In the "Battle of Sarhu", the Ming army suffered a crushing defeat and the Later Jin rose to power.
Now, the battlefield is set up again in Sarhu, and the Ming army and the Jiannu will engage in a fierce fight here.
Jiefan City was built on Tiebei Mountain, not far to the west of which is the confluence of the Hun River and the Suzi River. Tiebei Mountain is densely wooded and rocky, with water on three sides and mountains on one side, making it an extremely strategic location.
Sarhu Mountain is also one of the dangerous places. Du Song's troops of the Ming army once set up a camp here, but were later defeated by the Jiannu in the fog.
But the Jiannu were embarrassed to find that these two dangerous places were set up to face foreign enemies. To put it bluntly, they were the gateways to Jianzhou.
Dongjiang Town's attack on Jianzhou Wei and then its advance towards Sarhu was equivalent to an attack from the rear, and the functions and effects of the two strategic locations were immediately greatly reduced.
Of course, if it was to resist the Ming army coming from Shenyang, Fushun, or Kaiyuan and Tieling, it would be a replica of the early stage of the "Battle of Sarhu".
In order to avoid being cut off from their retreat, the Jiannu had to hold Jiefan City and ensure a route to retreat to Haixi. As for Sarhu, before the arrival of the Liaoshen Ming army, it was no longer meaningful to defend it.
After Du Du led the defeated army to escape, Huang Taiji knew that something was wrong and hurriedly organized troops to defend Jiefan City.
After Daishan and Dorgon decided to abandon Shenyang, they hurriedly sent Sahalian to lead two flags of troops to Sarhu.
If Jianzhou could still hold out, the Jiannu would prepare to repel Dongjiang Town first and then defend Sarhu; if Jianzhou was already out of control, they would ensure a route for retreat to the north.
Standing in Jiefan City, Huang Taiji looked into the distance with a stern expression, appearing to be feeling very heavy in his heart.
Du Du sighed heavily and said, "I didn't expect the Ming cavalry to be so elite. In a head-on confrontation, our Jianzhou warriors not only have no chance of winning, but are even at a disadvantage."
Huang Taiji lowered his eyes and did not respond immediately.
"Ultimately, it's a disparity in manpower." Du Du seemed to have grasped something and continued, "I've finally figured out the Ming army's tactics. It's all about exchanging lives for lives, fighting to the death."
Sahalian gave a helpless smile and said, "That's how the Ming cavalry fought in the Battle of Haicheng. Now that you've explained it, I understand. But the Ming has a population of just a few, and the Jin has a population of just a few. We really can't afford to fight!"
Huang Taiji spoke slowly, saying, "It was thanks to their vast military strength and advanced firearms that the Ming army gradually reversed the situation and gained the upper hand. Today, our Great Jin is in a precarious situation and in dire straits."
"What a pity..." Huang Taiji slapped the cold bricks of the city wall with emotion and said, "If we had understood this a few years ago and not rushed to launch an attack, we would not have suffered repeated defeats under the strong city and artillery fire, and the situation would not have been so dire."
Sahalian nodded in agreement. He admired and supported Huang Taiji. It was strange that he did not support his father Daishan.
Although Du Du agreed, he didn't agree in his heart. The Great Jin had only so many resources. If they didn't launch an attack to plunder, wouldn't they be just waiting for destruction?
If an offensive fails, it is a problem of tactics and equipment; but if one sits back and waits for death, that is a strategic mistake.
Huang Taiji knew this was hindsight, useless, and disrespectful to his late father, the Khan. He quickly changed the subject, saying, "No one could have imagined the Ming court would change so quickly, or the Ming army would advance so rapidly. Ultimately, it's because the Ming had abundant resources and a strong foundation. And all the changes were actually due to money and supplies."
"Your Excellency is absolutely right." Du Du was the first to agree, saying, "The Ming army has improved greatly in these two areas, with its well-trained soldiers and sufficient food and pay."
Sahalian nodded and said, "It seems simple, but it's not easy to do. I really admire the Ming emperor. He has thunderous methods to clean up the court and has ways to collect money to provide food and wages."
Huang Taiji let out a long breath and said, "I have to admire you. The Great Jin Dynasty underestimated this young emperor. He has courage, means, and strategy, and most importantly, he is not afraid of stigma."
"Those who are not afraid of stigma will resort to any means necessary, and they are the most difficult to deal with." Sahalian shook his head and said, "Just the fake news in the newspapers has deceived us many times."
Huang Taiji showed an embarrassed smile on his face. Even he was deceived. It was really embarrassing.
At this moment, Luo Xiujin rushed to the top of the city wall to report on the progress of the emergency repair work.
Huang Taiji knew that no matter how complete the fortifications were, they could not completely stop the Ming army's attempt to cut off the retreat route to the north. Because in addition to Sarhu, the Ming army could also achieve the same goal at Qingyuan if they made a major detour.
Therefore, after listening to Luo Xiujin's report, he ordered to continue to intensify the construction of the defense formation and sent messengers to urge the soldiers and civilians in Liaoshen to speed up their retreat.
At this point, there was no foolproof plan. Even if we could break the Ming army's attempt to intercept us and retreat to Haixi, where we could live safely, wouldn't the Ming army continue to pursue us?
But this is the last option at the moment. Otherwise, there will be no chance to rise again after enduring hardships.
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Flags fluttered in the cold wind, and tens of thousands of Ming troops marched proudly towards Sarhu.
This is all the troops in Dongjiang Town, with a total of nearly 40,000 people including horse, infantry, cavalry and artillery.
After the Jiannu's disastrous defeat in Haicheng, even if they concentrated their forces again, they would only be able to match the Dongjiang Town, and they had completely lost the possibility of having an advantage in military strength.
Therefore, Mao Wenlong was full of confidence and led his troops to attack Sarhu, ready to achieve victory in one battle.
The so-called victory in one battle only meant pacifying the Liao, not destroying the slaves. In Mao Wenlong's view, it was unlikely that the Jiannu would be destroyed in one fell swoop.
Mao Wenlong had considered making a major detour to Qingyuan to cut off the Jiannu's retreat, but he quickly rejected the idea.
The reason is simple. The transportation and supply of food and supplies has reached its limit, and the consequences of forcibly advancing alone are quite serious.
Because of this, Mao Wenlong believed that his goal would be achieved by killing as many Jiannu as possible and driving them to Haixi.
It's not that he doesn't want to, but that he can't. Mao Wenlong is also helpless about this.
Moreover, with winter approaching, a blanket of snow could disrupt supply shipments. Pushing too far in would be extremely risky. With victory in the Liaodong campaign already imminent, a defeat would have disastrous consequences.
"Hetuala and Xingjing (the old city of Xinbin) have already been captured, and Sarhu is also of considerable significance." Gou Zhenhuai, half a horse's head behind Mao Wenlong, was in high spirits and spoke eloquently, "It seems that we have a good chance of completing the great task of pacifying Liao before the Spring Festival and presenting a gift to His Majesty."
Mao Wenlong chuckled and said, "Until we achieve final victory, we must remain cautious. The Jiannu may be on their last legs, but we must be on guard against their desperate struggle."
Gou Zhenhuai nodded and said with a smile, "Marshal Mao is calm and steady, I am not as good as him."
After a pause, Gou Zhenhuai said with emotion, "From the Battle of Guangning to now, I have been in Liaodong for several years. Now that the great mission is about to be completed, I can return to the capital to report to the emperor."
Mao Wenlong slowed his horse and rode side by side with Gou Zhenhuai. He asked, "General Gou has been transferred to a military position. Does he want to return to the Pacification Office?"
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