Chapter 3267
Although memorials from Shanhaiguan asking for help from the rear were sent to the capital twice a day, the capital never sent reinforcements to Shanhaiguan. Instead, it ordered the Jizhou Town garrison behind Shanhaiguan to be transferred back to Shuntian Prefecture for defense.
The Ming court's reply to the Shanhaiguan garrison only asked them to defend the defense line at all costs, but did not mention a word about when reinforcements could be sent.
This is not because the Ming court turned a blind eye to the crisis facing the Shanhaiguan defense line. It is because the current situation in the capital is more urgent and it is unable to divide its troops to rescue the border towns. After the Haihan army landed in Tianjin, its troops were directed towards the capital. It's in danger.
If it weren't for the Sixth Division of the Haihan Army coming down from Liaodongnan to attack Shanhaiguan, the Ming court would probably have not hesitated to transfer the border troops here back to Shuntian Prefecture to assist in defense and deal with the main force of the Haihan Army landing at Dagukou.
Chen Yixin observed the Tianjin Acropolis in the distance through the telescope, and at the same time listened to various intelligence reports about the Tianjin Acropolis from the combat staff.
Prior to this, the troops led by Chen Yixin had had several small-scale battles with the Ming army, but it was not until the troops advanced to the Tianjin Acropolis that this was the first tough encounter the Haihan army encountered after landing.
Tianjin is not a city in the traditional sense. Before the Ming Dynasty, it was just a transshipment center for grain and sea salt.
It was not until King Zhu Di of Yan seized power and ascended the throne that he named it Tianjin in the second year of Yongle in order to commemorate his raising troops in this place to "Jingnan", which means "the ferry where the emperor passes".
Then the Ming court established Tianjin Guards and began to build a city here, turning it into a military fortress and defensive gateway for the capital in the direction of the Bohai Bay.
When Haihan and Ming Dynasty signed an armistice agreement a few years ago, Tianjin was also part of the agreement.
According to the agreement at the time, Ming Dynasty needed to open Tianjin to Haihan as one of its trading ports, and allow Haihan to set up commercial institutions there to engage in various trade activities.
In the following years, many Haihan industrial products landed through Tianjin and were then sent to the capital.
It is worth mentioning that the merchants who sell Haihan goods in the capital are not from Haihan. Almost all of them are affiliated with the names of dignitaries and even royal family members.
As for whether Haihan has achieved the transfer of interests to certain special groups through such means and infiltrated the Mingting and Shuntianfu areas, the two countries have a tacit understanding and never touch upon this topic.
Even if he knew that Haihan would take such measures, Ming Ting could only pretend to be deaf and dumb because of the vital interests of all parties involved.
Regardless of the capital city hundreds of miles away, there is indeed no secret to Haihan in the Tianjin Acropolis located in Zhigu.
The city defense deployment plan, troops and equipment, command system, and even the personal situation of the main generals had been sent to Chen Yixin's desk long before the war started.
Chen Yixin personally participated in the planning of several combat plans for attacking Tianjin Acropolis, and also asked his son Chen Pingliao to participate in the pre-war deductions.
There won't be much suspense about taking over Tianjin Acropolis, it's most likely just a matter of going through the process.
Therefore, Chen Yixin decided to hand over the command to his son during the attack on Tianjin Acropolis. In addition to testing his son's commanding ability, he also wanted to take this opportunity to let Chen Pingliao brush up his military exploits.
Chen Pingliao did not live up to his expectations, commanding the formation in an orderly manner, almost a standard textbook operation.
First, use the cavalry to explore the enemy's situation in front of the formation, and select an area two hundred feet away from the target, with easy access and flat terrain, as the next position for setting up artillery.
The infantry was immediately dispatched to complete the occupation of the selected area and cover the artillery troops as they entered the predetermined positions. After the artillery was deployed, the siege began.
First, artillery was used to name the key targets on the head of the Acropolis, destroying all the towers and gun emplacements, and then concentrated artillery bombardment on the relatively weak city gates.
After the artillery has completed its mission, the infantry will attack to the bottom of the city. If there is no fierce resistance, they can climb up the city and occupy the high points of the city wall. If the enemy resists tenaciously, they will retreat to a safe position and the artillery will continue to attack the enemy's defense line.
After repeating this for many times, the enemy's defense line will inevitably collapse, and the Haihan Army will be able to capture the target at a relatively small cost.
However, in actual combat, the Haihan Army did not encounter much trouble. After the first round of offensive, the defenders in Tianjin Guard City flew a red and blue flag on the city top to signal that they were about to surrender.
Yes, that's right. The Tianjin Guards' defenders put up almost no decent resistance and chose to surrender as soon as they fought.
Of course, this is not the deity of the Haihan army coming down to earth, and as soon as he appears, he frightens the Ming army defending the city to the point where they are unable to resist.
The person who really took the lead in this matter was Master Sun Quanming, the commander of the Tianjin Guard, who had been bribed by Haihan before the war.
Although the relationship between Haihan and Ming Dynasty was tense, trade activities were in full swing.
In the past few years, Master Sun has not only collected a large amount of tax money from Tianjin Wei's transit trade, but also contracted the business of Haihan lighters and kerosene lamps imported from Tianjin.
These two small things that can significantly improve the quality of life are also extremely popular in the capital, and almost all families with a decent family will spend money to buy them.
And those royal relatives will purchase in bulk without hesitation, and even pay high prices to customize versions with the family logo.
The amount of money Sun Quanming earned every year from this monopoly business had long exceeded the salary paid by the imperial court by a hundred times.
But he also understands that peace between the two countries is not permanent, and sooner or later they will start fighting again. Once a war breaks out, this financial path will be immediately interrupted, and Tianjin Wei will be the first place to become a battlefield.
Chen Yixin secretly invites Sun Quanming to Dengzhou and Jinzhou for inspection every year. In addition to eating, drinking and having fun, he will also show him Haihan's armed forces. Sun Quanming had a very clear understanding of whether Tianjin Wei's Ming army could fight against the Haihan army.
Therefore, Sun Quanming had made an agreement with Chen Yixin early on that if the two countries went to war again, he would arrange for the Tianjin Guards' defenders to surrender.
In exchange, Haihan will provide necessary shelter for Sun Quanming's family, and quietly arrange for the Sun family to purchase a large amount of land and real estate in the south, which will be enough for Sun Quanming to live a life without worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life.
Whatever the court can give, the Haihan people can give it to them, and whatever the court can't give, the Haihan people are not stingy. Sun Quanming's choice is self-evident.
Sun Quanming knew that many people in the capital were eyeing his lucrative position. For him, he even wished that the two countries would start a war early, lest the imperial court suddenly drop someone one day and kick him out. What would happen to Haihan? But it immediately loses its use value.
Start the war early, surrender early, and enjoy happiness early. This is the way out that Sun Quanming has identified.
(End of chapter)