The military meeting ended in disharmony again. Everyone thought they were right and smart and that they were planning for the Later Jin Dynasty.
Nurhaci still hadn't made a decision. The defeat in Guangning could be attributed to insufficient preparation and poor attack skills, but the disastrous defeat in Ningyuan really shook his confidence.
There was no way. The Later Jin Dynasty was too poor. In the past year, it suffered major defeats in Guangning, Lushun and Ningyuan, and also suffered several minor losses. It was difficult for it to afford the consumption of supplies and personnel.
Of course, the fight still had to happen, and Daishan's words further aroused the old slave's ambition.
The Battle of Sarhu, his most proud victory, was a decisive strategic engagement that turned the tide of the Liaodong conflict. Defeating a larger force with a smaller force, the continuous fighting was truly thrilling. Despite the overwhelming force, the Ming army collapsed and fell into complete defeat.
However, according to the current situation, although the territory occupied was vast, the troops were insufficient, which gave the Ming army an opportunity to harass them. If they took the initiative to attack, they would have to stay away from Liaoshen, which would make the defense even more empty.
According to Daishan, by luring the enemy deep into their territory, the Later Jin could exploit their interior advantages and concentrate their forces to defeat them one by one. Even if this goal could not be achieved, as long as the Ming army was mobilized, the Later Jin would have the opportunity to annihilate the enemy in the field.
Huang Taiji's plan certainly made sense. If he launched an attack when the Ming army was not yet firmly established and had no strong city to rely on, he might be able to win.
But the setback in southern Liaoning made me a little discouraged. What if there was no strong city? The defensive fortifications with dense trenches would still result in casualties and would not be easily broken through.
Moreover, the Ming army's intention was quite obvious: using Dalinghe City as a barrier and Jinzhou as a backstop to establish a solid base, they would then look eastward towards Guangning.
If we want to attack Dalinghe City, it is not enough to just attack from the front. This old slave knows very well.
To cut off the connection between Jinzhou and Dalinghhe, the troops had to be divided into two routes. One route would go south through Yizhou and station between the two cities; the other route would go through Heishan and Guangning to attack Dalinghhe City head-on.
In other words, this was not as simple as Huang Taiji's "attack when there's an opportunity, retreat when there's none." The troops to be mobilized were at least 40,000 to 50,000, and the material consumption was enormous.
Moreover, the Ming court was mobilizing elite troops from the nine frontiers, and it was uncertain when they would come out to fight. Once reinforcements arrived, the troops that separated Jinzhou and Dalinghe City would be attacked from both sides, or even surrounded.
Taking all these into consideration, I decided to wait and see for the time being, and make a decision based on the further developments of the Ming army. Of course, waiting and seeing does not mean doing nothing. We must prepare for battle and be well prepared.
Alas! Huang Taiji, who was outside the house, looked back and sighed helplessly.
Although he felt that his plan was better than Daishan's, Huang Taiji was not completely sure. He just felt that passively waiting was not the solution to the problem.
Wanting to repeat the glory of the Battle of Sarhu, wanting to defeat the enemy one by one, and wanting to win the field battle are all just fantasies. How can it be easy to achieve?
The Ming army was tightening the noose, and tribes from western Liaoning, southern Liaoning, Dongjiang, and even Korea and Mongolia would be eager to take action. If we didn't win a battle, the external environment would become even worse.
The loss of men and horses is certainly heartbreaking, but showing weakness and retreating in this way will probably only make the fence-sitting forces despise the Later Jin even more and want to surrender to the Ming Dynasty even more.
Fan Wencheng walked over, his steps light, as if he was afraid of disturbing the prince's thoughts.
Huang Taiji raised his head, looked at Fan Wencheng, smiled bitterly, and asked, "Mr. Fan, have you made any progress in your research on the Sky-shaking Thunder?"
Fan Wencheng nodded, then shook his head and said, "I am a fool. Although I created the Sky-shaking Bomb, its power is unsatisfactory and far inferior to that of the Ming army."
After a pause, Fan Wencheng smiled bitterly and continued, "Also, if the gunpowder is transported over long distances, there will be problems. I wonder what they are?"
If gunpowder were in powder form, not only would it be less powerful than granules, but the varying weights of its components would cause stratification during bumpy transport, which could lead to a significant reduction in effectiveness or even complete ineffectiveness.
Moreover, it was not until a hundred years later, with the emergence of chemical equations, that the most precise ratio of gunpowder was obtained.
At present, the gunpowder ratio in the West is very close to the most precise proportion. When the Ming Dynasty was learning how to make bird guns, it also imitated the Portuguese gunpowder and gained a lot.
After Zhu Youxiao's improvements, the Ming army's gunpowder formula has become the most scientific and precise, and has surpassed that of the West.
The ancient text Fan Wencheng relied on was the three gunpowder formulas recorded in the Wujing Zongyao (Wujing Zongyao). The Song Dynasty formulas had a sulfur-to-salt ratio of 1:2, or even close to 1:3, similar to a formula where saltpeter accounted for three-quarters of the gunpowder.
But it is only similar. It is neither granulated nor purified. Compared with the gunpowder of the Ming army, its power is naturally quite different.
You should know that the Ming Dynasty kept the formula of gunpowder quite secret. The Korean army was equipped with a lot of bird guns, and some of them were fire guns purchased from Japan, but they always relied on the Ming Dynasty for gunpowder.
The same thing is called gunpowder. Depending on the formula, there are propellants for muskets, explosives for bombs, and spray and combustion gunpowder, etc.
Fan Wencheng didn't even understand the principles of gunpowder combustion and explosion. He only found the best ratio based on the descriptions in a few ancient books, and even wanted to surpass the Ming army. He was really overestimating his abilities.
Books contain beautiful women and golden houses.
Fan Wencheng was a man of talent and well-read. But he simply followed the ideas of feudal society, let alone a thorough understanding of science and technology. He thought it was too simplistic to expect to find the answers in books.
Huang Taiji did not blame him. He pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Fan, don't worry. The records in the book may not be completely correct. Ask more craftsmen and you may get some results."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
