It was almost dusk, and the gloomy sky loomed even heavier. The scattered falling snowflakes turned into fluttering willow catkins, dancing and landing on the ground.
Manggurtaier stopped his horse and looked at Ningyuan City, which was gradually immersed in the night and snow a few miles away, with a solemn expression.
Unlike the contempt and boasting on the road, as soon as he led the vanguard to the city of Ningyuan, he witnessed the obvious changes in the Ming army compared to the past.
The snow was still light at that time. The Ming army deployed two infantry phalanxes on the Shanhai Avenue. Under the cover of grenade carts and vehicle-mounted Portuguese, they launched a tentative attack on the newly arrived Jiannu.
Manggurtai commanded his troops to fight, but found that it was difficult to play to his strengths in such terrain and he even suffered some losses.
The narrow official road prevented the Jiannu from making flanking maneuvers and forced them to engage head-on. The dense, forest-like formations of Ming spears stopped the cavalry's charge, and the power of muskets and artillery surpassed bows and arrows, forcing the Jiannu to retreat.
Seeing that casualties continued to increase but could not shake the Ming army's battle formation, Manggurtai chose to retreat temporarily.
The Ming army did not pursue them, but withdrew back to the city defense circle. They did not make any further attempts to stop Manggurtai when he led his troops back.
Manggurtai thought that this was a tentative attack by the Ming army. In order to delay time, he and his troops were not allowed to set up camp before dark.
However, Xiong Tingbi's initiative to engage in battle had a deeper purpose. It was to warn the Jiannu that the Ming army dared to take the initiative and that if they wanted to go beyond Ningyuan and continue to advance, they should be prepared to have their retreat cut off.
Although this possibility is small, it cannot be said that it is impossible. If the Jiannu really wants to divide their troops, they must at least leave enough troops to watch Ningyuan, which is also what Xiong Tingbi wants to achieve.
Manggurtai did not dare to set up camp in a place that crossed the Mountain and Sea Highway, even though this could cut off Ningyuan's connection with the interior.
"Fifth brother." Degelei came over on horseback, stopped beside Manggurtai, and said, "The camp has been set up. Let's rest for tonight. When my father's army arrives, we can divide our forces and besiege Ningyuan."
Manggurtai knew that the so-called camp was just a simple arrangement. It was already dark, and it would be very difficult to build a solid defense.
Originally, this wasn't a problem, but the Ming army's proactive attack alerted him. Therefore, since the camp was far from Ningyuan, he would also send troops to strengthen the security.
"The Ming army is different from before!" Manggurtai pointed at the Ningyuan City, which was only visible in outline in the distant vastness, and said, "Amin's defeat at Port Arthur was not entirely due to carelessness!"
Degelei felt relieved that his brother finally stopped underestimating the enemy. This was a good thing!
Manggurtai narrowed his eyes and continued, "Firearms are indeed very powerful. But in rainy and snowy weather, their effectiveness will be greatly reduced, or even unusable."
Degelei agreed, "Fifth Brother is absolutely right. Moreover, if the Ming army wants to fight in the field, they can only rely on the terrain. If we were in an open area today, our army would undoubtedly win."
Manggurtai's expression eased slightly, and he said, "Once my father Khan's army arrives, the Ming army will have no choice but to retreat to the city defenses and not dare to fight outside. In my opinion, the artillery we carry is not inferior to that of the Ming army, so we have a good chance of winning the siege."
Degelei said, "Fifth brother, let's go back to the camp and rest first! I will be on duty tonight and will definitely not let the Ming army take advantage."
Manggurtai laughed and said, "I'll take your place for the rest of the night. After all, I'm your fifth brother, so I can't let you bear the burden alone."
After saying this, without waiting for Degelei to argue any further, Manggurtel turned his horse's head and loudly called out to Degelei to rush back to the camp together.
……………………
Even if the snow hadn't been falling, Xiong Tingbi didn't want to engage in a field battle with the Jiannu. While defeat wasn't a sure thing, it wasn't the safest way to secure Ningyuan.
From the great retreat from Guangning, the emperor's meaning was very clear: to be undefeated was to be victorious. He would use strong cities and deep trenches to stop the Jiannu's momentum and to use siege and blockade to consume the Jiannu's strength.
In fact, from the strategic perspective of abandoning Guangning, defending Ningyuan and defending Shanhaiguan should have similar effects.
These two places were not far enough to advance, which affected the alliance and control over the Mongolian tribes; secondly, even if Ningyuan was abandoned, like Guangning and Jinzhou, the Jiannu would not occupy it, let alone force the border.
Therefore, the political significance of holding Ningyuan is greater than its military significance. It mainly provides a barrier for Shanhaiguan, and shows the court and the public the presence of the Ming army in western Liaoning, as well as the stability of the border without any alarm.
If only Shanhaiguan was left as a barrier, people would inevitably become restless. Without a stable social environment, how could Zhu Youxiao carry out his great reform?
Although Zhu Youxiao invested heavily in military construction, his main focus was on internal affairs, on revitalizing the country by promoting benefits and eliminating drawbacks.
Xiong Tingbi naturally knew that the emperor needed a relatively stable environment to continuously advance and deepen reforms. Therefore, Ningyuan and Juehua must not be lost.
It would be better if the Jiannu were to suffer a crushing defeat, or even better if they retreated in the face of difficulty. Xiong Tingbi was not prepared to take any aggressive action. No mistakes were meritorious service, as the emperor repeatedly emphasized in his secret reports.
Standing on the top of the city wall, Xiong Tingbi looked through a telescope at the distant fires, his face expressionless. But the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, with a faint sneer.
It was really not easy for the Jiannu in the middle of winter.
Bringing your own food, running one or two hundred miles, and sleeping outdoors in the snow and ice, you would never think that this would be a losing business, right?
Knowing oneself and the enemy was something the Jiannu had done well in previous battles. However, after Guangning was abandoned and the Liao people were relocated, they were left with virtually no news or intelligence, leaving them completely in the dark about Ningyuan's defenses.
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