"Divide the troops?" Liu Wenxiu and Gao Wengui looked at Li Dingguo at the same time and asked in unison: "How to divide the troops?"
Li Dingguo took a deep breath and said slowly: "If I were Dorgon, I would let the main force contain the main force of our army. The rest will all go south to capture the castles near the food route of the Ping Liao army, cut off the food route and post road, and at the same time use war to support war."
"Would the Jiannu know our army's food supply route?" Liu Wenxiu showed a puzzled expression.
Li Dingguo sneered: "Let's not talk about whether there are Jiannu spies in the Ping Liao army. You should know that Hong Chengchou has surrendered to the Jiannu. He once served as the governor of Ji and Liao, and he knows the logistics of the army very well."
"There are only a few roads suitable for transporting grain, and there are only a few castles along the way. If his memory is not too bad, he will remember all this information!"
Liu Wenxiu was silent for a while and then said, "If that's the case, things will be troublesome."
"Where does the trouble come from?" Gao Wengui asked.
Liu Wenxiu began to explain: "If we go south to support, we will be attacked by Dorgon with all our strength. Our army's current strength is not enough to confront Dorgon head-on. At the time, we will suffer casualties at best, or even all of our troops will be killed or wounded."
"If we don't support them, the food and post roads of the Ping Liao army will be cut off. If the Ping Liao army is defeated, all the responsibility will fall on us. If the court investigates, our lives will be in danger!"
"This..." Gao Wengui also realized the seriousness of the problem.
Liu Wenxiu looked at Li Dingguo and asked softly, "Second brother, if the Jiannu really divide their forces, how should we respond?"
Li Dingguo did not answer the question but chose to remain silent.
This matter is very tricky.
There were only two choices before him: to support or not to support.
But no matter which option he chooses, the risks far outweigh the benefits.
It is said that when weighing two benefits, choose the greater one, and when weighing two harms, choose the lesser one.
But when it comes to him, the two evils are weighed and each one is more serious than the other.
After thinking for a long time, a bold idea suddenly popped into his mind.
He didn't rush to speak, but looked at the people behind him.
His eyes swept over Liu Wenxiu, Gao Wengui, Ren Qi, Zhang Qi, Liang Min, Huang Zhenshan and others one by one.
Finally, he withdrew his gaze and looked back at the huge map in front of him.
"Second brother, do you have any idea?" Liu Wenxiu asked hurriedly.
"Well," Li Dingguo nodded, "I have a solution, but I'm still considering whether the disadvantages of this solution are serious."
"Then tell me first, if the Jiannu really send troops south, will we support them?" Liu Wenxiu asked.
"Support!" Li Dingguo answered very firmly, "Not only support, but also full support. I want to let the Jiannu see the true combat power of the Ming army through this battle."
Early morning of July 28th.
According to the original plan, Dorgon allocated 10,000 troops and, under the leadership of Shi Tingzhu, the leader of the Han army of the Plain White Banner, bypassed Guangning City and marched quickly southward.
Shi Tingzhu was originally the garrison commander of Guangning in the Ming Dynasty.
In the second year of the Tianqi reign, Nurhaci led his troops to attack Guangning.
The then Liaodong Governor Wang Huazhen and the then Liaodong General Xiong Tingbi were at odds and eventually lost Guangning.
Wang Huazhen fled back to the interior, while Shi Tingzhu surrendered to the Jiannu along with others and was granted a hereditary title.
This person is very strategic and smart in dealing with things.
Historically, he made many military achievements and was deeply trusted by Nurhaci, Huang Taiji, Dorgon and Fulin.
He was successively awarded positions and titles such as Angbang Zhangjing, Gushan Ezhen, Zhenhai General, and First-Class Earl.
Logically speaking, this battle was extremely important, and Dorgon should have sent a Manchu as the main general.
But after careful consideration, Dorgon decided not to do so.
There are three reasons.
First of all, Shi Tingzhu was indeed capable, and Dorgon felt relatively relieved to have him lead the troops to fight.
Secondly, the Qing Dynasty was deteriorating, and various contradictions emerged within the Eight Banners.
As an important part of the Eight Banners, the Han Eight Banners must be won over by some means.
Reusing Shi Tingzhu is very important to consolidate the loyalty of the Eight Banners of Han.
The last point is also the most important one.
Shi Tingzhu was from the Zhengbai Banner.
Dorgon was full of confidence in this battle.
Adhering to the idea that the meat should be rotten in the pot, Shi Tingzhu became the best choice.
Nearly 10,000 troops, carrying seven days of rations, went south along the Xisha River and attacked Panshan Post, one of the important post stations of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong.
As soon as Shi Tingzhu left, Li Dingguo in Guangning City got the news.
He deployed a large number of scouts and night raiders near Guangning.
He knew the movements of the Jiannu clearly.
In the central army tent, Gao Wengui asked for orders: "The Jiannu have already divided their troops, please give the order, General!"
Li Dingguo said nothing, looking hesitant.
His next words will determine the life and death of many people, so he must be cautious.
"General, please give the order!" Liu Wenxiu advised.
"Please give orders, General!" the leaders of the Yuyuan Army said one after another.
"Okay!" Li Dingguo stood up and began to issue military orders.
......
On the afternoon of July 28, Shi Tingzhu, leader of the Han army of the Plain White Banner, led his troops to the vicinity of Panshanyi.
Different from the post stations inside the pass.
Most of the post stations set up by the Ming Dynasty court in Liaodong were surrounded by wide and high earthen walls.
These earth walls can not only defend against sneak attacks by wild beasts, but also withstand attacks from small groups of enemies.
The postmaster of Panshan Post soon learned the news of the Jiannu invasion.
While sending people to deliver letters to Wang Yongji and Li Dingguo, he packed his luggage and prepared to escape at any time.
The earthen wall of the post station can only deal with a small group of enemies, and cannot stop an army of 10,000!
Because no reinforcements arrived before the Jiannu soldiers arrived.
The postmaster had no choice but to burn all the supplies that he could not take away, and then retreat to Luyang Posthouse south of Guangning with his men and cattle and horses.
Shi Tingzhu's attack was in vain.
However, he was not discouraged, but instead full of fighting spirit.
After a brief stop, he led his troops southward and headed towards Xiping Fort, which was located on the Ming army's grain route.
The next morning, the army arrived at the city of Xipingbao.
There were only six hundred soldiers guarding the fort.
Without any reinforcements, they held out for less than a day before being captured.
Except for a very small number of defenders who surrendered, most of the defenders were killed in the battle.
All the food and grass in the fort were looted by Shi Tingzhu and became his supplies.
Next, he turned his attention to Pingyangqiao Fort, southeast of Xiping Fort.
The castle was also located on the Ming army's food route.
Shi Tingzhu used the same trick again and captured the castle in less than a day.
The evening of July 30th.
Shi Tingzhu stood beside the map and began to think about the next direction of attack.
On the left is Luyang Posthouse and on the right is Shaling Posthouse.
Although attacking the post station would most likely yield no results, once the news got out it would be fatal to the Ming army, especially the Ping Liao army.
"Left or right?" Shi Tingzhu was having difficulty making a decision.
"Report!"
Just when Shi Tingzhu was in a dilemma, a scout suddenly rushed in and said, "Traces of Ming cavalry were found 20 miles northwest."
Shi Tingzhu immediately stood up and asked, "How many soldiers does the other side have? What flags are they flying?"
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