After Dorgon led his army to retreat to the main camp, the next day he ordered the entire army to retreat twenty miles and set up camp. This news immediately made Liu Yan overjoyed, and the Qing army retreated in large strides. This basically meant that the Qing army's siege of Jinan Fucheng had been broken up.
So Liu Yan immediately went to the city to meet with Lu Xiangsheng, and suggested that Lu Xiangsheng immediately report his victory to the court: the siege of Jinan has been lifted, and various ministries in Shandong are continuing to attack the Qing army.
At the same time, Liu Yan suggested that Lu Xiangsheng once again give orders to the Jimo Camp, Dengzhou Camp, and Wendeng Camp, and order the staff general of the third battalion to lead his troops to come immediately to participate in the next battle against the Qing army.
Lu Xiangsheng thought for a while and said: "The strength of the troops of the third battalion is worrying. Even if they come upon orders, they will not be of much help. On the contrary, they may be attacked by the Qing army, ruining the current good situation."
Liu Yan said: "Don't worry, Governor, now the slave bandits are suffering setbacks one after another, and the strategy of besieging Jinan has failed. The morale of the slave bandits is low, and the defeat is certain!"
"Letting the three generals lead the army is just to build momentum for our army, and at the same time tell Dorgon and other slave chiefs: Our Ming reinforcements are coming in a steady stream. In this way, I predict that the slave thieves will withdraw soon."
Lu Xiangsheng was silent for a while after hearing this, and then asked: "Liu Yan, can't you find a way to fight and hit the slave thieves hard?"
Liu Yan sighed in his heart. His new army had already suffered nearly 2,000 casualties. Only then had he achieved more than 9,000 beheadings. The actual casualties of the Qing army should be around 10,000.
But even so, the Qing army still had 80,000 to 90,000 troops. Although the new Lingshan Guard army was powerful, its shortcomings were obvious, that is, the troops were too small and could not withstand the consumption of high-intensity battles.
Naturally, Liu Yan was unwilling to waste the new Lingshan Guard army in a battle under Jinan City, so he said: "The governor understands his intention. Although the slave thieves were injured, their power is still there. Our army currently has more than enough defense but not enough offense. My subordinates also want to capture and kill the slave chieftain in front of him, but they are unable to do so and it is really unsustainable."
Lu Xiangsheng sighed, and then said: "In this case, the governor sent people to contact the three generals of Jimo Camp, Wendeng Camp, and Dengzhou Camp. In the past few days, the slave thieves should not attack, and it is just time for the new army soldiers to rest For a while.”
Soon, the time came to early June.
One hundred thousand Qing troops suffered successive setbacks in Jinan Fucheng, and the news spread like wildfire that 10,000 to 20,000 troops were lost. The Ming troops stationed nearby were deeply encouraged and eager to try. Some daring generals even led their troops directly to The Ming army appeared at the place where the Qing army was plundering and began to harass small groups of Qing soldiers.
At the same time, Zhang Youxun, the general of the Jimo camp, Lu Tingyan, the general of the Wendeng camp, and Han Xu, the general of the Dengzhou camp who were stranded in Qingzhou, were all shocked when they heard the news. The three gathered in the prefect's Yamen in Qingzhou City to discuss.
"This, this Liu Yan is too fierce, isn't he?"
Lu Tingyan said in disbelief, and Han Xu next to him also said: "Don't Liu Yan only have tens of thousands of new troops in his hands? Even if he adds the elites of Du Biao Camp and Fu Biao Camp, it will be difficult to compete with an army of 100,000 slaves and thieves. Ah, how did this happen?"
Seeing the incredible looks on their faces, Zhang Youxun couldn't help but feel proud. After all, Liu Yan, the conduct officer of Lingshan Guard, was his subordinate. He raised his head and said to the two of them: "This Liu Yan, the new army officers are strictly trained in Lingshan Guard. He was able to achieve such a great victory by training his troops wholeheartedly for the country, and my regular teachings to him are not in vain."
Lu Tingyan and Han Xu looked at each other, and both of them sneered in their hearts.
However, Lu Tingyan still asked: "General Zhang, what should we do? Governor Lu has sent someone again, asking us to immediately gather troops and go to Jinan Fucheng to join forces with the Governor's Biao Camp. There must be no delay!"
Zhang Youxun thought for a while and said: "Didn't you say that the slave bandit army has retreated for more than ten miles? I see that the slave bandit banners have suffered heavy losses, and this battle cannot be fought. Even if we go to Jinan Fucheng, there will be nothing Those who fight fiercely might as well obey orders and go north to avoid being punished by Governor Lu. What do you two think?"
Before Lu Tingyan could say anything, Han Xu slapped his thigh and said, "Okay! I think we can just go north to Jinan Fucheng. If we delay further, the army of slave thieves will return north and withdraw, and we won't be able to get any credit by then. It’s not worth the loss to gain more than to be blamed by Governor Lu.”
The three of them reached a consensus and began to assemble the three battalions of soldiers that day.
At this time, Jimo Camp, Wendeng Camp, and Dengzhou Camp did not have many troops. Jimo Camp had more than 4,000 troops, Wendeng Camp had more than 3,000 troops, and Dengzhou Camp had more than 8,000 troops. The total strength of the three military camps together was There are only more than 16,000 people.
However, these soldiers and horses were already the strongest force that the three of them could bring out. After a day of reorganization, the three battalions of soldiers set off from Qingzhou City and headed north. After four days of trekking, they arrived outside Jinan City.
Before the Jimo Camp, Wendeng Camp, and Dengzhou Camp arrived outside the city, several Ming armies from the surrounding areas had already arrived outside the city, ranging from hundreds of troops to thousands of soldiers. Together with the three battalions of soldiers, Jinan City was The number of Ming army officers and soldiers outside has reached more than 40,000.
Lu Xiangsheng and Yan Jizu stood on the top of the city, looking at the Ming army camps in the south, west and east of the city. They felt relieved.
Although the combat effectiveness of the Ming armies outside the city, except for the new Lingshan Guard Army led by Liu Yan, was very worrying, their strength was sufficient. Facing the Qing army with low morale and successive defeats, the Ming army with It is still possible to build a strong momentum behind Liu Yan's new army.
Yan Jizu was in a good mood at this time and said with a smile: "Haha, reinforcements from various ministries are arriving one after another, but the slave thieves no longer intercept the reinforcements, but just stay in the camp. It can be seen that the slave thieves are also a tough-looking person!"
Lu Xiangsheng said: "The situation is now very good. The slave thieves can no longer bear the losses under the attack of Liu Yan's troops, so after determining the direction of the next attack, they will not move out easily."
"Then with Governor Lu, can we gather our troops and take the initiative to attack once? Maybe we can achieve another great victory!"
Lu Xiangsheng looked at Yan Jizu who was eager to take action, shook his head and said: "The situation is good now, but the enemy and we are still evenly matched. Our army does not have the absolute advantage to take the initiative to attack, so we should not act rashly."
"well!"
Yan Jizu said with regret: "It would be great if our army had enough advantages in this battle to annihilate the army of slave thieves under Jinan City in one fell swoop!"
Lu Xiangsheng also felt very unhappy, but the reality was like this, and he had no choice but to accept his fate.
At nightfall that day, Liu Yan paid homage to Zhang Youxun, Lu Tingyan, and Han Xun, and several of them had a drink and chat with Lu Xiangsheng and Yan Jizu in the Governor's Mansion, and then rode out of the city and returned to the New Army camp outside the city. 33
At this time, the lights inside and outside the Lingshan Guard New Army camp were brightly lit, reflecting the torches on the city wall. Coupled with the surrounding camps of the Ming Army, the surrounding area of Jinan Fucheng was as bright as the city lights of later generations, giving Liu Yan a sense of It feels like a trance, as if I have returned to the prosperous future life.
Liu Yan turned over and dismounted, looked at the fire around him, filled with emotion in his heart, and then looked to the south.
Although the Qing army's camp was more than ten miles away from here, the camp with 70,000 to 80,000 troops was so huge. It was also full of torches and bonfires. It was extremely obvious in the dark night. Even though it was more than ten miles away, Liu Yan could see it. Dots of fire in the distance.
"Now Dorgon must have heard about the arrival of reinforcements from all walks of life."
Liu Yan raised the corner of his mouth and said secretly: "The morale of the army is low, the soldiers and horses of all banners are injured, Jinan City cannot be defeated, and the strength of the Ming army continues to increase. I have tried every means to create these advantages, and now I want to Let’s see what other cards you, Dorgon, can play!”
In the main tent of the Qing army, Dorgon sneezed without warning, then frowned and looked at Duduo, Dudu, and Yuetuo who were present.
Reinforcements from various departments of the Ming army arrived outside Jinan City one after another. Lu Xiangsheng and Liu Yan's troops continued to increase. Under this situation, the morale of the Qing army's banners became increasingly low. Even the Mongolian soldiers began to disobey orders and appeared to fight with the Manchu soldiers. Things like grabbing supplies and fighting with each other.
Although such signs were suppressed by Engetu, Yibai, and Buyendai, if the war continues to drag on, problems will most likely occur in the army. It is not a big deal for the Mongols to disperse in a hurry when the war is inconvenient. Strange thing.
At this time, Duduo sighed and said, "If I don't like it, let me say it."
"Every time our Qing warriors go south, most of the horses, armor, and weapons they need need to be prepared by themselves. Elite vests and infantry must be equipped with three or four horses. All of this is money!"
"If the warriors cannot make a profit in the battle, these costs will not be recovered, and they will even suffer losses. Such a thing is enough to shake the foundation of our Qing Dynasty!"
Duduo's words are true. At this time, the Qing Dynasty's military system was still very backward. Part of the equipment required by soldiers was court equipment, but horses and part of the equipment needed to be prepared by themselves, just like the imperial soldiers of the Tang Dynasty.
However, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty had land income, but these Tatar soldiers had nothing. They could only follow the army south to plunder. If they robbed enough, they would make money. If they robbed not enough, or if they lost the battle, they would lose money. To put it bluntly, the current Manchu Qing Dynasty is actually a bandit group that uses the country as a cloak.
Du Du and Yue Tuo nodded one after another, and their subordinates had come to find them one after another in the past few days. As Liu Yan's troops went out to capture prisoners, small groups of soldiers from each banner no longer went out to plunder. This resulted in each banner having no income, and naturally they were very dissatisfied.
Dorgon ignored Duduo, but looked at Yue Tuo and asked, "What do you think of Prince Keqin?"
Yue Tuo said: "Now that the Ming army is strong, if a small group of our army goes out to plunder, all Ming armies will swarm in to intercept them. If the main force of our army is sent out, Liu Yan and Lu Xiangsheng will lead the elite attack and rob A skirmish will turn into a battle of formations again."
"Therefore, I suggest that our army should stop here and go north to Beizhili as soon as possible, looting and looting in Beizhili to make up for the losses of each banner."
Du Du on the side also said: "What Prince Keqin said is absolutely true. Let's retreat north quickly. It is useless to stay here for a long time. The nights will be long and we will have many dreams!"
Dorgon sighed in his heart when he saw that the three of them were intending to retreat. The reason why he did not call the Mongolian banner masters and monks this time was to directly determine the next move of the army.
So Dorgon said in a deep voice: "In that case, in two days, the army will march north to Beizhili. All ministries must take strict precautions to prevent Liu Yan and Lu Xiangsheng's troops from following behind!"
Some people died, but not completely...
