Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Datong is indeed one of the nine important border towns. After months of attacks and heavy casualties, it has still not been conquered. How can I explain this to the Emperor?" Prince Xin Doni looked at the generals in the tent with a frown and sighed.

"Your Highness, Datong City is strong and difficult to conquer. Shaohukou is very rich. It is better to divide our troops to attack Shaohukou. On the one hand, we can replenish our army's supplies, and on the other hand, we can cut off the financial resources of the Wei Army." Beile Duran spoke first, and when he talked about cutting off the financial resources of the Wei Army, his eyes glowed green.

"We can indeed get some money and food by killing Hukou, but it is of no benefit to the overall situation. Now Bai Fuyuan is leading the Shanxi Green Camp to fight with the pseudo-Liao King in Yanmen and Ningwu. I think we should send a detachment to force a crossing of the Shili River and go south to Huairen and Shanyin to cut off the pseudo-Liao King's retreat. In this way, the guards in the south of Datong will inevitably be defeated, and the guards in the city will be even more isolated and helpless. After our army joins forces with the Shanxi Green Camp, their strength will be greatly increased, and it will be easy to attack Datong again," Beile Shangshan proposed.

Donny rolled his eyes at Duran, meaning that Shangshan was a mature and prudent person who planned for the country, unlike you who only knew how to steal things all day long. He said calmly: "What Beile Shangshan said makes sense, so I order you and Gushan Ezhen Jixiha, Zhejiang Town General Shang Haoren, and Fujian Town General Wu Wanfu to lead an army of 20,000 to the south to attack the rear of the pseudo-Liao king; the offensive on Datong will be suspended, and all armies must speed up the construction of earth walls and fences to trap the guards in the city. Humph! Not even a bird is allowed to fly out of Datong."

When he said this, Doni's eyes flashed with ferocity. He couldn't help but be angry. After taking Baideng Mountain and dividing his forces with the governor of Xuanda, Tong Yangliang, he originally had an army of 110,000, but now he has lost 20,000. With this way of fighting, even if he recaptured Datong, his army would be crippled. What was even more painful was that although he had always let the Han army rush in the front and put the Eight Banners warriors in the back, the guards had more cavalry. Every time the guards cavalry rushed over, the Eight Banners cavalry had to fight back. Now the Eight Banners warriors under his command have suffered 3,000 casualties. How could he explain this to the emperor when he returned to Beijing? Every time he thought of the heavy losses in the attack on Datong, a raging fire burned in his heart, and he wanted to kill people!
"Yes~" All the generals accepted the order in unison.

"Your Highness, I think Datong City is strong and the defenders are numerous, so we need to petition the emperor for reinforcements," said Gushan Ezhen Luotuo.

As soon as these words came out, the generals in the tent couldn't help but blush. The army attacking Datong had already reached 155,000 people. It would be embarrassing to need reinforcements for such a strong force.

"I heard that the emperor has ordered the transfer of troops from Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan to Datong, and the reinforcements are on the way. Do we need to request more reinforcements?" Donny asked with a gloomy face.

"The armies in Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan are too far away. Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Moreover, people in the south may not be able to adapt to the northern climate. I think we still need to draw troops from all over the north," Roto still insisted on his opinion.

"Where are the soldiers? The elite troops from the capital, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi have almost been withdrawn, and the remaining ones have to stay in important cities. Where are the soldiers to be transferred to Datong?" Donny said with a frown.

Luo Tuo smiled and said, "Didn't the emperor order various places to train 200,000 green troops a few days ago? Although the actual number of troops is not that large, the newly-formed green troops in the north still have more than 50,000 soldiers. Why don't we ask the emperor to transfer them to Datong?"

Donnie was puzzled. "Those are newly established battalions with very weak combat capabilities. What's the point of transferring them to Datong?"

"These new battalions are not very useful in large-scale battles, but they are very good for attacking cities," said Roto.

Donnie understood what he meant. Using the newly formed Green Camp troops as cannon fodder for the siege would not only consume the city's defense supplies, but also reduce the casualties of elite soldiers. It was just a pity to let these newly formed troops sacrifice themselves in the brutal siege in vain!
After pondering for a while, the prince finally made up his mind, "I will now submit a petition to the emperor requesting that the newly established Green Camps from the northern provinces be transferred to Datong to assist in the war."
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When Doni's memorial requesting reinforcements was presented to Emperor Shunzhi, the emperor was so angry that he slammed the desk and said, "Doni has misled me! I put the main forces of the Eight Banners and the elite troops of the Green Camp in various provinces under his command. Not only has he failed to capture Datong, but he even has the nerve to ask me for reinforcements. Humph! Where can I send the reinforcements?" "Your Majesty, please calm down. Prince Xin has always been calm. He must have encountered practical difficulties when he submitted the memorial requesting reinforcements," advised Ebilun, the Grand Chamberlain of the Imperial Guard and the Minister of State Affairs.

"I think what Ebilun said makes sense. Datong is a well-known fortified city in the world, and the guards must have deployed heavy troops to defend it. Prince Xin had to ask for reinforcements. What's more, Prince Xin only requested the newly formed Green Camp troops in the north, not the Eight Banners stationed in Beijing, so it may be possible to agree to it," echoed Sony, the Grand Secretary and Minister of State Affairs.

Emperor Shunzhi hesitated, "I finally ordered the provinces to train some green troops, but before the training is completed, they are going to be sent to the Datong battlefield?"

"Ahem~ Ahem~" Fan Wencheng, the chief academician and minister of state affairs, who had been retired at home but was summoned by Emperor Shunzhi to discuss military affairs, coughed twice and suddenly spoke, "Your Majesty, 'A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step'. The closer you are to success in this world, the harder it is!"

As expected of a famous counselor of the Qing Dynasty, he enlightened Emperor Shunzhi with just one sentence. Indeed, the closer things are to success, the more difficult they become. Datong City was about to be conquered, and it was understandable that Doni complained and asked for help at this critical moment. The court had invested the most elite troops in Datong and suffered huge casualties. If Datong could not be taken, it would seriously affect its prestige and would also hit the military and people's hearts of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, no matter how much it cost, Datong must be taken! Thinking of this, Emperor Shunzhi was ruthless, "Pass on my decree, the newly-formed green camps in the northern provinces plus Huguang, Jiangxi, Jiangnan, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Guangxi will all be transferred to Datong for service."

As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the important officials present were shocked. This meant that the number of troops sent to Datong by the court had increased by another 70,000, and it also meant that the emperor was determined to capture Datong.
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"My Lord, I have already found out that the line from Yunchuanwei to Shaohukou is guarded by Elinqin Batur, the general of Datong, and the south bank of Shilihe River is guarded by Changwei Zhengbu, the Wanhu of Mobei. Both of them are veterans and their guard is very tight. But~" Wu Wanfu, the general of Fujian Town, carefully reported to Lord Shangshan.

Shangshan, 42 years old, had participated in a series of battles since entering the Pass. He was considered a rare young and strong general among the Qing imperial family. After following Doni's order to go south, this Beile led his troops to sneak all the way and soon reached the north bank of the Shili River. However, he was not in a hurry to cross the river, but hid his men and horses in the dense forest and sent scouts to conduct reconnaissance.

"But what? You Han people are really not straightforward. Why do you leave half of what you say halfway? Tell me quickly," Shangshan said displeased.

"However, for some reason, the defense in the Xia Mi Village area on the south bank of the lower reaches of Shili River was very lax. The people sent to check reported that some defenders were actually sleeping soundly while on duty," Wu Wanfu replied hurriedly when he saw that the commander was unhappy.

"Are you worried that the Wei army will lure our army to Xiami Village for an ambush?" Shang Shan understood what he meant.

"Your Excellency is wise. Wei Zheng is a veteran of the Wei Army. His subordinates should not have made such a mistake."

Shang Shan hesitated for a moment, then said angrily: "No matter if it's a trick or not, let's fight first." (End of this chapter)