Nearly half of the main forces of the Qing Dynasty were defeated and wiped out. So how strong was the combat effectiveness of the Ming army?
Wu Sangui is really a little panicked now!
After receiving detailed battle reports about the Jiangnan battle, he ordered to convene many high-level discussions with the Guan Ning Army.
Discuss Guan Ningjun’s next strategic direction!
Liu Xuanchu took the battle report from Wu Sangui and started reading it.
Looking at the Ming army's extremely impressive results in the battle report, his face gradually became heavy.
Before Wu Sangui launched his army, Liu Xuanchu was more biased towards the Ming Dynasty from a standpoint.
Because he wanted Wu Sangui to rebel against the Qing Dynasty!
However, when the Qing Dynasty completely withdrew from the south of the Yangtze River, only the Ming Dynasty and Wu Sangui were left competing in the south.
Liu Xuanchu would no longer favor the Ming Dynasty.
Because Wu Sangui is his benefactor, the one who provides him with food, clothing, and wealth!
As a counselor, he must do things with the interests of his benefactor at the core.
Everyone in the hall also had solemn expressions on their faces.
Wu Sangui glanced around and said.
"The battle of Jiangnan has been decided, and nearly half of the main force of the Qing Dynasty has been lost. It's time for our Guan Ning army to make a move!"
"Everyone, please tell me. Do you have any suggestions for me?"
When Fang Guangchen heard this, he stood up with fists in his hands and said.
"Your Majesty, the students have something to say!"
Wu Sangui nodded slightly and motioned for Fang Guangchen to speak.
Fang Guangchen glanced around and said.
"Your Majesty, the Qing Dynasty was defeated in the decisive battle in Jiangnan, and nearly half of its main force was lost in Jiangnan!"
"The Qing Dynasty is at its weakest now!"
"If our Guan Ning army sends troops north to King Qin at this time and attacks the capital, the Qing Dynasty will not have enough mobile troops to deal with it."
"When the time comes, maybe our Guan Ning army can take over the capital directly."
What Fang Guangchen said was true. The main force of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was lost in Jiangnan, and its military strength was extremely empty.
If Wu Sangui personally led his troops to attack the capital, he might really be able to break through the capital and drive the Manchus out of the country completely.
Moreover, the chance is not small!
After all, Guan Ningjun is also very capable of fighting!
When Wu Sangui heard this, he couldn't help but frown.
Heading north to the capital...
It sounds really good, but he doesn't dare!
Is late stage maniaphobia a joke to you?
Even though nearly half of the main force of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was annihilated in Jiangnan by the Ming Dynasty, Wu Sangui still did not dare to show his teeth with the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
Liu Xuanchu on the side expressed a different opinion.
"Your Majesty, it would be a bit risky for me, Guan Ningjun, to go directly north to the capital."
"On the Great Plains of North China, the threat posed by the Qing cavalry group was too great."
"In the students' view, we should probably take advantage of the current shortage of military strength in the Qing Dynasty to attack Guanzhong!"
"Then use Guanzhong as a springboard to radiate to Shanxi and the Central Plains!"
Liu Xuanchu's words were exactly what Wu Sangui wanted.
Seeing that Wu Sangui was clearly interested, Liu Xuanchu added more words.
"Moreover, Guanzhong is densely populated, has a lot of arable land, and is rich in wealth. Moreover, the land of Sanqin in Guanzhong has been famous for sending out powerful troops since ancient times."
"The violent Qin Dynasty, the powerful Han Dynasty, and the prosperous Tang Dynasty all used the strong soldiers in Guanzhong as the foundation to sweep the world!"
"Even in the pre-Ming Dynasty, the Qin soldiers trained by Sun Chuanting were among the best in the world!"
"If the prince can take Guanzhong, great things can be accomplished!"
Although today's Guanzhong is dilapidated, neither the climate nor the land is as prosperous as the Guanzhong during the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Moreover, during the war in the late Ming Dynasty, the population was severely damaged!
But no matter what, there has been no war in Guanzhong for more than ten years, and the population and people's livelihood have recovered to some extent.
No matter what, it is better than the three southwestern provinces that just ended the war for two or three years!
When Liu Xuanchu said this, Wu Sangui was naturally moved.
He did not want to go head-to-head with the main force of the Qing Dynasty, so taking advantage of the current lack of military strength in the Qing Dynasty, it might be a good choice to send troops to capture Guanzhong.
But at this moment, Wu Yingxiong, Wu Sangui's eldest son, spoke.
"Father, why can't our army take this opportunity to move eastward along the Yangtze River?"
"You must know that Jiangnan is where the world's wealth gathers!"
"Although Jiangnan is not as good as Guanzhong and cannot produce strong soldiers, will our Guanning army be short of strong soldiers?"
"Furthermore, the Battle of Jiangnan has just ended. Although the Ming Dynasty won, it must have been a tragic victory and the army must be exhausted."
"Isn't this a great opportunity given to us by God?"
When Wu Sangui heard this, he was also a little moved.
Fang Guangchen, who was alone, spoke to persuade.
"Jiangnan can't do it!"
"The current Ming army has just defeated the main force of the Qing army that went south, captured Jiangnan, and recovered Nanjing. This is the time when the morale of the entire army is at its peak."
"Now that our army is heading eastward to the south of the Yangtze River, it will definitely not go smoothly, and it may even suffer heavy losses."
"Furthermore, important towns such as Jiujiang and Anqing along the Yangtze River have been taken over by the Ming army!"
"If our army moves eastward at this time, the first problem it will encounter is the important town of Jiujiang."
"If our army cannot break through Jiujiang for a while, the battle situation will be deadlocked under Jiujiang City."
"Can our army defeat the Ming army with Jiangnan as its support and an endless supply of money and food?"
“The three southwestern provinces are poor and exhausted!”
Now under the rule of Wu Sangui, the only province that can barely be considered wealthy and can provide money and food for the army to fight is Hunan.
If the battle situation reaches a stalemate and turns into a tug-of-war, Wu Sangui will definitely be the one to attack in the end!
The territories now occupied by Zhu Hongyu are, without exception, all densely populated, prosperous and prosperous places.
But Wu Sangui's side is really a bit miserable!
The territory looks big, but he is poor!
The combined population is only a few million, and there is really not much money and food.
"My lord, think twice, now is definitely not a good time to send troops to Jiangnan!"
Liu Xuanchu opened his mouth to persuade.
Wu Guogui also spoke.
"Your Majesty, if you ask me, we will attack Guanzhong!"
"Now the Qing Dynasty is our biggest enemy, and the Ming Dynasty and we have a common enemy."
"We, Guan Ningjun, don't need to push Ming Dynasty to our opposite side now!"
"Besides, that traitor Li Dingguo is still in Myanmar!"
"If our army falls out with the Ming Dynasty, Li Dingguo will definitely lead his troops to raid Yunnan. By then, our Guan Ning army will be facing enemies on both sides!"
Seeing the statements of his confidants, Wu Sangui's attitude gradually became firmer and he spoke.
"Send the order and prepare to strengthen the defense of Wuchang Prefecture, Huangzhou Prefecture and other places."
"Then mobilize the troops and prepare to send troops from Hanzhong to Guanzhong!"
Today, the most prosperous place under Wu Sangui's rule is Hunan.
Naturally, he cannot let Hunan's defense have problems. Even if he wants to advance into Guanzhong, he must first ensure Hunan's safety.
To ensure the safety of Hunan, the top priority is the important towns along the river, Huangzhoufu and Wuchang.
The Ming army wanted to advance from Jiangxi to Huguang, and Wuchang and Huangzhou Prefecture were two unavoidable points!
The generals of Guan Ning's army agreed in unison, and then began to go down to do their own things.