With Fuzhou and Jinzhou already in hand, and most of the entire southern section of the Liaodong Peninsula in hand, Yang Zhen's trip can be considered a great success.

But Yang Zhen is very clear that as far as the situation of the entire Liaodong Peninsula is concerned, if he cannot capture Lushunkou in one go, then what Yang Zhen has achieved so far is like a castle built on the beach, and it will soon be accompanied by the Manchu Tatars

Zi's ​​army returned from the expedition to western Liaoning and was lost.

As the saying goes, when weaving baskets, the most important thing is to close the mouth. If the mouth of Lushunkou cannot be closed, his trip will be a failure.

Another long night has passed.

In the early morning of the next day, fog filled the Jinzhou Bay area, covering the entire Jinzhou City and even the mountains and coasts of the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in milky white fog.

After daybreak, Yang Zhen ordered Zhang Chen, Shen Zhixiang, and Xu Tianchong to order all the soldiers and horses in the city. Together with all the soldiers and old and weak men under Shen Zhixiang in the city, they gathered 3,000 people. Xu Tianchong led the way and led the way.

Went south.

Behind them, only Li Shouzhong of Yang Zhen's side and a team of musketeers were left in Jinzhou City, accompanying Shen Zhixiang's nephew Shen Yongming to guard the city.

Fortunately, there were no other forces in Jinzhou Bay and Jinzhou City at this time. Yang Zhen was not worried because the empty city behind them, Jinzhou City, was captured by surprise.

It is about 120 miles from Jinzhou City to Lushunkou. During this period, the terrain is ups and downs, the mountains are endless, and the road is not easy to walk.

However, there is an ancient post road connecting the two places. Every few dozen miles on both sides of the post road, there is one or several abandoned piers or fortresses.

These piers, lookouts or fortresses were part of the coastal defense system of the Liaodong Peninsula that the Ming Dynasty spent countless manpower, material and financial resources on.

It is a pity that they were all destroyed during the years of war in the Liaodong region.

After the Manchu Tatars occupied the Liaodong Peninsula, they did not have the material or financial resources to restore them, nor did they have sufficient troops to garrison them, so they were left abandoned there.

The plains, mountains, and valleys are all deserted, and the official and civilian villages that pass by on both sides of the post road are all ruined and desolate.

Yang Zhen followed Xu Tianchong and Shen Zhixiang's troops all the way south, thinking about the future defense of the Liaodong Peninsula.

For him, seizing is only the first step. What's the point if he can't take it?

However, it is not that easy to occupy this place, especially to gain a firm foothold in this place, survive for a long time, or even turn this place into a strategic base for counterattacking Liaodong.

In the short term, for example, within three to five months, he will have to withstand a massive counterattack by the Manchu Tatars.

In the long term, for example within three to five years, he will need to carry out a large number of immigrants to this place.

In the short term, it is possible to use military firearms and the terrain south of Jinzhou surrounded by sea on three sides to defend the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula or the Jinzhou Peninsula area.

After Shen Zhixiang surrendered to himself, the Manchu Tatars would not be able to build a naval fleet in the short term. Without the help of the naval fleet, they would simply rely on the horse infantry to attack from land to capture the south of Jinzhou.

The zone is very difficult.

However, if you want to establish a long-term foothold in this place and truly build it into a strategic base for counterattacking Liaodong, you must colonize and colonize it on a large scale.

When Huanglong was in Lushunkou, the reason why it could not develop and was eventually eliminated was that they always regarded it as a military fortress.

All supplies of grain, grass and ammunition had to be transported across the sea from Dengzhou, which not only made it impossible to station a large number of people in this place, but also caused their every move to be controlled by the Denglai Governor Denglai General Soldier across the sea. They are all a beat or even a few beats slower than the enemy.

Quite contrary to Huanglong's approach to operating Lushunkou, at the end of Wanli and the beginning of the Apocalypse, a general named Shen Yourong established himself in Jinzhou City, Lushunkou and other places to open up wasteland and farmland, achieving self-sufficiency in food and grass. Let this place become a strategic location for the imperial court to manage Liaodong and Korea.

Comparing the two, Yang Zhen knew what to do next.

For him, if he wants to run this place well, he must immigrate as soon as possible after occupying it, reclaim wasteland, and implement farming.

Without a large population, there will not be a large number of soldiers, and at the same time, there will not be a large amount of food production. If you cannot feed enough soldiers, even if you occupy this place, it will be of no use.

Fortunately, by the winter of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, there was already chaos in Shanhaiguan. Shandong, Denglai, Jianghuai and other places across the sea from the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula were experiencing famines one after another, and the people were displaced. In such a special period, if you want to immigrate Realizing the border, or recruiting people to settle the land, is not difficult.

Yang Zhen's army currently has many generals and commanders who were born in Denglai, Shandong, Hejian and other places. When the time comes, sending them back to their hometowns to recruit immigrants will have the effect of gathering hundreds of people who respond to the call.

However, it was said that Yang Zhen and his party set out from Jinzhou City in the morning, walked and rested along the way, and finally arrived at the Sanjianbao area north of Lushunkou in the late afternoon.

Sanjian Fort is about thirty miles away from the north city of Lushunkou. During the Ming Dynasty, it was a node on the post road north of Lushunkou. Up to now, it is still the place where the Manchu Tatars stationed in Lushunkou are located north of Lushunkou. an important military outpost.

When we arrived at Sanjian Fort, the rumbling sound of artillery in the direction of Lushunkou began to be heard faintly.

As soon as Yang Zhen and his entourage appeared in the north of Sanjian Fort, the Mantazi sentry cavalry stationed in Sanjian Fort came up to greet them. When they heard that they were soldiers and horses of Duke Xushun of Jinzhou Fuzhou, they saw that they were Duke Xushun of Jinzhou. Shen Zhixiang personally led his troops to reinforce Lushunkou. Not only did he not encounter any obstruction, but he immediately changed the rear team into the front team and led Yang Zhen and his party to rush towards Lushunkou.

Within thirty miles, they passed several military stations and sentries set up by the Manchu Tatars north of Lushunkou, but wherever they went, they were allowed to pass directly, as if they were waiting for the rain in the face of a severe drought.

In this way, they passed through countless checkpoints along the way, and finally at the turn of the hour, they passed through the ruined North City of Lushun, where the Ming Army's naval camp was located, and arrived at the foot of the current Lushun City. That is outside the south city of Lushun in the Ming Dynasty.

The southern city of Lushun is not big, with a square shape of only three or four miles in diameter, but its city has been renovated and expanded by the Tatars, making it appear tall and majestic.

To the northwest is Xiguan Mountain, the so-called Baiyu Mountain in later generations, to the southeast is Golden Mountain, and to the southwest is Laoties Mountain. It is no exaggeration to say that it is surrounded by mountains.

In this terrain surrounded by mountains, directly south of it is the famous Lushun, and Xiguan Mountain, Laotieshan and Huangjin Mountain are like two arms, surrounding the huge and narrow Lushunkou channel. harbor.

The Manchu Tatar fort on Xiguan Mountain can directly bombard the Lushunkou Channel and the harbors within the waterway, the forts at Laotieshan and Huangjinshan, and can also directly bombard the outer sea trying to approach the Lushunkou Channel.

This place, whether on land or by water, is a terrain that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

When Yang Zhen and the others disguised themselves as Manchu Tatars and White Han soldiers, and followed Shen Zhixiang and Xu Tianchong to the foot of Lushun City, the fort at Xiguan Mountain was aiming at the Lushunkou channel and firing continuously.

And the sound of artillery coming from the direction of Jinjin Mountain also rumbled, one after another.

Yang Zhen listened carefully along the way. He even heard the violent explosion sound of the shell fired by the sky cannon after it landed in the Nancheng area of ​​Lushun.

Perhaps, this is the reason why Duke Jueluofu of the Manchu Tatar clan stationed in Lushun City of Tunqi couldn't wait to order Duke Shen Zhixiang of Xushun to send troops to support Lushunkou.

When Yang Zhen and his entourage arrived at the North Gate of Lushun, there were already people waiting on top of the city. The leading officer had obviously already heard about the arrival of Shen Zhixiang's troops in person.

When the officer saw the armor and flags of the people coming from the north on the city, without saying a word, he asked people to open the city gate from the inside. At the same time, he shouted loudly to the left and right from the top of the city:

"Go quickly and report the good news to the princess of Fuguo. Go and report the good news to the princess of Fuguo. Duke Xushun of Jinzhou City, Shen Zhixiang, is here with his army! Our reinforcements have arrived!"

There are two gates in the north and south of Lushun City. There is a small square urn outside the two gates. After the order from the city head was passed on, the north gate opened quickly, and an unknown noise soon came from the inner city.

of cheers.

However, in response to their cheers, after the north gate of Lushun City opened, Shen Zhixiang, Xu Tianchong, Yang Zhen, Zhang Chen and others rushed in.

Immediately afterwards, the north gate of Lushun City and Wengcheng, which had fewer troops, were the first to be occupied by Yang Zhen and others. Later, the defenders in the city realized that they had made a big mistake and panicked and desperately counterattacked, but it was too late.

Facing the 800 musketeers under Yang Zhen who were equipped with flintlock muskets and a large number of grenades, as well as the well-prepared former Dongjiang Army of Shen Zhixiang and Xu Tianchong, the Manchu Tatars who had been fighting hard to defend the city for two days

, for a moment he was no match at all.

Not long after the north gate of Lushun City fell into the hands of Yang Zhen, the Manchu Tatar auxiliary Duke Tunqi was panicking and opened the south gate that he was holding on to, intending to escape from the city. However, not long after he left the city, he was already surrounded by people at the Golden Mountain, Dragon King Temple, etc.

Qiu Zhenhai, Hu Changhai, and Yan Shengsan collided with each other during the roundabout landing.

The escape of Fuguo Gong from Tunqi also intensified the fall of Lushun City. That night, the Han army of Xianglan Banner, Mele Zhangjing and Tongtulai, who was besieged on Xiguan Mountain, was desperate and had no hope of breaking out.

Lead his troops to surrender.
Chapter completed!