A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 824 South Gate
When Li Zicheng crossed the Yuanwanggou, besides the cheering soldiers, there was a busy crowd like ants behind him. A large number of hungry people waved hoes and widened the road on the side of Yuanwanggou, so as to facilitate the passage of the baggage in the camp.

No matter how the war is fought in the future, there will be many thoroughfares on both sides of the ditch.

When he entered Nanyuan, Li Zicheng was filled with emotions. He was no stranger to this place called Linzhiyuan. It was here that he was defeated by Sun Chuanting at the beginning, and only Shibaqi fled to Shangluo Mountain.

The place in front of me is flat and wide, tens of miles long from north to south, and then five miles west of Yuanwanggou is the forbidden ditch.Of course, Li Zicheng was very concerned about the defense of the Ming army in the forbidden ditch, so after entering the ditch, he led everyone to the west of the forbidden ditch.

There are some local Tunpu villages scattered on the South Plains, which were also important places for the Ming army to garrison during the war a few days ago, but they have all given up at this time.

There was no obstacle along the way, and soon Li Zicheng and others came to the edge of the forbidden ditch. Looking at the deep ravine in front of them, Li Zicheng and others were speechless for a long time.

It is deep and wide, the ditch is deep and the slope is steep, and there is almost no road down to the plateau. There are many tall fire road piers on the edge of the plateau, which are very strong with bricks and stones.Not only that, these fire road piers also have city walls connected to the city below. It is more appropriate to say that they are enemy towers rather than fire road piers.

Then, after the city wall connects to the city, it winds up again until it reaches the Tongluo River on the opposite side, where there are also fire road piers.That is to say, when attacking Huoludun, the defenders on Tongluo River can come to support through the city wall.It is completely different from those isolated fire road piers on the opposite side of Yuanwanggou.

And there are twelve such supporting fire road piers and cities on both sides of the forbidden ditch, which are the so-called Twelve Linked Cities.

Not only that, the terrain of Shaanxi is that the river washes the plains into gullies, beams, and mounds, and there are many such ditches, beams, and mounds on the edge of Nanyuan.Most of those fire road piers were built on top of the beams, and the fragmented terrain made it extremely difficult to pass. Let alone attacking such terrain, let's talk about climbing to the fire road piers.

Look at the vertical and horizontal ravines around the fire road piers, which are many times stronger than the artificially dug trenches.

Looking at it from a distance, the long and treacherous forbidden ditch winds as hard as it can, connecting the Qinling Mountains in the south and the city in the north. The tens of miles long valley completely blocks the east-west passage. This forbidden ditch is many times more difficult to fight than Yuanwang ditch.

Gu Junen's excitement and complacency after capturing Yuanwanggou gradually faded away. Looking at everyone's uncertain faces, he forced a smile and said: "In the past, Tang general Tian Lingzi led [-] troops to guard Tongguan, but was still sneaked by Huang Chao. Forbidden ditch, detoured to Xiguan, finally captured the city, and went straight to Chang'an. According to the research of Weichen, Huang Chao detoured from Shimenguan to Tongluochuan, and then went straight to Xiyuan. The students thought they could go there to have a look."

Li Zicheng nodded, that was the only way to go. They walked along the edge of the ditch and encountered a fire road pier from time to time. However, the fire pier on each beam was heavily guarded. Li Zicheng and the others dared not get too close to the small cannon and the big blunderbuss.

They rode their horses and galloped for dozens of miles. When the forbidden ditch was about to end, a tall and majestic city appeared in front of everyone. They saw that two miles away was the lower south gate of Tongguan City, also known as "Yingxun Gate". It is flat, but the city wall on that side is also very high and thick, estimated to be as high as four feet, with various horse faces standing tall.

Li Zicheng looked out from his horse and saw that the city wall was winding across the plains. From the northeast of the Lower South Gate, there was the Upper South Gate. The terrain there was slightly higher, and most of the city wall was part of Qilin Mountain.About two miles southeast of the upper south gate, there is a rather high plateau, with a superior terrain, it seems that you can overlook the entire city of Tongguan from a high position.

There is a castle on the plateau, which is Taojiazhuang Fort.

Sun Chuanting also seemed to know the importance of this castle, all the castles in Nanyuan were abandoned, only Taojiazhuang was stationed with heavy troops.

Looking at the tall and thick city walls in the distance, the strict security, and the high-spirited aura of the defenders, Li Zicheng felt a chill in his heart, and a sense of anxiety rose in his heart.However, he then comforted himself that compared to the difficult offensive and defensive battles a few days ago, this place is already very good, at least he can use his best crowd tactics.

He calculated in his heart that if he only attacked the lower south gate, it would be difficult to give full play to his superiority in strength, and he would also attack the upper south gate together. Although it was dangerous there, it was better than attacking the east gate and Yuanwanggou.

Of course, Taojiazhuang Fort must be captured in advance, otherwise if they attack the upper south gate, they will be flanked by Taojiazhuang defenders and upper south gate defenders.

It's just that the anxiety in his heart has been lingering all the time. Thinking about the tenacity of the Yuanwanggou defenders during this period of time and the uncertainty of the future, Li Zicheng hopes to be able to tell Gu Junen that there are loopholes in the Ming army's defense line, but it can be like Huang Chao's. Dive across the forbidden ditch, go around to Xiguan, and finally capture the city.

So after looking at the city wall for a while, they came to the edge of the plateau and looked down.

You can see a river valley below, where forbidden ditch water and Tong ditch water converge to form Tong River, and then flow to Nanshuiguan.The valley is not wide, only about 100 steps. Looking down from the plateau, the terrain of the valley is deep and narrow.The tall city wall goes west from Xiananmen to Xiayuan, connects to Nanshuiguan City Tower, and then continues westward to connect to Fenghuang Mountain.

Then the city wall winds along the Phoenix Mountain to the south for about two miles, and at the southernmost end is a tall and thick building, which is Shimen Pass.

Shimen Pass forms a narrow gap with several fire road piers at the northernmost end of Tongluo River, forming a tight line of defense...

Want to sneak through Tongtong from here?

The hearts of Li Zicheng and others have been cold.

Not to mention that it was not easy to attack Shimen Pass, even if some troops passed by by chance, they would be surrounded by the back of Tongluo River and the defenders of Xiyuan.

Moreover, the Shimenguan city wall is part of the entire Tongguan city, so it is too easy for the defenders to dispatch troops.

Li Zicheng was speechless for a long time, and the fortified defense line in front of him was like an iron wall, blocking all his ambitions.

Not only is the terrain dangerous and the line of defense strong, but the most important thing is the momentum and confidence of the defenders.It seems that the Yuanwanggou retreat is only part of their strategy, shrinking the line of defense and concentrating their forces.In this way, if there is another battle, the process may be more tragic, longer and more tormented than the Yuanwanggou battle.

Moreover, Li Zicheng became more and more unconfident that he could win the war, and he didn't know how long he would stay here after the war started. After all, Tongguan was not an isolated city that they had captured by themselves in the past. They had the whole of Shaanxi as their support.

To fight or not to fight, this question that had been forgotten for the past two days involuntarily came to Li Zicheng's mind again.

The generals behind him were also silent, after a long time Li Guo murmured: "What are you doing, this line of defense, is it going to kill tens of thousands of people like Yuanwanggou?"

Liu Xiyao said softly, "Maybe more than that."

Gu Junen wanted to say something, but looking at the faces of the generals, he couldn't say anything in the end.

……

On the way back to the camp, the entire group was speechless. After a long time, Li Zicheng asked Gao Yigong, "How is the battle situation on the way, Brother Liu?"

Gao Yigong shook his head and sighed: "When they hit Shangzhou, they stopped. There are all small roads. It's not easy to walk, and it's not easy to fight. The city of Shangzhou was built between Donglong Mountain and Jinfeng Mountain, surrounded by Danshui. The city serves as a moat, so it is difficult to besiege and even more difficult to attack. The sentinels came to report that Shaanxi governor Feng Shikong was defending the city, and Brother Liu and the others were powerless to enter."

Gao Yigong was in charge of the soldiers and horses of the old battalion, as well as the sentry cavalry. They were only separated from Liu Fangliang by the Qinling Mountains. It was difficult for a large group of people and horses to travel, especially if they had heavy supplies, but small groups of sentry cavalry were still able to pass.

Li Zicheng sighed, all the generals were also silent, and hope was lost in the end.

After returning to the old camp, Li Zicheng summoned Liu Zongmin alone, and he asked: "Jiexuan, we are old brothers, tell me the truth, should Tongguan City be fought or not?"

Liu Zongmin said: "King Chuang, if you insist on fighting, my old Liu will definitely support you without saying anything. According to what I said, our rebel army is not good at attacking tough battles, so it is best to fight on foot."

He said: "If you really want to deal with Sun Chuanting, why bother with him in front of this fortified city? Think about King Cao... It doesn't matter if he wins Shaanxi sooner or later. Anyway, this place is here, and he won't run away." .”

……

The thieves crossed Yuanwanggou continuously, and they would attack Tongguan City and Jingou soon. Sun Chuanting did not dare to neglect, and patrolled the defense lines of the city and the ravine closely, cheering everyone up.

On the afternoon of the [-]th, he summoned all the generals to discuss matters in the Xingyuan. At the meeting, Sun Chuanting said firmly: "No matter how long you guard, the thieves will never want to take a step from Tongguan City. The city is alive, and the city is dead. Here we will live and die together!"

"Definitely!"

No matter the generals of the local new army or the officers and generals of the Jingbian army, they all shouted with excitement while pumping their fists together.

Guyuan General Soldier Zheng Jiadong and others also waved their fists with ferocious expressions. In the arrangement of the new line of defense, most of them were assigned to the West Plateau. The tragic and fierce battles in the future will also let the new army take the top, which restored their confidence.

After the meeting was over, the generals of the Jingbian army turned back to their camps, Wu Zhengchun and Gao Xun walked together and talked, and Li Zhengjing and Zhao Rongsheng walked together.

Zhao Rongsheng touched his face and said thoughtfully: "Sun Du is very determined, it seems that we will stay in Tongguan City for a long time."

Li Zhengjing said: "Of course, Sun Duchen can't retreat, and neither can I. Not to mention the elders in Shaanxi, just say that Sun Du borrowed millions of taels of silver from the general. If he loses, who will the money go to?" going?"

Behind them were Luo Liangzuo, Lai Dexiang, Chen Sheng, Han Kaihui and other general officers. After listening to Li Zhengjing's words, everyone showed interest on their faces. know some.

Han Kaihui said: "Old Chief Jia, do you really have several million taels of silver?"

Li Zhengjing laughed loudly and said, "Of course..."

He was blowing non-stop, Wen Shiyan was smiling and listening, he glanced outside the city thoughtfully, if the bandits were going to besiege the city for a long time, maybe...

……

On May 5000th, Li Zicheng suddenly rewarded the three armies in Nanyuan, especially the meritorious ministers. Because of his bravery and outstanding performance in the battle, Li Zicheng was specially rewarded with [-] horses and mules, [-] taels of gold and silver, and Lao Hu also from the fifth rank. The Mighty General who was promoted to the fourth-rank General Guoyi.

And among the white-tasseled black satin flags fluttering densely around, among the brave knights surrounded by layers, Lao Hu also saw Li Chuang's people up close for the first time, as well as the officers and generals around him.

But he didn't have time to think about it, the joy of being promoted and getting rich made him kowtow heavily: "Thank you King Chuang, thank you King Chuang, the young one must devote himself to death and die."

Li Guo beside Li Zicheng laughed loudly and said, "Tadilong, it seems that you will be able to enter the old camp soon."

A smile bloomed on Lao Hu's face, and he said: "It all depends on the cultivation of General Zhi."

After rewarding the soldiers, Li Zicheng stood up. He opened his mouth with a complicated expression, and finally he said, "My Changyi Mansion has decided to withdraw from Tongguan, transfer to Henan, and encircle Kaifeng!"

The soldiers around were stunned for a moment, and then there was overwhelming cheers, and they wanted to leave this ghostly place for a long time.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Gu Junen's face was pale and lost, while Niu Jinxing was smiling with complacency in his eyes.

After the announcement, Li Zicheng and others couldn't help but look in the direction of Tongguan. It was this place that prevented them from entering Shaanxi.

My hometown, my hometown, you are only in a dream.

……

"The bandits have retreated?"

From April to mid-May, the entire Ming Dynasty was paying attention. Wang Dou was no exception. He was also the fastest to get the news. When the victory news reached Guihua City, he was greatly relieved and said with a smile: " Finally, this investment was not in vain, it seems that Sun Chuanting still has two brushes."

He was joyful and at the same time somewhat regretful, because of the time, distance, supply of food and grass, and the suspicion of the imperial court about the possibility of sending troops in private, he had only been paying attention to this battle.

However, the biggest factor in exterminating the thieves is that the thieves don't get together, only the thieves disperse. If Li Zi grows up besieging Tongguan for a long time, it will inevitably make him think about it, is it a gamble?However, Li Zicheng left soon, and Wang Dou also gave up. Perhaps the intruder should not die at this time.

Seeing that Wang Dou was happy, all his subordinates were also full of joy, Zhong Susu said with a smile: "As long as Sun Du can wait until next year, I will be able to advance and retreat freely in the Dufu Mansion."

Wang Dou nodded, according to the information, Li Zicheng left one hundred thousand hungry people behind, and then led his troops back to Kaifeng Mansion.The opinion of the staff department is to hope that Sun Chuanting can try his best to reorganize the armaments in Shaanxi and increase his strength.

It's just that after this great victory, Sun Chuanting's voice became louder, and the emperor would not sit back and watch Kaifeng City fall, and Ming Dynasty had no soldiers to use, so where would he come to relieve the siege besides sending Sun Chuanting out of the customs?
Moreover, Sun Chuanting is sharp and paranoid, a bit self-willed, and not very patient. When Kaifeng is in crisis, he is afraid that he will not be able to withstand the pressure of the court, and he is afraid that he will be dazzled by the results of the victory. Close, causing a catastrophe.

But in the current situation, Sun Chuanting should be able to hold Li Zicheng for a while.

Not long ago, Wang Dou also received news that Sun Chengzong, the former Grand Tutor and Shangshu of the Ministry of War, passed away and died.

When he got the news, Wang Dou felt a little emotional. This result of Sun Chengzong was much better than the ending in history. Thinking of the past experience with Sun Chengzong, he decided to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send people to Gaoyang to express his condolences, and at the same time pay homage to his death in Julu. of soldiers.

……

News of the Tongguan victory spread everywhere. When the news of the victory reached the capital, the capital was in a state of excitement, and Emperor Chongzhen was overjoyed. He laughed and said, "Sun Chuanting has lived up to my expectations, and he is really worthy of great use."

Sun Chuanting "behavioured" in Shaanxi, impeaching him was as sparse as a mountain, and the emperor had been resisting the pressure and stayed in the middle. At this time, the good news came, and the Emperor Chongzhen felt deeply that he knew people. Excited, he immediately ordered an edict Award, and offer Jie Taimiao.

Of course, Shaanxi Province needs to find a way to resettle the hungry people who have been victimized by the bandits.

Under the great victory, all the officials congratulated him like a cloud. At this time, no one talked about Sun Chuanting's fault, but some people talked about the robbers and surrounded Kaifeng, and urged Sun Bu to leave the customs as soon as possible to lift the siege of Kaifeng. For many.

Emperor Chongzhen was also a little moved, but he also knew that the new army in Shaanxi should not move lightly, and should proceed with caution.

Chen Xinjia, Minister of the Ministry of War, also urged Sun Chuanting not to move lightly. He stated his interests and pointed out that if Sun Chuanting did not move in Shaanxi, the thieves would have to worry about going north and south.

He accused those Shaanxi officials who clamored for Sun Bu to send troops to be beggar-thy-neighbor, and many courtiers agreed with Chen Xinjia's view.

Under the severe disagreement, Emperor Chongzhen was even more hesitant. Although he had the fantasy of destroying the rogues with a single blow after Sun Bu came out of customs, he also knew that the rogues were formidable at present, and he should give Sun Chuanting more time to train his troops and save his salary to strengthen his strength.

At the same time, someone impeached Hou Xun, the supervisor, and after he arrived in Kaifeng, he achieved nothing. He feared the enemy and avoided fighting, which caused the bandits to surround Kaifeng again.

Thinking of the supervisor Hou Xun, Emperor Chongzhen also felt a little bitter: "Incompetent!"

The reason why Emperor Chongzhen used Hou Xun was firstly because Hou Xun was from Guide Prefecture in Henan Province and had a better understanding of the situation in Henan; .

Now that Zuo Liangyu is dead, the town of Pingzei is wiped out. After Hou Xun arrived in Kaifeng, he only wrote a memorandum of strategy, advocating that the governors of Shaanxi, Baoding, Shandong, Fengyang, Huguang, and Huaixu should stick to their own territory and stop the thieves from running away. Lu, he sits in Kaifeng by himself and acts according to the camera. It is best to let the thieves starve to death in Henan.

The memorial is well said, but it is essentially a copy of Yang Sichang's "Ten Sides Spreading the Net", and the thieves will not squat wishful thinking in Henan to starve as Hou Xun thought.

Moreover, this memorandum also shows Hou Xun's selfishness. If the governors from all over the country fail to prevent him, they will definitely become Hou Xun's scapegoat.

Hou Xun has been in Kaifeng for a while, and now he has accomplished nothing, and let Kaifeng be besieged again, which made Emperor Chongzhen even more dissatisfied with Hou Xun.

Some courtiers believed that Sun Chuanting should replace Hou Xun as the supervisor, the governor of Baoding, Shandong, and Hebei, and the military affairs of various places, and take full control of the matter of suppressing bandits. Emperor Chongzhen was a little moved. Suppressed.

At first glance, Sun Chuanting was much better than Hou Xun, an incompetent person, especially after the news of the Tongguan victory came.

But he still held back, Kaifeng was besieged again at this time, and the enemy was present, replacing Hou Xun would only cause unnecessary turmoil in Kaifeng's prefecture, and changing Hou Xun would only be achieved after Sun Chuanting's military success and the siege of Feng was untied back.

Kaifeng had to be rescued, but Ming had no troops to use. After deliberation, Emperor Chongzhen decided that in addition to ordering Sun Chuanting to step up military training, he had to tell Henan and other places to organize regiment training, and to pardon and record meritorious deeds for the landlords who had formed a stronghold. Soldiers and horses can somewhat break the siege of the seal.

At this time, local thieves gathered from all over Henan, such as Liu Hongqi occupying Runing, Hanjiadi occupying Xuzhou, Li Jiyu occupying Dengfeng, Li Hao occupying Yuzhou, and Liu Xuan occupying Xiangcheng. There are more than [-] each, and the total number of soldiers and horses should not be underestimated.

Emperor Chongzhen named all those who were willing to recruit as deputy generals. He said in the imperial decree: "It is far from possible for the people in Tuzhai to correct the crowd against the bandits and keep the place. A special edict was issued, and officials were sent to announce the decree. But if you can capture and kill false officials, you will be appointed; if you can capture thieves, you will be rewarded; if you can restore the city and offer prisoners, you will be promoted;

He also issued a reward, and those who can capture Li Zicheng will be rewarded with 1 taels of silver, and he will be named Tonghou.Those who can capture Li Zicheng's subordinates will be rewarded with 5000 taels of silver, the best official, and hereditary.

It was also announced that the land rent of the five prefectures in Henan would be exempted for three years to reflect the court's morality.

(End of this chapter)