Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 230 Standoff at Shanhaiguan

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Shanhaiguan was just two passes, without any Great Wall or city walls; it was simply a city situated on both banks of the Yu River.

During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu believed that this place was strategically important, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and therefore a pass had to be built.

So he ordered Xu Da to build the Great Wall passes.

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, it had been renovated during the reigns of six emperors: Hongwu, Chenghua, Jiajing, Wanli, Tianqi, and Chongzhen.

It took a great deal of manpower, material resources, and financial resources, and 263 years, to build a military defense system consisting of seven interconnected cities, with the Great Wall running through it.

At this moment, the pass connects the Yanshan Mountains to the north and is close to the Bohai Sea coast to the south. It stretches for 27 kilometers from north to south, and is incomparably majestic, like an impregnable fortress.

From the time of Nurhaci to the time of Huang Taiji, the Manchu Qing launched numerous attacks, but repeatedly met with setbacks. Most of the time, they did not even get close to Shanhaiguan and were defeated in Ningyuan.

This meant that when Huang Taiji invaded the Central Plains, he either had to detour through Mongolia and enter through Juyong Pass, or detour through the Liaoxi Corridor and raid the border via Lulong Pass (Xifengkou) and Gubeikou.

However, these two routes were difficult to traverse, with long supply lines and logistical challenges. As a result, although the Jurchens were able to defeat the Ming army, they could only plunder and could not occupy the territory.

Only by capturing Shanhaiguan would the Manchus have the ability to march south into the Central Plains.

If Wu Sangui hadn't opened the passes, even if Li Zicheng couldn't defeat the Manchus, holding the passes would have prevented the Jurchens from threatening the Shun regime, and the Central Plains would still have been a Han Chinese dynasty.

With the vast heritage of the Han people and their steady development over several decades, it is entirely possible that Li Zicheng's Great Shun dynasty could sweep away the Manchus and destroy them.

Therefore, it can be said that Wu Sangui opened the Shanhaiguan Pass, allowing the Jurchens to enter the Central Plains and wantonly slaughter Han people, making him a sinner against the entire Han nation.

But history has no ifs.

Now that Emperor Chongzhen knew what had happened, he ordered the capture of Wu Sangui, Gao Qiqian, and other culprits.

However, at this moment, inside Shanhaiguan, Wang Jiayan, the Minister of War and Governor-General of Jiliao, who was in charge of guarding Shanhaiguan, heard a piece of news that made his world collapse.

"Can you say that again?"

"Gao Qiqian has run away."

Du Xun, the eunuch in charge of arresting Gao Qiqian, said.

Wang Jiayan was furious and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor trusted you and sent you here to capture Gao Qiqian. How could you let him escape?"

Du Xun replied, "Governor, don't falsely accuse me. You are in charge of guarding Shanhaiguan, and all the troops are under your command. Shouldn't it be your responsibility that he was able to escape despite such a strong defense?"

Wang Jiayan was stunned for a moment, then immediately flew into a rage.

Before Gao Qiqian was declared guilty, he was the military supervisor of Shanhaiguan, holding a high position and great power. Moreover, this time he was secretly arrested, and Du Xun should have arrested him and brought him back.

At the time, I was still inside the city gate, while Gao Qiqian was in Ninghai City. In the end, the person ran away, but they blamed me for it.
Before he could speak, Yu Anxing, the governor of Shanhaiguan, whispered to him, "Du Xun secretly sent people out of the city a few days ago. I think they have probably already fled. Gao Qiqian probably got the news a long time ago."

Wang Jiayan immediately understood that the person who leaked the information must be Du Xun or his people. Now, seeing that they couldn't explain themselves to the emperor, they were probably trying to shift the blame onto him.

Thinking of how the emperor's trusted eunuchs could do whatever they wanted, and how Gao Qiqian had framed Lu Xiangshan without any punishment, he was disheartened and said, "I will report this to the emperor and leave everything to his decision."

"Humph!"

Du Xun turned and left.

In fact, Gao Qiqian has been on the run for more than ten days, but Du Xun only notified Wang Jiayan now.

He even felt that it was highly unlikely that he could bring Gao Qiqian back, so he had already sent someone to report to the Beijing authorities, shifting all the blame to Wang Jiayan and disclaiming any connection to the matter.

This was a common tactic used by eunuchs.

In any case, for the emperor, eunuchs were just household servants, so he would naturally trust them more than officials.

After Du Xun left, Yu Anxing saw that Wang Jiayan looked somewhat lost and said, "The governor need not worry. Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong will arrive in Beijing soon. Who is loyal and who is treacherous will be decided by Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong."

"hope so."

Wang Jiayan sighed, "I had planned to ask Wu Sangui to come to Shanhaiguan tomorrow, but Gao Qiqian has run away. If we go to find Wu Sangui, I'm afraid he won't agree and might even surrender to the Jurchens."

Yu Anxing said, "Even if Wu Sangui surrenders to the Jurchens, we only need to hold Shanhaiguan. It is said that Emperor Taizu has two or three hundred thousand troops in the south, and his army is unimpeded. Emperor Taizong has also set off ahead of us. How can the Jurchens possibly break through Shanhaiguan?"

"No, I must speed up the preparations and be wary of a Jurchen sneak attack. People inside the pass are in a state of panic. There's a good chance someone might be colluding with the Jurchens and secretly opening the passes to let them in. We must be careful."

Wang Jiayan said.

Just then, Zhou Yuji, the General of Shanxi, came in and said, "Report, Governor and Inspector, Wu Sangui has sent word that he will arrive at Shanhaiguan tonight."

"Coming tonight? Wasn't he supposed to come tomorrow?"

Wang Jiayan frowned.

A few days ago, the imperial envoy sent by the court went to Shanhaiguan with an imperial edict from Emperor Chongzhen and a letter from Wu Xiang, praising him for fighting to the death with Li Zicheng during the national crisis and ultimately sacrificing his life for his country.

After the imperial envoy returned, Wang Jiayan immediately sent someone to invite Wu Sangui, saying he wanted to host a banquet for him to commend his loyalty to the country.

The overall layout is quite rigorous and meticulous.

Although rumors of Wu Sangui's defection to the enemy spread like wildfire, neither Chongzhen nor Wang Chengen actually spread them. Even Du Xun was only ordered to arrest Gao Qiqian, who could only try to persuade Wu Sangui through speculation.

Currently, only Wang Jiayan himself and Yu Anxing, the two highest-ranking officials in Shanhaiguan, know about the plan to arrest Wu Sangui.

One of them died for his country, and the other went into seclusion and refused to serve in office, which shows their loyalty.

So, what Wu Sangui heard up to this point was only one side of the story, without any concrete evidence.

However, Wu Sangui himself did not believe that he could fight to the death and die for his country. Didn't he know what kind of person he was?
Would he choose to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty in a life-or-death situation?
How is it possible?

"Perhaps he was anxious?"

"No, no, no, I think there's something wrong."

Wang Jiayan pondered for a moment and said, "Gao Qiqian has run away. Where do you think he would have gone?"

"Go find Wu Sangui."

Yu Anxing also spoke without hesitation.

Who doesn't know that Gao Qiqian is Wu Sangui's godfather?
Wu Xiang and Zu Dashou suffered many defeats outside the Great Wall, but wasn't it Gao Qiqian who helped them back up?
Otherwise, anyone else would have been beheaded by Chongzhen long ago.

"Ah."

Wang Jiayan nodded and said, "Although Du Xun didn't say when Gao Qiqian ran away, I think he must have been on the run for a long time and must have reached Ningyuan a long time ago. Do you think that's possible?"

Yu Anxing frowned and said, "I've thought about that too, but how could Wu Sangui possibly break through Shanhaiguan? Unless he goes to the Jurchens, but let's not even talk about whether the Jurchens will think he's faking his surrender. Even if the Jurchens do believe him, how can they gather troops so quickly?"

"Well"

Wang Jiayan pondered for a long time before saying, "That makes sense, but we must be wary of Zhou Yuji."

"The end will be here."

"Now give the order that Ma Dai, Ma Ke, Xu Dingguo, and Gao Di lead their troops to defend the city during the first half of the night, and replace them with Wang Chengyin, Jiang Xiang, Huang Fei, and Liu Fangming during the second half of the night."

"Yes." Zhou Yuji then went out to relay the order.

Currently, there are a large number of troops from Shanxi and Hebei in Shanhaiguan, with more than ten generals and a total strength of about 40,000 to 50,000 men.

Many of these people later surrendered to Li Zicheng and the Manchus.

Such as Wang Chengyin, Jiang Xiang, and Xu Dingguo.

After the Manchus entered the Central Plains, a large number of Ming and Shun troops surrendered and formed the Green Standard Army, which became the main fighting force for the Manchus to unify the country.

However, they naturally did not know who the traitors were at the moment. These lists were in the hands of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Yunfeng, so they could only choose to trust these generals.

Moreover, given the current chaotic situation, Wang Jiayan and his group were unaware of the actual circumstances, so they could only proceed with caution.

As evening approached, the sky gradually darkened.

Looking out from Dongluo City, a large troop of cavalry slowly approached on the road in the distance, their banners bearing the character "Wu".

The soldiers on the city wall quickly reported to Wang Jiayan and Yu Anxing, who then came out to greet them.

Although it seems that Wu Sangui brought several thousand men with him, that's not unusual.

The Jurchen cavalry frequently harassed the Guan-Ning line, attempting to cut off the Ming army's supplies to Ningyuan. Therefore, it was very reasonable to bring troops out to protect it.

The troops quickly arrived at Dongluo City. The leading general was wearing silver-black armor, a six-lobed domed iron helmet, and a red cloak. When he arrived at the city gate, he shouted, "I am Wu Sangui. Open the city gate!"

Wang Jiayan glanced at the city wall, waved his hand, and said, "Open the gate."

The walls were lined with cannons, and the soldiers guarding the city were also equipped with muskets. They were on guard and didn't think Wu Sangui could pull off any tricks.

Once Wu Sangui enters the city, they will be fish on the chopping block.

The city gates slowly opened, and Wu Sangui led the Guan Ning cavalry into the city.

However, before Wang Jiayan and Yu Anxing could go down the city to meet him, a sudden change occurred.

Wu Sangui suddenly drew his sword and shouted, "Kill!"

"kill!"

The Guan Ning cavalry then began to charge into the city.

Caught off guard, the Ming soldiers were suddenly cut down by the surrounding Guan Ning cavalry, with more than ten of them being cut down.

Wang Jiayan and Yu Anxing on the city wall were shocked and shouted, "Wu Sangui has indeed defected to the enemy! Quick, sound the horn!"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

The messengers beside the two immediately picked up the horns and began to blow them.

A desolate bugle call echoed across the sky.

However, just two seconds later, a sharp arrow pierced through the air and went straight through the messenger's neck.

Wang Jiayan and Yu Anxing were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly. Under the protection of their personal guards, they fled south along the city wall, towards the direction of the South Wing City.

Wu Sangui sheathed his bow and said coldly, "First, control the city gates, then send a signal from the city wall."

The Guan Ning cavalry was an elite force, and the Shanxi and Hebei troops transferred by Chongzhen were no match for even Li Zicheng, so they were quickly defeated.

As the signal was transmitted, cavalry galloped in the distance, and the earth seemed to tremble.

Dorgon had been observing for some time, but he didn't quite trust Wu Sangui, so he sent 5,000 cavalrymen over first.

Soon the Jurchen cavalry arrived and, together with Wu Sangui, took control of Dongluo City.

After confirming that Dongluo City had been captured, Dorgon's heart pounded, and he shouted, "Enter the city! Enter the city! Enter the city!"

"Enter the city!"

In the distance, the Manchu cavalry, like wolves and tigers, began to gallop across the open fields.

At this moment, Wang Jiayan's previous arrangements saved lives. Originally, most of the soldiers guarding the pass had already returned to their camps to rest, leaving only a small number of night watch troops to train.

As a result, Wang Jiayan, being cautious, deployed nearly 20,000 men to guard the night, more than double the usual number, which prompted the Ming army to react quickly.

Large numbers of Ming troops quickly arrived to reinforce the city, as well as the southern and northern wing cities, and the two sides engaged in fierce fighting on the city walls.

Shanhaiguan, known as the most formidable pass under heaven, is most solidly fortified by the pass itself and the eastern outer city. The eastern outer city is located east of the Great Wall, suspended outside the pass, serving as a barbican.

The pass was located west of the Great Wall and served as the main city.

Both sides are connected by city walls, and there are also many city gates connecting them within the city.

The Ming army closed all the city gates, so the Manchus could only charge towards the city from the left and right sides of the city walls.

However, the city wall pass was narrow, and the Ming army had the advantage of terrain. They used crossbows and firearms to make it difficult for the Jurchens to break through, and a fierce battle ensued on the city wall.

Dorgon arrived at the city wall of Dongluocheng and observed the battle on the left and right curved walls from afar. Seeing the Ming army's stubborn resistance, he personally supervised the battle and ordered Wu Sangui, the Han Eight Banners, and the Mongol Eight Banners soldiers to charge.

As for the Manchu Eight Banners, they were naturally the elite of the elite, and could not be moved lightly; they were used for supervising battles.

Following Dorgon's orders, the Jurchen soldiers launched wave after wave of fierce attacks. However, although the morale of the Ming army was not as high as that of the Jurchens, their superior equipment allowed them to repel several Manchu attacks.

The stalemate continued until midnight, with neither side able to gain the upper hand on the city walls. The Ming army could not repel the Manchus, and the Manchus could not break through.

Wang Jiayan and Yu Anxing have already fled back to the city gate and are currently observing from the city wall.

The Manchus did attempt to attack from inside the city, but it was clear that they couldn't break through from within, so this place was very safe.

They stayed up all night, constantly deploying troops and arranging for personnel to rotate shifts. They also moved large quantities of bows, arrows, and cannons to the city walls for offensive and defensive purposes.

After their surprise attack in the middle of the night failed, the Jurchens retreated.

Therefore, the current situation is that the two sides are facing off at the pass between the moat of Dongluo City and the Great Wall.

The walls were lined with corpses on both sides, which were then immediately moved away.

There was basically no close combat; both sides held up shields and fired at each other with bows, crossbows, and muskets. The spearmen hid behind their shields, and when the two sides got close, they would stab each other randomly.

Although this style of play seems ordinary, it is actually the most correct style of play. Neither side made any mistakes, resulting in a stalemate.

The next morning, Wang Jiayan, who hadn't slept all night, saw, with the help of the rising sun, that a large number of Jurchen troops had poured into Dongluo City and set up camp there.

On the opposite city wall, the cannons that were originally there were also being moved to point their muzzles in this direction.

Wang Jiayan attempted to bombard the Manchu soldiers inside the city with cannons, but the enemy's camp was too far away for the cannons to reach, so he had to give up in the end.

For a while.

Although the Manchus captured Dongluocheng, they were held back by the Ming army at the pass and could not advance an inch.

(End of this chapter)