Wang Jiayan was a little panicked at first, but when he saw Zhu Cixiang sitting upright with his normal expression, completely different from a few months ago, he was immediately calm and at the same time he felt a little admiration for Zhu Cixiang.
He pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Master Shen, although what you said is reasonable, according to the information from the Jin Yiwei, the Jurchen Navy was no longer able to compete with the Zheng Navy after the First World War in Korea."
"Although Wu Sangui only has more than 10,000 people this time, they are all elites, especially the Guan Ning cavalry under his command. If the Jurchens want to defeat his troops, they must use at least twice his strength."
"But more than 10,000 people in Jilharang had just suffered a defeat in Yulin. Daishan and Hauge's cavalry were hit by the plague in Datong, and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced."
"Although Dorgon's soldiers and horses have not been infected by the plague, they have been guarding the Jurchen coast. What soldiers and horses did they use to attack Wu Sangui?"
"As for the rebels in Shaanxi, their most urgent concern now is to regain Xi'an. They will not move eastward until they regain Xi'an."
"Moreover, Yuan Zongdi's tens of thousands of soldiers and horses are still in Sichuan. Li Zicheng only has 30,000 to 40,000 troops at most, but the total military strength of the imperial court in Xi'an has reached more than 100,000."
"In addition to the more than 20,000 soldiers and horses left by Ping Xigong in Datong, and the more than 30,000 Huang Degong stationed in the fortresses of Shanxi and Beijing, even if the rebels want to counterattack, they will not endanger the capital, right?"
Shen Zhanran shook his head and said: "Mr. Wang, although what you said is reasonable, you have forgotten one thing, and that is the timeliness of the news."
"You must know that your Majesty has attached great importance to news since he raised the army. However, even so, he was still surrounded by Party Shouxu in Linyi for two days due to a mistake in news."
"And the information in our hands is far less timely than His Majesty's. In addition, the liaison stations in Liaodong and other places suffered heavy losses not long ago. How do you know that Dorgon has not sent troops yet?"
"If he secretly sends a powerful force to sneak in from Gubeikou or Xifengkou, what are the chances of winning with the strength of our capital city?"
"Furthermore, Thief Li was originally a rogue. Later, he got the idea of defending the city after getting help from Li Yan and others. But now that Li Yan is dead, Thief Li is only surrounded by the group of reckless gangsters from before. How do you know that he will not Abandon Shaanxi and go straight to the capital?"
"Once war breaks out again in the suburbs of Beijing, all the sweet potatoes and other things previously planted will be in vain. How will the people be able to maintain peace and support the army..."
Wang Jiayan had looked down upon Shen Zhanran before, but now after listening to Shen Zhanran's story, he found that the other party was not only thoughtful, but also good at completing information from details and deducing the overall situation, and he couldn't help but think more highly of Shen Zhanran.
He pondered for a while and said: "If you follow Master Shen's opinion, how should we deal with it now?"
Shen Zhanran glanced at Li Jing and said in a deep voice: "The lower official agrees with Mr. Li and suggests that the generals should serve as teachers."
"However, the current situation is very good. I am afraid that even if the Ministry of War gives an order, they may not return to the division..."
Before Shen Zhanran finished speaking, he saw a guard in Jinyi hurried in to report that Wu Sangui, with the cooperation of Zu Dashou, had conquered Jinzhou and was now leading his troops to Daling River.
Everyone looked happy when they heard the report, only Shen Zhanran frowned.
Zhu Cixiang saw this and said a little strangely: "Sir, is there anything wrong?"
When Shen Zhanran asked, he bowed and said: "Your Highness, this seems to be a good thing, but I feel that Wu Sangui is not far from defeat."
"Please give an order immediately, His Highness, asking Gao Di to reorganize the city defenses and strengthen troops at Xifengkou and other places to prevent the Jurchens from taking advantage of us."
Although Zhu Cihong trusted Shen Zhanran very much, he couldn't help but feel a little confused after hearing what the other party said.
However, he always kept Zhu Yuanzhang's teachings in mind and refused to show his expression to others easily, lest the other party see through his thoughts.
Therefore, he returned to normal in an instant, but did not answer. Instead, he looked at Wang Jiayan, who had been arguing with Shen Zhanran before.
Wang Jiayan thought for a moment and said, "Master Shen, do you think Wu Sangui is too radical?"
Shen Zhanran nodded and said: "Not only is it radical, but it is also a big taboo for military strategists to go deep alone."
"Although Jinzhou is only more than 300 miles away from Shanhaiguan, since Zu Dashou surrendered, the imperial court has no troops in that area. Now that he can reach Ningyuan within five days, he seizes Jinzhou and divides his troops to rush to Daling River. It is really too much. Reckless.”
"You must know that Jinzhou is only more than four hundred miles away from Shenyang. With the combat power of the Jurchen cavalry, it can arrive in two days at most. Once the Jurchen counterattack, Jinzhou, Ningyuan and other places will surely fall again due to their weak foundation... "
After listening to Shen Zhanran's story, Wang Jiayan said hesitantly: "Zheng Hongkui and others have stationed troops in Huludao, and they are not far from Yingkou. The Jurchens have suffered losses by sea before, so they should not dare to come rashly now, right?"
Shen Zhanran shook his head and said: "Wu Sangui rushed to Jinzhou in such a hurry because he was afraid that Zheng Hongkui and others would make meritorious deeds. Now that Wu Sangui has won Jinzhou and the Zheng family has hatred in their hearts, how can they help him?"
Wang Jiayan had already experienced Zheng's domineering attitude before. Hearing this, he tried again: "What if An Guogong leads the army to Jinzhou?"
"After all, An Guogong has experienced hundreds of battles, and Zhu Chenggong and others have fought under An Guogong. If An Guogong is in charge, the Zheng family will not dare to be too presumptuous!"
Shen Zhanran glanced at Wang Jiayan and said, "It is His Majesty's will that Duke An Guo settled in Funing and other places. How can he change it casually?"
Wang Jiayan was stunned for a moment, then said: "Although His Majesty has a clear intention, the situation has changed..."
Li Jing, who was on the side, listened to the two men's remarks and thought that although Liu Wenbing had more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, the only ones who could really fight were the four or five thousand men led by Jiang Yingkui.
Moreover, more than half of them are new soldiers, and their combat effectiveness is not strong. If such a force is used to aid Wu Sangui, it is tantamount to sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth.
If Liu Wenbing was defeated or died in battle, the impact would be far more serious than losing Jinzhou, Ningyuan and other places.
Shen Zhanran must have seen this and was worried that speaking out about it would be detrimental to Liu Wenbing's reputation, so he used Chongzhen's name to object.
Li Jing wanted to understand this point and took advantage of the opportunity to object: "Master Wang, most of Anguo Gong's men are infantry. Jinzhou is more than 500 miles away. Even if he wants to rescue, how can he come in time?"
"And now that the army is out, only An Guogong's troops near the capital are slightly stronger. If An Guogong is allowed to lead the army out of the pass, once there is a change in the pass, the court will be without troops..."
...
After everyone discussed for more than two hours, Wang Jiayan reluctantly agreed to the opinions of Shen Zhanran and Li Jing, and agreed to order Wu Sangui and others to return to the army. At the same time, 3,000 soldiers were divided from the soldiers guarding the city to defend Xifengkou and other places.
But before he left, another Jinyi guard came to report that an unknown number of Jurchen cavalry had been found at Xifengkou.
Wang Jiayan was shocked when he heard the report, and looked at Shen Zhanran with admiration in his eyes.
Some people died, but not completely...
