Chongzhen Daming: Starting from Coal Mountain

At the same time, Yan Yingyuan was inspecting the fortifications of Chenguantun.

This time Yan Yingyuan's partners are no longer Feng Houdun and Chen Mingyu.

Not long after the Dagukou Battle ended, Feng Houdun and Chen Mingyu were transferred back to the Imperial Academy to teach. Facts have proved that Feng Houdun and Chen Mingyu are more suitable for teaching and educating people.

Only Yan Yingyuan remained in Dagukou to lead the troops.

Yan Yingyuan was born for the military.

Before the Northern Expedition, Yan Yingyuan was transferred back to Nanjing.

This time Yan Yingyuan was entrusted with an important task by Chongzhen again, and the deputy general was called Xie Yuancai.

Xie Yuancai is also one of the scholars in the scholar camp, a native of Shuozhou, Shanxi, and one of the rare northern scholars.

"Brother Juheng, I'm afraid there is no strategy to defend Chenguantun." Xie Yuancai followed Yan Yingyuan to inspect the fortifications of Chenguantun, and said, "Chenguantun is not Shanyang City after all, nor is it Dagukou, there are not so many The ordnance here is for you, Brother Boheng, it’s hard for a clever woman to cook without rice, and this is what I’m talking about.”

"It's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice?" Yan Yingyuan smiled and said, "Who said we have no rice?"

"Uh, huh?" Xie Yuancai was stunned for a moment, then widened his eyes and said, "I don't know what kind of clever trick Brother Wuheng can come up with here? I will wait and see."

Yan Yingyuan just smiled and didn't say much.

Xie Yuancai asked tentatively: "Brother Yu Heng wants to blow up the ice of the canal?"

"Blowing up the ice layer of the canal is definitely not acceptable." Yan Yingyuan waved his hand and said, "As the saying goes, there are only three things, and we have made Jiannu suffer twice in a row by blasting the ice layer, and it is absolutely impossible for Jianu to be fooled for the third time. "

"It's not ice blasting, that's fire attack?" Xie Yuancai said, "It's not okay, we don't have a lot of wheat straw collected, it's more than enough to light the bonfire, but it's far from enough for fire attack .”

Speaking of this meal, he continued to ask: "You can't use gunpowder to carry out fire attacks, right?"

"Gunpowder is precious, how can it be wasted." Yan Yingyuan said with a smile, "Wheat straw should also be used sparingly."

"It's not Huo Gong, what is it?" Xie Yuancai was really confused like Zhang Er King Kong.

Yan Yingyuan smiled and said: "Water controls the flow because of the ground, and soldiers win because of the enemy. Therefore, it is said that soldiers have no constant momentum, and water has no constant shape. There are not many ways to kill the enemy in the world. It is not just a fire attack or an ice attack."

"I would like to hear the details." Xie Yuancai bowed to the ground.

"I will know when the time comes." Yan Yingyuan smiled but did not answer.

If Yan Yingyuan didn't say anything, Xie Yuancai was helpless.

You can't just take Yan Yingyuan's head off to find out.

Looking around again, Xie Yuan discovered that the Ming army was renovating the more than 50 gun platforms on the east bank of the canal, specifically removing the parapet on the west side, that is, the side facing the canal.

However, the gun platform on the west bank of the canal has not been modified.

In addition, the civilian husband is carrying quicklime to the west bank of the canal.

The quicklime was seized from Jiannu.

……

The next day, that is, October 1.

A team of more than a hundred civilian husbands is transferring supplies from the horse pengkou stronghold to the Tianshuijing stronghold.

About 150 miles from Dagukou to Chenguantun, the Ming army built eleven strongholds. In addition to the large stronghold of Chenguantun, there was also a medium-sized stronghold in the middle, where an infantry battalion was stationed.

This medium-sized stronghold is the Tianshuijing stronghold, and the Horse Pengkou stronghold is located fifteen miles east of the Tianshuijing stronghold.

The way the Ming army transported military supplies was this way of moving ants, which was to use a large number of civilian men, mules and horses to transport them back and forth between the two strongholds.

When Jiannu didn't come and disturb him, he kept changing his luck, and kept changing his luck...

Once the slaves attacked and harassed, the peasant husbands and mules quickly retreated to the stronghold.

Although the number of Ming troops in each stronghold is small, there are five to six hundred people including civilian husbands. However, whether this method can withstand the harassment of Jiannu has yet to be tested in actual combat.

Then today, the actual combat test finally came to the horse pengkou stronghold.

A team of more than a hundred civilian husbands drove mules, horses and carts halfway to the stronghold at the entrance of the stable, and suddenly a bugle sounded from the watchtower in the stronghold, which was a warning call.

Hearing the sound of the trumpet, the civilian husband hurriedly retreated.

A moment later, a troop of cavalry appeared on the northern horizon.

It is conservatively estimated that there are at least a thousand Jiannu cavalry killed here.

The slave cavalry came very quickly, but fortunately, the people did not walk slowly, because the road conditions here were very good and the terrain was flat, so they were able to retreat to the stronghold before the slave cavalry arrived.

A moment later, the Jiannu cavalry arrived at the outskirts of the Stablekou stronghold.

However, there were rows of guns waiting to build slaves, and they were counted down in an instant.

Seeing this, the Jiannu cavalry quickly divided into two groups, and detoured from both sides of the stronghold.

As a result, cannons sounded again in the horse pengkou stronghold, but it was the tiger crouching cannons inside that opened fire one after another.

The dense rain of lead poured down, and immediately several Jiannu cavalry turned over and fell off their horses.

Under repeated blows, the Jiannu cavalry quickly moved away from the stronghold at the stable entrance, and did not dare to get too close.

But the slave cavalry didn't leave immediately, but kept watch from a distance of [-] paces.

The Ming army and civilian husbands in the stronghold were not in a hurry, they just guarded the stronghold and waited quietly for Jiannu to withdraw.

……

The battle report from the Eight Banners Mongolia was quickly presented to Hong Chengchou.

"Master Butang." Meng Xueli said in a deep voice, "Battle reports from the Eight Banners Mongols who attacked separately have come back one after another, but it is not good news. There are more than 11 Eight Banners Mongols in total. They attacked in [-] groups, and none of the cavalry captured the Ming army. It is wishful thinking to seize the Ming army barracks along the way.”

"Is there such a thing?" Hong Chengchou's face darkened slightly.

Hou Fangyu's brows were also twisted into a knot.

Hong Chengchou and Hou Fangyu knew very well that it would be very difficult to cut off the Ming army's food roads on the plain, but they were a little unexpected that it would be so difficult.

More than 11 Eight Banners Mongolia was divided into [-] groups to make a massive attack,
Didn't even grab a grain of food?The truth is somewhat exaggerated.

Meng Xueli went on to say: "The camps all over the grain roads of the Ming army are clearly calculated carefully. The distance between every two camps is about fifteen miles, so the peasants who transfer grain and grass only need to run seven miles to escape back to the camp. However, the lookout post in the camp can see [-] miles away with the help of binoculars. In other words, when our Qing soldiers are [-] miles away from the Ming army camp, they will alert the Ming army lookout post, and the sentry will be able to see in time. Warn the civilians, and the civilians will be able to withdraw to the camp in time."

"It's so cunning!" Geng Jimao said angrily, "Now, it is very difficult to snatch the food and grass of the Ming army."

Meng Xueli nodded and said: "Unless you are willing to invest heavily in a fierce attack at any cost and win one or two camps, it may be difficult to grab the food and grass of the Ming army."

"No, there is no point in storming these small camps." Hong Chengchou said decisively, "not to mention the limited food and grass that can be grabbed, but the price paid is beyond imagination, and our Qing soldiers cannot afford it."

"If you want to fight, fight a large camp like Chenguantun."

After a pause, he continued: "Not only is there a lot of grain and grass hoarded in the camp, but after taking down the Chenguan camp, we can completely cut off the Ming army's grain road once and for all."

Geng Zhongming immediately said: "Then let's do it quickly."

"Don't worry about this matter." Hong Chengchou waved his hand and said, "Let the 11th Route and Eight Banners Mongolia continue to attack the small camp above the Ming army's grain road, and maybe the Ming army in the Chenguantun camp can be transferred away. It's really unknown. If this is the case, it will be much easier to capture the Chenguantun camp."

……

"The 11 strongholds, such as Tianshuijing and Stables, were harassed by the Jiannu cavalry. Fortunately, the civilian cavalry retreated to the nearest stronghold in time, so the military supplies did not cause any loss." Xie Yuancai said with a dark face, "But the Jiannu cavalry Still spying and wandering around the various strongholds, Jiannu has become so arrogant, why not let my younger brother lead a brigade of infantry to drive them away?"

"This is just Jiannu's plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain." Yan Yingyuan said sarcastically, "Don't worry about it."

Xie Yuancai frowned and said, "Brother Boheng, if the Jiannu cavalry don't leave, the transfer of military supplies will stop."

"Don't worry about this matter. The Jiannu cavalry can't hold out for a few days." Yan Yingyuan waved his hand and said, "Within three days, the Jiannu cavalry finds that there is no opportunity to take advantage of it, so they will definitely retreat."

Facts have proved that Yan Yingyuan's judgment is correct.

No more, no less, just three days later, the Jiannu cavalry retreated.

As soon as Jiannu left, the peasants hiding in the stronghold moved out again, like ants moving their house, transferring military supplies in the direction of Chenguantun non-stop.

……

"So, the Ming army in Chenguantun didn't send a single soldier?"

Hong Chengchou finally had a preliminary impression of Yan Yingyuan. It has to be said that this guy is really calm. Tens of thousands of Eight Banner Mongolians harassed Ming army camps such as Tianshuijing and Horsepengkou for three days, but Yan Yingyuan did not send even one As soon as the soldiers died, he really had confidence in the Ming army camps along the way.

Geng Jimao said: "The Eight Banners Mongolia did not pose a substantial threat to the Ming army camps along the way. Naturally, the Ming troops in the Chenguantun camp and the Dagukou camp would not care about it. So, one or two camps should be laid down to demonstrate. Let's see if the Ming army in Chenguantun can still hold their breath like now?"

Hong Chengchou ignored Geng Jimao's rhetoric.

Shang Kexi said: "Hongbutang, the main force of the Ming army mobilized nearly a thousand red-clothed cannons to bombard Chaoyangmen day and night. Although the emperor's father and regent didn't say anything, he must be hoping that we can cut off the guns soon." Ming Junliang said, after all, it is not a good thing for the Qing Dynasty if it is consumed like this."

Geng Jimao can't compare to the weight of gratification.

"Hou joined the army." Hong Chengchou asked Hou Fangyu, "What do you mean?"

Hou Fangyu said: "Hongbutang has already made plans, why bother to ask more questions."

Hong Chengchou made up his mind immediately, and said in a deep voice, "Forget it, since these superficial articles can't confuse Yan Yingyuan, then I can only see the real chapter under my hands, pass on my general order, and send troops to Chen Guantun immediately!"

With an order, the Qing army in Jinghai County immediately moved.

In the sound of the horn, 10 Eight Banners Han troops and 4 training camps drove out of the city one after another.

After lining up outside the city, they immediately rushed towards Chen Guantun.