It has been several days since Yang Shen followed Yang Zhen by boat to Anton City. He had rested early and headed north with a strong artillery regiment. He could no longer restrain his desire to make great achievements.

Correspondingly, although Li Lu arrived a little late, the main force would be ready to go north to fight after another day of rest.

Therefore, the two of them showed no hesitation in facing Yang Zhen's order to send troops.

But Qiu Zhenhai, Zhang Chen, and Yan Sheng all hesitated.

"Why, General Qiu, do you have any suggestions?"

"Well, after the Commander-in-Chief leads the Third Regiment of the Eastern Army to cross the Yangtze River and head north, will the subordinates accompany him?"

"No, you stay in Andong City, and at the same time send more scouts north to Jiulian City and the Xianshan Fort area, and send people to report to me the news west of the Yajiang River at any time, and then wait for my orders!"

"This——, I humbly obey my orders!"

Qiu Zhenhai hesitated for a moment, but quickly accepted the order.

Yang Zhen came to the front of the army in person, and his status naturally declined.

Besides, when it comes to major events like pacifying the captives and restoring the Liao Dynasty, Yang Zhen will not hide behind and let others take command from the front.

"What about you, Mr. Zhang?"

Zhang Chen hesitated and did not accept the order immediately, which made Yang Zhen feel that he must have some different suggestions.

Therefore, after answering Qiu Zhenhai's questions, he immediately turned to him.

"Captain, in fact, on the way to Andong City, I have been thinking about the deployment of attacking Jiulian City. Yesterday I listened to the Governor's analysis of the current situation between the enemy and ourselves on both sides of the Yajiang River, and this morning I followed the Governor to Tangzhan Fort.

, I do have some new ideas here that I would like to report to the Governor."

"Say, if there is a better plan, of course I would be willing to follow it."

Yang Zhen has always been encouraging of good ideas.

Even if he overturns his previous decision, Yang Zhen does not mind changing his tactics at any time as long as it is conducive to the overall strategic situation of a decisive battle and victory.

"The purpose of the governor's decision to attack Jiuliancheng was mainly to attack the Qingluo and mobilize the soldiers and horses of the Qingluo. Including that after the Jiuliancheng was captured, our army opened the road to Kuandian 5th Fort, and then attacked Kuandian 5th

The main purpose is to build the fort and even continue to attack northward."

"Well. Strategically speaking, it is indeed the case."

Yang Zhen did not deny Zhang Chen's analysis.

When Zhang Chen saw this, he immediately said:

"Then if that's the case, why don't our army simply bypass Jiulian City, where the Qinglu have increased their troops, and directly attack the place where the Qinglu must be rescued?"

"Bypassing Jiulian City instead of attacking?! You mean to say that we march north from the east bank of Yajiang River, find a suitable place to cross the river, and directly attack Kuan Dien Five Forts and other places?"

"The meaning of humble position is that our army can go to Kuan Dien Five Fortresses, but it is also okay not to go. We can not cross the river to the west for the time being, but directly capture the city and territory east of Yajiang River and occupy the entire northern two roads of Hening Country.

, first break the arms of Qinglu and Ningguo!"

Zhang Chen obviously thought a lot about the decisive battle with the Qing Dynasty on the way to Andong City. He already had a general idea in his mind, and he could speak very fluently at this time.

"If the Qinglu forces send a large army to rescue, then we will have achieved the goal of mobilizing the Qinglu forces and containing the Qinglu troops. And if the Qinglu from Jiulian City or Phoenix City send troops to rescue Hening State, then we will capture Jiulian City.

And Phoenix will be a piece of cake.

"If the Qing captives dare not send a large army to rescue them and still defend Jiulian City and Fenghuang City and wait for the two northern roads of Hening State to be occupied by our army, then we can take the opportunity to sweep through the entire Hening State.

"I believe that with the relationship between Marshal Shen and the governor's son-in-law, with Marshal Shen's troops leading the way, and with the banner of the Li Dynasty expelling the Qing Dynasty from the Tartars, the governor's army will advance by land and water, and will surely win a complete victory!

"

"this--"

It has to be said that what Zhang Chen said suddenly made Yang Zhen a little tempted, and at the same time made him a little hesitant.

As for the other people present, they looked at Yang Zhen for a while and Zhang Chen for a while. They were all obviously in a state of hesitation.

Of course, there is nothing difficult about simply making a choice. After all, Yang Zhen is the boss and Yang Zhen has the final say.

But the problem is that the plan proposed by Zhang Chen is not completely unreasonable.

Because of the existence of Xiuyan City and Andong City, the troops of the Qing Dynasty in the direction of Gaizhou and Fenghuang City would never dare to easily go to He Ning Kingdom to rescue them, and it was unlikely that they would abandon their hinterland cities for the sake of He Ning Kingdom.

In particular, with hundreds of thousands of Ming Dynasty soldiers and horses gathered in western Liaoning, Huang Taiji, the puppet emperor of the Qing Dynasty who was far away in Shengjing City, must also weigh the issue of which one is more important and which one is more important, and he will not lead the army easily like last time.

The main force of hundreds of thousands of Qing captives once again attacked the Eastern Front.

If Daishan and Haoge were still alive, or Abatai and Duduo were still alive, then Huang Taiji, the puppet emperor of the Qing Dynasty who always liked adventure, would either fall ill again and lead his own expedition, or send a prince who was good at conquering to lead the army in the east.

Come.

But now, Prince Daishan of Qinglu and Shuoli, Prince Haoge of Heshuosu, Prince Duduo of Heshuoyu, and Prince Abatai of Raoyu are all dead, and even the new generation of Anping County Prince Dudu has died.

died.

Among the remaining princes, Dorgon and Ajige, who have always had great prestige, cannot deal with Huang Taiji. It is estimated that Huang Taiji will not dare to reuse him now, at least he will not dare to hand over the military power related to the national destiny to Dorgon.

In the hands of the two Gon brothers.

As for the other more senior Qinglu prince Jierhalang, he is currently in charge of Phoenix City. If Huang Taiji sends troops to rescue He Ningguo, he will probably be sent to do so.

But for this Jierhalang, after the Zhenjiang Fort attack and defense battle more than a year ago, the generals in Jinhai Town already knew his capabilities and were no longer afraid of him.

Of course, the most important thing is that for many people present, the new plan proposed by Zhang Chen will be easier, and the results will definitely be greater, and it will also be more beneficial to Jinhaizhen itself.

After all, after taking over the entire Hening Kingdom, the land under the jurisdiction of Jinhai Town will be doubled, and there will be more space for resettling the refugees in the pass to open up wasteland and colonize.

What will follow is that Jinhaizhen's strength will also receive a new round of surge.

Therefore, after Zhang Chen's words fell, all the generals present were weighing the pros and cons, and no one said anything.

However, Yang Zhen also saw and thought of the benefits that the generals saw, or what they thought in their hearts.

Even what the generals didn't see, or didn't think of, Yang Zhen also saw and thought about it.

Zhang Chen's proposal, to put it bluntly, is a new variant of Fang Guangchen's proposal that he made when he invaded the Korean Peninsula.

If there was little chance of success in doing so back then, then now that the right time, place and people are on your side, the chance of success is indeed very high.

However, Yang Zhen still doesn't plan to take action now.

Because to this day, seizing Hening Country and possessing it is not Yang Zhen's top priority.

"I've thought about it. General Zhang's idea is very good, but we still have to attack Jiuliancheng. Once our strategy of encircling Jiuliancheng and calling for reinforcements doesn't work, then we will implement the plan proposed by General Zhang."

After much deliberation, Yang Zhen finally stated his point of view and at the same time adhered to the original basic strategy.

"You know, and I also know, that it is unlikely that the Qing captives will send out large-scale troops to rescue the Hening Kingdom. Therefore, if our army marches eastward and sweeps across the entire Hening Kingdom, we may not be able to mobilize many Qing captive troops to come.

"You may think that this is an excellent opportunity for us to seize the opportunity to capture Heningguo. But I want to tell you, this is not the best opportunity.

"Because once we do that, not only may our previous allies in Hening Kingdom turn into enemies, but our main troops may also fall into resistance in various parts of Hening Kingdom and be unable to escape in a short period of time.

"If this happens, the great cause of the Northern Expedition and the restoration of the Liao Dynasty may be abandoned halfway. The imperial court has mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops to send troops to western Liaoning, but we are hampered by the quagmire of Hening State. I am afraid that we will lose a big thing for a small amount.

"At that time, I, Yang Zhen, Jin Hai, and the soldiers who came to the second town will also face attacks from the Liaoxi soldiers and horses, as well as criticism and even impeachment from the capital court. Of course, I, Yang Zhen, cannot bear this result.

"But there is one thing. Once our main force is trapped in Hening and cannot come out, it gives the Qingluo the opportunity to gather the main force to defeat the Liaoxi army. Then when the Qingluo turns around and attacks us again, then I, Yang Zhenke, will become a sinner for the ages.

Got it!"

"ah?!"

"this--"

"No way?"

"Is that so?"

After Yang Zhen finished speaking, Qiu Zhenhai, Li Lu, Yang Shen, Yan Sheng and others who were also in the second hall of the General Military Mansion were stunned for almost an instant.

Each one of them either shouted out loud or asked themselves in their hearts.

Even Zhang Chen, who raised the issue of occupying He Ning Kingdom, was a little stunned for a moment.

Obviously, he did not expect that Yang Zhen would say such words, and at the same time, he did not think of the problem as so complicated or so far-reaching.

And when he thought that his proposal might actually make Yang Zhen bear the name of a sinner through the ages, Zhang Chen felt uneasy and immediately bowed to Yang Zhen and said:

"This is because Beizhi didn't think it through well. He was just discussing the matter, and he had no intention of harming the great cause of pacifying the captives and restoring Liao Dynasty, or making the governor bear the infamy."

"Yes, Commander, I believe that General Zhang never means this. In fact, in the final analysis, we are not as tall as the Commander, see far, and think deeply!"

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief, in fact, General Zhang's suggestions have many merits. In the final analysis, it is just a question of timing and which one comes first!"

"Indeed, after we capture Phoenix City and Jiulian City, if the Qing army still doesn't come to confront us, then we can implement General Zhang's plan!"

"Yes, when the time comes we advance both by water and land, and it will not be difficult to capture the Hening Kingdom in one fell swoop. If they dare to resist, then we won't have the worries of the Qing captives threatening our retreat, and we can calmly wipe them out one by one!"

As soon as Zhang Chen reflected on his words, three or four people, Qiu Zhenhai, Li Lu, Yang Shen and Yan Sheng, stood up and spoke one after another. On the one hand, they expressed their own opinions, and on the other hand, they also helped Zhang Chen explain.

Actually no explanation is needed.

Yang Zhen was still very relieved about the generals in front of him, knowing that they could not deliberately deceive him.

At the same time, Yang Zhen also knew in his heart that Zhang Chen's proposal was the best choice if he was purely considering the interests of the group under his command in Jin Haizhen.

In fact, for most people in the group under their command, there is no need to worry about pacifying the Liao Dynasty and restoring the Liao Dynasty. The most important thing is to use the opportunity of the imperial court to pacify the Liao Dynasty and restore the Liao Dynasty to further strengthen themselves.
To be continued...