Chapter 673 Huang Taiji is preparing to retreat

North Zhili, Hejian Prefecture, and near Dongjiabao.

The weather in February is still very cold. When I wake up in the morning, the north wind whistles, whistling the tent, making the tent rustle. Large swaths of snowflakes keep falling, pressing deep depressions on the top of the tent. People inside the tent have to use wooden sticks to push up the tent, shake constantly, and then let the snow roll to the ground. If you forget this action, the entire tent will be very likely to be crushed by the snow.

The fields around Dongjiabao were all white, and there was no trace of the original soil color. The heavy snow temporarily covered the traces of the battle between the two sides, and the blood, debris, and limbs left on the battlefield were all covered. The scars on the walls of Dongjiabao were also covered by snow. At first glance, there was a flawless piece around, as if nothing had happened.

Whether it was the Hu Ben Army's flag or Huang Taiji's golden flag, they were pressed heavily by snow, tightly wrapped around the flagpole, and they could not float at all. The weather was cold and there was no one in the fields outside. Only sentries from both sides were staring at the fields outside vigilantly. The north wind blew their faces, making their faces turn red.

In Huang Taiji's golden tent, braziers were burning in all four corners. The raging charcoal fire made the tent warm into spring. The heat of the charcoal pot made the snow on the top of the tent melt continuously, turning into snow water, flowing down from the surroundings of the tent.

In the downwind position of the tent, in order to prevent carbon dioxide poisoning, a hole has to be opened. Occasionally, the messy wind is rolled in from the opening of the tent, causing a wave of chill. Even when the wind direction is disordered, even snow may be blown in. However, if the snow is inside the tent, the warm charcoal fire will melt for a while.

Because the temperature difference inside and outside the tent is too large, at the exit of the tent, Jirgalang has set up another tent specifically for transition. Everyone who wants to come in or go out is waiting for a moment in this small tent to adapt to the surrounding environment, and then take further action.

In the golden tent, Huang Taiji was walking around uneasy, and Jiergalang sat behind the desk, concentrating on sorting out the battle report. In fact, walking was not Huang Taiji's habit of thinking about problems. He was more accustomed to standing still thinking about problems. But today, it was a bit special. From the morning when he woke up, he felt a little uneasy, and felt something was wrong with the Jin army. But Huang Taiji himself didn't know where the uneasy came from.

Perhaps, this uneasiness was that Zhekuna from Hejian Prefecture. Zhekuna was his confidant, who was responsible for managing various material wealth. This time, the Great Jin army went south, and the concentration point of all population and materials was in Hejian Prefecture. A few days ago, Zhekuna sent a report that the Great Jin army or Mongolian army that occupied Shulu, Xianxian, Boye, Anping, Shenze and other places had already escorted the population and materials to arrive.

In this report, there are no mention of several counties south of the Hutuo River. Huang Taiji is inevitably a little strange. On the south of the Hutuo River, there are a total of eight Niulu Tartars active. Huang Taiji still has a high hope for this area. According to general rules, both sides of the Yellow River are relatively rich, with a large population and wealth. Therefore, Huang Taiji developed a small selfish desire and did not allow the Mongols to enter this area.

"Adou, have you had any special battle reports recently?"

Huang Taiji suddenly stopped, frowned, and asked with some concern.

"No, it's all normal."

Jirgalan's answer affirmatively.

He is sorting out war reports from all aspects. The war reports of the Tartars are usually very simple, concise and can be read at a glance. However, since there are many combat troops in the Tartars, it is still difficult to sort out these war reports. Among the Tartars, there are not many people who know how to write, and even fewer people who can organize war reports. Until now, Jirgalang is still responsible for this work.

This time, the Jin army in Nanluo, except for losing a considerable number of troops in Dongjiabao, had a smooth journey in other places. Sun Chengzong, an old miscellaneous scrimmage, had been killed by Haoge. If he could not kill Zhang Zhun, killing one Sun Chengzong could also increase the morale of the Jin army. Yuan Chonghuan caused trouble to the Jin army back then, so the Jin Kingdom found a way to kill Yuan Chonghuan. Sun Chengzong caused trouble to the Jin army, and now he killed Sun Chengzong. In addition to Zhang Zhun, the main enemies of the Jin Kingdom were all wiped out.

The main force of the Ming army was also stared at by the Jin army and did not dare to come out. The Liaodong Legion of the Ming army was still in the north of Tianjin Wei, in the Yutian, Fengrun and Kaiping areas. The Xuanda Legion of the Ming army was besieged in Fangshan, Liangxiang and other places. These two legions seemed to have no major moves. As for Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiangsheng who rushed to the south, the Jin Kingdom did not take it seriously. What's more, Lu Xiangsheng had been arrested and imprisoned by Emperor Chongzhen himself.

In the western part of Northern Zhili, the Great Jin army had broken many counties and were moving away personnel and supplies in a planned manner. According to the report sent by Zhekuna, Hejian Prefecture has gathered more than 200,000 young men and women, as well as more than one million taels of gold, silver and jewelry, and countless other supplies. With the increase of time, the population and supplies will continue to grow. This time, the Great Jin army will escort at least one million people out of customs, greatly enriching the population of Liaodong.

In general, as long as the battle was not participated by the Hu Ben Army, the Great Jin Army was smooth and there were no accidents. However, the situation was not very good if the battle was participated by the Hu Ben Army. The Tiger Army seemed to be the nemesis of the Great Jin Army, and wherever they went, they could cause the Great Jin Army to suffer continuous casualties. For example, around Dongjiabao, the competition between the Tiger Army cavalry and Mongolian cavalry made the Mongols very depressed.

The Mongols are best at Manguda's tactics. This tactic can be called turning around and shooting in Chinese. Simply put, it means that the Mongolian cavalry suddenly appears in front of the enemy, and then shoots arrows at the enemy to kill and kill the enemy. If the enemy catches up, the Mongolian cavalry will turn around and run away. During the escape, they will turn around and shoot arrows constantly, and then cause damage to the enemy.

From beginning to end, Mongolian cavalry archers did not have close contact with the enemy to avoid fighting with the enemy. If the enemy stopped chasing, they would turn back and continue to tease the enemy. When the enemy caught up, they would turn around and run away. When they ran away, they would continue to shoot arrows. This cycle would be repeated until the enemy was completely consumed.

In the past, many powerful enemies were defeated by the Mongolian cavalry. Even the Danube heavy cavalry with full armor was tortured by the Mongolian cavalry archers. Mongolian cavalry archers have always been very confident in their ability. The cavalry archers of the Great Jin army have also learned this ability, and they have been tried and tested when facing the Ming army. This is also one of the killer weapons that the Great Jin army will never fail in the field battle.

However, what's so bad is that now, this killer weapon has been learned by the Hu Ben cavalry. The Hu Ben cavalry relies on the long range of the muskets to play this Manguma warfare technique even more powerful than the Mongolian cavalry archers. As long as the Mongolian cavalry or the Great Jin cavalry meets the Hu Ben cavalry, it will never be easy to get it.

Around Dongjiabao, the Huben cavalry appeared sporadically from time to time. When they found Mongolian cavalry archers or Jin cavalry archers, they immediately fired. Their shooting skills were very accurate, and they often killed people with one shot, but the arrows of the Mongolians and Jin army could not shoot them. If there were not many Mongolian cavalry archers and Jin army cavalry archers, they would be killed by them. If there were too many people and turned around to chase after them, the Huben cavalry would immediately turn around and run away.

If the Mongols or the Jin army chased after him, it is very likely that more Tiger Ben cavalry will suddenly appear in front of him, and they will shoot at the pursuers with a random fire, causing greater casualties. If the pursuers retreat, the Tiger Ben cavalry will turn around and chase after him and continue to shoot the pursuers from a distance, which will make you feel annoyed.

If the pursuers were not afraid of casualties and gritted their teeth and chased after them, the Hu Ben Army cavalry simply ran back to their own barracks. Facing the Hu Ben Army's barracks, the Mongolian cavalry and the Great Jin army cavalry dared not approach them, and in the end they could only sigh. In the process of repeated pursuits, the vitality of the Mongolians and the Great Jin army was constantly consumed.

Because the fire guns of the Huben Army cavalry are very long and have a high accuracy, the Mongols and the Jin army suffered great losses in such a confrontation. As long as they encounter the Huben Army cavalry, they will definitely lose some people. It seems that there are not many people in one battle, but the Huben Army cavalry has a wide range of activities, and they are around Dongjiabao, and the battles occur frequently every day. In total, the Mongols and the Jin army lose more than two or three hundred people every day.

It seems that there are not many two or three hundred people, but this is basically a Niulu. After a day of battle, one Niulu will lose, who can bear it? The number of Mongolians is indeed large, but not many that can lose a Niulu every day and be indifferent. So, both lightly and darkly, the Mongolians began to get tired of such a battle.

There was no choice but to order the Mongolian cavalry around Dongjiabao and the Great Jin cavalry to retreat, and to escape from the activity area of ​​the Hu Ben cavalry as much as possible, and to monitor it from afar. If it is not necessary, do not fight with the Hu Ben cavalry. It is especially important to note that you should not easily fall into the trap of the Hu Ben cavalry, and do not be provoked by the Hu Ben cavalry and lose your mind, thus ruining your life in vain.

However, the loophole is also obvious when doing this, that is, it is impossible to effectively cut off the contact between Dongjiabao and the outside world. If there is any movement in the Hu Ben Army, the Jin army will not know in time. People in Dongjiabao can come out quietly. People outside can also enter Dongjiabao quietly. Zhang Zhun used such loopholes to sneak out quietly.

In addition, this approach also made some Mongolians and the Great Jin army feel a little frustrated. I don’t know when the Mongolians and the Great Jin army, who are good at riding and shooting, actually began to avoid war. This is something that has never been done before. It was impossible to capture Dongjiabao in the siege, and now it can’t even defeat the cavalry of the Tiger Ben Army in field battles. Wouldn’t the Great Jin army be completely at a disadvantage?

"What's the situation with Zhekuna? Is anyone back in the south of Hutuo River?"

The more Huang Taiji thought about it, the more wrong he became, and he frowned and asked.

“No one has come back.”

Jirgalang answered cautiously.

Huang Taiji began to feel a little suspicious.

The Tartars in the south of Hutuo River have been there for more than ten days, and it is impossible to have no gains at all. There is Huang Taiji's private land specially for the Jin army. They have never been plundered before, and both population and wealth should be quite considerable.

Could it be that they have gained too much that they were walking on the road too slowly? That would not be possible! If this is the case, the people below will definitely send someone to report and ask for support. Huang Taiji has not received any reports from the south bank of the Hutuo River so far.

Could it be that something happened to them? It shouldn't be! There was no enemy activity in the south of Hutuo River. There was no Hu Ben Army, nor the Ming Army. There were only some Han local training, and there were also sporadic horse thieves and so on. With their ability, it was impossible to resist the eight Niulu's Great Jin army. Although these Niulu were not satisfied, their combat effectiveness was still good.

After pondering for a moment, Huang Taiji took a deep breath and said with some concern: "Adou, do you think something will happen to the people in the south of Hutuo River?"

Jirgalang stopped to sort out the war report and said in disbelief: "It should be unlikely? If we encounter an enemy that cannot be dealt with, we will also receive the war report! It is impossible that we can't escape even if we encounter the Hu Ben Army!"

Huang Taiji thought about it and felt that something was unlikely to happen.

On the ground in Northern Zhili, the only one who could threaten the Great Jin army was the Hu Ben Army. The Hu Ben Army was all near Dongjiabao, and Zhang Zhun himself was also in Dongjiabao. There was no information that the Hu Ben Army had its main force operating in the south of the Hutuo River. Moreover, Jiergalang also mentioned that even if it encountered the main force of the Tiger Army and the warriors of the Great Jin army, even if they could not defeat them, they could escape and report the news. It would be impossible for the entire army to be wiped out.

The main force of the Ming army was around the capital. In Zhending Prefecture, there were some Ming army led by Hong Chengchou. However, Hong Chengchou had been stared at by the Mongols and could not come out at all. The cavalry of the Korqin tribe was the cavalry of the Korqin tribe, and Hong Chengchou would never take advantage of it. Besides, Huang Taiji did not believe it at all. The Ming army had the courage to go to the south bank of the Hutuo River and fought fiercely with the cavalry of the Great Jin army.

"I was worried too much..."

Huang Taiji pondered for a moment and said to himself.

However, his inner uneasiness could not be eliminated. Perhaps something really happened, but he didn't know yet. For this reason, Huang Taiji specially ordered all his troops to strengthen their vigilance to prevent unknown dangers from happening.

"Adou, I still feel that the situation in the south is not very good."

Before going to bed at night, Huang Taiji said worriedly again.

That night, Huang Taiji didn't sleep well and felt a little upset. However, after thinking about the things around him, he still couldn't find the problem. He once went outside the tent and carefully observed Dongjiabao with a Qianlijing, but found no abnormalities. He estimated that Zhang Zhun should still be in Dongjiabao.

Two days later, Huang Taiji asked again: "Have there any changes in Zhekuna?"

Jirgalang frowned and said, "No one has come back to the south of the Hutuo River."

Huang Taiji's face was deep and said with certainty: "No. A Dou, there is definitely something wrong with this matter. Perhaps, we are fooled again. The Han people are very cunning and often unexpected. We cannot take it lightly."

Jirgalang also felt that there was a problem. However, he did not know where the problem lies. The eight Niulu Da Jin soldiers were not satisfied, and they said that there were not many more or fewer. If they really encountered any trouble, it was still possible to suffer some losses. What made them feel strange and incredible was that no one came to report the news.

Either, it's really okay, maybe it's busy robbing people and supplies, and forgot to report it. Or, the entire army was wiped out. If it's the former, there's nothing serious. If it's the latter, the problem will be very serious. Those who have the ability to wipe out the eight Niulu Da Jin troops and do not allow one Da Jin army to escape are definitely the main force of the Hu Ben Army, and the number of people is estimated to be less than one thousand.

How did this part of the Hu Ben Army reach the south bank of the Hutuo River? There is no time to investigate now. What Huang Taiji wants to do now is to quickly remedy it. At the same time, seize the opportunity to teach the Hu Ben Army a lesson so that other Hu Ben Army will never dare to leave the turtle shell again. In the field, your Hu Ben Army is not qualified!

"Ga Sera!"

"Du Hu Chan!"

Huang Taiji shouted loudly.

"What are the instructions for the Khan?"

Two Tartar leaders hurried in.

"You will immediately lead your army to Jiaohe and Fucheng around you! See what's going on there! If you find the trace of the Hu Ben Army, send someone to repay you immediately!"

Huang Taiji said coldly.

"Abide by the order!"

The two hurriedly agreed.

Jiasela is the commander-in-chief of the vanguard camp, and Hu Chan is the commander-in-chief of the vanguard camp. Each flag of the vanguard camp has five Niulu, a total of 1,500 people. Eight flags are 1,200 people. These troops do not belong to any flag, but only belong to Huang Taiji himself. The vanguard camps of the two flags are dispatched together, which is three thousand elite cavalry. Even if they encounter a thousand Hu Ben cavalry, it is enough to deal with it.

After sending out the vanguard camp of the two flags, Huang Taiji felt a little relieved. He hoped that the Jin army in the south of Hutuo River would be so proud that he forgot to report. However, a day later, the bad news came, shattering all the hopes of Huang Taiji. Jiasela and Du Hu Chan sent people to repay, saying that they found the bodies of the Jin army warriors in Jiaohe, Fucheng, Wuyi, Dongguang, Jingzhou, Wuqiao and other places, but no one from the Hu Ben Army was found.

"What?"

"None more?"

Jirgalang screamed in disbelief.

The eight Niulu's Tatars were gone!

"Who did it?"

Jirgalang asked hurriedly.

"have no idea."

The horses who came back to report did not have any exact information. They just found the bodies of the Great Jin army in various places, and nothing else was found. There were no people from the Tiger Army, nor the local people. The places where the Great Jin army arrived were empty, not a single person, not even a chicken or a dog.

The entire south of the Hutuo River is like a no-man's land, desolate and silent, which makes many great Jin soldiers who have experienced many battles feel a little scared. It's weird, it's really weird. The Jin soldiers of the two flags' vanguard camp appeared here as if they were in another world. Every time the north wind blows, they feel that the back of their necks is chilly, as if there is an unjust soul staring at them.

"It must be Zhang Zhun!"

Huang Taiji said with a gloomy face and word by word.

The eight Niulu Da Jin troops were gone, and Huang Taiji was heartbroken and regretted it. Of course, he understood that he accidentally fell into the trap that Zhang Zhun dug. Well, to be precise, his own deployment was not strict enough, and he was keenly caught by Zhang Zhun and then used it, which turned into a serious consequence like today.

Only Zhang Zhun's Hu Ben Army was able to do this. It was obvious that the Hu Ben Army used a smokescreen in Dongjiabao. While the Hu Ben Army cavalry fought sporadically with the Mongols, there was also a main force of the Hu Ben Army cavalry, which suddenly penetrated deep into the south bank of the Hutuo River and took the opportunity to attack the eight Niulu's Great Jin army.

These eight Niulu's Great Jin army were all acting alone and had no close contact with each other, which was their most deadly place. Such a way of action could easily be defeated by the Hu Ben cavalry. The largest number of these eight Niulu was less than 150. If you encounter a large group of Hu Ben army, there is indeed no possibility of escaping.

A very fatal problem is exposed here, that is, the attributes of the battlefield. Northern Zhili is a completely Han area. The Great Jin army is fighting here, and the intelligence is unknown. It is completely unclear where there are enemies and where there are Hu Ben Army. However, the Tiger Army is fighting here, but they know exactly where there are Great Jin Army.

These eight Niulu Dajin Army were more dead in the hands of the Hu Ben Army than in the hands of unknown intelligence. If the Great Jin Army could accurately obtain the information of the Hu Ben Army, these eight Niulu Dajin Army would definitely not lose. However, under the current circumstances, it would be impossible for the Great Jin Army to establish a complete intelligence network in Northern Zhili. This is the land of the Ming Kingdom, not the land of the Great Jin Kingdom.

"Order Jia Sela and Du Hu Chan to capture the Hu Ben Army!"

"No matter how much the price you pay, you must destroy this Tiger Army!"

Huang Taiji shouted viciously.

What he was angry about was not the losses of the eight Niulu Jin troops, but Zhang Zhun's cunning. It was incredible that Zhang Zhun had caught a small loophole in his deployment. It was absolutely impossible to say that Zhang Zhun could predict the future. He must have learned about the activities of the eight Niulu from some channels, and then took targeted actions.
To be continued...