After deciding to march westward to prevent the return of the Manchu and Qing leaders, Lou Fu began intense preparations.
This battle is completely different from the past.
Because the National Defense Forces came to a very unfamiliar area.
Being unfamiliar means that it is impossible to cover everything, and there may be some omissions.
But time was tight, so he had no choice but to do it.
In addition to the existing information in hand, it is to interrogate prisoners and local people to obtain intelligence.
"Local people say that in addition to the Xilamulun River, there are actually small roads leading to Liaodong in the mountains beyond the Great Wall. However, the previous few times the Qing troops entered the pass, they always took the Xilamulun River.
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During the pre-war preparations, Qi Jiaxuan, Chief of Staff of the Fourth Division, was the busiest person. All intelligence needed to be screened and judged by him, and there must not be a single mistake.
"So that means these small roads have nothing to do with the overall situation?"
They are all veterans, and you will understand what is going on as soon as you hear it.
The movement of the army is completely different from the travel of ordinary people.
Most people brought their families with them, and the number was limited. As long as there was a road, they could go.
But with an army of tens of thousands, plus weapons, baggage, vehicles, cattle and horses, the road conditions are very challenging.
Therefore, when the Qing army entered the pass to plunder, they always took the Xilamulun River in the north.
After all, it was a plain, with the Xilamulun River providing drinking water, grasslands providing fodder for cattle and horses, and the roads being wide and flat enough.
Lou Fu was undecided.
"If Dorgon takes the risk and rushes out of the mountains, we will be in trouble."
This is war.
In order to win, both sides must do whatever they can to win. As long as they can win, Lou Fu believes that Dorgon will definitely do it.
However, he only has one main division at hand, and it is difficult to cover such a vast area.
Xie Qian, the military and political officer of the Fourth Division, was very ruthless.
"There are still security guards. We can mobilize them as much as possible."
Lou Fu couldn't bear it.
"Those are all new recruits..."
Lu Zhiqian agreed with his partner's opinion.
"Back then, at Qingshui Yueming Pass, who among us was not a new soldier? If you are a soldier, you have to go to the battlefield and fight for the country."
This exhortation made Lou Fu a little moved.
Qi Jiaxuan added.
"These security divisions can be used to guard the trails in the mountains. Even if Dorgon plans to launch a surprise attack from here, the number of troops that may go there must be limited. No matter how bad the security divisions are, there are still more than 10,000 people. There should be no problem in using the terrain to carry out blocking operations.
.”
Lou Fu heard something.
"Do you think the Manchu and Qing troops will take the Xilamulun River?"
Qi Jiaxuan nodded heavily.
"There are so many women and children, as well as the old, weak, sick and disabled, plus rich property, not walking along the Xilamulun River is just asking for death. Besides, Dorgon must have thought that we would be on guard, and he would definitely attack Horqin
After you rest, you can plan to fight us again."
Lou Fu was completely determined.
"Well, send an order to Huludao. The newly landed Public Security Division 67, 68, and 69 will be stationed at Laoha River, Yizhou Guard, and Dajingbao respectively. After the Third Cavalry Division lands, order them to come over quickly for reinforcements."
He didn't know how vast the land was until he reached Liaodong. At this time, Lou Fu deeply realized the discomfort of not having cavalry.
Although the Fourth Division had strong soldiers and horses, it also had the upper hand against Dorgon. But in such a vast area, if the Qing army detoured, he would only be blind.
The only solution for now is to reuse cavalry.
Fortunately, when the plan was first formulated, the headquarters considered that Liaodong was the stage for the cavalry, and therefore assigned the newly established 3rd Cavalry Division on Jeju Island to the Liaodong strategic cluster.
After crossing the Yalu River on the Korean Peninsula, there are also high mountains and ridges, and the cavalry is not very useful. Therefore, Bai Xiaoqi was upright and gave the third cavalry division to Lou Fu.
Bai Xiaoqi planned to use the Fourth Cavalry Division to gallop across the Liaohe Plain after breaking out of Fushun Pass.
The empire attaches great importance to the construction of cavalry, and now there are as many as ten large-scale horse farms.
Each place can raise more than 200,000 war horses, which greatly helps the expansion of the cavalry.
The 1st Cavalry Division and the 2nd Cavalry Division have been put into battle in the North China Plain, and have achieved great results. Many people immediately realized that fighting in the north is really impossible without cavalry.
Lou Fu did not wait for the cavalry to arrive before taking action.
After he led his troops to the Xilamulun River, he immediately launched an attack on Horqin's left rear banner.
After Huang Taiji became emperor, he divided Horqin into left and right wings. He also established three banners, the front, middle and rear, in the left and right wings respectively.
There is only one purpose, which is to disintegrate and prevent Horqin from becoming bigger.
The current flag owner of the Horqin Left Back Banner is Zhang Jilun, son of Dong Guoer. He and Wu Keshan are cousins, but they have become their own line.
When the Manchus entered the customs, Wu Keshan and others followed him to eat meat, while Zhang Jilun was ordered to stay behind.
As a result, due to its location, it was the first to be attacked by the National Defense Forces.
The strength of the Left Wing Rear Banner was mediocre to begin with, and it had no power to resist when facing the National Defense Forces.
Although the Mongolians on horseback showed great riding skills, it was all in vain if they could not get close to the infantry phalanx of the National Defense Forces.
They gathered in a place they thought was safe, but were hit by heavy artillery from the Fourth Division and suffered heavy casualties.
After a moderately fierce battle, Zhang Jilen could only lead his tribe to retreat westward with tears in his eyes.
The Mongols have been roaming the grasslands for hundreds of years, and now the Han people are back.
The last Han Chinese to show off his power here was Zhu Di.
It's a pity that the Yongle Emperor only knew how to fight without thinking, and left after winning, but still left the land to the Mongols.
Now that the Empire is here, everything will be different.
The Fourth Division was stationed along both sides of the Xilamulun River, quietly waiting for the Manchus to return after traveling thousands of miles.
"The guilty minister came to see the King of Wuwei. The guilty minister and his son did not know the fate of the day and committed themselves to the Tartars. Their loyalty has been betrayed. I sincerely ask the King of Wuwei to punish them."
Bai Xiaoqi pulled Prince Zhaoxian up and dusted him with his own hands.
"The loyalty of you and Lord Fenglin is well known to the whole world. What crime are you guilty of? It is a pity that Lord Fenglin did not miss the holidays and sacrificed his life for the people. It is really a pity."
Talking about Lord Fenglin, Crown Prince Zhaoxian burst into tears.
He originally thought that Lord Bonglim was active in Mount Kumgang after withdrawing from Pyongyang. However, after contacting Wang Meicheng and others, he learned that Lord Bonglim had already died in the battle.
Fortunately, he inherited his younger brother's legacy and led the North Korean soldiers and civilians who had long been unable to bear it to complete the counterattack, allowing North Korea to return to the embrace of China.
Although he is the legal heir to the throne of Joseon, his years of wandering and precarious life have made Crown Prince Sohyeon no longer have any nostalgia for the throne of Joseon.
He saw clearly that in the face of today's world trend, the king of Korea was just a piece of fish on the chopping block of a great power, and his life and death were not up to him.
Rather than being oppressed by the Manchus and making life worse for the country and its people, it is better to return to the embrace of China and enjoy the happiness of being a human being.
Because of this, everyone in the empire respected this young prince very much.
"Your Majesty has given you thousands of instructions and wishes to see you as soon as possible."
Prince Zhaoxian felt the warmth and immediately said: "Then I will set off with Zhuojing immediately."