In the riverside woods more than 20 miles south of Xianghe City, Li Yan frowned after listening to the scout's report. Tongzhou is more than a hundred miles away from Xianghe River. How could the Qing army be so fast!
"General, maybe it's just a bluff by the Tartar horse exploration team to besiege the city." General Qin Songwang said softly, and Li Yan nodded slightly: "It's also possible, but the Tatars are different today. How dare they be so arrogant this time when they go deep alone? It's not like the horse exploration style. , maybe there are still a large number of troops behind it."
"If this is the case, we have to take precautions," Qin Songwang said again: "But Xianghe is in danger at this time, should we rescue him?"
Li Yan shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that if I scare the enemy, I will miss the overall situation." Everyone frowned and remained silent, thinking that Xianghe County would not escape disaster.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, the scout reported: The Qing army was frightened and retreated.
Qin Songwang was furious: "Hu Yancheng is so bold and reckless, how can he take it upon himself to expose his identity!"
Li Yan waved his hand for him to sit down and took a long breath. Since that was the case, he started the fight in advance.
Does the general want to eat this group of Tatars before the main force arrives? The scouts had previously reported that there were two to three thousand Qing troops in the north of Xianghe City, so Qin Songwang had this question.
Li Yan did not answer immediately, but glanced at everyone: "Three thousand Tatar cavalry, can you chew them?"
The generals looked at each other, but no one said a word. The combat power of the Qing cavalry was not just a boast, it was a golden sign of countless bloody battles. Li Yan's subordinates had also seen it before, but at that time they were an assist-gathering unit. Face to face, even so it is shocking.
When Li Yan saw that everyone was silent, a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. He had nearly 10,000 troops under his command at this time. Facing 3,000 Qing cavalry, he actually showed fear. What does this mean?
First, the Qing army’s cavalry is indeed powerful, and second, their morale is too high! The phobia still exists, and it penetrates deep into the bone marrow and is difficult to cure!
He had to gnaw even if he couldn't gnaw, and at most he would lose his teeth. In the end, Qin Songwang, Li Yan's most trusted subordinate, stood up and said: "If two or three thousand people don't dare to fight without any confidence, then why are we still pretending to wait here? Why don't we Run away as soon as possible, otherwise when the main force of tens of thousands of Tatars arrives, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape even if you want to!"
This self-deprecation really worked, and the generals began to echo: "Just fight, I'm afraid his mother will ask for it..."
"When the young governor was in Taiyuan, he single-handedly dared to rush outside the city to fight with us. Outside the pass, he led three battalions of soldiers with less than a thousand troops and dared to charge into the Tatar army of tens of thousands, and dragged him until Wu Sangui arrived... Look. We have all our hands and feet, but a man of seven feet is not as good as a child in the palace. We are really ashamed, so ashamed!"
Li Yan's tone was calm, but everyone could hear how heartbroken he was!
"General, please don't insult us." Most of Li Yan's subordinates were originally bandits and were full of wildness. Although most of them were illiterate, it was clear that Li Yan was secretly cursing that they were not even as good as eunuchs!
"Isn't it just to kill the Tatars? I didn't even blink an eye when I killed the officers and soldiers. How could I be afraid of the Tatars..."
Li Yan glanced at the generals with a sneer: "You are the one who humiliated yourself, what does it have to do with me!" He snorted coldly: "A good man does not mention his bravery in the past. You are now officers and soldiers. Don't talk about your past majesty anymore. Let’s see if we will be lenient if we really kill the Tatars!”
"Then the general will see whether the sword we are waiting for can kill the Tatars!" The generals started shouting, and Li Yan said calmly: "I am just watching here. The main force of the Tatars will arrive here tomorrow. If you want to eat them, This group of Tatars only has a chance tonight. It depends on your methods tonight whether we can sneak away with our tail between our legs tomorrow or give the main force of the Tatars a showdown."
Riding horses to view the scenery, killing people and stealing wealth, Dorgon led the main force of the Qing army to walk south along the canal. It was very uncomfortable. The loot was also rich, and his mood gradually improved. This is the correct way to enter the customs. Well.
Unconsciously, the sky turned dark and the rain became heavier. In Dorgon, a large village 40 to 50 miles away from the Xianghe River, he ordered to set up camp for rest. All the troops returned to the camp. Of course, the outer police posts and scout horses spread out for more than 10 or 20 miles. He didn't dare to relax at all, after all, he knew that the Ming army was watching eagerly not far away.
The large courtyard in the village was clean and tidy. Dorgon and the generals gathered together to discuss the military situation. The small wooden stick in his hand kept scratching on the ground: "Let's go south along this canal, and there is a big north-south river more than ten miles to the east." The Chaobai River also flows through Xianghe County, sandwiching it east and west, and branches out into many tributaries. There are many water systems in the area and the land is fertile. If you have enough time, you can stay and herd horses for a long time..."
"Report..." At this moment, the soldiers from outside came hurriedly: "Your Majesty... tens of thousands of Ming troops are following thirty miles to the northwest. Although no large Ming army has been found thirty miles to the northeast, there are many Ming army scouts attempted to forcefully enter the restricted area..."
Dorgon's expression was indifferent. He was already indifferent to this information. He still said that if he wanted to follow, he would follow him. He hadn't followed him in the past years. Although he was too close this time, as long as he didn't step into his bottom line, it would be much better. The official didn't want to start a fight, but he wouldn't be polite if he kicked his nose in the face, and would definitely beat him up.
"I know, let's go down." Dorgon waved his hand, and the soldier turned around and went out.
"Your Majesty, the Ming army is so abnormal. It seems that our trip will not be as easy as in previous years." Shang Kexi was slightly worried, and Dorgon sneered: "Are you trying to say, look at this situation, there will be no friction along the way. Ming The army may not wait for us to return before taking action, there is a possibility of a battle at any time, right?"
"This is what I mean, slave," Shang Kexi said quickly.
Dorgon laughed: "If he wants to fight, then fight, anytime, anywhere! Is it possible that we will be afraid?"
Afraid? All the generals laughed.
Are you kidding me? The Qing cavalry are invincible in the world. They may not be as good as the Ming army when it comes to attacking cities and defending territory, but if it's a fierce battle in the field, they really don't care about anyone. Even within the Ming Dynasty, even if you have Tens of thousands of troops, so what? I can beat you up whenever I want, and I can go wherever I want when I'm done.
"Report..." Just as everyone's smiles were still lingering, the soldiers arrived again: "Your Majesty, the Ming army has appeared in Xianghe..."
After hearing the report, everyone was shocked. Dorgon even frowned and whispered: "Where did the Ming army come from? From Tianjin? Impossible. Not to mention the distance, the Ming army didn't have much strength in Tianjin. I don’t have the guts to come here, besides, how could they be so well-informed..."
But apart from Tianjin, where else could there be Ming troops in the surrounding area? Dorgon and the others really couldn't think of any. He could also speculate that the Ming troops that appeared in Sanhe were from Ji Town, but there is no village in this tiny place like Xianghe. Where did the Ming army come from without a shop?
"Are you sure it's the Ming army? How many soldiers and horses are there?" Dorgon asked his soldiers to call Tan Ma over and interrogate him carefully. However, this guy was just a messenger. He hesitated for a long time and only said that he was sure it was the Ming army, but the strength of the troops was unclear. Hundreds to more than a thousand are possible. .
Huh... Dorgon breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know where the Ming army came from, he heard that there were only a few hundred or even a thousand men and horses, which were not enough to fill his teeth.
However, Duduo, who was as careful as his hair, didn't think so. How could such a small Ming army have the courage to rescue Xianghe City? Why were they stationed outside the city instead of inside it!
The spy gave an explanation for the first question. Because there were only a hundred Qing troops outside Xianghe City at that time, those Ming troops dared to challenge. As for why they did not garrison in the city, it is unknown.
"Maybe he just happened to come from somewhere else," Kong Youde said in a low voice, and everyone thought it was reasonable.
The small Ming army, which numbered hundreds of thousands, was naturally not worthy of attention in the past. However, after experiencing several changes, Dorgon and others still felt that they should deal with it carefully, so they ordered Azig to stand still and investigate this group. Let’s talk about the details of the Ming army. If we find out whether they are passing by, we still have a clear target.
Unexpectedly, just after Haishi (11 p.m.), Dorgon, who had already fallen asleep, was awakened by his own soldiers. The horsemen in front of him came to report urgently: The Ming army sneaked into the Azige tribe!
Dorgon was shocked and sent orders to the generals to gather for discussion. The Ming army dared to attack Azig's camp. This meant that the number of troops was not just a few hundred, but at least two to three thousand!
The camp was attacked in the middle of the night. This was a nightmare for all generals. Dorgon couldn't imagine what was happening to Azig at this time. The two places were more than fifty miles apart. The dust might have fallen to the ground by the time the spies sent the letter. The army killed them and went back, but...
"Kong Youde, you immediately raise five thousand troops and go to support!" Dorgon had no time to think carefully and had to take measures quickly. Although he was dissatisfied with Azig, he was also his brother and one of the important generals of the Qing Dynasty. He is also his right-hand man in politics and must not make any mistakes.
