"What are we doing?" Li Shifang was puzzled by Man Dahai's question. "Of course we are stationed in the lower reaches of Xiaoling River on the eastern front to contain the main force of the Ming army on the eastern front!"
"Bullshit!" Man Dahai cursed directly: "The Ming army on the eastern front is almost gone, and they are still holding back the main force!"
Today he almost accomplished the feat of beheading the general and capturing the flag, but unfortunately he was defeated by the sudden reinforcements of the Ming army.
He is very angry.
So the investigation began before the war on the Western Front ended.
By questioning Ming army prisoners, we learned that the Ming army reinforcements came from the eastern front and their numbers were large.
With the information sent by the military supervisor as evidence, Man Dahai instantly guessed that the Korean soldiers on the eastern front were pretending to obey but actually disobeying their orders.
"Shit!" Li Shifang stood up immediately. "How can you...how can you curse at me so casually?"
"You dare to talk back?" Man Dahai stretched out his hand and drew his sword. "Not only will I scold you, I will also execute you on the spot to set things right!"
Speaking of.
He walked quickly to Li Shifang and raised his knife to chop him.
"Stop!" Prince Zheng Jirgalang sternly stopped the impulsive Man Dahai.
To be fair.
Judging from the performance of the Korean soldiers alone, Li Shifang deserved to be put to death.
but...
He couldn't kill Li Shifang.
At least you can't kill him now.
The war is still going on. If Li Shifang is killed now, the 20,000 Korean soldiers will be leaderless and have no fighting spirit.
It will do more harm than good to the upcoming war.
But I couldn't swallow my anger if I didn't kill him.
Jirgalang stared at Li Shifang's eyes for a while and then sneered: "Li Shifang, you have to give me an explanation today!"
Li Shifang was shocked and asked, "What does Prince Zheng want to tell you..."
"Oh," Jirgalang stretched out his hand and threw a booklet in front of Li Shifang: "Everything you Koreans did on the eastern front is recorded clearly. You were afraid of the enemy and did not move forward, you delayed military operations, you pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed... Let's put it this way, any one of the evidences can sentence you to death."
"I am innocent, Your Majesty is wise!" Seeing Jirgalang's serious face, Li Shifang panicked and knelt down hurriedly to beg Jirgalang for mercy.
The scene was silent, and no one pleaded for him.
Seeing that no one pleaded for mercy, Li Shifang suddenly became calm.
He knelt for a week and then looked at Man Dahai: "Prince Li, I have something to ask you."
"You are not qualified to ask this king." Man Dahai said with disgust.
"I want to ask how many troops the Ming army has on the western front, and how many troops do you, Prince Li, have? You haven't been able to defeat the Ming army, so we Koreans who are not good at fighting are even less likely to defeat it. Therefore, you can't blame us on the eastern front for the failure on the western front!"
This sentence not only left Man Dahai speechless, but also reminded Jirgalang.
He suddenly realized that the key to the battle lay in the Eight Banners Army and had nothing to do with the Koreans and the Outer Mongolian Army.
If the Eight Banners soldiers were unable to fight against the Ming army, then the Koreans and the Outer Mongolian soldiers would be even less able to fight against them.
After realizing this problem, Jirgalang decided to cut the Gordian knot by killing a group of people first to warn others, and then quickly formulate the next battle plan.
He looked at Li Shifang again and said, "Li Shifang, the performance of the Korean soldiers today disappointed me greatly. I must kill a few of them before I can give an explanation to the court and me."
Li Shifang knelt on the ground and trembled all over.
No matter who was pushed out as a scapegoat, he felt a little bit reluctant.
But those who achieve great things must make sacrifices.
"Kill those who should be killed when you return to the camp tonight, otherwise don't blame me for being rude." Jirgalang warned.
"Yes...yes, thank you Prince Zheng." Li Shifang had no choice but to stand up and leave the military tent.
After everyone had reported the military situation, Jirgalang looked worried.
There are three fronts: East, West and Center.
The North Korean troops on the eastern front pretended to obey but actually disobeyed the orders and did not put in any effort.
The entire Eastern Front was in vain.
The situation in the midline is not optimistic either.
Although he defended Nanshan, the Ming army's attack caused him considerable casualties.
Especially those Ming troops holding the improved version of the Rumi gun, which not only had a very fast firing rate, but could also penetrate armor at a hundred steps.
Man Dahai on the western front failed to kill the general and capture the flag, and suffered heavy casualties and lost the western front.
Casualties are secondary.
After the western front was lost, the Ming army could bypass Dajia Mountain along the river bank and appear behind the central army.
"Prince Zheng," Bolo of the Zhenglan Banner saluted Jirgalang, "The Ming army has crossed the Nuer River on the western front and set up camp on the northern bank. If they want, they can send troops to appear behind the central front at any time."
"As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. We cannot allow our 100,000-strong army to be attacked from both sides. Therefore, the most urgent task is to launch a counterattack against the Ming army on the western front and drive them back to the south bank."
Man Dahai smiled faintly: "That makes sense, but it's hard to do! The vast majority of the Ming troops on the western front are cavalry. Do you know who trained these cavalry?"
Bolo said nothing.
"They were trained by Li Xingzhong, the son of Li Rusong!" Man Dahai's expression was very serious. "This cavalry has fought against Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, and also defeated our coalition with the Mongols on the grassland! They are first-rate in combat power and well-equipped. They are the elite among the elite of the Ming army!"
"It's not easy to defeat them head-on!"
"It's difficult, but there is a solution!" Bolo said stubbornly.
"There is indeed a way!" Man Dahai nodded, "That is to transfer the main force from the central line to the western line."
"No!" Jirgalang took over the conversation and shook his head, saying, "The battle on the central front is in a delicate balance. Once troops are withdrawn from the central front, this balance will be broken."
"This won't work, and that won't work... We have to think of a way, right? Otherwise, we can only watch the Ming army appear behind the army in the center. Our army will be attacked from both sides, so how can we not be defeated?" Man Dahai was very dissatisfied.
"There is a solution, but I don't know whether I should tell you or not." Zu Zerun, the leader of the Han army of the Zhenghuang Banner, suddenly said.
"Tell us about it." Jirgalang and everyone else looked at Zu Zerun.
"Give up Nanshan!" Zu Zerun said shockingly, "After losing the western front, Nanshan is attacked from all sides and has no place to defend. Instead of taking the risk of deploying troops here, it is better to retreat early and re-deploy the troops."
"Give up Nanshan?" Jirgalang began to think about whether this idea was feasible.
As Zu Zerun said, after losing the western front, Nanshan has lost its strategic significance.
Continuing to dwell here will only increase the risk to the central army.
It would be wise to retreat to the second line of defense.
As for rearranging the troops...
Jirgalang also thought it made sense.
There is no point in deploying 20,000 North Korean soldiers on the eastern front. It is better to keep them by your side and be ready for deployment at any time.
This will not only enable us to control North Korean soldiers in a timely manner, but also increase our own military strength.
After a serious and careful discussion, Jirgalang ordered: "The army will retreat across the board and station troops south of Jinzhou City and on the north bank of the Xiaoling River."
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