But for Mao Chenglu and Li Weiluan, the Pingliao War may be the best opportunity to make achievements, a feat worthy of being recorded in history.
Moreover, if they enter the Liaoyang area as soon as possible, they will be able to contain the Jianlu's mobile regiment earlier. They may even be able to annihilate or rebuild the Jianlu's 20,000 elite cavalry with the assistance of the two cavalry regiments, Feihu and Feibao.
In fact, this is what Guo Dajing wants to achieve most. The total strength of the Jianlu troops seems to be quite small, but the total number of elites is less than 40,000.
The mobile corps accounts for half of it, while the other elites are scattered in various pass fortresses, playing a backbone role in the patchwork army.
It was only a matter of time before Liaoyang was liberated. The fierce firepower and brave army made the Liaoyang defenders have no choice but to wait for death.
Therefore, before conquering Liaoyang, when Jianlu realized that the situation was collapsing and was preparing to flee north, the main purpose of pacifying Liao was to eliminate as many of Jianlu's elite troops as possible.
"We can't participate in the liberation of Liaoyang." Mao Chenglu shook his head with regret and said, "Maybe the Jianlu's elite cavalry can be eliminated, but the credit is not small."
Zhang Tao chuckled and said, "Why worry about this? After Liaoyang is defeated, there will be Shenyang, Tieling, Fushun and other places. After the Jian captives escape, they will have to plow the courtyard and clear out the holes, and fighting will be indispensable."
Mao Chenglu smiled self-consciously and said: "Even so, there are only one or two battles that are decisive. Liaoyang is definitely one of them. The other one is hard to say where."
"Let nature take its course!" Zhang Tao waved his hand and said, "I tell you, there is no need to force it. Commander Mao has volunteered to supervise the transportation of grain and grass supplies in the rear. There is no competition for such a huge achievement. You are still young, too
Obsessed with fame and fortune."
Mao Chenglu opened his eyes wide, looked at Zhang Tao, and said to himself: You are much older than us, and you look like an elder who speaks with sincerity and sincerity.
Zhang Tao shrugged his shoulders, knowing that he was the commander of the navy and that the Battle of Pingliao and Liaoning was ultimately a supporting role and could not compete with the infantry, cavalry and artillery units for credit.
But he also knew in his heart that the navy was a powerful force that Guo Dajing would rely on in the future.
Guo Dajing's ambitions are not limited to Liaodong, but also to the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea. Even the Zheng family in the south, Guo Dajing is now thinking about, and sooner or later he will compete for the maritime supremacy of the Ming Dynasty.
Under the guidance and influence of Guo Dajing, and through Xiyi, he learned a lot about the distant seas. Zhang Tao's vision was not narrow.
He knew that with the current strength of the Dongjiang Navy, not even the Zheng family could defeat them, let alone the Spanish, Dutch and other Western barbarians who dominated the sea.
For this reason, Guo Dajing has formulated a five-year development plan for the navy, striving to suppress the Zheng family first and then fight against the Western Yi.
Compared with the vast and boundless sea, Liaodong can only be regarded as a remote corner with not much room for development.
"The stars and the sea are our goals." Zhang Tao despised Mao Chenglu's short-sightedness in his heart, thinking that he only had eyes for Liaodong.
The fleet cut through the river, and under the guidance of the guide boat, moved forward boldly, recreating the spectacular scene of hundreds of ships vying for the river. Hundreds of years ago, Soochow's fleet passed through this waterway to attack the enemy who occupied Liaodong.
Gongsun Yuan.
After Pingliao, the development of Liaodong's waterways will enter a new stage, and the "golden waterways" will show prosperity. Especially in the Liaoshen region, waterways will become the largest outward trade channels.
Although after the early Ming Dynasty, waterways became channels for transporting grain and materials, the degree of development was far from sufficient.
It was not until a hundred years later that the natural environment was not greatly damaged, and the river channels were wide, although there were some narrow places, but they were very suitable for navigation.
"Shuai Guo led his army to conquer Anshan Post and advance to Liaoyang. It should be safest to land near the two forts of Changning and Changding." Zhang Tao knew the situation along the Hun River very well and introduced it to Mao Chenglu.
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"If we continue sailing north, far away from Liaoyang, and land at Huangniwa and Chang'an Fort, we can advance to the southwest and cut off the enemy's retreat in Liaoyang, but it will be more difficult to coordinate with the main force."
In fact, if you continue sailing along the Hun River, you can land at Liutiaozhai and Wujingying, directly blocking the passage between Liaoyang and Shenyang.
It is even possible to go straight to Shenyang and destroy the enemy's lair, thereby defeating the Jianlu as quickly as possible and forcing them to flee north.
Of course, this is only theoretically possible. In practice, the difficulty becomes greater the further it goes.
After all, the survey of the waterway is not complete, and the furthest it has only reached Chang'an Fort. The unknown water conditions naturally pose a greater risk to the navy.
Huangniwa, Chang'an Fort, Changning Fort, Changding Fort and other places are all part of the Liaodong Great Wall Pass, blocking the Liaohe Tao from the outside.
In the early and middle years of the Ming Dynasty, a considerable part of the food and salary materials transported by the Liaohe and Hunhe rivers supplied the Liaodong army.
To put it bluntly, landing near these forts is the safest and most convenient. However, the banks of most of the Hun River basin are muddy, making it difficult for people and horses to move. It is quite difficult for infantry to land and transport materials.
Therefore, Zhang Tao preferred the first two landing sites. As for Liutiao Village and Wujing Camp, the situation was unknown and too risky.
Mao Chenglu also knew these situations. Although he hoped to go as deep as possible, he also had to consider the difficulties of the navy and where it would be more advantageous for the infantry to land.
"If Chang'an Fort is possible, it would be better." Mao Chenglu expressed his opinion carefully, "After landing, we can cut off the retreat route of the Jianlu in Liaoyang without having to travel a long distance."
Zhang Tao slightly chinned his head and said: "Then I will send a speedboat now to survey. If feasible, our army will land at Chang'an Fort."
To cooperate with the main force, it is natural to move Jianlu's elite cavalry as far away from Liaoyang as possible.
Similarly, when the Flying Cavalry Regiment was dispatched to attack the Jianlu Mobile Regiment together with the landing infantry, Jianlu's elite cavalry could not get assistance from the Liaoyang defenders on battlefields far away.
The relatively free movement of the navy made it difficult for Jianlu to guard against it. This was also the reason why Dorgon had been worried and did not dare to devote all his troops to Liaoyang for a decisive battle with the Dongjiang Army.
Apart from the unclear conditions of the waterway and the convenience of landing, there are basically no other difficulties. This is also the strength of the navy in facing Jianlu.
Similarly, water transportation of grain and grass materials is also the fastest, most convenient and most economical way of transportation. If there are no problems with the waterway and water conditions, you can go directly to Shenyang along the Hun River, then to Sarhu, and all the way to Qingyuan.
In other words, transporting supplies by water can keep up with the Dongjiang Army's offensive pace without having to worry too much about logistical issues.
This is also the reason why the Dongjiang Army launched a large-scale campaign and wiped out the Liao Dynasty in one fell swoop. The logistical problems can be solved, and even if the battle cannot be sustained by fighting, there is no need to worry about the lack of food and ammunition.