The Ming army's victories continued. Just four days after the Battle of Xuzhou, Xu Shicheng's troops from Fengyang occupied Suzhou. Eight days later, Xu Shicheng returned to Defu. The eastern left-wing attack line has advanced into Henan. At the same time, Zhu Chenggong's troops broke into Shandong and, with the Guangwu Army as the forerunner, launched a sneak attack and captured Yanzhou. The situation was excellent. Except for the stubborn resistance at the gate of Xuzhou City, the entire march of the Ming army went smoothly beyond imagination.
Green camp fled, and the so-called Eight Banners elites were nowhere to be seen. The knowledgeable people in Yunei exclaimed that within a few years, the Ming army had become so elite. The self-aggrandizing scholar-bureaucrats even claimed that the combat power of the Ming army was close to that of the Australian army.
Before entering the year 1650, Sun Chuanting on the Western Front finally received the long-lost supplies. The suppressed Guangwu Army began to move towards Xi'an. Of course, Governor Sun was much more cautious this time. The entire march was carried out carefully and step by step. The average daily advance was less than ten kilometers, and the Guangwu Army spent all its energy on maintaining the rear supply line. Except for one Ming army in Sichuan that was left in the direction of Chengdu to prevent Wu Sangui's possible counterattack, the remaining tens of thousands of Ming troops were all turned into transport brigades by Sun Chuanting. The heavy baggage of the ship was unloaded at Chongqing Mansion on the first day, and a large and fully armed Ming army was escorted to the front line the next day.
There was naturally a lot of criticism about this in the court and in the marketplace. Regardless of the purpose, the arguments were surprisingly consistent. Sun Chuanting was too cautious. Today, Manchu has long since become a lost dog, just like a chicken or a tile-dog. The Ming army can poke it down with just a finger. Why be so cautious?
Some radical students simply wrote letters in blood, either pleading or scolding, with the intention of forcing Sun Du to fight Dorgon as soon as possible under the walls of Xi'an. But Sun Chuanting seemed to have become deaf at this moment. No matter what the outside world said, he still directed the Guangwu Army to advance at a leisurely pace.
As a veteran on the battlefield, Sun Chuanting knows the current situation better than anyone else. If the supplies of the Ming and Qing armies in Sichuan and even Hanzhong were at the same starting point, the current situation has become unfavorable to the Ming army. Excessively long supply lines. The vast plains are an extremely unfavorable factor. It can even be said that the Guangwu Army has always been in an extremely dangerous situation.
It is very likely that the Guangwu Army was invincible in the front, facing the enemy head-on and invincible, and then the Manchu Qing attacked the supply line, which directly led to the lack of ammunition supplies for the troops participating in the battle at the front. If you don't fight, you will collapse. Then the situation took a turn for the worse. The Manchu Qing pursued them down from the Loess Plateau and rolled back into Sichuan.
"Modern warfare is all about logistical supplies." Australian Marine Lieutenant General Sun Chuanting once said this as a golden rule. Executed without compromise. This made Sun Chuanting's opponent Dorgon feel uncomfortable.
In fact, faced with Sun Chuanting's rapid advance and slowly compressing the Qing army's living space and combat depth, Dorgon almost collapsed. The Two White Banners had directly fought against Wu Yi's army and the Australian army, and they knew very well that they could never confront the enemy head-on when faced with such an exaggeratedly energetic opponent. The only thing the Manchu Qing relied on was the cavalry's ability to move at high speeds in a short period of time. Positive attraction. Quickly move back to its rear, attack the supply line, and drag down the opponent.
The problem is that now Sun Chuanting doesn't give him a chance at all. As the Guangwu Army advances, some cement fortresses will appear sparsely on important roads and important towns behind Sun Chuanting. These fortresses are not big, with at most ten or twenty soldiers stationed there. However, the circuitous Two White Flags had no means of attack at all. In the face of this turtle shell, there was nothing else to do except drop dozens of corpses.
Whenever encountering this situation, the circuitous two white flag cavalry can only take a detour. If you entangle with it for too long, you will be in danger of being surrounded and annihilated by the surrounding reinforcements. Going around like this, there is no more sudden surprise in the attack. What awaited them ahead was either a larger ambush circle or a transportation brigade with more firepower than transportation supplies.
After losing several sneak attack troops. Dorgon was helpless. He could only watch Sun Chuanting advance the front bit by bit. This is a kind of torture for Dorgon. The huge psychological pressure not only affects him as the coach, but also the morale of the army has disappeared. He doubts whether the Eight Banners warriors who were invincible a few years ago will still have the courage a month later. Meet Sun Chuanting.
??Also as a veteran on the battlefield. On-the-spot command ability has always been He Tengjiao's shortcoming. But this does not prevent He Tengjiao, who is sitting at the rear, from seeing clearly the battle situation in front of him, just as Shao Bei and others commented on him. He Tengjiao may not be a qualified general or a qualified coach, but he is definitely a first-rate staff officer.
The Ming army on the eastern front slowly flattened from two sharp arrows to an average length of less than one kilometer, not even a centurion. This is an extremely dangerous signal, which means that there are too many weak links. If the Manchu and Qing Dynasties use this as a breakthrough point, the supply line of the Ming army on the eastern front will suffer immeasurable losses.
So in ?On the last day of the ninth year of the 16th year, He Tengjiao, who was in Huai'an, first wrote to the court, saying that "there may be something wrong with the excessive speed of the advance." Following He Tengjiao's two favorite generals, Xu Shicheng and Zhu Chenggong issued warnings at the same time. It is suggested that they slow down their advance and ensure the safety of their supply lines Yes, it is a warning and a suggestion, but it is not an order.
After recovering from his serious illness, He Tengjiao has gradually lost control of the army. General He's clumsy performance at the Great Victory Pass was even shameful for ordinary soldiers. So more often than not, He Tengjiao is just a shield in the eyes of the officers. His face was full of respect, but in fact he obeyed and violated all his orders. To the extent that He Tengjiao wanted to implement military orders within Wu Yi's army, he had to call the court and ask for the order.
This time is no exception. Xu Shicheng and Zhu Chenggong called back and politely refuted He Tengjiao's judgment. The nobles of the Manchu and Qing dynasties who thought Beijing was busy packing their luggage and ready to run away at any time, how could they think of fighting back and giving it a go? The situation is very good at this moment, and "the soldiers are valuable and quick". If you "hesitate", you will "miss the opportunity" and fear that you will "disappoint the hope of the saints and the hearts of the people".
On the same day, the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty responded. The message first affirmed He Tengjiao's contribution to planning the overall situation, and then recalled the old general's loyalty to the Ming Dynasty for decades. He just said, "The situation is changeable. Generals facing the enemy should take charge of their own affairs, abide by military orders and delay the opportunity to fight. It will be too late to regret it." He Tengjiao felt a chill in his heart.
"The meaning is obvious. Let Xu Shicheng and Zhu Chenggong handle the war. Just sit back and take the credit. Don't point fingers when nothing happens."
The furious He Tengjiao wrote again in the evening with fierce words. Then on the first day of 1650, a telegram came from the Ministry of Personnel, rejecting He Tengjiao's request to resign a year ago and allowing him to take a temporary leave.