Lushun Fort can be abandoned, and the coastal forts do not need to be defended. Attracting the Ming army to land and then launching a quick attack is also a good idea.
Moreover, when launching an attack in winter, it is entirely possible to shrink the troops significantly to save on the number of garrisons and concentrate their forces.
It was only temporary, the contraction was only temporary, just like the Ming army's abandonment of Guangning and retreat to Ningyuan and Juehua.
I finally made the decision: a winter offensive was a must. As for the target, it would depend on how the situation unfolded before it could be determined.
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Fengcheng, formerly known as Phoenix City, was later under the jurisdiction of Dandong City.
Because it is adjacent to Benxi in the north, Zhenjiang in the south, and Kuandian in the east, it is very convenient to provide reinforcements to various places, so Huang Taiji led the Zhengbai Banner to temporarily station here.
Amin was defeated in Lushun Fort and suffered heavy casualties; the two flags led by Daishan also suffered losses, but they only captured two empty cities and had to cross the river back helplessly, leaving them empty-handed.
This defeat, in terms of casualties, surpassed the Battle of Guangning. The new Ming army tactics also attracted the attention of many high-ranking officials of the Later Jin Dynasty, including Lao Nu.
Huang Taiji had already regarded the Dongjiang Army as a serious threat and began to reconsider the difficulties that the Later Jin would face from a strategic perspective.
All these changes can be traced back to the Battle of Guangning. Especially after the Ming army abandoned Guangning and implemented a strategic retreat, the Later Jin seemed to fall into confusion and passivity.
Although not many people in the Later Jin Dynasty took it seriously and did not consider it passive, Huang Taiji thought more and more that something was wrong. After careful analysis and research, he came to a relatively pessimistic conclusion.
"The Ming army abandoned Guangning, but Huduntu took its place. The diversionary force remains." Huang Taiji frowned in thought before the crude map. "The Ming court is also vigorously supporting the Dongjiang Army, and together with Korea, they are blockading our Great Jin."
Shaking his head slightly, Huang Taiji stretched out his finger and traced the vast coastal area. "Adding the Ming troops in Dengzhen and Jinzhen, the military pressure and blockade on our Great Jin has actually increased."
Luo Xiujin pondered and said, "Xiong Manzi's 'three-party arrangement' was already quite troublesome. Now with Hu Duntu, Korea, the Dongjiang Army, and the sea route to Deng Zhenjin, it has become a 'four-party arrangement', which is even more vicious!"
For the Later Jin, occupying many cities and territories was not the most important thing. Food and supplies were what they needed.
Even if they occupied most of Liaodong, they still couldn't avoid natural disasters and severe cold. Silently depleting resources would lead to self-destruction, while sending out troops to plunder would require them to guard against enemies from other directions taking advantage of the situation.
Huang Taiji nodded vigorously at Ning Yuan and said with a wry smile: "It seems that they are abandoning the land without fighting, but it is actually a hidden murderous intention. If our army launches an attack, the supply line will be extended by hundreds of miles, and it will be difficult to provide food and grass. If we are trapped in a strong city, I am afraid..."
The main purpose of going into battle is to plunder, but if it turns into consumption, it goes against the original intention and goes against the purpose.
If they succeeded, it would be fine, but what if they failed? Even a standoff with the Ming army was beyond the Later Jin's ability to withstand. They would have to return home hungry, and who knows how many more would have died on the icy and snowy roads.
Luo Xiujin pointed to several rivers on the map and said, "If the rivers freeze in winter, we can still launch an attack. But in other seasons, there are traps everywhere and it's frostbitten and dangerous."
The Liao River and the Sancha River were the traps that Luo Xiujin had mentioned. With the strength of its navy, the Ming army was able to easily destroy the pontoon bridges, block the rivers, and cut off the food supply.
Due to such concerns, the Later Jin could only launch an attack on western Liaoning in winter, when the rivers froze and there was no need to worry about the Ming navy cutting off their retreat.
And Luo Xiujin's reminder, or rather her worry, was indeed correct.
Lao Xiong had a battle plan: "Attack Ningyuan and form a corner with Juehua. When the enemy sees the city, order the soldiers on the island to form three branches to the side, cut off the pontoon bridge, go around the enemy from behind and attack them from the side."
Huang Taiji nodded slightly to show his approval of Luo Xiujin.
His gaze turned eastward, crossed the Yalu River, stopped at Pi Island for a while, then turned to Sinuiju and Iron Mountain, and then to North Korea.
Compared with the risks of attacking western Liaoning, North Korea is a soft target.
If North Korea could be conquered, it would weaken the Dongjiang Army's strength, because many of the Dongjiang Army's supplies were supplied by North Korea.
However, the timing of the attack on North Korea seemed inappropriate. North Korea only imposed an economic blockade and provided assistance to the Dongjiang Army, but did not directly engage in military conflict with the Later Jin.
I'm afraid my father Khan will not agree to attack North Korea, at least under the current circumstances, he will not act rashly.
Huang Taiji pondered, frowned, and fell into long contemplation.
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