Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Sun Chengzong, who was busy establishing a defensive line in Haizhou, was completely dumbfounded when he received news of the great victory in Liaoyang:
Because he never expected that his Guan Ning Army would have such combat power.

If they were so capable in the past, why did they remain locked in a stalemate at Niuzhuang for months without making any progress?

He now suspects that Hou Shilu and others are putting on an act for him, and that they are only going through the motions without putting in any real effort.

"Why didn't you say so earlier that this guy surnamed Hou was good at fighting?"

"How could I, an official, be one who is jealous of the virtuous and capable!"

Sun Chengzong thought bitterly to himself, but he knew that he had not cared about Hou Shilu before.

Even the imperial court didn't have high expectations for him.

The results achieved by the Guan Ning Army are completely beyond everyone's expectations.

When news of the Battle of Liaoyang arrived, many people were in a state of panic.

At this point, the collective deliberation system promoted by the imperial court began to take effect. Sun Chengzong, as the commander-in-chief, convened a meeting of all front-line committee members.

There are quite a few former members of the Front Committee gathered in Haizhou now. In addition to Sun Chengzong and You Shilu, Yang Jiamo, Yang Yufan, and Lu Xiangsheng are all newly joined members of the Front Committee.

Admiral Yu Zigao, who frequently traveled to Haizhou during this period, also participated in this meeting.

What pleased Sun Chengzong most was that Yu Zigao brought 10,000 reinforcements led by Ma Shilong, giving the Guan Ning Army another fresh force.

These 10,000 reinforcements were all motivated by the news of the land division along the Liao River and volunteered to join the battle. After learning of the great victory at Liaoyang, they were equally eager to fight.
"If Xie Shangzheng can win battles, why can't we?"

"What skills could someone like him, who rose through the ranks by relying on his fellow townsmen, possibly have?"

This was the general opinion among the Guan-Ning Army generals, who did not believe that Xie Shangzheng, who was promoted through Yuan Chonghuan, had much ability.

If he dares to lead his men into battle, what is there for him to fear?
These people volunteered to Ma Shilong, requesting to go directly to the front line.

Ma Shilong relayed this information to Sun Chengzong, who was extremely pleased upon learning of it.

Unlike Hou Shilu's request to fight, which he viewed as coercion, Ma Shilong's request to fight, which he trusted, made him feel that Ma was willing to fight.

Therefore, he said at the front-line meeting:

"Liaoyang has been recovered, and its defense must be arranged."

"Now all the armies are exhausted after months of fighting. Only the 10,000 soldiers led by Captain Ma have just arrived and can serve as reinforcements."

"I think we should send him to Liaoyang to be in charge of the city's defense."

This arrangement seemed fine at first glance, but to the generals who knew that Hou Shilu was leading his army to pursue the Jurchens, it was far too conservative.

Yang Jiamo, who had already been promoted to admiral and could barely rival Sun Chengzong, said:
"Commander, what we need to arrange now is not just how to defend the city, but how to continue the attack."

"The Jurchens have lost their courage after this battle, and now is the time to pacify Liaodong."

Yang Yufan agreed with this assessment and volunteered to lead his troops there.

Faced with the clamor of his generals for battle, Sun Chengzong couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed. His strategy for defending the city seemed outdated.

It was Liaodong Commander You Shilu who came to his rescue, saying:

"His Majesty has repeatedly ordered that no one should interfere in the fighting on the front lines."

"How to fight at the front should be determined by the front-line generals."

"The most important thing now is to establish a vanguard committee so that the generals at the front can decide whether or not to fight."

This proposal quelled the controversy.

Hou Shilu was undoubtedly appointed as the commander-in-chief of the front lines.

However, the position of Chief Protector is a different story.

Sun Chengzong believed that Ma Shilong, the military commander, was the most qualified, but others believed that Mao Wenlong, the former governor of Liaonan, was the most qualified.

It's one thing to not let someone serve as the commander-in-chief, but to deny them even the position of general seems too discriminatory.

Yang Jiamo, who replaced him as the Governor of Liaonan, firmly supported Mao Wenlong's appointment as the Commander-in-Chief.
"Marshal Mao spent many years in Liaodong and had the most experience in fighting behind enemy lines."

“Shenyang is the core area of ​​the Jurchens, and the Ming Dynasty was completely clueless about it.”

"Whether to fight or not, and how to fight, we must listen to Marshal Mao's advice."

With his strong support, the members of the Frontline Association voted to appoint Mao Wenlong as the Chief Protector.

However, Sun Chengzong's proposal to send Ma Shilong to provide support was also approved. He was appointed as the Protector-General of the Liaoyang garrison, paired with Sun Yingyuan.

The two, along with Cao Wenzhao and Liu Xingzuo, were included in the Vanguard Committee.

"General Sun led cavalry and infantry; it was a waste of his talents to have him defend the city."

"The most important thing now is to replenish the front lines with ammunition in a timely manner so that the new army has the ability to continue its offensive."

"I propose that all the ammunition in Haizhou City be transported to the front lines to support General Sun in continuing the fight."

Lu Xiangsheng, who served as the military commander of Liaonan Town, said.

During this period, he gained a profound understanding of the importance of logistics.

Judging from the tactics of the new army in firing guns on the battlefield, as long as there are no logistical problems, they can fight continuously for several days and nights.

Unlike the soldiers of the old army, who would be exhausted after a day of fighting.

This proposal also received a lot of support.

Even Sun Chengzong, who was extremely focused on defending the city, did not believe that the Jurchens had the ability to launch a surprise attack on Haizhou.

"In that case, there's no need for Haizhou to continue stockpiling ammunition; it can all be transported to the front lines," Yang Yufan said.

"Resupply must be made quickly, otherwise we may lose our chance in battle."

"I propose that Cao Bianjiao lead cavalry carrying a batch of ammunition ahead of Commandant Ma."

"We can bring out all the ammunition of our Restoration Army."

These words were truly noble and virtuous. Yang Jiamo, who was in charge of Liaonan Town, also suggested that Ma Ke lead a large cavalry unit carrying ammunition from Liaonan Town.

Before the meeting was over, they ordered Cao Bianjiao and Ma Ke to lead more than a thousand cavalrymen, carrying ammunition, to go there.

Cao Bianjiao, who hadn't had enough of fighting yet, disregarded everything else upon hearing the order. He entrusted the formation of the 382nd Brigade to Tian Jianxiu and led a large cavalry unit under his command, rushing off like the wind.

Marco shared the same idea, and the two of them rushed towards Anshanyi and Liaoyang almost without stopping.

Ma Shilong, after preparing logistical supplies, led his 10,000-strong army on a grand march.

Meanwhile, more troops were being mobilized, and Sun Chengzong and Yang Jiamo urgently applied to the imperial court for supplies, requesting that more ammunition be transferred.
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At the front lines, Hou Shilu, Cao Wenzhao, and others also felt the danger of insufficient ammunition.

When they had ample firearms and ammunition, they were able to chase after the Jurchens and fight them.

However, when it was necessary to conserve ammunition, the Jurchens gained the ability to counterattack.

Although the Guan Ning army, with its high morale, could handle such a counterattack, the constant losses and fatigue quickly eroded their fighting spirit.

If it weren't for the lure of capturing Shenyang, many people would probably have stopped.

However, if they continue to pursue them like this, the Jurchens, having discovered their weakness, are very likely to turn around and launch a counterattack.

"General, the Left Army Battalion is running low on ammunition; it can only last for two more battles at most."

"If we continue to pursue them now, we risk being counterattacked by the Jurchens."

Hearing Cao Wenzhao's words, Hou Shilu, who had been hot-blooded before, had to become cautious.

He did want to achieve great things, but not by risking his life.

After achieving victory in the Battle of Liaoyang and making meritorious contributions, he began to cherish his life.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Hou Shilu said:
"Then let's be cautious and wait for Marshal Mao and Marshal Liu to arrive."

"They have 20,000 infantrymen, enough to form a defensive formation."

"Also, hurry up and urge the rear to send supplies, and have them send the ammunition over."

He wrote a battle report explaining how close he was to Shenyang and requesting that ammunition, food, and other supplies be sent up.

His battle report was rather blunt, almost implying that the failure to capture Shenyang was the responsibility of the logistics officers.

Sun Chengzong, who had been praised by the emperor as akin to Xiao He, felt rather embarrassed. If he couldn't even do these things well, what face did he have to be granted a noble title?

So he dispatched another 10,000 troops to transport supplies to Liaoyang. At the same time, he expanded Anshan Post Station to enhance the transport capacity of this post road.

He also sent the navy to investigate the Hun River and the Taizi River. If the upstream areas hadn't already begun to freeze, he even planned to send troops to dredge the waterways.

Even so, the Ming army, which relied on land for supplies, encountered unprecedented trouble.

After noticing that the pursuing Ming army had stopped, Huang Taiji quickly guessed that the Ming army's supplies were not keeping up.

Therefore, he specifically dispatched cavalry to harass the Ming army's logistics.

After arriving in Liaoyang, Cao Bianjiao continued to deliver ammunition to Cao Wenzhao, but he was constantly harassed by them along the way. As a result, a lot of ammunition was wasted, and in the end, less than half of the expected amount was delivered.

"Even the strongest arrow at its end cannot pierce through fine silk."

"It seems that our army has reached its limit."

Having clearly grasped this feeling, Cao Wenzhao felt deeply regretful.

Because Shenyang City was just ahead, less than sixty li away from their encampment at Hupiyi.

However, this sixty-mile stretch was like an insurmountable chasm, making it very difficult for them to cross.

What's particularly unfavorable for them is that winter is now approaching and snowflakes have already begun to fall.

This led to a sharp increase in the Ming army's supply consumption at the front lines, and a rise in non-combat casualties as well.

Some generals were already considering resigning at this point.

In their view, capturing Liaoyang was enough, and they could wait until next year to capture Shenyang.

However, Hou Shilu showed decisiveness at this moment, and he said to his generals:
"We cannot retreat now. If we retreat now, the soldiers on the front lines will lose their morale, and we will have to wait until next year."

"Even if we establish a stockade here, we cannot completely retreat."

He ordered the army to build a camp at Hupiyi, waiting for more ammunition to be sent from the rear or for more troops to be dispatched.

He was determined to achieve great merit and be ennobled, and had no intention of retiring at this time.
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Zhu Youjian was another one who didn't want to withdraw.

Upon learning of the victory in the Battle of Liaoyang, Hou Shilu pursued the enemy to Hupiyi, and he also realized that this was an opportunity to pacify Liaodong.

Once the Jurchens are completely wiped out, there will be no need to maintain a large army on the front lines.

Not only could the Liaodong tax be abolished, but disaster victims also had a nearby place to migrate.

For him, this was a matter of life and death for the Ming Dynasty. It was also the reason why he was so determined to pacify Liaodong and eliminate the Jurchens.

Therefore, after receiving the news, he instructed the Privy Council to assess the situation:

What kind of support is needed at the front lines to pacify Liaodong? (End of Chapter)