The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 189: Sweeping the Holes and Ploughing the Courtyard (I)

In the first month of the second year of Taichang, there was an endless stream of carriages and food on the official roads from Liaozhong to Liaodong. The Kaiyuan troops stationed in Kaiyuan, Qinghe, Kuandian and other places marched to reinforce Fushun, which was the forward base for attacking Hetuala.

Ping Liaohou sent a report to the capital, requesting the court to send reinforcements to assist the Kaiyuan army in clearing the territory and recapture Hetuala.

As expected, the several reports sent to the capital fell on deaf ears, and no one paid any attention to Ping Liaohou.

Liu Zhaosun sent people to Korea and Mongolia, asking them to send musketeers and cavalry to help in the battle, and Korea and Mongolia did not refuse.

Kang Yingqian went to western Liaoning in person to negotiate with Zu Dashou. Old Kang warned the military leaders in western Liaoning not to try to fish in troubled waters.

If we make any rash moves, the Kaiyuan army will definitely retaliate double after destroying the Jiannu.

Yuan Chonghuan led a group of civil servants to stay in Shenyang.

On the eighth day of the second month, the Marquis of Ping Liao issued a proclamation to attack the Jin Dynasty and announced it to the world. The full text is as follows:
"In the past, the Five Barbarians invaded the Xia Dynasty, but were only defeated after a few successive waves. Now, the Eastern Barbarians have fulfilled the prophecy, arriving at the time of the third autumn. It is true that Heaven wills favor all, and the people still yearn for the Han. Chief Jian was originally a barbarian, but he repeatedly rebelled, and then, taking advantage of the many difficulties, he usurped control of Liaodong. Liaodong has been reduced to dogs and sheep, and those outside the Great Wall have been lost to the barbarians. There is no one with blood who does not gnash his teeth in hatred for Chief Jian.

Kaiyuan Fengtian advocated righteousness, atoning for the people's sins, sleeping on straw and tasting gall, and using ancient military tactics. Over three years have passed, gathering people and training them. The legitimate line is hard to break, and only a thin thread remains. Now, I personally lead the generals, first conquering Yehe, then Hetuala, saving the people from dire straits and restoring the dignity of the Han officials.

Your fake civil and military officials are all loyal sons of the Ming Dynasty, and who is not a Chinese gentry? In times of hardship and humiliation, they have surrendered themselves to the enemy court. If we examine their true intentions, would we not be tolerant? The distinction between Chinese and barbarians is clear, as is natural and just; as trees grow from water, loyalty and filial piety are naturally present.

For example, Haixi and Jianzhou, who have been blessed by the state for generations, are not of the same kind, but share the same aspirations, harboring no ulterior motives and treating each other as one. Not only did they return to Han, their reputations rising day by day; but also, like the Huihe people, who supported the Tang, they brought glory to Yehu.

Kaiyuan is a place renowned for its benevolence and righteousness, with long-standing clear rewards and punishments. Those who seize the initiative will be rewarded with unparalleled rewards, while those who arrive later will be punished with unforeseen consequences. A person's fortune or misfortune depends on a tiny hair; eternal fame and honor are fought for in a split second. The teacher will not be raised again, and the time will not come again. This announcement shall be made far and wide, so that all may know. Respectfully, this special decree."

~~~~~~
The proclamation was sent to various places in Liaodong by the Chamber of Commerce. Ping Liaohou imitated his father-in-law Yang Hao and claimed to have an army of 300,000 to attack Hetuala, in order to overwhelm the opponent with momentum.

At this time, the Kaiyuan Army had just pacified the Wenxiang Sect in Shandong and had recently recruited three thousand headquarters combat troops. It could be said that it was strong in both men and horses. Even if there was no provocation from the Later Jin, Liu Zhaosun had to completely eliminate the threat of the Jiannu and destroy the insidious tiger and wolf Huang Taiji.

Despite the numerous difficulties and the possibility of failure, Liu Zhaosun could no longer tolerate Huang Taiji, his formidable rival, and allow him to continue to develop in a sneaky way.

On the tenth day of the second month, Ping Liaohou killed Jiannu captives in the north of Kaiyuan City to offer sacrifices and swear to go to war.

Kang Yingqian, Sun Chuanting, Deng Changxiong, Shao Jiechun and others accompanied them, while Mao Yuanyi, Jin Yuji, Yang Qing'er, Xie Yang and others stayed in Kaiyuan.

On February 15, the army arrived in Fushun and after a short rest, launched an attack on Hetuala.

The Jiannu army responded hastily. Ajige led 5,000 troops of the Bordered White Banner to fight against the Kaiyuan army at Jiahe Town between Fushun and Hetuala.

Under the attack of field artillery and the Divine Fire Flying Crow, the Bordered White Banner quickly collapsed and fled in panic to Hetuala.

Seeing that the Bordered White Banner was so weak, Liu Zhaosun decided to let the new recruits go up and gain some experience.

Shao Jiechun led the 5,000 new recruits from the headquarters to continue the pursuit. This group of new recruits, who had just been trained from refugees, had high morale and won two more battles along the way, killing more than 200 bondservants of the Bordered White Banner and driving Ajige back to Hetuala.

"A bunch of rats, no different from the Wenxiang Sect!"

Shao Jiechun looked disdainful. This was his first time leading an army into battle, and he didn't expect the Later Jin soldiers to be so weak.

The others also laughed. These survivors had fought against the Jiannu many times and had long lost the fear they had at the beginning.

On the 18th, the army arrived at Hetuala and set up camp across the Suzi River.

Sun Chuanting said worriedly, "Hetuala is ten feet above the river, and the east bank is crisscrossed with ditches. The terrain is broken, making it difficult for a large army to deploy. The Jiannu have retreated into the city and are shooting arrows and muskets from their heights. I'm afraid our army will suffer heavy casualties! We only have enough food and fodder to sustain a five-day field battle. If we don't defeat the Jiannu soon, our army will be in danger!"

In order to support the decisive battle, Sun Chuanting emptied all the reserves in Fushun City under his jurisdiction. Even so, the army's food and fodder were still far from enough.

Kang Yingqian's face was slightly displeased. All along the way, Sun Baigu had been constantly nagging and fussing, constantly pouring cold water on everyone. The army was about to attack the city, and yet Sun Baigu was still mumbling here. It was truly abominable.

Lao Kang suspected that Sun Chuanting had selfish motives and estimated that Sun Chuanting was afraid that the army would suffer excessive losses in Fushun.

Thinking of how Sun Chuanting had often hindered him, he suppressed his anger. Anyone who dared to stop him from making great achievements, anyone who dared to stop Liu Zhaosun from rebelling and becoming emperor, would be his enemy.

"That's wrong! The weather and the people are all on our side. We have food, but the Jiannu don't; we have tens of thousands of strong soldiers, but the Jiannu don't; we have the people of Liaodong, but the Jiannu don't. What the Jiannu have is just a geographical advantage. Speaking of which, the city of Hetuala is low and the moat is shallow, so why worry? This battle will be the battle for the throne of Ping Liaohou. No one can delay!" Shao Jiechun pointed at the north city wall with his whip: "Sir Sun, why should you encourage others and destroy your own prestige? If I were here, the Tartars might have fought a desperate battle. But now, Huang Taiji doesn't even dare to rescue Yehe City. He is trapped in an isolated city. It is clear that he has reached the end of his rope. If we don't fight now, do we have to wait for the Jiannu to recover?"

Sun Chuanting was about to retort when Wang Zengbin took over the conversation defiantly:
"I've chased them all the way from Fushun here, slaughtering the White Bannermen and leaving them in disarray. Even Bayala was killed in large numbers, yet I haven't seen many fight back. They say the Jiannu cavalry 'roars like the wind and surges like a torrential downpour'—bullshit! Not only can we not retreat, we must speed up our march. We can't let the chieftain escape to Mongolia!"

Sun Chuanting remained silent. He had been an official in Fushun for a year, closest to Hetuala, and knew Huang Taiji quite well.

He judged that the defeat of the Bordered White Banner was a result of luring the enemy deep into the country and then concentrating the forces to launch a counterattack somewhere.

Ping Liaohou raised his head and glanced at the crowd, then shouted loudly, putting an end to this meaningless dispute.

"As long as the Jiannu remain undefeated, Kaiyuan will remain in turmoil. Next year, I will focus my efforts on managing Shandong, and I will deploy all my troops. Do you feel reassured by leaving a vicious wolf in Liaodong's backyard? Even if Hetuala is heavily defended, our army will conquer it in one fell swoop. Arrogance will lead to defeat, but we cannot let the tiger go back to the mountains and let Huang Taiji recover for a few more years. I'm afraid you will have to fight another bloody battle at Hunhe!"

Liu Zhaosun looked at his trusted subordinates with a firm gaze.

"Since Sarhu, we've fought over ten battles, both large and small, without a single defeat. This is heaven's will! Against the Jiannu, the Kaiyuan Army was completely victorious! Huang Taiji is as cunning and treacherous as I am, so it's better to strike early than late! While the Hetuala walls are thin and can't withstand our artillery fire, attack quickly and without delay! Pass my orders! Cross the river immediately!"

~~~~~
Under the 17-foot-high central army flag, Liu Zhaosun reined in his horse, raised his head and looked towards the Hetuala city wall, watching the army slowly crossing the river.

On February 21st, the second year of Taichang, northwest of Hetuala City, on the banks of the Suzi River.

The final battle between the Kaiyuan Army and the Later Jin is about to begin. Although the time traveler knows that Huang Taiji has ambushed a large number of troops in Hetuala, he still rides his horse through the central army formation without hesitation.

The war horses exhaled clouds of white mist, which soon dissipated over the Liaodong plains.

On the west bank of the Suzi River, three thousand headquarters with nearly 10,000 soldiers were arranged in neat square formations, about to cross the river to launch a general attack on Hetuala.

Ten thousand soldiers formed a vast sea of soldiers on the river bank, with the cavalry battalion covering the two wings of the infantry phalanx while chasing the fleeing Eight Banners soldiers.

The infantry formation was divided into three sections from left to right, with the following designations and strength: The left wing consisted of the 5,000th Headquarters, comprising 2,500 men. This was the recently established 5,000th Headquarters, commanded by Shao Jiechun. Of these 2,000 men, only 100 were veterans; the rest were new recruits. Specifically, they were refugees recruited from southern Zhili and Shandong in July and August. Most had only three months of training and no combat experience.

With new soldiers and new generals, they marched to Hetuala for a decisive battle. It was not that Liu Zhaosun was overconfident, but he really had no soldiers left.

In fact, the Yuan army is now fighting on four fronts at the same time: Wendeng, Fushun, as well as Yehe and Hetuala, which are fighting against the Jiannu, are constantly dividing their troops and diluting the strength of the Kaiyuan army.

Compared with the left wing, the central part is slightly more solid. It is the headquarters of the Kaiyuan Army's main force, the 1,000th headquarters, and the 1,000th headquarters commanded by Ping Liaohou himself.

The 1,000th headquarters is fully staffed with 4,000 people, most of whom are veterans who experienced the bloody battle of Hunhe. They have no problems with either combat effectiveness or loyalty.

The 2000th headquarters of the right wing is commanded by Deng Changxiong, who is calm and mature in fighting and has never been defeated since Sarhu. Ping Liaohou has a high opinion of him. Deng Changxiong and Wang Erhu are recognized as Ping Liaohou's right-hand men in the army.

The deputy battalion commander of the cavalry battalion, Wang Zengbin, personally led 3,000 cavalry to reinforce and support, but did not provide flank cover for the 3,000 headquarters infantry - Xicheng Beile Burhanggu followed Qi Jin, Wang Erhu and others to attack Yehe City.

In the 47th year of the Wanli reign, when Jianzhou conquered Yehe, Xicheng Beile witnessed the massacre of countless civilians by the Jiannu. The depth of the war's impact on him is unimaginable to ordinary people. When the opportunity arose to recapture the capital of Yehe, Burhanggu was determined to lead his troops back to avenge his father and brother.

Ping Liaohou arranged for Burhanggu to stay in Kaiyuan, and let Burhanggu, together with Qi Jin, Wang Erhu, Qiao Yiqi, Yuan Chonghuan and others, lead 6,000 soldiers to be responsible for the war on the northern front.

The central army's flag suddenly tilted forward, and the gongs and drums beat, with powerful drum sounds echoing under the gray and gloomy sky.

The marching drums sounded, and the flags of the thousand headquarters pointed forward at the same time. Tens of thousands of soldiers began to organize their armor and weapons on the spot, and the sound of armor and weapons colliding could be heard on the plains.

The auxiliary soldiers hurriedly spread soil and grass on the ice to prevent the soldiers and horses from slipping and falling when passing through.

Teams of cavalry carefully passed over the flanks of the artillery and cleared out the defeated White Banner soldiers around the battlefield.

The artillery camp was filled with the shrill sound of suona. The short and strong gunners pushed the artillery carts hard from the back. The war horses dragged the four-pound, six-pound and eight-pound field guns slowly towards the Suzi River.

The Suzi River has been completely frozen over, and people can walk on it. The thick river ice can even support the movement of horse-drawn carriages.

(End of this chapter)