Generals such as Mao Wenlong also discussed a backup plan, which was that each of the Luda and Dongjiang headquarters would dispatch a brigade, but only half of the troops would land and harass the enemy first, while the other half would serve as reserves, and their target would be the mobilized Jiannu.

Although Zhang Pan and Kong Youde both belonged to Dongjiang Town and were Mao Wenlong's subordinates, such an action still needed to take into account the safety of Luda.

Communications were fast, and Zhang Pan and Kong Youde responded quickly, agreeing to proceed with the backup plan. In other words, with only two assistants, they were confident they could hold on to Lüda.

After comprehensive consideration, Mao Wenlong and others also tended to file a plan. Whether it was an ambush or a head-on attack, the troops of the two alliances would have the advantage of waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, which would be more advantageous.

"I will personally command this operation." Mao Wenlong's tone left little room for negotiation, and his reasoning was quite valid. "This old man's life should still be enough to attract the Jiannu to come."

Gou Zhenhuai did not fight for it because military merit was dispensable to him.

As long as one honestly did the things the emperor asked him to do, promotion and advancement would be a piece of cake. But on the other hand, no matter how great the military achievements were, they could not offset the bad impression left on the emperor by dereliction of duty.

As the food and pay officers, military judges, and middle and lower-level officers were constantly replaced by officers who graduated from military schools, the goal of the Dongjiang Army being controlled by the court had basically been achieved.

Saying "control" is not quite appropriate. You are the country's army and receive wages and food from the court. How can you not be controlled by the court?

As for Mao Wenlong's historical arrogance and warlord nature, that was caused by the environment, and the Ming court also has an unshirkable responsibility.

Since he established the Dongjiang garrison, Zhu Youxiao has been regulating the army according to the new military system.

He controlled food and wages, military law, and strengthened the Dongjiang Army's combat effectiveness with officers who had a martial arts background. He also did not interfere with Mao Wenlong's military command. How could he let Mao Wenlong go down the same path as history?

Besides, even if Mao Wenlong had wishful thinking, he should have looked at the current situation, right?

Without his own private army, he couldn't guarantee logistical self-sufficiency, and most of his generals were loyal to the imperial court. He didn't have the conditions to commit suicide even if he wanted to!

Take Li Zicheng for example. If the post stations had not been abolished, the treatment might have become better, and there would have been no chaos in the country and no hungry people rising up. Would he have gone crazy and rebelled?

Environment, opportunity, and experience are the main factors that change a person's thinking. Without changes in these factors, people will naturally think in a rudimentary way.

Therefore, first lay a good foundation, establish a standardized framework, and then supervise and constrain it, so you don’t have to worry too much about it growing crooked and deteriorating.

Now, Mao Wenlong, like other Ming army generals, wanted to fight on the battlefield, make achievements, and then be promoted to a higher position, have his wife and children honored, and strive to reach the pinnacle of military generalship.

Gou Zhenhuai had no objection, but Chen Jisheng was a little worried about Mao Wenlong's safety. He said, "Marshal Mao, if we want to attract the Jiannu to attack, we can just use your banner. There's no need to trouble you to personally participate in the battle, right?"

Mao Wenlong chuckled and said, "If Tieshan had not been defended by General Chen himself, he could have led the troops in this operation."

The two Jiannu banners were in Zhenjiang, so it was unclear whether they would launch an attack. If they did, Chen Jisheng would naturally be most familiar with the defensive operations of Yizhou and Tieshan.

Gou Zhenhuai pondered for a moment and said, "Although Marshal Mao is leading the troops in person, it is the same if he stays on the ship to command."

Mao Wenlong pretended to think about it, accepted Gou Zhenhuai's suggestion, and thanked him, but he didn't agree in his heart.

It's inevitable that a general will die in battle; this is something a soldier should be mentally prepared for. If you're afraid of death, you should just retire.

………………

Zhenjiang.

The second Beile Amin and the eighth Beile Huang Taiji stationed troops here to intimidate the Dongjiang headquarters and support their father Khan's attack on Ningyuan and Juehua.

After Amin suffered a defeat at Lushun Fort, he was punished by Nurhaci. Several of his Niulu were transferred to the two yellow flags, which further damaged the strength of the Bordered Blue Banner.

Although he wanted to avenge his brother Zaisanggu, he was still frightened by the power of the Ming army's firearms in the battle of Port Arthur, and could not think of a good way to deal with it.

Therefore, after stationing troops in Zhenjiang, Amin did not act rashly. Instead, he was very honest and obeyed Nurhaci's orders, taking Huang Taiji as the commander-in-chief and following his orders.

Huang Taiji did send cavalry across the frozen Yalu River and into Sinuiju. After receiving information that the Ming army had retreated voluntarily and the people had all moved away, he thought about it again and again and did not continue to attack Tieshan.

In his analysis, the Ming army might have planned to lure his army deep into the enemy territory and then attack from the sea. However, Huang Taiji did not agree with his father Khan's arrangement.

Such a close approach and suppression could certainly confuse the Ming army and buy some time for the main attacking force. However, in southern Liaoning and Zhenjiang, the distance between the two groups was too great, and the gap between them was worrying.

Nurhaci would not fail to see this, but he had his considerations.

The coastline along Zhuanghe, Huanggudao Fort, and Guifu Fort has been harassed several times by the Ming army's landing and attack. All the Liao people who could escape have fled, and it has almost become a no-man's land.

Because of this, Nurhaci believed that if the Ming army landed again, there would be no major losses. If the Ming army continued to advance, it might be caught in a pincer attack by the two major groups of the Later Jin, or even have its retreat cut off.

Huang Taiji certainly knew what his father Khan meant, but he was more worried that the landing Ming army would no longer be harassing him, but would use a large number of troops to cut off the connection between him and Daishan, and then launch a pincer attack.

From a different perspective, Huang Taiji was obviously more vigilant than Nurhaci, and was even more shocked by the changes in the Ming army over the past six months.

On the surface, the defeat at Guangning and the loss at Lushun Fort seemed similar, both due to the weak offensive capabilities of the Later Jin army.

However, a closer look reveals that the Ming army had already dared to take the initiative, and Amin's Bordered Blue Banner suffered heavy losses because of the Ming army's front-and-back attacks.

If the Ming army just hid in the cave, at most they could just lay siege if they couldn't capture the city, or retreat and look for another opportunity to fight. The Later Jin army had the initiative and the losses could be controlled.

But the Ming army dared to form a formation and attack, and this change had to attract the attention and concern of Huang Taiji.

The Later Jin army has always been famous for its field battles, which was one of its trump cards in defeating the Ming army. In field battles, the Later Jin army was able to defeat the larger force with a smaller force and seemed to have never been defeated.

If the advantage of field battles was lost, or if the Ming army closed the gap, the Ming Dynasty's human advantage would not be able to compete with the Later Jin Dynasty.

Take the Dongjiang Army, which is now directly confronting the Later Jin Army. If they make plans based only on their manpower and strength, they will definitely suffer heavy losses.

Because, behind the Dongjiang Army, there are Dengzhen and Jinzhen. With sea transport, who knows if they will suddenly join the battle and give the Later Jin Army an unexpected blow?