"Borrow troops? Borrow Korean soldiers or Japanese pirates?" Man Dahai stared at Fan Wencheng and asked, "The Korean soldiers' combat effectiveness is horrible. After the Japanese experienced the anti-Japanese aid to Korea, they have developed a fear of the Ming Dynasty and will not easily send troops!"

"Neither." Fan Wencheng shook his head.

"Who has soldiers to lend us?"

"The navy of Zheng Zhilong from Fujian!" Dorgon stood up and took over the conversation.

"Zheng Zhilong?" Man Dahai squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then laughed and said, "As long as he sends troops, no matter how secretive and cautious he is, the Ming court will know about it sooner or later. And once the Ming court knows about it, it means he will break with the Ming court."

"Does he... dare?"

Dorgon sneered, "It's not a matter of whether he dares or not, but he has no choice! If he doesn't send troops to help us, I will hand over the evidence of his smuggling to the Ming court. Even if Zhu Youjian wants to spare him, the civil and military officials of the court and the people of the world will not agree."

"Okay!" Man Dahai couldn't find any reason not to cooperate, so he could only shut up for the time being.

He went over the troop deployment plan in detail with Fan Wencheng again, and finally left with reluctance.

It was already dark.

According to the original plan, Dorgon led the main force away under the cover of night.

The next morning.

Before Wang Yongji got up, he received a report from the messenger: "The vanguard of the Guanliao Dengjin Navy has arrived outside Xiuyan City. The defenders of Xiuyan City fled, and Xiuyan was captured without bloodshed."

"What is Huang Fei's next plan?" Wang Yongji asked while putting on his clothes.

"General Huang plans to split his troops into two groups to recapture Fenghuang, Zhenjiang and other 17 cities. One group will head north from Xiuyan, while the other group will take warships to first capture Ludao, then Zhangzidao, and then attack Zhenjiang."

"Finally, the two armies joined forces to capture Phoenix City."

"Based on the previous speed, we estimate that we can capture Phoenix City within three days!"

"Yeah," Wang Yongji nodded in approval of Huang Fei's military plan.

Fenghuang City (now Fengcheng) was the station of Ding Liao Youwei and had great significance.

Here we can not only defend against possible invasions from the southeastern Korean direction, but also guard against the Jianzhou tribes in the northeastern direction.

After taking these places, there is no need to send too many troops to defend them.

After all, there are mountains everywhere, which cannot accommodate the rapid passage of large-scale cavalry.

Just leave some soldiers behind to provide early warning information to the Ping Liao army.

At this time, Wang Yongji had already put on his clothes and summoned the generals of the central army to the military tent to discuss matters.

After listening to Wang Yongji's retelling, Huang Degong said worriedly: "The only uncertain factor at the moment is North Korea. Zhenjiang borders North Korea. If they launch a surprise attack when Huang Fei captures Zhenjiang City, Huang Fei will be in big trouble."

"It's not a big problem," Wang Yongji smiled. "Before sending troops to southern Liaoning, I have ordered the deputy commander of the Guanliao Dengjin Navy to write a letter to the commander of the Korean border."

"Who is the Korean border general?" Huang Degong asked.

"An old acquaintance, Lord Yancheng Li Shifang." Wang Yongji replied.

"Li Shifang?" Huang Degong was a little surprised. "Isn't he the governor of the Capital Region of Korea? He is mainly responsible for the defense of the capital. When did he become a general at the border?"

"Don't mention it!" Wang Yongji said almost with a smile: "During the Battle of Songjin, Li Shifang first passively resisted our army, and then surrendered directly on the battlefield, causing great trouble to the Jiannu."

"After the governor released him, he returned to North Korea. Guess what? Not only was he not punished, but he was promoted instead."

"In addition to the defense of Gyeonggi, Yi Hao (King of Joseon) also gave him the defense of the entire northern border of Joseon."

"Li Shifang has now become a high-ranking official!"

"That's good," Huang Degong nodded with relief.

Just as they were about to continue the discussion, a scout suddenly came to report: "The Jiannu camp outside Liaoyang City is empty!"

"What?" Huang Degong was shocked. "Where did Jian Nu go?"

The scout replied, "We don't know where they went! It was dark last night, and the Jiannu had deployed a large number of scouts outside. Even the night watchmen sent by our army could not get close enough to investigate. We only discovered that the Jiannu camp was empty at dawn. According to the night watchmen, the Jiannu may have retreated into the city overnight, or they may have retreated to other places."

"This..." Huang Degong began to become impatient.

He was not afraid of a head-on confrontation with the Jiannu, but he was afraid that he would not be able to find the Jiannu and would have no battle to fight.

Wang Yongji was not in a hurry.

The more times like this, the calmer he needs to be.

After a brief thought, he gave the order: "Send a message to Wu Sangui, and tell him to immediately send a small force across the river to test the water. The main force will follow closely behind, ready to cross the river at any time."

There is a river in the south of Liaoyang City, named Taizi River.

Taizi River was originally called Yanshui or Daliang River.

As for why the name was changed, it can be traced back to 227 BC.

That year, Prince Dan of Yan sent Jing Ke to assassinate the King of Qin.

After the failure, the King of Qin was furious and sent troops to attack Yan.

The following year was 226 BC.

The Yan army was defeated at Yishui, and the Qin army occupied the Yan capital Jicheng.

King Xi of Yan and Prince Dan were forced to flee to Liaodong.

Since Prince Dan once hid on an island in the river during his lifetime, the local people renamed the river Prince River.

Before receiving Wang Yongji's military order, Wu Sangui had already sent troops across the Taizi River to conduct reconnaissance.

The result was just as he expected, there was not a single Jiannu soldier outside Liaoyang City.

"Cross the river and inform the Governor-General of the news!" Wu Sangui ordered.

Under his command, the Guanning Army began to cross the river.

There was no expected attack halfway across the river, nor was there any harassment from the enemy.

The Guanning Army soon arrived at the north bank of the Taizi River.

After Wu Sangui's army had all crossed the river, the rest of the Ping Liao army also began to cross the river.

At the same time, the Ming army sent a large number of scouts to the surrounding areas to search for the location of the main force of the Jiannu.

The scouts advanced forty miles to the east, west and north, but still failed to find the main force of the Jiannu.

After making sure there were no Jiannu nearby, Wang Yongji waved his hand and ordered: "Pass the order down, order all cavalry to be on guard outside. The infantry will surround Liaoyang City and prepare to attack the city!"