The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 399 Battle
On July 1, the first year of the Wuding reign, Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong left the leaders of the Zhenglan Banner, Haoge and Bakshi (Note ) Soni, to guard Hetuala, and together with the brothers Dorgon and Dodo, led troops to start the war against Qi.

The army set out from the capital Hetuala and marched towards Fushun from the north, center and south. On July 9, the Qing army arrived at the east of Fushun City and immediately launched a fierce attack on the remaining Qi army without any rest.

The Qing army's attack on Qi, the Southern Ming's northern expedition, and the Korean westward expedition together constituted a series of grand military events in the first year of Wuding.

Since the main battlefield was located in the Liaohe Plain, later historians collectively referred to these three major battles as the "Liaoshen Campaign" or the "Decisive Battle of the First Year of Wuding."

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

At the end of June, there was a constant flow of scouts on the official roads leading from various cities in Liaodong to Liaoning and Shenyang, and a large number of refugees flooded in. Liu Xingzuo sent out the Suoyi Guards to conduct a thorough investigation and eliminate the Jiannu spies who tried to infiltrate Liaoning and Shenyang. Military intelligence from the front lines in various places was urgently transmitted back to the central military tent in Shenyang and presented to the desks of Prime Minister Kang and General Qi.

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On June 30th, after two and a half months of hard work by 5,000 auxiliary troops and nearly 100,000 Liao people, the Liaohe River defense system with Shenyang Zhongwei as the center was finally formed, and the reinforcements from all over the country entered the positions one after another.

On July 1, Handong Commander Zhao Lujiao, after overcoming many hardships and dangers, brought back 5,000 remaining soldiers stationed in Japan to Liaodong. This loyal subordinate also brought back Yuan Chonghuan's ashes from Japan.

Including the troops who escaped from Korea, by the outbreak of the Liaoshen Campaign, the total strength of the Guards troops who returned to Shenyang to support it, together with the original Liaodong garrison troops, had reached 23,000 people.

With the war approaching, in order to maximize morale and maintain combat effectiveness and avoid the chaotic situation of "soldiers not knowing their generals and generals not knowing their soldiers", Qi Jin requested the court to retain all the establishment of the Guards and not to disband or merge the fourteen corps, no matter how many troops were left.

Kang Yingqian readily agreed to the request of Qi Shaobao (Qi Jin had been promoted to Prince Shaobao). Not only that, at the instruction of Prime Minister Kang, on the second day of July, at the Shenyang North Gate Wengcheng, Dongguan Zai Senti brought the surviving instructors to hold a grand awarding ceremony for the soldiers and officers who had made meritorious contributions to protecting the emperor.

On the second day of July, five ministers of state accompanied the young emperor to the city wall. Empress Dowager Jin Yuji witnessed this extraordinary awarding ceremony through the curtain.

Minister of Revenue Qiao Yiqi stepped on a small stool and tremblingly hung a Kaiyuan Special Honor Medal around Lin Yu's neck. The big man Lin, who was fully armored, hurriedly saluted Qiao Yiqi.

Lin Yu held the battle medal engraved with a black dragon, symbolizing the highest honor of the Kaiyuan Army. There was no joy on his face, and there was not even a trace of emotion in his heart.

The cold texture of the medal reminded Lin Yu of his dead brothers, whose bodies were also so cold.

Minister Qiao imitated Emperor Wu Ding, patted the steel giant on the shoulder, and said with concern:

"Is your injury healed?"

Lin Yu nodded to Qiao Dazui, turned his gaze from the medal to the ground, and said in a deep voice:
"Don't worry, Minister Qiao. I will defend the imperial city and not let a single Tartar in, unless they step over my corpse..."

Qiao Yiqi looked at Lin Yu carefully. The more he looked, the more he felt that this giant was majestic and powerful, and could be of great use. The haze in his heart was swept away, and he laughed loudly:
"Back in Kaiyuan, Emperor Wuding once told me that in the face of danger, the only civil officials who could be used were Kang Yingqian and Yuan Chonghuan, while the military generals were Deng Changxiong and Qi Jin. Adding two more would make it Lin Yu and Wu Xiao. True gold is revealed in fire, and heroes are known on precipitous slopes. The emperor was right about you. Excellent! Excellent!"

Qiao Yiqi whispered:

"You are a lucky general, so stop saying discouraging things. Once we secure Liaoyang, I will personally officiate your wedding with that Japanese beauty. Remember, no matter what, you must stay alive."

Qiao Yiqi jumped down from the small bench and turned around to award medals to Yang Tong, Wei Zhao, Han Chao and others.

Tens of thousands of soldiers below the city wall looked at the more than 200 officers and soldiers on the top of the city wall who were awarded medals, all with expressions of envy and admiration.

When the awarding ceremony was over, Instructor Sen turned and saluted the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Kang Yingqian nodded to Dongguanzi. Sen Ti stepped forward, raised the wooden trumpet, and shouted loudly to the more than 20,000 Qi soldiers below the city:

"Brothers of the Imperial Guards! I'm the instructor Sen Ti. You all call me Dongguanzi in private, but in fact, I'm a real Guangxi native, just like the prefect Yuan (Yuan Chonghuan)!"

Sen Ti's high-pitched and powerful Lingnan accent spread far along the city wall, and all the soldiers raised their heads and looked towards the top of the city.

"Like many of you, I grew up in a very poor family. Prefect Yuan took pity on me and took me in as a servant, providing me with food and clothing. Actually, I couldn't read a single word back then. Ten years ago, my master and I went to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. It was a thousand miles from Guangxi to Beijing, and we depended on each other for survival. We were nearly killed by river bandits several times. When we arrived in the capital, because I was handsome, Wei Zhongxian almost captured me and brought me to the palace to be made a eunuch..."

There was a burst of laughter from the city. Lin Yu remembered what Shen Lian had told him before, that when he first arrived in the capital to serve as a Jinyiwei, he was almost caught by Eunuch Wei and taken to the Jingshifang and killed with a knife. It seemed that what Captain Shen said was true.

"Later, I met Emperor Wu Ding. At that time, the emperor was still the general of Liaodong. I followed General Liu and made great achievements. Later, everyone around me lived a good life. The boatmen recruited in Tianjin became soldiers and captains, with fields to farm and clothes to wear. Even the poorest refugees got married in Kaiyuan and lived a good life with wives and children. In Liaodong, many people have a tablet of Emperor Wu Ding on their shrines! The people know clearly who treats them well!"

The chief instructor's eyes gleamed, but his expression suddenly turned sad, and soft sobs were heard all around him.

"I, too, have had a good life! I became your instructor, and for the next seven years I followed General Liu on his campaigns, from Liaodong to Shandong, and from Shandong to Japan. General Liu often told me that human life is short, and that we should use our short lives to accomplish immortal deeds! He often privately admonished me to follow the right path, to save the people of the world, to ensure that all the suffering people in the world have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, and to ensure that refugees no longer wander... The emperor worked diligently, overdrawing his life, and accomplished so many things all by himself. Yet, even such a good official and emperor was ultimately besieged in the capital by bandits. That scoundrel Li Xianzhong forced the people to fill the trenches and threw dead rats into the capital. In order to allow more people to survive, the emperor allowed us to escape, and he chose to stay in the capital..."

Sen Ti suddenly couldn't continue speaking. He was sobbing and covering his face with his hands.

Jin Yu Ji listened quietly behind the curtain, tears soaking her cheeks, and the palace maid handed her a handkerchief.

Kang Yingqian looked at the silent crowd of soldiers below, hesitated for a moment, and finally let Dongguanzi continue. "I'm crying today, not just because of Emperor Wuding. A few days ago, I received news that my old boss, Prefect Yuan, drank poisoned wine with a demonic monk in Japan to ensure the safe withdrawal of the soldiers. They both died. Without him, there would be no me! In fact, it's not just Prefect Yuan. Over the years, many of our brothers have died. Why did they die?"

Sen Ti stopped crying and suddenly raised his voice:
"Die for Kaiyuan, die for Daqi! Die for us living people!"

"Prefect Yuan is dead, but I, Sen Ti, am still alive. It is because of the sacrifices of Prefect Yuan, Captain Shen, General Wang, and countless others that I can stand here today, watching you, the elite soldiers and brave generals, defending the Great Qi and achieving great success! You are the strongest soldiers in the world!"

Lin Yu's eyes were slightly red, and he was slightly moved as he looked at the short and thin instructor.

"Dudu is coming, the Korean soldiers are coming, and the Ming army is coming too. They're coming from all directions, like crows and wild dogs devouring human flesh, they're coming right where the scent is! They're coming for revenge. Yes, you heard me right, these ungrateful wolves are coming for revenge."

"When we captured Hetuala, Emperor Wuding not only didn't massacre the Jianzhou, but also treated Dudu and others well, hoping that they would change their ways. But we didn't expect these ungrateful people to see that Da Qi was in trouble, not only did they not help us, but they also wanted to bite us hard! The Jiannu wanted to wipe us out and torture Emperor Wuding's own flesh and blood to death! And Korea, a country related to us by marriage, has benefited so much from us over the years! Now they want to kick us when we're down! Li Zong just massacred Pi Island and crossed the Yalu River to massacre Kuandian! That dog emperor of the Southern Ming left so many refugees alone, watching them starve to death and freeze to death, and he insisted on fighting Da Qi to the death!"

"They all think that our Great Qi is dying, that you have been crippled and disabled, and that they want to eat our flesh and drink our blood. Do you agree?"

Tens of thousands of Da Qi soldiers below the city clenched their fists, veins bulging on their faces, and roared in anger:

"I don't agree! I don't agree!"

Sen Ti raised his big hand, pointed at the city and roared:
"It doesn't matter if you were soldiers of the First or Fourteenth Army before! It doesn't matter if you were pacification soldiers, combat soldiers, cavalry, or artillery! It doesn't matter if you came back from Japan or Henan! Today, you are all soldiers of the Great Qi! Emperor Wu Ding said that the soldiers of the Great Qi must march forward without hesitation! Now, there are only four cities left in Liaodong. Your brothers and sisters, your parents, your little emperor, and your fellow soldiers are all in these four cities, defending the cities and your homes!"

Sen Ti clenched his fists and smashed them hard into the air. Suddenly, his small body burst out with incredible energy.

"Fight for our emperor, fight for Da Qi!"

Lin Yu's emotions were completely ignited, and he raised his fist and roared like a giant beast:

"Fight for our emperor, fight for Da Qi!"

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July 2, Andingmen, Shenyang (Note ).

In previous years, there was no curfew in Liaodong during the Qixi Festival, and Shenyang even had a party until dawn. Emperor Wuding liked to have fun with the people, and the civil affairs and training officers would also organize single soldiers in the army to participate in blind date programs around the Qixi Festival.

Now, Emperor Wu Ding is gone, and the Great Qi Dynasty is in turmoil. Sharing happiness with the people has turned into sharing the national crisis. Blind dates have been put on hold for the time being, and Shenyang, both inside and outside, is in a state of preparation for war.

The distribution of garrison troops around Shenyang is as follows:

A total of 11030 soldiers and auxiliary troops were stationed in Shenyang City and its subordinate forts, watchtowers, and barriers.

Among them, there were 7200 officers and soldiers in Shenyang City, 1243 combat soldiers in Jingyuan Fort, 1157 combat soldiers in Pinglu Fort, and 890 combat soldiers in Shangyulin Fort.

The surrounding enemy towers surround the city of Shenyang like stars surrounding the moon. The enemy towers are divided into two to three floors. The first floor is a solid platform higher than the wall. One to two hollow platforms are built on it. A vaulted roof is built in the middle. The surrounding small vaults are corridors. There are arrow windows on all sides for soldiers to shoot arrows and fire cannons. There are also small rooms in the middle where guards live.

From Tieling to Fuzhou, beacon towers on the mountaintops along the more than 500 miles north and south were urgently repaired. A large amount of wheat straw and firewood were stored in the towers, and auxiliary soldiers were on guard day and night. According to their daily training, if there was an enemy situation, they would set off smoke during the day and light fires at night.

When the soldiers at the nearby beacon tower saw the fireworks, they immediately set off fireworks and fired guns and cannons, passing the fire from one tower to another like a relay, and soon the enemy situation was passed on to the Shenyang headquarters.

Kaiyuan military law stipulated: if one or two to more than a hundred enemies were sighted, one beacon and one cannon were fired; if 500 enemies were approaching, two beacons and two cannons were fired; if more than a thousand enemies were sighted, three beacons and three cannons were fired; if more than 5000 enemies were sighted, four beacons and four cannons were fired...

In this era, beacon towers play an irreplaceable role in helping commanders quickly detect the strength of the invading enemy, quickly formulate plans to defend against the enemy, and deploy troops.

War soldiers were also stationed at Yinsun'ertai, Baojiatai, Niu Sanguan and other road towers along the Liaohe River border wall. Each of these road towers was guarded by 5 war soldiers. Once the Jiannu attacked, passers-by would immediately enter the road tower to take shelter.

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Under the design of Qi Jin, Ginni Ge and others, the Shenyang Fortress was almost armed to the teeth.

Even the abandoned cities of Qinghe, Kaiyuan, Fushun and others were ready to fight to the death. Black wood was exposed at the battlements of the city walls, pretending to be cannons, and the horse-guard stations and trenches outside the city were well-built.

However, most of the soldiers in the city had already withdrawn, leaving only empty cities in order to confuse the enemy.

Note:
1. Bakshi (Manchu: , Mulinde transliteration: Baksi), also translated as Bangshi, Bashi, Bangshi, is a common name for many ethnic groups including Manchu, Mongolian, Uyghur, Kazakh, etc. It comes from the Chinese word "doctor" and later became a title for scholars in Qing Dynasty.

2. Shenyang City was under the jurisdiction of Liaoyang Zhongwei, established in the th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, and belonged to the Liaodong Dusi. The city had four gates: the south gate was called Baoan Gate, the west gate was called Yongchang Gate, the north gate was called Anding Gate, and the east gate was called Yongning Gate.

(End of this chapter)