Duan Shidi smiled slightly, but waved his hand, not agreeing with Liu Wenxiu's opinion.

"Wenxiu, there is no need to be so urgent. According to the report of the sentinels, although Naduoduo led the army to retreat, it was still in order, and it was by no means a hasty rout. If our army strikes rashly, it will not be beautiful if it is surrounded by the enemy. Besides, now that our army has built the land of Zhenyuan Fort into a solid foundation, and is waiting for the Qing army to attack, why rush at this time? You must know that the Qing army has come from afar, and it is advantageous to fight quickly, and they will definitely rest as soon as possible before attacking again. When the time comes, this town will have a good look, Duoduo wants to attack my town's far fort, but what kind of dog bites the hedgehog and has nowhere to go! “

After Duan Shidi said this, he patted Liu Wenxiu on the shoulder and said to him in a low voice: "Wenxiu, you have made a great contribution today and captured the Qing cavalry commander Shaer Huda, this town will definitely give you credit in person!" Now this person is detaining my town with his subordinates. You and I will return to the fort together now, interrogate this person, understand the strength and motives of the Qing army, and then make a decision on the next step. “

Liu Wenxiu clenched his fists: "What Duan Zhen said is extremely true, and I will listen to Mayor Duan's arrangement." ”

The two returned to Zhenyuan Fort and immediately interrogated Sha Erhuda in the public hall of the fort.

"Shahrhuda, since you have surrendered to our army, are you willing to serve our army?" Duan Shidi asked softly.

Listening to the translation of the Han people next to him, Sha Erhuda nodded like garlic: "The slave is grateful to the general's virtue, and he can only survive if he does not kill him, if he can serve your army, it is really an honor, and An You does not want to say it." “

"Very good, you know the times." Duan Shidi smiled slightly: "In this case, then this town asks you, Duoduo led these 50,000 soldiers and horses to attack our army's Zhenyuan Fort, what is the composition of its troops?" And who instructed it? And what is the overall strategic goal of the Qing army? “

"General, the Qing army has 50,000 soldiers and horses, 40,000 infantry, including 20,000 full soldiers, 15,000 Han troops, and 5,000 Mongolian soldiers. There were nearly 7,000 cavalry, 3,000 full soldiers, 2,000 Mongol soldiers, 1,000 Han troops, and 3,000 artillery troops, most of which were Han army ...... "Sha'er Huda cannon-like cannons, and the strength of the Qing army was composed of 1510 to Duan Shi.

Duan Shidi nodded frequently while listening to Sha Erhuda's narration.

In fact, the approximate distribution of the Qing army's troops on this expedition, those Tang army spies who were planted in Shengjing City, had already made a brief explanation to Duan Shidi in the form of flying pigeons. Therefore, Duan Shidi was able to know that the commander of the Qing army was Duoduo, and the number of troops was about 50,000, but now with the information of Shaerhuda, there is no doubt that the Qing army that marched west to Zhenyuan Fort has a closer understanding.

"The Qing army set out on this expedition under the command of Dolgon, intending to take Zhenyuan Fort, so as to make it gain greater prestige in the Qing court. The specific strategic goal is to first capture Zhenyuan Fort, and the next step is to attack Haicheng and Yingkou ......"

"In the Qing court, but everyone agrees with Dolgon's idea?" Duan Shidi interjected.

"Of course not, for this matter, Prince Haoge of Nasu strongly objected, saying that our country is now in chaos, the country is weak and the army is tired, and it is really not appropriate to use swords and soldiers. Moreover, the Tang army has been stationed in Zhenyuan Fort for several months, and it is estimated that all measures have already been prepared, and if the Qing army sends troops to attack, I am afraid that it will not be as easy as imagined. And according to his opinion, it is the right way for the Qing court to negotiate with your army to reach a reconciliation between the two armies. It's just that Dolgon said that he harbored selfish motives, so he finally vetoed it......"

"Hmph, it seems that Hauge is quite self-aware." Liu Wenxiu interjected with a sneer on the side: "Sha'er Huda, our army has already prepared and is waiting for you to throw yourself into the net." That Duoduo does not know the current affairs, and sooner or later there will be great hardships. It's smart that you can surrender as soon as possible and save your life. You must know that the number of former Manchurians serving in our Tang Army is so large that you can't imagine! If in the future, you can work hard and stand out again in our army in the future, it will be a better way out. ”

"General Liu is right, it is a rare fate for slaves to surrender to your army, but I don't know, how does your army arrange for us and other surrendered personnel?" Shar Huda complimented him repeatedly, and then asked what he was most concerned about.

"It's very simple, like the Manchurians who surrendered before, first shave off their braids, then wear Han hair, wear Han clothes, learn Chinese, and eventually become a Han through and through. Generally speaking, it will take more than half a year of re-education through labor. As long as you can survive this period and are willing to continue to serve in our Tang Army, we are absolutely welcome. Duan Shidi replied with a smile.

Sha Erhuda nodded again and again, and then expressed his voice to Duan Shidi to show his loyalty. Duan Shidi encouraged him a few words, and asked him to retreat first.

"Wenxiu, it seems that now, the Qing court is really not monolithic." Duan Shi said with a smile: "I want to come to Dolgon, and I want to use Zhenyuan Fort to establish my authority, which is really ridiculous." ”

"This is very true, that Dolgon thought that my town far fort has limited troops, and there is no large firearms to help, he can easily take this fort, but it is a pipe dream! Let's see what else he can do, as much as he can do! Liu Wenxiu also looked proud.

At this time, the Qing army had retreated to Zhen'anbao, and in a closed hall, Duoduo and Shuoto had a secret conversation behind closed doors.

The candlelight flickered, making the two serious and panicked faces take on a strange distortion.

"It's hateful, I didn't expect our army to fight for the first time, and then returned with a big setback, and the pioneer Shaer Huda betrayed the country and surrendered to the Tang Army, which is really humiliating! If such news reaches Shengjing, not only will Haoge take the opportunity to make trouble and make a big fuss, but I am afraid that my second brother will also be under great pressure, and you and I, in the imperial court, can ......"

At this point, Dodor couldn't go any further, and he let out a long sigh with a worried expression.

"What Prince Yu said is very true, now we can only try our best to reverse the situation, and the only way to solve the problem is to solve the problem. At least this initial confrontation will not be reported for the time being, and it will not be too late to report it when we finally take Zhenyuan Fort. Shuoto also sighed.

"Shuotuo, then in your opinion, if our army wants to take Zhenyuan Fort now, how should it act, is it appropriate?" Dodor frowned and threw down the sentence.

Shuoto lowered his head, looking like he wanted to say something.

"To put it bluntly, this king will never blame." Seeing that he was preoccupied, Duoduo refused to speak, and hurriedly cheered him up.

"In my opinion, the top priority of our army now is to find out the situation of the Tang Army's defense." Shuotuo raised his head and replied slowly: "With all due respect, today's defeat is that we didn't understand the Tang army's defense, but blindly advanced lightly, and only then did we fall into the Tang army's ambush, resulting in the loss of many cavalry, and then Sha'er Huda was forced to surrender to the Tang army." Therefore, only by understanding how the Tang Army deployed its defenses can we have a definite aim and finally formulate a correct offensive plan. ”

"Shuoto, there's some truth to what you say. As a general, knowing the other can not slack off. Ignorance of the enemy's situation, restless and rash advance, so as to be defeated, is indeed the loss of this king. Being pointed out by Shuo Tuo in person, Duoduo's face was a little unbearable, but he still pretended to be calm and generous and replied: "Shuo Tuo, in your opinion, how can the deployment of the Tang Army still be investigated?" ”

"Prince Yu, there is actually no good way to do this. But one thing I can say is, if you don't enter the tiger's den, you will get the tiger. A hint of cruelty flashed across Shuoto's face.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Prince Yu, if you want to clearly investigate the deployment of the Tang army, in my opinion, the only way is to send scattered personnel to quietly sneak in front of the Tang army's formation at dusk to find out their specific deployment situation, so as to provide reliable information for our army's next move."

When Shuo Tuo said this, he sighed lightly and said: "Of course, if you do this, most of these investigators will inevitably be killed by the Tang Army, and I am afraid that only a few will be able to come back alive to report the news." But in today's plan, only in this way can we find out the specific deployment of the Tang Army. ”

"Shuotuo, the one who achieves great things, is not informal. These scouting soldiers are a necessary sacrificial bargaining chip, and if we can win in the end, what is the pity? Moreover, even if they die during the investigation, the king will not treat them badly, and he will definitely take care of their families. Duoduo replied coldly, and then slapped the chair rail: "This matter is so decided, starting tomorrow, during the time when the whole army is resting in Zhen'an Fort, you select capable soldiers and go to the Tang army to investigate, but those who have accurate returns will be rewarded!" '

"Yes, I'll arrange it now."

The next day, at dusk, the Tang soldiers who were guarding in the trenches, who were quite bored, found that in the dim twilight, from all sides surrounding the Zhenyuan Fort, there were some ghostly and revered guys, bowing down and approaching the Tang army's formation.

After a brief period of consternation, the Tang army quickly understood the intentions of the Qing army.

As they got closer and closer, sporadic banging began to sound in the trenches, and small lead bullets weighing three coins shot like the most vicious curse, towards those shadowy Qing army spies.

The spies of the Qing army who were hit by lead bullets fell down like a noodle bag, and the remaining spies were stunned for a moment, and immediately turned around and fled backwards with wails.

Where to run!

The cavalry of the Tang Army, who had already been prepared, were like the god of death surging in the dark night, riding their horses and raising their guns, quickly catching up with the fleeing Qing spies, slashing and stabbing them, and quickly slashing them to death.

In the Tang army's formation, bursts of cheers were heard, and Shuotuo, who was crawling in the distance, had been secretly observing the movements of the spies he had sent out with a clairvoyant mirror, and his heart was like a knife.

Come on, sons and daughters of the sacrifice, die early and die early. As long as there are sporadic spies that can get the information back, the sacrifice is worth it.

But what worries Shuotuo is that despite the drowsy twilight, the Tang cavalry still showed a very high slashing efficiency, and among the Qing army spies sent out in each batch, only a few could successfully come back.

And Shuoto is also a ruthless character, he is not afraid of sacrificing his subordinates, and insists on sending people to investigate every day. After six days of reconnaissance, we finally pieced together the deployment of the Tang army. Shuto tidied up a little and immediately reported to Dodor.

"Prince Yu, the deployment of the Tang army, according to the investigation in the past six days, has been roughly investigated. Now outside the Tang Army's Zhenyuan Fort, about 300 paces, a deep circle-shaped trench has been dug around the ring, and the soldiers are hidden in it. Originally, it was still outside the trench circle and dug two large pits again, thinking that it was used to lure the enemy, but because our cavalry stepped on it by mistake last time, it has been recognized, but it is not enough to worry about it for the time being. “

Shuo Tuo paused and continued: "Therefore, I think that if we want to take this fort, the only feasible plan is to be able to push closer to the trench and fight with the Tang army hidden in the circle. Only after all these Tang troops are wiped out, can our army reach the fort and then attack the city with artillery. “

When Duoduo heard this, his face did not have much expression, but his worry was more obvious.

"From this point of view, the Tang army is really well prepared, so Yi Shuo asks you to see, how should our army attack next, so that it is appropriate?"

"There is only one way, immediately build a chariot, block the Tang army's guns, bullets and bows and arrows, slowly arrive, and then order the soldiers to go down the trench to capture the trench, or at least open a gap so that our artillery can be transported to the city before attacking. You must know that our artillery can fight at most about 300 paces, and only after crossing the trench can we shoot at close range, and only then can we have the hope of taking the Zhenyuan Fort. “

"Oh......"

"Of course, in this way, our army attacked hard, but the Tang army stuck to the trenches, waited for work, and sat on the convenience. Therefore, in this attack of our army, I am afraid that there will be a lot of casualties. However, in the following opinion, if you want to take Zhenyuan Fort, this is the only feasible plan. After Shuoto finished speaking, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Duoduo's eyes.

"Shuotuo, as a general, Ci is not in charge of the army, this is the best word in ancient and modern times. As long as you can take Zhenyuan Fort and complete the tasks assigned by the regent, what is it to sacrifice a few soldiers. Duoduo sneered: "The stakes are very high in this battle, but as long as you can successfully take Zhenyuan Fort, no matter how big the casualties are, this king doesn't care." ”

"This, if the casualties are too great, will it be ...... when the time comes, such as Hauge and others" Shuoto hesitated for a moment and did not continue.

"Hmph, inexplicably mention Haoge, this cowardly who only wants to make peace with the Tang Army, Lao Tzu will get angry when he mentions him!" Duoduo's face was full of anger, and he said sharply: "I want to come to our army to fight against the Tang army, from the earliest Xuanfu Town Jinjiabao to the loss of Zhenyuan Fort some time ago, the two armies have been fighting for seven or eight years, but the result of this battle is basically the victory of the Tang army, and the victory of our army can be described as very few, it is really a shame!" ”

Duoduo gritted his teeth and continued to hate: "Over the course of time, the Tang army has won consecutive victories, and our army has lost consecutive defeats, which has dealt a great blow to the morale of the army. Therefore, this time our army attacked this lonely fort garrisoned by the Tang Army, the time and place are all right, and the number of troops is superior, if we can't win, then I will be a towering Qing country, what face will I have, and I will stand between heaven and earth! And you and me, what kind of face do you have to go back to see the regent, to meet the princes of the court, and to meet the subjects of the Great Qing Kingdom! “