Zu Dabi hesitated and said, "The prince... had promised that our troops would not have to face the enemy head-on in this battle."

"Yes, I should have passed..." Wu Zheng sighed lightly, "But this time and then, now with Wusong Guard, our army has more than 30,000 troops in Huai'an City. With your new guard, the troops have exceeded 40,000 troops... If you defend Huai'an City, the food in the city will definitely not support the day when reinforcements come to aid."

Zu Dabi still hesitated and said, "But the prince should understand that although the subordinates of the ministers are all Han people, they are northern people after all, and the soldiers and their families are all in the north. If they fight under the flag cavalry in the south, they will inevitably affect their families... Once they are lucky in the war or mutiny in the war, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Wu Zheng nodded, "I know, but have you ever thought that your army will not hide it for long, and what should happen will still happen. Whether your army is fighting head-on with the enemy has no direct relationship... On the contrary, if you win, the enemy will be afraid of the enemy, and the soldiers and their families may still have a glimmer of life."

This is right. Only when the enemy is hurt will the enemy be scruples. Otherwise, what can I do if I kill first?

The truth is very clear. Zu Dabi can understand it, but it may be two different things to understand and agree.

Only by putting yourself in your shoes and thinking from the perspective of a soldier can you understand the pain of this choice.

Wu Zheng put on a strong medicine, and he said firmly: "Go and tell your subordinates that I promise that no matter how victorious or defeated the war, as long as the Yixing Dynasty is still there, they will be considered the first merit... The officers are promoted to the second level, and the soldiers are rewarded with fifty taels of silver."

Zu Dabi looked at Wu Zheng in surprise, and his heart was rumbling. It was not that he did not believe Wu Zheng's promise, but... His surrendered army was just a temporary member. The so-called temporary member was a revoked at any time. Zu Dabi understood that after the Northern Expedition Army reorganized this surrendered army, he went to a certain guard and became a deputy general. This was his best ending.

But at this time, Wu Zheng continued, "As for you... after this battle, I will officially give you a number, which is an independent guard, not under the control of other guards, and only obey me. What do you think?"

This fruit is indeed big enough. With the Northern Expedition Army, the smallest guard is 12,000. In other words, this army will not only not be abolished or reorganized, but will instead supplement new recruits and grow.

This made Zu Dabi feel moved. Under the heavy reward, there must be a brave man. Zu Dabi was confident that among his more than 7,000 people, he could always choose two or three thousand people who dared to die, not to mention that he had three thousand direct descendants of the original Han army's blue flag.

Thinking of this, Zu Dabi solemnly bowed: "I am willing to die for Your Highness!"

Wu Zheng sighed, "The infantry stayed to participate in defending the city. You led the cavalry out of the south direction of the city, try not to fight with the enemy cavalry, in order to open up the blockade and meet with reinforcements in the south..."

At this moment, Jiang Quanyi's urgent cry suddenly came from outside the door, "Prince, there is an emergency military situation!"

Wu Zhengwen was shocked when he heard this. What should come, is it?

"Come in."

Jiang Quanyi and the Lu domain came together.

As soon as he entered the door, Jiang Quanyi said anxiously: "Prince, there are enemies gathering in Qinghe direction. When the last general came to report, he met General Lu. He said that there are enemies gathering in Caowan direction... It seems that the prince expected that the enemy was prepared for a long time, otherwise such a large-scale mobilization of troops would never have leaked any news."

Wu Zheng glanced at Zu Dabi.

Zu Dabi's face changed and he said anxiously: "Your Majesty is clear, I have never deceived you... I really don't know that there are a large number of Qing troops on the other side of the river..."

Wu Zheng raised his hand to stop him and said, "No need to explain anymore... I believe in you. Since Dorgon dug such a big pit for me, if it is just Huai'an and Yancheng, it would be too pediatric and would be inconsistent with Dorgon's strength."

Jiang Quanyi said: "Prince, these two enemy troops are obviously not the enemy troops stationed in Xuzhou. Judging from their clothes, they look more like Manchu flag troops."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded and said, "Yes, there are no less than 30% of the cavalry. This time we are probably really trapped by the enemy... It is obvious that Dorgon attracted our attention with the Xuzhou garrison. In fact, as the real main force of the decisive battle, it was not the 80,000 people in Xuzhou, but the flag army transferred directly from the north."

Jiang Quanyi, a ruthless man, also showed hesitation at this time. He advised: "The two enemy troops, plus 80,000 in Xuzhou, are several times more than me. Although they are separated by the Yellow River, the canals north of Huai'an are all under the control of the enemy. The enemy can come from the river at any time. Our army lacks heavy firearms, and I am afraid it cannot be stopped... Prince, even though the enemy sets a trap, we cannot fight easily. According to the last general, we have 40,000 troops, so it is better for the entire army to go south and fight for life and death with the enemy cavalry. Perhaps we can open a gap to break through. As long as we arrive in Taixing, even if the enemy crosses the river and chases us, we have the natural barrier of the Yangtze River as a barrier, and the navy controls the river surface, we will not suffer any loss..."

Wu Zheng tapped the chopping board with his fingers and thought.

After a while, he shook his head and said, "No!"

Jiang Quanyi asked anxiously: "Why not? The prince is in danger and must not sacrifice himself easily!"

Wu Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "Why did I want to sacrifice myself easily? In fact, once this battle begins, I will no longer be transferred by my will. Of course, I will not be transferred by Dorgon's will. I can't stop just by wanting to stop... Just imagine, the enemy mobilized the army in this battle, with 80,000 people from Xuzhou, and the enemies on the other side of the strait, Yancheng and 20,000 commands of Huaianzu, which totals 150,000 or 60,000?"

Jiang Quanyi nodded.

Wu Zheng said: "And we have 30,000 Taizhou Guards, 20,000 Wusong Guards, Fang Guoan's Ministry, Chen Sheng's army, Chi Erhan's army, and the 20,000 First Army who came from Hangzhou Prefecture to reinforce, the total number is nearly 100,000. In this way, the mobilization of a large scale will be in the end... Do you think that you don't need to consume money and food to mobilize the army? Let's tell you the truth. Originally, the king planned to do some part, at most half a month, but now it has been twenty days, and the financial resources of the General's Mansion are almost exhausted... In other words, if you retreat this time, there will be no more rest or failure to recuperate for three or five years."

"But even though we know we can't fight, it's just right for the enemy to do it? Besides, as long as our troops are not greatly damaged, we will naturally have hope of going north again."
Chapter completed!