allendalepharm Chapter 1423: Bombarding Shengjing City! (Seeking monthly tickets!)
Chapter 1423: Bombarding Shengjing City! (Seeking monthly tickets!)
Chapter 1423: Bombarding Shengjing City! (Seeking monthly tickets!)
Outside Shengjing City
Xie Zaiyi led the cavalry to the scene and met with Beijing Prince Shui Rong, Hebei Admiral Kang Hong, and Jiangnan Navy Admiral Wei Che. The two met and talked.
"Thank you, Lord." Beijing Prince Shui Rong looked at Xie Zaiyi and said in greeting, "Thank you, Lord, for your hard work along the way."
In addition, Kang Hong and Wei Che looked at Xie Zaiyi and exchanged a few words.
Xie Zaiyi nodded, glanced at the towering city wall behind him with a resolute gaze, and asked, "My Lord, how is the situation in Shengjing City?"
Prince Beijing Shui Rong said: "Just now, Dorgon led the remnants of his defeated army to the city, and General Xiao Jia led the cavalry to pursue them, killing many soldiers."
Then he asked, "How is the situation in Jinzhou?"
Xie Zaiyi had a stern face and sharp eyes. He said in a loud voice, "Since Dorgon's escape, Jinzhou City has been captured by our Beijing Camp Army. The commander is currently in Jinzhou City and will come to Shengjing City soon."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded, his eyes twinkling, and said, "With the combat power of our navy, we dare not attack the city easily, lest we be taken advantage of by the Jurchen cavalry. Lord Xie's arrival is just in time, he can guard the flank of the army and control the Jurchen troops from a distance."
Xie Zaiyi said: "Your Majesty, my army can test the city first, but we should wait until the general leads the army to arrive before launching a general attack."
After exchanging pleasantries, the few of them walked hand in hand towards the central military tent.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong sat down and said, "Thank you, Lord. There are about 100,000 soldiers and horses in the Jurchen city. Among them, more than 30,000 Jurchen bannermen of the Jurchen King Dorgon have entered the city. There are about 70,000 Jurchen Tartar soldiers and horses in the city."
Xie Zaiyi asked, "Previously, the Jurchens had fought several battles, and the fighting power of the Eight Banners elite, which were once so brave and invincible, had been greatly reduced."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong said: "During the previous battle in Liaoyang City, I was able to sense that the Jurchens' fighting power is not as strong as before."
Xie Zaiyi said loudly: "In the next two days, Your Majesty can send troops to try to attack the city and test the defensive strength of the Jurchen troops in Shengjing."
Beijing Prince Shui Rong said: "You can give it a try."
As he spoke, he looked at Kang Hong and Wei Che standing beside him and said loudly, "Generals, we will have to rely on General Kang Hong and General Wei Che to supervise the troops when we attack the city tomorrow."
Kang Hong smiled, cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty."
Wei Che was a much more serious person. He just nodded slightly and didn't say anything else.
This large-scale reinforcement of the Han army was naturally observed by the scouts in Shengjing City, who reported it to the Regent Dorgon without stopping.
It was already night, and the lights were bright. The glowing candlelight cast a burly figure on the glass mica screen.
Dorgon had just woken up, looked up at the dark sky outside the palace, and asked, "What time is it?"
At this moment, the guard standing under the eaves entered the hall and said with a bow, "Your Highness, it is the hour of You."
Dorgon stood up and nodded, catching the guard's hesitant expression, and asked, "Did something happen outside?"
The guard said, "Your Highness, the Han army seems to have increased its troops."
When Dorgon heard this, he was inexplicably startled and asked anxiously, "Have the main forces of the Han army arrived to reinforce them?"
Could it be that Jia Heng has come?
No, even if we capture Jinzhou immediately, we will need time to settle the affairs. It is impossible to do it that quickly.
The guard said, "Your Highness, it is a cavalry unit with about 20,000 men. They are not the main force of the Han army in Beijing. There is a word 'Thank you' on their flag."
Dorgon frowned slightly, his face was calm, and he almost gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you Zaiyi!"
Xie Zaiyi is a first-class loyal and diligent marquis of the Han Dynasty. He has followed that Jia Heng kid in battles over the years, so he is not easy to deal with.
However, since the main force of the Han army had not arrived, there was no need to worry too much. Dorgon could not help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief and ordered: "Gather all the princes and ministers to the Xiande Hall to talk. I want to discuss the military situation."
The guard replied with a "yes" and turned to leave to pass on the message.
Dorgon took a deep breath, stared at the dark and blurry night outside, and walked out with slightly heavy steps.
Xiande Hall
At this moment, the octagonal palace lanterns were swaying in the wind under the eaves. As the summer evening breeze blew gently, the octagonal lanterns released circles of orange light. Guards wearing heavy armor walked back and forth in the palace. The sound of the armor leaves colliding was particularly clear in the quiet summer night.
In the grass on the stone steps not far in front of the temple, crickets seemed to be chirping.
Dorgon sat on the embroidered cushion beside the imperial chair and waited for a while. As the eunuchs outside the hall called out their names, he saw many Jurchen princes and nobles enter the hall.
By the light of a crane-shaped palace lantern on the pillar in the hall, it can be seen that they are none other than Lekedehun, Shuosai, Husai and other Jurchen princes and nobles.
"Greetings, the Regent." The Jurchen princes and nobles below spoke up.
Dorgon said: "Gentlemen, please stand up. The country is in crisis now, so don't be too formal."
The Jurchen princes and nobles below also felt the heavy atmosphere of impending storm.
Dorgon raised his eyes and looked at them, saying, "Just now the guards reported that the Han army has sent more troops, and this time it is Han Ting Xie Zaiyi who leads the troops personally."
Lekedehun raised his head and said confidently: "Regent, I think that once Xie Zaiyi arrives, the Han army will probably try to attack the city tomorrow."
Dorgon looked surprised under his thick eyebrows and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Lekedehun explained: "The Han army had been surrounding but not attacking before. On the one hand, their forces were similar to those in Shengjing, and they also needed to guard the camp to prevent a surprise attack from our army. Even so, in the past few days, our cavalry went out of the city and harassed the Han army's food supply several times, causing considerable trouble for the Han army."
Compared with Shuose and Husai, who are younger and have less experience in wars, Lekedehun, the Prince of Shuncheng, is much more resourceful.
Dorgon looked solemn and said, "Prince Shuncheng is right. The Han army should think they have a backing and will attack the city in a big way."
Dorgon frowned, thought for a moment, and ordered: "Prepare more weapons and food in the next few days to give the Han army a head-on blow."
Lekedehun nodded and bowed in response.
Shuo Sai and Hu Sai, who were not far away, also bowed and agreed.
Dorgon asked: "When the main force of the Han army arrives, what strategy do we have to defeat the enemy?"
Lekedehun thought for a moment and said, "There is no other way now. We can only hold on to the city and wait for the morale of the Han army to collapse. In general, in a war to destroy a country, the soldiers besiege the capital, which is always protracted. As long as we can survive until the winter month, we will have a chance of turning around."
Upon hearing this, Dorgon paused and sighed.
This is almost identical to what he said before.
Shuo Sai said, "Fourteenth Uncle, I think we should focus on attacking the Han army's food supply route. The Han army has mobilized a large number of troops, and the food, fodder, weapons and other military supplies are extremely expensive, and the logistics can only be transported from inside the pass. As long as I send a cavalry to attack the Han army's food supply route from afar, the Han army will undoubtedly be in a worse situation in the winter."
Dorgon said: "My army is trapped in Shengjing City, how can we harass the Han army?"
Hu Sai added: "We still need Man Dahai's military support."
Dorgon looked thoughtful and asked aloud, "Did you send him a letter by carrier pigeon before?"
Lekedehun said: "The pigeon has been delivered, but no reply has been received yet."
Dorgon said: "First, prepare the weapons and defense equipment on the city wall, and raise military supplies and fodder. The rest can be discussed later."
Several people handed over their hands.
……
……
next day
The golden rooster crows at dawn, the morning light is just beginning to appear, and the dew on the green grass is rolling in the sunlight.
Meanwhile, there was movement in the Beijing camp. The Jiangnan navy, Hebei border troops, and Beijing camp cavalry, after resting, left the military tents in a mighty force and attacked Shengjing City.
At this moment, Dorgon, Lekedehun, Shuosai and Husai were observing the movements of the Han army on the top of the city.
Compared with Ningyuan City, Jinzhou City and Shengjing City, it is 20 to 30 feet high and its walls are 30 feet thick. It was expanded on the basis of the original Shenyang Citadel. It can be said that although artillery bombardment was not considered at the beginning, as the capital of the Jurchens, naturally all the good materials were used.
Dorgon looked solemn and said, "The Han Jiangnan Navy brought a lot of red cannons this time. These are powerful military weapons for attacking cities and capturing strongholds."
The previous Jinzhou City and Ningyuan City were in such a state of ruin, and of course there were tunnels dug and explosives buried under the city walls.
"Uncle Fourteenth, we also have them on the city wall." Husai said.
Lekedehun frowned, nodded, and said, "The two red-coated cannons are different. The Han cannon can shoot farther."
Dorgon also sighed.
If this happened in later generations, it would actually be a generational gap in military technology.
Shuo Sai said: "The Han army does not have many soldiers. If our army marches out of the city and fights the Han army, we may be able to defeat their navy. At that time, we can take advantage of the situation and defeat the Han army first."
"It was possible before, but now the Han people seem to have increased their troops. Even if our army leaves the city, it will be difficult for it to achieve anything." Lekedehun said with a serious expression.
Under Dorgon's thick black eyebrows, a solemn look appeared in his tiger eyes, and he said, "Look, the Han army is attacking the city."
Five miles away, in the Han army's camp tent, the camp gate was wide open, and cavalrymen were seen galloping on their horses. A large number of cavalry soldiers formed a majestic and mighty military formation and marched out of the camp in a mighty manner.
The flags fluttered in the wind, and the black and red satin flags looked like balls of flame at this moment.
"Dong dong..."
At this moment, the sound of the cowhide drums was as dense as raindrops, bang bang, and exciting.
A large number of Han soldiers poured out, carrying ladders and pushing a battering ram carrying a log, and headed towards the city wall.
The red cannons, transported by mule and horse carts, gradually approached the city wall, but stopped three miles away.
This is exactly the range limit of the cannons on the Jurchen city walls.
But this is obviously not the range limit of the Han army's red cannon.
As the pale yellow command flags waved down, a rumbling sound was heard, and black cannon barrels spewed out billowing smoke, and then, one shell after another landed on the top of the city wall.
Bombard Shengjing City!
At this moment, the Jurchens' artillery and guns also fired back at the Han army frantically, but because the range was not far enough, the shells only landed on the attacking Han army.
"boom……"
As the shells exploded, many Han soldiers were blown away on the spot and fell to the ground with a groan.
The shooters of the Han army's cannons were judging the angles of the cannons' fire and estimating the positions of the cannons on the city walls.
After some measurements, he adjusted the angle of the cannon and fired at the corner towers on all four sides of the city gate.
"boom……"
Along with the explosions of cannons and guns, the artillery positions built by the Jurchens were also blown up by the intensive firepower output of the Han army.
Without the threat of Jurchen artillery and guns, a large number of Han troops stared at the sporadic rain of arrows, carried ladders, and quickly approached the city wall.
Then, accompanied by shouts and cries that resounded through the sky, a large number of Han troops carried ladders and began to climb up the city.
"Dangdang..."
Accompanied by the sound of weapons clashing and bursts of fighting, the Han army and the Eight Banners soldiers, armed with weapons, quickly engaged in combat.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong and Hebei Governor Kang Hong were riding their war horses below, watching the battle with a monocular telescope in their hands.
At this moment, the Han army climbed up to the top of the city wall in a large number, and rolling logs and thunder stones were thrown down from the top of the city wall, hitting the Han soldiers below.
Suddenly, screams were heard from below, making people's hearts shudder.
The siege lasted from early morning to afternoon. Although the Han army rushed to the top of the city several times, they were unable to gain a foothold and were driven off the city by a large number of Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers.
"Dangdang..."
As the sound of the gong sounded, a large number of Han soldiers retreated like a tide.
At this moment, Xie Zaiyi was wearing a black robe and armor, riding on a horse with black mane. The young Wu Hou sitting upright on the saddle was observing the offensive and defensive situation on the top of the city.
After the previous offensive and defensive battles, Xie Zaiyi had already roughly seen the strength of the Jurchens' defense.
At this moment, a knight in armor came riding fast, looked at Xie Zaiyi, and said, "General Xie, Prince Beijing wants you to come over to discuss military affairs."
Xie Zaiyi replied with a "yes", took the reins, rode away towards the central army tent.
At this moment, everyone gathered in the central military tent.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong sat on a pearwood chair with a backrest. Not far away sat Hebei Governor Kang Hong and Jiangnan Navy Governor Wei Che.
Jia Fang also sat down on a chair not far below, but a thoughtful look appeared on the young general's face.
Xie Zaiyi strode into the military tent with his head held high, his face solemn, and clasped his fists towards Beijing Prince Shui Rong and said, "Your Majesty."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded and said loudly: "Today's battle has come to an end. Lord Xie, what do you think of the Jurchens' defense of the city?"
Xie Zaiyi's face was solemn, and he said: "The Jurchens share the same hatred and are united in defending the city today. They are all elite troops."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong looked at Xie Zaiyi and said, "Yes, today our Han army is indeed inferior in combat power."
Of course, this was also because the Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers guarded the Shengjing capital more diligently.
Xie Zaiyi said: "We will attack the city for another day tomorrow to see how the guards of Shengjing City are deployed."
Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded and said, "Just follow Lord Xie's wishes."
Just like that, the two sides finalized the matter, and Xie Zaiyi returned to the military tent to rest and did not mention it again.
The next day, the sky was bright and golden rays of morning sunlight shone on the vast grassland. In the distance, white military tents could be seen standing in the grass, like white clouds in the blue sky.
The Han army launched a new attack. A large number of Han soldiers left the camp gate and attacked the towering Shengjing City.
"Dong dong..."
As the sound of cowhide drums rang out like raindrops, the Han army, dressed in mandarin duck-red uniforms, almost burned towards the city like balls of flame.
Rumble…
One after another, the red cannons bombarded the city walls, and the shells exploded in an instant.
This time, the Jurchen soldiers were undoubtedly more skilled on the city wall. They lay on the wall and avoided the artillery shells.
This move undoubtedly reduced casualties.
But soon, one black bomb after another fell on the city wall, and the flying iron nails shot out and hit many Jurchen soldiers who were lying on the ground.
Today's defense of the city is undoubtedly more intense than yesterday.
……
……
(End of this chapter)