A military defeat is like a mountain collapsing. I don’t know whether this is written in military books or a common saying.
The Jiannu army suffered a great defeat in Haicheng and lost nearly half of its troops. Of the more than 50,000 troops at the time of the launch, less than 30,000 remained by the time they returned to Liaoyang.
The Ming army's attack did not stop. The infantry, cavalry and artillery advanced steadily, taking advantage of their firepower and defeating Yangguli and Sahalian in succession.
In view of the irreversible defeat and the shaken morale of the army, Daishan did not even dare to defend Anshan and retreated directly to Liaoyang, hoping to use the advantages of the city to stop the Ming army.
Of course, he was not needed to defend the city. Daishan did not send his sons Yuetuo and Sahalian, but left Shuoledai Saha, a general of the Plain Yellow Banner, to lead a part of the troops to guard the city.
Afterwards, Daishan led the main force to continue retreating to Shenyang. While retreating, Daishan also ordered all the Jurchens in Liaoyang to relocate.
This move showed that the Jiannu had given up hope of holding onto Liaoyang. Leaving some troops behind to defend the city was more like blocking and delaying the Ming army's advance. The defenders, including Shuole Dai and Saha, were essentially dead soldiers.
I don't know if it was a moment of enlightenment, but my mind suddenly cleared up. I knew that after the disastrous defeat, the Later Jin no longer had the strength to engage the Ming army on a large scale.
Or perhaps Daishan had already lost confidence. In the face of severe manpower losses and extremely scarce material resources, he still tried to hold on to cities such as Liaoyang and Shenyang, which was purely self-destruction.
Judging from the current overall situation of the Later Jin Dynasty, it is even worse and more dangerous than during the Battle of Sarhu.
You know, the military strength of both sides in the Battle of Sarhu should be equal.
According to historical records, the Ming army had more than 70,000 troops. Together with the Yehe tribe and the Korean vassal army, the actual number of troops participating in the war did not exceed 100,000.
The Jiannu were facing a life-or-death battle, so they certainly went all out. At the time, the Eight Banners had about 60,000 elite soldiers, and after a general mobilization, their force should have been around 80,000 to 90,000.
Now, the Jiannu army had suffered a series of losses over the past few years, most of whom were strong and elite. After this general mobilization, they launched a large-scale attack, but suffered another crushing defeat.
Therefore, the total military strength added up to only more than 60,000, and they were cobbled together, so they could not be considered elite soldiers.
Moreover, the total military force has to be added with the two flags in Jianzhou. Far water cannot quench immediate thirst. Even if they are assembled, it will probably be of no help.
They couldn't win the fight. This was pretty much the consensus among Daishan and other high-ranking officials of the Later Jin Dynasty. Could they possibly achieve the same casualty ratio as at Sarhu? Looking at the Ming army's muskets and artillery, their fighting spirit, they knew it was impossible.
Of course, it was impossible for the Jiannu to completely give up resistance. They still had to fight stubbornly, retreating in large strides, stretching the Ming army's supply lines; the increasingly cold weather would also increase the Ming army's difficulties.
The Jian Nu were trying their best to buy time to catch their breath. If the Ming Dynasty's policies or personnel suddenly changed, it would be a pleasant surprise.
Hope was slim, but it was not yet time to despair. The Jiannu naturally did not know who their opponent was.
The Ming Emperor would not make any mistakes in the Liaodong Campaign. Starting from the defeat of the Jiannu in Guangning, he had taken the initiative at every step. The Jiannu's plans and actions were almost all within the emperor's calculations.
In addition, by climbing the technology tree and making a lot of money, it is not surprising that the Liao Campaign can be completed one to two years earlier than the emperor expected.
If we consider this aspect, the Jiannu's defeat was already certain years ago. As long as the emperor was alive, no matter how much the Jiannu struggled, they would not be able to escape the fate of destruction.
Daishan was still marching towards Shenyang with his troops and the migrating Jurchens, but the news had already been delivered to Manggurtai in Shenyang via express horse.
The army suffered a crushing defeat and his father Khan was injured. Daishan was appointed regent and given full authority to manage the military and political affairs of the Later Jin Dynasty.
At the same time, Daishan issued an order. First, he asked Manggurtai to organize the Jurchens in Shenyang to move out of the city and migrate to Jianzhou; second, he gave orders to Ajige and Dudu in Jianzhou and asked them to transfer troops to strengthen the defense of Sarhu.
Sarhu is one of the gateways to Jianzhou, and is the only way for people from Shenyang and Fushun to reach Jianzhou. Going north through Sarhu, one can retreat to Haixi.
The name Haixi first appeared in the Yuan Dynasty, which is now the Songhua River.
Later, the Ming Dynasty called it Haixi Jurchen, but this was not because of their place of origin, but because the Jurchens were divided according to their region.
The Jurchens in the area of Sakhalin Island in present-day Russia's Far East were called "East Sea Jurchens", or the wild Jurchens; and the Jurchens living to the west of them naturally became Haixi Jurchens.
You should know that the Liaodong region referred to by the Ming Dynasty is now most of Jilin and Liaoning. And Haixi further north, which is the Heilongjiang and Songhua River basins in later generations, was truly a desolate and cold place with snowy forests.
Especially after the Jianzhou Jurchens destroyed the four tribes of the Haixi Jurchens, they annexed their population to strengthen their military strength and moved their people south, making the Haixi area even more sparsely populated.
Obviously, Daishan or the old slave had made the worst plan and was even willing to give up Jianzhou.
In their opinion, the Haixi area was originally a controlled area of the Ming Dynasty, and it was desolate and cold. The Ming army had already captured Liaodong, and it would be very difficult to continue to pursue it further. Moreover, the Ming court might not be interested in a long expedition.
The messengers sent by Daishan went to Jianzhou and Shenyang, while two secret messengers quietly left the team and went to Sarhu to report the news.
"The Khan passed the throne to the fourteenth beile, and the eldest beile assisted in the administration. This is actually asking for civil strife." Fan Wencheng and Li Yongfang gathered together again and spoke in a low voice.
Li Yongfang shook his head and said, "Although the Fourth Prince is intelligent, generous, and skilled in riding and shooting, he is still of Yehe descent. In times of crisis, it is normal for the Khan to have doubts."
After a pause, Li Yongfang continued, "The two yellow flags were given to the Fourteenth Beile, and the Plain White Flag was already in the hands of the Twelfth Beile. They have some strength, and even if some people disobey, it will be of no use. Moreover, the situation is critical. If civil unrest breaks out again, the country will be doomed."
Fan Wencheng sighed softly and said, "So, we only informed the Fourth Prince and did not instigate him to fight for the throne."
"The key lies in the attitude of the Grand Prince." Li Yongfang looked at the large banner in front of him, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Since he is already assisting the government, I believe he will not have any other intentions."
Daishan had two red flags, and even if he suffered some losses in battle, he was still the most powerful of the three beiles. Huang Taiji and Manggurtai were no longer flag masters, and it was impossible for them to compete with the fourteenth beile Dorgon for the throne.
However, judging by Nurhaci's final arrangements, Daishan was unlikely to compete with his younger brother for the throne. In terms of strength, he was also inferior to Dorgon, who had the Khan's personal army and two yellow flags.
Therefore, although Fan Wencheng and Li Yongfang were both on good terms with Huang Taiji and believed that Huang Taiji was more capable of leading the Later Jin, they also knew that their hope of competing for the throne was slim.
Another point is that neither of them wanted the Later Jin Dynasty to be plunged into internal strife and hasten its demise. Although they were Han Chinese, these two guys had already shared the same fate as the Later Jin Dynasty, and were closely connected and inseparable.
If the Later Jin Dynasty were to perish, how could these two great traitors survive? The crimes they committed themselves would never be forgiven by the Ming court, and they knew it all too well.
Although Haixi is a cold and harsh place, people can still survive and save their lives.
They both knew that if the Ming army continued to attack while taking advantage of their victory, Liaoshen would be difficult to hold. Even Jianzhou was under heavy attack from Dongjiang Town, and the situation was already precarious.
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