Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 188 It seems like it’s too big

Gathering heavy troops to block the enemy in Tongcheng, repairing the city wall in Anqing in the rear, and mobilizing troops to buy time, this was the excuse Zhang Desheng came up with to mobilize the enemy troops.

That’s right, the messenger who came to ask for help was sent by Zhang Desheng. They intercepted the messenger from Tongcheng at the Shahe Ferry, and after interrogating him, they sent someone to change his clothes and badge, and then pretended to be this person and ran to Anqing to ask for help.

Now this excuse had indeed been recognized by the Anqing governor and Darughachi, which immediately made the fake soldier very excited. Now that several people had decided to send troops to rescue, his mission would be accomplished. Even if he died afterwards, he would still be the first meritorious person in this battle. His family would receive generous pensions, and his brothers in the army would also be promoted. As long as he could save his life and return, he would definitely be promoted after this battle.

He was just thinking about the reward he would receive after returning, but what the next few people present said made him sweat on his forehead.

Yang Heng, the governor of Anqing, said immediately, "Since we want to stop the enemy in Tongcheng, we must send a lot of troops to support us. Otherwise, it will be like trying to put out a fire with firewood. If the fire is not put out, the firewood will burn out. We need to send a general with a large force to advance together."

Al Changpu nodded, agreeing with this very much. He immediately analyzed, "The enemy army's current strength is at least two infantry regiments, 10,000 people, plus 2,000 cavalry, at least 12,000 people.

"I heard that Liao Yongan has four infantry divisions under his command. He must have left some soldiers to guard the rear. Even if there is another regiment behind him, plus the civilian laborers, the conservative estimate is that there are 20,000 soldiers.

"We now have 5,000 soldiers in Tongcheng. Even if we send support, we must send at least 15,000 soldiers. If we don't have as many soldiers as the enemy, how can we confront the bandits?"

"What Darughachi said is absolutely right. In the current situation, the north is urgent and the west is less urgent. We should rescue the urgent and follow the less urgent. I suggest mobilizing 10,000 troops from Taihu and Wangjiang, and another 3,000 from Qianshan and 2,000 from Huaining. In this way, we can gather a total of 15,000 troops. As for who will be the general, I hope Darughachi will decide." Han Jian, the governor of Anqing Road, immediately made a suggestion.

Archangpu pondered for a moment. As for the selection of generals, he was not very confident about the Han people anyway. Wasn't this rebellion started by the Han people? It happened that there were Mongolian confidants here. He looked at the registrar Si Daruhachi Molenchi who was present. This person's official rank and identity were very suitable, but his military talent was average. He should choose a deputy general to assist him. It happened that there was a Mongolian thousand households in the Wanhu Mansion, so he appointed the general on the spot.

"Molunchi, the Daluhachi of the Record Office, you will be the commander-in-chief for this battle, and Yesen Timur, the captain of the Wanhu Mansion, will be the deputy commander. The two of you will immediately mobilize the troops and gather a large army south of Shahe, and then march together to support Tongcheng."

After saying that, Al Changpu looked at the Tongcheng messenger kneeling in the hall and ordered, "Go back to Tongcheng quickly and tell Ning Chun, Shao and Ge to hold on for a while. I have mobilized 15,000 troops and will arrive in Tongcheng soon."

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the fake messenger finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he did not arouse the suspicion of these Tartar officials. As long as he was allowed to leave, he could send the news back so that the governors and commanders could make plans early.

After the meeting, Alchangpu's orders were issued, and the troops from Taihu and Wangjiang counties began to be mobilized immediately. Taihu County was closer to Qianshan, so they went to Qianshan first to join forces with the 3,000 troops there, and then went south along the Wanshui River to Anqing to join forces.

Wangjiang County is close to the Yangtze River, so it is more convenient for them to move around. They can just take a boat down the river and reach Anqing.

Under the pressure of Liao Yongan and the deception of Zhang Desheng and Miao Daheng, Yuan Ting's Anqing Road finally used all its strength to deal with the Shengwu Army. However, these two fools had not yet realized how powerful the enemy's reinforcements would be.

The reinforcements were indeed lured out by them, but could they deal with them?

"Marshal? Why are you at the front line?!"

Guo Zixing and Zhang Desheng saw that Lu Jin was dressed in armor, with a bow and arrow, a musket, and a sword hanging on his saddle, and a Fang Tian Ji on his shoulder. He was obviously dressed for combat. They wondered what Lu Jin meant by this?
"Why are you here at the front? I am worried that you can't win."

After Lu Jin left a cavalry battalion to Liao Yongan, he himself led the cavalry and artillery team and advanced quickly with light equipment. He also sent out cavalry to search everywhere, and finally found the hiding place of Guo Zixing's Eighth Regiment. Seeing the surprised looks on their faces, he explained to them.

"Can't beat them? Marshal, you are underestimating us." Zhang Desheng muttered in dissatisfaction.

Guo Zixing also explained, "Your Excellency may not know, but according to our information, the defense of Huaining City is not strong, and the Tartar officials there are worried that they can't defend the city, so they moved their families to the island in the middle of the river early, ready to escape at any time.

"The current situation is not a question of whether we can win the battle, but whether the enemy will send reinforcements."

"Yes, Commander." Cao Liangchen also chimed in, "If the enemy is too cowardly to send reinforcements, then Commander Liao's strategy of surrounding the point and attacking the reinforcements may not be accomplished. For this reason, we have no choice but to use some strategies, hoping to trick the enemy out."

Lu Jin was puzzled when he heard this, and immediately asked, "You also used a trick to lure the enemy out? What trick? Tell me about it."

Cao Liangchen immediately said excitedly, "We will intercept the messenger from Tongcheng, and then we will send someone pretending to be the messenger to go to Anqing to ask for help. Deputy Commander Zhang has also come up with a good idea for the enemy, which is to 'stop the enemy in Tongcheng and buy time for dispatching troops to repair the city'. If they insist on not sending reinforcements, then if we directly march to the city, they will definitely not be able to hold it.

"I don't believe the enemy will not send reinforcements this time!"

Zhang Desheng was very proud of the idea he came up with, and Cao Liangchen was also excited as if he was about to make a great contribution. Only the old guy Guo Zixing was relatively steady. This scene made Lu Jin speechless and he cursed immediately.

"You are active in luring the enemy, but have you ever thought about whether you can defeat them if more enemy reinforcements come?"

Seeing Lu Jin's sudden angry reaction, Zhang Desheng and Cao Liangchen looked at each other, while Zhang Desheng was still explaining.

"Marshal, I don't think there's any problem. The intelligence sent by Brother Liao clearly states that Qianshan has only 5,000 soldiers at most. The troop deployment is similar to that of Tongcheng, with 2,000 government troops and 3,000 militia. They have to leave some people to garrison, so it's impossible for all of them to come together. This reinforcement force is at most 3,000 to 4,000 people. With the strength of our 8th Regiment, isn't it a sure win?
"Besides, even if they gather the forces from Qianshan and Huaining, there are only 7,000 to 8,000 men at most. We will defend the Shahe River and attack them halfway across. At most, they will fight against half of their troops, which is still 3,000 to 4,000. We will definitely win. Even if the remaining half escapes, when Brother Liao brings the main force in the middle, won't we be able to suppress them?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately put his hand on his forehead and said speechlessly, "Overall situation, where is your overall situation? How many times have I said that those who do not consider the overall situation are not qualified to consider a region! Do you think you are only attacking two or three cities this time? You are attacking the entire Anqing Road!

"Who told you that the reinforcements are only from Qianshan? You still want to stop the enemy in Tongcheng. The 101st Division has troops coming. How many troops do you think Anqing needs to send to stop the enemy in Tongcheng?" "Have you forgotten that Anqing also has Wangjiang, Taihu, and Susong? Don't you know that there are more than troops over there? There are no battles in the south and west of Anqing now. Can't they transfer troops from Wangjiang and Taihu? When the enemy reinforcements send or troops, how can you defeat them with one regiment? It's good enough to deal with the enemy, and you still want to fight the reinforcements? Fighting! It's a good thing if you don't lose your life!"

"This..." Zhang Desheng, Cao Liangchen, and Guo Zixing hesitated when they heard this. Cao Liangchen also doubted, "They shouldn't send so many troops here. They just don't defend the south. What if Xu Song attacks from the west? What should they do?"

"What if? War is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction. It must be carefully considered. It's a matter of life and death. Thousands of lives in your regiment, plus the battle of tens of thousands on the southern front. Can you make a strategy based on a just in case?" Seeing that some of them still had a fluke mentality, Lu Jin became furious and continued to scold.

Now several people stopped refutation, knowing that they might have done something bad in order to win credit. At this moment, the fake messenger who was sent to Anqing for help also rode his horse and ran back in a hurry. He was brought in front of several generals. He was about to say something, but he was stunned when he saw Lu Jin next to him. Obviously, this person had seen Lu Jin before.

"Commander?"

"Well, tell them what you have first."

"Oh, yes, commanders, it's bad. That bastard Han Jian is really going to send troops to rescue Tongcheng, but that Darughachi Alchangpu wants to mobilize a large army. He said he wants to transfer 5,000 troops from Wangjiang and Taihu respectively, 3,000 from Qianshan, and 2,000 from Huaining, making a total of 15,000 troops to come to Tongcheng together. We, we are afraid we can't stop them."

hiss--

Several people present gasped and looked at each other in surprise. Lu Jin had just said that the enemy might transfer troops from the three cities in the south, but this news came immediately.

Guo Zixing was immediately panicked. He had never fought any tough battle before. The first time he led his troops to attack Shucheng, the enemy opened the city and surrendered. Now it was his first time facing the enemy head-on, and the result was a tough battle with a small number of troops against a larger one. What should he do?
Guo Zixing immediately looked at Lu Jin beside him and said, "General, since the enemy situation has changed, should we also change our mind? Should we retreat to Tongcheng and join forces with the central army, or should we call over Miao Daheng from the left? If the two armies come together, perhaps we can still fight."

Lu Jin glanced at him and did not speak directly. Instead, he looked at the messenger and asked, "Are you the one who pretended to be a messenger to go to Anqing to ask for help?"

"Reporting to the commander, it's me. My name is Li Mao, and I'm the platoon leader of the first platoon of the fourth company of the second battalion of the eighth regiment." Li Mao introduced himself hurriedly, hoping to get Lu Jin's attention.

Lu Jin nodded and continued to ask, "Tell me about the current situation of Anqing City. You can see the damaged section of the city wall. Have they made any repairs? Also, what are the Tartar officials in the city doing? How many want to fight, and how many want to escape? Who is the leader of the enemy army this time? Tell me all this."

"Yes." Li Mao was very excited and quickly talked about what he had seen and heard, and repeated the reactions of several Tartar officials he had met before.

"General, those people in the Anqing Road office, the Huaining County Magistrate only wants to protect the city and does not want to send troops to support. The Wanhu Mansion's senior official surnamed Hao is also unwilling to send troops. Only the Anqing General Manager and the Darughachi surnamed A insist on sending troops. Oh, by the way, there is another person, the Zhaomo of Anqing Road, surnamed Yang, who also strongly advocates sending troops to support.

"The commander and deputy commander were personally appointed by the Darughachi surnamed Yang. They were all Tartars. One of them was called Molunchi, who was present at the time. There was also another one called Yesen Timur, who seemed to be a thousand households. He was appointed as the deputy commander."

Lu Jin nodded and praised, "Good. Next time you do reconnaissance, you should write down everything like you did today, especially the enemy's reaction and attitude. You did a great job this time, Li Mao. I will remember you. I will ask your battalion commander to give you a credit when I go back."

"Yes, thank you, Marshal!" Li Mao was immediately excited. He saluted Lu Jin before retreating.

Zhang Desheng still frowned and said hesitantly, "Marshal, what should we do now?"

"Did you bring the map? Bring it here."

"I brought it." Cao Liangchen immediately took out the map and placed it among the crowd.

Lu Jin pointed at the Shahe River and looked at it before speaking.

"The plan to surround the enemy and attack the reinforcements has been finalized. Now the enemy has indeed sent out troops to rescue. The overall situation is still within our pre-war calculations and is not beyond our expectations. The only difference is that the enemy has more reinforcements, but the initiative of the battle is still in our hands, especially now that we know the enemy's response in advance, which is even more advantageous. What's next?"

Lu Jin pointed to the map and said, "The Anqing Road has a large north-south span. The enemy has left its troops in Susong untouched. They should be keeping them to guard against Xu and Song. However, it will take at least four or five days to transfer troops from Wangjiang and Taihu. We still have time to prepare."

Lu Jin suddenly raised his head and looked at several people and said, "First, immediately send someone to inform Liao Yongan that the enemy has decided to send out 15,000 reinforcements. The original plan to attack the reinforcements remains unchanged. Ask him to start preparing to attack the city now. We will monitor the movements of the enemy reinforcements at any time. Once the reinforcements appear, let's set it at four days. Once the reinforcements appear after four days, let him immediately launch a general attack on Tongcheng, capture the city within two days, and then lead the central army to the north bank of Shahe to join us.

"Second, Desheng, immediately send people to the south of Shahe to monitor the enemy's movements. Be careful not to expose our whereabouts. If you find the movement of enemy reinforcements, report back immediately, regardless of day or night.

"Is this the third one?"

Lu Jin looked at the map again and frowned, thinking. The troops he could mobilize now were the two regiments of Guo Zixing and Miao Daheng, plus the cavalry battalion and artillery team he brought, totaling 10,000 people. Ten thousand against fifteen thousand, and it was an ambush battle of attacking halfway across the river, so he might not be without the ability to fight.

At this time, Lu Jin actually still wanted to attack the reinforcements, rather than change the attack to blocking. If the battle goal was changed, the deployment of the left and right wings forward would be meaningless, so the key was how to attack the reinforcements.

Now if he wants to finalize the plan, there is one last problem to be solved, that is, he doesn't know where the enemy will cross the river. If he knew it in advance, he could make arrangements calmly.

Zhang Desheng saw Lu Jin's hesitation and asked immediately, "What else do you have doubts, Marshal?"

(End of this chapter)