Before Dorgon went north, Li Dingguo had already gone north.
Logically speaking, Li Dingguo should have arrived at Zhen'an Fort first.
But in reality, he was one step slower than Dorgon.
The reason for this situation is the war horses.
The war horses of Dorgon's cavalry were better than those of Li Dingguo's cavalry in both quantity and quality.
Dorgon could march 150 miles a day and still had the strength to fight.
If Li Dingguo wanted to avoid losing his fighting power, he could only march a maximum of 120 miles a day.
When he arrived at Weijialing Pass, Dorgon had just left here and led his troops eastward to attack Zhen'an Fort.
Li Dingguo did not stop at all and led his troops towards Zhen'an Fort together with Liu Wenxiu.
When he was several miles away from Zhen'an Fort, Li Dingguo met the messenger sent from Zhen'an Fort.
"How many soldiers and horses does the Jiannu have?" asked a close confidant of Li Dingguo.
"The Jiannu had two groups of people. The first group came from the north, with about 3,000 to 4,000 cavalry. The second group came from the south, with about 15,000 soldiers, all cavalry."
"How is the situation at Zhen'an Fort?"
"Zhen'an Fort is still in our hands, and the camp east of the city is also fine. The problem lies in the camp west of the city, which has been breached by the Jiannu, and Liang Min and his troops have been completely defeated."
"Liang Min...is he still alive?" Li Dingguo asked.
"The situation is too chaotic and I don't know the answer," the messenger replied.
Without waiting for the messenger to retreat, Dou Mingwang, deputy general of the Dading Camp, asked, "Sir, how should we fight this battle?"
"Let me think about it!" Li Dingguo put his left hand across his chest, supported his chin with his right hand and began to think.
The military strength of both sides in the Zhen'anbao area has been exposed.
His force numbered about 13,000, including 8,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry and artillery.
The rest of the troops were stationed at Weijialing Pass and Huaerying and could not move without permission.
Dorgon had an army of about 19,000, all of whom were cavalry.
You should know that Dorgon's total military strength before he divided his troops was about 30,000.
In other words...Shi Tingzhu, who led 10,000 cavalrymen south, had not yet met up with Dorgon.
Judging from the current situation, it is no longer realistic to devour Dorgon.
After all, he had already escaped from the encirclement.
but...
You can find a way to eat the stone pillar.
Although the exact location of Shi Tingzhu is unclear, based on the number of Dorgon's troops, it can be guessed that Shi Tingzhu is still within the encirclement.
At this time, a small force sent by Dorgon launched a tentative attack on Li Dingguo.
Dou Mingwang was about to lead his troops to fight but was stopped by Li Dingguo: "Ignore them."
"They are only a few hundred people, but they took the initiative to provoke our thousands of troops. We can't swallow this anger if we don't kill them!" Dou Mingwang said gritting his teeth.
"Dorgon is testing our army's strength." Li Dingguo analyzed: "Dorgon has been on a long march and is already extremely tired. He doesn't know whether our army is tired, so he sent hundreds of soldiers to test it."
"If our army can repel him, Dorgon may temporarily avoid our attack. If our army is defeated, he is very likely to take the initiative to fight a decisive battle with our army."
"Decisive battle..." Dou Mingwang frowned, "We can't have a decisive battle. Our army's top priority is to hold the defense line and trap Shi Tingzhu in the encirclement. If we fight a decisive battle, it will be fine if we win, but if we lose, all our efforts will be in vain."
"That's right!" Li Dingguo nodded, "Not only can we not fight a decisive battle, but we must also find a way to end today's battle as soon as possible."
"Please give the order, sir!" Dou Mingwang clasped his hands together.
"Let Liu Wenxiu lead the infantry and artillery to advance eastward along the Dongsha River! Liu Wenxiu's left wing is the Dongsha River, so don't worry about it for now. You lead 4,000 cavalry to protect his right wing, and I will personally lead the rest of the troops to follow behind."
Um?
Dou Mingwang looked at Li Dingguo in surprise, "Didn't you say that we can't have a decisive battle?"
"The decisive battle?"
"This..." Dou Mingwang was even more surprised: "Your Excellency has already dispatched all the troops, isn't it time for a decisive battle?"
"Hahaha!" Li Dingguo laughed loudly for a while and then explained, "This is a strategy to confuse the enemy!"
"If Dorgon was a reckless man, this move would only force him to fight. But Dorgon is not only not a reckless man, but also a man who is good at strategy. In addition, he has Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou to give him advice, so I conclude that he dare not fight a decisive battle."
"What if the general guessed wrong..." Dou Mingwang was very worried.
"Then let's fight!" Li Dingguo pointed at the setting sun and said, "There is still more than an hour before dark. Even if Dorgon has ten times as many troops as he can, he will not be able to defeat our army!"
Under the command of Li Dingguo, 13,000 Ming troops formed a battle formation and began to advance from east to west.
......
"What? Li Dingguo is ready for a decisive battle?" Dorgon was very surprised.
"Yes, the Ming army has completed its battle array and is charging towards our army!" the scout replied.
"Li Dingguo has made it clear that he wants a decisive battle. Should we fight?" Dorgon asked the people around him.
"Fight!" Tan Tai was the first to speak out. "The soldiers under Li Dingguo are weak. If we confront them head-on, they will never be our opponents. Shi Tingzhu is still surrounded by Li Dingguo. Only by defeating Li Dingguo can we ensure Shi Tingzhu's safety!"
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Fan Wencheng said cautiously, "Be careful of fraud!"
"What's the trick?" Tan Tai asked back.
"Our army has been marching for several days and is already exhausted. What chances do we have of winning a decisive battle at this time?" Fan Wencheng asked back in the same tone.
"Li Dingguo first went south and then north. He also marched a long distance for several days and his men and horses were also exhausted! What are his chances of winning in a decisive battle now?" Tan Tai continued to ask.
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