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Chapter 609: Soldiers’ deceitful ways
"There is no basis for what you say. Just put your doubts in your heart for the time being. You will understand roughly when this battle is over." Hong Tao didn't blame Du Wenhuan for his lack of cooperation.

It is normal to be confused. Without understanding of later colonial wars, few people in this era can inherently understand the importance of plundering resources for national development. And there is no need to forcefully instill any theory, as long as they see the results, they will figure it out.

The Jurchen army marched to about 3 miles away from Ningyuan City and set up camp. In addition to due east and southeast, at least troops were also deployed at the foot of the mountain in the north. There were hundreds of continuous bonfires, which looked like stars falling on the ground. It's amazing.

This point fully proves the importance of living habits. The Jurchens are very accustomed to living and fighting in the mountains and fields, but they are not very familiar with the temperament of the sea. They subconsciously chose the mountainous areas in the north and ignored the sea in the south.

"Your Majesty, the secret sentry outside the city has discovered that the Jurchen Rangers have appeared in the south and west of the city. A team of ten riders is moving quickly. If the bridge on the river is discovered by them, I am afraid they will be destroyed overnight."

Since the emperor refused to go to the city, Ding Shun, Du Wenhuan and other staff had to have a hasty dinner on the city wall in the biting north wind, and then they all piled next to them and reported the changes in the enemy situation discovered in all directions.

Ding Shun was the most anxious. It was his first time to go on an expedition with the army. He was afraid that he would miss any detail and fall into a trap for the emperor. He had to report every big thing carefully.

"Demolish it. If our army's retreat is blocked, how can we allow them to surround the point with peace of mind and call for reinforcements." Entering Ningyuan City with a lone army, it is inevitable that the retreat will be cut off. If the Jurchens did nothing about the bridge on the river, then Hong Tao would be upset and confused about what the other party was going to do.

"Surround the area for reinforcements?" Hearing the new term coming out of the emperor's mouth, the generals looked at each other and didn't quite understand.

"You must all know the Thirty-Six Stratagems of besieging Wei and rescuing Zhao. Encircling a point and rescuing Zhao is similar to it, but with more methods. To besiege Wei and rescuing Zhao, the most prominent thing is the word "siege". If you attack it, you will rescue it and force the enemy to return for reinforcements.

The most outstanding thing about the encirclement and reinforcements is the typing. The Jurchen army moves faster and has stronger combat effectiveness. They used a large army to trap Ningyuan City, and with me in the city, all the elements were formed to encircle the point and provide reinforcements.

As soon as they heard that I was besieged, Du Song, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, and even the ministers in the DPRK were bound to send troops to rescue me, and they would rush on their way regardless of the cost. When the time comes, the Jurchens will take advantage of their quick movements to set up ambushes along the way and wait for their work, making it easier to defeat the tired divisions marching long distances.

With the reinforcements gone, Ningyuan became an isolated city, and the morale of the defenders in the city was severely damaged. At this time, the Jurchen army merged into one again, taking advantage of the momentum of a great victory. With its superior strength, they attacked when they wanted to attack and were trapped when they wanted to, and they were sure of victory. "

What is meant by encircling a point for reinforcements? There is indeed no accurate record in ancient military books, but the meaning is pretty much the same. Judging from the various actions of the Jurchen army this time, they showed weakness first and kept retreating, deliberately luring the Ming army out of the city, and then finding a suitable place to counterattack after they were far away from Shanhaiguan.

Ningyuan City is good. It is at least 4 days away from Shanhaiguan. It is easier to relax your vigilance when there is a strong city to defend. As long as the Ming army enters the city, it is equivalent to falling into a trap. After being besieged, there are only two options: holding on and breaking out. No matter which way they choose, the Jurchens will have a way to beat them.

If we can't hold on, we will soon be short of food and grass, and we can only passively break out. According to common sense and the consistent style of the Ming army, it is difficult to maintain morale and formation at this time. As long as one unit flees, the entire army will collapse. At that time, the Jurchen army can follow closely and continue to cover up and kill. If Du Song heard the news and led his troops from Shanhaiguan to rescue him, the Jurchens would divide their troops and set up an ambush in the middle, eat the reinforcements first, and then continue to besiege the Ming army in the city. In the end, the result would be the same.

Of course, there are several conditions that need to be met if you want to successfully use the tactic of encircling the point and providing reinforcements. First of all, you must have a good understanding of the terrain and know where to set up an ambush most effectively; secondly, you must have an absolute superior force, otherwise not only will you not be able to get reinforcements after dividing your troops, but you may also be eaten. Finally, there is combat effectiveness. Whether it is an army besieging a city or an army setting up an ambush, they must have the ability to grit their teeth and fight to the death.

Youdao is like a trapped beast still fighting. When an army is forced into a desperate situation, it can often burst out with extraordinary combat power in an instant. If it cannot withstand this period of time and allows the defenders to successfully break through, the situation will immediately change 180 degrees. reverse.

Coincidentally, the Jurchen army met the above three requirements, and also took advantage of an extra advantage, that is, the Ming Emperor. If it hadn't been for the imperial commander's personal expedition, Du Song or the Ming court officials might not have rushed to send troops to help. As long as we adopt a steady approach and approach step by step, it will be too difficult to encircle the point and call for reinforcements, and we might even be attacked from both sides.

But neither Jun Song nor the court officials of the Ming Dynasty dared to turn a blind eye to the current situation where the emperor was under siege. In order to show their loyalty and avoid suspicion, the reinforcements that should have been pressing forward step by step would be forced to run all the way. If they could not fall behind halfway, they would lose everything. The army is strong.

"...Your Majesty ordered Governor Li to lead half of the army to retreat, in order to surprise the Jurchens and join forces with reinforcements to set up an ambush for the Jurchens?" Du Wenhuan seemed to understand what he said, and his expression was lifted.

"Reinforcements? Where are they? I gave Du Song an order when I left the customs. As long as I don't come in person, not a single soldier from Shanhaiguan will be sent out, let alone the news that I am besieged." Hong Tao shook his head. It was made clear that there would be no reinforcements.

"Your Majesty is asking Governor Li to pretend to be reinforcements and lure the Jurchens to divide their troops?" Seeing that Du Wenhuan was not right, Ding Shun felt that his guess must be reliable.

"In this way, at most, a part of the Jurchen army across the river to the west can be annihilated, and the Jurchen forces besieging Ningyuan City in the east of the river will immediately retreat. Once they want to run away, we will never be able to catch up. Without these prisoners, my military expenses will be reduced There is no room to make amends.”

This speculation was more reliable and practical than Du Wenhuan's, but Hong Tao still denied it. The reason is even more outrageous. He is afraid that if he defeats the Jurchens, his income will be low. He actually wants to annihilate all the enemies.

"This, how is this possible! I think that the Jurchen army outside the city is just the forward, and the real main force is still behind. If they find that the forward is frustrated, they may withdraw to Jinzhou. Who will stop them then?"

After listening to the emperor's explanation, Du Wenhuan immediately became anxious and ignored the many staff present who directly expressed their opposition. He knew that the army was very strong, but it was not strong enough to defeat others without a fight, and it also had a very big flaw, short legs.

Facing an enemy that is several times faster and faster, even if Li Ruzhang is the reincarnation of the God of War, it is impossible for him to make all the dumplings. Even if the defenders in the city cooperate perfectly and rush out of the city in time, most of the Jurchen infantry can be left behind. But there was still nothing they could do with the Jurchen cavalry.

(End of this chapter)