On February 21, the 25th year of Chongzhen, the Ming army assembled and prepared to set off.

But due to heavy snow, the postponement had to be made for a few days.

On February 25th, the army officially set out.

The three armies agreed to attack Hetuala on the tenth day of March.

Huang Fei led the southern army to move out first.

After leaving Kuandian Fort, they headed northwest.

After arriving at Pushi River, it turned northeast, then turned northwest and moved along Niumaosheng River.

Kuandian Fort is less than 400 miles away from Hetuala, and it should take only ten days to reach there.

But the road to Kuandian Fort is difficult to travel, so we have to take the lead.

On the afternoon of the day Huang Fei set out, Li Dingguo also led his troops on the journey.

His road is similar to the one in Kuandian Fort.

But the distance is closer than the road to Kuandian Fort.

The day after Huang Fei set out, Wang Yongji also led his troops to set out.

The three armies slowly approached Hetuala.

"Report!" The scout rushed into the city to report to Dorgon: "Prince Rui, the Ming army is attacking Hetuala in three directions."

"Which three routes?" Dorgon asked.

"The Northern Army has about 60,000 soldiers and horses, led by Wang Yongji himself, and set out from Shenyang. His generals include Li Xianzhong, Liu Zhaoji, Huang Degong, Wu Sangui, Gao Yigong, Liu Xiyao and others!"

"The commander of the Central Army is Li Dingguo, with about 20,000 soldiers and horses, who set out from Liaoyang."

"The commander of the southern army is Huang Fei, and his troops number about 30,000! Most of them are infantry, with few cavalry. They set out from Kuandian Fort and headed north along the river."

"The three Ming armies agreed to encircle Hetuala on the tenth day of March!"

"Quick," Dorgon ordered hurriedly, "Call the Eight Banners generals as well as Mr. Fan and Mr. Hong to come to discuss the matter."

"And," Dorgon was about to add something but felt something was wrong, so he changed his words and said, "Forget it, just these people."

At Dorgon's call, everyone gathered quickly.

After briefly describing the situation, everyone was silent.

The total strength of the Ming army was 110,000, while their strength was only more than 40,000.

The gap between the two sides is too big.

They had no confidence in defeating the Ming army.

"What do you two gentlemen think?" Dorgon asked.

"May I ask where did your Highness get this information from? How credible is it?" Fan Wencheng asked in return.

"The news came from within the Ming army. As for its credibility..." Dorgon thought for a moment, "It's at least 80% credible."

Fan Wencheng thought for a while and said, "From the perspective of troop deployment, the North Route Army and the South Route Army are real, while the Central Route Army is fake!"

Prince Su Haoge was so angry that he laughed: "Is there any need to say this? The number of troops is clearly stated, unless the news is wrong!"

"The news cannot be wrong!" Dorgon repeated again.

The news was spread by Wu Sangui.

Although Dorgon felt that Wu Sangui was not a good person, Wu Sangui and the Qing Dynasty were in the same boat, so there was no need for him to lie at this time.

"Prince Rui, Prince Su, and all my lords!" Fan Wencheng clasped his fists and saluted: "Since the Ming army has divided its forces to attack, then our army should divide its forces to defend."

"How can we defend it?" Hauge said unhappily, "The Ming army has 110,000 soldiers and ours has only a little over 40,000."

"The Ming army does have 110,000 soldiers, but they are divided up." Fan Wencheng began to explain: "Now the three armies are fighting separately. Our army can completely imitate the Battle of Sarhu commanded by Emperor Taizu Gao (Nurhaci) and defeat the Ming army one by one by relying on the idea that yours will attack from several directions while I will only go one way."

"The idea is fine, but the problem is how to defeat them one by one?" Hong Chengchou suddenly asked.

After staying in the Jiannu army for so long, Hong Chengchou finally figured out Fan Wencheng's background.

Does he have the ability?

Yes, but not many.

Why do you say that?

Because Fan Wencheng only talks about theory and does not combine it with practice.

Everyone knew that the Ming army had to be defeated one by one, but the key was how to defeat them.

This involves a series of issues including marching, logistics supply, tactics and strategies.

Every time Fan Wencheng made a plan, he would point out a direction, and the rest needed to be done by the generals who were executing the orders.

Fan Wencheng deserves half the credit for the victory.

If we lose the battle, the blame lies with the generals.

This business is good, you can make money as long as you don't lose money.

Faced with Hong Chengchou's attack, Fan Wencheng was stunned.

Fortunately, he was not an ordinary person. He quickly recovered and said, "The main force of the Ming army is the northern army. As long as we find a way to defeat the northern army, the other two routes will not be a big deal."

"It's difficult!" Hong Chengchou immediately retorted: "The key to winning the Battle of Sarhu was Du Song's troops. He was the main force of the attack, but because he underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, he stood out and was isolated, and that's when Emperor Taizu Gao found his weakness."

"The Northern Army led by Wang Yongji will certainly advance step by step as before, instead of underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly. If they don't make mistakes, our army won't be able to find any flaws, let alone defeat them."

"Once the other two armies have completed their encirclement, our army will be unable to win and will have no way to retreat! At that time, we will either surrender or commit suicide for our country."

"Mr. Fan, don't you think this is the truth?"

Fan Wencheng's face began to turn ugly.

Only now did he realize that Hong Chengchou was going to attack him.

As for the purpose, it is obvious: to win favor.

In fact, this is reasonable.

The larger the power and territory, the more people are needed.

On the contrary, fewer people are needed.

The Qing Dynasty had been driven back to Hetuala by the Ming army, and its sphere of influence had been severely reduced.

The temple now can no longer accommodate so many people.

Competition for favor is the inevitable result.

Fan Wencheng thought seriously for a while, took a deep breath and said: "Mr. Hong, since you think there is a problem with my strategy, please tell me your strategy!"

Giving advice is like arguing.

You should find ways to make the other party prove themselves, rather than prove that your own strategy is fine.

Of course.

If it is really a good strategy, self-proof at this time will be the decisive factor.

The reason why Fan Wencheng was unwilling to prove himself was because he had no better solution.

Hong Chengchou was well prepared. After a quick glance, he said to Dorgon, "Your Majesty, I think we should attack the central army of the Ming army first, then the southern army, and save the northern army for last."

"I'm afraid this won't work?" Dorgon questioned, "Our army is already short of manpower, and after the division, it will be even more stretched."

"Your Majesty, this is wrong. Not only can our army be divided, but we can also divide it into three routes!"

Hong Chengchou's words shocked everyone.

Fan Wencheng laughed at him immediately, "Crazy, crazy, absolutely crazy."

"Yes," Hauge rarely agreed with Fan Wencheng's point of view, "Now these troops are not enough, it is better to surrender directly than to divide them."

"It's indeed inappropriate!" Man Dahai shook his head.

Hong Chengchou sneered at the people's laughter. When the laughter stopped, he said calmly, "Don't rush to refute me. Let me talk slowly."