I

The guard general of Xiuyan City was called Duopuluo, the grandson of Fei Yingdong, the fifth founding minister of the Later Jin Dynasty.

Logically speaking, with his status, he should have been in a high position for a long time. Although grandpa is awesome, he has ten sons and a nephew like Obai. How can he quickly climb up anywhere?

What's more, Dopolo's father, Suohai, is still an out-and-out cheat.

When Hai Lanzhu died of illness, Huang Taiji was in grief. Suo Hai even invited Zu Dale to drink and watch a show at home secretly.

Huang Taiji was furious because of this, and asked the Ministry of Punishment to discuss Suo Hai's death penalty, and then exempted him from death and reduced his position. Niu Lu was also divided into half.

Suo Hai not only offended Huang Taiji, but also offended Dorgon. He followed Dorgon on the expedition and ran to surround Jinzhou. He withdrew his troops privately before the fighting began, and camped far away from Jinzhou City to avoid the battle, almost trapping Dorgon to death there.

What's more, Suohai's cousin Obai is a staunch opponent of Dorgon.

When encountering such a cheating father, it is normal for Dopolo Luo to be transferred to the mountains to defend the city even though he is the deputy capital commander. He only has 800 soldiers under his command.

"What? In the mountains south of Xiuyan City, are there a large army of Nanbarbarians?" Duopuluo was shocked.

The Eight Banners officers who escaped said: "The Jurchen hunters in the mountains colluded with those southern barbarians, and they deliberately led the way randomly!"

Dopoluo said angrily: "You eat the food inside and outside, and as a Jurchen tribesman, you actually collude with the Southern Barbarians. How many Southern Barbarian soldiers are there?"

The Eight Banners officer said: "I don't know. The Southern Barbarians set up an ambush in the mountains. They fired guns and cannons at once. It's hard to see how many they ambush. But judging from the formation, I'm afraid there are as many as two or three thousand!"

Two to three thousand Datong troops?

Dopoluo was a little frightened. At this time, the Manchu nobles had been psychologically shadowed by the Datong Army.

What's more, Dopolo, like his father, is not a person who is good at fighting. This guy likes to have fun. He has learned Chinese since he was a child, and his family even has a Han opera troupe.

Duopuluo thought for a long time and ordered: "The whole army is not allowed to leave the city anymore. Quickly collect supplies to defend the city. All the bannermen outside the city are recruited into the city and their families are also brought into the city. Also, go When Shengjing asked for help, he said that a large Nanman army was attacking Xiuyan City!"

There were also Manchus living around Xiuyan City, all of whom were family members of the original 202 Eight Banners defenders. As for the military households of the Ming Dynasty, some were taken to Shenyang, and some were left as coatmen and serfs for local bannermen. They farmed outside the city, and the food they grew was used to supply the troops defending the city.

After receiving Dopoluo's mobilization order, the Manchus outside the city quickly set off and evacuated their families and families to the city. They took away most of their slaves, but left a small number of coats to manage their own serfs.

Yang Zhenqing waited and waited, but did not wait until the Eight Banners soldiers came to kill him.

He sent some Jurchen mountain people to inquire around Xiuyan City. Only then did they realize that all the people had entered the city, and only the coats and serfs were left outside the city. Only in important mountain road areas, there are some Eight Banners soldiers sentinels, while other Eight Banners soldiers are guarding the city.

"Follow me to Xiuyan City!" Yang Zhenqing immediately ordered.

500 Datong Independent Battalion soldiers used captured horses to carry grain and grass, and headed towards the enemy's city in a swaggering manner.

The Eight Banners soldiers in Xiuyan City, plus the temporarily recruited bannermen, have a strength of at least 1,200.

Dopoluo quickly received the news and said to his generals: "There are thousands of Nanman Datong troops. These 500 enemy troops are running straight towards our army without covering up. They must have some conspiracy! Dutong read "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" when he was fifteen years old, and he knew the strategies of the Han people well. The 500 enemy troops in front of him must be here to lure our army to attack. Once our Eight Banners warriors pursue them, there will be an ambush in the mountains. The enemy troops I have seen through the plan. None of you are allowed to leave the city. Defending Xiuyan City will be considered a meritorious service. Over in Shengjing, I have sent people to ask for reinforcements!"

"Du Tong is so smart, the Han people's strategies are useless."

"Han people are always good at playing tricks, but they will definitely not be able to deceive the emperor."

"Don't worry, Commander, we promise not to leave the city!"

"..."

Dopolo looked complacent and seemed to be really confident.

In fact, he was just afraid of death. He felt that defending the city was more secure and there was no need to go out and take risks.

This guy has been fighting with the army since he was a child, but he always fought in smooth battles. He was able to achieve meritorious service and was promoted to deputy capital commander. He was the remnant soldier who entered the pass to hunt down Li Zicheng. He led more than a thousand Eight Banners troops and inexplicably managed to surrender tens of thousands of enemies.

At that time, Dopolo was preparing to evacuate, but the other party surrendered too quickly, and it was difficult not to gain great success.

Under Duopuluo's defensive order, Yang Zhenqing's independent battalion moved unimpeded and soon arrived at a village twenty miles southwest of Xiuyan City.

The village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and three mountain passages intersect here, forming a relatively flat mountain valley. There is also a small river flowing through it, which is very suitable for farming.

Unfortunately, the cultivated land area is very small, and the total number of bannermen, Baoyi and serfs living here is less than 1,000.

Now, all the flag men have run away.

Several men who looked like manor housekeepers were urging the serfs to work while subconsciously looking towards the entrance of the village.

"The Han army is coming!" a Bao Yi exclaimed, and then ran away.

Other packers in the village also ran away after hearing the news. From the day their master left, they had been nervous, guessing that the Datong Army would come to kill them.

But Xiuyan City is too small. There are civilians in the city, hundreds of garrison troops, and many bannermen with their livestock withdrawing into the city. Where can there be room for coats and serfs? Even if you have to bring slaves, you can only bring one or two close confidants.

"Chase!"

Yang Zhenqing gave an order, and several soldiers who could ride horses rode on captured horses and chased the coats.

There is only one road in the valley to the north.

Two legs could not outrun four legs. The soldiers were soon overtaken, and they all knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Master, please forgive me, I am a Han, not a Tatar!"

Soldiers from the Independent Battalion searched the whole village and came back to report: "In the camp, there are no Tatars here, not even livestock. All the valuable ones have been moved away, and each family has only a small amount of food left."

"Take everyone back to the Jurchen brothers' village and wait there first," Yang Zhenqing said, "Tell the Jurchen brothers to lend them some food, and I will give them military coupons when I go back. These military coupons can be used in Jinzhou, Fuzhou, etc." Prefectures and Gaizhou give priority to purchasing grain and salt.”

A total of four coats were captured and more than 400 Han serfs were rescued.

There are also some serfs who were forced to carry money and food to the bannermen, and are now outside Xiuyan City. Unable to enter the city, they all huddled at the city gate and became beggars.

After sending a few soldiers to lead the serfs back, Yang Zhenqing ordered again: "Burn all the houses in the village!"

The valley plains get wider and wider as you go north, and there are more and more places that can be cultivated, so a city appears in the mountains. Xiuyan City not only has an open terrain, but also has two rivers intersecting, so the soil is relatively fertile.

You can meet Han serfs along the way. Some bannermen are so cruel that they don't leave food at all and take away all they can eat. Some serfs have been hungry for two or three days.

Until five miles closer to Xiuyan City, Yang Zhenqing finally stopped advancing.

It's not that I'm afraid, but that there are too many serfs to be rescued. If I continue forward, I'm afraid they will starve to death on the way back.

Returning to the Jurchen mountain people's village to count the number of people, a total of 9 prisoners were captured and more than 1,500 Han serfs were rescued. Besides, there was nothing gained. Not a single donkey was captured, and half a Tartar was not killed.

Yang Zhenqing sent people to send the serfs down the mountain, and took the Jurchen mountain people with them to Jinzhou to carry grain. The Jurchen people in the mountains are living a very hard life. There is not so much food supply for the independent camp, and it has to be replenished every three months. The Jurchen people can also take the opportunity to go down to the mountains to buy food and salt.

When he learned that the Datong army had withdrawn, Dopoluo was very complacent and said to the generals on his left and right: "The enemy's army retreated without success and only wasted military supplies. Our army can be said to have won without a fight."

The generals of the Eight Banners complained endlessly, but they did not dare to refute because this was Fei Yingdong's grandson.

Only those bannermen who withdrew into the city hated Dopolo with itch. More than a thousand serfs were snatched away. They were all talking animals. Should the bannermen be allowed to plow the fields by themselves in the future?

More than a month has passed and winter is almost here.

After replenishing supplies, Yang Zhenqing marched towards Xiuyan City again.

Dopoluo still couldn't hold on. The banner men were smarter this time and took all the serfs outside the city to prevent the Datong army from easily snatching them away. It was impossible to enter the city, it would be too crowded, and there was also a fear of serf uprising, so they would just be left outside the city gate to fend for themselves.

Some bannermen who felt sorry for their serfs would go out of the city regularly to feed them, fearing that their talking animals would starve to death.

When Yang Zhenqing arrived outside the moat, more than 3,000 serfs had gathered under the city wall. The cold wind was blowing fiercely. They were wearing tattered cotton clothes and squatting under the wall like beggars. They were cold and hungry, and many of them fell ill.

"Don't go out of the city to fight. The enemy troops will retreat on their own. They have no siege equipment." Duopuluo said confidently.

At this moment, the missionary officer accompanying the army stood by the moat and shouted to the Han serfs: "Brothers and sisters of the Han family, we are sent by the Emperor of the Han to rescue you. Come across the river quickly and take you down the mountain. There will be food to eat." , there are clothes to wear, and there is a doctor when you are sick!”

The serfs looked blankly and shouted several times in succession. Finally, someone stood up.

The drawbridge of the moat was not destroyed, and the serfs worked together to lower it. Immediately, more than three thousand serfs stood up one after another, hesitated for a few seconds, and then ran towards the suspension bridge in a swarm.

When crossing the bridge, it was so chaotic that some serfs were even pushed into the river. It's freezing cold, and even if you don't drown, you will definitely catch a cold and have a fever.

"If all the Han slaves run away, Xiuyan City will be doomed!" an Eight Banners officer said anxiously.

The main cultivated land in Xiuyan City is in the south. Although there is some in the north, it is not as fertile and the cultivated land area is not that large. If all the serfs in the south run away, they will be unable to grow food and supply the city. Over time, the garrison in the city will starve.

There are so many mountains nearby, and it is impossible for the Manchus and Qing Dynasties to transport grain here.

Another Eight Banners officer said: "Capital, please take the opportunity to get out of the city to cover up the killing. Those Han slaves are in chaos. If we kill them, the Han slaves will be even more confused. There are only a few hundred enemy troops outside the city. After being rushed by the Han slaves, they will be attacked again." If we lead the troops to cover up the attack, we will definitely be defeated!"

Duopuluo took a closer look and found that it was indeed true. He immediately ordered: "Follow me and fight out of the city!"