Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Chapter 706: The ancient city now belongs to the guards (Part )
"Datong is known as the head of the Nine Borders. Not to mention other things, the town alone is so tall. I heard that it was evened down five feet by Dorgon, otherwise it would be taller. It's really majestic! I just didn't know that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was so majestic. There are billions of people in the city, why are the Manchus still allowed to occupy Huahuajiangshan?" Outside Datong City, Lotus Khan Suletan looked at the towering city walls and sighed sincerely.

"Your Highness, the prosperity of the dynasty has never depended on a solid city, but on the hearts of the people. The Ming Emperor's lack of justice has made the people miserable and rebels everywhere. Even if there is a majestic city for thousands of years, it is useless. But you govern the country with benevolence and righteousness, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and Jin Ou is unified , it's just the right time!" Bobei, Minister of Rites, took the opportunity to flatter him.

Although it is flattery, it is not without factual basis. In the past few years, the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty have been fighting endlessly, and the people's livelihood has been in decline. However, the Wei Kingdom encourages production, develops trade, and rests with the people. The lives of the people of the Wei Kingdom are indeed better than those in the Qing and Ming Dynasties. The country is much better off, and its national strength has also been greatly improved. After hearing what Bobei said, Su He, Urigendalai, Hu Liangqi, and Hala Huli all agreed.

"The ministers have given you too much praise. I know how much I have. The reason why I, David, has made the country rich and powerful is all due to the assistance of the ministers." Sultan pretended to be modest, changed the subject, and said hypocritically: "Emperor Taizong once said that the king is like a boat and the people are like water. The water can carry the boat and also capsize it. I must bear in mind Emperor Taizong's words and be a good emperor who cares about the people's strength. I must not imitate the emperors of the Ming Dynasty and disregard the lives of the people." .

"Great Khan Holy Ming!"

"Your Majesty's benevolence"...

Regardless of whether they believed it or not, all the ministers praised the saint's benevolence.

"Great Khan, the soldiers have surrounded Datong with deep ditches and barriers. Can you please tell us when to attack the city?" asked the impatient Su He.

Suletan turned to look at Hada, the head of the Ten Thousand Households of the Wuyi Guard beside him, "Is there any news?"

"The city is under strict security and no news has been reported yet. Once we get the news, I will report it to the Great Khan immediately," Hada bowed and replied.

"Well, we can't place all our hopes on the internal forces. To make iron, you need to be strong yourself. Pass on my military order, concentrate the artillery, and bombard the three small cities with all your strength. Within ten days, I will cut off the head, tail, and wings of the phoenix, leaving it with only All that's left is a bare body." A sharp look flashed across Sultan's brows. Datong City, also known as Phoenix City, is located in the middle of the town, with three gates guarding the north, east and south sides respectively: Playground City, Dongxiaocheng and Nanxiaocheng. Nanguan is a phoenix head, Beiguan is a phoenix tail, Dongguan is a phoenix with spread wings, and Datong City is a phoenix body, known as "Phoenix with single wings." He was determined to continuously attack Caochangcheng, Dongxiaocheng, and Nanxiaocheng on the flanks of Datong within ten days. This was not only to shake the morale of the defenders, but also to urge the internal forces in the city to take action as soon as possible, otherwise the credit would be lost.

At the command of the profuse sweat, millions of corpses were laid out, bleeding and floating in the oars. The Guards' artillery battalion quickly took action, deploying 30 heavy artillery pieces and 70 small artillery pieces in each of Caochangcheng and Dongxiaocheng, and 40 heavy artillery pieces and 60 small artillery pieces in Nanxiaocheng. They built forts day and night. Ground blast.

Three days later, the cannons of the Guards destroyed a section of the wall of Dongxiaocheng. Mongolian warriors surged into the city and wiped out the Qing Guangchang garrison. The wings of the phoenix were broken. Five days later, the Guards broke through the playground city and wiped out the Qing Lingqiu garrison. Camp, Phoenix lost its head; seven days later, Nanxiaocheng, which was known for its solidity and was integrated with Nanmen Yuecheng, was bombarded with two gaps. The Hunyuan Prefecture garrison camp guarding here could not help but light up the smoke and attack Datong. Zhencheng asks for help, Fengwei is in danger.

"My lords, the guards have already defeated Caochang City and Dongxiaocheng. If they are allowed to attack Nanxiaocheng again, Datong will be in danger. I want to send an elite force to rescue Nanxiaocheng and weaken the enemy's spirit. Which general is willing to go?" Peng Youde, the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, asked the generals.

No one said a word, everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhenglan Banner Manzhou Niulu Zhangjing Fuge. There are less than 10,000 people in Manchuria, and there are no enemies in Manchuria. At the critical moment, if the Erzhen Manchurian general cannot take action, who will?

"Ahem~", Fu Ge coughed lightly. Although he only had three hundred cavalry, they were all genuine sons of the Eight Banners of Manchuria. When the disaster was imminent, he seemed to have become the backbone of the entire army. He felt everyone's gazes on him. Although he didn't want to take the risk, he couldn't save his face, so he insisted on saying: "The general is willing to go, but the general has few soldiers. He only has 300 cavalry and the strength is insufficient." He was not stupid. He knew he couldn't refuse, so he simply recruited a few more people to share the risk with him.

"Well, Fu Gezhangjing is Manchuria's Baturu, and it should be the arrowhead. Zhangsuoyangzhangjing led the Han army with a Lazhenghuang banner as the arrowhead. Guangling garrison Wang Shouzheng, Yuzhou garrison Qiu Shan led Guangling camp, Yuzhou garrison The camp is the tail of the arrow, and I hope that all the princes will cooperate sincerely to relieve the siege of Nan Xiaocheng." Peng Youde looked at the generals seriously.

"The final general will live up to the trust of the general town and swear to serve the country to the death." Fu Ge, Zhang Suoyang, Wang Shouzheng and Qiu Shan responded in unison.

On the night of May 1659rd in the th year of Qianyuan (), the Yongtai Gate of the southern city gate of Datong quietly opened, and three thousand Qing troops sneaked near the Wei army camp.

"Boys, follow me and kill!" Fu Ge, a good man from Manchuria, roared, raised the big hammer in his hand, and rushed over first. "Kill~kill~kill~" The three hundred Manchurians of the Zhenglan Banner howled and followed their Zhang Jing to charge. The Manchu master took the lead, followed by 1,500 Zhenghuang Banner Han troops and more than a thousand Green Camp soldiers, all of whom were like wolves and tigers. Seeing a trench blocking the road, the sergeants quickly got off their horses and laid long wooden planks to build a bridge across. There is another wooden fence ahead. Throw away the rope, pull down the fence, and go straight into the Guards barracks.

The main general who attacked Nanxiaocheng was the brother-in-law of the Great Khan Lianhua and the second-class Hobok Seliber Obodu Wulanghai. Seeing the fierce offensive of the Qing army, he panicked and wanted to escape. Deputy General Okchotbu advised: "You are a relative of the emperor. If you retreat when the enemy attacks, the Great Khan and Kotun will lose face. Moreover, our army has far more troops than the enemy. It is better to wait for reinforcements."

Hearing this, Obodui Wulanghai generals were heartbroken and blew their trumpets to gather their troops. Hearing the sound of the trumpet, the well-trained guards formed large or small circular formations and fought to the death. The Qing army that attacked by surprise was only 3,000, and was unable to defeat the 5,000 guardsmen who attacked Nanxiaocheng for a while. Hunyuan Prefecture garrison Wang Chongyao, who was guarding Nanxiaocheng, came out of the city to attack the guards. During the melee, he was hit by a stray bullet from the guards and died.

For more than half an hour of fierce fighting, the Guards' troops such as Babai, Erqin Batur, and Burbusch arrived one after another, and the battlefield advantage gradually shifted to the Guards' side. Seeing that the situation was not good, Fu Ge and Zhang Suoyang turned around and withdrew. They were cavalry and could run fast, but they suffered a lot from Guangling garrison Wang Shouzheng and Yuzhou garrison Qiushan. Most of their men were infantry and could not run fast and were guarded. surrounded by troops. Wang Shouzheng and Qiu Shan also died in the army.

In the early morning of the next day, the battle of Nanxiaocheng ended. Although the number of casualties was similar, with both sides suffering more than a thousand casualties, the Guards achieved greater results. They not only annihilated the Guangling Camp, Yuzhou Camp, and Hunyuan Prefecture Camp of the Qing Army, but also captured Nanxiaocheng. The most important thing is that Manba Banner failed to save Nanxiaocheng, which dealt a huge blow to the morale of the defenders in the city.

"Pass my military order, all the troops will take turns to circle the city and sing songs." After inspecting the battlefield in Nanxiaocheng, the proud Lotus Khan ordered all the troops to take turns to circle the city and sing songs to shock the enemy.

"Fishing rods to catch warriors, majestic and heroic postures. Magnificent Khans, melancholy and late in battle...Victory songs shake the heaven and earth, and strong winds roll around horse hooves. Life is a matter of merit, and death is followed by drums and flags...Thousands of horses gallop on the flat sand, and the vast sea is full of waves." The waves are a thousand feet high, and the sky is high in the Tianshan Mountains... What can be beyond your own control to block the horse's path? The horses' hoof tracks are scattered, and their bones are as delicate as flowers... If you want to know the power of our army, you can ask the sky and the earth. The sky above and the earth below, Prostrate yourself in silence..."

The guard's military song was so loud that it made the thousand-year-old city tremble.
-
Yunxinlou on Yongtai Street in the south of Datong City was originally a good place for Yingying Yanyan, but now because of the war, the business has stopped early. The lights in the building were turned off, but the secret room underground was brightly lit, and eight people were plotting. Eight people, three black-clad guards: Shanxi Suo Qianhu Damuding, deputy Qianhu Chief Zhao Yi, and general banner Liu Yaner; four Qing Dynasty officials who surrendered as guards: Datong Magistrate Wang Du, Datong Ying Qianzong Li Yingming, Datong Fu Xue Professor Feng Yunxiang, Datong County Chief Arrester Sun Zongkai; a famous Confucian: Xu Huapu

"Everyone, our army has taken out all the cities and fortresses outside Datong, and the city will be broken soon. If we wait for the army to defeat Datong, we will not have any credit. Tell us, what should we do?" Damudin was anxious. Di asked everyone, his eyes falling on Wang Du, the magistrate of Datong.

Wang Du had been hesitant before, and even thought of killing Damuding, Zhao Yi and others in case the Qing army defended Datong. It can be seen that the guard army is powerful and the city is about to be defeated, so we know that we must make a decision immediately. He immediately said: "Today, among the four gates of Datong, the Heyang Gate is guarded by the Zhenghuang Banner Han Army, the Yongtai Gate is guarded by the Zhenbiao Middle Camp, the Wuding Gate is guarded by the Zhenbiao Rear Camp, and the Qingyuan Gate is guarded by the Datong Camp and Shuoping Camp. In addition, There are also patrols organized by government officials from Manchuria Niulu Zhangjing Fuge, Datong Road, and Fu two yamen in Zhenglan Banner. General Li Qian’s defense area is at the Qingyuan Gate in the west, and General Li Qian will be on duty the day after tomorrow. I want to choose the first moment of Yin hour the day after tomorrow (Three o'clock in the morning) Dedicating the city. I wonder what you think?"

"Mr. Li Qian, do you have any objections?" Damuding asked Li Yingming with bright eyes.

Li Yingming was Wang Du's brother-in-law and had already boarded the same boat. How could he have any objections? He immediately expressed his loyalty and said: "In the end, all generals will be at the disposal of the head of Qianhu."

"Okay! You are all loyal ministers of David. When the deed is accomplished, the court will not hesitate to reward you." Damuding encouraged everyone with a smile. Then he changed the subject and said sadly: "Before the incident, the Qingyuan Gate guard Datong must be It would be best if Li Xingbang, the camp commander, and Zhang Zhong, the camp commander in Shuoping, were eliminated."

"Childs of thousands of households need to get in touch with the outside of the city to start an uprising. Now that the city is heavily fortified, how can we contact the army outside the city?" Feng Yunxiang, a professor at Datong Fuxue, asked a key question.

"It doesn't matter." Liu Yaner carried a birdcage, took out a flying slave (passenger pigeon) from the cage, stroked its head and smiled happily: "With this little baby here, no matter how tight the city defense is, we will keep in touch Get on".
-
At night, the wind and sand in the north were still quite strong, and the Lotus Khan fell asleep after a hard day's work. Halfway through his sleep, he was suddenly awakened by the chamberlain, "Great Khan, Hada, the head of the Ten Thousand Households of the Wuyi Guards, has an urgent military report."

"Uh~" Suletan opened his sleepy eyes and suddenly became energetic, "Quick, call him into the account."

"Slave, please see the Great Khan," Hada saluted respectfully.

Sultan waved his hand seemingly dissatisfied, "Don't talk about these false etiquettes between you and me. What's the point of meeting me late at night? Is there someone in the city?"

This kind of casualness in not treating his ministers as outsiders is a means for the emperor to win over important ministers. However, if the ministers really do not regard themselves as outsiders, the consequences will often be tragic. Hada was a cautious man and did not dare to fail to observe etiquette at all. He reported respectfully, "Great Khan, there is news from Damuding, a thousand households in the Shanxi Province of the Wuyi Guard, that at the beginning of the Yin hour of the day after tomorrow, he will take the people in the city with him. We should seize the Qingyuan Gate and let our troops enter the city." "Well, how sure are you?" Suletan stroked his beard out of habit. Since becoming emperor, in order to maintain the majesty of the monarch, he deliberately grew a beard, and also developed the habit of touching his beard when thinking about military affairs.

"Damuding has already incited Li Yingming, the Qianzong who was guarding the Qingyuan Gate, and Wang Du, the magistrate of Datong, is also willing to help. Plus there are more than a hundred Wuyiwei warriors who are ambushing the city. The chance of success is still very high," Hada said calmly.

"Okay!" Suletan waved his hand excitedly, "In the future, I will arrange elite troops to respond outside Qingyuan Gate. Tell the artillery battalion to bombard Wuding Gate tomorrow and create the illusion of attacking Wuding Gate."
-
Li Xingbang, the capital commander of Datong Camp, was originally a military doctor, so he could not be a battalion officer. However, he could not stand up to his superb medical skills and saved the life of the eldest son of General Peng's family. He naturally changed his identity and became a military commander, until he reached the position of capital commander of Datong.

Li Dusi was famous for his good temper and was polite to others, even to his subordinates. However, as he said, he is kind but does not command troops, and is righteous but does not keep wealth. He has a too good temper and cannot subdue his arrogant and powerful generals. The generals in the camp are not convinced by him. Peng Youde was afraid that he would make mistakes due to his weakness, so he specially ordered Zhang Zhong, the commander of Shuoping Camp, to assist him in defending the city. Previously, Li Xingbang's Datong Battalion had 300 troops deployed to guard the castle, but was trapped outside the city, with only 900 left. Zhang Zhong's Shuoping Battalion was even worse, with only more than 300 defeated soldiers remaining. However, Peng Youde also recruited 8,000 young men to help defend the city, and placed 2,000 on each city wall, which greatly alleviated the shortage of troops.

The next day, Li Xingbang was discussing city defense with Zhang Zhong. Li Yingming walked in with a smile, and when he saw the two of them, he made a big gesture. This movement of bending his left knee forward, bending his right leg backward, leaning his upper body slightly forward, and drooping his right hand is Manchu etiquette. When someone takes over China, it gradually becomes a ritual in the Green Camp Army. "Today the dog is 100 years old. I'm going to prepare a banquet at Yunxin Tower. I'm going to invite you two adults to come here tonight."

There are two Lis in one sentence, but Li Xingbang had a very good impression of Li Yingming. He had a weak personality and his subordinates did not obey him very much. Only Li Yingming obeyed his orders. Hearing this, he agreed without thinking, "The young master of Li Qianhu is over 100 years old. I will definitely come and ask for a drink." Hahaha~"

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Zhang Zhong, the commander of Shuoping Camp, frowned and said, "The war is about to begin. Mr. Li Qian will be on duty tomorrow. Drinking may cause trouble."

"Don't worry, Zhang Dusi. I promise you that I will only have a few drinks tonight, and I will never miss the opportunity to defend the city tomorrow. How about you come and have a drink with us tonight?" Li Xingbang invited with a smile on his face.

"I'm on duty tonight. I don't dare to leave without permission. I'll just do it as I please." Zhang Zhong refused coldly.

Seeing that he refused to go, Li Yingming did not force him. In the evening, Li Xingbang ordered his servants to prepare gifts, and happily entered Yunxin Tower, where he saw the generals of Qian and General of Datong camp.

"I have seen Du Si, please take a seat." When he saw him coming, Li Yingming hurriedly welcomed him to his seat. Li Xingbang didn't refuse and took a seat. Suddenly, the huqin was played, and a group of young women in Mongolian costumes held sabers and danced gracefully.

"Du Si, this is the finale dance of Yunxin Tower: the saber dance, which is said to be a dance spread on the grassland. It has a unique flavor," Li Yingming explained with a smile.

"It's wonderful! This is the first time I've seen this dance. It's really something special," Li Xingbang said while looking straight at the most beautiful woman in the middle.

"That's Liu Yan'er, the oiran from Yun Xin Tower. The bidding has been arranged and he will be asked to serve the capital later," Li Yingming said in a low voice.

As if she heard the conversation between the two, the dancing Liu Yan'er suddenly gave Li Xingbang a wink, which made Mr. Dusi very excited.

The more he drank, the more he enjoyed himself. Master Du Si suddenly remembered and asked, "President Li Qian's son is 100 years old today. Why don't you take it out and let everyone take a look?"

"Haha, the baby just drank milk and fell asleep. Please wait a moment." Li Yingming winked at his confidant, and the confidant left. In a moment, a group of soldiers and horses poured in from outside the hall, all of them brandishing swords and guns with murderous intent.

"Mr. Li Qian, what are you doing?" Li Xingbang turned pale with shock.

"The guardsmen are pressing down on the border, and the city of Datong cannot be defended. I have surrendered to David, and I would like to ask the governor to join me in taking action." Li Yingming said sincerely that he still had feelings for this boss and could not bear to kill him.

"How does this happen? The town has shown me great kindness, how can I betray him? Mr. Li Qian, I know you were confused for a moment. As long as you change your mind, let's forget about it." Li Xingbang shook his head like a rattle and tried to persuade him.

"Du Si~" Li Yingming wanted to persuade again. Suddenly there was a sound of "Ah", and the saber passed through Li Xingbang's back. Master Dusi screamed and died, but it was Liu Yan'er who stabbed Li Xingbang from behind.

"If you don't surrender, I'll kill you. Why are you blabbing?" Liu Yan'er raised her eyebrows and asked the other generals of the Datong camp fiercely, "Are you going to surrender or not?"

It was a pity for a bunch of men, none of them dared to resist, and all of them said they were willing to surrender. Li Yingming couldn't believe them, so he put them under house arrest, took their seals, and ordered his confidants to control Datong Camp. After killing a dozen disobedient assassins, Datong Camp was effectively controlled.

The first moment of Yin hour has arrived, and the morning mist is hazy.

"Let's go", Damuding waved his hand, and with Wang Du, Li Yingming, Feng Yunxiang, Sun Zongkai, Xu Huapu and others, they took a thousand people and horses to Qingyuan Gate. He also ordered Zhao Yi and Liu Yan'er to take fifty black clothes each. Wei Fanzi set fire everywhere.

Because they were familiar with the patrol time, Damuding, Li Yingming and others avoided the patrol team and went straight to Qingyuan's gate. Damuding and others were hiding outside, leaving only Li Yingming to lead his troops closer. The person on duty yesterday was Zhang Zhong, the commander of Shuoping Camp. When he saw it was Li Yingming, he thought he was here to change the defense. He smiled and said hello, "Li Qianhu, I was on duty yesterday and was unable to attend the 100th birthday banquet of your Majesty. Please wait a moment." Later, I sent someone to deliver the gift to your residence, and I hope Haihan will do so."

"Du Si, you are too kind. I don't dare to be the last general." Li Yingming thanked him hurriedly, suddenly pulled out his sword, and stabbed it straight into his chest. "You!" Zhang Zhong pointed at Li Yingming and fell down.

"Kill me." Damuding led his troops to quickly kill the leaderless Shuoping camp sergeants and opened the Qingyuan Gate. At the same time, fires broke out everywhere in the city and chaos broke out.

"Haorui~Haorui~Haorui~" The guard warriors who had been waiting for a long time poured in from the Qingyuan Gate and killed everyone on sight.

Zhenglan Banner Manchuria Niulu Zhangjing Fu Ge and Datong Magistrate Liu Hongyu were in charge of inspection. After hearing the news, they led more than 500 people to intercept them, but they were helpless. Even though the Manchu Eight Banners were brave and good at fighting, it was of no avail. Soon Fu Ge and Liu Hongyu were both chopped down, and they were killed. The heads of the soldiers were the military merits of the Guards; Zhenghuang Banner Han Army Jia Lazhang Jingzhang who was guarding Heyang Gate was shot to death; Datong Town Biao Zhongying Guerrilla Bao Yingheng, who was guarding Yongtai Gate, saw that the situation was not good and took off his generals. He tried to hide in the city, but was hacked to death by the guards who overtook him; Zheng Guoyin, the guerrilla from the Zhenbiao rear camp guarding Wudingmen, was the most clever and could not do anything. There is also Qi Liangzai, a minister of Datong Datong. When he heard that the city had been breached, he ordered his family to put up flags in front of his house. There are some who are clever and some are not clever. Feng Jin of Datong Military Preparation felt that he had won the imperial examination of the Qing Dynasty, so he deserved it. For his loyalty to the Qing Dynasty, he hung a hemp rope over his head and died in the Qing Dynasty.

Peng Youde, the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, was surrounded by the guards in the commander-in-chief and could not get out as they fought from left to right.

"Headquarters, the situation is over. Why don't we surrender?" a confidant advised him.

Peng Youde sighed, "I have joined the Zhenghuang Banner Han Army, and I am a bannerman, and my relatives and family members are all in Beijing. You Han people can surrender, but we, the bannermen, will never be able to surrender. We can only repay the saint's favor with death!" "After that, he ordered people to pile up dry wood and set fire to burn himself.

The main town hall of Datong rises into the sky with flames. The ancient city is now under the guardianship!

(End of this chapter)