In 1629, Emperor Taiji marched from Guanwai to the Central Plains, crossed Jizhou, and made a long-distance attack on Beijing.
Yuan Chonghuan's failure to intercept Huang Taiji's three attempts brought the situation in Beijing to the most urgent juncture. Huang Taiji's Eight Banners army had surrounded the city of Beijing for the first time, and what was even more dangerous was that Huang Taiji had left Yuan Chonghuan far behind. At this time, only the young Chongzhen Emperor personally commanded the city of Beijing to resist the attack of the Eight Banner Army.
From 1449 (the fourteenth year of Ming Orthodoxy) to 1629 (the second year of Chongzhen), the city of Beijing has gone through 180 years in between, Beijing has not fought a war, and the people of Beijing have not gone through war, a peaceful scene. In this case, the Later Jin army suddenly attacked Beijing. The military and civilians at all levels of the imperial court were terrified, so they urgently deployed their defenses.
Let's take a look at this arming from three points.
The first is how did the Chongzhen Emperor arrange it?
The Chongzhen Emperor was confused. This year Chongzhen was 19 years old, Huang Taiji was 38 years old, and Yuan Chonghuan was 46 years old. A 19-year-old young emperor, without going through a war, suddenly encountered the emperor Taiji's army attacking Beijing, and the Chongzhen Emperor was confused.
First, he used Sun Chengzong, who was nearly seventy years old and had retired at home, as commander to take charge of the defense of the Gyeonggi region. This practice was blocked by some people, but the Chongzhen Emperor decided to use Sun Chengzong. Sun Chengzong said in the past that the Guanningjin Defense Line was mainly arranged by Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan. This time Sun Chengzong was used, and Sun Chengzong rushed to Beijing from his hometown of Gaoyang, present-day Gaoyang, Hebei.
One day and one night, three changes, first appointed Sun Chengzong, saying that you are responsible for the defense of this area of Tongzhou. Because Huang Taiji came from Tongzhou. Just after saying that, he told Sun Chengzong that you should not go to Tongzhou, and that you were responsible for the defense of the capital. An old gentleman who was nearly seventy years old, after receiving this order, it was already night, and he boarded the inner city of Beijing to make an inspection, until dawn, and then inspected the outer city. Study the deployment of the defense of the capital. Just after the inspection, Chongzhen changed the order again, and you also went to Tongzhou District to defend the Beijing Division to the death. He hurried to Tongzhou, to Tongzhou, and the gates of Tongzhou were closed and forbidden to enter, and the tangtang university scholars, the soldier Shangshu, who was in charge of the entire commander-in-chief of this war, would not be allowed to enter.
Sun Chengzong took 27 people, rode to Tongzhou, there were three less in the middle, whether they died or ran away, only 24 people went to Tongzhou, such a commander, Tongzhou did not let the door, at this time the Emperor Taiji's forces had reached the outskirts of Beijing, Sun Chengzong persuaded them, only to open the door, let Sun Chengzong enter the city of Tongzhou.
Second, deploy urban defense. The Chongzhen Emperor ordered that the provinces, who were officials in Beijing, pay their own money, donate money to buy guns, take their own families to the inner city, and patrol and guard the city walls. Let the imperial relatives and state relatives, those meritorious generals, personally take their families and family members to the imperial city to patrol and defend the city. The defense of the city of Beijing has reached this point.
The third was to send eunuchs, eunuchs of the imperial palace, to the city walls to patrol and defend the city. These people will fight?
Fourth, there was a man named Jin Sheng, an official of the Hanlin Academy, who recommended a person to the Chongzhen Emperor, this person named Shen Fu, a wandering monk, said that this person had the ability to build chariots. The Chongzhen Emperor was very pleased. He was rewarded with a deputy commander-in-chief and asked him to build a chariot and make a chariot for Chongzhen to see, saying how good this function was and how to kill the enemy. The city of Beijing is already surrounded by enemy soldiers, how can you build this chariot in time?
There is something even more interesting, this Shen Fu he wants to recruit soldiers and buy horses, who to recruit? Many beggars in Beijing, recruited beggars to give him some silver, came to be soldiers, beggars, called Hanako, hulls, organized such a group of people, a team, to defend the city of Beijing. As a result, this Shen Fu and this group of troops called Hanako collapsed with the Eight Banners army of Emperor Taiji at a touch, and the entire battalion was destroyed.
There is also the transfer of soldiers from various provinces to Beijing to protect Beijing.
The Chongzhen Emperor messed up the square inches, you get a wandering monk, a monk, recruit beggars, hooligans, and organize an army to fight with the Eight Banners army of the Emperor Taiji, it is simply a big joke.
The second is how Sun Chengzong arranged it?
Sun Chengzong toured the city all night. After Sun Chengzong accepted the order of the Chongzhen Emperor, he was very responsible and experienced, and the old man who was nearly seventy years old, at night, everyone paid attention, this time was the middle of November of the lunar calendar, the weather was very cold, and he personally climbed the city wall to inspect and inspect. After the inspection, the dawn is over, and there is no rest, and then check the outer city. Sun Chengzong made some deployment and deployment.
How did the third Yuan Chonghuan arrange it?
Yuan Chonghuan guarded the Ningjin Defense Line. Huang Taiji wants to take a detour to raid Beijing, what should Yuan Chonghuan do? Yuan Chonghuan also has three options to choose from.
First, Wei Wei saved Zhao. The siege of Wei to save Zhao is an allusion, saying that during the Warring States period, the State of Wei attacked the capital of the State of Zhao, Handan, and the State of Zhao was in a critical condition, and asked the State of Qi for help, and the King of Qi sent Tian Ji and Sun Zhen to lead an army to rescue. Considering that the Wei army commanded by Pang Juan was strong and powerful, Sun Bin adopted a method called "encircling Wei and saving Zhao". He led an army to attack the capital of the Wei state, Daliang, and now Kaifeng, pang Juan, after receiving this news, felt that his capital was in danger, so he led his army back to defend his capital. On the way, Sun Bin set up an ambush at Guiling, Pang Juan ambushed, the whole army was defeated, and Pang Juan was also captured. This allusion is "encircling Wei and saving Zhao". Then Yuan Chonghuan in this situation, the first plan choice is to encircle Wei to save Zhao, when Huang Taiji hit Beijing, I Yuan Chonghuan led the army to fight your capital Shenyang, Huang Taiji was scared, anxious, he hurried back to save Shenyang, Beijing will not break the siege, this is the first, Wei wei to save Zhao.
Second, wait-and-see means to wait and see and wait for the opportunity. The second plan that Yuan Chonghuan could consider was for The Emperor Taiji to fight Beijing, and my army went to the Jingdong area to wait and see, and if it could fight, it could be defended, it could advance, and it could retreat. It can be regarded as a relatively complete strategy.
Third, lead the army to serve the king. It was the Emperor Taiji army that attacked Beijing, Yuan Chonghuan personally led the army, day and night, soldiers did not pass on meals, horses were no longer bad, and they went to Beijing regardless of their bodies to defend Beijing and qin wang.
This is the third option. Based on his experience, courage, strategy and character, Yuan Chonghuan chose the third plan, that is, to enter the army thousands of miles and lead the army to defend Beijing.
Yuan Chonghuan did not succeed in three interceptions. One cut of Zunhua, and he tried to intercept houjin army in Zunhua, but he failed. The second cut off Jizhou, trying to intercept the Houjin army in Jizhou, failed. The three interceptions of Tongzhou tried to intercept Tongzhou by the Houjin army, but they failed again. The Emperor Taiji army marched toward Beijing, and Yuan Chonghuan arrived in Beijing the day before Emperor Taiji. The army of the Emperor Taiji of Beijing had arrived, and Yuan Chonghuan and other troops had also arrived in Beijing.