roccoschili Chapter 104 Zhang Fengyi, the Shrinking Governor
Chapter 104 Zhang Fengyi, the Shrinking Governor
Chapter 105 Zhang Fengyi, the Shrinking Governor
Chapter 104 "Sir."
Su Mei appeared behind Chen Ying at some point and said softly, "You should also get some rest. Starting tomorrow, you probably won't get any sleep."
"No, from now on I will sleep very soundly!"
Chen Ying smiled faintly and said, "It's Nurhaci who's having trouble sleeping right now!"
"ah----"
Chen Ying smiled faintly and said, "Tell me, why did Nurhaci lead an army of hundreds of thousands to attack our Shuangchengwei City?"
"this----"
"That's because he's scared!"
Chen Ying gazed at the dark night sky to the north and murmured, "If he were truly confident of victory, he could have easily sent a mere Beile (prince) leading a banner of Jurchens, along with a few thousand Mongol cavalry and Han soldiers. But instead, he led an army of over a hundred thousand, because he feared he couldn't defeat me!"
Chen Ying was not confident before, but now he is, because he has more than 15,000 catties of granular gunpowder and the left, right, front and rear guards of Xingzhou.
These four garrison posts were different from most other garrisons because they belonged to the Daning Commandery, which was essentially the blood bank for the Liaodong army, constantly supplying Liaodong with resources.
During the war, these four military households were all selected to fight alongside the army. Countless veterans participated in the battles of Liaoyang, Hunhe, and Xipingbao.
The Ming Dynasty did not lack capable soldiers, but rather a system of incentives. In fact, Chen Ying had already tested this in actual combat. The Shahe New Army, which he formed from the military households of Xingzhou Zhongtunwei, had not been trained for long, but they did not collapse when faced with the fierce attack of the four banners of the right wing of the Jurchens.
Even though the casualty rate had reached nearly 35%, the Shahe New Army still persisted in fighting. With the Xingzhou Central Garrison as their backbone, the military households of the Xingzhou Left and Right Garrisons and the Xingzhou Front and Rear Garrisons did not need any training. They were simply brought up, equipped, and given the same treatment as the military households of the Xingzhou Central Garrison, and they were ready to fight.
More importantly, Chen Ying did not intend to annihilate Nurhaci's hundreds of thousands of troops on his own. He only wanted to defend the city, which would be a great achievement.
Su Mei asked with a worried expression, "My lord, do you think we can hold out?"
Chen Ying was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Su Mei, have you forgotten? I am the kind of person who can annihilate six thousand elite soldiers of the Solon tribe. No matter how powerful the Jurchens are, they are only two arms and two legs. How much stronger can they be than the Solons?"
Moreover, Nurhaci himself has come this time, bringing all his possessions. If he loses this battle, he will be homeless!
Chen Ying believed that Sun Chengzong must have received news that Nurhaci had mobilized the entire nation's army to advance eastward, leaving Liaoyang and Shenyang extremely vulnerable. The distance from Jinzhou to Liaoyang was only a little over two hundred kilometers, or about four hundred li.
If Sun Chengzong failed to seize this opportunity, it means that the Ming Dynasty was really unlucky.
Even if he ultimately fails to hold out, he can still lead these two or three hundred thousand Ming soldiers and civilians to relocate directly to Sakhalin Island. Sakhalin Island is very large; it can easily support not only two or three hundred thousand people, but even two or three million.
It's only about 600 kilometers from Yongning Port to Sakhalin Island, and there's still a chance.
Thinking of this, Chen Ying said, "Before considering victory, consider defeat. Su Mei, I'm giving you a crucial task!"
"Please give your orders, sir!"
"This is our foundation. If we can't hold onto it, we'll lose everything."
Chen Ying pointed to the map on the wall behind him and said, "This is Sakhalin Island. If the war goes badly, you will lead the two to three hundred thousand military households from the four garrisons of Xingzhou here to settle down temporarily. Relocate the military households and their ships. Keep them here; if they want silver, give them whatever it takes. This is our escape route!"
"I believe the adults will ultimately win!"
Su Mei's eyes gleamed in the night: "If you win, my lord, Nurgan will belong to the Ming Dynasty. You can cultivate as much land as you want, and raise as many soldiers as you want. The people of those tribes will follow you wholeheartedly. When that time comes, we really won't have to be afraid of the Jurchens if they come again."
Chen Ying remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding: "You're right."
But he had no choice but to fight.
On December 16th of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, the vanguard of the Jurchens arrived at the foot of Shuangchengwei City.
Chen Ying stood on the city wall, looking at the vast army of the Jurchens to the north. The army stretched as far as the eye could see, densely packed and extending for miles. This marching column trudged through the snow and came in a mighty procession.
Zhou Bin stood behind Chen Ying, his body trembling involuntarily, whether from the cold or from fear, and of course, the sound of his teeth chattering could be heard from the city wall.
"Princess————"
Chen Ying retorted irritably, "What are you afraid of? I'm not afraid at all. Are your lives more precious than mine?"
Upon hearing Chen Ying's words, the soldiers gradually calmed down.
North of Shuangchengwei City, the original camp where the Solon tribe had once been stationed was effectively utilized by the Jurchens. Instead of launching an immediate attack, the Jurchens quickly set up camp.
The weather was so cold that Chen Ying had only stood on the city wall for less than half an hour before his body slowly lost sensation. The Jurchens, riding on horseback and marching through the wind and snow, must have been freezing to death.
Many people believe that nomadic peoples are more resistant to the cold. In fact, this is a complete lie. Apart from the Inuit, Han Chinese and other ethnic groups live in temperate climates and do not have the innate physiological characteristics of cold resistance like the Inuit.
However, they must suffer more in the wild.
"My lord, the Jurchens probably number more than 100,000, don't they?"
"It's definitely more than 100,000!"
Chen Ying smiled faintly and said, "War is never about numbers. If having more people guaranteed victory, our Great Ming could field an army of over a million, making us invincible!"
"But----"
Chen Ying said calmly, "There's no 'but' about it!"
In the newly erected Khan's tent in the north of the city, a brazier was burning. Nurhaci took off his boots and placed his feet, which were almost numb from the cold, on the brazier to warm them.
The tent was instantly filled with a pungent smell, but the princes and officials around them all pretended to have rhinitis and did not smell it.
Nurhaci looked at Bao Chengxian, who was hiding behind the crowd, and said, "Vice General Bao, go and persuade them to surrender!"
Bao Chengxian came from a military family, with hereditary military positions. During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, he rose through the ranks to become the garrison commander of Limin Fort in Shanxi Province. In 1614, he received commendation from Wu Rendu, the governor of Shanxi. Later, he was transferred to the position of guerrilla commander of Dezhou in Jizhou. In August 1617, he was transferred to the position of deputy commander of the Second Eastern Battalion in the capital. In 1620, the first year of the Taichang era (the fifth year of the Tianming era of the Later Jin Dynasty), he was appointed as the deputy commander of the Eastern Second Battalion in the capital.
In October, before leaving office, Xiong Tingbi, the Liaodong military commissioner, wrote a letter praising the generals, and Bao Chengxian was awarded the title of Vice Commander-in-Chief.
As a second-rank military officer, Bao Chengxian had been a second-rank official like Chen Ying four years earlier. Unfortunately, he surrendered to the Jurchens during the Battle of Xipingbao and became the Jurchen deputy commander-in-chief.
Bao Chengxian was unwilling to persuade him to surrender, knowing that he had no personal relationship with Chen Boying and was afraid that Chen Boying would shoot him dead or capture him.
If he is captured, he will surely be executed by slow slicing.
"snort!"
"Yes, sir!"
"You are not a Manchu, so you don't need to call yourself a slave!"
Nurhaci actually looked down on Ming generals like Bao Chengxian. The only one he could respect was Li Yongfang. Li Yongfang was originally a Ming guerrilla who surrendered to Nurhaci in 1618. He was the first Ming general to surrender to the Later Jin. He was appointed as a third-class deputy general and married the daughter of Beile Abatai. Later, he followed Nurhaci in his campaign against the Ming and was appointed as a third-class general.
Because Nurhaci had known Li Yongfang for many years and recognized Li Yongfang's abilities, he considered Bao Chengxian to be a cowardly and useless person.
Bao Chengxian wanted to be Nurhaci's dog, but Nurhaci didn't even think much of him.
Bao Chengxian, a dignified second-rank military commander of the Ming Dynasty, was now forced to act as an envoy for the Jurchens. What was even more pathetic was that he didn't even have the right to call himself a slave. Nurhaci's words were more painful than a slap in the face.
"You are not a Manchu, so you don't need to call yourself a slave."
These words were extremely hurtful, and the meaning couldn't be clearer: You, Bao Chengxian, are not even worthy to be my servant.
Bao Chengxian gritted his teeth and spurred his horse forward.
At Shuangcheng Fortress, the soldiers at the five watchtowers outside the city had already spotted Bao Chengxian and shouted from a distance of an arrow's length, "Halt! Who goes there?"
Bao Chengxian reined in his horse: "Your humble servant Bao Chengxian, by order of the Khan, requests an audience with Commander Chen!"
"Just wait!"
Bao Chengxian stood there in the cold wind for a full quarter of an hour, until he was so cold that he almost fell off his horse. Finally, the city gate slowly opened a crack, and several armored soldiers filed out and surrounded him.
"Come with us."
Bao Chengxian was taken to the city wall, where a ridiculously young general seemed not to see him at all. Bao Chengxian stood there, unable to move forward or backward.
"Kneel down!"
Chen Ying never had any goodwill towards traitors like Bao Chengxian.
Bao Chengxian did not want to kneel, but two soldiers forced him to kneel on the ground.
"What? You can kneel before Nurhaci, but not before me?"
Chen Ying was well aware that Nurhaci wanted to take Shuangchengwei City without a fight, and Chen Ying also needed time to transport the military households of Xingzhou Situnwei, 15,000 catties of gunpowder, and a large amount of equipment to Shuangchengwei.
Bao Chengxian's face stiffened.
Chen Ying said calmly, "Speak, what did Nurhaci send you here for?"
Bao Chengxian took a deep breath, suppressing his fear: "General Chen, the Khan sent me to deliver a message: if you hand over Hamutai and his people, the Khan will withdraw his troops and forgive any past transgressions. Otherwise, once the city falls, not a single one will be spared."
After listening, Chen Ying suddenly laughed: "General Bao, look, Nurhaci brought over a hundred thousand men, a formidable force. But do you know what? He's actually afraid of me. He's afraid of my firearms, afraid of those deadly grenades, but what he's most afraid of is time. How much food do over a hundred thousand people need each day? In this freezing weather, how many days can the provisions last? Can they afford to wait?"
Bao Chengxian was startled.
He suddenly realized that this young man was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
Chen Ying suddenly raised his voice and said, "Brothers, come and take a look! This is the Vice Commander of the Five Armies of the Ming Dynasty, a high-ranking official of the second rank!"
Bao Chengxian realized something was wrong, and sure enough, Chen Ying took out a pistol from his sleeve and pointed it at Bao Chengxian's head: "Only a dead traitor is a good traitor."
"Bang bang bang bang——"
Without hesitation, Chen Ying fired six bullets at close range into Bao Chengxian's body before Bao Chengxian could react. Of course, all of these bullets hit Bao Chengxian's limbs, not vital areas.
"Treat his wounds, send him to the capital, and have His Majesty execute him by slow slicing!"
Nurhaci, seeing the gunshots ringing out from the city wall, showed no surprise. Instead, he calmly said, "He wants to provoke me, using a Han dog—haha, pass down the order for an extra meal tonight!"
Jinzhou, the Jiliao Military Governor's Office.
Sun Chengzong stood with his hands behind his back before the map, his brows furrowed. A cold wind howled outside the window, and the charcoal fire burned brightly inside, yet it could not dispel the gloom in his eyes.
Ma Shilong strode in, clutching a newly delivered secret report, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "Your Excellency! A secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard—that old bastard Nurhaci has indeed led the main force of the Eight Banners eastward! Now Shen—"
Yangyang is empty, and Liaoyang only has 1,500 Jurchens and 6,000 Han soldiers! This is a golden opportunity!
Sun Chengzong took the secret report, read it carefully, but his brow remained furrowed: "Is the information reliable?"
"reliable!"
Ma Shilong patted his chest and said, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard's spies in Shenyang risked their lives to deliver this, along with detailed information on the mobilization of the various banners of the Jurchens. The main force of the Eight Banners, plus the Mongol Khorchin and Inner Khalkha tribes, totaling at least seventy or eighty thousand men, have all followed Nurhaci!"
He pointed to Liaoyang on the map and said, "Your Excellency, when the Jurchens breached Liaoyang, they used water to breach a large section of the western city wall, which remains unrepaired to this day. We only need to lead 10,000 elite troops, sneak to the city at night, and charge through the breach. Those 1,500 Jurchens won't be enough. Once we take Liaoyang, Shenyang will be isolated, and the Jurchens' stronghold will be destroyed!" Sun Chengzong remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Shilong, have you considered why Nurhaci would mobilize all his forces at this time?"
Ma Shilong was taken aback: "This—I heard it's to fight Chen Boying. Chen Boying caused too much trouble in Shuangchengwei, killed Yue, and subdued the Haixi and Yeren Jurchen tribes. The Jurchens can't sit still anymore."
"right."
Sun Chengzong nodded: "That's precisely why we need to be even more careful. Nurhaci isn't a fool. Chen Boying only has seven thousand Shahe New Army soldiers. After the bloody battle with the four banners of the Jurchen right wing, how many troops does Chen Boying have left?"
"It is said that more than half of the Shahe New Army was killed in action, with casualties exceeding two-thirds!"
"That's right. Chen Boying only has a few thousand men. Do we really need to use all the elite troops of the Eight Banners to deal with him?"
"this----"
Ma Shilong also realized that something was wrong. It was indeed as Sun Chengzong said. Chen Boying did not have enough troops. Even though he became the commander of the Da Ning Commandery and controlled the four guards of Xingzhou transferred by the Ministry of War, plus Shahe itself, he only had five guards. In addition, with the two garrison posts of Dalu Island and Shahe, he had no more than 30,000 men.
Even if Chen Boying had 30,000 men, more than 20,000 of them were untrained soldiers. What kind of fighting power did they have? Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
"Does Your Excellency mean this is a trick by Nurhaci?"
Sun Chengzong nodded and said, "Very likely. He dared to send out his entire force; he must have something to rely on. What if he left a backup plan in Liaoyang—"
"Could it be that Nurhaci is using a trick?"
Sun Chengzong said calmly, "Whether he used a scheme or not, I don't know, but he definitely had something on his mind!"
Just then, an announcement came from outside the door: "Governor Zhang of Liaodong requests an audience!"
Sun Chengzong and Ma Shilong exchanged a glance and frowned simultaneously.
Zhang Fengyi, the governor of Liaodong, had long disagreed with Sun Chengzong. He advocated for holding the Guan-Ning defense line and opposed taking the initiative to attack, and was often ridiculed by Ma Shilong as a "cowardly governor".
A moment later, Zhang Fengyi strode in, followed by two advisors. As soon as he entered, he went straight to the point: "Your Excellency, I've heard that the General intends to send troops to Liaoyang? This is absolutely unacceptable!"
Ma Shilong's face darkened: "Why not?"
Zhang Fengyi stroked his beard and said slowly, "Although the Jurchens have sent out their entire force, their elite troops are still intact. If we march on Liaoyang and Nurhaci suddenly turns back to ambush us halfway, wouldn't our army be in grave danger? Furthermore, although Liaoyang has fallen, the Jurchens have been building it up for many years; how could they take it so easily? General, don't let short-term gains cloud your judgment."
Ma Shilong sneered: "Governor Zhang, are you just going to watch the opportunity slip away? Chen Boying, with only 7,000 new recruits, routed the Jurchen right wing four banners and killed Yue in battle. We have tens of thousands of elite troops; are we really inferior to a mere garrison commander?"
Zhang Fengyi's face stiffened, and then he said, "Chen Boying was lucky! The Jurchens underestimated us, and he also had the advantage of terrain."
Now that Nurhaci has personally led the attack, it's uncertain whether Chen Boying can hold out. What if he's defeated and Nurhaci retreats to Liaoxi?
Zhang Fengyi lived up to his reputation as a cowardly governor, demonstrating a resolute anti-war stance.
Sun Chengzong originally did not agree with Ma Shilong's decision to send troops to Liaoyang, but the problem was that Zhang Fengyi was now against it. If he agreed with Zhang Fengyi's opinion, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat to him.
"That's enough!"
Sun Chengzong said with a deep gaze, "Shilong, you're right, we must seize this opportunity."
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