With its powerful firepower, if Jianlu wanted to attack the Dongjiang Army, he would need twice as many troops to have a chance of winning. If the Dongjiang Army defends its base, Jianlu may need more troops.
In war, there are always risks, both the enemy and ourselves. As long as the risks are controlled to a minimum and can be remedied after the risks arise,
It is good to steadily regain Liaodong, but it will leave consequences. If you want to eliminate more of the effective forces of the rebels, you must take some risks.
It is not what Guo Dajing wants for all the Jianlu to flee north now. Taking the initiative to fight would be more in line with his wishes. Of course, he must ensure victory and try his best to be invincible.
"There are three routes of advancement, one is the main one and the other is the auxiliary one. Each has different tasks and different operational purposes."
Guo Dajing did not want to give a particularly detailed explanation in this military meeting, and said with a smile: "In the next few days, I will discuss specific actions in detail with various generals."
It may be that the situation will change, or there may not be enough information, so the generals have their own guesses. But the big picture has been determined, and they are stepping up preparations.
"So that you all know." Guo Dajing sat back in his chair and said with a smile: "Shuai Mao will come to Liaoyang soon and personally command the siege operations."
All the generals smiled and started talking in low voices.
Guo Dajing has already made arrangements and made various preparations. Mao Wenlong came to Liaoyang, saying he was commanding, but in fact he was just sitting in command to achieve the great success of regaining Liaoyang.
"When the time comes, I will move with the Central Army to cross the river and go north." Guo Dajing continued: "The Pingliao War should be over this year."
Liu Xingzuo smiled and said: "Shuai Mao and Shuai Guo are all on the battlefield. No one is going to win this battle. Jianlu claims that all the people can fight, but how much fighting power do those old, weak and remnant soldiers have?"
"Jianlu has been mobilized two or three times, and there are increasingly no one available. It is just a desperate struggle."
Guo Dajing quickly stopped this abnormal thought and said solemnly: "The dying struggle can also be called the final madness. I have already warned you not to underestimate the enemy."
After a pause, he added: "According to calculations, Jianlu can still piece together about 50,000 troops. Once invested in a certain direction, it is a force that cannot be underestimated."
There are some words that Guo Dajing should no longer say, which may easily lead the generals to think of underestimating the enemy. For example, a troop strength of about 50,000 is equivalent to at most 30,000 elite soldiers in terms of combat strength.
Besides, there were thirty to forty thousand defenders in Liaoyang, but less than twenty thousand were truly effective in combat, and the rest were pieced together.
According to the current combat situation, with the help of artillery, the Dongjiang Army can inflict casualties one to one with Jianlu even in field battles, and is still the elite of Jianlu.
Therefore, the Dongjiang Army now has a two-to-one advantage over Jianlu. The more the group fights, the more powerful the Dongjiang Army's firepower will be.
Moreover, the final result cannot be judged from the superficial casualties. The Jianlu lost not only soldiers, but also strong laborers, which will have a great impact on future production and farming.
In Dongjiang Town, the population is constantly being replenished, the army can quickly regain its strength, farming and production can continue as usual, and it can supply the needs of the war.
After the military meeting, all the generals stood up and left. Guo Dajing stopped Liu Xingzuo, Liu Qishi and Fan Hualong, and first explained the specific details of the flying cavalry's combat.
"Use the advantage of the cavalry to pursue and attack the Jianlu soldiers and civilians fleeing north, killing and injuring as many of their effective forces as possible."
A fierce look flashed across Guo Dajing's face, and he said in a deep voice: "Quickness is very important. After entering the Shenyang area, do not attack the towns, avoid the strong ones, and attack the weak..."
Liu Xingzuo and the three looked at each other with strange expressions. Liu Xingzuo asked tentatively: "Guo Shuai, do you mean to bully the weak and fear the strong?"
"It can be understood this way." Guo Dajing showed a treacherous evil smile and said: "After you arrive at Benxi, send a regiment to attack Shenyang Yang, but there is no need to go deep. The main force will go straight to Fushun and rush into the rear of Jianlu."
Guo Dajing leaned back in his chair and said, "Do you understand now? Your mission is to burn, kill and destroy, making it difficult for the captives to escape north safely."
Jianlu occupied Liaoshen, Liaoyang was the defense line of Shenyang, and Shenyang was the barrier of Fushun, Tieling, Liaohaiwei, and Anlezhou in the rear.
In Jianlu's calculation, if Liaoyang is not defeated, Shenyang will have no worries; if Shenyang is present, there is still a lot of room for maneuver in the rear.
But Guo Dajing wanted to do the opposite. Before Liaoyang was captured, he marched into Shenyang. Before his troops reached Shenyang, there was already chaos in the rear.
Liu Xingzuo gently lowered his head and said: "This is beyond Jianlu's expectation. It will definitely be a big chaos."
"The general feels that time is of the essence, and logistical support is also extremely important for long-distance attacks and deep enemy lines." Fan Hualong said more cautiously: "I wonder how Commander Guo arranged it?"
Guo Dajing smiled faintly and said: "Now, excluding battle losses, the three major flying cavalry regiments have a total of more than 24,000 cavalry. I will draw all the lances and cavalry from each coordination and give you a total of 30,000 cavalry."
"In addition, add 5,000 war horses to carry grain and ammunition supplies. If there are still shortages, we can only rely on you to obtain them on the spot in enemy-occupied areas."
These are almost all the war horses in the Dongjiang Army, and the pack horses used for transportation are certainly not among them. This shows Guo Dajing's determination and courage in this battle.
"Then there will be no problem." Liu Qishi said in a rough voice: "The rear of Jianlu is empty, and the front is facing the threat of the main force, so it is impossible to mobilize too many troops. Unless they abandon Shenyang and all return to fight."
Liu Xingzuo glanced at Liu Qishi and said: "You still don't understand what Commander Guo means. It's not that our army has a decisive battle with Jianlu. The main thing is to destroy, burn and kill. Of course, if it is advantageous, we must also annihilate the enemy."
Fan Hualong said: "In this way, the main force's numerical advantage will be reduced, and we may face several tough battles."
"As long as you fight well, there won't be much pressure on the main force." Guo Dajing waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "You have strong mobility, and the main force has strong firepower. Each has its own strengths."
When Jianlu fought with the infantry of the Dongjiang Army, considerable casualties and confusion were caused by long-range artillery.
Guo Dajing also saw this advantage and dared to let the three major flying cavalry groups act independently without worrying about the safety of the main force.
In fact, after being mixed together, the flying cavalry is not weak in terms of firepower. It carries a large number of rockets and is assisted by lancers, so it has considerable combat effectiveness both on horseback and on foot.
"One flying cavalry regiment moved to Benxi first, and the other followed closely behind, giving Jianlu the illusion that our army was attacking Shenyang from the east." Guo Dajing began to lay out specific actions, and this was the detailed one.
"When the main force crosses the Taizi River and advances north, you will move diagonally into Fushun at a fast speed so that the Jianlu have no time to react. At the same time, I will send infantry to Benxi to continue to confuse the Jianlu and ensure your retreat.
"
Liu Xingzuo smiled and said: "The general is not worried about his retreat. It is better to concentrate his troops and push straight to Shenyang after crossing the river."
Since we are deep behind enemy lines, it is unlikely to return along the original route.
Liu Xingzuo also thought clearly that as long as the main force advanced fast enough, Jianlu was surrounded by enemies from both sides and could not concentrate too many troops to deal with them.
"Containment of the east and west routes is still necessary." Guo Dajing insisted, and the troops stationed in Benxi were also to prevent Jianlu from jumping over the wall and invading Liaodong.
The plan was decided, and they discussed it for a while, taking every detail into consideration before going back to step up preparations.
As plans for follow-up actions continued, the attack on Liaoyang City did not stop.
Dozens of Hongyi cannons were in the south of the city, taking turns bombarding the city wall. Within half a day, a small gap had been opened in the city wall.
Hauge and other slave chiefs were always in a state of tension. Listening to the constant reports of the situation, they were already certain in their hearts that the enemy's main attack direction was to the south of the city.
"A city wall dozens of steps wide was demolished, and the artillery fire was so fierce that there was no way for soldiers to be stationed on it. But the city wall was thick enough. If the enemy wanted to blast it open, it would probably take several days."
Gong Adai still had some experience and said: "Liaoyang City is not an Anshan Fortress. As long as the enemy cannot bombard it day and night, our army will have time to repair and strengthen it."
Hauge nodded, got some comfort, and said slowly: "We can't take it lightly. Isn't there a way to dig into the wall and explode? I wonder if the enemy has used it?"
"This?" Gong Adai actually didn't know the principle of tunnel blasting very well, and he couldn't tell whether the enemy was already preparing. He could only smile bitterly and said: "I don't know, I don't know."
Ta Zhan blinked and said: "You just said that Liaoyang is not Anshan Fort, and the enemy's tactics may not be applicable to Liaoyang City."
Gong Adai didn't dare to be sure or deny it. He blinked and said vaguely: "Maybe that's what happened. The walls of Anshan Fort were not high and not too thick, so they were blown down by the enemy in one fell swoop."
Hauge felt more at ease, and even smiled and said: "It's just that the cannons don't stop, and it's so noisy that people can't sleep well."
In fact, Hauge was shocked by the power of the Hongyi cannon when he witnessed it with his own eyes.
In his opinion, if the enemy had more Hongyi artillery, any city could be exploded under fierce bombardment.
Compared with Hongyi cannons, the old cannons on the city are simply decorations. Not only were several of them destroyed, they will probably not be of much use in the future.
If Daijin also had such powerful artillery, how could Ningyuan and Jinzhou be invincible? How could they be passively beaten in the battle with the Dongjiang Army?
"All the Dongjiang Army's men and horses are under Liaoyang City. They eat and chew horses every day. Coupled with the consumption of ammunition, the logistical pressure can be imagined."
Ta Zhan is relatively confident among the slave chiefs. He may be ignorant because he has never experienced the defeat of Anshan Fort. He may also be comforting General Hauge, "The slaves thought that they would not be able to sustain it in less than a month."
Hauge slightly chinned his head and said: "There are almost hundreds of thousands of people, and the consumption of food and supplies is indeed quite huge. It will not be easy to hold on for more than a month."
Gong Adai said: "It is not that easy for the enemy to break through the fortified city. Our army fought with all its strength and united as one, but this was the enemy's mistake."
Encircling three towers and one tower is an essential part of the art of war, and it is also a tactic commonly used by Jianlu soldiers. It is to give the enemy a chance of survival and prevent them from fighting to the death.
In the view of the slave chiefs, it was a mistake of the Dongjiang Army to repel Azig and surround the city on all sides.
Haug secretly sighed in his heart. The enemy's mistake was the fate of him and the defenders. If possible, he hoped to have a way out.
Boom, boom, boom... Continuous loud noises erupted again, the ground was shaking, and another round of shelling began again.
From the artillery position in the south of the city, white smoke rose in bursts. The artillerymen were busy loading, igniting, and smashing the shells against the distant city wall.
Brick dust was flying everywhere at the city wall, and dust was flying. Broken bricks, rocks, and dirt were also piled up under the city wall. But opening a gap in the tall and heavy city wall was obviously not something that could be completed in a short time.
"If there are hundreds of artillery pieces, it will be enough to break the city in two or three days." Cui Xiaoyi and several North Korean generals came to observe. They were shocked by the power of the artillery, but they also came to a more accurate conclusion.
Cui Xiaoyi touched the beard on his face and said slowly: "It is impossible that the Dongjiang Army does not have so many Hongyi cannons, but not many cannons are transported to the front line. Obviously, they have other techniques to destroy the city. Or, there are still some in the rear.
It will keep coming.”
"No matter how many days, Liaoyang City cannot be defended." Jin Zhongguo smiled and said: "What Mr. Cui said is absolutely true. The Dongjiang Army does have more powerful techniques to destroy the city. The current bombardment is just to confuse Jian.
Just a prisoner."
Jin Zhongguo spent a lot of time in the Dongjiang Army. He not only participated in the Dongjiang Army's operations to aid Korea, but also learned the art of artillery in the Dongjiang Army. He also served as an officer for a while and had a deep understanding of the Dongjiang Army.
Although there were very few battle cases in which the Dongjiang Army used tunnel blasting, Jin Zhongguo happened to participate in it once and was extremely impressed.
Cui Xiaoyi thought thoughtfully and said: "I remember that when Ding Mao was in chaos, Guo Shuai, as a small flag officer, made great achievements in the attack on Longchuan. I heard that gunpowder was used to bombard the city. Could it be used again this time?"
Jin Zhongguo said: "It's not exactly the same, but the principle should be similar. Mr. Cui can ask Guo Shuai to allow us to watch when the city is broken. Seeing it with our own eyes is the most real and shocking."
Cui Xiaoyi felt itchy, pondered for a moment, and nodded in agreement.
As a guest army and also a friendly army, Guo Dajing was relatively polite to the Korean rebels. This kind of eye-opening and insightful request should be agreed to.
"The establishment of captives and rebellion has brought disaster to our country. It has been more than ten years, and it is finally coming to an end." Jin Nianliang said with emotion: "Liaodong has been pacified, and our soldiers and civilians can also enjoy peace."
】
Cui Xiaoyi sighed secretly and disagreed with this optimistic conclusion. He was in a high position and knew more about the situation in the Korean court.
Shen Qiyuan has an increasing tendency to discard the old and establish the new, and actively recruits middle- and lower-level officers. Lin Qingye and Cui Xiaoyi are the key figures he is optimistic about.
Moreover, Shen Qiyuan, as a pro-Ming faction, was very satisfied with Mao Wenlong in his attitude towards the Jianlu. He also sent his son to the Ming Dynasty to serve as an official, which was even more of a talisman.
"I wonder what attitude Guo Shuai will take once North Korea is in political chaos?" Cui Xiaoyi was worried that the Dongjiang Army would intervene. In this case, the nature would change.