Liu Yan looked at Zhang Ruoqi's gaze and said with a smile: "Just now Supervisor Zhang also mentioned the issue of the retreat. The general believes that the governor's deployment in Xingshan and other places is indeed weak."
Hong Chengchou frowned slightly, wondering why he wanted to contradict him when he valued Liu Yan so much. The troops in Xingshan and other places were already large enough, but he still said they were weak?
On the surface, Hong Chengchou remained calm and said with a smile: "In General Liu's opinion, how should the retreat be planned?"
Liu Yan said: "I just have some ideas. I would like to ask Governor Hong and everyone to correct me."
"There was information just now that the slave thieves have increased their troops. We still don't know how many slave thieves there are in total. I wonder if they have increased their troops by 50,000 or 100,000? Or have they come with an overwhelming force and a force comparable to our army?"
"Plan for the worst case scenario. If the slaves and traitors come from all over the country, and our army gathers in Songshan, with the cunning nature of the slaves and traitors, they will definitely make a big fuss in Xingshan. If the slaves and traitors fight with our army with the main force, then Deploy tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to storm Xingshan and other places, or dig long trenches in Xingshan and other places like the siege of Jinzhou to block our army's retreat, what can we do?"
After Liu Yan finished speaking, everyone felt nervous. If the army of slaves and thieves is really like this, then this battle will be dangerous. If you are not careful, it will be another big defeat.
At this time, Hong Chengchou was also deep in thought, his brows furrowed, and he was obviously weighing the pros and cons.
At this time, Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, said in a strange tone: "Is Commander-in-Chief Liu exaggerating? Will the slaves and traitors come in force? You must know that the number of slaves and traitors is small, so the slave chief is willing to compete with my army?"
Liu Yan glanced at Ma Ke sideways and said: "This battle is a national war and is related to the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty, so every possibility must be considered in place, and there is no room for luck!"
Marco said: "In this case, does General Liu still propose to divide the troops? Has General Liu forgotten the lessons of the defeat of Sarhu?"
"If the grain road is intercepted, it will still be defeated."
Marco said: "I don't think the slave thieves can be as powerful as our army. The rear route is deployed like a governor, and there is no chance of failure. We must not divide our troops in this battle!"
After Ma Ke finished speaking, Bai Guangen, Tang Tong, Wang Tingchen, Zuo Guangxian and others also expressed their support, and no one was willing to divide their troops.
Once the troops are divided, who will stay to guard the retreat? No one wants to, everyone wants to hug together, at least to be with Liu Yan's powerful army.
Wu Sangui also expressed that he could not divide his troops. At this time, Wu Sangui only hoped that more than 250,000 troops would arrive in Jinzhou City as soon as possible to rescue his uncle. As for the way back, the Qing army should not have the strength to attack Xingshan and other places in a large scale.
Yang Guozhu, Cao Bianjiao, and Wang Pu supported Liu Yan, saying that the army's retreat was crucial and must not be taken lightly. It must be heavily protected.
Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, and Li Fuming, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi, were also weighing the matter. There was no conclusion for the moment, and they did not make any comments for the time being.
Hong Chengchou secretly screamed, but he didn't expect Liu Yan to take away a large number of generals in just a few words, and the reinforcements were instantly divided into two groups.
Seeing this, Hong Chengchou also remembered the scene when he first met the saint, so he calculated it carefully and found that the Qing army in Songjin area was getting more and more troops. They had indeed increased their troops. It was highly possible as Liu Yan said. It must be guarded against.
Wu Sangui saw that Hong Chengchou seemed a little shaken, so he said: "If we divide our troops, there will be too many places to defend, such as Xingshan, Tashan, Gaoqiao, etc., which are places where thieves and slaves may attack. If we divide our troops here, our army Although there are 250,000 people, after all, there are not many troops left in Jinzhou. Besides, who is willing to stay and guard the way back?"
Hong Chengchou also looked at the crowd, but saw that no one said a word.
How safe it would be for an army of 250,000 to gather together, and it would be much more convenient to gain military exploits once they reach the gates of Jinzhou City. But if you stay on the back road, you will not only face the Qing army's raids all the time, but you will also not get any military exploits. If you are not careful, you will be eaten by the Qing army. Only fools are willing to stay.
When Liu Yan saw this, he said: "How about this? I will detach a battalion to stay behind."
As soon as Liu Yan finished speaking, everyone objected, especially Wang Pu and Yang Guozhu, who were even more vocal. Both of them had seen the combat power of Liu Yan's new army. How could Liu Yan's new army be divided and left behind? Down?
On the side, Hong Chengchou was unwilling to let Liu Yan divide his troops. He pointed at Liu Yan to lead the new army as the main force in this battle. It was inappropriate to detach a battalion of the new army and place it in the rear before the battle started.
Liu Yan saw that everyone was opposed, but he still insisted on his own opinion. The safety of his retreat was related to the success of this battle, and he could not pay too much attention to it. So Liu Yan said that the establishment of the new army under his command was relatively large, with more than 10,000 people in one battalion of the new army. Leaving one battalion of the new army could guarantee a safe future.
Moreover, he has six battalions of infantry under his command, so dividing the strength of one battalion will not harm the overall situation.
Seeing Liu Yan's insistence, everyone fell silent. Hong Chengchou said: "There are more than 10,000 people in the New Army battalion. Isn't it not enough to put them in the rear?"
Liu Yan said: "Commander Wu just mentioned that the army needs to be defended in multiple places. In fact, this town believes that we only need to use elite troops to guard a few key points to ensure that our army has an endless route of retreat and does not require many troops."
Wu Sangui's eyes flashed. He didn't expect Liu Yan to have such knowledge. He was so anxious that he didn't notice it, so he raised his hands and said, "Please tell Mr. Liu in detail. Sangui is all ears."
Liu Yan said: "The terrain in the Guanxingshan area of this town is difficult. The terrain of Hongluo Mountain a few miles north of Xingshan Fort is difficult, and a battalion of troops can be stationed. Our new army is stationed here to dig trenches and set up strongholds, and to the south of Xingshan The fort defenders respond to each other from a distance. In this way, the Songxing Road can be controlled and the slaves and thieves will not dig trenches and cut them off."
"In addition, about ten miles southwest of Xingshan, there are the Wudaoling mountains and hills. At the northeast foot of the mountain and the northwest foot of the mountain are Daxing Fort and Dongqing Fort. There are rivers in front of the two forts. You can choose one or two to join the general's troops. , stationed heavy troops on Wudaoling, deployed deep trench artillery, and echoed the defenders of the Second Fort."
At this time, Liu Yan glanced at Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen. The two men's soldiers and horses were quite capable in fighting in various towns, and they were suitable candidates to guard the back road together.
Liu Yan continued: "If the slaves and thieves attack Xingshan, they must come from the Nuerhe River. Ten miles away from the Nuerhe River is Wudaoling. As long as the slaves and thieves attack Xingshan Fort, they will be surrounded by our army. A pincer attack. Besides, if they don’t attack Daxing Fort, Dongqing Fort, and the garrison at Hongluo Mountain, how can they attack Xingshan Fort with peace of mind without fear of being cut off?"
After hearing this, everyone clapped their hands and applauded. Yang Guozhu also suggested mobilizing a cavalry to patrol around, as a mobile force to support various places, and it can also be used as a surprise force. Everyone agreed one after another and started discussing the map in detail.
Wu Sangui looked at Liu Yan who was chatting with everyone, and a trace of jealousy flashed in his eyes. Not only was Liu Yan better than him in running the army, his performance was better than his, but his strategic vision in arranging troops was also better than his own. When would the Ming Dynasty happen? Has such a strong man appeared?
At this time, Hong Chengchou thought deeply that according to Liu Yan's plan, it would be best to arrange his escape route like this. Although Hong Chengchou was not happy that his strategy had been changed, he also knew that if he persisted, the army would be in danger of splitting.
Hong Chengchou's eyes swept across the crowd. At this time, Liu Yan, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, Cao Bianjiao and others gathered together to perfect the deployment strategy for the rear route. The soldiers and horses under these people can be said to be the strongest among the reinforcements. Hong Chengchou They must also rely on them to defeat the Qing army.
Moreover, the supervisors Zhang Ruoqi and Ma Shaoyu also sided with Liu Yan and advocated using heavy troops to protect the retreat, which made it difficult for Hong Chengchou to insist too much.
Thinking about it again, even Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, and even the Holy Emperor thought this way. It seemed that he had to compromise. Instead of fighting torn apart, it was better to take a step back. Fortunately, Liu Yan still respected him and obeyed his authority, which made Hong Chengchou feel at ease.
So Hong Chengchou said with a smile: "Since General Liu and other generals are working together to fill in the gaps, I will feel more at ease. Let's do it like this."
However, Hong Chengchou then asked who was willing to lead the army to garrison at Wudaoling. Wu Sangui, Bai Guangen, Tang Tong, Ma Ke and others all looked at their hearts and minds, and were obviously unwilling to divide their troops and stay behind.
Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen were both keenly aware of Liu Yan's glance at them just now, and understood Liu Yan's intention in their hearts. Thinking about it, Liu Yan himself had left a battalion of soldiers in Hongluo Mountain. Depending on the future situation, there will be battles in Xingshan and other places. There are many military exploits to think about.
So the two of them looked at each other, made up their minds, and volunteered to stay at Wudaoling.
Hong Chengchou was overjoyed. Cao Bianjiao led 15,000 troops, and Wang Tingchen led 6,000 troops. The two men had 21,000 troops. Their combat power was outstanding among all the towns. Most of them were cavalry. In this way, then There are also ten thousand cavalry to support them.
The military affairs were discussed that day, and the officials of the Ming Dynasty discussed carefully and deliberated on everything. They discussed all the major and minor matters for a day before leaving.
Another thing that happened at the military meeting was that Liu Zhaoji, the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, volunteered to be the vanguard of the army and clear the way for the army of more than 200,000 people.
Liu Zhaoji also knew that Hong Chengchou wanted to support Wu Sangui. At this moment, he was eager to express himself in order to save his position as commander-in-chief, which was in danger.
However, Hong Chengchou knew the strength of Liu Zhaoji's troops and was worried that he would suffer a loss when encountering the main force of the Qing army. Therefore, Hong Chengchou ordered Yang Guozhu, the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town, to lead his army to respond. The two armies were dozens of miles apart, and then the Chinese army and the soldiers and horses of each town followed. , Li Fuming, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Town, and Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, cut off the rear.
After the troops and horses were deployed, Hong Chengchou ordered Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, to transport grain and grain, and the military supervisors Zhang Ruoqi and Ma Shaoyu supervised it together.
On the second day after the military meeting, Hong Chengchou gathered an army outside Ningyuan City, killed three animals and swore to go out for the expedition. More than 250,000 Ming army soldiers marched northward in a mighty manner.
In the wilderness, the soldiers of the Ming army marched in the wilderness outside the pass. The Ming army was still red, and the bright red military uniforms and battle flags merged into an endless ocean, vast and turbulent, as if containing endless power.
Liu Yan rode his horse and marched among the army. Looking at the elite soldiers, he couldn't help but feel proud in his heart: "This battle must be won, and the Manchus must pay the due price!"
Some people died, but not completely...
