In fact, including Tong Yangxing, and even Nurhaci and others, all had the mentality of standing firm and waiting for change.
To say it was passive wasn't entirely accurate, as past events had provided ample evidence that this was a good approach.
For example, the ups and downs of Xiong Tingbi, the shortage of food and wages for the Ming army in Liaodong, and the loopholes and flaws caused by the discord between generals.
Without these changes, the Later Jin would not have achieved such great results and gained the upper hand in the battle for Liaodong.
In battles like the Battle of Sarhu, the Liaoshen Campaign, and the first half of the Guangning Campaign, the Ming Dynasty made mistakes in personnel and logistics, which gave the Later Jin Dynasty the opportunity to seize.
When Xiong Tingbi was reinstated for the first time, he deployed troops and strengthened defense, leaving the Later Jin with no opportunity to take advantage and forcing them to retreat.
From the defeat in the Battle of Guangning to the present, the Ming Dynasty's arrangements have been quite brilliant, but more than two years have passed, which is a long time, and it's time for some changes.
Even if the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was just impatient and wanted to end the war as soon as possible, it would inevitably be reflected in the actions of the Ming army.
A rapid attack by the Ming army was exactly what the Jiannu wanted. However, a cautious and steady advance was a headache for the Jiannu, and they considered it the most difficult to deal with.
The next best option would be to take advantage of the strong city defenses at Haizhou or other strategic locations, launch a defensive counterattack, and defeat the Ming army. Perhaps a victory would cause the Ming emperor to misjudge the situation or cause a change in the Ming court.
In short, the Later Jin had to adopt a somewhat passive fighting style, which was also caused by a combination of various factors, including manpower, food and supplies, and the instability of the ruled area.
But the Jiannu obviously did not know how stable the Ming emperor was, and they did not know that there was not much difference between waiting for changes and sitting back and waiting for death.
Nurhaci and Tong Yangxing thought that their deployment in Haizhou was the strongest. Although not impregnable, it could at least hold off the Ming army for more than half a month.
When the Ming army has been stationed under the fortified city for a long time and their men and horses are exhausted, we can send out a quick cavalry counterattack and victory will be expected.
The calculations were good and the judgment was accurate. The Ming army was indeed preparing to attack Haizhou and take control of all four guards in southern Liaoning, thus gaining a more favorable strategic position for the major counterattack.
At this time, the Gaizhou City was on high alert, and the generals and soldiers were all wearing bright armor. Even if they were sweating, they did not dare to slack off.
In the past half month, two mixed brigades led by Zu Dashou and Zhu Mei have been transferred from western Liaoning and stationed in Niangniang Palace, Liangfangkou Pass and Pingshan respectively.
Together with Zhang Pan's mixed brigade, the newly formed Panshi mixed brigade, and the troops of Jin Guofeng and Huang Long from Liaozhen who had moved to southern Liaoning earlier, the Ming army south of Haizhou had reached a strength of six mixed brigades.
With such a large-scale mobilization of troops, everyone knew that a major battle was imminent. The target, needless to say, was Haizhou, Liaoyang's first outer barrier.
But not many people knew the exact plan of action, and could only guess. Today was the day to officially reveal it.
Xiong Tingbi walked down the gangway. Although he was not wearing any helmet or armor, he was tall, had a full beard, and was wearing the imperial Feiyu suit. He looked around with a dignified look without even being angry.
"This humble general greets Lord Xiong."
Zhang Keda, Zhang Pan, Huang Long, Zu Dashou and others knelt on one knee and greeted in unison.
Xiong Tingbi nodded and said in a deep voice, "Well done, generals, please stand up."
After everyone stood up, Xiong Tingbi glanced around, smiled slightly, and said, "I am very grateful for your welcome. Now we will go into the city to discuss matters. Please don't stand in the sun."
"I obey your command." Everyone bowed again.
Xiong Tingbi mounted his horse and, surrounded by his generals, went straight into the city and came to a large mansion, which was the headquarters.
Western Liaoning used the Guangning area as a barrier and defense line, and built a solid defense using forts and Guangning City, and was basically not afraid of attacks from the Jiannu.
Therefore, after consulting with the emperor, Xiong Tingbi appointed He Kegang and other generals as commanders, with the two corps responsible for the defense of Guangning. He also transferred the four mixed corps to southern Liaoning, and the military focus also changed accordingly.
Of course, this shift in military focus was also done in secret, largely due to the Ming army's deployment in Liaodong, making it difficult for the Jiannu to learn of it.
In the frontline areas where there was a possibility of fighting with the Jiannu, such as Guangning, Gaizhou, Fengcheng and Xiuyan in Liaodong, the people were not resettled.
All Liao people who fled from the Later Jin-ruled areas were resettled in the rear. The frontline areas were only accessible in and not out, with the army guarding all the roads and paths. Even if there were spies from the Later Jin who sneaked in, they couldn't get out and report the situation.
The military blockade was only one aspect. The Liao people were placed in the rear, and there were reserve troops in the villages and towns, that is, militia for surveillance and prevention.
Therefore, the Ming army's deployment and mobilization minimized the occurrence of leaks. This strict deployment began two years ago after it was withdrawn to Ningyuan and Juehua.
Although the cost of relocating all the Liao people was huge, the effect was obvious. It put the Later Jin's intelligence work into a difficult situation, making it blind and deaf, and made fake newspapers and fake news play a significant role.
When he arrived at the command center, Xiong Tingbi did not rest but immediately convened a military meeting to deploy military operations.
"Haizhou City was originally an earthen city. In the ninth year of the Hongwu reign, Marquis Jinghai (Wu Zhen) supervised the construction of the city with the help of Liu Cheng, the commander of the guard, and others. It was built with bricks. Its circumference was six li, fifty-three steps, and three feet, and its height was thirty-four feet. The pond was ten feet deep and thirty-five feet wide, with a circumference of six li, eighty-three steps. There were four city gates: Zhenwu in the east, Guangwei in the south, Linqing in the west, and Laiyuan in the north."
Councillor Xing Shenyan gave a detailed account of Haizhou City's history, then continued, "The current Lord of Haizhou City is General Tong Yangxing. The city walls have been renovated and the moat dredged. Cannons have been mounted on the city walls, and five thousand Han soldiers are equipped with bird guns. Their firepower should not be underestimated. With two thousand Zhenyi soldiers supervising the battle, the siege will not be easy."
"In the Haizhou area, there are also two red flags of the Jianlu army, providing support from the periphery, with approximately 14,000 to 15,000 men and horses." Xiong Tingbi stroked his beard and added, "Our total strength is 46,000, many times greater than the enemy's."
After the organization of the mixed brigade was finalized, the number of troops was also fixed. Each brigade had a total strength of 8,000, basically 6,000 infantry, 1,000 artillery and logistics personnel, and 1,000 to 2,000 dragoons.
Besides the slightly different numbers of dragoons, each regiment also had different artillery and baggage personnel. However, the number of artillery pieces was at least sixty, with the Ming Dynasty's heavy artillery and field artillery being roughly evenly matched.
Xiong Tingbi stood up, walked to the large sand table, picked up the teaching stick, pointed at Haizhou City, and began to explain the battle plan.
The Ming army attacking Haizhou was divided into two routes. One route went south to the north, using Gaizhou as its base, passing through Jingkou, Yaozhouyi, and Tashanpu to reach the Haicheng River, then crossed the river and headed straight for Haizhou City.
The other route cooperated with the navy, crossed the Sancha River, captured Niuzhuangyi and Dongchangbao, established a solid stronghold in the northwest of Haizhou City, and then advanced eastward to attack Haizhou City.
The Ming navy was so powerful that it would be a shame not to utilize it. The navy could not only transport troops but also carry red-haired cannons to assist in sieges.
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