Zhou Renyuan and Zu Dashou had been confronting the Qing soldiers in Jinzhou for three months, and the Qing soldiers saw that the attack was fruitless, so they had to besiege Jinzhou. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info also tentatively attacked a few times during the period, but Zu Dashou's defense was very tight. Dolgon and Zilharang flew to report to the Emperor Taiji, and this Jinzhou will really not be able to attack for a while. After Huang Taiji received the battle report, he ordered Zhou Renyuan and Zu Dashou to be trapped and killed, and consumed the food in the city.

Zhou Renyuan and Zu Dashou are frowning in the General Military Mansion, and what they are worried about is really grain and grass, Jinzhou has been besieged for three months, and all that has been consumed is the grain and grass that was previously hoarded in the city, and the soldiers' food has begun to gradually decrease, from the original one sparse a day to two sparse a day. If this continues, it will inevitably affect the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.

"Governor Zuo, in your opinion, how long will it take for reinforcements from this imperial court to arrive?" Zhou Renyuan asked Zu Dashou. Now his face is a little thin, since he was besieged in Jinzhou, he often patrols the city at night with his personal guards, so he is seriously deprived of sleep.

Zu Dashou looked at Zhou Renyuan's emaciated face, and was a little moved in his heart, this King Yongming could have returned to the capital to live a life of fine clothes and food, but he voluntarily stayed in Jinzhou to share weal and woe with the soldiers, and never complained, which is really different from ordinary people.

Zu Dashou touched the three strands of his beard and pondered, "According to the last general's speculation, the reinforcements of the imperial court should be out of the customs, and I think they will come to relieve the siege soon." ”

Zhou Renyuan nodded and said, "I didn't expect this Tartar to be besieged for so long, but they can keep up with their consumption of grain and grass?" ”

Zu Dashou replied: "The Tartars are also in Tuntian now, do you see how many of our Han people in Liaodong have been taken captive by the Tartars?" Now the Tartars not only feed themselves on cattle and sheep, but they also eat rice, sorghum and corn and other grains, so they don't have to worry about food and grass! ”

It seems that the Manchu Qing Dynasty is also changing from nomadic civilization to agricultural civilization, Zhou Renyuan thought in his heart, this Huang Taiji is really a generation of heroes, can see the gap between nomadic civilization and agricultural civilization, farming and grazing compared to the dependence on natural weather is greatly reduced, and the black soil of Liaodong is very fertile, and the yield of rice is very high, so the Manchu Qing's grain and grass reserves will be very full, and for the Ming Dynasty, this is a worse thing.

At this time, in Ningyuan City, Cao Wenzhao and Qiu Minyang were also inspecting the city tower, and the Tartars who attacked Jinzhou might divide their troops to attack Ningyuan one day, so they couldn't relax their vigilance in their hearts.

"Mr. Cao, have you watched the Tartars trap Jinzhou for so long? Can King Yongming and Zuodu support it? Why don't we send troops to harass the Tartars? It is also good to relieve the pressure on Jinzhou City. Qiu Minyang proposed.

After hearing this, Cao Wenzhao shook his head and said, "Lord Qiu, it's not that the last general is afraid of war, but that the strength of this Ningyuan City is less than 10,000, how many soldiers will be sent?" There must be soldiers left behind. Even if sending 5,000 soldiers to face these 50,000 Tartars is not a drop in the bucket, if the Tartars turn around and start this Ning Yuan idea, it will be more than worth the loss. ”

Although Qiu Minyang was the highest governor in Liaodong, he was a civilian official, and military matters still had to listen to Cao Wenzhao's opinion. He sighed and said, "But I heard that the Prince of Tartar, Jierharang, has already led his troops to Tuntian in Yizhou, and this is a preparation for a long-term siege of Jinzhou!" ”

Cao Wenzhao also changed color and said: "This Tartar has attacked Jinzhou countless times for decades, which time is not in vain, and after surrounding for more than ten days, he naturally retreated. Looking at this Tartar's posture now, he will not stop if he can't get Jinzhou. ”

Qiu Min looked up at the sky and said, "This Liaodong has entered the twilight spring, and the grassland is the time when the grass is abundant, and the Tartars have really picked a good time to attack Jinzhou." I don't know how long this tough battle will last? ”

"Report to --- Governor, Lord Commander-in-Chief, all the news from the front post has come that my Ming reinforcements are less than fifty miles away from my Ningyuan City." A sentry galloped up to the castle tower and said.

"Good! The army of the imperial court has finally arrived. Qiu Minyang and Cao Wenzhao congratulated each other and said, "Go quickly, and order Ningyuan's civil and military officials to follow us to meet the imperial army." ”

Fifty miles away on the official road of Ningyuan, a mighty Ming army is moving slowly, the flag covers the sky and the sun, the sword armor is forested, and a big "Hong" word is written on a tall and handsome side.

This is the 100,000 army led by the new Jiliao Governor Hong Chengchou, Hong Chengchou is nearly fifty years old, with a thin face and three long beards under his chin, but he has a bit of the demeanor of a Confucian general, but his eyes are extremely sharp, which makes people feel a little frightened. This is the temperament he has cultivated as a high-ranking military general for a long time.

Wu Sangui, the chief soldier of Shanhaiguan, rode to Hong Chengchou's side, bowed down and reported, "Supervisor, Ningyuan City is not far ahead." "This time, Hong Chengchou passed through Shanhaiguan, and in accordance with the will of the imperial court, he also included the soldiers of Wu Sangui Shanhaiguan under his command.

Hong Chengchou looked at Wu Sangui with a smile and nodded, "Hmm!" When the governor knew this, he commanded him to go down and tell the sergeants to prepare to set up camp."

Wu Sangui was about to leave, and Hong Chengchou stopped him, "Chief soldier Wu, your big tent can be tied to the edge of my handsome tent." ”

Wu Sangui was flattered, his face was overjoyed, and he hurriedly said, "Yes, Inspector!" The last general commanded. ”

Hong Chengchou looked at the back of Wu Sangui leaving, his face was full of appreciation, he came all the way, surrounded by senior military attaches such as the general soldiers, but he admired Wu Sangui the most, Wu Sangui knows the past and the present, elegant manners, and himself is a little similar, Hong Chengchou prides himself on being a Confucian general, and the most despised is a rude warrior who can only fight and does not know poetry.

In fact, Hong Chengchou also has another scheming, although Wu Xiang is Wu Sangui's father and a veteran of the battlefield, he is over sixty years old, can he still eat? On the occasion of this great war, the Chinese army that relies on Wu Xiang to protect itself must be a big question mark. Although it is said that he was a Tartar who defeated the Western Expedition, Hong Chengchou understands that Wu Xiang was just a nominal commander in that battle, and it was King Yongming who really charged into battle, not him Wu Xiang.

And Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei and the like are all Lu Xiangsheng's old troops, although the Tianxiong army is difficult to meet opponents in the Guannei to fight the thieves, but it is very different to fight this Tartar, and he has also led his own "Hong Bing" to fight the thieves for many years, and no one knows better than himself what kind of combat power the thieves have.

Not to mention the soldiers from Datong, they are not trained by themselves, and it is not a joke to expect them to encounter any danger on the battlefield at that time. So what he really likes is Wu Sangui's Shanhaiguan army, these are the armies that have been fighting with the Tartars all year round, not to mention the Guanning Iron Cavalry, the first in the Ming Dynasty's combat power. Last year, King Yongming was able to defeat the Tartars, and it was not because the Guanning Iron Cavalry dragged the main force of the Qing army, otherwise King Yongming would not have had the opportunity to smash Huanglong, shoot and wound Yue Tuo, and almost capture Dolgon alive.

As for the less than 2,000 Hengzhou cavalry, the combat power is also very fierce, and it can be compared with the Guanning Iron Cavalry, but at that time, the wife of King Gui's Mansion guarded it personally, if King Yongming could break through, this army would still have to be handed over to King Yongming, and he would not dare to fight the idea of this Hengzhou cavalry. Thinking about it, only by winning over Wu Sangui's army is the best choice.

At this time, the sentinel in front rode a flying horse and rushed to report, "The governor of Liaodong, Lord Qiu, and the general soldier of Ningyuan, Cao Wenzhao, led people to meet the supervisor in front. ”

Hong Chengchou nodded and ordered, "Tell the generals to go with the governor to meet them." ”

Qiu Minyang and Cao Wenzhao saw that a group of people came out of the army in front of them, all of them were in bright armor, and they knew that it was Hong Chengchou who came, so they hurriedly dismounted and knelt down and said, "Liaodong Governor Qiu Minyang (Ningyuan General Soldier Cao Wenzhao) led Ningyuan civil and military officials to meet the supervisor. ”

Hong Chengchou held Qiu Minyang and Cao Wenzhao with both hands, and said with a smile, "Lord Qiu and General Cao Bing, please get up, all the adults get up, don't be polite!" ”

Qiu Minyang said, "Lord Inspector led a large army to come, presumably after many days of hard work, please go to Ningyuan City to rest." ”

Hong Chengchou refused, "Thank you Lord Qiu and all the adults for your kindness, but this governor is in his life, and if he wants to rush to the aid of Jinzhou, he will not enter the city to disturb you." So, Lord Qiu and all the others are invited to speak to my tent, and the Governor would like to ask some questions. ”

Qiu Minyang couldn't be reluctant when he heard this, and immediately said, "The heart of the superintendent is hanging in Jinzhou, and the lower officials will not be reluctant to supervise the master, okay!" I'll go to the overseer's tent and speak. ”

Everyone came to Hong Chengchou's big tent, and all the generals under Hong Chengchou's command also arrived, and Hong Chengchou introduced his generals to Ning Yuan's generals. Everyone saluted one by one before they sat down.

Hong Chengchou opened his mouth and asked, "Lord Qiu, what is the situation in Jinzhou now?" ”

Qiu Minyang gestured to Cao Wenzhao, and Cao Wenzhao got up and reported, "Supervisor, now this Jinzhou has been besieged by the Tartars' 50,000 troops for three months, and it has not been broken by the Tartars. However, one of the Tartars is in Tuntian, Yizhou, and it seems that there is a plan to besiege Jinzhou for a long time. ”

"Hmm." Hong Chengchou nodded and said, "There are 50,000 Tartars, but the number of troops is not much, where do the Tartars occupy now?" ”

Cao Wenzhao replied, "The Tartars occupy the Rufeng Mountain on the edge of Jinzhou, which is steep and condescending, and is a great threat to Jinzhou. And the two affiliated cities of Jinzhou, Songshan and Tashan, are still in the hands of my Ming Dynasty, and they are horns with Jinzhou, which is also the reason why the Tartars have besieged for months without results. ”

Hong Chengchou ordered someone to bring the map, Cao Wenzhao stepped forward to point out to Hong Chengchou one by one, and Hong Chengchou's subordinates also came up to watch.

Hong Chengchou looked at it for a long time and asked, "According to General Cao's understanding, how long can this Jinzhou last?" ”

Cao Wenzhao lowered his head and thought about it, and replied, "This Jinzhou, Songshan and Tashan are tightly defended, and if you want to stick to it, it will not be a problem to hold it for another year and a half." However, the last general was worried that the grain and grass in the city might be a big problem, and he was afraid that there would be no food and grass in the three cities, and the soldiers would be in danger if they had no combat power. Besides, the Tartars are now fighting a protracted war, and they want to trap Jinzhou alive. When there is a famine in these three cities, they will take Jinzhou in one go. ”

Wu Sangui was worried about his uncle's ancestral birthday, and said anxiously, "Supervisor, the last general is willing to bring soldiers and horses to relieve the siege immediately." ”

Hong Chengchou glared at him and said, "General Wu Shao's soldiers should not be impatient, although there are only 50,000 soldiers in the Tartars, there are many cavalry. Although the Governor said that he had brought an army of 100,000, most of them were foot soldiers, and the cavalry was only 30,000. Stand aside and wait for the Governor to consider it. ”

Wu Sangui reluctantly stepped aside, and Wu Xiang hurriedly came out and said, "Supervisor, the dog is eager to save his uncle, and I hope that the supervisor will forgive his sins." ”

Hong Chengchou disagreed, and said, "Wu Laojunmen, this governor understands." ”

Wu Xiang continued, "Supervisor, King Yongming has been besieged in Jinzhou for many days now, and I ask the Inspector to make a decision as soon as possible." ”

Hong Chengchou was stunned when he heard this, yes, how could he forget this prince? remembered that when Jingshi resigned to the emperor, the emperor told him a thousand times to rescue King Yongming safely. Hong Chengchou looked at the map, thought for a moment, and said, "In this way, the army will first take this Rufeng Mountain, occupy the important part of this location, and then do what he thinks." Which soldier would like to go? ”

Wu Sangui came out and said, "The last general is willing to go." "Here, Hu Dawei also came out and said, "The last general is willing to be a pioneer and take this Rufeng Mountain." The rest of the generals also asked for battle.

Hong Chengchou comforted: "The generals are ambitious, and the governor is deeply grateful. Well, the governor ordered Wu Sangui, the chief soldier of Shanhaiguan, to be the vanguard and attack Rufeng Mountain, with Hu Dawei, the general soldier of Datong, as the left wing, and Cao Wenzhao, the general soldier of Ningyuan, as the right wing, to prevent the Tartar reinforcements. The rest of the generals will follow the governor to press the Chinese army, remember, this battle must be taken by surprise, hit the Tartars by surprise, and take Rufeng Mountain in one fell swoop. ”

All the generals said in unison: "The last general will obey the order of the superintendent!" ”

That night, the army was stationed outside the city of Ningyuan for one night. Early in the morning of the second day, the army buried the pot and cooked after eating. Hong Chengchou rode on a big white horse in armor, waved his sword, and shouted, "Soldiers, this is the first battle of our army to Liaodong, we must play the majesty of my Ming army, and let that Tartar see that my Ming soldiers are warriors who are not afraid of death." ”

All the soldiers shouted in unison: "Da Ming is mighty! Da Ming is mighty! ”

Hong Chengchou shouted in high spirits, "Let's go--! ”

Zhou Renyuan and Zu Dashou suddenly heard the rumbling of artillery in the direction of Rufeng Mountain in Jinzhou City Tower, and the sound of fighting resounded up and down the mountain. ”

The officers and soldiers in the city also cheered in unison and wept with joy to each other, and the reinforcements from the imperial court finally came. The people also took to the streets, constantly rejoicing, and this difficult day was finally coming to an end.

And Dolgon, Azig, Haoge, Aobai and others in the big tent of the Qing army were shocked when they heard the sound of artillery in the direction of Rufeng Mountain, rushed out of the big tent, and asked, "What's the matter?" Which army is attacking my Rufeng Mountain? ”

A few Niu Lu stumbled over, panting and said, "Prince, prince, it's not good, the reinforcements of the Ming Kingdom are attacking my Rufeng Mountain!" ”

"What? Reinforcements from the Ming Kingdom? How many centaurs came? Dorgon exclaimed.

"The spies reported that this Ming reinforcement covers the sky and the sun, no less than 100,000 horses." Niu Lu's face turned pale and said.

"Huh? 100,000 horses! Dolgon's head was dizzy, and he almost fell to the ground on his heels, muttering "100,000 horses, 100,000 horses." Quickly send troops to support Rufeng Mountain, this place must not be taken by the Ming army, otherwise our army will be in danger! ”

Haoge, Azig, Ao Bai and others hurriedly dispatched troops and led their soldiers to stand in a panic and go straight to Rufeng Mountain.

Dolgon closed his eyes and sighed, "I don't know if it's too late for rescue at this time!" Go and ask Shengjing for help, which means that the country has sent 100,000 reinforcements. After saying that, he sat on the ground and bowed his head silently.