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

Chapter 104 Clash of Ideas Between Two Eras

The so-called Solon Three Tribes refer to the tribes that now live in the upper reaches of the Heilongjiang River and the Greater Khingan Mountains.

The people here call themselves Solons.

The "three tribes" refer to the three largest tribes in the area: the Daur tribe, the Oroqen tribe, and the Evenki tribe.

As descendants of the Khitan warriors of the Liao Dynasty, these people were already quite powerful in combat.

Because living in an extremely harsh and cold place, one has to resort to any means to survive.

Killing a tiger or hunting a bear is as easy as playing a game for them.

Furthermore, because their ancestors came from military backgrounds, the administrative model established for the tribe was mostly based on military orders.

As a result, the Sauron trilogy inherently possesses a formidable level of organization.

They possess strong individual combat capabilities, excellent organizational skills, high discipline, and the ability to adapt to all kinds of harsh environments; they are practically a born fighting nation.

This is similar to Qi Jiguang's recruitment of mining soldiers from Yiwu.

Moreover, the Manchus went even further.

Huang Taiji reorganized the three Solon tribes into the Solon Eight Banners, which can be considered as formally incorporating the Solon tribes into the Manchu Qing system.

Later, in order to ensure that the fighting strength of the Solon tribe did not decline, the people of the Solon tribe were not allowed to migrate south, and they could only live in the harsh Heilongjiang area.

Furthermore, it restricted the entry and exit of various supplies.

The Solon people's lives were exceptionally difficult.

Even if you just want a pot, you have to send out a hundred men to fight for it in order to get the corresponding reward.

Should we talk about the Soren tribe's uniform?
He was truly impressed. These tribal people, who maintained their primitive structure, admired strength the most, and were extremely willing to take anything from those who defeated them.

They were extremely grateful for the rewards they would receive after the expedition.

They even reached the point where they hoped to be drafted into the army.

After receiving the order to mobilize their entire tribes, the three Solon tribes were nearly driven mad.

War means there can be salt, sugar, tea, iron, all kinds of supplies, and all kinds of sophisticated weapons and armor!
This is a great thing that the tribe can only dream of.

Thus, under the leadership of Jamukhan, the Solon chieftain, nearly eight thousand Solon cavalrymen assembled.

According to Huang Taiji's division, the Solon tribe actually only had seventeen Niru, and it was already the limit for them to gather five thousand soldiers.

But they couldn't withstand the fact that everyone was mobilized for war.

Of these 8,000 riders, 1,000 were adults recognized by the Solon tribe, meaning teenagers aged 14 or 15 who were allowed to hunt.

There were also nearly a thousand women, well... women who could go to the battlefield, the kind whose arms were thicker than their waists.

It truly achieved the goal of mobilizing the entire population as soldiers.

Because of a lack of weapons, some people even carried wooden bows and stone spears, wore deer antler hats and fish skin clothes, and led three thousand elite soldiers in leather armor, rushing out of the Changbai Mountains and heading wildly towards Xifengkou.

Meanwhile, there were also 28,000 people from the Bordered Blue Banner who had been replenished and were resting for a day.

Some people asked why Jirhalang didn't give the Solon three units of armor, since having armor would have made it easier to defeat the Ming army.

Jirhalang simply smiled at this.

"Some things are most important when you don't have them; once you get them easily, they lose their original value."

"The Sauron soldiers only need animal hides."

……

It was April 30th, nearly a month after the Qing army entered the pass.

Jirhalang is three days' journey from Xifengkou, while the Solon tribe is seven days away.

Dodo had been fiercely attacking the capital for a day, and Dorgon was only one day away from Zhu Youjian.

No one paid attention to Zheng Chenggong's actions.

Even Zhu Youjian did not believe that Zheng Chenggong could take Shengjing.

Even though Zheng Chenggong had 30,000 soldiers under his command, and even though he had nearly 200 cannons and enough supplies for the army for four months,

However, the garrison in Shengjing numbered 20,000.

This is enough.

Apart from the troops that Zhu Youjian had blessed with purple or higher-level attributes, no one else could match the Jurchen Eight Banners in a one-to-one exchange ratio.

The minimum ratio is always three to one.

Not to mention that Zheng Chenggong was the attacker, while the Qing army could defend the fortified city.

Sitting in the General's Mansion at Xifengkou, Zhu Youjian frowned deeply.

After Dorgon stopped hiding his tracks, he learned of Dorgon's purpose.

Isn't it just about forcing him to withdraw his troops?

He refused to leave.

If the capital can hold out for seven days, then Dorgon is finished!

The only person Zhu Youjian was wary of on the Qing side was the cunning and treacherous Dorgon.

As long as Xifengkou remains intact and the capital cannot be captured, once the reinforcements from Prince Zhou and Shi Kefa arrive, Dorgon and Dodo will have no choice but to turn around and launch a direct attack on Shanhaiguan, which has fewer defenders.

When the combined forces of the armies inside the pass launch their attack, Dorgon will have no choice but to withdraw his troops from Guangningwei, regardless of his fighting strength.

Zhang Shize's troops had already captured Guangningwei and could intercept Dorgon during his retreat.

There were tigers and wolves in front, and pursuers behind.

Even if we can't devour Dorgon, we can still take a big piece of his flesh!

Therefore, he did not send reinforcements to Ni Yuanlu.

The capital city had hundreds of thousands of civilians, the vast majority of whom were veterans discharged from various military units.

Although they lack combat capabilities, they still possess basic military knowledge.

Given Ni Yuanlu's and the current court's organizational capabilities, assembling an army of tens of thousands would not be a problem.

The city of Beijing is very fortified. Even an ordinary person like him was able to defend against the siege of Li Zicheng's million-strong army. With Ni Yuanlu's abilities, it shouldn't be a problem for him to hold off Dodo's more than 40,000 troops.

soon.

Yesterday's battle report was handed over by Huang Degong.

The result was not much different from his prediction, but it was still quite significant.

Zhu Youjian overlooked an important issue: the importance of generals to the army!
When he was defending the city, Wu Xiang was the first to lead the defense, followed by Huang Degong. He also had enough generals and officers under his command. Zhang Shize, Li Guozhen, and other capable nobles also contributed their efforts. In addition, the emperor would occasionally come out to give the troops a pep talk, and elite troops such as the Three Thousand Battalion, the Imperial Guard Tiger Warriors, and the Brave Guard Battalion were at the forefront.

The militia were able to demonstrate combat effectiveness no less than that of ordinary Ming soldiers.

But Ni Yuanlu has absolutely nothing!

The Pacification Commissioner, who served as a political commissar accompanying the army, was considered a general with combat experience!
Dodo could easily use a feint attack to mobilize the garrison at several city gates.

After a day and a night of fierce attacks, everyone, whether they were involved in the battle or not, was too exhausted to get up.

The city gates were not lost.

Of the 40,000 troops urgently dispatched to defend the city, more than 10,000 died that day, while the Qing army lost less than 1,000 men, most of whom were killed by firearms. This number may also include the wounded.

Zhu Youjian took away or distributed the gunpowder in the capital to various major cities, and the remaining stock was exhausted in just one day of fighting.

According to Ni Yuanlu, the Ministry of Works could produce 7,000 catties of gunpowder a day, while the daily consumption was almost 20,000 catties. At most, the gunpowder would be completely used up in three days.

Without firearms to defend the city, the consequences are predictable.

Zhu Youjian remained silent on this matter.

Even Huang Degong was getting anxious, "Your Majesty! The capital cannot be lost!"

"Once the capital falls, the morale of the people in the north will be shattered, and the morale of the army in the south will also be greatly diminished. The great victory of the past few days will all be lost."

"Yes, I know. So what?" Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, looking at Huang Degong with an ambiguous expression.

With just a glance, the emperor's supreme power and oppressive aura were fully displayed.

The latter was momentarily dazed, but still gritted his teeth and continued to persuade, "Your Majesty, please send reinforcements south to support the capital!"

"Oh, send reinforcements? Send whom?" Zhu Youjian looked down at the memorial, not even lifting his eyelids, and said in a low voice, "Send Wang Erhu from Jizhou, so that Dorgon can occupy Shanhaiguan safely?"

"Or should we send Zhang Shize from Guangning to keep the Jurchens connected inside and outside the pass?"

"Or perhaps the rebel Li Guo would cede the western wing of Xifengkou?"

"Do you think I'm going to give you Huang Degong so that Dorgon can just take my head?!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty had no such intention. I only wish to..." Huang Degong hurriedly began to explain, but was interrupted by Zhu Youjian.

"Hushan, I have told you many, many times, do not let short-term gains or losses affect the overall situation."

"What I need are generals who can stand alone and command, not sycophantic civil officials who look around and fawn!"

"You only need to complete the established strategic objectives. Even if the entire army is wiped out, the strategy will be achieved. As for the rest, I will take care of it!"

This is something Zhu Youjian has been doing recently: changing the mindset of military officers.

For over two hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, from the initial balance between civil and military officials to the later situation where military generals were treated worse than dogs, he always believed it was because civil officials had gained control of the discourse.

However, after the Ministry of War was separated and military officers were put in charge of military affairs, Zhu Youjian realized that things were not as they seemed.

The status of military generals has been declining, largely due to their own actions.

The most sensitive issue in this era was military power. Once military power was in place, military generals would inevitably become cautious and timid, fearing that the emperor might be too suspicious of them.

Moreover, separating the Ministry of War alone would not have allowed for the establishment of a system that separates civil and military administration.

Because military affairs are never a standalone matter; they are an extension of politics, and everything serves politics.

Some strategic objectives, driven by political motives, must also be discussed with civil officials.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian quickly changed his mind.

That means military generals should do what military generals are supposed to do!
If I give you a strategy, then the general will carry it out. If I let you occupy a city, you don't need to worry about whether the land behind the city will be invaded by the enemy, because that's a problem that the strategist needs to consider.

It was only after coming up with this solution that Zhu Youjian suddenly realized...

This method allows for the mass production of generals!
Major strategies could be formulated by the cabinet and the emperor.

This is the same as the General Staff system of later generations!
This perfectly reflects the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, where there are no capable generals.

But this cannot be accomplished overnight; it requires a well-developed and efficient cabinet, talent proficient in grand strategy, the establishment of a standing army, and efficient communication capabilities.

Now Zhu Youjian can only make up for these shortcomings by having someone like Huang Degong, who has the talent of a commander.

Huang Degong was speechless after hearing Zhu Youjian's words.

After stammering for a long time, he could only manage to utter one sentence: "Your subject obeys the decree."

Zhu Youjian couldn't help but sigh; long-held ideas cannot be changed in a short time.

"Tiger Mountain, let me ask you something."

"Are you trying to say that Xifengkou has 10,000 elite troops, 20,000 troops from the Five Armies, 30,000 troops from Li Guo's army, and 40,000 Mongol cavalry, and that 10,000 of them could hold the capital for seven days?"

"That is exactly what I meant," Huang Degong nodded.

Zhu Youjian couldn't help but smile. "Then I'm asking you, which unit should I transfer?"

"Ten thousand elite troops must not be moved; if they are, no one will be left to stop the first wave of the Jurchens' attack."

"Although Li Guo's troops are assisting in the battle, they are ultimately the rebel army of Li Zicheng and cannot be mobilized."

"Not to mention the Mongol cavalry, their combat strength is already low, and they are newly surrendered. Even if I were to transfer them, Hushan would try to dissuade me."

"Then we can only send the Fifth Army Battalion, but has Tiger Mountain considered that?"

"Once the Five Armies are transferred, I will only have a little over ten thousand elite troops left. If Li Guo's troops defect or withdraw, the Mongol cavalry will surely scatter and flee. What will I use to stop Dorgon?"

"This..." Huang Degong was stunned. He really hadn't thought of this. In his mind, both the Mongol cavalry and Li Guo's troops were large armies that could be used. Although their combat strength was low, as long as they won at the front, they could immediately turn into tigers and wolves and pursue the fleeing enemy.

"I am asking you, what is the purpose of our garrison at Xifengkou?"

"Yes...it was a siege with three sides open and one side closed, forcing the Jurchens to return north from Shanhaiguan."

"So what is your mission?" Zhu Youjian asked again.

"My mission... is to ensure that Xifengkou is not lost, and that the Jurchens cannot contact the area outside the Great Wall!" Huang Degong's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he understood the strategy Zhu Youjian was talking about.

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction, "That's right. Hushan's mission is to guard Xifengkou and force Dorgon to return north. So Hushan should think about how to guard Xifengkou."

"The Prime Minister's task is to defend the capital for seven days. This is what he needs to consider. Even if I die in battle, he will defend it."

"The task of King Zhou and Shi Kefa is to head north to the capital within five days to drive away Dodo's army; this is what they need to consider."

"How to arrange this plan for you is what I need to consider; this is strategy."

"If the capital falls, my strategy will change, and I will naturally take remedial measures. At that time, your strategic objectives will certainly change as well, but that is not something you should be concerned about. Your task is to keep a close watch on Xifengkou!"

"Instead of looking ahead and behind, we should do our job well in our positions!"

These words made Huang Degong's face turn red and yellow.

To him, Zhu Youjian's words sounded more like a warning.

You are merely a general; your role is to command troops, not to abuse your power.

Terrified, he immediately knelt down and cried out that he was guilty.

Enraged, Zhu Youjian nearly threw the memorial at his head.

I'm teaching you step by step!
You're guilty my ass!
But in the end, they held back. This was not a difference in thinking between two people, but a clash of ideas between two eras.

Reform is a long and arduous task.

But this path must be followed. Once Zhu Youjian's plan is completed, the military leaders who have exhausted the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years can be completely wiped out.

After dismissing Huang Degong, Zhu Youjian took out a letter from his pocket. He had sent an urgent letter to Shi Kefa when he saw through Dorgon's scheme.

Huang Degong's consideration was indeed correct; without reinforcements, the capital could not have held out for seven days.

But who says reinforcements have to come from him?
Shi Kefa had 300 small boats and 10,000 naval troops left by Zheng Chenggong. Now that the canal was open, they could reach the capital within two days by sailing upstream.

This is why Zhu Youjian insisted on changing Huang Degong's mindset.

He doesn't understand the overall situation because he doesn't have a grand strategic perspective.

In fact, this wouldn't have happened if Huang Degong's information had been completely transparent.

But if that happens, what difference will there be between the Ming army and the previous one?
How then did Zhu Youjian establish a standing army after the war?
Silent all night.

The next day at 1-3 PM.

Dorgon arrived as promised with the two Yellow Banners, and the final battle between the Ming and Qing dynasties was about to begin...

(End of this chapter)