After Liu Yan and Wu Sangui drank several bowls of wine, Cao Bianjiao, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, Wang Tingchen and others came over one after another and took turns toasting to Liu Yan. Under such circumstances, even Ma Ke and Tang Tong came over with wine bowls to drink. One mouthful.
In the face of everyone coming to pay respects, Liu Yan naturally refused to refuse anyone who came, and drank with everyone, making Hong Chengchou's table very lively.
At this banquet, many people were very drunk. Even Liu Yan had a very good drinker and was staggering when he walked out of the Governor's Mansion.
Fortunately, Liu Yan was still sober, like Ma Ke and Bai Guangen, who were already drunk and unconscious at this time, and were carried back directly by the soldiers.
Miao Shao had been waiting outside for a long time. When he saw Liu Yan coming out, he called two guards to come forward to help him, and asked: "Can you still ride a horse? Why don't you go find a carriage?"
"No need, just ride a horse."
Before leaving, Liu Yan clasped his fists and bid farewell to Hong Chengchou, who was escorting everyone out. Although Hong Chengchou returned Liu Yan's greeting with a smile, Liu Yan always felt that Hong Chengchou was forcing a smile, and there was a trace of anxiety between his eyebrows.
Early the next morning, Liu Yan woke up feeling dizzy. Just as he was about to freshen up, he received an order from Hong Chengchou to convene a military meeting. Liu Yan did not dare to neglect and rushed to the Governor's Mansion.
In the lobby of the Governor's Mansion, the chief military officers of each Ming army town sat in rows. As the governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou was nominally under his control of the reinforcements and the Liaodong Army. He was sitting at the top in the middle, and his staff on the left and right stood at attention.
On Hong Chengchou's left hand side, led by Supervisor Ma Shaoyu and Supervisor Zhang Ruoqi, followed by Liaodong Governor Qiu Minyang, Bingbei Dao Zhang Dou, Yao Gong, Wang Zhizhen, Cai Maode, and general judges Yuan Guodong, Zhu Tingxie, Tongzhi Zhang Weimin, and Yan Jixian et al.
On the right hand side of Hong Chengchou, Liu Yan sat at the head of the generals, followed by Yang Guozhu, the chief soldier of Xuanfu Town, Bai Guangen, the chief soldier of Jizhou Town, Liu Zhaoji, the chief soldier of Liaodong Town, Li Fuming, the chief soldier of Shanxi Town, and the chief soldier of Datong Town. Officer Wang Pu, Chief Soldier Officer Zuo Guangxian of Suppression, Chief Soldier Officer Ma Ke of Shanhaiguan Town, Chief Soldier Officer Cao Bianjiao of ASEAN, former Chief Soldier Officer Wang Tingchen of Tun Guard, Chief Soldier Officer Tang Tong of Miyun Town, and Chief Soldier Wu Sangui of Ningyuan Wait for people to sit according to their shift status.
Liu Yan swept through the crowd and saw that the generals who could attend the governor's meeting today were all at the level of general military officers. It can be seen that the standards of today's military meeting were high and the details of the Jinzhou War must be decided.
At this time, when Hong Chengchou saw everyone taking their positions one by one, he stroked his beard and smiled and said: "The situation in Liaodong has affected the minds of the Holy Emperor and all the officials in the court and the public. Today, the king's troops are gathered together. Our Ming Dynasty has more than 250,000 elite and powerful troops in Liaodong." Everyone, this battle will definitely weaken the momentum of the slave thieves!"
Hong Chengchou changed the topic at this time and said: "But since the slave bandit army stationed in Yizhou and besieged Jinzhou, the governor led many people to rescue. Lai Sheng came to Hongfu, and the officers and soldiers defended with all their strength, capturing and killing many thieves. However, the slave bandits were powerful. , the siege of Jinzhou could not be lifted for a long time, so the imperial court gathered elites from all walks of life to rescue."
"Now there are more urgent reports coming from the Songshan and Xingshan forts. The Ninu people are rushing to attack. The Songshan and Xingshan forts are already in danger!"
Liu Yan secretly said: "It seems that Hong Chengchou received the news yesterday, but did not tell it until today. He is really calm."
At this time, Bing Bei Dao Zhang Dou said worriedly: "The slave thieves are very anxious to suddenly attack Songjin. They obviously want to force our army to rescue as soon as possible. The army of slave thieves must be preparing to ambush halfway. The strategy of encircling the point to rescue is a common trick of the slave thieves. We The army must be on guard.”
Yao Gong, who was preparing the troops, said: "The slaves are rushing to attack, and the situation in Jinzhou cannot be delayed. Even if the slaves plan to encircle the area for reinforcements, our army must go to the rescue as soon as possible, otherwise Jinzhou will be in danger!"
King Zhizhen of Bingbei disagreed and retorted: "The thieves slaves must have a motive for this move. We need to plan carefully to avoid falling into the thieves' schemes."
At this time, Cai Maode said: "According to the newspaper sent by Ye Bushou, there are more and more slaves and thieves in Songjin. Are they increasing their troops?"
Everyone started talking in low voices. If the Qing army also increased its troops in a large scale, then the Battle of Jinzhou would not be a rescue battle, but a strategic decisive battle between the two countries.
Liu Yan also frowned. During the Battle of Songjin in history, the Manchu Qing Dynasty mobilized more than 200,000 troops. In fact, it surpassed the Ming army in terms of military strength.
At this time, the Manchu Qing Dynasty had entered the customs many times to plunder and capture people, and its population had reached its peak. In terms of manpower, the Qing army had the confidence to expand its army.
However, Liu Yan also knew that among the more than 200,000 troops of the Qing army, a large part were unarmored bannermen of various banners, as well as armored slaves. Their combat power was not as good as that of the Eight Banners Army, but the prestige they caused was Still big.
Cai Maode then asked: "Supervisor, how many soldiers and horses are there in the army of slaves and thieves in Songjin area?"
Everyone here listened carefully, but Hong Chengchou just shook his head: "The scout roughly estimated that it exceeds 80,000. The actual number is difficult to determine."
Liu Yan sighed in his heart: "Seeing that the war is about to begin, but we don't even know the exact number of troops of the Qing army. The Ming army's night defense is too ineffective!"
Supervisor Zhang Ruoqi said: "Now that all our troops have arrived, Jinzhou is in danger. Our reinforcements need to go to various places in Songjin as soon as possible. If Jinzhou is captured by slave thieves, then everything will be over. We can't explain it to the court or to His Majesty. !”
At this time, Hong Chengchou did not follow Zhang Ruoqi, but shook his head and said: "The layout of the slave bandits' troops has not yet been found out, and the number of slave bandits' army is not known. How can we rush the army?"
Zhang Dou, Wang Zhizhen, and Cai Maode of Bingbei Dao all agreed. He believes that the war is fierce and dangerous, so he should not act hastily, lest he fall into the treacherous plot of the thieves. It has to be investigated by all parties.
The audience was arguing endlessly. Zhang Ruoqi frowned and stood up suddenly. He shouted sternly: "So you are afraid of wolves in front and tigers in the rear, and you are timid and afraid of fighting! I dare to ask you, if you delay in marching and Jinzhou falls, how can you explain to the Holy Lord? How can you explain to our soldiers, Master Chen? If you can't decide, , I will write to the imperial court and let the Holy One make the decision!" 33
Ma Shaoyu on the side also stood up and said: "What Zhang Jianjun said is true. I came all the way here just to rescue Jinzhou. Now Jinzhou is in danger, why don't we send out the army? With so many elites here, the slave thieves can increase their troops." It’s nothing to be afraid of!”
As the two supervisors changed their colors, the atmosphere in the lobby suddenly became solemn.
Hong Chengchou's eyes froze when he saw this. Zhang Ruoqi and Ma Shaoyu were just two minor roles in the Ministry of War, but they were yelling at him. It was really rude! What grade are they two, and what grade are you? When you become a supervisor, you raise your tail!
However, Hong Chengchou's self-cultivation was still good. He frowned slightly but did not speak, and just pondered.
After a moment, Hong Chengchou looked at Liu Yan. Liu Yan defeated the slave thieves in Julu and Jinan, beheading them heavily, so Liu Yan's words were the most weighty among the generals. Hong Chengchou wanted to hear Liu Yan's opinion: "What does General Liu think?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on Liu Yan. At this time, the supervisor did not ask the remaining generals, not even Wu Sangui, but only asked Liu Yan. This shows Liu Yan's status in Hong Chengchou's heart.
Liu Yan pondered for a moment. Judging from the current situation, the Qing army has increased its troops earlier than in history. This battle will be fought sooner or later. At this time, the morale of the soldiers and horses is high. Once the delay is delayed, the soldiers and horses of all groups will fight. When morale is low, it becomes increasingly difficult to fight.
So Liu Yan said: "To inform the governor, the slaves have an obvious plot, which is to force our army to rush to Jinzhou in order to encircle the point for reinforcements. But so what? As long as our army forms a camp step by step and sends more sentries to each camp, there is a possibility of being ambushed. There is very little sex. If the slave bandits come with many soldiers, our army will just fight with them. If there are few soldiers, our army will concentrate our forces to eat some of them and demoralize their troops!"
Yang Guozhu, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen and others all agreed. A group of veterans such as Liu Zhaoji, Li Fuming and Zuo Guangxian all nodded and thought it was feasible. This is also a solution to get the best of both worlds due to disputes between the two sides.
Zhang Ruoqi laughed and said: "That's it. General Liu's words are very consistent with my heart. Our army must not advance in a hurry or be afraid of advancing, but we must march immediately with our troops. That's for sure."
He saluted Hong Chengchou and said: "I was a little anxious just now, but I am also public-minded. I hope Governor Hong will not mind it."
Hong Chengchou smiled and said: "It is my blessing to have Doctor Zhang praise the painting strategy. How can I care about it? Doctor Zhang, please take a seat."
After that, talking about the army's departure, according to the current situation, the main dangerous places for Wang Division's march are the Songshan and Xingshan areas past Tashan City. According to Hong Chengchou's arrangement, the Xingshan area was hilly and dangerous, making it possible to camp on foot and with vehicles, while Songshan was flat all the way, which was conducive to cavalry travel.
Hong Chengchou had been in Liaodong for a long time and knew the local situation well. Everyone had no objection to this arrangement.
At this time, Liu Yan saw that Hong Chengchou had not talked about the retreat, such as how to arrange the garrison at Xingshan and other places. Liu Yan then said: "Master Governor, the general is a little worried about our army's retreat. I wonder how the army can ensure the safety of the food route?"
Hong Chengchou looked gentle and didn't seem to mind Wang Pu's interruption. However, before he could ask a question, Ma Ke said: "Does General Liu mean that the army will be divided when it arrives at Xingshan?"
"Nowadays, the number of slaves and thieves is increasing. If they are forced to camp with chariots and the whole division gathers together, they can also defend the battle and take care of it. If the troops are divided and defeated by the thieves individually, will General Liu bear the responsibility?"
Liu Yan said coldly: "If we don't defend our retreat, the slave bandits will send troops to cut off our food routes, causing the army to be defeated. Will General Ma bear the responsibility for this?"
Marco stood up suddenly and said loudly: "They say the new army is strong, but it turns out they are so timid. They say they are guarding the rear, but it's just General Liu who is afraid of fighting!"
Liu Yan said: "How about we compete? Let's compare the number of slaves and thieves beheaded by your and my armies. If I win, I will kill you. If you win, you will kill me. Do you dare to compete?"
Ma Ke stopped talking. He didn't have the guts to compare. After all, the number of beheadings Liu Yan had beheaded was real. Who dared to compare the number of beheadings with him?
Upon seeing this, all the generals in the hall tried to persuade him, and Miyun Commander-in-Chief Tang Tong came over to smooth things over. Finally, Ma Ke sat down angrily, but still glared at Liu Yan from time to time.
All the civil officials turned a blind eye to the fighting among the warriors. In fact, they were also happy to see it. The supervisor Zhang Ruoqi said at this time: "Just now, General Liu pointed out the food and grass retreat. I wonder if the supervisor has made relevant arrangements." ?”
Hong Chengchou twitched his beard and smiled and said: "Of course there are arrangements. The governor is going to order Qian Youlu, the forward right battalion commander, Dou Chenglie, the general patrol meritorious officer, and Zheng Yilin, the deputy general of Xingshan Road, to accompany the deputy generals of Songxing Defense Camp, such as Xia Chengde, Chi Fenggao, Tong Hanbang, Wang Jiaqi, and Yu Ying selected people to supervise the troops of Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Army, and stationed them at the forts in Xingshan. They would be able to protect their retreat and prevent the slave thieves from attacking from the wilderness northwest of Xingshan. Come."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Liu Yan shook his head. It seemed that Hong Chengchou had left many people to garrison the back road, but the number of troops was still too small. These battalions mostly numbered one or two thousand people. Although there were many generals, The total number of soldiers and horses is less than 30,000, and they are not strong enough. They are all "miscellaneous troops" with sparse combat power.
Historically, Hong Chengchou also arranged this. Under the fierce attack led by Huang Taiji, the defenders could not hold on for even half an hour, and the connection between Songshan, Xingshan and other places was immediately interrupted.
Zhang Ruoqi also noticed this, frowned and said, "How many generals will be sent to the reinforcements?"
He was also listening to the conversation between Liu Yan and the emperor that day. He still remembered it and felt that there were too few troops to protect the retreat.
Hong Chengchou was very unhappy when he saw this. He had been in the position of military commander for a long time and was very confident in his own strategy. He led his troops to rescue several times, and most of them were safe, which further strengthened his confidence. In his opinion, this arrangement by Xingshan and other places is enough. Why is Zhang Ruoqi still questioning himself in front of everyone?
However, on the surface, Hong Chengchou was as gentle as before. He did not confront Zhang Ruoqi, but patiently explained: "The slaves and thieves are powerful now, and our army is not dominant. We should gather our troops in one place to avoid being defeated by the slaves and thieves." We have enough troops left to guard our retreat. Moreover, Songshan and Xingshan are not far apart. If slave thieves take advantage of the situation and cut off our retreat, our army can return to rescue us. If we divide our forces, how about repeating the story of Saarhu? Come on?"
Zhang Ruoqi was dumbfounded for a moment. How could he say anything about military matters better than Hong Chengchou? So Zhang Ruoqi couldn't help but glance at Liu Yan, but saw that Liu Yan was also deep in thought.
Some people died, but not completely...
