But the situation on the battlefield is still not optimistic.

The soldiers didn't know, but the generals knew that if this continued, the two guards would not last long, because at most three days, the muskets and ammunition would be exhausted. At that time, they would probably only rely on the crossbows that were collected in the city to defend against the enemy. However, the range of the crossbows was at a complete disadvantage compared to the enemy, so the soldiers had to stab the guns, charge towards the river bank, and fight with the enemy in hand.

When will reinforcements arrive? This is the most common question that Wu Zheng and Chen Sheng and Lu Zhiyuan talk about.

However, what no one expected was that the first reinforcements to the south gate of Huai'an City were not the first army reinforcements, but Song An, Qian Yi and dozens of Chang Lin Wei.

The news they brought was shocking, that is, Dorgon had already gone south, and at the same time, the Qing court was stationed in Beijing on the Eight Banners.

Crazy, it's really crazy.

This was Wu Zheng’s first reaction when he heard this. Any force or dynasty was very cautious in mobilizing the Beijing army, which was related to the stability of a regime.

Before the critical moment, the Beijing army often does not leave the capital.

Yixingchao used the Beijing Guards to fight the enemy, and that was the enemy's attack on Yingtian Prefecture, which was a forced one.

But Dorgon did this, not only did it, but also led his troops south personally.

"This is very abnormal." Wu Zheng thought, muttering this sentence, "What exactly does he want...what do he want?"

Chen Sheng casually said: "No matter what Dorgon wants or what he wants to do, dragging him to the bank of the Yellow River will ultimately be unfavorable to the Qing court and the enemy's bad things, that's what we have to do."

Wu Zheng nodded slightly. This made some sense, but then Wu Zheng shook his head again, "No, no matter how confident Dorgon is, he should consider that if the war fails, the foundation of the Qing court will be shaken... Besides, he should know that the capital city has weak troops, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and even Shandong, the people's resistance will occur from time to time. If something happens, it is not something he can compensate for when annihilates our army's two guards... Even if it is a bet, the target's profit is greater than the risk, and at least it should be equal... This is not right, it is obvious that Dorgon has a backup plan, but he can't guess it thoroughly."

Song An said, "Before I came, the vanguard of the First Army has crossed the river. I think at this time, I should be attacking Taixing... If the war goes well, you can attack Xinghua and Gaoyouzhou in three days. Even if the war is not going well, you will definitely be able to restrain the enemy cavalry of Yangzhou Prefecture... Master, Huai'an is too dangerous, it is time to retreat and meet with the First Army."

Song An's words were nodded by the generals present. Indeed, from the attack on Huai'an to today, the soldiers of the Northern Expedition Army have fought for more than 20 days, and they have run out of ammunition and food. It is time to retreat.

Lu Zhiyuan said: "Prince, Commander Song is right. The city is short of food and grass, and the soldiers have no ammunition. If they really want to continue to attack, casualties will increase rapidly. It is better to take advantage of this to retreat... Even if the prince still wants to fight, it will not be too late to fight back after withdrawing from Taizhou and obtaining supplements. In this way, with reinforcements as a backing, there will be no worries."

Wu Zheng's eyes slowly swept around. In fact, he had no resentment about retreat. This was not a decisive battle. At least before the war, Wu Zheng just wanted to fight a partial battle. He took advantage of Dorgon's secretly surrendering the dynasty first, shelling the Songjiang Prefecture military workshop and carrying out revenge to achieve the goal of preventing the Qing court from stabilizing it. It can not only disrupt the enemy's deployment, but also buy time for rest for the Yongli Dynasty in the southwest and northwest, and in turn, it can also gain time for himself and Yixing Dynasty to accumulate strength.

But the problem is that the war does not evolve according to one's own ideas.

From the beginning, Dorgon also had the possibility of weakening the strength of the Northern Expedition Army and curbing the Yixing Dynasty taking advantage of this powerful strength.

So, when both sides have almost used all their strength, what is the real meaning of fighting such a war?

If you don’t understand this problem, you will fall into a strategic passiveness, because if Dorgon has a backhand that has not been exposed, then this backhand will cause greater losses to himself or even lose all the money when or before the next war breaks out.

Looking at the generals who suddenly returned home, Wu Zheng could understand this feeling.

Song An's arrival indicates that the Qing army blocked the south was in chaos, at least there were loopholes in the blockade.

Then, if 30,000 troops gathered to head south, the possibility of breaking through is very high.

This is how people are. When facing a desperate situation, they can fight with their backs, but as long as they still have a way out, they subconsciously want to run towards the way out. This has nothing to do with being timid and afraid of death, passive and lazy, but human nature.

Wu Zheng suddenly laughed like a spring breeze blowing on his face.

"If I say... if I don't withdraw, what do you think? Do you have any objections?"

Everyone was stunned, their faces changed a lot, but then they began to disagree.

"What does the prince mean?" Lu Zhidi was a little annoyed.

Chen Sheng frowned and said, "It is indeed very important to stick to the important town of Huai'an... But if you want more than tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers of the Northern Expedition Army to change your life, I think it's not worth it... Unless the prince can give me the reason to convince people, I will oppose it."

A glimmer flashed in Wu Zheng's eyes, and he didn't expect that Chen Sheng would also stand on the opposition side.

There was a sound of controversy in the house.

At this time, Song An said murmuredly: "If the young master says he will not withdraw, then he will not withdraw... I will accompany the young master."

These words made the room quiet instantly, and the soldiers suddenly looked at Wu Zheng together.

What Wu Zheng saw from these eyes were surprise, hesitation, suspicion, regret, and fear...

Wu Zheng smiled even brighter.

"I just said it, you don't have to care." Wu Zheng slowly curled his smile and said seriously, "According to Song An's information, the enemy chief Dorgon is on the other side of the river... Not to mention any righteous nonsense, just say that we were designed to be beaten for more than 20 days. Do you have no idea of ​​seeking justice from Dorgon?"

The generals were silent.

Wu Zheng grinned, "But I am not happy... If someone punches me, I have to give them two punches, otherwise, I can't sleep at night and always feel that I'm in a silence. When retreating, we will win or lose? I won on the surface, lose at the bottom? Or, I won on the bottom, lose on the surface? Who can tell me clearly?"

The generals were silent.

"Everything needs to be an answer, an explanation, an explanation to the soldiers who have paid blood and life under their command, and an explanation to the working people who have worshipped us under their rule...even at the cost of life." Wu Zheng's voice became deeper, "Everyone will die, but before death, you must not leave any regrets. Dorgon is on the other side, and I have to ask him, what exactly does he want?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.
Chapter completed!