Chapter 42 6.The First Battle of Yuguan

In the evening, Li Zicheng held a meeting of senior generals in a small uninhabited village outside Shanhaiguan to make specific arrangements.The battle is imminent, and everyone has a lot of things to do, so I won't talk about the scene, he opened his mouth and went straight to the point: "Everyone, a big battle is going to be fought tomorrow. This battle will determine the life and death of the Dashun Dynasty. If we win, it will not only depend on the success of Jiangnan, but even the Manchus will not dare to underestimate us. We are not afraid Wan, just in case, if this event happens, everyone knows better than me where Dashun is headed."

The emperor's tone was so bleak, which was unprecedented, everyone couldn't help being surprised, and looked at him suspiciously, thinking, what's the matter with the emperor, isn't he just Wu Sangui?But the emperor then analyzed the current situation to everyone——Although Wu Sangui's troops are not many, his position is important. Behind him, there are Manchus. War cannot last.Therefore, after you go back, you must motivate the soldiers well, and you must explain the disadvantages to the soldiers, and tell them that this is tantamount to a last stand, and they can only advance but not retreat.

After Li Zicheng finished speaking, Li Jin stood up and introduced the situation first.After the vanguard arrived and set up camp, he and Liu Fangliang, accompanied by Tang Tong, rode horses to inspect various places, and walked half a circle along the Xiaoshi River. The focus of the attack has a preliminary plan, so it is well-founded and logical, he said: "Your majesty can relax. According to my ministers, although Shanhaiguan is known as the most powerful pass in the world, the terrain is dangerous and the city is strong, but like all cities, there is only one side of defense, that is, the front is densely guarded and the rear is neglected. If the barbarians attacked from outside the pass, it would be difficult to take it down. But we came from inside the pass, which means we are attacking from behind it, and if we try to parry it, it will be difficult to respond."

As he said that, he unfolded a sketch that Tang Tong had drawn in advance for the emperor and his ministers to have a look at.There is a large raised square on this sketch, which is Guancheng, and two small squares, Dongxiluo City, and a horizontal line in front of it, marking the location of Shihe. City says: "The East-West Luo City is the acropolis of Shanhaiguan, which echoes from east to west. According to Tang Tong, in recent years, because the Manchus went around Shanhaiguan several times and invaded the interior, in order to prevent them from attacking from behind after plundering in the interior, so The East-West Luo City was only built last year. Due to the rush of time, it was not strong enough. Right now, Wu Sangui has set up camps in the northwest, and set up guards behind the city. It shouldn't be difficult to take it down when we tackle the key problem, and then invite the emperor to climb up to watch the battle."

After Li Jin finished speaking, Liu Fangliang also added.He believes that there is a large open area to the west of the Shihe River in Shanhaiguan, which is convenient for large corps to fight. In the confrontation tomorrow, it is advisable to lure Wu Sangui's Ningyuan cavalry across the Shihe River, and then use cannons, bows and arrows to give his cavalry a huge blow. After their cavalry is frustrated, they will use powerful infantry to launch a group charge, which will surely divide and encircle him, and then annihilate him. The two pioneers said that everyone's emotions were encouraged, and Li Zicheng, who was a little worried at first, also had a look of joy on his face.At this time, Liu Zongmin stood up and talked about his opinion—he had already seen the emperor's worries. After all, he was a battle-hardened man, and Liu Tiejiang actually had an ominous premonition in his heart. Therefore, at the beginning of his speech, Ask Li Jin first, can we see the connection between Shanhaiguan and the outside world, that is to say, can we see some strange omens from the flags of the defenders or other places?

Naturally, Li Jin was also paying attention. Hearing his question, he couldn't help shaking his head, and said, outside Shanhaiguan, the view is wide, the weather is fine, and you can see clearly from far away. , On the winding and curved mountains, the trees are verdant, silent, and there is no sign of a team.Blacksmith Liu nodded, and based on this sketch, he made arrangements. His overall arrangement was to pull all the troops up except for the reserve army, and follow Liu Fangliang's method to try to lure Wu Sangui's cavalry across the Shihe River, and then absolutely overwhelmed them. advantage and surrounded the Wu army, he said:

"As long as the Tartars don't come to get in the way, we are afraid of Wu Sangui, the little bastard. Although the Ningyuan Iron Cavalry is elite, but the number is too small, two or three are afraid that we will not be able to win against one? Just say that we have food and grass reserves. They are not full, they are a lonely city, they have not been helped for a long time, and they are very full without seeing them; what's more, he may not have reinforcements, and even if he does, it will not be urgent, so we must try to defeat him within a day or two, and take Shanhaiguan. Some are hard to say."

All the generals took the order, and they were all excited, eager to try one by one.Li Zicheng was also satisfied with Liu Zongmin's arrangement, but he turned around and asked Song Xiance who had been silent all this time: "What did the military master say?" What can the military adviser say? Liu Zongmin, as a veteran of hundreds of battles, is beyond reproach with this specific arrangement, but this is only for Wu Sangui's 50,000 to 60,000 Ningyuan Army. There was no room left, they came here desperately, fought desperately, the beggar was killed, and his family was ruined.However, once new variables appear, it will be a catastrophe. Song Xiance wants to point it out, but all the generals are optimistic at the moment. His mentality is at work, because from the emperor down to every soldier, they don't want bad things to happen. If this is the case, why bother to spoil people's happiness?

Song Xiance then stood up, and first praised Liu Zongmin, Li Jin and others with a thumbs up: "Everyone has a clear understanding of the enemy's situation, and the general's arrangement is also comprehensive. I believe that we will be able to defeat Wu Sangui. However, we still have two As for the trump card, since it has been brought, it might as well be used, maybe it can be defeated without a fight, wouldn’t it be beautiful.” When Li Zicheng heard this, he hurriedly said, "The military advisors mean Chongzhen's crown prince Zhu Cihong and Wu Xiang?" Song Xiance nodded repeatedly and said: "The emperor is wise. It is these two people. Before the battle tomorrow, you might as well push them out first. Not to mention that you can immediately surrender, at least it can shake his army's morale."

Song Xiance's few words were just a general reminder, not an opinion. Although Li Zicheng felt surprised, he nodded again and again. After the meeting was adjourned, he immediately sent an order to summon the prince Zhu Cihong. Who said that a phoenix is ​​worse than a chicken in trouble, this young man who is only sixteen years old, dressed in black and green, bows his head and walks slowly, with every gesture, he still does not hide the traces of being a nobleman.Since the city was broken and his father died, he and his two younger brothers first fled to the home of Zhu Chunchen, Duke of Cheng, but refused to accept Zhu Chunchen, so he fled to the home of Zhou Kui, the father of the state. Zhou Kui was his grandfather. Seeking protection there, I didn't want Zhou Kui but was terribly afraid. On the second day after the Dashun army entered the city, when Dasuo Chongzhen and the prince were asked, this old royal family who was named Jiadinghou and enjoyed all the glory and wealth because of the Zhu family , actually dedicated his three nephews to Li Zicheng.

These days, he and his two younger brothers are closely guarded by the Dashun Army. Although they still live a life of stretching out their clothes and opening their mouths, the treatment is completely different. He dare not have the slightest dissatisfaction, because he understands that His three brothers are in danger of being killed at any time. When marching, he sometimes meets officials who salute him. He is extremely afraid of trouble. Whenever this happens, he will ask the other party, are you a new official or an old official?If he answered that he was a new official, he would keep silent; if he said that he was an old official, he would burst into tears and say, I will be killed by them, that person is very powerful. Right now, he was sent to Li Zicheng, and the guards told him in advance that the emperor had summoned him, and he had to kneel down when he saw the emperor, otherwise, he would inevitably die.He thought, since death is inevitable, why should he wrong himself?So, he let out a "hum" and ignored it. When he arrived in front of Li Zicheng, he still stood proudly, regardless of the people on the side who were shouting, ignored him, and remained silent. Li Zicheng was still lenient, he waved his hands to the left and right, indicating that there is no need to force it, and then asked the prince, "Are you Zhu Cihong?" The prince squinted his eyes slightly, and said proudly: "Yes, I am the prince of the Eastern Palace. If you want to kill me, kill me." Li Zicheng said in a gentle tone: "I will not kill you. Even if your father is here, I will not kill him. I will make him king, but he committed suicide. I can't blame me. Now Wu Sangui is resisting the king's teacher." , as long as you can persuade Wu Sangui to surrender, I will make you King of Song, do you agree?" Hearing this, the prince thought to himself: It seems that Wu Sangui is a great loyal minister, how can I persuade him to surrender to the thief, why not pretend to agree, and let Wu Sangui teach these guys a good lesson and avenge my father before the pass tomorrow.Thinking of this, he nodded and said: "Okay, I promise you." Before he could say a word, there were several violent noises, which were earth-shattering. It was Wu Jun firing the red cannon again. The shells flew over the head and exploded not far away.Li Zicheng thought, Wu's army has cannons, but our army's cannons are still on the way. It seems that they will not be able to participate in tomorrow's siege battle. Why do these desperate generals value women more than cannons? Seeing Li Zicheng frowned, the prince actually smiled... However, at this moment, Li Zicheng was impatient, and Wu Sangui was also impatient. As expected, Li Zicheng personally marched. He learned the news that day. According to the previous letter to Dorgon, he was asked to lead the troops from the Central Association and the Western Association. That plan was made, but while sending someone to inform Dorgon of the news, he was actively making defensive preparations. According to Zu Dashou, Dorgon received his first letter from Empress Weng six days ago. After receiving the letter, he immediately urged his horses to advance quickly. It is said that the cavalry can reach the place in less than two days after traveling hundreds of miles a day. Shanhaiguan, why is there still no trace of the Qing soldiers even today? Did they change their minds temporarily? These days, on the road from the north of Shanhaiguan to Shenyang, he not only sent people to clear the roadblocks and fill in the traps, but also sent several groups of sentries to inquire about the news and report at any time, so that he could go out of the customs to meet him himself.He thought, I am sincerely waiting for them, why did the regent miss the appointment? "Didn't Li Zicheng's army come here just now? What are you in a hurry for?" Zu Dashou, who was invited, said to his nephew who was running around in the tent, "Shanhaiguan is the most powerful pass in the world. Don't you have five or sixty thousand Ningyuan iron cavalry in your hand?" Why, can't you keep it for three or five days?" When Wu Sangui saw that his uncle still spoke in such a tone, he couldn't help being anxious, and said: "Oh, my uncle, the twenty-four war drums are about to break outside, don't think it's chickens pecking at the basket, tell you, at dusk At that time, I saw the canopy of Huang Luo when it was closed, which means that the main force led by Li Zicheng has also arrived, and there will definitely be a fierce battle tomorrow. Centaur, can one person fight three? Once the pass is broken, you and I will die!" The nephew was in a hurry and couldn't choose what to say.Seeing this situation, Zu Dashou couldn't help sneering secretly, thinking, don't you still want to put on airs, Li Zicheng's army just arrived, why can't you hold your breath?So he said: "Uncle, why are you in a hurry, because your letter is borrowing soldiers, and you are talking about two families, and you have specified that Qing soldiers can only enter the customs from the Central Association and the Western Association. He can’t do whatever you say.” When Wu Sangui heard his uncle's tone, he couldn't help being furious, and almost jumped and said: "But I wrote a second letter to him and sent someone to Ningyuan to meet him, why is he still so late? Tell you Well, if Dorgon wants to go to the Yellow Crane Tower to see the capsized ship, then he is wrong, and if he can't do it well, I will surrender and let him get no benefit at all, let alone enter Shanhaiguan!" Hearing what Wu Sangui said, Zu Dashou had no choice but to soften up. He was also afraid that his nephew would break the pot, and he was even more afraid that his nephew would hand him over to the Dashun Army in a rage after he believed that he had been fooled. He had to patiently explain that Dorgon's love for him The behavior was very appreciative, and he repeatedly assured him before leaving that he must put aside his past suspicions, help each other sincerely, and never let the rogues take over the world.That being the case, why would you watch the rogues seize Shanhaiguan?As for the delay in the arrival of the army, it was all because of the first letter, because going directly to Shanhaiguan through the Central Association and the Western Association is not the same path. But no matter what he said, Wu Sangui just didn't believe it if he didn't see the reinforcements. The day seems to pass by like this. As night comes, more and more campfires outside the customs are built. The flames are blazing, reflecting half of the sky red. He, there are at least 150,000 to 60,000 rogues outside the pass. After seeing it in Xiguan, he came to Beiguan again.But the northeast was completely silent, and the avenue leading to Ningyuan and Shenyang was pitch black, with no lights, no human voices, and Huanxi Ridge, under the shade of trees, looked like a big black hole. He couldn't help but think, either, Dorgon was afraid of the rogue bandits, so he didn't dare to confront them; or, Dorgon really wanted to watch the shipwreck from the Yellow Crane Tower, so that he could reap the benefits of the fishermen.He thought, beheading his ex-father, mourning for Chongzhen, completely torn face with Li Zicheng, if the Qing soldiers didn't come, he would be betrayed by his uncle Zu Dashou, what a tragedy. Just like this, he ran from west to east, and then from east to west, and saw that the east was pale, but there was no sign of the army outside the pass. In a fit of anger, he ordered Zu Dashou to be imprisoned in a small house in Xingyuan. The night passed like this. After breakfast, the sound of "dong dong" war drums sounded outside the city. He boarded the tower and looked in the direction of Hongwadian. He saw a gray edge appearing on the vast plain, and the gray edge was getting bigger and bigger. It became more and more obvious, like the tide of the sea, like the clouds in the sky, and then, there was a faint sound of rolling thunder in the ear, one after another, and it lasted for a long time. Seeing this situation, Wu Sangui understood that the rogues had launched a charge.He hurriedly ordered the troops to be assembled, and let the more than 20,000 militia regiments temporarily organized by the Shanhaiguan gentry defend the city. He put on his helmet and armor, and led 5,000 elite cavalry in the center. On the right, Gao Di, the deputy commander, led the main force and infantry to stay in Dongluo City to respond. The sun rose higher and higher, and as soon as they finished setting up their formation, the Dashun army rushed to the bank of the Shihe River. Wu Sangui stood on the sidelines at Gaofu, and saw that although the enemy was numerous, they seemed disorganized and there were not many cavalry.Seeing this situation, Wu Sangui couldn't help feeling suspicious, thinking, maybe the rogues came here from Shaanxi for this little capital?At this time, Gaodi, who was closed, sent someone to report: "Behind the rogue formation, there is still a large cloud of smoke and dust. Our army must be careful and prevent being fooled." Wu Sangui smiled, and said to the messenger: "General Gao, don't worry, we both see the same thing." Then, Wu Sangui sent an order that the three armies should not enter lightly.At this time, a group of cavalry suddenly ran out in front of the Dashun army. They were afraid to close the cannon, so they scattered in all directions, and approached the pass step by step, and someone shouted loudly: "Prince Chongzhen is here, please listen to Wu Sangui's order." When Wu Sangui heard this, he couldn't help being startled, thinking, they really brought the prince here under threat, it seems that they are going to persuade him to surrender before the battle, so how should we deal with it? He was thinking about it. At this time, another group of people rushed to the front of the pass. When Wu Sangui saw it, he saw a young man sitting in the middle, dressed in a black robe, with his hair tied up and without a hat. He looked very much like a prince.He thought, if it was really the prince, he would be in a dilemma as soon as he spoke.Thinking of this, he broke his heart and said loudly to the gunner on the side: "Fire, fire quickly, don't let the rebels get close to the pass." Zhang Siwei, a guerrilla from the artillery battalion standing on the side, reminded: "My lord, you can't fire the cannon, there is a prince." Wu Sangui stared, and said: "Nonsense, what prince is there? As far as I know, when the city was broken, the emperor had set up his palace and set himself on fire. The prince, King Ding, and King Yong were all dead. The person in front of him must be a fake." , It was the rogues who messed up our army's morale, we can't fall for it, what are you waiting for, shoot me!" When Zhang Siwei heard this, he had no choice but to stretch out the matchlock in his hand to the muzzle of the cannon, and several small cannons placed in front of the formation also fired together. There was only a roar, and the shells flew towards the Dashun Army's position with a whistling sound. About three zhang away from Zhu Cihong, although the crown prince was not injured, his horse was frightened and stood up immediately, knocking Zhu Cihong to the ground. When the soldiers of the Dashun army on the left and right saw him, they quickly dismounted and set him up and went back. run. Li Zicheng's imperial camp was set up in a large elm forest to the west of Hongwadian, which was beyond the range of the red cannon. At this moment, he was riding a black barge standing on a high place to watch the battle. It was reported before that Wu Sangui was Chongzhen was in mourning, the three armies were silent, weeping bitterly, and now the crown prince came, and he fired the cannon before the crown prince spoke. It seemed that all of this was false. How could Wu Sangui have Zhu Ming in his heart?Thinking of this, Li Zicheng couldn't help being extremely disappointed, and cursed Wu Sangui bitterly. Liu Zongmin, who was on the front line, didn't care about these things. He was originally disgusted with the surrender, so with a wave of his hand, the thunderous drums sounded again in the Dashun army formation. With the drums, a big red flag suddenly appeared in the Chinese army The big red flag waved violently a few times, and the soldiers in front began to shoot arrows indiscriminately, and the small cannons they brought also started to roar. Seeing this, Wu Sangui also started to fight back. It was raining, and the guns were thundering, but because of the distance, there were not many casualties on both sides. According to Liu Zongmin's arrangement, the old and weak infantry were sent forward first, and the elite soldiers were ambushed behind. As long as the Wu army rushed over, they could spread out the left and right wings in an instant, encircle and wipe out the Wu army, and did not want Wu Sangui to be fooled. , The two sides have been stalemate for a long time, but there is no progress. Liu Zongmin finally got impatient, waved his hand, the drum beat became more urgent, and the shouts came one after another, but Wu Jun was still indifferent, only holding his ground firmly.Seeing this situation, Liu Zongmin ordered a strong attack. Hao Yaoqi's army on the left moved the fastest, and in a blink of an eye rushed to the river with arrows, and fought with the Wu army's forward. But still hold on.Only cross the river with strong bows and crossbows to force the opponent, causing the Dashun army wading in the water to be hit by arrows one after another. Knowing that Liu Zongmin's trick to lure the enemy has been seen through by the other party, Li Zicheng couldn't help being angry. Seeing that there were not many troops in front of the pass, Li Zicheng sent someone to deliver an order to Liu Zongmin, and he was full of willfulness. The army attacked and killed across the river, trying to wipe out all these Wu troops in one fell swoop. Liu Zongmin was also in a hurry, and immediately ordered the whole army to attack after receiving the order.I saw a red flag waved in the formation, and the forwards of the Dashun Army suddenly spread out to both sides, making way for a road, and the cavalry behind rushed to the front. At this time, the arrows became denser and the shelling became more violent. The shouts of tens of thousands of horses were overshadowed one after another, and Wu Jun's rear was finally shaken. Seeing this, Wu Sangui sneered, and ordered the men and horses to move to the left and right respectively, but instead of retreating into the pass, they walked around the pass. Seeing a flash of fire when the door was closed, the several red-clothed cannons placed on the door opened fire, and the shells flew over the heads of their own people, blooming in the rear of the Dashun Army. These red-clothed cannons were not in the Dashun Army. The small cannon that travels with the army has a long barrel, a long range, and great power. A cannon weighs more than 10,000 catties. A single shell can explode a pond on the ground and create a sea of ​​​​blood among the crowd. Here Hao Yaoqi was complacent, and wanted to chase after Wu Jun and take the opportunity to seize the pass. Unexpectedly, the red-clothed cannon rang, and the infantry behind had been buried in a sea of ​​flames, with heavy casualties. Hao Yaoqi couldn't help being stunned. Seeing this, Wu Sangui led his troops back to kill him.This group of Ningyuan soldiers had experienced battles for a long time, and they were very skillful immediately. They immediately shot at the Dashun army with their hard bows and crossbows. As soon as he fell off his horse, he was immediately hacked to death by Wu Jun who was chasing him. Seeing this, Liu Zongmin knew that his trick to lure the enemy was useless, instead he suffered from Wu Sangui's trick to lure the enemy. The bow in his hand drew out the sword or spear from his waist, and he greeted him. At this point, the hand-to-hand combat began. Both sides came up with their own means and went forward desperately. Li Zicheng personally beat the drums in Gaofu to cheer. As soon as the drums sounded, the Dashun army burst into cheers. There was only the clashing of swords and spears, and the loud shouts of killing. Suddenly, white blades crisscrossed, flying dust covered the sun, and blood spattered where the sword flashed. The stalemate lasted for an hour. In terms of power, the Dashun Army has nearly three times the number of the Wu Army, and they are veterans with rich experience. Before this, they were poor, and some were even alone, with no home or property, and nothing to cherish. Since I voted for Li Zicheng, I have a firm belief: if I die, I will be a hero again eighteen years later, and if I don't die, I can change my destiny.Therefore, they don't want to die as soon as they go to the battlefield. This "do not die" is their invincible fighting power in the past. But it's not what it used to be.Right now, the Dashun army has seen the big world, they have the desire to live, the attachment to life, money around their waists, and women behind them, all of which imperceptibly restrict their actions.Therefore, although their emperor was desperate and determined to win, the soldiers could not use their lives as before. Even the commander could vaguely see that his subordinates were far from being as daring and desperate as before. But Wu Jun is not someone who waits for nothing.Before this, they were known as the iron army, they were physically strong, well-trained, they had been guarding the border for a long time, and they had experienced hundreds of battles; now they are pushed to a desperate situation by the situation, and they borrowed from the city. The enemy can be calm and stable, calm and unhurried. In this battle, the quality is against the quantity, and the sky is dim, and the sun and the moon are dark.An hour later, the strength was determined—although the Wu army was elite, after all, their numbers were much smaller than the opponent's. Therefore, although they resisted desperately, they were outnumbered and retreated one after another, while the Dashun army cheered. rush forward. Seeing this, Wu Sangui ordered to shrink his troops and gather his men and horses in the northwest, with the mountains behind the city, forming a square formation to resist the Dashun army tenaciously.Seeing this, Liu Zongmin waved his hand and unfurled the red flag. Li Jin led the left army, Gao Yigong led the right army, and outflanked them from the left and right. Due to the fact that the distance between the two armies was too close, the cannons on the city could not be effective. After gaining an advantage, Beicheng was finally lost again. At this time, Gao Di, the deputy commander who was waiting in Dongluo City, finally couldn't bear it anymore.When the Dashun Army was moving to the northwest, suddenly, the gate of Dongluo City opened wide, and more than 10,000 infantry led by Gaodi took the opportunity to rush towards the flank of the Dashun Army, shooting arrows like locusts.The Dashun army was not on guard for reinforcements coming from the right, and attacked them from the flank. Many arrows fell off their horses, causing heavy casualties, and the right wing finally retreated. When Li Zicheng saw this situation in Gaofu, he realized that Wu Sangui should not be underestimated, and that Ningyuan soldiers did have tenacious fighting power. Morale is an order to call gold to withdraw troops.