The Battle of Salhu was a watershed between Daming and Houjin, after which the Ming army was no longer able to launch a large-scale strategic counteroffensive, and Houjin gradually developed and grew, becoming Daming's most feared enemy.
In this battle, in addition to the main force of Daming, there were two foreign reinforcements, one of which was the Jurchen Yehe troops, and the other part was the Korean reinforcements.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" north Korea was forced to send troops ></h1>
North Korea, as a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, is of course inappropriate not to send troops, but North Korea also borders Houjin, and once it offends Houjin, North Korea will also face disaster.
After careful consideration, king Guang Haijun of Korea decided to send troops, after all, when Japan invaded Korea, the Ming army helped a lot, and if there was no reinforcement from the Ming Dynasty, Korea would have been destroyed long ago.
Immediately, Guang Haijun summoned Jiang Hongli, the left counselor of the Capital Marshal Government, and ordered his command of 13,000 troops to fight. As a high-ranking official, Jiang Hongli also knows very well that this errand is the most difficult to handle, even if all aspects are in place, there is no merit, but once something goes wrong, not only will he be killed on the spot, but he may also become a sinner in North Korea for eternity.
Jiang Hongli
Jiang Hong immediately resigned and said to the king: "Talent is not arrested, there is no help, there is no old age, the age is only fifty, the teeth are changing, the number of serious illnesses, and the number of dead is numbered." ”
First of all, Jiang Hongli questioned his ability and physical condition, and then said that he had mental and mental problems: "Mental prostration, fainting, like in the smoke, dazed in the face of things, lost after going, although ordinary ministry, still suffering from unconsciousness." ”
Jiang Hongli said that he was an elderly dementia patient, if Jiang Hongli was really a fool, how did he climb to such a high position. Obviously, Jiang Hongli was afraid to send troops, and these words were all pretexts.
Guang Haijun did not give Jiang Hongli any excuses, and immediately ordered: "State affairs are in crisis, do not resign and adjust, go down quickly, and command the three armies." "That means that you have to go if you go, and you have to go if you don't go, so jiang Hongli has become the commander of the three armed forces, and the boss is unwilling to go to the front."
Of course, Guang Haijun also explained the main purpose of this dispatch, that is, "do not follow the words of the heavenly generals, but only rely on self-reliance in an invincible position." ”
The purpose of the North Korean troops was to assist, or to wave the flag and shout, in short, the orders of the Ming generals should be perfunctory, and they must preserve their own strength. Jiang Hongli had a black line, but he had no choice.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="71" > Liu Ling and Jiang Hongli, wide-eyed and small-eyed</h1>
The Korean troops were assigned to liu ling of the Eastern Route Army, a general in the Ming army, holding a large knife of 120 kilograms, which could rotate like a fly on a horse, and was also known as "Liu Dadao", Liu Ling had participated in the Battle of Bozhou and the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and Aid Korea, and had made great achievements in battle.
The total strength of the Ming army was about 200,000, and Liu Ling's army had 40,000 troops, but in fact, Liu Ling's troops were not many, and he was not only the smallest of the 4-way army, but also the poorest equipped.
The main combat strength of Liu Ling's army was the thousands of Shu soldiers he brought, and most of the other Ming troops were vulnerable, in addition to the 13,000 Korean soldiers.
Jiang Hongli reached the front line and was also extremely shocked to see Liu Ling's troop deployment, so he immediately found Liu Ling and asked euphemistically:
"However, the soldiers on the East Road are very lonely, so why doesn't the old man ask for soldiers?"
The old man here is liu ling, Jiang Hongli led the army to come, the positioning of its troops is to fight soy sauce, if the strength of the Ming army is insufficient, should they let the Korean army be the main force? Isn't that a joke? Therefore, Jiang Hongli suggested that Liu Ling find the imperial court to ask for soldiers.
Liu Ling also had a word of suffering, and he replied: "Yang Ye and Li Zi are not good friends, and they must be killed." He was also favored by the state and promised to die, while the second son did not eat Lu when he was alive, so he stayed in Kuan Dian. ”
It turned out that Liu Ling and the commander Yang Hao had a vendetta, and we did not know the specific reasons, but before the battle, Yang Hao put on small shoes for Liu Ling, and the relationship between the generals and commanders was not harmonious, can this battle still be won.
Liu Ling commanded the army for many years, and naturally knew the situation of the Ming army, it was a cold winter, and the army's grain and grass had not been replenished, and it was not suitable for war, but the imperial court had no money, and it was pressing step by step, so the Ming army could only rush to the battle.
Historical records record that "soldiers are victorious only in the time of heaven, the land, and the people's hearts." The weather is still cold, it can not be said that the weather is also the time, the road is muddy, it can not be said that the location is also advantageous, and it is not the main handle, why not? ”
Here in Liu Ling, the soldiers were shivering with cold, the roads were muddy and difficult to pass, at the same time, although Liu Ling was the commander of the road, he could not get real power, the time and place were favorable, and the Ming army did not stand a foothold.
After Jiang Hongli saw the essence of the matter, he also collapsed, and he was going to come over to play soy sauce, but he became the main force, how is this good. Jiang Hongli and Liu Ling stared wide-eyed and small-eyed, chatting for half a day, and half of the problem was not solved, but they were even more depressed.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="72" > the Ming army was defeated and the Korean army surrendered</h1>
Although Liu Ling was also depressed, he also knew that it was definitely impossible not to fight, only to fight to the death, or to have a glimmer of life. Liu Ling is a general of the Ming Army, he can not escape, and Jiang Hongli is a Korean general, after all, it is not a system, on the battlefield, Jiang Hongli has been trying to "drag his legs".
Jiang Hongli slowed down the speed of the march on the grounds that the grain and grass had not arrived, and qiao Yiqi, the supervising army, saw the North Korean army dragging its feet and blurted out scolding, and Jiang Hongli had no choice but to speed up and catch up with the Ming army in front.
In fact, the Food and Grass of the Korean Army was still enough, and it was the Ming Army that had no food to eat at that time. Before the start of the war, the Ming army was obviously ill-prepared, not only had no food, no pay, insufficient troops, and morale was even more chaotic.
From the Korean point of view, this battle is impossible to win, and the Ming army is facing 60,000 elite cavalry of the Houjin. The reason why Nurhaci dared to play various blows was not due to the strong combat strength of the Houjin Army, the main reason was that the Ming Army was too chaotic.
Soon after, Liu Ling encountered the main force of the Houjin army and fell into a bitter battle, even if Xiao Yong was as brave as Liu Dadao, he also died on the battlefield.
The Ming army was defeated, could the Korean army retreat? Marching to fight, the most important thing is not equipment, nor numbers, but morale, the Korean army is fighting away, and the purpose is unknown, and there is no belief in fighting to the death, so in the face of the Houjin army, it is basically a touch of collapse.
Historical records record that "this is not my wish." In the past, when I was invaded by the Uighurs, according to my city, I was robbed of my territory, and when I was in trouble, Lai Ming helped me and was retired from the Uighurs, and now I am transferred here for the sake of repaying my virtue. Touch me, I'm damn attached. ”
In the face of the tiger-eyed Houjin cavalry, the North Korean army immediately raised the white flag and said with great force that we did not come voluntarily, we were forced to come, from beginning to end, the North Korean troops did not play any role at all, and this soy sauce is really not easy to fight.
The 200,000 Ming army, in just 5 days, was defeated, except for Li Rubai's troops, the other Ming armies were almost completely destroyed. Freezing three feet is not a cold day, and the weak state of the Ming army also indicates that the Ming Dynasty is about to end.
Author: Guest Author Nine Fish Pavilion
Reference: The Diary of Guang Haijun