GBP Chapter 559 Siege and Persuasion to Surrender
Chapter 559 Siege and Persuasion to Surrender
When Liu Ye received the report that the Tartars had entered Qingzhou, Abatai was attacking the fortress. By the time the Qionghai fleet had passed the Pearl River estuary, the Zhenglan Banner army had already begun the siege of the fortress.
In typical siege warfare, the defending side is anxious, while the attacking side remains calm and collected. Being besieged within a city for an extended period easily leads to running out of ammunition and supplies, leaving them with no choice but to hold their ground and await reinforcements. The lack of food and reinforcements is an ordeal for the defending troops, even bringing despair. A recent example of this type of siege warfare is the Battle of Dalinghe in the fourth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.
In this battle, Huang Taiji personally led an army of 50,000, digging four trenches around the city and building a wall over ten feet high, effectively encircling the Daling River like an iron barrel. The city's food supplies were insufficient, running out in three or four days. The soldiers were terrified, and several attempts by the defenders to break out were repelled. Huang Taiji even had men impersonate Ming troops to stage a fake reinforcement, luring Zu Dashou into a pincer attack. The defenders suffered heavy casualties, so much so that when the 40,000-strong reinforcement led by the supervising official Zhang Chun arrived a month later, Zu Dashou couldn't distinguish the real from the fake, dared not leave the city, and remained inactive, watching the reinforcements be routed. The battle lasted four months; the city had eaten everything imaginable, from the most desirable to the least desirable, leaving only cannibalism remaining. Finally, under Huang Taiji's combined pressure and persuasion, the starving Zu Dashou was forced to surrender. This battle is a classic example of a siege and reinforcement tactic in Ming and Qing history.
Abatai's decision to besiege the city was partly influenced by the Battle of Dalinghe. On the second day after the siege began, he even imitated Huang Taiji's actions, ordering the digging of trenches around the fortress to prevent the defenders inside from breaking out.
The defending generals, whom he had expected to be on the verge of collapse, were now leisurely watching the Later Jin army dig trenches from the city walls. Liang Xiaoming commented, "Perfect timing, I also need to dig a moat. The Tartars' actions have saved me a lot of effort."
Su laughed and said, "I wonder what the Tartars would think if they saw the granaries inside the fortress overflowing with grain?"
Liang Xiaoming made a shushing gesture and said exaggeratedly, "Don't let the Tartars know, otherwise they'll lose heart and stop digging the trench halfway through. Where will we find free labor then?"
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Liang Xiaoming suddenly thought of the Mongols and asked, "What do you plan to do with those Mongol prisoners?"
Su Hongtu frowned and said, “I don’t know either. In the past, we could send captured bandits to Lingao to replenish our losses, but the Mongols can’t do anything except ride horses and herd livestock! They can’t farm, they can’t drill or march in formation, they’re no good at land reclamation, and they’re no good as infantrymen, so they’re really a bit of a liability. Moreover, they have long followed the Tartars in raiding and plundering our Han people, and their bandit nature is hard to change. If they were really incorporated into the infantry battalion, I would worry that they would corrupt the Han soldiers. If it weren’t for the fact that our Qionghai Army has never had the habit of killing prisoners, we would have already beheaded them to avoid wasting food.”
Liang Xiaoming thought for a moment, then said carefully, "The Mongols are better horsemen than the Tartars, so using them as infantry would be a waste. Although they have a roguish air about them, they are still different from the Tartars—the Tartars are butchers who covet the Central Plains, while they are just opportunists, a bunch of aimless bandits. I have a suggestion: you can tame them and train them into scouts like Ma Wei—you call them scouts or night watchmen, right?" The last sentence was addressed to Ma Wei, who was standing next to him.
Ma Wei nodded and replied, "We are all called Night Scouts, responsible for spying on the enemy and capturing prisoners. General, this is a good idea. Although the Mongols are not as brave and ferocious as the Tartars, their horsemanship and archery skills are first-rate. It may be a bit difficult for them to go deep behind enemy lines to capture prisoners, but they are very good at gathering information. It's just that they are used to being wild on the grasslands, so it will not be easy to subdue them."
"Since you say so, I'll give it a try," Su Hongtu agreed.
Liang Xiaoming then asked, "Those soldiers you plan to detain for a few days are the ones who refused to fire their guns during the siege because they had relatives among the civilians who were forced to act as cannon fodder."
The mere mention of these people infuriated Su Hongtu. He shouted, "I recruited them into the army, fed and clothed them well, and even paid them wages, which were equivalent to the wages of servants elsewhere. But when it came time to go into battle, they deserted and almost let the Tartars breach the castle! They were only given a few lashes and locked up for a few days. That's too lenient. They should have been locked up for ten days or half a month."
Liang Xiaoming advised, "After all, they are just a group of new recruits who have only been trained for a few months. They can't be compared to veterans like you who have a solid political background. Don't have too high expectations. Just punish them and let them know they made a mistake.
Su Hongtu snorted: "They can't compare to the veterans from our background, and they can't even compare to the starving people who migrated from the area. At least those starving people have a sense of gratitude and never dare to disobey orders. It seems that recruiting soldiers shouldn't be too easy for them. Giving them generous pay right away will only create a bunch of pampered soldiers. They need to suffer first. If you ask me, in the future, we should recruit new soldiers directly from the refugees. Only those who have suffered will cherish what the army gives them."
On the third day of the siege, Abatai became impatient and sent someone to persuade Zu Dashou to surrender. Back then, Huang Taiji had persuaded Zu Dashou to surrender time and time again, and finally convinced him to leave the city and surrender. Although Zu Dashou later went back on his word, feigned surrender and then ran back to Liaodong, from the perspective of the Battle of Dalinghe, the outcome of the war was perfect.
The one who shouted was a Niru Zhangjing. He came to the city with more than a dozen men and shouted loudly: "Listen up, people on the city wall! Abatai, the Beile of Raoyu of the Great Jin, has ordered: If you are willing to surrender and hand over your firearms to the Great Jin, your crimes of killing my Great Jin warriors will be wiped clean, and everyone will be rewarded. If you return to Liaodong with us, you will be granted official positions."
Ma Wei suddenly realized: "So it was Abatai of the Plain Blue Banner. I was wondering why there were so many Tartars."
Liang Xiaoming asked, "This name Abatai sounds familiar. Who exactly is he? Does he hold a high position among the Tartars?"
Ma Wei explained, "It's hard to say. In terms of bloodline, he is the son of the old slave, and a brother of Huang Taiji; in terms of rank and official position, he is only a Beile, while most of his other brothers are Princes or Princes of the First Rank. If you say he has a high status, his rank is somewhat low; if you say he has a low status, he can still lead an army on his own..."
Su Hongtu waved his hand impatiently: "Who cares if they're a prince or a duke? Only someone with a brain kicked by a donkey would surrender!" He shouted down to the city walls, "Go tell your master, if you have the guts, then attack us openly and honestly. You want us to surrender? Dream on!"
Enraged, the Niru Zhangjing pointed at him with his riding whip and shouted, "You ungrateful wretch! The day you run out of ammunition and food will be the day our army breaches the city. Even if you kneel down and beg for mercy, the Prince will not spare your life. Just wait and see!"
After saying that, he turned his horse around.