At the previous military meeting convened by Dorgon, the kings and ministers of Baylor had already made an almost unanimous judgment on the approximate number of troops in Jinhai Town.

Correspondingly, while defending Fuzhou City, Jinzhou City and Lushunkou, Yang Zhen was also limited in how many troops he could send north to rescue Fuzhou City.

According to the news sent by Dorgon, Shang Ke was pleased to learn that the main force of 5,000 to 6,000 people from Jinhai Town heading north to rescue Fuzhou City were now surrounded in the Xiping Mountain area.

If the news coming from Gaizhou City this time is true, then there will be no more Yang Zhen's troops in Xiong Yuecheng.

Even if, as Zhumala said before, there had been Jinhai Town's northward sentinels here, then the number of these sentinels would never be too large, let alone the ability to threaten Xiongyue City's defense.

That night, after midnight, when Manchuria Jia La Zhang Jingzhu Mara with a white flag heard that King Zhishun Shang Kexi was going to send five Niulu Han troops around him to the city to reinforce Lianyun Island, he hurriedly ran from the south gate.

I came to see Shang Kexi at the north gate and planned to persuade him to focus on the defense of Xiongyue City.

Unfortunately, when he hurriedly climbed to the top of the North Gate, he only saw the backs of Wu Jinggong and Jin Yukui heading north quickly with torches.

In response, Zhumala could only stamp his feet and sigh.

Although Zhumala was of Jurchen origin, he did not dare to question his decision face to face when facing the Han prince Zhishun Wang who was highly regarded by Huang Taiji.

He could only return to Suide Gate worriedly, and sent orders to the three Niu Lu and the internal and external sentry posts under his command, so as to brace himself and hold on to the city.

It was not until midnight that day, after Chou hour, that Xiong Yuecheng sent a large group of troops to the north, and Qiu Bixian, the eldest son of Qiu Zhenhai, who served as a sentinel this time, brought it back to Rabbit Island.

Yang Zhen stayed up all night, but it was almost dawn and he still showed no sign of sleepiness.

As soon as he saw Qiu Zhenhai leading Qiu Bi first to meet him, he immediately asked happily: "How is it? Is there any movement among the Tatar defenders in Xiongyue City?"

"That's right, Commander. Around Haishi, a large group of Tatar cavalry, carrying torches, passed under Duntai Mountain and headed north!"

Qiu Bixian said this, and Yang Zhen's mind immediately remembered the location of Duntai Mountain - about 20 miles north of Xiongyue City near the coast.

Within a few dozen miles of Xiongyue City, there are Shipeng Mountain in the south and Duntai Mountain in the north.

The mountains are not high, and there are sea-watching posts or beacon towers built before the Ming Dynasty on them.

"Approximately how many people are there in Xiongyue City heading north through Duntai Mountain?"

"Looking at the torches, there are at least a thousand people, but at most there should be no more than two thousand people! If there is a compromise, I estimate that this team should be about 1,500 people!"

After listening to Qiu Bixian's words, Yang Zhen mentally calculated the number of people under Shang Kexi's command, as well as the number of enemies in Xiong Yuecheng at this time.

At this time, Zhang Chen on the side suddenly said: "Captain, according to Li Shutai, this King Zhishun is very gratifying. The number of people he brought this time is thirteen Niulu, less than four thousand.

"As for Gaizhou City and Lianyun Island, he has sent troops to garrison them. In any case, there should be one Jia La's troops in those two places. Now, he has sent out another 1,500 people, which happens to be another Jia La

.Then the Zhenglan Banner Han Army who stayed with him to help defend Xiong Yuecheng would only have three Niulu left!"

When Zhang Chen said this, when he saw Yang Zhen and other generals present, they all looked happy for a moment, so he immediately continued:

"Of course, we have to take into account the men and horses with a white flag who were originally stationed at Xiongyue City! According to Li Shutai, Zhao Changshou and the others, the people who were originally stationed at Xiongyue City were led by the Manchu Tatars with a white flag, Jia La Zhang Jingzhu Mara

Three awesome records!"

When Zhang Chen said this, the joy on everyone's faces suddenly stopped.

If Zhumala's three white flags are included in the Mengniu Lu, then the number of troops stationed for defense in Xiongyue City still exceeds the number of Yang Zhen and others.

Zhang Chen saw the reaction of Yang Zhen and other generals. He chuckled at first, and then continued: "The governor and everyone don't have to worry too much. The three white flag garrisoned Niulu led by Jia La Zhang Jing Zhu Mara were all sent by Duduo.

When we go to Liaoxi, we will pick out the remaining old and weak people! And—"

Having said this, Zhang Chen's face became solemn and he said decisively: "Moreover, even if the three Niulu led by Zhumala are included, there are only six Niulu and a thousand left in Xiongyue City today.

It’s just eight hundred people! Although there are more people than us, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”

After Zhang Chen said these words, Yang Zhen was a little excited.

At this time, Pan Xi, who had rested for the day and had slept well, heard Zhang Chen's judgment and immediately said to Yang Zhen excitedly:

"Yes, Governor, the Manchu Tatars have fallen into the Governor's plan of alerting the snake and driving the tiger away from the mountain! I think that the opportunity for us to break Xiongyue City again has arrived, so we can take action!"

When Pan Xi said this, Qiu Zhenhai and his son, Zhang Chen, Li Shouzhong and others who gathered around Yang Zhen all looked at Yang Zhen expectantly, waiting for his order.

These people now all know that Pan Xi personally planted a large amount of gunpowder and ten thousand enemies under Suide Gate. As long as he can approach Suide Gate quietly, he can defeat Xiongyue City in one fell swoop.

Therefore, they did not have any fear about going ashore to attack Xiongyue City. On the contrary, everyone had a lot of expectations in their hearts.

However, what they did not expect was that in the face of the eager attitude of Zhang Chen, Pan Xi and others, Yang Zhen poured cold water on their heads and categorically rejected the proposal to attack Xiong Yuecheng overnight.

"No rush, just wait a little longer!"

It was not that Yang Zhen was worried about not being able to capture Xiong Yue City, but that Yang Zhen was worried that if he captured Xiong Yue City too quickly, he would directly scare away Dorgon's army that was besieging Xiping Mountain.

Facing Dorgon's army, which was completely intact and without much loss, Yang Zhen had no way to deal with it head-on.

He needed to take advantage of the geographical advantages of the Xiping Mountain Camp or the Luotuoshan Camp to cause a large number of attrition to Dorgon's army.

If they were allowed to leave in full force, it would certainly have solved the siege of Fuzhou and the siege of Xiping Mountain, but the damage to Dorgon's army would be minimal. This was not Yang Zhen's purpose.

"What do you mean, Governor--?"

Seeing Yang Zhen frowning and rejecting the proposal to send troops to attack Xiong Yuecheng overnight, even Qiu Zhenhai was a little confused.

Others did not dare to ask more questions, but they all turned their attention to Qiu Zhenhai, Yang Zhen's elder, for help. In the end, he could only ask for the reason.

"What I mean is to let Dorgon's army waste more ammunition and suffer more at the foot of Xiping Mountain! You all know the terrain of Xiping Mountain. As long as Yuan Jin and the others don't make big mistakes, I'm afraid they will lose more money in eight days.

Even if it’s full of Tatars, it’s absolutely impossible to take it down!”

"We still have to wait ten or eight days?!"

Yang Zhen's statement shocked everyone, especially Pan Xi, who was eager to launch an attack on Xiong Yuecheng immediately, and screamed in surprise.

"That's not true, I'm just making an analogy!"

Seeing everyone's surprise and uncertainty, Yang Zhen immediately made his decision: "It is indeed not appropriate to guard the ripe peaches without picking them. What if Tatar reinforcements arrive in Xiongyue City within the next three or two days, it will be even worse.

It’s too late to regret!”

Having said this, Yang Zhen looked at the dim light coming from outside the cave entrance in the distance and said: "The sky is about to dawn and the tide is about to recede. It is not the best time for us to send troops! Let's wait another day and give Yuan Jin the opportunity.

They have some chance to destroy the enemy!"

When the generals heard what Yang Zhen said, they knew that the time to attack Xiongyue City was set for the night of the 27th, and they nodded together.

Especially in his words, Yang Zhen also mentioned Yuan Jin and others who were far away on Xiping Mountain outside Fuzhou City. The generals who were following him thought about it and thought of Yang Zhen's painstaking efforts.

Avoiding the real situation to attack the weak point and taking advantage of the weak point is Yang Zhen's strategy to fight against the enemy.

However, the purpose of fighting against the enemy is to destroy the enemy as much as possible, rather than to try every means to avoid the enemy.

It is possible to win by always avoiding the real situation and attacking the weak point and taking advantage of the weak point, but such a victory is of little significance after all.

The most troubling thing in Yang Zhen's heart is exactly this point.

On the one hand, Yang Zhen hoped that Dorgon would withdraw his troops as soon as possible after returning without success. On the other hand, he also hoped that his army could seize the opportunity under Fuzhou City and at the foot of Xiping Mountain and use the favorable terrain to deal a major blow to Dorgon.

At least let him steal the chicken but lose the rice.

It's a pity that Yang Zhen is incapable of taking care of one thing and not the other.

Now that he has arrived outside Xiongyue City, the overall situation of the battle and defense in the Xiping Mountain area and the overall situation of the battle and defense in Fuzhou City can only be left to fate for the time being, depending on the adaptability of Yuan Jin and others.

Everyone was talking and the sky was getting brighter.

Yang Zhen did not choose to launch an attack on Xiong Yuecheng before dawn. Instead, he missed the mark and avoided the various hidden sentries deployed by the panicked Zhumala that night.

Xiong Yuecheng was safe and sound overnight, which temporarily reassured Zhumala, who was a little panicked the night before.

After daybreak, Zhumala not only gave up the idea of ​​sending people to the Fuzhou front line to report the situation to Azig, but also issued an order to take back all the sentry guards located outside the south gate into the city.

In his opinion, the number of defenders in Xiongyue City was a bit low, and the sentry guards were scattered and used, which was a waste of scarce troops. It would be better to gather together in the city to guard the city head, which would also appear to have more troops.

a little.

At the same time, Yuan Jin, Hu Changhai and others who were far away in the Xiping Mountain camp did not have the consciousness that Yang Zhen wanted them to have.

Throughout the night, they were separately commanding the soldiers of each unit, running on the flat top of Xiping Mountain, digging trenches and trying their best to build various bunkers and fortifications.

Xiping Mountain is as flat as a millstone and the soil layer is thin. The trench warfare method created by Yang Zhen and them is not suitable here.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of the rolled logs and stones accumulated earlier on the top of the mountain, as well as felt tents and various sizes of stones.

Yuan Jin, Hu Changhai, Zhang Guogan and others asked people to dismantle the captured Tatar felt tents, use them as sacks, wrap them with earth and rocks, tie them up, and pile them into bunkers for later use.

Just this has exhausted them to death.
Chapter completed!