My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 168 Since ancient times, there have only been ministers who saved the emperor, but how could there be an emperor who saved his ministers?

However, facing Huang Taiji's "anger", Yuetuo did not take it seriously and still had that stubborn look on his face.

He continued:
"Your Majesty, Han people are Han people after all. They can never become Manchus. How can they be compared?"

"If you don't believe me, just wait and see! When the Ming emperor arrives, these people will immediately kneel down and worship their emperor, and return to the embrace of the Ming Dynasty."

"These Han Chinese have never had their hearts with us. So why don't we use them?"

"If these people die by then, we can just go and rob them again! After all, the Ming Dynasty has a large population, so the last thing they lack is people."

"But if we retreat like this, how will we explain it when we return?"

"We mobilized the entire nation to fight this time, expending so much food, supplies, and manpower, yet in the end, we gained nothing. I simply cannot resign myself to this!"

As Yue Tuo spoke, he paced back and forth in the tent excitedly, with a hint of madness and unwillingness in his eyes!

After hearing Yuetuo's words, Huang Taiji fell into extreme inner struggle.

He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the waves in his heart.

But he knew in his heart that every word Yue Tuo said made sense.

If we return empty-handed, all kinds of conflicts will surely erupt when we get back!
These included conflicts between brothers, conflicts between Manchus and Han people, conflicts between the Eight Banners, and conflicts between various Jurchen nobles.

These contradictions have always lingered in Huang Taiji's mind, and he has been unable to resolve them completely.

Even the reason why the whole country was mobilized to launch the Battle of Songjin was just to divert various domestic conflicts.

If this battle is won, most of these conflicts will be resolved immediately, and he can also find other ways to resolve the remaining small part.

But if we lose this war, or if we don’t fight, then when we return, all kinds of conflicts will erupt directly, and the Qing Dynasty will fall into chaos!
In this way, the authority he has worked so hard to build up over the years will be gone.

What was even more terrifying was that the people of the Mongolian tribes were already unstable. Once they realized the weakness of the Qing Dynasty, they would probably rebel again. He could not bear these consequences.

In comparison, the cost of sacrificing tens of thousands of Han Chinese civilians seemed less heavy.
Although this might arouse strong hatred among the local Han people in Liaodong and make the Qing Dynasty's situation in Liaodong worse.

But at this moment, in Huang Taiji's mind, winning this battle and maintaining his ruling position is the top priority!

After a fierce ideological struggle, Huang Taiji's eyes gradually became cold and firm.

After a moment, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, and he looked at Yue Tuo and said in a deep voice:
"In that case! We'll do as you say. Immediately transfer 30,000 Han Chinese civilians from Yizhou!"

"Remember, you must not reveal the truth. Everything must be done in secret. No one can be aware of our intentions."

Huang Taiji's voice was low and hoarse, as if filled with endless fatigue and helplessness.

Seeing that Huang Taiji actually agreed to his plan, Yuetuo was delighted and hurriedly bowed and said:
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely handle this matter well!"

Daishan, who was standing aside, was already very disappointed at this moment. He never thought that Huang Taiji would actually agree to this crazy plan.

He wanted to say a few more words of advice, but before he could open his mouth, he was stopped by Huang Taiji's cold look.

That look was like a sharp blade, making Daishan swallow back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Looking at Huang Taiji's resolute face, Daishan understood that Huang Taiji had made up his mind, and no matter how much he said, he could not stop this matter!
In the end, Daishan could only shut his mouth helplessly, his heart full of bitterness and helplessness!

It's not that he really sympathizes with the Han people, but he feels that the consequences of doing so are too serious and they simply cannot afford it!

But Huang Taiji had made up his mind, what else could he say?

At this moment, Huang Taiji said again:

"Yue Tuo, this matter is extremely urgent. There can be no delay. You must set out immediately tonight and bring those 30,000 people here as soon as possible!"

When Yue Tuo heard this, he quickly bowed and accepted the order.

"I'll go right away!"

Then he turned around and walked out of the tent quickly, leaving in the cover of night.

After Yuetuo left, Huang Taiji slowly walked to Daishan and patted him on the shoulder, with a hint of fatigue and helplessness in his tone:

"Daishan, I know what you want to say. You simply think this plan is too cruel and ruthless, but if there is any other choice, I would not want to do this!"

"But you have to understand, we have no way to retreat now!"

"We must fight this battle! And we must win!"

"Sacrificing some Han civilians is better than sending the Qing warriors to their deaths, what do you think?"

There was a hint of inquiry in Huang Taiji's eyes, as if he was seeking Daishan's understanding and recognition.

Daishan sighed deeply in his heart, and finally just cupped his hands and said in a low voice:
"Your Majesty has made up his mind, and I have nothing to say."

Huang Taiji nodded slightly and ordered again:
"Go down and rest first. Tomorrow morning, take your men to the Songshan area to dig deeper trenches and hold off the Ming army for as long as possible."

"Once those 30,000 Han Chinese arrive, we will fight the Ming army to the death!"

"This battle can only be won, not lost!"

In order to better besiege Jinzhou, the Jiannu dug a huge trench less than thirty miles away from Jinzhou.

This trench is about four or five meters wide and dozens of miles long. It connects the sea on one side and the mountains on the other, preventing the Ming army from rescuing.

However, in order to transport food to Jinzhou, the Ming army later filled several trenches at night. In addition, they would occasionally harass the Ming army, so these filled areas were retained.

Even before this, Daishan led his army through these filled trenches.

But now, in order to delay the Ming army's march as much as possible, they are no longer necessary.

Daishan’s next task was to widen and deepen the trench as much as possible.

Daishan naturally could not refuse the task assigned by Huang Taiji, so he immediately took his leave.

Walking out of the tent, Daishan looked up at the night sky and saw the bright moon hanging high in the sky, casting a cool light, as if a layer of gauze was covering the earth.

A deep worry suddenly surged in his heart. He felt that the war had completely gotten out of control, like a wild horse running wildly towards an unknown abyss.

In his opinion, it would be fine if they could win the war, but if they failed, they would lose not only the territory and the lives of the warriors, but also the hearts of the Han and Mongolian people in the entire Liaodong region!
After all, since Huang Taiji could treat the Han people in this way, who can guarantee that he would not treat the Mongolian people in this way?

If a war breaks out with Abunai, will Huang Taiji bring another group of Mongolian people to stand in front?
Daishan shook his head helplessly and forced himself not to think too much.

After all, he is not the emperor and cannot make the final decision.

Then, Daishan walked away in the moonlight, leaving behind only a somewhat lonely figure.
At dawn the next day, when the sky was still hazy, Daishan had already set out with his army and civilians.

It's just that he didn't sleep for several hours last night, so he looked a little listless.

But now is a critical moment, so it doesn’t really matter whether I sleep or not.

Not long after, the group arrived at the trench that had been dug earlier.

Daishan waved his hand fiercely and gave a loud order:
"Completely dig through all the previously blocked trenches, deepen and widen them, and complete the work before noon! Anyone who delays will be subject to military court!"

When the soldiers heard this, they immediately agreed and ordered the laborers they brought with them to work quickly.

It was impossible for the Jiannu to do such rough work, so the only people who could do such rough work were the Han people who were forcibly conscripted.

They were dressed in rags, their worn clothes were covered with patches, and looked particularly thin in this cold morning.

His pale and thin face is full of the vicissitudes and helplessness of life.

Under the whips of the Jiannu supervisors, they struggled to swing the hoes and shovels in their hands, and every movement seemed to use up all their strength.

Daishan rode on his horse, quietly looking at these busy figures, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.

There was a hint of pity and a bit of helplessness in his eyes.

Compared to the Han people who were about to die, these people only suffered a little, which should be considered good.
It was almost noon when the trench was dug.

After a quick lunch, Daishan did not dare to stop for a moment and rushed to reinforce the defensive fortifications of Jinzhou.

This was what Huang Taiji specifically sent someone to tell him this morning.

The defense of Jinzhou City is crucial to their battle with the Ming army, and ensuring that Zu Dashou does not leave the city to cause trouble during the battle between the two sides is the top priority!
Daishan galloped on his horse while thinking about his next plan in his mind.

He knew that Zu Dashou was a powerful general, and if this matter could not be properly resolved, it would bring great trouble to their army.

After arriving in Jinzhou, Daishan quickly gathered his men and arranged various matters in an orderly manner:

"Immediately dispatch additional personnel. Deploy twice as many elite troops to each city gate to ensure a watertight barrier!"

"If Zu Dashou dares to break out of the city, I will beat him back mercilessly! No one will be allowed to escape!"

Daishan said with a gloomy expression.

When the generals heard this, they quickly agreed and then sent more Jiannu troops to surround Jinzhou.

The civilian laborers who had just dug the trenches were redistributed to various places to strengthen Jinzhou's fortifications.

Many of them had fainted on the ground due to exhaustion. As a result, the supervising Jiannu soldiers didn't care whether they were still alive or not. They cut their necks with a knife and threw them all into the trench.

But they seemed to have become numb to this and still followed the orders of the Jiannu army dully.

It’s not that they haven’t resisted, but the villains will only end up dead!

And they don't want to die, they just want to live
But for ordinary people, living seems to never be an easy thing.

Some people may wonder why the Jiannu didn't concentrate their forces to capture Jinzhou first to ensure the stability of the rear before fighting a decisive battle with the Ming army?
After all, Jinzhou was too much of an eyesore and seriously affected their strategic deployment.

The answer is actually very simple, that is, the Jiannu people simply cannot do it!

If this could be done, the Jiannu would have captured Jinzhou long ago. Why would they have to dig trenches and lay siege?

Jinzhou City was strategically located, with tall, sturdy walls built over many years, forming an impassable barrier. Coupled with the tenacious resistance of the Ming army led by Zu Dashou, the Jiannu's previous attacks had all ended in failure.

During each siege, Jiannu soldiers suffered heavy casualties from the Ming army's artillery fire and arrows. The Ming army, relying on its strong city walls and sufficient food and grass, repelled their attacks time and time again.

Perhaps some people are curious, since they cannot take Jinzhou, why not set the battlefield outside Jinzhou City, so that they don’t have to worry about Zu Dashou launching a sneak attack when they are fighting a decisive battle with the Ming army.

Moreover, the terrain outside Jinzhou City is open, which has an absolute advantage over the Jiannu cavalry!

But if this were really done, wouldn’t the Jiannu have besieged Jinzhou for such a long time in vain?
And if they retreat, wouldn’t that mean they would just return Jinzhou to the Ming army?

By then, as long as the Ming army could hold Jinzhou, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

Therefore, this strategy is the most feasible option at the moment!
After Daishan's reinforcement and reinforcement, Jinzhou City was finally completely surrounded by the Jiannu!

It's like an isolated island tightly surrounded by an iron barrel, making people feel desperate.

On the Jinzhou city wall, a middle-aged man wearing heavy black armor looked determinedly at the busy Jiannu soldiers not far away.

His eyes revealed the calmness and vigilance of a veteran.

He looked over the battlements and gazed at the densely packed Jiannu army with fluttering flags several miles away, and fell into deep thought.

This person was none other than Zu Dashou, the defender of Jinzhou!

Zu Dashou actually knew Zhu Cilang's plan, even including the fact that Chongzhen intended to lead the expedition to Liaodong in person.

This information was secretly delivered by Hong Chengchou.

When he received the secret letter, he was filled with confusion and shock.

He really couldn't believe that such a grand plan came from a thirteen-year-old boy.

Even though he is the current crown prince, he is still a teenager. How can he be so far-sighted?
That’s fine!

But what the hell is it about Chongzhen leading the army in person?

He always felt that this matter was not very reliable. After all, in his impression, the current emperor had always been a relatively conservative and cautious person, and he did not look like someone who would lead an army in person.

However, Hong Chengchou would not joke about such a thing. Hong Chengchou was his colleague for many years and was a steady person. He would never speak carelessly about such an important matter.

Besides, the recent actions of the Jiannu army are really abnormal.

He would climb up the city wall every day to observe the movements of the Qing army.

In recent days, he clearly noticed that the Jiannu army was constantly gathering around Jinzhou, with more and more tents being set up and the soldiers becoming more and more dense.

At first he thought that the Jiannu were going to launch a final raid on Jinzhou, so he stayed on the city wall day and night, ready for battle.

But as time went by, the Jiannu never launched another raid, and he became confused again.

After all, the Jiannu had done this before, and it always ended in failure.

The defensive fortifications of Jinzhou City had been built and improved over many years and were not so easy to breach.

Since the army was not assembled to besiege Jinzhou, there is only one reason left!

That means Chongzhen really led the army to fight in person!

The Jiannu army assembled a large army with the intention of fighting a decisive battle with the Ming army led by Chongzhen!

Thinking of this, Zu Dashou's expression changed. There was a hint of expectation and a bit of worry in his eyes.

He couldn't help but wonder whether he was still a loyal minister.

When Chongzhen executed Yuan Chonghuan, he was afraid of being implicated, so he led his troops to abandon the city and flee.

This caused Liaodong to fall into chaos at that time.

Fortunately, the Jiannu did not take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack at that time.

But this should also be considered a betrayal of the Ming Dynasty, right?

But in the end, Chongzhen did not blame him and allowed him to continue guarding Liaodong, which made him both grateful and guilty.

Later, in the fourth year of Chongzhen, he was ordered to supervise the construction of Dalinghhe City. As a result, Huang Taiji led his troops to besiege it. In the desperate situation where the reinforcements were defeated and the food and grass in the city were cut off, he had no choice but to surrender to the Jiannu.

Although he returned to the Ming Dynasty in the end, this can be considered as betrayal of the Ming Dynasty again, right?
If you think about it carefully, he has betrayed the Ming Dynasty twice.

To be honest, he didn't want this to happen. He just wanted to survive.

But he understood one thing very clearly in his heart, that is, as a military general, he should not have such thoughts!

A military commander should be committed to defending his country and fulfilling his duties, but for some reason, he just wanted to survive.
In these troubled times, life is too fragile, and every war could be a matter of life or death.

He witnessed too many comrades falling on the battlefield and countless civilians being displaced.

To be honest, if there is no reinforcement this time, when he runs out of ammunition and food, he might surrender to the Jiannu again!

But this time he might have really surrendered completely because he was really tired.

Years of fighting had exhausted him physically and mentally, and he longed for a stable home.

but
If Chongzhen really came here in person, he would have shed his last drop of blood for the Ming Dynasty!
After all, the reason why Chongzhen personally led the army to fight was ultimately because Jinzhou was under siege, or to put it more bluntly, Chongzhen actually came to rescue him!
Although this sounds a bit far-fetched, it is true!

Although he could not be said to be very loyal to Chongzhen, if Chongzhen really came, then his grandfather's life would belong to Chongzhen!

After all, since ancient times, there have only been ministers who saved the emperor, but no emperor who saved his ministers.

At this moment, Zu Dashou had already made up his mind.

As soon as he saw Chongzhen's dragon banner appear, he would immediately lead all the soldiers in Jinzhou City to charge out. Even if they all died on the battlefield, he would have no regrets!
There is no other reason, just to fulfill the friendship between the monarch and his subjects!
At the same time, the scene turned to Tashan.

Due to the harassment from the Jiannu last night, most soldiers were able to fall asleep in the second half of the night, so Zhu Cilang ordered the departure time originally scheduled for the morning to be changed to noon.

So the soldiers had a rare chance to sleep in.

However, Zhu Cilang got up early. After a simple tidying up, he led 10,000 troops to Bijia Mountain.

Bijia Mountain is located near the battlefield of the Battle of Songjin. It was a grain storage area for the Ming army and was home to 3,000 soldiers.

The mountain is surrounded by the sea on three sides and connected to the land on only one side, and the terrain is quite high.

Many strong fortifications were built on the mountain, including bunkers and trenches, making it a fortress that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Historically, during the confrontation between the Ming army and the Jiannu, a large amount of food and supplies were stockpiled on Bijia Mountain, which was the key to maintaining the Ming army's combat capability and defending cities such as Jinzhou.

Huang Taiji naturally knew the importance of this place, so he sent a large number of troops to attack and rob the Ming army's food and grass in Bijia Mountain.

Relying on the mobility and tactical advantages of their cavalry, the Jiannu quickly cut off the Ming army's access to food and grass from Bijia Mountain, and carried out destructive actions such as burning the food and grass on Bijia Mountain.

This ultimately indirectly led to the failure of the Battle of Songjin.

However, things are different now.

Because Zhu Cilang is here!
After Zhu Cilang arrived at Bijia Mountain, he immediately organized people to assemble two more hot air balloons.

After a while, the two hot air balloons slowly rose into the sky, echoing the hot air balloon on Tashan. After all, the two places are not far apart.

The hot air balloon floated slowly in the sky, providing the Ming army with a wider view.

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang met with the generals of Bijia Mountain.

All they said were words of praise, and then they rewarded everyone from top to bottom with some silver.

The soldiers were deeply moved after receiving the reward.

Unexpectedly, the emperor and the prince were still concerned about the soldiers stationed here.

After pacifying the soldiers again, Zhu Cilang led his men back to Tashan.

It was not until after noon that the army continued its journey.

Their goal today is to reach Xingshan. Once they pass Xingshan, they will reach the main battlefield of the historical Battle of Songjin.

Zhu Cilang rode on his horse, looking at the road ahead, secretly guessing in his heart that the Jiannu would still prepare for a decisive battle with them in the Songshan and Jinzhou areas, just as in history.

However, Zhu Cilang didn't care about this at all. In his opinion, no matter where the battlefield was chosen, it would not affect the final result!

In this battle, the Ming army will win!
Obviously, at this moment, Zhu Cilang still hadn't realized what was going to happen next.
At the same time, in the heart of Liaodong.

The Guanning cavalry led by Cao Bianjiao had already penetrated deep into Liaodong for nearly ten days.

If they really wanted to attack Shengjing, they would have already reached the city gate by now.

But their purpose is not this, so they are still operating in an area more than 300 miles away from the port.

As for why the march was so slow?

One reason is that wherever they arrived at a place, they would destroy the local Jiannu people.

Secondly, it was to wait for the Ming navy behind.

Because after they had plowed the land and swept the land, the Ming navy had to transport all the spoils back.

During these ten days, wherever the Guanning Iron Cavalry went, all the Jiannu, regardless of gender, age or status, were killed, and their heads were cut off and taken back by the Ming navy following behind.

The Jiannu's tents and residences were all burned down, and all valuable things were looted by the Guanning Iron Cavalry and the Ming Navy!
In short, everything the Jiannu had done to the Ming Dynasty was avenged by the Guanning Cavalry and the Ming Navy!

And it’s even more tragic!!!

(End of this chapter)