Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 110 Fire Night!

Tianjin,
Deputy General Lian Boling, as well as Wuqing County Magistrate Jiang Daozeng and Jinghai County Magistrate Cai Zhongren personally went up to the city to fight.

"Without taking off the belt or closing the eyelashes, the hair turned white overnight."

Before hearing that the Tartars might move south, the county magistrates of the two counties led the people and poured into Tianjin Wei.

At this moment in Tianjin City, every sight was filled with shockingly miserable scenes. The city wall had collapsed, leaving several huge holes. Crying, corpses, blood, and all kinds of scenes were visible.

"Those who can move, eat something quickly!" Lian Boling shouted to the old and weak militiamen in the city. Although there were said to be a thousand people, in fact there were only 500 combat soldiers and civilians holding out here.

Today, the city of Tianjin is filled with debris and ruins, and the city’s waterways are dotted with puddles stained red with blood.

Floating corpses.

Soldiers and civilians were running around in the city, and neighbors were helping out, transporting the wounded and carrying supplies.

But even so, there is still a shortage of manpower.

The arrows had long been used up, and some houses close to the city wall began to be demolished, and stones were taken out from inside and moved to the top of the city wall.

Just as everyone was about to eat, a soldier hurriedly shouted again: "Sir, the Qing army has begun to attack the city again."

Lian Boling gritted his teeth and shouted grimly, "Everyone get ready!"

Looking at the tens of thousands of Qing troops below the city, Lian Boling's eyes trembled, "Why are there so many Qing soldiers attacking Tianjin?"

Tianjin as a place name can be traced back to Tianjin Wei established during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty.

"Wei" is not the administrative area of ​​Guangjia, but a border town garrison.

In order to compete for the throne, Prince of Yan sent troops here to cross the river and march south, where he defeated his nephew Emperor Hui of Ming and usurped the throne.

To commemorate the crossing of the river to raise the army here, it was called "Tianjin", which means the ferry where the emperor passed, abbreviated as Jin.

During the Ming Dynasty, Tianjin was not a big city.

To the north is Wuqing County and to the south is Jinghai County.

This situation did not change much until Chongzhen was hanged on a crooked tree. It was not until the third year of Yongzheng's reign, after the Tartars entered the Pass, that Tianjin Wei was changed to a direct-controlled prefecture and Tianjin County was established.

Therefore, Tianjin at that time was not a big city, but because of its key geographical location, it formed an existence similar to a city.

Now it has attracted tens of thousands of people to attack, which makes Lian Boling, Wuqing County Magistrate Jiang Daozeng, and Jinghai County Magistrate Cai Zhongren feel scalp tingling and a little confused.

"Why is the Tartar's attack so fierce?" Jiang Daozeng, the magistrate of Wuqing County, could not help swallowing.

Cai Zhongren, the county magistrate of Jinghai County, could not help but say: "Yes, it seems that he is willing to do it at any cost!"

Lian Boliang's eyes flickered, "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless there is one possibility, our Ming reinforcements are coming soon, and the Tartars hope to capture Tianjin before our reinforcements arrive."

boom!
Suddenly, brick fragments flew everywhere, the soldiers' screams and tinnitus suddenly exploded between the three of them.

The Tartar's artillery fell directly between the three men. Two soldiers were smashed into a pool of meat, and several other soldiers were hit and had their limbs broken.

"here we go again!"

"Everyone get on the wall!" Lian Boling shouted.

The city was attacked again.

The Tatars also had artillery, but in small quantities. And because of the need for carrying them, what they brought were not the powerful Red Cannons, but rather this kind of small French cannon.

Although there were several gaps in the city wall, it was impossible for a large number of people to squeeze in.

As a result, the Qing army launched more than ten attacks on the city in one day, but was unable to completely enter the city.

……

"Attack!" Dorgon sat on a tall horse, roared, and commanded the Tatars to attack the city again.

Why did they choose Tianjin? Because there were tens of thousands of people and livestock in Tianjin, and the Qing Dynasty's target was population and livestock.

Since the area around the capital is extremely risky, all they can do is to do their best to gain the greatest benefit.

And caused the greatest losses to the Ming Dynasty.

What is more important is the "cutting down big trees" strategy.

Once it starts, it is necessary to continuously provide strength to tie down enough troops of the Ming Dynasty and make the rebels within the Ming Dynasty cause trouble.

The peasant uprisings in the Central Plains not only consumed a large amount of manpower and military pay, but also caused people's hearts to be unsettled and cities and towns to be desolate, causing great damage to the empire and becoming a major threat to the Yuan Dynasty.

Since last year, the peasant army in the interior of the Ming Dynasty has been spreading like wildfire burning winter grass, and the foundation of the Ming Dynasty has begun to shake.

The reason why the Qing Dynasty entered the Pass this time was not only because the Shanxi merchants were killed by the Ming Emperor, but also because the traitors hidden in the Ming Dynasty passed on Yang Sichang's suggestions to Chongzhen to the Qing Dynasty.

As for Yang Sichang's "four directions and six corners, setting up a net in ten directions", we should first concentrate all our efforts on the peasant army, and take a defensive stance against the Qing army, and even try to compromise and make peace with it, and then make long-term plans after the civil strife is completely settled in the future.

Dorgon's brother showed great concern.

Such strategic vision is indeed much more brilliant than the previous Ming Emperor Chongzhen and his court officials who were busy dealing with the problem by treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause.

Huang Taiji and Dorgon even simulated Yang Sichang's strategy, and followed this plan, proceeding steadily and cautiously step by step.

The premiers of the five provinces and the governor-general of Shaanxi respectively commanded the various aid and suppression troops and the three border troops as the main force to launch surprise attacks and wipe out large groups of peasant armies in the Central Plains and the Northwest; the local corps under the jurisdiction of the four governors of Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang and Fengyang defended their own areas, while the local corps under the jurisdiction of the six governors of Yansui, Shanxi, Shandong, Yingtian, Jiangxi and Sichuan were responsible for strictly guarding their own areas and assisting in the encirclement and suppression accordingly.

There is a great possibility that the peasant army can be eliminated in one fell swoop.

Before Dorgon set out, Huang Taiji specifically sought him out and revealed his true intentions.

The goal of attracting the troops of Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting and others who were encircling the peasant army in the Central Plains had not yet been achieved. This was the real reason why Dorgon did not retreat immediately after receiving the order from Huang Taiji.

Therefore, when they captured Tianjin City this time, they would not only plunder people and livestock, but also massacre the entire city.

On the one hand, it was to eliminate the humiliation of the Qing army's defeat.

It was also to cause shock to the Ming Dynasty court and attract military forces from the Central Plains.

As long as the people from all over the country come to support the king again, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others will become completely powerful, and the government troops will be unable to suppress the peasant army, the Ming Dynasty's national destiny will be completely cut off.

The earth shook, and the lights of fire, swords, and blood on the city walls, set against the scorching clouds in the west, looked like balls of flame burning extremely vigorously on the city walls of Tianjin.

The blood on the top of the city wall kept blooming into blood flowers.

On the top of the city wall, a Ming soldier had just knocked down two Tatars who had climbed up the wall, but the next moment he was shot in the neck by an arrow. His eyes suddenly widened, and he covered his neck, falling to the ground because he couldn't breathe.

But his comrades around him had no time to pay attention because more Tatars climbed up.

Holding steel knives in their hands, they suddenly jumped onto the city wall and hacked the civilians on the wall ferociously, but were then hacked to death by several soldiers on the wall.

Deputy General Lian Boliang's eyes were bloodshot as he chopped a Tartar to the ground and shouted with all his might, "Hold on! Don't let them get up here."

Then he took a bow and quiver from a dead Ming soldier.

There are four more arrows.

Jiang Daozeng suddenly pulled the arrow and aimed at a Qing soldier who was about to climb up.

bass!
An arrow shot through the Tartar's head.

As the opponent fell on his back, he knocked two Tartars down with him.

boo boo boo...

He shot one person with one arrow, and just as he was touching the quiver, he suddenly realized that it was empty... During this moment of distraction, his body suddenly stopped. A piercing pain came over him, and he saw an arrow trembling in his abdomen.

"General!" One of Lian Boling's personal soldiers quickly pulled him to the back and shouted in panic: "Military doctor, military doctor, here, the general is injured."

"Don't worry about me, kill the enemy!"

"Kill the enemy!"

……

As the sun sets, the sky suddenly becomes dim.

Under the city of Tianjin, tens of thousands of suits of armor were flashing cold light in the last rays of the setting sun.

The Tatars once again assembled thousands of elite soldiers, and like a tide rising upstream, they rushed towards the gap that had been temporarily opened on Lian Boling's side.

The shouts of tens of thousands of people suddenly exploded, and at the same time as the sobbing trumpets in the distance, they resounded throughout the sky above the city of Tianjin and pierced the clouds.

When the sound waves hit the city wall, it was like a backflow of flood water and collided with the shouts again.

Gathered into a huge roar.

If the tide suddenly rolled back and collided with the huge waves, the city of Tianjin would be completely buried.

Faced with the Tartars' overwhelming momentum and noise, the defenders in Tianjin City were eerily quiet.

Is this the Tartar army? In just one day, they launched so many offensives, sometimes less than a quarter of an hour apart, but they have already gathered their troops again, attacking the small city of Tianjin like a violent storm.

An unspeakable fear permeated the city walls.

It was like an invisible hand tightly grasping the hearts of everyone on the city wall.

"Damn it, everyone says that I'm weak and dare not go to the front line, but I killed 26 Tartars in this battle. Even if I die, it's worth it!" Deputy General Lian Boling gritted his teeth, bared his teeth, and shouted in a loud voice.

"Even if I die, I still have 150 taels of silver!" Lian Boling laughed and scolded, "My wife died a few years ago, my son has started a family, and I have grandchildren. I have made enough money in this life."

"Yes, His Majesty said that as long as you kill the Tartars, you will be rewarded with silver, even if you are not a soldier. Think about it, how much money can you earn in a year? If you die for the country, you will get one hundred and fifty taels of silver!" Jiang Daozeng, the magistrate of Wuqing County, said loudly.

After the two men shouted, the tense atmosphere on the city wall suddenly disappeared, and their eyes became firm.

But it is also quieter.

This wave of the Tartars' offensive finally came close again. The sounds of swords and guns clashing, knives cutting into hands, running, shouting, and drums, all of a sudden, were like rain and fell into everyone's ears.

Lian Boling had someone help him up and stood in a corner against the city wall. He drew his knife and stared at a gap, like a pillar standing on the side. But as long as someone showed his head, he would open his eyes and chop them over angrily.

There are no more arrows, no more stones.

The confrontation between tens of thousands and a few hundred, the absolute disadvantage in the number of guards in Tianjin City, did not affect the firm will of the officers and soldiers defending the city and the people.

Seeing that more and more Tartars were on the city wall, Lian Boling shouted angrily: "Jiang Daozeng, Cai Zhongren, take your men and retreat to the inner city. Quickly, do as we agreed before."

"What about you?"

"Don't bother me!" Lian Boling said, and instead of retreating, he led a few personal soldiers to kill the largest number of Tartars.

Jiang Daozeng, the magistrate of Wuqing County, was stunned for a moment, his eyes suddenly reddened, but he also knew that he could not hesitate now, so he shouted loudly: "Everyone follow me to retreat to the inner city."

"Retreat to the inner city!"

When they retreated back to the inner city, they saw that the Qing army was swarming up from the bottom of the city like locusts, drowning Lian Boling and others.

Immediately afterwards, a burst of laughter was heard among the Qing soldiers.

It was a Tartar who cut off Lian Boling's head.

Lian Boling had shown great bravery before, shooting and killing many Qing soldiers with a strong bow. Dorgon saw this and ordered that whoever killed this man would be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver.

Now that the Tartars have achieved what they wanted, they can’t help but cry out.

"Du~~~"

The Qing army's horn sounded again, and the Tartars' eyes were once again fixed fiercely on the government troops in the inner city. The outer city had been breached, and as long as they could breach the inner city, they could massacre the city and loot the women and livestock of the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, the Tatars' eyes were filled with wild beast-like light.

“Hold on, hold on!” Jiang Daozeng, the county magistrate of Wuqing County, and Cai Zhongren, the county magistrate of Jinghai County, personally went up to the city to fight.

The county magistrate was like this, and the bailiffs in the county government did not retreat either. Their swords were blunted by cutting, but they still fought bravely and fearlessly.

It is hard to even tell whether it is fear or not, it is more of numbness, and it is willpower that supports them.

"County magistrate!"

“The county magistrate…”

When everyone turned around, they saw that it was the Wuqing County Magistrate Jiang Daozeng who had used his spear to knock down a ladder set up by the Tartars, and more than a dozen Tartars on it fell to the ground.

But the Tartars' sharp arrows flew wildly, and his body was also full of arrows. Before he died, he threw his spear violently and pierced a Tartar who had climbed to the top of the city wall.

"Brother Jiang!"

Cai Zhongren, the magistrate of Jinghai County, suddenly shouted and wanted to snatch his body back, but it was too late. The body had already rolled down to the foot of the city.

Cai Zhongren clenched his fingers, his whole body trembling, his eyes red, "Kerosene, pour all the kerosene down, even if we have to burn Brother Jiang's body, we can't let them get it."

All the arrows and stones are exhausted.

Kerosene is their last bit of “savings”.

Once used, it means there is no means of resistance.

At this point, everyone understood that it was the final moment.

But no one hesitated. They were ready. Cai Zhongren said angrily, "Until we die, you will not be allowed to enter Tianjin!"

"Until we die, no one will be allowed to enter Tianjin City!"

"..."

The less than 300 officers, soldiers and civilians left shouted.

Cai Zhongren, the county magistrate of Jinghai County, said with emotion: "I only regret that the Ming Dynasty was ravaged by the Tartars. I will never resign myself to this!"

"burn!"

Several cans of kerosene were thrown down at the foot of the city, and some soldiers lit torches and threw them down.

hum~
A ball of flame suddenly sprang up and engulfed a group of Tatars who were fighting over the body of Jiang Daozeng, the magistrate of Wuqing County, along with Jiang Daozeng's body.

The sudden outbreak of fire made the Qing soldiers a little confused. They retreated temporarily and launched another charge as soon as the fire subsided.

It was already dark now.
The people in Tianjin City were ready to die. Cai Zhongren, the magistrate of Jinghai County, tightly grasped the hilt of his knife, not knowing the situation outside the city for the time being.

As the fire died down, the Tatars did not attack the city again.

It just sounded like the situation changed as the sky darkened, and the Tatars on the opposite side seemed to become more aggressive.

Afterwards, the sounds of gongs, drums, and trumpets were heard urgently, along with all kinds of commotion... and the earth was shaking suddenly.

There were flames rising into the sky in the distance.

Then, boom, boom, boom...

Suddenly, there were bursts of huge roars in the distance, deafening.

(End of this chapter)