One of the great benefits of capturing Hanyang is that the previously interrupted intelligence network has been restored.
The movements of the Qing allied forces were finally made clear.
"Intelligence shows that Huang Taiji, Li Zhu and others have arrived at Saliwon. As expected, they plan to go to Pyongyang. Can we pursue them?"
Tang Wenhuan is gearing up and obviously wants to start a big one.
Zuo Mengeng looked at the map and immediately rejected his idea.
"Although there are not many troops around Huang Taiji and Li Zhu, intelligence shows that the Zhenglan Banner originally stationed on the Yalu River is already moving towards Pyongyang. Unless the entire 1st Marine Division moves north, there will be no advantage."
Can the 1st Marine Division go north?
Obviously not.
Just controlling the area near Hanyang has already spread the strength of the 1st Marine Division to the extreme. It is definitely a taboo for military strategists to divide the troops again at this time.
Zuo Yong also doesn't approve of taking risks.
"Tan Tai led 10,000 Qing troops and 15,000 Korean troops to Chunchuan and stayed here, building fortifications day and night, obviously intending to defend to the death."
Gu Erzhong saw through the Qing army's plan at a glance.
"Tan Tai is trying to cover the return of the 200,000 troops from the southern front to the north. He is prepared to fight to the death and not retreat."
Zuo Mengeng looked at Chang Ying and asked, "Where are the Qing coalition forces on the southern front?"
As the chief of staff, Chang Ying's ability to organize information was outstanding and he gave an answer immediately.
"The forwards of the Qing coalition forces have just arrived in Mungyeong, and they have two directions to march. One is to Chungju, and the other is to Danyang. According to my speculation, they are more likely to go to Danyang."
Chungju is the capital of Chungcheong Province, located closer to the west coast.
With the First Marine Division occupying the Hanyang area, the Qing coalition forces had to worry about being intercepted halfway by the First Marine Division if they took this route.
Therefore, it seems safer to take Danyang on the east route and go straight to Gangwon Province.
Zuo Mengeng drew some signs on the map and felt a little more at ease.
"Let them walk slowly. When they reach Chunchuan, they will lose a layer of skin even if they die."
The ice and snow melted in spring, coupled with the continuous spring rain, causing the roads to be very muddy. Flash floods even broke out in many places, and the roads were washed away.
This seriously affected the speed of the Qing coalition's retreat.
Of course, the Fourth Division chasing behind was not much better.
The 16th Regiment of the 4th Division had just arrived at the outskirts of Daegu and had a firefight with the rear troops of the Qing coalition forces.
It will take at least four to five days to capture Daegu and open the passage to the north.
It can be said that in this bad season, both sides are wallowing in the quagmire, fighting each other in an awkward manner.
The only thing that can compete is who is better organized, who has stronger endurance, and who will be the final winner.
"Tell the Second Marine Regiment not to go north again until Yeoncheon is captured. Consolidate the defense line on the spot and leave the defensive forces behind, and the main force will rush back to join them immediately."
Zuo Menggeng proposed the end point of the advance for the Second Marine Regiment, which was attacking the Paju area.
That is, we will stop pursuing northward until we reach Yeoncheon.
In the process of returning from Yeoncheon, the Second Marine Regiment can also regain Dongducheon, Pocheon, Yangju and Uijeongbu. In this way, the north of Hanyang will have a security depth of almost more than a hundred miles.
"Let the 1st Marine Regiment capture Suwon and Yongin, leave enough troops behind, and then return with the main force."
Suwon and Yongin are the gateways to Hanyang from the south. By guarding these two places, Hanyang will have no threat from the south.
Because Gimpo, Goyang, and Incheon to the west are all in the hands of Xia Jun, the only direction that needs to be worried is the east.
Obviously, Zuo Menggeng planned to concentrate his forces to attack Chunchuan, destroy the Qing coalition's hope of escape, and completely annihilate the 200,000 troops still on the southern front.
But Zuo Yong didn't quite agree with his idea.
"It is barely possible to attack Chunchuan with the First Marine Division alone. We also have to guard against enemy reinforcements from the south and north. It is too difficult. If we don't do it right, we may be surrounded by the enemy."
Even though Tan Tai's troops were far inferior to the 1st Marine Division, the terrain in Chunchuan was very dangerous. If the 1st Marine Division was the attacker, it would be a headache.
Not to mention that Chuncheon is too far from Hanyang and can easily be cut off.
No one can guarantee when the 200,000 troops on the southern front will be able to come back.
In the event that these 200,000 troops go into battle, the First Marine Division will face several times the number of enemies alone in the wild, and the situation will be very dangerous.
Apparently Zuo Yong had given up hope and felt that the Fourth Division could catch up with the Qing coalition forces on the southern front.
If it were a war, there was no doubt about the strength of the Fourth Division. But both sides were marching, and Dorgon and Haug would keep leaving small forces to block the attack, which seriously slowed down the Fourth Division.
Once the Fourth Division cannot hold back the Qing coalition forces on the southern front, the First Marine Division may fall into a lonely battle.
"Chief of Staff Liu has issued a proposal to dispatch the Fifth Division to North Korea to participate in the war. What do you think?"
The shortage of troops has now become the consensus of all commanders.
Zuo Hua did come up with an idea.
"If the Fifth Division joins the war, there is no need to transfer to the northern or southern front. We can attack Jeolla Province and Chungcheong Province alone to connect our northern and southern fronts."
The Xia army now controls Gyeonggi Province and Gyeongsang Province, but the Chungcheong Province and Jeolla Province in the middle are still in the hands of the Qing coalition forces.
In particular, the North Korean army led by Li Shifang broke away from the Qing Dynasty coalition forces and returned to Jeolla Province alone, which was always a threat.
Originally, the Fourth Division planned to detach a regiment to Jeolla Province after capturing Daegu.
However, after deducing the situation, the operational staff all believed that it was too late to recapture Jeolla Province with just one regiment.
Now that the Fifth Division is preparing to enter Korea, if it is placed in this direction, it can immediately make up for the lack of troops.
But Tang Wenhuan was a little unwilling to accept his proposal.
"If this is the case, it is very likely that the Qing coalition forces on the southern front will be let go."
Yes, there are two hundred thousand troops there, like a big meat dumpling.
Who here doesn’t want to take a bite?
But as a naval general, Zuo Hua obviously thought of more without the pressure of combat.
"I think it might be more beneficial for us to let go of these 200,000 troops."
The words were like thunder, making everyone present stunned.
"How come letting the enemy run away turned out to be a good thing?"
Facing Gu Erzhong's questions, Zuo Hua narrowed his eyes habitually, with a cunning light shining in his eyes.
"If we go all out and wipe out these 200,000 troops, the Manchu Qing side will definitely be in ruins and will die soon. In this case, we can't delay and can only speed up the attack on Liaodong. But there is nothing to regain Liaodong.
, we are afraid that the situation in North Korea will be stable and not achieve the results we want."