"That is to say, the total strength of Jiannu is about 70,000..." Wang Yongji muttered to himself, "The main force is concentrated in the upper reaches, and the middle and lower reaches are empty."
"Almost!" Huang Degong responded: "It may be different from the actual situation, but it is almost the same."
"If it is real, then make it fake, and if it is fake, then make it real." After careful consideration, Wang Yongji said, "The tough battle in the upper reaches must be fought, and the containment in the middle reaches cannot be stopped. The only breakthrough point is the lower reaches."
"Downstream?" Everyone present was shocked.
"The water surface of the lower reaches of the Ningyuan River is more than 100 meters wide at its widest point and 70 meters narrow at its narrowest point! Not to mention the difficulty of crossing the river, after crossing the river here, we have to cross the Ningyuan East River before we can reach the city of Ningyuan and launch an attack. This is not a good strategy." Wu Sangui became worried.
His concerns are not without reason.
We crossed the river twice in succession and the attack went smoothly.
If the attack fails and the troops need to be withdrawn, the narrow pontoon bridge will cause trampling.
Wang Yongji narrowed his eyes and shook his head: "No, we will only cross the river once, and we will only cross the river and not attack the city."
"No attack on the city?"
"Yes, the key to taking Ningyuan is not Ningyuan City, but the Eight Banners soldiers outside Ningyuan City! After crossing the river, our army will use the Ningyuan East River as a barrier and push the front line northward. There are two roads leading to Jinzhou in the north. As long as these two roads are blocked, the Eight Banners soldiers in the Ningyuan area will lose their retreat and be surrounded and annihilated by our army."
"This..." Wu Sangui hesitated to speak.
"What? Just say what you want to say." Wang Yongji gave Wu Sangui an inquiring look.
Wu Sangui said in a deep voice: "After crossing the river, our army cannot launch a surprise attack and can only advance step by step. Before we cut off the Jiannu's retreat route, they should be able to guess our intentions and deploy heavy troops on the retreat route."
"That's right!" Wang Yongji slammed the table, "It means forcing them to deploy heavy troops on the retreat route. Blindly attacking the city will only increase our casualties. Only by engaging in a decisive battle with the Jiannu around the retreat route can we minimize casualties. By then, we only need to defeat the Eight Banners soldiers outside the city, and the Eight Banners soldiers inside the city will collapse without a fight!"
"General," Liu Zhaoji, who had been silent, stepped forward and pointed at the map and said, "Our army has pushed the front line forward, leaving the rear empty. What if the Eight Banners soldiers in Ningyuan City cross the river and cut off our retreat?"
"This governor said that we should use the Ningyuan East River as a barrier! After crossing the river, we will split our troops into two groups. One group will be stationed along the river to prevent possible enemies from crossing the river, while the other group will advance forward! It would be fine if they don't leave the city. If they leave the city to attack our rear, they will need to cross the Ningyuan East River first. Our army only needs a small number of troops to attack them halfway across the river!"
The generals present were all experienced men. After listening to Wang Yongji's analysis, they frowned and thought, and then their eyes lit up at the same time.
This plan is so feasible.
Not only would it bypass the Ningyuan City, which was easy to defend but difficult to attack, but it would also force the enemies in the city to come out and be attacked by the Ming army halfway across the city.
"Great! Your Excellency the Governor has a brilliant plan!"
"It's really a great idea! I admire you, I really admire you."
Seeing that the generals had no objection, Wang Yongji began to divide the work.
Wu Sangui and the Guanning Army were still in the upper reaches to contain the main force of the Jiannu, while Wang Yongji's central army was responsible for launching a feint attack in the middle reaches.
Li Xingzhong, Yuan Zongde and Liu Xiyao on the left wing were transferred to the right wing and were responsible for the lower reaches together with Liu Zhaoji, He Jin, Ma Shiyao, Liu Tichun, Li Guo and Li Laiheng.
The downstream was the real main battlefield, and Wang Yongji deployed almost all of his elite troops except the Guanning Army here.
After arranging the tasks, Wu Sangui left first.
He was very happy when he left.
Wu Sangui thought he would be transferred to the downstream to take charge of the main attack, but he did not expect that he would still be responsible for containing the main force of the Jiannu in the upstream.
Since it is a diversion, the strength will definitely not be damaged, which is in his interest.
Wang Yongji had no choice but to do this.
If Wu Sangui was transferred from upstream to downstream, his whereabouts would be exposed no matter how covert the action was.
If the Jiannu find out, all his plans will fail.
After Wu Sangui left, the generals of the central army also walked away.
Only the generals of the left and right wings were left in the military tent.
Li Xingzhong asked, "Governor Wang, the river downstream is more than a hundred feet wide... Based on the boats and planks our army has, we can only build one or two floating bridges at most. We cannot send a large number of troops to the other side of the river in a short period of time, and we are very likely to be attacked by the Jiannu halfway across the river."
"Don't worry, this is all within my plan."
"Can the Governor please make it clear? Otherwise we will be unsure." Liu Zhaoji asked, shaking his head.
"Wait a little longer."
"How long do we need to wait? The troops will be dispatched the day after tomorrow!" Li Xingzhong asked angrily.
Wang Yongji smiled, walked out of the military tent and looked up at the sky.
The others didn't understand what was going on, so they walked out of the tent and looked up at the sky.
A setting sun hung in the western sky, emitting a faint light, like a pearl that was about to fall.
The afterglow dyed the clouds in the sky red, as dazzling as flames.
While the generals were hesitating, a scout came galloping from a distance.
The crisp sound of horse hooves rang out in the military camp, attracting countless eyes.
"Report!" The scout came to Wang Yongji and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency the Governor, Huang Feiqin, the commander of the Guanliao Dengjin Navy, led the main force to Juehua Island. After the navy's investigation, there are only a few fishermen on Juehua Island, and no trace of Jiannu soldiers."
"Fisherman?" Wang Yongji sneered, "Huang Fei is the commander-in-chief of the navy. Can't he see through this little trick?"
"General Huang Fei tortured these people, but found nothing unusual."
"A kind person cannot command an army, and a righteous person cannot command wealth. Let him kill all these people to avoid any future troubles." Wang Yongji said with a cold face.
"General Huang Fei also meant the same thing, but he has a concern."
"What are you worried about?"
"It's fine to kill a few people or a dozen people. If we encounter a similar situation again after entering Liao, with twice as many people, should we kill them or not?"
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