The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 57 Xiong Tingbi is here

"The Ming army is defeated! The Ming army is defeated! Run for your lives!"

On Kaiyuan's North and South Streets, several Han Chinese who looked like businessmen were running and shouting.

One of the short and stocky merchants, fearing his voice wasn't loud enough, found a paper loudspeaker and shouted at the fleeing soldiers and the rioters:

"My dear men! Liu Zhaosun is dead! He Shixian is dead! Yang Hao is dead! All the Ming troops are dead! The Tartars are entering the city, run!"

His shouts drew a response from the fleeing soldiers, and the young idlers followed behind to stir up trouble. Soon they had hundreds of people and were running towards the west gate in a chaotic manner. The young idlers took the opportunity to rush into the shops on the street and loot them wantonly.

At the East Gate City Wall, the sound of French cannons echoing from the top of the city wall suddenly stopped, announcing that the Later Jin gunners had begun to retreat.

Liu Zhaosun rubbed his ears which were almost deafened, and felt that the world was still buzzing.

"You Tartar dog, you want to deafen me? Cannonballs are free!"

Brigadier General Liu spat towards the east, dusted himself off, and looked at the handsome face reflected on the bright helmet for a while.

Just now, the cannonball hit the bluestone street, and stone chips flew everywhere. Fortunately, I didn't get disfigured.

After confirming that there was no danger, the lieutenant general led the Mandarin Duck Formation to continue advancing.

After walking a few steps, several soldiers from Yansui Town came running towards them. The leading captain was a burly man with a rifle in his hand. He saw Liu Zhaosun from a distance and exclaimed:

"Lieutenant General Liu, aren't you dead?"

These Yansui guest soldiers were originally under Du Song's command. After the defeat at Sarhu, many of them fled to Liaoyang. Later, they followed Liu Zhaosun to Kaiyuan and were assigned to various city gates.

When Liu Zhaosun heard this, he knew that someone was deliberately disrupting the morale of the army, and he pointed at the general's nose and cursed:
"Who said I'm dead? Wei Chao! Open your eyes wide and see if I'm dead!"

The soldiers around burst into laughter. The captain named Wei Chao blushed, stammered, and was unable to speak.

At this awkward moment, I looked up and saw several figures passing by at the opposite intersection.

The businessman who had just shouted "Liu Zhaosun is dead" on the street was carrying firewood and walking into a dry goods store next to the crossroads, followed by several sturdy and short people.

There were some men who looked like prostitutes guarding the street corner, looking over here furtively.

The surroundings were noisy and the Mandarin Duck Formation was relatively hidden, so they did not notice the Ming army behind them.

Wei Chao pointed at those people and said to Liu Zhaosun:
"Lieutenant General Liu, it's them! They've been shouting throughout the city that you're dead, and that Yang Jinglie is also dead..."

"It must be a slave thief or spy who showed up on his own accord! Great!"

Liu Zhaosun looked up and his eyes met those of a spy who was spreading rumors. The man saw the dense Ming army and quickly turned around and fled.

Black smoke rose from the roofs of the houses on the street, followed by shouts of defeat for the Ming army.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the chaotic Kaiyuan City and said angrily:

"When I first arrived in Kaiyuan, I searched the entire city for spies and killed hundreds of them. I didn't expect there were still some that slipped through the net. It seems that the Nu Chieftain has a very high reputation in Liaodong! Pei Dahu!"

Pei Dahu, with a face full of flesh, clasped his hands together. There were too many Jiannu spies, and he led his servants to kill several batches, but he didn't expect them to be so rampant.

He was afraid of being punished, and the flesh on his face twitched unconsciously, and he didn't dare to speak.

Liu Zhaosun said loudly:

"Take the men and leave only two alive! I will interrogate them, and kill the rest! Hang their heads in the street! Write on them: Jiannu spies!"

"Yes! Your lord!"

Pei Dahu brought a dozen of his servants and walked towards that direction with a grim smile.

Liu Zhaosun thought to himself that there were too many spies in Kaiyuan City. Nurhaci had been operating in Liaodong for many years, and they must be thoroughly cleansed out.

After dealing with the spies, he led the Mandarin Duck Formation to continue eastward. After walking a few dozen steps, he saw the white-armored soldiers retreating hastily in the distance.

The archers shot heavy arrows at the white-armored soldiers, but the other side did not fight back. They hurriedly left behind the bodies of several of their companions and quickly retreated towards the east gate.

"The Tartars are withdrawing their troops?"

This thought flashed through Liu Zhaosun's mind, but he quickly rejected it.

The Zhengbai Banner led by Huang Taiji was powerful and had far more troops than his own. It was impossible for them to escape after just one fight.

In the street fighting just now, more than 500 of the 3,000 Ming soldiers were killed or wounded, and about 500 to 600 of the Plain White Banner soldiers were killed or wounded. For the Plain White Banner, these were just superficial injuries.

It is hard to imagine that Huang Taiji would withdraw his troops so desperately without external intervention.

"Could it be that Xiong Tingbi is really here?"

Liu Zhaosun suddenly remembered that Wei Zhongxian said before he left that reinforcements were on the way. Counting on his fingers, it was not too late for Lord Xiong to arrive at this time.

Liu Zhaosun was still confident in the work of General Xiong.

Let this person be the governor of Liaodong and travel thousands of miles to pacify Liaodong. He is much more reliable than Yang Hao and his chubby side.

Compared with the fall of Kaiyuan and Tieling in history, the situation faced by Xiong Jinglüe at this time was much better.

But what would this decisive and resolute Lord Xiong think of Liu Zhaosun?

Would Lord Xiong regard him as a bloodthirsty warrior, and would he use his imperial sword to behead the military leader as a sacrifice?

It’s not impossible!
Liu Zhaosun subconsciously touched his head to make sure it was still around his neck, then turned and shouted to the soldier:

"Don't stop, keep going east and bite the white-armored soldiers!"

The Mandarin Duck Formation continued to advance eastward, pursuing the scattered fleeing white-armored soldiers, and soon arrived at the east gate of Kaiyuan.

Standing at the intersection of the East Gate, Liu Zhaosun could clearly see that the Bayara of the Plain White Banner who had just attacked him were retreating in an orderly manner to the east bank of the moat, and the Later Jin gunners were busy directing the Baoyi to transport the dismantled French cannons to the other side.

On the other side of the river, a large number of soldiers of the Plain White Banner had already formed up their battle array, ready to fight the Ming army.

Liu Zhaosun frowned, suspecting that this was a trick set up by Huang Taiji to lure him out of the city in pursuit and then surround him from all sides.

"Lieutenant General Liu, do you want to cross the river and pursue them? Kill more men and women from the Plain White Banner and avenge General He!"

The young and energetic Li Yuchen walked up to the lieutenant general, waved his hand at the retreating Bayala, with deep hatred in his eyes.

This young Liao Zhenye Bushou usually respected General He, but General He was killed by the Bayara in front of him.

Now that his enemy was right in front of him, Li Yuchen was filled with rage and wished he could rush over and take revenge immediately.

Liu Zhaosun thought for a while, shook his head, and said lightly:
"No need for that. The thieves are already prepared. We won't get any advantage if we rush over now."

Liu Zhaosun knew very well that this hastily formed army under his command still had many problems.

In urban street fighting, they can form a mandarin duck formation to fight against small-scale enemy soldiers. In a large-scale battle in the wild, this number of people is still no match for the five or six thousand Zhengbai Banner heavy infantry.

The Zhengbai Banner retreated without causing chaos. If they led their troops to charge out now, it would only bring military merit to Huang Taiji and allow this prince to seize power in the Later Jin Dynasty sooner.

While Liu Zhaosun was thinking about it, a servant came on horseback from the south and shouted towards the east gate.

"Sir! The Tartars at the west and south gates have retreated! The Tartars have retreated!"

"The Tartars have retreated!"

"Won!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers cheered and shouts of victory soon rang out on the battlefield.

"No way? Aren't the two southwest gates about to be captured?"

Liu Zhaosun thought secretly. At this time, all the troops of the Zhengbai Banner had retreated to the east bank. He climbed up the east gate tower under the escort of a team of soldiers.

The top of the city was in a mess. A French cannon that had not been dragged away in time fell to the ground, and the body of a Later Jin gunner lay beside it.

Liu Zhaosun stepped over the Tartar's corpse, jumped onto the French gun mount, and looked into the distance at the four gates of Kaiyuan.

From what we could see, the troops of the Zhenghong Banner and Zhenglan Banner who were besieging the west and south gates were slowly retreating.

"The Tartars have indeed withdrawn their troops."

The dark mass of Later Jin soldiers was like a dense swarm of ants. The figures of Baoyi and Zhenyi were scattered on both sides of the moat. Many of them were carrying the looted property near the city gate, and the team was endless.

Their retreat method was exactly the same as that of the Zhengbai Banner, with the Baoyi and Zhenyi in the front and the white-armored soldiers in the rear.

The front of the city gate was filled with corpses of Ming soldiers, and the Ming army in the city was already at the end of its strength. They only sent out scouts to follow from a distance and did not dare to go out of the city to pursue.

Some houses in the city were burning, and occasionally the screams of civilians floated in the air, reminding people that the war was still going on.

The sounds of muskets and cannons could be faintly heard from the north gate. The Bordered Blue Banner was still fighting the New Army, a fight to the death.

"Kaiyuan is defended, Kaiyuan is defended!"

Large groups of Jiannu retreated to the northeast, and the isolated army of the Bordered Blue Banner could no longer cause any trouble.

Kaiyuan was defended.

Liu Zhaosun muttered to himself, feeling that he had used up all the strength of his next life. His legs went limp and he slumped down beside the French cannon, looking up blankly at everyone.

Two captains stepped forward to help the lieutenant general up. Some Liao soldiers beside him were sobbing softly. Li Yuchen, who was of Liao origin, said with a choked voice:

"Lieutenant General Liu, Kaiyuan has finally been defended. Without you, countless Liao people would have died at the hands of the Jiannu, and countless more would have been captured and forced to serve as bondservants!"

Liu Zhaosun didn't say anything, he slowly walked to the front of the battlement.

More than two thousand soldiers from all over the Ming Dynasty expressed their excitement after fighting for many days with thunderous shouts of victory.

The ground was littered with corpses of soldiers from both the Ming and Jin factions, with broken armor and incomplete weapons mixed together. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood. Crows appeared at the junction of the living and the dead, devouring the rotten flesh and corpses.

Liu Zhaosun's heart was beating violently. This was the battlefield!

The survivors looked at each other, at the blood-stained faces. Many were exhausted, many were covered in bruises, and everyone just smiled foolishly.

Liu Zhaosun stood on the top of the city wall, waving towards the people below, with a smile of victory on his face.

Together with the Sichuan soldiers who were still fighting a bloody battle at the north gate, this army hastily assembled from Jizhen, Liaozhen, Zhejiang soldiers, Xuanda and other units paid a heavy price for defending Kaiyuan in recent days. More than half of the soldiers died in the battle, and countless people were wounded.

However, it was this cannon fodder army, under the organization of Liu Zhaosun, that finally defended Kaiyuan after several bloody battles, defending this important town in Liaodong and the last line of defense of the Han people in Liaodong.

In Liaodong, not all Han people want to be baoyi!

This is the significance of Liu Zhaosun's battle.

This is the starting point of the time traveler's imperial ambitions and also the front line for Liu Zhaosun to resist the barbarians.

Liu Zhaosun's story begins here!
"Those who can fight, follow me back to the north gate, kill Amin! Destroy the Bordered Blue Banner!" After saying this, Liu Zhaosun jumped on his horse and swung his sword to the north.

Behind him, more and more Ming soldiers formed a red wave and rushed towards the north gate of Kaiyuan.

~~~~~~~~
On the top of Kaiyuan's north gate, the military supervisor Qiao Yiqi sat high on the city wall, waving a paper fan, with a style quite like Zhuge Kongming.

He was commanding 3,000 soldiers in a fierce battle with the Bordered Blue Banner.

In fact, Lord Qiao did not give any orders. He just sat high on the top of the city wall, as Liu Zhaosun said, truly as still as a mountain.

Two trusted servants, holding long plaques, guarded Master Qiao on both sides to prevent the Jiannu from launching a sneak attack.

Qiao Yiqi was a veteran who had come from the battlefield of Sarhu, so of course he knew that Bayara was a skilled archer.

Back then, General Du was taken away by a single arrow from a white-armored soldier in Jiefan City.

The lesson from the Yin Dynasty is not far away. How can the military inspector take it lightly?

Now that he was far away from the battlefield, if he was shot to death by a bandit, it would not only be embarrassing if it got out, but the court would also find it difficult to reward or provide him with relief.

"Master, the Mandarin Duck Formation has broken through the earthen wall and killed many Tartars."

"I know, get out of here,"

"Master, the Mandarin Duck Formation is approaching the White Spear Soldiers."

"I know, get out of here,"

"Master, the Mandarin Duck Formation and the White Spear Soldiers have joined forces. The Tartars are about to retreat. That damn Amin is so angry that his beard is about to fall off!"

"Where is it? Let the master see it!"

A servant was lying on the battlement at the top of the city wall, broadcasting a live broadcast of the battlefield at the north gate for the military supervisor.

The host had excellent eyesight and could clearly see the differences in patterns on the spears of the White Spear Soldiers and the Zhejiang Soldiers hundreds of steps away, as well as the rat whiskers under the lips of Amin, the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner.

Three miles away from Qiao Yiqi, at the Bordered Blue Banner formation, Amin, the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner, had his beard shaking with anger.

He angrily looked at the stagnant Zhenyi soldiers on the other side, turned around abruptly, and said to his brother Fei Yangwu:
"Useless! They are all a bunch of useless. Five thousand soldiers can't even kill three thousand Nikans! Useless! Let Bayala lead the charge. Keep charging. If you can't kill all the Ming troops within half an hour, all the Niulu Ezhen will be killed!"

Fei Yangwu looked worried as he looked at the stalemate battle on the other side of the river, remaining silent.

The Ming army on the other side was clearly the Eastern Route Army they encountered last time in Hunjiang River.

The weapons and armor, the deployment of troops, and even the murderous look in the soldiers' eyes were exactly the same as last time.

The 3,000 Ming troops were divided into small groups and formed hundreds of battle formations along the narrow river bank, engaging in a stalemate with the Bordered Blue Banner.

There were twelve or thirteen people in each formation, and each of them used weapons of different lengths.

There were spears, short swords, muskets, halberds, and some weapons that Fei Yingwu didn't recognize.

Coordinate offense and defense, stab with spears, defend with long shields, attack like a poisonous snake, defend like a scallop.

Nurhaci was strict in military discipline and had extremely high requirements for battle formations. The warriors of the Bordered Blue Banner were also good at arranging battle formations.

However, the terrain on the other side was narrow, and Nikan had dug several trenches and horse-blocking ditches, which crisscrossed and were fragmented, making it impossible for their warriors to form a large formation.

Without a large formation, it would be difficult to exert the advantage in military strength when facing these tough hedgehogs, even if there are many people.

So the only option was to let the warriors fight the Ming army, exchanging their lives for theirs, until they were worn down.

Obviously, this tactic is not a good strategy for the Bordered Blue Banner, which needs to preserve its strength.

Thinking of this, Fei Yingwu decided to persuade Amin to withdraw his troops and sent people to ask Manggurtai for help.

At this moment, he vaguely heard the sound of Wansheng coming from afar. The sound came from far away and seemed to come from the other three gates.

"The southern barbarians have exploded their camp?"

Fei Yangwu was full of confusion. He ignored Amin and hurried towards the lookout pole behind the formation.

Before he could run over, he heard the soldier on the lookout shout:
"The Nikan army is coming, on all sides! The Nikan army is coming!"

Fei Yangwu quickly ordered the soldiers to come down and whipped the man twice with his horsewhip.

"You little dog slave, if you dare to disrupt the morale of the army again, I will kill you!"

Then he climbed up the lookout pole, stood on the high pole, and looked around.

The setting sun was a bit dazzling. He blocked the sunlight with his hands and looked towards the east. There was thick smoke all around. It seemed that the spies planted by Daishan and others really worked. Fei Yingwu was still happy, but when he looked into the distance, he suddenly froze.

The first thing that came into view was the Zhengbai Banner. They had already fled from the east gate, but now seemed to be entangled by a Ming army. The white-armored soldiers were waving their heavy swords and slashing wildly, and the baoyi were running around like crazy, with the pigtails on the back of their heads jumping happily.

Then he saw the Zhenglan Banner to the south, and finally the Zhenghong Banner to the west, all of which fled Kaiyuan and retreated towards Hetuala.

"A bunch of losers, being chased and beaten by the southern barbarians!"

Fei Yingwu cursed, and his anxious eyes inadvertently swept towards the city. Under the thick smoke, waves of red rolled towards the north gate, and red mandarin duck battle jackets continued to join in along the way, sweeping across the entire Kaiyuan City with unstoppable force.

"The southern barbarians are coming! I'm afraid there are tens of thousands of them!"

He shuddered in his heart and knew that he could not hesitate any longer. He climbed down the watchtower tremblingly and ran to Amin without stopping.

"Fourth brother, hurry up! The southern barbarians are coming,"

Amin was staring at the Ming army on the opposite bank at this moment. Under the attack of the Blue Banner warriors who outnumbered their number several times, the Ming army suffered increasing casualties and finally began to collapse.

He heard Fei Yingwu talking and said impatiently:
"Why are you leaving? The southern barbarians are almost dead! I'm going to rush into the city, capture Liu Zhaosun, and bring him back to Hetuala to be tortured to death!"

Fei Yangwu looked at the crazy Amin in front of him, looking at this brother with a tragic fate, and suddenly swung his fist and hit him in the face.

"Fourth brother! They're all gone!"

Amin was so angry that he suddenly drew out his knife and was about to chop his brother, but suddenly he froze on the spot.

"Who's gone?"

Fei Yangwu stepped forward and shook Amin's chain mail vigorously, saying loudly:
"Daishan, Huang Taiji, and Manggurtai, those three bastards have all withdrawn their troops! The Nikan soldiers in the city have surrounded us. Liu Zhaosun and his men are saying they want to annihilate our Bordered Blue Banner!"

Amin, the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner, collapsed to the ground instantly.

~~~~~~~~
In the Kaiyuan city where smoke of war was rising, twenty spearmen were guarding the entrance of a quiet alley.

They were fully armored, holding 17-foot-long spears, with folding crossbows hanging from their waists, silently guarding the entrance of the alley.

The brutal battle in the city seemed to have nothing to do with this place. A few fleeing soldiers who were passing by to rob were frightened by the murderous aura emanating from this team of soldiers and walked away from them.

In a quiet courtyard in an alley, a man with a white beard named Yang Hao sighed deeply as he looked at the thick smoke rising from the city.

"Since ancient times, everyone has to die, but I will leave my loyalty to shine in history."

A plump maid brought hot tea. Master Yang took a sip, turned to look at his daughter standing beside him, and said sadly:
"Qing'er, I'm afraid Kaiyuan can't be defended. You're married to Lieutenant General Liu and a consort of the imperial court. If your husband dies in battle, you'll think he died for his loyalty!"

Yang Hao began to sob, and his daughter was already crying like rain.

"Daddy, I'm going to the North Gate to look for him, even if I die! Give me a knife!"

Yang Hao slammed the teacup to the ground and shouted angrily, "No one cares about you when you're so stubborn and willful. But now there are rebels outside. What are you, a girl, doing out there? Aren't you afraid of bringing shame to your ancestors? That Liu Zhaosun is long dead! Dead!"

The maid next to her was startled and quickly took a few steps back and ran out of the yard.

"Disgrace? People outside say that Daddy colluded with the Jiannu and caused the disastrous defeat of tens of thousands of troops at Sarhu. Now there's this disaster in Kaiyuan, which has cost so many lives! Daddy, you are the one who has disgraced yourself!"

"Shut up! You don't know the seriousness of the matter!"

With a slap, a slap hit Yang Qing'er's face. Yang Hao's face turned pale with anger. In his rage, he couldn't breathe, his throat gurgled, and he fainted on the ground.

Yang Qing'er covered her face with her hands, looking dazed. Seeing her father fall down, she hurriedly supported her father and gently patted his back. After a long time, Yang Hao slowly woke up.

"Qing'er, Daddy has always doted on you. What do you, a girl, know? During the Battle of Sarhu, the censors kept forcing us to send troops, but the emperor refused to provide adequate food and wages. The soldiers in Xuanda haven't been paid for three months! The Liaozhen troops didn't contribute and even fought with the foreign troops. Daddy had no choice but to rush the troops, which led to the subsequent disastrous defeat. The censors are now scolding your daddy every day, expecting him to take the blame for others!"

As Yang Hao spoke, his breathing quickened again, and he shook his hand and said:
"I had hoped that Liu Zhaosun would be able to turn the tide, defend Kaiyuan, take you away from this Shura field, and take care of you for the rest of your life. I never thought he would die here too!"

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore," he said to his daughter earnestly, as if he had suddenly realized something:
"You, go and die for your loyalty. Even if you die, you will still have a good reputation. If the rebels rush in, then..."

Yang Hao was halfway through his speech when he choked up and couldn't continue. Yang Qing'er's beautiful face became gloomy, and she walked silently into the boudoir and closed the door.

Yang Hao opened his eyes wide and roared to the sky:
"Two generations of my Yang family have served our country with loyalty, why have we ended up like this? Why!"

Yang Qing'er wept silently in her boudoir, not listening to her father's words. Although she and Liu Zhaosun were married, the war was fierce and dangerous, and her husband was busy with military affairs every day. Although they were husband and wife in name, they were not husband and wife in reality.

She had just turned fifteen, her mother had passed away early, her father doted on her, and she was born into a family of great talent. Why did she have to go through this Asura hell? Why! Why!

In the small courtyard, Yang Hao looked as pale as death.

The day before yesterday, the emperor sent a young eunuch from the Imperial Household Department to Kaiyuan to announce the imperial decree, promoting Liu Zhaosun from captain to lieutenant general, and also promised to supply food and wages and send reinforcements.

According to Wanli's promise, Xiong Tingbi should have arrived a few days ago, but why hasn't he arrived yet?

He is no longer the powerful governor, nor is he able to submit a petition to the court.

Before the Battle of Sarhu, he had repeatedly advised the Ministry of War not to advance hastily, but Huang Jiashan simply refused to listen.

Now the army has been defeated, Kaiyuan has fallen, and Tieling and Shenyang will also be lost.

As expected, the court censors wanted to put the blame on Yang Hao again. Hahahaha, how ridiculous.

"The Liao Dynasty is in trouble, so I will take the blame for you shameless villains!"

The shameless villain Yang Hao mentioned, of course, also includes the one in the Forbidden City.

Yang Hao reflected more than once that the Battle of Sarhu was lost due to logistics and military supplies.

Wanli was always urging the front to start the war as soon as possible, but the treasury was empty. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue asked him for money, but he refused to give a penny.

Thinking that Xiong Tingbi, who would succeed him, would most likely continue to take the blame for the emperor, Yang Hao couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

At this time, a chaotic sound of footsteps and screams of people were heard outside the alley.

Yang Hao's breathing became rapid. He began to imagine the scene of the Later Jin soldiers entering the city and massacring the city, and he couldn't help but close his eyes.

He knew that Liu Zhaosun had died in battle. He also knew that if a high-ranking civil official like himself was captured by the Later Jin, he would be humiliated, and the censors of the Ming Dynasty would compare him to figures like Qin Hui and Cai Jing and continue to humiliate him.

Yang Hao's eyes were dark and his hair was disheveled. He didn't care whether his daughter had committed suicide for the sake of chastity. He hung a three-foot white silk cloth on the beam of the main hall, placed a wooden bench underneath, and slowly climbed up with his old body.

(End of this chapter)