Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 103 The Second Round of Siege and Defense of the Capital
The Taihang Mountains, near Baoding Prefecture.

In reality, it was a detachment of Dorgon's main force that had set up camp in the woods.

When he learned that Daišan had been captured, that both Red Banners had been completely wiped out, and that Jirgalang had withdrawn his troops beyond the Great Wall, it was already April 29th.

At this moment, he was still 300 li away from the capital, which would take two more days, and four more days to reach Xifengkou.

But there was nothing he could do.

Looking at the bronze seal of the red-flag-adorned Jiala Ezhen in front of him, which gleamed with a bloody light under the sunlight.

The messenger, Ejen, had already died from excessive injuries and exhaustion.

The neighing of horses outside the tent, mixed with the snoring of the Eight Banner soldiers, made the central command tent even more deathly silent.

"Master!" Ashan, the Jiala Zhangjing of the Plain Yellow Banner, pushed open the leather curtain. "We've found out everything!"

"The Bordered Blue Banner broke through the encirclement at Xifengkou. Prince Zheng has already led the main force of the Bordered Blue Banner across Yongping Prefecture and is heading towards Shengjing!"

Dorgon slowly rose, took a deep breath, and asked, "How many of the two red flags are left?"

"Your Majesty, it's hard to say. There are fleeing soldiers everywhere, and Ming troops are arresting people everywhere. It's really difficult to find out the truth."

Fan Wencheng advised, "Your Highness, now that the Ming army has captured Jinzhou, Prince Li's army has been defeated, and Prince Zheng's army has retreated, all three ports into the pass have been lost. We cannot fight any longer. We should quickly head to Shanhaiguan and return to Shengjing to provide reinforcements!"

"Go through Shanhaiguan?" Dorgon suddenly grabbed the bronze seal on the table and smashed it against the map. "Now that the fifteenth prince and I have yet to achieve any merit, Daishan has been captured, and the two red flags have been broken at Feihu Ridge, what do you expect me to take back to Shengjing!"

"Even if I go back, do you think Hauge will let me go?!"

The voice echoed throughout the tent, and Fan Wencheng's temple veins throbbed. "How could Your Highness be so reckless! Our army and Prince Yu's army combined number only 90,000! We are short of food and soldiers, and facing the siege of hundreds of thousands of Ming troops, a single misstep could not only cost Your Highness your life, but also the future of the Qing Dynasty!"

"This servant will absolutely not agree to another war!"

Fan Wencheng was truly terrified. Ever since he saw Zhu Youjian's three consecutive imperial edicts, this sense of fear had only intensified.

The mere accusation of being a traitor to the nation is enough to condemn him to eternal infamy.

If he can't let the Qing Dynasty take over the Central Plains, then even if he, Fan Wencheng, dies, he'd rather be buried with dung!
Dorgon remained calm and continued speaking.
"Zheng Chenggong only had 40,000 naval troops. Jirgalang leading the three Solon tribes to his aid should be sufficient."

"Report!" A scout rushed into the tent amidst the sandstorm, "Ming cavalry launched a surprise attack on the Haizhou camp, burning six hundred carts of grain!"

Dorgon's pupils suddenly contracted.

Another commotion arose outside the tent. A scout from the Bordered Yellow Banner dragged a Mongolian herdsman in, and a blood-stained sheepskin scroll rolled to his feet.

"The Ming emperor convened a meeting of forty-nine tribes at Xifengkou, and Abunai was granted the title of King of Chahar."

"What a fine Ming Dynasty emperor!"

Dorgon kicked over the brazier, sparks flying onto the terrified faces of the Mongolian herdsmen.

This time, he truly considered Zhu Youjian as his greatest enemy.

Previously, I was skeptical of sayings like "silence is golden" or "great talents mature late," but this time I believe them wholeheartedly.

Just because Zhu Youjian was able to launch a five-pronged encirclement while they were advancing from four directions, and also wipe out the Mongol tribes that they had taken ten years to subdue in one fell swoop.

If he returns empty-handed again, he will likely be crushed by the Hauge faction, who opposed his entry into the Central Plains.

After gritting his teeth and struggling for a moment, Dorgon's voice was almost spat out between his teeth.

"Order Dodo to do everything in his power to cross Dezhou and reach Xianghe within two days! Forget everything else, go straight to attack the capital of the Southern Dynasty!!"

Fan Wencheng quickly stepped forward and restrained the agitated Dorgon. "Your Highness, the main force of the Ming army is in Jizhou, and the Five Armies Camp has just been relocated. If we let Prince Yu..."

"Do you think I'm out of my mind with anger?!" Dorgon drew his sword and cleaved the map in two. "Send a message to Jirgalang, telling him to bring the Solon tribe and the Plain Blue Banner back to Xifengkou! Tell him that my two Yellow Banners will be able to hunt with him at Xifengkou in three days!"

"Zhu Youjian wants to use the Mongols to block my retreat, but I'll stab him in the heart again! Ah Shan, break camp at 7 PM tonight, and tell Solon not to retreat to Shanhaiguan. Isn't he almost at Tianjin? Go directly to the capital and drive the captured Han people ahead. I want to see if the Ming emperor dares to bombard his own people!"

Fan Wencheng wanted to persuade him further, but Dorgon stopped him.

"Mr. Fan, there's no need to say more. You saw it in Henan. The Ming army is still the same Ming army. It's just that their emperor gave them a bit of backbone."

"As long as this backbone is removed, the Ming army will remain just as weak!"

"With two yellow and two white banners, we are strong enough to defeat 200,000 Ming troops, not to mention the three Solon tribes and the Bordered Blue Banner. The pursuing troops from Henan and Shandong are five days behind us."

"In these five days, we're fighting 150,000 against 100,000!"

"We can't let Zhu Youjian live any longer, otherwise this behemoth of the Southern Dynasty will be under his control, roaming the world!"

After listening, Fan Wencheng did not refute it for a moment.

Dorgon's meaning is very simple.

The plan was to take advantage of the Qing army's superior mobility and combat strength to eliminate Zhu Youjian before the Ming reinforcements from Jiangnan arrived.

Compared to Dorgon's previous strategies, this one was noticeably more cautious.

With two formidable generals, Dodo and Sony, along with two White Banners and one Plain Yellow Banner Gushan, they attacked the Ming capital.

This forced the Ming army at Xifengkou to return to reinforce.

This will create a more absolute local advantage.

This is also a well-intentioned but not overt strategy.

Either Zhu Youjian watched the capital fall to save himself, or the morale that the Ming Dynasty had painstakingly built up would collapse in an instant.

Either reinforcements are called back, in which case Zhu Youjian will be in trouble and his life will be in danger.

If Zhu Youjian leads a large army back to reinforce the capital, then all of Northern Zhili, except for the capital, will fall.

Dorgon could also give an explanation to Shengjing and the Jianzhou Three Guards, ensuring that his own political prestige would not be affected.

However, these strategies still have one prerequisite: that Hauge can hold Shengjing.

Or rather, Shengjing (Mukden) could not be lost before the capital fell, otherwise everything would be in vain.

Neither of them believed that a mere navy could defeat Hauge's Plain Blue Banner on land.

Moreover, that was the Jianzhou Three Guards, the homeland of the Jurchens. It was no exaggeration to say that every member of the Jurchen Eight Banners was a soldier.

Even though the war in the north had deteriorated to such an extent, Dorgon and Fan Wencheng never imagined that Shengjing would fall.

……

Two days later, thirty li east of Beijing.

In the thin mist along the Chaobai River, five thousand Plain Yellow Banner cavalrymen trampled the water's surface.

The people, bound together by ropes, staggered forward, the cries of the infant in the woman's arms piercing the dawn.

A firearms battalion composed of surrendered Han Chinese soldiers followed at the rear of the column, pushing thirty red-coated cannons, the cannons leaving deep tracks in the mud.

"My lord, a letter from Prince Dodo says that the two white flags have passed Langfang and are only forty li away from our troops."

Goshha knelt down, holding a carrier eagle, and said, “Dodo Beile ordered my troops to attack the city first, saying that there are few soldiers guarding the capital. My troops can greatly enhance our prestige and attract the attention of the capital’s garrison by leading the charge with the people.”

"Dodo and Prince Dodo have already sent light cavalry to bypass the south gate. Once the fighting starts on the master's side, the light cavalry will attack the city."

Sony tightened the reins, and the warhorse snorted.

After listening to the scout's report, he first analyzed the pros and cons in his mind before slowly nodding.

“Then reply to Prince Dodo: my troops will attack Dongzhimen and Chaoyangmen at noon.”

"It would be best to have Prince Dodo divide his forces and seize Yutian."

Having said that, he spurred his horse forward.

Sony is extremely confident about the war effort.

In the newly established Qing Dynasty, he only respected two people: Dorgon and Dodo.

Sony admired both the former's political maneuvering and the latter's tactics.

But this is merely admiration; Sony has his own unique insights into the war.

Even Dodo's orders required him to carefully consider them.

As the midday sun shone on the outskirts of Beijing, Ni Yuanlu stood atop the Dongzhimen city wall and lowered his telescope.

Amidst the rising dust on the horizon, the yellow banner and dragon flag were faintly visible.

Officials and nobles who had been forcibly dragged to the city wall were constantly running around on the wall.

"Prime Minister, the Jurchens are driving civilians into the vanguard!"

"Prime Minister, the gunpowder from the Ministry of Works has not yet been delivered!"

"Prime Minister, the cannons at Deshengmen are too heavy. Please send me another thousand militiamen."

"Prime Minister, why haven't the military provisions from the Ministry of Revenue arrived at the city walls yet? How can the militia defend the city if they don't eat?"

"Yuansuke..."

The constant calls of "Prime Minister" were driving Ni Yuanlu crazy.

Heaven has mercy! He, a civil official from the Ministry of Rites, is forced to don armor and lead the defense of the city.

The key issue is that he doesn't yet have any capable generals or strategists.

Zhu Youjian took away all the usable ones, so he could only reluctantly drag the officials of the Six Ministries to the city wall.

These officials, who usually dabble in literature, would never know anything about military strategy!

Some officials, in particular, who had participated in organizing the activities, didn't even know how to arrange the militia.

He had to be involved in everything, big or small.

Ni Yuanlu is almost in tears now.

But he still had to hold on, because Zhu Youjian had given a death order.

Even if it's street fighting, we must hold out for seven days.

No fewer than 150,000 reinforcements will arrive in seven days. If Zhu Youjian were in front of him, he would feel it was extremely inappropriate for him to be suffering from a cold, and he would grab Zhu Youjian by the neck and question him about how to defend the city.

The capital city had a population of 300,000, but the garrison numbered only 4,000. Even with the addition of the soldiers from the five city garrisons, the total number was only 7,000.

Moreover, most of the weapons and armor in the treasury were allocated to other troops, and the remaining amount was used to equip at most 30,000 militiamen with weapons.

The most elite generals were nobles like Li Guozhen who had experience commanding troops.

The Wu family, the only two people in the city who knew how to fight, completely ignored Ni Yuanlu.

But even in Ni Yuanlu's mind, this was perfectly normal.

The Guan Ning Army, which the father and son had built up over so long, was seized as soon as they arrived, and they were given a nominal position and then relegated to obscurity.

Who would be willing to defend the city for you?

With no other option, Ni Yuanlu had to bite the bullet and take on the task.

Guang had nearly a hundred messengers around him to coordinate the overall situation.

This was the best solution Ni Yuanlu could think of.

"Tell the Ministry of Works that no matter what, 20,000 catties of gunpowder must be delivered to the Dongzhimen city wall before 11 PM. Also, allocate 20 large carts from the Ministry of Revenue to go there."

"Tell the Ministry of Revenue and the Nine Inner Palaces to disregard other miscellaneous matters and focus on ensuring food supplies for the front lines and the rationing system in the city."

"Who else is guarding Desheng Gate? A mere eight cannons, surely five thousand men can't move them? Tell him there's no one there. At most, we'll give him fifty packhorses, and he'll have to figure out the rest himself."

"Where is the young master of the Marquis of Xiangcheng? Didn't he say he knew how to operate cannons? Tell him to come over quickly and calibrate the cannons, and see if we can get past the refugees in front and hit the Jurchens behind."

Squads of messengers ran down the city wall, and then squads of messengers ran up.

Ni Yuanlu had no choice but to bite the bullet and make the arrangements one by one.

Time flies and it's noon.

Sony, who had been prepared, gave the order, and more than 20,000 refugees were driven forward.

They crossed the moat, climbed over the trenches, moved the barricades, and arrived outside the capital, crying and shouting.

Ni Yuanlu dug his five fingers into the blue bricks of the crenellation, and the shadow of the heavily armored cavalry of the Plain Yellow Banner was already visible, revealing the red tassels on their helmets.

The people, whose wrists were bound with ropes, staggered forward.

The last old woman's swaddling clothes slipped off her back and fell into the mud during the bumpy ride. Just as she was about to bend down to pick them up, the Eight Banners soldiers trampled over them on horseback.

They even chased after him several times.

The old woman stared at the pile of blood-stained rags and went completely mad, yelling, "You damned Tartar, you're still a bastard..."

With one swift stroke, the old woman's head flew off.

The Eight Banners soldiers ignored them, only urging the refugees to hurry up.

"Prepare the cannons! Aren't there some on the barbican?!" The Left Vice Minister of Justice's shrill voice startled the birds on the city wall. "Where are the people from the Ministry of Works' Firearms Department?"

"The range of the 'Zhankou' cannon is less than a hundred paces!" The Ministry of Works official's hand trembled as he gripped the "Illustrated Handbook of Firearms." "The 'Red-Coated Cannon' is still at Deshengmen."

"Then let's use the Tiger Crouching Cannon! We can't just stand by and watch the Jurchens slaughter our people at will!"

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was so anxious that his eyes turned red. He was originally a Pacification Commissioner and had fully inherited the spirit of Zhu Youjian, regarding the people as the most important thing.

However, he still lacked experience.

Ni Yuanlu stepped forward and slapped him, angrily rebuking him, "Those are subjects of the Great Ming Dynasty! Don't the officials and colleagues on the city wall know that?!"

"Look at yourself, how much your shouting has affected morale!"

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was taken aback and quickly looked around.

They noticed that the local militia members around them all seemed somewhat distressed.

He quickly shut his mouth and lowered his head, no longer speaking.

Ni Yuanlu scanned the moat with his telescope. "The Jurchen soldiers are sixty paces away from the civilians in front of them. Even the Tiger Crouching Cannon can't hit them now!"

"Wait, wait for my order to let the Jurchens get closer!"

The official in charge of the Ministry of Works staggered toward the gun emplacement, and the cries of anguish from below the city walls suddenly rose in intensity.

Sony's horn pierced through the smoke and dust, and the Yellow Banner Firearms Battalion pushed shield carts out of the ranks, with thirty improved breech-loading cannons mounted on shield carts wrapped in wet cotton blankets.

The lead bullet struck the iron city gate with a piercing clang.

"Raise the sign!" Li Dingzuo's roar was drowned out by the sound of gunfire. The cannons of the Bordered Yellow Banner could not fire very far. At this time, raising the sign was mainly to guard against some flying stones.

"Prime Minister, dodge the cannon!" The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture dragged Ni Yuanlu down, and a bullet the size of a fist landed where they had just stood, smashing several bricks and stones before stopping.

From outside the city came shouts in Manchu from the Bordered Yellow Banner, and Sony actually pushed the shielded carts directly onto the shoulders of the people.

"Damn Jurchens! They actually used siege ladders to hang refugees as human cushions!"

Ni Yuanlu shook off the help and got up.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out among the people below the city. The soldiers in yellow-bordered banners cut the ropes with their swords, and more than three hundred young men were forced by spears to approach the city gate.

"Oil! Pour oil!" Li Dingzuo, the second son of the Earl of Xiangcheng, shouted from the edge of the battlements, "Quickly throw in torches!"

"No!" The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice snatched the oil jar from Li Dingzuo's hand. "These are the people below!"

Just then, Sony's command flag suddenly moved forward, and the artillery fire pressed down on the defenders, making it impossible for them to raise their heads.

Ni Yuanlu's eyes hardened, she drew her Shangfang sword and roared, "Put down rolling logs and stones!"

"Dispatch the militia from Andingmen with muskets to reinforce the area! Issue an edict to all nine gates: anyone who deserts in the face of battle will be executed on the spot by this minister with the Emperor's sword!"

"There are 20,000 people outside the city, but 300,000 people inside. We can't afford to hesitate! Kill!"

After shouting, Ni Yuanlu snatched the cannon cord from the mouth of the lamp and yelled, "Fire!"

Shotgun shells swept across the city's outer defenses, indiscriminately bombarding refugees and Manchu soldiers, sending them flying in blood and gore.

Of course, the vast majority were still refugees.

"Prime Minister! The red-coated cannons at Deshengmen have arrived!"

Ten heavy cannons were set up amidst the creaking of the carriage, but the gunners trembled and were unable to load them. The Plain Yellow Banner had already begun to retract its defensive measures.

They even drove women and children to tie them to the front of the shielded cart.

"Aim at the shield wagon, fire!" Ni Yuanlu pressed his sword against the gunner's throat. "I'll share your guilt! Fire now!"

The roar of the red-coated cannons and the screams of the woman rang out at the same time, and the iron bullets carrying severed limbs tore through the seven shield wagons.

Just as the refugees showed signs of dispersing, they were forced back.

Another round of shells was fired, leaving only half of the thirty armored vehicles. At this moment, the Bordered Yellow Banner heavy infantry, using the refugees as human shields, successfully approached the vicinity of the ladders.

If the Bordered Yellow Banner heavy infantry were allowed to climb the city wall, given the fighting strength of the defending army, they wouldn't be able to hold it for even seven hours, let alone seven days.

Ni Yuanlu shouted anxiously, "Change the chain gun! Destroy the ladder! Quickly!"

Unexpectedly, at that moment, the displaced people who had been driven away suddenly rose up.

The old farmer bit the throat of the guard's vest, while the woman used a hairpin to stab the Solon soldier in the eye socket.

The blood-soaked youth snatched the sword and slashed at the ropes. "His Majesty said! Heroes who die standing will forever have incense burning in their ancestral hall!"

"If you kill one of us, the Emperor will kill ten of you!"

"Either way, I'm going to die! Your Majesty, look at me, I, Liu Shupi, am not a traitor! Kill the Tartars..."

"They've rebelled!" Sony drew his bow and shot a bullet through the boy's chest, but was then tackled to the ground by even more refugees.

A one-armed scholar rose from the pile of floating corpses in the moat, holding a broken stick, still shouting, "May the Great Ming Dynasty be victorious!"

"kill!"

The successive counterattacks forced Sony to divide its forces to suppress them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ni Yuanlu organized a volley of fire from the muskets. The militia on the city wall, inspired by the retreating civilians, even picked up bricks and stones and joined the battle.

The battle songs from the intensive military training days are played once again.

"Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger; fame and fortune are but dust and dirt!"

"Looking upon the land of China, the people suffer..."

"With ninety-nine steel swords in hand, I will not stop until I have killed all the barbarians!"

It was tragic, heroic, and inspiring, but faced with an absolute disparity in strength, it could only have a negligible impact on Sony.

In just half an hour, 20,000 people were slaughtered.

Even with the support of firearms from the city walls, the Qing army suffered fewer than three hundred casualties.

However, Ni Yuanlu still breathed a sigh of relief.

In war, people always die. It's better for these civilians to die in their resistance against the Jurchens than to die at the hands of their own comrades.

Under some strange tacit understanding, the Eight Banners soldiers regrouped.

The cannons on the city wall were recalibrated.

A deep horn sounded.

Sony's troops pushed the shield wagons again and attacked the city gate.

……

Beyond the Great Wall lies the former settlement of the Wild Jurchen and the Raw Jurchen.

A poorly equipped cavalry unit also assembled.

It was the Solon Tribe, the strongest fighting force in the Qing army, even stronger than the White-Armored Soldiers!
(End of this chapter)