I'm a big dick

Chapter 390 Difficult to Solve, Mao Wenlong's Worry
Is it true this time?

Huang Taiji's expression was a bit complicated, he realized that his father was watching him, waiting for him to express his analysis and judgment, but he really didn't dare to make an assertion easily.

The "Da Ming Tribune" newspaper just obtained also published the news that the Ming court mobilized elites from the nine borders to go to Liaodong to pacify Liao in one fell swoop.

Last time, it was such false news that made the Houjin side tense and alert, and affected the defense of the fringe areas, as well as the reaction to the Ming army's occupation of Guangning.

But afterward, I found out that there was no elite from the Nine Frontiers entering Liao at all, it was a fake rumor released by the Ming court, just to make mistakes and omissions in Houjin's military deployment.

Now that the news is released again, Hou Jin still dare not easily judge whether it is true or false.It's very simple. Under the situation where the Ming army was pressing on several sides, Hou Jin did not leave time and room for error correction and reaction.

In history, the Hou Jin also implemented a shrinking strategy, but at that time the Ming army in western Liao Dynasty only pushed as far as Jinzhou and Daling River. The cities of Jinzhou and Daling River, which cost countless money and manpower to build, were destroyed several times by Hou Jin troops. .

At that time, the Dongjiang Pidao and Lushun in southern Liaoning, the Ming army could not pose a major threat as it is now because of the relationship between its strength and equipment, and it continued to advance.

Why should so much emphasis be placed on the Ming army’s increase of troops in Liaodong? Firstly, Jiannu’s strength has been greatly depleted in the past two or three years, and secondly, in the face of the Ming army’s advancing step by step, Nurhachi wants to concentrate his forces for a short period of time. assault.

Including Huang Taiji, they also agreed to launch a counter-offensive to change or curb the continued development of the unfavorable situation, and the target was the Dongjiang headquarters.

The rough plan was to draw troops from the three banners from Liaoshen to join forces with the two banners protecting Jianzhouwei to attack Fengcheng.If the attack goes well, the army will turn to Kuandian and break through the fortresses occupied by the Ming army one by one.

In terms of military strength, the Five Banners troops have the upper hand. With the help of the speed of the cavalry, and then blocking the news of the confidential dispatch, it should be able to buy time, so that other Ming troops have no time to launch a countermeasure.

However, the news that the Nine Frontiers' elites had entered Liaoning cast a shadow over this quick attack.Moreover, some generals of Hou Jin believed that fast breaks were difficult to work.

After several setbacks, many of Hou Jin's generals were very afraid of attacking the fortifications of trench parapets and wooden piles, or they had a psychological shadow.

This kind of fortification is different from building a city and building a wall. It can be formed quickly, and it can be blocked by guns and artillery.The generals of the later Jin Dynasty believed that even if they could attack quickly and separate and encircle the Ming army strongholds, it would be a battle of attrition one by one.

However, the pressing force of Liaozhen and the Ming army in southern Liao will not give the Hou Jin army time to besiege for a long time, and will definitely take advantage of the emptiness of Liaoshen to launch operations.

Moreover, the weather is still hot now, and it is not the season when the Hou Jin army is used to fighting.Don't underestimate the seasons. In ancient hot days, when there were many wounded and sick people, it was easy for the plague to spread.

Therefore, looking at the military operations of Jiannu, it is usually carried out in the cooler seasons of autumn, winter and spring, and it is best to freeze the rivers in winter.

Historically, when Jinzhou was attacked, it was in summer, and the troops had to retreat due to the long-term attack and the epidemic.

Nurhachi also knew that the season was not suitable for using troops, but when the weather was cooler, the situation might be even worse, and it might be too late.

"Father, my son thinks that the Ming court is still bluffing." Huang Taiji pondered for a long time, and finally spoke his judgment, "A large number of troops are mobilized, and it will not be completed in a short time. The weather is extremely hot, and it will have a great impact on the horses..."

As the saying goes: autumn is tall and horses are fat.There is a certain reason for this. When a horse is in good shape, it is suitable for marching and fighting.

Listening to Huang Taiji's analysis, Nurhachi nodded slightly, and asked again: "Ming army navy must be on guard, do you have a solution?"

Huang Taiji smiled wryly, and said: "Maybe we can put wooden stakes in the river to stop the enemy boats. I don't know how effective it will be."

It's not a mine, the impact of a wooden stake can destroy a ship?I'm afraid it's just a hindrance.

Regarding this, Nurhachi secretly sighed in his heart, knowing that there was no other way.

Thinking of Haizhouwei and Liaoyang being oppressed by the Ming army on both sides, thinking that the Ming army's navy might reach Shenyang, and thinking of the Ming army's superiority in defense, Nurhachi's determination to launch a quick assault was a little shaken.

The fortifications and sharp firearms of the Ming army are certainly frightening, but what makes Nurhachi and others feel the most difficult, and even desperate, is the Ming army's increasingly strong will to fight.

Even if there are only [-] Ming troops defending a stronghold, if the battle does not surrender, the Hou Jin army will at least have to pay the same casualties.Based on the population of Houjin, how many times can it withstand such "victories"?
"Is there any breakthrough in the equipment supervised by Fan Wencheng?" Nurhachi asked Huang Taiji with his last hope.

Huang Taiji bowed and replied: "A lot of chariots and bridges have been built, and they are all the original prototypes. No newer and more powerful equipment has been built."

Just relying on the chariot and trench bridge——Nurhachi shook his head lightly and said, "That's the end of today's military discussion. You can think about it when you go back, and continue tomorrow."

Seeing that Nurhachi did not make a decision right away, many high-ranking Jin officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They all disapproved of the launch, and they can be called conservative and weak;
Huang Taiji and other main combat factions did not raise any objections, at least in terms of solving the harassment of the Ming army's navy, or improving their ability to attack fortified positions, they are not very optimistic about taking the initiative to attack.

Once again, the military discussion failed. Whether it was Nurhachi, Huang Taiji or the others, they all felt the haze hanging over their hearts.

So far in the war, strategy has not played a decisive role.Comprehensive factors such as military strength, weapons and equipment, and food and supplies have increasingly become the key to victory or defeat.

Compared with the colossal Ming Empire, Hou Jin was at a disadvantage in any aspect.

When there were no party struggles within the Ming Dynasty, the army was able to have enough food and wages, and the weapons and equipment were overwhelmingly superior, the outcome of the war seemed to be doomed.

According to Houjin's population and military strength, he could no longer afford a victory at a similar cost.However, it is very difficult to win a battle with a disparate casualty ratio against the rapidly improving Ming army.

On the other hand, Daming, even if he fails, even if he loses [-] to [-] yuan, it will not hurt his muscles and bones, and he can still replenish quickly and continue to fight against Jiannu.

To put it bluntly, Hou Jin looked forward and backward, and did not have the capital to withstand setbacks; the Ming Empire had more than enough chips in its hands, with a handful of studs, a big win would seal the victory.

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Liaodong Fengcheng, also known as Phoenix City.Originally under the jurisdiction of Dingliao Capital Guard (in Liaoyang), the Ming Dynasty moved Dingliao Right Guard from Liaoyang to Phoenix Fort.

Relying on the forts established in Liaodong by the Ming Dynasty, Chen Jisheng of the Dongjiang Headquarters led his followers to occupy the two forts of Tangzhan and Xianshan. After staying in the fort, they recovered Fengcheng with the main force.

Calling it recovery is tantamount to receiving it.Jiannu only left a small number of cavalry in Fengcheng, mainly for the purpose of tipping off, and they were powerless to defend.

According to the established procedure, Chen Jisheng immediately commanded the officers and soldiers to build the fortifications. In two or three days, the parapet of the trench was built, and a solid fortress was completed again.

That's right, Zhu Youxiao also began to use fortress advancing tactics to compress the living space of Jiannu and limit their mobility.

But Zhu Youxiao's fortress advance is different from that of the Guan Ningjin Line of Defense in history.

First of all, the amount and cost of construction work was greatly reduced. No walls were built to build the city, mainly trench parapets, plus wooden piles, and barbed wire if conditions permit.

To be precise, this kind of fortress relies on the original fortress, and it doesn't matter much even if it is broken. The main defensive function is the field fortification.

Secondly, the construction time is short, as short as one or two days, as long as three to five days, the whole army takes turns to do it, and does not leave much time for the enemy to take advantage of the opportunity to attack.

The last point is that the defensive firepower has been greatly enhanced. The Liaodong Ming army has been fully equipped with flintlock muskets, supplemented by various artillery, which is enough to make the invading enemy pay a heavy price.

The number of field artillery can not be completely satisfied, but the speed and quantity of the equipped troops of Daming Heavy Force are completely beyond Jiannu's expectations due to its easy-to-build characteristics.

The old Francophone was also a large number of artillery equipped by the Ming army in Liaodong. It had a fast rate of fire and was capable of hitting face-to-face killing shots. It was quite effective against Jiannu's intensive charge.

The cost is the lowest, and the number of grenadiers that can be made by each Ming army is astonishing. As long as there are enough thunderbolts, the overwhelming bombing is enough to deal a heavy blow to the enemy.

The heavy pressure of the Ming Dynasty, the Franc machine, and the grenadier are basically the artillery equipped by the fortress occupied by the Ming army. The enemies from far to near, kilometers to hundreds of meters, are all within the bombardment range.

According to Zhu Youxiao's vision, the first stage is to fortify the stronghold, fight dumb battles, and move forward step by step for the camp.If Jiannu came to attack, he would give full play to the strength of the Ming army and inflict serious damage on him.

There are two to three thousand defenders in large strongholds, and more than a thousand troops in small strongholds. Almost all the troops advancing forward are rich in combat experience.

Needless to say, Liao Town and Dongjiang Town have fought against Jiannu many times, and they are the most experienced and stronger; while Deng Town and Jin Town are responsible for stationing the forts in the back, such as Jinzhou, Fuzhou, Tieshan, Yi Prefecture, Zhenjiang, so that more troops in Dongjiang Town can be liberated.

Hou Jin didn't know that the two associations in Dengzhen had been transferred to Liaodong, so that the Dongjiang headquarters had five alliances.If it is really attacked by the Five Banners, the advantage in military strength is not obvious.

And this is not the entire force of Dongjiang Headquarters. Kong Youde led his army eastward and joined forces with Gou Zhenhuai's Zhongxie in Xiuyan City (Xiuyan), completing the strategic deployment of the Ming army of the two major groups in southern Liaoning and Eastern Liaoning.

Kuandian is Mao Chenglu's former association, Fengcheng is Chen Jisheng's later association, Xiuyan is Gou Zhenhuai's middle association, and the three associations in Dongjiang Headquarters are all deployed.

At this time, Chen Jisheng was looking into the distance with a telescope.There were artillerymen measuring distances, digging pits and setting up markers.

As long as Jiannu dared to come, the pre-set heavy oppression of Ming Dynasty would be around a thousand meters away, giving them a head-on blow.

For Fengcheng's defense, Chen Jisheng was extremely confident.Because this place is different from a fortress on the flat ground, but a mountain city.

At that time, Fenghuangshan Mountain City was located at the east foot of Fenghuang Mountain and had a long history.If it was named Black Bone City in the Tang Dynasty, many people who are familiar with history must know that when the Tang army conquered Goguryeo, they fought fiercely here.

The Black Bone City was established in the late Western Han Dynasty. At that time, Goguryeo built many high mountain passes that were easy to defend and difficult to attack in Liaodong. The Black Bone City was one of them, and it was the largest Goguryeo mountain city on the right bank of the Yalu River.

From a bird's-eye view of Black Bone City, it can be seen that the center of the city is low-lying, and the surroundings are high and steep, forming a huge basin.

If you stand at the north gate and look in, you will find that the entire Black Bone City is shaped like an irregular dustpan, surrounded by abrupt peaks and steep rock ridges on three sides.

The mountain city uses the cliffs of the left and right mountains as walls, and wedge-shaped stones are used to build the city walls in the low valleys.A tall and large city wall was built horizontally with earth and rocks at each entrance in the south and west.The city has an outer city and an inner city, and the outer city is built section by section along the ridge, in an oval shape.

In short, the terrain of this mountain city is steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack.Coupled with the trench parapet built under the mountain and the condescending artillery on the mountain, it is no less than Jiancheng and Ningcheng.

2000 people are enough!Chen Jisheng made a judgment with full confidence, and when he was about to put down the binoculars, he saw a large group of cavalry galloping towards them covered in smoke.

Just looking at the banner, Chen Jisheng hurriedly got off the city wall, got on his horse and led his personal guards to greet him.

Not far away, Chen Jisheng met Mao Wenlong, and hurriedly dismounted to salute.

"Marshal, why are you here?" Chen Jisheng was very puzzled and worried, "Our army first occupied Fengcheng, and there may be scattered Jian slaves around..."

Mao Wenlong waved his hand, interrupted Chen Jisheng, and said, "Don't be too polite, go to the city."

A group of people entered Fengcheng, Mao Wenlong did not rest, went to the city to inspect the defense, and finally let go of his heart.

"This city is really steep and strong. With two or three thousand people defending it, it is as solid as gold." Mao Wenlong nodded in praise, and accompanied by Chen Jisheng, he came to a large mansion in the city.

"Marshal Pommel Horse Laidun, just patrolling and defending?" After Chen Jisheng took his seat, he continued to ask in order to clear up his doubts.

Mao Wenlong nodded, pondered for a while, and added: "In addition to patrolling the defense, there are other things..."

To Chen Jisheng, Mao Wenlong didn't hide too much. He wanted to transfer Kong Youde's troops from Xiuyan to Kuandian after inspecting the defense.

"Kong Youde's troops have conducted field battles with Daishan's two red flags, and they are very experienced."

"There are two associations in Kuandian. After handing over the defense, they can attack the Jianzhou Guard."

"Azig is young and energetic, and he has just taken over Zhengbaiqi, so he must be eager to make contributions and establish prestige."

"Jianzhouwei is the farthest from Liaoshen. Jiannu wants to send troops for reinforcements, and it will take some time."

Listening to Mao Wenlong's plan, Chen Jisheng kept nodding his head, thinking that it was very feasible.But he also has some puzzles. He doesn't know why the commander-in-chief is in such a hurry to implement it.

If he was in Mao Wenlong's perspective, he might understand why Mao Wenlong was so eager to attack Jianzhou Wei and make a great contribution first.

After autumn, it was time for Mao Wenlong to secretly go to Beijing for an audience report.Is it just to report the preparations for the counteroffensive in winter and spring next year?Mao Wenlong thought about it a little deeper.

The Battle of Ping-Liao may end next year. Try to look at the achievements of the big counter-offensive, but there is one thing that the court must resolve, and that is the general command of the Liaodong War.

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(End of this chapter)