met free Page 2548
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Another cannon shot rang out, as the Ming army built artillery emplacements on the south bank of the Yalu River and bombarded the Jin army's stronghold on Jiangxin Island.
Jin Wuzhu ordered: "Hold all places at all times. Take those warships and fire ships in batches to the mouth of the Ai River at night and hide them all on the islands in the middle of the river behind."
If Ming warships dare to venture deep into enemy territory, then a thousand ships will launch a simultaneous fire attack on them!
Given the narrow and complex waterway at the mouth of the Ai River, if the Ming fleet ventured too deep, it was indeed possible that they would be completely annihilated by fire attacks.
Jin Wuzhu then said to his personal guards, "Take my letter and go to Liaoyang to request three thousand elite troops as reinforcements."
This means the main force of the Ming army is here, and having just harvested the rice, they will most likely cross the river and head north to launch a full-scale attack on the city!
The Jin state also had spies in the Ming Dynasty, but with troops being deployed on various battlefields, they had no idea where the Ming army's main attack direction was.
Or rather, both can be the main focus.
The Ming Dynasty's garrison in Goryeo was relatively "weak" in terms of combat strength, with only a few thousand elite soldiers personally trained by Han Shizhong.
Song Jiang's former subordinates, as well as Song Jiang himself, were all here.
It is relatively weak, but not truly weak.
Li Cheng and Zhao Li were both fierce and ruthless.
The former was a leader of a displaced people, and he was able to eat and sleep with his soldiers;
The latter volunteered to join the army to serve his country. He was a daredevil in battle and was always covered in wounds after each battle.
Because of their lack of seniority and combat record, their troops were assigned to a garrison and were stationed in Goryeo.
Zhao Yuan feared their discontent and worried that the soldiers would harbor resentment.
Therefore, these troops were given extra allowances, and their pay was only slightly lower than that of the field army.
There was also Yelü Yudu, whose subordinates were all Khitans and Xi people.
Having lost their homes and suffered endless exploitation from the Jin dynasty, they were all filled with a fierce determination to fight their way back.
When the Kim national militia encountered these troops, they were simply crushed.
Regardless of how you look at it, the Ming army formation on the south bank of the Yalu River really does resemble the main force of the expedition.
Wuzhu was so frightened that he called for reinforcements and even abandoned large swathes of territory, forcibly relocating the troops and civilians to defend the city.
.......
Chapter 3412 Giving Up and Trying Anything
In the past two years, some of the Jin Dynasty's veteran generals have died of illness.
Wanyan Loushi died of illness earlier this year.
Wanyan Chamu died of illness two years ago.
Their elite troops were inherited by their respective sons.
At this moment, Wanyan Zongfu arrived in Liaoyang to personally oversee the entire Liaodong battlefield.
The leaders of various ethnic groups were also recalled to their hometowns to be responsible for recruiting soldiers for combat.
These powerful leaders used their clan soldiers as the core force and then recruited the people of their hometowns as militia, thus quickly forming an effective fighting force.
Hesuguan City (Gai County).
Gao Biao had gathered more than 6,000 soldiers, but only 2,000 were truly elite.
"Brother, you mustn't hit him," his cousin Gao Hu advised.
Gao Biao roared, "Half of our people have been slaughtered by the Southern bandits. Do you still want to surrender?"
Gao Hu said, "If the Ming army crosses the sea, the Gao family of Chenzhou will be the first to bear the brunt."
"More than half of your tribe has already been slaughtered. Do you want to drag the rest of your tribe to their deaths as well?"
"Qiang!"
Gao Biao drew his sword and pointed it at his cousin, saying, "If you dare to surrender again, I recognize you, brother, but I don't recognize the weapon in your hand!"
"Alas!" Gao Hu sighed and left.
As we mentioned earlier, the Gao clan of Chenzhou was one of the three major Gao clans in the Jin Dynasty.
Hesuguan Road was called Chenzhou during the Liao Dynasty.
A few years ago, Zhao Li, Yelü Yudu, and others crossed the sea.
They captured Hesuguan City and burned it to the ground, then captured Gaojiawu Fort and slaughtered the entire Gao family of Chenzhou.
At that time, Gao Biao, along with some clansmen and villagers, was relocated to Youzhou by Wanyan Zongwang.
Although Gao Biao escaped this calamity perfectly, his parents and son all died at the hands of the Ming army.
Even his wife and daughter were forcibly remarried to Ming soldiers.
His wife and daughters have now given birth to children for the Ming soldiers.
His daughter even lives in Iwami Castle...
How can a man endure the hatred of his family's massacre and the loss of his wife?
When Gao Biao inspected the military camp, he found that the morale of his soldiers was low.
He summoned officers of all ranks, recounted the grievances with the Ming army, and urged them to fight to the death.
However, the officers remained demoralized.
They all participated in the Hebei campaign, and some of them were even left behind as expendable pawns to cover the retreat.
They certainly hated the Ming army, because they all had relatives who had died at the hands of the Ming army.
However, they also hated the Jin nobles, and always sent them to their deaths at crucial moments.
If the Ming army crosses the sea in this great battle, they will likely be at the forefront again.
This city was burned down a few years ago, and Gaojiawu Fort was completely annihilated.
If they were to fight to the death, even if the Jin dynasty won, how many of them would be left?
"The Southern bandits are here!"
Gao Biao turned his head and saw smoke rising from the south.
It seems that the Ming army will attack Fuzhou first this time.
Actually, there is another Ningzhou in between, from Fuzhou to here.
During the chaos at the end of the Liao Dynasty and the beginning of the Jin Dynasty's rule, Ningzhou was almost completely wiped out, and the Jin Dynasty abolished its administrative status, not even managing to retain its county-level administrative region status.
"Quickly light the signal fire to send the message!"
Gao Biao gave the order.
There were beacon towers along the way, with signals extending from the seaside all the way to Liaoyang.
Upon receiving the news, Gao Jingshan immediately ordered the mobilization of troops in Chengzhou.
“Uncle, Liu E might surrender,” Gao Song said.
Gao Jingshan said, "His mother and several brothers are either in Liaoyang or in Beijing."
"If Liu E surrenders, he will truly be a heartless wretch."
"By the way, how did you know he was going to surrender?"
The Liu clan and villagers were relocated to Tangchi by the Jin dynasty.
However, Tangchi was a branch base of the Gao family in Liaoyang, and the fertile land had long been occupied by the Gao family.
Liu E led his people to this place, where they were suppressed by the Gao family, which further strengthened his determination to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.
Takamatsu said, "I came back from Nagamatsu Island and observed the words and deeds of various ethnic groups along the way."
"When passing through Tangchi County, I heard that Gao Zhen sent people to collect grain and deliberately imposed heavy taxes on the people who had moved there from Liu E, which almost drove the Liu clan to riot on the spot."
The Gao family of Liaoyang owned more than 100,000 mu of land in Tangchi County, of which 50,000 mu were bestowed upon them by the emperor of Liao.
Although many lands were completely uncultivable due to a shortage of serfs and tenants.
However, the Gao family preferred to leave it abandoned rather than share it with the Liu family.
Moreover, he evaded taxes in various ways and, in order to collect the full amount of taxes, he ruthlessly exploited the migrants who had moved here in recent years.
The Ming army was about to invade, yet the powerful families of Bohai were still trying to pay less tax.
Jin Dynasty, Shangjing.
Yang Pu lay on his sickbed when Wanyan Zongwei came to see him in disguise.
Yang Pu had his son help him sit up: "With the Fifth Prince here, please forgive this old man for not being able to greet him with proper etiquette."
Wanyan Zongwei sat on the edge of the bed with a smile, took Yang Pu's hand and said, "Brother (Wanyan Zongpan) was being watched, otherwise he would have come to pay his respects to you in person."
"I dare not accept such praise," Yang Pu said.
Wanyan Zongwei didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "The old man's clansmen are in Tangchi, and they may face the Ming army's advance at any time."
"The old gentleman has lost power in the capital again. How can we save the Yang family?"
Yang Pu sighed, "It's all about timing and fate."
"If the Yang family is exterminated, I will have no choice but to go to the underworld and beg my ancestors for forgiveness in person."
“Perhaps there is a way to have the best of both worlds,” Wanyan Zongwei said.
Yang Pu said, "Fifth Prince, please speak freely."
Wanyan Zongwei said triumphantly, "My elder brother has already leaked the Jin army's entire strategy to the Ming Dynasty."
"Most of Zhan Han's elite troops will never return this year."
Yang Pu was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "Your Highness has quite the skill!"
Wanyan Zongwei said, "My elder brother doesn't trust any of the other civil or military officials, so he needs the old gentleman's help."
"After it's done, the old man can kill whichever family he wants, whether they are the powerful Bohai clans or the Jurchen nobles."
Yang Pu was silent for a moment, then said slowly but firmly, "It's a deal!"
Yang Pu was from a prominent Bohai clan in Tangchi County. When Gao Yongchang declared himself emperor, he massacred most of Yang Pu's clansmen.
Enraged, Yang Pu led his surviving clansmen to seek refuge with Wanyan Aguda.
Then, he did a few things.
First, analyze the situation for Aguda and formulate long-term development strategies.
Second, he persuaded Aguda to ascend the throne and further consolidate military power.
Third, he advised Aguda to negotiate peace with the Liao Dynasty, so that he could take the opportunity to obtain a title from the Liao Dynasty and rightfully rule Liaodong.
Fourth, he saw through the Liao Kingdom's diplomatic strategy, allowing Aguda to seize the diplomatic initiative.
Fifth, establish the initial system of the Jin state, define the hierarchy of etiquette, and suggest that Aguda appoint empresses and consorts.
He also held the first grand ceremony to worship Heaven and Earth in the Jin Dynasty, ordering the Jurchen nobles to perform the imperial rites to Aguda.
Sixth, he advised Aguda to ally with the Song Dynasty to attack the Liao Dynasty, and to sell the six prefectures of You and Yan to the Song Dynasty. He also demanded grain from the Song Dynasty, and then emptied the capital of Yanjing of money, grain, and people.
When Aguda was alive, he even led his troops into battle himself, leaving the entire rear to Yang Pu.
This very important figure served as the Privy Councilor of the Jin Dynasty at the beginning of Wuqimai's reign, and was respectfully called "Inner Minister" by the people of the Jin Dynasty.
But he soon lost real power, and even the official history of the Jin Dynasty deliberately ignored Yang Pu.
Yang Pu and his sons were unable to leave the Jin state for the capital.
Although Yang Pu's surviving clansmen had moved back to their hometown, they were bullied by other powerful clans, and even their land and slaves were seized.
He and Wanyan Zongpan were natural allies.
One was the top founding civil official feared by all sides, and the other was the eldest prince suppressed by the Jurchen nobles.
They had nothing left to lose, and were determined to give up entirely.
Yang Pu, who was on the verge of death, seemed to be rejuvenated at this moment, and his cloudy eyes became unusually bright.
He said to Wanyan Zongwei, "Come closer."