Is it real this time?

Huang Taiji's expression was a little complicated, and he realized that Father Khan was looking at him, waiting for him to analyze and judge, but he really didn't dare to assert it easily.

The "Daming Forum" newspaper that I just got published the news that the Ming court mobilized the elites of the nine sides to go to Liaodong to pacify Liao in one fell swoop.

This was the kind of false news that made the Houjin side nervous and affected the defense of the periphery and the reaction to the Ming army's entry into Quang Ninh.

But afterwards, I knew that there was no nine-sided elite entering Liao at all, and it was completely a fake rumor released by the Ming court, just to make mistakes and omissions in the military arrangement of the Later Jin.

Now that the news has been released again, Houjin still does not dare to easily judge the truth or falsehood. Very simply, under the situation of the Ming army pressing on several sides, there was no time and room for Houjin to correct and react.

In history, the Later Jin Dynasty also implemented a contraction strategy, but at that time, the Ming army in western Liaoning only pushed as far as Jinzhou and Dalinghe, and the Jinzhou and Dalinghe cities that cost countless money and manpower to build were destroyed by the Houjin troops several times.

At that time, Dongjiang Phidao and Lushun in southern Liaoning, the Ming army could not pose a major threat as it is now because of the relationship between troops and equipment, and continued to advance.

Why do you pay so much attention to the Ming army's increase in troops in Liaodong, firstly, the strength of Jiannu has suffered a lot of loss in the past two or three years, and secondly, in the face of the Ming army's step-by-step advance, Nurhachi wants to concentrate his forces to fight a short assault.

Including Huang Taiji, they also agreed to launch a counteroffensive to change or contain the continued development of the unfavorable situation, and the target was the Dongjiang headquarters.

The rough plan was to transfer the three banners from Liaoshen and act together with the two banners protecting Jianzhou Wei to flank Fengcheng. If the attack went well, the army turned to Kuandian and broke the fortresses occupied by the Ming army one by one.

In terms of troops, the Five Banners have an advantage, and with the help of the speed of the cavalry, and then blocking the news of the secret dispatch, it should be able to buy time, so that the other Ming troops will not have time to launch a response.

However, the news of the elite entry of the nine sides into Liao cast a shadow on this rapid strike. Moreover, some of the generals of Houjin thought that the fast attack would be difficult to achieve.

After several setbacks, many of the generals of the Later Jin Dynasty were very afraid of attacking the fortifications of the chest wall of the trench and the wooden piles, or they had a psychological shadow.

Such fortifications differed from building walls and could be formed quickly, with the help of muskets and artillery. The Later Jin generals believed that even if they could attack quickly and separate and surround the Ming strongholds, they would be fighting a war of attrition one by one.

And the pressing of the Ming army in Liaozhen and Liaonan will not give the Houjin army time for a long siege, and it will definitely take advantage of the emptiness of Liaoshen to carry out operations.

Moreover, the weather is still hot, and it is not the season when the post-Jin army is accustomed to fighting. Don't underestimate the season, in ancient times, there were many wounded and sick people, and it was easy for the plague to spread.

Therefore, throughout the military operations of Jiannu, it is usually carried out in the cooler seasons of autumn, winter and spring, and it is best to freeze the rivers in winter.

Historically, when Jinzhou was attacked, it was in the summer, and the troops had to retreat due to the long-term attack and the epidemic of plague.

Nurhachi also knew that the season was not suitable for the use of troops, but it would be too late until the weather cooled and the situation would be even worse.

"Father Khan, the child thinks that Ming Ting is still bluffing." Huang Taiji pondered for a long time, and finally spoke his judgment, "A large number of troops are mobilized, and it cannot be completed in one moment. The weather is very hot, and it has a great impact on the horses......"

As the saying goes: autumn is high and horses are fat. There is some truth to this, when the horse is strong, it is suitable for marching and fighting.

Nurhachi listened to Huang Taiji's analysis, bowed his head slightly, and asked again: "The Ming army sailor must be guarded, do you have a way?" ”

Huang Taiji smiled bitterly and said, "Maybe you can put a stake in the river to block the enemy boat, I don't know how much it will work." ”

And not mines, the impact of a stake can destroy a ship? I'm afraid it's just going to get in the way.

In this regard, Nurhachi sighed in his heart, knowing that there was no way to do it.

Thinking that Haizhouwei and Liaoyang were oppressed by the Ming army on both sides, thinking that the Ming army's naval division might be able to reach Shenyang, and thinking of the Ming army's superiority in defense, Nurhachi's determination to launch a rapid assault was somewhat shaken.

Although the Ming army's fortifications and sharp firearms were terrifying, what made Nurhachi and others feel most difficult and even desperate was the Ming army's growing will to fight.

Even if there are only 2,000 Ming troops in a stronghold to defend it, if the battle to the death does not surrender, the Houjin army is afraid that it will have to pay the same casualties at least. According to the population of Houjin, how many such "victories" can it withstand?

"Is there a breakthrough in the equipment supervised by Fan Wencheng?" Holding on to his last hope, Nurhachi asked Huang Taiji.

Huang Taiji bowed down and replied: "A lot of chariots and moats have been built, all of which are original prototypes, and no newer and more powerful equipment has been made. ”

Relying only on the chariot and the trench bridge, Nurhachi shook his head lightly and said, "That's all for today's military discussion, you go back and think about it carefully, and continue tomorrow." ”

Seeing that Nurhachi did not make a decision immediately, many high-ranking officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief, they were all in favor of launching it, and they could be called conservative and weak;

Huang Taiji and other main battle factions did not raise objections, at least in solving the attack and harassment of the Ming army's naval divisions, or improving their ability to attack fortifications, they were not very optimistic about taking the initiative.

Once again, the military discussion was inconclusive, and whether it was Nurhachi, Huang Taiji and others, they all felt the haze shrouded in their hearts.

As the war has progressed, strategy has no longer played a decisive role. Comprehensive factors such as troop strength, weaponry, and supplies have increasingly become the key to determining victory or defeat.

And compared with the behemothic Ming Empire, in any aspect, Houjin is at a disadvantage.

When there was no internal party struggle in the Ming Dynasty, the army was able to have sufficient food and salary, and the weapons and equipment had an overwhelming advantage, the outcome of the war seemed to be doomed.

With Houjin's population and troops, he could no longer afford a victory at a small cost. However, it is very difficult to win a battle with a huge disparity in casualties and face the Ming army, which has rapidly improved its combat strength.

On the other hand, even if the Ming Dynasty fails, even if it loses 180,000, it will not hurt its muscles and bones, and it can still be replenished quickly and continue to fight against Jiannu.

To put it bluntly, Houjin looks forward and backward, and has no capital to bear setbacks; The chips in the hands of the Ming Empire are more than enough, and the stud is a big win.

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Liaodong Fengcheng, also known as Phoenix. It was originally under the jurisdiction of Dingliao Duwei (stationed in Liaoyang), and later the Ming Dynasty moved Dingliao Right Guard from Liaoyang to Phoenix Fort.

Relying on the fort set up by the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong, Chen Jisheng of the Dongjiang Headquarters led the Houlian to occupy the two forts of Tangzhan and Xianshan, and after leaving troops to garrison them, he recovered Fengcheng with the main force.

To say that it is to regain is to receive. Jiannu only left a small number of cavalry in Fengcheng, mainly for the purpose of ventilation and reporting, and was unable to defend at all.

According to the established procedure, Chen Jisheng immediately commanded the soldiers to build fortifications, and in two or three days, the chest wall of the trench had been built, and a strong fortress was completed again.

That's right, Zhu Youxiao also began to use fortress advance tactics to compress the living space of Jiannu and limit its mobility.

But Zhu Youxiao's fortress advance was different from the historical Guanningjin defense line.

First of all, the amount and cost of construction work are greatly reduced, and the city is repaired without walls, mainly moat chest walls, plus wooden piles, and then barbed wire if possible.

To be precise, this kind of fortress relies on the original fortress, even if it is broken, it does not matter much, and the main defensive role is the field fortifications.

The second is that the construction time is short, as short as one or two days, and as long as three or five days, and the whole army takes turns to do it, leaving little time for the enemy to take advantage of the opportunity to attack.

The last point is that the firepower of the defense has been greatly enhanced, and the Ming army in Liaodong has been fully equipped with flintlock muskets, supplemented by various artillery, which is enough to make the invading enemy pay a heavy price.

The number of field artillery could not be completely satisfied, but the Ming Dynasty was forced to be easy to build, and the speed and quantity of equipping troops were completely beyond Jiannu's expectations.

The old-style Franc machine is also a large number of artillery equipped by the Ming army in Liaodong, with a fast rate of fire and a shotgun that can kill and kill people. bullet, which is quite effective against the dense charge of Jiannu.

The cost is the lowest, and the number of grenadiers that can be self-made by the Ming army is even more amazing, as long as the thunder is enough, the overwhelming bombing is enough to inflict a heavy blow on the enemy.

The Ming Dynasty, the Francophone machine, and the grenadier were basically the artillery equipped with the fortress occupied by the Ming army, and the enemy from far to near, from thousands of meters to 100 meters, were within the range of bombardment.

According to Zhu Youxiao's plan, the first stage is to harden the village, fight in a daze, and advance the camp step by step. If Jiannu came to attack, he would give full play to the strengths of the Ming army and inflict heavy casualties on it.

There were two or three thousand defenders in the large strongholds, more than 1,000 troops in the small strongholds, and almost all the troops advancing were rich in combat experience.

Needless to say, Liaozhen and Dongjiang Town fought with Jiannu many times, and they were the most experienced and stronger; Dengzhen and Jinzhen were responsible for garrisoning the forts at the back, such as Jinzhou, Fuzhou, Tieshan, Yizhou, and Zhenjiang, so that more troops in Dongjiang Town could be liberated.

Later Jin did not know that the two associations in Dengzhen had been transferred to Liaodong, so that the Dongjiang headquarters had the strength of the five associations. If the attack is really attacked with five banners, the advantage in terms of troops is not obvious.

And this is not all the strength of the Dongjiang headquarters, Kong Youde led the army to the east, and Gou Zhenhuai's Central Association in Xiuyan City (Xiuyan) to join the division, completing the strategic deployment of the two major groups of Ming armies in southern Liaoning and eastern Liaodong.

Kuandian is Mao Chenglu's former association, Fengcheng is Chen Jisheng's later association, Xiuyan is Gou Zhenhuai's central association, and the three associations of the Dongjiang headquarters are all expanded.

At this time, Chen Jisheng was holding a telescope and looking into the distance. There were artillerymen measuring distances, digging pits and planting piles, setting up markers.

As long as Jiannu dares to come, the pre-set Daming Heavy Force will be about a kilometer away, giving them a head-on blow.

For the defense of Fengcheng, Chen Jisheng is extremely confident. Because this is not a fortress on the flat ground, it is a mountain city.

At that time, Phoenix Mountain City was located at the eastern foot of Phoenix Mountain and had a long history. If it is said that its name in the Tang Dynasty - Wugu City, many people who are familiar with history must know that when the Tang army conquered Goguryeo, it fought fiercely here.

The Black Bone City was established in the late Western Han Dynasty, and Goguryeo built many mountain passes in eastern Liaodong that were easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the Black Bone City was one of them, and it was the largest Goguryeo mountain city on the right bank of the Yalu River.

From a bird's-eye view of the Black Bone City, you can see that the center of the city is low-lying, surrounded by high cliffs, and is in the shape of a huge basin.

If you stand at the north gate and look inside, you will find that the entire Black Bone City resembles an irregular dustpan shape, surrounded by abrupt peaks and steep rock ridges on three sides.

The mountain castle uses the cliffs of the left and right mountains as walls, and the low recesses of the mountains are built with wedge-shaped stone blocks. The south and west entrances used earth and stone to build a tall city wall. The city has an outer city and an inner city, and the outer city is built along the ridge section by section and is oval-shaped.

In short, this mountain city is steep and easy to defend and difficult to attack. Coupled with the breast wall of the trench built at the foot of the mountain, the condescending artillery on the mountain is not much better than the fortified city of Ningcheng.

Two thousand is enough! Chen Jisheng made a judgment with confidence, and when he was about to put down the binoculars, he saw a large group of cavalry wrapped in smoke and dust, galloping over.

Just looked at the flag, Chen Jisheng hurriedly got off the city wall, got on the horse and took the guards to greet him.

didn't go far, Chen Jisheng met Mao Wenlong, and hurriedly dismounted.

"Dashuai, why are you here?" Chen Jisheng was very puzzled and worried, "Our army first occupied Fengcheng, and there may be scattered slave ...... around"

Mao Wenlong waved his hand, interrupted Chen Jisheng's words, and said, "No need to be polite, go to the city." ”

When the group entered Fengcheng, Mao Wenlong did not rest, and went to the city to inspect the defense, and finally put his mind at ease.

"This city is indeed steep and strong, and with two or three thousand men and horses to defend it, it is impregnable." Mao Wenlong nodded his head again and again, accompanied by Chen Jisheng, and came to a large mansion in the city.

"The marshal Kurama is tired, just patrolling the defense?" After Chen Jisheng sat down, he continued to ask questions to solve the doubts in his heart.

Mao Wenlong nodded, pondered for a while, and added: "In addition to patrolling defense, there are naturally other things......

Mao Wenlong didn't hide too much from Chen Jisheng, he wanted to transfer Kong Youde's troops from Xiuyan to Kuandian after inspecting the defense.

"Kong Youde's department and Daishan's two red flags have fought in the field and are full of experience."

"There are two associations in Kuandian, and after the defense is handed over, they can attack Jianzhou Wei."

"Azig is young and vigorous, and he has just taken over the white flag, so he must be eager to make contributions and establish his prestige."

"Jianzhou Wei is the farthest away from Liaoshen, and if Jiannu wants to transfer troops for reinforcements, it will also delay some time."

Chen Jisheng listened to Mao Wenlong's plan, kept bowing his head, and felt that it was very feasible. But he also has some puzzles, and I don't know why Dashuai is in a hurry to implement it.

If he is in Mao Wenlong's point of view, he may understand why Mao Wenlong is in a hurry to attack Jianzhou Wei and build a great achievement first.

After autumn, it was time for Mao Wenlong to secretly go to Beijing to meet and report on his work. Is it just a report on the preparations for next year's winter and spring counteroffensive? Mao Wenlong wanted to go deeper.

The Battle of Pingliao may end next year, and we should try to see the results of the great counteroffensive, but there is one thing that the imperial court must solve, and that is the overall command of the Liaodong War.

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