In the past, Dongjiang Town was located in a remote area overseas and was closest to Deng Town. Dengzhou was the storage, transportation and distribution center of Dongjiang Town’s food and wages, and was under the control of Deng Fu Yuan Keli, so there was no problem.
But now, Liaoxi and Liaonan have opened up close sea links, and the Ming army in Liaozhen has reoccupied Guangning, separated from Liaochen by only the Liaohe River and Liaoze Lake. How the two major military towns can coordinate their actions is an immediate problem.
In fact, Zhang Pan's mixed brigade has formed a new Liaonan Corps with the troops of Jin Guofeng and Huang Long in Liaozhen, as well as the navy led by Zhang Keda, the general of Dengzhen, and Zhang Keda, the general with the highest rank, serves as the commander-in-chief.
Although Zhang Pan's troops were not assigned to the Liaozhen generals, this was only a temporary measure. Mao Wenlong did not know whether this was the emperor's intention or a temporary decision made by the Ministry of War.
Therefore, to be on the safe side, Mao Wenlong decided to transfer Kong Youde's troops to Kuandian to avoid a situation like Zhang Pan, who was nominally in Dongjiang but was under the command of another military garrison.
If we think about it in the long term, Liaozhen and Dongjiangzhen will inevitably become the main force in the pacification of Liao, and unified command will be reasonable, instead of just coordination and cooperation as before.
Originally, Mao Wenlong hoped that Yuan Keli would stay in charge of Liaonan, so that Dongjiang Town could continue to be under his control. Given Yuan Keli's seniority, Xiong Tingbi was also ranked below him.
However, the imperial court did not approve Yuan Keli's request, so Mao Wenlong began to speculate whether he should give the command of the Liaodong Campaign to Xiong Tingbi.
In terms of official title and qualifications, Xiong Tingbi was above Mao Wenlong. Xiong Tingbi also served as the governor of Liaodong, so it was not an overstepping of authority for him to command Dongjiang Town.
Mao Wenlong was not very willing to accept this arrangement, so he thought of starting a war in Jianzhou Guard. If the war started, he could gain relatively independent command power, or achieve merits that would change the emperor's mind.
Therefore, he not only had to mobilize Kong Youde's troops, but also Gou Zhenhuai's, to form the advantage of three alliances fighting two flags in the battle of Jianzhou Wei.
In this case, Chen Jisheng would need to divide his troops to defend Xiuyan. In order to ensure that the defense at the two key points could be solid, Mao Wenlong had to inspect it himself and seek Chen Jisheng's opinion.
Chen Jisheng knew that his old leader had some grudges with Xiong Tingbi. It wasn't the kind of quarrel they had when they met, but it was related to Wang Huazhen and Mao Wenlong's surprise attack on Zhenjiang.
But it seems that no one is wrong in this matter, it’s just that everyone has different opinions.
After pondering for a while, Chen Jisheng said, "Fengcheng is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Two thousand men are enough to hold it. Xiuyan, three to four thousand men should be enough to keep the Jiannu at bay. I still have two to three thousand men in reserve. You can mobilize them as you wish."
Mao Wenlong laughed heartily, patted Chen Jisheng's arm, and said, "I know you'll agree readily, but Fengcheng and Xiuyan shouldn't be too complacent. There's no need to keep the reserve troops; use them all for the defense of the two places. I'll be at ease if you stay in Fengcheng."
As in the Guangning area, although the Ming army recovered Zhenjiang, Fengcheng, and Xiuyan, they did not resettle the civilians. The Liao people protected by the Dongjiang headquarters remained on the islands and in Cheolsan and Yizhou in Korea.
Therefore, Mao Wenlong and Chen Jisheng did not need to worry too much about the Jiannu circling the city and looting. As long as they had a few key strongholds, they would be able to suppress the Jiannu.
Chen Jisheng considered it and agreed with Mao Wenlong's somewhat conservative suggestion, but he wouldn't implement it immediately. He would leave some troops in Fengcheng and Xiuyan, while the remaining several thousand men would rush to transport ammunition and supplies to prepare for a longer-term defense.
Mao Wenlong also agreed. After all, it would take some time to mobilize the two teams of Kong Youde and Gou Zhenhuai and then attack Jianzhou Wei.
"This battle is of great importance." Mao Wenlong's plan was ready to be implemented, but he did not look relaxed at all. "If we encounter setbacks, I'm afraid..."
Chen Jisheng did not know that Mao Wenlong would come to Beijing for an audience with the emperor in the fall, and Mao Wenlong also kept quiet in time and did not reveal this top-secret information.
"Victory and defeat are common in the military," Chen Jisheng said with a reassuring smile. "Besides, the main attacking forces are the three associations, with the two associations of Deng and Jin as backup. Our chances of victory are very high, so there's no need to worry too much, Marshal."
Mao Wenlong nodded, without revealing any other information, and discussed defense and other issues with Chen Jisheng.
………………
Guangning.
Xiong Tingbi had just finished inspecting the combat readiness of various places and returned to the Guangning Command Headquarters.
After such a long period of preparation, the defense system in the Guangning area has become stable. With elite soldiers like He Kegang and Zhu Mei, and with fortifications built and sufficient food and ammunition, he can now rest assured.
The winter and spring counterattack next year is to take advantage of the cold weather to prevent the Liaohe River and Liaoze from hindering the advance of the Ming army and the transportation of food and supplies.
But Xiong Tingbi already had other ideas. He wanted to take a defensive position in Guangning and move his headquarters to southern Liaoning. With the cooperation of the navy, he would attack Liaoshen from the south.
Like Mao Wenlong, Xiong Tingbi also felt that action could be taken early. Wouldn't it be wonderful to sail to Shenyang instead of waiting for the rivers to freeze over in winter?
According to Xiong Tingbi's idea, Guangning was not the most suitable starting point for the counterattack, even with its frozen rivers.
This conclusion is based on the ancient roads. The rivers were frozen and the Liaoze Lake was no longer muddy, but there were no roads. Where there were roads, the road conditions were poor, which would greatly hinder the transportation of supplies for the Ming army.
The Ming army, with the exception of its flying cavalry, was now a fully firearms force. The biggest difference between this and cold weapon warfare was its reliance on ammunition and supplies.
After the Jiannu army implemented a strategic retreat, it was originally a good opportunity for the Ming army to seize the opportunity to advance. However, due to insufficient ammunition and supplies, they could only rest, replenish and carry out small-scale operations.
The emperor planned to launch a major counterattack in the winter and spring of next year, and he also took into account the manufacture and transportation of ammunition and supplies.
The completion and commissioning of the Tianjin Gunpowder and Arsenal, as well as the increase in output at the Pidao and Juehua arsenals, accelerated the preparations for the major counter-offensive.
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