I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 308 Behind him are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians from Liaodong
Zhou Guotai and Wei Jianping looked very embarrassed.

Tricky!
The Ming army was facing 90,000 Tartars who were fighting a desperate battle.

They knew very well that only by conquering Kaiyuan, Tieling, Fushun, and taking Shenyang and Liaoyang would they survive. Otherwise, they would starve to death or freeze to death in the ice and snow!

In order to survive, these 90,000 Tartars must fight desperately and burst out with extremely strong combat power.

The Ming army had only 27,000 cavalry and infantry and 10,000 guards. The only things they could rely on were the city walls and some firearms.

After the main force of the Ming army was attracted to the Liaohe Hetao area, most of the artillery and muskets were transferred there. Not many were left in Liaodong, and most of them were left in Shenyang and Liaoyang cities.

It was easy to transport muskets, but there was no time to transport cannons to Kaiyuan City and Fushun City.

All in all, this will be a very dangerous battle with an unpredictable outcome.

"Tumen Khan has staked the future of our tribe and our lives on this. We cannot just sit there and wait for death. This governor has made the decision, Zhou Guotai!"

"The general is here!"

Zhou Guotai stood up and answered loudly.

"You lead your troops to defend Kaiyuan City. Kaiyuan City is very important. Due to the terrain of mountains and rivers, whether the northern barbarians go south from Zhenbei Pass or west from Guangshun Pass, they must pass Kaiyuan City to reach Tieling City directly!
This governor orders you to strictly defend Kaiyuan City. If you cannot hold it, retreat to Tieling City!"

"Yes! I will live and die with Kaiyuan City!"

Tan Lun issued a military order, and Zhou Guotai gladly accepted it.

The two looked at each other, knowing what was going on.

If Kaiyuan City cannot be defended, there is no need to defend Tieling City.

Because after fighting desperately in Kaiyuan City until the last moment, Zhou Guotai would not have many troops left to defend Tieling City. Moreover, the terrain of Tieling City is not as strategic as Kaiyuan City.

After taking Kaiyuan City, Tumen Khan could lead his army to bypass Tieling City and go straight to Shenyang City.

Zhou Guotai must stay in Kaiyuan City.

As long as people are in the city, they remain. If people die, the city is lost!
"Wei Jianping!"

"The general is here!"

"You lead your troops to defend Fushun City! Behind you, there is no Tieling City, only Shenyang City and Liaoyang City!"

"Don't worry, Commander! I swear to live and die with Fushun City!"

Tan Lun looked at the two of them, his eyes sparkling.

He was stationed in Jiliao Town for several years. Because Qi Jiguang was in Jizhou, he stayed in Liaodong Town for a longer time and was very familiar with the generals of Liaodong Town.

Among these dozens of generals, he did not like the most famous Li Chengliang very much, and he liked and respected Zhou Guotai and Wei Jianping the most.

They were also young and vigorous, brave and skilled in war, but they were less scheming and more pure and sincere than Li Chengliang.

When drawing troops from Liaodong Town to support western Liaoning, Tan Lun had some selfish motives and sent Li Chengliang and other generals there, leaving Zhou Guotai and Wei Jianping by his side.

But after this battle, I don’t know if I can see them again.

"I will write an urgent letter immediately and report it to Guangning City, Xinghua City, and the capital."

Wei Jianping was delighted when he heard this. "Xiantai, it will only take seven or eight days to reach Xinghua City if we gallop day and night. If General Qi mobilizes more troops, he will surely be able to rush to Liaodong to provide assistance in twenty days."

Zhou Guotai waved his hand, not as optimistic as he was.

"Not so fast. Liaohe also has 20,000 to 30,000 people from the Duoyan and Taining tribes led by Tumen Khan's uncle Heishitan, as well as the Kharachin and Kharashen tribes.

They are scattered in the Liaohe River area. If General Qi doesn't wipe them out completely, how dare he send troops to help us?"

Hearing this, Wei Jianping was discouraged. "Yes. If we wipe out the Black Coal Group, it will probably take a month or two. By then, it will be snowing heavily and the outcome will be clear."

"Yes, we can only rely on ourselves."

Tan Lun said this dejectedly, raised his head to look at the roof, and returned to his previous calm and stern expression.

"I will return to defend Shenyang City, coordinate and gather troops, and come to your aid at any time. This battle concerns the safety of Liaodong. I hope you will consider the hundreds of thousands of people in Liaodong and perform your duties conscientiously."

"I will defend this city till death and never abandon it!"

Tan Lun looked at the two young faces, his lips trembling, with a thousand words in his heart, but he didn't know where to start, so he just sighed: "

Liaodong is a remote area and has never been valued by the imperial court. Except for Liaoyang, Shenyang and other cities, Kaiyuan, Fushun and other cities were garrison cities built when the frontier was opened up more than a hundred years ago. They have low walls and small cities and have been in disrepair for many years.

There are too many holes left in the nine borders of the Ming Dynasty, and it will take time to fill them. In the past few years, firearms, steel bars and cement have been developed. However, the production is limited, and most of them are used in the capital, Xuanda and Shanxi. The Liaodong area was only allocated last year. Originally, we thought of repairing while fighting, but man proposes, God disposes.

Kaiyuan City, Fushun City! If only this governor could have another 10,000 or 20,000 fresh troops, that would be great." The urgent report was sent to Xinghua City. After reading it, Qi Jiguang's face changed drastically and he quickly asked someone to invite Xu Wei.

"Brother Yuan Jing, we have already found out that the one who entered the cage in the Liaohe River is Black Coal, the uncle of Tumen Khan, and his followers number about 20,000."

Xu Wei walked into the hall excitedly, and seeing Qi Jiguang's face that was so gloomy that it seemed like water was about to drip out, he immediately stopped talking and asked instead.

"Qi Shuai, what happened?"

Qi Jiguang handed the urgent report from Liaodong to Xu Wei.

Xu Wei hurriedly took it, opened it and looked at it carefully. As he looked at it, his hands trembled slightly and his face turned red.

After reading it, he slammed the urgent report on the table next to him and said, "Dong Fox! How dare you bully me! I will cut you into pieces and wipe out your entire clan!"

When Qi Jiguang saw Xu Wei's furious look, he knew that he was angry at Dong Huli.

As a secret agent planted by the Ming Dynasty next to Tumen Khan, you failed to deliver such important intelligence in time, causing the Ming army to be tricked by Tumen Khan and attack Liaodong from the north.

Once Liaodong is destroyed, the Ming Dynasty will become a joke!
He laid a tight net, waiting for the tiger to fall into the pit, but he was eventually bypassed by someone from the back and got his ass exploded!

If Tumen Khan really conquered Kaiyuan and Fushun, captured Shenyang and Liaoyang, plundered Liaodong, and hibernated there comfortably, the situation south of the desert would be reversed when the news got out.

The prestige that the Ming Dynasty had worked so hard to establish would be completely destroyed.

If the Northern Barbarians lose their sense of awe, the Nine Borders will probably become troublesome again.

The political enemies and upright figures in the court who were waiting for an opportunity would rush forward and tear Qi Jiguang, Xu Wei, Tan Lun and others apart like a pack of wolves.

Qi Jiguang had been reading the urgent report for some time and had calmed down from his shock.

"Brother Wen, don't worry. Dong Huli may have his own difficulties. Tumen Khan is cunning and suspicious by nature. Apart from his relatives, he rarely trusts outsiders.

This time, Tumen Khan's secret plan of making a feint to the west and attacking the east might have deceived Dong Huli.

Brother Wen, regardless of whether or not Dong Huli betrayed the Ming Dynasty, the most urgent task now is how to deal with this dilemma. "

Xu Wei also calmed down.

"Tumen Khan is fighting for his life! If they can't take Shenyang and Liaoyang before the heavy snow and cold winter come, they will be dead. I didn't expect Tumen Khan to dare to bet all the main forces of the Chahar tribe and gamble with me, the Ming Dynasty!"

Qi Jiguang nodded: "I really don't know what Tumen Khan was thinking. He actually dared to gamble his life and property on this one. Including the Jurchens, Tumen Khan had 90,000 people, and they were 90,000 elite soldiers who fought desperately.

But Mr. Tan only has two armies, Zhou Guotai and Wei Jianping, with 29,000 men, guarding two cities. It's dangerous, very dangerous!"

Xu Wei stroked his beard and said, "We are unable to send troops to help them for the time being. How hateful! Instead, we are pinned down by the black coal in the Liaohe River.

Those who plot against others will also be plotted against! "

Qi Jiguang said in distress: "Yes, now the Black Coal Group has penetrated deep into the Liaohe River area. We thought we had finally caught a big fish. But it turned out to be a trap that trapped us and we couldn't move.

Even if we know the whereabouts of the Black Carbon Tribe and divide our forces to encircle them, it will probably take one or two months. By then, the outcome of Liaodong should be decided."

Xu Wei's eyes sparkled and his expression became somewhat fierce.

"Qi Shuai, how about this?"

He leaned close to Qi Jiguang's ear and whispered a few words.

Qi Jiguang's face turned pale, "No, I can't gamble with the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers."

"General Qi, how can this be considered a gamble? If Tumen Khan conquers Shenyang and Liaoyang and plunders Liaodong, even if we destroy Heishitan, this Chahar detachment will be useless.

The Northern Tartars are gaining momentum, and Tumen Khan is famous in the south of the desert. More Tatars and Jurchens will join him. The Chahar tribe also gained a mountain of military equipment and supplies from plundering Liaodong, and their strength has greatly increased. It will be even more difficult for us to fight them in the future!

Why don't we take this opportunity and give it a try! "

Qi Jiguang was silent for a while, but still shook his head: "No. I know what Mr. Wenchang meant. Liaodong fell, and Qi Jiguang was the brunt of it. He can't escape the blame. It's better to take a chance, and the merits and demerits can be offset, and keep the title and career!
No, Qi cannot put tens of thousands of soldiers in danger for his own selfish interests."

Xu Wei stamped his feet and said, "Stupid! Qi Yuanjing, why are you so stupid! Is this plan of mine to protect your future? What I am thinking about is how to defeat the Chahar tribe and fulfill the trust of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Don't you remember what His Royal Highness said to us?"

Qi Jiguang's face changed and he was hesitant to make a decision.

At this time, a military school student reported at the gate: "Report! Heishitan is 120 miles northeast of Chifeng City and has surrounded part of our army."

Qi Jiguang asked sharply, "Which one?"

"Two thousand soldiers led by Li Chengcai, the Lieutenant General of Liaoxi Town, escorted the grain and grass team transported by Ye Mengxiong, the Governor of Liaoxi, from Tongliao."

(End of this chapter)