Ming Taizi's Total War

Chapter 151
Although guarding the river must guard the Huai River, the Lianghuai area is not easy to guard at all. There are two water systems in the Lianghuai River and the Grand Canal. Both of these water systems can transport a large amount of materials and serve as important channels for strategic transportation.

Its importance is no less than modern railways. We must know that in the modern Anti-Japanese War, the Neon Devils attacked along the railway lines and coastlines.

In other words, if the Jianghuai is guarded, the enemy can easily mobilize a large amount of manpower and material resources, and it would be fine if the combat effectiveness of both sides is similar.

But at the end of the Ming Dynasty, no matter the peasant army or the Qing army, their combat effectiveness was far stronger than that of the Ming army. Guarding the Jianghuai was tantamount to slow suicide.

The most important thing is that if Shen Liangru is not allowed to see the brutality of the siege battle, I am afraid that he will take Zhu Cihong's order to forcefully pressure their armies. When the time comes, the pressure will be too much, and chaos will easily occur.

"Ministry of Shi Ge has an excellent opinion, but I think it's getting late today, maybe it's better to change it to tomorrow." Although Shen Liangru is a literati and doesn't understand military affairs, he also knows that it's dark at night and it's hard to do anything.

"It doesn't matter, our army has tens of thousands of soldiers, and each of them holds a torch, which is enough to illuminate the outside of Kaifeng City like daylight."

Shi Kefa's words were a little exaggerated, but with sufficient manpower, and a large amount of oil and firewood transported from the rear, it is still possible to illuminate the outside of the city wall like a flare, so that the soldiers can fight without hindrance.

After Shi Kefa's order was issued, Zhang Yong also urgently ordered the 3 people in the headquarters to collect firewood and grease and pile them outside the moat of Kaifeng City. When the army arrived, they would light these things as lighting objects.

Just as Shi Kefa, Zhang Yong, Shen Liangru, and Gao Jie arrived at the frontline headquarters one mile east of the city, all parts of the army were mobilized by Shi Kefa's order.

A team of messengers came to the Xu Dingguo camp with drums and gongs, "The Shi Ge Department and the General have an order that the whole army leave the camp and attack the city immediately.

Xu Dingguo was sleeping soundly in the tent at this time, when he was suddenly awakened by the sound of the orderly beating gongs and drums.

"He has a fucking leg, and he doesn't make people sleep well at night. Shi Kefa and Zhang Yong are two picky talents, what a goddamn bad luck." Xu Dinguo cursed angrily.

To be woken up suddenly by someone was very annoying, but Shi Kefa and Zhang Yong asked him to attack the city again, which made Xu Xu Dingguo even more angry.

"Commander-in-Chief, hurry up, we're here to urge us out of the camp." Just as Xu Dingguo sat up from the bed, a lieutenant under his command suddenly barged in from the door.

"I know, I know, it's really not easy to worry about. Get my armor and weapons quickly and hold my mount outside the door." Xu Dingguo ordered the soldiers in his tent.

"How many people should we bring to attack the city?" Xu Dingguo's deputy general asked him.

"Just take two thousand, no, 1000." Xu Dingguo didn't want to waste his precious troops on siege, and he was counting on these people to be his bargaining chips for promotion.

"Commander, this is too little. What if the cabinet and the general hold us accountable?" The deputy general's face suddenly turned bitter when he heard the number Xu Dingguo said.

"You know a hammer, 1000 people is a lot. Besides, I'm not good at fighting, so what's wrong with the few people coming out? What can they do if they hold me accountable? I can still lose a piece of flesh."

"But if I don't have these soldiers, I guess they will sacrifice my head to the flag tomorrow." Xu Dingguo said to his lieutenant general.

He has recently sent someone to secretly contact Prince Heshuosu Hauge who is stationed in Huaiqing, as well as the current Great General of the Qing Dynasty, brother of his uncle Regent Dorgon, and Prince Shuoyu, General Dingguo Duoduo.

As long as the news comes back in a few days, he, Xu Dingguo, will change his banner and become an official of the Qing Dynasty.

That's why he wouldn't do such a thankless task of attacking the city for the Ming army.

"Pass down the order, let the miscellaneous soldiers move the ladders to attack the city, plant more torches, fire piles, and flags, and make the momentum bigger, even if it is worthy of the salary paid by the imperial court."

Xu Dingguo is very smart, as long as he makes a big splash in the city, others will think that he is fighting hard, and the defenders on the city wall will not dare to act rashly when they see it.

As long as he lasted for a while and survived today's siege battle, his goal of Xu Dingguo would be achieved.

In stark contrast to Xu Dingguo in the west of the city is the east of the city where Shi Kefa, Zhang Yong, and Shen Liangru are located.

Zhang Yong took out almost all the strength in his hands, although due to terrain factors and the width of the battle, only a few thousand soldiers actually went into battle.

But Zhang Yong still pulled most of the troops outside the city to build up momentum. After all, battles often involve both sides taking a breath, and whoever is more energetic has a greater chance of winning.

An hour after nightfall, the low sound of horns cut through the sky above Kaifeng City, spreading the news of the war into every window.

At the same time, watchmen and patrols who saw the flames outside the city also came to the streets and alleys to spread the news of the war to everyone's ears.

"Did the Ming army attack the city?" Tian Hu ran out of his house, grabbed the shoulder of a beater and asked.

"Yes, uncle, go up to the city wall and command your brothers to defend the city." The watchman said to Tian Hu.

Tian Hu is Kaifeng Jiedu envoy appointed by the Dashun regime, Ning Lingbo, and he is the person with the highest military status in the whole city at the moment, except that he has only one Kaifeng magistrate, and Henan Dao Zhizhi envoy Lin Yi is slightly qualified to climb the city wall to command fighting.

"Okay, go to the high-speed Linlin magistrate, mobilize the strong men in the city, and quickly move the stones to the city wall."

After more than ten battles, there are not many arrows in Kaifeng City, so Tian Hu can only use stones as the main weapon for defending the city.

Walking quickly to the city wall, Tian Hu looked at the flames everywhere outside the city, and frowned. He had a premonition that tonight would be a very miserable night.

It is true for the Ming army outside the city, and it is also true for the Shun army defending the city.

No, in fact, the defenders of the city can no longer be called Shunjun. Before the siege, Tian Hu actually didn't even have 1000 men.

Because after conquering Henan, Li Zicheng did not continue to advance eastward, but chose to enter Guanzhong westward, and then eastward to the capital. However, he did not expect it to be so smooth at the beginning, and he entered the capital in two or three months.

So when Li Zicheng mobilized most of the troops in Henan, Kaifeng Prefecture, as the capital of Henan Province, left only [-] people. Less than ten thousand.

Kaifeng went through another ten days of siege, more than half of Tian Hu's [-] elite soldiers were dead or injured, most of them were either lying down in the medical center or buried in random places in the city.

(End of this chapter)