I

Forty miles east of Liaoyang, Daishan led his army to quickly return for reinforcements, but it was still a step too late.

After receiving the news of the fall of Weining Camp, Daishan sat in the camp in a daze, full of resentment, all blamed on Dorgon.

If too many troops had not been deployed to fight in Hebei, how could the mountainous areas of southern Liaoning have been lost one after another? No one was willing to send troops to Hebei. Only Hauge said he wanted to fight, but that bastard Dorgon actually agreed.

Dorgon and Hauge are both going to fight, how can other Manchu nobles stop them?

The strategic location of Weining Camp is extremely important. It can directly attack Liaoyang to the west and Shenyang to the north. And Shenyang and Liaoyang were both the core of Manchu rule!

Next, Daishan didn't know which way Lu Xiangsheng would march, so he could only divide his troops into two. One of them went to defend Shenyang and the other to defend Liaoyang. At the same time, he sent a message to Dorgon, asking Dorgon to bring his troops back quickly and not waste time with the main force of the Datong Army in Yaozhou.

Yaozhou was Dashiqiao City hundreds of years later. That city was built by the Manchu Qing Dynasty to confront the Ming army in southern Liaoning in order to cut off the connection between the Ming armies in southern Liaoning and western Liaoning.

It has little value in itself. At this critical moment, you have to give up.

Daishan sent someone to Yaozhou to report the news. Dorgon also fell into silence for a long time after receiving the news.

What happened to my Qing Dynasty?

Lu Xiangsheng only had a partial army in his hands, and he also had to transport grain from North Korea. The grain roads were all difficult to travel through mountains and valleys. As long as the defenders of Weining Camp hold on for another month or two, Lu Xiangsheng will inevitably fall into a food shortage dilemma.

Why can't I hold it? It stands to reason that I can definitely hold it!

"Prince Regent, withdraw your troops."

A meeting of the Manchu nobles was held and they unanimously agreed to withdraw their troops and go back to defend Liaoyang and Shenyang. Dorgon could no longer have his own way.

Dorgon said: "We have to wait for the rainy season. To retreat now is to court death!"

The rainy season in Northeast China is in June and July of the lunar calendar.

When Cao Cao conquered Wuwan, it was during the rainy season in western Liaoning that the banks of the two grain transport canals were muddy, making it impossible to march and fight. In the end, there was no choice but to take Guo Jia's suggestion, abandon the baggage and take the Lulong Ancient Road, and take huge risks to carry out a long-distance raid.

Yuan Shao's two sons, as well as the Wuwan leaders, did not expect that Cao Cao would send troops during the rainy season, and they were completely defeated by Cao Cao.

When fighting in the Northeast, you must pay attention to the weather.

One of the reasons why the Ming army was defeated in the Battle of Sarhu was that they ignored the weather.

It was said that it was a four-pronged army encirclement and suppression, but the troops were actually sent out in the second month of the lunar calendar. Some places were still covered with ice and snow, and it even snowed several times in succession. Under the heavy snow that sealed the mountains, the Tatars set up obstacles in the mountains. As a result, the four armies of the Ming Army, some marching fast and some marching slowly, were defeated by Nurhachi's concentrated troops.

Of course the frontline generals of the Ming Dynasty knew that this would not work, but they couldn't bear the constant urging of the civilian officials.

Officials such as Fang Congzhe, Huang Jiashan, Zhao Xingbang, etc. kept urging and urging, saying that if they did not send troops, food and salary would not be able to sustain it - military pay was higher in a state of war, and finishing the war early would save a lot of military expenses.

In desperation, Yang Hao forced himself to send troops. It was strange that he was undefeated in such a stupid battle, which made Nurhaci famous for winning more with less.

Nurhaci took advantage of the snowy season, and Nurhachi also took advantage of the rainy season.

In the forty-seventh year of Wanli, Nurhachi made a sneak attack on Kaiyuan. All the Houjin nobles expressed opposition because the rainy season had arrived and there was no way to march. Nurhachi defied all opinions and imitated Cao Cao, taking no baggage but only some carriages, and fought in the rain to Kaiyuan. The Ming army was scattered everywhere outside the city, and there was no time to return to the city to assemble.

As a result, Kaiyuan fell and Tieling fell.

The combat policy proposed by Dorgon was to fight the Datong Army in the rainy season.

Although after being exposed to rain, the bow strings of the Eight Banners soldiers will become soft, and the arrow feathers will shrink when exposed to water, affecting the hit rate. But the bows and arrows could still be fired, but the artillery of the Datong Army could not fire, and the muskets of the Datong Army could not fire either.

In the original offensive and defensive battle of Gaizhou, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties lost too many artillery pieces. In addition, the Datong court strictly prohibited the transportation of gunpowder to the north, and the Qing Dynasty was unable to enter the customs to purchase gunpowder. The Qing Dynasty's firearms force has been greatly reduced.

If Dorgon wants to win the battle, he can only fight it in the rainy season. This is the reason why he has been wasting his time.

Now that Weining Camp has fallen, even if Dorgon withdraws his troops, he will have to wait for the rainy season before withdrawing. At that time, the baggage was transported into Yaozhou City, and the main force of the Manchu Qing Dynasty withdrew lightly, and by the way, the Datong Army was induced to fight on rainy days.

…

Li Zheng looked at the rough sand table, planted the flag of the Datong Army at the Weining Camp, and said: "As late as a month, as early as half a month, the rainy season in Liaodong is coming. This Dorgon will definitely not be able to use up enough food. Us, but he has been wasting away with us. I see, he is just waiting for the rainy season to come!"

"Just in time, let's fight with real swords and guns!" Hu Dinggui said.

The Datong army huddled in the camp and did not fight, and Dorgon also huddled in the camp and did not fight. Especially after Daishan led his army to leave, Dorgon had fewer troops and continued to strengthen the defensive camp.

Xiao Zongxian said: "Fortunately, we were prepared and a lot of long guns were shipped last year. A total of 8,000 standard long guns were originally intended to expand the armed peasant soldiers, but now they are all replaced by fire gun soldiers. Even if the fire gun is equipped with a bayonet, it will not It’s definitely not as useful as a spear.”

The flintlock muskets of the Datong Army may still be usable in rainy days, but most likely they will not fire in heavy rain.

Li Zheng smiled and said: "We brought the spears from Gaizhou and sent them all down to practice. After getting the firecrackers, the firecrackers only practiced bayonets. I am afraid that the spear skills are all rusty."

This year's rainy season came a bit late, with only sporadic rains in the past half month.

Eight thousand spears were transported to the camp outside Yaozhou City, which was only enough for two divisions of firecrackers to re-equip.

The fire gun soldiers took turns to form formations to practice. Most of them were farmers and soldiers. Peasants and soldiers were trained in spear formations. Now when they pick up a spear, they immediately recall the past years.

By mid-June, there were more and more rainy days, but there were no heavy rainstorms yet.

Dorgon began to transfer supplies to Yaozhou City, transporting all the baggage that could not be taken away during the rainy season into Yaozhou City for storage. This is also the reason why he is stalling for time. Once it enters the rainy season, Yaozhou City will be basically safe and the Datong Army will not be able to penetrate.

Li Zheng, on his side, also began to cross the river and set up camp, getting closer to the main force of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Both sides have the same plan, waiting for the war to begin on a rainy day. Artillery, muskets, and bows and arrows could not be used. They fought with cold weapons. They all felt that they would definitely win.

What's more, the Datong Army also has a secret weapon, which is a leather case for the flintlock gun. To be precise, it is more like a leather box.

Use a leather box to wrap key parts to prevent direct rainwater. Apply a layer of beeswax to the gap between the barrel and the gun body to prevent rainwater from flowing into the medicine pool from the gap. (Europe and the United States also have this kind of equipment in modern times, called "Cow's Knee".)

With this thing, you can fire a shot in heavy rain, and you will definitely get wet while reloading.

At the critical moment, one shot is enough!

"Boom!"

The rainstorm finally came, but because it rained so hard, no fighting broke out.

The next day, it turned into light rain.

Dorgon ordered the entire army to leave the camp. As long as the Datong army did not move, he immediately took the opportunity to retreat in the rain. The cavalry could not catch up because the road was muddy and difficult to navigate, so they had to lead the horses and walk.

"Firegun soldiers, fill up all the ammunition!"

Everyone, including the dragoons, loaded ammunition in the tent, carefully smeared the gaps with beeswax, and carefully wrapped it with a leather case.

The gunpowder was properly stored and was not exposed to moisture. But after filling the medicine tank, it is best to click it quickly. The air in this rainy season is relatively humid.

The eight thousand spears will be held by the melee soldiers until they finish firing a shot.

The heroic cavalry in Liaodong have been expanded into cavalry divisions, and they all practice wall-breaking charges. However, this battle is doomed to be useless. The cavalry has to be converted into infantry, and it is impossible to charge on the muddy ground.

Combined, there were nearly 90,000 people on both sides.

Under the drizzle of light rain, they walked slowly in the mud and water.

For the Eight Banners Army, this was a fateful battle. Once defeated, Liaodong would be in danger, so everyone put aside their conflicts and gathered their strength to fight in a bloody battle.

After forming the formation, the two sides did not rush to attack, but let the civilians build a high platform.

Just fill a sack with mud and build it up to two or three meters high. With the help of a telescope, the coach can barely see the whole battlefield clearly.

The Eight Banners Army not only gave up their bows and arrows, but also their chariots, which were too slow in muddy water. Anyway, the firearms of the Datong Army cannot be used, so there is no need to play the carriage.

The cotton armor of both sides was soaked, and the weight increased greatly, making it more difficult to move in the mud.

Dorgon wanted to compete with the Datong Army in willpower, and he believed that the Eight Banners Warriors would definitely win. This was the only chance for victory. The weapons of the Datong Army were too powerful, and the Eight Banners Army could only fight to the death.

The three divisions of firecrackers and the three divisions of dragoons were carefully arrayed at this moment, trying to keep the firecrackers as flat as possible.

Nearly 20,000 flintlock muskets, all loaded and loaded, had only one chance to fire in the rain.

The decisive shot will determine the victory, and the Eight Banners soldiers will be beaten defenseless.

On the Manchu and Qing side, even flintlock muskets were not installed, so it was natural that they would not be equipped with waterproof devices. Because this kind of waterproof device can only be equipped with flintlock guns, and matchlock guns are completely ineffective.

Wu Sangui abandoned his horse and fought on foot, leading his team to advance slowly.

Wu Sangui did not dare to surrender or defect, because the Wu family and his ancestral family were the largest traitor families in Liaodong, and he knew the Datong court's policy towards traitors.

However, Wu Sangui's soldiers were ready to flee at any time.

The Tatars fought tooth and nail with the Datong Army, what the hell do they have to do with the Han Army? Just fight for a show, there is no need to lose your life. Once the main Tatar force collapses, all the Han people who have been integrated into the Eight Banners Army in recent years will probably kneel down and ask for surrender.

Of course, the senior Eight Banners of the Han Army will probably have to really fight hard, because they really regard themselves as the Eight Banners Army.

"Boom!"

A few thunders sounded, and the rain became heavier, no longer a drizzle.

The flags from both sides were sent out, and the center and wings began to advance.

The Datong army walked very slowly, marching in formation in the mud, fearing that their feet would slip and fall. The fire gun soldiers were holding the winning treasure in their hands.