First sweeping the periphery and then encircling the center, Guo Dajing wanted to launch a major battle of annihilation and establish victory in Liaodong in one fell swoop.
Jianlu's weakness has been fully exposed, that is, the lack of troops. The patchwork of troops made up for the number, but they lacked combat power.
The key points must be defended, which is a flaw in Jianlu's defense system. If only one point is attacked, Jianlu can also support each other and take advantage of internal operations.
However, every point was attacked, and Jianlu's troops were firmly restrained. They could only fight independently, and in the end, they were all defeated.
Dorgon took the fall of Liaoyang as a sign of a major retreat, or a turning point from defense to retreat, but Guo Dajing was not in a hurry to conquer Liaoyang, allowing the Jianlu to continue to resist and wait for death.
Kong Youde did not want to slow down the attack, but he did not intend to continue to storm the wall after seizing the ground formation outside the pass. This was the original battle plan, and he did not give up.
However, if Jianlu had the intention of abandoning the pass and retreating, he would not remain motionless. Moreover, taking Lianshan Pass also has practical benefits, that is, it will have a more stable base.
The fire inside the pass spread more and more, and the battle outside the city was also at a disadvantage. Relying on its superior strength and firepower, the Dongjiang Army advanced step by step, while thousands of captives retreated step by step, suffering heavy losses.
"The enemy's artillery fire is fierce, and this pass is indeed not suitable for holding on." The slave chief Xihan stood at the top of the city, and slapped the city wall helplessly and angrily, "Send the order for the troops outside the city to retreat."
If you continue to fight, you will not be able to achieve the purpose of consuming and intimidating your opponent, and will only make your own troops weaker. The decision Xihan made at this time can be called a wise move.
As an inner pass, Lianshanguan does not have thick and tall city walls, and even the houses in the pass are very simple, making it difficult to block the artillery bombardment of the Dongjiang Army.
Although Xihan had made arrangements in advance and did not accumulate a large amount of food and supplies in the pass, such a passive beating was still not the result he wanted.
"Father, it would be more advantageous for our army to withdraw to Motian Ridge and hold firm." Xihan's son Nodea bowed beside him and suggested: "It will be very difficult for the enemy to attack the mountains from their backs."
Xihan nodded and said solemnly: "My father also has this intention. In Lianshan Pass, there is only a small river that can be called a barrier, and the city wall is not strong. The enemy has broken through the small river and is not losing in close combat. Here,
There is no point in holding on."
Sighing heavily, Xihan continued: "After all, I underestimated the enemy again. I didn't expect that the Dongjiang Army developed so fast that it even made up for the shortcomings of hand-to-hand combat."
Nordea commanded his own soldiers to escort his father toward the city, and said vently: "The enemy has too many artillery pieces, and they are just bombing them indiscriminately. This is a cowardly and cowardly way of fighting, which is disgusting."
Xihan smiled bitterly and said nothing, knowing that these words are just words. The victory or defeat of the war does not matter what weapons you use or what tactics you use.
As a veteran of the Two White Flags trusted by Dorgon, Xihan knew what Dorgon was thinking.
Even if he wants to make a large-scale retreat and abandon Liaoshen, he still has to wait for almost a month, that is, after the autumn harvest is completed. In other words, his task is to hold on, and the time limit is one month.
In order to achieve this goal, he must preserve his strength as much as possible and fight the enemy in the most dangerous and advantageous Motian Ridge.
However, looking at the strength and posture of the Dongjiang Army, Xihan also felt heavy pressure.
A month's time was nothing in normal times, but when it came to a real fight, the Dongjiang Army's firepower and offensive made Xihan feel pessimistic.
The retreat of the Jianlu outside the city accelerated the progress of the Dongjiang Army, and soon the attack reached a distance of more than 200 meters from the city wall.
At this time, Kong Youde also issued an order to stop the attack. Of course, this was temporary and he was preparing for the attack on Guanqiang.
"I don't think we need to attack by force. Lianshan Pass will be within easy reach by tomorrow at the latest."
Fan Hualong held up his telescope and observed the number of prisoners on the wall, and said with certainty: "The number of guards has not increased much. They should be preparing to retreat."
Kong Youde also had his own analysis and judgment, thinking quickly about whether to continue to launch a strong attack, kill more Jianlu, and destroy the Jianlu's plan to retreat safely.
It is certainly good to seize without fighting, but it may not be beneficial to future battles if more Jianqiu retreat to Motian Ridge. But whether it is more cost-effective to launch a strong attack and break through the casualties of the wall is also a question.
This was because the Dongjiang Army's preparations for attacking the city were sufficient, but they did not include using ladder ants to climb the city, which was too much of a waste of troops.
And if you want to use artillery to bombard the city, it will take some time to break through the wall, enough for the Jianlu to exit Lianshan Pass and move towards Motian Ridge. Wouldn't that be a waste of ammunition?
"Let Jianlu escape!" Kong Youde scratched his head vigorously, weighed the pros and cons, and made a decision.
Fan Hualong chuckled and saw what Kong Youde was thinking, and said: "Forget it. There is no shortage of horses for the captives. Even if they attack and break through the barrier, they can escape very quickly."
Kong Youde breathed a sigh of relief and ordered his troops to consolidate the occupied positions and prepare to attack Guanqiang.
After all, whether Jianlu voluntarily abandoned Lianshanguan was a conclusion drawn from their observations, which may not be guaranteed.
According to the original battle plan, after the friendly forces were outflanked, if the Jianlu still refused to defend the city, they would be surrounded, attacked, and completely annihilated.
Although a strong attack cannot be launched immediately, the posture must be set up to provide enough deterrence to Jianlu and force Jianlu to abandon the pass in embarrassment as soon as possible.
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The Hongyi artillery moved forward and set up positions, with the black muzzles pointed at Guancheng.
Boom! After a loud noise, the heavy cannonball hit the city wall, the bricks and stones splashed, and a cloud of smoke and dust was raised.
It was just a test firing. The artillerymen adjusted the elevation of the artillery according to the impact point of the projectile, and were busy preparing to continue the bombardment.
"Sir, the enemy's Hongyi artillery is pushing up!" Jianlu from the city came to report. Xihan and his son looked at each other, and became more determined to retreat as soon as possible.
If the enemy attacked the city, Xihan was prepared to hold on for a while and rely on the wall to inflict a certain amount of damage on the enemy.
But with the Hongyi artillery pushing up, it was only a matter of time before the city was breached. Before that, the enemy's infantry would not charge and attack.
If you continue to persist, fighting after the city is broken is inevitable. Faced with muskets and artillery, the Jianlu captives will not have the upper hand.
"It will be dusk soon. It will take time for the enemy to use artillery to blast through the city wall." Xihan pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Now we will retreat the wounded soldiers first. After dark, only a small number of troops will be left to confuse the enemy. The large group will move in."
Motianling.”
Retreating the entire army immediately would likely cause chaos and give the enemy an opportunity. Xihan also hoped that the enemy would capture Guancheng later so that he could further reinforce the defenses at Motian Ridge.
Nordea blinked his eyes and said: "Father will go first and set up defenses at Motian Ridge, while the children will retreat. Most of our troops are cavalry, and the enemy cannot catch up."
Xihan glanced at his son, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded solemnly. This was probably the only way to stabilize the morale of the army. As a general, he had to retreat first as a remedial measure.