and rewards for Xuanda's generals. He showed full confidence and pride between the lines.

On the other hand, the performance of the Jiliao army and horses on Shimen Mountain, the sun has set to the west, the sky has turned dark, and it is going to be dark, but there is still no army and horses from Miyun Town.

Coupled with the collapse of Shanhai Town and Ji Town's army and horses, not only the limelight has been robbed by Xuan Da's aid to the Liao army, but even the strength of the soldiers is almost the same, not to mention that the Jiliao soldiers are almost fighting locally.

With this performance, wouldn't it teach Xuanda's army and generals to laugh their ass off?
Wu Sangui seemed to want to say something, but he looked up and saw Hong Chengchou's face, and immediately swallowed what he was about to say.

At this moment, Li Song, Hong Chengchou's admiring painting accompanying the army, stepped in from outside the army tent. He quietly came to Hong Chengchou's side, first whispered, then left a letter, and then retreated to stand behind Hong Chengchou.

Hong Chengchou didn't open the book, but said to everyone in a deep voice: "Tang Tong, he encountered a defeated army on the way to the army. It is inevitable that the troops and horses in his army were swept away by the defeated army after the battle, so he stopped the army and stationed there. The battalion gathers defeated troops."

He picked up the letter at this point, but without opening it, he handed it directly to Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, and continued: "Now, it's getting late, and the soldiers and horses in Miyun have stopped. Continue to gather the defeated soldiers, and they will arrive before noon tomorrow Join us."

Everyone felt at ease when they heard that Tang Tong's Miyun troops were safe.

At first, I was still a little worried. Tang Tong's subordinates have never had any information. Will they be ambushed and defeated by the Tartars like Ma Ke and Bai Guangen?

Now, news came from Tang Tong that the department had not been ambushed by the Tartars, but was gathering defeated troops. In this way, there was only one Tartarist in front of Dorgon, and there was no longer any fear of being flanked by the Tartars.

Qiu Minyang at the side also quickly scanned the letter at this moment, and the content was correct with what Hong Chengchou said. He raised his head and nodded slightly to Hong Chengchou.

Immediately, he opened his mouth and said: "Today, thanks to the courage of all of you, our master was able to conquer Shimen Mountain and the East and West Shimen in one fell swoop, and finally opened up the aid channel.

Although the Nuerhe River is still in front of us, our army is facing the slaves across the river, and the sound of cannons can already be heard in Jincheng, which will undoubtedly give great encouragement to the defenders in the city. "

When he said this, he glanced at Hong Chengchou, and then continued: "Although the soldiers and horses of Shanhai Town and Ji Town were defeated, they retreated all the way to the east. Fortunately, General Wu of Ningyuan led his troops to stop the Tartars, so that the defeated soldiers did not suffer. The Tartars slaughtered.

And Miyun Tang's general army gathered the defeated troops in the east. Based on this calculation, even if the two towns were defeated, the loss should not be too great. After the defeated troops were reorganized, they could go to war again.

Liao things, there is still a lot to do! "

Qiu Minyang took another peek at Hong Chengchou and saw that he was also nodding slightly, so he continued: "Today, General Wu of Ningyuan, General Cao of the Dongxie, and Former King of Tun have all performed well, and they should be the top performers."

Wu Sangui immediately got up when he heard the words, clasped his fists and looked up at Qiu Min, saying: "Fuchen loves you. Sangui only knows how to be loyal to the country. He has long put life and death aside and moved forward bravely. He is the last duty. Although he has made a little effort, how dare he help Fuchen?" Such a compliment."

"Okay, what a credit!" Hong Chengchou finally spoke.

At this moment, Hong Chengchou had mixed feelings in his heart. As Qiu Minyang said, Shimen Mountain has been captured today, and Jincheng is close at hand, only separated by a river.

Although the two towns were defeated, the rest of the army did not collapse without a trace. If Tang Tong's report is true, most of the defeated troops should be gathered, and the damage to our own troops will not be too great.

In this way, there is indeed a lot to do in Liao affairs!
What's more, in today's battle, he was also very satisfied with the performance of Ning Yuan's army, not only the performance on the battlefield was remarkable, but Wu Sangui's just words were also in his heart.

Hong Chengchou thought to himself: "It seems that I did not cultivate Wu Sangui for nothing!"

He scanned all the people in the big tent with his eyes like a torch, and said: "Today's battle, my master and the slave have their own victories and losses, but generally speaking, my master is better than the slave."

Hong Chengchou looked at the crowd and saw that everyone was listening carefully, so he said again: "Shimen Mountain lies in front of my army to aid King Jin, completely blocking my way to enter Jincheng. Although I have attacked several times before, they have not achieved an inch. .

Today, thanks to the bravery of all the officers and men, my master Wang went down to the dangerous place of Shimen Mountain with a drum, and completely opened the aid channel. It can be seen from this that the siege of Jincheng can be solved within a day. "

"Wu Sangui used the exhausted soldiers of a town in Ningyuan to occupy the front as slaves, and fought fiercely with tens of thousands of cavalry for half a day. He bought time for the defeated soldiers in Shanhai Town and Ji Town to escape, and guarded the escape route. He deserved the greatest contribution and should be the first! "

Hong Chengchou's tone of speech could not be distinguished by others, and he made a final decision.

He shifted his gaze to Cao Bianjiao, and said: "Cao Bianjiao of the Dongxie bravely broke into the slave camp, with thousands of elite riders, entered and exited twice, burned the slaves' food, grass, and luggage, making the slaves fearful, and even attacked the slaves' army. , almost captured the slave leader Dorgon alive, and forced the slave thief back twenty miles to camp.

It should also be the first! "

In order to boost the morale of the army, and to cover up the real situation on Shimen Mountain, Hong Chengchou not only used beautiful words, but also beautified the results of the battles of the generals.

Only to hear him continue: "Look at me, there are more than a hundred people who can be called generals in Ming Dynasty, but Cao Bianjiao is the only one who dares to go straight to the slave camp!"

When everyone in the big tent heard the words, they all looked sideways at Cao Bianjiao, and suddenly felt that he was covered with a halo, extremely great.

"Wang Tingchen rushed to help from the West Shimen, cooperated with Wu Sangui's troops, pinched the slave bandits, and finally forced the slave bandit army back, gaining a lot. It is also a great achievement!"

In this way, after Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, personally made the decision, who would object?

The person with the first meritorious service on Shimen Mountain has been decided. As for the other meritorious personnel, including Ma Ke and Bai Guangen, the two defeated generals, they can only be decided after careful verification later.

Next, everyone discussed some military affairs, including the garrison of soldiers and horses in each town, night patrols, sentries, etc., and then dispersed to prepare.

…………

After the generals retreated, Hong Chengchou only left Liaodong governor Qiu Minyang alone, and he led Qiu Minyang into the internal account before telling the story.

It turned out that what Li Song brought in was not only the letter, but another one that was not handed over immediately, but remained in Li Song's hands. At this moment, he took out the letter and handed it to Hong Chengchou.

This letter was sent by Zhang Cheng, Zhang Ruoqi and others who attacked Huangtuling. After Hong Chengchou unfolded the letter, he read it briefly and felt shocked.

He hastily read it carefully again before handing it to Qiu Minyang, asking him to have a look.

"The governor?"

Qiu Minyang only glanced at the contents of the letter, and then said with a solemn expression, "Is the contents of this letter true?"

Hong Chengchou's face was still as serene as ever, and he said lightly: "Town, let's talk about it."

Sitting in the chair, Li Song looked up to Qiu Min and said, "The person who came to deliver the letter is Zhang Cheng's adoptive son, named Zhang Mingyuan. I have asked carefully just now. Director Zhang's attack on Huangtu Ridge seems to be more important than that of Shimen Mountain." The side is much smoother.

And this news was also learned from the captured North Korean officials during the battle of Huangtuling. According to Zhang Mingyuan, the news is reliable! "

Qiu Min looked up at Li Song and said, "Mr. Zhenzhong, have you read the contents of the letter?"

"Oh. Going back to Futai, the town has never read the letter, and the town doesn't know what it says in the letter. It's just that the righteous son of Zhang Cheng has something to say. This letter is of great importance, so he personally sent it. More Speaking of this letter is related to important military affairs, it must be signed by the governor himself."

Li Song said with a smile, and said: "That kid Zhang Mingyuan, at the beginning, he said that he would meet the governor in person before he would submit the letter. It's just that he has met him several times under his post, and he also knows my identity. I will tell you He said that the governor is in a military discussion and cannot see him immediately, so he immediately forwarded this trust to the governor."

"Although Zhang Cheng is young, he has always been mature and prudent. Since he attaches so much importance to it, it seems likely that these news are not false!"

Hong Chengchou also spoke. Although he was dissatisfied with some of Zhang Cheng's actions, he still praised Zhang Cheng's ability and vision.

Qiu Minyang also nodded, and said, "Well, just as the governor said, since this news came from Zhang Cheng, it is still credible."

He went on to say: "It is the most beneficial for me to have a short supply of food from the Tartars, but this person who has an affair with the Tartars is the most dangerous.

As for the Tartar thieves trying to seize the food road, Zuo Guang was stationed in the direction of Xingshan first, and now Liu Zhaoji is sent, so there is nothing to worry about, and the mouth of Xiaoling River is close at hand, so the rescue is convenient, so there is no worry. "

Hong Chengchou looked at Li Song and asked him, "What do you think of the town?"

"Returning to the governor, Zhang Cheng thinks that the food road is safe, and the most urgent thing is!"

(End of this chapter)