Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Ju Ming had led the main force to Chengzhou, which was later known as Haicheng.

During the Liao Dynasty, Tongzhou was established in the southeastern mountainous area, and Tiezhou was also established in the southern mountainous area.

There is copper, there is iron, and there is gold.

Continuing forward, one hundred and ten miles to the northeast is Liaoyang.

A fierce offensive and defensive battle is breaking out there!

The city has been occupied by the rebels, but the Jin army's food and grass are in the city, and Wanyan Zongfu must win it no matter how high the price is.

Wang Zheng brought all the family members of each clan to the top of the city, pointed to the Jin soldiers outside and said, "Look carefully, are there any Bohai soldiers or Han soldiers?"

How can we get thousands of cavalry to attack Shenyang unexpectedly?

They are not willing to abandon the city and evacuate.

Wanyan Zongfu turned to look at the city, wondering whether he should attack the city again.

"Follow me!"

It's a matter of wealth and life, so all the noble families must brace themselves. If they can't defend Liaoyang, everyone will die.

The two Jin soldiers met outside Liaoyang City.

At the same time, another recruit was also killed and routed, and the nearby Han army reserve team went to rescue.

As long as you garrisoned the city wall that day, or transported supplies, or even just helped deliver meals, you can collect military pay after the handover.

The Jurchen cavalry said: "The Ming army had thousands of cavalry, and they made a surprise attack on Shenzhou last night. Many of them were armed with muskets. Shenzhou's troops were empty, and there were still some craftsmen in the city, so they fell in an instant."

Although horses can carry armor and food, the mountain roads in some places are rugged and horses cannot carry too much weight. If you want to transport most of the grain and grass on Posu Road, you need a group of civilians to carry grain.

Defeat or the destruction of the country is no longer a concern for them. Now these guys just want to enter the city to seize food.

The more than 10,000 Jurchen soldiers only carried rations for a few days, and they would be finished in two or three days.

Some were even brave enough to go back the same way they came to join the pursuing Ming army. Because they had no food with them and were afraid of encountering wild beasts in the mountains, they simply turned traitor and surrendered to the Ming for a better chance of survival.

The Xi Bing reserve force was delayed by the defeated troops. By the time they rushed over, more than fifty Jurchen soldiers had already boarded the city.

On the third day, the entire army used the wood obtained from demolishing houses to build thousands of simple siege ladders.

The flag on the city tower was waving, and the messenger soldiers near Xi Bing immediately shouted after receiving the news: "Xi Bing, go to the rescue!"

This Xi Bing is a reserve team. Although they have a grudge against the Bohai people, they are all grasshoppers on the same rope now.

Men ranging from old men in their fifties and sixties to young men aged fourteen or fifteen were organized into the army.

…

Wanyan Zongfu led his army to arrive in the middle of the night. They were exhausted and did not attack immediately. Instead, the entire army retreated to rest for a while.

They continued to fight until darkness fell, and the Jurchen soldiers who ascended the city were finally driven out completely.

Military pay is paid on a daily basis.

Everyone looked at it for a long time and found no relevant flag.

Jin Wushu said: "I left several thousand soldiers to guard the mountain pass to prevent the Ming army chasing after the Yalu River from coming out of the mountain. Do I need to be transferred here for a decisive battle?"

Jin Wushu was still on his way in the mountains. His biggest headache now was not the pursuing soldiers, but the deserters who appeared every night.

It wasn't until they chased half a mile across the moat that the Jurchen cavalry came to the rescue. Gao Jingshan quickly led his troops back to Wengcheng.

On the other hand, the Jin soldiers were also moving troops towards the first ascending point, trying to occupy the city wall in one go.

The Jurchen soldiers who were retreating carrying the siege ladder were caught off guard and fled in defeat.

The next morning, half of the soldiers rested while half demolished the houses, and the shift continued in the afternoon.

"Marshal, Posu Road is on the way to withdraw troops. The main force will arrive at noon tomorrow at the latest." Qingqi, who was responsible for reporting the news, said.

Anyway, there are mountains of military rations in the city. In order to boost the morale of the entire army, both the soldiers participating in the battle and the women and children responsible for logistics can eat every meal with an open stomach.

Gao Jingshan said: "The armies of all ethnic groups in Huosuguan City must have surrendered and driven the Jurchen soldiers out of the city. The people in charge of the troops in your clan have rebelled. Once the Jurchen soldiers capture Liaoyang, they will still be kind. Do you want to let everyone go? It will definitely be a disaster for the whole family!"

But Wanyan Zongfu must stay here, either rush to break the city to obtain food and grass, or wait for Jin Wushu to withdraw his troops and bring food and grass.

A cavalryman who was at the forefront was led to Wanyan Zong, got off his horse and reported: "Marshal, Shenzhou (Shenyang) is gone!"

In the city, there were more than 800 Bohai elites brought back by Gao and Wang, more than 300 Huangtou Shiwei (who suffered heavy casualties when attacking the city gate), and more than 2,000 Han soldiers and Xi soldiers.

The fight lasted until evening, and Wanyan Zongfu had no intention of withdrawing his troops.

At the same time, some Jurchen soldiers guarded the bridge to prevent the defenders from leaving the city and damaging the moat bridge.

Those new soldiers were ordinary people a few days ago, and they came to help defend because they were afraid of being massacred. Although the food and wages were sufficient and morale was high, it was completely blind when it came to fighting. Firstly, there was a lack of soldiers and armor, and secondly, there was no training.

Wanyan Zongfu asked: "I still have more than 11,000 soldiers in hand. Counting the soldiers you brought, how long can I last with food and grass?"

The total number of troops defending the city was only 3,200.

The previous waves of attacks all failed and the team with too many casualties was immediately replaced to rest while another team continued.

…

Jin Wushu asked: "It hasn't been captured yet?"

Wanyan Zongfu was shocked: "Why is Shen Zhou missing?"

Jin Wushu asked again: "Where is the main force of the Ming army?"

"It's almost time. From yesterday to now, we have visited the city several times." Wanyan Zongfu said.

It is true that these mountain tribes took refuge in the Jin Kingdom very early, but the leaders had long been promoted and moved away. The rest are all poor people, and there are not many young and strong people. Only the Jurchens on the lazy road are considered elite.

Jin Wushu explained: "I was traveling in a hurry in the mountains. Along the way, there were many deserters, and some were injured and stragglers. In the second half of the journey, there were not enough civilians to escape, so I could only let the war horses carry grain and grass, and there were many others. Little food and grass were burned on the road.”

Gao Jingshan led the 500 Bohai elite cavalry who had been waiting for a long time. When the Jurchen soldiers retreated, they opened the urn city under the cover of night and rushed out to kill them.

On the night when Jin Wushu withdrew to the north, some Jurchen soldiers fled.

At this moment, several cavalrymen from the east rushed over, their armor covered in blood.

"Prepare to attack the city from three sides together!"

Everyone is ready to die!

With a city to defend, they were relatively safe.

Hundreds of poles were urgently built to push down the siege ladder. It is best to overturn the siege ladder, otherwise once the Jurchen soldiers board the city, the new soldiers will be easily defeated.

"We will do our best."

When Jin Wushu led his army out of the mountains, he had less than 20,000 troops (including the grain transport team).

There was an emergency evacuation in the mountains. They were all on narrow mountain roads. They didn't even have time to set up camp. They just stuck their spears on both sides. How to stop deserters in this situation?

Wanyan Zongfu stood stunned on the spot.

Dozens of people formed a team and rushed forward carrying the siege ladder.

Wanyan Zongfu said: "This morning, the Ming army's light cavalry was found twenty miles away. Their main force is probably arriving soon."

Finally, a few Jurchen soldiers climbed up the city wall and killed dozens of nearby recruits.

But it's also possible that the distance is too far to see clearly.

All the cavalry in Ju Ming's hands were sent to Jinzhou and Baozhou, leaving only Yang Zaixing's troops who had suffered heavy losses to rest and recuperate.

The horses were running so fast that they were frothing at the mouth, and one of them fell down after being far away.

The Jurchen soldiers outside the city were demolishing nearby houses to obtain wood, and used nails and even ropes to build siege ladders.

outside the city.

He ordered all the tribes south of the Yalu and Tumen rivers to leave their homes and go to Shoupo Sulu City.

In desperation, Wanyan Zongfu could only withdraw his troops at night.

Or wait until most people are asleep and quietly crawl into the forest.

There was nothing that could be done about it. If Jin Wushu didn't rush for time, the main force of the Ming army would definitely arrive earlier.

There are more than 10,000 female soldiers surrounding the city!

All the wealthy and aristocratic families were dispatched to carry out propaganda in different areas. Everyone told everyone that the Jurchens wanted to massacre the city. Moreover, Wanyan Zongfu has been defeated, the Ming Emperor is coming soon, and the Jin Kingdom will be destroyed sooner or later.

The three great minions each led a new army. They were all ordinary people who had never fought in a war.

Within a day, if they still cannot capture Liaoyang, they will face the main force of the Ming army led by Ju Ming himself.

The new soldiers were distributed on the four walls and fought with a variety of weapons.

Often a team of soldiers would be sent to collect firewood, only half of the team would be left, and the rest would take the opportunity to escape.

Wang Zheng is observing the battle situation on the tower, and he is responsible for commanding the walls on both sides of the tower. Seeing Jurchen soldiers ascending the city, he immediately ordered: "Move the Xi soldiers over!"

Most of those who participated in the surprise attack were infantry, and the war horses came from soldiers from various tribes. Make a detour on horseback and go straight to Shenyang, and then attack the city on foot!

As soon as Shenyang was lost, Wanyan Zongfu's westward retreat route was blocked. If he wanted to run next, he could only make a circuit from the north.

"Only a day or two, time is tight." Wanyan Zongfu looked to the southwest. That was the direction of the main force of the Ming army, which was expected to arrive in a day or two. If the Ming army abandoned their artillery, they might be able to arrive today.

A group of light cavalry suddenly arrived. They came from the mountainous area in the south.

All veterans in the city are responsible for guarding the wall near the city gate, or staying at the horse trail as a reserve team.

Meritorious service in battle will be rewarded.

"One month," Jin Wushu said, "if we save on food, we can survive forty or fifty days."

"Why are these the only ones left?" Wanyan Zongfu asked.

Especially the Jurchen people south of the Yalu River. They have not gained much benefit from following the Jin Kingdom, but now they are required to leave their homes and flee for their lives, and their lives may even be in danger at any time.

Women and children helped transport supplies and cooked and delivered meals to the soldiers.

Climbing a fortified city on this kind of siege ladder is simply seeking death. Fortunately, there are not many regular troops in the city, and the people must be in a hurry before the battle.

A few well-armored Jurchen soldiers can kill a large number of people after they board the city.

Wanyan Zongfu asked: "Are the Ming troops on the other side of the Yalu River chasing us?"

As a left-behind member of the largest clan in Liaoyang, Zhang Xuanzheng immediately knew what to do. He said to other noble families: "I will be in the center to dispatch the supplies in the city, and the two generals Gao and Wang will direct the battle. You go to the city to organize the people and tell them that the Jurchens have been defeated. They have reached the point where they are desperate. Once the city is broken, chickens and dogs will be invincible." Stay. Anyone who doesn’t do anything to defend Sangzi will be slaughtered by the Jurchen soldiers!”

It turned out that the reason why the main force of the Ming army was so slow was not because the artillery slowed down the march, but to paralyze Wanyan Zongfu so that he could secretly send troops to surprise Shenzhou.

Qingqi replied: "We sent elites and carpenters along the way to cut down the mountains and trees and roll them down the slopes to block the road. It is estimated that we can delay the Ming army for a day or two."

The defenders did not have many bows and arrows, and the Jurchen soldiers quickly rushed to the wall. When they began to climb, the defenders began to use fork poles to push the siege ladder, or dropped rolling logs and poured gold juice.

Jin Wushu said: "If we withdraw our troops immediately and head north, we will definitely be chased along the way, and we may not be able to take much food with us. Instead of fighting with low morale during the withdrawal, it is better to fight the decisive battle in Liaoyang while waiting for work!"

"Then let's have a decisive battle." Wanyan Zongfu's eyes were blank.