The end of the Ming Dynasty swept the world

Chapter 704 Recovering Homeland
"Don't worry, Ding Yi will use us." Li Suitai said nicely, but he was not sure, so he quickly ordered the door to be opened and surrendered.

If you don't surrender, the people in the city will be burned to death.

But they blocked the door with mud bricks before, and there is no way to do that, they can only blow it up with gunpowder from the inside.

Boom, with a loud noise, a gap was blown out of the gate of the city, and a large number of Han and Mongolian troops stepped forward, rushing to clear a hole.

Then Li Soltai hurriedly sent someone out to raise the white flag to surrender.

At this time, he actually regretted it to death, he shouldn't have dug so many holes outside.

With so many potholes blocking the way outside, it was impossible for their cavalry to rush out.

Otherwise, Li Sutai would still take the cavalry and run to Shengjing, maybe there is hope to escape.

Ding Yi saw that the city gate of Gaizhou was bombed, and then someone came out, so he knew that Li Sutai had decided to surrender.

Li Soltai is a smart man, just like Li Yongfang, although he wholeheartedly helps the Tartars, he definitely wants to live.

"My lord." The subordinate looked at him, meaning whether to throw it again.

"Throw another wave and call it a day." Ding Yi didn't like the people of Gaizhou in his heart. When Gaizhou was conquered for the first time, he asked the people to go to Lushun with him. As a result, most of the tens of thousands of people were unwilling.

Everyone threw another wave, and then they called it a day.

The accompanying army generals stared at each other and refused to accept it.

When Ding Yi was planning to build a trebuchet, everyone felt that it was backward and not as easy to use as a cannon.

Now with the gasoline bomb, I finally found out that this thing is powerful.

The key is the speed. With one shot from the Hongyi Cannon, this thing can throw more than a dozen rounds.

Li Soltai's Hongyi Cannon was finished after only one round.

In mid-September of the 14th year of Chongzhen (1641), Ding Yi captured Gaizhou for the second time.

Although it had been prepared for several days, Gaizhou was broken in less than an hour. The power of the catapult and the petrol bomb shocked everyone.

After conquering Gaizhou, more than 400 soldiers from the Han army, more than 900 from the Mongolian army, less than 4000 from the Qing army, and more than [-] people from the Manchu and Qing dynasties.

Ding Yi ordered that the wealth of the whole city be seized, and no chickens or dogs were left behind. A total of 12 taels of silver was collected from the whole city, and [-] carts of various grain and grass materials were loaded.

All the Han army, the Mongolian army, the Qing army and the people, except for a thousand strong people who were left behind to repair Gaizhou, will all be escorted to Lushun, and then sent to Dayuan.

Li Sutai was left in Lushun.

When Li Shitai saw Ding Yi again, he also cried out for a while. The two met at the South Pass at close range. Zaba was dead. What did Azig say to Ding Yi at that time? Believe.

At this time again, the status and status of the two are completely different.

"Li Suitai, a young general of the defeated army, pay my respects to General Ding." Li Suitai knelt down as soon as he met him, with a very good attitude.

Ding Yi glanced at him calmly: "Li Sutai, you are a Han, and because of your father, you surrendered and became a slave. I don't blame you, but when you are here in the future, be a good person, do things seriously, people, There may be a chance to be a new man, but there will certainly not be a second time."

"Thank you General, thank you General." Li Sutai cried with joy.

Ding Yi didn't kill him because of Li Yangeng's face.

Moreover, Li Shuitai is indeed a good general. Historically, Li Shuitai later made great efforts to attack the Manchu Qing Dynasty, conquering from east to west, with few defeats. Li Dingguo's attack on Guangdong in 1655 was also defeated by him. He succeeded the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, defeated Zheng Chenggong repeatedly, and died of illness and died in office. Otherwise, the time for the Manchus to retake the high officials might have been earlier.

After capturing Gaizhou, Ding Yi was not in a hurry, and first drove a thousand strong local people to repair Gaizhou City, level the pits outside, and then move people from Fuzhou.

This time he wants to permanently occupy Gaizhou, close the distance with Shengjing, and oppress Huang Taiji.

Before the war, he had already prepared [-] people in Fuzhou, all of whom were moved to Gaizhou, and would continue to immigrate here from Laizhou.

After occupying Gaizhou, he could directly move the refugees from Shandong to Gaizhou by boat from Laizhou, come by sea, go ashore on Lianyun Island, and save a lot of time without going to Lushun.

He stayed in Gaizhou for a month, slowly repairing, re-regulating the defense line, and deploying garrison generals and troops.

Now that he has petrol bombs in his hands, Huang Taiji is not afraid of many soldiers and horses coming to attack.

As long as there is enough food and grass.

Moreover, it is impossible for Huang Taiji to encircle Gaizhou like Jinzhou. If Huang Taiji wants to encircle, Ding Yi will definitely send troops to fight.

Now he is not afraid of Huang Taiji in field battles.

After thinking about it again and again, Ding Yi left Ma Yue's first battalion with 3000 people to guard Gaizhou, and then recruited [-] recruits for him.

Then the whole army continued to set off for Yaozhou in mid-October.

Yaozhou Station was originally a post station, which was slightly expanded on the Manchu Qing soldiers, but there were not many troops stationed there, which was equivalent to a pier fort.

When Ding Yi surrounded Gaizhou, the gate of the fort was also closed.

After Ding Yi took down Gaizhou, they didn't know the news, and they didn't dare to send troops out, because Huang Taiji's strict order was to strictly guard against death.

Moreover, Ding Yi's sentry cavalry flowed between Gaizhou and Yaozhou, forcing them not to move.

When most of Ding Yi's troops arrived in mid-October and surrounded Yaozhou, they knew that Gaizhou might be broken.

The guards were shocked, because in their eyes, Gaizhou was impenetrable, how could it be broken by the Ming army?
After Ding Yi arrived, he still shot arrows first to surrender. Yaozhou bombarded them, and Ding Yi immediately ordered an attack.

There were twenty stone throwing machines, whizzing, whizzing, and soon Yaozhou was turned into a sea of ​​flames, and the fort was burned up and down, and they were burned to ashes. At the last moment, they had no chance to cast.

Because the pier gate was sealed like Gaizhou, there was no time to dig it out.

Ding Yi's troops brought a large number of carriages, and they walked slowly and in no hurry, because they knew that the Songjin war was not over yet, and it was impossible for the Qing soldiers to have reinforcements.

Arrive in Haizhou in late October, as before, first surround the city gate of Haizhou, and garrison troops.

One day after Ding Yi arrived, Shang Kexi's sentry cavalry also sent news that the South Route Army was less than twenty miles away from them.

Originally, Ding Yi made an agreement with Shang Kexi to see who would come here first.

He walked relatively slowly, but Shang Kexi pulled out all the Qing soldiers' forts in Liaodong along the way, and there are more mountain roads here, so he walked more slowly.

But after such a sweep, there is no longer a Qing soldier or a Qing soldier's pier in the entire Liaodong line, south of Haizhou.

In the afternoon of that day, Ding Yi's troops and Shang Kexi of the South Route Army gathered under the city of Haizhou.

I don't know why, suddenly there was a burst of crying in the army. Many people wept with joy, hugged each other and cried loudly, and then more and more people cried bitterly.

Most of Ding Yi's army are Liaodong civilians. This time Ding Yi decided to occupy Gaizhou and Haizhou forever and regain the lost homeland of Liaodong. Both generals and soldiers are very supportive and excited.

Now seeing that Haizhou is approaching, and knowing that Gaizhou will be taken back, many generals cried with excitement.

The ancients paid much attention to their homeland, and most people would not want to move unless they could not survive.

This is why there are many Liaodong people in the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Now that Ding Yi regained his homeland so that they could go home and have a look, I don't know how many people stayed up all night excitedly.

Haizhou City was built in the ninth year of Hongwu. It is covered with bricks and has a circumference of more than six miles. It is larger than Gaizhou before expansion, and its height is three feet four feet. It is also higher than Gaizhou. door.

Because Haizhou City is located in Hebei, Haicheng, at the foot of Yuhuang Mountain, the location is very dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

It has a large population and a prosperous economy. It has always been the economic center of the southeast. Whether it is in the hands of the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, this place is as prosperous as Liaoyang.

Huang Taiji also attaches great importance to this place, and the garrison general Hesheli Xifu, who is from the Yellow Banner of the Manchu Dynasty, was born as a confidant of Huang Taiji's bodyguard.

At this time, Hesheli Xifu was a first-class Lazhangjing (equivalent to a general in the Ming army).

He led [-] Qing soldiers stationed in the Banner, added [-] Han troops, and [-] Mongolian troops.There are also [-] people in the city, with a dense population and a prosperous economy.

These people are usually the same as Gaizhou, with about [-] hoarding fields outside the city. This time they knew that Ding Yi was coming to attack, and they crowded into the city one after another, and immediately crowded Haizhou.

In order to prevent the Ming army from harvesting grain, they also harvested the grain fields around Haizhou in advance, hoarding all of them into Haizhou City, and made up their minds to fight against Ding Yi.

Along with Xifu, there was also Tong Tulai of Xianghuang Banner, whose daughter Tong Jiashi was later Kangxi's biological mother, who had just been born at this time, only a few months old.

Li Sizhong, the guard general of the Han army, is not loyal. He is the grandson of Li Chengdong, and now he is Mei Lezhangjing (equivalent to the deputy general of the Ming army).

In terms of official position, he is higher than Xifu, but who made him a Han Chinese.

All three of them belonged to the Two Yellow Banners, and Li Sizhong entered the Zhenghuang Banner when he formed the Eight Banners Han Army next year.

The two yellow flags are both Huang Taiji's confidantes, and they are even more elite. It can be seen that Li Zhongsi also has the trust and approval of Huang Taiji.

Haizhou has been in business for many years, no less than Gaizhou. Seeing that the Ming army surrounded them, they didn't know whether Gaizhou was lost or not.

According to their estimates, it is impossible for Gaizhou City to be breached, and Ding Yi did not let Li Sutai and Subbandai come over, so Xifu and others thought that Gaizhou was still there, and the Ming army just went around.

Monk Ding Yi is happy to join the army in Haizhou, and he is not in a hurry to attack the city. This time, he did not surrender. First, he blocked three gates and surrounded Haizhou with more than 2 people from the two armies, and then rested for a day or two. Eat meat in large pieces and make up for it.

He is now fighting like the Mongols, and he is also driving a large number of sheep, because they both raise sheep in Fuzhou and Jinzhou, and this time they captured Gaizhou and got a lot of livestock to eat first.
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While Monk Ding Yi was pleased to gather his troops, Shen Shikui's East Route Army had already arrived at Niu Mao Village.

Niu Mao Zhai is located in the north valley of Niu Mao Mountain between Daya River and Liudao River in the west of Huanren.Niumao Mountain is the largest mountain in Huanren. "There are many high mountains and mountains around it, and it is famous in ancient and modern times."

It used to be an important military fortress on the "Zhenjiang Road" leading to Hetuala, the capital city of Houjin, in the Ming Dynasty, and it is only a few tens of miles away from Hetuala.

Niu Mao Village is about 4 miles wide from east to west, and 4 miles long from north to south.The territory is open and the soil is fertile.One side faces the river and is surrounded by mountains. It is suitable for farming, herding, fishing and hunting. It is suitable for stationing and training troops and is good for defense.

In the past, this was the channel for the Ming army to attack Hetuala, but now it has become the stronghold in front of Hetuala.

Originally, there were only a few hundred soldiers in the Qing Dynasty here. Since the rise of Ding Yi, and the soldiers have attacked Zhenjiang several times, Huang Taiji has attached great importance to the defense line here, and sent two thousand more soldiers and horses. The terrain here, facing the river on one side, surrounded by mountains, can be said to be easier to defend and harder to attack than Gaizhou and Haizhou.

Because the mountain roads are rough and difficult, they took three months to bring the Hongyi cannons in by themselves, so it would be very difficult for Shen Shikui to go in with heavy artillery.

Without heavy artillery, there is no way to use their walls, not to mention that Huang Taiji also learned Ding Yi's defense method, and there are bunkers and sandbags everywhere.

On October [-]th, Shen Shikui first went outside Niu Mao Village and found a high place. He took all the generals to look at it with a telescope from a distance, and also frowned: "This place is not easy to attack. Fortunately, we have gasoline bombs." .”

Otherwise, it is almost impossible to get in.

All the generals also marveled at how easy it is to defend but difficult to attack.

It is said that Mao Wenlong fought down and beheaded two hundred and three people in return for his meritorious service. It is known as the great victory of Liangma Dian in history. Many people in later generations suspect that it is false.

But looking at it now, it is indeed difficult to attack.

The valley where Niu Mao Zhai is located runs from south to north and then to east. The terrain is high in the south and low in the north, with a length of about 23 miles.The east, south and west sides of the valley are high mountains, and the Dadianzi River flows out of the valley from south to north along the roots of the mountains on the east side, and flows into Liudao River.

The middle and lower sections of the valley are flat and open, with a width of 8 miles at the widest point; the mountains in the middle and upper sections gradually shrink, with a width of about 1.5 miles; the upper part is still very open, with a width of about 4 miles.Overlooking the upper valley, it is slightly dumbbell-shaped.The village site is located on the left bank of Dadianzi River in the middle and upper section of the valley, 6 miles away from the residential center of the villagers in Dadianzi Village.

The only way in is from Sidaohezi Village outside the ditch to Dagou, near the left bank of Dadianzi River, and extends southward into the ditch.

This road has a river on the right and a mountain on the left. It is about six miles long and less than three meters wide. At the end, you can see a section of the wall. (It is exactly the same as the mountain road, and it is almost impossible to attack.)
Originally, the wall was about one foot high, but later it was increased to two feet in order to defend against Ding Yi, and the bottom was nearly seven feet wide. The soil on the wall was mixed with a large number of medium and small river pebbles, which was extremely strong and difficult for artillery to break through.

The total length of the plug wall is about 700 meters. It starts from the bank of Dadianzi River in the east and reaches the mountain in the west.On the north side of the wall of the village, a moat is about 1 foot deep and 1.5 meters wide.

After Shen Shikui arrived, the gate was also blocked with stones, and all the Qing soldiers stood firm in the gate.

On the 700-meter plug wall, there is a blockhouse every 50 meters, which is piled up with mudstone and river pebbles and sandbags, and a cannon is placed.

There are a total of six Hongyi cannons here, more than those in Gaizhou. Huang Taiji traveled more than 20 miles for several months to transport these heavy cannons.

This is very scary, Shen Shikui looked through the binoculars.

The six-mile road in front of the wall is the most difficult, with the river on the right and the mountains on the left. The road is only three meters wide, and it is all rugged and uneven. Some slopes even reach [-] or [-] degrees, up and down suddenly.

And Huang Taiji's Hongyi cannon can be fired two or three miles away, and it is condescending.

And after 500 meters into the Saimen, there are small cannons on the low hillsides on both sides, which can directly hit the main road, which is equivalent to shelling from three sides.

If you want to go here, you have to go forward while climbing the mountain. The movement will be very slow, and you will be bombarded non-stop.

This section of the road is so difficult, no matter Ding Yi's artillery or trebuchet, it is almost impossible to hit it, and it is difficult to transport it up.

"Damn, this place is difficult." The generals around Shen Shikui cursed after seeing it.

"It's difficult to do." Shen Shikui said in a deep voice: "Monk Ding Yi is gratifying. It's time to take down Haizhou. If we can't even take down Niu Maozhai, wouldn't the Eastern Route Army be the worst."

The generals were furious immediately, who would dare to say that our Eastern Route Army is the most trash?Everyone hurriedly thought of a way, how to pass, or climb the few miles ahead with minimal casualties.

(End of this chapter)