Chapter 17 Chapter 17 The Undefeated Mythical Qi Family Army

As the saying goes: There is no undefeated general in the world. In the fifteenth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1587), in a simple house in Penglai, Shandong, an old general who had lived his life as a soldier and was dying at this time left such a resounding statement: In thirty years , North and south, land and water, more than a hundred battles, large and small, without a single defeat. He said he was an undefeated general.However, in the long history, none of the descendants of the past dynasties said that he uttered wild words, and no one questioned his bragging. Everyone who knew him knew that what he said was the out-and-out fact.

This general is Qi Jiguang, and the undefeated tiger division under his command is the famous Qi family army. Before the appearance of the Qi Family Army, from the beginning of the Tumu Fortress Change to the middle of the Ming Dynasty, from north to south, whether it was dealing with the nomadic cavalry in the north or the pirates and Japanese pirates along the southeast coast, the Ming army was defeated many times and for a long time. The army of the Ming Dynasty, when the country was founded, was once a mighty army that swept the world.Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Lan Yu, chasing death and chasing north again and again, made the Mongolian tribe flee north in a hurry.It was even more prosperous in the era of Zhu Di, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di made five northern expeditions to Mobei. Except for the first two times when the Mongolian tribes dared to fight, the remaining three times all avoided the edge of the Ming army and fled in a hurry.The most humiliating defeat in the history of the Ming Dynasty was undoubtedly the Tumu Fortress Change in 1449. The 500,000 troops commanded by Ming Yingzong himself were wiped out by Wala, and Ming Yingzong was captured.But this disastrous defeat was thanks to the blind commander, and at this time the elite Ming army was in the south to pacify Deng Maoqi.In the ensuing battle to defend Beijing, the Ming army head-to-head fought against the Oirat army in Beijing, Datong and other places, defeating their opponents in one fell swoop, and forcing Oirat to return Ming Yingzong.It can be seen that the Ming army was still able to fight tough battles at this time, and the real decline in the combat effectiveness of the Ming army should have started with Zhu Jianshen, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty.

During the reign of Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen of the Ming Dynasty, the Mongolian Tatars had already occupied Hetao. The Ming Dynasty launched the "Soutao" campaign many times in an attempt to expel the Mongols in Hetao. Like a tiger, not daring to fight hard, the cowardice and fear of war of the Ming army have been fully exposed since then.After that, although Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty "Zhongxing" in 18 years, the subsequent absurd emperor Zhu Houzhao neglected the government. It was during this period that the Ming Dynasty completely lost the Hetao Grassland and lost this precious strategic location.By the time Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong was in power, the Ming Dynasty was in a series of "disastrous defeats". First, the Tatar Altan Khan, who became the strongest force in the Mongolian grassland after the Dayan Khan, continued to wreak havoc on the borders of the Ming Dynasty, breaking down every year. Going south, they plundered countless people and property. In the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing (AD 1550), they even launched a big raid, bypassing the Ming Dynasty's border guards and rushing straight to the city of Beijing, almost forcing Emperor Jiajing to sign an alliance under the city.None of the more than 100,000 Ming troops outside Beijing dared to fight, but only dared to follow behind and "gift" the Mongolian army out of the country.The northern frontier defense suffered repeated failures, and the southeast coast was not much better. Although the navy of the Ming Dynasty defeated the Portuguese colonists several times, they were repeatedly beaten by Japanese pirates.Especially in the 35th year of Jiajing (AD 1556), 40 Japanese pirates landed in the south of the Yangtze River to plunder, and went all the way to Nanjing, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians along the way. The local troops of the Ming Dynasty were unable to stop them.The fighting power of the army was so unbearable that the Ming Dynasty could only strengthen the Great Wall in the north to defend against the Mongols. In the southeast to suppress the Japanese, Hu Zongxian also had to lose his face, and the agencies tried their best to lure the powerful Wang Zhi and Xu Haibu.After Wang Zhi's execution, more than 1,000 people from the remaining troops occupied Cengang. The Ming Dynasty mobilized tens of thousands of elite soldiers and fought for 8 months before they were completely wiped out.

How could the great Ming army who swept the world back then be so unbearable? There are of course many reasons. For example, since the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, the emphasis was on civil and military affairs. Civilian officials led troops, and layman leaders and experts commanded blindly. For example, the military system of the Ming Dynasty was scattered. The right to deploy troops does not have the right to command troops, and mutual entanglements lead to different powers. For example, political corruption in the Ming Dynasty, officers who were greedy for money, and deduction of military pay for empty rations, resulting in low combat effectiveness. These are all reasons, but the core problem is the soldiers.

The government army of the Ming Dynasty implemented the system of military garrison guards since the founding of the country. This system borrowed from the military system of the Tang Dynasty.The premise of the military station guard system is only one - land security.Soldiers in the Ming Dynasty were basically assigned land by the state. They farmed during wartime and fought in peacetime. Soldiers served for generations. When the land ownership system was perfect, this policy would naturally stimulate soldiers' enthusiasm for combat and save the country's money and food.At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there were 1.8 million troops. Zhu Yuanzhang once boasted that "raising millions of soldiers does not cost the country a penny of food."Since the reign of Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty, land annexation in the Ming Dynasty has become more and more serious, and the black hands of land annexation naturally extended to the army.During the Xuande, Zhengtong, and Chenghua years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Junjun was cleared many times, but the symptoms were not cured.In the period of Ming Xiaozong's "Hongzhi Zhongxing", in order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army, Ming Xiaozong cleared up the army and re-allocated land to the army. At the same time, he promulgated the "Minzhuang Law". Give subsidies and fight in wartime. This is the earliest compulsory military service system in the world.This move worked for a while, but the good times didn’t last long. After the death of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao, who came to the throne, "administratively inaction", the army's land annexation became more and more serious. Grand Duke Liu Jin once tried to use the Qingzhang army to establish political achievements, but it aroused opposition. It led to the rebellion of King Anhua.At this time in the Ming Dynasty, the army's land occupation had become an irreversible trend, and it became more and more intense since the Jiajing Dynasty.

The greatest harm caused by the loss of military land is that a large number of soldiers are displaced or become tenant farmers in the officers' homes.In order to survive, some landless soldiers had to work as handymen and servants for the rich and powerful. In the middle of the Jiajing Dynasty, even high-ranking officials and nobles built buildings and temples, so they directly transferred troops to work as coolies to defend the millions of soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. Reduced to hard labor, handyman, and tenant farmers.It is obviously impossible for such an army to have combat effectiveness.As a result, there was a scene of repeated defeats on the battlefield of the Ming army.

In the military history of Chinese feudal dynasties, there is always such a fixed script. In the early days, when the national army was strong, it was invincible. In the later period, the national army's combat effectiveness declined and corrupted, so it had to rely on a large number of private troops to continue to defend the home. country's mission.The various feudal lords at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the various vassals and towns at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Yue Family Army in the Song Dynasty, etc., all belong to this nature.From the mid-Ming Dynasty, with the decline of the government army's combat effectiveness, a large number of generals with excellent commanding skills began to recruit troops themselves, and trained troops with a strong personal brand in order to make achievements on the battlefield.Qi Jiguang and his Qi family army are one of them.

In fact, the establishment of a recruiting army with a strong personal brand was not the first initiative of the Qi family army. As early as the Tumu Fortress Change, Guo Deng, the commander-in-chief of Datong, "recruited five thousand athletes" to supplement the shortage of troops, but the fighting power of the Ming army still existed at that time. , recruitment is just a supplement.In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the border defense situation became increasingly severe, and a large number of recruited troops all appeared on the scene.Before the Qi Family Army became famous, during the Jiajing period, there was the "Ma Family Army" organized by Ma Fang, the chief soldier of Xuanfu, in Xuanhua in the north; The prominent "Liu Jiajun", as well as the "Ren Jiajun" formed by Ren Huan recruiting Suzhou villagers to fight against Japanese pirates in Suzhou in the early days, Yu Dayou, a famous anti-Japanese general who is as famous as Qi Jiguang, also has an elite navy "Yu Jiajun".However, among the many "X Family Army", most of them are short-lived. Today, the most famous one is the heroic army built by Qi Jiguang himself - Qi Family Army.

The reason why Qi's army is famous is naturally because of its strong combat effectiveness and brilliant record.How did you do all this?In the middle and late feudal dynasties, private troops tended to have more desire to fight than government troops.The reasons are nothing more than the following points: the personal prestige of the commander, the bitter hatred of the soldiers against the enemy, no need to mobilize when fighting, strict discipline, and the regionalism of the same clan.The Qi family army not only has both, but also has original creations. Compared with other X family armies, the Qi family army has many similarities.For example, almost all the soldiers of the Qi Family Army came from Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. They had a deep hatred for the Japanese pirates. Qi Jiguang himself had established absolute prestige in the army.However, unlike other X-family armies, most of the other recruiting armies can only rely on the dispatch of their original commanders. Once the commander is replaced, either the combat effectiveness will be collapsed, or the morale will be slack.The Qi family army is different. Later history proves that even after Qi Jiguang was dismissed in his later years, the Qi family army he left behind still maintained a strong combat effectiveness. Zhong finished the final journey with a heroic battle.Among all kinds of "X Family Army", the Qi Family Army is more like a national army, an army that can maintain firm discipline, absolute obedience, and an indomitable fighting spirit no matter who is in command.All of this comes from Qi Jiguang's personal creation - building an army by system.

The biggest difference between the Qi Family Army and other armies is the extremely strict military system.This is an army with strict discipline rules in the selection of soldiers, military training, and even ideological mobilization.The selection rules for the Qi Family Army are the strictest: no one from the city, no one with a slippery appearance, no one who has worked in the yamen, no one with a violent personality, and the first choice is the honest and simple peasant.Qi's army's training regulations are also strict. According to the existing records of Qi Jiguang's hometown Penglai, the Qi's army's training subjects are the most in the Ming army, including six aspects: formation, command, heart training, courage, strength, and martial arts.The treatment of the Qi family army is also good. Although the salary is not high (12 taels of silver for soldiers a year, which is equivalent to 6,000 yuan, which is only equivalent to the annual income of self-cultivating farmers), the bonuses are generous. The spoils of war are divided equally among the soldiers.When there is no battle to be fought, bonuses are paid for training. The second day of the first month, April, July, and October of each year is the day of Qi’s army’s training and assessment. If the assessment scores are good, bonuses will be given, and those with poor scores will be deducted. salary.In addition, such as meritorious service in battle and brave charge, no matter how small the credit is, they will be rewarded for reasons, and even the smallest mistakes will be deducted for reasons.In addition to being strict, the Qi family army also has a human side. It stipulates that except for "principle issues" such as "military aircraft", "rebellion", "murder", "rape robbery" and "gambling", other mistakes can be exempted from punishment as long as they are committed for the first time. It is necessary to gather the soldiers of the same team, hang them on the table for confession, and punish them on the spot.The "ideological work" of Qi's army is also well done. The battle flags of each battalion are painted with different totems to show the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor and serving the country, and ideological mobilization is instilled in every soldier.Qi Jiguang's ideal is to use a strict system to establish the honor, dignity, morale, and belief of an army, and build an invincible army, and he has done it.

In fact, Qi Jiguang's idea of ​​building an army by system was a very early idea. He is a descendant of Qi Sheng, the founding marquis of the Ming Dynasty. Although he inherited the title and inherited his father's official position at the age of 17, he worked hard since he was a child, and he did not have the arrogance of a playboy. . When I was 23 years old, I went to Beijing to take the Wu Jinshi Examination, and encountered the "Gengxu Change" launched by Altan. Altan (Altan) policy", soon spread widely in the capital.It was in this policy theory that he put forward a point of view that subverted the military concept of the Ming Dynasty: a strong army cannot be maintained by the individual ability of the leader, but needs a perfect system and correct execution in order to prosper for a long time.The so-called "a complete military system, orders and prohibitions, setting standards, emphasizing the four arts, strict military discipline, and heavy rewards and punishments can keep the tiger and wolf division forever" is really Qi Jiguang's insight.Wang Shangxue, acting Minister of the Ministry of War at that time, praised it after reading it, boasting: "This son will become a famous general in the future." After he became famous as a teenager, Qi Jiguang first transferred to Dengzhou, Shandong, and was promoted to the command of Dengzhou. He eliminated redundant troops, rectified discipline, and strengthened combat readiness.At this time, the Japanese pirates' intrusion focused on the Jiangnan area, and Qi Jiguang, who was far away in Shandong, naturally had no use.Working hard until the 32nd year of Jiajing (AD 1553), Qi Jiguang finally received a transfer order and was promoted to the capital of Zhejiang Province, responsible for army reclamation and logistics, which was naturally not what he wanted.Fortunately, it didn't take long, the Zhejiang general died in battle, and Qi Jiguang was promoted to the general as a substitute, guarding the three prefectures of Ningbo, Taizhou and Shaoxing.Within a month of taking office, a large number of Japanese pirates invaded. Qi Jiguang, who was full of ambition, immediately led his army to attack. He wanted to fight the first battle after his debut, but unexpectedly, he was stunned: the soldiers of the Ming army saw the Japanese pirates and immediately ran for their lives. He was a polished commander, but thanks to Qi Jiguang's quick eyesight and quick hands, he bent his bow and set an arrow to shoot and kill the leader of the Japanese pirates, and the battle was stabilized.After the Japanese pirates fled, the Ming army chased them for a few steps symbolically, and then stopped chasing them. No matter how strict Qi Jiguang ordered them, it was of no avail. One month later, Japanese pirates came again. Qi Jiguang led the army to fight, and the Ming army was about to collapse again. Fortunately, Qi Jiguang was not panicked and fought to the death, so he killed the enemy.But the cowardice and incompetence of Ming soldiers made him unforgettable.Not long after the battle ended, Qi Jiguang immediately sent a report to Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang Province, "Ren Linguan Please Create a Barracks and Move", requesting military training. Things seemed to be going well, and Qi Jiguang made an impassioned speech. Although Hu Zongxian had doubts about the success or failure of the training, he still supported him and handed over 3,000 recruits under his confidant Cao Tianyou to Qi Jiguang for training.Then, Qi Jiguang began to implement his idea of ​​"building an army by system".Qi's army's initial management regulations, training subjects, and military discipline all took shape during this period.After two months of training, the combat effectiveness of the 3,000 new recruits has greatly improved, and soon they severely wounded the Japanese pirates in several small-scale battles.The real test came soon: in the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing (1558 A.D.), because Wang Zhi was put to death, the rest of the army occupied Cengang and burned and killed wantonly. The Ming army mobilized tens of thousands of troops to encircle and suppress, and Qi Jiguang's troops were among them.When the Japanese pirates fought to the death, Qi Jiguang once again saw the unbearable scene: he used a complete system to train the soldiers for several months, and once again collapsed under the Japanese Japanese sword, fled for his life, and was slaughtered. Finally, after eight months of hard work, the Ming army finally conquered Cengang, but paid a price several times that of the enemy. Therefore, Qi Jiguang saw the most fatal link in his conception: the system seems perfect, but it is far from enough. It still needs to implement the system resolutely, and the people who implement it are soldiers.The three sap battles since entering Zhejiang finally woke up Qi Jiguang, 31 years old. If the army in his mind is a sharp sword, then at this time, there is no good steel to smelt this sword. One year later, in August, after hard thinking and repeated searches, Qi Jiguang finally found the soldier he needed - Qingzhuang, Yiwu, Zhejiang.The people of Yiwu, who are simple, brave and brave, are the best candidates for Qi Jiguang after several investigations and comparisons, and he is convinced that they are good enough steel to forge a sharp sword.In August, Qi Jiguang went to Yiwu to recruit soldiers. After strict selection, 4,000 people were selected.Then came the training, formally established the various systems of the previous military training, strict training, strict rewards and punishments, and firm discipline, just for this sharp sword that overcomes all obstacles - Qi's army. The Qi family army quickly took shape. From October of that year, the Qi family army began to participate in battles and defeated Japanese pirates in small-scale battles many times.Because of these victories, in March of the thirty-ninth year of Jiajing (AD 1560), Qi Jiguang was re-appointed as a general in Taizhou, Jinhua, and Yanzhou. line.The real battle also begins at this time. Qingfeng unsheathed, Qi's army is here. This "big test" of the Qi family army took place in the 41st year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1562). The name in Chinese military history is: Taizhou Nine Battles. This battle must be said to have been brought on by the Ming Dynasty. Most of the Japanese pirates who harassed Taizhou were Wang Zhi's former troops.After Wang Zhi's death, the Japanese pirates were leaderless for a time, and after reorganization, they invaded Zhejiang again. Compared with the small intrusions of thousands of people in the past, this time the movement was very large.The total number of Japanese pirates participating in the war was no less than 20,000. This was the biggest military disaster encountered by Zhejiang Province after the establishment of its own province in the Ming Dynasty.On the front line is the Qi family army, which has only been in the army for a year. At this time, the Qi family army fought a lot of battles, but most of them were small battles with a scale of a hundred people. This was the first time that a battle with a scale of more than a thousand people was truly fought.Compared to the Japanese pirates who have fought all their lives, the Qi family army is still a rookie who has just entered the battlefield. In April, the battle of the "rookies" begins.The Japanese pirates were divided into multiple routes, attacking east and west. First, 2,000 Japanese pirates deliberately took a boat to swagger in the sea of ​​Shaoxing, and then divided their routes to harass coastal prefectures and counties.Subsequently, the Japanese pirates divided into two groups, 500 people invaded Xinhe County along the way, while the main force of 2000 people occupied the periphery of Ninghai, waiting for opportunities.Xinhe County is the rear base camp of the Qi Family Army, where relatives and family members of the Qi Family Army live, including Qi Jiguang's own wife and children.Attack here first and the Qi family army will be rescued, and the main force of the Qi family army will be transferred before launching an attack. The Japanese pirates have a good plan.But Qi Jiguang was not afraid, you planned to beat me up, he first sent the main force of the Qi family army to rush back to help, and gathered and wiped out 500 Japanese pirates on the outskirts of Xinhe.Seeing the Qi family army coming out, the Japanese pirates thought they had succeeded, and the main force of 2000 went out to attack Taizhou. When they arrived at Huajie on the outskirts of Taizhou, they were surprised to find that there were 2000 Qi family troops waiting in front of them.It turned out that after rushing to rescue Xinhe, Qi's army ran non-stop and marched 70 miles back to Taizhou in the middle of the night, and finally blocked the Japanese pirates in Huajie.Then attack, chase and kill, the Japanese pirates really resisted, were defeated first, then the whole army counterattacked, then defeated, and then counterattacked, they were chased and killed by the Qi family army for 40 miles, and finally stopped chasing - the Japanese pirates retreated to Baishuiyang, Taizhou, all He was driven down the river and fed to bastards, and the 2,000 Japanese pirates were almost exhausted.It is worth mentioning that in the seven battles before and after, only 3 people were killed in the Qi family army. This army that the Qi family army painstakingly forged has finally shown its tenacity and strong combat effectiveness today. The casualty rate of 3:2000 is unprecedented in the entire Chinese military history.After this battle, the saying "you can't live if you meet your relatives" spread like wildfire. But there are still people who are not afraid of death. Only one month later, another 2,000 Japanese pirates invaded Lishui, Zhejiang.More than ten days later, the Japanese pirates who survived the battle joined forces with another group of Japanese pirates and 3,000 people fled to Wenling.After the victory, Qi Jiguang was non-stop. He reported to Hu Zongxian: "In the past, the Japanese pirates came to me to fight, but now it is better to take the initiative." After two battles, all the Japanese pirate strongholds along the coast of Zhejiang were destroyed.So far, the famous Taizhou Nine Wars in history came to an end. The Qi family army beheaded a total of 1,478 heads of Japanese pirates, and tens of thousands of Japanese pirates drowned.The Japanese pirates in Zhejiang suffered a devastating blow. The Japanese pirates who had ravaged the coast of Zhejiang for more than ten years were wiped out after this battle.Since then, there has been no large-scale harassment by Japanese pirates in Zhejiang. The Nine Battles of Taizhou was the first battle that Qi's army experienced since its founding. Looking at the whole process, the Japanese pirates who swept across the southeast coast in the past were completely defeated in front of Qi's army.Can't fight, can't run, can't fight brains, compared to the casualty rate, it finally reached 10,000 to 69 (Qi's army killed a total of 69 people).Such a result, naturally there are reasons such as Qi's army's strong combat effectiveness and Qi Jiguang's good use of troops, but there is one reason that cannot be ignored, the Qi's army's formation-the mandarin duck formation. The so-called mandarin duck formation is a unique military formation method of the Qi family army. A small team of 12 soldiers, 2 of the 12 soldiers hold short knives, 4 of them hold long spears, 2 of them hold wolf guns (a bamboo weapon), and 2 of them hold shields. , and one is the fire soldier, and the other is the captain.When attacking, the captain commands, shields cover, long and short weapons cooperate with the attack, advance can attack and retreat can also defend.Modern military scientists generally believe that in the era of cold weapons, the mandarin duck formation is an almost invulnerable military formation. The core advantage of this military formation is "cooperation", which maximizes the team combat energy and coordination ability among soldiers.Seishiro Itagaki, a famous Japanese general during World War II, once described the mandarin duck formation in this way: "A Japanese samurai can easily win against a Qi Jiguang soldier, but 12 Japanese samurai can easily defeat a mandarin duck formation." After being "easily defeated" many times, the Japanese pirates completely regarded Zhejiang as dead. Zhejiang was peaceful, but Fujian was in chaos.A large number of Japanese pirates immediately invaded Fujian. Because of the victory in the nine battles in Taizhou, Qi Jiguang was promoted to the commander of the capital, and 3,000 soldiers were recruited in Yiwu. At this time, the Qi family army had 7,000 people.In September of the 40th year of Jiajing (AD 1561), Qi Jiguang took this old and new Qi family army on an expedition to Jiangxi to quell the Litianming peasant uprising in Jiangxi.Unlike Japanese pirates fighting guerrillas, Li Tianming stationed his troops in Ma'anshan, built fortifications on the mountain, and resisted stubbornly.This is the first tough battle that Qi's army has faced since its founding.Faced with the enemy's strict defense, Qi Jiguang found a unique way, led his troops to climb the mountain from behind the mountain and made a surprise attack, destroying the camp of the peasant army in one fell swoop.After two months of hard work, the whole territory of Jiangxi was pacified.This episode during the Anti-Japanese War was an unintentional training for the upcoming battle of the Qi Family Army-Fujian Anti-Japanese War. Just when the Qi family army was fighting hard with the peasant army, the coastal areas of Fujian were already in chaos.Tens of thousands of pirates continued to invade Fujian. Unlike the pirates in Zhejiang, the pirates in Fujian were more aggressive. They not only had strongholds on coastal islands, but also established many bases inland.Moreover, the local Japanese pirates in Fujian were originally deeply colluded with various pirates along the coast.The pirates in Zhejiang basically ran away when they were done robbing, and the pirates in Fujian took up land after they robbed.In July of the following year, the Ming Dynasty ordered Qi Jiguang to lead his troops to aid Fujian.Qi Jiguang led 6,000 Qi's troops from Wenzhou, arrived in Pingyang by the coastal road, and then entered Fujian by land from Pingyang.It was the rainy season in the southeast at this time, and the torrential rain continued for days. Qi's army marched rapidly for days, passing through the villages along the way, only sheltering from the rain under the eaves of the villagers, and did not offend the people along the road. Qi's army's strict discipline can be seen. Facing the dangerous situation of Japanese pirates popping up all over the coast of Fujian and the prefectures and counties in dire straits, after several analysis, Qi Jiguang decided to fight snakes and fight seven inches, and first eliminate the Japanese pirate forces entrenched on Hengyu Island. Hengyu Island is a small island on the outskirts of Ningde County, Fujian today. There is a shoal ten miles away from the mainland. This distance is easy to run aground by boat. When the tide goes out, it is full of mud. It has always been a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. .The 2,000 Japanese pirates entrenched here are the most powerful group of Japanese pirates, and most of them are "true Japanese" from the Kyushu region of Japan.Qi's army faced up to the difficulties. Facing the quagmire outside Niutian, Qi Jiguang ordered the soldiers to take advantage of the ebb tide to fill up with grass, stepping on the haystacks, and successfully landed on the island at dawn, and then formed an array for a decisive battle. Wipe out 2000 Japanese pirates.Then Qi's army quickly went south to attack Japanese pirates in Fuqing, which is adjacent to Niutian.When Qi's army arrived in Fuqing, the local Japanese pirates were already in full battle. Tens of thousands of Japanese pirates camped for 30 miles and lined up a long snake formation, intending to defend to the death.Qi Jiguang pretended to let it go, saying that he would take a break first, and the pirates immediately relaxed after hearing the news. Unexpectedly, Qi Jiguang immediately ordered to attack across the board.The general offensive began on September 1st. Qi's army divided into four groups, all the way to attack Cangxia, and all the way to attack Jinping.The other two armies set up ambushes in Shangyuanling and Linmuling to encircle and suppress the remnants of the enemy.In the middle of the night of September 1st, the Qi family army unexpectedly attacked and destroyed the Japanese pirate camp, and then set fire to it. Tens of thousands of Japanese pirates fell into a sea of ​​flames. When the good news came, the people of Fujian rushed to tell each other. Dai Youzhen, the governor of Fujian, led the people to hold a grand celebration for the Qi family army in Fuqing City.But Qi Jiguang couldn't take care of the celebration wine. As soon as the Fuqing battle was over, Qi's army received a tip that another group of Japanese pirates was gathering in Putian.Qi Jiguang immediately pretended that the celebration would paralyze the enemy, and then led a secret march of 2,000 elites to Putian. Unexpectedly, this time the attack was unfavorable. It was found that they were in the Putian Valley, surrounded by Japanese pirates on all sides.At the end of the road, Qi's army fought back, not only to break through, but also to eat this group of Japanese pirates.Several counterattacks were fought back by the Japanese pirates taking advantage of the terrain. In a critical situation, Zhou Neng, a soldier of the Qi family army, formed a death squad and forcibly captured the suspension bridge guarded by the Japanese pirates. The Qi family army finally rushed over, and the Putian Japanese pirates collapsed.In this battle, Qi's army paid the largest casualty of 79 people since they participated in the Anti-Japanese War.At the critical juncture, Zhou Neng, who served as a death squad, and other 37 soldiers from the Qi family army died almost all of them. Since entering Fujian in the 40th year of Jiajing (AD 1561), Qi's army has gone through several battles and wiped out more than 5,000 Japanese pirates.However, due to non-combat attrition due to illness, by November, there were only 3,000 Qi's army soldiers capable of fighting, so Qi Jiguang had to lead his army back to Zhejiang to rest.This great victory also allowed him to be promoted to deputy general. After returning to Zhejiang, he went to Yiwu to recruit soldiers, expanding the size of Qi's army to ten thousand. However, as soon as Qi Jiguang left, the Japanese pirates made a comeback. In February of the 41st year of Jiajing (AD 1562), the Japanese pirates launched an attack and captured Xinghua, Fujian.The Ming Dynasty sent Qi Jiguang to Fujian again to carry out the campaign. In April, Qi's army arrived in Fujian again. On April 21, Qi Jiguang joined forces with two other famous generals, Liu Xian and Yu Dayou, to participate in the Battle of Pinghaiwei, and wiped out the Pinghai army in one fell swoop. There are more than 2,000 Japanese pirates in Weiwei.In November, Qi Jiguang was promoted to general officer and ordered to guard Fujian. The Qi family army has experienced several bitter battles before, although there were setbacks, but in general, it was a battle of annihilation by concentrating superior forces on the basis of the few. ——Battle of Xianyou. In December of the 42nd year of Jiajing (AD 1563), the Japanese pirates gathered 20,000 troops and besieged Xianyou County in Fujian Province. Under the leadership of the county magistrate Chen Dayou, the entire city of Xianyou County resisted and gradually became unable to support it.Qi Jiguang rushed to help. At this time, the Qi's army stationed in Fujian was changing defenses, and there were only more than 6,400 people.Qi Jiguang first sent two hundred soldiers into the city to help defend, and then used the strategy of suspicious soldiers to continuously mobilize troops and horses outside the encirclement of Japanese pirates.These methods really worked, and the Japanese pirates couldn't figure out Qi Jiguang's intentions, so they postponed their attack on Xianyou County.On December 26th, the fighter plane that Qi Jiguang had been waiting for finally arrived. The day was filled with heavy fog. The Qi family army took advantage of the thick fog to launch a surprise attack and took over the Japanese pirate camps outside Xianyou in one fell swoop. Annihilation, until December 28th, the battle of Xianyou ended successfully, a total of more than 6,000 Japanese pirates were beheaded, and tens of thousands were drowned and burned to death.The history of the Ming Dynasty said that "Since Gai Southeast used troops, there has never been such a powerful army."In February and March of the following year, Qi Jiguang pursued the victory and wiped out all the remnants of the Japanese pirates who had escaped from the Battle of Xianyou. After chasing to Vietnam, Wu Ping was completely wiped out at Wanqiao Mountain in Vietnam.So far, all the Japanese pirates who had harassed the southeast coast for decades were wiped out. One month after the Battle of Wanqiao Mountain, Emperor Jiajing Zhu Houcong built two archways for Qi Jiguang in Dengzhou, "Father and Son Governor" and "Mother and Son Festival Filial Piety" in recognition of his dedication. Great feats. During the entire war against Japan, Qi Jiguang and his Qi family army were in the limelight. The Japanese pirates, who were always strong, were almost defeated when they met the Qi family army, and they seldom fought head-on.After the Japanese pirates were put down, Qi Jiguang was once ordered to supervise the defense of Chaozhou and Huizhou. The garrison area of ​​the Qi family army covered Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces. The entire southern China was almost under the protection of the Qi family army. At this time, another turning point in his life came: in October of the first year of Longqing (AD 1567), he was ordered to enter Beijing. At this time, the Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong had passed away, and the Longqing Emperor Zhu Zaihou came to the throne. The "southern Japanese and northern captivity" that plagued the Ming Dynasty during the Jiajing period has been greatly improved by this time. The Khan of Tartar Altan was also repeatedly attacked by Ma Fang, the commander-in-chief of Xuanda, and his arrogance was greatly reduced.But the frontier troubles in the northeast are still there, and the Duoyan tribe in the north of Jizhou and the local barbarians representing the Mongolian "golden family" continue to harass.Especially Jizhou was the most intruded. Before Qi Jiguang was transferred to the north, the general army of Jizhou changed 7 people in 10 years. They were either defeated or killed on the battlefield.Jizhou is the gateway to Beijing, why is the gateway restless?So under the recommendation of Zhang Juzheng, a great scholar, Qi Jiguang, who has made great military exploits, was ordered to enter Beijing. Qi Jiguang's transfer to the north was mainly recommended by Zhang Juzheng. In the history of Qi's army's growth, Zhang Juzheng played an important role.The early formation of the Qi family army was supported by Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang Province, who gave special care in terms of military salary and material supply.Later, Yan Song, the chief assistant of the cabinet, fell, and Hu Zongxian was implicated. Qi Jiguang, who had always been regarded as Hu Zongxian's confidant, was not spared. In the early days of Yan Song's downfall, officials impeached Qi Jiguang as a "strict party".After Hu Zongxian was imprisoned for his crime, Han Qing impeached Qi Jiguang again.In fact, Yu Dayou, who was as outstanding in military exploits as Qi Jiguang, was dismissed from office and charged with crimes in this turmoil. Another famous general Liu Xian was also "deserved for his crimes and meritorious service". Only Qi Jiguang survived.All of this naturally came from Zhang Juzheng's protection.Compared with many famous generals at the same time, Qi Jiguang's other major feature is "know how to be a man". No matter when Yan Song was in power, or after Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were in power, he was devoted to making friends with his immediate superiors.If you want to make friends, you must be willing to spend money, so people often impeach Qi Jiguang for being "economically unclean".According to the records in Wang Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty's "Historical Records": Qi Jiguang first made friends with Zhang Juzheng after the Taizhou victory in the 40th year of Jiajing (AD 1561). .At this time, Zhang Ju was the Secretary of the Imperial Academy and the attendant of Yuwangfu (Zhu Zaihou). His official position was small but his future was promising. After they met, they kept exchanging letters.Every time the Qi family's army won a great victory, they seized a large amount of materials and property. Except for some of them handed over, most of them were used to reward their subordinates and give gifts to their superiors.As Zhang Juzheng was promoted steadily, the relationship between the two became closer.When Emperor Longqing was in power, the two elders in the cabinet, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, both had their own cronies. , and Qi Jiguang's transfer to the north was not only the need to strengthen the northern frontier defense, but also Zhang Juzheng's need to strengthen his personal power. After Qi Jiguang entered Beijing, he was in charge of military training in the capital first, and was appointed as the deputy general of Shenji Battalion.At the beginning of taking office, Qi Jiguang "thundered" the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.In the first month of the second year of Longqing (1568 A.D.), Qi Jiguang published "Four Things About Inviting Soldiers to Break the Captives", and proposed that he personally train an army of 100,000, and then take the initiative to attack and destroy the Tatars and completely eliminate the northern troubles.This sparseness caused an uproar in the ruling and opposition parties, and some officials actually impeached Qi Jiguang for his "ulterior motives".After all, in the feudal society and the Ming Dynasty, which emphasized civility over military affairs, it was impossible for generals to independently train 100,000 troops without being taboo.Two months later, Qi Jiguang played again, reaffirming the significance of military training.Finally, under the mediation of Zhang Juzheng, Qi Jiguang was transferred from the capital and promoted to the chief soldier of Jizhou.In order to appease Qi Jiguang, the Ming Dynasty gave Qi Jiguang the power to "prime ministers in Jizhou, Changping, Liaodong, and Baoding for military training". Qi Jiguang's temperance, the so-called "Prime Minister" is actually just a false title, and Qi Jiguang's wish of "training 100,000 troops" still cannot be realized. When people talk about Qi Jiguang today, most of them talk about his military exploits against the Japanese in the southeast, but in fact, Qi Jiguang’s achievements in guarding the north are no less than the southern anti-Japanese. played an important role. The first thing Qi Jiguang did after taking office was to rectify. At this time, although Jizhou was an important border defense point, the Mongolian cavalry had continued to harass and lose battles for many years. It was a time when morale was low and combat effectiveness was low.Qi Jiguang first abolished redundant troops, eliminated a large number of old and weak soldiers, and then recruited local troops in Jizhou.Recruiting soldiers in Jizhou is different from that in Zhejiang. When Qi’s army recruited the most, it was only a few thousand people, but Jizhou had to recruit tens of thousands of people at a time. Qi Jiguang’s method is: first disperse the recruits to local training, conduct layer-by-layer assessment and eliminate them Select outstanding soldiers into the team.Of course, Qi Jiguang also knew that short-term training could not make a tiger division.The border of Jizhou stretched for more than 2,000 miles, and the battle line was far longer than that of the southeast anti-Japanese war. The Mongolian cavalry came and went quickly, and they were much faster than the Japanese pirates. To strengthen defense, training troops is not enough, and the city must be built. 明朝一直是凭借长城抵挡蒙古人进犯，戚继光调任蓟州时，蓟州的城墙年久失修，边防城墙许多都已塌陷，蒙古人来了挡不住，城破后也没人修，就这样恶性循环。因此戚继光建议，要在蓟州加修3000座敌台，明王朝同意了他的看法，但是因经费问题，把3000敌台改成了1000座。隆庆三年（公元1569年），这场浩大的工程开始了，所修的城防，叫“空心敌台”，这是戚继光的又一发明创造。这种城防与明王朝原先的城墙不同，它高3到5丈，宽12至18丈，共分3层，因中间一层是空的，故得名“空心敌台”。这种工事上面设有垛口，工事里设有射击空，下层设有重炮，每个工事里有士兵10人，工事与工事之间有士兵60人，工事与工事之间相隔200步，互相声援。如果说鸳鸯阵是这个时代无懈可击的野战组合，那么空心敌台，就是这个时代无懈可击的防御组合，它的火力配置，是弓弩、火枪、重炮相结合，火力打击可以覆盖射程所及的整个区域，加上工事之间相互呼应，基本不留“射击死角”。日本军事思想家石原莞尔曾认为，戚继光的空心敌台，是近代“立体防御思想”的前身。 到隆庆五年（公元1571年），这个东起山海关，西至昌平的防御体系终于竣工了，两千里的防线上，坐落着1017坐“空心敌台”，原本是蒙古骑兵抢掠首选的蓟州，而今成了他们越不过去的天堑。值得一提的是，整个工事的花费，由于戚继光的合理调度，竟然比原计划节省了一倍。除了铸城，这两年里戚继光做的最重要的事情就是练兵，虽然他有所准备，但实施起来才知道困难很大。比起义乌戚家军对军令的绝对服从，蓟州当地的士兵只能用“败坏”来形容，打仗怕死，纪律糜烂，违反军法的事时有发生，另外当地原来的将领，也有很多人不服从戚继光的调度，对戚继光阳奉阴违。为此张居正曾多次撤换当地守将，但这种方式治标不治本。为树立军威，隆庆三年（公元1569年）春天，戚继光从浙江调来了3000戚家军驻守长城，部队抵达当天，正赶上蓟州大雨，戚继光在雨中训话，整整一天，部队在大雨中肃立，军容齐整。此情此景把蓟州当地将士镇住了，纷纷感叹“今始知军法之严也”。这以后，以3000北调的戚家军为核心，戚继光放手实施他的蓟州练兵计划，之后裁撤冗兵，惩办军官，阻力就小了很多。他一面严格训练，一面借着修筑空心敌台的机会，将新招募的士兵分批派到“空心敌台”驻守，名为“分操”，让战士们“在实战中锻炼”。与江南抗倭时期的鸳鸯阵不同，为对付迅疾的蒙古骑兵，戚继光独创了“步、骑、车”协同作战的新阵法，将鸳鸯阵的经验移植到多兵种大兵团作战中。具体的操作方法是：遇到敌人，先以“车兵”装载火枪火炮的战车对敌，用火器打乱敌阵，然后步兵从中路出击，骑兵两翼包抄截断敌退路，借此重创敌人。美国华裔学者黄仁宇说：“戚继光的这个新思路，因为蒙古部落与明王朝的和解，并没有得到实战的检验，不能不说是个遗憾。”“空心敌台”落成两年后，一场大的“检验”降临了。 镇守蓟州的戚继光，面临的对手有两个，一个是蒙古朵颜部落。所谓朵颜部落，就是明朝初期招降蒙古人，为抵御鞑靼而设立的“朵颜三卫”，但到此时，朵颜部已和蒙古土蛮部勾结，成为明朝边防的大敌。另一个，就是“黄金家族”的土蛮，土蛮的侵扰对象主要是辽东，但也常和朵颜合兵南攻蓟州。戚继光刚刚到任蓟州时，即隆庆二年（公元1568年）十二月，朵颜部就曾给了戚继光一个“下马威”，他率军屯兵蓟州北面的青山口，企图南下。戚继光得到消息后立刻主动出击，在青山口击败朵颜部酋长董狐狸的前哨部队，迫使董狐狸退兵。此战虽未能重创敌人，却也使朵颜部一时不敢南下，为加强蓟州防御争取了时间。此后几年里，朵颜部多次小规模骚扰蓟州，皆被击退。隆庆五年（公元1571年）空心敌台全线竣工后，蒙古人破关南下更是难上加难。但不甘心的朵颜部却另有打算：你的空心敌台厉害，那就把你引出来打。 明朝万历元年（公元1573年）春，朵颜部再次大规模南下，比起之前几年的骚扰来，这次他们集中了数万人，包括朵颜部名义上的首领长秃，实际首领董狐狸，董狐狸的侄子长昂，可以说是动了血本。朵颜军先在喜峰口外借口“邀赏”，然后在周边大肆烧杀抢掠，企图诱明军出塞，可他们显然低估了明军的战斗力，戚继光闻讯后立刻出兵，在喜峰口外重创朵颜部前哨。一计不成，朵颜部索性集中重兵攻打董家山要塞，这次戚继光也集中重兵，命令董家山守军主动出击，又让北面榆木要塞守军从后路夹击，硬碰硬地和朵颜骑兵打一场野战。明军先以战车阻遏蒙古骑兵，再以火炮轰击，朵颜骑兵在炮火下大乱，明军步兵冲锋，骑兵两翼包抄迅速冲乱了蒙古骑兵军阵，朵颜部苦心筹谋的“引出来打”，很快就成了崩溃屠杀。明军一路追杀150多里，不但重创敌人，更活捉了朵颜部首领长秃。朵颜部下血本的进犯，却以完败告终。 长秃被俘，整个朵颜部上下炸了锅，群龙无首的朵颜部无奈，只得由董狐狸率亲族240多人，向戚继光叩关求降，明王朝顺水推舟，接纳了朵颜部，随后释放了长秃。万历三年（公元1575年）起，与明王朝相斗数十年的朵颜部，恢复了和明王朝之前的朝贡关系，原本是蓟州北部边防的一大威胁，从此成为屏障。 朵颜服了，土蛮却还嚣张，就在戚继光痛击朵颜时，朵颜北部的土蛮也大肆入寇辽东。辽东总兵李成梁虽多次重创土蛮，但战火却始终不熄。对土蛮的威胁，戚继光多次上奏明朝，要求主动出击，打垮土蛮。万历七年（公元1579年）十月，土蛮部集中5万人大肆攻掠辽东，明王朝命戚继光驰援，戚继光火速集中3万兵马北进，先在狗儿河击败土蛮，继而进军狗儿敦，再次大破土蛮。土蛮自知不敌，仓皇退却。戚继光与李成梁合兵，连续追杀百里。此战在明朝辽东历史上有重要意义，因此战伤亡惨重，土蛮部对辽东的侵扰渐熄，而辽东原本不起眼的女真部落，渐成坐大之势。 万历七年（公元1579年），戚继光进封正一品左都督，加封太子太保。这位戎马一生的名将，达到了人生的顶峰期。他镇守蓟州16年，原本是蒙古骑兵侵扰重灾区的蓟州，从此“烽火渐稀，边备修饬，蓟门宴然”。他着力修筑的“空心敌台”，也由最初的1000多座增加到3000多座，“练兵十万”的愿望虽未实现，但其12防区，也打造出了精兵近4万人，蓟门精兵，已是大明王朝劲旅。 有如此成就，除了戚继光本人的能力外，也与戚继光的“后台”张居正分不开。从戚继光执掌蓟州兵权之初，张居正就大力照顾，凡所需的军饷器械经费，皆是优先供应，此举甚至引发了其他军镇总兵的不满。戚继光就任后，凡是与戚继光为难的同僚官员，大多被张居正找借口调任降职，原任的蓟辽总兵戚继光的“老战友”谭纶去世后，张居正特意安排自己的心腹梁梦龙接任，并向戚继光保证梁梦龙会“谅不相负”。张居正待戚继光不薄，戚继光也知恩图报，张居正父亲去世后回家奔丧，戚继光特意选派了火枪兵随行护送，两人之间的“经济往来”，坊间也一直议论不断。但正处人生顶峰的戚继光不会想到：他的荣耀拜张居正所赐，他人生的低谷，也因此而来。 戚继光，乃至戚家军人生的再次转变，发生在明朝万历十年（公元1582年）。这一年，辅政十年的内阁大学士张居正去世，戚继光的“靠山”轰然倒台。接着万历皇帝开始清算张居正，追夺了张居正生前的所有封号赏赐，更以“追赃”为名，将张居正全家收押拷打。城门失火殃及池鱼，戚继光也未能幸免，弹劾他的各类奏章云集，特别是戚继光曾派兵护送张居正回乡的旧事，更被御史严齐斥为“图谋不轨，危害社稷”。幸好此时担任内阁首辅的申时行赏识戚继光，在申时行的力保下，戚继光最终落了个“平级调动”，调任广东总兵。深知官场险恶的戚继光从此心灰意冷，就任广东后多次请求告退，终于万历十三年（公元1585年）年退休还乡，比起张居正诸多亲信好友的悲惨下场，戚继光尚能全身而退，殊为不易。 戚继光最后的去职，后人皆说因他是张居正的亲信，但人比人气死人，同样是张居正亲信的辽东总兵李成梁依然得到重用，且子孙加官晋爵，风光无限。相比之下，戚继光的下场，无外乎“利用价值”四个字。戚继光建戚家军，志在打造一支凭完备严格的制度，长期保持强悍战斗力的虎师，他做到了，但利用价值也到头了。特别是经过戚继光几次打击，朵颜部落投降，土蛮部落视蓟州为死地，蓟州边防早已太平，反观李成梁，他镇守的辽东连年有战事，他的“李家军”除了他谁也指挥不动，自然就离不得他。归乡后的戚继光，晚年寄情于著书立说，修缮宗庙，今天的蓬莱阁就是他出资修缮的。而他的两部军事著作《纪效新书》和《练兵纪实》，也是在这一时期刊刻出版。明朝万历十五年（公元1587年）十二月七日，这位战功卓著的名将在家乡病逝，享年60岁。为戚继光写墓志铭的，是在福建剿倭时的戚继光“老上级”汪道昆，墓志铭中称戚继光的去世是“鸡三号，将星陨”，痛惜之情溢于言表。但直到戚继光去世两年后，明王朝才下诏祭葬，而一直到了明神宗去世前的万历四十八年（公元1620年），明王朝才追赠戚继光谥号为“武庄”。比起他生前的战功，可谓刻薄。 戚继光离去了，但戚家军的赫赫战功并没有结束。戚继光离开后，戚家军成了“后娘的孩儿”，特别是在赫赫有名的“万历三大征”里，基本是当“炮灰团”。万历十九年（公元1592年），宁夏爆发了“哱拜叛乱”，驻守蓟州的原戚家军4000人奉命开赴平叛，提督李如松命他们负责打援，结果戚家军以伤亡过半的代价，成功粉碎了土蛮蒙古援救宁夏的企图，宁夏叛乱终被平定。同年，日本“关白”丰臣秀吉发动侵朝战争，抗倭援朝战争爆发，由吴惟忠统领的3000戚家军奉命参战。平壤会战中，为保证主力部队顺利攻城，戚家军被辽东提督李如松派去攻打日军要塞牡丹峰。这是日军平壤防线的第一要塞，3000戚家军面对5000日本守军前仆后继，最终成功牵制了日军主力，成就了歼敌数万的“平壤大捷”。后来的稷山之战，也正是由戚继光亲手打造的蓟镇军死守，击退数万日军进攻，终为明军大反击赢得了时间。围歼日军加藤清正部的蔚山之战，最早担任攻坚的，是陈寅率领的戚家军，戚家军势如破竹，连破日军两座大营，眼看可以取得全胜，然而统帅杨镐为了抢功，竟下令戚家军停止攻击，让自己的嫡系辽东军来打扫战场，谁想辽东军不争气，反被日军击溃，大好战机由此丧失。随后日军援兵杀到，明军溃退，又是陈寅的戚家军奉命阻击，方保证主力全身而退。抗倭援朝战争的末段，也是戚家军担任攻坚，攻破了日军在朝鲜的最后据点顺天郡，全歼日军小西行长部。抗倭援朝战争结束后不久，陈寅部的戚家军又奉命开赴播州，参加平定杨应龙叛乱。在整个万历朝的后半段，戚继光苦心练就的强军，就这样一点一点被拆分，投入到各个战场，分属于不同的军镇总兵。有历史记录的戚家军最后一场血战，当属明朝天启元年（公元1621年）的浑河之战。此时努尔哈赤进犯沈阳，明将童仲揆率领的3000浙军（戚继光留守在浙江的戚家军）在沈阳城南的浑河阻击努尔哈赤的八旗军主力。努尔哈赤集中了4万主力发起进攻，战斗从早晨打到深夜，八旗军始终不能前进一步，时任明朝辽东经略的袁应泰吓破了胆，拒绝救援，导致明军孤军奋战，至傍晚时阵地被八旗军突破。童仲揆抱定必死之心，率全军发动了最后一次反冲锋，全军3000余人壮烈殉难，将领童仲揆、袁起龙等120人殉国。此次战斗，八旗军也付出了惨重代价，清朝人魏源感叹此战是“辽左用兵第一血战”。努尔哈赤的白旗军、黄旗军等精锐在战斗中多次攻击失败，伤亡数千，为安抚军心，努尔哈赤在战后开了祭灵大会，祭奠浑河之战的死难者。这是戚家军有历史记录的唯一一场失败，也是悲壮的谢幕。