The course of war is often difficult to control. After all, this is a battle between two sides, and reaching a consensus is not easy.
On this point, the emperor thought simply. After all, he was not a war genius, but just a master of talking about war on paper!
But veterans like Xiong Tingbi and Mao Wenlong, how could they not know how difficult it would be to maintain control once a war broke out?
Therefore, these two people had reservations about the time set by the emperor for the major counterattack. They did not explain in their secret report that the emperor's plan was a bit conservative and overly cautious.
Of course, if they insist on launching an offensive, they will also have to look at the specific situation and results before making plans for the next step.
If the attack goes smoothly and the supply of materials and fodder can be guaranteed, then the scale will continue to be expanded; if the battle does not go well, or there is a shortage of food and ammunition, southern Liaoning can retreat to the Haicheng River, and Liaodong can use the Taizi River as a barrier.
However, neither Xiong Tingbi nor Mao Wenlong anticipated the subsequent development of the situation. Hu Duntu's plan of attack forced the emperor to launch a counterattack ahead of schedule, devoting all his efforts to the beginning of a major counterattack.
The emperor's secret decrees and letters from the Ministry of War arrived very quickly. Now communications are transmitted from Beijing to Tianjin using signal towers, and then fast ships go out to sea and directly deliver to western Liaoning, southern Liaoning, and eastern Liaoning, which is much faster than land transportation.
Xiong Tingbi had first received the secret decree and the official letter from the Ministry of War. By then, the Ming army had already broken through the Haicheng River. Three pontoon bridges had been erected, and surrounding camps had been built, firmly guarding the landing site.
Xiong Tingbi was not in a hurry to attack the nearby Haizhou Fortress. This attitude of not attacking but not attacking did attract the two red flags of the Jiannu, perhaps restraining them from making any rash moves.
The purpose of doing this was simple. Part of the Ming army had already moved north along the Sancha River, successively capturing Niuzhuangyi and Dongchangbao, posing a threat from the west of Haizhouwei City.
Xiong Tingbi was also making plans. Niuzhuangyi and Dongchangbao were sandwiched between the Sancha River and the Haicheng River. The Jiannu had no ships, making them difficult to capture. Moreover, these two forts had no strategic value to the Jiannu.
But it was different for the Ming army. Not far away across the Sancha River was Xining Fort in western Liaoning. With the help of the navy, western Liaoning and southern Liaoning could meet and communicate here.
In other words, the Ming army in western Liaoning could easily cross the river and enter Haizhou from Niuzhuangyi and Dongchangbao, forming a two-wing pincer attack with the Ming army in southern Liaoning.
Of course, the Ming army in western Liaoning will not join the battlefield in southern Liaoning at present. The defense of Guangning area also requires considerable manpower to guard against the Jiannu army's desperate actions.
However, the imperial court had already issued an order to expand a mixed brigade in each of Liaoxi, Liaonan, and Liaodong. Adding the flying cavalry of the Beijing Camp that was currently entering Liao, and with sufficient manpower, they could flexibly change the direction of attack, making it difficult for the Jiannu to defend themselves.
"Lord Yuan has been appointed Commander-in-Chief and will soon enter Liao." Xiong Tingbi showed the military document to the generals and said, "Lord Yuan will be in command of the decisive battle against Liao. We must obey his orders, pacify Liao and eliminate the slaves, and achieve great merit to serve the emperor and the court."
"Yes, we will follow your instructions, sir." The generals bowed in response.
Xiong Tingbi pressed his hand downward, motioning for the generals to sit down. He glanced around and said slowly, "The Rock Mixed Brigade has completed its reorganization and training and will arrive at the front lines soon. With this powerful force, our army's combat effectiveness will be further enhanced."
The generals murmured softly. This Rock Mixed Corps was named and given a flag by the Emperor himself, and was composed of elite troops drawn from various divisions. It was said that its artillery was also the strongest among the various divisions. It was indeed a powerful force.
The commander of the Mixed Brigade was a general appointed by the emperor himself. No one expected that it would be the not-so-famous Huang Long.
Xiong Tingbi also had some guesses and naturally had his own candidates in mind, but since the emperor had made the appointment, he could only act according to his orders.
"According to the Ministry of War's order, a mixed brigade will be established in each of Liaoxi and Liaonan as reserve corps." Xiong Tingbi continued, "Currently, these two mixed brigades are fully staffed and have undergone training, but most of them are new recruits."
After a pause, Xiong Tingbi smiled and said, "This governor has already asked the court for instructions to disband these two mixed corps and add them to the various divisions to quickly build up combat effectiveness."
The idea of using veterans to guide newcomers has always been a method of military expansion advocated by the emperor and adopted by various military units. It was on this basis that Xiong Tingbi made his proposal to the court.
"Your Excellency is wise," Zhu Mei said, bowing. "If we use the new mixed brigade to fight independently, its combat effectiveness will be worrying. Reinforcing them into other units would be the best solution."
The generals also expressed their agreement. Having more troops under their command would naturally make everyone happy, and there was no reason to object.
Of course, Xiong Tingbi's suggestion was to reduce the establishment of the two mixed brigades, which invisibly reduced the number of officers who might be promoted. It was inevitable that some people would be dissatisfied.
Anyway, Old Bear didn't care. He had done few things that earned him criticism, but said more words that earned him hatred. But the Emperor clearly didn't care much. He had cleared the court, and Old Bear was relieved because no one was impeaching him.
Based on the current speed of material transportation, Lao Xiong estimates that another month or so will be enough time for the decisive battle.
In other words, from now on, the time for preparation is more than a month. Although the war must still be fought, large-scale wars must be avoided as much as possible.
After making adjustments to the deployment, Xiong Tingbi ended the military meeting and waited for the imperial tutor Yuan Keli to enter Liao so that he could go to meet him and accept his leadership and command.
Lao Xiong thought he had guessed the reason behind the emperor's arrangement.
The reason why Yuan Keli was not allowed to go to Liaoning to command was because he had to report to Beijing in the autumn.
The emperor not only had to give instructions in person, but also had to resolve the issue of command in pacifying Liao. He might also have to eliminate the rift between the two and ask Xiong Tingbi and Mao Wenlong to cooperate well.
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