weaving

Chapter 937
On the south bank of the Daughter River, a hillock on the north side of Shimen Mountain, is the temporary residence of Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao.

Not far from the big tent of the Chinese army, a tall commanding platform was built. Jiliao Governor Hong Chengchou was standing on this commanding platform, watching the situation on the battlefield to the north.

Li Song, a senior staff member of his confidant, said from the side: "Minister, according to General Changbo's report, the Tartars are fighting with the Yellow Banner, and the Mongolian Banner White and Blue Banners are fighting fiercely with it.

In addition, there were gunfire soldiers with red flags from the Han army to help out, and even the rebels Kong Youde and Shang Kexi gathered there. Uncle Chang's frontal pressure was not small. "

Hong Chengchou remained expressionless, he gently put down the binoculars in his hand, but still looked at his daughter on the north bank of the river, and asked softly, "How many flags are there for the slave thief?"

Another trusted staff member, Xie Sixin, stepped forward and replied: "Return to the governor, according to the investigation report, in addition to the Zhenglan Banner still on the east bank of the Xiaoling River, what can be confirmed today are the Tartar Xianglan Banner, the Zhenghong Banner, and the Mongolian Zhenglan Banner. Blue flag soldiers and horses.

Now they are fighting fiercely with the three generals of Tang, Bai, and Ma in the west. According to reports, it should be the Tatar thief and puppet king Jierhalang who is in command there.

In addition to the three commander-in-chiefs of our division, the former Tunwang commander-in-chief, Qiu Fuchen and Yao Chayuan's standard battalion have also been engaged in a fierce battle with the Tartars. My teacher seems to be more difficult. "

He paused for a moment, then said again: "Including the Yellow Banner of the Tartars who fought fiercely with Uncle Chang, the Mongolian Banners Bordered White and Banners Bordered Blue to the Northern Captives. Right now there are still four Tartar Banners, and the Five Mongolian Banners have not moved."

Xie Sixin hesitated for a moment, and then continued: "But my king's division only has the Superintendent's Battalion, and has not fought yet. Compared with the troops, it seems that we do not have an advantage. The Governor..."

He hesitated to speak, but Hong Chengchou didn't seem to take it seriously, he just asked: "Wang Pu, what's the situation?"

Li Song hurriedly replied: "I'm reporting to the governor, Zhang Zhongping has already sent the order, and I think it's time to launch it now."

"Ah."

Hong Chengchou pointed to Jinzhou City on the other side of the Nuer River in the north, and said: "There are still nearly ten thousand horses from Zu Dashou in the city, all of whom are elite soldiers from Liaodong. The slaves have at least three or four banner soldiers and horses, which must be used to siege the city."

He then asked: "How is the situation on Cao Bianjiao's side? But have all the teachers crossed the river?"

Xie Sixin hurriedly stepped forward and replied: "Cao Shuai's Dongxie soldiers and horses have already crossed the north and marched northward. Now they are cooperating with General Changbo to break through to the north. What they are facing is the slaves of the Tartar Zhenghuang Banner."

Hong Chengchou said in a slightly dignified tone: "Send someone to urge you again, Wang Pu needs to put in more effort. If it can be done, the internal and external cooperation will be able to break the siege of Jinzhou."

At this moment, Wang Cheng'en, the eunuch of the inner court of the Admiral Dongchang, accompanied by two young eunuchs, slowly walked up to the high platform. He went straight to Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and said in a deep tone: "Governor Hong is strategizing, Our family is ashamed.

However, this battle is related to the fate of the country, so it is really not to be careless. Our family thinks that we should transfer Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu soldiers to come here and cross the north to advance. "

When he said this, he paused for a moment, staring at the governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, with piercing eyes, and then said: "Governor Hong, you should put state affairs first."

This is already obviously talking about Hong Chengchou. In fact, the eunuch Wang Chengen has spoken about the governor Hong Chengchou more than once before.

But Hong Chengchou was just pretending to be deaf and dumb. Relying on Wang Chengen's non-participation in the planning of military operations, he arbitrarily manipulated the commanders of the towns to formulate the military strategy for the Battle of Jinzhou.

These are in fact understandable, but the situation on the battlefield at this moment is not in a favorable situation for the Ming army. According to the current situation on the battlefield, the final outcome is that the Ming and Qing sides will form a stalemate on both sides of the Nuer River.

Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, thought in his heart that this battle should not only be won, but also highlight Wu Sangui's achievements, while the eunuch Wang Chengen's thought was even simpler, he only needed to solve the siege of Jinzhou.

Other than that, look no further!

As for Zhang Cheng, Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao, etc., who made the first victory in the Liao War, he didn't care.

But at this moment, Wang Chengen seems to be quite dissatisfied with his words, and he even mentions Hong Chengchou with the words "state affairs are the most important", which shows that his tolerance is close to the limit.

If it was someone else's words, Hong Chengchou might not care too much about it, but Wang Cheng'en is different from others, although he has no official position in the court, but even the court elders dare not offend him.

Hong Chengchou said with a dignified expression: "What the prince said is very true. This battle is very important. It is indeed a battle of national destiny."

He then went on to say: "As the prince said, not only the Xuanfu army is the most daring to fight, Zhang Cheng also has a strategy in mind. Thieves destroy slaves, or it all depends on this person."

Hong Chengchou suddenly changed the subject and said: "It is precisely because Zhang Cheng is a talented person from Qizi, and Chengchou also loves and cherishes talents. He can't bear to show his sharpness and become a standout, which causes a lot of jealousy and hatred, so he makes enemies on all sides. , which is not good for Zhang Cheng."

Seeing that Wang Chengen's face had softened, he continued, "As the saying goes, 'a tree attracts the wind', the ancients also said that 'a tree that grows beautiful in the forest will be destroyed by the wind'.

From Chengchou's perspective, Zhang Cheng is indeed capable of running the army and fighting wars, but he is young and vigorous, and he still lacks the way of the world. He needs to be honed more to make him know how to restrain himself and know the way to relax in order to become successful. Great weapon of the country.

Otherwise, he is just a young man who is full of vigor and ambition, afraid of being too publicized and showing off in front of others, and thus attracts many slanderous remarks, which is not the original intention of cherishing and loving talents for the country. "

The more Wang Chengen listened, the more he felt that what Hong Chengchou said was reasonable, and he seemed to be a little thoughtless, at this time Hong Chengchou continued to say: "Kuan Bendu is not just putting the Xuanfu army on the shelf and abandoning it.

However, since the Xuanfu army aided the Liao Dynasty, they have repeatedly fought slaves and bandits. Although they have won successive victories, which boosted our morale and strengthened our army's prestige, the soldiers of the Xuanfu army were also exhausted from fighting for a long time. Tired.

Now, the Xuanfu army is stationed in Huangtuling to contain the soldiers and horses of Haoge's troops in the Zhenglan Banner. However, the Xuanfu army can lead troops northward at any time to support the general army of Datong Wang Pu, cross the Xiaoling River in the north, and directly march to the south of Jincheng close. "

Wang Chengen's eyes turned to the Nuuhe in the north, he also felt that Hong Chengchou was indeed a public mind, and what he said was quite reasonable, but he still couldn't help feeling worried about today's battle.

Therefore, he said lightly: "In terms of military affairs, our family is not an expert, so we shouldn't talk too much, but this battle has a lot to do with it, and the emperor is also worried about it, so naturally our family can't stay out of it.

Governor Hong, do you think so? "

There was a wry smile on Hong Chengchou's face, he knew that Wang Chengen was challenging him, it seems that today's battle is still inseparable from Zhang Cheng and the Xuanfu army.

But what he was facing was the great eunuch Wang Cheng'en, and it was not easy for him to be perfunctory. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, why is it so difficult to accomplish something he wants to do?
"The prince worries about the emperor, works hard for the affairs of the country, and bears the burden of responsibility. He is a role model for us."

He first praised it, and then said: "Chengchou also knows that today's battle is of great importance, and Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu army is the courage of my army to support the Liao king's army. Although the heart of the king's army is really tied, it cannot be underestimated." How can there be no Xuanfu army in the final decision?"

In this way, Hong Chengchou promised that in today's battle, there must be a chance for the Xuanfu army to attack, but he will not use the Xuanfu army lightly, and must fight a decisive battle when necessary.

"That's good, that's good. I also hope that Hong Du can always put the country's affairs first, and never forget the greatness of the holy grace."

Wang Chengen left a faint sentence, then turned and left, the two young eunuchs followed behind him without saying a word, slowly got off the high platform, and went back to the small warm tent on the right.

Looking at the back of Wang Chengen walking away slowly, Hong Chengchou also looked helpless, he could only sigh secretly in his heart.

Xie Sixin, a trusted aide, reminded: "Minister, it's past noon, do you want some food?"

"No, the soldiers are all fighting bloody battles, how can I have the mood to eat?"

Hong Chengchou's eyes dimmed a little. In today's battle, his many deployments did not have any major effect. Dorgon was really sophisticated and cunning, and he was able to hold his breath so calmly.

Dorgon seemed to have seen through the Ming army's trick to lure the enemy, and he had been patient with Tang Tong, Bai Guangen, and Ma Ke, but only sent a small number of Manchurian Eight Banners elites to prevent them from continuing to advance north, and did not dispatch the main force to fight against them .

As a result, Wu Sangui felt a sudden increase in pressure here. Even with the elite assistance of the ASEAN Association under Cao Bianjiao, it was still a little difficult, and the help of rushing northward was very great.

You know, the opposite of him is the Zhenghuang Banner of Manchuria, plus the two banners of Mongolia with white and blue borders, and the northern captives with over [-] elite cavalry. crowd.

In terms of troop strength, there seems to be no big gap between the two sides, and even Wu Sangui and Cao Bianjiao still have a slight advantage.

However, most of Wu and Cao's battalions were infantry, and the number of cavalry was limited. Unlike the Tartars, the entire army was composed of cavalry. If the two sides fought in formation, the Ming army would naturally retreat behind the chariot formation, relying on infantry, guns, guns and arrows. According to the enemy, it does not suffer.

But today it was in the wilderness and plains. It was a field battle that the Qing cavalry were good at, and it was also a cavalry wave battle. The Ming army was already at a disadvantage.

If it were another Ming army, I am afraid that they would have been defeated under the conflicts between the Qing cavalry and the Mongolian cavalry. What's more, there are more than ten thousand Ertars of the Han army armed with guns and cannons to help the slaves.

Sure enough, Li Song persuaded from the side: "Director, do you want to teach Zhang Cheng to prepare early?"

Hong Chengchou didn't say a word, he turned his body to face the direction of Nuuhe, and looked deeply at the land to the north, as if he was thinking about something.

After a while, he opened his mouth and said: "Send a message to Wang Tingchen, asking him to attack the slaves with the blue banner. He must open a breakthrough, break through the slaves' defenses, and try to go east to join Cao Bianjiao."

Xie Sixinyan opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he still didn't say it. At the moment, Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, was turning his back to him, so he didn't notice this little move at all.

The banner officer had already answered the order loudly, and was about to rush down the high platform quickly to send someone to interrogate, but was stopped by Hong Chengchou and ordered: "Tell Wang Tingchen, you must put pressure on the slaves, and it is not a pity for the soldiers to guard themselves. "

"Yes, Governor."

Hearing the hooves of the sentinel's galloping horses, Xie Sixin and Li Song also stopped talking.

They, like Hong Chengchou, just looked at the direction of Nuerhe in the north, heard the roar of artillery fire in their ears, watched the smoke and dust over there keep rising, falling, and rising again, and there was a heart-piercing sound from time to time during the cry of killing. The lungs screamed and wailed.

After a long time, Hong Chengchou sighed, and then said leisurely: "Send a message to Zhang Cheng, asking him to secretly rectify the troops and horses, and cross the river north at any time."

He went on to add: "The defense of Huangtuling must not be neglected, lest Hauge take advantage of it. Li Fuming is at the mouth of the river, and apart from some Xuanfu soldiers and horses staying in Huangtuling, Zhang Bingxian's standard battalion should also stay in Huangtuling. "

Xie Sixinyan first exchanged glances with Li Song, and then said in unison: "That's very good, the governor is very thoughtful, and he will be foolproof."

Hong Chengchou didn't speak anymore, he looked towards the wilderness to the north again, and said to Li Song: "Send someone to urge you again, the artillery of Shenji Battalion must cross the river as quickly as possible."

"Yes, let's send someone to urge Chen Zongbing."

…………

"Minggou's artillery, how come it has been ringing for so long and hasn't stopped? Could it be that their artillery is not afraid of exploding, it's really strange!"

Standing behind Dorgon, King Azige of Wuying County looked up at the battle in the south. The artillery of the Ming army had been firing for two full hours since the start of the battle.

Although there was a slight stagnation in the middle, there was no stop. On the other hand, our own side did not hold on for even an hour. The barrels of the cannons were either hot and not enough for use, or they were hit by the cannons fired by the Ming army. destroy it.

There were even more than ten cannons seized from the Ming army, and the bombing happened. Not only the cannons were blown up, but even the gunners were killed and injured, and the gunners of other cannons were shocked. Speed ​​is naturally also affected.

Azig continued to scold: "What is that bastard Kong Youde doing? Why is the artillery of our Wuzhenchao Ha Pao Battalion getting weaker and weaker?"

Dorgon could not help but glared at him angrily when he saw his rude words, although in his heart he also looked down on Ma Guangyuan and Kong Youde, the gang of Tartars.

But they also know that they and the Qing Dynasty are of great use, even if they are used as cannon fodder, it is good, not to mention, they can be used to deal with the hearts of the generals of the Ming Dynasty, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone!
What's more, just give it some minimum respect on the surface, without any loss to yourself, so why not do it?

However, Azig, Haoge, Du Du and other princes and Baylors seemed to have a natural discrimination against these Han officials and generals who surrendered, and they always insulted them verbally.

Thinking of Hauge, Dorgon couldn't help showing a contemptuous smile: "Hmph, I'm just a reckless man. After Huang Taiji's hundred years, what can I do?"

(End of this chapter)