1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 696 Tide ([-])

January 1654, 1, Korea, Hannamsanseong.

General Xuanwei of the Qing Dynasty and Wang Yuele of Duoluoan County were a little bit hard to get off at this time. Since they invaded North Korea at the end of October last year, although they have conquered the city and occupied the capital of North Korea - Seoul, and defeated tens of thousands of North Korean troops, they are still unable to win. The Hannan mountain city in front of me captured and killed the North Korean monarchs and officials in one fell swoop, thereby reversing the situation in North Korea and completely surrendering this vassal state.

For a month, every time Yue Le killed a North Korean King Qin army, he would send the captured flag tokens and even the head of the general to Hannan Mountain City, warning the North Korean monarchs and ministers to surrender as soon as possible. The conditions are also becoming more stringent.

However, the North Korean envoys blindly bargained with the Qing army, from the initial restoration of the two sides, continuing the relationship between the monarch and the vassal, and finally gradually increasing the amount and type of tribute.But for the Qing army's request that the king go out of the city to "kneel and submit", accept the prince as a hostage, and all ministers must also present their children as hostages, etc., they refused in every possible way, presumably because they were worried that the Qing army would kill and retaliate.

Korean officials and people who fled from Seoul to Hannan Mountain City one after another told King Li Haoai that since the Qing army invaded North Korea, all the towns and cities it passed through had been slaughtered. In the massacre by the Qing army, hundreds of thousands of victims were killed.Today, after the Qing army occupied the capital, Seoul, they looted and slaughtered wantonly. The prosperous and lively Wangjing in the past is like a ghost.

The cruel methods of the Qing army obviously frightened the king Li Hao.When Bingzi rebelled (in 1636 when Huang Taiji conquered North Korea), only because the late Emperor Renzu (Li Yu) expressed his unwillingness to persuade Huang Taiji to advance and denied our Qing legal system, he was invaded by the Hulu, making North Korea seven ( Except for Qing Shangdao), all of them were beaten by Hulu.And he, Li Hao, actually made the Northern Expedition, and joined forces with the Yongchu court to attack Liaodong.However, before the army of the Northern Expedition entered Liaodong, it was preemptively attacked by the Hulu and invaded our Korean territory, where they were destroyed.

This move not only seriously deviated from the status of the vassal, but also this kind of overreaching move by a small country to conquer a big country completely angered the Hulu, so that they were invaded by the other side.

I still remember that during the Northern Expedition, the North Korean officials were very excited. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to act like this. The Hulu were attacked by the Denglai court in Shandong, and even in the south of the Yangtze River, they were hunted by several armies of the Ming army. Drive the Hulu across the Yangtze River, and set up a separatist regime between the north and the south.In this case, the Hulu should gather a large army to deal with the powerful offensive of the Ming army to Shandong and Jiangnan.Then, as the Hulu’s rear—Liaodong is bound to be empty, just enough to defeat the North Korean army in one blow, and use a winter to advance the front to the Liaoxi Corridor, threaten Beijing, and then slowly build up the Liaodong defense line.

Who could have expected that the Hulu army suddenly crossed the Yalu River, attacked Hancheng with rapid speed in more than a month, and then surrounded Hannan Mountain City.With the cruelty of the Hulu, if Li Hao took the initiative to go out of the city and ask for surrender, he would be beheaded and killed by the Qing army outside the city.Even if he survived, he would probably be kidnapped by Hulu to Beijing, where he would kneel down three times and kowtow nine times in front of the Qing emperor, begging for mercy and pleading guilty, and begging for his life.Of course, it is also possible to be imprisoned in Beijing by the Qing court, and then another puppet will be appointed as the king of North Korea to fully take over our three thousand miles of rivers and mountains in North Korea.

Therefore, King Li Hao did not dare to agree to the conditions proposed by the Qing army coach Yue Le. The king held festivals, wore blue dyed clothes, and went out of the city to accept surrender.In the face of the Qing army's fierce attack on Hannan Mountain City several times, he was not afraid of the cold weather, and even ignored the danger of guns and bullets. Can withstand the attack of the Qing army.

Yue Le, the head coach of the Qing army, failed to attack the Hannan mountain city several times, and his heart was also anxious.Although most of the cannon fodder in the siege was forced-landed North Korean soldiers, after two months, the Eight Banners troops they led still lost a lot.Battle damage, frostbite, epidemic disease, and counterattack by North Korean soldiers and civilians during the looting process caused more than [-] casualties in succession, which made Yue Le feel pained.

"Marshal, there are more than [-] gunboats on the Han River!" Meilezhangjingga Chuha, who led the troops to investigate the enemy's situation near Seoul, hurried to the Qing army camp outside Hannan Mountain City, and reported a very unexpected news to Yue Le. .

"North Korean Navy?" Yue Le asked nonchalantly, still staring at a map of North Korea on the low table, thinking about how to draw the North Korean troops in Hannan Mountain City out of the city, gather and wipe them out, thus weakening the defense of the city strength.

"It seems to be... the gunboat of the Pseudo-Ming Navy and the Xiaofan of Qi State." Gachuha said solemnly.

"Qi's gunboat?" Yue Le turned to look at Ga Chuha, and asked in astonishment, "How did they come to North Korea?"

As soon as the words were out of the mouth, he suddenly realized something, stood up suddenly, and asked anxiously: "Did they ever land on both sides of the Han River?... Are there only more than [-] warships in the Han River?"

"Commander, at noon, when the slaves led the troops through Gaoyang with Lord Marcel, they found more than [-] gunboats from the False Ming Navy and the Qi State Navy sailing up the Han River. It was convenient for them to follow along the river, and the enemy marched to Seoul. On the nearby river, the anchor was anchored, and then several small boats were slowly approached to the north bank of the Han River to investigate the hydrology. Marcel immediately ordered people to use bows and arrows to prevent the enemy from approaching, but was bombarded by the warships of the Ming army stationed in the river. After the loss of seven soldiers, he had to temporarily retreat to Seoul. Lord Marcel immediately ordered his servants to report the matter to the commander. ... Commander, the enemy army is probably preparing for the landing."

After hearing this, Yue Le walked back and forth in the big tent, quickly analyzing in his mind what it meant that the ships of the Ming Qi Allied Forces suddenly rushed to the Han River.Zuo Jun, more than a dozen Eight Banners generals in the tent, looked at Yue Le with bated breath, waiting for him to make a decision.

If it was just a fake Ming navy, or if a Korean navy appeared in the Han River, the generals of the Qing army present would not be too worried.But once a ship from Qi State appeared, they had to pay great attention to it.Gein, over the past few years, our soldiers and horses of the Qing Dynasty have fallen into the hands of the people of Qi, more than once or twice, and even the commander of the county king has fallen into their hands.Whenever they appear on the battlefield, our Qing Dynasty will always suffer a big loss and lose a lot of soldiers and horses.

More importantly, my Qing soldiers have now invaded the hinterland of North Korea, and the number of troops is only 3. A surprise attack, I am afraid that they will face loss of evidence before and after, or suffer heavy losses, so they cannot be treated with caution.

"Marshal, let's withdraw the troops." Ningguta Angbangzhangjing Sharhuda said in a low voice: "If Naqi Fan and Puppet Ming send more boats to sail into the Han River, they may stop us here and we cannot get back. back."

"The mountain city of Hannan will fall overnight, and the monarchs and ministers of North Korea will also be at their fingertips. If they withdraw their troops here, wouldn't it be cheaper for North Korea?" Gu Shan Ezhen Kakamu said unwillingly.

"Qi Fan and the Puppet Ming Dynasty sent their boats into the Han River, and they may just pass by here, and they may not be targeting us." A Eight Banners counselor echoed: "In the past few days, let's work harder, and maybe we will break the Hannan Mountain City , captured all the kings and ministers of North Korea. Moreover, I heard that there is a lot of property piled up in this city, all of which are officials and wealthy businessmen who escaped from Seoul..."

With a sound of "snap!", a teacup slammed over and hit the officer's face. His face was covered with tea leaves and hot water, which dripped down together with the blood from his nose.

"Hmph, dog slave, do you see gold, silver and copper in your eyes?" Yue Le scolded angrily, "If you are blocked in the hinterland of North Korea, and it's such a cold weather, how can you have a dog's life to enjoy it!"

"Ahada, quickly gather all the Eight Banners troops scattered in the four fields, and gather in Seoul."

"Whoo!"

"Lai Da, lead a red flag, and supervise the surrender of the Korean army and the people to attack the city immediately. Before Shenshi (15:17 to [-]:[-]), the troops must not be withdrawn."

"Whoo!"

"Gachuha, return to Seoul immediately, notify Marcel, recruit Korean civilian husbands, pack your bags, and prepare to return to Liaodong!"

"Whoo!"

After waiting for the generals to leave the tent, Yue Le sat there for a while, then pulled out his waist knife suddenly, and slashed wildly at the table, before finishing, he kicked the table that had been split in half to the side.
-
On January 1, Dandong, Xuanchengwei (now Dandong Revitalization District).

Affected by the tides of the Yellow Sea, the section from Dandong (now downtown Dandong) to the mouth of the Yalu River in the lower reaches of the Yalu River rarely freezes over a large area in winter.But all the way north from Xuanchengwei in Dandong, the river was frozen, and the ice was as thick as a foot, which was enough to pass a large group of people, horses and convoys.

The Qing Dynasty conquered North Korea several times, and the time was chosen in winter. It was to take advantage of the freezing season of the Yalu River and some rivers in North Korea to give full play to the advantages of the rapid advance of the cavalry, and quickly invaded the hinterland of North Korea until the capital, Seoul.

But now, more than a hundred soldiers of the Qi State Marine Corps, dressed in blue and black cotton uniforms, were tied to each other with ropes around their waists, carefully working on the ice on the river.Groups of three or five, at intervals of six or seven meters, drilled bowl-sized ice holes on the ice with chisels, stuffed explosives wrapped in oilcloth into them, and filled the ice holes with a lot of grass blades.Finally, a long lead wire was inserted and extended to the back of a bank of earth on the bank.

"The weather is so cold and the fuse is so long. When the time comes to detonate, I don't know how many of them will explode." Standing on the mound, he looked at the officers and soldiers of the Marine Corps who were working on the ice in the distance.

"It doesn't matter. As long as [-]% of the explosives can go off, it's enough to create a lot of ice cracks. If the horses and people step on it, it may crack a large piece of ice nearby." The third battalion commander, Xuan Lieutenant Jie (Major) Ren Maoyong held a pipe in his mouth, and lightly exhaled a few smoke rings, "There are cracks and holes in the ice, the Qing army must be careful when charging, and don't move too much, just for me Our brethren in the Marine Corps are a target."

Hearing this, Yue Zhongwu nodded, and then looked to the north. Thousands of civilian men conscripted from North Korea were braving the severe cold, wielding picks and shovels, and continued to dig trenches and horse pits on the stiff ground. It has been stretching for several miles to the north.

In addition, within a range of more than [-] miles in North Korea, there are more than [-] marines, township soldiers, self-rescue troops, and the Ming army transferred from Jinzhou. They are burning the towns and villages they see, and moving The remaining Korean people transferred all the materials that could be used to keep warm and eat to the north bank of the Yalu River, and carried out a thorough clearing of the walls.

Based on He Yunfeng's campaign concept, the deputy chief of staff of the military department, more than a dozen intelligence staff and tactical staff continued to supplement and perfect it for two days, and conducted tactical deduction to finally form a detailed campaign plan.

In this battle, three infantry battalions and two artillery companies of the Qi State Marine Corps will be used, with more than [-]; three squadrons of Changshan Island Township Soldiers, more than [-]; There are more than [-] Yongchu imperial troops stationed in Jinzhou; [-] firearms battalions of the Zhengsen Ministry, more than [-] Anping battalions, and more than [-] Lingao Townships; There are more than [-] imperial court officers and township soldiers; the total force is close to [-].

The Ming-Qi coalition fleet separated part of the galleys and small boats, and went out of the Han River to the vicinity of Seoul, making a gesture of cutting off the return of the Qing army to the north, forcing them to withdraw and return to Liaodong.

The other part of the Allied Fleet took the Zheng Sen Department and Tamna Island (now Jeju Island, South Korea) with more than [-] officials from the Yongchu Dynasty to Anzhou.If the Qing army stormed Anzhou regardless of the cost and crossed the river with intensity, after killing a large number of Qing troops, they could choose an opportunity to withdraw and retreat back to Dandong by boat.If the Qing captives dare not spend too much of their troops, they can be forced to turn north and take a rough path.In this way, the Qing army will inevitably discard some of its vehicles and luggage, achieving the purpose of weakening its logistical supplies, and at the same time, correspondingly delaying their northward withdrawal time.

In the end, the allied forces gathered heavy troops on the north bank of the Yalu River to prevent the Qing army from returning to Liaodong.I believe that when the Qing army arrived here, it had already spent a lot of time and logistics, so they would definitely choose to forcibly cross the Yalu River and storm the first line of coalition defense in Dandong in an attempt to open up a route back north.

Of course, the Qing army could also choose to detour through the northern mountainous areas, walk through the vast forest, go to Jilin, and then return to Shenyang.This situation is also what the coalition forces are happy to see. At this time, it is the middle of winter and the mountains are blocked by heavy snow.If they want to go to the snowy forest area, not to mention that they can't carry a lot of supplies, even facing the severe cold weather, it will kill most of them.

Although the Eight Banners of Manchuria among the Qing captives were also Jurchen savages who came out of the white mountains, black waters, forests, seas and snowfields, they have not experienced wild training for decades, and they have enjoyed the life of the Central Plains for several years. In the snow mountain forest area, few people may survive.

Stop the Qing captives on the banks of the Yalu River and cut off their retreat back to Liaodong. With the mobilization and organization of [-] people and powerful and sharp firepower, the coalition forces have sufficient confidence to block the [-] Qing captives on the south bank of the Yalu River.

However, what the coalition forces are most worried about is that the Qing captives will quickly retreat to North Korea after a single blow, find a few major cities and heavy ports in North Korea to temporarily stop and rest, and then wait for the Qing court to send reinforcements to attack from both sides and open up the Yalu River. the way.

If the Qing Dynasty had really responded in this way, the coalition forces would have no choice but to retreat in the end, and hastily ended the battle, allowing the Qing army to return to Liaodong.

"With the arrogant nature of the Qing captives, you can't avoid the war and admit defeat, right?" Li Fade, the land commander of the coalition army, saw that He Yunfeng was worried about gains and losses, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, the Qing captives will pay you [-] yuan. The soldiers and horses fought all the way to the capital of North Korea, and almost captured the king of North Korea and many ministers. How complacent they are. Even if they had to retreat and return to the north because of our reasons, they must be arrogant and attack with all their strength. "

"Think about it, the [-] Qing army, and most of them are from the Eight Banners. If they were in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, they would be able to defeat the Ming army by several times. They would cross the Central Plains and gallop north and south. Therefore, they will definitely rush over without any scruples. We will definitely!... At that time, we will kill them all by the Yalu River."

(End of this chapter)