Ming Zuo

Chapter 1277
Later generations commented and discussed the Songjin battle that determined the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

And all kinds of views are not enough.

Regarding the defeat of the Ming army, some think it was caused by the king's self-willedness, some think it was caused by the central government's eagerness for quick success, some think it was caused by the incompetence of the commander, and some think it was caused by the general's greed for life and fear of death.

In short, the fundamental purpose of the emergence of various views is that many unwilling people hope to find a statement through these reasons...

In the Songjin battle, the Ming army could actually win it!
And how does Xia Jun judge this ongoing battle?

"The Ming army is doomed, and there is no possibility of winning."

Zuo Yong's words represented the views of all Xia Jun's senior officials.

Yes, the Ming army had no hope of winning at all.

From this battle alone, why did the Ming army have no hope of winning?

The factor of the king's self-willedness is very small, and it is understandable for the center to be eager for quick success.The commander also has practical difficulties, and the general has nowhere to exert his strength.

In the final analysis, the reason why the Ming army was defeated was the most fundamental reason.

There is too much difference in combat power.

This is also a problem that the Ming army has been facing but has never been resolved since the time when Xiong Tingbi was in power in Liaodong.

Without combat power, how can we talk about fighting?

What about victory?

Although the strength of the Ming army is several times that of the Qing army, wars do not depend on the number of people.

Although such things as combat power cannot be seen or touched, they actually exist.

Especially the Qing army in this time and space, although it has repeatedly fought against the Xia army.However, under Xia Jun's hammering, his combat effectiveness became stronger.

It can be said that no matter how the Ming Dynasty plans and operates this battle, there is no hope of winning.

Chongzhen and the cabinet who are far away in the capital may not be able to see clearly, but Hong Chengchou and the generals who are near the front line are all clear.

When Hong Chengchou arrived in Ningyuan in March, he played for the center.

[The enemy is ahead, and the battle is very dangerous.If you want to rush to break the siege of Jinzhou, the situation of soldiers and horses is really difficult to calm down.The dead soldiers have just been buried, and the wounded soldiers have not recovered.Within half a month, please order another decisive battle to alleviate Jinzhou's urgent situation. 】

The meaning inside and outside the words is that if reinforcements are sent to Jinzhou, it will be more difficult than good.The best way is to stabilize the current front and wait for changes in the current situation.

It's not that Hong Chengchou doesn't know the importance of Jinzhou, but he understands better that if he rushes out to rescue Jinzhou with his cobbled together soldiers and horses, the whole army will inevitably end in annihilation.

Without troops, Jinzhou could not defend, and the situation in Liaodong collapsed completely;
If troops are sent out, not only will Jinzhou be unable to defend, but the entire north of Shanhaiguan will also fall, making the situation even more dangerous.

To put it bluntly, from Hong Chengchou's point of view, he can only choose the lesser of two evils.

If you stay in Ningyuan to waste time, you may be able to find a rare opportunity to reverse the situation.

As for whether Zu Dashou in Jinzhou City is dead or alive, it doesn't matter to him as the commander in chief.

In all honesty, Hong Chengchou's idea is definitely the best solution at the moment.

If the Ming court adopted his opinion, although the battle of Songjin would be lost, at least they could retain their vitality.It can also establish a certain strategic buffer around Shanhaiguan to maintain the current situation.

But it is a pity that it is impossible for Ming Ting to adopt his opinion.

Chongzhen and Chen Xinjia, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, sent orders one after another, strictly ordering Hong Chengchou to march immediately and relieve Jinzhou.

This order is tantamount to sending the last family property of the Ming Dynasty into the pit of fire.

So Chongzhen and Chen Xinjia were mainly responsible for Songjin's defeat?
In fact, they are also very helpless.

The situation in the world is not separated from each other, but affects each other, and a single hair affects the whole body.

When later generations discussed the Battle of Songjin, they only focused on the battlefield, and at most included court factors into it.

But few people thought that the battlefield in the Central Plains was the main reason that forced the Ming Dynasty to take military adventures.

After Zhang Xianzhong broke into Sichuan last year, the relationship between Yang Sichang and the officials from all walks of life dropped to a freezing point.Civil servants and military generals from all walks of life lost their trust and awe of him, which also caused the entire encirclement and suppression battle to become a mess.

Zhang Xianzhong's invasion of Sichuan this time did not encounter much resistance.

Shao Jiechun, the governor of Sichuan, was busy intrigue with Yang Sichang, and all the military deployments were full of loopholes.Being killed by Zhang Xianzhong from left to right was like entering a land without people.

Zuo Liangyu, He Renlong and other generals were even more sneaky, waiting to see Yang Sichang's jokes.

Yang Sichang was so anxious that he had no choice but to reuse the rebel generals of the peasant army who surrendered.

As a result, Zhang Xianzhong was defeated like a tiger in Huangling City, Kai County. With a turn of his troops, he not only rushed out of Sichuan, but also went straight to Xiangyang, Yang Sichang's headquarters.

At this time, all the Ming troops in Sichuan were hundreds of miles away, and there was no time to stop them.

On the fourth day of February, Zhang Xianzhong attacked Xiangyang and executed Xiangwang Zhu Yiming.

Ineffective in suppressing thieves, he lost the vassal king.Under the two major crimes, Yang Sichang completely collapsed.

At this time, his temples were gray, his vitality was exhausted, and he no longer had the heart and power to control the situation.

On the way back to Xiangyang, Yang Sichang received even more bad news.

Li Zicheng broke through Luoyang, threw Fu Wang Zhu Changxun into the oil pan, and distributed the meat of Fu Wang to the soldiers and common people to eat.

Li Zicheng opened the treasury in Luoyang, distributed food, gold and silver, and the people who had been waiting to be fed joined the peasant army one after another, and the situation in Henan fell drastically.

Under his rule, two important vassal kings were killed in succession, and Yang Sichang knew that he had no way out.

Completely desperate, he stopped eating, and by the time he reached Shashi, Jingzhou, he was already bedridden, and his life was at the end.

The killing of King Fu and King Xiang, and the death of Yang Sichang gave Chongzhen an unparalleled impact.

Until this moment, Chongzhen finally lost all energy and spirit, and truly felt the crisis of subjugation.

It is rare that he did not pursue Yang Sichang's responsibility too much, but issued the order of "discussing meritorious service".

It cannot be seen from this that Chongzhen has not known what he has done for a long time.

However, his nature of being greedy for merit and blame made him push one capable minister after another into the pit of fire, and gradually lost the loyalty of the government and the public.

The situation in the Central Plains is at stake, and the Great Ming Dynasty may collapse at any time.

This is the reason why the center had to urge Hong Chengchou to march again and again.

It can only be said that the situation dictates that there is nothing to do.

After receiving the strict orders from Chongzhen and Chen Xinjia, Hong Chengchou was full of sadness.

He turned his head, looked in the direction of the capital, and suddenly roared.

"Da Ming!"

Beside him, more than [-] innocent lives embarked on a road of no return with the most timid mood.

Obviously, the soldiers and horses are overwhelming and continuous, so they should be majestic and majestic.But the only thing Hong Chengchou could see was a deep sense of death.

He suddenly thought of what he had recited carefully when he was just beginning to read.

"The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Xiaomin"

"Tremblingly, as if facing an abyss, as if walking on thin ice."

(End of this chapter)