Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The Battle of Haizhou has been won!"

Upon receiving the news, Zhu Youjian in the capital was overjoyed.

Sending new recruits from southern Liaoning to fight put immense pressure on him.

If these recruits, trained rapidly with firearms, prove ineffective, then his proposed industrialized army is simply out of the question.

The victory at Liaonan Town immediately boosted his confidence, confirming that his war strategy was correct.

Yuan Keli, who came to deliver the good news, said:
"It was only a victory in close combat; I dare not say that it was a complete success."

"According to reports from the front, 422 Tartar heads were obtained, and about 300 Tartar heads were confirmed to have been killed without obtaining any heads."

"They forced the leaders of the Naiman and Aohan tribes to surrender, along with more than four thousand of their men."

"The total number of victories was approximately five thousand."

This victory can be considered a rare and significant triumph, especially considering it was achieved by a group of new recruits who had been training for less than three months.

Zhu Youjian said with satisfaction:

"Yang Jiamo played well!"

"Give him the highest honors."

"All rewards for the soldiers must be distributed immediately."

Yuan Keli was equally delighted, but upon hearing this, he hesitated and said:

"The bestowal of rewards, however, presents some difficulties."

"General Yang promised to double the merits of the battle before the war."

"This is not stipulated in the military merit system established by the Privy Council. I wonder if this is permissible?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian frowned, realizing that this matter was somewhat difficult to handle.

Although the Privy Council has no relevant regulations, the front lines are currently engaged in battle, and we cannot let the morale of the soldiers on the front lines be dampened.

He asked Yuan Keli:

What is the Privy Council's opinion on this?

How does Yang Jiamo explain this?

Yuan Keli said:

"General Yang said that this was a decision he made on his own when the war situation was critical."

"But he could not break his promise. If the court did not agree, he was willing to share his military achievements with the soldiers on the front lines."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian's expression softened, and he said to Yuan Keli:
"Yang Jiamo is capable!"

"We cannot discourage such a general."

"He felt it was necessary for the war situation, and it must have been necessary at the time."

"His military achievements should be accounted for as they should be, and his unauthorized promises should be reprimanded by imperial decree."

Yang Jiamo was given a minor punishment as a warning, and the matter was simply dropped.

After all, Yang Jiamo's achievements were extremely important to Zhu Youjian, as they solidified his authority in the military field.

From now on, even if he doesn't interfere with specific commands, the Privy Councilors and frontline generals will not dare to treat him as someone who doesn't understand military affairs and try to fool him.

Yuan Keli also felt that it was not the time to deal with frontline generals and had no objection to it.

But the matter of military merit needed to be resolved, so he continued to inquire:
How are the military merits of soldiers on the front lines calculated?

Should we pay them back?

This involves thousands of heads, as well as official positions and titles.

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment and then decided to say:
Whether it can be fulfilled depends on how well the game goes.

"If you play well, everything is fine; if you play poorly, who has the face to even mention it?"

"Have the Privy Council draft a regulation that designates battles in which more than 10,000 enemy soldiers are killed or captured and that significantly alter the course of the war as major battles."

"The credit for the main battle can be set at two to three times that of ordinary battles."

"If a decisive blow is dealt to the enemy, the reward can be tripled to the maximum amount."

"Let the soldiers on the front lines fight well; what kind of credit they can earn depends on themselves."

Yuan Keli smiled upon hearing this, thinking it was a good idea:
They neither blindly granted the requests from the front lines nor hurt their feelings.

Judging from the situation at Haizhou, the Liaonan Army, which has already annihilated and captured more than 5,000 enemy soldiers and trapped the two Red Banners in the city, is capable of turning the Battle of Haizhou into a major battle.

They have the ability to receive double the reward, and even have the chance to receive triple it.

At the same time, Yuan Keli, who did not want to indulge the military generals, also suggested to the emperor:
"Victory will be rewarded, and defeat will be punished."

"I believe that even if a soldier who has rendered meritorious service is defeated, he should only be rewarded with half the amount of the reward."

Zhu Youjian wanted to nod, but then felt it would be unfair to the soldiers who were fighting so hard, so he said:

"Soldiers risk their lives for meritorious service, and their rewards should not be reduced."

"But officers can forget about getting credit for their command if the battle is lost."

"The commanding officer in charge should be held accountable afterward."

"If there are indeed oversights in the command and they were not discussed in a meeting, the corresponding responsibilities should be investigated."

Instruct the Privy Council to amend the Military Merit Regulations in accordance with this directive.
-
After deciding these things, Zhu Youjian, who was determined not to interfere in the frontline battles, still couldn't help but ask:
"How is the situation at the front now?"

"What outcome does the General Staff estimate?"

Yuan Keli did not answer, but gave the opportunity to Yang Sichang, who had also come to report good news.

He pointed to a map and explained it to the emperor in detail:

"Currently, in the Haizhou area, our army has assembled 40,000 soldiers from Liaonan Town and 10,000 soldiers from Tianxiong Army."

"There are more than 40,000 Ning troops in Niuzhuang and along the Liao River. There are also 5,000 cavalry transferred from Liaodong to the Left Army Camp, 5,000 from the Beijing Army Camp, and more than 4,000 from the Shesheng Camp, totaling nearly 15,000 new troops."

"After the losses in battle, the army still has more than 50,000 men."

"Now, Commander Sun is working with the navy to open up the Haicheng River and try to transfer troops there under the protection of warships."

"Cao Wenzhao and Sun Yingyuan led 10,000 new troops as the vanguard to support Liaonan Town in Haizhou."

"It is estimated that our army will be able to assemble 60,000 troops in Haizhou when the decisive battle is launched."

"There is also the 5,000 troops of the Earl of Dongjiang, who are said to be going to bypass Liaoyang and launch a surprise attack on Haizhou. I don't know when they will arrive."

This number made Zhu Youjian nod, feeling that they had an advantage in troop strength.

He continued to inquire:
"What about the Jurchens?"

"Have you found out exactly how many of them there are?"

Yang Sichang said with some excitement:

"According to information revealed by the leaders of the Naiman and Aohan tribes, Huang Taiji left behind two Yellow Banners with approximately 10,000 men."

"Dodo's Plain White Banner had thirty Niru, with a strength of about nine thousand men."

"Dorgon and Ajige's Bordered White Banner suffered heavy losses, and no more than five thousand men were still capable of fighting."

"The total number of genuine Tartars from the two Yellow Banners and two White Banners on the Haizhou front is no more than 25,000."

"The two red flags in Haizhou City number about 15,000 people."

"These 40,000 men are the main force of the Jurchens. The rest of the Mongol troops have become insignificant after Naiman and Aohan surrendered. The Han and Korean troops can now only serve as auxiliary troops responsible for logistics."

After this analysis, the battle situation became clear:

The Ming army at the Haizhou front had to face the Jurchen's main force of 40,000 men.

It was difficult to fight these 40,000 men gathered together, but because the Jurchens wanted to defend Haizhou, they were divided into two parts by the Ming Dynasty.

If one side is restrained while the other side concentrates superior forces to launch a fierce attack, victory is possible.

Of course, Zhu Youjian would not give direct instructions on specific tactics; everything depended on the frontline personnel to demonstrate their abilities.

He even emphasized this again to Yuan Keli and Yang Sichang:
"The situation on the front lines is constantly changing; do not interfere with how we fight."

"Even if you have ideas, you can only submit them to the commander-in-chief through the observation team for reference."

Whether or not it is implemented at the front depends entirely on their decision.

Yuan Keli and Yang Sichang bowed their heads in agreement. Zhu Youjian then addressed them:
"Of course, how to deploy troops in other areas is still your responsibility."

"Now the Guan Ning Army and the Liaonan Army have all been deployed."

"It is somewhat dangerous not to have an army as a reserve force."

"What are your plans? Which army will you deploy to provide support?"

Yuan Keli said with some surprise, "Your Majesty, we have already amassed more than 100,000 troops at the front, and we are really running out of manpower!"

"Even if we wanted to mobilize more troops, we wouldn't have enough rice to cook."

Zhu Youjian, upon hearing this, said with displeasure:
"With 100,000 troops in the Beijing Garrison and over 300,000 in the Great Wall Army, can't even a single soldier be mobilized?"

"What did Zhu Xieyuan say? Did any of his subordinates volunteer for battle?"

It turned out they were mobilizing troops from the Great Wall line. Yuan Keli breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"General Qin Liangyu, who is in charge of defending Miyun, requests to lead his White-Spear Soldiers into battle."

"She said that she had received imperial favor in recent years, and had even been allocated many firearms. Now she wanted to go to the battlefield to avenge her brother!"

More than two thousand of the White-Clad Soldiers died in the Battle of Hunhe.

Qin Liangyu's elder brothers, Qin Bangping and Qin Banghan, died in that battle.

Many of the White-Spear Soldiers harbored deep hatred for the Jurchens.

There is no doubt about this army's fighting spirit against the Jurchens. Zhu Youjian had previously placed them in Miyun to assist in the defense of key locations such as Gubeikou.

However, after Man Gui's victory at the Battle of Daning and the main force of the Jurchens being tied down at the Niuzhuang line, it was somewhat wasteful to continue deploying the White-Spear Army behind the Great Wall.

After some thought, Zhu Youjian asked Yuan Keli:

"How is the rectification of Changping Town and Lingwei going?"

"Can we send troops to assist in the defense of the Miyun area?"

This was a task assigned last year to reorganize the Beijing Garrison, and most of the garrison's efforts were focused on this.

Yuan Keli, thinking about Li Banghua's report, replied:
"Xu Chengming was very dedicated and responsible. Last year, he even came up with a plan to go out of Juyong Pass to fight the Jianzhou Jurchens."

"This person is capable of assisting in the defense of Miyun."

Zhu Youjian nodded and said:
"Then let Qin Liangyu go into battle and join forces with Man Gui to threaten the Jurchens from the western grasslands."

"We also need to reinforce the east, and we need to be able to get them there quickly."

After much deliberation, Yuan Keli and Yang Sichang actually managed to find several troops.

Yang Sichang spoke first:
"Liaonan Garrison has four brigades, each with a strength of 10,000 men."

"Only 20,000 troops were actually deployed this time; the other 20,000 were recruited from disaster victims in Shaanxi and refugees in Liaodong."

"I believe that apart from Gaizhou, other places in southern Liaoning are not in danger of the Jurchens, so we can send out another 10,000 men."

Yuan Keli then said:

"With the Dalinghe defense line in front, the danger to Shanhaiguan is not great."

"Commander-in-Chief Sun requested that Ma Shilong be transferred to the front line. I believe that he can lead 10,000 troops."

"In addition, the Tianxiong Army trained by Governor Lu can also be transferred up the 10,000 troops left behind."

The total number of these three armies has reached 30,000. Zhu Youjian nodded in approval:
"Ten thousand troops can be mobilized to Shanhaiguan Town and transported there by the navy via the Liao River."

"Preparations can be made in Liaonan, and Sun Guozhen should be instructed to intensify the training of new recruits so that they can be transferred there when needed."

"Let's leave Tianxiong Army alone this time. Hebei and Shandong have been hit by severe floods this year, and we need troops to defend them."

Ten thousand troops will be reinforced first, and the remaining troops in Liaonan will be prepared.

At the same time, Zhu Youjian ordered the Privy Council to recruit and train elite troops from the Beijing Garrison and the Great Wall Army Corps to form a force that dared to go to the front lines.

This army was led by Zhou Yuji, who had returned from Shanxi, and consisted mainly of 3,000 brave soldiers from the Yongwei Battalion.

If the naval battle is lost, they will serve as Zhu Youjian's sharpest weapon to deal with any unforeseen dangers.

After all these arrangements were made, Zhu Youjian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter how the Battle of Haizhou unfolds, he is confident he can handle it.
-
Yang Jiamo, who received the imperial decree via carrier pigeon at the Haizhou front, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Showing the contents to the generals, Yang Jiamo said with great pride:

"Take a look!"

"The imperial court has acknowledged that our military achievements have been doubled, but they want us to win another victory like this."

"Tell me, do you all have confidence in this?"

The generals shouted "Yes!" and were all overjoyed.

They had previously heard Yang Jiamo mention that military achievements would be doubled, but they lacked confidence that this promise would come true.

After all, the imperial court's military merit regulations did not include this clause, and the current emperor placed great importance on the law, requiring everything to be in accordance with etiquette and law.

They thought the chances were slim, but when the emperor found out, he immediately ordered the Privy Council to revise the military merit regulations.

This made them feel a great deal of attention, and at the same time confirmed that Yang Jiamo was a confidant of the current emperor.

With such a commander leading them, they have no need to worry about their military achievements being erased.

These people were already thinking about getting double the credit, or even up to three times it.

Killing and capturing 5,000 enemies was not a problem at all for the Liaonan soldiers who had just won the victory.

Many people even considered the two Red Banners in Haizhou City as easy prey, believing that capturing these 15,000 Jurchens was only a matter of time.

Some even targeted Huang Taiji, who came to the rescue, hoping to wipe out the main force of the Jurchens.

Seeing that morale was high, Yang Jiamo, holding the advice relayed by the General Staff through the observation group, addressed the crowd:
"His Majesty said that it is better to cut off one finger than to injure all ten of the enemy's fingers. We should concentrate our superior forces to fight a war of annihilation."

"Chief of Staff Yang suggested that we send a part of the troops to contain the garrison in Haizhou City, while the main force attack Huang Taiji."

"Or we could use a portion of our troops to hold off Huang Taiji, while the rest of our forces launch a full-scale attack on Haizhou and capture the two Red Banners within the city."

"What do you think we should do? Which suggestion should we choose?"

The generals pondered upon hearing this, and the brave and fierce Cao Bianjiao said:
"Can't I choose both?"

"Let's attack Huang Taiji first, then the two red flags."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this, agreeing that the suggestion was correct.

Having just won a victory, they were brimming with confidence. Even if Huang Taiji and the two Red Flags joined forces, they dared to fight them.

They agreed without hesitation to attack Huang Taiji first, and then attack Daishan in the city after achieving victory.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Yang Jiamo naturally wouldn't dampen their spirits and decided to say:
"Then we'll continue the strategy of besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements. While surrounding Haizhou City, we'll also eliminate the reinforcements brought by Huang Taiji."

"If we can inflict a decisive blow on Huang Taiji, that would be three times the military merit."

"You all better fight well! Whether I can be ennobled depends on you!"

The generals responded with a resounding "Yes, sir!", showing complete confidence in the matter.

They also wanted to obtain titles and secure generations of wealth and status.

Cao Bianjiao, in particular, was eager to make great contributions after years of training and honing his skills.

After receiving the order, he went to select elite troops and had his subordinates inspect the weapons, preparing to show Huang Taiji his military strength.

The warriors who accompanied him on the expedition were equally eager to fight, determined to show everyone the power of warriors on the battlefield.
-
However, some people were uneasy about this. After the meeting, Lu Xiang-sheng privately told Yang Jia-mo:
"If the general really wants to do this, Huang Taiji is leading the most elite troops of the Jurchens?"

"The new recruits almost broke apart when they faced the White Banner a few days ago. What if something like that happens again?"

Yang Jiamo said confidently:
"Once you've fought a battle, you become a veteran."

"They were afraid when they first saw a large cavalry force, but they wouldn't be like that again."

"Besides, with Protector General Lu here, do I really need to worry about such things?"

He instructed Lu Xiang Sheng:

"Commander Lu, this time I'll trouble you to lead the supervisory team and kill any soldiers who dare to retreat."

“One person retreated and killed the squad leader; another squad retreated as a whole and killed their superior officer.”

Lu Xiang-sheng was instructed to formulate stricter battlefield military regulations based on the "Joint Responsibility in Battle" chapter of the "New Book of Military Efficiency".

When Lu Xiang-sheng heard that Yang Jia-mo had entrusted this matter to him, his face turned pale, and he even regretted asking Yang Jia-mo about this issue in private.

However, as the military commander, he did indeed have this responsibility, and if he refused, Yang Jiamo might have assigned a more ruthless general to lead the supervisory team.

So he eventually accepted the task and selected a thousand men from the Tianxiong Army to form a supervisory team.

At the same time, the military law of collective responsibility in the face of danger was compiled into a document and distributed to each squad so that officers and soldiers could discuss and understand it.

Make sure they know the consequences of retreating on the battlefield, and don't force them to enforce the military law of collective punishment in battle.

With such active preparations, everyone in Liaonan Town was ready for battle.

After the arrival of the Jianzhou Jurchens and the new army led by Cao Wenzhao and Sun Yingyuan, the area outside Haizhou City was filled with the atmosphere of a major battle.

Both the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens were eyeing the battle with covetous intent, hoping to win.

A battle that will determine the fate of Liaodong is about to unfold here. (End of Chapter)