A carrot and a pit are the current situation of Jianlu. If there is a problem in any key point, it may lead to the overall shake-up or even collapse.
However, the best result Guo Dajing wants is not collapse, but to eliminate Jianlu's effective strength as much as possible.
Therefore, before achieving this goal, we still need to try our best to stabilize the Jianlu and prevent them from despairing prematurely and preventing them from escaping early.
Guo Dajing had already seen Dorgon's intention to retreat, but due to the attitudes of other slave chiefs, Dorgon, whose ruling foundation was not stable, could not act arbitrarily.
Therefore, the later the landmark event of the complete defeat of Jianlu occurs, the more beneficial it will be to the Dongjiang Army, and the more of its troops will be able to be eliminated.
Guo Dajing believed that Liaoyang was the watershed between the establishment of captives, war and retreat, that is, a landmark event. As long as Liaoyang was not lost, the slave chiefs would still have a glimmer of hope, and Dorgon's decision-making would be affected and hindered.
In other words, the longer Liaoyang is defended, the greater the losses will be suffered by the captives. Of course, it is in other places and other battlefields.
The current problem depends on Dorgon's response. But Guo Dajing does not think that based on his qualifications and prestige, he can make the decision that is most beneficial to Jianlu.
Shenyang, Khan Palace.
The information about the sudden launch of the Dongjiang Army was sent to Dorgon's ship as quickly as possible, more than a month in advance, which was also beyond his expectation.
Dorgon immediately summoned his cronies to analyze and study the unexpected situation in order to make an accurate judgment.
"Start in advance?" Duduo, as Dorgon's biological brother and the banner leader, has the highest status, and he also behaved very arrogantly in front of Dorgon.
After just thinking for a moment, he expressed his thoughts, "In my opinion, the purpose of the Dongjiang Army is not to fight decisively, but to destroy the autumn harvest and make it more difficult for me, Dajin, to escape from the predicament of lack of food and grass supplies."
The propaganda slogan of "Three Years of Ping Liao" has not been shouted out for more than a year. Duduo did not think that the Dongjiang Army would take action so urgently, as this was not in line with the interests of the Dongjiang Army.
Obviously, there are many people with traditional thinking like Duduo, or they are the mainstream. Whether they are Han people or Jianlu, they still have the mentality of "supporting the invaders to respect themselves".
In fact, many generals in Dongjiang Town, including Mao Wenlong, had this kind of thinking. However, under the strong guidance of Guo Dajing, they reluctantly reached a consensus to quell the Liao Dynasty and exterminate the captives as soon as possible.
It is not surprising that the slave chiefs have such thoughts and ideas.
Because they don't know Guo Dajing, or in other words, they don't know that Guo Dajing is a soul that has traveled through time and has ambitions they can't imagine.
Although several of the slave chiefs present agree with Duduo's judgment, the enemy has already begun to attack. No matter what the purpose is, there must be some response, and we can't just react at all, right?
Suk Saha bowed and said: "I agree with the analysis and judgment of the Duduo Banner Master, but I do not rule out that the Dongjiang Army may have a bigger intention. Anshan Yi City has few soldiers, so it may be difficult to resist the enemy. Liaoyang City will be an important force. The most important thing.”
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Dorgon pondered, feeling very irritable in his heart. Urgent reports came not only from Anshan Station in southern Liaoning, but also from Benxi in eastern Liaoning, and Lianshanguan, the eastern gateway to Liaoyang.
The enemy launched multiple attacks, making it impossible for Hou Jin's troops to mobilize for mobile operations.
The only mobile corps was stationed between Liaoyang and Shenyang. With the Dongjiang Army pressing down on the border, it could only focus on Liaoyang first and guard against in-depth attacks by the enemy navy.
In other words, the response that Houjin can make is already very limited. None of the key points can be abandoned, and the military strength is firmly contained.
Li Yongfang thought for a long time, then bowed and said: "I am going to report to the Khan. I believe that the attack and defense of Liaoyang will determine the direction of the war. If the enemy is frustrated, they can only retreat secretly."
What he said was not complete. If the Dongjiang Army can capture Liaoyang relatively easily, its ambitions will naturally expand, and Pingliao will be on the agenda this year.
Therefore, Anshan Station can be lost, but Liaoyang must not be lost. Once Liaoyang is lost, Shenyang will face the Dongjiang Army directly and will have no danger to defend.
Dorgon knew the seriousness of the situation. Regardless of whether he could repel the Dongjiang Army or not, the predicament would become even more serious. However, one could still hold on, while the other would have to flee.
But he was still conflicted in his heart. One was his plan to flee north, and the other was the stubborn defense of other Houjin senior officials.
If he devotes all his strength to a decisive battle with the Dongjiang Army, even if he is defeated and escapes in the end, Hou Jin will completely lose the ability to make a comeback.
By that time, not to mention the Dongjiang Army that is in hot pursuit, even the Mongolian tribes that are now dependent on them will show their claws and attack Jianlu to win the forgiveness of the Dongjiang Army.
In other words, without the power to protect the captives, the old, weak, women and children who fled to the north would not even be able to survive, so how could they develop?
But admitting defeat now, conserving strength and fleeing to the north, not to mention the disapproval of other senior officials, even he felt unwilling to do so.
Dorgon was very hesitant and unsure of how long the battle would last and how many men and horses would be lost.
"No matter what the purpose of the Dongjiang Army is, we must give it a severe blow to crush its delusions." Dorgon said thoughtfully: "The battlefield is in Liaoyang. There are both solid cities and elite cavalry, which is worthy of a battle."
You cannot boost the ambition of others and destroy your own prestige.
Dorgon knew very well that in the face of a powerful enemy, it was not the time to show weakness or even plan an escape. At least, not now. On the surface, we must have a unified understanding and fight with all our strength.
Hauge defended the battle in Liaoyang to the death, and Azig led the mobile troops, which could wait for the opportunity. If nothing could be done, these nearly 20,000 elite cavalry were the Jurchens' most reliable guard force.
As for Shenyang's defensive strength, Dorgon no longer cares about it. In order to show his attitude, he will dispatch half of his troops to Liaoyang to strengthen the defensive strength of the city.
The Dongjiang Army's combat intention has become obvious. If the navy that has not yet been dispatched is included, it should be approaching from the east, south and west of Liaoyang, forming an encirclement situation.
In other words, the Dongjiang Army does not yet have the strength to go deep into Shenyang alone. Neither the number of cavalry nor the supplies along the way can meet the conditions.
It is based on this consideration that Dorgon believes that Shenyang is safe for the time being. Of course, he will also mobilize the garrison troops from Fushun, Kaiyuan and Tieling, as few as possible, but in total, there are five or six thousand.
"What do you think of King Khan's arrangement?" Dorgon looked around everyone and asked for their opinions.
He felt that he had made enough gestures and that the way out was properly arranged. As for the outcome, he could only comfort himself with the phrase "it will happen in heaven".
"King Khan is wise." Suksaha took the lead and bowed in agreement.
"King Khan is wise." Li Yongfang and others also hurriedly agreed.
Duduo hesitated for a moment and swallowed his words. If he had any different opinions, it was not too late to talk about them in private. After all, they were brothers, so they had to support and agree on the surface.