It was almost dusk, and the gloomy sky covered it harder. Scattered snowflakes turned into catkins, flying and falling on the ground.

Mangour Taylor held his horse's head and looked at Ningyuan City, which was gradually immersed in the night and the wind and snow for several miles, revealing a somewhat solemn expression.

Unlike his contempt and bold words on the road, he led the vanguard to the city of Ningyuan and experienced the obvious changes between the Ming army and the past as soon as he led the vanguard to the city of Ningyuan.

The snow was still very small at that time. The Ming army set up two infantry formations on Shanhai Avenue. Under the cover of grenadier vehicles and car-mounted Franchise, it launched a tentative attack on the first arrival of Jiannu.

Mangurtai commanded his troops to fight, but found that it was difficult to play his strengths under such terrain and suffered some losses.

The official road was narrow, and Jiannu could not flank and detour, so he could only face head-on. The Ming army's dense spear formation, which was as dense as the woods, prevented the cavalry from attacking. The power of muskets and cannons was better than that of bows and arrows, and Jiannu was beaten back step by step.

Seeing that casualties continued to increase, but could not shake the Ming army's battle formation, Mangurtai chose to retreat temporarily.

The Ming army did not pursue, and withdrew the troops and retreated to the city defense circle. They would no longer be more aware of the return of Manguertai.

Mangurtai thought this was a tentative attack by the Ming army. In order to delay time, he and his troops were not allowed to set up camp before dark.

However, Xiong Tingbi's initiative to fight has a deeper purpose. That is, to warn Jiannu that the Ming army dared to take the initiative and wanted to go further through Ningyuan, and to continue to go deeper, they must be mentally prepared to be cut off from the back.

Although this possibility is not great, it cannot be said that it is not possible. If Jiannu really wants to divide his troops, he must at least leave enough troops to watch Ningyuan, which is also the goal Xiong Tingbi wants to achieve.

And Mangurtai did not dare to camp at the place crossing Shanhai Avenue, although this could cut off Ningyuan's connection with the inner palace.

"Fifth Brother." Degele urged his horse to come, stopped beside Manguertai, and said, "The camp has been set up. Let's rest tonight. When the army of father Khan arrives, then divide the troops to surround Ningyuan."

Manguertai knew that the so-called camp was just a simple arrangement, and it was already dark, so it was very difficult to build a solid defense.

This was not a problem at first, but the Ming army's proactive attack gave him a warning. Therefore, the camp was far away from Ning, so he would also send troops to strengthen his guard.

"The Ming army is different from the past!" Mangguertai raised his whip and pointed at Ningyuan City, which only showed its outline in the vastness in the distance, and said, "Amin's defeat at Lushun Fort is not all a careless person!"

Degele felt relieved, and his brother finally put aside his underestimation of the enemy. This is a good thing!

Manguertai narrowed his eyes and continued, "The firearm is indeed very powerful. But in rainy and snowy days, it will be greatly discounted and even unusable."

Degele agreed: "Fifth brother said it very well. Moreover, if the Ming army wants to fight in the field, they can only rely on the terrain. If we are in an open area today, our army will undoubtedly win."

Mangguertai's face cleared a little and said, "When my father's army arrived, the Ming army could only retreat to the city defense and dare not go out of the city to fight. In my opinion, the artillery we carried was not weaker than the Ming army, and there was a chance of winning in the battle of the city."

Degele said: "Fifth brother, let's go back to the camp to rest first! I'll be on duty tonight, so the Ming army will definitely have no chance to take advantage of."

Manguertai smiled and said, "I will come to you for the rest of the night. No matter how much I say I am your fifth brother, you can still suffer alone."

After saying that, before Degele was fighting again, Mangour Taylor turned his horse and shouted to Degele to rush back to the camp together.

…………………………………………………………

Even if it did not snow harder and heavier, Xiong Tingbi did not want to fight Jiannu in a field. Although he might not be defeated, this is not the safest way to ensure Ningyuan.

From the Great Retreat of Guangning, the emperor's meaning was very clear. Invincible means victory. He used the city to strengthen the city and deep trenches to stop the momentum of Jiannu, and used the siege and blockade to consume Jiannu's strength.

In fact, from the strategic situation of giving up Guangning, guarding Ningyuan and guarding Shanhaiguan should have similar effects.

Neither of these two places has been able to move forward, which has affected the alliance and control of the Mongolian tribes; secondly, even if Ningyuan is abandoned, like Guangning and Jinzhou, Jiannu will not occupy it, and he will not dare to close the door.

Therefore, the political significance of defending Ningyuan is greater than the military significance, mainly to provide barriers to Shanhaiguan, to show the presence of the Ming army in western Liaoning to the government and to ensure the stability of the shutdown without police.

If only Shanhaiguan is left, people will inevitably be filled with their hearts. Without a stable social environment, how could Zhu Youxiao carry out the great cause of reform?

Although Zhu Youchao invested a lot in military construction, his main focus was on internal efforts and revitalizing state affairs that promoted profits and eliminated disadvantages.

Xiong Tingbi naturally knew that the emperor needed a relatively stable environment to continuously advance and deepen reforms. Therefore, Ning Yuan and Juehua must not be misleading.

It would be better if Jiannu came to get tired of his head and blood. It would be better if he retreated when he saw the difficulties. Xiong Tingbi was not prepared to take too positive actions. If he had no mistake, he would have made merit, which was repeatedly emphasized by the emperor in his secret memorials.

Standing at the top of the city, looking at the lights of fire in the distance with a telescope, Xiong Tingbi's face was expressionless. But the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, with a faint sneer.

It’s really not easy for Jiannu in the middle of winter.

I have to bring my own food, run a hundred or two hundred miles, and sleep in the snow and ice. I never thought it would be a loss-making business, right?

Knowing yourself and your enemy, Jiannu did this well in combat before. However, after Guangning abandoned the defenders and the Liao people moved, their information and intelligence were almost cut off, and their defenses against Ningyuan were almost completely disgraced.

The snow fell a little harder and the vision was confused. Xiong Tingbi put down his telescope and stood in the covered fortress. When he looked up, he saw the heavy and mighty red cannon, which made people feel a little more confident.

Zu Dashou and Jin Guofeng were snatching the battlements not far away, pointing and talking in a low voice.

"After consuming Jiannu outside the city, they were sent to the city and gave a heavier blow."

"It's also a solution. Let Jiannu taste some sweetness first and feel that there is hope of breaking the city, so that he will invest more troops and work harder."

"We are not afraid of climbing the city ladder. If you want to dig the city wall, you will throw the sky thunder and blow him up... Damn, what tricks do you think Jiannu has?"

"Jiannu brought cannons, so he couldn't underestimate the enemy too much."

Xiong Tingbi listened to the discussion and smiled faintly. There was no need to take any effort. No matter how hard he fought, it would defeat Jiannu's attempt to siege the city, but it was just a few kills.

Ning Yuan did not rely solely on the red cannons, but also on the walls similar to the castle, a large number of grenadiers, sky thunder, and musket shooting without dead corners on the city.

Therefore, whether it is the chest wall trenches outside the city or attracting Jiannu to the city, Ningyuan is as solid as a sacred and unbreakable.

But Jiannu was completely kept in the dark and came excitedly, with the hope of breaking the city and winning. He would not have expected that this would be a more severe failure than attacking Guangning.

He rushed along the city wall to send the message soldiers and came close to him to report: "Sir Jingliu, General He from Juehua Island sent someone to report. All defenses have been arranged and the coast has not frozen on a large scale. Please rest assured."

Xiong Tingbi nodded and reached out to take the letter. It can be said that he was completely relieved. Ning Yuan was strong and difficult to break, and Juehua had no problem. This battle was already a sure victory.

…………………………………

At noon on the second day of the Lunar New Year, it was the day when the emperor had to rest and relax after finishing the complicated affairs of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Nurhaci led the main force to Ningyuan, only one day later than the vanguard troops.

After the army was strong, Nurhaci immediately adjusted his arrangements, crossed the Shanhai Avenue three miles away from the city, and set up a large camp in the north of the city.

After making the arrangements, Nurhaci led his generals to observe Ningyuan City Defense and looked for weakness in launching the attack.

The sky was clear, and the city under Ningyuan was covered with snow-white white. But when you looked closely, you knew that it was mostly covered with roofs. Between the deep ditches and high towers, Ming soldiers were waiting for the battle.

Looking at the city from afar, the banner of the strategy fluttered in the wind. The once familiar feeling surged into Nurhaci's heart again.

Just a year ago, it was almost this time that the disastrous defeat at Guangning City was still vivid in my mind. It was his first failure since the rebellion of the Ming Dynasty. How could it not be unforgettable?

Now, Ningyuan City's defense system looks even tighter than Guangning, and it has severely damaged Amin's troops in Lushun Fort. Despite carrying a large number of artillery, Nurhaci still dared not take it lightly.

"Father Khan." Mangguertai raised his whip and said, "Ningyuan City Wall is built strangely, as if it is-"

Nurhaci narrowed his eyes and said, "Guangning City has similar arrangements, but Ningyuan has been built more formally and firmly."

After pausing, the old slave said again: "When defending Guangning, the Ming army could only defend with a strong city. Now that we dare to deploy troops outside the city, we should rely on the power of firearms to compete with our army."

After saying that, Nurhaci turned his head to look at Tong Yangxing and asked, "If you want to break the defense of the enemy's deep ditch barriers, can artillery help fight?"

Tong Yangxing looked bitter and immediately bowed and replied, "King Khan, artillery can bombard the city, but it cannot cause much damage to the enemies in the trench."

Nurhaci thought about it and understood the truth. He did not blame Tong Yangxing, but instead gently expressed his approval.

The shells are solid projectiles, and the trajectory they fire is similar to that of bows and arrows. The chest wall of the trench can protect the Ming army from the killing of bows and arrows, and the same is true for the shells.

During this attack on Ningyuan, Nurhaci not only brought the newly formed artillery troops, but also carried a lot of chariots and hook ladders to save time and attack the city as soon as possible.

Nurhaci also knew in his heart that the cross-fire power was to kill the troops approaching the siege. At the same time, it also reduced the blind spots of fire attacks.

But Ningyuan City was renovated, but not rebuilt. Its original shape was square, so there was no way to change it.

Therefore, Nurhaci and his men reconnaissanced around the city, and finally discovered one of the weaknesses, that is, the corner of the city.

Indeed, from the perspective of the attacker, the fire shooting density that the attack will suffer is much less than the attack on the front wall.

However, Nurhaci also knew that the corner wall was very thick, and it was quite difficult to dig through it.

Temporarily put aside the idea of ​​attacking the corner of the fort, Nurhaci decided to first break through the Ming army's defensive positions outside the city, force the Ming army to retreat into the city, and then the artillery approached and bombarded the city wall.

On the top of the city, Xiong Tingbi and several generals were also observing Nurhaci and others. They had telescopes in their hands, which were much clearer than the naked eye.

"It's an old slave." Zu Dashou shouted: "Blow him with a cannon."

Artillery officer Luo Li noticed Xiong Tingbi, waiting for him to give orders, and his expression was a little eager to try.

Xiong Tingbi pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "Jiannu was moving, bombarding in haste, which is difficult to ensure accuracy, and it also exposed the reality of our army."

The corners of his mouth were raised, and the old bear showed a few sneers, reached out and said, "Luo Li, is Jiannu's camp within the range of the cannon?"

Luo Li nodded without even looking at it, "Sir, wise, Jiannu is looking for death."

Xiong Tingbi narrowed his eyes and issued a strong order, "Call up a few more cannons and bombard the enemy camp at night."

"I'll make arrangements for this." Luo Li bowed to take the order and added a few words, "The old slave's camp is the first goal, it depends on whether his life is hard."

The Red Barbarian Cannon at the top of Ningyuan City is about a thousand kilogram level, with a range of three or four miles, and has the advantage of being condescending. It is indeed not difficult to bombard the Later Jin army camp three miles away.

If it is more than 2,000 kilograms, the range should be five or six miles. As for the data in the books at that time, ten or twenty miles could not reach it at all.

As for the artillery brought by Nurhaci, the most powerful general artillery has an effective range of only about 500 meters and a maximum range of no more than two miles.

It was because the old slave did not know that there were more powerful red cannons on the Ningyuan city that he laid the camp within the range of the cannon.

This is not surprising. During the Ningjin War in history, Huang Taiji set up his camp to about one mile from Jinzhou City! Later, he was bombarded by artillery and retreated five miles away.

Therefore, intelligence is so important in war. If you cannot master accurate information, you can only learn from your flesh and blood and life.

When it was late at night, when Jiannu was sleeping soundly, a sudden thunder roared, and shells flew in the air, destroying tents in the bounce, killing people...

Imagine this feeling, it's really good! Jiannu, who was bombarded, had to move to camp overnight, so he couldn't sleep well.

The generals smiled at Xiong Tingbi's idea of ​​bombarding the enemy camp at night, imagining the chaotic and embarrassing scene of Jiannu. Even if they could not defeat any big boss, it would be pleasant to bother Jiannu.

It is snowy and snowy, even Jiannu, who is used to the bitter and cold, camping in the wild is not so easy. They also have to wear leather jackets, roast fire, and they will be frozen and tired.

Setting up camp is not easy. The simplest protective and resistance facilities are: nailing piles and tents, adjusting and arranging officers and soldiers, etc. Thousands of troops will not be handled well in a few hours.

In other words, if you are bombarded tonight and want to move to camp, you will not have to sleep well for almost the whole night.
Chapter completed!