Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 311 Fireworks in Full Bloom
"Our ancestors are like heaven!"

"Your Majesty is divine."

"The Tartars are just as Your Majesty predicted."

"Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!~"

The Ming army's garrison outside Beijing.

Inside Commander Zhu's tent, everyone applauded and praised him for his uncanny foresight.

In fact, this kind of open conspiracy is something that most people inside the tent could pull off.

Given that time, space, military capabilities, and other conditions are met, any commander with a modicum of intelligence would not fail to consider this.

But you still have to flatter them.

Otherwise, considering his own fate in history, it would be somewhat disrespectful to the head on his neck.

Therefore, after the drones observed a large number of Qing scouts leaving the city and heading towards the Qing cavalry units stationed in various places to the north, they all expressed their admiration.

Thunderous applause erupted inside the tent.

Old Zhu smiled noncommittally, a smile that seemed both humble and somewhat smug.

Everyone thinks the sun over Changbai Mountain is a bit annoying, but if given the chance, who wouldn't want to be the sun over there?
Having reached the pinnacle of power, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention and praised by everyone can be a way to satisfy psychological needs.

After the applause subsided, he said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, the Tartars can only gamble that we don't have many cannonballs left. This trip is to call for reinforcements and also to fight a decisive battle with us. It's very important for each unit to be prepared. Where do you think would be a suitable place for the decisive battle?"

No one felt there was anything wrong with it.

There's a saying: wherever a person is buried, trouble will arise there; and wherever trouble arises, Huang Silang will have to follow.

The location of the decisive battle was never determined by the Qing court. The Ming army could detect the Qing army's reinforcements, so they would send people north to intercept them. Wherever the interception took place, the Qing army's reinforcements could only fight them there.

Otherwise, if they directly passed by reinforcements rushing to Beijing, they would be attacked from both sides.

This is similar to how ancient warfare involved conquering city by city, with few people bypassing cities to attack the enemy's heartland.

"Qinghe?"

"Should we just block the Qinghe River? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"Beiwang is a good choice, as it is backed by mountains and has a commanding view."

"Shunyi is also good."

Several people were talking.

Zhu Yunfeng rolled his eyes and said, "You've already covered all those few places."

"Let's go with Beiwang."

Old Zhu pointed in the direction of Beiwang Town and said, "The artillery positions will be placed on Baiwang Mountain, which can cover a large area north of Beijing."

"Isn't it too late to build fortifications now?"

Fu Youde scratched his head.

Artillery positions are not simply a matter of moving artillery pieces there; the terrain must be open, with good visibility to facilitate adjusting the position of the gun barrels.

Therefore, many artillery positions during World War II were located in plains areas.

If it were a battle on a mountain, such as during the Battle of Lang Son, a flat area would have to be cleared on the mountain, the surrounding trees would have to be cut down, and the field of vision would have to be adjusted.

The Qing army has already sent people to request reinforcements. They will have to go there temporarily and bring the howitzers with them. Although they have wheels, it will still be time-consuming and laborious.

"Li Dingguo's troops happened to be near Xizhimen in Beijing, so I asked him to send someone there."

Old Zhu made a decisive decision: "Now let the auxiliary soldiers and laborers start pulling the carts. Tonight, we must set up the artillery positions. Tomorrow, we will concentrate our forces to attack Xizhimen and Deshengmen in Beijing. The Tartar cavalry will have no choice but to come this way, which will be perfect for sending them to their deaths."

"Yes!"

Having received the order, everyone stopped hesitating and immediately began to make arrangements according to Old Zhu's instructions.

The so-called military is expensive and quick.

On that very day, many civilian laborers and auxiliary soldiers began their work.

Although the force numbered over 200,000, the actual total number of troops should be around 500,000.

In addition to more than 200,000 combat troops, there are also 300,000 logistics troops.

From Huangcun, south of Beijing, all the way southeast to Wuqing, there are still rear supply troops continuously transporting supplies to the front lines.

The Qing army did want to raid their supply lines. In fact, Shang Shan, as one of the few capable generals among the imperial clan since Yue Le, had previously sent some cavalry to harass them.

However, Hongwu soldiers guarded the entire route. They patrolled the supply lines on horseback, used drones to observe the Qing army's movements, and used walkie-talkies to report the situation. Almost every time the Qing army came, they were able to detect them at least one or two hours in advance, ensuring that the Qing army would not return.

Gradually, Shangshan stopped sending people, so the supply lines in the rear remained very secure. There were also plenty of auxiliary soldiers and laborers, and abundant human resources, which meant that even if the mission was difficult to complete, it could still be accomplished.

The Ming army then began to act according to plan.

Meanwhile, it wasn't until evening that Shang Shan, who was in the Sanhe and Pinggu area, learned of the news from the Qing army.

The founding generals of the Qing Dynasty, such as Dodo, Hauge, and Ajige, have long since died, and many of their third or even fourth generations have also perished.

Yue Le, as Nurhaci's grandson, didn't even rank highly. There were many more outstanding individuals, such as Dudu, Yuetuo, Haoge, and Nikan, whose battle records were quite impressive.

Unfortunately, many people die young, and Yue Le can only be considered the tallest among the short, since he lived until the 28th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

As for Shang Shan, he was not a descendant of Nurhaci, but the grandson of Nurhaci's younger brother Shurhaci. His status was never high. Although he followed many of the founding clan generals in battle, his military achievements were average, and he had problems with retreating from the enemy. His abilities were just so-so.

But the problem remained: by the first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, most of the founding generation had died, and Yue Le had to step up and take on the main responsibility, not to mention the others. Therefore, they still had to pick the tallest among them.

After all, Shangshan had fought in many battles over the years, which was better than the fourth and fifth generations who were raised in Beijing and had never experienced war.

Before the news arrived, Shang Shan was restless in his tent.

He was naturally paying close attention to the situation in Beijing at all times. As the commander-in-chief of the army, he also had to constantly look for opportunities to move out and see if he could support Beijing.

Therefore, he sent out a large number of scouts every day.

But the more they sent, the more alarmed they became.

Because Beijing is already teetering on the brink of collapse under two waves of attacks, and it seems unlikely to hold out for much longer.

Shang Shan had a dark history of retreating in the face of the enemy. Seeing the strength of the Ming army again, and recalling that he had previously sent many scouts to harass the Ming army's supply lines, all of whom had never returned, he felt terrified.

So now everyone is a little scared, afraid that the rumors are true, that Zhu Yuanzhang has descended to earth, and that they will all die.

Just then, someone came in and said, "Your Highness, the imperial court has issued an edict."

Shangshan was never granted the title of king in history.

With the changing political situation, the Qing court temporarily appointed him as a Prince of Doruo to command troops.

Upon hearing the guard's words, Shang Shan quickly said, "Call them here."

"Yes."

The guards hurriedly went out.

Shang Shan himself went out of the tent to wait for the person who would deliver the imperial edict.

A short while later, Commander-in-Chief Zhuobutai, Commander-in-Chief Balin of Khorchin, and Commander-in-Chief Heshuose arrived.

The scout who was delivering the imperial edict was also brought in. He opened the edict and said, "By order of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, Prince Doruo is ordered to immediately raise an army to rescue Beijing."

"The minister obeys the order."

Shang Shan immediately kowtowed and accepted the imperial decree.

As a member of the imperial clan, he did not need to refer to himself as a servant to his master like ordinary Manchu bannermen, because he himself belonged to the privileged group of people who were called masters.

"Before leaving, the regent sent a messenger to speak to the prince, asking him to send troops immediately, as Beijing was in grave danger. He also told the prince to rest assured that although the enemy was powerful, they were only outwardly strong but inwardly weak. If the surprise attack was well-timed, they would surely be defeated."

The scout continued.

"Well, I see."

Shang Shan nodded expressionlessly.

Didn't he know whether the Ming army was strong or not?
Anyway, he sent thousands of scouts to harass them, but none of them came back.

Make sense.

Even if they were ambushed by the Ming army, there should still be a few people who come back alive.

As a result, the people who went there seemed to have disappeared.

It highlights something eerie.

Shang Shan even suspected that all those people had deserted, but it was impossible that they were sent out in batches and that they were led by trusted generals.

Therefore, it can only be inferred that the scouts sent out to harass the Ming army's supply lines have been almost completely wiped out.

if it is like this.

I really don't know if I'll be able to come back alive after this trip.

Watching the scout leave.

Zhuobutai, Balin, Heshuose, and more than ten other generals asked Shangshan, "Your Highness, when shall we depart?"

"Are we leaving tonight? If we launch a surprise attack on the southern barbarians, I wonder if we can defeat them?"

"Yes, the people we sent before, even Laita..."

"Ugh."

As they talked, they began to sigh.

A sense of defeatism permeated the entire Qing army.

no way.

All we see is that the Qing Dynasty has suffered defeats. The enemy has even reached the capital, and they are almost on the walls of Beijing. What can we do?

"No matter what, the imperial court's orders must be carried out."

Shang Shan silently said, "Order Porpen, Suwayan, Wubai, Langtan, and Ibahan to accompany the army south."

He rattled off more than a dozen names in one breath, all of them generals who commanded armies in the field, including Manchus and Mongols, as well as tribal chiefs who had come with a large number of Mongol reinforcements.

These tribes are distributed in the Changping, Huairou, Miyun, Yangge, Pinggu and Sanhe areas north of Beijing, serving as reinforcements, support, and guards for retreat.

In this way, the Qing army could advance to attack, or retreat with the support of these cavalry to escape from inside the pass and return to the outside.

However, the pressure exerted by the Ming army on Beijing was too great, and the Qing court was already on the verge of collapse after only one day. Therefore, they had no choice but to call in these cavalrymen for assistance. Soon, a messenger quickly went to convey the military order.

The following day, many cavalry units around Beijing received orders to move south.

On February 17th, the Ming army did not stop to rest after the siege ended the previous day, but chose to continue the siege.

Early in the morning, the Ming army changed its direction of attack, focusing its main offensive on the two northwest gates of Beijing: Xizhimen and Deshengmen.

The Qing army faced increasing pressure and repeatedly dispatched reserve troops to reinforce the city. This was the only way they managed to push the Ming army, which had reached the city walls several times and even occupied Xizhimen, almost repelling the Ming army that had opened Xizhimen.

The Qing court was in a great hurry and immediately sent out scouts to inform the reinforcements to speed up the rescue.

In fact, Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou also went up to the city wall to watch the battle.

Hong Chengchou was old and his eyesight was failing. He was riddled with illnesses and was almost blind. He only understood the situation by having others explain the Ming army's situation and the battlefield conditions to him.

Upon hearing about the Ming army's deployment outside the city, Hong Chengchou believed that the Ming army was intensifying its offensive and would inevitably pose a great threat to Xizhimen and Deshengmen. Therefore, the Qing cavalry had to come immediately.

Even if they cannot defeat the Ming army, they must at least relieve the pressure on Xizhimen and Deshengmen.

His analysis and judgment were correct.

Without external assistance, these weak Green Standard Army soldiers would indeed find it difficult to stop the Ming army's offensive.

After all, although the Ming army had suffered repeated defeats at the hands of the Qing army's elite troops, they had fought for many years, had been on the battlefield many times, and were all veterans. They were certainly better than these newly recruited Green Standard Army soldiers.

But the arrival of Qing reinforcements changed everything. Cavalry has a natural advantage over infantry, not to mention the more than 200,000 Green Standard Army soldiers in the city, plus more than 100,000 cavalry outside the city, which already outnumbered the more than 200,000 Ming soldiers.

A surprise attack at this time would surely result in a major defeat for the Ming army.

This is the ideal situation, if the Ming army did not have that many artillery shells in reserve.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.

By the afternoon, on Baiwang Mountain, northwest of Xizhimen, the Ming army, after a day and a night of work, finally cut down a large number of trees on a relatively flat mountaintop and cleared a flat area.

Actually, it's just a small hill, only a little over 100 meters high, not very high. Because it's so far away, 17 kilometers away from the Forbidden City and 13 kilometers away from Deshengmen and Xizhimen, it's hard to say that it offers a panoramic view of the entire city of Beijing.

The AH-2 105mm towed artillery that Zhu De acquired from modern my country was actually an export version. Its range with standard ammunition was 12 kilometers, and even with extended-range ammunition, it was only 16 kilometers, posing no threat to the safety of the Forbidden City.

However, it is more than enough to cover the area north of Deshengmen. What's most interesting is that it is a lightweight design in my country, weighing only 1.3 tons, which is really suitable for carrying around the whole map.

of course.

Even so, it took a large number of horses, mules, and manpower to transport so many cannons up the mountain.

Otherwise, even with such a lightweight design, those two large wheels alone wouldn't be enough to make it move.

Soon, from the drone's perspective, a large number of cavalry appeared in the distance north of Beijing.

After a while, the cavalrymen marched in batches toward the battlefield.

"Send a few mortar crewmen to bomb them a few times."

Old Zhu slowly and methodically made arrangements while looking at the drone's perspective.

"Yes."

Jiang Huan, who was beside him, began to relay orders.

Immediately, several mortar crewmen carried mortars on their backs, rode over, and began to deploy mortars in the direction from which the Qing cavalry were coming.

"Move the gun emplacement three zhang to the left!"

"Yes."

"fire."

"fire!"

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

Several mortar shots quickly landed inside the Qing cavalry formation, creating a huge explosion.

The Qing cavalry in front were terrified and fled in panic, causing chaos.

However, they quickly stabilized the situation after being reprimanded by their general and slowly retreated to the rear.

At this time, Shang Shan had already gathered more than 100,000 cavalry scattered around the area and divided them into three armies: the front, the middle and the rear.

He himself was in the central army.

The vanguard of the front line was bombed, numbering only about 8,000, but a few mortar shells caused about a dozen casualties.

Upon learning that the Ming army possessed such powerful firearms, Shang Shan himself was taken aback and ordered the three armies to halt their advance.

Time passed second by second, and another half hour went by. While he was observing, the Ming army continued to put pressure on Beijing.

When Ebilun, Sony, Fan Wencheng, Hong Chengchou and others who were watching the battle inside the city heard that Shang Shan had stopped, they were furious.

Fan Wencheng said, "The Ming army must not have enough cannonballs, otherwise they would have already broken through the city and stormed in. How could they have only fired a few?"

"This was meant to scare Shang Shan, but Shang Shan was actually frightened."

"What should we do? He definitely won't dare to come over."

"Should we have him send men in batches to disperse the knights and deplete the Ming army's cannonballs?"

"This is exactly what the Ming are doing – a delaying tactic. I reckon the Ming have less than a hundred cannonballs left. Haven't you seen how much more aggressive they've been?

"."

The group of people analyzed the situation continuously for a while.

This was naturally a deception created by Zhu Yuanzhang to make the Qing army believe that they did not have enough cannonballs.

if not.

Each time the other side sends only a few thousand men, when will we be able to annihilate the Tartars?
"Let Shang Shan launch a full-scale attack immediately!"

Sony finally made up his mind and said, "We can't wait any longer. If we keep waiting like this, the city will probably be breached."

"it is good!"

Ebilun, observing the situation, felt he could no longer hesitate and nodded in agreement, "Let's do it this way."

Sony immediately sent someone out of the city to deliver the message.

He told Shang Shan that this was a bluff by the Ming army to delay their reinforcements; otherwise, the Ming army would surely be defeated once the reinforcements arrived.

After some hesitation, Shang Shan finally followed Sony's request and issued the order for the three armies to charge into the Ming army's position.

The moment of desperation has arrived.

"All right."

On the hilltop, Old Zhu calmly said, "The Tartars have been tricked."

"This is a series of stratagems, making the Tartars think we are bluffing, but in reality we are luring them deep into our territory."

Fu Youde, standing nearby, flattered, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Prepare the shells."

Old Zhu said calmly, "I'll say it again: don't let any Tartar escape, make them all die."

"Yes!"

Fu Youde agreed.

Jiang Huan immediately took out a walkie-talkie and shouted, "Artillery positions, prepare!"

The artillery positions then began to carry out preliminary preparations in an orderly manner.

In the distance, billowing dust was rising from the plains.

If Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't used the chain strategy, Shang Shan would likely have stopped and then kept sending people to investigate the army's strength and weaknesses.

Now, however, the Qing court has forced them into a corner, leaving them no choice but to order a full-scale attack.

no way.

The Ming army fought bravely and relentlessly, putting immense pressure on the Qing court and leaving them no time for trial and error, forcing them to gamble everything.

However, Shang Shan still ordered the cavalry units to advance separately and not to crowd together too much.

About 15 minutes later, or half an hour later, about seven or eight kilometers away from Beijing, around the area of ​​the Qinghe subway station in later times, a large number of cavalry troops appeared.

They were scattered across the vast plains, like a pack of wolves, charging towards the Ming army located to the north and west of Beijing.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Ming army, without the protection of fortified camps, will be overtaken by cavalry units that will first use crossbows to break their formation, and then launch a heavy cavalry charge, inevitably leading to their defeat.

But there are always unexpected things that happen in this world.

"It's time to watch the fireworks."

Old Zhu asked, "Are the preparations complete?"

"His Majesty asked if the preparations are complete?"

Jiang Huan shouted into the walkie-talkie.

"The artillery positions have been completed, with the spades inserted into the pits, the gun positions fixed, and the orientation determined. The deployment is complete. Your Majesty, please give your instructions."

"How's the ammunition preparation?"

"Projectile loaded, cartridge locked!"

"Has the weather correction been completed?"

"Completed!"

"Have you locked onto your target yet?"

"Target locked, ready to fire at any time!"

"fire!"

Old Zhu said calmly.

"fire!"

Jiang Huan shouted.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

Countless loud firing sounds rang out, followed by a dazzling display of fireworks!
(End of this chapter)