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

Chapter 169 Jiannu: The Ming army is too cruel!
In addition, they also seized a large number of cattle and sheep.

These were not only spoils of war, but also a weakening of the Jiannu's strength.

In addition, there are countless fields along the way, where wheat, sorghum and other crops are cultivated.

But these things cannot be taken away, so they are often burned!

Some people might ask, "Weren't the Jiannu a fishing and hunting people? Where did they get their cattle, sheep, wheat, and sorghum?"
In fact, the Jiannu were indeed a fishing and hunting people at the beginning, and basically did not engage in agriculture and breeding.

However, after Nurhaci unified the Jurchen tribes, he attached great importance to agricultural development. The types of crops continued to increase, and common crops such as wheat and sorghum were all available.

At the same time, they began to develop sericulture, cotton planting and other economic crops, which promoted the diversified development of the agricultural economy.

Later, they defeated Mongolia and started raising cattle and sheep, which led to the current Jiannu!
The Jiannu people today are no longer just a fishing and hunting nation, but a nation that combines fishing, hunting, farming and nomadism!
In addition to these things, Cao Bianjiao and his team also rescued hundreds of thousands of Han people in Liaodong.

Nurhaci may have really ordered that these Han people should be treated well, but in the eyes of Cao Bianjiao and others, these Han people were almost no different from slaves.

When we found them, they were dressed in tattered clothes, often dozens of people crowded in a cowshed, with dull eyes, as if they had lost hope in everything.

And all these Han people must be taken away!
As for the Jiannu people encountered along the way, they were all executed!
Although Zhu Cilang had previously said that his actions were only aimed at the Jiannu, and did not involve the Xihai Jurchens and the Wild Jurchens.

But at this point, who has time to distinguish which are the Jiannu, which are the Xihai Jurchens, and which are the wild Jurchens?
So of course they were all killed!
Even the Jurchens in the Guanning Iron Cavalry acquiesced to such things. After all, a head was worth one hundred taels of silver, and there were additional military merits. There was nothing much to say about such things.

Besides, there are only a few hundred of them at most, and they can't do anything even if they want to.

And during these days, they killed at least 30,000 Jiannu!

It is no exaggeration to say that all the Jiannu people in this area were killed by them!

At this time, the army was resting on an open grassland and cooking.

Some of the soldiers were making fires, while others were slaughtering the cattle and sheep they had just acquired, and smoke was rising from the air.

They did not bring any food when they came out this time, and all the food they ate was looted from the Jiannu.

joke!

Why can the Jiannu rob the Han people, but they can’t rob the Jiannu?

I have to say, the food we stole tastes delicious!
While eating, the soldiers talked about their battle experiences in the past few days and laughed constantly.

Suddenly at this moment, several horses galloped over from a distance, the sound of horse hooves was rapid and loud.

When everyone looked up, they realized that the person coming was not someone else, but the scouts they had sent out.

Seeing this, Cao Bianjiao frowned slightly, realizing that something was wrong.

Sure enough, several scouts came to him and reported breathlessly:

"General, we've spotted a large Jiannu army thirty miles away, approximately 30,000 strong! They're approaching us!"

However, when Cao Bianjiao heard this, he was not afraid at all, but laughed instead.

"Hahaha"

His laughter was hearty and heroic, even a little relieved.

Because Cao Bianjiao knew that his mission was finally completed.

This time he came to Liaodong, he had two missions.

The first is to completely destroy and strike the rear of the Jiannu army to weaken the Jiannu army's strength as much as possible.

The second was to force the Jiannu to divide their forces.

And now, he has achieved both goals and can go back to report!

Then, Cao Bianjiao said with a smile:

"The Jiannu have already divided their forces to deal with us, so our mission is accomplished. It's time to retreat!"

At this moment, a guerrilla general under Cao Bianjiao asked:
"General, are we really not going to fight this Jiannu army?"

Cao Bianjiao understood what he meant. After all, the heads of the Jiannu people were worth money!
But Cao Bianjiao still smiled and shook his head and said:

"No need! We are going deep into the heart of Liaodong. If we really engage in a battle with these Jiannu, we will probably be surrounded and we may not be able to escape!"

"We can't take this risk! Our top priority now is to withdraw safely and bring the spoils and civilians back to Ming."

After hearing this, everyone stopped talking.

Then, the army quickly set out and returned towards the port.

However, before leaving, Cao Bianjiao deliberately divided the army into several waves. Each wave ran in a different direction for a while, leaving behind a messy trail of horseshoe prints.

The purpose of doing this was to confuse the Jiannu and buy more time for the Ming navy that followed.

After all, the Ming navy is composed of infantry, and their retreat speed is not that fast.

After doing all this, Cao Bianjiao led his army to evacuate.

Their figures gradually faded away, leaving behind only an empty grassland and messy horse hoof prints.

Shortly after Cao Bianjiao led his army away, there was a sudden dull vibration from the earth.

At first it was like faint thunder, rolling in from a distant place, and then it became stronger and stronger.

In the blink of an eye, a huge number of Jiannu cavalry appeared like a black tide. They were the 30,000 cavalry led by Jirgalang and Ajige!
The sound of their horses' hooves intertwined together, like dense drumbeats, breaking the tranquility of the grassland.

Jirgalang rode on a tall brown warhorse, with an upright posture and eyes as sharp as an eagle.

Ajige was beside him, with a rough and heroic look on his face, a whip tightly gripped in his hand, his eyes revealing anxiety and unwillingness.

Because the scene in front of him was obvious, the army had just stopped here.

There were even half-eaten pieces of dry food scattered on the ground, some of which had been trampled into the mud, as well as leftover meat bones with bits of meat still remaining on them.

Not far away, the flame that had just been extinguished was still emitting wisps of green smoke, and ashes were floating gently in the breeze.

Jirgalang's face was solemn. He dismounted from his horse, then squatted down and carefully touched the ashes with his calloused hands, feeling the residual heat.

Then, he looked up at Ajige beside him and said in a deep voice:

"The fire has just been put out, they shouldn't have gotten far, keep chasing them!"

His voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

Ajige nodded slightly, glanced around, then frowned tightly, a look of annoyance appeared on his face and he said:

"The horseshoe prints all around us are in disarray, scattered in all directions. It's impossible to tell which direction the Guanning Iron Cavalry went. These Ming troops are truly cunning!"

Jirgalang gritted his teeth, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he said viciously:
"Search in one direction after another. We must find them no matter what!"

"But once you find them, don't attack them, just drive them away!"

Ajige didn't say anything, just nodded!

Afterwards, the Jiannu army began to pursue the few people.

Although Jirgalang and Ajige had 30,000 cavalrymen under their command, they did not dare to pursue the Guanning cavalry rashly.

After all, there are more than 100,000 Ming Dynasty navy behind the Guanning Iron Cavalry. If they engage in a head-on confrontation, they will not gain any advantage.

In order to avoid causing unnecessary casualties, they had no choice but to drive them away.

This was a plan that had been made long ago!

After spending most of the day, they finally determined the marching direction of the Guanning Iron Cavalry. It seemed that they were leaving in the direction they came from?
In other words, the Guanning Cavalry actually retreated on their own initiative?
Jirgalang and Ajige didn't understand what was going on, but they immediately chased after him.

During the pursuit, what they saw were horrific scenes.

Countless headless bodies of Manchus lay scattered on the ground. Their blood had long since dried up, leaving dark red marks on the ground.

Black smoke was still emitting from the burned house, and the charred beams and pillars lay crookedly on the ground.

Countless wheat fields were burned, and everything that once existed is now reduced to ruins.

When they saw this scene, Jirgalang and Ajige felt as if their hearts were being cut by a knife.

They knew very well that their tribe's population was already sparse and every member was a precious treasure. Now that they had suffered such a heavy blow, they were filled with anger and unwillingness!

It is obvious that the Guanning Iron Cavalry's action this time is to completely destroy their foundation!

For a moment, they hated the Guanning Iron Cavalry with gnashing teeth!

Why are these Ming troops so cruel?

They seem to have forgotten that they had done the same thing to the people of the Ming Dynasty!

Now he is just reaping the fruits of his own actions!
Hey!
Jirgalang sighed deeply, full of helplessness and sadness, and then ordered some soldiers to stay behind to deal with the corpses, burning and burying them to prevent the outbreak of plague.

Afterwards, Jirgalang continued to lead a large group of troops, following the chaotic horse hoof prints, to pursue the traces of the Guanning Iron Cavalry.

But not long after, they encountered the same scene again, and had to leave some soldiers behind to deal with the bodies.

After a few stops, a long time had passed.

On the other side, Cao Bianjiao has successfully joined forces with the Ming Navy.

After explaining the situation, the group retreated towards the port in a mighty manner.

I have to say that they completed the task successfully this time!
Liaodong.

The night was as dark as ink, slowly covering the land of Liaodong. The cold wind blew, bringing with it the unique chill of the outside of the Great Wall.

The weather in Liaodong is so strange. It is so hot at noon that people sweat profusely, but it is so cold in the morning and evening that people shiver.

Under the cover of night, Zhu Cilang and his party hurried all the way and finally arrived at Xingshan.

From a distance, Xingshan looks like an isolated island in the darkness, with bright lights. The lights are particularly eye-catching in the dark night, like a shining lighthouse, guiding them in the right direction.

Xingshan's defender Shi Tailai had been waiting respectfully outside the city for a long time with Xingshan's soldiers and civilians.

After all, it was Chongzhen who led the army in person, so there were always scouts to notify in advance to welcome him.

At this moment, Shi Tailai's eyes were full of anticipation, and he kept looking into the distance.

When he saw Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen's imperial carriage slowly coming into view, a flash of excitement flashed in his eyes. He quickly straightened his clothes and led everyone to kneel down to greet them with a plop.

"I, Shi Tailai, the defender of Xingshan, lead all the soldiers and civilians of Xingshan to welcome the emperor!" Xingshan Fort is even smaller and more cramped than Tashan. The streets and alleys in the city are narrow and winding, and the houses are densely packed together, making it look extremely crowded.

Under such circumstances, it is difficult to accommodate so many people into the city.

So, Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen slowly entered the city with only a few elite guards.

As for the other soldiers and the military and civilians of Xingshan Fort, they had to spend the night outside the city.

But even so, there was no dissatisfaction or complaint on their faces, and everyone's eyes were shining with excitement and glory.

Because in their hearts, the emperor’s personal visit is such a rare and supreme honor. Even if he just takes a glimpse from afar, it is enough to make them reminisce endlessly in the days to come!
Chongzhen walked into the city with slightly tired steps. His face was calm, but he could not hide the fatigue in his eyes.

After arriving at their accommodation, Shi Tailai and several main generals knelt in front of Chongzhen in an orderly manner.

Seeing this, Chongzhen waved his hand gently and said in a gentle but dignified voice:
"My dear ministers, please stand up!"

After hearing this, Shi Tailai and others stood up.

Then, when Chongzhen's eyes swept over these soldiers one by one, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

At this moment, they were all covered in dust and dirt, their clothes were covered with thick dust and mud, and their faces were still covered with sweat that had not yet dried, as if they had experienced something.

Chongzhen asked curiously:
"My dear ministers, why are you so embarrassed?"

Shi Tailai hurriedly stepped forward and replied with a folded hand:
"Your Majesty, you may not know that this morning, the Jiannu sent people to significantly widen and deepen the existing trench."

"I know this trench is the only way for the army to pass. If it is not filled, the army will have no way to pass. So after they left, I led all the soldiers and civilians to fill the trench, which is why it is in such a state."

"I had originally planned to wash up before welcoming Your Majesty, but I didn't expect Your Majesty to arrive first. I didn't have time to clean up, so I can only come to greet Your Majesty in this mess. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"

As Shi Tai said this, he was about to kneel down and apologize.

He did not forget that there was a serious crime of misbehaving in front of the palace in the laws of the Ming Dynasty!
Seeing this, the other generals also prepared to kneel down and kowtow to apologize.

But before they could kneel down, they were stopped by Chongzhen.

"My dear minister, there is no need to be so. You are all working hard for the affairs of state. How could I blame you?"

"Everyone get up! Everyone get up!"

When everyone heard this, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, a trace of uncontrollable anger suddenly flashed in Chongzhen's eyes.

But don't get me wrong, this anger was not directed at Shi Tailai, but at the Jiannu.

Before leading the army in person, Chongzhen also did some homework.

He specifically asked Zhu Cilang to send all the battle reports of Liaodong in recent years to the harem, and then studied each battle report word by word and in detail.

Therefore, we also know about the huge trench dug by the Jiannu between Xingshan and Jinzhou.

However, he did not expect that the Jiannu had further widened the trench, which was obviously an intentional attempt to hinder their march.

Zhu Cilang, who was standing aside, couldn't help but frown at this moment.

Then he looked at Shi Tailai and asked:
"How long and wide is this trench?"

Shi Tailai did not dare to hide anything and reported the truth:

"Your Highness, this trench was originally several dozen miles long and four or five meters wide, connecting the sea in the south and the mountains in the north."

"After being widened by the Jiannu army, it is now six or seven meters wide."

"I have been busy with this project since this afternoon, but it is a massive undertaking and we have only managed to fill a trench less than a hundred meters wide."

There was a hint of deep helplessness and worry in Shi Tailai's words. He knew very well that this progress was far from meeting the needs of the army's passage.

But he had no choice. Firstly, there were too few troops stationed in Xingshan, and he couldn't mobilize many people to do this.

Secondly, they had to guard against surprise attacks by the Jiannu while working, so their speed could not be much faster.

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Because he also knew that if an army of 200,000 were to pass through smoothly, this width was far from enough.

It seems that the next trip will be delayed again, but there is nothing we can do about it.

Besides, it was night time and it was pitch black, so it was not suitable to start work.

Firstly, the trench was about ten miles away from Xingshan. If the Jiannu suddenly attacked while the Ming army was repairing the trench in the dark, the soldiers would find it difficult to respond quickly in this unfamiliar environment, and the consequences would be disastrous.

Secondly, the army had been running for a whole day, and the soldiers and horses were exhausted and tired, and they urgently needed to rest and recover their strength.

The soldiers and civilians of Xingshan were also exhausted, so filling the trenches would have to wait until tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang said:

"You guys go down and rest first. Tomorrow morning, the whole army will work together to fill the trench. I believe it won't take long to fill a path!"

When Shi Tailai heard this, he hurriedly bowed and said:
"I obey!"

However, he did not leave, but looked cautiously at Chongzhen beside him.

Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked him to step down and rest, Chongzhen had not spoken yet, so he did not dare to leave at all.

Chongzhen seemed to have noticed this, but he didn't say anything. He just waved his hand casually, signaling them to leave.

Only then did Shi Tailai turn around and leave with his subordinates.

When Zhu Cilang saw this scene, he just felt funny.

As expected, the title of crown prince is not as useful as that of emperor!

However, Zhu Cilang was not idle either.

Even though it was already night, he still brought his men to the top of the city wall and ordered the assembly of two hot air balloons.

After receiving the order, the soldiers immediately got busy in the cold wind, assembling the parts of the hot air balloon one by one with precision.

Soon, the hot air balloon was assembled and slowly rose into the night sky under the expectant gaze of everyone.

The huge sphere floated slowly in the night sky, like a mysterious giant monster, swaying gently above the Xingshan city wall, causing everyone to marvel at it.

After doing all this, Zhu Cilang went to rest.

Time is fleeting and fleeting.

The next morning, the sky was just beginning to turn pale.

Zhu Cilang had breakfast early, and then led a group of generals and soldiers to a trench ten miles away from Xingshan.

I saw that this ditch was very large, with a width of about seven or eight meters, but it was extremely narrow inside and could only accommodate two people walking side by side.

The length is even more astonishing, stretching for dozens of miles, like a winding dragon lying on the earth, following the undulations of the terrain, running through the vast area, showing a majestic and shocking momentum.

Zhu Cilang frowned slightly. It was hard to imagine how the Jiannu had dug such a trench.

Shi Tailai, who was standing by, seemed to have noticed what Zhu Cilang was thinking, and then he walked cautiously to Zhu Cilang and said:
"Your Highness, this trench was not dug by the Jiannu themselves. They forced the Han people to do it."

"I have found many corpses of civilians at the bottom of the trench. Their clothes were tattered and their faces were unrecognizable. It was obvious that they had been tortured to death by this heavy labor."

"Although I have properly disposed of these bodies, every time I think of them, I still feel heartbroken."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang frowned and his heart was burning with anger.

But soon, he suddenly calmed down again.

Because now is not the time to be angry.

Then, Zhu Cilang waved his hand, and the generals behind him received the order and directed the soldiers to start filling the trenches.

The soldiers held tools and quickly worked in groups. For a while, the sound of shovels hitting the soil could be heard one after another.

Now they have only one goal, which is to fill the trench as soon as possible to allow the army to pass through smoothly.

The actions here soon attracted the attention of the Jiannu, so not long after, the Jiannu sent an army of about 10,000 people to harass.

They rode fast horses and moved at great speed, but they did not fight in close combat. Instead, they attacked from a distance using muskets and bows and arrows.

Fortunately, Zhu Cilang had been prepared and brought ten cannons and three thousand soldiers from the Beijing camp.

Then line up the cannons.

Whenever the Jiannu approached, he decisively ordered the artillery to open fire.

In an instant, cannons roared and flames shot into the sky.

When the Jiannu army got closer, the Beijing camp would launch an attack using flintlock rifles.

The attack range of the flintlock rifle is much longer than that of the Jiannu's muskets and bows and arrows, so after a battle, quite a few Jiannu were killed!
It was only because there was a trench blocking the way that the two sides did not actually fight.

However, even after seeing the power of the flintlock rifle, the Jiannu still did not give up and continued to harass the Ming army.

This resulted in some delays in the project progress.

The soldiers' work efficiency was greatly reduced, and the trench was not completely filled until nightfall.

Zhu Cilang stood at the edge of the trench, looking at the unfinished project, and sighed slightly in his heart.

Then he looked up and saw the Ming army cutting off the heads of the dead Jiannu soldiers, and he didn't seem so disappointed anymore.
Although the progress was indeed delayed, seven or eight hundred Jiannu were killed, so overall it was not a big loss.

Later, in order to prevent the Jiannu from destroying the trenches that had been dug at night, Zhu Cilang sent another army to garrison there.

Sure enough, that night the Jiannu sent troops again to try to dig up the filled trenches again.

However, the troops sent by Zhu Cilang were well prepared, and when the Jiannu approached, they immediately launched an attack.

For a moment, the sound of cannons, gunfire, and shouts was deafening, completely breaking the silence of the night.

The Jiannu resisted for a while in panic, but eventually left thousands of corpses behind and fled in panic.

There was no way, the firepower of the flintlock rifle was too strong, they couldn't withstand it at all!

(End of this chapter)