novelonline Chapter 1409 It’s all that Jia Heng’s fault!
Chapter 1409 It’s all that Jia Heng’s fault!
Chapter 1409 It’s all that Jia Heng’s fault!
Jinzhou
At this moment, outside the government office in Jinzhou City, the weather was gloomy and dark. Gradually, a cool summer breeze blew up, swaying the trees in the courtyard, taking away the summer heat and bringing some indescribable coolness.
With the help of the candlelight that Ajige held close to him, Dorgon took a military newspaper and began to read it. As his eyes scanned the letter, his expression suddenly changed.
At this moment, Ajige had a bad feeling in his heart. A trace of worry appeared in his tiger eyes under his thick eyebrows. He asked anxiously, "Fourteenth brother, what's wrong?"
Dorgon looked dejected and murmured, "Ningyuan City... has been broken."
Ajige was shocked when he heard this, and said in surprise: "How long has it been?"
I couldn't hold out for a month...
The originally imagined scenario of delaying the Han army and protracted war did not exist at all.
Dorgon frowned, closed his eyes slightly, and said with unspeakable sorrow in his voice: "Prince Zheng also died in the battle. Ai Duli led the remaining soldiers to withdraw from the city to save the troops."
Ajige calmed down and couldn't help asking, "How did you break through?"
Dorgon paused for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Using gunpowder to blow up the city wall is just like how Hauge and Aobai blew up the capital of Japan."
I can only say that this trick is very useful.
Because the wall structure of this era was originally brick-concrete stone slabs, and then mixed with glutinous rice or something like that in the capital, but after all, it was not reinforced concrete, so as long as a large amount of black powder was used, the city wall could be blown up.
Hearing this, Ajige's eyes flashed fiercely and he asked, "What should we do?"
"Gather the troops and block the Jinzhou line." Dorgon's face was extremely dejected, and a trace of sadness appeared in his eyes under his thick eyebrows.
With the death of Prince Zheng Jirgalang, Ajige was the only person left of the same generation as Dorgon.
This also means that the Qing Dynasty was really short of talent and had no one available.
Now only some of the younger generation such as Mandahai, Lekedehun and Shuose can barely take up the responsibility.
And all this is Jia Heng's masterpiece.
Just like cutting branches, he cut off the Jurchen branches one by one.
Ajige frowned, his eyes showed a stern look, and he said thoughtfully: "Fourteenth brother, now that the Han army has captured Ningyuan City, if they attack Jinzhou, then their military supplies and baggage supply lines will be long. If our army intercepts them, they will be unable to take care of both ends."
Dorgon nodded and said, "This is also a way."
It is worth mentioning that during the Qing Dynasty established by the Jianzhou Jurchens, many Khalkha Mongols served in the country.
And there are quite a lot of them, about 30,000 to 40,000 people.
However, perhaps it was some kind of destiny that was taking care of him, but at this moment, a guard came trotting in from outside, with a look of delight on his face.
"Your Highness, this is the military report from the Mongolian Prince Zag." The guard said as he bowed and handed over the military report in his hand.
Dorgon took the military newspaper and began to read it. As time passed, his expression changed and the newspaper in his hand suddenly became extremely heavy.
It is true that if you lean on the mountain, the mountain will fall; if you lean on the water, the water will run away.
At this moment, the helmsman of the Qing Empire felt a deep sense of powerlessness for the first time.
Ajige frowned, feeling something was wrong, and asked, "Fourteenth brother, what's going on?"
Dorgon calmed down, sighed, and said, "It's raining cats and dogs. Just look at it."
As he spoke, he handed over the military report in his hand.
Ajige took the military report with a gloomy face. As time went by, veins popped up on his forehead. He said in shock, "How can we lose this battle? Aren't the Mongolian cavalry invincible on the grassland? How can they be defeated by the Han cavalry?"
"I met Xie Zaiyi, the loyal and diligent marquis of the Han court. He was also selected by that Jia Heng kid." Dorgon looked angry and almost gritted his teeth as he said, "Jia Heng kid, he is really the old enemy of the Qing Dynasty!"
If there had been no Jia Heng, the Qing Dynasty would not have declined, and the fifteenth brother would not have died.
It’s all that Jia Heng’s fault!
Ajige was silent for a while, then said, "Fourteenth brother, it's useless to say this now. How do you plan to deal with this?"
Dorgon's face turned pale, and he almost gritted his teeth and said, "Actively prepare for war, fortify the city and defend Jinzhou to the death!"
"But Ningyuan City..." Ajige frowned slightly, a trace of worry appeared in his eyes, and said in a muffled voice: "It is not a good idea to sit and wait for death. It is better to go out of the city and fight in the field, and find opportunities to fight in the movement."
Dorgon narrowed his eyes and said, "What if the failure at Xiaolinghe happens again?"
Ajige frowned upon hearing this and said in a muffled voice, "But the Han people have red cannons and gunpowder to blow up the city. It may be possible for them to do it again in Jinzhou City."
Dorgon's eyes were filled with worry under his thick eyebrows. He said, "If an enemy comes, we will stop him. If a flood comes, we will drown it. Even if we have to fight to the last soldier, we must protect the safety of Shengjing City!"
Ajige's face was solemn and he was speechless for a moment.
But these words were somewhat ominous, because Prince Zheng Jirgalang had said the same thing before.
At this moment, at some point, there was a "crack" sound in the sky outside where dark clouds were rolling. Suddenly, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and wind and rain came.
Just like the current situation of the Qing Dynasty, it is in a precarious situation.
……
……
Liaoyang City
Chongping 19th year, late June——
Under the city of Liaoyang, many red flags of the Han army and broken swords and guns were discarded casually, and a few wisps of smoke were visible, obscuring the view.
At this moment, the moat in front of the city wall was filled with blood and some broken limbs could be seen.
This is the fifth day of the attack and defense battle under Liaoyang City.
In a tent about a mile away from Liaoyang City, one could see a red-painted central army flagpole with a red-forged black-lined "Han" character flag fluttering in the wind.
Prince of Beijing Shui Rong, Hebei Governor Kang Hong, and Jiangnan Navy Governor Wei Che were sitting in the military tent.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong's sword-like brows showed a clear and penetrating gaze as he said, "Everyone, we have been attacking the city for six or seven days, but Liaoyang City has not been taken. Do you have any good strategies for breaking the city?"
Kang Hong nodded and said, "Your Highness, although Liaoyang City is not high, there are tens of thousands of soldiers in the city. It will take time to break through. We have to wait patiently. Besides, my navy is only here to share the pressure for the Duke of Wei in Ningyuan and Jinzhou. We must not underestimate the enemy and rush in."
Kang Hong is old, and he prefers to be safe when marching and fighting. As long as Jia Heng makes progress on the front battlefield, Kang Hong can be smoothly conferred the title of earl or third-class marquis. There is really no need to take risks.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong looked at the Jiangnan Navy Admiral Wei Che who was standing aside with his brows furrowed in thought and silent, and said, "What do you think, Admiral Wei?"
Wei Che said in a clear voice: "Your Highness, I think it is not appropriate to take risks now. We should just follow the plan and attack the city and wait for the opportunity. General Jia Fang has already hijacked the grain road. Of course, we can allocate more red cannons for the siege, dig the earth wall, bury black gunpowder, and try to blow up the wall of Liaoyang."
When Prince Beijing Shui Rong heard this, he looked thoughtful and said, "General Wei's words make sense."
Well, the purpose of this Prince Beijing was actually to show off his skills in front of Jia Heng.
Kang Hong nodded and advised, "Your Highness, there is no need to rush. It will take more than a few days to capture the city. With the ability of the Duke of Weiguo, he is still stationed at the gate of Ningyuan City and cannot move forward."
At this moment, all the generals in the military tent showed their agreement when they heard this.
Even a man as capable as the Duke of Weiguo has not made any progress on the front battlefield with hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, let alone their small detachment?
Prince Beijing Shui Rong frowned, his eyes were dazed for a moment, and he thought to himself, maybe he was too anxious.
At this moment, a young lieutenant of the Central Guard strode into the military tent, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, this is a letter from the Duke of Weiguo via carrier pigeon."
As soon as these words came out, Beijing Prince Shui Rong's fair and clear face showed inexplicable surprise, and he asked, "A letter sent by carrier pigeon? Bring someone to hand it over so that I can have a look."
After a while, a Jinyifu guard wearing a flying fish uniform and an embroidered spring sword on his waist quickly entered the military tent and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong asked someone to take the deciphered intelligence paper, and read the words on it attentively, and whispered: "Zi Yu has broken through Ningyuan City."
The young prince was so excited that he didn't care to address Jia Heng by his official title, but instead called him by his courtesy name.
Kang Hong was overjoyed when he heard this. Zhang Xiongkuo was also delighted and asked in surprise, "Ningyuan City was breached?"
He said... With the Duke of Wei's bravery and fighting skills, it has been almost a month, and Ningyuan City should have been captured by now.
When the generals in the military tent heard this, they could not hide their joy on their faces and talked among themselves in low voices.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong handed the paper in his hand to Kang Hong who was standing beside him, and said, "As Admiral Wei said just now, the Duke of Wei used artillery fire to dig up the ground and fill it with explosives to break into the city in one fell swoop."
Kang Hong also finished reading it, turned his gaze to Beijing Prince Shui Rong, and asked: "Your Majesty, can our army follow suit?"
Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded and said, "What does General Wei think?"
After hearing this, Kang Hong also turned his gaze to Wei Che who was standing beside him.
Wei Che paused for a moment, then said without hesitation: "We can give it a try in the next few days, but this strategy focuses on the surprise attack, and the soldiers in the city have been defending for many days and their spirits are slack, otherwise it will be difficult to work."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong said loudly: "General Wei is right, we must look for a good opportunity."
Wei Che said: "Your Highness can also spread the news that Ningyuan City has been conquered by our Han Dynasty and shout it to the soldiers in Liaoyang City to shake the morale of the defenders in the city."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong had a gleam of joy in his eyes under his sword-like brows, and he said loudly: "The best military operation is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the worst is to attack their cities, and the best way to attack their cities is to attack their hearts."
Wei Che nodded in agreement.
……
……
On the other side, in the towering Liaoyang City——
In the city hall
Lekedehun was sitting on a pearwood chair in the middle of the hall. He was wearing a black cloak and dark red armor underneath. He had an untidy beard and a haggard look on his face.
The deputy general below said: "Your Majesty, the brothers in the city have suffered heavy casualties in the past few days. If this continues, it will not be a good thing."
"There is nothing we can do about the heavy casualties. The red cannons of the Han army are booming. We can only resist." Lekedehun's face was as gloomy as iron. He said: "Tell the brothers to hold on. Behind us is the Shengjing City of our Great Qing Dynasty. The emperor and the queen mother are watching us."
The deputy general responded.
Suddenly, a deafening sound of artillery fire was heard outside.
Lekedehun's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "What's that noise outside? Could it be that the Han army is attacking the city again?"
But it was already evening and it was almost dark. How could we attack the city at this time?
Thinking of this, he ordered the soldiers on the eaves, "Go and see what's going on."
The soldier responded and was about to turn around and leave.
At this moment, a soldier suddenly came from outside, with a look of panic on his face, and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, something bad has happened. The Han army outside is making a fuss, saying that my Ningyuan City of the Qing Dynasty has been breached."
"You must be trying to spread rumors to confuse the people!" Lekede shouted coldly, his face ashen, and he shouted in a deep voice.
The general said, "The Han soldiers below are making a lot of noise, and their words are very convincing."
Under Lekedehun's thick eyebrows, his pupils shrank and his expression changed drastically several times. For some reason, he had a strong intuition that this was probably true.
After all, it was Duke Weiguo Jia Heng who led the troops to attack the city.
That Duke was almost invincible in past wars against the Qing Dynasty. Countless capable and warlike princes and nobles of the Qing Dynasty were defeated by him.
Lekedehun's face was as solemn as ice. He said, "Don't pay any attention to it. Tell the troops that this is a rumor. The Han dogs are cunning and want to disrupt our army's morale. Ningyuan City is several feet high, and Prince Zheng is here to guard it. It is as safe as a rock!"
Upon hearing this, the general bowed and agreed, then left to pass on his orders.
……
……
The next day, the first day of July in the 19th year of Chongping
The sky was getting light at dawn, the sun was rising in the east, and the sunlight was shining on the land of Liaodong. It was midsummer, and even at the high latitude of Liaodong, the weather was still a bit hot. Therefore, under the order of Beijing King Shui Rong, many soldiers and horses started to head towards the city after breakfast.
"Dong dong..."
At this moment, the sound of drums was as dense as raindrops, and at this moment, it was deafening, making the entire quiet wilderness exciting and exciting.
At this moment, a large number of Han soldiers, carrying wooden ladders and pushing red cannons, were marching towards the city quickly.
"Rumble..."
As the sound of cannons rumbled, a large number of red cannons bombarded the city walls. After a short while, the walls were full of pits and the Jurchen soldiers on them huddled up under the bombardment of artillery fire.
After bombarding for about half an hour, the Han army's infantry began to move, carrying an apricot-yellow wooden ladder and gradually approaching the wall of Liaoyang City.
"Whizzing……"
The Jurchen soldiers began to lean forward and shoot downwards, and the sounds of arrows breaking through the air could be heard one after another.
The Han soldiers behind the shields below also raised their bows and crossbows or muskets and shot at the Jurchen soldiers on the top of the city.
Accompanied by the sounds of "Puchi, Puchi", the Jurchen soldiers on the top of Liaoyang City let out miserable howls and suddenly fell down from the top of the city.
Instead, they were suppressed by the Han army's firepower, especially the red cannon and thunder bombs, which were thrown from a distance and caused considerable casualties to the Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers.
This has become the norm for both sides in the siege in the past few days.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong was holding up a telescope at the moment, looking at the siege scene on the top of the city wall, and said, "It's always a little bit short, the commander in this city is a very capable person."
"Lekdehun is the grandson of Daishan, the Prince Li of the Pseudo-Qing Dynasty. He also made great contributions in the founding of the Pseudo-Qing Dynasty, which is why he was given the title of a prince." Kang Hong explained.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong's face was slightly condensed, and he said with emotion: "There are so many talented people among the Jurchens."
And they are all members of the Aixinjueluo clan. In comparison...
Of course, I can only murmur these words in my heart, otherwise wouldn't it mean that the Chen Han clan is not as good as the opposite side?
Kang Hong said with some emotion in his tone: "Back then, the Jurchens had many soldiers and generals. If it weren't for the Duke of Wei's several battles, in which he killed Duoduo, Yuetuo, Haoge, Shuotuo, Aobai and others, the Jurchens would have fewer talented people to mobilize now."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded, praised him, and said: "To have the current situation, it is indeed inseparable from Zi Yu's years of life and death and painstaking preparations, not only in military affairs, but also in political affairs. For example, if Liaodong is pacified, he should be rewarded with the title of a county king, so as not to disappoint the sincere and patriotic heart of the meritorious official."
Kang Hong nodded and said, "Our Han Dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years, and there have only been four people with the title of county king. If the Duke of Wei can be named a county king, he will be the fifth county king."
Because the highest title that a meritorious official of a different surname could obtain in the Han Dynasty was a prince. It was impossible to be awarded the title of prince because that was one of the three steps required to usurp the throne.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong stared at the Han army climbing up the city wall and said, "General Wei mentioned earlier about digging a tunnel and burying explosives. When do you think Admiral Kang can start doing it?"
"If we attack the city for six or seven days, the enemy will be tired and lazy, so they should be almost there." Kang Hong said with a smile.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded and agreed: "Then let's attack the city first."
In this way, the momentum of the siege was endless, almost like a tide.
On the city wall of Liaoyang, Lekedehun deployed his troops on the city wall in an orderly manner, without any sign of the urgency he had shown when reporting to Dorgon's army earlier.
This offensive and defensive battle lasted until the evening and finally came to an end.
(End of this chapter)