The Liaodong Governor Wang Huazhen had indeed fallen for the trick. More precisely, his defensive strategy had gone awry. Setting up six camps along the Liao River, dividing the territory between them, meant they could be defeated individually.
Therefore, you have to drink the bitter wine you brewed yourself even if you have to pinch your nose.
However, Dr. Wang did not have this realization yet. He believed that the Eastern Tartars were nothing more than that, and that the Ming army in Guangning could lift the siege of Xiping and repel the Eastern Tartars.
Therefore, Wang Huazhen sent reinforcements, which were divided into three groups to advance towards Xipingbao for rescue.
One group was led by Sun Degong, a confidant of Governor Wang, and rushed to support Xiping Fort from Guangning; one group was led by Liu Qu, the general sent by Xiong Tingbi, and rushed to support from Zhenwu Fort; and the other group was led by Qi Bingzhong and advanced from Luyangyi.
Just as the three Ming armies were rushing to Xiping Fort for support, the two imperial envoys arrived at Xiong Tingbi's army and Guangning City one after another.
After the Liaodong Governor Xiong Tingbi ordered the General Liu Qu to break camp and provide assistance, he also personally led 5,000 troops out of Shanhaiguan to join the battle, and had already arrived at Youtun at this time.
Xiong Tingbi was very surprised that the imperial edict summoned his military commander and official Hong Fujiao, but he still knelt to receive the edict and expressed his gratitude.
The imperial envoy was an eunuch, accompanied by ten imperial guards. Having traveled eight hundred miles in a hurry, their faces were dusty and exhausted.
Such a big scene made Xiong Tingbi feel that something big might happen.
Sure enough, after the imperial edict was announced, the eunuch did not accept Xiong Tingbi's good intention to rest. Instead, he said to Xiong Tingbi with all his strength, "Master Xiong, please excuse me for a moment."
Xiong Tingbi was confused, but he still invited the eunuch into his tent. Several Jinyiwei stood guard outside, hands on the embroidered spring swords at their waists, and no one was allowed to enter.
Seeing that there were no outsiders, the eunuch took out a sealed roll of yellow silk with a serious face and said to Xiong Tingbi, "The emperor's secret decree, Xiong Tingbi, kneels to receive it."
Xiong Tingbi was stunned for a moment, then he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and knelt down to kowtow. "Your Highness Xiong Tingbi accepts your order."
The eunuch handed the secret decree to Xiong Tingbi and said, "The emperor's secret decree is for your Lordship Xiong to see only. I dare not even glance at it, nor hear a single word of it. The emperor has also ordered: burn this secret decree after reading it, and not a single word of it shall remain in the world."
Xiong Tingbi was even more astonished and suspicious. He checked the seal of the secret decree and found it was indeed intact. As for the eunuch, to avoid suspicion, he had already walked to the door of the tent, with his hands behind his back and his face facing outside.
Xiong Tingbi opened the secret decree with mixed feelings and was surprised to see calligraphy that was not very beautiful or neat. The first text message that caught his eye made Xiong Tingbi frown.
"...According to secret reports, Sun Degong, the guerrilla commander of the Guangning Central Army, has surrendered to the enemy... Xiong Qing should urgently aid Guangning, heal the wounded and rescue the defeated, and gather the remaining people. This may still be a chance to save the country. If you rush into the pass in a hurry, it would be selfish and short-sighted, and you would kill yourself without any justification..."
It is not a secret decree, but more like a secret letter. It does not have the formal words and phrases of a decree, but is just a narration, an explanation, and an instruction.
The handwriting was ugly and the language was a bit vulgar, but Xiong Tingbi's expression became more and more solemn and stern.
"...If Xiong Qing were to defend Guangning at this moment and sacrifice his life for the frontier, wouldn't he be a man of great integrity and righteousness?"
After reading this sentence, Xiong Tingbi pursed his lips slightly, his eyes flashed with a gleam, and a look of determination appeared on his face.
First, there is "Like a hasty crane rushing into the pass, this is selfish and short-sighted, killing himself without any excuse for public opinion", and second, there is "Sacrificing his life for the frontier, isn't he a chaste and extraordinary man?". With the national law in front and the encouragement behind, it is obvious what decision Xiong Tingbi will make.
That’s right, Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen were not on good terms, and in history, after the defeat in Guangning, he did want to make fun of Wang Huazhen.
But his abandonment of western Liaoning and retreat to Shanhaiguan was the biggest failure of his life.
Perhaps Xiong Tingbi believed that the situation was irreversible, the people's morale had collapsed, and the Eastern Tartars' momentum of victory was unstoppable.
Some people may defend Xiong Tingbi, arguing that after the fall of Guangning, the Eastern Tartars did not penetrate deep into western Liaoning. That was hindsight, and at most it was just a misjudgment by Xiong Tingbi.
However, the cold facts recorded in history books are: After the Eastern Tartars occupied Guangning, they successively captured more than 40 castles including Yizhou, Pingyangqiao, Xixingbao, Jinzhou, Dalinghe, Youtunwei, Tuanshan, etc., and obtained countless food and supplies.
In addition, Nurhaci also ordered the people west of the Liaohe River to be driven to the east of the Liaohe River and massacred, which was a brutal act.
Zhu Youxiao knew about this history, although not in detail. But the mere fact that it was "inhumane" made him gnashing with resentment and unable to accept it.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate. Zhu Youxiao tried his best, which at least made him feel less guilty.
Moreover, he believed that Xiong Tingbi would act in accordance with the secret order, rather than refuse his secret order like those corrupt scholars who claimed to be of high moral character.
Because from a historical perspective, although Xiong Tingbi was not a perfect man, he was definitely not a coward who was afraid of death.
How could a general who was praised by history books as "brave and knowledgeable about military affairs" be a coward when he first arrived in Liaodong and dared to "show off his troops and gather troops" in order to stabilize the morale of the army and the people?
As for whether Guangning could be held, Zhu Youxiao believed that if proper measures were taken, there should be a 60% to 70% chance of success.
You should know that Guangning is an important military town guarding western Liaoning, the gateway to Shanhaiguan, and the headquarters of the highest military agency of the Ming Dynasty in the northeast.
After decades of operation, the city is strong and well-stocked with food and fodder. There are still more than 10,000 defenders left in the city. By abandoning the surrounding forts and gathering the defeated soldiers, it is still very likely that they can get more than 30,000 troops.
With Xiong Tingbi's reputation and the fact that the city was strong and well-stocked, the Eastern Tartars' ability to attack was insufficient at this time. They had to hold on for a month or so in this freezing cold weather. Could the Later Jin army afford this?
Therefore, although Zhu Youxiao had a plan to abandon Guangning and shrink the defense line, now was not the time to implement it. At least he should try hard to turn his hasty retreat into an orderly one.
Xiong Tingbi carefully read the secret letter again, and without much hesitation, he knelt down and kowtowed towards the capital, "I accept your command and thank you."
The eunuch at the door of the tent turned around upon hearing the sound, and his eyes stopped at the secret decree that Xiong Tingbi held above his head.
Xiong Tingbi understood immediately, stood up and walked to the candlelight, and held out the secret decree. The flame wrapped around the secret decree, illuminating Xiong Tingbi's face, which had become resolute and determined.
The last ember fell to the ground, the remaining fire flickered twice, and then went out completely.
The eunuch heaved a sigh of relief, his gaze shifted to Xiong Tingbi, and he pulled out a yellow silk imperial edict from his bosom, "Master Xiong, please accept the edict!"
Xiong Tingbi knelt down and kowtowed, only to hear the eunuch's shrill voice read: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: Xiong Tingbi, the Governor of Liaodong, is a man of outstanding talent and ability, and has served the country with sincerity..."
"I accept your order and thank you." Xiong Tingbi kowtowed to accept it. Although it was an imperial decree, he was given the title of Minister of War, in charge of the Liaodong tribes, and was given the imperial sword, which allowed him to execute officers below the rank of general. He could finally give orders with full justification.
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