The sound of gunfire and shouts of killing gradually subsided, and there were still sporadic battles, but they were just cleaning up a few remaining enemies. The entire battlefield was now under the control of the Dongjiang Army.
Amin, who was awake and mad at the last moment, was shot several times and fell miserably on the snow, looking at the gray sky with empty eyes.
"It's Amin, the slave chief." Liu Xingzuo just looked at it briefly and then sneered: "He has gained a lot of weight and looks like a dead pig."
Feng Xijian laughed and waved his hand, and then soldiers stepped forward and harvested the head neatly.
The total annihilation of the Jianlu was finally completed, and the generals were relieved and felt happy. After this battle, the Jianlu were left lingering and no longer had the strength to take the initiative to attack.
Amin, Jierhalang, and Dudu were conferred their heads. In addition to the great victory of Zunhua, all the four major belles of Jianlu were killed by the Dongjiang army, and there were also several other minor belles.
If we only count the number of beheadings, this time it would be slightly higher than the Zunhua Victory. However, the Zunhua Victory captured Huang Taiji alive, so he was in an unsurpassable position.
"Leave it to General Liu to clean up the battlefield. He will rectify his troops and go to join the rear association and then attack Fengcheng." Feng Xijian looked at Liu Xingzhi inquiringly.
Considering that the pursuers had to rush and fight non-stop, Feng Xijian also wanted to take care of them.
Liu Xingzhi smiled and nodded, and said: "Then a certain family will take advantage and let the troops rest for a night."
Liu Xingzuo glanced at his brother, but smiled and turned around without saying much. He also wanted to lead his flying cavalry to Fengcheng with the special operations battalion, capture Fengcheng, and make a perfect ending to this war.
period.
From the time when the Jianlu troops passed through Fengcheng and entered Liaodong, to the time when the Jianlu troops marching eastwards were completely annihilated, only ten days passed. This was considered very fast under the transportation and communication conditions at the time, and was very surprising.
Of course, Jianlu also wanted to fight quickly and retreat quickly. This time was almost the date for them to retreat back to the main division. Unfortunately, their prediction was completely miscalculated. Even if they were not completely annihilated, they would suffer heavy losses in Liaodong.
At this time, the five thousand Jianlu mobilized from Lianshanguan had rushed to the outskirts of Fengcheng and were directly under Azige's command.
Azig did not delay and immediately sent 4,000 troops, led by Yinletu, to Fengcheng for reinforcements.
Three thousand Fengcheng defenders had already dispatched to rescue Amin, but they were blocked by Kong Youde's rear alliance. After the attack was frustrated, they just retreated to Fengcheng.
After receiving reinforcements, Jianlu launched again, drove out of Fengcheng, and continued to attack. They did not know that Amin's troops had been completely wiped out, and they still imagined that they could attack from both front and back and the two armies would join forces.
Another battle broke out outside Fengcheng. The officers and soldiers of the rear alliance fought and retreated to lure the enemy away from Fengcheng. Kong Youde had already learned that the encirclement and annihilation battle was successful and friendly forces were coming, so he hoped to inflict heavy damage on the enemy in front of him.
A dozen miles away, the flying cavalry battalion and the special operations battalion arrived one after another. After a little reorganization, they cooperated with the rear assistance and launched a fierce counterattack against Jianlu.
The special operations battalion detoured from the flanks, and the Dongjiang Army, which merged together, concentrated all its artillery fire and kicked off the counterattack with an extremely fierce bombing.
The dense and indiscriminate bombardment suddenly blinded the Jianlu who were advancing step by step. As soon as the explosions stopped, the enemy in front launched a fierce counterattack.
During the fierce battle, the special operations battalion on the flank suddenly rushed out and stabbed Jianlu severely in the waist.
The bombardment of artillery fire continued, pouring artillery shells and rockets towards Jianlu's rear army, causing it to fall into chaos and making it difficult to effectively reinforce the front army.
"Retreat, retreat!" Yin Letu was helped up by the guards in a daze. He quickly woke up and yelled anxiously.
Explosions roared around from time to time, and Yin Letu shouted twice before the order was conveyed.
The firepower on the opposite side was too fierce, and it was obvious that reinforcements had arrived. However, our own army had been attacking for so long, but there was no response from Amin's troops, and there was no sound of cooperating with the counterattack.
Yin Letu already had an ominous guess in his mind. Although he didn't want to believe it, he was still lucky. He hoped that Amin's army was stubbornly blocked and had no choice but to retreat and find another way out.
But now, it is no longer a matter of rescuing friendly forces as we are unable to protect ourselves.
There were only 6,000 troops in total who marched out of Fengcheng. Judging from the enemy's density of firepower and the amount of troops invested, it was obviously difficult to win.
With the sound of sobbing horns, the Jianlu prisoners on the battlefield began to retreat quickly. The flying cavalry battalion was dispatched at the right time and launched a wave of pursuit of the retreating enemies.
Fortunately, it was not too far away from Fengcheng. Although the prisoners fought and retreated, more than 3,000 people managed to escape.
Yin Letu stood on the wall of Fengcheng and watched for the rest of the season. He saw that the Dongjiang Army's infantry and cavalry numbered tens of thousands, rolling away and starting to camp at the foot of the mountain.
"Quick report to Master Beile, tens of thousands of enemies have arrived in Fengcheng." Yinletu exhaled bursts of white mist from his mouth and ordered his men, "Whether to fight or retreat, please make an early decision to Master Beile."
As a close confidant, Yin Letu knew very well about Azig's psychology and plans.
If there is no threat behind Fengcheng, relying on the danger of the mountain city to resist the enemy is also a feasible strategy.
But being attacked from two sides, there is a possibility of being cut off at any time. Whether Fengcheng can defend it or not, it doesn't mean much.
Moreover, the large army is outside and continues to confront the Dongjiang Army. It is obviously difficult to support it in terms of food and grass supplies for a long time.
Now that the battle has reached this point, Amin's troops are probably in danger. Even if they can take a detour and return from Jianzhou, the number of casualties will not be small.
The enemy has completely blocked the retreat from Fengcheng, and it is impossible to rendezvous with friendly forces from here.
In short, Yin Letu believed that the most important thing was to withdraw from Lianshanguan and preserve the current strength. Moreover, he believed that Azig would also make a wise decision.
Attacking Fengcheng by force was only the Dongjiang Army's last option. Guo Dajing led his troops to stand still, which was to create diversion and threats to force the Jianlu to give up voluntarily.
It was already late at night when he received the urgent report of the military situation from the Liaodong troops. Guo Dajing was woken up from his dream and had a premonition in his heart. When he saw the good news, he couldn't help but laugh and his sleepiness disappeared.
"Good fight, good fight!" Guo Dajing walked back and forth in the tent. Although he was confident of victory, he still couldn't hide the joy and excitement in his heart after the victory was confirmed.
The Battle of Zunhua and the Encirclement and Annihilation of Liaodong should be two major turning points in the process of pacifying Liao and exterminating the captives.
The former turning point was that Jianlu's hope of making a comeback was shattered and the strategic initiative was lost; the latter turning point laid the foundation for this year's planned decisive battle, indicating that Pingluo has entered a countdown.
"Shuai Guo, I heard there is an emergency military situation?" Fang Zheng hurried over in disheveled clothes, which surprised Guo Dajing.
Guo Dajing stood up to greet them and said with a smile: "That's good news. The Jianlu Army marching eastward has been surrounded and wiped out by our Liaodong troops. The slave chiefs Amin, Jierhalang and Dudu have been crowned."
Fang Zhenghua hurriedly took the military report handed to him, read it word by word, and grinned.
"Jianlu suffered such a disastrous defeat and will never die!" Fang Zhenghua read the military report carefully again, looked satisfied, smiled and cupped his hands, and said: "The Za family will go back to write a memorial and arrange for someone to send it to the capital overnight.
.”
Guo Dajing returned the courtesy with his hands raised and said: "My father-in-law, please excuse me."
Fang Zhenghua left briskly, but he didn't see Guo Dajing looking at his back and shaking his head gently.
Chongzhen is capricious and is really not a steady and firm monarch. In his hands, the Ming Dynasty will not be the worst, only worse.
Guo Dajing narrowed his eyes slightly, tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, and fell into a long thought.
The operation to force back the Jianlu went smoothly, and Azige made the decision the next day to abandon Fengcheng and withdraw to Lianshanguan.
The reason why it was so fast was that Yin Letu, who was guarding Fengcheng, saw a large group of Dongjiang troops coming down the mountain. They were Liu Xingzhi, Wang Zhan and the Korean army who had rested.
Such a large number of troops made Yinletu feel desperate and no longer had the confidence to hold on. After quickly conveying the message to Azig, Azig was helpless and could only make the wisest choice.
In the afternoon of the same day, Jianlu withdrew from Fengcheng and set fire to the city. Then he joined Azige's troops and retreated towards Lianshan Pass.
Facing the strict defense of Jianlu, Guo Dajing retreated slowly, and Guo Dajing did not launch a pursuit. The infantry pursued the cavalry, but the effect was not great; he launched flying cavalry, because he did not want to lose too many elites now.
Although the fire in Fengcheng was extinguished in the middle of the night, it was not until the morning that the Dongjiang Army entered Fengcheng, which was burned to ruins.
As a mountain city, the city walls made of stone are not afraid of burning. It is not difficult to just rebuild camps and warehouses in the city.
After occupying Fengcheng, Kong Youde's Houxie sent troops out of the city, set up lookout posts five or ten miles away, and built road blocking positions as a buffer for Fengcheng's defense.
After confirming that the Jianlu had retreated and posed no threat, Guo Dajing sent people to summon the generals and made post-war arrangements and arrangements in the camp.
"The defense of Fengcheng and Tangzhan Forts will be in charge of the rear association, and the special operations battalion will be transferred to the Kuandian area, with Zhenjiang Fort as the command center." Guo Dajing glanced at the generals and said with a smile: "In half a year, the main thing is to rest and recover.
, or there are expansions.”
Kong Youde and Feng Xijian bowed to accept the order. Knowing that Guo Dajing still had something to explain, they continued to listen respectfully.
Guo Dajing said slowly: "After the spring plowing begins, the Hou Xiehe Special Operations Battalion will vigorously develop military camps to strive for sufficient military rations after the autumn harvest. In addition to military camps, people will also be resettled in Liaodong, and their production will also be provided
A lot of military supplies.”
This is the prelude to the war. Before the troops move, food and grass go first!
To resettle people in Liaodong also means that this place will not be discarded. Like southern Liaoning, it is a solid base that must be defended with all efforts.
"General Fan, your flying cavalry battalion is also stationed in Liaodong." Guo Dajing looked at Fan Hualong and said: "With complete infantry, cavalry and artillery, Liaodong can be stable and I can rest assured."
"I will obey the order." Fan Hualong lowered his head and cupped his hands without saying a word.
Guo Dajing nodded and said: "The remaining ministries will follow my commander back to Liaonan to replenish their rest and reorganize in preparation for the war."
Liu Xingzuo and others bowed in response, already mentally prepared for such an arrangement.
Guo Dajing was very pleased and said with a smile: "I believe you all have guesses, that is, when will the Ping Liao extermination begin? I will also reveal something here. If nothing unexpected happens, the decisive battle will begin after this autumn."
The generals looked at each other, and there was a commotion. Some expressions were excited, some were happy, and some were surprised, because there was more or less information, and their reactions were also different.
Guo Dajing pressed his hand downwards and said loudly: "Of course, this depends on the development of the specific situation. Generals, there is no need to spread the news, just prepare for war with all your strength."
"This is to inform Commander Guo that this battle has consumed a large amount of ammunition and supplies and is in urgent need of replenishment." Feng Xijian handed over his hand and said, "If it were a decisive battle, the ammunition required would probably be many times more."
It was indeed a huge consumption, otherwise the number of casualties would have been even greater. Although Guo Dajing was a little worried, he thought it was worth it when he thought about the reduction in troop attrition.
Moreover, the characteristics of hot weapons warfare are such that they have greater requirements for logistics.
"I know that your ammunition consumption is very high. It has been continuously transported from the rear these days and a lot of it has been accumulated in the camp, so I gave it all to the Liaodong troops."
Guo Dajing paused for a moment and then continued: "As for what is needed for the decisive battle, you don't have to worry about it. If the supplies are not sufficient, I will not forcefully launch it. Waiting a little longer will not harm the overall situation."
As for Ping Liao in three years, this year is the first. With this great victory, Chongzhen has also been explained, and there should be no surprises in the general climate.
The production and manufacturing of ammunition can also be accelerated, mainly because the number of mortars is almost the same, and other artillery can be made by Sun Yuanhua, which can allocate many craftsmen to focus on production.
In addition to continuing to purchase raw materials such as nitrate and sulfur from Japan, the imperial court could also supply considerable quantities.
Others don't know the production situation of the arsenal, but Guo Dajing knows it very well. He even directly manages and controls the progress and variety of production and manufacturing.
"In addition to ammunition and supplies, the expansion of flying cavalry must also be stepped up." Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said, "I have a plan, so I won't go into details today."
Liu Xingzuo nodded, probably knowing Guo Dajing's plan, which was to increase the number of flying cavalry to about 20,000 before the decisive battle.
Now the flying cavalry is divided into three battalions, each battalion has 4,500 cavalry, and there are still nearly 2,000 vacancies. From now to the autumn harvest, there will be enough training time, but the main problem is the war horses.
"It seems that with the remaining power of the victory, Guo Shuai will be cruel to Liao Town." Liu Xingzuo's eyes flashed and he glanced at He Kegang, who was sitting under Guo Dajing.
If it weren't for the annexation of Liao Town, Liu Xingzuo didn't know how Guo Dajing could complete the expansion goal in half a year.
"Ningyuan still has 20,000 troops, leaving 5,000 to defend the city, and 15,000 to replenish the Dongjiang Army. Together with the new recruits, it should be enough to launch a decisive battle."
Liu Xingzuo was thinking in his mind and looked away from He Kegang, his face was calm, as if he didn't think about anything.
In fact, it is not difficult to guess. Some of the generals present have thought of it. However, due to the presence of old generals from Liao Town, it is difficult to tell the truth directly.
"After several battles with infantry against cavalry, although it was relatively successful, there is still room for improvement."
Guo Dajing changed the topic again and said, "If you have any opinions or suggestions, you don't have to tell me in person. You can just contact me through letters."