A fortress is most easily breached from within, so this description of the Jiannu's division may not be entirely accurate. However, the disintegration of the bandit group was foreseeable.
Just like Li Yongfang, Fan Wencheng, Luo Jinxiu and others who betrayed the Ming Dynasty, the Jiannu army would also have some people who would turn their backs on the Ming Dynasty in the midst of turmoil.
It is difficult to estimate the extent of the impact of Nara Zhongming, the example set by the emperor himself, but it was certainly not in vain.
If people can enjoy the good life by following you, then naturally there will be many followers, which is the so-called sharing of wealth and prosperity; but if they want to jump into the fire pit with you and perish with you, then I’m sorry, there will be very few people who will share your hardships.
It is natural for human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm. This is especially true when it comes to the interests of family members or even the group.
In fact, it was not only the emperor who anticipated this situation. Even Nurhaci knew that it would be difficult to lead an army without morale.
Therefore, he had to force the attack while people were still willing to do so. If he waited until food was exhausted and people were in chaos before trying to attack, his current situation would be far worse than before.
If we win this battle, the morale of the people can be maintained; if we lose this battle, with the current strength of the Ming army, they will definitely take advantage of the victory to attack, and it will be very difficult to defend Liaoshen.
After passing Liaoyang and Anshan, Nurhaci led tens of thousands of troops all the way to Haizhou and approached Haicheng.
"Greetings, Khan." Yuetuo and Jirgalang came to greet him, dismounted and saluted.
Nurhaci nodded and asked in a deep voice, "What's the situation in Haicheng? Has the Ming army still not attacked?"
Yue Tuo stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, the Ming army has only reinforced the camp and increased its troops, but has not yet attacked the city."
Nurhaci frowned slightly and asked again, "Where is our camp? Is it ready?"
"Your Majesty, time is running out and the camp is not yet complete." Yuetuo lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, please punish me."
It was not yet completed, that is, it was only partially built. Nurhaci lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and asked, "Is it because of the harassment and destruction by the Ming army?"
"The Ming army will neither harass nor destroy us," Yue Tuo replied, "but we will still deploy nearly half a centaur to keep on guard."
Nurhaci turned his horse's head and said in a deep voice, "Come on, take me to have a look."
After receiving the order from the Khan, Yuetuo and Jirgalang began to build a camp. Based on the intelligence they had, they chose a place five or six miles away from Haicheng.
The intelligence was naturally about the range and power of the Ming army's artillery. After Ningyuan was attacked by the red cannons, all Jiannu troops were informed that the Ming army had artillery with a range of more than two miles. If it was mounted on the city wall, the range would be even further.
Therefore, five miles away from the city is a safe distance. This is the data paid for with blood by the Jiannu who were defeated at the city of Ningyuan.
The Ming army had already built a series of camps outside the city, tightly surrounding Haicheng. Yue Tuo used the Ming army's camps as a reference and found that a wide area of about five miles was just right for setting up camp.
Nurhaci was somewhat confused. He wondered what the Ming army was planning and why they did not rely on their superior military strength to delay or destroy Yuetuo's camp.
Arriving at the unfinished camp, Nurhaci inspected it and did not punish Yuetuo. The camp was very solid, with a trench in front and a wooden fence in the back. It was not stronger than a city, but it was better than any camp built before.
Nurhaci sighed inwardly. Such caution and such solid construction could only mean one thing: Yuetuo and others were already afraid of the Ming army and did not dare to take the Ming army's attack lightly.
Once upon a time, the Ming army relied on cities and fortified camps to resist our Eight Banner warriors. But now, the situation has changed, is it our turn to defend?
"Let's go and see the Ming army's arrangements." Nurhaci ordered the army to quickly build camps, pointed with the whip in his hand, and took the lead in running south.
"Father Khan..." Daishan's hand stopped in mid-air. He shook his head helplessly and waved vigorously towards Yuetuo.
Yuetuo hurriedly took his men and horses, closely following Nurhaci and his personal soldiers, and galloped towards Haicheng.
The outline of Haicheng gradually became clear in sight, but the first things that came into view were the camps of the Ming army.
Nurhaci rode his horse up a hill, looked up, and his eyes narrowed involuntarily.
The camps were densely packed like chess pieces, and the trenches were wide and deep, winding like the Great Wall, surrounding Haicheng tightly.
The Ming army is not in a hurry to attack the city because they don't want to dampen morale, but rather wait for our army to come and fight them with ease!
Nurhaci guessed the enemy's intentions and felt that they were almost correct.
With powerful firearms and comprehensive fortifications, the Ming army's strengths were undoubtedly defense. Apparently, the Ming army was adopting a "come and fight me" stance, giving Nurhaci a headache.
How to break through the trench breastworks remained a difficult problem even during World War II. The relentless bombardment of aircraft and artillery, and the bloody clashes between infantry and the enemy on the battlefields, seemed to be the only way forward.
For the Jiannu, the Ming army's fortifications minimized one of their trump cards - bow and arrow shooting.
The Ming army's muskets and artillery had more powerful and intensive firepower, and the losses they suffered in the attack were truly terrible. Nurhaci still remembers them vividly and feels the pain in his heart.
After looking around for a long time, the old slave pointed and said in a deep voice, "Let's take a closer look, so we can know the enemy's real and false deployment."
"Khan, no!"
"King Khan, it's too dangerous."
"Khan, the safety of the entire army depends on you. You must not take risks lightly."
Fei Yanggu, Yue Tuo and others rushed forward to stop them, but the old slave frowned and shouted at them, waved everyone away, rode his horse down the hill and headed straight for the Ming army camp.
Actually, to say we were observing from close range meant we were merely observing from a distance of about two miles. This old slave also knew the power of the Ming army's artillery, so he didn't dare get too close, nor did he dare stay in one place for too long.
It was indeed clear when you got closer. The Ming army's camp looked like a whole from a distance, but in fact, there was a gap of more than 100 meters between the camps.
The same goes for trenches. Several trenches have passages that intersect with each other, which is conducive to attacking across the trenches and also hinders the enemy's direct charge.
The old slave rode his horse back and forth in front of the Ming army camp and observed, and also figured out a lot of things.
The hundred-plus-meter gap between the camps was clearly a fire trap. If the troops entered rashly, they would be caught in a pincer attack from both sides, with heavy casualties certain.
The trenches, breastworks, and wooden palisades in front of the camp were not much different from the fortifications at Ningyuan. In other words, if they wanted to break through the Ming army camp, there was no other way but to throw their troops into a bloody battle.
The Ming army's camp was not very high, and it could not block the view of the towers of Haicheng in the distance. The towers still had the flag of the Later Jin Dynasty on them, which gave the old slave some psychological comfort.
If the Ming army attacks from both inside and outside, they may be able to break the siege, but the cost will be heavy; if the Ming army fails to capture the city, the chances of winning will be higher if they launch another attack.
The old slave pondered and weighed how to fight in order to minimize losses and maximize gains.
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