Chapter 44 8.Huanxi Ridge

The regent Dorgon was already standing on Huanxi Ridge, accompanied by Azige, Duoduo, Hong Chengchou and others.Behind them, there are undulating mountains, and the more than one hundred thousand Eight Banners Iron Army who followed them are stationed among these mountains. The white tents, like mushrooms after rain, are shaded among the trees and on the road. sides.As dusk draws near, the lights of each battalion begin to flicker, whimpering conchs rise and fall one after another in the valley, and the Xiongguan ancient road adds a bit of desolation and sorrow. The artillery battle in the direction of Shanhaiguan has never stopped.When they came, they were still far away, and they saw smoke and dust in the distance, and heard the roar of cannons, one after another, even the ground was shaking, and the sound of the cannons was mixed with roars, like pines, It's like crying again.

All this silently shows that the battle in front of Shanhaiguan is extremely fierce. Xiongguan is in sight and within reach.The regent brothers listened to the sound of the cannons and saw all this, they seemed very happy and satisfied. Azig's dissatisfaction with Dorgon was also temporarily abandoned because the victory was in sight. Tomorrow, they will enter Shanhaiguan, where they have longed and dreamed, and then go straight to Beijing to fulfill the wishes of their father and brother. This is really the love of heaven!What is the sound of guns and shouts of killing in front of them? It is clearly the most beautiful music in the world, and it is the clarion call urging them to march quickly. Can they not rejoice and smile?

A group of people stood on the ridge and listened for half an hour before reining in their horses.On the way back, Hong Chengchou said: "According to my opinion, Wu Sangui has not been able to support him for long. At this time, he must be looking forward to the reinforcements and eager for a spark." Duoduo said: "I'm afraid not necessarily. Isn't Wu Sangui also has 50,000 to 60,000 troops? The city of Shanhaiguan is so strong, he should have more than enough to defend." Hong Chengchou shook his head and said: "No. This time Li Zicheng came out in full force, determined to win. Although the city of Shanhaiguan is strong, it means that it faces the northeast side. If you attack from outside the pass, it is really not easy to break through. But now the bandits are coming from inside the pass. It's the southwest, and that's where the pass's weakness lies—"

"Mr. Hong is right. It seems that we have finally made it happen." Dorgon nodded confidently, and said, "Wu Sangui will definitely come to invite troops in person." Azige still didn't believe it, and said: "He won't surrender, and he won't come to see us in person. Tomorrow we will go to the pass, destroy Wu Sangui first, and then fight Li Zicheng." Dorgon waved his hands again and again and said, "No need, that's unnecessary." Before he finished speaking, Aobai, the commander of the former battalion, sent a Ba Ya La soldier over in a hurry, knelt in front of the horse and said: "I want to report to the Regent Prince, Zu Dashou sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that Wu Sangui will come in person accompanied by Zu Dashou See you at the imperial camp."

Dorgon couldn't help but glanced at the two brothers, and said: "How? A fish in a dry rut still looks at the water of the West River, let alone a living man? Mr. Hong, it seems that tomorrow's battle will be quite tragic. " Hong Chengchou hadn't answered yet, but Duoduo on one side was already full of enthusiasm and energy.Said: "Brother Fourteen really has nothing to say about the enemy's decision-making. As for going into battle, it's up to us tomorrow." Although Azige didn't say anything, there was joy on his face. At the moment, Dorgon delivered a decree: bring Wu Sangui to meet each other.He also ordered the left and right to make Zhang Jun prestige, and not let Wu Sangui underestimate him!

Weiyuan Fort is behind Huanxiling Mountain, only fifteen miles away from Shanhaiguan. It used to be an outpost of Shanhaiguan. There was a small city that could be garrisoned by soldiers. Now it has become Dorgon's camp. Wu Sangui really came in person, and "started from scratch" - in his busy schedule, he shaved and braided his hair according to the Manchu custom, like a pious pilgrim, walking towards Weiyuan Fort step by step. While still on the way, Zu Dashou explained to him the etiquette that should be paid attention to.It is said that Dorgon is no longer the deliberative king but the regent king. Except for the young emperor, he is the only one in the court. Seeing him is no different from seeing the emperor.When you meet, don't mention the matter of borrowing soldiers, because it will inevitably arouse Dorgon's dissatisfaction. He only said that in order to avenge his father, he sincerely surrenders to the Qing Dynasty, and is willing to serve the front and wipe out the rogues.

Wu Sangui remembered all of them in his heart. With Zu Dashou, the commander-in-chief leading the way, not only did they not encounter any obstacles, but they also received a very grand reception.Although Wu Sangui was restless, he was still paying attention—they climbed up Huanxi Ridge, and after walking less than two miles, they saw white tents in the valley below the ridge, densely packed like stars, covering the shade among the trees. One place, one place in the west, in an orderly manner, connected into a large area, like a street market, the sound of drums and watchtowers can be clearly heard, and the hunting of banners reaches the sky.

Wu Sangui roughly estimated that there are not 150,000 to 60,000 soldiers and horses, and such a large camp cannot be spread out. What makes him most envious is their iron cavalry. The Manchurians are known for being good at riding and shooting. Galloping across the plains, the Ming army could only deal with them with very few cavalry, and the infantry was no match for the cavalry. When chasing, they couldn't even touch the wind. Once confronted, they became the targets of their willful killing. Right now, in front of Wu Sangui's eyes were dazzling cavalrymen, all men from Northeast China, all tall Mongolian horses, with bright helmets and armor, very neat.

Wu Sangui had been dealing with the Qing soldiers for more than ten years, and he knew the Qing soldiers' battalion better, but he had never seen them so closely as today.Right now, the eight cavalry are all lined up in a group of square formations, with the cavalry in front and the infantry in the back, facing forward, and a group of them walk by. The first thing that catches the eye is the soldiers of the Zhenghuang Banner on the north slope. They are covered with golden helmets and armor. Looking from a distance, the yellow and orange are like rapeseed flowers; Although they also have golden helmets and golden armor, their armor is inlaid with a red border; and in the south, there are also two cavalry teams standing in line, with the red flag on the left, and their armor is still red, so it looks like it is on fire. The men and horses inlaid with red flags have a gray border on their armor, which is also a piece of red; on the right are two blue flags, the true blue flag is pure blue all over the body; A red border; only the two white flags are the most powerful, because their armor is still white, and they look energetic in their clothes. They are next to the two blue flags, and against the setting sun, they look like a blue sky and white clouds from a distance.

Wu Sangui knew in his heart that the Eight Banners system established by Nurhaci was originally formed on the basis of hunting gangs. Every three hundred people was one Niulu. Let Jialaerzhen be the master, Wujiala as Yigushan, let Yigushanerzhen be the master, and Gushanerzhen be the banner master, commanding about 7,500 people on foot.Command people with flags, command troops with flags; go out to prepare for war, and enter to farm. Wu Sangui looked at it and counted it in his heart.Placed here are not only the Eight Banners of Manchuria, but also the Eight Banners of Mongolia and the Eight Banners of Han.After such a calculation, he couldn't help but say in his heart: My dear, this time Dorgon has come here with a force of all kinds, no wonder the journey is slow.

Zu Dashou accompanied Wu Sangui all the way, while walking, paying attention to observe his expression, when he saw the whole Eight Banners army marching out to meet him, he already had a look of surprise and fear at the same time.Zu Dashou saw it in his eyes, and knew in his heart that Wu Sangui, this rather rebellious nephew, had already set his bow and there was no turning back. After turning around several hillsides, the army became more organized. At this time, Weiyuan Fort was looming in sight.When they came to the bottom of the fort, they saw two rows of guards standing on both sides of the fort. They were tall and well-groomed, holding halberds, standing upright in awe. On both sides of the fort, there were cannons in red clothes. They are all aiming the muzzles at the direction of Shanhaiguan. Wu Sangui was startled, and under the urging of Zu Dashou, he reluctantly went up the steps. Just after he finished the stone steps, he came to a platform, and saw a group of people coming down from the castle, each with brilliant feathers and brocade robes, hugging a He is about thirty years old and looks great, wearing an apricot-yellow four-clawed dragon python robe and a warm hat with a big red gold seat inlaid with big oriental beads. Wu Sangui understands that the person in the middle should be Dorgon, he is a barbarian who has been at odds with our court all these years, he can't help thinking, since he was sensible, he has read the books of sages, why?This step is over, but I have stepped into the gate of hell, but if I don’t enter this gate of hell, how can there be a way out?Under the Shanhai Pass, the rogues gather. According to his experience, they are about to form a siege, and the Ning Yuan soldiers under him will not be able to defend tomorrow. If you don't enter this ghost gate, you will go to hell... He was in a daze, as if he was sleepwalking, when he couldn't move forward and was in a daze, Zu Dashou pulled the skirt of his clothes and knelt down straight, Wu Sangui saw this, and then he understood, As if pushed by a ghost behind him, he also knelt down, at this moment, only Zu Dashou said loudly: "My ancestor's birthday, see the regent prince." Wu Sangui bowed three times in a row, although his voice was low, he spoke clearly: "The prince led the soldiers here, please forgive me for being late." Looking at Wu Sangui, who was kneeling down in the dust, Dorgon felt extremely comfortable in his heart—from the appearance, he was very different from the generals under his tent. He was in his early thirties, tall and fair, with a handsome demeanor, and his speech and behavior were like that of a northerner. Incomparably quiet and unrestrained, but it was this person who once stuck to Ningyuan and strangled the throat of the Qing Dynasty going south, so that the Eight Banners cavalry who detoured into the pass often had worries about their future.Now he has finally come to surrender, but just a few days ago, didn't he still want to borrow soldiers from the Qing Dynasty in the name of Chongzhen entrusting his life to a lonely minister?Dorgon really wanted to humiliate this pretentious person, but when he thought of the career in front of him and the benefits of using Han people to surrender, he held back again. After Wu Sangui finished paying his respects three times in a row, Dorgon was no longer reserved. He quickly glanced left and right, stepped forward quickly, and said as if he was reaching out for help: "General Wu, stop praying, get up, get up!" At this time, all civil and military forces rushed up, they helped Wu Sangui, Hong Chengchou stepped forward and handed over to Wu Sangui affectionately, and then Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi also stepped forward to talk about the past with Wu Sangui, and Dorgon introduced another side to Wu Sangui Standing Prince Ying and Prince Yu, Wu Sangui immediately stepped forward and bowed to greet each other. The small Weiyuan Fort was boiling. Dorgon took Wu Sangui's hand, and a group of people came slowly to the hall in the castle. Dorgon asked Wu Sangui to sit down on his left, but Wu Sangui didn't dare to sit. Dorgon motioned to the left and right to force him on the chair , and then said in a reserved tone: "The rogues are rampant, bullying the supreme, and the gods and men are all angry, but the general wants to borrow troops, and he wants to enter the pass from the Central Association and the Western Association alone. He will hunt down the city of Beijing, but because he doesn't know where he is, he has been delayed." Wu Sangui was startled, and hurriedly said: "Sangui has guarded the border for many years and confronted the Qing Dynasty. Many of his subordinates are fearful. The idea of ​​borrowing troops is nothing more than to reassure people's hearts." When Dorgon heard this, he nodded in understanding, but asked urgently, "What about now?" Wu Sangui immediately turned over and knelt down, saying: "Family hates the country and hates the country. Right now, Sangui only wants to destroy the bandits quickly. Is there anything else?" As he spoke, he pointed at the sky and pointed at the sun, saying that he would not destroy the bandits, and vowed not to be human. Dorgon was overjoyed in his heart, but remained calm, he only helped him up again, and said: "General Wu is indeed a loyal minister and filial son, there is no one who can't trust you. The bandits are so rampant now, and your lord is still trapped among thieves. You and I We should work together to defeat the bandits and avenge your father." Yu Wang Duoduo also said: "General Wu, tomorrow we will go forward with all our might, and we will definitely try to get your father back." Everyone also called for battle, and Zu Dashou saw this, and thanked the Prince Regent and Prince Yu on behalf of Wu Sangui, and said: "At present, the rogues are in a hurry to attack Shanhaiguan, and they will soon form a siege. Right now it is almost out of money, I hope the Prince Regent will send troops quickly, otherwise, I am afraid that Xiongguan will be lost." Dorgon then asked about the offensive and defensive situation of Shanhaiguan in the past two days, and Wu Sangui answered them one by one, and said that the bandits came here, the total number was between 150,000 and 60,000. , The coach is someone who has seen a big battle, the deployment and command are very decent, and the morale is also very strong. After Dorgon heard this, he nodded again and again, and praised Wu Sangui, saying that in the face of a force three times his own, he actually attacked the crowd with a small number of people. He struggled for two days and bought time for the Qing to attack. know people. After the formalities, dispatch troops... In Weiyuan Fort, Wu Sangui and Dorgon made an appointment to defeat the enemy together; in the imperial camp of the Dashun Army, the generals were full of resentment and blamed each other. After the battle at dusk, Li Zicheng first went to visit his injured nephew Li Jin.Li Jin was wounded at the waist by the cannon in red—a piece of shrapnel the size of a finger was embedded in his flesh about three inches deep.He is a very tenacious man, he has come to his senses now, he is very excited to see the emperor coming in person, although he can't get up, he has an apologetic expression on his face. Li Zicheng loved this nephew very much.He didn't understand why Li Jin was injured just after Liu Zongmin withdrew, so he questioned the process of Li Jin's injury in detail from left and right. The fact is here, it's just a coincidence—Wu Sangui has identified this place as Liu Zongmin's commander That's why, that shot went straight to the target. Unfortunately, Liu Zongmin had just stepped back, and Li Jin was in command, so he was hit by shrapnel. Although Li Zicheng has anger in his chest, who is to blame?Therefore, it was arranged for Li Jin to return to Beijing temporarily to recuperate from his injuries. On the way back to the imperial camp, I was still owed to Li Jin in my heart, but I didn't want to, but there was a sudden noise inside. It turned out that in order to adjust the deployment, Li Zicheng had sent an order to convene the imperial meeting again, and everyone offered advice and suggestions, and must take Shanhaiguan City tomorrow.All the generals came here according to the order, and everyone had already heard the news that Zihou Li Jin was injured. After two days of fighting, they didn't take advantage of it, and wounded one of the generals. How angry they were, they all scolded Wu Sangui for his ghostly tricks , Hurt people coldly, catch him and cut him into pieces, Liu Zongmin also scolded him. Liu Zongmin felt that he had never fought such a useless battle. When Xiluo City was dying, he thought he had a sure chance of winning. Unexpectedly, he not only failed to win Guancheng, but also hurt Li Jin. Deliberately thinking about the weight, although he was secretly glad that he had escaped, he was a little uneasy. Now that everyone was talking about it, he couldn't help thinking that the weakness of his own artillery was the key to Wu Jun's ability to turn defeat into victory, so he said: "It's been two or three days, why can't the cannons in red be transported up? We must know that we will suffer from this. If we had cannons, Xiluo City would have been blasted, and Zihou would not suffer in vain. His mother Yes, the person in charge of our transport is really a big fool, he thought that there would be no bad battles to be fought, and he did everything slowly, without knowing the priority, in my opinion, it should be done according to military law." Liu Zongmin patted and criticized Datong. Although he didn't call the name, everyone present knew who he was referring to, so he started. Gu Dacheng, who was in charge of transportation, was a little restless. Sweeping a glance at Gu Dacheng, Gu Dacheng couldn't help it anymore. The cannons in red are worth about 10,000 jin, unless the four good horses don’t move, even in the past, the horse team pulling the cannons couldn’t keep up with the big team, and it was common to be three or five days behind. Can't keep up.After entering Beijing, Liu Zongmin was in charge of recovering stolen goods and confiscated tens of millions of taels of gold and silver. In order to transport the heavy money to Chang'an, Liu Zongmin almost conscripted all the high-quality mules and horses used for transportation. How to carry the red cannon?Therefore, in order to transport the cannon, he spent almost a lot of effort. Not only did he requisition all the mules and horses from the people, but he also went into battle himself, leading a group of soldiers, pushing his shoulders with his hands, and bleeding from his hands and shoulders. Pao, he managed to push the cannon across the Shahe River with great difficulty, and Yong'an City was already in sight. Unexpectedly, there was a Luan River that was much wider than the Shahe River. Today, he came here to ask the emperor for help. With the pontoon bridge, the cannon in red cannot cross the Luan River.He sat down because he didn't want to, and before he could speak, he was accused by Liu Zongmin, and Gu Dacheng suddenly felt an unknown anger.He was also the earliest person to follow Li Zicheng. Although he was only a chef at the beginning, he was not much behind Liu Zongmin in terms of seniority, so he immediately stood up and retorted: "Hmph, I think some people think that it's easy for people to carry the burden-all the strong horses and mules of the artillery team have been conscripted to carry gold and silver. Can donkeys and poor horses pull cannons? Damn you want to do military law. I haven't thought about it for a long time. It's done!" As he spoke, he took off his jacket in public, exposing his bloody shoulders, and said, "Everyone, please see, what have my shoulders been stretched to pull the cannon?" Liu Zongmin didn't realize that Gu Dacheng really dared to contradict him in public, so he couldn't help becoming more angry, and immediately stood up, slapped the table and cursed: "What are you trying to do? Originally, you were a leader of the gang, and I still promoted you by making you a porter. Since I missed a big deal, don't I dare to kill you as an old man?" Liu Zongmin patted the table, and Gu Dacheng also patted the table. There was a lot of noise, and no one could suppress it... Li Zicheng heard the commotion outside the camp and stopped immediately.After listening to it for a long time, I realized the truth. I thought, Liu Zongmin blamed Gu Dacheng for no reason, but Liu Zongmin's anger was not without reason. In all honesty, Liu Zongmin's deployment in the past two days was not wrong. There was no psychological preparation for a fierce battle, not to mention that there was not enough force to drag the cannons, even the pre-war preparations were not sufficient. I thought it was still like fighting Taiyuan, Datong, or Beijing. Once encountering stubborn resistance, the problems that appeared in Ningwu will reappear here.But at this moment, who can be blamed, all remedial measures are too late, unless Song Xiance and Li Yan's suggestion was accepted and the expedition was cancelled. Thinking of this, he motioned for Zhang Nai, who was following behind, to step forward and follow up calmly. Everyone was arguing and quarreling, and they couldn't help but startled when they saw Zhang Nai who was next to the emperor. With the appearance of Li Zicheng, everyone finally quieted down. "Why did you get into a quarrel? The two days of fighting were good. Shanhaiguan is the most powerful pass in the world, but according to my opinion, Wu Sangui has finished playing. Today he is dangerous and dangerous. Our army fell short, but no matter what However, he tried his best to change his numbers and fight trapped beasts, but he couldn't last for two days, and by tomorrow, our army will definitely be able to take down this first grand pass." Li Zicheng glanced at the generals majestically, and started with a complimenting tone. Next, he wanted to talk about his hidden worries——Will Mantazi appear suddenly?It's been so many days, what's the news outside the customs?This is a question that I have been thinking about every day since I set off on the expedition, but I dare not think about it. It is like a person crossing a single-plank bridge and halfway through. , the world is flat; otherwise, it will be too miserable, and he really can't think about it.However, can I talk to the generals about the hidden worries that I dare not even think about?If there is a problem, it is nothing more than seeking to correct it, but if it is a knot that cannot be corrected, it will only confuse the morale of the army.Thinking of this, he pretended to be relaxed and smiled, using the situation in front of him as an example, saying: "However, having said that, in my opinion, you can't be discouraged. Everyone has heard storytelling and knows that Wu Song beats a tiger in Jingyanggang. When the tiger rushed towards Wu Song and was held down by Wu Song, didn't the tiger struggle? If Wu Song is discouraged at that time, he just needs to loosen his grip a little bit and lift the tiger's head, and Wu Song will be finished? In the current situation, we are Wu Song, and Wu Sangui is the tiger. We have reached the time to fight with him for courage and endurance. Who can win in the end? At the critical moment, hold back your anger and press the tiger's head tightly, whoever will win. As far as I know, Wu Sangui only has 50,000 to 60,000 horses, and he has lost 20,000 to 30,000 in two days of fierce fighting. Right now, there are only 10,000 to 20,000 remnants. One hit, and he will definitely be defeated tomorrow. After this battle is over, I will reward everyone well, confer titles of Marquis and Boss, everyone has a share, and everyone can return to Beijing City to enjoy the blessings, do you think about this good thing?" Hearing what the emperor said, everyone became more motivated, and they all said that they wanted to show their prestige at this last moment. Liu Zongmin was obviously also inspired and inspired, so next he talked about his deployment. These days of fighting have caused heavy losses to his family, but he still has a new force in his hand, and he will send this force out tomorrow. A force, trapped the Wu army camp outside the city, and then concentrated superior forces to attack Dongxiluo City, even if it was like attacking Ningwu City, only advancing, not retreating, killing people's heads rolling, and bloodshed. . Although Song Xiance also attended the meeting, he remained silent.Today, he was watching the battle in front of the pass, but his eyes passed through the pass city from time to time, looking in the direction of Huanxi Ridge behind the pass.Because of the cloudy weather, during the whole day, that area was hidden in the heavy mist. It was not true. Unexpectedly, at dusk, the crows on Huanxi Mountain were making noise. It is true that flocks of sharp-billed old ravens were flying to the southwest. , which indicated that they had been disturbed; when it was time to turn on the lamps, he saw that the area around Huanxi Ridge was indistinct, as if there were lights of fire—all signs indicated that there were clearly soldiers stationed in the northeast. It's over, it's over, the time to come has finally come—once Song Xiance confirmed his opinion, he couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.I thought to myself, why did Wu Sangui dare to confront the majestic Dashun army with a single army in the frontier, why did he dare to kill the envoy when the army did not go out to attack him?Why can you remain indifferent after seeing your father being whipped?Now that all of this has been answered, he has nothing to fear. The way of heaven is impermanent, good and bad changes, the host and the guest change positions, and the great success is in danger! Thinking of this, he couldn't help but carefully looked at the emperor in front of him, and listened carefully to his speech--finally, from Li Zicheng's long speech, he saw flashy words, lack of confidence, and bluff. , What are you talking about fighting for courage and endurance? Why don't you talk about fighting for your money?It's not that the emperor didn't expect it, but he has no way out--Li Yan's too much talk is suspected, and at this time, too much talk disrupts the morale of the army.Thinking of this, Song Xiance swallowed the words that came to his lips. Seeing that the meeting had achieved the expected results and thinking that there would be a fierce battle tomorrow, Li Zicheng announced the adjournment of the meeting.The generals walked back with exhausted steps, perhaps they were still thinking about the victory of tomorrow's battle... However, what they never expected was that at this moment, a big battle, or a massacre, was being arranged in full swing-Dorgon had given Wu Sangui and the generals face-to-face instructions to instruct Chen Fanglue; Wu Sangui rushed back to Shanhaiguan City in the starry night after receiving the decree. Those who arrived with him were Prince Yu Duoduo, Prince Ying Azige, and the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners under their command...