nucmednet Chapter 746 Dorgon
Chapter 746 Dorgon
Upon hearing the news that Lin Shiyue was about to give birth, Liu Ye hesitated.
Emotionally, he wanted to wait until Lin Shiyue gave birth before leaving, so he could see his second child with his own eyes. But rationally, the war machine was already running, and they were about to set off in the next couple of days. It was not something a mature leader should do to delay the journey of tens of thousands of troops for personal matters.
Just as he was struggling with this decision, Sun Yuanhua and Yan Guang came to Nanyuan to request an audience.
Liu Ye quickly said to the two of them, "You've come at the right time. I was just deciding whether to set off immediately or wait a few days until the baby is born..."
Sun Yuanhua answered without hesitation: "Of course we'll wait until after the baby is born. This concerns the future lord of the Qionghai Army. What could be more important than this? What does it matter if the army waits a few days? A few days earlier or later, the bandits won't be able to escape."
Yan Guang chimed in, "That's exactly why we've come. This expedition is quite risky, and to be frank, General, if anything were to happen to you, it would severely damage the morale of the entire army. But with an appointed successor, things would be different."
Liu Ye chuckled bitterly. It seemed they hadn't even considered Ajiu at all; Lin Shiyue, the heir of the main wife, was the true chosen one. He wanted to retort, "Even if an heir is chosen, so what? Can an infant lead them into battle?"
However, he also knew that in ancient times, there was no concept of ideologies or revolutionary beliefs. The military was highly dependent on its members, especially the Qionghai Army, which, while outwardly composed of officers and soldiers, was essentially a private army. The entire army's morale rested on him alone. If anything happened to him, even without getting caught up in factional power struggles, the army would soon decline. At that point, his direct descendants, even if just infants, could successfully unite everyone and prevent the army from becoming leaderless.
"Alright, we'll take your advice and postpone our departure for a few days."
On the advice of Sun Yuanhua and Yan Guang, Liu Ye postponed his expedition and waited patiently for Lin Shiyue to give birth. In just over a month, he would become a father for the second time, and because it involved a true heir, he was even more nervous than before.
Fortunately, Lin Shiyue's belly cooperated, and she didn't have to wait too long. Two days later, she safely gave birth to a baby boy weighing eight pounds and six ounces, and both mother and child were safe. According to the name Liu Ye had already chosen, the little guy is named Liu Hua.
The baby boy who attracted the attention of the entire Lingao area has everyone excited. Whether it is his gender or the identity of his birth mother, this little guy meets all the political conditions for Liu Ye's successor without any controversy.
Liu Ye also breathed a sigh of relief. In this way, Qionghai Army would have a legitimate "crown prince," and his worries would no longer exist.
On the 25th day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Liu Ye, free from worries about the rear, set off with his army to begin his journey to conquer the world.
According to the plan of the Military Advisory Office, the main force headed straight for Shandong, while Li Fei led the Marine Corps, escorted by half of the Navy's main warships, to once again go to the Lushun area to deal with the Qing army.
Haizhouwei Post Station, Liaodong Peninsula.
A densely packed cavalry force passed by the abandoned post station and headed straight south. Under the banner of the Plain White Banner, a young general in his twenties walked slowly, surrounded by his generals.
A middle-aged general asked, "Your Highness, I don't understand why, when passing through post towns like Haizhou, you didn't garrison troops there to prevent the bandits from making a comeback and taking advantage of the situation?"
The young general surrounded by the crowd was none other than Prince Rui of the First Rank, the renowned Dorgon, the commander-in-chief of the recapture of the cities in southern Liaodong. Hearing this, he smiled slightly and replied, "Mafuta, let me ask you, where did the bandits come from?"
The middle-aged general, known as Mafuta, was a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, a member of the Nara clan, and a figure of considerable seniority and power. He asked with some puzzlement, "Didn't you say you came by sea? Could it be that you came by land?"
"According to those who escaped, the bandits crossed the sea, first attacking Lushun, and then Jinzhou, Gaizhou, and other places. They have one characteristic: their land forces are limited, but their naval artillery is fierce. They prefer to fight along the coast rather than advancing from city to city on land. They are as swift as the wind and difficult to defend against," Dorgon said calmly. "If we disperse our forces to garrison all the post towns, we will play right into the enemy's hands, giving them the opportunity to defeat us one by one. It is a really bad strategy."
Mafuta asked, puzzled, "How can you be sure that the thieves only roam along the coast?"
"With their superior ships and cannons, they successively captured coastal cities like Lushun, Jinzhou, and Gaizhou, but they spared Fuzhou, which is far from the sea. This alone is enough to confirm that their goal is not to occupy southern Liaoning, but to harass and contain us, just like Mao Wenlong did on Pi Island back then. We don't need to defend inland post towns like Haizhou. We just need to speed up and get to Gaizhou, Jinzhou, and other important places. Even if the bandits come back, they won't be able to cause any trouble and will only be forced to retreat in frustration."
If Li Fei could hear these words, even the usually arrogant Li Fei would admire Dorgon's insight. Dorgon had never fought against the Marines, yet he grasped their combat characteristics and tactical intentions solely through analysis and reasoning.
Someone else asked, "Prince Rui's insight is brilliant. However, the task His Majesty has entrusted to us is to recover Liaonan. Is it really enough to just hold these few points and force the rebels to retreat? If we do that, won't we just be handing these places over to others once we withdraw our troops?"
Dorgon smiled. “It’s certainly not good to just come and make a quick trip, force the bandits to retreat, and then leave. But it’s even less advisable to stockpile troops and hold out. The Qing Dynasty’s military strength is limited, and we must use our resources wisely. The bandits have come from afar with limited supplies. After their initial raids, they will surely retreat, and their next visit will likely be months later. During this time, we can completely renovate and reinforce the post towns in Gaizhou, Jinzhou, and Lushun to withstand warships and cannons. When they return, they may not be able to easily breach these post towns.”
Ma Futa hesitated, "But the warriors we have invited are skilled in face-to-face combat and even more adept at field battles. Sending them to defend cities, especially remote post towns in southern Liaoning, would be a waste of their talents."
"That's easy. The warriors of the Qing Dynasty are better at field battles, so the defense of the city can be left to the Han army. Aren't these Han people the best at defending cities? Just give them more men and let them go back to their old ways."
Everyone laughed and said, "Prince Rui is right. The Han people are first-rate at defending the city by hiding in a tortoise shell."