On the edge of the river, fat sheep dripping with fat were being barbecued over firewood. The strong aroma of barbecue spreads for miles!
Liu Ruyi gained a lot from this attack on the Mongolian tribe. There were no less than 10,000 cattle and sheep, and there were five to six thousand Mongolian war horses!
With this, the mobility of Liu Ruyi's soldiers will be greatly enhanced!
As for the cattle and sheep, Liu Ruyi was even more unceremonious, slaughtering them all, eating all that could be eaten, and taking away all that could be taken away. Those that could not be taken away, along with the corpses of the Mongolians, were cheap.
A group of hungry prairie wolves!
After two days of rest by the river, with wine and meat, the soldiers' physical strength was restored and strengthened!
The sentinels under Jiu Ming Lao Mao have dispersed in all directions, while Liu Ruyi is standing still, quietly waiting for the news!
The grassland was desolate. Even though Liu Ruyi came from a later generation, he still couldn't tell which way to go was the safest!
Therefore, intelligence work is particularly important!
However, Liu Ruyi is not idle here!
With so many war horses, of course Liu Ruyi would not waste them, so he strictly ordered the soldiers in the Caishi Army under his command who could not ride horses to learn how to ride!
The formation of cavalry requires a long-term process. However, Liu Ruyi is not turning all the Caishi Army soldiers into cavalry, but just a tool to rush on the road!
After all, these war horses are definitely good things. You can ride them on weekdays, and if the critical moment comes, you can even kill them for meat!
Although this is a bit luxurious, in order to achieve his goal and save his life, how can Liu Ruyi care about other things?
~~~~~
The night breeze was cool and the charcoal fire was blowing brightly. Liu Ruyi cut off a leg of lamb and tasted it gently!
This is the most original grassland flavor, without adding any seasonings, just a hint of salt!
The rich aroma of mutton in the mouth, coupled with the faint smell of grassland cordyceps, made Liu Ruyi a little intoxicated!
Wang Pu's life these days also made him give up his son-in-law attitude. He cut off another leg of mutton with one knife and began to eat it. His mouth was full of oil, and he said vaguely: "Brother Liu, let's
I’ve been here for two days! The brothers are almost done, so it’s time for us to move somewhere!”
Wang Pu glanced at Liu Ruyi and suddenly smiled, "Brother Liu, I heard that Yancheng is a good place! There are many houses of Mongolian dignitaries! Hehe, if we go somewhere..."
Liu Ruyi couldn't help but smile, Wang Pu still hasn't forgotten the Mongolian women!
However, that’s fine. If he has a dream and a goal, he will be more motivated for the next action!
"Haha! Brother Wang, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry! Don't worry, I will give you a big gift when the time comes!" Liu Ruyi smiled and patted Wang Pu on the shoulder, turned around and walked to the river!
It is now mid-August, and about seven or eight days have passed since Hong Chengchou returned to Songshan City!
Historically, the reason why the Qing army besieged Songshan City instead of attacking it was more of a psychological tactic. It was hoped that the Ming army would continue to increase its troops to Liaodong and strive to capture all the elite Ming army!
However, in this battle of Songjin, this is already the last elite of the Ming army. If these more than 100,000 troops are destroyed, there will no longer be an army left to fight in the entire Ming Dynasty!
What Liu Ruyi is most worried about is whether Huang Taiji will change his strategy and besiege Songshan City due to his own escape this time...
Liu Ruyi rubbed her temples tiredly. The initiative was being taken into the hands of others. This feeling was really uncomfortable!
Now, we must speed up!
"Huo Lang, bring me the map!" Liu Ruyi greeted Huo Lang on the side.
Huo Lang had already eaten and was lost in thought by the river. When he heard Liu Ruyi's greeting, he quickly took out the map and placed it on the grass at Liu Ruyi's feet!
This is a very simple map, and the accuracy is not estimated to be too high. It only roughly marks the locations of several key cities, rivers, mountains and deserts!
At this time, Liu Ruyi's headquarters was about three to four hundred miles southeast of Erenhot. Liu Ruyi couldn't even name such a corner!
However, not far from here to the north, there will be an endless desert area!
If you want to enter the Horqin Grassland, walking east from Erenhot will be the smoothest way!
However, history has changed, and Liu Ruyi is not sure how long Hong Chengchou can last!
If it is too late, even if Liu Ruyi captures Shengjing City and Hong Chengchou has already been wiped out, it will be of no use!
On the contrary, Liu Ruyi's main force will surely be surrounded by the Manchus!
That would be an unbearable burden for Liu Ruyi!
However, now that Liu Ruyi's troops have penetrated deep into the grassland, even Liu Meng and others can no longer get in touch with the main force of the Ming army!
Everything can only rely on Liu Ruyi's judgment!
Seeing Liu Ruyi's frown, Huo Lang said, "Brother, are you worried about the marching route?"
Liu Ruyi was stunned, glanced at Huo Lang and said, "Huo Lang, what do you think?"
Although Huo Lang is taciturn, following Liu Ruyi over the years, he has experienced hundreds of battles. Coupled with his natural sensitivity as a hunter, his sense of smell is much sharper than ordinary people!
Many times, if placed in the same position, Liu Ruyi admitted that he might not be able to do better than Huo Lang!
"Brother, according to our strategy, I think the most important thing is the speed of soldiers! Unfortunately, this grassland is unfathomable. We don't understand the terrain here very well! We have to look for the water source, step by step, to find it.
The Mongolian tribes are advancing! But if this continues, I'm afraid, we will be delayed for a long time!" After Huo Lang finished speaking, he glanced at Liu Ruyi worriedly.
"Go on!" Liu Ruyi did not expect that Huo Lang would also see clearly the weakness of the Caishi Army and Datong Army's raid, and said hurriedly.
"Brother, in my opinion, even if the road ahead is bumpy, we have to speed up! Now, we have so many supplies, at least, they can supply the brothers for a month! So, I think, we are
No, can we pass through here and reach Horqin Grassland!" Huolang pointed his finger, and it turned out to be the direction of a piece of yellow sand!
Liu Ruyi couldn't help but gasped, "March in the desert?"
Huo Lang nodded, "Yes, it's the desert! As long as we can cross this desert, we will be able to approach the Horqin Grassland as soon as possible! I have heard from my elder brother for a long time that the Horqin Grassland is rich in products and has fat cattle and sheep. As long as we
If you can persist there! Presumably, food and salary won’t be a problem!”
Liu Ruyi nodded silently!
It’s not like Liu Ruyi has never thought about crossing from the desert!
It's just that no one has ever been able to conquer the most terrifying terrain in the world, whether it's the Ming Dynasty or the era of highly developed science and technology in later generations!
Liu Ruyi couldn't tell where this desert would be in future generations!
After all, this kind of mobile desert can change from one day to another every month. No one can predict it!
If the army enters here and encounters a sandstorm, then even the Da Luo Immortal may not be able to get out!
Huo Lang saw Liu Ruyi's doubts and explained: "Brother, although the desert is dangerous! But it also has several advantages! First, we will definitely not encounter Mongolian herders or Mongolian herders when we take this road.
Qing army sentry! Furthermore, this will greatly reduce our marching distance! The most important thing is, brother, now that we have so many horses, I think we can try it!"
Liu Ruyi's thoughts were spinning rapidly!
If we go to Erenhot according to the original plan, then at least the army will have to walk on the grassland for more than a month!
For more than a month, this might be nothing on a normal day!
But the most important thing at the moment is that Liu Ruyi is really unsure. Will Huang Taiji make a desperate move? Can Hong Chengchou, Wu Sangui and others withstand the Qing army's surprise attack?
Jinzhou is lost, but there may be a possibility of recovery!
But if Songshan City were to fall, it would be a disaster for Ming Dynasty and Liu Ruyi!
But if he were to approach the desert because of this, Liu Ruyi really didn’t have the slightest confidence!
The so-called 'man can conquer nature', but it also depends on time and place. For that unknown area, Liu Ruyi really didn't dare to try it!
"Brother, actually, we still have a way! However, we have thought too much and have forgotten this way!" Huo Lang suddenly said again.
Liu Ruyi's expression changed and she hurriedly said: "Huo Lang, keep talking!"
Huolang nodded, "Brother, actually, we can walk along this desert! Although it's not as good as going straight through the desert, it's faster and closer! But it's much faster than walking through Yancheng! At the moment, we have
There are so many horses, and the morale of our brothers is high, even if we encounter some Mongolian tribes that don't open their eyes, we can still..."
Huolang made a fierce motion of wiping his neck!
Liu Ruyi pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
This method is feasible!
As long as we can cross this desert, find the source of the Liao River, and follow the river, we should be able to approach Shenyang City as quickly as possible!
But this time, we will inevitably encounter the Qing army's garrison points and guards, and a fierce battle is almost inevitable!
But in everything, there are advantages and disadvantages, and even if there are disadvantages, there are also advantages!
Just wait and see what choice the general will make!
These days on the grassland are just like drinking blood from raw materials. Not to mention the soldiers, Liu Ruyi may not be able to hold on anymore!
If he stays here for a few more months, Liu Ruyi doesn't know how much combat power his soldiers will be able to exert by then!
"Huo Lang, go! Invite General Wang!" Liu Ruyi rubbed her temples tiredly.
"Yes!" Huo Lang nodded and hurriedly called over Wang Pu, who was eating and drinking with the soldiers.
~~~
"Brother Liu, what do you want from me?" Wang Pu was already a little drunk, and his cheeks were a little red!
"Brother Wang, I want to change the marching route. I wonder, do you think it's okay?" Liu Ruyi said, and told Wang Pu the route discussed with Huo Lang.
After Wang Pu heard this, he was more than half drunk. He thought deeply for a long time and then said: "Brother Liu, what you said is indeed a good idea! These days, I have also thought about it, if we are too slow! It will be very slow."
Maybe, we won’t be able to save the fire on Hongdu’s side, and in that case, we will be burned! This way, I think, is feasible!”
Liu Ruyi nodded, "In this case, let's take this dangerous move! Someone come, tell the brothers to rest for an hour, and after an hour, the army will set off!"