Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 331 Iron Mountain City

When Mao Wenlong first established Dongjiang Town, he occupied strongholds centered on Pi Island, including the Liaohai Islands, Lushun Fort, Kuandian Fort, Zhenjiang Fort, and Tieshan and Changcheng within the territory of the Korean Kingdom. He commanded more than 100,000 soldiers and gathered hundreds of thousands of Liao people.

Although Mao Zedong may have exaggerated the Jurchen's achievements, the existence of Dongjiang Town greatly tied up the Later Jin's forces, forcing the Later Jin to divide its troops to take care of the rear when fighting the Ming army in Liaodong, and constantly worrying that Dongjiang Town would find its rear.

In addition, the existence of Dongjiang Town played an indispensable role in stabilizing the morale of the people in Liaodong during the Ming Dynasty.

Amidst the Ming Dynasty's continuous loss of territory and the ever-expanding influence of the Later Jin, Dongjiang Town, as an important stronghold of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong, gave countless Liaodong people a glimpse of the Ming Dynasty's determination and hope to recover lost lands.

Under the ruthless oppression and cruelty of the Jurchens, many Liao people flocked to Dongjiang Town.

Marshal Mao did his best to appease and organize these refugees, which not only strengthened the power of Dongjiang Town but also prevented more people from being captured or killed by the Jurchens.

The Liaodong Islands, with Pi Island as their core, are small in area and have barren land, which could not accommodate too many Liaodong refugees. Therefore, Dongjiang Town resettled a large number of Liaodong people in Tieshan, Changcheng, Lushun and other places.

For a considerable period of time, Tieshan City was the most important military settlement base of Dongjiang Town in Korea, which once housed about 60,000 to 70,000 Liao people and stationed more than 5,000 officers and soldiers.

At that time, Tieshan City had one city, four forts, twenty-one beacon towers, and more than one hundred and thirty settlements. Together with Pi Island at sea, it formed a pincer movement, relying on each other, and was an important part of the Dongjiang Town land defense system.

In 1627 and 1628, the Later Jin launched two large-scale attacks on Korea and Dongjiang Town. Tieshan City was captured and completely destroyed by the Later Jin, and was abandoned by Dongjiang Town, becoming a wilderness.

However, in November of the sixth year of Chongzhen (1634), the troops of Shen Shikui of Dongjiang Town, who had been hiding on Pi Island, suddenly sent more than 3,000 soldiers to land on the Korean coast, and then conscripted thousands of Korean laborers to rebuild Tieshan City.

Despite it being early winter and the ground already frozen, Shen Shikui disregarded the severe cold and continued to "recruit" Korean laborers from all directions. In less than two months, he successively repaired Tieshan City and two nearby small forts, and initially established defensive fortifications.

When the Later Jin dynasty sent scouts to investigate, they were astonished to find that Tieshan City had been rebuilt on the coast, its scale and style surpassing even that of the past.

What surprised the Later Jin scouts even more was that several cannons were deployed on the city wall, their dark muzzles pointing far to the north.

The Later Jin immediately sent envoys to Seoul, demanding that Joseon send troops to expel Donggang Town and dismantle Tieshan Fortress.

However, North Korea has refused to comply with the offer for various reasons, repeatedly claiming that its military is too weak to expel Donggang Town.

Once the weather warmed up and the Yalu River thawed, the Dongjiang naval forces continuously patrolled the river, temporarily extinguishing the Later Jin's attempt to send troops to attack Tieshan City.

After two years of continuous construction, the defenses of Tieshan City have become increasingly complete. It can not only perfectly protect the core headquarters of Pidao Island, but also become the most important military stronghold for Dongjiang Town to penetrate into North Korea.

"If faced with an attack by tens of thousands of Jurchen troops, how long can this city hold out?" Shen Shikui stood fully armed on the top of Tieshan City, stretched out a hand, and gently patted the battlements.

"Reporting to the General, if there is sufficient food and weapons, I can hold out for more than half a year," replied He Ride, the Left Assistant Commander of Pi Island, in a deep voice.

“Very good.” Shen Shikui nodded. “If the Jurchens attack in winter, and you can hold out for more than half a year, you will surely be able to survive until the port thaws. As long as the weather warms up, my Dongjiang Navy will come to support you, and we will not let you be left to defend Tieshan alone.”

"General..." He Ride hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Will the Jurchens really attack Korea in winter and take the opportunity to strike my Dongjiang?"

"These past few months, the Jurchens have been preparing for war, constantly raising provisions and mobilizing troops. Could it be that they're just trying to scare us?" Shen Shikui said with a smile.

"Will the Jurchens break through the Great Wall again and attack the capital region?"

“Hehe…” Shen Shikui shook his head and said, “If the Jurchens break through the Great Wall and invade the capital region in winter, they will not be able to plunder anything. Instead, they will face strong fortifications and end up getting battered and bruised.”

“Then the Jurchens wouldn’t have been able to invade Korea…” He Ride couldn’t help but laugh halfway through his sentence.

With the Korean army's utterly incompetent fighting capabilities, the Jurchen army would have been able to sweep through the land like it was empty, and conquering cities and fortresses would have been an easy task.

By capturing a few key cities and ports in Korea, it would be entirely possible to sustain the war effort through warfare and obtain the necessary supplies.

Ten years ago, the Jurchens, with only tens of thousands of elite Eight Banner troops, crossed the Yalu River in one fell swoop, swept through half of Korea, and directly attacked Seoul, forcing the Korean king and his ministers to sign a treaty of surrender.

Over the past few months, through the information gathered from countless spies, Dongjiang Town has learned that the Jurchens are constantly mobilizing their forces. In addition to "conscripting" thousands of wild Jurchens, such as the Hurha, Solon, and Warka tribes, they have all been incorporated into the Eight Banners to fill the gaps in various Niru.

Moreover, the Jurchens also conscripted a large number of Mongol Eight Banners and Han Army Four Banners (at this time, the Han Army only had four banners: Plain Yellow Banner, Plain White Banner, Plain Red Banner and Plain Blue Banner) to gather in Shenyang and Liaoyang to await orders.

In addition, intelligence from the Ningjin direction indicated that the Jurchens were not only continuously levying grain and military supplies within their territory, but also ordering the Khorchin, Chahar, and other Mongol tribes to provide warhorses, cattle, and sheep as military provisions.

Even a military novice could see from these actions that the Jurchens were about to launch a major offensive.

This immediately put the Ming army in high spirits in the Liaodong garrisons, and they continued to strengthen their military preparedness to prevent the Jurchens from invading.

Although the Jurchens declared that they would launch a punitive military strike against Korea in November, the Ming army dared not be careless in the slightest, fearing that the Jurchens would launch a feint attack on the Ningjin defense line or the flank of Lushun.

Dongjiang Town, located on the flank and rear of the Jurchens, was no match for the Guan Ning Army in terms of either geographical location or military strength. If it were attacked by the Jurchens, it would not even have a single friendly force to respond and provide support.

Therefore, they were especially terrified when faced with the Jurchens sharpening their knives.

Many generals advised Shen Shikui to abandon Tieshan and withdraw all his officers, soldiers, and Liaodong settlers to Pidao Island to temporarily avoid the Jurchens' advance.

Because by November, the weather will turn cold, and not only will the Yalu River freeze, making it impossible for the navy to stop the Jurchen army from crossing the river eastward, but the waters near Tieshan will also be frozen and unable to send troops from Pi Island to provide support.

If the Jurchens were to launch a major attack, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians would likely perish at Tieshan, which would greatly weaken the strength of Pi Island.

Shen Shikui was also hesitant about this.

Taking advantage of the Jurchens' inattention, we can launch surprise attacks on a stronghold, raid several villages, and wage guerrilla warfare. Dongjiang Town handles this with ease.

However, he had no confidence whatsoever when facing the main force of the Jurchen army.

Even if we were to sit in a fortified city and stand against the enemy, I'm afraid the officers and soldiers of Dongjiang Town would be of little use.

However, the people of Xinzhou on Kuniang Island strongly advised him against withdrawing all the troops stationed at Tieshan. Instead, they urged him to increase the number of troops and stockpile supplies so that when the Jurchen army attacked, they could hold the city firmly and wear down the Jurchen forces with their strong defenses.

It should be noted that after the renovation, Tieshan City used a lot of cement in many key parts, and built several bastions and ramparts. There were also seven or eight Xinhua-made cannons on the city walls, making its defensive capabilities comparable to Ningyuan City.

With such formidable city defenses, why would they flee without a fight?!

Finally, the Xinzhou people said that if the Dongjiang Town soldiers were worried about not being able to defend Tieshan City, they could send more than 150 experienced artillerymen and musketeers to help defend the city.

Shen Shikui was already used to the enthusiasm of the Xinzhou people. They seemed very concerned about the situation in Liaodong and the Ming Dynasty, always going out of their way to "help," fearing that the situation would escalate out of control. However, persuaded by the Xinzhou people, Shen Shikui decided to hold out in Tieshan for a while.

Of course, this was not the main reason why he wanted to pull chestnuts out of the fire for the Koreans and withstand the military attacks of the Jurchens on their behalf.

Instead, the people of Xinzhou mentioned the saying, "If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."

If the Jurchens had truly launched a full-scale attack on Korea, it's easy to imagine that it would have been a path to the destruction of the country.

Even if Korea were not destroyed by the Jurchens, it would certainly have been completely subjugated and become a vassal state or dependent state of the Jurchens.

If this situation were to occur, both Tieshan and Pidao would likely suffer a devastating blow from the Jurchens.

It's important to understand that the reason the Jurchens were unable to conquer Pi Island was because they lacked ships and could not launch a naval attack on the island.

However, once the Jurchens subjugate Korea, the Korean navy will inevitably be used by the Jurchens.

Even though the Korean navy was not very strong, it could at least transport people, and could send a large number of elite Jurchen Eight Banners troops from the mainland to the island.

By then, it may be the day that Pidao finally perishes.

Even if the Jurchen military action was not aimed at Korea, but at their Dongjiang Town or Ningjin defense line, the existence of Tieshan would at least serve as a buffer and a warning for Pi Island.

"Therefore, no matter what, your Iron Mountain City must hold out until March or April next year." Shen Shikui looked at He Ride and said solemnly, "As soon as the weather warms up, I will personally lead reinforcements by boat to rescue you."

"This humble general is willing to die for the General." He Ride bowed deeply. "The city stands as long as we live; the city falls, and we die!"
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"go!"

Niman shoved the monocular telescope into its leather case and, as nimbly as his name (Niman being a goat), slid down from the tree. The soles of his boots barely touched the muddy ground covered with decaying leaves before he stepped into the thicket of thorny bushes without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, the five Later Jin scouts did not hesitate at all and followed him into the depths of the forest.

As Saichong chased after him, stepping on the withered branches, Niman was using a dagger to cut the vines that were binding his riding boots, the cold glint of the blade reflecting on his tense jaw.

“Fendeye (i.e., squad leader, Fendeboshiku)!” Saichong’a lowered his voice, his black arrow sleeve sweeping away the morning dew on the grass. “Shall we…go back to Shengjing now (in 1634, Huang Taiji renamed Shenyang to Shengjing)?”

“Okay, let’s go back.” Niman carefully tucked the monocular telescope into the inside pocket of his deerskin coat, as if afraid of damaging his precious treasure.

It is said that this magical artifact came from that distant New World and was the best tool for exploration and observation; it was extremely difficult to obtain.

He acquired the telescope in his hand by killing a Ming guerrilla during a battle with Huanglong's troops in Yaozhou and Dongjiang Town.

Normally, they are kept by their master (i.e., the banner lord) and locked in a sandalwood box, and are not easily given to others to use.

This time, their scout team was ordered to infiltrate North Korea to gather intelligence on Tieshan City. Because it was a matter of great military importance and they were deep in enemy territory, they needed to find out the specific details of the defense of Dongjiang Town, so they took it for him to use.

Suddenly, the mournful cry of an owl echoed through the woods, and Niman's muscles tensed instantly.

During his observation of Tieshan City over the past few days, Niman became increasingly alarmed and disheartened.

The newly built stone (cement) walls of Tieshan City gleamed with a cold, bluish-gray light. The angular enemy towers (bastions) protruded like the fangs of a giant beast, and the dark muzzles of the red-coated cannons pointed directly out of the city.

The yellow banner of the commander, fluttering atop the city wall, rustled in the sea breeze.

Damn it, upon learning that our Great Qing was about to launch an eastern expedition against Korea, Dongjiang Town not only did not retreat to Pidao Island, but was also determined to defend this seaside fortress.

Although he knew that with the fighting strength of Dongjiang Town, the Qing Dynasty would certainly not dare to launch an attack after it broke into Korean territory.

But this single obstacle could pose a subtle but potentially fatal threat to the future of our Qing Dynasty.

Even if they don't have the ability to block the army's retreat, they can still send out small elite units to attack the army's logistics and supplies, which is extremely troublesome.

Therefore, for the long term, when our Great Qing Dynasty swiftly conquers Korea and reaches Seoul, it must also eliminate this troublesome obstacle along the way to ensure the absolute security of our rear.

However, after such a thorough reconnaissance, Niman immediately became pessimistic about the swift capture of Tieshan City.

Fortified cities like these can only be besieged by a large army, just like the previous Daling City and Jinzhou City, slowly wearing down the Ming army inside.

If the city is besieged for several months, or even more than a year, until it runs out of ammunition and food, the Ming army will eventually have no choice but to surrender.

The problem is that this Iron Mountain City is not far from the sea, and there are two small fortresses built between the city and the seaside dock, which can protect the transportation of supplies and personnel.

In other words, this city may not necessarily be able to trap it to death!
If we launch a direct assault, we will likely lose thousands of soldiers.

Even with this, it's not certain that we can breach the city walls.

Wow, this is going to be tough!

"Master Fen De, are you worried that our Great Qing Dynasty will be unable to conquer Tieshan City?" Sai Chong asked cautiously.

"Hmm, with such a large army coming, it's probably going to be difficult to take it down in a short time," Niman said calmly.

"Ha, when has our Great Qing ever launched a full-scale attack on Ming army fortresses?" Sai Chong'a chuckled. "If we can't take them by force, besides siege, we can also use spies!"

“How do you use the space?” Niman glared at him.

What an arrogant guy!

"When the main army invades Korea, we can send a team of elite soldiers to impersonate Korean soldiers and try to infiltrate Tieshan City. In this way, we can cooperate from the inside and outside to take down this fortified city in one fell swoop."

"Have you seen any Koreans allowed into Tieshan City these past few days?" Niman asked coldly, his voice as cold as ice. The tip of his dagger lifted a strand of Saichong'a's hair. "The Ming army's checks are so strict they can count the pockmarks on a person's face. Do you think they're blind?"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from outside the woods, getting closer and closer. He quickly shoved the dagger back into his boot.

"Silence! Follow me as we go around the western ravine."

"Yes, sir!" Several scouts responded in low voices, crouched low, and, using the cover of the dense forest, quickly ran into the depths of the jungle.
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(End of this chapter)