Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 140 Huang Taiji's isolated army has penetrated deep into enemy territory; troops should be dispatched immediately to capture and kill him.
The Guan-Jin-Ning defense line only achieved a physical blockade of the Liaoxi coastal route, while Ningyuan and Jinzhou were isolated cities outside the pass, a hundred miles apart, and they relied on each other for support, connected by Tashan, Xingshan and Songshan.

Huang Taiji's seemingly reckless move of bypassing Ningjin and heading straight for Shanhaiguan was actually something the Jurchens had done twice before; this was the third time. During the Battle of Ningyuan, Nurhaci had directly circled around to the southwest of Ningyuan, cutting off its retreat route to Shanhaiguan and besieging Ningyuan.

The significance of Ningyuan lies in its ability to cut off the Later Jin's supply train. However, being able to intercept the supply trains does not mean that it can intercept the enemy's main force.

Jinzhou, on the other hand, is the northern entrance to the Liaoxi coastal route and a huge salient of the Guan-Jin-Ning defense line. From a defensive point of view, it is of little use and a huge liability. However, if the intention is to send troops to recover Liaodong, it becomes meaningful.

The Ming Dynasty could build a coastal road to block the Jurchens. If Jinzhou was lost, the Jurchens could also use Jinzhou to build fortifications and walls to block Liaodong. At that time, only a small number of troops would be needed to defend against the Ming army's counterattack, and they could then divert troops to the west or south via the other three routes.

Jinzhou had too much political significance. Although Zhu Youjian wanted to give it up, giving up Jinzhou would be equivalent to officially declaring that the Ming Dynasty had given up on recovering Liaodong. At that time, not to mention the pressure from the court and the public, even the Han people in Liaodong would be completely desperate and turn to the dark side, becoming like the Han people of the Jin Dynasty during the Song-Jin period. However, at least Xin Qiji emerged back then.

Shanhaiguan faces east and is a standard U-shaped fortress. The protruding part is called Dongluocheng. Three thousand Ming cavalrymen set up camp on both sides of Dongluocheng. There are ten large Hongyi cannons weighing three thousand five hundred catties on the city wall, with a maximum range of three thousand meters, six li, and two thousand paces.

Dongluocheng was the outer wall of Shanhaiguan, but it also had its own protruding outer wall, creating a nested structure, a testament to the crucial importance of Shanhaiguan's location. Huang Taiji traveled from outside Liaoxi Pass along the foothills of Jiaoshan Mountain, exiting via the Beishui River. His first stop was Beishui Pass, to the left of Shanhaiguan. The Beishui River flowed beneath the pass, but it was already frozen.

Behind the North Water Gate, on the east side of the river, lies the North Wing City. However, from Huang Taiji's perspective, he could not see this city; all he could see was the long, seemingly endless city wall. The Shanhaiguan city wall was 43 feet high, much taller than the Shenyang city wall after several upgrades. It looked magnificent and imposing from afar, and when standing at the foot of the wall and looking up, it seemed to soar into the clouds.

Huang Taiji looked out over Shanhaiguan and felt increasingly disheartened. Back then, the old Khan had led them to try to rush straight to Shanhaiguan, but they were blocked by Ningyuan. Now it seemed that even without Ningyuan, breaking through Shanhaiguan was just a pipe dream, and it would take several years of fighting to accomplish.

However, he wasn't out of his mind to think he could capture Shanhaiguan. In fact, he traveled light, without even a shield cart, and had no intention of attacking the city at all. Traveling south along the pass, Huang Taiji passed through Beiyicheng, Dongluocheng, Nanyicheng, and Ninghaicheng by the sea.

The cavalry numbered over ten thousand, stretching as far as the eye could see, and smoke billowed from the walls of Shanhaiguan, creating utter chaos.

Shanhaiguan had received their full pay and winter clothes this year, and their morale was high. However, even so, they never expected to see enemy troops here. They thought that the court had changed its mind and was providing them with good food and drink, perhaps to send them out of the pass to fight and recover Liaodong.

"What exactly happened? Have Ningyuan and Jinzhou already fallen? Why haven't we received any reports from Qiantun, Zhongqian, and Zhonghou?" These questions weighed heavily on people's minds.

The defenders on the city walls saw a vast, sweeping army of Jurchen cavalry, tens of thousands of them charging forward with a thunderous roar like a tsunami. The resulting shockwaves caused dust to fall from the roof beams of the city walls; perhaps even the old cobwebs that fell from above dated back to the Hongwu era. On the Fuyuan Tower of Dongluo City, the fifty-nine-year-old general Zhao Shuaijiao, still as fierce as ever, stared at the Jurchen cavalry outside the city, his nostrils flaring with heat. During the Battle of Ningyuan, he was stationed at Qiantun; in the Battle of Ningjin, he served as the commander-in-chief of Jinzhou, engaging the Jurchens in open battle with cavalry and wagons, never showing any fear.

If it weren't for the paramount importance of defending the mountains and seas, and the fact that unauthorized battles would likely result in punishment even if victorious, he would genuinely want to leave the city and fight the Jurchens. The Jurchens are too arrogant; they dare to venture so far into this region with a lone army!

Huang Taiji was well aware of the situation in Liaoxi and knew that his old friend Zhao Lüjiao was now guarding Shanhaiguan. He had originally intended to send someone to negotiate, but a cannon shot from the top of Shanhaiguan city wall blew his men to pieces. Zhao Lüjiao refused to communicate!
The emperor's edict of "never negotiating peace" suited Zhao Lüjiao's taste perfectly. When he was under Yuan Chonghuan's command, everything was fine, except he couldn't stand Yuan Chonghuan's secret dealings with the Jurchens. Whether it was to buy time to repair the city or to genuinely intend to negotiate peace, he didn't understand these intricacies, nor did he want to.

The Jurchens killed so many of them, so many of his old friends and subordinates died tragically. Didn't he need to avenge them?! When people get old, they become so stubborn. He didn't want to be unable to face his old brothers even in the afterlife!

Based on his experience, Zhao Shuaijiao did not think that Ningjin would fall so quickly. Yuan Chonghuan had defended it with eleven Hongyi cannons. Now that the court had produced Hongyi cannons, the number of cannons in each city was several times greater than before. How could it fall so quickly?

However, it was also a fact that the connection between Shanhaiguan and Ningyuan had been severed, as Yuan Keli, the supreme commander of Liaoxi, was in Ningyuan. Fortunately, the Jurchens could not blockade the sea, and on the third day, Yuan Keli's orders arrived by sea.

As expected, the order was to strictly forbid any attacks and hold Shanhaiguan Pass. Zhao Shuaijiao was somewhat frustrated, but when he was assigned to guard Shanhaiguan Pass, he had already anticipated today's situation. He still preferred the days in Jinzhou, where he could find ways to cause trouble for the Jurchens every day.

Huang Taiji's move was ruthless. The mountain roads outside the Liaoxi Pass were difficult to traverse, and if the Ningyuan garrison were to fight fiercely, it wasn't impossible for them to block the coastal road. It could be said that he was gambling with his own life to lure the Ming army into an attack. From a military strategy perspective, this step was completely suicidal, demonstrating absolute confidence in his own strength and extreme contempt for the Ming army.

Since the Jurchen uprising, the Ming army had suffered repeated defeats, ultimately only managing two feigned victories through its strong fortifications and artillery tactics. Huang Taiji realized that since sieges were fruitless, he would simply abandon them. He wanted to force the Ming to attack, besieging the city and ambushing reinforcements. If the Ming remained unmoved, he would humiliate them; having his army at the gates was a form of humiliation.

His humiliation was successfully conveyed to the Ming Dynasty. Upon learning that Huang Taiji's army was approaching Shanhaiguan, the Ming court officials were indignant and clamored for the court to quickly send troops to reinforce Shanhaiguan and cooperate with Yuan Keli to trap and defeat Huang Taiji. Some even fantasized about the aftermath of victory before the battle even began.

"Your Majesty, Huang Taiji is arrogant because of his victory and has penetrated deep into enemy territory with his isolated army. We should quickly send troops to capture and kill him. Within two years, the old and new Jurchen chieftains will die one after another, which will surely make our Great Ming Dynasty's prestige soar and throw the Jurchens into chaos. In this way, Liaodong can be recovered!"

(End of this chapter)