Is it true this time?
Huang Taiji's expression was a little complicated. He realized that his father Khan was looking at him, waiting for him to express his analysis and judgment, but he really didn't dare to make a conclusion easily.
The "Da Ming Forum" newspaper that I just received published the news that the Ming court mobilized elite troops from the nine borders to go to Liaodong in order to pacify Liaodong in one fell swoop.
It was this kind of false news last time that made the Later Jin side nervous and alert, and affected the defense of the border areas and the response to the Ming army's occupation of Guangning.
But later it was discovered that there was no such thing as elite troops from the nine borders entering Liao. It was completely a false rumor spread by the Ming court just to make mistakes in the military deployment of the Later Jin.
Now that the news has been released again, the Later Jin still dare not easily judge its authenticity. The reason is simple: under the situation where the Ming army is pressing hard on several fronts, there is no time or room for the Later Jin to correct its mistakes and react.
In history, the Later Jin Dynasty also implemented a contraction strategy, but at that time the Ming army in western Liaoning could only push as far as Jinzhou and Dalinghhe. The cities of Jinzhou and Dalinghhe, which cost countless money and manpower to build, were destroyed several times by the Later Jin troops.
At that time, the Ming army in Pi Island on the Dongjiang River and Lushun in southern Liaoning could not pose a major threat as it does now due to its lack of manpower and equipment, and was constantly advancing.
Why did Nurhaci attach so much importance to the Ming army's reinforcement of Liaodong? Firstly, the strength of the Jiannu had suffered considerable losses in the past two or three years. Secondly, facing the Ming army's relentless advance, Nurhaci wanted to concentrate his forces to launch a short assault.
Including Huang Taiji, they also agreed to launch a counterattack 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 three banners in Liaoshen, and to join forces with the two banners protecting Jianzhou Guard to attack Fengcheng from both sides. If the attack was successful, the army would then turn to Kuandian and capture the Ming forts one by one.
In terms of military strength, the Five Banners had the advantage. With the help of the speed of the cavalry and the secrecy of the news of the deployment, they should be able to buy time and prevent other Ming troops from launching support.
However, the news that the elite troops of the Nine Frontiers had entered Liao cast a shadow over this quick attack. Moreover, some generals of the Later Jin believed that a quick attack would be difficult to succeed.
After several setbacks, many generals of the Later Jin Dynasty were very afraid of attacking the defensive fortifications of trenches, breastworks and wooden stakes, or they had psychological trauma.
Such fortifications, unlike city walls, could be quickly constructed and supported by firearms and artillery. The Later Jin generals believed that even if they could quickly attack and isolate and encircle the Ming strongholds, it would still be a series of sieges and attrition battles.
The pressure from the Ming army in Liaozhen and southern Liaoning would not give the Later Jin army time to hold a long-term siege. They would definitely take advantage of the emptiness of Liaoning to launch an action.
Moreover, it was still hot, not the season the Later Jin army was used to fighting in. Don't underestimate the season; in ancient times, fighting on hot days would lead to a large number of casualties, which could easily lead to the spread of plague.
Therefore, looking at the military operations of the Jiannu, they were usually carried out in the cooler seasons of autumn, winter and spring, and the best time was winter when the rivers were frozen.
Historically, the attack on Jinzhou took place in the summer, but the troops had to retreat due to the long siege and the outbreak of plague.
Nurhaci also knew that the season was not suitable for deploying troops, but if he waited until the weather cooled down, the situation would probably become even worse and it would be too late.
"Father Khan, I think the Ming court is still bluffing." Huang Taiji pondered for a long time and finally expressed his judgment. "A large-scale mobilization of troops will take time to complete. The weather is extremely hot, and it will have a great impact on the war horses..."
As the saying goes: "Autumn brings fat horses." This is true to a certain extent. When horses are strong and healthy, they are suitable for marching and fighting.
Nurhaci listened to Huang Taiji's analysis, nodded slightly, and then asked: "The Ming navy must be guarded against. Do you have any ideas?"
Huang Taiji gave a wry smile and said, "Perhaps we could drop wooden stakes in the river to block the enemy ships. I don't know how effective that would be."
It's not a mine. Can the impact of the wooden stakes destroy the ship? I'm afraid it can only serve as a hindrance.
Nurhaci sighed inwardly at this, knowing that there was nothing he could do about it.
Thinking that Haizhou Wei and Liaoyang were under pressure from the Ming army on both sides, thinking that the Ming army navy might be able to reach Shenyang directly, and thinking of the Ming army's defensive advantage, Nurhaci's determination to launch a quick assault was somewhat shaken.
The Ming army's fortifications and powerful firearms were certainly terrifying, but what made Nurhaci and others feel most difficult and even desperate was the Ming army's increasingly strong fighting will.
Even if there were only 2,000 Ming troops defending a stronghold, and they fought to the death, the Later Jin army would probably suffer at least the same number of casualties. Given the Later Jin's population, how many such "victories" could they withstand?
"Has there been any breakthrough in the equipment supervised by Fan Wencheng?" Nurhaci asked Huang Taiji with his last hope.
Huang Taiji bowed and replied, "We have built quite a few shield carts and trench bridges, all of which are of the original design. No newer or more powerful equipment has been created."
Just relying on shield carts and trench bridges—Nurhaci shook his head slightly and said, "Let's end the military meeting here today. Go back and think about it carefully, and continue tomorrow."
Seeing that Nurhaci did not make a decision immediately, many high-ranking officials of the Later Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They were all against launching the war and could be called conservative and weak.
Huang Taiji and other pro-war factions did not raise any objections. At least there was some improvement in solving the harassment of the Ming navy or in the ability to attack strongholds. They were not very optimistic about taking the initiative to attack.
The military meeting once again ended in failure. Whether it was Nurhaci or Huang Taiji and others, they all felt a gloom hanging over their hearts.
At this point in the war, strategy no longer played a decisive role. Troop strength, weaponry, food, and supplies were becoming increasingly crucial to victory or defeat.
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