Chapter 96: The death knell of the Ming Empire However, although Shanhaiguan had been invaded, Huang Taiji's tactical command was still very conservative and he did not attack Beijing in one go.
On the one hand, this is because the Battle of Dalinghe, which lasted nearly a year, has just been fought.
Although the Ming army was severely defeated, the Jurchen soldiers were also exhausted, and even their horses lost fat.
Now, without much preparation, he suddenly had to enter the Pass to defeat the Ming Dynasty again.
He was suddenly caught off guard.
He didn't have the troops, ordnance, or equipment to spare.
Especially those Mongolian allies, who had already gone home after the Battle of Daling River, and are still here now.
We had to quickly send envoys to the grasslands to mobilize troops.
The Eight Banners soldiers and horses that Huang Taiji initially brought into Shanhaiguan were only a few thousand people from the two yellow flags, and the follow-up troops were still slowly arriving.
On the other hand, Huang Taiji was also not at ease with the Guan Ning Army who had just surrendered.
To some extent, he wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers.
After the prisoners of war of Guan Ning's army and the miscellaneous Ming army who were coerced into surrender, the total number has reached as many as 40,000 to 50,000.
Later, even if the Jin Dynasty sent out all its troops, plus the Horqin tribe and other Mongolian allied tribes, they could only gather 70,000 to 80,000 troops.
Obviously, no king would be at ease if such a huge uncontrollable military group was placed beside or behind his back.
Therefore, Huang Taiji made an excuse to wait for the follow-up troops and newly cast heavy artillery, and soon after entering the customs, he set up camp in Changli County as the frontline headquarters for this Ming Dynasty war.
Then he grabbed the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners and sat still.
He only sent two surrendered generals, Zu Dashou and Wu Xiang, and led 40,000 Guan Ning's surrender troops to divide into two groups and attack the capital and Tianjin.
According to Huang Taiji's wishful thinking, if Zu Dashou and Wu It would be great if Xiang could win an instant victory; if Guan Ning's surrender army was defeated by the Ming Ting who fought back desperately, it would be equivalent to helping the Kingdom of Later Jin eliminate a potential hidden danger.
In any case, no matter which side wins, the Han people will die, which is sacrificing the vitality of the Ming Dynasty.
Huang Taiji does not feel sorry at all.
In this regard, the Liaoxi generals headed by Zu Dashou and Wu Xiang had nothing to say.
This was basically a vote of approval.
As for whether he could capture the capital this time, Huang Taiji didn't have any ambition to win.
According to what he said to the Eight Banners leader, the guiding ideology of this entry was "If you get an inch, you will get an inch, and if you get a ruler, you will get a ruler."
Nothing can be forced.
It would be great to be able to break into the Forbidden City and sit in the Dragon Court in one go.
If Mingting cannot be killed in a short while, then there is no need to spend all his capital.
Therefore, he initially stationed his troops in Changli and watched the battle, with the idea of returning to Shanhaiguan in case the situation was unfavorable.
Unexpectedly, after this sudden change, even in the face of the disaster of national subjugation, the resistance of the Ming army can still only be described as "weak and powerless".
There is no crazy energy to resist at the end of the day.
When the Jurchen Eight Banners stood still, they only relied on their recent defection.
With the Guanning Army, Zu Dashou went straight to the capital and defeated Lu Xiangsheng's Tianxiong Army, one of the only two field armies of the Ming Dynasty in North Zhili.
On the other side, Wu Xiang also performed a triumphal song, fighting all the way from Shanhaiguan to the gate of Tianjin.
If Hong Chengchou's Qin army hadn't arrived, he might have captured this gateway to Beijing.
Seeing that the defeated generals under his command, Guan Ningjun, were actually fighting so smoothly and destructively within the pass.
Now the Jurchen Eight Banners stationed in Changli are also very jealous.
For a while, they are all gearing up and eager to try.
They can no longer hold back and are eager to show off their skills.
Huang Taiji, who originally planned to wait and see for a while, could not withstand the fierce crowds below.
Seeing that the Eight Banners troops and horses were almost assembled, and the Mongolian cavalry from the Horqin tribe had also arrived, he set out from Changli and continued towards the Ming Dynasty.
The capital advanced.
Perhaps this time it was because of good luck.
The Jurchen army had just arrived in Laoting County when they received another piece of good news.
"I'm so happy that the Ming army in Tianjin mutinied.
God has blessed me with great wealth."
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In the swirling dust, the chubby Mang Gurtai squinted his beady eyes and came happily from the front on a bay-red horse.
Before he could get close to Huang Taiji's chariot, he was already far away.
They shouted, "As long as Hong Chengchou is defeated, Chongzhen's son will be dead."
Seeing Mang Gurtai's rough and arrogant behavior with no respect at all, Huang Taiji couldn't help but frown slightly for a moment, but after hearing his words, he was immediately overjoyed, "It's not like the Ming army in Tianjin really mutinied."
It’s a rumor” "Tanma came to report with absolutely true evidence that the whole city of Tianjin was on fire, and the fireworks could be seen four or five miles away."
Mang Gurtai said cheerfully, "Wu Xiang has also sent an envoy to talk about this matter.
He will arrive in a while."
"Very good, very good.
God bless me."
Huang Taiji took a deep breath, then turned his head and shouted loudly, "Quickly send the order, the Eight Banners armies immediately select elite cavalry, one person and two horses, and carry three days of dry food , follow me to attack Tianjin" North Zhili, Shuntian Prefecture, Tianjin Acropolis A cruel drama of looting, burning and killing is taking place in this city known as the "Gateway of the Emperor".
Inside and outside the mottled and dilapidated Tianjin city walls, the shouts of killing in Shaanxi accent were earth-shattering.
Clouds of black smoke floated over the city.
The streets and alleys were filled with the cries of soldiers and civilians in the city.
Groups of rioters were still coming from all over the city.
They came from every camp and poured into the city in a steady stream.
The Shanshan rebel soldiers, who have been suffering from hunger these days and are full of resentment, armed with a variety of weapons, broke down the doors of every household in Tianjin, robbed their property, raped their wives and daughters, and even deprived them of their lives. , set their houses on fire The Shaanxi relief troops who had just lifted the siege of Tianjin not long ago had now become bandits and butchers ravaging the city.
All discipline and morality were wiped out at this moment, leaving only the most primitive cruelty and violence.
When Hong Chengchou, who was preparing military rations at Dagukou, learned the bad news about the changes in the rear, he quickly took the Chinese Army Supervisor Biao Battalion and hurried back to Tianjin.
The city of Tianjin was already in flames, thick smoke was everywhere, and mourners were everywhere in every street and alley.
Both sides of It was filled with mutilated corpses, and the bleeding water extended along the cracks in the bluestone pavement on the street.
People kept running out of the house in panic carrying packages, but they were overtaken by the rebels chasing after them, and they were hacked to death, and then Robbed his belongings.
And women's cries and screams came from every house.
When he saw the corpse of the Tianjin governor hanging on the beam of the Yamen, Hong Chengchou finally couldn't help but blacked out and fainted.
Just half a day after Hong Chengchou left the military camp, Qian Shisheng, the second minister of the cabinet of the Beijing court, came over for inspection.
As soon as this man arrived in Tianjin, he swaggered into the military camp, summoned the generals of King Qin's army, which was mainly the Qin army, and scolded them for being greedy for life and fearing death.
They actually stopped advancing in Tianjin and refused to go to Beijing to fight.
Must be done within five days Arriving at the capital, otherwise there will be severe punishment.
However, Qian Shisheng did not mention a word about the most critical issue of food and grass supply.
He obviously believed that these humble warriors were gods who ate the wind and drank the dew, even if they only drank the northwest wind.
Only if you can fight.
The Beijing court in the late Ming Dynasty had always had this problem.
Once faced with a crisis, it would desperately mobilize troops from other places to the capital, thinking that the more troops there would be, the more peace of mind it would have.
However, it did not prepare any logistical supplies.
It seemed that it did not consider that these troops also needed to eat. , the result was that the reinforcements mutinied and the loyal ministers became frightened.
What made King Qin's army even more indignant was that after reprimanding the sergeants who were bleeding and sweating with white strips, Qian Shisheng would go to the Tianjin Acropolis next to commend the Tianjin Governor for "defending the city."
It was said that the governor was He spent a lot of money in the court and paid heavy bribes to several cabinet ministers.
As a result, all the troops outside the city were furious: If we hadn't come to rescue and relieve the siege, your broken city would have fallen long ago.
Moreover, you, a dog official, clearly have money to bribe important officials in the court, so why do you just sit back and watch our saviors starve to death outside the city?
It is so unconscionable.
As a result, hungry, angry, and full of resentment, several middle and low-level officers of the Qin Army, such as Qianhu and Baihu, took the opportunity of the Tianjin government to open the city gate and welcome the second assistant Qian Shisheng to drive. , swarmed up with his trusted servants, killed the scattered defenders, and captured a city gate.
Immediately afterwards, the Qinwang troops from all walks of life, who were also full of resentment, made a noise and rushed into Tianjin in a chaotic manner, looting and killing, committing murder and arson.
Since the prestigious Governor Hong Chengchou was away, the generals could not restrain the excited officers and soldiers, and the chaos soon became even greater.
All the soldiers knew very well that due to the previous series of cruel and cruel treatment, the soldiers' anger had now exploded like a powder keg and could no longer be suppressed.
Even their superiors can only follow the soldiers' thoughts and simply make a big fuss, otherwise they will be the first to be killed.
Anyway, today is a turbulent time.
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Although according to the system, the nobles and the military are still humble, but as long as the generals who control the army do not rebel, after causing chaos such as mutiny, even the court can only try to appease them, and I dare not pursue it seriously.
They old veterans are now playing tricks on this trick.
As early as the Wanli and Tianqi years, the border troops on the nine northern frontiers often played such tricks from time to time because they were in arrears of military pay.
They either beat civil servants to vent their anger or robbed them.
Looting residential businesses and getting some benefits at least.
Anyway, the law does not punish the public.
As long as a few scapegoats are pushed out to deal with the crime, all charges of mutiny and robbery can be solved.
Therefore, when Governor Hong Chengchou rushed back, the situation in Tianjin was already in dire straits.
The crazed soldiers were rampant in the city.
They not only robbed Tianjin's merchants and large households, but also set fire to government offices and killed officials.
Qian Shisheng, the second assistant to the cabinet who was inspecting and urging the troops to advance, was overturned by the rebels at the gate of the city.
He did not know how to escape.
Where did they go?
The Tianjin civil and military officials who had suffered a great loss carried the bodies of their colleagues and relatives, knelt in front of Hong Chengchou's horse and cried, asking the Governor for justice.
Then, the respectable gentry and merchants in Tianjin City also came collectively. , demanding that Governor Hong must severely punish those rebellious officers and soldiers who dared to kill and plunder wantonly in Tianjin.
However, the generals of King Qin's army also came together to appeal to the governor, crying that the court was unfair and mistreating their meritorious ministers, which triggered the mutiny.
This forced Hong Chengchou to be in a state of distress and dilemma for a while, and he was almost ten years old.
Rebellious soldiers stormed the cabinet minister The driver of the car is indeed worthy of death; but these people will soon be relied on to fight against the slaves in Liaodong, and they really dare not punish them harshly: What if they are so angry that they simply run away from the battle or even defect to the enemy?
What should Liaoxi do?
The general is sending out letters of persuasion to surrender all over the world right now.
Therefore, Governor Hong Chengchou had no choice but to find ways to reconcile the conflicts and try to adjust the contradictions, all in order to maintain stability.
But no matter how hard he fought with Xi Ni, the two sides were always fighting each other, one wanting revenge and the other wanting to redress his grievances.
After going back and forth for a long time, they still couldn't calm down the matter.
Then, Governor Hong Chengchou soon discovered that he no longer had to worry about the mess after the Tianjin Mutiny.
Because, while the city of Tianjin was still filled with smoke and corpses were everywhere, officials were still spitting at each other, and the rebels were still busy killing people and stealing goods, at the end of the distant horizon, a cloud of flying dust had suddenly risen, and there were Countless flags fluttering in the wind "What's serious is that the Tatars and the Jurchen Tatars are coming to kill us."
On the first day of October in the fifth year of Chongzhen, Qian Shisheng, the second assistant to the cabinet, went out to patrol Tianjin and urged the soldiers and horses of King Qin from all ministries to rush to Beijing to rescue him.
At that time, Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, went out to collect food, so Qian Shisheng summoned the generals to lecture him.
His words were quite scornful, full of insults, and he did not reward him with any money or silk.
The generals were angry, thinking that the imperial court was treating its meritorious officials harshly, so they immediately caused chaos and caused a mutiny among the troops.
They invaded the city of Tianjin and set fire to and looted wantonly.
Du Sance, the governor of Tianjin, was killed.
On the third day of October, Hong Chengchou rushed back to Tianjin after hearing the news in an attempt to suppress the mutiny, but it was too late.
The chaos between the government and the army in Tianjin was not settled yet.
The slave chief Huang Taiji personally led the Jurchen cavalry and the Guanning rebels, totaling more than 20,000 people.
On the afternoon of the fourth day of the lunar month, they made a long-distance attack to the gates of Tianjin.
Due to the haste of the incident, tens of thousands of King Qin's officers and soldiers were completely unprepared, so they collapsed without a fight, and Tianjin Wei fell immediately.
Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, led the guards of Biaoying to fight out of the rebel army.
He first fled to Jinghai County, but was turned away by the county magistrate, and then fled to Cangzhou.
His horse was exhausted, and on the way he was captured by Guan Ning's rebel general Wu Xiang.
At this point, the officers and soldiers of both Jifu and Jifu were defeated, and not even a tenth of the remaining soldiers was left.
The vanguard of Jiannu had entered Hejian Prefecture, and the capital became an isolated city, and the soldiers and civilians were all shocked oshow7: