If Jianlu now abandons Liaoshen and retreats northward, the Dongjiang Army will need to operate in Liaoshen for at least a year if it wants to defeat the enemy in one go.
The Jianlu will also gain more than a year of buffer time, instead of being tightly restrained by the Dongjiang Army and unable to allocate labor for farming and production.
If Dorgon really had the courage to retreat directly to the Heilongjiang Basin, many people would die on the way, but if Guo Dajing wants to eliminate them, it may not be a task that can be completed in three to five years.
As for those farther away, there are Sakhalin Island, the Transkhinggan Mountains, Siberia, and the Dongjiang Army is even more out of reach.
If you think about it from his perspective, this is the best solution Guo Dajing could come up with for Jianlu. As the saying goes: If you keep the green hills, you won't be afraid of running out of firewood.
But Guo Dajing knew that even if Dorgon proposed this plan, he would encounter strong opposition from the top to the bottom of Jianlu.
In the eyes of most Jianlu, the situation was not that serious. Why did they have to dig up Lao Khan's grave, carry the coffin, and run away with his family?
Civil strife is inevitable. Although it is unlikely that swordsmen will meet with each other, the lack of unified thinking will also have a great impact on Jianlu's operations.
"Keep the Jianqi in Liaoshen as much as possible, and our army must develop and grow to the point where it can completely annihilate the Jianqi. That will be the best time to pacify Liao and destroy the Jianqi."
Guo Dajing pointed at the map on the table and said slowly: "There are only two ways for the Jianqi in Liaoshen to retreat: one is to go west to Fushun and Qingyuan, retreat to the old place of Jianzhouwei, and continue to retreat to Nuerqian.
The depth of Dusi; the second is to go north to Tieling, Kaiyuan, and first enter the northern grassland..."
It is obviously very difficult to cut off both retreat routes. However, it is still very feasible to block the Jianlu's route to the west.
Although the hometown of Jianzhou was almost abandoned by the Jianlu, both the geographical environment and the difficulty of re-opening it were much better than the desolate and cold land in the north.
Therefore, if Jianlu can successfully escape westward, the time for re-settlement and recovery will be greatly shortened. If they flee north, it will not be a goal that can be accomplished in three to five years if they want to accumulate the strength and materials for a counterattack.
"The general understands." Shang Ke nodded happily, showing a look of realization, "Guo Shuai's Pingliao is not only to regain the lost land in Liaodong, but also to deal with the Jianlu once and for all, so that it will no longer threaten Liaodong."
Guo Dajing smiled and nodded, and said: "If you save people and lose land, you will save both people and land; if you save land and lose people, you will lose both people and land. I'm afraid Jianlu didn't quite understand the essence of this military strategy, or maybe he was used to enjoying himself and refused to give up Liaochen.
This prosperous place.”
Shang Kexi was convinced and said with a smile: "Jianlu was originally a beggar. He finally came from a bitter and cold place to a big city where he can enjoy comfort. How can he give up so easily?"
"That's exactly what we want from their mentality." Guo Dajing patted the table and said with a sneer: "Ping Liao is the second priority, and destroying the captives is the most important thing."
To defend a city or a place, Guo Dajing could make resolute choices as long as it did not have a major impact on the battle situation.
For example, Fengcheng was originally a mountain city, easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, when the special operations battalion did not have enough troops, he ordered to abandon the defense and only devote all his strength to Zhenjiang Fort.
The fact that Jianlu dared to launch the Eastern Expedition had something to do with the Dongjiang Army's abandonment of Fengcheng. The Dongjiang Army did not defend such a dangerous place, which shows that Liaodong's military strength was insufficient.
If the Dongjiang Army held Fengcheng with thousands of troops, it should be able to stop Jianlu's eastward advance. Of course, such an arrangement also lost the chance of a great victory.
As of now, the battle is basically certain to win. Even if we can't wipe out all the Jianlu, there will definitely not be many who can escape.
After losing 20,000 to 30,000 horses, Jianlu would no longer have mobile troops and completely lost the ability to take the initiative to attack. Under the firm control of the Dongjiang Army, they could only sit back and wait for death.
Guo Dajing and Shang Kexi were chatting, and their own soldiers came in to report. From the direction of Lianshanguan and Tongyuanbao, a large group of captives arrived, about Wanqi around them.
"So fast?" Shang Ke's expression of joy and surprise flashed by, and then he smiled and complimented: "Guo Shuai has a clever plan, and Jianlu really has a backup plan. Unfortunately, with only more than 10,000 troops, it is difficult to change the situation of the battle."
Guo Dajing waved his hand, wanting to be humble, but then shook his head helplessly.
Status determines attitude. As the second-in-command of the Dongjiang Army, Guo Dajing is the determined successor of Mao Wenlong. Whether it is official position or contribution, he is praised by the generals.
Jianlu's reinforcements came, which was expected by Guo Dajing. The position where he led his troops to camp could only give Jianlu a headache.
………………
Azige, who was on standby at Lianshanguan, received the urgent message from Fengcheng and led more than 10,000 cavalry to set off quickly. It can be said that he acted vigorously and resolutely.
At that time, the Fengcheng defenders did not get much information. They only knew that the enemy had attacked Tangzhan Fort and blocked the connection with the eastward advancing corps.
Of course, the Fengcheng defenders dispatched two thousand troops and carried out a tentative attack. After being hit head-on and losing more than a thousand troops, they retreated to Fengcheng.
When Guo Dajing led his troops to camp in the mountains southwest of Fengcheng, the Fengcheng defenders did not dare to move rashly. They just thought that the enemy would not attack from both sides and come to attack.
On the way, Azige received another urgent report from the Fengcheng defenders. He knew that another enemy army was approaching Fengcheng, and formed a pincer attack on Fengcheng with the enemies of Tangzhanbao.
In any case, Azig could only speed up the march, even though the information was very vague. He didn't know how many troops the Dongjiang Army had dispatched, or what the current situation of the Eastward Army was.
After rushing along the road to the vicinity of Fengcheng and seeing where the enemy was camping on the mountain, Azige couldn't help but frowned, feeling in a dilemma.
"If we continue to march into Fengcheng and launch an attack to open up the road to the east, the enemy here may be waiting for an opportunity to cut off the main road or attack Tongyuan Fort, cutting off our army's retreat route as well."
"If we attack the enemy's camp and the enemy relies on favorable terrain and sharp firearms, our army may incur heavy casualties and may not be able to conquer the enemy camp."
If the Dongjiang Army takes action, whether it is blocking roads or going out to fight, Azig does not have to be so entangled.
But being so motionless, always keeping an eye on his own army's retreat, and retaining other combat options, Azig found it difficult to make a decision.
Ma Guozhu, who was affiliated with the Zhengbai Banner, accompanied the army on the expedition. Although he was like a tribute or a staff officer, he was not taken seriously by Azig.
Seeing that Azige was in a bit of a dilemma, Ma Guozhu still did his duty and bowed to the side and said: "The enemy is very insidious. Although he is stationary, he is peeping at the good opportunity to launch his attack. Our army must be cautious and cannot ignore the safety of our retreat.
"
Although Ma Guozhu offered suggestions, he did so tactfully and did not put forward too specific plans.
The safety of the rear route is very important. Whether to leave troops to monitor and prevent, or to attack first and repel the enemy, the choice is left to Azig. Anyway, these are the two choices.
Azig narrowed his eyes with great contempt and disgust, thinking that what Ma Guozhu said was nonsense.
Who doesn't know that he has to ensure a way out, but he is afraid of attacking and is unwilling to do it. He has left troops to monitor him, and he doesn't have many people at his command.
Perhaps the enemy is just waiting for his own troops to attack, occupying a favorable terrain and having strong firepower, which can play to the strengths of defense.
How could Azig, who had experienced the Zunhua War, forget the overwhelming artillery fire and the tenacious defense?
But if troops are left to monitor, how many troops are appropriate to keep, and how many troops can continue to establish contact with the Eastward Army?
"Lord Beile." Jia La'e Zhen Yin Letu bowed and said: "According to what I see, we should attack with our troops. If we don't have the strength to defeat the enemy here, wouldn't it be more difficult to open the passage to the east?"
Azig pondered for a moment, his eyes flashed, he glanced at Yinletu appreciatively, and nodded vigorously.
How can you accomplish anything if you are afraid of wolves in front and tigers in the back? If you always worry about the casualties in attacking fortresses and the enemy's powerful firepower, then there is no need to fight.
If the enemy had been here before, they would have been repulsed to ensure a safe retreat. But now, fear arose in my heart, and I made an unreasonable decision.
Just as Yin Letu said, if the enemy that is always a threat cannot be repelled, then after passing Fengcheng, can the passage be opened to assist the eastward advancing corps?
If the enemy cannot be repulsed here, it means that the rescue operation cannot be successful, and there is no need to put in the effort. Instead, the troops he leads will be put in danger.
Azig let out a long breath, and when the thick white fog disappeared in front of his eyes, he had already made a decision.
"Yin Letu, you lead 3,000 troops to Fengcheng to change the defense, mobilize all the defenders and all the carriages, and come to attack the enemy camp." Azige said in a deep voice: "Guard Fengcheng strictly and do not act rashly.
"
"I obey the order." Yin Letu immediately bowed and quickly organized his troops and galloped towards Fengcheng.
Azig turned his head and looked at the enemy camp in the distance. After being silent for a long time, he gave the order to set up camp.
Jianlu's movements were quickly detected and quickly delivered to Guo Dajing.
"It is wise to build the captives." Guo Dajing handed the information to Shang Kexi and said slowly: "In that case, let's use the strengths of our army to thwart the enemy's attack!"
If the rebels did not care about their retreat, or if there were not many people left to monitor, Guo Dajing would not mind taking the initiative to attack and cut off the retreat of the rebels, and make arrangements for total annihilation.
But Jianlu obviously adopted the clumsiest and most conventional method. Casualties were inevitable during the attack, but he did not take risks easily and ensured that the losses were controllable.
Shang Kexi read the information, chuckled, and said: "I guess Jianlu won't attack with all his strength, and if he tries to kill a thousand or eight hundred people, he won't be able to continue the fight."
Ten thousand versus ten thousand, relying on the advantages of terrain and firepower, there is no possibility of failure. The only difference is the number of enemies killed.
Shang Kexi resigned first, inspected the position, and made complete preparations for defense.
Guo Dajing stayed in the tent for a while and then walked out.
On the top of the mountain, he raised his telescope and looked at the Jianlu who were setting up camp in the distance, but his thoughts flew to Liaodong, where the main battlefield was, and he didn't know how the battle was going.
………………
Boom! After a deafening loud noise, sharp gravel shot out like raindrops. More than a dozen captives were shot down from their horses. The mournful neighing of the horses and the screams of the wounded echoed on the road.
Before this was over, a row of muskets fired lead bullets from the woods on the hillside beside the road, causing additional casualties to the chaotic Jianlu.
Listening to the situation report coming from the front, Amin had a gloomy look on his face, while Jierhalang irritably hit his riding boots with a riding crop.
The raids were too frequent, with mines and cold guns, and with the help of the cover of mountains, forests, ice and snow, it was difficult to prevent them. Moreover, every time the enemy hit and ran away, making it impossible for the Jianlu to pursue them.
The forward troops also encountered road blockages, and when they dismounted to clear the roadblocks, they were attacked by the enemy. This kind of face-to-face battle did not allow the Jianlu to gain any advantage.
"Take the captured North Koreans to the front and advance quickly." Amin did not ask for Jirharang's opinion, and ordered in a deep voice: "We must withdraw to Liaodong as soon as possible regardless of casualties."
Amin had already received an urgent message for help from the friendly forces outside Zhenjiang Fort. He knew that more than ten thousand enemy cavalry had arrived in Liaodong and that the retreat was in danger of being cut off.
However, the return of the troops was still more than a day late. The remnants of Du Du's troops escaped to report the news, and Amin had to lead his troops to Longchuan to rescue Jierhalang's troops who were left alone.
After the Dongjiang Army and the Korean Allied Forces almost completely annihilated Du Du's troops, they continued to fight and set up layer upon layer of interceptions to block the Jilharang road, making their march difficult and constantly paying the price of casualties.
With the rescue of Amin's troops, Jilharang finally led his troops out of trouble, but the casualties of more than 5,000 troops he led had reached more than 1,000.
As a result, of the nearly 20,000 captives who invaded North Korea, only 13,000 to 13,000 were left, with nearly half of them killed or injured.
At this time, Amin had realized that the situation was quite critical. If he fell into North Korea again, the consequences would be disastrous.
Of course, he still had a sense of luck and believed that those who attacked the camp outside Dongjiang Fort were all the cavalry of the Dongjiang Army. Only by relying on maneuverability could he arrive in Liaodong so quickly to participate in the battle.
As for the infantry, it should take another two or three days to arrive. This is Amin's judgment based on the maneuvering speed of the cavalry and infantry.
But even so, withdrawing as soon as possible to ensure safety is the most important and urgent task. After all, there have been many accidents in this Eastern Expedition.
Dongjiang Army's defense became more and more powerful, which they had already experienced at Zhenjiang Fort. But Amin never expected that he would also suffer losses under Yiju City. The firepower of the Korean Army and Dongjiang Army was not much different.
A few years later, the performance of the North Korean army surprised all the captives, including Amin.
The weapons and equipment are similar to those of the Dongjiang Army, and this is just one of them; the combat quality of the North Korean army is even more impressive.
They were all trained and equipped by the Dongjiang Army, but they still underestimated the enemy. Amin and other slave chiefs came to this conclusion only after learning a bloody lesson.
Even the tactics are learned from the Dongjiang Army. Just like this continuous harassment, the shadow of the Dongjiang Army is everywhere.
The roar of muskets came again from the front. Amin knew that the attack would not stop, but the troops were indeed moving much faster.
"I didn't expect that this Eastern Expedition would have such a result." Jierhalang sighed beside him.
Amin snorted and said coldly: "In the year of Ding Mao, Huang Taiji fooled him, causing Xianglan Banner to suffer huge losses that are difficult to recover. Now, it has fallen into Dorgon's conspiracy again."
As he said that, he turned to look at Jierharan and said angrily: "Whether it is Huang Taiji ascending the throne or Dorgon succeeding, you still get nothing with your loyalty. If I hadn't led the troops
Rescue, you and Du Du will probably end up with the same fate, right?"
Jierharangci stared blankly, not expecting his brother to be so resentful. After a long while, he gave a helpless smile and wanted to defend himself, but Amin had already pulled his horse's head and distanced himself from him.