The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 458 Liaonan Offensive
On the eighth day of the third month of the second year of Wuding, the Da Qi army landed in Lushun. The Qing army's defense line in southern Liaoning was in danger. Ellie repeatedly asked for help from Shenyang and begged Du Du to help the Bordered Blue Banner.

Without waiting for the Qing emperor to send reinforcements, the Qi army launched an even more fierce offensive.

The first round of elite soldiers, under the cover of naval guns, attacked the Qing army positions in stages. The musketeers fired three rounds of volleys in succession, and the Qing army responded with a rain of arrows.

Whether in terms of weapons and equipment or morale, the Qing army was no match for the Qi army.

Realizing that he could not escape death, Elli decided to take a gamble and sent 800 infantrymen to go around the rear of the First Army, preparing to attack the Qi army from behind.

After the Qi troops on the left and right discovered the Qing army's movements at night, they immediately reported it to their respective commanders.

Chen Xin and Pu Gang immediately led the Second and Third Guards Armies to attack from both sides of Laotie Mountain. Perhaps it was the roar of the Qi soldiers at dusk and the reflection of light on their armor that broke the Jurchens' psychological defenses, or perhaps it was the highly accurate and rapid firepower of the Kaiyuan infantry's field battles that destroyed the Qing front. In short, when Chen Xin and Pu Gang jointly surrounded them, the Qing Bordered Blue Banner Army, which had been invincible six months ago, completely collapsed.

The Zhenyi armored soldiers who had just rushed onto the foothill path fled in all directions. Most of the Qing troops from the two Niulu were killed. Fortunately, night fell, and the remaining warriors took advantage of the darkness to escape back to Laotie Mountain.

From then on, the Qing army at Laotieshan no longer dared to attack easily.

On the tenth day of March, the Qi army besieged Lushun from three directions and captured it. The leader of the Bordered Blue Banner, Ai'erli, fled to Jinzhou.

The army rested for two days and on the 13th, continued its march towards Jinzhou.

Jinzhou's military position was extremely important. The Lushun Peninsula was the throat of the Bohai Sea, and Jinzhou City was the gateway to Lushunkou.

"The land extends obliquely from Jinzhou to the sea, shaped like a lotus leaf lying on the waves, with the corner of Jinzhou being the lotus stem. From Jinzhou to the southwest, it narrows gradually until it reaches Nanguanling, where it reaches a maximum width of no more than six miles, like a lotus stem. It is a key pass on the rear road of Lushun. Beyond Nanguanling and heading southwest, the terrain gradually widens, stretching from southwest to northeast, forming a triangle, with mountains and sea leaning against each other, and the steps winding around it, creating a natural landscape of great beauty." (Note 1)

At this time, the remnants of the Bordered Blue Banner stationed in Jinzhou City were already in a state of panic. Elli was helpless and could only order the generals of the Niulu to:
"As the Qi bandits approach, quickly place mines, explosives, and horses. Hold your ground and do not engage them lightly."

Isn't it wishful thinking to hope to stop the Qi army's attack by relying solely on landmines, landmines and other objects?

On the 18th, the vanguard of the Qi army began to build a bridge across the Dasha River in preparation for attacking Jinzhou. Liu Zhaosun sent Chen Xin to lead part of the Second Guards Army and Pu Gang to lead part of the engineers and cavalry to go first.

One was to search for the enemy, and the other was to repair the road and prepare for the 60,000 troops to march north to Shenyang.

On the 22nd, Emperor Wu Ding personally led the main force of the First Army from Piziwo to Jinzhou.

At this time, Fuzhou was in danger and the defenders did not dare to rescue Jinzhou. The Qi army was on guard from the fork in the road to Wushili Fort on Fuzhou Avenue to prevent the Qing army from coming to support from Fuzhou.

On the 25th, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Army's vanguard arrived at Liujiadian on the outskirts of Jinzhou and encountered the remnants of the Bordered Blue Banner.

The Qing army had already been repairing defensive fortifications in Jinzhou, but the Qi army suddenly attacked, forcing them to abandon their unfinished fortifications and flee north.

On the 26th, Chen Xin led the Second Guards Army to Liujiadian. He learned from Ye Bushui that the Qing army had built an artillery fort on Shimenzi Heights, with infantry guarding on both sides. So he decided to launch a surprise attack with his troops.

At the beginning of noon, the Second Army launched an attack on the Bordered Blue Banner position.

Chen Xin ordered the first battalion of the second army to attack the Qing artillery positions northwest of Daheshang Mountain, and the second battalion to attack from Jinzhou Avenue and its north.

The battalions of the Second Guards Army gradually advanced on the Qing artillery emplacements. The remaining 1,800 or so Bordered Blue Banner troops had nowhere to retreat (the roads to Fuzhou and Shenyang had been cut off by the Qi army) and were forced to fight to the death. At 3:00 PM on the 26th, Chen Xin ordered the Second Army to concentrate all its rockets and infantry artillery to fire at the Qing artillery emplacements for half an hour.

The Jiannu, who had the advantage of terrain, hid in the tunnels between the mountains, and the artillery fire had limited damage to them. When the Qi army's artillery fire ended, the Qing army immediately retaliated fiercely with the red-coated cannon and the general cannon. The archers shot down the approaching Qi army musketeers from a high position along the ridge line.

At this time, there were less than a thousand remnants of the Blue Banner who were fighting stubbornly. Their master, Elli, had been burned to death by rockets. The Jianzhou people knew that Emperor Wuding would never let them go, so they had to continue fighting like trapped beasts.

The Qing army was holding a dangerous position. After some archers had shot all their arrows, they threw stones at the Qi soldiers who were rushing towards them. Some Qing soldiers rolled into the Qi army with gunpowder bags and died together with the enemy.

The casualties of the Second Army rose sharply. The chief officer Chen Xin went to the front line to supervise the battle. He was soon hit in the shoulder by a stray arrow. After a hasty bandage, he continued to command the fierce attack.

The battle ended at dusk, and Shimenzi Heights was still in the hands of the Bordered Blue Banner.

According to Qi State historical records:
The battle "was like thunder and lightning, with bullets clashing against each other, smoke rising, and the fierce and fierce fighting was particularly magnificent. However, the enemy occupied the natural advantage and fired downward from the high fortress, while our army fired upward from the low position. The difference in difficulty was huge, and we lost the advantage of the terrain. We stopped guarding the left flank and moved to camp between Jinzhou Avenue and Fuzhou Avenue. It was 8 o'clock in the evening."

While the Second Guards Army was fighting fiercely with the Bordered Blue Banner, the main force of the First Army led by Emperor Wu Ding finally arrived near Guanjiadian in Jinzhou.

Francisco, Dongfang Zhu, the First Army's staff officer, and others all ascended the mountain to follow the emperor in understanding the battle situation. Liu Zhaosun detoured from Fuzhou Avenue to Qianjiazi, observing the Jiannu's defensive deployment along the way.

It was already dusk when the Second Army's scouts came galloping over to report the battle situation on Shimenzi Plateau to the emperor. Upon hearing that the Second Army had suffered 300 casualties, Liu Zhaosun flew into a rage:
"Where's Chen Xin? Deng Changxiong's main force has become like dough in his hands. Three or four thousand men can't even defeat two thousand Jiannu. Go back and tell him that if we can't capture Shimenzi tonight, I will take his head!"

Seeing the emperor's rage, Francisco whispered:
"Holy Emperor of Great Qi, forgive me for being blunt, but a fortress built on this terrain is stronger than the strongest bastions in Europe. A frontal attack would be extremely difficult."

After experiencing some "tempering" at the Zhaoyuan Iron Mine, Francisco gained a deeper understanding of life and the universe, and became more loyal to the emperor.

The young missionary was now not only the High Priest of Qi, but also the Emperor’s chief advisor on European affairs.

The "Whip of God" program, which later became world-famous, was the work of Francis. (Note 2)

After destroying the Jiannu Korea, Emperor Wu Ding would soon have to deal with the European powers. Francisco had traveled to various European countries in his early years and had good military skills. It was most appropriate for him to understand the opponent through him. As the saying goes, only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win a hundred battles.

Liu Zhaosun did not vent his anger on Francisco. He cast his gaze towards the Liaonan land, where smoke and fire were everywhere. Looking at the endless mountains before him, he suddenly said:

"The enemy is on Jinzhou Avenue, and the defense of Fuzhou Avenue is relatively weak. We can strike the enemy from behind."

Although the Jinzhou Road is close and the Qing troops are few, its location is quite strategic. The Jinzhou Street runs between Liujiadian and Shimenzi, and travels in and out of the valley. There are many small mountain ranges on both sides. Our troops are under the enemy's control and may not be able to move easily.

So he ordered Pu Gang to lead a team to confront the Qing troops near Shimenzi, while the emperor himself led the first and second battalions of the first guards to avoid the sight of the Qing troops, turn out of Fuzhou Road, and force the rear of the Shimenzi defenders, launching an attack that night.

Note:
1. Yao Xiguang, “A Brief Account of Eastern Military Affairs,” in The Sino-Japanese War (1), p. 34

2. God's Whip Project:
东齐帝国第一次世界大战中发起侵欧行动的代号。发生于1632年6月22日—1645年1月沙俄及东欧地区，该计划由时任齐国近卫军第1训导官佛朗西斯科起草和指导，1631年8月底制定完毕。原名为“玄奘计划”，后于1632年2月改为“上帝之鞭”。

(End of this chapter)