Wu Xiang ultimately couldn't make up his mind.
The fact that he was able to raise a son like Wu Sangui shows that deep down he wasn't really loyal to the Ming Dynasty.
He was also a two-faced person.
Although it seems that the Ming Dynasty court has made all the preparations.
But he still dared not place all his bets on the court.
"Let's see how things go first."
"Anyway, before Shengjing fell, it was a well-known fortified city in Liaodong."
"It will take at least a few months for the Beijing garrison to besiege Shengjing."
"With such a long period of time, I'm sure I'll be able to see the big picture clearly."
After seeing off the Beijing garrison, Wu Xiang continued to drag his feet.
Six or seven days later, he led the Guan Ning cavalry out of the pass.
Meanwhile, the main force of the Beijing garrison had already crossed Ningyuan and was heading straight for Guangning.
In Shengjing, the Jurchen high command finally found out the situation.
"What? The Ming Dynasty actually sent its main force this time?"
In fact, when Zhu Youjian summoned his ministers overnight, there were Jurchen spies in the capital who relayed the news back to Liaodong.
Subsequently, the Ming Dynasty mobilized troops, collected provisions and laborers, and made no attempt to conceal the news.
All of this intelligence was continuously sent to the desks of the Jurchen leadership.
However, neither the Jurchens nor their officials believed this intelligence.
"Hmph, the Ming Dynasty is currently fighting against the Great Khan in Goryeo, how could it possibly attack Liaodong?"
"That's right. Even if the Ming Dynasty mobilized some troops, it was only a detachment."
"When the time comes, let the Eight Banners at the front set up their own fortified villages and defend themselves."
But at this point, even if they didn't want to believe it, they had no choice but to believe it.
"The Ming Dynasty really did send out all the troops from the capital!"
"That's an army of 70,000!"
If this had happened a few months earlier, the Jurchens would have actually been happy to hear this news.
At that time, Huang Taiji was still alive, and the Jurchens were still relatively united.
They had tens of thousands of elite Eight Banner troops at their disposal, and their provisions were also quite sufficient.
They could absolutely fight a decisive battle against the Ming Dynasty.
If this decisive battle is won, the Ming Dynasty will have no initiative for at least three to five years and will only be able to passively take hits.
Then the Jurchens' good days will begin.
However, things are not like they were a few months ago.
Not only was Huang Taiji killed by a cannon, but tens of thousands of Jurchen elite troops were also trapped in Goryeo and could not be withdrawn in a short time.
Even the Jurchens' food supplies ran into problems.
Yue Tuo's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked at his father.
"Oh no, our scheme has backfired!"
It turns out that Daishan's schemes to sabotage Hauge involved more than just petty tricks like withholding supplies from the front lines.
These tricks can only fool people for a while; they can't keep it a secret forever.
He really did send a bunch of idiots to be in charge of escorting the grain.
All that grain is truly gone.
Whether it was pocketed or scattered along the way.
In short, they were taken out of the Jurchen's warehouses.
Therefore, at this time, there really wasn't much grain left in the treasury of Shengjing.
Originally, Dai Shan and Yue Tuo, father and son, had planned to start their summer vacation.
In just over a month, we'll be able to harvest the grain.
When the new grain is stored, there shouldn't be any major problems.
But at this critical moment, the Ming army suddenly launched a full-scale attack.
If the Ming army really attacks and besieges Shengjing...
At most two months, they will have no choice but to surrender.
Yue Tuo was so anxious that his eyes went black and he almost couldn't sit still.
He is usually intelligent and has a great sense of the big picture.
But when it came to this crucial moment, he couldn't make a decision, unlike his father.
Dai Shan angrily said, "What kind of behavior is this?"
"Sit up straight, pay attention, don't lose points!"
Upon hearing this, Yue Tuo instinctively shivered, but then he actually snapped back to reality.
He stood up and went to Daishan: "Father, what should we do now?"
"The Ming army is about to attack!"
"Don't panic!" Dai Shan said calmly, "We are descendants of the Aisin Gioro family. What kind of behavior is it if you're so afraid?"
Yue Tuo was truly panicked at this point.
He blurted out, "So what if he's from the Aisin Gioro clan? The old Khan wasn't just a lowly soldier under Li Chengliang back then..."
"What did you say? Shut up!" Dai Shan roared.
Although what Yue Tuo said was true, it was a taboo subject among the Jurchen leadership at that time.
Nurhaci's "ditch literature" is, in fact, unofficial history.
But it is true that when he served as Li Chengliang's personal guard, he was humble and subservient to Li Chengliang, doing everything he could to please him.
The Jurchen leadership naturally did not want to bring up this matter.
Yue Tuo also realized that he had spoken out of turn.
He first slapped himself a few times as an apology.
Then he said seriously, "Father, now is not the time for empty talk."
"The only way is to find a way to defeat the Ming army!"
Daishan nodded at this point.
"What you're saying makes some sense!"
"Let me tell you, I actually already have some ideas."
Yue Tuo was overjoyed.
"Father, do you have any ideas?"
Dai Shan, his face full of inscrutable meaning, patted his son on the shoulder before saying:
"What's so difficult about that?"
"Just send 10,000 men to defend Guangning."
"No matter how valiant the Ming army is, it will take them some time to break through Guangning."
"With this time, we can harvest the grain in Liaodong and also allow Hauge to lead his troops back."
"When we fight the Ming army again, we'll have a better chance of winning!"
Daishan's so-called "rush to harvest" is not as simple as it sounds.
It's not just about competing with the weather, but also with the Han Chinese farmers.
They're going to take away even the last grain of food.
That way, not only will the Jurchens have more grain, but when the Ming army reaches Liaodong, they will also be able to share some grain to feed these people.
This is a very ruthless scheme.
Yue Tuo naturally understood what this meant.
He laughed loudly, "Father, you really have a way!"
"The Han people were right after all; old people are indeed cunning and horses are slippery."
Dai Shan rolled his eyes.
"Who talks about their father like that?!"
But soon he had some doubts.
"Yue Tuo, aren't you usually very gentle with the Han people, and you even advised Huang Taiji to treat them well?"
"Why don't you object to my method now?"
Yue Tuo said nonchalantly:
“Father, you’re mistaken.”
“My suggestion to treat the Han people well is in the hope that they will serve us Manchus, but it is not that I think too highly of them.”
"Now that Manchuria is in crisis, it is only right that we sacrifice them!"
Yue Tuo spoke these words as if they were perfectly natural, without the slightest hesitation.
Dai Shan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You're absolutely right!"
“Those Han Chinese think that because they are valued by us Manchus, they are on our side.”
"They're nothing!"
"They are nothing but slaves of our Manchus."
"If we were to use their grain now, we'd be doing them a disservice!"
After he laughed, he instructed Yue Tuo, "You must personally handle the matter of harvesting the grain."
"I don't trust anyone else to do it."
"As for guarding Guangning, don't worry about it. I'll find a scapegoat myself!"
After their heart-to-heart talk, Daishan was extremely satisfied with his son.
So I don't mind speaking my mind.
In Dai Shan's view, regardless of the final outcome of this battle, those who went to defend Guangning were doomed.
That's why he said, "Find a scapegoat."
Yue Tuo nodded repeatedly, and then added, "Father, you mustn't say that to his face."
"Otherwise, it will be difficult to find a scapegoat."
Dai Shan laughed and scolded, "Do you even need to tell me that?"
"I know my limits!"
Not long after, Daishan addressed the several princes who remained in Shengjing, as well as the high-ranking officials of the Jurchens.
He looked very serious and focused.
"Gentlemen, our Manchuria has reached a critical juncture of life and death."
"I've decided to personally defend Guangning. What are your thoughts?"
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