Emperor Taiji of the Qing Dynasty was anxious about the continuous setbacks of the Qing army, and he received the news that Hong Chengchou led a large army to rescue Jinzhou, and he was so anxious that he poured troops from all over the country to the front line to command. After galloping for six days and nights, he arrived at Qijiabao near Songshan.

After he inspected the terrain, he immediately made a decision, commanded the elite soldiers from Wang Baoshan, Zhuangzhentai, Zhai'er Mountain, Changling Mountain, Liu Xitun, Xiangyintun, and Gray Kiln Mountain, to the first line of the Nanhaikou camp, and ordered the soldiers to dig trenches on the spot, only one day's work, to dig three trenches, each trench is eight feet deep, more than one zhang wide, cut off the main road of Songshan, immediately cut off the Ming army's salary, and surrounded the soldiers of Ming Eight Towns near Songshan City.

In order to prevent the Ming soldiers from breaking through and escaping, Qing Taizong sent troops to surround Xingshan, so that the Ming army's rout could not enter the city. From Tashan to the sea in the south, to the mountains in the north, and Lianshan in the north of Ningyuan, soldiers were sent to intercept all the way, and the troops were divided into various ways to intercept them. This deployment of Qing Taizong has put the Ming army in a desperate situation of total annihilation.

Hong Chengchou was quite alarmed when he found that the Qing soldiers were digging trenches and cutting off the road, and that night, he convened an emergency meeting of the commanders of each town to discuss the strategy of breaking the enemy, and finally decided to engage the Qing soldiers the next day to break through the siege. The next day, the soldiers of all towns went out together to fight with the Qing soldiers, and the fierce battle lasted for a day, the victory and defeat were not decided, and the Ming soldiers still did not break out of the encirclement.

The next day, the infantry cavalry of the towns attacked again, but the Qing soldiers desperately intercepted, and the Ming soldiers could not break through the trenches. At that time, the Ming soldiers only carried three days' food, and when they saw that the salary road was cut off and the food was exhausted, the people were panicked. In this urgent situation, Hong Chengchou had no choice but to fight a quick battle with the Qing army to get out of the predicament.

In the evening, he summoned the eight generals to decide on the strategy of the battle, and he asked them: "Each of them orders his troops to fight, and the siege is broken in one fell swoop." ”

However, the generals were worried about the shortage of food and wages, and advocated temporarily returning to Ningyuan to replenish supplies, in order to fight again. Zhang Ruoqi, a confidant sent by Chen Xinjia, the secretary of the Ministry of War, supported the idea that the generals would return to Ningyuan to get food and salary, which was actually a withdrawal of troops.

"At the moment of the great enemy, how can there be a reason to withdraw from the army and pay for food?" suddenly dissipated the fighting spirit of the soldiers. Hong Chengchou knew that it was not easy to break out of the encirclement, but he still encouraged and said: "Although the food is exhausted and surrounded, it should be clearly told to the officials, defend and die, and die without fighting. ”

By the end of the meeting, it was already dark. Hong Chengchou sent the generals away and returned to the camp to prepare for a breakthrough. Wu Sangui was quite skillful, and when he returned to the camp, he discussed with the soldiers how to break through the siege, and a newly surrendered Mongol offered a plan: "The enemy has a lot of tricks, and the small road must be blocked by strict soldiers, and the defense of the main road is slightly looser, so it is advisable to withdraw troops from the main road." ”

It seems that this Mongolian, who had lived in the Qing regime for a long time, was very familiar with the characteristics of the Qing army, which is what the book of war says. People generally think that there will be heavy troops on the main roads, and there will be no or few troops on the small roads. Qing Taizong took advantage of this psychology of the people and did the opposite, ambushing heavy troops on unnoticeable paths or places. Wu Sangui made a correct judgment and decided to break through from the main road with the strategy of subjugating the Mongols.

At this time, I suddenly heard the noisy men and horses of the various battalions of the Ming soldiers, breaking the silence of the night sky, and the torches swaying, forming scattered points of light. It turned out that Wang Pu, the cowardly general soldier of Datong, in order to save his life, ignored the military order, and returned to the camp and led his headquarters to break through the siege and escape by night. When the chief officers of the other towns saw that the situation was not good, no one wanted to be wiped out, lest they fall behind, and they rushed to be the first to pull out the camp, and there was chaos all of a sudden. Wu Sangui didn't want to end the festival, nor did he want to be killed, as soon as he heard that the battalions were going to escape, he didn't dare to slack off, and immediately ordered the people of the headquarters to set off and go straight to the main road to kill.

Qing Taizong expected that the Ming soldiers would run out of food, and it was likely that they would flee by night, so he had already made preparations for an interception. In the dark night, the Ming soldiers fought and broke through, the soldiers were scattered, the night was difficult to recognize, they did not know the direction, crowded each other, and trampled on each other. When they broke through to the edge of the trench, they were cut head-on by the Qing soldiers who were waiting for them, and they were killed and wounded, and countless people fell into the trenches. A large number of Ming soldiers could not break through and were compressed to the South China Sea, where they just encountered the rising tide, which swept away the merciless tide.

Wu Sangui killed from the main road, went straight to Xingshan City, as expected, Qing Taizong arranged troops, most of them attacked the Ming soldiers on the small road, and the troops on the road were not much, only he and the civil and military retinue of three or four hundred people guarded the camp account, although the banners and tents were set up, but there were no important generals.

Qing Taizong saw that the Wu soldiers were fierce and powerless to intercept them, so he ordered: "Don't resist the returning soldiers, just let them go." He also praised: "Wu Sanguiguo is a man, and if this person surrenders, the world can get it at his fingertips." ”

The soldiers who were ambushed by Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty on the Xingshan Road were led by the Mongol Gushan Ezhen Kurukdarhan Alai and Chahar Maohai to intercept the Ming soldiers who fled to Xingshan, and ordered them not to pursue them far away.

The two unimportant generals and a small number of troops appointed by Taizong of the Qing Dynasty were not enough to resist the Wu soldiers, and Wu Sangui took advantage of the weakness and finally broke through the attack and rushed into Xingshan City. In the process of escaping, he took care of his own life, and he didn't even care about taking the letter, so how panicked was it for the Qing army?

Wang Pu, who fled first, also fled to this city, and other generals such as Tang Tong, Ma Ke, Bai Guangen, and Li Fuming escaped from the siege one after another. Zhang Ruoqi, who advocated a decisive battle, panicked when he was about to fight, fled to the mouth of the Xiaoling River, and fled to Ningyuan by boat. Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen failed to break through, retreated to Songshan City, and held on with Hong Chengchou.

Qing Taizong continued to deploy troops to gather and annihilate the remnants of the Ming army, and he ordered the ministers of the interior, Xihan, and Dorji, two members of the country, to lead Ji Xiha, Cherbu, Balan and 250 elite soldiers, and 250 troops from the Mongolian Wengniute and Sizi tribe Durbai, respectively, to ambush Gaoqiao Road and Sanggar Zhaibao in the place where the Ming soldiers must flee in Xingshan, and sent Jia La to lead 150 elite guards of the Three Banners to help intercept Wu Sangui's soldiers.

The number of Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banner soldiers sent by Taizong is not large, but they are all elite, and his generals are also strong generals, which are enough to defeat the defeated soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who have become frightened birds. On the same day, 1,000 Xingshan Ming soldiers escaped from the city, encountered the Qing army ambush, and attacked head-on, and the Ming soldiers suffered many casualties.

When Taizong heard the news, he personally rushed to the east of Gaoqiao, instructed the strategy, and instructed the Ming soldiers to escape from Xingshan and follow the pursuit, and not to let the Ming soldiers enter the city. In order to strengthen the troops, he also sent Dorobelle Lohong, Gushan Beizi Bolo, and the Minister of the Interior Turg with 20 elite soldiers per banner and the Zhengbai Banner Guard, Weng Niu Special Soldiers, Xihan, and Dorji Soldiers, all under the command of the famous general Dorobelle Duoduo, who was good at fighting, and continued to set up ambushes to wait for the deserters of the Xingshan Ming Army.

Wu Sangui and Wang Pu had already felt that Xingshan was in danger and it was not suitable to stay for a long time, so they led their troops out of the city and fled. The Qing soldiers who ambushed Xingshan West immediately met and intercepted the Ming soldiers into the main road to pursue, Wu Sangui and Wang Pu fought and retreated, and fled to Gaoqiao. The Qing general Duoduo gave an order, and the ambush soldiers rose in all directions, intercepting them head-on, while the Qing soldiers behind were in hot pursuit. Wu Sangui, Wang Pu and Ming Bing were at a loss, had no intention of fighting, and were eager to escape.

The Qing soldiers attacked hard, and the Ming soldiers were defeated and fled in all directions. The Qing soldiers pursued and attacked, and by the evening, the troops had firmly guarded the line from Sanggar Village to the sea and sealed it tightly. Wu Sangui and Wang Pu led the remnants of the army to flee by night, and the soldiers were killed and wounded.

After Wu Sangui and others fled from Xingshan, there were still thousands of Ming soldiers in the city, and they had become frightened birds, or thousands, or hundreds, or dozens of people, who fled in separate units, and were all annihilated by the Qing soldiers who were in ambush.

In this battle of unprecedented scale, in just a few days, the Qing soldiers won a complete victory, annihilating 53,783 Ming soldiers, more than 7,440 horses, 66 camels, and 9,346 pairs of armor. The rest of the rout dispersed and fled to Ningyuan, where they were taken in by Wu Sangui.

Due to the fiasco of the Ming soldiers, Songshan, Jinzhou, Tashan, Xingshan four cities were lost in a row, Ming Liaodong Xiao surrendered to the ancestral Dashou city, resulting in the elite of the nine stops, China's grain, all thrown away, can no longer continue to resist, and the temple has become a ruin, the serious consequences of this battle, has directly endangered the safety of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty lost four cities outside the pass, which had caused the solid Ningjin defense line to collapse. When the imperial court got the news, the capital was shaken, and according to the usual practice, the imperial court should investigate the responsibility for the loss of the land, and Wu Sangui and other towns would not be able to escape responsibility. But unexpectedly, at the end of August, Chongzhen promoted Wu Sangui to the rank of commander, instructed him to collect the remnants of the army and turn it into defeat, and the remnants of the defeated soldiers in each town were always returned to Wu Sangui to clean up and concentrate, tighten the rectification, and Xu Tu raised again.

It was Wang Pu who was punished, who was arrested for the crime of fleeing from the battle, and the judicial department held a trial, and this unfair treatment caused an uproar in the imperial court. Yushi Hao Jin spoke: "Ma Ke, Li Fuming, Bai Guangen, Wu Sangui, Wang Pu, and Tang Tong who have escaped for their lives. In addition, Cao Bianjiao, the chief soldier of the two towns, and Wang Tingchen did not flee from Songshan, and Houchengpo was killed, and the six towns were guilty of the same crime, and they should all be executed. ”

He believed that the general soldiers of the six towns should be executed for the crime of escape, and it was unfair for the imperial court to only ask Wang Pu about the crime, but not to pursue the crimes of the other five. Hao Jin was very dissatisfied with this, and specifically mentioned: "Wu Sangui is the general of Liaozuo, and he fled without a fight, why did he increase the official to the commander?"

Chen Xinjia, the secretary of the Ministry of War, reconsidered and put forward his handling opinions to Chongzhen: "Only behead Wang Pu, order Ma Keli to set up a military order, and if there is any mistake, he will be executed." Wu Sangui lost his land and should also be beheaded, but he remembered that he had meritorious service in guarding Ningyuan, and he could be demoted with Li Fuming, Bai Guangen, Tang Tong, etc., and served as an official. "Emperor Chongzhen approved the execution of Wang Pu, and Wu Sangui was only demoted, still guarding Ningyuan.

Wu Sangui has always been known for his courage to fight since he joined the army, and his remarkable military exploits and rapid promotions have made him an eye-catching figure in the military inside and outside the imperial court. His promotion to the rank of chief soldier and the sole command of the handsome seal has already shown that the imperial court attaches great importance to him. This time he rescued Jinzhou, and he was one of the eight generals, and he was actually the main general of one of them.

According to his previous performance, Wu Sangui will be able to charge the decisive battle and make meritorious deeds again. Surprisingly, in the crucial siege battle, he did not seriously fight hard, and when Wang Pu fled first, he actually followed him and fled. His courage to fight suddenly disappeared, and his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty ceased to exist in an instant.

At this point, he is not even as good as Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen, they insisted on sharing the fate with Hong Chengchou, did not escape, and guarded the lonely city of Songshan with him. Wu Sangui ignored his teacher Hong Chengchou, and led his subordinates to flee to Xingshan first, and then to Ningyuan, what is the reason?

He was unwilling to destroy his own strength in this decisive battle that could not be won, and among his soldiers, the backbone soldiers were all filled by his pro-Ding generals, and this part of the people could be said to be his private armed forces. Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, all Liaodong generals have their own family members to serve in the military, and Wu Sangui is naturally no exception. He had more than 3,000 soldiers, all of whom served him and obeyed his command. At the critical moment of the battle, they often rely on their contributions, and no matter which general is not willing to have his own family destroyed.

In fact, in the Battle of Matsuyama, his pro-Ding family will be preserved alone, which illustrates this problem. Therefore, Wu Sangui fled without a fight, and he would not do anything else, but to save his strength. As a rising warlord, he certainly understood the importance of mastering the army, otherwise he would lose his strength and the position he sought to maintain.

The imperial court did not pursue his capital crimes, and gave him leniency, which was by no means arbitrary, and Wu Sangui had already occupied important places in Liaodong and was a major local powerful faction. Following the defeat of Songshan, Zu Dashou descended to the Qing Dynasty, and there was no more suitable candidate for the imperial court to hold on to this remnant of land except Wu Sangui. Obviously, the imperial court did not dare to offend Wu Sangui, because Wu Sangui still had usable value, and there was Wu Sangui's backer in the imperial court, and it was not useless to excuse him.

In contrast, Wang Pu's status is not as important as Wu Sangui's, his military achievements are not obvious, and he is called the chief soldier, but he has no actual influence in the imperial court. In the decisive battle of Songshan, which was related to the danger of the Ming Dynasty, he took the lead in escaping and disturbing the morale of the army, so that the towns and generals followed suit. Wang Pu's behavior is vile, and the sin is unforgivable, and he will be punished according to the law, which is not a pity.

Of course, all the defeated generals cannot be executed, the problem is that Wang Pu is beheaded alone, and the other commanders are only given a symbolic punishment of demotion, which shows the position of Wu Sangui and others and Wang Pu in the eyes of the imperial court. Later events just proved that this defeat had no impact on Wu Sangui's future, and on the contrary, he continued to be promoted.

In any case, Wu Sangui became a member of the decisive battle of Songshan and escaped general, which is an inglorious page in the history of his allegiance to the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps because of this escape, he saved his life and strength, but history gave him an opportunity in the near future, making him a world-renowned figure in the rise and fall of the Ming and Qing dynasties.