The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 207 Vulture
Twelve cannons were pulled to the intersection of North-South Street and continued to bombard the Bayara of the Zhengbai Banner who were resisting stubbornly two hundred steps away.

The Jiannu's artillery near the west gate was completely destroyed by the Divine Fire Flying Crow, and the remaining dozen or so Portuguese cannons were transferred by Huang Taiji to guard the Khan's palace.

So the brave warriors of the Zhengbai Banner could only hold on hard.

More than a dozen iron balls weighing two to eight kilograms whizzed across the street and, under the terrified or fanatical gazes of countless people, slammed heavily into the temporary breastwork built by the Zhengbai Banner.

The powerful iron ball rushed around, smashing the bricks, stones and wood hastily built by the Jiannu into pieces. The flying stones and wood chips continued to cause casualties to the surrounding Later Jin warriors.

"Kill Huang Taiji!"

The roar of the Kaiyuan army echoed in the air, and finally merged into an earth-shaking wave, sweeping across the entire North-South Street.

More than 3,000 soldiers from the 2000th headquarters turned into a sea of red and rushed towards the center of the street with unstoppable force.

The neat and dense firing of the flintlock soldiers was like a death spell. Every time white smoke rose, it could take the lives of dozens of Later Jin warriors.

The Later Jin soldiers hiding behind the breastwork could only use infantry bows to counterattack the Kaiyuan army.

Before the soldiers launched the attack, the Later Jin soldiers were bombarded continuously by artillery on the city wall for half an hour.

After the five hidden field guns were destroyed by the Kaiyuan artillery, the Zhengbai Banner fell into a tragic situation of being beaten and unable to fight back.

Although Bayala and Niulu Ezhen were in charge of the battle, the Zhenyi and Baoyi could not escape, but they were always in fear, worrying that they would be turned into meat paste by artillery shells at any time.

The limbs, internal organs and brains of companions flying around from time to time intensified the atmosphere of terror.

Such a bloody and oppressive battle was not something a semi-slave army like the Eight Banners could sustain.

At this time, the Later Jin soldiers were all exhausted physically and mentally, and their morale was extremely low.

The range of the Jiannu bows was not as good as the new flintlock rifles of Kaiyuan, so every time they shot at the musketeers, the Later Jin archers had to use up all their strength and pull the bowstrings to the fullest, otherwise they would not be able to reach the enemy at all.

After several rounds of shooting, the warriors' arms were almost broken and their physical strength was exhausted. They could only watch the Kaiyuan spearmen and sword and shield soldiers approach the breastwork.

When the vanguard soldiers were less than a hundred steps away from the Jiannu breastwork, the artillery on the city walls and below finally stopped firing.

More musketeers joined the battlefield, and the sound of muskets became unprecedentedly dense, making the broken breastwork a hundred steps away full of pits like a pockmarked face.

A frightened bondservant screamed and jumped out of the breastwork. His thin body was immediately hit by several lead bullets at the same time. As if struck by lightning, his body twitched twice on the spot and he fell to the ground and died.

Witnessing this scene, the remaining Later Jin soldiers did not dare to show their heads again, but just hid behind the breastwork and shot arrows aimlessly at the Kaiyuan army.

After entering the range of light arrows, the musketeers and spearmen slowed down their marching speed, while the long shield bearers and sword and shield bearers pushed to the front.

The long-banner held up the long ban and advanced forward with difficulty in the face of the dense rain of arrows. The musketeer hid behind the long ban and kept shooting at the opposite side.

When they were only thirty steps away from the breastwork, iron bones and flying axes rained down from behind the breastwork.

Almost at the same time, the sword and shield soldiers pulled the fuse of the stone mine and threw it behind the breastwork.

A moment later, the sounds of explosions and screams mixed together. Hundreds of soldiers in the front row were hit by Tieguduo's flying axes, some dead and some injured. Thick white smoke rose from behind the breastwork, and there were cries and screams everywhere.

Judging from the cries, the casualties of the Jiannu army on the opposite side should be more severe than those of the Kaiyuan army.

Before the white smoke around the breastwork dissipated, another wave of dense flying axes and iron bones attacked, and the sword and shield soldiers threw stone mines at the same time.

After the second round of attack, the people behind the breastwork finally quieted down and dared not throw anything at the Kaiyuan army anymore.

Soon the two sides were within ten steps of each other, and the wailing of wounded soldiers and the friction of armor could be heard from behind the breastwork.

The captains of the three flags in front blew their bamboo whistles one after another, and the spearmen and halberd bearers quickly stepped forward, standing in front of the sword and shield bearers. Under the protection of the long shield bearers, they quickly approached the breastwork.

The Qin soldier straightened his back, placed his fingers two feet and three inches from the spear handle, and relied on the strength of his waist to hold the spear flat with both hands.

This gun-holding posture helps to save physical energy to the maximum extent, and is especially suitable for attacking city walls or other high targets.

"kill!"

The Qin soldier roared, and like a clockwork puppet, he led his 110 spearmen and charged towards the breastwork five steps away.

Suddenly, a cold light flashed between the gaps in the breastwork, and hundreds of sharp spear heads stabbed towards this side at the same time, which looked quite murderous at first glance.

"Luckily, the artillery brothers defeated this group of Jiannu, otherwise I don't know what would happen today..."

Zheng Yishi, the flag captain of the second row, sighed silently in his heart. After they crossed the river, they heard Commander Deng Qian say that Huang Taiji also started training spearmen last year, and many of the training methods were copied from the Kaiyuan Army.

In this era of cold weapon combat, if both sides were evenly matched, casualties on both sides would remain largely constant until the end. The White Banner Zhenyi troops before him were filled with fighting spirit, and Zheng Yishi was somewhat worried about the heavy casualties they would suffer.

He was still worried when the front row of long-handled players had already slammed into the breastwork. Almost at the same time, countless spears shot out from behind the breastwork, killing more than a dozen unlucky long-handled players on the spot.

The spearmen and halberd bearers immediately stepped forward, waving their spears and stabbing the Jiannu soldiers across the broken breastwork.

People kept falling on both sides of the breastwork, and a layer of corpses soon piled up on the ground. Soldiers from both sides stood on the bodies of their companions, using all their strength to pierce the enemy's corpses with their spears and halberds, exchanging lives cruelly and bloodily on the north and south streets of Hetuala.

A cannonball flew over the breastwork and hit the back of the Later Jin soldier, causing a rain of blood among a group of baoyi soldiers. The bombardment caused panic among the Zhenyi of the Zhengbai Banner. Finally, under the strong pressure of the Kaiyuan army, the stabbing did not last too long, and the spearmen behind the breastwork began to retreat.

In the face of the overwhelming attack, the breastwork line was like a thin piece of paper and was quickly torn apart by the flintlock rifles.

The spearmen threw down the breastwork and continued to pursue forward. The Zhenyi armored soldiers fled north screaming. More than 300 elite Bayalas stood in front of the soldiers and offered a final resistance.

They were quickly surrounded by the dense sound of musketry.

From time to time, bannermen would defect and join the Kaiyuan Army, acting as guides and leading soldiers to hunt down their masters.

Although he was quite disgusted with these bondservants, Deng Changxiong still accepted them.

Next, facing the two most difficult yellow flags, the 2,000th headquarters will probably lose two thousand people.

Having these baoyi soldiers as cannon fodder could reduce casualties, so they reluctantly accepted these baoyi soldiers who defected on the battlefield.

Liu Zhaosun urgently gathered the surrendered soldiers of the Bordered White Banner in the surrounding area and told them that those who were willing to make contributions to Kaiyuan had their chance now. Those who cut off their braids, killed soldiers of the Plain White Banner and obtained their heads would be given priority in allocating land when they returned to Kaiyuan.

Immediately, more than a thousand surrendered soldiers of the Bordered White Banner were willing to make contributions.

Their braids were cut off, and they were dressed in mandarin duck battle jackets. They were dispersed into three thousand-man teams with more than 60 flags to participate in street fighting and became the vanguard of the attack and destruction of the Later Jin.

The rumbling sound of cannons shook the entire city of Hetuala. As the earth shook and the mountains trembled, the three city gates in the east, south and north were captured one after another by the soldiers.

The Jianzhou Jurchens were about to be completely destroyed.

In order to prevent Huang Taiji from escaping in the chaos, the cavalry battalion had set up ambushes on the roads leading to Ningguta, Xiuyan, Fuzhou and other places.

Liu Zhaosun ordered that if they encountered the Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty, it would be best to capture him alive. If that was not possible, he should be beheaded on the spot. In short, Huang Taiji must not be allowed to escape.

~~~~~
Huang Taiji endured the sharp pain in his left eye and looked down at the smoke rising from the city of Hetuala below the Khan's stage. During Nurhaci's time, the Jianzhou Jurchens had spent a full decade, investing enormous manpower and financial resources, to build this fortified city in Liaodong.

From the Khan King's Well to the Eight Banners Yamen, from the Old City Bridge to the Armor Field, every blade of grass and every tree in the city embodies the hard work of my father Khan.

The city of Hetuala witnessed the rise and prosperity of the Jianzhou Jurchens, from their glorious military exploits in conquering the Haixi, Huifa and other tribes, to their tragic defeats in the Battle of Kaiyuan and the bloody Battle of Hunhe. Until today, it will witness the final demise of the Jianzhou Jurchens.

In just two years, Nurhaci and his descendants fell from the pinnacle of victory to the brink of despair.

At this moment, Huang Taiji felt that everything before his eyes was like a dream, as if nothing had ever happened.

"The foundation of Jianzhou that has been passed down for more than a dozen generations is now being destroyed by Liu Zhaosun. If I don't kill him, I will never be able to eliminate the hatred in my heart!"

Huang Taiji clenched his fist and smashed it hard on the imperial desk in front of him. The two Han officials beside him moved slightly, and when the Later Jin Khan looked up, they all lowered their heads to look at the ground.

The one-eyed Huang Taiji had a ferocious look on his face. In his rage, blood oozed from his eye socket, which was injured last autumn. Combined with the scar on the right side of his face, he looked particularly creepy overall.

"So, where is your Zu Lieutenant General now? When will he and his retainers be able to launch an attack on Liu Zhaosun?"

The Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty stared at the Liaozhen envoy who was kneeling in front of him. This was Ye Bushu who came from Guangning and was said to be the confidant of Guangning Lieutenant General Zu Dashou.

Liao Zhen Ye Bushou was obviously frightened by the monstrous Huang Taiji in front of him. He suppressed his fear and stammered:
"Replying to the Khan, General Zu sent me here to tell you that he has already set out. This time he brought a thousand retainers with him, and all the brothers he could call upon from Liaonan are here..."

The young prince Dorgon standing behind him slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Na Ye and cursing:

"So, you've just set off! You want to wait until Da Jin and Liu Zhaosun are both badly damaged before you take action, right?"

Ye Bushou kowtowed quickly and said he dared not.

Huang Taiji shook his head and continued to ask:
"Hetuala will soon be conquered by the Liu thieves. The Great Jin is of no value to you. Why did Zu Dashou send you here?"

Liao Zhenye swallowed his saliva and looked around. Several young beiles of the Later Jin Dynasty had murderous looks on their faces and were looking at him with ill intentions. Even the two Han ministers standing next to him had ferocious expressions.

He hesitated for a moment, then looked up and saw the Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty smiling at him. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say cautiously:
"General Zu asked me to report to the Khan that Liao Zhen is running into Liu Zhaosun this time and they don't have enough food and fodder. I hope the Khan of the Later Jin can provide some aid. General Zu said that the food stored in the southern part of the Jin Dynasty can be used to feed the servants first..."

The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and Dorgon, Hauge and others stared at the Liaozhen envoy.

Huang Taiji suddenly laughed and said:
"You Liaozhen, are you all carrion-eating crows? Last year at Hunhe, the Eight Banners and the Kaiyuan Army fought each other to a bitter end. Liaozhen arrived late, and now you dare to take advantage of the situation and rob us. Do you really think that our Great Jin has no one?"

"Someone is coming,"

Huang Taiji waved his hand, and two burly Goshas rushed in immediately.

"Drag him out and chop him up! All the shops our ancestors left in Hetuala were sealed off, and all the employees were killed, leaving no one alive."

Ye Bushou's shrill plea for mercy gradually faded away, and Huang Taiji turned to look at Fan Wencheng.

"Lord Fan, what do you think about this?"

When Fan Wencheng, the Minister of War of the Later Jin Dynasty, heard the Khan's question, he thought for a moment and immediately replied:

"My Lord, the matter is very clear. Zu Dashou and the others are still watching the situation. He will not take action unless Liu Zhaosun is defeated."

Huang Taiji nodded. He had never had a good impression of the generals in Liaozhen.

During the Nurhaci era, Lao Nu always emphasized the importance of using more spies in battles, using the Liaozhen or Mongolians as internal supporters to capture Ming cities without bloodshed.

Under the guidance of this idea, important cities in Liaodong such as Fushun, Qinghe and Kuandian were captured by the Later Jin in this way.

As time passed, after the rise of Liu Zhaosun, the golden age of Jianzhou Jurchens was over.

What the Later Jin Dynasty needs to consider now is no longer conquering cities, but surviving.

Before the Kaiyuan army launched the decisive battle, Liu Zhaosun had already cut off the trade between the Later Jin and Korea and Mongolia.

Under this economic siege, when Liu Zhaosun annexed southern Liaoning, the only foreign trade route of the Later Jin would be blocked, and everyone would starve to death.

Kaiyuan, Tieling and other cities have tight defenses, making it difficult for spies to hide, so there is no point in expecting Liaozhen to act as an internal support.

"Zu Dashou accepted so much money from us, and he is sworn enemies with Liu Zhaosun. I thought he was a useless man, but I didn't expect Liao Zhen to wait for Hetuala to suffer a heavy loss before reaping the benefits. But this is wishful thinking. Even if I can't kill them, Liu Zhaosun will not let Zu Dashou go."

Huang Taiji gritted his teeth. Liaozhen was unreliable, the Bordered White Banner was unreliable, and the Bordered Blue Banner was unreliable. The only one he could rely on was himself.

The Zhengbai Banner could not hold out for long and may have been completely defeated by now.

The key to guarding Hetuala lies in the two yellow flags. Huang Taiji deployed the most elite Bayara to the south of the Khan's Palace. As long as Liu Zhaosun dared to attack, he would be beaten to a bloody pulp.

"Master, Nikan is already at the end of his strength. As long as the two yellow flags are deployed, we will be able to annihilate him. It would be fine if Liu Zhaosun doesn't come to die, but if he does, he will be killed without a burial place."

Since the death of Li Yongfang and Tong Yangxing, the young Fan Wencheng came into the sight of the Later Jin Khan and gradually became the most promising Han minister of the Later Jin.

"Hetuala cannot be defended. Liu Zhaosun is here to fight the Jin Dynasty to the death. Letting the White Banner lead the way is to buy more time. We will retreat to Ningguta."

Gao Hongzhong and Fan Wencheng looked at each other, and Gao Hongzhong said:

"Great Khan, Hetuala has been operating for many years. How can we give it up so easily?"

"Defend this place to the death. Everyone must die in battle. As long as someone remains, we will finally have a chance to defeat Liu Zhaosun!"

Huang Taiji was frightened by the strength displayed by the Kaiyuan Army, and he increasingly regretted why he had provoked this person.

According to the results of the two-month conspiracy between the Later Jin and Liaozhen, when the main force of the Kaiyuan army set out to attack Hetuala, Liaozhen should have bypassed Fushun and headed north to attack Tieling or Kaiyuan.

Until now, there has been no movement in Liaozhen, let alone launching an attack on the Kaiyuan army.

Zu Dashou, whom Huang Taiji was thinking about all the time, was now leading his servants and soldiers on the official road from Guangning to Hetuala.

Zu Dashou came from a family of Liaodong military officers. His father, Zu Chengxun, was the deputy general of Liaodong. In the original history, in the first year of Tianqi, Zu Dashou served as a guerrilla in the central army.

In this dimension, Zu Dashou was exceptionally promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General of Guangning two months ago, and his promotion speed was comparable to that of Liu Zhaosun.

Zu Dashou was not the only general promoted in Liaozhen this time.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the imperial court intended to use Liaozhen to counterbalance the rising Liu Zhaosun.

Unlike Ding Bi, Zu Dashou has a clearer understanding of Liu Zhaosun's strength.

Zu Dashou had no experience of killing innocent people. Guangning was far away from the Jiannu. Despite repeated persuasion from Huang Taiji and his father Khan, Zu Dashou had not made up his mind to defect to the Later Jin.

Knowing that Liu Zhaosun had come out in full force to fight a decisive battle with the Later Jin, it was inevitable that one of the two tigers would be injured in a fight.

Zu Dashou realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to expand the power of the Zu family. Since the imperial court had begun to lose control of Liaodong, it would always be a good idea for him to command his men to occupy more territory.

(End of this chapter)