Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 480 Stalemate (Part 1)

On the 30th day of the ninth month of the fourteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, in Songshan City.

As dusk settled, banners fluttered atop Songshan City, and the setting sun, like blood, bathed the city walls in a crimson glow.

Wearing cotton armor and a scarlet cloak, Hong Chengchou slowly ascended the city wall, surrounded by generals such as Tang Tong, Ma Ke, Wu Sangui, and Cao Bianjiao.

Below the city, five Ming army camps stretched for miles, their tents arranged like chess pieces, with campfires dotting the landscape, facing off against the Qing army camps in the distance.

"Commander-in-Chief, the Qing barbarians have been unusually quiet these past few days. I'm afraid they're no longer fit for battle and have no choice but to retreat to their camps to conserve their strength!" Tang Tong, the General of Miyun, said with a smile after observing the commotion outside the city for a while.

He was a burly man with a scar across his face. When he spoke, the scar twitched slightly, revealing a hint of ferocity.

Hong Chengchou nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the Qing army camp in the distance.

Cavalry could be vaguely seen galloping back and forth, raising clouds of dust, but they did not approach the Ming army camp.

“We’ve been fighting for months. The Qing invaders aren’t made of iron. How can they keep launching attacks on our camp?” His voice was steady, but it carried a coldness and a hint of rust. “At this point in the war, it’s not about swords and spears, it’s about endurance. We’ll see who can’t hold out the first, and whose cooking fire will go out first.”

"Commander-in-Chief..." Cao Bianjiao frowned, glancing towards the direction of the government offices in the city. "Supervisor Zhang has repeatedly urged our army to advance with all our might and engage in a decisive battle with the Qing invaders, citing orders from the Ministry of War. Moreover, I have heard that an imperial edict from the capital has been sent to Ningyuan..."

“I’m afraid the imperial edict from Ningyuan won’t arrive here anytime soon.” Upon hearing this, Hong Chengchou’s face immediately darkened. “As for the supervising officer’s urging, let’s ignore it for now. I don’t believe that the Ministry of War’s order can be delivered directly to this official.”

The supervising officer Zhang Ruolin is utterly incompetent!

Previously, he had been urging the army to march to Jinzhou to engage in a decisive battle with the Qing invaders.

More than ten days ago, when he learned that the Qing army wanted to raid the grain and fodder camp at Bijia Mountain, he was at a loss and worried that the supply line would be cut off. He then urged Hong Chengchou to immediately retreat to Ningyuan in order to hold the position and protect the army.

After news of the great victory at Bijia Mountain arrived, the supervising officer Zhang Ruolin changed his mind again, ordering Hong Chengchou to take advantage of the Qing army's recent defeat and launch a full-scale offensive against the Qing army's camp, thereby relieving the siege of Jinzhou in one fell swoop.

This back-and-forth is truly exasperating.

Upon hearing Hong Chengchou's words, all the generals breathed a sigh of relief.

With the commander-in-chief at the top, no one in the Songshan camp could force them to launch a strong attack on the Qing army's trenches.

Because this is tantamount to handing over heads to the Qing invaders!
More than ten days ago, in retaliation for the Qing army's attack on the Bijia Mountain grain and fodder camp, Hong Chengchou ordered Cao Bianjiao, Li Fumin, and Wu Sangui to each lead their troops to launch a large-scale attack on the Qing army camps at Rufeng Mountain and Changling Mountain.

After a day of fierce fighting, the Ming army broke through two trenches and captured three camps of the Qing army. Cao Bianjiao led more than 600 of his men in a desperate charge towards Huang Taiji's camp, and once fought his way to within 200 paces of Huang Taiji's tent, almost carrying out a "decapitation" operation against the Qing army.

If it weren't for the timely rescue by the Eight Banners generals such as Dodo, Oboi, and Tantai, they might have been able to capture Huang Taiji alive.

However, this fierce attack also caused heavy losses to the Ming army, with more than 5,000 casualties. Cao Bianjiao was also injured in the melee and his left shoulder is still wrapped in gauze. He cannot move freely and cannot fight on horseback.

As for the spoils, although all the tribes claimed to have killed many Qing soldiers, in the end, they were only able to recover a mere seven hundred heads.

The effort and the reward are clearly disproportionate.

Not only did they fail to obtain any real kills, but they also failed to break through the Qing army's several lines of defense, forcing the unbearable stalemate between the two sides to continue. For the past few months, the Ming and Qing armies had become like a group of civil engineers, frantically digging trenches, building camps, and constructing fortifications, all while waiting for the other to launch an attack.

Faced with a well-defended fortress, the attacking side will inevitably suffer heavy casualties, essentially handing over lives to the enemy.

The fact that the battle has reached this point is actually in line with the Ming army's expectations.

This is because it returns to the battle mode that the Ming army is most familiar with.

Relying on fortified cities, they defended their positions and continuously depleted the Qing forces.

As for open field battles with the Qing, to be honest, the Ming army was still wary of the Qing cavalry. A slight miscalculation could allow the Qing to seize an opening and launch a surprise attack from an unexpected location.

Once the formation is broken and morale is lost, they become the target of the Qing invaders' pursuit and are easily reaped.

On the contrary, in siege battles, the Qing invaders generally did not gain much advantage; on the contrary, they sometimes inflicted heavy casualties on the Qing and won a glorious victory.

For example, the Songshan Victory two years ago.

Deputy General Jin Guofeng, with only 3,000 exhausted defenders, withstood a two-month siege by nearly 10,000 Qing Eight Banner troops. He used more than ten cannons and more than two hundred muskets on the city walls to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy, ultimately causing the Qing to retreat in defeat.

When the good news reached the capital, Emperor Chongzhen was overjoyed and immediately issued an edict promoting Jin Guofeng to the rank of Militia Commander-in-Chief and granting him the hereditary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, bestowing upon him the highest honor.

Just half a month ago, Tong Hanbang, the deputy commander of the front garrison stationed at Bijia Mountain's grain and fodder camp, also led 3,000 auxiliary troops. Under the surprise attack of 5,000 elite Qing cavalry, he not only firmly defended the camp, but also launched a concentrated fire attack on the "sky bridge," causing the Qing to suffer a great defeat.

It is said that during this battle, the Qing general Wu Yingjun Prince Ajige was hit by cannon fire and eventually died from his injuries.

Although the news has not yet been verified, Commander-in-Chief Hong Chengchou has already written a memorial to report the victory and to recommend Tong Hanbang for credit.

It is estimated that after the war ends, Tong Hanbang will definitely be promoted to the rank of general.

So everyone just held their positions and wore down the Qing forces, until they were exhausted and had no choice but to retreat north.

Now, this great war has been going on for more than a year. Our Great Ming Dynasty has been relying on the strength of the whole country to continuously engage in this long-term stalemate and confrontation. We are almost unable to hold on. How can the Qing barbarians, with their weak resources, still hold on?

Hong Chengchou sighed, turned and walked towards the stairs, then suddenly looked back at the Qing army camp in the twilight.

The wind whipped up snowflakes, as if trying to blanket the world in white.

He knew in his heart that in the end, this battle would depend not only on supplies and troops, but also on the patience of the court.

Emperor Chongzhen awaited news of victory in the capital, Chen Xinjia waited for the elite troops from beyond the Great Wall in the Ministry of War, Zhang Ruolin waited in his camp to claim credit, while he could only stand on Songshan City, staring at the enemy camp, enduring the waiting step by step.

After all, behind him lay the vast empire of the Ming Dynasty, and he could not retreat.

"Let's just endure it!" Hong Chengchou tightened his cloak and descended the city wall step by step.
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(End of this chapter)