"No more troops can be added." Haug made a decision with no choice. In this battle that was all about covering up his own weaknesses, he finally couldn't stand it any longer.
Ta Zhan agreed: "Seven thousand men and horses have been invested in the front and rear, and the casualties are huge. It is not a price our army can continue to bear."
Gong Adai opened his mouth, but in the end he did not express his objection. This was really a no choice. He objected, but he had no better strategy, so he might as well keep his mouth shut.
"Withdraw troops back to the city. The city wall is still blocked by a moat, and there are artillery on the city to support the battle. We can still continue to fight the enemy." Haug added, or he was comforting himself.
Gong Adai finally said: "Master Beile is wise. How can it be so easy for the enemy to conquer Liaoyang?"
No matter what, it is difficult for Hauge to make a decision. He had predicted before that holding on to Liaoyang might be a tough battle, but now it has finally come true, and he can be considered mentally prepared.
As for the battle around the city wall, Gong Adai is quite experienced, having gained valuable experience from being beaten in Anshan Fort.
You can avoid parabolic projectiles fired by mortars by hiding behind the city wall. As long as the city wall is not broken, there is no need to leave too many men and horses to guard the city.
Artillery bombardment of the city will not be successful in a short time. Gong Adai discovered that the Dongjiang Army's artillery could not fire continuously, so he could organize emergency repairs to the city wall during the cooling period.
The most difficult thing to prevent is tunnel blasting. Although he does not know the exact terminology and specific implementation process, Gong Adai can guess that it is achieved by digging underground tunnels, so he can strengthen prevention in this regard.
In short, shrinking into the city can give you a chance to breathe. At least, the water in the moat cannot be drained out in a day or two.
Jianlu's retreat also made Guo Dajing relieved. He was not willing to fight this kind of war of attrition.
Moreover, he is not in a hurry to capture Liaoyang City. The current violent attack is just to contain the defenders and prevent them from leaving the city to assist the mobile corps that built the captives.
"Jianlu has been defeated!" Fang Zhenghua reminded, blinking his eyes, as if he was thinking about the words, how to write the next memorial well, and present the progress of the battle to the emperor to make Chongzhen happy.
Guo Dajing smiled and did not answer. He did not need to direct the battle ahead. He was relieved to leave it to Monk He Kegang and Shang Kexi. In other words, it would be good to execute it according to the original plan.
The trenches were closed or filled to form a stable position, and the offensive and defensive positions changed hands. What the Dongjiang Army wanted was to use this position to deploy artillery and directly bombard the city.
The continuous pressure forced Liaoyang's defenders to defend to the end, which was conducive to other troops surrounding them, turning Liaoyang into a truly dead city.
In the battle outside the city, Jianlu's casualties reached more than 4,000, and the Dongjiang Army also paid a price of nearly 3,000. Both sides fought evenly, but for the Dongjiang Army, it was an out-and-out victory.
Jianlu once thought that with the advantages of fortifications and close combat, they could make the Dongjiang Army pay a heavy price, until they were so intimidated that they did not dare to attack again.
But reality shattered Jianlu's dream. On the contrary, the Dongjiang Army's fierce attack caused a considerable psychological shadow on Jianlu.
"When the army gathers and is besieged on all sides, it should be easier than now to seize the position outside the city, right?"
Guo Dajing made a guess and turned his attention to the northwest, where the navy and the infantry of the two alliances should appear. There may have been a fierce battle with the Jianlu.
In a multi-point counterattack, as long as there is a breakthrough at one point, the chances of winning the Ping-Liao War will greatly increase. The navy that Guo Dajing paid more attention to was the closest to Liaoyang and would have the greatest impact on the battle situation.
However, the important place where a breakthrough has been achieved has been established, but because of the long distance and blocked roads, the news has not yet reached Guo Dajing.
In fact, Guo Dajing was just focusing on the battle at hand and somewhat ignored the situation on other battlefields.
When formulating the battle plan, he had analyzed and judged that the easiest place to achieve a breakthrough was in Benxi. To be precise, it was Weining Camp to the east of Benxi.
It is not difficult to make such a judgment. Compared with Anshan Fort, Liaoyang City, Motianling, and Lianshanguan, Benxi's defense force in the rear is the weakest.
Defense is also the weakest.
At this time, the Jianlu led by Mandahai and Chohar had been defeated by more than 20,000 Chinese and North Korean coalition forces. After losing Weining Camp and Benxi, they retreated towards Shenyang in embarrassment with less than 2,000 troops.
Go down.
Mandahai lost more than 4,000 men and horses. It can be said that Mandahai did not try his best, but he was still unable to withstand the fierce attack of the Dongjiang Army. The retreat he finally chose also showed his mentality towards the entire battle situation.
The wind blew on the face, without the refreshing feeling of autumn. Mandahai and other Jianlu were filled with depression and pessimism about the future.
"There are still more than 10,000 troops in Shenyang. If the enemy pursues them quietly, the troops gathered from various places should be able to deal a heavy blow to the enemy who rushes forward."
The walrus in Manda is comforting itself and seems to be strategizing. In fact, it is just talking to itself and deceiving itself.
How could the Dongjiang Army, which had more than 20,000 troops, mostly infantry, march long distances to attack Shenyang? Similarly, Shenyang probably could not muster much strength to attack the enemy from a flank.
Chohar smiled bitterly and said: "The military situation has been reported to all parties urgently, so they should be able to make preparations in advance. Anyway, we are trying our best."
The target of the notification was not only Shenyang, but also the friendly forces in Lianshanguan. Shenyang did not send reinforcements. Even if it dispatched half of the troops, that is, five or six thousand, it might not be able to do anything to the Dongjiang Army of more than 20,000 people.
In fact, the capture of Benxi has blocked the enemy's retreat to Shenyang at Lianshan Pass and Motianling. If you don't want to be surrounded by Motianling, you must retreat to Liaoyang as soon as possible.
Obviously, the first domino has fallen, a chain reaction has been formed, and the entire battle situation will undergo a turning change.
In this regard, Mandahai and Chohar were helpless. Even if they put less than 2,000 men and horses in their hands, they could not change the situation.
Man Dahai sighed and said in a deep voice: "The victory or defeat depends only on Liaoyang. I don't know if we can hold on longer and let the enemy retreat in the face of difficulties."
Chohar's confidence was hit hard, and he sighed: "It won't be that easy to survive until winter."
"Even if it lasts until after the autumn harvest, there might be a turn for the better." Manda Haixu whipped his horsewhip, seeming to vent his frustration, and said, "The situation is not optimistic. The enemy's timing is too cunning and cunning."
They wanted to retreat, but they were reluctant to part with the harvested food, and they were even more worried that they would not be able to survive the winter without food. If they did not retreat, they would have no choice but to fight with the Dongjiang Army and consume the already insufficient troops.
This seems to be a dead end, destined to put Dorgon and other slave chiefs in a dilemma, and they can only bite the bullet and support themselves.
But slave chiefs like Mandahai have begun to conserve their strength and plan for a way out, unwilling to lose all their men and horses.
"If Liaoyang is lost, Shenyang will inevitably fall." Chohar looked at Mandahai and said tentatively: "Now that our army has been defeated and returned to Shenyang, what arrangements will the Khan make?"
There is nothing to worry about in terms of disposal. Dorgon does not dare to cause internal divisions during the storm. Therefore, Chohar is talking about arrangements, that is, will he be sent to fight and in which direction?
Mandahai pondered for a long time and said: "King Khan also wants to preserve his strength as much as possible, so he should not invest any more troops. Advances and retreats will be based on Liaoyang's gains and losses."
This analysis is correct. Dorgon had long wanted to quit, but the resistance was huge and for the sake of his own prestige, he persisted until now.
Whether Liaoyang can be defended is not only the basis for Dorgon's decision, but also an opportunity for the slave chiefs to give up their illusions.
Chuohar nodded, feeling very sad in his heart. Because of the decline of Daikin and the uncertainty of his family's future, he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Even if Jianlu survives this year's massive attack by the Dongjiang Army and his strength is further weakened, how will he face the next battle?
This year there are more than 100,000 troops, and next year there will be the same number, or even stronger. This is the confidence of the Dongjiang Army and the basis for its inevitable victory.
As for the Jianlu, this year they can barely scrape together 60,000 to 70,000. Even if the Dongjiang Army's attack is repelled, how much will the loss be? Next year, I'm afraid there will only be 40,000 at most. How can we withstand another offensive?
If there are no big surprises, Dongjiang Town will achieve a great victory over Pingliao. It will only take time.
Problem: If it doesn’t work this year, there will be next year, and it will become easier every year.
The bleak future made Mandahai and Chohar lose the mood to continue talking or comfort each other. The atmosphere became gloomy and depressing, and the two of them rushed towards Shenyang with the remaining defeated soldiers.
………………
In Motian Ridge, the sound of guns and cannons kept ringing, and the enemy and our armies were fighting fiercely here.
The Jianlu who occupied Motian Ridge had geographical advantages, but they could only play a limited role. The artillery fire of the Dongjiang Army could also exert its power, but it was slightly weakened.
Kong Youde commanded the rear-association soldiers to divide into several teams and attack the main peak along the mountain road. At the same time, he sent another battalion to attack the Kangshan ridge on the right.
Xihan and his son Nod'a stood guard in two places, braving fierce artillery fire and desperately resisting the enemy's attack.
If we continue to fight in this way, Motian Ridge will not be able to stop the Dongjiang Army from advancing, but it will not be easy to break through, and a considerable price will be paid.
However, the arrival of Jianlu's messenger broke the temporary stalemate. The early warning information sent by Man Dahai dealt a heavy blow to Xihan.
"What?" Xihan's eyes widened in disbelief and he stared at the messenger fiercely, "The enemy has occupied Benxi and is outflanking our army from behind."
The messenger felt guilty and frightened after being stared at. He bowed and said in a trembling voice: "The enemy's strength is several times that of our troops, and their artillery fire is fierce. Our troops fought desperately to block the attack, and even though they suffered heavy casualties, they were unable to repel the enemy."
"But -" Xihan gritted his teeth and swallowed Mandahai's name, without even saying any words of resentment.
Although Mandahai is young, he is Baylor and has a respected status; even though Xihan is a veteran, he is still a subordinate, or a slave.
If Mandahai retreated this way, Xihan had nothing to say. He tried his best, but he really couldn't resist the enemy who had superior strength and firepower. Wasn't he fighting hard?
However, Mandahai only gave an early warning, but led the remaining troops to move to Shenyang. Obviously, he wanted to preserve his strength and did not want to fall into the near-death place of Liaoyang.
But Xihan's troops were deceived, and it was meaningless to hold on to Motian Ridge. In order not to be outflanked by the enemy, Xihan had no choice but to retreat from Motian Ridge and then jump into the big fire pit in Liaoyang.
Boom, boom, boom... explosions continued to sound, dust, branches and gravel flew up. The Dongjiang Army launched another artillery bombardment, and the infantry was about to launch an attack again.
Xihan's face was changing, but he finally made a decision. If he retreated now, he could continue to hold on in Liaoyang; but when he was surrounded by the enemy, it would be a dead end.
"Send an order to Nordea to withdraw from the position and move towards Liaoyang." Xihan finally made a decision. Perhaps this was the only choice.
Before the enemy could attack, Xihan left the rear troops behind and led the rest of the troops down the mountain quickly.
On the road, Xihan and his son Nordea met together and told what happened.
"This -" Nordea's concentration was obviously not enough, and he blurted out resentful words, "Mandahai ran to Shenyang, this is because he is greedy for life and afraid of death..."
Under his father's stern gaze, Nordea stopped talking, but his chest heaved with anger and his face turned red.
"While the enemy has not outflanked us, our army can still reach Liaoyang." Xihan said in a deep voice, "Join forces with Hauge and fight the enemy together."
Nord Ammon claimed that he was still resentful in his heart, but he did not dare to speak out loud in front of everyone.
At this point, Xihan felt relieved and said slowly: "Although our army has temporarily defended Motian Ridge, it is still struggling to hold on. Sooner or later, the enemy will break through."
Being defeated by the enemy and taking the initiative to retreat are of course different in nature, and the results may also be completely different. Although Liaoyang is also under enemy attack, it may not be lost.
Nordea sighed and said, "What my father said makes sense. At least, our army still has more strength. If we are surrounded by the enemy, the situation will only get worse."
Xihan smiled bitterly and said, "Hurry up and retreat. The enemy also has cavalry, but they haven't used it. They should be waiting to chase them."
Nordea promised to organize
He dismounted his troops and hurriedly turned towards Liaoyang.
Jianlu suddenly withdrew from his position, and the soldiers of the rear alliance easily occupied Motian Ridge. When the battle report came, Kong Youde thought for a moment and guessed that the roundabout friendly forces had made a breakthrough, forcing Jianlu to abandon the defense.
"After our troops hunt for a while, we can at least seize some supplies." Fan Hualong said with some helplessness: "From Lianshan Pass to Motian Ridge, all the troops are fighting hard, but our troops have not made any achievements!"
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Kong Youde chuckled and said: "Everyone has his own strengths and uses. General Fan doesn't have to rush for a moment. If you want to pursue the enemy now, don't be too hasty. Only in the decisive battle can the flying cavalry show off its talents."
"Understood." Fan Hualong nodded in agreement, summoned his troops, and chased Jianlu in the direction of his retreat.
Kong Youde rectified his troops and advanced steadily. He knew that the siege of Liaoyang had been formed, more than 100,000 troops would gather under the city of Liaoyang, and the prelude to the decisive battle had begun.