The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 251: The Battle of Ningyuan
"In just two months, Zu Dashou has made Ningyuan impregnable. The city walls are covered with red-haired cannons. The border troops from Xuanda, Gansu, and Shanxi are assisting, as are the navy from Juehua Island. Even the garrison from Shanhaiguan has been mobilized. The city has at least 40,000 defenders, so it's going to be tough to defeat."

"A great war is imminent. We must not encourage others and destroy our own prestige! We currently have 450,000 troops in Kaiyuan. The Mongols, Jurchens, Han Chinese, and Koreans are all subordinate to the Marquis of Ping Liao. A single blow from our army can stop the flow of water. Zu Dashou has red-haired cannons, so why not our army? Furthermore, the Marquis of Ping Liao is personally commanding this battle. We have the right time, place, and people. A mere small city! What's the point?"

November 11, the first year of Chongzhen.

Jinxi, Huludao, Wanghai Temple.

Wanghai Temple is located at the eastern end of Huludao, bordering the Liaohai Sea. Ten miles to the south is Lianshan Bay, and fifty miles to the west is Ningyuan, an important town in western Liaoning.

Wanghai Temple was built in the late Five Dynasties and has been very popular ever since. People come here in an endless stream to pray for love and offspring. It is said that as long as you buy the abbot's instruments, your prayers will be more effective.

When the army entered the Liaoxi Corridor, Wanghai Temple was temporarily requisitioned and became the central military camp of Ping Liaohou.

In a meditation room facing east and overlooking the sea, Liu Zhaosun, clad in a cassock, sat quietly on a cushion. He held a pair of Buddhist beads blessed by Master Wuqian, his eyes closed, his lips moving slightly as he muttered something.

According to Master Wu Qian, as long as you hold this instrument and recite the Diamond Sutra 3,000 times devoutly, you will be able to move Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and all your prayers will be effective.

Ping Liaohou borrowed three hundred taels of silver from Kang Yingqian, bought Buddhist beads, and began to chant scriptures.

Kang Yingqian went to Master Wuqian in a rage. Seeing that he was not a good person, the old monk quickly returned the silver to Kang and gave him a bottle of secret medicine, saying that it was made by Bodhidharma and that if taken, the person would become invincible. It was also called Vajra Powder...

Kang Yingqian took the monk's drug and said angrily:

"You bald thief, you dare to deceive the Marquis of Ping Liao? I will spare you for now! If it doesn't work, I will tear down the dilapidated temple and sell you, a playboy monk, to Seoul to be a pimp!"

~～～
The Liaohai Strait was cut off and he was at odds with the imperial court. Being on the battlefield in western Liaoning, it was impossible for him to abandon his army and fly alone to Shandong to rescue Jin Yuji.

I don’t know whether the Korean girl is dead or alive.

As a husband, all he can do now is pray for his wife's safety.

However, as the leader of this army of 400,000 people, chanting scriptures and reciting Buddhist scriptures seems too absurd.

If they had not known in advance that today was the Battle of Ningyuan, everyone would have thought that Ping Liaohou had seen through the world and wanted to leave it and become a monk in Wanghai Temple.

"Amitabha!"

Kang Yingqian, Deng Changxiong, Mao Yuanyi, Wang Zengbin, Ma Shiying and others were still arguing about tomorrow's siege.

According to the intelligence obtained by Liu Xingzu, Wang and Jinzu Dashou, the two killers, made a lot of trouble in Ningyuan to strengthen the city defense. Tens of thousands of Liao people built fortifications outside the city day and night.

The official road from Shanhaiguan to Ningyuan was blocked for dozens of miles by ox-drawn carts carrying food, fodder, and weapons. The city of Ningyuan prepared its troops and horses for battle, ready to face the Kaiyuan army.

The capital also did not reassure the Marquis of Ping Liao. The newly crowned Emperor Chongzhen halted the renovation of the Wanshou Palace and Kunning Palace, and used the retained silver to increase the Liao military pay.

Stimulated by the two million taels of Liao salary, the morale of the border troops was greatly boosted and they showed strong combat effectiveness. They no longer retreated to Shanhaiguan, but took the initiative to reinforce Ningyuan.

Except for the Jizhou border troops who retreated back to the interior due to the "sudden serious illness" of the general officer Man Gui, almost all other border troops were dispatched to Ningyuan City to reinforce western Liaoning.

It looks like the elite troops from the Nine Frontiers are going to have a one-on-one fight with the Kaiyuan Army, no, a group fight.

The number of Ming troops in Ningyuan City increased day by day.

At this moment when Ping Liaohou was meditating, the enemy's strength had reached 40,000 troops.

"Man Gui is really loyal. He didn't betray us at the critical moment!"

Wang Zengbin exclaimed with emotion, "This Liaoxi Campaign, the cavalry regiment had gone all out. After several battles, over 7,000 elite cavalry had suffered few casualties. The thought of an imminent confrontation with the border cavalry filled him with excitement."

"If Jizhen withdraws, our pressure will be reduced, but Man Gui will be in danger. A new official has three major issues to deal with, let alone a new emperor ascending the throne. Emperor Chongzhen will surely be furious, and his tenure as a general is likely to end."

Ma Shiying shook his head and sighed, looking out the window anxiously. The Liaohai Sea was rippling with blue waves, and the coast was lined with densely packed tents, with no end in sight.

After Yuan Chonghuan was promoted to the second-in-command of Kaiyuan, Ma Shiying took over the responsibility of external liaison. In the past few years, he was sent to Jizhou and dealt with Man Gui many times.

Among all the generals, apart from Ping Liaohou, Ma Shiying had the best relationship with Man Gui.

As the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, Man Gui's decision to give up aiding Liao this time is already the greatest help to the Kaiyuan army. We can't let them rebel directly inside the pass, right?
"Liaozhen reinforced the city walls, temporarily deepened the moat, built new watchtowers and corner towers, and constructed a warhorse wall to facilitate elite cavalry attacks. The fortifications inside the city are no longer visible, and everything outside has been renovated. They also hired several French instructors to help with artillery and bastion construction. Even Ye Bu Shou saw French troops outside the city."

"Then kill the Francois as well!"

Deng Changxiong pointed to the Ningyuan City Defense Diagram hanging on the wall and reported to everyone. This map was jointly drawn by the Intelligence Bureau and the Second Army. Several elite troops lurked outside Ningyuan City for three days and three nights and were almost discovered by Liao Zhenye.

"Zu Dashou leads his servants in the city every day to capture spies. Wang Zaijin offers 200,000 silver coins to reward the people and capture spies, with a reward of 20 taels of silver for each one captured. Only one of our men escaped, and I wonder if anyone has defected. After the battle begins, Wang Zaijin will block the city gates with huge stones, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. They will also burn all the surrounding houses and fields. In Zu Dashou's words, he won't leave us a single grain of food."

"The Liao people who fled to the Thirteen Mountains went to Ningyuan several times to beg for shelter, but were rejected by Wang Zaijin on the grounds that they would hinder the defense of the city. The navy on Juehua Island transported the refugees to Mopanshan Island and did not distribute any food, leaving thousands of refugees to fend for themselves. These killers are determined to defend Ningyuan to the death." Everyone shook their heads after hearing this. Zu Dashou was less useful than his two younger brothers. Judging from his posture, he was really determined to fight to the death and make the Kaiyuan army suffer a bloody defeat in Ningyuan.

Mao Yuanyi was one of Ping Liaohou's advisors and one of the planners for the Liaoxi Campaign. He stared at the map carefully and said,

"The emperor halted palace construction and invested all the money in Liaoxi. He even intercepted the military pay for suppressing the She'an Rebellion and had the Ministry of War transfer it directly to Wang Zaijin. All those who opposed him were dismissed from office and imprisoned, and handed over to Xu Xianchun for disposal. Zhu Youxiao was only sixteen years old. How could he have such courage?"

Liu Zhaosun frowned.

Chief Instructor Moriti couldn't help but curse:
"You bastard! You're willing to fight us to the death even at the cost of your life, but that loser Zu Dashou is getting the upper hand!"

Everyone looked worried, but Kang Yingqian had a sly smile on his face:
"Hahaha, cheap Zu Dashou, that means you guys underestimated Chongzhen."

"It used to be said that Zhu Youxiao only knew how to do carpentry work and never read, but it seems that these rumors are all false. Judging from his current posture, he is not trying to rescue western Liaoning, but clearly wants to force Zu Dashou to death and use the opportunity to regain control of western Liaoning. If you don't believe me, just wait and see. This time, Zu's army will definitely be at the forefront as cannon fodder."

"My prediction was correct. The Beijing troops have already been dispatched..."

Kang Yingqian was very pleased to see that everyone was listening to him attentively, and was about to reveal some more shocking news.

At this moment, the Buddhist beads suddenly made a snap and fell onto the couch.

Everyone immediately stopped talking and looked in the direction of the sound.

But Liu Zhaosun slowly opened his eyes.

"Have you all discussed it? How should we attack Ningyuan?"

Everyone was silent.

Liu Zhaosun chanted "Amitabha", stood up from the cushion, and walked to the Ningyuan city defense map.

"Since you haven't made up your mind yet, why not listen to me?"

Liu Zhaosun raised his whisk and pointed to Ningyuan City on the map.

"Zu Dashou wants to use his massive cannons to defend the city and engage in a decisive battle with our army in Ningyuan, inflicting heavy damage on the Kaiyuan army. This is a good idea. I will grant his wish and engage him in a decisive battle!"

"Draw 50,000 auxiliary troops and foreign troops accompanying the army. From now on, work day and night to build shield carts. Require the front panels of the shield carts to be at least eight inches thick, and fill the middle with sand. Tell them not to be lazy. When the battle begins, they will push the shield carts they build themselves!"

"Deng Changxiong! This time, we won't use the old method. Don't surround three sides and leave one side open. Just surround the city from all sides. One hundred thousand troops will attack the city day and night."

Deng Changxiong said nothing, but saluted. He had already begun to imagine how tragic the Ningyuan battlefield would be if the battle continued like this.

Liu Zhaosun glanced at everyone and continued:
"In addition to a frontal assault, tunnel digging must also be carried out simultaneously. I have sufficient manpower this time. I will dispatch another 20,000 men to dig from all sides until we reach the city walls. Just like in Hetuala, we will fill coffins with gunpowder and try to blow down the city walls. In addition, we will dispatch foreign troops to immediately build an earthen wall to the south of the city. I demand that in three days, the artillery will be able to stand on the earthen wall and overlook the entire city of Ningyuan!"

Mao Yuanyi looked embarrassed:
"General Liu, building a city isn't difficult, but it's useless if we're too far away. If we get too close, the defenders will fire cannons from the top of the city walls, bombarding the earthen walls. We're too big a target, and we can't dodge, so we're bound to suffer heavy casualties."

Liu Zhaosun smiled coldly:
"In war, there are always casualties. Let the surrendered Jurchens attack first, then the Mongols, and finally the surrendered soldiers from Liaozhen. It's time for them to contribute. Are the Divine Fire Flying Crows you brought just for show? We should be repairing the city while fighting them. Isn't Wang Zaijin going to block the city gate? That's even better! Let him block it! If the enemy doesn't leave the city, we can focus on building fortifications outside. Once the earthen city is built, the artillery will be on high ground and use field artillery to teach the ancestor a lesson."

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, he turned around and looked at Sen Ti.

"Have the instructors and combat representatives carefully explain the Kaiyuan military merit system to the foreign invaders. Tell them that for every inch the earthen wall is built higher, there will be a corresponding reward! Study and decide on the specific rewards as soon as possible!"

Finally, he said to Wang Zengbin, the commander of the cavalry regiment:
"Zu Dashou only cared about Ningyuan, but neglected Juehua Island. There were provisions stored on the island, but the garrison was no more than a few thousand. Wang Zengbin, after the battle begins, you will lead the main force of the cavalry regiment to capture this island and seize all their provisions. If you can't take them, burn them."

Wang Zengbin looked at the map in confusion, and looked at Juehua Island surrounded by the Liao Sea with a look of confusion in his eyes.

"Sir, our navy hasn't arrived yet. We can't swim across on horseback..."

Ping Liaohou glared at him without saying a word. After a moment, he was like an old monk in meditation.

The bells and chimes beside the couch rang.

"Dang! Dang!"

The guard brought the trembling old abbot to the door of the meditation room.

Liu Zhaosun glanced at the old monk, clasped his hands together, and said to his men:

"Amitabha, I want to continue meditating with the master, you can do as you please.

"Oh, yes, don't forget, the decisive battle in Ningyuan will take place in three days!"

(End of this chapter)