After thinking carefully, Man Dahai said to Sony: "Let's split into three groups!"
"You lead your troops to march northward while searching for Li Dingguo. If you find him, do not rush into battle. Wherever he goes, you go and accompany him on the march. At the same time, notify the king and we will join forces to encircle and suppress him."
"If you don't find it, go back to Shengjing to protect the emperor."
"The second group of troops will head west to the edge of Liaoze Lake to look for Li Dingguo."
"I will lead the last group of troops and return to Haizhou along the same route! If Li Dingguo returns to the west bank of the Liao River, he will definitely pass by Haizhou."
"I obey your command." Sony agreed without hesitation.
As it was getting late, they could only rest on the spot and prepare to set off the next day.
One hundred and twenty miles away at this time.
Gao Wengui has arrived at the Haizhou City Wall in accordance with Li Dingguo's military order.
"Stop! If you take another step forward, don't blame us for being rude!" the defenders on the city wall shouted, holding torches.
"Don't shoot, they are our own people." The Ming army disguised as the Eight Banners under the city immediately said.
"Our own people?" The guards on the city wall asked cautiously, "Whose subordinates are you?"
"We are under the command of General Kong Youde, the King of Gongshun. The King of Gongshun is in the rear."
"King Gongshun?" The defenders were startled. "Hasn't King Gongshun already gone north to Liaoyang to pursue Li Dingguo? Why is he here?"
"Don't mention it. We were ambushed while chasing Li Dingguo and escaped."
"That's not right," the defenders on the city wall were still a little confused: "Prince Li has already led his troops north, you should have encountered him when you were escaping."
"Damn it," the Ming soldiers below the city shouted, "We've been running around for so long and are almost dying of exhaustion just to get back to Haizhou. Quickly open the city gates and let King Gongshun in to rest, or you'll be in big trouble."
The defenders on the city wall did not dare to make a decision, so they consulted the general guarding the city.
After checking Kong Youde's various identity credentials according to the rules, the general opened the city gate.
The Ming army did not rush to attack, but instead rushed forward after everyone entered the city and slaughtered the defenders in the city.
"The Ming army is mighty!" they shouted while killing people.
The defenders in the city were caught off guard and fell into chaos in an instant.
They were only good at defending the city, and their combat effectiveness dropped sharply after losing the protection of the city walls.
Gao Wengui quickly captured several prisoners and asked for the location of the granary.
After setting the granary on fire, Gao Wengui returned along the same route and fought his way out of the city.
......
On the morning of May 19, Mandahai's three armies set out simultaneously.
He personally led 30,000 main forces, formed a horizontal formation and marched from north to south.
As long as there are Ming troops nearby, no matter how careful you are, you can't escape the eyes of so many people.
Just after noon, a scout came running from a distance.
"Report!" Before the scouts arrived, the voice came first: "Yesterday evening, a group of Eight Banners soldiers were found in the southwest of Haizhouwei."
"Eight Banners soldiers?" Man Dahai had a bad feeling, "Quick, march quickly to Haizhouwei."
Less than a minute later, another scout appeared in front of Man Dahai: "Report! Just after nightfall yesterday, Gongshun King Kong Youde led more than a thousand defeated soldiers to the city of Haizhou and requested to enter the city."
Is Kong Youde still alive?
Man Dahai was surprised at first, and then began to be scared.
He Luohui is dead, what is the probability that Kong Youde is still alive?
Even if he was still alive, he wouldn't have more than a thousand remaining soldiers under his command.
Even if there were more than a thousand remnant soldiers, they would not suddenly appear at the gate of Haizhou City.
All these phenomena indicate that the Eight Banners soldiers outside Haizhou City were most likely Ming troops in disguise.
"We can't let him enter the city, they are fake." Man Dahai yelled, waving his whip and speeding towards Haizhouwei.
"The other party has the seal of King Gongshun, so it shouldn't be fake." said the scout.
"Precisely because of the seal, it is possible that it is fake." As Man Dahai spoke, he waved the whip again and marched at full speed.
In order to pursue Li Dingguo, he took a large number of troops with him when he left Haizhou Wei.
There are only about three thousand soldiers in Haizhou City.
If they relied on the city walls to defend, even if Li Dingguo had 30,000 soldiers, let alone 10,000, they would not be able to capture Haizhou in a short period of time.
But if Li Dingguo tricked the city gates into opening by pretending to be friendly troops, the defenders in the city would have no place to defend.
In addition, there was chaos after the attack.
Not to mention defending the city, it is possible that the entire army will be wiped out.
Under the leadership of Man Dahai, 30,000 Eight Banners soldiers rushed towards Haizhou Wei like the wind.
Two moments later, Man Dahai received the news he was most reluctant to hear: Haizhou City had been captured by the Ming army. After entering the city, the Ming army did not occupy the city, but burned the food and grass in the city and withdrew from the city overnight.
Man Dahai rode his horse and stopped for a while. He gritted his teeth and said, "March at full speed. We must get to the outside of Haizhou before dark."
Hard work pays off.
Man Dahai finally arrived outside Haizhou City before dark.
The fire in the city has not yet been extinguished.
In the flames, black smoke rose.
It hit him hard in the face like a slap.
"Search for me. You must find Li Dingguo's trace!" Man Dahai's voice changed.
Not only did he fail to defeat Li Xingzhong, but he was also robbed by Li Dingguo.
This great humiliation filled his heart with shame.
Without any instructions, the troops under Man Dahai began to take action.
Some people went into the city to search for any Ming soldiers who had strayed away, while at the same time putting out fires and saving the remaining supplies.
The remaining people all dispersed and looked for traces of the Ming army nearby.
When night fell, nothing was found.
Man Dahai did not give up and continued to send people to search after dawn.
The result was the same, no trace of the real Ming army or the fake Eight Banners was found.
Although Man Dahai was extremely angry, he was forced to accept this outcome.
After all, what has happened cannot be undone.
He then faced two problems.
The first is how to use the troops next, and the second is the issue of food and fodder.
After much deliberation, he first sent someone to report to Jirgalang and ask about the next plan.
At the same time, he wrote a letter to Shengjing, asking Fulin for food and fodder.
Now he is extremely short of food.
If supplies cannot be obtained in time, they can only retreat from Haizhou.
However, Haizhou is the first fortress on the east bank of the Liaohe River and cannot be handed over to the Ming army.
Man Dahai had fought on the battlefield for many years, and this was the first time he felt such humiliation.
He stood on the city wall of Haizhou Wei, gritting his teeth as he looked towards the Ming army on the west bank of the Liaohe River.
The instigator of this incident, Li Dingguo, had already left the east bank of the Liao River and returned with a great victory.
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