As Sun Tzu's Art of War says, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.
But knowing oneself is not easy, and knowing the enemy is even harder.
If you know the enemy has a rank.
Then the Iron rank is when the enemy attacks you and you are completely clueless and know nothing.
The bronze rank means knowing in advance that the enemy is coming, but nothing else.
The silver rank is to know the approximate number of enemy troops.
The gold level is to know the number of enemy troops and their deployment.
Diamond rank players must not only be aware of the enemy's troop numbers and deployment, but also understand the enemy's combat intentions.
The master level is to know the enemy's main general, his trusted aides, messengers, gatekeepers, and servants before the battle.
To reach the King level, you need to fully understand the enemy commander based on all the previous knowledge, especially his character.
Character is the reflection of a person's nature.
What he does is largely determined by his character.
Dorgon knew very well that what was coming would be a high-end game.
Therefore, we must fully understand Li Dingguo himself.
After listening to Hong Chengchou's analysis, Dorgon shook his head and said: "Kindness, benevolence and honesty can make a good local official, but not a general."
"I haven't finished yet," Hong Chengchou continued to analyze: "In addition to being tolerant, kind and honest, Li Dingguo is also good at winning people's hearts."
"Winning people's hearts?" Dorgon raised his head, looked into Hong Chengchou's eyes and asked, "What do you mean?"
"He marched straight into Shengjing before, and there must be someone leading the way. I wonder if Your Majesty agrees with my opinion?"
Dorgon nodded in agreement.
There is no doubt about this.
Ancient maps were not as accurate as modern maps.
The maps at that time could only roughly depict some important terrain, such as mountains, rivers, bridges, etc.
Others are rarely marked.
It's easy to get lost just by looking at a map.
Even if we don't get lost, our marching speed will be greatly reduced.
But it’s different if there’s someone leading the way.
Not only can it easily bypass various obstacles, but it can also march at the fastest speed.
Hong Chengchou continued, "The people who led him were either local Liao people or surrendered Qing soldiers. The reason why these people were willing to serve Li Dingguo shows that he is good at winning people's hearts."
"Mr. Hong's analysis is very reasonable," Dorgon nodded again, expressing his approval of Hong Chengchou himself. "I wonder what Mr. Hong thinks about the upcoming war?"
"I neither know the situation of our army nor the deployment of Li Dingguo's troops. Moreover, I have never arrived at the front line and do not understand the terrain there, so I dare not speak carelessly." Hong Chengchou answered in a very experienced and calm tone.
Although his answer seemed to mean nothing, to Dorgon, every word was good advice.
Because war is a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival or destruction.
The more cautious one is, the more it reflects the person's wisdom and foresight.
He bowed deeply to Hong Chengchou and said, "Thank you, Mr. Hong, for your guidance."
"Your Highness is too polite. This is my duty."
"Mr. Hong has already delivered the food and fodder to the Khorchin tribe. I wonder what Mr. Hong's next plan is?"
Hong Chengchou clasped his hands together and said, "I originally planned to return to the capital (Shengjing) to report, but the prince is here, so I will report to the prince now. As for where to go next, it is all at the prince's disposal!"
"I intend to attack Li Dingguo in Guangning. I wonder if Mr. Hong is willing to go with me?"
"I am willing to go!"
"Good!" Dorgon laughed happily and said, "With Mr. Hong's help, we will surely kill Li Dingguo and avenge the shame of our previous siege!"
......
Li Dingguo, the commander-in-chief of the Huguang militia, had no idea that his next enemy would be a combination of Dorgon, Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou.
Although he didn't know who the specific enemy was, he had received early warning of the enemy's possible attack.
After the main force of the Jiannu retreated from Liaoyang, Wang Yongji immediately wrote a letter to Li Dingguo to inform him.
As the Governor-General of Pingliao, Wang Yongji did not give much thought to the war.
After all, he has more than ten generals and commanders under his command.
Each of them can stand on their own.
Therefore, Wang Yongji's energy is mainly used to consider strategic planning and logistical support issues.
After receiving warning.
Li Dingguo sent a large number of night patrols and scouts to the grassland to investigate the enemy situation and gather information.
July 23, Guangning City.
Li Dingguo was discussing military intelligence with Liu Wenxiu and Gao Wengui.
"We have been waiting for so many days, why haven't we seen the enemy that the governor mentioned?" Gao Wengui said impatiently.
"Don't be anxious. What is meant to come will come sooner or later. If it is not meant to come, it will never come no matter how hard you try." Liu Wenxiu said slowly.
"Then...who should come and who shouldn't come?" Gao Wengui asked with blinking eyes.
Liu Wenxiu said confidently: "The Jiannu will definitely come, some Mongols will also come, and some Mongols will never come even if they are beaten to death!"
"Then we can't just wait like this, right? Do we have to do something?" Gao Wengui asked.
"No," Li Dingguo said, "The more times like this, the more we must not panic. Sometimes it is better to remain unchanged than to rush for change. Moreover, I have already notified all the surrounding cities to fortify their walls and clear the fields. Even if the Jiannu come, they will not be able to gain any advantage."
Speaking of fortifying the city and clearing the countryside, Liu Wenxiu asked, "Most of the soldiers in the nearby cities have been requisitioned by the Governor-General. The rest are the Yuyuan Army temporarily transferred from Shandong. Are these people...reliable?"
"Don't worry," Li Dingguo said seriously, "Even if they are still dissatisfied with the court, they will not surrender to the Jian Nu and betray the court. They can still distinguish between internal and external affairs."
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