The reason why Yang Zhen made such a judgment was not only because he generally understood the direction of this period of history, but also because he knew that the leaders of this war, Duduo and Haoge, were both arrogant and ambitious people who were eager to achieve success.

The two of them are not only always self-righteous and pretentious, but they are also bold, impatient and aggressive people.

Huang Taiji sent them here, perhaps because he wanted to take advantage of their two characteristics of rushing and fighting to create a situation that would not give up until Ning Jin was defeated, and then put unprecedented pressure on Guan Ning Jin's Ming army, so that they could

Desperately seeking help from within the pass.

However, despite all his calculations, he still missed the biggest variable, Yang Zhen, or underestimated the variables that Yang Zhen might bring.

Of course, this is no wonder Huang Taiji.

After all, no matter how scheming and calculating Huang Taiji was, no matter how cunning and scheming, he would never be able to calculate that Songshan Commander-in-Chief Yang Zhen had expressed his intention to submit to the Qing Dynasty to Shi Tingzhu through Zu Dashou.

, is a time traveler.

However, Yang Zhen, who thought he understood the general trend of history and the human characteristics of Duduo and Hauge, was still wrong.

He thought that Duduo and Hauge might need three to five days to discuss and decide the direction of the attack of the Manchu Tatar army, and might even first remove the nail stuck between the pines and brocades at Rufeng Hill.

Then decide where to go.

However, what surprised him was that on the morning of October 3rd, the Manchu Tatar brigade originally stationed on the north bank of the Xiaoling River actually appeared majestically on the post road a few miles west of Songshan City.

As soon as Yang Zhen heard the news sent by Xia Chengde, he immediately rushed to the top of the west gate of Songshan with a group of subordinate officers from the General Military Mansion and looked westward.

Standing on the newly built tall urn city outside the west gate, Yang Zhen and his party could clearly see the large group of Manchu Tatars passing by outside Songshan City without using telescopes.

The Manchu Tatars gathered heavily in Songjin with great momentum. However, they neither took the initiative to attack Jinzhou City nor came to besiege Songshan City. Instead, they just marched along the post road unscrupulously, as if entering an uninhabited land.

Drive south.

"What a shame and humiliation! What a shame and humiliation! The Qing captives despised and ignored the officers and soldiers of Songjin Zhucheng, and ended up in such a situation. They simply treated us like clay dolls!"

After Yang Zhen asked Yang Chaojin to supervise the Military Justice Department, Yang Chaojin began to appear frequently on the top of Songshan City.

Originally, the minister overseeing the army had such powers and responsibilities, but he had made a three-part agreement with Yang Zhen in advance and was worried that Yang Zhen would think too much and would not be able to supervise the war in the past.

Now that Yang Zhen had a clear reason to ask him to supervise the military law, Yang Chaojin no longer had any taboos. He did not care about other matters and only supervised the military law.

For several days in a row, he specially led people to inspect various departments and departments for neglecting their duties and leaving their posts without permission. This caused the entire Songshan City defense to be greatly improved at once, and at the same time, he finally entered the role of supervising the army.

At this time, he was standing next to Yang Zhen, watching helplessly as a large group of people filled with Tatars swaggered past the city. They did not pay attention to the city they left behind, and there were many people guarding the city.

The man breathed a sigh of relief, and an indescribable sadness suddenly surged in his heart.

When Yang Zhen heard what he said, he turned around and said to him: "The Manchu Tatars deliberately acted like this. In fact, they wanted to induce our defenders to abandon the fortified city barrier and go out of the city to pursue them. If they really went out to pursue them, they would have fallen into their treacherous plan."

.As the saying goes, a little impatience will mess up a big plan. Only if you can endure the temporary humiliation at this moment will you have a bright future."

After Yang Zhen said this, Yang Chaojin's expression recovered somewhat, but he still kept shaking his head and sighing.

Xia Chengde, the guard of Xicheng who was also following Yang Zhen, heard this and said: "That's it. What the governor said is correct. The Manchu Tatars have always been cunning and cunning. They pretended to be prepared but showed that they were unprepared. This was just a way to lead the way."

I attack. I have a strong city and heavy artillery to rely on. If I go out to fight, wouldn't I use the enemy's strengths to attack my own weaknesses?"

Hearing this, Yang Chaojin looked at Xia Chengde, and Xia Chengde also looked at Yang Chaojin, and then neither of them spoke anymore.

"Old Zhang, look at the troops of the Manchu Tatars who have divided their forces and gone south this time. How many people are there?"

Yang Zhen knew that the military generals of this era had their own methods of observing and estimating the number of enemy troops on the battlefield.

Of course, except Yang Zhen himself, a fake veteran, so he simply asked Zhang Degui who was following him.

Zhang Degui once again put up a pergola and looked westward, looking from south to north. From the faint front army in the mountains to the tail of the team rolling south, he pondered for a moment, turned to Yang Zhen and said:

"Looking at the vastness of his troops, which stretch for several miles from north to south, we can see that the number of soldiers and horses is about 13,000, not less than 12,000, and not more than 15,000!"

When Yang Zhen heard Zhang Degui say this solemnly, he felt a little dumbfounded for a moment. He scratched his head and didn't know what to say.

According to Zhang Degui's estimate, the possible error actually reached about 3,000. If a war were fought like this, it would really be a foolish war.

Yang Zhen looked at Zhang Degui and saw that he didn't seem to be joking. He then turned to look at Xia Chengde and Xia Chengde's generals and saw that they were nodding at him seriously.

At this time, Yang Zhenfang finally realized that the war fought in this generation was probably a foolish war.

At the same time, at this moment, he also had a new understanding of Sun Tzu's Art of War saying that if you know yourself and the enemy, you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.

The ancient art of war emphasized knowing oneself and the enemy and placing it in such a high position just shows how difficult it was to achieve this in ancient times.

"In this case, let's calculate it as 13,000 people. It seems that the Manchu Tatars have divided their army into two. Half of them must be left to contain the Songjin cities. What we have in front of us is

Half of them must be going south to attack Ningyuan."

When Yang Zhen said this, Yang Chaojin, Fang Guangchen, Zhang Degui, Xia Chengde and others all nodded.

None of these people are stupid, and one can even be said to be more sophisticated than the other. It's just that their status is different, so it's not convenient for them to express their feelings directly.

If the Manchu Tatars do not attack Jinzhou, which has an important strategic position on the Songjin defense line, and they do not attack Songshan, which has an equally important strategic position, then they will definitely not attack Xingshan, Tashan, or Lianshan.

Because the gains and losses in these areas have nothing to do with the overall situation.

In this case, the Manchu Tatars divided their forces and went south, definitely to attack Ningyuan City, which had a more important strategic position.

The purpose of leaving half of the army between Songjin and Songjin was to contain the troops on the front line of Songjin to go to the rescue, and also to induce or force the Ming army in the pass to come out to rescue.

"Captain, the Manchu Tatars may attack Ningyuan City. We have already expected it. In the previous military meeting, the Commander has made it very clear. But what we should do next requires the Commander to make up his mind early. .After all, Ningyuan City is related to the overall situation of Liaozuo, and its status is extraordinary. Once it falls, Liaozuo may lose the overall situation!"

Fang Guangchen, who followed Yang Zhen to Ximen Wengcheng to check on the Tatar military situation, saw that the Tatar army was at its peak and rolling south, and he couldn't help but sweat for his father, Fang Yizao, the governor of Liaodong.

Feng Qingyun's original calm and calm demeanor disappeared. Instead, she became concerned and confused, with a worried look on her face.

When Yang Chaojin heard what Fang Guangchen said, he nodded, and then looked at Yang Zhen, waiting for Yang Zhen to make up his mind.

"Fang Consultation, Eunuch Yang, there is a case against Yang, you two can rest assured that if Ningyuan City is in danger, I, Yang Zhen, will never sit idly by and watch!"

Yang Zhen patted his chest and just finished speaking, he heard Xia Chengde beside him suddenly say: "Captain, Ningyuan City is the ancestral home of Jinzhou's ancestral marshal. Many relatives and friends are in the city. If Ningyuan City is in danger, ancestral marshal will also be there." You must not, you will not stand idly by."

When Xia Chengde said this, he looked at Yang Zhen meaningfully and paused for a moment, but when he saw Yang Zhen's disapproval, he quickly took two steps forward, approached Yang Zhen, and whispered:

"What the general means is that if the Manchu Tatars attack Ningyuan, there may be fraud. What should we do? Just look at Jinzhou Commander-in-Chief. If Commander-in-Chief Zu remains unchanged, it means that there is no risk of Ningyuan City falling. Just watching the movements of the Jinzhou Army is enough for us to make a correct judgment! The legacy of the Governor is hard-won, why should we take chestnuts from the fire for others?"

Xia Chengde came closer and could hear his breath. The bad breath he gave off made Yang Zhen feel sick to his stomach, but Yang Zhen also understood the meaning of Xia Chengde's words.

This Xia Chengde does have selfish motives, but this selfishness may not be a bad thing for himself, especially for his future.

"Since Vice General Xia has something to say, why not say it openly and honestly?"

Xia Chengde leaned closer to what Yang Zhen said, his voice was not loud, but the people following Yang Zhen still heard it vaguely.

Some of the words sounded particularly harsh to Yang Chaojin's ears, so he couldn't help but look down on Xia Chengla and told him to be more upright.

However, Xia Chengde glanced at Yang Chaojin, curled his lips, smiled, and responded: "The general is just reminding the governor that the Manchu Tatars have always been scheming, so be careful to be deceitful in saving Ning Yuan."

Xia Chengde was the deputy general of Songshan, and it was indeed his responsibility to advise Yang Zhen on military matters, and Yang Chaojin had nothing to do.

"Okay, Vice General Xia's reminder, I already know in my heart whether to save him or not and how to save him. All the generals can do is follow the order."

While Yang Zhen said these words, he looked at Xia Chengde solemnly. It wasn't until Xia Chengde nodded that his expression softened and he turned to everyone:

"Do we have to go to Ningyuan to save Ningyuan? I don't think so. The Tatars can surround Wei and rescue Zhao, so why can't we surround Wei and rescue Zhao?"

The words Yang Zhen said made Yang Chaojin, Fang Guangchen and others sometimes bewildered and sometimes confused. They didn't know how to answer the words for a moment. The city was quiet, and only the autumn wind blew the flags and made a rustling sound.

Yang Zhen reached out and took out a telescope from the hand of the guard captain Guo Xiaowu, and then took a closer look at the carriages and artillery equipment at the rear of the large Tatar army heading south.

Through the telescope, he finally saw clearly what Li Shouzhong had mentioned before: the white flag of the Han army with white soap on it, and the huge artillery carriages in the middle of the Han army with white flag, which were in charge of Wuzhen Chaoha Niulu.

Each gun carriage is covered with a red gun jacket, covering the huge gun body, but judging from its exposed outline, it is very similar to the few heavy Hongyi cannons on the top of Songshan City. Presumably
Chapter completed!