Chapter 58
【In four years, Sun Chengzong recovered nine large cities and forty-five forts, trained 110,000 troops, expanded 400 miles of land, opened 5,000 hectares of farmland, and had an annual income of 150,000. He had outstanding military exploits.】
【What's even more rare is that Sun Chengzong relied on Shanhaiguan and Jinzhou, Ningyuan and other strong cities to create an iron-clad defense line, the Guanning Defense Line】
【This line of defense firmly blocked the only way for the Jin army to enter the pass. What is even more rare is that the Guanning line of defense was so impregnable that even when the Ming Dynasty perished, the Guanning line of defense had not been completely broken. This is the greatness of Sun Chengzong】
【Yuan Chonghuan is a very important part of this defense line. He was appointed by Sun Chengzong as Ningyuan Guards General】
【After Sun Chengzong arrived at Shanhaiguan, he discovered Yuan Chonghuan's extraordinary qualities. The two had very similar experiences. They were both Jinshi scholars and both were very interested in war.】
【In order to observe the war at close range, Sun Chengzong even went to Datong in person, where he was at the forefront of the Mongol Tatar invasion. Here he witnessed the cruelty of war, and from observing war to learning war, he finally mastered war.】
【This is also the reason why Sun Chengzong knows soldiers so well】
【But Sun Chengzong was old after all. He regarded Yuan Chonghuan as his successor. He taught Yuan Chonghuan how to fight, how to train troops, how to set up camp, and how to march.】
【As long as Sun Chengzong could think of it, he taught Yuan Chonghuan without reservation, hoping that this young man could inherit his beliefs and protect Liaodong in the future.】
【Under the guidance of Sun Chengzong, Yuan Chonghuan grew up very quickly. Not only did he build Ningyuan into an indestructible city, he also trained a very powerful cavalry, the Liaodong Iron Cavalry. This was the only Ming army that could follow the Jin Jurchen cavalry. cavalry fighting in the field】
【During the four years that Sun Chengzong was in power, the Ming army advanced step by step, steadily advancing, and regained large areas of territory. Later, the leader of the Jin army, Nurhachi, attacked many times, but was all repelled by the Ming army.】
【Nurhachi, who had won many battles, saw such a difficult opponent for the first time. Faced with Sun Chengzong's advance, Nurhaci could only retreat.】
【In this way, Nurhachi took a step back, and Sun Chengzong took a step forward. Nurhachi was furious, but he had no choice but to do so.】
【If things continue to develop smoothly like this, the Ming army may still be able to regain Liaodong one day, but at this time, Sun Chengzong chose to resign.】
【The reason why Sun Chengzong resigned was very simple. Wei Zhongxian was in power and the Eunuch Party was powerful. Sun Chengzong was a member of the Donglin Party and the party was against dissidents. Sun Chengzong was destined to be regarded as a thorn in Wei Zhongxian's side.】
【If Sun Chengzong doesn't resign at this time, then Wei Zhongxian will also think of ways to destroy him.】
【In this way, a generation of national heroes ended their careers in Liaodong due to political struggles. Gaodi, the eunuch, came to take over the defense of Liaodong.】
【When Sun Chengzong left, Yuan Chonghuan went to see him off and burst into tears. However, Sun Chengzong could only say: The matter has come to this, and there is nothing I can do.】
【In October of the fifth year of Tianqi, Gao Di took charge of Jiliao as Minister of War.】
【But Gao Di is different from Sun Chengzong. This is a complete idiot. After inspecting the Guanning defense line, he believed that it was too dangerous to be too close to the front line.】
【His idea was that Shanhaiguan was safer. It was very close to the capital, and you could turn around and retreat into the pass. It was also safer to escape, and you didn't have to worry about being cut off by the cavalry of the Jin Army.】
【Therefore, he dismissed Sun Chengzong's plan. He wanted to retreat. Everything outside the pass was unimportant. Only his own life was the most important.】
【In November of the fifth year of Tianqi, Gao Di ordered to retreat】
【The places to retreat include Jinzhou, Songshan, Xingshan, Ningyuan, Youtun, Tashan, Xiaolinghe, and in short, all strongholds outside the pass have been evacuated.】
【The evacuation materials include: troops, civilians, firearms, food, and all items that can be moved】
【The land outside the Pass is not important. These are bitter and cold places. It doesn't matter if they are all given to the Jurchens. He just wants to go home and never wants to come again.】
【Gaudi ran away first, but the people didn't want to leave. Their home is here and they have lost a lot. This is their only remaining hope.】
【If we give up even here, when will Liaodong be recovered? There are still their families there, they are still being enslaved by the Jurchens, and they are still looking forward to the Ming Dynasty sending troops to rescue them.】
【It's just that Gao Di didn't give these people a chance to choose. Gao Di ordered that they must leave. Even if their families were destroyed and their fields were destroyed, and they were crying loudly, they had to leave.】
【When Gao Di fled, there were no pursuers, but his running speed was exceptional. As soon as the order was given, he had already fled to Shanhaiguan, abandoning everything outside the pass. Sun Chengzong had accumulated military supplies and rations for several years. Then throw it away】
【After several years of hard work, we recovered more than 400 miles of land, more than 100,000 troops, and hundreds of strongholds, all of which were destroyed in one day.】
【Yuan Chonghuan saw with his own eyes that Gaudi abandoned everything he had fought for over the past few years, including land, defense lines, troops, and civilians, without hesitation, just to save his own life.】
【Hope has been lost, the Donglin Party has collapsed, Sun Chengzong has left, the so-called Guanning Defense Line has ceased to exist in name only, and the situation is hopeless. Soon, Nurhachi's iron hoof will step on this land effortlessly.】
【Everyone advised Yuan Chonghuan to run away quickly, otherwise he would not have a chance to escape when Nurhachi came.】
【But Yuan Chonghuan did not leave. He looked at the crowds of people fleeing in all directions and saw the uncontrollable chaos, and said this: I am Ning Qiandao, and I will live and die with Ning Qian!】
【Yuan Chonghuan did not leave, but Nurhachi came without any surprise. 】