Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 251 Don’t do that kind of thing (two chapters in one)

Zhu Youjian tried his best to pull the hemp rope downwards, hoping to use the strength of his arms to lift his neck and gain a moment of respite.

The violent struggle caused his body to shake, like a chandelier swaying slightly in an earthquake.

The Ming army, upon discovering the reinforcements, cried with joy and cheered loudly, as if they were celebrating the emperor's hanging.

"Help..." Zhu Youjian struggled with one hand covering his chin, and with the other hand he pulled Wang Chengen beside him for help.

The latter may have been so determined to die for his master that he didn't even tie the noose tightly, but just put his head on it and sought death.

This man who was determined to die was rescued. Zhu Youjian pulled at the rope that was not tight to begin with and loosened it, causing Wang Chengen to fall down.

Wang Chengen lay motionless on the ground, and it was unknown whether he had fainted or was completely dead, and there was no way he could help save the emperor.

Zhu Youjian was in a miserable situation.

He was like a drowning man. The more he struggled, the faster he died. The noose became tighter, and the fingers of his left hand that were stuck in the noose were almost strangled.

He suddenly felt his consciousness become blurred, as if he saw Grandpa Wanli appear before him...

Zhu Youjian made a vow on his deathbed.

If God gave him another chance to live, he would never give up his life easily until the last moment.

Just as the emperor extended his right hand, intending to take Zhu Youjian away from this mortal world of suffering, he suddenly felt his legs tighten and his throat loosen, as if someone was holding his legs up.

"His Majesty!"

The soldier who came to report the news arrived in time.

While he was crying out, "Your Majesty, how could you harm your own body when the enemy soldiers hadn't even arrived yet," he hugged Zhu Youjian and freed himself from the noose, shouting for the doctor to save him from the tower.

Although he was free from the pressure of the noose, Zhu Youjian still felt a severe dizziness in the back of his head and fainted on the spot.

Before he completely fell into a coma, he had only one regretful thought: he could no longer personally command the soldiers in the garrison and assist Li Qing and Zhang Qing in their battles...

The episode in which Zhu Youjian almost died ended, but Huang Taiji inadvertently indirectly expressed his regret.

With just one or two days of fighting, he could capture the Southern Dynasty emperor in exchange for rich "political benefits", and with the help of the Southern Dynasty emperor's name, he could completely absorb and incorporate 20,000 surrendered Ming soldiers to supplement the Eight Banners population.

What a pity, it was just such a tiny step!
There was no time to assimilate the captured surrendered soldiers, so they had to dig pits and throw them in, and arrange a small number of flag soldiers to guard them.

Damn it, why!
Which reckless man ruined his plan?

As the enemy troops moved north along the coastline, they were about 10 to 20 miles away from Dujiatun.

Even when Huang Taiji looked into the distance through a telescope, all he saw was a blurry shadow, as if the lens was blurred by bird droppings.

So he sent ten elite riders armed with telescopes to investigate.

At the same time as the scouts set out, the southern army was also busy deploying its troops.

Li Mu ordered the militia to set up camp on the spot and build a grain storage camp starting from the coast. He also built several "grain roads" starting from the camps, just like thick straws piercing through the milk tea lid and directly into the milk, moving the grain and grass transported by ship to the land.

On the one hand, he sent a "war chariot fortress" closer to the battlefield to announce the arrival of his "loyal minister" to the trapped emperor, and to cheer on the loyal soldiers who had held on there.

Excluding some militiamen who were working and soldiers who stayed in the village, Li Mu led 55,000 infantry and cavalry to form a battle formation and steadily advance towards Dujiatun.

The scouts did not know the power of the enemy's mobile chariot barrier, but they also knew that they could not get close, so they deliberately went around to the enemy's flank to observe.

Flag affiliation, number of troops, armor coverage, artillery caliber and number, infantry and cavalry ratio, enemy morale and mental outlook...

After gathering intelligence, the scouts hurriedly rode back north to report everything they knew to the Emperor.

The enemy had a total strength of more than 60,000 troops. They looked solemn and had high morale. Even some poorly equipped militiamen bravely looked straight ahead.

This Ming army was no less than 40% armored, some of which was modified Qing cloth armor. They also had fourteen large and small artillery pieces.

Perhaps because they had seized a lot of horses, mules and other livestock in Liaodong, compared with the previous normal proportion of 10% of cavalry, the proportion of horse riders in this Ming army was as high as 25%.

Not to mention how many of them are pure mounted infantry, the high proportion of cavalry alone is frightening.

What Huang Taiji feared most was not these minor details, but the fact that all the enemy soldiers were holding up black flags and black-bordered flags!

Huang Taiji knew that the Black Flag was the Black Flag Camp and the Bordered Black Flag was the Beiwei Army. The former was commanded by Li Mu and the latter was commanded by Zhang Xianzhong.

Both of them were pillars of the Ming Dynasty who were invincible in killing the Tartars, but they had fought several bloody battles. The Black Flag Camp suffered heavy losses in northern Shandong, and the Beiwei Army also fought to the death with the Qing Dynasty in Xiongyue Station.

The two divisions together can only hold 10,000 soldiers at most. How can they train 60,000 elite soldiers in such a short time?

Could it be that in order to show their loyalty to the imperial court, they even pulled all their most powerful reserve troops to Liaodong?

Did you hear that the emperor was attacked, so you rushed here to rescue him?
In order to be loyal to the little emperor, he was willing to sacrifice his main force!

Huang Taiji wondered if he had misjudged the people. Were these two truly loyal people who were devoted to their country?

If these more than 60,000 people are all the real Black Flag elite, then it means that God wants to destroy the Qing Dynasty!

Huang Taiji suddenly felt a fear of genocide rushing up his spine to the back of his head, and the sweat and foul air in his body were discharged through his pores.

Then a ball of stuffy air became stuck in his throat. He tried to cough out the foreign body sensation, but every cough seemed to drain him of his strength.

Huang Taiji felt dizzy for no reason and staggered back a few steps. The guard beside him quickly grabbed his arm to steady him and helped him sit on the cushioned wooden chair.

"Cough! Cough! Cough--" The coughing became more and more violent, as if it was going to blow out the lungs.

With a muffled "puff" sound, Huang Taiji spat out a ball of blood foam, and felt a bitter and sweet taste in his throat.

He swayed a few times in his seat as if he was about to collapse, but he finally held on in front of the guards.

The safety of the entire Eight Banners clan depends on him alone, and he must squeeze out his last bit of energy to hold on.

He gripped the armrests of the wooden chair with both hands, trying to keep himself sitting upright, staring intently at the enemy formation that was advancing like a turtle.

He doesn't believe that the Qing Dynasty will be destroyed by God.

If God really wanted to kill him, how could the Ming Emperor, who almost never left the capital, lead the army in person?

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, leading the army in person, was like a beacon on the seashore, illuminating his path across the pitch-black sea. Without him, he would have found no way to survive, nor would he have been able to inspire the princes and nobles to join him in a gamble, abandoning their estates and slaves.

It was God who guided him all the way, and he didn't believe that God was partial to one person and unfair to another just to tease him.

He didn't even believe that the more than 60,000 Black Flag Battalion soldiers were all real "Black Flag Warriors".

If he really believed it, his hope of reviving the Qing Dynasty would be shattered.

So he just thought that the enemy soldiers were a group of troops gathered together, or new recruits who were hastily trained. Only in this way could he hold on under pressure.

Unexpectedly, the enemy stopped after advancing a few miles, dug trenches and set up barricades, as if they were ready to defend and attack before the battle even started.

After a while, Huang Taiji realized that the enemy was marching and planned to rest on the spot.

Unfortunately, Huang Taiji's soldiers had exhausted a lot of physical strength from attacking the garrisons one after another, otherwise he would have sent tens of thousands of Qing cavalry to harass the enemy soldiers and make them unable to live in peace.

The enemy and our side faced each other at a distance of ten miles, and all night passed peacefully, with only a few scouts fighting in the ruined village. Overall, the Qing troops were at a disadvantage.

The next morning, just after dawn, Huang Taiji summoned all the princes and nobles, and they all knelt down respectfully to listen to his instructions.

In front of a group of princes and ministers, Huang Taiji appointed Haoge as the "Prince Regent", granted Haoge all the powers of a quasi-emperor, and gave Haoge the two yellow flags to command.

The newly formed Eight Banners of Han was one of the personal armies under the command of the Qing Emperor.

Including the Zhenglan Banner led by Hauge himself, Hauge was now nominally in command of the three Manchu banners and the eight Han banners, and had the power to crush other princes and nobles.

Although Huang Taiji did not like Haoge, all his heirs died in the fire of Shengjing, and Haoge was his only heir.

Huang Taiji knew very well that his health was failing. In order to ensure the succession of power in the Qing Dynasty and prevent the recurrence of the "Hunhe Rebellion", he could only endure his displeasure and promote Haoge.

It was impossible for Huang Taiji to hand over the country to his younger brother Dorgon.

As for whether Hauge can suppress other princes and nobles, it depends on his own luck.

Looking at the princes and ministers kneeling on the ground in panic, Huang Taiji knew that he should boost everyone's morale in front of the battlefield.

He is the commander-in-chief of the entire army and the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He should build confidence in his subjects and subordinates. Once the fighting starts at dawn, there will be no time to rest, and both sides will fight until one side collapses.

Huang Taiji took a deep breath and stood up, his eyes blazing as he scanned the important officials.

"Liaodong was the site of over a hundred large-scale wars throughout history, and the merits and demerits of these campaigns are difficult to determine. However, historians throughout the dynasties have noted that it was in Liaodong that the rise and fall of countless dynasties was determined.

In ancient times, Goguryeo repeatedly defeated Emperor Yang of Sui, causing the Sui Dynasty to fall into chaos. Then there was the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda, who rose from Liaodong and conquered the Liao Dynasty, establishing the Jin Dynasty's hegemony.

Huang Taiji's health declined rapidly, and he had to rest for a while after speaking for a while.

"Back then, my father Khan started an army with only thirteen sets of armor and fought for decades before he finally unified the Jurchen tribes.

In the fourth year of Tianming, the Southern Dynasty saw that I was powerful, so it gathered the best soldiers in the country and divided them into four groups to attack me. My father Khan and I fought hard all the way.

Fortunately, the Qing Dynasty was blessed by heaven and was lucky enough to win consecutive victories in the five days of Sarhu, defeating the powerful troops of the Southern Dynasty one by one. Then, with the power of the great victory, we captured the cities of Liaodong one after another, firmly established the fertile land of the Liaozhong Plain, and established the foundation of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, there has been a saying since ancient times that whoever controls Liaodong controls the world.

"I don't understand why you all keep talking about the Tang Dynasty's conquest of Goguryeo, the Mongols' conquest of the Jin Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty's conquest of the Yuan Dynasty, and the disastrous defeat at Xiongyueyi, as if Liaodong is destined to be a disaster for us.

In the third year of Tiancong, I personally led a large army deep into the tiger's den within the Great Wall and successively conquered dozens of cities, large and small. Wherever my troops went, the people of the Southern Dynasty welcomed them with food and drink. The Southern Dynasty troops were all defeated and fled, and the emperor of the Southern Dynasty was trapped in the capital and was in a constant state of panic.

It can be said that we have the best timing, and the state of unstoppable momentum and prosperity is still before our eyes."

"At that time, the army of the Great Jin Dynasty dominated the country. From then on, I firmly sat in the center of Liaodong, allied with Mongolia in the west, allied with Korea in the east, and conquered the Solon in the north. After painstaking efforts, I finally changed the era name and proclaimed myself emperor, thus establishing the foundation of the Great Qing Dynasty.

Our Great Qing has only been established for a few short years, yet we have suffered repeated defeats at the hands of the Black Flag Camp, losing countless men, cattle, and horses. Is Liaodong going to become the burial place of our Great Qing? Ahem…"

Huang Taiji paused several times, took a short break, drank some hot tea to moisten his throat, and then continued.

"I don't believe the Black Flag Army is a loyal minister of the Southern Dynasty, nor do I believe they have not yet seized the interior of the country, yet they have come to my great Qing Dynasty with all their might. They are willing to give up their own hegemony to be loyal to the young emperor of the Southern Dynasty, and end up being abandoned after the cunning rabbit dies!
Even if the Black Flag Army ignored the bandits inside the Great Wall and insisted on "pacifying the country before repelling foreign aggression", and used military force against the Qing Dynasty, they could only muster a total of more than 60,000 troops.

They left behind over 10,000 soldiers to defend the rear and food supply routes, and could only send a mere 50,000 troops to attack. Even if there were still over 10,000 Ming soldiers left in Dujiatun, the two of them would only have a total of 60,000 soldiers capable of fighting.

"They have come across hundreds of miles to rescue you, but they are already exhausted and worn out. Their weapons are at the end of their strength, and their arrows cannot penetrate the silk cloth of Lu.

Moreover, the commanders of the Black Flag Camp and the Beiwei Army were both young men who had suddenly gained high positions. They lacked military experience and were unable to control the formation of an army of 60,000.

The enemy soldiers stopped every step, waiting for the auxiliary troops in the rear to reinforce the "food route". They must be afraid that I would cut off their food supply route. Those who are afraid before fighting are weak soldiers.

I am sure that this Ming army cannot be the elite of the Black Flag Camp, but rather hastily recruited new soldiers, so they are timid and hesitant, unlike the Ming army commander in the Battle of Songjin, who only cares about the rear and not the front.

The more frightened the enemy soldiers are, and the more they want to save their lives, the more their weaknesses will be exposed—"

Huang Taiji's cough became violent again. After a long pause, he finally came up with a solution that he had devised based on the enemy's formation.

The enemy's formation was quite regular, like the Chinese character "器" (vessel), with the main army and artillery in the center.

Because the other party was eager to rescue the emperor, they could not hide on the coast and waste time confronting the Qing soldiers.

If the garrison's food and grass were completely exhausted and its combat effectiveness was lost, the Qing army would be able to easily attack the garrison and capture the emperor, and the southern army's strategic goal of rescuing the emperor would fail.

Being strategically passive is like losing the initiative in chess, losing a point before the battle even begins.

As long as the Qing Dynasty sent infantry and cavalry to contain the enemy's flanks, and then sent an elite cavalry to cut off the food supply route in the rear, it would be able to surround all the enemy soldiers and the soldiers in the garrison.

Huang Taiji firmly believed that the Qing Dynasty, which had more cattle, sheep, mules and horses, would win the final victory in the "grain consumption" competition.

He was also able to take down the emperor of the Southern Dynasty and two loyal generals, Li Mu and Zhang Xianzhong.

He really wanted to ask these two people in person whether they were loyal ministers of the Southern Dynasty or ambitious people with ulterior motives?

"Everyone, back then we all farmed and hunted in the cold and harsh mountains and forests, and we never had the prosperity and wealth we have today.

Since the founding of the Great Jin and the Great Qing, we have gone through countless hardships and dangers, and we have overcome them all. This is because the gods in heaven have favored us and you have all worked hard.

This time, our Great Qing gave up our manors, our slaves, and our vast territory of Liaodong. We even recruited our twelve-year-old children to join the army and came to Liaoxi to fight the Southern Dynasty in order to regain our former wealth and glory.

No matter what, today, our Qing army of 80,000 is facing off against the enemy's 50,000 infantry and cavalry. The advantage is ours!"

(End of this chapter)