Shanhaiguan failed, and more than a year of stalemate had almost worn away Dorgon's patience.
He believed that he already had a sufficient understanding of the military strength of Wu Sangui and Li Zicheng, and the results of the previous cooperation with the Mongols, which he had spent a lot of money on, made him very dissatisfied. There were indeed small disturbances in a few places due to disasters, but these small commotions
It did not have a fundamental impact on the foundation of Ming Dynasty.
He no longer wanted to wait any longer, and the Qing army also reversed its previous defensive posture and began to take the initiative.
Because Wu Sangui and Li Zicheng failed to cooperate well, their actions were inevitably slow. Last month, the two sides faced off on the west bank of Shihe River. On the same day, they started a fierce battle in Xilao City. Wu and Li were defeated. The Qing army succeeded in attacking Dongluo with one blow.
, North Wing Second City.
The second unit defended, but the Qing army could not continue to advance. After resting for three days, the Qing army gathered on the front line fifteen miles outside Shanhaiguan. Shanhaiguan is adjacent to Jiaoshan to the north and Bohai to the south. Luocheng and Yicheng support each other. The city is high and strong.
, is an area that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Dorgon issued ultimatums many times. After being rejected, he couldn't help but feel a little angry. While he sent people to ambush near a stone to cut off the two's retreat, he launched a fierce attack on Luocheng and Yicheng.
Wu Sangui placed his main force on the line west of Shihe River in Xiluo City, trying to prevent the Qing army from attacking the key point. The two sides fought fiercely near Xiluo City.
Li Zicheng's Dashun army was mainly concentrated in the northern wing of the city. They used the commanding terrain to defend the city wall and fought fiercely until dawn the next day, forcing part of the Qing army to withdraw.
However, due to heavy casualties in other cities, the Dashun army was unable to completely defend Luocheng.
A month later, Li Zicheng's Tang Tong tribe was defeated by the Qing army at Yishi, and the remaining troops retreated into the pass. At present, the Dashun army suffered heavy casualties, and Wu Sangui's tribe was not optimistic. The two divisions combined still had 100,000 troops, but it was difficult to resist the Qing army.
The army has 80,000 soldiers.
Dorgon decided that now was the best time to move into the Central Plains, and he was determined not to let go of this good opportunity, and kept chasing the two of them.
Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui have already suffered a big loss, and there are still frictions between the two departments. However, in terms of the overall situation, they have been able to put aside their prejudices and fight together.
Among all the bad news, this was a rare piece of good news for Lin Chong. Although there were heavy casualties, the combined power of the two units still had room for maneuver.
I'm just afraid that if these two people refuse to let go of their prejudices and trust each other even at this time, they are making fun of the lives of 100,000 soldiers on the front line.
Lin Chong called the Ministry of War to hold a meeting overnight. The situation in Shanhaiguan was not optimistic. At this point, there were still people who wanted peace talks. Lin Chong really wanted to bring him to the front line and let him try to negotiate.
Zhang Guowei, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, did not disappoint Lin Chong. He did not mention the useless nonsense of peace talks, nor did he just shout empty slogans about coexistence and death with the Ming Dynasty.
He sorted the military reports that flew over like snowflakes in order of priority before showing them to Lin Chong. He analyzed the current situation, pros and cons of both parties in as much detail as possible based on the news, and considered all possible solutions at present.
In the end, Lin Chong waved away the bunch of losers who failed to achieve anything but failed, leaving only Zhang Guowei to discuss countermeasures with him. Lin Chong had neither led a soldier nor fought in a war. He grew up in a peaceful era, and he had no idea how dangerous the front line was.
I don’t know anything about it, and at most I can only imagine it from novels and TV series.
Zhang Guowei is different. He has been on the battlefield for half his life and is familiar with fighting in various situations. No matter how urgent the situation is, he can deal with it calmly and rationally.
This relieved Lin Zhong's anxious mood to a great extent. Although he was anxious, he really couldn't think of any feasible solution. He didn't know anything about the topography of Shanhaiguan and the situation of the Qing army. At this moment, he could only jump in hastily.
.
Zhang Guowei saw his nervousness and reassured him repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please be patient. It is not a critical moment yet. Our army has enough food and grass to defend it. Even if the Qing army temporarily captured two small cities, we will not be able to defend it."
There is no possibility of getting it back, so don’t be angry, Your Majesty."
Lin Chong was really stupid at this moment and had no clue at all. Zhang Guowei's words were like a reassurance shot for him. He took a long breath and forced himself to calm down: "I am just impatient, Zhang Aiqing."
That's right. In your opinion, how should this battle be fought now?"
Zhang Guowei also thought seriously: "I am not in the army now, so I cannot fully grasp the current situation. But the top priority is to stabilize the morale of the army and not lose direction due to a temporary defeat."
Lin Chong nodded: "The more we get to this time, the less likely we are to be impatient and rash."
Zhang Guowei nodded: "The most important thing now is to hold the pass. After all, the Qing army has come from afar. As long as we hold on, we will have a chance to find an opportunity to take advantage of."
Lin Chong tried his best to recall all the situations he could remember during the Shanhaiguan War at the end of the Ming Dynasty. The battle situation at that time should be similar to today, but Wu Sangui had already colluded with the Qing army at that time, and Li Zicheng suffered a big loss.
What is favorable to them now is that they are still two against one, with a slight advantage in numbers. So how to use this advantage to win back the game in Dorgon's mind?
Lin Chong is still very confused now, but after discussing with Zhang Guowei, he can calm down and think carefully. Lying in bed in the middle of the night, Lin Chong was still thinking crazily, brainstorming through all the battles he knew in his head. If anyone sees
The way he was lying on the bed with his eyes wide open and motionless, he was probably scared out of his mind.
It wasn't until the next morning that Lin Chong finally had some ideas. In the morning, he hurriedly asked Zhang Guowei for advice. What Lin Chong thought of was to use the best of the thirty-six strategies.
Since Dorgon already knew that Wu Sangui and Li Zicheng were at odds and took advantage of this to hit the second department hard, why can't we use this in turn to make Dorgon fooled too?
Hasn't he always wanted to sow discord? Why not let him successfully sow discord for once.
Zhang Guowei slowly thought about the meaning and feasibility of these words. After thinking about it carefully, he showed approval: "Your Majesty's idea is very good. One side pretends to surrender and the other side supports it. If done well, it can really win the game with falsehood. I don't know what Your Majesty's plan is.
How to make him succeed?"
Lin Chong rubbed his chin with his hand: "Well, of course I have to find a more credible reason." Zhang Guowei looked curious, and Lin Chong came closer and whispered a few words to him.
Zhang Guowei nodded: "You might as well give it a try. It's just that your Majesty is making a dangerous move this time. Have you thought about the consequences if it fails?"
Lin Chong clenched his fists: "The worst outcome is that Shanhaiguan falls, or one of the two men fakes it and defectes to the Qing army. But if the current situation cannot reverse the situation, the final outcome will be either of these two.