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"By the grace of Heaven, Emperor Chengyuan, I issue an edict: The battle of Guangning is crucial to the fate of western Liaoning and the lives of millions of Liao people. All officials and generals must not sit idly by and must provide all possible support to aid the war. Dengzhen will bear the brunt of the attack and must immediately cross the sea to join the battle..."
Tao Langxian's heart was churning, guessing that this was most likely an imperial decree. Without the cabinet's signature, without the Ministry of War's written document, if Dengzhen was transferred...
"Lord Tao..." After Eunuch Chen finished announcing the decree, he saw Tao Langxian lowering his head in a daze, and raised his voice with some displeasure.
"Your humble servant..." Tao Langxian knelt on the ground, stretched his hands above his head, but then slowly lowered them. He raised his head and asked Eunuch Chen, "May I ask, Eunuch Chen, is this imperial decree issued by His Majesty?"
Eunuch Chen did not hide it. Tao Lang understood the situation as soon as he saw that there was no countersignature on the imperial edict, so he said frankly, "The military situation is urgent. This involves thousands of miles of territory and hundreds of thousands of Liao people. There is no room for delay. The emperor had no choice but to issue the edict."
Luo Sigong said, "The Jinyiwei's Liaodong spies are reporting urgently that there are individuals in the Guangning army secretly communicating with the Eastern Tartars, and they are of high rank. Guangning is in imminent danger. Lord Tao, the emperor is worried, and the war situation is urgent. I hope you will prioritize national affairs."
Shen Yourong gritted his teeth secretly and advised gently, "Your Majesty is wise. He knows that Dengzhen is newly built and its combat capability is not strong. He only ordered Dengzhen to carry out harassing attacks along the coast. Even if there is no success, there will be no major losses."
The meaning of this statement was somewhat disrespectful, meaning that although the emperor was suspected of giving orders while sitting in the capital, he also understood the situation and did not let Deng Zhen fight to the death with the Later Jin.
It was just a harassing attack, no victory was achieved, and there was no loss. It was just a small matter, so why go against His Majesty?
The three people, Prophet Tao Lang, had good intentions in giving advice, and the fact that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard came in person showed the emperor's urgency and importance.
Besides, he also understood the emperor's determination. If he obeyed the order, it would be fine. If he refused, the Jinyiwei would be able to arrest him first.
Although refusing the imperial edict would not result in death, it would still be against the emperor's will and his future would be over.
When Luo Sigong welcomed him earlier, he also said that the emperor praised him and that if he followed the emperor's wishes, he would be rewarded by being appointed as a prime minister in the future.
Tao Langxian thought about it again and again, his face changing from gloomy to bright. Under the fierce gaze of the crowd, Governor Tao finally bowed his head and raised his hands, saying: "Your humble servant accepts your order and thanks you. Long live your majesty."
Huh—someone let out a long breath, and the atmosphere in the room instantly relaxed as if ice and snow had melted.
"I have completed this mission, and the Emperor will surely reward me." Eunuch Chen smiled brightly and said, "The others should discuss military and national affairs. I will be leaving first!"
"Please do as you wish, eunuch." The three of them bowed and saw him off.
As soon as Eunuch Chen left, Luo Sigong took out a map from his arms, with marks on it, marking the battle situation in Guangning.
Luo Sigong laid out the map and made arrangements before he began to give instructions. "Although His Majesty has made arrangements, he has allowed us to adapt to the situation."
"This old slave is leading tens of thousands of troops to attack us. The Guangning army has internal support from the Eastern Tartars. We may find it difficult to resist in a field battle." Luo Sigong pointed at Guangning and said, "There are two most likely outcomes of this battle. One is that our army holds Guangning firmly. The other is that Guangning falls and Liaoxi is devastated."
Luo Sigong stopped, looked at Shen Yourong, and then looked at Tao Langxian, as if asking for advice.
Tao Lang pondered for a moment before saying, "Lord Luo is absolutely right. If Guangning is defeated, General Xiong will likely struggle to resist the Eastern Tartars with his troops."
As a supporter of Xiong Tingbi's "three-party arrangement" strategy, Tao Langxian trained troops and built ships in Denglai and actively cooperated with its implementation.
Historically, after Xiong Tingbi's head was sent to the nine frontiers, Tao Langxian was also targeted and retaliated against as a member of Xiong's group. He was framed by Wei Zhongxian and imprisoned, where he was tortured. Ultimately, Tao Langxian died of a hunger strike in prison.
Tao Langxian's fingers traced across Guangning, Dalinghe, Jinzhou, Songshan, and Xingshan, finally stopping at Ningyuan and Juehua Island. He said, "Your Majesty's arrangements are wise. The navy has occupied Juehua and is patrolling the waters off Liaodong. Even if the situation deteriorates, the Eastern Tartars won't dare to knock on our gates."
Shen Yourong hesitated for a moment and said, "It's good to harass Jinzhou, but I think it's safest to first march to Guanglu Island as a base and then launch the operation."
"This is just a minor change. Lord Shen, please act accordingly." Luo Sigong said with a smile, "Of the three instructions given by His Majesty, two have been implemented. All that remains is to send a small force to Pi Island to assist Lieutenant General Mao."
Tao Langxian exchanged glances with Shen Yourong and nodded slightly, thinking that this was not a big deal.
It was just a matter of separating a few hundred warships, two thousand naval forces, and some armor, weapons, food and supplies from Dengzhen, temporarily under the command and use of Mao Wenlong to harass the Zhenjiang area, which was also effective in restraining the Later Jin.
The plan was finalized, and the three of them couldn't help but look at each other in surprise. They all thought that the emperor's arrangements were thoughtful and there wasn't much that could be changed.
Although the emperor is young, he has capable assistants around him!
It was either the imperial tutor Sun Chengzong or Yuan Keli, only these two people knew about military affairs.
The three of them each had their own guesses, but they kept silent and went to speed up the arrangements for the sea crossing operation.
……………….
A whirlwind blew by, and the snow dust and dead leaves swirled into the air, then scattered down as if frightened.
The sound of horse hooves came from far away, becoming more and more frequent and louder, breaking the long-lost silence.
With flags waving and swords and spears shining, the Later Jin army was like an ugly long snake, winding along the road to Guangning.
In the Battle of Shaling, tens of thousands of Ming troops were defeated, most of whom were elite troops from Guangning. When Xiping Fort was captured, Luo Yikuan and 3,000 defenders were all killed.
After these two victories, the morale of the Later Jin army was high. As the history books say: The enemy's momentum is just beginning to grow, and it is not yet possible to defeat them.
Nurhaci's armor was neatly arranged, and his eyes were half-closed as he stared at the Guangning City that was gradually appearing in front of him.
Although the Later Jin army was strong in field combat, it had no cannons at the time, and its ability to attack and conquer was very poor.
How did cities like Fushun, Shenyang, and Liaoyang, which were all strong cities with high walls and deep moats, fall?
In Fushun, Li Yongfang, a guerrilla general of the Ming Dynasty, surrendered, becoming the first Ming Dynasty general to surrender to the Later Jin.
In Shenyang, General He Shixian fell into a trap set by the enemy and went out to fight, but was trapped. Commander You Shigong went out to rescue, but was surrounded again. The Later Jin army took the opportunity to attack the city, and the spies who had infiltrated the city opened the gates, and Shenyang fell.
In Liaoyang, Yuan Yingtai fell prey to the old slave's scheme, fearing the Later Jin army would bypass Shanhaiguan and attack, so he sent troops out of the city to intercept them. However, they were defeated in the field battle, and a traitor opened the west gate, leading to the fall of Liaoyang.
Luring the enemy into a field battle, besieging a point and attacking reinforcements, and coordinating internal and external forces were the three tactics of the Later Jin army to attack cities and capture strongholds. Although they seemed simple, they rarely failed.
This is also my plan for attacking Guangning. With Sun Degong as an insider, we should be very confident.
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