The method of making rock sugar is very simple. Put cotton thread in the saturated sugar solution. After cooling, large pieces of sugar crystals will appear on the cotton thread.
These sugar crystals are rock sugar.
In order to deal with the war in Liaodong, Chongzhen ordered people to purchase a large amount of sugar in advance.
Part of it was made into rock candy, and the other part was made into hemostatic packs.
Although this strategic material is useful, it is expensive.
This put considerable pressure on the Ming Dynasty’s finances.
but...
It is expensive for a reason.
When the Ming army, which had been fighting for a whole day, ate the rock sugar, the sweet taste immediately detonated their taste buds.
The feeling of happiness was transmitted through the nerves to the brain, causing a satisfied smile to appear on their faces.
"Sweet, so damn sweet!" said a Ming army soldier.
"This feels so good, even better than sleeping in the Jiaofangsi!" another soldier followed.
"I don't believe it."
"Believe it or not."
"If you tell me the process, I will believe it."
"Go away," the teased Ming army waved his hands with disdain, took out the water bag and began to drink water carefully.
He couldn't bear the sweet taste in his mouth, so he gave up his previous method of gulping water and instead sipped it slowly.
Other soldiers followed suit.
"Captain, is this candy... sweet?" A Ming army soldier came to the captain and asked.
"Of course it's sweet, can't you taste it?" the team leader asked.
"No, I couldn't help swallowing it when I was eating... Can you give me another piece?"
"You are just like Zhu Bajie who stole the ginseng fruit - eating it without knowing its taste!"
"The captain is really well-educated. I didn't understand."
"That's right, you didn't understand. The captain said you are a pig!" The Ming army next to them started to make a noise.
"Hehe, even this old pig's gluttony has been aroused!" the Ming army soldier said self-deprecatingly.
"Hahahaha——" The soldiers around burst into cheerful laughter.
"Here, you useless thing!" The captain handed his piece of candy to the soldier.
"I, the old pig, thank the captain!"
"Don't swallow, and don't choke! Gather here in a quarter of an hour and prepare to cross the river and kill the Jiannu!"
"yes!"
The soldiers roared with excitement.
With the help of rock sugar, the fatigue of the Ming army was swept away.
At this time, the Ming army had already lined up on the south bank of the Nv'er River.
The infantry was in front and the cavalry was behind.
After making sure that all units were ready, Li Xingzhong issued the order to dispatch troops.
boom!
The sound of signal guns echoed on the south bank of the Daughter River.
Nine thousand Ming army infantrymen were divided into three phalanxes on the left, center and right, and launched an attack on the north bank of the Nv'er River.
The spearmen were in the front, followed by the swordmen, musketmen, and archers.
The chariot was placed at the rear.
The reason for this arrangement is mainly because of the existence of the river.
The channel of the Daughter River is very wide, and in order to move the chariot to the other side of the river, it needs to be pulled from the front and from the back.
The Jiannu soldiers on the other side of the river would not sit idly by.
The spearmen entered the river first and then climbed up the river bank.
As soon as they landed, they were attacked by a hail of arrows.
They continued forward under a hail of arrows.
"Use cavalry charge tactics to drive them back to the river!" Man Dahai ordered in a deep voice.
Amid the sound of dense horse hooves, the Jiannu cavalry launched a charge.
The Ming army spearmen stuck their spears upside down into the ground, with the spear tips pointing diagonally upwards.
The sword player raised his shield.
The musketeers and archers stood at the back and fired freely.
Faced with the Ming army's formation lined with spears, the Jiannu cavalry did not dare to attack directly and could only take turns shooting arrows.
After withstanding several rounds of arrow rain, the Ming army successfully established a bridgehead on the north bank of the Nue River and began to expand the scope of the bridgehead.
When there was enough space, the Ming cavalry leaped into the river and followed the river bank to the north bank.
The infantry will tie down the front, while the cavalry will make detours on both wings and go around the rear.
The Jiannu cavalry was beaten back step by step.
The Ming army successfully established a foothold on the north bank of the Nue River.
At this time, the chariots at the rear of the army were finally moved to the north bank.
The chariots were connected end to end and became part of the camp.
"Report!" On the field five miles away from the Ming army camp, the Eight Banners scouts came to Man Dahai and said, "Prince Li, the Ming army has set up camp on the north bank of the Nv'er River."
"Are there any flaws in the Ming army camp?" Man Dahai asked hurriedly.
"The Ming army connected the chariots end to end to form the wall of the camp. In addition, they set up a large number of horse traps, trenches and chevaux de frise outside the chariots. If we want to attack the camp at night, it may not be easy." The scout replied.
"I understand." Man Dahai suddenly regained his composure.
Now that things have come to this, there is no need to worry about whether to attack the camp.
The fighting on the Western Front was over.
He lost.
The most urgent task was to tell the news to Jirgalang in the center line so that he could make preparations early.
Just as he was about to send a message, the leader of the Kharchin tribe, Dorji, suddenly came to Mandahai and said, "Your Majesty."
"What's wrong?" Man Dahai asked.
"Uh..." Dorji glanced at the people around Mandahai, seeming to want to say something but stopped himself.
"You guys go away first." Man Dahai chased them away directly.
After the others had gone far away, Dorji said to Mandahai with a serious expression: "Your Highness, there is news from Outer Mongolia that Teng Jite has been arrested."
"Who?" Man Dahai thought he had heard wrongly.
"The leader of the Sunite tribe, Tengjite, was captured by the Ming army and became a prisoner," Dorji explained.
Man Dahai still didn't believe it. He asked with some doubt: "Have you checked? Is the news true?"
"I checked, the news should be true." Dorji began to recount the verified news: "Tengji was hit in the neck by a three-barreled gun from the Ming army when he was killing a general and seizing the flag. He fell unconscious, and his subordinates risked their lives to rescue him. As a result, he fell off the horse's back due to the bumps when he was escaping, and was finally picked up by the Ming army."
"After the defeat of the Sunite tribe, its organization was disrupted, and the news of Tengji Te was never delivered in time. I only learned about it just now."
Tengji Special...
When Man Dahai heard this name, he felt a bit disappointed.
In order to surprise Li Xingzhong, he gave Tengjite 5,000 cavalry...
You should know that Li Xingzhong's central army only had four or five hundred people.
Five thousand versus five hundred...
Not only did Teng Jite fail to defeat Li Xingzhong, but he was also dragged down by the enemy until reinforcements arrived.
It's the waste among wastes!
"Your Highness," Dorji reminded Mandahai in a low voice, "When the Sunite heard that their leader had been captured, they immediately became a mess. Some wanted to return to the tribe to avoid the battle, some wanted to rescue Tengji and claim credit, and some began to rub their hands, preparing to take his place and become the new leader."
"The Sunite tribe...is ruined."
"I understand," Man Dahai forced himself to calm down.
He temporarily handed over the troops to Lekedehun and rushed to Nanshan area to meet Jirgalang overnight.
Nanshan.
In the tent at the foot of the mountain, the generals reported military intelligence to Jirgalang.
There were a lot of people present.
In addition to the senior generals of the Eight Banners, there were also high-ranking officials of the Outer Mongolians and the Korean Yeonseong Prince Lee Si-bang.
After describing the course of the war on the western front, Man Dahai asked Li Shifang a soul-searching question: "Li Shifang, what on earth are you Koreans doing?"
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