"Read!" Dorgon ordered.
"Hmm!"
"There is a small valley path fifteen miles south of Qiangziling. It can be used by people and animals, but not by baggage vehicles. The valley is easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it a good place for an ambush."
"After walking out of the valley, there is a plain, and forty miles to the south is Pinggu County."
"The Han Eight Banners disguised themselves and entered the city to investigate. In addition to the original garrison, there were also some soldiers with southern accents. The number was unknown."
Dorgon nodded: "Back off."
After the scouts left, Fan Wencheng asked in confusion, "Does Prince Rui want to split his troops into two groups? But the Ming army has already deployed heavy troops in Pinggu!"
Dorgon shook his head.
Ajige thought for a moment and said, "Fourteenth brother, are you trying to lure the enemy deeper into your territory?"
Dorgon smiled and said, "The one who understands me best is my twelfth brother!"
"This time we enter the pass, we will be responsible for a feint attack to attract the main force of the Ming army. Huang Degong is eager to make a contribution, so he must be eager to have a decisive battle with our army!"
"As long as we don't give him the chance to fight, he will definitely think of other ways. For example...sneak attack from behind our army through a small path."
"If you don't believe me, I can make a bet that Huang Degong will gather his troops and attempt an attack tomorrow morning!"
As expected.
Early the next morning, Dorgon received news that the Ming army had camped in the wild overnight.
Taking advantage of darkness, the Ming army marched out of the city in large numbers and began to set up camp in the wild.
First dig a hole and then extend it into a ditch, in which are placed caltrops, sharpened bamboo and wooden sticks.
Further in were chevaux deer horns and various obstacles that could stop the enemy's charge, all of which were placed in order outside the camp.
The visible and hidden sentries surrounded the entire camp, making it impenetrable to wind and rain.
However, the Ming army had no intention of attacking at all.
After eating, they would practice in the camp, then eat, then rest for a while and then practice again.
For three consecutive days, Huang Degong and his soldiers repeated the same thing every day.
Dorgon was stunned.
"Ming army...why don't they attack? Xuanfu is still waiting for him to rescue it!" Dorgon stared at the Ming army camp with his clairvoyance, puzzled.
"Prince Rui asked a good question!" Fan Wencheng stood beside him, "I don't know either!"
"Perhaps the Ming court has given up on Xuanfu!" Ebilun said gritting his teeth.
"Wait..." Fan Wencheng suddenly remembered someone, and he hurriedly said: "Prince Rui, I suspect that Wang Yongji, who is stationed in Jizhou, has been transferred to Xuanfu to relieve the siege."
"Wang Yongji?" Dorgon narrowed his eyes and repeated the name several times.
"Impossible! Wang Yongji has less than 4,000 soldiers under his command. Gao Di and those newly recruited soldiers will not be able to fight in the field in the short term. Our army has 60,000 people. How can he break the siege of Xuanfu?"
"That's right... let alone Wang Yongji, even Wang Yongji and Li Xingzhong combined have only more than 10,000 people. They are okay at defense, but they have no ability to attack." Fan Wencheng shook his head, thinking that he was worrying too much.
"But what are the Ming court and Chongzhen thinking? Have they really given up on Xuanfu?" Fan Wencheng was at a loss for a moment.
The Ming army now had no intention of attacking and they stayed in the camp for training every day.
What exactly did Huang Degong want to do? Did Chongzhen have a bigger conspiracy?
conspiracy...
Conspiracy...
At this time, Chongzhen's mind was not on Miyun, but on Daming Prefecture.
If Li Zicheng captured Damingfu, the situation would be more tense than when he besieged Beijing.
Chongzhen sat on the dragon chair and thought for a moment before asking, "Wang Chengen, the imperial edict and the imperial decree should have been sent to Daming Mansion, right?"
"Your Majesty, if we calculate based on two hundred miles per day, this should be about the right time."
"Li Xingzhong is too loyal and honest. He will definitely not be able to 'fight' the King of Zhao and the King of Zhou! I should have given him the Imperial Sword earlier!" Chongzhen shook his head and sighed while speaking.
Even if Li Xingzhong was given the Imperial Sword, he would not use it! His name is just like his character. Although he is a good commander in battle, he is too honest and loyal.
There is no other choice but to send Li Xingzhong to Daming Prefecture. There are no soldiers available in the capital, so Li Xingzhong can only take over!
"Your Majesty, it's done!" Wang Chengen's voice suddenly changed tone, startling Chongzhen who was thinking.
He opened his eyes and looked at Wang Chengen.
In front of Wang Chengen there was a pile of jars, pots, pans, and a small stove.
Wang Chengen was seen holding up the pottery jar with his hands covered with thick coarse cloth and pouring the contents into a bowl.
This thing is white salt...
The difference is that this salt is relatively white in color and has finer particles.
"Try it first!" Chongzhen ordered.
Wang Chengen had a look of worry on his face. Although he made this thing himself, the production process was too complicated, so he didn't know whether this salt was poisonous or not.
After all, lime water has been added to it, so is that stuff drinkable?
Although he had been filtered by the emperor using the so-called filtering method, he still felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong.
But he couldn't refute in front of the emperor, so he could only bite the bullet, dip a little with his index finger, and put it on his tongue.
"Your Majesty, this salt is salty!" Wang Chengen was so excited that he almost jumped up.
"Nonsense, salt is definitely salty."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I cannot speak. What I meant is that it is not bitter or astringent at all like salt."
"Really?" Chongzhen stood up and walked to Wang Chengen, stretched out his hand to pick up some salt and put it on the tip of his tongue.
As expected, the salt made by Wang Chengen was different from the salt consumed by the people of the Ming Dynasty.
These salts are very fine, with no bitter taste, just salty.
It seems that the method of making fine salt is feasible.
In fact, the method he taught Wang Chengen was very simple, it was a simple chemical method.
First, dissolve the crude salt, then add lime water, stir and let it stand. Most of the salt eaten by the people of the Ming Dynasty was sea salt, which contained various impurities such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and sodium sulfate.
Lime water is mainly a solution of calcium hydroxide, which will react with the impurities above to form a water-insoluble precipitate.
After waiting for a while to settle, filter it with paper, cloth and cotton.
After filtering out the precipitate, pour the remaining brine into a large container to continue precipitation.
After calcium hydroxide reacts with carbon dioxide in the air, continue filtering and there will be no impurities.
Continue to cook and wait for crystallization.
Looking at the white salt, Chongzhen was delighted.
He ordered Wang Chengen: "Go, first find a few trustworthy eunuchs to make a jar of salt according to this method."
"The key steps are lime water and filtration. You should do these two steps yourself. Give a small packet of the salt to the civil and military ministers and nobles in Beijing, and let them taste it."
"If the response is good, I plan to set up a new government office!"
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