The Han soldiers of the Two Red Flags and Tong Yangxing were defeated in the battle of Haicheng River, suffering heavy losses, and the morale of the Han soldiers was unstable.
In view of this, Shuo Tuo led two thousand Zhenyi into the city to stabilize the morale of the army, which also served the purpose of suppressing and deterring.
The plan of Yuetuo and others was basically the same as that of Nurhaci, which was to combine internal and external forces to thwart the Ming army's attempt to attack the city. However, the actual situation was beyond the expectations of Yuetuo, Shuotuo and others.
Relying on the power of their troops and firearms, the Ming army advanced steadily and cautiously, gradually closing in the encirclement and besieging Haicheng with trenches and camps.
The enemy troops inside the city and the two red flags outside the city also coordinated their actions, but after a fierce battle they failed to break the Ming army's siege.
To put it bluntly, when the Ming army started from the south of the city, spread out its wings, and then gradually closed them together, the Jiannu and Han soldiers in Haicheng had the opportunity to rush out, or escape.
However, the Ming army abandoned the city and fled before attacking it. This was unacceptable to Yuetuo and others, and it was also an order that Nurhaci had never issued.
Therefore, with a glimmer of hope and the fear of disobeying military orders, Shuotuo and Tong Yangxing watched helplessly as Haicheng was tightly surrounded by the Ming army, becoming like rats trapped in a cage.
Facing the fortified fortress, Shuotuo and Tong Yangxing had already given up on attacking the city. The two red flags outside the city were also isolated, and their strength was no longer enough to shake the Ming army's solid defenses.
The only hope now lies in the reinforcements from Liaoshen. If the army arrives, there is still a chance to defeat the Ming army and lift the siege.
If the main army is also defeated, there is no need to attack Haicheng by force. After another month or two of siege, it will be a dead end with no ammunition or food left.
"The Ming army wouldn't dare attack the city rashly, fearing heavy casualties, wouldn't they?" In response to Shuotuo's doubts, Tong Yangxing forced a smile and said, "The Khan is personally leading a large army. How could the Ming army not take it seriously? They must be conserving their strength and won't attack the city rashly, which would dampen their morale."
Shuotuo nodded, indicating that he accepted Tong Yangxing's instructions. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he pointed and said, "Look, the big flag—"
Tong Yangxing quickly turned around and saw a large flag being raised in the camp in the north of the city. He couldn't help but frown.
The large banner in the ancient army, like the square marshal flag and the rectangular three-army command flag, all indicated the location of the marshal and the headquarters.
In other words, the commander-in-chief of the Ming army had moved to the camp in the north of the city. His purpose was obvious: to personally command the battle with the Liaoshen reinforcements.
It seemed that the Ming army really wouldn't attack the city for the time being. Tong Yangxing thought of this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The situation in the city is not very optimistic. The food and supplies are only enough to last for one month, and this is the result of reduced supply.
On the surface, there was no sign of the army's morale being shaken or everyone having their own thoughts, but this was the deterrent effect of the two thousand Jurchen troops led by Shuotuo.
If the Ming army began to attack the city and the defense was not good enough, Tong Yangxing knew that some Han soldiers would definitely defect.
In the northern camp, the raising of the large banner sent a clear signal to all the camps surrounding the city. Look here, this is the command center.
The command flag was waved, and each camp responded in turn. The soldiers looked at the flag and shouted "Roar, roar, roar" and "Kill, kill, kill".
In ancient China, the military had a tradition of using war cries, which meant using loud roars to boost morale and intimidate the enemy.
From a psychological perspective, loud shouting—yes, shouting, not screaming—can reduce people’s fear and boost their spirits.
On the battlefield, the more deafening the war cry, the more it demonstrates how strong the troops are and how powerful their fighting power is. There is courage in numbers, and this also has a similar effect on new recruits.
In fact, modern warfare also has war cries similar to those of ancient times, such as the "Charge, kill!" shouted during a charge, the Russians' "Ura" and the Japanese's "Banzai" that are most often heard in movies, and so on.
The Ming army did not have an official war cry stipulated by the military. "Ten Thousand Victories" and "Mighty" were acceptable, but "Charge and Kill" was also acceptable.
Until the emperor had nothing to do, he thought about it and decided that since the army should be regularized, the battle cry of the Liaodong Ming army should also be unified!
When watching a battle and cheering, they would use the "roar, roar, roar" sound, staring with eyes and opening their mouths, and slamming the ground with their guns or boots, which is very similar to the Maori war dance.
When charging into battle, just use "Kill, kill, kill", the same as glaring and roaring, short and powerful.
Of course, it's okay if you yell the wrong thing. There's no penalty for yelling something else during a charge.
In Zhu Youxiao's words, as long as it can boost courage and shock people, it doesn't matter how rude you shout.
After all, different places have different dialects, and perhaps there is one dialect that is most acceptable and inspiring to them! For example, people from Sichuan may get excited when they hear the Chinese phrase "雄起".
Xiong Tingbi stood on a high platform, armor on, sword at hand, and surveyed the surroundings. Seeing the waving flags and the passionate war cries in his ears, he could not help but nod slightly, his face showing pride.
The old slave is coming, and this general is fully prepared. Victory or defeat is at hand.
Hundreds of artillery pieces, tens of thousands of elite soldiers, ammunition in sufficient quantities, and morale high. Old slave, are you ready to see a bloody spectacle?
He Kegang, Feng Datie and other generals stood in the audience, shouting passionately. They were the Rock Alliance, the invincible iron army that the emperor personally bestowed with his name and flag.
At the beginning, 1,800 brave warriors stood firm in the face of the surging attack; now, 8,000 brave men are guarding the central army, protecting the commander, and will also give the invading enemy a head-on blow.
The camp east of the city was defended by Zhang Pan's mixed brigade.
Hearing the deafening war cry, Zhang Pan's blood also boiled. Like ordinary soldiers, he clenched his fists and slammed the ground, roaring "Roar, roar, roar" and "Kill, kill, kill".
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