For a moment, the old slave thought he was hallucinating.
Before he went to attack the Ming army, the Ming army actually attacked him in turn?
But when he saw the coated slave kneeling on the ground with a nervous and frightened expression, he knew that the Ming army was really coming.
"Where have the Ming army arrived?"
"It was said that it was two hours ago, and it was still ten miles away from the pass."
When he heard that it was only ten miles away, even the old slave couldn't calm down.
At this distance, the Ming army must have reached Sarhu Pass before its reinforcements.
Then he asked:
"Who is the leader of the army?"
The wrapped slave kneeling on the ground replied tremblingly:
"I never found out."
The old slave frowned and asked in a deep voice:
"How many people are there in the army?"
"Not sure."
"Except for Sarhu Pass, Ming troops can be found in other places."
"I don't know."
Seeing that he didn't know what to ask, the old slave immediately stood up and shouted angrily:
"What a waste."
"Excuse me, Great Khan. Forgive me, Great Khan. It was the scout who came back who informed this slave."
The master was angry, but the slave was so miserable that he almost died of fright on the spot.
"Quickly go and summon the banner owners, generals and officials to come and discuss matters."
"Blow the gong and gather the troops. All men above fourteen should be prepared."
Although Hetuala was the den of slaves, its scale was not large and it was just an expansion of a stronghold.
The old slave did not wait long, and all the slaves of the old slave had arrived.
When they learned that the Ming army was invading, everyone present was very surprised.
Although they fought against the Ming army last year and suffered repeated defeats, they were all siege battles, and they were in an important town like Liaoshen.
Therefore, they all agreed that it was just the Ming army that had a natural advantage, and they were still far stronger than the Ming army.
But now they are taking the initiative to attack, which temporarily stopped their thinking.
Unlike most people, Huang Taiji and Daishan reacted quickly, with a hint of nervousness.
Several Han people, including Fan Wencheng and Li Yongfang, could not help but secretly say something bad.
They have been here for many years and naturally understand that the Eight Banners today are no longer what they used to be.
Not to mention the death of many old soldiers, the equipment and weapons may not have been replenished for a long time, and due to the lack of food and cold-proof items, many people died in the winter, and there were even many complaints.
On the other hand, the Ming army's combat power has improved a lot since the little emperor ascended the throne, and they all saw this.
They are not too optimistic about this battle.
But Mang Gurtai, the most brainless man, did not have the reaction and logical thinking like them. In his opinion, the Ming army was just here to die.
Therefore, he took the lead and said solemnly:
"Father Khan, let me bring the warriors of the two flags to support you. If you keep it, you will lose everything."
"Father Khan led the army behind. When the news of the slave's victory came, he made great efforts and directly attacked Liaoshen."
Looking at his stupid son, the old slave said depressedly:
"That Xiong Manzi is not easy to deal with. Could it be that you haven't learned your lesson from the previous setbacks?"
"Besides, we don't know the specific situation of the Ming army at all. How is it different from sending troops rashly to death?"
"Sibeile, you are known to be resourceful. Please tell me your opinion."
Huang Taiji also knew that this was not the time to refuse and hide his clumsiness, so he immediately replied:
"Father Khan, I thought that the main force of the Ming army coming here must be the main force of the Ming army. It is very likely that Xiong Manzi is personally commanding the army. Please ask Father Khan to send out the entire army to help Sarhu Pass."
"Otherwise, if the pass is lost, the Ming army will be able to march straight in and directly attack our capital city of Dajin. By then, we will be in a passive position."
After hearing Huang Taiji's analysis, the old slave suddenly felt much better, and then said:
"Xiong Manzi is well versed in military matters and is extremely cautious. Your views are the same as mine."
"Before you come, I have sent people to beat the gongs and gather the troops."
"This Khan's idea is to annihilate this Ming army, and then take advantage of the victory to send troops to Liaoshen. If we can break the city, it will be a full achievement. If not, we will go to western Liaoning to plunder."
"What Father Khan said is timely. This may be a good opportunity for Dajin to take control of Liaoshen. We must not let it go easily."
Huang Taiji immediately responded.
"But this time the Ming army came too suddenly. There was no information in advance. We didn't know the specific movements and marching route of the Ming army."
"You all tell me if you have any specific strategies on how to annihilate this Ming army in one fell swoop."
Everyone knew that this time was different from last time. Last time, they already knew the marching route of the Ming army and the number of troops.
Therefore, there is enough time to calmly find the flaws of the Ming army, so as to defeat them one by one and defeat the Ming army.
It is about the rise and fall of Dajin, and even the most brainless Mang Gurtai dare not say anything at this time.
At this critical moment, Huang Taiji stood up again and expressed his thoughts.
According to his strategy, that is to abandon Hetuala, leave an empty city for the Ming army to avoid their sharp edges, and then send out elite troops to harass and lure them day and night.
As long as it lasts for two or three days, the Ming army's front line will inevitably be stretched, its troops will be dispersed, they will be exhausted, and their morale will decline.
At that time, they can concentrate their elite forces and find scattered small groups of Ming troops to attack. After clearing the surrounding area and then controlling all the important roads, the Ming army will become the turtle in the urn.
At the same time, if the Ming army's food routes and retreat routes are cut off, the entire army will inevitably be in chaos. Then it will be a great opportunity to gather together and annihilate them.
Moreover, they had to be on guard against Mao Wenlong on Pi Island and sent a large number of scouts south to prevent them from being attacked from both sides.
When the old slave heard that Huang Taiji had considered it so thoughtfully and comprehensively, he didn't hesitate and immediately adopted the arrangement.
But because time was so tight, their own requirements were extremely high. They had to hold on to Saerhu Pass for at least half a day, that is, until dark.
They have to wait until all their population has moved deep into the mountains and are not exposed to the Ming army's front before they can implement this strategy. Otherwise, they will surely injure the enemy by 1,000 and lose 800 by themselves.
Naturally, the old slave also understood this truth, and immediately ordered Mang Gurtai and Amin to lead the two blue flags to support to ensure that the Sarhu Pass was not lost.
Fan Wencheng and Li Yongfang and other Han Chinese were also cramming in their hearts, hoping that Dajin could win, otherwise they would die without a burial place.
However, Huang Taiji felt uneasy in his heart. The Ming army suddenly attacked, so they must be fully prepared. If they want to win this battle, it will not be easy.
And just as they were busy migrating the population after the discussion, the Saerhu Pass where the Xiangbai Banner was stationed had been breached.
Amin and Manggurtai led the two blue flags and had not gone halfway when they received a report of defeat from the scouts. The pass had been lost, the white flags were surrounded by heavy casualties, and there were less than a thousand survivors.
The two were greatly shocked and sent their horses to Hetuala to report the incident.
Now that the pass has been lost, they can only stop and stay, firstly to meet the remnants of the Xiangbai Banner, and secondly to wait for the next military order from the old slave.