I'm a big dick

Chapter 272

It was almost dusk, and the gloomy sky covered it even more heavily.The sporadic snowflakes fluttered like catkins and fell to the ground.

Mangur Taylor held his horse's head, looking at Ningyuan City, which was gradually immersed in the night and snow several miles away, showing a dignified expression.

Different from the contempt and rhetoric on the road, when he led the striker to the city of Ningyuan, he experienced the obvious changes from the past in the Ming army.

At that time, the snow was still very small, and the Ming army set up two infantry phalanxes on the Shanhai Avenue. Under the cover of grenadiers and vehicle-mounted Francophones, they launched a tentative attack on the newly arrived Jiannu.

Mangurtai commanded the troops to fight, but found that under such terrain, it was difficult to give full play to his strengths, and he suffered a bit.

The official road is narrow, and Jianu can't make a detour, so he can only face it head-on.The dense spear array of the Ming army prevented the cavalry from attacking, and the muskets and artillery were more powerful than bows and arrows. Jiannu was beaten back step by step.

Seeing that the casualties continued to increase, but the battle formation of the Ming army could not be shaken, Mang Gurtai chose to retreat temporarily.

The Ming army did not pursue them either, and withdrew their troops back to the city defense circle.Mangurtai led his troops back, and no more will be given.

Mang Gurtai thought it was a tentative attack by the Ming army, and in order to delay the time, he and his troops were not allowed to set up camp before dark.

However, the active confrontation arranged by Xiong Tingbi has a deeper purpose.That is to warn Jiannu that the Ming army dared to take the initiative to attack. If they want to cross Ningyuan and continue to penetrate, they must be mentally prepared to be cut off.

Although this possibility is unlikely, it cannot be said that it is impossible.If Jiannu really wants to divide his troops, then at least enough troops should be left to guard Ning Yuan, which is what Xiong Tingbi wants to achieve.

And Mang Gurtai did not dare to set up camp at the place across the Shanhai Avenue, although this would cut off Ningyuan's connection with the pass.

"Fifth Brother." De Gelei urged his horse to come, stopped beside Mang Gurtai, and said: "The camp has been set up, let's take a rest tonight, and wait for Father Khan's army to arrive, and then divide the troops to besiege Ningyuan."

Manggurtai knew that the so-called camp was just a simple layout, and it was already dark, so it was very difficult to build a solid defense.

Originally, this was not a problem, but the Ming army's active attack gave him vigilance.Therefore, the camp is far away from Ningyuan, and he will also send troops to strengthen his guard.

"The Ming army is different from the past!" Mang Gurtai raised his whip and pointed at Ningyuan City, which was only outlined in the distance, and said, "Amin's defeat in Lushun Fort was not all negligence!"

Dege felt gratified that his brother finally put away his underestimation of the enemy, which is a good thing!
Manggurtai narrowed his eyes, and continued: "Firearms are indeed very powerful. But in rainy and snowy days, they will be greatly reduced, or even unusable."

De Gelei agreed: "Fifth Brother is very right. Moreover, if the Ming army wants to fight in the field, it can only rely on the terrain. If it is in an open area today, our army will undoubtedly win."

Mang Gurtai's face turned pale, and he said: "When Father Khan's army arrives, the Ming army can only hide the city defenses and dare not go out to fight in the field. According to someone, the artillery we carry is not weaker than the Ming army. There is a good chance of winning the battle.”

De Gelei said: "Fifth brother, go back to the camp to rest first! Tonight, I'll be on duty, so the Ming army will definitely have no chance to take advantage of it."

Mang Gurtai chuckled, and said, "I'll take your place for the rest of the night. After all, I'm also your fifth elder brother, and I can make you suffer alone."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for the Dege class to fight again, Manggur Taylor turned his horse's head and called out to the Dege class to rush back to the camp together.

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Even if the snow didn't get heavier and heavier, Xiong Tingbi didn't want to have a field battle with Jiannu.Although it may not be defeated, this is not the safest way to ensure Ning Yuan.

Withdraw from Guangning, the emperor's meaning is very clear, undefeated is victory, stop Jiannu's momentum with a strong city and deep moats, and consume Jiannu's strength with a siege and blockade.

In fact, judging from the strategic situation of abandoning Guangning, guarding Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan should have similar effects.

These two places are not enough to move forward, which affects the alliance and control of the Mongolian tribes; secondly, even if Ningyuan is abandoned, like Guangning and Jinzhou, Jiannu will not occupy it, let alone close the door.

Therefore, the political significance of sticking to Ningyuan is greater than the military significance. It is mainly to provide a barrier for Shanhaiguan, to show the presence of the Ming army in western Liaoning to the ruling and opposition parties, and to keep the gate closed without police.

If there is only one barrier left in Shanhaiguan, it is inevitable that people's hearts will fluctuate.Without a stable social environment, how could Zhu Youxiao carry out his great cause of reform?

Although Zhu Youxiao has invested heavily in the construction of the army, his main focus is still on the inside, on revitalizing the country by promoting advantages and eliminating disadvantages.

Xiong Tingbi naturally knew that the emperor needed a relatively stable environment to continuously promote and deepen reforms.Therefore, Ning Yuan and Jue Hua must not lose.

It would be better for Jiannu to be beaten and bloody, and Xiong Tingbi is not prepared to take too active actions no matter how difficult it is to retreat.No fault is meritorious service, which was repeatedly emphasized by the emperor in the secret symphony.

Standing at the top of the city, looking through the binoculars at the little fires in the distance, Xiong Tingbi was expressionless.But the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, with a vague sneer.

It's really not easy to build a slave in the winter.

Bringing your own food, running a distance of one or two hundred miles, and sleeping outdoors in the ice and snow, you never thought that it would be a loss-making business, right?
Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy, Jianu had indeed done this very well in combat before.But after Guangning abandoned the defense and the Liao people moved, their news and intelligence were almost cut off, and their defenses against Ningyuan were almost completely black.

The snow was falling harder, and the vision was blurred.Xiong Tingbi put down his binoculars and stood in the covered fort. When he raised his eyes, he saw the heavy and mighty Hongyi cannon, which made people feel more confident.

Zu Dashou and Jin Guofeng were holding the battlement not far away, pointing and discussing in low voices.

"After the slaves were consumed outside the city, they were sent to the city to deal a heavier blow."

"It's also a way. Let Jiannu taste some of the sweetness first, and feel that it is hopeful to break the city, and then invest more troops and work harder."

"We are not afraid of climbing the city with ladders. If you want to dig the city wall, you can throw thunderbolts to blow him up...Damn, what other tricks do you think Jiannu has?"

"Jiannu brought cannons, so he shouldn't underestimate the enemy."

Listening to the discussion, Xiong Tingbi smiled lightly.No need to spend too much effort, no matter how you fight, you will defeat Jiannu's attack attempt, it's just how much you kill.

Ningyuan didn't just rely on Hongyi cannons, but also had a city wall similar to a bastion, a large number of grenadiers, thunderbolts, and muskets shooting from the city without dead ends.

Therefore, whether it is the parapets and trenches outside the city, or to attract Jiannu to the city, Ningyuan is solid and unbreakable.

But Jiannu was completely kept in the dark, and came excitedly, with the hope of breaking the city and winning, who would have expected that this would be a more disastrous defeat than the attack on Guangning.

The messenger soldiers rushed along the city wall and came to the front to salute and report: "Master Jinglue, General He of Juehua Island has sent someone to report that all defenses have been properly arranged, and the coast has not frozen in a large area, please rest assured, my lord. "

Xiong Tingbi nodded, and reached out to take the letter, it can be said that he was completely relieved.Ning Yuan is strong and hard to break, and Jue Hua has no problem, this battle is already a sure thing.

.....................

At noon on the second day of the new year, it was the day when the emperor had finished the complicated affairs of the first day of the new year and wanted to rest and relax.

Nurhachi led the main force to Ningyuan, only one day later than the vanguard.

After the soldiers were strong and the horses were strong, Nurhachi immediately adjusted his deployment, crossed the Shanhai Avenue three miles away from the city, and set up a camp in the north of the city.

After making the arrangements, Nurhachi led the generals to observe the Ningyuan city defense, looking for the weak point to launch the attack.

The sky was clear at the beginning, and the city of Ningyuan was completely white.But if you look carefully, you can see that it is probably covered by a roof.Between the deep ditch and the high fortress, there are Ming army officers and soldiers waiting in full battle.

Looking at the top of the city, the banner of Jinglue is fluttering in the wind.The once familiar feeling flooded Nurhachi's heart again.

Just a year ago, almost at this time, the fiasco under the city of Guangning is still vivid in his mind.That was his first failure since he rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, how could he not remember it deeply?
Now, the defense system of Ningyuan City seems to be tighter than that of Guangning, and it has dealt heavy damage to Amin's troops in Lushun Fort.Although carrying a large number of artillery, Nurhachi still did not dare to take it lightly.

"Father Khan." Mang Gurtai pointed his whip, and said, "Ningyuan's city wall is built strangely, as if, as if—"

Nurhachi narrowed his eyes and said, "Guangning City also has a similar layout, but Ningyuan's repairs are more formal and stronger."

After a pause, the old slave said again: "When defending Guangning, the Ming army could only rely on the fortification of the city to hold on. Now that they dare to deploy troops outside the city, they should rely on the power of firearms and want to compete with our army."

After finishing speaking, Nurhachi turned his head to look at Tong Yangxing, and asked: "If you want to break through the defense of the enemy's deep ditch and barriers, can artillery help in the battle?"

Tong Yangxing looked bitter, and immediately bowed and replied: "King Khan, the artillery can bombard the city, but it can't cause much damage to the enemy in the trench."

Nurhachi thought about it and understood the reason.He didn't blame Tong Yangxing, but nodded slightly in agreement.

Cannonballs are solid projectiles, and their trajectory is similar to that of bows and arrows.The parapet of the trench can protect the Ming army from the damage of bows and arrows, and the same is true for artillery shells.

For the attack on Ningyuan this time, Nurhachi not only brought the newly formed artillery unit, but also a considerable number of chariots and hook ladders to save time and attack the city as soon as possible.

Regarding the shape and structure of Ningyuan City, Nurhachi also understood in his heart that it was cross-fire, which would cause a large number of casualties to the troops approaching the city.At the same time, it also reduces the dead angle of fire attack.

But Ningyuan City was rebuilt, not rebuilt. Its original shape was square, and there was no way to change it.

Therefore, Nurhachi led people around the city for reconnaissance, and finally discovered one of the weaknesses, that is the corner fort of the city.

Indeed, from the point of view of the attacker, the density of firepower to attack here is much less than that of attacking the frontal city wall.

However, Nurhachi also knows that the seemingly weak point is that the wall at the corner is very thick, and it is quite difficult to dig through it.

Temporarily putting aside the idea of ​​storming the corner fort, Nurhachi decided to break through the defensive positions of the Ming army outside the city first, forcing the Ming army to retreat into the city, and then the artillery approached and bombarded the city wall.

On the top of the city, Xiong Tingbi and several generals were also observing Nurhachi and others.They have binoculars in their hands, and they can see much more clearly than the naked eye.

"It's an old slave." Zu Dashou shouted, "Shoot him...damn."

Artillery officer Luo Li focused his attention on Xiong Tingbi, waiting for him to give orders, with an eager expression on his face.

Xiong Tingbi pondered for a while, then shook his head and said: "Jiannu is moving, bombarding in a hurry, it is difficult to guarantee accuracy, and it also exposed the reality of our army."

The corner of his mouth turned up, and the old bear showed a few sneers, pointed at him, and said, "Luo Li, the Jianshou camp is within range of the cannon, right?"

Luo Li nodded without looking at it and said, "Your Excellency is wise, Jiannu wants to die."

Xiong Tingbi narrowed his eyes, and gave an order forcefully, "Move a few more cannons, and bombard the enemy camp at night."

"The last general will make arrangements for this." Luo Li bowed to accept the order, and added a few words, "The old slave's camp is the first target, and it depends on whether his life is hard or not."

The Hongyi cannon at the head of Ningyuan City is about a thousand catties, with a range of three or four miles, and has the advantage of being condescending. It is indeed not too difficult to bombard the Houjin Army camp three miles away.

If it is more than two thousand catties, the range should be five or six miles.As for the data in the books at that time, it was impossible to reach ten miles or twenty miles.

As for the artillery brought by Nurhachi, the most powerful General Cannon has an effective range of only five hundred meters, and the maximum range does not exceed two miles.

It was also because the old slave didn't know that there was a more powerful Hongyi cannon at the head of Ningyuan City, so he set up the camp within the range of the cannon.

This is not surprising. During the Ningjin War in history, Huang Taiji even pitched his camp to about one mile of Jinzhou City!After being bombarded by artillery, they retreated five miles away.

So, how important intelligence is in war.If you cannot grasp accurate information, you can only use flesh and blood to learn lessons.

In the dead of night, when Jiannu was sleeping soundly, there was a thunderbolt, and the shells flew in the air, destroying tents and killing people while bouncing...

Imagine how it feels, it's really good!The Jiannu who were bombarded had to move camp overnight, so they couldn't get a good night's sleep.

Regarding Xiong Tingbi's idea of ​​bombarding the enemy's village at night, all the generals smiled wickedly, imagining the chaotic and embarrassing scene of Jiannu.Even if you don't have any big bosses, tossing Jiannu can make you feel happy.

In the world of ice and snow, even Jiannu who is accustomed to the bitter cold, camping in the wild is not so easy.They also wear furs, they also have to warm themselves by the fire, they are also exposed to cold, and they are also tired.

Setting up a camp is not an easy task. The simplest protective and defensive facilities must be provided, such as nailing stakes to set up tents, adjusting and arranging officers and soldiers, and so on.There are thousands of troops and horses, and there are not a few hours that cannot be handled well.

In other words, if we were to move the camp after being shelled tonight, we would hardly be able to sleep well overnight.

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(End of this chapter)