Zhou Shixian quickly led the army into Huai'an Prefecture. Except for Xue Laoer who led two mixed battalions to continue northward and settled in Xuzhou City, and stationed with Gao Jie's troops at this most critical stronghold, the main force of the Ming army still surrounded Fengyang and

Two strongholds were stationed in Huai'an.

Zhang Huangyan, Zhang Hong, Wu Xingye and other generals led troops to garrison Fengyang, Zhou Shixian, Sun Hu, Liu Zeqing led troops to garrison Huai'an, and Huang Degong led troops to garrison various strongholds in Huaibei.

Although the Qing army assembled a large number of troops in Henan and Shandong, they did not attack immediately after the initial trial attack. Instead, they remained stationary.

"Your Majesty, the name of the Ming army's commander in Xuzhou City is Xue Changfu. It seems that he was supported by the Ming Dynasty's prince-in-law. The other commander is Gao Jie, who is considered a veteran. He had fought against slaves before in the Huaihe River.

Easy to deal with."

Kong Youde pointed to Xuzhou City, which was seven or eight miles away in the south, and continued: "Among the defenders in Xuzhou City, there are estimated to be more than 20,000 capable soldiers. Xue Changfu's troops are nearly 10,000, and there are an equal number with

The strength of Gao Jie's soldiers and nearly ten thousand civilians, who are quite capable in combat, cannot be underestimated."

Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, soldiers and generals who had surrendered to the Qing court in the early stage, were all condemned by the Qing court after the failure of the Huaihe River War, but it was just a slap in the face. In fact, the Qing court still had to rely on them, so it was very difficult for them to do so.

Soon another one showed up and dismissed his merits. He was only reduced from some false positions, and he was not even punished with salary.

Now, the Qing court has drained the blood of the newly recruited 200,000 green battalions, and 70,000 to 80,000 elite soldiers and generals among them have been sent to the southern Zhili and Huguang battlefields. In order to restrain and deter these newly recruited green battalion troops, the vassal government

The status of the soldier was greatly improved.

"Is there any other information?" Duduo took his eyes away from Xuzhou City and looked at Kong Youde again.

"The scouts sent out also said that the Ming army in Fengyang City and Huai'an City is about 20,000 to 30,000, which is similar to that in Xuzhou City. At the same time, there are more than 10,000 civilians in the two cities. Both cities have been destroyed.

After it has been reinforced, there are still countless boats patrolling the Huaihe River."

Although the total strength is slightly inferior, the Ming army's troops along the Huaihe River are still very powerful. Moreover, these are only what the scouts detected. As the Ming army's control area, Zhou Shixian's real strength will only be more.

"Zhou Shixian had 70,000 to 80,000 capable soldiers on the southern Zhili battlefield, but Xuzhou City, the most critical fortress, had less than 20,000 defenders. Zhou Shixian did not seem to have any intention of holding on to the city north of the Huaihe River. On the contrary,

Heavy troops have been deployed on the south bank of the Huaihe River. Did he correctly guess that our goal is to encircle the point for reinforcements and prepare to hold on and consume it?"

Duduo frowned slightly and continued: "But if he wants to stick to consumption, Xuzhou City should deploy more troops. Although Xue Changfu and Gao Jie are both veterans, the 20,000 elites under their command are also quite capable, but

As long as our army cuts off the reinforcements from Huainan and Xuzhou, how long can these 20,000 soldiers and horses hold out under the attack of red cannons?"

This is something Duduo and a group of senior Manchu and Qing generals have not yet figured out. The Ming army had plenty of time to prepare more grain, grass and ammunition, but they did not choose to do so.

If the defenders have sufficient food and grass and strong soldiers and horses, the fortified city of Xuzhou can be defended for at least a year, or even longer.

You know, the Manchu Qing Dynasty could have left only 20,000 to 30,000 troops to stop the attack, and then moved the army southward. By then, the 20,000 people in the city would have been unable to advance or retreat.

Twenty thousand people are naturally enough to defend the city, but if others don't attack and you don't have strong attack capabilities, wouldn't you completely lose the initiative?

The safest way is to hold on to Xuzhou City and then block attacks in Huaibei. By the time the Manchu and Qing armies arrive in Huainan, they will be exhausted.

Could it be that the prince-in-law of the Ming Dynasty was still thinking about having a wild battle with him?

Duduo couldn't help but have such doubts in his mind, but he quickly denied this idea. Although the Ming army's actual number of soldiers and horses that could be used for field battles had reached 70,000 or 80,000, there were only about 60,000 in Huainan, and

He has an army of more than 100,000 men.

At least for now, the advantage lies with the Qing Dynasty.

Even excluding Azig's 10,000 troops who had already led troops to move westward, there are still at least 100,000 troops left. Zhou Shixian should not think that his newly trained soldiers and horses can survive in a field battle.

The elite Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing Dynasty, right?

If this is really the case, Duduo can laugh in his dreams. If the main force of the Ming army is annihilated in one battle, then Xuzhou and Huai'an will not fight. The Ming army will also surrender in the prefectures of Nanzhili, Jiangnan and other places.

Without troops to defend, the Ming court's deployment in Jiangnan collapsed.

But things will definitely not be that easy. Duduo thought about it and immediately rejected his idea. The Ming army would never dare to take such a risky approach. These Nikans would never have the courage.

But if it wasn't so, what could it be? What was the plot of the Ming Dynasty's consort?

"The Ming army still has nearly 100,000 troops in Huguang. Zuo Liangyu's troops suffered almost no major damage in the last battle. The troops of Li Guo, Gao Yigong, and Du Yinxi's troops also suffered

It is already quite impressive. Perhaps the Ming army felt that Huguang was impregnable and the new soldiers were unreliable in field operations, so they made such a plan." Kong Youde expressed his guess again.

After Duduo heard this, he couldn't help but frown. The Huguang battlefield was too important. If he succeeded, the entire war situation would suddenly become clear. He could directly lead the troops to Nanjing, but if Azige and Wu Sangui were defeated or unable to contain them, Duduo could not help but frown.

As the main force of the Ming army, he will have a fierce battle to fight in southern Zhili, and the pressure cannot be underestimated.

"What is Wu Sangui doing in Jingzhou now?" Duduo thought for a while and asked again.

Kong Youde thought for a while and replied: "Now Wu Sangui is hiding in Jingzhou City, but the Shun army is frequently dispatched and active near Jingzhou City, and the main force of the Ming army has gathered on the south bank of the Yangtze River. However, Huguang and us are thousands of miles apart. These

These were all military reports from more than ten days ago, and the specific situation may have changed."

"Are there specific troop movements and deployments on both sides?" Duduo needs more accurate military information to make a judgment on the situation.

Although the Manchu and Qing Dynasties still have the advantage on the battlefield, Duduo no longer dares to underestimate the enemy. Moreover, he, Azig, Wu Sangui, Kong Youde, and Geng Zhongming all hope that their losses will be minimal.

In fact, it was not just the Ming army that distrusted each other, were wary of each other, and fought openly and secretly. The same was true for the Manchus and the Qing Dynasties. Not only did the Manchus and Han people not have the same mind, but the Manchus also had different thoughts among themselves.

"In addition to the naval harassment, Li Guo, Gao Yigong and others also sent a large number of scouts across the river for reconnaissance. Du Yinxi also sent his fierce general Hao Yaoqi to lead 3,000 armored soldiers, more than 1,000 musketeers, and nearly 1,000 cavalry

We have been stationed in the Jiayu area, and currently, we have no intention of attacking Chengtian in a large scale."

"What about Zuo Liangyu? What actions is he taking in Wuchang?" Duduo asked again. Although Zuo Liangyu is not something to be feared, he is still a force that cannot be ignored.

"Zuo Liangyu has been holding his troops still for now. The strength of the troops under his command is unpredictable. It is said to be 800,000, but it may only be 20,000 or 30,000, or at most 40,000. Wu Guogui, Gao Di, and Shang Kexi who were secretly transferred to Xiangyang

, the three armies and horses are strong, especially the vassal soldiers under Shang Kexi and Wu Guogui. Except for Zuo Liangyu and Du Yinxi’s capable soldiers and horses, the general Ming army may not be a match."

."How is Duduo's progress in the north now?" Zhou Shixian was also paying attention to the movements of the Qing army in real time.

"The scouts sent to the north have been paying close attention. The Qing army's forward has arrived at Xuzhou City. Geng Zhongming and Nikan's troops have entered Suzhou, seemingly intending to cut off Xuzhou's retreat."

Lu Jiude cupped his hands and said: "However, Huang Degong is stationed in Suzhou. After the Qing army's attempt to attack the city failed, they directly circled the city. The fortress defense line in Huaibei is still stable."

Zheng Chenggong, who was on the side, listened and said: "Xuzhou City is the gateway from Shandong, Henan to Zhili in the south. Our army has been operating it for more than a year. The city has high walls and thick walls. Generals Xue and Gao are stationed there. The Qing army has been stationed in the city in a short time."

Inside, it should be difficult to capture directly."

"Except for Duduo, are there any doubts about the deployment of Azig and other main forces of the Qing army?" Zhou Shixian asked with a suspicious look on his face.

Lu Jiude infiltrated the spies of the Green Camp Army in the north and got a lot of information. However, the Qing Army also did it very covertly. In addition, the power of these informants was not high, so it was difficult to know the specific details of the Qing Army's secret operations.

However, all signs indicate that there is something fishy about the main force of the Qing army. Zhou Shixian is still not sure whether the main force of the Qing army will make a breakthrough on the south Zhili side or on the Huguang side.

The Ming army in Huguang and South Zhili did not have sufficient troops and horses. However, the Huguang battlefield was surrounded by the natural dangers of the Yangtze River and there was a strong army. Although the Qing army had more troops and horses, it could not free up its troops for a two-pronged attack.

In other words, both sides can actually only use one of them as the focus of attack or defense. Otherwise, the troops and horses will be scattered too much. Not only will the attack be ineffective, but the defensive side may also have problems.

Zhou Shixian didn't say anything for a while. Every decision made now was crucial and the situation was very complicated. Especially people like Zuo Liangyu, Li Guo and Gao Yigong, he was not at ease.

First, Zuo Liangyu is not strong enough, and it is hard to say that Li Guogao can defeat Wu Sangui and Aerzin in one go. Second, these two troops cannot be trusted.

"Now it depends on how long Wu Sangui can defend Jingzhou. If Li Guo can break through quickly, the situation in Huguang will be greatly improved, and Xiangyang will become an isolated city by then."

"But if Li Guo progresses too fast, won't the shun thief become bigger? Then there will be another big hidden danger." Zheng Chenggong asked with some worry.

"As long as we win this time, there will be nothing to fear from the traitors. Huguang cannot change the world." Zhou Shixian said, getting up and leaving the house: "The most important thing is that Nanzhili is still the main force of the Qing army.

"
Chapter completed!