Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 510 Master Grandpa is Here

Liu Xingzuo did not take Sun Chengzong's warning seriously, and perhaps because he was blinded by his previous victory, when he learned that a small group of Eight Banners and Mongolian soldiers had appeared to escort supplies and people, he gave the order to attack without thinking much.

The battle went pretty much as Liu Xingzuo had expected. In addition to killing dozens of Eighteen Banners and Mongolian soldiers in battle, he also seized supplies and rescued the people who had been abducted by the Jiannu.

After the battle, Liu Xingzuo's infantry escorted the spoils ahead, while he led the cavalry to search the nearby area. He did not return until the next day. However, he had no idea that Abatai had already gone ahead to block his retreat while he was on his way back. Jirgalang was also not idle, leading his troops to chase slowly from behind, waiting for Liu Xingzuo to fall into the ambush himself.

Liu Xingzuo and his troops were completely unaware of this. Due to the return of the army, his marching speed was not fast, and he had just won a victory. Liu Xingzuo never thought that the Jiannu would plot against him. When the troops reached Lianghuikou, Abatai's troops suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked his way. Just as Liu Xingzuo was hastily fighting in astonishment, bad news came from the rear. Jirgalang appeared from behind his troops, and two elite Jiannu Eight Banners troops directly sandwiched him in Lianghuikou, leaving him in a dilemma.

Faced with such changes, Liu Xingzuo realized in an instant that he had fallen into a trap, but at this time he had no other choice. The only two things he could do were to surrender or to fight to the death.

Surrender is absolutely impossible. As a rebel general of the Qing Dynasty, Liu Xingzuo knew very well that Huang Taiji had long wanted to kill him and be happy. Surrender would also be a dead end. In this case, it is better to fight to the death, concentrate strength and fight the enemy. Maybe he can break out.

In this way, the war broke out, and Liu Xingzuo led his elite cavalry to fight a desperate battle with Abatai and Jirgalang. Because the war broke out suddenly, Liu Xingzuo, who was on the march, did not even have time to put on his armor and led his subordinates directly to fight.

The battle lasted from morning to evening. Although Liu Xingzuo fought bravely and his cavalry were fearless, he was eventually defeated by the elite Eight Banners who were well prepared and stronger than him in terms of both numbers and combat effectiveness.

After fighting to the end, Liu Xingzuo was finally shot to death and died a heroic death for his country. None of his elite cavalry survived, and even Liu Xingzuo's younger brother Liu Xingxian could not escape and was captured alive by Abatai.

After the war, Abatai and others found Liu Xingzuo's body on the battlefield and brought it back to show Huang Taiji. Huang Taiji was very happy after seeing the body and immediately ordered Liu Xingzuo's body to be cut into pieces to vent his hatred.

Poor Liu Xingzuo was not only disemboweled by the Jiannu after his death, but his body was not left intact.

After Liu Xingzuo's death, Sun Chengzong soon learned the news. He was deeply saddened and deeply grateful for Liu Xingzuo's loyalty. For this reason, Sun Chengzong personally wrote a memorial to Emperor Chongzhen to explain the circumstances of Liu Xingzuo's defeat and death. At the same time, he begged Emperor Chongzhen to treat Liu Xingzuo's remaining troops well, let his brother Liu Xingji lead the remaining troops and succeed him as the lieutenant general, and at the same time, the court gave Liu Xingzuo posthumous favors.

Emperor Chongzhen was also heartbroken after receiving the news, and was even more moved by Liu Xingzuo's experience. He issued an edict to promote Liu Xingzuo by three ranks, and granted his son Liu Dajin the hereditary title of Jinyiwei Commander. In addition, Emperor Chongzhen also discussed granting Liu Xingzuo six altars for sacrifice and building a tomb for him to show his posthumous honor.

Because of Sun Chengzong, the situation in the capital improved greatly. As Huang Taiji's main force shifted its attention from the capital to the line from Jizhou to Zunhua, the Eight Banners soldiers who were roaming around the capital gradually left the capital, which made Emperor Chongzhen breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same time, the troops from other places also began to arrive in the capital, replenishing the troops after the huge losses suffered by the Xuanda army, and making Hei Yunlong and others feel relieved. If everything develops according to the current situation, the safety of the capital will not be a big problem. I am afraid that Huang Taiji will return soon. After Huang Taiji goes north of the Great Wall, the crisis facing the Ming Dynasty will be overcome.

"Sir, do you think the Jiannu will come back?" In the tent, Hei Yunlong asked Zhu Shenzhui worriedly.

Zhu Shenzhui was also considering this issue. Judging from the current situation, Huang Taiji has given up his intention to continue attacking the capital for three reasons.

First, the capital city is not so easy to attack. Even if Xuanda’s army is crippled, the Guanning Army is still there. In addition, the capital city has high walls and thick defenses, and it has the advantage of firearms. The possibility of Huang Taiji taking the capital city is very slim.

Second, Sun Chengzong's tactical changes have hit Huang Taiji's sore spot. Huang Taiji withdrew his main force from the vicinity of the capital because he was worried that Sun Chengzong would cut off his retreat. Although the battlefield shifted from the capital to the area from Jizhou to Zunhua after the Jiannu returned, and the Jiannu also intended to attack the Shanhaiguan line, from these actions, Huang Taiji was very clear-headed. The reason why he fought like this was to prevent Sun Chengzong from connecting this line into one, blocking his retreat, and thus creating a posture of closing the door and beating the dog. He was now racing against time with Sun Chengzong, attacking Yongping and other places with a point-to-point attack to break Sun Chengzong's layout.

As for the third reason, the various armies that came to support the emperor had arrived in the capital one after another, and the military strength comparison between the two sides had changed. No matter how powerful Huang Taiji's Eight Banners were, together with the Mongolian soldiers, they only had more than 60,000 people. They had suffered losses in the previous battles with the Ming army. Even if they temporarily recruited vassal soldiers to join the battle, Huang Taiji had lost several thousand people. His strength was no longer as strong as when he first attacked the Great Wall.

Judging from the above situation, Zhu Shenzhui believes that the current dilemma of the capital has been basically solved, and Huang Taiji should not turn around to attack the capital again. He must first ensure the safety of his retreat. However, although this judgment is very likely, it cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate. After all, anything can happen on the battlefield. If the defense of the capital is neglected and Huang Taiji seizes the opportunity to turn around and attack again, it is not impossible. The only thing that can be done now is not to give Huang Taiji the opportunity to find a flaw, and cooperate with Sun Chengzong to continue to put pressure on Huang Taiji and force the Jiannu to return. "What you said makes sense, sir. I have calculated the situation of the war in the past few days and think so. If the Jiannu can be forced to leave one day earlier, I can be completely relieved. It's just... hey, what a pity... what a pity..." Hei Yunlong shook his head and sighed.

Zhu Shenzhui knew very well what Hei Yunlong was thinking, because he also felt it was a pity.

The current situation has changed entirely because of Sun Chengzong. If Sun Chengzong had not decisively adjusted tactics after Man Gui's death in battle, Huang Taiji would probably still be besieging the capital.

Recalling the advice Sun Chengzong had given to Emperor Chongzhen before, Sun Chengzong suggested that Emperor Chongzhen take his own approach, mobilize a large army to directly block the Jiannu's retreat route, and then use the Xuan Army and other royal defense troops in the capital to delay Huang Taiji's escape to the north. As long as time can be gained, once the Jizhou to Zunhua line is completely captured, Huang Taiji will be trapped.

Unfortunately, Emperor Chongzhen was indecisive and did not accept Sun Chengzong's suggestion. Moreover, he gave Sun Chengzong the highest military command a few days ago, but suddenly changed his mind a few days later and sent Sun Chengzong directly to Tongzhou. This led to Man Gui temporarily taking over the various departments in the capital and being urged to go to war. In a hurry, the Xuan army was defeated and Man Gui and others died in battle.

Although the tactics Sun Chengzong is now adopting are not much different from those he previously suggested to Emperor Chongzhen, in fact, the times have changed and the effects are completely different.

At that time, the main force of Xuanda Army was still there, Man Gui and others were still alive, Sun Chengzong's plan had a high success rate, and the troops he could mobilize were much stronger than they were now. Once launched, Sun Chengzong could use Xuanda Army to temporarily delay Huang Taiji's northward march. In addition to the combat effectiveness and marching speed of Guanning Iron Cavalry, he could also cooperate with the Ming Army in Shanhaiguan and Ma Shilong and other troops to quickly occupy the Jizhou to Zunhua line, and directly close the gate before Huang Taiji could react.

But what about now? Xuanda's army was crippled, Man Gui was gone, and Sun Chengzong no longer had the strong military force to hold back Huang Taiji and prevent him from going north in time. In addition, the most powerful Guanning Army had been in the capital and had not gone north. Sun Chengzong could only rely on Ma Shilong's troops and the second-rate Liaodong troops temporarily transferred from Shanhaiguan to plug the gap.

These troops were not strong in terms of numbers or combat effectiveness, and they did not have an overwhelming advantage over the Jiannu's garrison troops in Jizhou and Zunhua. On the contrary, they were still inferior to the Ming army, which was why Sun Chengzong lost both battles at the beginning. But even so, his intentions scared Huang Taiji, who quickly abandoned the capital and marched north after receiving the news, because Huang Taiji knew Sun Chengzong too well. He was not an ordinary person. Once his retreat was blocked, his army would be in danger.

Judging from these, Sun Chengzong's current tactics are far different from the previous plan. If he followed the previous plan, he could have completely annihilated the Jiannu or at least dealt a heavy blow to them. But now, at most, he has achieved the result of "Besieging Wei to Save Zhao", shifting the war from the capital to the line from Jizhou to Zunhua, and getting the capital out of danger.

No one knows how the situation will change next or what Huang Taiji will do. They can only wait for the situation to change and develop.

Just when Hei Yunlong and Zhu Shenzui were discussing the possible future battle situation, Li You arrived. He announced it from outside the tent, and after entering the tent, he saw Hei Yunlong there, but hesitated but did not express his intention.

"There are still military affairs to attend to in the army, so I won't disturb you, sir. I'll take my leave first." Hei Yunlong was also very perceptive. He saw that Li You had something to say, and it was inconvenient for him to speak. So he pretended that he saw nothing, stood up and said with a smile.

"I'll see Hei Shuai off." Zhu Shenzhui stood up and said with a smile.

Hei Yunlong did not refuse. The two of them walked out of the tent while talking. Outside the tent, both sides bowed to each other. Hei Yunlong walked quickly towards his central army. After Hei Yunlong left, Zhu Shenzhui withdrew his gaze and asked Li You in a low voice what was the matter.

"Sixth Master, Commander Wang has arrived."

"Commander Wang?" Zhu Shenzhu was stunned. Li You nodded and reminded him softly, "It's Old Master Wang, my master..."

Zhu Shenzhui came to his senses in an instant and asked hurriedly, "Is the old man here? Where is he? When did he arrive? Quick! Take me there!"

(End of this chapter)