"Sir, if the Qing people leave without saying goodbye, I'm afraid something is fishy. I wonder what happened?"
Na Jinghuan was worried about the control of soldiers and horses in Jeolla Province. The only person he could count on was his superior, Li Shifang, the observation envoy of Jeolla Province.
However, like him, Li Shifang is also looking at things in the fog.
"Can there be news from the north?"
Luo Jinghuan shook his head helplessly.
"I sent several groups of messengers one after another, but they were all stopped halfway and were not allowed to approach the Chinese army."
Li Shifang closed his eyes and meditated, wanting to see through the strange current situation.
"Where are the two generals Turai and Nikan now?"
Luo Jinghuan was quite capable and immediately replied: "They are in Xian'an County."
Li Shifang suddenly opened his eyes, his mind racing rapidly.
"Haman County is south of the Nakdong River and is the only passage from Daegu to Busan. They went here...does the Qing want to withdraw their troops?"
After all, Li Shifang was one of the few people in North Korea who could fight. Without the support of any intelligence, Li Shifang was able to see through the Qing army's intentions in one fell swoop.
Luo Jinghuan was really shocked.
"It should...it shouldn't be possible? Busan is right in front of us, and we can break it with just a little more force. The Qing people have absolutely no reason to retreat."
Li Shifang did not take any chances.
"There must have been changes that we don't know about."
Luo Jinghuan has great trust in Li Shifang.
"Then what should we do?"
Guessing that the Qing army was retreating, Li Shifang felt fear in his heart.
He had personally experienced the combat power of the Qing army.
Although it seems now that it is slightly inferior to the Xia Army on the opposite side, it is definitely the most powerful army in the world.
Being able to allow the Qing army to abandon the attack on Busan and retreat despite its huge advantage, it was obvious that something dangerous was happening.
However, they are trapped here and cannot get any information, so they can only make guesses out of thin air.
Li Shifang didn't think for long and made a decision quickly.
"Immediately send an order for the whole army to retreat!"
This order was so sudden that all the generals were surprised.
"Sir, if you retreat without permission from the general, I'm afraid the Qing people will blame you."
Li Shifang's face was cold and his attitude was firm.
"The Qing people must have bad intentions in keeping us here. If we don't leave now, you and I will both die here."
Everyone realized one after another that they were treated as cannon fodder by the Qing army.
Although there is no movement from the Xia army on the other side of the Nakdong River now, but since the Qing army has fled, will the Xia army's attack be far away?
Without the support of the Qing army, they would never be able to stop the Xia army with their crooked melons and cracked jujubes.
But even if they want to retreat, they don't have many options.
"Sir, are we going to go north and join forces in the middle?"
Everyone's idea is that since they are afraid of Xia Jun's attack, they should simply run over and meet the main force in the middle. In this way, they can rely on the protection of the main force to sit back and relax.
But Li Shifang didn’t see it that way.
"We retreated without orders and joined forces with the middle road. We will be punished. Then all the blame will fall on us, so why bother?"
Hearing what Li Shifang wanted to do, he actually wanted to run away alone. Everyone was frightened, but also felt that this was the right thing to do.
"I will leave today, following Changwon, Goseong, and Sacheon, bypassing Jirisan Mountain, and returning to Jeolla Province."
As soon as this plan was announced, all the generals agreed and became enthusiastic.
This is the brilliance of Li Shifang.
The battle on the Nakdong River had been fought for nearly two months, and despite the heavy casualties, no progress had been made. He had already keenly felt that the soldiers under his command were feeling war-weary.
These soldiers are all from Jeolla Province and must miss their hometown very much.
If we do not retreat to Jeolla Province at this time, but head north, the morale and morale of the army may collapse immediately.
Only when they return home will these soldiers follow them faithfully, allowing the entire army to maintain its combat effectiveness.
Since there was no objection from top to bottom, Li Shifang began to retreat that day.
His quick reaction allowed the fourth division to miss.
After learning that the Qing coalition forces were going to flee, Bai Xiaoqi set his sights on Li Shifang's path.
This road is full of North Korean troops, which are not strong in combat power and are far away from other roads. A fight can quickly resolve the battle.
Bai Xiaoqi's plan is to cross the Nakdong River from here, and then outflank it to the north, leaving as many enemies as possible to reduce the pressure on the northern line.
For this reason, he specifically ordered the troops on the front line not to act rashly in order to confuse the enemy.
At the same time, he sent a partial division to sail around the Nakdong River estuary on navy warships, intending to land in Changwon and completely surround the North Korean troops along the way.
He is fast, and Li Shifang moves even faster.
When the outflanking troops just arrived in Changwon, they happened to see the tail of the North Korean army.
"These bastards are not very good at fighting, but they are unparalleled at running away."
Bai Xiaoqi was so angry that he almost went crazy.
The battle of the Fourth Division did not go smoothly from the beginning, which also seriously affected the prestige of Commander Bai.
When I see Huang Sanhu in the future, how might I be ridiculed?
"As a general, you should not be angry and raise troops. You should stay calm at all times. What did His Highness teach you? Have you forgotten everything?"
Liu Yiyuan's scolding made Bai Xiaoqi wake up quickly.
Li Shifang has already run away anyway, so there is no use in being upset at this moment. The only solution for now is to make up for it.
"Chief of the General Staff, I plan to concentrate the main force and march at full speed to catch up with the enemy in Daegu. No matter what, I have to take a hard bite."
But this plan was rejected by Liu Yiyuan.
"Look at the road to Daegu. There are too many places to set up ambushes in the surrounding terrain. The enemy has 200,000 troops. If they turn back and set up an ambush, your fourth division will suffer heavy losses. Even Busan
Can’t keep it?”
"Then just watch the Qing army run away?"
Liu Yiyuan shook his head, pointed at the map and said: "The retreat route of the Qing Dynasty coalition forces is too long. They have too many troops and horses to run too fast. This time we have to fight but not fight, and play the word 'drag'"
Secret."
Bai Xiaoqi scratched his head, completely confused.
"If we really pursue and fight fiercely, if this group of enemies becomes ruthless and sets up their positions, we will suffer enough. Without the existing defense system, we will not gain much advantage. The best way is not to follow at all.
They fight, hanging from behind, and giving him a blow from time to time. With so many troops immersed in their journey, and if there are pursuers behind them, sooner or later there will be trouble."
Liu Yiyuan's explanation made Bai Xiaoqi smile.
"I understand. In today's world, when it comes to marching, we are the best in the world. In this case, there is no need to force it. I don't believe it. After running for hundreds of miles, so many people will not fall apart?"