Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1106 The time has come
With the facts before him, Dorgon had no choice but to be cautious.

If we continue to withdraw quickly, the Saurons might repeat their old tricks. But if we slow down our return, although we can prevent the Saurons' attack, it will not be a good thing for Shengjing.

After careful consideration, Dorgon decided to slow down to avoid another surprise attack by the Solons. But at this time, the situation on the battlefield changed again. The Ming army in the south appeared out of nowhere and joined the Solons. Although the number of Ming troops was not large, only more than a thousand people, it was not a good sign. When Dorgon heard the news, his eyelids twitched and he felt even more uneasy.

Dorgon did not expect that although he was prepared and had made preparations to deal with the situation, he did not expect that the Ming Dynasty had already predicted his prediction. Not only did they send troops to the hinterland of Liaodong, but they also boldly went directly north. Even the Solon people far in the north went south to fight against him with the support of the Ming Dynasty.

The situation suddenly became confusing, and Dorgon felt that something was wrong. He clearly knew that the road back would not be peaceful, and although the number of Ming troops now was small, it was a sign. As time went on, there would probably be more and more Ming troops. If he did not speed up, when a large number of Ming troops went north to unite with the Solon people, it would not be so easy for him to return to Shengjing.

Just when Dorgon was hesitating in the face of this situation, far away at the eastern exit of the Liaoxi Corridor, which is the Panshan battlefield, Wang Jinwu was standing on a high ground, holding a telescope in his hand and looking at Panshan not far away.

It has been nearly half a month since the fighting on the Liaodong battlefield broke out. During this period, the Ming army launched the war with lightning speed, first sweeping the entire Liaoxi Corridor, and then heading straight to Panshan.

Moreover, after the Battle of Panshan broke out, the two sides fought fiercely around Panshan. The Eight Banners Army of Panshan reinforced its troops twice, and the total strength increased from more than a thousand at the beginning to more than ten thousand later. However, even so, they were still no match for the Ming army. Under the suppression of the Ming army's powerful artillery and other firearms, the Panshan Eight Banners Army suffered heavy losses. Now the total strength of the Panshan Eight Banners Army is probably less than seven thousand.

"How many days has it been since the last reinforcements were sent to Panshan?" Putting down the telescope, Wang Jinwu asked.

"Reporting to the Marshal, four days have passed." Wu Sangui replied on the side.

Wu Sangui led the most elite Guanning Iron Cavalry in Liaodong. Because of the previous Battle of the Great Wall, he had known Wang Jinwu for a long time and had a good relationship with Wang Jinwu. Moreover, if it weren't for Wu Xiang's transfer to the capital, Wang Jinwu would have intended to support Wu Sangui. I'm afraid Wu Sangui would have become Wang Jinwu's direct subordinate long ago.

Even so, Wang Jinwu had always had a good impression of Wu Sangui. In the past few years when Wu Sangui led troops in Liaodong, Wang Jinwu provided him with many conveniences and help in the central government, which made Wu Sangui very grateful to Wang Jinwu. This time, as the commander-in-chief, Wang Jinwu was responsible for the Liaodong front battlefield and directly incorporated Wu Sangui into his central army.

"Four days, that's not a short time." Wang Jinwu said to himself, and then asked, "How many waves of people has Panshan sent to Shenyang for help in the past few days?"

"At least five waves of people."

"How many waves have come from Shenyang?"

"Well... I haven't heard of it. Since the reinforcements arrived four days ago, it seems that they haven't sent any more envoys."

“Hehe…” Wang Jinwu laughed and looked towards the Panshan Mountain in front of him. After calculating silently in his mind, he retracted his gaze and fell on Wu Sangui in front of him.

"Changbo!"

"The humble position is here!"

"Go! Call General Zu, Lord Lu, General Zuo, General Cao and others. I want to go to the tent to discuss matters!"

"Yes!"

Wu Sangui responded loudly and turned around to pass on the message. Seeing Wu Sangui leaving, Wang Jinwu went down the high ground directly, came to the camp below, walked into the general's tent and waited quietly.

About half an hour later, people came hurriedly. In addition to generals such as Zu Dashou, Lu Xiangsheng, Zuo Liangyu, Cao Wenzhao, there were also some mid-level generals. These people were called into the tent one by one, and the entire tent was almost packed.

Seeing everyone present, Wang Jinwu glanced at them, stood up and said, "Everyone!"

Everyone straightened their chests and looked towards Wang Jinwu with anticipation and eagerness in their eyes.

Wang Jinwu said: "It has been nearly a month since the battle of Panshan began. You all know the situation. I just received news that the battle in Mongolia is going well. Although the Khorchin tribe is still fighting with the Mongolian cavalry of Chahar and our Ming army, they can only struggle and are about to be defeated."

"As for North Korea, Dorgon has withdrawn his troops and returned. Lord Li Xin has already made arrangements. The Suolong tribe in the north has also moved south. It is not easy for Dorgon to return to Shenyang smoothly. Lord Sun Chuanting has also led General Gao Jie and General Xiao Cao to cross the sea to Liaodong. The army is ready to go north at any time. There is no need to continue the battle of Panshan. I have decided to fight Panshan. I will take this place and annihilate their tribe. The whole army will go out of the Liaoxi Corridor to attack Haicheng, and then go north to Shenyang!"

"Great!"

"Damn it, I can finally show off my skills. I've been so depressed these days!"

"Marshal, let me lead the attack. I have been idle these days and my body is about to grow hair."

"You? Forget about you. My group is the main attacker, so of course it's our group that will do it. As the saying goes, start with the end."

"What do you mean? You ate the meat in front, and now you want to take the whole pot and drink the soup as well? You shouldn't do that!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. I'll wait and see what the commander-in-chief has to say..."

As soon as Wang Jinwu finished speaking, there was a commotion in the general's tent. Some were rubbing their hands, some were eager to try, and many were flushed with excitement, as if they were vying for the first place. Wang Jinwu did not scold them, but instead smiled and watched the scene with great joy. The Ming Dynasty had always been terrified of the Jiannu. Whether it was the ordinary Ming army or the Liao army, including the most powerful Guanning Iron Cavalry in Liaodong, they were always lacking confidence in the war against the Eight Banners.

Whether an army is combat-ready depends on factors other than equipment, training and treatment, namely morale and belief.

The Ming army was not weak in terms of equipment. On the contrary, it could be said to be the best equipped army in the world. Even during the Chongzhen period, when the Ming Dynasty's finances were at their worst, the equipment of the Ming army's border troops was still guaranteed. Ordinary Ming soldiers at least had a set of cotton or leather armor, and the elite Ming army, including the generals' retainers, were equipped with iron armor.

As for weapons, there was no shortage of them. There were normal swords, spears, etc., as well as bows and arrows. There were even many muskets and Portuguese cannons among the border troops.

Compared with the armies of other countries, such equipment is already top-notch. Even the ordinary Eight Banners soldiers in the Eight Banners are only about the same as the Ming army. But why can't the Ming army beat the Eight Banners soldiers when their equipment is not bad? Because in addition to equipment, the Ming army has been in arrears of wages for many years, resulting in insufficient training of the Ming army, soldiers are not well fed, and morale is extremely low.

The Ming army was able to defend the city with ease, but once it came to field battles, it was no match for the Eight Banners. In several battles, there were even dozens of Eight Banners soldiers chasing and hacking at thousands of Ming soldiers, which was simply unimaginable.

Is it true that the Ming army is incapable of fighting? The answer is of course no. Some people say that if the Eight Banners have less than 10,000 soldiers, no one can defeat them. But in fact, there is another saying that if the Ming army is not fully paid, no one can defeat them if they are fully paid!

If the Ming army was really so unreliable, how could the Qing Dynasty have relied on the surrendered Ming army to conquer the country after entering the Pass? The key lies in other factors. As the Ming Dynasty's finances improved, the emperor adjusted and reformed the Ming army system. The problem of the Ming army's previous salary arrears was basically solved, and the treatment of the army was also greatly changed from before.

Because of these reasons, it is certain that the Ming army's combat effectiveness has been improved and restored. Moreover, from the beginning of the war to now, the Ming army has advanced steadily and has not made any rash advances under the command of Wang Jinwu. On the contrary, it took advantage of the Panshan Campaign to rotate its troops into battle, in this way cultivating the army's faith in war and boosting morale.

The effect of doing so was very significant. With the support of the elite new army and the Guanning Iron Cavalry, the various Ming armies had almost completely suppressed the Eight Banners soldiers in Panshan over the past month. At the beginning, the fighting was a little slow, but the more they fought, the more confident they became, because both the soldiers and the generals found that the Eight Banners were not that difficult to defeat, and those Manchus were not monsters with three heads and six arms. Their capabilities were just that, and there was nothing to be afraid of.

After several rounds of fighting, the Ming army gained confidence and had eliminated their fear of the Jiannu. They were full of energy and ready to fight, intending to achieve success in this battle.

Now, after hearing that Wang Jinwu was preparing to launch a final attack on Panshan and annihilate the Jiannu in Panshan in one fell swoop, everyone's eyes lit up with excitement. Who would dare to be behind others in such a good thing? This was a matter of showing off, and it was also a real military achievement!
After the noise of the crowd gradually died down, Wang Jinwu cleared his throat and his eyes fell on Zu Dashou, who was standing in the first position on his right.

"Zu Dashou!"

"I'm here!" When Zu Dashou heard Wang Jinwu calling his name, he was shocked at first, then he responded with full energy and strode out.

"I will give you the task of attacking Panshan. Are you up to the task?"

Zu Dashou said with a red face without thinking: "I have received your order! Please rest assured, Marshal, I will take down Panshan for our army and annihilate the Jiannu!"

"Good!" Wang Jinwu laughed, and then said, "Wu Sangui!"

"I'm here!" Wu Sangui responded.

"You lead the Guanning Iron Cavalry to bypass Pingyangqiao Fort and cut off the retreat of the Panshan defenders from the rear. After General Zu starts the frontal battle, leave all the Panshan defenders here for me!"

"The general will obey the order!"

"Cao Wenzhao!"

"The general is here!"

"You lead the new army to support General Zu's frontal attack with firearms, and protect the flank of the main attack force!"

"The general will obey the order!"

"Zuo Liangyu!"

"The general is here!"

"Your unit is the reserve force. Guard the left and right wings of the army and reinforce General Zu at any time. Once Panshan is breached, your unit will lead the charge and attack us. Do not let the Panshan defenders go!"

"The general will obey the order!"

"..."

Wang Jinwu was confident and issued orders one after another. After a while, all the generals received their respective tasks. Although everyone was envious of Zu Dashou, who was in charge of the main attack, and was a little dissatisfied, no one dared to disobey the commander-in-chief's order. Don't forget that Wang Jinwu is not only the highest-ranking general and commander in the army, but also a cabinet elder. He represents the emperor and the court. Who dares not to obey? The imperial sword and the royal flag on the side are not vegetarian. In such a big battle, whoever does not obey the order will be killed by military law.

(End of this chapter)